ESF1 and MIPEP proteins promote estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer proliferation and are associated with patient prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer accounts for two-thirds of all breast cancers, and its early and late recurrences still threaten patients' long-term survival and quality of life. Finding candidate tumor antigens and potential therapeutic targets is critical to addressing these unmet needs. METHOD: The isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomic analysis was employed to identify the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between ER + breast cancer and corresponding adjacent normal tissue. Candidate DEPs were screened by bioinformatic analyses, and their expression was confirmed by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and western blot. A series of in vitro experiments, including wound healing assay, colony formation, and cell cycle assay, were performed to reveal the functions of selected DEPs. Additionally, their clinical significances were further analyzed. RESULT: A total of 369 DEPs (fold change ≥ 2.0 or ≤ 0.66, P < 0.05) were discovered. Compared with normal tissue, 358 proteins were up-regulated and 11 proteins were down-regulated in ER + breast cancer. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that DEPs were closely associated with RNA regulation and metabolic pathways. STRING analysis found ESF1 and MIPEP were the hub genes in breast cancer, whose increased expressions were verified by the IHC staining and western blot. Knocking down ESF1 and MIPEP inhibited colony formation and increased cell apoptosis. Besides, knocking down ESF1 inhibited wound healing but not MIPEP. In addition, ESF1 and MIPEP expression were negatively associated with patient prognosis. CONCLUSION: The upregulation of ESF1 and MIPEP promoted ER + breast cancer proliferation, which might provide novel targets for the development of new therapies.

Single-cell RNA sequencing elucidated the landscape of breast cancer brain metastases and identified ILF2 as a potential therapeutic target.

Distant metastasis remains the primary cause of morbidity in patients with breast cancer. Hence, the development of more efficacious strategies and the exploration of potential targets for patients with metastatic breast cancer are urgently needed. The data of six patients with breast cancer brain metastases (BCBrM) from two centres were collected, and a comprehensive landscape of the entire tumour ecosystem was generated through the utilisation of single-cell RNA sequencing. We utilised the Monocle2 and CellChat algorithms to investigate the interrelationships among each subcluster. In addition, multiple signatures were collected to evaluate key components of the subclusters through multi-omics methodologies. Finally, we elucidated common expression programs of malignant cells, and experiments were conducted in vitro and in vivo to determine the functions of interleukin enhancer-binding factor 2 (ILF2), which is a key gene in the metastasis module, in BCBrM progression. We found that subclusters in each major cell type exhibited diverse characteristics. Besides, our study indicated that ILF2 was specifically associated with BCBrM, and experimental validations further demonstrated that ILF2 deficiency hindered BCBrM progression. Our study offers novel perspectives on the heterogeneity of BCBrM and suggests that ILF2 could serve as a promising biomarker or therapeutic target for BCBrM.

MLLT6/ATF2 axis restrains breast cancer progression by driving DDIT3/4 expression.

Epigenetic deregulation is strongly associated with tumour progression. The identification of natural tumour suppressors to overcome cancer metastasis is urgent for cancer therapy. We investigate whether myeloid/lymphoid or mixed-lineage leukaemia translocated (MLLT) family members contribute to breast cancer progression and found that high MLLT6 expression predicted a better prognosis and that gradually decreased MLLT6 expression was accompanied by breast cancer malignancy. MLLT6 was downregulated by hypoxia-induced enrichment of DNMT1 at the MLLT6 promoter. The results of in vitro functional experiments indicated that MLLT6 depletion promoted colony formation and cell migration, probably by hampering apoptosis. RNA profiling revealed that the apoptotic pathway was downregulated following stable knockdown of MLLT6. DNA damage-inducible transcript 3/4 (DDIT3/4) were among the top 10 downregulated genes and may have expression patterns similar to that of MLLT6. Restoring DDIT3/4 expression in cells with MLLT6 depletion blocked colony formation and cell migration and attenuated the successful colonization of breast cancer cells in vivo. We also determined that the transcription factor activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) is a binding partner of MLLT6 and participates in the MLLT6/ATF2 axis, which was reinforced by inhibition of AKT signalling, in turn inducing DDIT3/4 expression by establishing an active chromatin structure at the DDIT3/4 gene promoters. Because MLLT6 promotes breast cancer cell apoptosis by inducing DDIT3/4 expression during metastasis, it could be a novel tumour suppressor. Implications: Control of MLLT6 expression via inhibition of PI3K/AKT kinase activity is a potential therapeutic approach for the management of metastatic breast cancer.

Corrigendum: Identification and validation of immune-related methylation clusters for predicting immune activity and prognosis in breast cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.704557.].

Multi-omics analyses unravel DNA damage repair-related clusters in breast cancer with experimental validation.

Background: As one of the most common malignancies worldwide, breast cancer (BC) exhibits high heterogeneity of molecular phenotypes. The evolving view regarding DNA damage repair (DDR) is that it is context-specific and heterogeneous, but its role in BC remains unclear. Methods: Multi-dimensional data of transcriptomics, genomics, and single-cell transcriptome profiling were obtained to characterize the DDR-related features of BC. We collected 276 DDR-related genes based on the Molecular Signature Database (MSigDB) database and previous studies. We acquired public datasets included the SCAN-B dataset (GEO: GSE96058), METABRIC database, and TCGA-BRCA database. Corresponding repositories such as transcriptomics, genomics, and clinical information were also downloaded. We selected scRNA-seq data from GEO: GSE176078, GSE114727, GSE161529, and GSE158724. Bulk RNA-seq data from GEO: GSE176078, GSE18728, GSE5462, GSE20181, and GSE130788 were extracted for independent analyses. Results: The DDR classification was constructed in the SCAN-B dataset (GEO: GSE96058) and METABRIC database, Among BC patients, there were two clusters with distinct clinical and molecular characteristics: the DDR-suppressed cluster and the DDR-active cluster. A superior survival rate is found for tumors in the DDR-suppressed cluster, while those with the DDR-activated cluster tend to have inferior prognoses and clinically aggressive behavior. The DDR classification was validated in the TCGA-BRCA cohort and shown similar results. We also found that two clusters have different pathway activities at the genomic level. Based on the intersection of the different expressed genes among these cohorts, we found that PRAME might play a vital role in DDR. The DDR classification was then enabled by establishing a DDR score, which was verified through multilayer cohort analysis. Furthermore, our results revealed that malignant cells contributed more to the DDR score at the single-cell level than nonmalignant cells. Particularly, immune cells with immunosuppressive properties (such as FOXP3+ CD4+ T cells) displayed higher DDR scores among those with distinguishable characteristics. Conclusion: Collectively, this study performs general analyses of DDR heterogeneity in BC and provides insight into the understanding of individualized molecular and clinicopathological mechanisms underlying unique DDR profiles.

What is the appropriate genetic testing criteria for breast cancer in the Chinese population?-Analysis of genetic and clinical features from a single cancer center database.

BACKGROUND: Genetic testing plays an important role in guiding screening, diagnosis, and precision treatment of breast cancer (BC). However, the appropriate genetic testing criteria remain controversial. The current study aims to facilitate the development of suitable strategies by analyzing the germline mutational profiles and clinicopathological features of large-scale Chinese BC patients. METHODS: BC patients who had undergone genetic testing at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) from September 2014 to March 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Different screening criteria were applied and compared in the population cohort. RESULTS: A total of 1035 BC patients were enrolled, 237 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (P/LPV) were identified in 235 patients, including 41 out of 203 (19.6%) patients tested only for BRCA1/2 genes, and 194 out of 832 (23.3%) received 21 genes panel testing. Among the 235 P/LPV carriers, 222 (94.5%) met the NCCN high-risk criteria, and 13 (5.5%) did not. While using Desai's criteria of testing, all females diagnosed with BC by 60 years and NCCN criteria for older patients, 234 (99.6%) met the high-risk standard, and only one did not. The 21 genes panel testing identified 4.9% of non-BRCA P/LPVs and a significantly high rate of variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) (33.9%). The most common non-BRCA P/LPVs were PALB2 (11, 1.3%), TP53 (10, 1.2%), PTEN (3, 0.4%), CHEK2 (3, 0.4%), ATM (3, 0.4%), BARD1 (3, 0.4%), and RAD51C (2, 0.2%). Compared with BRCA1/2 P/LPVs, non-BRCA P/LPVs showed a significantly low incidence of NCCN criteria listed family history, second primary cancer, and different molecular subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: Desai's criteria might be a more appropriate genetic testing strategy for Chinese BC patients. Panel testing could identify more non-BRCA P/LPVs than BRCA1/2 testing alone. Compared with BRCA1/2 P/LPVs, non-BRCA P/LPVs exhibited different personal and family histories of cancer and molecular subtype distributions. The optimal genetic testing strategy for BC still needs to be investigated with larger continuous population studies.

Retroauricular Single-Site Endoscopic Thyroidectomy-A Balanced Endoscopic Approach for Thyroid Excision.

This article discusses how retroauricular single-site endoscopic thyroidectomy is performed and compares it with transaxillary, transareolar, retroauricular hairline, and transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approaches.

Dissecting the role of cancer-associated fibroblast-derived biglycan as a potential therapeutic target in immunotherapy resistance: A tumor bulk and single-cell transcriptomic study.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are correlated with the immunotherapy response. However, the culprits that link CAFs to immunotherapy resistance are still rarely investigated in real-world studies. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to systematically assess the landscape of fibroblasts in cancer patients by combining single-cell and bulk profiling data from pan-cancer cohorts. We further sought to decipher the expression, survival predictive value and association with immunotherapy response of biglycan (BGN), a proteoglycan in the extracellular matrix, in multiple cohorts. METHODS: Pan-cancer tumor bulks and 27 single-cell RNA sequencing cohorts were enrolled to investigate the correlations and crosstalk between CAFs and tumor or immune cells. Specific secreting factors of CAFs were then identified by expression profiling at tissue microdissection, isolated primary fibroblasts and single-cell level. The role of BGN was further dissected in additional three bulk and five single-cell profiling datasets from immunotherapy cohorts and validated in real-world patients who have received PD-1 blockade using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: CAFs were closely correlated with immune components. Frequent crosstalk between CAFs and other cells was revealed by the CellChat analysis. Single-cell regulatory network inference and clustering identified common and distinct regulators for CAFs across cancers. The BGN was determined to be a specific secreting factor of CAFs. The BGN served as an unfavourable indicator for overall survival and immunotherapy response. In the real-world immunotherapy cohort, patients with high BGN levels presented a higher proportion of poor response compared with those with low BGN (46.7% vs. 11.8%) and a lower level of infiltrating CD8+ T cells was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: We highlighted the importance of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment and revealed that the BGN, which is mainly derived from CAFs, may be applicable in clinical practice and serve as a therapeutic target in immunotherapy resistance.

Near-Infrared Light-Controlled and Real-Time Detection of Osteogenic Differentiation in Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Upconversion Nanoparticles for Osteoporosis Therapy.

Osteoporosis (OP) is one of the most common diseases in the elderly, and it is not effectively solved by current treatments. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have multiple differentiation potentials, which can induce osteogenic differentiation to treat OP; however, it is important to understand how to remotely control and detect osteogenic differentiation in vivo in real time. Here, we developed an upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-based photoresponsive nanoplatform for near-infrared (NIR) light-mediated control of intracellular icariin (ICA) release to regulate the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs for OP therapy. We simultaneously detected osteogenic differentiation in vivo in real time to evaluate the treatment effects. The Tm/Er-doped UCNPs were synthesized and coated with mesoporous silica (UCNP@mSiO2) first. Then, the photocaged linker 4-(hydroxymethyl)-3-nitrobenzoic acid (ONA) and the PEG linker (OH-PEG4-MAL) were linked to the surface of UCNP@mSiO2 to conjugate to the cap ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) and the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-targeted peptide/matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13)-sensitive peptide-BHQ (CGPLGVRGK-BHQ3) to form the UCNP nanoplatform (UCNP@mSiO2-peptide-BHQ-ONA-CD) for drug loading. Under 980 nm NIR light, the upconverted UV from the UCNPs triggered the cleavage of cap ß-CD and the intracellular release of ICA to induce the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs for OP therapy. Meanwhile, MMP13, which was produced by osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, cleaved the MMP13-sensitive peptide to remove BHQ and recover the fluorescence of UCNPs, allowing real-time detection of osteogenic differentiation and the evaluation of the OP treatment effect. This photoresponsive UCNP nanoplatform has the potential to be used for the remote control and real-time detection of osteogenic differentiation of MSCs for OP therapy by NIR.

Near-Infrared Light-Controlled Activation of Adhesive Peptides Regulates Cell Adhesion and Multidifferentiation in Mesenchymal Stem Cells on an Up-Conversion Substrate.

Cell adhesion and differentiation can be regulated through material engineering, but current methods have low temporal and spatial accuracy to control invivo. Here, we developed an up-conversion nanoparticle (UCNP) substrate to regulate cell adhesion and multidifferentiation in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by near-infrared (NIR) light. First, the cell-adhesive peptide Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) was conjugated on the surface of UCNPs, and the photocleavage 4-(hydroxymethyl)-3-nitrobenzoic acid (ONA) was connected to RGD. Then, the photoactivated UCNPs were linked to cover glass to form UCNP-substrate. Under the NIR, the up-convert UV from UCNPs triggered the release of ONA and exposed RGD to change the cell-matrix interactions dynamically for cell adhesion and spreading. Moreover, MSCs cultured on UCNP-substrate could be specifically induced to multidifferentiate adipocytes or osteoblasts via different power and periods of NIR irradiation in vitro and in vivo. Our work demonstrates a new way to control cell adhesion and multidifferentiation by light for regeneration medicine.

Comprehensive analysis of peripheral blood non-coding RNAs identifies a diagnostic panel for fungal infection after transplantation.

The occurrence of fungal infection seriously affects the survival and life quality of transplanted patients. The accurate diagnosis is of particular importance in the early stage of infection. To develop a novel diagnostic method for this kind of patient, we established a post-transplant immunosuppressed mice model with fungus inoculation and collected their peripheral blood at specific time points after infection. After screening by microarray, differentially expressed miRNAs and lncRNAs were selected and homologously analyzed with those of human beings from the gene database. These miRNAs and lncRNAs candidates were validated by qRT-PCR in peripheral blood samples from transplanted patients. We found that, compared with normal transplanted patients, the levels of miR-215 and miR-let-7 c were up-regulated in the plasma of patients with fungal infection (P < 0.01), while levels of miR-154, miR-193a, NR_027669.1, and NR_036506.1 were down-regulated in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (P < 0.01). Principal component analysis shows that the expression pattern of the above RNAs was different between the two groups. A 6-noncoding-RNA detection panel was established by the support vector machine analysis, whose area under the ROC curve was 0.927. The accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and specificity of this model were 0.928, 0.919, 0.944, and 0.910, respectively. Though our detection panel has excellent diagnostic efficacy, its clinical application value still needs to be further confirmed by multi-center prospective clinical trials.

A risk scoring system based on tumor microenvironment cells to predict prognosis and immune activity in triple-negative breast cancer.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) interacting with the malignant cells plays a vital role in cancer development. Herein, we aim to establish and verify a scoring system based on the characteristics of TME cells for prognosis prediction and personalized treatment guidance in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). 158 TNBC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were included as the training cohort, and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) (N = 297), as well as GSE58812 (N = 107), were included as the validation cohort. The enrichment scores of 64 immune and stromal cells were estimated by the xCell algorithm. In the training cohort, cells with prognostic significance were found out using univariate Cox regression analysis and further applied to the random survival forest (RSF) model. Based on the scores of M2 macrophages, CD8+ T cells, and CD4+ memory T cells, a risk scoring system was constructed, which divided TNBC patients into 4 phenotypes (M2low, M2highCD8+ThighCD4+Thigh, M2highCD8+ThighCD4+Tlow, and M2highCD8+Tlow). Furthermore, types 1 and 2 patients were merged into the low-risk group, while types 3 and 4 patients were in the high-risk group. The low-risk group had superior survival outcomes than the high-risk one, which was further confirmed in the validation cohort. Moreover, in the low-risk group, immune-related pathways were significantly enriched, and a higher level of antitumoral immune cells and immune checkpoint molecules, including PD-L1, PD-1, and CTLA-4, could be observed. Additionally, consistent results were achieved in the SYSUCC cohort when the scoring system was applied. In summary, this novel scoring system might predict the survival and immune activity of patients and might serve as a potential index for immunotherapy.

Landscape of cancer-associated fibroblasts identifies the secreted biglycan as a protumor and immunosuppressive factor in triple-negative breast cancer.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are essential for tumor microenvironment remodeling and correlate with tumor progression. However, interactions between CAFs and tumor cells and immune cells in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are still poorly explored. Here, we investigate the role of CAFs in TNBC and potential novel mediators of their functions. The clustering of classic markers was applied to estimate the relative abundance of CAFs in TNBC cohorts. Primary fibroblasts were isolated from normal and tumor samples. The RNA and culture medium of fibroblasts were subjected to RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry to explore the upregulated signatures in CAFs. Microdissection and single-cell RNA sequencing datasets were used to examine the expression profiles. CAFs were associated with hallmark signalings and immune components in TNBC. Clustering based on CAF markers in the literature revealed different CAF infiltration groups in TNBC: low, medium and high. Most of the cancer hallmark signaling pathways were enriched in the high CAF infiltration group. Furthermore, RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry identified biglycan (BGN), a soluble secreted protein, as upregulated in CAFs compared to normal cancer-adjacent fibroblasts (NAFs). The expression of biglycan was negatively correlated with CD8 + T cells. Biglycan indicated poor prognostic outcomes and might be correlated with the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). In conclusion, CAFs play an essential role in tumor progression and the TME. We identified an extracellular protein, biglycan, as a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target in TNBC.

Atom-precise fluorescent copper cluster for tumor microenvironment targeting and transient chemodynamic cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been widely studied for cancer therapy. Nevertheless, instability and aspecific damages to cellular biomolecules limit the application effect. Recently, significant research efforts have been witnessed in the flourishing area of metal nanoclusters (NCs) with atomically precise structures for targeted release of ROS but few achieved success towards targeting tumor microenvironment. RESULTS: In this work, we reported an atomically precise nanocluster Cu6(C4H3N2S)6 (Cu6NC), which could slowly break and generate ROS once encountered with acidic. The as-prepared Cu6NC demonstrated high biological safety and efficient chemodynamic anti-tumor properties. Moreover, Cu6NC enabled transient release of ROS and contained targeting behavior led by the tumor microenvironment. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed that Cu6NC demonstrated a low cytotoxicity for normal cells, while presented high cytotoxicity for tumor cells with a concentration-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: This work not only reported a promising candidate for chemodynamic cancer therapy, but also paved the route to address clinical issues at the atomic level.

Photocontrolled chondrogenic differentiation and long-term tracking of mesenchymal stem cells in vivo by upconversion nanoparticles.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have multiple differentiation potentials and their clinical application is limited by controlled cell differentiation and long-term tracing in vivo. Here, we developed an upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-based nanoplatform for the photocontrolled chondrogenic differentiation and long-term tracking of MSCs in vivo. The UCNP nanoplatform could convert 980 nm near-infrared (NIR) light into UV/blue light (365/475 nm) and green/red light (545/647 nm) through Tm/Er doping. Then, the upconverted UV/blue light was used to drive the photosensitive molecule azobenzene (azo) that was modified in mesoporous silica to constantly change its conformation to trigger the release of kartogenin (KGN) from the UCNPs to induce the chondrogeni differentiation of MSCs, achieving photocontrolled cell differentiation. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated the effective induction of chondrogenic differentiation in MSCs by NIR light with the UCNP nanoplatform incubation. In addition, after inducing differentiation, the UCNP nanoplatform that remained in the cytoplasm was used as a nanoprobe to monitor the MSCs in vitro and in vivo using the upconverted green/red light under the NIR light. Therefore, the UCNP nanoplatform displayed potential to be a powerful tool for the control of cell differentiation and the simultaneous long-term tracking of MSCs in vivo for regenerative medicine.

The Influence of Hormone Therapy on secondary diabetes mellitus in Breast Cancer: A Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidences have implied that patients with primary breast cancer (BC) were at increased risks of developing diabetes mellitus (DM). However, as a major adjuvant treatment, the influence of hormone therapy (HT) on secondary DM in primary BC remains controversial; we conducted a meta-analysis of existing studies to evaluate the association of hormone therapy and secondary DM. METHODS: We searched online databases (PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, Scopus, and Google Scholar) for studies exploring the influence of hormone therapy on secondary DM in BC. The summarized effect sizes (ES) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) are calculated by STATA software utilizing fixed-effect or random-effect models, depending on the heterogeneity of the eligible studies. RESULTS: Ultimately, 7 retrospective publications including a total of 44,524 primary BC patients are eligible in present meta-analysis. HT use significantly increased the risk of developing DM in primary BC patients, whenever compared with NON-HT BC patients (pooled adjusted HR 1.30, 95% CI: 1.19-1.43) or NORMAL participants (HR 1.19, 95% CI: 1.14-1.25). As to specific HT medications, our sub-analysis demonstrates the risk for DM in tamoxifen (TAM) users elevates by 30% than NON-TAM use BC patients (pooled HR 1.30, 95% CI: 1.20-1.40) and by 18% than NORMAL participants (pooled HR 1.18, 95% CI: 1.12-1.24). However, for aromatase inhibitors (AIs) users, the risks for DM do not elevate significantly. Funnel plots and Egger's tests are used to evaluate publication bias and no apparent bias is detected in all analysis. CONCLUSION: The present study is the first meta-analysis which thoroughly reveals that adjuvant HT is a risk factor of secondary DM in primary female BC patients. As to specific HT medications, TAM use significantly enhances the incidence of secondary DM, while AIs use does not influence the DM incidence significantly. Our results can help clinicians to tailor more appropriate strategies for the therapy and follow-up of primary BC patients.

Identification of a detection panel for post-transplant virus infection through integrated analysis of non-coding RNAs in peripheral blood.

Viral infection seriously affects the survival and life quality of transplanted patients without an accurate diagnosis during the early stage. Herein, we aimed to develop a novel diagnostic method based on non-coding RNAs expression in peripheral blood. An immunosuppressive mouse model of viral infection after transplantation was established. Differentially expressed non-coding RNAs were distinguished by microarray analyses in the virus-infected group. After homology analysis, 46 miRNAs and 24 lncRNAs were further verified by qRT-PCR in the peripheral blood samples of transplanted patients. Compared with normal transplanted patients, miR-29b, miR-185, and NR_073415.2 were significantly downregulated in the PBMC of post-transplant patients with viral infection. Based on the expression of the above three RNAs, principal component analysis (PCA) identified a slight overlap between the two groups. A 3-non-coding-RNA detection panel was constructed by the support vector machine analysis (SVM), whose loss rate was 14.71%. The area under the curve of it was 0.909. With the optimal cut-off value (Y = 0.328), the sensitivity was 0.929 and the specificity was 0.781. Therefore, based on non-coding RNAs expressions, a detection panel for viral infection after organ transplantation was formed with high diagnostic specificity and sensitivity.

CircGFRA1 facilitates the malignant progression of HER-2-positive breast cancer via acting as a sponge of miR-1228 and enhancing AIFM2 expression.

CircRNAs (circular RNA) are reported to regulate onset and progress multiple cancers. Nonetheless, the function along with the underlying mechanisms of circRNAs in HER-2-positive breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. CircRNA microarrays were performed to elucidate expression profiles of HER-2-positive BC cells. circRNA levels were quantified using qRT-PCR assay. Various in vitro along with in vivo assays were employed to further explore the effects of circGFRA1 in the progress of HER-2-positive BC and interactions of circGFRA1, miR-1228 and AIFM2 in Her-2-positive BC. CircGFRA1 was remarkably upregulated in HER-2-positive BC. Knockdown of circGFRA1 could attenuate HER-2-positive BC progression by inhibiting the proliferation, infiltration and migratory ability of HER-2-positive BC cells. Through ceRNA mechanism, circGFRA1 could bind to miR-1228 and alleviate inhibitory activity of miR-1228 on targeted gene AIFM2. In summary, circGFRA1-miR-1228-AIFM2 axis regulates HER-2-positive BC. CircGFRA1 is a novel promising treatment option for HER-2-positive BC.

High-speed Fourier ptychographic microscopy for quantitative phase imaging.

Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM), as an emerging computational imaging method, has been applied to quantitative phase imaging with resolution bypassing the physical limit of the detection objective. Due to the weak illumination intensity and long image acquisition time, the achieved imaging speed in current FPM methods is still low, making them unsuitable for real-time imaging applications. We propose and demonstrate a high-speed FPM method based on using laser illumination and digital micro-mirror devices for illumination angle scanning. In this new, to the best of our knowledge, FPM method, we realized quantitative phase imaging and intensity imaging at over 42 frames per second (fps) with around 1 µm lateral resolution. The quantitative phase images have revealed membrane height fluctuations of red blood cells with nanometer-scale sensitivity, while the intensity images have resolved subcellular features in stained cancer tissue slices.

Identification and Validation of Immune-Related Methylation Clusters for Predicting Immune Activity and Prognosis in Breast Cancer.

The role of DNA methylation of breast cancer-infiltrating immune cells has not been fully explored. We conducted a cohort-based retrospective study analyzing the genome-wide immune-related DNA methylation of 1057 breast cancer patients from the TCGA cohort and GSE72308 cohort. Based on patients' overall survival (OS), a prognostic risk score system using 18 immune-related methylation genes (IRMGs) was established and further validated in an independent cohort. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a clear separation of OS between the low- and high-risk groups. Patients in the low-risk group had a higher immune score and stromal score compared with the high-risk group. Moreover, the characteristics based on 18-IRMGs signature were related to the tumor immune microenvironment and affected the abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Consistently, the 18-IRMGs signatures showed similar influences on immune modulation and survival in another external validation cohort (GSE72308). In conclusion, the proposed 18-IRMGs signature could be a potential marker for breast cancer prognostication.