AGTRAP Is a Prognostic Biomarker Correlated With Immune Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The Roles of AGTRAP, ALKBH3, DIVERSIN, NEDD8 and RRM1 in Glioblastoma Pathophysiology and Prognosis

This study determined the expression of five novel biomarker candidates in IDH wild-type glioblastoma (GBM) tissues compared to non-malign brain parenchyma, as well as their prognostic relevance for the GBM patients' outcomes. The markers were analysed by immunohistochemistry in tumour tissues (n = 186) and healthy brain tissues (n = 54). The association with the patients' overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test. The prognostic value of the markers was determined using multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. AGTRAP, DIVERSIN, cytoplasmic NEDD8 (NEDD8c) and RRM1 were significantly overexpressed in tumour tissues compared to the healthy brain, while the opposite was observed for ALKBH3. AGTRAP, ALKBH3, NEDD8c and RRM1 were significantly associated with OS in univariate analysis. AGTRAP and RRM1 were also independent prognostic factors for OS in multivariate analysis. For PFS, only AGTRAP and NEDD8c reached significance in univariate analysis. Additionally, AGTRAP was an independent prognostic factor for PFS in multivariate models. Finally, combined analysis of the markers enhanced their prognostic accuracy. The combination AGTRAP/ALKBH3 had the strongest prognostic value for the OS of GBM patients. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the GBM pathophysiology and may help identify novel therapeutic targets in this type of cancer.

New insights into T-cell exhaustion in liver cancer: from mechanism to therapy

Liver cancer is one of the most common malignancies. T-cell exhaustion is associated with immunosuppression of tumor and chronic infection. Although immunotherapies that enhance the immune response by targeting programmed cell death-1(PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) have been applied to malignancies, these treatments have shown limited response rates. This suggested that additional inhibitory receptors (IRs) also contributed to T-cell exhaustion and tumor prognosis. Exhausted T-cells (Tex) in the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) are usually in a dysfunctional state of exhaustion, such as impaired activity and proliferative ability, increased apoptosis rate, and reduced production of effector cytokines. Tex cells participate in the negative regulation of tumor immunity mainly through IRs on the cell surface, changes in cytokines and immunomodulatory cell types, causing tumor immune escape. However, T-cell exhaustion is not irreversible and targeted immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can effectively reverse the exhaustion of T-cells and restore the anti-tumor immune response. Therefore, the research on the mechanism of T-cell exhaustion in liver cancer, aimed at maintaining or restoring the effector function of Tex cells, might provide a new method for the treatment of liver cancer. In this review, we summarized the basic characteristics of Tex cells (such as IRs and cytokines), discussed the mechanisms associated with T-cell exhaustion, and specifically discussed how these exhaustion characteristics were acquired and shaped by key factors within TME. Then new insights into the molecular mechanism of T-cell exhaustion suggested a potential way to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, namely to restore the effector function of Tex cells. In addition, we also reviewed the research progress of T-cell exhaustion in recent years and provided suggestions for further research.

Trial watch: immunotherapeutic strategies on the horizon for hepatocellular carcinoma

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting PD-L1/PD-1 and CTLA-4 has transformed the oncology practice of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, only 25-30% of the patients with advanced HCC treated with atezolizumab-bevacizumab or tremelimumab-durvalumab (STRIDE) respond initially, and mechanistic biomarkers and novel treatment strategies are urgently needed for patients who present with or acquire resistance to first-line ICI-based therapies. The recent approval of the STRIDE regimen has also engendered new questions, such as patient selection factors (e.g. portal hypertension and history of variceal bleed) and biomarkers, and the optimal combination and sequencing of ICI-based regimens. Triumphs in the setting of advanced HCC have also galvanized considerable interest in the broader application of ICIs to early- and intermediate-stage diseases, including clinical combination of ICIs with locoregional therapies. Among these clinical contexts, the role of ICIs in liver transplantation - which is a potentially curative strategy unique to HCC management - as a bridge to liver transplant in potential candidates or in the setting of post-transplant recurrence, warrants investigation in view of the notable theoretical risk of allograft rejection. In this review, we summarize and chart the landscape of seminal immuno-oncology trials in HCC and envision future clinical developments.

Pan-cancer analysis of the angiotensin II receptor-associated protein as a prognostic and immunological gene predicting immunotherapy responses in pan-cancer

Background: Understanding interior molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and cancer progression contributes to antitumor treatments. The angiotensin II receptor-associated protein (AGTRAP) has been confirmed to be related with metabolic products in metabolic diseases and can drive the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and colon carcinoma. However, functions of AGTRAP in other kinds of cancers are unclear, and a pan-cancer analysis of AGTRAP has not been carried out.

Methods and materials: We downloaded data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression dataset and The Human Protein Atlas databases and then used R software (version 4.1.1) and several bioinformatic tools to conduct the analysis.

Results: In our study, we evaluated the expression of AGTRAP in cancers, such as high expression in breast cancer, lung adenocarcinoma, and glioma and low expression in kidney chromophobe. Furthermore, our study revealed that high expression of AGTRAP is significantly related with poor prognosis in glioma, liver cancer, kidney chromophobe, and so on. We also explored the putative functional mechanisms of AGTRAP across pan-cancer, such as endoplasmic reticulum pathway, endocytosis pathway, and JAK-STAT signaling pathway. In addition, the connection between AGTRAP and tumor microenvironment, tumor mutation burden, and immune-related genes was proven.

Conclusion: Our study provided comprehensive evidence of the roles of AGTRAP in different kinds of cancers and supported the relationship of AGTRAP and tumorous immunity.

High Expression Levels of SLC38A1 Are Correlated with Poor Prognosis and Defective Immune Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Solute Carrier Family 38 Member 1 (SLC38A1) is a principal transporter of glutamine and plays a crucial role in the transformation of neoplastic cells. However, the correlation between SLC38A1 expression, prognosis, and immune infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has yet to be elucidated. We used two independent patient cohorts, namely, a Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort and a Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) cohort, to analyze the role of SLC38A1 in HCC at the mRNA and protein levels, respectively. In these two cohorts, SLC38A1 mRNA and protein expression levels were higher in HCC tissues than in adjacent nontumor tissues. Both SLC38A1 mRNA and protein expression were positively associated with clinicopathological characteristics (clinical stage, T stage, pathological grade, tumor size, and tumor thrombus), were negatively associated with survival, and were independent prognostic factors in HCC patients. Functional enrichment analyses further indicated that SLC38A1 was involved in multiple pathways related to amino acid metabolism, tumors, and immunity. High expression levels of SLC38A1 were inversely proportional to CD8+ T cells and directly proportional to macrophages M0, neutrophils, programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). Moreover, we used immunohistochemical analysis of tissue samples and other online databases to further validate the expression levels and prognostic significance of SLC38A1 in HCC. Collectively, our study demonstrated that the upregulated expression of SLC38A1 was related to an unfavorable prognosis and defective immune infiltration in HCC.