Comprehensive transcriptomic profiling and mutational landscape of primary gastric linitis plastica.

BACKGROUND: Primary gastric linitis plastica (GLP) is a distinct phenotype of gastric cancer with poor survival. Comprehensive molecular profiles and putative therapeutic targets of GLP remain undetermined. METHODS: We subjected 10 tumor-normal tissue pairs to whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS). 10 tumor samples were all GLP which involves 100% of the gastric wall macroscopically. TCGA data were compared to generate the top mutated genes and the overexpressed genes in GLP. RESULTS: Our results reveal that GLP has distinctive genomic and transcriptomic features, dysfunction in the Hippo pathway is likely to be a key step during GLP development. 6 genes were identified as significantly highly mutated genes in GLP, including AOX1, ANKRD36C, CPXM1, PTPN14, RPAP1, and DCDC1). MUC6, as a previously identified gastric cancer driver gene, has a high mutation rate (20%) in GLP. 20% of patients in our GLP cohort had CDH1 mutations, while none had RHOA mutations. GLP exhibits high immunodeficiency and low AMPK pathway activity. Our WTS results showed that 3 PI3K-AKT pathway-related genes (PIK3R2, AKT3, and IGF1) were significantly up-regulated in GLP. Two genes were identified using immunohistochemistry (IHC), IGF2BP3 and MUC16, which specifically expressed in diffuse-type-related gastric cancer cell lines, and its knockdown inhibits PI3K-AKT pathway activity. CONCLUSIONS: We provide the first integrative genomic and transcriptomic profiles of GLP, which may facilitate its diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

DEC1 promotes progression of Helicobacter pylori-positive gastric cancer by regulating Akt/NF-κB pathway.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection plays a crucial role in the initiation and progression of gastric cancer (GC). Differentiated embryo-chondrocyte expressed gene 1 (DEC1) is dysregulated in some cancers and may regulate cell proliferation in specific contexts. Of note, DEC1 is emerging as one of the important factors regulating cellular responses in microenvironment. However, the triggers and precise regulation mechanism for DEC1 during inflammatory carcinoma transformation of GC are unclear. In this study, we identified DEC1 was upregulated in both H. pylori-infected gastric tissues and GC cells. DEC1 expression was positively associated with H. pylori infection status and GC progression. DEC1-positive expression indicated a poorer prognosis in H. pylori-positive GC. DEC1 was required for H. pylori-induced GC cells proliferation. Mechanistically, H. pylori infection significantly activated Akt/NF-κB signal pathway and this induction depend on DEC1 expression level in GC cells. Importantly, their interaction pathway was further verified by H. pylori-positive gastritis mice model. Taken together, our findings identified a novel function of DEC1 in GC. H. pylori infection induce DEC1 expression, and which leading to the progression of GC through activating Akt/ NF-κB signalling pathway. Blocking DEC1/Akt/NF-κB, therefore, presents a promising novel therapeutic strategy for H. pylori-positive GC.

Golgi scaffold protein PAQR3 as a candidate suppressor of gastric cardia adenocarcinoma via regulating TGF-ß/Smad pathway.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the function of PAQR3 in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) and understand the possible mechanism of PAQR3 in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). METHODS: We detected PAQR3 protein in 146 GCA tissues and paired normal adjacent tissues (PNTs) specimens using immunohistochemical analysis, and explored its clinical significance. The expression levels of PAQR3 protein in 20 GCA tissues, their paired PNTs, HGC27, SGC7901, and GES-1 cells were analyzed by Western blot. Wild-type PAQR3 was overexpressed in HGC27 cells. The effects of PAQR3 overexpression on the function of HGC27 cells and its underlying mechanisms were then analyzed through a series of cell and molecular biology experiments. RESULTS: PAQR3 was significantly down-regulated in GCA tissues when compared with paired PNTs (p < 0.0001). The expression level of PAQR3 in GCA tissues was significantly negatively correlated with Helicobacter pylori infection (p = 0.000), venous invasion (p = 0.000), invasion depth (p = 0.000), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.022), tumor stage (p = 0.000), and patient survival (p = 0.009). Downregulation of PAQR3 was highly correlated with increased EMT signature and activated TGF-ß/Smad pathway in GCA tissues. Overexpression of PAQR3 in HGC27 cells negatively regulates its cellular functions, such as cell proliferation and migration, and suppresses EMT. Mechanistically, overexpression of PAQR3 significantly down-regulates the protein expression levels of TGF-1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 in HGC27 cells. CONCLUSION: PAQR3 was significantly down-regulated in GCA tissues, HGC27, and SGC7901 cells. PAQR3 significantly inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HGC27 cells. Mechanistically, PAQR3 can inhibit the EMT process in HGC27 cells by regulating TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway.

Circulating methylated THBS1 DNAs as a novel marker for predicting peritoneal dissemination in gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) is known to play a key role in tumor metastasis, and aberrant DNA methylation is one of the mechanisms regulating THBS1. The present study investigated whether methylated THBS1 in circulating cell-free DNA from preoperative peritoneal lavage fluid (PPLF) and peripheral blood could be used as a potential biomarker for predicting peritoneal dissemination in gastric cancer (GC) patients. METHODS: The status of THBS1 methylation was detected by quantitative methylation-specific PCR (MSP) in tumor tissues, paired PPLF, and serum from 92 GC patients. The correlation between methylated THBS1 levels and peritoneal dissemination of GC was studied, and its diagnostic value for predicting peritoneal dissemination was clarified by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: Aberrant THBS1 methylation in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in paracancerous normal tissues (p < 0.0001). No THBS1 methylation was found in 40 healthy controls, and partial methylation was detected in 3 of 48 patients with chronic non-atrophic gastritis. The frequency of THBS1 methylation in pairing PPLF and serum from 92 GC patients was 52.2% (48/92) and 58.7% (54/92), respectively. The results of methylated THBS1 in pairing PPLF and serum were similar to those of tumor tissues. Aberrant THBS1 methylation in tumor tissues and pairing PPLF or serum was closely related to peritoneal dissemination, tumor progression, and poor prognosis (all p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Circulating methylated THBS1 DNAs in PPLF/serum may predict peritoneal dissemination, a potential poor prognostic factor for GC patients.

Polyamine synthesis enzyme AMD1 is closely associated with tumorigenesis and prognosis of human gastric cancers.

Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase 1 (AMD1) is a key enzyme involved in biosynthesis of polyamines including spermidine and spermine. The potential function of AMD1 in human gastric cancers is unknown. We analyzed AMD1 expression level in 319 human gastric cancer samples together with the adjacent normal tissues. The protein expression level of AMD1 was significantly increased in human gastric cancer samples compared with their corresponding para-cancerous histological normal tissues (P < 0.0001). The expression level of AMD1 was positively associated with Helicobactor pylori 16sRNA (P < 0.0001), tumor size (P < 0.0001), tumor differentiation (P < 0.05), tumor venous invasion (P < 0.0001), tumor lymphatic invasion (P < 0.0001), blood vessel invasion (P < 0.0001), and tumor lymph node metastasis (TNM) stage (P < 0.0001). Patients with high expression of AMD1 had a much shorter overall survival than those with normal/low expression of AMD1. Knockdown of AMD1 in human gastric cancer cells suppressed cell proliferation, colony formation and cell migration. In a tumor xenograft model, knockdown of AMD1 suppressed the tumor growth in vivo. Inhibition of AMD1 by an inhibitor SAM486A in human gastric cancer cells arrested cell cycle progression during G1-to-S transition. Collectively, our studies at the cellular, animal and human levels indicate that AMD1 has a tumorigenic effect on human gastric cancers and affect the prognosis of the patients.

SIRT3-dependent GOT2 acetylation status affects the malate-aspartate NADH shuttle activity and pancreatic tumor growth.

The malate-aspartate shuttle is indispensable for the net transfer of cytosolic NADH into mitochondria to maintain a high rate of glycolysis and to support rapid tumor cell growth. The malate-aspartate shuttle is operated by two pairs of enzymes that localize to the mitochondria and cytoplasm, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases (GOT), and malate dehydrogenases (MDH). Here, we show that mitochondrial GOT2 is acetylated and that deacetylation depends on mitochondrial SIRT3. We have identified that acetylation occurs at three lysine residues, K159, K185, and K404 (3K), and enhances the association between GOT2 and MDH2. The GOT2 acetylation at these three residues promotes the net transfer of cytosolic NADH into mitochondria and changes the mitochondrial NADH/NAD(+) redox state to support ATP production. Additionally, GOT2 3K acetylation stimulates NADPH production to suppress ROS and to protect cells from oxidative damage. Moreover, GOT2 3K acetylation promotes pancreatic cell proliferation and tumor growth in vivo. Finally, we show that GOT2 K159 acetylation is increased in human pancreatic tumors, which correlates with reduced SIRT3 expression. Our study uncovers a previously unknown mechanism by which GOT2 acetylation stimulates the malate-aspartate NADH shuttle activity and oxidative protection.

PAQR4 has a tumorigenic effect in human breast cancers in association with reduced CDK4 degradation.

Progestin and adipoQ receptor 4 (PAQR4) is a member of the PAQR family, and the members within this family are involved in the regulation of a number of biological processes including metabolism and cancer development. The potential function of PAQR4 in human cancers is unknown. Analysis of ONCOMINE database reveals that PAQR4 is highly expressed in human breast cancers. We confirmed this finding by analyzing 82 human breast cancers samples. PAQR4 mRNA level was significantly upregulated in human breast cancer samples compared with their corresponding para-cancerous histological normal tissues (P < 0.0001). The mRNA level of PAQR4 was negatively correlated with disease-free survival (P < 0.0001) and overall survival of the patients (P = 0.001). Knockdown of PAQR4 in human breast cancer cells SUM159 and MCF7 suppressed cell proliferation. In contrast, overexpression of PAQR4 in SUM159 cells enhanced cell proliferation and colony formation. In a tumor xenograft model, overexpression of PAQR4 promoted tumor growth of SUM159 cells in vivo, while PAQR4 knockdown suppressed the tumor growth. PAQR4 was able to negatively regulate cyclin-dependent kinases 4 (CDK4) protein level in the breast cancer cells. Knockdown of PAQR4 accelerated degradation of CDK4 together with upregulation of CDK4 polyubiquitination. On the other hand, overexpression of PAQR4 slowed down CDK4 protein degradation and reduced CDK4 polyubiquitination. Collectively, these data at the cellular, animal and human levels indicate that PAQR4 has a tumorigenic effect on human breast cancers, and such effect is associated with a modulatory activity of PAQR4 on protein degradation of CDK4.

Regulation of G6PD acetylation by SIRT2 and KAT9 modulates NADPH homeostasis and cell survival during oxidative stress.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is a key enzyme in the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and plays an essential role in the oxidative stress response by producing NADPH, the main intracellular reductant. G6PD deficiency is the most common human enzyme defect, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide. Here, we show that G6PD is negatively regulated by acetylation on lysine 403 (K403), an evolutionarily conserved residue. The K403 acetylated G6PD is incapable of forming active dimers and displays a complete loss of activity. Knockdown of G6PD sensitizes cells to oxidative stress, and re-expression of wild-type G6PD, but not the K403 acetylation mimetic mutant, rescues cells from oxidative injury. Moreover, we show that cells sense extracellular oxidative stimuli to decrease G6PD acetylation in a SIRT2-dependent manner. The SIRT2-mediated deacetylation and activation of G6PD stimulates PPP to supply cytosolic NADPH to counteract oxidative damage and protect mouse erythrocytes. We also identified KAT9/ELP3 as a potential acetyltransferase of G6PD. Our study uncovers a previously unknown mechanism by which acetylation negatively regulates G6PD activity to maintain cellular NADPH homeostasis during oxidative stress.

The Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Sensor IRE1α in Intestinal Epithelial Cells Is Essential for Protecting against Colitis.

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) have critical roles in maintaining homeostasis of intestinal epithelium. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is implicated in intestinal epithelium homeostasis and inflammatory bowel disease; however, it remains elusive whether IRE1α, a major sensor of ER stress, is directly involved in these processes. We demonstrate here that genetic ablation of Ire1α in IECs leads to spontaneous colitis in mice. Deletion of IRE1α in IECs results in loss of goblet cells and failure of intestinal epithelial barrier function. IRE1α deficiency induces cell apoptosis through induction of CHOP, the pro-apoptotic protein, and sensitizes cells to lipopolysaccharide, an endotoxin from bacteria. IRE1α deficiency confers upon mice higher susceptibility to chemical-induced colitis. These results suggest that IRE1α functions to maintain the intestinal epithelial homeostasis and plays an important role in defending against inflammation bowel diseases.

PHD3 Stabilizes the Tight Junction Protein Occludin and Protects Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Function.

Prolyl hydroxylase domain proteins (PHDs) control cellular adaptation to hypoxia. PHDs are found involved in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the exact role of PHD3, a member of the PHD family, in IBD remains unknown. We show here that PHD3 plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal epithelial barrier function. We found that genetic ablation of Phd3 in intestinal epithelial cells led to spontaneous colitis in mice. Deletion of PHD3 decreases the level of tight junction protein occludin, leading to a failure of intestinal epithelial barrier function. Further studies indicate that PHD3 stabilizes occludin by preventing the interaction between the E3 ligase Itch and occludin, in a hydroxylase-independent manner. Examination of biopsy of human ulcerative colitis patients indicates that PHD3 is decreased with disease severity, indicating that PHD3 down-regulation is associated with progression of this disease. We show that PHD3 protects intestinal epithelial barrier function and reveal a hydroxylase-independent function of PHD3 in stabilizing occludin. These findings may help open avenues for developing a therapeutic strategy for IBD.

Cell-Free RNA Content in Peripheral Blood as Potential Biomarkers for Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been implicated in tumor progression and prognosis. Techniques detecting CTCs in the peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) may help to identify individuals likely to benefit from early systemic treatment. However, the detection of CTCs with a single marker is challenging, owing to low specificity and sensitivity and due to the heterogeneity and rareness of CTCs. Herein, the probability of cell-free RNA content in the peripheral blood as a potential biomarker for detecting CTCs in cancer patients was investigated. An immunomagnetic enrichment of real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) technology for analysis of CTCs in NSCLC patients was also developed. The mRNA levels of four candidate genes, cytokeratin 7 (CK7), E74-like factor 3 (ELF3), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma receptor B4 (EphB4) that were significantly elevated in tumor tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined. The expression of CK7 and ELF3 in tumor tissues and EGFR in PBMCs was associated with lymph node metastasis (all p < 0.05). The expression of CK7 in PBMCs was correlated with age and EphB4 in PBMCs correlated with histopathological type, respectively (all p < 0.05). The expression of all four genes in tumor tissues and PBMCs was significantly correlated with the clinical stage (all p < 0.01). Survival analysis showed that the patients with enhanced expression of CK7, ELF3, EGFR, and EphB4 mRNA in PBMCs had poorer disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) than those without (all p < 0.0001). The present study showed that this alteration of cell-free RNA content in peripheral blood might have clinical ramifications in the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC patients.

miR-21 regulates tumor progression through the miR-21-PDCD4-Stat3 pathway in human salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma.

miR-21, which is a putative tumor onco-miR and frequently overexpressed microRNA in various tumors, has been linked to tumor progression through targeting of tumor-suppressor genes. In this study, we sought to determine whether miR-21 has any role on tumor progression of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) and the possible mechanisms. We found that the level of miR-21 expression was significantly higher in SACC than that in normal salivary tissues, and it is also higher in tumors with metastasis than that without metastasis. Using an anti-miR-21 inhibitor in an in vitro model, downregulation of miR-21 significantly decreased the capacity of invasion and migration of SACC cells, whereas a pre-miR-21 increased the capacity of invasion and migration of SACC cells. To explore the potential mechanisms by which miR-21 regulate invasion and migration, we identified one direct miR-21 target gene, programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), which has been implicated in invasion and metastasis. The suppression of miR-21 in metastatic SACC-LM cells significantly increased the report activity of PDCD4 promoter and the expression of PDCD4 protein. This subsequently resulted in downregulation of the p-STAT3 protein. The level of miR-21 expression positively related to the expression of PDCD4 protein and negatively related to the expression of p-STAT3 protein in SACC specimens, respectively, indicating the potential role of the STAT3-miR-21-PDCD4 pathway in these tumors. Dysregulation of miR-21 has an important role in tumor growth and invasion by targeting PDCD4. Therefore, suppression of miR-21 may provide a potential approach for the treatment of advanced SACC patients.

Circulating methylated MINT2 promoter DNA is a potential poor prognostic factor in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Aberrant DNA methylation has been shown to be associated with the growth, development, metastasis, and prognosis of tumors. Methylated DNAs may be suitable biomarkers for cancer patients. Here, we investigated whether circulating methylated MINT2 DNAs represent a potential poor prognostic factor in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: MINT2 methylation was detected by real-time methylation-specific PCR in tumor tissues, pairing preoperative peritoneal lavage fluid (PPLF) and blood from 92 GC patients. The theory meaning and clinical practicality value of MINT2 methylation in different specimens were analyzed. RESULTS: The methylation status of the MINT2 gene was found to be significantly higher in tumor tissues (44.6%, 41/92) than in adjacent normal tissues (3.3%, 3/92). No MINT2 methylation was found in healthy controls, and partial MINT2 methylation was observed in three (6.25%, 3/48) patients with chronic atrophic gastritis. The frequency of MINT2 methylation in pairing PPLF and blood samples from 92 GC patients was 40.2% (37/92) and 39.1% (36/92), respectively. Methylated MINT2 in tumor tissues, pairing PPLF, and blood samples were very approximate. Aberrant MINT2 methylation in tumor tissues and pairing PPLF or blood samples were closely related to peritoneal dissemination, tumor progression, and poor prognosis (all P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Aberrant MINT2 methylation in PPLF/blood may predict peritoneal micrometastasis for GC patients, which is a potential poor prognostic factor in GC.

MUC16: clinical targets with great potential.

Mucin 16 (MUC16) is a membrane-bound mucin that is abnormally expressed or mutated in a variety of diseases, especially tumors, while being expressed in normal body epithelium. MUC16 and its extracellular components are often important cancer-related biomarkers. Abnormal expression of MUC16 promotes tumor progression through mesenchymal protein, PI3K/AKT pathway, JAK2/STAT3 pathway, ERK/FBW7/c-Myc, and other mechanisms, and plays an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. In addition, MUC16 also helps tumor immune escape by inhibiting T cells and NK cells. Many drugs and trials targeting MUC16 have been developed, and MUC16 may be a new direction for future treatments. In this paper, the mechanism of action of MUC16 in the development of cancer, especially in the immune escape of tumor, is introduced in detail, indicating the potential of MUC16 in clinical treatment.

Macrophage crosstalk and therapies: Between tumor cells and immune cells.

In the tumor microenvironment, macrophages exhibit different phenotypes and functions in response to various signals, playing a crucial role in the initiation and progression of tumors. Several studies have indicated that intervention in the functions of different phenotypes of tumor-associated macrophages causes significant changes in the crosstalk between tumor cells and immune-related cells, such as T, NK, and B cells, markedly altering the course of tumor development. However, only a few specific therapeutic strategies targeting macrophages are yet available. This article comprehensively reviews the molecular biology mechanisms through which tumor-associated macrophages mediate the crosstalk between tumor cells and immune-related cells. Also, various treatment methods currently used in clinical practice and those in the clinical trial phase have been summarized, and the novel strategies for targeting tumor-associated macrophages have been categorized accordingly.

Systematic pan-cancer analyses of the potential function of the Golgi scaffold protein PAQR3.

Progesterone and AdipoQ Receptor 3 (PAQR3) is a member of the AdipoQ receptor. Our previous studies have found that PAQR3 plays a role as a candidate inhibitor in cardiac adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer, but the systematic analysis of PAQR3 in tumors is currently lacking. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic and therapeutic value of PAQR3 in 31 tumors. Through the analysis of TCGA, UALCAN, GEO, GEPIA2, TIMER, Kaplan-Meier plotter, TISIDB and other databases, it was found that the expression level of PAQR3 changed significantly in different tumor types, and the expression level of Neuroblastoma was very high. And the level of Prostate adenocarcinoma is low. In addition, the expression level of PAQR3 in Cholangiocarcinoma, Esophageal carcinoma, Head and neck squamous carcinoma, Liver Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Lung Adenocarcinoma and Lung squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher than that in normal tissues. However, the expression level of PAQR3 in Breast Cancer, Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma, Kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, Prostate Adenocarcinoma, Rectum Adenocarcinoma, Thyroid Cancer and Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma was lower than that in normal tissues. Subsequently, we explored the value of PAQR3 as a prognostic indicator of cancer. In Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Lower-grade Glioma and Glioblastoma, Pediatric Low-grade Gliomas, Kidney Chromophobe, and Thyroid Cancer, PAQR3 expression was positively correlated with OS and DSS, while in Rectum Adenocarcinoma, PAQR3 expression was negatively correlated with OS. PAQR3 high expression group Lower-grade Glioma and Glioblastoma, Pediatric Low-grade Gliomas, Uveal Melanoma, Kidney Chromophobe and DFI were positively correlated. PAQR3 can be used as a risk factor for the prognosis of multiple tumors. Then, we discussed the correlation between PAQR3 and immunology, and found that PAQR3 has a wide range of mutations in various tumor types, the most common mutation type is missense mutation, and common mutation types also include amplification, depth deletion, splicing, truncation and structural variation. Among the tumor samples with PAQR3 alterations, mutation occurred in all tumor samples except prostate adenocarcinoma and adrenal cortical carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, brain low-grade glioma, and kidney clear cell carcinoma, while esophageal adenocarcinoma had the highest total alteration frequency. PAQR3 was strongly associated with CNV in 18 tumors, particularly in Ovarian cancer, Lung squamous cell carcinoma, and Adenoid cystic carcinoma. On the other hand, PAQR3 has a higher SNV frequency in Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma, Skin Cutaneous Melanoma and Lung Adenocarcinoma, among which Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma has the highest SNV frequency. These results showed that PAQR3 expression levels were significantly correlated with tumor mutation load, microsatellite instability, neoantigens, and purity. In summary, PAQR3 can affect the tumor microenvironment and has potential for chemotherapy. Finally, we investigated the role of PAQR3 in tumor resistance and found that the expression of PAQR3 affects the efficacy of multiple chemotherapy drugs. Based on these studies, we found that PAQR3 plays an important role in cancer and has potential in tumor diagnosis and prognosis.

Overexpression of ILK1 in breast cancer associates with poor prognosis.

Integrin-linked kinase 1 (ILK1), a member of the serine/threonine kinases, has been demonstrated to be associated with numerous biological and pathological processes. However, the role of ILK1 in breast cancer has not been thoroughly elucidated. The purpose of this study was to assess ILK1 expression and to explore its contribution to breast cancer. The ILK1 mRNA expression was measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. In addition, ILK1 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 163 clinicopathologically characterized breast cancer cases. The relationship between ILK1 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed by appropriate statistics. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to investigate the correlation between ILK1 expression and prognosis of breast cancer patients. The relative mRNA expression of ILK1 was significantly higher in breast cancer tissues than in adjacent noncancerous tissues (P < 0.001). In addition, ILK1 expression was significantly correlated with tumor size (P = 0.016), grade (P = 0.024), stage (P = 0.029), lymph node metastases (P = 0.007), and estrogen receptor status (P = 0.002). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with high ILK1 expression had poor overall survival (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that high ILK1 expression was an independent predictor of overall survival. In conclusion, our data suggest for the first time that the increased expression of ILK1 in breast cancer is associated significantly with aggressive progression and poor prognosis. ILK1 may be an important molecular marker for predicting the carcinogenesis, progression, and prognosis of breast cancer.

Enhanced RegIV expression predicts the intrinsic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistance in advanced gastric cancer.

AIM: RegIV, a member of the Regenerating (REG) gene family, may be a marker for the prediction of resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy. However, the relationship between the intrinsic drug resistance of gastric cancer (GC) cells to 5-FU used alone (single FU) or in multidrug therapeutic regimens (5-FU combinations) and RegIV expression has not been investigated. METHODS: The patient cohort comprised 45 patients with primary GC. The chemoresistance of GC cells to therapeutic regimens consisting of single 5-FU or FU combinations was investigated using the ATP-tumor chemosensitivity assay. The level of RegIV mRNA transcripts was determined by real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR. RegIV expression was evaluated as a novel predictive biomarker for the intrinsic drug resistance of primary GC cells to single 5-FU or 5-FU combinations. RESULTS: Upregulation of RegIV mRNA transcripts was observed in 36 of the 45 tumor specimens and was positively correlated with the invasive depth of the tumor cells (p = 0.000), the clinical stages (p = 0.000) and the in vitro intrinsic drug resistance of primary GC cells to 5-FU (p = 0.000) or 5-FU combinations. CONCLUSION: RegIV mRNA transcript level was strongly associated with the intrinsic resistance of GC cells to single 5-FU or 5-FU combinations, suggesting that RegIV may play an important role in the intrinsic resistance of GC cells to 5-FU and that targeted therapy against the RegIV gene could be applied to overcome 5-FU resistance in the treatment of GC.

Down-regulation of PTEN expression modulated by dysregulated miR-21 contributes to the progression of esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: miR-21, a putative tumor oncomiR, is a frequently overexpressed miRNA in a variety of tumors. Because it targets tumor-suppressor genes it has been linked to tumor progression. In this study we investigated the role of miR-21 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and its possible mechanism. METHODS: Expression of miR-21 was detected by stem-loop RT-PCR in tissue from 76 invasive ESCC at stage I-IV and in their corresponding para-cancerous histological normal tissues (PCHNT). Thirty endoscopic esophageal mucosal biopsy specimens from non-tumor patients were used as controls. Expression of PTEN in 76 paired ESCC and PCHNT was investigated by real-time RT-PCR and an immunohistochemical method, respectively. Paired tumor and PCHNT specimens of 20 ESCC cases were randomly selected for western blot analysis. The effect of miR-21 on PTEN expression was assessed in the ESCC cell line with an miR-21 inhibitor to reduce miR-21 expression. Furthermore, the roles of miR-21 in cell biology were analyzed by use of miR-21 inhibitor-transfected cells. RESULTS: Stem-loop RT-PCR revealed miR-21 was significantly overexpressed in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-21 correlated with tumor status, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage. We demonstrated that knockdown of miR-21 significantly increased expression of PTEN protein. Consequent PTEN expression reduced cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that miR-21 could be a potential oncomiR, probably by regulation of PTEN, and a novel prognostic factor for ESCC patients.