Decreased expression of SPINT1-AS1 and SPINT1 mRNA might be independent unfavorable prognostic indicators in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Disulfideptosis-associated lncRNAs reveal features of prognostic, immune escape, tumor mutation, and tumor malignant progression in renal clear cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

Investigating the role of lncRNAs associated with the latest cell death mode (Disulfideptosis) in renal clear cell carcinoma, as well as their correlation with tumor prognosis, immune escape, immune checkpoints, tumor mutational burden, and malignant tumor progression. Searching for potential biomarkers and targets for renal clear cell carcinoma.

METHODS

Downloaded the expression profile data and clinical data of 533 cases of renal clear cell carcinoma from the TCGA database, and randomly divided them into a test set (267 cases) and a validation set (266 cases). Based on previous research, 13 genes associated with Disulfideptosis were obtained. Using R software, lncRNAs with a differential expression that is related to the prognosis of renal clear cell carcinoma and associated with Disulfideptosis were screened out. After univariate Cox regression analysis, Lasso regression analysis, and multivariate Cox regression analysis, lncRNAs with independent predictive ability were obtained. A predictive risk model was established based on the risk scores. Verification was carried out between the obtained high-risk and low-risk groups and their subgroups (including Age, Gender, tumor mutational burden (TMB), tumor grading, and staging). Subsequently, a nomogram was established, and a calibration curve was generated for verification. Performed GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) functional enrichment analyses. Downloaded the values of Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) for all samples and calculated the difference between the high and low-risk groups. Selected human renal tumor cell lines (786-O, OS-RC-2, A-498, ACHN) and human renal cortex proximal tubule epithelial cell line (HK-2). The RNA expression levels of the above lncRNAs in each cell line were analyzed using RT-qPCR (Real-time Quantitative PCR Detecting System). Used siRNA (small interfering RNA) to knock down FAM225B in 786-O and OS-RC-2 cell lines, and then performed in vitro cell experiments to validate the functional characteristics of FAM225B.

RESULTS

Our constructed predictive model includes 5 lncRNAs with an independent predictive ability (FAM225B, ZNF503-AS1, SPINT1-AS1, WWC2-AS2, LINC01338), which can effectively distinguish between patients in high and low-risk groups and their subgroups. The 1, 3, and 5-year AUC (Area Under the ROC Curve) values of the established nomogram are 0.756, 0.752, and 0.781, respectively. The 5-year AUC value is higher compared to other clinical characteristics (Age: 0.598, Gender: 0.488, Grade: 0.680, Stage: 0.717). After the knockdown of FAM225B, the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of renal cancer cell lines OS-RC-2 and 786-O all decreased.

CONCLUSION

We have constructed and validated a prognostic model based on Disulfideptosis-associated lncRNAs. This model can effectively predict the high or low risk of patient prognosis and can distinguish the tumor cell mutational burden and immune escape capabilities among high-risk and low-risk patients. This predictive model can serve as an independent prognostic factor for renal clear cell carcinoma, providing a new direction for personalized treatment of patients with renal clear cell carcinoma.

Development of a novel disulfidptosis-related lncRNA signature for prognostic and immune response prediction in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Disulfidptosis, a novel form of regulated cell death, occurs due to the aberrant accumulation of intracellular cystine and other disulfides. Moreover, targeting disulfidptosis could identify promising approaches for cancer treatment. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to be critically implicated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) development. Currently, the involvement of disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs in ccRCC is yet to be elucidated. This study primarily dealt with identifying and validating a disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs-based signature for predicting the prognosis and immune landscape of individuals with ccRCC. Clinical and RNA sequencing data of ccRCC samples were accessed from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted for the identification of the disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs. Additionally, univariate Cox regression analysis, Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator Cox regression, and stepwise multivariate Cox analysis were executed to develop a novel risk prognostic model. The prognosis-predictive capacity of the model was then assessed using an integrated method. Variation in biological function was noted using GO, KEGG, and GSEA. Additionally, immune cell infiltration, the tumor mutational burden (TMB), and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) scores were calculated to investigate differences in the immune landscape. Finally, the expression of hub disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs was validated using qPCR. We established a novel signature comprised of eight lncRNAs that were associated with disulfidptosis (SPINT1-AS1, AL121944.1, AC131009.3, AC104088.3, AL035071.1, LINC00886, AL035587.2, and AC007743.1). Kaplan-Meier and receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated the acceptable predictive potency of the model. The nomogram and C-index confirmed the strong correlation between the risk signature and clinical decision-making. Furthermore, immune cell infiltration analysis and ssGSEA revealed significantly different immune statuses among risk groups. TMB analysis revealed the link between the high-risk group and high TMB. It is worth noting that the cumulative effect of the patients belonging to the high-risk group and having elevated TMB led to decreased patient survival times. The high-risk group depicted greater TIDE scores in contrast with the low-risk group, indicating greater potential for immune escape. Finally, qPCR validated the hub disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs in cell lines. The established novel signature holds potential regarding the prognosis prediction of individuals with ccRCC as well as predicting their responses to immunotherapy.

Low RCAN1.2 mRNA Expression Is Associated with Poor Prognosis of Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: This study aims to explore the role of RCAN1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells, determine the mRNA level of three RCAN1 isoforms in ESCC tissue, and evaluate the prognostic value of three RCAN1 isoforms. Methods: Colony-forming assay, Wound-healing assay and Transwell assay were used to evaluate the effect of RCAN1 on cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The mRNA expression of three RCAN1 isoforms was detected in paired tumor and normal tissues from 100 ESCC patients by real-time PCR. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards model were used to evaluate the prognostic value of three RCAN1 isoforms. A nomogram was used to predict the probability of 2-year and 5-year overall survival (OS). Results: In vitro, knockdown of RCAN1 could promote ESCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities. Compared to the paired normal tissues, RCAN1 isoform 1 (RCAN1.1, P=0.0027) and RCAN1 isoform 2 (RCAN1.2, P=0.0006) were significantly decreased in tumor tissues. The low expression of RCAN1.2 mRNA was associated with advanced stage (P=0.0176) and lymph node metastasis (LNM, P=0.0219). ESCC patients with low RCAN1.2 mRNA levels had shorter survival time compared to those with high RCAN1.2 levels (P=0.007). Multivariate COX analysis indicated that RCAN1.2 mRNA level was an independent prognostic indicator of OS of patients with ESCC (hazard ratio=0.5266, P=0.03554). The concordance index of nomogram to predict OS was 0.693 based on LNM, RCAN1.2, tumor stage and patients' age. Conclusion: These findings show that RCAN1 gene play a role in preventing proliferation, migration, and invasive activity of ESCC cells. RCAN1.2 mRNA level is a novel prognostic marker in ESCC, targeting RCAN1.2 may provide a potential therapeutic approach in ESCC.

A model based on immune-related lncRNA pairs and its potential prognostic value in immunotherapy for melanoma

A model based on long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) pairs independent of expression quantification was constructed to evaluate prognosis melanoma and response to immunotherapy in melanoma. RNA sequencing data and clinical information were retrieved and downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Genotype-Tissue Expression databases. We identified differentially expressed immune-related lncRNAs (DEirlncRNAs), matched them, and used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and Cox regression to construct predictive models. The optimal cutoff value of the model was determined using a receiver operating characteristic curve and used to categorize melanoma cases into high-risk and low-risk groups. The predictive efficacy of the model with respect to prognosis was compared with that of clinical data and ESTIMATE (Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues using Expression data). Then, we analyzed the correlations of risk score with clinical characteristics, immune cell invasion, anti-tumor, and tumor-promoting activities. Differences in survival, degree of immune cell infiltration, and intensity of anti-tumor and tumor-promoting activities were also evaluated in the high- and low-risk groups. A model based on 21 DEirlncRNA pairs was established. Compared with ESTIMATE score and clinical data, this model could better predict outcomes of melanoma patients. Follow-up analysis of the model's effectiveness showed that patients in the high-risk group had poorer prognosis and were less likely to benefit from immunotherapy compared with those in the low-risk group. Moreover, there were differences in tumor-infiltrating immune cells between the high-risk and low-risk groups. By pairing the DEirlncRNA, we constructed a model to evaluate the prognosis of cutaneous melanoma independent of a specific level of lncRNA expression.

A Pleiotropic Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs in the Modulation of Wnt/β-Catenin and PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathways in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Implication in Chemotherapeutic Drug Response

Despite the availability of modern techniques for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), tumor recurrence and metastasis are significant challenges in clinical management. Thus, ESCC possesses a poor prognosis and low five-year overall survival rate. Notably, the origin and recurrence of the cancer phenotype are under the control of complex cancer-related signaling pathways. In this review, we provide comprehensive knowledge about long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) related to Wnt/β-catenin and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in ESCC and its implications in hindering the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs. We observed that a pool of lncRNAs, such as HERES, TUG1, and UCA1, associated with ESCC, directly or indirectly targets various molecules of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and facilitates the manifestation of multiple cancer phenotypes, including proliferation, metastasis, relapse, and resistance to anticancer treatment. Additionally, several lncRNAs, such as HCP5 and PTCSC1, modulate PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways during the ESCC pathogenesis. Furthermore, a few lncRNAs, such as AFAP1-AS1 and LINC01014, block the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drugs, including cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, and gefitinib, used for ESCC treatment. Therefore, this review may help in designing a better therapeutic strategy for ESCC patients.

Identification and Construction of a Predictive Immune-Related lncRNA Signature Model for Melanoma

Objective

The occurrence and development mechanisms of melanoma are related to immunity and lncRNAs. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically explore immune-related lncRNA profiles to help improve the prognosis of melanoma.

Methods

We integrated immune-related lncRNAs and the basic clinical information of melanoma patients in the TCGA dataset. Immune-associated lncRNAs were selected by differential expression screening and enriched for analysis. After univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, a new prognostic indicator based on immune-associated lncRNAs was established.

Results

Overall, differentially expressed immune-related lncRNAs were significantly associated with clinical outcomes in patients with melanoma. A prognostic model was then established based on 14 immune-associated lncRNAs (LRRC8C-DT, AC021188.1, MALINC1, CCR5AS, EIF2AK3-DT, AC022306.2, AC242842.1, AL034376.1, AL662844.4, AC009065.3, AC099811.3, AC125807.2, SPINT1-AS1 and AC009495.2). Melanoma patients in the high-risk group had worse overall survival than those in the low-risk group. The AUC of the risk score was 0.786.

Conclusion

This study identified several clinically significant immune-related lncRNAs and established a relevant prognostic model, which provided a molecular analysis of immunity in melanoma and potential prognostic lncRNAs for melanoma.

Transcriptome analysis of human Leydig cell tumours reveals potential mechanisms underlying its development

Leydig cell tumours are the most common sex cord-stromal tumours. In the last years, apparent increased incidence is noted while aetiology of the tumour is still unknown. Therefore, here, we focused on the genetics of Leydig cell tumours using the next-generation sequencing. Leydig cell micronodules were revealed in patients with azoospermia who were qualified for testicular biopsy. Complete gene set of Leydig cell tumours was compared with transcriptome of healthy Leydig cells obtained from donors. Bioinformatic analysis of the obtained sequencing data revealed alterations in expression of 219 transcripts. We showed, for the first time, that a significant proportion of differentially expressed genes is directly involved in regulation of apoptotic process, which downregulation might be important to Leydig cell tumour development. Additionally, we found a significant upregulation of heat shock protein genes that might be a unique feature of Leydig cell tumours when compared to other tumour types. Our study offers fundamental transcriptomic data for future studies on human Leydig cell tumour that are crucial to determine its causes. Moreover, presented here the in-depth analysis and discussion of alterations observed in tumour transcriptome may be important for the diagnosis and therapy of this pathology.

Potential biomarkers and lncRNA-mRNA regulatory networks in invasive growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas

PURPOSE

Growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas (GH-PAs) are common subtypes of functional PAs. Invasive GH-PAs play a key role in restricting poor outcomes. The transcriptional changes in GH-PAs were evaluated.

METHODS

In this study, the transcriptome analysis of six different GH-PA samples was performed. The functional roles, co-regulatory network, and chromosome location of differentially expressed (DE) genes in invasive GH-PAs were explored.

RESULTS

Bioinformatic analysis revealed 101 DE mRNAs and 70 DE long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) between invasive and non-invasive GH-PAs. Functional enrichment analysis showed that epithelial cell differentiation and development pathways were suppressed in invasive GH-PAs, whereas the pathways of olfactory transduction, retinol metabolism, drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, and metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 had an active trend. In the protein-protein interaction network, 11 main communities were characterized by cell- adhesion, -motility, and -cycle; transport process; phosphorus and hormone metabolic processes. The SGK1 gene was suggested to play a role in the invasiveness of GH-PAs. Furthermore, the up-regulated genes OR51B6, OR52E4, OR52E8, OR52E6, OR52N2, MAGEA6, MAGEC1, ST8SIA6-AS1, and the down-regulated genes GAD1-AS1 and SPINT1-AS1 were identified in the competing endogenous RNA network. The RT-qPCR results further supported the aberrant expression of those genes. Finally, the enrichment of DE genes in chromosome 11p15 and 12p13 regions were detected.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide a new perspective for studies evaluating the underlying mechanism of invasive GH-PAs.

MET transcriptional regulator/serine peptidase inhibitor kunitz type 1 panel operating through HGF/c-MET axis as a prognostic signature in pan-cancer

Dysregulations in transcription factors (TFs) and their genetic products play important roles in tumorigenesis, tumor progression and metastasis. However, prognostic value of the transcriptional regulatory networks in different cancers has not been investigated in depth. The purpose of our study was to identify and validate a potential predictive signature that combines TFs and their regulatory products in eight solid tumors. We used bioinformatics analysis to identify MET Transcriptional Regulator (MACC1) and Serine Peptidase Inhibitor Kunitz Type 1 (SPINT1) as candidate TFs with the respective downstream regulatory proteins for patient prognosis in pan‐cancer. Subsequent molecular analysis of clinical gastric cancer tissue samples further verified the negative correlation between MACC1 and SPINT1. Further, we showed that mechanistically, MACC1/SPINT1 mediated the pro‐HGF proteolysis and c‐Met phosphorylation in HGF/c‐MET signaling pathway. Kaplan‐Meier plots and receiver operating characteristics analysis revealed that the two‐gene signature combining MACC1 with SPINT1 was effective in predicting survival in all eight cancer cohorts tested. In conclusion, our study clarified the regulatory relationship between MACC1 and SPINT1 in the context of the HGF/c‐MET signaling pathway and determined MACC1/SPINT1 panel as a valuable signature for the prediction of prognosis in patients for multiple solid cancer types.

Construction and validation of an autophagy-related long noncoding RNA signature for prognosis prediction in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma patients

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify autophagy‐associated long noncoding RNAs (ARlncRNAs) using the kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and to construct a prognostic risk‐related ARlncRNAs signature to accurately predict the prognosis of KIRC patients.

Methods

The KIRC patient data were originated from TCGA database and were classified into a training set and testing set. Seven prognostic risk‐related ARlncRNAs, identified using univariate, lasso, and multivariate Cox regression analysis, were used to construct prognostic risk‐related signatures. Kaplan–Meier curves and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves as well as independent prognostic factor analysis and correlation analysis with clinical characteristics were utilized to evaluate and verify the specificity and sensitivity of the signature in training set and testing set, respectively. Two nomograms were established to predict the probable 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year survival of the KIRC patients. In addition, the lncRNA‐mRNA co‐expression network was constructed and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used to identify biological functions of ARlncRNAs.

Results

We constructed and verified a prognostic risk‐related ARlncRNAs signature in training set and testing set, respectively. We found the survival time of KIRC patients with low‐risk scores was significantly better than those with high‐risk scores in training set and testing set. ROC curves suggested that the area under the ROC (AUC) value for prognostic risk score signature was 0.81 in training set and 0.705 in testing set. And AUC values corresponding to 1‐, 3‐, and 5 years of OS were 0.809, 0.753, and 0.794 in training set and 0.698, 0.682, and 0.754 in testing set, respectively. We established the two nomograms that confirmed high C‐index and accomplished good prediction accuracy.

Conclusions

We constructed a prognostic risk‐related ARlncRNAs signature that could accurately predict the prognosis of KIRC patients.

A panel of eight autophagy-related long non-coding RNAs is a good predictive parameter for clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) carries a variable prognosis. Prognostic biomarkers can stratify patients according to risk, and can provide crucial information for clinical decision-making. We screened for an autophagy-related long non-coding lncRNA (lncRNA) signature to improve postoperative risk stratification in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We confirmed this model in ICGC and SYSU cohorts as a significant and independent prognostic signature. Western blotting, autophagic-flux assay and transmission electron microscopy were used to verify that regulation of expression of 8 lncRNAs related to autophagy affected changes in autophagic flow in vitro. Our data suggest that 8-lncRNA signature related to autophagy is a promising prognostic tool in predicting the survival of patients with ccRCC. Combination of this signature with clinical and pathologic parameters could aid accurate risk assessment to guide clinical management, and this 8-lncRNAs signature related to autophagy may serve as a therapeutic target.

Development and Validation of a Nine-Redox-Related Long Noncoding RNA Signature in Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma

Background

Redox plays an essential role in the pathogeneses and progression of tumors, which could be regulated by long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). We aimed to develop and verify a novel redox-related lncRNA-based prognostic signature for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Materials and Methods

A total of 530 ccRCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were included in this study. All the samples were randomly split into training and test group at a 1 : 1 ratio. Then, we screened differentially expressed redox-related lncRNAs and constructed a novel prognostic signature from the training group using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operation (LASSO) and COX regression. Next, to verify the accuracy of the signature, we conducted risk and survival analysis, as well as the construction of ROC curve, nomogram, and calibration curves in the training group, test group, and all samples. Finally, the redox gene-redox-related lncRNA interaction network was constructed, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to investigate the status of redox-related functions between high/low-risk groups.

Results

A nine-redox-related lncRNA signature consisted of AC025580.3, COLCA1, AC027601.2, DLEU2, AC004918.3, AP006621.2, AL031670.1, SPINT1-AS1, and LAMA5-AS1 was significantly associated with overall survival in ccRCC patients. The signature proved efficient, and thus, a nomogram was successfully assembled. In addition, the GSEA results demonstrated that two major redox-related functions were enhanced in the high-risk group ccRCC patients.

Conclusions

Our findings robustly demonstrate that the nine-redox-related lncRNA signature could serve as an efficient prognostic indicator for ccRCC.

LncRNA MIR205HG Drives Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression by Regulating miR-214/SOX4 Axis

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common and fatal malignancy, which has posed a great challenge to public health, especially in China. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs is involved in the occurrence, development, invasion, and metastasis of multiple cancers including ESCC. However, little is known about the function of MIR205HG in ESCC.

Methods

We used qRT-PCR to detect the expression level of MIR205HG, miR-214, and SOX4 in human ESCC tissues and cell lines. Loss-of-functional assays were performed to test the impact of MIR205HG on cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis process via CCK-8, transwell, and flow cell cytometry assays. Additionally, the downstream molecular mechanism of MIR205HG in ESCC was explored.

Results

Here, we found MIR205HG was substantially up-regulated in ESCC, and there was a positive correlation between MIR205HG expression and tumor size and lymphatic metastasis of ESCC patients. Inhibition of MIR205HG attenuated cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Silencing MIR205HG increased G1 phase cell counts and decreased S phase cell counts, along with increased apoptotic cell populations. Notably, the rescue assays indicated that miR-214 could partly reverse the influence of MIR205HG on ESCC cell migration. We also found that SOX4 was a direct target mRNA of miR-214, and MIR205HG could act as a molecular sponge to regulate SOX4 expression in ESCC.

Conclusion

Taken together, our findings demonstrate that MIR205HG promotes ESCC progression by regulating the miR-214/SOX4 axis. MIR205HG may be a novel candidate target for ESCC diagnosis and therapy.

LncRNA SPINT1-AS1 promotes breast cancer proliferation and metastasis by sponging let-7 a/b/i-5p

BACKGROUND

A growing number of studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. In this study, we explored the function and molecular mechanism of lncRNA SPINT1-AS1 in breast cancer progression.

METHODS

A total of 30 patients and 25 healthy controls were enrolled to detect the expression of SPINT1-AS1 in the serum by RT-qPCR. CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, EdU assay, Transwell assay, Flow cytometry for apoptosis assay and wound healing assays were used to explore the effects of SPINT1-AS1 on the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. Bioinformatics analysis were used to enrich the downstream target genes and related pathways of miRNAs interacting with SPINT1-AS1, construct a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network diagram.

RESULTS

SPINT1-AS1 is up-regulated in the serum of breast cancer patients and breast cancer cell lines. The proliferation and migration ability of breast cancer cells were decreased significantly after SPINT1-AS1 knockdown, and it may inhibit its expression by sponging miR-let-7a/b/i-5p, thereby promoting breast cancer progression.

CONCLUSIONS

SPINT1-AS1 can promote the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells by regulating miR-let-7a/b/i-5p, suggesting that it may be an important regulator of breast cancer progression.

Alteration of plasma metabolites associated with chemoradiosensitivity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma via untargeted metabolomics approach

BACKGROUND

To investigate the differences in plasma metabolomic characteristics between pathological complete response (pCR) and non-pCR patients and identify biomarker candidates for predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

A total of 46 ESCC patients were included in this study. Gas chromatography time-of- flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF/MS) technology was applied to detect the plasma samples collected before nCRT via untargeted metabolomics analysis.

RESULTS

Five differentially expressed metabolites (out of 109) was found in plasma between pCR and non-pCR groups. Compared with non-pCR group, isocitric acid (p = 0.0129), linoleic acid (p = 0.0137), citric acid (p = 0.0473) were upregulated, while L-histidine (p = 0.0155), 3'4 dihydroxyhydrocinnamic acid (p = 0.0339) were downregulated in the pCR plasma samples. Pathway analyses unveiled that citrate cycle (TCA cycle), glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolic pathway were associated with ESCC chemoradiosensitivity.

CONCLUSION

The present study provided supporting evidence that GC-TOF/MS based metabolomics approach allowed identification of metabolite differences between pCR and non-pCR patients in plasma levels, and the systemic metabolic status of patients may reflect the response of ESCC patient to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

lncRNA MAFG-AS1 Contributes to Esophageal Squamous-Cell Carcinoma Progression via Regulating miR143/LASP1

Background

Increasing investigations indicate that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is responsible for diverse biological functions during the progression of cancer. However, its functions and underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we investigated the MAFG-AS1- expression profile in esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients and explored its biological function and potential molecular mechanisms.

Methods

qRT-PCR and the GEPIA data base were used to evaluate expression levels of MAFG-AS1 in ESCC tissue and cells. WST1-proliferation, -migration, and -invasion assays were performed to define the role of MAFG-AS1 in ESCC. Potential molecular mechanisms of MAFG-AS1 were investigated with online bioinformatic analysis, qRT-PCR, and rescue assays.

Results

MAFG-AS1 was upregulated in 45 ESCC-tissue samples and cell lines compared to that of adjacent nontumor tissue and normal esophageal cells. Higher MAFG-AS1 expressionindicated poor survival. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments suggested that MAFG-AS1 promoted ESCC-cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Molecular mechanism analysis and rescue assay showed that miR143 inhibitors partly abolished the suppression of MAFG-AS1 knockdown on EC109-cells proliferation. Moreover, we found that LASP1 specifically targeted miR143. Collectively, these data indicated that MAFG-AS1 served as a ceRNA to elevate LASP1 levels by sponging miR143, and played an oncogenic role in ESCC.

Conclusion

Our research findings demonstrate that MAFG-AS1 is a key regulator through a novel MAFG-AS1–miR143–LASP1 axis in ESCC development and progression, which may offer a potential therapeutic target for ESCC.