Clinical relevance of breast cancer-related genes as potential biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) is a common cancer form with relatively low 5-year survival rates, due partially to late detection and lack of complementary molecular markers as targets for treatment. Molecular profiling of head and neck cancer has revealed biological similarities with basal-like breast and lung carcinoma. Recently, we showed that 16 genes were consistently altered in invasive breast tumors displaying varying degrees of aggressiveness. METHODS: To extend our findings from breast cancer to another cancer type with similar characteristics, we performed an integrative analysis of transcriptomic and proteomic data to evaluate the prognostic significance of the 16 putative breast cancer-related biomarkers in OSCC using independent microarray datasets and immunohistochemistry. Predictive models for disease-specific (DSS) and/or overall survival (OS) were calculated for each marker using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: We found that CBX2, SCUBE2, and STK32B protein expression were associated with important clinicopathological features for OSCC (peritumoral inflammatory infiltration, metastatic spread to the cervical lymph nodes, and tumor size). Consequently, SCUBE2 and STK32B are involved in the hedgehog signaling pathway which plays a pivotal role in metastasis and angiogenesis in cancer. In addition, CNTNAP2 and S100A8 protein expression were correlated with DSS and OS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these candidates and the hedgehog signaling pathway may be putative targets for drug development and clinical management of OSCC patients.

Additive effect of the AZGP1, PIP, S100A8 and UBE2C molecular biomarkers improves outcome prediction in breast carcinoma.

The deregulation of key cellular pathways is fundamental for the survival and expansion of neoplastic cells, which in turn can have a detrimental effect on patient outcome. To develop effective individualized cancer therapies, we need to have a better understanding of which cellular pathways are perturbed in a genetically defined subgroup of patients. Here, we validate the prognostic value of a 13-marker signature in independent gene expression microarray datasets (n = 1,141) and immunohistochemistry with full-faced FFPE samples (n = 71). The predictive performance of individual markers and panels containing multiple markers was assessed using Cox regression analysis. In the external gene expression dataset, six of the 13 genes (AZGP1, NME5, S100A8, SCUBE2, STC2 and UBE2C) retained their prognostic potential and were significantly associated with disease-free survival (p < 0.001). Protein analyses refined the signature to a four-marker panel [AZGP1, Prolactin-inducible protein (PIP), S100A8 and UBE2C] significantly correlated with cycling, high grade tumors and lower disease-specific survival rates. AZGP1 and PIP were found in significantly lower levels in invasive breast tissue as compared with adjacent normal tissue, whereas elevated levels of S100A8 and UBE2C were observed. A predictive model containing the four-marker panel in conjunction with established clinical variables outperformed a model containing the clinical variables alone. Our findings suggest that deregulated AZGP1, PIP, S100A8 and UBE2C are critical for the aggressive breast cancer phenotype, which may be useful as novel therapeutic targets for drug development to complement established clinical variables.

Replacement of a tracheal stenosis with a tissue-engineered human trachea using autologous stem cells: a case report.

Cell-based therapies involving tissue engineering represent interesting and potentially important strategies for the treatment of patients with various disorders. In this study, using a detergent-enzymatic method, we prepared an intact three-dimensional scaffold of an extracellular matrix derived from a human cadaver donor trachea, which we repopulated with autologous stem cells and implanted into a 76-year-old patient with tracheal stenosis including the lower part of the larynx. Although the graft provided the patient with an open airway, a week after the surgery, the mucous membrane of the graft was covered by a 1-2 mm thick fungal infection, which was treated with local and systemic antifungal therapy. The airway lumen was postoperatively controlled by fiber endoscopy and found stable and sufficient. However, after 23 days, the patient died due to cardiac arrest but with a patent, open, and stable tracheal transplant and intact anastomoses. Histopathological results of the transplanted tracheal graft during autopsy showed a squamous but not ciliated epithelium, neovascularization, bundles of α-sma-positive muscle cells, serous glands, and nerve fibers with S-100-positive nerve cells in the submucosa and intact chondrocytes in the cartilage. Our findings suggest that although autologous stem cells-engineered tracheal matrices may represent a tool for clinical tracheal replacement, further preclinical studies are required for generating functional airway grafts and long-term effects of such grafts.

High levels of γ-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH) are associated with poor prognosis and unfavorable clinical outcomes in invasive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Previously, we performed analysis of gene expression in 46 axillary lymph node negative tumors and identified molecular gene signatures that resulted in different clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation of γ-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH), fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), Pirin (PIR) and TAF5-like RNA polymerase II, p300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF)-associated factor, 65 kDa (TAF5L), selected from identified gene signatures, with clinical outcomes as well as classical clinicopathological characteristics in primary invasive breast cancer patients. METHODS: The protein levels of GGH, FAAH, PIR and TAF5L were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on a panel of 80 primary invasive breast tumors. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis were performed to verify the expression levels of the candidate biomarkers. Patient disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The prognostic biomarkers were identified by univariate analysis with a log-rank test and by multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS: The GGH and FAAH protein levels were significantly up-regulated in invasive breast cancer tumors compared with adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Furthermore, the protein levels of GGH and FAAH were significantly correlated in tumor tissues. Tumoral GGH protein expression was significantly correlated with shorter DSS and RFS. Furthermore, the protein expression of GGH was positively correlated with undifferentiated tumors (BRE grade III) and ER/PR expressing tumors. Multivariate regression analysis showed that only GGH protein expression independently predicts DSS. No such correlations were found for FAAH, PIR and TAF5L protein expression. However, elevated protein levels of FAAH were positively associated with high number of lymph node involvement and upregulated levels of PIR were positively related with lymph node metastasis. The TAF5L was pronouncedly down-regulated in primary invasive breast cancer tissues compared to matched adjacent non-cancerous tissues. CONCLUSION: These data show for the first time that cytoplasmic GGH might play a relevant role in the development and progression of invasive breast cancer, warranting further investigations. Our findings suggest that GGH serve as a potential biomarker of unfavorable clinical outcomes over short-term follow-up in breast cancer. The GGH may be a very attractive targeted therapy for selected patients.

Elevated cyclin B2 expression in invasive breast carcinoma is associated with unfavorable clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a potentially fatal malignancy in females despite the improvement in therapeutic techniques. The identification of novel molecular signatures is needed for earlier detection, monitoring effects of treatment, and predicting prognosis. We have previously used microarray analysis to identify differentially expressed genes in aggressive breast tumors. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prognostic value of the candidate biomarkers CCNB2, ASPM, CDCA7, KIAA0101, and SLC27A2 in breast cancer. METHODS: The expression levels and subcellular localization of the CCNB2, ASPM, CDCA7, KIAA0101, and SLC27A2 proteins were measured using immunohistochemistry (IHC) on a panel of 80 primary invasive breast tumors. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of CCNB2, KIAA0101, and SLC27A2 were subsequently examined by qRT-PCR to validate IHC results. Patient disease-specific survival (DSS) was evaluated in correlation to protein levels using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the impact of aberrant protein expression of the candidate biomarkers on patient DSS and to estimate the hazard ratio at 8-year follow-up. RESULTS: Elevated cytoplasmic CCNB2 protein levels were strongly associated with short-term disease-specific survival of breast cancer patients (≤ 8 years; P<0.001) and with histological tumor type (P= 0.04). However, no association with other clinicopathological parameters was observed. Multivariate Cox regression analysis specified that CCNB2 protein expression is an independent prognostic marker of DSS in breast cancer. The predictive ability of several classical clinicopathological parameters was improved when used in conjunction with CCNB2 protein expression (C-index = 0.795) in comparison with a model without CCNB2 expression (C-index = 0.698). The protein levels of ASPM, CDCA7, KIAA0101, and SLC27A2 did not correlate with any clinicopathological parameter and had no influence on DSS. However, a significant correlation between the expression of the CCNB2 and ASPM proteins was detected (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that cytoplasmic CCNB2 may function as an oncogene and could serve as a potential biomarker of unfavorable prognosis over short-term follow-up in breast cancer.

Endogenously oxidized mitochondrial DNA induces in vivo and in vitro inflammatory responses.

We report that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is inflammatogenic in vitro and in vivo as a result of the presence of unmethylated CpG sequences and its oxidative status. Purified human and murine mtDNAs induced arthritis when injected intra-articularly (i.a.) in mice. Importantly, oligodeoxynucleotide that contained a single oxidatively damaged base also induced arthritis when injected i.a. in mice. In contrast, neither human nor murine nuclear DNA induced inflammation. mtDNA-induced arthritis was neither B cell- nor T cell-dependent but was mediated by monocytes/macrophages. mtDNA-induced nuclear factor-kappaB stimulation resulted in the production of tumor necrosis factor alpha, a potent, arthritogenic factor. Finally, extracellular mtDNA was detected in the synovial fluids of rheumatoid arthritis patients but not of control subjects. We conclude that endogenous mtDNA displays inflammatogenic properties as a result of its content of unmethylated CpG motifs and oxidatively damaged adducts.