Overexpression of LBX2 associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer

Development and validation of a prognostic 9-gene signature for colorectal cancer

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent cancers globally with a high mortality rate. Predicting prognosis using disease progression and cancer pathologic stage is insufficient, and a prognostic factor that can accurately evaluate patient prognosis needs to be developed. In this study, we aimed to infer a prognostic gene signature to identify a functional signature associated with the prognosis of CRC patients.

Methods

First, we used univariate Cox regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression, and multivariate Cox regression analyses to screen genes significantly associated with CRC patient prognosis, from colorectal cancer RNA sequencing data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We then calculated the risk score (RS) for each patient based on the expression of the nine candidate genes and developed a prognostic signature.

Results

Based on the optimal cut-off on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, patients were separated into high- and low-risk groups, and the difference in overall survival between the two groups was examined. Patients in the low-risk group had a better overall survival rate than those in the high-risk group. The results were validated using the GSE72970, GSE39582, and GSE17536 Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, and the same conclusions were reached. ROC curve test of the RS signature also indicated that it had excellent accuracy. The RS signature was then compared with traditional clinical factors as a prognostic indicator, and we discovered that the RS signature had superior predictive ability.

Conclusion

The RS signature developed in this study has excellent predictive power for the prognosis of patients with CRC and broad applicability as a prognostic indicator for patients.

Notch-associated lncRNAs profiling circuiting epigenetic modification in colorectal cancer

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent digestive cancers, ranking the 2nd cause of cancer-related fatality worldwide. The worldwide burden of CRC is predicted to rise by 60% by 2030. Environmental factors drive, first, inflammation and hence, cancer incidence increase.

Main

The Notch-signaling system is an evolutionarily conserved cascade, has role in the biological normal developmental processes as well as malignancies. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have become major contributors in the advancement of cancer by serving as signal pathways regulators. They can control gene expression through post-translational changes, interactions with micro-RNAs or down-stream effector proteins. Recent emerging evidence has emphasized the role of lncRNAs in controlling Notch-signaling activity, regulating development of several cancers including CRC.

Conclusion

Notch-associated lncRNAs might be useful prognostic biomarkers or promising potential therapeutic targets for CRC treatment.

Therefore, here-in we will focus on the role of “Notch-associated lncRNAs in CRC” highlighting “the impact of Notch-associated lncRNAs as player for cancer induction and/or progression.”

Graphical Abstract

Discovering Innate Driver Variants for Risk Assessment of Early Colorectal Cancer Metastasis

Metastasis is the main fatal cause of colorectal cancer (CRC). Although enormous efforts have been made to date to identify biomarkers associated with metastasis, there is still a huge gap to translate these efforts into effective clinical applications due to the poor consistency of biomarkers in dealing with the genetic heterogeneity of CRCs. In this study, a small cohort of eight CRC patients was recruited, from whom we collected cancer, paracancer, and normal tissues simultaneously and performed whole-exome sequencing. Given the exomes, a novel statistical parameter LIP was introduced to quantitatively measure the local invasion power for every somatic and germline mutation, whereby we affirmed that the innate germline mutations instead of somatic mutations might serve as the major driving force in promoting local invasion. Furthermore, via bioinformatic analyses of big data derived from the public zone, we identified ten potential driver variants that likely urged the local invasion of tumor cells into nearby tissue. Of them, six corresponding genes were new to CRC metastasis. In addition, a metastasis resister variant was also identified. Based on these eleven variants, we constructed a logistic regression model for rapid risk assessment of early metastasis, which was also deployed as an online server, AmetaRisk (http://www.bio-add.org/AmetaRisk). In summary, we made a valuable attempt in this study to exome-wide explore the genetic driving force to local invasion, which provides new insights into the mechanistic understanding of metastasis. Furthermore, the risk assessment model can assist in prioritizing therapeutic regimens in clinics and discovering new drug targets, and thus substantially increase the survival rate of CRC patients.

Relationship between VEGF Family Members, Their Receptors and Cell Death in the Neoplastic Transformation of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death in the world. Both modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors play a significant role in the pathogenesis of this tumor. The diagnosis is usually made late due to limitations of screening tests; therefore, the scientists are looking for new diagnostic tools such as gene or miRNA expression or different proteins’ concentrations, e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members. The VEGF family (VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D and PlGF) plays a key role in the processes of blood vessel formation in embryonic development as well as in pathological angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis, which allow the tumor to grow exponentially. Blockage of VEGF-related pathways seems to be a valid therapeutic target. It was suggested in recent studies, that besides already used drugs, e.g., bevacizumab, there are other agents with potential usefulness in anticancer activity such as miRNAs, TMEA, granzyme K, baicalein and arginine. Moreover, VEGF proteins were assessed to induce the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins such as BCL-2 and BAX. Therefore, investigations concerning the usefulness of VEGF family members, not only in the development but also in the therapy of CRC, in order to fully elucidate their role in carcinogenesis, are extremely important.

DCTPP1, an Oncogene Regulated by miR-378a-3p, Promotes Proliferation of Breast Cancer via DNA Repair Signaling Pathway

Breast cancer (BRCA) is one of the most deadly cancers worldwide, with poor survival rates that could be due to its high proliferation. Human all-alpha dCTP pyrophosphatase 1 (DCTPP1) is implicated in numerous diseases, including cancers. However, its role in BRCA is unclear. In this study, we used bioinformatic analyses of the ONCOMINE, UALCAN, and GEPIA databases to determine the expression pattern of DCTPP1 in BRCA. We found that elevated DCTPP1 levels correlate with poor BRCA prognosis. DCTPP1 silencing inhibited BRCA cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro, as well as in vivo. Our data show that this tumorigenic effect depends on DNA repair signaling. Moreover, we found that DCTPP1 is directly modulated by miR-378a-3p, whose downregulation is linked to BRCA progression. Our results showed down-regulation of miR-378a-3p in BRCA. Upregulation of miR-378a-3p, on the other hand, can inhibit BRCA cell growth and proliferation. This study shows that reduced miR-378a-3p level enhances DCTPP1 expression in BRCA, which promotes proliferation by activating DNA repair signaling in BRCA.