The effect of ephrin-A1 on resistance to Photofrin-mediated photodynamic therapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells

EFNA1 in gastrointestinal cancer: Expression, regulation and clinical significance

Ephrin-A1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EFNA1 gene. The ephrins and EPH-related receptors comprise the largest subfamily of receptor protein-tyrosine kinases which play an indispensable role in normal growth and development or in the pathophysiology of various tumors. The role of EFNA1 in tumorigenesis and development is complex and depends on the cell type and microenvironment which in turn affect the expression of EFNA1. This article reviews the expression, prognostic value, regulation and clinical significance of EFNA1 in gastrointestinal tumors.

Photodynamic therapy induces human esophageal carcinoma cell pyroptosis by targeting the PKM2/caspase-8/caspase-3/GSDME axis

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses a photosensitizer (PS) and visible light to induce cancer cell death. Pyroptosis is a new type of programmed cell death that is associated with the gasdermin protein family. However, the precise mechanism of pyroptosis in PDT-induced suppression of esophageal cancer remains unknown. We demonstrate that PDT can induce gasdermin E (GSDME)-mediated pyroptosis, which is characterized by the formation of pyroptotic blebs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which burst and release intracellular contents and pro-inflammatory mediators. Mechanistically, PDT may inhibit pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and consequently, activate caspase-8 and caspase-3, which ultimately releases N-GSDME and triggers pyroptosis in ESCC. Moreover, PDT decreased the efficiency of pyroptosis in the presence of a glycolytic inhibitor. Overall, our results show that PDT induces pyroptosis in ESCC by targeting the PKM2/caspase-8/caspase-3/GSDME axis. This is the first in-depth study of the specific mechanism underlying PKM2-mediated pyroptosis under PDT in ESCC, and potentially has great implications for the clinical application of PDT in ESCC.

Effects of EFNA1 on cell phenotype and prognosis of esophageal carcinoma

Background

To investigate the expression and clinical significance of EFNA1 in broad-spectrum tumors, and to evaluate its relationship with prognosis and biological functions of esophageal carcinoma (ESCA).

Methods

EFNA1 expression in various cancers was analyzed according to the data in the TCGA database. The clinical data were integrated, to analyze the relationship with ESCA clinical parameters and prognosis, and EFNA1 expression in ESCA tissue samples was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Based on bioinformatics, the functional background of EFNA1 overexpression was analyzed. EFNA1 knockout cell model was established by EFNA1-shRNA transfecting ESCA cells, and the effect of knocking down EFNA1 on the proliferation of ESCA cells was detected by MTT.

Results

Among 7563 samples from TCGA, the EFNA1 gene highly expressed in 15 samples with common cancers and endangered the prognosis of patients with tumors. Its overexpression in ESCA and its influence on the prognosis were most significant. EFNA1 expression in 80 samples with ESCA and their paired samples was tested by IHC to verify its high expression (paired t test, P < 0.001) in ESCA tissues. It was found that EFNA1 expression was related to clinical factors (TNM staging, P = 0.031; lymph node metastasis, P = 0.043; infiltration, P = 0.016). Meanwhile, EFNA1 was found to be an independent risk factor based on the COX multi-factor analysis. And to further explore the importance of EFNA1 in tumors, EC-9706 and ECA109 cells were screened from 8 ESCA-related cell lines to build EFNA1 knockdown cell models. The results showed that EFNA1 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation of tumor cells (P < 0.05). In terms of molecular mechanism, EFNA1 related genes were significantly enriched in the proliferative pathway according to the pathway enrichment analysis. It was found that knocking down EFNA1 did inhibit cell proliferation based on cell experiments.

Conclusions

EFNA1 overexpression in ESCA tissue is related to the prognosis of patients. Knocking down EFNA1 can significantly inhibit the proliferation of ESCA cells.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-021-02362-8.

EFNA1 is a potential key gene that correlates with immune infiltration in low-grade glioma

EFNA1 is a key gene that is associated with the pathogenesis of several human cancers. However, the prognostic role of EFNA1 in many cancers and the relationship between EFNA1 and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in different cancers remain unclear.The expression levels of EFNA1 in 33 types of cancer in the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database were collected via the UCSC Xena browser. The clinical data of LGG (low grade glioma) patients were downloaded from the TCGA database. The glioma data from the CGGA (Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas) database were also downloaded to verify the results. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to investigate the prognostic value of EFNA1 in different cancers using R software. We verified the differential expression of EFNA1 in glioma and normal brain tissue via gene expression profiling interactive analysis. We evaluated the relationship between the expression level of EFNA1 and the clinicopathological features of LGG patients via the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The immune infiltration levels were evaluated via tumor immune estimation resource (TIMER) and CIBERSORT, and the correlations between EFNA1 and immune cell levels were investigated via TIMER. Finally, we conducted gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to explore the potential mechanisms.Data from the TCGA database showed that EFNA1 was differentially expressed in many kinds of cancers when compared with normal tissues. Upregulated EFNA1 expression in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC), and LGG correlated with shorter patient overall survival (OS) times. The Cox regression analysis revealed that the expression of EFNA1 was also a risk factor for the disease-specific survival (DSS) and progression-free interval (PFI) of LGG patients. The multiple Cox regression analysis revealed that EFNA1 was an independent prognostic factor for LGG patients. In addition, EFNA1 expression was increased in the WHO grade III group and the 1p19q non-codeletion group. Moreover, EFNA1 expression was positively correlated with the levels of infiltrating CD4+ T cells, myeloid dendritic cells and neutrophils in LGG. GSEA suggested that several GO and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) items associated with nervous system function and apoptotic pathway were significantly enriched in the EFNA1-low and EFNA1-high expression phenotypes.EFNA1 may play a pivotal role in the development of LGG and may serve as a potential marker for LGG prognosis and therapy.

Role of EFNA1 in tumorigenesis and prospects for cancer therapy

Cancer is one of the major threats to human health. It is of vital importance to reveal the mechanisms of tumorigenesis, identify effective biomarkers and develop novel treatments to improve patient outcome. EFNA1 (ephrinA1) is a member of the EFN family, and it has been studied extensively since its discovery in 1990. Increasing evidence indicates that EFNA1 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of tumors. We provide a detailed overview of the expression and prognostic value of EFNA1 in different types of human malignancies. We briefly discuss the mechanisms of EFNA1 induction in hypoxic environments and its pro-angiogenic function in different cancer cells. We describe the effects of EFNA1 on tumor growth, invasiveness and metastasis. We summarize recent advances in EFNA1-associated cancer therapeutics with emphasis on the prospect of novel anti-tumor methods based on EFNA1.

The miR-1224-5p/TNS4/EGFR axis inhibits tumour progression in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common and aggressive malignancy. Although many molecular alterations have been observed in ESCC, the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of this disease remain unclear. In the present study, miR-1224-5p was identified to be downregulated in ESCC tissues compared to normal tissues, and its low expression was correlated with shorter survival time in patients. In vitro experiments showed that miR-1224-5p inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of ESCC cells. Mechanistic investigation revealed that miR-1224-5p directly targeted TNS4 and inhibited its expression, which led to the inactivation of EGFR-EFNA1/EPHA2-VEGFA (vascular endothelial growth factor A) signalling. Experiments in vivo confirmed the suppressive effect of miR-1224-5p on oesophageal cancer cells. By immunohistochemistry analysis of ESCC specimens, we found that TNS4 expression was positively correlated with that of VEGFA, and was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and shorter survival time in patients. Together, our data suggest that miR-1224-5p downregulation is a frequent alteration in ESCC that promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tumour growth by activating the EGFR-EFNA1/EPHA2-VEGFA signalling pathway via inhibition of TNS4 expression. Decreased miR-1224-5p and elevated TNS4 are unfavourable prognostic factors for ESCC patients.

Cabozantinib (XL184) and R428 (BGB324) Inhibit the Growth of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC)

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a deadly disease for which no effective targeted therapeutic agent has been approved. Both AXL and c-MET have been reported to be independent prognostic factors for ESCC. Thus, inhibitors of AXL/c-MET might have great potential as targeted therapy for ESCC. In the current study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of the AXL/c-MET selective inhibitors, R428 and cabozantinib, in cell and mouse xenograft models. We demonstrated that both R428 and cabozantinib significantly inhibited the growth of CE81T and KYSE-70 ESCC cells and showed by wound-healing assay that they both inhibited ESCC cell migration. In the animal model, ESCC xenograft models were established by injecting KYSE-70 cells with Matrigel into the upper back region of NOD-SCID male mice followed by treatment with vehicle control, R428 (50 mg/kg/day), cisplatin (1.0 mg/kg), or cabozantinib (30 mg/kg/day) for the indicated number of days. R428 alone significantly inhibited ESCC tumor growth compared to the vehicle; however, no synergistic effect with cisplatin was observed. Notably, the dramatic efficacy of cabozantinib alone was observed in the mouse xenograft model. Collectively, our study demonstrated that both cabozantinib and R428 inhibit ESCC growth in cell and xenograft models. The results reveal the great potential of using cabozantinib for targeted therapy of ESCC.

The AXL receptor tyrosine kinase is associated with adverse prognosis and distant metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a frequently recurrent deadly cancer for which no efficient targeted drug exists. AXL is an adverse prognostic factor in some cancers. Strong clinical evidence to support the prognostic role of AXL in ESCC is lacking. A total of 116 patients diagnosed with operable primary ESCC were enrolled. Both AXL and HER2 expression were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in esophageal tissue and were correlated with the clinical outcome of patients. The efficacy of the AXL targeted drug foretinib was also evaluated in ESCC cells. Expression of AXL was found in about 80 % of ESCC tissue, and was significantly correlated with progression of tumor (P<0.001), increased risk of death (Hazard ratio HR [95 % CI=2.09[1.09-4.04], P=0.028], and distant metastasis (odds ratio OR [95 %CI]=3.96 (1.16-13.60), P=0.029). The adverse clinical impact of AXL was more evident when cumulatively expressed with HER2. In cell model, ESCC cells were more sensitive to AXL inhibitor foretinib than to the HER2 inhibitor lapatinib. Meanwhile, the AXL inhibitor foretinib showed a synergistic effect with HER2 inhibitors and the potential to overcome drug resistance to lapatinib. We thus concluded that AXL is a strong adverse prognostic factor for ESCC. Therapeutic agents targeting AXL have great potential to improve prognosis of ESCC patients.

Translational research in thoracic surgery-the National Taiwan University Hospital experience

Thoracic surgeons should be more aware of the latest information about histopathological, genetic and epigenetic alterations that may influence treatment policy and patient outcome in the biomolecular era. Translational research studies often produce a promising diagnostic tool or new treatment that can be used clinically. The results of these translational studies may even change the practical guidelines and current staging system in thoracic malignancies. The following article summarizes the experiences of translational research in esophageal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taiwan.