Proteomic Analysis Reveals Molecular Differences in the Development of Gastric Cancer

Antitumor Effect of Poplar Propolis on Human Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma A431 Cells

Propolis is a gelatinous substance processed by western worker bees from the resin of plant buds and mixed with the secretions of the maxillary glands and beeswax. Propolis has extensive biological activities and antitumor effects. There have been few reports about the antitumor effect of propolis against human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) A431 cells and its potential mechanism. CCK-8 assays, label-free proteomics, RT-PCR, and a xenograft tumor model were employed to explore this possibility. The results showed that the inhibition rate of A431 cell proliferation by the ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) was dose-dependent, with an IC50 of 39.17 μg/mL. There were 193 differentially expressed proteins in the EEP group compared with the control group (p < 0.05), of which 103 proteins (53.37%) were upregulated, and 90 proteins (46.63%) were downregulated. The main three activated and suppressed Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction, amoebiasis, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, and Alzheimer's disease. The tumor volume of the 100 mg/kg EEP group was significantly different from that of the control group (p < 0.05). These results provide a theoretical basis for the potential treatment of human CSCC A431 cell tumors using propolis.

Urinary Proteomics for Discovery of Gastric Cancer Biomarkers to Enable Precision Clinical Oncology

For precision in clinical oncology practice, detection of tumor-derived peptides and proteins in urine offers an attractive and noninvasive alternative for diagnostic or screening purposes. In this study, we report comparative quantitative proteomic profiling of urine samples from patients with gastric cancer and healthy controls using tandem mass tags-based multiplexed mass spectrometry approach. We identified 1504 proteins, of which 246 were differentially expressed in gastric cancer cases. Notably, ephrin A1 (EFNA1), pepsinogen A3 (PGA3), sortilin 1 (SORT1), and vitronectin (VTN) were among the upregulated proteins, which are known to play crucial roles in the progression of gastric cancer. We also found other overexpressed proteins, including shisa family member 5 (SHISA5), mucin like 1 (MUCL1), and leukocyte cell derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2), which had not previously been linked to gastric cancer. Using a novel approach for targeted proteomics, SureQuant, we validated changes in abundance of a subset of proteins discovered in this study. We confirmed the overexpression of vitronectin and sortilin 1 in an independent set of urine samples. Altogether, this study provides molecular candidates for biomarker development in gastric cancer, and the findings also support the promise of urinary proteomics for noninvasive diagnostics and personalized/precision medicine in the oncology clinic.

Role of Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy in Early Detection of Upper Gastrointestinal Malignancy in High Risk Patients

BACKGROUND

Upper gastrointestinal malignancies are a major global health burden. Early diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal premalignant and malignant lesions is crucial for improving prognosis and reducing morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) in detecting upper gastrointestinal premalignant and early malignant lesions in high-risk patients, as well as diagnosing patients with inconclusive white light endoscopy (WLE) and histopathology results.

METHODS

It was a cross-sectional study that included ninety (n = 90) high-risk patients with inconclusive diagnoses of upper gastrointestinal lesions on WLE and WLE-based biopsy histopathology. These patients underwent CLE, and the definitive diagnosis was confirmed using CLE and CLE-target biopsy histopathology. Diagnostic accuracy was determined by comparing the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy between the procedures.

RESULT

The mean patient age was 47.43 ± 11.18 years. CLE and target biopsy confirmed that 30 (33.3%) patients had normal histology, while 60 (66.7%) patients were diagnosed with gastritis, gastric intestinal metaplasia, high-grade dysplasia, adenocarcinoma, Barrett's esophagus, and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. The results of CLE were superior to those of WLE in terms of diagnostic parameters. Additionally, CLE demonstrated nearly similar results in sensitivity (98.33%), specificity (100%), positive predictive value (100%), negative predictive value (96.77%), and accuracy (98.89%) when compared to CLE-target biopsy.

CONCLUSION

CLE showed higher diagnostic accuracy in differentiating normal, premalignant and malignant lesions. It effectively diagnosed patients who initially had inconclusive WLE and/or biopsy results. Furthermore, early detection of upper gastrointestinal premalignant or malignant lesions may improve prognosis and reduce morbidity and mortality.

Malignancies in Patients with Celiac Disease: Diagnostic Challenges and Molecular Advances

Celiac disease (CD) is a multiorgan autoimmune disorder of the chronic intestinal disease group characterized by duodenal inflammation in genetically predisposed individuals, precipitated by gluten ingestion. The pathogenesis of celiac disease is now widely studied, overcoming the limits of the purely autoimmune concept and explaining its hereditability. The genomic profiling of this condition has led to the discovery of numerous genes involved in interleukin signaling and immune-related pathways. The spectrum of disease manifestations is not limited to the gastrointestinal tract, and a significant number of studies have considered the possible association between CD and neoplasms. Patients with CD are found to be at increased risk of developing malignancies, with a particular predisposition of certain types of intestinal cancer, lymphomas, and oropharyngeal cancers. This can be partially explained by common cancer hallmarks present in these patients. The study of gut microbiota, microRNAs, and DNA methylation is evolving to find the any possible missing links between CD and cancer incidence in these patients. However, the literature is extremely mixed and, therefore, our understanding of the biological interplay between CD and cancer remains limited, with significant implications in terms of clinical management and screening protocols. In this review article, we seek to provide a comprehensive overview of the genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics data on CD and its relation to the most frequent types of neoplasms that may occur in these patients.

Lymph Node Metastasis-Related Gene ITGA4 Promotes the Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Gastric Cancer Cells by Regulating Tumor Immune Microenvironment

The Integrin Subunit Alpha 4 (ITGA4) plays important roles in cancers pathogenesis. However, the expression and association with clinicopathological and survival probability have not been previously assessed in gastric cancer (GC). Protein expression of ITGA4 was assessed in TMA using immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological factors and survival. The mRNA expression of ITGA4 was also assessed in the HMU-GC cohort. Bioinformatics function analysis was conducted through GSEA. The “CIBERSORT” package was used for immune infiltration analysis. “SvyNom” package is used to construct prognosis model. ITGA4 knock down using shRNA. The evaluation of cell function was performed by CCK-8 and Transwell invasion and migration experiments. ITGA4 was significantly associated with N classification ( $P=0.031$ ), tumor location ( $P=0.033$ ), WHO classification ( $P=0.007$ ), and poor prognosis in mRNA level. GSEA analysis of the validation cohort suggested that ITGA4 was associated with macrophage infiltration. Immunohistochemistry showed that ITGA4 was associated with poor prognosis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis found that ITGA4 ( $P=0.045$ ) and lymph node metastasis rate ( $P=0.026$ ) were independent prognostic factors and could construct a prognosis model. ITGA4 knockdown cell line significantly reduced the ability of proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. ITGA4 is associated with patient survival in GC and may be an important prognostic biomarker.