The interactions between integrin α5β1 of liver cancer cells and fibronectin of fibroblasts promote tumor growth and angiogenesis

Shaping Oncogenic Microenvironments: Contribution of Fibronectin

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex network of proteins and glycans, dynamically remodeled and specifically tailored to the structure/function of each organ. The malignant transformation of cancer cells is determined by both cell intrinsic properties, such as mutations, and extrinsic variables, such as the mixture of surrounding cells in the tumor microenvironment and the biophysics of the ECM. During cancer progression, the ECM undergoes extensive remodeling, characterized by disruption of the basal lamina, vascular endothelial cell invasion, and development of fibrosis in and around the tumor cells resulting in increased tissue stiffness. This enhanced rigidity leads to aberrant mechanotransduction and further malignant transformation potentiating the de-differentiation, proliferation and invasion of tumor cells. Interestingly, this fibrotic microenvironment is primarily secreted and assembled by non-cancerous cells. Among them, the cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a central role. CAFs massively produce fibronectin together with type I collagen. This review delves into the primary interactions and signaling pathways through which fibronectin can support tumorigenesis and metastasis, aiming to provide critical molecular insights for better therapy response prediction.

Molecular mechanisms of TACE refractoriness: Directions for improvement of the TACE procedure

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is the standard of care for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma and selected patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. However, TACE does not achieve a satisfactory objective response rate, and the concept of TACE refractoriness has been proposed to identify patients who do not fully benefit from TACE. Moreover, repeated TACE is necessary to obtain an optimal and sustained anti-tumour response, which may damage the patient's liver function. Therefore, studies have recently been performed to improve the effectiveness of TACE. In this review, we summarise the detailed molecular mechanisms associated with TACE responsiveness and relapse after this treatment to provide more effective targets for adjuvant therapy while helping to improve TACE regimens.

Single-cell analysis reveals one cancer-associated fibroblasts subtype linked to metastasis in breast cancer: MXRA5 as a potential novel marker for prognosis

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are prevalent in the tumor microenvironment of breast cancer, comprising a group of cell subpopulations with spatial, phenotypic, and functional heterogeneity. Due to the lack of specific markers for CAF subpopulations, their specific mechanisms in breast cancer remain unclear. We identified eight distinct CAF phenotypes in breast cancer using multiple single-cell RNA sequencing datasets and determined distinct transcription factors (TFs) of CAFs through SCENIC analysis. Our study highlights one CAF subtype in breast cancer, FN1+CAF2, associated with metastasis and macrophage polarization. We observed elevated FN1 expression in the stromal tissue of breast cancer patients. Furthermore, FN1 knockdown in CAFs reduced the migration ability of breast cancer cells. We identified a regulatory gene, MXRA5, in CAF2, which may play crucial roles in breast cancer. Our results indicated upregulated MXRA5 expression in breast cancer tissues and CAFs from patients with lymph node metastasis in the following experiment. Overall, our study reveals that the FN1+CAF2 subtype is associated with metastasis and suggests that MXRA5 may be a novel marker mediating the effects of CAF2 on breast cancer metastasis. This study enriches our understanding of CAF heterogeneity and offers new insights for treating breast cancer metastasis.

Fibronectin mediates activin A-promoted human trophoblast migration and acquisition of endothelial-like phenotype

BACKGROUND

During human early placentation, a proportion of extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) migrate to the maternal decidua, differentiating into endovascular EVTs to remodel spiral arteries and ensure the establishment of blood circulation at the maternal-fetal interface. Inadequate EVT migration and endovascular differentiation are closely associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage. Activin A and fibronectin are both secretory molecules abundantly expressed at the maternal-fetal interface. Activin A has been reported to regulate EVT biological functions. However, whether fibronectin mediates activin A-promoted EVT migration and acquisition of endothelial-like phenotype as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Additionally, the role of fibronectin in pregnancy establishment and maintenance warrants further investigation.

METHODS

Primary and immortalized (HTR8/SVneo) human EVTs were used as in vitro study models. Cultured human first-trimester chorionic villous explants were utilized for ex vivo validation. A local fibronectin knockdown model in ICR mouse uteri, achieved by nonviral in vivo transfection with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting fibronectin 1 (si-Fn1), was employed to explore the roles of fibronectin in the establishment and maintenance of early pregnancy.

RESULTS

Our results showed that activin A treatment significantly induced fibronectin 1 (FN1) mRNA expression and fibronectin protein production, which is essential for human trophoblast migration and endothelial-like tube formation. Both basal and activin A-upregulated fibronectin expression were abolished by the TGF-β type I receptor inhibitor SB431542 or siRNA-mediated knockdown of activin receptor-like kinase (ALK4) or SMAD4. Moreover, activin A-increased trophoblast migration and endothelial-like tube formation were attenuated following the depletion of fibronectin. Fibronectin knockdown via intrauterine siRNA administration reduced CD31 and cytokeratin 8 (CK8) expression at the maternal-fetal interface, resulting in a decrease in the number of implantation sites and embryos.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that activin A promotes trophoblast cell migration and acquisition of endothelial-like phenotype via ALK4-SMAD2/3-SMAD4-mediated fibronectin upregulation. Furthermore, through a local fibronectin knockdown model in mouse uteri, we found that the absence of fibronectin at the maternal-fetal interface impedes endovascular migration of trophoblasts and decidual vascularization, thereby interfering with early embryo implantation and the maintenance of pregnancy. These findings provide novel insights into placental development during early pregnancy establishment and contribute to the advancement of therapeutic approaches for managing pregnancy complications related to trophoblast dysfunction.

Hypoxia-driven TNS4 fosters HNSCC tumorigenesis by stabilizing integrin α5β1 complex and triggering FAK-mediated Akt and TGFβ signaling pathways

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains a formidable clinical challenge due to its high recurrence rate and limited targeted therapeutic options. This study aims to elucidate the role of tensin 4 (TNS4) in the pathogenesis of HNSCC across clinical, cellular, and animal levels. We found a significant upregulation of TNS4 expression in HNSCC tissues compared to normal controls. Elevated levels of TNS4 were associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including diminished overall survival. Functional assays revealed that TNS4 knockdown attenuated, and its overexpression augmented, the oncogenic capabilities of HNSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that TNS4 overexpression promotes the interaction between integrin α5 and integrin β1, thereby activating focal adhesion kinase (FAK). This TNS4-mediated FAK activation simultaneously enhanced the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and facilitated the interaction between TGFβRI and TGFβRII, leading to the activation of the TGFβ signaling pathway. Both of these activated pathways contributed to HNSCC tumorigenesis. Additionally, we found that hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) transcriptionally regulated TNS4 expression. In conclusion, our findings provide the basis for innovative TNS4-targeted therapeutic strategies, which could potentially improve prognosis and survival rates for patients with HNSCC.

The characteristics and the multiple functions of integrin β1 in human cancers

Integrins, which consist of two non-covalently linked α and β subunits, play a crucial role in cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. Among them, integrin β1 is the most common subunit and has emerged as a key mediator in cancer, influencing various aspects of cancer progression, including cell motility, adhesion, migration, proliferation, differentiation and chemotherapy resistance. However, given the complexity and sometimes contradictory characteristics, targeting integrin β1 for therapeutics has been a challenge. The emerging understanding of the mechanisms regulating by integrin β1 may guide the development of new strategies for anti-cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the multiple functions of integrin β1 and signaling pathways which underlie the involvement of integrin β1 in several malignant cancers. Our review suggests the possibility of using integrin β1 as a therapeutic target and highlights the need for patient stratification based on expression of different integrin receptors in future clinical studies.

A novel nomogram for predicting microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the prognosis of patients with microvascular invasion (MVI) is poor. Therefore, in this study, we established and evaluated the performance of a novel nomogram to predict MVI in patients with HCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively obtained clinical data of 497 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy at Liaoning Cancer Hospital from November 1, 2018, to November 4, 2021. The patients (n = 497) were randomized in a 7:3 ratio into the training cohort (TC, n = 349) and the validation cohort (VC, n = 148). We performed Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and univariate as well as multivariate logistic regression analyses (ULRA, MRLA) on patients in the TC to identify factors independently predicting MVI.

RESULTS

Preoperative FIB-4, AFU, AFP levels, liver cirrhosis, and non-smooth tumor margin were independent risk factors for preoperative MVI prediction. The C-index of the TC, VC, and the entire cohort was 0.846, 0.786, and 0.829, respectively. The calibration curves demonstrated the outstanding agreement between predicted MVI incidences by our model and the actual MVI risk. Decision curve analysis (DCA) confirmed the significance of our predictive model in clinical settings. The Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curve showed that the recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients in the high-MVI risk group were poor compared to those in the low-MVI risk group.

CONCLUSIONS

We constructed and evaluated the performance of the novel nomogram for predicting MVI risk. Our predictive model could adequately predict MVI risk and aid clinicians in selecting appropriate therapeutic strategies for patients.

Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression: From Classic to Novel Clinicopathogenetic Implications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a predominant malignancy with increasing incidences and mortalities worldwide. In Western countries, the progressive affirmation of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) as the main chronic liver disorder in which HCC occurrence is appreciable even in non-cirrhotic stages, constitutes a real health emergency. In light of this, a further comprehension of molecular pathways supporting HCC onset and progression represents a current research challenge to achieve more tailored prognostic models and appropriate therapeutic approaches. RNA non-coding transcripts (ncRNAs) are involved in the regulation of several cancer-related processes, including HCC. When dysregulated, these molecules, conventionally classified as "small ncRNAs" (sncRNAs) and "long ncRNAs" (lncRNAs) have been reported to markedly influence HCC-related progression mechanisms. In this review, we describe the main dysregulated ncRNAs and the relative molecular pathways involved in HCC progression, analyzing their implications in certain etiologically related contexts, and their applicability in clinical practice as novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools. Finally, given the growing evidence supporting the immune system response, the oxidative stress-regulated mechanisms, and the gut microbiota composition as relevant emerging elements mutually influencing liver-cancerogenesis processes, we investigate the relationship of ncRNAs with this triad, shedding light on novel pathogenetic frontiers of HCC progression.

Fibronectin promotes tumor angiogenesis and progression of non-small-cell lung cancer by elevating WISP3 expression via FAK/MAPK/ HIF-1α axis and activating wnt signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Fibronectin, an extracellular matrix protein, has been reported to be associated with heterogeneous cancer stemness, angiogenesis and progression in multiple cancer types. However, the roles and the underlying mechanism of fibronectin on the progression NSCLC need to be further elucidated.

METHODS

Public dataset such as Kaplan-Meier Plotter was used to determine the prognostic significance of genes. The correlation of different protein expression in clinical and xenograft tissues was tested by immunohistochemistry experiment. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to determine the role of fibronectin on the tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis in NSCLC. The activation of key signaling pathway under fibronectin was examined by WB assay. RNA-seq was applicated to screening the target gene of fibronectin. Rescue experiment was performed to confirm the role of target gene in fibronectin-mediated function in NSCLC. Finally, luciferase and CHIP assays were used to elucidate the mechanism by which fibronectin regulated the target gene.

RESULTS

Our results revealed that fibronectin was up-regulated in cancer tissues compared with the normal ones in NSCLC patients. Dish- coated fibronectin enhanced the tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis of NSCLC in vitro and in vivo by promoting EMT and maintaining stemness of NSCLC cells. As expected, fibronectin activated FAK and its downstream MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. WISP3 was screened as a potential target gene of fibronectin. Interestingly, WISP3 effectively activated Wnt signaling pathway, and knockdown of WISP3 effectively blocked the influence of fibronectin on the migration, invasion and vascular structure formation potential of NSCLC cells. Our data also manifested that fibronectin elevated the transcription of WISP3 gene by promoting the binding of HIF-1α to the promoter region of WISP3 in NSCLC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings sketched the outline of the route for fibronectin exert its role in NSCLC, in which fibronectin activated downstream FAK and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways, and mediated the accumulation of HIF-1α. Then, HIF-1α enabled the transcription of WISP3, and subsequently promoted the activation of Wnt signaling pathway, and finally enhanced the tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis in NSCLC.