Study of NGEP expression pattern in cancerous tissues provides novel insights into prognostic marker in prostate cancer

ANO7 African-ancestral genomic diversity and advanced prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant health burden for African men, with mortality rates more than double global averages. The prostate specific Anoctamin 7 (ANO7) gene linked with poor patient outcomes has recently been identified as the target for an African-specific protein-truncating PCa-risk allele.

METHODS

Here we determined the role of ANO7 in a study of 889 men from southern Africa, leveraging exomic genotyping array PCa case-control data (n = 780, 17 ANO7 alleles) and deep sequenced whole genome data for germline and tumour ANO7 interrogation (n = 109), while providing clinicopathologically matched European-derived sequence data comparative analyses (n = 57). Associated predicted deleterious variants (PDVs) were further assessed for impact using computational protein structure analysis.

RESULTS

Notably rare in European patients, we found the common African PDV p.Ile740Leu (rs74804606) to be associated with PCa risk in our case-control analysis (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, false discovery rate/FDR = 0.03), while sequencing revealed co-occurrence with the recently reported African-specific deleterious risk variant p.Ser914* (rs60985508). Additional findings included a novel protein-truncating African-specific frameshift variant p.Asp789Leu, African-relevant PDVs associated with altered protein structure at Ca2+ binding sites, early-onset PCa associated with PDVs and germline structural variants in Africans (Linear regression models, -6.42 years, 95% CI = -10.68 to -2.16, P-value = 0.003) and ANO7 as an inter-chromosomal PCa-related gene fusion partner in African derived tumours.

CONCLUSIONS

Here we provide not only validation for ANO7 as an African-relevant protein-altering PCa-risk locus, but additional evidence for a role of inherited and acquired ANO7 variance in the observed phenotypic heterogeneity and African-ancestral health disparity.

Overexpression of Transmembrane Phosphatase with Tensin homology (TPTE) in prostate cancer is clinically significant, suggesting its potential as a valuable biomarker

PURPOSE

Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are a family of proteins typically expressed in male testicles but overexpressed in various cancer cell types. Transmembrane Phosphatase with Tensin homology (TPTE) is expressed only in the testis of healthy individuals and is a member of the family of CTAs. The current study, for the first time, examined the significance of TPTE expression in prostate cancer (PCa) tissues by generating a novel antibody marker targeting TPTE protein.

METHODS

Polyclonal antibodies were prepared for TPTE-p1 and TPTE-p2 peptides, which are derived from the extracellular domains of TPTE. Anti-TPTE-p2 antibody was then used to study the extent and pattern of TPTE expression in 102 PCa and 48 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissue samples by immunohistochemistry. The viability of cancer cell lines (PC-3 and MCF-7 cells) was also evaluated in the presence of anti-TPTE-p2 antibody using the MTT test.

RESULTS

The immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated a significant increase in cytoplasmic and membrane TPTE expression in the PCa samples compared to the BPH group (both P < 0.0001). Cytoplasmic TPTE expression was positively correlated with Gleason score and PSA levels (P = 0.03 and P = 0.001, respectively). Significant correlations were identified between the levels of PSA and perineural invasion and the membrane expression (P = 0.01, P = 0.04, respectively). Moreover, anti-TPTE-p2 antibody inhibited PC-3 and MCF-7 cells proliferation compared to the control group for 24 h (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively) as well as for 48 h (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that increased TPTE expression is associated with progression of disease. The ability of anti-TPTE-p2 antibody to recognize and target the TPTE protein makes it a potential biomarker to assess and/or target the PCa.

Predicting the spatial structure of membrane protein and B-cell epitopes of the MPXV_VEROE6 strain of monkeypox virus

By targeting the membrane (M) proteins of monkeypox virus (MPXV) strain VEROE6, we analyzed its evolutionary hierarchy and predicted its dominant antigenic B-cell epitope to provide a theoretical basis for the development of MPXV epitope vaccines and related monoclonal antibodies. In this study, phylogenetic trees were constructed based on the nucleic acid sequences of MPXV and the amino acid sequences of M proteins. The 3D structure of the MPXV_VEROE6 M proteins was predicted with AlphaFold v2.0 and the dominant antigenic B-cell epitopes were comprehensively predicted by analyzing parameters such as flexible segments, the hydrophilic index, the antigenic index, and the protein surface probability. The results showed that the M protein of MPXV_VEROE6 contained 377 amino acids, and their spatial configuration was relatively regular with a turning and random coil structure. The results of a comprehensive multiparameter analysis indicated that possible B-cell epitopes were located in the 23-28, 57-63, 67-78, 80-93, 98-105, 125-131, 143-149, 201-206, 231-237, 261-270, 291-303, and 346-362 amino acid segments. This study elucidated the structural and evolutionary characteristics of MPXV membrane proteins with the aim of providing theoretical information for the development of epitope vaccines, rapid diagnostic reagents, and monoclonal antibodies for monkeypox virus.

Influence of Anoctamin-4 and -9 on ADAM10 and ADAM17 Sheddase Function

Ca2+-activated Cl− channels (TMEM16, also known as anoctamins) perform important functions in cell physiology, including modulation of cell proliferation and cancer growth. Many members, including TMEM16F/ANO6, additionally act as Ca2+-activated phospholipid scramblases. We recently presented evidence that ANO6-dependent surface exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) is pivotal for the disintegrin-like metalloproteases ADAM10 and ADAM17 to exert their sheddase function. Here, we compared the influence of seven ANO family members (ANO1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10) on ADAM sheddase activity. Similar to ANO6, overexpression of ANO4 and ANO9 led to increased release of ADAM10 and ADAM17 substrates, such as betacellulin, TGFα, and amphiregulin (AREG), upon ionophore stimulation in HEK cells. Inhibitor experiments indicated that ANO4/ANO9-mediated enhancement of TGFα-cleavage broadened the spectrum of participating metalloproteinases. Annexin V-staining demonstrated increased externalisation of PS in ANO4/ANO9-overexpressing cells. Competition experiments with the soluble PS-headgroup phosphorylserine indicated that the ANO4/ANO9 effects were due to increased PS exposure. Overexpression of ANO4 or ANO9 in human cervical cancer cells (HeLa), enhanced constitutive shedding of the growth factor AREG and increased cell proliferation. We conclude that ANO4 and ANO9, by virtue of their scramblase activity, may play a role as important regulators of ADAM-dependent cellular functions.

The variant rs77559646 associated with aggressive prostate cancer disrupts ANO7 mRNA splicing and protein expression

Prostate cancer is among the most common cancers in men, with a large fraction of the individual risk attributable to heritable factors. A majority of the diagnosed cases does not lead to a lethal disease, and hence biological markers that can distinguish between indolent and fatal forms of the disease are of great importance for guiding treatment decisions. Although over 300 genetic variants are known to be associated with prostate cancer risk, few have been associated with the risk of an aggressive disease. One such variant is rs77559646 located in ANO7. This variant has a dual function. It constitutes a missense mutation in the short isoform of ANO7 and a splice region mutation in full-length ANO7. In this study, we have analyzed the impact of the variant allele of rs77559646 on ANO7 mRNA splicing using a minigene splicing assay and by performing splicing analysis with the tools IRFinder (intron retention finder), rMATS (replicate multivariate analysis of transcript splicing) and LeafCutter on RNA sequencing data from prostate tissue of six rs77559646 variant allele carriers and 43 non-carriers. The results revealed a severe disruption of ANO7 mRNA splicing in rs77559646 variant allele carriers. Immunohistochemical analysis of prostate samples from patients homozygous for the rs77559646 variant allele demonstrated a loss of apically localized ANO7 protein. Our study is the first to provide a mechanistic explanation for the impact of a prostate cancer risk SNP on ANO7 protein production. Furthermore, the rs77559646 variant is the first known germline loss-of-function mutation described for ANO7. We suggest that loss of ANO7 contributes to prostate cancer progression.

Co-expression of cancer-testis antigens of MAGE-A6 and MAGE-A11 is associated with tumor aggressiveness in patients with bladder cancer

Melanoma antigen gene (MAGE)-A6 and MAGE-A11 are two of the most cancer-testis antigens overexpressed in various types of cancers. However, the clinical and prognosis value of MAGE-A6 and MAGE-A11 co-expression in the pathophysiology of the bladder is unknown. Three studies were selected from GEO databases in order to introduce the common genes that are involved in bladder cancer. Then immunohistochemical analysis for staining pattern and clinicopathological significance of suggested markers, MAGE-A6 and MAGE-A11, were performed in 199 and 213 paraffin-embedded bladder cancer with long adjacent normal tissues, respectively. A significant and positive correlation was found between both nuclear and cytoplasmic expressions of MAGE-A6 as well as expression of cytoplasmic MAGE-A11 with histological grade, PT stage, lamina propria invasion, and LP/ muscularis (L/M) involvement (all of the p-values in terms of H-score were < 0.0001). Additionally, significant differences were found between both nuclear and cytoplasmic MAGE-A6/MAGE-A11 phenotypes with tumor size (P = 0.007, P = 0.043, respectively), different histological grades, PT stage, LP involvement, and L/M involvement (all of the p-values for both phenotypes were < 0.0001). The current study added the value of these novel markers to the bladder cancer clinical settlement that might be considered as an admirable target for immunotherapy.

Evaluation of G2013 (α-L-guluronic acid) efficacy on PC-3 cells through inhibiting the expression of inflammatory factors

Given multiple treatment strategies for prostate cancer, its mortality rate is still high; therefore, novel treatment strategies seem necessary. G2013 or α-L-guluronic acid is a new patented drug with immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the property of G2013 on inflammatory molecules involved in tumorigenesis of prostate cancer. MTT assay was used to assess the effect of the drug on the proliferation of PC-3 cells. Expression of interleukin 8 (IL-8), Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MYD-88), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), and MMP-9 genes were studied in the PC-3 cells treated with 25 (low dose) or 50 (high dose) µg/mL of G2013 for 24 h using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) technique. Protein expression of NF-κB and protein activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 were assayed using flow cytometry and gelatin zymography, respectively. The expression of COX-2 (p = 0.007 at low dose), MMP-2 (p = 0.023 at low dose, p = 0.002 at high dose), NF-κB (p = 0.004 at low dose) and IL-8 (p < 0.0001 in both doses) genes, NF-κB protein (p < 0.0001 in both doses), and MMP-2 activity (p < 0.0001 in both doses) were significantly reduced in the presence of G2013 as compared to the control group. Cancer cell proliferation was also inhibited under 10-500 µg/mL G2013 treatment. Our results revealed that G2013 has the potential to inhibit PC-3 cell proliferation and reduce the expression of tumour-promoting mediators, COX-2, MMP-2, NF-κB, and IL-8 involved in the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer.

The Anti-Proliferative Effect of a Newly-Produced Anti-PSCA-Peptide Antibody by Multiple Bioinformatics Tools, on Prostate Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND

Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) is a small cell surface protein, overexpressed in 90% of prostate cancers. Determination of epitopes that elicit an appropriate response to the antibody generation is vital for diagnostic and immunotherapeutic purposes for prostate cancer treatment. Presently, bioinformatics B-cell prediction tools can predict the location of epitopes, which is uncomplicated, faster, and more cost-effective than experimental methods.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to predict a novel linear peptide for Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) protein in order to generate anti-PSCA-peptide (p) antibody and to investigate its effect on prostate cancer cells.

METHODS

In the current study, a novel linear peptide for PSCA was predicted using in silico methods that utilize a set of linear B-cell epitope prediction tools. Polyclonal antibody (anti-PSCA-p antibody "Patent No. 99318") against PSCA peptide was generated. The antibody reactivity was determined by the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and its specificity by immunocytochemistry (ICC), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and Western Blotting (WB) assays. The effect of the anti-PSCA-p antibody on PSCA-expressing prostate cancer cell line was assessed by Methylthiazolyldiphenyl- Tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.

RESULTS

New peptide-fragment of PSCA sequence as "N-CVDDSQDYYVGKKN-C" (PSCA-p) was selected and synthesized. The anti-PSCA-p antibody against the PSCA-p showed immunoreactivity with PSCA-p specifically bound to PC-3 cells. Also, the anti-PSCA-p antibody strongly stained the prostate cancer tissues as compared to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and normal tissues (P < 0.001). As the degree of malignancy increased, the staining intensity was also elevated in prostate cancer tissue (P < 0.001). Interestingly, the anti-PSCA-p antibody showed anti-proliferative effects on PC-3 cells (31%) with no growth inhibition effect on PSCA-negative cells.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we developed a new peptide sequence (PSCA-p) of PSCA. The PSCA-p targeting by anti-PSCA-p antibody inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer cells, suggesting the potential of PSCA-p immunotherapy for future prostate cancer studies.

ANO7: Insights into topology, function, and potential applications as a biomarker and immunotherapy target

Anoctamin 7 (ANO7) is a member of the transmembrane protein TMEM16 family. It has a conservative topology similar to other members in this family, such as the typical eight-transmembrane domain, but it also has unique features. Although the ion channel role of ANO7 has been well accepted, evolutionary analyses and relevant studies suggest that ANO7 may be a multi-facet protein in function. Studies have shown that ANO7 may also function as a scramblase. ANO7 is highly expressed in prostate cancer as well as normal prostate tissues. A considerable amount of evidence has confirmed that ANO7 is associated with human physiology and pathology, particularly with the development of prostate cancer, which makes ANO7 a good candidate as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. In addition, ANO7 may be a potential target for prostate cancer immunotherapy. Antibody-based or T cell-mediated immunotherapies against prostate cancer by targeting ANO7 have been highly anticipated. ANO7 may also correlate with several other types of cancers or diseases, where further studies are warranted.

Nuclear overexpression levels of MAGE-A3 predict poor prognosis in patients with prostate cancer

Melanoma antigen gene A3 (MAGE-A3) is one of the most immunogenic cancer testis antigens and is common in various types of cancers. In this study, for the first time, we performed immunohistochemical analysis to evaluate the expression of MAGE-A3 in 153 prostate tissue samples including prostate cancer (PCa), benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HPIN). Increased both nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of MAGE-A3 was significantly found in PCa tissues compared with both HPIN and BPH tissues (nuclear expression at p = 0.011, and cytoplasmic expression at p = 0.034; for both comparisons p < 0.0001, respectively). A significant correlation was observed between higher nuclear and cytoplasmic expressions of MAGE-A3 with Gleason score (p < 0.0001 and 0.006, respectively). Increased expression of MAGE-A3 was associated with shorter biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCR-FS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients (p = 0.042 and = 0.0001, respectively). In multivariate analysis, nuclear expression of MAGE-A3 and Gleason score (≤7 vs >7) was independent predictors of the DFS (both; p = 0.019). Nuclear expression of MAGE-A3 was also significantly related to BCR-FS (p = 0.015). MAGE-A3 can be considered as a predictor for poor prognosis and an option for vaccine immunotherapy in patients with PCa.

Reduced anoctamin 7 (ANO7) expression is a strong and independent predictor of poor prognosis in prostate cancer

Objective

Anoctamin 7 (ANO7) is a calcium²⁺-dependent chloride ion channel protein. Its expression is restricted to prostate epithelial cells. The exact function is unknown. This study aimed to analyze ANO7 expression and its clinical significance in prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods

ANO7 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 17,747 clinical PCa specimens.

Results

ANO7 was strongly expressed in normal prostate glandular cells but often less abundant in cancer cells. ANO7 staining was interpretable in 13,594 cancer tissues and considered strong in 34.4%, moderate in 48.7%, weak in 9.3%, and negative in 7.6%. Reduced staining was tightly linked to adverse tumor features [high classical and quantitative Gleason grade, lymph node metastasis, advanced tumor stage, high Ki67 labeling index, positive surgical margin, and early biochemical recurrence (P < 0.0001 each)]. The univariate Cox hazard ratio for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence after prostatectomy in patients with negative vs. strong ANO7 expression was 2.98 (95% confidence interval 2.61-3.38). The prognostic impact was independent of established pre- or postoperatively available parameters (P < 0.0001). Analysis of annotated molecular data showed that low ANO7 expression was linked to TMPRSS2:ERG fusions (P < 0.0001), elevated androgen receptor expression (P < 0.0001), as well as presence of 9 of 11 chromosomal deletions (P < 0.05 each). A particularly strong association of low ANO7 expression with phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) deletion may indicate a functional relationship with the PTEN/AKT pathway.

Conclusions

These data identify reduced ANO7 protein expression as a strong and independent predictor of poor prognosis in PCa. ANO7 measurement, either alone or in combination, might provide clinically useful prognostic information in PCa.

Identification of Homo sapiens cancer classes based on fusion of hidden gene features

Classification of Homo sapiens cancer genes in molecular level is a challenging research issue as they are extremely pseudo random in nature. Signature gene features need to be exposed to distinctly identify the gene class. Tree-structured filter bank is chosen to perform feature extraction and dimension reduction of the genes. Extracted gene features are fused using Gaussian mixture probability distribution function and identify different cancer classes depending on amount of correlation and exploiting maximum likelihood function. The algorithm is tested on 161 sample gene data of 7 different cancer classes. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision and F-score are used as metrics to judge the performance of the system and ROC is plotted in comparison with existing electrical network model based classifier. The proposed classifier can identify more than stated number of cancer classes which is a major limitation of the existing electrical network based method. The proposed algorithm is validated by comparing the results with other seven existing image processing based methods.

A Review of Preclinical Experiments Toward Targeting M2 Macrophages in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is malignant cancer leading to high mortality in the male population. The existence of suppressive cells referred to as tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) is a major obstacle in prostate cancer immunotherapy. TAMs contribute to the immunosuppressive microenvironment that promotes tumor growth and metastasis. In fact, they are main regulators of the complicated interactions between tumor and surrounding microenvironment. M2 macrophages, as a type of TAMs, are involved in the growth and progression of prostate cancer. Recently, they have gained remarkable importance as therapeutic candidates for solid tumors. In this review, we will discuss the roles of M2 macrophages and worth of their potential targeting in prostate cancer treatment. In the following, we will introduce important factors resulting in M2 macrophage promotion and also experimental therapeutic agents that may cause the inhibition of prostate cancer tumor growth.

Genetic and molecular determinants of prostate cancer among Iranian patients: An update

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common age-related cancers among men. Various environmental and genetic factors are involved in the development and progression of PCa. In most cases, the primary symptoms of disease are not severe. Therefore, it is common for patients to be referred with severe clinical manifestations at advanced stages of disease. Since this malignancy is age related and Iran will face a significant increase in the number of seniors, it is expected that the prevalence of PCa among Iranian men will rise. PCa progression has been observed to be associated with genetic and ethnic factors. It may therefore be clinically useful to determine a panel of genetic markers, in addition to routine diagnostic methods, to detect tumors in the early stages. In the present review, we have summarized the reported genetic markers in PCa Iranian patients to pave the way for the determination of an ethnic specific genetic marker panel for the early detection of PCa. To understand the genetic and molecular biology of PCa among Iranians, we have categorized these genetic markers based on their cellular functions.

Epitope Prediction by Novel Immunoinformatics Approach: A State-of-the-art Review

Immunoinformatics is a science that helps to create significant immunological information using bioinformatics softwares and applications. One of the most important applications of immunoinformatics is the prediction of a variety of specific epitopes for B cell recognition and T cell through MHC class I and II molecules. This method reduces costs and time compared to laboratory tests. In this state-of-the-art review, we review about 50 papers to find the latest and most used immunoinformatic tools as well as their applications for predicting the viral, bacterial and tumoral structural and linear epitopes of B and T cells. In the clinic, the main application of prediction of epitopes is for designing peptide-based vaccines. Peptide-based vaccines are a considerably potential alternative to low-cost vaccines that may reduce the risks related to the production of common vaccines.

Dendritic cell/cytokine-induced killer cell-based immunotherapy in lung cancer: What we know and future landscape

Multiple modalities for lung cancer therapy have emerged in the past decade, whereas their clinical applications and survival-beneficiary is little known. Vaccination with dendritic cells (DCs) or DCs/cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells has shown limited success in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. To evaluate and overcome these limitations in further studies, in the present review, we sum up recent progress about DCs or DCs/CIKs-based approaches for preclinical and clinical trials in patients with lung cancer and discuss some of the limited therapeutic success. Moreover, this review highlights the need to focus future studies on the development of new approaches for successful immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer.

Co-expression of TLR-9 and MMP-13 is associated with the degree of tumour differentiation in prostate cancer

In vitro experiments demonstrated that stimulation of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) by synthetic TLR-9 ligands induces the invasion of TLR-9-expressing prostate cancer cells through matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP-13). However, the clinical value of TLR-9 and MMP-13 co-expression in the pathophysiology of the prostate is unknown. In the study, we evaluated the expression levels and clinical significance of the TLR-9 and MMP-13 in a series of prostate tissues. One hundred and eighty prostate tissues including prostate cancer (PCa) (n = 137), high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HPIN) (n = 18) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (n = 25) were immunostained for the TLR-9 and MMP-13 markers. Subsequently, the correlation between the TLR-9 and MMP-13 staining scores and clinicopathological parameters was obtained. Higher expressions of TLR-9 and MMP-13 were found in PCa and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia compared to benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. Among PCa samples, a positive relationship was revealed between the MMP-13 expression and Gleason score (P < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between TLR-9 expression and regional lymph node involvement (P = 0.04). The expression patterns of TLR-9 and MMP-13 markers demonstrated a reciprocal significant correlation between the two markers in the same series of prostate samples (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the Gleason score of TLR-9^high /MMP-13^high and TLR-9^low /MMP-13^low phenotypes showed a significant difference (P = 0.002). Higher expressions of TLR-9 and MMP-13 can confer aggressive behaviour to PCa. Therefore, these markers may be used as a valuable target for tailored therapy of PCa.

Contribution of Anoctamins to Cell Survival and Cell Death

Before anoctamins (TMEM16 proteins) were identified as a family of Ca2+-activated chloride channels and phospholipid scramblases, the founding member anoctamin 1 (ANO1, TMEM16A) was known as DOG1, a marker protein for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Meanwhile, ANO1 has been examined in more detail, and the role of ANO1 in cell proliferation and the development of different types of malignomas is now well established. While ANO5, ANO7, and ANO9 may also be relevant for growth of cancers, evidence has been provided for a role of ANO6 (TMEM16F) in regulated cell death. The cellular mechanisms by which anoctamins control cell proliferation and cell death, respectively, are just emerging; however, the pronounced effects of anoctamins on intracellular Ca2+ levels are likely to play a significant role. Recent results suggest that some anoctamins control membrane exocytosis by setting Ca2+i levels near the plasma membrane, and/or by controlling the intracellular Cl- concentration. Exocytosis and increased membrane trafficking induced by ANO1 and ANO6 may enhance membrane expression of other chloride channels, such as CFTR and volume activated chloride channels (VRAC). Notably, ANO6-induced phospholipid scrambling with exposure of phosphatidylserine is pivotal for the sheddase function of disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM). This may support cell death and tumorigenic activity of IL-6 by inducing IL-6 trans-signaling. The reported anticancer effects of the anthelminthic drug niclosamide are probably related to the potent inhibitory effect on ANO1, apart from inducing cell cycle arrest through the Let-7d/CDC34 axis. On the contrary, pronounced activation of ANO6 due to a large increase in intracellular calcium, activation of phospholipase A2 or lipid peroxidation, can lead to ferroptotic death of cancer cells. It therefore appears reasonable to search for both inhibitors and potent activators of TMEM16 in order to interfere with cancer growth and metastasis.

Autoantibody against new gene expressed in prostate protein is traceable in prostate cancer patients

Aim: We assessed an autoantibody against new gene expressed in prostate (NGEP) protein for prostate cancer (PCa) that may better diagnosis and prognosis approaches in the patients with PCa. Methods: Autoantibodies against NGEP were measured in sera of PCa patients by ELISA. Results: The autoantibody against NGEP is present in a significantly higher proportion in the sera of PCa patients as compared with healthy controls (p < 0.001). An inverse significant correlation was found between seropositive patients and Gleason score (p < 0.05) and serum prostate-specific antigen (recombinant NGEP; p < 0.05). Conclusion: The data showed that measurement of autoantibody against NGEP as a novel prostate-specific antigen in sera can be used as a potential biomarker to discriminate well-differentiated PCa patients from normal subjects.

Anoctamin5 regulates cell migration and invasion in thyroid cancer

Anoctamin/TMEM16 family members have recently been identified as novel calcium-activated chloride channels, and dysregulation of many family members participates in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the exact role of anoctamin5 (ANO5), one member of this family, in thyroid cancer is still not clarified. In this study, we firstly found that the expression levels of ANO5 was significantly downregulated in thyroid cancer compared to adjacent normal tissue by mining the public GEO database. Subsequently, we further demonstrated that the expression levels of ANO5 was significantly downregulated in 69.5% (57/82) clinical thyroid cancer tissues using real-time PCR assay. Moreover, western blot assay also showed that ANO5 was downregulated in papillary thyroid cancer and follicular thyroid cancer compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues. Furthermore, some biological and functional in vitro experiments proved that ANO5 knockdown promotes thyroid cancer cell migration and invasion but overexpression of ANO5 inhibits these phenotypes. By analyzing gene set enrichment, we found that lower ANO5 expression was positively associated with JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. Collectively downregulation of ANO5 promotes thyroid cancer cell migration and invasion by affecting JAK/STAT3 pathway.

A Pore Idea: the ion conduction pathway of TMEM16/ANO proteins is composed partly of lipid

Since their first descriptions, ion channels have been conceived as proteinaceous conduits that facilitate the passage of ionic cargo between segregated environments. This concept is reinforced by crystallographic structures of cation channels depicting ion conductance pathways completely lined by protein. Although lipids are sometimes present in fenestrations near the pore or may be involved in channel gating, there is little or no evidence that lipids inhabit the ion conduction pathway. Indeed, the presence of lipid acyl chains in the conductance pathway would curse the design of the channel's aqueous pore. Here, we make a speculative proposal that anion channels in the TMEM16/ANO superfamily have ion conductance pathways composed partly of lipids. Our reasoning is based on the idea that TMEM16 ion channels evolved from a kind of lipid transporter that scrambles lipids between leaflets of the membrane bilayer and the modeled structural similarity between TMEM16 lipid scramblases and TMEM16 anion channels. This novel view of the TMEM16 pore offers explanation for the biophysical and pharmacological oddness of TMEM16A. We build upon the recent X-ray structure of nhTMEM16 and develop models of both TMEM16 ion channels and lipid scramblases to bolster our proposal. It is our hope that this model of the TMEM16 pore will foster innovative investigation into TMEM16 function.