Differential expression of lung adenocarcinoma transcriptome with signature of tobacco exposure

Twenty-five years of WWOX insight in cancer: a treasure trove of knowledge

More than two decades ago, MD Anderson Cancer group discovered, characterised, and identified the WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) as a genes of interest mapping to the chromosomal region 16q23.3-24.2. This was pioneering research since WWOX is a critical tumour suppressor gene implicated in various cancers, involving interactions with numerous signalling pathways and molecular mechanisms. Notably, it inhibits the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is often activated in tumours. This inhibition helps prevent tumour formation by regulating cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. Restoration of WWOX expression in cancer cell lines has been shown to reduce tumour growth and increased sensitivity to treatments. In addition to its role in tumour suppression, WWOX has been found to interact with proteins involved in critical signalling pathways such as TGF-β. Recent advancements allowed to reveal its interactions with key proteins and microRNAs that regulate cellular adhesion, invasion, and motility. Proteomic studies have shown that WWOX directly interacts with signalling molecules like Dishevelled and SMAD3, further underscoring its role in antagonizing metastasis. Challenges remain in translating this knowledge into clinical applications. For instance, the mechanisms underlying WWOX loss in tumours and its role across diverse cancer types require further investigation. Overall, WWOX serves as a vital player in maintaining cellular stability and preventing cancer progression through its multifaceted functions. Here, we include an updated molecular function of WWOX in cancers to possibly contribute to the potential use of WWOX expression as a biomarker regarding prognosis and response to the treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

LincRNA PRNCR1 activates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to drive the deterioration of hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating miR-411-3p/ZEB1 axis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an intractable malignant disease with high incidence rate annually. LincRNA PRNCR1 has been confirmed as a tumor supporter, while its functions in HCC remain unclear. This study aims to explore the mechanism of LincRNA PRNCR1 in hepatocellular carcinoma. The qRT-PCR was applied to the quantification of non-coding RNAs. Cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), Transwell assay and flow cytometry assay were applied to reflect the change in the phenotype of HCC cells. Moreover, the databases including Targetscan and Starbase and dual-luciferase reporter assay were applied to investigate the interaction of the genes. The western blot was applied to detect the abundance of proteins and the activity of the related pathways. Elevated LincRNA PRNCR1 was dramatically upregulated in HCC pathological samples and cell lines. MiR-411-3p served as a target of LincRNA PRNCR1, and decreased miR-411-3p was found in the clinical samples and cell lines. LincRNA PRNCR1 downregulation could induce the expression of miR-411-3p, and LincRNA PRNCR1 silence could impede the malignant behaviors via increasing the abundance of miR-411-3p. Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) was confirmed as a target of miR-411-3p, which remarkably upregulated in HCC cells, and ZEB1 upregulation could significantly rescue the effect of miR-411-3p on malignant behaviors of HCC cells. Moreover, LincRNA PRNCR1 was confirmed to involve the Wnt/β-catenin pathway via regulating miR-411-3p/ZEB1 axis. This study suggested that LincRNA PRNCR1 could drive the malignant progression of HCC via regulating miR-411-3p/ZEB1 axis.

Integrating apaQTL and eQTL analysis identifies a potential causal variant associated with lung adenocarcinoma risk in the Chinese population

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) plays a crucial role in cancer biology. Here, we used data from the 3'aQTL-atlas, GTEx, and the China Nanjing Lung Cancer GWAS database to explore the association between apaQTL/eQTL-SNPs and the risk of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). The variant T allele of rs277646 in NIT2 is associated with an increased risk of LUAD (OR = 1.12, P = 0.015), lower PDUI values, and higher NIT2 expression. The 3'RACE experiment showed multiple poly (A) sites in NIT2, with the rs277646-T allele causing preferential use of the proximal poly (A) site, resulting in a shorter 3'UTR transcript. This leads to the loss of the hsa-miR-650 binding site, thereby affecting LUAD malignant phenotypes by regulating the expression level of NIT2. Our findings may provide new insights into understanding and exploring APA events in LUAD carcinogenesis.

A Functional Genomics Review of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in Never Smokers

There is currently a dearth of information regarding lung cancer in never smokers (LCINS). Additionally, there is a difference in somatic mutations, tumour mutational burden, and chromosomal aberrations between smokers and never smokers (NS), insinuating a different disease entity in LCINS. A better understanding of actionable driver alterations prevalent in LCINS and the genomic landscape will contribute to identifying new molecular targets of relevance for NS that will drastically improve outcomes. Differences in treatment outcomes between NS and smokers, as well as sexes, with NSCLC suggest unique tumour characteristics. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase mutations and echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) gene rearrangements are more common in NS and have been associated with chemotherapy resistance. Moreover, NS are less likely to benefit from immune mediators including PD-L1. Unravelling the genomic and epigenomic underpinnings of LCINS will aid in the development of not only novel targeted therapies but also more refined approaches. This review encompasses driver genes and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of LCINS and a deeper exploration of the genomic landscape and tumour microenvironment. We highlight the dire need to define the genetic and environmental aspects entailing the development of lung cancer in NS.

Assessment of Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors through the Application of Network-Based Approaches in a Racially Diverse Cohort of Colon Organoid Stem Cells

Numerous demographic factors have been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. To better define biological mechanisms underlying these associations, we performed RNA sequencing of stem-cell-enriched organoids derived from the healthy colons of seven European Americans and eight African Americans. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed following RNA sequencing. Module-trait relationships were determined through the association testing of each module and five CRC risk factors (age, body mass index, sex, smoking history, and race). Only modules that displayed a significantly positive correlation for gene significance and module membership were considered for further investigation. In total, 16 modules were associated with known CRC risk factors (p < 0.05). To contextualize the role of risk modules in CRC, publicly available RNA-sequencing data from TCGA-COAD were downloaded and re-analyzed. Differentially expressed genes identified between tumors and matched normal-adjacent tissue were overlaid across each module. Loci derived from CRC genome-wide association studies were additionally overlaid across modules to identify robust putative targets of risk. Among them, MYBL2 and RXRA represented strong plausible drivers through which cigarette smoking and BMI potentially modulated CRC risk, respectively. In summary, our findings highlight the potential of the colon organoid system in identifying novel CRC risk mechanisms in an ancestrally diverse and cellularly relevant population.

X or Y Cancer: An Extensive Analysis of Sex Differences in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background: Cellular metabolism is a tightly controlled process during which cell growth and survival are maintained. Lung cancer is a disease with clear sex differences, where female patients have better survival rates than males. Evidence of sex differences is demonstrated in cancer risk, prognosis and response to different therapies, yet a sex-specific approach to cancer studies is not widely considered. These different tumour characteristics attributed to sex that impact disease outcome, including constitutional genetic and somatic molecular differences, make it essential to assess viral and hormonal influences. Methods: In silico analysis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) TCGA data, including K-means clustering algorithm, dimensional reduction with principal component analysis and differential expression analysis using EdgeR (p < 0.05), were used to explore some robust sex differences in LUAD that exist in core signalling pathways and metabolic processes between males and females. The correlation of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) expression with immune abundance in the LUAD cohort was analysed on TIMER2.0 and adjusted by tumour purity utilising Cox proportional hazard. Multiple factorial analysis heatmap visualisation was used to examine endogenous steroid hormonal effects on LUAD patients with different smoking status and age groups. Results: We found 161 DEGs showing key differences in regulation of immune system and cellular homeostasis, key elements of divergent cancer progression, between the two sexes. We also found male and female LUAD patients to favour different metabolic intermediates for energy production to support tumourigenesis. Additionally, high levels of Tregs accompanied by DEGs correlated with better LUAD prognosis, and circulating hormonal transcriptional targets affect proliferation and progression in males and females differently. Finally, we examined the role of oestrogen protection in men and pre-/postmenopausal women. Conclusions: Further studies should focus on sex-specific changes and investigate sex-specific gene regulatory networks of these DEGs. Several lifestyle factors, including tobacco smoking and diet, differ between males and females. These factors might affect metabolic pathways and can influence the activity of epigenetic regulators, resulting in significant global epigenetic changes.

Fusion gene recurrence in non-small cell lung cancers and its association with cigarette smoke exposure

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US despite novel treatment protocols, with about 235,000 new cases and 131,000 deaths expected from this cancer in 2021 alone. Lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which are both subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer, account for most lung cancer cases, and comparing the molecular signatures in these two cancers can identify novel mechanisms that contribute to non-small cell lung cancer oncogenesis.

METHODS

We, in this study, performed a comprehensive gene fusion profiling of these cancers, which is understudied in lung cancers. Using an alignment-free fusion detection tool, 'ChimeRScope', we screened for gene fusions in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma datasets from The Cancer Gene Atlas database. Fusion profiles in these two cancer subtypes were essentially different with minimal overlap.

RESULTS

Our analysis revealed a positive association of smoking to fusion frequency in lung adenocarcinoma but not in squamous cell carcinoma and identified several fusion genes that could be explored as markers associated with cigarette smoke exposure. We also identified differentially regulated pathways linked to E2F, G2M checkpoint, and MTORC1 signaling upregulated and P53 pathway downregulated in samples containing high fusions in lung adenocarcinoma. Our results indicate that downregulation of the P53 pathway leads to higher gene fusion formation in lung adenocarcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS

This manuscript provides a strong rationale for investigating the molecular mechanisms of cigarette smoke-induced gene fusion formation associated with lung cancer. Novel recurrent fusions associated with cigarette smoke were identified in our study, which could further be investigated for patient stratification, personalized therapy, and therapeutic monitoring.

Statistical Bioinformatics to Uncover the Underlying Biological Mechanisms That Linked Smoking with Type 2 Diabetes Patients Using Transcritpomic and GWAS Analysis

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disease defined by insulin insensitivity corresponding to impaired insulin sensitivity, decreased insulin production, and eventually failure of beta cells in the pancreas. There is a 30–40 percent higher risk of developing T2D in active smokers. Moreover, T2D patients with active smoking may gradually develop many complications. However, there is still no significant research conducted to solve the issue. Hence, we have proposed a highthroughput network-based quantitative pipeline employing statistical methods. Transcriptomic and GWAS data were analysed and obtained from type 2 diabetes patients and active smokers. Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) resulted by comparing T2D patients’ and smokers’ tissue samples to those of healthy controls of gene expression transcriptomic datasets. We have found 55 dysregulated genes shared in people with type 2 diabetes and those who smoked, 27 of which were upregulated and 28 of which were downregulated. These identified DEGs were functionally annotated to reveal the involvement of cell-associated molecular pathways and GO terms. Moreover, protein–protein interaction analysis was conducted to discover hub proteins in the pathways. We have also identified transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators associated with T2D and smoking. Moreover, we have analysed GWAS data and found 57 common biomarker genes between T2D and smokers. Then, Transcriptomic and GWAS analyses are compared for more robust outcomes and identified 1 significant common gene, 19 shared significant pathways and 12 shared significant GOs. Finally, we have discovered protein–drug interactions for our identified biomarkers.

A Novel Signature for Predicting Prognosis of Smoking-Related Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Tobacco smoking is an established risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We obtained smoking-related SCC, including cervical SCC (CSCC), esophageal SCC (ESCC), head and neck SCC (HNSC), and lung SCC (LUSC), from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to investigate the association between smoking status (reformed and current smoking) and prognosis. We found that reformed smokers had a better prognosis than current smokers in CSCC (p = 0.003), HNSC (p = 0.019), and LUSC (p < 0.01) cohorts. Then, we selected LUSC cohorts as the training cohort and other SCC cohorts as the test cohorts. Function analysis revealed that homologous recombination (HR) was the most significant pathway involved in smoking-induced LUSC. Moreover, the effect of cross-talk between the smoking status and HR deficiency (HRD) on the prognosis was further evaluated, revealing that quitting smoking with high HRD scores could significantly improve patients’ prognosis (p < 0.01). To improve prognosis prediction and more effectively screen suitable populations for platinum drugs and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, we constructed a risk score model using smoking- and HRD-related genes in LUSC. The risk score model had high power for predicting 2-, 3-, and 5-year survival (p < 0.01, AUC = 0.67, 0.66, and 0.66). In addition, the risk scores were an independent risk factor for LUSC (HR = 2.34, 95%CI = 1.70–3.23). The practical nomogram was also built using the risk score, smoking status, and other clinical information with a good c-index (0.72, 95%CI = 0.70–0.74). Finally, we used other TCGA SCC cohorts to confirm the reliability and validity of the risk score model (p < 0.01 and AUC > 0.6 at 2, 3, and 5 years in CSCC and HNSC cohorts). In conclusion, the present study suggested that smoking cessation should be a part of smoking-related SCC treatment, and also provided a risk score model to predict prognosis and improve the effectiveness of screening the platinum/PARP population.

CTNNB1 S37C mutation causing cells proliferation and migration coupled with molecular mechanisms in lung adenocarcinoma

Background

This study aimed to investigate the potential cytological effects and molecular mechanisms of β-catenin (CTNNB1) S37C mutation in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods

CTNNB1 with S37C mutation were transfected into LUAD cell lines. The expression of β-catenin were determined using Western blot. Cell proliferation and migration were detected using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and wound healing assay, respectively. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on LUAD cells with CTNNB1 S37C mutation (CTNNB1 mutation group) and LUAD cells without treatment (Control group), followed by the screening of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis were performed for the DEGs. Finally, the expression of key DEGs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).

Results

CTNNB1 with S37C mutation was successful expressed in 2 cell lines. Cells proliferation and migration were significantly promoted in mutation group in comparison with that of Control group (P<0.05). A total of 180 DEGs were revealed between Control and CTNNB1 mutation groups. These DEGs were mainly enriched in extracellular matrix function and nicotine addiction pathway. PPI network contained 51 DEGs and 45 interactions. PTPRD, GNG7 and CNTN1 were hub genes in PPI network with higher degree. CGB5 interacted with PTPRU, while IGFBP3 showed interaction with MMP1. Results of qRT-PCR confirmed the expression of several key DEGs in transcriptome analysis.

Conclusions

CTNNB1 S37C mutation contributed the LUAD cells proliferation and migration. PTPRD, IGFBP-3, MMP1 and PTPRU might play roles in the effect of CTNNB1 S37C mutation in LUAD.