Angiopoietin-2 gene polymorphisms are biomarkers for the development and progression of colorectal cancer in Han Chinese

The emerging role of MCPH1/BRIT1 in carcinogenesis

The MCPH1 gene, also known as BRCT-repeat inhibitor of hTERT expression (BRIT1), has three BRCA1 carboxyl-terminal domains which is an important regulator of DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints and chromosome condensation. MCPH1/BRIT1 is also known as a tumour suppressor in different types of human cancer. The expression level of the MCPH1/BRIT1 gene is decreased at the DNA, RNA or protein level in a number of types of cancers including breast cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer compared to normal tissue. This review also showed that deregulation of MCPH1/BRIT1 is significantly associated with reduced overall survival in 57% (12/21) and relapsed free survival in 33% (7/21) of cancer types especially in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and renal clear cell carcinoma. A common finding of this study is that the loss of MCPH1/BRIT1 gene expression plays a key role in promoting genome instability and mutations supporting its function as a tumour suppressor gene.

Evaluation of short-term effects of drug-loaded microspheres and traditional transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in the treatment of advanced liver cancer

BACKGROUND

Liver cancer is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the main method for surgically unresectable liver cancer. In recent years, drug-loaded microspheres have been gradually applied in TACE technology. There are some controversies about the therapeutic effects of drug-loaded microspheres TACE (D-TACE) and traditional TACE.

AIM

To explore the short-term efficacy of D-TACE and traditional TACE in the treatment of advanced liver cancer.

METHODS

The clinical data of 73 patients with advanced liver cancer admitted to the First and Sixth Medical Centers of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2017 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 15 patients were treated with D-TACE, and 58 patients were treated with traditional TACE. Clinical baseline characteristics, perioperative laboratory indices, postoperative adverse reactions and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

There was no statistical difference between the two groups for the postoperative response: The highest postoperative body temperature of the drug-loaded microsphere group was 38.0 ± 0.9℃ and the postoperative highest body temperature of the traditional TACE group was 38.3 ± 0.7℃ (t = -1.414, P = 0.162). For the 24 h postoperative nausea and vomiting after surgery in terms of scoring and postoperative pain scores, the traditional TACE group was higher than the drug-loaded microsphere group (χ² = 14.33, P = 0.014; χ² = 32.967, P = 0.000) and the two groups had significant statistical differences. The disease control rate at 3 mo after treatment in the drug-loaded microsphere group was 60% and the disease control rate at 3 mo after treatment in the traditional TACE group was 75.9% (χ² = 4.091, P = 0.252). There was no statistical difference between the two groups of data. During the follow-up period, the number of interventional treatments received was once in the drug-loaded microsphere group and the traditional TACE group received an average of 1.48 treatments (χ² = 10.444 P = 0.005). There was a statistical difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Compared with traditional TACE, D-TACE may have some advantages in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with a large tumor load in the short term, but the long-term clinical efficacy needs additional follow-up studies. In addition, compared with the traditional group, the patients in the drug-loaded microsphere group had better subjective tolerance and could reduce the number of interventional treatments. Therefore, D-TACE is worthy of clinical promotion.

Study on the Relationship between MMP-2, MMP-9 Gene Polymorphisms, and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Objective

The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) gene polymorphisms and the risk of colorectal cancer.

Methods

From January 2019 to December 2021, 308 patients with colorectal cancer in our hospital were selected to be included in the colorectal cancer group and 300 normal healthy people were included in the control group. We perform genotyping, compare the genotype frequencies between the colorectal cancer group and the control group, calculate the relationship between MMP-2 and MMP-9 gene polymorphisms and disease risk, and analyze the genotype distribution characteristics of colorectal cancer patients with different pathological stages and lymph node metastasis status. The expression levels of serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 in patients with different genotypes were compared.

Results

The frequency of CC genotype and C gene at the MMP-2 gene−735 (C/T) locus in the colorectal cancer group was higher than that of the control group, and the frequency of TT genotype and T gene at MMP-9 gene−1562 (C/T) locus was a higher control group (P < 0.05). The comparison of genotype and gene frequency distribution of MMP-2 gene−1306 (C/T), −790 (T/G), and MMP-9 gene R668Q and P574R between the colorectal cancer group and the control group (P > 0.05); MMP-2 gene−735 (C/T) locus CC genotype and MMP-9 gene−1562 (C/T) locus TT genotype are dangerous genotypes for colorectal cancer. OR values were 1.490 (95% CI: 1.085–2.047), 1.519 (95% CI: 1.061–2.174); TNM stage III-IV, the proportion of CC genotype and TT genotype at MMP-9 gene−1562 (C/T) locus in patients with lymph node metastasis is higher than that without lymph node metastasis of TNM stage I-II patients (P < 0.05); MMP-2 gene in colorectal cancer patients. Serum MMP-2 levels in patients with CC genotype at 735 (C/T) locus were higher than those with CT + TT genotype, and serum MMP-9 levels in patients with TT genotype at MMP-9 gene−1562 (C/T) locus were higher CT + CC genotype patients (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The CC genotype at −735 (C/T) locus of the MMP-2 gene and the TT genotype at−1562 (C/T) locus of the MMP-9 gene are risk genotypes for the development of colorectal cancer.

The impact of Angiopoietin-2 genetic polymorphisms on susceptibility for malignant breast neoplasms

Breast cancer causes morbidity and mortality among women worldwide, despite much research illuminating the genetic basis of this disease. Anti-angiogenesis therapies have been widely studied, although the association between angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT2) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and breast cancer subtypes remains unclear. This case-control study included 464 patients with malignant breast neoplasms and 539 cancer-free females. We explored the effects of ANGPT2 SNPs on the susceptibility for a malignant breast neoplasm in a Chinese Han population. Five ANGPT2 SNPs (rs2442598, rs734701, rs1823375, 11,137,037, and rs12674822) were analyzed using TaqMan SNP genotyping. Carriers of the variant GG allele of rs1823375 were less likely than wild-type carriers to be diagnosed with clinically staged breast cancer, while females with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-enriched disease carrying the CG or the CG+GG genotype at rs1823375 were significantly less likely than CC genotype carriers to be of lymph node status N1-N3. We also found that the T-T-C-A-T ANGPT2 haplotype significantly increased the risk for developing a malignant breast neoplasm by 1.385-fold (95% CI: 1.025-1.871; p < 0.05). Our study is the first to document a correlation between ANGPT2 polymorphisms and the development and progression of a malignant breast neoplasm in females of Chinese Han ethnicity.

Purinergic P2Y2 and P2X4 Receptors Are Involved in the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Metastatic Potential of Gastric Cancer Derived Cell Lines

Gastric cancer (GC) is a major health concern worldwide, presenting a complex pathophysiology that has hindered many therapeutic efforts so far. In this context, purinergic signaling emerges as a promising pathway for intervention due to its known role in cancer cell proliferation and migration. In this work, we explored in more detail the role of purinergic signaling in GC with several experimental approaches. First, we measured extracellular ATP concentrations on GC-derived cell lines (AGS, MKN-45, and MKN-74), finding higher levels of extracellular ATP than those obtained for the non-tumoral gastric cell line GES-1. Next, we established the P2Y2 and P2X4 receptors (P2Y2R and P2X4R) expression profile on these cells and evaluated their role on cell proliferation and migration after applying overexpression and knockdown strategies. In general, a P2Y2R overexpression and P2X4R downregulation pattern were observed on GC cell lines, and when these patterns were modified, concomitant changes in cell viability were observed. These modifications on gene expression also modified transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), showing that higher P2Y2R levels decreased TEER, and high P2X4R expression had the opposite effect, suggesting that P2Y2R and P2X4R activation could promote and suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), respectively. These effects were confirmed after treating AGS cells with UTP, a P2Y2R-agonist that modified the expression patterns towards mesenchymal markers. To further characterize the effects of P2Y2R activation on EMT, we used cDNA microarrays and observed that UTP induced important transcriptional changes on several cell processes like cell proliferation induction, apoptosis inhibition, cell differentiation induction, and cell adhesion reduction. These results suggest that purinergic signaling plays a complex role in GC pathophysiology, and changes in purinergic balance can trigger tumorigenesis in non-tumoral gastric cells.