Emerging advances and future opportunities in the molecular and therapeutic landscape of anal cancer

Anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is a rare malignancy with an increasing incidence. Primary chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard-of-care treatment for patients with localized ASCC. In the metastatic setting, trials testing immune-checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy have demonstrated outcomes similar to those of patients receiving chemotherapy. Conversely, adding the anti-PD-1 antibody retifanlimab to chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic ASCC has been shown to significantly improve outcomes. Despite considerable efforts to develop personalized therapy, treatment guidance and prognosis remain reliant on baseline clinical characteristics. An improved understanding of the molecular characteristics of ASCC has provided insights into the mechanisms that mediate tumour progression and response to CRT. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is known to have an aetiological role in most ASCCs and can modulate cellular responses to CRT via several distinct mechanisms. In this Review, we summarize emerging advances in the molecular and therapeutic landscape of ASCC, including the implementation of biomarkers for treatment guidance and translation into new therapeutic approaches, with HPV infection constituting a global determinant of both tumour biology and clinical outcome. We also discuss the rationale for combining immune-checkpoint inhibitors with CRT in patients with HPV+ tumours.

Pathophysiology of Anal Cancer

The pathophysiology of the development of anal cancer is thought to be linked to chronic inflammation, a possible consequence of infections with human papillomavirus (HPV) or HIV, or inflammation from inflammatory bowel disease. Anal HPV-induced carcinogenesis bears similarities to its cervical counterpart via viral integration into the host genome and the development of precursor lesions termed anal intraepithelial neoplasia. HPV-16 and -18 are the most common HPV genotypes associated with anal cancer. Other risk factors for the development of anal cancer include chronic immunosuppression, sexual activity and sexually transmitted diseases, female gender, history of anogenital dysplasia, and smoking.

Comparison between two cancer registry quality check systems: functional features and differences in an Italian network of cancer registries dataset

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare the functional characteristics of two computer-based systems for quality control of cancer registry data through analysis of their output differences.

Methods

The study used cancer incidence data from 22 of the 49 registries of the Italian Network of Cancer Registries registered between 1986 and 2017. Two different data checking systems developed by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Joint Research Center (JRC) with the European Network of Cancer Registries (ENCR) and routinely used by registrars were used to check the quality of the data. The outputs generated by the two systems on the same dataset of each registry were analyzed and compared.

Results

The study included a total of 1,305,689 cancer cases. The overall quality of the dataset was high, with 86% (81.7-94.1) microscopically verified cases and only 1.3% (0.03-3.06) cases with a diagnosis by death certificate only. The two check systems identified a low percentage of errors (JRC-ENCR 0.17% and IARC 0.003%) and about the same proportion of warnings (JRC-ENCR 2.79% and IARC 2.42%) in the dataset. Forty-two cases (2% of errors) and 7067 cases (11.5% of warnings) were identified by both systems in equivalent categories. 11.7% of warnings related to TNM staging were identified by the JRC-ENCR system only. The IARC system identified mainly incorrect combination of tumor grade and morphology (72.5% of warnings).

Conclusion

Both systems apply checks on a common set of variables, but some variables are checked by only one of the systems (for example, checks on patient follow-up and tumor stage at diagnosis are included by the JRC-ENCR system only). Most errors and warnings were categorized differently by the two systems, but usually described the same issues, with warnings related to "morphology" (JRC-ENCR) and "histology" (IARC) being the most frequent. It is important to find the right balance between the need to maintain high standards of data quality and the workability of such systems in the daily routine of the cancer registry.

In-Depth Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics of Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Tissues with a Spatial Resolution of 50-200 μm

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are banked in large repositories to cost-effectively preserve valuable specimens for later study. With the rapid growth of spatial proteomics, FFPE tissues can serve as a more accessible alternative to more commonly used frozen tissues. However, extracting proteins from FFPE tissues is challenging due to cross-links formed between proteins and formaldehyde. Here, we have adapted the nanoPOTS sample processing workflow, which was previously applied to single cells and fresh-frozen tissues, to profile protein expression from FFPE tissues. Following the optimization of extraction solvents, times, and temperatures, we identified an average of 1312 and 3184 high-confidence master proteins from 10 μm thick FFPE-preserved mouse liver tissue squares having lateral dimensions of 50 and 200 μm, respectively. The observed proteome coverage for FFPE tissues was on average 88% of that achieved for similar fresh-frozen tissues. We also characterized the performance of our fully automated sample preparation and analysis workflow, termed autoPOTS, for FFPE spatial proteomics. This modified nanodroplet processing in one pot for trace samples (nanoPOTS) and fully automated processing in one pot for trace sample (autoPOTS) workflows provides the greatest coverage reported to date for high-resolution spatial proteomics applied to FFPE tissues. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD029729.

Development and Validation of Prognostic Survival Nomograms for Patients with Anal Canal Cancer: A SEER-Based Study

Objective

Anal canal cancer is a rare malignancy with increasing incidence in recent times. This study aimed to develop two nomograms to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with anal canal cancer.

Methods

Information of patients with anal canal cancer from 2004 to 2015 was extracted from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database. Cox analysis was used to select the risk factors for prognosis, and nomograms were constructed using the R software. The C-index, area under the curve (AUC) of time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration plot and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to assess the clinical utility of the nomograms.

Results

A total of 2458 patients with malignant tumours of the anal canal were screened out. Sex, age, marital status, histological type, grade, tumour size, AJCC stage, SEER stage and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for OS, whereas sex, age, race, histological type, grade, tumour size, AJCC stage, SEER stage and radiotherapy were independent prognostic factors for CSS. In the training cohort, the C-index value for OS nomogram was 0.73 (95% CI, 0.69-0.77), and the AUC values that predicted the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 0.764, 0.758 and 0.760, respectively, whereas the C-index value for CSS nomogram model was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.69-0.79), and the AUC values were 0.763, 0.769 and 0.763, respectively. The calibration plot and DCA curves demonstrated good prediction performance of the model in both the training and validation cohorts.

Conclusion

The established nomogram is a visualisation tool that can effectively predict the OS and CSS of patients with anal canal cancer.

GABARAPL1 Inhibits EMT Signaling through SMAD-Tageted Negative Feedback

Simple Summary

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in metastasis formation, chemoresistance, apoptosis resistance, and acquisition of stem cell properties, making this process an attractive target in cancer. However, direct targeting of EMT remains challenging. Autophagy—an intracellular mechanism—has been noted to be involved in the regulation of EMT—mainly by its involvement in the degradation of EMT actors, explaining why understanding of how autophagy could regulate EMT might be promising in the development of new cancer therapies. Here, we found that GABARAPL1—an autophagy-related gene—was increased in human NSCLC mesenchymal tumors compared to epithelial tumors, and induction of EMT in an A549 lung cancer cell line by TGF-β/TNF-α cytokines also led to an increase in GABARAPL1 expression. This regulation could involve the EMT-related transcription factors of the SMAD family. To understand the role of GABARAPL1 in EMT regulation in lung cancer cells, A549 KO GABARAPL1 were designed and used to investigate whether GABARAPL1 could inhibit EMT via its involvement in SMAD degradation. The results indicate that GABARAPL1-mediated autophagic degradation could intervene as a negative EMT-regulatory loop.

Abstract

The pathway of selective autophagy, leading to a targeted elimination of specific intracellular components, is mediated by the ATG8 proteins, and has been previously suggested to be involved in the regulation of the Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) during cancer’s etiology. However, the molecular factors and steps of selective autophagy occurring during EMT remain unclear. We therefore analyzed a cohort of lung adenocarcinoma tumors using transcriptome analysis and immunohistochemistry, and found that the expression of ATG8 genes is correlated with that of EMT-related genes, and that GABARAPL1 protein levels are increased in EMT+ tumors compared to EMT- ones. Similarly, the induction of EMT in the A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line using TGF-β/TNF-α led to a high increase in GABARAPL1 expression mediated by the EMT-related transcription factors of the SMAD family, whereas the other ATG8 genes were less modified. To determine the role of GABARAPL1 during EMT, we used the CRISPR/Cas9 technology in A549 and ACHN kidney adenocarcinoma cell lines to deplete GABARAPL1. We then observed that GABARAPL1 knockout induced EMT linked to a defect of GABARAPL1-mediated degradation of the SMAD proteins. These findings suggest that, during EMT, GABARAPL1 might intervene in an EMT-regulatory loop. Indeed, induction of EMT led to an increase in GABARAPL1 levels through the activation of the SMAD signaling pathway, and then GABARAPL1 induced the autophagy-selective degradation of SMAD proteins, leading to EMT inhibition.

Assessing the Reliability and Positive Predictive Value of p16 as a Surrogate for Human Papillomavirus-Mediated E6/7 mRNA Expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Canal

BACKGROUND

Human papillomavirus has been implicated in the carcinogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal. p16 expression and the presence of human papillomavirus DNA have been used to define human papillomavirus-positive patients, but neither approach has been validated against the standard of human papillomavirus E6/7 mRNA expression at this disease site.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of p16 immunohistochemistry as a surrogate to E6/7 mRNA expression in identifying human papillomavirus-mediated squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective analysis of a previously constructed tissue microarray.

SETTINGS

This study was conducted at a tertiary academic center.

PATIENTS

Biopsies and resection specimens from patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal at the study institution from 2005 to 2015 were reviewed for sample adequacy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Concordance between p16 positivity by immunohistochemistry and E6/7 mRNA expression by in situ hybridization was evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value were assessed.

RESULTS

Among the 25 patients evaluated, p16 and E6/7 mRNA results were concordant in 24 of 25 specimens (96%). Of the 24 concordant samples, there were 23 true positives (p16+ and E6/7+) and 1 true negative (p16- and E6/7-). One specimen was discordant (p16- and E6/7+) between p16 and E6/7 mRNA (4%). This resulted in a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 100%. Positive predictive value of p16 immunohistochemistry for E6/7 mRNA expression was 100%.

LIMITATIONS

This study was limited by its retrospective nature and small sample size. It only assessed diagnostic parameters rather than prognostic implications.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the clinically prevalent method of p16 immunohistochemistry showed excellent concordance with the standard of E6/7 mRNA expression and demonstrated its potential to serve as a surrogate for identifying human papillomavirus-induced squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B448.

EVALUANDO LA CONFIABILIDAD Y EL VALOR PREDICTIVO POSITIVO DE P, COMO SUSTITUTO DE LA EXPRESIN DE ARNM DE E / , MEDIADA POR EL VIRUS DEL PAPILOMA HUMANO, EN CARCINOMA DE CLULAS ESCAMOSAS DEL CANAL ANAL

ANTECEDENTES:El virus del papiloma humano se ha relacionado en la carcinogénesis del carcinoma de células escamosas del canal anal. La expresión de p16 y la presencia de ADN del virus del papiloma humano, se han utilizado para definir a los pacientes positivos al virus del papiloma humano. Pero ninguno de estos enfoques, han sido validados frente al estándar de oro de la expresión del ARNm del virus del papiloma humano E6 / 7, en este sitio de la enfermedad.OBJETIVO:El estudio tuvo como objetivo, evaluar la aceptabilidad de la inmunohistoquímica del p16, como sustituto de la expresión de ARNm de E6 / 7, en la identificación del carcinoma de células escamosas del canal anal, mediada por virus del papiloma humano.DISEÑO:Fue un análisis retrospectivo de un microarreglo de tejido previamente construido.AJUSTE:El estudio se realizó en un centro académico terciario.PACIENTES:Se revisaron biopsias y muestras de resección de pacientes diagnosticados con carcinoma de células escamosas del canal anal, en la institución del estudio, entre 2005 y 2015 para determinar la idoneidad de la muestra.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:Se evaluó la concordancia entre la positividad de p16 por inmunohistoquímica y la expresión de ARNm de E6 / 7 por hibridación in situ. Se evaluaron la sensibilidad, especificidad y valor predictivo positivo.RESULTADOS:Entre los 25 pacientes evaluados, los resultados del ARNm de p16 y E6 / 7 fueron concordantes en 24/25 muestras (96%). De las 24 muestras concordantes, hubo 23 positivos verdaderos (p16 + y E6 / 7 +) y un negativo verdadero (p16- y E6 / 7-). Una muestra fue discordante (p16- y E6 / 7 +) entre p16 y ARNm de E6 / 7 (4%). Esto resultó en una sensibilidad del 96% y una especificidad del 100%. El valor predictivo positivo de la inmunohistoquímica de p16 para la expresión de ARNm de E6 / 7 fue del 100%.LIMITACIONES:El estudio estuvo limitado por su naturaleza retrospectiva y por el tamaño pequeño de la muestra. Solamente evaluó los parámetros de diagnóstico, en lugar de las implicaciones pronosticas.CONCLUSIONES:En este estudio, el método clínico prevalente de inmunohistoquímica p16, mostró una excelente concordancia con el estándar de oro de la expresión de ARNm de E6 / 7 y demostró su potencial para servir, como sustituto para identificar el carcinoma de células escamosas del canal anal, inducido por el virus del papiloma humano. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B448.

Microproteomic sample preparation

Multiple applications of proteomics in life and health science, pathology and pharmacology, require handling size-limited cell and tissue samples. During proteomic sample preparation, analyte loss in these samples arises when standard procedures are used. Thus, specific considerations have to be taken into account for processing, that are summarised under the term microproteomics (μPs). Microproteomic workflows include: sampling (e.g., flow cytometry, laser capture microdissection), sample preparation (possible disruption of cells or tissue pieces via lysis, protein extraction, digestion in bottom-up approaches, and sample clean-up) and analysis (chromatographic or electrophoretic separation, mass spectrometric measurements and statistical/bioinformatic evaluation). All these steps must be optimised to reach wide protein dynamic ranges and high numbers of identifications. Under optimal conditions, sampling is adapted to the studied sample types and nature, sample preparation isolates and enriches the whole protein content, clean-up removes salts and other interferences such as detergents or chaotropes, and analysis identifies as many analytes as the instrumental throughput and sensitivity allow. In the suggested review, we present and discuss the current state in μP applications for processing of small number of cells (cell μPs) and microscopic tissue regions (tissue μPs).

The origin of the expressed retrotransposed gene ACTBL2 and its influence on human melanoma cells' motility and focal adhesion formation

We have recently found that β-actin-like protein 2 (actbl2) forms complexes with gelsolin in human melanoma cells and can polymerize. Phylogenetic and bioinformatic analyses showed that actbl2 has a common origin with two non-muscle actins, which share a separate history from the muscle actins. The actin groups' divergence started at the beginning of vertebrate evolution, and actbl2 actins are characterized by the largest number of non-conserved amino acid substitutions of all actins. We also discovered that ACTBL2 is expressed at a very low level in several melanoma cell lines, but a small subset of cells exhibited a high ACTBL2 expression. We found that clones with knocked-out ACTBL2 (CR-ACTBL2) or overexpressing actbl2 (OE-ACTBL2) differ from control cells in the invasion, focal adhesion formation, and actin polymerization ratio, as well as in the formation of lamellipodia and stress fibers. Thus, we postulate that actbl2 is the seventh actin isoform and is essential for cell motility.

Treatment algorithm and prognostic factors for patients with stage I-III carcinoma of the anal canal: a 20-year multicenter study

Despite a growing incidence in developed countries and a recent improved understanding of its pathogenesis, anal cancer management has not evolved over the past decades and drug combination used as first-line regimen still largely depends on clinician preferences. Aiming at paving the way for precision medicine, a large cohort of 372 HIV-negative patients diagnosed over a 20-year time period with locally advanced anal carcinoma was collected and carefully characterized at the clinical, demographic, histopathologic, immunologic, and virologic levels. Both the prognostic relevance of each clinicopathological parameter and the efficacy of different concurrent chemoradiation strategies were determined. Overall, the incidence of anal cancer peaked during the sixth decade (mean: 63.4) and females outnumbered males (ratio: 2.51). After completion of treatment, 95 (25.5%) patients experienced progression of persistent disease or local/distant recurrence and 102 (27.4%) died during the follow-up period (median: 53.8 months). Importantly, uni-multivariate analyses indicated that both negative HPV/p16^ink4a status and aberrant p53 expression were far better predictors for reduced progression-free survival than traditional risk factors such as tumor size and nodal status. As for overall survival, the significant influences of age at diagnosis, p16^ink4a status, cTNM classification as well as both CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ T-cell infiltrations within tumor microenvironment were highlighted. Cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy was superior to both radiotherapy alone and other concurrent chemoradiation therapies in the treatment of HPV-positive tumors. Regarding their HPV-uninfected counterparts, frequent relapses were observed, whatever the treatment regimen administered. Taken together, our findings reveal that current anal cancer management and treatment have reached their limits. A dualistic classification according to HPV/p53 status should be considered with implications for therapy personalization and optimization.

EZH2 and KDM6B Expressions Are Associated with Specific Epigenetic Signatures during EMT in Non Small Cell Lung Carcinomas

The role of Epigenetics in Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) has recently emerged. Two epigenetic enzymes with paradoxical roles have previously been associated to EMT, EZH2 (Enhancer of Zeste 2 Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) Subunit), a lysine methyltranserase able to add the H3K27me3 mark, and the histone demethylase KDM6B (Lysine Demethylase 6B), which can remove the H3K27me3 mark. Nevertheless, it still remains unclear how these enzymes, with apparent opposite activities, could both promote EMT. In this study, we evaluated the function of these two enzymes using an EMT-inducible model, the lung cancer A549 cell line. ChIP-seq coupled with transcriptomic analysis showed that EZH2 and KDM6B were able to target and modulate the expression of different genes during EMT. Based on this analysis, we described INHBB, WTN5B, and ADAMTS6 as new EMT markers regulated by epigenetic modifications and directly implicated in EMT induction.

A 2020 update of anal cancer: the increasing problem in women and expanding treatment landscape

INTRODUCTION

Anal cancer is a rare malignancy with increasing incidence, notably in women. This disease is highly associated with HPV infection and its incidence and mortality are currently rising. Most patients present with localized disease which has a high survival after definitive treatment with chemoradiation. For patients who develop metastatic disease or present with this de novo, survival is poor.

AREAS COVERED

This review provides a summary of current literature on anal cancer. With a focus on women, this includes current epidemiological trends, role of HPV, and the current and future treatment landscape, including HPV vaccination and immunotherapy. Screening currently focusses on HIV-positive men, missing most female cases. In curative disease, trials are investigating treatment de-intensification in good prognostic groups. Immunotherapy is showing early promise in the advanced disease setting.

EXPERT OPINION

Similar to cervical cancer, anal cancer is strongly associated with HPV, and therefore, broader implementation of screening programs may reduce its incidence. HPV vaccination is expected to reduce the development of (pre)malignant anal lesions. The emergence of biomarkers will assist patient treatment selection, allowing optimal balance of treatment efficacy and morbidity. It is hoped that new treatment approaches, including immunotherapy, will improve outcomes. International collaboration is needed.

X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography: An Emerging Technology to Analyze Vascular Calcification in Animal Models

Vascular calcification describes the formation of mineralized tissue within the blood vessel wall, and it is highly associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. In this article, we briefly review different rodent models used to study vascular calcification in vivo, and critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current techniques used to analyze and quantify calcification in these models, namely 2-D histology and the o-cresolphthalein assay. In light of this, we examine X-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT) as an emerging complementary tool for the analysis of vascular calcification in animal models. We demonstrate that this non-destructive technique allows us to simultaneously quantify and localize calcification in an intact vessel in 3-D, and we consider recent advances in µCT sample preparation techniques. This review also discusses the potential to combine 3-D µCT analyses with subsequent 2-D histological, immunohistochemical, and proteomic approaches in correlative microscopy workflows to obtain rich, multifaceted information on calcification volume, calcification load, and signaling mechanisms from within the same arterial segment. In conclusion we briefly discuss the potential use of µCT to visualize and measure vascular calcification in vivo in real-time.

Laser capture microdissection coupled mass spectrometry (LCM-MS) for spatially resolved analysis of formalin-fixed and stained human lung tissues

BACKGROUND

Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-which respectively stain nuclei blue and other cellular and stromal material pink-are routinely used for clinical diagnosis based on the identification of morphological features. A richer characterization can be achieved by laser capture microdissection coupled to mass spectrometry (LCM-MS), giving an unbiased assay of the proteins that make up the tissue. However, the process of fixing and H&E staining of tissues provides challenges with standard sample preparation methods for mass spectrometry, resulting in low protein yield. Here we describe a microproteomics technique to analyse H&E-stained, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues.

METHODS

Herein, we utilize heat extraction, physical disruption, and in column digestion for the analysis of H&E stained FFPE tissues. Micro-dissected morphologically normal human lung alveoli (0.082 mm3) and human lung blood vessels (0.094 mm3) from FFPE-fixed H&E-stained sections from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) specimens (n = 3 IPF specimens) were then subject to a qualitative and then quantitative proteomics approach using BayesENproteomics. In addition, we tested the sensitivity of this method by processing and analysing a range of micro-dissected human lung blood vessel tissue volumes.

RESULTS

This approach yields 1252 uniquely expressed proteins (at a protein identification threshold of 3 unique peptides) with 892 differentially expressed proteins between these regions. In accord with prior knowledge, our methodology approach confirms that human lung blood vessels are enriched with smoothelin, CNN1, ITGA7, MYH11, TAGLN, and PTGIS; whereas morphologically normal human lung alveoli are enriched with cytokeratin-7, -8, -18, -19, 14, and -17. In addition, we identify a total of 137 extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and immunohistologically validate that laminin subunit beta-1 localizes to morphologically normal human lung alveoli and tenascin localizes to human lung blood vessels. Lastly, we show that this micro-proteomics technique can be applied to tissue volumes as low as 0.0125 mm3.

CONCLUSION

Herein we show that our multistep sample preparation methodology of LCM-MS can identify distinct, characteristic proteomic compositions of anatomical features within complex fixed and stained tissues.

Genetic Profile and Functional Proteomics of Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Proposal for a Molecular Classification

Anal squamous cell carcinoma is a rare tumor. Chemo-radiotherapy yields a 50% 3-year relapse-free survival rate in advanced anal cancer, so improved predictive markers and therapeutic options are needed. High-throughput proteomics and whole-exome sequencing were performed in 46 paraffin samples from anal squamous cell carcinoma patients. Hierarchical clustering was used to establish groups de novo Then, probabilistic graphical models were used to study the differences between groups of patients at the biological process level. A molecular classification into two groups of patients was established, one group with increased expression of proteins related to adhesion, T lymphocytes and glycolysis; and the other group with increased expression of proteins related to translation and ribosomes. The functional analysis by the probabilistic graphical model showed that these two groups presented differences in metabolism, mitochondria, translation, splicing and adhesion processes. Additionally, these groups showed different frequencies of genetic variants in some genes, such as ATM, SLFN11 and DST Finally, genetic and proteomic characteristics of these groups suggested the use of some possible targeted therapies, such as PARP inhibitors or immunotherapy.

Microproteomics and Immunohistochemistry Reveal Differences in Aldo-Keto Reductase Family 1 Member C3 in Tissue Specimens of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease

PURPOSE

Differential diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) is of utmost importance for the decision making of respective therapeutic treatment strategies but in about 10-15% of cases, a clinical and histopathological assessment does not lead to a definite diagnosis. The aim of the study is to characterize proteomic differences between UC and CD.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Microproteomics is performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded colonic tissue specimens from 9 UC and 9 CD patients. Protein validation is performed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) (n_UC =51, n_CD =62, n_CTRL =10) followed by digital analysis.

RESULTS

Microproteomic analyses reveal eight proteins with higher abundance in CD compared to UC including proteins related to neutrophil activity and damage-associated molecular patterns. Moreover, one protein, Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C3 (AKR1C3), is present in eight out of nine CD and absent in all UC samples. Digital IHC analysis reveal a higher percentage and an increased expression intensity of AKR1C3-positive epithelial cells in CD compared to UC and in controls compared to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Overall, the results suggest that microproteomics is an adequate tool to highlight protein patterns in IBD. IHC and digital pathology might support future differential diagnosis of UC and CD.

EMT is associated with an epigenetic signature of ECM remodeling genes

Type III epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been previously associated with increased cell migration, invasion, metastasis, and therefore cancer aggressiveness. This reversible process is associated with an important gene expression reprogramming mainly due to epigenetic plasticity. Nevertheless, most of the studies describing the central role of epigenetic modifications during EMT were performed in a single-cell model and using only one mode of EMT induction. In our study, we studied the overall modulations of gene expression and epigenetic modifications in four different EMT-induced cell models issued from different tissues and using different inducers of EMT. Pangenomic analysis (transcriptome and ChIP–sequencing) validated our hypothesis that gene expression reprogramming during EMT is largely regulated by epigenetic modifications of a wide range of genes. Indeed, our results confirmed that each EMT model is unique and can be associated with a specific transcriptome profile and epigenetic program. However, we could select some genes or pathways that are similarly regulated in the different models and that could therefore be used as a common signature of all EMT models and become new biomarkers of the EMT phenotype. As an example, we can cite the regulation of gene-coding proteins involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which are highly induced in all EMT models. Based on our investigations and results, we identified ADAM19 as a new biomarker of in vitro and in vivo EMT and we validated this biological new marker in a cohort of non-small lung carcinomas.

ATG9A Is Overexpressed in Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Its In Vitro Extinction Leads to the Inhibition of Pro-Cancer Phenotypes

Early detection and targeted treatments have led to a significant decrease in mortality linked to breast cancer (BC), however, important issues need to be addressed in the future. One of them will be to find new triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) therapeutic strategies, since none are currently efficiently targeting this subtype of BC. Since numerous studies have reported the possibility of targeting the autophagy pathway to treat or limit cancer progression, we analyzed the expression of six autophagy genes (ATG9A, ATG9B, BECLIN1, LC3B, NIX and P62/SQSTM1) in breast cancer tissue, and compared their expression with healthy adjacent tissue. In our study, we observed an increase in ATG9A mRNA expression in TNBC samples from our breast cancer cohort. We also showed that this increase of the transcript was confirmed at the protein level on paraffin-embedded tissues. To corroborate these in vivo data, we designed shRNA- and CRISPR/Cas9-driven inhibition of ATG9A expression in the triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-436, in order to determine its role in the regulation of cancer phenotypes. We found that ATG9A inhibition led to an inhibition of in vitro cancer features, suggesting that ATG9A can be considered as a new marker of TNBC and might be considered in the future as a target to develop new specific TNBC therapies.

Accelerated pre-senile systemic amyloidosis in PACAP knockout mice - a protective role of PACAP in age-related degenerative processes

Dysregulation of neuropeptides may play an important role in aging‐induced impairments. Among them, pituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a potent cytoprotective peptide that provides an endogenous control against a variety of tissue‐damaging stimuli. We hypothesized that the progressive decline of PACAP throughout life and the well‐known general cytoprotective effects of PACAP lead to age‐related pathophysiological changes in PACAP deficiency, supported by the increased vulnerability to various stressors of animals partially or totally lacking PACAP. Using young and aging CD1 PACAP knockout (KO) and wild type (WT) mice, we demonstrated pre‐senile amyloidosis in young PACAP KO animals and showed that senile amyloidosis appeared accelerated, more generalized, more severe, and affected more individuals. Histopathology showed age‐related systemic amyloidosis with mainly kidney, spleen, liver, skin, thyroid, intestinal, tracheal, and esophageal involvement. Mass spectrometry‐based proteomic analysis, reconfirmed with immunohistochemistry, revealed that apolipoprotein‐AIV was the main amyloid protein in the deposits together with several accompanying proteins. Although the local amyloidogenic protein expression was disturbed in KO animals, no difference was found in laboratory lipid parameters, suggesting a complex pathway leading to increased age‐related degeneration with amyloid deposits in the absence of PACAP. In spite of no marked inflammatory histological changes or blood test parameters, we detected a disturbed cytokine profile that possibly creates a pro‐inflammatory milieu favoring amyloid deposition. In summary, here we describe accelerated systemic senile amyloidosis in PACAP gene‐deficient mice, which might indicate an early aging phenomenon in this mouse strain. Thus, PACAP KO mice could serve as a model of accelerated aging with human relevance. © 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

A dualistic model of primary anal canal adenocarcinoma with distinct cellular origins, etiologies, inflammatory microenvironments and mutational signatures: implications for personalised medicine

Background

Primary adenocarcinoma of the anal canal is a rare and aggressive gastrointestinal disease with unclear pathogenesis. Because of its rarity, no clear clinical practice guideline has been defined and a targeted therapeutic armamentarium has yet to be developed. The present article aimed at addressing this information gap by in-depth characterising the anal glandular neoplasms at the histologic, immunologic, genomic and epidemiologic levels.

Methods

In this multi-institutional study, we first examined the histological features displayed by each collected tumour (n = 74) and analysed their etiological relationship with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The intratumoural immune cell subsets (CD4, CD8, Foxp3), the expression of immune checkpoints (PD-1, PD-L1), the defect in mismatch repair proteins and the mutation analysis of multiple clinically relevant genes in the gastrointestinal cancer setting were also determined. Finally, the prognostic significance of each clinicopathological variable was assessed.

Results

Phenotypic analysis revealed two region-specific subtypes of anal canal adenocarcinoma. The significant differences in the HPV status, density of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, expression of immune checkpoints and mutational profile of several targetable genes further supported the separation of these latter neoplasms into two distinct entities. Importantly, anal gland/transitional-type cancers, which poorly respond to standard treatments, displayed less mutations in downstream effectors of the EGFR signalling pathway (i.e., KRAS and NRAS) and demonstrated a significantly higher expression of the immune inhibitory ligand-receptor pair PD-1/PD-L1 compared to their counterparts arising from the colorectal mucosa.

Conclusions

Taken together, the findings reported in the present article reveal, for the first time, that glandular neoplasms of the anal canal arise by HPV-dependent or independent pathways. These etiological differences leads to both individual immune profiles and mutational landscapes that can be targeted for therapeutic benefits.

PD-L1 expression is regulated by both DNA methylation and NF-kB during EMT signaling in non-small cell lung carcinoma

Tumor cells, which undergo Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) acquire increased capacities of proliferation, invasion and have the ability to generate metastases by escaping the immune system during their systemic migration. To escape the immune system, cancer cells may induce tolerance or resist elimination by immune effectors via multiple mechanisms and we hypothesized that EMT may control the expression of immune checkpoint inhibitors, then promoting immune evasion. PD-L1 (programmed cell death ligand 1) but not PD-L2 nor Galectin 9 or Death receptor (DR4, DR5 and Fas) and ligands (FasL and TRAIL) expression was up-regulated during cytokine-driven EMT in a reversible manner. Moreover PD-L1 is overexpressed in VIMENTIN positive NSCLC tissues. We also demonstrated that the expression of PD-L1 required both TNFα and TGFβ1. Indeed, TGFβ1 decreased DNMT1 content and that resulted in PD-L1 promoter demethylation whereas TNFα induced the NF-κB pathway that promoted expression of demethylated PD-L1 promoter.

MALDI Imaging Combined with Laser Microdissection-Based Microproteomics for Protein Identification: Application to Intratumor Heterogeneity Studies

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) imaging is widely used for in situ proteomic mapping and finds multiple applications in pathology. However, low fragmentation yields in MALDI avoid an optimal identification of peptides from tissues. On the other hand, LMD-based microproteomic analyses allow for the identification of hundreds to thousands of proteins from small tissue regions. Herein, we present the combination of MALDI imaging and LMD-based microproteomic approaches for parallel identification. We illustrate the workflow with an application to intratumor heterogeneity studies.

Laser Microdissection-Based Microproteomics of Formalin-Fixed and Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) Tissues

Laser microdissection-based proteomics on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues is usually performed from relatively large tissue areas or pools of multiple tissue pieces. However, several molecular pathology studies require working on very limited amounts of tissue. This is for example the case when very early cancer lesions have to be handled. Hereby, we present a method for the processing of very small pieces of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues for proteomic purposes. This approach is designed in order to avoid sample loss during technical processing and to optimize the digestion of tissue areas containing as little as 2700 cells.

Telomerase Induction in HPV Infection and Oncogenesis

Telomerase extends the repetitive DNA at the ends of linear chromosomes, and it is normally active in stem cells. When expressed in somatic diploid cells, it can lead to cellular immortalization. Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are associated with and high-risk for cancer activate telomerase through the catalytic subunit of telomerase, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). The expression of hTERT is affected by both high-risk HPVs, E6 and E7. Seminal studies over the last two decades have identified the transcriptional, epigenetic, and post-transcriptional roles high-risk E6 and E7 have in telomerase induction. This review will summarize these findings during infection and highlight the importance of telomerase activation as an oncogenic pathway in HPV-associated cancer development and progression.

Deciphering the Multifactorial Susceptibility of Mucosal Junction Cells to HPV Infection and Related Carcinogenesis

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced neoplasms have long been considered to originate from viral infection of the basal cell layer of the squamous mucosa. However, this paradigm has been recently undermined by accumulating data supporting the critical role of a discrete population of squamo-columnar (SC) junction cells in the pathogenesis of cervical (pre)cancers. The present review summarizes the current knowledge on junctional cells, discusses their high vulnerability to HPV infection, and stresses the potential clinical/translational value of the novel dualistic model of HPV-related carcinogenesis.