Project description:Circular RNAs are a new class of non-coding RNAs that have been shown to play critical roles in the development and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, little is known about the functional mechanisms and therapeutic role of ciRS-7 in RCC. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to investigate the functional mechanism and therapeutic role of ciRS-7, such as real-time quantitative PCR, CCK-8, wound healing, transwell, colony formation, Edu, tumor xenograft and lung metastasis in NSG mice. RNA pull-down, dual luciferase reporter, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and rescue assays were used to determine the relationship between ciRS-7, miR-139-3p and TAGLN. In addition, we constructed PBAE/si-ciRS-7 nanocomplexes with PBAE material to evaluate the therapeutic effect of the nanocomplexes on tumor in vivo. ciRS-7 was highly expressed in RCC tumor tissues and cell lines, and high ciRS-7 expression correlated with tumor size, high Fuhrman grade and poor survival. Depletion of ciRS-7 significantly inhibited RCC cell proliferation, invasion, tumor growth and metastasis in vivo, while overexpression of ciRS-7 had the opposite effect. Mechanistically, ciRS-7 acts as a "ceRNA" for miR-139-3p to prevent TAGLN degradation and promoting RCC progression and metastasis via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In addition, miR-139-3p mimics or inhibitor could reverse the altered malignant tumor behavior caused by ciRS-7 overexpression or silencing. Furthermore, the PBAE/siciRS-7 nanocomplexes could significantly inhibit RCC tumor progression and metastasis in vivo. ciRS-7 acts as a tumor promoter by regulating the miR-139-3p/TAGLN axis and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote RCC progression and metastasis. Drug development of PBAE/si-ciRS-7 nanocomplexes targeting ciRS-7 may represent a promising gene therapeutic strategy for RCC.
Project description:Preclinical studies demonstrated that complement promotes tumor growth. Therefore, we sought to determine the best target for complement-based therapy among common human malignancies. High expression of 11 complement genes was linked to unfavorable prognosis in renal cell carcinoma. Complement protein expression or deposition was observed mainly in stroma, leukocytes, and tumor vasculature, corresponding to a role of complement in regulating the tumor microenvironment. Complement abundance in tumors correlated with a high nuclear grade. Complement genes clustered within an aggressive inflammatory subtype of renal cancer characterized by poor prognosis, markers of T cell dysfunction, and alternatively activated macrophages. Plasma levels of complement proteins correlated with response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Corroborating human data, complement deficiencies and blockade reduced tumor growth by enhancing antitumor immunity and seemingly reducing angiogenesis in a mouse model of kidney cancer resistant to PD-1 blockade. Overall, this study implicates complement in the immune landscape of renal cell carcinoma, and notwithstanding cohort size and preclinical model limitations, the data suggest that tumors resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors might be suitable targets for complement-based therapy.
Project description:Skeletal muscle depletion is common in patients with advanced cancer and may be associated with a poor outcome. To investigate whether the changes in skeletal muscle in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients receiving targeted therapy are associated with clinical outcome, we undertook an observational cohort study using data from a number of randomized clinical trials previously conducted at the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. The muscle mass was evaluated by comparing computed tomography images obtained at baseline with those obtained after 3-4 months of treatment. A total 101 patients were included in the study. The mean skeletal muscle area reduced from 41.6 cm2/m2 to 39.9 cm2/m2 after 3-4 months of targeted therapy. In multivariable analyses adjusted for the number of baseline covariates, muscle loss ≥5% was shown to be a significant prognostic factor for both progression-free (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.744, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.077-2.826, P = 0.024) and overall survival (HR: 2.367, 95%CI: 1.253-4.469, P = 0.008). The addition of muscle loss to the Heng model significantly improved its discriminative ability. In summary, early skeletal muscle loss is frequently observed in mRCC patients and can add prognostic information to current clinical risk scores.
Project description:CDH13 is an atypical member of the cadherin family and is closely related to the clinicopathological factors and prognosis of many types of cancer. However, the role of CDH13 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unknown. Therefore, we comprehensively analyzed the expression level, diagnostic efficacy, clinical significance, prognostic value, immune infiltration, methylation status, genetic alteration, and biological functions of CDH13 in ccRCC patients. The results showed that CDH13 was significantly upregulated in ccRCC and strongly correlated with better survival, lower cancer stages, and lower tumor grades of ccRCC patients. Additionally, the immune infiltration analysis indicated that CDH13 might play a crucial role in regulating the tumor microenvironment of ccRCC. The results of methylation analysis showed that the epigenetic status of CDH13 was altered, and the prognosis of ccRCC patients was related not only to DNA methylation but also to m6A modification of CDH13. Finally, the results based on clinical samples further elucidated the expression pattern of CDH13 in ccRCC. In conclusion, CDH13 might be a novel prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for patients with ccRCC. And our study provides new insights into the potential molecular changes and strategies for the treatment of ccRCC.
Project description:Kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP) is a common urinary tumor that causes lymph node invasion. Once metastatic, the prognosis is poor and there is a lack of effective early diagnostic markers for this tumor. The expression of CCNB1 in KIRP tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in normal tissues in The Cancer Genome Atlas database with or without the genotype-tissue expression database, and a consistent result was obtained in 32 paired tissues. In addition, CCNB1 expression increased remarkably with the progression of the T and M stages. Moreover, using the online HPA database, we verified that the immunohistochemical scores of CCNB1 in KIRP were higher than those in the normal kidney tissues. The higher expression group of CCNB1 showed a worse prognosis in KIRP. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic curve, univariate and multivariate analyses, and construction of the column diagram further illustrated that CCNB1 was an independent prognostic factor for KIRP. Meanwhile, CCNB1 could better predict the 1- and 3-year survival rates of KIRP. Six genes were significantly and positively co-expressed with CCNB1. We also found that the CCNB1 high-expression group was enriched in the ECM_RECEPTOR_INTERACTION and FOCAL_ADHESION pathways. Finally, drug sensitivity analysis combined with molecular docking identified 5 targeting drugs with the strongest binding activity to CCNB1. CCNB1 is a potential and reliable biomarker for KIRP diagnosis and can be used to predict the survival of patients with KIRP. The 5 selected drugs targeting CCNB1 may provide new hopes for patients with KIRP metastasis.
Project description:This study aims to investigate the prognostic power of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) in gastric cancer (GC) and its potential role in cancer development and progression. Data mining results show that CEACAM6 is overexpressed in gastric cancer and is correlated with lymph node metastasis. Subsequently, immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine CEACAM6 protein levels in paraffin gastric tumor specimens. Real-time reverse-transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was conducted to detect CEACAM6 mRNA levels in fresh GC samples. CEACAM6 protein and mRNA levels were significantly up regulated in GC compared with paired normal mucosa. The IHC staining intensity of CEACAM6 was positively correlated with tumor size, Lauren's classification, vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM stage. CEACAM6 expression was inversely correlated with the five-year survival rate of GC patients. Cox multivariate analysis results demonstrated that the overall survival was independently correlated with CEACAM6 expression. A significant association was observed between CEACAM6 and distant metastases. Network analysis of downstream gene signatures revealed several hub genes such as SRC and DNM1L etc. which may mediating tumor promoting functions of CEACAM6. Further data mining discovered that Tamoxifen etc. could be therapeutic alternatives for gastric patients with CEACAM6 overexpression. Collectively, CEACAM6 overexpression is a common characteristic of GC and is associated with poor 5 year survival rate in GC. Besides, potential molecular mechanisms and treatment options were also provided.
Project description:Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) has the highest mortality rate and potential for invasion among renal cancers. The diagnosis and treatment of KIRC are becoming challenging because of its diverse pathogenic mechanisms. Glia (GMFB) is a highly conserved growth and differentiation factor for glia cells and neurons, and it is closely associated with neurodegenerative diseases. However, its role in KIRC remains unknown. The present study integrated bioinformatics approaches with suitable meta-analyses to determine the position of GMFB in KIRC. There was a significant decrease in Gmfb expression in KIRC kidneys compared with normal controls. Gmfb expression was negatively associated with pathologic stage, T and M stages, and histologic grade. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that elevated Gmfb expression was an independent factor for a favorable prognosis. Furthermore, the nomogram verified that Gmfb is a low-risk factor for KIRC. Knockdown of Gmfb in Caki-2 cells increased viability and decreased p21 and p27 levels. Overexpression of Gmfb inhibited Caki-2 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses considering Gmfb co-expressed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that collecting duct acid secretion and mineral absorption ranked were the most important upregulated and downregulated DEGs, respectively. The upregulated hub genes for DEGs were mainly involved in nucleosome assembly, nucleosome organization, and chromatin assembly, and the downregulated hub genes were primarily associated with keratinization. The ratio of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in KIRC tissues was evaluated using CIBERSORTx. The results showed that the Gmfb expression was significantly positively correlated with macrophage M2 cells and mast resting cell infiltration levels and negatively correlated with T follicular helper, T regulatory, and B plasma cell infiltration levels. The former cell types were associated with a beneficial outcome, while the latter had a worse outcome in patients with KIRC. In summary, this study identified GMFB as a novel independent biomarker and therapeutic target for KIRC, and it provides a helpful and distinct individualized treatment strategy for KIRC with a combination of molecular targets and tumor microenvironment.
Project description:BackgroundRNASET2 has been identified as an oncogene with anti-angiogenic and immunomodulatory effects in a variety of cancers, but its function in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is still not well understood.MethodsThe RNASET2 expression matrix was extracted from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and analyzed for diagnostic and prognostic value. RNASET2 mRNA expression was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in ccRCC patients and renal cancer cell lines. Wound healing assay, transwell assay, western blotting, and tube formation assays were used to evaluate the function of RNASET2 in renal cancer in vitro. In addition, transcriptome sequencing was performed on knockdown RNASET2 kidney cancer cells to analyze their potential signaling pathways. Moreover, the immune microenvironment and mutational status were evaluated to predict the potential mechanisms of RNASET2 involvement in renal cancer progression. Sensitivity to common chemotherapeutic and targeted agents was assessed according to the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database.ResultsRNASET2 expression was significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissues and renal cancer cell lines, predicting poor prognosis for patients. In vitro experiments showed that silencing RNASET2 inhibited the migration and pro-angiogenic ability of renal cancer cells. Transcriptome sequencing suggested its possible involvement in the remodeling of the immune microenvironment in renal cell carcinoma. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemical staining showed that RNASET2 was positively correlated with the infiltration abundance of regulatory T cells. Finally, we mapped the mutational landscape of RNASET2 in ccRCC and found its predictive value for drug sensitivity.ConclusionsOur results suggest that RNASET2 is a promising biomarker and therapeutic target in ccRCC.
Project description:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignancy. Previous studies have found that lamin B1 (LMNB1) contributes to the development of human cancers. However, the biological functions and prognostic values of LMNB1 in HCC have not been adequately elucidated. In our present research, the expression pattern of LMNB1 was analyzed. The prognostic values of LMNB1 were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. The effects of LMNB1 on HCC progression were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, wound healing, Transwell and in vivo xenograft assays. The mechanisms of LMNB1 in HCC progression were elucidated by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and loss-of-function assays. Besides, a nomogram for predicting overall survival (OS) was constructed. The results demonstrated that LMNB1 was overexpressed in HCC and that increased LMNB1 expression predicted a dismal prognosis. Further experiments showed that LMNB1 facilitated cell proliferation and metastasis in HCC. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that LMNB1 modulated metastasis-associated biological functions such as focal adhesion, extracellular matrix, cell junctions and cell adhesion. Mechanistically, we revealed that LMNB1 promoted HCC progression by regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Moreover, incorporating LMNB1, Ki67 and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage into a nomogram showed better predictive accuracy than the Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage and BCLC stage. In conclusion, LMNB1 may serve as an effective therapeutic target as well as a reliable prognostic biomarker for HCC.