Homeodomain-containing gene 10 contributed to breast cancer malignant behaviors by activating Interleukin-6/Janus kinase 2/Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway

HOXC10 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by targeting FOXA3 and indicates poor survival outcome

Background

Esophageal cancer is one of the most unknown and deadliest cancers in the world. Although recent studies have identified some mutations linked to the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (ESCC), the specific role of HomeoboxC10 (HOXC10) in the pathogenesis still requires further investigation.

Methods

Agilent mRNA single-channel gene expression was employed to identify genome-wide gene signatures in ESCC. These signatures were also verified using qRT-PCR, immunohistochemical staining as well as Western blot. The biological functions of HOXC10 were further investigated through cellular studies conducted on ESCC cells. Survival analysis was conducted utilizing the Kaplan-Meier method. The GEPIA database and the STRING website were utilized to predict the potential targets that bind to HOXC10. Co-immunoprecipitation assays were performed to investigate the binding interaction between HOXC10 and Forkhead Box A3 (FOXA3). Animal models were established to analyze the effects of HOXC10 silencing on tumorigenesis in vivo.

Results

The expression levels of HOXC10 mRNA were found to be upregulated in ESCC. Survival analysis revealed a significant association between abnormally elevated levels of HOXC10 mRNA and an unfavorable prognosis in patients with ESCC. In vitro studies revealed that the knockdown of HOXC10 expression resulted in the inhibition of the proliferation, invasion, and migrating ability of ESCC cells through the upregulation of FOXA3. Furthermore, tumor-bearing mouse models studies demonstrated that HOXC10 through knockdown techniques significantly suppressed ESCC tumor growth. HOXC10 was found to enhance the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway by regulating FOXA3 in ESCC cells.

Conclusion

These results support a key role for HOXC10 in the tumorigenesis of ESCC by upregulating FOXA3 via the MAPK pathway and highlight its potential as a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker for ESCC.

Cuproptosis/ferroptosis-related gene signature is correlated with immune infiltration and predict the prognosis for patients with breast cancer

Background: Breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality, and the prognosis is still unsatisfactory. Both ferroptosis and cuproptosis are apoptosis-independent cell deaths caused by the imbalance of corresponding metal components in cells and can affect the proliferation rate of cancer cells. The aim in this study was to develop a prognostic model of cuproptosis/ferroptosis-related genes (CFRGs) to predict survival in BRCA patients. Methods: Transcriptomic and clinical data for breast cancer patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Cuproptosis and ferroptosis scores were determined for the BRCA samples from the TCGA cohort using Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA), followed by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) to screen out the CFRGs. The intersection of the differentially expressed genes grouped by high and low was determined using X-tile. Univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used in the TGCA cohort to identify the CFRG-related signature. In addition, the relationship between risk scores and immune infiltration levels was investigated using various algorithms, and model genes were analyzed in terms of single-cell sequencing. Finally, the expression of the signature genes was validated with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT‒PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: A total of 5 CFRGs (ANKRD52, HOXC10, KNOP1, SGPP1, TRIM45) were identified and were used to construct proportional hazards regression models. The high-risk groups in the training and validation sets had significantly worse survival rates. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was positively correlated with the risk score. Conversely, Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) and tumor purity were inversely associated with risk scores. In addition, the infiltration degree of antitumor immune cells and the expression of immune checkpoints were lower in the high-risk group. In addition, risk scores and mTOR, Hif-1, ErbB, MAPK, PI3K/AKT, TGF-β and other pathway signals were correlated with progression. Conclusion: We can accurately predict the survival of patients through the constructed CFRG-related prognostic model. In addition, we can also predict patient immunotherapy and immune cell infiltration.

The role of IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in cancers

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in immune regulation. It can activate janus kinase 2 (JAK2)-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway. As one of the important signal transduction pathways in cells, JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway plays a critical role in cell proliferation and differentiation by affecting the activation state of downstream effector molecules. The activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway is involved in tumorigenesis and development. It contributes to the formation of tumor inflammatory microenvironment and is closely related to the occurrence and development of many human tumors. This article focuses on the relationship between IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and liver cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer, hoping to provide references for the research of cancer treatment targeting key molecules in IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition in clear cell renal cell carcinoma metastasis by downregulating the NF-κB pathway

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma, the most common type of renal cancer, is associated with poor survival. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 regulates the molecular mechanisms of cancer cells. However, its mechanism in clear cell renal cell carcinoma remains unclear. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunohistochemistry were performed to assess ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 expression in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma samples. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 was weakly expressed in clear cell renal cell carcinoma samples and associated with poor patient outcomes. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 inhibition promoted clear cell renal cell carcinoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 overexpression inhibited clear cell renal cell carcinoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. RNA-sequencing showed significant changes in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related pathways following ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 knockdown. Western blotting was performed to detect the protein expression levels. Expression of p-nuclear factor-κB p65, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail, which were markedly increased, as well as E-cadherin, which was decreased following ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 knockdown. Rescue experiments using the nuclear factor-κB inhibitor BAY 11–7082 revealed that the migration and invasion abilities and the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway proteins were inhibited in both the short hairpin RNA (shRNA) for ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 and shRNA for negative control groups. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2 is a potential biomarker to distinguish clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients from healthy individuals. Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2-mediated inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells is dependent on the nuclear factor-κB pathway.