Silencing of AURKA augments the antitumor efficacy of the AURKA inhibitor MLN8237 on neuroblastoma cells

Securinine inhibits carcinogenesis in gastric cancer by targeting AURKA-β-catenin/Akt/STAT3 and the cell cycle pathway

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is difficult to treat with currently available treatments. Securinine (SCR) has a lengthy history of use in the treatment of disorders of the nervous system, and its anticancer potential has been gaining attention in recent years. The aim of this study was to explore the repressive effect of SCR on GC and its fundamental mechanism.

METHODS

The efficacy of SCR in GC cells was detected by MTT assays. Colony formation, flow cytometry and Transwell assays were used to assess the changes in the proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, migration and invasion of GC cells after treatment. AGS (human gastric carcinoma cell)-derived xenografts were used to observe the effect of SCR on tumor growth in vivo. The molecular mechanism of action of SCR in GC was explored via RNA sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, Western blotting, molecular docking, and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

SCR was first discovered to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells while initiating apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in vitro. It was also established that SCR has excellent anticancer effects in vivo. Interestingly, AURKA acts as a crucial target of SCR, and AURKA expression can be blocked by SCR. Moreover, this study revealed that SCR suppresses the cell cycle and the β-catenin/Akt/STAT3 pathways, which were previously reported to be regulated by AURKA.

CONCLUSION

SCR exerts a notable anticancer effect on GC by targeting AURKA and blocking the cell cycle and β-catenin/Akt/STAT3 pathway. Thus, SCR is a promising pharmacological option for the treatment of GC.

Identification of MYCN non-amplified neuroblastoma subgroups points towards molecular signatures for precision prognosis and therapy stratification

BACKGROUND

Despite the extensive study of MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas, there is a significant unmet clinical need in MYCN non-amplified cases. In particular, the extent of heterogeneity within the MYCN non-amplified population is unknown.

METHODS

A total of 1566 samples from 16 datasets were identified in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress. Characterisation of the subtypes was analysed by ConsensusClusterPlus. Independent predictors for subgrouping were constructed from the single sample predictor based on the multiclassPairs package. Findings were verified using immunohistochemistry and CIBERSORTx analysis.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that MYCN non-amplified neuroblastomas are heterogeneous and can be classified into 3 subgroups based on their transcriptional signatures. Within these groups, subgroup_2 has the worst prognosis and this group shows a 'MYCN' signature that is potentially induced by the overexpression of Aurora Kinase A (AURKA); whilst subgroup_3 is characterised by an 'inflamed' gene signature. The clinical implications of this subtype classification are significant, as each subtype demonstrates a unique prognosis and vulnerability to investigational therapies. A total of 420 genes were identified as independent subgroup predictors with average balanced accuracy of 0.93 and 0.84 for train and test datasets, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We propose that transcriptional subtyping may enhance precision prognosis and therapy stratification for patients with MYCN non-amplified neuroblastomas.

Precision Oncology in Pediatric Cancer Surgery

Pediatric precision oncology has provided a greater understanding of the wide range of molecular alterations in difficult-to-treat or rare tumors with the aims of increasing survival as well as decreasing toxicity and morbidity from current cytotoxic therapies. In this article, the authors discuss the current state of pediatric precision oncology which has increased access to novel targeted therapies while also providing a framework for clinical implementation in this unique population. The authors evaluate the targetable mutations currently under investigation-with a focus on pediatric solid tumors-and discuss the key surgical implications associated with novel targeted therapies.

AURKA Enhances the Glycolysis and Development of Ovarian Endometriosis Through ERβ

Ovarian endometriosis (EMs) is a benign, estrogen-dependent gynecological disorder. Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), a nuclear receptor for estradiol, plays an important role in the development of ovarian EMs. Here, we investigated the biological significance of aurora kinase A (AURKA) in ovarian EMs and the mechanism by which it regulates ERβ. We used immunohistochemical assays to verify that AURKA and ERβ were highly expressed in ectopic endometrial tissues. Cell proliferation and colony formation assays were used to demonstrate that AURKA promoted the proliferation of EMs cells. Wound-healing assay, Transwell migration assay, and Matrigel invasion assay further showed that AURKA enhanced the ability of EMs cells to migrate and invade. In addition, AURKA was shown to stimulate glycolysis in EMs cells by measuring the concentration of glucose and lactate in the cell supernatants. Moreover, the AURKA inhibitor alisertib was found to inhibit the progression of ovarian EMs and glycolysis in a mouse model of EMs by measuring ectopic tissues as well as by testing the peritoneal fluid of mice. Furthermore, coimmunoprecipitation assay showed that AURKA interacted with ERβ. The rescue experiments confirmed that AURKA regulated the development and glycolysis of ovarian EMs in an ERβ-dependent manner. AURKA contributed to the development of ovarian EMs by upregulating of ERβ. AURKA may represent a new target for the treatment of ovarian EMs.

Inducing Mitotic Catastrophe as a Therapeutic Approach to Improve Outcomes in Ewing Sarcoma

Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is an aggressive pediatric malignancy of the bone and soft tissues in need of novel therapeutic options. To identify potential therapeutic targets, we focused on essential biological pathways that are upregulated by EWS-FLI1, the primary oncogenic driver of EWS, including mitotic proteins such as Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and kinesin family member 15 (KIF15) and its binding partner, targeting protein for Xklp2 (TPX2). KIF15/TPX2 cooperates with KIF11, a key mitotic kinesin essential for mitotic spindle orientation. Given the lack of clinical-grade KIF15/TPX2 inhibitors, we chose to target KIF11 (using SB-743921) in combination with AURKA (using VIC-1911) given that phosphorylation of KIF15S1169 by Aurora A is required for its targeting to the spindle. In vitro, the drug combination demonstrated strong synergy (Bliss score ≥ 10) at nanomolar doses. Colony formation assay revealed significant reduction in plating efficiency (1-3%) and increased percentage accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase with the combination treatment (45-52%) upon cell cycle analysis, indicating mitotic arrest. In vivo studies in EWS xenograft mouse models showed significant tumor reduction and overall effectiveness: drug combination vs. vehicle control (p ≤ 0.01), SB-743921 (p ≤ 0.01) and VIC-1911 (p ≤ 0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated superior overall survival with the combination compared to vehicle or monotherapy arms (p ≤ 0.0001).

AURKA inhibitor-induced PD-L1 upregulation impairs antitumor immune responses

Introduction

Tumor immunotherapy targeting PD-L1 has emerged as one of the powerful tools for tumor therapy. Numerous studies indicate that tumor-targeted drugs critically have an influence on the interaction between the immune system and tumors by changing the expression of PD-L1, which is beneficial for immunotherapy. Our study provided novel evidence for improving the drug regimen in tumor targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Methods

The expression of PD-L1 on SKBR3, MDA-MB-231, MCF7, 4T1, MC38 and B16 cells was evaluated by flow cytometry after treatment with six preclinical targeted drugs (ARN-509, AZD3514, Galeterone, Neratinib, MLN8237 and LGK974). AURKA was knockdowned by using the specific siRNA or CRISPR-Cas9 technology. In the 4T1-breast tumor and colorectal cancer xenograft tumor models, we determined the number of infiltrated CD3+ and CD8+ T cells in tumor tissues by IHC.

Results

We found that AURKA inhibitor MLN8237 promoted the expression of PD-L1 in a time- and concentration-dependent manner while exerted its antitumor effect. Knockdown of AURKA could induce the upregulation of PD-L1 on SKBR3 cells. MLN8237-induced PD-L1 upregulation was mainly associated with the phosphorylation of STAT3. In the 4T1-breast tumor xenograft model, the infiltrated CD3+ and CD8+ T cells decreased after treatment with MLN8237. When treated with MLN8237 in combination with anti-PD-L1 antibody, the volumes of tumor were significantly reduced and accompanied by increasing the infiltration of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells in colorectal cancer xenograft tumor model.

Discussion

Our data demonstrated that MLN8237 improved the effect of immunology-related therapy on tumor cells by interacting with anti-PD-L1 antibody, which contributed to producing creative sparks for exploring the possible solutions to overcoming drug resistance to tumor targeted therapy.

Assessment of cell cycle progression and mitotic slippage by videomicroscopy

Senescence is a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest accompanied by the acquisition of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is activated in response to a variety of damaging stimuli, including genotoxic therapy. Accumulating evidence indicates that mitotic stress also promotes entry into senescence. This occurs via a mechanism involving defective mitoses and mitotic arrest, followed by abortion of cell division and slippage in the G1 phase. In this process, mitotic slippage leads to the generation of senescent cells characterized by a large cell body and a multinucleated and/or enlarged nuclear size. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for the assessment of cell proliferation and mitotic slippage in colorectal cancer cells upon pharmacological inhibition of the mitotic kinesin KIF11, best known as EG5. This approach can be used for preliminary characterization of senescence induction by therapeutics, but requires validation with standard senescence assays.

Integrative analysis of multi-omics data for discovery of ferroptosis-related gene signature predicting immune activity in neuroblastoma

Immunotherapy for neuroblastoma remains unsatisfactory due to heterogeneity and weak immunogenicity. Exploring powerful signatures for the evaluation of immunotherapy outcomes remain the primary purpose. We constructed a ferroptosis-related gene (FRG) signature by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and Cox regression, identified 10 independent prognostic FRGs in a training cohort (GSE62564), and then verified them in an external validation cohort (TCGA). Associated with clinical factors, the signature accurately predicts overall survival of 3, 5, and 10 years. An independent prognostic nomogram, which included FRG risk, age, stage of the International Neuroblastoma Staging System, and an MYCN status, was constructed. The area under the curves showed satisfactory prognostic predicting performance. Through bulk RNA-seq and proteomics data, we revealed the relationship between hub genes and the key onco-promoter MYCN gene and then validated the results in MYCN-amplified and MYCN-non-amplified cell lines with qRT-PCR. The FRG signature significantly divided patients into high- and low-risk groups, and the differentially expressed genes between the two groups were enriched in immune actions, autophagy, and carcinogenesis behaviors. The low-risk group embodied higher positive immune component infiltration and a higher expression of immune checkpoints with a more favorable immune cytolytic activity (CYT). We verified the predictive power of this signature with data from melanoma patients undergoing immunotherapy, and the predictive power was satisfactory. Gene mutations were closely related to the signature and prognosis. AURKA and PRKAA2 were revealed to be nodal hub FRGs in the signature, and both were shown to have significantly different expressions between the INSS stage IV and other stages after immunohistochemical validation. With single-cell RNA-seq analysis, we found that genes related to T cells were enriched in TNFA signaling and interferon-γ hallmark. In conclusion, we constructed a ferroptosis-related gene signature that can predict the outcomes and work in evaluating the effects of immunotherapy.

AURORA KINASE A and related downstream molecules: A potential network for cancer therapy

Aurora-A kinase (AURKA) belongs to the serine/threonine kinase family specific to cell division. In normal cells, activation of the AURKA protein is essential for regulating chromosomal segregation and centrosome maturation. The physiological concentration of AURKA accumulation has utmost importance during cell division. AURKA starts accumulating during the S phase of the cell cycle, gets functionally activated during the G2/M phase, attaches to the microtubule, and gets degraded during mitotic exit. Overexpression of AURKA could lead to deregulated cell cycle division, which is intrinsic to numerous cancers. Moreover, dysregulated AURKA affects various downstream molecules that aid in cancer pathogenesis. AURKA phosphorylates its substrates, including oncoproteins, transcriptional factors, tumor suppressor proteins, or other kinases central to various oncogenic signaling pathways critical to cancer. Considering the central role of AURKA in cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, targeting AURKA can be a novel alternative to cancer management. Several AURKA inhibitors have shown promising responses against different cancers either as a single agent or combined with various therapies. This chapter briefly discusses the role of AURKA and its downstream molecules in cancer vis-à-vis the role of AURKA inhibitor in chemoprevention.

Targeted AURKA degradation: Towards new therapeutic agents for neuroblastoma

Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is a well-established target in neuroblastoma (NB) due to both its catalytic functions during mitosis and its kinase-independent functions, including stabilization of the key oncoprotein MYCN. We present a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study of MK-5108-derived PROTACs against AURKA by exploring different linker lengths and exit vectors on the thalidomide moiety. PROTAC SK2188 induces the most potent AURKA degradation (DC_50,24h 3.9 nM, D_max,24h 89%) and shows an excellent binding and degradation selectivity profile. Treatment of NGP neuroblastoma cells with SK2188 induced concomitant MYCN degradation, high replication stress/DNA damage levels and apoptosis. Moreover, SK2188 significantly outperforms the parent inhibitor MK-5108 in a cell proliferation screen and patient-derived organoids. Furthermore, altering the attachment point of the PEG linker to the 5-position of thalidomide allowed us to identify a potent AURKA degrader with a linker as short as 2 PEG units. With this, our SAR-study provides interesting lead structures for further optimization and validation of AURKA degradation as a potential therapeutic strategy in neuroblastoma.

Deciphering the Role of p53 and TAp73 in Neuroblastoma: From Pathogenesis to Treatment

Neuroblastoma (NB) is an embryonic cancer that develops from neural crest stem cells, being one of the most common malignancies in children. The clinical manifestation of this disease is highly variable, ranging from spontaneous regression to increased aggressiveness, which makes it a major therapeutic challenge in pediatric oncology. The p53 family proteins p53 and TAp73 play a key role in protecting cells against genomic instability and malignant transformation. However, in NB, their activities are commonly inhibited by interacting proteins such as murine double minute (MDM)2 and MDMX, mutant p53, ΔNp73, Itch, and Aurora kinase A. The interplay between the p53/TAp73 pathway and N-MYC, a known biomarker of poor prognosis and drug resistance in NB, also proves to be decisive in the pathogenesis of this tumor. More recently, a strong crosstalk between microRNAs (miRNAs) and p53/TAp73 has been established, which has been the focused of great attention because of its potential for developing new therapeutic strategies. Collectively, this review provides an updated overview about the critical role of the p53/TAp73 pathway in the pathogenesis of NB, highlighting encouraging clues for the advance of alternative NB targeted therapies.

Identification of Prognostic Markers for Head and NeckSquamous Cell Carcinoma Based on Glycolysis-Related Genes

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) comprise a heterogeneous group of tumors. Many patients respond differently to treatment and prognosis due to molecular heterogeneity. There is an urgent need to identify novel biomarkers to predict the prognosis of patients with HNSCC. Glycolysis has an important influence on the progress of HNSCC. Therefore, we investigated the prognostic significance of glycolysis-related genes in HNSCC. Our results showed that ELF3, AURKA, and ADH7 of 20 glycolysis-related DEGs were significantly related to survival and were used to construct the risk signature. The risk score showed high accuracy in distinguishing the overall survival (OS) of HNSCC. The Kaplan–Meier curves demonstrated that the risk score was associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with female sex, male sex, grade 3, T1/2 stage, N⁺ stage, N2 stage, M0 stage, and clinical stage III/IV. Independent prognostic analysis showed that clinical stage and risk score were strongly associated with OS. Moreover, the risk score had higher accuracy in predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival. AURKA and ADH7 were only significantly related to M1 macrophages and neutrophils, respectively, while ELF3 was significantly correlated with M2 macrophages and monocytes (all p < 0.05).The ceRNA network demonstrated that miR-335-5p and miR-9-5p may play core roles in the regulation of these three genes in HNSCC. The risk score constructed based on three glycolysis-related genes showed high accuracy in predicting the prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics of HNSCC.

Recognition of Key Genes in Human Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer via the Weighing Gene Coexpression Network

Methods

For determining pathways and key genes that have relation with development of ATC, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from GSE33630 as well as GSE65144 expression microarray were screened. Furthermore, we also worked on carrying out the task of constructing a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and the work of weighing gene coexpression network (WGCNA). DAVID was utilized for the performance of the Gene Ontology (GO) as well as KEGG pathway enrichment analyses for DEGs. We used TCGA THCA data and GSE53072 to further verify the hub gene and hub pathway.

Results

We came to the conclusion of the recognition of a total of 1063 genes as DEGs. Analysis regarding functional and pathway enrichment showed that there existed a notable enrichment of upregulated DEGs in the organization of extracellular structure and matrix organization, as well as in organelle fission and nuclear division. The downregulated DEG was markedly gathered in the thyroid hormone metabolic process and generation, as well as in the metabolic process of cellular modified amino acid. We identified 10 hub genes (CXCL8, CDH1, AURKA, CCNA2, FN1, CDK1, ITGAM, CDC20, MMP9, and KIF11) through the PPI network, which might be strongly linked to the carcinogenesis and the development of ATC. In the coexpression network, 6 modules that were relevant to ATC were recognized. The modules were related to the interaction of signaling pathway of p53, Hippo, PI3K/Akt, and ECM-receptor. This hub genes and hub pathway were further successfully validated as a potential biomarker for carcinogenesis and prediction in another database GSE53072.

Conclusion

To summarize, this research displayed an illustration of hub genes and pathways that had relation with ATC development, which suggested that DEGs and hub genes, recognized on the basis of bioinformatics analyses, were valuable in the diagnosis for patients with ATC.

Cellular senescence in neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a tumour that arises from the sympathoadrenal lineage occurring predominantly in children younger than five years. About half of the patients are diagnosed with high-risk tumours and undergo intensive multi-modal therapy. The success rate of current treatments for high-risk neuroblastoma is disappointingly low and survivors suffer from multiple therapy-related long-term side effects. Most chemotherapeutics drive cancer cells towards cell death or senescence. Senescence has long been considered to represent a terminal non-proliferative state and therefore an effective barrier against tumorigenesis. This dogma, however, has been challenged by recent observations that infer a much more dynamic and reversible nature for this process, which may have implications for the efficacy of therapy-induced senescence-oriented treatment strategies. Neuroblastoma cells in a dormant, senescent-like state may escape therapy, whilst their senescence-associated secretome may promote inflammation and invasiveness, potentially fostering relapse. Conversely, due to its distinct molecular identity, senescence may also represent an opportunity for the development of novel (combination) therapies. However, the limited knowledge on the molecular dynamics and diversity of senescence signatures demands appropriate models to study this process in detail. This review summarises the molecular knowledge about cellular senescence in neuroblastoma and investigates current and future options towards therapeutic exploration.

Integrated Analysis of Transcriptome Data Revealed AURKA and KIF20A as Critical Genes in Medulloblastoma Progression

Medulloblastoma is the neuroepithelial tumor with the highest degree of malignancy in the central nervous system, accounting for about 8% to 10% of children’s brain tumors. It has a high degree of malignancy and is easily transmitted through cerebrospinal fluid, with a relatively poor prognosis. Although medulloblastoma has been widely studied and treated, its molecular mechanism remains unclear. To determine which gene plays a crucial role in medulloblastoma development and progression, we analyzed three microarray datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes were used to detect and evaluate differentially expressed genes. Protein interaction network was established, and the hub genes were determined in cytoHubba through various assessment methods, while the target genes were screened out using survival analysis. Ultimately, human medulloblastoma samples were utilized to confirm target gene expression. In conclusion, This study found that aurora kinase A (AURKA) and kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) may be involved in the initiation and development of medulloblastoma, have a close association with prognosis, and may become a potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker of MED.

Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells with High Aurora Kinase A Expression Show Improved Proliferation, Migration, and Therapeutic Potential

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are effective therapeutic agents that contribute to tissue repair and regeneration by secreting various factors. However, donor-dependent variations in MSC proliferation and therapeutic potentials result in variable production yields and clinical outcomes, thereby impeding MSC-based therapies. Hence, selection of MSCs with high proliferation and therapeutic potentials would be important for effective clinical application of MSCs. This study is aimed at identifying the upregulated genes in human Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (WJ-MSCs) with high proliferation potential using mRNA sequencing. Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and dedicator of cytokinesis 2 (DOCK2) were selected as the upregulated genes, and their effects on proliferation, migration, and colony formation of the WJ-MSCs were verified using small interfering RNA (siRNA) techniques. mRNA expression levels of both the genes were positively correlated with the proliferation capacity of WJ-MSCs. Moreover, AURKA from human WJ-MSCs regulated the antiapoptotic effect of skeletal muscle cells by upregulating the chemokine (C motif) ligand (XCL1); this was further confirmed in the mdx mouse model. Taken together, the results indicated that AURKA and DOCK2 can be used as potential biomarkers for proliferation and migration of human WJ-MSCs. In particular, human WJ-MSCs with high expression of AURKA might have therapeutic efficacy against muscle diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Mechanisms of Senescence-Related NKG2D Ligands Release and Immune Escape Induced by Chemotherapy in Neuroblastoma Cells

Chemotherapy-induced senescence promotes immunocyte aggregation in the tumor microenvironment by upregulating the surface expression of activating ligands in cancer cells. However, these senescent tumor cells cannot be completely cleared and can induce tumor recurrence. Previous studiesshowed that soluble natural killer (NK) group 2D (NKG2D) ligands impair the recognition of multiple immune cells. In this study, we established an in vitro senescence model using neuroblastoma cells subjected to low-dose Chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin or the Aurora A inhibitor MLN8237. The results showed that different neuroblastoma cell lines showed increased secretion of the NKG2D ligand MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence A/B (MICA/B) following proteolysis after treatment, with MICA/B subsequently recruited to exosomes to downregulate NKG2D expression in NK cells. Interestingly, disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing 10 (ADAM10) was upregulated in senescent tumor cells, and combined treatment with the ADAM10 inhibitor GI254023X and chemotherapeutic drugs inhibited MICA/B secretion and enhanced recognition and killing by NK cells. Additionally, we found that expression of the long noncoding RNA MALAT1 was significantly increased in senescent neuroblastoma cells, and that MALAT1 served as a sponge for microRNA (miR)-92a-3p to counteract miR-92a-3p-mediated repression of ADAM10 levels. Furthermore, administration of a MALAT1 inhibitor or an miR-92a-3p mimic reduced the MICA/B shedding and enhanced recognition and killing by NK cells. These results confirmed that low-dose chemotherapy induces senescence in neuroblastoma cells, and that senescent tumor cells promote the shedding of the NKG2D ligand MICA/B through the MALAT1/miR-92a/ADAM10 axis, thereby contributing to the formation of a suppressive immune microenvironment and promoting immune escape.

Identification of Hub Genes Correlated With Poor Prognosis for Patients With Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis and Experimental Validation

Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (UCEC) is one of the most common malignancies of the female genital tract and there remains a major public health problem. Although significant progress has been made in explaining the progression of UCEC, it is still warranted that molecular mechanisms underlying the tumorigenesis of UCEC are to be elucidated. The aim of the current study was to investigate key modules and hub genes related to UCEC pathogenesis, and to explore potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for UCEC. The RNA-seq dataset and corresponding clinical information for UCEC patients were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened between 23 paired UCEC tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Subsequently, the co-expression network of DEGs was determined via weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The Blue and Brown modules were identified to be significantly positively associated with neoplasm histologic grade. The highly connected genes of the two modules were then investigated as potential key factors related to tumor differentiation. Additionally, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for all genes in the two modules was constructed to obtain key modules and nodes. 10 genes were identified by both WGCNA and PPI analyses, and it was shown by Kaplan-Meier curve analysis that 6 out of the 10 genes were significantly negatively related to the 5-year overall survival (OS) in patients (AURKA, BUB1, CDCA8, DLGAP5, KIF2C, TPX2). Besides, according to the DEGs from the two modules, lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA and lncRNA-TF-mRNA networks were constructed to explore the molecular mechanism of UCEC-related lncRNAs. 3 lncRNAs were identified as being significantly negatively related to the 5-year OS (AC015849.16, DUXAP8 and DGCR5), with higher expression in UCEC tissues compared to non-tumor tissues. Finally, quantitative Real-time PCR was applied to validate the expression patterns of hub genes. Cell proliferation and colony formation assays, as well as cell cycle distribution and apoptosis analysis, were performed to test the effects of representative hub genes. Altogether, this study not only promotes our understanding of the molecular mechanisms for the pathogenesis of UCEC but also identifies several promising biomarkers in UCEC development, providing potential therapeutic targets for UCEC.

Targeting Oncogenic Transcriptional Networks in Neuroblastoma: From N-Myc to Epigenetic Drugs

Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most frequently occurring neurogenic extracranial solid cancers in childhood and infancy. Over the years, many pieces of evidence suggested that NB development is controlled by gene expression dysregulation. These unleashed programs that outline NB cancer cells make them highly dependent on specific tuning of gene expression, which can act co-operatively to define the differentiation state, cell identity, and specialized functions. The peculiar regulation is mainly caused by genetic and epigenetic alterations, resulting in the dependency on a small set of key master transcriptional regulators as the convergence point of multiple signalling pathways. In this review, we provide a comprehensive blueprint of transcriptional regulation bearing NB initiation and progression, unveiling the complexity of novel oncogenic and tumour suppressive regulatory networks of this pathology. Furthermore, we underline the significance of multi-target therapies against these hallmarks, showing how novel approaches, together with chemotherapy, surgery, or radiotherapy, can have substantial antineoplastic effects, disrupting a wide variety of tumorigenic pathways through combinations of different treatments.

Synthetic Heterocyclic Derivatives as Kinase Inhibitors Tested for the Treatment of Neuroblastoma

In the last few years, small molecules endowed with different heterocyclic scaffolds have been developed as kinase inhibitors. Some of them are being tested at preclinical or clinical levels for the potential treatment of neuroblastoma (NB). This disease is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood and is responsible for 10% to 15% of pediatric cancer deaths. Despite the availability of some treatments, including the use of very toxic cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, high-risk (HR)-NB patients still have a poor prognosis and a survival rate below 50%. For these reasons, new pharmacological options are urgently needed. This review focuses on synthetic heterocyclic compounds published in the last five years, which showed at least some activity on this severe disease and act as kinase inhibitors. The specific mechanism of action, selectivity, and biological activity of these drug candidates are described, when established. Moreover, the most remarkable clinical trials are reported. Importantly, kinase inhibitors approved for other diseases have shown to be active and endowed with lower toxicity compared to conventional cytotoxic agents. The data collected in this article can be particularly useful for the researchers working in this area.

Integrated Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Gonads Reveal Disruption of Germ Cell Proliferation and Division, and Energy Storage in Glycogen in Sterile Triploid Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

Triploid oysters have poor gonadal development, which can not only bring higher economic benefits but also have a potential application in the genetic containment of aquaculture. However, the key factors that influence germ cell development in triploid oysters remain unclear. In this study, data-independent acquisition coupled to transcriptomics was applied to identify genes/proteins related to sterility in triploid Crassostrea gigas. Eighty-four genes were differentially expressed at both the protein and mRNA levels between fertile and sterile females. For male oysters, 207 genes were differentially expressed in the transcriptomic and proteomic analysis. A large proportion of downregulated genes were related to cell division, which may hinder germ cell proliferation and cause apoptosis. In sterile triploid females, a primary cause of sterility may be downregulation in the expression levels of certain mitotic cell cycle-related genes. In sterile triploid males, downregulation of genes related to cell cycle and sperm motility indicated that the disruption of mitosis or meiosis and flagella defects may be linked with the blocking of spermatogenesis. Additionally, the genes upregulated in sterile oysters were mainly associated with the biosynthesis of glycogen and fat, suggesting that sterility in triploids stimulates the synthesis of glycogen and energy conservation in gonad tissue.

Robust rank aggregation and cibersort algorithm applied to the identification of key genes in head and neck squamous cell cancer

OBJECTIVE

Although multiple hub genes have been identified in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) in recent years, because of the limited sample size and inconsistent bioinformatics analysis methods, the results are not reliable. Therefore, it is urgent to use reliable algorithms to find new prognostic markers of HNSCC.

METHOD

The Robust Rank Aggregation (RRA) method was used to integrate 8 microarray datasets of HNSCC downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Later, Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation together with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis was carried out to discover functions of those discovered DEGs. According to the KEGG results, those discovered DEGs showed tight association with the occurrence and development of HNSCC. Then cibersort algorithm was used to analyze the infiltration of immune cells of HNSCC and we found that the main infiltrated immune cells were B cells, dendritic cells and macrophages. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established; moreover, key modules were also constructed to select 5 hub genes from the whole network using cytoHubba. 3 hub genes showed significant relationship with prognosis for TCGA-derived HNSCC patients.

RESULT

The potent DEGs along with hub genes were selected by the combined bioinformatic approach. AURKA, BIRC5 and UBE2C genes may be the potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic targets of HNSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

The Robust Rank Aggregation method and cibersort algorithm method can accurately predict the potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic targets of HNSCC through multiple GEO datasets.

Targeting MYCN in Pediatric and Adult Cancers

The deregulation of the MYC family of oncogenes, including c-MYC, MYCN and MYCL occurs in many types of cancers, and is frequently associated with a poor prognosis. The majority of functional studies have focused on c-MYC due to its broad expression profile in human cancers. The existence of highly conserved functional domains between MYCN and c-MYC suggests that MYCN participates in similar activities. MYC encodes a basic helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (bHLH-LZ) transcription factor (TF) whose central oncogenic role in many human cancers makes it a highly desirable therapeutic target. Historically, as a TF, MYC has been regarded as “undruggable”. Thus, recent efforts focus on investigating methods to indirectly target MYC to achieve anti-tumor effects. This review will primarily summarize the recent progress in understanding the function of MYCN. It will explore efforts at targeting MYCN, including strategies aimed at suppression of MYCN transcription, destabilization of MYCN protein, inhibition of MYCN transcriptional activity, repression of MYCN targets and utilization of MYCN overexpression dependent synthetic lethality.

Knockdown of AURKA sensitizes the efficacy of radiation in human colorectal cancer

AIMS

Abnormally amplified expression of AURKA (aurora kinase A) is closely related to chemo-resistance in human colorectal cancer, lung cancer and leukemia. However, the biological role of AURKA in response to radio-sensitivity in human colorectal cancer is still unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the radio-sensitize ability of perturbation AURKA in human colorectal cancer.

MAIN METHODS

The knockdown effect of shAURKA was determined by western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. Cell growth was determined by CCK-8 and clonogenic assay. Cell migration and metastasis was measured by wound healing assay and transwell invasive assay, respectively. Cell cycle and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The alteration of down-stream targets was determined by western blot analysis.

KEY FINDINGS

We observed that high-level of AURKA expression is associated with poor prognosis in CRC patients receiving radiotherapy. Knockdown of AURKA significantly sensitizes the efficacy of radiation on the proliferation of HCT116 and HT-29 cells. The combination of AURKA inhibition and radiation could effectively suppress the ability of cell migration and metastasis, but also synergistically induce cellular apoptosis and arrest cell cycle at G2/M phase. Further studies demonstrated that knockdown AURKA markedly enhanced the efficacy of radiation through elevated PARP cleavage and induced AURKA-mediated pro-apoptosis factor BIM. Meanwhile, knockdown of AURKA in combination with radiation synergistically suppressed the regulator in blockage of G2/M phase, CDK2.

SIGNIFICANCE

Taken together, our results provide the evidence that targeted inhibition of AURKA could be a promising strategy for enhancing the efficacy of radiation for the treatment of human colorectal cancer.

Molecular targeting therapies for neuroblastoma: Progress and challenges

There is an urgent need to identify novel therapies for childhood cancers. Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric solid tumor, and accounts for ~15% of childhood cancer‐related mortality. Neuroblastomas exhibit genetic, morphological and clinical heterogeneity, which limits the efficacy of existing treatment modalities. Gaining detailed knowledge of the molecular signatures and genetic variations involved in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma is necessary to develop safer and more effective treatments for this devastating disease. Recent studies with advanced high‐throughput “omics” techniques have revealed numerous genetic/genomic alterations and dysfunctional pathways that drive the onset, growth, progression, and resistance of neuroblastoma to therapy. A variety of molecular signatures are being evaluated to better understand the disease, with many of them being used as targets to develop new treatments for neuroblastoma patients. In this review, we have summarized the contemporary understanding of the molecular pathways and genetic aberrations, such as those in MYCN, BIRC5, PHOX2B, and LIN28B, involved in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma, and provide a comprehensive overview of the molecular targeted therapies under preclinical and clinical investigations, particularly those targeting ALK signaling, MDM2, PI3K/Akt/mTOR and RAS‐MAPK pathways, as well as epigenetic regulators. We also give insights on the use of combination therapies involving novel agents that target various pathways. Further, we discuss the future directions that would help identify novel targets and therapeutics and improve the currently available therapies, enhancing the treatment outcomes and survival of patients with neuroblastoma.