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Vellan CJ, Islam T, De Silva S, Mohd Taib NA, Prasanna G, Jayapalan JJ. Exploring novel protein-based biomarkers for advancing breast cancer diagnosis: A review. Clin Biochem 2024; 129:110776. [PMID: 38823558 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2024.110776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
This review provides a contemporary examination of the evolving landscape of breast cancer (BC) diagnosis, focusing on the pivotal role of novel protein-based biomarkers. The overview begins by elucidating the multifaceted nature of BC, exploring its prevalence, subtypes, and clinical complexities. A critical emphasis is placed on the transformative impact of proteomics, dissecting the proteome to unravel the molecular intricacies of BC. Navigating through various sources of samples crucial for biomarker investigations, the review underscores the significance of robust sample processing methods and their validation in ensuring reliable outcomes. The central theme of the review revolves around the identification and evaluation of novel protein-based biomarkers. Cutting-edge discoveries are summarised, shedding light on emerging biomarkers poised for clinical application. Nevertheless, the review candidly addresses the challenges inherent in biomarker discovery, including issues of standardisation, reproducibility, and the complex heterogeneity of BC. The future direction section envisions innovative strategies and technologies to overcome existing challenges. In conclusion, the review summarises the current state of BC biomarker research, offering insights into the intricacies of proteomic investigations. As precision medicine gains momentum, the integration of novel protein-based biomarkers emerges as a promising avenue for enhancing the accuracy and efficacy of BC diagnosis. This review serves as a compass for researchers and clinicians navigating the evolving landscape of BC biomarker discovery, guiding them toward transformative advancements in diagnostic precision and personalised patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Jane Vellan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Tania Islam
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sumadee De Silva
- Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Colombo, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka
| | - Nur Aishah Mohd Taib
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Galhena Prasanna
- Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Colombo, Colombo 03, Sri Lanka
| | - Jaime Jacqueline Jayapalan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Universiti Malaya Centre for Proteomics Research (UMCPR), Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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Zhou H, Gui J, Zhu L, Mi Y. The Role and Mechanism of the Histone Methyltransferase G9a in Tumors: Update. Onco Targets Ther 2024; 17:449-462. [PMID: 38832355 PMCID: PMC11146345 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s451108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Methylation-mediated gene silencing is closely related to the occurrence and development of human tumors. The euchromatic histone lysine methyltransferase 2 (EHMT2, also known as G9a) is highly expressed in many tumors and is generally considered to be an oncogene, which is associated with the poor outcome of many tumors. Combined immunotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade therapy also have good efficacy and certain safety. However, there are still many difficulties in the drugs targeting G9a, and the combined effect and safety of G9a with many drugs is still under study. This article aims to summarize the role and mechanism of G9a and its inhibitors in tumors in the past two years, and to understand the application prospect of G9a from the perspective of diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hangsheng Zhou
- Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiandong Gui
- Wuxi Medical College, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lijie Zhu
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuanyuan Mi
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, 214122, People’s Republic of China
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Jalali Z, Nejad Ebrahimi S, Rezadoost H. Identifying natural products for gastric cancer treatment through pharmacophore creation, 3D QSAR, virtual screening, and molecular dynamics studies. Daru 2023; 31:243-258. [PMID: 37733194 PMCID: PMC10624797 DOI: 10.1007/s40199-023-00480-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gastric cancer (GC) is known as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death and the fifth major cancer in the world, and this is a serious threat to general health all over the world. The lack of early detection markers results in a belated diagnosis, i.e. the final stages, which could be associated with the ineffectiveness of the treatment strategies, and naturally, it leads to poor prognosis. Even though a variety of treatments have been developed, there is a trend of studying traditional medicinal plants, due to the worrying side effect of drugs available in the market. METHODS In this study, pharmacophore generation and 3D-QSAR model were created using 50 compounds with anti-gastric cancer activity (with IC50 had been reported in the previous studies). RESULTS Based on three of the best pharmacophoric hypotheses, virtual screening was performed to discover the top anti-gastric cancer compounds from a database of 183,885 compounds. The selected compounds were used for molecular docking with three protein receptors 7BKG, 4F5B, and 4ZT1 to investigate the intermolecular interactions between these ligands and receptors. Finally, 21 lead compounds with the highest amount of docking score ranging from - 13.366 to -6.404 kcal/mol were selected, and then the ADME/Tox properties of these compounds were calculated. All these compounds have a fitness score above 1.8, a molecular weight of less than 500 g/mol, hydrogen bond donors up to 3, hydrogen bond acceptors up to 8.50, and logP of 1.013 to 4.174. Finally, molecular dynamic simulations for top-scoring ligand-receptor complexes were investigated. CONCLUSION These selected lead compounds have the most anti-gastric cancer effects among the 183,885 compounds in the database. Therefore, lead compounds might be considered for gastric cancer therapy in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Jalali
- Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, 1983963113, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samad Nejad Ebrahimi
- Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, 1983963113, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hassan Rezadoost
- Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, 1983963113, Tehran, Iran
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De Marco K, Sanese P, Simone C, Grossi V. Histone and DNA Methylation as Epigenetic Regulators of DNA Damage Repair in Gastric Cancer and Emerging Therapeutic Opportunities. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4976. [PMID: 37894343 PMCID: PMC10605360 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15204976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC), one of the most common malignancies worldwide, is a heterogeneous disease developing from the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes. One of the most critical epigenetic alterations in GC is DNA and histone methylation, which affects multiple processes in the cell nucleus, including gene expression and DNA damage repair (DDR). Indeed, the aberrant expression of histone methyltransferases and demethylases influences chromatin accessibility to the DNA repair machinery; moreover, overexpression of DNA methyltransferases results in promoter hypermethylation, which can suppress the transcription of genes involved in DNA repair. Several DDR mechanisms have been recognized so far, with homologous recombination (HR) being the main pathway involved in the repair of double-strand breaks. An increasing number of defective HR genes are emerging in GC, resulting in the identification of important determinants of therapeutic response to DDR inhibitors. This review describes how both histone and DNA methylation affect DDR in the context of GC and discusses how alterations in DDR can help identify new molecular targets to devise more effective therapeutic strategies for GC, with a particular focus on HR-deficient tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia De Marco
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
| | - Paola Sanese
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
| | - Cristiano Simone
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
- Medical Genetics, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonic Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari Aldo Moro, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Valentina Grossi
- Medical Genetics, National Institute of Gastroenterology—IRCCS “Saverio de Bellis” Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, 70013 Bari, Italy; (K.D.M.); (P.S.)
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Zhang M, Xiao J, Liu J, Bai X, Zeng X, Zhang Z, Liu F. Calreticulin as a marker and therapeutic target for cancer. Clin Exp Med 2023; 23:1393-1404. [PMID: 36335525 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-022-00937-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Calreticulin (CRT) is a multifunctional protein found within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In addition, CRT participates in the formation and development of tumors and promotes the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. When a malignant tumor occurs in the human body, cancer cells that die from immunogenic cell death (ICD) expose CRT on their surface, and CRT that is transferred to the cell surface represents an "eat me" signal, which promotes dendritic cells to phagocytose the tumor cells, thereby increasing the sensitivity of tumors to anticancer immunotherapy. Expression of CRT in tumor tissues is higher than in normal tissues and is associated with disease progression in many malignant tumors. Thus, the dysfunctional production of CRT can promote tumorigenesis because it disturbs not only the balance of healthy cells but also the body's immune surveillance. CRT may be a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target for cancer, which is discussed extensively in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meilan Zhang
- Department of Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - Juan Xiao
- Department of Otolaryngology, Hengyang Medical School, The Second Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - Jiangrong Liu
- Department of Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - Xue Bai
- Department of Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - Xuemei Zeng
- Department of Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhang
- Department of Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China.
| | - Feng Liu
- Department of Cancer Research Institute, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China.
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Yoodee S, Thongboonkerd V. Epigenetic regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition during cancer development. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023; 380:1-61. [PMID: 37657856 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2023.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays essential roles in promoting malignant transformation of epithelial cells, leading to cancer progression and metastasis. During EMT-induced cancer development, a wide variety of genes are dramatically modified, especially down-regulation of epithelial-related genes and up-regulation of mesenchymal-related genes. Expression of other EMT-related genes is also modified during the carcinogenic process. Especially, epigenetic modifications are observed in the EMT-related genes, indicating their involvement in cancer development. Mechanically, epigenetic modifications of histone, DNA, mRNA and non-coding RNA stably change the EMT-related gene expression at transcription and translation levels. Herein, we summarize current knowledge on epigenetic regulatory mechanisms observed in EMT process relate to cancer development in humans. The better understanding of epigenetic regulation of EMT during cancer development may lead to improvement of drug design and preventive strategies in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunisa Yoodee
- Medical Proteomics Unit, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Visith Thongboonkerd
- Medical Proteomics Unit, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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