Proteases are Modulated by Fascin in Oral Cancer Invasion

Fascin in migration and metastasis of breast cancer cells - A review

Cancer cell migration and metastasis are the biggest problems in the treatment of cancer patients. The most aggressive breast cancer (BC) is the triple-negative type. Therefore, effective therapeutic targets that limit cell migration are sought. One such target may be fascin, as its overexpression is characteristic to triple-negative breast cancer. The high level of fascin enables the formation of protrusion and thus promotes the invasion of cancer cells. Fascin also shows co-localization or functional relationships with other proteins. These are proteins involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process, vimentin, cadherins, β-catenin, and matrix metalloproteinases 2/9 (MMP-2/9). Fascin is also involved in many signaling pathways protein kinase C-δ (PKCδ), Wnt/β-catenin, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt. Therefore, in this article, we review currently available in vitro studies and compare them with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data analysis of BC patients to demonstrate the role of fascin in the migration and invasion of cancer cells.

The role of fascin-1 in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of respiratory related cancers

Human cancer statistics report that respiratory related cancers such as lung, laryngeal, oral and nasopharyngeal cancers account for a large proportion of tumors, and tumor metastasis remains the major reason for patient death. The metastasis of tumor cells requires actin cytoskeleton remodeling, in which fascin-1 plays an important role. Fascin-1 can cross-link F-actin microfilaments into bundles and form finger-like cell protrusions. Some studies have shown that fascin-1 is overexpressed in human tumors and is associated with tumor growth, migration and invasion. The role of fascin-1 in respiratory related cancers is not very clear. The main purpose of this study was to provide an updated literature review on the role of fascin-1 in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of respiratory related cancers. These studies suggested that fascin-1 can serve as an emerging biomarker and potential therapeutic target, and has attracted widespread attention.

Fascin-1: Updated biological functions and therapeutic implications in cancer biology

Filopodia are cellular protrusions that respond to a variety of stimuli. Filopodia are formed when actin is bound to the protein Fascin, which may play a crucial role in cellular interactions and motility during cancer metastasis. Significantly, the noncanonical features of Fascin-1 are gradually being clarified, including the related molecular network contributing to metabolic reprogramming, chemotherapy resistance, stemness ac-tivity, and tumor microenvironment events. However, the relationship between biological characteristics and pathological features to identify effective therapeutic strategies needs to be studied further. The pur-pose of this review article is to provide a broad overview of the latest molecular networks and multiomics research regarding fascins and cancer. It also highlights their direct and indirect effects on available cancer treatments. With this multidisciplinary approach, researchers and clinicians can gain the most relevant in-formation on the function of fascins in cancer progression, which may facilitate clinical applications in the future.

Cytoskeletal Remodeling in Cancer

Simple Summary

Cell migration is an essential process from embryogenesis to cell death. This is tightly regulated by numerous proteins that help in proper functioning of the cell. In diseases like cancer, this process is deregulated and helps in the dissemination of tumor cells from the primary site to secondary sites initiating the process of metastasis. For metastasis to be efficient, cytoskeletal components like actin, myosin, and intermediate filaments and their associated proteins should co-ordinate in an orderly fashion leading to the formation of many cellular protrusions-like lamellipodia and filopodia and invadopodia. Knowledge of this process is the key to control metastasis of cancer cells that leads to death in 90% of the patients. The focus of this review is giving an overall understanding of these process, concentrating on the changes in protein association and regulation and how the tumor cells use it to their advantage. Since the expression of cytoskeletal proteins can be directly related to the degree of malignancy, knowledge about these proteins will provide powerful tools to improve both cancer prognosis and treatment.

Abstract

Successful metastasis depends on cell invasion, migration, host immune escape, extravasation, and angiogenesis. The process of cell invasion and migration relies on the dynamic changes taking place in the cytoskeletal components; actin, tubulin and intermediate filaments. This is possible due to the plasticity of the cytoskeleton and coordinated action of all the three, is crucial for the process of metastasis from the primary site. Changes in cellular architecture by internal clues will affect the cell functions leading to the formation of different protrusions like lamellipodia, filopodia, and invadopodia that help in cell migration eventually leading to metastasis, which is life threatening than the formation of neoplasms. Understanding the signaling mechanisms involved, will give a better insight of the changes during metastasis, which will eventually help targeting proteins for treatment resulting in reduced mortality and longer survival.

Eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1δ, N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen and cancer-associated fibroblasts are prognostic markers of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients

OBJECTIVE

Identifying markers that influence oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) prognosis is a fundamental strategy to improve the overall survival of patients. Markers such as eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1δ (EEF1D), fascin, N-terminal propeptide of type I collagen (PINP), and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been noticed in OSCCs and their levels are closely related to the prognosis of tumors. Our aim was to confirm the role of those markers in OSCC prognosis.

STUDY DESIGN

Immunohistochemistry was performed in 90 OSCC specimens. The associations between clinicopathologic features and expression of markers were assessed by χ² test. Kaplan-Meier curves and univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used for survival analysis. Markers were analyzed individually and in combination.

RESULTS

High expression of EEF1D (P = .017) and PINP (P = .02) and abundant density of CAFs in tumor stroma (P = .005) predicted significantly poor survival in OSCC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that all 3 parameters are individually independent prognostic factors of OSCC patients, and their combination improved the discrimination of patients at high risk for poor survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that the expression of EEF1D and PINP and the density of CAFs might influence the survival of patients with OSCC.