Upregulated ZO-1 correlates with favorable survival of gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Effect of dietary Clostridium butyricum supplementation on growth performance, immune function, and intestinal health of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂)

Introduction

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of supplementing Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) on hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂), with a particular focus on its impact on growth performance, blood composition, intestinal antioxidant capacity, gut microbiota, tight junction protein (ZO-1) expression, and inflammatory gene expression. The study seeks to uncover the potential health benefits of C. butyricum supplementation for hybrid grouper.

Methods

The experiment included four groups: a control group (CON) and three experimental groups, each supplemented with different strains of C. butyricum (KM, DZN, and CLH), with a concentration of 1 × 10⁷ colony-forming units per gram. These groups were designated as CB1 (KM), CB2 (DZN), and CB3 (CLH). The study evaluated growth performance, blood composition, intestinal antioxidant capacity, gut microbiota, ZO-1 protein expression, and inflammatory gene expression (IL-1β and Ikk-β).

Result

The results indicated that supplementation with C. butyricum had no significant effect on body weight gain (WG), feed efficiency (FE), or body composition. However, the CB3 group significantly increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the intestine, as well as the expression of ZO-1. In addition, the CB3 group significantly increased serum lysozyme (LZM) activity, complement 4 (C4) levels, and immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentration, while significantly reducing the expression of pro-inflammatory genes (IL-1β and Ikk-β). After supplementation with C. butyricum, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the intestine was significantly lower than that in the control group, indicating a reduction in intestinal oxidative stress. Supplementation with C. butyricum also altered the composition of the gut microbiota, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and inhibiting pathogenic bacteria, thereby further enhancing ZO-1 expression and intestinal barrier function.

Discussion

This study suggests that supplementing C. butyricum has a significant immunomodulatory effect on hybrid grouper, enhancing serum immune parameters, alleviating intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress, and promoting intestinal health. Although no significant impact was observed on growth performance, the role of C. butyricum in improving intestinal barrier function and modulating the gut microbiota highlights its potential for enhancing fish health.

Cell-cell junctional proteins in cancer

A hallmark change during carcinogenesis is disruption or dysregulation of cell-cell junctions. It enables a transformed cell to adopt mesenchymal phenotype and acquire higher potential to migrate and invade. This ultimately leads to cancer metastasis. During this process, junctional proteins undergo remarkable changes in terms of their expressional pattern, localization, and activity. De-localized junctional proteins may adopt atypical roles which might act to either suppress tumorigenesis or facilitate cancer development, depending on several factors. In this chapter, the authors attempt to know the expression pattern of junctional proteins in different types of cancer, understand its significance, and gather knowledge about the mechanisms by which they regulate tumorigenesis and cancer development.

Doxycycline Hydrochloride Regulates Cytoskeletal Rearrangement and Epithelial-To-Mesenchymal Transition in Malignant Rhabdoid Tumour of the Kidney

Objective. As a highly malignant tumour, malignant rhabdoid tumours of the kidney (MRTK) are prone to metastasis and invasion, while tumour metastasis and invasion are inseparable from matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT). Moreover, the key to EMT is remodelling of the cytoskeleton. Therefore, our study is aimed at investigating whether doxycycline hydrochloride (DCH), an inhibitor of MMPs, could reverse EMT in MRTK to exert an antitumour effect by regulating MMPs and the cytoskeleton. Methods. The existence of EMT in MRTK cells was verified by bioinformatics analysis, immunofluorescence, and western blotting (WB). In vitro, the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of G401 cells were examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), scratch, and Transwell assays, respectively. The effect of DCH on tumour growth in tumour-bearing mice was explored in in vivo experiments, and the expression of MMP2 and MMP9 and EMT correlation indexes was measured by immunofluorescence and WB, and the changes in cytoskeletal F-actin and β-tubulin were measured by fluorescence. Results. The altered extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, EMT, and high expression of MMP2 and MMP9 existed in MRTK. DCH inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of G401 cells in vitro. In vivo, DCH inhibited tumour growth in mice, downregulated the expression of MMP2 and MMP9, and partially reversed EMT. Alternatively, DCH resulted in cytoskeletal rearrangements of G401 cells. Conclusions. DCH, as an MMP inhibitor, is used for the first time in MRTK research, showing good antitumour effects by reversing EMT and potentially providing new therapeutic measures for MRTK treatment.

Role of zonula occludens in gastrointestinal and liver cancers

A growing body of evidence suggests that tight junction (TJ) proteins play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including gastrointestinal (GI) cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). TJ proteins primarily maintain the epithelial and endothelial cells intact together through integral proteins however, recent reports suggest that they also regulate gene expression necessary for cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis through adapter proteins such as zonula occludens (ZO). ZO proteins are membrane-associated cytosolic scaffolding proteins that modulate cell proliferation by interacting with several transcription factors. Reduced ZO proteins in GI cancer and HCC are correlated with tumor development and poor prognosis. Pubmed has searched for using the keyword ZO and gastric cancer, ZO and cancer, and ZO and HCC for the last ten years to date. This review summarized the role of ZO proteins in cell proliferation and their expression in GI cancer and HCC. Furthermore, therapeutic interventions targeting ZO in GI and liver cancers are reviewed.

Expression of Tight Junction Proteins Is Altered in Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the tumors which occur most frequently in urological system, but less is known about the expression of tight junction proteins and its clinical significance in BC. In this study, expression of claudin-4, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and zonula occludens-1 nucleic acid-binding protein (ZONAB), in BC tissues, adjacent nontumor tissue (ANTT), and BC cell lines was examined by Western blotting, semiquantitative RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry, and then, the clinical significance of these proteins was investigated. The mRNA and protein expression of ZONAB were significantly upregulated, while those of ZO-1 was significantly downregulated in some BC cell lines and tissues in comparison with nontumor urothelial cell lines and ANTT. High expression rate of ZO-1 and ZONAB had negative correlation in BC tissues and was also correlated with muscle-invasive lesions in BC tissues. In conclusion, the expression of tight junction proteins is significantly altered in BC and ZO-1, and ZONAB interaction might be involved in BC development.

High expression of G protein subunit gamma 13 is associated with poor prognosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumor

The G protein subunit gamma 13 (GNG13) plays an important role in olfaction, vision, and biological behavior. However, our knowledge of the relationship between GNG13 expression and the clinicopathological features of gastrointestinal tumors is insufficient. Therefore, we used the Oncomine database to evaluate the expression of GNG13 mRNA in gastric cancer, the result showed that there was no significant difference in the expression of GNG13 between gastric cancer and adjacent normal tissues, and GNG13 mRNA expression was assessed in 32 matched pairs of Gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent normal tissues as well as 32 matched pairs of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The results suggested that GNG13 is upregulated in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the GNG13 in the tissues of 123 patients with GIST. High cytoplasmic expression of GNG13, which was observed in 65.85 % of GIST patients, significantly correlated with mitotic index(P = 0.036) and tumor size(P = 0.024). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the expression of GNG13 was significantly associated with tumor size. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that high GNG13 expression was associated with poor prognosis of GIST. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the expression of GNG13, mitotic index and tumor size were independent adverse prognostic factors of GIST. These findings suggest that GNG13 is associated with the malignant phenotype of GIST and may serve as a marker of poor prognosis.

Rab27b Is a Potential Indicator for Lymph Node Metastasis and Unfavorable Prognosis in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Rab27b is reported to associate with the development and progression of several types of human cancers. However, the relationship between Rab27b expression and the clinical characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is rarely explored. In this present study, the TCGA database was consulted, followed by one-step quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses in LUAD cell lines and tissue samples. Rab27b expression levels were statistically higher in LUAD cell lines and tissue samples compared with a noncancerous cell line and tissue samples (p < 0.05). Rab27b expression was statistically correlated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.016) and TNM stage (p = 0.019). Survival analysis and Kaplan-Meier curve revealed that Rab27b expression (p = 0.006) and TNM stage (p = 0.027) were independently associated with the unfavorable overall survival of patients with LUAD. These results indicate that high expression of Rab27b correlates with malignant attributes of LUAD and Rab27b may be identified as a potential indicator of metastasis and prognosis for LUAD.

The tumor-inhibitory effectiveness of a novel anti-Trop2 Fab conjugate in pancreatic cancer

Human trophoblastic cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2) has been reported to act oncogenically. In this study, one-step quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) test and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis with were employed to evaluate the relationship between Trop2 expression and the clinicopathological features of patients with PC. Then a novel anti-Trop2 Fab antibody was conjugated with Doxorubicin (DOX) to form Trop2Fab-DOX, an antibody-drug conjugate. This Trop2Fab-DOX conjugate was characterized by cell ELISA and immunofluorescence assay. MTT and wound healing analyses were used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Trop2Fab-DOX on PC cell growth in vitro, while xenograft nude mice model was established to examine the tumor-inhibitory effects of PC in vivo. High Trop2 expression was observed in PC tissues and Trop2 expression was associated with several malignant attributes of PC patients, including overall survival. Trop2Fab-DOX can bind to the Trop2-expressing PC cells and provide an improved releasing type of DOX. In addition, Trop2Fab-DOX inhibited the proliferation and suppressed the migration of PC cells in a dose-dependent manner in vitro, while inhibited the growth of PC xenografts in vivo. Trop2 is a specific marker for PC, and a novel Trop2Fab-DOX ADC has a potent antitumor activity

MicroRNA‑103 regulates tumorigenesis in colorectal cancer by targeting ZO‑1

Given the emerging role of microRNAs (miRs) in cancer progression, the present study investigated the role and underlying mechanism of miR-103 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was conducted to quantify the expression levels of miR-103 in clinical specimens and cell lines. The role of miR-103 in CRC was examined using MTT, colony formation and transwell assays. In addition, a luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm an associated between the 3′ untranslated region of zonula occuldens-1 (ZO-1) and miR-103. The results demonstrated that miR-103 was upregulated in CRC. Overexpression of miR-103 promoted CRC cell proliferation and migration in vitro, whereas downregulation of miR-103 inhibited cell proliferation and migration. ZO-1 was identified as a direct target of miR-103, revealing its expression to be inversely correlated with miR-103 expression in CRC samples. In conclusion, the present study revealed that miR-103 has strong tumor-promoting effects via of targeting ZO-1 in CRC and has potential development of miRNA-based targeted approaches for the treatment of CRC.

LAMP1 expression is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer

Lysosome associated membrane protein-1 (LAMP1) is a heavily glycosylated lysosomal membrane protein, which is able to protect the lysosomal membrane from intracellular proteolysis. LAMP1 has been implicated in cancer development and progression. However, LAMP1 expression in breast cancer (BC) and its relationship with the clinical parameters of BC has not yet been fully investigated. In the present study, LAMP1 expression in BC was characterized by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) on 20 pairs of fresh-frozen BC and corresponding non-cancerous tissues. In addition, tissue microarray immunohistochemistry (TMA-IHC) was conducted on 143 BC and matched non-cancerous tissue samples. The results of RT-qPCR and TMA-IHC demonstrated that LAMP1 expression in BC tissues was significantly higher than in corresponding non-cancerous tissues. Furthermore, LAMP1 protein expression levels were significantly associated with histological grade (P=0.047), estrogen receptor expression (P=0.003), progesterone receptor expression (P=0.002), molecular classification (P=0.022), lymph node metastasis (P=0.033) and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (P=0.012). Multivariate analysis using Cox regression models and Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that LAMP1 expression (P=0.037), molecular classification (P=0.017) and TNM stage (P=0.003) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. The above data suggested that LAMP1 expression is associated with malignant attributes of BC and may serve as a novel prognostic factor for patients with BC.

The prognostic implications of growth-related gene product β in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Growth-related gene product β (GROβ) is an angiogenic chemokine that belongs to the CXC chemokine family, and a number of studies have suggested that GROβ is associated with tumor development and progression. However, a number of studies have investigated the association between GROβ expression and the clinical attributes of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). In the present study, one-step quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry analysis were used to detect GROβ expression and evaluate the association between its expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of LSCC. The results demonstrated that the GROβ mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly increased in LSCC compared with the corresponding non-cancerous tissues. GROβ protein expression in LSCC was associated with tumor-node-metastasis stage, lymph node metastasis and histopathological grade. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox multi-factor analysis indicated that high GROβ expression, lymph node metastasis and histopathological grade were significantly associated with poor survival of patients with LSCC. These data indicated that GROβ may be a novel prognostic biomarker of LSCC.

A neutralized human LMP1-IgG inhibits ENKTL growth by suppressing the JAK3/STAT3 signaling pathway

Latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), which is associated with the development of different types of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) related lymphoma, has been suggested to be an important oncoprotein. In this study, a human anti-LMP1 IgG antibody (LMP1-IgG) was constructed and characterized by ELISA, western blotting (WB), affinity and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses. CCK-8, MTT, apoptosis assays, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and CDC (complement-dependent cytotoxicity) assays were performed to evaluate the inhibitory effects of LMP1-IgG on extranodal nasal-type natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTL). Then, the influence of LMP1-IgG on the JAK/STAT signaling pathway was investigated. The results showed that the successfully constructed LMP1-IgG inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, and activated ADCC and CDC of ENKTL in a concentration- and time- dependent manner. Moreover, phosphorylation of JAK3 and STAT3 was inhibited by LMP1-IgG. Our data indicate that LMP1-IgG may provide a novel and promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of LMP1-positive ENKTL.

Suppression of SIPA-1 expression may reduce bladder cancer invasion and metastasis via the downregulation of E-cadherin and ZO-1

The aim of the present study was to investigate the capacity of signal-induced proliferation-associated protein 1 (SIPA-1) to regulate bladder cancer cell invasion and metastasis. BIU-87 and T24 cells were transfected with the SIPA gene and SIPA short hairpin (sh)RNA, respectively. Western blot analysis was conducted to analyze the expression levels of SIPA-1, Ras-related protein 1 (Rap1), Rap1 guanosine triphosphate (Rap1GTP), E-cadherin and zona occludens-1 (ZO-1). Cell motility and invasion were evaluated in vitro using wound and Transwell assays. Transfected cells were inoculated into the pelvic region of BALB/c nude mice, and the number of resulting tumors was recorded after 6 weeks. Western blot analysis revealed that expression levels of E-cadherin and ZO-1 were reduced in the cells with enhanced levels of SIPA-1. By contrast, the levels of E-cadherin and ZO-1 were elevated in the cells in which SIPA-1 was knocked down. In comparison with untransfected cells, the cells with reduced levels of SIPA-1 exhibited reduced wound closure and fewer cells crossed the chamber in the Transwell experiment, whereas the cells with enhanced levels of SIPA-1 exhibited increased migration and invasion In vivo, an increased tumor count was obtained in the mice with elevated levels of SIPA-1. Therefore, the results of the present study indicate that SIPA-1 is able to regulate bladder cancer cell metastasis and invasion by reducing the expression of E-cadherin and ZO-1.

High APRIL expression correlates with unfavourable survival of gastrointestinal stromal tumour

A proliferation inducing ligand (APRIL) is a member of the tumour necrosis factor superfamily. High APRIL expression has been found to correlate with tumour development, suggesting that APRIL participates in oncogenesis. However, little is known about APRIL expression in gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) or the relationship between APRIL expression and the clinical characteristics of GIST. Therefore, we assessed the expression of APRIL immunohistochemically using a tissue microarray from 178 patients with GIST and evaluated the relationship between APRIL expression and patient prognosis. Strong APRIL expression was observed in 42.7% of GISTs, with APRIL expression significantly associated with tumour diameter, gross classification and tumour grade (p < 0.05 each). Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested that low APRIL expression and tumour size <5 cm were associated with longer overall survival. These findings indicate that APRIL expression is correlated with malignant GIST phenotypes and it may serve as an unfavourable prognostic marker in patients with GIST.

[High frequency of ancestral allele of the TJP1 polymorphism rs2291166 in Mexican population, conformational effect and applications in surgery and medicine]

BACKGROUND

TJP1 gene encodes a ZO-1 protein that is required for the recruitment of occludins and claudins in tight junction, and is involved in cell polarisation. It has different variations, the frequency of which has been studied in different populations. In Mexico there are no studies of this gene. These are required because their polymorphisms can be used in studies associated with medicine and surgery. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of alleles and genotypes of rs2291166 gene polymorphism TJP1 in Mexico Mestizos population, and to estimate the conformational effect of an amino acid change.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 473 individuals were included. The rs2291166 polymorphism was identified PASA PCR-7% PAGE, and stained with silver nitrate. The conformational effect of amino acid change was performed in silico, and was carried out with servers ProtPraram Tool and Search Database with Fasta.

RESULTS

The most frequent allele in the two populations is the ancestral allele (T). A genotype distribution similar to other populations was found. The polymorphism is in Hardy-Weinberg, p>0.05. Changing aspartate to alanine produced a conformational change.

CONCLUSIONS

The study reveals a high frequency of the ancestral allele at rs2291166 polymorphism in the Mexican population.

FH535 inhibited metastasis and growth of pancreatic cancer cells

FH535 is a small-molecule inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which a substantial body of evidence has proven is activated in various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays an important role in tumor progression and metastasis. We investigated the inhibitory effect of FH535 on the metastasis and growth of pancreatic cancer cells. Western blotting and luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that FH535 markedly inhibited Wnt/β-catenin pathway viability in pancreatic cancer cells. In vitro wound healing, invasion, and adhesion assays revealed that FH535 significantly inhibited pancreatic cancer cell metastasis. We also observed the inhibitory effect of FH535 on pancreatic cancer cell growth via the tetrazolium and plate clone formation assays. Microarray analyses suggested that changes in the expression of multiple genes could be involved in the anti-cancer effect of FH535 on pancreatic cancer cells. Our results indicate for the first time that FH535 inhibits pancreatic cancer cell metastasis and growth, providing new insight into therapy of pancreatic cancer.

High Rab27A expression indicates favorable prognosis in CRC

Background

Rab27A is a peculiar member in Rab family and has been suggested to play essential roles in the development of human cancers. However, the association between Rab27A expression and clinicopathological characteristics of colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been elucidated yet.

Methods

One-step quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) test with 18 fresh-frozen CRC samples and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in 112 CRC cases were executed to evaluate the relationship between Rab27A expression and the clinicopathological features of CRC. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to identify the prognostic factors for 112 CRC patients.

Results

The results specified that the expression levels of Rab27A mRNA and protein were significantly higher in CRC tissues than that in matched non-cancerous tissues, in both qPCR test (p = 0.029) and IHC analysis (p = 0.020). The IHC data indicated that the Rab27A protein expression in CRC was statistically correlated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.022) and TNM stage (p = 0.026). Cox multi-factor analysis and Kaplan-Meier method suggested Rab27A protein expression (p = 0.012) and tumor differentiation (p = 0.004) were significantly associated with the overall survival of CRC patients.

Conclusion

The data indicated the differentiate expression of Rab27A in CRC tissues and matched non-cancerous tissues. Rab27A may be used as a valuable prognostic biomarker for CRC patients.

Association of high expression of Groβ with clinical and pathological characteristics of unfavorable prognosis in gastrointestinal stromal tumors

GROβ (CXCL2) is a chemokine produced by endotoxin-treated macrophages that mediates inflammation and tumor development. However, little is known about GROβ expression in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) or the relationship between GROβ expression and clinical attributes of GIST. GROβ expression was examined via immunohistochemical staining of 173 GIST samples using tissue microarray. The relationship between GROβ expression and relevant patient and tumor characteristics was assessed, using chi-square tests. Univariate and multivariate analysis was carried out using the Cox regression method. High GROβ cytoplasm staining was detected in 56 (32.4%) specimens; high GROβ nuclear staining was detected in 64 (37.0%) specimens. High GROβ cytoplasm staining was significantly associated with patients' age (P = 0.043) and tumor location (P = 0.014), while high GROβ nucleus staining was significantly associated with mitotic index (P = 0.034), tumor location (P = 0.049), and AFIP-Miettinen risk classification (P = 0.048). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed GIST patients with low GROβ cytoplasm expression (P = 0.023) and mitotic index < 6 per 50 HPFs (P = 0.026) to have a more favorable prognosis. These findings indicate that GROβ expression correlates with malignant GIST phenotypes and could be an unfavorable prognostic marker in patients with GIST.

Overexpression of MAGE-A9 predicts unfavorable outcome in breast cancer

Melanoma-associated antigens (MAGEs) are a group of well-characterized members of the cancer/testis antigen (CTA) family, which is one of the largest groups of human tumor-associated antigens. MAGE-A9 is a particular member in the context of the MAGE-A gene family and was defined as presenting prognostic relevance in certain type of human cancer. However, the expression of MAGE-A9 in invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) and the relationship with the clinical attributes of IDC, especially prognostic characteristic, remain poorly understood. In this present study, one-step quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (18 fresh-frozen IDC tissues and corresponding non-cancerous tissues) and immunohistochemistry by tissue microarrays (82 IDC tissue samples and 70 matched tumor-adjacent non-cancerous tissue samples) were performed to characterize expression of the MAGE-A9 gene in IDC. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the prognosis of IDC. The results of qPCR and IHC analysis showed that the expression of MAGE-A9 in IDC was significantly higher than that in corresponding non-cancerous tissue. Moreover, the expression level of MAGE-A9 protein in IDC was significantly related to histological grade (p = 0.011) and distant metastasis (p = 0.019). Multivariate analysis with the Cox regression model showed that MAGE-A9 protein expression (p = 0.009), histological grade (p = 0.014), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.012) and distant metastasis (p = 0.011) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival of IDC patients. The data suggest that MAGE-A9 expression is correlated with malignant attributes of IDC and it may serve as a novel prognostic factor and an ideal candidate for targeted therapy in IDC treatment.