Maspin, E-selectin, and P-selectin expressions in papillary thyroid carcinomas and their correlation with prognostic parameters

Modelling the complex nature of the tumor microenvironment: 3D tumor spheroids as an evolving tool

Cancer remains a serious burden in society and while the pace in the development of novel and more effective therapeutics is increasing, testing platforms that faithfully mimic the tumor microenvironment are lacking. With a clear shift from animal models to more complex in vitro 3D systems, spheroids emerge as strong options in this regard. Years of development have allowed spheroid-based models to better reproduce the biomechanical cues that are observed in the tumor-associated extracellular matrix (ECM) and cellular interactions that occur in both a cell-cell and cell-ECM manner. Here, we summarize some of the key cellular interactions that drive tumor development, progression and invasion, and how successfully are these interactions recapitulated in 3D spheroid models currently in use in the field. We finish by speculating on future advancements in the field and on how these can shape the relevance of spherical 3D models for tumor modelling.

Transcriptome Profile of Thyroid Glands in Bile Duct Ligation Mouse Model

Thyroid hormone (TH) contributes to multiple cellular mechanisms in the liver, muscle cells, adipose tissue, and brain, etc. In particular, the liver is an important organ in TH metabolism for the conversion of thyronine (T4) into triiodothyronine (T3) by the deiodinase enzyme. TH levels were significantly decreased and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were significantly increased in patients with liver failure compared with normal subjects. Among liver failure diseases, hepatic encephalopathy (HE) deserves more attention because liver damage and neuropathologies occur simultaneously. Although there is numerous evidence of TH dysregulation in the HE model, specific mechanisms and genetic features of the thyroid glands in the HE model are not fully understood. Here, we investigated the significantly different genes in the thyroid glands of a bile duct ligation (BDL) mouse model as the HE model, compared to the thyroid glands of the control mouse using RNA sequencing. We also confirmed the alteration in mRNA levels of thyroid gland function-related genes in the BDL mouse model. Furthermore, we evaluated the increased level of free T4 and TSH in the BDL mouse blood. Thus, we emphasize the potential roles of TH in liver metabolism and suggest that thyroid dysfunction-related genes in the HE model should be highlighted for finding the appropriate solution for an impaired thyroid system in HE.

Association of E-selectin S128R Polymorphism with Hereditary Breast Carcinoma Susceptibility in Turkish Patients Without BRCA1/2 Germline Mutations

Inherited genetic factors play an important role in breast cancer susceptibility. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are the most well-known genetic factors associated with increased risk of breast cancer. E-selectin is a cell surface glycoprotein and its serum levels are known to increase in various cancers. The present retrospective study aimed to evaluate whether E-selectin S128R polymorphism (NG_012124.1: g.7161A>C, NM_000450.2: c.445A>C, NP_000441.2: p.Ser149Arg), which is known to have a role in cancer risk, is associated with breast cancer susceptibility in BRCA 1/2 mutation non carriers with breast cancer. The study included 90 patients with breast cancer and 270 healthy controls. All breast cancer patients were screened for BRCA 1/2 mutations and confirmed to be BRCA 1/2 mutation non carriers before inclusion in the study. Genotyping for the E-selectin S128R polymorphism was performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The frequencies of the AA, AC and CC genotypes were 70.0, 25.5 and 4.5%, respectively, in the patient group and 79.25, 19.25 and 1.5%, respectively, in the controls. The frequencies of A and C alleles were 84.8 and 15.2% in the patient group, respectively, and 88.9 and 11.1%, respectively, in the controls. No significant differences were determined in the genotype and allele frequencies of the E-selectin S128R polymorphism between the patient and control groups (p = 0.095). The S128R (A/C) polymorphism was not found to be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer [odds ratio (OR) = 0.69; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.43-1.10; p = 0.1248). There was no association between the S128R polymorphism and breast cancer susceptibility in BRCA 1/2 mutation non carriers with breast cancer in the studied Turkish population. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate our findings.

Serpin peptidase inhibitor (SERPINB5) haplotypes are associated with susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The serpin peptidase inhibitor SERPINB5 is a tumour-suppressor gene that promotes the development of various cancers in humans. However, whether SERPINB5 gene variants play a role in HCC susceptibility remains unknown. In this study, we genotyped 6 SNPs of the SERPINB5 gene in an independent cohort from a replicate population comprising 302 cases and 590 controls. Additionally, patients who had at least one rs2289520 C allele in SERPINB5 tended to exhibit better liver function than patients with genotype GG (Child-Pugh grade A vs. B or C; P = 0.047). Next, haplotype blocks were reconstructed according to the linkage disequilibrium structure of the SERPINB5 gene. A haplotype “C-C-C” (rs17071138 + rs3744941 + rs8089204) in SERPINB5-correlated promoter showed a significant association with an increased HCC risk (AOR = 1.450; P = 0.031). Haplotypes “T-C-A” and “C-C-C” (rs2289519 + rs2289520 + rs1455555) located in the SERPINB5 coding region had a decreased (AOR = 0.744; P = 0.031) and increased (AOR = 1.981; P = 0.001) HCC risk, respectively. Finally, an additional integrated in silico analysis confirmed that these SNPs affected SERPINB5 expression and protein stability, which significantly correlated with tumour expression and subsequently with tumour development and aggressiveness. Taken together, our findings regarding these biomarkers provide a prediction model for risk assessment.

Aberrant Maspin mRNA Expression is Associated with Clinical Outcome in Patients with Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression level of maspin mRNA in pulmonary adenocarcinoma and to clarify its clinical significance in prediction of prognosis.

MATERIAL/METHODS

RNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissue blocks of 30 pairs of pulmonary adenocarcinoma (AC) tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues (ANT) and in another 81 AC tissues. Expression of maspin mRNA was tested by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and the potential relationship between maspin mRNA expression and clinic pathological features of AC patients was analyzed.

RESULTS

The expression of maspin mRNA was upregulated in AC samples compared with the ANT (p<0.001). Patients at advanced clinical stage (III) and patients with lymphatic metastasis showed higher maspin mRNA expression level than those in early-stage patients (I and II) (p=0.038) or with non-lymphatic metastasis (p=0.034). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that disease-free survival (DFS) was significantly worse in high maspin mRNA expression AC patients (p=0.007). Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that the expression of maspin mRNA was an independent prognostic marker for AC (p=0.040).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study reveals that maspin mRNA was significantly up-regulated in tissues of AC patients. Maspin mRNA may be useful as a new marker of prognosis in AC.

Digital gene expression profiling of a series of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules

BACKGROUND

Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been widely accepted as the most crucial step in the preoperative assessment of thyroid nodules. Testing for the expression of specific genes should improve the accuracy of FNAC diagnosis, especially when it is performed in samples with indeterminate cytology.

METHODS

In total, 69 consecutive FNACs that had both cytologic and histologic diagnoses were collected, and expression levels of 34 genes were determined in RNA extracted from FNAC cells by using a custom digital mRNA counting assay. A supervised k-nearest neighbor (K-nn) learning approach was used to build a 2-class prediction model based on a subset of 27 benign and 26 malignant FNAC samples. Then, the K-nn models were used to classify the 16 indeterminate FNAC samples.

RESULTS

Malignant and benign thyroid nodules had different gene expression profiles. The K-nn approach was able to correctly classify 10 FNAC samples as benign, whereas only 1 sample was grouped in the malignant class. Two malignant FNAC samples were incorrectly classified as benign, and 3 of 16 samples were unclassified.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the current data will require further confirmation in a larger number of cases, the preliminary results indicate that testing for specific gene expression appears to be useful for distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions. The results from this study indicate that, in indeterminate FNAC samples, testing for cancer-specific gene expression signatures, together with mutational analyses, could improve diagnostic accuracy for patients with thyroid nodules.

E-selectin expression and BRAF status in papillary thyroid carcinomas: Correlation with clinicopathologic features

BACKGROUND

Cell adhesion molecules, represented by the immunoglobulin family and selectins, play an important role in the progression of cancer. A correlation between selectins and tumor aggressiveness has been demonstrated in several reports.

METHODS

Eighty-eight patients (mean age, 41.0 ± 14 years) with papillary thyroid carcinoma (conventional variant and sized approximately 20 mm) were divided in 2 groups: 41 with encapsulated tumors and 47 with tumors with extrathyroidal extension. E-selectin expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and semiquantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and normalized by calculating the z-score (positive: value above the population mean; negative: below the mean).

RESULTS

Lymph node metastasis (LNM) was found in 2 of 41 encapsulated tumors (4.8%) and in 19 of 47 tumors (40.4%) with extrathyroidal extension. BRAF mutation was present in 21 encapsulated tumors (51.2%) and in 31 tumors with extrathyroidal extension (65.9%). The mean E-selectin z-score was -0.32 for encapsulated tumors and 0.28 for tumors with extrathyroidal extension. E-selectin expression correlates with neoplastic infiltration (P = .04), the American Joint Commission on Cancer stage (P = .02), and BRAF mutation (P = .03).

CONCLUSION

E-selectin overexpression in association with BRAF mutation status could promote a more aggressive phenotype in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

E-selectin S128R polymorphism is associated with cancer risk: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Genetic factors have been shown to play an important role in the development of cancers. However, individual studies may fail to completely demonstrate complicated genetic relationships because of small sample size. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association of E-selectin Ser128Arg (S128R) with cancer risk.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A literature search in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Science Direct, SpringerLink, EBSCO, Wanfang, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was carried out to identify studies of the association between E-selectin S128R polymorphism and cancer risk. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were used to assess the strength of association.

RESULTS

A total of eight studies involving 1,675 cancer cases and 2,285 controls were included in the meta-analysis. In overall populations, S128R polymorphism seemed to be associated with cancer risk (Arg allele vs Ser allele: OR=1.65, 95%CI =1.33-2.04, p<0.01; Arg/Arg+Arg/Ser vs Ser/Ser: OR=1.87, 95%CI =1.48-2.36, p<0.01; Arg/Ser vs Ser/Ser: OR=1.80, 95%CI =1.51-2.14, p<0.01). Similarly, subgroup analysis by ethnicity and source of control also revealed that this polymorphism was related to cancer risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Our meta-analysis revealed that there was association between the E-selectin S128R polymorphism and the risk of cancer. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this association.

Maspin: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic implications

Maspin, a non-inhibitory member of the serine protease inhibitor superfamily, has been characterized as a tumor suppressor gene in multiple cancer types. Among the established anti-tumor effects of Maspin are the inhibition of cancer cell invasion, attachment to extracellular matrices, increased sensitivity to apoptosis, and inhibition of angiogenesis. However, while significant experimental data support the role of Maspin as a tumor suppressor, clinical data regarding the prognostic implications of Maspin expression have led to conflicting results. This highlights the need for a better understanding of the context dependencies of Maspin in normal biology and how these are perturbed in the context of cancer. In this review, we outline the regulation and roles of Maspin in normal and developmental biology while discussing novel evidence and emerging theories related to its functions in cancer. We provide insight into the immense therapeutic potential of Maspin and the challenges related to its successful clinical translation.

E-Selectin S128R gene polymorphism in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

E-selectin is an adhesion molecule expressed on activated endothelial cells. E-selectin plays an important role in the process of inflammation and is also involved in the mechanism of cancer metastasis regulating the adhesion of circulating cancer cells to the blood vessels. The aim of our study was to determine whether an association exists between its most common gene polymorphism, S128R, and gastric cancer (GC).


METHODS

We performed a case-control study of 88 GC cases and 480 controls to analyze the association between E-selectin S128R gene polymorphism and GC susceptibility. The genotyping analysis was done by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. 


RESULTS

The E-selectin S128R C allele, CA and CC genotypes were over-represented among the GC cases. No statistically significant association was observed between E-selectin S128R polymorphisms and tumor characteristics. However, carrying the C allele was associated with poor survival. 


CONCLUSIONS

The E-selectin S128R C allele may confer an increased susceptibility to gastric cancer development and correlate with a poor prognosis.

Immunohistochemical expression of mTOR negatively correlates with PTEN expression in gastric carcinoma

The phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K)-AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is a cellular pathway involved in cell growth, tumorigenesis and cell invasion which is frequently activated in various types of cancer. The downstream effector of the pathway is mTOR which is important in cellular growth and homeostasis and aberrant activation of mTOR has been reported in several types of cancer. The tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is essential in this pathway for inhibiting tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the involvement of mTOR and PTEN in the progression of human gastric cancer remains to be identified. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of mTOR and PTEN in paraffin-embedded gastric tissue sections obtained from 33 patients with gastric cancer and 30 normal controls. The expressed mTOR was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm, while PTEN was mainly localized to the nucleus. By considering negative mTOR expression with positive PTEN expression as one group and negative PTEN expression with positive mTOR expression as the other, significant statistical differences were observed in various categories, including histological types and metastatic and clinical pathology stages, between the 2 groups (P<0.01 or 0.05). The results indicated that the expression levels of mTOR and PTEN were negatively correlated in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway. Combined detection of mTOR and PTEN expression may be used to evaluate the degree of malignancy in gastric cancer and may be a useful marker for the early diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Selectins and Associated Adhesion Proteins in Inflammatory disorders

Inflammation is defined as the normal response of living tissue to injury or infection. It is important to emphasize two components of this definition. First, that inflammation is a normal response and, as such, is expected to occur when tissue is damaged. Infact, if injured tissue does not exhibit signs of inflammation this would be considered abnormal and wounds and infections would never heal without inflammation. Secondly, inflammation occurs in living tissue, hence there is need for an adequate blood supply to the tissues in order to exhibit an inflammatory response. The inflammatory response may be triggered by mechanical injury, chemical toxins, and invasion by microorganisms, and hypersensitivity reactions. Three major events occur during the inflammatory response: the blood supply to the affected area is increased substantially, capillary permeability is increased, and leucocytes migrate from the capillary vessels into the surrounding interstitial spaces to the site of inflammation or injury. The inflammatory response represents a complex biological and biochemical process involving cells of the immune system and a plethora of biological mediators. Cell-to-cell communication molecules such as cytokines play an extremely important role in mediating the process of inflammation. Inflammation and platelet activation are critical phenomena in the setting of acute coronary syndromes. An extensive exposition of this complex phenomenon is beyond the scope of this article (Rankin 2004).

E-selectin rs5361 and FCGR2A rs1801274 variants were associated with increased risk of gastric cancer in a Chinese population

Host immune responses are critical steps for carcinogenesis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in immunoregulatory genes may influence gastric cancer risk. We performed a genotyping analysis for immunoregulatory genes in 311 gastric cancer cases and 425 controls from a Chinese population. We found that there were significant differences of E-selectin variant rs5361 (A>C) and FCGR2A variant rs1801274 (T>C) between cases and controls (P = 0.022 and P = 0.0001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis indicated that genotype of E-selectin rs5361AC increased the risk of gastric cancer significantly (P = 0.026, adjusted Odds ratio (OR) = 2.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.13-7.12). C allele of E-selectin rs5361 showed a significant increased frequency in cases (P = 0.023). However, the E-selectin variant did not affect the protein expression. E-selectin protein was observed not only in tumor interstitial vascular endothelial cells, but also in gastric cancer cells at primary and metastatic sites. The protein was associated with clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer, such as age (P = 0.008), tumor size (P = 0.027), differentiation (P = 0.000), and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (P = 0.006). CT and CC + CT genotypes of FCGR2A variant rs1801274 increased gastric cancer risk (P = 0.000, adjusted OR = 1.92, 95%CI = 1.36-2.72; P = 0.003, adjusted OR = 1.68, 95%CI = 1.20-2.35, respectively). Interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) variant rs2107356 presented negative correlations to E-selectin variant rs5361 and FCGR2A variant rs1801274 (P = 0.035 and P = 0.023) in conferring susceptibility to gastric cancer. We concluded E-selectin variant rs5361 and FCGR2A variant rs1801274 were significantly associated with gastric cancer risk. Expression of E-selectin protein would promote progression of gastric cancer.

Vascular endothelial growth factors and angiopoietins in presentations and prognosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma

AIMS

Angiogenesis from thyroid cancer cell plays the important roles in post-surgical persistent, recurrent, and metastatic papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). This study is to investigate the expression of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), Tek/Tie-2 receptor, and vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) in normal, benign thyroid tissues and different stage of PTC. We expect angiogenetic factors are important in the presentation of local-regional neck or distant metastases in PTC.

MATERIALS AND RESULTS

A total of 101 tissues from the subjects underwent thyroidectomy were enrolled in the study. There were 22 control and 79 thyroid cancer patients in different TNM stagings were collected. Ang-1 illustrated highest mean immunostaining score in metastatic group. Comparing with normal and benign thyroid tissues, thyroid cancer tissues illustrated significantly high expression of three angiogenetic factors and Tie-2 receptor. Of the PTC, significantly high expression of three angiogenetic factors and Tie-2 receptor were illustrated in recurrent cases. VEGF showed statistical difference in disease-free cancer mortality, and recurrent groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Immunochemical staining illustrated VEGF, Ang-1, Ang-2 expression in PTC tissues related to clinical staging; however, we need more information concerning these factors with long-term follow-up results.

Maspin expression in renal cell carcinoma and its correlation with clinicopathologic parameters

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the relationship between maspin expression and prognostic parameters in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with relevance to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and microvessel density.

METHODS

One-hundred twenty-four patients with RCC of varying histologic types who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy were studied. The mean age of the patients was 59.4 years (range, 28-84). Maspin, VEGF, and microvessel density were studied by the universal avidin-biotin complex peroxidase method. Sections of 5-μm thickness were taken from paraffin blocks for immunohistochemical study. Cytoplasmic and/or nuclear staining were scored for maspin as negative and positive for all tumor cells.

RESULTS

Cytoplasmic maspin expression was positive in 51 (41.1%) patients. Nuclear maspin expression was not seen in any of the materials. Maspin expression decreased as tumor size increased (P = .036) without any specific relation to tumor subtypes (P = .583), and decreased as the pathologic stages increased without reaching statistical significance (P = .053). There were no correlations between maspin positivity and either VEGF expression or microvessel density.

CONCLUSIONS

In RCC, maspin expression is reduced with increased tumor size. Studies with larger series may be contributory in defining the role of maspin expression in RCC. Moreover, regulation of maspin expression genes appears to have the potential to lead to new treatment approaches.

Maspin modulates adhesion of bladder carcinoma cells to vascular endothelium

PURPOSE

Maspin belongs to the serpin family and has been shown to suppress tumor growth and metastasis in several tumor types. The role of maspin in bladder carcinoma has not been fully elucidated, and the object of this study was to investigate whether maspin contributes to bladder tumor adhesion to vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC).

METHODS

Expression of maspin-coding mRNA was evaluated in a panel of bladder carcinoma cell lines. Maspin distribution in maspin mRNA(high) versus maspin mRNA(low) cells was further analyzed by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Adhesion to HUVEC was measured in a coculture model and correlated with the surface-bound maspin.

RESULTS

Maspin(high) (RT-4, RT-112) cell lines strongly attached to HUVEC, whereas maspin(low) (UMUC-3, MGH-U1) cell lines poorly adhered to HUVEC. Distinct cytoplasmic maspin accumulation and moderate surface-bound maspin was found in RT-4 cells. Blocking maspin surface receptors prevented tumor cell attachment to HUVEC, indicating that surface-bound maspin is responsible for triggering cell adhesion. PMA-triggered elevation of surface-bound maspin was accompanied by an enhanced adhesion capacity of RT-4 cells, compared to controls. Finally, exposing the bladder carcinoma cells to the differentiation-inducing agent valproic acid led to a surface-bound (but not cytoplasmic) maspin decrease, paralleled by a significant reduction in tumor cell binding to HUVEC.

CONCLUSION

Surface-bound maspin directly controls bladder carcinoma cell adhesion to the vascular wall. Blocking this process may prevent transendothelial migration and tumor cell dissemination. Therefore, therapeutic down-regulation of surface-bound maspin might become an option to prevent tumor spread into distant organs.