NCAPG Promotes Tumor Progression and Modulates Immune Cell Infiltration in Glioma

Nonstructural maintenance of chromatin condensin I complex subunit G promotes the progression of glioblastoma by facilitating Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1-mediated E2F1 transactivation

BACKGROUND

Nonstructural maintenance of chromatin condensin I complex subunit G (NCAPG), also known as non-structural maintenance of chromosomes condensin I complex subunit G, is mitosis-related protein that widely existed in eukaryotic cells. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that aberrant NCAPG expression was strongly associated with various tumors. However, little is known about the function and mechanism of NCAPG in glioblastoma (GBM).

METHODS

The expression and prognostic value of NCAPG were detected in the clinical databases and tumor samples. The function effects of NCAPG downregulation or overexpression were evaluated in GBM cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and self-renewal in vitro and in tumor growth in vivo. The molecular mechanism of NCAPG was researched.

RESULTS

We identified that NCAPG was upregulated in GBM and associated with poor prognosis. Loss of NCAPG suppressed the progression of GBM cells in vitro and prolonged survival in mouse models of GBM in vivo. Mechanistically, we revealed that NCAPG positively regulated E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) pathway activity. By directly interacting with Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1, a co-activator of E2F1, and facilitating the PARP1-E2F1 interaction to activate E2F1 target gene expression. Intriguingly, we also discovered that NCAPG functioned as a downstream target of E2F1, which was proved by the ChIP and Dual-Luciferase results. Comprehensive data mining and immunocytochemistry analysis revealed that NCAPG expression was positively associated with the PARP1/E2F1 signaling axis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings indicate that NCAPG promotes GBM progression by facilitating PARP1-mediated E2F1 transactivation, suggesting that NCAPG is a potential target for anticancer therapy.

Disclosing transcriptomics network-based signatures of glioma heterogeneity using sparse methods

Gliomas are primary malignant brain tumors with poor survival and high resistance to available treatments. Improving the molecular understanding of glioma and disclosing novel biomarkers of tumor development and progression could help to find novel targeted therapies for this type of cancer. Public databases such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) provide an invaluable source of molecular information on cancer tissues. Machine learning tools show promise in dealing with the high dimension of omics data and extracting relevant information from it. In this work, network inference and clustering methods, namely Joint Graphical lasso and Robust Sparse K-means Clustering, were applied to RNA-sequencing data from TCGA glioma patients to identify shared and distinct gene networks among different types of glioma (glioblastoma, astrocytoma, and oligodendroglioma) and disclose new patient groups and the relevant genes behind groups' separation. The results obtained suggest that astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma have more similarities compared with glioblastoma, highlighting the molecular differences between glioblastoma and the others glioma subtypes. After a comprehensive literature search on the relevant genes pointed our from our analysis, we identified potential candidates for biomarkers of glioma. Further molecular validation of these genes is encouraged to understand their potential role in diagnosis and in the design of novel therapies.

NCAPG as a novel prognostic biomarker in numerous cancers: a meta-analysis and bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

Identification of effective biomarkers for cancer prognosis is a primary research challenge. Recently, several studies have reported the relationship between NCAPG and the occurrence of various tumors. However, none have combined meta-analytical and bioinformatics approaches to systematically assess the role of NCAPG in cancer.

METHODS

We searched four databases, namely, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, for relevant articles published before April 30, 2022. The overall hazard ratio or odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the relationship between NCAPG expression and cancer survival prognosis or clinical characteristics. Furthermore, the aforementioned results were validated using the GEPIA2, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and PrognoScan databases.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis included eight studies with 1096 samples. The results showed that upregulation of NCAPG was correlated with poorer overall survival (hazard ratio = 2.90, 95% confidence interval = 2.06-4.10, P < 0.001) in the cancers included in the study. Subgroup analysis showed that in some cancers, upregulation of NCAPG was correlated with age, distant metastasis, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, relapse, differentiation, clinical stage, and vascular invasion. These results were validated using the GEPIA2, UALCAN, and PrognoScan databases. We also explored the processes of NCAPG methylation and phosphorylation.

CONCLUSION

Dysregulated NCAPG expression is associated with the clinical prognostic and pathological features of various cancers. Therefore, NCAPG can serve as a human cancer therapeutic target and a new potential prognostic biomarker.

A mini-review of the role of condensin in human nervous system diseases

Mitosis and meiosis are crucial life activities that transmit eukaryotic genetic information to progeny in a stable and orderly manner. The formation and appearance of chromosomes, which are derived from chromatin, are the preconditions and signs of mitosis. When entering mitosis, interphase loose chromatin is highly spiralized and folded to form compact chromosomes. In recent years, it has been found that in addition to the well-known DNA, histones, and topoisomerase, a large protein complex called condensin plays an important role in the process of chromosome formation. Numerous studies have shown that the abnormal function of condensin can lead to incomplete or excessive concentration of chromatin, as well as disorder of genome organization process, abnormal transmission of genetic information, and ultimately lead to various diseases of individual, especially in nervous system diseases. In this review, the biological function of condensin and the potential pathogenic mechanism of condensin in nervous system diseases are briefly summarized. Therefore, the investigation of these mechanisms makes a significant contribution to the understanding of those related diseases and provides new ideas for clinical treatments.