Project description:Comprehensive understanding of aberrant splicing in gastric cancer is lacking. We RNA-sequenced 19 gastric tumor-normal pairs and identified 118 high-confidence tumor-associated (TA) alternative splicing events (ASEs) based on high-coverage sequencing and stringent filtering, and also identified 8 differentially expressed splicing factors (SFs). The TA ASEs occurred in genes primarily involved in cytoskeletal organization. We constructed a correlative network between TA ASE splicing ratios and SF expression, replicated it in independent gastric cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and experimentally validated it by knockdown of the nodal SFs (PTBP1, ESRP2 and MBNL1). Each SF knockdown drove splicing alterations in several corresponding TA ASEs and led to alterations in cellular migration consistent with the role of TA ASEs in cytoskeletal organization. We have therefore established a robust network of dysregulated splicing associated with tumor invasion in gastric cancer. Our work is a resource for identifying oncogenic splice forms, SFs and splicing-generated tumor antigens as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Project description:Except for a few genes known to have oncogenic spliceforms in gastric cancer, the full scope of aberrant splicing in gastric oncogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we elucidated the alternative splicing events associated with gastric carcinogenesis and identified upstream regulators governing these events. We performed RNA-seq on 19 matched tumor/normal pairs and a panel of gastric cancer cell lines, and identified 361 tumor associated (TA) alternative splicing events (ASEs), which included known oncogenic ASEs in genes such as INSR, FGFR2, CD44 and KRAS. We further identified 8 splicing factors dysregulated in gastric tumors, the expression of which are correlated to the splice ratio of the TA ASEs. We thereby constructed a dysregulated splicing network in gastric cancer, consisting of alternative splicing changes correlated to their potential regulators. This network featured three potential regulatory modules centered around the splicing factors ESRP2, MBNL1 and PTPB1. Knockdown of each splicing factor led to the expected changes in splicing of approximately half of the ASEs assayed. Thus, dysregulation of the splicing factors indeed was the cause of many of the TA ASEs. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that genes affected by tumor associated splicing were pre-dominantly involved in cytoskeletal organization. Concordant with this, knockdown of the splicing factors regulating the TA ASEs led to the expected changes in trans-well migration activity. Thus, we have established for the first time a comprehensive splicing network that likely drives gastric tumor progression, based on which novel therapeutic targets can be identified for further evaluation.
Project description:Mounting evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the regulation of gene expression by acting as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA). However, the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA as ceRNA in gastric cancer (GC) are not fully understood. Here, we first constructed a dysregulated lncRNA-associated ceRNA network by integrating analysis of gene expression profiles of lncRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Then, we determined three lncRNAs (RP5-1120P11, DLEU2, and DDX11-AS1) as hub lncRNAs, in which associated ceRNA subnetworks were involved in cell cycle-related processes and cancer-related pathways. Furthermore, we confirmed that the two lncRNAs (DLEU2 and DDX11-AS1) were significantly upregulated in GC tissues, promote GC cell proliferation, and negatively regulate miRNA expression, respectively. The hub lncRNAs (DLEU2 and DDX11-AS1) could have oncogenic functions, and act as potential ceRNAs to sponge miRNA. Our findings not only provide novel insights on ceRNA regulation in GC, but can also provide opportunities for the functional characterization of lncRNAs in future studies.
Project description:Gene expression and alternative splicing (AS) interact in complex ways to regulate biological process which is associated with cancer development. Here, by integrated analysis of gene expression and AS events, we aimed to identify the hub AS events and splicing factors relevant in gastric cancer development (GC). RNA-seq data, clinical data and AS events of 348 GC samples were obtained from the TCGA and TCGASpliceSeq databases. Cox univariable and multivariable analyses, KEGG and GO pathway analyses were performed to identify hub AS events and splicing factor/spliceosome genes, which were further validated in 53 GCs. By bioinformatics methods, we found that gene AS event- and gene expression-mediated GC progression shared the same mechanisms, such as PI3K/AKT pathway, but the involved genes were different. Though expression of 17 hub AS events were confirmed in 53 GC tissues, only 10 AS events in seven genes were identified as critical candidates related to GC progression, notably the AS events (Exon Skip) in CLSTN1 and SEC16A. Expression of these AS events in GC correlated with activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Genes with AS events associated with clinical parameters and prognosis were different from the genes whose mRNA levels were related to clinical parameters and prognosis. Besides, we further revealed that QKI and NOVA1 were the crucial splicing factors regulating expression of AS events in GC, but not spliceosome genes. Our integrated analysis revealed hub AS events in GC development, which might be the potential therapeutic targets for GC.
Project description:Alternative splicing events are a major source of transcript and protein diversity in eukaryotes. Aberrant alternative splicing events have been increasingly reported in various cancers, including gastric cancer. To further explore the prognostic significance of alternative splicing events in gastric cancer patients, a comprehensive and systematic investigation was conducted by integrating alternative splicing event data and clinical information. Univariate Cox regression analysis identified 1383 alternative splicing events to be significantly associated with the overall survival of gastric cancer patients. Then, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox analyses were performed for the development of prognostic signatures. The final prognostic signature based on all seven types of alternative splicing events can act as an independent prognostic indicator after multivariate adjustment of several clinical parameters. Furthermore, the correlation and function analysis identified CELF2, BAG2, RBFOX2, PTBP2 and QKI as hub splicing factors, and the focal adhesion signaling pathway was most significantly correlated with survival-associated alternative splicing events. The results of this study may establish a foundation for further research investigating the underlying mechanism of alternative splicing events in the progression of gastric cancer.
Project description:Multiple human diseases including cancer have been associated with a dysregulation in RNA splicing patterns. In the current study, modifications to the global RNA splicing landscape of cellular genes were investigated in the context of Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer. Global alterations to the RNA splicing landscape of cellular genes was examined in a large-scale screen from 295 primary gastric adenocarcinomas using high-throughput RNA sequencing data. RT-PCR analysis, mass spectrometry, and co-immunoprecipitation studies were also used to experimentally validate and investigate the differential alternative splicing (AS) events that were observed through RNA-seq studies. Our study identifies alterations in the AS patterns of approximately 900 genes such as tumor suppressor genes, transcription factors, splicing factors, and kinases. These findings allowed the identification of unique gene signatures for which AS is misregulated in both Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer and EBV-negative gastric cancer. Moreover, we show that the expression of Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) leads to modifications in the AS profile of cellular genes and that the EBNA1 protein interacts with cellular splicing factors. These findings provide insights into the molecular differences between various types of gastric cancer and suggest a role for the EBNA1 protein in the dysregulation of cellular AS.
Project description:Alternative splicing (AS), an essential process for the maturation of mRNAs, is involved in tumorigenesis and tumor progression, including angiogenesis, apoptosis, and metastasis. AS changes can be frequently observed in different tumors, especially in geriatric lung adenocarcinoma (GLAD). Previous studies have reported an association between AS events and tumorigenesis but have lacked a systematic analysis of its underlying mechanisms. In the present study, we obtained splicing event information from SpliceSeq and clinical information regarding GLAD from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Survival-associated AS events were selected to construct eight prognostic index (PI) models. We also constructed a correlation network between splicing factors (SFs) and survival-related AS events to identify a potential molecular mechanism involved in regulating AS-related events in GLAD. Our study findings confirm that AS has a strong prognostic value for GLAD and sheds light on the clinical significance of targeting SFs in the treatment of GLAD.
Project description:Alternative splicing is involved in the pathogenesis of human diseases, including cancer. Here, we investigated the potential application of alternative splicing events (ASEs) and splicing factors (SFs) in the prognosis of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Transcriptome data from 79 ACC cases were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and percent spliced-in values of seven splicing types were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas SpliceSeq database. By the univariate Cox regression analysis, 1,839 survival-related ASEs were identified. Prognostic indices based on seven types of survival-related ASEs were calculated by multivariate Cox regression analysis. Survival curves and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the diagnostic value of the prognostic model. Independent prognosis analysis identified several ASEs (e.g., THNSL2| 54469| ME) that could be used as biomarkers to predict the prognosis of patients with ACC accurately. By analyzing the co-expression correlation between SFs and ASEs, 188 highly correlated interactions were established. From the protein interaction network, we finally screened six hub SFs, including YBX1, SART1, PRCC, SNRPG, SNRPE, and SF3B4, whose expression levels were significantly related to the overall survival and prognosis of ACC. Our findings provide a reliable model for predicting the prognosis of ACC patients based on aberrant alternative splicing patterns.
Project description:Alternative splicing (AS) regulates biological processes governing phenotypes and diseases. Differential AS (DAS) gene test methods have been developed to investigate important exonic expression from high-throughput datasets. However, the DAS events extracted using statistical tests are insufficient to delineate relevant biological processes. In this study, we developed a novel application, Alternative Splicing Encyclopedia: Functional Interaction (ASpediaFI), to systemically identify DAS events and co-regulated genes and pathways. ASpediaFI establishes a heterogeneous interaction network of genes and their feature nodes (i.e., AS events and pathways) connected by co-expression or pathway gene set knowledge. Next, ASpediaFI explores the interaction network using the random walk with restart algorithm and interrogates the proximity from a query gene set. Finally, ASpediaFI extracts significant AS events, genes, and pathways. To evaluate the performance of our method, we simulated RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets to consider various conditions of sequencing depth and sample size. The performance was compared with that of other methods. Additionally, we analyzed three public datasets of cancer patients or cell lines to evaluate how well ASpediaFI detects biologically relevant candidates. ASpediaFI exhibits strong performance in both simulated and public datasets. Our integrative approach reveals that DAS events that recognize a global co-expression network and relevant pathways determine the functional importance of spliced genes in the subnetwork. ASpediaFI is publicly available at https://bioconductor.org/packages/ASpediaFI.