Enhancement of active MMP release and invasive activity of lymph node metastatic tongue cancer cells by elevated signaling via the TNF-α-TNFR1-NF-κB pathway and a possible involvement of angiopoietin-like 4 in lung metastasis

Association of MMP3, MMP14, and MMP25 gene polymorphisms with cerebral stroke risk: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

Cerebral stroke (CS) is the leading cause of death in China, and a complex disease caused by both alterable risk factors and genetic factors. This study intended to investigate the association of MMP3, MMP14, and MMP25 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with CS risk in a Chinese Han population.

METHODS

A total of 1,348 Han Chinese were recruited in this case-control study. Four candidate loci including rs520540 A/G and rs679620 T/C of MMP3, rs2236302 G/C of MMP14, and rs10431961 T/C of MMP25 were successfully screened. The correlation between the four SNPs and CS risk was assessed by logistic regression analysis. The results were analyzed by false-positive report probability (FPRP) for chance or significance. The interactions between four SNPs associated with CS risk were assessed by multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR).

RESULTS

rs520540 A/G and rs679620 C/T SNP in MMP3 were associated with risk of CS in allele, codominant, dominant and log-additive models. Ischemic stroke risk were significantly lower in carriers with rs520540-A allele and rs679620-T allele than those with G/G or C/C genotypes. However, rs520540-A allele and rs679620-T allele were associated with higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Stratified analysis showed that these two SNPs were associated with reduced risk of CS in aged < 55 years, non-smoking and non-drinking participants, and rs679620 SNP also reduced CS risk in male participants. The levels of uric acid, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and eosinophil were different among patients with different genotypes of rs520540 and rs679620. No statistically significant association was found between MMP14 rs2236302 G/C or MMP25 rs10431961 T/C with CS even after stratification by stroke subtypes, age, gender as well as smoking and drinking conditions in all the genetic models.

CONCLUSION

MMP3 rs520540 A/G and rs679620 C/T polymorphisms were associated with CS risk in the Chinese Han population, which provides useful information for the prevention and diagnosis of CS.

Angiopoietin-like 4 induces head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell migration through the NRP1/ABL1/PXN pathway

OBJECTIVES

The molecular mechanisms whereby angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4), a pluripotent protein implicated in cancer development, contributes to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) growth and dissemination are unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We investigated ANGPTL4 expression in human normal oral keratinocytes (NOKs), dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOKs), oral leukoplakia cells (LEUK1), and HNSCC cell lines, as well as in tissue biopsies from patients with oral dysplasia, and primary and metastatic HNSCC. We further examined the contribution of ANGPTL4 cancer progression in an HNSCC orthotopic floor-of mouth tumor model and the signaling pathways linking ANGPTL4 to cancer cell migration.

RESULTS

ANGPTL4 expression was upregulated in premalignant DOKs and HNSCC cell lines compared to NOKs and was increased in tissue biopsies from patients with oral dysplasia, as well as in primary and metastatic HNSCC. We also observed that downregulation of ANGPTL4 expression inhibited primary and metastatic cancer growth in an HNSCC orthotopic tumor model. Interestingly, ANGPTL4 binding to the neuropilin1 (NRP1) receptor led to phosphorylation of the focal adhesion protein, paxillin (PXN), and tumor cell migration; this was dependent on the tyrosine kinase ABL1. Treatment with the ABL1 inhibitor, dasatinib and small interfering RNA silencing of NRP1 or ABL1 expression blocked PXN phosphorylation and tumor cell migration.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest an early, sustained, and angiogenesis-independent autocrine role for ANGPTL4 in HNSCC progression and expose ANGPTL4/NRP1/ABL1/PXN as an early molecular marker and vulnerable target for the prevention of HNSCC growth and metastasis.

Effect of Hypericin-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy on the Secretion of Soluble TNF Receptors by Oral Cancer Cells

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer of the head and neck region. In addition to the classic surgical treatment method, alternative therapy methods are sought. One such method is photodynamic therapy (PDT). In addition to the direct cytotoxic effect, it is essential to determine the effect of PDT on persistent tumor cells. The study used the SCC-25 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell line and the HGF-1 healthy gingival fibroblast line. A compound of natural origin-hypericin (HY)-was used as a photosensitizer (PS) at concentrations of 0-1 µM. After two hours of incubation with the PS, the cells were irradiated with light doses of 0-20 J/cm². The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) test was used to determine sublethal doses of PDT. Cell supernatants subjected to sublethal PDT were assessed for soluble tumor necrosis alpha receptors (sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2). The phototoxic effect was observed starting with a light dose of 5 J/cm² and amplified with the increase in HY concentration and light dose. A statistically significant increase in sTNF-R1 secretion by SCC-25 cells was demonstrated after the PDT with 0.5 µM HY and irradiation with 2 J/cm² (sTNF-R1 concentration = 189.19 pg/mL ± 2.60) compared to the control without HY and irradiated with the same dose of light (sTNF-R1 concentration = 108.94 pg/mL ± 0.99). The baseline production of sTNF-R1 was lower for HGF-1 than for SCC-25, and secretion was not affected by the PDT. The PDT had no effect on the sTNF-R2 production in the SCC-25 or HGF-1 lines.

Prognostic Significance of ANGPTL4 in Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Meta-Analysis Based on Integrated TCGA and GEO Databases

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a common malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. Recent studies have found that angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is abnormally expressed in many tumors, so it can serve as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target. However, its prognostic value in LUAD remains unclear. We downloaded RNA sequence data for LUAD from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, methylation data from the University of California Santa Cruz genome database, and clinical information. R software (version 4.1.1) was applied to analyze the ANGPTL4 expression in LUAD and nontumor samples, and the correlation with clinical characteristics to assess its prognostic and diagnostic value. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between the ANGPTL4 expression and methylation levels. Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER) tool was taken for immune infiltration analysis, and two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets were combined for meta-analysis. Finally, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to ANGPTL4 were analyzed to clarify its function. As shown in our results, ANGPTL4 was upregulated in LUAD and was an independent risk factor for the diagnosis and prognosis of LUAD. The general methylation level and eight ANGPTL4 methylation sites were significantly negatively correlated with the ANGPTL4 expression. Furthermore, we found that B cell infiltration was negatively correlated with ANGPTL4 expression and was an independent risk factor. Meta-analysis showed that the high expression of ANGPTL4 was closely associated with a poor prognosis. 153 DEGs, including the matrix metalloproteinase family, the chemokines subfamily, and the collagen family, were correlated with ANGPTL4. In this study, we found that ANGPTL4 was significantly elevated in LUAD and was closely associated with the development and poor prognosis of LUAD, suggesting that ANGPTL4 may be a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for LUAD.

Association of high cellular expression and plasma concentration of angiopoietin‑like 4 with tongue cancer lung metastasis and poor prognosis

Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) promotes cancer cell migration through vessels and has been implicated in cancer metastasis. Our previous study identified a robust increase in ANGPTL4 mRNA expression in lung-metastasized tongue cancer (TC) cells. Therefore, the present study investigated the association of ANGPTL4 with lung metastasis and outcomes of patient with TC. ANGPTL4 expression in TC cells was investigated by immunohistochemical staining. Patients were classified into ‘low (0-30%)’ and ‘high (>30%)’ ANGPTL4-expression groups based on the proportion of ANGPTL4-positive TC cells. The high ANGPTL4-expression group included 15 of 48 patients with TC. Notably, a significantly greater proportion of patients with lung metastasis exhibited a high rate of ANGPTL4-expressing cancer cells compared with patients without lung metastasis (P=0.029). The overall 5-year survival rate was lower in the high (27%) ANGPTL4-expression group compared with the low (68%) ANGPTL4-expression group. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that patients with high ANGPTL4 expression in TC cells exhibited significantly lower overall survival (OS) rates [hazard ratio (HR), 2.99; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.34-6.69; P=0.008 and HR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.14-6.51; P=0.024, respectively]. High plasma ANGPTL4 concentrations as measured by ELISA were associated with lung metastasis (P<0.001). The optimal cut-point for prediction of TC lung metastasis was 9.1 ng/ml (P<0.001; 95% CI, 7.2-10.9). The OS of patients with plasma ANPTL4 above the cut-point was significantly lower than that of patients with plasma ANGPTL4 ≤9.1 ng/ml (P<0.001). These results suggest that a high level of ANGPTL4 in cancer cells and plasma may predict lung metastasis and/or a poor prognosis of patients with TC.

Inflammatory Mediators in Oral Cancer: Pathogenic Mechanisms and Diagnostic Potential

Approximately 15% of cancers are attributable to the inflammatory process, and growing evidence supports an association between oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and chronic inflammation. Different oral inflammatory conditions, such as oral lichen planus (OLP), submucous fibrosis, and oral discoid lupus, are all predisposing for the development of OSCC. The microenvironment of these conditions contains various transcription factors and inflammatory mediators with the ability to induce proliferation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and invasion of genetically predisposed lesions, thereby promoting tumor development. In this review, we will focus on the main inflammatory molecules and transcription factors activated in OSCC, with emphasis on their translational potential.

Integrin α6 overexpression promotes lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis via activating the NF-κB signaling pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

It has been reported that tumor-associated lymphangiogenesis plays an important role in lymph node metastasis and contributes to the poor survival of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. As yet, however, the molecular mechanism underlying LUAD-associated lymphangiogenesis has remained elusive.

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to determine the expression of integrin subunit alpha 6 (ITGA6) and the lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (Lyve1) in clinicopathologically characterized LUAD specimens. The effect of ITGA6 overexpression on lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis was examined by tube formation, scratch wound-healing, and cell migration assays in vitro and a popliteal lymph node metastasis model in vivo. Mechanistically, overexpression of ITGA6 and activation of NF-κB signaling were examined by real-time PCR, ubiquitination and dual-luciferase reporter assays. Finally, high ITGA6 expression in LUAD tissue samples was related to copy number variation (CNV) using the TCGA database.

RESULTS

We found that ITGA6 overexpression correlated with microlymphatic vessel density in LUAD specimens (p < 0.01). Importantly, by using a popliteal lymph node metastasis model, we found that ITGA6 upregulation significantly enhanced lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis in vivo (p < 0.05). In addition, we found that ITGA6 overexpression enhanced the capability of A549 and H1299 LUAD cells to induce tube formation and migration in human lymphatic endothelial cells (HLECs). Mechanistically, we found that ITGA6 sustained NF-κB activity via binding and promoting K63 polyubiquitination of TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2). Finally, CNV analysis revealed ITGA6 amplification of 27.5% in the LUAD tissue samples in the TCGA database.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, our results uncover a plausible role for ITGA6 in mediating lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis and may provide a basis for targeting ITGA6 to treat LUAD lymphatic metastasis.

CNV Analysis of the Correlation between Preoperative Lymph Node Metastasis and Prognosis of Early Tongue Cancer

Objective: To investigate the relationship between preoperative concealed lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prognosis in patients with early tongue cancer.

Methods: According to preoperative lymph node dissection, 41 patients with tongue cancer were divided into the LNM group (n=19) and the non-LNM group (n=22). Analysis of single nucleotide variation (SNV), tumor mutation burden (TMB), mutant allele tumor heterogeneity (MATH), aneuploidy and copy number variation (CNV) was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to LNM. While KEGG analysis was conducted to reveal the CNV differentially expressed genes and main enriched pathways, the correlation between pathways and genes was analyzed by hierarchical clustering. The clinical information of LNM and data on overall survival (OS) rate were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and survival analysis was performed based on combined LNM information.

Results: We observed significant correlations for the mTOR signaling pathway, Hippo signaling pathway and Wnt signaling pathway with the LNM group, while leukocyte transendothelial migration and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction were markedly correlated with the non-LNM group. Moreover, TNFRSF10C was identified as the main DEG in the leukocyte transendothelial migration pathway. TCGA-based validation revealed that the disease-free survival (DFS) of the non-LNM group was significantly higher than that of the LNM group (P<0.005) when TNFRSF10C CNV was set to a log2 ratio>-0.163.

Conclusion: The differential expression of TNFRSF10C in leukocyte transendothelial migration, an immune-related pathway, is associated with LNM and DFS. The TNFRSF10C CNV log2 ratio could potentially serve as an indicator of good prognosis for tongue cancer patients with non-LNM after neck dissection.

Exploration of prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the microenvironment of bladder cancer based on CXC chemokines

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer (BLCA) has a high rate of morbidity and mortality, and is considered as one of the most malignant tumors of the urinary system. Tumor cells interact with surrounding interstitial cells, playing a key role in carcinogenesis and progression, which is partly mediated by chemokines. CXC chemokines exert anti-tumor biological roles in the tumor microenvironment and affect patient prognosis. Nevertheless, their expression and prognostic values patients with BLCA remain unclear.

METHODS

We used online tools, including Oncomine, UALCAN, GEPIA, GEO databases, cBioPortal, GeneMANIA, DAVID 6.8, Metascape, TRUST (version 2.0), LinkedOmics, TCGA, and TIMER2.0 to perform the relevant analysis.

RESULTS

The mRNA levels of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)1, CXCL5, CXCL6, CXCL7, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL13, CXCL16, and CXCL17 were increased significantly increased, and those of CXCL2, CXCL3, and CXCL12 were decreased significantly in BLCA tissues as assessed using the Oncomine, TCGA, and GEO databases. GEO showed that high levels of CXCL1, CXCL6, CXCL10, CXCL11, and CXCL13 mRNA expression are associated significantly with the poor overall survival (all p < 0.05), and similarly, those of CXCL2 and CXCL12 in the TCGA database (p < 0.05). The predominant signaling pathways involving the differentially expressed CXC chemokines are cell cycle, chemokine, and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. Moreover, transcription factors such as Sp1 transcription factor (SP1), nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1), and RELA proto-oncogene, NF-KB subunit (RELA) were likely play critical roles in regulating CXC chemokine expression. LYN proto-oncogene, src family tyrosine kinase (LYN) and LCK proto-oncogene, src family tyrosine kinase (LCK) were identified as the key targets of these CXC chemokines. MicroRNAs miR200 and miR30 were identified as the main microRNAs that interact with several CXC chemokines through an miRNA-target network. The expression of these chemokines is closely associated with the infiltration of six categories of immune cells.

CONCLUSION

We explored the CXC chemokines superfamily-based biomarkers associated with BLCA prognosis using public databases, and provided possible chemokine targets for patients with BLCA.

A PET/CT nomogram incorporating SUVmax and CT radiomics for preoperative nodal staging in non-small cell lung cancer

Objectives

To develop and validate a PET/CT nomogram for preoperative estimation of lymph node (LN) staging in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

A total of 263 pathologically confirmed LNs from 124 patients with NCSLC were retrospectively analyzed. Positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) examination was performed before treatment according to the clinical schedule. In the training cohort (N = 185), malignancy-related features, such as SUVmax, short-axis diameter (SAD), and CT radiomics features, were extracted from the regions of LN based on the PET/CT scan. The Minimum-Redundancy Maximum-Relevance (mRMR) algorithm and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression model were used for feature selection and radiomics score building. The radiomics score (Rad-Score) and SUVmax were incorporated in a PET/CT nomogram using the multivariable logistic regression analysis. The performance of the proposed model was evaluated with discrimination, calibration, and clinical application in an independent testing cohort (N = 78).

Results

The radiomics scores consisting of 14 selected features were significantly associated with LN status for both training cohort with AUC of 0.849 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.796–0.903) and testing cohort with AUC of 0.828 (95% CI, 0.782–0.919). The PET/CT nomogram incorporating radiomics score and SUVmax showed moderate improvement of the efficiency with AUC of 0.881 (95% CI, 0.834–0.928) in the training cohort and AUC of 0.872 (95% CI, 0.797–0.946) in the testing cohort. The decision curve analysis indicated that the PET/CT nomogram was clinically useful.

Conclusion

The PET/CT nomogram, which incorporates Rad-Score and SUVmax, can improve the diagnostic performance of LN metastasis.

Key Points

• The PET/CT nomogram (Int-Score) based on lymph node (LN) PET/CT images can reliably predict LN status in NSCLC.

• Int-Score is a relatively objective diagnostic method, which can play an auxiliary role in the process of clinicians making treatment decisions.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00330-020-07624-9.

TNFα promotes oral cancer growth, pain, and Schwann cell activation

Oral cancer is very painful and impairs a patient's ability to eat, talk, and drink. Mediators secreted from oral cancer can excite and sensitize sensory neurons inducing pain. Cancer mediators can also activate Schwann cells, the peripheral glia that regulates neuronal function and repair. The contribution of Schwann cells to oral cancer pain is unclear. We hypothesize that the oral cancer mediator TNFα activates Schwann cells, which further promotes cancer progression and pain. We demonstrate that TNFα is overexpressed in human oral cancer tissues and correlates with increased self-reported pain in patients. Antagonizing TNFα reduces oral cancer proliferation, cytokine production, and nociception in mice with oral cancer. Oral cancer or TNFα alone increases Schwann cell activation (measured by Schwann cell proliferation, migration, and activation markers), which can be inhibited by neutralizing TNFα. Cancer- or TNFα-activated Schwann cells release pro-nociceptive mediators such as TNFα and nerve growth factor (NGF). Activated Schwann cells induce nociceptive behaviors in mice, which is alleviated by blocking TNFα. Our study suggests that TNFα promotes cancer proliferation, progression, and nociception at least partially by activating Schwann cells. Inhibiting TNFα or Schwann cell activation might serve as therapeutic approaches for the treatment of oral cancer and associated pain.

Polymorphisms of matrix metalloproteinase-7 and -9 are associated with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Matrix degradation is an important event in the progression, invasion and metastasis of malignant head and neck lesions. Imbalances, mutations and polymorphisms of MMPs and their inhibitors are observed in several cancer subtypes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the MMP-7 gene promoter (181 A/G) and MMP-9 (-1562 C/T) polymorphisms in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). MMP-7 (rs11568818) and MMP-9 (rs3918242) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis in 71 cases of OTSCC. Normal tissue specimens were obtained from 60 healthy volunteers to serve as the control. The MMP-7 G allele and MMP-9 T allele were more frequent in the OTSCC group than the control group, but only when these two SNPs were taken together was a significant association found with the nodal metastasis of OTSCC (p < 0.001). Based on our results, SNPs in the promoter region of MMP-7 and MMP-9 appear to be associated with greater risk of developing OTSCC, and with a higher propensity to form metastatic tumors. In this respect, molecular studies investigating polymorphisms may be useful in predicting tumor behavior.

[Alkaline processing of cantharidin can significanty improve the antitumor activity of cantharidin]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the changes in the effects of cantharides after alkaline processing on proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of human lung cancer A549 cells.

METHODS

Human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells were treated with cantharis extract (CTE) from raw cantharides and alkali processed cantharis extract (ACE). The proliferation of the cells was detected with CCK-8 assay, and the cell migration and invasion were assessed using wound healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The expressions of MMP1 and MMP2 in the cells were detected using Western blotting, the contents of IFN-γ, IL-1β and TNF-α were measured with ELISA, and cell apoptosis was analyzed with annexinV/PI fluorescent staining.

RESULTS

Both CTE and ACE significantly reduced the viability and inhibited the migration of A549 cells, and high-dose ACE produced a significantly stronger inhibitory effect on cell migration than high- dose CTE (P < 0.01). ACE showed more potent inhibitory effect than CTE on the invasion of A549 cells (P < 0.01). Both CTE and ACE inhibited the expressions of MMP1 and MMP2 and up-regulated the level of IFN-γ without significantly affecting the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α. Annexin V/PI staining showed that both CTE and ACE caused apoptosis of A549 cells, but ACE had a stronger proapoptotic effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Processing with sodium hydroxide can significantly improve the antitumor activity of cantharides, which inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells possibly by down-regulating the expressions of MMP1 and MMP2, promoting apoptosis and increasing the level of IFN-γ.

Antiangiogenesis Roles of Exosomes with Fei-Liu-Ping Ointment Treatment are Involved in the Lung Carcinoma with the Lewis Xenograft Mouse Model

Exosomes display efficient biocompatibility and represent valuable vehicles for drug or effective material delivery in a tumour-therapeutic approach. Following treatment with Fei-Liu-Ping (FLP) ointment, a traditional Chinese herbal formula, which is used for treating lung cancer patients, could inhibit lung carcinoma growth in clinical and animal studies. In the present study, the values of VEGF and PDGF, which were closely related to angiogenesis, were estimated in serum and carcinoma tissue exosomes to unveil the FLP effects on angiogenesis. The common inflammatory factors of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β in serum exosomes were also detected with the Lewis xenograft model. Methods. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups, namely, normal, model, cyclophosphamide (CTX), and FLP treatment groups. Histological structures were observed and imaged by H&E. CD31 expressions in tumour tissues were detected by immunofluorescence (IF) and western blot (WB). VEGF, PDGF, and PDGFR levels in exosomes, serum, tumour, and lung tissues were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and WB, respectively. IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β levels in exosomes were measured by multiplex immunoassay panels. Results. The results showed that FLP had tumour growth inhibition rate (39.31%). CD31 protein expression was obviously decreased in tumour tissues of CTX- and FLP-treated MO mice, compared to that of MO mice (P < 0.05 or P < 0.001). VEGF, PDGF, and PDGFR expression levels with FLP treatment were downregulated in exosomes, serum, tumour, and lung tissues compared to model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The expressions of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α were downregulated in exosomes compared to the model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Conclusions. This study suggested that FLP had the ability of inhibiting tumourigenesis in a Lewis lung xenograft mouse model, whose therapeutic mechanisms might relate with the downregulation of angiogenesis factor and tumour inflammatory cytokines levels.

Transcriptome changes induced by RUNX3 in cervical cancer cells in vitro

Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) is a member of Runt domain family that is known to play key roles in various different types of tumor. It was recently demonstrated that RUNX3 may also be associated with cervical cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential association between transcriptome changes and RUNX3 expression in cervical cancer. A RUNX3 overexpression model was constructed using cervical cancer cell lines by RUNX3 plasmid transfection. It was demonstrated that the upregulated expression of RUNX3 inhibited proliferation of cervical cancer cell lines, particularly SiHa cells, and was associated with the expression of the IL-6, PTGS2, FOSL1 and TNF genes. In addition, it was revealed that the TNF and FoxO pathways may also be affected by RUNX3. Therefore, the expression of the RUNX3 gene may be involved in the occurrence and progression of cervical cancer.

Role of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Angiogenesis and Cancer

During angiogenesis, new vessels emerge from existing endothelial lined vessels to promote the degradation of the vascular basement membrane and remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM), followed by endothelial cell migration, and proliferation and the new generation of matrix components. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) participate in the disruption, tumor neovascularization, and subsequent metastasis while tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) downregulate the activity of these MMPs. Then, the angiogenic response can be directly or indirectly mediated by MMPs through the modulation of the balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors. This review analyzes recent knowledge on MMPs and their participation in angiogenesis.

Inferring novel genes related to oral cancer with a network embedding method and one-class learning algorithms

Oral cancer (OC) is one of the most common cancers threatening human lives. However, OC pathogenesis has yet to be fully uncovered, and thus designing effective treatments remains difficult. Identifying genes related to OC is an important way for achieving this purpose. In this study, we proposed three computational models for inferring novel OC-related genes. In contrast to previously proposed computational methods, which lacked the learning procedures, each proposed model adopted a one-class learning algorithm, which can provide a deep insight into features of validated OC-related genes. A network embedding algorithm (i.e., node2vec) was applied to the protein-protein interaction network to produce the representation of genes. The features of the OC-related genes were used in the training of the one-class algorithm, and the performance of the final inferring model was improved through a feature selection procedure. Then, candidate genes were produced by applying the trained inferring model to other genes. Three tests were performed to screen out the important candidate genes. Accordingly, we obtained three inferred gene sets, any two of which were different. The inferred genes were also different from previous reported genes and some of them have been included in the public Oral Cancer Gene Database. Finally, we analyzed several inferred genes to confirm whether they are novel OC-related genes.

Potentially functional genetic variants in the TNF/TNFR signaling pathway genes predict survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the PLCO cancer screening trial

The tumor necrosis factor (TNF)/TNF receptor (TNFR) pathway is known to influence survival of patients with cancer. We hypothesize that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TNF/TNFR pathway genes related to apoptosis are associated with survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We used 1185 patients with NSCLC in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial and 984 patients with NSCLC in the Harvard Lung Cancer Susceptibility Study as the discovery and validation datasets, respectively. We selected 6788 SNPs in 71 genes in the TNF/TNFR signaling pathway and extracted their genotyping data from the PLCO genowide-association study (GWAS) dataset. We performed Cox proportional hazards regression analysis to evaluate associations between the identified SNPs and survival and validated the significant SNPs, which were further analyzed for their functional relevance. We found that genotypes of two validated SNPs, IKBKAP rs4978754 CT + TT and TNFRSF1B rs677844 TC + CC, as well as their combined genotypes predicted a better overall survival (P = 0.004, 0.002 and <0.001, respectively). These two validated SNPs were predicted by the RegulomeDB score to be potentially functional. In addition, IKBKAP mRNA expression levels were significantly higher, while TNFRSF1B mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in lung cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.001). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-based expression quantitative trait loci analysis showed that IKBKAP rs4978754 and TNFRSF1B rs677844 genotypes were significantly associated with their corresponding mRNA expression levels in lung cancer tissues in a recessive model (P = 0.035 and 0.045, respectively). Therefore, we identified two potentially functional SNPs (IKBKAP rs4978754 C > T and TNFRSF1B rs677844 T > C) to be associated with survival of patients with NSCLC.

Puerarin regulates neovascular glaucoma through pigment epithelium‑derived growth factor‑induced NF‑κB signaling pathway

Neovascular glaucoma is an ophthalmic disease and a potentially blinding secondary glaucoma caused by the formation of abnormal new blood vessels on the iris, which can prevent the normal drainage of water from the anterior segment of the eye. Evidence from China has suggested that puerarin benefits many diseases including myocardial infarction, stable angina, cerebral ischemia and glaucoma in a clinical setting. In the present study, the aim was to investigate the efficacies of puerarin on neovascular glaucoma in a mouse model. The molecular mechanism of puerarin‑mediated treatment for neovascular glaucoma was also investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Inflammatory responses in mice with neovascular glaucoma were analyzed by western blotting. Oxidative stress levels were investigated following treatment with puerarin in a mouse model of neovascular glaucoma. The results indicated that puerarin markedly improved growth of vascular endothelial cells. The present study reported that puerarin treatment markedly decreased interleukin (IL)‑1β, IL‑17A and tumor necrosis factor‑α expression levels in mice with neovascular glaucoma. It was found that puerarin significantly decreased oxidative stress levels by reducing reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde levels, as well as neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and inducible NOS expression levels. Results indicated that expression levels of pigment epithelium‑derived growth factor were significantly inhibited following treatment with puerarin. Mechanism analysis demonstrated that treatment with puerarin effectively inhibited nuclear factor (NF)‑κB activity and its target protein levels p65, inhibitor of NF‑κB kinase subunit β and inhibitor of NF‑κB kinase subunit α in vascular endothelial cells. Increasing endothelial‑derived growth factor (EDGF) expression levels could stimulate NF‑κB activity and abolish the inhibitory effects of puerarin. An animal study reported that puerarin treatment presented therapeutic effects for mice with neovascular glaucoma. Numbers of new vessels in iris were recovered to normal following puerarin treatment. In conclusion, these results indicated that puerarin treatment can inhibit inflammatory responses and oxidative stress, platelet‑derived growth factor (PDGF) expression and NF‑κB activity, suggesting puerarin may be a potential agent for the treatment of neovascular glaucoma through PDGF‑induced NF‑κB signaling pathway.

C-reactive protein is associated with the development of tongue squamous cell carcinoma

C-reactive protein (CRP) acts as a biomarker reflecting different degrees of inflammation. Accumulating reports have suggested that there is a close relationship between CRP and various cancers. However, the influence of CRP on the development of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of CRP in TSCC. The results of immunohistochemical staining and statistical analyses showed that CRP expression was associated with TSCC tumor size, lymph node metastasis and pathological differentiation. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay revealed that CRP could enhance TSCC cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, with CRP stimulation, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression patterns presented a notable time-dependent up-regulation. In addition, CRP could enhance the invasion and migration of TSCC cells, as revealed by transwell and wound-healing assays, respectively. Annexin V-FITC/PI staining showed that CRP could protect TSCC cells from starvation- and drug-induced apoptosis. With CRP stimulation, the protein expression levels of phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAkt), phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (pmTOR) and phosphorylated S6 ribosomal protein (pS6) were significantly increased, as demonstrated by western blot analysis. Our data suggest that CRP may play an important role in the development of TSCC. Moreover, the biological effects of CRP on TSCC cells might be related to Akt, mTOR, and S6.

Bitter Melon Prevents the Development of 4-NQO-Induced Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in an Immunocompetent Mouse Model by Modulating Immune Signaling

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and tobacco is one of the most common factors for HNSCC of the oral cavity. We have previously observed that bitter melon (Momordica charantia) extract (BME) exerts antiproliferative activity against several cancers including HNSCC. In this study, we investigated the preventive role of BME in 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) carcinogen-induced HNSCC. We observed that BME feeding significantly reduced the incidence of 4-NQO-induced oral cancer in a mouse model. Histologic analysis suggested control 4-NQO-treated mouse tongues showed neoplastic changes ranging from moderate dysplasia to invasive squamous cell carcinoma, whereas no significant dysplasia was observed in the BME-fed mouse tongues. We also examined the global transcriptome changes in normal versus carcinogen-induced tongue cancer tissues, and following BME feeding. Gene ontology and pathway analyses revealed a signature of biological processes including "immune system process" that is significantly dysregulated in 4-NQO-induced oral cancer. We identified elevated expression of proinflammatory genes, s100a9, IL23a, IL1β and immune checkpoint gene PDCD1/PD1, during oral cancer development. Interestingly, BME treatment significantly reduced their expression. Enhancement of MMP9 ("ossification" pathway) was noted during carcinogenesis, which was reduced in BME-fed mouse tongue tissues. Our study demonstrates the preventive effect of BME in 4-NQO-induced carcinogenesis. Identification of pathways involved in carcinogen-induced oral cancer provides useful information for prevention strategies. Together, our data strongly suggest the potential clinical benefits of BME as a chemopreventive agent in the control or delay of carcinogen-induced HNSCC development and progression. Cancer Prev Res; 11(4); 191-202. ©2017 AACRSee related editorial by Rao, p. 185.

Up-regulation of OLR1 expression by TBC1D3 through activation of TNFα/NF-κB pathway promotes the migration of human breast cancer cells

Metastatic spread of cancer cells is the most life-threatening aspect of breast cancer and involves multiple steps including cell migration. We recently found that the TBC1D3 oncogene promotes the migration of breast cancer cells, and its interaction with CaM enhances the effects of TBC1D3. However, little is known regarding the mechanism by which TBC1D3 induces the migration of cancer cells. Here, we demonstrated that TBC1D3 stimulated the expression of oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor 1 (OLR1), a stimulator of cell migration, in breast cancer cells at the transcriptional level. Depletion of OLR1 by siRNAs or down-regulation of OLR1 expression using pomalidomide, a TNFα inhibitor, significantly decreased TBC1D3-induced migration of these cells. Notably, TBC1D3 overexpression activated NF-κB, a major effector of TNFα signaling, while inhibition of TNFα signaling suppressed the effects of TBC1D3. Consistent with this, NF-κB inhibition using its specific inhibitor caffeic acid phenethyl ester decreased both TBC1D3-induced OLR1 expression and cell migration, suggesting a critical role for TNFα/NF-κB signaling in TBC1D3-induced migration of breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, TBC1D3 induced activation of this signaling pathway on multiple levels, including by increasing the release of TNFα, elevating the transcription of TNFR1, TRAF1, TRAF5 and TRAF6, and decreasing the degradation of TNFR1. In summary, these studies identify the TBC1D3 oncogene as a novel regulator of TNFα/NF-κB signaling that mediates this oncogene-induced migration of human breast cancer cells by up-regulating OLR1.

Overexpression of carbonic anhydrase IX induces cell motility by activating matrix metalloproteinase-9 in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

Oral cancer is a solid malignant tumor that is prone to occur following hypoxia. There are no clear studies showing a link between hypoxia and oral carcinogenesis. Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), which is a hypoxia-induced transmembrane protein, is highly expressed in various types of human cancer. However, the effects of CAIX on the metastasis of human oral cancer cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been clarified. In this study, we observed that CAIX overexpression increased the migratory and invasive abilities of SCC-9 and SAS cells. In addition, CAIX overexpression increased the mRNA and protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), steroid receptor coactivator (Src), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 signaling proteins. CAIX overexpression also increased the binding capacity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), c-Jun, and c-Fos on the MMP-9 gene promoter. In addition, treatment with MMP-9 short hairpin RNA, an MMP inhibitor (GM6001), an FAK mutant, or an MEK inhibitor (U0126) inhibited CAIX-induced cell motility in SCC-9 cells. Moreover, data sets from The Cancer Genome Atlas demonstrated that CAIX expression was significantly associated with advanced progression and poor survival in oral cancer. In conclusion, it can be inferred that CAIX overexpression induces MMP-9 gene expression, which consequently induces the metastasis of oral cancer cells.