HOXC10 promotes tumour metastasis by regulating the EMT-related gene Slug in ovarian cancer

Pan-cancer analysis of homeodomain-containing gene C10 and its carcinogenesis in lung adenocarcinoma

We found elevated homeodomain-containing gene C10 (HOXC10) showed dual roles in cancers' prognosis. Some signal pathways associated with tumor were totally positively enriched in HOXC10 for whole cancers. On the contrary, Notch signaling, Wnt-beta catenin signaling, myogenesis, and Hedgehog signaling were almost negatively enriched in HOXC10. Some pathways showed dual roles such as Kras signaling, interferon gram and alpha response, IL6/JAK/STAT3, IL2/STAT5 signaling. HOXC10 was associated with tumor mutation burden and microsatellite instability. HOXC10 also was associated with tumor microenvironment and immune status. HOXC10 was negatively associated with immune score in most cancers except colon adenocarcinoma. The correlations of HOXC10 with immune-related genes presented dual roles in different cancers. Results from our clinical samples indicated that HOXC10 was an independent predictor for distant metastasis-free survival in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Notably, the high levels of HOXC10 were positively correlated with the expression of angiogenic markers, vascular endothelial growth factor and microvessel density, and the number of CTC clusters. Our results demonstrated that aberrant expression happened in most cancers, which also affected the clinical prognosis and involved in progression via multiple signal pathways cancers. HOXC10 overexpression plays an important role in the aggression and metastasis in LUAD, which indicated a potential therapeutic target and an independent factor for the prognosis for LUAD patients.

HOXC10 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by targeting FOXA3 and indicates poor survival outcome

Background

Esophageal cancer is one of the most unknown and deadliest cancers in the world. Although recent studies have identified some mutations linked to the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (ESCC), the specific role of HomeoboxC10 (HOXC10) in the pathogenesis still requires further investigation.

Methods

Agilent mRNA single-channel gene expression was employed to identify genome-wide gene signatures in ESCC. These signatures were also verified using qRT-PCR, immunohistochemical staining as well as Western blot. The biological functions of HOXC10 were further investigated through cellular studies conducted on ESCC cells. Survival analysis was conducted utilizing the Kaplan-Meier method. The GEPIA database and the STRING website were utilized to predict the potential targets that bind to HOXC10. Co-immunoprecipitation assays were performed to investigate the binding interaction between HOXC10 and Forkhead Box A3 (FOXA3). Animal models were established to analyze the effects of HOXC10 silencing on tumorigenesis in vivo.

Results

The expression levels of HOXC10 mRNA were found to be upregulated in ESCC. Survival analysis revealed a significant association between abnormally elevated levels of HOXC10 mRNA and an unfavorable prognosis in patients with ESCC. In vitro studies revealed that the knockdown of HOXC10 expression resulted in the inhibition of the proliferation, invasion, and migrating ability of ESCC cells through the upregulation of FOXA3. Furthermore, tumor-bearing mouse models studies demonstrated that HOXC10 through knockdown techniques significantly suppressed ESCC tumor growth. HOXC10 was found to enhance the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway by regulating FOXA3 in ESCC cells.

Conclusion

These results support a key role for HOXC10 in the tumorigenesis of ESCC by upregulating FOXA3 via the MAPK pathway and highlight its potential as a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker for ESCC.

Unveiling Key Biomarkers and Therapeutic Drugs in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Through Pathway Enrichment Analysis and Hub Gene-miRNA Networks

Background

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects women of reproductive age globally with an incidence rate of 5% - 26%. Growing evidence reports important roles for microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathophysiology of granulosa cells (GCs) in PCOS.

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to identify the top differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) and their corresponding targets in hub gene-miRNA networks, as well as identify novel DE-miRNAs by analyzing three distinct microarray datasets. Additionally, functional enrichment analysis was performed using bioinformatics approaches. Finally, interactions between the 5 top-ranked hub genes and drugs were investigated.

Methods

Using bioinformatics approaches, three GC profiles from the gene expression omnibus (GEO), namely gene expression omnibus series (GSE)-34526, GSE114419, and GSE137684, were analyzed. Targets of the top DE-miRNAs were predicted using the multiMiR R package, and only miRNAs with validated results were retrieved. Genes that were common between the "DE-miRNA prediction results" and the "existing tissue DE-mRNAs" were designated as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses were implemented for DEGs. In order to identify hub genes and hub DE-miRNAs, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and miRNA-mRNA interaction network were constructed using Cytoscape software. The drug-gene interaction database (DGIdb) database was utilized to identify interactions between the top-ranked hub genes and drugs.

Results

Out of the top 20 DE-miRNAs that were retrieved from the GSE114419 and GSE34526 microarray datasets, only 13 of them had "validated results" through the multiMiR prediction method. Among the 13 DE-miRNAs investigated, only 5, namely hsa-miR-8085, hsa-miR-548w, hsa-miR-612, hsa-miR-1470, and hsa-miR-644a, demonstrated interactions with the 10 hub genes in the hub gene-miRNA networks in our study. Except for hsa-miR-612, the other 4 DE-miRNAs, including hsa-miR-8085, hsa-miR-548w, hsa-miR-1470, and hsa-miR-644a, are novel and had not been reported in PCOS pathogenesis before. Also, GO and pathway enrichment analyses identified "pathogenic E. coli infection" in the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) and "regulation of Rac1 activity" in FunRich as the top pathways. The drug-hub gene interaction network identified ACTB, JUN, PTEN, KRAS, and MAPK1 as potential targets to treat PCOS with therapeutic drugs.

Conclusions

The findings from this study might assist researchers in uncovering new biomarkers and potential therapeutic drug targets in PCOS treatment.

HOXC10 promotes carboplatin resistance of ovarian cancer by regulating ABCC3

HOXC10 has been reported to be upregulated in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues, attributing to the metastasis of OC. However, the specific functions of HOXC10 in OC, especially its role in chemoresistance, remain to be determined. Therefore, in this study, we explored the function and the underlying mechanisms of HOXC10 in carboplatin resistance of OC. A variety of approaches were utilized to analyze the expression of HOXC10 and its related genes. The effect of HOXC10 in cell growth and chemoresistance was investigated in carboplatin-resistant OC subline TOV21G-R and the parental TOV21G-P cells. ROC curve and survival analysis were conducted to determine the predictive value of HOXC10 and ABCC3 combination in carboplatin resistance and the prognosis of OC. Luciferase reporter assay and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay were used to explore the direct regulation of β-catenin by HOXC10. Our results demonstrated that the expression of HOXC10 was upregulated both in the carboplatin-resistant OC tissues and TOV21G-R cells. Furthermore, the upregulation of HOXC10 could promote the expression of ABCC3 by transcriptionally upregulating β-catenin. Moreover, overexpression of HOXC10 could decrease the sensitivity of cells to carboplatin, while knocking down HOXC10 had the opposite effect both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the expression of HOXC10/ABCC3 could be a novel biomarker for predicting the carboplatin resistance and the prognosis of OC patients.

HDAC5, negatively regulated by miR-148a-3p, promotes colon cancer cell migration

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are involved in many processes including tumor cell growth and proliferation and regulation of gene expression. To clarify the role of class IIa HDACs in the metastasis of colon adenocarcinoma, we used the class IIa HDAC inhibitor TMP269 and found that it effectively inhibited the migration ability of colon adenocarcinoma cells. Next, we silenced the member of class IIa HDACs and confirmed that the migratory ability of colon adenocarcinoma cells was significantly inhibited by silencing HDAC5 or HDAC7. HDAC5 plays a variety of roles in human cancers. Here, we examined the role of HDAC5 in colon adenocarcinoma. The results indicated that HDAC5 was highly expressed in tumor tissues and negatively correlated with the expression of miR-148a-3p. Moreover, the expression of HDAC5 was correlated with tumor progression. HDAC5 markedly increased the invasion and migration of cancer cells in vitro, an effect that could be inhibited by overexpression of miR-148a-3p. Following an intraperitoneal injection of colon adenocarcinoma cells in athymic nude mice, HDAC5 promoted tumor implant. Together, these findings showed that HDAC5 overexpression in colon adenocarcinoma is consistent with tumor progression and tumor cell migration and the impact of HDAC5 overexpression is reduced by miR-148a-3p.

Contribution of TWIST1-EVX1 Axis in Invasiveness of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma; a Functional Study

BACKGROUND

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a biological process in embryonic development and cancer progression, and different gene families, such as HOX genes, are closely related to this process.

OBJECTIVES

Our aim in this study was to investigate the correlation between TWIST1 and EVX1 mRNA expression in ESCC patients and also examine the probable regulatory function of TWIST1 on EVX1 expression in human ESCC cell line.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

TWIST1 and EVX1 gene expression patterns were assessed in ESCC patients by relative comparative Real-time PCR then correlated with their clinical characteristics. In silico analysis of the EVX1 gene was conducted. KYSE-30 cells were transduced by a retroviral system to ectopically express TWIST1, followed by qRT-PCR to reveal the correlation between TWIST1 and EVX1 gene expression.

RESULTS

The expression of TWIST1 and EVX1 was correlated to each other significantly (p=0.005) in ESCC. Of 28 patients with under/normal expression of TWIST1, 22 samples (78.57%) had over/normal expression of EVX1. TWIST1 overexpression was correlated with advanced stages of the tumor (III, IV) (P = 0.019) and lymph node metastasis. However, EVX1 under expression was associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.027) and invasiveness of the disease (P = 0.037) in ESCC. Furthermore, retroviral transduction enforced significant overexpression of TWIST1 in GFP-hTWIST-1 approximately 9-fold compared to GFP control cells, causing a - 8.83- fold reduction in EVX1 mRNA expression significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated the repressive role of TWIST1 on EVX1 gene expression in ESCC. Therefore, our findings can help dissect the molecular mechanism of ESCC tumorigenesis and discover novel therapeutic targets for ESCC invasion and metastasis.

Downstream of the HOX genes: explaining conflicting tumour suppressor and oncogenic functions in cancer

The HOX genes are a highly conserved group of transcription factors that have key roles in early development, but which are also highly expressed in most cancers. Many studies have found strong associative relationships between the expression of individual HOX genes in tumours and clinical parameters including survival. For the majority of HOX genes, high tumour expression levels seem to be associated with a worse outcome for patients, and in some cases this has been shown to result from the activation of pro-oncogenic genes and pathways. However, there are also many studies that indicate a tumour suppressor role for some HOX genes, sometimes with conclusions that contradict earlier work. In this review, we have attempted to clarify the role of HOX genes in cancer by focusing on their downstream targets as identified in studies that provide experimental evidence for their activation or repression. On this basis, the majority of HOX genes would appear to have a pro-oncogenic function, with the notable exception of HOXD10, which acts exclusively as a tumour suppressor. HOX proteins regulate a wide range of target genes involved in metastasis, cell death, proliferation, and angiogenesis, and activate key cell signalling pathways. Furthermore, for some functionally related targets, this regulation is achieved by a relatively small subgroup of HOX genes.

Homeodomain-containing gene 10 contributed to breast cancer malignant behaviors by activating Interleukin-6/Janus kinase 2/Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway

Homeodomain‑containing gene 10 (HOXC10) has been identified as an oncogene in various malignancies. Nevertheless, the role and function of HOXC10 in breast cancer (BC) remain unclear. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of genes, respectively. CCK-8, transwell, and TUNEL assays were performed to evaluate cell viability, invasion, migration, and apoptosis of BC cells in vitro. The xenograft model was established to examine the effect of HOXC10 on tumor growth in vivo. Our results indicated that HOXC10 expression was increased in BC and correlated with an unsatisfactory prognosis. Functional assays indicated that HOXC10 overexpression promoted cell proliferation and metastasis, and suppressed cell apoptosis of BC, while HOXC10 knockdown showed opposite trends. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo assays uncovered that HOXC10 promoted the tumorigenesis of BC via the activation of IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling. Overall, our study revealed that HOXC10 could function as a tumor promotor in BC by upregulating IL-6 levels to activate the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Irradiation Activates MZF1 to Inhibit miR-541-5p Expression and Promote Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Radiation-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis (RIPF) by Upregulating Slug

Understanding miRNAs regulatory roles in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) would help establish new avenues for further uncovering the mechanisms underlying radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) and identifying preventative and therapeutic targets. Here, we demonstrated that miR-541-5p repression by Myeloid Zinc Finger 1 (MZF1) promotes radiation-induced EMT and RIPF. Irradiation could decrease miR-541-5p expression in vitro and in vivo and inversely correlated to RIPF development. Ectopic miR-541-5p expression suppressed radiation-induced-EMT in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown of Slug, the functional target of miR-541-5p, inhibited EMT induction by irradiation. The upregulation of transcription factor MZF1 upon irradiation inhibited the expression of endogenous miR-541-5p and its primary precursor (pri-miR-541-5p), which regulated the effect of the Slug on the EMT process. Our finding showed that ectopic miR-541-5p expression mitigated RIPF in mice by targeting Slug. Thus, irradiation activates MZF1 to downregulate miR-541-5p in alveolar epithelial cells, promoting EMT and contributing to RIPF by targeting Slug. Our observation provides further understanding of the development of RIPF and determines potential preventative and therapeutic targets.

Molecular implications of HOX genes targeting multiple signaling pathways in cancer

Homeobox (HOX) genes encode highly conserved homeotic transcription factors that play a crucial role in organogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Their deregulation impacts the function of several regulatory molecules contributing to tumor initiation and progression. A functional bridge exists between altered gene expression of individual HOX genes and tumorigenesis. This review focuses on how deregulation in the HOX-associated signaling pathways contributes to the metastatic progression in cancer. We discuss their functional significance, clinical implications and ascertain their role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in the various cancer types. Besides, the mechanism of understanding the theoretical underpinning that affects HOX-mediated therapy resistance in cancers has been outlined. The knowledge gained shall pave the way for newer insights into the treatment of cancer.

Transcription factor HOXC10 activates the expression of MTFR2 to regulate the proliferation, invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cells

HOXC10 and mitochondrial fission regulator 2 (MTFR2) have been reported to be abnormally expressed in multiple types of cancer tissues. However, the effects of HOXC10 and MTFR2 on colorectal cancer (CRC) remain poorly understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the expression of HOXC10 and MTFR2 in CRC tissues and cells, and analyze their effects on CRC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of MTFR2 and HOXC10 in tissues and cells. To investigate the association between MTFR2 and HOXC10, short hairpin RNA‑MTFR2 and overexpression vector‑HOXC10 were transfected into the cells, respectively. Furthermore, western blotting was performed to detect the expression levels of invasion‑associated proteins. The proliferation, clone formation, invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cells were in turn analyzed by the Cell Counting Kit‑8, clone formation, wound healing and Transwell assays. Japan Automotive Software Platform and Architecture software predicted the binding sites between HOXC10 and MTFR2, which was confirmed by the dual‑luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The present study demonstrated that HOXC10 and MTFR2 mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. MTFR2 knockdown significantly inhibited CRC cell proliferation, clone formation, invasion and migration. Furthermore, HOXC10 was shown to interact with MTFR2. HOXC10 overexpression was able to significantly reverse the inhibitory effects of MTFR2 knockdown on CRC cells. In conclusion, HOXC10 overexpression activated MTFR2 expression to enhance the proliferation, clone formation, invasion and migration of CRC cells.

Role of HOXC10 in Cancer

The HOXC10 gene, a member of the HOX genes family, plays crucial roles in mammalian physiological processes, such as limb morphological development, limb regeneration, and lumbar motor neuron differentiation. HOXC10 is also associated with angiogenesis, fat metabolism, and sex regulation. Additional evidence suggests that HOXC10 dysregulation is closely associated with various tumors. HOXC10 is an important transcription factor that can activate several oncogenic pathways by regulating various target molecules such as ERK, AKT, p65, and epithelial mesenchymal transition-related genes. HOXC10 also induces drug resistance in cancers by promoting the DNA repair pathway. In this review, we summarize HOXC10 gene structure and expression as well as the role of HOXC10 in different human cancer processes. This review will provide insight into the status of HOXC10 research and help identify novel targets for cancer therapy.

HOXC10 promotes growth and migration of melanoma by regulating Slug to activate the YAP/TAZ signaling pathway

Homeobox C10 (HOXC10) has been reported to participate in various cancers. However, the involvement of HOXC10 in melanoma is still unknown. Here, we attempted to determine whether HOXC10 can affect the development of melanoma. We separated melanoma tissues and the matched tumor-adjacent normal tissues from melanoma patients, and examined HOXC10 expression in the melanoma cells and tissues. Comparing with the tumor-adjacent normal tissues, HOXC10 was up-regulated in melanoma tissues. Melanoma cells also displayed an up-regulation of HOXC10. Moreover, HOXC10 inhibition suppressed cell proliferation, clone formation and promoted apoptosis of melanoma cells. Knockdown of HOXC10 also retarded migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in melanoma cells. Additionally, HOXC10 accelerated Slug expression by interacting with Slug, and activating the promoter of Slug. Slug activated the YAP/TAZ signaling pathway, which was reversed by HOXC10 silencing. The in vitro assays demonstrated that inhibition of HOXC10 significantly repressed tumor growth and lung metastasis of melanoma in mice by inhibiting Slug and YAP/TAZ signaling pathway. In conclusion, this work demonstrated that HOXC10 promoted growth and migration of melanoma by regulating Slug to activate the YAP/TAZ signaling pathway. Therefore, this study suggests that inhibition of HOXC10 has therapeutic potential in melanoma.

FBXW7 inhibits invasion, migration and angiogenesis in ovarian cancer cells by suppressing VEGF expression through inactivation of β-catenin signaling

F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7 (FBXW7) is a tumor suppressor gene frequently inactivated in several human malignancies. The present study aimed to investigate the role of FBXW7 in the invasion, migration and angiogenesis of ovarian cancer (OC) cells, and to identify its potential molecular mechanisms. First, the expression levels of FBXW7 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were detected in several human OC cell lines using western blotting. Subsequently, FBXW7 was overexpressed to determine VEGF expression in SKOV3 cells. Transwell, wound healing and tube formation assays were performed following transfection with FBXW7 and VEGF overexpression plasmids to assess invasion, migration and angiogenesis in SKOV3 cells, respectively. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and angiogenesis-associated proteins. In addition, the expression levels of β-catenin and c-Myc were assessed, and lithium chloride (LiCl), an agonist of β-catenin signaling, was used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which FBXW7 mediates its antitumor activity in OC. The results demonstrated that FBXW7 expression was markedly downregulated, whilst VEGF expression was markedly upregulated in OC cell lines compared with that in normal ovarian cells. Overexpression of FBXW7 significantly decreased VEGF expression in SKOV3 cells. Notably, overexpression of VEGF reversed the inhibitory effects of FBXW7 overexpression on the invasion, migration and angiogenesis of OC cells, accompanied by upregulated expression levels of N-cadherin, slug, CD31, VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and VEGFR2, and downregulated expression levels of E-cadherin. Furthermore, overexpression of FBXW7 markedly suppressed β-catenin and c-Myc expression, whereas the decreased expression levels of VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 following overexpression of FBXW7 were increased after treatment of SKOV3 cells with LiCl. Overall, the results of the present study suggested that FBXW7 inhibited invasion, migration and angiogenesis of OC cells by suppressing VEGF expression through inactivation of β-catenin signaling. Thus, FBXW7 may be used as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of OC.

Clinical significance and potential molecular mechanism of miRNA-222-3p in metastatic prostate cancer

The clinical significance and underlying molecular mechanism of miRNA-222-3p in metastatic prostate cancer (MPCa) remain unclear. The present study used a large number of cases (n = 1,502) based on miRNA chip and miRNA sequencing datasets to evaluate the expression and diagnostic potential of miRNA-222-3p in MPCa. We applied a variety of meta-analytic methods, including forest maps, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis and summary receiver operating characteristic curves, to prove the final results. MiRNA-222-3p was reduced in MPCa and had a moderate diagnostic potential in MPCa. We screened 118 miRNA-222-3p targets using three different methods including miRNA-222-3p transfected MPCa cell lines, online prediction databases and differently upregulated genes in MPCa. Moreover, functional enrichment analysis performed to explore the potential molecular mechanism of miRNA-222-3p showed that the potential target genes of miRNA-222-3p were significantly enriched in the p53 signal pathway. In the protein–protein interaction network analysis, SNAP91 was identified as a hub gene that may be closely related to MPCa. Gene chip and RNA sequencing datasets containing 1,237 samples were used to determine the expression level and diagnostic potential of SNAP91 in MPCa. SNAP91 was found to be overexpressed in MPCa and had a moderate diagnostic potential in MPCa. In addition, miRNA-222-3p expression was negatively correlated with SNAP91 expression in MPCa (r = −0.636, P = 0.006). These results demonstrated that miRNA-222-3p might play an important role in MPCa by negatively regulating SNAP91 expression. Thus, miRNA-222-3p might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target of MPCa.

Roles of the HOX Proteins in Cancer Invasion and Metastasis

Invasion and metastasis correspond to the foremost cause of cancer-related death, and the molecular networks behind these two processes are extremely complex and dependent on the intra- and extracellular conditions along with the prime of the premetastatic niche. Currently, several studies suggest an association between the levels of HOX genes expression and cancer cell invasion and metastasis, which favour the formation of novel tumour masses. The deregulation of HOX genes by HMGA2/TET1 signalling and the regulatory effect of noncoding RNAs generated by the HOX loci can also promote invasion and metastasis, interfering with the expression of HOX genes or other genes relevant to these processes. In this review, we present five molecular mechanisms of HOX deregulation by which the HOX clusters products may affect invasion and metastatic processes in solid tumours.