The association of HMGB1 expression with clinicopathological significance and prognosis in Asian patients with colorectal carcinoma: a meta-analysis and literature review

Association of a novel antisense lncRNA TP73-AS1 polymorphisms and expression with colorectal cancer susceptibility and prognosis

BACKGROUND

TP73-AS1 is a novel antisense long noncoding RNA and plays an important role in cell proliferation and cancer development. However, the link between TP73-AS1 and colorectal cancer (CRC) has not yet been reported.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association of genetic variants in TP73-AS1 and its expression with CRC susceptibility and prognosis.

METHODS

A case-control study (including 507 CRC cases and 503 controls) and bioinformatics analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

rs9800 polymorphism was significantly related to higher risk in CRC [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02-1.75, P = 0.034 in heterozygote codominant model]. There was no difference between TP73-AS1 polymorphisms and different tumor node metastasis (TNM) stages in the adjusted model. Moreover, TP73-AS1 expression level was positively related to different TNM stages. After adjusted for age, gender and TNM, higher TP73-AS1 expression levels were related to shorter recurrence-free survival time [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.02-2.71, P = 0.043].

CONCLUSION

TP73-AS1 polymorphisms and expression may be associated with susceptibility and prognosis of CRC.

High Mobility Group Box 1 in Human Cancer

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an extremely versatile protein that is located predominantly in the nucleus of quiescent eukaryotic cells, where it is critically involved in maintaining genomic structure and function. During cellular stress, however, this multifaceted, cytokine-like protein undergoes posttranslational modifications that promote its translocation to the cytosol, from where it is released extracellularly, either actively or passively, according to cell type and stressor. In the extracellular milieu, HMGB1 triggers innate inflammatory responses that may be beneficial or harmful, depending on the magnitude and duration of release of this pro-inflammatory protein at sites of tissue injury. Heightened awareness of the potentially harmful activities of HMGB1, together with a considerable body of innovative, recent research, have revealed that excessive production of HMGB1, resulting from misdirected, chronic inflammatory responses, appears to contribute to all the stages of tumorigenesis. In the setting of established cancers, the production of HMGB1 by tumor cells per se may also exacerbate inflammation-related immunosuppression. These pro-inflammatory mechanisms of HMGB1-orchestrated tumorigenesis, as well as the prognostic potential of detection of elevated expression of this protein in the tumor microenvironment, represent the major thrusts of this review.

HMGB1: an overview of its versatile roles in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein, a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecule, has been found to play multifunctional roles in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. Although much attention has been given to the diagnostic and prognostic values of HMGB1 in colorectal cancer, the exact functional roles of the protein as well as the mechanistic pathways involved have remained poorly defined. This systematic review aims to discuss what is currently known about the roles of HMGB1 in colorectal cancer development, growth and progression, and to highlight critical areas for future investigations. To achieve this, the bibliographic databases Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect were systematically screened for articles from inception till June 2018, which address associations of HMGB1 with colorectal cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

HMGB1 plays multiple roles in promoting the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, despite a few contradicting studies. HMGB1 may differentially regulate disease-related processes, depending on the redox status of the protein in colorectal cancer. Binding of HMGB1 to various protein partners may alter the impact of HMGB1 on disease progression. As HMGB1 is heavily implicated in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, it is crucial to further improve our understanding of the functional roles of HMGB1 not only in colorectal cancer, but ultimately in all types of cancers.

High-Mobility Group Box 1 expression predicts survival of patients after resection of adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater

Background

Expression of High-Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1), a multifunctional protein involved in DNA function as well as cell proliferation, inflammation, and the immune response, has been reported to be prognostic in several types of malignancies. However, the prognostic value of HMGB1 in ampullary cancer has not been studied.

Methods

Patients with adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater who underwent R0 resection with pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2001 and 2011 were included in the present multi-institutional study. The degree of HMGB1 expression was examined in each resected specimen by immunohistochemical staining.

Results

A total of 101 patients were enrolled of which, 79 patients were eligible. High expression of HMGB1 was observed in 31 (39%) patients. Blood loss, transfusion, tumor stage, nodal status, and HMGB1 expression were identified as predictors with univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that transfusion, lymph-node metastasis, and high HMGB1 expression were independent predictors of poor overall survival. Subgroup analysis showed that high HMGB1 expression was predictive, especially in patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy.

Conclusions

High HMGB1 expression is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater not treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.

Overexpression of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) has no correlation with the prognosis in glioma

Aim: We aimed to characterize the role of HMGB1 overexpression in glioma and to evaluate its use as a biomarker. Materials & methods: We used the gene expression datasets and tissue microarray to assess the expression levels of HMGB1 among gliomas of all grades; We then assessed its correlation with the malignancy and outcome of glioma. Results: The increase in HMGB1 mRNA and protein levels was found in glioma, but there was no correlation between HMGB1 expression and glioma malignancy, and overall survival and vital status of glioma patients. Conclusion: Overexpression of HMGB1 is not associated with the malignancy and outcome in glioma. And it is not the valuable biomarker for the early diagnosis of glioma.

HMGB1-RAGE signaling facilitates Ras-dependent Yap1 expression to drive colorectal cancer stemness and development

HMGB1-RAGE signaling plays an integral role in inflammation-driven carcinogenesis. In the present study, we showed that RAGE has direct association with K-Ras following HMGB1 exposure in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a significant co-localization between RAGE and K-Ras in HMGB1-exposed CRC cells. Moreover, we uncovered that HMGB1-mediated RAGE activation led to Yap1 accumulation in a Ras-dependent mechanism in CRC cells. HMGB1 activated the expression of Yap1 downstream stemness marker proteins CD44 and Sox2 in RAGE- and Ras-dependent manners. Furthermore, HMGB1 exposure led to the proliferation of CRC cells and the expansion of CRC stem cells. RAGE, Yap1 and CD44 were overexpressed in CRC specimens. Linear regression analysis revealed that the expression of RAGE was positively correlated with Yap1 in clinical CRC specimens. Both of RAGE and Yap1 expression were correlated with advanced histological grades, lymph node metastasis and TNM stages. Finally, we revealed that both of RAGE and Yap1 expression could predicted unfavorable prognosis in CRC patients. These findings implicated that HMGB1-RAGE signaling may promote Yap1 activation and CRC progression, shedding new light on the mechanisms underlying inflammation-driven CRC development.

No association between HMGB1 polymorphisms and cancer risk: evidence from a meta-analysis

The aim of the present study was to determine whether High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) polymorphism was associated with cancer susceptibility. PubMed, Embase, and ISI Web of Science were extensively searched without language restriction. Data were extracted using a standardized data collection sheet after two reviewers scanned studies independently. The association between HMGB1 polymorphism and cancer risks was indicated as odds ratio (OR) along with its related 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Meta-analysis was conducted via RevMan 5.3 software. A total of ten studies comprising 4530 cases and 5167 controls were included in our study. Meta-analysis revealed no statistical association between rs1045411, rs1360485, rs1412125, or rs2249825 polymorphisms in HMGB1 gene and risk of cancer, either did subgroup analysis of rs1045411 stratified by cancer types and ethnic groups. Our results revealed no statistical association between current four polymorphism loci and cancer risks, suggesting that the attempt of applying HMGB1 variants as a therapeutic target or a prognosis predictor might still require a second thought. However, HMGB1 is deemed to play pleiotropic roles in cancers, we strongly call for large-scale studies with high evidence level to uncover the exact relationship between HMGB1 gene variants and cancer progression.

Translationally controlled tumor protein affects colorectal cancer metastasis through the high mobility group box 1-dependent pathway

Recently, accumulating evidence from clinical and experimental researches have suggested that translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) are implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis. However, whether there is an interconnection between these two tumor-promoting proteins and how they affect CRC metastasis remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, the expression level of TCTP in CRC tissues was assessed by immunohistochemical staining and immunoblotting, and the serum concentration of HMGB1 in patients with CRC was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In vitro, following the modulation of TCTP expression in colon cancer LoVo cells, the translocation behavior of HMGB1 was observed by immunofluorescence assay. Furthermore, the activity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in LoVo cells was evaluated by immunoblotting and luciferase assay, and the invasion ability of LoVo cells after different treatments was determined using cell invasion assay. In vivo, xenograft tumor model was established and the correlation of TCTP and HMGB1 expression in xenografted tumors was studied by immunohistochemical examination. The results revealed that the expression level of TCTP in CRC tissue and the serum concentration of HMGB1 in patients with CRC were significantly increased, and there was a strong positive correlation between them. In vitro experiments showed that the overexpression of TCTP on LoVo cells resulted in the release of HMGB1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and into the extracellular space. In addition, the overexpression of TCTP led to the activation of NF-κB in LoVo cells, and this effect was reversed by treatment with antibodies targeting HMGB1 or to its receptors Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and receptor for advanced glycation end products advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Furthermore, inhibition of the HMGB1-TLR4/RAGE-NF-κB pathway significantly inhibited the TCTP-stimulated invasion of LoVo cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the over-expression of TCTP in nude mice promoted the development and spread of xenografted tumors, and concurrently enhanced the expression of HMGB1 in tumor tissues. Collectively, these findings suggested that TCTP promotes CRC metastasis through regulating the behaviors of HMGB1 and the downstream activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

The relationship between body mass index changes during chemotherapy and prognosis of patients with advanced colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study

We investigated the relationships between body mass index change (ΔBMI) and prognoses and clinical effects of patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC).From January 2008 to December 2012, 224patients with stage IV CRC were diagnosed in our hospital, and their clinical and pathological data were collected for this retrospective study. These patients were divided into lowΔ BMI group (ΔBMI ≤-0.45 kg/m) and high ΔBMI (ΔBMI >-0.45 kg/m) group.After 2 cycles of chemotherapy, there were no significant differences between prediagnosis BMI, ΔBMI, and clinical effects (P = .196; P = .59).There was also no significant difference in median progression-free survival of the high ΔBMI and low ΔBMI groups (P = .530). The overall survival (OS) time of the high ΔBMI group was significantly longer than that of the low ΔBMI group (P = .002). Family history (P = .041), eastern cooperative oncology group performance status (ECOG PS) score (P = .001), ΔBMI (P = .023), and carcinoembryonic antigen, (P = 0.02) were independent predictive factors of OS rates in patients with CRC. The relative risk was 0.72-fold for patients with CRC patients with high ΔBMI levels, relative to those with lower ΔBMI levels.Our results demonstrate that ΔBMI decreases predict poor prognoses for patients with advanced CRC, and elevated ΔBMI was a predictive factor for high survival rate. Thus, ΔBMI appears to be an independent predictive factor of CRC survival rates.

Metformin increases the cytotoxicity of oxaliplatin in human DLD-1 colorectal cancer cells through down-regulating HMGB1 expression

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Chemotherapy has been the major strategy for treating patients with advanced CRC. Oxaliplatin (OXA) is used as both an adjuvant and neoadjuvant anticancer agent available to treat advanced CRC. High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a critical regulator of cell death and survival. HMGB1 overexpression has been shown to be resistant to cytotoxic agents. In addition, Metformin, a widely used drug for diabetes, has emerged as a potential anticancer agent. In this study, we examined whether HMGB1 plays a role in the OXA- and/or metformin-induced cytotoxic effect on CRC cells. The results showed that treatment with OXA increased HMGB1 expression in the ERK1/2- and Akt-dependent manners in DLD-1 cells. HMGB1 gene knockdown enhanced the cytotoxicity and cell growth inhibition of OXA. Moreover, OXA-increased HMGB1 expression was by inducing NF-κB-DNA-binding activity to in DLD-1 cells. Compared to a single agent, OXA combined with metformin administration resulted in cytotoxicity and cell growth inhibition synergistically, accompanied with reduced HMGB1 level. These findings may have implications for the rational design of future drug regimens incorporating OXA and metformin for the treatment of CRC.

Dysregulation of tristetraprolin and human antigen R promotes gastric cancer progressions partly by upregulation of the high-mobility group box 1

Aberrant expression of ARE-binding proteins (ARE-BPs) plays an important role in several diseases, including cancer. Both tristetraprolin (TTP) and human antigen R (HuR) are important ARE-BPs and always play opposite roles in regulating target mRNAs. Our previous work has demonstrated that TTP expression is decreased in gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we reported that HuR was elevated in GC cell lines and gastric cancer patients and that decreased TTP expression partly contributed to the elevated HuR levels by regulating its mRNA turnover. We also observed that dysregulation of TTP and HuR elevated the high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression in different ways. HuR promoted HMGB1 expression at translational level, while TTP regulated HMGB1 mRNA turnover by destabilizing its mRNA. Increased HuR promoted cancer cell proliferation and the metastasis potential partly by HMGB1. Using immunohistochemistry, we observed that both positive cytoplasmic and high-expression of nuclear HuR were associated with poor pathologic features and survival of GC patients. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that dysregulation of the TTP and HuR plays an important role in GC. Moreover, high HuR nuclear expression or aberrant cytoplasmic distribution may serve as a predictor of poor survival.

HMGB1 is negatively correlated with the development of endometrial carcinoma and prevents cancer cell invasion and metastasis by inhibiting the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

High-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1), a nuclear protein that plays a significant role in DNA architecture and transcription, was correlated with the progression of some types of cancer. However, the role of HMGB1 in endometrial cancer cell invasion and metastasis remains unexplored. HMGB1 expression was initially assessed by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in normal endometrial tissue and endometrial carcinoma tissue. High expressions of HMGB1 protein were detected in normal endometrial tissues; however, in endometrial cancer tissues, the expressions of HMGB1 were found to be very weak. Furthermore, HMGB1 expressions were negatively correlated with advanced stage and lymph node metastasis in endometrial cancer. Then by RT-qPCR, Western blot and immunocytochemistry, HMGB1 was also detected in primary cultured endometrial cells and four kinds of endometrial cancer cell lines (Ishikawa, HEC-1A, HEC-1B and KLE). We found that the expression of HMGB1 was much higher in normal endometrial cells than in endometrial cancer cells, and reduced expression levels of HMGB1 were observed especially in the highly metastatic cell lines. Using lentivirus transfection, HMGB1 small hairpin RNA was constructed, and this infected the lowly invasive endometrial cancer cell lines, Ishikawa and HEC-1B. HMGB1 knockdown significantly enhanced the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of endometrial cancer cells and induced the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. These results can contribute to the development of a new potential therapeutic target for endometrial cancer.