Correlations between TBL1XR1 and recurrence of colorectal cancer

USP18 promotes colon adenocarcinoma progression via targeting the ERK-MNK signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy worldwide and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 18 (USP18) protein has been reported to exert different tumor-related effects in distinct tumor types. Here, we initially investigated the expression and signaling pathways of USP18 in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD).

METHODS

A quantitative real-time PCR was conducted to evaluate the mRNA level of USP18 in cultured cells. Immunohistochemical staining was used to explore the protein expression of USP18 in clinical COAD samples. Specific knockdown was achieved by transient transfection of small interfering RNAs into SW480 and HT29 cells using Lipo3000. Cell conting kit-8 assay, transwell assay and matrigel-transwell assays were conducted to evaluate proliferation, migration and invasion capacities, respectively. Western blotting was performed to analyze downstream signaling pathways. A chi-squared test and univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the clinical data. Xenografts from mice model were assessed to validate the in vitro findings.

RESULTS

Higher USP18 level was identified in COAD tissues and was positively correlated with advanced tumor stage. High USP18 protein expression indicated poorer prognosis of COAD patients. Silencing USP18 suppressed COAD cell proliferation and invasion via destabilizing extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) protein and suppressing ERK downstream pathways. Simultaneously silencing interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) with USP18 can partially rescue the tumor cell viability, indicating its involvement in USP18 signaling. The oncogenic effects of USP18 were also confirmed in mice models.

CONCLUSIONS

USP18 plays oncogenic effects in colon adenocarcinoma via ISG15-ERK pathways. High USP18 expression indicates poor clinical outcomes for colon adenocarcinoma patients.

Two decades of a protooncogene TBL1XR1: from a transcription modulator to cancer therapeutic target

Transducin beta-like 1X-related protein 1 (TBL1XR1) was discovered two decades ago and was implicated as part of the nuclear transcription corepressor complex. Over the past 20 years, the emerging oncogenic function of TBL1XR1 in cancer development has been discovered. Recent studies have highlighted that the genetic aberrations of TBL1XR1 in cancers, especially in hematologic tumors, are closely associated with tumorigenesis. In solid tumors, TBL1XR1 is proposed to be a promising prognostic biomarker due to the correlation between abnormal expression and clinicopathological parameters. Post-transcriptional and post-translational modification are responsible for the expression and function of TBL1XR1 in cancer. TBL1XR1 exerts its functional role in various processes that involves cell cycle and apoptosis, cell proliferation, resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, cell migration and invasion, stemness and angiogenesis. Multitude of cancer-related signaling cascades like Wnt-β-catenin, PI3K/AKT, ERK, VEGF, NF-κB, STAT3 and gonadal hormone signaling pathways are tightly modulated by TBL1XR1. This review provided a comprehensive overview of TBL1XR1 in tumorigenesis, shedding new light on TBL1XR1 as a promising diagnostic biomarker and druggable target in cancer.

3D CRISPR screen in prostate cancer cells reveals PARP inhibitor sensitization through TBL1XR1-SMC3 interaction

Poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) either have been approved or being tested in the clinic for the treatment of a variety of cancers with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). However, cancer cells can develop resistance to PARPi drugs through various mechanisms, and new biomarkers and combination therapeutic strategies need to be developed to support personalized treatment. In this study, a genome-wide CRISPR screen was performed in a prostate cancer cell line with 3D culture condition which identified novel signals involved in DNA repair pathways. One of these genes, TBL1XR1, regulates sensitivity to PARPi in prostate cancer cells. Mechanistically, we show that TBL1XR1 interacts with and stabilizes SMC3 on chromatin and promotes γH2AX spreading along the chromatin of the cells under DNA replication stress. TBL1XR1-SMC3 double knockdown (knockout) cells have comparable sensitivity to PARPi compared to SMC3 knockdown or TBL1XR1 knockout cells, and more sensitivity than WT cells. Our findings provide new insights into mechanisms underlying response to PARPi or platin compounds in the treatment of malignancies.

Diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in colorectal cancer: a review

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a public health concern and the second most common type of cancer among men and women causing a significant mortality. Biomarkers closely linked to the disease morbidity could holds potential as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker for the disease. This review provides an overview of recent advances in the search for colorectal cancer biomarkers through genomics and proteomics according to clinical function and application. Specifically, a number of biomarkers were identified and discussed. Emphasis was placed on their clinical applications relative to the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC. The discovery of more sensitive and specific markers for CRC is an urgent need, and the study of molecular targets is extremely important in this process, as they will allow for a better understanding of colorectal carcinogenesis, identification and validation of potential genetic signatures.

The expression and clinical significance of GPR39 in colon cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and requires more prognostic biomarkers for precise treatment. GPR39 is a GPCR which can interact with Zn and modulate the colonocytes' survival. The clinical significance of GPR39 in colon cancer has never been reported.

MATERIALS

In our study, we compared GPR39 expression between colon cancers and tumor-adjacent tissues by retrieving TCGA data and detected the expression of GPR39 in colon cancers with qPCR and immunohistochemistry. The clinical significance of GPR39 was evaluated by analyzing the correlations with clinicopathological factors with the chi-square test. The prognostic significance of GPR39 was estimated with univariate and multivariate analyses. The expression of several other biomarkers including PPARG, EPCAM, and PD-L1 was investigated by re-analyzing TCGA data, qPCR, and IHC. The prognostic value of PPARG, EPCAM, and PD-L1 was also estimated with univariate analysis.

RESULTS

In both TCGA database and our 15 colon cancer pairs, GPR39 expression was significantly upregulated in colon cancer tissues. GPR39 was an independent prognostic biomarker in colon cancer for poor prognosis. With TCGA data re-analysis, qPCR, and IHC, we showed that GPR39 expression was significantly correlated with the expression of EPCAM and PD-L1, but not PPARG. EPCAM and PD-L1 were also unfavorable prognostic biomarkers of colon cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

GPR39 was upregulated in colon cancer tissues compared with tumor-adjacent tissues. GPR39 was an independent prognostic biomarker in colon cancer for poor prognosis. EPCAM and PD-L1 were substantially associated with GPR39 expression, and they were also identified as prognostic biomarkers in colon cancers.

Disheveled-associated activator of morphogenesis 2 promotes invasion of colorectal cancer by activating PAK1 and promoting MMP7 expression

BACKGROUND

Disheveled-associated activator of morphogenesis (DAAM) family, including DAAM1 and DAAM2, is key regulators in Wnt signaling pathway. Although the oncogenic role of Wnt signaling pathway in colorectal cancer (CRC) was investigated in several lines, the expression and function of DAAM in CRC are still obscure.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression and function of DAAM in CRC.

METHODS

DAAM1 and DAAM2 expression in high grade dysplasia (HGD), CRCs and corresponding adjacent tissues were detected with qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The prognostic significance of DAAM1/2 were estimated with univariate and multivariate analyses. Moreover, the correlations between clinicopathological factors and DAAM were evaluated with the χ² test. With experiments in vitro, we investigated the function of DAAM2 in CRC cell proliferation and invasion, and investigated the underlying mechanism of how DAAM2 facilitated CRC invasion.

RESULTS

DAAM2, instead of DAAM1, was substantially up-regulated in CRCs compared with paired adjacent normal tissues and HGDs. The ratio of high DAAM1 and DAAM2 expression accounted for 44.83% and 46.31%, respectively. High DAAM2, instead of DAAM1, was a risk factor indicating an unfavorable prognosis of CRC. In multivariate analysis, high DAAM2 was identified as an independent prognostic biomarker of CRC predicting poor prognosis. With experiments in vitro, DAAM2 promoted invasion of CRC cells via activating PAK1 and promoting the expression of MMP7, suggesting an essential role of DAAM2 in CRC invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

High expression of DAAM2, instead of DAAM1, indicated an unfavorable prognosis of CRC independently, which suggested that detecting DAAM2 can help define the high-risk patients. DAAM2 activated PAK1 and promoted MMP7 expression and facilitated the invasion of CRC cells, indicating that DAAM2 may be a potential drug target of CRC.

HMGA1 Promotes Hepatic Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer by Inducing Expression of Glucose Transporter 3 (GLUT3)

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and more than half of CRC patients have CRC liver metastasis (CRCLM). Mounting evidence indicates that high mobility group protein A1(HMGA1) is overexpressed in many cancer types, but its role in CRCLM has been obscure.

Material/Methods

Using immunohistochemistry, we assessed the expression of HMGA1 in 73 patients with CRCLM, and compared HMGA1 mRNA in 17 pairs of CRCs, CRCLM tissues, and normal liver tissues. The clinical significance of HMGA1 was evaluated by analyzing its correlation with the clinicopathological factors and overall survival (OS) rates. The function of HMGA1 in CRC invasion was investigated and the underlying mechanism of HMGA1-induced invasion was explored with in vitro experiments.

Results

In CRCLMs, the high-HMGA1 and low-HMGA1 patients accounted for 53.42% and 46.58% of all patients, respectively. High HMGA1 expression in CRCLM was significantly associated with low OS rates. In vitro experiments demonstrated that HMGA1 promoted glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) transcription and expression in CRC cells. GLUT3 was required in HMGA1-involved invasion, and GLUT3 expression was associated with poor prognosis of CRCLM.

Conclusions

High HMGA1 and GLUT3 expression in CRCLM was significantly correlated with poor prognosis of CRCLM. HMGA1 promoted CRC invasion by elevating GLUT3 transcription and expression.

Bone Marrow Stromal Antigen 2 is a Potential Unfavorable Prognostic Factor for High-Grade Glioma

BACKGROUND

Bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST2) is considered as a transmembrane glycoprotein and plays essential roles in innate immunity. It has been recently reported that up-regulation of BST2 was associated with the development of breast carcinoma. However, the clinical significance of BST2 in glioma has not been identified. The purpose of the present study is to explore the expression pattern and the role of BST2 in the progression of high-grade glioma.

METHODS

Expression levels of BST2 were tested in glioma tissues by analyzing the GEO database and immunohistochemistry staining. The prognostic role of BST2 in glioma was evaluated through univariate and multivariate analyses. In vitro and in vivo assays were conducted to confirm the role of BST2 on promoting glioma proliferation.

RESULTS

The mRNA level of BST2 was higher in glioma tissues than that in nontumorous brain tissues. High protein level of BST2 was correlated with larger tumor size and advanced WHO grade. Glioma patients with a high BST2 level had worse overall survival. In addition, BST2 was defined as an independent risk factor for glioma prognosis. Cellular and xenograft studies revealed that BST2 can significantly promote glioma proliferation.

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed that a high BST2 expression level was closely related to the unfavorable clinical features and poor prognosis of high-grade glioma patients. BST2 may serve as an invaluable prognostic indicator and novel therapeutic target for glioma treatment considering its membrane localization.

Genetic alterations in the 3q26.31-32 locus confer an aggressive prostate cancer phenotype

Large-scale genetic aberrations that underpin prostate cancer development and progression, such as copy-number alterations (CNAs), have been described but the consequences of specific changes in many identified loci is limited. Germline SNPs in the 3q26.31 locus are associated with aggressive prostate cancer, and is the location of NAALADL2, a gene overexpressed in aggressive disease. The closest gene to NAALADL2 is TBL1XR1, which is implicated in tumour development and progression. Using publicly-available cancer genomic data we report that NAALADL2 and TBL1XR1 gains/amplifications are more prevalent in aggressive sub-types of prostate cancer when compared to primary cohorts. In primary disease, gains/amplifications occurred in 15.99% (95% CI: 13.02–18.95) and 14.96% (95% CI: 12.08–17.84%) for NAALADL2 and TBL1XR1 respectively, increasing in frequency in higher Gleason grade and stage tumours. Gains/amplifications result in transcriptional changes and the development of a pro-proliferative and aggressive phenotype. These results support a pivotal role for copy-number gains in this genetic region.

Benjamin Simpson et al. use publicly available cancer genomic data to investigate copy number changes at the 3q26.31–32 locus, which has been associated with aggressive prostate cancer based on single-nucleotide polymorphisms. They find that gains of NAALADL2 and TBL1XR1 in this locus are associated with more aggressive subtypes of prostate cancer and the transcription of pro-proliferative signalling processes.

PD-1 expression on uveal melanoma induces tumor proliferation and predicts poor patient survival

INTRODUCTION

Uveal melanoma is one of the most common primary intraocular malignant tumors with poor prognosis and limited treatments. Programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1) blockade represents the primary treatment strategy of immune checkpoint inhibition; however, there is a lack of studies on whether PD-1 expression in primary (ocular) uveal melanoma affects tumor progression.

METHODS

PD-1 expression in 82 cases of primary (ocular) uveal melanoma was detected by immunohistochemistry. The clinical significance of PD-1 expression was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analysis. PD-1 overexpression and knockdown studies were conducted in C918 and Mum-2B cell lines to analyze the effect of PD-1 expression on tumor cell proliferation and intracellular cell signaling transduction. real-time qPCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis were performed to investigate the gene expression level. CCK8 assays were performed to examine the cell proliferation ability.

RESULTS

High expression of primary (ocular) intratumor PD-1 was associated with poor patient survival. Moreover, PD-1 expression was correlated with the largest tumor diameter. PD-1 expression and optic nerve invasion were independent prognostic risk factors. PD-1 overexpression in uveal melanoma cell lines promoted tumor cell proliferation, while knockdown of PD-1 inhibited cell proliferation capacity.

CONCLUSION

Our study established the role of PD-1 in the progression of uveal melanoma and provided a new potential treatment selection for uveal melanoma.

SETD3 is regulated by a couple of microRNAs and plays opposing roles in proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma

A previous study reported that histone methyltransferase SETD3 is up-regulated in tumor tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is associated with the growth of HCC. However, the clinical significance and the effect of SETD3 on HCC metastasis remain unclear. In the present study, both the protein and mRNA expression levels of SETD3 were measured in a larger cohort of HCC patients. The results showed that the protein level of SETD3 in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in non-tumorous tissues, which was inconsistent with the mRNA expression level of SETD3. The high protein level of SETD3 in HCC tissues was significantly associated with male gender, poor pathological differentiation, liver cirrhosis and unfavorable prognosis of HCC patients. Subsequently, we demonstrated that SETD3 could be regulated at post-transcriptional step by a couple of miRNAs (miR-16, miR-195 and miR-497). Additionally, in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that SETD3 played opposing roles in proliferation and metastasis of HCC: promoting proliferation but inhibiting metastasis. Mechanistic experiments revealed that doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1) was a downstream target of SETD3. SETD3 could increase the DNA methylation level of DCLK1 promoter to inhibit the transcription of DCLK1. Further study revealed that DCLK1/PI3K/matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2 (MMP-2) was an important pathway that mediated the effect of SETD3 on HCC metastasis. In conclusion, the present study revealed that SETD3 is associated with tumorigenesis and is a promising biomarker for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients after surgical resection. In addition, SETD3 plays inhibitory role in HCC metastasis partly through DCLK1/PI3K/MMP-2 pathway.

NT5DC2 promotes tumor cell proliferation by stabilizing EGFR in hepatocellular carcinoma

Most hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage; however, the effect of systemic therapy on advanced HCC remains undetermined. Therefore, new treatment targets must be identified. We analyzed Gene Expression Omnibus datasets from two HCC patient cohorts and found that NT5DC2 was associated with vascular invasion and poor survival. In two hepatoma cell lines, NT5DC2 overexpression promoted HCC cell proliferation and clone formation in vitro and promoted tumor growth in vivo. Coimmunoprecipitation assays and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that NT5DC2 bound directly to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). NT5DC2 upregulated EGFR expression by downregulating EGFR ubiquitination and preventing its degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway but did not upregulate its transcription. EGFR upregulation activated downstream signal transduction, which played a critical role in the protumor effects of NT5DC2. Erlotinib, a small-molecule inhibitor of EGFR, blocked the effect of NT5DC2 in promoting HCC cell proliferation. In a cohort of 79 patients who underwent curative resection for HCC, NT5DC2 expression in the tumors was associated with larger tumors and microvascular invasion. NT5DC2 expression was also independently associated with recurrence-free survival. The present study demonstrated for the first time that NT5DC2 promotes tumor cell proliferation in HCC and may serve as a potential molecular target for treating HCC. EGFR blockage could be used to treat selected patients with NT5DC2 upregulation.

High Expression of RING Finger Protein 126 Predicts Unfavorable Prognosis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Background

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The clinical outcome of EOC remains unsatisfactory with current therapeutic approaches such as surgery and platinum/taxane-based chemotherapy. Therefore, novel prognostic markers and personalized therapies targeting specific molecules are urgently needed. Here, we explored whether RNF126, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is a potential biomarker for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).

Material/Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of 122 EOC patients. The chi-square test was used to assess correlations between RNF126 level and clinical characteristics of enrolled patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to monitor the prognosis of enrolled patients. In addition, proliferation and invasion assays were conducted to assess the cellular effects of RNF126 on SKOV3 cell progression.

Results

Immunohistochemistry analysis (IHC) revealed that RNF126 was upregulated in EOC tissues compared to adjacent ovarian tissues. In addition, RNF126 expression was remarkably associated with LN metastasis, pathological differentiation, and FIGO stage. RNF126 protein level was found to be an independent biomarker for predication of prognosis in ovarian cancer patients. Cellular results showed that RNF126 enhanced the proliferation and invasion abilities of SKOV3 cells.

Conclusions

Upregulated protein level of RNF126 in EOC tissues is a biomarker predicting poor outcomes of EOC patients.

High Expression of Krüppel-like Factor 7 Indicates Unfavorable Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Krüppel-like factor 7 (KLF7), which belongs to the KLF family of zinc finger transcription factors, plays a critical role in regulating gene expression. It was reported that KLF7 overexpression was closely related to the progression of gastric cancer. However, the role of KLF7 in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) has not been elucidated. The aim of our study is to investigate the expression pattern of KLF7 and explore whether the KLF7 expression is correlated with unfavorable clinical outcome of patients with LAC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The protein and mRNA levels of KLF7 were examined in LAC tissues by using immunohistochemistry staining and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. The prognostic role of KLF7 in patients with LAC was assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and logrank test. The effects of KLF7 on lung cancer cells were investigated through cellular experiments.

RESULTS

KLF7 expression was elevated in LAC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. High protein level of KLF7 was correlated with larger tumor size, positive lymph node metastasis, and advanced TNM stage. Moreover, patients with LAC with higher expression level of KLF7 had poorer overall survival, and KLF7 was identified as an unfavorable independent prognosis factor. Knockdown of KLF7 can suppress the proliferation and invasion abilities of cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our studies revealed that high KLF7 expression level was significantly associated with the poorer clinical outcomes of patients with LAC, indicating the potential role of KLF7 as a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

P120-Catenin And Its Phosphorylation On Tyr228 Inhibits Proliferation And Invasion In Colon Adenocarcinoma Cells

Background

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy worldwide and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality. P120-catenin protein has been well known to exert anticancer effects in several malignant diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate the phosphorylation of p120-catenin in colon adenocarcinoma (CAC) and its association with prognosis, and its role in tumor progression.

Methods

Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was used to explore the existence of p120-catenin and its phosphorylation on tyrosine 228 (pY228-p120-catenin) in CAC samples. Overexpression and knockdown were achieved by transient transfection into SW480 cells using Lipofectamine 3000. CCK-8 and Matrigel-transwell assays were conducted to evaluate proliferation and invasion capacities, respectively. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to analyze downstream signaling pathways. Chi-square test was used to analyze correlations between p120-catenin and clinicopathological characteristics. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors.

Results

Lower p120-catenin and pY228-p120-catenin levels were identified in CAC tissues and were both correlated with advanced tumor stage. Additionally, lower pY228-p120-catenin indicated poorer prognosis of CAC patients although p120-catenin showed little significance. Overexpression of p120-catenin suppressed SW480 cell proliferation and invasion via stabilizing E-cadherin and inhibiting RhoA activation. Phosphorylation of Y228 on p120-catenin by Src protein enhanced the anticancer effects of p120-catenin.

Conclusion

P120-catenin and its phosphorylation on site Y228 play anticancer effects in colon adenocarcinoma via multiple signaling pathways. Hypophosphorylation of Y228 on p120-catenin in tumor tissues indicates poor clinical outcomes of colon adenocarcinoma patients.

USP9X promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by regulating beta-catenin

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the malignant tumors with highest mortality. The role of USP9X in the carcinogenesis of HCC has not yet been determined. In this study, USP9X was found significantly highly expressed in the intratumor tissues. Expression of intratumor USP9X was associated with tumor size and microvascular invasion while USP9X is independent risk factor of HCC disease-free survival and overall survival. In vitro studies revealed that knockdown of USP9X significantly inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells. Mechanically, USP9X promotes HCC cell proliferation by regulating the expression of beta-catenin. The results of the present study demonstrated that high expression of USP9X in intratumoral cells is associated with poor HCC prognosis, which may serve as a potential target for an adjuvant therapy.

HIIT sensitizes the arterial baroreflex by activating GSH-Px and downregulating calcium channel

BACKGROUND

High-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) is an emerging strategy for controlling blood pressure (BP) requiring intermittent exercise. However, few studies were focused on clinical test or related mechanisms. Here we compared the detailed aspects of HIIT on rat blood pressure control and explored its possible molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

Thirty-six spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR) were recruited to complete 8 weeks of different training pattern using treadmill. Measurements of BP, bradycardia reflex, tachycardia reflex, plasma oxidative stress biomarkers and protein expression were acquired at the end of training.

RESULTS

After the 8-week training, HIIT can significantly downregulate the rest heart rate (HR) and blood pressure of SHR. The bradycardia reflex induced by phenylephrine and tachycardia response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were both improved in the HIIT group compared with control group. By testing the plasma metabolites, we found no statistically alteration on levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) or superoxide dismutase (SOD). However, HIIT increased the plasma glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. Besides, HIIT attenuated the vasoconstriction induced by norepinephrine while has little effect on potassium chloride stimulation. Similarly, the sensitivity of vasorelaxation induced by SNP was upregulated after HIIT. Finally, we identified a decrease of of calcium channel CaV 1.2 on blood vessel in HIIT group.

CONCLUSIONS

HIIT provides a better control of BP and higher sensitivity to vasorelaxation, which may be related to higher GSH-Px activity and lower CaV 1.2 expression.

High Expression of Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase 2 Indicates Poor Prognosis of Gastric Cancer Patients

Background

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) is the enzyme that catalyzes the reversible conversion of serine to glycine and tetrahydrofolate-bound one-carbon unit. Upregulation of SHMT2 has been observed in a variety of cancers, but the expression profile and clinical value of SHMT2 in gastric cancer (GC) are still unknown.

Material/Methods

In this study, SHMT2 expression was assessed in 130 patients with GC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). mRNA of SHMT2 in GC tissues and normal gastric epithelium was compared with qRT-PCR results. The correlations between SHMT2 and the clinicopathologic factors were analyzed with the chi-square test. Univariate analysis with Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the correlations between survival rate and clinicopathologic factors, including SHMT2. The independent prognostic biomarkers were confirmed by multivariate analysis using the Cox-regression hazard model. The function of SHMT2 in progression of GC was assessed by in vitro experiments.

Results

The percentages of low and high expression of SHMT2 were 46.92% and 53.08%, respectively. SHMT2 mRNA in GC tissue was significantly higher than mRNA in the patient-paired adjacent tissues. In the clinical analysis, SHMT2 expression was notably associated with positive lymphatic invasion. High SHMT2 was also demonstrated to independently predict poor prognosis of GC. After silencing SHMT2, we proved that SHMT2 can promote proliferation and invasion of GC cells.

Conclusions

High SHMT2 promoted progression and was an independent prognostic biomarker of GC, suggesting that SHMT2 detection would be helpful for stratification of high-risk patients and thus directing personalized treatment.

Annexin10 promotes extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma metastasis by facilitating EMT via PLA2G4A/PGE2/STAT3 pathway

Background

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), consisting of intrahepatic (IHCCA), perihilar (PHCCA), and distal (DCCA) CCA, is a type of highly aggressive malignancy with a very dismal prognosis. Potential biomarkers and drug targets of CCA are urgently needed. As a new member of the Annexin (ANXA) family, the role of ANXA10 in the progression and prognosis of CCA is unknown.

Methods

Potential PHCCA biomarkers were screened by transcriptome sequencing of 5 pairs of PHCCA and adjacent tissues. The clinical significance of ANXA10 was evaluated by analyzing its correlation with clinicopathological variables, and the prognostic value of ANXA10 was evaluated with univariate and multivariate analyses. The function of ANXA10 in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), proliferation, invasion and metastasis was detected with in vitro and in vivo experiments. Moreover, we screened the key molecule in ANXA10-induced CCA progression by mRNA sequencing and evaluated the correlation between PLA2G4A and ANXA10. The effect of PLA2G4A downstream signaling, including Cyclooxygenase 2, Prostaglandin E2(PGE2) and Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3), on EMT and metastasis was further detected with in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Findings

ANXA10 expression was upregulated in PHCCA and DCCA but not in IHCCA. High ANXA10 expression was significantly associated with poor tumor differentiation and prognosis. ANXA10 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of the PHCCA cells. PLA2G4A expression was regulated by ANXA10 and high PLA2G4A predicted poor prognosis in PHCCA and DCCA. ANXA10 facilitated EMT and promoted metastasis by upregulating PLA2G4A expression, thus increasing PGE2 levels and activating STAT3.

Interpretation

ANXA10 was an independent prognostic biomarker of PHCCA and DCCA but not IHCCA. ANXA10 promoted the progression of PHCCA and facilitated metastasis by promoting the EMT process via the PLA2G4A/PGE2/STAT3 pathway. ANXA10, PLA2G4A and their downstream molecules, such as COX2 and PGE2, may be promising drug targets of PHCCA and DCCA.

CDHR5 inhibits proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma and predicts clinical prognosis

BACKGROUND

As one of the most prevalent malignancies, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Due to the lack of biomarkers for early diagnosis, the clinical outcome of HCC remains unsatisfied with the current common therapeutic approaches, including surgery and chemotherapies. Thus, sensitive biomarkers and targeted therapies are in great need.

AIMS

In this study, we explored and verified whether CDHR5 (cadherin-related family member 5), a cadherin family protein, could serve as the potential biomarkers for HCC in the clinic.

METHODS

A retrospective study which contained 154 HCC patients was performed. Chi-square was utilized to analyze the relationship between CDHR5 expression and the clinicopathological features of HCC patients. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analyses were then used to evaluate the survival of HCC patients. In addition, cell proliferation assay and colony formation assay were performed to examine the effects of CDHR5 on the progression of HepG2 and Huh7 cells.

RESULTS

IHC and RT-qPCR revealed that CDHR5 was downregulated in HCC tissues compared with adjacent liver tissues. In addition, CDHR5 expression was significantly correlated with tumor numbers, tumor size, and TNM stage. CDHR5 expression was then shown to be an independent risk factor for survival of HCC patients by survival analysis. In vitro experiments showed that CDHR5 suppressed the proliferation capacity of HCC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, our study not only identified CDHR5 as a novel prognostic biomarker in HCC but also provided evidence that CDHR5 can inhibit HCC cell proliferation.

MicroRNA‑373 exerts anti‑tumor functions in human liver cancer by targeting Rab22a

Liver cancer is a one of the most frequent types of tumor worldwide. It has long been recognized that microRNAs are important participants in the progression of various types of cancer. The present study explored the role of microRNA‑373 (miR‑373) in liver cancer development. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the transcription level of miR‑373 in 96 liver cancer tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues. The association of miR‑373 with clinicopathological characteristics was analyzed using the χ2 test. Kaplan‑Meier univariate analysis and multivariate hazard analysis were performed to identify the clinical potential of miR‑373 in the prognosis of liver cancer patients. Transfection of miR‑373 mimics into Hep3B and HepG2 liver cancer cell lines was conducted to reveal the underlying mechanism in regulating liver cancer progression. The functional assays included proliferation, migration, invasion and luciferase assays. The findings of the present study demonstrated that miR‑373 transcription level was markedly downregulated in liver cancer tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues and was associated with the clinical prognosis of liver cancer patients. Overexpressing miR‑373 mimics in liver cancer cell lines decreased cell proliferation and invasion, suggesting that miR‑373 exerts anti‑tumor effects in liver cancer. In addition, data from the present study demonstrated the direct effect of miR373 on inhibiting the expression and signaling of Ras‑related protein Rab22a, a well‑known oncoprotein. Taken together, the results from the present study suggested that miR‑373 suppresses liver cancer progression and may serve as a promising prognosis prediction biomarker.

TBL1XR1 is involved in c-Met-mediated tumorigenesis of human nonsmall cell lung cancer

Nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) contributes to the highest number of cancer deaths globally. Metastases and chemoresistance are two major confounders to the treatment efficacy in NSCLC. Transducin (β)-like 1 X-linked receptor 1 (TBL1XR1) has been associated with high rates of metastases in breast, gastric, and stomach cancers. However, the role of TBL1XR1 in lung cancers remains underexplored. We selected matched and cancerous lung tissues to establish the upregulation of TBL1XR1. Using in vitro assays, we assessed the influence of TBL1XR1 on various cancer phenotypes, namely cell proliferation, chemoresistance, invasion, and metastases in a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knock out model (A549 cells), and H460 cell lines overexpressing TBL1XR1. We found that TBL1XR1 is overexpressed in NSCLC tissue and patient sera in comparison to paired adjacent normal tissue. Overexpression of TBL1XR1 in NSCLC cell lines mediates cell survival, proliferation, and metastases. TBL1XR1 was found to regulate MEK and Akt pathways through their master regulator c-Met. We observed that activation of c-Met is downregulated in the absence of TBL1XR1. Our study strengthens the contention that TBL1XR1 is a biomarker for prognosis of NSCLC. It may also be considered as an adjunct or core therapeutic target to overcome cisplatin resistance in lung cancers.

Clinical Significance of Transcription Factor 7 (TCF7) as a Prognostic Factor in Gastric Cancer

Background

Transcription factor 7 (TCF7) plays an essential role in Wnt signaling by interacting with β-catenin. Emerging evidence demonstrates that overexpression of TCF7 promotes progression or correlates with poor progression in several types of cancers, but the functions of TCF7 in gastric cancer (GC) have not been revealed.

Material/Methods

A total of 168 patients with GC who underwent radical surgeries were collected and regarded as the test cohort. The expression of TCF7 in the 168 patients was detected with immunohistochemistry. Moreover, the mRNA levels of TCF7 in 11 pairs of GC and adjacent tissues were detected with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The correlations between TCF7 and the clinicopathological factors were evaluated with the chi-square test, and the prognostic value of TCF7 in GC was investigated with univariate analysis and multivariate analysis.

Results

The mRNA levels of TCF7 in GC tissues were significantly higher than in corresponding tumor adjacent tissues. The patients of low TCF7 expression and high TCF7 expression accounted for 76.79% (129/168) and 23.21% (39/168), respectively. In our experiments, TCF7 was significantly associated with positive lymphatic invasion (P=0.022) and metastasis (P<0.001). The high expression of TCF7 was correlated with low survival rates (P=0.012) and was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor (HR=1.92, 95%CI =1.06–3.47, P=0.031) of GC in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

TCF7 expression is correlated with metastasis and is an independent prognostic factor of GC. TCF7 detection of GC could help stratify the patients with high risk and guide precise treatment.

Expression of WD Repeat Domain 5 (WDR5) is Associated with Progression and Reduced Prognosis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Background

The WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) is an essential component of methyltransferase complexes. The expression of WDR5 has been reported in several types of malignancy. This study aimed to investigate the expression of the WDR5 gene and protein in a human papillary carcinoma cell line in vitro, including the use WDR5 gene silencing, and the expression of the WDR5 protein in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue, and clinicopathological characteristics including overall survival (OS).

Material/Methods

The role of WDR5 in proliferation and migration of the human papillary thyroid carcinoma cell line, KTC-1, was investigated using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and transwell assay after silencing WDR5 expression. Expression levels of WDR5 in 84 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma were detected using immunohistochemistry. The correlation between WDR5 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed using the chi-squared test. The prognostic role of WDR5 was evaluated by univariate analysis with the log-rank test, and by multivariate analysis with the Cox regression model.

Results

WDR5 expression promoted the proliferation and migration of the KTC-1 cells. In tumor tissue from patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, low expression and high expression levels of WDR5 were found in 72.6% and 27.4%, respectively. Increased expression of WDR5 was significantly associated with lymphatic invasion and reduced survival rates. WDR5 expression was an independent negative prognostic biomarker.

Conclusions

Expression of WDR5 promoted cell proliferation and migration in vitro and was associated with reduced prognosis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Transcription factor 7 functions as an unfavorable prognostic marker of glioblastoma multiforme by promoting proliferation by upregulating c-Myc

Transcription factor 7 (TCF7) is an oncogenic transcription factor in several kinds of cancers. However, the clinical significance of TCF7 in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) has not been well elucidated. A total of 107 patients with surgical resection of GBM were enrolled in our study. TCF7 expression in these cases was detected by immunohistochemistry and the difference in TCF7 mRNA levels between tumor tissues and adjacent tissues was compared with a real-time PCR. The correlation between TCF7 expression and the clinicopathologic factors was analyzed using the χ-test. Moreover, the prognostic value of TCF7 was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. In addition, the influence of TCF7 on the proliferation of the GBM cell line U251 was detected using an MTT assay after regulating TCF7 and its target gene c-Myc. The high and low expressions of TCF7 accounted for 54.21 and 45.79%, respectively, in all cases. The mRNA level of TCF7 in GBM tissues was markedly higher than that in adjacent tissues, indicating the oncogenic role of TCF7 in GBM. High expression of TCF7 was associated significantly with high Ki67 percentage and the sex of the patients, and it was identified as an independent prognostic factor for patients with GBM. With experiments in vitro, TCF7 was shown to promote cell proliferation by increasing c-Myc expression in GBM. TCF7 could be considered an independent prognostic factor in GBM, and could enhance GBM cell proliferation by upregulating c-Myc, indicating that it may be a potential and promising molecular drug target for GBM.

TRIM15 Exerts Anti-Tumor Effects Through Suppressing Cancer Cell Invasion in Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Backgrounds

Recent studies have shown that some members of the tripartite motif-containing protein (TRIM) family function as important regulators in several tumors. However, the clinical significance of TRIM15 in gastric adenocarcinoma has not been elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to examine the expression pattern of TRIM15 and explore whether the TRIM15 expression is correlated with clinicopathological characteristics of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma.

Material/Methods

The expression pattern of TRIM15 was examined in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent normal stomach tissues by using immunohistochemistry staining. The prognostic role of TRIM15 in gastric cancer patients was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. Clinical outcomes were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test. The effects of TRIM15 on cancer cell proliferation and invasion were tested through cellular experiments.

Results

TRIM15 was highly expressed in normal stomach tissues compared to tumor tissues. TCGA database showed that higher TRIM15 RNA transcription indicates poorer overall survival of gastric cancer patients. Besides, low expression of TRIM15 was significantly associated with advanced tumor invasion depth and advanced TNM stage. Moreover, gastric cancer patients with lower KDM5B expression had poorer overall survival, and TRIM15 was identified as an independent prognosis factor according to multivariate analysis. Using the gastric cancer cell lines, we found that overexpression of TRIM15 can inhibits tumor cell invasion.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that low expression of TRIM15 in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues was significantly associated with poorer prognosis of patients, indicating the potential of TRIM15 as a novel clinical biomarker and therapeutic target.

Significance of PYK2 level as a prognosis predictor in patients with colon adenocarcinoma after surgical resection

Background

Proline-rich/Ca²⁺-activated tyrosine kinase 2 (PYK2) belongs to the non-receptor tyrosine kinase family, regulates downstream signaling via catalyzing protein phosphorylation. We aimed to investigate clinical significance and mechanisms of PYK2 in colon adenocarcinoma (CAC).

Methods

Real time quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry staining was used to evaluate the expression of PYK2 in clinical CAC tissues. Its association with clinicopathologic characteristics was analyzed by Chi-square test. Kaplan-Meier univariate survival analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to identify clinical significance of PYK2 in the overall survival of CAC patients. Transfection of PYK2 were conducted to reveal the underlying mechanism in regulating CAC progression.

Results

We found that PYK2 was upregulated in CAC tissues compared with normal colon tissues on both RNA and protein levels. Higher tissue PYK2 expression level was closely associated with lymph node metastasis. Statistical analyses indicated PYK2 as an independent prognostic biomarker for CAC. Cellular studies demonstrated that PYK2 enhanced the capacities of tumor proliferation and invasion. Moreover, the phosphorylation level of AKT was positively correlated with PYK2 expression, subsequently modulate expression of c-Myc and Cyclin D1, suggesting that PYK2 may promote tumor progression through activating AKT signaling.

Conclusion

High PYK2 in CAC tissues indicate poor prognosis.

Expression of Placenta Growth Factor Is Associated with Unfavorable Prognosis of Advanced-Stage Serous Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women and the most fatal gynecologic malignancy. Placenta growth factor (PGF), a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor, plays an important role in angiogenesis. The overexpression of PGF was observed in several types of cancers, but the clinical significance of PGF in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is still unknown. To explore the prognostic value of PGF among patients with serous EOC, we analyzed the expression of PGF in 89 EOC specimens by immunohistochemistry. The scoring system of immunohistochemistry was based on the staining intensity and the percentage of PGF-positive cells in each EOC tissue. According to the immunohistochemical score, 34 patients with score ≥ 6 were defined as high PGF expression, and other 55 patients were the group with low PGF expression. The prognostic significance of PGF expression was analyzed. EOC patients with higher IHC scores of PGF expression are significantly associated with positive lymphatic invasion and poorer response to chemotherapy. Patients with higher IHC scores of PGF expression had poorer response to chemotherapy and lower overall survival rate. Additionally, the positive lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage, and poorer response to chemotherapy were all remarkably correlated to poorer prognosis. In conclusion, patients with higher PGF in EOC tissues were more predisposed to positive lymphatic invasion, poorer response to chemotherapy and unfavorable prognosis of patients with serous EOC. We propose that PGF expression may be predictive of chemoresistance and poor prognosis of serous EOC.

Sirt3 enhances glioma cell viability by stabilizing Ku70-BAX interaction

Background

As one of the most prevalent malignancies, glioma is characterized by poor prognosis and high mortality rate. Glioma patients may show completely distinct clinical outcomes due to their different molecular patterns. Sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) participates in aging, stress resistance, and metabolic regulation. Here we aimed to test the expression and function of Sirt3 in glioma.

Methods

We enrolled 114 patients and tested the protein level of Sirt3 in their glioma tissues. The correlation between prognosis and Sirt3 was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses. We also conducted cellular experiments in U87 and U251 glioma cells, including overexpression and knockdown assays.

Results

Sirt3 expression was lower in glioma tissues than normal brain tissues. Higher Sirt3 is significantly correlated to advanced tumor grade (P=0.004), showing its potential role in cancer progression. Consistently, univariate and multivariate analyses identified Sirt3 as an independent prognostic factor (P=0.017). Patients with higher Sirt3 expression showed significantly shorter overall survival time. Moreover, overexpression of Sirt3 in either cell line enhanced cell viability, while silencing Sirt3 attenuated cell growth. Molecular assays showed Sirt3 can deacetylate Ku70 protein, therefore stabilizing the Ku70-BAX interaction. Since Ku70 can help prevent BAX transporting into mitochondria and decrease cell apoptosis, Sirt3 protein may play roles in maintaining cell viability. In addition, silencing Ku70 inhibited the pro-proliferative effect by Sirt3.

Conclusion

Taken together, our results not only identified the prognostic role of Sirt3 in glioma patients but also provided signaling pathway evidence for its functioning mechanisms.

High expression of mitogen-activated and stress-activated protein kinase 1 indicates poor prognosis in patients with glioma

Mitogen-activated and stress-activated protein kinase 1 (MSK1), which belongs to the subfamily of MAPK-activated protein kinase, plays an important role in cell proliferation and neoplastic transformation. It has been recently reported that MSK1 overexpression was closely related to the progression of some tumors such as colorectal cancer. However, the clinical significance of MSK1 in glioma has not been addressed. To investigate the potential role of MSK1 in glioma, we first examined the expression pattern of MSK1 in glioma tissues and normal brain tissues using quantitative RT-PCR, and the results showing that MSK1 expression was significantly elevated in glioma tissues compared with normal brain tissues. The clinical relevance of MSK1 expression level was then analyzed, and we found that high expression of MSK1 was closely related to the larger tumor size and advanced WHO grade. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that glioma patients with higher expression of MSK1 had poorer overall survival, and MSK1 was identified as an independent unfavorable prognosis factor. In addition, the effects of MSK1 on glioma cells were tested through cellular experiments, and we demonstrated that MSK1 can promote proliferation and invasion capacities of tumor cells. In conclusion, patients with glioma with higher MSK1 expression were more predisposed to poorer clinical outcomes and unfavorable prognosis, indicating the potential role of MSK1 as a novel clinical biomarker and therapeutic target.

EphA8 is a Prognostic Factor for Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity. Here we explore the potential effects of EphA8, which is one of the receptors in Ephs subfamily of RTKs (receptor tyrosine kinases), in the progression and prognosis of OTSCC.

Material/Methods

A total of 119 OTSCC patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) were utilized to examine the expression of EphA8 in OTSSC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. The relationship between EphA8 expression and the clinicopathological features of OTSCC patients were analyzed by chi-square. Survival analysis was carried out with Kaplan-Meier curve and the related log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was then undertaken to assess the prognosis factor by utilizing the Cox proportional hazard regression model. In addition, MTT assay and Matrigel invasion assay were performed to examine the effects of EphA8 on the proliferation and invasion capacities of human oral squamous carcinoma cells (SCC-25) and human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells (H357).

Results

Q-PCR and IHC staining revealed that EphA8 was highly expressed in OTSCC tissues, especially in advanced stage OTSCC tissues. Kaplan-Meier curve showed that high EphA8 expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis, similar to age, smoking habit, drinking habit, tumor size, and TNM stage. Multivariate analysis indicated that EphA8 expression could serve as an independent prognostic factor in OTSCC. In vitro experiments revealed that overexpression of EphA8 might promote the progression of OTSCC via enhancing the invasion capacity but not proliferation capacity of tumor cells.

Conclusions

EphA8 was highly expressed in OTSCC tissues and was significantly associated with poor prognosis of OTSCC.

Molecular and Immunohistochemical Markers with Prognostic and Predictive Significance in Liver Metastases from Colorectal Carcinoma

Despite the significant recent achievements in the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), the prognosis of these patients has currently plateaued. During the past few years, the opportunity to consider multiple treatment modalities (including surgery and other locoregional treatments, systemic therapy, and targeted therapy) led to the research of novel prognostic and predictive biomarkers in CRC liver metastases (CRCLM) patients. In this review, we seek to describe the current state of knowledge of CRCLM biomarkers and to outline impending clinical perspectives, in particular focusing on the cutting-edge tools available for their characterization.

An Immunohistochemical Study of Stathmin 1 Expression in Osteosarcoma Shows an Association with Metastases and Poor Patient Prognosis

Background

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer and has a broad spectrum of histological subtypes. Stathmin 1 (STMN1) is a cytosolic phosphoprotein that is expressed in several types of cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of STMN1 in osteosarcoma with clinicopathological characteristics and patient prognosis.

Material/Methods

The expression of STMN1 in tumor tissue from 94 patients with OS was detected and evaluated using an immunohistochemical score to divide the patients into low expression and high expression groups. Correlation between STMN1 expression and clinicopathological factors were analyzed with Fisher’s test, the prognostic value of expression levels of STMN1 in tumor tissue was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier univariate analysis, and independent prognostic factors were identified using the Cox regression model.

Results

Low expression of STMN1 was found in 43.62% of cases and high expression of STMN1 was found in 56.38% of cases of osteosarcoma. High tumor expression of STMN1 was significantly associated with the presence of metastases (P=0.028), Enneking surgical stage (P=0.030), tumor response to chemotherapy (P=0.011), and the site of tumor origin (P=0.023). High tumor expression of STMN1 was a prognostic marker in patients with osteosarcoma for poor prognosis (P=0.016), poor response to chemotherapy (P=0.004), the presence of metastases (P=0.003), advanced Enneking surgical stage (P=0.014), and the chondroblastic osteosarcoma subtype (P=0.004). The expression STMN1 was identified as an independent prognostic biomarker of osteosarcoma.

Conclusions

Increased expression of STMN1 in tumor tissue was an independent prognostic biomarker in patients with osteosarcoma.

High miR-718 Suppresses Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) Expression and Correlates to Unfavorable Prognosis in Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a kind of phosphatase which has been demonstrated to suppress progression of gastric cancer. Many micro-RNAs (miRNAs), such as miR-106b, miR-93, and miR-200c, could inhibit expression of PTEN in cell lines; and many miRNAs including miR-21, miR-22, miR-18a, and miR-222 are related to the progression and prognosis of gastric cancer. However, among these miRNAs, the clinical significance of miR-718 has not yet been elucidated. MATERIAL AND METHODS The expression of PTEN and miR-718 in 141 gastric cancer tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR respectively. The correlation between PTEN, miR-718, and the clinicopathological factors was analyzed by χ² test. The prognostic significance of PTEN and miR-718 was evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to evaluate the regulation of PTEN by miR-718. The effect of miR-718 on gastric cancer proliferation and invasion was investigated by MTT assay and Transwell assay. RESULTS Low expression of PTEN and high expression of miR-718 were both significantly associated with unfavorable prognosis, and both were identified as biomarkers predicting poorer prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Increased miR-718 expression could decrease PTEN expression, thus enhancing phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling. Moreover, the abilities of proliferation and invasion of gastric cells transfected with miR-718 were promoted significantly compared with those transfected with control miRNA. CONCLUSIONS Low expression of PTEN and increased expression of miR-718 in gastric cancer tissues were both independent unfavorable prognostic factors of gastric cancer. Upregulation of miR-718 could increase PI3K/Akt signaling by directly downregulating PTEN, thus promoting the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells.

Clinical Significance of G Protein-Coupled Receptor 110 (GPR110) as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Osteosarcoma

BACKGROUND G protein-coupled receptor 110 (GPR110) belongs to the subfamily of the adhesion G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The potential role of GPR110 has been correlated with cancer cell invasion in some tumors such as glioma. However, its expression and role in human osteosarcoma has not been identified. This study aimed to examine the expression level of GPR110 and determine whether the expression of GPR110 was correlated with aggressive clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of osteosarcoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study included 94 osteosarcoma patients. Immunohistochemistry staining and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect the expression level of GPR110 in osteosarcoma specimens. We then determined the correlation of the GPR110 expression with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis by univariate or multivariate analysis. Patient outcomes were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and prognostic factors were detected by multivariate analysis. The function of GPR110 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were examined in this in vitro study. RESULTS Overexpression of GPR110 was correlated with the advanced stage of osteosarcoma. Patients with high expression level of GPR110 had significantly poorer 5-year overall survival; the multivariate analysis found that GPR110 expression level can act as an independent prognosis factor. Knockdown of GPR110 can decrease the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacity of human osteosarcoma cell lines. CONCLUSIONS Our studies suggest a role of GPR110 in tumor progression and as a potential novel prognostic biomarker in osteosarcoma.

High Expression of Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 8 (USP8) Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is one of the most common female malignancies in the world. The ubiquitin-specific protease 8 (USP8) functions by removing ubiquitin from protein substrates, and its potential role in cancer development was recently uncovered in lung cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and function of USP8 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS Immunohistochemical staining and quantitative PCR were performed to explore the expression of USP8 in both CSCC tissues and adjacent normal cervical tissues. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate the clinical significance of USP8 in CSCC. Proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of 2 CSCC cell lines were assessed after overexpression or silencing USP8, respectively. RESULTS Both the RNA and protein levels of USP8 were upregulated in CSCC tissues compared to normal cervical tissues. High expression of USP8 was correlated with advanced tumor stage and high recurrence risk. Moreover, USP8 was identified as a novel independent prognostic factor for CSCC patients. Cellular studies showed that USP8 can enhance the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of CSCC cells, thereby promoting tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS High expression of USP8 is frequent in CSCC tissues, which promotes tumor proliferation and invasion, and is correlated with a poor overall survival. Targeting USP8 may be a novel direction for drug development for CSCC therapy.

Keratin 17 Promotes Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression by Enhancing Cell Proliferation and Invasion

Backgrounds

Lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) accounts for the majority of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Keratin 17 (KRT17) was reported to promote the tumor development of skin tumor and oral cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and function of KRT17 in LAC.

Material/Methods

Immunohistochemical staining and quantitative PCR were performed to explore the expression of KRT17 in both LAC tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues. Chi-square test, univariate analysis, and multivariate analysis were conducted to statistically evaluate the clinical significance of KRT17 in LAC. Proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities of LAC cells were assessed after overexpression or silencing KRT17.

Results

Both the RNA and protein levels of KRT17 were up-regulated in LAC tissues compared to normal lung tissues. High expression of KRT17 was correlated with advanced TNM stage and poor overall survival. Moreover, KRT17 was identified as a novel independent prognostic factor for LAC patients. Cellular studies showed that KRT17 can enhance the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities of LAC cells, thereby promoting tumor progression.

Conclusions

High expression of KRT17 is frequent in LAC tissues, which promotes tumor proliferation and invasion, and is correlated with a poor overall survival. Targeting KRT17 may be a novel direction for LAC drug development.

Upregulation of BCL2 19 kD Protein-Interacting Protein 3 (BNIP3) is Predictive of Unfavorable Prognosis in Uveal Melanoma

Background

BCL2 19 kD protein-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) is a BH3-containing protein of the BCL-2 family; it can regulate cell death, autophagy, and cytoprotection. The upregulation of BNIP3 has been reported to relate to progression and poor prognosis in different cancer types. However, the clinical significance of BNIP3 in uveal melanoma (UM) is still unknown.

Material/Methods

In our study, 47 patients with UM were enrolled; the expression of BNIP3 was detected with immunohistochemistry. According to BNIP3 immunohistochemical scores, the patients were divided into BNIP3 high- and low-expression subgroups. The correlation between the expression of BNIP3 and clinicopathological factors was evaluated with Fisher’s test; the associations with survival rates were analyzed with log-rank test. The independent prognostic factors were identified with the Cox-regression model.

Results

BNIP3 was mainly localized in the cytoplasm, and high expression of BNIP3 accounted for 31.9% (15/47) of the patients in our study. High expression of BNIP3 was demonstrated to be significantly associated with more pigment (P=0.018) and deeper scleral invasion (P=0.013). High expression of BNIP3 was also correlated with lower overall survival rate (P=0.006). Multivariate analysis confirmed positive ciliary body involvement and lymphatic infiltration as independent prognostic factors.

Conclusions

High expression of BNIP3 was significantly associated with poor prognosis of patients with UM, indicating that BNIP3 detection could help stratify high-risk patients and identify new therapies targeting BNIP3 as a promising approach to treat UM.

TEAD4 exerts pro-metastatic effects and is negatively regulated by miR6839-3p in lung adenocarcinoma progression

Several studies have shown the tumorigenesis role of transcriptional enhancer associate domain (TEAD) proteins; here, we initially explored expression, function and signalling mechanisms of TEAD4 in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD). Both the mRNA and protein levels of TEAD4 were increased in LAD tissues than those in adjacent nontumourous tissues. Besides, database search indicated a poorer clinical outcome in LAD patients with higher TEAD4 expression, revealing its potential tumour-promoting role. Therefore, we conducted cellular experiments to further investigate its effect on tumour phenotypes. Accordingly, TEAD4 showed little impact on LAD cell cycle, proliferation, or apoptosis. However, silencing TEAD4 remarkably attenuated cell migration and invasion capacities. Consistently, several important epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers such as E-cadherin and Slug were consequently altered by silencing TEAD4. Furthermore, we identified a novel TEAD4-targeted microRNA, namely miR6839-3p, and confirmed its function in suppressing TEAD4 expression. Finally, the impact of overexpressing miR6839-3p mimics on LAD progression was validated, which showed a similar pattern with TEAD4 knockdown cells. Taken together, our data not only revealed the significant role of TEAD4 in promoting LAD progression and predicting clinical outcome but also distinguished miR6839-3p mimics as a promising therapeutic direction.

Reduced Expression of Deubiquitinase USP33 Is Associated with Tumor Progression and Poor Prognosis of Gastric Adenocarcinoma

Background

Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 33 (USP33) is a deubiquitinase that balances the ubiquitin status of proteins. It has been reported to act as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer and lung cancer. However, the expression pattern and clinical significance of USP33 have not been investigated in gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC).

Material/Methods

We explored the USP33 protein and RNA levels by immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blot analysis, and qRT-PCR. The Pearson chi-square test was performed to evaluate the statistical associations between USP33 level and patient characteristics. Additionally, the relationship between USP33 expression and patient survival was investigated. Cellular studies, including proliferation assay, migration assay, and invasion assay, were conducted to demonstrate the underlying mechanisms of USP33 in GAC progression.

Results

This study included 121 patients with GAC. USP33 showed a decreased expression in GAC tissues compared to adjacent normal gastric tissues. Low expression of USP33 was correlated with invasion depth and advanced TNM stage. According to survival analysis, upper location of tumor (P=0.003), invasion depth (P=0.048), advanced TNM stage (P=0.001), and low USP33 level (P=0.001) were all associated with poor overall survival of GAC patients. Cox analysis confirmed the independent role of USP33 in predicting patient survival. Cell experiments showed that USP33 overexpression significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GAC cells.

Conclusions

USP33 was downregulated in GAC, and was an independent prognostic factor. In vitro results demonstrated the role of USP33 in suppressing tumor progression, suggesting that the developing an agonist of USP33 may be a novel direction for chemotherapy development.

Increased Expression of Holliday Junction-Recognizing Protein (HJURP) as an Independent Prognostic Biomarker in Advanced-Stage Serous Ovarian Carcinoma

Background

Advanced-stage serous ovarian carcinoma results in the majority of deaths from ovarian carcinoma. The histone chaperone, Holliday junction-recognizing protein (HJURP), binds with centromere protein-A (CENP-A) and its expression has been shown to be a prognostic biomarker in some cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HJURP expression in advanced-stage serous ovarian carcinoma.

Material/Methods

Ninety-eight patients with advanced-stage serous ovarian carcinoma, who had tumor tissue samples available, were studied. Expression levels of HJURP were detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and were correlated with HJURP expression and patient clinicopathological factors. Fisher’s correlation coefficient, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, the log-rank test, and Cox’s regression proportional hazards model were performed to analyze the significance of factors affecting survival rate and independent prognostic factors.

Results

Increased expression levels of HJURP in advanced-stage serous ovarian carcinoma were found in 33.67% (33/98) of cases; low expression levels of HJURP were found in 66.33% (65/98) of cases. High expression levels of HJURP were significantly associated with lymph node metastases (P=0.018), and lower overall survival (P=0.002). HJURP expression was identified as an independent prognostic biomarker for patients with advanced serous ovarian cancer in this study group of 98 patients (P=0.013).

Conclusions

Increased expression of HJURP was identified as an independent negative prognostic biomarker for patients with advanced serous ovarian cancer in this study. Further studies are required to determine whether HJURP expression in serous ovarian carcinoma may have a role in guiding clinical management by stratifying patients according to risk.

MAP Kinase-Interacting Kinase 1 Promotes Proliferation and Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Is an Unfavorable Prognostic Biomarker

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for one of the most prevalent tumor types in the world. The MAP kinase-interacting kinase 1 (MNK1) functions downstream of MAP kinases such as p38 and ERK, and its potential role in cancer development is being uncovered. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and function of MNK1 in HCC.

Material/Methods

Immunohistochemical staining and quantitative PCR were performed to explore the expression of MNK1 in both HCC tissues and adjacent normal liver tissues. Chi-square test, univariate analysis, and multivariate analysis were conducted to statistically evaluate clinical significance of MNK1 in HCC. Proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities of HCC cells were assessed after overexpressing or silencing MNK1.

Results

Both the RNA and protein levels of MNK1 were upregulated in HCC tissues compared to normal liver tissues. High expression of MNK1 was correlated with advanced tumor stage and poor overall survival. Moreover, MNK1 was identified as a novel independent prognostic factor for HCC patients. Cellular studies showed that MNK1 can enhance the proliferation, migration, and invasion capacities of HCC cells, thereby promoting tumor progression.

Conclusions

High expression of MNK1 is frequent in HCC tissues, which promotes tumor proliferation and invasion, and is correlated with a poor overall survival. Targeting MNK1 may be a novel direction for the drug development of HCC therapy.

Uncovering the anticancer mechanism of Compound Kushen Injection against HCC by integrating quantitative analysis, network analysis and experimental validation

Compound Kushen Injection (CKI) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) preparation that has been clinically used in China to treat various types of solid tumours. Although several studies have revealed that CKI can inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, the active compounds, potential targets and pathways involved in these effects have not been systematically investigated. Here, we proposed a novel idea of “main active compound-based network pharmacology” to explore the anti-cancer mechanism of CKI. Our results showed that CKI significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration of SMMC-7721 cells. Four main active compounds of CKI (matrine, oxymatrine, sophoridine and N-methylcytisine) were confirmed by the integration of ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) with cell proliferation assays. The potential targets and pathways involved in the anti-HCC effects of CKI were predicted by a network pharmacology approach, and some of the crucial proteins and pathways were further validated by western blotting and metabolomics approaches. Our results indicated that CKI exerted anti-HCC effects via the key targets MMP2, MYC, CASP3, and REG1A and the key pathways of glycometabolism and amino acid metabolism. These results provide insights into the mechanism of CKI by combining quantitative analysis of components, network pharmacology and experimental validation.

High expression of Parkin predicts easier recurrence of patients with adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization

Aim: To investigate the clinical significance of E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin in patients with adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization after curative resection of hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Parkin expression of hepatocellular carcinomas was detected and its correlation with clinicopathological factors was analyzed with χ2 test. The significance of Parkin in prognosis and recurrence was analyzed with log-rank test and the Cox-regression model. Results: High expression of Parkin could result in lower recurrence-free survival rate instead of overall survival rate. Larger tumor size, positive tumor recurrence, advanced T, N, M and TNM stage were significantly associated with poorer prognosis. Larger tumor size, advanced T and TNM stage could lead to higher recurrence. Conclusion: High Parkin expression could predict easier recurrence to patients with adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization.

High expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is associated with intraneural invasion and unfavorable prognosis

AIM

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could promote the survival and differentiation of neural cells in peripheral and central nervous systems during development. Emerging evidences identified BDNF as an oncoprotein which could promotes progression and prognosis of tumors such as giloma, lung cancer and gastric cancer. We performed experiments to investigate the expression and clinical significance of BDNF in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The expression of BDNF and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was detected with immunohistochemistry in 96 patients with cholangiocarcinoma. The correlations between BDNF and the clinicopathologic factors were evaluated with Fisher test. The prognostic values of BDNF and VEGF were analyzed by the univariate analysis with Kaplan-Meier test and independent prognostic factor was identified by multivariate analysis with Cox-regression model. The effect of endogenous and exogenous BDNF on the invasion of IHCC cell line RBE was explored by transwell assay.

RESULTS

The percentage of high expression of BDNF was 35.96% (34/96). High expression of BDNF was significantly associated with positive intraneural invasion (P=0.012) and low overall survival rate (P=0.006). High expression of BDNF was identified as an independent prognostic factor in IHCC (P=0.032). With Matrigel transwell assay, we demonstrated that both endogenous and exogenous BDNF could promote the invasion of IHCC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

High expression BDNF was identified as an independent risk in IHCC indicating poorer prognosis. Both endogenous and exogenous BDNF could promote the invasion of IHCC cells, indicating that BNDF may promote IHCC invasion in a paracrine or autocrine pathway.

Role of Epithelial Cell Transforming Sequence 2 (ECT2) in Predicting Prognosis of Osteosarcoma

Background

Osteosarcoma is a major bone malignancy in children and young adults, and it is highly heterogeneous. The clinical outcome of osteosarcoma is individual-dependent due to different genetic and pathological profiles. Although chemotherapy in combination with surgery has significantly improved the survival of localized disease, the prognostic improvement for metastatic patients is less marked. ECT2 (epithelial cell transforming sequence 2) is a transforming protein that can interact with Rho-like proteins of the Ras family and has been proven as an ontogenetic protein in cancer cell lines. We studied the clinical significance of ECT2 in osteosarcoma and explored its underlying oncogenic mechanisms.

Material/Methods

The protein expression pattern of ECT2 in osteosarcoma was investigated by immunohistochemical staining, and its association with clinicopathological characteristics was initially explored. The significance of ECT2 in predicting patient prognosis was verified by univariate and multivariate analyzes. Cellular experiments were conducted to explore underlying mechanisms of ECT2 in regulating osteosarcoma progression.

Results

High ECT2 expression was correlated with tumor metastasis and poor overall survival of osteosarcoma patients. ECT2 promotes cell invasion by modulating EMT process.

Conclusions

ECT2 is an independent prognostic factor for osteosarcoma and it can upregulate the metastatic capacity of osteosarcoma cells.

Prognostic significance of stromal SMYD3 expression in colorectal cancer of TNM stage I-III

BACKGROUND

SET and MYND domain-containing protein 3 (SMYD3) is a histone methyltransferases and it promotes progression of many kinds of cancers including lung cancer, ovarian cancer and gastric cancer. In colorectal cancer (CRC), SMYD3 is proved to stimulate the proliferation of cancer cells, but the clinical significance of SMYD3 in CRC has not been elucidated.

METHODS

In our study, we detected the expression of SMYD3 in CRC samples in TNM stage I-III with immunohistochemistry. The correlation between the expression of SMYD3 and the clinicopathological factors was analyzed with Chi-square test. The survival curve was displayed by Kaplan-Meier test and the statistical difference of subgroups was analyzed with log-rank test. Independent prognostic factors were identified by the Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS

The percentage of high SMYD3 expression and low expression accounts for 47.98% and 52.02% respectively. High expression of SMYD3 was significantly associated with advance T stage (P=0.006) and lower survival rates (P=0.010), and it could be identified as an independent prognostic factor indicating unfavorable prognosis of patients with CRC (P=0.032, HR=1.98, 95% CI=1.06-3.70).

CONCLUSIONS

SMYD3 high-expression is a high risk for poorer prognosis of CRC in TNM stage I-III. Our findings suggested that detecting SMYD3 may help stratify patients by risk more preciously and help make the individual treatment strategy.