SYT12 is a novel oncogene that promotes thyroid carcinoma progression and metastasis

Integration of bioinformatics and cellular experiments unveils the role of SYT12 in gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study employs integrated bioinformatics analysis and in vitro cellular experiments to elucidate the role of Synaptotagmin-12 (SYT12) in the progression of gastric cancer.

METHODS

We utilized databases and platforms such as Xiantao Academic Tools, UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to extract datasets on SYT12 in gastric cancer. We analyzed the relationship between SYT12 expression and the clinicopathological features, prognosis, diagnosis, and immune infiltration of stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) patients. Verification was conducted using samples from 31 gastric cancer patients. Additionally, in vitro cellular experiments were performed to determine the role and potential mechanisms of SYT12 in the malignant behavior of gastric cancer cells.

RESULTS

Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis indicated that SYT12 is highly expressed in most cancers and is associated with promoter DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA) methylation levels. SYT12 expression correlated with clinicopathological features, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint gene expression, and poor prognosis in STAD patients. In vitro experiments suggest that SYT12 may promote the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the significant role of SYT12 in gastric cancer, suggesting its potential as a new target for early diagnosis, treatment, immunological, and prognostic evaluation in gastric cancer, offering new insights for precision medicine in this disease.

A prognostic model built on amino acid metabolism patterns in HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

To compare amino acid metabolism patterns between HPV-positive and HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients and identify key genes for a prognostic model.

DESIGN

Utilizing the Cancer Genome Atlas dataset, we analyzed amino acid metabolism genes, differentiated genes between HPV statuses, and selected key genes via LASSO regression for the prognostic model. The model's gene expression was verified through immunohistochemistry in clinical samples. Functional enrichment and CIBERSORTx analyses explored biological functions, molecular mechanisms, and immune cell correlations. The model's prognostic capability was assessed using nomograms, calibration, and decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 1157 key genes associated with amino acid metabolism in HNSCC and HPV status. The prognostic model, featuring genes like IQCN, SLC22A1, SYT12, and TLX3, highlighted functions in development, metabolism, and pathways related to receptors and enzymes. It significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration and outperformed traditional staging in prognosis prediction, despite immunohistochemistry results showing limited clinical identification of HPV-related HNSCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Distinct amino acid metabolism patterns differentiate HPV-positive from negative HNSCC patients, underscoring the prognostic model's utility in predicting outcomes and guiding therapeutic strategies.

A Specificity Protein 1 assists the Progression of the Papillary Thyroid Cell Line by Initiating NECTIN4

AIMS

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is one of the subtypes of thyroid cancer with increasing incidence worldwide, but the molecular mechanism is still unclear.

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is one of the subtypes of thyroid cancer with increasing incidence worldwide, but the molecular mechanism is still unclear. Studies have indicated that nectin cell adhesion molecule 4 (NECTIN4) was an oncogene and played an important role in the development and progression of PTC. Meanwhile, specificity protein 1 (SP1) expresses many important oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. However, the relationship between NECTIN4 and SP1 in regulating PTC growth is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

In the present study, reverse transcription PCR was utilized to detect the mRNA expression of NECTIN4 and SP1 in thyroid cancer cell lines and normal thyroid cell lines. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and luciferase reporter assays were used to study whether SP1 could bind to the promoter region of NECTIN4 and activate its transcription. The biological functions of SP1 correlated with NECTIN4 were also performed in TPC-1 and KTC1 cell lines.

METHODS

The study revealed that the mRNA expression level of SP1 and NECTIN-4 showed a positive correlation and were upregulated in PTC cell lines. Moreover, the results of ChIP and luciferase reporter assays showed that SP1 could bind to the NECTIN4 promoter regions and activate the transcriptional level of NECTIN4.

RESULTS

The experiments in vitro showed that SP1 could promote cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion by regulating NECTIN4 in PTC cells.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our study, for the first time, demonstrated that SP1 could control the transcriptional regulation of NECTIN4 and accelerate the growth of PTC, which may provide a new potential therapeutic target for PTC patients.

RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis reveals Maackia amurensis leukoagglutinin has antitumor activity in human anaplastic thyroid cancer cells

Background

Lectins are carbohydrate-binding molecules that can bind specifically to the sugar residues of glycoconjugates and are found in almost all organisms. Plant lectins subjected to many studies reported exhibiting anti-cancer activity. This study aimed to investigate the possible molecular mechanisms of Maackia amurensis leukoagglutinin II (MAL-II) treated ATCCs.

Methods and results

We tested the effects of MAL-II, which is isolated from Amur seeds, on cancerous features of 8505C human anaplastic thyroid cancer cells (ATCCs) on a large scale using RNA-Seq. Transcriptome analysis was performed using Illumina next-generation sequencing technology by using cDNA libraries obtained from total RNA isolates of ATCCs treated with 0.25 µM MAL-II for 24 h. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis were performed for the systematic analysis of gene functions. Moreover, we validated RNA-Seq findings using qPCR. Our results showed that many cancer-related genes such as TENM4, STIM2, SYT12, PIEZO2, ABCG1, SPNS2, ARRB1, and IRX5 were downregulated and many anticancer genes such as HSPA6, G0S2, TNFAIP3, GEM, GADD45G, RND1, SERPINB2, and IL24 were upregulated. Also, pathway enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were found to be associated with Ras, p53, and apoptosis signaling pathways, which are some important signal transduction pathways in development, proliferation, stem cell control, and carcinogenesis.

Conclusion

Collectively, our results show that MAL-II treatment reveals significant antitumor activity by changing the expression of many cancer-related genes and implies that MAL-II treatment might be a potential candidate molecule to inhibit the malignancy of human anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11033-022-07759-6.

Potential roles of synaptotagmin family members in cancers: Recent advances and prospects

With the continuous development of bioinformatics and public database, more and more genes that play a role in cancers have been discovered. Synaptotagmins (SYTs) are abundant, evolutionarily conserved integral membrane proteins composed of a short N-terminus, a variable linker domain, a single transmembrane domain, and two C2 domains, and they constitute a family of 17 isoforms. The synaptotagmin family members are known to regulate calcium-dependent membrane fusion events. Some SYTs play roles in hormone secretion or neurotransmitter release or both, and much evidence supports SYTs as Ca²⁺ sensors of exocytosis. Since 5 years ago, an increasing number of studies have found that SYTs also played important roles in the occurrence and development of lung cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, and other cancers. Down-regulation of SYTs inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells, but promoted cell apoptosis. Growth of peritoneal nodules is inhibited and survival is prolonged in mice administrated with siSYTs intraperitoneally. Therefore, most studies have found SYTs serve as an oncogene after overexpression and may become potential prognostic biomarkers for multiple cancers. This article provides an overview of recent studies that focus on SYT family members’ roles in cancers and highlights the advances that have been achieved.