Identification of NUTF2 as a Candidate Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker Associated with Immune Infiltration in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Bioreactor-based stem cell therapy for liver fibrosis

Stem cell therapy, achieved using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has been highlighted for the treatment of liver fibrosis. Infusion into the circulatory system is a traditional application of MSCs; however, this approach is limited by phenotypic drift, stem cell senescence, and vascular embolism. Maintaining the therapeutic phenotype of MSCs while avoiding adverse infusion-related reactions is the key to developing next-generation stem cell therapy technologies. Here, we propose a bioreactor-based MSCs therapy to avoid cell infusion. In this scheme, 5% liver fibrosis serum was used to induce the therapeutic phenotype of MSCs, and a fluid bioreactor carrying a co-culture system of hepatocytes and MSCs was constructed to produce the therapeutic medium. In a rat model of liver fibrosis, the therapeutic medium derived from the bioreactor significantly alleviated liver fibrosis. Therapeutic mechanisms include immune regulation, inhibition of hepatic stellate cell activation, establishment of hepatocyte homeostasis, and recovery of liver stem cell subsets. Overall, the bioreactor-based stem cell therapy (scheme) described here represents a promising new strategy for the treatment of liver fibrosis and will be beneficial for the development of 'cell-free' stem cell therapy.

NUTF2 as a Prognostic Indicator and Potential Therapeutic Target in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Aim: To identify genes associated with the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) and potential molecular targets for therapy. Materials and Methods: Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, Human Protein Atlas, University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer, LinkedOmics, cBioPortal, Cell Counting Kit 8, and polymerase chain reaction were used in this study. Results: The expression level of nuclear transport factor 2 (NUTF2) was elevated in HNSC tissues and was associated with poor prognosis in HNSC patients. NUTF2-targeted intervention inhibited the proliferation of HNSC cells. SEC61G, which was positively correlated with NUTF2, was decreased in HNSC cells with NUTF2 suppression. Conclusions: NUTF2 may be correlated with the prognosis and development of HNSC, laying the foundation for future studies on the potential role of NUTF2 in HNSC.

A novel neutrophil extracellular trap signature to predict prognosis and immunotherapy response in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common malignant cancers, and patients with HNSCC possess early metastases and poor prognosis. Systematic therapies (including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy) are generally applied in the advanced/late stages of HNSCC, but primary and acquired resistance eventually occurs. At present, reliable biomarkers to predict the prognosis of HNSCC have not been completely identified. Recent studies have shown that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are implicated in cancer progression, metastasis and cancer immune response, and NET-related gene signatures are associated with the prognosis of patients with several human cancers. To explore whether NET-related genes play crucial roles in HNSCC, we have performed systematic analysis and reported several findings in the current study. Firstly, we identified seven novel NET-related genes and developed a NET-score signature, which was highly associated with the clinicopathological and immune traits of the HNSCC patients. Then, we, for the first time, found that NIFK was significantly upregulated in HNSCC patient samples, and its levels were significantly linked to tumor malignancy and immune status. Moreover, functional experiments confirmed that NIFK was required for HNSCC cell proliferation and metastasis. Altogether, this study has identified a novel NET-score signature based on seven novel NET-related genes to predict the prognosis of HNSCC and NIFK has also explored a new method for personalized chemo-/immuno-therapy of HNSCC.

The expression and methylation of PITX genes is associated with the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background: The PITX gene family, comprising PITX1, PITX2, and PITX3, is critical in organogenesis and has been evolutionary conserved in animals. PITX genes are associated with the advanced progression and poor prognosis of multiple cancers. However, the relationship between the PITX genes and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) has not been reported.

Methods: We used data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to analyze the association between PITX mRNA expression and clinicopathological parameters of patients with HNSC. The prognostic value of PITX genes was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier plotter. Multivariate Cox analysis was used to screen out prognosis-associated genes to identify better prognostic indicators. The potential roles of PITX1 and PITX2 in HNSC prognosis were investigated using the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. The correlation between PITX1 and PITX2 expression or methylation and immune cell infiltration was evaluated using the tumor-immune system interaction database (TISIDB). MethSurv was used to identify DNA methylation and its effect on HNSC prognosis.

Results:PITX genes expression was correlated with different cancers. PITX1 and PITX2 expression was lower in the patients with HNSC. In HNSC, PITX1 expression was significantly related to the clinical stage, histologic grade, and N stage, while PITX2 expression was only significantly related to the histologic grade. The high expression of PITX3 was significantly related to the histologic grade, T stage, and N stage. Survival analysis revealed that PITX genes had prognostic value in HNSC, which was supported by multivariate Cox analysis. PPI network and enrichment analysis showed that the genes interacting with PITX1 and PITX2 belonged predominantly to signaling pathways associated with DNA binding and transcription. Of the CpG DNA methylation sites in PITX1 and PITX2, 28 and 22 were related to the prognosis of HNSC, respectively. Additionally, PITX1 and PITX2 expression and methylation was associated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).

Conclusion: The PITX genes were differentially expressed in patients with HNSC, highlighting their essential role in DNA methylation and tumor-infiltrating immune cell regulation, as well as overall prognostic value in HNSC.