Clinical Significance of Gli-1 And Caveolin-1 Expression in the Human Small Cell Lung Cancer

Hedgehog pathway and cancer: A new area (Review)

In years of research on classical pathways, the composition, information transmission mechanism, crosstalk with other pathways, and physiological and pathological effects of hedgehog (HH) pathway have been gradually clarified. HH also plays a critical role in tumor formation and development. According to the update of interpretation of tumor phenotypes, the latest relevant studies have been sorted out, to explore the specific mechanism of HH pathway in regulating different tumor phenotypes through gene mutation and signal regulation. The drugs and natural ingredients involved in regulating HH pathway were also reviewed; five approved drugs and drugs under research exert efficacy by blocking HH pathway, and at least 22 natural components have potential to treat tumors by HH pathway. Nevertheless, there is a deficiency of existing studies. The present review confirmed the great potential of HH pathway in future cancer treatment with factual basis.

Caveolin-1's dual impact on endometrioid endometrial carcinoma: a histopathological and immunohistochemical study

The objectives of this study are to evaluate caveolin-1 expression in endometrioid endometrial cancer and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters. Forty-four cases of endometrioid endometrial carcinomas underwent radical hysterectomy. The archived paraffin sections that were stained for caveolin-1 by immunohistochemistry, caveolin-1 expression were detected in cancerous epithelial cells in 18.2% of the cases, and stromal caveolin-1 was detected in 65.9% of the cases. Caveolin-1 expression in the epithelium showed a significant positive association with the T stage and the FIGO stage. Positive caveolin-1 expression in epithelium has a direct, positive and significant relationship with invasion of other organs and a direct and significant relationship with the advanced FIGO stage. As for caveolin-1 expression in the stroma, it showed a significant negative inversely significant association with myometrial invasion. Also, there is a significant negative association between caveolin-1 expression in the epithelium and its expression in the stroma. We conclude that caveolin-1 expression strongly plays a critical role in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma as a tumor suppressor or promoter of invasion. In early lesions, high stromal levels appear to be protective against progression. While decreased stromal expression and increased epithelial expression were associated with aggressive tumors.

GLI1 polymorphisms influence remission rate and prognosis of young de novo acute myeloid leukemia patients treated with cytarabine-based chemotherapy

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly heterogeneous hematological malignancy. Cytarabine (Ara-C)-based chemotherapy is the primary treatment for AML, but currently known prognostic risk stratification factors cannot fully explain the individual differences in outcome of patients. In this article, we reported that patients with homozygous GLI1 rs2228224 mutation (AA genotype) had a significantly lower complete remission rate than those with GG wild type (54.17% vs.76.02%, OR = 1.993, 95% CI: 1.062-3.504, P = 0.031). GLI1 rs2229300 T allele carriers had remarkably shorter overall survival (513 vs. 645 days, P = 0.004) and disease-free survival (342 vs. 456 days, P = 0.033) than rs2229300 GG carriers. Rs2229300 G > T variation increased the transcriptional activity of GLI1. CCND1, CD44 and PROM1 were potential target genes differentially regulated by GLI1 rs2229300. Our results demonstrated for the first time that GLI1 polymorphisms influence chemosensitivity and prognosis of young de novo AML patients treated with Ara-C.

GLI1 and PTTG1 expression in colorectal carcinoma patients undergoing radical surgery and their correlation with lymph node metastasis

BACKGROUND

Few studies have investigated the expression of GLI1 and PTTG1 in patients undergoing radical surgery for colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and their association with lymph node metastasis (LNM). Therefore, more relevant studies and analyses need to be conducted.

AIM

To explore GLI1 and PTTG1 expression in patients undergoing radical surgery for CRC and their correlation with LNM.

METHODS

This study selected 103 patients with CRC admitted to our hospital between April 2020 and April 2023. Sample specimens of CRC and adjacent tissues were collected to determine the positive rates and expression levels of GLI1 and PTTG1. The correlation of the two genes with patients' clinicopathological data (e.g., LNM) was explored, and differences in GLI1 and PTTG1 expression between patients with LNM and those without were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive potential of the two genes for LNM in patients with CRC.

RESULTS

Significantly higher positive rates and expression levels of GLI1 and PTTG1 were observed in CRC tissue samples compared with adjacent tissues. GLI1 and PTTG1 were strongly linked to LNM in patients undergoing radical surgery for CRC, with higher GLI1 and PTTG1 levels found in patients with LNM than in those without. The areas under the ROC curve of GLI1 and PTTG1 in assessing LNM in patients with CRC were 0.824 and 0.811, respectively.

CONCLUSION

GLI1 and PTTG1 expression was upregulated in patients undergoing radical surgery for CRC and are significantly related to LNM in these patients. Moreover, high GLI1 and PTTG1 expression can indicate LNM in patients with CRC undergoing radical surgery. The expression of both genes has certain diagnostic and therapeutic significance.

Mechanism of PKM2 affecting cancer immunity and metabolism in Tumor Microenvironment

PKM2 is the enzyme that regulates the final rate-limiting step of glycolysis. PKM2 expression can reinforce the utilization of oxygen and synthesis of growth substances in cancer cells by enhancing OXPHOS and the Warburg effect. In cancer immunity, PKM2 can modulate the expression of PD-L1 in M2 macrophage and decrease the amount and activity of CD8+ T cells. This affects cancer cell killing and immune escape sequentially. How PKM2 regulates PD-L1 expression through immunometabolism is summarized. PKM2 builds a bridge between energy metabolism and cancer immunity. The activator and inhibitor of PKM2 both promote the anti-cancer immune response and inhibit cancer growth and metastasis by regulating the metabolism of cancer cells and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment through HIF-1α/PKM2 pathway. This review focuses on the precise role of PKM2 modulating immunometabolism, providing valuable suggestions for further study in this field.

Association of Caveolin-1 Expression With Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose

The prognostic value of caveolin-1 in prostate cancer remains uncertain. Hence, this meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic value of caveolin-1 in prostate cancer, as well as ascertain the relationship between caveolin-1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of prostate cancer patients.

Methods

The PubMed, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese Biology Medicine databases were electronically searched to retrieve published studies on caveolin-1 expression in prostate cancer. After study selection and data extraction, the meta-analysis was conducted using Review manager 5.3 software. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to estimate the pooled effect. Funnel plot was used to assess publication bias.

Results

A total of ten studies were enrolled, which included 3976 cases of prostate cancer, 72 cases of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), and 157 normal controls. Results of the meta-analysis showed that the positive rate of caveolin-1 expression in prostate cancer was 18.28 times higher than that in normal control (OR= 18.28, 95% CI: 9.02–37.04, p<0.01), and 4.73 times higher than that in HGPIN (OR= 4.73, 95% CI: 2.38–9.42, p<0.01). The relationship between caveolin-1 and clinicopathological characteristics of prostate cancer showed that the differences in caveolin-1 expression in patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) >10 vs. ≤ 10 (OR=2.09, 95% CI: 1.35–3.22, p<0.01), differentiation degree low vs. medium/high (OR=2.74, 95% CI: 1.84–4.08, p<0.01), TNM stage T3+T4 vs. T1+T2 (OR=2.77, 95% CI: 1.78–4.29, p<0.01), and lymph node metastasis present vs. absent (OR=2.61, 95% CI: 1.84–3.69, p<0.01) were statistically significant. The correlation analysis between caveolin-1 and the survival time of patients with prostate cancer demonstrated that caveolin-1 was closely related to the prognosis of prostate cancer patients (HR=1.50, 95% CI: 1.28–1.76, p<0.01).

Conclusion

Caveolin-1 is overexpressed in prostate cancer, which can serve as a risk factor and adverse clinicopathological feature of prostate cancer. Caveolin-1 can also predict poor survival in prostate cancer patients after radical prostatectomy.

Epigenetic landscape of small cell lung cancer: small image of a giant recalcitrant disease

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a particular subtype of lung cancer with high mortality. Recent advances in understanding SCLC genomics and breakthroughs of immunotherapy have substantially expanded existing knowledge and treatment modalities. However, challenges associated with SCLC remain enigmatic and elusive. Most of the conventional drug discovery approaches targeting altered signaling pathways in SCLC end up in the 'grave-yard of drug discovery', which mandates exploring novel approaches beyond inhibiting cell signaling pathways. Epigenetic modifications have long been documented as the key contributors to the tumorigenesis of almost all types of cancer, including SCLC. The last decade witnessed an exponential increase in our understanding of epigenetic modifications for SCLC. The present review highlights the central role of epigenetic regulations in acquiring neoplastic phenotype, metastasis, aggressiveness, resistance to chemotherapy, and immunotherapeutic approaches of SCLC. Different types of epigenetic modifications (DNA/histone methylation or acetylation) that can serve as predictive biomarkers for prognostication, treatment stratification, neuroendocrine lineage determination, and development of potential SCLC therapies are also discussed. We also review the utility of epigenetic targets/epidrugs in combination with first-line chemotherapy and immunotherapy that are currently under investigation in preclinical and clinical studies. Altogether, the information presents the inclusive landscape of SCLC epigenetics and epidrugs that will help to improve SCLC outcomes.

Multifaceted Roles of Caveolin-1 in Lung Cancer: A New Investigation Focused on Tumor Occurrence, Development and Therapy

Lung cancer is one of the most common and malignant cancers with extremely high morbidity and mortality in both males and females. Although traditional lung cancer treatments are fast progressing, there are still limitations. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), a main component of caveolae, participates in multiple cellular events such as immune responses, endocytosis, membrane trafficking, cellular signaling and cancer progression. It has been found tightly associated with lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis resistance and drug resistance. In addition to this, multiple bioactive molecules have been confirmed to target Cav-1 to carry on their anti-tumor functions in lung cancers. Cav-1 can also be a predictor for lung cancer patients’ prognosis. In this review, we have summarized the valuable research on Cav-1 and lung cancer in recent years and discussed the multifaceted roles of Cav-1 on lung cancer occurrence, development and therapy, hoping to provide new insights into lung cancer treatment.

microRNA: The Impact on Cancer Stemness and Therapeutic Resistance

Cancer ranks as the second leading cause of death worldwide, causing a large social and economic burden. However, most anti-cancer treatments face the problems of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, finding an effective cure for cancer needs to be solved urgently. Recently, the discovery of cancer stem cells (CSCs) provides a new orientation for cancer research and therapy. CSCs share main characteristics with stem cells and are able to generate an entire tumor. Besides, CSCs usually escape from current anti-cancer therapies, which is partly responsible for tumor recurrence and poor prognosis. microRNAs (miRNAs) belong to small noncoding RNA and regulate gene post-transcriptional expression. The dysregulation of miRNAs leads to plenty of diseases, including cancer. The aberrant miRNA expression in CSCs enhances stemness maintenance. In this review, we summarize the role of miRNAs on CSCs in the eight most common cancers, hoping to bridge the research of miRNAs and CSCs with clinical applications. We found that miRNAs can act as tumor promoter or suppressor. The dysregulation of miRNAs enhances cell stemness and contributes to tumor metastasis and therapeutic resistance via the formation of feedback loops and constitutive activation of carcinogenic signaling pathways. More importantly, some miRNAs may be potential targets for diagnosis, prognosis, and cancer treatments.

Different Role of Caveolin-1 Gene in the Progression of Gynecological Tumors

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), an integral membrane protein, is a principal component of caveolae and has been reported to play a promoting or inhibiting role in cancer progression. Gynecologic tumor is a group of tumors that affect the tissue and organs of the female reproductive system, especially cervical cancer. Cervical cancer, as one of the most common cancers, severely affects female health in developing countries in particular because of its high morbidity and mortality. This review summarizes some mechanisms of Cav-1 in the development and progression of gynecological tumors. The role of Cav-1 in tumorigenesis, including dysregulation of cell cycle, apoptosis and autophagy, adhesion, invasion, and metastasis, such as the formation of invadopodia and matrix metalloproteinase degradation are presented in detail. In addition, Cav-1 modulates autophagy and the formation of invadopodia and target regulated by miRNAs to affect tumor progress. Taken together, we find that, no matter Cav-1 expression in the tumor or stromal cells , Cav-1 has paradoxical role in different types of gynecological tumors in vivo or in vitro and even in the same tumor from the same organ.

Caveolin-1: a multifaceted driver of breast cancer progression and its application in clinical treatment

Human breast cancer is one of the most frequent cancer diseases and causes of death among female population worldwide. It appears at a high incidence and has a high malignancy, mortality, recurrence rate and poor prognosis. Caveolin-1 (Cav1) is the main component of caveolae and participates in various biological events. More and more experimental studies have shown that Cav1 plays a critical role in the progression of breast cancer including cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, invasion, migration and breast cancer metastasis. Besides, Cav1 has been found to be involved in chemotherapeutics and radiotherapy resistance, which are still the principal problems encountered in clinical breast cancer treatment. In addition, stromal Cav1 may be a potential indicator for breast cancer patients' prognosis. In the current review, we cover the state-of-the-art study, development and progress on Cav1 and breast cancer, altogether describing the role of Cav1 in breast cancer progression and application in clinical treatment, in the hope of providing a basis for further research and promoting CAV1 gene as a potential target to diagnose and treat aggressive breast cancers.