Potential role of gene-environment interactions in ion transport mechanisms in the etiology of renal cell cancer

Intracellular mineralization of gold nanoparticles using gold ion-binding peptides with cell-penetrating ability

We developed a system to directly produce gold nanoparticles in cells by intracellular mineralization in lower concentration than conventional methods using a peptide consisting of a cell-penetrating sequence and a gold ion-binding sequence. Furthermore, we could control the uniquely shaped gold nanostructures that were produced by changing peptide structures.

RGS5 plays a significant role in renal cell carcinoma

Recent advances in biotechnology led to generation of large complex biological and clinical datasets that can be used to infer the underlying mechanism of many diseases and arrive at personalized treatments. One of these datasets are the whole genome profiles, including a good collection of publicly available human gene expression datasets. In this project, we analysed gene expression profiles of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We found that the regulator of G-protein signalling 5 (RGS5) might play a crucial role in initiation and progression of RCC, and it might be prognostic. We observed that a high expression level of RGS5 is associated with better survival months. Importantly, when the grade of tumour increases, the RGS5 expression level significantly decreases. Although there is no difference between expression level of RGS5 in male and female patients with primary tumours in the right kidney, among patients with primary tumours in the left kidney, females have a significantly higher RGS5 expression than male patients. Interestingly, we also observed a significant association between the high expression level of RGS5 and low serum calcium level and elevated white blood cells level.

A 17-Gene Signature Predicted Prognosis in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which was one of the most common malignant tumors in urinary system, had gradually increased incidence and mortality in recent years. Although significant advances had been made in molecular and biology research on the pathogenesis of RCC, effective treatments and prognostic indicators were still lacking. In order to predict the prognosis of RCC better, we identified 17 genes that were associated with the overall survival (OS) of RCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and a 17-gene signature was developed. Through SurvExpress, we analyzed the expression differences of the 17 genes and their correlation with the survival of RCC patients in five datasets (ZHAO, TCGA, KIPAN, KIRC, and KIRP), and then evaluated the survival prognostic significance of the 17-gene signature for RCC. Our results showed that the 17-gene signature had a predictive prognostic value not only in single pathologic RCC, but also in multiple pathologic types of RCC. In conclusion, the 17-gene signature model was related to the survival of RCC patients and could help predict the prognosis with significant clinical implications.

Contribution and Expression of Organic Cation Transporters and Aquaporin Water Channels in Renal Cancer

The body homeostasis is maintained mainly by the function of the kidneys, which regulate salt and water balance and excretion of metabolism waste products and xenobiotics. This important renal function is determined by the action of many transport systems, which are specifically expressed in the different parts of the nephron, the functional unit of the kidneys. These transport systems are involved, for example, in the reabsorption of sodium, glucose, and other important solutes and peptides from the primary urine. They are also important in the reabsorption of water and thereby production of a concentrated urine. However, several studies have shown the importance of transport systems for different tumor entities. Transport systems, for example, contributed to the proliferation and migration of cancer cells and thereby on tumor progression. They could also serve as drug transporters that could enable drug resistance by outward transport of, for example, chemotherapeutic agents and other drugs. Although many renal transporters have been characterized in detail with respect to the significance for proper kidney function, their role in renal cancer progression is less known. Here, we describe the types of renal cancer and review the studies that analyzed the role of organic cation transporters of the SLC22-family and of the aquaporin water channel family in kidney tumors.

TUSC3 as a potential biomarker for prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

The aim of the present study was to explore the expression levels of tumor suppressor candidate 3 (TUSC3) in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and its clinical value. Immunohistochemical staining, western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to detect TUSC3 expression in paracancerous normal tissues and ccRCC tissues. The tissues were derived from the pathological specimens of 54 patients with ccRCC. Additionally, associations among TUSC3 expression and histological grade and clinicopathological staging of ccRCC were investigated. The results of these comparisons revealed that TUSC3 expression in ccRCC tissues was significantly lower than that in paracancerous tissues (P<0.05). TUSC3 expression in the high differentiation group was higher than that in the median and low differentiation groups (P<0.05). Expression levels of TUSC3 in stage I and II tissues were higher than those in stage III and IV tissues (P<0.05). The expression levels of TUSC3 in the lymph node metastasis group were lower than those in the non-lymph node metastasis group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the expression levels of TUSC3 in human ccRCC tissues were downregulated compared with those found in normal human renal tissue, and TUSC3 may inhibit the progression of ccRCC. Furthermore, the TUSC3 gene may be used as a promising tumor marker for the early diagnosis and prognosis of ccRCC.

Oncogene miR-154-5p regulates cellular function and acts as a molecular marker with poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma

AIMS

In adult population, the renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common urological malignancies. It is meaningful to research for the molecular markers which are involved in the occurrence and development of RCC. Therefore, we concentrate on illuminating the role of microRNA-154-5p in progression of RCC and explore its prognostic values.

MAIN METHODS

The real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was applied to determine expression level of miR-154-5p in tissues. Afterwards, the transfected cell lines ACHN and 786-O were used for the CCK-8 assay, MTT assay, wound healing assay, transwell assay and flow cytometric assay to explore the role of miR-154-5p in regulating cellular function. In addition, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) renal cancer samples were used for detecting the relationship between expression level of miR-154-5p and clinical information. Furthermore, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression analyses, and the Kaplan-Meier survival curves were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of miR-154-5p in RCC.

KEY FINDINGS

The RT-qPCR indicated that miR-154-5p is up-regulated in RCC pathologic specimens and cell lines. Results of study also demonstrated that upregulation of miR-154-5p reduced cell apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation, viability, migration as well as invasion in RCC cells. The prognosis analyses indicated that the expression level of miR-154-5p is associated with the prognosis of renal cancer, and the overall survival of patients with low expression is longer.

SIGNIFICANCE

The present study revealed that the oncogene miR-154-5p regulates cellular function and acts as a molecular marker with poor prognosis in renal cell carcinoma.