Higher levels of antibodies to the tumour-associated antigen cyclin B1 in cancer-free individuals than in patients with breast cancer

In silico analysis revealed the potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulative network of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

BACKGROUND

The primary source of death in the world is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, NSCLCs pathophysiology is still not completely understood. The current work sought to study the differential expression of mRNAs involved in NSCLC and their interactions with miRNAs and circRNAs.

METHODS

We utilized three microarray datasets (GSE21933, GSE27262, and GSE33532) from the GEO NCBI database to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in NSCLC. We employed DAVID Functional annotation tool to investigate the underlying GO biological process, molecular functions, and KEGG pathways involved in NSCLC. We performed the Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, MCODE, and CytoHubba analysis from Cytoscape software to identify the significant DEGs in NSCLC. We utilized miRnet to anticipate and build interaction between miRNAs and mRNAs in NSCLC and ENCORI to predict the miRNA-circRNA relationships and build the ceRNA regulatory network. Finally, we executed the gene expression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to validate the significant DEGs in the ceRNA network utilizing TCGA NSCLC and GEPIA data.

RESULTS

We revealed a total of 156 overlapped DEGs (47 upregulated and 109 downregulated genes) in NSCLC. The PPI network, MCODE, and CytoHubba analysis revealed 12 hub genes (cdkn3, rrm2, ccnb1, aurka, nuf2, tyms, kif11, hmmr, ccnb2, nek2, anln, and birc5) that are associated with NSCLC. We identified that these 12 genes encode 12 mRNAs that are strongly linked with 8 miRNAs, and further, we revealed that 1 circRNA was associated with this 5 miRNA. We constructed the ceRNAs network that contained 1circRNA-5miRNAs-7mRNAs. The expression of these seven significant genes in LUAD & LUSC (NSCLC) was considerably higher in the TCGA database than in normal tissues. Kaplan-Meier survival plot reveals that increased expression of these hub genes was related to a poor survival rate in LUAD.

CONCLUSION

Overall, we developed a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulation network to study the probable mechanism of NSCLC.

Antibodies as biomarkers for cancer risk: a systematic review

Increasing evidence has linked the humoral immune response with the development of various cancers. Therefore, there is growing interest in investigating the predictive value of antibodies to assess overall and tissue site-specific cancer risk. Given the large amount of antibody types and the broad scope of the search (i.e. cancer risk), the primary aim of this systematic review was to present an overview of the most researched antibodies (i.e. immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes (IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE), tumour and self-antigen-reactive antibodies, infection-related antibodies) in relation to overall and site-specific cancer risk. We identified various antibody types that have been associated with the risk of cancer. While no significant associations were found for IgM serum levels, studies found an inconsistent association among IgE, IgA, and IgG serum levels in relation to cancer risk. When evaluating antibodies against infectious agents, most studies reported a positive link with specific cancers known to be associated with the specific agent recognized by serum antibodies (i.e. helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer, hepatitis B virus and hepatocellular carcinoma, and human papillomavirus and cervical cancer). Several reports identified autoantibodies, as single biomarkers (e.g. anti-p53, anti-MUC1, and anti-CA125) but especially in panels of multiple autoantibodies, to have potential as diagnostic biomarkers for specific cancer types. Overall, there is emerging evidence associating certain antibodies to cancer risk, especially immunoglobulin isotypes, tumour-associated antigen-specific, and self-reactive antibodies. Further experimental studies are necessary to assess the efficacy of specific antibodies as markers for the early diagnosis of cancer.

Identification of 5 Hub Genes Related to the Early Diagnosis, Tumour Stage, and Poor Outcomes of Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Bioinformatics Analysis

BACKGROUND

The majority of primary liver cancers in adults worldwide are hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs, or hepatomas). Thus, a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms for the pathogenesis and carcinogenesis of HCC at the molecular level could facilitate the development of novel early diagnostic and therapeutic treatments to improve the approaches and prognosis for HCC patients. Our study elucidates the underlying molecular mechanisms of HBV-HCC development and progression and identifies important genes related to the early diagnosis, tumour stage, and poor outcomes of HCC.

METHODS

GSE55092 and GSE121248 gene expression profiling data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. There were 119 HCC samples and 128 nontumour tissue samples. GEO2R was used to screen for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Volcano plots and Venn diagrams were drawn by using the ggplot2 package in R. A heat map was generated by using Heatmapper. By using the clusterProfiler R package, KEGG and GO enrichment analyses of DEGs were conducted. Through PPI network construction using the STRING database, key hub genes were identified by cytoHubba. Finally, KM survival curves and ROC curves were generated to validate hub gene expression.

RESULTS

By GO enrichment analysis, 694 DEGs were enriched in the following GO terms: organic acid catabolic process, carboxylic acid catabolic process, carboxylic acid biosynthetic process, collagen-containing extracellular matrix, blood microparticle, condensed chromosome kinetochore, arachidonic acid epoxygenase activity, arachidonic acid monooxygenase activity, and monooxygenase activity. In the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, DEGs were enriched in arachidonic acid epoxygenase activity, arachidonic acid monooxygenase activity, and monooxygenase activity. By PPI network construction and analysis of hub genes, we selected the top 10 genes, including CDK1, CCNB2, CDC20, BUB1, BUB1B, CCNB1, NDC80, CENPF, MAD2L1, and NUF2. By using TCGA and THPA databases, we found five genes, CDK1, CDC20, CCNB1, CENPF, and MAD2L1, that were related to the early diagnosis, tumour stage, and poor outcomes of HBV-HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Five abnormally expressed hub genes of HBV-HCC are informative for early diagnosis, tumour stage determination, and poor outcome prediction.

Twenty Years After Glioblastoma Multiforme Diagnosis: A Case of Long-Term Survival

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive tumor that has a poor prognosis with a median survival of 15 months with treatment and 3-4 months without treatment. Subsets of patients are found to survive longer than two years, some survivors lived more than 10 years, and rare cases survived 20 years or more with treatment. Better prognosis has been found to be associated with many factors. Some of these factors are related to patients' characteristics, biological factors that impact tumor aggressiveness, and/or factors associated with treatment. However, the exact contribution for extended survival is still not known. Finding the factors that have a strong impact on the long survival is of high importance and can help give hope to better treat glioblastoma cases. In this report, we present a case of a glioblastoma patient who was diagnosed at the age of 47 years with more than 20-year survival. We further discuss the suggested factors that may have contributed to a better prognosis with a focus on the possible role of varicella-zoster infection in mediating long-term survival.

Identification of key genes and biological pathways in lung adenocarcinoma via bioinformatics analysis

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Our study identified key LUAD genes and their potential mechanism via bioinformatics analysis of public datasets. GSE10799, GSE40791, and GSE27262 microarray datasets were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The RobustRankAggreg package was used to perform a meta-analysis, and 50 upregulated genes and 87 downregulated genes overlapped in three datasets. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Furthermore, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were built by the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) and 22 core genes were identified by Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) and visualized with Cytoscape. Subsequently, these core genes were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier Plotter and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). The results showed that all 22 genes were significantly associated with reduced survival rates. For GEPIA, the expression of only one gene was not significantly different between LUAD tissues and normal tissues. A KEGG pathway enrichment reanalysis of the 21 genes identified five key genes (CCNB1, BUB1B, CDC20, TTK, and MAD2L1) in the cell cycle pathway. Finally, the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) website was used to explore the relationship between these key genes and certain drugs. Based on the bioinformatics analysis, five key genes were identified in LUAD, and drugs closely associated these genes can provide clues for the treatment and prognosis of LUAD.

A squalamine derivative, NV669, as a novel PTP1B inhibitor: in vitro and in vivo effects on pancreatic and hepatic tumor growth

NV669 is an aminosterol derived from squalamine found to possess strong anticancer effects. The aim of this study was to investigate NV669’s beneficial effects on human pancreatic and hepatic cancer models and to decipher the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in tumor growth decrease upon treatment with NV669.

Pancreatic (BxPC3, MiaPaCa-2) and hepatic (HepG2, Huh7) cancer cells were treated with NV669, and the effects recorded on proliferation, cell cycle and death. Results showed that NV669 inhibited the viability of cancer cells, induced cell cycle arrest and subsequently promoted apoptosis. This was accompanied by a decrease in the expression of cyclin B1 and phosphorylated Cdk1 and by a cleavage of pro-apoptotic caspase-8 and PARP-1. Taken together, our studies showed that NV669 inhibits the proliferation of pancreatic and hepatic cancer cells through the regulation of G2/M phase transition via the cyclin B1-Cdk1 complex.

In vitro NV669 inhibits PTP1B activity and FAK expression. NV669 impacts on the expression of adhesion molecules CDH-1, -2 and -3 in BxPC3 and Huh7 lines that form cell monolayers. Consecutively NV669 induces cell detachment. This suggests that NV669 by inhibiting PTP1B induces cell detachment and apoptosis.

Subsequently, our in vivo results showed that NV669 inhibited the growth of pancreatic and hepatic tumor xenografts with a significant cell cycle arrest in pre-mitotic phase and an increase of tumor cell apoptosis. Therefore, NV669 may serve as an alternative anticancer agent, used alone or in association with other medications, for the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Regulating the CCNB1 gene can affect cell proliferation and apoptosis in pituitary adenomas and activate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role and potential regulatory mechanisms of cyclin B1 (CCNB1) in the proliferation, apoptosis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pituitary adenomas. A total of 24 specimens were included in the present study. The expression levels of CCNB1 protein in two normal pituitary and 22 pituitary adenoma tissues were determined by western blotting. CCNB1 was knocked-down by lentiviral-mediated infection of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in GH3 and MMQ cell lines. The proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of GH3 and MMQ cell lines were detected using a Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometer. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was utilized to detect the expression level of CCNB1 gene and EMT markers. In the present study, resveratrol (RES) was used as an inhibitor of CCNB1. The protein expression level of CCNB1 in pituitary adenomas was higher than that in normal pituitary tissue, as assessed by western blot analysis. In addition, the expression level of CCNB1 in invasive pituitary adenomas was higher when comparing invasive pituitary adenomas and non-invasive pituitary adenomas. Knockdown of CCNB1 resulted in significant decreases in cell viability and proliferation, arrested cell cycle at the G₂/M phase and increased apoptosis. In addition, knockdown of CCNB1 significantly decreased the expression levels of the mesothelial cell marker N-cadherin (P<0.001), but significantly increased the expression levels of the epithelial cell markers E-cadherin (P<0.01) and p120-catenin (P<0.001). Further analyses identified that RES inhibited the expression level of CCNB1, and RES treatment exhibited a similar effect as CCNB1 shRNA infection. The present study suggested that suppressing the expression level of CCNB1 could regulate the proliferation and apoptosis of pituitary tumor cells and alter the expression level of various EMT markers. In addition, RES treatment could be used as an inhibitor of CCNB1. The present study also identified the molecular mechanisms underlying CCNB1 role in EMT.

Prognostic role of cyclin B1 in solid tumors: a meta-analysis

Cyclin B1 is a key mitotic cyclin in the G2-M phase transition of the cell cycle and is overexpressed in various malignant tumors. Numerous studies have reported contradictory evidences of the correlation between cyclin B1 expression and prognosis in human solid tumors. To address this discrepancy, we conducted a meta-analysis with 17 published studies searched from PubMed and Medline. Cyclin B1 overexpression was significantly associated with poor 3-year overall survival (OS) (OR = 2.05, 95% CI = 1.20 to 3.50, P = 0.009) and 5-year OS (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.33 to 3.36, P = 0.002) of solid tumors. Subgroup analysis revealed that elevated cyclin B1 expression was associated with worse prognosis of lung cancer and esophageal cancer but better prognosis of colorectal cancer. In summary, overexpression of cyclin B1 is correlated with poor survival in most solid tumors, which suggests that the expression status of cyclin B1 is a significant prognostic parameter in solid tumors.

Human Tumor Antigens Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The question of whether human tumors express antigens that can be recognized by the immune system has been answered with a resounding YES. Most were identified through spontaneous antitumor humoral and cellular immune responses found in cancer patients and include peptides, glycopeptides, phosphopeptides, viral peptides, and peptides resulting from common mutations in oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes, or common gene fusion events. Many have been extensively tested as candidates for anticancer vaccines. More recently, attention has been focused on the potentially large number of unique tumor antigens, mutated neoantigens, that are the predicted products of the numerous mutations revealed by exome sequencing of primary tumors. Only a few have been confirmed as targets of spontaneous immunity and immunosurveillance, and even fewer have been tested in preclinical and clinical settings. The field has been divided for a long time on the relative importance of shared versus mutated antigens in tumor surveillance and as candidates for vaccines. This question will eventually need to be answered in a head to head comparison in well-designed clinical trials. One advantage that shared antigens have over mutated antigens is their potential to be used in vaccines for primary cancer prevention. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(5); 347-54. ©2017 AACR.

Transplantation of iPS-Derived Tumor Cells with a Homozygous MHC Haplotype Induces GRP94 Antibody Production in MHC-Matched Macaques

Immune surveillance is a critical component of the antitumor response in vivo, yet the specific components of the immune system involved in this regulatory response remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that autoantibodies can mitigate tumor growth in vitro and in vivo We generated two cancer cell lines, embryonal carcinoma and glioblastoma cell lines, from monkey-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) carrying a homozygous haplotype of major histocompatibility complex (MHC, Mafa in Macaca fascicularis). To establish a monkey cancer model, we transplanted these cells into monkeys carrying the matched Mafa haplotype in one of the chromosomes. Neither Mafa-homozygous cancer cell line grew in monkeys carrying the matched Mafa haplotype heterozygously. We detected in the plasma of these monkeys an IgG autoantibody against GRP94, a heat shock protein. Injection of the plasma prevented growth of the tumor cells in immunodeficient mice, whereas plasma IgG depleted of GRP94 IgG exhibited reduced killing activity against cancer cells in vitro These results indicate that humoral immunity, including autoantibodies against GRP94, plays a role in cancer immune surveillance. Cancer Res; 77(21); 6001-10. ©2017 AACR.

Cathepsin L knockdown enhances curcumin-mediated inhibition of growth, migration, and invasion of glioma cells

Curcumin can be used to prevent and treat cancer. However, its exact underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Cathepsin L, a lysosomal cysteine protease, is overexpressed in several cancer types. This study aimed to determine the role of cathepsin L in curcumin-mediated inhibition of growth, migration, and invasion of glioma cells. Results revealed that the activity of cathepsin L was enhanced in curcumin-treated glioma cells. Cathepsin L knockdown induced by RNA interference significantly promoted curcumin-induced cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest. The knockdown also inhibited the migration and invasion of glioma cells. Our results suggested that the inhibition of cathepsin L can enhance the sensitivity of glioma cells to curcumin. Therefore, cathepsin L may be a new target to enhance the efficacy of curcumin against cancers.

Humoral Immunity to Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein B in Patients With Breast Cancer and Matched Controls: Contribution of Immunoglobulin γ, κ, and Fcγ Receptor Genes

Increasing evidence implicates human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in the etiopathogenesis of breast cancer. Antibodies to this virus in patients with breast cancer have been reported, but no large-scale studies have been conducted to determine whether the antibody levels differ between patients and matched controls. Using specimens from a large (1712 subjects) multiethnic case-control study, we aimed to determine whether the levels of antibodies to the HCMV glycoprotein B (gB) differed between patients and controls and whether they were associated with particular immunoglobulin γ marker (GM), κ marker (KM), and Fcγ receptor (FcγR) genotypes. A combined analysis showed that anti-gB immunoglobulin G antibody levels were higher in healthy controls than in patients (P < .0001). Stratified analyses showed population-specific differences in the magnitude of anti-gB antibody responsiveness and in the contribution of particular GM, KM, and FcγR genotypes to these responses. These findings may have implications for HCMV-based immunotherapy against breast cancer and other HCMV-associated diseases.