Identification of genes and pathways in esophageal adenocarcinoma using bioinformatics analysis

Recent Updates on Oncogenic Signaling of Aurora Kinases in Chemosensitive, Chemoresistant Cancers: Novel Medicinal Chemistry Approaches for Targeting Aurora Kinases

The Aurora Kinase family (AKI) is composed of serine-threonine protein kinases involved in the modulation of the cell cycle and mitosis. These kinases are required for regulating the adherence of hereditary-related data. Members of this family can be categorized into aurora kinase A (Ark-A), aurora kinase B (Ark-B), and aurora kinase C (Ark-C), consisting of highly conserved threonine protein kinases. These kinases can modulate cell processes such as spindle assembly, checkpoint pathway, and cytokinesis during cell division. The main aim of this review is to explore recent updates on the oncogenic signaling of aurora kinases in chemosensitive/chemoresistant cancers and to explore the various medicinal chemistry approaches to target these kinases. We searched Pubmed, Scopus, NLM, Pubchem, and Relemed to obtain information pertinent to the updated signaling role of aurora kinases and medicinal chemistry approaches and discussed the recently updated roles of each aurora kinases and their downstream signaling cascades in the progression of several chemosensitive/chemoresistant cancers; subsequently, we discussed the natural products (scoulerine, Corynoline, Hesperidin Jadomycin-B, fisetin), and synthetic, medicinal chemistry molecules as aurora kinase inhibitors (AKIs). Several natural products' efficacy was explained as AKIs in chemosensitization and chemoresistant cancers. For instance, novel triazole molecules have been used against gastric cancer, whereas cyanopyridines are used against colorectal cancer and trifluoroacetate derivatives could be used for esophageal cancer. Furthermore, quinolone hydrazine derivatives can be used to target breast cancer and cervical cancer. In contrast, the indole derivatives can be preferred to target oral cancer whereas thiosemicarbazone-indole could be used against prostate cancer, as reported in an earlier investigation against cancerous cells. Moreover, these chemical derivatives can be examined as AKIs through preclinical studies. In addition, the synthesis of novel AKIs through these medicinal chemistry substrates in the laboratory using in silico and synthetic routes could be beneficial to develop prospective novel AKIs to target chemoresistant cancers. This study is beneficial to oncologists, chemists, and medicinal chemists to explore novel chemical moiety synthesis to target specifically the peptide sequences of aurora kinases in several chemoresistant cancer cell types.

CFTR and Gastrointestinal Cancers: An Update

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a disease caused by mutations in the CFTR gene that severely affects the lungs as well as extra-pulmonary tissues, including the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. CFTR dysfunction resulting from either mutations or the downregulation of its expression has been shown to promote carcinogenesis. An example is the enhanced risk for several types of cancer in patients with CF, especially cancers of the GI tract. CFTR also acts as a tumor suppressor in diverse sporadic epithelial cancers in many tissues, primarily due to the silencing of CFTR expression via multiple mechanisms, but especially due to epigenetic regulation. This review provides an update on the latest research linking CFTR-deficiency to GI cancers, in both CF patients and in sporadic GI cancers, with a particular focus on cancer of the intestinal tract. It will discuss changes in the tissue landscape linked to CFTR-deficiency that may promote cancer development such as breakdowns in physical barriers, microbial dysbiosis and inflammation. It will also discuss molecular pathways and mechanisms that act upstream to modulate CFTR expression, such as by epigenetic silencing, as well as molecular pathways that act downstream of CFTR-deficiency, such as the dysregulation of the Wnt/β-catenin and NF-κB signaling pathways. Finally, it will discuss the emerging CFTR modulator drugs that have shown promising results in improving CFTR function in CF patients. The potential impact of these modulator drugs on the treatment and prevention of GI cancers can provide a new example of personalized cancer medicine.

Time series expression pattern of key genes reveals the molecular process of esophageal cancer

Background: Esophageal cancer is one of the most poorly diagnosed and fatal cancers in the world. Although a series of studies on esophageal cancer have been reported, the molecular pathogenesis of the disease is still elusive. Aim: To investigate the molecular process of esophageal cancer comprehensively and deeply. Methods: Differential expression analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in different stages of esophageal cancer. Then exacting gene interaction modules and hub genes were identified in module interaction network. Further, though survival analysis, methylation analysis, pivot analysis, and enrichment analysis, some important molecules and related function or pathway were identified to elucidate potential mechanism in esophageal cancer. Results: A total of 7457 DEGs and 14 gene interaction modules were identified. These module genes were significantly involved in the positive regulation of protein transport, gastric acid secretion, insulin-like growth factor receptor binding and other biological processes (BPs), as well as p53 signaling pathway, ERBB signaling pathway and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway. Then, transcription factors (TFs) (including HIF1A) and ncRNAs (including CRNDE and hsa-mir-330-3p) significantly regulate dysfunction modules were identified. Further, survival analysis showed that GNGT2 was closely related to survival of esophageal cancer. And DEGs with strong methylation regulation ability were identified, including SST and SH3GL2. Conclusion: These works not only help us to reveal the potential regulatory factors in the development of disease, but also deepen our understanding of its deterioration mechanism.

Integrated Analysis of Hub Genes and Pathways In Esophageal Carcinoma Based on NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) Database: A Bioinformatics Analysis

BACKGROUND Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is a health challenge with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Our aim is to screen for hub genes and pathways associated with ESCA pathology as diagnostic or therapeutic targets. MATERIAL AND METHODS We downloaded 2 ESCA-related datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Subsequently, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of ESCA were determined by statistical analysis. Both Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs were performed using online analytic tools. Network analysis was employed to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and to filter hub genes. We evaluated the expression level and impact of hub genes on survival of ESCA patients using the OncoLoc webserver. RESULTS A total of 210 DEGs were identified. The GO analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in cell division. The KEGG pathway analysis showed DEGs that were enriched in cell cycle regulation, known cancer pathways, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway. The top 10 hub genes were markedly upregulated in ESCA tissue compared with normal esophageal tissue. Moreover, the expression level of the hub genes was different at different pathological stages of ESCA. Further prognostic analysis identified that the top 10 hub genes were related to late survival of ESCA patients, while exhibiting few associations with early survival time. CONCLUSIONS The signaling pathways involving the DEGs probably represent the pathological mechanism underlying ESCA. The hub genes were associated with survival of ESCA patients, and as such have the potential to serve as diagnostic indicators and therapeutic targets.

Identification of crucial genes correlated with esophageal cancer by integrated high-throughput data analysis

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is one of the most deadly malignancies in the world. Although the management and treatment of patients with ESCA have improved, the overall 5-year survival rate is still very poor.

METHODS

The study aimed to identify potential key genes associated with the pathogenesis and prognosis of ESCA. In the study, integrated bioinformatics methods were used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ESCA and normal tissue in the data set of gene expression profiles. The hub gene in DEGs was further analyzed by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and survival analysis to explore its relationship with the pathogenesis and poor prognosis of ESCA.

RESULTS

134 up-regulated genes and 183 down-regulated genes were obtained in ESCA compared with normal tissues. Moreover, the PPI network was established with 176 nodes and 800 interactions. Ten hub genes (AURKA, CDC20, BUB1, TOP2A, ASPM, DLGAP5, TPX2, CENPF, UBE2C, and NEK2) were filtered out based on the degree value. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that a variety of extracellular related items and ECM-receptor interaction pathway were all correlated with the ESCA.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study would provide some guidance for further study of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to promote ESCA treatment.

Esophageal Cancer Development: Crucial Clues Arising from the Extracellular Matrix

In the last years, the extracellular matrix (ECM) has been reported as playing a relevant role in esophageal cancer (EC) development, with this compartment being related to several aspects of EC genesis and progression. This sounds very interesting due to the complexity of this highly incident and lethal tumor, which takes the sixth position in mortality among all tumor types worldwide. The well-established increase in ECM stiffness, which is able to trigger mechanotransduction signaling, is capable of regulating several malignant behaviors by converting alteration in ECM mechanics into cytoplasmatic biochemical signals. In this sense, it has been shown that some molecules play a key role in these events, particularly the different collagen isoforms, as well as enzymes related to its turnover, such as lysyl oxidase (LOX) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In fact, MMPs are not only involved in ECM stiffness, but also in other events related to ECM homeostasis, which includes ECM remodeling. Therefore, the crucial role of distinct MMPs isoform has already been reported, especially MMP-2, -3, -7, and -9, along EC development, thus strongly associating these proteins with the control of important cellular events during tumor progression, particularly in the process of invasion during metastasis establishment. In addition, by distinct mechanisms, a vast diversity of glycoproteins and proteoglycans, such as laminin, fibronectin, tenascin C, galectin, dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid exert remarkable effects in esophageal malignant cells due to the activation of oncogenic signaling pathways mainly involved in cytoskeleton alterations during adhesion and migration processes. Finally, the wide spectrum of interactions potentially mediated by ECM may represent a singular intervention scenario in esophageal carcinogenesis natural history and, due to the scarce knowledge on the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in EC development, the growing body of evidence on ECM’s role along esophageal carcinogenesis might provide a solid base to improve its management in the future.

Osteopontin as a Link between Inflammation and Cancer: The Thorax in the Spotlight

The glycoprotein osteopontin (OPN) possesses multiple functions in health and disease. To this end, osteopontin has beneficial roles in wound healing, bone homeostasis, and extracellular matrix (ECM) function. On the contrary, osteopontin can be deleterious for the human body during disease. Indeed, osteopontin is a cardinal mediator of tumor-associated inflammation and facilitates metastasis. The purpose of this review is to highlight the importance of osteopontin in malignant processes, focusing on lung and pleural tumors as examples.

IL‑10 secreted by cancer‑associated macrophages regulates proliferation and invasion in gastric cancer cells via c‑Met/STAT3 signaling

Gastric cancer is one of the most common types of human cancer, and it is additionally one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Previous studies have suggested that interleukin (IL)-10 may contribute to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, it was observed that the expression of IL-10 was significantly upregulated in gastric tumor tissues and serum samples of patients with gastric cancer. Furthermore, IL-10 was increased in the cell culture supernatant of cancer-associated macrophages (CAMs). Treatment with cell culture supernatant from CAMs induced a significant increase in proliferation and migration, while it suppressed apoptosis, in MGC-803 and BGC-823 gastric cancer cells. Notably, application of an inhibitory IL-10 antibody partially blocked the cell culture supernatant of CAM-induced oncogenic effects. RNA-sequencing analysis was then performed to identify the differentially expressed genes in MGC-803 cells treated with IL-10. Based on the sequencing results and in vitro analysis, it was demonstrated that IL-10-induced carcinogenic behaviors in MGC-803 cells were potentially mediated by activation of the c-Met/STAT3 signaling pathway. In conclusion, the present results demonstrated that IL-10 secreted by CAMs may be involved in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer, suggesting that IL-10 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of gastric cancer.