Vimentin 3 Allows Differentiation between Normozoospermia and Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia

Trophoblast cell surface antigen-2: a promising new biomarker and potential therapeutic target in penile squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the potential utility of antibody-drug conjugates targeting trophoblast cell surface antigen-2 (TROP-2) in patients with primary penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC), patients with recurrence (REC cohort), and patient-matched distant metastases (MET cohort), and to assess the potential use of TROP-2 as a predictive non-invasive biomarker in PSCC.

METHODS

A cohort comprising a PRIM (n = 37), REC (n = 5) and MET subcohort (n = 7), with MET including lymph node and lung metastases, was analysed using quantitative real-time PCR, ELISA and immunohistochemical staining with evaluation of H-score.

RESULTS

TROP-2 mRNA and serum protein levels were significantly increased in primary and recurrent PSCC compared to cancer-free controls (both P < 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that most of the PRIM cohort (n = 34/37, median H-score 260, interquartile range [IQR] 210-300), as well as all patients in the REC (median [IQR] H-score 200 [165-290]) and MET cohorts (median [IQR] H-score 280 [260-300]) exhibited moderate to strong membranous TROP-2 expression. Additionally, The H-score (membranous TROP-2 expression) was positively correlated with TROP-2 mRNA (ρ = 0.69, P < 0.0001, R2 = 0.70) and protein levels (ρ = 0.86, P < 0.0001, R2 = 0.59), indicating its potential as a non-invasive biomarker in PSCC.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our results support further studies on TROP-2 as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in primary, recurrent and metastatic PSCC.

A review of protein-protein interaction and signaling pathway of Vimentin in cell regulation, morphology and cell differentiation in normal cells

The Vimentin intermediate filament (VIF) is an essential cytoskeleton component. It shows dynamically changing expression patterns throughout various phases of the differentiation process, suggesting that the protein is physiologically important. Vimentin's essential functions have recently been clear, so Vimentin-deficient of animals was described as a change of morphology and signaling pathway. Recent research has discovered many vital roles for Vimentin that were previously unknown. VIF emerges as an organizer of many essential proteins involved in movement and cell signaling. The highly dynamic and complicated phosphorylation of VIF seems to be a regulator mechanism for various activities. Changes in IF expression patterns are often linked with cancer progression, especially those leading to enhanced invasion and cellular migration. This review will discuss the function of Vimentin intermediate filaments in normal cell physiology, cell adhesion structures, cell shape, and signaling pathways. The genes interaction and gene network linked with Vimentin will be discussed in more studies. However, research aimed at understanding the function of Vimentin in different signaling cascades and gene interactions might offer novel methods for creating therapeutic medicines. Enrichr GEO datasets used gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses. STRING online was used to predict the functional connections of proteins-proteins, followed by Cytoscape analysis to find the master genes. Cytoscape and STRING research revealed that eight genes, Fas, Casp8, Casp6, Fadd, Ripk1, Des, Tnnc2, and Tnnt3, were required for protein-protein interactions with Vimentin genes involved in cell differentiation.