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Šutić M, Dmitrović B, Jakovčević A, Džubur F, Oršolić N, Debeljak Ž, Försti A, Seiwerth S, Brčić L, Madzarac G, Samaržija M, Jakopović M, Knežević J. Transcriptomic Profiling for Prognostic Biomarkers in Early-Stage Squamous Cell Lung Cancer (SqCLC). Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:720. [PMID: 38398111 PMCID: PMC10887138 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16040720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Squamous cell lung carcinoma (SqCLC) is associated with high mortality and limited treatment options. Identification of therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers is still lacking. This research aims to analyze the transcriptomic profile of SqCLC samples and identify the key genes associated with tumorigenesis, overall survival (OS), and a profile of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Differential gene expression analysis, pathway enrichment analysis, and Gene Ontology analysis on RNA-seq data obtained from FFPE tumor samples (N = 23) and healthy tissues (N = 3) were performed (experimental cohort). Validation of the results was conducted on publicly available gene expression data using TCGA LUSC (N = 225) and GTEx healthy donors' cohorts (N = 288). We identified 1133 upregulated and 644 downregulated genes, common for both cohorts. The most prominent upregulated genes were involved in cell cycle and proliferation regulation pathways (MAGEA9B, MAGED4, KRT, MMT11/13), while downregulated genes predominately belonged to immune-related pathways (DEFA1B, DEFA1, DEFA3). Results of the survival analysis, conducted on the validation cohort and commonly deregulated genes, indicated that overexpression of HOXC4 (p < 0.001), LLGL1 (p = 0.0015), and SLC4A3 (p = 0.0034) is associated with worse OS in early-stage SqCLC patients. In contrast, overexpression of GSTZ1 (p = 0.0029) and LILRA5 (p = 0.0086) was protective, i.e., associated with better OS. By applying a single-sample gene-set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), we identified four distinct immune subtypes. Immune cell distribution suggests that the memory T cells (central and effector) and follicular helper T cells could serve as important stratification parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Šutić
- Laboratory for Advanced Genomics, Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Branko Dmitrović
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health Osijek, Clinical Medical Center Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia;
| | - Antonia Jakovčević
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (A.J.); (S.S.)
| | - Feđa Džubur
- Clinical Department for Respiratory Diseases Jordanovac, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (F.D.); (M.S.)
| | - Nada Oršolić
- Division of Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Željko Debeljak
- Clinical Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics, University Hospital Center Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia;
- Faculty of Medicine, J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Asta Försti
- Hopp Children’s Cancer Center (KiTZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sven Seiwerth
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (A.J.); (S.S.)
| | - Luka Brčić
- Diagnostic and Research Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria;
| | - Goran Madzarac
- Department for Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Miroslav Samaržija
- Clinical Department for Respiratory Diseases Jordanovac, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (F.D.); (M.S.)
| | - Marko Jakopović
- Clinical Department for Respiratory Diseases Jordanovac, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (F.D.); (M.S.)
| | - Jelena Knežević
- Laboratory for Advanced Genomics, Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruđer Bošković Institute, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
- Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
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2
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Zhao L, Lou W, Zhang Y, Han Y, Zhang W. Comprehensive analysis of HOX family genes in endometrial cancer. Transl Cancer Res 2023; 12:3728-3743. [PMID: 38192984 PMCID: PMC10774039 DOI: 10.21037/tcr-23-2146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Background Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies in the female population. Homeoboxes (HOXs) are a large family of transcription factors that have a variety of functions in biological processes (BPs), including developmental differentiation, and their dysregulated expression has been implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the involvement of HOXs in EC has received little attention. Thus, we aimed to identify the potential role of HOXs in EC from a multi-omics perspective through bioinformatics analysis. Methods We obtained transcriptome, mutation, and methylation data and the corresponding clinical data for normal and tumor tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Abnormal expression of HOXs in EC was identified via differential analysis, and the diagnostic value of HOXs in EC was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were employed to evaluate the predictive efficacy of HOXs in EC. Methylation and mutation analyses revealed epigenetic and genetic sequence alterations in HOXs. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was used to explore the altered immune microenvironment in EC. Moreover, the gene activity and pathway enrichment of downstream key HOX genes were revealed through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis in EC. Results HOXs were found to be linked to the growth of EC and potentially playing a role in establishing the tumor immune microenvironment in patients with EC. HOXB9 was found to be a vital prognostic molecule in patients with EC and is expected to contribute to a novel treatment approach. Conclusions We used bioinformatics techniques to clarify the potential role of HOXs from a multi-omics perspective, and our findings provide a foundation for future investigations into the molecular mechanisms of HOXs in EC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Weiming Lou
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yize Zhang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yalan Han
- Library of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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Halasz L, Divoux A, Sandor K, Erdos E, Daniel B, Smith SR, Osborne TF. An Atlas of Promoter Chromatin Modifications and HiChIP Regulatory Interactions in Human Subcutaneous Adipose-Derived Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:437. [PMID: 38203607 PMCID: PMC10778978 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The genome of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) from abdominal and gluteofemoral adipose tissue depots are maintained in depot-specific stable epigenetic conformations that influence cell-autonomous gene expression patterns and drive unique depot-specific functions. The traditional approach to explore tissue-specific transcriptional regulation has been to correlate differential gene expression to the nearest-neighbor linear-distance regulatory region defined by associated chromatin features including open chromatin status, histone modifications, and DNA methylation. This has provided important information; nonetheless, the approach is limited because of the known organization of eukaryotic chromatin into a topologically constrained three-dimensional network. This network positions distal regulatory elements in spatial proximity with gene promoters which are not predictable based on linear genomic distance. In this work, we capture long-range chromatin interactions using HiChIP to identify remote genomic regions that influence the differential regulation of depot-specific genes in ADSCs isolated from different adipose depots. By integrating these data with RNA-seq results and histone modifications identified by ChIP-seq, we uncovered distal regulatory elements that influence depot-specific gene expression in ADSCs. Interestingly, a subset of the HiChIP-defined chromatin loops also provide previously unknown connections between waist-to-hip ratio GWAS variants with genes that are known to significantly influence ADSC differentiation and adipocyte function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laszlo Halasz
- Division of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, Departments of Medicine, Biological Chemistry and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA (T.F.O.)
| | - Adeline Divoux
- Translational Research Institute, AdventHealth, Orlando, FL 32804, USA;
| | - Katalin Sandor
- Division of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, Departments of Medicine, Biological Chemistry and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA (T.F.O.)
| | - Edina Erdos
- Division of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, Departments of Medicine, Biological Chemistry and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA (T.F.O.)
| | - Bence Daniel
- Division of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, Departments of Medicine, Biological Chemistry and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA (T.F.O.)
| | - Steven R. Smith
- Translational Research Institute, AdventHealth, Orlando, FL 32804, USA;
| | - Timothy F. Osborne
- Division of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism, Departments of Medicine, Biological Chemistry and Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA (T.F.O.)
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Li Y, Xiao P, Boadu F, Goldkamp AK, Nirgude S, Cheng J, Hagen DE, Kalish JM, Rivera RM. The counterpart congenital overgrowth syndromes Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome in human and large offspring syndrome in bovine involve alterations in DNA methylation, transcription, and chromatin configuration. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.14.23299981. [PMID: 38168424 PMCID: PMC10760283 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.14.23299981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS, OMIM #130650) is a congenital epigenetic disorder in humans which affects approximately 1 in 10,340 children. The incidence is likely an underestimation as the condition is usually recognized based on observable phenotypes at birth. BWS children have up to a 28% risk of developing tumors and currently, only 80% of patients can be corroborated molecularly (epimutations/variants). It is unknown how the subtypes of this condition are molecularly similar/dissimilar globally, therefore there is a need to deeply characterize the syndrome at the molecular level. Here we characterize the methylome, transcriptome and chromatin configuration of 18 BWS individuals together with the animal model of the condition, the bovine large offspring syndrome (LOS). Sex specific comparisons are performed for a subset of the BWS patients and LOS. Given that this epigenetic overgrowth syndrome has been characterized as a loss-of-imprinting condition, parental allele-specific comparisons were performed using the bovine animal model. In general, the differentially methylated regions (DMRs) detected in BWS and LOS showed significant enrichment for CTCF binding sites. Altered chromosome compartments in BWS and LOS were positively correlated with gene expression changes, and the promoters of differentially expressed genes showed significant enrichment for DMRs, differential topologically associating domains, and differential A/B compartments in some comparisons of BWS subtypes and LOS. We show shared regions of dysregulation between BWS and LOS, including several HOX gene clusters, and also demonstrate that altered DNA methylation differs between the clinically epigenetically identified BWS patients and those identified as having DNA variants (i.e. CDKN1C microdeletion). Lastly, we highlight additional genes and genomic regions that have the potential to serve as targets for biomarker development to improve current molecular methodologies. In summary, our results suggest that genome-wide alternation of chromosome architecture, which is partially caused by DNA methylation changes, also contribute to the development of BWS and LOS.
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Drzymalla E, Crider KS, Wang A, Marta G, Khoury MJ, Rasooly D. Epigenome-wide association studies of prenatal maternal mental health and infant epigenetic profiles: a systematic review. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:377. [PMID: 38062042 PMCID: PMC10703876 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal stress and poor maternal mental health are associated with adverse offspring outcomes; however, the biological mechanisms are unknown. Epigenetic modification has linked maternal health with offspring development. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have examined offspring DNA methylation profiles for association with prenatal maternal mental health to elucidate mechanisms of these complex relationships. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive, systematic review of EWASs of infant epigenetic profiles and prenatal maternal anxiety, depression, or depression treatment. We conducted a systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines for EWAS studies between prenatal maternal mental health and infant epigenetics through May 22, 2023. Of 645 identified articles, 20 fulfilled inclusion criteria. We assessed replication of CpG sites among studies, conducted gene enrichment analysis, and evaluated the articles for quality and risk of bias. We found one repeated CpG site among the maternal depression studies; however, nine pairs of overlapping differentially methylatd regions were reported in at least two maternal depression studies. Gene enrichment analysis found significant pathways for maternal depression but not for any other maternal mental health category. We found evidence that these EWAS present a medium to high risk of bias. Exposure to prenatal maternal depression and anxiety or treatment for such was not consistently associated with epigenetic changes in infants in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Small sample size, potential bias due to exposure misclassification and statistical challenges are critical to address in future efforts to explore epigenetic modification as a potential mechanism by which prenatal exposure to maternal mental health disorders leads to adverse infant outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Drzymalla
- Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Krista S Crider
- Infant Outcomes Research and Prevention Branch, Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Arick Wang
- Infant Outcomes Research and Prevention Branch, Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Muin J Khoury
- Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Danielle Rasooly
- Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Hu X, Wang Y, Zhang X, Li C, Zhang X, Yang D, Liu Y, Li L. DNA methylation of HOX genes and its clinical implications in cancer. Exp Mol Pathol 2023; 134:104871. [PMID: 37696326 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2023.104871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Homeobox (HOX) genes encode highly conserved transcription factors that play vital roles in embryonic development. DNA methylation is a pivotal regulatory epigenetic signaling mark responsible for regulating gene expression. Abnormal DNA methylation is largely associated with the aberrant expression of HOX genes, which is implicated in a broad range of human diseases, including cancer. Numerous studies have clarified the mechanisms of DNA methylation in both physiological and pathological processes. In this review, we focus on how DNA methylation regulates HOX genes and briefly discuss drug development approaches targeting these mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Hu
- Department of Immunology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, Shandong, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Shandong Xinchuang Biotechnology Co., LTD, Jinan 250102, Shandong, China; Laboratory of Precision Medicine, Zhangqiu District People's Hospital of Jinan, Jinan 250200, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Department of Immunology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, Shandong, China
| | - Chensheng Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, Shandong, China
| | - Xikun Zhang
- Department of Minimally Invasive Interventional, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250031, Shandong, China
| | - Dongxia Yang
- Shandong Xinchuang Biotechnology Co., LTD, Jinan 250102, Shandong, China
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- Shandong Xinchuang Biotechnology Co., LTD, Jinan 250102, Shandong, China
| | - Lianlian Li
- Department of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, Shandong, China; Department of Immunology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250117, Shandong, China.
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7
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Li T, Patel KB, Yu X, Yao S, Wang L, Chung CH, Wang X. Unveiling targeted cell-free DNA methylation regions through paired methylome analysis of tumor and normal tissues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.27.546654. [PMID: 37425680 PMCID: PMC10327111 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.27.546654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Liquid biopsy analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has revolutionized cancer research by enabling non-invasive assessment of tumor-derived genetic and epigenetic changes. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive paired-sample differential methylation analysis (psDMR) on reprocessed methylation data from two large datasets, CPTAC and TCGA, to identify and validate differentially methylated regions (DMRs) as potential cfDNA biomarkers for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC). Our hypothesis is that the paired sample test provides a more suitable and powerful approach for the analysis of heterogeneous cancers like HNSC. The psDMR analysis revealed a significant number of overlapped hypermethylated DMRs between two datasets, indicating the reliability and relevance of these regions for cfDNA methylation biomarker discovery. We identified several candidate genes, including CALCA, ALX4, and HOXD9, which have been previously established as liquid biopsy methylation biomarkers in various cancer types. Furthermore, we demonstrated the efficacy of targeted region analysis using cfDNA methylation data from oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, further validating the utility of psDMR analysis in prioritizing cfDNA methylation biomarkers. Overall, our study contributes to the development of cfDNA-based approaches for early cancer detection and monitoring, expanding our understanding of the epigenetic landscape of HNSC, and providing valuable insights for liquid biopsy biomarker discovery not only in HNSC and other cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingyi Li
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
| | - Krupal B Patel
- Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Yu
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
| | - Sijie Yao
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
| | - Liang Wang
- Department of Tumor Biology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
| | - Christine H Chung
- Department of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
| | - Xuefeng Wang
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
- Moffitt Cancer Center Immuno-Oncology Program, Tampa, Florida, 33612, USA
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8
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Ajuyah P, Mayoh C, Lau LMS, Barahona P, Wong M, Chambers H, Valdes-Mora F, Senapati A, Gifford AJ, D'Arcy C, Hansford JR, Manoharan N, Nicholls W, Williams MM, Wood PJ, Cowley MJ, Tyrrell V, Haber M, Ekert PG, Ziegler DS, Khuong-Quang DA. Histone H3-wild type diffuse midline gliomas with H3K27me3 loss are a distinct entity with exclusive EGFR or ACVR1 mutation and differential methylation of homeobox genes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3775. [PMID: 36882456 PMCID: PMC9992705 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30395-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Diffuse midline gliomas (DMG) harbouring H3K27M mutation are paediatric tumours with a dismal outcome. Recently, a new subtype of midline gliomas has been described with similar features to DMG, including loss of H3K27 trimethylation, but lacking the canonical H3K27M mutation (H3-WT). Here, we report a cohort of five H3-WT tumours profiled by whole-genome sequencing, RNA sequencing and DNA methylation profiling and combine their analysis with previously published cases. We show that these tumours have recurrent and mutually exclusive mutations in either ACVR1 or EGFR and are characterised by high expression of EZHIP associated to its promoter hypomethylation. Affected patients share a similar poor prognosis as patients with H3K27M DMG. Global molecular analysis of H3-WT and H3K27M DMG reveal distinct transcriptome and methylome profiles including differential methylation of homeobox genes involved in development and cellular differentiation. Patients have distinct clinical features, with a trend demonstrating ACVR1 mutations occurring in H3-WT tumours at an older age. This in-depth exploration of H3-WT tumours further characterises this novel DMG, H3K27-altered sub-group, characterised by a specific immunohistochemistry profile with H3K27me3 loss, wild-type H3K27M and positive EZHIP. It also gives new insights into the possible mechanism and pathway regulation in these tumours, potentially opening new therapeutic avenues for these tumours which have no known effective treatment. This study has been retrospectively registered on clinicaltrial.gov on 8 November 2017 under the registration number NCT03336931 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03336931 ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Ajuyah
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Chelsea Mayoh
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Loretta M S Lau
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Paulette Barahona
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Marie Wong
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Hazel Chambers
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Fatima Valdes-Mora
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Akanksha Senapati
- Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Andrew J Gifford
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,Anatomical Pathology, NSW Health Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - Colleen D'Arcy
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jordan R Hansford
- Children's Cancer Centre, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Michael Rice Cancer Centre, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,South Australia Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,South Australia Immunogenomics Cancer Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Neevika Manoharan
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia
| | - Wayne Nicholls
- Oncology Service, Children's Health Queensland Hospital & Health Service, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Molly M Williams
- Children's Cancer Centre, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Paul J Wood
- Department of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Mark J Cowley
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Vanessa Tyrrell
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Michelle Haber
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul G Ekert
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, Australia.,Cancer Immunology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,The Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - David S Ziegler
- Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Children's Cancer Institute, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia. .,School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia. .,University of New South Wales Centre for Childhood Cancer Research, UNSW, Kensington, NSW, Australia. .,Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's Hospital, High Street, Randwick, NSW, 2031, Australia.
| | - Dong-Anh Khuong-Quang
- Children's Cancer Centre, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia. .,Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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9
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HOXA5: A crucial transcriptional factor in cancer and a potential therapeutic target. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 155:113800. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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10
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Wang L, Qiao C, Cao L, Cai S, Ma X, Song X, Jiang Q, Huang C, Wang J. Significance of HOXD transcription factors family in progression, migration and angiogenesis of cancer. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2022; 179:103809. [PMID: 36108961 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The transcription factors (TFs) of the HOX family play significant roles during early embryonic development and cellular processes. They also play a key role in tumorigenesis as tumor oncogenes or suppressors. Furthermore, TFs of the HOXD geFIne cluster affect proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumors. Consequently, dysregulated activity of HOXD TFs has been linked to clinicopathological characteristics of cancer. HOXD TFs are regulated by non-coding RNAs and methylation of DNA on promoter and enhancer regions. In addition, HOXD genes modulate the biological function of cancer cells via the MEK and AKT signaling pathways, thus, making HOXD TFs, a suitable molecular marker for cancer prognosis and therapy. In this review, we summarized the roles of HOXD TFs in different cancers and highlighted its potential as a diagnostic and therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lumin Wang
- Gastroenterology department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China; Institute of precision medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Chenyang Qiao
- Gastroenterology department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China
| | - Li Cao
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR China
| | - Shuang Cai
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR China
| | - Xiaoping Ma
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR China
| | - Xinqiu Song
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Medical College of Yan'an University, Yan'an, Shaanxi, PR China
| | - Qiuyu Jiang
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR China
| | - Chen Huang
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, PR China.
| | - Jinhai Wang
- Gastroenterology department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China; Institute of precision medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, PR China.
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11
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Li J, Li P, Li J, Yang H, Liu G, Shen P, Jiang G. Effects of the Methylation Levels for the Breast Cancer Associated Genes BCSG1 and BRCA1 on Cellular Proliferation and Migration. Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2022; 26:422-429. [PMID: 36166741 DOI: 10.1089/gtmb.2021.0304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the methylation patterns of the breast cancer-specific gene 1 (BCSG1) and the breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) can be used as biomarkers for predicting the occurrence and development of breast cancer. Methods: Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the methylation status of the BCSG1 and BRCA1 genes in ductal infiltrating carcinomas of the breast; carcinoma in situ of the breast; fibroadenoma of the breast and adjacent normal tissues. Quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of BCSG1 and BRCA1. The BCSG1 and BRCA1 genes were knocked down by siRNA to study their effect of BCSG1 and BRCA1 on the behaviour of breast cancer cell lines. Results: The BCSG1 gene was hypomethylated in breast cancer tissues, and its mRNA as well as its protein levels showed elevated expression compared to normal adjacent tissues. In contrast, the BRCA1 gene was hypermethylated in breast cancer tissues and showed correspondingly decreased mRNA and protein expression levels. In vitro experiments demonstrated that BCSG1 could promote the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. After inhibiting the methylation, the expression of both the BCSG1 and BRCA1 genes were increased. Conclusion: Abnormal methylation patterns of the BCSG1 and BRCA1 genes are associated with the development of breast cancer. Thus, methylatedion analyses of these genes have biomarker potential for breast cancer prognoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junkuo Li
- Department of Pathology, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Pan Li
- Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jia Li
- Department of Pathology, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Haijun Yang
- Department of Pathology, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Guohua Liu
- Department of Pathology, Anyang Tumor Hospital, Anyang, China
| | - Peihong Shen
- Department of Pathology, Zhengzhou University Affiliated Tumor Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Guozhong Jiang
- Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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12
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Page CM, Nøst TH, Djordjilović V, Thoresen M, Frigessi A, Sandanger TM, Veierød MB. Pre-diagnostic DNA methylation in blood leucocytes in cutaneous melanoma; a nested case–control study within the Norwegian Women and Cancer cohort. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14200. [PMID: 35987900 PMCID: PMC9392730 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18585-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The prognosis of cutaneous melanoma depends on early detection, and good biomarkers for melanoma risk may provide a valuable tool to detect melanoma development at a pre-clinical stage. By studying the epigenetic profile in pre-diagnostic blood samples of melanoma cases and cancer free controls, we aimed to identify DNA methylation sites conferring melanoma risk. DNA methylation was measured at 775,528 CpG sites using the Illumina EPIC array in whole blood in incident melanoma cases (n = 183) and matched cancer-free controls (n = 183) in the Norwegian Women and Cancer cohort. Phenotypic information and ultraviolet radiation exposure were obtained from questionnaires. Epigenome wide association (EWAS) was analyzed in future melanoma cases and controls with conditional logistic regression, with correction for multiple testing using the false discovery rate (FDR). We extended the analysis by including a public data set on melanoma (GSE120878), and combining these different data sets using a version of covariate modulated FDR (AdaPT). The analysis on future melanoma cases and controls did not identify any genome wide significant CpG sites (0.85 ≤ padj ≤ 0.99). In the restricted AdaPT analysis, 7 CpG sites were suggestive at the FDR level of 0.15. These CpG sites may potentially be used as pre-diagnostic biomarkers of melanoma risk.
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Integrated computational analysis reveals HOX genes cluster as oncogenic drivers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7952. [PMID: 35562533 PMCID: PMC9106698 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11590-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Alterations in homeobox (HOX) gene expression are involved in the progression of several cancer types including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, regulation of the entire HOX cluster in the pathophysiology of HNSCC is still elusive. By using different comprehensive databases, we have identified the significance of differentially expressed HOX genes (DEHGs) in stage stratification and HPV status in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA)-HNSCC datasets. The genetic and epigenetic alterations, druggable genes, their associated functional pathways and their possible association with cancer hallmarks were identified. We have performed extensive analysis to identify the target genes of DEHGs driving HNSCC. The differentially expressed HOX cluster-embedded microRNAs (DEHMs) in HNSCC and their association with HOX-target genes were evaluated to construct a regulatory network of the HOX cluster in HNSCC. Our analysis identified sixteen DEHGs in HNSCC and determined their importance in stage stratification and HPV infection. We found a total of 55 HNSCC driver genes that were identified as targets of DEHGs. The involvement of DEHGs and their targets in cancer-associated signaling mechanisms have confirmed their role in pathophysiology. Further, we found that their oncogenic nature could be targeted by using the novel and approved anti-neoplastic drugs in HNSCC. Construction of the regulatory network depicted the interaction between DEHGs, DEHMs and their targets genes in HNSCC. Hence, aberrantly expressed HOX cluster genes function in a coordinated manner to drive HNSCC. It could provide a broad perspective to carry out the experimental investigation, to understand the underlying oncogenic mechanism and allow the discovery of new clinical biomarkers for HNSCC.
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Nicu AT, Medar C, Chifiriuc MC, Gradisteanu Pircalabioru G, Burlibasa L. Epigenetics and Testicular Cancer: Bridging the Gap Between Fundamental Biology and Patient Care. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:861995. [PMID: 35465311 PMCID: PMC9023878 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.861995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Testicular cancer is the most common solid tumor affecting young males. Most testicular cancers are testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), which are divided into seminomas (SGCTs) and non-seminomatous testicular germ cell tumors (NSGCTs). During their development, primordial germ cells (PGCs) undergo epigenetic modifications and any disturbances in their pattern might lead to cancer development. The present study provides a comprehensive review of the epigenetic mechanisms–DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications, bivalent marks, non-coding RNA–associated with TGCT susceptibility, initiation, progression and response to chemotherapy. Another important purpose of this review is to highlight the recent investigations regarding the identification and development of epigenetic biomarkers as powerful tools for the diagnostic, prognostic and especially for epigenetic-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina-Teodora Nicu
- Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Genetics, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Cosmin Medar
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, Clinical Hospital “Prof. dr Theodor Burghele”, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Mariana Carmen Chifiriuc
- Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
- Research Institute of University of Bucharest (ICUB), Bucharest, Romania
- Academy of Romanian Scientists, Bucharest, Romania
- Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania
| | | | - Liliana Burlibasa
- Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Genetics, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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15
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Martinou EG, Moller-Levet CS, Angelidi AM. PBX4 functions as a potential novel oncopromoter in colorectal cancer: a comprehensive analysis of the PBX gene family. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:585-600. [PMID: 35261789 DOI: pmid/35261789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Pre-B-cell leukaemia (PBX) is a transcription factor family (PBX1, PBX2, PBX3 and PBX4) that regulates important cellular functions and has been identified to be involved in human cancers. This study aimed to explore the expression of PBX genes and their clinical significance in colorectal cancer (CRC). We analysed the differential expression of PBX genes in CRC vs. normal tissue, using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (https://portal.gdc.cancer.gov/) and ONCOMINE platform (https://www.oncomine.org/). The UALCAN (http://ualcan.path.uab.edu/) interactive OMICS web-server was used to evaluate the epigenetic regulation of PBX genes via their promoter methylation status. We found that only PBX4 was upregulated whereas PBX1 and PBX3 were downregulated (644 tumour vs. 51 normal samples) (P<0.001). The methylation status of PBX4 promoter appeared to be decreased (P=1.4e-07) whereas the methylation status of PBX1 and PBX3 promoters was increased (P=3.8e-04 and P=3.2e-07, respectively) in cancer vs. normal samples. To determine the prognostic value of PBXs, we conducted a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariable COX regression. We observed that high PBX4 expression was associated with increased risk for a worse overall survival (OS) in the TCGA CRC patient cohort (n=639), (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.14-1.88, P=0.003) adjusted for age, gender, tumour location and metastases. We conducted in vitro gene expression modulation experiments to investigate the impact of PBX4 overexpression in CRC cell (HCT116) growth. Additionally, we evaluated the RNA expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and angiogenesis markers. In vitro studies showed that PBX4 overexpression increased CRC cell proliferation (P<0.001) and upregulated the expression of EMT markers VIM, CDH1, CDH2, ZEB1, SNAI1 (P<0.05) and angiomarker VEGFA (P<0.0001). Lastly, through the Cistrome data browser (http://dbtoolkit.cistrome.org/) we investigated putative transcriptional regulators and we performed gene set enrichment analysis in Enrichr server (https://maayanlab.cloud/Enrichr/) to identify related biological processes. Nineteen factors were identified to be putative regulators of PBX4 and gene set enrichment analysis showed that biological processes related to cell cycle and cell proliferation were enriched (GO:0051726: CDK8, JUN, JUND, and IRF1, P=0.001). In conclusion, our study identified PBX4 as a potential novel oncopromoter in CRC and its overexpression was found to be associated with increased risk for worse survival rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini G Martinou
- Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Department, Royal Surrey County Hospital Guildford GU2 7XX, UK.,Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
| | - Carla S Moller-Levet
- Bioinformatics Department, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
| | - Angeliki M Angelidi
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02215, USA
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16
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Comprehensive Analysis of HOX Family Members as Novel Diagnostic and Prognostic Markers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:5758601. [PMID: 35251173 PMCID: PMC8890896 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5758601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background. The homeobox (HOX) gene family has been found to be involved in human cancers. However, its involvement in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been well documented. Here, we comprehensively evaluated the role of HOXs in HCC. Methods. RNA sequencing profile of TCGA-LIHC and LIRI-JP were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), respectively. Data of TCGA-LIHC methylation were downloaded from UCSC Xena. Genetic alteration data for the TCGA samples was obtained from cBioPortal and GSCA. The diagnostic efficiency was assessed using ROC curves. The prognostic significance was evaluated by the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Subsequent functional analysis was performed through the clusterProfiler package. ssGSEA, ESTIMATE, and TIDE algorithms were employed to explore the relationship between HOXs and the HCC microenvironment. Finally, pRRophetic package and NCI-60 cancerous cell lines were applied to estimate anticancer drug sensitivity. Results. The mRNA levels of HOXs in HCC tissues were higher than those of noncancerous tissues and were correlated with poor overall survival (OS). HOXA6, C6, D9, D10, and D13 could serve as independent risk factors for OS. Further functional analysis revealed that these five HOXs regulate the cell proliferation, cell cycle, immune response, and microenvironment composition of HCC. In addition, the aberrant expression and methylation of HOXs is of great value in the diagnosis of HCC. Conclusion. HOXs play crucial roles in HCC and could serve as potential markers for HCC diagnosis and prognosis.
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17
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Peralta-Arrieta I, Trejo-Villegas OA, Armas-López L, Ceja-Rangel HA, Ordóñez-Luna MDC, Pineda-Villegas P, González-López MA, Ortiz-Quintero B, Mendoza-Milla C, Zatarain-Barrón ZL, Arrieta O, Zúñiga J, Ávila-Moreno F. Failure to EGFR-TKI-based therapy and tumoural progression are promoted by MEOX2/GLI1-mediated epigenetic regulation of EGFR in the human lung cancer. Eur J Cancer 2021; 160:189-205. [PMID: 34844838 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2021.10.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mesenchyme homeobox-2 (MEOX2)-mediated regulation of glioma-associated oncogene-1 (GLI1) has been associated with poor overall survival, conferring chemoresistance in lung cancer. However, the role of MEOX2/GLI1 in resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs)-based therapy remains unexplored in human lung cancer. METHODS Functional assays using genetic silencing strategy by short hairpin RNAs, as well as cytotoxic (tetrazolium dye MTT) and clonogenic assays, were performed to evaluate MEOX2/GLI1-induced malignancy capacity in lung cancer cells. Further analysis performed includes western blot, qPCR and ChIP-qPCR assays to identify whether MEOX2/GLI1 promote EGFR/AKT/ERK activation, as well as EGFR overexpression through epigenetic mechanisms. Finally, preclinical tumour progression in vivo and progression-free disease interval analyses in patients treated with EGFR-TKI were included. RESULTS Overexpressed MEOX2/GLI1 in both EGFR wild-type and EGFR/KRAS-mutated lung cancer cells were detected and involved in the activation/expression of EGFR/AKT/ERK biomarkers. In addition, MEOX2/GLI1 was shown to be involved in the increased proliferation of tumour cells and resistance capacity to cisplatin, EGFR-TKIs (erlotinib and AZD9291 'osimertinib'), AZD8542-SMO, and AZD6244-MEKK1/2. In addition, we identified that MEOX2/GLI1 promote lung tumour cells progression in vivo and are clinically associated with poorer progression-free disease intervals. Finally, both MEOX2 and GLI1 were detected to be epigenetically involved in EGFR expression by reducing both repressive markers polycomb-EZH2 and histone H3K27me3, but, particularly, increasing an activated histone profile H3K27Ac/H3K4me3 at EGFR-gene enhancer-promoter sequences that probably representing a novel EGFR-TKI-based therapy resistance mechanism. CONCLUSION MEOX2/GLI1 promote resistance to cisplatin and EGFR-TKI-based therapy in lung cancer cells, modulating EGFR/AKT/ERK signalling pathway activation, as well as inducing an aberrant epigenetic modulation of the EGFR-gene expression in human lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irlanda Peralta-Arrieta
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Unidad de Investigación en Biomedicina (UBIMED), Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, Tlalnepantla de Baz, 54090, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Octavio A Trejo-Villegas
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Unidad de Investigación en Biomedicina (UBIMED), Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, Tlalnepantla de Baz, 54090, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Leonel Armas-López
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Unidad de Investigación en Biomedicina (UBIMED), Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, Tlalnepantla de Baz, 54090, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Hugo A Ceja-Rangel
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Unidad de Investigación en Biomedicina (UBIMED), Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, Tlalnepantla de Baz, 54090, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - María Del Carmen Ordóñez-Luna
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Unidad de Investigación en Biomedicina (UBIMED), Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, Tlalnepantla de Baz, 54090, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Priscila Pineda-Villegas
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Unidad de Investigación en Biomedicina (UBIMED), Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, Tlalnepantla de Baz, 54090, Estado de México, Mexico.
| | - Marco A González-López
- Unidad Funcional de Oncología Torácica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan), Av. San Fernando 22, Belisario Domínguez Secc 16, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Blanca Ortiz-Quintero
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Calz de Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Criselda Mendoza-Milla
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Calz de Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Zyanya L Zatarain-Barrón
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Campus Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Oscar Arrieta
- Unidad Funcional de Oncología Torácica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan), Av. San Fernando 22, Belisario Domínguez Secc 16, Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Joaquín Zúñiga
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Calz de Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico; Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Campus Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Federico Ávila-Moreno
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Unidad de Investigación en Biomedicina (UBIMED), Facultad de Estudios Superiores (FES) Iztacala, Tlalnepantla de Baz, 54090, Estado de México, Mexico; Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias Ismael Cosío Villegas, Calz de Tlalpan, 14080, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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Li X, Chen S, Zhu Y, Fei J, Song L, Sun G, Niu W, Guo L, Wang J. Comprehensive bioinformatics analyses identified Homeobox B9 as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for gastric cancer. J Gastrointest Oncol 2021; 12:2132-2149. [PMID: 34790380 DOI: 10.21037/jgo-21-598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Homeobox B (HOXB) family promotes tumor progression, but the mechanism of its action in gastric cancer (GC) is unclear. We sought to identify the HOXB family members that are critical to the prognosis of GC patients. Methods The Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), cBioPortal, UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and the GeneMANIA databases were used to analyze the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels, prognostic value, and gene-gene interaction network of the HOXB9 family members in GC. The expression of HOXB9 in GC and its relationship with various clinicopathological parameters and the prognosis of patients were verified by immunohistochemistry. Results The expression of HOXB3, HOXB5, HOXB6, HOXB7, HOXB9, and HOXB13 mRNA was significantly upregulated in GC. There was a significant correlation between the upregulation of HOXB3, HOXB5, and HOXB9 mRNA and a low overall survival (OS) rate. The high expression of HOXB7, HOXB9, and HOXB13 mRNA was closely correlated to tumor grade and stage. HOXB9 was the HOXB family member most closely related to the occurrence and development of GC. A further analysis showed that HOXB9 might be involved in deoxyribonucleic acid repair and division regulation. A validation study showed that the advanced cancer group had a higher level of HOXB9 expression than the early cancer group. The high expression of HOXB9 in gastric tissue plays an important role in the survival and prognosis of GC patients. Conclusions HOXB family members have different degrees of abnormal expression in GC. High HOXB9 expression in GC tissues was significantly correlated with a worse prognosis. Thus, HOXB9 is a potential novel biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Shujia Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Yinghui Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Jiayue Fei
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Liaoyuan Song
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Guoyan Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Wei Niu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Lianyi Guo
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, China
| | - Jiwei Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, China
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Molecular implications of HOX genes targeting multiple signaling pathways in cancer. Cell Biol Toxicol 2021; 38:1-30. [PMID: 34617205 PMCID: PMC8789642 DOI: 10.1007/s10565-021-09657-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Homeobox (HOX) genes encode highly conserved homeotic transcription factors that play a crucial role in organogenesis and tissue homeostasis. Their deregulation impacts the function of several regulatory molecules contributing to tumor initiation and progression. A functional bridge exists between altered gene expression of individual HOX genes and tumorigenesis. This review focuses on how deregulation in the HOX-associated signaling pathways contributes to the metastatic progression in cancer. We discuss their functional significance, clinical implications and ascertain their role as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in the various cancer types. Besides, the mechanism of understanding the theoretical underpinning that affects HOX-mediated therapy resistance in cancers has been outlined. The knowledge gained shall pave the way for newer insights into the treatment of cancer.
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20
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Chen M, Qu Y, Yue P, Yan X. The Prognostic Value and Function of HOXB5 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Front Genet 2021; 12:678368. [PMID: 34421991 PMCID: PMC8376581 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.678368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Currently, cytogenetic and genetic markers are the most important for risk stratification and treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Despite the identification of many prognostic factors, relatively few have made their way into clinical practice. Therefore, the identification of new AML biomarkers is useful in the prognosis and monitoring of AML and contributes to a better understanding of the molecular basis of the disease. Homeobox (HOX) genes are transcription factors that lead to cell differentiation blockade and malignant self-renewal. However, the roles of HOX genes in AML are still not fully understood and need further exploration, which may provide new strategies for the prognosis and monitoring of AML. Methods We analyzed the RNA sequencing and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), VIZOME, GSE13159, and GSE9476 cohorts. Analyses were performed with GraphPad 7, the R language, and several online databases. We applied quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western Blotting, CCK8 cell proliferation assays, and flow cytometry to verify the conclusions of the bioinformatics analysis. Results We identified HOXB5 as the only gene among the HOX family that was not only elevated in AML but also a significant prognostic marker in AML patients. HOXB5 was highly expressed in AML patients with NPM1, FLT3, or DNMT3A mutations and was expressed at the highest level in patients with NPM1-FLT3-DNMT3A triple-mutant AML. Gene Ontology analysis and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that HOXB5 showed a negative correlation with the myeloid cell differentiation signature and that the tumor necrosis factor/nuclear factor κB signaling pathway was involved in the molecular mechanism. Moreover, we performed in silico protein–protein interaction analysis and 450K TCGA DNA methylation data analysis and found that HOXB5 interacted with two HOX genes (HOXA7 and HOXB4) that were commonly regulated by DNA methylation levels. Conclusion HOXB5 is associated with the malignant development of AML and may be a treatment target and biomarker for AML prognosis prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Chen
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yi Qu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Pengjie Yue
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiaojing Yan
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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21
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Kałuzińska Ż, Kołat D, Bednarek AK, Płuciennik E. PLEK2, RRM2, GCSH: A Novel WWOX-Dependent Biomarker Triad of Glioblastoma at the Crossroads of Cytoskeleton Reorganization and Metabolism Alterations. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13122955. [PMID: 34204789 PMCID: PMC8231639 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13122955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest human cancers. Its malignancy depends on cytoskeleton reorganization, which is related to, e.g., epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and metastasis. The malignant phenotype of glioblastoma is also affected by the WWOX gene, which is lost in nearly a quarter of gliomas. Although the role of WWOX in the cytoskeleton rearrangement has been found in neural progenitor cells, its function as a modulator of cytoskeleton in gliomas was not investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of WWOX and its collaborators in cytoskeleton dynamics of glioblastoma. Methodology on RNA-seq data integrated the use of databases, bioinformatics tools, web-based platforms, and machine learning algorithm, and the obtained results were validated through microarray data. PLEK2, RRM2, and GCSH were the most relevant WWOX-dependent genes that could serve as novel biomarkers. Other genes important in the context of cytoskeleton (BMP4, CCL11, CUX2, DUSP7, FAM92B, GRIN2B, HOXA1, HOXA10, KIF20A, NF2, SPOCK1, TTR, UHRF1, and WT1), metabolism (MTHFD2), or correlation with WWOX (COL3A1, KIF20A, RNF141, and RXRG) were also discovered. For the first time, we propose that changes in WWOX expression dictate a myriad of alterations that affect both glioblastoma cytoskeleton and metabolism, rendering new therapeutic possibilities.
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22
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Abstract
The HOXC10 gene, a member of the HOX genes family, plays crucial roles in mammalian physiological processes, such as limb morphological development, limb regeneration, and lumbar motor neuron differentiation. HOXC10 is also associated with angiogenesis, fat metabolism, and sex regulation. Additional evidence suggests that HOXC10 dysregulation is closely associated with various tumors. HOXC10 is an important transcription factor that can activate several oncogenic pathways by regulating various target molecules such as ERK, AKT, p65, and epithelial mesenchymal transition-related genes. HOXC10 also induces drug resistance in cancers by promoting the DNA repair pathway. In this review, we summarize HOXC10 gene structure and expression as well as the role of HOXC10 in different human cancer processes. This review will provide insight into the status of HOXC10 research and help identify novel targets for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyong Fang
- Department of Science and Education, Jinhua Guangfu Oncology Hospital, Jinhua, China
| | - Jianjun Wang
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Jinhua Guangfu Oncology Hospital, Jinhua, China
| | - Liangliang Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenxia Xu
- Central Laboratory, Affiliated Jinhua Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
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23
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de Bessa Garcia SA, Araújo M, Pereira T, Freitas R. HOXB7 Overexpression Leads Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells to a Less Aggressive Phenotype. Biomedicines 2021; 9:515. [PMID: 34063128 PMCID: PMC8148148 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9050515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
HOX genes appear to play a role in breast cancer progression in a molecular subtype-dependent way. The altered expression of HOXB7, for example, was reported to promote breast cancer progression in specific subtypes. Here we induced HOXB7 overexpression in MDA-MB-231 cells, a cellular model of the Triple-Negative breast cancer molecular subtype, and evaluated the phenotypic changes in cell viability, morphogenesis, migration, invasion, and colony formation. During the phenotypic characterization of the HOXB7-overexpressing cells, we consistently found less aggressive behavior represented by lower cell viability, inhibition of cell migration, invasion, and attachment-independent colony formation capacities added to the more compact and organized spheroid growth in 3D cultures. We then evaluated the expression of putative downstream targets and their direct binding to HOXB7 comparing ChIP-qPCR data generated from HOXB7-overexpressing cells and controls. In the manipulated cells, we found enriched biding of HOXB7 to CTNNB1, EGFR, FGF2, CDH1, DNMT3B, TGFB2, and COMMD7. Taken together, these results highlight the plasticity of the HOXB7 function in breast cancer, according to the cellular genetic background and expression levels, and provide evidence that in Triple-Negative breast cancer cells, HOXB7 overexpression has the potential to promote less aggressive phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mafalda Araújo
- I3S—Institute for Innovation & Health Research, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (S.A.d.B.G.); (M.A.); (T.P.)
| | - Tiago Pereira
- I3S—Institute for Innovation & Health Research, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (S.A.d.B.G.); (M.A.); (T.P.)
| | - Renata Freitas
- I3S—Institute for Innovation & Health Research, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (S.A.d.B.G.); (M.A.); (T.P.)
- ICBAS—Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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Nakashoji A, Hayashida T, Yamaguchi S, Kawai Y, Kikuchi M, Yokoe T, Nagayama A, Seki T, Takahashi M, Kitagawa Y. Comprehensive analysis of the homeobox family genes in breast cancer demonstrates their similar roles in cancer and development. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2021; 186:353-361. [PMID: 33459920 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-020-06087-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The homeobox (HOX) family consists of 39 genes whose expressions are tightly controlled and coordinated within the family, during development. We performed a comprehensive analysis of this gene family in cancer settings. METHODS Gene correlation analysis was performed using breast cancer data available in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and data from the patients admitted to our hospital. We also analyzed the data of normal breast tissue (GSE20437). We next collected gene expression and prognosis data of breast cancer patients (GSE11121, GSE7390, GSE3494, and GSE2990) and performed unsupervised hierarchal clustering by the HOX gene expression pattern and compared prognosis. We additionally performed this analysis to leukemia (available in TCGA) and sarcoma (GSE20196) data. RESULTS Gene correlation analysis showed that the proximal HOX genes exhibit strong interactions and are expressed together in breast cancer, similar to the expression observed during development. However, in normal breast tissue, less interactions were observed. Breast cancer microarray meta-data classified by the HOX gene expression pattern predicted the prognosis of luminal B breast cancer patients (p = 0.016). Leukemia (p = 0.00016) and sarcoma (p = 0.018) presented similar results. The Wnt signaling pathway, one of the major upstream signals of HOX genes in development, was activated in the poor prognostic group. Interestingly, poor prognostic cancer presented stronger correlation in the gene family compared to favorable prognostic cancer. CONCLUSION Comprehensive analysis of the HOX family demonstrated their similar roles in cancer and development, and indicated that the strong interaction of HOX genes might be specific to malignancies, especially in the case of poor prognostic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Nakashoji
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Tetsu Hayashida
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan.
| | - Shigeo Yamaguchi
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Yuko Kawai
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Masayuki Kikuchi
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Takamichi Yokoe
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Aiko Nagayama
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Tomoko Seki
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Maiko Takahashi
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
| | - Yuko Kitagawa
- Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinanomachi 35, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0016, Japan
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Paço A, Aparecida de Bessa Garcia S, Leitão Castro J, Costa-Pinto AR, Freitas R. Roles of the HOX Proteins in Cancer Invasion and Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 13:E10. [PMID: 33375038 PMCID: PMC7792759 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Invasion and metastasis correspond to the foremost cause of cancer-related death, and the molecular networks behind these two processes are extremely complex and dependent on the intra- and extracellular conditions along with the prime of the premetastatic niche. Currently, several studies suggest an association between the levels of HOX genes expression and cancer cell invasion and metastasis, which favour the formation of novel tumour masses. The deregulation of HOX genes by HMGA2/TET1 signalling and the regulatory effect of noncoding RNAs generated by the HOX loci can also promote invasion and metastasis, interfering with the expression of HOX genes or other genes relevant to these processes. In this review, we present five molecular mechanisms of HOX deregulation by which the HOX clusters products may affect invasion and metastatic processes in solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Paço
- BLC3—Biomassa Lenho-Celulósica de 3ª Geração, Campus of Technology and Innovation, 3405-169 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
| | - Simone Aparecida de Bessa Garcia
- I3S—Institute for Innovation & Health Research, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (S.A.d.B.G.); (J.L.C.); (A.R.C.-P.); (R.F.)
| | - Joana Leitão Castro
- I3S—Institute for Innovation & Health Research, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (S.A.d.B.G.); (J.L.C.); (A.R.C.-P.); (R.F.)
| | - Ana Rita Costa-Pinto
- I3S—Institute for Innovation & Health Research, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (S.A.d.B.G.); (J.L.C.); (A.R.C.-P.); (R.F.)
| | - Renata Freitas
- I3S—Institute for Innovation & Health Research, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (S.A.d.B.G.); (J.L.C.); (A.R.C.-P.); (R.F.)
- ICBAS—Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
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26
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Pai P, Sukumar S. HOX genes and the NF-κB pathway: A convergence of developmental biology, inflammation and cancer biology. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1874:188450. [PMID: 33049277 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Revised: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The roles of HOX transcription factors as oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, and the NF-KB pathway in chronic inflammation, both leading to cancer are well-established. HOX transcription factors are members of an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins required for anteroposterior body axis patterning during embryonic development, and are often dysregulated in cancer. The NF-KB pathway aids inflammation and immunity but it is also important during embryonic development. It is frequently activated in both solid and hematological malignancies. NF-KB and HOX proteins can influence each other through mutual transcriptional regulation, protein-protein interactions, and regulation of upstream and downstream interactors. These interactions have important implications both in homeostasis and in disease. In this review, we summarize the role of HOX proteins in regulating inflammation in homeostasis and disease- with a particular emphasis on cancer. We also describe the relationship between HOX genes and the NF-KB pathway, and discuss potential therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Pai
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Saraswati Sukumar
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America.
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