Homeobox-A13 acts as a functional prognostic and diagnostic biomarker via regulating P53 and Wnt signaling pathways in lung cancer

Circ_0070934 Regulates the Proliferation, Metastasis, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Colorectal Cancer Cells by Targeting miR-203a-3p/HOXA13 Axis

The present work explored the functions of circ_0070934 in regulating malignant phenotype of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and its underlying mechanisms. Gene expression data set was acquired based on Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for examining circ_0070934 levels within CRC cells and tissues through quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test were adopted for assessing CRC patient prognosis based on circ_0070934 level. Functional assays including Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8, EdU incorporation, Transwell invasion, and scratch assays were conducted to determine CRC cell malignancy. Molecular interactions were predicted using circInteractome and StarBase databases, and validated through luciferase reporter assay. Circ_0070934 was upregulated within CRC cells and tissues, which was related to a dismal prognostic outcome in CRC patients. Knocking down circ_0070934 inhibited CRC cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and migration. Further, we identified miR-203a-3p as a target miRNA of circ_0070934, and miR-203a-3p negatively regulated Homeobox A13 (HOXA13) expression. miR-203a-3p/HOXA13 axis mediates the function of circ_0070934 in modulating CRC cell malignancy. These data revealed that circ_0070934 was important for maintaining the malignant phenotype of CRC cells, and circ_0070934 knockdown undermined CRC cell malignancy. Targeting circ_0070934/miR-203a-3p/HOXA13 axis is the promising intervention approach for managing CRC.

The HOX Gene Family's Role as Prognostic and Diagnostic Biomarkers in Hematological and Solid Tumors

The HOX gene family encodes for regulatory transcription factors that play a crucial role in embryogenesis and differentiation of adult cells. This highly conserved family of genes consists of thirty-nine genes in humans that are located in four clusters, A-D, on different chromosomes. While early studies on the HOX gene family have been focused on embryonic development and its related disorders, research has shifted to examine aberrant expression of HOX genes and the subsequent implication in cancer prediction and progression. Due to their role of encoding master regulatory transcription factors, the abnormal expression of HOX genes has been shown to affect all stages of tumorigenesis and metastasis. This review highlights the novel role of the HOX family's clinical relevance as both prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers in hematological and solid tumors.

Establishing patient-derived tumor organoids of bone metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma reveals the transcriptomic changes underlying denosumab treatment

Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDTOs) models have been widely used to investigate the response of primary cancer tissues to anti-cancer agents. Nonetheless, only few case study tried to establish PDTOs and test treatment response based on bone metastasis (BoM) tissues. Fresh BoM tissues were obtained from lung cancer (LC) patients who underwent spinal metastatic tumor surgery for PDTOs culture. Morphology of LC-BoM-PDTOs were characterized during the process: they were high-efficient in self-assembly and regeneration, forming mature 3D-multicellular structures in 2-3 weeks. To be more specific, organoids of BoM derived from patients with EGFR mutation tended to be follicular conglomeration and resembled "a bunch of grapes", while organoids of BoM derived from patients without driver gene mutation were featured with full sphere and "a ripe sunflower". PDTOs of BoM retained good consistencies of HE morphology and immunohistochemical markers expression with their parental BoM tissues. Down-regulation of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) expression in LC-BoM-PDTOs after in vitro DMAb intervention was associated with earlier clinical ossification efficacy of DMAb on BoM (median time: 5 vs. 8 months, P = 0.049). Accordingly, BoM-PDTOs can be expected to be a preferred model for predicting treatment response of bone metastatic tumors, considering its high-efficient expansion and good biological consistency with parental bone tumor tissues.

Ancestral TALE homeobox protein transcription factor regulates actin dynamics and cellular activities of protozoan parasite Entamoeba invadens

Entamoeba histolytica causes invasive amoebiasis, an important neglected tropical disease with a significant global health impact. The pathogenicity and survival of E. histolytica and its reptilian equivalent, Entamoeba invadens, relies on its ability to exhibit efficient motility, evade host immune responses, and exploit host resources, all of which are governed by the actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Our study demonstrates the early origin and the regulatory role of TALE homeobox protein EiHbox1 in actin-related cellular processes. Several genes involved in different biological pathways, including actin dynamics are differentially expressed in EiHbox1 silenced cells. EiHbox1 silenced parasites showed disrupted F-actin organization and loss of cellular polarity. EiHbox1's presence in the anterior region of migrating cells further suggests its involvement in maintaining cellular polarity. Loss of polarized morphology of EiHbox1 silenced parasites leads to altered motility from fast, directionally persistent, and highly chemotactic to slow, random, and less chemotactic, which subsequently leads to defective aggregation during encystation. EiHbox1 knockdown also resulted in a significant reduction in phagocytic capacity and poor capping response. These findings highlight the importance of EiHbox1 of E. invadens in governing cellular processes crucial for their survival, pathogenicity, and evasion of the host immune system.

Identification of N7-methylguanosine related signature for prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy prediction in lung adenocarcinoma

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most frequent causes of tumor-related mortality worldwide. Recently, the role of N7-methylguanosine (m7G) in tumors has begun to receive attention, but no investigation on the impact of m7G on LUAD. This study aims to elucidate the significance of m7G on the prognosis and immunotherapy in LUAD.

Methods

Consensus clustering was employed to determine the molecular subtype according to m7G-related regulators extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Survival, clinicopathological features and tumor mutational burden (TMB) analysis were applied to research molecular characteristics of each subtype. Subsequently, “limma” package was used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between subtypes. In the TCGA train cohort (n = 245), a prognostic signature was established by univariate Cox regression, lasso regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis according to DEGs and survival analysis was employed to assess the prognosis. Then the prognostic value of the signature was verified by TCGA test cohort (n = 245), TCGA entire cohort (n = 490) and GSE31210 cohort (n = 226). Moreover, the association among immune infiltration, clinical features and the signature was investigated. The immune checkpoints, TMB and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) were applied to predict the immunotherapy response.

Results

Two novel molecular subtypes (C1 and C2) of LUAD were identified. Compared to C2 subtype, C1 subtype had poorer prognosis and higher TMB. Subsequently, the signature (called the “m7G score”) was constructed according to four key genes (E2F7, FAM83A, PITX3, and HOXA13). The distribution of m7G score were significantly different between two molecular subtypes. The patients with lower m7G score had better prognosis in TCGA train cohort and three verification cohort. The m7G score was intensively related to immune infiltration. Compared with the lower score, the higher m7G score was related to remarkable upregulation of the PD-1 and PD-L1, the higher TMB and the lower TIDE score.

Conclusion

This study established a m7G-related signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy in LUAD, which may contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for LUAD.