Significance of Chr9p22.1-p21.3 Deletion in Cancer Development: A Pan-cancer In Silico Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Deletions in chr9p22.1-21.3 locus have been related to the development of several types of cancer, mainly due to the presence of CDKN2A and CDKN2B genes. However, there are several other genes in the region with potential importance in tumorigenesis. We, therefore, aimed to analyze in silico the potential prognostic significance of alterations in copy number and expression of genes present in the chr9p22.1-21.3 locus in 33 TCGA datasets (approximately 10,000 patients). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed which of the 27 genes are expressed in the datasets. Additionally, we associated the deletion of the locus with survival (log rank analysis) and hazard ratio (HR) (univariate cox regression). Finally, we performed univariate, multivariate, and overall survival analyses in 13 datasets considering the expression of 10 genes present in the locus. RESULTS: We identified 10 genes of the chr9p22.1-21.3 locus expressed in the datasets (MLLT3, FOCAD, PTPLAD2, KLHL9, IFNE, MTAP, CDKN2A, CDKN2B, DMRTA1 and ELAVL2). Moreover, we found that deletion in at least 1 of these genes was associated with poor survival and increased HR in 13 datasets: adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), glioblastoma (GBM), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP), low-grade glioma (LGG), lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), mesothelioma (MESO), pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD), rectum adenocarcinoma (READ), sarcoma (SARC) and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC). Finally, we found an association of survival/HR and altered expression of MLLT3 in the MESO dataset, of FOCAD in the READ dataset, of PTPLAD2 in the KIRP dataset, of KLHL9 in the LGG and UCEC datasets, of IFNE in ACC, GBM, KIRC and LUAD datasets, of MTAP in LGG, LUAD and MESO datasets, of CDKN2A in the HNSC, KIRC and MESO datasets, of CDKN2B in the LGG and READ datasets, of DMRTA1 in SARC datasets and of ELAVL2 in the LGG dataset (p<0.01 for all associations). CONCLUSION: Besides CDKN2A and CDKN2B, numerous other genes are possibly related to cancer development, requiring further investigation.

Alpha2beta1 Integrin Polymorphism in Diffuse Astrocytoma Patients.

Integrins are heterodimeric transmembrane glycoproteins resulting from the non-covalent association of an α and ß chain. The major integrin receptor for collagen/laminin, α2ß1 is expressed on a wide variety of cell types and plays an essential role in the adhesion of normal and tumor cells to the extracellular matrix. Integrin-triggered signaling pathways promote the invasion and survival of glioma cells by modifying the brain microenvironment. In this study, we investigated the association of a specific genetic polymorphism of integrin α2ß1 with the incidence of diffusely infiltrating astrocytoma and the progression of these tumors. Single-nucleotide polymorphism in intron 7 of the integrin ITGA2 gene was examined in 158 patients and 162 controls using polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme analysis. The ITGA2 genotype +/+ (with a BglII restriction site in both alleles) exhibited higher frequency in grade II astrocytoma compared to control (P = 0.02) whereas the genotype -/- (lacking the BglII site) correlated with the poorest survival rate (P = 0.04). In addition, in silico analyses of ITGA2 expression from low-grade gliomas (LGG, n = 515) and glioblastomas (GBM, n = 159) indicated that the higher expression of ITGA2 in LGG was associated with poor overall survival (P < 0.0001). However, the distribution of integrin ITGA2 BglII genotypes (+/+, +/-, -/-) was not significantly different between astrocytoma subgroups III and IV (P = 0.65, 0.24 and 0.33; 0.29, 0.48, 0.25, respectively) compared to control. These results suggest a narrow association between the presence of this SNP and indicate that further studies with larger samples are warranted to analyze the relation between tumor grade and overall survival, highlighting the importance of determining these polymorphisms for prognosis of astrocytomas.

Prenatal exposure to a mixture of different phthalates increases the risk of mammary carcinogenesis in F1 female offspring.

Phthalates metabolites have been detected in the urine of pregnant and breastfeeding women. Thus, this study evaluated the adverse effects of maternal exposure to a mixture of six phthalates (Pth mix) on the mammary gland development and carcinogenesis in F1 female offspring. Pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed daily to vehicle or Pth mix (35.22% diethyl-phthalate, 21.03% di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate, 14.91% dibutyl-phthalate, 15.10% diisononyl-phthalate, 8.61% diisobutyl-phthalate, and 5.13% benzylbutyl-phthalate) by gavage at 20 µg/kg, 200 µg/kg or 200 mg/kg during gestational day 10 (GD 10) to postnatal day 21 (PND 21). After weaning (PND 22), some female offspring were euthanized for mammary gland analyses while other females received a single dose of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU, 50 mg/kg) or vehicle and then tumor incidence and multiplicity were recorded until PND 180. Maternal Pth mix exposure increased the number of Ki-67 and progesterone receptor-positive epithelial cells in the mammary gland from Pth mix 200 at µg/kg and 200 mg/kg groups. In addition, tumor incidence and mean number were higher only in Pth mix at 200 mg/kg when compared to the vehicle-treated group, and percentage of tumor-free animals was lower in Pth mix at 200 µg/kg and 200 mg/kg groups. The findings indicate that perinatal Pth mixture exposure increased susceptibility to MNU-induced mammary carcinogenesis in adult F1 female offspring.

The Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitor E7070 Sensitizes Glioblastoma Cells to Radio- and Chemotherapy and Reduces Tumor Growth.

Glioblastomas (GBMs), the most common and lethal primary brain tumor, show inherent infiltrative nature and high molecular heterogeneity that make complete surgical resection unfeasible and unresponsive to conventional adjuvant therapy. Due to their fast growth rate even under hypoxic and acidic conditions, GBM cells can conserve the intracellular pH at physiological range by overexpressing membrane-bound carbonic anhydrases (CAs). The synthetic sulfonamide E7070 is a potent inhibitor of CAs that harbors putative anticancer properties; however, this drug has still not been tested in GBMs. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of E7070 on CA9 and CA12 enzymes in GBM cells as well as in the tumor cell growth, migration, invasion, and resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We found that E7070 treatment significantly reduced tumor cell growth and increased radio- and chemotherapy efficacy against GBM cells under hypoxia. Our data suggests that E7070 has therapeutic potential as a radio-chemo-sensitizing in drug-resistant GBMs, representing an attractive strategy to improve the adjuvant therapy. We showed that CA9 and CA12 represent potentially valuable therapeutic targets that should be further investigated as useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for GBM tailored therapy.

Maternal Low-Protein Diet Deregulates DNA Repair and DNA Replication Pathways in Female Offspring Mammary Gland Leading to Increased Chemically Induced Rat Carcinogenesis in Adulthood.

Studies have shown that maternal malnutrition, especially a low-protein diet (LPD), plays a key role in the developmental mechanisms underlying mammary cancer programming in female offspring. However, the molecular pathways associated with this higher susceptibility are still poorly understood. Thus, this study investigated the adverse effects of gestational and lactational low protein intake on gene expression of key pathways involved in mammary tumor initiation after a single dose of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in female offspring rats. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a normal-protein diet (NPD) (17% protein) or LPD (6% protein) from gestational day 1 to postnatal day (PND) 21. After weaning (PND 21), female offspring (n = 5, each diet) were euthanized for histological analysis or received NPD (n = 56 each diet). At PND 28 or 35, female offspring received a single dose of MNU (25 mg/kg body weight) (n = 28 each diet/timepoint). After 24 h, some females (n = 10 each diet/timepoint) were euthanized for histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular analyses at PDN 29 or 36. The remaining animals (n = 18 each diet/timepoint) were euthanized when tumors reached ≥2 cm or at PND 250. Besides the mammary gland development delay observed in LPD 21 and 28 groups, the gene expression profile demonstrated that maternal LPD deregulated 21 genes related to DNA repair and DNA replication pathways in the mammary gland of LPD 35 group after MNU. We further confirmed an increased γ-H2AX (DNA damage biomarker) and in ER-α immunoreactivity in mammary epithelial cells in the LPD group at PND 36. Furthermore, these early postnatal events were followed by significantly higher mammary carcinogenesis susceptibility in offspring at adulthood. Thus, the results indicate that maternal LPD influenced the programming of chemically induced mammary carcinogenesis in female offspring through increase in DNA damage and deregulation of DNA repair and DNA replication pathways. Also, Cidea upregulation gene in the LPD 35 group may suggest that maternal LPD could deregulate genes possibly leading to increased risk of mammary cancer development and/or poor prognosis. These findings increase the body of evidence of early-transcriptional mammary gland changes influenced by maternal LPD, resulting in differential response to breast tumor initiation and susceptibility and may raise discussions about lifelong prevention of breast cancer risk.

Evaluation of the prognostic potential of EGFL7 in pilocytic astrocytomas.

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is the most frequent solid neoplasm in childhood. It has a good 5-year overall survival (90% in childhood and 52% in adults). However, up to 20% of patients experience residual tumor growth, recurrence, and death. Although the main genetic alteration of PAs, including KIAA1549:BRAF fusion, involves chromosome 7q34, we previously found frequent loss in chr9q34.3 locus in a small subset of these tumors. Among the genes present in this locus, EGFL7 is related to poor prognosis in several tumor types. In this study, we aimed to assess EGFL7 expression through immunohistochemistry, and to evaluate its prognostic value in a series of 64 clinically and molecularly well-characterized pilocytic astrocytomas. We found high expression of EGFL7 in 71.9% of patients. Low EGFL7 expression was associated with older patients, the mean age mainly older than 11 years (P = 0.027). EGFL7 expression was not associated with presence of KIAA1549:BRAF fusion, BRAF mutation, FGFR1 mutation, nor FGFR1 duplication. Moreover, high EGFL7 expression was associated with high FGFR1 (P = 0.037) and 5'-deoxy-5'-methyltioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) (P = 0.005) expression, and with unfavorable outcome of patients (P = 0.047). Multivariate analysis revealed low EGFL7 expression related to older patients and high EGFL7 expression related to retained expression of MTAP. In addition, we found a borderline significance of unfavorable outcome and high EGFL7 expression. Finally, EGFL7 expression was not associated with overall or event-free survival of PA patients. Our findings point to EGFL7 expression as a novel candidate prognostic marker in PA, which should be further investigated.

Dietary hemin promotes colonic preneoplastic lesions and DNA damage but not tumor development in a medium-term model of colon carcinogenesis in rats.

Red and processed meat consumption has been strongly related to increase the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), although its impact is largely unknown. Hemin, an iron-containing porphyrin, is acknowledged as a putative factor of red and processed meat pro-carcinogenic effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high dietary hemin on the promotion/progression stages of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (1,2-DMH)-induced colon carcinogenesis. Twenty-four Wistar male rats were given four subcutaneous 1,2-DMH injections and received either balanced diet or balanced diet supplemented with hemin 0.5 mmol/kg for 23 weeks. Colon specimens were analyzed for aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and tumor development. Dietary hemin significantly increased ACF number and fecal water cytotoxicity/genotoxicity in Caco-2 cells when compared to 1,2-DMH control group. However, tumor incidence, multiplicity and cell proliferation did not differ between 1,2-DMH + hemin and 1,2-DMH control group. Gene expression analysis of 91 target-genes revealed that only three genes (Figf, Pik3r5 and Tgfbr2) were down-regulated in the tumors from hemin-fed rats compared to those from 1,2-DMH control group. Therefore, the findings of this study show that high hemin intake promotes mainly DNA damage and ACF development and but does not change the number nor incidence of colon tumors induced by 1,2-DMH in male rats.

Maternal western-style diet enhances the effects of chemically-induced mammary tumors in female rat offspring through transcriptome changes.

Previous studies have shown that early life intake of high-fat diet or western-style diet (WD) enhances the development of mammary tumors in adult female rats. Thus, we hypothesized that maternal WD throughout pregnancy and the lactation period could speed up the development of MNU-induced mammary tumors and alter their gene expression. For this, the present study investigated the gene expression profile of chemically-induced mammary tumors in female rat offspring from dams fed a WD or a control diet. Pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats received a WD (high-fat, low-fiber and oligoelements) or a control diet from gestational day 12 until post-natal day (PND) 21. At PND 21, female offspring received a single dose of N-Methyl-N-Nitrosourea (MNU, 50 mg/kg body weight) and were fed a control diet for 13 weeks. Tumor incidence, multiplicity, and latency were recorded and mammary gland samples were collected for histopathology and gene expression analysis. Tumor multiplicity and histological grade were significantly higher and tumor latency was lower in WD offspring compared to control offspring. Transcriptome profiling identified 57 differentially expressed genes in tumors from WD offspring as compared to control offspring. There was also an increase in mRNA expression of genes such as Emp3, Ccl7, Ets1, Abcc5, and Cyr61, indicative of more aggressive disease detected in tumors from WD offspring. Thus, maternal WD diet increased MNU-induced mammary carcinogenesis in adult female offspring through transcriptome changes that resulted in a more aggressive disease.

Integrated Molecular Meta-Analysis of 1,000 Pediatric High-Grade and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.

We collated data from 157 unpublished cases of pediatric high-grade glioma and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma and 20 publicly available datasets in an integrated analysis of >1,000 cases. We identified co-segregating mutations in histone-mutant subgroups including loss of FBXW7 in H3.3G34R/V, TOP3A rearrangements in H3.3K27M, and BCOR mutations in H3.1K27M. Histone wild-type subgroups are refined by the presence of key oncogenic events or methylation profiles more closely resembling lower-grade tumors. Genomic aberrations increase with age, highlighting the infant population as biologically and clinically distinct. Uncommon pathway dysregulation is seen in small subsets of tumors, further defining the molecular diversity of the disease, opening up avenues for biological study and providing a basis for functionally defined future treatment stratification.

Early-in-life dietary zinc deficiency and supplementation and mammary tumor development in adulthood female rats.

Zinc deficiency during pregnancy and postnatal life can adversely increase risk of developing human diseases at adulthood. The present study was designed to evaluate whether dietary zinc deficiency or supplementation during the pregnancy, lactation and juvenile stages interferes in the development of mammary tumors induced by 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) in female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Pregnant female SD rats were allocated into three groups: zinc-adequate diet (ZnA - 35-mg/kg chow), zinc-deficient diet (ZnD - 3-mg/kg chow) or zinc-supplemented diet (ZnS - 180-mg/kg chow) during gestational day 10 (GD 10) until the litters' weaning. Female offspring received the same diets as their dams until postnatal day (PND) 51. At PND 51, the animals received a single dose of DMBA (50 mg/kg, ig) and zinc-adequate diets. At PND 180, female were euthanized, and tumor samples were processed for histological evaluation and gene expression microarray analysis. The ZnD induced a significant reduction in female offspring body weight evolution and in mammary gland development. At late in life, the ZnD or ZnS did not alter the latency, incidence, multiplicity, volume or histological types of mammary tumors in relation to the ZnA group. However, the total tumor number in ZnS group was higher than in ZnA group, accompanied by distinct expression of 4 genes up- and 15 genes down-regulated. The present findings indicate that early-in-life dietary zinc supplementation, differently to zinc deficiency, has a potential to modify the susceptibility to the development of mammary tumors induced by DMBA.

Maternal western style diet increases susceptibility to chemically-induced mammary carcinogenesis in female rats offspring.

The present study investigated whether maternal exposure to western style diet (WD) increases susceptibility to mammary carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in female offspring. Pregnant female Sprague-Dawley rats received WD diet or control diet from gestational day 12 until postnatal day (PND) 21. At PND 21, female offspring received a single dose of MNU (50 mg/kg body weight) and were fed chow diet until PND 110. Mammary gland structures were assessed on whole-mount preparations in the offspring at PND 21, and tumor morphology was examined at PND 110. Immunohistochemical analysis for cell proliferation (PCNA), apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3) and estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) was performed in mammary terminal end buds (TEBs) at PND 21, and PCNA, ER-α, and p63 analysis in mammary tumors at PND 110. Maternal WD intake induced a significant increase in the number of TEBs (P = 0.024) and in PCNA labeling index (P < 0.020) in the mammary glands at PND 21. Tumor multiplicity, tumor weight, and PCNA labeling indexes were significantly higher in the WD offspring than that of the control offspring (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that maternal western style diet potentially enhanced the development of mammary tumors induced by MNU in female offspring, possibly by affecting the mammary gland differentiation.

Mimicking pregnancy as a strategy for breast cancer prevention.

Pregnancy and its effects on breast cancer risk have been widely investigated; there is consensus among researchers that early pregnancy confers protection against breast cancer later in life, whereas nulliparity and late-age parity have been associated with increased risk of developing breast cancer. The answer to the question of how pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk has been elusive; however, pregnancy, like breast cancer, is a similar hormone-dependent entity under direct control of estrogen, progesterone and, of particular importance, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In this report, we emphasize the main changes, previously described by our laboratory, in morphology and gene expression levels of the mammary gland of Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to known cancer-preventative conditions (pregnancy, hCG and progesterone + estrogen). In addition, we postulate a protective mechanism induced by hCG that could reduce the cell's potential to be transformed by carcinogens.

Modifying effects of lemongrass essential oil on specific tissue response to the carcinogen N-methyl-N-nitrosurea in female BALB/c mice.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf) essential oil has been used worldwide because of its ethnobotanical and medicinal usefulness. Regarding its medicinal usefulness, the present study evaluated the beneficial effects of lemongrass essential oil (LGEO) oral treatment on cell proliferation and apoptosis events and on early development of hyperplastic lesions in the mammary gland, colon, and urinary bladder induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in female BALB/c mice. The animals were allocated into three groups: G1, treated with LGEO vehicle for 5 weeks (five times per week); G2, treated with LGEO vehicle as for G1 and MNU (two injections each of 30 mg/kg of body weight at weeks 3 and 5); and G3, treated with LGEO (five times each with 500 mg/kg of body weight per week) and MNU as for G2. Twenty-four hours after the last MNU application, all animals were euthanized, and mammary glands, colon, and urinary bladder were collected for histological and immunohistochemical analysis. LGEO oral treatment significantly changed the indexes of apoptosis and/or cellular proliferation for the tissues analyzed. In particular, the treatment reduced the incidence of hyperplastic lesions and increased apoptosis in mammary epithelial cells. This increment in the apoptosis response may be related to a favorable balance in Bcl-2/Bax immunoreactivity in mammary epithelial cells. These findings indicate that LGEO presented a protective role against early MNU-induced mammary gland alterations in BALB/c mice.

Cholesterol reduction and lack of genotoxic or toxic effects in mice after repeated 21-day oral intake of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil.

Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) is currently used in traditional folk medicine. Although this species presents widespread use, there are no scientific data on its efficacy or safety after repeated treatments. Therefore, this work investigated the toxicity and genotoxicity of this lemongrass's essential oil (EO) in male Swiss mice. The single LD(50) based on a 24h acute oral toxicity study was found to be around 3500 mg/kg. In a repeated-dose 21-day oral toxicity study, mice were randomly assigned to two control groups, saline- or Tween 80 0.01%-treated groups, or one of the three experimental groups receiving lemongrass EO (1, 10 or 100mg/kg). No significant changes in gross pathology, body weight, absolute or relative organ weights, histology (brain, heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, stomach, spleen and urinary bladder), urinalysis or clinical biochemistry were observed in EO-treated mice relative to the control groups. Additionally, blood cholesterol was reduced after EO-treatment at the highest dose tested. Similarly, data from the comet assay in peripheral blood cells showed no genotoxic effect from the EO. In conclusion, our findings verified the safety of lemongrass intake at the doses used in folk medicine and indicated the beneficial effect of reducing the blood cholesterol level.

Protective effects of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus STAPF) essential oil on DNA damage and carcinogenesis in female Balb/C mice.

This study investigated the protective effect of oral treatment with lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus STAPF) essential oil (LGEO) on leukocyte DNA damage induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosurea (MNU). Also, the anticarcinogenic activity of LGEO was investigated in a multi-organ carcinogenesis bioassay induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)antracene, 1,2-dimethylhydrazine and N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxibuthyl)nitrosamine in Balb/C female Balb/c mice (DDB-initiated mice). In the short-term study, the animals were allocated into three groups: vehicle group (negative control), MNU group (positive control) and LGEO 500 mg kg⁻¹ (five times per week for 5 weeks) plus MNU group (test group). Blood samples were collected to analyze leukocyte DNA damage by comet assay 4 h after each MNU application at the end of weeks 3 and 5. The LGEO 500 mg kg⁻¹ treated group showed significantly lower (P < 0.01) leukocyte DNA damage than its respective positive group exposed to MNU alone at week 3. In the medium-term study, DDB-initiated mice were allocated into three groups: vehicle group (positive control) and LGEO 125 or 500 mg kg⁻¹ (five times per week for 6 weeks; test groups). At week 20, all animals were euthanized and mammary glands, colon and urinary bladder were processed for histopathological analyses for detection of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. A slight non-significant effect of treatment with LGEO 500 mg kg⁻¹ in reducing development of alveolar and ductal mammary hyperplasia was found (P = 0.075). Our findings indicate that lemongrass essential oil provided protective action against MNU-induced DNA damage and a potential anticarcinogenic activity against mammary carcinogenesis in DDB-initiated female Balb/C mice.

Chemopreventive effects of mate against mouse mammary and colon carcinogenesis.

The present study evaluated the chemopreventive potential of mate tea-like intake on mammary and colon carcinogenesis initiated by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)antracene (DMBA) and 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) in female Swiss mice. After the initiation period, the animals received basal diet and organic mate tea-like, conventional mate tea-like, or green tea (positive control) at 2.0% as the drinking fluid during 15 weeks. At week 20, colon and mammary gland were analyzed for preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions development. Colon and mammary gland complexes were processed for cell proliferation analysis, estimated by proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index (PCNA-LI%). Specially, organic mate tea-like reduced the values of PCNA-LI% in colonic crypts (p < .003) and in mammary glands (p < .05) in DMBA/DMH-initiated groups. A lower incidence of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in colon (p = .03) and of hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions in mammary gland (p < .05 and p < .02, respectively) was observed in DMBA/DMH-initiated groups treated with organic mate tea-like. These results suggest that post-initiation treatment with organic mate tea-like inhibited the development of colon and mammary carcinogenesis in a two-step medium-term mouse carcinogenesis model.