Overexpression of MCM6 predicts poor survival in patients with glioma

In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are one of the most common determinants and potential biomarkers of human disease pathogenesis. SNPs could alter amino acid residues, leading to the loss of structural and functional integrity of the encoded protein. In humans, members of the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) family play a vital role in cell proliferation and have a significant impact on tumorigenesis. Among the MCM members, the molecular mechanism of how missense SNPs of minichromosome maintenance complex component 6 (MCM6) contribute to DNA replication and tumor pathogenesis is underexplored and needs to be elucidated. Hence, a series of sequence and structure-based computational tools were utilized to determine how mutations affect the corresponding MCM6 protein. From the dbSNP database, among 15,009 SNPs in the MCM6 gene, 642 missense SNPs (4.28%), 291 synonymous SNPs (1.94%), and 12,500 intron SNPs (83.28%) were observed. Out of the 642 missense SNPs, 33 were found to be deleterious during the SIFT analysis. Among these, 11 missense SNPs (I123S, R207C, R222C, L449F, V456M, D463G, H556Y, R602H, R633W, R658C, and P815T) were found as deleterious, probably damaging, affective and disease-associated. Then, I123S, R207C, R222C, V456M, D463G, R602H, R633W, and R658C missense SNPs were found to be highly harmful. Six missense SNPs (I123S, R207C, V456M, D463G, R602H, and R633W) had the potential to destabilize the corresponding protein as predicted by DynaMut2. Interestingly, five high-risk mutations (I123S, V456M, D463G, R602H, and R633W) were distributed in two domains (PF00493 and PF14551). During molecular dynamics simulations analysis, consistent fluctuation in RMSD and RMSF values, high Rg and hydrogen bonds in mutant proteins compared to wild-type revealed that these mutations might alter the protein structure and stability of the corresponding protein. Hence, the results from the analyses guide the exploration of the mechanism by which these missense SNPs of the MCM6 gene alter the structural integrity and functional properties of the protein, which could guide the identification of ways to minimize the harmful effects of these mutations in humans.

Biomarkers for prognosis of meningioma patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Meningioma is the most common primary brain tumor and many studies have evaluated numerous biomarkers for their prognostic value, often with inconsistent results. Currently, no reliable biomarkers are available to predict the survival, recurrence, and progression of meningioma patients in clinical practice. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of immunohistochemistry-based (IHC) biomarkers of meningioma patients. A systematic literature search was conducted up to November 2023 on PubMed, CENTRAL, CINAHL Plus, and Scopus databases. Two authors independently reviewed the identified relevant studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the studies included. Meta-analyses were performed with the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and progression-free survival (PFS). The risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. A total of 100 studies with 16,745 patients were included in this review. As the promising markers to predict OS of meningioma patients, Ki-67/MIB-1 (HR = 1.03, 95%CI 1.02 to 1.05) was identified to associate with poor prognosis of the patients. Overexpression of cyclin A (HR = 4.91, 95%CI 1.38 to 17.44), topoisomerase II α (TOP2A) (HR = 4.90, 95%CI 2.96 to 8.12), p53 (HR = 2.40, 95%CI 1.73 to 3.34), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (HR = 1.61, 95%CI 1.36 to 1.90), and Ki-67 (HR = 1.33, 95%CI 1.21 to 1.46), were identified also as unfavorable prognostic biomarkers for poor RFS of meningioma patients. Conversely, positive progesterone receptor (PR) and p21 staining were associated with longer RFS and are considered biomarkers of favorable prognosis of meningioma patients (HR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.88 and HR = 1.89, 95%CI 1.11 to 3.20). Additionally, high expression of Ki-67 was identified as a prognosis biomarker for poor PFS of meningioma patients (HR = 1.02, 95%CI 1.00 to 1.04). Although only in single studies, KPNA2, CDK6, Cox-2, MCM7 and PCNA are proposed as additional markers with high expression that are related with poor prognosis of meningioma patients. In conclusion, the results of the meta-analysis demonstrated that PR, cyclin A, TOP2A, p21, p53, VEGF and Ki-67 are either positively or negatively associated with survival of meningioma patients and might be useful biomarkers to assess the prognosis.

RNF125‑mediated ubiquitination of MCM6 regulates the proliferation of human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Minichromosome maintenance proteins (MCMs), particularly MCM2-7, are upregulated in various cancers, including HCC. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of MCM2-7 in human liver HCC (LIHC) and the regulation of the protein homeostasis of MCM6 by a specific E3 ligase. Bioinformatics analyses demonstrated that MCM2-7 were highly expressed in LIHC compared with corresponding normal tissues at the mRNA and protein levels, and patients with LIHC and high mRNA expression levels of MCM2, MCM3, MCM6 and MCM7 had poor overall survival rates. Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assays revealed that the knockdown of MCM2, MCM3, MCM6 or MCM7 in Huh7 and Hep3B HCC cells inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation. In addition, pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays demonstrated that RNF125 interacts with MCM6 and mediates its ubiquitination. Furthermore, co-transfection experiments indicated that RNF125 promoted the proliferation of HCC cells mainly through MCM6. In summary, the present study suggests that the RNF125-MCM6 axis plays an important role in the regulation of HCC cell proliferation and is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of LIHC.

MCM2 is involved in subtyping and tamoxifen resistance of ERα-positive breast cancer by acting as the downstream factor of ERα

Tamoxifen (TAM) resistance is finally developed in over 40% of patients with estrogen receptor α-positive breast cancer (ERα+ -BC), documenting that discovering new molecular subtype is needed to confer perception to the heterogeneity of ERα+ -BC. We obtained representative gene sets subtyping ERα+ -BC using gene set variation analysis (GSVA), non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), and COX regression methods on the basis of METABRIC, TCGA, and GEO databases. Furthermore, the risk score of ERα+ -BC subtyping was established using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression on the basis of genes in the representative gene sets, thereby generating the two subtypes of ERα+ -BC. We further found that minichromosome maintenance complex component 2 (MCM2) functioned as the hub gene subtyping ERα+ -BC using GO, KEGG, and MCODE. MCM2 expression was capable for specifically predicting 1-year overall survival (OS) of ERα+ -BC and correlated with T stage, AJCC stage, and tamoxifen (TAM) sensitivity of ERα+ -BC. The downregulation of MCM2 expression inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of TAM-resistant cells and promoted G0/G1 arrest. Altogether, tamoxifen resistance entails that MCM2 is a hub gene subtyping ERα+ -BC, providing a novel dimension for discovering a potential target of TAM-resistant BC.

Heterogeneous Expression Patterns of the Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Members in Retinoblastoma Unveil Its Clinical Significance

Purpose

To explore the expression patterns and clinical significance of minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex members in retinoblastoma (RB).

Methods

Single-cell RNA sequencing datasets from five normal retina, six intraocular, and five extraocular RB samples were integrated to characterize the expression patterns of MCM complex members at the single-cell level. Western blot and quantitative PCR were used to detect the expression of MCM complex members in RB cell lines. Immunohistochemistry was conducted to validate the expression of MCM complex members in RB patient samples and a RB mouse model.

Results

The expression of MCM2-7 is increased in RB tissue, with MCM2/3/7 showing particularly higher levels in extraocular RB. MCM3/7 are abundantly detected in cell types associated with oncogenesis. Both mRNA and protein levels of MCM3/4/6/7 are increased in RB cell lines. Immunohistochemistry further confirmed the elevated expression of MCM3 in extraocular RB, with MCM6 being the most abundantly expressed MCM in RB.

Conclusions

The distinct MCM expression patterns across various RB cell types suggest diverse functional roles, offering valuable insights for targeted therapeutic strategies. The upregulation of MCM3, MCM4, MCM6, and MCM7 in RB, with a specific emphasis on MCM6 as a notable marker, highlights their potential significance.

Minichromosome maintenance protein family member 6 mediates hepatocellular carcinoma progression by recruiting UBE3A to induce P53 ubiquitination

With limited therapeutic options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), it is of great significance to investigate the underlying mechanisms and identifying tumor drivers. MCM6, a member of minichromosome maintenance proteins (MCMs), was significantly elevated in HCC progression and associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of MCM6 significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCC cells with the increased apoptosis ratio and cell cycle arrest, whereas overexpression of MCM6 induced adverse effects. Mechanistically, MCM6 could decrease the P53 activity by inducing the degradation of P53 protein. In addition, MCM6 enhanced the ubiquitination of P53 by recruiting UBE3A to form a triple complex. Furthermore, overexpression of UBE3A significantly rescued the P53 activation and suppression of malignant behaviors mediated by MCM6 inhibition. In conclusion, MCM6 facilitated aggressive phenotypes of HCC cells by UBE3A/P53 signaling, providing potential biomarkers and targets for HCC.

De novo MCM6 variants in neurodevelopmental disorders: a recognizable phenotype related to zinc binding residues

The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex acts as a DNA helicase during DNA replication, and thereby regulates cell cycle progression and proliferation. In addition, MCM-complex components localize to centrosomes and play an independent role in ciliogenesis. Pathogenic variants in genes coding for MCM components and other DNA replication factors have been linked to growth and developmental disorders as Meier-Gorlin syndrome and Seckel syndrome. Trio exome/genome sequencing identified the same de novo MCM6 missense variant p.(Cys158Tyr) in two unrelated individuals that presented with overlapping phenotypes consisting of intra-uterine growth retardation, short stature, congenital microcephaly, endocrine features, developmental delay and urogenital anomalies. The identified variant affects a zinc binding cysteine in the MCM6 zinc finger signature. This domain, and specifically cysteine residues, are essential for MCM-complex dimerization and the induction of helicase activity, suggesting a deleterious effect of this variant on DNA replication. Fibroblasts derived from the two affected individuals showed defects both in ciliogenesis and cell proliferation. We additionally traced three unrelated individuals with de novo MCM6 variants in the oligonucleotide binding (OB)-fold domain, presenting with variable (neuro)developmental features including autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and epilepsy. Taken together, our findings implicate de novo MCM6 variants in neurodevelopmental disorders. The clinical features and functional defects related to the zinc binding residue resemble those observed in syndromes related to other MCM components and DNA replication factors, while de novo OB-fold domain missense variants may be associated with more variable neurodevelopmental phenotypes. These data encourage consideration of MCM6 variants in the diagnostic arsenal of NDD.

Integrated analysis of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in response to sleep deprivation and diet-induced obesity

INTRODUCTION

Sleep deprivation (SD) and obesity are common in modern societies. SD and obesity frequently coexist, but research on the combined consequences of SD and obesity has been limited. In this study, we investigated the gut microbiota and host responses to SD and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. In addition, we attempted to identify key mediators of the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

METHODS

C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups based on whether they were sleep deprived and whether they were fed a standard chow diet (SCD) or HFD. We then performed fecal microbiome shotgun sequencing, gut transcriptome analysis using RNA sequencing, and brain mRNA expression analysis using the nanoString nCounter Mouse Neuroinflammation Panel.

RESULTS

The gut microbiota was significantly altered by the HFD, whereas the gut transcriptome was primarily influenced by SD. Sleep and diet are both important in the inflammatory system of the brain. When SD and the HFD were combined, the inflammatory system of the brain was severely disrupted. In addition, inosine-5' phosphate may be the gut microbial metabolite that mediates microbiota-gut-brain interactions. To identify the major drivers of this interaction, we analyzed the multi-omics data. Integrative analysis revealed two driver factors that were mostly composed of the gut microbiota. We discovered that the gut microbiota may be the primary driver of microbiota-gut-brain interactions.

DISCUSSION

These findings imply that healing gut dysbiosis may be a viable therapeutic target for enhancing sleep quality and curing obesity-related dysfunction.

Comparative proteoinformatics revealed the essentials of SDS impact on HaCaT keratinocytes

There is no direct evidence supporting that SDS is a carcinogen, so to investigate this fact, we used HaCaT keratinocytes as a model of human epidermal cells. To reveal the candidate proteins and/or pathways characterizing the SDS impact on HaCaT, we proposed comparative proteoinformatics pipeline. For protein extraction, the performance of two sample preparation protocols was assessed: 0.2% SDS-based solubilization combined with the 1DE-gel concentration (Protocol 1) and osmotic shock (Protocol 2). As a result, in SDS-exposed HaCaT cells, Protocol 1 revealed 54 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in the disease of cellular proliferation (DOID:14566), whereas Protocol 2 found 45 DEPs of the same disease ID. The 'skin cancer' term was a single significant COSMIC term for Protocol 1 DEPs, including those involved in double-strand break repair pathway (BIR, GO:0000727). Considerable upregulation of BIR-associated proteins MCM3, MCM6, and MCM7 was detected. The eightfold increase in MCM6 level was verified by reverse transcription qPCR. Thus, Protocol 1 demonstrated high effectiveness in terms of the total number and sensitivity of MS identifications in HaCaT cell line proteomic analysis. The utility of Protocol 1 was confirmed by the revealed upregulation of cancer-associated MCM6 in HaCaT keratinocytes induced by non-toxic concentration of SDS. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD035202.

Molecular markers related to patient outcome in patients with IDH-mutant astrocytomas grade 2 to 4: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Grading and classification of IDH-mutant astrocytomas has shifted from solely histology towards histology combined with molecular diagnostics. In this systematic review, we give an overview of all currently known clinically relevant molecular markers within IDH-mutant astrocytomas grade 2 to 4.

METHODS

A literature search was performed in five electronic databases for English original papers on patient outcome with respect to a molecular marker as determined by DNA/RNA sequencing, micro-arrays, or DNA methylation profiling in IDH-mutant astrocytomas grade 2 to 4. Papers were included if molecular diagnostics were performed on tumour tissue of at least 15 IDH-mutant astrocytoma patients, and if the investigated molecular markers were not limited to the diagnostic markers MGMT, ATRX, TERT, and/or TP53.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 4508 unique articles, published between August 2012 and December 2021, of which ultimately 44 articles were included. Numerous molecular markers from these papers were significantly correlated to patient outcome. The associations between patient outcome and non-canonical IDH mutations, PI3K mutations, high expression of MSH2, high expression of RAD18, homozygous deletion of CDKN2A/B, amplification of PDGFRA, copy number neutral loss of chromosomal arm 17p, loss of chromosomal arm 19q, the G-CIMP-low DNA methylation cluster, high total CNV, and high tumour mutation burden were confirmed in multiple studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Multiple genetic and epigenetic markers are associated with survival in IDH-mutant astrocytoma patients. Commonly affected are the RB signalling pathway, the RTK-PI3K-mTOR signalling pathway, genomic stability markers, and (epigenetic) gene regulation.

Mammalian Resilience Revealed by a Comparison of Human Diseases and Mouse Models Associated With DNA Helicase Deficiencies

Maintaining genomic integrity is critical for sustaining individual animals and passing on the genome to subsequent generations. Several enzymes, such as DNA helicases and DNA polymerases, are involved in maintaining genomic integrity by unwinding and synthesizing the genome, respectively. Indeed, several human diseases that arise caused by deficiencies in these enzymes have long been known. In this review, the author presents the DNA helicases associated with human diseases discovered to date using recent analyses, including exome sequences. Since several mouse models that reflect these human diseases have been developed and reported, this study also summarizes the current knowledge regarding the outcomes of DNA helicase deficiencies in humans and mice and discusses possible mechanisms by which DNA helicases maintain genomic integrity in mammals. It also highlights specific diseases that demonstrate mammalian resilience, in which, despite the presence of genomic instability, patients and mouse models have lifespans comparable to those of the general population if they do not develop cancers; finally, this study discusses future directions for therapeutic applications in humans that can be explored using these mouse models.

Bioinformatic Analysis of the Expression and Clinical Significance of the DNA Replication Regulator MCM Complex in Bladder Cancer

Objective

The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex (MCM2, MCM3, MCM4, MCM5, MCM6, and MCM7), which regulates DNA replication and cell cycle progression, is essential for the development and progression of multiple tumors, but their role in bladder cancer development remains unclear. In the present study, the biological role and clinical significance of the MCM complex in bladder cancer were systematically elucidated.

Materials and Methods

We analyzed DNA mutations, mRNA expression and protein levels, protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks, functional enrichment, prognostic value of MCM2/3/4/5/6/7 in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLC) and the connections between the immune cell infiltration and the overall survival of BLC patients with the MCM expression levels using Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), the Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA), Human Protein Atlas, UALCAN, STRING, cBioPortal, TIMER and GSCALite databases.

Results

The outcomes showed that the mRNA expression level of each member of the MCM complex was significantly correlated with histologic grade and tumor histology in BLC patients. Moreover, survival analysis showed that MCM/2/3/4/5/6/7 mRNA expressions were significantly associated with prognosis in patients with bladder cancer. Moreover, we experimentally validated the overexpression of the MCM2-7 complex in the BLC. Based on functional enrichment and PPI network analysis, the MCM complex might promote the progression of bladder cancer by activating DNA replication and accelerating cell cycle progression. In addition, MCM2/3/4/5/6/7 genes were also significantly associated with tumor immune cells infiltration and the drug sensitivity in BLC.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that the MCM complex especially MCM2/4/6/7 might be potential molecular therapeutic targets for BLC treatment and might be useful biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis.

MCM10 is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated With Immune Checkpoints in Ovarian Cancer

Background: Microchromosome maintenance protein 10 (MCM10) is required for DNA replication in all eukaryotes, and it plays a key role in the development of many types of malignancies. However, we currently still do not know the relationship between MCM10 and ovarian cancer (OV) prognosis and immune checkpoints.

Methods: The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis and Tumor Immunology Estimation Resource (TIMER) databases were used to investigate MCM10 expression in Fan cancer. The Kaplan-Meier Plotter and PrognoScan were used to assess the relationship between MCM10 and OV prognosis. The LinkedOmics database was used to analyze the MCM10 co-expression network and explore GO term annotation and the KEGG pathway. The relationship between MCM10 expression and immune infiltration in OV was investigated using the Tumor Immunology Estimation Resource database. cBioPortal database was used to explore the relationship between MCM10 expression and 25 immune checkpoints. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect MCM10 expression. The prognosis was also analyzed by distinguishing between high and low expression groups based on median expression values.

Results: The results of the three data sets (220,651_s_at, 222,962_s_at and 223,570_at) in KM Plotter all indicated that the overall survivalof the high MCM10 expression group was lower than that of the low expression group OV, and the results of GSE9891 also reached the same conclusion. The expression level of MCM10 was negatively correlated with B cells and CD8+T cells, and positively correlated with CD4+T Cells and Macrophages. GO term annotation and KEGG pathway analysis showed that the co-expressed genes of MCM10 were mainly enriched in cell cycle and DNA replication. The alterations in MCM10 coexisted statistically with the immune checkpoints CTLA4, TNFSF4, TNFSF18, CD80, ICOSLG, LILRB1 and CD200. PCR results displayed that MCM10 was highly expressed in OV tissues, and the increased expression of MCM10 was significantly associated with poor overall survival.

Conclusion: These results demonstrated that high expression of MCM10 was associated with poor prognosis in OV and correlated with immune checkpoints.

Identification of a 5-Nutrient Stress-Sensitive Gene Signature to Predict Survival for Colorectal Cancer

Background

The high heterogeneity and the complexity of the tumor microenvironment of colorectal cancer (CRC) have enhanced the difficulty of prognosis prediction based on conventional clinical indicators. Recent studies revealed that tumor cells could overcome various nutritional deficiencies by gene regulation and metabolic remodeling. However, whether differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CRC cells under kinds of nutrient deficiency could be used to predict prognosis remained unveiled.

Methods

Three datasets (GSE70976, GSE13548, and GSE116087), in which colon cancer cells were, respectively, cultured in serum-free, glucose-free, or glutamine-free medium, were included to delineate the profiles of gene expression by nutrient stress. DEGs were figured out in three datasets, and gene functional analysis was performed. Survival analyses and Cox proportional hazards model were then used to identify nutrient stress sensitive genes in CRC datasets (GSE39582 and TCGA COAD). Then, a 5-gene signature was constructed and the risk scores were also calculated. Survival analyses, cox analyses, and nomogram were applied to predict the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer. The effectiveness of the risk model was also tested.

Results

A total of 48 genes were found to be dysregulated in serum, glucose, or glutamine-deprived CRC cells, which were mainly enriched in cell cycle and endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways. After further analyses, 5 genes, MCM5, MCM6, CDCA2, GINS2, and SPC25, were identified to be differentially expressed in CRC and be related to prognosis of in CRC datasets. We used the above nutrient stress-sensitive genes to construct a risk scoring model. CRC samples in the datasets were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups. Data showed that higher risk scores were associated with better outcomes and risk scores decreased significantly with tumor procession. Moreover, the risk score could be used to predict the probability of survival based on nomogram.

Conclusions

The 5-nutrient stress-sensitive gene signature could act as an independent biomarker for survival prediction of CRC patients.

MCM6 versus Ki-67 in diagnosis of luminal molecular subtypes of breast cancers

Background

Currently, breast cancers are divided into four major molecular subtypes. The distinction between the luminal A and luminal B subtypes is mainly based on the cellular proliferation indices and is assessed by the Ki-67 scoring. Due to the limitations in the assessment and expression of Ki-67, we hypothesized that minichromosome maintenance protein 6 (MCM6) might be taken as a surrogate marker to differentiate molecular subtypes and aid in more precise grading of tumors.

Methods

We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional study on 124 samples of breast cancer and 40 samples of normal breast tissue. Relevant clinical information was retrieved from the Cancer Institute database.

Results

MCM6 could discriminate between various categories of histologic grades, tubule formation, mitotic indices, and nuclear pleomorphism (P = 0.002 for tubule formation and P < 0.001 for other). Moreover, the MCM6 score exhibited a significant correlation with the mitotic count (P < 0.001). However, the Ki-67 score could not discriminate subgroups of the mitotic index and nuclear pleomorphism. Compared to the luminal A subtype, luminal B exhibited a higher MCM6 score (P = 0.01). Besides, MCM6 scores were higher for certain subtypes with more aggressive behaviors, such as hormone receptor (HR)-negative disease, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-enriched and triple-negative breast cancers, as there was a significantly higher MCM6 mean score in the HR-negative in comparison to the luminal breast cancers (P < 0.001). Similarly, higher MCM6 scores were observed among samples with more advanced nuclear grades, tubule formation, and overall grades.

Conclusion

MCM6 can differentiate luminal A and luminal B subtypes and is correlated with mitotic counts. However, this study was unable to prove the superiority of MCM6 in differentiating between molecular subtypes compared to the Ki-67 score. Nevertheless, in our study, MCM6 was superior to Ki-67 in exhibiting correlations with the mitotic grade, tubule formation, and nuclear grades. More studies are needed to standardize its assessment methods, determine more robust cut-off values, and evaluate its associations with prognostic features of breast cancer.

L1 cell adhesion molecule high expression is associated with poor prognosis in surgically resected brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Accurate prognosis assessment across the heterogeneous population of brain metastases is very important, which may facilitate clinical decision-making and appropriate stratification of future clinical trials. Previous studies have shown the L1 Cell Adhesion Molecule (L1CAM) is potentially involved in human malignancies of multiple different samples and unfavorable survival. However, no data of L1CAM are available for the brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma, especially for the one with neurosurgical resection.

METHOD

The authors investigated the L1CAM expression in cranial metastatic lesions for patients with brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma after neurosurgical resection using tissue microarrays that were obtained from the Department of Neurosurgery at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Furthermore, the relationship between L1CAM expression and clinic-pathological parameters, including overall survival time, was analyzed to assess the prognostic value of L1CAM.

RESULTS

L1CAM high expression was found in 62.30% of brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma and significantly correlated with brain metastasis number (p = 0.028) and Lung-molGPA score (p = 0.042). Moreover, L1CAM expression was an independent predictor of survival for brain metastases after neurosurgical resection in a multivariate analysis. Patients with L1CAM high expression had unfavorable overall survival time (p = 0.016). In addition, the multivariate analysis also showed age and extracranial transfer were also the independent prognostic factors for this type of patient with brain metastases.

CONCLUSIONS

A subset of brain metastases from lung adenocarcinoma aberrantly expresses L1CAM. L1CAM is a novel independent prognostic factor for brain metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma after neurosurgical resection.

The Alterations and Potential Roles of MCMs in Breast Cancer

The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein family plays a key role in eukaryotic DNA replication and has been confirmed to be associated with the occurrence and progression of many tumors. However, the expression levels, functions, and prognostic values of MCMs in breast cancer (BC) have not been clearly and systematically explained. In this article, we studied the transcriptional levels of MCMs in BC based on the Oncomine database. Kaplan-Meier plotter was used to analyze prognostic value of MCMs in human BC patients. Furthermore, we constructed a MCM coexpression gene network and performed functional annotation analysis through DAVID to reveal the functions of MCMs and coexpressed genes. The data showed that the expression of MCM2–8 and MCM10 but not MCM1 and MCM9 was upregulated in BC. Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis revealed that high transcriptional levels of MCM2, MCM4–7, and MCM10 were significantly related to low relapse-free survival (RFS) in BC patients. In contrast, high levels of MCM1 and MCM9 predicted high RFS for BC patients. This study suggests that MCM2, MCM4–7, and MCM10 possess great potential to be valuable prognostic biomarkers for BC and that MCM1 and MCM9 may serve as potential treatment targets for BC patients.

Highly expressed of SERPINA3 indicated poor prognosis and involved in immune suppression in glioma

Introduction

The prognosis of patients with glioma is dismal. It has been reported that Serpin peptidase inhibitor clade A member 3 (SERPINA3) is associated with the mobility and invasion of tumor cells. Our study was designed to explore the value of SERPINA3 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in the biological process, prognosis, and immune significance in glioma.

Methods

We analyzed the biological functions of SERPINA3 through data from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas databases. Differentially expressed genes and enrichment analysis were performed and correlations between SERPINA3 expression and immune cell infiltration were analyzed. Further, we validated the expression and the survival prediction role of SERPINA3 by using tissue microarrays and RNAscope in situ hybridization in 321 gliomas. The correlations between the expression and clinical‐pathological parameters as well as other biomarkers were examined.

Results

Univariate and multivariate regression both indicated that the level of SERPINA3 transcript represented an independent prognostic factor. High levels of SERPINA3 correlated with poor survival in patients with glioma. Expression of SERPINA3 mRNA was observed positively correlated with MCM6, IGFBP2, and FKBP10. Enrichment analysis showed SERPINA3 mainly enriched in immune‐related terms and signaling pathways including MAPK, TNF, P53, PI3K‐Akt, nuclear factor‐κB. Immune infiltration analysis further declare the SERPINA3 expression negatively correlated with levels of Macrophages M1, native CD4⁺ T cell, monocytes, and Mast cell activated. And overexpression of SERPINA3 correlated with low CD4⁺ T cell infiltration in glioma tissues.

Conclusions

SERPINA3 may play a key role in the biological process of glioma cells especially in immune suppression activities. SERPINA3 may serve as an independent survival prediction factor in glioma patients.

MCM8 is regulated by EGFR signaling and promotes the growth of glioma stem cells through its interaction with DNA-replication-initiating factors

Mini-chromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins are critical components of DNA-replication-licensing factors. MCM8 is an MCM protein that exhibits oncogenic functions in several human malignancies. However, the role of MCM8 in glioblastomas (GBMs) has remained unclear. In the present study, we investigated the biological functions and mechanisms of MCM8 in glioma stem cells (GSCs). The clinical relevance of MCM8 mRNA expression was explored via TCGA and REMBRANDT datasets. The effects of MCM8 on the self-renewal and tumorigenicity of GSCs were examined both in vitro and in vivo. The regulation of MCM8 expression and its interacting proteins were also evaluated. We found that the expression of MCM8 was elevated in high-grade gliomas and classical molecular subtypes and was inversely correlated with patient prognosis. GSCs had a significantly higher expression of MCM8 compared with that in normal glioma cells. Silencing of MCM8 induced G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis, as well as inhibited the proliferation and self-renewal of GSCs. Forced expression of MCM8 enhanced clonogenicity of GSCs both in vitro and in vivo. MCM8 expression was regulated by EGFR signaling, which was mediated by NF-κB (p65). MCM8 interacted with DNA-replication-initiating factors-including EZH2, CDC6, and CDCA2-and influenced these factors to associate with chromatin. In addition, MCM8 knockdown increased the sensitivity of GSCs to radiation and TMZ treatments. Our findings suggest that MCM8, regulated by the EGFR pathway, maintains the clonogenic and tumorigenic potential of GSCs through interaction with DNA-replication-initiating factors; hence, MCM8 may represent a novel therapeutic target in GBMs.

Expression and Prognostic Value of MCM Family Genes in Osteosarcoma

We performed a detailed cancer VS normal analysis to explore the expression and prognostic value of minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteinsin human sarcoma. The mRNA expression levels of the MCM family genes in sarcoma were analyzed using data from ONCOMINE, GEPIA and CCLE databases. KEGG database was used to analyze the function of MCM2–7 complex in DNA replication and cell cycle. QRT-PCR and western blot were used to confirm the differential expression of key MCMs in osteosarcoma cell lines. Cell Counting Kit-8 and flow cytometry method were used to detect the cell proliferation and apoptosis of hFOB1.19 cells. The results showed that MCM1–7 and MCM10 were all upregulated in sarcoma in ONCOMINE database. MCM2, and MCM4–7 were highly expressed in sarcoma in GEPIA database. Moreover, all these ten factors were highly expressed in sarcoma cell lines. Furthermore, we analyzed the prognostic value of MCMs for sarcoma in GEPIA and found that MCM2, MCM3, MCM4, and MCM10 are prognostic biomarkers for human sarcoma. Analysis results using KEGG datasets showed that MCM4 and MCM6–7 constituted a core structure of MCM2-7 hexamers. We found that AzadC treatment and overexpression of MCM4 significantly promoted hFOB1.19 cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. The present study implied that MCM2–4 and 10 are potential biomarkers for the prognosis of sarcoma. The prognostic role of MCM4 may be attributable to the change in its DNA methylation patterns.

Systemic Analysis of the DNA Replication Regulator MCM Complex in Ovarian Cancer and Its Prognostic Value

Microliposome maintenance (MCM) 2, MCM3, MCM4, MCM5, MCM6, and MCM7 are DNA replication regulators and are involved in the progression of multiple cancer types, but their role in ovarian cancer is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to clarify the biological function and prognostic value of the MCM complex in ovarian cancer (OS) progression. We analyzed DNA alterations, mRNA and protein levels, protein structure, PPI network, functional enrichment, and prognostic value in OC based on the Oncomine, cBioPortal, TCGA, CPTAC, PDB, GeneMANIA, DAVID, KEGG, and GSCALite databases. The results indicated that the protein levels of these DNA replication regulators were increased significantly. Moreover, survival analysis showed a prognostic signature based on the MCM complex, which performed moderately well in terms of OS prognostic prediction. Additionally, protein structure, functional enrichment, and PPI network analyses indicated that the MCM complex synergistically promoted OC progression by accelerating DNA replication and the cell cycle. In conclusion, our study suggested that the MCM complex might be a potential target and prognostic marker for OC patients.

Methylation-dependent MCM6 repression induced by LINC00472 inhibits triple-negative breast cancer metastasis by disturbing the MEK/ERK signaling pathway

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified to be dysregulated in multiple cancer types, which are speculated to be of vital significance in regulating several hallmarks of cancer biology. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is acknowledged as an aggressive subtype of breast cancer. In this study, we found the lncRNA LINC00472 was poorly expressed in TNBC tissues and cells. Overexpression of LINC00472 could inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. On the contrary, minichromosome maintenance complex component 6 (MCM6) was highly expressed in TNBC tissues and MDA-MB-231 cells due to suppressed methylation. LINC00472 induced site-specific DNA methylation and reduced the MCM6 expression by recruiting DNA methyltransferases into the MCM6 promoter. Since the restoration of MCM6 weakened the tumor-suppressive effect of LINC00472 on MDA-MB-231 cells, LINC00472 potentially acted as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting MCM6. In addition, in vivo experiments further substantiated that overexpression of LINC00472 inhibited tumor growth and metastasis to lungs by decreasing the expression of MCM6. Overall, the present study demonstrated that LINC00472-mediated epigenetic silencing of MCM6 contributes to the prevention of tumorigenesis and metastasis in TNBC, providing an exquisite therapeutic target for TNBC.

The DNA replication regulator MCM6: An emerging cancer biomarker and target

MCM6 is a significant DNA replication regulator that plays a crucial role in sustaining the cell cycle. In many cancer cells, MCM6 expression is enhanced. For example, persistently increased expression of MCM6 promotes the formation, development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Up- and down-regulation studies have indicated that MCM6 regulates cell cycle, proliferation, metastasis, immune response and the maintenance of the DNA replication system. MCM6 can also regulate downstream signaling such as MEK/ERK thus promoting carcinogenesis. Accordingly, MCM6 may represent a sensitive and specific biomarker to predict adverse progression and poor outcome. Furthermore, inhibition of MCM6 may be an effective cancer treatment. The present review summarizes the latest results on the inactivating and activating functions of MCM6, underlining its function in carcinogenesis. Further studies of the carcinogenic functions of MCM6 may provide novel insight into cancer biology and shed light on new approaches for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Increased expression of MCM4 is associated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein complex is important for DNA replication. Moreover, the expression of specific MCM complex components has been associated with the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the expression and functional roles of minichromosome maintenance complex component 4 (MCM4) in HCC development and progression have not yet been explored. We analyzed the expression and clinical significance of MCM4, including its association with liver cancer patient survival.

Methods

Oncomine, UALCAN, and HCCDB (a database of HCC expression atlas) were used to characterize the expression of MCM4 in tumor and normal tissues. The expression of MCM4 at the protein level was confirmed based on immunohistochemistry (IHC) data obtained from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. The level of MCM4 was measured in tumor and adjacent normal tissues by RT-qPCR, western blot and IHC staining. The copy number alterations (CNAs) and mutations in MCM4 were analyzed by cBioPortal, whereas the co-expression genes of MCM4 in HCC were obtained from Oncomine, and used for gene ontology and pathway analysis via the NetworkAnalyst 3.0 tool, to explore the predictive signaling pathway in HCC.

Results

The levels of MCM4 messenger (m)RNA and protein were found to be significantly higher in liver cancer tissues than in normal liver tissues. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the upregulation of MCM4 was significantly negatively correlated with the survival of HCC patients.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that MCM4 may be used as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target for HCC.

CKAP2L Knockdown Exerts Antitumor Effects by Increasing miR-4496 in Glioblastoma Cell Lines

Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of the central nervous system malignancy glioma, overall survival remains poor. Cytoskeleton-associated protein 2-like (CKAP2L), which plays key roles in neural progenitor cell division, has also been linked to poor prognosis in lung cancer. In the present study, we investigated the role of CKAP2L in glioma. From bioinformatics analyses of datasets from The Cancer Gene Atlas and the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas, we found that CKAP2L expression correlates with tumor grade and overall survival. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed that MITOTIC_SPINDLE, G2M_CHECKPOINT, and E2F_TARGETS are crucially enriched phenotypes associated with high CKAP2L expression. Using U87MG, U118MG, and LNZ308 human glioma cells, we confirmed that CKAP2L knockdown with siCKAP2L inhibits glioma cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Interestingly, CKAP2L knockdown also induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, which is consistent with the GSEA finding. Finally, we observed that CKAP2L knockdown led to significant increases in miR-4496. Treating cells with exogenous miR-4496 mimicked the effect of CKAP2L knockdown, and the effects of CKAP2L knockdown could be suppressed by miR-4496 inhibition. These findings suggest that CKAP2L is a vital regulator of miR-4496 activity and that CKAP2L is a potentially useful prognostic marker in glioma.

Expression Profile and Prognostic Values of Mini-Chromosome Maintenance Families (MCMs) in Breast Cancer

Background

Mini-chromosome maintenance families (MCMs) were considered the key factors for DNA replication initiation. Emerging evidences indicate that MCM2-7 (MCMs) are highly expressed in tissues from various malignant tumors. However, little is known about the clinical values of MCMs in breast cancer.

Material/Methods

In our study, a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was performed to investigate expression patterns, potential functions, and prognostic values of MCMs in breast cancer, through ONCOMINE, bc-GenExMiner v4.1, Kaplan-Meier Plotter, cBioPortal and GeneMANIA databases.

Results

We found that mRNA levels of MCMs were significantly elevated in breast cancer, especially in fast-growing and spreading tumor subtypes. These over-expressed MCMs predicted worse prognosis for breast cancer patients with shorter relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival. Among these six factors, high expression of MCM2/4/5/7 significantly reduced the RFS for patients with Luminal-A or B breast cancer and elevated MCM6/7 indicated shorter RFS for patients with basal-like or HER2-positive breast cancer. We also found that genomic alteration of MCMs was frequently found in breast cancer and the most common alteration was mRNA upregulation and amplification. Furthermore, MCMs were highly correlated with CDC45, CDC7, TIMELESS, ORC6, MCM10, ORC5, ORC4 and ORC3, mainly functioning to control the DNA replication initiation and genome stability.

Conclusions

These results suggest that MCMs are attractive prognostic biomarkers for breast cancer. Our study also provides useful clinical information about the potential of MCMs as therapeutic targets.

OSgbm: An Online Consensus Survival Analysis Web Server for Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant tumor of the central nervous system. GBM causes poor clinical outcome and high mortality rate, mainly due to the lack of effective targeted therapy and prognostic biomarkers. Here, we developed a user-friendly Online Survival analysis web server for GlioBlastoMa, abbreviated OSgbm, to assess the prognostic value of candidate genes. Currently, OSgbm contains 684 samples with transcriptome profiles and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA). The survival analysis results can be graphically presented by Kaplan-Meier (KM) plot with Hazard ratio (HR) and log-rank p value. As demonstration, the prognostic value of 51 previously reported survival associated biomarkers, such as PROM1 (HR = 2.4120, p = 0.0071) and CXCR4 (HR = 1.5578, p < 0.001), were confirmed in OSgbm. In summary, OSgbm allows users to evaluate and develop prognostic biomarkers of GBM. The web server of OSgbm is available at http://bioinfo.henu.edu.cn/GBM/GBMList.jsp.

MCMs in Cancer: Prognostic Potential and Mechanisms

Enabling replicative immortality and uncontrolled cell cycle are hallmarks of cancer cells. Minichromosome maintenance proteins (MCMs) exhibit helicase activity in replication initiation and play vital roles in controlling replication times within a cell cycle. Overexpressed MCMs are detected in various cancerous tissues and cancer cell lines. Previous studies have proposed MCMs as promising proliferation markers in cancers, while the prognostic values remain controversial and the underlying mechanisms remain unascertained. This review provides an overview of the significant findings regarding the cellular and tumorigenic functions of the MCM family. Besides, current evidence of the prognostic roles of MCMs is retrospectively reviewed. This work also offers insight into the mechanisms of MCMs prompting carcinogenesis and adverse prognosis, providing information for future research. Finally, MCMs in liver cancer are specifically discussed, and future perspectives are provided.

Comprehensive Analysis of the Expression and Prognosis for MCMs in Human Gastric Cancer

PURPOSES

Minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins play an important role in replication and cell cycle progression. Even so, their expression and prognostic roles in cancer remain controversial.

METHODS

To address this issue, the study investigated the roles of MCMs in the prognosis of GC by using ONCOMINE, GEPIA2, UALCAN, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), the Human Protein Atlas, Kaplan-Meier Plotter, cBioPortal, GeneMANIA, and DAVID databases.

RESULTS

Over expressions of mRNA and cell lines were found in all members of the MCM family, and MCMs were found to be significantly associated with pathological tumor grades in GC patients. Besides, higher mRNA expressions of MCM1/5/7 were found to be significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (FP) in GC patients, while higher mRNA expression of MCM4/6/9 were connected with favorable OS and FP. Moreover, a high mutation rate of MCMs (68%) was also observed in GC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated that MCM1/5/7 were potential targets of precision therapy for patients with GC. And MCM4/6/9 were new biomarkers for the prognosis of GC. The results of the study will contribute to supplement the existing knowledge, and help to explore therapeutic targets and enhance the accuracy of prognosis for patients with GC.

GTSE1, CDC20, PCNA, and MCM6 Synergistically Affect Regulations in Cell Cycle and Indicate Poor Prognosis in Liver Cancer

GTSE1 is well correlated with tumor progression; however, little is known regarding its role in liver cancer prognosis. By analyzing the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) datasets in GEO and TCGA databases, we showed that high expression of GTSE1 was correlated with advanced pathologic stage and poor prognosis of HCC patients. To investigate underlying molecular mechanism, we generated GTSE1 knockdown HCC cell line and explored the effects of GTSE1 deficiency in cell growth. Between GTSE1 knockdown and wild-type HCC cells, we identified 979 differentially expressed genes (520 downregulated and 459 upregulated genes) in the analysis of microarray-based gene expression profiling. Functional enrichment analysis of DEGs suggested that S phase was dysregulated without GTSE1 expression, which was further verified from flow cytometry analysis. Moreover, three other DEGs: CDC20, PCNA, and MCM6, were also found contributing to GTSE1-related cell cycle arrest and to be associated with poor overall survival of HCC patients. In conclusion, GTSE1, together with CDC20, PCNA, and MCM6, may synergistically promote adverse prognosis in HCC by activating cell cycle. Genes like GTSE1, CDC20, PCNA, and MCM6 may be promising prognostic molecular biomarkers in liver cancer.

Ki-67 and MCM6 labeling indices are correlated with overall survival in anaplastic oligodendroglioma, IDH1-mutant and 1p/19q-codeleted: a multicenter study from the French POLA network

Anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), IDH-mutant and 1p/19q codeleted (IDHmut+/1p19qcodel), is a high-grade glioma with only limited prognostic markers. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate, by immunohistochemistry, the prognostic value of two proliferation markers, MCM6 and Ki-67, in a large series of IDHmut+/1p19qcodel AO included in the POLA ("Prise en charge des Oligodendrogliomes Anaplasiques") French national multicenter network. We additionally examined the transcriptome obtained from this series to understand the functional pathways dysregulated with the mRNA overexpression of these two markers. The labeling indices (LI) of MCM6 and Ki-67 were obtained via computer-assisted color image analyses on immunostained AO tissues of the cohort (n = 220). Furthermore, a subgroup of AO (n = 68/220) was used to perform transcriptomic analyses. A high LI of either MCM6 (≥50%) or Ki-67 (≥15%) correlated with shorter overall survival, both in univariate (P = 0.013 and P = 0.004, respectively) and multivariate analyses (P = 0.027; multivariate Cox model including age, mitotic index, MCM6 and Ki-67). MCM6 and Ki-67 LI also correlated with overall survival in an additional retrospective cohort of 30 grade II IDHmut+/1p19qcodel oligodendrogliomas. The prognostic value of MCM6 mRNA level was confirmed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) IDHmut+/1p19qcodel gliomas. The transcriptomic approach revealed that high transcriptional expressions of MCM6 and MKI67 were both linked positively with cell cycle progression, DNA replication, mitosis, pro-neural phenotype as well as neurogenesis, and negatively with microglial cell activation, immune response, positive regulation of myelination, oligodendrocyte development, beta-amyloid binding and postsynaptic specialization. In conclusion, the overexpression of MCM6 and/or Ki-67 is independently associated to shorter overall survival in IDHmut+/1p19qcodel AO. These two easy-to-use and cost-effective markers could thus be used concurrently in routine pathology practice. Additionally, the transcriptomic analyses showed that AO with high proliferation index have down-regulated immune response and lower microglial cells activation, and bears pro-neural phenotype.

Casein Kinase 2 Interacting Protein-1 Suppresses Glioma Cell Proliferation via Regulating the AKT/GSK3β/β-Catenin Pathway

Objective

Casein kinase 2 interacting protein-1 (CKIP-1) has exhibited multiple functions in regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and cytoskeleton. CKIP-1 also plays an important role as a critical regulator in tumorigenesis. The aim of this study is to further examine the function of CKIP-1 in glioma cells.

Methods

The expression level of CKIP-1 protein was determined in gliomas tissues and cell lines by immunohistochemistry stain and western blotting while the association of CKIP-1 expression with prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. CKIP-1 was overexpressed or silenced in gliomas cell lines. CCK-8, colony formation assay, and BrdU incorporation assay were used to determine cell proliferation and DNA synthesis. Cell cycle and apoptosis rate were determined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) method. Then, expression of key members in AKT/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway was detected by western blot analysis.

Results

In the present study, we reported new evidence that CKIP-1 was reversely associated with the proliferation of glioma cells and survival in glioma patients. Additionally, the overexpressed CKIP-1 significantly inhibited glioma cell proliferation. Further experiments revealed that CKIP-1 functioned through its antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity in glioma cells. Importantly, mechanistic investigations suggested that CKIP-1 sharply suppressed the activity of AKT by inhibiting the phosphorylation, markedly downregulated the phosphorylated GSK3β at Ser9, and promoted β-catenin degradation.

Conclusions

Overall, our results provided new insights into the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of CKIP-1 in glioma, which indicated CKIP1 might function as a therapeutic target for clinical treatment of glioma.

DNA replication licensing proteins: Saints and sinners in cancer

DNA replication is all-or-none process in the cell, meaning, once the DNA replication begins it proceeds to completion. Hence, to achieve maximum control of DNA replication, eukaryotic cells employ a multi-subunit initiator protein complex known as "pre-replication complex or DNA replication licensing complex (DNA replication LC). This complex involves multiple proteins which are origin-recognition complex family proteins, cell division cycle-6, chromatin licensing and DNA replication factor 1, and minichromosome maintenance family proteins. Higher-expression of DNA replication LC proteins appears to be an early event during development of cancer since it has been a common hallmark observed in a wide variety of cancers such as oesophageal, laryngeal, pulmonary, mammary, colorectal, renal, urothelial etc. However, the exact mechanisms leading to the abnormally high expression of DNA replication LC have not been clearly deciphered. Increased expression of DNA replication LC leads to licensing and/or firing of multiple origins thereby inducing replication stress and genomic instability. Therapeutic approaches where the reduction in the activity of DNA replication LC was achieved either by siRNA or shRNA techniques, have shown increased sensitivity of cancer cell lines towards the anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin, 5-Fluorouracil, hydroxyurea etc. Thus, the expression level of DNA replication LC within the cell determines a cell's fate thereby creating a paradox where DNA replication LC acts as both "Saint" and "Sinner". With a potential to increase sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs, DNA replication LC proteins have prospective clinical importance in fighting cancer. Hence, in this review, we will shed light on importance of DNA replication LC with an aim to use DNA replication LC in diagnosis and prognosis of cancer in patients as well as possible therapeutic targets for cancer therapy.