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Wang S, Sun Y, Shao D, Pan Y, Gao X, Zhao P, Liu Q, Shang G, Shang W, Fu Z, Sun Y. High expression of serine protease inhibitor kazal type 1 predicts poor prognosis and promotes the progression and invasion of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Arch Oral Biol 2024; 164:106003. [PMID: 38781741 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.106003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the expression of serine protease inhibitor kazal type 1 (SPINK1) and its carcinogenic effect in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). DESIGN Initially, bioinformatics analysis was conducted using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus to compare SPINK1 mRNA expression between malignant and adjacent tissues. Subsequently, the impact of differential expression on survival and other clinical variables was examined. Additionally, histology microarray analysis was performed to assess SPINK1 protein expression in 35 cases of malignant and adjacent tissues. Finally, alterations in SPINK1 expression were evaluated to determine its biological phenotypes in OTSCC, including proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis. RESULTS OTSCC tissues exhibit higher levels of SPINK1 compared to surrounding cancerous tissues. Notably, increased SPINK1 expression correlates with the pathological N stage and independently predicts overall survival among patients with OTSCC. CONCLUSION Suppression of SPINK1 inhibited OTSCC cell proliferation, invasion, and motility while promoting apoptosis. These findings suggest that SPINK1 may serve as a prognostic biomarker as well as a potential therapeutic target for managing OTSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266021, China; Department of Stomatology, Huangdao District Central Hospital, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Yaping Sun
- Department of Stomatology, Huangdao District Central Hospital, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Dan Shao
- Department of Stomatology, Huangdao District Central Hospital, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Yunjie Pan
- Department of Stomatology, Huangdao District Central Hospital, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Xiaoyan Gao
- Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital of Huangdao District, Qingdao 266499,China
| | - Peng Zhao
- Department of Stomatology, Huangdao District Central Hospital, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Qiaoling Liu
- Department of Oncology, Huangdao District Central Hospital, Qingdao 266555, China
| | - Gaishuang Shang
- Department of Scientific Research, Qingdao East Sea Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Qingdao 266431, China
| | - Wei Shang
- Department of Stomatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Zhiguang Fu
- Department of Tumor Radiotherapy, Air Force Medical Center, PLA, Beijing 100142, China.
| | - Yong Sun
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266021, China.
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Lu F, Ott C, Bista P, Lu X. Three-Dimensional Structure of Novel Liver Cancer Biomarker Liver Cancer-Specific Serine Protease Inhibitor Kazal (LC-SPIK) and Its Performance in Clinical Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Diagnostics (Basel) 2024; 14:725. [PMID: 38611638 PMCID: PMC11011646 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14070725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
LC-SPIK is a liver cancer-specific isoform of Serine Protease Inhibitor Kazal and has been proposed as a new biomarker for the detection of HCC given its unique 3D structure, which differs from normal pancreatic SPIK. An ELISA technology based on its unique structure was developed to use LC-SPIK as an effective biomarker for the clinical diagnosis of HCC. AFP, the most widely used biomarker for HCC surveillance currently, suffers from poor clinical performance, especially in the detection of early-stage HCC. In one case-control study, which included 164 HCC patients and 324 controls, LC-SPIK had an AUC of 0.87 compared to only 0.70 for AFP in distinguishing HCC from liver disease controls (cirrhosis, HBV/HCV). LC-SPIK also performed significantly better than AFP for the 81 patients with early-stage HCC (BCLC stage 0 and A), with an AUC of 0.85 compared to only 0.61 for AFP. Cirrhosis is the major risk factor for HCC; about 80% of patients with newly diagnosed HCC have preexisting cirrhosis. LC-SPIK's clinical performance was also studied in HCC patients with viral and non-viral cirrhosis, including cirrhosis caused by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). In a total of 163 viral cirrhosis patients with 93 HCC patients (50 early-stage), LC-SPIK had an AUC of 0.85, while AFP had an AUC of 0.70. For patients with early-stage HCC, LC-SPIK had a similar AUC of 0.83, while AFP had an AUC of only 0.60. For 120 patients with nonviral cirrhosis, including 62 HCC (23 early-stage) patients, LC-SPIK had an AUC of 0.84, while AFP had an AUC of only 0.72. For the 23 patients with early-stage HCC, LC-SPIK had a similar AUC of 0.83, while the AUC for AFP decreased to 0.65. All these results suggest that LC-SPIK exhibits significantly better performance in the detection of HCC than AFP in all etiologies of liver diseases. In addition, LC-SPIK accurately detected the presence of HCC in 71-91% of HCC patients with false-negative AFP test results in viral-associated HCC and non-viral-associated HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Xuanyong Lu
- ImCare Biotech, 3805 Old Easton Road, Doylestown, PA 18902, USA; (F.L.); (C.O.); (P.B.)
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Man KF, Zhou L, Yu H, Lam KH, Cheng W, Yu J, Lee TK, Yun JP, Guan XY, Liu M, Ma S. SPINK1-induced tumor plasticity provides a therapeutic window for chemotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7863. [PMID: 38030644 PMCID: PMC10687140 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43670-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor lineage plasticity, considered a hallmark of cancer, denotes the phenomenon in which tumor cells co-opt developmental pathways to attain cellular plasticity, enabling them to evade targeted therapeutic interventions. However, the underlying molecular events remain largely elusive. Our recent study identified CD133/Prom1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors to mark proliferative tumor-propagating cells with cancer stem cell-like properties, that follow a dedifferentiation trajectory towards a more embryonic state. Here we show SPINK1 to strongly associate with CD133 + HCC, and tumor dedifferentiation. Enhanced transcriptional activity of SPINK1 is mediated by promoter binding of ELF3, which like CD133, is found to increase following 5-FU and cisplatin treatment; while targeted depletion of CD133 will reduce both ELF3 and SPINK1. Functionally, SPINK1 overexpression promotes tumor initiation, self-renewal, and chemoresistance by driving a deregulated EGFR-ERK-CDK4/6-E2F2 signaling axis to induce dedifferentiation of HCC cells into their ancestral lineages. Depleting SPINK1 function by neutralizing antibody treatment or in vivo lentivirus-mediated Spink1 knockdown dampens HCC cancer growth and their ability to resist chemotherapy. Targeting oncofetal SPINK1 may represent a promising therapeutic option for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki-Fong Man
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lei Zhou
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Hong Kong, China
- Precision Medicine Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huajian Yu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ka-Hei Lam
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Degradation, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Yu
- Institute of Digestive Disease and The Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Terence K Lee
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jing-Ping Yun
- Department of Pathology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Centre, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin-Yuan Guan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Clinical Oncology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ming Liu
- Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Modification and Degradation, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Stephanie Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
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Caviglia GP, Nicolosi A, Abate ML, Carucci P, Rosso C, Rolle E, Armandi A, Aneli S, Olivero A, Risso A, Ribaldone DG, Fermer C, Saracco GM, Gaia S, Bugianesi E. Liver Cancer-Specific Isoform of Serine Protease Inhibitor Kazal for the Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results from a Pilot Study in Patients with Dysmetabolic Liver Disease. Curr Oncol 2022; 29:5457-5465. [PMID: 36005169 PMCID: PMC9406939 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol29080431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Reliable non-invasive biomarkers for the surveillance of patients at risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development represent an unmet medical need. Recently, the liver-cancer-specific isoform of serine protease inhibitor Kazal (LC-SPIK) has been proposed as a valuable biomarker for the detection of HCC in patients with chronic liver disease of viral etiology. In the present study, we assessed the diagnostic accuracy of LC-SPIK, alone or in combination with standard serologic biomarkers (i.e., alpha-fetoprotein and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II, PIVKA-II), for the detection of HCC among patients with dysmetabolic liver disease. A total of 120 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), including 62 patients with a diagnosis of HCC and 58 with cirrhosis but without tumor, were retrospectively analyzed. The serum levels of LC-SPIK were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ImCare Biotech, Doylestown, PA). The serum LC-SPIK values were significantly different between patients with HCC (24.3, 17.6−39.8 ng/mL) and those with cirrhosis but without tumor (11.7, 8.7−18.2 ng/mL) (p < 0.001). By receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, we observed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.841 for the detection of HCC; the combination with PIVKA-II further increased the accuracy to AUC = 0.926 (cross-validation). The promising results observed in the present pilot study foster additional research to investigate the usefulness of LC-SPIK for the stratification of the risk of HCC development in patients with NAFLD and advanced liver disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gian Paolo Caviglia
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-11-633-3922
| | - Aurora Nicolosi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Maria Lorena Abate
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Patrizia Carucci
- Gastroenterology Unit, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Torino, Italy; (P.C.); (E.R.); (A.R.); (S.G.)
| | - Chiara Rosso
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Emanuela Rolle
- Gastroenterology Unit, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Torino, Italy; (P.C.); (E.R.); (A.R.); (S.G.)
| | - Angelo Armandi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Serena Aneli
- Department of Sciences of Public Health and Pediatrics, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy;
| | - Antonella Olivero
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
| | - Alessandra Risso
- Gastroenterology Unit, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Torino, Italy; (P.C.); (E.R.); (A.R.); (S.G.)
| | - Davide Giuseppe Ribaldone
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
- Gastroenterology Unit, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Torino, Italy; (P.C.); (E.R.); (A.R.); (S.G.)
| | | | - Giorgio Maria Saracco
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
- Gastroenterology Unit, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Torino, Italy; (P.C.); (E.R.); (A.R.); (S.G.)
| | - Silvia Gaia
- Gastroenterology Unit, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Torino, Italy; (P.C.); (E.R.); (A.R.); (S.G.)
| | - Elisabetta Bugianesi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Torino, Italy; (A.N.); (M.L.A.); (C.R.); (A.A.); (A.O.); (D.G.R.); (G.M.S.); (E.B.)
- Gastroenterology Unit, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza, 10126 Torino, Italy; (P.C.); (E.R.); (A.R.); (S.G.)
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Nagel F, Palm GJ, Geist N, McDonnell TCR, Susemihl A, Girbardt B, Mayerle J, Lerch MM, Lammers M, Delcea M. Structural and Biophysical Insights into SPINK1 Bound to Human Cationic Trypsin. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073468. [PMID: 35408828 PMCID: PMC8998336 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) The serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) inhibits trypsin activity in zymogen granules of pancreatic acinar cells. Several mutations in the SPINK1 gene are associated with acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). The most common variant is SPINK1 p.N34S. Although this mutation was identified two decades ago, the mechanism of action has remained elusive. (2) SPINK1 and human cationic trypsin (TRY1) were expressed in E. coli, and inhibitory activities were determined. Crystals of SPINK1-TRY1 complexes were grown by using the hanging-drop method, and phases were solved by molecular replacement. (3) Both SPINK1 variants show similar inhibitory behavior toward TRY1. The crystal structures are almost identical, with minor differences in the mutated loop. Both complexes show an unexpected rotamer conformation of the His63 residue in TRY1, which is a member of the catalytic triad. (4) The SPINK1 p.N34S mutation does not affect the inhibitory behavior or the overall structure of the protein. Therefore, the pathophysiological mechanism of action of the p.N34S variant cannot be explained mechanistically or structurally at the protein level. The observed histidine conformation is part of a mechanism for SPINK1 that can explain the exceptional proteolytic stability of this inhibitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Nagel
- Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; (F.N.); (N.G.); (A.S.)
| | - Gottfried J. Palm
- Synthetic and Structural Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; (G.J.P.); (B.G.); (M.L.)
| | - Norman Geist
- Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; (F.N.); (N.G.); (A.S.)
| | - Thomas C. R. McDonnell
- Biochemical Engineering Department, University College London, Bernard Katz, London WC1E 6BT, UK;
| | - Anne Susemihl
- Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; (F.N.); (N.G.); (A.S.)
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Internal Medicine C, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Britta Girbardt
- Synthetic and Structural Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; (G.J.P.); (B.G.); (M.L.)
| | - Julia Mayerle
- Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximillian University Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany;
| | - Markus M. Lerch
- Department of Medicine A, University Medicine Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany;
| | - Michael Lammers
- Synthetic and Structural Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; (G.J.P.); (B.G.); (M.L.)
| | - Mihaela Delcea
- Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany; (F.N.); (N.G.); (A.S.)
- Correspondence:
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Kim EY, Cha YJ, Lee SH, Jeong S, Choi YJ, Moon DH, Lee S, Chang YS. Early lung carcinogenesis and tumor microenvironment observed by single-cell transcriptome analysis. Transl Oncol 2021; 15:101277. [PMID: 34800916 PMCID: PMC8605359 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tregs lead immune-evasive TME of early lung cancer of never smoker. Depletion of γδT and NK cells and infiltration of B cells begins in early TME. Early lung cancer cells were characterized by dysregulated surfactant pathway. CAFs show enrichment of gene sets that inhibit vascular formation. In tumor tissue, tip-like endothelial cells begin to be replaced with immature ones.
With the increasing interest in health screening with chest CT Ground-glass nodule (GGN) has become one of the common lung lesions encountered in daily medical practice. Because lung adenocarcinoma in the form of GGN is an ideal model for studying early lung carcinogenesis, 11 GGN and normal lung specimens from 6 never smoker patients were studied by single-cell RNA sequencing. Lung cancer cells showed enrichment of gene sets related to small vesicle processing and surfactant homeostasis compared to non-malignant lung epithelial cells, suggesting the dysregulation of surfactant pathway may be involved in early lung carcinogenesis. Along with cancer-associated fibroblasts showing enrichment of gene sets involved in negative regulation of protein kinase activity and negative regulation of endothelial cell proliferation, tumor microenvironment (TME) was dominated by infiltration of TNFRSF4+/TNFRSF18+/CTLA4+ regulatory T cells (Treg) and depletion of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (TC) and γδTC. Majority of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue B cells (BCs) and follicular BCs were detected within tumor tissue, which was associated with CXCL13 overexpressed in intratumoral Tregs and CD4+ memory TCs. Coordination of components of the TME towards immune evasion is governed by Tregs from the onset of lung cancer, requiring unremitting efforts to target and overcome them. This provision of information on changes in cancer cell-specific biomarkers and TME using early lung cancer from never smokers will provide new insight into early lung carcinogenesis and useful targets for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun Young Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Jin Cha
- Department of Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Hoon Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sukin Jeong
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Jun Choi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Duk Hwan Moon
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungsoo Lee
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Soo Chang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Hammerl D, Martens JWM, Timmermans M, Smid M, Trapman-Jansen AM, Foekens R, Isaeva OI, Voorwerk L, Balcioglu HE, Wijers R, Nederlof I, Salgado R, Horlings H, Kok M, Debets R. Spatial immunophenotypes predict response to anti-PD1 treatment and capture distinct paths of T cell evasion in triple negative breast cancer. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5668. [PMID: 34580291 PMCID: PMC8476574 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25962-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Only a subgroup of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) responds to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). To better understand lack of response to ICI, we analyze 681 TNBCs for spatial immune cell contextures in relation to clinical outcomes and pathways of T cell evasion. Excluded, ignored and inflamed phenotypes can be captured by a gene classifier that predicts prognosis of various cancers as well as anti-PD1 response of metastatic TNBC patients in a phase II trial. The excluded phenotype, which is associated with resistance to anti-PD1, demonstrates deposits of collagen-10, enhanced glycolysis, and activation of TGFβ/VEGF pathways; the ignored phenotype, also associated with resistance to anti-PD1, shows either high density of CD163+ myeloid cells or activation of WNT/PPARγ pathways; whereas the inflamed phenotype, which is associated with response to anti-PD1, revealed necrosis, high density of CLEC9A+ dendritic cells, high TCR clonality independent of neo-antigens, and enhanced expression of T cell co-inhibitory receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dora Hammerl
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - John W M Martens
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mieke Timmermans
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Smid
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Renée Foekens
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Olga I Isaeva
- Division of Tumor Biology & Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Molecular Oncology & Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Leonie Voorwerk
- Division of Tumor Biology & Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hayri E Balcioglu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rebecca Wijers
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Iris Nederlof
- Division of Tumor Biology & Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Roberto Salgado
- Department of Pathology, GZA-ZNA Ziekenhuizen, Antwerp, Belgium
- Division of Research, Peter Mac Callum Cancer Center, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Hugo Horlings
- Division of Tumor Biology & Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marleen Kok
- Division of Tumor Biology & Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Reno Debets
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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Liver Cancer-Specific Serine Protease Inhibitor Kazal Is a Potentially Novel Biomarker for the Early Detection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Clin Transl Gastroenterol 2021; 11:e00271. [PMID: 33512798 PMCID: PMC7685967 DOI: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Liver cancer-secreted serine protease inhibitor Kazal (LC-SPIK) is a protein that is specifically elevated in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We assessed the performance of LC-SPIK in detecting HCC, including its early stages, in patients with cirrhosis, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS We enrolled 488 patients, including 164 HCC patients (81 early HCC) and 324 controls in a blinded, prospective, case-control study. Serum LC-SPIK levels were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based assay. The performance of serum LC-SPIK and α-fetoprotein (AFP), including area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity, are compared. The performance of LC-SPIK was evaluated in an independent validation cohort with 102 patients. RESULTS In distinguishing all HCC patients from those with cirrhosis and chronic HBV/HCV, LC-SPIK had an AUC of 0.87, with 80% sensitivity and 90% specificity using a cutoff of 21.5 ng/mL. This is significantly higher than AFP, which had an AUC of 0.70 and 52% sensitivity and 86% specificity using a standard cutoff value of 20.0 ng/mL. For early-stage HCC (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage 0 and A), LC-SPIK had an AUC of 0.85, with 72% sensitivity and 90% specificity, compared with AFP, which had an AUC of 0.61, with 42% sensitivity and 86% specificity. In addition, LC-SPIK accurately detected the presence of HCC in more than 70% of HCC patients with false-negative AFP results. DISCUSSION The study provided strong evidence that LC-SPIK detects HCC, including early-stage HCC, with high sensitivity and specificity, and might be useful for surveillance in cirrhotic and chronic HBV/HCV patients, who are at an elevated risk of developing HCC.
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Chen TJ, Tian YF, Chou CL, Chan TC, He HL, Li WS, Tsai HH, Li CF, Lai HY. High SPINK4 Expression Predicts Poor Outcomes among Rectal Cancer Patients Receiving CCRT. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 28:2373-2384. [PMID: 34202399 PMCID: PMC8293060 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol28040218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Background: Patients with rectal cancer can prospectively be favored for neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) to downstage before a radical proctectomy, but the risk stratification and clinical outcomes remain disappointing. Methods: From a published rectal cancer transcriptome dataset (GSE35452), we highlighted extracellular matrix (ECM)-linked genes and identified the serine protease inhibitor Kazal-type 4 (SPINK4) gene as the most relevant among the top 10 differentially expressed genes associated with CCRT resistance. We accumulated the cases of 172 rectal cancer patients who received neoadjuvant CCRT followed by surgery and collected tumor specimens for the evaluation of the expression of SPINK4 using immunohistochemistry. Results: The results revealed that high SPINK4 immunoexpression was significantly related to advanced pre-CCRT and post-CCRT tumor status (both p < 0.001), post-CCRT lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001), more vascular and perineurial invasion (p = 0.015 and p = 0.023), and a lower degree of tumor regression (p = 0.001). In univariate analyses, high SPINK4 immunoexpression was remarkably correlated with worse disease-specific survival (DSS) (p < 0.0001), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) (p = 0.0017), and metastasis-free survival (MeFS) (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, in multivariate analyses, high SPINK4 immunoexpression remained independently prognostic of inferior DSS and MeFS (p = 0.004 and p = 0.002). Conclusion: These results imply that high SPINK4 expression is associated with advanced clinicopathological features and a poor therapeutic response among rectal cancer patients undergoing CCRT, thus validating the prospective prognostic value of SPINK4 for those patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Ju Chen
- Department of Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (T.-J.C.); (H.-L.H.); (W.-S.L.); (H.-H.T.)
- Department of Medical Technology, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan 717, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Feng Tian
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (Y.-F.T.); (C.-L.C.)
| | - Chia-Lin Chou
- Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (Y.-F.T.); (C.-L.C.)
| | - Ti-Chun Chan
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan;
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 704, Taiwan
| | - Hong-Lin He
- Department of Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (T.-J.C.); (H.-L.H.); (W.-S.L.); (H.-H.T.)
- Department of Optometry, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan 717, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Shan Li
- Department of Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (T.-J.C.); (H.-L.H.); (W.-S.L.); (H.-H.T.)
- Department of Medical Technology, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan 717, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hwa Tsai
- Department of Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (T.-J.C.); (H.-L.H.); (W.-S.L.); (H.-H.T.)
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan;
| | - Chien-Feng Li
- Department of Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (T.-J.C.); (H.-L.H.); (W.-S.L.); (H.-H.T.)
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan;
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan 704, Taiwan
- Institute of Precision Medicine, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (C.-F.L.); (H.-Y.L.)
| | - Hong-Yue Lai
- Department of Pathology, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan; (T.-J.C.); (H.-L.H.); (W.-S.L.); (H.-H.T.)
- Department of Medical Research, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan;
- Correspondence: (C.-F.L.); (H.-Y.L.)
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10
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Barberis E, Vanella VV, Falasca M, Caneapero V, Cappellano G, Raineri D, Ghirimoldi M, De Giorgis V, Puricelli C, Vaschetto R, Sainaghi PP, Bruno S, Sica A, Dianzani U, Rolla R, Chiocchetti A, Cantaluppi V, Baldanzi G, Marengo E, Manfredi M. Circulating Exosomes Are Strongly Involved in SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:632290. [PMID: 33693030 PMCID: PMC7937875 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.632290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the host response to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 remains limited, hindering the understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis and the development of therapeutic strategies. During the course of a viral infection, host cells release exosomes and other extracellular vesicles carrying viral and host components that can modulate the immune response. The present study used a shotgun proteomic approach to map the host circulating exosomes’ response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We investigated how SARS-CoV-2 infection modulates exosome content, exosomes’ involvement in disease progression, and the potential use of plasma exosomes as biomarkers of disease severity. A proteomic analysis of patient-derived exosomes identified several molecules involved in the immune response, inflammation, and activation of the coagulation and complement pathways, which are the main mechanisms of COVID-19–associated tissue damage and multiple organ dysfunctions. In addition, several potential biomarkers—such as fibrinogen, fibronectin, complement C1r subcomponent and serum amyloid P-component—were shown to have a diagnostic feature presenting an area under the curve (AUC) of almost 1. Proteins correlating with disease severity were also detected. Moreover, for the first time, we identified the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the exosomal cargo, which suggests that the virus might use the endocytosis route to spread infection. Our findings indicate circulating exosomes’ significant contribution to several processes—such as inflammation, coagulation, and immunomodulation—during SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study’s data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD021144.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elettra Barberis
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,ISALIT, Novara, Italy
| | - Virginia V Vanella
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Marco Falasca
- Metabolic Signalling Group, Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Valeria Caneapero
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Cappellano
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Davide Raineri
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Marco Ghirimoldi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Veronica De Giorgis
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Chiara Puricelli
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Rosanna Vaschetto
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Pier Paolo Sainaghi
- Internal and Emergency Medicine Departments, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria "Maggiore della Carità", Novara, Italy
| | - Stefania Bruno
- Città della Salute e della Scienza and Molecular Biotechnology Center, Torino, Italy
| | - Antonio Sica
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Umberto Dianzani
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Roberta Rolla
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Annalisa Chiocchetti
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Cantaluppi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Gianluca Baldanzi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Emilio Marengo
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Department of Sciences and Technological Innovation, University of Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria, Italy.,ISALIT, Novara, Italy
| | - Marcello Manfredi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy.,ISALIT, Novara, Italy
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11
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Ying HY, Gong CJ, Feng Y, Jing DD, Lu LG. Serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) downregulates E-cadherin and induces EMT of hepatoma cells to promote hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis via the MEK/ERK signaling pathway. J Dig Dis 2017; 18:349-358. [PMID: 28544403 DOI: 10.1111/1751-2980.12486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Revised: 04/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) expression and its influence on the prognosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms involved. METHODS Altogether 80 patients with HCC who underwent curative resection were followed up for a median of 58.6 months. SPINK1 expression was detected in the primary HCC samples by immunohistochemistry. Its role in tumor invasion and metastasis was evaluated in vitro by gene silencing using a small interfering RNA-mediated approach, recombinant SPINK1 and U0126 (an inhibitor of MEK/ERK). The proteins in the MEK/ERK signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. RESULTS Patients with high SPINK1 expression showed poor overall survival (P = 0.0001) and recurrence-free survival (P = 0.001) compared with those with low SPINK1 expression. The suppression of SPINK1 resulted in reduced cell migration and invasion. SPINK1 overexpression was significantly associated with increased cell migration and invasion in vitro. Furthermore, SPINK1 promoted cancer cells motility and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPK) and extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, resulting in increased vimentin expression and decreased E-cadherin expression. CONCLUSION SPINK1 may be an oncogene that induces EMT via the MEK/ERK pathway and is a potential target for HCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai Yan Ying
- Department of Geriatrics, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Jie Gong
- Department of Geriatrics, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Feng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Da Dao Jing
- Department of Geriatrics, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lun Gen Lu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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12
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Räsänen K, Itkonen O, Koistinen H, Stenman UH. Emerging Roles of SPINK1 in Cancer. Clin Chem 2015; 62:449-57. [PMID: 26656134 DOI: 10.1373/clinchem.2015.241513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI) was originally isolated from the urine of a patient with ovarian cancer. It was later shown to be produced by many other tumors and several normal tissues. It had earlier been isolated from the pancreas and was hence called pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI). It belongs to a family of protease inhibitors presently called serine peptidase inhibitor Kazal type (SPINK). In the SPINK family TATI/PSTI is SPINK1, which is the name used in this review. CONTENT In addition to being a protease inhibitor, SPINK1 also acts as an acute-phase reactant and a growth factor. Furthermore, it has been shown to modulate apoptosis. Overexpression of SPINK1 predicts an unfavorable outcome in several cancers and determination of SPINK1 in serum can be used to identify patients at increased risk of aggressive disease. Thus serum SPINK1 can be used as a prognostic tumor marker. Because SPINK1 acts as a growth factor and an inhibitor of apoptosis in some cancers, it has also been suggested that it can be a therapeutic target in cancer. However, because SPINK1 is the major physiological inhibitor of trypsin, inhibition of SPINK1 may increase the risk of pancreatitis. SUMMARY Taking into account the many functions of SPINK1, assessing the role of SPINK1 in cancer has several potentially important clinical applications ranging from a biomarker to a potential new target for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati Räsänen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Outi Itkonen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland, Laboratory Division (HUSLAB), Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hannu Koistinen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ulf-Håkan Stenman
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland, Laboratory Division (HUSLAB), Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
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13
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Abstract
This review describes studies performed by our group and other laboratories in the field aimed at development of biomarkers not only for cancer but also for other diseases. The markers covered include tumor-associated trypsin inhibitor (TATI), tumor-associated trypsin (TAT), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and their various molecular forms, their biology and diagnostic use. The discovery of TATI was the result of a hypothesis-driven project aimed at finding new biomarkers for ovarian cancer among urinary peptides. TATI has since proved to be a useful prognostic marker for several cancers. Recently, it has been named Serine Peptidase Inhibitor Kazal Type 1 (SPINK1) after being rediscovered by several groups as a tumor-associated peptide by gene expression profiling and proteomic techniques and shown to promote tumor development by stimulating the EGF receptor. To explain why a trypsin inhibitor is strongly expressed in some cancers, research focused on the protease that it inhibited led to the finding of tumor-associated trypsin (TAT). Elevated serum concentrations of TAT-2 were found in some cancer types, but fairly high background levels of pancreatic trypsinogen-2 limited the use of TAT-2 for cancer diagnostics. However, trypsinogen-2 and its complex with α1-protease inhibitor proved to be very sensitive and specific markers for pancreatitis. Studies on hCG were initiated by the need to develop more rapid and sensitive pregnancy tests. These studies showed that serum from men and non-pregnant women contains measurable concentrations of hCG derived from the pituitary. Subsequent development of assays for the subunits of hCG showed that the β subunit of hCG (hCGβ) is expressed at low concentrations by most cancers and that it is a strong prognostic marker. These studies led to the formation of a working group for standardization of hCG determinations and the development of new reference reagents for several molecular forms of hCG. The preparation of intact hCG has been adopted as the fifth international standard by WHO. Availability of several well-defined forms of hCG made it possible to characterize the epitopes of nearly 100 monoclonal antibodies. This will facilitate design of immunoassays with pre-defined specificity. Finally, the discovery of different forms of immunoreactive PSA in serum from a prostate cancer patient led to identification of the complex between PSA and α1-antichymotrypsin, and the use of assays for free and total PSA in serum for improved diagnosis of prostate cancer. Epitope mapping of PSA antibodies and establishment of PSA standards has facilitated establishment well-standardized assays for the various forms of PSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf-Håkan Stenman
- a Department of Clinical Chemistry , Biomedicum, Helsinki University and Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) , Helsinki , Finland
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14
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SPINK1 promotes colorectal cancer progression by downregulating Metallothioneins expression. Oncogenesis 2015; 4:e162. [PMID: 26258891 PMCID: PMC4632074 DOI: 10.1038/oncsis.2015.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world, and second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. Although, anti-EGFR therapy is commonly prescribed for CRC, patients harboring mutations in KRAS or BRAF show poor treatment response, indicating an ardent demand for new therapeutic targets discovery. SPINK1 (serine peptidase inhibitor, Kazal type 1) overexpression has been identified in many cancers including the colon, lung, breast and prostate. Our study demonstrates the functional significance of SPINK1 in CRC progression and metastases. Stable knockdown of SPINK1 significantly decreases cell proliferation, invasion and soft agar colony formation in the colon adenocarcinoma WiDr cells. Conversely, an increase in these oncogenic phenotypes was observed on stimulation with SPINK1-enriched conditioned media (CM) in multiple benign models such as murine colonic epithelial cell lines, MSIE and YAMC (SPINK3-negative). Mechanistically, SPINK1 promotes tumorigenic phenotype by activating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K/AKT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathways, and the SPINK1-positive WiDr cells are sensitive to AKT and MEK inhibitors. Importantly, SPINK1 silencing mediated upregulation of various Metallothionein isoforms, considered as tumor suppressors in CRC, confer sensitivity to doxorubicin, which strengthens the rationale for using the combinatorial treatment approach for the SPINK1-positive CRC patients. Furthermore, in vivo studies using chicken chorioallantoic membrane assay, murine xenograft studies and metastasis models further suggest a pivotal role of SPINK1 in CRC progression and metastasis. Taken together, our study demonstrates an important role for the overexpressed SPINK1 in CRC disease progression, a phenomenon that needs careful evaluation towards effective therapeutic target development.
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15
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Winchester D, Ricks-Santi L, Mason T, Abbas M, Copeland RL, Beyene D, Jingwi EY, Dunston GM, Kanaan YM. SPINK1 Promoter Variants Are Associated with Prostate Cancer Predisposing Alterations in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Patients. Anticancer Res 2015; 35:3811-3819. [PMID: 26124326 PMCID: PMC4545211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Several studies reported that patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) experienced a 10% increased incidence of prostate cancer (PCa) after the first 5 years of diagnosis. We investigated the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter of Serine Protease Inhibitor Kazal Type 1 (SPINK1) and the increased risk of BPH and PCa. MATERIALS AND METHODS We genotyped three SNPs in a cases-control study, including BPH and PCa cases. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to analyze clinical and genotypic data. RESULTS We found an inverse association between SNP rs10035432 and BPH under the log-additive (p=0.007) model. No association was found between these SNPs and PCa risk. However, we observed a possible association between rs1432982 and lower-grade PCa (p=0.05) under the recessive model. CONCLUSION SPINK1 promoter variants are likely to be associated with the risk of BPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danyelle Winchester
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A
| | | | - Tshela Mason
- National Human Genome Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A
| | - Muneer Abbas
- National Human Genome Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A. Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A
| | - Robert L Copeland
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A
| | - Desta Beyene
- Cancer Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A
| | | | - Georgia M Dunston
- National Human Genome Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A. Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A. Cancer Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A
| | - Yasmine M Kanaan
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A. Cancer Center, Howard University, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
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16
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Wensink AC, Hack CE, Bovenschen N. Granzymes regulate proinflammatory cytokine responses. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2015; 194:491-7. [PMID: 25556251 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1401214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Granzymes (Grs) are serine proteases mainly produced by cytotoxic lymphocytes and are traditionally considered to cause apoptosis in tumor cells and virally infected cells. However, the cytotoxicity of several Grs is currently being debated, and additional, predominantly extracellular, functions of Grs in inflammation are emerging. Extracellular soluble Grs are elevated in the circulation of patients with autoimmune diseases and infections. Additionally, Grs are expressed by several types of immune cells other than cytotoxic lymphocytes. Recent research has revealed novel immunomodulatory functions of Grs. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview on the role of Grs in inflammation, highlighting their role in cytokine induction and processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annette C Wensink
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - C Erik Hack
- Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Niels Bovenschen
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Laboratory of Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands
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17
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Hass HG, Jobst J, Vogel U, Scheurlen M, Nehls O. Overexpression of Tumor-Associated Trypsin Inhibitor (SPINK1/TATI) in Hepatitis C-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Potential Implications for Viral Hepatocarcinogenesis. Oncol Res Treat 2014; 37:732-8. [DOI: 10.1159/000369151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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18
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Singh SK, Aravamudhan S, Armant O, Krüger M, Grabher C. Proteome dynamics in neutrophils of adult zebrafish upon chemically-induced inflammation. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 40:217-224. [PMID: 25014315 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2014.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Revised: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/27/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Neutrophils are the most abundant polymorphonuclear leukocytes, presenting the first line of defence against infection or tissue damage. To characterize the molecular changes on the protein level in neutrophils during sterile inflammation we established the chemically-induced inflammation (ChIn) assay in adult zebrafish and investigated the proteome dynamics within neutrophils of adult zebrafish upon inflammation. Through label-free proteomics we identified 48 proteins that were differentially regulated during inflammation. Gene ontology analysis revealed that these proteins were associated with cell cycle, nitric oxide signalling, regulation of cytoskeleton rearrangement and intermediate filaments as well as immune-related processes such as antigen presentation, leucocyte chemotaxis and IL-6 signalling. Comparison of protein expression dynamics with transcript expression dynamics suggests the existence of regulatory mechanisms confined to the protein level for some genes. This is the first proteome analysis of adult zebrafish neutrophils upon chemically-induced inflammation providing a valuable reference for future studies using zebrafish inflammation models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin Kumar Singh
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Sriram Aravamudhan
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Ludwigstr. 43, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Olivier Armant
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Marcus Krüger
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Ludwigstr. 43, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Clemens Grabher
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany.
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19
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Itkonen O, Stenman UH. TATI as a biomarker. Clin Chim Acta 2014; 431:260-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2014.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2013] [Revised: 02/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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20
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Stenman UH. Words of wisdom. Re: Therapeutic targeting of SPINK1-positive prostate cancer. Eur Urol 2013; 62:733-4. [PMID: 22939424 DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2012.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ulf-Håkan Stenman
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helskinki, Finland.
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