WFDC Protein: A Promising Diagnosis Biomarker of Ovarian Cancer

Knockdown of HE4 suppresses tumor growth and invasiveness in lung adenocarcinoma through regulation of EGFR signaling

It has been shown that the high expression of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in most lung cancers is related to the poor prognosis of patients, but the mechanism of pathological transformation of HE4 in lung cancer is still unclear. The current study is expected to clarify the function and mechanism of HE4 in the occurrence and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Immunoblotting evaluated HE4 expression in lung cancer cell lines and biopsies, and through analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Frequent HE4 overexpression was demonstrated in LUAD, but not in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), indicating that HE4 can serve as a biomarker to distinguish between LUAD and LUSC. HE4 knockdown significantly inhibited cell growth, colony formation, wound healing, and invasion, and blocked the G1-phase of the cell cycle in LUAD cell lines through inactivation of the EGFR signaling downstream including PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAF/MAPK pathways. The first-line EGFR inhibitor gefitinib and HE4 shRNA had no synergistic inhibitory effect on the growth of lung adenocarcinoma cells, while the third-line EGFR inhibitor osimertinib showed additive anti-proliferative effects. Moreover, we provided evidence that HE4 regulated EGFR expression by transcription regulation and protein interaction in LUAD. Our findings suggest that HE4 positively modulates the EGFR signaling pathway to promote growth and invasiveness in LUAD and highlight that targeting HE4 could be a novel strategy for LUAD treatment.

Human epididymis protein 4, a novel potential biomarker for diagnostic and prognosis monitoring of lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the application value of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) in diagnosing and monitoring the prognosis of lung cancer.

METHODS

First, TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) databases were used to analyze whey-acidic-protein 4-disulfide bond core domain 2 (WFDC2) gene expression levels in lung cancer tissues. Then, a total of 160 individuals were enrolled, categorized into three groups: the lung cancer group (n = 80), the benign lesions group (n = 40), and the healthy controls group (n = 40). Serum HE4 levels and other biomarkers were quantified using an electro-chemiluminescent immunoassay. Additionally, the expression of HE4 in tissues was analyzed through immunohistochemistry (IHC). In vitro cultures of human airway epithelial (human bronchial epithelial [HBE]) cells and various lung cancer cell lines (SPC/PC9/A594/H520) were utilized to detect HE4 levels via western blot (WB).

RESULTS

Analysis of the TCGA and UALCAN (The University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Data Analysis Portal) databases showed that WFDC2 gene expression levels were upregulated in lung cancer tissues (p < 0.01). Compared with the control group and the benign group, HE4 was significantly higher in the serum of patients with lung cancer (p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis confirmed that HE4 had better diagnostic efficacy than classical markers in the differential diagnosis of lung cancer and benign lesions and had the highest diagnostic value in lung adenocarcinoma (area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.826). HE4 increased in early lung cancer and positively correlated with poor prognosis (p < 0.001). Moreover, the results of WB and IHC revealed that the expression of HE4 was increased in lung cancer cells (SPC/A549/H520) and lung cancer tissues but decreased in PC9 cells with a lack of exon EGFR19 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Serum HE4 emerges as a promising novel biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis assessment of lung cancer.

The application of circulating tumor cell and cell-free DNA liquid biopsies in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer. 70% of the cases are diagnosed at late stages with already developed metastases due to the absence of easily noticeable symptoms. Early-stage ovarian cancer has a good prognosis with a 5-year survival rate reaching 95%, hence the identification of effective biomarkers for early diagnosis is important. Advances in liquid biopsy-based methods can have a significant impact not just on the development of an efficient screening strategy, but also in clinical decision-making with additional molecular profiling and genetic alterations linked to therapy resistance. Despite the well-known advantages of liquid biopsy, there are still challenges that need to be addressed before its routine use in clinical practice. Various liquid biopsy-based biomarkers have been investigated in ovarian cancer; however, in this review, we are concentrating on the current use of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in disease management, focusing on their emerging importance in clinical practice. We also discuss the technical aspects of these workflows. The analysis of cfDNA is often chosen for the detection of mutations, copy number aberrations, and DNA methylation changes, whereas CTC analysis provides a unique opportunity to study whole cells, thus allowing DNA, RNA, and protein-based molecular profiling as well as in vivo studies. Combined solutions which merge the strengths of cfDNA and CTC approaches should be developed to maximize the potential of liquid biopsy technology.

Insights Into Long Non-Coding RNA and mRNA Expression in the Jejunum of Lambs Challenged With Escherichia coli F17

It has long been recognized that enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the major pathogen responsible for vomiting and diarrhea. E. coli F17, a main subtype of ETEC, is characterized by high morbidity and mortality in young livestock. However, the transcriptomic basis underlying E. coli F17 infection has not been fully understood. In the present study, RNA sequencing was conducted to explore the expression profiles of mRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the jejunum of lambs who were identified as resistant or sensitive to E. coli F17 that was obtained in a challenge experiment. A total of 772 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs and 190 DE lncRNAs were detected between the E. coli F17—resistance and E. coli F17-sensitive lambs (i.e., TFF2, LOC105606142, OLFM4, LYPD8, REG4, APOA4, TCONS_00223467, and TCONS_00241897). Then, a two-step machine learning approach (RX) combination Random Forest and Extreme Gradient Boosting were performed, which identified 16 mRNAs and 17 lncRNAs as potential biomarkers, within which PPP2R3A and TCONS_00182693 were prioritized as key biomarkers involved in E. coli F17 infection. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis showed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathway was significantly enriched in response to E. coli F17 infection. Our finding will help to improve the knowledge of the mechanisms underlying E. coli F17 infection and may provide novel targets for future treatment of E. coli F17 infection.

Distinct and Common Features of Numerical and Structural Chromosomal Instability across Different Cancer Types

A large proportion of tumours is characterised by numerical or structural chromosomal instability (CIN), defined as an increased rate of gaining or losing whole chromosomes (W-CIN) or of accumulating structural aberrations (S-CIN). Both W-CIN and S-CIN are associated with tumourigenesis, cancer progression, treatment resistance and clinical outcome. Although W-CIN and S-CIN can co-occur, they are initiated by different molecular events. By analysing tumour genomic data from 33 cancer types, we show that the majority of tumours with high levels of W-CIN underwent whole genome doubling, whereas S-CIN levels are strongly associated with homologous recombination deficiency. Both CIN phenotypes are prognostic in several cancer types. Most drugs are less efficient in high-CIN cell lines, but we also report compounds and drugs which should be investigated as targets for W-CIN or S-CIN. By analysing associations between CIN and bio-molecular entities with pathway and gene expression levels, we complement gene signatures of CIN and report that the drug resistance gene CKS1B is strongly associated with S-CIN. Finally, we propose a potential copy number-dependent mechanism to activate the PI3K pathway in high-S-CIN tumours.

Targeting and neutralizing human epididymis protein 4 by novel nanobodies to suppress ovarian cancer cells and attenuate cisplatin resistance

Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is a glycoprotein secreted by epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells and is a novel and specific biomarker for diagnosing and prognosing EOC. Previous studies have shown that overexpression of HE4 is correlated with EOC tumorigenesis and chemoresistance. However, less has been reported regarding the direct effect of the secreted HE4 protein as an autocrine factor in EOC cells. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of the secretory form of HE4 on the growth of EOC cells by applying nanobodies with a targeted interaction of free HE4. Three anti-HE4 nanobodies were selected from an immune library by phage display. HE4 secreted by serum-free cultured OVCAR3 cells increased and was effectively neutralized by anti-HE4 nanobodies, which inhibited cell viability. Treatment with the anti-HE4 nanobody 1G8 decreased Bcl-2 expression and increased BAX, cleaved PARP, and p53 levels, resulting in apoptosis of OVCAR3 cells. Moreover, 1G8 significantly improved the cisplatin response of OVCAR3 cells. Our data suggest that secretory HE4 played a novel pro-survival autocrine role and was a target of the anti-HE4 nanobody to improve the therapeutic effects of cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

An Insight into miR-1290: An Oncogenic miRNA with Diagnostic Potential

For more than two decades, the view of the roles of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has been radically changing. These RNA molecules that are transcribed from our genome do not have the capacity to encode proteins, but are critical regulators of gene expression at different levels. Our knowledge is constantly enriched by new reports revealing the role of these new molecular players in the development of many pathological conditions, including cancer. One of the ncRNA classes includes short RNA molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs), which are involved in the post-transcriptional control of gene expression affecting various cellular processes. The aberrant expression of miRNAs with oncogenic and tumor-suppressive function is associated with cancer initiation, promotion, malignant transformation, progression and metastasis. Oncogenic miRNAs, also known as oncomirs, mediate the downregulation of tumor-suppressor genes and their expression is upregulated in cancer. Nowadays, miRNAs show promising application in diagnosis, prediction, disease monitoring and therapy response. Our review presents a current view of the oncogenic role of miR-1290 with emphasis on its properties as a cancer biomarker in clinical medicine.