Frequency of ALK and GD2 Expression in Neuroblastoma

Immunohistochemical expression of anaplastic lymphoma kinase in neuroblastoma and its relations with some clinical and histopathological features

BACKGROUND

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations have been identified as a prominent cause of some familial and sporadic neuroblastoma (NB). ALK expression in NB and its relationship with clinical and histopathological features remains controversial. This study investigated ALK expression and its potential relations with these features in NB.

METHODS

Ninety cases of NB at the Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam from 01/01/2018 to 12/31/2021, were immunohistochemically stained with ALK (D5F3) antibody. The ALK expression and its relations with some clinical and histopathological features were investigated.

RESULTS

The rate of ALK expression in NB was 91.1%. High ALK expression (over 50% of tumor cells were positive with moderate-strong intensity) accounted for 65.6%, and low ALK expression accounted for 34.4%. All the MYCN-amplified NB patients had ALK immunohistochemistry positivity, most cases had high ALK protein expression. The undifferentiated subtype of NB had a lower ALK-positive rate than the poorly differentiated and differentiated subtype. The percentages of ALK positivity were significantly higher in more differentiated histological types of NB (p = .024). There was no relation between ALK expression and: age group, sex, primary tumor location, tumor stage, MYCN status, clinical risk, Mitotic-Karyorrhectic Index, prognostic group, necrosis, and calcification.

CONCLUSIONS

ALK was highly expressed in NB. ALK expression was not related to several clinical and histopathological features. More studies are needed to elucidate the association between ALK expression and ALK gene status and to investigate disease progression, especially the oncogenesis of ALK-positive NB.

Variant rs8400 enhances ALKBH5 expression through disrupting miR-186 binding and promotes neuroblastoma progression

Objective

AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) has been proven to be closely related to tumors. However, the role and molecular mechanism of ALKBH5 in neuroblastomas have rarely been reported.

Methods

The potential functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ALKBH5 were identified by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) dbSNP screening and SNPinfo software. TaqMan probes were used for genotyping. A multiple logistic regression model was used to evaluate the effects of different SNP loci on the risk of neuroblastoma. The expression of ALKBH5 in neuroblastoma was evaluated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), plate colony formation and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to compare cell migration and invasion. Thermodynamic modelling was performed to predict the ability of miRNAs to bind to ALKBH5 with the rs8400 G/A polymorphism. RNA sequencing, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) sequencing, m6A methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) and a luciferase assay were used to identify the targeting effect of ALKBH5 on SPP1.

Results

ALKBH5 was highly expressed in neuroblastoma. Knocking down ALKBH5 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells. miR-186-3p negatively regulates the expression of ALKBH5, and this ability is affected by the rs8400 polymorphism. When the G nucleotide was mutated to A, the ability of miR-186-3p to bind to the 3'-UTR of ALKBH5 decreased, resulting in upregulation of ALKBH5. SPP1 is the downstream target gene of the ALKBH5 oncogene. Knocking down SPP1 partially restored the inhibitory effect of ALKBH5 downregulation on neuroblastoma. Downregulation of ALKBH5 can improve the therapeutic efficacy of carboplatin and etoposide in neuroblastoma.

Conclusions

We first found that the rs8400 G>A polymorphism in the m6A demethylase-encoding gene ALKBH5 increases neuroblastoma susceptibility and determines the related mechanisms. The aberrant regulation of ALKBH5 by miR-186-3p caused by this genetic variation in ALKBH5 promotes the occurrence and development of neuroblastoma through the ALKBH5-SPP1 axis.

The biological role and immunotherapy of gangliosides and GD3 synthase in cancers

Gangliosides are a large subfamily of glycosphingolipids that broadly exist in the nervous system and interact with signaling molecules in the lipid rafts. GD3 and GD2 are two types of disialogangliosides (GDs) that include two sialic acid residues. The expression of GD3 and GD2 in various cancers is mostly upregulated and is involved in tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and immune responses. GD3 synthase (GD3S, ST8SiaI), a subclass of sialyltransferases, regulates the biosynthesis of GD3 and GD2. GD3S is also upregulated in most tumors and plays an important role in the development and progression of tumors. Many clinical trials targeting GD2 are ongoing and various immunotherapy studies targeting gangliosides and GD3S are gradually attracting much interest and attention. This review summarizes the function, molecular mechanisms, and ongoing clinical applications of GD3, GD2, and GD3S in abundant types of tumors, which aims to provide novel targets for future cancer therapy.

Combined Detection of Copy Number Variations of MYCN and ALK using Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction to Identify High-Risk Patients with Neuroblastoma

OBJECTIVE

The current study sought to explore the significance of copy number variations (CNVs) of MYCN (v-myc myelocytomatosis viral related oncogene, neuroblastoma derived [avian]) and ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) genes individually as well as their combined impact on clinical outcome and overall survival of patients with neuroblastoma (NB).

METHODS

A total 71 individuals including healthy controls (n = 11), circulating DNA (n = 11), and primary tumors (n = 49) were evaluated to detect CNVs of MYCN and ALK genes using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Data were correlated with univariate and multivariate survival analysis.

RESULTS

CNVs of MYCN and ALK were detected in 27% and 18.2% from circulating DNA samples. A statistically significant difference in CNVs was noted between healthy controls and circulating DNA samples for MYCN (P = 0.001) and ALK (P = 0.004) genes. Further, we noted >70% concordance in CNVs of MYCN (P = 0.030) and ALK (P = 0.040) from primary tumors and concordant plasma samples of patients with NB. Multivariate survival analysis for disease-free survival (P = 0.031) and overall survival (P = 0.011) showed that CNVs of both genes emerged at step 1 and thus remained as significant markers for predicting early recurrence and shorter survival, respectively, for patients with NB.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that the analysis of circulating DNA by droplet digital polymerase chain reaction is a helpful technique to identify high-risk patients for aggressive therapy at an early stage of disease. We also concluded that codetection of MYCN and ALK is a more powerful tool for identifying high-risk patients with NB. Thus, this study showed a novel coordinately significant prognostic role of MYCN and ALK CNVs.

Targeted elimination of myeloid-derived suppressor cells via regulation of the STAT pathway alleviates tumor immunosuppression in neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma (NB) has high morality rates and is the most common malignant tumor found in children. High aggregation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment results in immunosuppression and affects therapeutic effectiveness. At present, doxorubicin (DOX) and dopamine (DA) are the specific drugs used to selectively remove or mature MDSCs. The aim of the present study was to explore the feasibility and underlying mechanism of targeting elimination of MDSCs via DOX or DA administration to alleviate tumor immunosuppression in NB. In the present study, a BALB/c tumor-bearing mouse model was established, and mice were grouped into the control, DOX2.5, DOX5 and DA50 mg/kg groups. DOX or DA were injected intravenously on days 7 and 12 after inoculation, following which the parameters related to the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway in MDSCs, the proportion of MDSCs, T cell infiltration, programmed death-1 (PD-1) on the surface of T cells, the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs), polarization of tumor-related macrophages (TAMs) and tumor growth were compared between the groups on days 14, 17 and 23 after inoculation. The results demonstrated that following DOX or DA administration, STAT1/phosphorylated (p)-STAT1 decreased, whereas STAT3/p-STAT3, STAT5/p-STAT5 and STAT6/p-STAT6 increased, which was accompanied by a decrease in the MDSC proportion in each experimental group. Simultaneously, T cell infiltration in tumors was increased, whereas expression of PD-1, the number of Tregs, TAM polarization and tumor growth were inhibited. The most significant findings were observed in the DOX2.5 mg/kg group. To conclude, low dose DOX or DA administration could effectively regulate the STAT pathway to eliminate MDSCs, alleviate immunosuppression and improve the immune response against NB tumor cells.

METTL14 Gene Polymorphisms Confer Neuroblastoma Susceptibility: An Eight-Center Case-Control Study

Neuroblastoma is the primary cause of cancer death in childhood. METTL14 is tightly linked to cancer. However, whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the METTL14 gene could predispose to neuroblastoma susceptibility lacks evidence. With an epidemiology case-control study, associations between METTL14 gene SNPs and overall risk for neuroblastoma were estimated in 898 cases and 1,734 controls. Following that, stratified analysis was performed. Among the five analyzed SNPs, rs298982 G>A and rs62328061 A>G exhibited a significant association with decreased susceptibility to neuroblastoma, whereas the associations with increased neuroblastoma susceptibility were observed for rs9884978 G>A and rs4834698 T>C. Moreover, subjects carrying two to five risk genotypes were more inclined to develop neuroblastoma than those with zero to one risk genotypes. The stratified analysis further demonstrated the protective effect of rs298982 G>A and rs62328061 A>G, as well as the predisposing effect of rs4834698 T>C and two to five risk genotypes, in certain subgroups. Haplotype analysis was performed. Moreover, false-positive report probability analysis validated the reliability of the significant results. The expression quantitative trait locus analysis revealed that rs298982 is correlated with the expression levels of its surrounding genes. Our results suggest that some SNPs in the METTL14 gene are associated with predisposition to neuroblastoma.

Association between METTL3 gene polymorphisms and neuroblastoma susceptibility: A nine-centre case-control study

Neuroblastoma ranks as the most commonly seen and deadly solid tumour in infancy. The aberrant activity of m6 A-RNA methyltransferase METTL3 is involved in human cancers. Therefore, functional genetic variants in the METTL3 gene may contribute to neuroblastoma risk. In the current nine-centre case-control study, we aimed to analyse the association between the METTL3 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and neuroblastoma susceptibility. We genotyped four METTL3 gene SNPs (rs1061026 T>G, rs1061027 C>A, rs1139130 A>G, and rs1263801 G>C) in 968 neuroblastoma patients and 1814 controls in China. We found significant associations between these SNPs and neuroblastoma risk in neither single-locus nor combined analyses. Interestingly, in the stratified analysis, we observed a significant risk association with rs1061027 AA in subgroups of children ≤ 18 months of age (adjusted OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.03-3.41, P = .040) and females (adjusted OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.07-3.24, P = .028). Overall, we identified a significant association between METTL3 gene rs1061027 C>A polymorphism and neuroblastoma risk in children ≤18 months of age and females. Our findings provide novel insights into the genetic determinants of neuroblastoma.

LIN28A gene polymorphisms modify neuroblastoma susceptibility: A four-centre case-control study

Neuroblastoma ranks the most common seen solid tumour in childhood. Overexpression of LIN28A gene has been linked to the development of multiple human malignancies, but the relationship between LIN28A single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and neuroblastoma susceptibility is still under debate. Herein, we evaluated the correlation of four potentially functional LIN28A SNPs (rs3811464 G>A, rs3811463 T>C, rs34787247 G>A, and rs11247957 G>A) and neuroblastoma susceptibility in 505 neuroblastoma patients and 1070 controls from four independent hospitals in China. The correlation strengths were determined by using odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Among these SNPs, rs34787247 G>A exhibited a significant association with increased susceptibility in neuroblastoma (GA vs GG: adjusted OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.03-1.64; AA vs GG: adjusted OR = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.36-4.64, AA/GA vs GG: adjusted OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.12-1.80, AA vs GG/GA: adjusted OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 1.29-4.42). Furthermore, the combined analysis of risk genotypes revealed that subjects carrying three risk genotypes (adjusted OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.02-2.63) are more inclined to develop neuroblastoma than those without risk genotype, and so do carriers of 1-4 risk genotypes (adjusted OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.01-1.56). Stratification analysis further revealed risk effect of rs3811464 G>A, rs34787247 G>A and 1-4 risk genotypes in some subgroups. Haplotype analysis of these four SNPs yields two haplotypes significantly correlated with increased neuroblastoma susceptibility. Overall, our finding indicated that LIN28A SNPs, especially rs34787247 G>A, may increase neuroblastoma risk.