Aberrant expression of PDZ-binding kinase/T-LAK cell-originated protein kinase modulates the invasive ability of human pancreatic cancer cells via the stabilization of oncoprotein c-MYC

Comprehensive analysis of the potential pathogenesis of COVID-19 infection and liver cancer

BACKGROUND

A growing number of clinical examples suggest that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appears to have an impact on the treatment of patients with liver cancer compared to the normal population, and the prevalence of COVID-19 is significantly higher in patients with liver cancer. However, this mechanism of action has not been clarified.

AIM

To investigate the disease relevance of COVID-19 in liver cancer.

METHODS

Gene sets for COVID-19 (GSE180226) and liver cancer (GSE87630) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. After identifying the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of COVID-19 and liver cancer, functional enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction network construction and screening and analysis of hub genes were performed. Subsequently, the validation of the differential expression of hub genes in the disease was performed and the regulatory network of transcription factors and hub genes was constructed.

RESULTS

Of 518 common DEGs were obtained by screening for functional analysis. Fifteen hub genes including aurora kinase B, cyclin B2, cell division cycle 20, cell division cycle associated 8, nucleolar and spindle associated protein 1, etc., were further identified from DEGs using the "cytoHubba" plugin. Functional enrichment analysis of hub genes showed that these hub genes are associated with P53 signalling pathway regulation, cell cycle and other functions, and they may serve as potential molecular markers for COVID-19 and liver cancer. Finally, we selected 10 of the hub genes for in vitro expression validation in liver cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

Our study reveals a common pathogenesis of liver cancer and COVID-19. These common pathways and key genes may provide new ideas for further mechanistic studies.

Bruceine D and Narclasine inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells and the prediction of potential drug targets

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is one of the most common female malignancies. This study explored the underlying mechanism through which the two plant compounds (Brucaine D and Narclasine) inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of Brucaine D and Narclasine on breast cancer development and their potential drug targets.

METHODS

GSE85871 dataset containing 212 samples and the hallmark gene set "h.all.v2023.1.Hs.symbols.gmt" were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) database, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to classify clusters showing similar gene expression pattern. Single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was used to calculate the hallmark score for different drug treatment groups. The expressions of genes related to angiogenesis, glycolysis and cell cycle were detected. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was performed to study the interaction of the hub genes. Then, HERB database was employed to identify potential target genes for Narclasine and Bruceine D. Finally, in vitro experiments were conducted to validate partial drug-target pair.

RESULTS

PCA analysis showed that the significant changes in gene expression patterns took place in 6 drugs treatment groups (Narciclasine, Bruceine D, Japonicone A, 1beta-hydroxyalatolactone, Britanin, and four mixture drugs) in comparison to the remaining drug treatment groups. The ssGSEA pathway enrichment analysis demonstrated that Narciclasine and Bruceine treatments had similar enriched pathways, for instance, suppressed pathways related to angiogenesis, Glycolysis, and cell cycle, etc.. Further gene expression analysis confirmed that Narciclasine and Bruceine had a strong ability to inhibit these cell cycle genes, and that MYC, CHEK2, MELK, CDK4 and EZH2 were closely interacted with each other in the PPI analysis. Drug target prediction revealed that Androgen Receptor (AR) and Estrogen Receptor 1 (ESR1) were the targets for Bruceine D, and Cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme (CYP3A4) was the target for Narciclasine. Cell experiments also confirmed the connections between Narciclasine and CYP3A4.

CONCLUSION

The present study uncovered that Narciclasine and Bruceine D could inhibit the growth of breast cancer and also predicted the potential targets for these two drugs, providing a new therapeutic direction for breast cancer patients.

Xanthohumol inhibits non-small cell lung cancer via directly targeting T-lymphokine-activated killer cell-originated protein kinase

Xanthohumol is a principal prenylated chalcone isolated from hops. Previous studies have shown that xanthohumol was effective against various types of cancer, but the mechanisms, especially the direct targets for xanthohumol to exert an anticancer effect, remain elusive. Overexpression of T-lymphokine-activated killer cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK) promotes tumorigenesis, invasion and metastasis, implying the likely potential for targeting TOPK in cancer prevention and treatment. In the present study, we found that xanthohumol significantly inhibited the cell proliferation, migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo, which is well correlated with inactivating TOPK, evidenced by reduced phosphorylation of TOPK and its downstream signaling histone H3 and Akt, and decreased its kinase activity. Moreover, molecular docking and biomolecular interaction analysis showed that xanthohumol was able to directly bind to the TOPK protein, suggesting that TOPK inactivation by xanthohumol is attributed to its ability to directly interact with TOPK. The findings of the present study identified TOPK as a direct target for xanthohumol to exert its anticancer activity, revealing novel insight into the mechanisms underlying the anticancer activity of xanthohumol.

Safety and efficacy analysis of PD-1 inhibitors in combination with chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibodies in combination with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. Methods: The clinical data of 18 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who received anti-PD-1 antibody combined with chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Safety, objective response rate, disease control rate, progression-free survival and overall survival were analyzed. Results: One patient achieved a complete response, nine patients had a partial response, five patients had stable disease and three patients had progressive disease. Progression-free survival and overall survival were shown to be significantly prolonged in both PD-L1-positive and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) patients. Conclusion: Anti-PD-1 antibodies in combination with chemotherapy are safe and effective in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer.

PBK drives PARP inhibitor resistance through the TRIM37/NFκB axis in ovarian cancer

Resistance to PARP inhibitors (PARPi) remains a therapeutic challenge in ovarian cancer patients. PDZ-binding kinase (PBK) participates in the chemoresistance of many malignancies. However, the role of PBK in PARPi resistance of ovarian cancer is obscure. In the current study, we demonstrated that overexpression of PBK contributed to olaparib resistance in ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of PBK sensitized olaparib-resistant SKOV3 cells to olaparib. Inhibition of PBK using a specific inhibitor enhanced the therapeutic efficiency of olaparib. Mechanically, PBK directly interacted with TRIM37 to promote its phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. which subsequently activates the NFκB pathway. Additionally, PBK enhanced olaparib resistance of ovarian cancer by regulating the NFκB/TRIM37 axis in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, PBK confers ovarian cancer resistance to PARPi through activating the TRIM37-mediated NFκB pathway, and targeted inhibition of PBK provided the new therapy to improve PARPi treatment outcomes for ovarian cancer patients.

An enzyme implicated in tumor progression also helps cancers thwart a commonly used type of targeted drug therapy. Beihua Kong and colleagues from Shandong University, Jinan, China, showed how PDZ-binding kinase (PBK), an enzyme that promotes the proliferation and spread of cancer cells, activates a signaling pathway that renders tumors resistant to treatment with olaparib. This precision anti-cancer drug works by blocking a protein called PARP that normally helps cells repair damaged DNA. The researchers showed how PBK interacts with another protein to stimulate a transcription factor previously shown to reduce the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy. Blocking the activity of PBK, either pharmacologically or genetically, enhanced the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to olaparib. A similar drug strategy could help improve outcomes for cancer patients undergoing PARP inhibitor treatment.

Integrated bioinformatics analysis of potential biomarkers for pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer, particularly pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), is an aggressive malignancy associated with a low 5-year survival rate. Poor outcomes associated with PDA are attributable to late detection and inoperability. Most patients with PDA are diagnosed with locally advanced and metastatic disease. Such cases are primarily treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Because of the lack of effective molecular targets, early diagnosis and successful therapies are limited. The purpose of this study was to screen key candidate genes for PDA using a bioinformatic approach and to research their potential functional, pathway mechanisms associated with PDA progression. It may help to understand the role of associated genes in the development and progression of PDA and identify relevant molecular markers with value for early diagnosis and targeted therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To identify novel genes associated with carcinogenesis and progression of PDA, we analyzed the microarray datasets GSE62165, GSE125158, and GSE71989 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING, and module analysis was performed using Cytoscape. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was used to evaluate the differential expression of hub genes in patients with PDA. In addition, we verified the expression of these genes in PDA cell lines and normal pancreatic epithelial cells.

RESULTS

A total of 202 DEGs were identified and these were found to be enriched for various functions and pathways, including cell adhesion, leukocyte migration, extracellular matrix organization, extracellular region, collagen trimer, membrane raft, fibronectin-binding, integrin binding, protein digestion, and absorption, and focal adhesion. Among these DEGs, 12 hub genes with high degrees of connectivity were selected. Survival analysis showed that the hub genes (HMMR, CEP55, CDK1, UHRF1, ASPM, RAD51AP1, DLGAP5, KIF11, SHCBP1, PBK, and HMGB2) may be involved in the tumorigenesis and development of PDA, highlighting their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic factors in PDA.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the DEGs and hub genes identified in the present study not only contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the carcinogenesis and progression of PDA but may also serve as potential new biomarkers and targets for PDA.

An Integrative Pan-Cancer Analysis of PBK in Human Tumors

Background: PDZ binding kinase (PBK) is a serine/threonine kinase, which belongs to the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) family. It has been shown to be a critical gene in the regulation of mitosis and tumorigenesis, but the role of PBK in various cancers remains unclear. In this study, we systematically explored the prognostic and predictive value of PBK expression in 33 cancer types.

Methods: Public databases including the cBioPortal database, GDSC database, GTEx database, CCLE database, and TCGA database were used to detect the PBK expression and its association with the prognosis, clinicopathologic stage, TMB, MSI, immune microenvironment, immune checkpoints, immune cell infiltration, enrichment pathways, and IC50 across pan-cancer. The statistical analyses and visualization were conducted using R software.

Results: PBK expression is relatively high in most cancers compared to their normal counterparts, and this gene is barely expressed in normal tissues. High expression of PBK is significantly associated with poor prognosis and clinicopathologic stages I, II, and III in different cancers. Furthermore, PBK expression is strongly associated with TMB in 23 cancer types and associated with MSI in nine cancer types. Moreover, the correlation analysis of the microenvironment and immune cells indicated that PBK is negatively correlated with the immune infiltration levels but positively correlated with the infiltration levels of M0 and M1 macrophages, T cells CD4 memory activated, and T cells follicular helper. GSEA analysis revealed that the biological function or pathways relevant to the cell cycle and mitosis were frequently enriched at the level of high expression of PBK.

Conclusion: These results revealed the oncogenic role of PBK, which is significantly upregulated in various cancers and indicated poor prognosis and immune infiltration in multiple cancers. It also suggested that PBK may serve as a biomarker in multiple tumor progress and patient survival.

Establishment and validation of a prognostic signature for lung adenocarcinoma based on metabolism-related genes

Background

Given that dysregulated metabolism has been recently identified as a hallmark of cancer biology, this study aims to establish and validate a prognostic signature of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) based on metabolism-related genes (MRGs).

Methods

The gene sequencing data of LUAD samples with clinical information and the metabolism-related gene set were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB), respectively. The differentially expressed MRGs were identified by Wilcoxon rank sum test. Then, univariate cox regression analysis was performed to identify MRGs that related to overall survival (OS). A prognostic signature was developed by multivariate Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, the signature was validated in the GSE31210 dataset. In addition, a nomogram that combined the prognostic signature was created for predicting the 1-, 3- and 5-year OS of LUAD. The accuracy of the nomogram prediction was evaluated using a calibration plot. Finally, cox regression analysis was applied to identify the prognostic value and clinical relationship of the signature in LUAD.

Results

A total of 116 differentially expressed MRGs were detected in the TCGA dataset. We found that 12 MRGs were most significantly associated with OS by using the univariate regression analysis in LUAD. Then, multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied to construct the prognostic signature, which consisted of six MRGs-aldolase A (ALDOA), catalase (CAT), ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-2 (ENTPD2), glucosamine-phosphate N-acetyltransferase 1 (GNPNAT1), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), and thymidylate synthetase (TYMS). The prognostic value of this signature was further successfully validated in the GSE31210 dataset. Furthermore, the calibration curve of the prognostic nomogram demonstrated good agreement between the predicted and observed survival rates for each of OS. Further analysis indicated that this signature could be an independent prognostic indicator after adjusting to other clinical factors. The high-risk group patients have higher levels of immune checkpoint molecules and are therefore more sensitive to immunotherapy. Finally, we confirmed six MRGs protein and mRNA expression in six lung cancer cell lines and firstly found that ENTPD2 might played an important role on LUAD cells colon formation and migration.

Conclusions

We established a prognostic signature based on MRGs for LUAD and validated the performance of the model, which may provide a promising tool for the diagnosis, individualized immuno-/chemotherapeutic strategies and prognosis in patients with LUAD.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-01915-x.

PBK promotes aggressive phenotypes of cervical cancer through ERK/c-Myc signaling pathway

Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women worldwide. PDZ-binding kinase (PBK) is proven to promote the malignant behaviors of various carcinomas. However, its functional roles and oncogenic mechanisms in cervical cancer are poorly understood. In this study, we reported that PBK was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues. PBK promoted the proliferation, metastasis, and cisplatin resistance of cervical cancer cells. OTS514, a specific PBK inhibitor, could significantly suppress proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in a xenograft model. Besides, OTS514 could enhance cisplatin-based chemosensitivity in cervical cancer cells. Mechanistically, PBK promoted the expression and stabilization of c-Myc through phosphorylating ERK1/2. OTS514 suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and the transcriptional activity of c-Myc. Furthermore, inhibition of the ERK signal pathway by U0126 reversed the increased proliferation and metastasis induced by overexpression of PBK. Exogenous expression of c-Myc counteracted the decreased proliferation and metastasis evoked by knockdown of PBK. In conclusion, PBK promoted the malignant progression of cervical cancer through ERK/c-Myc signal pathway. PBK might be a promising molecular target for cervical cancer treatment.

TOPK mediates hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the invasion of nonsmall-cell lung cancer cells via the HIF-1α/snail axis

Hypoxia has been suggested to induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in various cancer types via the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α). Here, we demonstrated that TOPK upregulates EMT and the invasion of H460 nonsmall-cell lung cancer cells through the induction of the HIF-1α/Snail axis and hypoxic signaling. The expression of endogenous TOPK, phosphorylated TOPK, HIF-1α and Snail was significantly increased upon hypoxia exposure, but TOPK depletion markedly abrogated the induced mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α and Snail. Interestingly, TOPK knockdown restored the hypoxia-induced suppression of E-cadherin and diminished hypoxia-induced N-cadherin expression. In addition, Snail depletion suppressed hypoxia-induced N-cadherin expression, which was attenuated by TOPK knockdown. Moreover, knockdown of Snail decreased hypoxia-induced nonsmall-cell lung cancer cell migration and invasion, which were suppressed by TOPK depletion. In summary, we conclude that TOPK positively regulates HIF-1α expression through hypoxia signaling and thereby promotes Snail expression, leading to EMT and the invasion of nonsmall-cell lung cancer cells. These findings suggest that TOPK plays a critical role as a novel mediator of hypoxia signaling that regulates nonsmall-cell lung cancer development.

Endoscopic ultrasound may be used to deliver gene expression signatures using digital mRNA detection methods to immunophenotype pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to facilitate personalized immunotherapy

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

Biomarkers are increasingly required to molecularly characterize pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) subgroup populations, to determine who may benefit from immune based targeted therapy. We evaluated the feasibility of gene expression signature detection and the respective landscape of specific tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), cancer/testis (CT) antigens, and immune checkpoints for possible future personalized immunotherapy eligibility.

METHODS

Dedicated digital mRNA oncologic immune profiling of 770 genes using a Nanostring nCounter® PanCancer Immune Profiling Panel was performed using archived endoscopic ultrasound fine needle biopsy (EUS FNB) PDAC specimens as a case series in a tertiary care setting.

RESULTS

The spectrum of mRNA gene expression within the tumor specimens revealed that 44.8%, 10.0% and 50.7% of evaluated genes had a ≥ 2-fold increase, a ≤ 2-fold reduction or between <2 and >2 change of mRNA expression, when compared to normal controls. The corresponding landscape of TILs, CT antigens, and immune checkpoints highlighted several possibilities that could potentially be amenable to targeted personalized immunotherapy. This includes members of the Tumor Associated Macrophage family (CD68, CXCL5, and MARCO), members of the CT antigen family (PRAME, TTK and PBK) and the "second generation" checkpoints TIM3 and BTLA.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study represents the ability to successfully perform digital mRNA expression profile analyses to immunophenotype PDAC EUS FNB specimens by evaluating the expression of >730 genes within the tumor immune microenvironment. This may facilitate the search for novel therapeutic targets, offering the opportunity to go beyond immune monotherapy, but perhaps to use combined immunomodulatory agents.

PBK overexpression promotes metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma via activating ETV4-uPAR signaling pathway

Invasion and metastasis are the predominant causes of lethal outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the molecular mechanism underlying the invasive or metastatic process are still insufficiently understood. Here, we first integrated several public databases and identified a novel protein kinase, PDZ-binding kinase (PBK) that was frequently upregulated and correlated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Gain- or loss-of-function analysis revealed that PBK promoted migration and invasion of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, PBK enhanced uPAR expression by activating its promoter activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay showed that ETV4 directly bound to the core region of uPAR promoter while PBK could enhance the binding of ETV4 to uPAR promoter. In orthotopic mouse model, PBK knockdown markedly inhibited the lung metastasis of HCC cells, while this effect was significantly restored by uPAR overexpression. Finally, there was a positive correlation between PBK and uPAR, ETV4 and uPAR in HCC clinical samples. Collectively, these findings revealed that PBK acted as a crucial kinase by promoting invasion and migration via the ETV4-uPAR signaling pathway, and it therefore could be a promising diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC metastasis.

Synergistic inhibition of pancreatic cancer with anti-PD-L1 and c-Myc inhibitor JQ1

Human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits marginal responses to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy and its mechanism remains poorly understood. We have investigated the effect of anti-PD-L1 and c-Myc inhibition in PDAC. Using 87 patients with PDAC from our hospital database we found a significant correlation between the expression of PD-L1 and c-Myc. Moreover, the expression of both PD-L1 and c-Myc was associated with poor overall survival. In addition, we confirmed this finding with the PDAC patients in the TCGA database. Using several PDAC cell lines we demonstrated a significant correlation between the expression of PD-L1 and c-Myc. We also found that expression of PD-L1 correlated with high-grade histology. JQ1, an inhibitor of c-Myc inhibited PD-L1 expression and tumor growth. Using xenograft models, we demonstrated that the combination of JQ1 and anti-PD-L1 antibody exerted synergistic inhibition of PDAC growth. Our data demonstrated that the expression of PD-L1 and c-Myc may be helpful prognostic biomarkers, and their inhibition may potentially serve as an effective treatment for PDAC.

PBK, targeted by EVI1, promotes metastasis and confers cisplatin resistance through inducing autophagy in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma

High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) is the most lethal type of gynecologic malignancy. Chemoresistance is the main reason for the poor prognosis of HGSOC. PDZ-binding kinase (PBK) promotes the malignant progression of various carcinomas. However, the roles and clinical significance of PBK in HGSOC remain unclear. Here, we reported that PBK was overexpressed in HGSOC tissues and cell lines. High PBK expression was associated with a poor prognosis, metastasis, and cisplatin resistance of HGSOC. Overexpression of PBK promoted autophagy and enhanced cisplatin resistance via the ERK/mTOR signaling pathway. Further study showed that inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine or bafilomycin A1 reversed PBK-induced cisplatin resistance. Overexpression of PBK decreased ovarian cancer responsiveness to cisplatin treatment through inducing autophagy in vivo. We also demonstrated that the PBK inhibitor OTS514 augmented the growth inhibition effect of cisplatin in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, ecotropic viral integration site-1 (EVI1) could regulate PBK expression through directly targeting the PBK promoter region. In conclusion, high PBK expression was correlated with a poor prognosis, metastasis, and cisplatin resistance through promoting autophagy in HGSOC. PBK might be a promising target for the early diagnosis and individual treatment of ovarian cancer.