MFAP2 is a Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker That Correlates with the Progression of Papillary Thyroid Cancer

MFAP2 induces epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of osteosarcoma cells by activating the Notch1 pathway

Background

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignancy originating from mesenchymal tissue. Microfibril-associated protein 2 (MFAP2) plays a crucial role in cancer, notably promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, its involvement in OS remains unexplored.

Methods

MFAP2 was silenced in U2OS cells using shRNA targeting MFAP2 (sh-MFAP2) and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We extracted gene chip data of MFAP2 from multiple databases (GSE28424, GSE42572, and GSE126209). Correlation analyses between MFAP2 and the Notch1 pathway identified through the gene set variation analysis (GSVA) enrichment analysis were conducted using the Pearson correlation method. Cellular behaviors (viability, migration, and invasion) were assessed via the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing, and Transwell assays. EMT markers (N-cadherin, vimentin, and β-catenin) and Notch1 levels were examined by western blotting and qRT-PCR. Cell morphology was observed microscopically to evaluate EMT. Finally, the role of MFAP2 in OS was validated through a xenograft tumor model.

Results

OS cell lines exhibited higher MFAP2 mRNA expression than normal osteoblasts. MFAP2 knockdown in U2OS cells significantly reduced viability, migration, and invasion, along with downregulation of N-cadherin and vimentin, as well as upregulation of β-catenin. MFAP2 significantly correlated with the Notch1 pathway in OS and its knockdown inhibited Notch1 protein expression. Furthermore, Notch1 activation reversed the inhibitory effects of MFAP2 knockdown on the malignant characteristic of U2OS cells. Additionally, MFAP2 knockdown inhibited tumor growth, expression levels of EMT markers, and Notch1 expression in OS tumor tissues.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that MFAP2 was an upstream regulator of the Notch1 signaling pathway to promote EMT in OS. These findings suggested MFAP2 as a potential OS therapy target.

OIP5-AS1/miR-455-3p/microfibril-associated protein 2 axis exacerbates the progression of thyroid carcinoma

Background

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Opa interacting protein 5-antisense RNA 1 (OIP5-AS1) has been shown to participate in numerous biological and pathological processes, notably including oncogenesis. OIP5-AS1 modulates oncogenic or anti-tumor activities by controlling various microRNAs (miRs) in diverse cancer types. This study sought to examine the potential role of the lncRNA OIP5-AS1-mediated miR-455-3p/microfibril-associated protein 2 (MFAP2) axis and its influence on the progression of thyroid carcinoma.

Methods

Cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were assessed through in vitro experimental measurements, which involved the use of Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK8), transwell, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining techniques. The estimate algorithm was employed to examine the relationship between MFAP2 and the Stromal score, Immune score, and ESTIMATE score.

Results

OIP5-AS1 expression was significantly more elevated in the thyroid carcinoma tissues and cell lines than the corresponding normal non-tumor tissues and cell lines. Following transfection with short-hairpin (sh)-OIP5-AS1, the CAL62 and SW1736 cells upregulated miR-455-3p and downregulated the MFAP2 expression levels. The downregulation of OIP5-AS1 expedited cellular apoptosis and hindered cellular proliferation and migration in the CAL62 and SW1736 cells. The in vitro experiments showed that both the suppression of MFAP2 and the increased expression of miR-455-3p exerted significant anti-cancer effects. In addition, the overexpression of MFAP2 counteracted the in vitro antineoplastic effects of the sh-OIP5-AS1 and miR-455-3p mimics.

Conclusions

The results suggest that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 plays a crucial role in the advancement of thyroid carcinoma by inhibiting miR-455-3p to activate MFAP2.

The potent potential of MFAP2 in prognosis and immunotherapy of triple-negative breast cancer

BACKGROUNDS

Microfibril-associated protein 2 (MFAP2) is a protein presenting in the extracellular matrix that governs the activity of microfibrils through its interaction with fibrillin. While the involvement of MFAP2 in metabolic disorders has been documented, its expression and prognostic significance in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain unexplored.

METHODS

We acquired datasets pertaining to breast cancer (BC) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Next, a Venn diagram was used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The DEGs were used to perform Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), protein-protein interaction (PPI), immune and survival analysis. The expressions of MFAP2, PD-1 and PD-L1 were examined by immunohistochemistry and western blot and their relationship with clinical pathological parameters were analyzed by clinical specimen samples from patients with TNBC. Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER, https://cistrome.shinyapps.io/timer/ ) was adopted to calculate the immune infiltration level of TNBC. The link between gene expression and tumor mutational burden (TMB) was described using Spearman's correlation analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 66 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were up-regulated. Among these DEGs, MFAP2 was found to be overexpressed in TNBC and was associated with a lower probability of survival. This finding was confirmed through the use of immunohistochemistry and western blot techniques. Additionally, MFAP2 was found to be related to various pathological parameters in TNBC patients. Mechanistically, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) revealed that MFAP2 primarily influenced cellular biological behavior in terms of epithelial mesenchymal transition, glycolysis, and apical junction. Notably, MFAP2 expression was positively correlated with the abundance of macrophages, while a negative correlation was observed with the abundance of B cells, CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells, neutrophils and dendritic cells through immune analysis. Furthermore, it was observed that MFAP2 displayed a negative correlation not only with tumor mutational burden (TMB), a recognized biomarker for PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, but also with PD-L1 in samples of TNBC.

CONCLUSION

MFAP2 may be an important prognostic biomarker for TNBC, as well as a viable target for immunotherapy in this disease.

MAGP1 maintains tumorigenicity and angiogenesis of laryngeal cancer by activating Wnt/β-catenin/MMP7 pathway

Microfibril-associated glycoprotein-1 (MAGP1), a crucial extracellular matrix protein, contributes to the initiation and progression of different cancers. However, the role of MAGP1 in laryngeal cancer is not clear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance and biological function of MAGP1 in laryngeal cancer. MAGP1 was upregulated in public databases and laryngeal cancer tissues, and high MAGP1 expression led to a poor prognosis and was identified as an independent prognostic marker. Knocking-down MAGP1 inhibited laryngeal cancer cell growth and metastasis. According to gene set enrichment analysis, high MAGP1 expression revealed enrichment in Wnt/β-catenin signaling and knocking-down MAGP1 in laryngeal cancer cells also caused degradation, de-activation, re-location and loss of stability of β-catenin. Additionally, we observed MAGP1 in laryngeal cancer cells inhibits angiogenesis in an MMP7-dependent way. In conclusion, our study suggests a clinical role of MAGP1 in laryngeal cancer, signifying its potential as a therapeutic target in the future.

MFAP2 promotes HSCs activation through FBN1/TGF-β/Smad3 pathway

Liver fibrosis is a chronic inflammatory process characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM), which contributes to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Increasing evidence suggests that the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) under an inflammatory state leads to the secretion of collagens, which can cause cirrhosis. In this study, we analysed data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between quiescent and fibrotic HSCs. We found that Microfibril Associated Protein 2 (MFAP2) was elevated in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis and Transforming Growth Factor-Beta 1 (TGF-β1)-activated HSCs. Knockdown of MFAP2 inhibited HSC proliferation and partially attenuated TGF-β-stimulated fibrogenesis markers. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that Fibrillin-1 (FBN1) was correlated with MFAP2, and the expression of FBN1 was significantly upregulated after MFAP2 overexpression. Silencing MFAP2 partially attenuated the activation of HSCs by inhibiting HSC proliferation and decreasing collagen deposits. In vitro results showed that the inhibition of MFAP2 alleviated hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting the activation and inducing the apoptosis of active HSCs in a CCl4-induced mouse model. In conclusion, our results suggest that MFAP2 is a potential target for the clinical treatment of liver fibrosis.

Key Molecules in Bladder Cancer Affect Patient Prognosis and Immunotherapy Efficacy: Further Exploration for CNTN1 and EMP1

PURPOSE

Immunotherapy has been widely used in bladder cancer (BCa) in recent years and has significantly improved the prognosis of patients with BCa. However, further identification of immunotherapy-sensitive individuals to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy remains an important unmet need.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The key genes were screened and identified from Gene Expression Omnibus database and The Cancer Genome Atlas database to construct the risk prediction function (risk scores). Real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and IMvigor210 data sets were used to verify the roles of key molecules and efficacy of risk scores. The biologic function of CNTN1 and EMP1 was further explored through cell proliferation experiments.

RESULTS

Five key genes, CNTN1, MAP1A, EMP1, MFAP5, and PTGIS, which were significantly related to the prognosis and immune checkpoint molecules of patients, were screened out. CNTN1 and EMP1 were further experimentally confirmed for their significant tumor-promoting effects. Besides, the constructed risk scores on the basis of these five key genes can accurately predict the prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy of patients with BCa. Interestingly, the high-risk patients identified by the risk scores have significantly worse prognosis and immunotherapy effects than low-risk patients.

CONCLUSION

The key genes we screened can affect the prognosis of BCa, tumor microenvironment immune infiltration, and the efficacy of immunotherapy. The risk scores tool we constructed will contribute to the development of individualized treatment for BCa.

Microfibril-associated protein 2 is activated by POU class 2 homeobox 1 and promotes tumor growth and metastasis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) represents the most frequent malignancy of the oral cavity, characterized by a high metastasis rate and poor prognosis. Microfibril-associated protein 2 (MFAP2), as an extracellular matrix protein, has been found to drive tumor progression. The function and underlying mechanism of MFAP2 in TSCC remain unknown. The expression levels of MFAP2 were analyzed in tissue samples from 30 TSCC patients by real time-polymerase chain reaction and western blot assays. Our results revealed that the expression of MFAP2 mRNA and protein was upregulated in TSCC tissue samples compared with that in the matched para-carcinoma tissue samples. By performing in vitro gain-of-function or loss-of-function experiments and in vivo mouse xenograft experiments, we found that overexpression of MFAP2 induced proliferation and promoted transition from G1 to S phase of TSCC cells. Stronger invasive and migratory capabilities were observed in MFAP2-overexpressing TSCC cells. In contrast, knockdown of MFAP2 exhibited anti-proliferative, apoptosis-promoting and pro-migratory roles in TSCC cells. Knockdown of MFAP2 significantly inhibited xenograft tumor growth. Mechanistically, POU class 2 homeobox 1 (POU2F1) was recruited to the region of MFAP2 promoter and upregulates the expression of MFAP2. Silencing of MFAP2 effectively blocked the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TSCC cells caused by POU2F1 overexpression. Our results indicate that the role of MFAP2 in TSCC may attribute to transcriptional regulation of POU2F1.

The role of microfibrillar‐associated protein 2 in cancer

Microfibrillar-associated protein 2 (MFAP2), a component of the extracellular matrix, is important in controlling growth factor signal transduction. Recent studies have shown that MFAP2, an effective prognostic molecule for various tumors, is associated with tumor occurrence and development and may be involved in remodeling the extracellular matrix and regulating proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, tumor cell metastasis, and tumor angiogenesis. However, MFAP2’s specific mechanism in these tumor processes remains unclear. This article reviewed the possible mechanism of MFAP2 in tumorigenesis and progression and provided a reference for the clinical prognosis of patients with cancer and new therapeutic target discovery.

MFAP2 aggravates tumor progression through activating FOXM1/β-catenin-mediated glycolysis in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological tumors that seriously endanger the health and quality of life of women. Microfibril-associated protein 2 (MFAP2) has been demonstrated to play crucial roles in the development of multiple tumors. However, the function of MFAP2 in ovarian cancer remains unclear. In this study, we found that MFAP2 was upregulated in ovarian cancer and cells and was positively correlated with FOXM1 and glycolysis-related genes. The results of Cell Count Kit-8, colony formation, and flow cytometry assays indicated that MFAP2 promoted cell proliferation. In addition, MFAP2 promotes cell proliferation, glucose uptake, lactate production; increases ATP levels, extracellular acidification ratio, and oxygen consumption ratio in ovarian cancer cells and increases the expression of glycolytic proteins. Further mechanistic analysis suggests that MFAP2 promotes FOXM1/β-catenin-mediated glycolysis signaling in ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of MFAP2 inhibits ovarian cancer xenograft tumor growth and expression of Ki-67, MFAP2, FOXM1, GLUT1, HK2, and β-catenin in mice. In conclusion, MFAP2 promotes cell proliferation and glycolysis by modulating the FOXM1/β-catenin signaling pathway in ovarian cancer, which may offer a fresh insight into the treatment of ovarian cancer in the glycolysis pathway.

Pan-Cancer Analysis of Microfibrillar-Associated Protein 2 (MFAP2) Based on Bioinformatics and qPCR Verification

MFAP2 has been reported to play an oncogenic role in several types of human cancers. However, the expression profile of MFAP2 in various cancers and its impact on prognosis and immune infiltration remain unclear. In this study, the mRNA expression and protein expression of MFAP2 in normal tissues, tumor cell lines, and 33 malignant tumor tissues were analyzed comprehensively using Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Oncomine and UALCAN databases, and the expression of MFAP2 in different grades and stages of cancers was assessed using Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) and Tumor and Immune System Interaction Database (TISIDB). In general, MFAP2 showed distinct expression in most tumor and normal tissues, closely associated with higher tumor grade, higher tumor stage, and poor survival in multiple cancers. A search of the UALCAN database and the cBioPortal database revealed that this difference in mRNA level expression could be partly attributed to abnormal DNA methylation and mutations at the genomic level. In addition, MFAP2 expression was also associated with tumor mutation burden, microsatellite instability, and neoantigens in different cancer types. More importantly, the TIMER and TISIDB databases also showed that MFAP2 levels were significantly correlated with immune infiltration abundance and immune-related gene markers, as well as ESTIMATE scores. By qPCR, MFAP2 expression was validated in four kinds of tumor tissue samples. The present study combined several databases and performed a pan-cancer analysis of the expression profile, methylation, and mutation for MFAP2 and its implications for prognosis and immune infiltration, suggesting that MFAP2 could contribute to malignant properties of many tumors. MFAP2 may be an important biomarker with prognostic value and has the potential to be a target for tumor immunotherapy.

Development and Validation of a Novel Prognosis Prediction Model for Patients With Stomach Adenocarcinoma

Background: Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is a significant global health problem. It is urgent to identify reliable predictors and establish a potential prognostic model.

Methods: RNA-sequencing expression data of patients with STAD were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Gene expression profiling and survival analysis were performed to investigate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with significant clinical prognosis value. Overall survival (OS) analysis and univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to establish the prognostic model. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, functional enrichment analysis, and differential expression investigation were also performed to further explore the potential mechanism of the prognostic genes in STAD. Finally, nomogram establishment was undertaken by performing multivariate Cox regression analysis, and calibration plots were generated to validate the nomogram.

Results: A total of 229 overlapping DEGs were identified. Following Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, 11 genes significantly associated with prognosis were screened and five of these genes, including COL10A1, MFAP2, CTHRC1, P4HA3, and FAP, were used to establish the risk model. The results showed that patients with high-risk scores have a poor prognosis, compared with those with low-risk scores (p = 0.0025 for the training dataset and p = 0.045 for the validation dataset). Subsequently, a nomogram (including TNM stage, age, gender, histologic grade, and risk score) was created. In addition, differential expression and immunohistochemistry stain of the five core genes in STAD and normal tissues were verified.

Conclusion: We develop a prognostic-related model based on five core genes, which may serve as an independent risk factor for survival prediction in patients with STAD.

Upregulation of microfibrillar-associated protein 2 is closely associated with tumor angiogenesis and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Abnormal expression of microfibrillar-associated protein 2 (MFAP2), a key regulator of cellular differentiation, affects the occurrence and progression of tumors. However, the underlying role of MAFP2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In the present study, patterns of MFAP2 expression in HCC were analyzed using sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Expression profiles of MFAP2, as well as those of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins, were compared between HCC pathological sections and fresh tissues. Thereafter, associations between patterns of MFAP2 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients, and identified risk factors associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), were determined. The functions of MFAP2 in the EMT-induced proliferation and migration of MHCC97H cells were investigated using in vitro experiments, and the effects of MFAP2 on vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)-induced tumor angiogenesis were also investigated. Upregulation of MFAP2 expression was observed in HCC, and was often accompanied by the abnormal expression of EMT-related marker proteins. In addition, analysis of clinical data from 94 patients with tumor tissues revealed a significant positive correlation between MFAP2 expression and low DFS and low OS following surgery. Through in vitro experimentation, silencing MFAP2 expression was shown inhibit EMT, which thereby inhibited cellular proliferation and migration. Moreover, downregulation of MFAP2 inhibited tumor angiogenesis via the inhibition of VEGFA. Taken together, these findings indicate that MFAP2 has the potential to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC. MFAP2 also induces tumor cell proliferation and migration through EMT, and promotes tumor blood vessel formation through VEGFA, suggesting that MFAP2 may be a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

Decreased Levels of Microfibril-Associated Glycoprotein (MAGP)-1 in Patients with Colon Cancer and Obesity Are Associated with Changes in Extracellular Matrix Remodelling

OBJECTIVE

The protein microfibril-associated glycoprotein (MAGP)-1 constitutes a crucial extracellular matrix protein. We aimed to determine its impact on visceral adipose tissue (VAT) remodelling during obesity-associated colon cancer (CC).

METHODS

Samples obtained from 79 subjects (29 normoponderal (NP) (17 with CC) and 50 patients with obesity (OB) (19 with CC)) were used in the study. Circulating concentrations of MAGP-1 and its gene expression levels (MFAP2) in VAT were analysed. The impact of inflammation-related factors and adipocyte-conditioned media (ACM) on MFAP2 mRNA levels in colon adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells were further analysed. The effects of MAGP-1 in the expression of genes involved in the extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and tumorigenesis in HT-29 cells was also explored.

RESULTS

Obesity (p < 0.01) and CC (p < 0.001) significantly decreased MFAP2 gene expression levels in VAT whereas an opposite trend in TGFB1 mRNA levels was observed. Increased mRNA levels of MFAP2 after the stimulation of HT-29 cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (p < 0.01) and interleukin (IL)-4 (p < 0.01) together with a downregulation (p < 0.05) after hypoxia mimicked by CoCl₂ treatment was observed. MAGP-1 treatment significantly enhanced the mRNA levels of the ECM-remodelling genes collagen type 6 α3 chain (COL6A3) (p < 0.05), decorin (DCN) (p < 0.01), osteopontin (SPP1) (p < 0.05) and TGFB1 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, MAGP-1 significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the gene expression levels of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX2/PTGS2), a key gene controlling cell proliferation, growth and adhesion in CC. Interestingly, a significant decrease (p < 0.01) in the mRNA levels of MFAP2 in HT-29 cells preincubated with ACM from volunteers with obesity compared with control media was observed. Conclusion: The decreased levels of MAGP-1 in patients with obesity and CC together with its capacity to modulate key genes involved in ECM remodelling and tumorigenesis suggest MAGP-1 as a link between AT excess and obesity-associated CC development.

Identification of the EMT-Related Genes Signature for Predicting Occurrence and Progression in Thyroid Cancer

BACKGROUND

The detection rate of thyroid cancer (TC) has been continuously improved due to the development of detection technology. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to be closely related to the malignant progression of tumors. However, the relationship between EMT-related genes (ERGs) characteristics and the diagnosis and prognosis of TC patients has not been studied.

METHODS

Four datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were used to perform transcriptomic profile analysis. The overlapping differentially expressed ERGs (DEERGs) were analyzed using the R package "limma". Then, the hub genes, which had a higher degree, were identified by the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Gene expression analysis between the TC and normal data, the disease-free survival (DFS) analysis of TC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas Thyroid Cancer (TCGA-THCA) cohort, function analysis, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to verify the importance of the hub genes. Finally, a prognostic risk scoring was constructed to predict DFS in patients with the selected genes.

RESULTS

A total of 43 DEERGs were identified and 10 DEERGs were considered hub ERGs, which had a high degree of connectivity in the PPI network. Then, the differential expressions of FN1, ITGA2, and KIT between TC and normal tissues were verified in the TCGA-THCA cohort and their protein expressions were also verified by IHC. DFS analysis indicated upregulations of FN1 expression (P<0.01) and ITGA2 expression (P<0.01) and downregulation of KIT expression (P=0.01) increased risks of decreased DFS for TCGA-THCA patients. Besides, by building a prognostic risk scoring model, we found that the DFS of TCGA-THCA patients was significantly worse in high-risk groups.

CONCLUSION

In summary, these hub ERGs were potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of TC, which can provide a basis for further exploring the efficacy of EMT in patients with TC.