Correlation among 16 biological factors [p53, p21(waf1), MIB-1 (Ki-67), p16(INK4A), cyclin D1, E-cadherin, Bcl-2, TNF-α, NF-κB, TGF-β, MMP-7, COX-2, EGFR, HER2/neu, ER, and HIF-1α] and clinical outcomes following curative chemoradiation therapy in 10 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Exploration on anti-hypoxia properties of peptides: a review

Peptides are important components of human nutrition and health, and considered as safe, nontoxic, and easily absorbed potential drugs. Anti-hypoxia peptides are a kind of peptides that can prevent hypoxia or hypoxia damage. In this paper, the sources, preparations, and molecular mechanisms of anti-hypoxia peptides were systemically reviewed. The combination of bioinformatics, chemical synthesis, enzymatic hydrolysis, and microbial fermentation are recommended for efficient productions of anti-hypoxic peptides. The mechanisms of anti-hypoxic peptides include interference with glycolytic process and HIF-1α pathway, mitochondrial apoptosis, and inflammatory response. In addition, bioinformatics analysis, including virtual screening and molecular docking, provides an alternative or auxiliary method for exploring the potential anti-hypoxic activities and mechanisms of peptides. The potential challenges and prospects of anti-hypoxic peptides are also discussed. This paper can provide references for researchers in this field and promote further research and clinical applications of anti-hypoxic peptides in the future.

Long-Term Excessive Selenium Supplementation Affects Gene Expression in Esophageal Tissue of Rats

Esophageal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death and the seventh most prevalent cancer worldwide. Considering the positive association of high selenium with the prevalence of esophageal cancer, we have investigated the effect of high doses of selenium on gene expression in the normal esophageal tissue of rats. Twenty male rats were randomly divided into four groups: control group, group 2 mg Se/L, 10 mg Se/L, and 20 mg Se/L rats fed with a basal basic diet and 2, 10, and 20 mg Se/L as sodium selenite in drinking water, respectively, for 20 weeks. Serum malondialdehyde and glutathione peroxidase activity were measured. Moreover, the expression and concentration of the cyclin D1, cyclin E, KRAS, p53, NF-kB, TGF-β, and MGMT in the esophageal tissue were analyzed and compared between the four groups. In normal esophageal tissue, selenium supplementations (2, 10, and 20 mg Se/L) increased the mRNA levels of cyclin D1, P53, KRAS, NF-κB p65, and MGMT and decreased the mRNA level of TGFß1. The concentrations of cyclin D1 and MGMT were also significantly increased by selenium supplementations. Selenium supplementations had no significant effect on serum MDA but significantly increased GPX activity. The present study suggests that selenium supplementation (2, 10, and 20 mg Se/L) affects gene expression related to inflammation, Cell proliferation, and apoptosis in the normal esophageal tissue. However, there were no observed abnormalities other than reduced growth with supplementation of 20 mg/L as Na2SeO3 in rats.

MiR-34a reverses radiation resistance on ECA-109 cells by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway through downregulating the expression of SIRT1

BACKGROUND

Radiotherapy is an effective treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, many ESCC patients relapsed after receiving radiotherapy due to the inherent resistance. The function of miR-34a and SIRT1, as well as the correlation between miR-34a and SIRT1 has been widely claimed in multiple types of malignant tumors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of miR-34a on radiation resistance against ESCC and the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

In this study, CCK8, flow cytometry, wounding healing assays, and cell clone formation assay were used to determine the in vitro anti-tumor effects of radiation on radiation-resistant ESCC cell line (rECA-109). The luciferase activity and Western Blot assays were used to investigate the relationship among miR-34a, SIRT1, and the anti-radiation resistant effects. The xenograft experiments were used to verify the important function of miR-34a and SIRT1 in radiation resistance against ESCC. The apoptosis state of tumor tissues was evaluated by TUNEL assay.

RESULTS

The introduction of miR-34a significantly induced the cell death and apoptosis of rECA-109 and inhibit the migration of rECA-109 treated by radiation. The anti-tumor effect was accompanied by the downregulation of SIRT1 and the inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway. The radiation resistance on rECA-109 cells was reversed by silencing SIRT1, accompanied by the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal pathway inhibited. In vivo experiments revealed that the radiation resistance on ESCC was reversed by the introduction of miR-34a, the effect of which was promoted by the activation of SIRT1.

CONCLUSION

Our results showed that miR-34a could reverse the radiation resistance on rECA-109 cells by downregulating the expression of SIRT1through inhibiting the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signal pathway.

Elevated expression of RUNX3 co-expressing with EZH2 in esophageal cancer patients from India

Background

Runt related transcription factor3 (RUNX3) is considered as a tumor suppressor gene (TSG) that functions through the TGF-β dependent apoptosis. Promoter methylation of the CpG islands of RUNX3 and overexpression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has been suggested to downregulate RUNX3 in cancer.

Methods

Here, we studied the expression of RUNX3 and EZH2 in 58 esophageal tumors along with paired adjacent normal tissue. mRNA levels, protein expressions and cellular localizations of EZH2 and RUNX3 were analyzed using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. DNA methylation was further assessed by the methylation specific-PCR.

Results

Compared to normal tissue, a significant increase in expression of RUNX3 mRNA in 31/57 patient’s tumor tissue (p < 0.04) was observed. The expression of EZH2 was found to be upregulated compared to normal, and a significant positive correlation between EZH2 and RUNX3 expression was observed (p = 0.002). 22 of the 27 unmethylated cases at the promoter region of the RUNX3 had elevated RUNX3 protein expression (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The data presented in this study provide new insights into the biology of RUNX3 and highlights the need to revisit our current understanding of the role of RUNX3 in cancer.

HER2 expression and relevant clinicopathological features in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in a Chinese population

Background

Despite great progress in surgery and other treatments, the prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is still very poor. HER2 has strong therapeutic implications in certain cancers, such as breast cancer and gastric cancer. However, literature on the frequency of HER2 expression in ESCC is scarce. In the present study, HER2 protein expression, HER2 gene amplification and the relationship between HER2 status and clinicopathological characteristics were evaluated in a large cohort of Chinese ESCC patients.

Methods

A total of 857 consecutive ESCC patients who received radical esophagectomy without neoadjuvant therapy between January 2014 and October 2015 were included in this retrospective study. HER2 protein expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters was assessed. In addition, 65 cases, including 13 HER2 overexpression (3+) cases and 52 HER2 equivocal (2+) cases from the 857-case cohort, and another 104 ESCC cases, including 1 HER2 overexpression (3+) case, 3 HER2 equivocal (2+) cases and 100 HER2 negative (1+/0) cases, were selected to construct tissue microarrays (TMAs). Dual-color in situ hybridization (DISH) was performed on the TMAs to assess HER2 gene amplification and the relationship with clinicopathological parameters.

Results

We found HER2 overexpression (3+) status in 1.5% (13/857) of cases and HER2 equivocal (2+) status in 6.1% (52/857) of cases. HER2 IHC expression was significantly associated with gender (P = 0.028). However, there were no significant correlations between HER2 IHC expression and age, tumor differentiation, pT stage, pN stage, pM stage and pTNM stage (P > 0.05). Regarding the 169 cases analyzed by DISH, 14 (of 14, 100%) HER2 overexpression (3+) cases, 10 (of 55, 18.2%) HER2 equivocal (2+) cases, and 0 (of 100, 0%) HER2 negative (1+/0) cases showed HER2 gene amplification. HER2 gene amplification was not significantly associated with clinicopathological characteristics such as age, gender, tumor differentiation, pT stage, pN stage, pM stage and pTNM stage (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Approximately 1.5% of the Chinese ESCC patients had HER2 overexpression based on IHC. IHC and DISH had a high concordance rate. These results provide valuable insight for the future treatment of ESCC.

A Nomogram to Predict Distant Metastasis for Patients with Esophageal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Distant metastasis of esophageal cancer (EC) is prone to be neglected, so it is necessary to screen out the high-risk population for more sensitive and rigorous pretreatment imaging evaluations.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for distant metastasis in patients with EC and to construct a clinical nomogram.

METHODS

Eligible patients diagnosed from 2010 to 2015 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to establish a prediction nomogram. Discrimination, calibration, clinical usefulness, and reproducibility were assessed by C-index, receiver-operating characteristic curve/the area under the curve (AUC), calibration plot, decision curve analysis (DCA), and bootstrapping validation. DCA was also used to compare the novel model with the conventional predictive methods.

RESULTS

A total of 9,026 patients were included for analysis. The nomogram incorporated the predictors: age, sex, race, grade, T stage, N stage, histology, tumor location, and pathological grading. The prediction model presented good discrimination with an AUC of 0.738 and a concordance index of 0.747 (95% confidence interval: 0.734-0.760), which was confirmed to be 0.745 through bootstrapping validation. Calibration plot and DCA showed satisfactory calibration and good net benefit, respectively. Comparing with the conventional prediction methods, the nomogram yielded superior net benefit.

CONCLUSIONS

We constructed and validated a novel nomogram to help clinicians access the risk of distant metastasis in patients with EC.

Investigation into the expression levels of MAGEA6 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma tissues

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is the sixth most deadly of all cancers. It is among the most malignant cancers due to its highly aggressive nature and low survival rate. The incidence of EC is high in Asia, particularly in Southern areas including China, Iran and Japan. There is a large body of evidence to suggest an association between the melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) family and the initiation of cancer; however, there is no clear evidence to suggest an association between EC and MAGE. Discovery of the chemical and physiological processes relevant to the occurrence of EC is vital for clinicians to diagnose and treat this highly aggressive cancer. The present study focused on the association of EC with the expression of MAGE family member A6 (MAGEA6) at the mRNA and protein levels using gene chip, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry. The expression of MAGEA6 in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) tissue samples were compared with those in paracancerous tissue. The result of the gene chip assay revealed that as the generation grew, there was a significant increase in MAGEA6 transcription in the esophageal epithelial cell line, SHEE Different ESC cell lines also exhibited a significantly higher transcription of MAGEA6 compared with the HaCaT cell line, as determined via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. An higher positive rate of MAGEA6 expression in ESCC and EAC tissues was also revealed when compared with paracancerous tissues, as determined via immunohistochemistry. The results indicated that MAGEA6 is highly transcribed and expressed in the development of EC and may therefore serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis or treatment of EC.

The human amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells therapy on, SKOV3, ovarian cancer cell line

Purpose

One of the most common malignancies peculiar to female health with few symptoms, low response to therapy, difficult diagnosis, frequent relapse, and high mortality, is ovarian cancer. Thus, our experiment, using Human amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells (hAFMSCs) as a therapeutic tool, aims to find an efficient treatment approach for patients suffering from SKOV3 ovarian cancer.

Material & Methods

In this study, we obtained 5 ml amniotic fluid from 16–20 week pregnant women who underwent amniocentesis for routine prenatal diagnosis by karyotyping in Al‐Zahra Hospital of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Using trans wells in 24 wells plate, hAFMSCs were isolated from all samples, co‐cultured with SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line, and characterized via flow cytometry and RT‐PCR. Human skin fibroblast cells (HSFCs) were isolated and used as a negative control. SKOV3 and HSFCs' viability after 5 days was evaluated by MTT assay. Cell cycle and apoptotic genes were analyzed by real‐time PCR.

Results

We successfully isolated and characterized hAFMSCs through it positivity for CD44 and CD90 specific mesenchymal stem cell markers and negativity for CD31 and CD45. Oct4 and NANOG were evaluated by RT‐PCR as pluripotency markers, and visualized on 2% gel electrophoresis. We established hAFMS cell lines after 5 days of co‐culturing the SKOV3 cells, viability was decreased; however, HSFCs did not show toxicity by MTT assay. The genes indicated upregulation and high expression by a real‐time PCR.

Conclusions

Our findings showed that hAFMSCs have natural tumor tropism, and can release soluble factors in a cell culture, which cause an efficient anticancer effect. Thus, we can use hAFMSCs for complete anticancer therapy on SKOV3 cell line at cell culture condition and possibly in vivo in the near future.

HPV infection and p53 and p16 expression in esophageal cancer: are they prognostic factors?

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly lethal malignant tumor. Currently, Human papillomavirus (HPV) is suggested as a potential risk factor for esophageal cancer (EC) in addition to the classic risk factors, alcohol and tobacco, but this hypothesis still remains contradictory. We sought to investigate wether HPV and well-known biomarkers (p16 and p53) and patient-related factors that may have impact on survival of ESCC.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study. By using multiplex PCR, we determined the prevalence of high risk HPV in ESCC, and evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of p16 and p53, molecular markers related to esophageal carcinogenesis in order to verify the potential influence of these variables in patients’s survival. Survival rates were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. A multivariate confirmatory model was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results

Twelve (13.8%) of 87 patients were HPV-DNA positive. Positive reactions of p16 and p53 were 10.7% and 68.6%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that men (p = 0.025) had poor specific-cancer survival and a shorter progression-free survival (p = 0.050) as compared to women; III or IV clinical stage (p < 0.019) had poor specific-cancer survival and a shorter progression-free survival (p < 0.001) compared to I and II clinical stage; not submitted to surgery (<0.001) and not submitted to chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.039) had a poor specific-cancer survival, as well. The multivariate analysis showed that HPV, p16 and p53 status are not predictive parameters of progression-free and specific-cancer survival.

Conclusion

HPV infection and p53 and p16 expression are not prognostic factors in ESCC.

Bispecific antibody suppresses osteosarcoma aggressiveness through regulation of NF-κB signaling pathway

Osteosarcoma is one of the most lethal malignancies, and the prognosis remains dismal due to the paucity of effective therapeutic targets. Bmi-1 and TRIM-14 are associated with the initiation and progression of osteosarcoma, which could promote angiogenesis, invasion, and apoptotic resistance in bone cancer tissue. In this study, we constructed a bispecific antibody of BsAbBmi/TRIM targeting Bmi-1 and TRIM-14 and investigated the therapeutic value in bone carcinoma cells and xenograft mice. Our results showed that Bmi-1 and TRIM-14 expression levels were markedly upregulated correlated with nuclear factor-κB nuclear translocation in bone cancer cells and clinical carcinoma tissues. Results have demonstrated that overexpression of Bmi-1 and TRIM-14 promoted growth, proliferation, aggressiveness, and apoptosis resistance of osteosarcoma cells. BsAbBmi/TRIM administration significantly inhibited nuclear factor-κB expression derived by matrix metalloproteinase-9 promoter. BsAbBmi/TRIM administration inhibited growth of osteosarcoma cells and downregulated Bmi-1 and TRIM-14 expression levels. Data also demonstrated that migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells were also inhibited by BsAbBmi/TRIM. In addition, results illustrated that BsAbBmi/TRIM inhibited tumor growth and tumorigenicity by blockaded sensor expression in nuclear factor-κB signal pathway. Furthermore, in vivo study showed that BsAbBmi/TRIM treatment markedly inhibited the tumorigenicity and growth of osteosarcoma cells compared to either AbBmi-1 or AbTRIM-14 treatment. Notably, survival of xenograft mice was prolonged by BsAbBmi/TRIM treatment compared to either AbBmi-1 or AbTRIM-14 treatment. In conclusion, these results provided new evidence that BsAbBmi/TRIM inhibited the progression of osteosarcoma, which suggest that BsAbBmi/TRIM may be a novel anti-cancer agent for osteosarcoma therapy.

Yield of p53 expression in esophageal squamous cell cancer and its relationship with survival

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most aggressive type of cancer. Mutation of tumor suppressor gene p53 is observed in many gastrointestinal malignancies including ESCC. The immunohistochemical protein expression of mutant p53 has been proposed as a potential tool to evaluate the biological behavior of ESCC. Predictive value of p53 for survival is debatable, hence this study was formulated to know the survival of patients with p53 expression in ESCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We prospectively included 91 consecutive patients of ESCC from August 2014 to August 2016. Biopsy specimens were treated immunohistochemically and expression of p53 gene was analyzed by Immunoreactive Score (IRS). These findings were then compared with clinicopathological parameters such as age, gender, histological grades, and TNM stages. All patients received treatment and were kept under regular follow-up.

RESULTS

M: F ratio was 2.03:1. p53 expression analyzed by IRS showed low expression (score ≤6) in 35 patients (38.46%) and high expression (>6) in 56 patients (61.54%). Level of p53 expression increased significantly with increasing histological grades of ESCC and TNM stage (P ≤ 0.001). Multivariate analysis shows p53 expression as independent predictor of survival. After 1 year of follow up, survival in the p53 high-expression group was 67.86% [standard error (SE) = 0.0473, confidence interval (CI) = 0.75-0.97) and in low p53 expression group was 91.43% (SE = 0.06, CI = 0.53-0.78) with statistically significant difference P = 0.0001 when analyzed with Kaplan-Meier method.

CONCLUSION

Expression of p53 correlates with the survival and is a simple, effective and reproducible modality to determine the prognosis and survival in ESCC.

Hesa-A Effects on Cell Cycle Signaling in Esophageal Carcinoma Cell Line

BACKGROUND

Hesa-A is a natural compound with anticancer properties. The exact mechanism of its action in esophageal cancer is not clear, yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cell toxicity effect of Hesa-A on the esophageal carcinoma cell lines, KYSE-30, and cell cycle genes expression.

METHODS

In this study, we tested cell toxicity with MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay and flow cytometry to evaluatet he cell cycle arrest. Real time polymerase chain reaction was used to assess the expression of P53, P16, P21, cyclin D1, and cyclin B1 genes.

RESULTS

Our results showed that Hesa-A is effective in the expression of cell cycling check point proteins. Hesa-A induced an arrest in G2 phase of esophageal cell cycle. The levels of P53 (>13 times), P21 (>21 times), P16, cyclin B1, and cyclin D1 genes were increased 48 hours after Hesa-A treatment.

CONCLUSION

P21 and P16 expression were the potential mechanisms for G2 arrest of KYSE-30 esophageal cancer cell line by Hesa-A.

Novel Candidate Biomarkers of Chemoradiosensitivity in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review

There is no doubt that, along with surgery, chemoradiotherapy is an important treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Patients who respond well to chemoradiotherapy obtain great benefits toward overcoming their cancer, and so a more favorable prognosis. On the other hand, patients who do not respond well have wasted valuable time and experienced severe toxicity and seriously diminished quality of life, only to have their cancer recur with an unfavorable prognosis. For this reason, a reliable biomarker of chemoradiosensitivity in ESCC has long been sought. In this review, we will enumerate recently reported candidate biomarkers of chemoradiosensitivity in ESCC that have the potential for future clinical application.

NS-398 promotes pancreatic cancer cell invasion by CD147 and MMP-2 via the activation of P38

The overexpression or abnormal activation of cyclo‑oxygenase‑2 (COX‑2) has been reported in pancreatic cancer cells. NS‑398, a selective inhibitor of COX‑2, is unable to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, as determined by a Cell Counting Kit 8 assay. However, it does increase cancer cell invasiveness, and therefore the invasiveness of the PANC‑1 cells was determined, along with the activation of P38, which was assessed by western blotting. In the present study, to evaluate the mechanisms underlying the action of NS‑398 in pancreatic cancer cells, PANC‑1 cells were treated with NS‑398, and the invasion signaling pathways of cluster of differentiation (CD)147‑matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑2 and mitogen‑activated protein kinases were evaluated. The results showed that NS‑398‑induced the expression of CD147 and MMP‑2 via the activation of P38, which was involved in antiproliferative activity and induced pancreatic cancer cell invasiveness. The PANC‑1 cells were also co‑treated with CD147 small interfering (si)RNA and NS‑398, and it was found that the NS‑398‑induced activation of P38 was not inhibited by CD147 siRNA, however, the expression of MMP‑2 was inhibited. CD147 siRNA inhibited the invasiveness of the pancreatic cancer cells induced by NS‑398, but also restored NS‑398‑induced antiproliferative activity. These data indicated that P38 in the pancreatic cancer cells was non‑specifically activated by NS‑398. This activation induced the expression of CD147‑MMP‑2, opposed the antiproliferative activity of NS‑398 and increased the invasiveness of the PANC‑1 cells.

Overexpression of Ku80 correlates with aggressive clinicopathological features and adverse prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Ku80, a subunit of the heterodymeric Ku protein, is clearly implicated in nonhomologous end joining DNA repair, chemoresistance and radioresistance in malignant tumors. In the present study, the clinicopathological significance of Ku80 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was investigated. The expression levels of Ku80 were determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry in ESCC specimens and normal esophageal mucosa. The mRNA and protein levels of Ku80 were significantly higher in ESCC tissues than in normal esophageal mucosa, and were significantly associated with tumor differentiation, local invasion, lymph node metastasis and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. However, overexpression of Ku80 mRNA and protein levels were not significantly correlated with age, gender, tumor site or tumor size. Cox proportional hazards regression model demonstrated that tumor local invasion, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage and Ku80 mRNA and protein levels were independent risk factors indicating the overall survival of patients with ESCC. The present study demonstrated that aberrant Ku80 overexpression is observed in ESCC. In addition, high expression levels of Ku80 are associated with adverse clinicopathological features and unfavorable prognosis in ESCC patients.

Prognostic significance of SLC9A9 in patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The survival rate of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) patients is still dismal. Therefore, novel prognostic biomarkers are critically needed for patients with ESCC. SLC9A9 has been reported to be downregulated in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer; however, the correlations between SLC9A9 and ESCC prognosis are unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression and prognostic significance of SLC9A9 in resectable ESCC. Fresh frozen or paraffin-embedded samples were collected from 167 or 59 patients with resectable ESCC, respectively. The expression of SLC9A9 was assessed by reverse transcription and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis (167 patients) and immunohistochemistry (61 patients). The expression of SLC9A9 was not associated with patient clinicopathological characteristics at both transcription and protein levels. The 5-year overall survival in the high SLC9A9 messenger RNA (mRNA) group (n = 106) was poorer than that in the low expression group (n = 61) (34.6 vs. 65.9 %, P < 0.001). Notably, higher SLC9A9 protein expression was also correlated with lower 5-year overall survival (33.1 vs. 66.5 %, P = 0.023). Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that SLC9A9 mRNA (HR, 2.41; 95 % CI, 1.47-3.97; P = 0.001) and protein (HR, 2.31; 95 %CI, 1.06-5.02; P = 0.034) were independent prognostic factors. In conclusion, the expression of SLC9A9 can be a prognostic predictor for ESCC.

Alteration of runt-related transcription factor 3 gene expression and biologic behavior of esophageal carcinoma TE-1 cells after 5-azacytidine intervention

5-Azacytidine (5-azaC) was originally identified as an anticancer drug (NSC102876) which can cause hypomethylation of tumor suppressor genes. To assess its effects on runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3), expression levels and the promoter methylation status of the RUNX3 gene were assessed. We also investigated alteration of biologic behavior of esophageal carcinoma TE-1 cells. MTT assays showed 5-azaC inhibited the proliferation of TE-1 cells in a time and dose-dependent way. Although other genes could be demethylated after 5-azaC intervention, we focused on RUNX3 gene in this study. The expression level of RUNX3 mRNA increased significantly in TE-1 cells after treatment with 5-azaC at hypotoxic levels. RT-PCR showed 5-azaC at 50 μM had the highest RUNX3-induction activity. Methylation-specific PCR indicated that 5-azaC induced RUNX3 expression through demethylation. Migration and invasion of TE-1 cells were inhibited by 5-azaC, along with growth of Eca109 xenografts in nude mice. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the RUNX3 gene can be reactivated by the demethylation reagent 5-azaC, which inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal carcinoma TE-1 cells.

Effects of 5-azacytidine on RUNX3 gene expression and the biological behavior of esophageal carcinoma cells

The present study investigated the effects of 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) on the expression level of the human runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) gene and the biological behavior of esophageal carcinoma Eca109 cells. The effect of the demethylation reagent 5-azaC on the viability of Eca109 cells was detected by the MTT assay, which demonstrated that 5-azaC inhibited the viability of Eca109 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Although demethylation of other genes may occur following treatment with 5-azaC, we focused on the RUNX3 gene. When treated with 5-azaC at hypoxic levels, the expression of RUNX3 increased and the methylation degree of the RUNX3 gene was decreased significantly in Eca109 cells. 5-azaC at 50 µM demonstrated the highest RUNX3-induction activity, inducing RUNX3 mRNA and protein expression, and decreasing the degree of methylation of the RUNX3 gene. Methylation specific PCR indicated that 5-azaC induced RUNX3 expression through demethylation. The abilities of migration and invasion of Eca109 cells were inhibited by 5-azaC. The growth of Eca109 cells treated with 5-azaC in vivo was detected by a tumorigenesis experiment. 5-azaC inhibited the growth of Eca109 xenografts in nude mice. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that the RUNX3 gene is hypermethylated in Eca109 cells and that 5-azaC induces the expression of the RUNX3 gene by demethylation, which inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of Eca109 cells.

Primary tumor vascularity, HIF-1α and VEGF expression in vulvar squamous cell carcinomas: their relationships with clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic impact

BACKGROUND

Increased vascularity is a crucial event in the tumor progression and has prognostic significance in various cancers. However, the ultimate role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis and clinical outcome of vulvar carcinoma patients is still not settled.

METHODS

Tumor vascularity using CD34 stained slides measured by Chalkley counting method as well as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunoexpression was examined in 158 vulvar squamous cell carcinomas. Associations between vascular Chalkley count, HIF-1α and VEGF expression and clinicopathological factors and clinical outcome were evaluated.

RESULTS

High CD34 Chalkley count was found to correlate with larger tumor diameter (P = 0.002), deep invasion (P < 0.001) and HIF-1α (P = 0.04), whereas high VEGF expression correlate significantly with poor tumor differentiation (P = 0.007). No significant association between CD34 Chalkley counts and VEGF expression and disease-specific survival was observed. High HIF-1α expression showed better disease specific survival in both univariate and multivariate analyses (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A significant association between high tumor vascularity and larger tumor size as well as deeper tumor invasion suggests an important role of angiogenesis in the growth and progression of vulvar carcinomas. HIF-1α expression in vulvar carcinomas was a statistically independent prognostic factor.

The potential of molecular markers to improve interventions through the natural history of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

EC (oesophageal cancer) is one of the ten most frequent and fatal tumours worldwide and ESCC (oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma) accounts for about 80% of the cases. The first symptoms of ESCC arise late during the progression of the disease and, therefore, the diagnosis is usually done in advanced stages. This leads to an inefficient treatment and consequently to a poor prognosis. Thus, a comprehensive knowledge of ESCC biology is of major importance to identify risk factors, especially in high-incidence areas and biomarkers which could enable ESCC prevention and interventions throughout the natural history of the disease. In this review, we present the current knowledge regarding ESCC aetiology as well as the different genetic and epigenetic alterations already described in this tumour. We also discuss how these alterations could be used to anticipate ESCC diagnosis as well as how they can help improving treatment. A molecular natural history of the disease is proposed pointing out potential markers that may improve interventions at different points of ESCC development. Only when the different layers of complexity behind this tumour are elucidated, it will be possible to successfully perform prevention at different levels.