JAB1 and phospho-Ser10 p27 expression profile determine human hepatocellular carcinoma prognosis

COP9 signalosome complex is a prognostic biomarker and corresponds with immune infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most common deadly tumors but still lacks specific biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment guidance. The COP9 signalosome (COPS) is an essential regulator of the ubiquitin conjugation pathway upregulated in various cancers. We evaluated the contributions of COPS subunits to HCC tumorigenesis and their utility for prognosis. We comprehensively evaluated the tumor expression pattern and tumorigenic functions of COPS subunits using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), The Human Protein Atlas and immunohistochemistry. Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression, ROC curve, and nomogram analyses were used to assess the predictive values of COPS subunits for clinical outcome. Expression levels of COPS subunits were significantly upregulated in HCC tissues, which predicted shorter overall survival (OS). Further, Cox regression analysis identified COPS5, COPS7B, and COPS9 as independent prognostic biomarkers for OS. High mutation rates were also found in COPS subunits. Functional network analysis indicated that COPS and neighboring genes regulate 'protein neddylation', 'protein deneddylation', and 'protein ubiquitination'. The COPS PPI included strong interactions with p53, CUL1/2/3/4, and JUN. Moreover, the correlations between COPS subunit expression levels and tumor immune cell infiltration rates were examined using TIMER, TISIDB, ssGSEA, and ESTIMATE packages. COPS subunits expression levels were positively correlated with specific tumor immune cell infiltration rates, immunoregulator expression levels, and microsatellite instability in HCC. Finally, knockout of COPS6 and COPS9 in HCC cells reduced while overexpression enhanced proliferation rate and metastasis capacity. Our study revealed that COPS potential biomarker for unfavorable HCC prognosis and indicators of immune infiltration, tumorigenicity, and metastasis.

Pan-cancer analyses of Jab1/COPS5 reveal oncogenic role and clinical outcome in human cancer

Jab1/COPS5 is associated with the progression of some cancers, however, its role in most cancers is still unclear.This study systematically explored the action and clinical application value of Jab1/COPS5 in different tumors based on large clinical data. We first identified by differential and survival analysis that Jab1/COPS5 was highly expressed as a high-risk gene in most cancers and was closely related to prognostic survival of patients based on the TCGA, GEO and CPTAC databases. Mutation analysis suggested that missense mutations were the main mutation type of Jab1. TMB and MSI were positively correlated with Jab1/COPS5 in most tumors, and patients with Jab1/COPS5 mutations had a poorer prognosis in prostate adenocarcinoma. By immune infiltration analysis, Jab1/COPS5 expression was positively correlated with the infiltration of CD8+ T cells in thymoma and uveal melanoma, and Jab1/COPS5 expression in testicular germ cell tumors was negatively correlated with the infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Correlation and enrichment analysis suggested that ARMC1, TCEB1 and UBE2V2 were positively correlated with Jab1/COPS5 expression and involved in multiple biological effects. In summary, this study systematically investigated the role of Jab1/COPS5 in different tumors, providing a theoretical basis for Jab1/COPS5 as a new biomarker in unresearched cancers and paving the way for targeted therapy and drug development.

Prognostic value of CSN5 in patients with digestive system cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Despite the understanding of the COP9 signalosome subunit 5 (CSN5) in tumor genesis, there is no conclusive evidence on its value to predict the survival and prognosis of digestive system tumor patients. Hence this study aimed to evaluate the impact of CSN5 levels on the survival and clinicopathological parameters of digestive system neoplasm patients.

Methods

First, a comprehensive search was conducted in four databases. We utilized the Hazard Ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) to evaluate the prognostic value of CSN5 for the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients. Then, we estimated the connection between CSN5 and the clinicopathological parameters based on the Odds Ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% CI.

Results

This meta-analysis included 22 studies and 2193 patients diagnosed with digestive system tumors. High expression of CSN5 was correlated to poorer OS (HR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.71–3.03; p < 0.00001). Additionally, high CSN5 levels were correlated with worse invasion depth (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.25–0.96, p = 0.04), positive lymphatic metastasis (OR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.16–0.47, p = 0.00001), positive distant metastasis (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.13–0.76, p = 0.01) and poorer differentiation degree (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.19–0.60, p = 0.0003). However, we did not detect a correlation between CSN5 expression and age, gender, tumor stage, tumor size or vascular invasion. Furthermore, no significant publication bias was detected.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis demonstrated that the overexpression of CSN5 level might foresee poorer OS in digestive system cancer patients. Additionally, CSN5 levels might be related to the prognosis of digestive system tumors.

Prognostic role of c-Jun activation domain-binding protein-1 in cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

c-Jun activation domain-binding protein-1 (Jab1) is aberrantly overexpressed in multiple cancers and plays an oncogenic role in cancer progression. We examined the association between Jab1 expression and prognosis in patients with cancer by conducting a meta-analysis. A comprehensive search strategy was performed using the PubMed, Web of Science, Ovid and EMBASE in July 2020. Eligible studies were enrolled according to definite criteria. Twenty-seven studies involving 2609 patients were enrolled in this meta-analysis. A significant association between high Jab1 expression and poor overall survival (pooled hazard ratio [HR] 2.344, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.037-2.696) was observed. Subgroup analyses of the type of cancer, sample size, follow-up period, Jab1 detection method and preoperative treatment did not alter the significance. On pooling data from Cox multivariate analyses, high Jab1 expression was found to be an independent prognostic indicator for overall survival. In addition, high Jab1 expression was found to be associated with advanced clinicopathological features such as clinical stage, lymphatic metastasis, histological grade and distant metastasis in cancers. Our meta-analysis is the first to demonstrate that high Jab1 expression may be a promising indicator of poor prognosis and has an independent prognostic value for overall survival in patients with cancer.

Exercise retards hepatocarcinogenesis in obese mice independently of weight control

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Obesity and type 2 diabetes increase hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence in humans and accelerate diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. We investigated whether exercise reduces HCC development in obese/diabetic Alms1 mutant (foz/foz) mice and studied protective mechanisms.

METHODS

We measured HCC development in DEN-injected male foz/foz and wild-type (WT) littermates housed with or without an exercise wheel from week 4 until 12 or 24 weeks, and in foz/foz mice pair-fed to WT littermates. We also studied HCC development in DEN-injected Jnk1^-/-.foz/foz mice generated by cross breeding, as well as their genetic controls. Dysplastic hepatocytes were identified by glutathione-S-transferase pi form (GST-pi) immunohistochemistry, liver nodules were counted, and HCC was analysed by histopathology.

RESULTS

Exercising foz/foz mice maintained similar weight as WT mice up to 10 weeks, but then gained weight and were obese by 24 weeks; a similar body weight profile was obtained by pair-feeding foz/foz mice to WT. At 12 weeks, livers of exercising foz/foz mice exhibited fewer GST-pi positive hepatocytes than sedentary counterparts; by 24 weeks, fewer exercising foz/foz mice developed HCC (15% vs. 64%, p <0.05). Conversely, pair-feeding foz/foz mice failed to reduce HCC incidence. In these insulin-resistant foz/foz mice, exercise failed to activate hepatic AMPK or Akt/mTORC1. Instead, it improved insulin sensitivity, ameliorated steatosis and liver injury, activated p53 to increase p27 expression, and prevented JNK activation. This was associated with suppression of hepatocellular proliferation. DEN-injected Jnk1^-/-.foz/foz mice failed to develop liver tumours or HCC at 24 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

Direct effects of exercise dampen proliferation of dysplastic hepatocytes to reduce 3-month dysplastic foci and 6-month incidence of DEN-induced HCC in obese, insulin-resistant mice. The effects of exercise that potentially slow hepatocarcinogenesis include p53-mediated induction of p27 and prevention of JNK activation.

LAY SUMMARY

Fatty liver disease commonly occurs alongside obesity and diabetes, contributing to rapidly increasing rates of liver cancer throughout the world. Herein, we show that exercise reduces the incidence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma in mouse models. The effect of exercise on cancer risk was shown to be independent of changes in weight. Exercise could be a protective mechanism against liver cancer in at-risk individuals.

Overexpression of Epcam and CD133 Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Dual-phenotype Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Dual-phenotype hepatocellular carcinoma (DPHCC) is associated with high rate of post-operative recurrence and low rate of survival, which may reflect the post-operative persistence of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Here we explored the potential correlation between DPHCC and expression of CSCs markers. Methods: In this retrospective study, we included 19 patients with DPHCC and 61 patients with non-DPHCC treated in 2015 by liver resection. Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue specimens were analyzed using immunohistochemistry as well as immunofluorescence double-staining. Rates of recurrence-free survival and overall survival were compared between the two groups using the Kaplan-Meier method, and expression of the CSC markers CD133, CD90, and EpCAM were compared using real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting. Results: Overall survival rates were significantly lower for patients with DPHCC than patients with non-DPHCC at 1 year (78.9% vs 93.4%), 2 years (52.6% vs 72.1%), and 3 years (42.1% vs 67.2%) (P = 0.019). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard modeling identified CK19 positivity (P = 0.016) and multiple nodules (P = 0.023) as independent predictors of poor recurrence-free survival. Independent predictors of poor overall survival were CK19 positivity (P = 0.032), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C (P = 0.025) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) >37 ng/ml (P = 0.016). Expression of CD133 and EpCAM mRNA and protein were significantly higher in DPHCC tissue than non-DPHCC tissue, while CD90 expression was similar between the groups. Conclusions: These results suggest that DPHCC is associated with significantly lower overall survival than non-DPHCC, and that the poor prognosis among DPHCC patients may be related to the presence of CSCs expressing CD133 and EpCAM.

The clinicopathological and prognostic significance of P27kip in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: A systemic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

P27^kip is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that has gained importance as a biomarker in human malignant tumors. However, the potential role of P27^kip in hepatocellular carcinoma remains unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis was to explore whether P27^kip acts as prognostic and clinicopathological roles in hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

METHODS/MATERIALS

An electronic search based on three databases, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, was performed to select a sufficient number of studies. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) and odds ratio (OR) were used as estimates to investigate the association among P27^kip expression, prognosis and clinicopathological features.

RESULTS

In total, we identified 18 studies with 1774 hepatocellular carcinoma patients. The result derived from four studies revealed a significant positive association between lower P27^kip levels and shorter overall survival (HR = 0.550, 95% CI: 0.464-0.652, P < 0001) and disease-free survival (HR = 0.420, 95% CI: 0.308-0.571, P < 0.0001). Analyses of the clinicopathological features and P27^kip expression also showed that a positive rate of P27^kip was significantly lower in a larger sized tumor (OR = 0.538, 95% CI: 0.315-0.919, P = 0.023). The results also revealed that lower P27^kip levels were correlated with poorer differentiation (0.416, 95% CI: 0.178-0.971, P = 0.043). Additionally, the pooled OR of 0.389 also presented a significant correlation between P27^kip underexpression and the metastasis of HCCs (95% CI: 0.155-0.975, P = 0.044).

CONCLUSIONS

This analysis suggests a strong association among P27^kip underexpression, poorer prognosis and aggressive progression of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients. P27^kip may be a tumor suppressor for predicting the progression and survival outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinomas.

Jab1 Silencing Inhibits Proliferation and Sensitizes to Cisplatin in Biliary Tract Cancer

Purpose

Jab1 is a coactivator of c-Jun that enhances the transcriptional function of c-Jun. Jab1 is frequently overexpressed in various cancers and is associatedwith poor prognosis of cancer patients. Thus, Jab1 could be a potential therapeutic target in cancer. However, the role of Jab1 in biliary tract cancer (BTC) has not been studied.

Materials and Methods

We performed in vitro and in vivo experiments to evaluate the therapeutic potential ofJab1 inhibition in BTC.

Results

Among 8 BTC cell lines, many showed higher Jab1 expression levels. In addition, Jab1 silencing by siRNA increased p27 expression levels. SNU478 and HuCCT-1 cells exhibited profound Jab1 knockdown and increased p27 expression by Jab1-specific siRNA transfection. Jab1 silencing induced anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects and resulted in G1 cell cycle arrest in SNU478 and HuCCT-1 cells. In addition, Jab1 silencing potentiated the anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects of cisplatin by increasing DNA damage. Interestingly,Jab1 knockdown increased PTEN protein half-life, resulting in increased PTEN expression. In the HuCCT-1 mouse xenograft model, stable knockdown of Jab1 by shRNA also showed anti-proliferative effects in vivo, with decreased Ki-67 expression and AKT phosphorylation and increased Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated dUTP nick end labeling and p27 expression.

Conclusion

Jab1 knockdown demonstrated anti-proliferative and anti-migratory effects in BTC cells by increasing DNA damage and stabilizing PTEN, resulting in G1 cell cycle arrest. In addition, Jab1 silencing potentiated the anti-proliferative effects of cisplatin. Our data suggest that Jab1 may be a potential therapeutic target in BTC that is worthy of further investigations.

JAB1-STAT3 activation loop is associated with recurrence following 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy in human colorectal cancer

Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) has been shown to have multiple roles in tumorigenesis, including the degradation of tumor suppressor proteins such as p53, Smad7, Runx3 and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27^Kip1, and the activation of oncogenic transcription factors, such as c-Jun and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. In addition, our previous study revealed that JAB1 positively regulates signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) DNA-binding activity in human colon cancer cells. In turn, the oncogenic transcription factor STAT3 positively regulates JAB1 expression, indicative of a positive feedback loop. Furthermore, high JAB1 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in numerous malignant carcinomas. However, the association between JAB1 expression and prognosis in colorectal cancer remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the association between JAB1 and STAT3 expression and recurrence in colorectal cancer. In the present study, it was found that high JAB1 expression in primary colorectal cancer tissues is an independent predictor of recurrence following 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients, and that high expression of both JAB1 and STAT3 in primary colorectal cancer tissues is associated with a lower recurrence-free survival rate following 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy compared to high expression of only JAB1 or STAT3. Overall, these results suggest that JAB1 is a novel predictive marker of recurrence following 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients, and that the JAB1-STAT3 activation loop may be a potential therapeutic target in recurrent colorectal cancer following 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy.

Evaluation of p27 Expression in Salivary Gland Neoplasms; A Step Forward in Unveiling the Role of p27

INTRODUCTION

Salivary gland neoplasms are not uncommon lesions that are seen in the head and neck region. The role of cell cycle regulators as well as that of oncogenes remains unexplored in the pathogenesis of these neoplasms.

AIM

Present study was conducted to evaluate the expression of p27 in the three common salivary gland neoplasms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 34 cases (19 pleomorphic adenoma, 8 mucoepidermoid carcinoma and 7 adenoid cystic carcinoma) were included. The sections were subjected to p27 staining and rated for the expression.

RESULTS

Of the total 52.6% of pleomorphic adenoma cases, 25% of mucoepidermoid carcinoma cases and only 14.2% of adenoid cystic carcinoma cases showed strong expression suggesting variable p27 expression in both malignant neoplasms. Normal salivary gland tissue was stained as a positive control for the evaluation.

CONCLUSION

The results of the study suggest an important role for p27 in pathogenesis of mucoepidermoid carcinoma as well as adenoid cystic carcinoma while its role in pathogenesis of pleomorphic adenoma remains questionable keeping in view the strong expression of p27 in the same.

Down-regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p57 is mediated by Jab1/Csn5 in hepatocarcinogenesis

Down-regulation of p57 (KIP2) cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors accelerates the growth and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), suggesting that p57 may play an important role in liver carcinogenesis. However, the mechanism or oncogenic signal leading to p57 down-regulation in HCC remains to be determined. Herein, we demonstrated that Jab1/Csn5 expression is negatively correlated with p57 levels in HCC tissues. Kaplan-Meier analysis of tumor samples revealed that high Jab1/Csn5 expression with concurrent low p57 expression is associated with poor overall survival. The inverse pattern of Jab1 and p57 expression was also observed during carcinogenesis in a chemically induced rat HCC model. We also found that mechanistically, Jab1-mediated p57 proteolysis in HCC cells is dependent on 26S-proteasome inhibitors. We further demonstrated that direct physical interaction between Jab1 and p57 triggers p57 down-regulation, independently of Skp2 and Akt pathways, in HCC cells. These data suggest that Jab1 is an important upstream negative regulator of p57 and that aberrant expression of Jab1 in HCC could lead to a significant decrease in p57 levels and contribute to tumor cell growth. Furthermore, restoration of p57 levels induced by loss of Jab1 inhibited tumor cell growth and further increased cell apoptosis in HCC cells. Moreover, silencing Jab1 expression further enhanced the antitumor effects of cisplatin-induced apoptosis in HCC cells.

CONCLUSION

Jab1-p57 pathway confers resistance to chemotherapy and may represent a potential target for investigational therapy in HCC.

p27(Kip1) and Ser10-phosphorylated p27(Kip1) in breast cancer: clinical significance and expression

BACKGROUND

The protein p27 (p27(Kip1)) is a member of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor family, which negatively regulates cell cycle progression, and the phosphorylation of p27 has been proven to affect its stability and nuclear export. Clinical studies on the relation between p27 and phosphorylated p27 (p-p27Ser10) in breast invasive ductal carcinomas are still scarce.

METHODS

We examined the expression of p27 and p-p27Ser10 using immunohistochemistry in 107 breast invasive ductal carcinomas and analyzed the relationship of these biomarkers and tumor characteristics.

RESULTS

Of the 107 tumor samples, 38.3% (41 of 107) overexpressed p27 and 64.5% (69 of 107) overexpressed p-p27Ser10. Analysis of correlation with clinical characteristics showed that high expression level of p-p27Ser10 was linked to poor differentiation, advanced disease stage, and lymph node metastasis, whereas a contrary trend was observed for p27 (all P<0.05). In addition, the expression of p-p27Ser10 was significantly higher in malignant tumors than in adjacent tissues, while p27 showed the opposite trend. Also, there were different levels of p27 and p-p27Ser10 in different types of breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

p27 and p-p27Ser10 are involved in the development of invasive ductal carcinoma and are potential indicators to judge the degree of malignancy as well as recurrence and metastasis.