Elevated HOXA13 expression promotes the proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer partly via activating Erk1/2

Multiple databases analyzed the prognosis prediction of renin secretion pathway-related genes in renal clear cell carcinoma and immunotherapy

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a malignant kidney tumour and its progression is associated with the renin secretion pathway, so this study aimed to develop a prognostic model based on renin secretion pathway-related genes.

Methods

First, 453 renin secretion pathway-related genes were acquired [|log fold change (FC)| >1.5, false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05] from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. The data were combined and further screened for 188 genes associated with ccRCC prognosis (P<0.05) by univariate independent prognostic analysis. These genes were subjected to least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to identify potential prognostic genes to construct the prognostic model. The stability of the model was externally validated. Combined risk scores and clinical information were used to create nomograms to accurately reflect patient survival. The model-related genes were further mined for subsequent analysis.

Results

A prognostic model of six renin secretion pathway genes (IGFBP3, PLAUR, CHKB-CPT1B, HOXA13, CDH13, and CDC20) was developed. Its reliability in predicting disease prognosis was confirmed by survival analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and a risk curve. The nomogram and calibration curve showed good accuracy. The immune-related analyses revealed that the low-risk group would benefit more from immunotherapy.

Conclusions

The prognostic model of ccRCC based on six renin secretion pathway-related genes can be used to guide the precise treatment of ccRCC patients.

Epigenetic regulation of gastrointestinal cancers mediated by long non-coding RNAs

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), as well-known modulator of the epigenetic processes, have been shown to contribute to normal cellular physiological and pathological conditions such as cancer. Through the interaction with epigenetic regulators, an aberrant regulation of gene expression can be resulted due to their dysregulation, which in turn, can be involved in tumorigenesis. In the present study, we reviewed the lncRNAs' function and mechanisms that contributed to aberrant epigenetic regulation, which is directly related to gastrointestinal cancer (GI) development and progression. Findings indicated that epigenetic alterations may involve in tumorigenesis and are valuable biomarkers in case of diagnosing, assessing of risk factors, and predicting of GI cancers. This review summarized the accumulated evidence for biological and clinical application to use lncRNAs in GI cancers, including colorectal, gastric, oral, liver, pancreatic and oesophageal cancer.

HOXA13 promotes liver regeneration through regulation of BMP-7

In-depth knowledge of liver regeneration could facilitate the development of therapies for liver injury and liver failure. As a member of the homeobox superfamily, HOXA13 plays an important role in regulating tumorigenesis and development. However, the exact role of HOXA13 in liver regeneration remains unclear. In this study, we confirmed that HOXA13 promotes hepatocyte proliferation both in vivo and in vitro. HOXA13 was upregulated during liver regeneration, and its overexpression further accelerated hepatocyte proliferation and liver function recovery during liver regeneration. Furthermore, we found that HOXA13 promoted hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration by upregulating bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) mRNA. These findings provide a new potential target for the treatment of liver failure.

HOXA13 promotes gastric cancer progression partially via the FN1-mediated FAK/Src axis

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers causing a poor prognosis worldwide. HOXA13, as a member of the homeobox (HOX) family, is involved in the regulation of cancer progression and has attracted increasing attention, as a potential novel target for anticancer strategies. However, the significance of HOXA13 in GC remains unclear. This article aims to explore the potential mechanism of HOXA13 in GC progression.

Methods

Quantitative real-time PCR was carried out to detect the expression of HOXA13 and FN1 and the correlation between HOXA13 and FN1 in GC tissues. In vitro assays were conducted to investigate the role of HOXA13 and FN1 in the malignant phenotypes of GC cells and the function of HOXA13 in the activation of the FAK/Src axis in GC cells. Coimmunoprecipitation was performed to reveal the relationship between ITGA5, ITGB1 and FN1 in GC cells. A dual luciferase assay was performed to assess miR-449a-targeted regulation of HOXA13 expression.

Results

Quantitative real-time PCR verified that HOXA13 was elevated and positively correlated with FN1 in GC. In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that high expression of HOXA13 promoted GC progression, especially metastasis. Mechanistically, rescue experiments, chromatin immunoprecipitation and dual luciferase assays revealed that HOXA13 directly bound to the FN1 promoter region to enhance the activation of the FAK/Src axis, leading to GC cell proliferation and metastasis. Furthermore, the result of a dual luciferase assay suggested that HOXA13 was directly targeted by miR-449a.

Conclusions

Our results show that HOXA13 is a positive regulator of the FAK/Src axis mediated by FN1 in GC and promotes GC progression. Thus, targeting HOXA13, together with FN1, may provide a novel prospective anticancer strategy.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40164-022-00260-7.

Molecular implications of HOX genes targeting multiple signaling pathways in cancer

Homeobox (HOX) genes encode highly conserved homeotic transcription factors that play a crucial role in organogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Their deregulation impacts the function of several regulatory molecules contributing to tumor initiation and progression. A functional bridge exists between altered gene expression of individual HOX genes and tumorigenesis. This review focuses on how deregulation in the HOX-associated signaling pathways contributes to the metastatic progression in cancer. We discuss their functional significance, clinical implications and ascertain their role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in the various cancer types. Besides, the mechanism of understanding the theoretical underpinning that affects HOX-mediated therapy resistance in cancers has been outlined. The knowledge gained shall pave the way for newer insights into the treatment of cancer.

HOXA13 in etiology and oncogenic potential of Barrett's esophagus

Barrett's esophagus in gastrointestinal reflux patients constitutes a columnar epithelium with distal characteristics, prone to progress to esophageal adenocarcinoma. HOX genes are known mediators of position-dependent morphology. Here we show HOX collinearity in the adult gut while Barrett's esophagus shows high HOXA13 expression in stem cells and their progeny. HOXA13 overexpression appears sufficient to explain both the phenotype (through downregulation of the epidermal differentiation complex) and the oncogenic potential of Barrett's esophagus. Intriguingly, employing a mouse model that contains a reporter coupled to the HOXA13 promotor we identify single HOXA13-positive cells distally from the physiological esophagus, which is mirrored in human physiology, but increased in Barrett's esophagus. Additionally, we observe that HOXA13 expression confers a competitive advantage to cells. We thus propose that Barrett's esophagus and associated esophageal adenocarcinoma is the consequence of expansion of this gastro-esophageal HOXA13-expressing compartment following epithelial injury.

HOXA13, Negatively Regulated by miR-139-5p, Decreases the Sensitivity of Gastric Cancer to 5-Fluorouracil Possibly by Targeting ABCC4

Purpose

Chemoresistance remains a major challenge in the therapy of gastric cancer (GC). The homeobox (HOX) gene family has gained attention in carcinogenesis and chemoresistance. Here, this study aimed to explore the mechanism of HOXA13 in GC chemoresistance.

Methods

Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to evaluate the expression of HOXA13 in GC tissues. The Kaplan–Meier plotter database was mined for prognosis analysis of GC patients with different HOXA13 expression receiving 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy. The effects of HOXA13 on sensitivity of GC cells to 5-FU were investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation, flow cytometry and experiment in vivo. RNA-Sequencing analysis was performed to explore the underlying mechanism of HOXA13-mediated 5-FU resistance in GC. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and rescue experiments were applied to determine the relationship between HOXA13 and ABCC4. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to assess interaction of miR-139-5p and HOXA13.

Results

HOXA13 was upregulated in GC and its high expression was associated with poor prognosis of GC patients with 5-FU treatment. Overexpression of HOXA13 impaired the inhibitory effects of 5-FU on GC cells proliferation in vitro and vivo, and knockdown of HOXA13 exacerbated 5-FU-induced GC cells apoptosis. Mechanistically, HOXA13, directly targeted by miR-139-5p in GC, might upregulate ABCC4 expression, thereby accentuating 5-FU resistance of GC cells.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that HOXA13 attenuates 5-FU sensitivity of GC possibly by upregulating ABCC4. Thus, targeting HOXA13 would provide a novel prospective into the potential therapeutic strategy for reversing chemoresistance.

Homeobox-A13 acts as a functional prognostic and diagnostic biomarker via regulating P53 and Wnt signaling pathways in lung cancer

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of lung cancer patients is poor without useful prognostic and diagnostic biomarker. To search for novel prognostic and diagnostic markers, we previously found homeobox-A13 (HOXA13) as a promising candidate in lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the precisely clinical feature, prognostic and diagnostic value, possible role and mechanism of HOXA13.

METHODS

Gene-expression was explored by real-time quantitative-PCR, western-blot and tissue-microarray. The associations were analyzed by Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression. The roles and mechanisms were evaluated by MTS, EdU, transwell, xenograft tumor and luciferase-reporter assays.

RESULTS

HOXA13 expression is increased in tumors, and correlated with age of patients. HOXA13 expression is associated with unfavorable overall survival and relapse-free survival of patients in four cohorts. Interestingly, HOXA13 has different prognostic significance in adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), and is a sex- and smoke-related prognostic factor only in ADC. Importantly, HOXA13 can serve as a diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer, especially for SCC. HOXA13 can promote cancer-cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and facilitate tumorigenicity and tumor metastasis in vivo. HOXA13 acts the oncogenic roles on tumor growth and metastasis by regulating P53 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling activities in lung cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

HOXA13 is a new prognostic and diagnostic biomarker associated with P53 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.

Roles of the HOX Proteins in Cancer Invasion and Metastasis

Invasion and metastasis correspond to the foremost cause of cancer-related death, and the molecular networks behind these two processes are extremely complex and dependent on the intra- and extracellular conditions along with the prime of the premetastatic niche. Currently, several studies suggest an association between the levels of HOX genes expression and cancer cell invasion and metastasis, which favour the formation of novel tumour masses. The deregulation of HOX genes by HMGA2/TET1 signalling and the regulatory effect of noncoding RNAs generated by the HOX loci can also promote invasion and metastasis, interfering with the expression of HOX genes or other genes relevant to these processes. In this review, we present five molecular mechanisms of HOX deregulation by which the HOX clusters products may affect invasion and metastatic processes in solid tumours.

Homeobox proteins are potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of studies have described the aberrant expression of homeobox (HOX) proteins in gastric cancer (GC), which is critically associated with the prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics of GC. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical value and action mechanisms of HOX proteins in GC.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and the pooled odds ratio (OR) with its 95% CI were used to assess the effect of HOX protein expression on the prognosis and clinicopathological features of GC, respectively.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies containing 3775 patients were selected for this study. Heterogeneity among HRs of overall survival (OS) was markedly high (I2 = 90.5%, p = 0.000). According to the subgroup analysis, increased expression of HOX protein in the downregulated subgroup was associated with a good prognosis for patients with GC (pooled HR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.36-0.59, I2 = 3.1%, p = 0.377), while overexpression of HOX protein in the upregulated subgroup was correlated with a reduced OS (pooled HR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.79-3.74, I2 = 73.5%, p = 0.000). The aberrant expression of HOX protein was crucially related to the TNM stage, depth of tumour invasion, tumour size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, vascular invasion, histological differentiation and Lauren classification in patients with GC. In addition, the molecular mechanisms by which HOX proteins regulate tumorigenesis and development of GC were also explored.

CONCLUSIONS

HOX proteins play vital roles in GC progression, which might serve as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for GC.

HOXA13 promotes colon cancer progression through β-catenin-dependent WNT pathway

Human class I homeobox A13 (HOXA13) was initially identified as a transcription factor and has an important role in embryonic development and malignant transformation. However, the clinical significance and the molecular mechanisms of HOXA13 in colon cancer development and progression are still unknown. In this study, we found that HOXA13 was highly expressed in colon cancer tissues, and its expression was associated with histological grade, T stage, N stage and tumour size. In vitro studies showed that HOXA13 promoted colon cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that HOXA13 expression was positively correlated with the WNT signalling pathway. In vitro studies showed that HOXA13 promoted the malignant phenotype of colon cancer cells by facilitating the nuclear translocation of β-Catenin. Moreover, XAV939, an inhibitor of β-Catenin, reversed the HOXA13-mediated effects on invasion and proliferation of colon cancer cells. In vivo studies further verified that HOXA13 promoted tumour formation through the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway. Collectively, these results suggest that HOXA13 is a potential oncogene that functions by promoting the nuclear translocation of β-Catenin, thereby maintaining the proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer.

Comprehensive analysis of the HOXA gene family identifies HOXA13 as a novel oncogenic gene in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is one of the most common lethal cancers in the human urogenital system. As members of the Homeobox (HOX) family, Homeobox-A (HOXA) cluster genes have been reported to be involved in the development of many cancer types. However, the expression and clinical significance of HOXA genes in KIRC remain largely unknown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, we comprehensively analyzed the mRNA expression and prognostic values of HOXA genes in KIRC using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis databases online. Colony formation assay, flow cytometry and Western blot were used to detect cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and protein level of the indicated gene.

RESULTS

We found that the HOXA genes were differentially expressed in KIRC tissues when compared with normal tissues. The expression of HOXA4 and HOXA13 were significantly up-regulated, while HOXA7 and HOXA11 were down-regulated in KIRC. High mRNA levels of HOXA2, HOXA3 and HOXA13, and low level of HOXA7 predicted poor overall survival (OS) of KIRC patients. High mRNA level of HOXA13 further indicated a poor disease-free survival (DFS) of KIRC patients. Functionally, knockdown of HOXA13 significantly suppressed cell proliferation of KIRC in vitro, increased the protein level of p53 and decreased the protein level of cyclin D1 in KIRC cells. Over-expression of HOXA13 had the opposite effects on KIRC cells.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, our findings suggest that HOXA13 functions as a novel oncogene in KIRC and may be a potential biomarker for this malignancy.

Forced expression of HOXA13 confers oncogenic hallmarks to esophageal keratinocytes

HOXA13 overexpression has been detected in human ESCC tissue and high HOXA13 protein expression is correlated with a shorter median survival time in ESCC patients. Although aberrant expression of HOXA13 in ESCC has thus been established, little is known regarding the functional consequences thereof. The present study aimed to examine to what extent aberrant HOXA13 might drive carcinogenesis in esophageal keratinocytes. To this end, we overexpressed HOXA13 in a non-transformed human esophageal cell line EPC2-hTERT, performed gene expression profiling to identify key processes and functions, and performed functional experiments. We found that HOXA13 expression confers oncogenic hallmarks to esophageal keratinocytes. It provides proliferation advantage to keratinocytes, reduces sensitivity to chemical agents, regulates MHC class I expression and differentiation status and promotes cellular migration. Our data indicate a crucial role of HOXA13 at early stages of esophageal carcinogenesis.

HOX family transcription factors: Related signaling pathways and post-translational modifications in cancer

HOX family transcription factors belong to a highly conserved subgroup of the homeobox superfamily that determines cellular fates in embryonic morphogenesis and the maintenance of adult tissue architecture. HOX family transcription factors play key roles in numerous cellular processes including cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, motility, and angiogenesis. As tumor promoters or suppressors HOX family members have been reported to be closely related with a variety of cancers. They closely regulate tumor initiation and growth, invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis, anti-cancer drug resistance and stem cell origin. Here, we firstly described the pivotal roles of HOX transcription factors in tumorigenesis. Then, we summarized the main signaling pathways regulated by HOX transcription factors, including Wnt/β-catenin, transforming growth factor β, mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt, and nuclear factor-κB signalings. Finally, we outlined the important post-translational modifications of HOX transcription factors and their regulation in cancers. Future research directions on the HOX transcription factors are also discussed.

Long noncoding RNA HOTTIP is associated with male infertility and promotes testicular embryonal carcinoma cell proliferation

Background

It has been proposed that lncRNAs, widely transcribed from genomes, play pivotal regulatory roles in a variety of biological processes, but their function in regulating spermatogenesis in human males is rarely reported.

Methods

QRT‐PCR was adopted to detect HOTTIP expression level in testicular tissues from hypospermatogenesis (Hypo) patients or controls. The proliferation levels of NT2 and 293T were measured via CCK‐8 and EdU detection. Meanwhile, luciferase reporter gene assay and bioinformatics analysis were carried out to identify a target of HOTTIP. Additionally, the underlying mechanism of HOTTIP’s function was investigated using western blotting and RIP analysis.

Results

The research results manifested that the expression of HOTTIP in testicular tissues from Hypo patients was prominently reduced in comparison with that in control testicular tissues. Interestingly, it was noted that HOTTIP exhibited a high expression in testicular embryonal carcinoma cell line NT2 compared with that in normal control cell line 293T. It was denoted in cell function evaluation that cell proliferation was impeded by downregulated HOTTIP but evidently stimulated by overexpressed HOTTIP. Moreover, HOTTIP was capable of positively modulating HOXA13 expression via the competitive binding to miR‐128‐3p.

Conclusion

Therefore, HOTTIP acting as ceRNAs to promote testicular embryonal carcinoma cell proliferation.