Genetic polymorphisms of Cathepsin B are associated with gastric cancer risk and prognosis in a Chinese population

Hotspots and trends of risk factors in gastric cancer: A visualization and bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

The lack of specific symptoms of gastric cancer (GC) causes great challenges in its early diagnosis. Thus it is essential to identify the risk factors for early diagnosis and treatment of GC and to improve the survival rates.

AIM

To assist physicians in identifying changes in the output of publications and research hotspots related to risk factors for GC, constructing a list of key risk factors, and providing a reference for early identification of patients at high risk for GC.

METHODS

Research articles on risk factors for GC were searched in the Web of Science core collection, and relevant information was extracted after screening. The literature was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2019, CiteSpace V, and VOSviewer 1.6.18.

RESULTS

A total of 2514 papers from 72 countries and 2507 research institutions were retrieved. China (n = 1061), National Cancer Center (n = 138), and Shoichiro Tsugane (n = 36) were the most productive country, institution, or author, respectively. The research hotspots in the study of risk factors for GC are summarized in four areas, namely: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, single nucleotide polymorphism, bio-diagnostic markers, and GC risk prediction models.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we found that H. pylori infection is the most significant risk factor for GC; single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is the most dominant genetic factor for GC; bio-diagnostic markers are the most promising diagnostic modality for GC. GC risk prediction models are the latest current research hotspot. We conclude that the most important risk factors for the development of GC are H. pylori infection, SNP, smoking, diet, and alcohol.

The mechanism of dehydroandrographolide inhibiting metastasis in gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and bioinformatics

Gastric cancer (GC) is the most aggressive malignant tumor of the digestive tract. However, there is still a lack of effective treatment methods in clinical practice. Studies have shown that dehydroandrographolide (DA) has been shown to have anti-cancer activity in a variety of cancers, but it has not been reported in GC. Firstly, we obtained data on DA target genes, GC-related genes, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the PharmMapper, GeneCards, and GEO databases, respectively. Then, the STRING database was used to construct the protein-protein interaction network of intersection genes, and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses of intersection genes were performed. Finally, 8 hub target genes were identified by analyzing their expression and prognostic survival, and molecular docking between the hub genes and DA was performed. In this study, 293 DA drug target genes, 11,366 GC-related genes, and 3184 DEGs were identified. Gene Ontology and KEGG analysis showed that the intersection genes of DA targets and GC-related genes were mainly related to cancer pathways involving apoptosis and cell adhesion. The intersection genes of DEGs, DA targets, and GC-related genes were also mainly related to cancer pathways involving chemical carcinogenesis, and drug metabolism. The molecular docking results showed that the 8 hub target genes had an apparent affinity for DA, which could be used as potential targets for DA treatment of GC. The results of this study show that the molecular mechanism by which DA inhibits GC metastasis involves multiple target genes. It may play an essential role in inhibiting the invasion and metastasis of GC by regulating the expression and polymorphism of hub target genes, such as MMP9, MMP12, CTSB, ESRRG, GSTA1, ADHIC, CA2, and AKR1C2.

Association of AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms with papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer which its precise etiology remains unknown. However, environmental and genetic factors contribute to the etiology of PTC. Axis inhibition protein 1 (Axin1) is a scaffold protein that exerts its role as a tumor suppressor. In addition, Cathepsin B (Ctsb) is a cysteine protease with higher expression in several types of tumors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible association of AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms with PTC susceptibility.

MATERIALS & METHODS

In total, 156 PTC patients and 158 sex-, age-, and BMI-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method.

RESULTS

There was a relationship between AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A polymorphism and an increased risk of PTC in all genetic models except the overdominant model. The AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with an increased PTC risk only in codominant and overdominant models. The frequency of AXIN1 A_rs12921862 A_rs1805105 haplotype was higher in the PTC group and also this haplotype was associated with an increased risk of PTC. Moreover, the AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A polymorphism was not associated with PTC clinical and pathological findings, but AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with almost three folds of larger tumor size (≥1 cm). There was no association between CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphism and PTC and its findings.

CONCLUSION

The AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A polymorphisms were associated with PTC. AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with higher tumor size.

Beyond basic research: the contribution of cathepsin B to cancer development, diagnosis and therapy

INTRODUCTION

In view of other candidate proteins from the cathepsin family of proteases holding great potential in being targeted during cancer therapy, the importance of Cathepsin B (CtsB) stands out as being truly exceptional. Based on its contribution to oncogenesis, its intimate connection with regulating apoptosis and modulating extracellular and intracellular functions through its secretion or compartmentalized subcellular localization, collectively highlight its complex molecular involvement with a myriad of normal and pathological regulatory processes. Despite its complex functional nature, CtsB is emerging as one of the few cathepsin proteases that has been extensively researched to yield tangible outcomes for cancer therapy.

AREAS COVERED

In this article, we review the scientific literature that has justified or shaped the importance of CtsB expression in cancer progression, from the perspective of highlighting a paradigm that is rapidly changing from basic research toward a broader clinical and translational context.

EXPERT OPINION

In doing so, we detail its maturation as a diagnostic marker through describing the development of CtsB-specific Activity-Based Probes, the rapid evolution of these toward a new generation of Prodrugs, and the evaluation of these in model systems for their therapeutic potential as anti-cancer agents in the clinic.

CTSB is a negative prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target associated with immune cells infiltration and immunosuppression in gliomas

Previous researches have demonstrated the meaning of CTSB for the progress of several tumors, whereas few clues about its immunological characteristic in gliomas. Here we systematically explored its biologic features and clinical significance for gliomas. 699 glioma cases of TCGA and 325 glioma cases of CGGA were respectively included as training and validating cohorts. R software was used for data analysis and mapping. We found that CTSB was remarkably highly-expressed for HGG, IDH wild type, 1p19q non-codeletion type, MGMT promoter unmethylation type and mesenchymal gliomas. CTSB could specifically and sensitively indicate mesenchymal glioma. Upregulated CTSB was an independent hazard correlated with poor survival. CTSB-related biological processes in gliomas chiefly concentrated on immunoreaction and inflammation response. Then we proved that CTSB positively related to most inflammatory metagenes except IgG, including HCK, LCK, MHC II, STAT1 and IFN. More importantly, the levels of glioma-infiltrating immune cells were positively associated with the expression of CTSB, especially for TAMs, MDSCs and Tregs. In conclusion, CTSB is closely related to the malignant pathological subtypes, worse prognosis, immune cells infiltration and immunosuppression of gliomas, which make it a promising biomarker and potential target in the diagnosis, treatment and prognostic assessment of gliomas.