Chronic low-dose deltamethrin exposure induces colon injury and aggravates DSS-induced colitis via promoting cellular senescence.

OBJECTIVE: Deltamethrin (DLM) is a commonly used insecticide, which is harmful to many organs. Here, we explored the effects of chronic low-dose DLM residues on colon tissue and its potential mechanism. METHODS: The mice were given long-term low-dose DLM by intragastric administration, and the body weights and disease activity index (DAI) scores of the mice were regularly recorded. The colon tissues were then collected for hematoxylin-eosin, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry staining. Besides, the RNA sequencing was performed to explore the potential mechanism. RESULTS: Our results showed that long-term exposure to low-dose DLM could cause inflammation in mice colon tissue, manifested as weight loss, increased DAI score, increased apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells, and increased infiltration of inflammatory cells. However, we observed that after long-term exposure to DLM and withdrawal for a period of time, although apoptosis was restored, the recovery of colon inflammation was not ideal. Subsequently, we performed RNA sequencing and found that long-term DLM exposure could lead to the senescence of some cells in mice colon tissue. The results of staining of cellular senescence markers in colon tissue showed that the level of cellular senescence in the DLM group was significantly increased, and the p53 signalling related to senescence was also significantly activated, indicating that cellular senescence played a key role in DLM-induced colitis. We further treated mice with quercetin (QUE) after long-term DLM exposure, and found that QUE could indeed alleviate DLM-induced colitis. In addition, we observed that long-term accumulation of DLM could aggravate DSS-induced colitis in mice, and QUE treatment could reverse this scenario. CONCLUSION: Continuous intake of DLM caused chronic colitis in mice, and the inflammation persisted even after discontinuation of DLM intake. This was attributed to the induction of cellular senescence in colon tissue. Treatment with QUE alleviated DLM-induced colitis by reducing cellular senescence. Long-term DLM exposure also aggravated DSS-induced colitis, which could be mitigated by QUE treatment.

Chronic exposure to low-dose deltamethrin can lead to colon tissue injury through PRDX1 inactivation-induced mitochondrial oxidative stress injury and gut microbial dysbiosis.

OBJECTIVE: To date, it is unclear whether deltamethrin (DLM) intake causes damage to colon tissue. Hence, in this study, we aimed to clarify the effect of long-term exposure to low-dose DLM on colon tissues, and its potential mechanisms. METHODS: Mice were treated with DLM (0.2 mg/kg/day) or DLM combined with N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) (50 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. Human colon cancer cells (HCT-116) were treated with DLM (0, 25, 50, or 100 µM), NAC (2 mM), or overexpression plasmids targeting peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) for 48 h. DLM was detected using a DLM rapid detection card. Colon injury was evaluated using haematoxylin and eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy. Apoptosis was determined using immunofluorescence staining (IF), western blotting (WB) and flow cytometry (FC) assays. MitoTracker, JC-1, and glutathione (GSH) detection were used to detect mitochondrial oxidative stress. Intestinal flora were identified by 16 S rDNA sequencing. RESULTS: DLM accumulation was detected in the colon tissue and faeces of mice following long-term intragastric administration. Interestingly, our results showed that, even at a low dose, long-term intake of DLM resulted in severe weight loss and decreased the disease activity index scores and colon length. The results of IF, WB, and FC showed that DLM induced apoptosis in the colon tissue and cells. MitoTracker, JC-1, and GSH assays showed that DLM increased mitochondrial stress in colonic epithelial cells. Mechanistic studies have shown that increased mitochondrial stress and apoptosis are mediated by PRDX1 inhibition. Further experiments showed that PRDX1 overexpression significantly reduced DLM-induced oxidative stress injury and apoptosis. In addition, we observed that chronic exposure to DLM altered the composition of the intestinal flora in mice, including an increase in Odoribacter and Bacteroides and a decrease in Lactobacillus. The gut microbial richness decreased after DLM exposure in mice. Supplementation with NAC both in vivo and in vitro alleviated DLM-induced oxidative stress injury, colonic epithelial cell apoptosis, and gut microbial dysbiosis. CONCLUSION: Chronic exposure to DLM, even at small doses, can cause damage to the colon tissue, which cannot be ignored. The production and use of pesticides such as DLM should be strictly regulated during agricultural production.

Knockdown of RSPH14 inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion and promotes apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma via RelA.

BACKGROUND: High RSPH14 expression appears to be related to poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to investigate the possible roles of RSPH14 in the proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion of HCC cells. METHODS: The UALCAN database and Kaplan-Meier Plotter were used to evaluate the expression level and prognostic role of RSPH14 in HCC. Lentiviral vectors containing shRNA against RSPH14 were constructed to transfect the BEL-7404 and SMMC-7721 HCC cell lines. Cell proliferation was investigated by BrdU, MTT, and colony-formation assays. Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were evaluated using the scratch wound-healing and Transwell assays. Immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to determine the expression levels of the proteins. The function of RSPH14 in vivo was evaluated using a xenograft mouse model. RESULTS: The expression of RSPH14 was higher in HCC tumor tissues than in adjacent normal tissues and was closely related to unfavorable prognostic factors and poorer survival (all P < 0.05). Knockdown of RSPH14 inhibited the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells and promoted apoptosis (all P < 0.05). Knockdown of RSPH14 inhibited tumor growth in vivo (P < 0.05). RSPH14 knockdown led to decreased expression of RelA (NF-κBp65), CDH2, and AKT1, thereby affecting the functions of the HCC cells (all P < 0.05). RelA overexpression could abate the inhibitory effect of BEL-7404 cell proliferation caused by RSPH14 depletion. CONCLUSION: Knockdown of RSPH14 could decrease cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and increase apoptosis of HCC cells by inhibiting RelA expression. RSPH14 could be a new treatment target for HCC.

Advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) predicts prognosis of patients with gastric cancer after surgical resection.

INTRODUCTION: Advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) has been implicated in the prognosis of many types of tumors. But few studies elucidate its role in gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We consecutively recruited 615 GC patients who underwent radical gastrectomy. Patients were grouped according to ALI status. Risk factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in overall and sex-stratified cohorts were determined using multivariate cox regression analysis. We also compared survival differences between the two groups after one-to-one propensity score matching (PSM). RESULTS: Patients with low ALI showed larger tumor size, more advanced TNM staging, shorter OS (median: 37 vs 42 months) and DFS (median: 37 vs 42 months) (all P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that elevated ALI was independently associated with longer OS and DFS. After stratification by sex, low ALI was an independent risk factor for OS and DFS in male patients but not in female patients. But our further PSM analysis showed prognostic value of ALI in both male and female subgroups. CONCLUSION: Preoperative ALI is an independent prognostic factor for GC patients undergoing curative gastrectomy.

Postoperative oxaliplatin-based hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: an effective and safe palliative treatment option for colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastasis.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal metastasis (CRC-PM) after incomplete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) or palliative surgery is poor. Novel and effective therapies are urgently needed. This study aimed to assess the effects of palliative postoperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in patients with CRC-PM. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients with CRC-PM at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University in 05/2014-05/2019. Observation indicators included overall survival (OS), ascites-free survival, peritoneal cancer index (PCI), and completeness of cytoreduction (CC). Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariable Cox regression models were used to determine the factors associated with OS and ascites-free survival. The ascites-specific quality of life (QoL) was measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Ascites Index (FACIT-AI). RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were included, including 37 and 45 in the HIPEC and non-HIPEC groups, respectively. Mean OS was 10.3±3.7 (95% CI 9.5-11.2) months. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression suggested that PCI (HR=6.086, 95% CI 3.187-11.620, P < 0.0001) was independently associated with OS. The degree of ascites (HR=2.059, 95% CI 1.412-3.005, P < 0.0001), PCI (HR=6.504, 95% CI 2.844-14.875, P < 0.0001), and HIPEC (HR=0.328, 95% CI 0.191-0.562, P < 0.0001) were independently associated with ascites-free survival. In patients with survival >6 months, postoperative ascites-specific QoL was significantly improved after HIPEC compared with the non-HIPEC group (P < 0.001). Oxaliplatin-based HIPEC significantly increased the rates of neutropenia and peripheral neurotoxicity (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that postoperative oxaliplatin-based HIPEC might help increase ascites-free survival in CRC-PM patients after incomplete CRS or palliative surgery, with improved QoL after 6 months of follow-up.

Dapagliflozin suppressed gastric cancer growth via regulating OTUD5 mediated YAP1 deubiquitination.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common malignant disease that has a fifth highest incidence and fourth highest mortality worldwide. The Warburg effect is a common phenomenon observed in tumors, which suggests that tumor cells would enhance glucose uptake by overexpressing multiple glucose transporters. Sodium glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) is one of glucose transporters which highly expressed in several cancers, but its role in gastric cancer is still unclear. Our research found that there was a high expression level of SGLT2 in gastric cancer tissues. We found that Dapagliflozin (a SGLT2 inhibitor) could suppress gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. In present study, we revealed how dapagliflozin would suppress gastric cancer progression in a novel mechanism. We proved that dapagliflozin decreased the expression level of OTU deubiquitinase 5 (OTUD5), which further increased the ubiquitination and degradation of YAP1. Overexpression of OTUD5 in gastric cancer cells partly reversed the anti-tumor effect of dapagliflozin. Our findings revealed a novel mechanism by which dapagliflozin has an antitumor effect on gastric cancer and proposed a beneficial strategy for the application of dapagliflozin in gastric cancer patients.

The prognostic role of γδ T cells in colorectal cancer based on nomogram.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to explore the prognostic role of γδ T cells in colorectal cancer, and establish a nomogram for predicting the survival of the patients. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze the infiltration degree of γδ T cells in tumor and normal tissues of colorectal cancer. The relationship between γδ T cells infiltration in tumor tissues and the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer were determined by Cox regression analysis and survival analysis. R software was used to establish and verify a nomogram for predicting the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer. RESULTS: The degree of γδ T cell infiltration in tumor tissues and normal tissues of CRC was not different (t = 0.35, P = 0.73). However, the infiltration of γδ T cell was related to the survival status of the patients (x2 = 4.88, P = 0.03). Besides, the infiltrating degree of γδ T cells in tumor tissue was obviously related to the prognostic improvement of the patients with colorectal cancer (log-rank P = 0.02) and could reflect the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy. The nomogram based on tumor diameter, tumor location, AJCC stage, chemotherapy, serum CEA level and γδ T cell infiltration was established and could provide a reference for predicting the survival of colorectal cancer patients. CONCLUSION: γδ T cell infiltration degree in tumor tissue was an important factor to improve the outcome of patients with colorectal cancer, and can predict the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Clinical significance of FBXO43 in hepatocellular carcinoma and its impact on tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

Background: The effects of FBXO43 on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its clinical significance have not yet been determined. This study aims to determine the clinical significance of FBXO43 in HCC and its impact on the biological functions of HCC cells. Methods: Data from TCGA database were downloaded to investigate the expression of FBXO43 in HCC and its correlation with prognosis and immune infiltration. Immunohistochemical staining images of FBXO43 in HCC were acquired from the HPA website. HCC cells (BEL-7404 and SMMC-7721) were transfected with the lentivirus targeting FBXO43 to decrease FBXO43 expression in HCC cells. Western blotting assay was conducted to evaluate the expression level of FBXO43 protein. MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation of HCC cells. The migration and invasion of HCC cells were investigated by performing scratch wound-healing and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. Results: In comparison to normal tissues, FBXO43 is overexpressed in HCC tissue, and high FBXO43 expression is linked to late T stage, TNM stage and tumor grade. Elevated FBXO43 expression is a risk factor for HCC. In patients with high FBXO43 expression, the overall survival, disease-specific survival, progression-free survival and disease-free survival are poorer. The proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells are significantly attenuated in FBXO43 knockdown cells. Also, TCGA data analysis reveals that FBXO43 exhibits a positive correlation with immunosuppression of HCC. Conclusion: FBXO43 is overexpressed in HCC, and is linked to late tumor stage, worse prognosis and tumor immunosuppression. FBXO43 knockdown restrains the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC.

XTP1 facilitates the growth and development of gastric cancer by activating CDK6.

Background: Hepatitis B virus X protein (XTP1) is overexpressed in tumor tissues and regulates cancer progression. However, the molecular mechanism of XTP1 in gastric cancer (GC) is poorly understood. Hence, we aimed to dissect the underlying role of XTP1 in the development of GC. Methods: Lentiviruses were constructed and transfected into GC cells to upregulate or downregulate gene expression. The expressions of proteins in GC cells or tumor tissues were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay, or the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. Cell proliferation was assessed via methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, Celigo cell counting assay, cell cycle analysis, and colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. The apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated using the human apoptosis antibody array. GC cell migration was detected by scratch wound-healing assays and Transwell migration assays. Potential downstream molecules were identified by the human GeneChip assay combined with bioinformatics analysis. Results: We found that XTP1 is overexpressed in GC tissues and is positively related to its pathological grade. XTP1 knockdown restrained the growth and migration of GC cells, while XTP1 overexpression promoted cell proliferation and suppressed apoptosis. A mechanistic study indicated that XTP1 knockdown inhibited cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) expression and that CDK6 might be a potential downstream molecule of XTP1. Further study confirmed that CDK6 depletion also suppressed GC cell proliferation and migration and increased GC cell apoptosis. Moreover, rescue experiments verified that CDK6 knockdown abated the promotion of XTP1 overexpression on GC progression. Conclusions: XTP1 facilitated the development and progression of GC cells by activating CDK6. Therefore, the XTP1-CDK6 axis might be a potential therapeutic target for GC.

Applications of cold atmospheric plasma in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases via redox homeostasis: evidence and prospects.

As a representative technology in plasma medicine, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has beneficial outcomes in surface disinfection, wound repair, tissue regeneration, solid tumor therapy. Impact on immune response and inflammatory conditions was also observed in the process of CAP treatment. Relevant literatures were collected to assess efficacy and summarize possible mechanisms of the innovation. CAP mediates alteration in local immune microenvironment mainly through two ways. One is to down-regulate the expression level of several cytokines, impeding further conduction of immune or inflammatory signals. Intervening the functional phenotype of cells through different degree of oxidative stress is the other approach to manage the immune-mediated inflammatory disorders. A series of preclinical and clinical studies confirmed the therapeutic effect and side effects free of CAP. Moreover, several suggestions proposed in this manuscript might help to find directions for future investigation.

Plasma-Activated Solutions Mitigates DSS-Induced Colitis via Restoring Redox Homeostasis and Reversing Microbiota Dysbiosis.

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease that increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Conventional medications are limited by drug delivery and a weak capacity to modulate the inflammatory microenvironment. Further, gut microbiota dysbiosis caused by mucosal damage and dysregulated redox homeostasis leads to frequent recurrence. Therefore, promoting mucosal healing and restoring redox homeostasis is considered the initial step in treating ulcerative colitis. Plasma-activated solutions (PAS) are liquids rich in various reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and are used to treat multiple diseases. However, its effect on ulcerative colitis remains to be examined. Therefore, using a DSS-induced mice colitis model, it is found that PAS has the potential to treat colitis and prevent its recurrence by promoting intestinal mucosal repair, reducing inflammation, improving redox homeostasis, and reversing gut microbiota dysbiosis. Further, an equipment is designed for preparing PAS without using nitrogen; however, after treatment with the Nitro-free PAS, the therapeutic effect of PAS is significantly weakened or even lost, indicating that RNS may be the main mediator by which PAS exerts its therapeutic effects. Overall, this study demonstrates the treatment of ulcerative colitis as a novel application of PAS.

D-dimer, a predictor of bad outcome in gastric cancer patients undergoing radical resection.

As a marker of hypercoagulability, plasma D-dimer is associated with progression of many cancers but remains controversial in gastric cancer (GC). We aim to investigate the predictive value of D-dimer for postoperative outcomes after radical gastrectomy of GC patients. We enrolled 903 consecutive patients with GC who underwent radical gastrectomy and the clinicopathological characteristics were compared. Risk factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were determined using multivariate cox regression analysis. We also compared the survival difference based on Kaplan-Meier method after a one-to-one propensity score matching (PSM). Patients with elevated D-dimer had older age (p < 0.001), advanced TNM stage (p < 0.001), larger tumor size (p = 0.005), lower 5-year OS rate (32.8% vs 62.6%, p < 0.001) and DFS (29% vs 59.6%, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, elevated D-dimer was independently associated with shorter OS [hazard ratio (HR): 1.633, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.178-2.264, p = 0.003] and DFS (HR: 1.58, 95% CI 1.151-2.169, P = 0.005). After PSM, the 5-year OS rate of patients with elevated D-dimer was still significantly lower than matched group (32.8% vs 40.6%, p = 0.005), so was DFS (29% vs 36.6%, p = 0.008). Preoperative elevated D-dimer is an independent risk factor for GC patients undergoing curative gastrectomy.

Development of the Peritoneal Metastasis: A Review of Back-Grounds, Mechanisms, Treatments and Prospects.

Peritoneal metastasis is a malignant disease which originated from several gastrointestinal and gynecological carcinomas and has been leading to a suffering condition in patients for decades. Currently, as people have gradually become more aware of the severity of peritoneal carcinomatosis, new molecular mechanisms for targeting and new treatments have been proposed. However, due to the uncertainty of influencing factors involved and a lack of a standardized procedure for this treatment, as well as a need for more clinical data for specific evaluation, more research is needed, both for preventing and treating. We aim to summarize backgrounds, mechanisms and treatments in this area and conclude limitations or new aspects for treatments.

Predictive value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio for distant metastasis in gastric cancer patients.

As a systemic inflammatory marker, the significance of NLR in predicting tumor prognosis and early lymph node metastasis is well known, including gastric cancer (GC). However, whether NLR can reflect GC metastasis status remains to be explored. We retrospectively enrolled 1667 GC patients treated in our hospital from December 2010 to December 2018. Patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of metastases. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of markers in assessing GC metastasis. Then we conducted a joint ROC curve analysis. The effects of clinicopathological parameters on GC metastasis were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. 743 (44.6%) patients were diagnosed with metastatic GC. Patients with GC metastases have younger age, higher CEA, CA19-9, CA72-4 and NLR. Based on the comparison of AUC, NLR has diagnostic efficacy comparable to that of GC markers. The AUC of NLR combined with GC markers had significantly higher predicting efficacy than that without combination for assessing peritoneal metastasis (P = 0.013), osseous metastasis (P = 0.017) and hepatic metastasis (P < 0.001). In multiple logistic regression analysis, age, NLR, CEA, CA19-9 and CA72-4 were found to be independently associated with GC metastasis (all P < 0.05). NLR was a risk factor of GC metastasis. Combining CEA, CA19-9, CA72-4 and NLR could better predict metastases in GC.

Therapeutic Effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma on Solid Tumor.

Cancer is a devastating disease, and there is no particularly effective treatment at present. Recently, a new treatment, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), has been proposed. At present, CAP is confirmed to have selective killing effect on tumor by many studies in vitro and in vivo. A targeted literature search was carried out on the study of cold atmospheric plasma. Through analysis and screening, a narrative review approach was selected to describe therapeutic effects of cold atmospheric plasma on solid tumor. According to the recent studies on plasma, some hypothetical therapeutic schemes of CAP are proposed in this paper. The killing mechanism of CAP on solid tumor is expounded in terms of the selectivity of CAP to tumor, the effects of CAP on cells, tumor microenvironment (TME) and immune system. CAP has many effects on solid tumors, and these effects are dose-dependent. The effects of optimal doses of CAP on solid tumors include killing tumor cells, inhibiting non-malignant cells and ECM in TME, affecting the communication between tumor cells, and inducing immunogenic death of tumor cells. In addition, several promising research directions of CAP are proposed in this review, which provide guidance for future research.

Development and validation of prognostic markers in sarcomas base on a multi-omics analysis.

BACKGROUND: In sarcomas, the DNA copy number and DNA methylation exhibit genomic aberrations. Transcriptome imbalances play a driving role in the heterogeneous progression of sarcomas. However, it is still unclear whether abnormalities of DNA copy numbers are systematically related to epigenetic DNA methylation, thus, a comprehensive analysis of sarcoma occurrence and development from the perspective of epigenetic and genomics is required. METHODS: RNASeq, copy number variation (CNV), methylation data, clinical follow-up information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEO database. The association between methylation and CNV was analyzed to further identify methylation-related genes (MET-Gs) and CNV abnormality-related genes (CNV-Gs). Subsequently DNA copy number, methylation, and gene expression data associated with the MET-Gs and CNV-Gs were integrated to determine molecular subtypes and clinical and molecular characteristics of molecular subtypes. Finally, key biomarkers were determined and validated in independent validation sets. RESULTS: A total of 5354 CNV-Gs and 4042 MET-Gs were screened and showed a high degree of consistency. Four molecular subtypes (iC1, iC2, iC3, and iC4) with different prognostic significances were identified by multiomics cluster analysis, specifically, iC2 had the worst prognosis and iC4 indicated an immune-enhancing state. Three potential prognostic markers (ENO1, ACVRL1 and APBB1IP) were determined after comparing the molecular characteristics of the four molecular subtypes. The expression of ENO1 gene was significantly correlated with CNV, and was noticeably higher in iC2 subtype with the worst prognosis than any other subtypes. The expressions of ACVRL1 and APBB1IP were negatively correlated with methylation, and were high-expressed in the iC4 subtype with the most favorable prognosis. In addition, the number of silent/nonsilent mutations and neoantigens in iC2 subtype were significantly more than those in iC1/iC3/iC4 subtype, and the same trend was also observed in CNV Gain/Loss. CONCLUSION: The current comprehensive analysis of genomic and epigenomic regulation provides new insights into multilayered pathobiology of sarcomas. Four molecular subtypes and three prognostic markers developed in this study improve the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying sarcoma.

Correlations Between Tumor Mutation Burden and Immunocyte Infiltration and Their Prognostic Value in Colon Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer has a huge incidence and mortality worldwide every year. Immunotherapy could be a new therapeutic option for patients with advanced colon cancer. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) and immune infiltration are considered critical in immunotherapy but their characteristics in colon cancer are still controversial. METHODS: The somatic mutation, transcriptome, and clinical data of patients with colon cancer were obtained from the TCGA database. Patients were divided into low or high TMB groups using the median TMB value. Somatic mutation landscape, differentially expressed genes, and immune-related hub genes, Gene Ontology and KEGG, gene set enrichment, and immune infiltration analyses were investigated between the two TMB groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were utilized to construct a prognostic gene signature. The differences in immune infiltration, and the expression of HLA-related genes and checkpoint genes were investigated between the two immunity groups based on single sample gene set enrichment analysis. Finally, a nomogram of the prognostic prediction model integrating TMB, immune infiltration, and clinical parameters was established. Calibration plots and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were drawn, and the C-index was calculated to assess the predictive ability. RESULTS: Missense mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms were the major variant characteristics in colon cancer. The TMB level showed significant differences in N stage, M stage, pathological stage, and immune infiltration. CD8+ T cells, activated memory CD4+ T cells, activated NK cells, and M1 macrophages infiltrated more in the high-TMB group. The antigen processing and presentation signaling pathway was enriched in the high-TMB group. Two immune related genes (CHGB and SCT) were identified to be correlated with colon cancer survival (HR = 1.39, P = 0.01; HR = 1.26, P = 0.02, respectively). Notably, the expression of SCT was identified as a risk factor in the immune risk model, in which high risk patients showed poorer survival (P = 0.04). High immunity status exhibited significant correlations with immune response pathways, HLA-related genes, and immune checkpoint genes. Finally, including nine factors, our nomogram prediction model showed better calibration (C-index = 0.764) and had an AUC of 0.737. CONCLUSION: In this study, we investigated the patterns and prognostic roles of TMB and immune infiltration in colon cancer, which provided new insights into the tumor microenvironment and immunotherapies and the development of a novel nomogram prognostic prediction model for patients with colon cancer.

Comprehensive Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies Tumor Microenvironment and Immune-related Genes in Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Tumor microenvironment (TME) cells play important roles in tumor progression. Accumulating evidence show that they can be exploited to predict the clinical outcomes and therapeutic responses of the tumor. However, the role of immune genes of TME in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is currently unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of immune genes in SCLC. METHODS: We downloaded the expression profile and clinical follow-up data of SCLC patients from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and TME infiltration profile data of 158 patients using CIBERSORT. The correlation between TME phenotypes, genomic features, and clinicopathological features of SCLC was examined. A gene signature was constructed based on TME genes to further evaluate the relationship between molecular subtypes of SCLC with the prognosis and clinical features. RESULTS: We identified a group of genes that are highly associated with TME. Several immune cells in TME cells were significantly correlated with SCLC prognosis (p<0.0001). These immune cells displayed diverse immune patterns. Three molecular subtypes of SCLC (TMEC1-3) were identified on the basis of enrichment of immune cell components, and these subtypes showed dissimilar prognosis profiles (p=0.03). The subtype with the best prognosis, TMEC3, was enriched with immune activation factors such as oncogene M0, oncogene M2, T cells follicular helper, and T cells CD8 (p<0.001). The TMEC1 subtype with the worst prognosis was enriched with T cells CD4 naive, B cells memory and Dendritic cells activated cells (p<0.001). Further analysis showed that the TME was significantly enriched with immune checkpoint genes, immune genes, and immune pathway genes (p<0.01). From the gene expression data, we identified four TME-related genes, GZMB, HAVCR2, PRF1 and TBX2, which were significantly associated with poor prognosis in both the training set and the validation set (p<0.05). These genes may serve as markers for monitoring tumor responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors. CONCLUSION: This study shows that TME features may serve as markers for evaluating the response of SCLC cells to immunotherapy.

SNHG6 Interacted with miR-325-3p to Regulate Cisplatin Resistance of Gastric Cancer by Targeting GITR.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin resistance results in the failure of platinum-based chemotherapy and relapse of gastric cancer. We aimed to investigate the potential regulating role of SNHG6/miR-325-3p/GITR in reversing cisplatin resistance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 137 gastric cancer patients were recruited. qRT-PCR and ELISA were used to test the expression of target genes. CCK-8 and caspase 3/7 kit were used to test the cell viability and apoptosis rate. Dual luciferase reporter gene and RNA-pull down assay were used to investigate the potential interaction between target genes. RESULTS: SNHG6 and GITR were up regulated in gastric cancer; however, miR-325-3p was down-regulated. Besides, SNHG6, miR-325-3p and GITR expression were associated with gastric cancer prognosis. Then, we found that GITR and SNHG6 promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of MKN45 and MKN45 cisplatin resistance cell line; however, miR-325-3p inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of these cell lines. Furthermore, SNHG6 might bind to miR-325-3p to regulate its expression, and miR-325-3p directly interacted with the 3`UTR of GITR. CONCLUSION: SNHG6 binds to miR-325-3p, which directly interacted with GITR to regulate cisplatin resistance of gastric cancer.

MicroRNA­216a­5p suppresses esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by targeting KIAA0101.

The KIAA0101 protein (also referred to as NS5ATP9 or Paf15) is overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and is associated with disease progression and poor patient survival, but how KIAA0101 expression is regulated remains unknown. The relationship between tumor miR­216a­5p expression and prognosis in patients with ESCC was revealed by survival analyses. Quantitative reverse­transcriptase PCR and western blot analysis were used to evaluate miR­216a­5p and KIAA0101 expression in human ESCC tissues and cell lines. The targeting of KIAA0101 by miR­216a­5p was verified by dual­luciferase reporter assays. The EC9706 and TE1 cell lines were transfected with miR­216a­5p mimics and inhibitor, or KIAA0101­specific shRNA and KIAA0101­expressing plasmids, in order to evaluate the effect of manipulating miR­216a­5p and KIAA0101 expression on ESCC cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, and invasion. miR­216a­5p was lowly expressed and inversely correlated with KIAA0101 protein expression in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Lower miR­216a­5p expression was associated with worse prognosis in patients with ESCC. miR­216a­5p negatively regulated KIAA0101 expression by directly targeting the 3'­untranslated region of the KIAA0101 mRNA. Overexpression of miR­216a­5p suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of the ESCC cell lines, whereas inhibition of miR­216a­5p had the opposite effects. Meanwhile, KIAA0101 promoted ESCC migration and invasion, and its overexpression abolished the antitumor effects of miR­216a­5p mimics. As a tumor suppressor, miR­216a­5p targets KIAA0101 to inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC. Therefore, the miR­216a­5p/KIAA0101 axis may be a potential target for ESCC treatment.