Expression of proteins associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Clinical significance of securin expression in solid cancers: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis of published studies and bioinformatics analysis based on TCGA dataset

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have investigated the clinical significance of securin expression in solid cancers; however, the results have been inconsistent. Hence, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies to assess the clinical value of securin expression in patients with solid cancers.

METHODS

The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Web of Science, PubMed, and EMDASE databases were searched for eligible studies (from inception up to April 2021). Bioinformatics analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset was also performed to evaluate the prognostic value of securin expression.

RESULTS

A total of 25 articles with 26 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis implied that high securin expression was positively correlated with unfavorable overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio = 1.52, 95% CI, 1.33-1.73; P < .001) and lymph node metastasis (odd ratio = 2.96, 95% CI, 2.26-3.86; P < .001). Consistently, our bioinformatics analysis showed that increased securin expression was associated with worse OS and shorter disease-free survival in cancer patients.

CONCLUSION

Our study indicated that securin overexpression was positively associated with metastasis and inversely related to the prognosis of patients with solid cancers. However, additional high-quality studies should be conducted to validate these findings.

CD147 expression lacks prognostic relevance in esophageal cancer

Introduction

The role of CD147 as an important indicator of tumor prognosis remains controversially discussed in literature. We focused on the prognostic significance of CD147 expression in esophageal cancer patients. While some studies report that CD147 is an unfavorable prognostic factor in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, others showed no significant correlation. However, only one study draws attention to the significance of CD147 in esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is one of the most rapidly increasing neoplasms in the western world.

Methods

To finally clarify the impact of CD147 as a prognostic factor, especially for esophageal adenocarcinomas, we analyzed CD147 expression in a tissue microarray of 359 esophageal adenocarcinomas and 254 esophageal squamous cell cancer specimens. For the immuno-histochemical analysis, we used a primary antibody specific for CD147. Staining intensity and proportion of positive tumor cells were scored (negative, weak, moderate, strong staining). These findings were compared to normal esophageal tissue and correlated to the histopathological tumor phenotype and survival data.

Results

CD147 expression was detectable in weak intensities in benign esophageal tissue (85.78%) and expressed in predominately moderate to strong intensities in esophageal cancer (88.34%). Strong CD147 immunostaining was linked to increased infiltration depth (p = 0.015) and differentiation (p = 0.016) in esophageal squamous cell cancer but revealed no significant correlation with histopathology of adenocarcinoma. Moreover, CD147 intensity was unrelated to overall survival in this collective for both subtypes of esophageal cancer.

Conclusion

Thus, our data show that CD147 has no prognostic value, neither in esophageal adenocarcinoma nor squamous cell carcinoma.

Silencing lncRNAs PVT1 Upregulates miR-145 and Confers Inhibitory Effects on Viability, Invasion, and Migration in EC

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is correlated to various malignant tumors. Consequently, we explored effects of lncRNA PVT1 on esophageal carcinoma (EC) targeting microRNA-145 (miR-145). EC tissues, adjacent normal tissues, and EC-related cell lines were collected and cultured. Expression of lncRNA PVT1, miR-145, fascin-1 (FSCN1), and related genes with intervening expression of PVT1 and miR-145 was determined. Bioinformatic website, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) were carried to verify target relationship among lncRNA PVT1, FSCN1, and miR-145. Scratch test, Transwell assay, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and flow cytometry were performed for detection of migration, invasion, viability, and apoptosis of transfected cells, respectively. Finally, tumor formation in nude mice was measured. After database analysis, lncRNA PVT1, miR-145, and FSCN1 were selected for study. lncRNA PVT1 and FSCN1 can bind to miR-145. After overexpressing miR-145 or inhibiting lncRNA PVT1, EC cell viability, migration, and invasion were inhibited, while volume and weight of tumor formation in nude mice decreased. Expression of lncRNA PVT1, FSCN1, Bcl-2, CD147, VEGFR2, and MTA1 decreased and expression of miR-145 and Bax increased. Silencing lncRNA PVT1 can upregulate miR-145, which is a tumor suppressor in EC via knockdown of FSCN1. Thus, we might provide a potential theoretical basis for EC treatment.

Down-regulation of long noncoding RNA PVT1 inhibits esophageal carcinoma cell migration and invasion and promotes cell apoptosis via microRNA-145-mediated inhibition of FSCN1

Accumulating evidence has established that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is a tumor regulator in many cancers. Here, we aimed to investigate the possible function of lncRNA PVT1 in esophageal carcinoma (EC) via targeting of microRNA-145 (miR-145). Initially, microarray-based gene expression profiling of EC was employed to identify differentially expressed genes. Moreover, the expression of lncRNA PVT1 was examined and the cell line presenting with the highest level of lncRNA PVT1 expression was selected for subsequent experiments. We then proceeded to examine interaction among lncRNA PVT1, FSCN1, and miR-145. The effect of lncRNA PVT1 on viability, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis of transfected cells was examined with gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments. We observed that lncRNA PVT1 was robustly induced in EC. lncRNA PVT1 could bind to miR-145 and regulate its expression, and FSCN1 is a target gene of miR-145. Overexpression of miR-145 or silencing of lncRNA PVT1 was revealed to suppress cell viability, migration, and invasion abilities, while also stimulating cell apoptosis. Furthermore, our in vivo results showed that overexpression of miR-145 or silencing of lncRNA PVT1 resulted in decreased tumor growth in nude mice. In conclusion, our research reveals that down-regulation of lncRNA PVT1 could potentially promote expression of miR-145 to repress cell migration and invasion, and promote cell apoptosis through the inhibition of FSCN1. This highlights the potential of lncRNA PVT1 as a therapeutic target for EC treatment.