Clinicopathological and prognostic value of S100A4 expression in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis. Int J Biol Markers. 2014;29:e99-e111. [PMID: 24242292 DOI: 10.5301/jbm.5000054]

Comprehensive analysis of single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing data identifies B cell marker genes signature that predicts prognosis and analysis of immune checkpoints expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Recent studies have shown that B cells and the associated tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) correlate with the response of patients to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and predict overall survival (OS) in cancer patients. We screened 145 B cell marker genes (BCMG) by a comprehensive analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The BCMG signature (BCMGS) was established using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset of HNSC and verified in four independent datasets. The multivariate Cox regression analysis identified the signature as an independent prognostic factor. A prognostic nomogram was constructed with independent prognostic factors using the TCGA dataset. GO and KEGG analysis revealed the underlying signaling pathways related to this signature. Study of immune profiles showed that patients in the low-risk group presented discriminative immune-cell infiltrations. Furthermore, the low-risk group was featured by higher TCR and BCR diversity, which suggested that low-risk patients may be more sensitive to ICIs. Immunohistochemistry was performed, and we found that high expression of FTH1 was significantly correlated with poor OS (P = 0.025). The expression of TIM-3, LAG-3 and PD-1 was positively correlated and associated with better OS in HNSC. However, there was no statistically significant difference between PD-L1, PD-L2, CTLA-4, TIGIT and prognosis. The BCMGS was a promising prognostic biomarker in HNSC, which may help to interpret the responses to immunotherapy and provide a new perspective for future research on the treatment in HNSC.

Collagen-related gene expression level predicts the prognosis and immune therapy response

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer patients responded differently to the same treatment strategy and had various prognoses for the lack of biomarkers to guide the therapy choice.

METHODS

RNA data of a local gastric cancer cohort with 103 patients were processed and used to explore potential treatment guiding factors. Cluster analysis was performed by non-negative matrix factorization. The expression level of collagen-related genes was evaluated by ssGSEA named collagen score (CS). Data from TCGA, ACRG, and an immune therapy cohort were utilized to explore prognosis and efficacy. Prognostic predictive power of CS was assessed using the nomogram.

RESULTS

In our study, local RNA data were processed by cluster analysis, and it was found that cluster 2 contained a worse tumor infiltration status. The GSEA result showed that collagen-related pathways were differentially activated in two clusters. In TCGA and ACRG cohorts, the CS can be used as an independent prognostic factor (TCGA OS: p = 0.018, HR = 3.5; ACRG OS: p = 0.014, HR = 4.88). An immunotherapy cohort showed that the patients with higher CS had a significantly worse ORR (p = 0.0025). The high CS group contained several cell death pathways down-regulated and contained the worse tumor microenvironment. The nomogram demonstrated the survival prediction capability of collagen score.

CONCLUSION

CS was verified as an independent prognostic factor and potentially reflected the therapeutic effect of immunotherapy. The CS could provide a new way to evaluate the clinical prognosis and response information helping develop the collagen-targeted treatment.

S100A4 Is a Strong Negative Prognostic Marker and Potential Therapeutic Target in Adenocarcinoma of the Stomach and Esophagus

Deregulated Wnt-signaling is a key mechanism driving metastasis in adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction and stomach (AGE/S). The oncogene S100A4 was identified as a Wnt-signaling target gene and is known to promote metastasis. In this project, we illuminate the role of S100A4 for metastases development and disease prognosis of AGE/S. Five gastric cancer cell lines were assessed for S100A4 expression. Two cell lines with endogenous high S100A4 expression were used for functional phenotyping including analysis of proliferation and migration after stable S100A4 knock-down. The prognostic value of S100A4 was evaluated by analyzing the S100A4 expression of tissue microarrays with samples of 277 patients with AGE/S. S100A4 knock-down induced lower migration in FLO1 and NCI-N87 cells. Treatment with niclosamide in these cells led to partial inhibition of S100A4 and to reduced migration. Patients with high S100A4 expression showed lower 5-year overall and disease-specific survival. In addition, a larger share of patients in the S100A4 high expressing group suffered from metachronous metastasis. This study identifies S100A4 as a negative prognostic marker for patients with AGE/S. The strong correlation between S100A4 expression, metastases development and patient survival might open opportunities to use S100A4 to improve the prognosis of these patients and as a therapeutic target for intervention in this tumor entity.

Clinicopathological and prognostic value of S100A4 expression in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

Background: Numerous published studies have shown that S100A4 is frequently overexpressed in various human cancers. However, the association between S100A4 expression and prognosis or clinicopathological parameters in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed to identify the significance of S100A4 in NSCLC.

Methods: Systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI), and the Wanfang database to obtain relevant articles. A combined hazard ratio (HR) and its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the association between S100A4 expression and prognosis in NSCLC patients. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI were calculated to assess the association between S100A4 expression and clinicopathological features in NSCLC.

Results: NSCLC patients with overexpression of S100A4 had a worse prognosis than patients with low expression of S100A4 (HR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.55–2.02, P<0.001). Additionally, overexpression of S100A4 was significantly correlated to patients’ age (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.49–0.91, P=0.010), tumor differentiation (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.69–2.85, P<0.001), lymph node metastasis (LNM) (OR = 3.70, 95% CI: 2.25–6.06, P<0.001), Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage (OR = 3.08, 95% CI: 2.10–4.53, P<0.001), and pathological subtype (OR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.09–2.88, P=0.020). However, there was no association between S100A4 expression and other clinicopathological features in NSCLC, including gender, tumor size, and smoking.

Conclusion: S100A4 overexpression was associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. Hence, S100A4 might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in NSCLC.

Molecular biology and immunology of gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis

Peritoneal metastases occur in 55-60% of patients with gastric cancer (GC) and are associated with a 2% 5-year overall survival rate. There are limited treatment options for these patients, and no targeted therapy or immunotherapy is available. Rational therapeutic targets remain to be found. In this review, we present the published literature and our own recent experience in molecular biology to identify important molecules and signaling pathways as well as cellular immunity involved in the peritoneal metastasis of GC. We also suggest potential novel strategies for improving the outcomes of GC patients with peritoneal metastasis.

S100A4 expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with resectable gastrointestinal stromal tumor

S100A4 is particularly associated with the progression and metastasis of numerous human malignancies. This study was designed to examine the clinicopathologic significance of S100A4 in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GISTs). The level of OPNS100A4 expression in a large cohort of resectable GISTs was evaluated with immunohistochemistry. Its correlation with the clinicopathologic parameters of patients with resectable GISTs was analyzed. A survival analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of S100A4 expression using Kaplan-Meier method. Results: In 108 patients with resectable GISTs, the most high-risk GISTs had a strong level of S100A4 expression. Strong S100A4 expression was significantly associated with tumor size, mitosis, and recurrence, but not gender and age. Patients with weak S100A4 expression had a relatively longer disease-free survival compared to patients with strong S100A4 expression.Therefore, S100A4 expression is a putative marker for tumor progression and an adverse prognosis in GISTs.

Distinct prognostic roles of S100 mRNA expression in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

The S100 protein family is implicated in tumor invasion and metastasis, but its prognostic roles in gastric cancer (GC) has not been elucidated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the current study, Kaplan-Meier plotter (KM plotter) database integrated the expression data and survival information of 1065 GC patients were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (GSE22377, GSE14210 and GSE51105) that published by the three major cancer centers (Berlin, Bethesda and Melbourne). Then this database was used to explore the prognostic values of mRNA expression of each individual S100 in GC patients. We further assessed the prognostic value of S100 in different Lauren classifications, clinicopathological features and clinical treatment of gastric cancer.

RESULTS

Expression of 12 members of the S100 family correlated with overall survival (OS) for all GC patients. Increased expression of S100A3, S100A5, S100A7, S100A7A, S100A11, S100A13, S100Z and S100 G were found to be strongly associated with worse survival, while S100A8, S100A9, S100B and S100 P were correlated with better prognosis in all GC patients. Further assessment of prognostic values of S100 in gastric cancer with different clinical features indicated that different S100 members may interact with different signaling pathways and exerted different functions in gastric cancer development.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the results should be further testified in clinical studies, our findings offer new insights into the contribution of S100 members to GC progression and might promote development of S100 targeted reagents for treating GC.

miR-3189-3p Mimics Enhance the Effects of S100A4 siRNA on the Inhibition of Proliferation and Migration of Gastric Cancer Cells by Targeting CFL2

GDF15 is a downstream gene of S100A4. miR-3189 is embedded in the intron of GDF15—and coexpressed with it. miR-3189-3p functions to inhibit the proliferation and migration of glioblastoma cells. We speculated that S100A4 might regulate miR-3189-3p to affect its function in gastric cancer cells. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed that miR-3189-3p expression was significantly downregulated in MGC803 cells after S100A4 knockdown. Overexpression of miR-3189-3p significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of the cells. Moreover, miR-3189-3p mimics enhanced the effects of an S100A4 siRNA on the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration. Dual luciferase reporter assays, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting verified that CFL2 is a direct target of miR-3189-3p. CFL2 mediates the regulation of miR-3189-3p on the proliferation and migration of MGC803 cells. Data mining based on Kaplan–Meier plots showed that high CFL2 expression is associated with poor overall survival and first progression in gastric cancer. These data suggested that miR-3189-3p mimics enhanced the effects of the S100A4 siRNA on the inhibition of gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration by targeting CFL2. The findings suggested that when targeting S100A4 to treat gastric cancer, consideration and correction for counteracting factors should obtain a satisfactory effect.

Underlying Mechanisms for Distant Metastasis - Molecular Biology

BACKGROUND

The formation of distant metastases constitutes a complex process with a variety of different genes and pathways involved. To improve patient survival, it is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms of metastasis to allow for targeted intervention.

METHODS

This review provides an overview of the general concepts of metastasis, focusing on the most important genes and pathways involved and on interventional strategies.

RESULTS

Cancer cells undergo different steps to form metastasis: most prominently, local invasion, intravasation, survival in the circulation, arrest at a distant organ site and extravasation, micrometastasis formation, and metastatic colonization. In order to pass these steps, different molecular pathways are of major importance: EGF/RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, HGF/Met, Wnt/β-catenin, and VEGF signaling. The HGF/Met regulator MACC1 and the Wnt signaling target S100A4 have been shown to play a major role in the metastatic process. Each gene and pathway provides an opportunity for therapeutic intervention.

CONCLUSION

Since metastasis represents a highly limiting factor in cancer therapy causing 90% of cancer deaths, it is imperative to reveal the underlying mechanisms. This is fundamental for uncovering prognostic markers and new targeted therapy options.

S100A4 in Cancer Metastasis: Wnt Signaling-Driven Interventions for Metastasis Restriction

The aberrant activity of Wnt signaling is an early step in the transformation of normal intestinal cells to malignant tissue, leading to more aggressive tumors, and eventually metastases. In colorectal cancer (CRC), metastasis accounts for about 90% of patient deaths, representing the most lethal event during the course of the disease and is directly linked to patient survival, critically limiting successful therapy. This review focuses on our studies of the metastasis-inducing gene S100A4, which we identified as transcriptional target of β-catenin. S100A4 increased migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in mice. In patient CRC samples, high S100A4 levels predict metastasis and reduced patient survival. Our results link pathways important for tumor progression and metastasis: the Wnt signaling pathway and S100A4, which regulates motility and invasiveness. S100A4 suppression by interdicting Wnt signaling has potential for therapeutic intervention. As proof of principle, we applied S100A4 shRNA systemically and prevented metastasis in mice. Furthermore, we identified small molecule inhibitors from high-throughput screens of pharmacologically active compounds employing an S100A4 promoter-driven reporter. Best hits act, as least in part, via intervening in the Wnt pathway and restricted metastasis in mouse models. We currently translate our findings on restricting S100A4-driven metastasis into clinical practice. The repositioned FDA-approved drug niclosamide, targeting Wnt signaling, is being tested in a prospective phase II clinical trial for treatment of CRC patients. Our assay for circulating S100A4 transcripts in patient blood is used to monitor treatment success.

Impact of S100A4 Expression on Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis in Pancreatic Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The small Ca(2+)-binding protein S100A4 is identified as a metastasis-associated or metastasis-inducing protein in various types of cancer. The goal of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the relationship between S100A4 expression and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was carried out in the electronic databases PubMed and Chinese CNKI. Only the studies reporting the correlation between S100A4 expression and clinicopathological characteristics or overall survival (OS) of patients with pancreatic cancer are enrolled. Extracted data was analyzed using the RevMan 5.3 software to calculate the pooled relative risks (95% confidence interval, CI) for statistical analyses.

RESULTS

Seven studies including a total of 474 patients were enrolled into this meta-analysis. Negative expression of S100A4 was significantly associated with higher 3-year OS rate (RR = 3.92, 95% CI = 2.24-6.87, P < 0.0001), compared to S100A4-positive cases. Moreover, negative expression of S100A4 was also related to N0 stage for lymph node metastasis (RR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.60-2.88, P < 0.0001). However, S100A4 expression was not significantly correlated with histological types and distant metastasis status.

CONCLUSION

S100A4 expression represents a potential marker for lymph node metastasis of pancreatic cancer and a potential unfavorable factor for prognosis of patients with this disease.

Role of S100 Proteins in Colorectal Carcinogenesis

The family of S100 proteins represents 25 relatively small (9-13 kD) calcium binding proteins. These proteins possess a broad spectrum of important intracellular and extracellular functions. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men (after lung and prostate cancer) and the second most frequent cancer in women (after breast cancer) worldwide. S100 proteins are involved in the colorectal carcinogenesis through different mechanisms: they enable proliferation, invasion, and migration of the tumour cells; furthermore, S100 proteins increase angiogenesis and activate NF-κβ signaling pathway, which plays a key role in the molecular pathogenesis especially of colitis-associated carcinoma. The expression of S100 proteins in the cancerous tissue and serum levels of S100 proteins might be used as a precise diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with suspected or already diagnosed colorectal neoplasia. Possibly, in the future, S100 proteins will be a therapeutic target for tailored anticancer therapy.

Expression and clinical implication of S100A12 in gastric carcinoma

S100 protein family has been implicated in multiple stages of tumorigenesis and progression in which S100A12 is one of the subtypes. However, the role of S100A12 in gastric carcinoma (GC) has not been elucidated yet. This study was aimed to investigate the expression of S100A12 in GC tissues and evaluate the clinical significance of S100A12 in GC patients. S100A12 protein was detected in 207 GC and 52 paired non-cancerous mucosal tissues by immunohistochemistry, while messenger RNA (mRNA) was investigated by Oncomine database analysis. Moreover, survival analysis was performed and the correlation between S100A12 and ubiquitin-specific protease 10 (USP10) and p53 was determined. As for tumor cells, the expression of S100A12 protein and mRNA in GC was proved to be lower than that in non-cancerous mucosa tissues (p < 0.05). Clinicopathological analysis showed that S100A12 protein was negatively associated with tumor size (p = 0.004), depth of invasion (p = 0.022), tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (p = 0.018), Lauren classification (p < 0.000), and cell differentiation (p < 0.000). In contrast, a positive correlation was found between S100A12 and USP10 protein (p < 0.000). However, no relationship was detected between S100A12 and p53. Moreover, the survival analysis indicated that S100A12 protein was a favorable factor of prognosis of GC (p < 0.05). Although the expression of S100A12 in the stromal cells was detected higher than that in the tumor cells, no relationship between S100A12 protein in stromal cells and the clinicopathological features described above was found (p > 0.05). Our findings suggested that low expression of S100A12 might be served as a new marker in the tumorigenesis and progression of GC.

Circulating metastasis associated in colon cancer 1 transcripts in gastric cancer patient plasma as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker

AIM: To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of circulating Metastasis Associated in Colon Cancer 1 (MACC1) transcripts in plasma of gastric cancer patients.

METHODS: We provide for the first time a blood-based assay for transcript quantification of the metastasis inducer MACC1 in a prospective study of gastric cancer patient plasma. MACC1 is a strong prognostic biomarker for tumor progression and metastasis in a variety of solid cancers. We conducted a study to define the diagnostic and prognostic power of MACC1 transcripts using 76 plasma samples from gastric cancer patients, either newly diagnosed with gastric cancer, newly diagnosed with metachronous metastasis of gastric cancer, as well as follow-up patients. Findings were controlled by using plasma samples from 54 tumor-free volunteers. Plasma was separated, RNA was isolated, and levels of MACC1 as well as S100A4 transcripts were determined by quantitative RT-PCR.

RESULTS: Based on the levels of circulating MACC1 transcripts in plasma we significantly discriminated tumor-free volunteers and gastric cancer patients (P < 0.001). Levels of circulating MACC1 transcripts were increased in gastric cancer patients of each disease stage, compared to tumor-free volunteers: patients with tumors without metastasis (P = 0.005), with synchronous metastasis (P = 0.002), with metachronous metastasis (P = 0.005), and patients during follow-up (P = 0.021). Sensitivity was 0.68 (95%CI: 0.45-0.85) and specificity was 0.89 (95%CI: 0.77-0.95), respectively. Importantly, gastric cancer patients with high circulating MACC1 transcript levels in plasma demonstrated significantly shorter survival when compared with patients demonstrating low MACC1 levels (P = 0.0015). Furthermore, gastric cancer patients with high circulating transcript levels of MACC1 as well as of S100A4 in plasma demonstrated significantly shorter survival when compared with patients demonstrating low levels of both biomarkers or with only one biomarker elevated (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Levels of circulating MACC1 transcripts in plasma of gastric cancer patients are of diagnostic value and are prognostic for patient survival in a prospective study.

LIM and SH3 protein 1 induces TGFβ-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human colorectal cancer by regulating S100A4 expression

PURPOSE

The expression of LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP1) was upregulated in colorectal cancer cases, thereby contributing to the aggressive phenotypes of colorectal cancer cells. However, we still cannot decipher the underlying molecular mechanism associated with colorectal cancer metastasis.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

In this study, IHC was performed to investigate the expression of proteins in human colorectal cancer tissues. Western blot analysis was used to assess the LASP1-induced signal pathway. Two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis was performed to screen LASP1-modulated proteins and uncover the molecular mechanism of LASP1. TGFβ was used to induce an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

RESULTS

LASP1 expression was correlated with the mesenchymal marker vimentin and was inversely correlated with epithelial markers, namely, E-cadherin and β-catenin, in clinical colorectal cancer samples. The gain- and loss-of-function assay showed that LASP1 induces EMT-like phenotypes in vitro and in vivo. S100A4, identified as a LASP1-modulated protein, was upregulated by LASP1. Moreover, it is frequently coexpressed with LASP1 in colorectal cancer. S100A4 was required for EMT, and an increased cell invasiveness of colorectal cancer cell is induced by LASP1. Furthermore, the stimulation of TGFβ resulted in an activated Smad pathway that increased the expression of LASP1 and S100A4. The depletion of LASP1 or S100A4 expression inhibited the TGFβ signaling pathway. Moreover, it significantly weakened the proinvasive effects of TGFβ on colorectal cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

These findings elucidate the central role of LASP1 in the TGFβ-mediated EMT process and suggest a potential target for the clinical intervention in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

S100A4 is an independent prognostic factor for patients with lung cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of S100A4 levels with the prognosis of lung cancer (LC).

METHODS

The RevMan 5.0 software was utilized to perform literature retrieval, data collection, and statistical analysis according to its guidelines. Literature-based searching was guided to gather data, and the fixed-effect model was used to pool the hazard ratio (HR) in this study.

RESULTS

A total of 10 eligible studies that included 1364 LC patients were analyzed. About 72.6% of patients had positive expression of S100A4 according to the criteria defined by the authors. The HR of positive expression for overall survival (OS) was 1.30 times of that of negative expression in LC patients (HR=1.30, 95% confidence interval: 1.04 to 1.61, p=0.02).

CONCLUSION

Patients with positive expression of S100A4 appear to have a poorer OS compared with those with negative expression of S100A4.