Systematic analyses and comprehensive field synopsis of genetic association studies in hepatocellular carcinoma

Heparan sulfate chains in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) corresponds to the vast majority of liver cancer cases, with one of the highest mortality rates. Major advances have been made in this field both in the characterization of the molecular pathogenesis and in the development of systemic therapies. Despite these achievements, biomarkers and more efficient treatments are still needed to improve its management. Heparan sulfate (HS) chains are polysaccharides that are present at the cell surface or in the extracellular matrix that are able to bind various types of molecules, such as soluble factors, affecting their availability and thus their effects, or to contribute to interactions that position cells in their environments. Enzymes can modify HS chains after their synthesis, thus changing their properties. Numerous studies have shown HS-related proteins to be key actors that are associated with cellular effects, such as tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis, including in the context of liver carcinogenesis. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the biology of HS chains and their potential importance in HCC, from biological considerations to clinical development, and the identification of biomarkers, as well as therapeutic perspectives.

Research on the effects of rs1800566 C/T polymorphism of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 gene on cancer risk involves analysis of 43,736 cancer cases and 56,173 controls

Objective

A two-electron reductase known as NQO1 [NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1] is regarded as an excellent anticancer target. Studies have found that rs1800566 polymorphism of NQO1 is linked to different cancers, but their associations remain controversial.

Methods

In the present work, we selected to do a comprehensive meta-analysis to analyze their correlation. We performed searches on PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Chinese database, and Web of Science. The results we obtained covered all publications before April 3, 2022.

Results

There were 176 case-control studies among them, with 56,173 corresponding controls and 43,736 cancer cases. We determined that the NQO1 rs1800566 polymorphism was not related to the cancer risk by calculating 95% confidence intervals and odds ratios. However, stratified genotyping showed that this polymorphism was protective against hepatocellular carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and gastric cancer. In addition, on dividing cancer into six systems, the association with gastrointestinal cancer decreased. In the race-based subgroup, a decreasing trend was observed in Asians, while an increasing trend was found among Caucasians, Africans, and mixed populations. The decreased correlation in the hospital-based subgroup was also detected.

Conclusion

Current study shows that rs1800566 polymorphism of NQO1 was linked to cancer susceptibility and maybe as a tumor marker in their development.

Genetic Predisposition to Hepatocarcinogenesis in Inbred and Outbred Mouse Lines Selected for High or Low Inflammatory Response

AIRmax and AIRmin mouse strains phenotypically selected for high and low acute inflammatory responsiveness (AIR) are, respectively, susceptible or resistant to developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) induced by the chemical carcinogens urethane and diethylnitrosamine (DEN). Early production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the liver after DEN treatment correlated with tumor development in AIRmax mice. Transcriptome analysis of livers from untreated AIRmax and AIRmin mice showed specific gene expression profiles in each line, which might play a role in their differential susceptibility to HCC. Linkage analysis with SNP markers in F2 (AIRmax×AIRmin) intercross mice revealed two quantitative trait loci (QTL) in chromosomes 2 and 9, which are significantly associated with the number and progression of urethane-induced liver tumors. An independent linkage analysis with an intercross population from A/J and C57BL/6J inbred mice mapped regions in chromosomes 1 and 7 associated with the progression of urethane-induced liver tumors, evidencing the heterogeneity of HCC genetic control.

Genetic susceptibility of eight nonsynonymous polymorphisms in HLA-DRB1 gene to hepatocellular carcinoma in Han Chinese

Backgrounds and Objective

Mounting evidence suggests that human leukocyte antigen (HLA) plays a central role in anti-virus and tumor defense. To test whether genetic variation in HLA-DRB1 gene, a key component of HLA system, can predict its predisposition to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we thereby conducted an association study by genotyping 8 nonsynonymous polymorphisms in HLA-DRB1 gene among 257 HCC patients and 264 controls.

Results

All polymorphisms respected the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The genotypes and alleles of rs17879599 differed significantly between patients and controls after Bonferroni correction (both P < 0.001), and the power to detect this significance was 94.4%. After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, drinking and hepatitis infection, the mutant allele of rs17879702 was significantly associated with an increased risk for HCC under additive (odds ratio [OR] = 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-4.02, P = 0.004) and dominant (OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.39–2.96, P = 0.004) models. Haplotype analysis indicated that haplotype A-T-C-T-G-C-T-A (alleles ordered by rs199514452, rs201540428, rs201614260, rs17879702, rs17880292, rs17879599, rs17424145 and rs35445101) was overrepresented in patients and enhanced predisposition to HCC (adjusted OR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.24–5.78, P = 0.004). In cumulative analysis, carriers of 7–9 unfavorable alleles had a 2.41-fold (95% CI: 1.18–4.92, P = 0.016) increased risk for HCC after adjusting for confounding factors relative to those possessing 4 or less unfavorable alleles.

Materials and Methods

Genotypes were determined by ligase detection reaction. HCC patients were newly diagnosed, histopathologically confirmed or previously untreated and controls were cancer-free.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest an independent leading contribution of rs17879599 in the 2nd exon of HLA-DRB1 gene to HCC risk in Han Chinese.

Expanding primary cells from mucoepidermoid and other salivary gland neoplasms for genetic and chemosensitivity testing

Restricted availability of cell and animal models is a rate-limiting step for investigation of salivary gland neoplasm pathophysiology and therapeutic response. Conditionally reprogrammed cell (CRC) technology enables establishment of primary epithelial cell cultures from patient material. This study tested a translational workflow for acquisition, expansion and testing of CRC-derived primary cultures of salivary gland neoplasms from patients presenting to an academic surgical practice. Results showed that cultured cells were sufficient for epithelial cell-specific transcriptome characterization to detect candidate therapeutic pathways and fusion genes, and for screening for cancer risk-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and driver gene mutations through exome sequencing. Focused study of primary cultures of a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma demonstrated amphiregulin-mechanistic target of rapamycin-protein kinase B (AKT; AKT1) pathway activation, identified through bioinformatics and subsequently confirmed as present in primary tissue and preserved through different secondary 2D and 3D culture media and xenografts. Candidate therapeutic testing showed that the allosteric AKT inhibitor MK2206 reproducibly inhibited cell survival across different culture formats. By contrast, the cells appeared resistant to the adenosine triphosphate competitive AKT inhibitor GSK690693. Procedures employed here illustrate an approach for reproducibly obtaining material for pathophysiological studies of salivary gland neoplasms, and other less common epithelial cancer types, that can be executed without compromising pathological examination of patient specimens. The approach permits combined genetic and cell-based physiological and therapeutic investigations in addition to more traditional pathologic studies, and can be used to build sustainable bio-banks for future inquiries.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.