Impact of Expression Levels of Platinum-uptake Transporters Copper Transporter 1 and Organic Cation Transporter 2 on Resistance to Anthracycline/Taxane-based Chemotherapy in Triple-negative Breast Cancer

Identification of cuproptosis-related gene SLC31A1 and upstream LncRNA-miRNA regulatory axis in breast cancer

Mounting evidence indicate that cuproptosis, a novel form of programmed cell death, contributes to cancer development and progression. However, a comprehensive analysis regarding the expressions, functions, and regulatory network of cuproptosis-related genes is still lacking. In the present work, cuproptosis-related genes, upstream miRNAs and lncRNAs, and clinical data of breast cancer from TCGA database were analyzed by R language including Cox regression analysis, correlation calculation, ROC curve construction, and survival evaluation, and were further verified by public-available databases. Chemosensitivity and immune infiltration were also evaluated by online tools. SLC31A1 was significantly increased in breast cancer samples than those in normal tissues. SLC31A1 was negatively related to a favorable outcome in breast cancer, and the AUC value increased with the prolongation of follow-up time. LINC01614 and miR-204-5p were potential upstream regulators of SLC31A1. Moreover, SLC31A1 was significantly positively correlated with different immune cells infiltration, immune cell biomarkers, and immune checkpoints in breast cancer. SLC31A1 was a potential cuproptosis-related gene in breast cancer, which was significantly upregulated and was able to predict diagnosis, prognosis, chemosensitivity, and immune infiltration. LINC01640/miR-204-5p/SLC31A1 might be a significant and promising axis during cuproptosis in breast cancer.

The Effect of Shenyi Capsule on Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Combined with Chemotherapy from the Yin-Yang Perspective

As an example of Shenyi capsule on non-small-cell lung cancer combined with chemotherapy, this review discusses the synergistic effect and mechanism of natural drugs in oncotherapy from the yin-yang perspective in ancient Chinese philosophy, so as to reflect the therapeutic principle of natural drugs for tumor more comprehensively. The major focuses of this review are on the philosophical thinking of yin-yang as a tool which can not only explain the effect of Shenyi capsule in NSCLC combined with chemotherapy but also explore the mechanism of Shenyi capsule at the cellular and molecular level. Learning from the "yin-yang" thinking of ancient Chinese philosophy will bring more enlightenment to the research and development of traditional Chinese drugs in the future.

PTBP1 modulates osteosarcoma chemoresistance to cisplatin by regulating the expression of the copper transporter SLC31A1

Chemoresistance is the main obstacle of treatment in patients with osteosarcoma. RNA‐binding protein PTBP1 has been identified as an oncogene in various cancers. However, the role of PTBP1 in osteosarcoma, especially in chemoresistant osteosarcoma, and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the functions of PTBP1 in chemoresistance of osteosarcoma. We found that PTBP1 was significantly increased in chemotherapeutically insensitive osteosarcoma tissues and cisplatin‐resistant osteosarcoma cell lines (MG‐63_CISR and U‐2OS_CISR) as compared to chemotherapy‐sensitive osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. Knock‐down of PTBP1 can enhance the anti‐proliferation and apoptosis‐induced effects of cisplatin in MG‐63_CISR and U‐2OS_CISR cells. Moreover, PTBP1 knock‐down significantly up‐regulated the expression of the copper transporter SLC31A1, as indicated by transcriptome sequencing. Through RNA immunoprecipitation, dual‐luciferase reporter assay and RNA stability detection, we confirmed that PTBP1 binds to SLC31A1 mRNA and regulates the expression level of SLC31A1 by affecting mRNA stability. Additionally, SLC31A1 silencing abrogated the chemosensitizing effect of PTBP1 knock‐down in MG‐63_CISR and U‐2OS_CISR cells. Using a nude mouse xenograft model, we further confirmed that PTBP1 knock‐down enhanced chemoresistant osteosarcoma responsiveness to cisplatin treatment in vivo. Collectively, the present study suggests that PTBP1 is a crucial determinant of chemoresistance in osteosarcoma.

A three-long noncoding RNA signature as a diagnostic biomarker for differentiating between triple-negative and non-triple-negative breast cancers

BACKGROUND

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive cancer with unfavorable outcome and it is useful to explore noninvasive biomarkers for its early diagnosis. Here, we identified differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in blood samples of patients with TNBC to assess their diagnostic value.

METHODS

Differential expression of lncRNAs in plasma of patients with TNBC (n = 25) and non-TNBC (NTNBC; n = 35) and in healthy controls was compared by microarray analysis and validated by real-time PCR. lncRNA expression between plasma and BC tissues was compared using Pearson correlation test. Logit model was used to obtain a new lncRNA-based score. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic value of the selected lncRNAs.

RESULTS

Microarray data showed that 41 lncRNAs were aberrantly expressed. Among these, antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL), hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha antisense RNA-2 (HIF1A-AS2), and urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) were markedly upregulated in plasma of patients with TNBC compared with patients with NTNBC (P < 0.01). HIF1A-AS2 expression was positively associated with its tissue levels (r = 0.670, P < 0.01). AUC (95% CI) of ANRIL, HIF1A-AS2, and UCA1 was 0.785 (0.660-0.881), 0.739 (0.610-0.844), and 0.817 (0.696-0.905), respectively. TNBCSigLnc-3, a new score obtained using the logit model, showed excellent diagnostic performance, with AUC of 0.934 (0.839-0.982), sensitivity of 76.0%, and specificity of 97.1%.

CONCLUSION

ANRIL, HIF1A-AS2, and UCA1 expression was significantly increased in plasma of patients with TNBC, suggesting their use as TNBC-specific diagnostic biomarkers.