Detection of human papillomavirus and expression of osteopontin in cervical cancer specimens

Biological and Clinicopathological Characteristics of OPN in Cervical Cancers

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is the most common gynecological malignancy. Recently, an increasing number of studies have indicated that osteopontin (OPN) is a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for CC. However, the biological role and detailed mechanism of OPN in CC remain unclear.

Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and a clinical sample microarray were used in our study. To identify the clinicopathological characteristics of OPN in CC, we compared the expression of OPN between normal and CC tissue samples and analyzed the correlations between OPN expression and multiple clinicopathological features. To identify biological processes involving OPN, OPN-associated genes were screened with Pearson correlation analysis and applied in hallmark gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Additionally, leukocyte infiltration was evaluated based on OPN expression. Finally, OPN-related signaling pathways were identified by GSEA.

Results: OPN expression was higher in CC samples than in normal tissue samples and positively correlated with age, FIGO stage, tumor size, lymphovascular invasion and an unfavorable prognosis. OPN-associated genes were mainly enriched in the immune response, and increased OPN expression was accompanied by increased M2 macrophage infiltration. Additionally, OPN was correlated with hypoxia, high glycolytic metabolism, apoptosis, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and multiple signaling pathways (the p53 pathway, the PI3K/Akt pathway, IL6/STAT3 signaling, mTORC1 signaling and KRAS signaling).

Conclusion: Our study showed that OPN is involved in immunological activities and multiple tumor processes, identifying it as a potential therapeutic target and useful prognostic factor in CC patients.

MicroRNA-224 inhibition prevents progression of cervical carcinoma by targeting PTX3

Cervical carcinoma is known as one of the most lethal and common conditions in women worldwide. Increasing evidence shows that microRNAs (miRs) may be involved in the pathogenesis of cervical carcinoma. This study investigates the correlation between expression of miR-224 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and both diagnosis and prognosis of cervical carcinoma to clarify the effect miR-224 has on the biological behaviors of the subjected cervical carcinoma cells. Initially, 132 patients diagnosed with cervical carcinoma and 120 healthy subjects were recruited. Peripheral blood expression of miR-224 and PTX3 was detected. A telephone follow-up was performed every 3 months after treatment. The diagnostic value of miR-224 in cervical carcinoma was analyzed using the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve. The effects of both miR-224 and PTX3 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were evaluated with an intervention of miR-224 ectopic expression or depletion and PTX3 silencing. The bioinformatics prediction website and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed PTX3 to be a target gene for miR-224. Moreover, miR-224 was detected as over-expressed, but PTX3 was under-expressed in cervical carcinoma. Additionally, as a diagnostic biomarker, a high miR-224 expression was closely linked with the progression of cervical carcinoma. Both miR-224 overexpression and PTX3 silencing promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, whereas, the aforementioned properties were depressed when miR-224 was inhibited. Altogether, the miR-224 overexpression may be a biological indicator in predicting the progression of cervical carcinoma. Thus, miR-224 inhibition may significantly prevent cervical carcinoma progression by targeting the PTX3 gene.

The Roles of Matricellular Proteins in Oncogenic Virus-Induced Cancers and Their Potential Utilities as Therapeutic Targets

Matricellular proteins differ from other classical extracellular matrix proteins; for instance, they are transiently expressed as soluble proteins rather than being constitutively expressed in pathological conditions, such as acute viral infections. Accumulating studies have revealed that matricellular proteins, including osteopontin and tenascin-C, both of which interact with integrin heterodimers, are involved in inflammatory diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers. The concentrations of these matricellular proteins are elevated in the plasma of patients with certain types of cancers, indicating that they play important roles in oncogenesis. Chronic viral infections are associated with certain cancers, which are distinct from non-viral cancers. Viral oncogenes play critical roles in the development and progression of such cancers. It is vital to investigate the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and, particularly, the mechanism by which viral proteins induce tumor progression. Viral proteins have been shown to influence not only the viral-infected cancer cells, but also the stromal cells and matricellular proteins that constitute the extracellular matrix that surrounds tumor tissues. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on the involvement of matricellular proteins in oncogenic virus-induced cancers to elucidate the mechanism of oncogenesis and consider the possible role of matricellular proteins as therapeutic targets in virus-induced cancers.