Targeting MALAT1 Augments Sensitivity to PARP Inhibition by Impairing Homologous Recombination in Prostate Cancer

Meeting proceedings of the 43rd Indian Association for Cancer Research (IACR)

The 43rd Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Cancer Research (IACR) was held between 19th and 22nd January 2024 at the Indian Institute of Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally; efforts have been made to understand and treat this deadly disease for several decades. The 43rd IACR, organised by Mayurika Lahiri, Kundan Sengupta, Nagaraj Balasubramanian, Mridula Nambiar, Krishanpal Karmodiya, and Siddhesh Kamat, highlighted recent advances in cancer research, with implications in therapeutics at the forefront of the discussions. The meeting proved to be a promising platform for cancer researchers ranging from graduate and postdoctoral students to subject experts in varied aspects of cancer biology to showcase their research, ideate with their peers, and form collaborations.

The Expression Patterns and Implications of MALAT1, MANCR, PSMA3-AS1 and miR-101 in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a malignant tumor with poorly understood molecular mechanisms. This study endeavors to elucidate how the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) MALAT1, MANCR and PSMA3-AS1, as well as the microRNA miR-101, exhibit specific expression patterns in the pathogenesis and prognosis of EAC. A total of 50 EAC tissue samples (tumors and lymph nodes) and a control group comprising 26 healthy individuals were recruited. The samples underwent quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses. The relative expression levels of MALAT1, MANCR, PSMA3-AS1, and miR-101 were ascertained and correlated with various clinicopathological parameters including TNM staging, tumor characteristics (size and grade of the tumor) lymphatic invasion, disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of EAC patients. Quantitative analyses revealed that MALAT1 and MANCR were significantly upregulated in EAC tumors and positive lymph nodes when compared to control tissues (p < 0.05). Such dysregulations correlated positively with advanced lymphatic metastases and a higher N stage. DFS in the subgroup of patients with negative lymph nodes was higher in the setting of low-MANCR-expression patients compared to patients with high MANCR expression (p = 0.02). Conversely, miR-101 displayed a significant downregulation in EAC tumors and positive lymph nodes (p < 0.05), and correlated negatively with advanced tumor stage, lymphatic invasion and the grade of the tumor (p = 0.006). Also, patients with low miR-101 expression showed a tendency towards inferior overall survival. PSMA3-AS1 did not demonstrate statistically significant alterations (p > 0.05). This study reveals MALAT1, MANCR, and miR-101 as putative molecular markers for prognostic evaluation in EAC and suggests their involvement in EAC progression.