GBP2 enhances glioblastoma invasion through Stat3/fibronectin pathway

Cancer-associated fibroblasts derived fibronectin extra domain A promotes sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by activating SHMT1

Resistance to sorafenib, an effective first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), greatly compromised the prognosis of patients. The extracellular matrix is one of the most abundant components of the tumor microenvironment. Beyond acting as a physical barrier, it remains unclear whether cell interactions and signal transduction mediated by the extracellular matrix contribute to sorafenib resistance. With the analysis of primary HCC organoid RNA-seq data combined with in vivo and in vitro experiments validation, we discovered that fibronectin extra domain A (FN-EDA) derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts played a critical role in sorafenib resistance. Mechanistically, FN-EDA stimulates the up-regulation of the key one-carbon metabolism enzyme SHMT1 in HCC cells via the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby countering the oxidative stress induced by sorafenib. Moreover, we reinforced the clinical significance of our discoveries by conducting in vivo assays with an immunodeficiency subcutaneous xenograft tumor model, which was established using primary cancer-associated fibroblasts derived from clinical HCC tissues, and through the analysis of HCC samples obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Our findings suggest that targeting the FN-EDA/SHMT1 pathway could be a potential strategy to improve sorafenib responsiveness in HCC patients.

Integrative analysis of the immunological significances of guanylate binding protein family genes in microsatellite stability colorectal cancer

Background

Microsatellite stability (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) has poor sensitivity to immunotherapy and its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Guanylate binding proteins (GBPs) are a family of GTPase involving innate immune responses by providing defense against invading microbes and pathogens. However, the immunological significances of GBPs in MSS CRC remain unknown.

Methods

We utilized bioinformatic tools to comprehensively analysis the expression pattern, clinical relevance, prognostic value, biological function, and immunoregulation effect of distinct GBP members in MSS CRC.

Results

The expression of all seven GBPs in MSS samples are remarkably decreased compared to microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) samples. Among them, GBP1/2/4/5 are obviously correlated with distant metastasis status. High expression of GBP1/4/5/6 was remarkably related to favorable overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in CRC patients with MSS tumor. Subsequent enrichment analysis revealed that Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and NOD-like receptor signaling are the most relevant functions. Besides, the expression patterns of GBPs are remarkably associated with several tumor infiltrated immune cells (e.g. regulatory T cells, CD4+ T cells, and macrophages) and diverse immunoregulatory molecules (e.g. immune checkpoint biomarkers (ICBs) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules). Moreover, high GBP1/2/4/5 expression predicted better immunotherapy responsiveness in immunotherapy cohorts.

Conclusion

These findings might provide novel insights for the identification of therapeutic targets and potential prognostic biomarkers of GBP family in CRC with MSS samples.

ADCY5 act as a putative tumor suppressor in glioblastoma: An integrated analysis

Background

Adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms played a key role in the multiple cancer pathology, However, the expression, prognostic value and function of ADCY5 in Glioblastoma (GBM) have not been reported yet. This research intends to discover the expression, epigenetic alteration and biological function of ADCY5 in GBM and its value on patients' prognosis.

Methods

① Transcriptional level, epigenetic alteration, prognostic value and molecular network of ADCY5 were analyzed by using of public online datasets. ② The mRNA expression profile of ADCY5 was explored by using GEPIA database and protein expression levels were detected by HPA Database. ③ The prognostic value of ADCY5 was determined by Kaplan-Meier Plotter, GEPIA and CGGA database. ④ The epigenetic characteristics of ADCY5 were determined by DiseaseMeth database. ⑤ Identification of genes co-expressed with ADCY5 and potential mechanism analyses were performed by using DAVID cBioPorta and STRING. ⑥ Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, wound-healing scratch and transwell assay were applied to detect relative mRNA expression and biological function of ADCY5 in GMB cells.

Results

ADCY5 mRNA and protein were downregulated in GBM compared with normal tissues. Analysis of the genetics and epigenetics of ADCY5 suggested that its expression was negatively correlated with DNA methylation. High expression of ADCY5 was significantly associated with age, grade, IDH mutation, 1p19q_codeletion, radiotherapy and chemotherapy and acted as an independent prognostic factor in GBM. ADCY5 mRNA also down-expressed in GBM cell lines and re-expressed of ADCY5 could inhibit cell proliferation, viability, migration/invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. In the analysis of genes co-expressed with ADCY5, we found that cAMP/AKT pathway, cGMP-PKG pathway, Wnts pathway were dissimilarly enriched.

Conclusion

Our study indicated that ADCY5 could act as an epigenetic biomarker in GBM, as well as a prognosis target in patients with GBM.

Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified GBP2 connected to PPARα activity and liver cancer

Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths with a steadily increasing rate worldwide, as a well-known hallmark of liver cancer, metabolic alterations are related to liposomal changes, a common characteristic of primary liver cancers based on recent lipidomics studies. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) is a ligand-activated transcription factor with important lipid homeostasis function, therefore we aimed to understand the molecular mechanisms and pathways that activate PPARα after using PPAR-α agonist WY-14643 and identify candidate biomarkers related to PPARα activity and evaluate their effects in liver cancer. The data from differently expressed genes (DEGs) between liver cancer tissue from obese subjects alone and liver tissue after treatment were evaluated by DESeq2 and module genes were analyzed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Final candidate genes were identified by intersecting genes among highly ranked DEGs and the brown module, which demonstrated a significant negative correlation with drug treatments. We conducted a protein-protein interaction network, and KEGG enrichment analysis, and core hub genes (CD40, CXCL9, CXCL10, TNFSF14, GBP2, GBP3, APOL3, CLDN1) were identified using the cyto-hubba plugin, among them we focused on GBP2 that plays key roles in oncogenesis and evaluate its expressional with clinical outcomes. In conclusion, the WGCNA-based co-expression network identified GBP2 as one of the hub genes with a negative relation with PPARα agonist treatments. higher expression of GBP2 was closely associated with HCC progression. Therefore, GBP2 might be a potential candidate for the study of PPARα activity in HCC.

Crosstalk between GBP2 and M2 macrophage promotes the ccRCC progression

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) represents a highly heterogeneous kidney malignancy associated with the poorest prognosis. The metastatic potential of advanced ccRCC tumors is notably high, posing significant clinical challenges. There is an urgent imperative to develop novel therapeutic approaches to address ccRCC metastasis. Recent investigations indicated a potential association between GBP2 and tumor immunity. However, the precise functional role of GBP2 in the progression of ccRCC remains poorly understood. The present study revealed a strong correlation between GBP2 and M2 macrophages. Specifically, our findings demonstrated that the inhibition of GBP2 significantly impedes the migratory and invasive capabilities of ccRCC cells. We observed that the presence of M2 macrophages can reverse the effects of GBP2 knockdown on tumor cell migration and invasion. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that M2 macrophages promote the expression of the GBP2/p-STAT3 and p-ERK axis in tumor cells through the secretion of interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), thereby substantially enhancing the migratory and invasive capacities of the tumor cells. Simultaneously, we have identified that GBP2 promotes the polarization of macrophages to the M2 phenotype by stimulating the secretion of interleukin-18 (IL-18). In summary, our investigation anticipates that the GBP2/IL-18/M2 macrophages/IL-10 and the TGF-β/GBP2, p-STAT3, p-ERK loop plays a crucial role in ccRCC metastasis. The collective findings from our research underscore the significant role of GBP2 in tumor immunity and emphasize the potential for modulating GBP2 as a promising therapeutic strategy for targeting ccRCC metastasis.

CENPA facilitates glioma stem cell stemness and suppress ferroptosis to accelerate glioblastoma multiforme progression by promoting GBP2 transcription

The function of glioma stem cells (GSCs) is closely related to the progression of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Centromere protein A (CENPA) has been confirmed to be related to the poor prognosis of GBM patients. However, whether CENPA regulates GSCs function to mediate GBM progression is still unclear. GSCs were isolated from GBM cells. The expression of CENPA and guanylate-binding protein 2 (GBP2) was examined by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot. GSCs proliferation and stemness were assessed using EdU assay and sphere formation assay. Cell ferroptosis was evaluated by detecting related factors. The interaction between CENPA and GBP2 was analyzed by ChIP assay and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Animal experiments were conducted to measure the effect of CENPA knockdown on the tumorigenicity of GSCs in vivo. CENPA was upregulated in GBM tissues and GSCs. CENPA knockdown inhibited GSCs proliferation, stemnness, and promoted ferroptosis. GBP2 was overexpressed in GBM tissues and GSCs, and CENPA enhanced GBP2 transcription by binding to its promoter region. CENPA overexpression accelerated GSCs proliferation and stemnness and suppressed ferroptosis, while GBP2 knockdown reversed these effects. Downregulation of CENPA reduced the tumorigenicity of GSCs by decreasing GBP2 expression in vivo. In conclusion, CENPA enhanced GBP2 transcription to increase its expression, thus accelerating GSCs proliferation and stemnness and repressing ferroptosis. Our findings promote a new idea for GBM treatment.

Investigation of shared genetic features and related mechanisms between diabetes and tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to integrate bioinformatics technology to explore shared hub genes and related mechanisms between diabetes and tuberculosis and to provide a theoretical basis for revealing the disease mechanisms in patients with both diabetes and tuberculosis.

METHODS

Differentially expressed genes and Venn analysis were used to identify shared genes between diabetes and tuberculosis. PPI network analysis was used to screen key hub genes. GO and KEGG analyses were used to analyze the potential biological functions of these key hub genes. Immune infiltration analysis was performed using the ssGSEA algorithm. EnrichR online analysis website was used to explore potential therapeutic drugs.

RESULTS

The dataset analysis showed that PSMB9, ISG15, RTP4, CXCL10, GBP2, and GBP3 were six hub genes shared by diabetes and tuberculosis, which not only could distinguish between the two disease samples but also had a high diagnostic rate. GO and KEGG analyses showed that these six genes mainly mediate immune-related biological processes such as interferon, interleukin, and chemokine receptor binding, as well as signaling pathways such as RIG-I-like receptor, NOD-like receptor, and proteasome. Immune infiltration analysis showed that high expression of TIL may mediate the development of both diabetes and tuberculosis. In addition, suloctidil HL60 UP, thioridazine HL60 UP, mefloquine HL60 UP, 1-NITROPYRENE CTD 00001569, and chlorophyllin CTD 00000324 were the candidate drugs predicted by this study that were most likely to target hub genes.

CONCLUSION

Six differentially expressed genes shared by both diseases (PSMB9, ISG15, RTP4, CXCL10, GBP2, and GBP3) may play a key role in the disease progression of patients with both diabetes and tuberculosis. Candidate drugs targeting these hub genes have therapeutic potential and are worthy of further research. In summary, this study reveals potential shared pathogenic mechanisms between tuberculosis and diabetes.

GBP2 inhibits pathological angiogenesis in the retina via the AKT/mTOR/VEGFA axis

Pathological retinal angiogenesis is not only the hallmark of retinopathies, but also a major cause of blindness. Guanylate binding protein 2 (GBP2) has been reported to be associated with retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and hypoxic retinopathy. However, GBP2-mediated pathological retinal angiogenesis remains largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the role of GBP2 in pathological retinal angiogenesis and its underlying molecular mechanism. In this study, we established oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mice model for in vivo study and hypoxia-induced angiogenesis in ARPE-19 cells for in vitro study. We demonstrated that GBP2 expression was markedly downregulated in the retina of mice with OIR and ARPE-19 cells treated with hypoxia, which was associated with pathological retinal angiogenesis. The regulatory mechanism of GBP2 in ARPE-19 cells was studied by GBP2 silencing and overexpression. The regulatory mechanism of GBP2 in the retina was investigated by overexpressing GBP2 in the retina of OIR mice. Mechanistically, GBP2 downregulated the expression and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) in ARPE-19 cells and retina of OIR mice. Interestingly, overexpression of GBP2 significantly inhibited neovascularization in OIR mice, conditioned medium of GBP2 overexpressing ARPE-19 cells inhibited angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Furthermore, we confirmed that GBP2 downregulated VEGFA expression and angiogenesis by inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Taken together, we concluded that GBP2 inhibited pathological retinal angiogenesis via the AKT/mTOR/VEGFA axis, thereby suggesting that GBP2 may be a therapeutic target for pathological retinal angiogenesis.

Identification of hub genes related to metastasis and prognosis of osteosarcoma and establishment of a prognostic model with bioinformatic methods

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor occurring in children and adolescents. Improvements in our understanding of the OS pathogenesis and metastatic mechanism on the molecular level might lead to notable advances in the treatment and prognosis of OS. Biomarkers related to OS metastasis and prognosis were analyzed and identified, and a prognostic model was established through the integration of bioinformatics tools and datasets in multiple databases. 2 OS datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database for data consolidation, standardization, batch effect correction, and identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs); following that, gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the DEGs; the STRING database was subsequently used for protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and identification of hub genes; hub gene expression was validated, and survival analysis was conducted through the employment of the TARGET database; finally, a prognostic model was established and evaluated subsequent to the screening of survival-related genes. A total of 701 DEGs were identified; by gene ontology and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses, the overlapping DEGs were enriched for 249 biological process terms, 13 cellular component terms, 35 molecular function terms, and 4 KEGG pathways; 13 hub genes were selected from the PPI network; 6 survival-related genes were identified by the survival analysis; the prognostic model suggested that 4 genes were strongly associated with the prognosis of OS. DEGs related to OS metastasis and survival were identified through bioinformatics analysis, and hub genes were further selected to establish an ideal prognostic model for OS patients. On this basis, 4 protective genes including TPM1, TPM2, TPM3, and TPM4 were yielded by the prognostic model.

Understanding the immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioma: mechanistic insights and clinical perspectives

Glioblastoma (GBM), the predominant and primary malignant intracranial tumor, poses a formidable challenge due to its immunosuppressive microenvironment, thereby confounding conventional therapeutic interventions. Despite the established treatment regimen comprising surgical intervention, radiotherapy, temozolomide administration, and the exploration of emerging modalities such as immunotherapy and integration of medicine and engineering technology therapy, the efficacy of these approaches remains constrained, resulting in suboptimal prognostic outcomes. In recent years, intensive scrutiny of the inhibitory and immunosuppressive milieu within GBM has underscored the significance of cellular constituents of the GBM microenvironment and their interactions with malignant cells and neurons. Novel immune and targeted therapy strategies have emerged, offering promising avenues for advancing GBM treatment. One pivotal mechanism orchestrating immunosuppression in GBM involves the aggregation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), glioma-associated macrophage/microglia (GAM), and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Among these, MDSCs, though constituting a minority (4-8%) of CD45+ cells in GBM, play a central component in fostering immune evasion and propelling tumor progression, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. MDSCs deploy intricate immunosuppressive mechanisms that adapt to the dynamic tumor microenvironment (TME). Understanding the interplay between GBM and MDSCs provides a compelling basis for therapeutic interventions. This review seeks to elucidate the immune regulatory mechanisms inherent in the GBM microenvironment, explore existing therapeutic targets, and consolidate recent insights into MDSC induction and their contribution to GBM immunosuppression. Additionally, the review comprehensively surveys ongoing clinical trials and potential treatment strategies, envisioning a future where targeting MDSCs could reshape the immune landscape of GBM. Through the synergistic integration of immunotherapy with other therapeutic modalities, this approach can establish a multidisciplinary, multi-target paradigm, ultimately improving the prognosis and quality of life in patients with GBM.

Biosensor-Enhanced Organ-on-a-Chip Models for Investigating Glioblastoma Tumor Microenvironment Dynamics

Glioblastoma, an aggressive primary brain tumor, poses a significant challenge owing to its dynamic and intricate tumor microenvironment. This review investigates the innovative integration of biosensor-enhanced organ-on-a-chip (OOC) models as a novel strategy for an in-depth exploration of glioblastoma tumor microenvironment dynamics. In recent years, the transformative approach of incorporating biosensors into OOC platforms has enabled real-time monitoring and analysis of cellular behaviors within a controlled microenvironment. Conventional in vitro and in vivo models exhibit inherent limitations in accurately replicating the complex nature of glioblastoma progression. This review addresses the existing research gap by pioneering the integration of biosensor-enhanced OOC models, providing a comprehensive platform for investigating glioblastoma tumor microenvironment dynamics. The applications of this combined approach in studying glioblastoma dynamics are critically scrutinized, emphasizing its potential to bridge the gap between simplistic models and the intricate in vivo conditions. Furthermore, the article discusses the implications of biosensor-enhanced OOC models in elucidating the dynamic features of the tumor microenvironment, encompassing cell migration, proliferation, and interactions. By furnishing real-time insights, these models significantly contribute to unraveling the complex biology of glioblastoma, thereby influencing the development of more accurate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis reveals the molecular changes of acute pancreatitis in experimental models

BACKGROUND

Acute pancreatitis (AP) encompasses a spectrum of pancreatic inflammatory conditions, ranging from mild inflammation to severe pancreatic necrosis and multisystem organ failure. Given the challenges associated with obtaining human pancreatic samples, research on AP predominantly relies on animal models. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying AP using various AP models.

AIM

To investigate the shared molecular changes underlying the development of AP across varying severity levels.

METHODS

AP was induced in animal models through treatment with caerulein alone or in combination with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Additionally, using Ptf1α to drive the specific expression of the hM3 promoter in pancreatic acinar cells transgenic C57BL/6J- hM3/Ptf1α(cre) mice were administered Clozapine N-oxide to induce AP. Subsequently, we conducted RNA sequencing of pancreatic tissues and validated the expression of significantly different genes using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.

RESULTS

Caerulein-induced AP showed severe inflammation and edema, which were exacerbated when combined with LPS and accompanied by partial pancreatic tissue necrosis. Compared with the control group, RNA sequencing analysis revealed 880 significantly differentially expressed genes in the caerulein model and 885 in the caerulein combined with the LPS model. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis indicated substantial enrichment of the TLR and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, TLR signaling pathway, and NF-κB signaling pathway, alongside elevated levels of apoptosis-related pathways, such as apoptosis, P53 pathway, and phagosome pathway. The significantly elevated genes in the TLR and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways, as well as in the apoptosis pathway, were validated through quantitative real-time PCR experiments in animal models. Validation from the GEO database revealed that only MYD88 concurred in both mouse pancreatic tissue and human AP peripheral blood, while TLR1, TLR7, RIPK3, and OAS2 genes exhibited marked elevation in human AP. The genes TUBA1A and GADD45A played significant roles in apoptosis within human AP. The transgenic mouse model hM3/Ptf1α(cre) successfully validated significant differential genes in the TLR and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways as well as the apoptosis pathway, indicating that these pathways represent shared pathological processes in AP across different models.

CONCLUSION

The TLR and NOD receptor signaling pathways play crucial roles in the inflammatory progression of AP, notably the MYD88 gene. Apoptosis holds a central position in the necrotic processes of AP, with TUBA1A and GADD45A genes exhibiting prominence in human AP.

The role of fibronectin in mediating cell migration

Fibronectin (FN) is a major extracellular matrix (ECM) protein involved in a wide range of physiological processes, including cell migration. These FN-mediated cell migration events are essential to processes such as wound repair, cancer metastasis, and vertebrate development. This review synthesizes mainly current literature to provide an overview of the mechanoregulatory role of FN-mediated cell migration. Background on FN structure and role in mechanotransduction is provided. Cell migration concepts are introduced, including the general cell migration mechanism and classification of cell migration types. Then, FN-mediated events that directly affect cell migration are explored. Finally, a focus on FN in tissue repair and cancer migration is presented, as these topics represent a large amount of current research.

Modeling the precise interaction of glioblastoma with human brain region-specific organoids

Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive malignant tumor of the central nervous system, but the interaction between glioblastoma and different types of neurons remains unclear. Here, we established a co-culture model in vitro using 3D printed molds with microchannels, in which glioblastoma organoids (GB), dorsal forebrain organoids (DO, mainly composed of excitatory neurons), and ventral forebrain organoids (VO, mainly composed of inhibitory neurons) were assembled. Our results indicate that DO has a greater impact on altered gene expression profiles of GB, resulting in increased invasive potential. GB cells preferentially invaded DO along axons, whereas this phenomenon was not observed in VO. Furthermore, GB cells selectively inhibited neurite outgrowth in DOs and reduced the expression of the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), leading to neuronal hyperexcitability. By revealing how glioblastoma interacts with brain cells, our study provides a more comprehensive understanding of this disease.

Glioblastoma Therapy: Past, Present and Future

Glioblastoma (GB) stands out as the most prevalent and lethal form of brain cancer. Although great efforts have been made by clinicians and researchers, no significant improvement in survival has been achieved since the Stupp protocol became the standard of care (SOC) in 2005. Despite multimodality treatments, recurrence is almost universal with survival rates under 2 years after diagnosis. Here, we discuss the recent progress in our understanding of GB pathophysiology, in particular, the importance of glioma stem cells (GSCs), the tumor microenvironment conditions, and epigenetic mechanisms involved in GB growth, aggressiveness and recurrence. The discussion on therapeutic strategies first covers the SOC treatment and targeted therapies that have been shown to interfere with different signaling pathways (pRB/CDK4/RB1/P16ink4, TP53/MDM2/P14arf, PI3k/Akt-PTEN, RAS/RAF/MEK, PARP) involved in GB tumorigenesis, pathophysiology, and treatment resistance acquisition. Below, we analyze several immunotherapeutic approaches (i.e., checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines, CAR-modified NK or T cells, oncolytic virotherapy) that have been used in an attempt to enhance the immune response against GB, and thereby avoid recidivism or increase survival of GB patients. Finally, we present treatment attempts made using nanotherapies (nanometric structures having active anti-GB agents such as antibodies, chemotherapeutic/anti-angiogenic drugs or sensitizers, radionuclides, and molecules that target GB cellular receptors or open the blood-brain barrier) and non-ionizing energies (laser interstitial thermal therapy, high/low intensity focused ultrasounds, photodynamic/sonodynamic therapies and electroporation). The aim of this review is to discuss the advances and limitations of the current therapies and to present novel approaches that are under development or following clinical trials.

Functional Contribution and Clinical Implication of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Glioblastoma

PURPOSE

The abundance and biological contribution of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) in glioblastoma (GBM) are poorly understood. Here, we aim to uncover its molecular signature, cellular roles, and potential tumorigenesis implications.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We first applied single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and bioinformatics analysis to identify and characterize stromal cells with CAF transcriptomic features in human GBM tumors. Then, we performed functional enrichment analysis and in vitro assays to investigate their interactions with malignant GBM cells.

RESULTS

We found that CAF abundance was low but significantly correlated with tumor grade, poor clinical outcome, and activation of extracellular matrix remodeling using three large cohorts containing bulk RNA-seq data and clinical information. Proteomic analysis of a GBM-derived CAF line and its secretome revealed fibronectin (FN1) as a critical candidate factor mediating CAF functions. This was validated using in vitro cellular models, which demonstrated that CAF-conditioned media and recombinant FN1 could facilitate the migration and invasion of GBM cells. In addition, we showed that CAFs were more abundant in the mesenchymal-like state (or subtype) than in other states of GBMs. Interestingly, cell lines resembling the proneural state responded to the CAF signaling better for the migratory and invasive phenotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study characterized the molecular features and functional impacts of CAFs in GBM, alluding to novel cell interactions mediated by CAFs in the GBM microenvironment.

Understanding the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment: leveraging the extracellular matrix to increase immunotherapy efficacy

Glioblastoma (GBM) accounts for approximately half of all malignant brain tumors, and it remains lethal with a five-year survival of less than 10%. Despite the immense advancements in the field, it has managed to evade even the most promising therapeutics: immunotherapies. The main reason is the highly spatiotemporally heterogeneous and immunosuppressive GBM tumor microenvironment (TME). Accounting for this complex interplay of TME-driven immunosuppression is key to developing effective therapeutics. This review will explore the immunomodulatory role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) by establishing its contribution to the TME as a key mediator of immune responses in GBM. This relationship will help us elucidate therapeutic targets that can be leveraged to develop and deliver more effective immunotherapies.

Combining organotypic tissue culture with light-sheet microscopy (OTCxLSFM) to study glioma invasion

Glioblastoma is a very aggressive tumor and represents the most common primary brain malignancy. Key characteristics include its high resistance against conventional treatments, such as radio- and chemotherapy and its diffuse tissue infiltration, preventing complete surgical resection. The analysis of migration and invasion processes in a physiological microenvironment allows for enhanced understanding of these phenomena and can lead to improved therapeutic approaches. Here, we combine two state-of-the-art techniques, adult organotypic brain tissue slice culture (OTC) and light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) of cleared tissues in a combined method termed OTCxLSFM. Using this methodology, we can show that glioblastoma tissue infiltration can be effectively blocked through treatment with arsenic trioxide or WP1066, as well as genetic depletion of the tetraspanin, transmembrane receptor CD9, or signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). With our analysis pipeline, we gain single-cell level, three-dimensional information, as well as insights into the morphological appearance of the tumor cells.

RPL22L1, a novel candidate oncogene promotes temozolomide resistance by activating STAT3 in glioblastoma

Aggressiveness and drug resistance are major challenges in the clinical treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). Our previously research reported a novel candidate oncogene ribosomal protein L22 like 1 (RPL22L1). The aim of this study was to elucidate the potential role and mechanism of RPL22L1 in progression and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance of GBM. Online database, tissue microarrays and clinical tissue specimens were used to evaluate the expression and clinical implication of RPL22L1 in GBM. We performed cell function assays, orthotopic and subcutaneous xenograft tumor models to evaluate the effects and molecular mechanisms of RPL22L1 on GBM. RPL22L1 expression was significantly upregulated in GBM and associated with poorer prognosis. RPL22L1 overexpression enhanced GBM cell proliferation, migration, invasion, TMZ resistance and tumorigenicity, which could be reduced by RPL22L1 knockdown. Further, we found RPL22L1 promoted mesenchymal phenotype of GBM and the impact of these effects was closely related to EGFR/STAT3 pathway. Importantly, we observed that STAT3 specific inhibitor (Stattic) significantly inhibited the malignant functions of RPL22L1, especially on TMZ resistance. RPL22L1 overexpressed increased combination drug sensitive of Stattic and TMZ both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, Stattic effectively restored the sensitive of RPL22L1 induced TMZ resistance in vitro and in vivo. Our study identified a novel candidate oncogene RPL22L1 which promoted the GBM malignancy through STAT3 pathway. And we highlighted that Stattic combined with TMZ therapy might be an effective treatment strategy in RPL22L1 high-expressed GBM patients.

GBP2 is a prognostic biomarker and associated with immunotherapeutic responses in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

The interferon-induced protein known as guanylate-binding protein 2 (GBP2) has been linked to multiple different cancer types as an oncogenic gene. Although the role of GBP2 in cancer has been preliminarily explored, it is unclear how this protein interacts with tumor immunity in gastric cancer.

METHODS

The expression, prognostic value, immune-correlations of GBP2 in gastric cancer was explored in multiple public and in-house cohorts. In addition, the pan-cancer analysis was performed to investigate the immunological role of GBP2 based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset, and the predictive value of GBP2 for immunotherapy was also examined in multiple public cohorts.

RESULTS

GBP2 was highly expressed in tumor tissues and associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer. In addition, GBP2 was associated with the immune-hot phenotype. To be more specific, GBP2 was positively related to immuno-modulators, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs), immunotherapy biomarkers, and even well immunotherapeutic response. In addition to gastric cancer, GBP2 was expected to be an indicator of high immunogenicity in most cancer types. Importantly, GBP2 could predict the immunotherapeutic responses in at least four different cancer types, including melanoma, urothelial carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

To sum up, GBP2 expression is a promising pan-cancer biomarker for estimating the immunological characteristics of tumors and may be utilized to detect immuno-hot tumors in gastric cancer.

Noncoding RNAs as regulators of STAT3 pathway in gastrointestinal cancers: Roles in cancer progression and therapeutic response

Gastrointestinal (GI) tumors (cancers of the esophagus, gastric, liver, pancreas, colon, and rectum) contribute to a large number of deaths worldwide. STAT3 is an oncogenic transcription factor that promotes the transcription of genes associated with proliferation, antiapoptosis, survival, and metastasis. STAT3 is overactivated in many human malignancies including GI tumors which accelerates tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Research in recent years demonstrated that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a major role in the regulation of many signaling pathways including the STAT3 pathway. The major types of endogenous ncRNAs that are being extensively studied in oncology are microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs. These ncRNAs can either be tumor-promoters or tumor-suppressors and each one of them imparts their activity via different mechanisms. The STAT3 pathway is also tightly modulated by ncRNAs. In this article, we have elaborated on the tumor-promoting role of STAT3 signaling in GI tumors. Subsequently, we have comprehensively discussed the oncogenic as well as tumor suppressor functions and mechanism of action of ncRNAs that are known to modulate STAT3 signaling in GI cancers.

GBP2 promotes M1 macrophage polarization by activating the notch1 signaling pathway in diabetic nephropathy

Background

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most common diabetic complications, which has become the primary cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) globally. Macrophage infiltration has been proven vital in the occurrence and development of DN. This study was designed to investigate the hub genes involved in macrophage-mediated inflammation of DN via bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation.

Methods

Gene microarray datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) public website. Integrating the CIBERSORT, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and DEGs, we screened macrophage M1-associated key genes with the highest intramodular connectivity. Subsequently, the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was utilized to further mine hub genes. GSE104954 acted as an external validation to predict the expression levels and diagnostic performance of these hub genes. The Nephroseq online platform was employed to evaluate the clinical implications of these hub genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed to elucidate the dominant biological functions and signal pathways. Finally, we conducted experiments to verify the role of GBP2 in M1 macrophage-mediated inflammatory response and the underlying mechanism of this role.

Results

Sixteen DEGs with the highest connectivity in M1 macrophages-associated module (paleturquoise module) were determined. Subsequently, we identified four hub genes through LASSO regression analysis, including CASP1, MS4A4A, CD53, and GBP2. Consistent with the training set, expression levels of these four hub genes manifested memorably elevated and the ROC curves indicated a good diagnostic accuracy with an area under the curve of greater than 0.8. Clinically, enhanced expression of these four hub genes predicted worse outcomes of DN patients. Given the known correlation between the first three hub genes and macrophage-mediated inflammation, experiments were performed to demonstrate the effect of GBP2, which proved that GBP2 contributed to M1 polarization of macrophages by activating the notch1 signaling pathway.

Conclusion

Our findings detected four hub genes, namely CASP1, MS4A4A, CD53, and GBP2, may involve in the progression of DN via pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage phenotype. GBP2 could be a promising prognostic biomarker and intervention target for DN by regulating M1 polarization.

A five-protein prognostic signature with GBP2 functioning in immune cell infiltration of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is of poor clinical outcomes, and currently lacks reliable prognostic biomarkers. By analyzing the datasets of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), we established a five-protein prognostic signature containing GBP2, HLA-DRA, ISG15, ISG20 and ITGAX. Our data indicate that this signature was closely correlated with advanced stage, higher pathological grade, and unfavorable survivals in patients with ccRCC. We further functionally characterized GBP2. Overexpression of GBP2 enhanced the phosphorylation of STAT2 and STAT3 to trigger JAK-STAT signaling and promote cell migration and invasion in ccRCC. Treatment of Ruxolitinib, a specific inhibitor of JAK/STAT, attenuated the GBP2-mediated phenotypes. Patients with high GBP2 expression were accompanied with more infiltration of immune cells positively stained with CD3, CD8, CD68, and immune checkpoint markers PD-1 and CTLA4, which was validated by Opal multiplex immunohistochemistry in ccRCC tissues. More CD8 + T cells and CD68 + macrophages were observed in patients expressing high GBP2. Taken together, a five-protein prognostic signature was constructed in our study. GBP2 has an oncogenic role via modulating JAK-STAT signaling and tumor immune infiltration, and thus may serve as a potential therapeutic target in ccRCC.

CEBPD is a master transcriptional factor for hypoxia regulated proteins in glioblastoma and augments hypoxia induced invasion through extracellular matrix-integrin mediated EGFR/PI3K pathway

Hypoxia contributes to the initiation and progression of glioblastoma by regulating a cohort of genes called hypoxia-regulated genes (HRGs) which form a complex molecular interacting network (HRG-MINW). Transcription factors (TFs) often play central roles for MINW. The key TFs for hypoxia induced reactions were explored using proteomic analysis to identify a set of hypoxia-regulated proteins (HRPs) in GBM cells. Next, systematic TF analysis identified CEBPD as a top TF that regulates the greatest number of HRPs and HRGs. Clinical sample and public database analysis revealed that CEBPD is significantly up-regulated in GBM, high levels of CEBPD predict poor prognosis. In addition, CEBPD is highly expressed in hypoxic condition both in GBM tissue and cell lines. For molecular mechanisms, HIF1α and HIF2α can activate the CEBPD promotor. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that CEBPD knockdown impaired the invasion and growth capacity of GBM cells, especially in hypoxia condition. Next, proteomic analysis identified that CEBPD target proteins are mainly involved in the EGFR/PI3K pathway and extracellular matrix (ECM) functions. WB assays revealed that CEBPD significantly positively regulated EGFR/PI3K pathway. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) qPCR/Seq analysis and Luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that CEBPD binds and activates the promotor of a key ECM protein FN1 (fibronectin). In addition, the interactions of FN1 and its integrin receptors are necessary for CEBPD-induced EGFR/PI3K activation by promoting EGFR phosphorylation. Furthermore, GBM sample analysis in the database corroborated that CEBPD is positively correlated with the pathway activities of EGFR/PI3K and HIF1α, especially in highly hypoxic samples. At last, HRPs are also enriched in ECM proteins, indicating that ECM activities are important components of hypoxia induced responses in GBM. In conclusion, CEPBD plays important regulatory roles in the GBM HRG-MINW as a key TF, which activates the EGFR/PI3K pathway through ECM, especially FN1, mediated EGFR phosphorylation.

The Extracellular Matrix in Glioblastomas: A Glance at Its Structural Modifications in Shaping the Tumoral Microenvironment-A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND AND AIM

While many components of the ECM have been isolated and characterized, its modifications in the specific setting of GBMs have only been recently explored in the literature. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review on the topic and to assess the ECM's role in shaping tumoral development.

METHODS

An online literature search was launched on PubMed/Medline and Scopus using the research string "((Extracellular matrix OR ECM OR matrix receptor OR matrix proteome) AND (glioblastoma OR GBM) AND (tumor invasion OR tumor infiltration))", and a systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-P guidelines.

RESULTS

The search of the literature yielded a total of 693 results. The duplicate records were then removed (n = 13), and the records were excluded via a title and abstract screening; 137 studies were found to be relevant to our research question and were assessed for eligibility. Upon a full-text review, 59 articles were finally included and were summarized as follows based on their focus: (1) proteoglycans; (2) fibrillary proteins, which were further subdivided into the three subcategories of collagen, fibronectin, and laminins; (3) glycoproteins; (4) degradative enzymes; (5) physical forces; (6) and glioma cell and microglia migratory and infiltrative patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

Our systematic review demonstrates that the ECM should not be regarded anymore as a passive scaffold statically contributing to mechanical support in normal and pathological brain tissue but as an active player in tumor-related activity.

The function of guanylate binding protein 3 (GBP3) in human cancers by pan-cancer bioinformatics

As a guanylate binding protein (GBPs) member, GBP3 is immune-associated and may participate in oncogenesis and cancer therapy. Since little has been reported on GBP3 in this field, we provide pan-cancer bioinformatics to investigate the role of GBP3 in human cancers. The GBP3 expression, related clinical outcomes, immune infiltrates, potential mechanisms and mutations were conducted using tools including TIMER2.0, GEPIA2.0, SRING, DAVID and cBioPortal. Results showed an increased risk of high GBP3 in Brain Lower Grade Glioma (LGG) and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma (LUSC) and a decreased risk of GBP3 in Sarcoma (SARC) and Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (SKCM) (p ≤ 0.05). GBP3 was negatively correlated with CAFs in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (ESCA) and positively correlated with CAFs in LGG, LUSC and TGCG (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, GBP3 was positively correlated with CD8+ T cells in Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (BLCA), Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma (CESC), Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma (KIRC), SARC, SKCM, SKCM-Metastasis and Uveal Melanoma (UVM) (p ≤ 0.05). Potentially, GBP3 may participate in the homeostasis between immune and adaptive immunity in cancers. Moreover, the most frequent mutation sites of GBP3 in cancers are R151Q/* and K380N. This study would provide new insight into cancer prognosis and therapy.

GBP2 promotes clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression through immune infiltration and regulation of PD‑L1 expression via STAT1 signaling

Guanylate‑binding protein 2 (GBP2) has been widely studied in cancer, however, its potential role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is not fully elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the effect of GBP2 on tumor progression and its possible underlying molecular mechanisms in ccRCC. The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia databases, and several bioinformatics analysis tools, such as Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2, Kaplan‑Meier plotter, UALCAN, LinkedOmics, Metascape, GeneMANIA and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, were used to characterize the functional relationship between GBP2 and ccRCC. Focusing on the association between GBP2 and programmed death ligand 1 (PD‑L1) in vitro, the regulatory mechanism was investigated by knockdown and overexpression of GBP2 in Caki‑1 and 786‑O cells using reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR, western blotting and co‑immunoprecipitation techniques. The results indicated that GBP2 was commonly upregulated in ccRCC, correlating with worse prognosis. In addition, GBP2 expression levels were positively associated with different patterns of immune cell infiltration, suggesting that the GBP2 gene regulates PD‑L1 expression via the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) pathway. The present study suggested that GBP2 regulates tumor immune infiltration and promotes tumor immune escape through PD‑L1 expression, revealing a potential immunotherapeutic target for ccRCC.

Guanine nucleotide-binding protein 2, GNBP2, accelerates the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma via regulation of STAT3 signaling transduction pathway

BACKGROUND

Guanine nucleotide-binding protein 2 (GNBP2) is a GTPase that has critical roles in host immunity and some types of cancer, but its function in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is not fully understood.

OBJECTIVE

This work explored the role of GNBP2 in ccRCC progression and the underlying molecular mechanism.

METHODS

Two public human cancer databases TNMplot and TISIDB were employed to analyze the expression pattern of GNBP2 during ccRCC progression and the correlation between GNBP2 expression and clinical features of ccRCC patients. GNBP2 functions in ccRCC cells were determined by EdU staining, flow cytometry, scratch wound assay, transwell assay, and xenograft model. Gene expression was evaluated using qPCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence staining, and immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

GNBP2 expression was significantly elevated in ccRCC tissues and increased gradually with the increasing tumor grades. Patients with higher GNBP2 expression had shorter overall survival times. Knockdown of GNBP2 suppressed tumor cell proliferation and cell cycle progression and reduced the capability of migration and invasion, while GNBP2 overexpression exhibited protumor effects. GNBP2 silencing by RNA interference significantly inhibited the tumor growth of tumor-bearing nude mice and decreased the proliferation marker Ki67. Mechanistically, GNBP2 downregulation suppressed the STAT3 signaling transduction, as it reduced the phosphorylation of STAT3 and modulated the expression of the target genes, including c-Myc, MMP2, N-cadherin, and E-cadherin.

CONCLUSION

These findings reveal that GNBP2 promotes ccRCC progression by regulating STAT3 signaling transduction, indicating that GNBP2 might be a promising molecular target for ccRCC therapy.

LncRNA SPRY4‐IT1 facilitates cell proliferation and angiogenesis of glioma via the miR‐101‐3p/EZH2/VEGFA signaling axis

BACKGROUND

SPRY4-IT1 (SPRY4 intronic transcript 1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that has been identified as a novel oncogene in various cancers, including glioma. However, its function and underlying mechanism in glioma remain largely unclear. Here, we investigated the role of SPRY4-IT1 in the development of glioma and its underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Bioinformatics analysis and RT-qPCR assay were used to examine the expression of SPRY4-IT1 in glioma tissues. The CCK-8, EdU, and Xenograft tumor assays wereperformed to assess the proliferation effect of glioma cells. The tube forming assay and Chick Embryo Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) assay were conducted to detect the angiogenesis effect of HUVECs. RNA-sequencing, western blotting, RT-qPCR, ELISA, and IHC assays were employed to verify the regulatory mechanism of the SPRY4-IT1/ miR-101-3p/EZH2/VEGFA axis.

RESULTS

Analysis of the TCGA dataset and data from our own cohort demonstrated that SPRY4-IT1 was overexpressed in patients with glioma, and high SPRY4-IT1 expression correlated with poor prognosis. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that SPRY4-IT1 promoted the proliferation of glioma cells. RNA sequencing and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated significant enrichment of angiogenesis. HUVEC tube forming assay and CAM assay confirmed that SPRY4-IT1 could induce angiogenesis of glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, SPRY4-IT1 upregulated EZH2 expression by sponging miR-101-3p to induce VEGFA expression in glioma cells. Moreover, SPRY4-IT1 activated the VEGFR2/AKT/ERK1/2 pathway in HUVECs mediated by glioma cells. Rescue experiments further confirmed that SPRY4-IT1 promoted glioma cell proliferation and angiogenesis via the miR-101-3p/EZH2/VEGFA signaling axis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide compelling evidence showing that SPRY4-IT1 upregulated EZH2 to induce VEGFA by sponging miR-101-3p, thereby achieving cell proliferation and angiogenesis in glioma. Therefore, targeting SPRY4-IT1/miR-101-3p/EZH2/VEGFA axis may improve the outcomes of patients with glioma.

A CD8+ T cell-associated immune gene panel for prediction of the prognosis and immunotherapeutic effect of melanoma

Background

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is the most frequently encountered tumor of the skin. Immunotherapy has opened a new horizon in melanoma treatment. We aimed to construct a CD8⁺ T cell-associated immune gene prognostic model (CDIGPM) for SKCM and unravel the immunologic features and the benefits of immunotherapy in CDIGPM-defined SKCM groups.

Method

Single-cell SKCM transcriptomes were utilized in conjunction with immune genes for the screening of CD8⁺ T cell-associated immune genes (CDIGs) for succeeding assessment. Thereafter, through protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks analysis, univariate COX analysis, and multivariate Cox analysis, six genes (MX1, RSAD2, IRF2, GBP2, IFITM1, and OAS2) were identified to construct a CDIGPM. We detected cell proliferation of SKCM cells transfected with IRF2 siRNA. Then, we analyzed the immunologic features and the benefits of immunotherapy in CDIGPM-defined groups.

Results

The overall survival (OS) was much better in low-CDIGPM group versus high CDIGPM group in TCGA dataset and GSE65904 dataset. On the whole, the results unfolded that a low CDIGPM showed relevance to immune response-correlated pathways, high expressions of CTLA4 and PD-L1, a high infiltration rate of CD8⁺ T cells, and more benefits from immunotherapy.

Conclusion

CDIGPM is an good model to predict the prognosis, the potential immune escape from immunotherapy for SKCM, and define immunologic and molecular features.

GBP2 serves as a novel prognostic biomarker and potential immune microenvironment indicator in renal cell carcinoma

Since the application of immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) has gradually become a new strategy for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) treatment, biomarkers that predict the individual response to ICT is needed. This study aimed to identify a new clinical indicator for postoperative surveillance of ccRCC and prediction of ICT response. We investigated the GBP2 expression and its relation with immune cell infiltration in tumor microenvironment using public databases, clinical specimens and ccRCC cell lines. Bioinformatic analysis using public database revealed that GBP2 expression is higher in cancer tissues than in adherent normal tissues among different cancer types including ccRCC, and the same results were acquired from clinical tissue samples tested by Western Blot and PCR. In ccRCC cell lines, CCk-8 proliferation assay and apoptosis assessment suggested GBP2 facilitates the malignancy of ccRCC. 286 ccRCC patients were randomly divided into a training or validation cohort, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that higher GBP2 expression is related to worse prognosis. C-index analysis implied that integrating GBP2 expression with TNM stage improved the accuracy in predicting prognosis of ccRCC patients compared to the solitary use of either. Bioinformatic analysis implied a relation between GBP2 and immunity, and GBP2 expression is positively related with suppressive immune markers in ccRCC microenvironment. Taken together, our study demonstrated the potential of GBP2 to sever as a prognostic predictor of ccRCC, and an association between GBP2 and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in ccRCC was observed, making it a promising indicator of ICT response.

An update on the molecular biology of glioblastoma, with clinical implications and progress in its treatment

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive and common malignant primary brain tumor. Patients with GBM often have poor prognoses, with a median survival of ∼15 months. Enhanced understanding of the molecular biology of central nervous system tumors has led to modifications in their classifications, the most recent of which classified these tumors into new categories and made some changes in their nomenclature and grading system. This review aims to give a panoramic view of the last 3 years' findings in glioblastoma characterization, its heterogeneity, and current advances in its treatment. Several molecular parameters have been used to achieve an accurate and personalized characterization of glioblastoma in patients, including epigenetic, genetic, transcriptomic and metabolic features, as well as age- and sex-related patterns and the involvement of several noncoding RNAs in glioblastoma progression. Astrocyte-like neural stem cells and outer radial glial-like cells from the subventricular zone have been proposed as agents involved in GBM of IDH-wildtype origin, but this remains controversial. Glioblastoma metabolism is characterized by upregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, promotion of the glycolytic flux, maintenance of lipid storage, and other features. This metabolism also contributes to glioblastoma's resistance to conventional therapies. Tumor heterogeneity, a hallmark of GBM, has been shown to affect the genetic expression, modulation of metabolic pathways, and immune system evasion. GBM's aggressive invasion potential is modulated by cell-to-cell crosstalk within the tumor microenvironment and altered expressions of specific genes, such as ANXA2, GBP2, FN1, PHIP, and GLUT3. Nevertheless, the rising number of active clinical trials illustrates the efforts to identify new targets and drugs to treat this malignancy. Immunotherapy is still relevant for research purposes, given the amount of ongoing clinical trials based on this strategy to treat GBM, and neoantigen and nucleic acid-based vaccines are gaining importance due to their antitumoral activity by inducing the immune response. Furthermore, there are clinical trials focused on the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis, angiogenesis, and tumor heterogeneity for developing molecular-targeted therapies against GBM. Other strategies, such as nanodelivery and computational models, may improve the drug pharmacokinetics and the prognosis of patients with GBM.

GBP2 as a potential prognostic predictor with immune-related characteristics in glioma

Guanylate binding protein 2 (GBP2) is a member of the guanine binding protein family, and its relationship with prognostic outcomes and tumor immune microenvironments in glioma remains elusive. We found GBP2 were increased in glioma tissues at both mRNA and protein levels. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed that high GBP2 expression was linked with worse survival of glioma patients, and multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that high GBP2 expression was an independent prognostic factor for glioma. Combined analysis in immune database revealed that the expression of GBP2 was significantly related to the level of immune infiltration and immunomodulators. Single-cell analysis illustrated the high expression of GBP2 in malignant glioma cells showed the high antigen presentation capability, which were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) data. Additionally, the hsa-mir-26b-5p and hsa-mir-335-5p were predicted as GBP2 regulators and were validated in U87 and U251 cells. Our results first decipher immune-related characteristics and noncoding regulators of GBP2 in glioma, which may provide insights into associated immunotherapies and prognostic predictor.

6-Gingerol attenuates subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced early brain injury via GBP2/PI3K/AKT pathway in the rat model

Numerous studies have elucidated the neuroprotective effect of 6-gingerol in central nervous system diseases. However, the potential role and mechanism of 6-gingerol on early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains poorly understood. Here, we report that 6-gingerol exerts a neuroprotective effect on SAH-induced EBI through the GBP2/PI3K/AKT pathway. A SAH rat model was established by injecting femoral artery blood into the cisterna magna. 6-gingerol or vehicle was injected intraperitoneally 1 hour post-SAH induction. We found that the neurological function score and brain edema of SAH rats were significantly improved after 6-gingerol treatment, as well as neuronal apoptosis was attenuated in SAH rats by Nissl staining assay and TUNEL assay. To further explore potential molecular mechanisms associated with 6-gingerol, RNA sequencing was implemented to investigate the differences in transcriptomes between SAH rats with and without 6-gingerol treatment; and found that the expression of guanylate-binding protein 2 (GBP2) evidently was suppressed with 6-gingerol treatment compared to vehicle group. In addition, dual immunofluorescence was also employed to investigate changes in neurons, astrocytes, and microglia after 6-gingerol treatment. The results showed that GBP2 was expressed in neurons but not astrocytes or microglia. Western blotting analysis results demonstrated that the PI3K/AKT pathway was activated in the SAH rats treated with 6-gingerol. Furthermore, recombinant GBP2 protein and LY294002 (PI3K inhibitor) treatment reversed the effects of 6-gingerol treatment in SAH rats. These results indicate that 6-gingerol suppressed the expression of GBP2 to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway, improve neurologic outcomes, reduce brain edema and neuronal apoptosis. In summary, our findings suggest that 6-gingerol could attenuate EBI post-SAH in rats, and 6-gingerol may serve as a novel candidate neuroprotective drug for SAH-induced EBI.

GBP3 promotes glioblastoma resistance to temozolomide by enhancing DNA damage repair

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain cancer with dismal survival and prognosis. Temozolomide (TMZ) is a first-line chemotherapeutic agent for glioblastoma, but the emergence of drug resistance limits its anti-tumor activity. We previously discovered that the interferon inducible guanylate binding protein 3 (GBP3) is highly elevated and promotes tumorigenicity of glioblastoma. Here, we show that TMZ treatment significantly upregulates the expression of GBP3 and stimulator of interferon genes (STING), both of which increase TMZ-induced DNA damage repair and reduce cell apoptosis of glioblastoma cells. Mechanistically, relying on its N-terminal GTPase domain, GBP3 physically interacts with STING to stabilize STING protein levels, which in turn induces expression of p62 (Sequestosome 1), nuclear factor erythroid 2 like 2 (NFE2L2, NRF2), and O6-methlyguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT), leading to the resistance to TMZ treatment. Reducing GBP3 levels by RNA interference in glioblastoma cells markedly increases the sensitivity to TMZ treatment in vitro and in murine glioblastoma models. Clinically, GBP3 expression is high and positively correlated with STING, NRF2, p62, and MGMT expression in human glioblastoma tumors, and is associated with poor outcomes. These findings provide novel insight into TMZ resistance and suggest that GBP3 may represent a novel potential target for the treatment of glioblastoma.

Lower Expression of GBP2 Associated With Less Immune Cell Infiltration and Poor Prognosis in Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (SKCM)

Guanylate binding protein 2 (GBP2) could bind to guanine nucleotides (GMP, GDP, and GTP) and exhibits antiviral activity against influenza virus through the innate immune response. Some researchers have demonstrated that the value of GBP2 in predicting the prognosis of multiple cancers and the complex correlation with immune response. However, the correlation of GBP2 to prognosis and immune cell infiltration level were unknown in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). The GBP2 expression in multiple cancers were evaluated through Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and Oncomine. We also evaluated the influence of GBP2 on overall survival in multiple caners through GEPIA, TIMER, and tissue microarray. The correlation between GBP2 expression level and immune cell or gene markers of immune infiltration level was explored on TIMER and GEPIA. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using the TCGA dataset. The GBP2 expression level represented a significant reduction and the GBP2 expression was lower compared with the SKCM-Metastasis with P<0.01. Lower GBP2 expression was significantly correlated with the poor overall survival of SKCM patients. Simultaneously, higher GBP2 expression predicted the better SKCM-free survival with P=0.019. GBP2 expression was positively correlated with the infiltration cells of B-cell, CD8+ T-cell, CD4+ T-cell, macrophage, neutrophil, and dendritic cell in SKCM. And there was a significant negative correlation between the expression of GBP2 and DNA methylation in the cBioPortal database (P=3.39e-42). Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that GBP2 was closely correlated with multiple pathways of immune response in cancer. In conclusion, Lower expression of GBP2 associated with less immune cell infiltration and poor prognosis in SKCM and the high promoter methylation of GBP2 represented a promising biomarker for poor prognostication in SKCM.

Unraveling the Role of Guanylate-Binding Proteins (GBPs) in Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Literature Review and New Data on Prognosis in Breast Cancer Subtypes

At least one member of the Guanylate-Binding Protein (GBP) family of large interferon-induced GTPases has been classified as both a marker of good prognosis and as a potential drug target to treat breast cancers. However, the activity of individual GBPs appears to not just be tumor cell type–specific but dependent on the growth factor and/or cytokine environment in which the tumor cells reside. To clarify what we do and do not know about GBPs in breast cancer, the current literature on GBP-1, GBP-2, and GBP-5 in breast cancer has been assembled. In addition, we have analyzed the role of each of these GBPs in predicting recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and distance metastasis-free survival (DMFS) as single gene products in different subtypes of breast cancers. When a large cohort of breast cancers of all types and stages were examined, GBP-1 correlated with poor RFS. However, it was the only GBP to do so. When smaller cohorts of breast cancer subtypes grouped into ER+, ER+/Her2-, and HER2+ tumors were analyzed, none of the GBPs influenced RFS, OS, or DMSF as single agents. The exception is GBP-5, which correlated with improved RFS in Her2+ breast cancers. All three GBPs individually predicted improved RFS, OS, and DMSF in ER- breast cancers, regardless of the PR or HER2 status, and TNBCs.

Signaling Pathways Regulating the Expression of the Glioblastoma Invasion Factor TENM1

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive cancers, with dismal prognosis despite continuous efforts to improve treatment. Poor prognosis is mostly due to the invasive nature of GBM. Thus, most research has focused on studying the molecular players involved in GBM cell migration and invasion of the surrounding parenchyma, trying to identify effective therapeutic targets against this lethal cancer. Our laboratory discovered the implication of TENM1, also known as ODZ1, in GBM cell migration in vitro and in tumor invasion using different in vivo models. Moreover, we investigated the microenvironmental stimuli that promote the expression of TENM1 in GBM cells and found that macrophage-secreted IL-6 and the extracellular matrix component fibronectin upregulated TENM1 through activation of Stat3. We also described that hypoxia, a common feature of GBM tumors, was able to induce TENM1 by both an epigenetic mechanism and a HIF2α-mediated transcriptional pathway. The fact that TENM1 is a convergence point for various cancer-related signaling pathways might give us a new therapeutic opportunity for GBM treatment. Here, we briefly review the findings described so far about the mechanisms that control the expression of the GBM invasion factor TENM1.

GBP2 facilitates the progression of glioma via regulation of KIF22/EGFR signaling

Identifying the mechanism of glioma progression is critical for diagnosis and treatment. Although studies have shown that guanylate-binding protein 2(GBP2) has critical roles in various cancers, its function in glioma is unclear. In this work, we demonstrate that GBP2 has high expression levels in glioma tissues. In glioma cells, depletion of GBP2 impairs proliferation and migration, whereas overexpression of GBP2 enhances proliferation and migration. Regarding the mechanism, we clarify that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling is regulated by GBP2, and also demonstrate that GBP2 interacts directly with kinesin family member 22(KIF22) and regulates glioma progression through KIF22/EGFR signaling in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, our study provides new insight into glioma progression and paves the way for advances in glioma treatment.

Subtyping of microsatellite stability colorectal cancer reveals guanylate binding protein 2 (GBP2) as a potential immunotherapeutic target

Backgrounds

Proficient-mismatch-repair or microsatellite stability (pMMR/MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) has limited efficacy for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Guanylate binding protein 2 (GBP2) is a member of the GTPase family and is crucial to host immunity against pathogens. However, the correlations between GBP2 and immunosurveillance and immunotherapy for pMMR/MSS CRC have not been reported.

Methods

Unsupervised clustering was employed to classify immune class and non-immune class in 1424 pMMR/MSS patients from six independent public datasets. This binary classification was validated using immune cells or response related signatures. The correlation between GBP2 and immune microenvironment was explored using well-established biological algorithms, multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC), in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Results

We classified 1424 pMMR/MSS CRC patients into two classes, ‘immune’ and ‘non-immune’, and GBP2 was identified as a gene of interest. We found that lower GBP2 expression was correlated with poor prognosis and metastasis. GBP2 expression was also upregulated in the immune class and highly associated with interferon-γ (IFN-γ) signaling pathway and CD8 +T cell infiltration using gene set enrichment analysis, gene ontology analysis, single-cell sequencing and mIHC. Moreover, reduced GBP2 expression inhibited the antigen processing and presentation machinery and CXCL10/11 expression in MSS CRC cells on IFN-γ stimulation. A Transwell assay revealed that deletion of GBP2 in murine MSS CRC cells reduced CD8 +T cell migration. Mechanistically, GBP2 promoted signal transducer and transcription activator 1 (STAT1) phosphorylation by competing with SHP1 for binding to STAT1 in MSS CRC cells. Finally, an unsupervised subclass mapping (SubMap) algorithm showed that pMMR/MSS patients with high GBP2 expression may correlate with a favorable response to anti-PD-1 therapy. We further confirmed that GBP2 knockout reduced CD8 +T cell infiltration and blunted the efficacy of PD-1 blockade in tumor-bearing mice.

Conclusions

Our study reveals that pMMR/MSS CRC is immunogenically heterogeneous and that GBP2 is a promising target for combinatorial therapy with ICB.

Comprehensive Oncogenic Features of Coronavirus Receptors in Glioblastoma Multiforme

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection has placed health systems under excessive pressure and especially elderly people with cancer. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a malignant brain tumor with an increasing incidence in elderly individuals, and thereby GBM patients are a vulnerable population during the COVID-19 outbreak. Accumulating studies have implied that SARS-CoV-2 might invade the brain directly via coronavirus receptors. However, little is known about SARS-CoV-2 infection in the clinical development of GBM. Here, we explored the oncogenic roles of six coronavirus receptors (ACE2, DPP4, ANPEP, AXL, TMPRSS2, and ENPEP) in GBM using bioinformatics and experimental approaches. We found that ANPEP and ENPEP were significantly increased at both the mRNA and protein levels in GBM compared with normal brain tissue. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression analysis demonstrated that high expressions of ANPEP and ENPEP are associated with poor prognosis and survival. Moreover, all receptors are positively correlated with the immune infiltration levels of monocyte. Furthermore, we identified 245 genes between COVID-19 and coronavirus receptors-correlated genes in GBM and performed a thorough analysis of their protein-protein interaction network, functional signaling pathway and molecular process. Our work explores for the first time the association of coronavirus receptors with GBM and suggests ANPEP and ENPEP as potential therapeutic targets of GBM irrespective of COVID-19.

Adipogenic Transdifferentiation and Regulatory Factors Promote the Progression and the Immunotherapy Response of Renal Cell Carcinoma: Insights From Integrative Analysis

Background

Adipogenic transdifferentiation was an important carcinogenic factor in various tumors, while studies on its role in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) were still relatively few. This study aimed to investigate its prognostic value and mechanism of action in ccRCC.

Methods

Gene expression profiles and clinical data of ccRCC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Nonnegative matrix factorization was used for clustering. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were used to analyze the pathways and biological process activities. single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) was utilized to quantify the relative abundance of each immune cell. Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) was used to evaluate the proportion of various immune infiltrating cells across diverse cancer types. Real-Time PCR was performed to examine the gene expression. R software was utilized to analyze the expression and prognostic role of genes in ccRCC.

Results

A total of 49 adipose-related genes (ARGs) were screened for differential expression between normal and ccRCC tissues. Based on differentially expressed ARGs, patients with ccRCC were divided into two adipose subtypes with different clinical, molecular, and pathway characteristics. Patients in cluster A exhibited more advanced pathological stages, higher expressions of RARRES2 and immune checkpoint genes, higher immune infiltration scores, and less nutrient metabolism pathways. Adipose differentiation index (ADI) was constructed according to the above ARGs and survival data, and its robustness and accuracy was validated in different cohorts. In addition, it was found that the expression of ARGs was associated with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint in ccRCC, among which GBP2 was thought to be the most relevant gene to the tumor immune microenvironment and play a potential role in carcinogenesis and invasion of tumor cells.

Conclusion

Our analysis revealed the consistency of higher adipogenic transdifferentiation of tumor cells with worse clinical outcomes in ccRCC. The 16-mRNA signature could predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients with high accuracy. ARGs such as GBP2 might shed light on the development of novel biomarkers and immunotherapies of ccRCC.

Identification of Novel Molecular Therapeutic Targets and Their Potential Prognostic Biomarkers Based on Cytolytic Activity in Skin Cutaneous Melanoma

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) attracts attention worldwide for its extremely high malignancy. A novel term cytolytic activity (CYT) has been introduced as a potential immunotherapy biomarker associated with counter-regulatory immune responses and enhanced prognosis in tumors. In this study, we extracted all datasets of SKCM patients, namely, RNA sequencing data and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, conducted differential expression analysis to yield 864 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) characteristic of CYT and used non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) method to classify molecular subtypes of SKCM patients. Among all genes, 14 hub genes closely related to prognosis for SKCM were finally screen out. Based on these genes, we constructed a 14-gene prognostic risk model and its robustness and strong predictive performance were further validated. Subsequently, the underlying mechanisms in tumor pathogenesis and prognosis have been defined from a number of perspectives, namely, tumor mutation burden (TMB), copy number variation (CNV), tumor microenvironment (TME), infiltrating immune cells, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Furthermore, combined with GTEx database and HPA database, the expression of genes in the model was verified at the transcriptional level and protein level, and the relative importance of genes in the model was described by random forest algorithm. In addition, the model was used to predict the difference in sensitivity of SKCM patients to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Finally, a nomogram was constructed to better aid clinical diagnosis.

Tumor Heterogeneity and Molecular Characteristics of Glioblastoma Revealed by Single-Cell RNA-Seq Data Analysis

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common infiltrating lethal tumor of the brain. Tumor heterogeneity and the precise characterization of GBM remain challenging, and the disease-specific and effective biomarkers are not available at present. To understand GBM heterogeneity and the disease prognosis mechanism, we carried out a single-cell transcriptome data analysis of 3389 cells from four primary IDH-WT (isocitrate dehydrogenase wild type) glioblastoma patients and compared the characteristic features of the tumor and periphery cells. We observed that the marker gene expression profiles of different cell types and the copy number variations (CNVs) are heterogeneous in the GBM samples. Further, we have identified 94 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between tumor and periphery cells. We constructed a tissue-specific co-expression network and protein-protein interaction network for the DEGs and identified several hub genes, including CX3CR1, GAPDH, FN1, PDGFRA, HTRA1, ANXA2 THBS1, GFAP, PTN, TNC, and VIM. The DEGs were significantly enriched with proliferation and migration pathways related to glioblastoma. Additionally, we were able to identify the differentiation state of microglia and changes in the transcriptome in the presence of glioblastoma that might support tumor growth. This study provides insights into GBM heterogeneity and suggests novel potential disease-specific biomarkers which could help to identify the therapeutic targets in GBM.

Guanylate-Binding Protein 1 as a Potential Predictor of Immunotherapy: A Pan-Cancer Analysis

Background: Mainstream application of cancer immunotherapy is hampered by the low response rate of most cancer patients. A novel immunotherapeutic target or a biomarker predicting response to immunotherapy needs to be developed. Guanylate-binding protein 1 (GBP1) is an interferon (IFN)-inducible guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) involving inflammation and infection. However, the immunological effects of GBP1 in pan-cancer patients are still obscure.

Methods: Using large-scale public data, we delineated the landscape of GBP1 across 33 cancer types. The correlation between GBP1 expression or mutation and immune cell infiltration was estimated by ESTIMATE, TIMER, xCell, and quanTIseq algorithms. GBP1-related genes and proteins were subjected to function enrichment analysis. Clustering analysis explored the relationship between GBP1 expression and anti-tumor immune phenotypes. We assessed the patient’s response to immunotherapy using the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score and immunophenoscore (IPS). Furthermore, we validated the predictive power of GBP1 expression in four independent immunotherapy cohorts.

Results: GBP1 was differentially expressed in tumors and normal tissues in multiple cancer types. Distinct correlations existed between GBP1 expression and prognosis in cancer patients. GBP1 expression and mutation were positively associated with immune cell infiltration. Function enrichment analysis showed that GBP1-related genes were enriched in immune-related pathways. Positive correlations were also observed between GBP1 expression and the expression of immune checkpoints, as well as tumor mutation burden (TMB). Pan-cancer patients with higher GBP1 expression were more inclined to display “hot” anti-tumor immune phenotypes and had lower TIDE scores and higher immunophenoscore, suggesting that these patients had better responses to immunotherapy. Patients with higher GBP1 expression exhibited improved overall survival and clinical benefits in immunotherapy cohorts, including the Gide et al. cohort [area under the curve (AUC): 0.813], the IMvigor210 cohort (AUC: 0.607), the Lauss et al. cohort (AUC: 0.740), and the Kim et al. cohort (AUC: 0.793).

Conclusion: This study provides comprehensive insights into the role of GBP1 in a pan-cancer manner. We identify GBP1 expression as a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy, potentially enabling more precise and personalized immunotherapeutic strategies in the future.

CD44-Mediated Poor Prognosis in Glioma Is Associated With M2-Polarization of Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Immunosuppression

Background

Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Key genes that are negatively related to prognosis may provide the therapy targets to cure glioma. To clarify the role of CD44 in glioma, we explored its function at bulk-transcriptome, spatial and single-cell transcriptome levels.

Methods

In total, expression profiles with survival data of whole-grade glioma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), RNA-seq data with anatomic information of glioblastoma (GBM) from the Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data from recurrent GBM receiving adjuvant anti-PD-1 immunotherapy accessed through GSE121810, and single-cell RNA-seq data of GBM under accession GSE103224 were enrolled in this study. CD44-specific findings were further analyzed by R language.

Results

CD44 is positively correlated with WHO grade of malignancy and is negatively related to prognosis in glioma. Meanwhile, CD44 predominantly expresses in GBM mesenchymal subtype, and gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses reveal that CD44 positively coexpressed genes are closely related to glioma immunity. Moreover, CD44+ cells mainly distribute in perinecrotic region with high expression of immune factors. At single-cell resolution, only malignant tumor cells, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and T cells express CD44 in GBM. CD44+ malignant tumor cells are in mesenchymal-1-like (MES1-like) cellular state, and CD44+ TAMs are in M2 phenotype. CD44+ T cells have high expression of both PD-1 and PD-L1. CD44 and its directly interacted inhibitory immunomodulators are upregulated in patients with nonresponder recurrent GBM treated with PD-1 blockade therapy.

Conclusion

Our work demonstrates that CD44, a new M2 TAM biomarker, is involved in immune suppressor and promote glioma progression in glioma microenvironment. These results expand our understanding of CD44-specific clinical and immune features in glioma.

Over-Expression and Prognostic Significance of FN1, Correlating With Immune Infiltrates in Thyroid Cancer

Background

Thyroid cancer (THCA) is a malignancy affecting the endocrine system, which currently has no effective treatment due to a limited number of suitable drugs and prognostic markers.

Methods

Three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets were selected to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between THCA and normal thyroid samples using GEO2R tools of National Center for Biotechnology Information. We identified hub gene FN1 using functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction network analyses. Subsequently, we evaluated the importance of gene expression on clinical prognosis using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and GEO datasets. MEXPRESS was used to investigate the correlation between gene expression and DNA methylation; the correlations between FN1 and cancer immune infiltrates were investigated using CIBERSORT. In addition, we assessed the effect of silencing FN1 expression, using an in vitro cellular model of THCA. Immunohistochemical(IHC) was used to elevate the correlation between CD276 and FN1.

Results

FN1 expression was highly correlated with progression-free survival and moderately to strongly correlated with the infiltration levels of M2 macrophages and resting memory CD4+ T cells, as well as with CD276 expression. We suggest promoter hypermethylation as the mechanism underlying the observed changes in FN1 expression, as 20 CpG sites in 507 THCA cases in TCGA database showed a negative correlation with FN1 expression. In addition, silencing FN1 expression suppressed clonogenicity, motility, invasiveness, and the expression of CD276 in vitro. The correlation between FN1 and CD276 was further confirmed by immunohistochemical.

Conclusion

Our findings show that FN1 expression levels correlate with prognosis and immune infiltration levels in THCA, suggesting that FN1 expression be used as an immunity-related biomarker and therapeutic target in THCA.

miR-671-5p Inhibition by MSI1 Promotes Glioblastoma Tumorigenesis via Radioresistance, Tumor Motility and Cancer Stem-like Cell Properties

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) could be potential biomarkers for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) prognosis and response to therapeutic agents. We previously demonstrated that the cancer stem cell marker Musashi-1 (MSI1) is an RNA binding protein that promotes radioresistance by increasing downstream RNA stability. To identify that MSI1 interacts with miRNAs and attenuates their function, we also get candidate miRNAs from the mRNA seq by predicting with TargetScan software. miR-671-5p in GBM cells interacts with MSI1 by intersecting the precipitated miRNAs with the predicted miRNAs. Notably, overexpression of MSI1 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-671-5p. The phenotype of miR-671-5p in GBM cells could affect radiosensitivity by modulating the posttranscriptional activity of STAT3. In addition, miR-671-5p could attenuate tumor migration and cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics by repressing the posttranscriptional activity of TRAF2. MSI1 may regulate GBM radioresistance, CSCs and tumor motility through miR-671-5p inhibition to increasing STAT3 and TRAF2 presentation. In vivo, the GBM tumor size was inversely correlated with miR-671-5p expression, but tumorigenesis was promoted by STAT3 and TRAF2 activation in the miR-671-5p-positive GBM population. miR-671-5p could be activated as a novel therapeutic target for GBM and has potential application as a predictive biomarker of glioblastoma prognosis.

The Prognostic and Immunological Value of Guanylate-Binding Proteins in Lower-Grade Glioma: Potential Markers or Not?

Seven guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs, GBP1–7), identified as a subfamily of interferon-γ-induced guanosine triphosphate hydrolases (GTPases), has been reported to be closely associated with tumor progression, metastasis, and prognosis of cancer patients in recent years. However, the expression patterns, prognostic value, immune infiltration relevance, and biological functions of GBPs in lower-grade glioma (LGG) remain elusive. In this study, by analysis and verification through multiple public data platforms, we found that GBP1, 2, 3, 4 were significantly upregulated in LGG tissues vs normal brain tissue. Analysis based on the Cox proportional hazard ratio and Kaplan–Meier plots demonstrated that the high expressions of GBP 1, 2, 3, 4 were significantly correlated with the poor prognosis of LGG patients. Correlation analysis of clinical parameters of LGG patients indicated that the expressions of GBP 1, 2, 3, 4 were significantly associated with the histological subtype and tumor histological grade of LGG. Furthermore, the correlation analysis of immune infiltration showed that the expressions of GBP1, 2, 3, 4 were significantly and positively correlated with the level of tumor immune-infiltrating cells. In particular, GBP1, 2, 3, 4 expressions were strongly correlated with the infiltration levels of monocyte, TAM, and M1/M2 macrophage, revealing their potential to regulate the polarity of macrophages. Finally, we used the GSEA method to explore the signaling pathways potentially regulated by GBP1, 2, 3, 4 and found that they were all closely associated with immune-related signaling pathways. Collectively, these findings suggested that GBP1, 2, 3, 4 were potent biomarkers to determine the prognosis and immune cell infiltration of LGG patients.