Diagnostic and prognostic value of STAP1 and AHNAK methylation in peripheral blood immune cells for HBV-related hepatopathy

Hypermethylation of the glutathione peroxidase 4 promoter predicts poor prognosis in patients with hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure

Background

Hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is a syn-drome with a high short-term mortality rate, and its prognosis is critical in clinical management. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) in the occurrence and development of HBV-ACLF and its prognostic value for 90-day mortality.

Methods

The expression levels of GPX4, oxidative stress-related molecules and inflammatory cytokines in serum or peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 289 participants were determined by RT-qPCR or ELISA, and the methylation level of GPX4 promoter in PBMCs was determined by MethyLight.

Results

The expression levels of GPX4 in the PBMCs and serum of HBV-ACLF patients were lower than those in non-HBV-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (non-HBV ACLF) patients, patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and healthy control (HC) individuals, while the methylation level of the GPX4 promoter was greater. In HBV-ACLF patients, the methylation level of the GPX4 promoter is correlated with oxidative stress, inflammation-related molecules, and some clinicopathological indicators. The methylation level of the GPX4 promoter was identified as an independent risk factor for 90-day mortality in HBV-ACLF patients and yielded a larger area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) than the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score in predicting 90-day mortality.

Conclusion

The GPX4 promoter methylation level has promising potential as a predictor of 90-day mortality in patients with HBV-ACLF.

Research Progress on the Role of Epigenetic Methylation Modification in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) stands as the prevailing form of primary liver cancer, characterized by a poor prognosis and high mortality rate. A pivotal factor in HCC tumorigenesis is epigenetics, specifically the regulation of gene expression through methylation. This process relies significantly on the action of proteins that modify methylation, including methyltransferases, their associated binding proteins, and demethylases. These proteins are crucial regulators, orchestrating the methylation process by regulating enzymes and their corresponding binding proteins. This orchestration facilitates the reading, binding, detection, and catalysis of gene methylation sites. Methylation ences the development, prolisignificantly influferation, invasion, and prognosis of HCC. Furthermore, methylation modification and its regulatory mechanisms activate distinct biological characteristics in HCC cancer stem cells, such as inducing cancer-like differentiation of stem cells. They also influence the tumor microenvironment (TME) in HCC, modulate immune responses, affect chemotherapy resistance in HCC patients, and contribute to HCC progression through signaling pathway feedback. Given the essential role of methylation in genetic information, it holds promise as a potential tool for the early detection of HCC and as a target to improve drug resistance and promote apoptosis in HCC cells.

Bioinformatics analyses and experimental validation of the role of phagocytosis in low-grade glioma

BACKGROUND

Phagocytosis is of vital importance in tumor immune response. The alteration of phagocytosis in low-grade glioma (LGG) has not been investigated.

METHODS

The mRNA, copy number variation, single nucleotide variation, and methylation levels of phagocytosis-related genes were summarized in pan-cancer. Non-negative matrix factorization clustering was utilized to identify two LGG subtypes. LASSO regression analysis was performed to construct a phagocytosis-related prognostic signature (PRPS). Immune characteristics, immunotherapy response, and targeted-drug sensitivity were further explored. The phagocytosis activity in glioma was evaluated using scRNA-seq data. Multiplex immunohistochemical (m-IHC) technology was performed to identify the tumor-infiltrating immune cells in LGG.

RESULTS

The phagocytosis-related genes altered obviously in pan-cancer compared with corresponding normal tissues. Two LGG subtypes were obtained and the subtype with poor prognosis was combined with lower tumor purity, more active immune-related pathways, increasing infiltration of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, decreasing infiltration of macrophages, mast cells, and neutrophils, distinct pathway activity and cell death status, greater response to immunotherapy, and higher sensitivity to cyclophosphamide, erlotinib, gefitinib, lapatinib, and sorafenib. In addition, a PRPS involving 10 genes (i.e., SLC11A1, CAMK1D, PLA2G5, STAP1, ALOX15, PLCG2, SFTPD, AZU1, RAB27A, and LAMTOR2) was constructed to estimate the risk level of each LGG sample and high risk LGG patients had poor prognosis, upregulated infiltration of neutrophil, macrophage, Treg, and myeloid dendritic cell, down regulated infiltration of monocyte and NK cell, and increasing expression of large number of immune checkpoint genes. The phagocytosis activity is notably active in monocyte/macrophage. The m-IHC results confirmed increased infiltration of macrophages and neutrophils in LGG samples with high SLC11A1 expression.

CONCLUSION

The molecular characteristics of phagocytosis were revealed and the PRPS laid the foundation for personalized therapy in LGG.

Peripheral Lymphocytes in Primary Liver Cancers: Elevated NK and CD8+ T Cells and Dysregulated Selenium Metabolism

Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), which play a pivotal role in orchestrating the immune system, garner minimal attention in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). The impact of primary liver cancers on PBLs remains unexplored. In this study, flow cytometry facilitated the quantification of cell populations, while transcriptome of PBLs was executed utilizing 10× single-cell sequencing technology. Additionally, pertinent cases were curated from the GEO database. Subsequent bioinformatics and statistical analyses were conducted utilizing R (4.2.1) software. Elevated counts of NK cells and CD8+ T cells were observed in both ICC and HCC when compared to benign liver disease (BLD). In the multivariate Cox model, NK cells and CD8+ T cells emerged as independent risk factors for recurrence-free survival. Single-cell sequencing of PBLs uncovered the downregulation of TGFβ signaling in tumor-derived CD8+ T cells. Pathway enrichment analysis, based on differential expression profiling, highlighted aberrations in selenium metabolism. Proteomic analysis of preoperative and postoperative peripheral blood samples from patients undergoing tumor resection revealed a significant upregulation of SELENBP1 and a significant downregulation of SEPP1. Primary liver cancer has a definite impact on PBLs, manifested by alterations in cellular quantities and selenoprotein metabolism.