Lipocalin 2 negatively regulates cell proliferation and epithelial to mesenchymal transition through changing metabolic gene expression in colorectal cancer.

Lipocalin 2 (LCN2), a member of the lipocalin superfamily, plays an important role in oncogenesis and progression in various types of cancer. However, the expression pattern and functional role of LCN2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) is still poorly understood. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether LCN2 is associated with proliferation and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in CRC and to elucidate the underlying signaling pathways. LCN2 was preferentially expressed in CRC cells compared to normal tissues. However, LCN2 expression was significantly lower in metastatic or advanced-stage CRC than in non-metastatic or early stage CRC. Knockdown of LCN2 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) in CRC cells expressing a high level of LCN2 induced cell proliferation and a morphological switch from an epithelial to mesenchymal state. Furthermore, downregulation of LCN2 in CRC cells increased cell migration and invasion involved in the regulation of EMT markers. Knockdown of LCN2 also induced glucose consumption and lactate production, accompanied by an increase in energy metabolism-related genes. Taken together, our findings indicated that LCN2 negatively modulated proliferation, EMT and energy metabolism in CRC cells. Accordingly, LCN2 may be a candidate metastasis suppressor and potential therapeutic target in CRC.

Clinical significance of hypoalbuminemia in outcome of patients with scrub typhus.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the clinical significance of hypoalbuminemia as a marker of severity and mortality in patients with Scrub typhus. METHODS: The patients with scrub typhus were divided into two groups based on the serum albumin levels; Group I (serum albumin <3.0 g/dL) and Group II (serum albumin >or=3.0 g/dL). The outcome of patients with hypoalbuminemia was compared with that of normoalbuminemia. RESULTS: Of the total 246 patients who underwent the study, 84 patients (34.1%) were categorized as Group I and 162 patients were (65.9%) as Group II. Group I showed significantly higher incidence of confusion (24.6% vs. 5.3%, p < 0.001), pulmonary edema (15.8% vs. 3.2%, p = 0.002), pleural effusion (22.8% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.03), arrhythmia (12.3% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.008) and non-oliguric acute renal failure (40.4% vs. 11.1%, p < 0.001) compared to group II. Hypoalbuminemic group had a higher APACHE II score (11.37 +/- 5.0 vs. 6.94 +/- 4.2, p < 0.001), longer hospital stay (19.9 +/- 42.1 days vs 7.5 +/- 13.8 days, p = 0.012), and higher hospital cost compared to Group II. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed hypoalbuminemia in scrub typhus was closely related to the frequency of various complication, longer hospital stay, consequently the higher medical cost, necessitating more efficient management of patients, including medical resources.

[Corrigendum] Lipocalin 2 inversely regulates TRAIL sensitivity through p38 MAPK­mediated DR5 regulation in colorectal cancer.

Following the publication of this article, an interested reader drew to our attention that Fig. 1C contained an important flaw. The Figure shows a western blot for LCN2, DR4, DR5, and actin, and it was noted that the identical bands shown for actin were also featured in a paper by the same authors published in 2017 [Lipocalin 2 negatively regulates cell proliferation and epithelial to mesenchymal transition through changing metabolic gene expression in colorectal cancer. Kim SL, Lee ST, Min IS, Park YR, Lee JH, Kim DG and Kim SW: Cancer Sci 108: 2176­2186, 2017], except that the lanes for the cell lines HCT116 and SW620 were depicted the other way around in the International Journal of Oncology article. Upon investigating the matter with the authors, they were able to confirm that the lanes were labelled incorrectly in the Figure itself; moreover, the incorrect control bands were included with the Figure. The corrected version of Fig. 1 is shown opposite, including the correct control data for Fig. 1C. This error did not have an impact on the overall meaning of the paper, or on the reported conclusions of this study. The authors regret that this error was introduced into the printed version of the paper, and apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in International Journal of Oncology 53: 2789­2799, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2018.4562].

Treatment Outcome and Renal Safety of 3-Year Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Preserved Glomerular Filtration Rate.

Background/Aims: To investigate the treatment efficacy and renal safety of long-term tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with preserved renal function. Methods: The medical records of 919 CHB patients who were treated with TDF therapy were reviewed. All patients had preserved renal function with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of at least 60 mL/min/1.73 m². Results: A total of 426 patients (184 treatment-naïve and 242 treatment-experienced) were included for analysis. A virologic response (VR) was defined as achieving an undetectable serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA level, and the overall VR was 74.9%, 86.7%, and 89.4% at the 1, 2, and 3-year follow-ups, respectively. Achieving a VR was not influenced by previous treatment experience, TDF combination therapy, or antiviral resistance. In a multivariate analysis, being hepatitis B e antigen positive at baseline and having a serum HBV DNA level ≥2,000 IU/mL at 12 months were associated with lower VR rates during the long-term TDF therapy. The overall renal impairment was 2.9%, 1.8%, and 1.7% at the 1, 2, and 3-year follow-ups, respectively. With regard to renal safety, underlying diabetes mellitus (DM) and an initial eGFR of 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m² were significant independent predictors of renal impairment. Conclusions: TDF therapy appears to be an effective treatment option for CHB patients with a preserved GFR. However, patients with underlying DM and initial mild renal dysfunction (eGFR, 60 to 89 mL/min/1.73 m²) have an increased risk of renal impairment.

Lipocalin 2 inversely regulates TRAIL sensitivity through p38 MAPK-mediated DR5 regulation in colorectal cancer.

TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis through death receptors (DRs)4 and/or 5 expressed on the cell surface. Multiple clinical trials are underway to evaluate the antitumor activity of recombinant human TRAIL and agonistic antibodies to DR4 or DR5. However, their therapeutic potential is limited by the high frequency of cancer resistance. In this study, we provide evidence demonstrating the role of lipocalin 2 (LCN2) in the TRAIL-mediated apoptosis of human colorectal cancer (CRC). By analyzing the mRNA expression data of 71 CRC tissues from patients, we found that DR5 was preferentially expressed in CRC tissues with a low LCN2 expression level compared to tissues with a high LCN2 expression level. Moreover, we analyzed the association between DR5 and LCN2 expression and this analysis revealed that DR5 expression in CRC tended to be inversely associated with LCN2 expression. By contrast, no association was found between the DR4 and LCN2 expression levels. The expression patterns of LCN2 in human CRC cell lines also exhibited an inverse association with DR5 expression. The knockdown of LCN2 by siRNA in the TRAIL­resistant CRC cells expressing high levels of LCN2 led to a significant increase in TRAIL-induced apoptosis through the upregulation of DR5 protein and mRNA expression. The mechanism through which LCN2 silencing sensitized the CRC cells to TRAIL was dependent on the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis. In addition, we identified that the knockdown of LCN2 enhanced the sensitivity of the cells to TRAIL through the p38 MAPK/CHOP-dependent upregulation of DR5. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that LCN2 is responsible for TRAIL sensitivity and LCN2 may thus prove to be a promising target protein in DR-targeted CRC therapy.