Kinesin Family Member C1 (KIFC1/HSET): A Potential Actionable Biomarker of Early Stage Breast Tumorigenesis and Progression of High-Risk Lesions

KIFC1 promotes proliferation and pseudo-bipolar division of ESCC through the transportation of Aurora B kinase

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) accounts for over 90% of total in China, and the five-year survival rate for patients is less than 30%. Accordingly, the identification of novel, effective early diagnosis markers and therapeutic targets for ESCC is of paramount importance. KIFC1 has been identified as highly expressed in several types of cancer, although its prognostic value is inconsistent, and no research has been conducted specifically on its effect on ESCC. To investigate the expression and function of KIFC1 in ESCC, we conducted immunohistochemical staining on 30 pairs of para-carcinoma tissue and cancerous tissues, revealing a significant increase in KIFC1 expression in ESCC tissues. Using siRNA to knock down KIFC1 significantly reduced the proliferation of EC109 ESCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a highly significant positive correlation between KIFC1 overexpression and signaling pathways associated with tumor proliferation pathways. In EC109 cells, overexpression of KIFC1 significantly increased the rate of centrosome amplification and the likelihood of pseudo-bipolar division. Furthermore, the expression of KIFC1 and the rate of centrosome amplification in ESCC tissues were also positively correlated. In order to explore the underline molecular mechanisms, we identified, through proteomics, that KIFC1 binds to the protein Aurora B. The knockdown of KIFC1 significantly reduced the distribution of Aurora B on the metaphase plate and substantially inhibited the phosphorylation of its classical substrate, Histone H3. In conclusion, these findings indicate the potential utility of KIFC1 as both a tumor marker and a promising target for therapeutic interventions.

Identification of KIFC1 as an independent prognostic marker in renal clear cell carcinoma correlates with tumor proliferation and immune infiltration

Renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the world's most common form of cancer. Up to a third will develop metastases; the 5-year survival rate of the patients was only 14%. Practical prognostic markers remain to be discovered. Kinesin-like protein (KIFC1), a critical factor in maintaining the stability of the microtubule system, has significant prognostic value in some tumors. We analyzed the prognostic value, associated signaling pathways, and regulatory mechanisms of KIFC1 in ccRCC through bioinformatics and proteomics. Concretely, both mRNA and protein expression levels of KIFC1 were dramatically upregulated. KIFC1 is an independent prognostic factor for ccRCC. The expression of KIFC1 showed a significant positive correlation (Spearman coefficient > 0.7) with tumor proliferation-related pathways (tumor proliferation, G2/M checkpoint, and DNA replication) and tumor inflammation. Further, intratumoral immune cell analysis revealed that high expression of KIFC1 predicted more infiltration of CD8 + T and CD4 + T cells (p < 0.001). However, there was a significant positive relationship between CD8 + T cells and numerous immune checkpoint genes. CD8 + T cells in tumors from the KIFC1 high expression group were at the dysregulated state. High expression of KIFC1 may predict a poor immunotherapy outcome. By proteomics, we analyzed proteins interacting with KIFC1; spliceosome proteins had the most significant enrichment, indicating the new directions for KIFC1 investigation. In conclusion, our study identified KIFC1 as an independent prognostic factor in renal clear cell carcinoma, and the associated processes involved tumor proliferation and immune infiltration. KIFC1 had a close relationship with spliceosome proteins; it may be a new research direction.

DNA methylation of KIFC1 gene in determination of histological diagnosis, prognosis and metastasis of lung cancer

BACKGROUND

One of the main features of cancer, especially lung cancer (LC), is abnormal cell division. Abnormal expression of kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1/HSET), which is involved in mitotic cell division and ensures equatorial alignment of chromosomes during division, is observed in both premalignant and malignant lesions. There are no studies in the literature addressing the role of KIFC1 in the diagnosis and follow-up of LC. In this study, we investigated the epigenetic role of KIFC1 in the diagnosis, stage, and prognosis of various histological subtypes diagnosed with LC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The expression and methylation status of the KIFC1 gene were examined after DNA/RNA isolation in tumor, conjugate normal tissue, and blood samples from 39 patients diagnosed with LC and in blood samples from 39 healthy controls. Changes in KIFC1 gene expression were examined by the Quantitative Real Time-PCR (qRT-PCR) method after cDNA synthesis following RNA isolation. The Methylation-Specific PCR (MSP) method was used to determine the methylation status of the KIFC1 gene. In this study, the expression/methylation profiles of the KIFC1 gene and the clinical and pathological characteristics of the patients were analyzed by statistical methods.

RESULT

Hypomethylation was detected in 95.8% of the 62.1% of patients' tissues with increased KIFC1 gene expression. The expression level of the KIFC1 gene was found to be increased 3.2-fold in the tumor tissues of the patients compared with the conjugated normal tissues and 2.4-fold in the serum of the patients compared with the healthy serum. Statistical comparison of patients' clinical parameters and methylation and expression results revealed statistical significance between KIFC1 expression and metastasis, tumor stage and tumor grade.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the increase in the expression level of the KIFC1 gene is higher in patients diagnosed with LC than in the healthy population, and therefore, the increase in the expression level of the KIFC1 gene due to hypomethylation can be used as a screening biomarker in LC. It can also be considered that the methylation profile of the KIFC1 gene may be a potential biomarker for determining the subtype of squamous cell carcinoma in LC. The results of the study need to be analyzed and continued with a larger number of patients.

KIF15 knockdown inhibits the development of endometrial cancer by suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness through Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common cancers among women, while the incidence of EC is rising. Many studies have found that Kinesin family member 15 (KIF15) is highly expressed in a series of cancers, but the role of KIF15 in EC is unclear. We detected the expression level of KIF15 in a microarray of EC tissues by immunohistochemical staining (IHC), and analyzed the correlation between the expression level of KIF15 and the pathological characteristics of patients. After inhibit the expression of KIF15 in EC cells with lentivirus, cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected respectively by CCK8 assay, flow cytometry and tunnel assay. Transwell assay and wound healing assay were used to examine the migration ability and invasion ability of EC cells. Spheroid formation assay was used to evaluate cell self-renewal ability. In vivo tumor xenograft model was used for validation. The expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cells, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling molecules were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that the expression of KIF15 in EC tissues was higher than that in normal endometrial tissues, while the expression level of KIF15 in EC was positively correlated with the pathological grade of the tumor. The down-regulation of KIF15 reduced the proliferation, colony formation, invasion, migration and self-renewal ability of EC cells, while promoted cell apoptosis. Knockdown of KIF15 inactivates the Wnt/β-catenin signaling of EC cells, inhibitors of Wnt signaling can counteract the enhanced self-renewal ability caused by KIF15 overexpression. Therefore, KIF15 may be a new potential target for diagnosis and treatment of EC.

The Role of Reprogrammed Glucose Metabolism in Cancer

Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism to meet biosynthetic needs and to adapt to various microenvironments. Accelerated glycolysis offers proliferative benefits for malignant cells by generating glycolytic products that move into branched pathways to synthesize proteins, fatty acids, nucleotides, and lipids. Notably, reprogrammed glucose metabolism and its associated events support the hallmark features of cancer such as sustained cell proliferation, hijacked apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Overproduced enzymes involved in the committed steps of glycolysis (hexokinase, phosphofructokinase-1, and pyruvate kinase) are promising pharmacological targets for cancer therapeutics. In this review, we summarize the role of reprogrammed glucose metabolism in cancer cells and how it can be manipulated for anti-cancer strategies.

The Roles of KIFC1 in the Development of Osteosarcoma: Characterization of Potential Therapeutic Targets

Background

As an important member of the mitotic kinesin family, kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1) is abnormally expressed in a variety of tumors. However, the roles of KIFC1 in the development of osteosarcoma (OS) have never been elucidated.

Methods

The expression of KIFC1 in OS tissues which was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was further confirmed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) database. The relationship between KIFC1 and CDC20 was analyzed by clinical data, STRING database, and GEPIA2 database. Survival analysis was performed through GEPIA2 database. To elucidate the roles of KIFC1 in OS, MG-63 and U-2 OS cells were treated with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knock down KIFC1 expression, and the knockdown efficiency was validated with quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting (WB). Moreover, colony formation and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were utilized to evaluate cell proliferation.

Results

According to IHC staining and GEPIA2 analysis, the expression of KIFC1 in OS tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues, which was inversely connected to the prognosis. These results were consistent with our clinical data. Besides, KIFC1 was positively correlated with CDC20. In addition, KIFC1 shRNA could effectively silence KIFC1 expression in MG-63 and U-2 OS cells. Furthermore, the knockdown of KIFC1 inhibited the cell proliferation ability with increased cell apoptosis in MG-63 and U-2 OS cells.

Conclusion

KIFC1 was significantly upregulated in OS and promoted OS progression by cell proliferation. These findings offered new clues for OS diagnosis and prognosis, suggesting KIFC1 could be a potential therapeutic target for OS in further study.