Alpha-fetoprotein-targeted reporter gene expression imaging in hepatocellular carcinoma

Engineering Microorganisms for Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy presents a promising approach to fight against cancer by utilizing the immune system. Recently, engineered microorganisms have emerged as a potential strategy in cancer immunotherapy. These microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses, can be designed and modified using synthetic biology and genetic engineering techniques to target cancer cells and modulate the immune system. This review delves into various microorganism-based therapies for cancer immunotherapy, encompassing strategies for enhancing efficacy while ensuring safety and ethical considerations. The development of these therapies holds immense potential in offering innovative personalized treatments for cancer.

p53-Bad* in a Hepatocellular Carcinoma Mouse Model

Recent advances in liver cancer treatments have not changed the fact that the majority of patients will not survive the disease. In order to advance future liver cancer treatments, this work presents an exploration of various iterations of the liver cancer specific AFP promoter as well as the gene construct p53-Bad*. p53-Bad* is a mitochondrially targeted re-engineered p53 therapy that has shown previous success in a zebrafish HCC model. Both the most promising AFP promoter and p53-Bad* were packaged in an adenoviral delivery system and tested in vitro in liver cancer cell lines. Finally, mixed results for adenoviral p53-Bad* in vivo are presented, and this work suggests future modifications to study parameters in order to further explore the potential of p53-Bad* as a potential liver cancer therapeutic.

Applications of tissue-specific and cancer-selective gene promoters for cancer diagnosis and therapy

Current treatment of solid tumors with standard of care chemotherapies, radiation therapy and/or immunotherapies are often limited by severe adverse toxic effects, resulting in a narrow therapeutic index. Cancer gene therapy represents a targeted approach that in principle could significantly reduce undesirable side effects in normal tissues while significantly inhibiting tumor growth and progression. To be effective, this strategy requires a clear understanding of the molecular biology of cancer development and evolution and developing biological vectors that can serve as vehicles to target cancer cells. The advent and fine tuning of omics technologies that permit the collective and spatial recognition of genes (genomics), mRNAs (transcriptomics), proteins (proteomics), metabolites (metabolomics), epiomics (epigenomics, epitranscriptomics, and epiproteomics), and their interactomics in defined complex biological samples provide a roadmap for identifying crucial targets of relevance to the cancer paradigm. Combining these strategies with identified genetic elements that control target gene expression uncovers significant opportunities for developing guided gene-based therapeutics for cancer. The purpose of this review is to overview the current state and potential limitations in developing gene promoter-directed targeted expression of key genes and highlights their potential applications in cancer gene therapy.

Circularized RNA as novel therapeutics in cancer

Circular RNAs (CircRNAs) regulate gene expression by functioning as microRNA sponges, regulating protein stability, and gilding proteins for gene transcription and translation. Also, limited circRNAs harbour protein-coding ability through cap-independent pathways. These molecular mechanisms of circRNAs contribute to their importance in several cellular processes. Particularly, the dysregulation of circRNAs also plays a critical role in disease development. Targeting disease-causing circRNAs by restoring their normal expression by gain-of-function or loss-of-function approach and regulating their molecular activities could be potential direction for the development of anti-cancer therapies. Furthermore, due to unique covalently closed circular structure, the superior stability of circRNAs also grants them as novel therapeutic tools replacing the therapeutic small interfering RNAs and messenger RNAs. Here, we will review the functional and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in pathogenesis, the current methods for targeting the dysregulated circRNAs, and the potential of using synthetic circRNAs in disease treatment and prevention.

Study of siRNA Delivery via Polymeric Nanoparticles in Combination with Angiogenesis Inhibitor for The Treatment of AFP-Related Liver Cancer

Angiogenesis inhibitor drugs have been explored as important pharmacological agents for cancer therapy, including hepatocellular carcinoma. These agents have several drawbacks, such as drug resistance, nonspecific toxicity, and systemic side effects. Therefore, combination therapy of the drug and small interfering RNA could be a promising option to achieve high therapeutic efficacy while allowing a lower systemic dose. Therefore, we studied adding an alpha-fetoprotein siRNA (AFP-siRNA) incorporated on polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) along with angiogenesis inhibitor drugs. The AFP siRNA-loaded NPs were successfully synthesized at an average size of 242.00 ± 2.54 nm. Combination treatment of AFP-siRNA NPs and a low dose of sunitinib produced a synergistic effect in decreasing cell viability in an in vitro hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model. AFP-siRNA NPs together with sorafenib or sunitinib greatly inhibited cell proliferation, showing only 39.29 ± 2.72 and 44.04 ± 3.05% cell viability, respectively. Moreover, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) demonstrated that AFP-siRNA incorporated with NPs could significantly silence AFP-mRNA expression compared to unloaded NPs. Interestingly, the expression level of AFP-mRNA was further decreased to 28.53 ± 5.10% when sunitinib was added. Therefore, this finding was considered a new promising candidate for HCC treatment in reducing cell proliferation and enhancing therapeutic outcomes.

Role of STX6 as a prognostic factor associated with immune infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma

Syntaxin 6 (STX6), a soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-activating receptor protein, has formed an increasing part of cancer research. However, to the best of our knowledge, the role of STX6 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. In the present study, data from multiple bioinformatics databases, including The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, Kaplan-Meier plotter, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and Gene Expression Profiling Integrative Analysis (GEPIA2), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were utilized to assess the role of STX6 in HCC. The results demonstrated that STX6 expression was upregulated in HCC tissues compared with normal tissues. STX6 expression was significantly associated with tumor size, Edmondson grade and α-fetoprotein (AFP) level. Furthermore, survival analysis demonstrated that high STX6 expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Furthermore, assessment of the immune infiltrates demonstrated that CD163 expression was positively correlated with the STX6 level when analyzed using the TIMER and GEPIA2 databases. IHC results further demonstrated this association. Furthermore, compared with the typically used AFP, STX6 could have an improved diagnostic value in the diagnosis of HCC. In conclusion, STX6 expression was not only positively associated with poor prognosis but may also be involved in the immune inflammatory reaction in HCC. STX6 may become a potential therapeutic and diagnosis maker for patients with HCC.

RING finger and WD repeat domain 3 regulates proliferation and metastasis through the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exhibits high invasiveness and mortality rates, and the molecular mechanisms of HCC have gained increasing research interest. The abnormal DNA damage response has long been recognized as one of the important factors for tumor occurrence and development. Recent studies have shown the potential of the protein RING finger and WD repeat domain 3 (RFWD3) that positively regulates p53 stability in response to DNA damage as a therapeutic target in cancers.

AIM

To investigate the relationship between HCC and RFWD3 in vitro and in vivo and explored the underlying molecular signalling transduction pathways.

METHODS

RFWD3 gene expression was analyzed in HCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Lentivirus was used to stably knockdown RFWD3 expression in HCC cell lines. After verifying the silencing efficiency, Celigo/cell cycle/apoptosis and MTT assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis. Subsequently, cell migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing and transwell assays. In addition, transduced cells were implanted subcutaneously and injected into the tail vein of nude mice to observe tumor growth and metastasis. Next, we used lentiviral-mediated rescue of RFWD3 shRNA to verify the phenotype. Finally, the microarray, ingenuity pathway analysis, and western blot analysis were used to analyze the regulatory network underlying HCC.

RESULTS

Compared with adjacent tissues, RFWD3 expression levels were significantly higher in clinical HCC tissues and correlated with tumor size and TNM stage (P < 0.05), which indicated a poor prognosis state. RFWD3 silencing in BEL-7404 and HCC-LM3 cells increased apoptosis, decreased growth, and inhibited the migration in shRNAi cells compared with those in shCtrl cells (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the in vitro results were supported by the findings of the in vivo experiments with the reduction of tumor cell invasion and migration. Moreover, the rescue of RFWD3 shRNAi resulted in the resumption of invasion and metastasis in HCC cell lines. Finally, gene expression profiling and subsequent experimental verification revealed that RFWD3 might influence the proliferation and metastasis of HCC via the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway.

CONCLUSION

We provide evidence for the expression and function of RFWD3 in HCC. RFWD3 affects the prognosis, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of HCC by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway.

Exosome-Based Vaccines: History, Current State, and Clinical Trials

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released by most cell types as part of an intracellular communication system in crucial processes such as inflammation, cell proliferation, and immune response. However, EVs have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of several diseases, such as cancer and numerous infectious diseases. An important feature of EVs is their ability to deliver a wide range of molecules to nearby targets or over long distances, which allows the mediation of different biological functions. This delivery mechanism can be utilized for the development of therapeutic strategies, such as vaccination. Here, we have highlighted several studies from a historical perspective, with respect to current investigations on EV-based vaccines. For example, vaccines based on exosomes derived from dendritic cells proved to be simpler in terms of management and cost-effectiveness than dendritic cell vaccines. Recent evidence suggests that EVs derived from cancer cells can be leveraged for therapeutics to induce strong anti-tumor immune responses. Moreover, EV-based vaccines have shown exciting and promising results against different types of infectious diseases. We have also summarized the results obtained from completed clinical trials conducted on the usage of exosome-based vaccines in the treatment of cancer, and more recently, coronavirus disease.

AT1R-Specific Ligand Angiotensin II as a Novel SPECT Agent for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by a high mortality and early diagnosis and treatment are critically needed. Ang II type 1 receptor (AT1R) has recently emerged as a potential molecular target for cancer diagnosis and intervention. Here, we labeled angiotensin II (Ang II), an AT1R ligand that is overexpressed in various solid cancers, with the near-infrared fluorescent dye, MPA, and radionuclide technetium-99m, and evaluated its capacity for HCC detection. These analyses were done in vitro using HepG2 (AT1R-positive) and BxPC3 (AT1R-negative) cell lines, and in vivo using a subcutaneous and orthotopic xenograft mouse model by fluorescence and SPECT imaging. Both Ang II-PEG₄-MPA- and [^99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-PEG₄-Ang II-bound AT1R exhibited a high affinity in vitro and [^99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-PEG₄-Ang II displayed an acceptable level of in vitro stability in rat plasma and whole blood. In vivo imaging revealed excellent specific tumor-targeting in HepG2 mouse xenografts models. In vitro and in vivo competition experiments revealed specific Ang II-PEG₄-MPA and [^99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-PEG₄-Ang II uptake by HepG2 cells and tumors. Altogether, AT1R-positive tumors were successfully detected via fluorescence and SPECT imaging using Ang II-PEG₄-MPA and [^99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-PEG₄-Ang II, respectively. Given their superior targeting capacity, Ang II-PEG₄-MPA and [^99mTc]Tc-HYNIC-PEG₄-Ang II are promising tools for HCC detection and warrant clinical translation.

Strategies for Targeting Gene Therapy in Cancer Cells With Tumor-Specific Promoters

Cancer is the second cause of death worldwide, surpassed only by cardiovascular diseases, due to the lack of early diagnosis, and high relapse rate after conventional therapies. Chemotherapy inhibits the rapid growth of cancer cells, but it also affects normal cells with fast proliferation rate. Therefore, it is imperative to develop other safe and more effective treatment strategies, such as gene therapy, in order to significantly improve the survival rate and life expectancy of patients with cancer. The aim of gene therapy is to transfect a therapeutic gene into the host cells to express itself and cause a beneficial biological effect. However, the efficacy of the proposed strategies has been insufficient for delivering the full potential of gene therapy in the clinic. The type of delivery vehicle (viral or non viral) chosen depends on the desired specificity of the gene therapy. The first gene therapy trials were performed with therapeutic genes driven by viral promoters such as the CMV promoter, which induces non-specific toxicity in normal cells and tissues, in addition to cancer cells. The use of tumor-specific promoters over-expressed in the tumor, induces specific expression of therapeutic genes in a given tumor, increasing their localized activity. Several cancer- and/or tumor-specific promoters systems have been developed to target cancer cells. This review aims to provide up-to-date information concerning targeting gene therapy with cancer- and/or tumor-specific promoters including cancer suppressor genes, suicide genes, anti-tumor angiogenesis, gene silencing, and gene-editing technology, as well as the type of delivery vehicle employed. Gene therapy can be used to complement traditional therapies to provide more effective treatments.

The potential mechanisms of piRNA to induce hepatocellular carcinoma in human

The hepatocellular carcinoma, as one of the most frequently happened types of cancer in the world, has very complicated intracellular and extracellular molecular underlying pathogenic mechanisms. The role of genome and proteome in the proliferation and metastasis of the hepatocellular carcinoma has been thoroughly investigated, and many theories have been proposed. The subsequent developments, such as the targeted anti-cancer medicine or the treatment strategy, has profoundly influenced the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. As for the transcriptome, it is undeniable that the function of mRNA, rRNA even the long non-coding RNA have been discussed, while as a particular type of RNA-piRNA is not paid enough attention by the academy. piRNA is named because it always interacts with the piwi protein to achieve its physiological functions, with a length that is no more than 30 nucleotides. It is widely distributed in the reproductive organs such as the testis, the ovarian, and the stem cells. Previous studies have elucidated that the piRNA is closely closely related to the maturation of the sperms or the oocytes, even the progression of lung cancer. While the role and underlying molecular mechanisms of piRNA in the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma is not thoroughly researched and remained unknown. The authors in this article proposed potential mechanisms of piRNA to initiate the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma. We are hoping to provide a unique perspective to the academy and the following researches.

Wnt/β-catenin signalling controls bile duct regeneration by regulating differentiation of ductular reaction cells

Recently, the incidence of bile duct‐related diseases continues to increase, and there is no effective drug treatment except liver transplantation. However, due to the limited liver source and expensive donations, clinical application is often limited. Although current studies have shown that ductular reaction cells (DRCs) reside in the vicinity of peribiliary glands can differentiate into cholangiocytes and would be an effective alternative to liver transplantation, the role and mechanism of DRCs in cholangiole physiology and bile duct injury remain unclear. A 3,5‐diethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dihydrocollidine (DDC)‐enriched diet was used to stimulate DRCs proliferation. Our research suggests DRCs are a type of intermediate stem cells with proliferative potential that exist in the bile duct injury. Meanwhile, DRCs have bidirectional differentiation potential, which can differentiate into hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. Furthermore, we found DRCs highly express Lgr5, and Lgr5 is a molecular marker for neonatal DRCs (P < .05). Finally, we confirmed Wnt/β‐catenin signalling achieves bile duct regeneration by regulating the expression of Lgr5 genes in DRCs (P < .05). We described the regenerative potential of DRCs and reveal opportunities and source for the treatment of cholestatic liver diseases.

Dual-Effect of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reporter Gene in Diagnosis and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Propose

The early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with ferritin heavy chain (Fth) modified by alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) promoter has been studied. However, no study has focused on the considerable upregulation and specific targeting effects of transferrin receptors (TfR) caused by the transfection of plasmids encoded with the AFP promoter. Thus, the objective of our study was to investigate whether the transfection of Fth gene modified with AFP promoter (AFP@Fth) could be used for early diagnosis and enhanced treatment of HCC.

Methods

The AFP@Fth plasmid was transfected into AFP positive cells. The expression of intracellular Ferritin was verified by Western blot, and the upregulation of TfR was confirmed by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analysis. Cellular iron accumulation resulting in decreased imaging signals was examined by magnetic resonance imagining. Doxorubicin liposome modified with transferrin (Tf-LPD) was prepared to investigate the efficiency of the subsequent treatment after transfection. The enhanced drug distribution and effects were investigated both in vitro and in vivo.

Results

Both Ferritin and TfR were overexpressed after transfection. The transfected cells showed higher intracellular iron accumulation and resulted in a lower MR T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) intensity, suggesting that the transfection of AFP@Fth could be a potential strategy for early diagnosis of liver cancer. The following treatment efficacy was revealed by Tf-LPD. As compared with un-transfected cells, transfected cells exhibited higher uptake of transferrin-modified liposomes (Tf-LP), which was due to the specific interaction between Tf and TfR overexpressed on the transfected cells. This is also the reason why Tf-LPD showed better in vitro and in vivo anticancer ability than doxorubicin loaded liposome (LPD). These results suggested that transfection of AFP@Fth could result in enhanced therapy of liver cancer.

Conclusion

Transfection of AFP@Fth could be used for early diagnosis and for enhanced treatment of live cancers.

Advances in delivery vectors for gene therapy in liver cancer

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer death globally, mainly due to lack of effective treatments – a problem that gene therapy is poised to solve. Successful gene therapy requires safe and efficient delivery vectors, and recent advances in both viral and nonviral vectors have made an important impact on HCC gene therapy delivery. This review explores how adenoviral, retroviral and adeno-associated viral vectors have been modified to increase safety and delivery capacity, highlighting studies and clinical trials using these vectors for HCC gene therapy. Nanoparticles, liposomes, exosomes and virosomes are also featured in their roles as HCC gene delivery vectors. Finally, new discoveries in gene editing technology and their impacts on HCC gene therapy are discussed.

High expression of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2A predicts poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

The present study aimed to illustrate the association of the expression of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2A (UBE2A) with the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression levels of UBE2A mRNA and protein in a total of 276 HCC tissues and six liver cell lines was detected by fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was also performed to assess the association of the expression of UBE2A with the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis by the GraphPad Prism and SPSS version 21.0 software. UBE2A mRNA and protein were highly expressed in HCC tissues compared with those in the adjacent normal tissue. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that UBE2A protein was more strongly stained in the 276 paraffin-embedded HCC tissues as compared with the 63 adjacent normal tissue. Statistical analysis also demonstrated that UBE2A expression was significantly associated with histological differentiation, TNM stage and vascular invasion of HCC (P<0.05). Notably, HCC patients with a high expression of UBE2A had a shorter survival time as compared with those with a low expression of UBE2A. There results suggested that UBE2A may be involved in the pathogenesis of HCC and may serve as an important prognostic marker. Further exploration of the involvement of UBE2A in HCC development may provide novel therapeutic targets.

T2-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Hepatic Tumor Guided by SPIO-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and Ferritin Reporter Genes

Nowadays, there is a high demand for supersensitive contrast agents for the early diagnostics of hepatocarcinoma. It has been recognized that accurate imaging information is able to be achieved by constructing hepatic tumor specific targeting probes, though it still faces challenges. Here, a AGKGTPSLETTP peptide (A54)-functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO)-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (A54-SNLC), which can be specifically uptaken by hepatoma carcinoma cell (Bel-7402) and exhibited ultralow imaging signal intensity with varied Fe concentration on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), was first prepared as an effective gene carrier. Then, an endogenous ferritin reporter gene for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with tumor-specific promoter (AFP-promoter) was designed, which can also exhibit a decrease in signal intensity on T2WI. At last, using protamine as a cationic mediator, novel ternary nanoparticle of A54-SNLC/protamine/DNA (A54-SNPD) as an active dual-target T2-weighted MRI contrast agent for imaging hepatic tumor was achieved. Owing to the synergistic effect of A54-SNLC and AFP-promoted DNA targeting with Bel-7402 cells, T2 imaging intensity values of hepatic tumors were successfully decreased via the T2 contrast enhancement of ternary nanoparticles. It is emphasized that the novel A54-SNPD ternary nanoparticle as active dual-target T2-weighted MRI contrast agent were able to greatly increase the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of hepatic cancer.

Effect of NDC80 in human hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM

To investigate the role of nuclear division cycle (NDC)80 in human hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

METHODS

NDC80 gene expression was analyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in 47 paired hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and adjacent tissues. The HCC cell line SMMC-7721 was transfected with lentivirus to silence endogenous NDC80 gene expression, which was confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The effects of NDC80 silencing on SMMC-7721 cell proliferation were evaluated by Cellomics ArrayScan VTI imaging. Cell cycle analysis and apoptosis were detected with flow cytometry. Colony formation was assessed by fluorescence microscopy.

RESULTS

NDC80 expression levels in HCC tissues were significantly higher than those in the adjacent tissues. Functional studies demonstrated that NDC80 silencing significantly reduced SMMC-7721 cell proliferation and colony formation. Knockdown of NDC80 resulted in increased apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at S-phase. NDC80 contributed to HCC progression by reducing apoptosis and overcoming cell cycle arrest.

CONCLUSION

Elevated expression of NDC80 may play a role in promoting the development of HCC.