Establishment and characterization of patient-derived primary cell lines as preclinical models for gallbladder carcinoma

Glycoproteomics of Gastrointestinal Cancers and Its Use in Clinical Diagnostics

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, resulting in substantial economic costs. Because cancer is a complex, heterogeneous group of diseases affecting a variety of cells, its detection may sometimes be difficult. Herein we review a large group of the gastrointestinal cancers (oral, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, liver, and bowel cancers) and the possibility of using glycans conjugated to protein backbones for less-invasive diagnoses than the commonly used endoscopic approaches. The reality of bacterial N-glycosylation and the effect of epithelial mucosa on gut microbiota are discussed. Current advantages, barriers, and advantages in the prospective use of selected glycomic approaches in clinical practice are also detailed.

Super-Enhancer Reprograming Driven by SOX9 and TCF7L2 Represents Transcription-Targeted Therapeutic Vulnerability for Treating Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a highly aggressive malignancy lacking clinically available targeted therapeutic agents. Super-enhancers (SEs) are crucial epigenetic cis-regulatory elements whose extensive reprogramming drives aberrant transcription in cancers. To study SE in GBC, the genomic distribution of H3K27ac is profiled in multiple GBC tissue and cell line samples to establish the SE landscape and its associated core regulatory circuitry (CRC). The biliary lineage factor SOX9 and Wnt pathway effector TCF7L2, two master transcription factor (TF) candidates identified by CRC analysis, are verified to co-occupy each other's SE region, forming a mutually autoregulatory loop to drive oncogenic SE reprogramming in a subset of GBC. The SOX9/TCF7L2 double-high GBC cells are highly dependent on the two TFs and enriched of SE-associated gene signatures related to stemness, ErbB and Wnt pathways. Patients with more such GBC cells exhibited significantly worse prognosis. Furthermore, SOX9/TCF7L2 double-high GBC preclinical models are found to be susceptible to SE-targeted CDK7 inhibition therapy in vitro and in vivo. Together, this study provides novel insights into the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the oncogenesis of a subset of GBCs with poorer prognosis and illustrates promising prognostic stratification and therapeutic strategies for treating those GBC patients in future clinical trials.

Genomic and transcriptomic characteristics of 12 novel primary cell lines derived from three patients with cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive bile duct malignancy with poor prognosis. To improve our understanding of the biological characteristics of CCA and develop effective therapies, appropriate preclinical models are required. Here, we established and characterized 12 novel patient-derived primary cancer cell (PDPC) models using multi-region sampling. At the genomic level of PDPCs, we observed not only commonly mutated genes, such as TP53, JAK3, and KMT2C, consistent with the reports in CCA, but also specific mutation patterns in each cell line. In addition, specific expression patterns with distinct biological functions and pathways involved were also observed in the PDPCs at the transcriptomic level. Furthermore, the drug-sensitivity results revealed that the PDPCs exhibited different responses to the six commonly used compounds. Our findings indicate that the established PDPCs can serve as novel in vitro reliable models to provide a crucial molecular basis for improving the understanding of tumorigenesis and its treatment.

Globo H ceramide is an independent prognostic marker for gallbladder cancer

In recent studies, there has been growing interest in developing cancer therapeutics targeting Globo H ceramide, which is considered as the most prevalent tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen in epithelial cancers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the expression of Globo H and investigate its prognostic significance in gallbladder cancer (GBC). The tumor specimens and clinical characteristics of GBC patients were collected from the tumor bank and database of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Globo H in tumor specimens was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and mass spectrometry analysis. Through data mining, it was discovered that FUT1 and FUT2, which are key enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of Globo H, were significantly up-regulated in human gallbladder cancer (GBC). Consistent with this finding, Globo H expression was detected in 86% (128 out of 149) of GBC specimens using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. This was the highest frequency among Globo H expressing cancers. Patients with tumors exhibiting higher Globo H expression (H-score ≥ 80) demonstrated significantly shorter disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0004, respectively). In a multivariable Cox regression analysis, elevated Globo H expression was identified as an independent unfavorable predictor for DFS and OS (hazard ratio: 2.29 and 2.32, respectively, P = 0.008 and 0.001) in primary GBC. Globo H is an independent prognostic marker for GBC.

Antigallbladder Carcinoma Activity Analysis of a New Nanometer Drug Delivery System Based on Data Acquisition

In order to solve the problem of the application of data acquisition in the new nanometer drug delivery system of microscope, a research of antigallbladder carcinoma activity analysis was proposed. Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is a common malignant tumor in biliary tract diseases. Due to the lack of specific clinical manifestations in the early stage, GBC has the shortcomings of the hidden onset, the difficult diagnosis, and the high misdiagnosis rate. GBC ranks in the top position among the most common tumors of the digestive system worldwide. The preoperative diagnosis rate is low, and the incidence of accidental gallbladder carcinoma is gradually increasing. Domestic gallbladder carcinoma related to cholecystectomy is not sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Surgical resection is still the only effective method for the treatment of accidental gallbladder carcinoma.