Serpin peptidase inhibitor (SERPINB5) haplotypes are associated with susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma

Smoking behavior associated upregulation of SERPINB12 promotes proliferation and metastasis via activating WNT signaling in NSCLC

BACKGROUND

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of morality among all malignant tumors. Smoking is one of the most important causes of NSCLC, which contributes not only to the initiation of NSCLC but also to its progression. The identification of specific biomarkers associated with smoking will promote diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

Data mining was used to identify the smoking associated gene SERPINB12. CCK8 assays, colony formation assays, a mouse xenograft model and transwell assays were performed to measure the biological functions of SERPINB12 in NSCLC. GSEA, luciferase reporter assays and immunofluorescence were conducted to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of SERPINB12 in NSCLC.

RESULTS

In this study, by data mining the TCGA database, we found that SERPINB12 was greatly upregulated in NSCLC patients with cigarette consumption behavior, while the expression level was positively correlated with disease grade and poor prognosis. SERPINB12 is a kind of serpin peptidase inhibitor, but its function in malignant tumors remains largely unknown. Functionally, knockdown of SERPINB12 observably inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, downregulation of SERPINB12 attenuated Wnt signaling by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of β-catenin, which explained the molecular mechanism underlying tumor progression.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, SERPINB12 functions as a tumorigenesis factor, which could be a promising biomarker for NSCLC patients with smoking behavior, as well as a therapeutic target.

Establishment of skin cutaneous melanoma prognosis model based on vascular mimicry risk score

Studies have indicated that Vascular mimicry (VM) could contribute to the unfavorable prognosis of skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). Thus, the objective of this study was to identify therapeutic targets associated with VM in SKCM and develop a novel prognostic model. Gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) were utilized to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). By intersecting these DEGs with VM genes, we acquired VM-related DEGs specific to SKCM, and then identified prognostic-related VM genes. A VM risk score system was established based on these prognosis-associated VM genes, and patients were then categorized into high- and low-score groups using the median score. Subsequently, differences in clinical characteristics, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and other analyses were further presented between the 2 groups of patients. Finally, a novel prognostic model for SKCM was established using the VM score and clinical characteristics. 26 VM-related DEGs were identified in SKCM, among the identified DEGs associated with VM in SKCM, 5 genes were found to be prognostic-related. The VM risk score system, comprised of these genes, is an independent prognostic risk factor. There were significant differences between the 2 patient groups in terms of age, pathological stage, and T stage. VM risk scores are associated with epithelial biological processes, angiogenesis, regulation of the SKCM immune microenvironment, and sensitivity to targeted drugs. The novel prognostic model demonstrates excellent predictive ability. Our study identified VM-related prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for SKCM, providing novel insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Non-Tobacco Associated Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Reveals Deregulation of Cytoskeletal and Apoptotic Proteins

BACKGROUND

The exact etiology of non-tobacco associated oral squamous cell carcinoma (NT-OSCC) is still unknown. The lack of established biomarkers for oral NT-OSCC has resulted in less effective management and poor prognosis. Here, we report for the first time a panel of potential markers identified from the quantitative proteomic analysis of NT-OSCC using two-dimensional gel-electrophoresis (2D-GE) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization - time of flight (MALDI-TOF) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) and further analysis using protein analysis through evolutionary relationships (PANTHER) database.

OBJECTIVE

To quantitatively analyze the proteomic profile of non-tobacco associated oral squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS

Twenty fresh tissue samples were collected from healthy controls and NT-OSCC, ten each, and were subjected to proteomic analysis. Sample quantification for the presence of protein was done using Bradford assay and bovine serum albumin was used as a standard protein to obtain the standard graph. Fractionation of protein was done using sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and they were separated based on their molecular weight. MS analysis was done and the purified peptides were analysed using MALDI-TOF. PANTHER database for functional classification and pathway analysis was done for identification of protein expression.

RESULTS

Our approach of combining 2D-GE with MS identified four candidate proteins including keratin, alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT), S100 and serpin B5 with significant differential expression in NT-OSCC as compared with healthy controls. The results showed that the levels of these proteins were significantly upregulated in NT-OSCC when compared to the healthy controls that suggests that these proteins can be used as candidate targets for NT-OSCC therapeutics.

CONCLUSION

The differentially expressed proteins are found to be involved in apoptotic signalling pathways, cytoskeletal dynamics and are known to play a critical role in oral tumorigenesis. Put together, the results provide available baseline information for understanding the development and progression of NT-OSCC. These identified proteins on further validation may be used as potential biomarkers in future for early detection and predicting therapeutic outcome of patients with NT-OSCC.

Transcriptomic and Functional Evidence for Differential Effects of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell-Secretome on Vascular and Lymphatic Endothelial Cell Growth

Vascular and lymphatic vessels drive breast cancer (BC) growth and metastasis. We assessed the cell growth (proliferation, migration, and capillary formation), gene-, and protein-expression profiles of Vascular Endothelial Cells (VECs) and Lymphatic Endothelial Cells (LECs) exposed to a conditioned medium (CM) from estrogen receptor-positive BC cells (MCF-7) in the presence or absence of Estradiol. We demonstrated that MCF-7-CM stimulated growth and capillary formation in VECs but inhibited LEC growth. Consistently, MCF-7-CM induced ERK1/2 and Akt phosphorylation in VECs and inhibited them in LECs. Gene expression analysis revealed that the LECs were overall (≈10-fold) more sensitive to MCF-7-CM exposure than VECs. Growth/angiogenesis and cell cycle pathways were upregulated in VECs but downregulated in LECs. An angiogenesis proteome array confirmed the upregulation of 23 pro-angiogenesis proteins in VECs. In LECs, the expression of genes related to ATP synthesis and the ATP content were reduced by MCF-7-CM, whereas MTHFD2 gene, involved in folate metabolism and immune evasion, was upregulated. The contrasting effect of MCF-7-CM on the growth of VECs and LECs was reversed by inhibiting the TGF-β signaling pathway. The effect of MCF-7-CM on VEC growth was also reversed by inhibiting the VEGF signaling pathway. In conclusion, BC secretome may facilitate cancer cell survival and tumor growth by simultaneously promoting vascular angiogenesis and inhibiting lymphatic growth. The differential effects of BC secretome on LECs and VECs may be of pathophysiological relevance in BC.

Association and functional significance of genetic variants present in regulatory elements of SERPINB5 gene in gallbladder cancer

SERPINB5 is a mammary serine protease inhibitor, which is involved in various cellular functions. The aberrant expression of SERPINB5 is reported in many cancers along with GBC but limited information is available about its role in genetic predisposition for GBC. We carried out case-control study in 206 cases and 219 controls. Promoter SNPs were genotyped by Sanger's sequencing. In-silico promoter analysis and luciferase reporter assay were done to elucidate the role of promoter variants in regulation of SERPINB5 expression. Out of four SNPs, three SERPINB5 promoter variants showed association with GBC in different models. The 'C' allele of variant rs17071138 was found to be significantly associated with GBC (p = 0.017). The 'T' allele of rs3744940 significantly increased the risk for GBC in dominant (p = 0.035) and additive models (p = 0.005). Also, rs3744941 'T' allele increased the risk for GBC by dominant (p = 0.042) as well as additive models (p = 0.016). In-silico promoter analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed the probable regulatory role of the SERPINB5 promoter variant rs17071138 on the expression. Overall, our study reveals the genetic association of SERPINB5 promoter variants with GBC and possible role of rs17071138 in the regulation of expression.

Integrative omics analysis reveals effective stratification and potential prognosis markers of pan-gastrointestinal cancers

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancers are the most common malignant cancers with high mortality rate. Pan-cancer multi-omics data fusion provides a powerful strategy to examine commonalities and differences among various cancer types and benefits for the identification of pan-cancer drug targets. Herein, we conducted an integrative omics analysis on The Cancer Genome Atlas pan-GI samples including six carcinomas and stratified into 9 clusters, i.e. 5 single-type-dominant clusters and 4 mixed clusters, the clustering reveals the molecular features of different subtypes, other than the organ and cell-of-origin classifications. Especially the mixed clusters revealed the homogeneity of pan-GI cancers. We demonstrated that the prognosis differences among pan-GI subtypes based on multi-omics integration are more significant than clustering by single-omics. The potential prognostic markers for pan-GI stratification were identified by proportional hazards model, such as PSCA (for colorectal and stomach cancer) and PPP1CB (for liver and pancreatic cancer), which have prominent prognostic power supported by high concordance index.

•

Pan-cancer multi-omics strategy reveals homogeneity and heterogeneity of pan-GI cancers

•

Identify 9 iclusters with significantly different survival and molecular features

•

Potential prognostic markers have prominent power supported by concordance index

Cross-platform comparison of immune-related gene expression to assess intratumor immune responses following cancer immunotherapy

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy can induce immune responses within the tumor microenvironment. Gene expression can be used to assess responses with limited amounts of conventionally-fixed patient-derived samples. We aim to assess the cross-platform concordance of immune-related gene expression data. We performed comparisons across three panels in two platforms: Nanostring nCounter® PanCancer Immune Profiling Panel (nS), HTG EdgeSeq Oncology Biomarker Panel (HTG OBP) and Precision Immuno-Oncology Panel (HTG PIP). All tissue samples of 14 neoadjuvant GM-CSF treated, 14 neoadjuvant Provenge treated, and 12 untreated prostate cancer patients were radical prostatectomy (RP) tissues, while 6 prostatitis patients and 6 non-prostatitis subjects were biopsies. For all 52 patients, more than 90% of the common genes were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) and more than 76% of the common genes were highly correlated (r > 0.5) between any two panels. Co-inertia analysis also demonstrated high overall dataset structure similarity (correlation>0.84). Although both dimensionality reduction visualization analysis and unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis for highly correlated common genes (r > 0.9) suggested a high-level of consistency across the panels, there were subsets of genes that were differentially expressed across the panels. In addition, while the effect size of the differential testing for neoadjuvant treated vs. untreated localized prostate cancer patients across the panels were significantly correlated, some genes were only differentially expressed in the HTG panels. Finally, the HTG PIP panel had the best classification performance among the 3 panels. These differences detected may be a result of the different panels or platforms due to their technical setting and focus. Thus, researchers should be aware of those potential differences when deciding which platform and panel to use.

SERPINB5 Genetic Variants rs2289519 and rs2289521 are Significantly Associated with Gallbladder Cancer Risk

Serine protease inhibitor b5 (SERPINB5) is a tumor suppressor gene that plays a critical role in various cellular processes. In gallbladder cancer (GBC), SERPINB5's aberrant expression is reported but its role in genetic predisposition is not known. We enrolled 270 cases and 296 controls and genotyped them for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using direct DNA sequencing, followed by genotype-phenotype analysis in GBC and other cancer cell lines. Luciferase assay was done to determine the role of rs2289521 SNP on expression regulation. We found that two SERPINB5 variants rs2289519 and rs2289521 are significantly associated with GBC and contribute to genetic predisposition. The TT genotype of variant rs2289519 was found to be significantly associated (p = 0.008) with GBC in a recessive model. C allele of rs2289521 increased the risk for GBC significantly at genotypic (CT, p = 0.026) and allelic (p = 0.04) levels. In silico analysis and luciferase assay uncovered the probable regulatory role of the rs2289521 variant on expression. Genotype-phenotype correlation in GBC and breast cancer cell lines showed reduced expression of SERPINB5 in the presence of C allele that was consistent with the result of luciferase assay. Overall, our study reveals the genetic association of two SERPINB5 variants with GBC and rs2289521's possible role in the regulation of expression.

A framework for transcriptome-wide association studies in breast cancer in diverse study populations

BACKGROUND

The relationship between germline genetic variation and breast cancer survival is largely unknown, especially in understudied minority populations who often have poorer survival. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have interrogated breast cancer survival but often are underpowered due to subtype heterogeneity and clinical covariates and detect loci in non-coding regions that are difficult to interpret. Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) show increased power in detecting functionally relevant loci by leveraging expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) from external reference panels in relevant tissues. However, ancestry- or race-specific reference panels may be needed to draw correct inference in ancestrally diverse cohorts. Such panels for breast cancer are lacking.

RESULTS

We provide a framework for TWAS for breast cancer in diverse populations, using data from the Carolina Breast Cancer Study (CBCS), a population-based cohort that oversampled black women. We perform eQTL analysis for 406 breast cancer-related genes to train race-stratified predictive models of tumor expression from germline genotypes. Using these models, we impute expression in independent data from CBCS and TCGA, accounting for sampling variability in assessing performance. These models are not applicable across race, and their predictive performance varies across tumor subtype. Within CBCS (N = 3,828), at a false discovery-adjusted significance of 0.10 and stratifying for race, we identify associations in black women near AURKA, CAPN13, PIK3CA, and SERPINB5 via TWAS that are underpowered in GWAS.

CONCLUSIONS

We show that carefully implemented and thoroughly validated TWAS is an efficient approach for understanding the genetics underpinning breast cancer outcomes in diverse populations.

Comparative Proteome Profiling and Mutant Protein Identification in Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells by Quantitative Mass Spectrometry-based Proteogenomics

BACKGROUND/AIM

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent cancer found in males worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify new biomarkers using mutated peptides for the prognosis and prediction of advanced PCa, based on proteogenomics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The tryptic peptides were analyzed by tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomics. Proteogenomics were used to identify mutant peptides as novel biomarkers in advanced PCa.

RESULTS

Using a human database, increased levels of INTS7 and decreased levels of SH3BGRL were found to be associated with the aggressiveness of PCa. Using proteogenomics and a cancer mutation database, 70 mutant peptides were identified in PCa cell lines. Using parallel reaction monitoring, the expression of seven mutant peptides was found to be altered in tumors, amongst which CAPN2 D22E was the most significantly up-regulated mutant peptide in PCa tissues.

CONCLUSION

Altered mutant peptides present in PCa tissue could be used as new biomarkers in advanced PCa.

Subcellular expression of maspin – from normal tissue to tumor cells

Maspin or SerpinB5, a member of the serine protease inhibitor family, was shown to function as a tumor suppressor, especially in carcinomas. It seems to inhibit invasion, tumor cells motility and angiogenesis, and promotes apoptosis. Maspin can also induce epigenetic changes such as cytosine methylation, de-acetylation, chromatin condensation, and histone modulation. In this review, a comprehensive synthesis of the literature was done to present maspin function from normal tissues to pathologic conditions. Data was sourced from MEDLINE and PubMed. Study eligibility criteria included: Published in English, between 1994 and 2019, specific to humans, and with full-text availability. Most of the 118 studies included in the present review focused on maspin immunostaining and mRNA levels. It was shown that maspin function is organ-related and depends on its subcellular localization. In malignant tumors, it might be downregulated or negative (e.g., carcinoma of prostate, stomach, and breast) or upregulated (e.g., colorectal and pancreatic tumors). Its subcellular localization (nuclear vs cytoplasm), which can be proved using immunohistochemical methods, was shown to influence both tumor behavior and response to chemotherapy. Although the number of maspin-related papers increased, the exact role of this protein remains unknown, and its interpretation should be done with extremely high caution.

Coronarin D induces apoptotic cell death through the JNK pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Coronarin D, a diterpene derived from the rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium, has been used to treat inflammatory diseases. Coronarin D can exert strong anticancer effects through cell growth prevention and cell cycle arrest in many cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism through which coronarin D suppresses cell proliferation and triggers cell death in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Treatment of Huh7 and Sk-hep-1 cells with coronarin D resulted in a significantly increased loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, leading to the cleavage and activation of caspase-9, caspase-8, and caspase-3 and changes in Bax, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xL protein levels. Coronarin D significantly induced autophagy by increasing the expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-II and reducing the expression of p62. Moreover, Huh7 and Sk-hep-1 cells exposed to coronarin D had decreased expression of phosphorylated AKT, p38, and ERK and increased expression of phosphorylated JNK. Exposure of cells to the JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 attenuated the apoptotic effects of coronarin D. Taken together, this is the first study to report that coronarin D may effectively inhibit cell growth through apoptosis. We have provided evidence indicating that coronarin D induces cell death through the upregulation of JNK mitogen-activated protein kinases in human HCC cells.

Cantharidic acid induces apoptosis through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Cantharidin analogs exhibit anticancer activities, including apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of cantharidic acid (CA), a cantharidin analog, on apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells are unclear. Thus, in this study, we evaluated the anticancer activities of CA by investigating its ability to trigger apoptosis in SK-Hep-1 cells. Our data demonstrated that CA effectively inhibited the proliferation of SK-Hep-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, CA effectively triggered cell cycle arrest and induced apoptosis, as determined by flow cytometric analysis. Western blotting revealed that CA significantly activated proapoptotic signaling including caspase-3, -8, and -9 in SK-Hep-1 cells. Moreover, treatment of SK-Hep-1 cells with CA induced the activation of ERK, p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Moreover, the inhibition of p38 by specific inhibitors abolished CA-induced cell apoptosis. In conclusion, our results indicated that CA induces apoptosis in SK-Hep-1 cells through a p38-mediated apoptotic pathway and could be a new HCC therapeutic agent.

Functional genetic variant in the Kozak sequence of WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene is associated with oral cancer risk

In Taiwan, oral cancer is the fourth leading cancer in males and is associated with exposure to environmental carcinogens. WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX), a tumor suppressor gene, is associated with the development of various cancers. We hypothesized that genetic variants of WWOX influence the susceptibility to oral cancer. Five polymorphisms of WWOX gene from 761 male patients with oral cancer and 1199 male cancer-free individuals were genotyped. We observed that individuals carrying the polymorphic allele of WWOX rs11545028 are more susceptible to oral cancer. Furthermore, patients with advanced-stage oral cancer were associated with a higher frequency of WWOX rs11545028 polymorphisms with the variant genotype TT than did patients with the wild-type gene. An additional integrated in silico analysis confirmed that rs11545028 affects WWOX expression, which significantly correlates with tumor expression and subsequently with tumor development and aggressiveness. In conclusion, genetic variants of WWOX contribute to the occurrence of oral cancer, and the findings regarding these biomarkers provided a prediction model for risk assessment.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes of carbonic anhydrase 9 can predict invasive squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix

This study aimed to explore the involvement of carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the development of invasive cancer of uterine cervix for Taiwanese women. Ninety-seven patients with cervical invasive squamous cell carcinoma and 88 with preinvasive squamous cell lesions as well as 324 control women were recruited. Two CA9 SNPs in exons, including rs2071676 (+201, G/A) in exon 1 and rs3829078 (+1081, A/G) in exon 7, rs1048638 (+1584, C/A) in 3'-untranslated region of exon 11, as well as an 18-base pair deletion/insertion (376deltion393) in exon 1 were selected and their genotypic distributions were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Haplotype was then constructed with rs2071676, 376del393, rs3829078 and rs1048638 in order. The results revealed that Taiwanese women with genotypes CA or CA/AA in CA9 SNP rs1048638 displayed a more risk in developing cervical invasive cancer, assigning wild genotype CC as a reference. AA in SNP rs2071676 tended to increase the risk of developing cervical invasive cancer, using GG/GA as a reference. When women had the diplotypes, carrying at least one haplotype A1AA (one mutant allele A in rs2071676, no deletion in 376del393, no mutant allele A in rs3829078 and one mutant allele A in rs1048638), they were significantly susceptible to cervical invasive cancer. In conclusion, CA9 SNP rs1048638 and haplotype A1AA are associated with the susceptibility of cervical invasive squamous cell carcinoma for Taiwanese women.

Nuclear maspin expression: A biomarker for budding assessment in colorectal cancer specimens

AIM

To evaluate the maspin expression in colorectal carcinomas (CRC) and its possible role in quantification of the tumor budding.

METHODS

The tumor budding was prospectively quantified in 49 consecutive cases of patients that underwent surgical resection for CRC. The cases were divided in two groups: group A (n=23) - low budding (<5 tumor buds per high microscopic field) and group B (n=26) - high budding CRCs (≥5 buds). Maspin expression was evaluated in the tumor core and the buds from the hot spot area in 44 of the microsatellite stable adenocarcinomas. Its expression was quantified as negative, cytoplasmic only, nuclear only or mixed expression (cytoplasm and nucleus).

RESULTS

Compared with group A, a higher pT (p <0.0001) and pN stage (p=0.0001) and infiltrating aspect at macroscopic evaluation (p=0.0081) was identified in group B. No correlation between the maspin expression in the tumore core and the budding grade was noted (p=0.14). Compared with the tumor core, the cytoplasm to nuclear translocation of maspin was more frequently observed in cases from group B than A (n=0.0063).

CONCLUSION

For the colorectal carcinomas, the infiltrative aspect at macroscopic evaluation and nuclear maspin in the buds might be used as indicators of risk for lymph node metastases. Maspin nuclear expression in the buds may be helpful for a proper budding assessment and may serve as a negative prognostic factor.

The roles of maspin expression in gastric cancer: a meta- and bioinformatics analysis

Maspin is a mammary serine protease inhibitor that is encoded by human SERPINB5 gene, and inhibits invasion and metastasis of cancer cells as a tumor suppressor. We performed a systematic meta- and bioinformatics analysis through multiple online databases up to Feb 10, 2017. We found down-regulated maspin expression in gastric cancer, compared with normal mucosa and dysplasia (p < 0.05). Maspin expression was negatively correlated with depth of invasion, TNM staging and dedifferentiation of gastric cancer (p < 0.05). Nuclear maspin expression was higher in intestinal- than diffuse-type carcinoma (p < 0.05). An inverse association between maspin expression and unfavorable overall survival was found in patients with gastric cancer (p < 0.005). According to bioinformatics databases, SERPINB5 mRNA expression was higher in gastric cancer than normal tissues (p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with depth of invasion, TNM staging and dedifferentiation of gastric cancer (p < 0.05). According to KM plotter, we found that a higher SERPINB5 expression was positively correlated with overall and progression-free survival rates of all cancer patients, even stratified by aggressive parameters (p < 0.05). These findings indicated that maspin expression might be employed as a potential marker to indicate gastric carcinogenesis, subsequent progression, and even prognosis.

Combinations of SERPINB5 gene polymorphisms and environmental factors are associated with oral cancer risks

Background

We identified rs17071138 T/C, rs3744941 C/T, and rs8089104 T/C gene polymorphisms of SERPINB5 (mammary serine protease inhibitor) that are specific to patients with oral cancer susceptibility and their clinicopathological status.

Methodology/Principal findings

In total, 1342 participants, including 601 healthy controls and 741 patients with oral cancer, were recruited for this study. Allelic discrimination of rs17071138 T/C, rs3744941 C/T, and rs8089104 T/C of the SERPINB5 gene was assessed by a real-time PCR with a TaqMan assay. We found that individuals carrying the polymorphic rs17071138 and rs8089104 are more susceptible to oral cancer (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.07~2.31 and OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.04~2.39, respectively). Among oral cancer-related risk factor exposures, the individuals carrying the polymorphic rs17071138 had 4.26- (95% CI: 1.65~11.01; p = 0.002), 2.34- (95% CI: 1.19~4.61; p = 0.01), and 2.34-fold (95% CI: 1.38~3.96; p = 0.001) higher risks of developing oral cancer.

Conclusions

Heterozygous TC of the SERPINB5 rs17071138 polymorphism may be a factor that increases susceptibility to oral cancer. Interactions of gene-to-gene and gene-to-oral cancer-related environmental risk factors have a synergetic effect that can further enhance oral cancer development.

Effects of ADAMTS14 genetic polymorphism and cigarette smoking on the clinicopathologic development of hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

ADAMTS14 is a member of the ADAMTS (adisintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs), which are proteolytic enzymes with a variety of further ancillary domain in the C-terminal region for substrate specificity and enzyme localization via extracellular matrix association. However, whether ADAMTS14 genetic variants play a role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility remains unknown.

Methodology/Principal findings

Four non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) of the ADAMTS14 gene were examined from 680 controls and 340 patients with HCC. Among 141 HCC patients with smoking behaviour, we found significant associations of the rs12774070 (CC+AA vs CC) and rs61573157 (CT+TT vs CC) variants with a clinical stage of HCC (OR: 2.500 and 2.767; 95% CI: 1.148–5.446 and 1.096–6.483; P = 0.019 and 0.026, respectively) and tumour size (OR: 2.387 and 2.659; 95% CI: 1.098–5.188 and 1.055–6.704; P = 0.026 and 0.034, respectively), but not with lymph node metastasis or other clinical statuses. Moreover, an additional integrated in silico analysis proposed that rs12774070 and rs61573157 affected essential post-translation O-glycosylation site within the 3^rd thrombospondin type 1 repeat and a novel proline-rich region embedded within the C-terminal extension, respectively.

Conclusions

Taken together, our results suggest an involvement of ADAMTS14 SNP rs12774070 and rs61573157 in the liver tumorigenesis and implicate the ADAMTS14 gene polymorphism as a predict factor during the progression of HCC.

Impacts of CCL4 gene polymorphisms on hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility and development

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer globally and the third most common cause of cancer mortality. In Taiwan, HCC is the second leading cause of cancer death. CCL4 (C-C chemokine ligand 4), is a macrophage inflammatory protein with a chief effect in inflammation and immune-regulation, and was documented in cancer progression by promoting instability in the tumor environment. Polymorphisms in chemokine genes help to determine host-pathogen interactions that influence chemokine levels. We investigated the effects of CCL4 gene polymorphisms on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) disease progression in a cohort of Taiwanese patients. We recruited total of 1,546 participants in current study, including 1,200 healthy control and 346 patients with HCC. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the CCL4 gene were examined by a real-time PCR. We found that the A/G homozygotes of CCL4 rs10491121 polymorphism reduced the risks for HCC. On the other hand, AG and GA haplotypes of 2 CCL4 SNPs (rs1049112 and rs171915) also reduced the risks for HCC by 0.025 and 0.515 fold, respectively. The present report is the first time to examine the risk factors associated with CCL4 SNPs in HCC progression in Taiwan.

Association of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of high-mobility group box 1 with susceptibility and clinicopathological characteristics of uterine cervical neoplasia in Taiwanese women

To date, no study associated the genetic polymorphisms of high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) with the development of uterine cervical cancer. We therefore conducted this study to investigate the associations of HMGB1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with cervical carcinogenesis and clinicopathological characteristics of cancer patients. Five hundred two women, including 112 with invasive cancer, 85 with precancerous lesions of the uterine cervix, and 305 normal controls, were consecutively enrolled into this study. Analysis of HMGB1 SNPs was done by real-time polymerase chain reaction and genotyping. Our results found that the risk of susceptibility to cervical invasive cancer was 1.85 (95 % CI 1.12-3.04; p = 0.016) in women with TC and 1.99 (95 % CI 1.24-3.23; p = 0.005) in women with TC/CC after adjusting for age, using TT as a comparison reference in HMGB1 SNP rs1412125. In rs2249825, the increased risk was also seen for the development of cervical invasive cancer in women with CG [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.04, 95 % CI 1.22-3.40; p = 0.006] or CG/GG (AOR 2.02, 95 % CI 1.22-3.32; p = 0.006) using CC as a comparison reference. An additional integrated in silico analysis confirmed that rs2249825 creates a binding site for v-Myb, which may affect HMGB1 expression. In conclusion, Taiwanese women with TC or TC/CC in HMGB1 SNP rs1412125 as well as CG or CG/GG in rs2249825 were susceptible to the development of cervical invasive cancer.