A three-phase trans-ethnic study reveals B7-H3 expression is a significant and independent biomarker associated with colon cancer overall survival

Prognostic model development and clinical correlation of eight key genes in skin cutaneous melanoma

Cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a challenging and increasingly prevalent cancer with limited effective treatments. In our extensive study of 342 SKCM samples, we developed a prognostic model identifying eight key genes-CASPASE7CLEAVEDD198, FOXO3A, Melanoma gp100, CD171, 1433ZETA, SRC, P21, and CABL-linked to SKCM prognosis. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences in clinical outcomes between low and high-risk groups, corroborated by principal component analysis (PCA). Survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis confirmed the model's predictive accuracy for SKCM prognosis. Additionally, we observed notable correlations between the expression levels of genes related to prognosis and clinical characteristics. Our research offers crucial insights into SKCM prognosis, suggesting potential diagnostic markers and personalized treatment targets.

B7-H3 enhances colorectal cancer progression by regulating HB-EGF via HIF-1α

Background

B7-H3 (or CD276) represents an important costimulatory molecule expressed in many malignant solid tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The receptor of B7-H3 is not known, and the intracellular function of B7-H3 remains obscure. Herein, we report that B7-H3 upregulated the epidermal growth factor heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF), likely by regulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and thereby promoting the progression of CRC.

Methods

Lentiviral transfection was performed on CRC cells to establish stable low-B7-H3 expression cells. A mechanistic analysis with an Agilent human gene expression profiling chip was conducted on them. Clinical data and specimens were collected to detect the connection between B7-H3 and HB-EGF in CRC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to detect the messenger RNA (mRNA) level of B7-H3, HB-EGF, and HIF-1α. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) quantitative real-time PCR was conducted. The protein level of HIF-1α and the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3K)-protein kinase B (AKT) pathway were detected by western blot. HIF-1α was recovered by lentiviral transfection, and the HB-EGF mRNA levels, proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis ability were detected.

Results

B7-H3 promoted tumor progression through HB-EGF and the PI3K-AKT pathway. As B7-H3 was downregulated, HB-EGF levels were significantly reduced simultaneously, a growth trend that was shown by both CRC cell lines and cancer tissues. In addition, B7-H3 and HB-EGF had significant associations with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and lymph node metastasis in 50 CRC patients. The binding ability of HIF-1α to the HB-EGF promoter region was significantly decreased in the shB7-H3 RKO group. Western blot revealed that PI3K, AKT, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein amounts and p-AKT and p-mTOR phosphorylation were also downregulated in shB7-H3 RKO cells, suggesting that B7-H3 may regulate HIF-1α via PI3K-AKT signaling. After recovery of the HIF-1α level by lentiviral transfection, the HB-EGF mRNA levels, proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis in CRC cells recovered as well.

Conclusions

B7-H3 may transmit intracellular signals through PI3K-AKT-mTOR-HIF-1α signaling, upregulating HB-EGF. As the final transcription factor of the pathway, HIF-1α regulates the transcription of the HB-EGF gene, thereby promoting HB-EGF expression, which eventually mediates cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis and promotes the progression of CRC.

New Emerging Targets in Cancer Immunotherapy: The Role of B7-H3

Immune checkpoints (ICs) are molecules implicated in the fine-tuning of immune response via co-inhibitory or co-stimulatory signals, and serve to secure minimized host damage. Targeting ICs with various therapeutic modalities, including checkpoint inhibitors/monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and CAR-T cells has produced remarkable results, especially in immunogenic tumors, setting a paradigm shift in cancer therapeutics through the incorporation of these IC-targeted treatments. However, the large proportion of subjects who experience primary or secondary resistance to available IC-targeted options necessitates further advancements that render immunotherapy beneficial for a larger patient pool with longer duration of response. B7-H3 (B7 Homolog 3 Protein, CD276) is a member of the B7 family of IC proteins that exerts pleiotropic immunomodulatory effects both in physiologic and pathologic contexts. Mounting evidence has demonstrated an aberrant expression of B7-H3 in various solid malignancies, including tumors less sensitive to current immunotherapeutic options, and has associated its expression with advanced disease, worse patient survival and impaired response to IC-based regimens. Anti-B7-H3 agents, including novel mAbs, bispecific antibodies, ADCs, CAR-T cells, and radioimmunotherapy agents, have exhibited encouraging antitumor activity in preclinical models and have recently entered clinical testing for several cancer types. In the present review, we concisely present the functional implications of B7-H3 and discuss the latest evidence regarding its prognostic significance and therapeutic potential in solid malignancies, with emphasis on anti-B7-H3 modalities that are currently evaluated in clinical trial settings. Better understanding of B7-H3 intricate interactions in the tumor microenvironment will expand the oncological utility of anti-B7-H3 agents and further shape their role in cancer therapeutics.

Tissue-Based Markers as a Tool to Assess Response to Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy in Rectal Cancer-Systematic Review

According to current guidelines, the current treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer is neoadjuvant therapy, followed by a total mesorectal excision. However, radiosensitivity tends to differ among patients due to tumor heterogeneity, making it difficult to predict the possible outcomes of the neoadjuvant therapy. This review aims to investigate different types of tissue-based biomarkers and their capability of predicting tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. We identified 169 abstracts in NCBI PubMed, selected 48 reports considered to meet inclusion criteria and performed this systematic review. Multiple classes of molecular biomarkers, such as proteins, DNA, micro-RNA or tumor immune microenvironment, were studied as potential predictors for rectal cancer response; nonetheless, no literature to date has provided enough sufficient evidence for any of them to be introduced into clinical practice.