A polymorphism in the cachexia-associated gene INHBA predicts efficacy of regorafenib in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer

FOXO3 polymorphisms influence the risk and prognosis of rhabdomyosarcoma in children

Background

Rhabdomyosarcoma(RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in certain genes influence risk of RMS. Although FOXO3 had been reported in multiple cancers including RMS, the role of FOXO3 polymorphisms in RMS remains unclear. In this case-control study, we evaluated the association of FOXO3 SNPs with RMS risk and prognosis in children.

Methods

Four FOXO3 SNPs(rs17069665 A>G, rs4946936 T>C, rs4945816 C>T and rs9400241 C>A) were genotyped in 110 RMS cases and 359 controls. The associations between FOXO3 polymorphisms and RMS risk were determined by odds ratios(ORs) with 95% confidence intervals(CIs). The associations of rs17069665 and rs4946936 with overall survival in RMS children were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Functional analysis in silico was performed to estimate the probability that rs17069665 and rs4946936 might influence the regulation of FOXO3.

Results

We found that rs17069665 (GG vs. AA+AG, adjusted OR=2.96; 95%CI [1.10-3.32]; P=0.010) and rs4946936 (TC+CC vs. TT, adjusted OR=0.48; 95%CI [0.25-0.90]; P=0.023) were related to the increased and decreased RMS risk, respectively. Besides, rs17069665(P<0.001) and rs4946936(P<0.001) were associated with decreased and increased overall survival in RMS patients, respectively. Functional analysis showed that rs17069665 and rs4946936 might influence the transcription and expression of FOXO3 via altering the bindings to MYC, CTCF, and/or RELA.

Conclusions

This study revealed that FOXO3 polymorphisms influence the RMS susceptibility and prognosis in children, and might altered the expression of FOXO3. FOXO3 polymorphism was suggested as a biomarker for RMS susceptibility and prognosis.

Elevated INHBA Promotes Tumor Progression of Cervical Cancer

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the role of inhibin subunit beta A (INHBA) in the progression of cervical cancer (CCa) and investigate its potential as a therapeutic target. Specifically, the objectives were to assess the expression levels of INHBA in CCa, examine its correlation with patient survival, and elucidate its impact on CCa cell proliferation, cell cycle regulation, migration, invasion, and in vivo tumor growth and metastasis. Methods: To achieve the objectives, we conducted a comprehensive set of experimental methods. INHBA expression in CCa was analyzed, and its association with patient survival was assessed using clinical data. In vitro experiments involved the investigation of INHBA's effects on CCa cell proliferation, cell cycle dynamics, migration, and invasion through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Additionally, in vivo experiments were performed to evaluate the influence of INHBA on CCa growth and lung metastasis. Results: The results of this study revealed upregulated expression of INHBA in CCa, with a significant association between high INHBA expression and poor patient survival. Functionally, INHBA was found to promote the proliferation of CCa cells, regulate the cell cycle, and enhance migration and invasion through the EMT process in vitro. Moreover, in vivo experiments demonstrated that INHBA facilitated the growth and lung metastasis of CCa. Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings suggest that INHBA plays a crucial role in the progression of cervical cancer. The upregulation of INHBA is associated with poor patient survival, and its involvement in promoting key aspects of cancer progression makes it a potential therapeutic target for CCa treatment. These results provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying CCa and offer a foundation for further exploration of targeted therapeutic interventions.

Predicting drug response and toxicity in metastatic colorectal cancer: the role of germline markers

INTRODUCTION

Despite the introduction of targeted agents leading to therapeutic advances, clinical management of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is still challenged by significant interindividual variability in treatment outcomes, both in terms of toxicity and therapy efficacy. The study of germline genetic variants could help to personalize and optimize therapeutic approaches in mCRC.

AREAS COVERED

A systematic review of pharmacogenetic studies in mCRC patients published on PubMed between 2011 and 2021, evaluating the role of germline variants as predictive markers of toxicity and efficacy of drugs currently approved for treatment of mCRC, was perfomed.

EXPERT OPINION

Despite the large amount of pharmacogenetic data published to date, only a few genetic markers (i.e., DPYD and UGT1A1 variants) reached the clinical practice, mainly to prevent the toxic effects of chemotherapy. The large heterogeneity of available studies represents the major limitation in comparing results and identifying potential markers for clinical use, the role of which remains exploratory in most cases. However, the available published findings are an important starting point for future investigations. They highlighted new promising pharmacogenetic markers within the network of inflammatory and immune response signaling. In addition, the emerging role of previously overlooked rare variants has been pointed out.

Association of FOXO3a gene polymorphisms and ankylosing spondylitis susceptibility in Eastern Chinese Han population

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of FOXO3a polymorphisms and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) susceptibility in Eastern Chinese Han population.

METHODS

FOXO3a polymorphisms rs12206094, rs12212067, rs2253310, rs3800232, and rs4946933 were genotyped in 650 AS patients and 646 controls by the improved Multiple Ligase Detection Reaction.

RESULTS

The distribution of genotype in rs12212067 polymorphism was significantly different between AS patients and controls (P = 0.020), especially in male population (P = 0.009). There was significant difference of the genotype frequency distribution at rs3800232 between patients and controls in male population. The results of binary regression analysis showed that the rs12212067 GG genotype and rs3800232 TT genotype were obviously correlated with elevated AS risk, and the associations were still significant after being adjusted by age and gender (all P < 0.05). Interestingly, rs12212067 and rs3800232 genotypes were associated with disease activity of patients. Additionally, haplotype block rs12212067^G- rs3800232^T (OR = 1.403, 95%CI = 1.011-1.949) was further shown to confer promoting effect on developing AS.

CONCLUSION

Among Eastern Chinese Han population, FOXO3a polymorphism rs12212067 and rs3800232 may contribute to increased risk of developing AS, but well-designed multicenter studies are needed to further confirm these preliminary findings in the future.

Identification of the hub genes in gastric cancer through weighted gene co-expression network analysis

Background

Gastric cancer is one of the most lethal tumors and is characterized by poor prognosis and lack of effective diagnostic or therapeutic biomarkers. The aim of this study was to find hub genes serving as biomarkers in gastric cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Methods

GSE66229 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was used as training set. Genes bearing the top 25% standard deviations among all the samples in training set were performed to systematic weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to find candidate genes. Then, hub genes were further screened by using the “least absolute shrinkage and selection operator” (LASSO) logistic regression. Finally, hub genes were validated in the GSE54129 dataset from GEO by supervised learning method artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm.

Results

Twelve modules with strong preservation were identified by using WGCNA methods in training set. Of which, five modules significantly related to gastric cancer were selected as clinically significant modules, and 713 candidate genes were identified from these five modules. Then, ADIPOQ, ARHGAP39, ATAD3A, C1orf95, CWH43, GRIK3, INHBA, RDH12, SCNN1G, SIGLEC11 and LYVE1 were screened as the hub genes. These hub genes successfully differentiated the tumor samples from the healthy tissues in an independent testing set through artificial neural network algorithm with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve at 0.946.

Conclusions

These hub genes bearing diagnostic and therapeutic values, and our results may provide a novel prospect for the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer in the future.

Targeting the Activin Receptor Signaling to Counteract the Multi-Systemic Complications of Cancer and Its Treatments

Muscle wasting, i.e., cachexia, frequently occurs in cancer and associates with poor prognosis and increased morbidity and mortality. Anticancer treatments have also been shown to contribute to sustainment or exacerbation of cachexia, thus affecting quality of life and overall survival in cancer patients. Pre-clinical studies have shown that blocking activin receptor type 2 (ACVR2) or its ligands and their downstream signaling can preserve muscle mass in rodents bearing experimental cancers, as well as in chemotherapy-treated animals. In tumor-bearing mice, the prevention of skeletal and respiratory muscle wasting was also associated with improved survival. However, the definitive proof that improved survival directly results from muscle preservation following blockade of ACVR2 signaling is still lacking, especially considering that concurrent beneficial effects in organs other than skeletal muscle have also been described in the presence of cancer or following chemotherapy treatments paired with counteraction of ACVR2 signaling. Hence, here, we aim to provide an up-to-date literature review on the multifaceted anti-cachectic effects of ACVR2 blockade in preclinical models of cancer, as well as in combination with anticancer treatments.