The expression and prognostic impact of CXC-chemokines in stage II and III colorectal cancer epithelial and stromal tissue

Improving the efficiency of immune checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic pMMR/MSS colorectal cancer: Options and strategies

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment and been extensively used for patients with metastastic colorectal cancer (mCRC), especially those harboring deficient mismatch repair/ microsatellite instability (dMMR/MSI). However, the majority of mCRC are classified as proficient mismatch repair/microsatellite stability(pMMR/MSS) type characterized by a cold immune microenvironment, rendering them generally unresponsive to ICIs. How to improve the efficacy of ICIs for these patients is an important issue to be solved. On the one hand, it is urgent to discover the predictive biomarkers and clinical characteristics associated with effectiveness and expand the subset of pMMR/MSS mCRC patients who benefit from ICIs. Additionally, combined strategies are being explored to modulate the immune microenvironment of pMMR/MSS CRC and facilitate the conversion of cold tumors into hot tumors. In this review, we have focused on the recent advancements in the predictive biomarkers and combination therapeutic strategies with ICIs for pMMR/MSS mCRC.

CXCL3: A key player in tumor microenvironment and inflammatory diseases

CXCL3 (C-X-C Motif Chemokine 3), a member of the C-X-C chemokine subfamily, operates as a potent chemoattractant for neutrophils, thereby orchestrating the recruitment and migration of leukocytes alongside eliciting an inflammatory response. Recent inquiries have shed light on the pivotal roles of CXCL3 in the context of carcinogenesis. In the tumor microenvironment, CXCL3 emanating from both tumor and stromal cells intricately modulates cellular behaviors through autocrine and paracrine actions, primarily via interaction with its receptor CXCR2. Activation of signaling cascades such as ERK/MAPK, AKT, and JAK2/STAT3 underscores CXCL3's propensity to favor tumorigenic processes. However, CXCL3 exhibits dualistic behaviors, as evidenced by its capacity to exert anti-tumor effects under specific conditions. Additionally, the involvement of CXCL3 extends to inflammatory disorders like eclampsia, obesity, and asthma. This review encapsulates the structural attributes, biological functionalities, and molecular underpinnings of CXCL3 across both tumorigenesis and inflammatory diseases.

Chemokines as Prognostic Factor in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Chemokines orchestrate many aspects of tumorigenic processes such as angiogenesis, apoptosis and metastatic spread, and related receptors are expressed on tumor cells as well as on inflammatory cells (e.g., tumor-infiltrating T cells, TILs) in the tumor microenvironment. Expressional changes of chemokines and their receptors in solid cancers are common and well known, especially in affecting colorectal cancer patient outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this current systematic review and meta-analysis was to classify chemokines as a prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer patients. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, CENTRAL and Web of Science. Information on the chemokine expression of 25 chemokines in colorectal cancer tissue and survival data of the patients were investigated. The hazard ratio of overall survival and disease-free survival with chemokine expression was examined. The risk of bias was analyzed using Quality in Prognosis Studies. Random effects meta-analysis was performed to determine the impact on overall respectively disease survival. For this purpose, the pooled hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used for calculation. Twenty-five chemokines were included, and the search revealed 5556 publications. A total of thirty-one publications were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Overexpression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 was associated with both a significantly reduced overall survival (HR = 2.70, 95%-CI: 1.57 to 4.66, p = 0.0003) as well as disease-free survival (HR = 2.68, 95%-CI: 1.41 to 5.08, p = 0.0026). All other chemokines showed either heterogeneous results or few studies were available. The overall risk of bias for CXCR4 was rated low. At the current level of evidence, this study demonstrates that CXCR4 overexpression in patients with colorectal cancer is associated with a significantly diminished overall as well as disease-free survival. Summed up, this systematic review and meta-analysis reveals CXCR4 as a promising prognostic biomarker. Nevertheless, more evidence is needed to evaluate CXCR4 and its antagonists serving as new therapeutic targets.

The Significant Impacts of Interleukin-8 Genotypes on the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Taiwan

Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is upregulated in CRC and plays an important role in its development and progression. Genetic variants in the IL-8 gene may impact the risk of CRC by modulating IL-8 levels. Our primary objective was to investigate the role of IL-8 genotypes in the development of CRC. To accomplish this, we employed the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method to analyze the genotypes of IL-8 rs4017, rs2227306, rs2227543, and rs1126647 in 362 CRC patients and 362 controls. Additionally, we evaluated the interactions between these genotypes and factors such as age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index (BMI) status in relation to the risk of CRC. Furthermore, we utilized quantitative reverse transcription-PCR to measure the serum IL-8. The results demonstrated a significant difference in the distribution of rs4017 genotypes between the control and case groups (p for trend = 0.0059). Logistic regression analysis revealed that individuals with variant AA genotype had a 1.92-fold higher CRC risk (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-2.89, p = 0.0023). Moreover, carriers of the IL-8 rs4017 AT + AA genotypes exhibited a significant association with CRC risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.02-1.91, p = 0.0460). Additionally, individuals with IL-8 rs4017 AA genotype displayed significantly elevated serum IL-8 compared to those with TT genotype at a 1.73-fold level (p < 0.0001), indicating a correlation between genotype and phenotype. In conclusion, the genotypes of IL-8 rs4017, along with their associated expression levels, can potentially serve as predictive markers for the risk of CRC.

The Significance of CXCL1 and CXCR1 as Potential Biomarkers of Colorectal Cancer

The CXCL1/CXCR2 and CXCL8-CXCR1/CXCR2 axes are under intensive investigation as they appear to regulate the progression and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC). Growing evidence demonstrates the elevated expression of these proteins in CRC. However, a majority of relevant studies have been performed on CRC tissues using immunohistochemical techniques. Our study is the first to evaluate the diagnostic significance of serum CXCL1 and CXCR1 levels in CRC patients in comparison to well-established tumor markers, such as the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP). Thus, the aim of our study was to assess whether circulating serum levels of CXCL1 and CXCR1 might be candidates for novel biomarkers in the diagnosis and progression of CRC. The study was performed on 76 subjects, including patients with CRC and healthy volunteers as a control group. Serum concentrations of CXCL1, CXCR1, and the classical tumor marker (CEA) were measured using immunoenzyme assays, while CRP levels were assessed with the immunoturbidimetric method. Serum CXCL1 levels were statistically significantly increased in CRC patients when compared to healthy subjects, and similar results were found for CEA and CRP levels. The percentage of elevated concentrations of CXCL1 and CXCR1 was higher than that of the classical tumor biomarker and increased in the combined measurement of these proteins with CEA. In addition, among all proteins tested, serum CXCL1 seems to be the best indicator in the differentiation between CRC patients with nodal involvement and patients without the presence of lymph node metastasis. Our preliminary results indicate the role of serum CXCL1 and CXCR1 in the diagnosis of CRC, particularly in the combined measurement with CEA.

The Clinical Significance and Role of CXCL1 Chemokine in Gastrointestinal Cancers

One area of cancer research is the interaction between cancer cells and immune cells, in which chemokines play a vital role. Despite this, a comprehensive summary of the involvement of C-X-C motif ligand 1 (CXCL1) chemokine (also known as growth-regulated gene-α (GRO-α), melanoma growth-stimulatory activity (MGSA)) in cancer processes is lacking. To address this gap, this review provides a detailed analysis of CXCL1's role in gastrointestinal cancers, including head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)), cholangiocarcinoma, pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma), and colorectal cancer (colon cancer and rectal cancer). This paper presents the impact of CXCL1 on various molecular cancer processes, such as cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, lymph node metastasis, angiogenesis, recruitment to the tumor microenvironment, and its effect on immune system cells, such as tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN), regulatory T (T_reg) cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and macrophages. Furthermore, this review discusses the association of CXCL1 with clinical aspects of gastrointestinal cancers, including its correlation with tumor size, cancer grade, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and patient prognosis. This paper concludes by exploring CXCL1's potential as a therapeutic target in anticancer therapy.

Novel biomarkers for neoplastic progression from ulcerative colitis to colorectal cancer: a systems biology approach

In recent studies, the void of evaluation and in-depth understanding of unknown clinically relevant potential molecular biomarkers involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) from the inflammatory stage of ulcerative colitis (UC) to CRC metastasis, which can be suitable therapeutic targets, is deeply felt. The regulation and interaction among different cancer-promoting molecules, including messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and micro RNAs (miRNAs) in CRC and its progression, were the aim we pursued in this study. Using microarray data, we investigated the differential expression for five datasets, including mRNA and microRNA samples related to UC, tumor/normal. Then, using robust data analysis, separate lists of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified, which were used for robust rank aggregation (RRA) and co-expression network analysis. Then, comprehensive computational systems biology analyses, including gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomic pathway enrichment analyses, mRNA-miRNA regulatory network, and survival analysis, were employed to achieve the aim of this study. Finally, we used clinical samples to validate this potential and new target. According to this systems biology approach, a total of 98 DEGs and 8 DEmiRNAs with common differential expression were identified. By combining the distinct results of RRA and network, several potential therapeutic targets, and predictive and prognostic biomarkers for UC and CRC were identified. These targets include six common hub genes, CXCL1, CXCL8, MMP7, SLCA16A9, PLAU, and TIMP1, which are upregulated. Among these, the important and new biomarker SLC16A9 is negatively regulated by hsa-mir-194-5p, and hsa-miR-378a-5p take. The findings of the present study provide new insight into the pathogenesis of CRC in UC. Our study suggests future evaluation of the functional role of SLC16A9 and hsa-mir-194-5p and hsa-miR-378a-5p in CRC development.

CXCR1: A Cancer Stem Cell Marker and Therapeutic Target in Solid Tumors

Therapy resistance is a significant concern while treating malignant disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that a subset of cancer cells potentiates tumor survival, therapy resistance, and relapse. Several different pathways regulate these purported cancer stem cells (CSCs). Evidence shows that the inflammatory tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in maintaining the cancer stem cell pool. Typically, in the case of the tumor microenvironment, inflammatory pathways can be utilized by the tumor to aid in tumor progression; one such pathway is the CXCR1/2 pathway. The CXCR1 and CXCR2 receptors are intricately related, with CXCR1 binding two ligands that also bind CXCR2. They have the same downstream pathways but potentially separate roles in the tumor microenvironment. CXCR1 is becoming more well known for its role as a cancer stem cell identifier and therapeutic target. This review elucidates the role of the CXCR1 axis as a CSC marker in several solid tumors and discusses the utility of CXCR1 as a therapeutic target.

Interleukin-8 in Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Its Potential Role as a Prognostic Biomarker

Among soluble actors that have emerged as druggable factors, the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) has emerged as a possible determinant of response to immunotherapy and targeted treatment in several cancer types; however, its prognostic/predictive role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains to be established. We: (i) conducted a systematic review of published literature on IL-8 expression in CRC; (ii) searched public transcriptomics databases; (iii) investigated IL-8 expression, by tumor and infiltrating cells, in a series of CRC samples; and (iv) carried out a meta-analysis of published literature correlating IL-8 expression and CRC prognosis. IL-8 possesses an important role as a mediator of the bidirectional crosstalk between tumor/stromal cells. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that specific IL-8 transcripts were significantly overexpressed in CRC compared to normal colon mucosa. Moreover, in our series we observed a statistically significant correlation between PTEN-loss and IL-8 expression by infiltrating mononuclear and tumor cells. In total, 12 papers met our meta-analysis inclusion criteria, demonstrating that high IL-8 levels significantly correlated with shorter overall survival and progression-free survival. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated a highly significant correlation with outcome for circulating, but not for tissue-detected, IL-8. IL-8 is overexpressed in CRC tissues and differentially produced by tumor or stromal components depending on CRC genetic background. Moreover, circulating IL-8 represents a strong prognostic factor in CRC, suggesting its use in the refining of prognostic CRC assessment and potentially the tailoring of therapeutic strategies in individual CRC patients.

A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis to identify potential prognostic biomarkers among CC and CXC chemokines in breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is a major human health problem due to its increasing incidence and mortality rate. CC and CXC chemokines are associated with tumorigenesis and the progression of many cancers. Since the prognostic values of CC and CXC families' expression in various types of cancers are becoming increasingly evident, we aimed to conduct a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis elucidating the prognostic values of the CC and CXC families in BC. Therefore, TCGA, UALCAN, Kaplan–Meier plotter, bc-GenExMiner, cBioPortal, STRING, Enrichr, and TIMER were utilized for analysis. We found that high levels of CCL4/5/14/19/21/22 were associated with better OS and RFS, while elevated expression of CCL24 was correlated with shorter OS in BC patients. Also, high levels of CXCL9/13 indicated longer OS, and enhanced expression of CXCL12/14 was linked with better OS and RFS in BC patients. Meanwhile, increased transcription levels of CXCL8 were associated with worse OS and RFS in BC patients. In addition, our results showed that CCL5, CCL8, CCL14, CCL20, CCL27, CXCL4, and CXCL14 were notably correlated with the clinical outcomes of BC patients. Our findings provide a new point of view that may help the clinical application of CC and CXC chemokines as prognostic biomarkers in BC.

Colorectal Cancer: The Contribution of CXCL12 and Its Receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7

Simple Summary

Many signaling pathways are involved in cancer progression, and among these pathways, the CXCL12 axis and its two receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7 are well described for many cancers. This review presents the current knowledge on the role played by each of the actors of this axis in colorectal cancer and on its consideration in the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers, and diagnosis at late metastatic stages is the main cause of death related to this cancer. This progression to metastasis is complex and involves different molecules such as the chemokine CXCL12 and its two receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7. The high expression of receptors in CRC is often associated with a poor prognosis and aggressiveness of the tumor. The interaction of CXCL12 and its receptors activates signaling pathways that induce chemotaxis, proliferation, migration, and cell invasion. To this end, receptor inhibitors were developed, and their use in preclinical and clinical studies is ongoing. This review provides an overview of studies involving CXCR4 and CXCR7 in CRC with an update on their targeting in anti-cancer therapies.

Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1/chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 2 autocrine loop contributes to cellular proliferation, migration and apoptosis in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the most common malignant tumor in gynecology with high mortality rate, so novel approaches for cervical cancer treatment are urgently needed. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression data and clinicopathological data of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx) downloaded from University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Xena database. Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1) was screened out as a key prognostic gene for cervical cancer. Revealed by the results of ELISA and Western blot, the expression of CXCL1 and chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 2 (CXCR2) in cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and C33A) was significantly higher than that in the primary cervical epithelial cells. Cellular immunofluorescence was used in this study to observe CXCR2 localization. Through CCK8, clone formation assay, wound healing assay and Annexin V/PI staining, it was found that down-regulation of CXCL1 expression or treatment with CXCR2 antagonist (SB 225002) could reduce the cell viability, affect the proliferation, weaken the migration ability, and promote the apoptosis of cervical cancer cells; however, the effect of CXCR2 antagonist was improved after over-expressed CXCL1. CXCL1/CXCR2 chemokine system regulates the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of cervical cancer cells in the form of an autocrine loop, thus affecting the development of cervical cancer. This study provides a theoretical basis for researching the molecular mechanism of cervical cancer deterioration and development, and brings forward a new idea for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer.

Genetic Study of Chemokine Ligand 1 in Colorectal Carcinoma using Quantitative Real-Time PCR

Background: Carcinoma of colon is one of the prevalence carcinoma in the world and it is the most important cause of death in Western countries. The disease process is multifactorial; with etiology include inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract, environmental liableness and genetic factors. Chemokine Ligand1 was share in several mechanisms such as inflammatory process, chemo attraction, and others. Objective: The current study was conducted to analyze gene expression level of chemokine ligand 1 in colonic carcinoma and to deliberate the participant of it as genetic factors in its evolving and prognosis. Material and method: Chemokine Ligand1 gene expression level was evaluated in formalin-fixed, paraffin embedded tissue blocks that is retrospectively collected from 40 patients (8 women and 32 men) with carcinoma, and 40 patients of normal colonic tissues as control specimen by using Real-Time PCR. Results: The expression of Chemokine ligand 1 gene were established as 12.4112 folds in carcinoma specimen in relation to control tissue (1.3492).  Chemokine ligand 1 genes were found to be over-expressed in advanced stage tumors and elderly patients. Conclusions: Chemokine ligand1 can be considered as a recent biomarker and the possibility to use it as therapeutic target in the treatment of colonic carcinoma.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in subjects with different stages of periodontitis according to the new classification

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates inflammatory responses in various autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to analyze the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) for GM-CSF, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1α) levels in patients with stage I, stage II, stage III, and stage IV periodontitis (SI-P, SII-P, SIII-P, and SIV-P).

METHODOLOGY

A total of 126 individuals were recruited for this study, including 21 periodontal healthy (PH), 21 gingivitis (G), 21 SI-P, 21 SII-P, 21 SIII-P, and 21 SIV-P patients. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), presence of bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), and attachment loss (AL) were used during the clinical periodontal assessment. GCF samples were obtained and analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

GCF GM-CSF, MIP-1α, and IL-1β were significantly higher in SII-P and SIII-P groups than in PH, G, and SI-P groups (p<0.05). There was no significant difference among the PH, G, and SI-P groups in IL-1β, GM-CSF, and MIP-1α levels (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

These results show that GM-CSF expression was increased in SII-P, SIII-P, and SIV-P. Furthermore, GM-CSF levels may have some potential to discriminate between early and advanced stages of periodontitis.

CXCR2 Receptor: Regulation of Expression, Signal Transduction, and Involvement in Cancer

Chemokines are a group of about 50 chemotactic cytokines crucial for the migration of immune system cells and tumor cells, as well as for metastasis. One of the 20 chemokine receptors identified to date is CXCR2, a G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) whose most known ligands are CXCL8 (IL-8) and CXCL1 (GRO-α). In this article we present a comprehensive review of literature concerning the role of CXCR2 in cancer. We start with regulation of its expression at the transcriptional level and how this regulation involves microRNAs. We show the mechanism of CXCR2 signal transduction, in particular the action of heterotrimeric G proteins, phosphorylation, internalization, intracellular trafficking, sequestration, recycling, and degradation of CXCR2. We discuss in detail the mechanism of the effects of activated CXCR2 on the actin cytoskeleton. Finally, we describe the involvement of CXCR2 in cancer. We focused on the importance of CXCR2 in tumor processes such as proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells as well as the effects of CXCR2 activation on angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, and cellular senescence. We also discuss the importance of CXCR2 in cell recruitment to the tumor niche including tumor-associated neutrophils (TAN), tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), and regulatory T (T_reg) cells.

Contribution of Epithelial and Gut Microbiome Inflammatory Biomarkers to the Improvement of Colorectal Cancer Patients’ Stratification

In order to ensure that primary endpoints of clinical studies are attained, the patients’ stratification is an important aspect. Selection criteria include age, gender, and also specific biomarkers, such as inflammation scores. These criteria are not sufficient to achieve a straightforward selection, however, in case of multifactorial diseases, with unknown or partially identified mechanisms, occasionally including host factors, and the microbiome. In these cases, the efficacy of interventions is difficult to predict, and as a result, the selection of subjects is often random. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, with variable clinical features, outcomes, and response to therapy; the CRC onset and progress involves multiple sequential steps with accumulation of genetic alterations, namely, mutations, gene amplification, and epigenetic changes. The gut microbes, either eubiotic or dysbiotic, could influence the CRC evolution through a complex and versatile crosstalk with the intestinal and immune cells, permanently changing the tumor microenvironment. There have been significant advances in the development of personalized approaches for CRC screening, treatment, and potential prevention. Advances in molecular techniques bring new criteria for patients’ stratification—mutational analysis at the time of diagnosis to guide treatment, for example. Gut microbiome has emerged as the main trigger of gut mucosal homeostasis. This may impact cancer susceptibility through maintenance of the epithelial/mucus barrier and production of protective metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) via interactions with the hosts’ diet and metabolism. Microbiome dysbiosis leads to the enrichment of cancer-promoting bacterial populations, loss of protective populations or maintaining an inflammatory chronic state, all of which contribute to the development and progression of CRC. Meanwhile, variations in patient responses to anti-cancer immuno- and chemotherapies were also linked to inter-individual differences in intestine microbiomes. The authors aim to highlight the contribution of epithelial and gut microbiome inflammatory biomarkers in the improvement of CRC patients’ stratification towards a personalized approach of early diagnosis and treatment.

Integrated single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing analysis identifies a cancer associated fibroblast-related signature for predicting prognosis and therapeutic responses in colorectal cancer

Background

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contribute notably to colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis, stiffness, angiogenesis, immunosuppression and metastasis, and could serve as a promising therapeutic target. Our purpose was to construct CAF-related prognostic signature for CRC.

Methods

We performed bioinformatics analysis on single-cell transcriptome data derived from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and identified 208 differentially expressed cell markers from fibroblasts cluster. Bulk gene expression data of CRC was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEO databases. Univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage operator (LASSO) analyses were performed on TCGA training cohort (n = 308) for model construction, and was validated in TCGA validation (n = 133), TCGA total (n = 441), GSE39582 (n = 470) and GSE17536 (n = 177) datasets. Microenvironment Cell Populations-counter (MCP-counter) and Estimate the Proportion of Immune and Cancer cells (EPIC) methods were applied to evaluated CAFs infiltrations from bulk gene expression data. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed in tissue microarrays containing 80 colon cancer samples to further validate the prognostic value of the CAF model. pRRophetic and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithms were utilized to predict chemosensitivity and immunotherapy response. Human Protein Atlas (HPA) databases and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the protein expressions.

Results

A nine-gene prognostic CAF-related signature was established in training cohort. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses revealed patients with higher CAF risk scores were correlated with adverse prognosis in each cohort. MCP-counter and EPIC results consistently revealed CAFs infiltrations were significantly higher in high CAF risk group. Patients with higher CAF risk scores were more prone to not respond to immunotherapy, but were more sensitive to several conventional chemotherapeutics, suggesting a potential strategy of combining chemotherapy with anti-CAF therapy to improve the efficacy of current T-cell based immunotherapies. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses verified the CAF model was as an independent prognostic indicator in predicting overall survival, and a CAF-based nomogram was then built for clinical utility in predicting prognosis of CRC.

Conclusion

To conclude, the CAF-related signature could serve as a robust prognostic indicator in CRC, which provides novel genomics evidence for anti-CAF immunotherapeutic strategies.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02252-9.

Diagnosis and prognostic value of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 in colon adenocarcinoma based on The Cancer Genome Atlas and Guangxi cohort

Objective: The objective was to identify and validate C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1(CXCL1) for diagnosis and prognosis in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD).

Methods: Our current study had enrolled one The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort and two Guangxi cohorts to identify and verify the diagnostic and prognostic values of CXCL1 in COAD. Functional enrichment was performed by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).

Results: In TCGA cohort, the expression of CXCL1 was significantly up-regulated in tumor tissues and decreased as the tumor stage developed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that CXCL1 had a high diagnostic value for COAD. The result of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that CXCL1 gene expression (P=0.045) was significantly correlated with overall survival (OS) of COAD. Results of Guangxi cohort also verified the diagnostic value of CXCL1 in COAD, and sub-group survival analyses also suggested that patients with high CXCL1 expression were related to a favorable OS (Corrected P=0.005). GSEA revealed that CXCL1 high expression phenotype was related to cytokine activity, cell apoptosis, P53 regulation pathway, and regulation of autophagy in COAD.

Conclusions: In this study, we found that CXCL1 gene might be a potential diagnostic biomarker for COAD, and might serve as a prognostic biomarker for specific subgroup of COAD.

Identification of intestinal flora-related key genes and therapeutic drugs in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a multifactorial tumor and a leading cause of cancer-specific deaths worldwide. Recent research has shown that the alteration of intestinal flora contributes to the development of CRC. However, the molecular mechanism by which intestinal flora influences the pathogenesis of CRC remains unclear. This study aims to explore the key genes underlying the effect of intestinal flora on CRC and therapeutic drugs for CRC.

METHODS

Intestinal flora-related genes were determined using text mining. Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between CRC and normal samples were identified with the limma package of the R software. Then, the intersection of the two gene sets was selected for enrichment analyses using the tool Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery. Protein interaction network analysis was performed for identifying the key genes using STRING and Cytoscape. The correlation of the key genes with overall survival of CRC patients was analyzed. Finally, the key genes were queried against the Drug-Gene Interaction database to find drug candidates for treating CRC.

RESULTS

518 genes associated with intestinal flora were determined by text mining. Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we identified 48 DEGs associated with intestinal flora, including 25 up-regulated and 23 down-regulated DEGs in CRC. The enrichment analyses indicated that the selected genes were mainly involved in cell-cell signaling, immune response, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed with 13 nodes and 35 edges. Moreover, 8 genes in the significant cluster were considered as the key genes and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8 (CXCL8) correlated positively with the overall survival of CRC patients. Finally, a total of 24 drugs were predicted as possible drugs for CRC treatment using the Drug-Gene Interaction database.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings of this study may provide new insights into CRC pathogenesis and treatments. The prediction of drug-gene interaction is of great practical significance for exploring new drugs or novel targets for existing drugs.

The Significance of CXCL1 and CXCL8 as Well as Their Specific Receptors in Colorectal Cancer

Every year, almost 2 million people develop colorectal cancer (CRC), which makes it the fourth most common malignancy worldwide. It is also estimated that approximately 48% of CRC patients will die from the disease. Thus, noninvasive and accurate methods for early detection and prevention of CRC are sorely needed. It is suggested that C-X-C motif ligand 1 (CXCL1) and C-X-C motif ligand 8 (CXCL8) as well as their cognate receptors can mediate tumor growth, proliferation, survival, neoangiogenesis and metastasis of malignant cells, including CRC. However, little is known about the clinical significance of these proteins as potential biomarkers for CRC. Therefore, in our review, we performed a comprehensive literature search using the PubMed database to identify original articles that investigated whether CXCL1 and CXCL8 and their receptors play a role in CRC pathogenesis. In summary, our review highlighted the potential significance of CXCL1/CXCR2 and CXCL8/CXCR1,-2 in the diagnosis and progression of CRC as well as indicated their potential therapeutic significance. However, given the non-specific nature of analyzed chemokines and a small number of studies concerning the assessment of blood concentration of these proteins in CRC patients, investigations need to be continued in the future before selected chemokines could be established as biomarkers for CRC.

Identification of Hub Genes Related to Carcinogenesis and Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer Based on Integrated Bioinformatics

The high mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and the limitations of conventional tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage emphasized the necessity of exploring hub genes closely related to carcinogenesis and prognosis in CRC. The study is aimed at identifying hub genes associated with carcinogenesis and prognosis for CRC. We identified and validated 212 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from six Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We investigated functional enrichment analysis for DEGs. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and hub modules and genes in CRC carcinogenesis were extracted. A prognostic signature was developed and validated based on Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. The DEGs mainly regulated biological processes covering response to stimulus, metabolic process, and affected molecular functions containing protein binding and catalytic activity. The DEGs played important roles in CRC-related pathways involving in preneoplastic lesions, carcinogenesis, metastasis, and poor prognosis. Hub genes closely related to CRC carcinogenesis were extracted including six genes in model 1 (CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL8, CXCL11, NMU, and PPBP) and two genes and Metallothioneins (MTs) in model 2 (SLC26A3 and SLC30A10). Among them, CXCL8 was also related to prognosis. An eight-gene signature was proposed comprising AMH, WBSCR28, SFTA2, MYH2, POU4F1, SIX4, PGPEP1L, and PAX5. The study identified hub genes in CRC carcinogenesis and proposed an eight-gene signature with good reproducibility and robustness at the molecular level for CRC, which might provide directive significance for treatment selection and survival prediction.

Construction of a CXC Chemokine-Based Prediction Model for the Prognosis of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer, with a high incidence and mortality. Construction of a specific and sensitive prediction model for prognosis is urgently needed. In this study, profiles of patients with colon cancer with clinical and gene expression data were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). CXC chemokines in patients with colon cancer were investigated by differential expression gene analysis, overall survival analysis, receiver operating characteristic analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and weighted gene coexpression network analysis. CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, and CXCL11 were upregulated in patients with colon cancer and significantly correlated with prognosis. The area under curve (AUC) of the multigene forecast model of CXCL1, CXCL11, CXCL2, and CXCL3 was 0.705 in the GSE41258 dataset and 0.624 in TCGA. The prediction model was constructed using the risk score of the multigene model and three clinicopathological risk factors and exhibited 92.6% and 91.8% accuracy in predicting 3-year and 5-year overall survival of patients with colon cancer, respectively. In addition, by GSEA, expression of CXCL1, CXCL11, CXCL2, and CXCL3 was correlated with several signaling pathways, including NOD-like receptor, oxidative phosphorylation, mTORC1, interferon-gamma response, and IL6/JAK/STAT3 pathways. Patients with colon cancer will benefit from this prediction model for prognosis, and this will pave the way to improve the survival rate and optimize treatment for colon cancer.

CXCL-8 in Preoperative Colorectal Cancer Patients: Significance for Diagnosis and Cancer Progression

Introduction. Since colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most commonly diagnosed malignancy in Europe and third worldwide, novel biomarkers for diagnosing the disease are critically needed. Objectives. According to our knowledge, the present study is the first to evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum CXCL-8 (C-X-C motif chemokine 8) in the diagnosis and progression of CRC compared to classical tumor marker CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) and marker of inflammation CRP (C-reactive protein). Patients and Methods. The study included 59 CRC patients and 46 healthy volunteers. Serum levels of selected proteins were measured using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), CMIA (chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay), and immunoturbidimetric methods. Results. Serum concentrations of CXCL-8, similarly to those of the classical tumor marker CEA and inflammatory state marker CRP, were significantly higher in CRC patients than in healthy controls. There were statistically significant differences in CXCL-8 concentrations between tumor stages, as established by the Kruskal–Wallis test and confirmed by the post hoc Dwass–Steele–Critchlow–Fligner test. CXCL-8 levels were also significantly elevated in CRC patients with distant metastases compared to patients in the subgroup without metastases. Diagnostic sensitivity, predictive values for negative results (NPV), and AUC (area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve—ROC curve) of CXCL-8 were higher than those of CEA, while diagnostic specificity and predictive values for positive results (PPV) of CXCL-8 were higher than those of CRP. Conclusions. Our findings indicate greater utility of CXCL-8 in comparison to the classical tumor marker CEA in the diagnosis of CRC. Moreover, serum CXCL-8 might be a potential biomarker of colorectal cancer progression.

(Curcumin+sildenafil) enhances the efficacy of 5FU and anti-PD1 therapies in vivo

We have extended our analyses of (curcumin+sildenafil) biology. The drug combination caused vascularization and degradation of mutant K-RAS that correlated with reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, AKT T308, mTORC1, mTORC2, ULK1 S757, STAT3, STAT5, and NFκB and increased phosphorylation of eIF2α, ATM, AMPKα, ULK1 S317; all concomitant with elevated ATG13 S318 phosphorylation and autophagosome formation. Prior studies with drug combinations utilizing sildenafil have delineated an ATM-AMPK-ULK1 S317 pathway and an AKT-mTOR-ULK1 S757 pathway as modules which control ATG S318 phosphorylation and autophagosome formation. The knockdown of PKG reduced cell killing as well as reducing drug-enhanced phosphorylation of ATM, AMPKα, and ATG13. In the absence of PKG, no significant increase in ULK1 S317 phosphorylation was observed. In a Beclin1-dependent fashion, the drug combination reduced the expression of multiple histone deacetylase (HDAC) proteins, including HDAC2 and HDAC3. Molecular knockdown of HDAC2, HDAC3, and especially (HDAC2+HDAC3) significantly reduced the expression of PD-L1 and elevated expression of Class I human major histocompatibility complex. In vivo, (curcumin+sildenafil) enhanced the efficacy of 5-flurouracil against CT26 colorectal tumors. Prior exposure of established CT26 tumors to (curcumin+sildenafil) significantly enhanced the efficacy of a subsequently administered anti-PD-1 antibody. Collectively our data argue that (curcumin+sildenafil) has the potential in several settings to be an efficacious neoadjuvant therapy for colon cancer.

Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) regulates neutrophils infiltration and periodontal tissue destruction in an experimental periodontitis

Although granulocyte colony-stimulating factor(G-CSF) has pathogenic roles in several immune inflammatory diseases, its role in periodontitis has not been investigated. Here we detected local expression of G-CSF using public datasets in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and immune cell infiltration into gingival tissue was estimated based on single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). G-CSF expression and neutrophil infiltration were also confirmed by human gingival biopsies analysis. Moreover, anti-G-CSF neutralizing antibody was locally administrated to investigate the effects of G-CSF neutralization on neutrophils infiltration and periodontal tissue destruction in periodontitis mice model. Two public datasets (GSE10334 and GSE16134), which included 424 patients with periodontitis and 133 health controls, were used in the analysis. Markedly increased immune cell infiltration and G-CSF expression in gingival tissues were found in the periodontitis group as compared to the control group. The higher expression of G-CSF was correlated with higher infiltration of immune cells, especially with neutrophil infiltration. Analysis of gingival biopsies further confirmed high neutrophil infiltration and G-CSF expression. In addition, anti-G-CSF antibody-treated mice with periodontitis showed significantly reduced alveolar bone resorption and neutrophil infiltration when compared with periodontitis mice treated with isotype control antibody. Also, anti-G-CSF antibody treatment significantly reduced mRNA expression of CXC chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL2 and CXCL3), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, matrix metalloproteinases 9, receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand/osteoprotegerin (RANKL/OPG) ratio and osteoclasts number in periodontal tissues. In summary, neutrophil infiltration and G-CSF expression levels were significantly increased in inflamed gingival tissues. G-CSF neutralization in periodontal inflammation could alleviate neutrophil infiltration and periodontal tissue destruction in experimental periodontitis.

Apoptosis of Leukemia Cells by Ocimum basilicum Fractions Following TNF alpha Induced Activation of JNK and Caspase 3

Purpose:

Leukemia, one of the major cancers, affects a large proportion of people around the world. Better treatment options for leukemia are required due to a large number of side effects associated with current therapeutic regimens. In the present study, we sought to determine the pathway of triggering apoptosis of leukemic cells by Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum) plant extract.

Materials/Methods:

Methanolic extract of the O. basilicum plant material was prepared. The crude extract was fractionated into several fractions through column chromatography using ethyl acetate and n-hexane as eluting solvents. Cell viability of leukemic cells was assessed via Cell titer GLO assay and apoptosis was measured through Annexin V/PI staining. Two apoptotic molecules JNK and caspases were analyzed through western blotting while pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα, CCL2 and CXCL8 using qPCR. Fractions were characterized through LC-MS.

Results:

The most potent with lowest IC50 values among the fractions were BF2 (2:8 n-hexane:ethyl acetate) and BF3 (3:7 n-hexane:ethyl acetate). Cytotoxicity was associated with apoptosis. Apoptosis was found caspasedependent and P-JNK activation was detected sustained. A significant increase in the level of TNF α and a decrease in the level of CXCL8 were observed in BF2 and BF3 treated cells.

Conclusion:

The fractions of O. basilicum extract were found to kill cells following JNK pathway activation. Excellent results were obtained with BF2 and BF3 probably due to predominant Epicatechin and Cinnamic acid derivatives in these fractions.

Systemic inflammation in colorectal cancer: Underlying factors, effects, and prognostic significance

Systemic inflammation is a marker of poor prognosis preoperatively present in around 20%-40% of colorectal cancer patients. The hallmarks of systemic inflammation include an increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and acute phase proteins that enter the circulation. While the low-level systemic inflammation is often clinically silent, its consequences are many and may ultimately lead to chronic cancer-associated wasting, cachexia. In this review, we discuss the pathogenesis of cancer-related systemic inflammation, explore the role of systemic inflammation in promoting cancer growth, escaping antitumor defense, and shifting metabolic pathways, and how these changes are related to less favorable outcome.

Disrupting Inflammation-Associated CXCL8-CXCR1 Signaling Inhibits Tumorigenicity Initiated by Sporadic- and Colitis-Colon Cancer Stem Cells

Dysfunctional inflammatory pathways are associated with an increased risk of cancer, including colorectal cancer. We have previously identified and enriched for a self-renewing, colon cancer stem cell (CCSC) subpopulation in primary sporadic colorectal cancers (CRC) and a related subpopulation in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients defined by the stem cell marker, aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Subsequent work demonstrated that CCSC-initiated tumors are dependent on the inflammatory chemokine, CXCL8, a known inducer of tumor proliferation, angiogenesis and invasion. Here, we use RNA interference to target CXCL8 and its receptor, CXCR1, to establish the existence of a functional signaling pathway promoting tumor growth initiated by sporadic and colitis CCSCs. Knocking down either CXCL8 or CXCR1 had a dramatic effect on inhibiting both in vitro proliferation and angiogenesis. Likewise, tumorigenicity was significantly inhibited due to reduced levels of proliferation and angiogenesis. Decreased expression of cycle cell regulators cyclins D1 and B1 along with increased p21 levels suggested that the reduction in tumor growth is due to dysregulation of cell cycle progression. Therapeutically targeting the CXCL8-CXCR1 signaling pathway has the potential to block sustained tumorigenesis by inhibiting both CCSC- and pCCSC-induced proliferation and angiogenesis.

Surgical trauma-induced CCL18 promotes recruitment of regulatory T cells and colon cancer progression

BACKGROUND

Surgical stress has been suggested to facilitate colon cancer growth and metastasis. However, the precise mechanisms by which surgical trauma promotes colon cancer progression remain poorly understood.

METHODS

To unravel the mechanisms underlying surgery-induced colon cancer progression, a syngenic transplantation tumor model was established with CT26 cells, and the effect of laparotomy on tumor progression was investigated. Especially, the expression of several chemokines was assessed, and their roles in recruiting CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) after surgery were analyzed.

RESULTS

Tregs population was significantly increased in the tumor tissue and peripheral blood of tumor-bearing mice after laparotomy. C-C motif chemokine ligand 18 (CCL18) expression was significantly upregulated after laparotomy in tumor tissue and the peritoneal cavity of tumor-bearing mice, and it was positively correlated with the recruitment of Tregs. Functionally, CCL18 knockdown significantly reduces tumor growth and angiogenesis compared with control. Through analysis of Tregs, we found an upregulated proportion of Tregs in tumor tissue, peritoneal cavity, and peripheral blood after laparotomy, but this enhancement was blocked after CCL18 knockdown. In patients with colon cancer, a higher Tregs proportion is positively correlated to more advanced clinical TNM stages and shorter survival. Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between the serum CCL18 level and the Treg proportion in clinical samples.

CONCLUSION

Surgical trauma contributes to colon cancer progression by increasing CCL18 expression and hence promotes Treg recruitment, which leads to an immunosuppressive environment.

Interaction between Tumor-Associated Dendritic Cells and Colon Cancer Cells Contributes to Tumor Progression via CXCL1

Crosstalk of a tumor with its microenvironment is a critical factor contributing to cancer development. This study investigates the soluble factors released by tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADCs) responsible for increasing cancer stem cell (CSC) properties, cell mobility, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Dendritic cells (DCs) of colon cancer patients were collected for phenotype and CXCL1 expression by flow cytometry and Luminex assays. The transcriptome of CXCL1-treated cancer cells was established by next generation sequencing. Inflammatory chemokine CXCL1, present in large amounts in DCs isolated from colon cancer patients, and SW620-conditioned TADCs, enhance CSC characteristics in cancer, supported by enhanced anchorage-independent growth, CD133 expression and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity. Additionally, CXCL1 increases the metastatic ability of a cancer by enhancing cell migration, matrix metalloproteinase-7 expression and EMT. The enhanced CXCL1 expression in DCs is also noted in mice transplanted with colon cancer cells. Transcriptome analysis of CXCL1-treated SW620 cells indicates that CXCL1 increases potential oncogene expression in colon cancer, including PTHLH, TYRP1, FOXO1, TCF4 and ZNF880. Concurrently, CXCL1 displays a specific microRNA (miR) upregulated by the prototypical colon cancer onco-miR miR-105. Analysis of publicly available data reveals CXCL1-driven oncogenes and miR-105 have a negative prognostic impact on the outcome of colon cancer. This study indicates a new mechanism by which the colon cancer milieu exploits DC plasticity to support cancer progression.

Angiodrastic Chemokines in Colorectal Cancer: Clinicopathological Correlations

Aim

To study the expression of angiodrastic chemokines in colorectal tumors and correlate findings with clinicopathological parameters and survival.

Methods

The proangiogenic factor VEGF, the angiogenic chemokines CXCL8 and CXCL6, and the angiostatic chemokine CXCL4 were measured by ELISA in tumor and normal tissue of 35 stage II and III patients and correlated with the histopathology markers Ki67, p53, p21, bcl2, EGFR, and MLH1 and 5-year survival. The Wilcoxon and chi-square tests were used for statistical comparisons.

Results

There was a significant increase of CXCL6 (p = 0.005) and VEGF (p = 0.003) in cancerous tissue compared to normal. Patients with lower levels of CXCL8 and CXCL4 lived significantly longer. Patients with loss of EGFR expression had higher levels of CXCL8 while p21 loss was associated with higher levels of CXCL6. Chemokine levels were not correlated with TNM or Dukes classification. Strong expression of p53 was accompanied by decreased survival.

Conclusions

(1) The angiogenic factors CXCL6 and VEGF are increased in colorectal cancer tissue with no association with the clinical stage of the disease or survival. (2) However, increased levels of tissue CXCL8 and CXCL4 are associated with poor survival. (3) Strong expression of p53 is found in patients with poor survival.

MMTV-NeuT/ATTAC mice: a new model for studying the stromal tumor microenvironment

One of the central challenges in cancer prevention is the identification of factors in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that increase susceptibility to tumorigenesis. One such factor is stromal fibrosis, a histopathologic negative prognostic criterion for invasive breast cancer. Since the stromal composition of the breast is largely adipose and fibroblast tissue, it is important to understand how alterations in these tissues affect cancer progression. To address this question, a novel transgenic animal model was developed by crossing MMTV-NeuT mice containing a constitutively active ErbB2 gene into the FAT-ATTAC (fat apoptosis through targeted activation of caspase 8) background, which expresses an inducible caspase 8 fusion protein targeted to mammary adipose tissue. Upon caspase 8 activation, lipoatrophy of the mammary gland results in stromal fibrosis and acceleration of mammary tumor development with an increase in tumor multiplicity. Fibrosis was accompanied by an increase in collagen deposition, α-smooth muscle actin and CD31 expression in the tumor stroma as well as an increase in PD-L1-positive tumor cells, and infiltration by regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages. Gene expression and signal transduction profiling indicated upregulation of pathways associated with cytokine signaling, inflammation and proliferation. This model should be useful for evaluating new therapies that target desmoplasia in the TME associated with invasive cancer.

The clinical and prognostic value of CXCL8 in cervical carcinoma patients: immunohistochemical analysis

Cysteine-X-cysteine ligand 8 (CXCL8) was originally discovered as a proinflammatory chemokine. Recently, CXCL8 has been shown to act as an oncogene in several types of human cancers. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of CXCL8 in cervical cancer is poorly understood. In our study, we found that CXCL8 was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues compared with normal cervical tissues in microarray datasets (GSE9750 and GSE7803). CXCL8 mRNA and protein expressions were increased in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines compared with normal cervical tissues and cervical epithelial cell lines. CXCL8 protein expression was significantly correlated with clinical stage, distant metastasis, histological type, and histological grade. CXCL8 high expression was a poor independent prognostic parameter for cervical cancer patients. In conclusion, CXCL8 is highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines, and correlated with malignant status and prognosis in cervical cancer patients.

Interferon-inducible CXC-chemokines are crucial immune modulators and survival predictors in colorectal cancer

Tumor-infiltrating T-cells are strongly associated with prognosis in colorectal cancer, but the mechanisms governing intratumoral lymphocyte recruitment are unclear. We investigated the clinical relevance and functional contribution of interferon-regulated CXC-chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11, described as T-cells attractants. Their expression was significantly elevated in tumors as compared to normal colon in 163 patients with colon cancer, represented an independent positive predictor of post-operative survival, and was highly significantly correlated with the presence of tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8⁺ T-cells and CD4⁺ T_H1-effector cells. The regulation of chemokine expression was investigated in established cell lines and in tissue explants from resected tumor specimen (n=22). All colorectal cancer cell lines tested, as well as stroma or endothelial cells, produced CXC-chemokines in response to cytokine stimulation. Moreover, resected tumor explants could be stimulated to produce CXC-chemokines, even in cases with initially low CXC-levels. Lastly, a causative role of chemokine expression was evaluated with an orthotopic mouse model, based on isogenic rectal CT26 cancer cells, engineered to express CXCL10. The orthotopic model demonstrated a protective and anti-metastatic role of intratumoral CXCL10 expression, mediated mainly by adaptive immunity.

Curcumin interacts with sildenafil to kill GI tumor cells via endoplasmic reticulum stress and reactive oxygen/ nitrogen species

The present studies focused on the ability of the phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor sildenafil to enhance the anti-cancer properties of clinically relevant concentrations of the dietary diarylheptanoid curcumin. In gastrointestinal tumor cells, sildenafil and curcumin interacted in a greater than additive fashion to kill. Inhibition of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway suppressed killing by ∼50%, as did blockade of the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Sildenafil and curcumin reduced mTORC1 and mTORC2 activity and increased Beclin1 levels and the numbers of autophagosomes and autolysosomes in cells in a PERK-eIF2α-dependent fashion. Knock down of Beclin1 or ATG5 partially suppressed killing. In contrast, stable knock out of ATG16-L1 unexpectedly enhanced killing, an effect not altered by Beclin1/ATG5 knock down. Curcumin and sildenafil exposure reduced the expression of MCL-1, BCL-XL, thioredoxin and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) in an eIF2α-dependent fashion. Curcumin and sildenafil interacted in a greater than additive fashion to increase the levels of reactive oxygen species; knock down of thioredoxin or SOD2 enhanced killing and over-expression of thioredoxin or SOD2 suppressed killing. In vivo, curcumin and sildenafil interacted to suppress the growth of colon cancer tumors. Multiplex analyses of plasma taken after drug exposure at animal nadir indicated that the levels of M-CSF, CXCL-9, PDGF and G-CSF were significantly increased by [curcumin + sildenafil] and that expression of CXCL1 and CCL5 were significantly reduced. Cells isolated from in vivo treated [curcumin + sildenafil] tumors were resistant to in vitro [curcumin + sildenafil] exposure, a phenotype that was blocked by the colon cancer therapeutic regorafenib.

Immunohistochemical expression and localization of cytokines/chemokines/growth factors in gastric cancer

Our previous studies on gastric cancer tissue and patient plasma samples identified several cytokines/chemokines/growth factors to be differentially expressed, compared to normal samples. In this study our aim was to understand the localization patterns of the markers in gastric tissues. We investigated the expression of PDGFRB, CCL3, MMP3, CXCL8, CXCL10, CCL20, IGFBP3, CXCL9, SPP1, CCL18, TIMP1, CCL15, CXCL5 and CCL4 in gastric tissues using Immunohistochemistry (IHC) on Tissue Microarrays (TMA). The TMA comprised of 25 apparently normal (AN), 87 paired normal (PN) and 134 gastric cancer (T) tissues. The epithelial and stromal expression of markers and their correlation with patient characteristics and outcome were analyzed. Several of the markers [PDGFRB (p<0.001), CCL3 (p<0.001), MMP3 (p<0.001), CXCL8 (p<0.001), CXCL10 (p<0.001), CCL20 (p<0.001), CXCL9 (p<0.001), CCL18 (p<0.001), TIMP1 (p=0.025), CCL15 (p<0.001)] were elevated in the stromal compartment of gastric cancers compared to AN tissues, with some having intermediate levels of expression in PN tissues. Epithelial and stromal PDGFRB (p=0.030, p=0.018) expression was associated with diffuse type gastric cancer. Stromal IGFBP3 (p=0.039), CXCL8 (p=0.008), TIMP1 (p<0.001), CCL4 (p=0.003) and SPP1 (p=0.048) expression was associated with intestinal type gastric cancer. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed higher epithelial PDGFRB (p=0.005 and p=0.004), CXCL8 (p=0.009 and p=0.007) were associated with poor disease free and overall survival. In multivariate analysis, high epithelial PDGFRB (p=0.036 and p=0.02) and SPP1 (p=0.003 and p<0.001) were independent prognostic factors for DFS and OS in patients with gastric cancer. The expression of cytokine/chemokine/growth factor markers is higher in the gastric tumor stroma compared to the normal gastric stroma and PDGFRB and SPP1 may serve as potential prognostic factors in gastric cancer.

NF-κB-Mediated CCL20 Reigns Dominantly in CXCR2-Driven Ovarian Cancer Progression

Ovarian cancer is an inflammation-associated malignancy with a high mortality rate. CXCR2 expressing ovarian cancers are aggressive with poorer outcomes. We previously demonstrated that CXCR2-driven ovarian cancer progression potentiated NF-κB activation through EGFR-transactivated Akt. Here, we identified the chemokine signature involved in CXCR2-driven ovarian cancer progression using a mouse peritoneal xenograft model for ovarian cancer spreading with CXCR2-negative (SKA) and positive (SKCXCR2) cells generated previously from parental SKOV-3 cells. Compared to SKA bearing mice, SKCXCR2 bearing mice had the following characteristics: 1) shorter survival time, 2) greater tumor spreading in the peritoneal cavity and 3) higher tumor weight in the omentum and pelvic site. Particularly, SKCXCR2-derived tumor tissues induced higher activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, while having no change in EGFR-activated signaling such as Raf, MEK, Akt, mTOR and Erk compared to SKA-derived tumors. Chemokine PCR array revealed that CCL20 mRNA levels were significantly increased in SKCXCR2-derived tumor tissues. The CCL20 promoter activity was regulated by NF-κB dependent pathways. Interestingly, all three κB-like sites in the CCL20 promoter were involved in regulating CCL20 and the proximal region between -92 and -83 was the most critical κB-like site. In addition, SKCXCR2-derived tumor tissues maintained high CCL20 mRNA expression and induced greater CCL24 and CXCR4 compared to SKCXCR2 cells, indicating the shift of chemokine network during the peritoneal spreading of tumor cells via interaction with other cell types in tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, we compared expression profiling array between human ovarian cancer cell lines and tumor tissues based on GEO datasets. The expression profiles in comparison with cell lines revealed that dominant chemokines expressed in ovarian tumor tissues are likely shifted from CXCL1-3 and 8 to CCL20. Taken together, the progression of ovarian cancer in the peritoneal cavity involves NF-κB-mediated CCL20 as a main chemokine network, which is potentiated by CXCR2 expression.

Cytokine Regulation of Metastasis and Tumorigenicity

The human body combats infection and promotes wound healing through the remarkable process of inflammation. Inflammation is characterized by the recruitment of stromal cell activity including recruitment of immune cells and induction of angiogenesis. These cellular processes are regulated by a class of soluble molecules called cytokines. Based on function, cell target, and structure, cytokines are subdivided into several classes including: interleukins, chemokines, and lymphokines. While cytokines regulate normal physiological processes, chronic deregulation of cytokine expression and activity contributes to cancer in many ways. Gene polymorphisms of all types of cytokines are associated with risk of disease development. Deregulation RNA and protein expression of interleukins, chemokines, and lymphokines have been detected in many solid tumors and hematopoetic malignancies, correlating with poor patient prognosis. The current body of literature suggests that in some tumor types, interleukins and chemokines work against the human body by signaling to cancer cells and remodeling the local microenvironment to support the growth, survival, and invasion of primary tumors and enhance metastatic colonization. Some lymphokines are downregulated to suppress tumor progression by enhancing cytotoxic T cell activity and inhibiting tumor cell survival. In this review, we will describe the structure/function of several cytokine families and review our current understanding on the roles and mechanisms of cytokines in tumor progression. In addition, we will also discuss strategies for exploiting the expression and activity of cytokines in therapeutic intervention.

CXCL8, IL-1β and sCD200 are pro-inflammatory cytokines and their levels increase in the circulation of breast carcinoma patients

The influence of biomarkers on carcinogenesis has been investigated extensively. Whether they promote carcinogenesis or work against cancer development remains to be elucidated. To the best of our knowledge, the novel molecule cluster of differentiation 200 (CD200) has not been studied on human breast cancer subjects. The present study aimed to evaluate interleukin-1β (IL-1β), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), cancer antigen 15.3 (CA 15.3) and the soluble CD200 (sCD200) levels in the serum samples of breast carcinoma patients in order to predict their role in breast carcinoma. The subjects included individuals with early and advanced stage breast cancers, as well as healthy controls. Commercially available ELISA kits were used to measure the serum concentrations of sCD200, IL-1β, CXCL8, CA 15.3, C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count. A total of 130 subjects were recruited; 50 early stage cancer, 50 advanced stage and 30 control subjects. Serum sCD200, CXCL8, IL-1β and CRP levels were significantly higher in the early as well as the advanced stage breast cancer patients compared to the control group. The level of CA 15.3 was statistically different between early and advanced stage. There were significant positive correlations between IL-1β and CXCL8, and IL-1β and serum sCD200 levels in the control group. These correlations did not persist in the early or the advanced stage cancer groups except CRP and CA 15.3, but new correlations appeared between serum sCD200 level and leukocyte count for advanced stage breast cancer group. Multivariate regression correlation analysis revealed positive correlation between IL-1β and sCD200; and IL-1β and CXCL8. In conclusion, sCD200, CXCL8, CA 15.3 and IL-1β are proinflammatory molecules and their levels are influenced in breast cancer patients.

Cancer stem cells CD133 and CD24 in colorectal cancers in Northern Iran

AIM

We aimed to study the expression of CD24 and CD133 in colorectal cancer and normal adjacent tissues to assess a relationship between these markers and clinic-pathological characteristics and patient's survival.

BACKGROUND

Cancer stem cells are a group of tumor cells that have regeneration and multi-order differentiation capabilities.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expression of CD24 and CD133 was studied in a paraffin block of colorectal cancer and normal tissues near tumors with the immuneohistochemical method in patients who were referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari.

RESULTS

A total of 50 samples (25 males and 25 females) with a mean age of 67.57±13.9 years old with range 28-93 years, included 3 mucinous carcinoma and 47 adenocarcinoma. Expression of CD133 marker was negative in 29 cases and positive in 21 cases. Expression of CD24 in tissue near tumor cells was found in 30% of available samples. The relationship between expressing CD24 with treatment (surgery and chemotherapy) was significant and its relationship with patient's survival was insignificant statistically. However, there was a clear difference as mean survival age of patients based on CD24 expression was 26.64±18.15 for negative cases and 41.75±28.76 months for positive cases. CD24 and CD133 expressions and their co-expression with other clinic-pathological factors were not significant.

CONCLUSION

During this study, the relationship between CD24 and treatment type was significant. To confirm this result, various studies with high sample numbers and other stem cell markers are recommended.

EphA2 Expression Is a Key Driver of Migration and Invasion and a Poor Prognostic Marker in Colorectal Cancer

PURPOSE

EphA2, a member of the Eph receptor tyrosine kinases family, is an important regulator of tumor initiation, neovascularization, and metastasis in a wide range of epithelial and mesenchymal cancers; however, its role in colorectal cancer recurrence and progression is unclear.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

EphA2 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry in stage II/III colorectal tumors (N = 338), and findings correlated with clinical outcome. The correlation between EphA2 expression and stem cell markers CD44 and Lgr5 was examined. The role of EphA2 in migration/invasion was assessed using a panel of KRAS wild-type (WT) and mutant (MT) parental and invasive colorectal cancer cell line models.

RESULTS

Colorectal tumors displayed significantly higher expression levels of EphA2 compared with matched normal tissue, which positively correlated with high CD44 and Lgr5 expression levels. Moreover, high EphA2 mRNA and protein expression were found to be associated with poor overall survival in stage II/III colorectal cancer tissues, in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Preclinically, we found that EphA2 was highly expressed in KRASMT colorectal cancer cells and that EphA2 levels are regulated by the KRAS-driven MAPK and RalGDS-RalA pathways. Moreover, EphA2 levels were elevated in several invasive daughter cell lines, and downregulation of EphA2 using RNAi or recombinant EFNA1 suppressed migration and invasion of KRASMT colorectal cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These data show that EpHA2 is a poor prognostic marker in stage II/III colorectal cancer, which may be due to its ability to promote cell migration and invasion, providing support for the further investigation of EphA2 as a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Gene-expression analysis of a colorectal cancer-specific discriminatory transcript set on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples

BACKGROUND

A recently published transcript set is suitable for gene expression-based discrimination of normal colonic and colorectal cancer (CRC) biopsy samples. Our aim was to test the discriminatory power of the CRC-specific transcript set on independent biopsies and on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples.

METHODS

Total RNA isolations were performed with the automated MagNA Pure 96 Cellular RNA Large Volume Kit (Roche) from fresh frozen biopsies stored in RNALater (CRC (n = 15) and healthy colonic (n = 15)), furthermore from FFPE specimens including CRC (n = 15) and normal adjacent tissue (NAT) (n = 15) specimens next to the tumor. After quality and quantity measurements, gene expression analysis of a colorectal cancer-specific marker set with 11 genes (CA7, COL12A1, CXCL1, CXCL2, CHI3L1, GREM1, IL1B, IL1RN, IL8, MMP3, SLC5A7) was performed with array real-time PCR using Transcriptor First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit (Roche) and RealTime ready assays on LightCycler480 System (Roche). In situ hybridization for two selected transcripts (CA7, CXCL1) was performed on NAT (n = 3), adenoma (n = 3) and CRC (n = 3) FFPE samples.

RESULTS

Although analytical parameters of automatically isolated RNA samples showed differences between fresh frozen biopsy and FFPE samples, both quantity and the quality enabled their application in gene expression analyses. CRC and normal fresh frozen biopsy samples could be distinguished with 93.3% sensitivity and 86.7% specificity and FFPE samples with 96.7 and 70.0%, respectively. In situ hybridization could confirm the upregulation of CXCL1 and downregulation of CA7 in colorectal adenomas and tumors compared to healthy controls.

CONCLUSION

According to our results, gene expression analysis of the analyzed colorectal cancer-specific marker set can also be performed from FFPE tissue material. With the addition of an automated workflow, this marker set may enhance the objective classification of colorectal neoplasias in the routine procedure in the future.

The prognostic significance of CXCL1 hypersecretion by human colorectal cancer epithelia and myofibroblasts

Background

Clinical therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) remains limited, especially when the tumor harbors a KRAS mutation. This study aimed to identify prognostic biomarkers in CRC that are accessible for therapeutic inhibition.

Methods

Conditioned media from human CRC epithelial cells and myofibroblasts were screened by cytokine arrays for tumorigenic factors. The protein and mRNA expressions of these factors were determined by immunohistochemistry and gene microarrays in human CRC tissues. Prognostic biomarkers were determined by correlation of mRNA expression to overall survival in stage IV CRC patients. Inhibition of CXCL1 was performed with specific neutralizing antibody and lentiviral shRNAs. Malignant growth was assessed by soft agar growth assays and xenograft tumor growth in immunocompromised mice.

Results

CXCL1 was highly secreted by KRAS mutant human CRC cells and myofibroblasts in a complementary adaptive response to serum deprivation. Elevated CXCL1 level promoted anchorage-independent growth of murine fibroblasts and human CRC cells. Inhibition of CXCL1 by neutralizing antibody and specific shRNAs decreased CRC tumor growth. Highly elevated CXCL1 expression significantly correlated with decreased overall survival in stage IV CRC patients (hazard ratio 0.28; 95% CI 0.11–0.72).

Conclusions

High CXCL1 expression is a poor prognostic biomarker in metastatic CRC. CXCL1 inhibition suppressed tumorigenic growth of KRAS mutant CRC cells.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-015-0555-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prognostic value, clinicopathologic features and diagnostic accuracy of interleukin-8 in colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The prognostic value and diagnostic accuracy of Interleukin-8 (IL-8) in colorectal cancer have been assessed with several studies, but the conclusions were inconclusive. Thus we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of IL-8 expression on colorectal cancer prognosis, clinicopathologic features and diagnostic accuracy.

METHODS

Comprehensive search strategies were used to search relevant literature in the PubMed, EBSCO and the ISI Web of Science databases. The correlation between IL-8 expression and prognosis, clinicopathologic features and diagnostic accuracy was analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 18 articles met the inclusion criteria, including 1509 patients for clinicopathologic features or prognosis evaluation and 725 participants for diagnostic evaluation. The results suggested that overexpression of IL-8 was significantly associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer (HR = 1.54, 95%CI 1.03-2.32), especially in Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stage IV patients (HR = 2.28, 95%CI 1.60-3.25). With further subgroup analysis, we found that high IL-8 level in serum was significantly correlated with poor prognosis (HR = 2.13, 95%CI 1.49-3.05). In addition, significant correlations were observed between high IL-8 expression and advanced stage (OR = 3.01, 95%CI 1.98-4.56), lymphatic metastasis (OR = 2.24, 95%CI 1.39-3.63), and liver metastasis (OR = 3.47, 95%CI 1.74-6.89). Moreover, IL-8 had high diagnostic accuracy, with pooled sensitivity 0.70(95%CI 0.66-0.74), specificity 0.91(95%CI 0.86-0.94), positive likelihood ratio (LR) 7.00(95%CI 2.48-19.73), negative LR 0.24(95%CI 0.09-0.64), diagnostic OR 24.00(95%CI 5.52-104.38).

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that IL-8 could be a potential indicator for detecting colorectal cancer and predicting prognosis. In addition, high IL-8 level was significantly correlated with advanced stage, lymphatic metastasis, liver metastasis.

Overexpression of chemokine receptor CXCR2 and ligand CXCL7 in liver metastases from colon cancer is correlated to shorter disease-free and overall survival

Our aim was to analyze the potential role of chemokine receptors CXCR2 and CXCR4 signalling pathways in liver metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) relapse. CXCR2, CXCR4, and their chemokine ligands were evaluated in liver metastases of colorectal cancer in order to study their correlation with overall and disease-free survival of patients having received, or not received, a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen. Quantitative RT-PCR and CXCR2 immunohistochemical staining were carried out using CRC liver metastasis samples. Expression levels of CXCR2, CXCR4, and their ligands were statistically analyzed according to treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and patients’ outcome. CXCR2 and CXCL7 overexpression are correlated to shorter overall and disease-free survival. By multivariate analysis, CXCR2 and CXCL7 expressions are independent factors of overall and disease-free survival. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy increases significantly the expression of CXCR2: treated group 1.89 (0.02–50.92) vs 0.55 (0.07–3.22), P = 0.016. CXCL7 was overexpressed close to significance, 0.40 (0.00–7.85) vs 0.15 (0.01–7.88), P = 0.12. We show the involvement of CXCL7/CXCR2 signalling pathways as a predictive factor of poor outcome in metastatic CRC. 5-Fluorouracil-based chemotherapy regimens increase the expression of these genes in liver metastasis, providing one explanation for aggressiveness of relapsed drug-resistant tumors. Selective blockage of CXCR2/CXCL7 signalling pathways could provide new potential therapeutic opportunities.

High CerS5 expression levels associate with reduced patient survival and transition from apoptotic to autophagy signalling pathways in colorectal cancer

Ceramide synthase 5 is involved in the de novo synthesis of ceramide, a sphingolipid involved in cell death and proliferation. In this study, we investigated the role of ceramide synthase 5 in colorectal cancer by examining ceramide synthase 5 expression, clinico-pathological parameters and association with survival/death signalling pathways in cancer. Immunohistochemical analysis of CerS5 was performed on 102 colorectal cancer samples using tissue microarrays constructed from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues. We found strong membranous ceramide synthase 5 staining in 57 of 102 (56%) colorectal cancers. A multivariate Cox regression analysis of ceramide synthase 5 expression adjusted for disease stage, differentiation and lymphovascular invasion revealed reduced 5-year overall survival (p = 0.001) and 5-year recurrence-free survival (p = 0.002), with hazard ratios of 4.712 and 4.322, respectively. The effect of ceramide synthase 5 expression on tumourigenic processes was further characterised by reverse phase protein array analysis. Reverse phase protein arrays were generated from laser capture microdissection-enriched carcinoma cells from 19 fresh-frozen colorectal cancer tissues. Measurements of phosphorylation and total levels of signalling proteins involved in apoptosis, autophagy and other cancer-related pathways revealed two distinct signalling networks; weak membranous ceramide synthase 5 intensity was associated with a proteomic network dominated by signalling proteins linked to apoptosis, whereas strong ceramide synthase 5 intensity was associated with a proteomic sub-network mostly composed of proteins linked to autophagy. In conclusion, high ceramide synthase 5 expression was found in colorectal cancer tissue and was associated with poorer patient outcomes. Our findings suggest that this may be mediated by a transition from apoptotic to autophagy signalling pathways in ceramide synthase 5 High expressing tumours, thus implicating ceramide synthase 5 in the progression of colorectal cancer.

Expression and function of CXCR2, CXCR7 of acute leukemic cells in rat

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression and function of chemokine receptor CXCR2 and CXCR7 in the rat with acute leukemia.

METHODS

Flow cytometry and RT-PCR were used to detect the CXCR2, CXCR7 expression on the bone marrow cell surface of the acute leukemia group and the control group.

RESULTS

The bone marrow cell surface CXCR2, CXCR7 relative fluorescence intensity of the observation group was significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05). The CXCR7 expression of the extramedullary infiltration group was significantly higher than non-extramedullary infiltration group (P<0.05). The CXCR2, CXCR7mRNA median expression level of the observation group was higher than the control group. The CXCR2 expression and CXCR7 expression of the observation group was positively correlated, and the correlation coefficient was 0.782 (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The chemokine receptor CXCR2 and CXCR7 are highly expressed in acute leukemia, which may be associated with the occurrence of leukemia.

The chemokine receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2 regulate oral cancer cell behaviour

BACKGROUND

Chemokines regulate physiological and pathological leucocyte trafficking, and chemokine receptors play a role in tumorigenesis. Expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) receptors CXCR1 and CXCR2 has been shown in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) but remains poorly characterised. This aim of this study was to investigate CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression on normal oral keratinocytes (NOKs) and oral cancer cell lines (OCCL) and their relative response when exposed to IL-8 and growth-related oncogene-α (which selectively binds CXCR2).

METHODS

mRNA and protein expression was studied using RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. ELISAs were used to investigate ERK1/2 phosphorylation and MMP production, whereas a MTS-based assay was employed to study proliferation. Migration assays were carried out using modified Boyden chambers with a matrigel coating used for invasion assays.

RESULTS

mRNA expression of CXCR1 and CXCR2 was seen in both NOKs and OCCL with significantly higher protein expression in OCCL. Exposure to IL-8 and GROα increased intracellular ERK phosphorylation, proliferation, migration and invasion with OCCL showing a greater response than NOKs. These effects were mediated through CXCR1 and CXCR2 (for IL-8) and CXCR2 (for GROα) as receptor-blocking antibodies significantly inhibited the responses. IL-8 and GROα also increased MMP-9 release from NOKs and OCCL with significantly higher amounts released by OCCL. However, an increase in MMP-7 production was only seen in OCCL.

CONCLUSIONS

Functional CXCR1 and CXCR2 exist on normal and cancerous oral epithelial cells, and our data suggests a role for these receptors in oral cancer biology.

Characterization of an adaptive immune response in microsatellite-instable colorectal cancer

Sporadic or hereditary colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite instability (MSI) is frequently characterized by inflammatory lymphocytic infiltration and tends to be associated with a better outcome than microsatellite stable (MSS) CRC, probably reflecting a more effective immune response. We investigated inflammatory mechanisms in 48 MSI CRCs and 62 MSS CRCs by analyzing: (1) the expression of 48 cytokines using Bio-Plex multiplex cytokine assays, and (2) the in situ immune response by immunohistochemical analysis with antibodies against CD3 (T lymphocytes), CD8 (cytotoxic T lymphocytes), CD45RO (memory T lymphocytes), T-bet (Th1 CD4 cells), and FoxP3 (regulatory T cells). MSI CRC exhibited significantly higher expression of CCL5 (RANTES), CXCL8 (IL-8), CXCL9 (MIG), IL-1β, CXCL10 (IP-10), IL-16, CXCL1 (GROα), and IL-1ra, and lower expression of MIF, compared with MSS CRC. Immunohistochemistry combined with image analysis indicated that the density of CD3⁺, CD8⁺, CD45RO⁺, and T-bet⁺ T lymphocytes was higher in MSI CRC than in MSS CRC, whereas the number of regulatory T cells (FoxP3⁺) was not statistically different between the groups. These results indicate that MSI CRC is associated with a specific cytokine expression profile that includes CCL5, CXCL10, and CXCL9, which are involved in the T helper type 1 (Th1) response and in the recruitment of memory CD45RO⁺ T cells. Our findings highlight the major role of adaptive immunity in MSI CRC and provide a possible explanation for the more favorable prognosis of this CRC subtype.