Enhancement of Migration and Invasion of Gastric Cancer Cells by IQGAP3

Hypoxia-based critical gene biomarkers as prognostic reporters for gastric adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is the most common malignant tumour of the digestive system, yet there is a lack of reported prognostic biomarkers for STAD patients.

METHODS

Transcriptomic expression data of STAD from GEO database, single cell sequencing data from OMIX gastric cancer database. Conservative molecular typing of gastric cancer was constructed using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). The abundance of 28 immune cells in the tumour samples was assessed using ssGSEA. The R package "oncoPredict" was used to predict chemotherapy response. TIDE website for immunotherapy response prediction. Finally, single cell analysis was performed to clarify the specific type annotation of STAD cells and to analysis their spatial expression.

RESULTS

Hypoxia-score demonstrated excellent prognostic discrimination in TCGA gastric cancer samples. Among multiple deconvolution-based algorithms for immune infiltration, Hypoxia-score presented a general immunosuppressive efficacy across multiple datasets, as evidenced by a broad negative correlation with immune cell infiltration. By the likelihood that each group may have specific drug sensitivity to multiple chemotherapeutic and targeted agents. Results showed that high-risk scoring patients were more sensitive to Staurosporine, Sabutoclax, and AZD8055, while low-risk patients were more sensitive to Bortezomib, Dactinomycin, Docetaxel, Daporinad, Sepantronium, and bromide. In the immunotherapy cohort, the Hypoxia-score presented the ability to discriminate for immunotherapy efficacy. The distribution of Hypoxia-score in single-cell descending space was calculated using AddModuleScore and was found to be distributed across the various cell types annotated in the single-cell analysis. It is suggested that various cells in the tumour microenvironment are involved in hypoxia gene set processes to varying degrees.

CONCLUSION

The Hypoxia-score proves to be a valuable tool for assessing the prognosis of gastric cancer patients and guiding drug treatments, providing significant guidance for clinical diagnosis and treatment in the context of gastric cancer.

Molecular Insight into Gastric Cancer Invasion-Current Status and Future Directions

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. There has been no efficient therapy for stage IV GC patients due to this disease's heterogeneity and dissemination ability. Despite the rapid advancement of molecular targeted therapies, such as HER2 and immune checkpoint inhibitors, survival of GC patients is still unsatisfactory because the understanding of the mechanism of GC progression is still incomplete. Invasion is the most important feature of GC metastasis, which causes poor mortality in patients. Recently, genomic research has critically deepened our knowledge of which gene products are dysregulated in invasive GC. Furthermore, the study of the interaction of GC cells with the tumor microenvironment has emerged as a principal subject in driving invasion and metastasis. These results are expected to provide a profound knowledge of how biological molecules are implicated in GC development. This review summarizes the advances in our current understanding of the molecular mechanism of GC invasion. We also highlight the future directions of the invasion therapeutics of GC. Compared to conventional therapy using protease or molecular inhibitors alone, multi-therapy targeting invasion plasticity may seem to be an assuring direction for the progression of novel strategies.

IQGAP3 is relevant to prostate cancer: A detailed presentation of potential pathomechanisms

INTRODUCTION

IQGAP3 possesses oncogenic actions; its impact on prostate cancer (PC) remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We will investigate IQGAP3's association with PC progression, key mechanisms, prognosis, and immune evasion.

METHODS

IQGAP3 expression in PC was examined by immunohistochemistry and using multiple datasets. IQGAP3 network was analyzed for pathway alterations and used to construct a multigene signature (SigIQGAP3NW). SigIQGAP3NW was characterized using LNCaP cell-derived castration-resistant PCs (CRPCs), analyzed for prognostic value in 26 human cancer types, and studied for association with immune evasion.

RESULTS

Increases in IQGAP3 expression associated with PC tumorigenesis, tumor grade, metastasis, and p53 mutation. IQGAP3 correlative genes were dominantly involved in mitosis. IQGAP3 correlated with PLK1 and TOP2A expression at Spearman correlation/R = 0.89 (p ≤ 3.069e-169). Both correlations were enriched in advanced PCs and Taxane-treated CRPCs and occurred at high levels (R > 0.8) in multiple cancer types. SigIQGAP3NW effectively predicted cancer recurrence and poor prognosis in independent PC cohorts and across 26 cancer types. SigIQGAP3NW stratified PC recurrence after adjustment for age at diagnosis, grade, stage, and surgical margin. SigIQGAP3NW component genes were upregulated in PC, metastasis, LNCaP cell-produced CRPC, and showed an association with p53 mutation. SigIQGAP3NW correlated with immune cell infiltration, including Treg in PC and other cancers. RELT, a SigIQGAP3NW component gene, was associated with elevations of multiple immune checkpoints and the infiltration of Treg and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in PC and across cancer types. RELT and SigIQGAP3NW predict response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

In multiple cancers, IQGAP3 robustly correlates with PLK1 and TOP2A expression, and SigIQGAP3NW and/or RELT effectively predict mortality risk and/or resistance to ICB therapy. PLK1 and TOP2A inhibitors should be investigated for treating cancers with elevated IQGAP3 expression. SigIQGAP3NW and/or RELT can be developed for clinical applications in risk stratification and management of ICB therapy.

FOXD2 regulations IQGAP3 mediated Ca2+ signaling pathway to facilitate gastric adenocarcinoma cell promotion

As a transcriptional factor, the Forkhead box (FOX) gene family is closely connected with apoptosis, proliferation, and other cellular processes. FOXD2, as one descendant of the FOX gene family, has been mentioned in many articles to show a high expression in several cancers. However, whether FOXD2 has a connection with gastric adenocarcinoma remains an unanswered question. Expression of FOXD2 and IQGAP3 in gastric adenocarcinoma was evaluated by bioinformatics analysis, which was further detected by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot. The downstream target genes of FOXD2 were also mined by bioinformatics analysis. Pathway enrichment analysis was then performed on the target genes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted to validate the regulatory relationship between FOXD2 and its downstream target gene IQGAP3. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay (MTT), combined with cell colony formation assay, was employed to assess the effect of FOXD2 and IQGAP3 on the proliferation of gastric adenocarcinoma cells. Intracytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration was measured by Fluo-3 fluorescence staining. FOXD2 showed a high expression in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues and cells, and FOXD2 silencing considerably attenuated gastric adenocarcinoma cell proliferation. IQGAP3, a downstream target gene of FOXD2, had a positive connection with the expression of FOXD2. The binding relationship between FOXD2 and the promoter region of IQGAP3 was further verified by ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assays. The results of cell function experiments indicated that FOXD2 could promote gastric adenocarcinoma cell proliferation by transcriptionally activating IQGAP3 to induce an increase in intracellular Ca2+ level. This study confirmed that FOXD2 increased intracellular Ca2+ level through transcriptional activation of IQGAP3, which in turn propelled the proliferation of gastric adenocarcinoma cells, revealing the considerable significance of FOXD2 in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma.

Navigating the ERK1/2 MAPK Cascade

The RAS-ERK pathway is a fundamental signaling cascade crucial for many biological processes including proliferation, cell cycle control, growth, and survival; common across all cell types. Notably, ERK1/2 are implicated in specific processes in a context-dependent manner as in stem cells and pancreatic β-cells. Alterations in the different components of this cascade result in dysregulation of the effector kinases ERK1/2 which communicate with hundreds of substrates. Aberrant activation of the pathway contributes to a range of disorders, including cancer. This review provides an overview of the structure, activation, regulation, and mutational frequency of the different tiers of the cascade; with a particular focus on ERK1/2. We highlight the importance of scaffold proteins that contribute to kinase localization and coordinate interaction dynamics of the kinases with substrates, activators, and inhibitors. Additionally, we explore innovative therapeutic approaches emphasizing promising avenues in this field.

Ras superfamily GTPase activating proteins in cancer: Potential therapeutic targets?

To search more therapeutic strategies for Ras-mutant tumors, regulators of the Ras superfamily involved in the GTP/GDP (guanosine triphosphate/guanosine diphosphate) cycle have been well concerned for their anti-tumor potentials. GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) provide the catalytic group necessary for the hydrolysis of GTPs, which accelerate the switch by cycling between GTP-bound active and GDP-bound inactive forms. Inactivated GAPs lose their function in activating GTPase, leading to the continuous activation of downstream signaling pathways, uncontrolled cell proliferation, and eventually carcinogenesis. A growing number of evidence has shown the close link between GAPs and human tumors, and as a result, GAPs are believed as potential anti-tumor targets. The present review mainly summarizes the critically important role of GAPs in human tumors by introducing the classification, function and regulatory mechanism. Moreover, we comprehensively describe the relationship between dysregulated GAPs and the certain type of tumor. Finally, the current status, research progress, and clinical value of GAPs as therapeutic targets are also discussed, as well as the challenges and future direction in the cancer therapy.

The Antithetic Roles of IQGAP2 and IQGAP3 in Cancers

The scaffold protein family of IQ motif-containing GTPase-activating proteins (IQGAP1, 2, and 3) share a high degree of homology and comprise six functional domains. IQGAPs bind and regulate the cytoskeleton, interact with MAP kinases and calmodulin, and have GTPase-related activity, as well as a RasGAP domain. Thus, IQGAPs regulate multiple cellular processes and pathways, affecting cell division, growth, cell-cell interactions, migration, and invasion. In the past decade, significant evidence on the function of IQGAPs in signal transduction during carcinogenesis has emerged. Compared with IQGAP1, IQGAP2 and IQGAP3 were less analyzed. In this review, we summarize the different signaling pathways affected by IQGAP2 and IQGAP3, and the antithetic roles of IQGAP2 and IQGAP3 in different types of cancer. IQGAP2 expression is reduced and plays a tumor suppressor role in most solid cancer types, while IQGAP3 is overexpressed and acts as an oncogene. In lymphoma, for example, IQGAPs have partially opposite functions. There is considerable evidence that IQGAPs regulate a multitude of pathways to modulate cancer processes and chemoresistance, but some questions, such as how they trigger this signaling, through which domains, and why they play opposite roles on the same pathways, are still unanswered.

The pan-cancer analysis identified DIAPH3 as a diagnostic biomarker of clinical cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine prognostic biomarkers of cervical cancer by pan-cancer analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Common differentially expressed genes in Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were demonstrated using R software analysis, and these genes were enriched by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology. Genes with prognostic value were identified by least absolute contraction and selection regression, Cox regression, and survival analysis, and pan-cancer analysis was conducted using the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource database and TCGA database. Western blot, qRT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry were used to preliminarily verify its expression in cervical cancer (S1).

RESULTS

The prognostic marker Diaphanous Related Formin 3 (DIAPH3) was obtained from us. The enrichment analysis revealed that DIAPH3 was involved in tumor proliferation, invasion, and inflammation. The pan-cancer analysis revealed that it was highly expressed in various cancers. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that its expression was related to B cells, effector T cells, and macrophage infiltration; however, immune checkpoint correlation analysis and tumor mutation burden analysis revealed the correlation between gene expression and immunotherapy. The expression of DIAPH3 in cervical cancer was significantly different from that in normal cervical tissues.

CONCLUSION

The expression of DIAPH3 in cervical cancer was significantly increased, which may be related to the proliferation, metastasis, immune invasion, and immunotherapy of cervical cancer.

IQGAP3 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma contributes to drug resistance and genome stability

Background

Clear cell renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is resistant to most chemotherapeutic drugs and the molecular mechanisms have not been fully revealed. Genomic instability and the abnormal activation of bypass DNA repair pathway is the potential cause of tumor resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. IQ-motif GTPase activating protein 3 (IQGAP3) regulates cell migration and intercellular adhesion. This study aims to analysis the effects of IQGAP3 expression on cell survival, genome stability and clinical prognosis in ccRCC.

Methods

Multiple bioinformatics analysis based on TCGA database and IHC analysis on clinical specimens were included. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot (WB) were used to determine protein expression level. MTT assay and 3D spheroid cell growth assay were used to assess cell proliferation and drug resistance in RNAi transfected ccRCC cells. Cell invasion capacity was evaluated by transwell assay. The influence of IQGAP3 on genome instability was revealed by micronuclei number and γ H2AX recruitment test.

Results

The highly expressed IQGAP3 in multiple subtypes of renal cell carcinoma has a clear prognostic value. Deletion of IQGAP3 inhibits cell growth in 3D Matrigel. IQGAP3 depletion lso increases accumulated DNA damage, and improves cell sensitivity to ionizing radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs. Therefore, targeting DNA damage repair function of IQGAP3 in tumorigenesis can provide ideas for the development of new targets for early diagnosis.

Comprehensive Multiomics Analysis Identified IQGAP3 as a Potential Prognostic Marker in Pan-Cancer

Background

IQGAP3 has important function in cancer progression and has become a potential therapeutic target as a transmembrane protein. But its role in tumor immunity and pan-cancer was not systematically investigated. This study evaluated the potential role of IQGAP3 and clinical significance in pan-cancer through combined multiomics analysis.

Methods

From Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases, transcriptomic datasets were first obtained, and from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), expression profiling microarray data were acquired and integrated to systematically assess the expression differences and prognostic relevance of IQGAP3 in pancreatic cancer. Immunohistochemical data were obtained from Human Protein Atlas (HPA) to assess IQGAP3 protein expression differences, and exome data from TCGA were used to analyze IQGAP3 expression in relation to tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and mutation. Additionally, we also analyzed the relationship between IQGAP3 expression and immune checkpoints, mismatch repair (MMR), and IQGAP3 relationship with methylation and copy number variation based on expression profiles.

Results

Microsatellite instability (MSI), immune checkpoints, mismatch repair (MMR), and tumor mutational burden (TMB) all closely interacted with IQGAP3 mRNA. In addition, detailed relationships between the immune microenvironment and IQGAP3 mRNA as well as immune cell CD4+ Th2 and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were determined. Mechanistically, IQGAP3 was involved in cytoskeleton formation, T cell receptor signaling pathways, DNA damage, cell cycle, P53 pathway, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, and apoptosis.

Conclusion

IQGAP3 could serve as an effective prognostic biomarker for pan-cancer immune-related therapy.

lncRNA MIR4435-2HG Accelerates the Development of Bladder Cancer through Enhancing IQGAP3 and CDCA5 Expression

Background. Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers occurring in the urinary system. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), in recent years, have emerged as crucial regulators in various biological processes of tumors. Aim. To identify the role of MIR4435-2 host gene (MIR4435-2HG) and uncover its molecular mechanism in BCa. Methods. Firstly, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis was used to examine MIR4435-2HG expression in BCa cells. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2 $\prime$ -deoxyuridine (EdU), wound healing, and transwell assays were implemented to identify the role of MIR4435-2HG in BCa. RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull down, and luciferase reporter assays were applied to explore the potential mechanism of MIR4435-2HG in BCa. Results. MIR4435-2HG was highly expressed in BCa. Moreover, MIR4435-2HG silencing abrogated BCa cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In terms of underlying mechanism, MIR44352HG acted as a microRNA-2467-3p (miR-2467-3p) sponge to control the expression of IQ motif containing GTPase activating protein 3 (IQGAP3) and cell division cycle associated 5 (CDCA5), resulting in activation of the rat sarcoma virus (Ras)/rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (Raf)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways. Conclusion. MIR4435-2HG involves in the progression of BCa, which might provide novel insights for BCa treatment.

Circular RNA circYPEL2: A Novel Biomarker in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most threatening diseases in women. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to be cancer hallmarks, but typical circRNAs in CC were rarely indicated. Through high-throughput sequencing in CC and normal cervix tissues, circYPEL2 (hsa_circ_0005600) was proposed as a candidate circRNA. CircYPEL2 exhibited significantly high expression in CC tissue and strong stability in CC cell lines. Furthermore, knockdown and overexpression of circYPEL2 indicated the potential involvement in CC proliferation, migration and invasion. Finally, the downstream regulatory genes of circYPEL2 were investigated by knockdown experiment in CC cell lines with high-throughput sequencing. In summary, our work identified circYPEL2 as a potential biomarker for clinical research of cervical cancer.

The nomogram based on the 6-lncRNA model can promote the prognosis prediction of patients with breast invasive carcinoma

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a prognostic biomarker for many types of cancer. Here, we aimed to study the prognostic value of lncRNA in Breast Invasive Carcinoma (BRCA). We downloaded expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Subsequently, we screened the differentially expressed genes between normal tissues and tumor tissues. Univariate Cox, LASSO regression, and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to construct a lncRNA prognostic model. Finally, a nomogram based on the lncRNAs model was developed, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to predict mRNAs related to the model, and to perform function and pathway enrichment. We constructed a 6-lncRNA prognostic model. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the 6-lncRNA model could be used as an independent prognostic factor for BRCA patients. We developed a nomogram based on the lncRNAs model and age, and showed good performance in predicting the survival rates of BRCA patients. Also, functional pathway enrichment analysis showed that genes related to the model were enriched in cell cycle-related pathways. Tumor immune infiltration analysis showed that the types of immune cells and their expression levels in the high-risk group were significantly different from those in the low-risk group. In general, the 6-lncRNA prognostic model and nomogram could be used as a practical and reliable prognostic tool for invasive breast cancer.

IQGAP3 May Serve as a Promising Biomarker in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Aim

The study was designed to mine the expression and roles of IQGAP3 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Methods

Expression profiles and clinical information were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to estimate IQGAP3 expression in ccRCC, its relationship with patients’ clinicopathological variables and prognosis, and the potential biological mechanisms.

Results

IQGAP3 was highly expressed in ccRCC and indicated advanced clinical outcome and poor prognosis. IQGAP3 affected the progression of ccRCC through several cancer-related pathways. IQGAP3 might play a vital role in the ccRCC tumor microenvironment.

Conclusion

IQGAP3 could serve as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Role of IQGAP1 in Papillomavirus-Associated Head and Neck Tumorigenesis

Approximately 25% of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In these cancers as well as in HPV-associated anogenital cancers, PI3K signaling is highly activated. We previously showed that IQ motif-containing GTPase activating protein 1 (IQGAP1), a PI3K pathway scaffolding protein, is overexpressed in and contributes to HNSCC and that blocking IQGAP1-mediated PI3K signaling reduces HPV-positive HNSCC cell survival and migration. In this study, we tested whether IQGAP1 promotes papillomavirus (PV)-associated HNSCCs. IQGAP1 was necessary for optimal PI3K signaling induced by HPV16 oncoproteins in transgenic mice and MmuPV1 infection, a mouse papillomavirus that causes HNSCC in mice. Furthermore, we found that, at 6 months post-infection, MmuPV1-infected Iqgap1-/- mice developed significantly less severe tumor phenotypes than MmuPV1-infected Iqgap1+/+ mice, indicating a role of IQGAP1 in MmuPV1-associated HNSCC. The tumors resulting from MmuPV1 infection showed features consistent with HPV infection and HPV-associated cancer. However, such IQGAP1-dependent effects on disease severity were not observed in an HPV16 transgenic mouse model for HNC. This may reflect that IQGAP1 plays a role in earlier stages of viral pathogenesis, or other activities of HPV16 oncogenes are more dominant in driving carcinogenesis than their influence on PI3K signaling.