Spectroscopic and microscopic comparisons of cell topology and chemistry analysis of mouse embryonic stem cell, somatic cell and cancer cell.

While embryonic stem cells and cancer cells are known to have many similarities in signalling pathways, healthy somatic cells are known to be different in many ways. Characterization of embryonic stem cell is crucial for cancer development and cancer recurrence due to the shared signalling pathways and life course with cancer initiator and cancer stem cells. Since embryonic stem cells are the sources of the somatic and cancer cells, it is necessary to reveal the relevance between them. The past decade has seen the importance of interdisciplinary studies and it is obvious that the reflection of the physical/chemical phenomena occurring on the cell biology has attracted much more attention. For this reason, the aim of this study is to elementally and topologically characterize the mouse embryonic stem cells, mouse lung squamous cancer cells, and mouse skin fibroblast cells by using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) supported with Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) techniques in a complementary way. Our AFM findings revealed that roughness data of the mouse embryonic stem cells and cancer cells were similar and somatic cells were found to be statistically different from these two cell types. However, based on both XPS and SEM-EDS results, surface elemental ratios vary in mouse embryonic stem cells, cancer cells and somatic cells. Our results showed that these complementary spectroscopic and microscopic techniques used in this work are very effective in cancer and stem cell characterization and have the potential to gather more detailed information on relevant biological samples.

Decoupling epithelial-mesenchymal transitions from stromal profiles by integrative expression analysis.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the most commonly cited mechanism for cancer metastasis, but it is difficult to distinguish from profiles of normal stromal cells in the tumour microenvironment. In this study we use published single cell RNA-seq data to directly compare mesenchymal signatures from cancer and stromal cells. Informed by these comparisons, we developed a computational framework to decouple these two sources of mesenchymal expression profiles using bulk RNA-seq datasets. This deconvolution offers the opportunity to characterise EMT across hundreds of tumours and examine its association with metastasis and other clinical features. With this approach, we find three distinct patterns of EMT, associated with squamous, gynaecological and gastrointestinal cancer types. Surprisingly, in most cancer types, EMT patterns are not associated with increased chance of metastasis, suggesting that other steps in the metastatic cascade may represent the main bottleneck. This work provides a comprehensive evaluation of EMT profiles and their functional significance across hundreds of tumours while circumventing the confounding effect of stromal cells.

Expression profiles of proton-sensing G-protein coupled receptors in common skin tumors.

The proton-sensing GPCRs (pH-GPCRs) GPR4 (GPR19), TDAG8 (GPR65, T-cell death associated gene 8), OGR1 (GPR68, ovarian cancer GPCR1), and G2A (GPR132, G2 accumulation protein) are involved in sensing and transducing changes in extracellular pH (pHe). Extracellular acidification is a central hallmark of solid cancer. pH-GPCR function has been associated with cancer cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and metastasis, as well as with modulation of the immune system. Little is known about the expression levels and role of pH-GPCRs in skin cancer. To better understand the functions of pH-GPCRs in skin cancer in vivo, we examined the expression-profiles of GPR4, TDAG8, OGR1 and G2A in four common skin tumors, i.e. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), malignant melanoma (MM), compound nevus cell nevi (NCN), basal cell carcinoma (BCC). We performed immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining on paraffin-embedded tissue samples acquired from patients suffering from SCC, MM, NCN or BCC. We show the expression of pH-GPCRs in four common skin cancers. Different expression patterns in the investigated skin cancer types indicate that the different pH-GPCRs may have distinct functions in tumor progression and serve as novel therapeutic targets.

Consequences of Vitamin A Deficiency: Immunoglobulin Dysregulation, Squamous Cell Metaplasia, Infectious Disease, and Death.

Vitamin A is an important regulator of immune protection, but it is often overlooked in studies of infectious disease. Vitamin A binds an array of nuclear receptors (e.g., retinoic acid receptor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, retinoid X receptor) and influences the barrier and immune cells responsible for pathogen control. Children and adults in developed and developing countries are often vitamin A-deficient or insufficient, characteristics associated with poor health outcomes. To gain a better understanding of the protective mechanisms influenced by vitamin A, we examined immune factors and epithelial barriers in vitamin A deficient (VAD) mice, vitamin D deficient (VDD) mice, double deficient (VAD+VDD) mice, and mice on a vitamin-replete diet (controls). Some mice received insults, including intraperitoneal injections with complete and incomplete Freund's adjuvant (emulsified with PBS alone or with DNA + Fus-1 peptide) or intranasal inoculations with Sendai virus (SeV). Both before and after insults, the VAD and VAD+VDD mice exhibited abnormal serum immunoglobulin isotypes (e.g., elevated IgG2b levels, particularly in males) and cytokine/chemokine patterns (e.g., elevated eotaxin). Even without insult, when the VAD and VAD+VDD mice reached 3-6 months of age, they frequently exhibited opportunistic ascending bacterial urinary tract infections. There were high frequencies of nephropathy (squamous cell hyperplasia of the renal urothelium, renal scarring, and ascending pyelonephritis) and death in the VAD and VAD+VDD mice. When younger VAD mice were infected with SeV, the predominant lesion was squamous cell metaplasia of respiratory epithelium in lungs and bronchioles. Results highlight a critical role for vitamin A in the maintenance of healthy immune responses, epithelial cell integrity, and pathogen control.

Activation of DNA damage repair factors in HPV positive oropharyngeal cancers.

The mechanisms regulating viral pathogenesis of human papillomavirus (HPV) associated oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers (OPSCC) are not well understood. In the cervix, activation of DNA damage repair pathways is critical for viral replication but little is known about their role in OPSCC. APOBEC factors have been shown to be increased in OPSCC but the significance of this is unclear. We therefore examined activation of DNA damage and APOBEC factors in HPV-induced OPSCC. Our studies show significantly increased levels of pCHK1, FANCD2, BRCA1, RAD51, pSMC1 and γH2AX foci in HPV-positive samples as compared to HPV-negative while the ATM effector kinase, pCHK2, was not increased. Similar differences were observed when the levels of proteins were examined in OPSCC cell lines. In contrast, the levels of APOBEC3B and 3A were found to be similar in both HPV-positive and -negative OPSCC. Our studies suggest members of ATR pathway and FANCD2 may be important in HPV-induced OPSCC.

The role of bile reflux and its related NF-κB activated pathway in progression of hypopharyngeal squamous cell cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prognosis for hypopharyngeal cancer is usually poor, and recurrence is common. Identifying new factors or related mechanisms that promote its progression may have clinical implications. Although, recent studies support bile reflux in hypopharyngeal carcinogenesis, it remains to be explored how bile and its related NF-κB activated pathway may further affects its progression in already established hypopharyngeal cancer. METHODS: Hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HSCC) cell lines, FaDu and UMSCC11A, both negative for HPV, were repetitively exposed to bile acids (400 µM) at variable pH points (4.0, 5.5 and 7.0). Immunofluorescence, western blotting, luciferase assay, and qPCR were used to detect NF-κB activation, bcl-2 overexpression and gene expression. RESULTS: Bile at strongly acidic pH (4.0) potentiated the activation of NF-κB and its related mRNA phenotype in HSCC cells. IL-6, TNF-α, and BCL2 were found among the highest overexpressed genes as was previously found in HSCCs excised from patients with documented biliary reflux. An enhanced transcriptional activity of EGFR, RELA, STAT3, and WNT5Α and higher survival rates were observed in HSCC cells exposed to acidic bile compared to those exposed to bile at weakly acidic or neutral pH. CONCLUSION: Our novel findings support the observation that bile reflux has the potential for actively influencing the progression of hypopharyngeal cancer, mediated by NF-κB. In patients with hypopharyngeal cancer and known gastroesophageal reflux disease, antacid therapy may exert a role in furthering control of disease recurrence and progression.

A phase 1 study of oral ASP5878, a selective small-molecule inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptors 1-4, as a single dose and multiple doses in patients with solid malignancies.

ASP5878 is a selective small-molecule inhibitor of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs). This study investigated safety, tolerability, and antitumor effect of single and multiple oral doses of ASP5878 in patients with solid tumors. This phase 1, open label, first-in-human study comprised dose-escalation and dose-expansion parts. Primary objectives of the dose-escalation part were to identify the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), maximum tolerated dose, and recommended dose of ASP5878 for the dose-expansion part. Nine dose cohorts of ASP5878 were evaluated (0.5─2 mg once daily; 2─40 mg twice daily [BID]). A single dose of ASP5878 was followed by a 2-day pharmacokinetic collection, and then either 28-day cycles of daily dosing (ASP5878 ≤ 10 mg BID) or 5-day dosing/2-day interruption (ASP5878 ≥ 20 mg BID). The primary objective of the dose-expansion part was to determine the safety of ASP5878 (16 mg BID) administered in 28-day cycles of 5-day dosing/2-day interruption in patients with urothelial carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, or squamous cell lung carcinoma with FGFR genetic alterations. Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events (AEs). Thirty-five patients were enrolled and 31 discontinued in the dose-escalation part; 51 patients were enrolled and 51 discontinued in the dose-expansion part. In the dose-escalation part, 66.7% of patients in the 20 mg BID 5-day dosing/2-day interruption group reported DLTs of hyperphosphatemia. The recommended dose for the dose-expansion part was 16 mg BID. Common AEs included retinal detachment, diarrhea, and increased alanine aminotransferase. One death occurred that was not related to ASP5878. ASP5878 was well tolerated with manageable toxicities including hyperphosphatemia.

The relation between systemic inflammation and incident cancer in patients with stable cardiovascular disease: a cohort study.

AIMS: Low-grade inflammation, measured by elevated plasma concentrations of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (CRP), is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is evidence that low-grade inflammation is also related to a higher risk of cancer. The present prospective cohort study evaluates the relation between low-grade systemic inflammation and risk of cancer in patients with stable CVD. METHODS AND RESULTS: In total, 7178 patients with stable CVD and plasma CRP levels ≤10 mg/L were included. Data were linked to the Dutch national cancer registry. Cox regression models were fitted to study the relation between CRP and incident CVD and cancer. After a median follow-up time of 8.3 years (interquartile range 4.6-12.3) 1072 incident cancer diagnoses were observed. C-reactive protein concentration was related to total cancer [hazard ratio (HR) 1.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-1.65] comparing last quintile to first quintile of CRP. Especially lung cancer, independent of histopathological subtype, was related to CRP (HR 3.39; 95% CI 2.02-5.69 comparing last to first quintile of CRP). Incidence of epithelial neoplasms and especially squamous cell neoplasms were related to CRP concentration, irrespective of anatomical location. Sensitivity analyses after excluding patients with a cancer diagnosis within 1, 2, and 5 years of follow-up showed similar results. No effect modification was observed by smoking status or time since smoking cessation (P-values for interaction > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Chronic systemic low-grade inflammation, measured by CRP levels ≤10 mg/L, is a risk factor for incident cancer, markedly lung cancer, in patients with stable CVD. The relation between inflammation and incident cancer is seen in former and current smokers and is uncertain in never smokers.

Clinical outcomes of muscle invasive bladder Cancer according to the BASQ classification.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical efficacy and prognosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer according to the basal/squamous-like (BASQ) classification system based on immunohistochemical staining [CK5/6(+), CK14(+), GATA3(-), and FOXA1(-)]. METHODS: One hundred patients diagnosed with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (cT2-4 N0-3 M0) were included in the study. All patients underwent radical cystectomy after transurethral removal of bladder tumor. Immunostaining was performed for CK5/6, CK14, FOXA1, and GATA3 antibodies on tissue microarray slides, and expression patterns were quantitatively analyzed using a scanning program. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 77.4 (interquartile range: 39-120.9) months. The mean age of the patients was 65.1 ± 11.2 years. FOXA1 or CK14 expression greater than 1% was respectively positively and negatively correlated with overall survival (OS; p = 0.011 and p = 0.042, respectively), cancer-specific survival (CSS; p = 0.050 for both), and recurrence-free survival (RFS; p = 0.018 and p = 0.040, respectively). For CK5/6+ and GATA3- or FOXA1- expression, 10% CK5/6+ cells were negatively correlated with OS (p = 0.032 and p = 0.039, respectively) and with RFS in combination with FOXA1- only (p = 0.050). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, CK14 expression was associated with a poor prognosis. The new classification system of bladder cancer based on molecular characteristics is expected to helpful tool for the establishment of personalized treatment strategies and associated prediction of therapeutic responses.

Motor Neuron and Pancreas Homeobox 1 (MNX1) Is Involved in Promoting Squamous Cervical Cancer Proliferation via Regulating Cyclin E.

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is one of the most lethal gynecologic malignancies worldwide. The objective of this study was to assess the role of MNX1 in cervical cancer and its underlying mechanisms. MATERIAL AND METHODS The expression of motor neuron and pancreas homeobox 1 (MNX1) in immortal epithelial cervical cell line ECT, cervical cancer cell HeLa, and SiHa and cervical cancer, as well as in adjacent noncancer tissues, was detected and analyzed. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were performed to evaluate the effects of MNX1 overexpression on cervical cancer cell proliferation. Transwell assay was used to detect migration and invasion after MNX1 knockdown or overexpression. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to examine MNX1 and cell cycle regulator expression. RESULTS Data from our study indicated that MNX1 was upregulated both in cervical cancer cell lines and cervical cancer tissues. The high levels of MNX1 are related to advanced stages and lymph nodes metastasis. The overexpression of MNX1 promoted cervical cancer cells proliferation, migration, and invasion. Moreover, MNX1 upregulated 2 critical cell cycle regulators, CCNE1 and CCNE2. CONCLUSIONS These findings reveal MNX1 as a novel oncogene of cervical cancer and indicate MNX1 is a promising therapeutic and prognostic biomarker.

Transfection of microRNA-143 mimic could inhibit migration of HN-5 cells through down-regulating of metastatic genes.

Oral squamous cell cancer (OSCC) is one of the causes of death worldwide. The purpose of this project was to define the restoring of microRNA-143 in HN-5 cells and discover molecular apparatuses responsible for the anticancer processes. Firstly, expression levels of miR-143, K-Ras, MMP9 and C-Myc were evaluated in OSCC tissues. Then, microRNA-143 was transfected into HN-5 cells. The cytotoxic effects of microRNA-143 on HN-5 cells were evaluated. To estimate the effects of microRNA-143 on cell migration, wound healing assay was done. The expression levels of microRNA-143, K-Ras, MMP9, C-Myc, ADAMTS and CXCR4 were evaluated via the qRT-PCR method. microRNA-143 mimic inhibited cell migration in HN-5 cell line. microRNA-143 mimic decreased K-Ras, MMP9, C-My, ADAMTS and CXCR4 gene expression. microRNA-143 can inhibit HN-5 cells migration in vitro by down-regulating the expression of invasion-linked genes. Hence, microRNA-143 can be a new diagnostic biomarker and new therapeutic target for OSCC.

Enrichment of genes associated with squamous differentiation in cancer initiating cells isolated from urothelial cells transformed by the environmental toxicant arsenite.

Arsenic is an environmental toxicant with long-term exposure associated with the development of urothelial carcinomas. Our lab has developed an in-vitro model of urothelial carcinoma by exposing the immortal, but non-tumorigenic bladder cell line, the UROtsa, to arsenite (As3+). These transformed cells form tumors in immune-compromised mice, which resemble urothelial carcinomas with components of the tumor exhibiting squamous differentiation. The goal of the present study was to determine the differences in global gene expression patterns between the As3+-transformed UROtsa cells and the urospheres (spheroids containing putative cancer initiating cells) isolated from these cell lines and to determine if the genes involved in the development of squamous differentiation were enriched in the urospheres. The results obtained in this study show an enrichment of genes such as KRT1, KRT5, KRT6A, KRT6B, KRT6C, KRT14 and KRT16 associated with squamous differentiation, a characteristic feature seen in aggressive basal subtypes of urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) in the urospheres isolated from As3+-transformed UROtsa cells. In addition, there is increased expression of several of the small proline-rich proteins (SPRR) in the urospheres and overexpression of these genes occur in UCC's displaying squamous differentiation. In conclusion, the cancer initiating cells present in the urospheres are enriched with genes associated with squamous differentiation.

ATDC mediates a TP63-regulated basal cancer invasive program.

Basal subtype cancers are deadly malignancies but the molecular events driving tumor lethality are not completely understood. Ataxia-telangiectasia group D complementing gene (ATDC, also known as TRIM29), is highly expressed and drives tumor formation and invasion in human bladder cancers but the factor(s) regulating its expression in bladder cancer are unknown. Molecular subtyping of bladder cancer has identified an aggressive basal subtype, which shares molecular features of basal/squamous tumors arising in other organs and is defined by activation of a TP63-driven gene program. Here, we demonstrate that ATDC is linked with expression of TP63 and highly expressed in basal bladder cancers. We find that TP63 binds to transcriptional regulatory regions of ATDC and KRT14 directly, increasing their expression, and that ATDC and KRT14 execute a TP63-driven invasive program. In vivo, ATDC is required for TP63-induced bladder tumor invasion and metastasis. These results link TP63 and the basal gene expression program to ATDC and to aggressive tumor behavior. Defining ATDC as a molecular determinant of aggressive, basal cancers may lead to improved biomarkers and therapeutic approaches.

Prognostic Factors for Operated Gallbladder Cancer.

PURPOSE: The prognosis of gallbladder cancer is poor. Lymph node metastasis and the stage are known to be the strongest prognostic factors for survival. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of complementary surgery and other prognostic factors for survival of operated gallbladder cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed 62 localized gallbladder cancers. The prognostic factors for survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The 3-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 52.8 and 43.5%, respectively. Totally, 37 patients (59.6%) were diagnosed incidentally during simple cholecystectomy which was performed for benign causes but only 56.4% of them underwent complementary surgery. 51.6% of the recurrence was detected during 18.4 months of follow-up time. R0 resection, T stage, and pathological stage were found to be related with both OS and DFS by univariate analysis. Grade, lymph node metastasis, and adjuvant chemotherapy were also related with DFS. Presence of recurrence, recurrence side, performance score (PS), and perineural invasion (PNI) were related with OS. Peritoneal metastasis, advanced stage disease, and lymph node metastasis were more common among patients who did not undergo complementary surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given more frequently to patients who undergone complementary surgery group. The multivariate analysis indicated that grade, lymph node metastasis, stage, recurrence site, PS, and adjuvant chemotherapy stage were independent prognostic factors for DFS on the other and only stage was a prognostic factor for OS. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that incidental diagnosis or complementary surgery was not related with DFS or OS but stage was only an independent prognostic factor for both OS and DFS in resected gallbladder cancer.

Transmembrane Protease TMPRSS11B Promotes Lung Cancer Growth by Enhancing Lactate Export and Glycolytic Metabolism.

Pathways underlying metabolic reprogramming in cancer remain incompletely understood. We identify the transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS11B as a gene that promotes transformation of immortalized human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). TMPRSS11B is upregulated in human lung squamous cell carcinomas (LSCCs), and high expression is associated with poor survival of non-small cell lung cancer patients. TMPRSS11B inhibition in human LSCCs reduces transformation and tumor growth. Given that TMPRSS11B harbors an extracellular (EC) protease domain, we hypothesized that catalysis of a membrane-bound substrate modulates tumor progression. Interrogation of a set of soluble receptors revealed that TMPRSS11B promotes solubilization of Basigin, an obligate chaperone of the lactate monocarboxylate transporter MCT4. Basigin release mediated by TMPRSS11B enhances lactate export and glycolytic metabolism, thereby promoting tumorigenesis. These findings establish an oncogenic role for TMPRSS11B and provide support for the development of therapies that target this enzyme at the surface of cancer cells.

Cutaneous immunohistochemical staining pattern of p53ß isoforms.

p53 is considered the guardian of the genome and as such has numerous functions. The TP53 gene is the most commonly mutated gene in cancer, and yet the exact biological significance of such mutations remains unclear. There are at least 12 different isoforms of p53, and the complexity of the p53 pathway may be in part related to these isoforms. Prior research has often not teased out what isoforms of p53 are being studied, and there is evidence in the literature that p53 isoforms are expressed differently. In this paper, we document the staining pattern of p53ß isoforms in the skin and correlate it with mutational status in a subgroup of squamous proliferations of the skin. p53ß isoforms are present in the cytoplasm of the differentiated layer of the epidermis and hair follicles (granular layer, infundibular and isthmus-catagen). p53ß isoforms are diffusely expressed within the cytoplasm of well-differentiated squamous tumours with tetramerisation (C-terminal) domain mutations in TP53 Our results lend support to p53ß isoforms being a marker of differentiation in keratinocytes.

Hypoxia Enhances Fusion of Oral Squamous Carcinoma Cells and Epithelial Cells Partly via the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Epithelial Cells.

Increasing evidence and indications showed that cell fusion is crucial in tumor development and metastasis, and hypoxia, a closely linked factor to tumor microenvironment, which can lead to EMT, induces angiogenesis and metastasis in tumor growth. However, the relationship between hypoxia and fusion has not been reported yet. EMT will change some proteins in the epithelial cell surface and the changes of proteins in cell surface may increase cell fusion. This study found that hypoxia promotes the spontaneous cell fusion between Oral Squamous Carcinoma Cells (OSCCs) and Human Immortalized Oral Epithelial Cells (HIOECs). At the same time, Hypoxia can lead to EMT, and hypoxia-pretreated HIOECs increased fusion rate with OSCC, while the fusion rate was significantly reduced by DAPT, a kind of EMT blocker. Therefore, epithelial cells can increase spontaneously cell fusion with OSCC by EMT. Our study may provide a new insight to link among tumor microenvironment, cell fusion, and cancer.

Nanobodies targeting cortactin proline rich, helical and actin binding regions downregulate invadopodium formation and matrix degradation in SCC-61 cancer cells.

Cortactin is a multidomain actin binding protein that activates Arp2/3 mediated branched actin polymerization. This is essential for the formation of protrusive structures during cancer cell invasion. Invadopodia are cancer cell-specific membrane protrusions, specialized at extracellular matrix degradation and essential for invasion and tumor metastasis. Given the unequivocal role of cortactin at every stage of invadopodium formation, it is considered an invadopodium marker and potential drug target. We used cortactin nanobodies to examine the role of cortactin domain-specific function at endogenous protein level. Two cortactin nanobodies target the central region of cortactin with high specificity. One nanobody interacts with the actin binding repeats whereas the other targets the proline rich region and was found to reduce EGF-induced cortactin phosphorylation. After intracellular expression as an intrabody, they are both capable of tracing their target in the complex environment of the cytoplasm, and disturb cortactin functions during invadopodia formation and extracellular matrix degradation. These data illustrate the use of nanobodies as a research tool to dissect the role of cortactin in cancer cell motility. This information can contribute to the development of novel therapeutics for tumor cell migration and metastasis.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and 3 expression is associated with regulatory PI3K/AKT kinase activity, as well as invasion and prognosis, in human laryngeal cancer.

PURPOSE: Aberrant fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) expression is thought to contribute to the development of many types of cancer. As yet, however, their impact on the course and prognosis of head and neck cancer remains to be determined. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of expression of the FGFR family members FGFR1 and FGFR3, as well as their downstream PI3K/AKT signal-regulated kinases, on the aggressiveness and prognosis of laryngeal cancer. METHODS: In total 137 surgically removed squamous cell laryngeal cancer (SCLC) and 100 matched non-cancerous laryngeal mucosa (NCLM) samples were assessed for mRNA expression using quantitative real-time PCR. The corresponding proteins were analyzed by Western blotting. SLUG expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The expression data were subsequently related to tumor front grading (TFG), local/nodal recurrences, prognosis and overall survival. RESULTS: The FGFR1, FGFR3 and PI3K/AKT kinase mRNA and protein levels were found to be significantly higher in the SCLC than the NCLM samples (p < 0.05). A high FGFR1 mRNA/protein expression level was found to be associated with an increased invasion rate, according to TFG scale and SLUG level, a high local/nodal recurrence rate and a poor prognosis (p < 0.05). Similarly, we found that a high FGFR3 mRNA/protein expression level was associated with a shorter survival time (p < 0.05). In addition, we found that high PI3K/AKT kinase mRNA/protein levels were associated with a high TFG (p < 0.05). We also found that FGFR1/3 mRNA and FGFR1 protein levels were inversely associated with overall survival (log-rank test: FGFR1 mRNA p = 0.03, FGFR3 mRNA p = 0.04, FGFR1 protein p = 0.03). Subsequent multivariate analyses revealed that high FGFR3 mRNA expression may serve as an independent poor prognostic factor (HR 2.32, 95% CI 1.03-6.59; p = 0.04). We also found that the p-PI3K regulatory kinase protein level was significantly associated with survival in the cohort studied (HR 1.78, 95% CI 0.64-8.53; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: From our data we conclude that FGFR1 and FGFR3, as well as its downstream regulatory PI3K/AKT kinases, may serve as potential biomarkers for the invasiveness and prognosis of laryngeal cancer. The expression of FGFR1/3-PI3K/AKT regulatory pathway members may be instrumental for the identification of patients at risk for an unfavorable clinical outcome.

Long noncoding RNA Lnc­EGFR promotes cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis via regulating the expression of EGFR in human tongue cancer.

Tongue cancer remains a difficult disease to overcome. Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been shown to serve significant roles in the diagnosis and treatment of tongue cancer. Herein, the present study aimed to investigate the role of a newly­discovered Lnc, Lnc­EGFR in tongue cancer. The results showed that the transcript level of Lnc­EGFR was upregulated in patients with tongue cancer and in cultured tongue cancer cell lines. Consistently, expression of EGFR was also elevated selectively in cancerous tissues and malignant cell lines. Knockdown of Lnc­EGFR inhibited the clonogenic ability and cell viability of human tongue cancer cell lines UM1 and CAL­27, as evidenced by colony formation assays, and cell proliferation assays. Furthermore, depletion of Lnc­EGFR in UM1 and CAL­27 cells increased cell apoptosis by upregulating the activities of caspase­3, and caspase­9, but not caspase­8. Lnc­EGFR knockdown­mediated inhibition of clonogenic ability and cell viability was rescued by overexpression of EGFR by adding EGFR recombinant protein into both cell lines. Likewise, Lnc­EGFR knockdown­induced cell apoptosis was reversed by co­treatment with recombinant EGFR protein in UM1 and CAL­27 cells. All of these results suggested the oncogenic potential of Lnc­EGFR, which was achieved by positive regulation of EGFR in human tongue cancer.