Down Regulation of KAI1/CD82 in Lymph Node Positive and Advanced T-Stage Group in Breast Cancer Patients

Correlation between the risk of lymph node metastasis and the expression of GBP1 in breast cancer patients

Objective

To explore the prognostic value and correlation between the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) and Guanylate-binding Protein 1 (GBP1) in breast cancer (BC) patients.

Methods

In this retrospective study, the clinical data of 150 patients with BC who were surgically resected in The Affiliated Qingdao Central Hospital of Qingdao University from January 2019 to December 2021 were included. Patients were divided into metastasis group (n=110) or non-metastasis group (n=40) according to whether there was LNM post-surgery. Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for LNM in BC, and Kaplan-Meier was used to assess the risk of disease progression 12 months post-operation in both groups. Patients were divided into a GBP1 low expression-group (n=75) or a GBP1 high expression-group (n=75). The risk of disease progression, one-year post-surgery was analyzed, and the predictive value of GBP1 in BC tissue was assessed by the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve.

Results

Independent risk factors for BC with LNM were GBP1, CEA and TNM stage (P<0.05). There is a linear relationship between GBP1 expression and LNM risk in BC (χ2=0.88, P<0.05). Patients with high expression of GBP1 had a higher risk of LNM (χ2=3.204, P<0.001) and early postoperative progression (χ2=7.412, P<0.05). The AUC of GBP1 in predicting the risk of LNM was 0.840.

Conclusions

Patients with BC and a higher expression of GBP1 could be at an increased risk of LNM. Elevations in GBP1 expression can also suggest a poor prognosis for patients with BC.

Metastasis suppressor genes in clinical practice: are they druggable?

Since the identification of NM23 (now called NME1) as the first metastasis suppressor gene (MSG), a small number of other gene products and non-coding RNAs have been identified that suppress specific parameters of the metastatic cascade, yet which have little or no ability to regulate primary tumor initiation or maintenance. MSG can regulate various pathways or cell biological functions such as those controlling mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway mediators, cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix protein adhesion, cytoskeletal architecture, G-protein-coupled receptors, apoptosis, and transcriptional complexes. One defining facet of this gene class is that their expression is typically downregulated, not mutated, in metastasis, such that any effective therapeutic intervention would involve their re-expression. This review will address the therapeutic targeting of MSG, once thought to be a daunting task only facilitated by ectopically re-expressing MSG in metastatic cells in vivo. Examples will be cited of attempts to identify actionable oncogenic pathways that might suppress the formation or progression of metastases through the re-expression of specific metastasis suppressors.

Targeting CD82/KAI1 for Precision Therapeutics in Surmounting Metastatic Potential in Breast Cancer

Metastasis is the main cause of mortality in breast cancer patients. There is an unmet need to develop therapies that can impede metastatic spread. Precision oncology has shown great promise for the treatment of cancers, as the therapeutic approach is tailored to a specific group of patients who are likely to benefit from the treatment, rather than the traditional approach of "one size fits all". CD82, also known as KAI1, a glycoprotein belonging to the tetraspanin family and an established metastasis suppressor, could potentially be exploited to hinder metastases in breast cancer. This review explores the prospect of targeting CD82 as an innovative therapeutic approach in precision medicine for breast cancer patients, with the goal of preventing cancer progression and metastasis. Such an approach would entail the selection of a subset of breast cancer patients with low levels of CD82, and instituting an appropriate treatment scheme tailored towards restoring the levels of CD82 in this group of patients. Proposed precision treatment regimens include current modalities of treating breast cancer, in combination with either clinically approved drugs that could restore the levels of CD82, CD82 peptide mimics or non-coding RNA-based therapeutics.

Role of a metastatic suppressor gene KAI1/CD82 in the diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer

Globally, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in females and is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women. The advancement in the targeted therapies and the slight understanding of the molecular cascades of the disease have led to small improvement in the rate of survival of breast cancer patients. However, metastasis and resistance to the current drugs still remain as challenges in the management of breast cancer patients. Metastasis, potentially, leads to failure of the available treatment, and thereby, makes the research on metastatic suppressors a high priority. Tumor metastasis suppressors are several genes and their protein products that have the capability of arresting the metastatic process without affecting the tumor formation. The metastasis suppressors KAI1 (also known as CD82) has been found to inhibit tumor metastasis in various types of solid cancers, including breast cancer. KAI1 was identified as a metastasis suppressor that inhibits the process of metastasis by regulating several mechanisms, including cell motility and invasion, induction of cell senescence, cell–cell adhesion and apoptosis. KAI1 is a member of tetraspanin membrane protein family. It interacts with other tetraspanins, chemokines and integrins to control diverse signaling pathways, which are crucial for protein trafficking and intracellular communication. It follows that better understanding of the molecular events of such genes is needed to develop prognostic biomarkers, and to identify specific therapies for breast cancer patients. This review aims to discuss the role of KAI1/CD82 as a prognosticator in breast cancer.