Gelsolin Promotes Cancer Progression by Regulating Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Correlates with a Poor Prognosis

Response to chronic sustained hypoxia: increased cytosolic gelsolin and decreased plasma gelsolin levels

An actin binding protein, gelsolin (GSN) has two isoforms, plasma (pGSN) and cytosolic (cGSN). Changes in pGSN and/or cGSN levels have been shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of several diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in intracellular and extracellular GSNlevels with HIF-1 in animals exposed to chronic sustained hypoxia (CSH), in addition to apoptosis and the cellular redox status. The rats in the Sham group were exposed to 21% O2, and the rats in the hypoxia groups were exposed to 13 and 10% O2, respectively. Plasma pGSN, HIF-1α, Total Antioxidant Status (TAS) and Total Oxidant Status (TOS), and lung tissue pGSN, HIF-1α, TAS, TOS, GSN levels, and apoptotic cell numbers were measured. HIF-1α levels were found to increase significantly in the tissue, especially in the group with severe hypoxia, both in biochemical and histological examinations. pGSN levels were also significantly decreased in both plasma and tissue. Significant increases in tissue were observed in cGSN. It was observed that while the antioxidant activity was dominant in the tissue, the oxidant activity was dominant in the plasma. In particular, the response to hypoxia regulated by HIF-1 is very important for cellular survival. The results of this study showed that the increase in cGSN and TAS levels in the lung tissue together with HIF-1α can be considered as the activation of mechanisms for cellular protection.

Exploring Canine Mammary Cancer through Liquid Biopsy: Proteomic Profiling of Small Extracellular Vesicles

(Background). Canine mammary tumors (CMTs) have emerged as an important model for understanding pathophysiological aspects of human disease. Liquid biopsy (LB), which relies on blood-borne biomarkers and offers minimal invasiveness, holds promise for reflecting the disease status of patients. Small extracellular vesicles (SEVs) and their protein cargo have recently gained attention as potential tools for disease screening and monitoring. (Objectives). This study aimed to isolate SEVs from canine patients and analyze their proteomic profile to assess their diagnostic and prognostic potential. (Methods). Plasma samples were collected from female dogs grouped into CMT (malignant and benign), healthy controls, relapse, and remission groups. SEVs were isolated and characterized using ultracentrifugation (UC), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Proteomic analysis of circulating SEVs was conducted using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). (Results). While no significant differences were observed in the concentration and size of exosomes among the studied groups, proteomic profiling revealed important variations. Mass spectrometry identified exclusive proteins that could serve as potential biomarkers for mammary cancer. These included Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain (ITIH2 and ITI4), phosphopyruvate hydratase or alpha enolase (ENO1), eukaryotic translation elongation factor 2 (eEF2), actin (ACTB), transthyretin (TTR), beta-2-glycoprotein 1 (APOH) and gelsolin (GSN) found in female dogs with malignant tumors. Additionally, vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP), also known as group-specific component (GC), was identified as a protein present during remission. (Conclusions). The results underscore the potential of proteins found in SEVs as valuable biomarkers in CMTs. Despite the lack of differences in vesicle concentration and size between the groups, the analysis of protein content revealed promising markers with potential applications in CMT diagnosis and monitoring. These findings suggest a novel approach in the development of more precise and effective diagnostic tools for this challenging clinical condition.

Proteomic Biomarkers Associated with Low Bone Mineral Density: A Systematic Review

Osteoporosis is a globally relevant public health issue. Our study aimed to summarize the knowledge on the proteomic biomarkers for low bone mineral density over the last years. We conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines; the scoured databases were PubMed, Web of Sciences, Scopus, and EBSCO, from inception to 2 June 2023. A total of 610 relevant studies were identified and 33 were assessed for eligibility. Finally, 29 studies met the criteria for this systematic review. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist tool. From the studies selected, 154 proteins were associated with changes of bone mineral density, from which only 10 were reported in at least two articles. The protein-protein network analysis indicated potential biomarkers involved in the skeletal system, immune system process, regulation of protein metabolic process, regulation of signaling, transport, cellular component assembly, cell differentiation, hemostasis, and extracellular matrix organization. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic profiling has allowed the discovery of new biomarkers with diagnostic potential. However, it is necessary to compare and validate the potential biomarkers in different populations to determine their association with bone metabolism and evaluate their translation to the clinical management of osteoporosis.

Gelsolin knockdown confers radiosensitivity to glioblastoma cells

OBJECTIVE

Radiotherapy (RT) is a cornerstone of the glioblastoma (GBM) treatment. However, the resistance of tumour cells to radiation results in early recurrence. The mechanisms underlying GBM radioresistance remain unclear. Screening for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to radiation might be a potential solution to this problem.

METHOD

RT-associated DEGs were screened based on the RNA sequencing of 15 paired primary and recurrent GBMs. The mRNA and protein expression of candidate genes were validated in RNA sequencing of The Chinese Genome Atlas (CGGA) dataset and 18 cases of GBM samples. The relationship between the candidate gene and radiation was confirmed in irradiated GBM cells. The association of candidate gene with clinical characteristics and survival was investigated in the CGGA and TCGA dataset. Biological function and pathway analysis were explored by gene ontology analysis. The association of the candidate gene with radiosensitivity was verified using cell counting Kit-8, comet, and colony formation assays in vitro and subcutaneous tumour xenograft experiments in vivo.

RESULTS

Gelsolin (GSN) was selected for further study. GSN expression was significant elevated in recurrent GBM and up-regulated in irradiated GBM cell lines. High expression of GSN was enriched in malignant phenotype of glioma. Moreover, high expression of GSN was associated with poor prognosis. Further investigation demonstrated that GSN-knockdown (GSN-KD) combined with RT significantly inhibited cell proliferation and enhanced radiosensitivity in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, GSN-KD could lead to more serious DNA damage and promotes apoptosis after RT.

CONCLUSION

Radiation induced up-regulated of GSN. GSN-KD could enhance the radiosensitivity of GBM.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase 2 in pancreatic cancer: An approach towards managing clinical prognosis and molecular immunological characterization

Most patients with pancreatic cancer are already in the late stages of the disease when they are diagnosed, and pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease with a poor prognosis. With the advancement of research, immunotherapy has become a new focus in the treatment of tumors. To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no reliable diagnostic or prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer; therefore, the present study investigated the potential of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α kinase 2 (EIF2AK2) as a predictive and diagnostic marker for pancreatic cancer. Immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples independently verified that EIF2AK2 expression was significantly higher in clinically operated pancreatic cancer tissues than in adjacent pancreatic tissues., and EIF2AK2 expression and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using downloadable RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genomic Tumor Expression Atlas. In addition, Gene Ontology/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses and immune cell infiltration were used for functional enrichment analysis of EIF2AK2-associated DEGs. The clinical importance of EIF2AK2 was also determined using Kaplan-Meier survival, Cox regression and time-dependent survival receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, and a predictive nomogram model was generated. Finally, the functional role of EIF2AK2 was assessed in PANC-1 cells using a short hairpin RNA-EIF2AK2 knockdown approach, including CCK-8, wound healing assay, cell cycle and apoptosis assays. The findings suggested that EIF2AK2 may have potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for patients with pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, EIF2AK2 may provide a new therapeutic target for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Gelsolin, an Actin-Binding Protein: Bioinformatic Analysis and Functional Significance in Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma

The involvement of the actin-regulatory protein, gelsolin (GSN), in neoplastic transformation has been reported in different cancers including bladder cancer. However, the exact mechanism by which GSN influences bladder cancer development is not well understood. Here, we sought to reveal the functional significance of GSN in bladder cancer by undertaking a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of TCGA datasets and through the assessment of multiple biological functions. GSN expression was knocked down in bladder cancer cell lines with two siRNA isoforms targeting GSN. Proliferation, migration, cell cycle and apoptosis assays were carried out. GSN expression, enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction and immune infiltration analysis were verified through online TCGA tools. The data indicated that GSN expression is associated with bladder cancer proliferation, migration and enhanced cell apoptosis through regulation of NF-κB expression. GSN expression correlated with various inflammatory cells and may influence the immunity of the tumor microenvironment. Computational analysis identified several interacting partners which are associated with cancer progression and patient outcome. The present results demonstrate that GSN plays an important role in bladder cancer pathogenesis and may serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer therapy.

Ammonium Persulfate-Loaded Carboxylic Gelatin-Methacrylate Nanoparticles Promote Cardiac Repair by Activating Epicardial Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition via Autophagy and the mTOR Pathway

Restoring damaged myocardial tissue with therapeutic exogenous cells still has some limitations, such as immunological rejection, immature cardiac properties, risk of tumorigenicity, and a low cell survival rate in the ischemic myocardium microenvironment. Activating the endogenous stem cells with functional biomaterials might overcome these limitations. Research has highlighted the multiple differentiation potential of epicardial cells via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in both heart development and cardiac regeneration. In our previous research, a carboxylic gelatin-methacrylate (carbox-GelMA) nanoparticle (NP) was fabricated to carry ammonium persulfate (APS), and APS-loaded carbox-GelMA NPs (NPs/APS) could drive the EMT of MCF-7 cells in vitro and promote cancer cell migration and invasion in vivo. The present study explored the roles of functional NPs/APS in the EMT of Wilms' tumor 1-positive (WT1+) epicardial cells and in the repair of myocardial infarction (MI). The WT1+ epicardial cells transformed into endothelial-like cells after being treated with NPs/APS in vitro, and the cardiac functions were improved significantly after injecting NPs/APS into the infarcted hearts in vivo. Furthermore, simultaneous activation of both autophagy and the mTOR pathway was confirmed during the NPs/APS-induced EMT process in WT1+ epicardial cells. Together, this study highlights the function of NPs/APS in the repair of MI.

Cancer invasion and metastasis: Insights from murine pubertal mammary gland morphogenesis

Cancer invasion and metastasis accounts for the majority of cancer related mortality. A better understanding of the players that drive the aberrant invasion and migration of tumors cells will provide critical targets to inhibit metastasis. Postnatal pubertal mammary gland morphogenesis is characterized by highly proliferative, invasive, and migratory normal epithelial cells. Identifying the molecular regulators of pubertal gland development is a promising strategy since tumorigenesis and metastasis is postulated to be a consequence of aberrant reactivation of developmental stages. In this review, we summarize the pubertal morphogenesis regulators that are involved in cancer metastasis and revisit pubertal mammary gland transcriptome profiling to uncover both known and unknown metastasis genes. Our updated list of pubertal morphogenesis regulators shows that most are implicated in invasion and metastasis. This review highlights molecular linkages between development and metastasis and provides a guide for exploring novel metastatic drivers.

Proteomic Markers for Mechanobiological Properties of Metastatic Cancer Cells

The major cause (more than 90%) of all cancer-related deaths is metastasis, thus its prediction can critically affect the survival rate. Metastases are currently predicted by lymph-node status, tumor size, histopathology and genetic testing; however, all these are not infallible, and obtaining results may require weeks. The identification of new potential prognostic factors will be an important source of risk information for the practicing oncologist, potentially leading to enhanced patient care through the proactive optimization of treatment strategies. Recently, the new mechanobiology-related techniques, independent of genetics, based on the mechanical invasiveness of cancer cells (microfluidic, gel indentation assays, migration assays etc.), demonstrated a high success rate for the detection of tumor cell metastasis propensity. However, they are still far away from clinical implementation due to complexity. Hence, the exploration of novel markers related to the mechanobiological properties of tumor cells may have a direct impact on the prognosis of metastasis. Our concise review deepens our knowledge of the factors that regulate cancer cell mechanotype and invasion, and incites further studies to develop therapeutics that target multiple mechanisms of invasion for improved clinical benefit. It may open a new clinical dimension that will improve cancer prognosis and increase the effectiveness of tumor therapies.

Gelsolin: A comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of potential prognosis, diagnostic, and immune biomarkers

Introduction: Gelsolin (GSN), a calcium-regulated actin-binding protein, is out of balance in various cancers. It can mediate cytoskeletal remodeling and regulate epithelial-mesenchymal conversion (EMT), but the studies on GSN function in pan-cancer are limited. Methods: We studied the transcription level, prognostic impact, diagnostic value, genetic, epigenetic modification, methylation level and immune significance of GSN in pan-cancer to fully comprehend the function of GSN in various malignancies based on multiple databases like The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Results: Pan-cancer research showed that GSN was downregulated in most tumors and expressed differently in immunological and molecular subtypes of many cancers. GSN had varying impacts on the prognosis of various tumor types. However, all had moderate to high diagnostic efficiency, and serum GSN had good diagnostic value in breast cancer patients (AUC = 0.947). Moreover, GSN was a distinguishing prognosis factor for some specific cancer types. The GSN protein was hypophosphorylated, and its promoter was hypermethylated in most cancers. GSN was linked to the infiltration level of several immunity cells and was essential in anti-tumor immune cell infiltration. KEGG and GSEA analyses showed that GSN was vital in the functions and proteoglycans processes in cancer, chemokine signaling pathway and other immune-related pathways, DNA methylation and cell cycle. Discussion: In conclusion, GSN possesses the ability to be a predictive, diagnostic, and immune indicator in pan-cancer.

GSN synergies with actin-related transfer molecular chain to promote invasion and metastasis of HCC

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that the ability of tumor cells to move and migrate is related to the molecular chain pathway mediated by actin. This study focused on the molecular mechanism of gelsolin (GSN) as an important actin-binding protein in promoting HCC invasion and metastasis.

METHODS

The relationship between GSN expression and clinical characteristics was observed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). In vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed the role of GSN in HCC metastasis. Dual-immunoprecipitation (IP), immunofluorescence (IF), western blotting, and the gelatinase activity assay were used to investigate the mechanism of GSN-promoting metastasis. PEX fusion proteins were used to intervene in the transfer molecular chain.

RESULTS

Our study found that GSN promoted HCC invasion and metastasis through its synergistic effect with actin-related transfer molecular chain (actin-CD44-MMPs). Concretely, as an important binding molecule of actin, GSN activated MMP2 by interacting with MMP14. Furthermore, CD44 might be a key node in the above-mentioned mechanism. The use of MMP14 domain (PEX fusion protein) to competitively bind to CD44 helped to inhibit the activation of downstream MMP2.

CONCLUSIONS

GSN played crucial roles in HCC metastatic process. An improved understanding of the multiple effects of GSN in HCC might facilitate a deeper appreciation of GSN as an important HCC regulator. The study identified GSN and its regulated transfer molecular chain as potential therapeutic targets for HCC.

Cytoskeletal and Cytoskeleton-Associated Proteins: Key Regulators of Cancer Stem Cell Properties

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation of cancer cells possessing stemness characteristics that are closely associated with tumor proliferation, recurrence and resistance to therapy. Recent studies have shown that different cytoskeletal components and remodeling processes have a profound impact on the behavior of CSCs. In this review, we outline the different cytoskeletal components regulating the properties of CSCs and discuss current and ongoing therapeutic strategies targeting the cytoskeleton. Given the many challenges currently faced in targeted cancer therapy, a deeper comprehension of the molecular events involved in the interaction of the cytoskeleton and CSCs will help us identify more effective therapeutic strategies to eliminate CSCs and ultimately improve patient survival.

Exosomal Plasma Gelsolin Is an Immunosuppressive Mediator in the Ovarian Tumor Microenvironment and a Determinant of Chemoresistance

Ovarian Cancer (OVCA) is the most fatal gynecologic cancer and has a 5-year survival rate less than 45%. This is mainly due to late diagnosis and drug resistance. Overexpression of plasma gelsolin (pGSN) is key contributing factor to OVCA chemoresistance and immunosuppression. Gelsolin (GSN) is a multifunctional protein that regulates the activity of actin filaments by cleavage, capping, and nucleation. Generally, it plays an important role in cytoskeletal remodeling. GSN has three isoforms: cytosolic GSN, plasma GSN (pGSN), and gelsolin-3. Exosomes containing pGSN are released and contribute to the progression of OVCA. This review describes how pGSN overexpression inhibits chemotherapy-induced apoptosis and triggers positive feedback loops of pGSN expression. It also describes the mechanisms by which exosomal pGSN promotes apoptosis and dysfunction in tumor-killing immune cells. A discussion on the potential of pGSN as a prognostic, diagnostic, and therapeutic marker is also presented herein.

Emerging roles of plasma gelsolin in tumorigenesis and modulating the tumor microenvironment

The protein expression of gelsolin, an actin scavenger controlling cytoskeletal remodeling, cell morphology, differentiation, movement, and apoptosis, has been found to be significantly decreased in several pathological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory disorders, and cancers. Its extracellular isoform, called plasma gelsolin (pGSN), is one of the most abundant plasma proteins in the circulation, and has emerged as a novel diagnostic biomarker for early disease detection. Current evidence reveals that gelsolin can function as either an oncoprotein or a tumor suppressor depending on the carcinoma type. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that pGSN is also involved in immunomodulation, revealing the multifunctional roles of pGSN in tumor progression. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge focusing on the roles of gelsolin in inflammation and wound healing, cancers, and tumor microenvironment. Future prospects of pGSN related studies and clinical application are also addressed.

Discovered Key CpG Sites by Analyzing DNA Methylation and Gene Expression in Breast Cancer Samples

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the world, and DNA methylation plays a key role in the occurrence and development of breast cancer. However, the effect of DNA methylation in different gene functional regions on gene expression and the effect of gene expression on breast cancer is not completely clear. In our study, we computed and analyzed DNA methylation, gene expression, and clinical data in the TCGA database. Firstly, we calculated the distribution of abnormal DNA methylated probes in 12 regions, found the abnormal DNA methylated probes in down-regulated genes were highly enriched, and the number of hypermethylated probes in the promoter region was 6.5 times than that of hypomethylated probes. Secondly, the correlation coefficients between abnormal DNA methylated values in each functional region of differentially expressed genes and gene expression values were calculated. Then, co-expression analysis of differentially expressed genes was performed, 34 hub genes in cancer-related pathways were obtained, of which 11 genes were regulated by abnormal DNA methylation. Finally, a multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed on 27 probes of 11 genes. Three DNA methylation probes (cg13569051 and cg14399183 of GSN, and cg25274503 of CAV2) related to survival were used to construct a prognostic model, which has a good prognostic ability. Furthermore, we found that the cg25274503 hypermethylation in the promoter region inhibited the expression of the CAV2, and the hypermethylation of cg13569051 and cg14399183 in the 5′UTR region inhibited the expression of GSN. These results may provide possible molecular targets for breast cancer.

1,8 Cineole and Ellagic acid inhibit hepatocarcinogenesis via upregulation of MiR-122 and suppression of TGF-β1, FSCN1, Vimentin, VEGF, and MMP-9

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most burdened tumors worldwide, with a complex and multifactorial pathogenesis. Current treatment approaches involve different molecular targets. Phytochemicals have shown considerable promise in the prevention and treatment of HCC. We investigated the efficacy of two natural components, 1,8 cineole (Cin) and ellagic acid (EA), against diethylnitrosamine/2-acetylaminofluorene (DEN/2-AAF) induced HCC in rats. DEN/2-AAF showed deterioration of hepatic cells with an impaired functional capacity of the liver. In addition, the levels of tumor markers including alpha-fetoprotein, arginase-1, alpha-L-fucosidase, and ferritin were significantly increased, whereas the hepatic miR-122 level was significantly decreased in induced-HCC rats. Interestingly, treatment with Cin (100mg/kg) and EA (60mg/kg) powerfully restored these biochemical alterations. Moreover, Cin and EA treatment exhibited significant downregulation in transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), Fascin-1 (FSCN1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) key marker, vimentin, along with a restoration of histopathological findings compared to HCC group. Such effects were comparable to Doxorubicin (DOX) (2mg/kg); however, a little additive effect was evident through combining these phytochemicals with DOX. Altogether, this study highlighted 1,8 cineole and ellagic acid for the first time as promising phytochemicals for the treatment of hepatocarcinogenesis via regulating multiple targets.

CCNDBP1, a Prognostic Marker Regulated by DNA Methylation, Inhibits Aggressive Behavior in Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma via Repressing Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition

The present study aimed to explore the prognostic value, function, and mechanism of CCNDBP1 in dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDL). Immunohistochemistry staining was used to analyze the protein expression of CCNDBP1 in tissue specimens. After silencing CCNDBP1 in LPS853 and overexpressing CCNDBP1 in LPS510, CCK-8, clone formation, transwell migration, and invasion assays were used to detect cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. CCNDBP1-induced cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The altered expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins were detected by Western blot. The methylation, gene expression, and clinical data of 58 samples with DDL were analyzed using the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. Low expression of CCNDBP1 was associated with a poor prognosis of patients with DDL and was considered an independent prognostic factor of the progression-free survival (PFS). CCNDBP1 significantly inhibited the clone formation, proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells in vitro and promoted cancer cell apoptosis. CCNDBP1 could repress the pathological EMT, thereby inhibiting the malignant behaviors of DDL cells. The high degree of DNA methylation sites cg05194114 and cg22184989 could decrease the expression of CCNDBP1 and worsen the prognosis of DDL patients. This is the first study reporting that CCNDBP1 is a tumor suppressor gene of DDL and putative prognostic marker in DDL patients. CCNDBP1 might inhibit the ability of cell proliferation and invasion by repressing pathological EMT, and the expression of CCNDBP1 could be regulated by DNA methylation in DDL.

3'untranslated regions (3'UTR) of Gelsolin mRNA displays anticancer effects in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells

RNA-based therapeutics has attracted substantial interest from both academics and pharmaceutical companies. In this study, we investigated the function and the underlying mechanism of Gelsolin (GSN) 3'UTR in NSCLC H1299 and A549 cells. We found that transfected Flag-GSN plasmids significantly increased the proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells, whereas GSN 3'UTR could suppress the promotional effect of GSN protein on the development of NSCLC in vitro. Interestingly, we observed that these in vitro anticancer effects of GSN 3'UTR was independent of the co-expression with GSN coding sequence. Moreover, transfected GSN 3'UTR affected the actin-cytoskeleton remodeling and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes in H1299 and A549 cells, and targeted the co-expressed proteins to the plasma membrane. Subsequently, RNA pull-down assays have been performed to identify Tra2β protein as a GSN 3'UTR binder. We then showed that Tra2β was important for the localized protein expression mediated by GSN 3'UTR. Taken together, our results suggested that GSN 3'UTR may exert anticancer functions in NSCLC cells through regulating the subcellular localized expression of GSN protein mediated by the interaction between GSN 3'UTR-Tra2β.

Transcriptome analysis discloses dysregulated genes in normal appearing tumor-adjacent thyroid tissues from patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. The molecular characteristics of histologically normal appearing tissue adjacent to the tumor (NAT) from PTC patients are not well characterized. The aim of this study was to characterize the global gene expression profile of NAT and compare it with those of normal and tumor thyroid tissues. We performed total RNA sequencing with fresh frozen thyroid tissues from a cohort of three categories of samples including NAT, normal thyroid (N), and PTC tumor (T). Transcriptome analysis shows that NAT presents a unique gene expression profile, which was not associated with sex or the presence of lymphocytic thyroiditis. Among the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of NAT vs N, 256 coding genes and 5 noncoding genes have been reported as cancer genes involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and/or tumorigenesis. Bioinformatics analysis with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software revealed that “Cancer, Organismal Injury and Abnormalities, Cellular Response to Therapeutics, and Cellular Movement” were major dysregulated pathways in the NAT tissues. This study provides improved insight into the complexity of gene expression changes in the thyroid glands of patients with PTC.

Cytoskeletal Remodeling in Cancer

Simple Summary

Cell migration is an essential process from embryogenesis to cell death. This is tightly regulated by numerous proteins that help in proper functioning of the cell. In diseases like cancer, this process is deregulated and helps in the dissemination of tumor cells from the primary site to secondary sites initiating the process of metastasis. For metastasis to be efficient, cytoskeletal components like actin, myosin, and intermediate filaments and their associated proteins should co-ordinate in an orderly fashion leading to the formation of many cellular protrusions-like lamellipodia and filopodia and invadopodia. Knowledge of this process is the key to control metastasis of cancer cells that leads to death in 90% of the patients. The focus of this review is giving an overall understanding of these process, concentrating on the changes in protein association and regulation and how the tumor cells use it to their advantage. Since the expression of cytoskeletal proteins can be directly related to the degree of malignancy, knowledge about these proteins will provide powerful tools to improve both cancer prognosis and treatment.

Abstract

Successful metastasis depends on cell invasion, migration, host immune escape, extravasation, and angiogenesis. The process of cell invasion and migration relies on the dynamic changes taking place in the cytoskeletal components; actin, tubulin and intermediate filaments. This is possible due to the plasticity of the cytoskeleton and coordinated action of all the three, is crucial for the process of metastasis from the primary site. Changes in cellular architecture by internal clues will affect the cell functions leading to the formation of different protrusions like lamellipodia, filopodia, and invadopodia that help in cell migration eventually leading to metastasis, which is life threatening than the formation of neoplasms. Understanding the signaling mechanisms involved, will give a better insight of the changes during metastasis, which will eventually help targeting proteins for treatment resulting in reduced mortality and longer survival.