Riboflavin carrier protein: a serum and tissue marker for breast carcinoma

SOX4/HDAC2 Axis Enhances Cell Survivability and Reduces Apoptosis by Activating AKT/MAPK Signaling in Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

Increased SOX4 (SRY-related HMG-box) activity aids cellular transformation and metastasis. However, its specific functions and downstream targets remain to be completely elusive in colorectal cancer (CRC).

AIMS

To investigate the role of SOX4 in CRC progression and the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

In the current study, online available datasets of CRC patients were explored to check the expression status of SOX4. To investigate the further functions, SOX4 was overexpressed and knocked down in CRC cells. Colony formation assay, flowcytometry analysis, and MTT assay were used to check for proliferation and apoptosis. Acridine orange staining was done to check the role of SOX4 in autophagy induction. Furthermore, western blot, qRT-PCR, and bioinformatic analysis was done to elucidate the downstream molecular mechanism of SOX4.

RESULTS

GEPIA database showed enhanced expression of SOX4 mRNA in CRC tumor, and the human protein atlas (HPA) showed strong staining of SOX4 protein in tumor when compared to the normal tissue. Ectopic expression of SOX4 enhanced colony formation ability as well as rescued cells from apoptosis. SOX4 overexpressed cells showed the formation of acidic vesicular organelles (AVOs) which indicated autophagy. Further results revealed the activation of p-AKT/MAPK molecules upon overexpression of SOX4. SOX4 expression was found to be positively correlated with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2). Knockdown of SOX4 or HDAC2 inhibition induced apoptosis, revealed by decrease in BCL2 and increase in BAX expression, and inactivated the p-AKT/MAPK signaling.

CONCLUSION

The study uncovers that SOX4/HDAC2 axis improves cell survivability and reduces apoptosis via activation of the p-AKT/MAPK pathway.

The prognostic value of COX-2 in predicting metastasis of patients with colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta analysis

Introduction

COX-2 is overexpressed in colorectal tumour tissue relative to the healthy colonic mucosa, thus we investigated the prognostic significance of COX-2 in determining the metastasis of patients with colorectal cancer.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched using the following terms colorectal cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, colorectal carcinoma, Cyclooxygenase-2, and prognosis to identify articles providing information on the prognostic importance of COX-2 in adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Review papers, non-research letters, comments, case reports, animal studies, original research with sample sizes of fewer than 20, case reports and series, non-English language articles, and pediatric studies (those under the age of 17) were excluded. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the credibility of the included studies. The full texts were evaluated and this study complied with the terms of the local protocol and the Helsinki Declaration.

Results

Eight relevant studies were included in this review involving 937 patients. The meta-analysis revealed that COX-2 expression is associated with lymph node invasion (RR 1.85 [1.21, 2.83], P = 0.005, I2 = 88 %) and liver metastasis (RR 4.90 [1.12, 21.57], P = 0.04, I2 = 42 %), but not with venous dissemination (RR 1.48 [0.72, 3.03], P = 0.28, I2 = 87 %).

Conclusion

COX-2 expression is associated with lymph node invasion in colorectal cancer but further studies are required to determine the prognostic significance of COX-2 expression in determining metastasis status for colorectal cancer patients.

Germline variants of uncertain significance, their frequency, and clinico-pathological features in a cohort of Sri Lankan patients with hereditary breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based testing in cancer patients has led to increased detection of variants of uncertain significance (VUS). VUS are genetic variants whose impact on protein function is unknown. VUS pose a challenge to clinicians and patients due to uncertainty regarding their cancer predisposition risk. Paucity of data exists on the pattern of VUS in under-represented populations. This study describes the frequency of germline VUS and clinico-pathological features in Sri Lankan hereditary breast cancer patients.

METHODS

Data of 72 hereditary breast cancer patients who underwent NGS-based testing between January 2015 and December 2021 were maintained prospectively in a database and analyzed retrospectively. Data were subjected to bioinformatics analysis and variants were classified according to international guidelines.

RESULTS

Germline variants were detected in 33/72(45.8%) patients, comprising 16(48.5%) pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants and 17(51.5%) VUS. Distribution of VUS in breast cancer predisposing genes were :APC:1(5.8%), ATM:2(11.7%), BRCA1:1(5.8%), BRCA2:5(29.4%), BRIP1:1(5.8%), CDKN2A:1(5.8%), CHEK2:2(11.7%), FANC1:1(5.8%), MET:1(5.8%), STK11:1(5.8%), NF2:1(5.8%). Mean age at cancer diagnosis in patients with VUS was 51.2 years. Most common tumour histopathology was ductal carcinoma 11(78.6%). 50% of tumours in patients having VUS in BRCA1/2 genes were hormone receptor negative. 73.3% patients had family history of breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant portion of patients had a germline VUS. Highest frequency was in BRCA2 gene. Majority had family history of breast cancer. This highlights the need to undertake functional genomic studies to determine the biological effects of VUS and identify potentially clinically actionable variants that would be useful for decision-making and patient management.

Network-informed discovery of multidrug combinations for ERα+/HER2-/PI3Kα-mutant breast cancer

Breast cancer is a persistent threat to women worldwide. A large proportion of breast cancers are dependent on the estrogen receptor α (ERα) for tumor progression. Therefore, targeting ERα with antagonists, such as tamoxifen, or estrogen deprivation by aromatase inhibitors remain standard therapies for ERα + breast cancer. The clinical benefits of monotherapy are often counterbalanced by off-target toxicity and development of resistance. Combinations of more than two drugs might be of great therapeutic value to prevent resistance, and to reduce doses, and hence, decrease toxicity. We mined data from the literature and public repositories to construct a network of potential drug targets for synergistic multidrug combinations. With 9 drugs, we performed a phenotypic combinatorial screen with ERα + breast cancer cell lines. We identified two optimized low-dose combinations of 3 and 4 drugs of high therapeutic relevance to the frequent ERα + /HER2-/PI3Kα-mutant subtype of breast cancer. The 3-drug combination targets ERα in combination with PI3Kα and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1 (p21). In addition, the 4-drug combination contains an inhibitor for poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1), which showed benefits in long-term treatments. Moreover, we validated the efficacy of the combinations in tamoxifen-resistant cell lines, patient-derived organoids, and xenograft experiments. Thus, we propose multidrug combinations that have the potential to overcome the standard issues of current monotherapies.

Prognostic and Therapeutic Role of CD15 and CD15s in Cancer

Simple Summary

CD15 (Lewis X) is a typical myeloid antigen presented in myeloid and monocytic lineages of cells. This molecule interacts with E-, L- and P-selectins, which allows for adhesion with endothelial cells. CD15 is found on various cancer cells, including renal cancer, prostate and bladder cancers, acute leukaemias, hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer and melanoma cells. Its high expression can serve as a prognostic marker for patients and is a potentially valuable target for immunotherapy against cancer. Blockage of the antigen’s function results in reduced metastatic potential and it may be an immunotherapeutic target. CD15s is a sialyl derivative of CD15; however, unlike the high expression of CD15, which is a prognostic factor in Hodgkin lymphoma, CD15s relates to poor prognosis for patients. CD15 is considered a marker of cancer stem cells. This review presents a comprehensive description of the prognostic role of CD15 and CD15s and their use in anticancer therapy.

Abstract

CD15 (Lewis X/Lex) is a fucosyl (3-fucosly-N-acetyl-lactosamine) moiety found on membrane proteins of various cancer cells. These cancers include renal cancer, prostate and bladder cancers, acute leukaemias, hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer and melanoma. The biological role of CD15 is interaction with E-, L- and P-selectins (adhesion molecules), allowing for adhesion with endothelial cells. In this way, cancer cells start to interact with the endothelia of blood vessels and consequently move out from the blood flow to the surrounding tissues. Blockage of the antigen’s function results in reduced metastatic potential. Moreover, the molecule may be a therapeutic target against cancer in monoclonal antibody-based therapies. CD15 may serve as a prognostic marker for patients and there are high hopes for its use in the immunotherapeutic treatment of tumours. CD15s is a sialyl derivative of CD15 that possesses its own unique characteristics. Its soluble form may act as a competitive inhibitor of the interaction of cancer cells with epithelial cells and thus disallow migration through the vessels. However, the prognostic relevance of CD15 and CD15s expression is very complex. This review presents a comprehensive description of the role of CD15 and CD15s in cancer development and metastasis and overviews its significance for clinical applications.

Generation of an engineered food-grade Lactococcus lactis strain for production of an antimicrobial peptide: in vitro and in silico evaluation

BACKGROUND

Foodborne pathogens and their biofilms are considered as one of the most serious problems in human health and food industry. Moreover, safety of foods is a main global concern because of the increasing use of chemical food additives. Ensuring food safety enhances interest in discovery of new alternative compounds such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which can be used as bio-preservatives in the food industry. In this study, the most important antimicrobial peptides of camel milk lactoferrin (lactoferrampin and lactoferricin) were recombinantly expressed in the form of chimeric peptide (cLFchimera) in a food-grade L. lactis strain. P170 expression system was used to express secreted cLFchimera using pAMJ1653 expression vector which harbors a safe (non-antibiotic) selectable marker.

RESULTS

Peptide purification was carried out using Ni-NTA agarose column from culture medium with concentration of 0.13 mg/mL. The results of disk diffusion test revealed that cLFchimera had considerable antimicrobial activity against a number of major foodborne bacteria. Furthermore, this chimeric peptide showed strong and weak inhibitory effect on biofilm formation against P. aeruginosa, S. aureus E. faecalis, and E. coli, respectively. Antioxidant activity and thermal stability of the chimeric peptide was determined. The results showed that cLFchimera had antioxidant activity (IC50: 310 μ/mL) and its activity was not affected after 40 min of boiling. Finally, we evaluated the interaction of the peptide with LPS and DNA in bacteria using molecular dynamic simulation as two main intra and extra cellular targets for AMPs, respectively. Our in silico analysis showed that cLFchimera had strong affinity to both of these targets by positive charged residues after 50 ns molecular dynamic simulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the engineered food-grade L. lactis generated in the present study successfully expressed a secreted chimeric peptide with antimicrobial properties and could be considered as a promising bio-preservative in the food industry.

Development of HPV16,18,31,45 E5 and E7 peptides-based vaccines predicted by immunoinformatics tools

Objectives

Viral oncoproteins are ideal targets in therapeutic vaccines for functional inhibition of human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Herein, we designed the peptide constructs derived from E5 and E7 oncoproteins of high-risk HPV types 16, 18, 31 and 45 using the bioinformatics tools and investigated their potency in mice.

Results

The framework of the combined in silico/in vivo analysis included (1) to determine physicochemical properties of the designed constructs, (2) to identify potential IFN-γ-inducing epitopes, (3) to assess allergenicity, (4) to recognize linear and discontinuous B cell epitopes using modeling and validation of 3D structure of the designed constructs, and (5) to evaluate immune responses and tumor growth in vivo. Our in silico data determined high potency of the HPV_16,18,31,45 E5 and HPV_16,18,31,45 E7 peptides for trigger B- and T-cell responses, and IFN-γ secretion. In vivo study indicated that the mixture of E5 and E7 immunodominant peptides from four types of high-risk HPV could induce Th1 immune response, and protect completely mice against TC-1 tumor cells.

Conclusion

Generally, the combined in silico/in vivo approaches showed the ability of the designed E5 and E7 peptide constructs from four major high-risk HPV types for development of therapeutic vaccines.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10529-020-02792-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The Clearance of High-Risk Human Papillomavirus is Sooner After Thin Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (t-LEEP)

Purpose/aim of the study: To investigate high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection clearance following thin loop electrosurgical excision procedure (t-LEEP) among patients with cervical benign lesion. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analyzed clinical data from patients with cervical benign lesion and HPV infection, who had undergone t-LEEP (T-Group), compared with patients with HPV infection undergone no treatment (NT-Group). Both groups attended regular follow-up between January 2008 and January 2012. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the HPV clearance time. Results: The average clearance time was 7.7 months (M) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.5-8.9 M) in T-Group, and 10.4 M (95%CI: 9.4-11.3 M) in NT-Group, with significant difference between groups (p = 0.003). Among patients with low viral load, the HPV clearance times were 7.6 M (95%CI: 6.3-9.0 M) in T-Group and 9.7 M (95%CI: 8.6-10.8 M) in NT-Group (p = 0.042). Among patients with high viral load, the HPV clearance times were 8.0 M (95%CI: 5.3-10.6 M) in T-Group and 11.4 M (95%CI: 9.7-13.1 M) in NT-Group (p = 0.041). The average time of HPV clearance in T-Group was shorter than NT-Group in all age groups, with significant differences in ≤29Y-group (p = 0.008) and 30-39Y-group (p = 0.005). The accumulated clearance rate of HPV infection at sixth month and 12th month were 24.5% and 67.9% in T-Group, 7.8% and 43.1% in NT-Group, with significant differences (p = 0.001 at 6th month, p = 0.032 at 12th month). Conclusions: T-LEEP accelerates the clearance of high-risk HPV infection and make the HPV infection rates dropped rapidly in the first year.

Topological, chemical and electro-optical characteristics of riboflavin-doped artificial and natural DNA thin films

DNA is considered as a useful building bio-material, and it serves as an efficient template to align functionalized nanomaterials. Riboflavin (RF)-doped synthetic double-crossover DNA (DX-DNA) lattices and natural salmon DNA (SDNA) thin films were constructed using substrate-assisted growth and drop-casting methods, respectively, and their topological, chemical and electro-optical characteristics were evaluated. The critical doping concentrations of RF ([RF]C, approx. 5 mM) at given concentrations of DX-DNA and SDNA were obtained by observing the phase transition (from crystalline to amorphous structures) of DX-DNA and precipitation of SDNA in solution above [RF]C. [RF]C are verified by analysing the atomic force microscopy images for DX-DNA and current, absorbance and photoluminescence (PL) for SDNA. We study the physical characteristics of RF-embedded SDNA thin films, using the Fourier transform infrared spectrum to understand the interaction between the RF and DNA molecules, current to evaluate the conductance, absorption to understand the RF binding to the DNA and PL to analyse the energy transfer between the RF and DNA. The current and UV absorption band of SDNA thin films decrease up to [RF]C followed by an increase above [RF]C. By contrast, the PL intensity illustrates the reverse trend, as compared to the current and UV absorption behaviour as a function of the varying [RF]. Owing to the intense PL characteristic of RF, the DNA lattices and thin films with RF might offer immense potential to develop efficient bio-sensors and useful bio-photonic devices.