Immunogenetic Determinants of Susceptibility to Head and Neck Cancer in the Million Veteran Program Cohort

Increasing rates of human papillomavirus (HPV)-driven oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) have largely offset declines in tobacco-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) at non-OPC sites. Host immunity is an important modulator of HPV infection, persistence, and clearance, and also of immune evasion in both virally- and nonvirally-driven cancers. However, the association between collective known cancer-related immune gene variants and HNSCC susceptibility has not been fully characterized. Here, we conducted a genetic association study in the multiethnic Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program cohort, evaluating 16,050 variants in 1,576 immune genes in 4,012 HNSCC cases (OPC = 1,823; non-OPC = 2,189) and 16,048 matched controls. Significant polymorphisms were further examined in a non-Hispanic white (NHW) validation cohort (OPC = 1,206; non-OPC = 955; controls = 4,507). For overall HNSCC susceptibility in NHWs, we discovered and validated a novel 9q31.1 SMC2 association and replicated the known 6p21.32 HLA-DQ-DR association. Six loci/genes for overall HNSCC susceptibility were selectively enriched in African-Americans (6p21.32 HLA-G, 9q21.33 GAS1, 11q12.2 CD6, 11q23.2 NCAM1/CD56, 17p13.1 CD68, 18q22.2 SOCS6); all 6 genes function in antigen-presenting regulation and T-cell activation. Two additional loci (10q26 DMBT1, 15q22.2 TPM1) were uncovered for non-OPC susceptibility, and three loci (11q24 CRTAM, 16q21 CDH5, 18q12.1 CDH2) were identified for HPV-positive OPC susceptibility. This study underscores the role of immune gene variants in modulating susceptibility for both HPV-driven and non-HPV-driven HNSCC. Additional large studies, particularly in racially diverse populations, are needed to further validate the associations and to help elucidate other potential immune factors and mechanisms that may underlie HNSCC risk.

SIGNIFICANCE

Several inherited variations in immune system genes are significantly associated with susceptibility to head and neck cancer, which could help improve personalized cancer risk estimates.

Long Non-Coding RNA and mRNA Expression Analysis in Liver of Mice With Clonorchis sinensis Infection

Clonorchiasis is recognized as an important zoonotic parasitic disease worldwide. However, the roles of host long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in the response to Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) infection remain unknown. Here we compared the expression of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the liver tissue of mice infected with C. sinensis, in order to further understand the molecular mechanisms of clonorchiasis. A total of 388 lncRNAs and 1,172 mRNAs were found to be differentially expressed with absolute value of fold change (FC) ≥ 2.0 and p < 0.05 by microarray. Compared with controls, Gm6135 and 4930581F22Rik were the most over- and under-expressed lncRNAs; flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (Fmo3) and deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 (Dmbt1) were the most over- and under-expressed mRNAs. Moreover, functional annotation showed that the significantly different mRNAs were related with “FOXO signaling pathway”, “Wnt signaling pathway”, and “AMPK signaling pathway”. Remarkably, lncRNA Gm8801 were significantly correlated with mRNA glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase mitochondrial (Gpam), insulin receptor substrate 2 (Irs2), and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 19 (Tnfrsf19) in ceRNA networks. These results showed that the expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the liver changed after C. sinensis infection. Our results provided valuable insights into the lncRNAs and mRNAs involved in clonorchiasis pathogenesis, which may be useful for future control strategies.

Liver-specific over-expression of Cripto-1 in transgenic mice promotes hepatocyte proliferation and deregulated expression of hepatocarcinogenesis-related genes and signaling pathways

In this study, we investigated the role of embryonic gene Cripto-1 (CR-1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using hepatocyte-specific CR-1-overexpressing transgenic mice. The expression of truncated 1.7-kb CR-1 transcript (SF-CR-1) was significantly higher than the full-length 2.0-kb CR-1 transcript (FL-CR-1) in a majority of HCC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, CR-1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in HCC tissues than adjacent normal liver tissues. Hepatocyte-specific over-expression of CR-1 in transgenic mice enhanced hepatocyte proliferation after 2/3 partial hepatectomy (2/3 PHx). CR-1 over-expression significantly increased in vivo xenograft tumor growth of HCC cells in nude mice and in vitro HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. CR-1 over-expression in the transgenic mouse livers deregulated HCC-related signaling pathways such as AKT, Wnt/β-catenin, Stat3, MAPK/ERK, JNK, TGF-β and Notch, as well as expression of HCC-related genes such as CD5L, S100A8, S100A9, Timd4, Orm2, Orm3, PDK4, DMBT1, G0S2, Plk2, Plk3, Gsta1 and Gsta2. However, histological signs of precancerous lesions, hepatocyte dysplasia or HCC formation were not observed in the livers of 3-, 6- or 8-month-old hepatocyte-specific CR-1-overexpressing transgenic mice. These findings demonstrate that liver-specific CR-1 overexpression in transgenic mice deregulates signaling pathways and genes associated with HCC.

Significance of DMBT1 in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Concurrent With Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Background

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) concurrent with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) was associated with a better clinical prognosis. This study aimed to investigate a potential mRNA gene that affects the development of PTC, which helps PTC concurrent with HT patients have a better prognosis.

Material/Methods

PTC data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. And the validation data of tissue specimens were collected from Guangzhou First People’s Hospital. The thyroid tissue sections were hybridized with deleted in malignant brain tumor 1 (DMBT1) probes by situ hybridization. Survival rates were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves, and the log-rank test was used to compare group survival rates. Prognosis clinicopathological factors were analyzed by Cox regression. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Gene and Genomic Encyclopedia (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). Finally, the correlation of deletion in DMBT1 expression with overall immune status, tumor purity, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene expression profile was analyzed.

Results

HT was significantly associated with sex, tumor foci, extrathyroidal extension (ETE), residual tumor, and tumor stage (T stage). Moreover, PTC concurrent with HT had a lower risk of recurrence versus non-HT groups. A total of 136 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs) were identified between HT and non-HT groups. Among them, the expression level of DMBT1 in HT groups was statistically higher than that in non-HT groups. A significant association with ETE and recurrence was revealed in the high expression and the low expression of DMBT1. Furthermore, DMBT1 was an independent predictor of survival. The overall immune activity of high expression of DMBT1 was higher than that of the low-expression group.

Conclusions

The PTC patients with HT had better behavior features and prognosis than those with simple PTC. DMBT1 in PTC-HT patients was a potential possible factor that inhibits tumors. High expression of DMBT1 may improve PTC prognosis by immune-related pathways.

Dynamic Changes of Urine Proteome in Rat Models Inoculated with Two Different Hepatoma Cell Lines

Urine can accumulate systemic changes with no mechanism to be stable, which may reflect early changes associated with physiological or pathophysiological processes. To explore the potential value of the urine proteome, two rat models were established by intrahepatic injection of two different hepatoma cell lines, CBRH-7919 and RH-35. Urine samples were collected and analyzed. Compared with controls, the two models exhibited different numbers and types of differentially expressed urinary proteins despite having similar histological results. The results were compared with the urine proteome of a Walker 256 (W-256) liver tumor model. The differentially expressed urinary protein patterns in the three models were different. These findings demonstrate that changes in the urine proteomes of the two models can be detected at early stages and that the patterns of differentially expressed urinary proteins can differ even when the histological results are similar. Urinary proteins have potential utility for distinguishing among different tumor cells grown in the same organ.

Protein Deimination and Extracellular Vesicle Profiles in Antarctic Seabirds

Pelagic seabirds are amongst the most threatened of all avian groups. They face a range of immunological challenges which seem destined to increase due to environmental changes in their breeding and foraging habitats, affecting prey resources and exposure to pollution and pathogens. Therefore, the identification of biomarkers for the assessment of their health status is of considerable importance. Peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) post-translationally convert arginine into citrulline in target proteins in an irreversible manner. PAD-mediated deimination can cause structural and functional changes in target proteins, allowing for protein moonlighting in physiological and pathophysiological processes. PADs furthermore contribute to the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which play important roles in cellular communication. In the present study, post-translationally deiminated protein and EV profiles of plasma were assessed in eight seabird species from the Antarctic, representing two avian orders: Procellariiformes (albatrosses and petrels) and Charadriiformes (waders, auks, gulls and skuas). We report some differences between the species assessed, with the narrowest EV profiles of 50-200 nm in the northern giant petrel Macronectes halli, and the highest abundance of larger 250-500 nm EVs in the brown skua Stercorarius antarcticus. The seabird EVs were positive for phylogenetically conserved EV markers and showed characteristic EV morphology. Post-translational deimination was identified in a range of key plasma proteins critical for immune response and metabolic pathways in three of the bird species under study; the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, south polar skua Stercorarius maccormicki and northern giant petrel. Some differences in Gene Ontology (GO) biological and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways for deiminated proteins were observed between these three species. This indicates that target proteins for deimination may differ, potentially contributing to a range of physiological functions relating to metabolism and immune response, as well as to key defence mechanisms. PAD protein homologues were identified in the seabird plasma by Western blotting via cross-reaction with human PAD antibodies, at an expected 75 kDa size. This is the first study to profile EVs and to identify deiminated proteins as putative novel plasma biomarkers in Antarctic seabirds. These biomarkers may be further refined to become useful indicators of physiological and immunological status in seabirds-many of which are globally threatened.

The protective role of DMBT1 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

To explore the possible influence of deleted in malignant brain tumor 1 (DMBT1) in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). DMBT1 expression was detected by Real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry in CSCC and adjacent normal tissues from 167 CSCC patients, and its relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis was analyzed. Besides, the in vitro experiments, including MTT, Cell-Light EdU, Wound-healing, Transwell invasion, Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, qRT-PCR, and Western blot, were performed in SiHa and CaSKi cells, which were both divided into Blank, Vector, and DMBT1 groups. The mRNA level and the positive expression rate of DMBT1 in CSCC tissues were lower than the adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, DMBT1 positive rate was linked to FIGO stage, tumor diameter, lymph node metastasis, and tumor differentiation of CSCC. Besides, patients with positive DMBT1 expression had higher 5-year survival rate than those negative ones. According to the in vitro experiments, SiHa and CaSKi cells with overexpressed DMBT1 showed the inhibition of proliferative ability and the enhancement of apoptosis with the upregulated pro-apoptosis proteins (Bax and Cleaved caspase-3) and down-regulated anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2. Moreover, compared with Blank group, DMBT1 group presented decrease in the migration and invasion of SiHa and CaSKi cells with the down-expression of interstitial markers (N-cadherin and Vimentin) and the up-expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin. DMBT1 was decreased in CSCC, whereas its overexpression can not only inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion, but induce the apoptosis of human CSCC cells, being a novel strategy for CSCC treatment.

Expression of PDK-1 and DMBT1 in the thyroid carcinoma and its clinicopathological significance

This study was designed to explore the expression of phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK-1), deleted in malignant brain tumors (DMBT1) in the thyroid carcinoma. A total of 87 fresh samples of thyroid carcinoma from surgical resection in The Second People's Hospital of Lianyungang from June 2016 to March 2018 were collected for the ELISA to detect the protein expression of PDK-1 and DMBT1. Then the pathological significance of the expression of PDK-1 and DMBT1 in the thyroid carcinoma and the correlation between them were analyzed, using the ROC curve to study the diagnostic value of each index. The expression of PDK-1 in the thyroid carcinoma tissue was significantly higher than that in the normal thyroid tissue with a statistical difference between them (P<0.05); the expression of DMBT1 in the thyroid carcinoma was statistically significantly lower than that in the normal thyroid tissue (P<0.05); the PDK-1 and DMBT1 expressions were in negative correlation in the thyroid carcinoma (r=−0.889, P<0.001). The AUG, specificity and the sensitivity of the PDK-1 in diagnosing the thyroid carcinoma were 0.862, 86.21% and 78.16%, respectively; the AUG, specificity and the sensitivity of the DMBT1 in diagnosing the thyroid carcinoma were 0.708, 66.67% and 67.82%, respectively; while the AUG, the specificity and the sensitivity of the combination of PDK-1 and DMBT1 in diagnosing the thyroid carcinoma were 0.888, 89.66% and 81.61%. In conclusion, the occurrence and progression of the thyroid carcinoma were related to the high expression of the PDK-1 and the low expression of the DMBT1 in the thyroid carcinoma tissues, the two of which were in connection with factors involving lymph node metastasis, pathological type, neoplasm staging, and clinical staging. Thus, the combined detection of PDK-1 and DMBT1 could be used as an effective index to determine the occurrence of thyroid carcinoma.

DMBT1 involvement in the human aortic endothelial cell response to Streptococcus mutans

Streptococcus mutans is a causative organism of dental caries and has been reported to be associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous studies have demonstrated that S. mutans invades human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) and HAECs invaded by S. mutans produce higher levels of CVD-related cytokines than non-invaded HAECs. DMBT1 (deleted in malignant brain tumors 1), also known as salivary agglutinin or gp-340, belongs to the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich superfamily. DMBT1 is expressed in epithelial and non-epithelial tissues and has multiple functions. The interaction between S. mutans and DMBT1 has been demonstrated in cariogenesis, but DMBT1 involvement in CVD has not been examined. In this study, we investigated DMBT1 expression in HAECs stimulated with S. mutans and examined the role of DMBT1 in the interaction between S. mutans and HAECs. All of the tested S. mutans strains induced higher production levels of DMBT1 in HAECs than those in unstimulated HAECs. More S. mutans cells adhered to DMBT1 knock down HAECs than to DMBT1-producing HAECs. Invasion of DMBT1 knock down HAECs by S. mutans was stronger than that of DMBT1-producing HAECs, and externally added DMBT1 reduced bacterial invasion. Cytokine production by DMBT1 knock down HAECs by S. mutans stimulation was higher than that by DMBT1-producing HAECs. These phenomena seemed to be due to the effect of released DMBT1, namely, the inhibition of bacterial adherence to HAECs by DMBT1. These results suggest that DMBT1 plays a protective role against the S. mutans-induced CVD process in HAECs.

Long non-coding RNA CRNDE promotes gallbladder carcinoma carcinogenesis and as a scaffold of DMBT1 and C-IAP1 complexes to activating PI3K-AKT pathway

Deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 (DMBT1) is deleted during cancer progression and as a potential tumor-suppressor gene in various types of cancer. However, its role in Gallbladder cancer remains poorly understood. DMBT1 has low-expression and deletion of copy number were detected in normal tissues and GBC cancer tissues by qRT-PCR. Knockdown of DMBT1 increased migration and invasion and overexpressed DMBT1 impaired migration and invasion in GBC cells. We also evaluated the molecular mechanism of DMBT1 by RNA sequencing and GSEA analysis. RNA-Pulldown and RIP assay authenticated CRNDE can specified binding with DMBT1 and c-IAP1. Downregulation of DMBT1 resulted in significant change of gene expression (at least 2-fold) in PI3K-AKT pathway, increased expression of MMP-9, JUK-1, ERK and AKT, activating PI3K-AKT pathway lead to GBC carcinogenesis.We for the first time reported, DMBT1 as a prognosis biomarker, is low-expressed in GBC tumors, and CRNDE act as a scaffold to recruit the DMBT1 and c-IAP1, promotes the PI3K-AKT pathway. Our study reveals DMBT1 may be an important contributor to GBC cancer development.

Innate immunity related pathogen recognition receptors and chronic hepatitis B infection

Innate immunity consists of several kinds of pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs), which participate in the recognition of pathogens and consequently activation of innate immune system against pathogens. Recently, several investigations reported that PRRs may also play key roles in the induction/stimulation of immune system related complications in microbial infections. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), as the main cause of viral hepatitis in human, can induce several clinical forms of hepatitis B and also might be associated with hepatic complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on the important roles of PRRs in the eradication of microbial infections including viral infections and their related complications, it appears that the molecules may be a main part of immune responses against viral infections including HBV and participate in the HBV related complications. Thus, this review article has brought together information regarding the roles of PRRs in immunity against HBV and its complications.

Reveal the molecular signatures of hepatocellular carcinoma with different sizes by iTRAQ based quantitative proteomics

Tumor size of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a key parameter for predicting prognosis of HCC patients. The biological behaviors of HCC, such as tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis are significantly associated with tumor size. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we applied iTRAQ-based proteomic strategy to analyze the proteome differences among small, media, large and huge primary HCC tissues. In brief,88 proteins in small HCC, 69 proteins in media HCC, 118 proteins in large HCC and 215 proteins in huge HCC, were identified by comparing the proteome of cancerous tissues with its corresponding non-cancerous tissues. Further analysis of dysregulated proteins involved in signaling revealed that alteration of ERK1/2 and AKT signaling played important roles in the tumorigenesis or tumor growth in all subtypes. Interestingly, alteration of specific signaling was discovered in small and huge HCC, which might reflect specific molecular mechanisms of tumor growth. Furthermore, the dysregulation degree of a group of proteins has been confirmed to be significantly correlated with the tumor size; these proteins might be potential targets for studying tumor growth of HCC. Overall, we have revealed the molecular signatures of HCC with different tumor sizes, and provided fundamental information for further in-depth study.

BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

In this study, we compared the protein expression profiles among different HCC subtypes, including small HCC, media HCC, large HCC and huge HCC for the first time. The results clearly proved that different molecular alterations and specific signaling pathways were indeed involved in different HCC subtypes, which might explain the different malignancy biological behaviors. In addition, the dysregulation degree of a group of proteins has been confirmed to be significantly correlated with the tumor size. We believe that these findings would help us better understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of the tumorigenesis and development of HCC.

Dmbt1 does not affect a Western style diet-induced liver damage in mice

In the last three decades the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has markedly increased. Results from epidemiologic studies indicate that not only a general overnutrition but rather a diet rich in sugar, fat and cholesterol (= Western style diet) maybe a risk factor for the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Concerning liver diseases, it is known that Deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 is amongst others related to liver injury and repair. In addition Deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 seems to play a role in regard to the maintenance of the intestinal homeostasis and the regulation of food intake. Starting from this background the aim of the present study was to investigate if Dmbt1 plays a role in Western style diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice. Dmbt1^+/+ and Dmbt1^−/− mice were fed a Western style diet or control diet ad libitum for 12 weeks. Both Western style diet fed groups gained significant more weight than the controls and developed a mild non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The presence/absence of functional Deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 had no effect on parameters like food intake, weight gain, fasting glucose, and liver damage. These results suggest that Deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 plays a minor part on the development of a diet-induced liver damage in mice.