High miR-454-3p expression predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Developing a prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma based on MED19 and clinical stage and determining MED19 as a therapeutic target

BACKGROUD

Mediator complex subunit 19 (MED19), a member of the mediator complex, has been demonstrated to involve in tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the regulation mechanisms of MED19, the immune landscape linking MED19 to HCC and its predictive value of immunotherapy treatment in HCC are so far unknown.

METHODS

Here, we analyzed data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and other databases to assess the expression of MED19 and its prognosis and therapeutical-targets impact in HCC.

RESULTS

MED19 expression was upregulated in HCC tissues compared to non-tumorous liver tissues and that its upregulation was positively associated with advanced clinicopathology features. The multivariate analysis showed that MED19 was an independent predictor of outcome in HCC. In vitro experiments revealed that MED19 knockdown suppressed hepG2 cells proliferation, colony forming and invasion and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, MED19 inhibition resulted in G0/G1 phase arrest in hepG2 cells. We screened differentially expressed genes between low and high MED19 expression groups. Enrichment analyses showed that these genes were mainly linked to nuclear division and cell cycle. The pattern of tumor-infiltrating immune was demonstrated to be related with MED19 expression in HCC. TIDE analyses showed that patients in the low-expression group presented significantly better immunotherapy. Moreover, we developed a predicted model for HCC patient's prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic analyses revealed that this model processed a favorable performance in predicting the prognosis of HCC patients. Finally, a nomogram was built for predicting survival probability of individual HCC patient.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that MED19 as a novel biomarker that has significant association with immune landscape and immunotherapy response in HCC. The proposed prediction model composed of MED19 and pathological stage has a better role in determining prognosis and stratifying of HCC.

Exploring of miR-155-5p, miR-181b-5p, and miR-454-3p Expressions in Circulating Cell-Free RNA: Insights from Peripheral Blood of Uveal Malignant Melanoma Patients

The identification of novel non-invasive biomarkers is imperative for the early diagnosis and monitoring of malignant melanoma. The objective of this study is to examine the expression levels of miR-155-5p, miR-181b-5p, and miR-454-3p in circulating cell-free RNA obtained from plasma samples of the 72 uveal malignant melanoma patients and to compare these levels with those of 72 healthy controls. The analysis showed that the expression level of the miR-181b-5p has increased 9.25 fold, and expression level of miR-155-5p has increased 6.67 fold, and miR-454-3p expression level has increased 4.14 fold in the patient group compared with the levels in the healthy control group (p = 0.005). It was found that the high expression levels of the three miRNAs were statistically significant in patients compared with in the healthy control group. The statistical evaluations between miRNA expression levels and clinical data showed that miR-155-5p had significant association with radiation therapy (p = 0.040), and miR-454-3p showed a significant association with smoking and alcohol use respectively (p = 0.009, and p = 0.026). The significantly elevated expression levels of miR-181b-5p, miR-155-5p, and miR-454-3p in the circulating cell-free RNA of plasma from uveal melanoma patients, in comparison to those in the healthy control group, suggest the potential usefulness of these biomarkers for both early diagnosis and disease monitoring. However, more extensive and future studies are needed to use these molecules in early diagnosis and disease monitoring.

Serum microRNA Profiles and Pathways in Hepatitis B-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A South African Study

The incidence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase sharply by 2040 against a backdrop of limited diagnostic and therapeutic options. Two large South African-based case control studies have developed a serum-based miRNome for Hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC), as well as identifying their gene targets and pathways. Using a combination of RNA sequencing, differential analysis and filters including a unique molecular index count (UMI) ≥ 10 and log fold change (LFC) range > 2: <-0.5 (p < 0.05), 91 dysregulated miRNAs were characterized including 30 that were upregulated and 61 were downregulated. KEGG analysis, a literature review and other bioinformatic tools identified the targeted genes and HBV-HCC pathways of the top 10 most dysregulated miRNAs. The results, which are based on differentiating miRNA expression of cases versus controls, also develop a serum-based miRNA diagnostic panel that indicates 95.9% sensitivity, 91.0% specificity and a Youden Index of 0.869. In conclusion, the results develop a comprehensive African HBV-HCC miRNome that potentially can contribute to RNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic options.

The Roles of Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element Binding Protein 1 in Tumorigenesis

BACKGROUND

CPEB1 is an alternative polyadenylation binding protein that promotes or suppresses the expression of related mRNAs and proteins by binding to a highly conserved Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Element (CPE) in the mRNAs 3'UTR. It is found to express abnormally in multiple tumors and affect tumorigenesis through many pathways. This review summarizes the functions and mechanisms of CPEB1 in a variety of cancers and suggests new directions for future related treatments.

METHODS

A total of 95 articles were eligible for inclusion based on the year, quality of the research, and the strength of association with CPEB1. In this review, current research about how CPEB1 affects the initiation and progression of glioblastoma, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, and melanoma are dissected, and the biomedical functions and mechanisms are summarized.

RESULTS

CPEB1 mostly presents as a tumor suppressor for breast cancer, endometrial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, and melanoma. However, for glioblastoma, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer, CPEB1 exhibts two opposing properties of tumorigenesis, either promoting or inhibiting it.

CONCLUSION

CPEB1 is likely to serve as a target and dynamic detection index or prognostic indicator for its function of apoptosis, activity, proliferation, migration, invasion, stemness, drug resistance, and even ferroptosis in various cancers.

Role of Metabolomics in Pathogenesis and Prompt Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer Metastasis-A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION

Gastric cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed form of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The aim of this review is to identify individual metabolic biomarkers and their association with accurate diagnostic values, which can predict gastric cancer metastasis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After searching the keywords, 83 articles were found over a period of 13 years. One was eliminated because it was not written in English, and two were published outside the selected period. Seven scientific papers were qualified for this investigation after eliminating duplicates, non-related articles, systematic reviews, and restricted access studies.

RESULTS

New metabolic biomarkers with predictive value for gastric cancer metastasis and for elucidating metabolic pathways of the metastatic process have been found. The pathogenic processes can be outlined as follows: pro-oxidant capacity, T-cell inactivation, cell cycle arrest, energy production and mitochondrial enzyme impairment, cell viability and pro-apoptotic effect, enhanced degradation of collagen extracellular matrix, migration, invasion, structural protein synthesis, and tumoral angiogenesis.

CONCLUSION

Metabolic biomarkers have been recognized as independent risk factors in the molecular process of gastric cancer metastasis, with good diagnostic and prognostic value.

Characterization of glycosylation regulator-mediated glycosylation modification patterns and tumor microenvironment infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Previous studies have shown that glycosylation of proteins ofen plays an important role in HCC. However, the potential mechanism of glycosylation in HCC has not been described systematically. Methods: We comprehensively evaluated the glycosylation patterns in HCC samples based on 43 glycosylation regulators, and annotated the modification patterns with the enrichment of immune cells and stromal cells. Considering the heterogeneity of HCC patients, the glycosylation score was constructed using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). We also explored the drugs that different HCC patients were sensitive to based on glycosylation mode and score. Results: We identified three glycosylation-regulated gene subtypes. By annotating the subtypes, it was found that the glycosylation regulated gene subtypes was highly matched with three immunophenotypes of HCC (immune-inflamed, immune-excluded, and immune-desert), regardless of the characteristics of immune cell infiltration or prognosis. Based on the characteristic genes of glycosylation-regulated gene subtypes, we constructed a glycosylation-related model, and found that glycosylation-related model was highly consistent with the glycosylation regulated gene subtypes. The glycosylation score that evaluates the glycosylation characteristics of a single HCC sample has high prognostic value, and the prognosis of patients with high glycosylation score is significantly worse. Interestingly, we found that the glycosylation score was closely related to tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging. By applying glycosylation-regulated gene subtypes and glycosylation score to explore the sensitivity of different patients to anticancer drugs, it was found that the sensitivity of Thapsigargin, Shikonin, Embelin and Epothilone. B was closely related to the glycosylation mode. Conclusion: This study reveals that the diversity of glycosylation patterns plays an important role in HCC. Therefore, evaluating the glycosylation patterns of patients with HCC will be helpful in identifying the characteristics of immune cell infiltration and selecting accurate treatment methods.

Tumor Suppressor 4.1N/EPB41L1 is Epigenetic Silenced by Promoter Methylation and MiR-454-3p in NSCLC

Non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is divided into three major histological types, namely, lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), and large-cell lung carcinoma (LCLC). We previously identified that 4.1N/EPB41L1 acts as a tumor suppressor and is reduced in NSCLC patients. In the current study, we explored the underlying epigenetic mechanisms of 4.1N/EPB41L1 reduction in NSCLC. The 4.1N/EPB41L1 gene promoter region was highly methylated in LUAD and LUSC patients. LUAD patients with higher methylation level in the 4.1N/EPB41L1 gene promoter (TSS1500, cg13399773 or TSS200, cg20993403) had a shorter overall survival time (Log-rank p = 0.02 HR = 1.509 or Log-rank p = 0.016 HR = 1.509), whereas LUSC patients with higher methylation level in the 4.1N/EPB41L1 gene promoter (TSS1500 cg13399773, TSS1500 cg07030373 or TSS200 cg20993403) had a longer overall survival time (Log-rank p = 0.045 HR = 0.5709, Log-rank p = 0.018 HR = 0.68 or Log-rank p = 0.014 HR = 0.639, respectively). High methylation of the 4.1N/EPB41L1 gene promoter appeared to be a relatively early event in LUAD and LUSC. DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine restored the 4.1N/EPB41L1 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. MiR-454-3p was abnormally highly expressed in NSCLC and directly targeted 4.1N/EPB41L1 mRNA. MiR-454-3p expression was significantly correlated with 4.1N/EPB41L1 expression in NSCLC patients (r = −0.63, p < 0.0001). Therefore, we concluded that promoter hypermethylation of the 4.1N/EPB41L1 gene and abnormally high expressed miR-454-3p work at different regulation levels but in concert to restrict 4.1N/EPB41L1 expression in NSCLC. Taken together, this work contributes to elucidate the underlying epigenetic disruptions of 4.1N/EPB41L1 deficiency in NSCLC.

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Inhibits Tumorigenesis of Renal Cell Carcinoma by Modulating Lipid Metabolism Targeting miR-454-3p to Repressing Metabolism Enzyme ACSL4

Background

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) affects the life quality of patients with advanced diseases despite good prognosis and exhibits abnormal lipid metabolism. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZONs) are metal oxide nanoparticles that are regarded as promising therapeutic candidate for multiple diseases. This study was for exploring the function of ZONs in RCC.

Methods

We established in vitro cell model and in vivo xenograft model to determine the antitumor effect of ZONs. Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated via the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EDU) assay. Protein and RNA levels were checked by using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qRT-PCR assay. ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA), triglyceride, and total cholesterol were quantified to assess lipid oxidation and synthesis. Oil red O staining was performed to check lipid droplets accumulation. The ACSL4 and miR-454-3p expression in tumor samples and normal tissues were evaluated. The luciferase reporter gene assay was performed for checking the interaction between miR-454-3p and ACSL4 3'UTR region.

Results

ZONs suppressed the proliferation and viability of RCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. ZONs suppressed accumulation of ROS, MDA, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and lipid droplets in RCC cells, along with upregulated miR-454-3p. miR-454-3p targeted the 3'UTR region to suppress its expression. In patient samples, ACSL4 expression was notably elevated and indicated poor prognosis of RCC patients.

Conclusion

ZONs treatment notably impeded proliferation, lipid accumulation, and oxidation in RCC cells, through upregulating miR-454-3p to suppression the function of ACSL4. Our data suggested that ZONs are promising and effective agent for RCC treatment.

Long non-coding RNA TPTEP1 exerts inhibitory effects on hepatocellular carcinoma by impairing microRNA-454-3p-mediated DLG5 downregulation

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is usually diagnosed at late stages, making it the second cause of malignancy-related death across the world. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are of significance to tumorigenesis, highly suggestive of their functional roles as novel biomarkers for cancer therapy. The current study investigated the specific role of lncRNA TPTE pseudogene 1 (TPTEP1) in HCC.

METHODS

Expression of lncRNA TPTEP1, microRNA-454-3p (miR-454-3p) and discs large homolog 5 (DLG5) was determined in tissues samples from the recruited patients with HCC. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion assays were performed to determine effects of lncRNA TPTEP1, miR-454-3p and DLG5 on the malignant phenotype of tumor cells. Finally, the mouse HCC model was also established to disclose the tumor suppressor effects of lncRNA TPTEP1 in vivo.

RESULTS

LncRNA TPTEP1 was downregulated both in HCC cells and tissues, and played a negative regulatory role in HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, lncRNA TPTEP1 competitively bound to miR-454-3p, thereby upregulating its endogenous target DLG5. Moreover, lncRNA TPTEP1 hindered activation of the protein kinase B signaling pathway, causing inhibited malignant phenotypes of HCC cells. Also, lncRNA TPTEP1 suppressed tumor growth and extrahepatic metastasis (lung) via miR-454-3p/DLG5 axis.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, this research revealed a concrete mechanism of lncRNA TPTEP1 in HCC.

Exosomal MicroRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Hepatic Injury and Kidney Disease in Glycogen Storage Disease Type Ia Patients

Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSDIa) is an inherited metabolic disorder caused by mutations in the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase-α (G6Pase-α). Affected individuals develop renal and liver complications, including the development of hepatocellular adenoma/carcinoma and kidney failure. The purpose of this study was to identify potential biomarkers of the evolution of the disease in GSDIa patients. To this end, we analyzed the expression of exosomal microRNAs (Exo-miRs) in the plasma exosomes of 45 patients aged 6 to 63 years. Plasma from age-matched normal individuals were used as controls. We found that the altered expression of several Exo-miRs correlates with the pathologic state of the patients and might help to monitor the progression of the disease and the development of late GSDIa-associated complications.

High expression of Ran binding protein 1 predicts poor outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: a Cancer Genome Atlas database analysis

BACKGROUND

Ran-specific binding protein 1 (RANBP1) is involved in the regulation of the cell cycle, while its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to demonstrate the association of RANBP1 with clinicopathologic features and potential biological functions in HCC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data.

METHODS

We assessed RANBP1 expression and its correlation with clinicopathologic features and evaluated the prognostic value of RANBP1 with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the MethSurv database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to elucidate the factors responsible for prognosis. The identification of a co-expression network and the analysis of related biological events with RANBP1 in HCC were assessed using LinkedOmics. Moreover, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was employed to annotate the biological function of RANBP1. We also explored the correlation between RANBP1 and tumor immune infiltrates using a single sample GSEA (ssGSEA).

RESULTS

The expression of RANBP1 was found significantly elevated in HCC and linked to advanced T stage and histopathological grade. Up-regulated RANBP1 expression was linked to poor prognosis. High DNA methylation levels of RANBP1 were significantly linked to very poor overall survival (OS). Co-expression network analysis revealed that RANBP1 was involved in ribosome, spliceosome, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) replication, ribonucleic acid (RNA) transport, and cell cycle. GSEA showed enrichment of G2M-checkpoint, Wingless and Int-1 (Wnt) cell signaling, and DNA repair in the RANBP1 high-expression phenotype. By using ssGSEA analysis, the increased RANBP1 expression was positively linked to the immune infiltration level of T helper cell type-1 (Th1) and negatively linked to the immune infiltration levels of T helper cell type-17 (Th17).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that RANBP1 may play a pivotal role in HCC prognosis and can potentially serve as a candidate biosignature and as a therapeutic target for HCC.

Non-coding RNAs as biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma-A systematic review

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common malignancy in the world and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death, and its incidence is increasing globally. Despite significant advances in treatment strategies for HCC, the prognosis is still poor due to its high recurrence rate. Therefore, there is an urgent need to understand the pathogenesis of HCC and further develop new therapies to improve the prognosis and quality of life of HCC patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are small non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression that is abnormally expressed in cancer-associated genomic regions or vulnerable sites. More and more findings have shown that miRNAs are important regulatory factors of mRNA expression in HCC, and they are receiving more and more attention as a possible key biomarker of HCC. This review mainly summarizes the potential applied value on miRNAs as diagnostic, drug resistant, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers in the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of HCC. Also, we summarize the research value of long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and miRNAs network in HCC as novel biomarkers, aiming at providing some references for the therapy of HCC.

MiR-454-3p Promotes Oxaliplatin Resistance by Targeting PTEN in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Oxaliplatin is the first-line chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. However, acquired resistance to oxaliplatin limits its therapeutic efficacy, and the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear. In this study, we compared the expression of a panel of microRNAs (miRNAs) between oxaliplatin-sensitive and -resistant HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells. We found that miR-454-3p was significantly up-regulated in oxaliplatin-resistant cells and was the most differently expressed miRNA. Interestingly, we observed that inhibition of miR-454-3p resensitized resistant cells to oxaliplatin and enhanced oxaliplatin-induced cellular apoptosis. Moreover, we determined that miR-454-3p promoted oxaliplatin resistance through targeting PTEN and activating the AKT signaling pathway. In vivo study revealed that overexpression of miR-454-3p decreased the sensitivity of HCT-116 xenograft tumors to oxaliplatin treatment in a mouse model. Clinically, overexpression of miR-454-3p was associated with decreased responsiveness to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, as well as a short progression-free survival. Taken together, our study indicated that the expression of miR-454-3p could be used to predict oxaliplatin sensitivity, and targeting miR-454-3p could overcome oxaliplatin resistance in colorectal cancer.

Construction and Comparison of ceRNA Regulatory Network for Different Age Female Breast Cancer

Studies have shown the difference appearing among the prognosis of patients in different age groups. However, the molecular mechanism implicated in this disparity have not been elaborated. In this study, expression profiles of female breast cancer (BRCA) associated mRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs were downloaded from the TCGA database. The sample were manually classified into three groups according to their age at initial pathological diagnosis: young (age ≤ 39 years), elderly (age ≥ 65 years), and intermediate (age 40-64 years). lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was respectively constructed for different age BRCA. Then, the biological functions of differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in ceRNA network were further investigated by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Finally, survival analysis was used to identify prognostic biomarkers for different age BRCA patients. We identified 13 RNAs, 38 RNAs and 40 RNAs specific to patients aged ≤ 39 years, aged 40-64 years, and aged ≥ 65 years, respectively. Furthermore, the unique pathways were mainly enriched in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction in patients aged 40-64 years, and were mainly enriched in TGF-beta signaling pathway in patients aged ≥ 65 years. According to the survival analysis, AGAP11, has-mir-301b, and OSR1 were respectively functioned as prognostic biomarkers in young, intermediate, and elderly group. In summary, our study identified the differences in the ceRNA regulatory networks and provides an effective bioinformatics basis for further understanding of the pathogenesis and predicting outcomes for different age BRCA.

Altered microRNA Transcriptome in Cultured Human Liver Cells upon Infection with Ebola Virus

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a virulent pathogen, notorious for inducing life-threatening hemorrhagic fever, that has been responsible for several outbreaks in Africa and remains a public health threat. Yet, its pathogenesis is still not completely understood. Although there have been numerous studies on host transcriptional response to EBOV, with an emphasis on the clinical features, the impact of EBOV infection on post-transcriptional regulatory elements, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), remains largely unexplored. MiRNAs are involved in inflammation and immunity and are believed to be important modulators of the host response to viral infection. Here, we have used small RNA sequencing (sRNA-Seq), qPCR and functional analyses to obtain the first comparative miRNA transcriptome (miRNome) of a human liver cell line (Huh7) infected with one of the following three EBOV strains: Mayinga (responsible for the first Zaire outbreak in 1976), Makona (responsible for the West Africa outbreak in 2013–2016) and the epizootic Reston (presumably innocuous to humans). Our results highlight specific miRNA-based immunity pathways and substantial differences between the strains beyond their clinical manifestation and pathogenicity. These analyses shed new light into the molecular signature of liver cells upon EBOV infection and reveal new insights into miRNA-based virus attack and host defense strategy.

CircGDI2 Regulates the Proliferation, Migration, Invasion and Apoptosis of OSCC via miR-454-3p/FOXF2 Axis

Background

Aberrant expression of circular RNA (circRNA) is involved in the occurrence and development of multifarious cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the biological role of circGDI2 and the action mechanism in OSCC remain largely unclear.

Methods

The expression levels of circGDI2, miR-454-3p and forkhead box F2 (FOXF2) were examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) or Western blot. The stability of circGDI2 was confirmed by Ribonuclease R (RNase R) assay. Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK8) assay, colony formation and transwell assay were used to detect cell proliferation, migration or invasion. Cell apoptosis was tested by flow cytometry. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were employed to verify the interaction between miR-454-3p and circGDI2 or FOXF2. Moreover, xenograft mouse models were constructed to assess tumor growth in vivo.

Results

CircGDI2 was a stable circRNA and was low expressed in OSCC tissues and cells. CircGDI2 overexpression could effectively inhibit the proliferation, migration, invasion and promote apoptosis in OSCC cells, and suppress OSCC tumor growth in nude mice in vivo. MiR-454-3p could be sponged by circGDI2, and its overexpression could mitigate the suppressive effects of circGDI2 overexpression on OSCC progression. In addition, FOXF2 was a target of miR-454-3p, and miR-454-3p silence could impede the cell growth of OSCC cells by enhancing FOXF2 expression. Meanwhile, circGDI2 positively regulated FOXF2 expression by targeting miR-454-3p.

Conclusion

CircGDI2 served as a repressor to restrain OSCC malignancy via miR-454-3p/FOXF2 axis, which might be a novel biomarker for targeted OSCC therapy.

miR-654-3p predicts the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence reveals that aberrant microRNAs (miRNAs) expression play a crucial role in the tumorigenesis of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whereas the role of miR-654-3p in HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-654-3p in HCC.

METHODS

Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to detect miR-654-3p expression in HCC tissues and cell lines. The association of miR-654-3p expression with clinical characteristics of HCC patients were analyzed. And the prognostic value of miR-654-3p was examined using Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox regression analysis. CCK-8 and Transwell assays were used to observe the effects of miR-654-3p on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells.

RESULTS

The miR-654-3p expression was downregulated in both HCC tissues and cell lines, which was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. Downregulation of miR-654-3p predicted poor prognosis of HCC patients. Overexpression of miR-654-3p inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while knockdown of miR-654-3p promoted these cellular behaviors in vitro.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggested that miR-654-3p expression was downregulated in HCC and might serve as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for the survival of HCC patients. miR-654-3p might exert a suppressor role in HCC through inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of HABP2 as a novel biomarker for endometrial cancer

BACKGROUND

Endometrial cancer is the fifth most common malignant disorder in women, with its incidence increasing. A biomarker with diagnostic and prognostic value remains to be found. The HABP2 protein, or Factor VII-activating protease, encodes a hyaluronic acid-binding protein.

METHODS

Patient data including clinical characteristics and RNAseq information of HABP2 was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and analyzed by R statistic packages. A total of 370 women with endometrial cancer were enrolled in the study. To study the diagnostic value of HABP2 in patients with endometrial cancer, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted by the pROC package. To study the prognostic value of HABP2 in patients with endometrial cancer, the survival package in R was used and the Cox model was established.

RESULTS

HABP2 expression was lower in endometrial cancer compared with normal endometrial tissues. HABP2 showed moderate diagnostic value for endometrial cancer, with HBP2 expression associated with vital status, histologic grade, and residual tumor. HABP2 was an independent prognostic factor, with low HABP2 expression indicating a better overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

HABP2 has diagnostic and prognostic value and maybe a novel biomarker for endometrial cancer.

GINS2 Functions as a Key Gene in Lung Adenocarcinoma by WGCNA Co-Expression Network Analysis

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma is one of the malignant tumors in the world. This study aimed to explore the biological mechanism of GINS2 in lung adenocarcinoma.

Materials and Methods

Raw data were downloaded from GEO. WGCNA co-expression network and PPI network were established to identify the hub gene. The expression profile and clinical features of GINS2 were collected from TCGA-LUAD cohort. Survival analysis in TCGA-LUAD cohort was plotted by R package. GSEA was analyzed via GSEA software. MTS, Transwell and apoptosis assays were used to detect the proliferation, migration and apoptotic abilities of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Results

GINS2 was identified as the hub gene via WGCNA co-expression network and PPI network. Higher GINS2 expressions were observed in TCGA-LUAD cohort, GSE32863 and clinical samples dataset. Overexpression of GINS2 had a significantly negative connection with poor survival outcome. GSEA results revealed that GINS2 could be enriched in “HALLMARK_G2M_CHECKPOINT”, “HALLMARK_E2F_TARGETS”, “HALLMARK_DNA_REPAIR” and “HALLMARK_MYC_TARGETS_V2”. Overexpression of GINS2 promoted tumor cell proliferation and migration and suppressed cell apoptosis.

Conclusion

Our results explored that GINS2 functioned as an oncogene in lung adenocarcinoma, and suggested that GINS2 could act as a promising prognosis biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma.

HN1 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for liver cancer

BACKGROUND

The present study aimed to examine the diagnostic and prognostic value of HN1 in terms of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in liver cancer and its potential regulatory signaling pathway.

METHODS

We obtained clinical data and HN1 RNA-seq expression data of liver cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and analyzed the differences and clinical association of HN1 expression in different clinical features. We uesd receiver-operating characteristic curve to evaluate the diagnosis capability of HN1. We analyzed and evaluated the prognostic significance of HN1 by Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox analysis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify signaling pathways related to HN1 expression.

RESULTS

HN1 mRNA was up-regulated in liver cancer, and was associated with age, histologic grade, stage, T classification, M classification, and vital status. HN1 mRNA had ideal specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis (AUC = 0.855). Besides, the analysis of Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox model showed that HN1 mRNA was strongly associated with the overall survival and could be well-predicted liver cancer prognosis, as an independent prognostic variable. GSEA analysis identified three signaling pathways that were enriched in the presence of high HN1 expression.

CONCLUSION

HN1 serves as a biomarker of diagnosis and prognosis in liver cancer.

Discovering Biomarkers in Peritoneal Metastasis of Gastric Cancer by Metabolomics

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Metabolomics has recently been applied in the field of oncology. In this study, we aimed to use metabolomics to explore biomarkers in peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

METHODS

Peritoneal lavage fluid (PLF) of 65 gastric cancer patients and related clinical data were collected from the First Hospital of Jilin University. The metabolic components were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Total ion current (TIC) spectra, principal component analysis (PCA), and the Student's t-test were used to identify differential metabolites in PLF. A support vector machine (SVM) was used to screen the differential metabolites in PLF with a weight of 100%. Cluster analysis was used to evaluate the similarity between samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the diagnostic ability of the metabolites. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify potential risk factors for peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

RESULTS

We found the differential levels of PLF metabolites by LC-MS, TIC spectra, PCA and the t-test. Cluster analysis showed the co-occurrence of metabolites in the peritoneal metastasis group (p<0.05). ROC analysis showed the diagnostic ability of metabolites (p<0.05). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed the potential independent risk factors for peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer patients (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Through the statistical analysis of metabolomics, we found that TG (54:2), G3P, α-aminobutyric acid, α-CEHC, dodecanol, glutamyl alanine, 3-methylalanine, sulfite, CL (63:4), PE-NMe (40:5), TG (53:4), retinol, 3-hydroxysterol, tetradecanoic acid, MG (21:0/0:0/0:0), tridecanoic acid, myristate glycine and octacosanoic acid may be biomarkers for peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

SLC25A11 serves as a novel prognostic biomarker in liver cancer

Liver cancer is a disease with high mortality; it is often diagnosed at intermediate and advanced stages and has a high recurrence rate. ROS restriction and adequate energy supply play significant roles in liver cancer. SLC25A11, a member of the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS), regulates electroneutral exchange between 2-oxoglutarate and other dicarboxylates. It transports glutathione (GSH) from the cytoplasm into mitochondria to maintain GSH levels to limit ROS production. Moreover, SLC25A11 is essential for ATP generation in cancers as it regulates NADH transportation from the cytoplasm to mitochondria. The purpose of this research was to investigate the prognostic value of SLC25A11 in liver cancer. The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to analyze the levels of SLC25A11 in liver cancer. Fisher's exact and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the relationship between SLC25A11 expression and clinical characteristics. Finally, we explored the value of SLC25A11 in prognosis by Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves. Our results revealed that SLC25A11 was downregulated in liver cancer compared to normal controls. Low expression of SLC25A11 was associated with clinical stage, vital status, histologic grade, overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Liver cancer patients with low SLC25A11 expression had shorter OS and RFS than patients with high SLC25A11 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SLC25A11 was an independent predictor of RFS and OS. In conclusion, this study identified that SLC25A11 serves as a new prognostic marker for liver cancer.

Lipocalin-1 Expression as a Prognosticator Marker of Survival in Breast Cancer Patients

PURPOSE

LCN1 (lipocalin-1), a gene that encodes tear lipocalin (or von Ebner's gland protein), is mainly expressed in secretory glands and tissues, such as the lachrymal and lingual gland, and nasal, mammary, and tracheobronchial mucosae. Analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Breast Carcinoma (BRCA) level 3 data revealed a relationship between LCN1 expression and survival in breast cancer patients.

METHODS

The χ2 test and Fisher exact test were applied to analyze the clinical data and RNA sequencing expression data, and the association between LCN1 expression and clinicopathologic features was determined. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve of LCN1 was drawn to assess its ability as a diagnostic marker, and the optimal cutoff value was obtained from the ROC curve to distinguish groups with high and low LCN1 expression. Cox regression was used to compare both groups, and a log-rank test was applied to calculate p values and compare the -Kaplan-Meier curves. Furthermore, GEO datasets were employed for external data validation.

RESULTS

Analysis of 1,104 breast cancer patients with a primary tumor revealed that LCN1 was overexpressed in breast cancer. High LCN1 expression was associated with clinicopathologic features and poor survival. Analyzing the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of LCN1, it was found that its diagnostic ability was limited. Multivariate analysis indicated that LCN1 expression is an independent predictor of survival in breast cancer patients. Through validation in GEO datasets, LCN1 expression was higher in tumor than normal tissue of the breast. High LCN1 expression was associated with poor survival in breast cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONS

High LCN1 expression is an independent prognosticator of a poor prognosis in breast cancer.

Expression of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit B in liver cancer and its prognostic significance

Liver cancer is one of the major malignancies with the worst prognosis among all solid tumor types. It is therefore ponderable to explore prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for liver cancer. Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit B (EIF3B) is closely linked to the transcription initiation of cancer-associated genes. In the present study, EIF3B was indicated to be a potential prognostic biomarker of liver cancer. The mRNA expression level of EIF3B in liver cancer was assessed by analyzing the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. χ² and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess the association of EIF3B expression with clinical parameters. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was used for evaluating the diagnostic value of EIF3B. Overall and relapse-free survival were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves to determine the association between EIF3B expression and survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to identify the factors affecting overall/relapse-free survival. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to identify signaling pathways associated with EIF3B in liver cancer. It was revealed that EIF3B was highly expressed in liver cancer tissues and it had a promising diagnostic ability. Furthermore, the survival analysis indicated that patients with high EIF3B expression generally had shorter overall as well as relapse-free survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis suggested that high EIF3B mRNA expression may serve as an independent biomarker for the prognostication of patients with liver cancer. GSEA suggested that MYC-V1 (HALLMARK_MYC_TARGETS_V1 geneset; P=0.009), MYC-V2 (HALLMARK_MYC_TARGETS_V2 geneset; P=0.004) and DNA repair pathways (HALLMARK_DNA_REPAIR geneset; P<0.001) were differentially enriched in high EIF3B expression and low EIF3B expression groups. In conclusion, high EIF3B expression was indicated to be an independent prognostic biomarker for patients with liver cancer.

The Prediction and Prognostic Significance of INPP5K Expression in Patients with Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is a devastating disease for humans with poor prognosis. Although the survival rate of patients with liver cancer has improved in the past decades, the recurrence and metastasis of liver cancer are still obstacles for us. Inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase K (INPP5K) belongs to the family of phosphoinositide 5-phosphatases (PI 5-phosphatases), which have been reported to be associated with cell migration, polarity, adhesion, and cell invasion, especially in cancers. However, there have been few studies on the correlation of INPP5K and liver cancer. In this study, we explored the prognostic significance of INPP5K in liver cancer through bioinformatics analysis of data collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to evaluate the relationship between INPP5K expression and clinical characteristics. Our results showed that low INPP5K expression was correlated with poor outcomes in liver cancer patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses demonstrated that low INPP5K mRNA expression played a significant role in shortening overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), which might serve as the useful biomarker and prognostic factor for liver cancer. In conclusion, low INPP5K mRNA expression is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in liver cancer.

Ubiquitin-like modifier-activating enzyme 7 as a marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer

Ubiquitin-like modifier-activating enzyme 7 (UBA7) is a specific E1-like ubiquitin-activating enzyme involved in interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) conjugation. UBA7 expression has been reported to be notably decreased in lung cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the changes in UBA7 expression in breast cancer and the association between UBA7 expression and clinical characteristics, and to elucidate the diagnostic and prognostic significance of UBA7 in breast cancer. The clinical data and RNA-sequencing expression values of 1,104 patients with breast cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The associations between UBA7 expression and clinical characteristics were determined using χ2 and Fisher's exact tests. UBA7 expression values were divided into low and high groups using the optimal cut-off value, as determined by the overall survival (OS) value identified via a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, to further study the association between UBA7 expression and clinical characteristics. The diagnostic capability of UBA7 was assessed via ROC analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curve and Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the prognostic value of UBA7. The results demonstrated that UBA7 expression was decreased in breast cancer, and significant differences were observed between groups with regards to vital status, tumor classification, metastasis classification, histological type, sex, molecular subtype, and expression levels of progesterone receptor, estrogen receptor (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. Low and high UBA7 expression levels were associated with age, ER expression, menopause status, Tumor-Node-Metastasis classification stage, margin status, vital status, radiation therapy use, OS and relapse-free survival. Furthermore, patients with low UBA7 expression levels had a poor prognosis. UBA7 expression also demonstrated an ability to diagnose patients at all clinical stages. Taken together, the results indicated that UBA7 expression was significantly decreased in breast cancer, and was associated with clinical characteristics and prognosis. Thus, UBA7 can be deemed as a potential biomarker in breast cancer, and may serve as a target in treatment.

Comprehensive evaluation of SPATS2 expression and its prognostic potential in liver cancer

Spermatogenesis associated serine rich 2 (SPATS2) has been reported to be dysregulated in few types of cancer; however, no reports have investigated SPATS2 in liver cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate SPATS2 expression in liver cancer and to analyze its association with the prognosis of liver cancer patients.We examined the differential expression of SPATS2 in liver cancer by exploring The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The diagnostic efficiency of SPATS2 was obtained by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. The Chi-Squared test was used to assess clinical relevance. Survival analysis and Cox regression model were used to detect the effect of SPATS2 on the survival of liver cancer patients. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify signaling pathways related to SPATS2 expression.SPATS2 is highly expressed in liver cancer (P < 2.2e-16) and has the high diagnostic ability (AUC = 0.964). Survival analysis showed that patients with high SPATS2 expression have an apparently shorter overall survival (OS, P < .0001) and relapse-free survival (RFS, P < .0001). Cox regression analysis showed that high SPATS2 expression might be an independent risk factor for liver cancer (OS, HR = 2.41, P = .000; RFS, HR = 1.90, P < .001). GSEA analysis identified 3 signaling pathways (Mitotic spindle, G2 M checkpoint, E2F targets) that were enriched in the presence of high SPATS2 expression.SPATS2 expression could be a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in liver cancer.

The prognostic value of lncRNA SNHG4 and its potential mechanism in liver cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECT

Emerging evidence shows that non-coding RNA functions as new gene regulators and prognostic markers in several cancers, including liver cancer. Here, we focused on the small nucleolar RNA host gene 4 (SNHG4) in liver cancer prognosis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data.

METHODS

The expression data and clinical information were downloaded from TCGA. Chi-square tests evaluated the correlation between SNHG4 expression and clinical parameters. Differences in survival between high and low expression groups (optic cutoff value determined by ROC) from Cox regression analysis were compared, and P-value was calculated by a log-rank test. Kaplan-Meier curves were compared with the log-rank test. GSEA and ceRNA network were conducted to explore the potential mechanism.

RESULTS

Data mining of lncRNA expression data for 371 patients with primary tumor revealed overexpression of SNHG4 in liver cancer. High SNHG4 expression was correlated with histological type (P = 0.01), histologic grade (P = 0.001), stage (P = 0.01), T classification (P = 0.004) and survival status (P = 0.013). Patients with high SNHG4 expression had poor overall survival and relapse-free survival compared with those with low SNHG4 expression. Multivariate analysis identified SNHG4 as an independent prognostic factor of poor survival in liver cancer. GSEA revealed related signaling pathway and ceRNA network explored the further mechanism.

CONCLUSION

High SNHG4 expression is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in liver cancer.

Clinical characteristics and prognostic value of MEX3A mRNA in liver cancer

BACKGROUND

MEX3A is an RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that promotes the proliferation, invasion, migration and viability of cancer cells. The aim of this study was to explore the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic significance of MEX3A mRNA expression in liver cancer.

METHODS

RNA-Seq and clinical data were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Boxplots were used to represent discrete variables of MEX3A. Chi-square tests were used to analyze the correlation between clinical features and MEX3A expression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to confirm diagnostic ability. Independent prognostic ability and values were assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox analysis.

RESULTS

We acquired MEX3A RNA-Seq from 50 normal liver tissues and 373 liver cancer patients along with clinical data. We found that MEX3A was up-regulated in liver cancer which increased according to histological grade (p < 0.001). MEX3A showed moderate diagnostic ability for liver cancer (AUC = 0.837). Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox analysis revealed that the high expression of MEX3A was significantly associated with poor survival (OS and RFS) (p < 0.001). Moreover, MEX3A was identified as an independent prognostic factor of liver cancer (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

MEX3A expression shows promise as an independent predictor of liver cancer prognosis.

GPSM2 Serves as an Independent Prognostic Biomarker for Liver Cancer Survival

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Liver cancer is a malignancy with a poor prognosis. G protein signaling modulator 2 is mainly related to cell division and cell cycle regulation. In this review, the relationship between G protein signaling modulator 2 and clinical characteristics of patients with liver cancer has been explored, especially with respect to its prognostic value.

METHODS

G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA expression and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with liver cancer were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The expression level of G protein signaling modulator 2 RNA-Seq was validated by using Gene Expression Omnibus. Chi-square test was performed to evaluate the relationship between G protein signaling modulator 2 expression and clinical characteristics. The threshold value of G protein signaling modulator 2 in the diagnosis of liver cancer was evaluated by a receiver-operating characteristic curve. Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to evaluate the relationship between G protein signaling modulator 2 and liver cancer prognosis, which included overall and residual-free survival, and explored the prognostic value of G protein signaling modulator 2. Liver cancer survival analyses were validated by using the data of G protein signaling modulator 2 RNA-Seq from the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

RESULTS

The expression level of G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA was remarkably higher in liver cancer than that in healthy tissues (P < 2.2 × e-16), which was also validated by data from the GSE14520 database. In addition, high G protein signaling modulator 2 expression significantly correlated with histological grade (P = .020), vital status (P < .001), clinical (P = .001), and T stage (P = .001). The receiver-operating characteristic curves showed G protein signaling modulator 2 to be an advantageous diagnostic molecule for liver cancer (area under curve = 0.893). Furthermore, the results of Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves suggested that the upregulation of G protein signaling modulator 2 expression is linked to poor prognosis and G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA could be an independent predictor for liver cancer, which was validated by data from the International Cancer Genome Consortium database.

CONCLUSIONS

G protein signaling modulator 2 messenger RNA was overexpressed in liver cancer, and G protein signaling modulator 2 is an independent prognostic factor. G protein signaling modulator 2 is expected to be a treatment target for cancer.

Low EIF2B5 expression predicts poor prognosis in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality among gynecological cancers. Although ovarian cancer usually responds well to chemotherapy, most patients still have a poor prognosis. EIF2B5 is a crucial molecule in posttranscriptional modifications involved in tumor progression, and here we investigated the prognostic role of EIF2B5 in ovarian cancer. We examined the differential expression of EIF2B5 mRNA in ovarian cancer by exploring The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The chi square test was used to identify a clinical correlation. Survival analysis and Cox regression model were performed to determine the association between EIF2B5 expression and overall survival (OS) in ovarian cancer patients. As a result, Low EIF2B5 expression was found in ovarian cancer tissues and correlated with survival status. Survival analysis showed that ovarian cancer patients with low EIF2B5 expression had a short OS. Moreover, Cox regression analysis indicated that low EIF2B5 expression was an independent risk factor for a poor prognosis in ovarian cancer. Additionally, according to gene set enrichment analysis, mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, coagulation, and bile acid metabolism were differentially enriched in ovarian cancer with high EIF2B5 expression. In conclusion, Low EIF2B5 expression is an independent risk factor for a poor prognosis in ovarian cancer patients.

Comprehensive multi-omics analysis identified core molecular processes in esophageal cancer and revealed GNGT2 as a potential prognostic marker

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer is one of the most poorly diagnosed and fatal cancers in the world. Although a series of studies on esophageal cancer have been reported, the molecular pathogenesis of the disease remains elusive.

AIM

To investigate comprehensively the molecular process of esophageal cancer.

METHODS

Differential expression analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in different stages of esophageal cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Exacting gene interaction modules were generated, and hub genes in the module interaction network were found. Further, through survival analysis, methylation analysis, pivot analysis, and enrichment analysis, some important molecules and related functions/pathways were identified to elucidate potential mechanisms in esophageal cancer.

RESULTS

A total of 7457 DEGs and 14 gene interaction modules were identified. These module genes were significantly involved in the positive regulation of protein transport, gastric acid secretion, insulin-like growth factor receptor binding, and other biological processes as well as p53 signaling pathway, epidermal growth factor signaling pathway, and epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway. Transcription factors (including hypoxia inducible factor 1A) and non-coding RNAs (including colorectal differentially expressed and hsa-miR-330-3p) that significantly regulate dysfunction modules were identified. Survival analysis showed that G protein subunit gamma transducin 2 (GNGT2) was closely related to survival of esophageal cancer. DEGs with strong methylation regulation ability were identified, including SST and SH3GL2. Furthermore, the expression of GNGT2 was evaluated by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction, and the results showed that GNGT2 expression was significantly upregulated in esophageal cancer patient samples and cell lines. Moreover, cell counting kit-8 assay revealed that GNGT2 could promote the proliferation of esophageal cancer cell lines.

CONCLUSION

This study not only revealed the potential regulatory factors involved in the development of esophageal cancer but also deepens our understanding of its underlying mechanism.

High MAST2 mRNA expression and its role in diagnosis and prognosis of liver cancer

Liver cancer is a high morbidity and low survival disease all over the world. Chromosomal instability is hallmark of liver cancer. Microtubule-associated serine and threonine kinase 2 (MAST2), as a microtubule associated protein, may involve in tumorous chromosomal instability and plays important roles in cell proliferation and survival. The role of MAST2 in liver cancer has not been well elucidated, which is the aim of our study. In this study, The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to study the MAST2 mRNA expression in liver cancer, and Chi-squared tests were performed to test the correlation between clinical features and MAST2 expression. ROC curve was performed to examined the diagnostic capacity. The prognostic value of MAST2 in liver cancer was assessed through Kaplan-Meier curves as well as Cox analysis. Our results showed MAST2 was upregulated in liver cancer, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.925 and indicated powerful diagnostic capability. High MAST2 expression was associated with advanced clinical status such as histological type (p = 0.0059), histologic grade (p = 0.0142), stage (p = 0.0008), T classification (p = 0.0028), N classification (p = 0.0107), survival status (p = 0.0062), and poor prognosis of patients. Importantly, MAST2 was an independent risk factor for patients' prognosis after adjusting for other risk factors including stage, T classification, and residual tumor. In total, MAST2 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of liver cancer.

High peroxidasin-like expression is a potential and independent prognostic biomarker in breast cancer

Breast cancer is a frequent female malignant tumor with high mortality and poor prognosis. Peroxidasin like (PXDNL) has many biological functions, including characteristic activity of hormone biosynthesis, host defense, and cell motility. In addition, PXDNL is closely connected with the progression of breast cancer. In this study, we found that PXDNL may be an independent prognostic biomarker of breast cancer.We tested the mRNA expression of PXDNL in breast cancer by detecting The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The chi-squared test was used to evaluate clinical correlation. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to evaluate diagnosis potential in breast cancer. Subsequently, survival analyses were performed to identify the relevance between the expression of PXDNL and the overall survival/relapse-free survival of patients with breast cancer. Univariate/multivariate Cox regression model was executed to detect risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with breast cancer.PXDNL is highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and is related to survival status of patients. The ROC curve showed that PXDNL had beneficial diagnostic ability in breast cancer. Survival analysis indicated that patients with breast cancer with high PXDNL expression generally had decreased overall survival/relapse-free survival. Univariate/multivariate Cox model analyses further suggested an association between PXDNL expression and prognosis of patients with breast cancer.High PXDNL expression is a potential and independent prognostic biomarker in breast cancer.

A new prognostic factor of breast cancer: High carboxyl ester lipase expression related to poor survival

OBJECTIVE

The enzyme carboxyl ester lipase (CEL), known as bile salt-dependent lipase (BSDL) or bile salt-stimulated lipase (BSSL), is mainly expressed in pancreatic acinar cells and lactating mammary glands. To investigate the link between CEL expression of breast cancer (BC) tissues and the survival of BC patients by analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas Breast Carcinoma (TCGA-BRCA) level 3 data.

METHODS

The clinical information and RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) expression data were downloaded from TCGA. Patients were divided into a high CEL expression group and a low CEL expression group using the optimal cutoff value (5.611) identified from the ROC curve. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to find the correlation between the expression of CEL and clinicopathologic features. To assess the diagnostic capability, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of CEL was drawn. The survival differences between high and low CEL expression groups were compared by Cox regression analysis. Log-rank test was applied to the calculation of p values and the comparison of the Kaplan-Meier curves. Furthermore, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets were used for external data validation.

RESULTS

Analysis of 1104 cases of tumor data showed that CEL was over-expressed in breast cancer. There were relationships between high CEL expression and clinicopathologic features. The high CEL expression group had a lower survival. By analyzing the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of CEL, it was found to have a limited diagnostic capability. CEL expression may be an independent prognostic factor for breast cancer survival through the multivariate analysis. The validation in GEO datasets also showed that CEL expression was higher in breast tumor tissues than in normal breast tissues. High CEL expression was associated with the poor overall survival of breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

High CEL expression may be an independent prognostic factor for the poor survival of breast cancer.

Investigation of the Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value of the lncRNA ACVR2B-As1 in Liver Cancer

A refined liver cancer staging system and effective prognostic prediction can help clinicians make optimized treatment decisions, which is essential in our fight against cancer and for improving the unsatisfying survival rate of liver cancer globally. The prognosis of liver cancer is not only related to tumor status, it is also affected by the patients' liver functions and the chosen treatment. Currently, several staging systems are being tested. Herein, we analyzed RNA-seq data from the TCGA database and identified a newly annotated lncRNA, ACVR2B-AS1, whose expression is upregulated in liver cancer. Higher ACVR2B-AS1 expression is an independent adverse prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) in liver cancer patients. Our work suggests that the lncRNA ACVR2B-AS1 could be a candidate biomarker for liver cancer prognosis. Furthermore, ACVR2B-AS1 might serve as a potential therapeutic target, which is a possibility that is worthy of further study.

Expression of La Ribonucleoprotein Domain Family Member 4B (LARP4B) in Liver Cancer and Their Clinical and Prognostic Significance

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Liver cancer is a common malignant tumor with few poor diagnostic and prognostic markers, which greatly shortens the potential life span of patients. The RNA-binding protein la ribonucleoprotein 4B (LARP4B) has a la motif (lam) that is important in the process of cancer. We aimed to explore the role of LARP4B in the diagnosis and prognosis of liver cancer.

METHODS

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was searched to detect LARP4B gene expression in liver cancer. The clinical relevance and diagnostic ability of LARP4B were evaluated by a chi-squared test and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, respectively. Survival and risk factors of patients with liver cancer were assessed by survival analysis and univariate/multivariate Cox regression model. Additionally, we carried out gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify LARP4B-related signaling pathways in liver cancer.

RESULTS

LARP4B mRNA was highly expressed in liver cancer tissues and was correlated with survival status. The chi-squared test showed that LARP4B had clinical relevance, while ROC curves showed that LARP4B had good diagnostic ability. Survival analysis showed that liver cancer patients with high LARP4B expression had shorter overall/relapse-free survival. The univariate/multivariate Cox regression model indicated that high LARP4B expression may be an independent risk factor for the prognosis of liver cancer patients. Finally, we found that genes involved in the G2M checkpoint, E2F targets, and mitotic spindle were differentially enriched in the high LARP4B-expression phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

LARP4B is a potential independent biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis in liver cancer patients.

OGDHL Expression as a Prognostic Biomarker for Liver Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Liver cancer is a highly malignant tumor, and patients typically have poor prognoses. Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, and downregulation of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase-like (OGDHL) contributes to the onset and progression of several cancers. We examined the role of altered OGDHL expression in liver cancer and determined its value as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator for patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

R (version 3.5.1) and several R extensions were used for data mining of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset (including RNAseq and clinical information) and statistical analysis. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the diagnostic value of OGDHL. The chi-squared test was used to identify the clinical correlates of OGDHL downregulation. Survival analysis (with the log-rank test) and univariate and multivariate Cox analysis were used to evaluate the effect of OGDHL expression on overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival. TCGA was used for analysis of gene set enrichment.

RESULTS

OGDHL had lower expression in cancerous liver tissues than noncancerous adjacent tissues, and low expression correlated with more advanced patient age, histologic grade, stage, T classification, and poor survival. Patients with lower OGDHL expression had shorter OS and relapse-free survival. Multivariate Cox regression indicated that low OGDHL expression was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis indicated enrichment of the mitotic spindle, G2M checkpoint, and E2F targets in the OGDHL low expression phenotype.

CONCLUSION

OGDHL has potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for liver cancer.

Low CYP24A1 mRNA expression and its role in prognosis of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignant cancer in women. CYP24A1 expression regulates cellular response to vitamin D, which has antitumor effects against breast cancer. This study aimed to identify the correlation between CYP24A1 mRNA expression and prognosis of breast cancer. This study enrolled 1102 patients, including 1090 females and 12 males, from TCGA-BRCA cohort. The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to study CYP24A1 mRNA expression in breast cancer, and Chi-squared tests were performed to test the correlation between clinical features and CYP24A1 expression. The prognostic value of CYP24A1 in breast cancer was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox analysis. Low CYP24A1 expression was associated with age, molecular subtype, ER, PR, HER2, menopause status, N classification, vital status, overall survial and relapse-free survival. CYP24A1 presented a moderate diagnostic ability in breast cancer. Furthermore, low CYP24A1 expression was correlated with poor prognosis. CYP24A1 was an independent risk factor for breast cancer. CYP24A1 plays an important role in prognosis of breast cancer. CYP24A1 has the potential to be a biomarker, especially in predicting prognosis.

Overexpression of HOXC6 promotes cell proliferation and migration via MAPK signaling and predicts a poor prognosis in glioblastoma

Background

Homeobox (HOX) genes encode transcription factors that are critical to morphogenesis and cell differentiation. Although the dysregulation of several HOX genes in glioblastoma (GBM) has been reported, little is known about HOXC6 expression in GBM. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the expression levels of the HOXC6 in GBM and explored the regulatory mechanism underlying the role of HOXC6 in GBM progression.

Methods

The ONCOMINE and Oncolnc databases were used to predict the expression level of HOXC6 mRNA and its prognostic value in GBM. The expressions of HOXC6 mRNA in GBM tissues and adjacent brain tissues were detected using qRT-PCR and Western blot. Immunohistochemistry was performed to verify the HOXC6 protein expression in 107 GBM tissues. Kaplan–Meier and Cox analyses were performed to validate the correlation between HOXC6 expression and GBM prognosis. Lentivirus-mediated HOXC6 mRNA overexpression and interference system were established and transfected into U251 and U87 cell lines. CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assay were utilized to evaluate the effects of HOXC6 on proliferation and migration of human GBM cells.

Results

High expression of HOXC6 was observed in GBM tissues and GBM cells lines, and it correlated with a decreased overall survival and disease-free survival. Overexpression of HOXC6 promoted the GBM cell proliferation and migration, whereas depletion of HOXC6 reduced GBM cell proliferation and migration. Mechanistic study showed that upregulation of HOXC6 significantly increased the phosphorylation of Jun amino-terminal kinase, ERK and P38, as well as the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling–related genes, including c-myc, c-jun and p53. Inversely, silencing HOXC6 showed the opposite results.

Conclusion

HOXC6 promoted proliferation and migration of GBM cells via the activation of MAPK pathway.