Gene network and biological pathways associated with susceptibility to differentiated thyroid carcinoma

MBIP promotes ESCC metastasis by activating MAPK pathway

MBIP is a component of the Ada2A containing complex (ATAC) and has been identified as a susceptibility gene in several cancers. However, the role and molecular mechanism of MBIP in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unclear. Our finding indicated that the expression level of MBIP in ESCC was higher than that in normal tissue (P < 0.05) based on the data from the Cancer Gene Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high MBIP expression was closely associated with deeper invasion and worse prognosis. Transwell assay and mouse xenograft assay demonstrated that MBIP overexpression promoted migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo, while MBIP knockdown played the opposite role. Furthermore, the results of RNA-seq, qRT-PCR, western blotting and rescue experiments revealed that MBIP promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the phosphorylation JNK/p38 in ESCC. Our study indicates that MBIP plays a significant role in the prognosis and metastasis of ESCC, suggesting that MBIP might serve as an ESCC prognostic biomarker.

ANP32B promotes colorectal cancer cell progression and reduces cell sensitivity to PRAP1 inhibitor through up-regulating HPF1

ANP32B, a member of the acidic leucine-rich nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family member B, is aberrantly expressed in various cancers, including colorectal cancer. However, the function and mechanism of action of ANP32B in colorectal cancer remain unclear. The present study therefore analyzed the expression of ANP32B and its activity in colorectal cancer patient samples and colorectal cancer cell lines. ANP32B expression was found to be significantly upregulated in colorectal cancer patient samples and cell lines. Upregulation of ANP32B enhanced colorectal cancer cell proliferation and migration, whereas downregulation of ANP32B suppressed colorectal cancer cell proliferation. RNA sequencing analysis of differentially expressed genes in ANP32B silenced colorectal cancer cells showed that histone PARylation factor 1 (HPF1), which protects against DNA damage by interacting with the anti-tumor target PARP1, was significantly downregulated. Luciferase promoter assays testing the regulatory association between ANP32B and HPF1 showed that ANP32B interacted with the HPF1 promoter. Analysis of colorectal cancer samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas showed that ANP32B and HPF1 expression were positively correlated, and recovery assays showed that ANP32B promoted colorectal cancer progression by up-regulating HPF1. Overexpression of ANP32B also reduced the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to PARP1 inhibitor, consistent with the oncogenic role of ANP32B. ANP32B may alter the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to PARP1 inhibitor via a mechanism associated with the HPF1 gene. In summary, these findings showed that ANP32B acted as a tumor promoter, potentiating both colorectal cancer malignancy and drug resistance. Targeting the ANP32B/HPF1 axis may have benefit for patients with colorectal cancer.

Establishing Molecular Subgroups of CD8+ T Cell-Associated Genes in the Ovarian Cancer Tumour Microenvironment and Predicting the Immunotherapy Response

BACKGROUND

The mechanism by which infiltrating CD8+ T lymphocytes in the tumour microenvironment influence the survival of patients with ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear.

METHODS

To identify biomarkers to optimise OC treatment, 13 immune-cell-line-associated datasets, RNA sequencing data, and clinical data from the GEO, TCGA, and the ICGC were collected. Gene expression in OC was assessed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining.

RESULTS

We identified 520 genes and three immunological clusters (IC1, IC2, and IC3) associated with CD8+ T cells. Higher IFN scores, immune T cell lytic activity, and immune cell infiltration and upregulated expression of immune-checkpoint-related genes indicated that IC3 is more responsive to immunotherapy, whereas IC1 and IC2 have a poorer prognosis. A 10-gene signature, including SEMA4F, CX3CR1, STX7, PASK, AKIRIN2, HEMGN, GBP5, NSG1, and CXorf65, was constructed, and a multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed a significant association between the 10-gene signature-based risk model and overall survival (p < 0.001). A nomogram was constructed with age and the 10-gene signature. Consistent with the bioinformatics analysis, IHC and qRT-PCR confirmed the accuracy of the signatures in OC tissue samples. The predictive ability of the risk model was demonstrated using the Imvigor210 immunotherapy dataset.

CONCLUSIONS

The development of a novel gene signature associated with CD8+ T cells could facilitate more accurate prognostics and prediction of the immunotherapeutic response of patients with OC.

ANP32B promotes lung cancer progression by regulating VDAC1

It has been reported before that acidic leucine-rich nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family member B (ANP32B) plays roles in many cancers, yet no report of its role in lung cancer exists. In this study, we documented an elevation of ANP32B within lung cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of ANP32B hindered the proliferation as well as migration of lung cancer cells, whereas overexpression of ANP32B helps to promote the malignant progression of lung cancer. ANP32B also regulates lung cancer cells' apoptosis and cell cycling. In addition, voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) has been found to be a downstream targeted gene of ANP32B and is positively regulated by ANP32B in lung cancer cells. According to our research, the expression of VDAC1 was positively associated with ANP32B expression in lung adenocarcinoma (r = 0.61, P < 0.001) samples by Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis. Furthermore, rescue experiments demonstrated that VDAC1 could rescue the effect of ANP32B expression on lung cancer cell proliferation and migration. Our results suggest that ANP32B overexpression facilitates lung cancer progression by increasing the expression of VDAC1. As such, we have revealed a novel mechanism regulating the connection between ANP32B and VDAC1 and a potential role of ANP32B as an oncogene and a clinical therapeutic target in lung cancer.

Arsenite toxicity is regulated by queuine availability and oxidation-induced reprogramming of the human tRNA epitranscriptome

Cells respond to environmental stress by regulating gene expression at the level of both transcription and translation. The ∼50 modified ribonucleotides of the human epitranscriptome contribute to the latter, with mounting evidence that dynamic regulation of transfer RNA (tRNA) wobble modifications leads to selective translation of stress response proteins from codon-biased genes. Here we show that the response of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells to arsenite exposure is regulated by the availability of queuine, a micronutrient and essential precursor to the wobble modification queuosine (Q) on tRNAs reading GUN codons. Among oxidizing and alkylating agents at equitoxic concentrations, arsenite exposure caused an oxidant-specific increase in Q that correlated with up-regulation of proteins from codon-biased genes involved in energy metabolism. Limiting queuine increased arsenite-induced cell death, altered translation, increased reactive oxygen species levels, and caused mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition to demonstrating an epitranscriptomic facet of arsenite toxicity and response, our results highlight the links between environmental exposures, stress tolerance, RNA modifications, and micronutrients.