The role of betaIII tubulin in predicting chemoresistance in non-small cell lung cancer

Exploring the impact of circRNAs on cancer glycolysis: Insights into tumor progression and therapeutic strategies

Cancer cells exhibit altered metabolic pathways, prominently featuring enhanced glycolytic activity to sustain their rapid growth and proliferation. Dysregulation of glycolysis is a well-established hallmark of cancer and contributes to tumor progression and resistance to therapy. Increased glycolysis supplies the energy necessary for increased proliferation and creates an acidic milieu, which in turn encourages tumor cells' infiltration, metastasis, and chemoresistance. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as pivotal players in diverse biological processes, including cancer development and metabolic reprogramming. The interplay between circRNAs and glycolysis is explored, illuminating how circRNAs regulate key glycolysis-associated genes and enzymes, thereby influencing tumor metabolic profiles. In this overview, we highlight the mechanisms by which circRNAs regulate glycolytic enzymes and modulate glycolysis. In addition, we discuss the clinical implications of dysregulated circRNAs in cancer glycolysis, including their potential use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. All in all, in this overview, we provide the most recent findings on how circRNAs operate at the molecular level to control glycolysis in various types of cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), prostate cancer (PCa), colorectal cancer (CRC), cervical cancer (CC), glioma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast cancer, and gastric cancer (GC). In conclusion, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the significance of circRNAs in cancer glycolysis, shedding light on their intricate roles in tumor development and presenting innovative therapeutic avenues.

Integration of metabolomics and machine learning revealed tryptophan metabolites are sensitive biomarkers of pemetrexed efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Anti-folate drug pemetrexed is a vital chemotherapy medication for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its response varies widely and often develops resistance to the treatment. Therefore, it is urgent to identify biomarkers and establish models for drug efficacy evaluation and prediction for rational drug use.

METHODS

A total of 360 subjects were screened and 323 subjects were recruited. Using metabolomics in combination with machine learning methods, we are trying to select potential biomarkers to diagnose NSCLC and evaluate the efficacy of pemetrexed in treating NSCLC. Furtherly, we measured the concentration of eight metabolites in the tryptophan metabolism pathway in the validation set containing 201 subjects using a targeted metabolomics method with UPLC-MS/MS.

RESULTS

In the discovery set containing 122 subjects, the metabolic profile of healthy controls (H), newly diagnosed NSCLC patients (ND), patients who responded well to pemetrexed treatment (S) and pemetrexed-resistant patients (R) differed significantly on the PLS-DA scores plot. Pathway analysis showed that glycine, serine and threonine metabolism occurred in every two group comparisons. TCA cycle, pyruvate metabolism and glycerolipid metabolism are the most significantly changed pathways between ND and H group, pyruvate metabolism was the most altered pathway between S and ND group, and tryptophan metabolism was the most changed pathway between S and R group. We found Random forest method had the maximum area under the curve (AUC) and can be easily interpreted. The AUC is 0.981 for diagnosing patients with NSCLC and 0.954 for evaluating pemetrexed efficiency.

CONCLUSION

We compared eight mathematical models to evaluate pemetrexed efficiency for treating NSCLC. The Random forest model established with metabolic markers tryptophan, kynurenine and xanthurenic acidcan accurately diagnose NSCLC and evaluate the response of pemetrexed.

A multi-kernel and multi-scale learning based deep ensemble model for predicting recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer

Predicting recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) before treatment is vital for guiding personalized medicine. Deep learning techniques have revolutionized the application of cancer informatics, including lung cancer time-to-event prediction. Most existing convolutional neural network (CNN) models are based on a single two-dimensional (2D) computational tomography (CT) image or three-dimensional (3D) CT volume. However, studies have shown that using multi-scale input and fusing multiple networks provide promising performance. This study proposes a deep learning-based ensemble network for recurrence prediction using a dataset of 530 patients with NSCLC. This network assembles 2D CNN models of various input slices, scales, and convolutional kernels, using a deep learning-based feature fusion model as an ensemble strategy. The proposed framework is uniquely designed to benefit from (i) multiple 2D in-plane slices to provide more information than a single central slice, (ii) multi-scale networks and multi-kernel networks to capture the local and peritumoral features, (iii) ensemble design to integrate features from various inputs and model architectures for final prediction. The ensemble of five 2D-CNN models, three slices, and two multi-kernel networks, using 5 × 5 and 6 × 6 convolutional kernels, achieved the best performance with an accuracy of 69.62%, area under the curve (AUC) of 72.5%, F1 score of 70.12%, and recall of 70.81%. Furthermore, the proposed method achieved competitive results compared with the 2D and 3D-CNN models for cancer outcome prediction in the benchmark studies. Our model is also a potential adjuvant treatment tool for identifying NSCLC patients with a high risk of recurrence.

Circ_0108942 Regulates the Progression of Breast Cancer by Regulating the MiR-1178-3p/TMED3 Axis

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) has posed a fatal threat to women's lives and the search for new methods of diagnosis and treatment is an important way to break the bottleneck of high mortality in BC. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been confirmed to be aberrantly expressed in several types of cancers, and this study is intended to elucidate the role and mechanism of circ_0108942 in BC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The levels of circ_0108942, microRNA-1178-3p (miR-1178-3p), and transmembrane p24 trafficking protein 3 (TMED3) were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) or western blot. Meanwhile, the cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiopoiesis, and apoptosis were analyzed using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), transwell, tubule formation, and flow cytometry assays. Protein levels were determined by western blot. In addition, we used dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays to identify the interplay between miR-1178-3p and circ_0108942 or TMED3. Lastly, the impact of circ_0108942 on the growth of BC tumors in vivo was analyzed by xenograft models.

RESULTS

Circ_0108942 and TMED3 were notably upregulated in BC, and the miR-1178-3p was downregulated. Functionally, silencing circ_0108942 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and promoted apoptosis in BC cells. In mechanism, circ_0108942 regulated TMED3 expression by sponging miR-1178-3p. Meanwhile, circ_0108942 knockdown also greatly constrained tumor growth in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Circ_0108942 boosted BC progression by regulating miR-1178-3p and thus upregulating TMED3.

Simple monocyclic pyrimidine analogs as microtubule targeting agents binding to the colchicine site

Complex natural products that bind to tubulin/microtubules come under the broad category of microtubule binding agents. The design of simplified analogs of previously reported bicyclic, microtubule depolymerizer, pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine, provided valuable structure-activity relationship data and led to the identification of novel monocyclic pyrimidine analogs of which 12 was 47-fold more potent (EC50 123 nM) for cellular microtubule depolymerization activity and 7.5-fold more potent (IC50 24.4 nM) at inhibiting the growth of MDA-MB-435 cancer cells, suggesting significantly better binding of the target within the colchicine site of tubulin compared to lead compound 1. This compound and others of this series of monocyclic pyrimidine analogs were able to overcome multidrug resistance due to the expression of the βIII-isotype of tubulin and P-glycoprotein. In vivo evaluation of the most potent analog 12 in an MDA-MB-435 xenograft mouse model indicated, along with paclitaxel, that both compounds showed a trend towards lower tumor volume however neither compound showed significant antitumor activity in the trial. To our knowledge these are the first examples of simple substituted monocyclic pyrimidines as colchicine site binding antitubulin compounds with potent antitumor activity.

EGFR-TKI re-administration after osimertinib failure in T790M mutation loss cases with re-biopsy

Data on the re-administration of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) after osimertinib failure in patients with T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is limited. EGFR-TKI re-administration efficacy may vary between patients with T790M loss and those with T790M persistent with re-biopsy after osimertinib treatment. Patients who received EGFR-TKI re-administration (gefitinib, erlotinib, afatinib, dacomitinib, and osimertinib) after osimertinib failure were identified from our database. T790M mutation status before EGFR-TKI re-administration was analyzed via repeat biopsy. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of EGFR-TKI re-administration, especially differences according to the T790M mutation status, via repeat biopsy. Until June 2020, 28 patients received EGFR-TKI re-administration and 17 underwent repeat biopsy after osimertinib failure. Patients were divided into three groups, including the T790M loss group, where active mutation persisted and T790M was lost (13/17); T790M remaining group, where both the active mutation and T790M persisted (3/17); and active mutation loss group where both the active mutation and T790M were lost (1/17). The overall response rate (ORR) of EGFR-TKI re-administration in the T790M loss group was 31% and the disease control rate (DCR) was 54%, which were higher than the ORR of 21% and DCR of 43% in the entire patient population. ORR and DCR of the not re-biopsy group were low (9% and 27%, respectively). The therapeutic effect of EGFR-TKI re-administration in patients with T790M-positive NSCLC after osimertinib failure is limited. EGFR-TKI re-administration may be considered in cases of T790M loss after repeat biopsy.

LncRNA UCC promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition via the miR-143-3p/SOX5 axis in non-small-cell lung cancer

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to play regulatory roles in cancers; for example, UCC was reported to promote colorectal cancer progression. However, the function of UCC in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Therefore, mRNA and protein levels were assessed using qPCR and western blots. Cell viability was assessed by colony-formation assays. The interaction between lncRNAs and miRNAs was detected by dual-luciferase reporter and RIP assays. The tumorigenesis of NSCLC cells in vivo was determined by xenograft assays. LncRNA UCC was highly expressed in both NSCLC tissues and cells. Knockdown of UCC expression suppressed the proliferation of NSCLC cells. In addition, a dual-luciferase reporter system and RIP assays showed that UCC specifically bound to miR-143-3p and acted as a sponge of miR-143-3p in NSCLC cells. The miR-143-3p inhibitor rescued the inhibitory effect of sh-UCC on the proliferation of NSCLC cells. Moreover, miR-143-3p and UCC showed opposite effects on the expression of SOX5, which promoted EMT in NSCLC cells. In addition, in a mouse model, knockdown of UCC expression alleviated EMT and NSCLC progression in vivo, which was consistent with the in vitro results. In the current study, we found that UCC induced the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells both in vitro and in vivo by inducing the expression of SOX5 via miR-143-3p and subsequently promoted EMT in NSCLC.

Identification of novel microtubule inhibitors effective in fission yeast and human cells and their effects on breast cancer cell lines

Microtubules are critical for a variety of cellular processes such as chromosome segregation, intracellular transport and cell shape. Drugs against microtubules have been widely used in cancer chemotherapies, though the acquisition of drug resistance has been a significant issue for their use. To identify novel small molecules that inhibit microtubule organization, we conducted sequential phenotypic screening of fission yeast and human cells. From a library of diverse 10 371 chemicals, we identified 11 compounds that inhibit proper mitotic progression both in fission yeast and in HeLa cells. An in vitro assay revealed that five of these compounds are strong inhibitors of tubulin polymerization. These compounds directly bind tubulin and destabilize the structures of tubulin dimers. We showed that one of the compounds, L1, binds to the colchicine-binding site of microtubules and exhibits a preferential potency against a panel of human breast cancer cell lines compared with a control non-cancer cell line. In addition, L1 overcomes cellular drug resistance mediated by βIII tubulin overexpression and has a strong synergistic effect when combined with the Plk1 inhibitor BI2536. Thus, we have established an economically effective drug screening strategy to target mitosis and microtubules, and have identified a candidate compound for cancer chemotherapy.

Comprehensive expressional analysis of chemosensitivity-related markers in large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung

Objectives

Various drug‐sensitivity markers have been reported to be associated with tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance. Detailed expression profiles of sensitivity markers for cytotoxic chemotherapy in pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to clarify the correlation between the expression of drug‐sensitivity markers and clinicopathological features, prognostic impact, and status of tumor immunity in patients with LCNEC.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the correlation between clinicopathological features and the expression of drug‐sensitivity‐related markers, including vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2), thymidylate synthase (TS), tubulin beta 3 class III (TUBB3), topoisomerase I (Topo‐I), and Topo‐II in 92 surgically resected LCNEC samples. Furthermore, we examined the prognostic significance of expression of these and their correlation with the immune cell status.

Results

Overall, high expression of TS, TUBB3, VEGFR2, Topo‐I, and Topo‐II was detected in 50 (54%), 31 (34%), 23 (25%), 65 (71%), and 36 (39%) samples, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that advanced pathological T and N factors, positive lymphatic permeation, and Topo‐II expression were independent unfavorable prognosticators for recurrence‐free survival, and advanced pathological T and N factors, Topo‐II positive expression, and TS positive expression were independent unfavorable prognosticators for overall survival. In terms of correlation with immune cell status, higher expression of VEGFR2 was closely linked to negative PD‐L1 expression.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that elevated Topo‐II and TS expression may contribute to poor outcomes through protumoral biology in patients with LCNEC, and elevated VEGFR2 expression might negatively impact tumor immune reactions in LCNEC.

The diagnostic significance of circulating lncRNA ADAMTS9-AS2 tumor biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer among the Egyptian population

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNA ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif, 9 antisense RNA 2 (ADAMTS9-AS2) was recognized as a novel tumor suppressor and plays an important role in the initiation and progression of malignant behavior in human cancers, although its plasma expression and clinical value in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unknown. We aimed to analyze the diagnostic role of ADAMTS9-AS2 and cytokeratin 19 fragmentation antigen (CYFRA 21-1) in NSCLC.

METHODS

The present study included 80 control subjects, 80 patients with benign lung lesion and 80 NSCLC patients. The expression of ADAMTS9-AS2 in the tissue and plasma was detected by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Serum CYFRA 21-1 was analyzed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

In comparison with benign lung lesion and controls, tissue and plasma ADAMTS9-AS2 expression were significantly down-regulated in NSCLC (p < 0.001). Decreased ADAMTS9-AS2 expression was associated with TNM stages in NSCLC patients (p < 0.001). Up-regulation of CYFRA 21-1 was reported among NSCLC patients and it was associated with TNM staging. Tissue and plasma ADAMTS9-AS2 expression levels were the predicting factors for NSCLC and they both correlated negatively with CYFRA 21-1 levels. Plasma ADAMTS9-AS2 levels had a significant positive correlation with their tumor tissue levels. Plasma ADAMTS9-AS2 showed a higher sensitivity (95%) and specificity (99.1%) in the diagnosis of NSCLC than CYFRA 21-1 (61.3% sensitivity and 60% specificity).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that decreased plasma ADAMTS9-AS2 expression might act as a novel non-invasive tumor biomarker in NSCLC diagnosis. Furthermore, plasma ADAMTS9-AS2 might predict aggressive tumor behavior.

CircRNA circ_0006677 Inhibits the Progression and Glycolysis in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Sponging miR-578 and Regulating SOCS2 Expression

Objective: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been demonstrated in playing an important role in the physiological and pathological processes (such as cancer). This paper aims to clarify the role of Circ_0006677 in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression.

Methods: Using clinical data and in vitro cell line models, we revealed the tumor-suppressive role of circ_0006677 in lung cancer. Using the online bioinformatics tool, we predicted the target of circ_0006677 and further validated its regulatory mechanisms responsible for its tumor suppressor function in NSCLC.

Results: Circ_0006677 expression was reduced in NSCLC tissues of patients and lung cancer cells in comparison to adjacent normal tissues. Lower expression of circ_0006677 was significantly associated with poorer patient survival. Overexpression of circ_0006677 significantly inhibited the ability of NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis. Mechanically, circ_0006677 could inhibit NSCLC progression and glycolysis by regulating the expression of the signal transducer inhibitor SOSC2 through sponging microRNA-578 (miR-578).

Conclusion: Circ_0006677 prevents the progression of NSCLC via modulating the miR-578/SOSC2 axis.

Radiation-Related Deregulation of TUBB3 and BRCA1/2 and Risk of Secondary Lung Cancer in Women With Breast Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Breast cancer survivors are at increased risk of developing unrelated primary cancers, particularly lung cancer. Evidence indicates that sex hormones as well as a deregulation of DNA-repair pathways may contribute to lung cancer onset. We investigated whether the hormone status and expression of markers involved in DNA repair (BRCA1/2, ERCC1, and P53R2), synthesis (TS and RRM1), and cell division (TUBB3) might be linked to lung cancer risk.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty-seven breast cancer survivors with unrelated lung cancer and 84 control subjects comprising women with breast cancer (42/84) or lung cancer (42/84) were enrolled. Immunohistochemistry on tumor tissue was performed. Geometric mean ratio was used to assess the association of marker levels with patient groups.

RESULTS

Estrogen receptor was expressed in approximately 90% of the breast cancer group but was negative in the majority of the lung cancer group, a result similar to the lung cancer control group. Likewise, ER isoform β was weakly expressed in the lung cancer group. Protein analysis of breast cancer versus control had a significantly lower expression of BRCA1, P53R2, and TUBB3. Likewise, a BRCA1 reduction was observed in the lung cancer group concomitant with a BRCA2 increase. Furthermore, BRCA2 and TUBB3 increased in ipsilateral lung cancer in women who had previously received radiotherapy for breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

The decrease of DNA-repair proteins in breast cancer could make these women more susceptible to therapy-related cancer. The increase of BRCA2 and TUBB3 in lung cancer from patients who previously received radiotherapy for breast cancer might reflect a tissue response to exposure to ionizing radiation.

MicroRNA‑103 modulates tumor progression by targeting KLF7 in non‑small cell lung cancer

Numerous studies have identified that microRNAs (miRs) play a crucial role in the tumorigenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, to the best of our knowledge, the physiological function of miR-103 in NSCLC is not fully understood. Experiments in the present study revealed that miR-103 expression was increased in NSCLC cell lines. In addition, a series of methods, including MTT, colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine, Transwell, wound healing, flow cytometric, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot assays, were performed, which revealed that overexpression of miR-103 enhanced cell growth, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and suppressed apoptosis of A549 and H1299 cells. Additionally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-103 directly targets the 3′-untranslated region of Kruppel-like factor 7 (KLF7), and KLF7 expression was negatively regulated by miR-103 expression. Furthermore, the present findings demonstrated that miR-103 promoted EMT via regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in NSCLC. Collectively, the current results demonstrated that miR-103 serves a tumorigenesis role in NSCLC development by targeting KLF7, at least partly via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Consequently, these findings indicated that miR-103/KLF7/Wnt/β-catenin may provide a novel insight into underlying biomarkers for improving the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC.

Repression of lncRNA-SVUGP2 mediated by EZH2 contributes to the development of non-small cell lung cancer via brisking Wnt/β-catenin signal

To grab the possible impact of lncRNA-SVUGP2 in the biology and process of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Sixty paired NSCLC tumour and the adjacent non-tumour lung tissues were collected for detection of lncRNA-SVUGP2. lncRNA-SVUGP2 expression in NSCLC cells (SK-MES-1, A549, SPC-A1, and NCI-H1975) was also detected. lncRNA-SVUGP2 was overexpressed and depressed in A549 and H1975 cells, and the effects of lncRNA-SVUGP2 dysregulation on cell biological performances including viability, colony formation, apoptosis, migration and invasion were grabbed. Furthermore, the regulatory association of lncRNA-SVUGP2 vs. EZH2 in H1975 cells, as well as the association between lncRNA-SVUGP2 and Wnt/β-catenin pathway, was explored. lncRNA-SVUGP2 was depressed in NSCLC tissues and cells. Overexpression of lncRNA-SVUGP2 depressed proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed migration and invasion of A549 and H1975 cells. In addition, lncRNA-SVUGP2 was repressed by EZH2 and was inversely correlated with EZH2 levels in H1975 cells. Repression of lncRNA-SVUGP2 potentially participated in the oncogenic function of EZH2. Besides, overexpression of lncRNA-SVUGP2 depressed the briskness of Wnt/β-catenin signal in H1975 cells. Our data reveal that lncRNA-SVUGP2 is under-expressed in NSCLC cells and the reduced expression of lncRNA-SVUGP2 may enhance the development and process of NSCLC by interacting with EZH2 and activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Hsa_circ_0002483 inhibited the progression and enhanced the Taxol sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer by targeting miR-182-5p

In this study, we identified a novel circRNA, circ_0002483, and further investigated its functions in the progression and Taxol resistance of NSCLC. We found that circ_0002483 was expressed at low levels in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Functional assays indicated that circ_0002483 overexpression significantly inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo and enhanced the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to Taxol. Mechanistically, circ_0002483 was identified to sponge multiple miRNAs including miR-182-5p (also named miR-182), miR-520q-3p, miR-582-3p, miR-587, and miR-655. In addition, circ_0002483 was also demonstrated to regulate the expression of GRB2, FOXO1, and FOXO3, three target genes of miR-182-5p, by sponging miR-182-5p. Circ_0002483 was demonstrated to inhibit NSCLC progression in vitro and in vivo and enhanced the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to Taxol by sponging miR-182-5p to release the inhibition on GRB2, FOXO1, and FOXO3 mRNAs.

Clinical Significance of Various Drug-Sensitivity Markers in Patients with Surgically Resected Pulmonary Pleomorphic Carcinoma

Various drug-sensitivity markers are potentially responsible for tumor progression and chemotherapy resistance in cancer patients with both epithelial and sarcomatous components; however, the clinicopathological significance of drug-sensitivity markers in patients with pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma (PPC) remains unknown. Here, we clarified the prognostic impact of these drug-sensitivity markers in PPC by performing immunohistochemical and clinicopathologic analyses of samples from 105 patients with surgically resected PPC in order to evaluate levels of vascular endothelial growth factor 2 (VEGFR2), stathmin 1 (STMN1), tubulin β3 class III (TUBB3), thymidylate synthetase (TS), topoisomerase II (Topo-II), glucose-regulated protein, and 78 kDa (GRP78)/binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP). We observed the rates of high expression for VEGFR2, STMN1, TUBB3, TS, Topo-II, and GRP78/BiP were 33% (39/105), 35% (37/105), 61% (64/105), 51% (53/105), 31% (33/105), and 51% (53/105) of the samples, respectively. Moreover, multivariate analysis identified VEGFR2 and GRP78/BiP as significant independent markers for predicting worse prognosis. These findings suggested elevated VEGFR2 and decreased GRP78/BiP levels as independent factors for predicting poor outcomes following surgical resection in patients with PPC.

Effect of butein and glucose on oxidative stress and p38 activation marker in non-small cell lung cancer cell

INTRODUCTION

Tumor microenvironment is known to alter the anticancer drug efficiency. One of the factors that get altered in cancer microenvironment is glucose concentration. Butein, an active principle from plant, known to have anticancer effect against different types of tumor. The objective of the study is to determine the effect of butein on glucose exposed non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLCCs).

METHODS

The current study deals with the effect of butein (6.25-50μM) on NSCLCCs treated with different concentrations (0-40 mM) of glucose.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Glucose concentration, 0 mM and 40 mM, was found to be lethal at 72 h. Viable cell numbers were statistically increased in 5-mM, 10-mM, and 20-mM glucose-treated cells. Butein at 12.5 µM inhibits (p < 0.05) glucose-induced cell proliferation. Butein inhibits glucose-induced proliferation through DNA damage and oxidative stress. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was elevated in 20-mM glucose-treated cells when compared to 5-mM glucose-treated cells, whereas butein treatment further increases glucose-induced mitochondrial ROS. Pharmacological inhibitor of glycolysis, such as 2-deoxy glucose (2-DG), was found to inhibit (p < 0.05) glucose-induced cells proliferation. Furthermore, 2-DG and butein showed synergistic anticancer effect. Butein treatment increases p38 phosphorylation. Inhibition of p38 phosphorylation and antioxidant pretreatment partially revert the glucose-induced cell proliferation. However, inhibition of p38 phosphorylation combined with antioxidant pretreatment completely reverts the anticancer effect of butein. The present study concludes through the evidence that butein could serve as a potential anticancer compound in tumor microenvironment.

Serum hepatitis B viral (HBV) DNA is a predictive biomarker for survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients with chronic HBV infection

Purpose: To study the association between pretreatment serum hepatitis B viral (HBV) DNA copy numbers and clinical outcome of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with chronic HBV infection.

Patients and methods: We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of NSCLC HBV (+) patients between January 2008 and December 2010. The HBV DNA copy numbers and other prognostic factors including albumin (ALB), C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet, neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) were obtained before any antitumor treatment. Kaplan–Meier curves and the log-rank test were used to calculate prognostic significance. A multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was modeled to analyze the independent prognostic factors for NSCLC HBV (+) patients. All independent prognostic factors in the Cox multivariable analysis were used to build a nomogram. The predictive accuracy of HBV DNA, TNM stage and nomogram was evaluated with the concordance index (C-index) and time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, and simultaneously compared with traditional TNM staging system respectively.

Results: A total of 188 patients were recruited in this study; the median age was 56 years, and the median overall survival (OS) was 34 months. Cox multivariate analysis results showed independent factors for OS including TNM stage (P=0.028), treatment (P=0.002), HBV DNA (P<0.001), and GPS (P=0.026). The nomogram model for survival was built based on four prognostic factors. The C-index for HBV DNA was 0.67, 0.69 for TNM stage, and 0.76 for the nomogram model. There was no statistical difference between HBV DNA and TNM stage (P=0.48). However, the C-index values of nomogram model were statistically higher both than HBV DNA (0.76 vs 0.67, P<0.001), and TNM stage (0.76 vs 0.69, P<0.001).

Conclusion: Pretreatment serum HBV DNA copy numbers can act as a prognostic marker of survival for NSCLC patients with chronic HBV infection.

LncRNA TP73-AS1 is upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer and predicts poor survival

The present study was carried out to investigate the role of lncRNA TP73-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We found that TP73-AS1 was upregulated in tumor tissues than in non-tumor tissues of NSCLC patients, and high expression levels of TP73-AS1 predicted poor survival. MiR-21 was also upregulated in tumor tissues and positively correlated with TP73-AS1. TP73-AS1 overexpression led to miR-21 upregulation, while miR-21 overexpression failed to affect TP73-AS1. TP73-AS1 and miR-21 overexpression caused the accelerated invasion and migration of NSCLC cells. However, TP73-AS1 overexpression failed to affect cell proliferation. Therefore, TP73-AS1 may upregulate miR-21 to promote NSCLC cell migration and invasion.

lncINS-IGF2 Promotes Cell Proliferation and Migration by Promoting G1/S Transition in Lung Cancer

Long noncoding RNAs are capable of regulating gene expression at multiple levels. These RNA molecules are also involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Emerging data demonstrate that a series of differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs are implicated in tumorigenesis. In the present study, we used microarray analysis to identify long noncoding RNAs that are dysregulated in non-small-cell lung cancer when compared to normal lung tissues. Accordingly, we performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to analyze the levels of long noncoding RNA and the cis target gene. We further found the oncogene property of long noncoding RNA that long noncoding RNA downexpression inhibits non-small-cell lung cancer cells proliferation and migration based on 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide and colony formation assays and wound healing as well as transwell assays. The influence of long noncoding RNA on cell cycle of non-small-cell lung cancer cells is also analyzed by flow cytometry. Among the dysregulated long noncoding RNAs, we identified INS-IGF2 readthrough, transcript variant 1, noncoding RNA (NR_003512.3) is upregulated in non-small-cell lung cancer tissues, the cis gene of which is insulin-like growth factor 2 gene hinted by bioinformatics analysis. We also observed that downregulation of INS-IGF2 readthrough, transcript variant 1, noncoding RNA reduces insulin-like growth factor 2 messenger RNA expression. Furthermore, INS-IGF2 readthrough, transcript variant 1, noncoding RNA downregulation suppresses non-small-cell lung cancer cell proliferation and migration. This downregulation results in a concomitant inhibition of the G1/S transition in non-small-cell lung cancer cells. Our findings suggest that INS-IGF2 readthrough, transcript variant 1, noncoding RNA may be an oncogene involved in the development of lung cancer. Therefore, we speculate that INS-IGF2 readthrough, transcript variant 1, noncoding RNA represents a potential therapeutic target for lung cancer.

Long non-coding RNA 1308 promotes cell invasion by regulating the miR-124/ADAM 15 axis in non-small-cell lung cancer cells

Purpose

Emerging evidence suggests that many differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis. However, the functional roles of these transcripts and the mechanisms responsible for their deregulation in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain elusive. Here, we identified a novel lncRNA (lncRNA 1308), which was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues and investigated its biological function and potential molecular mechanism.

Methods

Differences in the lncRNA expression profiles between NSCLC and tumor-adjacent normal tissues were assessed by lncRNA expression microarray analysis. The microRNA in vivo precipitation (miRIP) method was used to identify the targeting microRNAs (miRNAs) on lncRNA 1308, and luciferase reporter assays were performed. Loss-of-function studies were used to explore the effect of lncRNA 1308 on lung carcinogenesis in NSCLC cells.

Results

The novel lncRNA 1308 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. By using biotin-labeled lncRNA 1308 for miRIP in NSCLC cells and dual-luciferase reporter assays, the results suggested that miRNA-124 was associated with lncRNA 1308. Furthermore, the expression of a disintegrin and a metalloproteinase 15 (ADAM 15) was downregulated in NSCLC cells when silencing of lncRNA 1308, the target of oncogenic miR-124, inhibits NSCLC cell proliferation and invasion. Conversely, the expression of ADAM 15 was significantly increased, when inhibiting the expression of miR-124, and alleviated cell invasion inhibition.

Conclusion

The results suggested that lncRNA 1308 may function as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-124 to regulate cell invasion through the miR-124/ADAM 15 signaling pathway, indicating that lncRNA 1308 plays an important role in the disease progression of NSCLC.

PWCDA: Path Weighted Method for Predicting circRNA-Disease Associations

CircRNAs have particular biological structure and have proven to play important roles in diseases. It is time-consuming and costly to identify circRNA-disease associations by biological experiments. Therefore, it is appealing to develop computational methods for predicting circRNA-disease associations. In this study, we propose a new computational path weighted method for predicting circRNA-disease associations. Firstly, we calculate the functional similarity scores of diseases based on disease-related gene annotations and the semantic similarity scores of circRNAs based on circRNA-related gene ontology, respectively. To address missing similarity scores of diseases and circRNAs, we calculate the Gaussian Interaction Profile (GIP) kernel similarity scores for diseases and circRNAs, respectively, based on the circRNA-disease associations downloaded from circR2Disease database (http://bioinfo.snnu.edu.cn/CircR2Disease/). Then, we integrate disease functional similarity scores and circRNA semantic similarity scores with their related GIP kernel similarity scores to construct a heterogeneous network made up of three sub-networks: disease similarity network, circRNA similarity network and circRNA-disease association network. Finally, we compute an association score for each circRNA-disease pair based on paths connecting them in the heterogeneous network to determine whether this circRNA-disease pair is associated. We adopt leave one out cross validation (LOOCV) and five-fold cross validations to evaluate the performance of our proposed method. In addition, three common diseases, Breast Cancer, Gastric Cancer and Colorectal Cancer, are used for case studies. Experimental results illustrate the reliability and usefulness of our computational method in terms of different validation measures, which indicates PWCDA can effectively predict potential circRNA-disease associations.

LINK-A promotes cell proliferation through the regulation of aerobic glycolysis in non-small-cell lung cancer

Purpose

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the one of the most common malignancies worldwide, and occurs at a higher frequency in male individuals. Little is known about the role of the long intergenic noncoding RNA for kinase activation (LINK-A) in NSCLC, so in the present study we assessed its potential role on cell proliferation in NSCLC.

Methods

Expression levels of LINK-A in NSCLC tissues and cell lines were detected by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. LINK-A was knocked down and overexpressed separately in A549 cells and NCI-H1299 cells. The effect of LINK-A expression on cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay. The correlation between LINK-A and hexokinase II (HKII) expression was investigated by Western blot and HKII Activity Assay. Glucose consumption and lactate production assay were used to investigate the aerobic glycolysis in NSCLC cells. The effect of LINK-A in vivo was determined by xenograft assay.

Results

LINK-A expression levels were increased in NSCLC tissues compared with normal tissues. Moreover, LINK-A expression was positively correlated with NSCLC clinicopathological characteristics and survival rate, while knockdown of LINK-A reduced NSCLC cell proliferation. LINK-A expression was also positively correlated with HKII, and NSCLC cells with low LINK-A expression were found to have significantly reduced HKII protein expression, accompanied by a reduction in enzyme activity levels. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that LINK-A expression affected glucose consumption and lactate production through regulation of HKII expression.

Conclusion

These data suggest that the functions of LINK-A in NSCLC might play a key role in tumor progression and that LINK-A could be a promising predictive biomarker and potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.

A Novel Microtubule Inhibitor Overcomes Multidrug Resistance in Tumors

Microtubule inhibitors as chemotherapeutic drugs are widely used for cancer treatment. However, the development of multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer is a major challenge for microtubule inhibitors in their clinical implementation. From a high-throughput drug screen using cells transformed by oncogenic RAS, we identify a lead heteroaryl amide compound that blocks cell proliferation. Analysis of the structure-activity relationship indicated that this series of scaffolds (exemplified by MP-HJ-1b) represents a potent inhibitor of tumor cell growth. MP-HJ-1b showed activities against a panel of more than 1,000 human cancer cell lines with a wide variety of tissue origins. This compound depolymerized microtubules and affected spindle formation. It also induced the spike-like conformation of microtubules in vitro and in vivo, which is different from typical microtubule modulators. Structural analysis revealed that this series of compounds bound the colchicine pocket at the intra-dimer interface, although mostly not overlapping with colchicine binding. MP-HJ-1b displayed favorable pharmacological properties for overcoming tumor MDR, both in vitro and in vivo Taken together, our data reveal a novel scaffold represented by MP-HJ-1b that can be developed as a cancer therapeutic against tumors with MDR.Significance: Paclitaxel is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug in patients with multiple types of cancer. However, resistance to paclitaxel is a challenge. This study describes a novel class of microtubule inhibitors with the ability to circumvent multidrug resistance across multiple tumor cell lines. Cancer Res; 78(20); 5949-57. ©2018 AACR.

MicroRNA-425 promotes the development of lung adenocarcinoma via targeting A disintegrin and metalloproteinases 9 (ADAM9)

PURPOSE

We aimed to investigate the roles of microRNA-425 (miR-425) in lung adenocarcinoma, as well as its possible regulatory mechanism.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The miR-425 expression in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cells was determined. The regulatory relationship between miR-425 and IL-6/STAT3 signaling was investigated. In addition, miR-425 was downexpressed in H1299 cells, and its effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined. Furthermore, the target relationship between miR-425 and A disintegrin and metalloproteinases 9 (ADAM9) in lung adenocarcinoma cells was explored.

RESULTS

The miR-425 was significantly downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cells and was markedly inhibited by IL-6/STAT3 signaling. In addition, miR-425 expression was successfully overexpressed by transfection with pre-miR-425. Overexpression of miR-425 decreased the proliferation and colony formation of H1299 cells and promoted cell apoptosis markedly. Moreover, ADAM9 was revealed as a target of miR-425, and ADAM9 expression was negatively regulated by miR-425.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that downregulation of miR-425 caused by IL-6/STAT3 signaling leads to loss of ADAM9 targeting, results in enhanced ADAM9 expression, and contributes to the development of lung adenocarcinoma. Thus, increasing miR-425 may be a promising therapeutic strategy for this disease.

LncRNAs and EGFRvIII sequestered in TEPs enable blood-based NSCLC diagnosis

Background

Tissue biopsy-based cancer diagnosis has limitations because of the fact that tumor tissues are in constant evolution and extremely heterogeneous. The current study was aimed to examine whether tumor-educated blood platelets (TEPs) might be a potential all-in-one source for blood-based cancer diagnostics to overcome the limitations of conventional cancer biopsy.

Methods

In the present study, we evaluated the expression pattern of MAGI2 antisense RNA 3 (MAGI2-AS3) and ZNFX1 antisense RNA 1 (ZFAS1) in both plasma and platelets of 101 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to evaluate their diagnostic potential. In addition, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were detected in DNA and RNA samples of platelets for companion diagnostics.

Results

Our results showed that the levels of MAGI2-AS3 and ZFAS1 in both plasma and platelets of NSCLC patients were significantly downregulated than those in healthy controls. A positive correlation of long noncoding RNA expression was observed between platelets and plasma (r=0.738 for MAGI2-AS3, r=0.751 for ZFAS1, respectively). By ROC analysis, we found that molecular interrogation of MAGI2-AS3 and ZFAS1 in TEPs and plasma can offer valuable diagnostic performance for NSCLC patients (area under the ROC curve [AUC]_MAGI2-AS3= 0.853/0.892, and AUC_ZFAS1=0.780/0.744 for diagnosing adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma cases from controls, respectively). Clinicopathologic characteristic analysis further revealed that MAGI2-AS3 level significantly correlated with tumor–node–metastasis (TNM) stage (p=0.001 in TEPs, p=0.003 in plasma), lymph-node metastasis (p=0.016 in TEPs, p=0.023 in plasma), and distant metastasis (p=0.045 in TEPs, p=0.045 in plasma), while ZFAS1 level was only correlated with TNM stage (p=0.005 in TEPs, p=0.044 in plasma). Furthermore, EGFRvIII RNA existed in both TEPs and plasma, but EGFR intracellular mutations cannot be detected in DNA of TEPs isolated from NSCLC.

Conclusion

Our data suggested that TEP is a promising source for NSCLC diagnosis and companion diagnostics.

TFPI2AS1, a novel lncRNA that inhibits cell proliferation and migration in lung cancer

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that a series of differentially expressed lncRNAs is important in tumorigenesis. However, the function of many of the lncRNAs in lung cancer remains elusive. In the present study, we used microarray analysis to identify lncRNAs that are dysregulated in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as compared with normal tissues. Among the dysregulated lncRNAs, we identified TFPI2AS1, an antisense transcript of the tumor suppressor TFPI2 (tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2). TFPI2AS1 was shown to be markedly upregulated in NSCLC patient tumors as compared to paired non-tumor samples. TFPI2AS1 knockdown increased NSCLC cell proliferation and migration, which was associated with enhanced G1/S transition and downregulation of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinases 2 (CDK2), while TFPI2AS1 overexpression had the opposite effect. Knockdown and overexpression experiments also suggested that TFPI2AS1 regulates NSCLC cell migration and AKT activation. Moreover, TFPI2AS1 is a positive regulator of TFPI2. Our findings bring new insights for understanding the role of TFPI2AS1 in mediating the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells by regulating TFPI2 expression.

Overexpression of lncRNA HOXA11-AS promotes cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition by repressing miR-200b in non-small cell lung cancer

Background

Recent studies have verified that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) involved in many biological functions and play crucial roles in human cancers progression, the study aimed to detect the association between long non-coding RNA HOXA11-AS and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

The lncRNA HOXA11-AS expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays in 78 paired of tumor tissue and adjacent normal tissue samples in NSCLC patients. Kaplan–Meier survival curves and log-rank test was used to examine the association between lncRNA HOXA11-AS expression and the over survival time in NSCLC patients. Transwell invasion assay was performed to detect the cell invasion ability. QRT-PCR and western-blot analysis detected the mRNA and protein expression of EMT related transcription factors ZEB1/ZEB2, Snail1/2 and EMT marker E-cadherin and N-cadherin in NSCLC cells. RIP and Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed to analyze the association between lncRNA HOXA11-AS and miR-200b expression in NSCLC cells.

Results

The lncRNA HOXA11-AS expression levels were significantly higher in NSCLC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues and higher HOXA11-AS expression levels had a poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. Furthermore, knockdown of lncRNA HOXA11-AS in A549 and H1299 cells dramatically inhibited cell invasive abilities. Besides, the transcription levels and protein levels of EMT related transcription factors ZEB1/ZEB2, Snail1/2, and EMT maker N-cadherin were down-regulated after lncRNA HOXA11-AS was knocked down, but the mRNA and protein expression levels of EMT maker E-cadherin was increasing in A549 and H1299 cells. The mechanistic findings showed demonstrated that HOXA11-AS interacted with EZH2 and DNMT1 and recruited them to the miR-200b promoter regions to repress miR-200b expression in NSCLC cells, which promoted cell EMT in NSCLC.

Conclusions

Our results showed that up-regulation of lncRNA HOXA11-AS predicted a poor prognosis and lncRNA HOXA11-AS promoted cell epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting miR-200b expression in NSCLC.

CircRNA: functions and properties of a novel potential biomarker for cancer

Circular RNAs, a novel class of endogenous noncoding RNAs, are characterized by their covalently closed loop structures without a 5′ cap or a 3′ Poly A tail. Although the mechanisms of circular RNAs’ generation and function are not fully clear, recent research has shown that circular RNAs may function as potential molecular markers for disease diagnosis and treatment and play an important role in the initiation and progression of human diseases, especially in tumours. This review summarizes some information about categories, biogenesis, functions at the molecular level, properties of circular RNAs and the possibility of circular RNAs as biomarkers in cancers.

[Progress of Long Non-coding RNAs in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer]

Lung cancer related death is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Non-coding RNA has no protein coding capacity, but can play roles in a variety of biology. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is at least 200 nt long. A variety of lncRNAs could promote or inhibit tumor development and progression in many tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Due to their fundamental role in regulating gene expression, they involve in biological mechanism of the tumor, and so they are expected to be new cancer biomarkers. In this review, we emphasized the roles of lncRNAs in NSCLC, and discuss them as diagnostic and prognostic markers and as therapeutic targets.

Prognostic value of decreased GRK6 expression in lung adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

In recent years, G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) have been implicated in cancer metastasis through phosphorylation of the activated form of G protein-coupled receptors. However, little is known of GRK6 expression in lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) and its potential prognostic value in LADC.

METHODS

In this study, protein expression of GRK6 was determined in LADC tissues (n = 122) and normal lung tissues (n = 45) by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis on tissue microarray (TMA). In addition, mRNA level of GRK6 in matched pairs of cancerous and non-cancerous fresh frozen tissues from 20 LADC patients was investigated using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Furthermore, protein expression level of GRK6 was evaluated in matched pairs of cancerous and non-cancerous fresh frozen tissues from another 18 LADC patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses based on Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to investigate the correlation between GRK6 expression and overall survival of LADC patients.

RESULTS

According to the IHC analysis on TMA, GRK6 expression was significantly down-regulated in LADC patients, but high in normal lung tissue (P < 0.001). Besides, our qPCR and western blot results confirmed GRK6 down-regulation in both mRNA and protein levels in LADC tissues as compared to matched adjacent non-cancerous tissues (all P < 0.001). Additionally, For TMA slides, protein expression of GRK6 was significantly associated with staging (P = 0.030), pathology grade (P = 0.036). Consistent with the associated poor clinicopathologic features, patients with GRK6 low expression tumors had a worse overall survival compared to patients with GRK6 high expression tumors. Further multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model revealed that GRK6 expression level (P = 0.004) was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate for the first time that decreased expression of GRK6 may serve as an independent predictor of overall survival in LADC patients.

Comprehensive Biomarkers for Personalized Treatment in Pulmonary Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma: A Comparative Analysis With Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The prognosis for patients with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung is extremely poor, and optimal treatment strategies have not yet been established. To improve prognoses in patients with LCNEC, this study analyzed immunohistochemical expression and gene mutations of several known molecular targets in LCNECs and compared the expression levels of these targets with those in lung adenocarcinomas.

METHODS

Twenty-six patients with primary LCNEC and 40 patients with adenocarcinoma were analyzed. Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), class III β-tubulin, topoisomerase I, topoisomerase II, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-L858R, and somatostatin receptor expression were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and EGFR mutations were evaluated using direct DNA sequencing and the Scorpion-amplified refractory mutation system.

RESULTS

In patients with LCNEC and adenocarcinoma, positive rates of topoisomerase I, topoisomerase II, ERCC1, class III β-tubulin, EGFR-L858R, and somatostatin were 100.0% and 100.0%, 65.4% and 15.0% (p < 0.0001), 42.3% and 17.5% (p = 0.0462), 46.2% and 62.5%, 0.0% and 20.0% (p = 0.0182), and 50.0% and 5.0% (p < 0.0001), respectively. The frequencies of EGFR mutations were 0.0% and 37.5% in LCNEC and adenocarcinoma (p = 0.0002), respectively. Five-year overall survival rates were 64% in LCNEC and 91% in adenocarcinoma in stage I (p = 0.0132). Multivariate analysis showed that LCNEC histologic type was an independent prognostic factor in stage I.

CONCLUSIONS

LCNEC showed overexpression of topoisomerase II, somatostatin, and ERCC1. These findings suggested that it was possible to have good response to treatment with etoposide and octreotide and that LCNEC may be resistant to platinum-based therapy compared with adenocarcinoma. EGFR mutations were not observed in LCNEC. These results may indicate a favorable response to adjuvant treatments that are not typically prescribed for non-small cell lung cancer.

Creating chemotherapeutic-resistant breast cancer cell lines: advances and future perspectives

The development of resistance remains the most significant impediment to generating effective treatments for cancer. In the modern age of personalized medicine, it is of critical importance to understand the principles of both innate and acquired resistance to achieve the most effective therapeutic outcomes. Significant differences exist between cancer cells that exhibit innate resistance verses those that acquire resistance over time. Studying the acquisition of resistance is essential to obtaining a complete understanding of how treatments contribute to disease recurrence and progression. This review will evaluate the current understanding of chemotherapeutic resistance and its role in personalized medicine. This review will also explore how generating resistant cells in culture is essential to the development of improved cancer therapeutics.

Decreased expression of class III β-tubulin is associated with unfavourable prognosis in patients with malignant melanoma

Class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) has been recognized as being associated with resistance to taxane-based regimens in several cancers. However, little is known about the clinicopathological significance of TUBB3 expression in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic significance of TUBB3 expression in cutaneous malignant melanoma. A total of 106 patients with surgically resected cutaneous malignant melanoma were assessed. Tumour sections were immunohistochemically stained for TUBB3, Ki-67 and microvessel density with CD34. TUBB3 was highly expressed in 80% (85/106) of patients. No statistically significant relationship was observed between the high expression of TUBB3 and any variables. On univariate analysis, ulceration, disease stage, TUBB3 and CD34 revealed a significant relationship with overall survival and progression-free survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed that a low TUBB3 expression was an independent prognostic factor for poor prognosis of cutaneous malignant melanoma. The decreased expression of TUBB3 could be a significant marker for predicting unfavourable prognosis in patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Decreased MicroRNA-26a expression causes cisplatin resistance in human non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is the most common cancer that is caused by perturbation of regulatory pathways rather than dysfunction of a single gene. Cisplatin (CDDP; cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II) is the first member of a class of platinum-containing anti-cancer medication, which binds to DNA and triggers apoptosis. CDDP-based chemotherapy is used to treat various types of cancers. However, the efficacy of CDDP in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is limited by acquired drug resistance. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as key regulators of cancers, and miR-26a is one of down-regulated miRNAs in A549/CDDPres cell line. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-26a in CDDP resistance in NSCLC as well as the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

In this study, we analyzed expressional profiles of CDDP resistance-related mRNA, miRNA, and transcription factors (TF) that regulate miRNA expression in NSCLC. A549 cells were treated with CDDP, miR-26a mimic, or miR-26a inhibitor, and followed by biological analysis including drug sensitivity assay, colony formation assay, terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl Transferase Mediated Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) assay, and cell cycle analysis. Luciferase assay was used to determine the target of miR-26a. The regulation of miR-26a in Akt pathway was measured by western blot.

RESULTS

High mobility group A (HMGA) 2 was identified as the target of miR-26a. Overexpression of miR-26a in A549 cells inhibited G1-S transition, increased cell death in response to CDDP treatment, and decreased the colony formation of A549 cells. MiR-26a significantly decreased the expression of E2F1, diminished Akt phosphorylation, and downregulated Bcl2 expression. Cell growth was suppressed by inhibiting HMGA2-mediated E2F1-Akt pathway.

CONCLUSION

MiR-26a is responsible for A549 cell sensitivity in the treatment of CDDP through regulating HMGA2-mediated E2F1-Akt pathway.

The plasma lncRNA acting as fingerprint in non-small-cell lung cancer

Recent studies have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) could act as non-invasive tumor markers in both diagnosis and predicting the prognosis. In this study, we focused to determine the expression of circulating lncRNAs in patients suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), aiming to found the potential lncRNA as predictor. Twenty-one lncRNAs which previously identified were selected as candidate targets for subsequent circulating lncRNA assay. The candidate lncRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR arranged in the training and validation sets. Circulating SPRY4-IT1, ANRIL, and NEAT1 were significantly increased in plasma samples of NSCLC patients during training set and validation set. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis revealed that plasma ANRIL provided the highest diagnostic performance with an area under ROC curve value (AUC) of 0.798. Further combination with the three factors indicated a higher power (AUC, 0.876; sensitivity, 82.8 %; specificity, 92.3 %). The stableness detection of the three factors indicated that circulating SPRY4-IT1, ANRIL, and NEAT might serve as a predictor for the early warning of non-small-cell lung cancer.

High Id1 expression, a generally negative prognostic factor, paradoxically predicts a favorable prognosis for adjuvant paclitaxel plus cisplatin therapy in surgically treated lung cancer patients

Adjuvant chemotherapy is commonly given to surgically treated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, the prerequisite for chemotherapy needs to be scrutinized in order to maximize the benefits to patients. In this study, we observed that NSCLC cells with high Id1 protein expression were vulnerable to the treatment of paclitaxel and cisplatin. In addition, paclitaxel and cisplatin caused Id1 protein degradation through ubiquitination. In the nude mice xenograft model, the tumor growth was reduced to a large degree in the Id1-overexpressing group upon treatment with paclitaxel and cisplatin. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining for Id1 followed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that surgically treated NSCLC patients with high Id1 expression in primary tumor tissues had better disease-free and overall survivals after adjuvant paclitaxel and cisplatin chemotherapy. In summary, our current data suggest that Id1, a generally negative prognostic factor, predicts a favorable prognosis in the case of surgically treated NSCLC patients receiving the definitive adjuvant chemotherapy. The distinct role of Id1 reported in this study may arise from the phenomenon of Id1 dependence of NSCLC cells for survival, which renders the cancer cells additionally susceptive to the adjuvant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and cisplatin.

Non-adherent culture induces paclitaxel resistance in H460 lung cancer cells via ERK-mediated up-regulation of βIVa-tubulin

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are metastasizing epithelial cancer cells that adapt to survive when floating in bloodstream during metastasis. This condition can be mimicked in vitro by using non-adherent cell culture. The chemosensitivity of CTCs appears to correlate with the response of metastatic cancer patients to therapy, but chemoresistance is also frequently observed in advanced stage cancer patients, who have never previously received chemotherapy. We hypothesize that adaptation of epithelial cancer cells to become floating CTCs could lead to development of chemoresistance. Here, we explore whether chemoresistance is induced in epithelial cancer cells when cultured under non-adherent conditions. Increased paclitaxel-specific resistance was observed in floating cells compared to attached cells in H460, MCF-7, and HepG2 human cancer cell lines, by 15.6-, 3.9-, and 2.6-fold increases in IC50 values, respectively. qRT-PCR analysis showed that a paclitaxel-resistant β-tubulin isotype, βIVa-tubulin, was the most up-regulated gene compared with other β-tubulin isotypes in H460 floating cells, concomitant with elevated ERK activation. ERK inhibitor treatment could attenuate the up-regulation of βIVa-tubulin, and decreased the paclitaxel resistance of H460 floating cells, even though other β-tubulin isotypes were up-regulated when the ERK activation was blocked. In conclusion, we show induction of paclitaxel resistance in epithelial cancer cells, when floating in non-adherent culture, and this might occur with CTCs of cancer patients.

Tubulin Beta3 Serves as a Target of HDAC3 and Mediates Resistance to Microtubule-Targeting Drugs

We investigated the role of HDAC3 in anti-cancer drug-resistance. The expression of HDAC3 was decreased in cancer cell lines resistant to anti-cancer drugs such as celastrol and taxol. HDAC3 conferred sensitivity to these anti-cancer drugs. HDAC3 activity was necessary for conferring sensitivity to these anti-cancer drugs. The down-regulation of HDAC3 increased the expression of MDR1 and conferred resistance to anti-cancer drugs. The expression of tubulin β3 was increased in drug-resistant cancer cell lines. ChIP assays showed the binding of HDAC3 to the promoter sequences of tubulin β3 and HDAC6. HDAC6 showed an interaction with tubulin β3. HDAC3 had a negative regulatory role in the expression of tubulin β3 and HDAC6. The down-regulation of HDAC6 decreased the expression of MDR1 and tubulin β3, but did not affect HDAC3 expression. The down-regulation of HDAC6 conferred sensitivity to taxol. The down-regulation of tubulin β3 did not affect the expression of HDAC6 or MDR1. The down-regulation of tubulin β3 conferred sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs. Our results showed that tubulin β3 serves as a downstream target of HDAC3 and mediates resistance to microtubule-targeting drugs. Thus, the HDAC3-HDAC6-Tubulin β axis can be employed for the development of anti-cancer drugs.

β3-tubulin is a good predictor of sensitivity to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in primary breast cancer

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between β3-tubulin expression and sensitivity to taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in primary breast cancer patients. A total of 48 local advanced breast cancer patients that received taxane-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy were studied. The levels of β3-tubulin expression were tested by immunohistochemistry before chemotherapy and at the end of cycles 2, 4 and 6. The correlation between the efficacy of the chemotherapy and β3-tubulin expression and changes in β3-tubulin expression over the course of chemotherapy was examined. β3-tubulin protein expression before chemotherapy was significantly and negatively correlated with the response rate. The overall response rate was 31.8 % in the high β3-tubulin expression group, whereas it was 84.6 % in the low β3-tubulin expression group. At the end of cycles 2, 4 and 6 during the treatment course, the average expression rates of β3-tubulin were showed an increasing trend with β3-tubulin expression level at the end of cycle 4 being significantly different from that before chemotherapy. Nine patients that had a low β3-tubulin expression level preneoadjuvant chemotherapy changed to a high β3-tubulin expression level postneoadjuvant chemotherapy, and they had lower response rate than patients with consistent low. In conclusion, β3-tubulin is a good predictor of chemosensitivity to taxane for breast cancer, and the change of its expression level during chemotherapy may be an important cause of secondary resistance to taxane. Detection of β3-tubulin expression before and throughout the chemotherapy will help with selection of the chemotherapy treatment plan.

Long non-coding RNAs in non-small cell lung cancer as biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Lung cancer-associated mortality is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), with no protein-coding ability, have multiple biological roles. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a recently characterized class of ncRNAs that are over 200 nucleotides in length. Many lncRNAs have the ability of facilitating or inhibiting the development and progression of tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Because of their fundamental roles in regulating gene expression, along with their involvement in the biological mechanisms underlying tumourigenesis, they are a promising class of tissue- and/or blood-based cancer biomarkers. In this review, we highlight the emerging roles of lncRNAs in NSCLC, and discuss their potential clinical applications as diagnostic and prognostic markers and as therapeutic targets.

Analysis of lncRNA expression profiles in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and their clinical subtypes

Lung cancer is one of the most common human cancers worldwide. Among all lung cancer cases, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85%. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding transcripts that have been shown to play important roles in tumourigenesis and tumor progression. To reveal novel tumor-related lncRNAs in NSCLC and their associations with clinical subtypes, we herein identified 2935 probe sets mapped to lncRNAs on Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 array with an lncRNA classification pipeline. We found 47 lncRNAs differentially expressed between normal lung tissues and tumor samples and 19 lncRNAs differed in expression between SCC and AC, two subtypes of NSCLC, after analyses of the gene expression profiles of five datasets downloaded from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) with a leave one dataset out validation process. The different lncRNA expression profiles between NSCLC and normal tissue and between the subtypes of NSCLC may have potential implications in the pathogenesis of this cancer. lncRNAs screening may be beneficial in the diagnosis, subclassification, and the personalized treatment of NSCLC.

Cost-effectiveness of a 14-gene risk score assay to target adjuvant chemotherapy in early stage non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer

Life Technologies has developed a 14-gene molecular assay that provides information about the risk of death in early stage non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer patients after surgery. The assay can be used to identify patients at highest risk of mortality, informing subsequent treatments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of this novel assay. Patients and Methods. We developed a Markov model to estimate life expectancy, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and costs for testing versus standard care. Risk-group classification was based on assay-validation studies, and chemotherapy uptake was based on pre- and post-testing recommendations from a study of 58 physicians. We evaluated three chemotherapy-benefit scenarios: moderately predictive (base case), nonpredictive (i.e., the same benefit for each risk group), and strongly predictive. We calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and performed one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Results. In the base case, testing and standard-care strategies resulted in 6.81 and 6.66 life years, 3.76 and 3.68 QALYs, and $122,400 and $118,800 in costs, respectively. The ICER was $23,200 per QALY (stage I: $29,200 per QALY; stage II: $12,200 per QALY). The ICER ranged from "dominant" to $92,100 per QALY in the strongly predictive and nonpredictive scenarios. The model was most sensitive to the proportion of high-risk patients receiving chemotherapy and the high-risk hazard ratio. The 14-gene risk score assay strategy was cost-effective in 68% of simulations. Conclusion. Our results suggest that the 14-gene risk score assay may be a cost-effective alternative to standard guideline-based adjuvant chemotherapy decision making in early stage non-small cell lung cancer.

Class III β-tubulin overexpression within the tumor microenvironment is a prognostic biomarker for poor overall survival in ovarian cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant carboplatin/paclitaxel

Critics have suggested that neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) followed by interval debulking may select for resistant clones or cancer stem cells when compared to primary cytoreduction. β-tubulins are chemotherapeutic targets of taxanes and epothilones. Class III β-tubulin overexpression has been linked to chemoresistance and hypoxia. Herein, we describe changes in class III β-tubulin in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma in response to NACT, in relationship to clinical outcome, and between patients who underwent NACT versus primary debulking; we characterize in vitro chemosensitivity to paclitaxel/patupilone of cell lines established from this patient population, and class III β-tubulin expression following repeated exposure to paclitaxel. Using immunohistochemistry, we observed among 22 paired specimens obtained before/after NACT decreased expression of class III β-tubulin following therapy within stroma (p=0.07), but not tumor (p=0.63). Poor median overall survival was predicted by high levels of class III β-tubulin in both tumor (HR 3.66 [1.11,12.05], p=0.03) and stroma (HR 4.53 [1.28,16.1], p=0.02). Class III β-tubulin expression by quantitative-real-time-polymerase-chain-reaction was higher among patients who received NACT (n=12) compared to primary cytoreduction (n=14) (mean±SD fold-change: 491.2±115.9 vs. 224.1±55.66, p=0.037). In vitro subculture with paclitaxel resulted in class III β-tubulin upregulation, however, cell lines that overexpressed class III β-tubulin remained sensitive to patupilone. Overexpression of class III β-tubulin in patients dispositioned to NACT may thus identify an intrinsically aggressive phenotype, and predict poor overall survival and paclitaxel resistance. Decreases in stromal expression may represent normalization of the tumor microenvironment following therapy. Epothilones warrant study for patients who have received neoadjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel.

Role of tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 1 in paclitaxel resistance

Paclitaxel has been extensively used as an antitumor drug to treat a broad range of epithelial cancers, including breast and cervical cancers. However, the efficacy of this drug is greatly limited by the development of acquired resistance. Identification of the underlying resistance mechanisms may inform the development of new therapies that elicit long-term response of tumors to paclitaxel treatment. Here we report that increased expression of TNFAIP1 (tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein 1) confers acquired resistance to paclitaxel. TNFAIP1 is shown to compete with paclitaxel for binding to β-tubulin, thereby preventing paclitaxel-induced tubulin polymerization, cell cycle arrest and ultimate cell death. We also show that expression of TNFAIP1 is regulated by the transcriptional factor Sp1. In a xenograft mouse model, increased expression of TNFAIP1 decreases, whereas knockdown of TNFAIP1 increases tumor response to paclitaxel. Therefore, these results reveal tnfaip1 as a novel paclitaxel-resistance associated gene and suggest that TNFAIP1 may represent a valuable therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer.

Class III β-tubulin overexpression in ovarian clear cell and serous carcinoma as a maker for poor overall survival after platinum/taxane chemotherapy and sensitivity to patupilone

OBJECTIVE

Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary is a distinct subtype of epithelial cancer associated with chemoresistance and poor outcome compared with serous papillary carcinomas. Resistance to paclitaxel has been linked to serous papillary overexpression of class III β-tubulin in several human cancers but inadequately characterized among clear cell carcinoma of the ovary. Chemoresistance has also been variably linked to the drug efflux pump p-glycoprotein. Epothilones are microtubule-stabilizing agents with putative activity in paclitaxel-resistant malignancies. In this study, we clarify the relationship between class III β-tubulin and p-glycoprotein expression in clear cell carcinoma of the ovary, clinical outcome, and in vitro responsiveness to patupilone and paclitaxel.

STUDY DESIGN

Class III β-tubulin and p-glycoprotein were quantified by real time polymerase chain reaction in 61 fresh-frozen tissue samples and 11 cell lines. Expression by polymerase chain reaction was correlated with immunohistochemistry and overall survival. IC50 was determined using viability/metabolic assays. Impact of class III β-tubulin down-regulation on IC50 was assessed with small interfering RNAs.

RESULTS

Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary overexpressed class III β-tubulin and p-glycoprotein relative to serous papillary carcinomas carcinomas in fresh-frozen tissues and cell lines. Class III β-tubulin immunohistochemistry reflected real time polymerase chain reaction results and overexpression stratified patients by overall survival. P-glycoprotein correlated with in vitro paclitaxel resistance, but not clinical outcome. Clear cell carcinoma of the ovary were exquisitely sensitive to patupilone in a manner that correlated with class III β-tubulin expression.

CONCLUSION

Class III β-tubulin overexpression in clear cell carcinoma of the ovary discriminates poor prognosis, serves as a marker for sensitivity to patupilone, and may contribute to paclitaxel resistance. Immunohistochemistry reliably identifies tumors with overexpression of class III β-tubulin, and accordingly a subset of individuals likely to respond to patupilone.

The noncoding RNA expression profile and the effect of lncRNA AK126698 on cisplatin resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer cell

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer is limited by the acquired drug resistance. Identification the RNAs related to the cisplatin resistance may help to improve clinical response rates.

METHODS

Microarray expression profiling of mRNAs, lncRNA and miRNA was undertaken in A549 cells and cisplatin resistant A549/CDDP cells. Differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs, verified by realtime RT-PCR, were subjected to pathway analysis. Expression of NKD2 and β-catenin was assessed by realtime RT-PCR and western blot analysis. The effect of lncRNA AK126698 on cisplatin induced apoptosis was investigated by annexin-V/PI flow cytometry.

RESULTS

In total, 1471 mRNAs, 1380 lncRNAs and 25 miRNAs differentially expressed in A549/CDDP and A549 cells. Among them, 8 mRNAs, 8 lncRNAs and 5 miRNAs differentially expressed in gene chip analysis were validated. High-enrichment pathway analysis identified that some classical pathways participated in proliferation, differentiation, avoidance of apoptosis, and drug metabolism were differently expressed in these cells lines. Gene co-expression network identified many genes like FN1, CTSB, EGFR, and NKD2; lncRNAs including BX648420, ENST00000366408, and AK126698; and miRNAs such as miR-26a and let-7i potentially played a key role in cisplatin resistance. Among which, the canonical Wnt pathway was investigated because it was demonstrated to be targeted by both lncRNAs and miRNAs including lncRNA AK126698. Knockdown lncRNA AK126698 not only greatly decreased NKD2 which can negatively regulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling but also increased the accumulation and nuclear translocation of β-catenin, and significantly depressed apoptosis rate induced by cisplatin in A549 cells.

CONCLUSION

Cisplatin resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer cells may relate to the changes in noncoding RNAs. Among these, AK126698 appears to confer cisplatin resistance by targeting the Wnt pathway.