Hypoxia on the Expression of Hepatoma Upregulated Protein in Prostate Cancer Cells

DLGAP5 triggers proliferation and metastasis of bladder cancer by stabilizing E2F1 via USP11

Bladder cancer (BLCA) is one of the most widespread malignancies worldwide, and displays significant tumor heterogeneity. Understanding the molecular mechanisms exploitable for treating aggressive BLCA represents a crucial objective. Despite the involvement of DLGAP5 in tumors, its precise molecular role in BLCA remains unclear. BLCA tissues exhibit a substantial increase in DLGAP5 expression compared with normal bladder tissues. This heightened DLGAP5 expression positively correlated with the tumor's clinical stage and significantly affected prognosis negatively. Additionally, experiments conducted in vitro and in vivo revealed that alterations in DLGAP5 expression notably influence cell proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, the findings demonstrated that DLGAP5 was a direct binding partner of E2F1 and that DLGAP5 stabilized E2F1 by preventing the ubiquitination of E2F1 through USP11. Furthermore, as a pivotal transcription factor, E2F1 fosters the transcription of DLGAP5, establishing a positive feedback loop between DLGAP5 and E2F1 that accelerates BLCA development. In summary, this study identified DLGAP5 as an oncogene in BLCA. Our research unveils a novel oncogenic mechanism in BLCA and offers a potential target for both diagnosing and treating BLCA.

HURP localization in metaphase is the result of a multi-step process requiring its phosphorylation at Ser627 residue

Faithful chromosome segregation during cell division requires accurate mitotic spindle formation. As mitosis occurs rapidly within the cell cycle, the proteins involved in mitotic spindle assembly undergo rapid changes, including their interactions with other proteins. The proper localization of the HURP protein on the kinetochore fibers, in close proximity to chromosomes, is crucial for ensuring accurate congression and segregation of chromosomes. In this study, we employ photoactivation and FRAP experiments to investigate the impact of alterations in microtubule flux and phosphorylation of HURP at the Ser627 residue on its dynamics. Furthermore, through immunoprecipitations assays, we demonstrate the interactions of HURP with various proteins, such as TPX2, Aurora A, Eg5, Dynein, Kif5B, and Importin β, in mammalian cells during mitosis. We also find that phosphorylation of HURP at Ser627 regulates its interaction with these partners during mitosis. Our findings suggest that HURP participates in at least two distinct complexes during metaphase to ensure its proper localization in close proximity to chromosomes, thereby promoting the bundling and stabilization of kinetochore fibers.

DLGAP5 knockdown inactivates the Wnt/β-catenin signal to repress endometrial cancer cell malignant activities

Human discs large-associated protein 5 (DLGAP5), a microtubule-associated protein, has been reported to be upregulated in several tumors. However, the role of DLGAP5 in endometrial cancer (EC) progression and the related underlying mechanism were still unknown. A bioinformatics analysis was performed to analyze the expression and prognostic significance of DLGAP5 in EC tissues using TCGA, CPTAC, Human Protein Atlas, and GSE63678 databases, UALCAN web tool, and the Kaplan-Meier plotter. Effects of DLGAP on EC cell malignant properties were evaluated by CCK-8, flow cytometry analysis, TUNEL assay, caspase-3 activity assay, and Transwell invasion assay. The expression of DLGAP5, Wnt3, c-Myc, Ki67, and cleaved caspase-3 was detected by western blot analysis. DLGAP5 was highly expressed and correlated with poor prognosis in EC patients. DLGAP5 knockdown inhibited proliferation and invasion, triggered apoptosis, and increased caspase-3 activity in EC cells. Additionally, DLGAP5 knockdown inactivated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in EC cells. Moreover, β-catenin overexpression abolished the effects of DLGAP5 knockdown on the malignant phenotypes of EC cells. DLGAP5 silencing suppressed the malignant properties in EC cells by inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

The risk of increasing tumor malignancy after PET diagnosis

This manuscript reviews evidences underlying the estimation of risk of malignancy enhancement of advanced aggressive cancers as a result of the gamma radiation emitted by tracers used in PET diagnostics. We conclude that among many cancers, such a phenomenon likely occurs, particularly in tumor cells with an aggressive biology in the advanced stages of their development, e.g. prostate cancer, melanoma and colorectal cancer. Moreover, we surmise based on gathered evidence that fluorine -18 (18F) labeled pharmaceuticals (18F-deoxyglucose and 18F-choline), commonly used in positron emission tomography (PET) can lead to malignancy enhancement of diagnosed cancer, manifesting as accelerated infiltration of the neighboring tissue, accelerated metastasis and/or radio- and chemotherapy resistance. In this review, some suggestions on future studies verifying this concept are also proposed. If our concerns are justified, it might be appropriate in the future to consider this assumption at the stage of deciding whether to undertake PET monitoring in some patients with advanced aggressive cancer.

Pan-cancer analysis and experiments with cell lines reveal that the slightly elevated expression of DLGAP5 is involved in clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression

AIMS

Discs large-associated protein 5 (DLGAP5), a kinetochore fibers-binding protein, functions as a oncoprotein in many cancers. However, its expression patterns in pan-cancer including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are not analyzed. Herein, we aimed to evaluate its expression in more common cancers, especially in ccRCC.

MAIN METHODS

Data from Genotype-Tissue Expression, The Cancer Genome Atlas, and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource were used to analyze the DLGAP5 expression in normal tissues, cancer cell lines, and cancer tissues, as well as the immune infiltration levels. The analysis results were verified with ccRCC cell lines via RNAi, western blotting, and the cytological analysis.

KEY FINDINGS

Low DLGAP5 expression in 31 types of normal tissues, the upregulation in 21 cancer cell lines, and the significant elevated expression in 26 types of cancers, were found, Surprisingly, kidney cancer including ccRCC, DLGAP5 exhibited a slightly elevated but statistically significant expression among 26 types of cancers. In addition, elevated DLGAP5 expression was significantly positive correlated with immune infiltration level in ccRCC. The survival probability of some cancers including kidney cancer, clinical TNM stage of ccRCC patients were significantly related to upregulated DLGAP5 expression. The experiments results showed DLGAP5 upregulation in ccRCC tissues and the cell lines, its knockdown inhibited the cells viability and proliferation, and compromised the cells migration and invasion.

SIGNIFICANCE

Elevated DLGAP5 expression occurred in common cancers. However, its slightly upregulated expression is related with ccRCC progression, it is therefore a prognostic risk factor for ccRCC, but not an independent factor.

Identification and prognostic value of DLGAP5 in endometrial cancer

Background

Endometrial cancer poses a serious threat to women’s health worldwide, and its pathogenesis, although actively explored, is not fully understood. DLGAP5 is a recently identified cell cycle-regulation gene not reported in endometrial cancer. This study was aiming to analyze the role of DLGAP5 in tumorigenesis and development and to investigate its prognostic significance of patients with endometrial cancer.

Methodology

Microarray datasets (GSE17025, GSE39099 and GSE63678) from the GEO database were used for comparative analysis, and their intersection was obtained by applying the Venn diagram, and DLGAP5 was selected as the target gene. Next, transcriptome data (n = 578) was downloaded from TCGA-UCEC to analyze the mRNA expression profile of DLGAP5. Then, immunohistochemical data provided by HPA were used to identify the different protein expression levels of DLGAP5 in tumor tissues and normal tissues. Subsequently, the prognostic meaning of DLGAP5 in patients with endometrial cancer was explored based on survival data from TCGA-UCEC (n = 541). Finally, the reliability of DLGAP5 expression was verified by RT-qPCR.

Results

Transcriptome data from TCGA-UCEC, immunohistochemical data from HPA, and RT-qPCR results from clinical samples were used for triple validation to confirm that the expression of DLGAP5 in endometrial cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in normal endometrial tissues. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis announced that the expression level of DLGAP5 was negatively correlated with the overall survival of patients with endometrial cancer.

Conclusions

DLGAP5 is a potential oncogene with cell cycle regulation, and its overexpression can predict the poor prognosis of patients with endometrial cancer. As a candidate target for the diagnosis and treatment of endometrial cancer, it is worthwhile to make further study to reveal the carcinogenicity of DLGAP5 and the mechanism of its resistance of organisms.

Elevated mRNA expression levels of DLGAP5 are associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality in women. In addition, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the occurrence and development of breast cancer requires further investigation. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between breast cancer and normal breast tissues to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. In addition, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to investigate the protein and mRNA expression levels of a specific DEG, discs large-associated protein 5 (DLGAP5). A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow cytometry analysis were used to assess the effects of DLGAP5 on cell proliferation. In total, 85 DEGs were identified in the three Gene Expression Omnibus datasets, including 40 upregulated and 45 downregulated genes. In addition, 30 hub genes were identified following the construction of a protein-protein interaction network, and 28 of the 30 hub genes were established to be indicators of breast cancer prognosis. DLGAP5 was highly expressed in breast cancer specimens, and its expression levels were correlated with clinical stage and lymph node status. In addition, downregulation of DLGAP5 repressed the proliferation of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and induced cell cycle arrest. Additionally, DLGAP5 was identified to be localized in the mitochondria, and the presence of a conserved microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B-interacting region motif suggested that DLGAP5 may serve a role in mitophagy. The present results demonstrated an association between DLGAP5 expression levels and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with breast cancer using IHC. In conclusion, DLGAP5 may be a promising target in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Quantitative Analysis of Seven New Prostate Cancer Biomarkers and the Potential Future of the 'Biomarker Laboratory'

Prostate cancer is the third highest cause of male mortality in the developed world, with the burden of the disease increasing dramatically with demographic change. There are significant limitations to the current diagnostic regimens and no established effective screening modality. To this end, research has discovered hundreds of potential ‘biomarkers’ that may one day be of use in screening, diagnosis or prognostication. However, the barriers to bringing biomarkers to clinical evaluation and eventually into clinical usage have yet to be realised. This is an operational challenge that requires some new thinking and development of paradigms to increase the efficiency of the laboratory process and add ‘value’ to the clinician. Value comes in various forms, whether it be a process that is seamlessly integrated into the hospital laboratory environment or one that can provide additional ‘information’ for the clinical pathologist in terms of risk profiling. We describe, herein, an efficient and tissue-conserving pipeline that uses Tissue Microarrays in a semi-automated process that could, one day, be integrated into the hospital laboratory domain, using seven putative prostate cancer biomarkers for illustration.

Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1 Involved in the Pathogenesis of Endometriosis through Regulating Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor under Hypoxia

Background:

Endometriosis (EMs) is a common gynecological disorder characterized by endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. Hypoxia induces the expression of many important downstream genes to regulate the implantation, survival, and maintenance of ectopic endometriotic lesions. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) plays a major role in the etiology of EMs. We aimed to determine whether TGF-β1 affects EMs development and progression and its related mechanisms in hypoxic conditions.

Methods:

Endometrial tissue was obtained from women with or without EMs undergoing surgery from October, 2015 to October, 2016. Endometrial cells were cultured and then exposed to hypoxia and TGF-β1 or TGF-β1 inhibitors. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression levels of TGF-β1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) were measured. A Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay was used to examine the effect of TGF-β1 and hypoxia on a VEGF promoter construct. Student's t-test was performed for comparison among groups (one-sided or two-sided) and a value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

TGF-β1, VEGF, HIF-1α mRNA, and protein expression were significantly higher in EMs tissue than that in normal endometrial tissue (t = 2.16, P = 0.042). EMs primary cultured cells exposed to hypoxia expressed 43.8% higher VEGF mRNA and protein (t = 6.84, P = 0.023). VEGF mRNA levels increased 12.5% in response to TGF-β, whereas the combined treatment of hypoxia/TGF-β1 resulted in a much higher production (87.5% increases) of VEGF. The luciferase activity of the VEGF promoter construct was increased in the presence of either TGF-β1 (2.6-fold, t = 6.08, P = 0.032) or hypoxia (11.2-fold, t = 32.70, P < 0.001), whereas the simultaneous presence of both stimuli resulted in a significant cooperative effect (18.5-fold, t = 33.50, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

The data support the hypothesis that TGF-β1 is involved in the pathogenesis of EMs through regulating VEGF expression. An additive effect of TGF-β1 and hypoxia is taking place at the transcriptional level.