Identification of prognostic biomarkers for papillary thyroid carcinoma by a weighted gene co‐expression network analysis

Lysyl Oxidase-Like 1 (LOXL1) Up-Regulation in Chondrocytes Promotes M1 Macrophage Activation in Osteoarthritis via NF-κB and STAT3 Signaling

Purpose

Osteoarthritis (OA) constitutes a widespread degenerative joint disease predominantly affecting the elderly, leading to disability. There is still a lack of biomarkers for OA, so it cannot be intervened in time.

Methods

OA biomarkers were identified from human cartilage datasets using LASSO and SVM-RFE, followed by ROC analysis. LOXL1 was prioritized for further research due to its high expression in OA cartilage and robust predictive performance. Anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) surgery-induced OA rats were used to explore the correlation between LOXL1 and inflammatory factors and macrophages. Macrophage markers and cytokine secretion were detected from macrophages treated with LOXL1, or co-cultured with chondrocytes after LOXL1 siRNA silencing.

Results

Five hub biomarkers with OA-specific expression were identified. Elevated LOXL1 correlated with IL-6 and IL-8 in patients and increased M1 macrophages in OA rats. LOXL1-stimulated macrophages upregulated CD86 and inflammatory cytokines. Silencing LOXL1 in chondrocytes reduced CD86, inflammatory cytokines, and NF-κB p65 and p-STAT3 expression in co-cultured macrophages, mitigating MMP13 and chondrocyte apoptosis. STAT3 and NF-κB signal inhibition reduces p-STAT3, p-p65, CD86, IL-6 and IL-1β expression in LOXL1-stimulated macrophages.

Conclusion

This study underscores the pivotal role of LOXL1 in activating M1 macrophages through NF-κB and STAT3 signaling, thereby promoting pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and contributing to OA pathogenesis. LOXL1 holds promise as a potential marker for early diagnosis of OA inflammation and as a novel therapeutic target.

Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst. Immunomodulatory Protein Has the Potential to Improve the Prognosis of Breast Cancer Through the Regulation of Key Prognosis-Related Genes

Background/Objectives: Breast cancer in women is the most commonly diagnosed and most malignant tumor. Although luminal A breast cancer (LumA) has a relatively better prognosis, it still has a persistent pattern of recurrence. Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst. is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine and has antitumor effects. In this study, we aimed to identify the genes relevant to prognosis, find novel targets, and investigate the function of the bioactive protein from G. lucidum, called FIP-glu, in improving prognosis. Methods: Gene expression data and clinical information of LumA breast cancer patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Using bioinformatics methods, a predictive risk model was constructed to predict the prognosis for each patient. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and clone formation assays were used to validate gene function. The ability of FIP-glu to regulate RNA levels of risk genes was validated. Results: Six risk genes (slit-roundabout GTPase-activating protein 2 (SRGAP2), solute carrier family 35 member 2 (SLC35A2), sequence similarity 114 member A1 (FAM114A1), tumor protein P53-inducible protein 11 (TP53I11), transmembrane protein 63C (TMEM63C), and polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (PIGR)) were identified, and a prognostic model was constructed. The prognosis was worse in the high-risk group and better in the low-risk group. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve confirmed the model's accuracy. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses showed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the high- and low-risk groups were significantly enriched in the immune responses. TMEM63C could promote tumor viability, growth, and proliferation in vitro. FIP-glu significantly regulated these risk genes, and attenuated the promoting effect of TMEM63C in breast cancer cells. Conclusions: SRGAP2, SLC35A2, FAM114A1, TP53I11, TMEM63C, and PIGR were identified as the potential risk genes for predicting the prognosis of patients. TMEM63C could be a potential novel therapeutic target. Moreover, FIP-glu was a promising drug for improving the prognosis of LumA breast cancer.

An integrative analysis of the tumor suppressors and oncogenes from sexual dimorphism and gene expression alteration features in thyroid cancer

BACKGROUND

The incidence of thyroid cancer has risen rapidly over the last decades. Although mortality rates are relatively low compared to other cancers, the rate of new cases started to increase in the early 2000s. While tumor suppressors and oncogenes were recently identified in thyroid cancer, the potential roles of these genes in thyroid cancer remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

Analyze the roles and functions of tumor suppressors and oncogenes in thyroid cancer.

METHODS

Thyroid cancer data were collected from public databases, such as the UCSC Xena database of TCGA thyroid cancer, TISIDB, and UALCAN. The genes frequently associated with unfavorable thyroid cancer were examined and validated. The association of these target genes with thyroid tumorigenesis, stages, subtypes, and survival rates were analyzed. Additionally, the genes aberrantly expressed in thyroid cancer and significantly involved in thyroid tumorigenesis, stages, subtypes, and survival rates were identified.

RESULTS

Female sex was identified as a risk factor for thyroid cancer. The expression of PAPSS2, PDLIM3, COPZ2, ALDH1B1, ANTXR1, GUF1, and SENP6 negatively correlated with thyroid cancer prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Female sex was a risk factor for thyroid cancer. In addition, our analysis suggested that PAPSS2, PDLIM3, COPZ2, ALDH1B1, ANTXR1, GUF1, and SENP6 are negatively correlated with the prognosis of thyroid cancer. The expression of ANTXR1, GUF1, and PDLIM3 was weakly associated with thyroid cancer's immune and molecular subtypes.

The Emerging Roles of circRNAs in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Molecular Mechanisms and Biomarker Potential

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common endocrine malignant tumor. The incidence of PTC has increased in the past decades and presents a younger trend. Accumulating evidence indicates that circular RNAs (circRNAs), featured with non-linear, closed-loop structures, play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis and regulate cell biological processes, such as proliferation, migration, and invasion, by acting as microRNA (miRNA) sponges. Additionally, due to their unique stability, circRNAs hold promising potential as diagnostic biomarkers and effective therapeutic targets for PTC treatment. In this review, we systematically arrange the expression level of circRNAs, related clinical characteristics, circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network, and molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, related signaling pathways and their potential ability of diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets are discussed, which might provide a new strategy for PTC diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis.

Lysyl Oxidase Family Proteins: Prospective Therapeutic Targets in Cancer

The lysyl oxidase (LOX) family, consisting of LOX and LOX-like proteins 1–4 (LOXL1–4), is responsible for the covalent crosslinking of collagen and elastin, thus maintaining the stability of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and functioning in maintaining connective tissue function, embryonic development, and wound healing. Recent studies have found the aberrant expression or activity of the LOX family occurs in various types of cancer. It has been proved that the LOX family mainly performs tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling function and is extensively involved in tumor invasion and metastasis, immunomodulation, proliferation, apoptosis, etc. With relevant translational research in progress, the LOX family is expected to be an effective target for tumor therapy. Here, we review the research progress of the LOX family in tumor progression and therapy to provide novel insights for future exploration of relevant tumor mechanism and new therapeutic targets.