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Andryszkiewicz W, Misiąg P, Karwowska A, Resler Z, Wojno A, Kulbacka J, Szewczyk A, Rembiałkowska N. Cancer Metastases to the Liver: Mechanisms of Tumor Cell Colonization. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:1251. [PMID: 39338413 PMCID: PMC11434846 DOI: 10.3390/ph17091251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2024] [Revised: 09/18/2024] [Accepted: 09/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The liver is one of the most common sites for metastasis, which involves the spread from primary tumors to surrounding organs and tissues in the human body. There are a few steps in cancer expansion: invasion, inflammatory processes allowing the hepatic niche to be created, adhesions to ECM, neovascularization, and secretion of enzymes. The spread of tumor cells depends on the microenvironment created by the contribution of many biomolecules, including proteolytic enzymes, cytokines, growth factors, and cell adhesion molecules that enable tumor cells to interact with the microenvironment. Moreover, the microenvironment plays a significant role in tumor growth and expansion. The secreted enzymes help cancer cells facilitate newly formed hepatic niches and promote migration and invasion. Our study discusses pharmacological methods used to prevent liver metastasis by targeting the tumor microenvironment and cancer cell colonization in the liver. We examine randomized studies focusing on median survival duration and median overall survival in patients administered placebo compared with those treated with bevacizumab, ramucirumab, regorafenib, and ziv-aflibercept in addition to current chemotherapy. We also include research on mice and their responses to these medications, which may suppress metastasis progression. Finally, we discuss the significance of non-pharmacological methods, including surgical procedures, radiotherapy, cryotherapy, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and transarterial embolization (TAE). In conclusion, the given methods can successfully prevent metastases to the liver and prolong the median survival duration and median overall survival in patients suffering from cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiktoria Andryszkiewicz
- The Students' Research Group, No. 148., Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Misiąg
- The Students' Research Group, No. 148., Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anna Karwowska
- The Students' Research Group, No. 148., Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Zofia Resler
- The Students' Research Group, No. 148., Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Wojno
- The Students' Research Group, No. 148., Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteura 1, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Julita Kulbacka
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211A, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Anna Szewczyk
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211A, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Nina Rembiałkowska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211A, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland
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Hu X, Wei J, Liu P, Zheng Q, Zhang Y, Zhang Q, Yao J, Ni J. Organoid as a promising tool for primary liver cancer research: a comprehensive review. Cell Biosci 2024; 14:107. [PMID: 39192365 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-024-01287-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Primary liver cancer (PLC) is one of the most common malignant gastrointestinal tumors worldwide. Limited by the shortage of liver transplantation donors and the heterogeneity of tumors, patients with liver cancer lack effective treatment options, which leads to rapid progression and metastasis. Currently, preclinical models of PLC fall short of clinical reality and are limited in their response to disease progression and the effectiveness of drug therapy. Organoids are in vitro three-dimensional cultured preclinical models with a high degree of heterogeneity that preserve the histomorphological and genomic features of primary tumors. Liver cancer organoids have been widely used for drug screening, new target discovery, and precision medicine; thus representing a promising tool to study PLC. Here, we summarize the progress of research on liver cancer organoids and their potential application as disease models. This review provides a comprehensive introduction to this emerging technology and offers new ideas for researchers to explore in the field of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuekai Hu
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jiayun Wei
- The First school of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Pinyan Liu
- The First school of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Qiuxia Zheng
- The First school of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- The First school of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Qichen Zhang
- The First school of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jia Yao
- The First school of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Regenerative Medicine, First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, No. 1 West Donggang Road, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, P. R. China.
| | - Jingman Ni
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, No. 199 West Donggang Road, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, P. R. China.
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Yu TY, Zhan ZJ, Lin Q, Huang ZH. Computed tomography-based radiomics predicts the fibroblast-related gene EZH2 expression level and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Clin Cases 2024; 12:5568-5582. [PMID: 39188617 PMCID: PMC11269978 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i24.5568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common subtype of liver cancer. The primary treatment strategies for HCC currently include liver transplantation and surgical resection. However, these methods often yield unsatisfactory outcomes, leading to a poor prognosis for many patients. This underscores the urgent need to identify and evaluate novel therapeutic targets that can improve the prognosis and survival rate of HCC patients. AIM To construct a radiomics model that can accurately predict the EZH2 expression in HCC. METHODS Gene expression, clinical parameters, HCC-related radiomics, and fibroblast-related genes were acquired from public databases. A gene model was developed, and its clinical efficacy was assessed statistically. Drug sensitivity analysis was conducted with identified hub genes. Radiomics features were extracted and machine learning algorithms were employed to generate a radiomics model related to the hub genes. A nomogram was used to illustrate the prognostic significance of the computed Radscore and the hub genes in the context of HCC patient outcomes. RESULTS EZH2 and NRAS were independent predictors for prognosis of HCC and were utilized to construct a predictive gene model. This model demonstrated robust performance in diagnosing HCC and predicted an unfavorable prognosis. A negative correlation was observed between EZH2 expression and drug sensitivity. Elevated EZH2 expression was linked to poorer prognosis, and its diagnostic value in HCC surpassed that of the risk model. A radiomics model, developed using a logistic algorithm, also showed superior efficiency in predicting EZH2 expression. The Radscore was higher in the group with high EZH2 expression. A nomogram was constructed to visually demonstrate the significant roles of the radiomics model and EZH2 expression in predicting the overall survival of HCC patients. CONCLUSION EZH2 plays significant roles in diagnosing HCC and therapeutic efficacy. A radiomics model, developed using a logistic algorithm, efficiently predicted EZH2 expression and exhibited strong correlation with HCC prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Yu Yu
- Department of Radiology, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan 364000, Fujian Province, China
| | - Ze-Juan Zhan
- Department of Radiology, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan 364000, Fujian Province, China
| | - Qi Lin
- Department of Radiology, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan 364000, Fujian Province, China
| | - Zhen-Huan Huang
- Department of Radiology, Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan 364000, Fujian Province, China
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4
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Shen LS, Lin Z, Gong RH, Lin YS, Qiao XF, Hu QM, Qin WH, Chen S, Yang Y, Chen GQ. β,β-Dimethylacrylalkannin, a Natural Naphthoquinone, Inhibits the Growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Modulating Tumor-Associated Macrophages. Molecules 2024; 29:3919. [PMID: 39202998 PMCID: PMC11357245 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29163919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are pivotal in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), influencing various stages from initiation to metastasis. Understanding the role of TAMs in HCC is crucial for developing novel therapeutic strategies. Macrophages exhibit plasticity, resulting in M1 and M2 phenotypes, with M1 macrophages displaying antitumor properties and M2 macrophages promoting tumor progression. Targeting TAMs to alter their polarization could offer new avenues for HCC treatment. β,β-dimethylacrylalkannin (DMAKN), a natural naphthoquinone, has gained attention for its antitumor properties. However, its impact on TAMs modulation remains unclear. This study investigates DMAKN's modulation of TAMs and its anti-HCC activity. Using an in vitro model with THP-1 cells, we induced M1 macrophages with LPS/IFN-γ and M2 macrophages with IL-4/IL-13, confirming polarization with specific markers. Co-culturing these macrophages with HCC cells showed that M1 cells inhibited HCC growth, while M2 cells promoted it. Screening for non-toxic DMAKN concentrations revealed its ability to induce M1 polarization and enhance LPS/IFN-γ-induced M1 macrophages, both showing anti-HCC effects. Conversely, DMAKN suppressed IL-4/IL-13-induced M2 polarization, inhibiting M2 macrophages' promotion of HCC cell viability. In summary, DMAKN induces and enhances M1 polarization while inhibiting M2 polarization of macrophages, thereby inhibiting HCC cell growth. These findings suggest that DMAKN has the potential to regulate TAMs in HCC, offering promise for future therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Sha Shen
- Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing 400065, China (Y.Y.)
- Sichuan–Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Innovation of New Drugs of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Zesi Lin
- Southern Medical University of Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Rui-Hong Gong
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong 999077, China (S.C.)
| | - Yu-Shan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology (Incubation), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Xing-Fang Qiao
- Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing 400065, China (Y.Y.)
- Sichuan–Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Innovation of New Drugs of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Qian-Mei Hu
- Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing 400065, China (Y.Y.)
- Sichuan–Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Innovation of New Drugs of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Wei-Han Qin
- Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing 400065, China (Y.Y.)
- Sichuan–Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Innovation of New Drugs of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Sibao Chen
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong 999077, China (S.C.)
- State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology (Incubation), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
- Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Yong Yang
- Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing 400065, China (Y.Y.)
- Sichuan–Chongqing Joint Key Laboratory of Innovation of New Drugs of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Guo-Qing Chen
- Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong 999077, China (S.C.)
- State Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology (Incubation), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
- Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong 999077, China
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Pourbagheri-Sigaroodi A, Momeny M, Rezaei N, Fallah F, Bashash D. Immune landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma: From dysregulation of the immune responses to the potential immunotherapies. Cell Biochem Funct 2024; 42:e4098. [PMID: 39034646 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.4098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 07/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents a considerable global health burden due to its late diagnosis and high morbidity. The liver's specific anatomical and physiological features expose it to various antigens, requiring precise immune regulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a comprehensive overview of the interactions between the immune system and gut microbiota in the development of HCC, as well as the relevant therapeutic approaches are discussed. Dysregulation of immune compartments within the liver microenvironment drives HCC pathogenesis, characterized by elevated regulatory cells such as regulatory T cells (Tregs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and M2 macrophages as well as suppressive molecules, alongside reduced number of effector cells like T cells, natural killer cells, and M1 macrophages. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota also contributes to HCC by disrupting intestinal barrier integrity and triggering overactivated immune responses. Immunotherapy approaches, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors, have exhibited promise in HCC management, yet adoptive cell therapy and cancer vaccination research are in the early steps with relatively less favorable outcomes. Further understanding of immune dysregulation, gut microbiota involvement, and therapeutic combination strategies are essential for advancing precision immunotherapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atieh Pourbagheri-Sigaroodi
- Pediatric Infections Research Center, Research Institute for Children's Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Momeny
- Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Fallah
- Pediatric Infections Research Center, Research Institute for Children's Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Davood Bashash
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Bu Y, Liu Q, Shang Y, Zhao Z, Sun H, Chen F, Ma Q, Song J, Cui L, Sun E, Luo Y, Shu L, Jing H, Tan X. Ganoderma lucidum spores-derived particulate β-glucan treatment improves antitumor response by regulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells in triple-negative breast cancer. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 270:131949. [PMID: 38749890 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Granular β-1,3-glucan extracted from the wall of Ganoderma lucidum spores, named GPG, is a bioregulator. In this study, we investigated the structural, thermal, and other physical properties of GPG. We determined whether GPG ameliorated immunosuppression caused by Gemcitabine (GEM) chemotherapy. Triple-negative breast cancer mice with GPG combined with GEM treatment had reduced tumor burdens. In addition, GEM treatment alone altered the tumor microenvironment(TME), including a reduction in antitumor T cells and a rise in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, combined GPG treatment reversed the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment induced by GEM. GPG inhibited bone marrow (BM)-derived MDSC differentiation and reversed MDSC expansion induced by conditioned medium (CM) in GEM-treated E0771 cells through a Dectin-1 pathway. In addition, GPG downgraded PD-L1 and IDO1 expression on MDSC while boosting MHC-II, CD86, TNF-α, and IL-6 expression. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that GPG could alleviate the adverse effects induced by GEM chemotherapy by regulating TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Bu
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Qian Liu
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Yongjie Shang
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Zhenzhen Zhao
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Haonan Sun
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Feifei Chen
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Qian Ma
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Jie Song
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Li Cui
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - E Sun
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Yi Luo
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Luan Shu
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China
| | - Haibo Jing
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China.
| | - Xiaobin Tan
- Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, Jiangsu, PR China; Key Laboratory of New Drug Delivery Systems of Chinese Materia Medica, Jiangsu Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210028, PR China.
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Ma Q, Ye S, Liu H, Zhao Y, Zhang W. The emerging role and mechanism of HMGA2 in breast cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2024; 150:259. [PMID: 38753081 PMCID: PMC11098884 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-024-05785-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
High mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is a member of the non-histone chromosomal high mobility group (HMG) protein family, which participate in embryonic development and other biological processes. HMGA2 overexpression is associated with breast cancer (BC) cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Furthermore, HMGA2 expression is positively associated with poor prognosis of patients with BC, and inhibiting HMGA2 signaling can stimulate BC cell progression and metastasis. In this review, we focus on HMGA2 expression changes in BC tissues and multiple BC cell lines. Wnt/β-catenin, STAT3, CNN6, and TRAIL-R2 proteins are upstream mediators of HMGA2 that can induce BC invasion and metastasis. Moreover, microRNAs (miRNAs) can suppress BC cell growth, invasion, and metastasis by inhibiting HMGA2 expression. Furthermore, long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) and circular RNAs (CircRNAs) mainly regulate HMGA2 mRNA and protein expression levels by sponging miRNAs, thereby promoting BC development. Additionally, certain small molecule inhibitors can suppress BC drug resistance by reducing HMGA2 expression. Finally, we summarize findings demonstrating that HMGA2 siRNA and HMGA2 siRNA-loaded nanoliposomes can suppress BC progression and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Ma
- General Practice Ward/International Medical Center Ward, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Sisi Ye
- General Practice Ward/International Medical Center Ward, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hong Liu
- General Practice Ward/International Medical Center Ward, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- General Practice Ward/International Medical Center Ward, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University /West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Emergency Department of West China Hospital, Sichuan University/West China School of Nursing, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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8
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Fu Y, Maccioni L, Wang XW, Greten TF, Gao B. Alcohol-associated liver cancer. Hepatology 2024:01515467-990000000-00837. [PMID: 38607725 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Heavy alcohol intake induces a wide spectrum of liver diseases ranging from steatosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and HCC. Although alcohol consumption is a well-known risk factor for the development, morbidity, and mortality of HCC globally, alcohol-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (A-HCC) is poorly characterized compared to viral hepatitis-associated HCC. Most A-HCCs develop after alcohol-associated cirrhosis (AC), but the direct carcinogenesis from ethanol and its metabolites to A-HCC remains obscure. The differences between A-HCC and HCCs caused by other etiologies have not been well investigated in terms of clinical prognosis, genetic or epigenetic landscape, molecular mechanisms, and heterogeneity. Moreover, there is a huge gap between basic research and clinical practice due to the lack of preclinical models of A-HCC. In the current review, we discuss the pathogenesis, heterogeneity, preclinical approaches, epigenetic, and genetic profiles of A-HCC, and discuss the current insights into and the prospects for future research on A-HCC. The potential effect of alcohol on cholangiocarcinoma and liver metastasis is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaojie Fu
- Laboratory of Liver Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Luca Maccioni
- Laboratory of Liver Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Xin Wei Wang
- Liver Carcinogenesis Section, Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Liver Cancer Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Tim F Greten
- Liver Cancer Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Gastrointestinal Malignancies Section, Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Malignancies Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Bin Gao
- Laboratory of Liver Diseases, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Zhang Y, Wang ZZ, Han AQ, Yang MY, Zhu LX, Pan FM, Wang Y. TuBG1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma via ATR/P53-apoptosis and cycling pathways. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 2024; 23:195-209. [PMID: 37806848 DOI: 10.1016/j.hbpd.2023.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As reported, γ-tubulin (TuBG1) is related to the occurrence and development of various types of malignant tumors. However, its role in hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is not clear. The present study was to investigate the relationship between TuBG1 and clinical parameters and survival in HCC patients. METHODS The correlation between TuBG1 and clinical parameters and survival in HCC patients was explored by bioinformatics analysis. Immunohistochemistry was used for the verification. The molecular function of TuBG1 was measured using colony formation, scratch assay, trans-well assay and flow cytometry. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to pick up the enriched pathways, followed by investigating the target pathways using Western blotting. The tumor-immune system interactions and drug bank database (TISIDB) was used to evaluate TuBG1 and immunity. Based on the TuBG1-related immune genes, a prognostic model was constructed and was further validated internally and externally. RESULTS The bioinformatic analysis found high expressed TuBG1 in HCC tissue, which was confirmed using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. After silencing the TuBG1 in HCC cell lines, more G1 arrested cells were found, cell proliferation and invasion were inhibited, and apoptosis was promoted. Furthermore, the silence of TuBG1 increased the expressions of Ataxia-Telangiectasia and Rad-3 (ATR), phospho-P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P-P38MAPK), phospho-P53 (P-P53), B-cell lymphoma-2 associated X protein (Bax), cleaved caspase 3 and P21; decreased the expressions of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), cyclin D1, cyclin E2, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) and CDK4. The correlation analysis of immunohistochemistry and clinical parameters and survival data revealed that TuBG1 was negatively correlated with the overall survival. The constructed immune prognosis model could effectively evaluate the prognosis. CONCLUSIONS The increased expression of TuBG1 in HCC is associated with poor prognosis, which might be involved in the occurrence and development of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Zhen-Zhen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - An-Qi Han
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Ming-Ya Yang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Li-Xin Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
| | - Fa-Ming Pan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230601, China.
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Ashoor M, Khorshidi A. Improving signal-to-noise ratio by maximal convolution of longitudinal and transverse magnetization components in MRI: application to the breast cancer detection. Med Biol Eng Comput 2024; 62:941-954. [PMID: 38100039 DOI: 10.1007/s11517-023-02994-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The extraction of information from images provided by medical imaging systems may be employed to obtain the specific objectives in the various fields. The quantity of signal to noise ratio (SNR) plays a crucial role in displaying the image details. The higher the SNR value, the more the information is available. METHODS In this study, a new function has been formulated using the appropriate suggestions on convolutional combination of the longitudinal and transverse magnetization components related to the relaxation times of T1 and T2 in MRI, where by introducing the distinct index on the maximum value of this function, the new maps are constructed toward the best SNR. Proposed functions were analytically simulated using Matlab software and evaluated with respect to various relaxation times. This proposed method can be applied to any medical images. For instance, the T1- and T2-weighted images of the breast indicated in the reference [35] were selected for modelling and construction of the full width at x maximum (FWxM) map at the different values of x-parameter from 0.01 to 0.955 at 0.035 and 0.015 intervals. The range of x-parameter is between zero and one. To determine the maximum value of the derived SNR, these intervals have been first chosen arbitrarily. However, the smaller this interval, the more precise the value of the x-parameter at which the signal to noise is maximum. RESULTS The results showed that at an index value of x = 0.325, the new map of FWxM (0.325) will be constructed with a maximum derived SNR of 22.7 compared to the SNR values of T1- and T2-maps by 14.53 and 17.47, respectively. CONCLUSION By convolving two orthogonal magnetization vectors, the qualified images with higher new SNR were created, which included the image with the best SNR. In other words, to optimize the adoption of MRI technique and enable the possibility of wider use, an optimal and cost-effective examination has been suggested. Our proposal aims to shorten the MRI examination to further reduce interpretation times while maintaining primary sensitivity. SIGNIFICANCE Our findings may help to quantitatively identify the primary sources of each type of solid and sequential cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansour Ashoor
- Radiation Applications Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abdollah Khorshidi
- Radiation Applications Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran.
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11
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Wang J, Liu C, Hu R, Wu L, Li C. Statin therapy: a potential adjuvant to immunotherapies in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1324140. [PMID: 38362156 PMCID: PMC10867224 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1324140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide and accounts for more than 90% of primary liver cancer. The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-related therapies combined with angiogenesis inhibition has revolutionized the treatment of HCC in late-stage and unresectable HCC, as ICIs alone were disappointing in treating HCC. In addition to the altered immune microenvironment, abnormal lipid metabolism in the liver has been extensively characterized in various types of HCC. Stains are known for their cholesterol-lowering properties and their long history of treating hypercholesterolemia and reducing cardiovascular disease risk. Apart from ICI and other conventional therapies, statins are frequently used by advanced HCC patients with dyslipidemia, which is often marked by the abnormal accumulation of cholesterol and fatty acids in the liver. Supported by a body of preclinical and clinical studies, statins may unexpectedly enhance the efficacy of ICI therapy in HCC patients through the regulation of inflammatory responses and the immune microenvironment. This review discusses the abnormal changes in lipid metabolism in HCC, summarizes the clinical evidence and benefits of stain use in HCC, and prospects the possible mechanistic actions of statins in transforming the immune microenvironment in HCC when combined with immunotherapies. Consequently, the use of statin therapy may emerge as a novel and valuable adjuvant for immunotherapies in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Chengyu Liu
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ronghua Hu
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Licheng Wu
- School of Clinical Medicine, Nanchang Medical College, Nanchang, China
| | - Chuanzhou Li
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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12
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Chen Y, Zhou Y, Yan Z, Tong P, Xia Q, He K. Effect of infiltrating immune cells in tumor microenvironment on metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2023; 46:1595-1604. [PMID: 37414962 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00841-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal and prevalent human malignancies, leading to poor prognosis due to its high recurrence and metastasis rates. In recent years it has become increasingly evident that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in tumor progression and metastasis. Tumor microenvironment (TME) refers to the complex tissue environment of tumor occurrence and development. Here, we summarize the development of HCC and the role of cellular and non-cellular components of the TME in the metastasis HCC, with particular reference to tumor-infiltrating immune cells. We also discuss some of the possible therapeutic targets for the TME and the future prospectives of this evolving field. SIGNIFICANCE: This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of the infiltrating immune cells in TME in the metastasis of HCC and highlights the future outlook for targeted therapy of the TME in the context of recent experiments revealing a number of therapeutic targets targeting the TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwen Chen
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhang Zhou
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyang Yan
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Peilin Tong
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Xia
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China.
| | - Kang He
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China.
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Liu B, Huang J, Xiao J, Xu W, Zhang H, Yuan Y, Yin Y, Zhang X. The Streptococcus virulence protein PepO triggers anti-tumor immune responses by reprograming tumor-associated macrophages in a mouse triple negative breast cancer model. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:198. [PMID: 37925462 PMCID: PMC10625220 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01153-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The efficacy of current surgery and chemotherapy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is limited due to heterogenous and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), which are regarded as an M2 tumor-promoting phenotype, are crucial in the development of the immunosuppressive TME. Targeting TAM reprograming is a promising strategy in anti-tumor therapy since reprogramming techniques provide the opportunity to actively enhance the antitumor immunological activity of TAM in addition to eliminating their tumor-supportive roles, which is rarely applied in TNBC clinically. However, how to drive M2 macrophages reprogramming into M1 with high potency remains a challenge and the molecular mechanisms how M2 macrophages polarized into M1 are poorly understood. Here, we identified a new immunoregulatory molecular PepO that was served as an immunoregulatory molecule governed the transformation of tumor-promoting M2 to tumor-inhibitory M1 cells and represented an effective anti-tumor property. RESULTS At the present study, we identified a new immunoregulatory molecular PepO, as a harmless immunoregulatory molecule, governed the transformation of tumor-promoting M2 to tumor-inhibitory M1 cells efficiently. PepO-primed M2 macrophages decreased the expression of tumor-supportive molecules like Arg-1, Tgfb, Vegfa and IL-10, and increased the expression of iNOS, Cxcl9, Cxcl10, TNF-α and IL-6 to inhibit TNBC growth. Moreover, PepO enhanced the functions of macrophages related to cell killing, phagocytosis and nitric oxide biosynthetic process, thereby inhibiting the development of tumors in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, PepO reprogramed TAMs toward M1 by activating PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway via TLR4 and suppressed the function of M2 by inhibiting JAK2-STAT3 pathway via TLR2. The PI3K inhibitor LY294002 abrogated the role of PepO in switching M2 macrophages into M1 and in inhibiting TNBC growth in vivo. And PepO failed to govern the M2 macrophages to reprogram into M1 macrophages and inhibit TNBC when TLR2 or TLR4 was deficient. Moreover, PepO enhanced the antitumor activity of doxorubicin and the combination exerted a synergistic effect on TNBC suppression. CONCLUSIONS Our research identified a possible macrophage-based TNBC immunotherapeutic approach and suggested a novel anticancer immunoregulatory molecular called PepO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bichen Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Jun Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Jiangming Xiao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Wenlong Xu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Translational Medicine Research Center, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637000, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yibing Yin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Xuemei Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Key Laboratory of Diagnostic Medicine (Ministry of Education), Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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Buzatu I, Tache DE, Manea Carneluti EV, Zlatian O. ELTD1 Review: New Regulator of Angiogenesis in Glioma. CURRENT HEALTH SCIENCES JOURNAL 2023; 49:495-502. [PMID: 38559823 PMCID: PMC10976199 DOI: 10.12865/chsj.49.04.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a severe brain cancer in which angiogenesis is controlled by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), such as Epidermal Growth Factor Latrophilin and seven transmembrane domain-containing protein 1 (ELTD1), which are crucial for tumor progression. ELTD1 is an understudied GPCR with a broad expression profile in various tissues, including the human brain, especially in the cerebral cortex. It plays a significant role in angiogenesis and tumorigenesis and is regulated by interconnected VEGF and DLL4/Notch pathways. ELTD1 also modulates the JAK/STAT3/HIF-1α signaling axis, affecting the response of cells to low-oxygen conditions and promoting cell proliferation. However, their specific ligands and functional mechanisms remain unclear. ELTD1 expression is associated with different outcomes in various cancers. For example, in GBM, higher ELTD1 levels are linked to more mature and less leaky blood vessels, potentially enhancing drug delivery and therapeutic success. It also has divergent prognostic implications in renal, ovarian, and colorectal cancer. Additionally, ELTD1 overexpression in central nervous system endothelial cells suggests that it is a potential biomarker for multiple sclerosis. Therapeutically, blocking ELTD1 inhibits vessel formation, possibly slowing tumor growth. Initial therapies used polyclonal antibodies, but the shift has been towards more targeted monoclonal antibodies, particularly in preclinical glioma models. This review aimed to translate these insights into effective clinical treatments. However, several gaps remain in our knowledge regarding ELTD1 ligands and their potential involvement in other physiological or pathological processes that future research can address to elucidate the role of ELTD1 in cancer, through angiogenesis and other intracellular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniela Elise Tache
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
| | | | - Ovidiu Zlatian
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
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15
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Xu Y, Yao Y, Yu L, Zhang X, Mao X, Tey SK, Wong SWK, Yeung CLS, Ng TH, Wong MYM, Che C, Lee TKW, Gao Y, Cui Y, Yam JWP. Clathrin light chain A-enriched small extracellular vesicles remodel microvascular niche to induce hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis. J Extracell Vesicles 2023; 12:e12359. [PMID: 37606345 PMCID: PMC10443339 DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) play a key role in exchanging cargoes between cells in tumour microenvironment. This study aimed to elucidate the functions and mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) derived sEV-clathrin light chain A (CLTA) in remodelling microvascular niche. CLTA level in the circulating sEVs of HCC patients was analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The functions of sEV-CLTA in affecting HCC cancerous properties were examined by multiple functional assays. Mass spectrometry was used to identify downstream effectors of sEV-CLTA in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Tube formation, sprouting, trans-endothelial invasion and vascular leakiness assays were performed to determine the functions of sEV-CLTA and its effector, basigin (BSG) in HUVECs. BSG inhibitor, SP-8356, was tested in a mouse model of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Circulating sEVs of HCC patients had markedly enhanced CLTA levels than control individuals and were reduced in patients after surgery. HCC derived sEV-CLTA enhanced HCC cancerous properties, disrupted endothelial integrity and induced angiogenesis. Mechanistically, CLTA remodels microvascular niche by stabilizing and upregulating BSG. Last, SP-8356 alone or in combination with sorafenib attenuated PDXs growth. The study reveals the role of HCC derived sEV-CLTA in microvascular niche formation. Inhibition of CLTA and its mediated pathway may illuminate a new therapeutic strategy for HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Xu
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary SurgerySecond Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbinHeilongjiangP. R. China
| | - Yue Yao
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
- Department of Endocrinology and MetabolismSecond Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbinHeilongjiangP. R. China
| | - Liang Yu
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary SurgerySecond Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbinHeilongjiangP. R. China
| | - Xiaoxin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of MedicineJiangsu UniversityZhenjiangJiangsuP. R. China
| | - Xiaowen Mao
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research (The University of Hong Kong)Hong Kong
| | - Sze Keong Tey
- Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Samuel Wan Ki Wong
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Cherlie Lot Sum Yeung
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Tung Him Ng
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Melody YM Wong
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology LimitedHong Kong
| | - Chi‐Ming Che
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology LimitedHong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry, and Department of ChemistryThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
| | - Terence Kin Wah Lee
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical TechnologyThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
| | - Yi Gao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery IIZhuJiang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongP. R. China
| | - Yunfu Cui
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary SurgerySecond Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbinHeilongjiangP. R. China
| | - Judy Wai Ping Yam
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of MedicineThe University of Hong KongHong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research (The University of Hong Kong)Hong Kong
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Zhang M, Ding Q, Bian C, Su J, Xin Y, Jiang X. Progress on the molecular mechanism of portal vein tumor thrombosis formation in hepatocellular carcinoma. Exp Cell Res 2023; 426:113563. [PMID: 36944406 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2023.113563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors, with poor prognosis and high mortality. Early-stage HCC has no obvious clinical symptoms, and most patients are already at an advanced stage when they are diagnosed. Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is the most common complication and a poor prognostic factor for HCC, which frequently leads to portal vein hypertension, ascites, gastrointestinal bleeding, and tumor metastasis. The formation of PVTT is related to the complex structure and hemodynamic changes of the portal vein and is closely related to changes at the cellular and molecular levels. The differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) between PVTT and primary tumor (PT) suggest that the two tissues may have different clonal origins. Epigenetic and proteomic analyses also suggest complex and diverse mechanisms for the formation of PVTT. In addition, the tumor microenvironment and energy metabolism pathways are interrelated in regulating the invasion and progression of PVTT. Aerobic glycolysis and the tumor immune microenvironment have been the focus of recent studies on PVTT. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of PVTT formation at the cellular and molecular levels to provide information to guide better prevention and treatment of PVTT in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, Changchun, 130021, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Qiuhui Ding
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, Changchun, 130021, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Chenbin Bian
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, Changchun, 130021, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Jing Su
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, Changchun, 130021, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Ying Xin
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Xin Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, Changchun, 130021, China; Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
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Liu P, Kong L, Liu Y, Li G, Xie J, Lu X. A key driver to promote HCC: Cellular crosstalk in tumor microenvironment. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1135122. [PMID: 37007125 PMCID: PMC10050394 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1135122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is the third greatest cause of cancer-related mortality, which of the major pathological type is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounting for more than 90%. HCC is characterized by high mortality and is predisposed to metastasis and relapse, leading to a low five-year survival rate and poor clinical prognosis. Numerous crosstalk among tumor parenchymal cells, anti-tumor cells, stroma cells, and immunosuppressive cells contributes to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), in which the function and frequency of anti-tumor cells are reduced with that of associated pro-tumor cells increasing, accordingly resulting in tumor malignant progression. Indeed, sorting out and understanding the signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms of cellular crosstalk in TME is crucial to discover more key targets and specific biomarkers, so that develop more efficient methods for early diagnosis and individualized treatment of liver cancer. This piece of writing offers insight into the recent advances in HCC-TME and reviews various mechanisms that promote HCC malignant progression from the perspective of mutual crosstalk among different types of cells in TME, aiming to assist in identifying the possible research directions and methods in the future for discovering new targets that could prevent HCC malignant progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengyue Liu
- Clinical Medical College, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
| | - Lingyu Kong
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Clinical Skills Training Center, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan, China
| | - Gang Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tangshan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Tangshan, China
| | - Jianjia Xie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tangshan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Tangshan, China
| | - Xin Lu
- Clinical Medical College, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tangshan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Tangshan, China
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Optimization of breast treatment planning towards lower dose rate: A Monte Carlo simulation study. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2023.101220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
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Development of Prognostic Features of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Metabolic Gene Classification and Immune and Oxidative Stress Characteristic Analysis. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2023; 2023:1847700. [PMID: 36860731 PMCID: PMC9969974 DOI: 10.1155/2023/1847700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/20/2023]
Abstract
Background The molecular classification of HCC premised on metabolic genes might give assistance for diagnosis, therapy, prognosis prediction, immune infiltration, and oxidative stress in addition to supplementing the limitations of the clinical staging system. This would help to better represent the deeper features of HCC. Methods TCGA datasets combined with GSE14520 and HCCDB18 datasets were used to determine the metabolic subtype (MC) using ConsensusClusterPlus. ssGSEA method was used to calculate the IFNγ score, the oxidative stress pathway scores, and the score distribution of 22 distinct immune cells, and their differential expressions were assessed with the use of CIBERSORT. To generate a subtype classification feature index, LDA was utilized. Screening of the metabolic gene coexpression modules was done with the help of WGCNA. Results Three MCs (MC1, MC2, and MC3) were identified and showed different prognoses (MC2-poor and MC1-better). Although MC2 had a high immune microenvironment infiltration, T cell exhaustion markers were expressed at a high level in MC2 in contrast with MC1. Most oxidative stress-related pathways are inhibited in the MC2 subtype and activated in the MC1 subtype. The immunophenotyping of pan-cancer showed that the C1 and C2 subtypes with poor prognosis accounted for significantly higher proportions of MC2 and MC3 subtypes than MC1, while the better prognostic C3 subtype accounted for significantly lower proportions of MC2 than MC1. As per the findings of the TIDE analysis, MC1 had a greater likelihood of benefiting from immunotherapeutic regimens. MC2 was found to have a greater sensitivity to traditional chemotherapy drugs. Finally, 7 potential gene markers indicate HCC prognosis. Conclusion The difference (variation) in tumor microenvironment and oxidative stress among metabolic subtypes of HCC was compared from multiple angles and levels. A complete and thorough clarification of the molecular pathological properties of HCC, the exploration of reliable markers for diagnosis, the improvement of the cancer staging system, and the guiding of individualized treatment of HCC all gain benefit greatly from molecular classification associated with metabolism.
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Moirangthem A, Gondaliya P, Yan IK, Sayyed AA, Driscoll J, Patel T. Extracellular vesicle‑mediated miR‑126‑3p transfer contributes to inter‑cellular communication in the liver tumor microenvironment. Int J Oncol 2023; 62:31. [PMID: 36660950 PMCID: PMC9851126 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2023.5479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their contents are gaining recognition as important mediators of intercellular communication through the transfer of bioactive molecules, such as non‑coding RNA. The present study comprehensively assessed the microRNA (miRNA/miR) content within EVs released from HepG2 liver cancer (LC) cells and LX2 hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and determined the contribution of EV miRNA to intercellular communication. Using both transwell and spheroid co‑cultures of LC cells and HSCs, miR‑126‑3p within EV was established as a mediator of HSC to LC cell communication that influenced tumor cell migration and invasion, as well as the growth of multicellular LC/HSC spheroids. Manipulation of miR‑126‑3p either by enforced expression using pre‑miR‑126‑3p or by inhibition using antimiR‑126‑3p did not alter tumor cell viability, proliferation or sensitivity to either sorafenib or regorafenib. By contrast, enforced expression of miR‑126‑3p decreased tumor‑cell migration. Knockdown of miR‑126‑3p in tumor cells increased disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain‑containing protein 9 (ADAM9) expression and in HSCs increased collagen‑1A1 accumulation with an increase in compactness of multicellular spheroids. Within LC/HSC spheroids, ADAM9 and vascular endothelial growth factor expression was increased by silencing of miR‑126‑3p but diminished with the restoration of miR‑126‑3p. These studies implicate miR‑126‑3p in functional effects on migration, invasion and spheroid growth of tumor cells in the presence of HSCs, and thereby demonstrate functional EV‑RNA‑based intercellular signaling between HSCs and LC cells that is directly relevant to tumor‑cell behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Irene K. Yan
- Departments of Transplantation and Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Adil Ali Sayyed
- Departments of Transplantation and Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Julia Driscoll
- Departments of Transplantation and Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
| | - Tushar Patel
- Departments of Transplantation and Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL 32224, USA
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21
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Xie C, Gu A, Khan M, Yao X, Chen L, He J, Yuan F, Wang P, Yang Y, Wei Y, Tang F, Su H, Chen J, Li J, Cen B, Xu Z. Opportunities and challenges of hepatocellular carcinoma organoids for targeted drugs sensitivity screening. Front Oncol 2023; 12:1105454. [PMID: 36686807 PMCID: PMC9853547 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1105454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the malignancies worldwide with a high mortality rate and an increasing incidence. Molecular Targeted agents are its common first-line treatment. Organoid technology, as a cutting-edge technology, is gradually being applied in the development of therapeutic oncology. Organoid models can be used to perform sensitivity screening of targeted drugs to facilitate the development of innovative therapeutic agents for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the opportunities and challenges of hepatocellular carcinoma organoids in targeted drug sensitivity testing as well as a future outlook.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuiying Xie
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ancheng Gu
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Muhammad Khan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiangcao Yao
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Leping Chen
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiali He
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fumiao Yuan
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yufan Yang
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yerong Wei
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fang Tang
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hualong Su
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiamin Chen
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jinxia Li
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bohong Cen
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,Department of Radiation Oncology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China,*Correspondence: Bohong Cen, ; Zhongyuan Xu,
| | - Zhongyuan Xu
- Clinical Pharmacy Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Drug Metabolism and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Screening, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China,*Correspondence: Bohong Cen, ; Zhongyuan Xu,
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22
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Shi C, Zhang L, Chen D, Wei H, Qi W, Zhang P, Guo H, Sun L. Prognostic value of TMEM59L and its genomic and immunological characteristics in cancer. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1054157. [PMID: 36618425 PMCID: PMC9816415 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1054157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background TMEM59L is a newly discovered transmembrane protein; its functions in cancer remain unknown. This study was designed to reveal the prognostic value and the functional role of TMEM59L in cancer. Methods The gene expression profiles, methylation data, and corresponding clinical data of TMEM59L were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression database. Survival analysis was employed to calculate the pan-cancer prognostic value of TMEM59L. The correlation between TMEM59L expression and tumor immune microenvironment, as well as DNA methylation dynamics and genomic heterogeneity across cancers were assessed based on data from TCGA. Results Our findings revealed that distinct differences of TMEM59L mRNA expression were observed in different cancer types and that higher TMEM59L expression was observed in the advanced pathological stage and associated with worse prognosis in kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, bladder urothelial carcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma, and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma. Pathway analysis indicated that TMEM59L exerted a key influence in cancer development and in immune- and cancer-associated pathways such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition and TGF-β signaling. Moreover, correlation analysis hinted at a negative correlation of TMEM59L expression with CD8 T cells, activated CD4 T cells, and several immunomodulators, including IDO1, TIGIT, PD-L1, CTLA-4, and BTLA in various cancers. Survival analysis indicated that the hypermethylation of TMEM59L gene was associated with longer survival times. A significant correlation was also observed between TMEM59L expression and immunophenoscore, homologous recombination deficiency, loss of heterozygosity, tumor stemness score, and neoantigens in various cancers. Importantly, we also identified numerous potential agents that may target TMEM59L. Conclusion Our study revealed the prognostic value as well as the genomic and immunological characteristics of TMEM59L in cancers, highlighting the promising potential for TMEM59L as a prognostic cancer biomarker and a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Shi
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China,Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Lizhi Zhang
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Dan Chen
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Hong Wei
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Wenjing Qi
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Pengxin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Huiqi Guo
- Department of Pathology, First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian, China
| | - Lei Sun
- Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China,*Correspondence: Lei Sun,
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23
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Niu ZS, Wang WH, Niu XJ. Recent progress in molecular mechanisms of postoperative recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28:6433-6477. [PMID: 36569275 PMCID: PMC9782839 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i46.6433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatectomy is currently considered the most effective option for treating patients with early and intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unfortunately, the postoperative prognosis of patients with HCC remains unsatisfactory, predominantly because of high postoperative metastasis and recurrence rates. Therefore, research on the molecular mechanisms of postoperative HCC metastasis and recurrence will help develop effective intervention measures to prevent or delay HCC metastasis and recurrence and to improve the long-term survival of HCC patients. Herein, we review the latest research progress on the molecular mechanisms underlying postoperative HCC metastasis and recurrence to lay a foundation for improving the understanding of HCC metastasis and recurrence and for developing more precise prevention and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Shan Niu
- Laboratory of Micromorphology, School of Basic Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, Shandong Province, China
| | - Wen-Hong Wang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Niu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Qingdao Shibei District People's Hospital, Qingdao 266033, Shandong Province, China
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24
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Zhao C, Liu S, Gao F, Zou Y, Ren Z, Yu Z. The role of tumor microenvironment reprogramming in primary liver cancer chemotherapy resistance. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1008902. [PMID: 36505831 PMCID: PMC9731808 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1008902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary liver cancer (PLC), including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), and other rare tumours, is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. It has been a major contributor to the cancer burden worldwide. Of all primary liver cancer, HCC is the most common type. Over the past few decades, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other therapies have been identified as applicable to the treatment of HCC. However, evidence suggests that chemotherapy resistance is associated with higher mortality rates in liver cancer. The tumour microenvironment (TME), which includes molecular, cellular, extracellular matrix(ECM), and vascular signalling pathways, is a complex ecosystem. It is now increasingly recognized that the tumour microenvironment plays a pivotal role in PLC prognosis, progression and treatment response. Cancer cells reprogram the tumour microenvironment to develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs distinct from normal differentiated tissues. Chemotherapy resistance mechanisms are reshaped during TME reprogramming. For this reason, TME reprogramming can provide a powerful tool to understand better both cancer-fate processes and regenerative, with the potential to develop a new treatment. This review discusses the recent progress of tumour drug resistance, particularly tumour microenvironment reprogramming in tumour chemotherapy resistance, and focuses on its potential application prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyu Zhao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, Shandong, China,Gene Hospital of Henan Province; Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shanshuo Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, Shandong, China,Gene Hospital of Henan Province; Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Feng Gao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, Shandong, China,Gene Hospital of Henan Province; Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yawen Zou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, Shandong, China,Gene Hospital of Henan Province; Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhigang Ren
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,Jinan Microecological Biomedicine Shandong Laboratory, Jinan, Shandong, China,Gene Hospital of Henan Province; Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,*Correspondence: Zhigang Ren, ; Zujiang Yu,
| | - Zujiang Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,Gene Hospital of Henan Province; Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China,*Correspondence: Zhigang Ren, ; Zujiang Yu,
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25
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Motofei IG. Biology of cancer; from cellular and molecular mechanisms to developmental processes and adaptation. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:600-615. [PMID: 34695580 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cancer research has been largely focused on the cellular and molecular levels of investigation. Recent data show that not only the cell but also the extracellular matrix plays a major role in the progression of malignancy. In this way, the cells and the extracellular matrix create a specific local microenvironment that supports malignant development. At the same time, cancer implies a systemic evolution which is closely related to developmental processes and adaptation. Consequently, there is currently a real gap between the local investigation of cancer at the microenvironmental level, and the pathophysiological approach to cancer as a systemic disease. In fact, the cells and the matrix are not only complementary structures but also interdependent components that act synergistically. Such relationships lead to cell-matrix integration, a supracellular form of biological organization that supports tissue development. The emergence of this supracellular level of organization, as a structure, leads to the emergence of the supracellular control of proliferation, as a supracellular function. In humans, proliferation is generally involved in developmental processes and adaptation. These processes suppose a specific configuration at the systemic level, which generates high-order guidance for local supracellular control of proliferation. In conclusion, the supracellular control of proliferation act as an interface between the downstream level of cell division and differentiation, and upstream level of developmental processes and adaptation. Understanding these processes and their disorders is useful not only to complete the big picture of malignancy as a systemic disease, but also to open new treatment perspectives in the form of etiopathogenic (supracellular or informational) therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ion G Motofei
- Department of Oncology/ Surgery, Carol Davila University, St. Pantelimon Hospital, Dionisie Lupu Street, No. 37, Bucharest, 020021, Romania.
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26
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Liu T, Qi J, Wu H, Wang L, Zhu L, Qin C, Zhang J, Zhu Q. Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase is a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:993503. [PMID: 36338768 PMCID: PMC9632284 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.993503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD) is involved in the regulation of various tumors. However, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly understood. This study tried to determine the prognostic efficacy of PGD and its value for immunotherapy in HCC. Methods The data from the TCGA database was used to explore the predictive power of PGD expression and methylation on the overall survival (OS) of HCC through Cox regression and the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Then, we used the GEO and ICGC database to further verify the predictive power. Finally, the relationship between PGD and immune cells and the relationship between PGD and the efficacy of immunotherapy were explored through bioinformatics analysis in HCC. Results PGD is highly expressed in HCC tissues, which is negatively regulated by PGD methylation. Low PGD expression and PGD hypermethylation predict better OS in HCC patients. Besides, a meta-analysis based on the TCGA, GSE14520, and ICGC databases further confirms that low PGD expression is closely related to favorable OS. Then, we find significant differences of immune cell infiltrations between high and low PGD expression groups. Expressions of immune checkpoints, most HLA members and tumor mutation burden (TMB) are higher in the high PGD expression group, which indicates beneficial efficacy of immunotherapy in this group. And the potential mechanisms of PGD are exhibited. Conclusion PGD is an independent prognostic factor of HCC patients and plays an important role in immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy, which indicates that PGD can be used as a predictive biomarker for HCC immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiantian Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Liver Diseases Prevention and Control, Jinan, China
| | - Jianni Qi
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Liver Diseases Prevention and Control, Jinan, China
- Central Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Central Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Liver Diseases Prevention and Control, Jinan, China
- Department of Infectious Disease, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Le Wang
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Liver Diseases Prevention and Control, Jinan, China
- Department of Health Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Lihui Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Liver Diseases Prevention and Control, Jinan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Chengyong Qin
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Liver Diseases Prevention and Control, Jinan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
| | - Jiao Zhang
- Department of Health Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Qiang Zhu, ; Jiao Zhang,
| | - Qiang Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technological Research Center for Liver Diseases Prevention and Control, Jinan, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- *Correspondence: Qiang Zhu, ; Jiao Zhang,
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27
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Wang W, Deng ZF, Wang JL, Zhang L, Bao L, Xu BH, Zhu H, Guo Y, Wen Z. Change of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma. World J Gastrointest Surg 2022; 14:1008-1025. [PMID: 36185571 PMCID: PMC9521466 DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v14.i9.1008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the growth and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has attracted widespread attention.
AIM To evaluate the feasibility of associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) for massive HCC by exploring the role of TIL in the tumor microenvironment.
METHODS Fifteen massive HCC patients who underwent ALPPS treatment and 46 who underwent hemi-hepatectomy were selected for this study. Propensity score matching was utilized to match patients in ALPPS and hemi-hepatectomy groups (1:1). Quantitative analysis of TILs in tumor and adjacent tissues between the two groups was performed by immunofluorescence staining and further analyses with oncological characteristics. In the meantime, trends of TILs in peripheral blood were compared between the two groups during the perioperative period.
RESULTS Continuous measurement of tumor volume and necrosis volume showed that the proportion of tumor necrosis volume on the seventh day after stage-I ALPPS was significantly higher than the pre-operative value (P = 0.024). In the preoperative period of stage-I ALPPS, the proportion of tumor necrosis volume in the high CD8+ T cell infiltration group was significantly higher than that in the low group (P = 0.048).
CONCLUSION TIL infiltration level maintained a dynamic balance during the preoperative period of ALPPS. Compared with right hemi-hepatectomy, the ALPPS procedure does not cause severe immunosuppression with the decrease in TIL infiltration and pathological changes in immune components of peripheral blood. Our results suggested that ALPPS is safe and feasible for treating massive HCC from the perspective of immunology. In addition, high CD8+ T cell infiltration is associated with increasing tumor necrosis in the perioperative period of ALPPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Zhen-Feng Deng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Ji-Long Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Ling Zhang
- Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Li Bao
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin 300000, China
| | - Bang-Hao Xu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Hai Zhu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Ya Guo
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
| | - Zhang Wen
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery for Gastrointestinal Cancer, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
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Peng Z, Hao M, Tong H, Yang H, Huang B, Zhang Z, Luo KQ. The interactions between integrin α 5β 1 of liver cancer cells and fibronectin of fibroblasts promote tumor growth and angiogenesis. Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18:5019-5037. [PMID: 35982891 PMCID: PMC9379399 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.72367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression is closely related to pathological fibrosis, which involves heterotypic intercellular interactions (HIIs) between liver cancer cells and fibroblasts. Here, we studied them in a direct coculture model, and identified fibronectin from fibroblasts and integrin-α5β1 from liver cancer cells as the primary responsible molecules utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. Coculture led to the formation of 3D multilayer microstructures, and obvious fibronectin remodeling was caused by upregulated integrin-α5β1, which greatly promoted cell growth in 3D microstructures. Integrin-α5 was more sensitive and specific than integrin-β1 in this process. Subsequent mechanistic exploration revealed the activation of integrin-Src-FAK, AKT and ERK signaling pathways. Importantly, the growth-promoting effect of HIIs was verified in a xenograft tumor model, in which more blood vessels were observed in bigger tumors derived from the coculture group than that derived from monocultured groups. Hence, we conducted triculture by introducing human umbilical vein endothelial cells, which aligned to and differentiated along multilayer microstructures in an integrin-α5β1 dependent manner. Furthermore, fibronectin, integrin-α5, and integrin-β1 were upregulated in 52 HCC tumors, and fibronectin was related to microvascular invasion. Our findings identify fibronectin, integrin-α5, and integrin-β1 as tumor microenvironment-related targets and provide a basis for combination targeted therapeutic strategies for future HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Peng
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Meng Hao
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Haibo Tong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Hongmei Yang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Bin Huang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kathy Qian Luo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China.,Ministry of Education-Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
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Yuan J, Wang Y, Wang X, Zhang W, Ding R, Yue S, Li X. Construction and experimental verification of user-friendly molecular subtypes mediated by immune-associated genes in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:924059. [PMID: 35992798 PMCID: PMC9391001 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.924059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for third most cancer death globally, and its prognosis continues to be poor even with many novel therapeutic approaches emerging. The advent of immunotherapy seems to offer new hope, but low response rates are an unresolved problem. To gain further knoeledge of the effect of immune-related genes in HCC, we examined the connection between immune-related genes and the immune microenvironment in HCC through the HCC transcriptome dataset. The study also aimed to construct and experimentally validate user-friendly molecular subtypes mediated by immune-related genes in HCC. The immune cell infiltration patterns differs in HCC adjacent non-disease tissues and cancerous tissues. Patients with HCC could be classified into 2 subtypes: subtype A and subtype B. Specifically, subtype A shows characteristics of a hot tumor, in which the infiltration of cells exhibiting antigens and the expression of other crucial factors associated with immune function are higher than in a cold tumor. In addition, we identified Hub genes for the different subtypes and constructed a prognostic prediction model based on six genes (KLRB1, KLF2, S100A9, MSC, ANXA5, and IMPDH1). Further experimental analysis of HCC samples exhibited that the expression levels of KLF2 and ANXA5 were associated with immune cell infiltration and expression of PD-L1 in cancer tissues. Our work suggests that the expression of immune-related genes has crucial effect on the tumor microenvironment and prognosis of HCC patients and may be associated with immunotherapeutic response, which provides new clues for the widespread and effective application of immunotherapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juzheng Yuan
- Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xudan Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wenjie Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China
| | - Rui Ding
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Rui Ding, ; Shuqiang Yue, ; Xiao Li,
| | - Shuqiang Yue
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Rui Ding, ; Shuqiang Yue, ; Xiao Li,
| | - Xiao Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Rui Ding, ; Shuqiang Yue, ; Xiao Li,
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30
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Liao K, Hu J, Huang Y, Yu S, Yang Q, Sun F, Wu C, Cheng Y, Zhang W, Zhang X, Li H, Wang X. m 6A Regulator-Based Methylation Modification Patterns Characterized by Distinct Tumor Microenvironment Immune Profiles in Rectal Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:879405. [PMID: 35875124 PMCID: PMC9299953 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.879405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies reported the related role of RNA n6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification in tumorigenesis and development. However, it is not clear whether m6A modification also plays a potential role in the immune regulation of rectal cancer (RC) and the formation of tumor microenvironment. Methods In this study, we screened 23 m6A regulatory factors from 369 rectal cancer specimens, further determined the modification patterns of m6A in RC, and systematically linked these modification patterns with the characteristics of TME cell infiltration. The principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm was used to evaluate the m6A modification pattern of a single tumor related to immune response. Results Three different m6A modification patterns were found in the measurement results, which are related to different clinical results and biological pathways. TME identification results show that the identified m6A pattern is closely related to immune characteristics. According to the m6Ascore extracted from m6A-related signature genes, RC patients were divided into high and low score subgroups combined with tumor mutation burden. Patients with high tumor mutation burden and higher m6Ascore have a significant survival advantage and enhanced immune infiltration. Further analysis showed that patients with higher m6Ascore had higher PD-L1 expression levels and showed better immune response and lasting clinical benefits. Conclusions M6A modification plays a crucial role in the formation of TME diversity and complexity. The evaluation of the m6A modification mode will help us to enhance our understanding of the characteristics of TME infiltration and provide new insights for more effective immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaili Liao
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jialing Hu
- Department of Emergency medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yu Huang
- School of Advanced Manufacturing of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Siji Yu
- School of Advanced Manufacturing of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Qijun Yang
- Queen Mary College of Nanchang University, Xuefu Road, Nanchang, Nanchang, China
| | - Fan Sun
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Chengfeng Wu
- Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yunqi Cheng
- Queen Mary College of Nanchang University, Xuefu Road, Nanchang, Nanchang, China
| | - Wenyige Zhang
- Queen Mary College of Nanchang University, Xuefu Road, Nanchang, Nanchang, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- Queen Mary College of Nanchang University, Xuefu Road, Nanchang, Nanchang, China
| | - Hongyu Li
- Queen Mary College of Nanchang University, Xuefu Road, Nanchang, Nanchang, China
| | - Xiaozhong Wang
- Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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Huang Y, Wang T, Yang J, Wu X, Fan W, Chen J. Current Strategies for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Modulating the Tumor Microenvironment via Nano-Delivery Systems: A Review. Int J Nanomedicine 2022; 17:2335-2352. [PMID: 35619893 PMCID: PMC9128750 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s363456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer remains a global health challenge with a projected incidence of over one million cases by 2025. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common primary liver cancer, accounting for about 90% of all liver cancer cases. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is the internal and external environment for tumor development, which plays an important role in tumorigenesis, immune escape and treatment resistance. Knowing that TME is a unique setting for HCC tumorigenesis, exploration of strategies to modulate TME has attracted increasing attention. Among them, the use of nano-delivery systems to deliver therapeutic agents to regulate TME components has shown great potential. TME-modulating nanoparticles have the advantages of protecting therapeutic agents from degradation, enhancing the ability of targeting HCC and reducing systemic toxicity. In this article, we summarize the TME components associated with HCC, including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), extracellular matrix (ECM), endothelial cells and immune cells, discuss their impact on the HCC progression, and highlight recent studies on nano-delivery systems that modulate these components. Finally, we also discuss opportunities and challenges in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjie Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Tiansi Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiefen Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Wu
- Department of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China.,Shanghai Wei Er Lab, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Fan
- Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianming Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China
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32
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Wang Y, Yang Y, Zhao Z, Sun H, Luo D, Huttad L, Zhang B, Han B. A new nomogram model for prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma based on novel gene signature that regulates cross-talk between immune and tumor cells. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:379. [PMID: 35397536 PMCID: PMC8994280 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09465-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The combined application of immune cells and specific biomarkers related to the tumor immune microenvironment has a better predictive value for the prognosis of HCC. The purpose of this study is to construct a new prognostic model based on immune-related genes that regulate cross-talk between immune and tumor cells to assess the prognosis and explore possible mechanisms. Method The immune cell abundance ratio of 424 cases in the TCGA-LIHC database is obtained through the CIBERSORT algorithm. The differential gene analysis and cox regression analysis is used to screen IRGs. In addition, the function of IRGs was preliminarily explored through the co-culture of M2 macrophages and HCC cell lines. The clinical validation, nomogram establishment and performing tumor microenvironment score were validated. Results We identified 4 immune cells and 9 hub genes related to the prognosis. Further, we identified S100A9, CD79B, TNFRSF11B as an IRGs signature, which is verified in the ICGC and GSE76427 database. Importantly, IRGs signature is closely related to the prognosis, tumor microenvironment score, clinical characteristics and immunotherapy, and nomogram combined with clinical characteristics is more conducive to clinical promotion. In addition, after co-culture with M2 macrophages, the migration capacity and cell pseudopod of MHCC97H increased significantly. And CD79B and TNFRSF11B were significantly down-regulated in MHCC97H, Huh7 and LM3, while S100A9 was up-regulated. Conclusion We constructed an IRGs signature and discussed possible mechanisms. The nomogram established based on IRGs can accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients. These findings may provide a suitable therapeutic target for HCC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09465-9.
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Ma Y, Wang S, Wu Y, Liu B, Li L, Wang W, Weng H, Ding H. Hepatic stellate cell mediates transcription of TNFSF14 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via H 2S/CSE-JNK/JunB signaling pathway. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:238. [PMID: 35292636 PMCID: PMC8924155 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04678-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) both play important roles in the development of hepatocellar carcinoma (HCC). Whereas, in the microenvironment of HCC, whether HSC participate in regulating the biological process of HCC cells by releasing H2S remains elusive. In vitro, Flow cytometry (FCM), CCK-8, RNA-sequencing, Western blotting, RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence and ChIP assays were carried out in the HCC cells to investigate the effect of H2S on biological functions and JNK/JunB-TNFSF14 signaling pathway. Specimens from HCC patients were analyzed by RT-qPCR and Western blotting assays for evaluating the expression of TNFSF14 and CSE. Statistical analysis was used to analyze the correlation between TNFSF14 expression and clinical data of HCC patients. Based on the FCM and CCK-8 results, we found the LX-2 cells were able to induce HCC cells apoptosis through releasing H2S. RNA-sequencing, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting results showed that TNFSF14 gene was upregulated in both LX-2 and NaHS group. NaHS treated in HCC cells led to JNK/JunB signaling pathway activating and greater binding of p-JunB to its responsive elements on TNFSF14 promoter. Impairment of TNFSF14 induction alleviated LX-2 and NaHS induced apoptosis of HepG2 and PLC/PRF/5 cells. Furthermore, TNFSF14 expression in HCC tissues was lower than the adjacent tissue. HCC patients with low expression of TNFSF14 had higher malignant degree and poor prognosis. In summary, demonstration of the involvement of HSC-derived H2S in JNK/JunB mediated expression of TNFSF14 gene strongly indicates H2S palys an important role in the regulation of HCC apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Ma
- grid.414379.cDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beijing You’an Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Shanshan Wang
- grid.414379.cDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beijing You’an Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China ,grid.24696.3f0000 0004 0369 153XBeijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing You’ An Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Yongle Wu
- grid.414379.cDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beijing You’an Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Bihan Liu
- grid.414379.cDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beijing You’an Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Lei Li
- grid.414379.cDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beijing You’an Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- grid.24696.3f0000 0004 0369 153XBeijing Institute of Hepatology, Beijing You’ An Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
| | - Honglei Weng
- grid.411778.c0000 0001 2162 1728Department of Medicine II, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, 68167 Germany
| | - Huiguo Ding
- grid.414379.cDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Beijing You’an Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069 China
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Li S, Chen L. Exosomes in Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:793432. [PMID: 35155236 PMCID: PMC8828506 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.793432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with a diameter of 30-150 nm that are released by most types of cells and have been confirmed to be involved in many physical and pathological processes, especially in cell to cell communication. Compared with other vesicles, exosomes have a unique double-layer saclike structure that allows them to be present stably in various body fluids, including blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, saliva, and serous cavity effusion. The cargoes of exosomes reflect the characteristics of host cells. Due to the nature of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, heterogeneity in the bioactive substances usually exist in exosomes. In addition, exosomes can efficiently deliver cargoes to the target cells to exert pathological functions, playing important role in tumor occurrence, development, metastasis, immune regulation, and drug resistance. Previous studies have been shown that exosomes have wide applications in diagnosis and treatment of HCC. In this review, we discuss these recent findings and highlight the significant roles of exosomes in HCC, focusing on the effect and underlying mechanisms of exosomes to regulate HCC progression and the potential clinical value of exosomes as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Li
- Institute of Basic Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, China.,Provincial Key Laboratory for Transfusion-Transmitted Infectious Diseases, Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Limin Chen
- Provincial Key Laboratory for Transfusion-Transmitted Infectious Diseases, Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Chengdu, China.,The Joint Laboratory on Transfusion-Transmitted Diseases (TTD) Between Institute of Blood Transfusion, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Nanning Blood Center, Nanning Blood Center, Nanning, China
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35
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Yan J, Huang YJ, Huang QY, Liu PX, Wang CS. Transcriptional activation of S100A2 expression by HIF-1α via binding to the hypomethylated hypoxia response elements in HCC cells. Mol Carcinog 2022; 61:494-507. [PMID: 35107180 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent and lethal cancers. Dysregulation of S100A2 has recently been found in many cancers including HCC. However, its regulatory mechanism in HCC remains poorly understood, especially in hypoxia. In this study, we found that S100A2 is upregulated and correlated with the clinicopathological features of HCC patients. Moreover, the elevated S100A2 showed worse overall survival. Functionally, S100A2 inhibition decreased the proliferation and migration of HepG2 cells. Interestingly, we found that HIF-1α directly binds to hypoxia response elements (HREs) of the S100A2 promoter region. S100A2 expression could be induced in an HIF-1α-dependent manner under hypoxia. Furthermore, S100A2 silencing significantly suppressed HCC cell proliferation and invasion under hypoxia. Mechanistically, pyrosequencing results showed that the hypomethylation status of CpG located in the HRE at the S100A2 promoter was correlated with S100A2 induction. Additionally, HIF-1α- mediated S100A2 activation was associated with TET2-related epigenetic inactivation. TET2 was enriched in the HRE of the S100A2 promoter in HepG2 cells. Finally, S100A2 methylation-related genes and pathways were analyzed. We found that the methylation of S100A2 is correlated with ANXA2, PPP1R15A, and FOS, which include in a hypoxia-related gene set from the GSEA database. Moreover, some EMT-related genes are associated with the methylation of S100A2 in HCC. Conclusively, our study thus uncovered a novel mechanism showing that hypoxia/HIF-1α signaling associated with DNA methylation enhances S100A2 expression in HCC. S100A2 may be useful as a target for facilitating novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.,College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Ya Jun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Qing Yu Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Peng Xia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.,College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Chang Shan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China.,College of Life Science, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
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36
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Song J, Zhou H, Gu D, Xu Y. Hepatocellular Carcinoma Differentiation: Research Progress in Mechanism and Treatment. Front Oncol 2022; 11:790358. [PMID: 35096588 PMCID: PMC8790246 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.790358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Although progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment, morbidity and mortality continue to rise. Chronic liver disease and liver cirrhosis are still the most important risk factors for liver cancer. Although there are many treatments, it can only be cured by orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) or surgical resection. And the worse the degree of differentiation, the worse the prognosis of patients with liver cancer. Then it can be considered that restoring a better state of differentiation may improve the prognosis. The differentiation treatment of liver cancer is to reverse the dedifferentiation process of hepatocytes to liver cancer cells by means of drugs, improve the differentiation state of the tumor, and restore the normal liver characteristics, so as to improve the prognosis. Understanding the mechanism of dedifferentiation of liver cancer can provide ideas for drug design. Liver enrichment of transcription factors, imbalance of signal pathway and changes of tumor microenvironment can promote the occurrence and development of liver cancer, and restoring its normal level can inhibit the malignant behavior of tumor. At present, some drugs have been proved to be effective, but more clinical data are needed to support the effectiveness and reliability of drugs. The differentiation treatment of liver cancer is expected to become an important part of the treatment of liver cancer in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianning Song
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Guangzhou Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hongzhong Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Dayong Gu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Guangzhou Medical University, Shenzhen, China
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Wang H, Zheng S, Jiang H, Wang X, Zhou F, Weng Z. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis reveals a novel cell state and switching genes during hepatic stellate cell activation in vitro. J Transl Med 2022; 20:53. [PMID: 35093101 PMCID: PMC8800312 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03263-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The transformation of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) to myofibroblast is a key event during liver fibrogenesis. However, the differentiation trajectory of HSC-to-myofibroblast transition and the switching genes during this process remains not well understood. Methods We applied single-cell sequencing data to reconstruct a single-lineage pseudotime trajectory of HSC transdifferentiation in vitro and analyzed the gene expression patterns along the trajectory. GeneSwitches was used to identify the order of critical gene expression and functional events during HSC activation. Results A novel cell state during HSC activation was revealed and the HSCs belonging to this state may be an important origin of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Combining single-cell transcriptomics with GeneSwitches analyses, we identified some distinct switching genes and the order at which these switches take place for the new state of HSC and the classic culture-activated HSC, respectively. Based on the top switching genes, we established a four-gene combination which exhibited highly diagnostic accuracy in predicting advanced liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or hepatitis B (HBV). Conclusion Our study revealed a novel cell state during HSC activation which may be relevant to CAFs, and identified switching genes that may play key roles in HSC transdifferentiation and serve as predictive markers of advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03263-4.
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Zhang X, Li N, Zhu Y, Wen W. The role of mesenchymal stem cells in the occurrence, development, and therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Med 2022; 11:931-943. [PMID: 34981659 PMCID: PMC8855904 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver malignant tumor, with high recurrence and mortality rates. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that can be recruited into the tumor microenvironment (TME). What is known, TME plays a vital part in tumor progression. In recent years, accumulating studies have found that MSCs have a dual role of promotion and inhibition in the occurrence and development of HCC. In this review, we analyzed the role of MSCs in TME and summarized the relationship between MSCs and liver cancer stem cells, the molecular signaling pathway mechanisms of MSCs promoting and inhibiting HCC, and the latest research progress of MSCs in the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Zhang
- Liver Disease Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Na Li
- Liver Disease Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Liver Disease Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
| | - Wei Wen
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning, China
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Shen E, Zhang J, Lu Y. DEP domain containing 1B (DEPDC1B) exerts the tumor promoter in hepatocellular carcinoma through activating p53 signaling pathway via kinesin family member 23 (KIF23). Bioengineered 2022; 13:1103-1114. [PMID: 34983303 PMCID: PMC8805966 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.2017629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is closely associated with chronic liver disease and possesses a high incidence. DEP domain containing 1B (DEPDC1B) expression has been found to be upregulated in HCC according to bioinformatics analysis. This paper sought to study the specific role of DEPDC1B in HCC. The data of DEPDC1B expression and individual overall survival in HCC and normal liver tissues were acquired from UALCAN database. The association between DEPDC1B and the downstream signal, kinesin family member 23 (KIF23), was determined using LinkedOmics and STRING database, and subsequently confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation assay. The expression levels of DEPDC1B and KIF23 in normal hepatic epithelial cells and HCC cell lines were assessed by RT-qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. Following transfection with small interference RNA-DEPDC1B, the influences of DEPDC1B knockdown on cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle, cell invasion, migration, and KIF23 expression were evaluated. In addition, the effects of KIF23 overexpression on the above aspects of HCC cells were also determined, as well as the expression level of p53 signaling-related proteins. The results indicated that DEPDC1B was highly expressed in HCC cells. DEPDC1B knockdown inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, cycle, and KIF23 expression in HCC cells. Moreover, KIF23 overexpression reversed the inhibitory effect of DEPDC1B knockdown in HCC cells and the activation of the p53 signaling. In conclusion, DEPDC1B knockdown exerts anti-cancer role in HCC by activating the p53 signaling through KIF23.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enhua Shen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Jilin Province Faw General Hospital, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Jingzhi Zhang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zibo Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, Zibo, Shandong, China
| | - Yujuan Lu
- Department of Infectious Disease, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo, Shandong, China
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Gouda G, Gupta MK, Donde R, Behera L, Vadde R. Tumor microenvironment in heptocellular carcinoma. THERANOSTICS AND PRECISION MEDICINE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA 2022:109-124. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-98806-3.00007-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
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Aoki T, Nishida N, Kudo M. Current Perspectives on the Immunosuppressive Niche and Role of Fibrosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and the Development of Antitumor Immunity. J Histochem Cytochem 2022; 70:53-81. [PMID: 34751050 PMCID: PMC8721576 DOI: 10.1369/00221554211056853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become the mainstay of treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, they are ineffective in some cases. Previous studies have reported that genetic alterations in oncogenic pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin are the important triggers in HCC for primary refractoriness. T-cell exhaustion has been reported in various tumors and is likely to play a prominent role in the emergence of HCC due to chronic inflammation and cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction. Immunosuppressive cells including regulatory T-cells and tumor-associated macrophages infiltrating the tumor are associated with hyperprogressive disease in the early stages of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. In addition, stellate cells and tumor-associated fibroblasts create an abundant desmoplastic environment by producing extracellular matrix. This strongly contributes to epithelial to mesenchymal transition via signaling activities including transforming growth factor beta, Wnt/β-catenin, and Hippo pathway. The abundant desmoplastic environment has been demonstrated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma to suppress cytotoxic T-cell infiltration, PD-L1 expression, and neoantigen expression, resulting in a highly immunosuppressive niche. It is possible that a similar immunosuppressive environment is created in HCC with advanced fibrosis in the background liver. Although sufficient understanding is required for the establishment of immune therapies of HCC, further investigations are still required in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoko Aoki
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Japan
| | - Naoshi Nishida
- Naoshi Nishida, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama 589-8511, Japan. E-mail:
| | - Masatoshi Kudo
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Kindai University, Osaka-Sayama, Japan
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Zelber-Sagi S, Noureddin M, Shibolet O. Lifestyle and Hepatocellular Carcinoma What Is the Evidence and Prevention Recommendations. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 14:cancers14010103. [PMID: 35008267 PMCID: PMC8750465 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14010103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The increasing public health burden of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) emphasizes the importance of defining important modifiable risk factors. In the following review, we will discuss the evidence for the relation of major lifestyle risk factors, mostly from large population-based studies. Generally, it is has been shown that healthy lifestyle habits, including minimizing obesity, eating a healthy diet, avoidance of smoking and alcohol, and increasing physical activity, have the potential to prevent HCC. Dietary composition is important beyond obesity. Consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as fish and poultry, vegetables and fiber, are inversely associated with HCC, while red meat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sugar are related to increased risk. Data from multiple studies clearly show a beneficial effect for physical activity in reducing the risk of HCC. Smoking and alcohol can lead to liver fibrosis and liver cancer and jointly lead to an even greater risk. Abstract The increasing burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) emphasizes the unmet need for primary prevention. Lifestyle measures appear to be important modifiable risk factors for HCC regardless of its etiology. Lifestyle patterns, as a whole and each component separately, are related to HCC risk. Dietary composition is important beyond obesity. Consumption of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as fish and poultry, are inversely associated with HCC, while red meat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are related to increased risk. Sugar consumption is associated with HCC risk, while fiber and vegetable intake is protective. Data from multiple studies clearly show a beneficial effect for physical activity in reducing the risk of HCC. However, the duration, mode and intensity of physical activity needed are yet to be determined. There is evidence that smoking can lead to liver fibrosis and liver cancer and has a synergistic effect with alcohol drinking. On the other hand, an excessive amount of alcohol by itself has been associated with increased risk of HCC directly (carcinogenic effect) or indirectly (liver fibrosis and cirrhosis progression. Large-scale intervention studies testing the effect of comprehensive lifestyle interventions on HCC prevention among diverse cohorts of liver disease patients are greatly warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Zelber-Sagi
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +972-54-4634440; Fax: +972-3-5446086
| | - Mazen Noureddin
- Karsh Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA;
| | - Oren Shibolet
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv 6423906, Israel;
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6697801, Israel
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Liu X, Zhang Y, Wang Z, Liu L, Zhang G, Li J, Ren Z, Dong Z, Yu Z. PRRC2A Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression and Associates with Immune Infiltration. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2021; 8:1495-1511. [PMID: 34881207 PMCID: PMC8646232 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s337111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high morbidity and poor prognosis due to the propensity of recurrence and metastasis. Emerging studies have confirmed that proline-rich coiled-coil2A (PRRC2A) plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis and immunoregulation. However, its expression status and biological functions in HCC remain poorly documented. Methods The presence and prognostic value of PRRC2A were determined by a tissue microarray (TMA) cohort and multiple databases, mainly from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC). Functional enrichment analysis was applied to identify the mechanisms of PRRC2A in HCC. The biological function of PRRC2A in HCC progression in vitro was determined by CCK-8, colony formation, EdU, transwell migration and invasion assays. Moreover, the Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumor tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE), single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) algorithms, immunophenoscore (IPS) and public available immunotherapy cohorts were performed to classify their associations with tumor-infiltrating immune cells and immunotherapy. Results PRRC2A was upregulated in HCC at both mRNA and protein levels. High PRRC2A expression was correlated with poor prognosis and could be an independent risk factor. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that elevated PRRC2A was significantly correlated with the activation of various oncogenic pathways. Additionally, in vitro experiments confirmed that silencing PRRC2A could suppress the proliferation and metastasis capacities of HCC cells. More importantly, PRRC2A was negatively associated with many anti-tumor immune cells, but positively related to the expression of markers of exhaustive T cells. And HCC patients with high PRRC2A were more likely to be nonresponsive to immunotherapy. Conclusion This study explored the predictive value and biological roles of PRRC2A in HCC progression and indicated that it might be a potential biomarker for HCC patients and a predictor for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yize Zhang
- Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zenghan Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Liwen Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Guizhen Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianhao Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhigang Ren
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zihui Dong
- Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zujiang Yu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Precision Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China.,Gene Hospital of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, People's Republic of China
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Ebeling Barbier C, Heindryckx F, Lennernäs H. Limitations and Possibilities of Transarterial Chemotherapeutic Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222313051. [PMID: 34884853 PMCID: PMC8658005 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222313051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Because diagnostic tools for discriminating between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and advanced cirrhosis are poor, HCC is often detected in a stage where transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the best treatment option, even though it provides a poor survival gain. Despite having been used worldwide for several decades, TACE still has many limitations. First, there is a vast heterogeneity in the cellular composition and metabolism of HCCs as well as in the patient population, which renders it difficult to identify patients who would benefit from TACE. Often the delivered drug does not penetrate sufficiently selectively and deeply into the tumour and the drug delivery system is not releasing the drug at an optimal clinical rate. In addition, therapeutic effectiveness is limited by the crosstalk between the tumour cells and components of the cirrhotic tumour microenvironment. To improve this widely used treatment of one of our most common and deadly cancers, we need to better understand the complex interactions between drug delivery, local pharmacology, tumour targeting mechanisms, liver pathophysiology, patient and tumour heterogeneity, and resistance mechanisms. This review provides a novel and important overview of clinical data and discusses the role of the tumour microenvironment and lymphatic system in the cirrhotic liver, its potential response to TACE, and current and possible novel DDSs for locoregional treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Femke Heindryckx
- Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden;
| | - Hans Lennernäs
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, 751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +46-18-471-4317; Fax: +46-18-471-4223
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Review: Challenges of In Vitro CAF Modelling in Liver Cancers. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13235914. [PMID: 34885024 PMCID: PMC8656609 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13235914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Liver cancer and tumours spreading from other organs to the liver are associated with high death rates. Current treatments include surgical removal of the tumour and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, patients are often re-diagnosed with liver nodules in the years after cessation of the treatment. Therefore, scientists are looking for alternative treatment strategies, and these include targeting the tumour environment. The tumour environment includes the cancer-associated fibroblasts, which could be an interesting target for therapy in combination with current strategies. In this review paper we summarize the current models to investigate the effect of the tumour on the cancer-associated fibroblasts. Not many studies focus on the cancer-associated fibroblasts in non-animal models and this should improve in order to better understand the role of the cancer-associated fibroblasts and to evaluate the potential of cancer-associated fibroblast-directed therapies. Abstract Primary and secondary liver cancer are the third cause of death in the world, and as the incidence is increasing, liver cancer represents a global health burden. Current treatment strategies are insufficient to permanently cure patients from this devastating disease, and therefore other approaches are under investigation. The importance of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumour microenvironment is evident, and many pre-clinical studies have shown increased tumour aggressiveness in the presence of CAFs. However, it remains unclear how hepatic stellate cells are triggered by the tumour to become CAFs and how the recently described CAF subtypes originate and orchestrate pro-tumoural effects. Specialized in vitro systems will be needed to address these questions. In this review, we present the currently used in vitro models to study CAFs in primary and secondary liver cancer and highlight the trend from using oversimplified 2D culture systems to more complex 3D models. Relatively few studies report on the impact of cancer (sub)types on CAFs and the tumour microenvironment, and most studies investigated the impact of secreted factors due to the nature of the models.
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Direct and Indirect Effect of TGFβ on Treg Transendothelial Recruitment in HCC Tissue Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111765. [PMID: 34769191 PMCID: PMC8583957 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The balance between anti-tumor and tumor-promoting immune cells, such as CD4+ Th1 and regulatory T cells (Tregs), respectively, is assumed to dictate the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) markedly shapes the HCC microenvironment, regulating the activation state of multiple leukocyte subsets and driving the differentiation of cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The fibrotic (desmoplastic) reaction in HCC tissue strongly depends on CAFs activity. In this study, we attempted to assess the role of TGFβ on transendothelial migration of Th1-oriented and Treg-oriented CD4+ T cells via a direct or indirect, CAF-mediated mechanisms, respectively. We found that the blockage of TGFβ receptor I-dependent signaling in Tregs resulted in impaired transendothelial migration (TEM) of these cells. Interestingly, the secretome of TGFβ-treated CAFs inhibited the TEM of Tregs but not Th1 cells, in comparison to the secretome of untreated CAFs. In addition, we found a significant inverse correlation between alpha-SMA and FoxP3 (marker of Tregs) mRNA expression in a microarray analysis involving 78 HCCs, thus suggesting that TGFβ-activated stromal cells may counteract the trafficking of Tregs into the tumor. The apparent dual behavior of TGFβ as both pro- and anti-tumorigenic cytokines may add a further level of complexity to the mechanisms that regulate the interactions among cancerous, stromal, and immune cells within HCC, as well as other solid tumors, and contribute to better manipulation of the TGFβ signaling as a therapeutic target in HCC patients.
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Ding Z, Dong Z, Chen Z, Hong J, Yan L, Li H, Yao S, Yan Y, Yang Y, Yang C, Li T. Viral Status and Efficacy of Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Front Immunol 2021; 12:733530. [PMID: 34659220 PMCID: PMC8511422 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.733530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been widely used in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while only a subset of patients experience clinical benefit. We aimed to investigate the effects of viral etiology on response to ICIs in HCC and depict the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of virally infected and uninfected HCC. Methods A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane central register of controlled trials up to August 2021. Clinical trials reporting the efficacy of ICIs in HCC were eligible. Baseline characteristics including first author, year of publication, National Clinical Trials (NCT) registry number, study region, sample sizes, interventions, line of treatment, and viral status were extracted. Meta-analysis was conducted to generate combined odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) based on random or fixed effect model, depending on heterogeneity. Tumor immune microenvironment was depicted using ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithm. Results Eight studies involving 1,520 patients were included. Combined data suggested that there was no significant difference of objective response rate (ORR) between virally infected HCC and non-viral HCC patients [OR = 1.03 (95% CI, 0.77–1.37; I2 = 30.9%, pH = 0.152)]. Similarly, difference was not observed on ORR between HBV-HCC and HCV-HCC patients [OR = 0.74 (95% CI, 0.52–1.06; I2 = 7.4%, pH = 0.374)]. The infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment did not differ by etiology except for M0 macrophages, M2 macrophages, regulatory T cells, naive B cells, follicular helper T cells, activated dendritic cells, activated mast cells, and plasma cells. Despite differences in infiltration observed in specific cell types, the immune score and stromal score were generally comparable among etiology groups. Conclusion Viral etiology may not be considered as the selection criteria for patients receiving ICIs in HCC, and viral status has little impact on TIME remodeling during HCC tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziniu Ding
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Zhaoru Dong
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Zhiqiang Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Jianguo Hong
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Lunjie Yan
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Haichao Li
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shengyu Yao
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yuchuan Yan
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Yafei Yang
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Chuncheng Yang
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Tao Li
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.,Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
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Lawal G, Xiao Y, Rahnemai-Azar AA, Tsilimigras DI, Kuang M, Bakopoulos A, Pawlik TM. The Immunology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9101184. [PMID: 34696292 PMCID: PMC8538643 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9101184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Liver resection or transplantation offer the only potentially curative options for HCC; however, many patients are not candidates for surgical resection, either due to presentation at advanced stages or poor liver function and portal hypertension. Liver transplantation is also limited to patients with certain characteristics, such as those that meet the Milan criteria (one tumor ≤ 5 cm, or up to three tumors no larger than 3 cm, along with the absence of gross vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread). Locoregional therapies, such as ablation (radiofrequency, ethanol, cryoablation, microwave), trans-arterial therapies like chemoembolization (TACE) or radioembolization (TARE), and external beam radiation therapy, have been used mainly as palliative measures with poor prognosis. Therefore, emerging novel systemic treatments, such as immunotherapy, have increasingly become popular. HCC is immunogenic, containing infiltrating tumor-specific T-cell lymphocytes and other immune cells. Immunotherapy may provide a more effective and discriminatory targeting of tumor cells through induction of a tumor-specific immune response in cancer cells and can improve post-surgical recurrence-free survival in HCC. We herein review evidence supporting different immunomodulating cell-based technology relative to cancer therapy in vaccines and targeted therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with advanced disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gbemisola Lawal
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Cancer Center, California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA 92324, USA; (G.L.); (A.A.R.-A.)
| | - Yao Xiao
- Department of Liver Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (Y.X.); (M.K.)
| | - Amir A. Rahnemai-Azar
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Cancer Center, California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA 92324, USA; (G.L.); (A.A.R.-A.)
| | - Diamantis I. Tsilimigras
- Department of Surgery, The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-215-987-9177
| | - Ming Kuang
- Department of Liver Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (Y.X.); (M.K.)
| | - Anargyros Bakopoulos
- Department of Surgery, Attikon University Hospital, University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece;
| | - Timothy M. Pawlik
- Department of Surgery, The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
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Zhang Y, Yin X, Wang Q, Song X, Xia W, Mao Q, Chen B, Liang Y, Zhang T, Xu L, Jiang F, Xu X, Dong G. A novel gene expression signature-based on B-cell proportion to predict prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:1098. [PMID: 34641822 PMCID: PMC8513350 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08805-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background This study aimed to develop a reliable immune signature based on B-cell proportion to predict the prognosis and benefit of immunotherapy in LUAD. Methods The proportion of immune cells in the TCGA-LUAD dataset was estimated using MCP-counter. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selector Operation was used to identify a prognostic signature and validated in an independent cohort. We used quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) data and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens immunohistochemistry to illustrate the correlation between prognostic signature and leukocyte migration. Results We found that the relative abundance of B lineage positively correlated with overall survival. Then, we identified a 13-gene risk-score prognostic signature based on B lineage abundance in the testing cohort and validated it in a cohort from the GEO dataset. This model remained strongly predictive of prognoses across clinical subgroups. Further analysis revealed that patients with a low-risk score were characterized by B-cell activation and leukocyte migration, which was also confirmed in FFPE specimens by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Finally, this immune signature was an independent prognostic factor in the composite nomogram of clinical characteristics. Conclusions In conclusion, the 13-gene immune signature based on B-cell proportion may serve as a powerful prognostic tool in LUAD. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08805-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Department of Pathology, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Xuewen Yin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China.,School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 211198, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Xuming Song
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China.,The Fourth Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Wenjie Xia
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Qixing Mao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Bing Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China.,The Fourth Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Yingkuan Liang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Te Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China.,The Fourth Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Lin Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China.,The Fourth Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P. R. China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China. .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China. .,The Fourth Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P. R. China.
| | - Xinyu Xu
- Department of Pathology, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China.
| | - Gaochao Dong
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 210000, Nanjing, P. R. China. .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Cancer Research, Cancer Institute of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, P. R. China.
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Exacerbation of Liver Tumor Metastasis in twist1a+/ xmrk+ Double Transgenic Zebrafish following Lipopolysaccharide or Dextran Sulphate Sodium Exposure. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14090867. [PMID: 34577566 PMCID: PMC8468836 DOI: 10.3390/ph14090867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The poor prognosis for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is related directly to metastasis. The Twist1 gene encodes for a transcription factor essential to embryogenesis. It has also been shown to promote epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, and metastasis; however, there is currently no in vivo evidence that Twist1 plays a role in the metastasis of liver tumors. Zebrafish are increasingly being used as an alternative cancer model. In the current study, an adult-stage zebrafish HCC model was used to examine the synergistic effects of twist1a and xmrk, a well characterized oncogene, during HCC metastasis. We also examined the effects of two inflammatory agents, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), on the hepatocyte-specific expression of transgenic twist1a and xmrk. The conditional overexpression of twist1a and xmrk was shown to promote liver tumor metastasis in zebrafish, resulting in increased apoptosis and cell proliferation as well as tumor maintenance and propagation independent of the inherent EMT-inducing activity of xmrk. Exposing twist1a+/xmrk+ transgenic zebrafish to LPS or DSS was shown to promote metastasis, indicating that the overexpression of twist1a and xmrk led to crosstalk between the signaling pathways involved in EMT. This study provides important evidence pertaining to the largely overlooked effects of signaling crosstalk between twist1a and xmrk in regulating HCC metastasis. Our results also suggest that the co-expression of twist1a/xmrk in conjunction with exposure to LPS or DSS enhances HCC metastasis, and provides a valuable in vivo platform by which to investigate tumor initiation and metastasis in the study of liver cancer.
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