UBAP2 contributes to radioresistance by enhancing homologous recombination through SLC27A5 ubiquitination in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Radiotherapy stands as an effective method in the clinical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, both primary and acquired radioresistance limit its clinical application in HCC. Therefore, investigating the mechanism of radioresistance may provide other options for treating HCC. Based on single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and HCC transcriptome datasets, 227 feature genes with prognostic value were selected to establish the tSNE score. The tSNE score emerged as an independent prognostic factor for HCC and correlated with cell proliferation and radioresistance-related biological functions. UBAP2 was identified as the most relevant gene with the tSNE score, consistently elevated in human HCC samples, and positively associated with patient prognosis. Functionally, UBAP2 knockdown impeded HCC development and reduced radiation resistance in vitro and in vivo. The ectopic expression of SLC27A5 reversed the effects of UBAP2. Mechanically, we uncovered that UBAP2, through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, decreased the homologous recombination-related gene RAD51, not the non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ)-related gene CTIP, by degrading the antioncogene SLC27A5, thereby generating radioresistance in HCC. The findings recapitulated that UBAP2 promoted HCC progression and radioresistance via SLC27A5 stability mediated by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. It was also suggested that targeting the UBAP2/SLC27A5 axis could be a valuable radiosensitization strategy in HCC.

Does depressurization of the portal vein before liver transplantation affect the recurrence of HCC? A nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Portal hypertension (PHT) has been proven to be closely related to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Whether PHT before liver transplantation (LT) will affect the recurrence of HCC is not clear. METHODS: 110 patients with depressurization of the portal vein (DPV) operations (Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt-TIPS, surgical portosystemic shunt or/and splenectomy) before LT from a HCC LT cohort, matched with 330 preoperative non-DPV patients; this constituted a nested case-control study. Subgroup analysis was based on the order of DPV before or after the occurrence of HCC. RESULTS: The incidence of acute kidney injury and intra-abdominal bleeding after LT in the DPV group was significantly higher than that in non-DPV group. The 5-year survival rates in the DPV and non-DPV group were 83.4% and 82.7% respectively (P = 0.930). In subgroup analysis, patients in the DPV prior to HCC subgroup may have a lower recurrence rate (4.7% vs.16.8%, P = 0.045) and a higher tumor free survival rate (88.9% vs.74.4%, P = 0.044) after LT under the up-to-date TNMI-II stage, while in TNM III stage, there was no difference for DPV prior to HCC subgroup compared with the DPV after HCC subgroup or the non-DPV group. CONCLUSION: Compared with DPV after HCC, DPV treatment before HCC can reduce the recurrence rate of HCC after early transplantation (TNM I-II). DPV before LT can reduce the recurrence of early HCC.

Mitochondrial miR-23b-5p is a new biomarker of warm ischaemic injury in donor livers and a candidate for graft evaluation: experimental studies.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Warm ischaemic injury (WII) stems from incorrect energy metabolism and is the main cause of graft dysfunction. Mitochondria, as the centre of cellular metabolic activities, may be the key in identifying accurate indicators for evaluating the quality of grafts. Our research focuses on the screening, clinical application, and mechanism of the optimal WII mitochondrion biomarker. APPROACH AND RESULTS: Using a 100% hepatic warm ischaemia mouse model, without reperfusion, transmission electron microscopy demonstrated evident morphological changes of hepatic mitochondria at 15 min of ischaemia. However, all 13 mt-mRNAs could not display continuously upregulated consistency at 0-15-30-60 min during WII. High-throughput analysis of miRNA expression in both purified mitochondria and liver tissues suggested miR-23b-5p was a potential mitochondrial microRNA (mitomiR) biomarker with high sensitivity and 0-15-30-60 min change consistency. Fluorescence in-situ hybridization and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) further confirmed the results. Through overexpression and inhibition, the functionality of this mitomiR during WII was identified as a protective regulator in vitro and then verified in Dicer1 fl/fl Alb Cre mice by downregulation of other miRNAs and supplementation of mature mitomiR-23b-5p. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and the Seahorse XF analyzer determined that mitomiR-23b-5p reduced mitochondrial respiratory function by silencing mt-RNR2 (16S). Clinically, mitomiR-23b-5p was positively correlated with serum alanine aminotransferase levels 3 days after the operation ( P =0.032), and the C-statistic for 90-day graft survival rate was 0.698. CONCLUSIONS: MitomiR-23b-5p plays a protective regulatory role and implements a special mitochondrial regulation mechanism not yet reported in WII. These clinical results further support the experimental result that the expression of MitomiR-23b-5p is closely related to the prognosis of clinical liver transplantation patients. This is a promising new biomarker for WII evaluation of donor livers.

Construction of Two Independent RAB Family-Based Scoring Systems Based on Machine Learning Algorithms and Definition of RAB13 as a Novel Therapeutic Target for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global health challenge with a low early diagnosis rate and high mortality. The Rab GTPase (RAB) family plays an essential role in the occurrence and progression of HCC. Nonetheless, a comprehensive and systematic investigation of the RAB family has yet to be performed in HCC. We comprehensively assessed the expression landscape and prognostic significance of the RAB family in HCC and systematically correlated these RAB family genes with tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics. Then, three RAB subtypes with distinct TME characteristics were determined. Using a machine learning algorithm, we further established a RAB score to quantify TME features and immune responses of individual tumors. Moreover, to better evaluate patient prognosis, we established a RAB risk score as an independent prognostic factor for patients with HCC. The risk models were validated in independent HCC cohorts and distinct HCC subgroups, and their complementary advantages guided clinical practice. Furthermore, we further confirmed that the knockdown of RAB13, a pivotal gene in risk models, suppressed HCC cell proliferation and metastasis by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, CDK1/CDK4 expression, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In addition, RAB13 inhibited the activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling and the expression of IRF1/IRF4. More importantly, we confirmed that RAB13 knockdown enhanced GPX4-dependent ferroptosis vulnerability, highlighting RAB13 as a potential therapeutic target. Overall, this work revealed that the RAB family played an integral role in forming HCC heterogeneity and complexity. RAB family-based integrative analysis contributed to enhancing our understanding of the TME and guided more effective immunotherapy and prognostic evaluation.

The appropriate method of hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma within University of California San Francisco (UCSF) criteria through neural network analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to find effective treatments for the patient within UCSF criteria. METHODS: This study enrolled 1006 patients meeting UCSF criteria, undergoing hepatic resection (HR), divided into two groups: single tumor group and multiple tumors group. We compared and analyzed the risk factors between these two groups' long-term outcomes, through log-rank test, cox proportional hazards model and using neural network analysis to identify the independent risk factors. RESULTS: The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates in single tumor were significantly higher than multiple tumors (95.0%, 73.2% and 52.3% versus 93.9%, 69.7% and 38.0%, respectively, p < 0.001). The 1-, 3- and 5-year RFS rates were 90.3%, 60.7%, and 40.1% in single tumor and 83.4%, 50.7% and 23.8% in multiple tumors, respectively (p < 0.001). And tumor type, anatomic resection and MVI were the independent risk factors for the patient within UCSF criteria. MVI was the most important risk factor affecting OS and RFS rates in neural network analysis. The method of hepatic resection and the number of tumors were also affected OS and RFS rates. CONCLUSION: Anatomic resections should be applied to patients within UCSF criteria, especially for patients with single MVI negative tumours.

HDLBP Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Proliferation and Sorafenib Resistance by Suppressing Trim71-dependent RAF1 Degradation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The contribution of abnormal metabolic targets to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and the associated regulatory mechanisms are attractive research areas. High-density lipoprotein binding protein (HDLBP) is an important transporter that protects cells from excessive cholesterol accumulation, but few studies have identified a role for HDLBP in HCC progression. METHODS: HDLBP expression was determined in HCC tissues and published datasets. The biological roles of HDLBP in vitro and in vivo were examined by performing a series of functional experiments. RESULTS: An integrated analysis confirmed that HDLBP expression was significantly elevated in HCC compared with noncancerous liver tissues. The knockdown or overexpression of HDLBP substantially inhibited or enhanced, respectively, HCC proliferation and sorafenib resistance. Subsequently, a mass spectrometry screen identified RAF1 as a potential downstream target of HDLBP. Mechanistically, when RAF1 was stabilized by HDLBP, MEKK1 continuously induced RAF1Ser259-dependent MAPK signaling. Meanwhile, HDLBP interacted with RAF1 by competing with the TRIM71 E3 ligase and inhibited RAF1 degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that HDLBP is an important mediator that stabilizes the RAF1 protein and maintains its activity, leading to HCC progression and sorafenib resistance. Thus, HDLBP might represent a potential biomarker and future therapeutic target for HCC.

Construction and validation of an IRF4 risk score to predict prognosis and response to immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global health challenge due to high recurrence and metastasis rates. The interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family plays an essential role in the tumour immune microenvironment. However, an IRF family-based score that can predict prognosis and response to immunotherapy in HCC patients has not been adequately investigated. Here, we comprehensively evaluated the expression landscape and prognostic significance of IRF family genes as well as their relationship with the immune microenvironment. We further screened IRF4-associated genes to construct a signature and explored their biological features. Then, we established an IRF4 risk score consisting of nine IRF4-associated genes. Importantly, we demonstrated significant differences in the prognostic stratification and immune characteristics of HCC patients with different IRF4 risk scores. The predictive capability of the IRF4 risk score was validated in different HCC subgroups and independent HCC cohorts. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis of our HCC cohort revealed a positive correlation between IRF4 and PD-1 expression. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the overexpression of IRF4 inhibited the proliferation and migration capacity of HCC cells by restricting the JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Overall, our study identified a novel IRF4 risk score that could serve as a robust prognostic biomarker and provide therapeutic benefits for immunotherapy in HCC patients, which may be helpful for clinical decision-making for HCC patients.

HDLBP-stabilized lncFAL inhibits ferroptosis vulnerability by diminishing Trim69-dependent FSP1 degradation in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Recent studies have suggested that exploring the potential mechanisms regulating ferroptosis vulnerability may contribute to improving the systemic therapeutic efficacy in HCC. High-density lipoprotein-binding protein (HDLBP), the largest RNA-binding protein, is an important transporter that protects cells from overaccumulation of cholesterol, but few studies have elucidated the role of HDLBP in the regulation of ferroptosis vulnerability in HCC. Our study suggests that HDLBP was markedly elevated in HCC compared with noncancerous liver tissues and that this elevation inhibited the ferroptosis vulnerability of HCC. Further experiments revealed that HDLBP bound to and stabilized the long noncoding RNA lncFAL (ferroptosis-associated lncRNA), which is derived from the plexin B2 gene. Moreover, our study suggests that the splicing of lncFAL was increased by YTH N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA-binding protein 2 (YTHDF2) in a m6A-dependent manner. Although HDLBP or lncFAL could not regulate the GPX4 antioxidant signalling pathway, lncFAL reduced ferroptosis vulnerability by directly binding to ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) and competitively abolishing Trim69-dependent FSP1 polyubiquitination degradation. More importantly, FSP1 inhibition promoted the antitumour activity of ferroptosis inducers both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results provide a clinically promising demonstration that HDLBP stabilizes lncFAL, which mediates a FSP1-dependent anti-ferroptosis mechanism in HCC. These results support the enormous potential of disrupting FSP1 as a promising therapeutic approach for HCC patients with high HDLBP or lncFAL expression.

A novel medication decision gene signature predicts response to individualized therapy and prognosis outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Molecular targeted therapy has shown potential in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, and immunotherapy applications are developing rapidly. However, clinical guidance for making individualized therapy decisions for HCC patients remains lacking. MDH (Medication Decision in HCC) gene signatures comprising 70 genes were screened using transcriptomic data from multikinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant HCC cells and HCC patient-derived xenograft model (PDX) models. Four MDH subtypes with distinct biological and clinical characteristics were defined by unsupervised cluster analysis of HCC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. To facilitate individualized and reasonable clinical guidance for each HCC patient, we constructed the MDH score. Comprehensive analysis suggested high MDH scores were associated with TKI resistance, a high proportion of stromal cell infiltration and poor survival outcomes. We recommend concomitant stromal activity intervention and immunotherapy for this type of HCC. Moreover, low MDH scores indicate TKI sensitivity, and a combination of targeted and immunotherapy is recommended. The nomogram constructed by iteration least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis successfully predicted 3- or 5-year survival outcomes and mortality risks of HCC patients. In conclusion, TKI resistance model-based MDH gene signatures provide novel insight into potential mechanisms of drug resistance and heterogeneity in HCC. Integrative analysis plus a simplified decision model may aid personalized treatment and prognostic assessment among HCC patients.

Comprehensive Molecular Analysis Identified an SRSF Family-Based Score for Prognosis and Therapy Efficiency Prediction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The serine/arginine-rich splicing factors (SRSF)-mediated alternative splicing plays an essential role in the occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the SRSF-based signature that can predict the prognosis and therapy efficiency is yet to be investigated in HCC. Here, we comprehensively assessed the landscape and prognostic significance of the SRSF family genes in HCC. Then, we screened the SRSF family-related genes for signature construction and explored their biological characteristics. We further established an SRSF score consisting of 18 SRSF-associated genes and evaluated its correlation with prognosis and drug sensitivity in HCC. The predictive power of the SRSF score was validated in independent HCC cohorts and different HCC subgroups. Moreover, we further investigated that knockdown of SRSF11, a pivotal gene in the SRSF score, inhibited CDK1-dependent proliferation and enhanced the drug sensitivity of HCC cells. Overall, our study identified a novel SRSF family-based predictive model, and we demonstrated that SRSF11 is a promising therapeutic target for HCC, which enhances our understanding of the SRSF family genes and provides valuable insights into the clinical treatment and molecular mechanisms of HCC.

The lipid transporter HDLBP promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis through BRAF-dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Tumor metastasis is a major cause of cancer mortality. However, little is known regarding the regulation of abnormal cholesterol metabolism in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis. Here, we show that the expression of high-density lipoprotein binding protein (HDLBP), a lipid transporter, is clinically correlated with tumor metastasis in HCC patients. Moreover, HDLBP was required for cholesterol-induced HCC metastasis. We revealed that knockdown and overexpression of HDLBP significantly inhibited and enhanced, respectively, the metastasis, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry screening uncovered BRAF as a protein target of HDLBP. HDLBP was found to promote EMT signaling in a BRAF-dependent manner. Furthermore, HDLBP interacts with BRAF and inhibits its ubiquitinated degradation by abrogating BRAF-ITCH interactions. Notably, further studies suggest that dabrafenib exhibited a greater metastasis-suppressive effect in HDLBP knockout HCC than isolated treatment. Overall, our findings imply that cholesterol-induced HDLBP contributes to the metastasis and invasion of HCC through BRAF-dependent EMT signaling and that HDLBP may be applied as a biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.

Therapeutic Effects of Self-Assembled Tetrahedral Framework Nucleic Acids on Liver Regeneration in Acute Liver Failure.

Liver failure is a serious disease that is characterized by global hepatocyte necrosis. Hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration are critically important for the success of treatments for liver disease. Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (TFNAs), which are widely used antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nanomaterials, activate multiple proliferation and prosurvival pathways. Therefore, the effects of a TFNA on hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration in mouse livers injured by 70% partial hepatectomy (PHx), acetaminophen overdose, and carbon tetrachloride were explored in this study. The TFNA, which was successfully self-assembled from four specifically designed ssDNAs, entered the body quickly and was taken up effectively by hepatocytes in the liver and could eventually be cleared by the kidneys. The TFNA promoted hepatocyte proliferation in vitro by activating the Notch and Wnt signaling pathways. In the three in vivo mouse models of liver injury, the TFNA attenuated the injuries and enhanced liver regeneration by regulating the cell cycle and the P53 signaling pathway. Therefore, by promoting hepatocyte proliferation and enhancing liver regeneration, the TFNA shows potential as an effective therapeutic agent for treating acute liver injury induced by 70% PHx and other factors, thereby preventing the progression to acute liver failure and reducing the associated mortality rate.

Interferon regulatory factor-1 suppresses DNA damage response and reverses chemotherapy resistance by downregulating the expression of RAD51 in gastric cancer.

Recent studies have shown that IRF-1 plays a significant role in various tumour-induced chemoresistance, but its role and mechanism in gastric cancer-associated chemoresistance are not clear. Our study showed that IRF-1 expression could reverse gastric cancer-related chemoresistance. Dysregulated DNA repair is an important cause of chemoresistance. We established a chemoresistant gastric cancer cell line and found that drug-resistant gastric cancer cells had increased DNA repair ability and that IRF-1 regulated DNA damage repair. Further studies showed that IRF-1 inhibited the expression of RAD51 directly by binding to the RAD51 promoter to affect DNA damage repair; this binding reversed resistance. However, restoring the expression of RAD51 halted the inhibitory effect of IRF-1 partially. Also, we revealed that the overexpression of IRF-1 in a mouse model synergized with chemotherapeutic drugs to inhibit tumour growth. Finally, IRF-1 expression correlated with RAD51 expression in gastric cancer specimens. The expression of IRF-1 and RAD51 are both related to the survival duration of patients with gastric cancer. These results suggest that targeting IRF-1-RAD51 could be an effective approach to reversing multidrug resistance in gastric cancer.

Bioinformatics analysis identifies potential chemoresistance-associated genes across multiple types of cancer.

Despite the fact that studies have revealed mechanisms underlying tumor chemoresistance, the functions of numerous potential chemoresistance-associated genes have yet to be elucidated. A bioinformatics analysis was conducted to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) across four types of chemoresistant tumors and functional enrichment analysis was used to examine the biological significance of these genes. Furthermore, a gene network was constructed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify hub genes. A total of 6,015, 2,074, 2,141 and 954 differentially expressed genes were identified in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, rectal cancer and gastric cancer, respectively; however, only five of these DEGs were dysregulated in all four types of cancer. Functional enrichment analysis of the DEGs suggested that genomic stability and immune response are crucial determinants of tumor chemoresistance. In addition, 14, 8, 6 and 1 co-expressed gene modules were identified in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, rectal cancer and gastric cancer, respectively, and protein-protein interaction networks were created. The analysis identified only calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2, erythropoietin receptor, mitochondrial poly(A) RNA polymerase, α-parvin, and zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 44 to be dysregulated in all four cancer types, indicating varying mechanisms of chemoresistance in different tumor types. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that type I collagen α1, fibroblast growth factor 14 and major histocompatibility complex, class II, DR ß1 potentially serve key roles in the development of chemoresistance. In conclusion, the present study proposes a simple and effective strategy for identifying genes involved in chemoresistance and predicting their potential functional roles, which may guide subsequent experimental studies.

MIR17HG-miR-18a/19a axis, regulated by interferon regulatory factor-1, promotes gastric cancer metastasis via Wnt/ß-catenin signalling.

MIR17HG, located on chromosome 13, is a class of Pri-miRNAs that generates six miRNAs: miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-20a, miR-19b-1 and miR-92-1. These miRNAs are ubiquitously overexpressed in diverse tumour types and exhibit complex biological links to tumour metastasis. We demonstrated that MIR17HG-derived miR-18a and miR-19a coordinately mediate gastric cancer cell metastasis by directly inhibiting SMAD2 expression and upregulating Wnt/ß-catenin signalling. Based on previous studies, we hypothesised that an investigation of MIR17HG inhibition would be beneficial to clinical gastric cancer treatment, and systematically coupled bioinformatics analyses brought interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) to our attention. We then established stable clones in gastric cancer cells containing a doxycycline-inducible IRF-1 expression system and found that the expression of IRF-1 downregulates the embedded miRNAs of MIR17HG in gastric cancer cells and inhibits gastric cancer cell metastasis by attenuating Wnt/ß-catenin signalling. Further rescue assays confirmed the crucial roles of miR-18a and miR-19a in the IRF-1-mediated inhibition of Wnt/ß-catenin signalling. We also demonstrated that IRF-1 binds to the transcriptional site in the MIR17HG promoter and inhibits MIR17HG expression. Moreover, IFN-γ induced the IRF-1-mediated downregulation of MIR17HG in gastric cancer cells. Our hypothesis was supported by the results of immunohistochemistry analyses of clinical gastric cancer samples, and we also demonstrated the role of IRF-1 in inhibiting MIR17HG expression and tumour metastasis in vivo. We conclude that IRF-1 inhibits gastric cancer metastasis by downregulating MIR17HG-miR-18a/miR-19a axis expression and attenuating Wnt/ß-catenin signalling.

Interferon regulatory factor-1 reverses chemoresistance by downregulating the expression of P-glycoprotein in gastric cancer.

The emergence of multiple drug resistance (MDR) is the main cause of chemotherapy failure in gastric cancer. In this study, to generate MDR gastric cancer cell lines, we exposed MKN45 and AGS gastric cancer cells to cisplatin, fluorouracil, and adriamycin. Through transcriptome sequencing, we found that interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) was expressed at significantly lower levels in the MDR cell lines than in the parental cell lines. We then established stable clones of MKN45 and SGC7901 cells with a doxycycline-inducible IRF-1 expression system and confirmed that IRF-1 overexpression efficiently reversed the MDR. Further analyses indicated that IRF-1 suppresses P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expression in vitro and in vivo, leading to an increase in chemotherapy drug retention. The results showed that IRF-1 bound to the promoter regions of P-gp gene and inhibited P-gp transcription. IFN-γ induced IRF-1-mediated downregulation of P-gp in gastric cancer cells. Finally, we demonstrated that the clinical correlation between IRF-1 and P-gp expression and that IRF-1 serves as an independent prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer. We conclude that IRF-1 reverses the MDR trait of gastric cancer by downregulating P-gp, and this mechanism has potential treatment implications and is clinically actionable.

GLIS2 redundancy causes chemoresistance and poor prognosis of gastric cancer based on co­expression network analysis.

Gastric cancer is currently the fourth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer­associated mortality worldwide. Studies have identified that certain biomarkers contribute to the prognosis, diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer. However, the biomarkers of gastric cancer are rarely used clinically. Therefore, it is imperative to define novel molecular networks and key genes to guide the further study and clinical treatment of gastric cancer. In the present study, raw RNA sequencing data and clinicopathological information on patients with gastric cancer were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas, and a weighted gene co­expression network analysis was conducted. Additionally, functional enrichment and protein­protein interaction analyses were implemented to further examine the significant modules. As a result, 16 modules of highly correlated genes were acquired and colour coded, and the yellow module containing 174 genes associated with chemotherapy resistance and prognosis in gastric cancer was further analysed. The biological processes of the yellow module were primarily associated with cell adhesion, vasculature development and the regulation of cell proliferation. In addition, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways primarily involved the transforming growth factor­ß signalling pathway, the cellular tumour antigen p53 signalling pathway, extracellular matrix­receptor interactions and focal adhesions. Notably, survival analysis and cell verification confirmed that high expression of GLIS family zinc finger 2 is significantly associated with chemoresistance and a worse prognosis in gastric cancer, and that this high expression is likely to be an important biomarker for the guidance of clinical treatment and prognostic evaluation.

Function of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor in cancer resistance to chemotherapy.

Drug resistance is a primary cause of chemotherapeutic failure; however, how this resistance develops is complex. A comprehensive understanding of chemotherapeutic resistance mechanisms may aid in identifying more effective drugs and improve the survival rates of patients with cancer. Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), a member of the insulin receptor family, has been extensively assessed for biological activity, and its putative contribution to tumor cell development and progression. Furthermore, researchers have attended to drugs that target IGF1R since IGF1R functions as a membrane receptor. However, how IGF1R participates in chemotherapeutic resistance remains unclear. Therefore, the present study described the IGF1R gene and its associated signaling pathways, and offered details of IGF1R-induced tumor chemoresistance associated with promoting cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, regulation of ATP-binding cassette transporter proteins and interactions with the extracellular matrix. The present study offered additional explanations for tumor chemotherapy resistance and provided a theoretical basis of IGF1R and its downstream pathways for future possible chemotherapy treatment options.

Homeobox protein CDX2 as a prognostic biomarker in solid malignancies: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: CDX2 is a caudal-homeobox gene and its expression is abnormal in numerous tumour cell types. Nevertheless, its prognostic value for solid tumours requires further investigation. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the significance of CDX2 as a prognostic biomarker in solid malignancies systematically. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search in PUBMED and EMBASE up to May 2017. Retrospective studies comparing the prognostic value of different CDX2 levels in human malignancies were included. Data extractions and methodological assessments were performed separately by two investigators using a standard procedure. The statistical procedures were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and STATA/MP 14.0. RESULTS: A total of 26 retrospective studies met the inclusion criteria and comprised 5008 participants. Patients with CDX2 overexpression had significantly better 3-year, 5-year, 10-year and disease-free survival outcomes in solid malignancies, regardless of the cancer type, mean age, and source region. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in the patients from Europe. The expression level of CDX2 was not statistically associated with cancer relapse. Moreover, our analysis showed that CDX2 overexpression is correlated to better responses to chemotherapy in patients with TNM IV stage cancers. The stability of the pooled outcomes was verified by sensitivity analysis. The funnel plots, Egger's test and Begg's test jointly confirmed that there was no publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of CDX2 is a reliable biomarker of a better prognosis in solid malignancies.