FUT6 inhibits the proliferation, migration, invasion, and EGF-induced EMT of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) by regulating EGFR/ERK/STAT signaling pathway

miR-107 Targets NSG1 to Regulate Hypopharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression through ERK Pathway

Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) is a kind of malignant tumor with a poor prognosis and low quality of life in the otolaryngology department. It has been found that microRNA (miRNA) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of various tumors. This study found that the expression level of miRNA-107 (miR-107) in HSCC was significantly reduced. Subsequently, we screened out the downstream direct target gene Neuronal Vesicle Trafficking Associated 1 (NSG1) related to miR-107 through bioinformatics analysis and found that the expression of NSG1 was increased in HSCC tissues. Following the overexpression of miR-107 in HSCC cells, it was observed that miR-107 directly suppressed NSG1 expression, leading to increased apoptosis, decreased proliferation, and reduced invasion capabilities of HSCC cells. Subsequent experiments involving the overexpression and knockdown of NSG1 in HSCC cells demonstrated that elevated NSG1 levels enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while the opposite effect was observed upon NSG1 knockdown. Further investigations revealed that changes in NSG1 levels in the HSCC cells were accompanied by alterations in ERK signaling pathway proteins, suggesting a potential regulatory role of NSG1 in HSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through the ERK pathway. These findings highlight the significance of miR-107 and NSG1 in hypopharyngeal cancer metastasis, offering promising targets for therapeutic interventions and prognostic evaluations for HSCC.

A novel gene-based model for prognosis prediction of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a significant global health challenge. The identification of reliable prognostic biomarkers and construction of an accurate prognostic model are crucial.

Methods

In this study, mRNA expression data and clinical data of HNSCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas were used. Overlapping candidate genes (OCGs) were identified by intersecting differentially expressed genes and prognosis-related genes. Best prognostic genes were selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression based on OCGs, and a risk score was developed using the Cox coefficient of each gene. The prognostic power of the risk score was assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were performed to identify independent prognostic parameters, which were used to construct a nomogram. The predictive accuracy of the nomogram was evaluated using calibration plots. Functional enrichment analysis of risk score related genes was performed to explore the potential biological functions and pathways. External validation was conducted using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus and ArrayExpress databases.

Results

FADS3, TNFRSF12A, TJP3, and FUT6 were screened to be significantly related to prognosis in HNSCC patients. The risk score effectively stratified patients into high-risk group with poor overall survival (OS) and low-risk group with better OS. Risk score, age, clinical M stage and clinical N stage were regarded as independent prognostic parameters by Cox regression analysis and used to construct a nomogram. The nomogram performed well in 1-, 2-, 3-, 5- and 10-year survival predictions. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that tight junction was closely related to the cancer. In addition, the prognostic power of the risk score was validated by external datasets.

Conclusions

This study constructed a gene-based model integrating clinical prognostic parameters to accurately predict prognosis in HNSCC patients.

Elucidating the role of FOS in modulating the immune microenvironment through fibroblast and myeloid cell regulation in locoregional recurrent HNSCC

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) presents a significant clinical challenge, particularly due to its high propensity for locoregional recurrence. Current research underscores the need to unravel the complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment. This study addresses the critical gap in understanding how FOS modulates the immune landscape in HNSCC, with a focus on its influence on fibroblast and myeloid cell dynamics.

METHODS

Employing a comprehensive approach, we analyzed tissue samples from HNSCC patients and adjacent non-cancerous tissues using bulk RNA sequencing complemented by in-depth bioinformatics analyses, including gene ontology (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and immune infiltration assessment. A pivotal aspect of our research involved dissecting single-cell RNA-seq data from GSE234933 to elucidate the cell-type-specific expression of FOS.

RESULTS

We found that FOS expression varies significantly in different cell populations in the HNSCC tumor microenvironment, especially in fibroblasts and myeloid cells. This expression difference may reflect the different roles of these cells in tumor progression and their impact on the tumor microenvironment.

CONCLUSION

Our results uncover a significant correlation between FOS expression and key immune and hypoxia-related pathways, suggesting its integral role in the tumor microenvironment. These findings not only enhance our understanding of HNSCC pathogenesis but also highlight FOS as a potential therapeutic target. This study marks a significant step towards addressing the urgent need for targeted interventions in HNSCC, particularly in the context of locoregional recurrence.

A sialyltransferases-related gene signature serves as a potential predictor of prognosis and therapeutic response for bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Aberrant glycosylation, catalyzed by the specific glycosyltransferase, is one of the dominant features of cancers. Among the glycosyltransferase subfamilies, sialyltransferases (SiaTs) are an essential part which has close linkages with tumor-associated events, such as tumor growth, metastasis and angiogenesis. Considering the relationship between SiaTs and cancer, the current study attempted to establish an effective prognostic model with SiaTs-related genes (SRGs) to predict patients' outcome and therapeutic responsiveness of bladder cancer.

METHODS

RNA-seq data, clinical information and genomic mutation data were downloaded (TCGA-BLCA and GSE13507 datasets). The comprehensive landscape of the 20 SiaTs was analyzed, and the differentially expressed SiaTs-related genes were screened with "DESeq2" R package. ConsensusClusterPlus was applied for clustering, following with survival analysis with Kaplan-Meier curve. The overall survival related SRGs were determined with univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was performed to generate a SRGs-related prognostic model. The predictive value was estimated with Kaplan-Meier plot and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, which was further validated with the constructed nomogram and decision curve.

RESULTS

In bladder cancer tissues, 17 out of the 20 SiaTs were differentially expressed with CNV changes and somatic mutations. Two SiaTs_Clusters were determined based on the expression of the 20 SiaTs, and two gene_Clusters were identified based on the expression of differentially expressed genes between SiaTs_Clusters. The SRGs-related prognostic model was generated with 7 key genes (CD109, TEAD4, FN1, TM4SF1, CDCA7L, ATOH8 and GZMA), and the accuracy for outcome prediction was validated with ROC curve and a constructed nomogram. The SRGs-related prognostic signature could separate patients into high- and low-risk group, where the high-risk group showed poorer outcome, more abundant immune infiltration, and higher expression of immune checkpoint genes. In addition, the risk score derived from the SRGs-related prognostic model could be utilized as a predictor to evaluate the responsiveness of patients to the medical therapies.

CONCLUSIONS

The SRGs-related prognostic signature could potentially aid in the prediction of the survival outcome and therapy response for patients with bladder cancer, contributing to the development of personalized treatment and appropriate medical decisions.

Chemical modification of curcumin increases its potency against hypopharyngeal carcinoma

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is notorious for its poor prognosis among all head and neck cancers, posing a persistent challenge in clinical settings. The continuous hyperactivation of the NFκB signalling pathway has been noted in various cancer types, including hypopharyngeal carcinoma. In our quest to develop a novel drug that targets hypopharyngeal cancer via the NFκB pathway, we employed curcumin, a well-known lead compound, and performed chemical modifications to create a mono-carbonyl analogue called L42H17. This compound exhibited exceptional stability and displayed an enhanced binding affinity to myeloid differentiation protein 2 (MD2). Consistent with expectations, L42H17 demonstrated the ability to inhibit TNF-α-induced phosphorylation of inhibitor of κB (IκB) kinase (IKK), prevent IκB degradation, and subsequently impede NFκB-p65 nuclear translocation in hypopharyngeal cancer cells. Additionally, L42H17 exhibited a remarkable capacity to induce cell cycle arrest at the G2-M phase by inactivating the cdc2-cyclin B1 complex. Moreover, it facilitated cell apoptosis by reducing Bcl-2 levels and augmenting the expression of cle-PARP and cle-caspase3. Importantly, we observed a significant enhancement in the anti-cancer efficacy of L42H17 in a patient-derived tumour xenograft (PDTX) model of hypopharyngeal carcinoma. In conclusion, our findings strongly suggest that L42H17 holds promise as a potential candidate drug for the treatment of hypopharyngeal carcinoma in the future.

Dysregulated Signalling Pathways Driving Anticancer Drug Resistance

One of the leading causes of death worldwide, in both men and women, is cancer. Despite the significant development in therapeutic strategies, the inevitable emergence of drug resistance limits the success and impedes the curative outcome. Intrinsic and acquired resistance are common mechanisms responsible for cancer relapse. Several factors crucially regulate tumourigenesis and resistance, including physical barriers, tumour microenvironment (TME), heterogeneity, genetic and epigenetic alterations, the immune system, tumour burden, growth kinetics and undruggable targets. Moreover, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), Notch, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), integrin-extracellular matrix (ECM), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), phosphoinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR), wingless-related integration site (Wnt/β-catenin), Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) and RAS/RAF/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways are some of the key players that have a pivotal role in drug resistance mechanisms. To guide future cancer treatments and improve results, a deeper comprehension of drug resistance pathways is necessary. This review covers both intrinsic and acquired resistance and gives a comprehensive overview of recent research on mechanisms that enable cancer cells to bypass barriers put up by treatments, and, like "satellite navigation", find alternative routes by which to carry on their "journey" to cancer progression.

SCAND1 Reverses Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and Suppresses Prostate Cancer Growth and Migration

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a reversible cellular program that transiently places epithelial (E) cells into pseudo-mesenchymal (M) cell states. The malignant progression and resistance of many carcinomas depend on EMT activation, partial EMT, or hybrid E/M status in neoplastic cells. EMT is activated by tumor microenvironmental TGFβ signal and EMT-inducing transcription factors, such as ZEB1/2, in tumor cells. However, reverse EMT factors are less studied. We demonstrate that prostate epithelial transcription factor SCAND1 can reverse the cancer cell mesenchymal and hybrid E/M phenotypes to a more epithelial, less invasive status and inhibit their proliferation and migration in DU-145 prostate cancer cells. SCAND1 is a SCAN domain-containing protein and hetero-oligomerizes with SCAN-zinc finger transcription factors, such as MZF1, for accessing DNA and the transcriptional co-repression of target genes. We found that SCAND1 expression correlated with maintaining epithelial features, whereas the loss of SCAND1 was associated with mesenchymal phenotypes of tumor cells. SCAND1 and MZF1 were mutually inducible and coordinately included in chromatin with hetero-chromatin protein HP1γ. The overexpression of SCAND1 reversed hybrid E/M status into an epithelial phenotype with E-cadherin and β-catenin relocation. Consistently, the co-expression analysis in TCGA PanCancer Atlas revealed that SCAND1 and MZF1 expression was negatively correlated with EMT driver genes, including CTNNB1, ZEB1, ZEB2 and TGFBRs, in prostate adenocarcinoma specimens. In addition, SCAND1 overexpression suppressed tumor cell proliferation by reducing the MAP3K-MEK-ERK signaling pathway. Of note, in a mouse tumor xenograft model, SCAND1 overexpression significantly reduced Ki-67(+) and Vimentin(+) tumor cells and inhibited migration and lymph node metastasis of prostate cancer. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed high expression of SCAND1 and MZF1 to correlate with better prognoses in pancreatic cancer and head and neck cancers, although with poorer prognosis in kidney cancer. Overall, these data suggest that SCAND1 induces expression and coordinated heterochromatin-binding of MZF1 to reverse the hybrid E/M status into an epithelial phenotype and, inhibits tumor cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis, potentially by repressing the gene expression of EMT drivers and the MAP3K-MEK-ERK signaling pathway.

B7 family protein glycosylation: Promising novel targets in tumor treatment

Cancer immunotherapy, including the inhibition of immune checkpoints, improves the tumor immune microenvironment and is an effective tool for cancer therapy. More effective and alternative inhibitory targets are critical for successful immune checkpoint blockade therapy. The interaction of the immunomodulatory ligand B7 family with corresponding receptors induces or inhibits T cell responses by sending co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory signals respectively. Blocking the glycosylation of the B7 family members PD-L1, PD-L2, B7-H3, and B7-H4 inhibited the self-stability and receptor binding of these immune checkpoint proteins, leading to immunosuppression and rapid tumor progression. Therefore, regulation of glycosylation may be the "golden key" to relieve tumor immunosuppression. The exploration of a more precise glycosylation regulation mechanism and glycan structure of B7 family proteins is conducive to the discovery and clinical application of antibodies and small molecule inhibitors.