PLAUR as a Potential Biomarker Associated with Immune Infiltration in Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma

Comprehensive analysis of T cell exhaustion related signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in HNSCC

BACKGROUND

T cell exhaustion (TEX) signifies a condition of T cell disorder which implicate the therapeutic benefits and prognostic significance in patients with cancer. However, its role in the Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma (HNSCC) remains incompletely understood.

METHODS

The detailed data of HNSCC samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. We computed the expression scores of four TEX-related pathways and detected gene modules closely linked to these pathways, indicating prognostic significance. Following this, regression analyses were performed to select eight genes for the development of a predictive signature. The predictive capacity of this signature was evaluated. Additionally, we examined the relationships between TEX-related signature risk scores and the effectiveness of immunotherapy as well as drug sensitivity.

RESULTS

A novel prognostic model, comprising eight TEX-related genes, was established for patients with HNSCC. The prognostic value was further confirmed using additional GEO datasets: GSE65858 and GSE27020. This signature enables the stratification of patients into high- and low- risk groups, each showing distinct survival outcomes and responsiveness to immunotherapy. The low-risk group demonstrated improved prognosis and enhanced efficacy of immunotherapy. In addition, AZD6482, TAF1, Ribociclib, LGK974, PF4708671 and other drugs showed increased sensitivity in the high-risk group based on drug sensitivity values, offering tailored therapeutic recommendations for individuals with various risks profiles.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we developed a novel T cell exhaustion-associated signature, which holds considerable predictive value for both the prognosis of patients with HNSCC and the effectiveness of tumor immunotherapy.

microRNA-143 targets SIRT2 to mediate the histone acetylation of PLAUR and modulates functions of astrocytes in spinal cord injury

This study aimed to explore effects of microRNA (miR)-143 on the proliferation, apoptosis, and cytokine secretion in astrocytes after spinal cord injury (SCI). After gain- and loss-of-function assays and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β stimulation in astrocytes, the cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis were examined. The expression of miR-143, SIRT2, and PLAUR and levels of astrocyte-related glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), Vimentin, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG), and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were also measured. The binding relationship between miR-143 and SIRT2 was assessed, as well as the correlation of PLAUR with SIRT2. In established SCI rat models, the locomotion function and astrocyte hyperplasia were detected. The TGF-β stimulation decreased miR-143 but increased SIRT2 expression in astrocytes. Mechanistically, miR-143 negatively targeted SIRT2 and SIRT2 down-regulation inhibited the H3K27 deacetylation of PLAUR promoter to increase PLAUR expression. miR-143 up-regulation inhibited TGF-β stimulated-proliferation, promoted cell apoptosis, and reduced GFAP, Vimentin, CSPG, and CTGF expression in astrocytes, which was counterweighed by SIRT2 overexpression. SIRT2 silencing reduced the proliferation and GFAP, Vimentin, CSPG, and CTGF expression while augmenting the apoptosis in TGF-β stimulated astrocytes, which was abrogated by PLAUR silencing. The injection of miR-143 agomir improved the locomotion function and reduced the astrocyte hyperplasia in SCI rats, which was reversed by silencing PLAUR. miR-143 targeted SIRT2 to affect PLAUR expression via the regulation of histone acetylation, which repressed the astrocyte activation in vivo and in vitro to improve the locomotion function in SCI rats.

Integration analysis of PLAUR as a sunitinib resistance and macrophage related biomarker in ccRCC, an in silicon and experimental study

Sunitinib remains the preferred systemic treatment option for specific patients with advanced RCC who are ineligible for immune therapy. However, it's essential to recognize that Sunitinib fails to elicit a favourable response in all patients. Moreover, most patients eventually develop resistance to Sunitinib. Therefore, identifying new targets associated with Sunitinib resistance is crucial. Utilizing multiple datasets from public cohorts, we conducted an exhaustive analysis and identified a total of 8 microRNAs and 112 mRNAs displaying significant expression differences between Sunitinib responsive and resistant groups. A particular set of six genes, specifically NIPSNAP1, STK40, SDC4, NEU1, TBC1D9, and PLAUR, were identified as highly significant via WGCNA. To delve deeper into the resistance mechanisms, we performed additional investigations using cell, molecular, and flow cytometry tests. These studies confirmed PLAUR's pivotal role in fostering Sunitinib resistance, both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that PLAUR could be a promising therapeutic target across various cancer types. In conclusion, this investigation not only uncovers vital genes and microRNAs associated with Sunitinib resistance in RCC but also introduces PLAUR as a prospective therapeutic target for diverse cancers. The outcomes contribute to advancing personalized healthcare and developing superior therapeutic strategies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

YY1 regulates the proliferation and invasion of triple-negative breast cancer via activating PLAUR

It is well-established that breast cancer is a highly prevalent malignancy among women, emphasizing the need to investigate mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis and metastasis. In this study, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was utilized to conduct differential expression analysis in breast cancer and adjacent tissues. Upregulated genes were selected for prognostic analysis of breast cancer. The expression of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), also known as PLAUR, was assessed using RT-qPCR and western blot. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to determine PLAUR localization. Various cellular processes were analyzed, including proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and cell cycle. Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict transcription factors of PLAUR, which were subsequently validated in a double luciferase reporter gene experiment. Rescue experiments confirmed the impact of PLAUR on the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, the effects of PLAUR were evaluated in an orthotopic tumor transplantation and lung metastasis nude mouse model. Our findings substantiated the critical involvement of PLAUR in the progression of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in vitro and among TNBC patients with a poor prognosis. Additionally, we demonstrated Yin Yang-1 (YY1) as a notable transcriptional regulator of PLAUR, whose activation could transcriptionally enhance the proliferation and invasion capabilities of TNBC cells. We also identified the downstream mechanism of PLAUR associated with PLAU, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and AKT. Overall, these findings offer a novel perspective on PLAUR as a potential therapeutic target for TNBC.

An inflammation-related signature could predict the prognosis of patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma

Background: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is an inflammation-related carcinoma, and inflammation has been recognized as an important factor in inducing carcinogenesis. To further explore the role of inflammation in KIRC, we developed an inflammation-related signature and verified its correlation with the tumor micro-environment.

Methods: After the differential inflammation-related prognostic genes were screened by Lasso regression, the inflammation-related signature (IRS) was constructed based on the risk score of multivariate Cox regression. Then, the prognostic value of the IRS was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and multivariate Cox regression. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA) was applied to screen out enriched signaling pathways. Infiltrated immune cells, tumor mutational burden (TMB) and immune checkpoints were explored by CIBERSORTx and maftool.

Results: Four genes (TIMP1, PLAUR, CCL22, and IL15RA) were used to construct the IRS in patients with KIRC. Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression identified that the IRS could independently predict the prognosis of patients with KIRC in the training and validation groups. The diagnostic value of the nomogram increased from 0.811 to 0.845 after adding the IRS to the multiparameter ROC analysis. The GSVA results indicated that IRS was closely related to primary immunodeficiency and antigen processing and presentation. The immune checkpoint LAG3 was highly expressed in patients with high-risk score (p < 0.05), while CD274 (PD-L1) and HAVCR2 were highly expressed in patients with low-risk score (p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the high-risk score group and CD8⁺ T, activated CD4⁺ memory T, gamma and delta regulatory T and M0 macrophage cells, while the low-risk score group was negatively associated with B memory, plasma, resting CD4⁺ memory T, activated NK, M1 macrophages and resting mast cells.

Conclusion: We found that the IRS might serve as a biomarker to predict the survival of KIRC. Moreover, patients with high or low-risk score might be sensitive to immune drugs at different immune checkpoints.

Comprehensive analysis of the importance of PLAUR in the progression and immune microenvironment of renal clear cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common type of kidney cancer with a high mortality rate, and the discovery of new therapeutic markers is essential to improve patient survival. The plasminogen activator urokinase receptor (PLAUR) plays key roles in tissue remodeling and extracellular matrix degradation, which contribute to invasion and metastasis, a major feature of tumor malignancy. The role of PLAUR in ccRCC pathology has not been deeply studied. In this study, we collected the mRNA expression data of 33 tumor types, each derived from human patients obtained from TCGA database, and comprehensively analyzed the correlation between the expression of PLAUR in tumors and prognosis. Then, we studied the relationship between PLAUR expression in ccRCC and specific clinical features of ccRCC patients. In addition, we analyzed the function and mechanism of PLAUR in ccRCC. Our results showed that PLAUR was significantly overexpressed in ccRCC and that both PLAUR levels and PLAUR methylation levels significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Our results also suggest that PLAUR is involved in the progression of ccRCC. The results of functional and mechanistic analysis of PLAUR showed that PLAUR is involved in inflammatory and immune-related pathways in ccRCC; other data showed that PLAUR expression may affect the infiltration of multiple immune cell types in ccRCC and that PLAUR levels were significantly and positively correlated with the expression of immune checkpoints. In conclusion, our findings suggest that high PLAUR expression can promote the progression of ccRCC to poor prognosis, and thus PLAUR may serve as both a potential marker for predicting macrophage infiltration and immune microenvironment status and as an important immunotherapy target for ccRCC.