Up-regulation of cadherin 17 and down-regulation of homeodomain protein CDX2 correlate with tumor progression and unfavorable prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer

P-cadherin mechanoactivates tumor-mesothelium metabolic coupling to promote ovarian cancer metastasis

Cancer adhesion to the mesothelium is critical for peritoneal metastasis, but how metastatic cells adapt to the biomechanical microenvironment remains unclear. Our study demonstrates that highly metastatic (HM), but not non-metastatic, ovarian cancer cells selectively activate the peritoneal mesothelium. HM cells exert a stronger adhesive force on mesothelial cells via P-cadherin, an adhesion molecule abundant in late-stage tumors. Mechanical activation of P-cadherin enhances lipogenic gene expression and lipid content in HM cells through SREBP1. P-cadherin also induces glycolysis in the interacting mesothelium without affecting lipogenic activity, with the resulting lactate serving as a substrate for lipogenesis in HM cells. Nanodelivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting P-cadherin or MCT1/4 transporters significantly suppresses metastasis in mice. Moreover, increased fatty acid synthase levels in metastatic patient samples correlate with high P-cadherin expression, supporting enhanced de novo lipogenesis in the metastatic niche. This study reveals P-cadherin-mediated mechano-metabolic coupling as a promising target to restrain metastasis.

Cadherin-17 (CDH17) expression in human cancer: A tissue microarray study on 18,131 tumors

Cadherin-17 (CDH17) is a membranous cell adhesion protein predominantly expressed in intestinal epithelial cells. CDH17 is therefore considered a possible diagnostic and therapeutic target. This study was to comprehensively determine the expression of CDH17 in cancer and to further assess the diagnostic utility of CDH17 immunohistochemistry (IHC). A tissue microarray containing 14,948 interpretable samples from 150 different tumor types and subtypes as well as 76 different normal tissue types was analyzed by IHC. In normal tissues, a membranous CDH17 staining was predominantly seen in the epithelium of the intestine and pancreatic excretory ducts. In tumors, 53 of 150 analyzed categories showed CDH17 positivity including 26 categories with at least one strongly positive case. CDH17 positivity was most common in epithelial and neuroendocrine colorectal neoplasms (50.0%-100%), other gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas (42.7%-61.6%), mucinous ovarian cancer (61.1%), pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (28.6%), cervical adenocarcinoma (52.6%), bilio-pancreatic adenocarcinomas (40.5-69.8%), and other neuroendocrine neoplasms (5.6%-100%). OnIy 9.9% of 182 pulmonary adenocarcinomas were CDH17 positive. In colorectal adenocarcinomas, reduced CDH17 staining was linked to high pT (p = 0.0147), nodal metastasis (p = 0.0041), V1 (p = 0.0025), L1 (p = 0.0054), location in the right colon (p = 0.0033), and microsatellite instability (p < 0.0001). The CDH17 expression level was unrelated to tumor phenotype in gastric and pancreatic cancer. In summary, our comprehensive overview on CDH17 expression in human tumors identified various tumor entities that might often benefit from anti-CDH17 therapies and suggest utility of CDH17 IHC for the distinction of metastatic gastrointestinal or bilio-pancreatic adenocarcinomas (often positive) from primary pulmonary adenocarcinomas (mostly negative).

Exploring biomarkers and prognostic factors in uterine carcinosarcoma: An insight into L1CAM, CDX2, p53, and MSI status

BACKGROUND

Uterine Carcinosarcomas (UCS) are a rare type of cancer composed of an admixture of high-grade carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. Clinicopathological prognostic factors in UCS are well established, but studies that approach the impact of biomarkers in this unusual disease are scarce. The study objective was to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic impact of a panel of prominent biomarkers in uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) using an immunohistochemical characterization with four biomarkers.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

The internal database of a single Brazilian institution was carefully explored to select women diagnosed with UCS who were submitted to surgery and postoperative chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel between January 2012 and December 2017. Tissue microarrays containing UCS samples were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for L1CAM, CDX2, p53 and microsatellite instability markers. A total of 57 cases were included. The mean age was 65.3 years (standard deviation, SD 7.0). L1CAM was negative (score 0, no staining) in 27 (47.4%) patients. Of L1CAM-positive, 10 (17.5%) showed weak (score 1, <10%), 6 (10.5%) showed moderate (score 2, between 10-50%), and 14 (24.6%) showed strong L1CAM staining (score 3, ≧50%). dMMR occurred in 3 (5.3%) cases. The p53 was aberrantly expressed in 15 (26.3%) tumors. CDX2 was positive in 3 (5.3%) patients. The three-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate in the general population of the study was 21.2% (95% CI: 11.7-38.1) and the three-year overall survival (OS) rate was 29.4% (95% CI: 18.1-47.6). By multivariate analysis, the presence of metastases and CDX2-positive were significantly associated with poorer PFS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively) and OS (p < 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The strong influence of CDX2 on prognosis requires further investigation. Biological or molecular variability may have impaired the assessment of the impact of the other markers on survival.

Beyond N-Cadherin, Relevance of Cadherins 5, 6 and 17 in Cancer Progression and Metastasis

Cell-cell adhesion molecules (cadherins) and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion proteins (integrins) play a critical role in the regulation of cancer invasion and metastasis. Although significant progress has been made in the characterization of multiple members of the cadherin superfamily, most of the published work continues to focus in the switch E-/N-cadherin and its role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Here, we will discuss the structural and functional properties of a subset of cadherins (cadherin 17, cadherin 5 and cadherin 6) that have an RGD motif in the extracellular domains. This RGD motif is critical for the interaction with α2β1 integrin and posterior integrin pathway activation in cancer metastatic cells. However, other signaling pathways seem to be affected by RGD cadherin interactions, as will be discussed. The range of solid tumors with overexpression or "de novo" expression of one or more of these three cadherins is very wide (gastrointestinal, gynaecological and melanoma, among others), underscoring the relevance of these cadherins in cancer metastasis. Finally, we will discuss different evidences that support the therapeutic use of these cadherins by blocking their capacity to work as integrin ligands in order to develop new cures for metastatic patients.

Homeobox protein CDX2 as a prognostic biomarker in solid malignancies: a meta-analysis

Background

CDX2 is a caudal-homeobox gene and its expression is abnormal in numerous tumour cell types. Nevertheless, its prognostic value for solid tumours requires further investigation. Hence, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the significance of CDX2 as a prognostic biomarker in solid malignancies systematically.

Materials and Methods

We performed a systematic literature search in PUBMED and EMBASE up to May 2017. Retrospective studies comparing the prognostic value of different CDX2 levels in human malignancies were included. Data extractions and methodological assessments were performed separately by two investigators using a standard procedure. The statistical procedures were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and STATA/MP 14.0.

Results

A total of 26 retrospective studies met the inclusion criteria and comprised 5008 participants. Patients with CDX2 overexpression had significantly better 3-year, 5-year, 10-year and disease-free survival outcomes in solid malignancies, regardless of the cancer type, mean age, and source region. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in the patients from Europe. The expression level of CDX2 was not statistically associated with cancer relapse. Moreover, our analysis showed that CDX2 overexpression is correlated to better responses to chemotherapy in patients with TNM IV stage cancers. The stability of the pooled outcomes was verified by sensitivity analysis. The funnel plots, Egger's test and Begg's test jointly confirmed that there was no publication bias.

Conclusions

Overexpression of CDX2 is a reliable biomarker of a better prognosis in solid malignancies.

CDH17 Is a More Sensitive Marker for Gastric Adenocarcinoma Than CK20 and CDX2

CONTEXT

-CDH17, which is expressed in the intestinal epithelium, is a novel oncogene involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. A panel consisting of cytokeratin (CK) 7, CD20, and CDX2 antibodies is typically used to diagnose gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas. However, studies have shown that CDH17 is a highly specific marker for gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma and may be important in clinical diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE

-To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of CDH17, CK20, and CDX2 antibodies in neoplastic tissues, with emphasis on colon, stomach, and esophageal gastrointestinal lineage.

DESIGN

-Immunohistochemistry was performed with CDH17, CK20, and CDX2 antibodies on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue microarrays from normal (n = 26) and neoplastic (n = 884) tissues.

RESULTS

-CDH17 immunostaining was positive in 97.3% (145 of 149) of colon adenocarcinomas, whereas CK20 and CDX2 stained positively in 88.6% (132 of 149) and 93.3% (139 of 149), respectively. In metastatic colon cancers, CDH17, CK20, and CDX2 positive staining was observed in 90.6% (29 of 32), 59.4% (19 of 32), and 81.3% (26 of 32) of cases, respectively. In stomach adenocarcinomas, CDH17 positively stained 64.0% (112 of 175) of tissues, compared to CK20 and CDX2, where staining was observed in only 24.6% (43 of 175) and 46.9% (82 of 175), respectively. In esophageal adenocarcinomas, CDH17, CK20, and CDX2 stained 38.7% (12 of 31), 25.8% (8 of 31), and 29% (9 of 31) of specimens, respectively. Low or no expression was observed in other neoplastic tissues, except pancreatic cancers, where CDH17 displayed higher expression than CK20 and CDX2.

CONCLUSIONS

-CDH17 is a specific and more sensitive marker in the gastrointestinal tract than CK20 and CDX2. CDH17 may be especially valuable when gastrointestinal tumors are suspected in cancers of unknown primary.

Expression of Cadherin-17 Promotes Metastasis in a Highly Bone Marrow Metastatic Murine Breast Cancer Model

We previously established 4T1E/M3 highly bone marrow metastatic mouse breast cancer cells through in vivo selection of 4T1 cells. But while the incidence of bone marrow metastasis of 4T1E/M3 cells was high (~80%) when injected intravenously to mice, it was rather low (~20%) when injected subcutaneously. Therefore, using 4T1E/M3 cells, we carried out further in vitro and in vivo selection steps to establish FP10SC2 cells, which show a very high incidence of metastasis to lungs (100%) and spines (85%) after subcutaneous injection into mice. qRT-PCR and western bolt analysis revealed that cadherin-17 gene and protein expression were higher in FP10SC2 cells than in parental 4T1E/M3 cells. In addition, immunostaining revealed the presence of cadherin-17 at sites of bone marrow and lung metastasis after subcutaneous injection of FP10SC2 cells into mice. Suppressing cadherin-17 expression in FP10SC2 cells using RNAi dramatically decreased the cells' anchorage-independent growth and migration in vitro and their metastasis to lung and bone marrow in vivo. These findings suggest that cadherin-17 plays a crucial role in mediating breast cancer metastasis to bone marrow.

Correlations of fascin-1 and cadherin-17 protein expression with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of patients with gastric cancer

We aim to explore the associations of fascin-1 and cadherin-17 in gastric cancer (GC) to the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of GC. Case group included 204 GC tissues while control group comprised 204 paired adjacent cancer tissues. Expressions of fascin-1 and cadherin-17 were measured with immunohistochemistry and western blot and then analyzed statistically in relation to clinicopathologic features and survival time. Survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method, and independent prognostic factors were identified with Cox proportional hazards regression model. Fascin-1 was positively expressed in 45.1 % of GC tissues and in 27.5 % of adjacent cancer tissues, respectively (P < 0.05); cadherin-17 was positively expressed in 51.5 % of GC tissues and in 33.8 % of adjacent cancer tissues (P < 0.05). Fascin-1 expression in GC tissues was related to tumor size (P = 0.001) and Lauren classification (P = 0.001). Cadherin-17 expression in GC tissues was related to tumor size (P < 0.001), Lauren classification (P = 0.009), clinical staging (P = 0.001), and distant metastasis (P = 0.002). Fascin-1 expression was positively correlated with cadherin-17 expression in GC tissues (r = 0.828, P < 0.01). Patients with positive expression of both fascin-1 and cadherin-17 had lower survival rates than those with negative expression (all P < 0.01). Cox regression analysis showed that fascin-1 expression, cadherin-17 expression, tumor size, and differentiation were independent risk factors for GC (all P < 0.05). Fascin-1 and cadherin-17 are related to clinicopathologic features of GC and are independent adverse prognostic factors for GC.

Overexpression of caudal type homeobox transcription factor 2 inhibits the growth of the MGC-803 human gastric cancer cell line in vivo

Caudal type homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) is important in intestinal cell fate specification and multiple lines of evidence have substantiated that CDX2 is important in carcinogenesis of the digestive tract. The CDX2 regulatory network is intricate and remains to be fully elucidated in gastric cancer. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of CDX2 on the growth of the MGC-803 human gastric cancer cell line in vivo, and to elucidate the mechanism involved. The effects of the overexpression of CDX2 in xenograft tumors of MGC-803 cells was investigated in nude mice through the injection of CDX2 recombinant lentiviral vectors. The tumor size was measured using vernier callipers. The expression levels of CDX2, survivin, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cyclin D1, s-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) and c-Myc in the tumor cells were analyzed by western blotting and semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The apoptotic rates were determined using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. The overexpression of CDX2 was observed in the group subjected to the injection of CDX2 recombinant lentiviral vectors. CDX2 had an inhibitory effect on the MGC-803 human gastric cancer cell line and promoted tumor cell apoptosis in vivo. Furthermore, the overexpression of CDX2 upregulated the expression of Bax and downregulated the expression levels of survivin, Bcl-2, cyclin D1, Skp2 and c-Myc in the tumor tissues. These results indicated that CDX2 may serve as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer, and inhibits gastric cancer cell growth by suppressing the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway.

Identification of FDA-approved drugs targeting breast cancer stem cells along with biomarkers of sensitivity

Recently developed genomics-based tools are allowing repositioning of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs as cancer treatments, which were employed to identify drugs that target cancer stem cells (CSCs) of breast cancer. Gene expression datasets of CSCs from six studies were subjected to connectivity map to identify drugs that may ameliorate gene expression patterns unique to CSCs. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) was negatively connected with gene expression in CSCs. ATRA reduced mammosphere-forming ability of a subset of breast cancer cells, which correlated with induction of apoptosis, reduced expression of SOX2 but elevated expression of its antagonist CDX2. SOX2/CDX2 ratio had prognostic relevance in CSC-enriched breast cancers. K-ras mutant breast cancer cell line enriched for CSCs was resistant to ATRA, which was reversed by MAP kinase inhibitors. Thus, ATRA alone or in combination can be tested for efficacy using SOX2, CDX2, and K-ras mutation/MAPK activation status as biomarkers of response.

Utilization of CDX2 expression in diagnosing pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and predicting prognosis

CDX2, a master transcriptional regulator of intestinal cell differentiation and survival, has been used as a marker to indicate colorectal lineage in adenocarcinomas of unknown origin. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most common causes for adenocarcinomas of unknown origin, but CDX2 expression in pancreatic disease remains unclear. In this study, we systemically and extensively investigated the expression and role of CDX2 in PDAC. We reported that CDX2 expression is weak and heterogeneous is all normal pancreas and chronic pancreatitis. It is largely expressed in epithelial-lining cells of pancreatic ducts including main ducts, inter-lobular ducts, intra-lobular ducts, intercalated ducts and centroacinar cells, but not in acinar cells or islet cells. CDX2 expression is down regulated during the transformation process from PanIN to PDAC. Only one third of PDACs retain some degree of CDX2 expression, and this group of PDACs have reduced median survival time compared to that of CDX2 negative group (308 days vs. 586 days, p = 0.0065). Metastatic PDACs remain similar expression pattern to that of the primary sites. Our study clearly demonstrates CDX2 expression in pancreatic diseases including PDAC, which is practically important when CDX2 is used to establish the primary sites of adenocarcinomas of unknown origin. In addition, our study also provides CDX2 as a prognostic marker for PDAC and implicates an important role of CDX2 in the development of normal pancreas and PDAC.

Dynamic DNA methylation across diverse human cell lines and tissues

As studies of DNA methylation increase in scope, it has become evident that methylation has a complex relationship with gene expression, plays an important role in defining cell types, and is disrupted in many diseases. We describe large-scale single-base resolution DNA methylation profiling on a diverse collection of 82 human cell lines and tissues using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS). Analysis integrating RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data illuminates the functional role of this dynamic mark. Loci that are hypermethylated across cancer types are enriched for sites bound by NANOG in embryonic stem cells, which supports and expands the model of a stem/progenitor cell signature in cancer. CpGs that are hypomethylated across cancer types are concentrated in megabase-scale domains that occur near the telomeres and centromeres of chromosomes, are depleted of genes, and are enriched for cancer-specific EZH2 binding and H3K27me3 (repressive chromatin). In noncancer samples, there are cell-type specific methylation signatures preserved in primary cell lines and tissues as well as methylation differences induced by cell culture. The relationship between methylation and expression is context-dependent, and we find that CpG-rich enhancers bound by EP300 in the bodies of expressed genes are unmethylated despite the dense gene-body methylation surrounding them. Non-CpG cytosine methylation occurs in human somatic tissue, is particularly prevalent in brain tissue, and is reproducible across many individuals. This study provides an atlas of DNA methylation across diverse and well-characterized samples and enables new discoveries about DNA methylation and its role in gene regulation and disease.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the CDH17 gene of colorectal carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the relationship between c.343A>G and c.2216A>C polymorphism sites in the CDH17 gene and colorectal carcinoma.

METHODS: Ninety-three non-consanguineous colorectal carcinoma patients admitted to the Department of Oncology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were included in this study. Ninety-three peripheral venous blood samples, of approximately one milliliter from each patient, were collected between December 2009 and August 2010. The genomic DNA of these peripheral venous blood samples were extracted and purified using a Fermentas Genomic DNA Purification Kit (Fermentas, CA) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the liver-intestine cadherin (CDH17) gene c.343A>G and c.2216A>C were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism method (PCR-SSCP) in 93 peripheral venous blood samples from patients suffering with colorectal carcinoma. Typical samples that showed different migration bands in SSCP were confirmed by sequencing. Directed DNA sequencing was used to check the correctness of the genotype results from the PCR-SSCP method.

RESULTS: There was a significant association between the c.2216 A>C SNPs of the CDH17 gene and the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) grade, as well as with lymph node status, in 93 peripheral venous blood samples from colorectal carcinoma patients. The genotype frequencies of A/C, A/A, and C/C were 12.90%, 33.33% and 53.76%, respectively. There was a significant correlation between lymph node metastasis, TNM grade, and the genotype distribution (P < 0.05). The C/C genotype raised the risk of lymph node metastasis and the TNM grade. There was a significant difference in the TNM grade and lymph node metastasis between the A/A and C/C genotypes (P = 0.003 and P = 0.013, respectively). Patients with colorectal carcinoma carrying the C allele tended to have a higher risk of lymph node metastasis and have a higher TNM grade. The difference between the TNM grades, as well as the lymph node metastasis of the two alleles, was statistically significant (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: The SNPs of the CDH17 gene c.2216 A>C might be clinically important in the prognosis of colorectal carcinoma.