Expression of nm23-H1 and COX-2 in thyroid papillary carcinoma and microcarcinoma

Development of a thyroid cancer prognostic model based on the mitophagy-associated differentially expressed genes

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of thyroid cancer (ThyC), a frequent malignant tumor of the endocrine system, has been rapidly increasing over time. The mitophagy pathway is reported to play a critical role in ThyC onset and progression in many studies. This research aims to create a mitophagy-related survival prediction model for ThyC patients.

METHODS

Genes connected to mitophagy were found in the GeneCards database. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases provided information on the expression patterns of ThyC-related genes. To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), R software was employed. The prognostic significance of each DEG was assessed using the prognostic K-M curve. The prognostic model was built using LASSO, ROC, univariate, and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Finally, a nomogram model was developed to predict the survival outcome of ThyC patients in the clinical setting.

RESULTS

Through differential analysis, functional enrichment analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, we screened 10 key genes related to mitophagy in ThyC. The risk model was eventually developed using LASSO and Cox regression analyses based on the six DEGs related to mitophagy. An altered expression level of a mitophagy-related prognostic gene, GGCT, was found to be the most significant one, according to the KM survival curve analysis. An immunohistochemical (IHC) investigation revealed that ThyC tissues expressed higher levels of GGCT than normal thyroid tissues. The ROC curve verified the satisfactory performance of the model in survival prediction. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the pathological grade, residual tumor volume, and initial tumor lesion type were significantly linked to the prognosis. Finally, we created a nomogram to predict the overall survival rate of ThyC patients at 3-, 5-, and 7- year time points.

CONCLUSION

The nomogram risk prediction model was developed to precisely predict the survival rate of ThyC patients. The model was validated based on the most significant DEG GGCT gene expression in ThyC. This model may serve as a guide for the creation of precise treatment plans for ThyC patients.

LncRNA CASC15 promotes the proliferation of papillary thyroid carcinoma cells by regulating the miR-7151-5p/WNT7A axis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in the regulation of human thyroid cancer (TC), including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC); PTC is the most common pathological subtype of TC. To date, the expression, function, and mechanism of the lncRNA CASC15 in PTC remain unclear. The present study results showed that CASC15 was overexpressed in PTC tissues compared with normal tissues and acted as a potent oncogene to promote the proliferation and tumorigenesis of PTC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that CASC15 could serve as an endogenous miRNA sponge to absorb and downregulate miR-7151-5p, thereby preventing the inhibition of WNT7A during PTC progression. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that CASC15 activated the WNT/β‑catenin signaling pathway by upregulating WNT7A in PTC. Taken together, our findings identified CASC15 as a potential diagnostic marker or therapeutic target for PTC progression. DATA AVAILABILITY: Please contact the corresponding author for a data request.

Long noncoding RNA CASC7 inhibits the proliferation and migration of papillary thyroid cancer cells by inhibiting miR-34a-5p

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an essential role in the progression of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). However, the expression and function of lncRNA cancer susceptibility candidate 7 (CASC7) in PTC remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of CASC7 in regulating PTC cell behavior. The expression of CASC7, miR-34a-5p, and tumor protein P73 (TP73) was determined by qRT-PCR and western blot. Cell proliferation was examined by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry following Annexin V and PI staining. Cell migration was determined by Transwell migration assay. The interaction between miR-34a-5p and CASC7 or TP73 was examined by luciferase reporter assay. CASC7 and TP73 expression were significantly lower, whereas miR-34a-5p expression was higher in PTC tissues than the adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, CASC7 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation and migration, whereas facilitated cell apoptosis in human PTC cell lines (K1 and TPC-1). Mechanistically, CASC7 acted as a sponge of miR-34a-5p to upregulate TP73 expression. Moreover, miR-34a-5p mimic transfection could abate the CASC7-regulated PTC cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Collectively, CASC7 inhibited the proliferation and migration of PTC cells by sponging miR-34a-5p to upregulate TP73 expression.

Prognostic Significance of COX-2 Overexpression in BRAF-Mutated Middle Eastern Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)–prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) pathway has been implicated in carcinogenesis, with BRAF mutation shown to promote PGE2 synthesis. This study was conducted to evaluate COX-2 expression in a large cohort of Middle Eastern papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and further evaluate the prognostic significance of COX-2 expression in strata of BRAF mutation status. BRAF mutation analysis was performed using Sanger sequencing, and COX-2 expression was evaluated immunohistochemically using tissue microarray (TMA). COX-2 overexpression, noted in 43.2% (567/1314) of cases, was significantly associated with poor prognostic markers such as extra-thyroidal extension, lymph-node metastasis, and higher tumor stage. COX-2 was also an independent predictor of poor disease-free survival (DFS). Most notably, the association of COX-2 expression with DFS differed by BRAF mutation status. COX-2 overexpression was associated with poor DFS in BRAF-mutant but not BRAF wild-type PTCs, with a multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio of 2.10 (95% CI = 1.52–2.92; p < 0.0001) for COX-2 overexpressed tumors in BRAF-mutant PTC. In conclusion, the current study shows that COX-2 plays a key role in prognosis of PTC patients, especially in BRAF-mutated tumors. Our data suggest the potential therapeutic role of COX-2 inhibition in patients with BRAF-mutated PTC.

Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization of Papillary Microcarcinomas With Lateral Neck Lymph Node Metastases

CONTEXT

Most papillary microcarcinomas (PMCs) are indolent and subclinical. However, as many as 10% can present with clinically significant nodal metastases.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN

Characterization of the genomic and transcriptomic landscape of PMCs presenting with or without clinically important lymph node metastases.

SUBJECTS AND SAMPLES

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded PMC samples from 40 patients with lateral neck nodal metastases (pN1b) and 71 patients with PMC with documented absence of nodal disease (pN0).

OUTCOME MEASURES

To interrogate DNA alterations in 410 genes commonly mutated in cancer and test for differential gene expression using a custom NanoString panel of 248 genes selected primarily based on their association with tumor size and nodal disease in the papillary thyroid cancer TCGA project.

RESULTS

The genomic landscapes of PMC with or without pN1b were similar. Mutations in TERT promoter (3%) and TP53 (1%) were exclusive to N1b cases. Transcriptomic analysis revealed differential expression of 43 genes in PMCs with pN1b compared with pN0. A random forest machine learning-based molecular classifier developed to predict regional lymph node metastasis demonstrated a negative predictive value of 0.98 and a positive predictive value of 0.72 at a prevalence of 10% pN1b disease.

CONCLUSIONS

The genomic landscape of tumors with pN1b and pN0 disease was similar, whereas 43 genes selected primarily by mining the TCGA RNAseq data were differentially expressed. This bioinformatics-driven approach to the development of a custom transcriptomic assay provides a basis for a molecular classifier for pN1b risk stratification in PMC.

Correlation of nm 23 expression with pharyngeal cancer and patient prognoses

The present study investigated the expression of non-metastasis 23 (nm 23) in laryngeal cancer tissues and analyzed its correlation with the prognoses of laryngeal cancer patients. A total of 122 laryngeal cancer patients who were admitted to The Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from June 2009 to June 2012, and 30 normal laryngeal mucosal tissues were selected as the control group. Immunohistochemical staining method was used to test the expression of nm 23 in tissues. Quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) and western blotting were conducted to test the expression of nm 23 in tissues at the gene and protein levels, respectively. Moreover, the prognoses of patients were analyzed. The positive expression rate (90.00%) of nm 23 in the normal laryngeal mucosal tissues was markedly higher than that in laryngeal cancer tissues (56.56%) (p<0.05). The expression of nm 23 proteins was correlated with the clinical staging of laryngeal cancer and the metastasis of lymph nodes (p<0.05). The expression of both nm 23 genes and proteins in the laryngeal cancer tissues were significantly lower than those in the normal laryngeal mucosal tissues (p<0.05). The survival rate of the positive nm 23 expression was substantially higher than that of the negative expression with a statistically significant difference (p<0.01). In conclusion, the expression of nm 23 proteins plays an important role in the development and metastasis of laryngeal cancer and may be taken as one of the indicators to evaluate the prognoses of such patients.