Construction of a potential microRNA, transcription factor and mRNA regulatory network in hepatocellular carcinoma

PAQR4 oncogene: a novel target for cancer therapy

Despite decades of basic and clinical research and trials of promising new therapies, cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality due to the emergence of drug resistance to anticancer drugs. These resistance events have a very well-understood underlying mechanism, and their therapeutic relevance has long been recognized. Thus, drug resistance continues to be a major obstacle to providing cancer patients with the intended "cure". PAQR4 (Progestin and AdipoQ Receptor Family Member 4) gene is a recently identified novel protein-coding gene associated with various human cancers and acts through different signaling pathways. PAQR4 has a significant influence on multiple proteins that may regulate various gene expressions and may develop chemoresistance. This review discusses the roles of PAQR4 in tumor immunity, carcinogenesis, and chemoresistance. This paper is the first review, discussing PAQR4 in the pathogenesis of cancer. The review further explores the PAQR4 as a potential target in various malignancies.

A Comprehensive Analysis of the Prognostic, Immunological and Diagnostic Role of CCNF in Pan-cancer

Background: Cyclin F (CCNF) represents a pivotal constituent within the family of cell cycle proteins, which also belongs to the F-box protein family and acts as a critical regulatory factor in cell cycle transition. Its heightened expression has been consistently identified across various cancer types, including breast, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer. Nonetheless, a comprehensive exploration of CCNF's involvement in pan-cancer remains lacking. Methods: This study collected transcriptomic data and clinical information from several databases, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and BioGPS detabase. Employing bioinformatics methods, we investigated the potential oncogenic role of CCNF, utilizing various databases such as cBioPortal, Human Protein Atlas (HPA), TIMER2, UALCAN, GEPIA, GSCALite, and CTD detabase. These analyses focused on exploring CCNF expression, prognosis, gene mutations, immune cell infiltration, DNA methylation levels, and targeted chemical drugs across different tumor types. Additionally, we obtained CCNF-related genes from GeneMANIA and GEPIA databases and conducted GO and KEGG enrichment analyses to gain deeper insights into the biological processes associated with CCNF. Furthermore, we validated the differential expression of CCNF in normal human breast cancer and breast cancer cell lines using experimental verification. Results: CCNF exhibited upregulation in the majority of cancer types, demonstrating early diagnostic potential in 15 cancers and prognostic implications for adverse outcomes across numerous malignancies. Furthermore, CCNF was found to be linked with markers of the tumor immune microenvironment in various cancers. Additionally, CCNF expression influenced genetic alterations in pan-cancer. Enrichment analysis revealed that CCNF primarily participates in crucial biological pathways such as the cell cycle, p53 signaling pathway, and cellular senescence pathways. RT-qpcr and WB assays further confirmed that CCNF expression was higher in human cancer cell lines than in normal cell lines. Conclusion: The underlying role and mechanism of CCNF in pan-cancer were elucidated through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. CCNF holds promise as an invaluable early detection indicator and tumor biomarker, offering potential targets for tumor treatment and prevention.

Recent insights into the microRNA-dependent modulation of gliomas from pathogenesis to diagnosis and treatment

Gliomas are the most lethal primary brain tumors in adults. These highly invasive tumors have poor 5-year survival for patients. Gliomas are principally characterized by rapid diffusion as well as high levels of cellular heterogeneity. However, to date, the exact pathogenic mechanisms, contributing to gliomas remain ambiguous. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as small noncoding RNAs of about 20 nucleotides in length, are known as chief modulators of different biological processes at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. More recently, it has been revealed that these noncoding RNA molecules have essential roles in tumorigenesis and progression of multiple cancers, including gliomas. Interestingly, miRNAs are able to modulate diverse cancer-related processes such as cell proliferation and apoptosis, invasion and migration, differentiation and stemness, angiogenesis, and drug resistance; thus, impaired miRNAs may result in deterioration of gliomas. Additionally, miRNAs can be secreted into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), as well as the bloodstream, and transported between normal and tumor cells freely or by exosomes, converting them into potential diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers for gliomas. They would also be great therapeutic agents, especially if they could cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Accordingly, in the current review, the contribution of miRNAs to glioma pathogenesis is first discussed, then their glioma-related diagnostic/prognostic and therapeutic potential is highlighted briefly.

Expression of Genomic Instability-Related Molecules: Cyclin F, RRM2 and SPDL1 and Their Prognostic Significance in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

In the present study, we aimed to assess the selected components of cell cycle machinery, checkpoint, DNA repair, and synthesis, namely RRM2, cyclin F, and SPDL1 in pancreatic adenocarcinomas (PAC) by in-house immunohistochemistry (IHC) and bioinformatic analysis of public datasets, in terms of expression, correlation with clinicopathological parameters, and patient survival. Sixty eight patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were included in our cohort study, and IHC was performed on tissue macroarrays. RNA-Seq-based transcriptome data for 177 PACs were retrieved from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We found cyclin F, RRM2, and SPDL1 to be overexpressed at both protein and mRNA levels in tumor tissues compared to respective controls. Based on TCGA dataset, we have demonstrated that CCNF, RRM2, and SPDL1 are potent independent prognostic markers for poor overall survival, both by themselves and even more in combination with each other. Furthermore, high CCNF mRNA expression was associated with features of cancer progression. By contrast, overexpression of cyclin F or SPDL1 proteins denoted a good prognosis in PDAC patients; however, in the case of the former protein, the results did not reach statistical significance. Specifically, high levels of SPDL1 protein emerged as the most powerful independent prognostic factor associated with a better outcome. If validated, the CCNF/RRM2/SPDL1 three-gene panel developed in this study, as well as SPDL1 protein, may provide significant clinical implications for the prognosis prediction of PAC patients.