A polymorphism in the promoter is associated with EZH2 expression but not with outcome in advanced pancreatic cancer patients

The role of histone methylation in the development of digestive cancers: a potential direction for cancer management

Digestive cancers are the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and have high risks of morbidity and mortality. Histone methylation, which is mediated mainly by lysine methyltransferases, lysine demethylases, and protein arginine methyltransferases, has emerged as an essential mechanism regulating pathological processes in digestive cancers. Under certain conditions, aberrant expression of these modifiers leads to abnormal histone methylation or demethylation in the corresponding cancer-related genes, which contributes to different processes and phenotypes, such as carcinogenesis, proliferation, metabolic reprogramming, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, invasion, and migration, during digestive cancer development. In this review, we focus on the association between histone methylation regulation and the development of digestive cancers, including gastric cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer, as well as on its clinical application prospects, aiming to provide a new perspective on the management of digestive cancers.

GSK343 induces autophagy and downregulates the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer is a common malignancy that has a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) serves a key role in the progression of different types of cancers. The effect of GSK343 (a competitive inhibitor of EZH2) on pancreatic cancer cells was assessed in the present study. Cell viability was evaluated using MTT and cell counting kit-8 assays in AsPC-1 and PANC-1 cells. Flow cytometry and an EdU assay were also performed to assess the effects of GSK343 on cell proliferation, apoptosis and the cell cycle. The induction of autophagy and associated molecular mechanisms were studied using fluorescence microscopy and western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that GSK343 inhibited cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, GSK343 suppressed cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis and blocked cell cycle progression at the G1-phase. Furthermore, GSK343 induced autophagy in pancreatic cancer via the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In conclusion, GSK343 exhibited an anti-cancer effect on pancreatic cancer cells, downregulating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Prognostic significance of microRNA-101 in solid tumor: A meta-analysis

MicroRNA-101 has been reported as an important factor in carcinogenesis of several malignant tumors. However, its actual role in prognosis among solid malignancies remains unclear. Accordingly, we performed this meta-analysis aiming to identify prognostic significance of miR-101 in solid tumor. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS)/metastasis-free survival (MFS)/progression-free survival (PFS)/relapse-free survival (RFS)/time-to progression (TTP) were estimated with random effects or fixed effects models on the basis of heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis, sensitive analysis and meta-regression analysis were also conducted to clarify the possible confounding factors and investigate the source of heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated by using Begg’s and Egger’s tests. A total of 21 studies containing 3753 cases were selected into our quantitative analysis via electronic database search. A lower expression of miR-101 was significantly associated with worse OS (HR = 0.66, 95%CI [0.52–0.85], P = 0.001) and PFS (HR = 0.70, 95%CI [0.51–0.95], P = 0.023) in patients with solid tumor. The under-expression of miRNA-101 is a credible indicator of poorer prognosis in several of solid malignancies.