The expression and significance of HOX transcript antisense RNA and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related factors in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Effects of HOX family regulator-mediated modification patterns and immunity characteristics on tumor-associated cell type in endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer (UCEC) is one of three major malignant tumors in women. The HOX gene regulates tumor development. However, the potential roles of HOX in the expression mechanism of multiple cell types and in the development and progression of tumor microenvironment (TME) cell infiltration in UCEC remain unknown. In this study, we utilized both the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database to analyze transcriptome data of 529 patients with UCEC based on 39 HOX genes, combing clinical information, we discovered HOX gene were a pivotal factor in the development and progression of UCEC and in the formation of TME diversity and complexity. Here, a new scoring system was developed to quantify individual HOX patterns in UCEC. Our study found that patients in the low HOX score group had abundant anti-tumor immune cell infiltration, good tumor differentiation, and better prognoses. In contrast, a high HOX score was associated with blockade of immune checkpoints, which enhances the response to immunotherapy. The Real-Time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) exhibited a higher expression of the HOX gene in the tumor patients. We revealed that the significant upregulation of the HOX gene in the epithelial cells can activate signaling pathway associated with tumour invasion and metastasis through single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), such as nucleotide metabolic proce and so on. Finally, a risk prognostic model established by the positive relationship between HOX scores and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can predict the prognosis of individual patients by scRNA-seq and transcriptome data sets. In sum, HOX gene may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prediction of UCEC and to develop more effective therapeutic strategies.

A Pleiotropic Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs in the Modulation of Wnt/β-Catenin and PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathways in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Implication in Chemotherapeutic Drug Response

Despite the availability of modern techniques for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), tumor recurrence and metastasis are significant challenges in clinical management. Thus, ESCC possesses a poor prognosis and low five-year overall survival rate. Notably, the origin and recurrence of the cancer phenotype are under the control of complex cancer-related signaling pathways. In this review, we provide comprehensive knowledge about long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) related to Wnt/β-catenin and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in ESCC and its implications in hindering the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs. We observed that a pool of lncRNAs, such as HERES, TUG1, and UCA1, associated with ESCC, directly or indirectly targets various molecules of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and facilitates the manifestation of multiple cancer phenotypes, including proliferation, metastasis, relapse, and resistance to anticancer treatment. Additionally, several lncRNAs, such as HCP5 and PTCSC1, modulate PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways during the ESCC pathogenesis. Furthermore, a few lncRNAs, such as AFAP1-AS1 and LINC01014, block the efficiency of chemotherapeutic drugs, including cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, and gefitinib, used for ESCC treatment. Therefore, this review may help in designing a better therapeutic strategy for ESCC patients.

Significance of expression of lncRNA HOTAIR in serum of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Due to the lack of effective biomarkers for early diagnosis, detection of metastasis, recurrence, and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the survival rate of this malignancy is low. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOTAIR is highly expressed in cancer tissues and is related to tumor occurrence and development, however, it has been rarely studied in serum.

AIM

To investigate the clinical significance of serum lncRNA HOTAIR in patients with ESCC.

METHODS

Serum samples from 48 healthy volunteers and 48 patients with ESCC and cancer tissues from the patients were collected to detect the expression of HOTAIR by RT-qPCR. Differences in lncRNA HOTAIR expression levels in serum of both healthy volunteers and patients with ESCC were analyzed by the rank-sum test. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum HOTAIR expression levels and clinicopathological factors in ESCC patients.

RESULTS

The expression level of lncRNA HOTAIR in the serum of patients with ESCC was significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers (P = 0.0099). Using a cutoff value of 14.4670, the sensitivity and specificity of serum HOTAIR for diagnosis of ESCC were 0.7612 and 0.9091, respectively; the area under the ROC curve was 0.8618. Serum levels of HOTAIR in patients with ESCC were positively correlated with its expression levels in matched carcinoma tissues (r_S = 0.3920, P = 0.0124). Serum lncRNA HOTAIR expression level was significantly higher in patients with distant metastasis than in those without (P = 0.003). With the increase in TNM stage, the expression level of HOTAIR increased gradually, showing a hierarchical correlation (P = 0.011).

CONCLUSION

The serum lncRNA HOTAIR and its dynamic changes are expected to be used for early diagnosis, severity rassessment, and therapeutic effect and prognosis prediction in patients with ESCC.

The contrary functions of lncRNA HOTAIR/miR-17-5p/PTEN axis and Shenqifuzheng injection on chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells

This study was implemented to figure out whether lncRNA HOTAIR/miR‐17‐5p/PTEN axis played a role that was opposite to Shenqifuzheng (SQFZ) injection in regulating the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells. The gastric cancer tissues were gathered and four gastric cancer cell lines were prepared, including BGC‐823, MGC‐803, SGC‐7901, and MKN28. Moreover, cisplatin, adriamycin, mitomycin, and 5‐fluoroura were managed as the chemo‐therapeutics, and SQFZ was prepared as a Chinese medicine. Striking distinctions of HOTAIR, miR‐17‐5p, and PTEN expressions were observed between gastric cancer tissues and para‐carcinoma normal tissues (P < 0.05). MKN28 was associated with the highest resistance to cisplatin, adriamycin, mitomycin, and 5‐fluoroura among all the cell types, and SQFZ significantly improved the MKN28 cells’ sensitivity to the drugs (P < 0.05). The over‐expressed HOTAIR and miR‐17‐5p, as well as under‐expressed PTEN tended to significantly facilitate the viability, EMT process and proliferation of MKN28 cells that were subject to treatment of chemo‐therapies (P < 0.05). SQFZ could amplify the effects of si‐HOTAIR, miR‐17‐5p inhibitor, and pcDNA‐PTEN on boosting the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer cells (P < 0.05). In addition, HOTAIR was also found to directly target miR‐17‐5p, and PTEN appeared to be subject to the modification of HOTAIR and miR‐17‐5p in its acting on the viability, proliferation, EMT process, and apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. The HOTAIR/miR‐17‐5p/PTEN axis could be regarded as the potential treatment targets for gastric cancer, and adjuvant therapy of SQFZ injection could assist in further improving the treatment efficacy of chemo‐therapies for gastric cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs in esophageal cancer: molecular mechanisms, functions, and potential applications

Esophageal cancer (EC) is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The lack of early diagnostic biomarkers and effective prognostic indicators for metastasis and recurrence has resulted in the poor prognosis of EC. In addition, the underlying molecular mechanisms of EC development have yet to be elucidated. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that lncRNAs play a vital role in the pathological progression of EC. LncRNAs may regulate gene expression through the recruitment of histone-modifying complexes to the chromatin and through interactions with RNAs or proteins. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the dysregulation of lncRNAs plays important roles in the proliferation, metastasis, invasion, angiogenesis, apoptosis, chemoradiotherapy resistance, and stemness of EC, which suggests potential clinical implications. In this review, we highlight the emerging roles and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in the context of EC and discuss their potential clinical applications as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.

Decreased expression of lncRNA VPS9D1-AS1 in gastric cancer and its clinical significance

BACKGROUND

A recent study has demonstrated that the long non-coding RNA VPS9D1-AS1 is highly expressed in colorectal cancer and predicts poor prognosis. However, roles of VPS9D1-AS1 in gastric cancer remained poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to decipher the expression of VPS9D1-AS1 in gastric cancer (GC) patients, so as to assess whether or not it could be used as a novel biomarker for prognosis in gastric cancer patients.

METHODS

The expression of VPS9D1-AS1 was examined in cancer tissues and paired adjacent non-tumorous tissues from 126 gastric cancer patients using qRT-PCR. Correlations between the expression of VPS9D1-AS1 and clinicopathological parameters and patients' survival were analyzed.

RESULTS

VPS9D1-AS1 expression was downregulated in gastric cancer tissues than that in adjacent non-tumorous tissues (P< 0.001). VPS9D1-AS1 expression level was markedly correlated with tumor size and TNM stage in gastric cancer. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed low expression of VPS9D1-AS1 were correlated with poor overall and disease free survival. On multivariate analysis, the hazard ratio of VPS9D1-AS expression was 0.30 (95% CI = 0.13-0.66, P= 0.003) for overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our data suggest that downregulated VPS9D1-AS1 may be used as a novel prognosis predictor of gastric cancer.

Tissue protein biomarker candidates to predict progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and precancerous lesions

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most predominant malignancies worldwide. The 5-year survival rate is still relatively low due to few symptoms presenting with the early disease, diagnosis at middle to late stage, and high risk of recurrence after therapy. Novel protein biomarkers for early detection and treatment of ESCC have the potential to reduce incidence and mortality rates, and significantly prolong the 5-year survival rate. To date, several ESCC biomarkers are being investigated for screening, diagnosis, and treatment to decrease the disease burden. This review summarizes recent developments in candidate protein biomarkers for early diagnosis, predictors for precancerous disease progression, and prognosis of ESCC. Protein biomarkers that enable identification of the different pathologic grades of ESCC will need to be identified. ESCC biomarkers have the potential to improve screening and treatment strategies; multicenter prospective studies with large sample sizes will be required to confirm the usefulness of these candidate biomarkers.