Real-time detection of laryngopharyngeal cancer using an artificial intelligence-assisted system with multimodal data.

BACKGROUND: Laryngopharyngeal cancer (LPC) includes laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, whose early diagnosis can significantly improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients. Pathological biopsy of suspicious cancerous tissue under the guidance of laryngoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosing LPC. However, this subjective examination largely depends on the skills and experience of laryngologists, which increases the possibility of missed diagnoses and repeated unnecessary biopsies. We aimed to develop and validate a deep convolutional neural network-based Laryngopharyngeal Artificial Intelligence Diagnostic System (LPAIDS) for real-time automatically identifying LPC in both laryngoscopy white-light imaging (WLI) and narrow-band imaging (NBI) images to improve the diagnostic accuracy of LPC by reducing diagnostic variation among on-expert laryngologists. METHODS: All 31,543 laryngoscopic images from 2382 patients were categorised into training, verification, and test sets to develop, validate, and internal test LPAIDS. Another 25,063 images from five other hospitals were used as external tests. Overall, 551 videos were used to evaluate the real-time performance of the system, and 200 randomly selected videos were used to compare the diagnostic performance of the LPAIDS with that of laryngologists. Two deep-learning models using either WLI (model W) or NBI (model N) images were constructed to compare with LPAIDS. RESULTS: LPAIDS had a higher diagnostic performance than models W and N, with accuracies of 0·956 and 0·949 in the internal image and video tests, respectively. The robustness and stability of LPAIDS were validated in external sets with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values of 0·965-0·987. In the laryngologist-machine competition, LPAIDS achieved an accuracy of 0·940, which was comparable to expert laryngologists and outperformed other laryngologists with varying qualifications. CONCLUSIONS: LPAIDS provided high accuracy and stability in detecting LPC in real-time, which showed great potential for using LPAIDS to improve the diagnostic accuracy of LPC by reducing diagnostic variation among on-expert laryngologists.

CMTM6 shapes antitumor T cell response through modulating protein expression of CD58 and PD-L1.

The dysregulated expression of immune checkpoint molecules enables cancer cells to evade immune destruction. While blockade of inhibitory immune checkpoints like PD-L1 forms the basis of current cancer immunotherapies, a deficiency in costimulatory signals can render these therapies futile. CD58, a costimulatory ligand, plays a crucial role in antitumor immune responses, but the mechanisms controlling its expression remain unclear. Using two systematic approaches, we reveal that CMTM6 positively regulates CD58 expression. Notably, CMTM6 interacts with both CD58 and PD-L1, maintaining the expression of these two immune checkpoint ligands with opposing functions. Functionally, the presence of CMTM6 and CD58 on tumor cells significantly affects T cell-tumor interactions and response to PD-L1-PD-1 blockade. Collectively, these findings provide fundamental insights into CD58 regulation, uncover a shared regulator of stimulatory and inhibitory immune checkpoints, and highlight the importance of tumor-intrinsic CMTM6 and CD58 expression in antitumor immune responses.

Whole exome sequencing identifies novel germline variants of SLC15A4 gene as potentially cancer predisposing in familial colorectal cancer.

About 15% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients have first-degree relatives affected by the same malignancy. However, for most families the cause of familial aggregation of CRC is unknown. To identify novel high-to-moderate-penetrance germline variants underlying CRC susceptibility, we performed whole exome sequencing (WES) on four CRC cases and two unaffected members of a Polish family without any mutation in known CRC predisposition genes. After WES, we used our in-house developed Familial Cancer Variant Prioritization Pipeline and identified two novel variants in the solute carrier family 15 member 4 (SLC15A4) gene. The heterozygous missense variant, p. Y444C, was predicted to affect the phylogenetically conserved PTR2/POT domain and to have a deleterious effect on the function of the encoded peptide/histidine transporter. The other variant was located in the upstream region of the same gene (GRCh37.p13, 12_129308531_C_T; 43 bp upstream of transcription start site, ENST00000266771.5) and it was annotated to affect the promoter region of SLC15A4 as well as binding sites of 17 different transcription factors. Our findings of two distinct variants in the same gene may indicate a synergistic up-regulation of SLC15A4 as the underlying genetic cause and implicate this gene for the first time in genetic inheritance of familial CRC.

Prognostic Nomograms for Predicting Overall Survival and Cancer-Specific Survival in Patients with Head and Neck Mucosal Melanoma.

Background: Accurate forecasting of the risk of death is crucial for people living with head and neck mucosal melanoma (HNMM). We aimed to establish and validate an effective prognostic nomogram for HNMM. Methods: Patients with HNMM who underwent surgery between 2010 and 2015 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for model construction. After eliminating invalid and missing clinical information, 288 patients were ultimately identified and randomly divided into a training cohort (199 cases) and a validation cohort (54 cases). Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed in the training cohort to identify prognostic variables. Independent influencing factors were used to build the model. Through internal verification (training cohort) and external verification (validation cohort), the concordance indexes (C-indexes) and calibration curves were used to evaluate the predictive value of the nomogram. Results: For the training cohort, five independent risk predictors, namely age, location, T stage, N stage, and surgery, were selected, and nomograms with estimated 1- and 3-year overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were established. The C-index showed that the predictive performance of the nomogram was better than that of the TNM staging system and was internally verified (through the training queue: OS: 0.764 vs 0.683, CSS: 0.783 vs 0.705) and externally verified (through the verification queue: OS: 0.808 vs 0.644, CSS: 0.823 vs 0.648). The calibration curves also showed good agreement between the prediction based on the nomogram and the observed survival rate. Conclusion: The nomogram prediction model can more accurately predict the prognosis of HNMM patients than the traditional TNM staging system and may be beneficial for guiding clinical treatment.

Germline Variants of CYBA and TRPM4 Predispose to Familial Colorectal Cancer.

Familial colorectal cancer (CRC) is only partially explained by known germline predisposing genes. We performed whole-genome sequencing in 15 Polish families of many affected individuals, without mutations in known CRC predisposing genes. We focused on loss-of-function variants and functionally characterized them. We identified a frameshift variant in the CYBA gene (c.246delC) in one family and a splice site variant in the TRPM4 gene (c.25-1 G > T) in another family. While both variants were absent or extremely rare in gene variant databases, we identified four additional Polish familial CRC cases and two healthy elderly individuals with the CYBA variant (odds ratio 2.46, 95% confidence interval 0.48-12.69). Both variants led to a premature stop codon and to a truncated protein. Functional characterization of the variants showed that knockdown of CYBA or TRPM4 depressed generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in LS174T and HT-29 cell lines. Knockdown of TRPM4 resulted in decreased MUC2 protein production. CYBA encodes a component in the NADPH oxidase system which generates ROS and controls, e.g., bacterial colonization in the gut. Germline CYBA variants are associated with early onset inflammatory bowel disease, supported with experimental evidence on loss of intestinal mucus barrier function due to ROS deficiency. TRPM4 encodes a calcium-activated ion channel, which, in a human colonic cancer cell line, controls calcium-mediated secretion of MUC2, a major component of intestinal mucus barrier. We suggest that the gene defects in CYBA and TRPM4 mechanistically involve intestinal barrier integrity through ROS and mucus biology, which converges in chronic bowel inflammation.

Whole-Exome Sequencing Identifies a Novel Germline Variant in PTK7 Gene in Familial Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide. Only 5% of all CRC cases are due to germline mutations in known predisposition genes, and the remaining genetic burden still has to be discovered. In this study, we performed whole-exome sequencing on six members of a Polish family diagnosed with CRC and identified a novel germline variant in the protein tyrosine kinase 7 (inactive) gene (PTK7, ENST00000230419, V354M). Targeted screening of the variant in 1705 familial CRC cases and 1674 healthy elderly individuals identified the variant in an additional familial CRC case. Introduction of this variant in HT-29 cells resulted in increased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; it also caused down-regulation of CREB, p21 and p53 mRNA and protein levels, and increased AKT phosphorylation. These changes indicated inhibition of apoptosis pathways and activation of AKT signaling. Our study confirmed the oncogenic function of PTK7 and supported its role in genetic predisposition of familial CRC.

Promoter Hypermethylation Promotes the Binding of Transcription Factor NFATc1, Triggering Oncogenic Gene Activation in Pancreatic Cancer.

Studies have indicated that some genes involved in carcinogenesis are highly methylated in their promoter regions but nevertheless strongly transcribed. It has been proposed that transcription factors could bind specifically to methylated promoters and trigger transcription. We looked at this rather comprehensively for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and studied some cases in more detail. Some 2% of regulated genes in PDAC exhibited higher transcription coupled to promoter hypermethylation in comparison to healthy tissue. Screening 661 transcription factors, several were found to bind specifically to methylated promoters, in particular molecules of the NFAT family. One of them-NFATc1-was substantially more strongly expressed in PDAC than control tissue and exhibited a strong oncogenic role. Functional studies combined with computational analyses allowed determining affected genes. A prominent one was gene ALDH1A3, which accelerates PDAC metastasis and correlates with a bad prognosis. Further studies confirmed the direct up-regulation of ALDH1A3 transcription by NFATc1 promoter binding in a methylation-dependent process, providing insights into the oncogenic role of transcription activation in PDAC that is promoted by DNA methylation.

A Novel Low-Risk Germline Variant in the SH2 Domain of the SRC Gene Affects Multiple Pathways in Familial Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) shows one of the largest proportions of familial cases among different malignancies, but only 5-10% of all CRC cases are linked to mutations in established predisposition genes. Thus, familial CRC constitutes a promising target for the identification of novel, high- to moderate-penetrance germline variants underlying cancer susceptibility by next generation sequencing. In this study, we performed whole genome sequencing on three members of a family with CRC aggregation. Subsequent integrative in silico analysis using our in-house developed variant prioritization pipeline resulted in the identification of a novel germline missense variant in the SRC gene (V177M), a proto-oncogene highly upregulated in CRC. Functional validation experiments in HT-29 cells showed that introduction of SRCV177M resulted in increased cell proliferation and enhanced protein expression of phospho-SRC (Y419), a potential marker for SRC activity. Upregulation of paxillin, ß-Catenin, and STAT3 mRNA levels, increased levels of phospho-ERK, CREB, and CCND1 proteins and downregulation of the tumor suppressor p53 further proposed the activation of several pathways due to the SRCV177M variant. The findings of our pedigree-based study contribute to the exploration of the genetic background of familial CRC and bring insights into the molecular basis of upregulated SRC activity and downstream pathways in colorectal carcinogenesis.

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies APCDD1 and HDAC5 Genes as Potentially Cancer Predisposing in Familial Colorectal Cancer.

Germline mutations in predisposition genes account for only 20% of all familial colorectal cancers (CRC) and the remaining genetic burden may be due to rare high- to moderate-penetrance germline variants that are not explored. With the aim of identifying such potential cancer-predisposing variants, we performed whole exome sequencing on three CRC cases and three unaffected members of a Polish family and identified two novel heterozygous variants: a coding variant in APC downregulated 1 gene (APCDD1, p.R299H) and a non-coding variant in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of histone deacetylase 5 gene (HDAC5). Sanger sequencing confirmed the variants segregating with the disease and Taqman assays revealed 8 additional APCDD1 variants in a cohort of 1705 familial CRC patients and no further HDAC5 variants. Proliferation assays indicated an insignificant proliferative impact for the APCDD1 variant. Luciferase reporter assays using the HDAC5 variant resulted in an enhanced promoter activity. Targeting of transcription factor binding sites of SNAI-2 and TCF4 interrupted by the HDAC5 variant showed a significant impact of TCF4 on promoter activity of mutated HDAC5. Our findings contribute not only to the identification of unrecognized genetic causes of familial CRC but also underline the importance of 5'UTR variants affecting transcriptional regulation and the pathogenesis of complex disorders.

Whole Genome Sequencing Prioritizes CHEK2, EWSR1, and TIAM1 as Possible Predisposition Genes for Familial Non-Medullary Thyroid Cancer.

Familial inheritance in non-medullary thyroid cancer (NMTC) is an area that has yet to be adequately explored. Despite evidence suggesting strong familial clustering of non-syndromic NMTC, known variants still account for a very small percentage of the genetic burden. In a recent whole genome sequencing (WGS) study of five families with several NMTCs, we shortlisted promising variants with the help of our in-house developed Familial Cancer Variant Prioritization Pipeline (FCVPPv2). Here, we report potentially disease-causing variants in checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2), Ewing sarcoma breakpoint region 1 (EWSR1) and T-lymphoma invasion and metastasis-inducing protein 1 (TIAM1) in one family. Performing WGS on three cases, one probable case and one healthy individual in a family with familial NMTC left us with 112254 variants with a minor allele frequency of less than 0.1%, which was reduced by pedigree-based filtering to 6368. Application of the pipeline led to the prioritization of seven coding and nine non-coding variants from this family. The variant identified in CHEK2, a known tumor suppressor gene involved in DNA damage-induced DNA repair, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis, has been previously identified as a germline variant in breast and prostate cancer and has been functionally validated by Roeb et al. in a yeast-based assay to have an intermediate effect on protein function. We thus hypothesized that this family may harbor additional disease-causing variants in other functionally related genes. We evaluated two further variants in EWSR1 and TIAM1 with promising in silico results and reported interaction in the DNA-damage repair pathway. Hence, we propose a polygenic mode of inheritance in this family. As familial NMTC is considered to be more aggressive than its sporadic counterpart, it is important to identify such susceptibility genes and their associated pathways. In this way, the advancement of personalized medicine in NMTC patients can be fostered. We also wish to reopen the discussion on monogenic vs polygenic inheritance in NMTC and instigate further development in this area of research.

Verbalization, Categorization, and Evaluation of Fundamental Surgical Skills: An Expert Consensus in Open Head and Neck Surgery.

Objective: This study aimed to verbalize fundamental surgical skills required for open head and neck surgery (OHNS), to organize them by categorization, and to establish a consensus among surgeons regarding the importance and difficulty of each skill. Summary Background Data: Improvement of fundamental surgical skills is the core of surgical education; however, surgical skills are not yet organized, and consensus in any surgical field remains uncertain. Methods: Fundamental surgical skills during OHNS were collected from surgical textbooks, real surgeries, and expert interviews. The items were analyzed to calculate the frequency of words and were categorized by 2 expert surgeons. After consensus on the importance and difficulty of each item was established by 15 expert surgeons using a Delphi survey, principal component (PC) analysis was performed to integrate importance and difficulty into a single parameter. Results: Sixty skills were verbalized and categorized into 7 categories: "skin flap elevation (n = 6)," "vessel management (n = 9)," "nerve preservation (n = 8)," "instrument handling (n = 11)," "counter traction (n = 7)," "tissue exposure (n = 9)," and "flow and planning (n = 10)." In the Delphi survey, expert consensus was established after 2 voting rounds (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.80). The "counter traction" and "flow and planning" categories had high PC scores, which indicate priority in surgical education. Conclusion: Fundamental OHNS skills were verbalized, categorized, and evaluated via expert consensus. Assessment of surgeons' skills by the structured items hereby developed will help standardize the quality of OHNS and improve patient outcomes.

Retinoblastoma cell-derived Twist protein promotes regulatory T cell development.

BACKGROUND: The development of tumor tissue-infiltrating regulatory T cell (Treg) is incompletely understood. This study investigates the role of retinoblastoma cell (Rbc)-derived Twist­related protein 1 (Twist) in the Treg development. METHODS: The surgically removed Rb tissues were collected. Rbcs were cultured with CD4+ T cells to assess the role of Rbc-derived Twist in the Treg generation. RESULTS: We found that more than 90% Rbcs expressed Twist. Foxp3+ Tregs were detected in the Rb tissues that were positively correlated with the Twist expression in Rbcs, negatively associated with Rb patient survival and sight survival. Treating Rbcs with hypoxia promoted the Twist expression that could be detected in the cytoplasm, nuclei and on the cell surface. Twist activated CD4+ T cells by binding the TLR4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 complex and promoted the transforming growth factor-ß-inducible early gene 1 product and Foxp3 expression. These Rbc-induced Foxp3+ Tregs showed immune-suppressive function on CD8+ T cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Rbcs express Twist, that induces IL-4+ Foxp3+ Tregs; the latter can inhibit CD8+ cytotoxic T cell activities. Therefore, Twist may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Rb.

Inhibition of Bcl2L12 Attenuates Eosinophilia-Related Inflammation in the Heart.

Background: The eosinophilic inflammation plays a critical role in myocarditis (Mcd); its underlying mechanism remains to be further elucidated. This study aims to investigate the role of Bcl2-like protein 12 (Bcl2L12) in inducing the defects of apoptosis in eosinophils (Eos) of the heart tissues. Methods: Human explant heart samples were collected. Eosinophilia and myocarditis (Mcd)-like inflammation were induced in the mouse heart by immunizing with murine cardiac α-myosin heavy chain (MyHCα) peptides. Results: Markedly more Eos were observed in heart tissues from patients with Mcd than those from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Eos isolated from Mcd hearts showed the signs of apoptosis defects. The Eo counts in the Mcd heart tissues were positively correlated with the Bcl2L12 expression in Eos isolated from the heart tissues. Exposure to interleukin 5 in the culture induced the expression of Bcl2L12 in Eos. Bcl2L12 bound c-Myc, the transcription factor of Fas ligand (FasL), to prevent c-Myc from binding to the FasL promoter, to restrict the FasL gene transcription in Eos. Inhibition of Bcl2L12 prevented the induction of eosinophilia and Mcd-like inflammation in the mouse heart. Conclusions: The Bcl2L12 expression contributes to apoptosis defects in Eos of the Mcd heart. Blocking Bcl2L12 prevents the eosinophilia induction and alleviates Mcd-like inflammation in mice.

A Germline Mutation in the POT1 Gene Is a Candidate for Familial Non-Medullary Thyroid Cancer.

Non-medullary thyroid cancer (NMTC) is a common endocrine malignancy with a genetic basis that has yet to be unequivocally established. In a recent whole-genome sequencing study of five families with occurrence of NMTCs, we shortlisted promising variants with the help of bioinformatics tools. Here, we report in silico analyses and in vitro experiments on a novel germline variant (p.V29L) in the highly conserved oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide binding domain of the Protection of Telomeres 1 (POT1) gene in one of the families. The results showed a reduction in telomere-bound POT1 levels in the mutant protein as compared to its wild-type counterpart. HEK293T cells carrying POT1 p.V29L showed increased telomere length in comparison to wild-type cells, suggesting that the mutation causes telomere dysfunction and may play a role in predisposition to NMTC in this family. While one germline mutation in POT1 has already been reported in a melanoma-prone family with prevalence of thyroid cancers, we report the first of such mutations in a family affected solely by NMTCs, thus expanding current knowledge on shelterin complex-associated cancers.

Involvement of the TGF-ß1 pathway in caveolin-1-associated regulation of head and neck tumor cell metastasis.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most frequent malignancy with a 5-year survival rate of 54%. Therefore, disease management improvement is required. The present study aimed to assess the role of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) in the metastasis of head and neck tumor cells. Short hairpin RNA was used to silence Cav-1 expression in Tu686 cells. Proliferation, migration, invasion, morphology and the levels of effector proteins were assessed in cells. Upon Cav-1 silencing, E-cadherin levels were decreased, while vimentin levels were significantly increased. Cell migration, quantified by wound healing and Transwell assays, was significantly increased. Meanwhile, Cav-1 and transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) receptor were identified to be co-localized. In addition, Cav-1-knockdown resulted in increased phosphorylation of SMAD family member 2 (P<0.05), a downstream effector of TGF-ß signaling. In addition, there was a mutual regulation, with increasing TGF-ß1 levels leading to a dose-dependent decrease of Cav-1 expression levels (P<0.05). These findings indicate that Cav-1 inhibits cell metastasis in HNSCC, suggesting the involvement of the TGF-ß signaling pathway.

The transcription factor FLI1 promotes cancer progression by affecting cell cycle regulation.

Binding of transcription factors to mutated DNA sequences is a likely regulator of cancer progression. Noncoding regulatory mutations such as those on the core promoter of the gene encoding human telomerase reverse transcriptase have been shown to affect gene expression in cancer. Using a protein microarray of 667 transcription factor DNA-binding domains and subsequent functional assays, we looked for transcription factors that preferentially bind the mutant hTERT promoter and characterized their downstream effects. One of them, friend leukemia integration 1 (FLI1), which belongs to the E26 transforming-specific family of transcription factors, exhibited particularly strong effects with respect to regulating hTERT expression, while the even better binding ELK3 did not. Depletion of FLI1 decreased expression of the genes for cyclin D1 (CCND1) and E2F transcription factor 2 (E2F2) resulting in a G1/S cell cycle arrest and in consequence a reduction of cell proliferation. FLI1 also affected CMTM7, another gene involved in G1/S transition, although by another process that suggests a balanced regulation of the tumor suppressor gene's activity via opposing regulation processes. FLI1 expression was found upregulated and correlated with an increase in CCND1 expression in pancreatic cancer and brain tumors. In non-neoplastic lung cells, however, FLI1 depletion led to rapid progression through the cell cycle. This coincides with the fact that FLI1 is downregulated in lung tumors. Taken together, our data indicate a cell cycle regulatory hub involving FLI1, hTERT, CCND1 and E2F2 in a tissue- and context-dependent manner.

Exosome-like Nanozyme Vesicles for H2O2-Responsive Catalytic Photoacoustic Imaging of Xenograft Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an attractive imaging modality, which is promising for clinical cancer diagnosis due to its advantages on deep tissue penetration and fine spatial resolution. However, few tumor catalytic/responsive PAI strategies are developed. Here, we design an exosome-like nanozyme vesicle for in vivo H2O2-responsive PAI of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of graphene quantum dot nanozyme (GQDzyme) effectively converts the 2,2'-azino- bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) into its oxidized form in the presence of H2O2. The oxidized ABTS exhibits strong near-infrared (NIR) absorbance, rendering it to be an ideal contrast agent for PAI. Thus, GQDzyme/ABTS nanoparticle is a novel type of catalytic PAI contrast agent, which is sensitive to H2O2 produced from NPC cells. Furthermore, we develop an approach to construct exosome-like nanozyme vesicle via biomimetic functionalization of GQDzyme/ABTS nanoparticle with natural erythrocyte membrane modified with folate acid. In vivo animal experiments demonstrated that this exosome-like nanozyme vesicle effectively accumulated in NPC and selectively triggered catalytic PAI for NPC. In addition, our nanozyme vesicle exhibits excellent biocompatibility and stealth ability for long blood circulation. Together, we demonstrate that GQDzyme/ABTS based exosome-like nanozyme vesicle is an ideal nanoplatform for developing deep-tissue tumor-targeted catalytic PAI in vivo.

Immunoprofiling of Chlamydia trachomatis using whole-proteome microarrays generated by on-chip in situ expression.

Using Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) as a complex model organism, we describe a method to generate bacterial whole-proteome microarrays using cell-free, on-chip protein expression. Expression constructs were generated by two successive PCRs directly from bacterial genomic DNA. Bacterial proteins expressed on microarrays display antigenic epitopes, thereby providing an efficient method for immunoprofiling of patients and allowing de novo identification of disease-related serum antibodies. Through comparison of antibody reactivity patterns, we newly identified antigens recognized by known Ct-seropositive samples, and antigens reacting only with samples from cervical cancer (CxCa) patients. Large-scale validation experiments using high-throughput suspension bead array serology confirmed their significance as markers for either general Ct infection or CxCa, supporting an association of Ct infection with CxCa. In conclusion, we introduce a method for generation of fast and efficient proteome immunoassays which can be easily adapted for other microorganisms in all areas of infection research.

Histone acetyltransferase 1 up regulates Bcl2L12 expression in nasopharyngeal cancer cells.

The deregulation of Bcl2L12 expression in cancer has been recognized, but the causative factors are unknown. Histone acetyltransferases (HAT) play critical roles in the regulation gene transcription. This study tests a hypothesis that the aberrant activities of HAT induce deregulation of Bcl2L12 in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). In this study, human NPC tissues were collected from the clinic. The expression of Bcl2L12 and HATs in NPC cells was analyzed by real time RT-PCR and Western blotting. NPC cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The results showed that by screening the subtypes of HAT, the levels of HAT1 were uniquely higher in NPC as compared with non-cancer nasopharyngeal tissue. The levels of Bcl2L12 in NPC cells were positively correlated with HAT1. HAT1 involved in the STAT5 binding to the Bcl2L12 promoter. HAT1 increased the expression of Bcl2L12. Bcl2L12 mediated the effects of HAT1 on suppressing NPC cell apoptosis. Absorption of the HAT1 shRNA plasmid-carrying liposomes induced NPC cell apoptosis. In conclusion, inhibition of HAT1 can induce NPC cell apoptosis via increasing Bcl2L12 expression, which can be a potential therapy for NPC treatment.