NCAPG2 Is a Novel Prognostic Biomarker and Promotes Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance in Low-Grade Glioma

Mining and exploration of rehabilitation nursing targets for colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

There are often subtle early symptoms of colorectal cancer, a common malignancy of the intestinal tract. However, it is not yet clear how MYC and NCAPG2 are involved in colorectal cancer.

METHOD

We obtained colorectal cancer datasets GSE32323 and GSE113513 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). After downloading, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). We then undertook functional enrichment assay, gene set enrichment assay (GSEA) and immune infiltration assay. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and analysis were undertaken. Survival analysis and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) analysis were conducted. A gene expression heat map was generated. We used TargetScan to identify miRNAs that are regulators of DEGs.

RESULTS

1117 DEGs were identified. Their predominant enrichment in activities like the cellular phase of the cell cycle, in cell proliferation, in nuclear and cytoplasmic localisation and in binding to protein-containing complexes was revealed by Gene Ontology (GO). When the enrichment data from GSE32323 and GSE113513 colon cancer datasets were merged, the primary enriched DEGs were linked to the cell cycle, protein complex, cell cycle control, calcium signalling and P53 signalling pathways. In particular, MYC, MAD2L1, CENPF, UBE2C, NUF2 and NCAPG2 were identified as highly expressed in colorectal cancer samples. Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD) demonstrated that the core genes were implicated in the following processes: colorectal neoplasia, tumour cell transformation, inflammation and necrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

High MYC and NCAPG2 expression has been observed in colorectal cancer, and increased MYC and NCAPG2 expression correlates with worse prognosis.

Associations between the New DNA-Methylation-Based Telomere Length Estimator, the Mediterranean Diet and Genetics in a Spanish Population at High Cardiovascular Risk

Biological aging is a relevant risk factor for chronic diseases, and several indicators for measuring this factor have been proposed, with telomere length (TL) among the most studied. Oxidative stress may regulate telomere shortening, which is implicated in the increased risk. Using a novel estimator for TL, we examined whether adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), a highly antioxidant-rich dietary pattern, is associated with longer TL. We determined TL using DNA methylation algorithms (DNAmTL) in 414 subjects at high cardiovascular risk from Spain. Adherence to the MedDiet was assessed by a validated score, and genetic variants in candidate genes and at the genome-wide level were analyzed. We observed several significant associations (p < 0.05) between DNAmTL and candidate genes (TERT, TERF2, RTEL1, and DCAF4), contributing to the validity of DNAmTL as a biomarker in this population. Higher adherence to the MedDiet was associated with lower odds of having a shorter TL in the whole sample (OR = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.85-0.99; p = 0.049 after fully multivariate adjustment). Nevertheless, this association was stronger in women than in men. Likewise, in women, we observed a direct association between adherence to the MedDiet score and DNAmTL as a continuous variable (beta = 0.015; SE: 0.005; p = 0.003), indicating that a one-point increase in adherence was related to an average increase of 0.015 ± 0.005 kb in TL. Upon examination of specific dietary items within the global score, we found that fruits, fish, "sofrito", and whole grains exhibited the strongest associations in women. The novel score combining these items was significantly associated in the whole population. In the genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified ten polymorphisms at the suggestive level of significance (p < 1 × 10-5) for DNAmTL (intergenics, in the IQSEC1, NCAPG2, and ABI3BP genes) and detected some gene-MedDiet modulations on DNAmTL. As this is the first study analyzing the DNAmTL estimator, genetics, and modulation by the MedDiet, more studies are needed to confirm these findings.

NCAPG2 could be an immunological and prognostic biomarker: From pan-cancer analysis to pancreatic cancer validation

More recently, NCAPG2 has emerged as an intrinsically essential participant of the condensin II complex involved in the process of chromosome cohesion and stabilization in mitosis, and its position in particular tumours is now being highlighted. Simultaneously, the genetic properties of NCAPG2 hint that it might have enormous potential to interpret the malignant progression of tumors in a broader perspective, that is, in pan-cancer. Yet, at present, this recognition remains merely superficial and there is a lack of more detailed studies to explore the underlying pathogenesis. To meet this need, the current study was undertaken to comprehensively elucidate the potential functions of NCAPG2 in pan-cancer, based on a combination of existing databases like TCGA and GTEx. NCAPG2 was identified to be overexpressed in almost every tumor and to exhibit significant prognostic and diagnostic efficacy. Furthermore, the correlation between NCAPG2 and selected immune features, namely immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint genes, TMB, MSI, etc. also indicates that NCAPG2 could potentially be applied in guidance of immunotherapy. Subsequently, in pancreatic cancer, this study further clarified the utility of NCAPG2 that downregulation of its expression could result in reduced proliferation, invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells, among such phenotypical changes, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition disruption could be at least one of the possible mechanisms raising or enhancing tumorigenesis. Taken above, NCAPG2, as a member of pan-oncogenes, would serve as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target for a range of malignancies, sharing new insights into precision medicine.