ANO1 Expression Orchestrates p27Kip1/MCL1-Mediated Signaling in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

MiR-671-5p sponging activity of circMMP1 promotes esophageal squamous cancer progression

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to explore the function and mechanism of circular RNA (circRNA) matrix metallopeptidase 1 (circMMP1) in the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

METHODS

CircMMP1 expression was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and its relationship with the prognosis of ESCC patients was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Cells were transfected using corresponding plasmids, and the cell proliferation activity, migration and invasion capabilities in vitro were assessed. The protein level in tissues and cells was analyzed using western blotting. RNA pulldown, dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay were performed in ESCC cells to detect the interaction between circMMP1 and miR-671-5p, or the correlation between miR-671-5p and ANO1. Xenograft tumor experiment was carried out to uncover the function of circMMP1 in vivo.

RESULTS

The high level of circMMP1 in tumor tissues was associated with poor prognoses of ESCC patients. Knockdown of circMMP1 suppressed ESCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. MiR-671-5p was the target of circMMP1 and mediated the inhibition effect of circMMP1 on ESCC cells. CircMMP1 targeted miR-671-5p to regulate ANO1 expression, which was downstream of miR-671-5p. Overexpression of ANO1 weakened tumor-repressive function of circMMP1 knockdown in ESCC cells. Moreover, silencing of circMMP1 impeded ESCC tumor growth in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Our study provided novel evidence that circMMP1 accelerated ESCC progression by acting as a miR-671-5p sponge to enhance ANO1 expression.

Global impact of somatic structural variation on the cancer proteome

Both proteome and transcriptome data can help assess the relevance of non-coding somatic mutations in cancer. Here, we combine mass spectrometry-based proteomics data with whole genome sequencing data across 1307 human tumors spanning various tissues to determine the extent somatic structural variant (SV) breakpoint patterns impact protein expression of nearby genes. We find that about 25% of the hundreds of genes with SV-associated cis-regulatory alterations at the mRNA level are similarly associated at the protein level. SVs associated with enhancer hijacking, retrotransposon translocation, altered DNA methylation, or fusion transcripts are implicated in protein over-expression. SVs combined with altered protein levels considerably extend the numbers of patients with tumors somatically altered for critical pathways. We catalog both SV breakpoint patterns involving patient survival and genes with nearby SV breakpoints associated with increased cell dependency in cancer cell lines. Pan-cancer proteogenomics identifies targetable non-coding alterations, by virtue of the associated deregulated genes.

ANO1: More Than Just Calcium-Activated Chloride Channel in Cancer

ANO1, a calcium-activated chloride channel (CACC), is also known as transmembrane protein 16A (TMEM16A). It plays a vital role in the occurrence, development, metastasis, proliferation, and apoptosis of various malignant tumors. This article reviews the mechanism of ANO1 involved in the replication, proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of various malignant tumors. Various molecules and Stimuli control the expression of ANO1, and the regulatory mechanism of ANO1 is different in tumor cells. To explore the mechanism of ANO1 overexpression and activation of tumor cells by studying the different effects of ANO1. Current studies have shown that ANO1 expression is controlled by 11q13 gene amplification and may also exert cell-specific effects through its interconnected protein network, phosphorylation of different kinases, and signaling pathways. At the same time, ANO1 also resists tumor apoptosis and promotes tumor immune escape. ANO1 can be used as a promising biomarker for detecting certain malignant tumors. Further studies on the channels and the mechanism of protein activity of ANO1 are needed. Finally, the latest inhibitors of ANO1 are summarized, which provides the research direction for the tumor-promoting mechanism of ANO1.

Role of ANO1 in tumors and tumor immunity

Dysregulation of gene amplification, cell-signaling-pathway transduction, epigenetic and transcriptional regulation, and protein interactions drives tumor-cell proliferation and invasion, while ion channels also play an important role in the generation and development of tumor cells. Overexpression of Ca²⁺-activated Cl- channel anoctamin 1 (ANO1) is shown in numerous cancer types and correlates with poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms involved in ANO1-mediated malignant cellular transformation and the role of ANO1 in tumor immunity remain unknown. In this review, we discuss recent studies to determine the role of ANO1 in tumorigenesis and provide novel insights into the role of ANO1 in the context of tumor immunity. Furthermore, we analyze the roles and potential mechanisms of ANO1 in different types of cancers, and provide novel notions for the role of ANO1 in the tumor microenvironment and for potential use of ANO1 in clinical applications. Our review shows that ANO1 is involved in tumor immunity and microenvironment, and may, therefore, be an effective biomarker and therapeutic drug target.

Investigation of an FGFR-Signaling-Related Prognostic Model and Immune Landscape in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: There is accumulating evidence on the clinical importance of the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signal, hypoxia, and glycolysis in the immune microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), yet reliable prognostic signatures based on the combination of the fibrosis signal, hypoxia, and glycolysis have not been systematically investigated. Herein, we are committed to establish a fibrosis–hypoxia–glycolysis–related prediction model for the prognosis and related immune infiltration of HNSCC.

Methods: Fibrotic signal status was estimated with microarray data of a discovery cohort from the TCGA database using the UMAP algorithm. Hypoxia, glycolysis, and immune-cell infiltration scores were imputed using the ssGSEA algorithm. Cox regression with the LASSO method was applied to define prognostic genes and develop a fibrosis–hypoxia–glycolysis–related gene signature. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to identify the expression of specific genes in the prognostic model. Protein expression of several signature genes was evaluated in HPA. An independent cohort from the GEO database was used for external validation. Another scRNA-seq data set was used to clarify the related immune infiltration of HNSCC.

Results: Six genes, including AREG, THBS1, SEMA3C, ANO1, IGHG2, and EPHX3, were identified to construct a prognostic model for risk stratification, which was mostly validated in the independent cohort. Multivariate analysis revealed that risk score calculated by our prognostic model was identified as an independent adverse prognostic factor (p < .001). Activated B cells, immature B cells, activated CD4⁺ T cells, activated CD8⁺ T cells, effector memory CD8⁺ T cells, MDSCs, and mast cells were identified as key immune cells between high- and low-risk groups. IHC results showed that the expression of SEMA3C, IGHG2 were slightly higher in HNSCC tissue than normal head and neck squamous cell tissue. THBS1, ANO1, and EPHX3 were verified by IHC in HPA. By using single-cell analysis, FGFR-related genes and highly expressed DEGs in low-survival patients were more active in monocytes than in other immune cells.

Conclusion: A fibrosis–hypoxia–glycolysis–related prediction model provides risk estimation for better prognoses to patients diagnosed with HNSCC.

Heterogeneity analysis of the immune microenvironment in laryngeal carcinoma revealed potential prognostic biomarkers

Laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC) is the second most prevalent malignancy occurring in the head and neck with a high incidence and mortality rate. Immunotherapy has recently become an emerging treatment for cancer. It is therefore essential to explore the role of tumour immunity in laryngeal cancer. Our study first delineated and evaluated the comprehensive immune infiltration landscapes of the tumour microenvironment in LSCC. A hierarchical clustering method was applied to classify the LSCC samples into two groups (high- and low-infiltration groups). We found that individuals with low immune infiltration characteristics had significantly better survival than those in the high-infiltration group, possibly because of the elevated infiltration of immune suppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), in the high-infiltration group. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between two groups were involved in some immune-related terms, such as antigen processing and presentation. A univariate Cox analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis were performed to identify an immune gene-set-based prognostic signature (IBPS) to assess the risk of LSCC. The prognostic model comprising six IBPSs was successfully verified to be robust in different cohorts. The expression of the six IBPSs was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 110 cases of LSCC. In addition, different inflammatory profiles and immune checkpoint landscape of LSCC were found between two groups. Hence, our model could serve as a candidate immunotherapeutic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for laryngeal cancer.