ARLTS1 and prostate cancer risk--analysis of expression and regulation

The Role and Antagonistic Effects of miR-16-5p in the Regulation of ADP-Ribosylation Factor-Like Tumor Suppressor Gene 1 in Lung Cancer Cells

OBJECTIVE

ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 is a member of the Ras superfamily of small guanosine triphosphatases that are known to be involved in multiple regulatory pathways in the multistage development of human cancers. Also, ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 expression levels have been reported to be dramatically lower in both cancer cell lines and tumor tissues compared to controls. Accordingly, defects in the regulation of the ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 gene seems have key tumor suppressive effects in the formation and development of human cancers including lung cancer. Moreover, microRNAs regulating the expression of ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 have not been described previously. Accordingly, the present study aimed to reveal the influence of miR-16-5p on the regulation of ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 gene.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells were used. For the overexpression and silencing experiments of miR-16-5p synthetic microRNA mimics and inhibitors were used, respectively. Gene expression analyses were achieved with the help of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

MiR-16-5p was identified to be predictive target of ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 and directly targets the expression of ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 as revealed by the overexpression and silencing experiments. Specifically, it was found that miR-16-5p-overexpressed A549 cells showed a decrease in ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1 gene expression, whereas miR16-5p-suppressed cells showed an increase in expression. These findings possibly suggest that miR-16-5p is the direct regulatory microRNA that posttranscriptionally regulates the expression of ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, miR-16-5p seems to be a key regulatory molecule involved in the posttranscriptional regulation of the ADP-ribosylation factor-like tumor suppressor gene 1, and it might be responsible for the downregulation of this gene in lung cancer.

ARL11 correlates with the immunosuppression and poor prognosis in breast cancer: A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of ARL family members

ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein (ARL) family members (ARLs) may regulate the malignant phenotypes of cancer cells. However, relevant studies on ARLs in breast cancer (BC) are limited. In this research, the expression profiles, genetic variations, and prognostic values of ARLs in BC have been systematically analyzed for the first time using various databases. We find that ARLs are significantly dysregulated in BC according to the TCGA database, which may result from DNA methylation and copy number alteration. Prognostic analysis suggests that ARL11 is the most significant prognostic indicator for BC, and higher ARL11 predicts worse clinical outcomes for BC patients. Further functional enrichment analysis demonstrates that ARL11 enhances the immunosuppression in BC, and dysregulation of ARL11 is significantly associated with immune infiltration in various types of cancer. Our results demonstrate the potential of ARL11 as an immune therapeutic target for BC.

The Role of ARF Family Proteins and Their Regulators and Effectors in Cancer Progression: A Therapeutic Perspective

The Adenosine diphosphate-Ribosylation Factor (ARF) family belongs to the RAS superfamily of small GTPases and is involved in a wide variety of physiological processes, such as cell proliferation, motility and differentiation by regulating membrane traffic and associating with the cytoskeleton. Like other members of the RAS superfamily, ARF family proteins are activated by Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors (GEFs) and inactivated by GTPase-Activating Proteins (GAPs). When active, they bind effectors, which mediate downstream functions. Several studies have reported that cancer cells are able to subvert membrane traffic regulators to enhance migration and invasion. Indeed, members of the ARF family, including ARF-Like (ARL) proteins have been implicated in tumorigenesis and progression of several types of cancer. Here, we review the role of ARF family members, their GEFs/GAPs and effectors in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, highlighting the ones that can have a pro-oncogenic behavior or function as tumor suppressors. Moreover, we propose possible mechanisms and approaches to target these proteins, toward the development of novel therapeutic strategies to impair tumor progression.

Silencing of ARL14 Gene Induces Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells to a Dormant State

Recently, a growing number of ADP ribosylation factor (ARF) family members has been suggested to be critical in tumorigenesis. However, the effects of most ARF members on lung adenocarcinoma pathogenesis are still not well disclosed yet. In this study, ARF-like GTPase 14 (ARL14) was screened as an important prognostic factor of lung adenocarcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and validated by our in vitro experiments. It was found that silencing of ARL14 gene inhibited cell proliferation and the abilities of cell migration and invasion, and it also attenuated radiation damage of lung adenocarcinoma cells but had no effect on the proliferation of normal lung cells. Notably, ARL14 siRNA blocked the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/p38 signaling pathway and induced cell cycle arrest in G0 phase, ultimately leading to cell dormancy. Moreover, ARL14 siRNA enhanced the expression of cell death activator DFFA-like effector (CIDEC) that had opposite roles in cell proliferation and migration to ALR14. Collectively, our results suggest that ARL14 has an important role in the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma through CIDEC/ERK/p38 signaling pathway, and thus it could be applied as a new candidate of prognosis indicator and/or therapeutic target of lung adenocarcinoma.

ARL11 regulates lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage activation by promoting mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling

ADP-ribosylation factor-like GTPase 11 (ARL11) is a cancer-predisposing gene that has remained functionally uncharacterized to date. In this study, we report that ARL11 is endogenously expressed in mouse and human macrophages and regulates their activation in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Accordingly, depletion of ARL11 impaired both LPS-stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokine production by macrophages and their ability to control intracellular replication of Salmonella. LPS-stimulated activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was substantially compromised in Arl11-silenced macrophages. In contrast, increased expression of ARL11 led to constitutive ERK1/2 phosphorylation, resulting in macrophage exhaustion. Finally, we found that ARL11 forms a complex with phospho-ERK in macrophages within minutes of LPS stimulation. Taken together, our findings establish ARL11 as a novel regulator of ERK signaling in macrophages, required for macrophage activation and immune function.

The R-package GenomicTools for multifactor dimensionality reduction and the analysis of (exploratory) Quantitative Trait Loci

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

We introduce the R-package GenomicTools to perform, among others, a Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR) for the identification of SNP-SNP interactions. The package further provides a new class of tests for an (exploratory) Quantitative Trait Loci analysis that overcomes some of the limitations of other popular (e)QTL approaches. Popular (e)QTL approaches that use linear models or ANOVA are often based on over-simplified models that have weak statistical properties and which are not robust against outlying observations.

METHOD

The algorithm to calculate the MDR is well established. To speed up its calculation in R, we implemented it in C++. Further, our implementation also supports the combination of several MDR results to an MDR ensemble classifier. The (e)QTL test procedure is based on a generalized Mann-Whitney test that is tailored for directional alternatives, as they are present in an (e)QTL analysis.

RESULTS

Our package GenomicTools provides functions to determine SNP combinations that have the highest accuracy for a MDR classification problem. It also provides functions to combine the best MDR results to a joined ensemble classifier for improved classification results. Further, the (e)QTL analysis is based on a solid statistical theory. In addition, informative visualizations of the results are provided.

CONCLUSION

The here presented new class of tests and methods have an easy to apply syntax, so that also researchers inexperienced in R are able to apply our proposed methods and implementations. The package creates publication ready Figures and hence could be a valuable tool for genomic data analysis.

ARLTS1 polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of familial cancer: evidence from a meta-analysis

Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation factor-like tumour suppressor gene 1(ARLTS1) might be associated with an increased risk of several types of familial cancers. However, previous studies have shown that cancer susceptibility is not completely consistent with ARLTS1 polymorphisms, and the precise mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of case-control studies by searching the PubMed, Embase, OVID, Science Direct and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. In total, 12 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA 11.0 software. Overall, the Cys148Arg T > C variant significantly increased cancer risk (CC vs. TT: OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.15–1.41, P < 0.05). The stratification indicated that the Cys148Arg variant is significantly associated with sporadic cancer (CC vs. TT: OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.18–1.55) and familial cancer (CC vs. TT: OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.12–1.43). Trp149Stop, Pro131Leu, Ser99Ser and Leu132Leu were not correlated with cancer susceptibility. Based on these results, we demonstrated that the ARLTS1 Cys148Arg polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of sporadic cancer and familial cancer, and there were no associations between the other four SNPs (i.e., Trp149Stop, Pro131Leu, Ser99Ser and Leu132Leu) and cancer risk.

ARLTS1, potential candidate gene in familial aggregation of hematological malignancies

INTRODUCTION

Genetic predisposition to familial hematological malignancies was previously described through several epidemiological analyses, but the genetic basis remains unclear. The tumor-suppressor ARLTS1 gene was previously described in sporadic hematological malignancies and familial cancer context.

METHODS

In this study, we sequence the ARLTS1 gene in 100 patients belonging to 88 independent Tunisian and French families.

RESULTS

After gene sequencing, we report 8 genetic variations, most of which were previously reported in several cancer forms. The most common variants were W149X and C148R and were previously associated to B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and to high-risk of familial breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

These results emphasize the fact that ARLTS1 gene mutations can be considered as a potential predisposing factor in familial hematological malignancies and other several cancer forms.

MiRNA Profiles in Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines of Finnish Prostate Cancer Families

Background

Heritable factors are evidently involved in prostate cancer (PrCa) carcinogenesis, but currently, genetic markers are not routinely used in screening or diagnostics of the disease. More precise information is needed for making treatment decisions to distinguish aggressive cases from indolent disease, for which heritable factors could be a useful tool. The genetic makeup of PrCa has only recently begun to be unravelled through large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The thus far identified Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) explain, however, only a fraction of familial clustering. Moreover, the known risk SNPs are not associated with the clinical outcome of the disease, such as aggressive or metastasised disease, and therefore cannot be used to predict the prognosis. Annotating the SNPs with deep clinical data together with miRNA expression profiles can improve the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of different phenotypes of prostate cancer.

Results

In this study microRNA (miRNA) profiles were studied as potential biomarkers to predict the disease outcome. The study subjects were from Finnish high risk prostate cancer families. To identify potential biomarkers we combined a novel non-parametrical test with an importance measure provided from a Random Forest classifier. This combination delivered a set of nine miRNAs that was able to separate cases from controls. The detected miRNA expression profiles could predict the development of the disease years before the actual PrCa diagnosis or detect the existence of other cancers in the studied individuals. Furthermore, using an expression Quantitative Trait Loci (eQTL) analysis, regulatory SNPs for miRNA miR-483-3p that were also directly associated with PrCa were found.

Conclusion

Based on our findings, we suggest that blood-based miRNA expression profiling can be used in the diagnosis and maybe even prognosis of the disease. In the future, miRNA profiling could possibly be used in targeted screening, together with Prostate Specific Antigene (PSA) testing, to identify men with an elevated PrCa risk.