Serum miR-27a is a biomarker for the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy

Promotion of non-small cell lung cancer tumor growth by FHL2 via inducing angiogenesis and vascular permeability

Background

Antiangiogenetic therapy is one of the effective strategies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment. Four-and-a-half LIM-domain protein 2 (FHL2) serves as a key function in cell growth and metastasis of multiple cancers, but the role of FHL2 in NSCLC angiogenesis has not been intensely examined.

Methods

FHL2 expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines and its correlation with patients prognosis were investigated by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, EdU (5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine) assay, and a xenograft model were used to investigate the effects of FHL2 on NSCLC progression in vitro and in vivo. CCK-8, wound-healing, Transwell invasion, tube formation, and permeability assays were performed to determine the roles of FHL2 in angiogenesis and vascular permeability. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay, Western blot analysis, and MK-2206 were used to investigate the specific mechanism mediated by FHL2.

Results

We demonstrated that FHL2 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines and was associated with poor prognosis. FHL2 overexpression enhanced the cell viability of NSCLC cells, as well as the proliferation, migration, invasion, and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In addition, we determined that FHL2 activated the AKT-mTOR signaling pathway in HUVECs by promoting VEGFA secretion from NSCLC cells, thereby inducing angiogenesis and vascular leakiness. We further confirmed that FHL2 also promoted NSCLC tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusions

Our study revealed the role of FHL2 in NSCLC and the mechanism by which FHL2 promotes NSCLC tumorigenesis, providing novel insights into targeted therapy for NSCLC.

Dissecting the genetic variations associated with response to first-line chemotherapy in patients with small cell lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) for decades. Nonetheless, patients are usually responsive to initial chemotherapy but quickly suffer from relapse, resulting in a poor long-term outcome. Treating advances that greatly ameliorate survival outcomes are historically finite, and credible biomarkers for therapeutic evaluation are deficient. As the genetic biology emerges, investigating biomarkers to optimize individualized treatment for SCLC is necessary.

Methods

Based on following inclusion criteria: (I) patients diagnosed as SCLC by pathology; (II) patients treated with first-line etoposide/cisplatin (EP) chemotherapy; (III) patients who received long-term follow-up and signed informed consent, a total of 24 SCLC patients receiving first-line standard chemotherapy were divided into progressive disease (PD) and partial response (PR) groups. They were regularly followed every 3 months with computed tomography (CT) scan until recurrences determined by CT scan results. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) with a panel of 1,406 cancer-related genes was conducted on the tumor tissue-derived DNA of patients to compare genetic variations, including deletions (indels), single nucleotide variations (SNVs), copy number variations (CNVs), and copy number instability (CNI) between the two groups.

Results

For the clinical characteristics of enrolled SCLC patients, except for significant differences in sex, age, clinical stage, and limited or extensive stage, PD patients showed distinctly shorter overall survival than those with PR (6.5 vs. 14.0 months, respectively, P=0.007). Genetic variations analysis discovered several common genes with CNV mutations between the PR and PD groups, and increased epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene copy numbers gain was found in PR groups in comparing with PD patients (P=0.006). However, no significant differences in terms of SNVs, indels, genotypes associated with first-line chemotherapy, CNI of tumor tissue-derived DNA, and tumor mutational burden of tumor tissues were observed between two groups. Additionally, the relationship between EGFR gene mutation and clinicopathological features of SCLC indicated that EGFR gene mutation may be an independent indicator for SCLC patients.

Conclusions

Increased EGFR gene CNVs may be an independent indicator influencing the survival time and PR in SCLC patients receiving standard first-line chemotherapy.

miRNAs and exosomal miRNAs in lung cancer: New emerging players in tumor progression and therapy response

Non-coding RNAs have shown key roles in cancer and among them, short RNA molecules are known as microRNAs (miRNAs). These molecules have length less than 25 nucleotides and suppress translation and expression. The functional miRNAs are produced in cytoplasm. Lung cancer is a devastating disease that its mortality and morbidity have undergone an increase in recent years. Aggressive behavior leads to undesirable prognosis and tumors demonstrate abnormal proliferation and invasion. In the present review, miRNA functions in lung cancer is described. miRNAs reduce/increase proliferation and metastasis. They modulate cell death and proliferation. Overexpression of oncogenic miRNAs facilitates drug resistance and radio-resistance in lung cancer. Tumor microenvironment components including macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts demonstrate interactions with miRNAs in lung cancer. Other factors such as HIF-1α, lncRNAs and circRNAs modulate miRNA expression. miRNAs have also value in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Understanding such interactions can pave the way for developing novel therapeutics in near future for lung cancer patients.

Improvement in the performance of an autoantibody panel in combination with heat shock protein 90a for the detection of early‑stage lung cancer

The early diagnosis of lung cancer is closely associated with the decline of mortality. A panel consisting of seven lung cancer-related autoantibodies (7-AABs) has been shown to be a reliable and specific indicator for the early detection of lung cancer, with a specificity of ~90% and a positive predictive value of ~85%. However, its low sensitivity and negative predictive value limit its wide application. To improve its diagnostic value, the diagnostic efficiencies of 7-AABs in combination with non-specific tumor markers were retrospectively investigated for the detection of early-stage lung cancer. A total of 217 patients with small lung nodules who presented with ground-glass opacity or solid nodules as well as 30 healthy controls were studied. The concentrations of 7-AABs and heat shock protein 90a (HSP90a) were assessed using ELISA. Automated flow fluorescence immune analysis was used for the assessment of CEA, CYFRA21-1, CA199 and CA125 levels. The results showed that 7-AABs + HSP90a possessed a remarkably improved diagnostic efficiency for patients with small pulmonary nodules or for patients with lung nodules of different types, which suggested that 7-AABs in combination with HSP90a could have a high clinical value for the improvement of the diagnostic efficiency of early-stage lung cancer.

Serum-derived extracellular vesicles mediate Smad4 expression through shuttling microRNA-27a in the progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Serum-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing non-coding RNAs have been indicated to serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), while their functional role remains to be explored. Here, we summarize the possible mechanism explaining the laryngeal carcinogenesis and the associated changes with the involvement of extracellular microRNA (miR)-27a from serum of LSCC patients. Serum-derived EVs from LSCC patients were found to increase the proliferative activity and decreased the apoptotic activity of LSCC cells. miRNA microarrays revealed that miR-27a expression was elevated after EV treatment. miR-27a expression was elevated in LSCC tissues and predicted a poor prognosis for patients. Downregulation of miR-27a inhibited the effect of EVs to reduce the activity of LSCC cells in vitro and to suppress tumor development in vivo. miR-27a targeted SMAD family member 4 (Smad4) to mediate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which was induced under the influence of EVs. Smad4 was downregulated in LSCC tissues, and simultaneous overexpression of miR-27a and Smad4 resulted in reduced cell activity and tumorigenicity. In conclusion, serum-derived EVs support the laryngeal carcinogenesis at least partially via transferring miR-27a. miR-27a targets Smad4 and is a biomarker to predict LSCC prognosis.