Nucleolin identified by comparative mass‑spectra analysis is a potential marker for invasive progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

"Light-On" Fluorescent Nanoprobes for Monitoring Dynamic Distribution of Cellular Nucleolin During Pyroptosis

Nucleolin (NCL) is a multifunctional nuclear protein that plays significant roles in regulating physiological activities of the cells. However, it remains a challenge to monitor the dynamic distribution and expression of nucleolin within living cells during cell stress processes directly. Here, we designed "turn-on" fluorescent nanoprobes composed of specific AS1411 aptamer and nucleus-targeting peptide on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to effectively capture and track the NCL distribution and expression during pyroptosis triggered by electrical stimulation (ES). The distribution of nucleolin in the cell membrane and nucleus can be easily observed by simply changing the particle size of the nanoprobes. The present strategy exhibits obvious advantages such as simple operation, low cost, time saving, and suitability for living cell imaging. The ES can induce cancer cell pyroptosis controllably and selectively, with less harm to the viability of normal cells. The palpable cell nuclear stress responses of cancerous cells, including nucleus wrinkling and nucleolus fusion after ES at 1.0 V were obviously observed. Compared with normal cells (MCF-10A), NCL is overexpressed within cancerous cells (MCF-7 cells) using the as-designed nanoprobes, and the ES can effectively inhibit NCL expression within cancerous cells. The developed NCL sensing platform and ES-based methods hold great potential for cellular studies of cancer-related diseases.

RNA-Binding Proteins in Bladder Cancer

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are key regulators of transcription and translation, with highly dynamic spatio-temporal regulation. They are usually involved in the regulation of RNA splicing, polyadenylation, and mRNA stability and mediate processes such as mRNA localization and translation, thereby affecting the RNA life cycle and causing the production of abnormal protein phenotypes that lead to tumorigenesis and development. Accumulating evidence supports that RBPs play critical roles in vital life processes, such as bladder cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Uncovering the regulatory mechanisms of RBPs in bladder cancer is aimed at addressing the occurrence and progression of bladder cancer and finding new therapies for cancer treatment. This article reviews the effects and mechanisms of several RBPs on bladder cancer and summarizes the different types of RBPs involved in the progression of bladder cancer and the potential molecular mechanisms by which they are regulated, with a view to providing information for basic and clinical researchers.

Overexpression of Nucleolin is a Potential Prognostic Marker in Endometrial Carcinoma

Purpose

Nucleolin (NCL) is a multifunctional protein with oncogenic properties. NCL expression levels have been linked to the outcomes of various malignancies, but the clinical value of NCL in patients with endometrial carcinoma (EC) remains unclear. Here, the expression of NCL in EC tissues and its associations with patient outcomes were assessed.

Patients and Methods

Data on NCL mRNA expression in EC and adjacent nonneoplastic tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. In addition, NCL protein expression in 82 endometroid endometrial adenocarcinoma tissues and 15 non-malignant tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry.

Results

Elevated NCL expression was markedly correlated with serous endometrial carcinoma (P<0.001), advanced stage (P=0.029), and grade 3 (P<0.001). High NCL levels were associated with poorer overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) compared with intermediate or low NCL levels (OS: P=0.001, DFS: P=0.006). The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that NCL expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for DFS (HR=1.282, CI=1.027–1.601, P=0.028). A similar correlation between high expression levels of NCL and unfavorable DFS was found in endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma (HR=1.411, CI=1.083–1.840, P=0.011). Positive extra-nuclear NCL expression (HR=3.377, 95% CI=1.029–11.186, P=0.046) and low nuclear NCL expression (HR=0.233, 95% CI=0.068–0.796, P=0.020) were independent prognostic factors for DFS in endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma.

Conclusion

Heterotopic NCL is a potential prognostic biomarker for EC. Inhibiting the distribution of NCL from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and membrane may be a promising therapeutic strategy to improve outcomes in patients with EC with high NCL expression.

Pathology-Driven Comprehensive Proteomic Profiling of the Prostate Cancer Tumor Microenvironment

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Gleason grading is an important predictor of prostate cancer outcomes and is influential in determining patient treatment options. Clinical decisions based on a Gleason score of 7 are difficult as the prognosis for individuals diagnosed with Gleason 4+3 cancer is much worse than for those diagnosed with Gleason 3+4 cancer. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) is a highly precise method to isolate specific cell populations or discrete microregions from tissues. This report undertook a detailed molecular characterization of the tumor microenvironment in prostate cancer to define the proteome in the epithelial and stromal regions from tumor foci of Gleason grades 3 and 4. Tissue regions of interest were isolated from several Gleason 3+3 and Gleason 4+4 tumors using telepathology to leverage specialized pathology expertise to support LCM. Over 2,000 proteins were identified following liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of all regions of interest. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in protein expression (>100 proteins) between Gleason 3 and Gleason 4 regions-in both stromal and epithelial compartments. A subset of these proteins has had prior strong association with prostate cancer, thereby providing evidence for the authenticity of the approach. Finally, validation of these proteins by immunohistochemistry has been obtained using an independent cohort of prostate cancer tumor specimens.Implications: This unbiased strategy provides a strong foundation for the development of biomarker protein panels with significant diagnostic and prognostic potential. Mol Cancer Res; 15(3); 281-93. ©2017 AACR.