CAV2 promotes the growth of renal cell carcinoma through the EGFR/PI3K/Akt pathway

Development and validation of M2 macrophage-related genes in a prognostic model of lung adenocarcinoma based on bulk RNA and ScRNA datasets

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between M2 macrophages activity with the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We sought to identify key genes associated with M2 macrophage activity and examine their relationship with clinicopathological features to elucidate the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Published datases were analyzed for differentially expressed genes. After quality control, batch effect removal, and annotation, the scRNA dataset identified M2 macrophage-associated differentially expressed genes in the LUAD group, which were cross-analyzed and referred to as M2 macrophage-linked genes. A risk model was generated using machine learing for these genes. Thereafter, two bulk RNA-seq datasets were used to evaluate the model. We computed risk scores for all samples and grouped them into low and high risk, aiding in the comparison of clinical characteristics, immune and stromal infiltration, and drug sensitivity. Finally, key genes were validated through immunohistochemistry in IPA samples.

RESULTS

We identified four key M2 macrophage-linked genes: TIMP1, CAV2, MIF, and SELENBP1. Survival durations in the high-riskscore cluster were lower across the TCGA-LUAD (P = 1.2 × 10-4), GSE14814 (P = 0.02), and GSE37745 (P = 0.01) data sets. The stromal score, fibroblast infiltration, and cytokinesis activation were increased in the high-risk subgroup. Neutrophil and endothelial cell infiltration and activation of the linolenic acid pathway occurred in the low-risk group. IHC confirmed that CAV2 and SELENBP1 expression was significantly reduced, while TIMP1 and MIF were significantly increased in LUAD, which was consistent with the bioinformatics findings.

CONCLUSION

The role of M2 macrophages in tumor progression could anticipate the prognosis of LUAD and develop novel immunotherapy strategies.

Impact of estradiol in inducing endometrial cancer using RL95-2

BACKGROUND

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy that originates from the inner lining of the uterus and predominantly affects postmenopausal women. Prolonged exposure to estrogen, family history of endometrial cancer, obesity, and hormonal imbalance are some of the risk factors associated with endometrial cancer. In our study, we investigated the effect of estradiol, a potent form of estrogen at various concentrations on endometrial cell line RL95-2.

METHODS

Endometrial cell RL95-2 were cultured in DMEM medium with optimal conditions required to maintain the cells. MTT assay and colony formation assay were further performed after treating the cells with different concentrations of estradiol (1, 10, and 100 nM) and TAM (100 nM). Moreover, the effect of genes regulated by estradiol was also examined using microarray and validated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

RESULTS

Time-dependent MTT assay shows a significant change in the ability of the cells to survive relative to concentrations. Colony formation was found to be directly proportional to the concentration of the estradiol (p < 0.05). Among genes, MMP14 (p = 0.03), SPARCL1 (p = 0.005), and CLU (p = 0.06) showed a significant up-regulation in their expression after estradiol treatment while NRN1 (p < 0.001) showed significant downregulation in expression pattern compared to control. However, the TAM treatment was found to be significantly effective after 72 h (p < 0.001) compared to control and 100 nM E2 (p = 0.0206).

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that estradiol significantly contributes to regulating the viability, colony formation, and expression of genes associated with endometrial cancer.

System analysis based on T-cell exhaustion-related genes identifies PTPRT as a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for gastric cancer

Multiple investigations have demonstrated the crucial involvement of T-cell exhaustion (TEX) in anti-tumor immune response and their strong correlation with prognosis. This study aimed at creating a strong signature using TEX for gastric cancer through bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation. We utilized data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases to retrieve RNA-seq data from patients with stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). Genes related to TEX were discovered using gene set variance analysis (GSVA) and weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA). Subsequently, prognostic signature based on TEX was developed using LASSO-Cox analysis. Relationship between key genes and immune cells were examined. Finally, biological function of a key TEX-related gene PTPRT in gastric cancer was verified by in vivo experiment. A total of 29 TEX-related biomarkers were screened by WGCNA and random forest. Among them, five core signatures (PTPRT, CAV2, PPIH, PRDM2, and FGF1), further identified by LASSO-Cox, were considered as strong predictors of prognosis for gastric cancer and associated with immune infiltration. PTPRT gene had the largest number of SNPs, with the most mutation types. In vivo experiments revealed that PTPRT overexpression significantly inhibited tumor malignant progression and accelerated apoptosis through stimulating the secretion of killer cytokines such as TNF-α and IFN-γ. In addition, flow cytometry revealed that PTPRT overexpression alleviated TEX by increasing the abundance of CD8+ T cells, with inhibition of cell surface PD-1 and Tim-3. The predictive prognostic value of TEX gene expression levels was evaluated in patients with gastric cancer, providing a new perspective for precision immuno-oncology studies.

Integrating tertiary lymphoid structure-associated genes into computational models to evaluate prognostication and immune infiltration in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by poor response to all therapeutic modalities and dismal prognosis. The presence of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) in various solid cancers is of crucial prognostic significance, highlighting the intricate interplay between the tumor microenvironment and immune cells aggregation. However, the extent to which TLSs and immune status affect PDAC prognosis remains incompletely understood. Here, we sought to unveil the unique properties of TLSs in PDAC by leveraging both single-cell and bulk transcriptomics, culminating in a risk model that predicts clinical outcomes. We used TLS scores based on a 12-gene (CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL8, CCL18, CCL19, CCL21, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and CXCL13) and 9-gene (PTGDS, RBP5, EIF1AY, CETP, SKAP1, LAT, CCR6, CD1D, and CD79B) signature, respectively, and examined their distribution in cell clusters of single-cell data from PDAC samples. The markers involved in these clusters were selected to develop a prognostic model using The Cancer Genome Atlas Program database as the training cohort and Gene Expression Omnibus database as the validation cohort. Further, we compared the immune infiltration, drug sensitivity, and enriched and differentially expressed genes between the high- and low-risk groups in our model. Therefore, we established a risk model that has significant implications for the prognostic assessment of PADC patients with remarkable differences in immune infiltration and chemosensitivity between the low- and high-risk groups. This paradigm established by TLS-related cell marker genes provides a prognostic prediction and a panel of novel therapeutic targets for exploring potential immunotherapy.

Assessment of MMP14, CAV2, CLU and SPARCL1 expression profiles in endometriosis

Endometriotic cells exhibit a notable degree of invasiveness and some characteristics of tissue remodeling underlying lesion formation. In this regard, do matrix metalloproteinases 14 (MMP14) and other related genes such as SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1), caveolin 2 (CAV2), and clusterin (CLU) exert any significant influence in the processes of endometriosis development and pathophysiology is not apparent. We aim to assess whether these genes could serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers in endometriosis. Microarray-based gene expression analysis was performed on total RNA extracted from endometriotic tissue samples treated with and without gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa). The GnRHa untreated patients were considered the control group. The validation of genes was performed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). qRT-PCR analysis showed significant downregulation in the expression of MMP14 (p = 0.024), CAV2 (p = 0.017), and upregulation of CLU (p = 0.005) in endometriosis patients treated with GnRHa. SPARCL1 did not show any significant (p = 0.30) change in the expression compared to the control group. These data have the potential to contribute to the comprehension of the molecular pathways implicated in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix, which is a vital step for the physiology of the endometrium. Based on the result, it is concluded that changes in the expression of MMP14, CAV2, and CLU post-treatment imply their role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker of endometriosis in response to GnRHa treatment in patients with ovarian endometrioma.

CAVIN2/SDPR Functioned as a Tumor Suppressor in Lung Adenocarcinoma from Systematic Analysis of Caveolae-Related Genes and Experimental Validation

Background: Caveolae-Related Genes include caveolins and cavins, which are the main component of the fossa and, play important roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Although increasing evidence indicated that caveolins (CAVs) and cavins (CAVINs) are involved in carcinogenesis and progression, their clinical significance and biological function in lung cancer are still limited. Methods: We investigated the expression of CAVs and CAVINs at transcriptional levels using Oncomine and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis. The protein and mRNA expression levels of CAVs and CAVINs were determined by the human protein atlas website and our surgically resected samples, respectively. The clinical value of prognostic prediction based on the expression of CAVs and CAVINs was also assessed. cBioPortal, GeneMANIA and STRING were used to analyze the molecular characteristics of CAVs and CAVINs in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) comprehensively. Finally, we investigated the effect of CAVIN2/SDPR (serum deprivation protein response) on LUAD cells with biological experiments in vitro. Results: The expression of CAV1/2 and CAVIN1/2/3 were significantly downregulated in LUAD and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). The patients with high expression of CAV1, CAV2, CAV3, CAVIN1 and CAVIN2/SDPR were tightly correlated with a better prognosis in LUAD, while no statistical significances in LUSC. Further, our results found that CAVIN2/SDPR can be identified as a prognostic biomarker independent of other CAVINs in patients with LUAD. Mechanically, the overexpression of CAVIN2/SDPR inhibited cell proliferation and migration owing to the cell apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest at S phase in LUAD cells. Conclusions: CAVIN2/SDPR functioned as a tumor suppressor, and was able to serve as prognostic biomarkers in precision medicine of LUAD. Mechanically, overexpression of CAVIN2/SDPR inhibited cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and S phase arrest in LUAD cells.

Endocytosis in cancer and cancer therapy

Endocytosis is a complex process whereby cell surface proteins, lipids and fluid from the extracellular environment are packaged, sorted and internalized into cells. Endocytosis is also a mechanism of drug internalization into cells. There are multiple routes of endocytosis that determine the fate of molecules, from degradation in the lysosomes to recycling back to the plasma membrane. The overall rates of endocytosis and temporal regulation of molecules transiting through endocytic pathways are also intricately linked with signalling outcomes. This process relies on an array of factors, such as intrinsic amino acid motifs and post-translational modifications. Endocytosis is frequently disrupted in cancer. These disruptions lead to inappropriate retention of receptor tyrosine kinases on the tumour cell membrane, changes in the recycling of oncogenic molecules, defective signalling feedback loops and loss of cell polarity. In the past decade, endocytosis has emerged as a pivotal regulator of nutrient scavenging, response to and regulation of immune surveillance and tumour immune evasion, tumour metastasis and therapeutic drug delivery. This Review summarizes and integrates these advances into the understanding of endocytosis in cancer. The potential to regulate these pathways in the clinic to improve cancer therapy is also discussed.

Identification and validation of a seven-gene prognostic marker in colon cancer based on single-cell transcriptome analysis

Colon cancer (CC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed tumours worldwide. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) can accurately reflect the heterogeneity within and between tumour cells and identify important genes associated with cancer development and growth. In this study, scRNA-seq was used to identify reliable prognostic biomarkers in CC. ScRNA-seq data of CC before and after 5-fluorouracil treatment were first downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The data were pre-processed, and dimensionality reduction was performed using principal component analysis and t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding algorithms. Additionally, the transcriptome data, somatic variant data, and clinical reports of patients with CC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Seven key genes were identified using Cox regression analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method to establish signatures associated with CC prognoses. The identified signatures were validated on independent datasets, and somatic mutations and potential oncogenic pathways were further explored. Based on these features, gene signatures, and other clinical variables, a more effective predictive model nomogram for patients with CC was constructed, and a decision curve analysis was performed to assess the utility of the nomogram. A prognostic signature consisting of seven prognostic-related genes, including CAV2, EREG, NGFRAP1, WBSCR22, SPINT2, CCDC28A, and BCL10, was constructed and validated. The proficiency and credibility of the signature were verified in both internal and external datasets, and the results showed that the seven-gene signature could effectively predict the prognosis of patients with CC under various clinical conditions. A nomogram was then constructed based on features such as the RiskScore, patients' age, neoplasm stage, and tumor (T), nodes (N), and metastases (M) classification, and the nomogram had good clinical utility. Higher RiskScores were associated with a higher tumour mutational burden, which was confirmed to be a prognostic risk factor. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that high-score groups were enriched in 'cytoplasmic DNA sensing', 'Extracellular matrix receptor interactions', and 'focal adhesion', and low-score groups were enriched in 'natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity', and 'T-cell receptor signalling pathways', among other pathways. A robust seven-gene marker for CC was identified based on scRNA-seq data and was validated in multiple independent cohort studies. These findings provide a new potential marker to predict the prognosis of patients with CC.

KIF15 Promotes Progression of Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer by Activating EGFR Signaling Pathway

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) continues to be a major clinical problem and its underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation is an important event that regulates mitogenic signaling. EGFR signaling plays an important role in the transition from androgen dependence to castration-resistant state in prostate cancer (PCa). Kinesin family member 15 (KIF15) has been suggested to be overexpressed in multiple malignancies. Here, we demonstrate that KIF15 expression is elevated in CRPC. We show that KIF15 contributes to CRPC progression by enhancing the EGFR signaling pathway, which includes complex network intermediates such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways. In CRPC tumors, increased expression of KIF15 is positively correlated with EGFR protein level. KIF15 binds to EGFR, and prevents EGFR proteins from degradation in a Cdc42-dependent manner. These findings highlight the key role of KIF15 in the development of CRPC and rationalize KIF15 as a potential therapeutic target.

Quantitative proteomics identifies biomarkers to distinguish pulmonary from head and neck squamous cell carcinomas by immunohistochemistry

The differentiation between a pulmonary metastasis and a newly developed squamous cell carcinoma of the lung in patients with prior head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is difficult due to a lack of biomarkers but is crucially important for the prognosis and therapy of the affected patient. By using high‐resolution mass spectrometry in combination with stable isotope labelling by amino acids in cell culture, we identified 379 proteins that are differentially expressed in squamous cell carcinomas of the lung and the head and neck. Of those, CAV1, CAV2, LGALS1, LGALS7, CK19, and UGDH were tested by immunohistochemistry on 194 tissue samples (98 lung and 96 HNSCCs). The combination of CAV1 and LGALS7 was able to distinguish the origin of the squamous cell carcinoma with high accuracy (area under the curve 0.876). This biomarker panel was tested on a cohort of 12 clinically classified lung tumours of unknown origin after HNSCC. Nine of those tumours were immunohistochemically classifiable.

Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis of the Expression and Prognosis of Caveolae-Related Genes in Human Breast Cancer

Caveolae-related genes, including CAVs that encodes caveolins and CAVINs that encodes caveolae-associated proteins cavins, have been identified for playing significant roles in a variety of biological processes including cholesterol transport and signal transduction, but evidences related to tumorigenesis and cancer progression are not abundant to correlate with clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with cancer. In this study, we investigated the expression of these genes at transcriptional and translational levels in patients with breast cancer using Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), cBioPortal databases, and immunohistochemistry of the patients in our hospital. Prognosis of patients with breast cancer based on the expressions of CAVs and CAVINs was summarized using Kaplan-Meier Plotter with their correlation to different subtyping. The relevant molecular pathways of these genes were further analyzed using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway database and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Results elucidated that expression levels of CAV1, CAV2, CAVIN1, CAVIN2, and CAVIN3 were significantly lower in breast cancer tissues than in normal samples, while the expression level of CAVIN2 was correlated with advanced tumor stage. Furthermore, investigations on survival of patients with breast cancer indicated outstanding associations between prognosis and CAVIN2 levels, especially for the patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. In conclusion, our investigation indicated CAVIN2 is a potential therapeutic target for patients with ER+ breast cancer, which may relate to functions of cancer cell surface receptors and adhesion molecules.

Deciphering the effects of PYCR1 on cell function and its associated mechanism in hepatocellular carcinoma

Overexpression of pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1 (PYCR1) has been associated with the development of certain cancers; however, no studies have specifically examined the role of PYCR1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas expression array and meta-analysis conducted using the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we determined that PYCR1 was upregulated in HCC compared to adjacent nontumor tissues (P < 0.05). These data were verified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry analysis. Additionally, patients with low PYCR1 expression showed a higher overall survival rate than patients with high PYCR1 expression. Furthermore, PYCR1 overexpression was associated with the female sex, higher levels of alpha-fetoprotein, advanced clinical stages (III and IV), and a younger age (< 45 years old). Silencing of PYCR1 inhibited cell proliferation, invasive migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and metastatic properties in HCC in vitro and in vivo. Using RNA sequencing and bioinformatics tools for data-dependent network analysis, we found binary relationships among PYCR1 and its interacting proteins in defined pathway modules. These findings indicated that PYCR1 played a multifunctional role in coordinating a variety of biological pathways involved in cell communication, cell proliferation and growth, cell migration, a mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade, ion binding, etc. The structural characteristics of key pathway components and PYCR1-interacting proteins were evaluated by molecular docking, and hotspot analysis showed that better affinities between PYCR1 and its interacting molecules were associated with the presence of arginine in the binding site. Finally, a candidate regulatory microRNA, miR-2355-5p, for PYCR1 mRNA was discovered in HCC. Overall, our study suggests that PYCR1 plays a vital role in HCC pathogenesis and may potentially serve as a molecular target for HCC treatment.

Quantitative Proteomics Identifies Secreted Diagnostic Biomarkers as well as Tumor-Dependent Prognostic Targets for Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the third most common and most malignant urological cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of 10% for patients with advanced tumors. Here, we identified 10,160 unique proteins by in-depth quantitative proteomics, of which 955 proteins were significantly regulated between tumor and normal adjacent tissues. We verified four putatively secreted biomarker candidates, namely, PLOD2, FERMT3, SPARC, and SIRPα, as highly expressed proteins that are not affected by intratumor and intertumor heterogeneity. Moreover, SPARC displayed a significant increase in urine samples of patients with ccRCC, making it a promising marker for the detection of the disease in body fluids. Furthermore, based on molecular expression profiles, we propose a biomarker panel for the robust classification of ccRCC tumors into two main clusters, which significantly differed in patient outcome with an almost three times higher risk of death for cluster 1 tumors compared with cluster 2 tumors. Moreover, among the most significant clustering proteins, 13 were targets of repurposed inhibitory FDA-approved drugs. Our rigorous proteomics approach identified promising diagnostic and tumor-discriminative biomarker candidates which can serve as therapeutic targets for the treatment of ccRCC. IMPLICATIONS: Our in-depth quantitative proteomics analysis of ccRCC tissues identifies the putatively secreted protein SPARC as a promising urine biomarker and reveals two molecular tumor phenotypes.

Exploration of Prognostic Biomarkers for Lung Adenocarcinoma Through Bioinformatics Analysis

With the development of computer technology, screening cancer biomarkers based on public databases has become a common research method. Here, an eight-gene prognostic model, which could be used to judge the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), was developed through bioinformatics methods. This study firstly used several gene datasets from GEO database to mine differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in LUAD tissue and healthy tissue via joint analysis. Later, enrichment analysis for the DEGs was performed, and it was found that the DEGs were mainly activated in pathways involved in extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, and leukocyte migration. Afterward, a TCGA cohort was used to perform univariate Cox, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method, and multivariate Cox regression analyses for the DEGs, and a prognostic model consisting of eight genes (GPX3, TCN1, ASPM, PCP4, CAV2, S100P, COL1A1, and SPOK2) was established. Receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve was then used to substantiate the diagnostic efficacy of the prognostic model. The survival significance of signature genes was verified through the GEPIA database, and the results exhibited that the risk coefficients of the eight genes were basically congruous with the effects of these genes on the prognosis in the GEPIA database, which suggested that the results were accurate. Finally, combined with clinical characteristics of patients, the diagnostic independence of the prognostic model was further validated through univariate and multivariate regression, and the results indicated that the model had independent prognostic value. The overall finding of the study manifested that the eight-gene prognostic model is closely related to the prognosis of LUAD patients, and can be used as an independent prognostic indicator. Additionally, the prognostic model in this study can help doctors make a better diagnosis in treatment and ultimately benefit LUAD patients.

Downregulated expression levels of USP46 promote the resistance of ovarian cancer to cisplatin and are regulated by PUM2

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a major contributor to cancer‑related mortality in women. Despite numerous drugs being available for the treatment and improving the prognosis of OC, resistance to clinical chemotherapy remains a major obstacle for the treatment of advanced OC. Therefore, determining how to reverse the chemoresistance of OC has become a research hotspot in recent years. The present study aimed to reveal the potential mechanism of OC chemoresistance. Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blot analysis were performed to detect the expression levels of Ubiquitin‑specific peptidase 46 (USP46) and Pumilio 2 (PUM2) in OC. Cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The association between USP46 and PUM2 was assessed by RNA immunoprecipitation. The results of the present study revealed that the expression levels of USP46 which is associated with tumor progression, was downregulated, while PUM2 expression levels were upregulated in cisplatin (DDP)‑resistant OC cells and patient tissues. The downregulation of USP46 expression levels in SKOV3 cells significantly inhibited cell apoptosis and increased cell viability. In SKOV3/DDP cells, the upregulation of USP46 expression levels notably suppressed cell viability and increased cell apoptosis. The results of the RNA immunoprecipitation chip assay demonstrated that PUM2 bound to USP46 and regulated its expression. Furthermore, following the knockdown of USP46 expression, the mRNA and protein expression levels of the cell apoptosis‑related protein, Bcl‑2, were upregulated, whereas the expression levels of caspase‑3, caspase‑9 and Bax were significantly downregulated. In addition, phosphorylated AKT expression levels were notably upregulated. Following the overexpression of USP46 in SKOV3/DDP cells, the opposite trends were observed. In SKOV3 cells, the knockdown of PUM2 could reverse the DDP resistance induced by small interfering RNA‑USP46 as the expression levels of Bcl‑2 were downregulated whereas those of caspase‑3, caspase‑9 and Bax were upregulated compared with the small interfering‑USP46 group. Similarly, in SKOV3/DDP cells, the overexpression of PUM2 could reverse DDP sensitivity induced by the overexpression of USP46. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that the downregulation of USP46 expression levels may promote DDP resistance in OC, which may be regulated by PUM2. Therefore, targeting PUM2/USP46 may be an effective way to reverse DDP resistance in OC.

RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of human lens epithelial cells in age-related cataract

Background

Age-related cataract (ARC) is the main cause of blindness in older individuals but its specific pathogenic mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with ARC and to improve our understanding of the disease mechanism.

Methods

Anterior capsule samples of the human lens were collected from ARC patients and healthy controls and used for RNA sequencing to detect DEGs. Identified DEGs underwent bioinformatics analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. Subsequently, reverse transcription quantitative RT-qPCR was used to validate the different expression levels of selected genes.

Results

A total of 698 up-regulated DEGs and 414 down-regulated DEGs were identified in ARC patients compared with controls by transcriptome analysis. Through GO and KEGG bioinformatics analysis, the functions of significantly DEGs and their possible molecular mechanisms were determined. Sequencing results were verified by RT-qPCR as being accurate and reliable.

Conclusions

This study identified several genes associated with ARC, which improves our knowledge of the disease mechanism.

Rapid exacerbation featuring acute leukemoid reaction after retrolaparoscopic nephrectomy: a rare case report of renal cell carcinoma with postoperative comprehensive genomic profiling

Background

Rapid lethal exacerbation and recurrence featuring acute leukemoid reaction (ALR) after retrolaparoscopic radical nephrectomy (RN) is a relatively rare clinical incident. Performing the reoperation for the patient and analyzing the tissue-based genetic mutation information postoperatively are a skill-demanding and meaningful task, which have been even more rarely reported.

Case presentation

We present a case with a large right renal mass (13.0 × 10.0 × 8.0 cm). This 71-year-old male patient underwent the retrolaparoscopic RN in our department. The operation was technically precise and successful with final pathological diagnosis of hybrid (clear cell and papillary type) renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, 10 days after the patient was discharged, he was readmitted with the chief complaint of high fever with severe right flank pain. CT scanning revealed that right retroperitoneal hematoma and the blood routine showed the dramatic elevation of white blood cell count (WBC). Even though the immediate broad-spectrum antibiotics were administered without delay and subsequent percutaneous puncturing and drainage was performed, the patient’s condition still exacerbated rapidly. In spite of the reoperation of hematoma evacuation, the patient died of multiple organ failure 10 days after the reoperation. The pathological result of reoperation showed the necrotic and hematoma tissue blended with RCC tumor cells (nuclear grading III), and both of the postoperative tissue-originated comprehensive genomic profiling by using the specimens from the RN and reoperation respectively indicated significant mutations of some oncogenes which might have potential relevance with ALR. Besides, both of the immunohistochemical (IHC) staining results from primary surgical renal mass and reoperative resected tissue revealed the positive expressions of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF).

Conclusions

ALR may be a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with RCC, and comprehensive genomic profiling as well as the alterative expression of G-CSF can help to provide potential valuable genetic etiological information and evidence for guiding the potential effective molecular-targeting therapy.

VHL-HIF-2α axis-induced SMYD3 upregulation drives renal cell carcinoma progression via direct trans-activation of EGFR

It has been well established that the von Hippel-Lindau/hypoxia-inducible factor α (VHL-HIFα) axis and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway play a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, few studies have addressed the relationship between the two oncogenic drivers in RCC. SET and MYND domain-containing protein 3 (SMYD3) is a histone methyltransferase involved in gene transcription and oncogenesis, but its expression and function in RCC remain unclear. In the present study, we found that SMYD3 expression was significantly elevated in RCC tumors and correlated with advanced tumor stage, histological and nuclear grade, and shorter survival. Depletion of SMYD3 inhibited RCC cell proliferation, colony numbers, and xenograft tumor formation, while promoted apoptosis. Mechanistically, SMYD3 cooperates with SP1 to transcriptionally promote EGFR expression, amplifying its downstream signaling activity. TCGA data analyses revealed a significantly increased SMYD3 expression in primary RCC tumors carrying the loss-of-function VHL mutations. We further showed that HIF-2α can directly bind to the SMYD3 promoter and subsequently induced SMYD3 transcription and expression. Taken together, we identify the VHL/HIF-2α/SMYD3 signaling cascade-mediated EGFR hyperactivity through which SMYD3 promotes RCC progression. Our study suggests that SMYD3 is a potential therapeutic target and prognostic factor in RCC.

Ginkgolic acid inhibits the growth of renal cell carcinoma cells via inactivation of the EGFR signaling pathway

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common urological malignancies occurring in adult human kidneys worldwide. Recent research on antitumor drugs has focused on plant extracts, a class of compounds that play critical roles in cancer treatment. The present study aimed to investigate the potential antitumor effect of ginkgolic acid (GA) in RCC. Transwell invasion assay, cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry were used to measure cell migration, cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. A network pharmacology approach was applied to identify pathway information, combining molecular docking techniques to screen for key target information. In the present study, GA inhibited the viability and proliferation of RCC cells (786-O and A498), both in vitro and in vivo, via G₁ arrest. GA also reduced RCC cell invasion and migration. In addition, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was identified as a critical target protein of GA, which significantly inactivated EGFR signaling in RCC (P<0.05). Collectively, the present study provided evidence that GA exerts its anticancer function by directly targeting the EGFR signaling pathway, revealing the potential of GA therapy for RCC.

High expression of SMYD3 indicates poor survival outcome and promotes tumour progression through an IGF-1R/AKT/E2F-1 positive feedback loop in bladder cancer

The AKT/mTOR pathway is critical for bladder cancer (BC) pathogenesis and is hyper-activated during BC progression. In the present study, we identified a novel positive feedback loop involving oncogenic factors histone methyltransferase SMYD3, insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), AKT, and E2F-1. SMYD3 expression was significantly up-regulated in BC tumors and positively associated with histological grade, lymph node metastasis, and shorter patient survival. Depletion of SMYD3 inhibited BC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, and xenograft tumor growth. Mechanistically, SMYD3 inhibition led to the diminished AKT/mTOR signaling activity, thereby triggering deleterious effects on BC cells. Furthermore, SMYD3 directly activates the expression of IGF-1R, a critical activator of AKT in BC, by inducing hyper-methylation of histone H3-K4 and subsequent chromatin remodeling in the IGF-1R promoter region. On the other hand, E2F-1, a downstream factor of the AKT pathway, binds to the E2F-1 binding motifs at the SMYD3 promoter and consequently induces SMYD3 transcription and expression. Thus, SMYD3/IGF-1R/AKT/E2F-1 forms a positive feedback loop leading to the hyper-activated AKT signaling. Our findings provide not only profound insights into SMYD3-mediated oncogenic activity but also present a unique avenue for treating BC by directly disrupting this signaling circuit.

Identification of susceptibility gene mutations associated with the pathogenesis of familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer

Background

Familial nonmedullary thyroid cancer (FNMTC) accounts for approximately 3%–9% of all thyroid cancers; however, the mechanisms underlying FNMTC remain unclear. Environmental and genetic (especially genetic mutation) factors may play important roles in FNMTC etiology, development, and pathogenesis.

Methods

Three affected members, including two first‐degree relatives, and three healthy members of a family with FNMTC were studied. We performed whole‐exome and targeted gene sequencing to identify gene mutations that may be associated with FNMTC pathogenesis. The results were analyzed using Exome Aggregation Consortium data and the Genome Aggregation Database and further validated using Sanger sequencing.

Results

Of 28 pivotal genes with rare nonsynonymous mutations found, 7 were identified as novel candidate FNMTC pathogenic genes (ANO7, CAV2, KANK1, PIK3CB, PKD1L1, PTPRF, and RHBDD2). Among them, three genes (PIK3CB, CAV2, and KANK1) are reportedly involved in tumorigenesis through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Conclusion

We identified seven pathogenic genes in affected members of a family with FNMTC. The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is thought to be closely related to the development of FNMTC, and three of the susceptibility genes identified herein are associated with this pathway. These findings expand our understanding of FNMTC pathogenesis and underscore PI3K/Akt pathology as a potential therapy target.

Silencing of KCNK15-AS1 inhibits lung cancer cell proliferation via upregulation of miR-202 and miR-370

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-associated mortality globally. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts with a length of >200 nucleotides, which are not translated into proteins. Growing evidence has indicated that certain lncRNAs are associated with various biological processes in cancer. However, the functions of KCNK15 and WISP2 antisense RNA 1 (KCNK15-AS1) in lung cancer carcinogenesis and progression have remained elusive. The present study indicated that KCNK15-AS1 was overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues compared with paracancerous normal tissues, and the high expression of KCNK15-AS1 was significantly associated with poor prognosis compared with the patients with low expression (P<0.001). Furthermore, the knockdown of KCNK15-AS1 was performed in A549 and H460 lung cancer cells with small interfering RNA, resulting in a significant inhibition of the proliferation, a decrease in the mRNA and protein expression of cyclin D1 (CCND1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), in addition to the phosphorylation of protein kinase B, with a concomitant increase in the expression of microRNA (miR)-202 and miR-370 compared with negative control group. Rescue experiments demonstrated that the inhibition of miR-202 or miR-370 partially recovered the EGFR and CCND1 expression and the proliferation rates, which were reduced by KCNK15-AS1 silencing. In conclusion, these results suggested that KCNK15-AS1 functions as an oncogene via regulating the miR-202/miR-370/EGFR axis in lung cancer and may provide a potential target for lung cancer treatment.

Ubiquitin-specific peptidase 46 (USP46) suppresses renal cell carcinoma tumorigenesis through AKT pathway inactivation

USP46, a member of the ubiquitin-specific protease family, plays essential roles in cancer cell proliferation and metastasis and is used as a candidate target for cancer therapeutics. However, the effects of USP46 on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and its underlying molecular mechanism remain unknown. In this study, the predictive and prognostic relevance of USP46 in RCC, patient-derived primary tissues, and normal liver tissues obtained from the TCGA dataset were analyzed for the USP46 mRNA levels or prognostic relevance. Gain-of-function or loss-of-function assays were used to evaluate the vital roles of USP46 in tumor cell proliferation and cell migration. As a result, the USP46 expression level in RCC is highly decreased compared to normal tissues, and the Kaplan-Meier curve showed that USP46 high expression patients had good prognoses. Functionally, the forced expression of USP46 significantly restrained tumor cell proliferation, colony formation, and cell migration. The shRNA mediated USP46 knockdown cells exhibited the opposite results. We further showed that ectopically expressed USP46 obviously inhibited the AKT signaling pathway in cancer cells, while USP46 depletion caused a dramatic increase in AKT activity reflected by phosphorylation in the serine and threonine residues of AKT or downstream p70S6K1. Importantly, MK2206, a specific AKT inhibitor, completely counteracted the effects on cell proliferation, cell migration, and AKT activity in the USP46 depletion cells. We thus revealed a novel mechanism of USP46 regulation in RCC, and our data indicate that USP46 is a tumor suppressor in RCC via AKT signaling pathway inactivation.

Suppressed OGT expression inhibits cell proliferation and modulates EGFR expression in renal cell carcinoma

Purpose

O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc or O-GlcNAcylation) is a post-translational modification, which plays a vital role in the progression of various cancers. The purpose of the present study was to assess O-GlcNAcylation in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods

O-GlcNAcylation levels and O-GlcNAc-transferase (OGT) expression in human RCC cell lines and 10 paired clinical tissues were detected by Western blot and Immunohistochemis-try. Then, the effects of O-GlcNAcylation on RCC cell proliferation in vitro were investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. A xenograft assay was performed to assess the in vivo effects of OGT knockdown in RCC cells. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle assays were performed by flow cytometry. Co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to assess epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) O-GlcNAcylation and the interaction between OGT and EGFR.

Results

O-GlcNAcylation levels and OGT expression were increased in RCC, and the high amounts correlated with poor patient prognosis. OGT knockdown significantly suppressed RCC cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Notably, EGFR was modulated by O-GlcNAcylation and directly interacted with OGT.

Conclusion

These findings provide novel insights into the oncogenic roles of O-GlcNAcylation and OGT in the development of RCC, indicating that OGT might be used as a target for RCC therapy in the future.