Use of proteins as biomarkers and their role in carcinogenesis

Variability, Expression, and Methylation of IL-6 and IL-8 Genes in Bladder Cancer Pathophysiology

Bladder cancer (BC) is the 10th most common form of cancer globally, but its complete aetiology is still unknown. Nevertheless, there is evidence that chronic inflammation plays a role in the development and progression of BC. Therefore, the presented study aimed to detect a potential association between selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—rs1800797 and rs2069845 in IL-6 and rs2227307 in IL-8—and BC development, as well as to identify the impact of BC on the level of expression and methylation of IL-6 and IL-8 promoters in PBMCs with the use of the TaqMan SNP genotyping assay, TaqMan gene expression assay, and methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting techniques. We did not find any association between the genotypes and combined genotypes of all studied polymorphisms and the occurrence of BC. However, we found that BC patients were characterised by decreased IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA expression levels compared to the controls. Additionally, the methylation status of the IL-6 promoter was higher in controls than in BC patients. Our findings suggest that inflammation may be involved in the development and progression of BC.

Recent advances in nanomaterials-based optical sensors for detection of various biomarkers (inorganic species, organic and biomolecules)

This review briefly emphasizes the different detection approaches (electrochemical sensors, chemiluminescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering), functional nanostructure materials (quantum dots, metal nanoparticles, metal nanoclusters, magnetic nanomaterials, metal oxide nanoparticles, polymer-based nanomaterials, and carbonaceous nanomaterials) and detection mechanisms. Further, this review emphasis on the integration of functional nanomaterials with optical spectroscopic techniques for the identification of various biomarkers (nucleic acids, glucose, uric acid, oxytocin, dopamine, ascorbic acid, bilirubin, spermine, serotonin, thiocyanate, Pb²⁺ , Cu²⁺ , Hg²⁺ , F^- , peptides, and cancer biomarkers (mucin 1, prostate specific antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen, CA15-3, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6). Analytical characteristics of nanomaterials-based optical sensors are summarized in Tables, providing the insights of nanomaterials-based optical sensors for biomarkers detection. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of nanomaterials-based optical analytical approaches for the detection of various biomarkers (inorganic, organic, biomolecules, peptides and proteins) are discussed.

Mapping of MeLiM melanoma combining ICP-MS and MALDI-MSI methods

Here we developed a powerful tool for comprehensive data collection and mapping of molecular and elemental signatures in the Melanoma-bearing Libechov Minipig (MeLiM) model. The combination of different mass spectrometric methods allowed for detail investigation of specific melanoma markers and elements and their spatial distribution in tissue sections. MALDI-MSI combined with HPLC-MS/MS analyses resulted in identification of seven specific proteins, S100A12, CD163, MMP-2, galectin-1, tenascin, resistin and PCNA that were presented in the melanoma signatures. Furthermore, the ICP-MS method allowed for spatial detection of zinc, calcium, copper, and iron elements linked with the allocation of the specific binding proteins.

Role of Biomarkers in the Integrated Management of Melanoma

Melanoma, which is an aggressive skin cancer, is currently the fifth and seventh most common cancer in men and women, respectively. The American Cancer Society reported that approximately 106,110 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States in 2021, with 7,180 people dying from the disease. This information could facilitate the early detection of possible metastatic lesions and the development of novel therapeutic techniques for melanoma. Additionally, early detection of malignant melanoma remains an objective of melanoma research. Recently, melanoma treatment has substantially improved, given the availability of targeted treatments and immunotherapy. These developments have highlighted the significance of identifying biomarkers for prognosis and predicting therapy response. Biomarkers included tissue protein expression, circulating DNA detection, and genetic alterations in cancer cells. Improved diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are becoming increasingly relevant in melanoma treatment, with the development of newer and more targeted treatments. Here, the author discusses the aspects of biomarkers in the real-time management of patients with melanoma.

Biopsy and re-biopsy for PD-L1 expression in NSCLC. association between PD-L1 and checkpoint inhibitor efficacy through treatment in NSCLC. A pilot study

INTRODUCTION

Lung cancer is diagnosed at a late stage due to lack of early disease symptoms. Therefore an efficient treatment is necessary for prolonged disease free survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In our study we recruited 124 patients NSCLC patients with adenocarcinoma and squamus cell carcinoma. All recuited patients had Programmed death-ligand 1 expression ≥50 (PD-L1)with DAKO technique. Immunotherapy was administered with as first line treatment. Re-biopsies were performed in the main lung lesion every 4 months with the restaging of the patient and also in the metastastic sites in other organs that occurred during treatment. PD-L1 expressed was evaluated in the biopsies of the metastatic sites.

RESULTS

It appears thereafter that the PD-L1 expression could easily be claimed as a promising bio-index with a cutoff value 65, below which a negative prognosis of the disease progress will be evident and above that value a positive continuation of the disease will be prominent.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study suggest that the PD-L1-65 index works adequately either concerning the neo-metastatic sites or the patient disease responses. Re-biopsies in new metastastic sites are necessary since we probably have a new cancer and chemotherapy should be added. More studies should confirm are results and change the NSCLC treatment approach of these patients.

Ceramide-1-phosphate and its transfer proteins in eukaryotes

Ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) is a bioactive phosphorylated sphingolipid (SL), produced through the direct phosphorylation of ceramide by ceramide kinase. It plays important roles in regulating cell survival, migration, apoptosis and autophagy and is involved in inflammasome assembly/activation, which can stimulate group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A₂α and subsequently increase the levels of arachidonic acid and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Human C1P transfer protein (CPTP) can selectively transport C1P from the Golgi apparatus to specific cellular sites through a non-vesicular mechanism. Human CPTP also affects specific SL levels, thus regulating cell SL homeostasis. In addition, human CPTP plays a crucial role in the regulation of autophagy, inflammation and cell death; thus, human CPTP is closely associated with autophagy and inflammation-related diseases such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers. Therefore, illustrating the functions and mechanisms of human CPTP is important for providing the research foundations for targeted therapy. The key human CPTP residues for C1P recognition and binding are highly conserved in eukaryotic orthologs, while the human CPTP homolog in Arabidopsis (accelerated cell death 11) also exhibits selective inter-membrane transfer of phyto-C1P. These results demonstrate that C1P transporters play fundamental roles in SL metabolism in cells. The present review summarized novel findings of C1P and its TPs in eukaryotes.

Proteomic Advances in Milk and Dairy Products

Proteomics is a new area of study that in recent decades has provided great advances in the field of medicine. However, its enormous potential for the study of proteomes makes it also applicable to other areas of science. Milk is a highly heterogeneous and complex fluid, where there are numerous genetic variants and isoforms with post-translational modifications (PTMs). Due to the vast number of proteins and peptides existing in its matrix, proteomics is presented as a powerful tool for the characterization of milk samples and their products. The technology developed to date for the separation and characterization of the milk proteome, such as two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) technology and especially mass spectrometry (MS) have allowed an exhaustive characterization of the proteins and peptides present in milk and dairy products with enormous applications in the industry for the control of fundamental parameters, such as microbiological safety, the guarantee of authenticity, or the control of the transformations carried out, aimed to increase the quality of the final product.

FAM196B promotes proliferation and migration via regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition in esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

EC (esophageal cancer) is a common cancer among people in the world. The molecular mechanism of FAM196B (family with sequence similarity 196 member B) in EC is still unclear. This article aimed to clarify the role of FAM196B in EC.

METHODS

The expression of FAM196B in EC tissues was detected using qRT-PCR. The prognosis of FAM196B in EC patients was determined by log-rank kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, shRNA was used to knockdown the expression of FAM196B in EC cell lines. MTT, wound healing assays and western blot were used to determine the role of FAM196B in EC cells.

RESULTS

In our research, we found that the expression of FAM196B was up-regulated in EC tissues. The increased expression of FAM196B was significantly correlated with differentiation, lymph node metastasis, stage, and poor survival. The proliferation and migration of EC cells were inhibited after FAM196B-shRNA transfection in vitro and vivo. The western blot result showed that FAM196B could regulate EMT.

CONCLUSION

These results suggested that FAM196B severs as an oncogene and promotes cell proliferation and migration in EC. In addition, FAM196B may be a potential therapeutic target for EC patients.

Spectroscopic evaluation of carcinogenesis in endometrial cancer

Carcinogenesis is a multifaceted process of cancer formation. The transformation of normal cells into cancerous ones may be difficult to determine at a very early stage. Therefore, methods enabling identification of initial changes caused by cancer require novel approaches. Although physical spectroscopic methods such as FT-Raman and Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) are used to detect chemical changes in cancer tissues, their potential has not been investigated with respect to carcinogenesis. The study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of FT-Raman and FTIR spectroscopy as diagnostic methods of endometrial cancer carcinogenesis. The results indicated development of endometrial cancer was accompanied with chemical changes in nucleic acid, amide I and lipids in Raman spectra. FTIR spectra showed that tissues with development of carcinogenesis were characterized by changes in carbohydrates and amides vibrations. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis of Raman spectra demonstrated similarity of tissues with cancer cells and lesions considered precursor of cancer (complex atypical hyperplasia), however they differed from the control samples. Pearson correlation test showed correlation between cancer and complex atypical hyperplasia tissues and between non-cancerous tissue samples. The results of the study indicate that Raman spectroscopy is more effective in assessing the development of carcinogenesis in endometrial cancer than FTIR.

Technical opinion of the Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología on soy plant-based beverages

There has been a recent increase in the consumption of cow's milk substitutes, specifically plant-based beverages, which have erroneously been named "plant milks". Plant-based beverages do not have a standard of identity, and so their nutritional composition can vary from one brand to another, even within the same category. The aim of the present narrative review was to produce a technical opinion to serve as a frame of reference for sustaining the recommendation of soy plant-based beverages. Nutrition and gastroenterology experts that belong to the Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología jointly commented on and analyzed themes on plant-based beverages, and on soy drinks in particular, including their nutritional characteristics, consumption in children, and potential growth and development alterations, as well as soy drink consumption in adults and its association with gastrointestinal alterations and other conditions. Plant-based beverages, including those made from soy, are not a replacement for breastmilk or breastmilk substitutes. Soy beverages are considered safe and can enrich the varied diet of its consumers, as long as they are considered an additional liquid portion of the diet. They can be ingested by adults and children above two years of age that present with cow's milk protein allergy or lactose intolerance.

Oleic Acid, Cholesterol, and Linoleic Acid as Angiogenesis Initiators

The current study determined the natural angiogenic molecules using an unbiased metabolomics approach. A chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model was used to examine pro- and antiangiogenic molecules, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. Vessel formation was analyzed quantitatively using the angiogenic index (p < 0.05). At embryonic day one, a white streak or circle area was observed when vessel formation begins. GCMS analysis and database search demonstrated that angiogenesis may initiate when oleic, cholesterol, and linoleic acids increased in the area of angiogenic reactions. The gain of function study was conducted by the injection of cholesterol and oleic acid into a chick embryo to determine the role of each lipid in angiogenesis. We propose that oleic acid, cholesterol, and linoleic acid are natural molecules that set the platform for the initiation stage of angiogenesis before other proteins including the vascular endothelial growth factor, angiopoietin, angiotensin, and erythropoietin join as the angiome in sprout extension and vessel maturation.

Improving the Functional Activities of Curcumin Using Milk Proteins as Nanocarriers

Curcumin is one of the most common spices worldwide. It has potential benefits, but its poor solubility and bioavailability have restricted its application. To overcome these problems, this study aimed to assess the efficacy of sodium caseinate (SC), α-lactalbumin (α-La), β-lactoglobulin (β-lg), whey protein concentrate (WPC) and whey protein isolate (WPI) as nanocarriers of curcumin. Furthermore, the antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of the formed nanoparticles were examined. The physicochemical characteristics of the formed nanoparticles as well as the entrapment efficiency (%) and the in vitro behavior regarding the release of curcumin (%) were examined. The results showed that the formation of curcumin–milk protein nanoparticles enhanced both the entrapment efficiency and the in vitro behavior release of curcumin (%). Cur/β-lg nanoparticles had the highest antioxidant activity, while SC and WPC nanoparticles had the highest anticancer effect. The antimicrobial activity of the formed nanoparticles was much higher compared to curcumin and the native milk proteins.

Biomarkers of tumor invasiveness in proteomics (Review)

Over the past two decades, quantitative proteomics has emerged as an important tool for deciphering the complex molecular events involved in cancers. The number of references involving studies on the cancer metastatic process has doubled since 2010, while the last 5 years have seen the development of novel technologies combining deep proteome coverage capabilities with quantitative consistency and accuracy. To highlight key findings within this huge amount of information, the present review identified a list of tumor invasive biomarkers based on both the literature and data collected on a biocollection of experimental cell lines, tumor models of increasing invasiveness and tumor samples from patients with colorectal or breast cancer. Crossing these different data sources led to 76 proteins of interest out of 1,245 mentioned in the literature. Information on these proteins can potentially be translated into clinical prospects, since they represent potential targets for the development and evaluation of innovative therapies, alone or in combination. Herein, a systematical review of the biology of each of these proteins, including their specific subcellular/extracellular or multiple localizations is presented. Finally, as an important advantage of quantitative proteomics is the ability to provide data on all these molecules simultaneously in cell pellets, body fluids or paraffin‑embedded sections of tumors/invaded tissues, the significance of some of their interconnections is discussed.

WISP1 Predicts Clinical Prognosis and Is Associated With Tumor Purity, Immunocyte Infiltration, and Macrophage M2 Polarization in Pan-Cancer

Cancer is becoming the leading cause of death and a major public health problem. Although many advanced treatment strategies are currently in use, the general prognosis of cancer patients remains dismal due to the high frequency of recurrence, metastasis. The identification of effective biomarkers is important for predicting survival of cancer patients and improving treatment efficacy. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed WNT1-inducible-signaling pathway protein 1 (WISP1) expression and explored its correlation with prognosis in pan-cancer using tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2). We also examined correlations between WISP1 and immunocyte infiltration using TIMER. We identified genes co-expressed with WISP1 using the LinkedOmics database and analyzed associated gene ontology using Metascape. Finally, we constructed protein-protein interaction networks and examined correlations between genes co-expressed with WISP1 and immunocyte infiltration in pan-cancer. WISP1 level differed between human pan-cancer tissues and normal tissues, indicating its potential as a prognostic biomarker. WISP1 expression was correlated with tumor purity and immunocyte infiltration, especially monocyte-macrophage trafficking and M2 polarization. Genes co-expressed with WISP1 were mainly associated with extracellular matrix organization, with collagen members COL6A3, COL5A1, and COL8A1 being key genes correlated with macrophage infiltration and M2 polarization in pan-cancer. Conversely, in certain types of cancer with better prognoses, WISP1 was associated with low M2 macrophage infiltration. These results suggest that WISP1 affect clinical prognosis through associations with tumor purity, immune cell infiltration, and macrophage M2 polarization in pan-cancer, with collagen member proteins may serving as effector molecules of WISP1.

Clinical Relevance of Liquid Biopsy in Melanoma and Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma are two aggressive skin malignancies with high disease-related mortality and increasing incidence rates. Currently, invasive tumor tissue biopsy is the gold standard for their diagnosis, and no reliable easily accessible biomarker is available to monitor patients with melanoma or Merkel cell carcinoma during the disease course. In these last years, liquid biopsy has emerged as a candidate approach to overcome this limit and to identify biomarkers for early cancer diagnosis, prognosis, therapeutic response prediction, and patient follow-up. Liquid biopsy is a blood-based non-invasive procedure that allows the sequential analysis of circulating tumor cells, circulating cell-free and tumor DNA, and extracellular vesicles. These innovative biosources show similar features as the primary tumor from where they originated and represent an alternative to invasive solid tumor biopsy. In this review, the biology and technical challenges linked to the detection and analysis of the different circulating candidate biomarkers for melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma are discussed as well as their clinical relevance.

Epididymal protein 3A is upregulated and promotes cell proliferation in non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancer types and a major contributor to cancer-associated mortalities worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the function of the epididymal protein 3A (EDDM3A) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Data from patients with NSCLC were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas and analyzed, and the differences in EDDM3A expression level between 30 NSCLC tissues and matched adjacent non-tumor tissues (>5 cm) were assessed via tissue microarray analysis. It was revealed that, compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues, EDDM3A expression was significantly increased in NSCLC tissues (P=4.19×10⁻²). To knock down EDDM3A expression in a human NSCLC cell line, lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) were used, and the knockdown efficiency was assessed via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. Moreover, cell proliferation was evaluated with an MTT assay and Celigo imaging cytometry. In addition, cell apoptosis was detected by Annexin V staining. It was demonstrated that knockdown of EDDM3A inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells. Furthermore, compared with the control group, the apoptotic rate of the EDDM3A-shRNA group was significantly higher. Collectively, the present results indicate the potential role of EDDM3A in NSCL and suggest that EDDM3A may represent a potent therapeutic target for treating patients with NSCLC.

Interactions of Whey Proteins with Metal Ions

Whey proteins tend to interact with metal ions, which have implications in different fields related to human life quality. There are two impacts of such interactions: they can provide opportunities for applications in food and nutraceuticals, but may lead to analytical challenges related to their study and outcomes for food processing, storage, and food interactions. Moreover, interactions of whey proteins with metal ions are complicated, requiring deep understanding, leading to consequences, such as metalloproteins, metallocomplexes, nanoparticles, or aggregates, creating a biologically active system. To understand the phenomena of metal-protein interactions, it is important to develop analytical approaches combined with studies of changes in the biological activity and to analyze the impact of such interactions on different fields. The aim of this review was to discuss chemistry of β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin, and lactotransferrin, their interactions with different metal ions, analytical techniques used to study them and the implications for food and nutraceuticals.

Techniques Associated with Exosome Isolation for Biomarker Development: Liquid Biopsies for Ovarian Cancer Detection

Ovarian cancer is the leading gynecological malignancy worldwide. This is attributed to the fact that the disease is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, where the survival rates drop from approximately 90% (detection at an early stage) to 20%. Furthermore, ovarian cancer is not associated with overt physical symptoms. Thus, there is an urgent need for a highly sensitive and minimally invasive biomarker for the early detection of ovarian cancer. However, this continues to remain an unmet clinical need, as several proposed techniques have shown low sensitivity and specificity, with poor positive and negative predictive values. The quest for an ideal biomarker has bought exosomes to the forefront. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles of an endocytic origin, which can encapsulate genetic information, in the form of proteins and miRNAs. They are released by multiple cell types and are involved in intercellular communication, through the transfer of their cargo. The process of exosome biogenesis allows for the packaging of molecules from both membranous and cytosolic origins. Therefore, exosomes are representations of the releasing cell, and thus provide an insight into the cellular environment. Furthermore, exosomal encapsulation of molecules such as proteins and miRNAs can prevent degradation, making exosomes an ideal biomarker source. Thus, this chapter provides an overview of ovarian cancer, the potential of exosomes as an early detection biomarker, and the different methods associated with the isolation of different vesicle subpopulations, and exosome enrichment.

BATF acts as an oncogene in non-small cell lung cancer

One of the main causes of cancer incidence and mortality worldwide is lung cancer. This study focused on the function of basic leucine zipper ATF-like transcription factor (BATF) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Using NSCLC patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, the present study demonstrated that BATF expression in NSCLC tissues was significantly higher compared with that in adjacent non-tumor tissues (P=6.56×10⁻⁶). Lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was used to knock down BATF expression in the human A549 NSCLC cell line and assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay and Celigo imaging cytometry. Apoptosis was detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and caspase 3/7 activity analysis. The results revealed that knockdown of BATF inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells. Compared with that of the control group, the apoptosis rate of the BATF-shRNA group was significantly higher. In summary, knockdown of BATF inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells and promoted apoptosis. These results provide important information about the underlying mechanism of the pathogenesis of NSCLC.

KIAA1211 plays an oncogenic role in human non-small cell lung cancer

One of the main causes of cancer disease and death worldwide is lung cancer. Our study focused on the function of KIAA1211 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). According to the data about NSCLC patients that from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we found that KIAA1211 in NSCLC (P=5.06E-06) was significantly higher than the adjacent normal. Lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was used to knockdown BATF expression in the human A549 NSCLC cell line and assessed by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay and Celigo imaging cytometry. Cell apoptosis were detected by Annexin V staining. The test results showed that KIAA1211-shRNA A549 and SPC-A-1 cells can inhibit cell proliferation, and the apoptosis rate of KIAA1211-shRNA group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Knockdown of KIAA1211 inhibited NSCLC progression in xenograft tumor model. In conclusion, KIAA1211 could regulate NSCLC cells proliferation and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. KIAA1211 may serve as a potent target for the treatment of NSCLC.

Sphingolipid-Transporting Proteins as Cancer Therapeutic Targets

The understanding of the role of sphingolipid metabolism in cancer has tremendously increased in the past ten years. Many tumors are characterized by imbalances in sphingolipid metabolism. In many cases, disorders of sphingolipid metabolism are also likely to cause or at least promote cancer. In this review, sphingolipid transport proteins and the processes catalyzed by them are regarded as essential components of sphingolipid metabolism. There is much to suggest that these processes are often rate-limiting steps for metabolism of individual sphingolipid species and thus represent potential target structures for pharmaceutical anticancer research. Here, we summarize empirical and biochemical data on different proteins with key roles in sphingolipid transport and their potential role in cancer.

S100-EPISPOT: A New Tool to Detect Viable Circulating Melanoma Cells

Metastatic melanoma is one of the most aggressive and drug-resistant cancers with very poor overall survival. Circulating melanoma cells (CMCs) were first described in 1991. However, there is no general consensus on the clinical utility of CMC detection, largely due to conflicting results linked to the use of heterogeneous patient populations and different detection methods. Here, we developed a new EPithelial ImmunoSPOT (EPISPOT) assay to detect viable CMCs based on their secretion of the S100 protein (S100-EPISPOT). Then, we compared the results obtained with the S100-EPISPOT assay and the CellSearch^® CMC kit using blood samples from a homogeneous population of patients with metastatic melanoma. We found that S100-EPISPOT sensitivity was significantly higher than that of CellSearch^®. Specifically, the percentage of patients with ≥2 CMCs was significantly higher using S100-EPISPOT than CellSearch^® (48% and 21%, respectively; p = 0.0114). Concerning CMC prognostic value, only the CellSearch^® results showed a significant association with overall survival (p = 0.006). However, due to the higher sensitivity of the new S100-EPISPOT assay, it would be interesting to determine whether this functional test could be used in patients with non-metastatic melanoma for the early detection of tumor relapse and for monitoring the treatment response.

The role of matricellular proteins and tissue stiffness in breast cancer: a systematic review

Malignancies consist not only of cancerous and nonmalignant cells, but also of additional elements, as extracellular matrix. The aim of this review is to summarize meta-analyses, describing breast tissue stiffness and risk of breast carcinoma (BC) assessing the potential relationship between matricellular proteins (MPs) and survival. A systematic computer-based search of published articles, according to PRISMA statement, was conducted through Ovid interface. Mammographic density and tissue stiffness are associated with the risk of BC development, suggesting that MPs may influence BC prognosis. No definitive conclusions are available and additional researches are required to definitively clarify the role of each MP, mammographic density and stiffness in BC development and the mechanisms involved in the onset of this malignancy.

Effect of FAM196B in human lung adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The present study focused on the function of family with sequence similarity 196 member B (FAM196B) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We analyzed lung carcinoma patients' data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and verify the change of FAM196B expression in 30 LUAD tissues and matched adjacent non-tumor tissues (> 5 cm) by tissue microarray. To investigate the role of FAM196B in LUAD, we used lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knockdown FAM196B expression in human LUAD cell line A549 and H1299 and assessed it by RT-qPCR and western blot. Celigo Imaging Cytometry System, MTT assays and colony formation were conducted to evaluate cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis were assayed by Annexin V staining. We found that FAM196B was significantly upregulated (P=5.06E-06) in LUAD compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Cell proliferation was inhibited in FAM196B-silenced A549 and H1299 cells using Celigo Imaging Cytometry System, MTT assays and colony formation assays. Apoptosis rate was significantly increased in FAM196B-shRNA group than the control group. In conclusion, Knockdown of FAM196B can inhibit cell proliferation, cell colony formation capacity, and promote cell apoptosis in A549 and H1299 cell lines. FAM196B may be one novel potential targets for treating patients with LUAD.

A review of S100 protein family in lung cancer

S100 protein family, representing 25 relatively small calcium binding proteins, has been reported to be involved in multiple stages of tumorigenesis and progression. These proteins are considered having potential value to be adopted as novel biomarkers in the detection and accurate prediction of many kinds of tumors, including lung cancer. As the one having the highest morbidity and mortality among all cancers, lung carcinoma is still occult for detection, especially at early stage. S100 proteins take participation in the lung neoplasia through playing intracellular and/or extracellular functions, therefore getting involved in a variety of biological processes such as differentiation, proliferation, and migration. A few members have also been testified to modulate TGF-β/Smad-3 mediated transcriptional activity of target genes involved in tumor promotion. In addition to that, a number of proteins in this family have already been reported to experience an abnormal trend in lung cancer at cell, serum and tissue levels. Thus, S100 proteins may serve as effective biomarkers for suspected or already diagnosed lung cancer patients. In future, S100 protein family might be applied as therapeutic targets in clinical treatment of lung cancer. In this review, we firstly summed up the biological and clinical evidence connecting S100 proteins and lung cancer, which has not been summarized before.

High mannose N-glycan binding lectin from Remusatia vivipara (RVL) limits cell growth, motility and invasiveness of human breast cancer cells

Breast cancer known for its high metastatic potential is responsible for large mortality rate amongst women; hence it is imperative to search for effective anti-metastatic molecules despite anticancer drugs. The current study describes the potential of Remusatia vivipara lectin (RVL), inducing apoptosis in breast cancer cells there by limiting motility and invasiveness. RVL binds to the cell surface glycans of MDA-MB-468 and MCF-7 cells, exhibiting strong glycan mediated cytotoxic effect, but show marginal effect on non-tumorigenic MCF-10A cells. RVL elicits increased cellular stress, apoptotic vacuoles and nuclear disintegration in both MDA-MB-468 and MCF-7 cells accompanied by depletion of G0/G1, S and G2/M phases. Lectin interaction induced production of reactive oxygen species through altering mitochondrial membrane potential progressing to apoptosis. Further, RVL strongly elicited reproductive cell death in MDA-MB-468 cells and showed strong inhibitory effect on neovascularization demonstrated in chorioallantoic membrane assay. Treatment of MDA-MB-468 cells with RVL, suppress the motility and invasive property as shown by scratch wound heal and Boyden chamber transwell assays respectively. These results provide an insight into significance of interaction of RVL with specific cell surface high mannose N-glycans resulting in curtailing the metastatic ability of cancer cells.

Transcriptomic Analysis of the Claudin Interactome in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Evaluation of the Effect of Disease Phenotype, Asbestos Exposure, and CDKN2A Deletion Status

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly aggressive tumor primarily associated with asbestos exposure. Early detection of MPM is restricted by the long latency period until clinical presentation, the ineffectiveness of imaging techniques in early stage detection and the lack of non-invasive biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity. In this study we used transcriptome data mining in order to determine which CLAUDIN (CLDN) genes are differentially expressed in MPM as compared to controls. Using the same approach we identified the interactome of the differentially expressed CLDN genes and assessed their expression profile. Subsequently, we evaluated the effect of tumor histology, asbestos exposure, CDKN2A deletion status, and gender on the gene expression level of the claudin interactome. We found that 5 out of 15 studied CLDNs (4, 5, 8, 10, 15) and 4 out of 27 available interactors (S100B, SHBG, CDH5, CXCL8) were differentially expressed in MPM specimens vs. healthy tissues. The genes encoding the CLDN-15 and S100B proteins present differences in their expression profile between the three histological subtypes of MPM. Moreover, CLDN-15 is significantly under-expressed in the cohort of patients with previous history of asbestos exposure. CLDN-15 was also found significantly underexpressed in patients lacking the CDKN2A gene. These results warrant the detailed in vitro investigation of the role of CDLN-15 in the pathobiology of MPM.

Lunasin Attenuates Obesity-Associated Metastasis of 4T1 Breast Cancer Cell through Anti-Inflammatory Property

Obesity prevalence is increasing worldwide and is accompanied by low-grade inflammation with macrophage infiltration, which is linked with a poorer breast cancer prognosis. Lunasin is a natural seed peptide with chemopreventive properties and multiple bioactivities. This is the first study to explore the chemopreventive effects of lunasin in the obesity-related breast cancer condition using 4T1 breast cancer cells, 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and conditioned media. An obesity-related environment, such as leptin-treatment or adipocyte-conditioned medium (Ad-CM), promoted 4T1 cell proliferation and metastasis. Lunasin treatment inhibited metastasis of breast cancer cells, partially through modestly inhibiting production of the angiogenesis-mediator vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and significantly by inhibiting secretion in the Ad-CM condition. Subsequently, two adipocytes inflammation models, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were stimulated by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and RAW 264.7 cell-conditioned medium (RAW-CM) was used to mimic the obese microenvironment. Lunasin significantly inhibited interleukin (IL)-6 and macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 secretion by TNF-α stimulation, and MCP-1 secretion in the RAW-CM model. This study highlights that lunasin suppressed 3T3-L1 adipocyte inflammation and inhibited 4T1 breast cancer cell migration. Interestingly, lunasin exerted more effective anti-metastasis activity in the obesity-related condition models, indicating that it possesses anti-inflammatory properties and blocks adipocyte-cancer cell cross-talk.

Oct-1 modifies S100A4 exchange between intra- and extracellular compartments in Namalwa cells and increases their sensitivity to glucocorticoids

S100A4, a small intra- and extracellular Ca(2+)-binding protein, is involved in tumor progression and metastasis with S100A4 level shown to be correlated with tumor cells metastatic potential. Simultaneously, Octamer transcription factor 1 (Oct-1) regulates a wide range of genes and participates in tumor cell progression with high Oct-1 level associated with a poor prognosis for different tumors. In this study, following the establishment of Oct-1 binding site, we used Burkit lymphoma B cells (Namalwa cells) which express different isoforms of Oct-1 (Oct-1A, Oct-1L and Oct-1X) to investigate the role of Oct-1 in S100A4 expression and sustaining intra- and extra-cellular S100A4 levels. As antitumor agents, we used dexamethasone which effect is mediated by the activation of intracellular glucocorticoid receptors and camptothecin which molecular target is nuclear DNA topoisomerase I (TOP1). We established that, firstly, the most significant increase in S100A4 gene expression has been demonstrated in the cells transfected with Oct-1A. Secondly, we have established that high level of Oct-1 and decreased intracellular S100A4 level decline the survival of Namalwa cells under dexamethasone treatment. Thirdly, we have shown that the tumor cells transformation by different Oct-1 isoforms retained those cells' sensitivity to the antitumor effect of combined dexamethasone and camptothecin. In contrast, in the non-transformed Namalwa cells, dexamethasone decreased the camptothecin effect on the cells survivorship, thus, emphasizing Oct-1 role in the regulation of cell response to different antitumor agents. The results identify a necessity to consider Oct-1 level for combined chemotherapeutic drug treatment.

CCN6: a modulator of breast cancer progression

The expression of the CCN family of matricellular proteins is highly dysregulated in connective tissue pathologies such as fibrosis and highly metastatic cancers. Strategies targeting members of this family, especially CCN2, are under development as novel therapeutic approaches to highly metastatic cancers such as pancreatic cancer. In prior reports, the Kleer laboratory and colleagues have linked reduced expression of CCN6 (WISP3) with aggressive breast cancers. Loss of CCN6 was associated with elevated Akt phosphorylation and TAK1 activation. In a recent report, the same group reports that, by modulating Notch signaling, CCN6 can promote the maintenance of an epithelial phenotype and also reduce cancer cell migration and invasion, tumor initiation, and metastasis (Oncotarget in press DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7734 ). These results are consistent with the hypothesis that addition of CCN6 peptides may represent a novel, viable therapeutic approach to blocking aggressive breast cancers.

Aspirin Breaks the Crosstalk between 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and 4T1 Breast Cancer Cells by Regulating Cytokine Production

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. The obesity process is normally accompanied by chronic, low-grade inflammation. Infiltration by inflammatory cytokines and immune cells provides a favorable microenvironment for tumor growth, migration, and metastasis. Epidemiological evidence has shown that aspirin is an effective agent against several types of cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects of aspirin on 3T3-L1 adipocytes, 4T1 murine breast cancer cells, and their crosstalk. The results showed that aspirin treatment inhibited differentiation and lipid accumulation by 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, and decreased the secretion of the inflammatory adipokine MCP-1 after stimulation with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α or conditioned medium from RAW264.7 cells. In 4T1 cells, treatment with aspirin decreased cell viability and migration, possibly by suppressing MCP-1 and VEGF secretion. Subsequently, culture of 4T1 cells in 3T3-L1 adipocyte-conditioned medium (Ad-CM) and co-culture of 3T3-L1 and 4T1 cells using a transwell plate were performed to clarify the relationship between these two cell lines. Aspirin exerted its inhibitory effects in the transwell co-culture system, as well as the conditioned-medium model. Aspirin treatment significantly inhibited the proliferation of 4T1 cells, and decreased the production of MCP-1 and PAI-1 in both the Ad-CM model and co-culture system. Aspirin inhibited inflammatory MCP-1 adipokine production by 3T3-L1 adipocytes and the cell growth and migration of 4T1 cells. It also broke the crosstalk between these two cell lines, possibly contributing to its chemopreventive properties in breast cancer. This is the first report that aspirin’s chemopreventive activity supports the potential application in auxiliary therapy against obesity-related breast cancer development.

Structure of a lectin from the sea mussel Crenomytilus grayanus (CGL)

CGL is a 150 amino-acid residue lectin that was originally isolated from the sea mussel Crenomytilus grayanus. It is specific for binding GalNAc/Gal-containing carbohydrate moieties and in general does not share sequence homology with other known galectins or lectins. Since CGL displays antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities, and interacts with high affinity with mucin-type receptors, which are abundant on some cancer cells, knowledge of its structure is of significant interest. Conditions have been established for the expression, purification and crystallization of a recombinant variant of CGL. The crystal structure of recombinant CGL was determined and refined at a resolution of 2.12 Å. The amino-acid sequence of CGL contains three homologous regions (73% similarity) and the folded protein has a β-trefoil topology. Structural comparison of CGL with the closely related lectin MytiLec allowed description of the glycan-binding pockets.

Changes in the gene expression of co-cultured human fibroblast cells and osteosarcoma cells: the role of microenvironment

BACKGROUND

The progression of malignant tumors does not depend exclusively on the autonomous properties of cancer cells; it is also influenced by tumor stroma reactivity and is under strict microenvironmental control. By themselves, stromal cells are not malignant, and they maintain normal tissue structure and function. However, through intercellular interactions or by paracrine secretions from cancer cells, normal stromal cells acquire abnormal phenotypes that sustain cancer cell growth and tumor progression. In their dysfunctional state, fibroblast and immune cells produce chemokines and growth factors that stimulate cancer cell growth and invasion. In our previous work, we established an in vitro model based on a monolayer co-culture system of healthy human fibroblasts (HFs) and human osteosarcoma cells (the MG-63 cell line) that simulates the microenvironment of tumor cells and healthy cells. The coexistence between MG-63 cells and HFs allowed us to identify the YKL-40 protein as the main marker for verifying the influence of tumor cells grown in contact with healthy cells.

METHODS

In this study, we evaluated the interactions of HFs and MG-63 cells in a transwell co-culture system over 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h. We analyzed the contributions of these populations to the tumor microenvironment during cancer progression, as measured by multiple markers. We examined the effect of siRNA knockdown of YKL-40 by tracking the subsequent changes in gene expression within the co-culture. We validated the expression of several genes, focusing on those involved in cancer cell invasion, inflammatory responses, and angiogenesis: TNF alpha, IL-6, MMP-1, MMP-9, and VEGF. We compared the results to those from a transwell co-culture without the YKL-40 knockdown.

RESULTS

In a pro-inflammatory environment promoted by TNF alpha and IL-6, siRNA knockdown of YKL-40 caused a down-regulation of VEGF and MMP-1 expression in HFs.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrated that the tumor microenvironment has an influence on the gene expression of healthy surrounding tissues and on the process of tumorigenicity and it is emerging as attractive targets for therapeutic strategies.