Characterization of Molecular Markers Indicative of Cervical Cancer Progression

The role of cornulin (CRNN) in the progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma involving AKT activation in SCL-1

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common non-melanoma skin cancer that has been on the rise in recent times, particularly among older individuals. Cornulin (CRNN) is increasingly recognized as an oncogene involved in developing various types of tumors. However, the precise contribution to cSCC remains unclear. Our study observed a significant increase in CRNN expression in cSCC samples compared to healthy skin. CRNN expression in the SCL-1 cell line derived from cSCC was reduced, leading to a halt in cell growth during the transition from the G1 phase to the S phase. This reduction inhibits cell division, promotes cell death, and decreases cell invasion and migration. CRNN overexpression has been found to enhance cell growth and prevent cells from undergoing natural cell death, and the cancer-promoting effects of CRNN are linked to AKT activation. Using a mouse xenograft model, we demonstrated that the inhibition of CRNN led to a decline in cSCC tumor growth in a living organism, providing evidence of CRNN's involvement in cSCC occurrence and development. This study establishes a foundation for evaluating the effectiveness of CRNN in treating cSCC, enabling further investigation in this area.

Diagnostic, prognostic, and immunological roles of CDSN in ovarian cancer

Globally, ovarian cancer (OC) ranks as a principal cause of cancer-related mortality in females. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of OC, but the efficacy of immunotherapy is often limited by different immune microenvironments. The objective of this research was to pinpoint and validate candidate genes with potential value as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in OC. Data on genes associated with gene mutation, prognostic survival, and immune infiltration in OC were procured from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Gene differential analysis, mutation site analysis, prognosis and survival analysis, and functional and signaling pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to identify and evaluate key genes. The genes were further investigated using immune infiltration analysis, receiver operating characteristic curves, and immunohistochemistry. The impact of CDSN on OC cell proliferation was investigated utilizing CCK-8, colony formation, and apoptosis detection assays. We identified a set of genes (CDSN, WARS, and CD38) that were highly expressed in OC and significantly associated with mutations and prognosis. Immune infiltration analysis and immunohistochemistry results indicated a correlation with immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment, particularly in antigen-presenting cells. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated the diagnostic potential of these three genes in OC, with all three genes showing the area under the curve (AUC) above 0.8. In vitro studies suggested that knocked down CDSN expression resulted in a marked lower in the proliferative capacity of OC cells. The candidate gene CDSN identified through bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments is associated with mutation and immune infiltration, showing promise as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, as well as a therapeutic objective in OC.

Unveiling diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cervical cancer: biomarker discovery through proteomics approaches and exploring the role of cervical cancer stem cells

Cervical cancer (CC) is a major global health problem and leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. Early detection through screening programs has reduced mortality; however, screening compliance remains low. Identifying non-invasive biomarkers through proteomics for diagnosis and monitoring response to treatment could improve patient outcomes. Here we review recent proteomics studies which have uncovered biomarkers and potential drug targets for CC. Additionally, we explore into the role of cervical cancer stem cells and their potential implications in driving CC progression and therapy resistance. Although challenges remain, proteomics has the potential to revolutionize the field of cervical cancer research and improve patient outcomes.

Cellular functions of heat shock protein 20 (HSPB6) in cancer: A review

Heat shock proteins (HSP) are a large family of peptide proteins that are widely found in cells. Studies have shown that the expression and function of HSPs in cells are very complex, and they can participate in cellular physiological and pathological processes through multiple pathways. Multiple heat shock proteins are associated with cancer cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to anticancer drugs, and they play a key role in cancer development by ensuring the correct folding or degradation of proteins in cancer cells. As research hotspots, HSP90, HSP70 and HSP27 have been extensively studied in cancer so far. However, HSP20, also referred to as HSPB6, as a member of the small heat shock protein family, has been shown to play an important role in the cardiovascular system, but little research has been conducted on HSP20 in cancer. This review summarizes the current cellular functions of HSP20 in different cancer types, as well as its effects on cancer proliferation, progression, prognosis, and its other functions in cancer, to illustrate the close association between HSP20 and cancer. We show that, unlike most HSPs, HSP20 mainly plays an active anticancer role in cancer development, which is expected to provide new ideas and help for cancer diagnosis and treatment and research.

Protein Profiling in Human Papillomavirus-Associated Cervical Carcinogenesis: Cornulin as a Biomarker for Disease Progression

Nearly 90% of cervical cancers are linked to human papillomavirus (HPV). Uncovering the protein signatures in each histological phase of cervical oncogenesis provides a path to biomarker discovery. The proteomes extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of the normal cervix, HPV16/18-associated squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A total of 3597 proteins were identified, with 589, 550, and 1570 proteins unique to the normal cervix, SIL, and SCC groups, respectively, while 332 proteins overlapped between the three groups. In the transition from normal cervix to SIL, all 39 differentially expressed proteins were downregulated, while all 51 proteins discovered were upregulated in SIL to SCC. The binding process was the top molecular function, while chromatin silencing in the SIL vs. normal group, and nucleosome assembly in SCC vs. SIL groups was the top biological process. The PI3 kinase pathway appears crucial in initiating neoplastic transformation, while viral carcinogenesis and necroptosis are important for cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis in cervical cancer development. Annexin A2 and cornulin were selected for validation based on LC-MS results. The former was downregulated in the SIL vs. normal cervix and upregulated in the progression from SIL to SCC. In contrast, cornulin exhibited the highest expression in the normal cervix and lowest in SCC. Although other proteins, such as histones, collagen, and vimentin, were differentially expressed, their ubiquitous expression in most cells precluded further analysis. Immunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays found no significant difference in Annexin A2 expression between the groups. Conversely, cornulin exhibited the strongest expression in the normal cervix and lowest in SCC, supporting its role as a tumor suppressor and potential biomarker for disease progression.

DJ-1 Oncogene as a Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Head and Neck Cancer

Background Current methods used to diagnose and prognosticate oropharyngeal cancer have contributed to unfavorable patient survival rates that have not significantly improved for the last several decades. Precision medicine oncology relies on molecular diagnostics and biomarkers to supplement existing methods of detecting and prognosticating cancers. This study evaluated the expression of DJ-1, an oncogene that is implicated in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the most common type of head and neck cancer, to determine its utility as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. Methodology Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on 13 normal oral mucosa tissue samples and 143 OSCC tissue samples of varying histopathological grades. Computer-assisted image analysis was performed using the Aperio ImageScope software from Leica Biosystems (Buffalo Grove, IL), which utilizes an algorithm of positive pixel counting for the quantification of immunoreactivity and the percentage of positive cell staining, generating a histo-score (H-score). The comparisons of the average H-scores of the different groups were made using a two-tailed T-test with P ≤ 0.05 set as the level of significance. Results The study found a significant increase in DJ-1 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue samples in comparison to the normal oral mucosa tissue samples. Additionally, the study documented a significant upregulation in DJ-1 expression in the OSCC tissue samples with high histopathological grades compared to the OSCC tissue samples with low histopathological grades. Conclusions DJ-1 expression patterns were able to reliably differentiate between oral squamous cell carcinoma and the normal counterpart tissues of the oral mucosa, thereby highlighting its role as a potential diagnostic biomarker. Moreover, DJ-1 expression significantly correlates with the OSCC histological grade, which serves as an indicator of the differentiation status and a predictor of the biological behavior of malignant neoplasms, adding to DJ-1's potential utility as a prognostic biomarker for this common type of head and neck cancer.

Cornulin as a Prognosticator for Lymph Node Involvement in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background Cornulin is an epidermal differentiation marker and a stress-related protein. Its expression patterns are likely to reflect the multi-step tumorigenesis process of cSCC, given its role as a tumor suppressor. The aim of this study is to evaluate the utility of Cornulin as a prognosticator for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Specifically, the correlation between Cornulin expression and the clinicopathological parameter of lymph node involvement (nodal status), which plays a major role in determining cSCC prognosis and recurrence. We predicted that Cornulin expression declines as cSCC tumors metastasize to regional lymph nodes. Methodology Tissue samples of cSCC lesions of variable nodal involvement status were stained using immunohistochemistry, and high-resolution images were acquired. Aperio ImageScope software (Leica Biosystems) equipped with a positive-pixel-counting algorithm was used to quantify the staining intensity. Subsequently, Cornulin immunoreactivity was calculated as a Histo-score (H-score) value, which is based on the staining intensity and the percentage of positively stained cells. Mean H-scores were compared between groups using an unpaired t-test. Results A significant inverse correlation was found between Cornulin expression levels and metastasis to the lymph nodes. Specifically, primary tumors with metastasis to regional lymph nodes (N1) exhibited 9.5-fold decrease in Cornulin immunoreactivity compared to the primary tumor samples without lymph node involvement (N0). Conclusion Cornulin was found to be significantly downregulated in primary tumors with lymph node metastases. Detection assays to measure Cornulin expression in cSCC primary tumors might aid in determining the nodal status in these patients and possibly help determine cases of occult lymph node metastasis or micrometastasis. Future clinical studies are needed to help establish Cornulin's role in enhancing the predictive power of histopathological examination and improving survival rates for patients suffering from this type of skin cancer.

Characterization of Cornulin as a Molecular Biomarker for the Progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Introduction It has been shown that the expression of the epidermal differentiation marker, Cornulin, declines with the progression of squamous cell carcinomas of several tissue types. Objectives This study aims to examine Cornulin expression at the cellular level in various cell lines representative of the successive progression steps of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a major type of head and neck cancer. This can pave the way for the utilization of this novel biomarker as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator for oral cancer and help guide treatment options. Study design Western blotting was performed to measure Cornulin expression levels using standardized cell lysates from four different cell lines representing the successive steps of OSCC progression. Specifically, primary gingival keratinocytes, dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOK), squamous cell carcinoma 25 (SCC25) cells, and Detroit 562 cells were used to represent normal oral keratinocytes, DOKs, locally invasive OSCC cells, and metastatic OSCC cells, respectively. Results Cornulin expression was found to be downregulated with the progression from normal to premalignant to malignant cells. Quantitative analysis revealed that Cornulin is significantly downregulated by 3.4 folds in DOK cells, by 23.7 folds in SCC25 cells, and by 5.2 folds in Detroit 562 cells compared to normal gingival keratinocytes. Interestingly, Cornulin was upregulated by 4.5 folds in the metastatic Detroit 562 cell line compared to the locally invasive SCC25 cells. Conclusion Altogether, Cornulin proved to be differentially expressed at the cellular level in cell lines representative of the successive steps of OSCC progression. Specifically, we documented a gradual decrease in Cornulin expression with the progression from normal to premalignant to malignant cells. Notably, there is a significant increase in the expression of Cornulin in the metastatic cell line Detroit 562 compared to the locally invasive cell line SCC25, suggesting a possible correlation with the biological behavior and unique characteristics of these two different phenotypes.

Cornulin as a Potential Novel Biomarker for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background This study aimed to evaluate the expression of an epidermal differentiation marker, cornulin, in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Cornulin has been found to be downregulated in various squamous cell carcinomas of other tissues; however, its expression in cSCC has never been studied. We predicted that cornulin expression in cSCC is reduced compared to the normal epidermis. Moreover, we hypothesized that an inverse relationship exists between cornulin expression and the loss of differentiation, as defined by histopathological grading of cSCC lesions. Methodology Samples of normal skin and cSCC lesions of variable histopathological grades were stained using immunohistochemistry. High-resolution tissue images were analyzed with Aperio ImageScope (Leica Biosystems) utilizing a positive-pixel-counting algorithm to quantify the staining intensity. Histo-score (H-score) was calculated based on staining intensity and percentage of positive cell staining. Mean H-scores were compared using an unpaired t-test. Results We documented cornulin expression in cSCC for the first time. Cornulin levels were downregulated by more than two-fold in cSCC compared to the normal epidermis. Additionally, we observed a 4.5-fold downregulation in cornulin expression in tumors with high histopathological grades when compared to low histopathological grade tumors. Conclusions Cornulin expression levels measured through immunohistochemistry staining can help distinguish among the different histopathological grades of cSCC. Therefore, we propose that cornulin detection can be an adjunct to pathological examination to evaluate the differentiation status of cSCC specimens. Longitudinal studies are needed to establish the utility of cornulin as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for cSCC.

ROS generation attenuates the anti-cancer effect of CPX on cervical cancer cells by inducing autophagy and inhibiting glycophagy

Cervical cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies with poor prognosis due to constant chemoresistance and repeated relapse. Ciclopirox olamine (CPX), a synthetic antifungal agent, has recently been identified to be a promising anti-cancer candidate. However, the detailed mechanisms related to its anti-cancer effects remain unclear and need to be further elucidated. In this study, we found that CPX could induce proliferation inhibition in cervical cancer cells by targeting PARK7. Further results demonstrated that CPX could induce cytoprotective autophagy by downregulating the expression of PARK7 to activate PRKAA1 or by PARK7-independent accumulation of ROS to inhibit mTOR signaling. Meanwhile, CPX treatment increased the glycogen clustering and glycophagy in cervical cancer cells. The presence of N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a ROS scavenger, led to further clustering of glycogen in cells by reducing autophagy and enhancing glycophagy, which promoted CPX-induced inhibition of cervical cancer cell proliferation. Together, our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of CPX in the anti-cancer therapy and opens new avenues for the glycophagy in cancer therapeutics.

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CPX induces cytoprotective autophagy and inhibits proliferation of cervical cancer cells by targeting PARK7.

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ROS generation attenuates the anticancer effect of CPX by inducing cytoprotective autophagy and inhibiting glycophagy.

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ROS-triggered glycogen clustering and inactivation of YAP1 are involved in the anti-cancer effects of CPX.

Identification of COPA as a potential prognostic biomarker and pharmacological intervention target of cervical cancer by quantitative proteomics and experimental verification

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer is the most fatal gynecological carcinoma in the world. It is urgent to explore novel prognostic biomarkers and intervention targets for cervical cancer.

METHODS

Through integrated quantitative proteomic strategy, we investigated the protein expression profiles of cervical cancer; 28 fresh frozen tissue samples (11 adenocarcinoma (AC), 12 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 5 normal cervixes (HC)) were included in discover cohort; 45 fresh frozen tissue samples (19 AC, 18 SCC and 8 HC) were included in verification cohort; 140 paraffin-embedded tissues samples of cervical cancer (85 AC and 55 SCC) were used for immunohistochemical evaluation (IHC) of coatomer protein subunit alpha (COPA) as a prognostic biomarker for cervical cancer; how deficiency of COPA affects cell viability and tumorigenic ability of cervical cancer cells (SiHa cells and HeLa cells) were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 and clone formation in vitro.

RESULTS

We identified COPA is a potential prognostic biomarker for cervical cancer in quantitative proteomics analysis. By retrospective IHC analysis, we additionally verified the proteomics results and demonstrated moderate or strong IHC staining for COPA is an unfavourable independent prognostic factor for cervical cancer. We also identified COPA is a potential pharmacological intervention target of cervical cancer by a series of in vitro experiments.

CONCLUSION

This study is the first to demonstrate that COPA may contribute to progression of cervical cancer. It can serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and promising intervention target for cervical cancer.

Gene of the month: Cornulin

Cornulin (CRNN) gene encodes a 495 amino acid long protein and is located on chromosome 1q21.3. Primarily, it functions as the marker of differentiation. Initially, it was found to be specific for the squamous cells of oesophagus. However, later on, several studies have revealed the presence of Cornulin downregulation in various epithelial squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, oesophagus and cervix and clinically associated it with worsening of cancer and the poor prognosis. Cornulin levels also showed dysregulation in other diseases such as Eczema and Psoriasis. Besides the differentiation marker, it was identified to be involved in the stress response. The studies, in psoriasis and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, has elucidated that the dysregulation in the Cornulin is associated with the cell cycle events such as G1/S transition. However, the actual function of Cornulin is still yet to be explored in detail.

Immunohistochemical expression of cornulin in lesional and perilesional skin of plaque psoriasis

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is an immune-related disease with dermal inflammation and epidermal hyperplasia. Cornulin has a significant role in keratinocyte proliferation and stimulates inflammation in psoriasis.

AIM OF THE WORK

This work aims to evaluate Cornulin expression values in lesional and perilesional psoriatic skin compared with the control group's skin through immunohistochemistry.

METHODS

This case-control study included 30 cases with plaque psoriasis and another 30 as controls. Patient samples were collected, and immunohistochemical staining of Cornulin was conducted.

RESULTS

In the epidermis, there was a stepwise pattern of significant Cornulin overexpression in keratinocytes starting from controls (34.00 ± 23.65) to lesional (62.59 ± 23.93) passing through perilesional skin (36.52 ± 18.49) (p < 0.001). Moreover, there was also a stepwise pattern of the significance of Cornulin starting from 4 in controls (13.3% for both) to 28 lesional cases (93.3%) and 18 (60.0%) passing through 17 perilesional skin cases (56.7%) and 5 (16.7%) (p < 0.001 for both) for inflammatory cells and adnexa, respectively. A significant relationship between lesional epidermal Cornulin's strong intensity and a higher H-score and both hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis was found (p = 0.008 for both intensity and 0.028 for both H-scores).

CONCLUSION

Cornulin might be implicated in keratinocyte hyperproliferation and inflammation in plaque psoriasis and may be valuable as therapeutic target.

Tryptophanyl-tRNA Synthetase as a Potential Therapeutic Target

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WRS) is an essential enzyme that catalyzes the ligation of tryptophan (Trp) to its cognate tRNA^trp during translation via aminoacylation. Interestingly, WRS also plays physiopathological roles in diseases including sepsis, cancer, and autoimmune and brain diseases and has potential as a pharmacological target and therapeutic. However, WRS is still generally regarded simply as an enzyme that produces Trp in polypeptides; therefore, studies of the pharmacological effects, therapeutic targets, and mechanisms of action of WRS are still at an emerging stage. This review summarizes the involvement of WRS in human diseases. We hope that this will encourage further investigation into WRS as a potential target for drug development in various pathological states including infection, tumorigenesis, and autoimmune and brain diseases.

Molecular modeling of cornulin (CRNN) for docking with phytocompounds from Justicia adhatoda L

Cornulin (CRNN) is linked with tumour progression. Therefore, it is of interest to document data on the molecular modeling of cornulin (CRNN) for docking with phytocompounds (Pyrazinamide, Anisotine, Vasicinone, Vasicoline) from Justicia adhatoda L. Thus, we document the optimal binding features of these compounds with the cornulin model for further consideration.

Identification of prognostic genes in uveal melanoma microenvironment

Background

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. Many previous studies have demonstrated that the infiltrating of immune and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment contributes significantly to prognosis.

Methods

Dataset TCGA-UVM, download from TCGA portal, was taken as the training cohort, and GSE22138, obtained from GEO database, was set as the validation cohort. ESTIMATE algorithm was applied to find intersection differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among tumor microenvironment. Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate Cox regression model were performed on intersection DEGs to initial screen for potential prognostic genes. Then these genes entered into the validation cohort for validation using the same methods as that in the training cohort. Moreover, we conducted correlation analyses between the genes obtained in the validation cohort and the status of chromosome 3, chromosome 8q, and tumor metastasis to get prognosis genes. At last, the immune infiltration analysis was performed between the prognostic genes and 6 main kinds of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) for understanding the role of the genes in the tumor microenvironment.

Results

959 intersection DEGs were found in the UM microenvironment. Kaplan-Meier and Cox analysis was then performed in the training and validation cohorts on these DEGs, and 52 genes were identified with potential prognostic value. After comparing the 52 genes to chromosome 3, chromosome 8q, and metastasis, we obtained 21 genes as the prognostic genes. The immune infiltration analysis showed that Neutrophil had the potential prognostic ability, and almost every prognostic gene we had identified was correlated with abundances of Neutrophil and CD8+ T Cell.

Conclusions

Identifying 21 prognosis genes (SERPINB9, EDNRB, RAPGEF3, HFE, RNF43, ZNF415, IL12RB2, MTUS1, NEDD9, ZNF667, AZGP1, WARS, GEM, RAB31, CALHM2, CA12, MYEOV, CELF2, SLCO5A1, ISM1, and PAPSS2) could accurately identify patients' prognosis and had close interactions with Neutrophil in the tumor environment, which may provide UM patients with personalized prognosis prediction and new treatment insights.

Prognostic Implications of Metabolism Related Gene Signature in Cutaneous Melanoma

Metabolic reprogramming is closely related to melanoma. However, the prognostic role of metabolism-related genes (MRGs) remains to be elucidated. We aimed to establish a nomogram by combining MRGs signature and clinicopathological factors to predict melanoma prognosis. Eighteen prognostic MRGs between melanoma and normal samples were identified using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GSE15605. WARS (HR = 0.881, 95% CI = 0.788–0.984, P = 0.025) and MGST1 (HR = 1.124, 95% CI = 1.007–1.255, P = 0.037) were ultimately identified as independent prognostic MRGs with LASSO regression and multivariate Cox regression. The MRGs signature was established according to these two genes and externally validated in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that patients in the high-risk group had significantly poorer overall survival (OS) than those in the low-risk group. Furthermore, the MRGs signature was identified as an independent prognostic factor for melanoma survival. An MRGs nomogram based on the MRGs signature and clinicopathological factors was developed in TCGA cohort and validated in the GEO dataset. Calibration plots showed good consistency between the prediction of nomogram and actual observation. The receiver operating characteristic curve and decision curve analysis indicated that MRGs nomogram had better OS prediction and clinical net benefit than the stage system. To our knowledge, we are the first to develop a prognostic nomogram based on MRGs signature with better predictive power than the current staging system, which could assist individualized prognosis prediction and improve treatment.

Novel Insights into PARK7 (DJ-1), a Potential Anti-Cancer Therapeutic Target, and Implications for Cancer Progression

The expression of PARK7 is upregulated in various types of cancer, suggesting its potential role as a critical regulator of the pathogenesis of cancer and in the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington disease. PARK7 activates various intracellular signaling pathways that have been implicated in the induction of tumor progression, which subsequently enhances tumor initiation, continued proliferation, metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to chemotherapy. Additionally, secreted PARK7 has been identified as a high-risk factor for the pathogenesis and survival of various cancers. This review summarizes the current understanding of the correlation between the expression of PARK7 and tumor progression.

The impact of ultraviolet- and infrared-based laser microdissection technology on phosphoprotein detection in the laser microdissection-reverse phase protein array workflow

Reversible protein phosphorylation represents a key mechanism by which signals are transduced in eukaryotic cells. Dysregulated phosphorylation is also a hallmark of carcinogenesis and represents key drug targets in the precision medicine space. Thus, methods that preserve phosphoprotein integrity in the context of clinical tissue analyses are crucially important in cancer research. Here we investigated the impact of UV laser microdissection (UV LMD) and IR laser capture microdissection (IR LCM) on phosphoprotein abundance of key cancer signaling protein targets assessed by reverse-phase protein microarray (RPPA). Tumor epithelial cells from consecutive thin sections obtained from four high-grade serous ovarian cancers were harvested using either UV LMD or IR LCM methods. Phosphoprotein abundances for ten phosphoproteins that represent important drug targets were assessed by RPPA and revealed no significant differences in phosphoprotein integrity from those obtained using higher-energy UV versus the lower-energy IR laser methods.

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WARS) expression in uveal melanoma - possible contributor during uveal melanoma progression

This study aimed to explore the influence of Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WARS) expression on the proliferation and migration of uveal melanoma (UM) cells, and the potential mechanisms. Bioinformatics analysis based on Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database showed that WARS expression in metastatic cancer was significantly higher than that in no-metastatic group. Kaplan-Meier analysis based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database showed that high WARS expression was associated with lower survival. Biological function experiments showed that overexpression of WARS in OCM-1A cells can promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, whereas knockdown of WARS in C918 cells showed the opposite effect. Finally, we observed that the up-regulation of WARS induced the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/AKT (PI3K/AKT) signaling, whilst depletion of WARS resulted in opponent outcomes. Taken together, our results illustrated that WARS was overexpressed in UM cells and contributed to the viability and motility of UM cells via modulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Proteasomes and Several Aspects of Their Heterogeneity Relevant to Cancer

The life of every organism is dependent on the fine-tuned mechanisms of protein synthesis and breakdown. The degradation of most intracellular proteins is performed by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). Proteasomes are central elements of the UPS and represent large multisubunit protein complexes directly responsible for the protein degradation. Accumulating data indicate that there is an intriguing diversity of cellular proteasomes. Different proteasome forms, containing different subunits and attached regulators have been described. In addition, proteasomes specific for a particular tissue were identified. Cancer cells are highly dependent on the proper functioning of the UPS in general, and proteasomes in particular. At the same time, the information regarding the role of different proteasome forms in cancer is limited. This review describes the functional and structural heterogeneity of proteasomes, their association with cancer as well as several established and novel proteasome-directed therapeutic strategies.

Novel Genomic Biomarker Candidates for Cervical Cancer As Identified by Differential Co-Expression Network Analysis

Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy and the third reason for mortality among women in developing countries. Although infection by the oncogenic human papilloma viruses is a major cause, genomic contributors are still largely unknown. Network analyses, compared with candidate gene studies, offer greater promise to map the interactions among genomic loci contributing to cervical cancer risk. We report here a differential co-expression network analysis in five gene expression datasets (GSE7803, GSE9750, GSE39001, GSE52903, and GSE63514, from the Gene Expression Omnibus) in patients with cervical cancer and healthy controls. Kaplan-Meier Survival and principle component analyses were employed to evaluate prognostic and diagnostic performances of biomarker candidates, respectively. As a result, seven distinct co-expressed gene modules were identified. Among these, five modules (with sizes of 9-45 genes) presented high prognostic and diagnostic capabilities with hazard ratios of 2.28-11.3, and diagnostic odds ratios of 85.2-548.8. Moreover, these modules were associated with several key biological processes such as cell cycle regulation, keratinization, neutrophil degranulation, and the phospholipase D signaling pathway. In addition, transcription factors ETS1 and GATA2 were noted as common regulatory elements. These genomic biomarker candidates identified by differential co-expression network analysis offer new prospects for translational cancer research, not to mention personalized medicine to forecast cervical cancer susceptibility and prognosis. Looking into the future, we also suggest that the search for a molecular basis of common complex diseases should be complemented by differential co-expression analyses to obtain a systems-level understanding of disease phenotype variability.

Cornulin Is Induced in Psoriasis Lesions and Promotes Keratinocyte Proliferation via Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase/Akt Pathways

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by abnormal proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes and infiltration of inflammatory cells. CRNN is a major component of the cornified cell envelope and implicated in several epithelial malignancies. Here, we show that CRNN expression was increased in the lesioned epidermis from the patients with psoriasis vulgaris and skin lesions from the imiquimod (IMQ)-treated mice. Expression of CRNN in cultured keratinocytes (HEKa and HaCaT) was also induced by M5, a mixture of five pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IL-17A, IL-22, IL-1α, oncostatin M, and TNF-α). Lentiviral expression of CRNN increased cell proliferation by inducing cyclin D1. Conversely, knockdown of CRNN by small interfering RNA suppressed G1/S transition and attenuated the M5-induced proliferation. In addition, CRNN overexpression increased the phosphorylation and activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase and Akt. Inactivation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase and Akt pathways using small interfering RNA or selective inhibitors (LY294002 and MK2206) reduced the proliferative effects of CRNN. Furthermore, topical use of anti-psoriatic calcipotriol effectively decreased expression of CRNN, inhibited the Akt activation and improved the IMQ-stimulated psoriasis-like pathologies. Taken together, these results suggest that induced expression of CRNN may contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Expression Profiling of Hspb1 and Tp53 Genes through RT-qPCR in Different Cancer Types of Canis familiaris

Background: Diagnostic molecular marker studies are in vogue to have insight of most prevalent animal diseases including cancer. Objectives: Gene expression profiling of pro and anti-apoptotic genes was conducted in dog Lymphoma, CTVT, SCC, granuloma, perianal adenocarcinoma and mammary tumors. Materials and Methods: Cancerous tissues of 21 affected animals were obtained. Total RNA was extracted followed by cDNA synthesis. Comparative Ct method via Taqman assay (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify corresponding mRNA molecules, Tp53 and Hspb1, as normalized by GAPDH as the reference gene . Results:Hspb1 showed ectopic expression in lymphoma, CTVT and mammary tumors; its down-regulation was observed in granuloma and oral SCC with fold difference (FD) of ±35. Similarly, Tp53 as the tumor suppressor gene with pro-apoptotic properties, showed up-regulation in all tumor types, notably 80% of mammary tumors and 60% of CTVT. The FD values were 33.31 and 2.27, respectively. Conclusion: Altered transcriptomic response of Hspb1 and Tp53 was observed in all cancer types of Canis familiaris. The resulting profile depicts the involvement of the genes in cancer pathways. Thus, the data might be helpful for diagnosis, prognosis, identification and classification of these widespread neoplasms in this species.

DJ-1 as a Therapeutic Target Against Cancer

DJ-1 is a gene involved in various cellular processes, including transcriptional regulation, oxidative stress response, fertilization, mitochondrial regulation, inflammatory and fibrogenic niche formation, and glycation damage prevention. Although a disease-associated genetic study within the past decade has demonstrated that the mutation of DJ-1 is associated with autosomal early-onset Parkinson's disease, increasing evidence suggests that DJ-1 also plays a critical role in tumor development and progression. In this review, we provide an overview of current knowledge concerning the role and the mechanism of DJ-1 in cancer and also discuss the possibility of DJ-1 as a therapeutic target against cancer.

Effect of DJ-1 Downregulation on the Functions of the First Trimester Extravillous Trophoblasts

DJ-1 ( PARK7) has been reported to be causative gene of Parkinson disease and also an oncogene. A loss in DJ-1 function can lead to cell death in neurodegenerative disease, or a gain of it can cause unregulated cell survival in cancer, respectively. DJ-1 protein is known to be expressed mainly in trophoblastic cells in the placenta with increased expression in the first trimester compared to later in term. However, its role in trophoblast regulation remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of DJ-1 regulation on a first trimester extravillous trophoblast cell line, HTR-8/SVneo. The effect of DJ-1 downregulation induced by small-interfering RNA on cell apoptosis, migration, and the pathway to regulate the cell function was assessed. Data of this study showed that DJ-1 downregulation increased apoptosis and reduced migration by regulating matrix metalloproteinase 2 and matrix metalloproteinase 9 in HTR-8/SVneo cells under both ambient and oxidative stress. Changes in cell function were demonstrated to be at least partly dependent on the AKT/S6 kinase beta-1 (S6K1) pathway. In summary, DJ-1 might play a protective role in maintaining trophoblastic cell functions through the AKT/S6K1-based pathway.

Proteomics approaches in cervical cancer: focus on the discovery of biomarkers for diagnosis and drug treatment monitoring

INTRODUCTION

The HPV virus accounts for the majority of cervical cancer cases. Although a diagnostic tool (Pap Test) is widely available, cervical cancer incidence still remains high worldwide, and especially in developing countries, attributed to a large extent to suboptimal sensitivities of the Pap test and unavailability of the test in developing countries.

AREAS COVERED

Proteomics approaches have been used in order to understand the HPV virus correlation to cervical cancer pathology, as well as to discover putative biomarkers for early cervical cancer diagnosis and drug mode of action. Expert commentary: The present review summarizes the latest in vitro and in vivo proteomic studies for the discovery of putative cervical cancer biomarkers and the evaluation of available drugs and treatments.

Proteomic identification of potential biomarkers for cervical squamous cell carcinoma and human papillomavirus infection

It is known that high-risk human papillomavirus infection is the main etiological factor in cervical carcinogenesis. However, human papillomavirus screening is not sufficient for early diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to identify potential biomarkers common to cervical carcinoma and human papillomavirus infection by proteomics for human papillomavirus-based early diagnosis and prognosis. To this end, we collected 76 cases of fresh cervical tissues and 116 cases of paraffin-embedded tissue slices, diagnosed as cervical squamous cell carcinoma, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II-III, or normal cervix from ethnic Uighur and Han women. Human papillomavirus infection by eight oncogenic human papillomavirus types was detected in tissue DNA samples using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein profile of cervical specimens from human papillomavirus 16-positive squamous cell carcinoma and human papillomavirus-negative normal controls was analyzed by proteomics and bioinformatics. The expression of candidate proteins was further determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. We identified 67 proteins that were differentially expressed in human papillomavirus 16-positive squamous cell carcinoma compared to normal cervix. The quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis verified the upregulation of ASAH1, PCBP2, DDX5, MCM5, TAGLN2, hnRNPA1, ENO1, TYPH, CYC, and MCM4 in squamous cell carcinoma compared to normal cervix ( p < 0.05). In addition, the transcription of PCBP2, MCM5, hnRNPA1, TYPH, and CYC was also significantly increased in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II-III compared to normal cervix. Immunohistochemistry staining further confirmed the overexpression of PCBP2, hnRNPA1, ASAH1, and DDX5 in squamous cell carcinoma and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia II-III compared to normal controls ( p < 0.05). Our data suggest that the expression of ASAH1, PCBP2, DDX5, and hnRNPA1, and possibly MCM4, MCM5, CYC, ENO1, and TYPH, is upregulated during cervical carcinogenesis and potentially associated with human papillomavirus infection. Further validation studies of the profile will contribute to establishing auxiliary diagnostic markers for human papillomavirus-based cancer prognosis.

The Promise of Proteomics in the Study of Oncogenic Viruses

Oncogenic viruses are responsible for about 15% human cancers. This article explores the promise and challenges of viral proteomics in the study of the oncogenic human DNA viruses, HPV, McPyV, EBV and KSHV. These viruses have coevolved with their hosts and cause persistent infections. Each virus encodes oncoproteins that manipulate key cellular pathways to promote viral replication and evade the host immune response. Viral proteomics can identify cellular pathways perturbed by viral infection, identify cellular proteins that are crucial for viral persistence and oncogenesis, and identify important diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

DJ-1 Expression in Cervical Carcinoma and its Effects on Cell Viability and Apoptosis

Background

This study aimed to investigate the expression of DJ-1 in cervical carcinoma and its effects on cell viability and apoptosis.

Material/Methods

Cervical carcinoma cell line Hela and 85 tissue samples, including 45 primary tumor biopsies, 30 para-carcinoma tissues, and 10 normal cervical tissues samples were used in this study. The expressions of DJ-1 in cervical carcinoma tissue, para-carcinoma tissue, and normal tissue samples were investigated by immunohistochemistry. DJ-1 expression in Hela cells was also investigated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. DJ-1 was interfered and transfected with siRNA, then cell viability and apoptosis were assayed by MTT and flow cytometry, respectively. Additionally, the expressions of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), AKT, and phospho-AKT (P-AKT) were detected.

Results

Immunohistochemistry results showed that DJ-1 was highly expressed in cervical carcinoma tissues. In Hela cells, the expression of DJ-1 was significantly higher than that in normal controls (P<0.05). When cells were treated with DJ-1 siRNA, the cell viability decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the percentage of apoptosis cells increased significantly (P<0.05). In addition, the expressions of PTEN and AKT were significantly higher in the DJ-1 siRNA treatment group than those in the control group (P<0.05). The expression of p-AKT was significantly lower in the DJ-1 siRNA treatment group than in the control group and the DJ-1 over-expression group (P<0.05).

Conclusions

The aberrant up-regulation of DJ-1 expression might be an important step in the pathogenesis of cervical carcinoma.

Overexpressed tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase, an angiostatic protein, enhances oral cancer cell invasiveness

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common neoplasms worldwide. Previously, we identified the angiostatic agent tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) as a dysregulated protein in OSCC based on a proteomics approach. Herein, we show that TrpRS is overexpressed in OSCC tissues (139/146, 95.2%) compared with adjacent normal tissues and that TrpRS expression positively correlates with tumor stage, overall TNM stage, perineural invasion and tumor depth. Importantly, the TrpRS levels were significantly higher in tumor cells from metastatic lymph nodes than in corresponding primary tumor cells. TrpRS knockdown or treatment with conditioned media obtained from TrpRS-knockdown cells significantly reduced oral cancer cell viability and invasiveness. TrpRS overexpression promoted cell migration and invasion. In addition, the extracellular addition of TrpRS rescued the invasion ability of TrpRS-knockdown cells. Subcellular fractionation and immunofluorescence staining further revealed that TrpRS was distributed on the cell surface, suggesting that secreted TrpRS promotes OSCC progression via an extrinsic pathway. Collectively, our results demonstrated the clinical significance and a novel role of TrpRS in OSCC.

Common mechanisms of onset of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases

Onset of cancer and neurodegenerative disease occurs by abnormal cell growth and neuronal cell death, respectively, and the number of patients with both diseases has been increasing in parallel with an increase in mean lifetime, especially in developed countries. Although both diseases are sporadic, about 10% of the diseases are genetically inherited, and analyses of such familial forms of gene products have contributed to an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the onset and pathogenesis of these diseases. I have been working on c-myc, a protooncogene, for a long time and identified various c-Myc-binding proteins that play roles in c-Myc-derived tumorigenesis. Among these proteins, some proteins have been found to be also responsible for the onset of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, retinitis pigmentosa and cerebellar atrophy. In this review, I summarize our findings indicating the common mechanisms of onset between cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on genes such as DJ-1 and Myc-Modulator 1 (MM-1) and signaling pathways that contribute to the onset and pathogenesis of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

DJ-1 as a human oncogene and potential therapeutic target

DJ-1 is a cancer- and Parkinson's disease-associated protein that participates in different intracellular signaling pathways to protect cells from toxic stresses. DJ-1 expression, oxidation, localization, and phosphorylation are often altered in human tumors, and DJ-1 has been implicated in various aspects of transformation, including uncontrolled proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy and apoptosis. Despite the strong relationship between DJ-1 and cancer, which made it a particularly attractive therapeutic target for cancer treatment, the detailed mechanisms of how this oncogene coordinates altered signaling with cell survival remains elusive. In this commentary, we discuss the role of DJ-1 in transformation, highlight some of the significant aspects of and prospects for therapeutically targeting the DJ-1 signaling in cancer, and describe what the future may hold.

Identification of protein biomarkers for cervical cancer using human cervicovaginal fluid

Objectives

Cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) can be considered as a potential source of biomarkers for diseases of the lower female reproductive tract. The fluid can easily be collected, thereby offering new opportunities such as the development of self tests. Our objective was to identify a CVF protein biomarker for cervical cancer or its precancerous state.

Methods

A differential proteomics study was set up using CVF samples from healthy and precancerous women. Label-free spectral counting was applied to quantify protein abundances.

Results

The proteome analysis revealed 16 candidate biomarkers of which alpha-actinin-4 (p = 0.001) and pyruvate kinase isozyme M1/M2 (p = 0.014) were most promising. Verification of alpha-actinin-4 by ELISA (n = 28) showed that this candidate biomarker discriminated between samples from healthy and both low-risk and high-risk HPV-infected women (p = 0.009). Additional analysis of longitudinal samples (n = 29) showed that alpha-actinin-4 levels correlated with virus persistence and clearing, with a discrimination of approximately 18 pg/ml.

Conclusions

Our results show that CVF is an excellent source of protein biomarkers for detection of lower female genital tract pathologies and that alpha-actinin-4 derived from CVF is a promising candidate biomarker for the precancerous state of cervical cancer. Further studies regarding sensitivity and specificity of this biomarker will demonstrate its utility for improving current screening programs and/or its use for a cervical cancer self-diagnosis test.

DJ-1: a promising marker in metastatic uveal melanoma

PURPOSE

Overexpression of DJ-1 was associated with metastatic uveal melanoma (UM). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of serum DJ-1 as a biomarker for metastasis of uveal melanoma.

METHODS

Serum DJ-1 levels were determined by ELISA assays in 27 patients with metastatic UM metastatic uveal melanoma and in 76 patients who were disease free for at least 10 years and 30 age- and sex-matched controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the feasibility of DJ-1 in detection of metastatic uveal melanoma.

RESULTS

Serum DJ-1 levels were significantly higher in patients with metastatic UM compared with patients who were disease free for at least 10 years (P < 0.001) or with controls (P < 0.001). ROC curve for DJ-1 revealed an area under the curve of 86.3%, and when 3.350 ng/mL was used as the cutoff value, a sensitivity of 74.1% and a specificity of 94.3% were achieved. Comparison of DJ-1 and liver function tests (LFTs) ROC curves indicated that DJ-1 was superior to LFTs in detection of metastatic UM.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that DJ-1 might be a promising serum marker for monitoring metastatic uveal melanoma.

DJ-1 is involved in the peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer through activation of the Akt signaling pathway

Peritoneal metastasis is a major cause of death in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma. DJ-1 is now considered to play an important role in the metastasis of various malignancies. However, it remains largely unclear whether DJ-1 is involved in the development of peritoneal metastasis by gastric carcinoma. In the present study, we showed that the expression of DJ-1 was significantly upregulated in gastric cancer specimens with peritoneal metastasis compared to those without peritoneal metastasis. Knockdown of DJ-1 expression significantly inhibited invasion and migration, in vitro and the in vivo peritoneal metastatic abilities of SGC7901 gastric cancer cells. Moreover, knockdown of DJ-1 also diminished the expression of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. All of these effects were reversed by restoration of DJ-1 expression. Following investigation of the pathway through which DJ-1 regulates cell invasion and migration, DJ-1 was found to cause phosphorylation of Akt in SGC7901 gastric cancer cells. Inhibition of the Akt pathway in SGC7901 cells mimicked the effects of DJ-1 knockdown on cell migration, invasion, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression, and abolished the effects of DJ-1 in promoting SGC7901 cell invasion and migration. Taken together, the present study revealed that DJ-1 plays an important role in the development of peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric carcinoma, at least partially through activation of the Akt pathway and consequent upregulation of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. Thus, DJ-1 may be a potential therapeutic target for peritoneal carcinomatosis of gastric carcinoma.

Expression of DJ-1 in endometrial cancer: close correlation with clinicopathological features and apoptosis

OBJECTIVES

DJ-1 was originally cloned as a putative oncogene capable of transforming NIH3T3 cells in cooperation with H-Ras or c-Myc, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of some solid tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of DJ-1 in endometrial cancer and study its effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis in endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells.

METHODS

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were performed to determine the DJ-1 expression in 100 surgical specimens of endometrial cancer tissues, paired tumor-adjacent tissues, and 30 surgical specimens of normal endometrium tissues. The proliferation variety of endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium assay after transfecting the interference plasmid pGPU6/GFP/neo-DJ-1-shRNA into Ishikawa cells. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to evaluate the effect of interference plasmid on target gene expression. Apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

DJ-1 expression in endometrial cancer tissues was higher than in tumor-adjacent tissues and normal endometrial tissues. At the same time, it was associated with signs of cancer progression, including differentiation, myometrial invasion depth, and presence of lymph node metastasis. Knocking down DJ-1 promoted the apoptosis of Ishikawa cells.

CONCLUSIONS

High DJ-1 expression seems to be negatively correlated with apoptosis. Meanwhile, it may be part of the mechanisms for the development, invasion, and metastasis in endometrial cancer.

Loss of CRNN expression is associated with advanced tumor stage and poor survival in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

CRNN gene expression is downregulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), although its clinical implications in esophageal cancer remain unclear.

METHODS

We performed integrated microarray analysis and identified the CRNN gene as 1 of the major downregulated genes in ESCC. CRNN downregulation was validated at the nucleic acid level in 16 ESCC cases using complementary DNA microarray and at the protein level by immunohistochemical stains in an additional 220 ESCC cases. The clinicopathologic relevance and prognostic significance of CRNN expression in ESCC were explored.

RESULTS

Downregulated CRNN expression was noted at the messenger RNA and protein levels. Immunohistochemical staining revealed negative and positive CRNN expression in 171 (77.7%) and 49 (22.3%) patients with ESCC, respectively. Patients with negative CRNN protein expression had an advanced tumor invasion depth (P = .002), advanced nodal involvement (P = .014), and longer tumor length (P = .037). Patients with negative CRNN expression (median survival, 14.0 months; 5-year survival rate, 20.5%) had poorer overall survival than those with positive expression (30.0 months and 40.3%, respectively; P = .006). On multivariate analysis, negative CRNN expression, nodal involvement, and distant metastasis remained significant prognostic factors for poor overall survival (negative vs positive CRNN, hazard ratio, 1.464; P = .047).

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis has highlighted the clinical implications of CRNN expression in ESCC. Loss of CRNN expression correlated with advanced tumor length, greater tumor invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, and poor survival in patients with ESCC.

DJ-1 and androgen receptor immunohistochemical expression in prostatic carcinoma: a possible role in carcinogenesis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Androgen plays a fundamental role in the growth and differentiation of prostate. Androgen receptor (AR) expression may represent a potential marker of prognosis in prostate cancer. However, there have been variable results regarding its ability to predict clinical progression. Despite the oncogenic properties of DJ-1, its significance in prostate cancer development and progression is not well understood. This research shed some light on the possible role of immunohistochemical expression of DJ-1 in clinically localized prostatic carcinoma in relation to the established role of AR and other clinicopathologic parameters.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The immunohistochemical expression of AR and DJ-1 was evaluated in 129 samples including benign hyperplasia (n = 60) and prostatic carcinoma (n = 69).

RESULTS

The mean value of AR immunostaining was significantly higher in prostatic carcinomas than in benign hyperplasia (P = 0.001). A significant inverse correlation was found between AR immunostaining and the grade of prostatic carcinomas. A significantly higher median DJ-1 score was found in prostatic carcinoma than in benign hyperplasia (P = 0.0001). There was a significant direct correlation between AR and DJ-1 score (P = 0.0001). AR is more sensitive in predicting prostatic carcinoma than DJ-1 but DJ-1 is more specific than AR.

CONCLUSION

AR nuclear expression was consistently present in benign and adenocarcinoma epithelium. But, there may be limited clinical use for AR expression in localized carcinoma due to its constant heterogeneity. DJ-1 with its oncogenic properties, specificity for prostatic carcinoma and homogenous expression gives an ideal complementary role to AR in the detection and treatment of prostatic carcinomas.

Gelsolin and ceruloplasmin as potential predictive biomarkers for cervical cancer by 2D-DIGE proteomics analysis

This study aimed to identify candidate proteins which may serve as potential biological markers for cervical cancer using 2D-DIGE. Serum samples of controls, patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN 3), squamous cell carcinoma of early (SCC I and II) and late (SCC III and IV) stage were subjected to 2D-DIGE. Differentially expressed spots were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Validation of candidate proteins in serum and tissue samples were then performed by ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis respectively. A total of 20 differentially expressed proteins were identified. These proteins were found to play key roles in the apoptosis pathway, complement system, various types of transportation such as hormones, fatty acids, lipid, vitamin E and drug transportation, coagulation cascade, regulation of iron and immunologic response. Based on their functional relevancy to the progression of various cancers, 4 proteins namely the complement factor H, CD5-like antigen, gelsolin and ceruloplasmin were chosen for further validation using ELISA. Biological network analysis showed that ceruloplasmin and gelsolin are closely interacted with the oncogene NF-κb. These two proteins were further validated using the IHC. Gelsolin and ceruloplasmin may serve as potential predictive biomarkers for the progression of high grade lesions.

Downregulation of cornulin in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Early events in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) are poorly understood and many of the key molecules involved have not yet been identified. We previously used isobaric tags for a relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomics approach to identify differentially expressed proteins in ESCC tissue as compared to the adjacent normal mucosa. Cornulin was identified as one of the major downregulated molecules in ESCC. Cornulin is a member of the S100 fused-type protein family, which has an EF-hand calcium binding motif and multiple tandem repeats of specific peptide motifs. Cornulin was 5-fold downregulated in ESCC as compared to normal epithelium mirroring our previous findings in a gene expression study of ESCC. In the present study, we performed immunohistochemical validation of cornulin (CRNN) in a larger set of patients with ESCC. Downregulation of cornulin was observed in 89% (n=239) of 266 different ESCC tissues arrayed on tissue microarrays (TMAs). Expression of cornulin was observed in the prickle and functional cell layers of normal esophageal mucosa, localized predominantly in the cytoplasm and perinuclear region. The large majority of ESCC cases had little or no expression of cornulin in the carcinoma or stroma. These findings suggest that cornulin is an important molecule in normal esophageal pathology and is likely lost during the conversion of normal to neoplastic epithelium.

High-expression of DJ-1 and loss of PTEN associated with tumor metastasis and correlated with poor prognosis of gastric carcinoma

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

DJ-1 and PTEN have been shown to involve in multiple cell processes and play an important role in cancer development and progression. However, their relationship with gastric carcinoma (GC) has not been identified yet. The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship of DJ-1 and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in GC.

METHODS

114 specimens were collected from GC patients and expression of DJ-1 and PTEN in tissue microarray was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Correlation between immunostainings and clinicopathological parameters, follow-up data of patients, was analyzed statistically.

RESULTS

High expression of DJ-1 was found in 66.7% (76/114) and associated with tumor depth (P=0.003), lymph node metastasis (P=0.011), distant metastasis (P=0.001) and advanced clinical stage (P=0.001). Loss or downregulation of PTEN was found in 58.7% (67/114) and associated with advanced clinical stage (P=0.018) and high expression of DJ-1 in tumor cells (P=0.006). In univariate survival analysis, high-expression of DJ-1 or loss of PTEN was significantly associated with poor prognosis of GC patients. However, only tumor depth (P=0.011) and coexistence of DJ-1 and PTEN abnormal expression (P=0.009) emerged as strong independent prognostic factors for overall survival of GC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

the present study indicates that DJ-1 and PTEN may play their roles in progression of GC in a cooperating pattern. Co-existence of abnormal DJ-1 and PTEN expression is likely to serve as an independent predictive factor for prognosis of GC patients.

Peroxiredoxins and their expression in ependymomas

AIMS

Peroxiredoxins I-VI (Prxs) have recently been shown to have a role in the tumorigenesis of astrocytic brain tumours. In some tumour types they are associated with Nrf2 (transcription factor NF-E2-related factor), a sensor of oxidative stress, and DJ-1 (also known as PARK7), a protein known to stabilise Nrf2.

METHODS

We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of Prxs I-VI, Nrf2 and DJ-1 in a total of 76 ependymomas and their relationship with clinicopathological features of these tumours.

RESULTS

There was a significant expression of all Prxs except Prx IV in the ependymomas. Strong nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of Nrf2 could be detected in these tumours. Prx I expression was significantly associated with cytoplasmic and nuclear Nrf2 expression. Prx I expression was also associated with tumour site, with cerebellar ependymomas having a lower expression of Prx I than other tumours. DJ-1 did not associate with Prxs but nuclear DJ-1 had an inverse association with nuclear Nrf2. Cytoplasmic DJ-1 associated with worse survival in ependymoma patients.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicates that oxidative mechanisms as reflected by Nrf2 expression are highly activated in ependymomas. Prxs, especially Prx I, were associated with Nrf2 expression, suggesting a role for Nrf2 in Prx I synthesis in ependymomas. While DJ-1 did not associate with any of the Prxs, its expression was associated with worsened patient survival and could have a role as a prognostic marker in ependymomas.

Integrative analyses reveal novel strategies in HPV11,-16 and -45 early infection

The interaction between human papillomavirus (HPV) and host cells is not well understood. We investigate the early stage of HPV infections by global expression profiling in a cell model, in which HaCaT cells were transfected with HPV11, HPV16 or HPV45 genomes. We report the differential expression of genes not previously implicated in HPV biology, such as the PSG family and ANKRD1, and of genes implicated in the biology of other viruses, e.g. MX1, IFI44 and DDX60. Carcinogenesis-related genes, e.g. ABL2, MGLL and CYR61, were upregulated by high-risk HPV16 and -45. The integrative analysis revealed the suppression of DNA repair by HPV11 and -16, and downregulation of cytoskeleton genes by all HPV types. Various signalling pathways were affected by the HPVs: IL-2 by HPV11; JAK-STAT by HPV16; and TGF-β, NOTCH and tyrosine kinase signalling by HPV45. This study uncovered novel strategies employed by HPV to establish infection and promote uncontrolled growth.