p63 expression is a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer

ΔNp63α facilitates proliferation and migration, and modulates the chromatin landscape in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cells

p63 plays a crucial role in epithelia-originating tumours; however, its role in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) has not been completely explored. Our study revealed the oncogenic properties of p63 in iCCA and identified the major expressed isoform as ΔNp63α. We collected iCCA clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and analyzed p63 expression in iCCA tissue samples. We further established genetically modified iCCA cell lines in which p63 was overexpressed or knocked down to study the protein function/function of p63 in iCCA. We found that cells overexpressing p63, but not p63 knockdown counterparts, displayed increased proliferation, migration, and invasion. Transcriptome analysis showed that p63 altered the iCCA transcriptome, particularly by affecting cell adhesion-related genes. Moreover, chromatin accessibility decreased at p63 target sites when p63 binding was lost and increased when p63 binding was gained. The majority of the p63 bound sites were located in the distal intergenic regions and showed strong enhancer marks; however, active histone modifications around the Transcription Start Site changed as p63 expression changed. We also detected an interaction between p63 and the chromatin structural protein YY1. Taken together, our results suggest an oncogenic role for p63 in iCCA.

Correlation of CTSD, P63, and Ki67 Expressions with Risk Assessment of Oesophageal Squamous-Cell Carcinoma

Objective. Creatine kinase (CK), cathepsin D (CTSD), Ki67, and tumour protein 63 (p63) have been proven to participate in the growth of some cancers. However, available literature suggested paucity of data on their involvement in oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) development. Methods. We ascertained the presence of CK, CTSD, Ki67, and p63 expressions in ESCC to demonstrate the association between differentiation of ESCC and expressions of the abovementioned proteins. We collected related information on 48 patients prior to their division into well and poor differentiation groups, which were analysed retrospectively. Positive rates of protein expression were evaluated via immunohistochemistry. The proteins that were expressed positively in all the cases were selected. Comparison of the proteins within two groups was done to analyse the correlation between tumour differentiation and their expression. Results. We observed that CTSD, p63, and Ki67 were significantly and highly expressed in poorly differentiated patients with ESCC. Conclusions. This finding may suggest that the proteins were involved in ESCC progression, which may evidentially serve as potential markers of early identification and risk assessment of ESCC.

A systematic and comprehensive analysis of colorectal squamous cell carcinoma: Implication for diagnosis and treatment

Background

This study was aimed at establishing a nomogram for survival prediction of Colorectal squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), understanding the molecular pathogenesis, exploring a better treatment, and predicting the potential therapeutic agents.

Methods

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to obtained CSCC patients and the nomogram was performed. Propensity score matching (PSM), Kaplan–Meier analysis, subgroup analysis, and interaction test were used to explore the better treatment strategy for CSCC. Bioinformatics were used to explore the molecular mechanism and potential therapeutic drugs of CSCC.

Results

A total of 3949 CSCC patients were studied. The nomogram was constructed and evaluated to have a good performance. We found that the radiotherapy had a better effect than surgery, and the difference between radiotherapy and combined therapy was not significant. 821 differentially expressed genes in CSCC were obtained from GSE6988 dataset. DNA damage repair, mismatch repair, and cell cycle pathways might contribute to CSCC occurrence as indicated by KEGGpathway and GSEA analysis. Transcription factors analysis revealed that TP63 and STAT1 may have an important role in occurrence and development of CSCC. 1607 potential drugs against CSCC were found using the CMAP database, and molecular docking was carried out to show the binding energy between TP63 and drugs.

Conclusions

A good prognosis nomogram was constructed for CSCC. We also have a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of occurrence and development of CSCC and predicted potential therapeutic drugs, providing a theoretical basis for the treatment of CSCC.

p63 expression in human tumors and normal tissues: a tissue microarray study on 10,200 tumors

Background

Tumor protein 63 (p63) is a transcription factor of the p53 gene family involved in differentiation of several tissues including squamous epithelium. p63 immunohistochemistry is broadly used for tumor classification but published data on its expression in cancer is conflicting.

Methods

To comprehensively catalogue p63 expression, tissue microarrays (TMAs) containing 12,620 tissue samples from 115 tumor entities and 76 normal tissue types were analyzed.

Results

p63 expression was seen in various normal tissues including squamous epithelium and urothelium. At least occasional weak p63 positivity could be detected in 61 (53%) of 115 different tumor types. The frequencies of p63 positivity was highest in squamous cell carcinomas irrespective of their origin (96–100%), thymic tumors (100%), urothelial carcinomas (81–100%), basal type tumors such as basal cell carcinomas (100%), and various salivary gland neoplasias (81–100%). As a rule, p63 was mostly expressed in cancers derived from p63 positive normal tissues and mostly not detectable in tumors derived from p63 negative cancers. However, exceptions from this rule occurred. A positive p63 immunostaining in cancers derived from p63 negative tissues was unrelated to aggressive phenotype in 422 pancreatic cancers, 160 endometrium cancers and 374 ovarian cancers and might be caused by aberrant squamous differentiation or represent stem cell properties. In 355 gastric cancers, aberrant p63 expression occurred in 4% and was linked to lymph node metastasis (p = 0.0208). Loss of p63 in urothelial carcinomas - derived from p63 positive urothelium - was significantly linked to advanced stage, high grade (p < 0.0001 each) and poor survival (p < 0.0001) and might reflect clinically relevant tumor dedifferentiation.

Conclusion

The high prevalence of p63 expression in specific tumor types makes p63 immunohistochemistry a suitable diagnostic tool. Loss of p63 expression might constitute a feature of aggressive cancers.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40364-021-00260-5.

The prognostic significance of p63 cytoplasmic expression in colorectal cancer. An immunohistochemical study

Objectives:

To evaluate p63 expression pattern in Saudi colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and correlate that with clinicopathological parameters and its role in carcinogenesis and prognosis.

Methods:

Archival tumor samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for p63 expression in 324 consecutive Saudi patients diagnosed with CRC between January 2006 and December 2017 at the Pathology Department of a tertiary care Hospital, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Results:

P63 over-expression was absent in normal mucosa, while 12.5% cases of adenoma showed its over-expression. In CRC, p63 expression was high in 24.1% of cases. There were no significant correlations between p63 expression and gender, tumor location, tumor size, and tumor histologic differentiation. However, high p63 expression revealed a significant correlation with age (p=0.035), tumor type (p=0.004), American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (p=0.046), lymph node metastasis (p=0.006), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.006), distant metastasis (p=0.049) high Ki67 expression (p=0.000) and K-ras expression (p=0.002). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a shorter period of survival with p63 over-expression (p<0.001). The Cox-regression model analysis showed that p63 over-expression was an independent prognostic marker in CRC (p=0.000).

Conclusion:

P63 expression increased from normal to adenoma to carcinoma sequence. Moreover, p63 cytoplasmic expression seems to be related to high Ki67 indexing, K-ras expression, advanced tumor stage and poor clinical outcome of CRC. These findings suggest a significant role of cytoplasmic p63 expression in tumor progression and prognosis.

The uterine epithelial loss of Pten is inefficient to induce endometrial cancer with intact stromal Pten

Mutation of the tumor suppressor Pten often leads to tumorigenesis in various organs including the uterus. We previously showed that Pten deletion in the mouse uterus using a Pgr-Cre driver (Ptenf/fPgrCre/+) results in rapid development of endometrial carcinoma (EMC) with full penetration. We also reported that Pten deletion in the stroma and myometrium using Amhr2-Cre failed to initiate EMC. Since the Ptenf/fPgrCre/+ uterine epithelium was primarily affected by tumorigenesis despite its loss in both the epithelium and stroma, we wanted to know if Pten deletion in epithelia alone will induce tumorigenesis. We found that mice with uterine epithelial loss of Pten under a Ltf-iCre driver (Ptenf/f/LtfCre/+) develop uterine complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH), but rarely EMC even at 6 months of age. We observed that Ptenf/fPgrCre/+ uteri exhibit a unique population of cytokeratin 5 (CK5) and transformation related protein 63 (p63)-positive epithelial cells; these cells mark stratified epithelia and squamous differentiation. In contrast, Ptenf/fLtfCre/+ hyperplastic epithelia do not undergo stratification, but extensive epithelial cell apoptosis. This increased apoptosis is associated with elevation of TGFβ levels and activation of downstream effectors, SMAD2/3 in the uterine stroma. Our results suggest that stromal PTEN via TGFβ signaling restrains epithelial cell transformation from hyperplasia to carcinoma. In conclusion, this study, using tissue-specific deletion of Pten, highlights the epithelial-mesenchymal cross-talk in the genesis of endometrial carcinoma.

The miR-124-p63 feedback loop modulates colorectal cancer growth

Among the diverse co-regulatory relationships between transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), feedback loops have received the most extensive research attention. The co-regulation of TFs and miRNAs plays an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) growth. Here, we show that miR-124 can regulate two isoforms of p63, TAp63 and ΔNp63, via iASPP, while p63 modulates signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1) expression by targeting miR-155. Moreover, STAT1 acts as a regulator of CRC growth by targeting miR-124. Taken together, these results reveal a feedback loop between miRNAs and TFs. This feedback loop comprises miR-124, iASPP, STAT1, miR-155, TAp63 and ΔNp63, which are essential for CRC growth. Moreover, this feedback loop is perturbed in human colon carcinomas, which suggests that the manipulation of this microRNA-TF feedback loop has therapeutic potential for CRC.

Crude extract of Rheum palmatum L inhibits migration and invasion of LS1034 human colon cancer cells acts through the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 by MAPK signaling

Crude extract of Rheum palmatum L. (CERP) has been used to treat different diseases in the Chinese population for decades. In this study, we investigated the anti-metastasis effects of CERP on LS1034 human colorectal cancer cells in vitro and examined potential mechanisms of its effects. CERP significantly inhibited cell migration and invasion of LS1034 cells. We also found that CERP inhibited protein levels of matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9), and cytosolic NF-kB p65, RHO A, ROCK 1. Furthermore, we found CERP inhibited protein levels of GRB2, SOS1, MKK7, FAK, Rho A, ROCK 1, VEGF, PKC, AKT, phosphor-AKT (Thr308), Cyclin D, iNOS, COX2, NF-kB p65, p-ERK1/2, p-JNK1/2, p-p38, p-c-jun, MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-1, MMP-7, MMP-10, UPA and increased the protein level of Ras in LS1034 cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that CERP may be used as a novel anti-metastasis agent for the treatment of human colon cancer cells.