The Impact of Matrix Metalloproteinase-11 Polymorphisms on Colorectal Cancer Progression and Clinicopathological Characteristics

Potentially functional genetic variants in interferon regulatory factor family genes are associated with colorectal cancer survival

Interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family genes play a critical role in colorectal cancer (CRC) development and impact patient survival. This study evaluated the influence of functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IRF genes on CRC survival, including functional predictions and experimental validations. Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified three linked SNPs as significant survival predictors, with the rs141112353 T/T genotype in the 3'UTR region of IRF6 significantly associated with decreased survival (HR = 1.60, P = 6E-04). Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis indicated that the rs141112353 TA > T alteration reduced IRF6 expression. Dual luciferase assays showed lower activity for the T allele in the presence of hsa-miR-548ap-3p. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and other databases confirmed lower IRF6 levels in CRC tissues, correlating with worse survival and inversely with M2 macrophage infiltration. In vitro, IRF6 overexpression inhibited CRC cell proliferation and M2 macrophage polarization by downregulating MIF expression. These findings suggest that the IRF6 rs141112353 TA > T variant significantly affects CRC survival, potentially by enhancing miR-548-ap-3p binding affinity.

Selected Cytokines and Metalloproteinases in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a collective term for two diseases: ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). There are many factors, e.g., genetic, environmental and immunological, that increase the likelihood of these diseases. Indicators of IBDs include extracellular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The aim of this review is to present data on the role of selected cytokines and metalloproteinases in IBD. In recent years, more and more transcriptomic studies are emerging. These studies are improving the characterization of the cytokine microenvironment inside inflamed tissue. It is observed that the levels of several cytokines are consistently increased in inflamed tissue in IBD, both in UC and CD. This review shows that MMPs play a major role in the pathology of inflammatory processes, cancer, and IBD. IBD-associated inflammation is associated with increased expression of MMPs and reduced ability of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) to inhibit their action. In IBD patients in tissues that are inflamed, MMPs are produced in excess and TIMP activity is not sufficient to block MMPs. This review is based on our personal selection of the literature that was retrieved by a selective search in PubMed using the terms "Inflammatory bowel disease" and "pathogenesis of Inflammatory bowel diseases" that includes systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and clinical trials. The involvement of the immune system in the pathophysiology of IBD is reviewed in terms of the role of the cytokines and metalloproteinases involved.

Detection of lymph node metastasis in colon cancer by ectopically expressed fibroblast markers FOXQ1 and THBS2

Introduction

Approximately 25% of colon cancer (CC) patients having curative surgery will relapse. Therefore, it is crucial to identify patients with increased recurrence risk to offer them adjuvant chemotherapy. Three markers with prominent expression in fibroblasts: forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1), matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP11), and thrombospondin-2 (THBS2), and the fibroblast expressed chemokine CXCL12 were selected for studies because of the critical role of fibroblasts in the microenvironment of the tumor.

Methods

The expression levels of the biomarkers were assessed in primary CC tumors, lymph nodes of CC patients and controls, and CC cell lines at mRNA and protein levels by real-time qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively.

Results

FOXQ1, MMP11, and THBS2 mRNAs were expressed at significantly higher levels in primary tumors compared to normal colon (P=0.002, P<0.0001, and P<0.0001, respectively). In contrast, CXCL12 mRNA levels were higher in normal colon tissue. FOXQ1, MMP11, and THBS2 levels were also expressed at significantly higher levels in metastasis-positive lymph nodes compared to both metastasis-negative- and control nodes (P<0.0001/P=0.002, P<0.0001/P<0.0001, and P<0.0001/P<0.0001, respectively). Immuno-morphometry revealed that 30-40% of the tumor cells expressed FOXQ1, MMP11, and THBS2. FOXQ1 and THBS2 were barely detected in normal colon epithelium (P<0.0001), while MMP11 was expressed in normal colon epithelium at high levels.

Discussion

We conclude that CC tumor cells show ectopic expression of FOXQ1 and THBS2 possibly making these tumor cells independent of fibroblast cell support. The high expression levels of these two biomarkers in metastatic lymph nodes suggest that they are potential indicators of patients at risk for recurrence.

Correlation of NPDC1 Expression and Perineural Invasion Status with Clinicopathological Features in Patients with Colon Cancer

Background

Colon cancer is a prevalent gastrointestinal malignancy that often exhibits distant metastasis, hindering the effectiveness of surgical interventions. In addition to well-known hematogenous and lymphatic metastasis, perineural invasion (PNI) has emerged as a significant mode of distant metastasis in colon tumors. PNI is closely associated with oncologic pain in advanced cancer patients, but the underlying mechanisms and associated biomarkers, which might be the novel therapeutic targets, remain poorly understood.

Methods

In this study, we employed large databases and bioinformatics methods to identify genes strongly linked to PNI in colon cancer and investigated their involvement in tumor nerve invasion, progression mechanisms, and chemotherapy resistance. Immunohistochemical techniques were utilized to validate the expression of target genes in 384 colon cancer tissues, and their expression was correlated with clinicopathological characteristics and patient survival data in our hospital. Furthermore, we conducted a comprehensive literature review to explore the potential functions of the target genes and their associated genes.

Results

Our screening revealed a significant correlation between neural proliferation differentiation and control-1 (NPDC1) expression and patient prognosis, suggesting a potential association with neural infiltration in colon cancer. Additionally, NPDC1 may promote tumorigenesis, progression, and chemoresistance through various related pathways.

Conclusion

Our study provides novel insights into the utility of NPDC1 as a predictive marker for PNI status, disease-free survival, and overall survival in patients with colon cancer, highlighting the prevalence of NPDC1 overexpression in patients with PNI in colon cancer.

Risk scoring based on DNA methylation-driven related DEGs for colorectal cancer prognosis with systematic insights

Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract. Despite advances in diagnostic techniques and medications. Its prognosis remains challenging. DNA methylation-driven related circulating tumor cells have attracted enormous interest in diagnosing owing to their non-invasive nature and early recognition properties. However, the mechanism through which risk biomarkers act remains elusive. Here, we designed a risk model based on differentially expressed genes, DNA methylation, robust, and survival-related factors in the framework of Cox regression. The model has satisfactory performance and is independently verified by an external and isolated dataset in terms of C-index value, ROC, and tROC. The model was applied to Colorectal cancer patients who were subsequently divided into high- and low-risk groups. Functional annotations, genomic alterations, tumor immune environment, and drug sensitivity were analyzed. We observed that up-regulated genes are associated with epithelial cell differentiation and MAPK signaling pathways. The down-regulated genes are related to IL-7 signaling and apoptosis-induced DNA fragmentation. Interestingly, the immune system was inhibited in high-risk groups. High-frequency mutation genes tend to co-occur. High-risk score patients are related to copy number amplification events. To address the challenges, we suggested eleven and twenty-one drugs that are sensitive to low- and high-risk patients. Finally, an artificial neural network was provided to evaluate the immunotherapeutic efficiency. Taken together, the findings demonstrated that our risk score model is robust and reliable for evaluating the prognosis with novel diagnostic and treatment targets. It also yields benefits for the treatment and provides unique insights into developing therapeutic strategies.