The outcome of ibrutinib-based regimens in relapsed/refractory central nervous system lymphoma and the potential impact of genomic variants.

BACKGROUND: Relapsed/refractory (r/r) central nervous system lymphoma (CNSL) exhibits aggressive behavior and poor outcomes. As an effective bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, ibrutinib yields benefits in B-cell malignancies. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the efficacy of ibrutinib in treating r/r CNSL patients, and whether genomic variants impact treatment outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The ibrutinib-based regimens in 12 r/r primary CNSL (PCNSL) and 2 secondary CNSL (SCNSL) patients were analyzed retrospectively. The impact of genetic variants on the effects of treatments was examined using whole-exome sequencing (WES) technology. RESULTS: In PCNSL, the overall response rate was 75%, with median overall survival (OS) not reached (NR) and progression-free survival (PFS) of 4 months. Both SCNSL patients responded to ibrutinib, with median OS NR and PFS of 0.5-1.5 months. Infections were common during ibrutinib therapy (42.86%). The PCNSL patients harboring gene mutations in PIM1, MYD88 and CD79B, and the proximal BCR and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways responded to ibrutinib. Patients who harbored simple genetic variants and those with a low tumor mutation burden (TMB; 2.39-5.56/Mb) responded swiftly and maintained remission for more than 10 months. A patient with a TMB of 11/Mb responded to ibrutinib but continued to experience disease progression. In contrast, patients with complex genomic features, especially extremely high TMB (58.39/Mb), responded poorly to ibrutinib. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that ibrutinib-based therapy is effective and relatively safe for the treatment of r/r CNSL. Patients with less genomic complexity, especially with regard to TMB, might benefit more from ibrutinib regimens.

Girdin acts as an oncogene in gastric cancer by regulating AKT/GSK3ß/ß-catenin signaling.

ThE present work focused on exploring Girdin expression within gastric cancer (GC), examining the effect of Girdin on the cell phenotype of GC, and clarifying the underlying mechanisms. Girdin expression in GC samples was identified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assays. Girdin-targeting siRNAs were transfected into GC cells; later, we examined GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis, respectively. Additionally, the protein expression was examined through Western blotting assay. Moreover, the tumor implantation experiment was conducted for examining Girdin knockdown in vivo. The results showed that Girdin expression elevated within GC samples, which was associated with the dismal prognostic outcome. Girdin knockdown suppressed GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and enhanced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Girdin promoted the phosphorylation of AKT, GSK3ß, and ß-catenin. Moreover, Girdin inhibited the phosphorylation of ß-catenin. Girdin suppressed cell apoptosis and stimulated cell migration and invasion, while AKT inhibitor (MK2206) treatment reversed the effect of Girdin overexpression, and GSK3ß inhibitor (CHIR99021) treatment enhanced the effect of Girdin overexpression on GC cells. Besides, Girdin delayed tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, Girdin was abnormally expressed in GC samples, which promoted the development of GC by regulating AKT/GSK3ß/ß-catenin signaling.

NOL6 Regulates the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Gastric Cancer Cells via Regulating TP53I3, CDK4 and MCM7 Expression.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a prevalent cancer with high mortality and strong invasiveness, and the entire regulatory networks of GC is still unclear. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the specific mechanism of the effect of nucleolar protein 6 (NOL6) on the proliferation and apoptosis of GC cells. Methods: The human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line HGC-27 and AGS were cultured. qRT-PCR was used to verify the expression level of NOL6 in GC cells; MTT and EdU were used to test cell proliferation; TUNEL staining and Flow cytometry were used to detect cell apoptosis; The downstream genes and pathways following NOL6 knockdown were explored through the microarray assay and ingenuity pathway analysis, and the downstream genes were finally verified by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. The xenograft mice were used to investigate the effect of NOL6 on GC in vivo. Results: TCGA data analysis showed that NOL6 expression level was higher in GC cells than adjacent normal cells. Over-expression of NOL6 increased proliferation and colony formation, and inhibited the apoptotic rate in AGS and HGC-27 cells, while NOL6 knockdown induced the opposite effects. Through microarray assay and IPA analysis, NOL6-related downstream genes and critical signaling pathways were found. And we verified the relationship between downstream genes and GC. Additionally, NOL6 knockdown could decrease the weight and volume of tumor in the mice. Conclusion: NOL6 knockdown could inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis of GC, suggesting that NOL6 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating GC.

Driver Genes Associated With the Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The association between driver genes and the incidence of thromboembolic events (TEs) in patients diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) needs to be quantified to guide clinical management. METHODS: We interrogated PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane library databases for terms related to venous thromboembolism (VTE) and arterial thromboembolism (ATE) in patients diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer harboring driver genes. This search was conducted for studies published between 1 January, 2000 and 31 December, 2020. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to analyze the pooled incidence and odds ratios of VTE in patients with different driver genes. RESULTS: Of the 2,742 citations identified, a total of 25 studies that included 21,156 patients met eligibility criteria. The overall pooled incidence of VTE in patients with driver genes was 23% (95% CI 18-29). Patients with ROS1 rearrangements had the highest incidence of VTE (37%, 95%CI 23-52). ALK rearrangements were associated with increased VTE risks (OR=2.08,95% CI 1.69-2.55), with the second highest incidence of VTE (27%, 95%CI 20-35). Both groups of patients with EGFR and KRAS mutations did not show a significantly increased risk for VTE (OR=1.33, 95% CI 0.75-2.34; OR=1.31, 95% CI 0.40-4.28). CONCLUSIONS: ALK rearrangements were shown to be associated with increased VTE risks in patients diagnosed with non-small lung cancer, while there was no significant relation observed between VTE risks and EGFR or KRAS mutations in lung cancer patients.

Phospholipase D as a key modulator of cancer progression.

The phospholipase D (PLD) family has a ubiquitous expression in cells. PLD isoforms (PLDs) and their hydrolysate phosphatidic acid (PA) have been demonstrated to engage in multiple stages of cancer progression. Aberrant expression of PLDs, especially PLD1 and PLD2, has been detected in various cancers. Inhibition or elimination of PLDs activity has been shown to reduce tumour growth and metastasis. PLDs and PA also serve as downstream effectors of various cell-surface receptors, to trigger and regulate propagation of intracellular signals in the process of tumourigenesis and metastasis. Here, we discuss recent advances in understanding the functions of PLDs and PA in discrete stages of cancer progression, including cancer cell growth, invasion and migration, and angiogenesis, with special emphasis on the tumour-associated signalling pathways mediated by PLDs and PA and the functional importance of PLDs and PA in cancer therapy.

Sec3 knockdown inhibits TGF-ß induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition through the down-regulation of Akt phosphorylation in A549 cells.

The exocyst, an evolutionarily conserved octomeric protein complex, has been demonstrated as an essential component for vesicle tethering during cell exocytosis, and participates in various physiological processes in the cell. Although subunits of the exocyst complex have been reported to be involved in the regulation of TGF-ß induced cancer cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), the potential function of Sec3 in these regulated processes remains unclear. Here, we show that Sec3 knockdown abolishes TGF-ß stimulated A549 lung cancer cell migration in vitro and causes defects in the regulated EMT process. In addition, we find that depletion of Sec3 significantly inhibits TGF-ß stimulated Akt phosphorylation in A549 cells, whereas the increase of Smad2 phosphorylation is unaffected. Furthermore, replenishment of an RNAi-resistant form of Sec3 is shown to restore the defects of TGF-ß induced cell migration, EMT and Akt signaling activation. In summary, our study provides evidence that Sec3 is involved in TGF-ß induced cell migration and EMT processes, presumably through the regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling activation in A549 cancer cells.

Optogenetic control of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of the most important mechanisms in the initiation and promotion of cancer cell metastasis. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway has been demonstrated to be involved in TGF-ß induced EMT, but the complicated TGF-ß signaling network makes it challenging to dissect the important role of PI3K on regulation of EMT process. Here, we applied optogenetic controlled PI3K module (named 'Opto-PI3K'), which based on CRY2 and the N-terminal of CIB1 (CIBN), to rapidly and reversibly control the endogenous PI3K activity in cancer cells with light. By precisely modulating the kinetics of PI3K activation, we found that E-cadherin is an important downstream target of PI3K signaling. Compared with TGF-ß treatment, Opto-PI3K had more potent effect in down-regulation of E-cadherin expression, which was demonstrated to be regulated in a light dose-dependent manner. Surprisingly, sustained PI3K activation induced partial EMT state in A549 cells that is highly reversible. Furthermore, we demonstrated that Opto-PI3K only partially mimicked TGF-ß effects on promotion of cell migration in vitro. These results reveal the importance of PI3K signaling in TGF-ß induced EMT, suggesting other TGF-ß regulated signaling pathways are necessary for the full and irreversible promotion of EMT in cancer cells. In addition, our study implicates the great promise of optogenetics in cancer research for mapping input-output relationships in oncogenic pathways.