BTG2 as a tumor target for the treatment of luminal A breast cancer

LncRNA PVT1 links estrogen receptor alpha and the polycomb repressive complex 2 in suppression of pro-apoptotic genes in hormone-responsive breast cancer

RNA-based therapeutics highlighted novel approaches to target either coding or noncoding molecules for multiple diseases treatment. In breast cancer (BC), a multitude of deregulated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as potential therapeutic targets also in the context of antiestrogen resistance, and the RNA binding activity of the estrogen receptor α (ERα) points additional potential candidates to interfere with estrogenic signaling. A set of lncRNAs was selected among ERα-associated RNAs in BC cell nuclei due to their roles in processes such as transcriptional regulation and epigenetic chromatin modifications. Native immunoprecipitation of nuclear ERα-interacting RNAs coupled to NGS (RIP-Seq) was performed in MCF-7 cells, leading to the identification of essential lncRNAs interacting with the receptor in multi-molecular regulatory complexes. Among these, PVT1, FGD5-AS1 and EPB41L4A-AS1 were selected for further investigation. Functional assays and transcriptome analysis following lncRNA knock-down indicated PVT1 as the master modulator of some of the most relevant BC hallmarks, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and response to hypoxia. In addition, targeted experiments identified PVT1 as a key factor in the composition of PRC2-ERα network involved in downregulation of tumor suppressor genes, including BTG2.

Low-power red laser and blue LED modulate telomere maintenance and length in human breast cancer cells

Cancer cells have the ability to undergo an unlimited number of cell divisions, which gives them immortality. Thus, the cancer cell can extend the length of its telomeres, allowing these cells to divide unlimitedly and avoid entering the state of senescence or cellular apoptosis. One of the main effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) is the increase in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and free radicals, mainly reactive oxygen species (ROS). Existent data indicates that high levels of ROS can cause shortening and dysfunctional telomeres. Therefore, a better understanding of the effects induced by PBM on cancer cell telomere maintenance is needed. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of low-power red laser (658 nm) and blue LED (470 nm) on the TRF1 and TRF2 mRNA levels and telomere length in human breast cancer cells. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were irradiated with a low-power red laser (69 J cm-2, 0.77 W/cm-2) and blue LED (482 J cm-2, 5.35 W/cm-2), alone or in combination, and the relative mRNA levels of the genes and telomere length were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results suggested that exposure to certain red laser and blue LED fluences decreased the TRF1 and TRF2 mRNA levels in both human breast cancer cells. Telomere length was increased in MCF-7 cells after exposure to red laser and blue LED. However, telomere length in MDA-MB-231 was shortened after exposure to red laser and blue LED at fluences evaluated. Our research suggests that photobiomodulation induced by red laser and low-power blue LED could alter telomere maintenance and length.

A pan-cancer analysis of anti-proliferative protein family genes for therapeutic targets in cancer

The recently discovered APRO (anti-proliferative protein) family encodes a group of trans-membrane glycoproteins and includes 6 members: TOB1, TOB2, BTG1, BTG2, BTG3 and BTG4. The APRO family is reportedly associated with the initiation and progression of cancers. This study aims to undertake a comprehensive investigation of the APRO family of proteins as a prognostic biomarker in various human tumors. We performed a pan-cancer analysis of the APRO family based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). With the bioinformatics methods, we explored the prognostic value of the APRO family and the correlation between APRO family expression and tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), drug sensitivity, and immunotherapy in numerous cancers. Our results show that the APRO family was primarily down-regulated in cancer samples. The expression of APRO family members was linked with patient prognosis. In addition, APRO family genes showed significant association with immune infiltrate subtypes, tumor microenvironment, and tumor cell stemness. Finally, our study also demonstrated the relationship between APRO family genes and drug sensitivity. This study provides comprehensive information to understand the APRO family's role as an oncogene and predictor of survival in some tumor types.

BTG2 and SerpinB5, a novel gene pair to evaluate the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma

Introduction

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), as the most frequent pathological subtype of non−small cell lung cancer, is often characterized by poor prognosis and low 5-year survival rate. Exploriton of new biomarkers and accurate molecular mechanisms for effectively predicting the prognosis of LUAD patients is still necessary. Presently, BTG2 and SerpinB5, which play important roles in tumors, are studied as a gene pair for the first time with the aim of exploring whether they can be used as potential prognostic markers.

Methods

Using the bioinformatics method to explore whether BTG2 and SerpinB5 can become independent prognostic factors, and explore their clinical application value and whether they can be used as immunotherapeutic markers. In addition, we also verify the conclusions obtained from external datasets, molecular docking, and SqRT-PCR.

Results

The results show that compared with normal lung tissue, BTG2 expression level was down-regulated and SerpinB5 was up-regulated in LUAD. Additionally, Kaplan–Meier survival analysis demonstrate that the prognosis of low expression level of BTG2 was poor, and that of high expression level of SerpinB5 was poor, suggesting that both of them can be used as independent prognostic factors. Moreover, the prognosis models of the two genes were constructed respectively in this study, and their prediction effect was verified by external data. Besides, ESTIMATE algorithm reveals the relationship between this gene pair and the immune microenvironment. Furthermore, patients with a high expression level of BTG2 and a low expression level of SerpinB5 have higher immunophenoscore for CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitors than patients with a low expression level of BTG2 and a high expression level of SerpinB5, indicating that such patients have a more obvious effect of immunotherapy.

Discussion

Collectively, all the results demonstrate that BTG2 and SerpinB5 might serve as potential prognostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for LUAD.

Unraveling Roles of miR-27b-3p as a Potential Biomarker for Breast Cancer in Malay Women via Bioinformatics Analysis

Abnormal miRNA expression has been associated with breast cancer. Knowing miRNA and its target genes gives a better understanding of the biological mechanism behind the development of breast cancer. Here, we evaluated the potential prognostic and predictive values of miRNAs in breast cancer development by analyzing Malay women with breast cancer expression profiles. Seven differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were subjected to miRNA‒target interaction network analysis (MTIN). A comprehensive MTIN was developed by integrating the information on miRNA and target gene interactions from five independent databases, including DIANA-TarBase, miRTarBase, miRNet, miRDB, and DIANA-microT. To understand the role of miRNAs in the progress of breast cancer, functional enrichment analysis of the miRNA target genes was conducted, followed by survival analysis to assess the prognostic values of the miRNAs and their target genes. In total, 1416 interactions were discovered among seven DEMs and 1274 target genes with a confidence score (CS) > 0.8. The overall survival analysis of the three most DEMs revealed a significant association of miR-27b-3p with poor prognosis in the TCGA breast cancer patient cohort. Further functional analysis of 606 miR-27b-3p target genes revealed their involvement in cancer-related processes and pathways, including the progesterone receptor signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt pathway, and EGFR transactivation. Notably, six high-confidence target genes (BTG2, DNAJC13, GRB2, GSK3B, KRAS, and UBR5) were discovered to be associated with worse overall survival in breast cancer patients, underscoring their essential roles in breast cancer development. Thus, we suggest that miR-27b-3p has significant potential as a biomarker for detecting breast cancer and can provide valuable understanding regarding the molecular mechanisms of the disease.