Genomic copy number gains of ErbB family members predict poor clinical outcomes in glioma patients

Isoliquiritigenin inhibits circ0030018 to suppress glioma tumorigenesis via the miR-1236/HER2 signaling pathway

In the central nervous system diseases, glioma is one of the most common malignancies around the world. Despite the recent improvements in therapies for glioma, the prognosis of some high-risk glioma remains poor. In glioma, isoliquiritigenin (ISL) is reported to have antioxidative and antitumor activities. However, the potential mechanisms between ISL and circle RNAs (circRNAs) in the glioma tumorigenesis process have not yet been reported. Here, we treated glioma cells with ISL, and circRNA expression levels were detected. Circ0030018 was found significantly downregulated by ISL. Therefore, we explored circ0030018 expression profiles and functions in glioma, finding that circ0030018 was evidently overexpressed in glioma cell lines. Colony formation, CCK-8, and transwell assay made clear that circ0030018 silencing dramatically cut down glioma growth and invasion. Moreover, ROS level was detected to find that circ0030018 silence remarkably enhanced cell oxidative stress in glioma. Mechanism studies were conducted to investigate the underlying basis of circ0030018 function in glioma, unveiling that circ0030018 realized its functions partially through the miR-1236/HER2 signaling in glioma. In conclusion, our study investigated the roles and mechanisms of the ISL on the circ0030018/miR-1236/HER2 pathway in glioma tumorigenesis and progression. Circ0030018 could act as the prospective biologic signature or therapeutic target for glioma.

The peculiar challenge of bringing CAR-T cells into the brain: Perspectives in the clinical application to the treatment of pediatric central nervous system tumors

Childhood malignant brain tumors remain a significant cause of death in the pediatric population, despite the use of aggressive multimodal treatments. New therapeutic approaches are urgently needed for these patients in order to improve prognosis, while reducing side effects and long-term sequelae of the treatment. Immunotherapy is an attractive option and, in particular, the use of gene-modified T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T cells) represents a promising approach. Major hurdles in the clinical application of this approach in neuro-oncology, however, exist. The peculiar location of brain tumors leads to both a difficulty of access to the tumor mass, shielded by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and to an increased risk of potentially life-threatening neurotoxicity, due to the primary location of the disease in the CNS and the low intracranial volume reserve. There are no unequivocal data on the best way of CAR-T cell administration. Multiple trials exploring the use of CD19 CAR-T cells for hematologic malignancies proved that genetically engineered T cells can cross the BBB, suggesting that systemically administered CAR-T cell can be used in the neuro-oncology setting. Intrathecal and intra-tumoral delivery can be easily managed with local implantable devices, suitable also for a more precise neuro-monitoring. The identification of specific approaches of neuro-monitoring is of utmost importance in these patients. In the present review, we highlight the most relevant potential challenges associated with the application of CAR-T cell therapy in pediatric brain cancers, focusing on the evaluation of the best route of delivery, the peculiar risk of neurotoxicity and the related neuro-monitoring.

Role of stress granules in modulating senescence and promoting cancer progression: Special emphasis on glioma

Stress granules (SGs) contain mRNAs and proteins stalled in translation during stress; these are increasingly being implicated in diseases, including neurological disorders and cancer. The dysregulated assembly, persistence, disassembly and clearance of SGs contribute to the process of senescence. Senescence has long been a mysterious player in cellular physiology and associated diseases. The systemic process of aging has been pivotal in the development of various neurological disorders like age-related neuropathy, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Glioma is a cancer of neurological origin with a very poor prognosis and high rate of recurrence, SGs have only recently been implicated in its pathogenesis. Senescence has long been established to play an antitumorigenic role, however, relatively less studied is its protumorigenic importance. Here, we have evaluated the existing literature to assess the crosstalk of the two biological phenomena of senescence and SG formation in the context of tumorigenesis. In this review, we have attempted to analyze the contribution of senescence in regulating diverse cellular processes, like, senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP), microtubular reorganization, telomeric alteration, autophagic clearance and how intricately these phenomena are tied with the formation of SGs. Finally, we propose that interplay between senescence, its contributing factors and the genesis of SGs can drive tumorigenicity of gliomas, which can potentially be utilized for therapeutic intervention.

Somatic copy number alterations are predictive of progression-free survival in patients with lung adenocarcinoma undergoing radiotherapy

OBJECTIVE

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) have been used to predict responses to therapies in many cancers, including lung cancer. However, little is known about whether they are predictive of radiotherapy outcomes. We aimed to understand the prognostic value and biological functions of SCNAs.

METHODS

We analyzed the correlation between SCNAs and clinical outcomes in The Cancer Genome Atlas data for 486 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who received radiotherapy. Gene set enrichment analyses were performed to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the roles of SCNAs in the radiotherapy response. Our results were validated in 20 patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) receiving radiotherapy.

RESULTS

SCNAs were a better predictor of progression-free survival (PFS) in LUAD (P = 0.024) than in lung squamous carcinoma (P = 0.18) in patients treated with radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses revealed the superiority of SCNAs in predicting PFS in patients with LUAD. Patients with stage I cancer and low SCNA levels had longer PFS than those with high SCNA levels (P = 0.022). Our prognostic nomogram also showed that combining SCNAs and tumor/node/metastasis provided a better model for predicting long-term PFS. Additionally, high SCNA may activate the cell cycle pathway and induce tumorigenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

SCNAs may be used to predict PFS in patients with early-stage LUAD with radiotherapy, in combination with TNM, with the aim of predicting long-term PFS. Therefore, SCNAs are a novel predictive biomarker for radiotherapy in patients with LUAD.

CAR T cells for brain tumors: Lessons learned and road ahead

Malignant brain tumors, including glioblastoma, represent some of the most difficult to treat of solid tumors. Nevertheless, recent progress in immunotherapy, across a broad range of tumor types, provides hope that immunological approaches will have the potential to improve outcomes for patients with brain tumors. Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells, a promising immunotherapeutic modality, utilizes the tumor targeting specificity of any antibody or receptor ligand to redirect the cytolytic potency of T cells. The remarkable clinical response rates of CD19-targeted CAR T cells and early clinical experiences in glioblastoma demonstrating safety and evidence for disease modifying activity support the potential of further advancements ultimately providing clinical benefit for patients. The brain, however, is an immune specialized organ presenting unique and specific challenges to immune-based therapies. Remaining barriers to be overcome for achieving effective CAR T cell therapy in the central nervous system (CNS) include tumor antigenic heterogeneity, an immune-suppressive microenvironment, unique properties of the CNS that limit T cell entry, and risks of immune-based toxicities in this highly sensitive organ. This review will summarize preclinical and clinical data for CAR T cell immunotherapy in glioblastoma and other malignant brain tumors, including present obstacles to advancement.

Downregulation of microRNA-374a predicts poor prognosis in human glioma

Certain microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) may be used as prognostic biomarkers in various types of cancer. The purpose of the present study was to identify miRNAs that were abnormally expressed in glioma of different grades, and to evaluate their clinical implications in patients with glioma. The differentially expressed miRNAs were evaluated from the expression profiles of six glioma tissues (three low-grade and three high-grade gliomas) determined using a microarray platform. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to further verify the aberrant expression of the candidate miRNA in a set of 42 patients and 5 healthy controls. The miRNA target genes were predicted and the protein-protein interaction network was generated; furthermore, functional enrichment analysis of the target genes in Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways was performed. Kaplan-Meier curves and Log-rank analysis, as well as multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to assess the association of the candidate miRNA with patient survival. A total of 15 differentially expressed miRNAs, including 13 downregulated and 2 upregulated miRNAs, were identified by comparison of low-grade and high-grade glioma tissues. The miR-374a expression of high-grade gliomas was significantly lower than that of low-grade gliomas (fold change, -4.43; P=0.027). The expression levels of miR-374a gradually decreased with the increase of the pathological grade of glioma. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to determine the association of miR-374a expression with several clinicopathological factors. Furthermore, low expression of miR-374a was determined to be an independent prognostic marker and that it was significantly associated with overall survival (P=0.0213). GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the target genes of miR-374a may be involved in the regulation of the RNA polymerase II promoter and mTOR signaling pathway. The four hub genes (CCND1, SP1, CDK4, CDK6) were also identified by PPI network analysis. In conclusion, the present study indicated that miR-374a may be used as a promising prognostic biomarker for the screening of high-risk populations and for the assessment of the prognosis of patients with glioma.

Gender-related differences in the association between concomitant amplification of AIB1 and HER2 and clinical outcomes in glioma patients

BACKGROUND

Previous studies demonstrated that AIB1 or HER2 copy number gain (CNG), respectively, were independent predictors for poor prognosis of glioma patients, especially in females. We hypothesize that there are some connections between the two genes and sex-specific characteristics, thus this study aimed to analyze gender-related differences in the prognosis of glioma patients.

METHODS

Using Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) method, we examined AIB1 and HER2 CNG in gliomas samples (n = 114), and inspected the correlation of various genotypes with patients outcomes.

RESULTS

Concomitant AIB1 and HER2 amplification were closely related to shorter survival time and radiotherapy resistance in female gliomas patients (P < 0.01), which also served as an independent risk factor. No significant prognostic value was found with AIB1 and HER2 CNG in male patients. However, linear regression analysis showed a positive relationship between the copy number of AIB1 and HER2 (P < 0.01) in male patients, rather than female patients.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we reveal a gender difference in the prognostic value of concomitant AIB1 and HER2 CNG in glioma patients which were barely noticed before. These observations indicated that genetic alterations synergistic with essential respects of sex determination influence glioma biology and patients outcomes.