Inhibiting of Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion in Lung Cancer Induced by Silencing Interferon-Induced Transmembrane Protein 1 (IFITM1)

The role and mechanism of IFITM1 in developing acquired cisplatin resistance in small cell lung cancer

Platinum-based chemotherapies, historically the cornerstone of first-line treatment for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), face a major hurdle: the frequent emergence of chemoresistance, notably to cisplatin (CDDP). Current understanding of the mechanisms driving CDDP resistance in SCLC is incomplete. Notably, Interferon inducible transmembrane protein1 (IFITM1) has been identified as a key player in the distant metastasis of SCLC. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed that IFITM1 expression is markedly elevated in tumor tissues as compared to that from adjacent normal tissues, correlating with a worse prognosis for patients with SCLC. Our research focused on investigating the role of IFITM1 in the acquisition of cisplatin resistance in SCLC. Further clinical sample analysis highlighted a significant increase in IFITM1 levels in SCLC tissues from cisplatin-resistant patients versus those were responsive to CCDP treatment, with similar trends observed in cisplatin-resistant SCLC cells. Crucially, overexpression of IFITM1 reduced the sensitivity of SCLC cells to cisplatin, while silencing IFITM1 enhanced chemosensitivity in cisplatin-resistant strains. Our in vivo studies further confirmed that silencing IFITM1 significantly boosted the efficacy of cisplatin in inhibiting growth of subcutaneous tumors of NCI-H466/CDDP cells (cisplatin-resistant SCLC cells) in a mouse model. Mechanistically, IFITM1 appears to foster cisplatin resistance through activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. In summary, our findings suggest that targeting IFITM1, alongside cisplatin treatment, could offer a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome resistance and improve outcomes for SCLC patients.

Invasive FoxM1 phosphorylated by PLK1 induces the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages to promote immune escape and metastasis, amplified by IFITM1

BACKGROUND

Understanding the mechanism behind immune cell plasticity in cancer metastasis is crucial for identifying key regulators. Previously we found that mitotic factors regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition, but how these factors convert to metastatic players in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is not fully understood.

METHODS

The clinical importance of mitotic factors was analyzed by heatmap analysis, a KM plot, and immunohistochemistry in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. Immunoprecipitation, LC-MS/MS, kinase assay, and site-directed mutagenesis were performed for the interaction and phosphorylation. A tail-vein injection mouse model, Transwell-based 3D culture, microarray analysis, coculture with monocytes, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were used to elucidate the function of phosphorylated FoxM1 in metastasis of TME.

RESULTS

The phosphorylated FoxM1 at Ser25 by PLK1 acquires the reprogramming ability to stimulate the invasive traits in cancer and influence immune cell plasticity. This invasive form of p-FoxM1 upregulates the expression of IL1A/1B, VEGFA, and IL6 by direct activation, recruiting monocytes and promoting the polarization of M2d-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Upregulation of PD-L1 in LUAD having phosphomimetic FoxM1 facilitates immune evasion. In invasive LUAD with phosphomimetic FoxM1, IFITM1 is the most highly expressed through the activation of the STING-TBK1-IRF3 signaling, which enhances FoxM1-mediated signaling. Clinically, higher expression of FOXM1, PLK1, and IFITM1 is inversely correlated with the survival rate of advanced LUAD patients, providing a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of LUAD.

CONCLUSION

FoxM1-based therapy would be a potential therapeutic strategy for LUAD to reduce TAM polarization, immune escape, and metastasis, since FoxM1 functions as a genetic reprogramming factor reinforcing LUAD malignancy in the TME.

The novel role of IFITM1-3 in myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells

Interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs 1, 2, and 3) play a critical role in preventing pathogen infection in vertebrates. They are also involved in the occurrence and prognosis of cancer. Myogenesis is a complex process regulated by several factors. This study disclosed that Ifitm1-3 were upregulated in the process of myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts on days 3, 5, and 7. This positively correlated with the expression of differentiation factors MyoD, myogenin, Mrf5, and desmin. Furthermore, knockdown of Ifitm1-3 by their individual siRNAs inhibited myogenesis of C2C12 myoblasts, with relative downregulation of MyoD, myogenin, Mrf5, and desmin. Subsequently, myotube formation and fusion percentage decreased. Co-immunoprecipitation combined with LC-MS/MS analysis uncovered the interaction proteins of IFITM1 and IFITM3 in C2C12 myoblasts. A total of 84 overlapped interaction proteins of IFITM1 and IFITM3 were identified, and one of the clusters was engaged in cytoskeletal and sarcomere proteins, including desmin, myosin, actin, vimentin, nestin, ankycorbin, and nucleolin. Hence, we hypothesize that these interacting proteins may function as scaffolds for IFITM1-3, possibly through the interaction protein desmin to initiate further interaction with other proteins to participate in myogenesis; however, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Our study may contribute to the development of novel therapeutics for myopathic diseases.

IFITM1 inhibits trophoblast invasion and is induced in placentas associated with IFN-mediated pregnancy diseases

Interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs) are restriction factors that block many viruses from entering cells. High levels of type I interferon (IFN) are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, and IFITMs have been shown to impair the formation of syncytiotrophoblast. Here, we examine whether IFITMs affect another critical step of placental development, extravillous cytotrophoblast (EVCT) invasion. We conducted experiments using in vitro/ex vivo models of EVCT, mice treated in vivo with the IFN-inducer poly (I:C), and human pathological placental sections. Cells treated with IFN-β demonstrated upregulation of IFITMs and reduced invasive abilities. Transduction experiments confirmed that IFITM1 contributed to the decreased cell invasion. Similarly, migration of trophoblast giant cells, the mouse equivalent of human EVCTs, was significantly reduced in poly (I:C)-treated mice. Finally, analysis of CMV- and bacterial-infected human placentas revealed upregulated IFITM1 expression. These data demonstrate that high levels of IFITM1 impair trophoblast invasion and could explain the placental dysfunctions associated with IFN-mediated disorders.

Systematic review of comparative transcriptomic studies of cellular resistance to genotoxic stress

The development of resistance by tumor cells to various types of therapy is a significant problem that decreases the effectiveness of oncology treatments. For more than two decades, comparative transcriptomic studies of tumor cells with different sensitivities to ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic agents have been conducted in order to identify the causes and mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. However, the results of such studies have little in common and often contradict each other. We have assumed that a systematic analysis of a large number of such studies will provide new knowledge about the mechanisms of development of therapeutic resistance in tumor cells. Our comparison of 123 differentially expressed gene (DEG) lists published in 98 papers suggests a very low degree of consistency between the study results. Grouping the data by type of genotoxic agent and tumor type did not increase the similarity. The most frequently overexpressed genes were found to be those encoding the transport protein ABCB1 and the antiviral defense protein IFITM1. We put forward a hypothesis that the role played by the overexpression of the latter in the development of resistance may be associated not only with the stimulation of proliferation, but also with the limitation of exosomal communication and, as a result, with a decrease in the bystander effect. Among down regulated DEGs, BNIP3 was observed most frequently. The expression of BNIP3, together with BNIP3L, is often suppressed in cells resistant to non-platinum genotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, whereas it is increased in cells resistant to ionizing radiation. These observations are likely to be mediated by the binary effects of these gene products on survival, and regulation of apoptosis and autophagy. The combined data also show that even such obvious mechanisms as inhibition of apoptosis and increase of proliferation are not universal but show multidirectional changes.

Serum cytokine levels and other associated factors as possible immunotherapeutic targets and prognostic indicators for lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancer types and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 80-85% of all cancer incidences. Lung cancer therapy and prognosis largely depend on the disease's degree at the diagnosis time. Cytokines are soluble polypeptides that contribute to cell-to-cell communication, acting paracrine or autocrine on neighboring or distant cells. Cytokines are essential for developing neoplastic growth, but they are also known to operate as biological inducers following cancer therapy. Early indications are that inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-8 play a predictive role in lung cancer. Nevertheless, the biological significance of cytokine levels in lung cancer has not yet been investigated. This review aimed to assess the existing literature on serum cytokine levels and additional factors as potential immunotherapeutic targets and lung cancer prognostic indicators. Changes in serum cytokine levels have been identified as immunological biomarkers for lung cancer and predict the effectiveness of targeted immunotherapy.

Integrated bioinformatics analysis of IFITM1 as a prognostic biomarker and investigation of its immunological role in prostate adenocarcinoma

Introduction

Prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD) is a highly aggressive malignancy with high mortality and poor prognosis, and its potential mechanism remains unclear. Our study aimed to identify novel markers for the prognosis of PRAD using bioinformatics technology.

Methods

The GSE32571 dataset was downloaded from the GEO database, and analyzed via the limma R package to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed immune score-related genes (DEISRGs). The immune-related genes (IRGs) were further obtained by overlapping DEISRGs and DEGs, and the core gene was identified via survival analysis. Furthermore, the expression level, prognostic value, and potential functions of the core gene were evaluated via multiple bioinformatics databases.

Results

A total of 301 IRGs were identified from the GSE32571 dataset, and IFITM1 was a down-regulated gene in several types of cancer, including PRAD. Besides, low expression of IFITM1 was associated with a poor prognosis in PRAD. GSEA indicated that the vital pathways of IFITM1-associated genes were mainly enriched in primary immunodeficiency, Th17 cell differentiation, Th1, and Th2 cell differentiation, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, myeloid dendritic cell activation, regulation of leukocyte activation, etc. Furthermore, IFITM1 was closely correlated with 22 types of tumor-infiltrating immune cells.

Discussion

IFITM1 was a prognostic biomarker for PRAD patients, and it can be acted as a potential immune therapy target in PRAD.

IFITM protein regulation and functions: Far beyond the fight against viruses

Interferons (IFNs) are important cytokines that regulate immune responses through the activation of hundreds of genes, including interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs). This evolutionarily conserved protein family includes five functionally active homologs in humans. Despite the high sequence homology, IFITMs vary in expression, subcellular localization and function. The initially described adhesive and antiproliferative or pro-oncogenic functions of IFITM proteins were diluted by the discovery of their antiviral properties. The large set of viruses that is inhibited by these proteins is constantly expanding, as are the possible mechanisms of action. In addition to their beneficial antiviral effects, IFITM proteins are often upregulated in a broad spectrum of cancers. IFITM proteins have been linked to most hallmarks of cancer, including tumor cell proliferation, therapeutic resistance, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Recent studies have described the involvement of IFITM proteins in antitumor immunity. This review summarizes various levels of IFITM protein regulation and the physiological and pathological functions of these proteins, with an emphasis on tumorigenesis and antitumor immunity.

Single-cell transcriptomic profiling to evaluate the effects of Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate exposure on early meiosis of female mouse germ cells

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) has proven characteristics of an endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC), which can threaten the reproductive health of humans and other animals. In mammals, a series of chromosomal events occur during the meiotic stage of oocytes. External toxins may enter the body and cause infertility and other related diseases. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the influence of DEHP exposure on the molecular mechanism of germ cell meiosis. We used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyse the ovaries of foetal mice at embryonic day 12.5 (E12.5) and E14.5 after maternal DEHP exposure. DEHP exposure further activated the pathways related to DNA repair in germ cells, increased the expression of genes related to DNA damage and changed the developmental trajectory of germ cells. DEHP exposure may affect the proliferation of pregranulosa (PG) cells. Moreover, DEHP exposure altered the signal transduction between PG cells and germ cells. We showed that DEHP affects meiosis by causing DNA damage in oocytes and disrupting the signal transduction between PG cells and germ cells. These results provide a strong theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of DEHP-mediated female reproductive health problems.

MiR-504-3p Has Tumor-Suppressing Activity and Decreases IFITM1 Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Objective: To analyze the impact of expression of miR-504-3p on the proliferation, migration, cell cycle transit and rate of apoptosis of NSCLC cells and explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to compare the expression levels of miR-504 between NSCLC tissues and normal lung tissues. NSCLC cells were transfected with lentiviral vectors that either overexpressed or knocked down miR-504-3p to evaluate its effects on NSCLC biological behavior. Quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to measure the levels of miR-504-3p and Interferon-Induced Transmembrane Protein 1 (IFITM1). A luciferase reporter array was used to reveal whether miR-504-3p directly targets IFITM1. Results: The expression of miR-504 was significantly down-regulated in lung cancer tissues compared to normal lung tissues. Overexpression of miR-504-3p in NSCLC cell lines inhibited cell proliferation, migration and promoted cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, changes in the expression level of miR-504-3p had no significant effect on NSCLC cell cycle progression. Moreover, over-expressed miR-504-3p following its transfection significantly decreased the expression of IFITM1 in NSCLC cell lines and suppressed the activity of the luciferase reporter containing wild type but not mutant IFITM1 3' -UTR. Conclusion: miR-504-3p inhibits cell proliferation and migration and promotes cell apoptosis in NSCLC cells. MiR-504-3p decreases IFITM1 expression in NSCLC cells, which may be a potential mechanism of its tumor-suppressive functions in NSCLC.

Comprehensive Analysis of Ferroptosis- and Immune-Related Signatures to Improve the Prognosis and Diagnosis of Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma

Background

Almost 40% of patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) with advanced cancers eventually develop to metastases, and their 5-year survival rates are approximately 10%. Aberrant DNA methylations are significantly associated with the development of KIRC. The aim of our present study was to identify suitable ferroptosis- and immune-related (FI) biomarkers correlated with aberrant methylations to improve the prognosis and diagnosis of KIRC.

Methods

ChAMP and DESeq2 in R (3.6.2) were used to screen the differentially expressed methylation probes and differentially expressed genes, respectively. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to identify the overall survival (OS)-related biomarkers.

Results

We finally identified five FI biomarkers (CCR4, CMTM3, IFITM1, MX2, and NR3C2) that were independently correlated with the OS of KIRC. The area under the curve value of the receiver operating characteristic value of prognosis model was 0.74, 0.68, and 0.72 in the training, validation, and entire cohorts, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis model were 0.8698 and 0.9722, respectively. In addition, the prognosis model was also significantly correlated with several immune cells and factors.

Conclusion

Our present study suggested that these five FI-DEGs (CCR4, CMTM3, IFITM1, MX2, and NR3C2) could be used as prognosis and diagnosis biomarkers for patients with KIRC, but further cross-validation clinical studies are still needed to confirm them.

The Steroidal Alkaloid Tomatidine and Tomatidine-Rich Tomato Leaf Extract Suppress the Human Gastric Cancer-Derived 85As2 Cells In Vitro and In Vivo via Modulation of Interferon-Stimulated Genes

The steroidal alkaloid tomatidine is an aglycone of α-tomatine, which is abundant in tomato leaves and has several biological activities. Tomatidine has been reported to inhibit the growth of cultured cancer cells in vitro, but its anti-cancer activity in vivo and inhibitory effect against gastric cancer cells remain unknown. We investigated the efficacy of tomatidine using human gastric cancer-derived 85As2 cells and its tumor-bearing mouse model and evaluated the effect of tomatidine-rich tomato leaf extract (TRTLE) obtained from tomato leaves. In the tumor-bearing mouse model, tumor growth was significantly inhibited by feeding a diet containing tomatidine and TRTLE for 3 weeks. Tomatidine and TRTLE also inhibited the proliferation of cultured 85As2 cells. Microarray data of gene expression analysis in mouse tumors revealed that the expression levels of mRNAs belonging to the type I interferon signaling pathway were altered in the mice fed the diet containing tomatidine and TRTLE. Moreover, the knockdown of one of the type I interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), interferon α-inducible protein 27 (IFI27), inhibited the proliferation of cultured 85As2 cells. This study demonstrates that tomatidine and TRTLE inhibit the tumor growth in vivo and the proliferation of human gastric cancer-derived 85As2 cells in vitro, which could be due to the downregulation of ISG expression.

Single-Molecule RNA Sequencing Reveals IFNγ-Induced Differential Expression of Immune Escape Genes in Merkel Cell Polyomavirus-Positive MCC Cell Lines

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive cancer, which is mainly caused by genomic integration of the Merkel cell polyomavirus and subsequent expression of a truncated form of its large T antigen. The resulting primary tumor is known to be immunogenic and under constant pressure to escape immune surveillance. Because interferon gamma (IFNγ), a key player of immune response, is secreted by many immune effector cells and has been shown to exert both anti-tumoral and pro-tumoral effects, we studied the transcriptomic response of MCC cells to IFNγ. In particular, immune modulatory effects that may help the tumor evade immune surveillance were of high interest to our investigation. The effect of IFNγ treatment on the transcriptomic program of three MCC cell lines (WaGa, MKL-1, and MKL-2) was analyzed using single-molecule sequencing via the Oxford Nanopore platform. A significant differential expression of several genes was detected across all three cell lines. Subsequent pathway analysis and manual annotation showed a clear upregulation of genes involved in the immune escape of tumor due to IFNγ treatment. The analysis of selected genes on protein level underlined our sequencing results. These findings contribute to a better understanding of immune escape of MCC and may help in clinical treatment of MCC patients. Furthermore, we demonstrate that single-molecule sequencing can be used to assess characteristics of large eukaryotic transcriptomes and thus contribute to a broader access to sequencing data in the community due to its low cost of entry.

Platelets' RNA as biomarker trove for differentiation of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma from underlying cirrhotic nodules

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Among the multiplicity of factors involved in rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-the second deadliest cancer, late diagnosis of early-stage HCC nodules originating from late-stage cirrhotic nodules is the most crucial. In recent years, Tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) have emerged as a strong multimodal tool to be used in liquid-biopsy of cancers because of changes in their mRNA content. This study assessed the reliability of selected mRNA repertoire of platelets as biomarkers to differentiate early HCC from late-stage cirrhotic nodules.

METHODS

Quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate expression levels of selected platelets-specific mRNA between HCC patients compared to cirrhosis patients. ROC curve analysis assessed the sensitivity and specificity of the biomarkers.

RESULTS

RhoA, CTNNB1 and SPINK1 showed a significant 3.3-, 3.2- and 3.18-folds upregulation, respectively, in HCC patients compared to cirrhosis patients while IFITM3 and SERPIND1 presented a 2.24-fold change. Strikingly, CD41+ platelets also demonstrated a marked difference of expression in HCC and cirrhosis groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study reports liquid biopsy-based platelets mRNA signature for early diagnosis of HCC from underlying cirrhotic nodules. Moreover, differential expression of CD41+ platelets in two groups provides new insights into a probable link between CD41 expression on platelets with the progression of cirrhosis to HCC.

The Yin and Yang of Type I IFNs in Cancer Promotion and Immune Activation

Type I Interferons (IFNs) are key regulators of natural and therapy-induced host defense against viral infection and cancer. Several years of remarkable progress in the field of oncoimmunology have revealed the dual nature of these cytokines. Hence, Type I IFNs may trigger anti-tumoral responses, while leading immune dysfunction and disease progression. This dichotomy relies on the duration and intensity of the transduced signaling, the nature of the unleashed IFN stimulated genes, and the subset of responding cells. Here, we discuss the role of Type I IFNs in the evolving relationship between the host immune system and cancer, as we offer a view of the therapeutic strategies that exploit and require an intact Type I IFN signaling, and the role of these cytokines in inducing adaptive resistance. A deep understanding of the complex, yet highly regulated, network of Type I IFN triggered molecular pathways will help find a timely and immune"logical" way to exploit these cytokines for anticancer therapy.

Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) is essential for progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in an Osteopontin/NF-κB-dependent manner

OBJECTIVE

To assess the expression levels of IFITM1 in human tissue samples and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) cells, and to explore the potential mechanisms of IFITM1 in LSCC progression.

METHODS

Quantitative PCR and immunohistochemical (IHC) assays were performed to detect IFITM1 expression in 62 LSCC tissues and corresponding normal tissues. We further detected the effects of IFITM1 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of LSCC cells and NF-κB signaling pathway through colony formation assay, wound healing assay and transwell assay, respectively.

RESULTS

We demonstrated the possible involvement of IFITM1 in the progression of LSCC. We found the upregulated expression of IFITM1 in human LSCC tissues and cells, and analyzed the correlations between IFITM1 expression and osteopontin. Our data further confirmed that IFITM1 affected cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of LSCC cells via the regulation of NF-κB signaling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

We investigated the potential involvement of IFITM1 in the progression of LSCC, and therefore confirmed that IFITM1 was a potential therapeutic target for LSCC.

Long Non-coding RNA LINC00847 Induced by E2F1 Accelerates Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Progression Through Targeting miR-147a/IFITM1 Axis

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can remarkably regulate human malignancies in terms of the development and the progression. Previously, lncRNA LINC00847 (LINC00847) has been reported to present dysregulation in several tumors. However, the expression and function of LINC00847 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have not been investigated.

Methods: RT-qPCR was performed to determine the expressions of LINC00847 in collected tissue samples and cell lines. The clinical significance of LINC00847 was statistically analyzed. CCK-8 test, cell scratch test and trans-well test were used to evaluate the proliferation, invasion and migration abilities of NSCLC cells, respectively. The xenograft tumor model was constructed to confirm the effects of LINC00847 knockdown on NSCLC in vivo. Further, luciferase reporter assays and Western blot were performed to explore molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of LINC00847.

Results: Increased expressions of LINC00847 were observed in NSCLC samples as well as cell lines. Additionally, E2F1 could be capable of directly binding to the LINC00847 promoter region, followed by promoting its expression. Clinically, LINC00847 high-expression could lead to poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Functionally, LINC00847 knockdown noticeably repressed NSCLC cell growth and metastasis. Mechanically, miR-147a/IFITM1 axis was a downstream target of LINC00847, and silencing of miR-147a could rescue the anti-cancer effects of LINC00847 knockdown on NSCLC cell behaviors.

Conclusion: Overall, up regulation of LINC00847 induced by E2F1 promoted the progression of NSCLC by modulating miR-147a/IFITM1 axis, representing a novel regulatory mechanism for NSCLC progression.

Identification of IFN-Induced Transmembrane Protein 1 With Prognostic Value in Pancreatic Cancer Using Network Module-Based Analysis

Despite improvements reported in diagnosis and treatments in recent decades, pancreatic cancer is still characterized by poor prognosis and low survival rate among solid tumors. Intensive interests have grown in exploring novel predictive biomarkers, aiming to enhance the efficiency in early detection and treatment prognosis. In this study, we identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in pancreatic cancer by analyzing five gene expression profiles and established the functional modules according to the functional interaction (FI) network between the DEGs. A significant upregulation of the selected DEG, interferon (IFN)-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1), was evaluated in several bioinformatics online tools and verified with immunohistochemistry staining from samples of 90 patients with pancreatic cancer. Prognostic data showed that high expression of IFITM1 associated with poor survival, and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed IFITM1 was one of the independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Meanwhile, significant correlations of the expression of IFITM1 and the infiltration of immune cells were found by TIMER. Furthermore, a higher level of IFITM1 was assessed in pancreatic cancer cell lines compared to normal human pancreatic duct epithelial cells, and silencing IFITM1 in tumor cells remarkedly inhibited cancer tumorigenicity. Collectively, our findings suggested that IFITM1 might have promising utility for pancreatic cancer.

TMP- SSurface2: A Novel Deep Learning-Based Surface Accessibility Predictor for Transmembrane Protein Sequence

Transmembrane protein (TMP) is an important type of membrane protein that is involved in various biological membranes related biological processes. As major drug targets, TMPs’ surfaces are highly concerned to form the structural biases of their material-bindings for drugs or other biological molecules. However, the quantity of determinate TMP structures is still far less than the requirements, while artificial intelligence technologies provide a promising approach to accurately identify the TMP surfaces, merely depending on their sequences without any feature-engineering. For this purpose, we present an updated TMP surface residue predictor TMP-SSurface2 which achieved an even higher prediction accuracy compared to our previous version. The method uses an attention-enhanced Bidirectional Long Short Term Memory (BiLSTM) network, benefiting from its efficient learning capability, some useful latent information is abstracted from protein sequences, thus improving the Pearson correlation coefficients (CC) value performance of the old version from 0.58 to 0.66 on an independent test dataset. The results demonstrate that TMP-SSurface2 is efficient in predicting the surface of transmembrane proteins, representing new progress in transmembrane protein structure modeling based on primary sequences. TMP-SSurface2 is freely accessible at https://github.com/NENUBioCompute/TMP-SSurface-2.0.

Identification of a 14-Gene Prognostic Signature for Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)

Although immunotherapy is a potential strategy to resist cancers, due to the inadequate acknowledge, this treatment is not always effective for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Based on the current situation, it is critical to systematically investigate the immune pattern. According to the result of univariate and multivariate cox proportional hazards, LASSO regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis on immune-related genes (IRGs), a prognostic signature, containing 14 IRGs (AQP9, LMBR1L, FGF20, TANK, CRP, ORM1, JAK1, BACH2, MTCP1, IFITM1, TNFSF10, FGF12, RFX5, and LAP3), was built. This model was validated by external data, and performed well. DLBCL patients were divided into low- and high-risk groups, according to risk scores from risk formula. The results of CIBERSORT showed that different immune status and infiltration pattern were observed in these two groups. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated 12 signaling pathways were significantly enriched in the high-risk group, such as natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and so on. In summary, 14 clinically significant IRGs were screened to build a risk score formula. This formula was an accurate tool to provide a certain basis for the treatment of DLBCL patients.

Development of an Oncogenic Driver Alteration Associated Immune-Related Prognostic Model for Stage I-II Lung Adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) needs to be stratified for its heterogeneity. Oncogenic driver alterations such as EGFR mutation, ALK translocation, ROS1 translocation, and BRAF mutation predict response to treatment for LUAD. Since oncogenic driver alterations may modulate immune response in tumor microenvironment that may influence prognosis in LUAD, the effects of EGFR, ALK, ROS1, and BRAF alterations on tumor microenvironment remain unclear. Immune-related prognostic model associated with oncogenic driver alterations is needed. In this study, we performed the Cox-proportional Hazards Analysis based on the L1-penalized (LASSO) Analysis to establish an immune-related prognostic model (IPM) in stage I-II LUAD patients, which was based on 3 immune-related genes (PDE4B, RIPK2, and IFITM1) significantly enriched in patients without EGFR, ALK, ROS1, and BRAF alterations in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then, patients were categorized into high-risk and low-risk groups individually according to the IPM defined risk score. The predicting ability of the IPM was validated in GSE31210 and GSE26939 downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. High-risk was significantly associated with lower overall survival (OS) rates in 3 independent stage I-II LUAD cohorts (all P < 0.05). Moreover, the IPM defined risk independently predicted OS for patients in TCGA stage I-II LUAD cohort (P = 0.011). High-risk group had significantly higher proportions of macrophages M1 and activated mast cells but lower proportions of memory B cells, resting CD4 memory T cells and resting mast cells than low-risk group (all P < 0.05). In addition, the high-risk group had a significantly lower expression of CTLA-4, PDCD1, HAVCR2, and TIGIT than the low-risk group (all P < 0.05). In summary, we established a novel IPM that could provide new biomarkers for risk stratification of stage I-II LUAD patients.

miR‑7/SP1/TP53BP1 axis may play a pivotal role in NSCLC radiosensitivity

MicroRNA‑7 (miR‑7) has been identified as a tumor suppressor in non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a radiosensitivity regulator. Numerous studies have revealed that specific protein 1 (SP1) plays a critical role in the tumorigenesis of various types of cancers and regulates radiosensitivity and tumor suppressor p53‑binding protein 1 (TP53BP1), which plays an essential role in DNA repair. However, it is not clear whether miR‑7 has a regulatory effect on SP1 and TP53BP1 in NSCLC. In the present study it was revealed that miR‑7 directly binds to the 3'UTR of SP1, thereby suppressing SP1 expression to regulate radiosensitivity. Overexpression of miR‑7 and SP1 and knockdown of miR‑7 and SP1 were performed using lentiviral transfection. Protein and mRNA abundance of SP1 and TP53BP1 were determined using western blotting and RT‑qPCR, respectively, while miR‑7 binding to SP1 was validated using a luciferase reporter assay. Biological function analysis indicated that miR‑7 negatively regulated SP1 and inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion when combined with radiation. It was also revealed that the expression of TP53BP1 was positively regulated by SP1 or negatively regulated by miR‑7. In conclusion, SP1 was a target of miR‑7, and the decreased expression of SP1 resulting from miR‑7 overexpression in NSCLC was vital for improving radiosensitivity in NSCLC cells. Moreover, SP1 expression was detected in 95 paired NSCLC and adjacent normal tissues, and it was determined that SP1 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues and that its upregulation was correlated with the degree of tissue differentiation. Thus, SP1 and/or miR‑7 may be potential molecular targets in NSCLC radiotherapy.

Interferon-Induced Transmembrane Protein 1 (IFITM1) Promotes Distant Metastasis of Small Cell Lung Cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a severe malignancy associated with early and widespread metastasis. To study SCLC metastasis, we previously developed an orthotopic transplantation model using the human SCLC cell line DMS273. In the model, metastatic foci were found in distant tissues such as bone and the adrenal gland, similarly as observed in patients with SCLC. In this study, we evaluated the differentially expressed genes between orthotopic and metastatic tumors in the model. We isolated tumor cells from orthotopic and metastatic sites, and the tumor cell RNA was analyzed using DNA microarray analysis. We found that 19 genes in metastatic tumors were upregulated by more than 4-fold compared with their expression in orthotopic tumors. One of these genes encodes a transmembrane protein, interferon (IFN)-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1), and immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the higher expression of the protein in metastatic sites than in orthotopic sites. IFITM1 was also detected in some SCLC cell lines and lung tumors from patients with SCLC. The overexpression of IFITM1 in DMS273 cells increased their metastatic formation in the orthotopic model and in an experimental metastasis model. Conversely, the silencing of IFITM1 suppressed metastatic formation by DMS273 cells. We also found that IFITM1 overexpression promoted the metastatic formation of NCI-H69 human SCLC cells. These results demonstrate that IFITM1 promotes distant metastasis in xenograft models of human SCLC.

Knockdown of interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 inhibited proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and suppressed MAPK signaling pathway in pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer (PC), highly malignant, is one of the most lethal cancers. Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1) has recently been regarded as a new molecular marker in human cancers. However, the role of IFITM1 in PC remains unclear. In this study, a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was constructed to assess the effect of IFITM1 on PANC-1 and ASPC-1 cells. The level of IFITM1 was downregulated in cells transfected with shRNA targeting IFITM1 (sh-IFITM1). Silencing of IFITM1 significantly decreased cell viability, downregulated the level of Ki-67, arrested cell at G1/S phase, reduced the number of cells in S phase, and decreased cyclinD1, cyclinE, CDK2, and CDK4 levels. Moreover, Hoechst staining and Western blotting analysis showed that cell apoptosis was induced by IFITM1. IFITM1 knockdown suppressed the MAPK signaling pathway by downregulation of p-ERK, p-P38, and p-JNK levels. These findings suggested that IFITM1 could be considered a potential therapeutic target for PC.

The Interactions Between Cancer Stem Cells and the Innate Interferon Signaling Pathway

Interferons (IFNs) form a family of cytokines with pleiotropic effects that modulate the immune response against multiple challenges like viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. While numerous anti-tumor activities have been described for IFNs, IFNs have also been associated with tumor growth and progression. The effect of IFNs on apoptosis, angiogenesis, tumor cell immunogenicity, and modulation of immune cells have been largely studied; however, less is known about their specific effects on cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs constitute a subpopulation of tumor cells endowed with stem-like properties including self-renewal, chemoresistance, tumorigenic capacity, and quiescence. This rare and unique subpopulation of cells is believed to be responsible for tumor maintenance, metastatic spread, and relapse. Thus, this review aims to summarize and discuss the current knowledge of the anti- and pro-CSCs effects of IFNs and also to highlight the need for further research on the interplay between IFNs and CSCs. Importantly, understanding this interplay will surely help to exploit the anti-tumor effects of IFNs, specifically those that target CSCs.

The Therapeutic Potential of Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Enhance Radiotherapy Effects on Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Several studies have investigated strategies to improve the clinical efficacy of radiotherapy (RT) against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet the prognosis remains poor. Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs), easily accessible and abundant in quantity, have represented as an attractive therapeutic tool for the stem cell-based treatment for cancer diseases. Through direct co-culture and indirect separate culture experiments, we showed that AT-MSCs could enhance inhibitory effect of RT on reducing HCC cell growth, migration and invasion in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed a noticeable interferon-induced transmembrane 1 (IFITM1)-induced tumor gene signature. Gain and loss of mechanistic studies indicated that mechanism was attributed to downregulated expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and matrix metallopeptidases (MMPs) and upregulated expression of P53 and caspases. Collectively, our findings suggest that AT-MSCs might enhance the therapeutic effects of RT on HCC, providing a rationale for AT-MSCs and RT combination therapy as a new remedy for HCC.