The expression patterns and the diagnostic/prognostic roles of PTPN family members in digestive tract cancers

FTO promotes the progression of bladder cancer via demethylating m6A modifications in PTPN6 mRNA

Bladder cancer (BC), a highly prevalent malignancy of the urinary system, necessitates further investigation into its progression mechanisms. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation, a prevalent modification in cellular RNA, has been implicated in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of various cancers. In this study, the upregulation of FTO in human BC samples and its association with poor prognosis were demonstrated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) on tissue sections collected from BC patients. The functional role of FTO in promoting the proliferation and metastasis abilities of BC cells was determined using a combination of in vitro and in vivo assays. In vitro, we conducted cell proliferation assays, such as the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and metastasis assays, including the wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay. In vivo, we employed xenograft models to assess tumor growth and metastasis. Furthermore, our investigation into potential FTO targets in BC cells revealed that FTO modifies PTPN6 mRNA, leading to increased stability and expression of PTPN6, thereby enhancing proliferation and metastasis abilities. In conclusion, our findings indicate that FTO serves as an oncogenic factor in BC, suggesting its potential utility as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker for bladder cancer.

The war between the immune system and the tumor - using immune biomarkers as tracers

Nowadays, immunotherapy is one of the most promising anti-tumor therapeutic strategy. Specifically, immune-related targets can be used to predict the efficacy and side effects of immunotherapy and monitor the tumor immune response. In the past few decades, increasing numbers of novel immune biomarkers have been found to participate in certain links of the tumor immunity to contribute to the formation of immunosuppression and have entered clinical trials. Here, we systematically reviewed the oncogenesis and progression of cancer in the view of anti-tumor immunity, particularly in terms of tumor antigen expression (related to tumor immunogenicity) and tumor innate immunity to complement the cancer-immune cycle. From the perspective of integrated management of chronic cancer, we also appraised emerging factors affecting tumor immunity (including metabolic, microbial, and exercise-related markers). We finally summarized the clinical studies and applications based on immune biomarkers. Overall, immune biomarkers participate in promoting the development of more precise and individualized immunotherapy by predicting, monitoring, and regulating tumor immune response. Therefore, targeting immune biomarkers may lead to the development of innovative clinical applications.

Identification and verification of PTPN3 as a novel biomarker in predicting cancer prognosis, immunity, and immunotherapeutic efficacy

BACKGROUND

The importance of protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 3 (PTPN3) in controlling multifaceted tumor cell behaviors throughout cancer development has received widespread attention. Nevertheless, little is known about the biological roles of PTPN3 in drug sensitivity, immunotherapeutic effectiveness, tumor immune microenvironment, and cancer prognosis.

METHODS

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database's RNAseq data were used to examine the expression of PTPN3 in 33 different cancer types. In addition, immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to validate the expression of PTPN3 across various cancer types within our clinical cohorts. The features of PTPN3 alterations were demonstrated throughout the cBioPortal database. This study focused on examining the prognostic and clinicopathological importance of PTPN3 through the acquisition of clinical data from the TCGA database. The investigation of PTPN3's probable role in the tumor immune microenvironment was demonstrated by the application of CIBERSORT, ESTIMATE algorithms, and the TISIDB database. Using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, the relationships between PTPN3 expression and tumor mutation burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) were evaluated. To further investigate the putative biological activities and downstream pathways of PTPN3 in various cancers in humans, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was carried out. In addition, an examination was conducted to explore the associations between PTPN3 and the effectiveness of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, utilizing data extracted from the GEO database.

RESULTS

PTPN3 was abnormally expressed in multiple cancer types and was also strictly associated with the prognosis of cancer patients. IHC was used to investigate and confirm the various expression levels of PTPN3 in various malignancies, including breast cancer, lung cancer, sarcoma, and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma in our clinical cohorts. There is a high correlation between the levels of PTPN3 expression in different cancers and infiltrating immune cells, including mast cells, B cells, regulatory T cells, CD8 + T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Infiltrating immune cells, such as regulatory T cells, CD8 + T cells, macrophages, B cells, dendritic cells, and mast cells, are strongly correlated with PTPN3 expression levels in various tumors. The expression of PTPN3 exhibited a substantial correlation with many immune-related biomolecules and the expression of TMB and MSI in multiple types of cancer. In addition, PTPN3 has demonstrated promise in predicting the therapeutic benefits of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and the susceptibility to anti-cancer medications in the treatment of clinical cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the importance of PTPN3 as a prognostic biomarker and predictor of immunotherapy success in various forms of cancer. Furthermore, PTPN3 appears to have an important role in modifying the tumor immune microenvironment, highlighting its potential as a promising biomarker for prognosis prediction, immunotherapeutic efficacy evaluation, and identification of immune-related characteristics in diverse cancer types.

Dysregulated ceramides metabolism via PTPN11 exposes a metabolic vulnerability to breast cancer metastasis

Breast cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor, posing a significant threat to women's health globally due to its increasing incidence and tendency to affect younger patients. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are a class of enzymes that have emerged as potential targets for various tumors, including breast cancer, because they can modulate oncogenic tyrosine kinases, which are both tumor-suppressive and oncogenic. The regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation levels is crucial for cell proliferation and differentiation. Although the clinical biomarker potential of PTPs is not fully explored, there is evidence to suggest that they may serve as clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer. We found that increased expression levels of PTPN11 and PTPN3 were associated with a higher risk of death in patients with breast cancer, while PTPN11 and PTPN18 are significantly associated with overall survival in patients with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. Meanwhile, PTPN11 expression was found to be negatively associated with survival in patients with ER+ breast cancer. Furthermore, PTPN11 exposes a metabolic vulnerability to breast cancer metastasis via dysregulated ceramide metabolism. Therefore, we speculate that PTPN11 has the potential to serve as a therapeutic target for breast cancer by regulating lipid metabolism reprogramming.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 as the therapeutic target of atherosclerotic diseases: past, present and future

Tyrosine-protein phosphatase non-receptor type 2(PTPN2), an important member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase family, can regulate various signaling pathways and biological processes by dephosphorylating receptor protein tyrosine kinases. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that PTPN2 is involved in the occurrence and development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Recently, it has been reported that PTPN2 exerts an anti-atherosclerotic effect by regulating vascular endothelial injury, monocyte proliferation and migration, macrophage polarization, T cell polarization, autophagy, pyroptosis, and insulin resistance. In this review, we summarize the latest findings on the role of PTPN2 in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis to provide a rationale for better future research and therapeutic interventions.

Identification of PTPN20 as an innate immunity-related gene in gastric cancer with Helicobacter pylori infection

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is among the deadliest diseases with countless incidences and deaths each year. Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is the primary type of microbe that colonizes the stomach. In recent years, increasing evidence has demonstrated that Hp infection is one of the main risk factors for GC. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of how Hp leads to GC will not only benefit the treatment of GC, but also boost the development of therapeutics for other gastric disorders caused by Hp infection. In this study, we aimed to identify innate immunity-related genes in GC and investigate their potentials as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for Hp-related GC.

Methods

Firstly, we analyzed the differentially expressed innate immunity-related genes in GC samples from the TCGA database. Then prognostic correlation analysis was carried out to explore the prognostic value of these candidate genes. By combing transcriptome data, somatic mutation data, and clinical data, co-expression analysis, functional enrichment analysis, tumor mutational burden analysis, and immune infiltration analysis were performed to reveal the pathological relevance of the candidate gene. Finally, ceRNA network was constructed to identify the genes and pathways for the regulation of the candidate gene.

Results

We revealed that protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 20 (PTPN20) is a significant prognostic marker in Hp-related GC. Thus, PTPN20 levels have the potential to efficiently predict the survival of Hp-related GC patients. In addition, PTPN20 is associated with immune cell infiltration and tumor mutation burden in these GC patients. Moreover, we have also identified PTPN20-related genes, PTPN20 protein-protein interactions, and the PTPN20 ceRNA network.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that PTPN20 may have critical functions in Hp-related GC. Targeting PTPN20 may be a promising way to treat Hp-related GC.

E3 Ubiquitin Ligase MARCH8 Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Growth and Metastasis by Activating STAT3 via Degradation of PTPN4

OBJECTIVE

The role E3 ubiquitin ligase membrane-associated RING-CH 8 (MARCH8) has not been studied in pancreatic cancer.

METHOD

Pancreatic cancer cell lines and the normal pancreatic cells were tested in vitro studies and male athymic nude mice were tested in vivo studies. Measuring cell viability by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay (CCK8), 5-ethynyl-2'- deoxyuridine (Edu) staining, and colony formation assay. Wound healing assay was implemented for cell migration and Transwell assay was performed for cell invasion to evaluate the histological status by hematoxylin and eosin staining and to detect the protein ubiquitination by ubiquitination assay. The protein expression was determined by immunohistochemistry staining and western blotting, and mRNA expression was measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

RESULT

The expression of MARCH8 was increased whereas PTPN4 was decreased in pancreatic cancer cells. Overexpression of MARCH8 promoted the growth, migration, and invasion of cells, and knockdown of PTPN4 had the similar effects both in vitro and in vivo. MARCH8 promoted PTPN4 protein degradation through ubiquitination. Moreover, PTPN4 suppressed the transcription activities of STAT3 by impairing the level of pSTAT3 (705), while inhibition of PTPN4 activated phosphorylation of STAT3.

CONCLUSIONS

MARCH8 promoted pancreatic cancer growth and invasion through mediating the degradation of PTPN4 and activated the phosphorylation of STAT3.

PTPN18 Serves as a Potential Oncogene for Glioblastoma by Enhancing Immune Suppression

Glioblastoma is characterized as one of the deadliest cancers in humans. The survival time is not improved by standard treatment. Although immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, the current therapy targets for glioblastoma patients are not satisfied. We systematically analyzed the expression patterns, predictive values, and immunological characteristics of PTPN18 in glioblastoma. The independent datasets and functional experiments were employed to validate our findings. Our data showed that PTPN18 is potentially cancerogenic in glioblastoma with advanced grades and poor prognosis. High expression of PTPN18 correlated with CD8⁺ T cell exhaustion and immune suppression in glioblastoma. In addition, PTPN18 facilitates glioblastoma progression by accelerating glioma cell prefiltration, colony formation, and tumor growth in mice. PTPN18 also promotes cell cycle progression and inhibits apoptosis. Our results illustrate the characterization of PTPN18 in glioblastoma and highlight the potential value as an immunotherapeutic target for glioblastoma treatment.

Comprehensive analysis of PTPN family expression and prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia

Background: Tyrosyl phosphorylation is carried out by a group of enzymes known as non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPNs). In the current investigation, it is hoped to shed light on the relationships between the expression patterns of PTPN family members and the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods: PTPN expression was examined using GEPIA and GEO databases. To investigate the connection between PTPN expression and survival in AML patients, we downloaded data from the Broad TCGA Firehose and Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis (CPTAC) of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to confirm that essential genes were performed in clinical samples and cell lines. We then used western blot to verify that the genes expressed in the above databases were positive in normal tissues, AML patient samples, and AML cell lines. Next, we investigated associations between genome-wide expression profiles and PTPN6 expression using the GEO datasets. We investigated the interactive exploration of multidimensional cancer genomics using the cBioPortal datasets. Using the DAVID database, a study of gene ontology enrichment was performed. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was created using the STRING portal, and the gene-gene interaction network was performed using GeneMANIA. Results: Data from GEO and GEPIA revealed that most PTPN family members were linked to AML. Patients with leukemia have elevated levels of several PTPN members. All of the AML patients' poor overall survival (OS, p < .05) was significantly linked with higher expression of PTPN1, PTPN6, and PTPN7. Additionally, clinical samples showed that the expression of PTPN 6, PTPN 7, PTPN 13, and PTPN 14 was higher than normal in AML patients (p = .0116, p = .0034, p = .0092, and p = .0057, respectively) and AML cell lines (p = .0004, p = .0035, p = .0357, and p = .0177, respectively). Western blotting results showed that the expression of PTPN6 in AML samples and AML cell lines was significantly higher than that in normal control samples. Conclusion: Differentially expressed PTPN family members were found in AML. The prognosis of patients and PTPN gene expression were shown to be correlated. PTPN6 is one of these members and may be used as an AML diagnostic and prognostic marker.

Penetrating Exploration of Prognostic Correlations of the FKBP Gene Family with Lung Adenocarcinoma

The complexity of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the development of which involves many interacting biological processes, makes it difficult to find therapeutic biomarkers for treatment. FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs) are composed of 12 members classified as conservative intracellular immunophilin family proteins, which are often connected to cyclophilin structures by tetratricopeptide repeat domains and have peptidyl prolyl isomerase activity that catalyzes proline from residues and turns the trans form into the cis form. Since FKBPs belong to chaperone molecules and promote protein folding, previous studies demonstrated that FKBP family members significantly contribute to the degradation of damaged, misfolded, abnormal, and foreign proteins. However, transcript expressions of this gene family in LUAD still need to be more fully investigated. In this research, we adopted high-throughput bioinformatics technology to analyze FKBP family genes in LUAD to provide credible information to clinicians and promote the development of novel cancer target drugs in the future. The current data revealed that the messenger (m)RNA levels of FKBP2, FKBP3, FKBP4, FKBP10, FKBP11, and FKBP14 were overexpressed in LUAD, and FKBP10 had connections to poor prognoses among LUAD patients in an overall survival (OS) analysis. Based on the above results, we selected FKBP10 to further conduct a comprehensive analysis of the downstream pathway and network. Through a DAVID analysis, we found that FKBP10 was involved in mitochondrial electron transport, NADH to ubiquinone transport, mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I assembly, etc. The MetaCore pathway analysis also indicated that FKBP10 was involved in "Ubiquinone metabolism", "Translation_(L)-selenoaminoacid incorporation in proteins during translation", and "Transcription_Negative regulation of HIF1A function". Collectively, this study revealed that FKBP family members are both significant prognostic biomarkers for lung cancer progression and promising clinical therapeutic targets, thus providing new targets for treating LUAD patients.

Novel Potential Therapeutic Targets of PTPN Families for Lung Cancer

Despite the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) having partially improved in recent years, LUAD patients still have poor prognosis rates. Therefore, it is especially important to explore effective biomarkers and exploit novel therapeutic developments. High-throughput technologies are widely used as systematic approaches to explore differences in expressions of thousands of genes for both biological and genomic systems. Recently, using big data analyses in biomedicine research by integrating several high-throughput databases and tools, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), cBioportal, Oncomine, and Kaplan-Meier plotter, is an important strategy to identify novel biomarkers for cancer therapy. Here, we used two different comprehensive bioinformatics analysis and revealed protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type (PTPN) family genes, especially PTPN1 and PTPN22, were downregulated in lung cancer tissue in comparison with normal samples. The survival curves indicated that LUAD patients with high transcription levels of PTPN5 were significantly associated with a good prognosis. Meanwhile, Gene Ontology (GO) and MetaCore analyses indicated that co-expression of the PTPN1, PTPN5, and PTPN21 genes was significantly enriched in cancer development-related pathways, including GTPase activity, regulation of small GTPase-mediated signal transduction, response to mechanical stimuli, vasculogenesis, organ morphogenesis, regulation of stress fiber assembly, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, cell migration, and angiogenesis. Collectively, this study revealed that PTPN family members are both significant prognostic biomarkers for lung cancer progression and promising clinical therapeutic targets, which provide new targets for treating LUAD patients.

The role of PTP1B (PTPN1) in the prognosis of solid tumors: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) played different role in different solid tumors, and was associated with the prognosis of solid tumors. However, the roles existed controversy. This meta-analysis was performed to determine whether PTP1B was relevant to the prognosis of solid tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A literature search in Web of Science, Embase and PubMed databases were performed up to November 1, 2021. A meta-analysis dealed with PTP1B assessment in solid tumors, providing clinical stages and survival comparisons according to the PTP1B status.

RESULTS

High PTP1B expression was significantly associated with later clinical stage of solid tumors (Odds ratio [OR] 2.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.71-2.98, P < .001). For solid tumors, the hazard ratio (HR) for disease free survival (DFS) detrimental with high PTP1B expression compared with low PTP1B expression was 1.07 (95%CI: 0.67-1.73, P = .77) with the obvious heterogeneity (P = .03, I2 = 66%). The HR of overall survival (OS) for solid tumors with high PTP1B expression versus low PTP1B expression was 1.26 (95%CI: 1.03-1.55, P = .03) with significant publication bias (t = 3.28, P = .005). Subgroup analysis indicated that the high expression of PTP1B was remarkably correlated with poor OS in colorectal carcinoma, only (HR = 1.43; 95%CI: 1.18-1.74; P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS

High PTP1B expression is significantly associated with later clinical stage of solid tumors. The high expression of PTP1B is remarkably correlated with poor OS in colorectal carcinoma, only. There is no definite conclusion that PTP1B was, or not associated with DFS and OS of solid tumors because of heterogeneity and publication bias. Whether PTP1B can be used as a biomarker for predicting the prognosis of solid tumors needs further study.

Comprehensive analysis of PTPN gene family revealing PTPN7 as a novel biomarker for immuno-hot tumors in breast cancer

Background: The non-receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPN) gene family has been considered to be involved in the oncogenesis and development of multiple cancers. However, its prognostic utility and immunological relevance in breast cancer (BrCa) have not been clarified.

Methods: A transcriptional level interpretation of the expressions and prognostic values was analyzed using the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort. In addition, GO and DAVID pinpoint the functional enrichment of PTPNs. Moreover, the immune correlations of PTPN7 in BrCa and pan-cancer were further investigated based on the TCGA cohort and were testified using the in-house and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) cohorts.

Results: For systematic analysis of the PTPN family, we found that the expression levels of PTPN1, PTPN6, PTPN7, PTPN18, PTPN20, and PTPN22 was promoted in tumor tissues while comparing with paraneoplastic tissues during our study. We further investigated their functions and protein-protein interactions (PPI), and these results strongly suggested that PTPN family was associated with protein dephosphorylation. Next, we performed an immunological relevance analysis and found that PTPN7 was correlated with immune infiltration, suggesting a stronger association of PTPN7 with immuno-hot tumors in BrCa. In addition, results from the in-house cohort confirmed the positive correlation between PTPN7 and PD-L1. The pan-cancer analysis revealed that PTPN7 was related to PD-L1 and CTLA-4 expression in almost all cancer types. Finally, the predictive value of PTPN7 for immunotherapy was significant in two independent GEO cohorts.

Conclusion: In conclusion, this is the first extensive research on the correlation between PTPN family expression and immune characterization in BrCa. As results, PTPN7 expression is associated with immuno-hot tumors and could be a promising predictive biomarker for immunotherapy in not only BrCa but multiple cancers.

PTPN2 in the Immunity and Tumor Immunotherapy: A Concise Review

PTPN2 (protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 2), also called TCPTP (T cell protein tyrosine phosphatase), is a member of the PTP family signaling proteins. Phosphotyrosine-based signaling of this non-transmembrane protein is essential for regulating cell growth, development, differentiation, survival, and migration. In particular, PTPN2 received researchers’ attention when Manguso et al. identified PTPN2 as a cancer immunotherapy target using in vivo CRISPR library screening. In this review, we attempt to summarize the important functions of PTPN2 in terms of its structural and functional properties, inflammatory reactions, immunomodulatory properties, and tumor immunity. PTPN2 exerts synergistic anti-inflammatory effects in various inflammatory cells and regulates the developmental differentiation of immune cells. The diversity of PTPN2 effects in different types of tumors makes it a potential target for tumor immunotherapy.

miR-200b, ZEB2 and PTPN13 Are Downregulated in Colorectal Carcinoma with Serosal Invasion

Serosal invasion is an independent negative prognostic factor in certain cancers, including CRC. However, the mechanisms behind serosal invasion are poorly understood. We therefore assumed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) might be involved. Our study included 34 patients with CRC, 3 stage pT2, 14 stage pT3 and 17 showing serosal invasion (stage pT4a according to TNM staging system). RNA isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples was analysed for expression of the miR-200 family and their target genes CDKN1B, ONECUT2, PTPN13, RND3, SOX2, TGFB2 and ZEB2 using real-time PCR. We found upregulation of miR-200b and ONECUT2 in CRC pT3 and pT4a compared to normal mucosa, and downregulation of CDKN1B in CRC pT3. Moreover, we observed, downregulation of miR-200b, PTPN13 and ZEB2 in CRC with serosal invasion (pT4a) compared to pT3. Our results suggest the involvement of partial EMT in serosal invasion of CRC. In addition, PTPN13 seems to be one of the important regulators involved in serosal invasion, and ONECUT2 in tumour growth.

Inhibition of PTPN21 has antitumor effects in glioma by restraining the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway

Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 21 (PTPN21) has been recognised as a new tumour-associated protein that is implicated in diverse tumours. However, the correlation between PTPN21 and glioma remains unaddressed. This investigation focused on the relevance of PTPN21 in glioma. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis identified PTPN21 as being up-regulated in glioma tissue. The elevation of PTP21 in glioma was validated by evaluating clinical specimen. Kaplan-Meier plot analysis revealed that a high PTPN21 level predicted poor survival rate in glioma patient. Silencing of PTPN21 produced remarkable anticancer effects in glioma cells including proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest, metastasis suppression and enhanced chemosensitivity. Mechanistic studies uncovered that PTPN21 contributes to mediation of the phosphatidyl-inositole-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway via the regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Restraint of EGFR diminished PTPN21 overexpression-induced promoting effect on PI3K/AKT pathway. Reactivation of AKT reversed PTPN21 silencing-evoked antitumor effect. The tumorigenic potential of PTPN21-silenced glioma cells in vivo was markedly compromised. In summary, this study demonstrates that silencing of PTPN21 produces remarkable anticancer effects in glioma by restraining the EGFR/PI3K/AKT pathway.

Critical roles of PTPN family members regulated by non-coding RNAs in tumorigenesis and immunotherapy

Since tyrosine phosphorylation is reversible and dynamic in vivo, the phosphorylation state of proteins is controlled by the opposing roles of protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) and protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTPs), both of which perform critical roles in signal transduction. Of these, intracellular non-receptor PTPs (PTPNs), which belong to the largest class I cysteine PTP family, are essential for the regulation of a variety of biological processes, including but not limited to hematopoiesis, inflammatory response, immune system, and glucose homeostasis. Additionally, a substantial amount of PTPNs have been identified to hold crucial roles in tumorigenesis, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance, and inhibitors of PTPNs have promising applications due to striking efficacy in antitumor therapy. Hence, the aim of this review is to summarize the role played by PTPNs, including PTPN1/PTP1B, PTPN2/TC-PTP, PTPN3/PTP-H1, PTPN4/PTPMEG, PTPN6/SHP-1, PTPN9/PTPMEG2, PTPN11/SHP-2, PTPN12/PTP-PEST, PTPN13/PTPL1, PTPN14/PEZ, PTPN18/PTP-HSCF, PTPN22/LYP, and PTPN23/HD-PTP, in human cancer and immunotherapy and to comprehensively describe the molecular pathways in which they are implicated. Given the specific roles of PTPNs, identifying potential regulators of PTPNs is significant for understanding the mechanisms of antitumor therapy. Consequently, this work also provides a review on the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in regulating PTPNs in tumorigenesis and progression, which may help us to find effective therapeutic agents for tumor therapy.

Three Prognostic Biomarkers Correlate with Immune Checkpoint Blockade Response in Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma

Aim

We aim to develop a signature that could accurately predict prognosis and evaluate the response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA).

Methods

Based on comprehensive analysis of public database, we identified prognosis-related hub genes and investigated their predictive values for the ICB response in BLCA.

Results

Among 69 common DEGs, three genes (AURKA, BIRC5, and CKS1B) were associated with poor prognosis, and which were related to histological subtypes, TP53 mutation status, and the C2 (IFN-gamma dominant) subtype. Three genes and their related risk model can effectively predict the response of immunotherapy. Their related drugs were identified through analysis of drug bank database.

Conclusions

Three genes could predict prognosis and evaluate the response to ICB in BLCA.

PTPN2, A Key Predictor of Prognosis for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, Significantly Regulates Cell Cycles, Apoptosis, and Metastasis

Objective

This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the members of the PTPN family and emphasized the key role of PTPN2 as a potential therapeutic target and diagnostic biomarker in improving the survival rate of PAAD.

Method

Oncomine was used to analyze the pan-cancer expression of the PTPN gene family. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data as well as Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) data were downloaded to analyze the expression and prognosis of PTPNs. The diagnosis of PTPNs was evaluated by the experimental ROC curve. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by combining STRING and Cytoscape. The genes of 50 proteins most closely related to PTPN2 were screened and analyzed by GO and KEGG enrichment. The differentially expressed genes of PTPN2 were found by RNA sequencing, and GSEA enrichment analysis was carried out to find the downstream pathways and targets, which were verified by online tools and experiments. Finally, the relationship between PTPN2 and immune cell infiltration in PAAD, and the relationship with immune score and immune checkpoint were studied.

Result

The expression patterns and the prognostic value of multiple PTPNs in PAAD have been reported through bioinformatic analyzes. Among these members, PTPN2 is the most important prognostic signature that regulates the progression of PAAD by activating JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Comparison of two PAAD cell lines with normal pancreatic epithelial cell lines revealed that PTPN2 expression was up-regulated as a key regulator of PAAD, which was associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of PTPN2 caused a profound decrease in PAAD cell growth, migration, invasion, and induced PAAD cell cycle and apoptosis. In addition, we conducted a series of enrichment analyses to investigate the PTPN2-binding proteins and the PTPN2 expression-correlated genes. We suggest that STAT1 and EGFR are the key factors to regulate PTPN2, which are involved in the progression of PAAD. Meanwhile, the silencing of PTPN2 induced the repression of STAT1 and EGFR expression.

Conclusion

These findings provide a comprehensive analysis of the PTPN family members, and for PAAD, they also demonstrate that PTPN2 is a diagnostic biomarker and a therapeutic target.

Prognostic significance of SHP2 (PTPN11) expression in solid tumors: A meta-analysis

Background

SHP2 is a latent biomarker for predicting the survivals of solid tumors. However, the current researches were controversial. Therefore, a meta-analysis is necessary to assess the prognosis of SHP2 on tumor patients.

Materials and methods

Searched in PubMed, EMBASE and web of science databases for published studies until Jun 20, 2021. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the affect of SHP2 in clinical stages, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in tumor patients.

Results

This study showed that the expression of SHP2 had no significant correlation with clinical stages (OR: 0.91; 95% CI, 0.60–1.38; P = 0.65), DFS (HR = 0.88; 95%CI: 0.58–1.34; P = 0.56) and OS (HR = 1.07, 95%CI: 0.79–1.45, P = 0.67), but the prognostic effect varied greatly with tumor sites. High SHP2 expression was positively related to early clinical stage in hepatocellular carcinoma, not associated with clinical stage in the most of solid tumors, containing laryngeal carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma and gastric carcinoma, etc. Higher expression of SHP2 could predict longer DFS in colorectal carcinoma, while predict shorter DFS in hepatocellular carcinoma. No significant difference was observed in DFS for non-small cell lung carcinoma and thyroid carcinoma. Higher SHP2 expression was distinctly related to shorter OS in pancreatic carcinoma and laryngeal carcinoma. The OS of the other solid tumors was not significantly different.

Conclusions

The prognostic value of SHP2 might not equivalent in different tumors. The prognostic effect of SHP2 is highly influenced by tumor sites.

Impact of circ-0000221 in the Pathogenesis of Hepatocellular via Modulation of miR-661-PTPN11 mRNA Axis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death in Egypt. A deep understanding of the molecular events occurring in HCC can facilitate the development of novel diagnostic and/or therapeutic approaches. In the present study, we describe a novel axis of hsa-circ-0000221–miR-661–PTPN11 mRNA proposed by in silico and in vitro analysis and its role in HCC pathogenesis. We observe a reduction in the expression levels of hsa-circ-0000221 and PTPN11 mRNA in HCC patients’ sera tested compared with control subjects. The reduction occurs with a concomitant increase in the expression of miR-661. Furthermore, the introduction of exogenous hsa-circ-0000221 into Hep-G2 or SNU449 cell lines results in detectable decrease in cellular viability and an increase in apoptotic manifestations that is associated with G1 accumulation and CCDN1 overexpression. Altogether, these findings indicate the tumor-suppressive role of hsa-circ-0000221 in HCC, which acts through miR-661 inhibition, along with a subsequent PTPN11 mRNA increase, where PTPN11 is known to inhibit cell proliferation in many forms of cancer. Our study encourages further investigation of the role of circRNAs in cancer and their potential use as molecular biomarkers.

A New Paradigm for KIM-PTP Drug Discovery: Identification of Allosteric Sites with Potential for Selective Inhibition Using Virtual Screening and LEI Analysis

The kinase interaction motif protein tyrosine phosphatases (KIM-PTPs), HePTP, PTPSL and STEP, are involved in the negative regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways and are important therapeutic targets for a number of diseases. We have used VSpipe, a virtual screening pipeline, to identify a ligand cluster distribution that is unique to this subfamily of PTPs. Several clusters map onto KIM-PTP specific sequence motifs in contrast to the cluster distribution obtained for PTP1B, a classic PTP that mapped to general PTP motifs. Importantly, the ligand clusters coincide with previously reported functional and substrate binding sites in KIM-PTPs. Assessment of the KIM-PTP specific clusters, using ligand efficiency index (LEI) plots generated by the VSpipe, ascertained that the binders in these clusters reside in a more drug-like chemical-biological space than those at the active site. LEI analysis showed differences between clusters across all KIM-PTPs, highlighting a distinct and specific profile for each phosphatase. The most druggable cluster sites are unexplored allosteric functional sites unique to each target. Exploiting these sites may facilitate the delivery of inhibitors with improved drug-like properties, with selectivity amongst the KIM-PTPs and over other classical PTPs.

FAT1 and PTPN14 Regulate the Malignant Progression and Chemotherapy Resistance of Esophageal Cancer through the Hippo Signaling Pathway

Background

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignant tumor, which brings heavy economic burden to patients and society. Therefore, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism of recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance of esophageal cancer.

Methods

Human esophageal cancer cell line TE13 (poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma) and normal human esophageal epithelial cell line het-1a were selected for aseptic culture. At the same time, 6 bottles of TE13 cell line were inoculated in logarithmic phase. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). Cell clone formation assay was used to analyze the proliferation. Fibronectin-coated dishes were used to detect the characteristics of cell adhesion to extracellular matrix. The Transwell method was used to detect the cell invasion ability. Western blot was used to analyze the expression of Yap1, PTPN14, FAT1, and Myc.

Results

Results showed that FAT1 and PTPN14 were downregulated, while Yap1 was upregulated in esophageal cancer tissues. FAT1 inhibited the proliferation, adhesion, and invasion of human esophageal cancer cell lines, which might be associated with the upregulation of PTPN14 and the inhibition of Yap1 and Myc.

Conclusion

The results suggested that PTPN14 and FAT1 could regulate malignant progression and chemotherapy resistance of esophageal cancer based on the Hippo signaling pathway.

Silencing of PTPN18 Induced Ferroptosis in Endometrial Cancer Cells Through p-P38-Mediated GPX4/xCT Down-Regulation

Background

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the fourth most common neoplasm and the eighth leading cause of cancer death in females worldwide. PTPN18 is a member of the protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) family, which is associated with the occurrence and progression of various human cancers. PTPN18 was up-regulated in endometrial cancer tissues and high level of PTPN18 promoted proliferation and metastasis of EC cells.

Methods

The expression of PTPN18, GPX4 and xCT in endometrial cancer tissues and KLE cells was detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively. Lentiviral transfection were used to silence PTPN18 level in KLE cells. The Ros level in KLE cells was examined by ELISA assay.

Results

In the present study, we found that silencing of PTPN18 induced ferroptosis in KLE endometrial cancer cells. PTPN18 knockdown increased intracellular ROS level and down-regulated GPX4 and xCT expression. Besides, silencing of PTPN18 also induced the expression of p-p38.

Conclusion

We concluded that silencing of PTPN18 might induce ferroptosis by targeting the p-p38/GPX4/xCT axis. The results provide critical insight into the application of PTPN18 knockdown in EC intervention.

Combination of Sodium Cantharidinate with Cisplatin Synergistically Hampers Growth of Cervical Cancer

Background

Sodium cantharidinate (SC) has been broadly applied in lung cancer treatment in China, while its specific function in cervical cancer (CC), a great contributor to death of female reproductive system cancers, remains unclear. Our research evaluated the anti-tumor effects of SC in CC and the mechanism involved.

Methods

First, cisplatin (DDP)-resistant Caski-1 and ME180 cell lines were developed and treated with SC. The effects of SC on CC cell growth were then evaluated. Subsequently, the genes targeted by SC were predicted via the bioinformatics website. The correlations between PTPN1 expression and tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and tumor differentiation were examined. We further conducted rescue experiments by overexpressing PTPN1 in CC cells, followed by SC and cisplatin treatments. The activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway in CC cells, and the effect of SC on the growth and drug resistance of Caski-1 cells in vivo were investigated.

Results

The sensitivity of Caski-1 and ME180 cells to DDP was increased after SC treatment, which also enhanced the inhibitory effect of DDP on the cell growth. By prediction, we found that SC could target PTPN1. Patients with high expression of PTPN1 had higher clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and lower tumor differentiation. SC inhibited PTPN1 expression. Overexpression of PTPN1 attenuated the effect of SC. Furthermore, PTPN1 activated the PI3K/AKT pathway. Moreover, SC treatment inhibited the growth and drug resistance of Caski-1 cells in vivo.

Conclusion

SC promotes drug sensitivity of CC cells to DDP by targeting PTPN1, thereby impairing the PI3K/AKT pathway.