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Li P, Zhang H, Chen T, Zhou Y, Yang J, Zhou J. Cancer-associated fibroblasts promote proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis and immunosuppression in gastric cancer. Matrix Biol 2024; 132:59-71. [PMID: 38936680 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2024.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, the mortality rate for gastric cancer remains one of the highest in the world. A large body of evidence has demonstrated that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), as core members of the stroma, can secrete cytokines, proteins and exosomes to create a tumour microenvironment that is conducive to cancer cell survival. CAFs can also interact with cancer cells to form a complex signalling network, enabling cancer cells to more easily metastasise to other organs and tissues in the body and develop metastatic foci. In this review, we provide an overview of the CAFs concept and activators. We focus on elucidating their effects on immune cells, intratumoural vasculature, extracellular matrix, as well as cancer cell activity, metastatic power and metabolism, and on enhancing the metastatic ability of cancer cells through activation of JAK/STAT, NF/κB and CXCL12/CXCR4. Various therapeutic agents targeting CAFs are also under development and are expected to improve the prognosis of gastric cancer in combination with existing treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyuan Li
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Tao Chen
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yajing Zhou
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Jiaoyang Yang
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Jin Zhou
- Department of general surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, PR China.
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Xing Y, Zhang Z, Gao W, Song W, Li T. Immune infiltration and prognosis in gastric cancer: role of NAD+ metabolism-related markers. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17833. [PMID: 39099656 PMCID: PMC11297443 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background This study endeavored to develop a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) metabolism-related biomarkers in gastric cancer (GC), which could provide a theoretical foundation for prognosis and therapy of GC patients. Methods In this study, differentially expressed genes (DEGs1) between GC and paraneoplastic tissues were overlapped with NAD+ metabolism-related genes (NMRGs) to identify differentially expressed NMRGs (DE-NMRGs). Then, GC patients were divided into high and low score groups by gene set variation analysis (GSVA) algorithm for differential expression analysis to obtain DEGs2, which was overlapped with DEGs1 for identification of intersection genes. These genes were further analyzed using univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses to obtain prognostic genes for constructing a risk model. Enrichment and immune infiltration analyses further investigated investigate the different risk groups, and qRT-PCR validated the prognostic genes. Results Initially, we identified DE-NMRGs involved in NAD biosynthesis, with seven (DNAJB13, CST2, THPO, CIDEA, ONECUT1, UPK1B and SNCG) showing prognostic significance in GC. Subsequent, a prognostic model was constructed in which the risk score, derived from the expression profiles of these genes, along with gender, emerged as robust independent predictors of patient outcomes in GC. Enrichment analysis linked high-risk patients to synaptic membrane pathways and low-risk to the CMG complex pathway. Tumor immune infiltration analysis revealed correlations between risk scores and immune cell abundance, suggesting a relationship between NAD+ metabolism and immune response in GC. The prognostic significance of our identified genes was validated by qRT-PCR, which confirmed their upregulated expression in GC tissue samples. Conclusion In this study, seven NAD+ metabolism-related markers were established, which is of great significance for the development of prognostic molecular biomarkers and clinical prognosis prediction for gastric cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Xing
- The Third Central Clinical College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease, Tianjin, China
- Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Extracorporeal Life Support for Critical Diseases, Tianjin, China
| | - Zili Zhang
- The Third Central Clinical College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease, Tianjin, China
- Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Extracorporeal Life Support for Critical Diseases, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenqing Gao
- The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease, Tianjin, China
- Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Extracorporeal Life Support for Critical Diseases, Tianjin, China
| | - Weiliang Song
- The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease, Tianjin, China
- Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Extracorporeal Life Support for Critical Diseases, Tianjin, China
| | - Tong Li
- The Third Central Clinical College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- The Third Central Hospital of Tianjin, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Institute of Hepatobiliary Disease, Tianjin, China
- Artificial Cell Engineering Technology Research Center, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Extracorporeal Life Support for Critical Diseases, Tianjin, China
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Xu Y, Ren Z, Zeng F, Yang H, Hu C. Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived WNT5A promotes cell proliferation, metastasis, stemness and glycolysis in gastric cancer via regulating HK2. World J Surg Oncol 2024; 22:193. [PMID: 39054546 PMCID: PMC11270928 DOI: 10.1186/s12957-024-03482-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Tumor microenvironment plays an important role in tumor progression. This study aims to explore the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in GC and the underlying mechanism. METHODS Cell viability, proliferation, invasion and migration were assessed by MTT, EdU, transwell and wound healing assays, respectively. Sphere formation assay was used to evaluate cell stemness. Glucose consumption, lactate production and ATP consumption were measured to assess glycolysis. In addition, The RNA and protein expression were detected by qRT-PCR and western blot. The interaction between wingless Type MMTV Integration Site Family, Member 5 A (WNT5A) and hexokinase 2 (HK2) was verified by Co-immunoprecipitation. The xenograft model was established to explore the function of CAFs on GC tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS CAFs promoted the proliferation, metastasis, stemness and glycolysis of GC cells. WNT5A was upregulated in CAFs, and CAFs enhanced WNT5A expression in GC cells. Knockdown of WNT5A in either GC cells or CAFs repressed the progression of GC cells. In addition, WNT5A promoted HK2 expression, and overexpression of HK2 reversed the effect of WNT5A knockdown in CAFs on GC cells. Besides, knockdown of WNT5A in CAFs inhibits tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSION CAF-derived WNT5A facilitates the progression of GC via regulating HK2 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsu Xu
- Nursing Department, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Zhengju Ren
- School of Nursing, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Fang Zeng
- Hemodialysis Room, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Huan Yang
- Public Welfare Services Division, The Affiliated Dazu's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No. 1073, South Second Ring Road, Hongxing Community, Tangxiang Street, Dazu District, Chongqing, 402360, China.
| | - Chengju Hu
- Health Management Center, The Affiliated Dazu's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, No. 1073, South Second Ring Road, Hongxing Community, Tangxiang Street, Dazu District, Chongqing, 402360, China.
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Chen X, Sun B, Li S. Downregulation of HIGD1B induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in gastric cancer cells by inactivating Akt and ERK pathways. Drug Dev Res 2024; 85:e22221. [PMID: 38863387 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.22221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Hypoxia-inducible domain (HIGD) family members (e.g., HIGD1A) have been linked to tumor progression. However, the role of HIGD1B (another HIGD family member) in GC has yet to be fully understood. Based on data from TCGA_GC, GSE65801, and GSE65801 data sets, HIGD1B levels were evaluated in normal and GC tissues. Next, HIGD1B levels were validated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis analyses. Meanwhile, patients with GC in the TCGA_GC cohort were grouped into high- and low-HIGD1B level groups, and overall survival, functional enrichment, and immune infiltration were analyzed. Additionally, gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed to determine the function of HIGD1B in GC cells. Compared to normal controls, HIGD1B mRNA levels were significantly elevated in GC tissues. Moreover, high HIGD1B levels may be an independent indicator of poor prognosis in patients with GC. Additionally, high HIGD1B levels were correlated with high stromal and ESTIMATE scores and elevated expression of immune checkpoints in patients with GC. Functional analyses showed that HIGD1B deficiency notably suppressed GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, HIGD1B deficiency significantly induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in GC cells by inactivating Akt and ERK pathways. Collectively, HIGD1B may predict the prognosis of patients with GC and may function as an oncogene in GC. These findings suggest that HIGD1B may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target in GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Chen
- The Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Binghua Sun
- The Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shuai Li
- The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Hu W, Zhao Y, Ji H, Chen A, Xu Q, Liu Y, Zhang Z, Liu A. Nomogram based on dual-energy CT-derived extracellular volume fraction for the prediction of microsatellite instability status in gastric cancer. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1370031. [PMID: 38854729 PMCID: PMC11156999 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1370031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose To develop and validate a nomogram based on extracellular volume (ECV) fraction derived from dual-energy CT (DECT) for preoperatively predicting microsatellite instability (MSI) status in gastric cancer (GC). Materials and methods A total of 123 patients with GCs who underwent contrast-enhanced abdominal DECT scans were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into MSI (n=41) and microsatellite stability (MSS, n=82) groups according to postoperative immunohistochemistry staining, then randomly assigned to the training (n=86) and validation cohorts (n=37). We extracted clinicopathological characteristics, CT imaging features, iodine concentrations (ICs), and normalized IC values against the aorta (nICs) in three enhanced phases. The ECV fraction derived from the iodine density map at the equilibrium phase was calculated. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk predictors for MSI status. Then, a nomogram was established, and its performance was evaluated by ROC analysis and Delong test. Its calibration performance and clinical utility were assessed by calibration curve and decision curve analysis, respectively. Results The ECV fraction, tumor location, and Borrmann type were independent predictors of MSI status (all P < 0.05) and were used to establish the nomogram. The nomogram yielded higher AUCs of 0.826 (0.729-0.899) and 0.833 (0.675-0.935) in training and validation cohorts than single variables (P<0.05), with good calibration and clinical utility. Conclusions The nomogram based on DECT-derived ECV fraction has the potential as a noninvasive biomarker to predict MSI status in GC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Hu
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Ying Zhao
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
- Dalian Engineering Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Hongying Ji
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Anliang Chen
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
- Dalian Engineering Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Qihao Xu
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Yijun Liu
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Ziming Zhang
- College of Medical Imaging, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Ailian Liu
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
- Dalian Engineering Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging, Dalian, Liaoning, China
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Liu Y, Han X, Han Y, Bi J, Wu Y, Xiang D, Zhang Y, Bi W, Xu M, Li J. Integrated transcriptomic analysis systematically reveals the heterogeneity and molecular characterization of cancer-associated fibroblasts in osteosarcoma. Gene 2024; 907:148286. [PMID: 38367852 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Osteosarcoma (OS), with a peak incidence during the adolescent growth spurt, is correlated with poor prognosis for its high malignancy. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is highly complicated, with frequent interactions between tumor and stromal cells. The cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the TME have been considered to actively involve in the progression, metastasis, and drug resistance of OS. This study aimed to characterize cellular heterogeneity and molecular characterization in CAFs subtypes and explore the potential targeting therapeutic strategies to improve the prognosis of OS patients. METHODS The single-cell atlas of human OS tumor lesions were constructed from the GEO database. Then significant marker genes and potential biological functions for each CAFs subtype were identified and explored using the Seurat R package. Next, by performing the survival analyses and constructing the risk scores for CAFs subtypes, we aimed to identify and characterize the prognostic values of specific marker genes and different CAFs subtypes. Furthermore, we explored the therapeutic targets and innovative drugs targeting different CAFs subtypes based on the GDSC database. Finally, prognoses related CAFs subtypes were further validated through immunohistochemistry (IHC) on clinical OS specimens. RESULTS Overall, nine main cell clusters and five subtypes of CAFs were identified. The differentially expressed marker genes for each CAFs clusters were then identified. Moreover, through Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, we defined the CAFs_2 (upregulated CXCL14 and C3), which was closely related to leukocyte migration and chemotaxis, as inflammatory CAFs (iCAFs). Likewise, we defined the CAFs_4 (upregulated CD74, HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB1), which was closely related to antigen process and presentation, as antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that CAFs_2 and CAFs_4 were correlated with poor clinical prognosis of OS patients. Meanwhile, therapeutic drugs targeting CAFs_2 and CAFs_4, such as 17-AAG/Docetaxel/Bleomycin and PHA-793887/NG-25/KIN001-102, were also explored, respectively. Finally, IHC assay confirmed the abundant CAFs_2 and CAFs_4 subtypes infiltration in the OS microenvironment compared with adjacent tissues. CONCLUSION Our study revealed the diversity, complexity, and heterogeneity of CAFs in OS, and complemented the single-cell atlas in OS TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China; Chinese PLA Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Center, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China
| | - Xinli Han
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300074, China
| | - Yuchen Han
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Jingyou Bi
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Dongquan Xiang
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yinglong Zhang
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Wenzhi Bi
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300074, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Meng Xu
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
| | - Jianxiong Li
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China.
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Kazakova AN, Lukina MM, Anufrieva KS, Bekbaeva IV, Ivanova OM, Shnaider PV, Slonov A, Arapidi GP, Shender VO. Exploring the diversity of cancer-associated fibroblasts: insights into mechanisms of drug resistance. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1403122. [PMID: 38818409 PMCID: PMC11137237 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1403122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Among the various stromal cell types within the tumor microenvironment, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) emerge as the predominant constituent, exhibiting a diverse array of oncogenic functions not intrinsic to normal fibroblasts. Their involvement spans across all stages of tumorigenesis, encompassing initiation, progression, and metastasis. Current understanding posits the coexistence of distinct subpopulations of CAFs within the tumor microenvironment across a spectrum of solid tumors, showcasing both pro- and antitumor activities. Recent advancements in single-cell transcriptomics have revolutionized our ability to meticulously dissect the heterogeneity inherent to CAF populations. Furthermore, accumulating evidence underscores the pivotal role of CAFs in conferring therapeutic resistance to tumors against various drug modalities. Consequently, efforts are underway to develop pharmacological agents specifically targeting CAFs. Methods: This review embarks on a comprehensive analysis, consolidating data from 36 independent single-cell RNA sequencing investigations spanning 17 distinct human malignant tumor types. Results: Our exploration centers on elucidating CAF population markers, discerning their prognostic relevance, delineating their functional contributions, and elucidating the underlying mechanisms orchestrating chemoresistance. Discussion: Finally, we deliberate on the therapeutic potential of harnessing CAFs as promising targets for intervention strategies in clinical oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia N. Kazakova
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria M. Lukina
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Institute of Experimental Oncology and Biomedical Technologies, Privolzhsky Research Medical University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
| | - Ksenia S. Anufrieva
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina V. Bekbaeva
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Olga M. Ivanova
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Polina V. Shnaider
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey Slonov
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
| | - Georgij P. Arapidi
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), Dolgoprudny, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Victoria O. Shender
- Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Lopukhin Federal Research and Clinical Center of Physical-Chemical Medicine of Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia
- Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Lin S, Zhou M, Cheng L, Shuai Z, Zhao M, Jie R, Wan Q, Peng F, Ding S. Exploring the association of POSTN + cancer-associated fibroblasts with triple-negative breast cancer. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 268:131560. [PMID: 38631570 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a critical role in regulating TNBC tumor development. This study aimed to identify and characterize a specific subtype of CAFs associated with TNBC. Initially, using high-throughput bulk transcriptomic data in two cohorts, we identified three CAF-related subtypes (CS1, CS2, CS3) in TNBC samples. These three CAFs subtypes were closely linked to the tumor microenvironment. The CS1 subtype exhibited a relatively immune-rich microenvironment and a favourable prognosis, whereas the CS3 subtype displayed an immune-deprived tumor microenvironment and an unfavourable prognosis. Through WGCNA analysis, POSTN was identified as a key biomarker for CAFs associated with TNBC. Then, POSTN+CAFs was identified and characterized. Both POSTN and POSTN+CAFs showed significant positive correlations with stromal molecules HGF and MET at both the transcriptional and protein levels. Specifically co-localized with CAFs in the tumor stromal area, POSTN, produced by POSTN+CAFs, could modulate the HGF-MET axis, serving as a bypass activation pathway to regulate tumor cell proliferation in response to EGFR inhibitor and MET inhibitor. This study underscores the significance of POSTN and POSTN+CAFs as crucial targets for the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangyan Lin
- Department of Cell Biology and Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, 57 Zhugan Lane, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, China; Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Miaoni Zhou
- Department of Dermatology, Hangzhou Third People's Hospital, Affiliated Hangzhou Dermatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 38 Xihu Rd, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liying Cheng
- Jiaxing University Medical College, 899 Shiguang Rd, Jiaxing 314001, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhifeng Shuai
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mingyuan Zhao
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ruixia Jie
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qun Wan
- Department of Urinary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310003, Zhejiang, China
| | - Fang Peng
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Hospital, 12 Lingyin Rd, Hangzhou 310013, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Shiping Ding
- Department of Cell Biology and Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, 57 Zhugan Lane, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang, China; Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 866 Yuhangtang Rd, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China.
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Fu W, Feng Q, Tao R. Machine learning developed a fibroblast-related signature for predicting clinical outcome and drug sensitivity in ovarian cancer. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024; 103:e37783. [PMID: 38640321 PMCID: PMC11030012 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000037783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the leading cause of gynecological cancer death. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) is involved in wound healing and inflammatory processes, tumor occurrence and progression, and chemotherapy resistance in OC. GSE184880 dataset was used to identify CAF-related genes in OC. CAF-related signature (CRS) was constructed using integrative 10 machine learning methods with the datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas, GSE14764, GSE26193, GSE26712, GSE63885, and GSE140082. The performance of CRS in predicting immunotherapy benefits was verified using 3 immunotherapy datasets (GSE91061, GSE78220, and IMvigor210) and several immune calculating scores. The Lasso + StepCox[forward] method-based predicting model having a highest average C index of 0.69 was referred as the optimal CRS and it had a stable and powerful performance in predicting clinical outcome of OC patients, with the 1-, 3-, and 5-year area under curves were 0.699, 0.708, and 0.767 in the Cancer Genome Atlas cohort. The C index of CRS was higher than that of tumor grade, clinical stage, and many developed signatures. Low CRS score demonstrated lower tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion score, lower immune escape score, higher PD1&CTLA4 immunophenoscore, higher tumor mutation burden score, higher response rate and better prognosis in OC, suggesting a better immunotherapy response. OC patients with low CRS score had a lower half maximal inhibitory concentration value of some drugs (Gemcitabine, Tamoxifen, and Nilotinib, etc) and lower score of some cancer-related hallmarks (Notch signaling, hypoxia, and glycolysis, etc). The current study developed an optimal CRS in OC, which acted as an indicator for the prognosis, stratifying risk and guiding treatment for OC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Fu
- Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Qian Feng
- Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Ran Tao
- Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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Liu K, Wu CX, Liang H, Wang T, Zhang JY, Wang XT. Analysis of the impact of immunotherapy efficacy and safety in patients with gastric cancer and liver metastasis. World J Gastrointest Surg 2024; 16:700-709. [PMID: 38577087 PMCID: PMC10989337 DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v16.i3.700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common type of cancer and has the fourth highest death rate among all cancers. There is a lack of studies examining the impact of liver metastases on the effectiveness of immunotherapy in individuals diagnosed with GC. AIM To investigate the influence of liver metastases on the effectiveness and safety of immunotherapy in patients with advanced GC. METHODS This retrospective investigation collected clinical data of patients with advanced stomach cancer who had immunotherapy at our hospital from February 2021 to January 2023. The baseline attributes were compared using either the Chi-square test or the Fisher exact probability method. The chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were employed to assess the therapeutic efficacy and survival duration in GC patients with and without liver metastases. RESULTS The analysis comprised 48 patients diagnosed with advanced GC, who were categorized into two groups: A liver metastasis cohort (n = 20) and a non-liver metastatic cohort (n = 28). Patients with liver metastasis exhibited a more deteriorated physical condition compared to those without liver metastasis. The objective response rates in the cohort with metastasis and the cohort without metastasis were 15.0% and 35.7% (P > 0.05), respectively. Similarly, the disease control rates in these two cohorts were 65.0% and 82.1% (P > 0.05), respectively. The median progression-free survival was 5.0 months in one group and 11.2 months in the other group, with a hazard ratio of 0.40 and a significance level (P) less than 0.05. The median overall survival was 12.0 months in one group and 19.0 months in the other group, with a significance level (P) greater than 0.05. CONCLUSION Immunotherapy is less effective in GC patients with liver metastases compared to those without liver metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Liu
- Department of Radiation and Oncology, Traditional Chinese Hospital of Lu’an affiliated to Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lu’an 237000, Anhui Province, China
| | - Chun-Xiao Wu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Ehu branch of Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi City, Wuxi 214116, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hui Liang
- Department of Radiation and Oncology, Traditional Chinese Hospital of Lu’an affiliated to Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lu’an 237000, Anhui Province, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510400, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Ji-Yuan Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital, Changsha 410002, Hunan Province, China
| | - Xiao-Tao Wang
- Department of Traditional Chinese medicine, Ehu branch of Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi City, Wuxi 214116, Jiangsu Province, China
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Tang C, Fan Y, Zhu S. Preliminary findings on the development of a predictive model for BLCA based on disulfidptosis-associated IncRNAs signature. BMC Urol 2024; 24:69. [PMID: 38532369 DOI: 10.1186/s12894-024-01454-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract, presenting with a wide range of clinical symptoms and prognosis. Disulfidptosis is a newly identified cell death method and closely associated with BLCA progression, prognosis, and treatment outcome. Currently, we need to construct a new prognostic model for disulfidptosis-related long noncoding RNAs (drlncRNAs) to improve the treatment strategy of BLCA. METHODS The data for BLCA samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and then 10 unique genes related to disulfidoptosis (DRGs) were identified from research papers. The differences between the two groups showed in this study were used to create the "disulfidptosis-related long noncoding RNAs score" (disulfidptosis-score) prognostic model. RESULTS We identified two groups of drlncRNAs with high and low disulfidptosis scores in this study. Patients with low disulfidptosis scores had a better overall survival rate compared to those with high scores in bladder cancer, and the high disulfidptosis score subtype exhibited more active malignant pathways related to cancer than the low score subtype. We found that the low disulfidptosis-score subgroup had better prognosis than the high disulfidptosis-score subgroup. The expression of mutation burden was much higher in the low disulfidptosis-score group than in the high disulfidptosis-score group. The low disulfidptosis-score subgroup of patients exhibited significantly higher proportions of plasma cells, T cells CD8, and Tregs, while the high-risk subgroup had a greater abundance of Macrophages M0 and Macrophages M2. The disulfidptosis-score showed a strong correlation with the sensitivity of chemotherapeutic drugs, and patients in the low disulfidptosis-score group were more likely to exhibit an immune response and respond positively to immunotherapy. Additionally, we developed a nomogram to enhance the accuracy of the disulfidptosis-clinical score. CONCLUSION Based on our investigation of disulfidptosis-score in BLCA, disulfidptosis-score may have an important role in TME, prognosis, and drug sensitivity. We also investigated the significance of the disulfidoptosis-score in relation to immunotherapy and immune response, providing a basis for improving prognosis and responding to immunotherapy among patients with BLCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Tang
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai, Shandong, China
| | - Yanpeng Fan
- Department of Urology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Shusheng Zhu
- Department of Urology, Jining No. 1 People's Hospital, Jining, 271000, shandong, China.
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12
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Feng Y, Qiao S, Chen J, Wen X, Chen Y, Song X, Xu J, Qiao X, Yang J, Zhang S, Feng Y, Gao Y. M2-Type Macrophages and Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Combine to Promote Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases. Onco Targets Ther 2024; 17:243-260. [PMID: 38558848 PMCID: PMC10981424 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s447502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose This research explored the association between CD163-labeled M2-type macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of 38 colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases. In addition, we investigated the correlation differences between M2-type macrophages and CAFs in the tumor microenvironments of 38 primary colorectal cancer patients with confirmed liver metastases and 946 colorectal cancer patients, as well as possible mechanisms of action between the two cells. Methods The Immunohistochemistry (IHC) method was applied to detect the expression levels of M2-type macrophages and CAFs in the tissues of 984 cases of CRC and to analyze the correlation between M2-type macrophages and CAFs in colorectal cancer tissues. The IHC method was also applied to detect the expression levels of M2-type macrophages and CAFs in the liver metastases of 38 cases of CRC in the experimental group and to analyze the correlation between the two cells in liver metastases. Results 1. M2-type macrophages and CAFs expression were significantly higher in 38 primary colorectal cancer patients compared to 946 controls, and the expression of M2-type macrophages was significantly positively correlated with CAFs. 2. In 984 CRC cases, M2-type macrophages and CAFs expression levels were significantly higher in the cancer tissues than in the paired paracancerous tissues. 3. The expression levels of M2-type macrophages and CAFs in primary colorectal cancer were significantly higher in the experimental group than in colorectal cancer tissues without distant metastasis. Conclusion M2-type macrophages and CAFs are involved in the development of the colorectal cancer tumor microenvironment, and their interaction influences the initiation and progression of liver metastasis in colorectal cancer. It may provide new clinical ideas for early diagnosis of CRC liver metastases and searching for immune targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Feng
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shifeng Qiao
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie Chen
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xin Wen
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yanlei Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyu Song
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiaxin Xu
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiucheng Qiao
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shenshen Zhang
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yang Feng
- The Second Ward of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu Gao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 12100, People’s Republic of China
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Li Y, Jiang M, Aye L, Luo L, Zhang Y, Xu F, Wei Y, Peng D, He X, Gu J, Yu X, Li G, Ge D, Lu C. UPP1 promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression through the induction of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1200. [PMID: 38331898 PMCID: PMC10853547 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45340-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a crucial factor in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression. To gain deeper insights into molecular mechanisms of LUAD, we perform an integrative single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis of 377,574 cells from 117 LUAD patient samples. By linking scRNA-seq data with bulk gene expression data, we identify a cluster of prognostic-related UPP1high tumor cells. These cells, primarily situated at the invasive front of tumors, display a stronger association with the immunosuppressive components in the TME. Our cytokine array analysis reveals that the upregulation of UPP1 in tumor cells leads to the increased release of various immunosuppressive cytokines, with TGF-β1 being particularly prominent. Furthermore, this UPP1 upregulation also elevates the expression of PD-L1 through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which contributes to the suppression of CD8 + T cells. Cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) analysis provides additional evidence of the role of UPP1 in shaping the immunosuppressive nature of the TME. Using patient-derived organoids (PDOs), we discover that UPP1high tumors exhibit relatively increased sensitivity to Bosutinib and Dasatinib. Collectively, our study highlights the immunosuppressive role of UPP1 in LUAD, and these findings may provide insights into the molecular features of LUAD and facilitate the development of personalized treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Manling Jiang
- Laboratory of Allergy and Precision Medicine, Chengdu Institute of Respiratory Health, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China
| | - Ling Aye
- Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Li Luo
- Laboratory of Allergy and Precision Medicine, Chengdu Institute of Respiratory Health, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Fengkai Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yongqi Wei
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Dan Peng
- Laboratory of Allergy and Precision Medicine, Chengdu Institute of Respiratory Health, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiang He
- Laboratory of Allergy and Precision Medicine, Chengdu Institute of Respiratory Health, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China
| | - Jie Gu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiaofang Yu
- Department of Nephrology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Guoping Li
- Laboratory of Allergy and Precision Medicine, Chengdu Institute of Respiratory Health, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, 610031, Sichuan, China.
| | - Di Ge
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Chunlai Lu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Choi KM, Kim B, Lee SM, Han J, Bae HS, Han SB, Lee D, Ham IH, Hur H, Kim E, Kim JY. Characterization of gastric cancer-stimulated signaling pathways and function of CTGF in cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:8. [PMID: 38167009 PMCID: PMC10763493 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01396-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that play an important role in cancer progression. Although the mechanism by which CAFs promote tumorigenesis has been well investigated, the underlying mechanism of CAFs activation by neighboring cancer cells remains elusive. In this study, we aim to investigate the signaling pathways involved in CAFs activation by gastric cancer cells (GC) and to provide insights into the therapeutic targeting of CAFs for overcoming GC. METHODS Alteration of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activity in CAFs was analyzed using phospho-RTK array. The expression of CAFs effector genes was determined by RT-qPCR or ELISA. The migration and invasion of GC cells co-cultured with CAFs were examined by transwell migration/invasion assay. RESULTS We found that conditioned media (CM) from GC cells could activate multiple receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways, including ERK, AKT, and STAT3. Phospho-RTK array analysis showed that CM from GC cells activated PDGFR tyrosine phosphorylation, but only AKT activation was PDGFR-dependent. Furthermore, we found that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a member of the CCN family, was the most pronouncedly induced CAFs effector gene by GC cells. Knockdown of CTGF impaired the ability of CAFs to promote GC cell migration and invasion. Although the PDGFR-AKT pathway was pronouncedly activated in CAFs stimulated by GC cells, its pharmacological inhibition affected neither CTGF induction nor CAFs-induced GC cell migration. Unexpectedly, the knockdown of SRC and SRC-family kinase inhibitors, dasatinib and saracatinib, significantly impaired CTGF induction in activated CAFs and the migration of GC cells co-cultured with CAFs. SRC inhibitors restored the reduced expression of epithelial markers, E-cadherin and Zonula Occludens-1 (ZO-1), in GC cells co-cultured with CAFs, as well as CAFs-induced aggregate formation in a 3D tumor spheroid model. CONCLUSIONS This study provides a characterization of the signaling pathways and effector genes involved in CAFs activation, and strategies that could effectively inhibit it in the context of GC. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung-Min Choi
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Boram Kim
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Su-Min Lee
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jisoo Han
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Ha-Song Bae
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Su-Bhin Han
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Dagyeong Lee
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
- Inflamm-Aging Translational Research Center, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
- AI-Super Convergence KIURI Translational Research Center, Suwon, South Korea
| | - In-Hye Ham
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
- Inflamm-Aging Translational Research Center, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Hoon Hur
- Department of Surgery, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
- Inflamm-Aging Translational Research Center, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Eunjung Kim
- Natural Product Informatics Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Gangneung, South Korea
| | - Jae-Young Kim
- Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology (GRAST), Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea.
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15
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Ye J, Tian W, Zheng B, Zeng T. Identification of cancer-associated fibroblasts signature for predicting the prognosis and immunotherapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e35938. [PMID: 37960718 PMCID: PMC10637486 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000035938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies globally with poor prognosis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play multiple functions in the regulation of tumorigenesis, metastasis and therapeutic resistance of cancer. The current study aimed to explore the role of CAFs-related genes in the prognosis and immunotherapy response in HCC. CAFs-related genes were identified by using single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis was conducted to develop a CAFs-related prognostic signature (FRPS) in TCGA dataset and verified in ICGC, GSE14520 and GSE76427 cohorts. Several tools, including Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) score, immunophenoscore, and Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) score were used to evaluate the value of FRPS in predicting immunotherapy benefits. The FRPS constructed based on 10 genes (RGS5, CNN3, PALLD, FLNA, KLHL23, MYC, NDRG2, SERPINE1, CD151 CALU) served as an independent risk factor and showed stable and powerful performance in predicting the overall survival rate of HCC patients with an AUCs of 0. 734, 0.727, and 0.717 in 2-, 3-, and 4-year ROC curve in TCGA cohort. Low risk score indicated a higher abundance of CD8+ T cells and NK, and lower abundance of Treg. Moreover, HCC patients with low risk score had a higher PD1&CTLA4 immunophenoscore, higher TMB score, and lower TIDE score. Moreover, high risk score indicated a lower IC50 value of 5-fluorouracil, camptothecin, cisplatin, docetaxel, gemcitabine, paclitaxel, afatinib, crizotinib, dasatinib, erlotinib, erlotinib, gefitinib, lapatinib, and osimertinib in HCC. Our study develops a novel FRPS HCC. The FRPS acts as a risk factor for the prognosis of HCC patients and it can predict the immunotherapy benefits of HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzhong Ye
- College of Medicine, Jingchu University of Technology, Jingmen, China
| | - Wen Tian
- College of Computer Engineering, Jingchu University of Technology, Jingmen, China
| | - Bigeng Zheng
- College of Electronic Information Engineering, Jingchu University of Technology, Jingmen, China
| | - Tao Zeng
- College of Medicine, Jingchu University of Technology, Jingmen, China
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Ma L, Ma Q, Deng Q, Zhou J, Zhou Y, Wei Q, Huang Z, Lao X, Du P. N7-methylguanosine-related miRNAs predict hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis and immune therapy. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:12192-12208. [PMID: 37925170 PMCID: PMC10683595 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
N7-methylguanosine (m7G) modification has been notably linked with the development of many tumors. However, no investigations have been conducted on whether m7G-related miRNA (m7G-miRNA) is a prognostic index of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, this investigation aimed to establish a predictive m7G-miRNA signature for efficient HCC prognosis and elucidate the associated immune cell infiltration (ICI) and functions in the tumor microenvironment. RNA sequencing and clinical data on 375 HCC and 50 healthy tissue samples were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The m7G-miRNA regulators methyltransferase-like 1 and WD repeat domain 4 were acquired from the TargetScan database. Univariate Cox regression analysis was conducted on the 63 differentially expressed m7G-miRNAs identified. A prognostic signature that consisted of seven miRNAs was identified. According to their risk scores, individuals with HCC were divided into high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) cohorts. A Kaplan-Meier test revealed that survival in the HR HCC patients was poorer than in the LR cohort (p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves of 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival were 0.706, 0.695, and 0.715, respectively. A nomogram of sex, risk score, age, and stage indicated the HCC patients' overall survival. Furthermore, it was indicated that the HR and LR patients had different degrees of ICI and immune function. A pathway enrichment analysis revealed the association of several immunity-linked pathways with the risk model. In conclusion, the signature established has great prognostic value and could be used as a new immunotherapy target for individuals with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Qingwei Ma
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Qiaomei Deng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Jilu Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Yingpei Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Qianqian Wei
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Zhihu Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Xiaoxia Lao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Ping Du
- Department of Gynecology, Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Affiliated Minzu Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
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17
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Yao L, Hou J, Wu X, Lu Y, Jin Z, Yu Z, Yu B, Li J, Yang Z, Li C, Yan M, Zhu Z, Liu B, Yan C, Su L. Cancer-associated fibroblasts impair the cytotoxic function of NK cells in gastric cancer by inducing ferroptosis via iron regulation. Redox Biol 2023; 67:102923. [PMID: 37832398 PMCID: PMC10582581 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2023.102923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
As the predominant immunosuppressive component within the tumor microenvironment (TME), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) inhibit Natural Killer cell (NK cell) activity to promote tumor progression and immune escape; however, the mechanisms of cross-talk between CAFs and NK cells in gastric cancer (GC) remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that NK cell levels are inversely correlated with CAFs abundance in human GC. CAFs impair the anti-tumor capacity of NK cells by inducing ferroptosis, a cell death process characterized by the accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides. CAFs induce ferroptosis in NK cells by promoting iron overload; conversely, decreased intracellular iron levels protect NK cells against CAF-induced ferroptosis. Mechanistically, CAFs increase the labile iron pool within NK cells via iron export into the TME, which is mediated by the upregulated expression of iron regulatory genes ferroportin1 and hephaestin in CAFs. Moreover, CAF-derived follistatin like protein 1(FSTL1) upregulates NCOA4 expression in NK cells via the DIP2A-P38 pathway, and NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy is required for CAF-induced NK cell ferroptosis. In a human patient-derived organoid model, functional targeting of CAFs using a combination of deferoxamine and FSTL1-neutralizing antibody significantly alleviate CAF-induced NK cell ferroptosis and boost the cytotoxicity of NK cells against GC. This study demonstrates a novel mechanism of suppression of NK cell activity by CAFs in the TME and presents a potential therapeutic approach to augment the immune response against GC mediated by NK cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizhong Yao
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Junyi Hou
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Xiongyan Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Yifan Lu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zhijian Jin
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zhenjia Yu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Beiqin Yu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Jianfang Li
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zhongyin Yang
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Chen Li
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Min Yan
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zhenggang Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Bingya Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Chao Yan
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
| | - Liping Su
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Gastric Neoplasms, Shanghai Institute of Digestive Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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18
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Orang A, Dredge BK, Liu CY, Bracken JM, Chen CH, Sourdin L, Whitfield HJ, Lumb R, Boyle ST, Davis MJ, Samuel MS, Gregory PA, Khew-Goodall Y, Goodall GJ, Pillman KA, Bracken CP. Basonuclin-2 regulates extracellular matrix production and degradation. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202301984. [PMID: 37536977 PMCID: PMC10400885 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202301984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is essential for tissue patterning and organization. It involves both regulation of cell motility and alterations in the composition and organization of the ECM-a complex environment of proteoglycans and fibrous proteins essential for tissue homeostasis, signaling in response to chemical and biomechanical stimuli, and is often dysregulated under conditions such as cancer, fibrosis, and chronic wounds. Here, we demonstrate that basonuclin-2 (BNC2), a mesenchymal-expressed gene, that is, strongly associated with cancer and developmental defects across genome-wide association studies, is a novel regulator of ECM composition and degradation. We find that at endogenous levels, BNC2 controls the expression of specific collagens, matrix metalloproteases, and other matrisomal components in breast cancer cells, and in fibroblasts that are primarily responsible for the production and processing of the ECM within the tumour microenvironment. In so doing, BNC2 modulates the motile and invasive properties of cancers, which likely explains the association of high BNC2 expression with increasing cancer grade and poor patient prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayla Orang
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - B Kate Dredge
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Chi Yau Liu
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Julie M Bracken
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Chun-Hsien Chen
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Laura Sourdin
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Holly J Whitfield
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Rachael Lumb
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Sarah T Boyle
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Melissa J Davis
- South Australian ImmunogGENomics Cancer Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
- Division of Bioinformatics, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- Fraser Institute, University of Queensland, Wooloongabba, Australia
| | - Michael S Samuel
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Philip A Gregory
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Medicine and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Yeesim Khew-Goodall
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Medicine and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Gregory J Goodall
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Medicine and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Katherine A Pillman
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Medicine and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Cameron P Bracken
- Centre for Cancer Biology, An Alliance of SA Pathology and University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Medicine and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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19
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Chen Y, Deng Q, Chen H, Yang J, Chen Z, Li J, Fu Z. Cancer-associated fibroblast-related prognostic signature predicts prognosis and immunotherapy response in pancreatic adenocarcinoma based on single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16408. [PMID: 37775715 PMCID: PMC10541448 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43495-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) influence many aspects of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) carcinogenesis, including tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. A six-gene prognostic signature was constructed for PAAD based on the 189 CAF marker genes identified in single-cell RNA-sequencing data. Multivariate analyses showed that the risk score was independently prognostic for survival in the TCGA (P < 0.001) and ICGC (P = 0.004) cohorts. Tumor infiltration of CD8 T (P = 0.005) cells and naïve B cells (P = 0.001) was greater in the low-risk than in the high-risk group, with infiltration of these cells negatively correlated with risk score. Moreover, the TMB score was lower in the low-risk than in the high-risk group (P = 0.0051). Importantly, patients in low-risk group had better immunotherapy responses than in the high-risk group in an independent immunotherapy cohort (IMvigor210) (P = 0.039). The CAV1 and SOD3 were highly expressed in CAFs of PAAD tissues, which revealed by immunohistochemical staining. In summary, this comprehensive analysis resulted in the development of a novel prognostic signature, which was associated with immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity, and TMB, and could predict the prognosis and immunotherapy response of patients with PAAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yajun Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qican Deng
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hui Chen
- Institute of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Jianguo Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhenzhou Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Juncai Li
- Department of Surgery, The People's Hospital of Yubei District of Chongqing, Chongqing, China.
| | - Zhongxue Fu
- Department of General Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
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20
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Yu Y, Wang Y, Xi D, Wang N, Gao L, Shi Q, Yu R, Li H, Xiang L, Maswikiti EP, Chen H. A novel adenosine signalling-based prognostic signature in gastric cancer and its association with cancer immune features and immunotherapy response. Cell Biol Int 2023. [PMID: 37366248 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.12053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Reliable prognostic signatures that can reflect the intrinsic characteristics of gastric cancer (GC) are still rare. Here, we developed an adenosine-based prognostic signature and explored its association with the tumour immune in GC patients, aiming at confirming the prognostic value of adenosine-related genes and guiding the GC risk stratification and immunotherapeutic response prediction. We collected adenosine pathway-related genes from STRING websites and manual searching. We enrolled the The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort and four gene expression omnibus cohorts of GC for generating and validating the adenosine pathway-based signature using the Cox regression method. Gene expression in the signature was verified using polymerase chain reaction. We also performed gene set enrichment analysis, immune infiltration assessment and immunotherapy response prediction based on this signature. Our study resulted in a six-gene adenosine signature (GNAS, CXCR4, PPP1R1B, ADCY6, NT5E and NOS3) for risk stratification of GC prognosis, with the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve up to 0.767 for predicting 10-year overall survival (OS). In the training cohort, patients with signature-defined high risk had significantly poorer OS than those with low risk (p < .001). Multivariate analysis identified the signature as an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio 2.863, 95% confidence interval [1.871-4.381], p < .001). These findings were confirmed in four independent cohorts. Expression detection showed that all signature genes were upregulated in both GC tissues and cell lines. Further analysis revealed that the signature-defined high-risk patients were characterised by immunosuppressive states and associated with a poor immunotherapy response. In conclusion, the adenosine pathway-based signature represents a promising risk stratification tool for GC in guiding individualised prognostication and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yu
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Yidian Wang
- Department of Joint Surgery, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dayong Xi
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Na Wang
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Lei Gao
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Qianling Shi
- The First Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Rong Yu
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Haiyuan Li
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Lin Xiang
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Ewetse Paul Maswikiti
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Hao Chen
- The Department of Tumor Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
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21
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Gu L, Ding D, Wei C, Zhou D. Cancer-associated fibroblasts refine the classifications of gastric cancer with distinct prognosis and tumor microenvironment characteristics. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1158863. [PMID: 37404754 PMCID: PMC10316023 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1158863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are essential tumoral components of gastric cancer (GC), contributing to the development, therapeutic resistance and immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) of GC. This study aimed to explore the factors related to matrix CAFs and establish a CAF model to evaluate the prognosis and therapeutic effect of GC. Methods Sample information from the multiply public databases were retrieved. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to identify CAF-related genes. EPIC algorithm was used to construct and verify the model. Machine-learning methods characterized CAF risk. Gene set enrichment analysis was employed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of CAF in the development of GC. Results A three-gene (GLT8D2, SPARC and VCAN) prognostic CAF model was established, and patients were markedly divided according to the riskscore of CAF model. The high-risk CAF clusters had significantly worse prognoses and less significant responses to immunotherapy than the low-risk group. Additionally, the CAF risk score was positively associated with CAF infiltration in GC. Moreover, the expression of the three model biomarkers were significantly associated with the CAF infiltration. GSEA revealed significant enrichment of cell adhesion molecules, extracellular matrix receptors and focal adhesions in patients at a high risk of CAF. Conclusion The CAF signature refines the classifications of GC with distinct prognosis and clinicopathological indicators. The three-gene model could effectively aid in determining the prognosis, drug resistance and immunotherapy efficacy of GC. Thus, this model has promising clinical significance for guiding precise GC anti-CAF therapy combined with immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Gu
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Ding
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changhai Hospital, Navy/Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cuicui Wei
- Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise, China
| | - Donglei Zhou
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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22
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Demirkol Canli S, Uner M, Kucukkaraduman B, Karaoglu DA, Isik A, Turhan N, Akyol A, Gomceli I, Gure AO. A Novel Gene List Identifies Tumors with a Stromal-Mesenchymal Phenotype and Worse Prognosis in Gastric Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15113035. [PMID: 37296997 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15113035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular biomarkers that predict disease progression can help identify tumor subtypes and shape treatment plans. In this study, we aimed to identify robust biomarkers of prognosis in gastric cancer based on transcriptomic data obtained from primary gastric tumors. METHODS Microarray, RNA sequencing, and single-cell RNA sequencing-based gene expression data from gastric tumors were obtained from public databases. Freshly frozen gastric tumors (n = 42) and matched FFPE (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) (n = 40) tissues from a Turkish gastric cancer cohort were used for quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry-based assessments of gene expression, respectively. RESULTS A novel list of 20 prognostic genes was identified and used for the classification of gastric tumors into two major tumor subgroups with differential stromal gene expression ("Stromal-UP" (SU) and "Stromal-DOWN" (SD)). The SU group had a more mesenchymal profile with an enrichment of extracellular matrix-related gene sets and a poor prognosis compared to the SD group. Expression of the genes within the signature correlated with the expression of mesenchymal markers ex vivo. A higher stromal content in FFPE tissues was associated with shorter overall survival. CONCLUSIONS A stroma-rich, mesenchymal subgroup among gastric tumors identifies an unfavorable clinical outcome in all cohorts tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Secil Demirkol Canli
- Molecular Pathology Application and Research Center, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
- Division of Tumor Pathology, Cancer Institute, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Meral Uner
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Baris Kucukkaraduman
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bilkent University, 06800 Ankara, Turkey
| | | | - Aynur Isik
- Hacettepe University Transgenic Animal Technologies Research and Application Center, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Nesrin Turhan
- Ankara City Hospital, Department of Pathology, University of Health Sciences, 06018 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Aytekin Akyol
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ismail Gomceli
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Antalya Bilim University, 07190 Antalya, Turkey
| | - Ali Osmay Gure
- Department of Medical Biology, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, 34752 Istanbul, Turkey
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23
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Stancu MI, Giubelan A, Mitroi G, Istrate-Ofiţeru AM, Popescu G, Honţaru SO, Badea-Voiculescu O, Pîrşcoveanu DFV, Mogoantă SŞ, Mogoantă L. Assessment of tumor microenvironment in gastric adenocarcinoma. ROMANIAN JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY = REVUE ROUMAINE DE MORPHOLOGIE ET EMBRYOLOGIE 2023; 64:251-261. [PMID: 37518883 PMCID: PMC10520378 DOI: 10.47162/rjme.64.2.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC), despite the current possibilities of early diagnosis and curative treatment, remains a major public health problem, being one of the main causes of cancer, due to its detection in advanced stages. Screening programs applied in Western countries led to low incidence rates in these countries. Helicobacter pylori bacterial infection is considered to be the highest risk factor for the onset of GC because it causes chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa and damages hydrochloric acid secretory glands, eventually leading to atrophic gastritis, which has a potential to progress to GC. In our study, we aimed at assessing the tumor microenvironment in gastric adenocarcinomas as approximately 90% of GCs are adenocarcinomas. Our study showed that the tumor microenvironment has an extremely complex morphological structure, totally different from the microscopic structure of the gastric wall, consisting of stromal cells, lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, blood vessels, collagen fibers, extracellular connective matrix, other cells. The tumor microenvironment presents phenotypic, cellular and molecular heterogeneity; therefore, the microscopic aspect differs from one tumor to another and even from one region to another in the same tumor. Poorly or moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas show a more intense desmoplastic reaction than well-differentiated ones. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-positive stromal cells (tumor-associated fibroblasts) and tumor macrophages were the most numerous cells of the tumor microenvironment. The tumor microenvironment is the result of cooperation between tumor cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, immune system cells and blood vessels. It allows tumor cells to multiply, grow and metastasize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Ionuţ Stancu
- PhD Student, Department of Histology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
| | - Alexandru Giubelan
- PhD Student, Doctoral School, Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest, Romania
| | - George Mitroi
- Department of Urology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
| | | | - George Popescu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bagdasar–Arseni Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Sorina Octavia Honţaru
- Department of Health Care and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Sciences, Physical Education and Informatics, University of Piteşti, Romania
| | - Oana Badea-Voiculescu
- Department of Modern Languages, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
| | | | - Stelian Ştefăniţă Mogoantă
- Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
- 3rd General Surgery Clinic, Emergency County Hospital, Craiova, Romania
| | - Laurenţiu Mogoantă
- Research Center for Microscopic Morphology and Immunology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
- Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences, Craiova Subsidiary, Romania
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24
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Wright K, Ly T, Kriet M, Czirok A, Thomas SM. Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts: Master Tumor Microenvironment Modifiers. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15061899. [PMID: 36980785 PMCID: PMC10047485 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15061899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells rely on the tumor microenvironment (TME), a composite of non-malignant cells, and extracellular matrix (ECM), for survival, growth, and metastasis. The ECM contributes to the biomechanical properties of the surrounding tissue, in addition to providing signals for tissue development. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are stromal cells in the TME that are integral to cancer progression. Subtypes of CAFs across a variety of cancers have been revealed, and each play a different role in cancer progression or suppression. CAFs secrete signaling molecules and remodel the surrounding ECM by depositing its constituents as well as degrading enzymes. In cancer, a remodeled ECM can lead to tumor-promoting effects. Not only does the remodeled ECM promote growth and allow for easier metastasis, but it can also modulate the immune system. A better understanding of how CAFs remodel the ECM will likely yield novel therapeutic targets. In this review, we summarize the key factors secreted by CAFs that facilitate tumor progression, ECM remodeling, and immune suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kellen Wright
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Thuc Ly
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Matthew Kriet
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Andras Czirok
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Sufi Mary Thomas
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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25
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Pan H, Lu W, Zhang M, Liu C. Construction of an interferon regulatory factors-related risk model for predicting prognosis, immune microenvironment and immunotherapy in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1131191. [PMID: 37182129 PMCID: PMC10174435 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1131191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) played complex and essential roles in progression, prognosis, and immune microenvironment in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The purpose of this study was to construct a novel IRFs-related risk model to predict prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME) and immunotherapy response in ccRCC. Methods Multi-omics analysis of IRFs in ccRCC was performed based on bulk RNA sequencing and single cell RNA sequencing data. According to the expression profiles of IRFs, the ccRCC samples were clustered by non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm. Then, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox regression analyses were applied to construct a risk model to predict prognosis, immune cells infiltration, immunotherapy response and targeted drug sensitivity in ccRCC. Furthermore, a nomogram comprising the risk model and clinical characteristics was established. Results Two molecular subtypes with different prognosis, clinical characteristics and infiltration levels of immune cells were identified in ccRCC. The IRFs-related risk model was developed as an independent prognostic indicator in the TCGA-KIRC cohort and validated in the E-MTAB-1980 cohort. The overall survival of patients in the low-risk group was better than that in the high-risk group. The risk model was superior to clinical characteristics and the ClearCode34 model in predicting the prognosis. In addition, a nomogram was developed to improve the clinical utility of the risk model. Moreover, the high-risk group had higher infiltration levels of CD8+ T cell, macrophages, T follicular helper cells and T helper (Th1) cells and activity score of type I IFN response but lower infiltration levels of mast cells and activity score of type II IFN response. Cancer immunity cycle showed that the immune activity score of most steps was remarkably higher in the high-risk group. TIDE scores indicated that patients in the low-risk group were more likely responsive to immunotherapy. Patients in different risk groups showed diverse drug sensitivity to axitinib, sorafenib, gefitinib, erlotinib, dasatinib and rapamycin. Conclusions In brief, a robust and effective risk model was developed to predict prognosis, TME characteristics and responses to immunotherapy and targeted drugs in ccRCC, which might provide new insights into personalized and precise therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Pan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Mengyuan Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Chengxiao Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Chengxiao Liu,
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26
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Cen K, Wu Z, Mai Y, Dai Y, Hong K, Guo Y. Identification of a novel reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes model combined with RT-qPCR experiments for prognosis and immunotherapy in gastric cancer. Front Genet 2023; 14:1074900. [PMID: 37124616 PMCID: PMC10141461 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1074900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Reactive oxygen species play a crucial role in the prognosis and tumor microenvironment (TME) of malignant tumors. An ROS-related signature was constructed in gastric cancer (GC) samples from TCGA database. ROS-related genes were obtained from the Molecular Signatures Database. Consensus clustering was used to establish distinct ROS-related subtypes related to different survival and immune cell infiltration patterns. Sequentially, prognostic genes were identified in the ROS-related subtypes, which were used to identify a stable ROS-related signature that predicted the prognosis of GC. Correlation analysis revealed the significance of immune cell iniltration, immunotherapy, and drug sensitivity in gastric cancers with different risks. The putative molecular mechanisms of the different gastric cancer risks were revealed by functional enrichment analysis. A robust nomogram was established to predict the outcome of each gastric cancer. Finally, we verified the expression of the genes involved in the model using RT-qPCR. In conclusion, the ROS-related signature in this study is a novel and stable biomarker associated with TME and immunotherapy responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenan Cen
- The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhixuan Wu
- First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yifeng Mai
- The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ying Dai
- The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kai Hong
- The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
- *Correspondence: Kai Hong, ; Yangyang Guo,
| | - Yangyang Guo
- The Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
- *Correspondence: Kai Hong, ; Yangyang Guo,
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