Evaluation of KiSS1 as a Prognostic Biomarker in North Indian Breast Cancer Cases

Antioxidant Genes Variants and Their Association with Sperm DNA Fragmentation

Semen possesses a variety of antioxidant defense mechanisms which protect sperm DNA from the damaging effects of oxidative stress. Correlation between antioxidant genes variants and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) level is not sufficiently studied. Therefore, we investigated the association between several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): CYP1A1 (rs1048943A > G), CYP4F2 (rs2108622G > A), NRF2 (rs6721961C > A), PON1 (rs662A > G), NOS3 (rs1799983G > T), GSTM1 (null), CAT (rs1001179C > T), SOD2 (rs4880A > G), GSTP1 (rs1695A > G), PON2 (rs7493G > C), EPHX2 (rs1042064T > C), and AHR (rs2066853G > A) and elevated SDF. The study employed a case-control design where, the allele and genotype frequencies of the selected SNPs were compared between 75 semen samples with abnormal SDF (the cases) and 75 samples with normal SDF (the controls). DNA was extracted from the semen samples and allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) was used for genotyping the SNPs. Relevant data were collected from the patients' records et al.-Basma Fertility Center. Suitable statistical tests and multifactorial dimensionality reduction (MDR) test were used to anticipate SNP-SNP interactions. Comparison of semen parameters revealed significant differences between cases and controls in terms of liquefaction time, sperm total motility, and normal form. Genotype frequencies of NOS3 G > T (GT), SOD2 A > G (AA and AG), EPHX2 T > C (CC and CT), and AHR G > A (GA and GG) were significantly different between cases and controls. Allele frequencies of SOD2 (G-allele), and EPHX2 (T-allele) also significantly varied between cases and controls. MDR analysis revealed that the NOS3, SOD2, and EPHX2 SNPs combination has the highest impact on SDF. The study findings suggest that genetic variations in genes involved antioxidant defenses contribute to abnormal SDF.

Evaluating the effects of various ethanolic medicinal plant extracts on metastatic breast cancer proliferation, invasion, and expression of a novel potential drug target; CD82 metastatic suppressor protein, and on in vivo angiogenesis using the ex ovo yolk sac membrane (YSM) assay

PURPOSE

Breast cancer metastasis relies on cellular invasion and angiogenesis facilitated by the downregulation of metastatic suppressor proteins like Cluster of Differentiation 82 (CD82). Currently, no medicines target multiple systems to prevent metastatic progression through CD82 upregulation. This study screened for plant extracts displaying effects on cell proliferation, invasion, and CD82 expression in breast cancer cells, and in vivo angiogenesis, and further correlated between the biological activities and effect on CD82 expression.

METHODS

Seventeen ethanolic plant extracts were screened for their effect on cell proliferation (against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer and Hek293 kidney cells), cell invasion and effect on CD82 expression in metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells. Selected extracts were further evaluated for in vivo anti-angiogenesis.

RESULTS

Extracts displayed varying antiproliferative activity against the different cell lines, and those that showed selectivity indexes (SI) > 0.5 against MDA-MB-231 were selected for anti-invasion evaluation. Buddleja saligna Willd. (BS), Combretum apiculatum Sond. (CA), Foeniculum vulgare, Greyia radlkoferi, Gunnera perpensa and Persicaria senegalensis (Meisn.) Soják (PS) displayed 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 44.46 ± 3.46, 74.00 ± 4.48, 180.43 ± 4.51, 96.97 ± 2.29, 55.29 ± 9.88 and 243.60 ± 2.69 µg/mL, respectively against MDA-MB-231, and compared to Hek293 showed SI of 0.9, 0.7, 1.4, 1.1, 2.2 and 0.5. Significant invasion inhibition was observed at both 20 and 40 µg/mL for BS (94.10 ± 0.74 and 96.73 ± 0.95%) and CA (87.42 ± 6.54 and 98.24 ± 0.63%), whereas GR (14.91 ± 1.62 and 41 ± 1.78%) and PS (36.58 ± 0.54 and 51.51 ± 0.83%), only showed significant inhibition at 40 µg/mL, and FV (< 5% inhibition) and GP (10 ± 1.03 and 22 ± 1.31%) did not show significant inhibition at both concentrations. Due to the significant anti-invasive activity of BS, CA and PS at 40 µg/mL, these extracts were further evaluated for their potential to stimulate CD82. BS showed significant (p < 0.05) reduction in CD82 at 20 and 40 µg/mL (13.2 ± 2.2% and 20.3 ± 1.5% decrease, respectively), whereas both CA and PS at 20 µg/mL increased (p < 0.05) CD82 expression (16.4 ± 0.8% and 5.4 ± 0.6% increase, respectively), and at 40 µg/mL significantly reduced CD82 expression (23.4 ± 3.1% and 11.2 ± 2.9% decrease, respectively). Using the yolk sac membrane assay, BS (59.52 ± 4.12 and 56.72 ± 3.13% newly formed vessels) and CA (83.33 ± 3.17 and 74.00 ± 2.12%) at both 20 and 40 µg/egg showed significant (p < 0.001) angiogenesis inhibition, with BS showing statistical similar activity to the positive control, combretastatin A4 (10 nmol/egg), whereas PS only displayed significant (p < 0.001) angiogenesis stimulation at 40 µg/egg (120.81 ± 3.34% newly formed vessels).

CONCLUSION

BS exhibits antiproliferative, anti-invasive, and anti-angiogenic activity despite inhibiting CD82, suggesting an alternative mode of action. CA at 20 µg/mL shows moderate anti-invasive and anti-angiogenic potential by stimulating CD82, while at 40 µg/mL it still displays these properties but inhibits CD82, suggesting an additional mode of action. PS, with the least antiproliferative activity, stimulates CD82 and inhibits angiogenesis at 20 µg/mL but inhibits CD82 and increases angiogenesis at 40 µg/mL, indicating CD82 targeting as a major mode of action. Future studies should explore breast cancer xenograft models to assess the extracts' impact on CD82 expression and angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment, along with isolating bioactive compounds from the extracts.

Recent Advances in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Management: From Diagnosis to Theranostics

Abstract:

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is one of the most common head and neck cancers. NPC differs significantly from other cancers in its etiology, epidemiology, clinical behavior, and treatment. Being highly radiosensitive, the standard treatment for NPC is radiotherapy. However, radioresistance hampers the success of treatment and may cause local recurrence and distant metastases in NPC patients. In this review, we discuss the updated protocols for NPC diagnosis and treatment based on recent literature with an emphasis on the mechanisms of radioresistance at the molecular level with a special focus on genetic and epigenetic events, affecting genes involved in xenobiotic detoxification and DNA repair. We also highlight the importance of some cellular and Epstein Barr viral miRNAs targeting specific DNA repair factors and consequently promoting NPC radioresistance. These molecular markers may serve as promising tools for diagnosis, prognosis, and radioresistance prediction to guide theranostics of patients with NPC in the future.

Role of Metastasis Suppressor KAI1/CD82 in Different Cancers

Metastasis is one of the characteristics of malignant tumors and the main cause of death worldwide. The process of metastasis is mainly affected by tumor metastasis genes, tumor metastasis suppressor genes, tumor microenvironment, extracellular matrix degradation, and other factors. Thus, it is essential to elucidate the mechanism of metastasis and find the therapeutic targets in order to prevent the development of malignant tumors. KAI1/CD82, a member of tetraspanin superfamily of glycoproteins, has been reported as a tumor metastasis suppressor gene in various types of cancers without affecting the tumor formation. Many studies have demonstrated that low expression of KAI1/CD82 might lead to poor prognosis due to its interactions with other tetraspanins and integrins, resulting in the regulation of cell motility and invasion, cell-cell adhesion, and apoptosis. Considering its pathological and physiological significance, KAI1/CD82 could be a potential strategy for clinical predicting and preventing tumor progression and metastasis. The present review aims to discuss the role of KAI1/CD82 in metastasis for different cancers and examine its prospects as a metastasis biomarker and a therapeutic target.

Identification of ZG16B as a prognostic biomarker in breast cancer

Zymogen granule protein 16B (ZG16B) has been identified in various cancers, while so far the association between ZG16B and breast cancer hasn’t been explored. Our aim is to confirm whether it can serve as a prognostic biomarker in breast cancer. In this study, Oncomine, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), Ualcan, and STRING database analyses were conducted to detect the expression level of ZG16B in breast cancer with different types. Kaplan–Meier plotter was used to analyze the prognosis of patients with high or low expression of ZG16B. We found that ZG16B was significantly upregulated in breast cancer. Moreover, ZG16B was closely associated with foregone biomarkers and crucial factors in breast cancer. In the survival analysis, high expression of ZG16B represents a favorable prognosis in patients. Our work demonstrates the latent capacity of ZG16B to be a biomarker for prognosis of breast cancer.

Association of polymorphisms in metastasis suppressor genes NME1 and KISS1 with breast cancer development and metastasis

BACKGROUND

NME1 and KISS1 genes are two tumor metastasis suppressor genes, mapped to chromosomes 17q21.3 and 1q32 respectively. Here, we analyzed the association of EcoR1 (rs34214448-G/T) polymorphism in NME1 gene and 9 del T (rs5780218-A/-) polymorphism in KISS1 gene with breast cancer development and metastasis.

RESULTS

The study included 75 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer recruited from Oncology Center at Mansoura University Hospitals and 37 age-matched healthy female volunteers as a control group. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and genotyping of rs34214448 and rs5780218 SNPs was carried out by PCR-RFLP technique. NME1 EcoR1 (rs34214448) polymorphism has a statistically significant association with breast cancer risk (P < 0.001). Most of breast cancer group (55%) had heterozygous (G/T) genotype while most of control group (95%) had homozygous wild (G/G) genotype (P < 0.0005). Also, KISS1 rs5780218 polymorphism has a statistically significant association with breast cancer risk. The wild (A/A) genotype was associated with lower risk of breast cancer (A/- + -/- vs. A/A: OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.15-8.36, P = 0.025). EcoR1 (rs34214448) polymorphism revealed a significant association with tumor stage and distant metastasis as patients. Carriers of the wild (G/G) genotype were more likely to present with advanced disease stages and distant metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

Both EcoR1 (rs34214448) polymorphism of NME1 gene and rs5780218 polymorphism of KISS1 gene revealed significant association with increased risk of breast cancer development. The (G/G) genotype of EcoR1 polymorphism was associated with higher risk of breast cancer metastasis.

KISS1 in breast cancer progression and autophagy

Tumor suppressors are cellular proteins typically expressed in normal (non-cancer) cells that not only regulate such cellular functions as proliferation, migration and adhesion, but can also be secreted into extracellular space and serve as biomarkers for pathological conditions or tumor progression. KISS1, a precursor for several shorter peptides, known as metastin (Kisspeptin-54), Kisspeptin-14, Kisspeptin-13 and Kisspeptin-10, is one of those metastasis suppressor proteins, whose expression is commonly downregulated in the metastatic tumors of various origins. The commonly accepted role of KISS1 in metastatic tumor progression mechanism is the ability of this protein to suppress colonization of disseminated cancer cells in distant organs critical for the formation of the secondary tumor foci. Besides, recent evidence suggests involvement of KISS1 in the mechanisms of tumor angiogenesis, autophagy and apoptosis regulation, suggesting a possible role in both restricting and promoting cancer cell invasion. Here, we discuss the role of KISS1 in regulating metastases, the link between KISS1 expression and the autophagy-related biology of cancer cells and the perspectives of using KISS1 as a potential diagnostic marker for cancer progression as well as a new anti-cancer therapeutics.

Significance of MMP-9 and VEGF-C expression in North Indian women with breast cancer diagnosis

Metastasis accounts for the majority of cancer-associated mortality and renders the targeted therapy fruitless in the patients of breast cancer. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-C) are thought to be involved in tumor progression and metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of MMP-9 and VEGF-C at both mRNA and protein levels in breast cancer and to correlate with lymph node metastasis and other clinicopathological characteristics. Biopsy specimens (N = 100) of breast cancer & benign breast disease (N = 100) were investigated for the mRNA expression of MMP-9 and VEGF-C by Real-time PCR and Protein expression by Western blot. Elevated levels of MMP-9 (p < 0.001) and VEGF-C (p < 0.001) expression were detected in breast cancer with corresponding to benign breast disease. Additionally, we found significantly increased levels of MMP-9 and VEGF-C in node-positive group with respect to node-negative group. Moreover, the levels of MMP-9 were significantly increased in larger tumor size (T3/T4) (p < 0.05) as compared to smaller size (T1/T2), which suggests that MMP-9 plays an important role in the progression of breast cancer. VEGF-C expression was associated with the TNM stage of tumor (p < 0.05). Further, a significant positive correlation was established between the mRNA levels of these two genes (p < 0.001). However, we could not obtain any significant correlation between expression of these genes with other clinicopathological parameters like tumor grade, age, menopausal status, and receptor status like ER, PR, and Her2. This study suggests that the high expression of MMP-9 and VEGF-C could act as markers for the tumor presence in breast cancer. In addition, this study recommends that expression of MMP-9 and VEGF-C was significantly associated with lymph node status and may provide valuable diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients. Further, MMP-9 expression was associated with the tumor size and VEGF-C expression was correlated with the staging of the tumor, although no association was observed with other clinicopathological variables.