CXCL10 enhances radiotherapy effects in HeLa cells through cell cycle redistribution

Role of chemokines in HPV-induced cancers

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) cause cancers of the uterine cervix, oropharynx, anus, and vulvovaginal tract. Low-risk HPVs, such as HPV6 and 11, can also cause benign mucosal lesions including genital warts, and in patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, lesions in the larynx, and on occasion, in the lungs. However, both high and less tumorigenic HPVs share a striking commonality in manipulating both innate and adaptive immune responses in HPV- infected keratinocytes, the natural host for HPV infection. In addition, immune/inflammatory cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment influences cancer growth and prognosis, and this process is tightly regulated by different chemokines. Chemokines are small proteins and exert their biological effects by binding with G protein-coupled chemokine receptors (GPCRs) that are found on the surfaces of select target cells. Chemokines are not only involved in the establishment of a pro-tumorigenic microenvironment and organ-directed metastases but also involved in disease progression through enhancing tumor cell growth and proliferation. Therefore, having a solid grasp on chemokines and immune checkpoint modulators can help in the treatment of these cancers. In this review, we discuss the recent advances on the expression patterns and regulation of the main chemokines found in HPV-induced cancers, and their effects on both immune and non-immune cells in these lesions. Importantly, we also present the current knowledge of therapeutic interventions on the expression of specific chemokine and their receptors that have been shown to influence the development and progression of HPV-induced cancers.

Bioinformatics analysis identifies potential biomarkers involved in the metastasis of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the malignant epithelial tumors with a high metastasis rate. This study aimed to screen potential novel biomarkers involved in NPC metastasis. Microarray data of locoregionally advanced NPC (LA-NPC; GSE103611) were obtained from the database of Gene Expression Omnibus. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LA-NPC tissues with and without distant metastasis after radical treatment were screened. Functional analysis was performed and the protein-protein interaction and submodule were analyzed. The univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify prognostic genes in NPC in the validation microarray dataset GSE102349. The drug-gene interactions and key genes were identified. Totally, 107 DEGs were identified. The upregulated DEGs and the key nodes in the protein-protein interaction network were associated with pathways or biological processes related to the cell cycle. Four genes including CD44, B2M, PTPN11, and TRIM74 were associated with disease-free survival in NPC. The drug-gene interaction analysis revealed that upregulated genes CXCL10, CD44, B2M, XRCC5, and RPL11 might be potential druggable genes for patients with LA-NPC metastasis by regulating cell cycle, autophagy, and drug resistance. Upregulated CXCL10, CD44, B2M, XRCC5, and RPL11 might play important roles in LA-NPC metastasis by regulating cell cycle-related pathways.

Gene Therapy for Malignant and Benign Gynaecological Disorders: A Systematic Review of an Emerging Success Story

Simple Summary

This review discusses all the major advances in gene therapy of gynaecological disorders, highlighting the novel and potentially therapeutic perspectives associated with such an approach. It specifically focuses on the gene therapy strategies against major gynaecological malignant disorders, such as ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer, as well as benign disorders, such as uterine leiomyomas, endometriosis, placental, and embryo implantation disorders. The above therapeutic strategies, which employ both viral and non-viral systems for mutation compensation, suicide gene therapy, oncolytic virotherapy, antiangiogenesis and immunopotentiation approaches, have yielded promising results over the last decade, setting the grounds for successful clinical trials.

Abstract

Despite the major advances in screening and therapeutic approaches, gynaecological malignancies still present as a leading cause of death among women of reproductive age. Cervical cancer, although largely preventable through vaccination and regular screening, remains the fourth most common and most lethal cancer type in women, while the available treatment schemes still pose a fertility threat. Ovarian cancer is associated with high morbidity rates, primarily due to lack of symptoms and high relapse rates following treatment, whereas endometrial cancer, although usually curable by surgery, it still represents a therapeutic problem. On the other hand, benign abnormalities, such as fibroids, endometriosis, placental, and embryo implantation disorders, although not life-threatening, significantly affect women’s life and fertility and have high socio-economic impacts. In the last decade, targeted gene therapy approaches toward both malignant and benign gynaecological abnormalities have led to promising results, setting the ground for successful clinical trials. The above therapeutic strategies employ both viral and non-viral systems for mutation compensation, suicide gene therapy, oncolytic virotherapy, antiangiogenesis and immunopotentiation. This review discusses all the major advances in gene therapy of gynaecological disorders and highlights the novel and potentially therapeutic perspectives associated with such an approach.

The allelopathy and underlying mechanism of Skeletonema costatum on Karenia mikimotoi integrating transcriptomics profiling

The roles of allelopathy for succession of marine phytoplankton communities remain controversial, especially for the development of blooms. Physiological parameters measurement (Fv/Fm value, MDA content, SOD activity, Na⁺/K⁺, Ca²⁺/ Mg²⁺-ATPase activity, cell size, chlorophyll content, apoptosis and cell cycle) and whole transcriptome profiling analysis were used to investigate allelopathy effect of Skeletonema costatum on Karenia mikimotoi. Filtrate and extracts from S. costatum culture inhibited the growth of K. mikimotoi. Allelopathic effects were dose-dependent for filtrate culture and extract culture. K. mikimotoi scavenged excessive ROS and adapted to the stress fastly and easily, so oxidative damage was not the main cause of the growth inhibition. Allelochemicals of S. costatum were found to influence the structure and function of cell membrane of K. mikimotoi by damaging membrane structure till to cell necrosis, which caused high mortality. Coupled with the sensitivity of algal cells to environmental stress and restricted cell cycle, allelopathy was suggested to be deeply detrimental to the development of competition algal population.

The Role of Chemokines in Cervical Cancers

Both clinical-pathological and experimental studies have shown that chemokines play a key role in activating the immune checkpoint modulator in cervical cancer progression and are associated with prognosis in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, chemoresistance, and immunosuppression. Therefore, a clear understanding of chemokines and immune checkpoint modulators is essential for the treatment of this disease. This review discusses the origins and categories of chemokines and the mechanisms that are responsible for activating immune checkpoints in cervical dysplasia and cancer, chemokines as biomarkers, and therapy development that targets immune checkpoints in cervical cancer research.

IFNgamma-inducible CXCL10/CXCR3 axis alters the sensitivity of HEp-2 cells to ionizing radiation

Radiotherapy is a conventional approach for anti-cancer treatment, killing tumor cells through damaging cellular DNA. While increasing studies have demonstrated that tumors generated the tolerance to radiation and tumor immune system was found to be correlated to radiotherapy resistance. Therefore, it is critical to identify potential immune factors associated with the efficacy of radiotherapy. Here in this study, we evaluated the sensitivities of different tumor cells to radiation and determined HEp-2 cells as the radio-resistant tumor cells for further investigation. IFNgamma as a key regulator of host immune response showed the potential to sensitize tumors to ionizing radiation (IR). Besides, IFNgamma-induced CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) was found to be necessary for effective IR-induced killing of cultured HEp-2 cells. Increased clonogenic survival was observed in CXCL10-depleted HEp-2 cells and CXCL10-KO cells. Additionally, the loss of CXCL10 in HEp-2 cells showed less progression of the G0/G1 phase to G2/M when exposed to IR (8 Gy). Local IR (20 Gy) to nude mice bearing HEp-2 tumors significantly reduced tumor burden, while fewer effects on tumor burden in mice carrying CXCL10-KO tumors were observed. We furtherly evaluated the possible roles the chemokine receptor CXCR3 plays in mediating the sensitivity of cultured HEp-2 cells to IR. Altered expression of CXCR3 in HEp-2 cells affected IR-induced killing of HEp-2 cells. Our data suggest the IFNgamma-activated CXCL10/CXCR3 axis may contribute to the effective radiation-induced killing of HEp-2 cells in vitro.

Integrative Bioinformatics Approaches to Screen Potential Prognostic Immune-Related Genes and Drugs in the Cervical Cancer Microenvironment

In developing countries, cervical cancer is still the major cause of cancer-related death among women. To better understand the correlation between tumor microenvironment (TME) and prognosis of cervical cancer, we screened 1367 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of cervical cancer samples in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database using Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm-derived immune scores. Then, we extracted 401 tumor immune microenvironment (TIME)-related DEGs that related to patients' survival outcomes. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and functional enrichment analysis revealed that the prognostic genes mainly participated in myeloid leukocyte activation, adaptive immune response regulation, and receptor signaling pathways. A total of 79 key prognostic DEGs were obtained through PPI network. A TF-lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed to explore the potential regulatory mechanism. 4 genes (CCR7, PD-1, ZAP70, and CD28) were validated in another independent cohort of cervical cancer from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Finally, potential drugs for key prognostics DEGs were predicted using DrugBank. In conclusion, we obtained a list of potential prognostic TIME-related genes and potential predicted drugs by integrative bioinformatics approaches. A comprehensive understanding of prognostic genes within the TIME may provide new strategies for cervical cancer treatment.

Targeted Gene Delivery Therapies for Cervical Cancer

Despite being largely preventable through early vaccination and screening strategies, cervical cancer is the most common type of gynecological malignancy worldwide and constitutes one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women. Patients with advanced or recurrent disease have a very poor prognosis; hence, novel therapeutic modalities to improve clinical outcomes in cervical malignancy are needed. In this regard, targeted gene delivery therapy is presented as a promising approach, which leads to the development of multiple strategies focused on different aspects. These range from altered gene restoration, immune system potentiation, and oncolytic virotherapy to the use of nanotechnology and the design of improved and enhanced gene delivery systems, among others. In the present manuscript, we review the current progress made in targeted gene delivery therapy for cervical cancer, the advantages and drawbacks and their clinical application. At present, multiple targeted gene delivery systems have been reported with encouraging preclinical results. However, the translation to humans has not yet shown a significant clinical benefit due principally to the lack of efficient vectors. Real efforts are being made to develop new gene delivery systems, to improve tumor targeting and to minimize toxicity in normal tissues.

An integrated approach for mining precise RNA-based cervical cancer staging biomarkers

Since international federation of gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO) staging is mainly based on clinical assessment, an integrated approach for mining RNA based biomarkers for understanding the molecular deregulation of signaling pathways and RNAs in cervical cancer was proposed in this study. Publicly available data were mined for identifying significant RNAs after patient staging. Significant miRNA families were identified from mRNA-miRNA and lncRNA-miRNA interaction network analyses followed by stage specific mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA association network generation. Integrated bioinformatic analyses of selected mRNAs and lncRNAs were performed. Results suggest that HBA1, HBA2, HBB, SLC2A1, CXCL10 (stage I), PKIA (stage III) and S100A7 (stage IV) were important. miRNA family enrichment of interacting miRNA partners of selected RNAs indicated the enrichment of let-7 family. Assembly of collagen fibrils and other multimeric structures_Homosapiens_R-HSA-2022090 in pathway analysis and progesterone_CTD_00006624 in DSigDB analysis were the most significant and SLC2A1, hsa-miR-188-3p, hsa-miR-378a-3p and hsa-miR-150-5p were selected as survival markers.

The PAF1c Subunit CDC73 Is Required for Mouse Hematopoietic Stem Cell Maintenance but Displays Leukemia-Specific Gene Regulation

The Polymerase Associated Factor 1 complex (PAF1c) functions at the interface of epigenetics and gene transcription. The PAF1c is required for MLL fusion-driven acute myeloid leukemia (AML) through direct regulation of pro-leukemic target genes such as Hoxa9 and Meis1. However, the role of the PAF1c in normal hematopoiesis is unknown. Here, we discovered that the PAF1c subunit, CDC73, is required for both fetal and adult hematopoiesis. Loss of Cdc73 in hematopoietic cells is lethal because of extensive bone marrow failure. Cdc73 has an essential cell-autonomous role for adult hematopoietic stem cell function in vivo, and deletion of Cdc73 results in cell-cycle defects in hematopoietic progenitors. Gene expression profiling indicated a differential regulation of Hoxa9/Meis1 gene programs by CDC73 in progenitors compared with AML cells, suggesting disease-specific functions. Thus, the PAF1c subunit, CDC73 is essential for hematopoietic stem cell function but exhibits leukemia-specific regulation of self-renewal gene programs in AML cells.

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CDC73 is necessary for embryonic and adult hematopoietic stem cell function

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Proliferation and survival of cKIT⁺ hematopoietic progenitors require CDC73

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CDC73 regulates unique gene programs in leukemia and hematopoietic progenitor cells

Synergistic effects of Ferula gummosa and radiotherapy on induction of cytotoxicity in HeLa cell line

OBJECTIVE

Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women, worldwide; and for treatment of this type of cancer radiotherapy is commonly used. Ferula gummosa Boiss ("Barije" in Persian, from the family Apiaceae), (F. gummosa), is an extremely precious medicinal plant which naturally grows throughout the Mediterranean and Central Asia and is a native plant in Iran. The present study examined the cytotoxic effects of F. gummosa in terms of induction of apoptosis and radiosensitivity in HeLa cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In order to determine F. gummosa cytotoxicity in HeLa cells, the cells were incubated with different concentrations of the plant resin (0-1000 µg/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 hr. Cytotoxicity was determined by MTT assay. The role of apoptosis in F. gummosa cytotoxicity was investigated using flow cytometry following propidium iodide (PI) staining of DNA. For radiosensitivity assessment, F. gummosa-treated cells were exposed to 2 Gy γ-rays, and cytotoxicity was determined in irradiated and non-irradiated (control) groups by MTT and the synergism factor was calculated.

RESULTS

F. gummosa decreased cell viability in HeLa cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that apoptosis is involved in F. gummosa-induced cytotoxicity. Co-administration of F. gummosa and radiotherapy, showed that this plant at non-toxic low doses, could result in almost 5-fold increment in sensitization of cells towards radiation-induced toxicity.

CONCLUSION

The concurrent use of F. gummosa and radiation increases radiosensitivity and cell death. Therefore, F. gummosa can be considered as a potential radiosensitizer agent against cervical cancer.

Low miR-187 expression promotes resistance to chemoradiation therapy in vitro and correlates with treatment failure in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has a poor prognosis and is increasing in incidence in many western populations. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) followed by surgery is increasingly the standard of care for locally advanced EAC; however, resistance to treatment is a significant clinical problem. The identification of both novel biomarkers predicting response to treatment and novel therapeutic targets to enhance the efficacy of CRT are key to improving survival rates in EAC. In this study we performed global microRNA (miRNA) profiling of pre-treatment EAC biopsies and identified 67 miRNA significantly altered in patients who are resistant to CRT. One of these miRNA, miR-187, was significantly decreased in pre-treatment EAC tumors from patients having a poor response to neoadjuvant CRT, highlighting downregulation of miR-187 as a potential mechanism of treatment resistance in EAC. In vitro, miR-187 was demonstrated to play a functional role in modulating sensitivity to X-ray radiation and cisplatin in EAC and its dysregulation was demonstrated to be due to chromosomal alterations. In vitro, miR-187 altered expression of a diverse array of pathways, including the immune regulator complement component 3 (C3), serum levels of which we have previously demonstrated to predict patient response to CRT. In vivo, expression of C3 was significantly increased in tumors from patients having a poor response to CRT. This study highlights for the first time a role for miR-187 as a novel biomarker of response to CRT and a potential therapeutic target for enhancing the efficacy of CRT in EAC.

Combining CXCL10 gene therapy and radiotherapy improved therapeutic efficacy in cervical cancer HeLa cell xenograft tumor models

Radiotherapy is an important treatment method for cervical cancer, but the efficacy requires improvement. Therefore, novel methods of treatment are required. Previous data have demonstrated that the CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) inhibits angiogenesis, induces apoptosis and causes avoidance of the S phase of the cell cycle in cervical cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of radiotherapy combined with CXCL10 gene therapy. Mouse models of cervical carcinoma were created by inoculation with HeLa cells, and were treated by combining intravenously administered plasmid-encoding CXCL10, administered 5 times (days 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24 following inoculation), with direct radiation (20 Gy/5 fractions) administered on 5 consecutive days (~day 27 after inoculation). The vessel density and tumor cell proliferation were observed by immunostaining, and apoptosis was determined using a TUNEL assay. The results revealed a significant increase in the inhibition of tumor growth, reduced vessel density, decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in the tumor cells of the combination therapy group. Overall, these findings resulted in the conclusion that CXCL10 gene therapy in combination with radiotherapy is a novel effective therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer.

CXCL10 mRNA expression predicts response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer patients

Chemoradiotherapy has been commonly used as neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer to allow for less aggressive surgical approaches and to improve quality of life. In cancer, it has been reported that CXCL10 has an anti-tumor function. However, the association between CXCL10 and chemoradiosensitivity has not been fully investigated. We performed this study to investigate the relationship between CXCL10 expression and chemoradiosensitivity in rectal cancer patients. Ninety-five patients with rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) were included. Clinical parameters were compared with the outcome of NCRT and CXCL10 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression between the pathological complete response (pCR) group and non-pathological complete response (npCR) group. CXCL10 mRNA and protein expressions between groups were analyzed using the Student's t test and chi-square test. The mean mRNA level of CXCL10 in the pCR group was significantly higher than that in the npCR group (p = 0.010). In the pCR group, 73.7 % of the patients had high CXCL10 mRNA expression, and 61.4 % of the patients in the npCR group had low CXCL10 mRNA expression. Subjects with high CXCL10 mRNA expression demonstrated a higher sensitivity to NCRT (p = 0.011). The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the diagnostic performance of CXCL10 mRNA expression had an area under the curve of 0.720 (95 % confidence interval, 0.573-0.867). There were no differences between the pCR and npCR groups in CXCL10 protein expression (p > 0.05). High CXCL10 mRNA expression is associated with a better tumor response to NCRT in rectal cancer patients and may predict the outcome of NCRT in this malignancy.