Construction of a Two-Gene Immunogenomic-Related Prognostic Signature in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Lung cancer has the highest tumor incidence in China. Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is the most common type, accounting for 40-51% of primary lung cancers. LUSC is slow in growth and late in metastasis. Immune-related genes (IRGs) and immune infiltrating cells play a vital role in the clinical outcomes of LUSC. It is important to systematically study its immune gene map to help the prognosis of cancer patients. In this study, we combined the prognostic landscape and expression status of IRGs downloaded from the TCGA and InnatedDB databases and systematically analyzed the prognostic information of LUSC patients to obtain IRGs. After systematically exploring the survival analysis, prognosis-related genes were found, and the PPI network revealed that a total of 11 genes were hub genes. A two-gene prognosis risk model was established by multivariate Cox analysis. Two IRGs were closely correlated with the prognosis of LUSC. Based on these two genes, a new independent prognostic risk model was established, and this model was further verified in the GEO database. Moreover, the risk score of the model was correlated with sex, survival status, and lymphatic metastasis in LUSC patients, and the predictive risk of the prognostic risk model was significantly positively correlated with five kinds of immune cells (CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells). This study comprehensively analyzed immunogenomics and presented immune-related prognostic biomarkers for LUSC.

Evaluation of the Prognostic Value of Long Noncoding RNAs in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is the most common type of lung cancer accounting for 40% to 51%. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play a significant role in the invasion, migration, and proliferation of lung cancer tissue cells. However, systematic identification of lncRNA signatures and evaluation of the prognostic value for LUSC are still an urgent problem. In this work, LUSC RNA-seq data were collected from TCGA database, and the limma R package was used to screen differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs). In total, 216 DElncRNAs were identified between the LUSC and normal samples. lncRNAs associated with prognosis were calculated using univariate Cox regression analysis. The overall survival (OS) prognostic model containing 10 lncRNAs and the disease-free survival (DFS) prognostic model consisting of 11 lncRNAs were constructed using a machine learning-based algorithm, systematic LASSO-Cox regression analysis. We found that the survival rate of samples in the high-risk group was lower than that in the low-risk group. Results of ROC curves showed that both the OS and DFS risk score had better prognostic effects than the clinical characteristics, including age, stage, gender, and TNM. Two lncRNAs (LINC00519 and FAM83A-AS1) that were commonly identified as prognostic factors in both models could be further investigated for their clinical significance and therapeutic value. In conclusion, we constructed lncRNA prognostic models with considerable prognostic effect for both OS and DFS of LUSC.

Circular RNA TAF4B Promotes Bladder Cancer Progression by Sponging miR-1298-5p and Regulating TGFA Expression.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer (Bca) is the most common malignant tumor of the urinary system. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been recognized as key regulators in tumorigenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying circRNAs involved in the progression of BCa remain largely unknown. METHODS: We detected the expression level of circular RNA TAF4B (circTAF4B) by qRT-PCR assay. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to measure cell migration and invasion capability. Moreover, we performed qRT-PCR and western blotting assays to determine the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. A nuclear/cytoplasmic fractionation assay was used to measure the subcellular location of circTAF4B. RNA pull-down and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to detect the target microRNA of circTAF4B. A mouse xenograft model was produced to analyze the effect of circTAF4B on the tumorigenesis of BCa. RESULTS: In this study, we identified a novel circular RNA, circTAF4B, that is significantly upregulated in BCa and correlated with poor prognosis. Downregulated circTAF4B abolished the growth, metastasis and EMT process in BCa cells. Mechanistically, we found that circTAF4B facilitated the expression of transforming growth factor A (TGFA) by sponging miR-1298-5p. Finally, circTAF4B enhanced the proliferation and EMT process of BCa cells in vivo. CONCLUSION: In summary, our study demonstrated that circTAF4B played a carcinogenic role in the growth, metastasis, and EMT process of BCa by regulating the miR-1298-5p/TGFA axis. Thus, circTAF4B may become a diagnostic and therapeutic target for BCa.

[Strong inflammation is essential for expression of articular cartilage-specific citrullinated antigens].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of citrullinated epitopes in articular cartilage protein and whether its expression is sufficient to induce anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) response in mice. METHODS: The experimental group was treated with different concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), heat-inactivated bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) or specific monoclonal antibody against type Ⅱ collagen to induce citrullination of articular cartilage protein, with PBS as the control. Immunohistochemistry with the monoclonal antibody ACC4 (IgG1) that specifically binds to the citrullinated epitope of cartilage protein was performed for detecting the expression of citrullinated protein, with ACC1 (IgG2a) as a positive control antibody and L243 (IgG2a) and Hy2.15 (IgG1) as the negative isotype control. In the in vivo experiment, SD rats were subjected to injection of different doses of LPS in the right knee (with PBS as the controls in the left knee), and 3 days later frozen sections were prepared for immunohistochemical detection of the expression of citrullinated protein. Models of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) established in different mouse strains were observed for incidence and severity of CIA. Serum samples collected from these models and the sera from rheumatoid arthritis patients were examined for anti-citrullinated protein antibody, and immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of citrullinated protein in the cartilage of the mouse. RESULTS: The citrullinated CII epitope-specific antibody ACC4 did not bind to articular cartilage tissues with different treatments as compared with the positive control antibody ACC1. The ACC4 antibody and the antibodies from patients with rheumatoid arthritis with high titers of anti-citrullinated protein antibody were capable of binding to the synovial tissue around the articular cartilage of the CIA. Luminex analysis showed that the anti-citrullinated protein antibody was lowly expressed in mouse serum, but the anti-type Ⅱ collagen triple helix structure peptide antibody exhibited strong reactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Mild acute inflammatory response is not enough to cause citrullination of articular cartilage protein, and the expression of specific epitope requires a high-intensity inflammatory response. Inflammatory articular cartilage protein can express citrullinated epitopes in type Ⅱ collagen-induced arthritis in mice, but the expression of citrullinated epitopes is not sufficient to induce an immune response to anti-citrullinated antibodies. Stronger stimulation signals are required to induce an immune response for producing anti-citrullinated protein antibodies.

Effects of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease: A meta-analysis.

Sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) is recommended for ejection fraction reduction in heart failure. However, studies comparing the effects of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease (CKD) with the inhibitor of renal angiotensin system (RAS) are limited. To further demonstrate the benefits of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with both heart failure and CKD, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for RCTs. A total of 3460 individuals with heart failure and CKD were included in this meta-analysis. Sacubitril/valsartan was compared with irbesartan, valsartan and enalapril. It was found that sacubitril/valsartan significantly increased estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR, MD = 1.90, 95% CI (0.30, 3.50), P = 0.02]. However, sacubitril/valsartan had no difference in urinary albumin/creatinine ratio [UACR, MD = -0.30, 95% CI (-1.38, 0.78), P = 0.59] compared to the control group. Sacubitril/valsartan showed dramatically decrease in systolic blood pressure [SBP, MD = -4.39, 95% CI (-6.11, -2.68), P < 0.001], diastolic blood pressure [DBP, MD = -2.69, 95% CI (-4.04, -1.35), P < 0.001], and N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP, MD = -45.34, 95% CI (-46.63, -44.06), P < 0.001]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between sacubitril/valsartan and the control group. Compared with the RAS inhibitor, sacubitril/valsartan significantly increased eGFR and decreased BP and NT-proBNP, which indicates that it might have cardiovascular and renal benefits in patients with heart failure and CKD.