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Yang X, Liu J, Wang S, Al-Ameer WHA, Ji J, Cao J, Dhaen HMS, Lin Y, Zhou Y, Zheng C. Genome wide-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens identify a fitness score for optimized risk stratification in colorectal cancer. J Transl Med 2024; 22:554. [PMID: 38858785 PMCID: PMC11163718 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05323-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The molecular complexity of colorectal cancer poses a significant challenge to the clinical implementation of accurate risk stratification. There is still an urgent need to find better biomarkers to enhance established risk stratification and guide risk-adapted treatment decisions. METHODS we systematically analyzed cancer dependencies of 17 colorectal cancer cells and 513 other cancer cells based on genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens to identify colorectal cancer-specific fitness genes. A regression model was built using colorectal cancer-specific fitness genes, which was validated in other three independent cohorts. 30 published gene expression signatures were also retrieved. FINDINGS We defined a total of 1828 genes that were colorectal cancer-specific fitness genes and identified a 22 colorectal cancer-specific fitness gene (CFG22) score. A high CFG22 score represented unfavorable recurrence and mortality rates, which was validated in three independent cohorts. Combined with age, and TNM stage, the CFG22 model can provide guidance for the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Analysis of genomic abnormalities and infiltrating immune cells in the CFG22 risk stratification revealed molecular pathological difference between the subgroups. Besides, drug analysis found that CFG22 high patients were more sensitive to clofibrate. INTERPRETATION The CFG22 model provided a powerful auxiliary prediction tool for identifying colorectal cancer patients with high recurrence risk and poor prognosis, optimizing precise treatment and improving clinical efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangchou Yang
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jieyu Liu
- Department of coloproctology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Shuaibin Wang
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Wail Hussein Ahmed Al-Ameer
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jingting Ji
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Jiaqi Cao
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Hassan Mansour S Dhaen
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yangyang Zhou
- Department of oncology, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200233, China.
| | - Chenguo Zheng
- Department of coloproctology, The Second Affiliated Hospital & Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
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Wu Z, Zhang L, Li X, Liu L, Kuang T, Qiu Z, Deng W, Wang W. The prognostic significance and potential mechanism of DBF4 zinc finger in hepatocellular carcinoma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10662. [PMID: 38724606 PMCID: PMC11082141 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60342-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
DBF4 zinc finger (DBF4) is a critical component involved in DNA replication and cell proliferation. It acts as a positive regulator of the cell division cycle 7 kinase. In this study, our investigation encompassed the impact of DBF4 on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and delved into the potential mechanisms. We utilized open-access databases like TCGA and GEO to analyze the association between DBF4 and 33 different tumor types. We also conducted immunohistochemistry experiments to validate the expression of DBF4 in HCC, STAD, COAD, READ, PAAD, and LGG. Furthermore, we employed lentiviral transduction to knockdown DBF4 in HLF and SMMC cells, as well as to overexpress DBF4 in Huh7 cells. Subsequently, we evaluated the impact of DBF4 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. RNA sequencing and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were also conducted to identify potential pathways, which were further validated through WB experiments. Finally, pathway inhibitor was utilized in rescue experiments to confirm whether DBF4 exerts its effects on tumor cells via the implicated pathway. Our findings revealed that DBF4 exhibited significant expression levels in nearly all examined tumors, which were further substantiated by the results of immunohistochemistry analysis. High DBF4 expression was correlated with poor overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), progression-free interval (PFI), disease-free interval (DFI), relapse-free interval (RFI) in majority of tumor types, particularly in patients with HCC. In vitro experiments demonstrated that inhibition of DBF4 impaired the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of HCC cells, whereas overexpression of DBF4 promoted these phenotypes. Sequencing results indicated that DBF4 may induce these changes through the ERBB signaling pathway. Further experimental validation revealed that DBF4 activates the ERBB signaling pathway, leading to alterations in the JNK/STAT, MAPK, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways, thereby impacting the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of tumor cells. Lastly, treatment of Huh7 cells overexpressing DBF4 with the ERBB2 inhibitor dacomitinib demonstrated the ability of ERBB2 inhibition to reverse the promoting effect of DBF4 overexpression on the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of HCC cells. DBF4 plays a pivotal oncogenic role in HCC by promoting the ERBB signaling pathway and activating its downstream PI3K/AKT, JNK/STAT3, and MAPK signaling pathways. DBF4 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for patients with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongkai Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
| | - Lilong Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
| | - Xinyi Li
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
| | - Li Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
| | - Tianrui Kuang
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
| | - Zhendong Qiu
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China
| | - Wenhong Deng
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China.
| | - Weixing Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Digestive System Disease, No. 238, Jiefang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei Province, China.
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Zhou F, Wang L, Ge H, Zhang D, Wang W. H3K27 acetylation activated-CD109 evokes 5-fluorouracil resistance in gastric cancer via the JNK/MAPK signaling pathway. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2023; 38:2857-2866. [PMID: 37661780 DOI: 10.1002/tox.23919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Drug resistance is a considerable obstacle to gastric cancer (GC) treatment. The current work aimed to elucidate the functional mechanism of CD109 in 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistance in GC. In this study, we demonstrated that CD109 was extremely heightened in 5-FU-resistant GC cells. CD109 deficiency lessened the IC50 value, impaired cell viability and metastatic capability, and induced cell apoptosis after 5-FU treatment in cells. In addition, we found that PAX5 bound p300 increased the enrichment of H3K27ac at the promoter region of the CD109 gene, which resulted in the upregulation of CD109 in GC. Moreover, we also revealed that CD109 triggered 5-FU resistance via activating the JNK/MAPK signaling. Blockage of JNK/MAPK signaling using JNK inhibitor, SP600125, abolished CD109 upregulation-induced changes of IC50 values, cell viability, metastasis and apoptosis in NCI-N87/5-FU and SNU-1/5-FU cells. Importantly, CD109 silencing enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of 5-FU, leading to reduced tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, our results unveiled that H3K27 acetylation activated-CD109 enhanced 5-FU resistance of GC cells via modulating the JNK/MAPK signaling pathway, which might provide an attractive therapeutic target for GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Zhou
- Department of Gastric Surgery, The Affiliated Shuyang Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Leiming Wang
- Department of Gastric Surgery, The Affiliated Shuyang Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Han Ge
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Diancai Zhang
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, Nanjing, China
| | - Weizhi Wang
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital, Nanjing, China
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Zhang L, Hong J, Chen W, Zhang W, Liu X, Lu J, Tang H, Yang Z, Zhou K, Xie H, Jia C, Jiang D, Zheng S. DBF4 Dependent Kinase Inhibition Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression and Potentiates Anti-Programmed Cell Death-1 Therapy. Int J Biol Sci 2023; 19:3412-3427. [PMID: 37497004 PMCID: PMC10367558 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.80351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a huge clinical challenge, and elucidation of the underlying molecular mechanisms is critical to develop effective therapeutic strategy. Dumbbell former 4 (DBF4) complexes with cell division cycle 7 (CDC7) to form DBF4-dependent kinase (DDK), playing instrumental roles in tumor cell survival, whereas its roles in HCC remain elusive. This study revealed that DBF4 expression was upregulated in HCC and constituted an independent prognostic factor of patient survival. We identified p65 as an upstream inducer which increased DBF4 expression by directly binding to its promoter. DBF4 accelerated HCC cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, DBF4 complexed with CDC7 to bind to the coiled coil domain of STAT3 and activate STAT3 signaling through XPO1-mediated nuclear exportation. Notably, p65 enhanced the nuclear transport of DDK and DDK-STAT3 interaction by transcriptionally upregulating XPO1. DBF4 expression positively correlated with activated STAT3 and XPO1 in HCC tissues. Furthermore, combining DDK inhibitor XL413 with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy dramatically suppressed HCC growth and prolonged the survival of HCC-bearing mouse. Our findings reveal that DDK activates STAT3 pathway and facilitates HCC progression, and demonstrate the proof of the concept of targeting DDK to improve the efficacy of HCC immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiawei Hong
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Runrun Shaw Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xi Liu
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiahua Lu
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong Tang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhentao Yang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ke Zhou
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haiyang Xie
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Changku Jia
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Research Center of Diagnosis and Treatment Technology for Hepatocellular Carcinoma of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Donghai Jiang
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shusen Zheng
- Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, China
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MicroRNA as a Potential Therapeutic Molecule in Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:cells11061008. [PMID: 35326459 PMCID: PMC8947269 DOI: 10.3390/cells11061008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Small noncoding RNAs, as post-translational regulators of many target genes, are not only markers of neoplastic disease initiation and progression, but also markers of response to anticancer therapy. Hundreds of miRNAs have been identified as biomarkers of drug resistance, and many have demonstrated the potential to sensitize cancer cells to therapy. Their properties of modulating the response of cells to therapy have made them a promising target for overcoming drug resistance. Several methods have been developed for the delivery of miRNAs to cancer cells, including introducing synthetic miRNA mimics, DNA plasmids containing miRNAs, and small molecules that epigenetically alter endogenous miRNA expression. The results of studies in animal models and preclinical studies for solid cancers and hematological malignancies have confirmed the effectiveness of treatment protocols using microRNA. Nevertheless, the use of miRNAs in anticancer therapy is not without limitations, including the development of a stable nanoconstruct, delivery method choices, and biodistribution. The aim of this review was to summarize the role of miRNAs in cancer treatment and to present new therapeutic concepts for these molecules. Supporting anticancer therapy with microRNA molecules has been verified in numerous clinical trials, which shows great potential in the treatment of cancer.
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