Genetic variants of immunoglobulin γ and κ chains influence humoral immunity to the cancer-testis antigen XAGE-1b (GAGED2a) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

circIGHG-Induced Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Promotes Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression via miR-142-5p/IGF2BP3 Signaling

Circular RNAs (circRNA) are a new member of endogenously produced noncoding RNAs that have been characterized as key regulators of gene expression in a variety of malignances. However, the role of circRNA in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified unique circRNA that regulate OSCC progression and metastasis and pave roads for future research in early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of OSCC. Transcriptomic analyses identified a circRNA derived from IGHG locus (circIGHG) as significantly upregulated in OSCC and positively associated with poor prognosis of OSCC. circIGHG directly bound miR-142-5p and consequently elevated IGF2BP3 activity. Knockdown of circIGHG led to impaired expression of IGF2BP3 and attenuated aggressiveness of OSCC cells. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition was the main mechanism through which circIGHG/IGF2BP3 promotes metastasis of OSCC. Overall, these results demonstrate that circIGHG plays a pivotal role in OSCC development and metastasis and has potential to serve as a biomarker and therapeutic target for early-stage diagnosis and treatment of OSCC. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings broaden our insights regarding regulation of OSCC progression by circular RNA and serve as a reference for future clinical research in OSCC diagnosis and treatment.

Establishment of cancer/testis antigen profiling based on clinicopathological characteristics in resected pathological stage III non-small cell lung cancer

Background

Cancer/testis antigen (CTA) expression was found to be highly heterogeneous in previous studies. We aimed to establish a precision CTA profiling in resected stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and demonstrate the best CTA combination covering the widest range of NSCLC cases.

Materials and methods

The expression of 10 CTAs was evaluated in 200 resected stage III NSCLC tissue specimens at protein level. Hierarchical clustering and python programming language analyses was used to demonstrate CTA expression and coverage.

Results

The most commonly expressed CTAs for total cases were MAGEA1 (60.0%), MAGEA10 (50.0%), and KK-LC-1 (47.5%). CTA expression was histology dependent, and concurrent expression was common. The best 2, 3, and 4 CTA combination covered 72.0%, 76.5%, and 79.5% of total cases, respectively. Stratified analysis based on variable clinicopathological characteristics achieved the maximum coverage of 92.3% with only 2 CTA combination in patients with features of male sex, positive smoking history, and adenocarcinoma, compared with a 85.0% coverage when 10 CTAs were assessed. Selected CTA expression was correlated with prognosis based on subgroup analysis. No significant difference was found between CTA expression and epidermal growth factor receptor mutant status.

Conclusion

We established an individualized CTA profiling in resected stage III NSCLC based on 10 CTA expression. With the help of computer programming language, the goal of the maximum CTA expression coverage was reached by using the least CTA combination based on sex, smoking history, and histology. These results were significant for the further study of CTA-specific T-cell immunotherapy.

Antibody response to cancer/testis (CT) antigens: A prognostic marker in cancer patients

Immune responses to tumor antigens have been reported in cancer patients. However, the relevance of such spontaneous immune responses to the clinical course has not been studied extensively. We showed that the overall survival of patients with antibodies against NY-ESO-1 or XAGE1 (GAGED2a) antigen was prolonged in gastric or lung cancer patients, respectively.