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Yang H, Liu J, Li L, Wang X, Li Z. Comprehensive analysis of m6A RNA methylation regulators in esophageal carcinoma. Transl Cancer Res 2024; 13:381-393. [PMID: 38410211 PMCID: PMC10894331 DOI: 10.21037/tcr-23-910] [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: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Background N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most pervasive modification of RNA methylation in eukaryotic cells. m6A modification plays a pivotal role in tumorigenesis and progression in many types of cancers. Until now, the role of m6A modification in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) has remained obscure. The aim of the study was to construct and validate prognostic signatures based on m6A regulators for ESCA. Methods Transcriptomic data, somatic mutations and clinical information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Copy number variations were obtained from the UCSC (University of California, Santa Cruz) Xena database. We curated 21 m6A regulators and performed consensus clustering analysis to quantify the m6A modification pattern. Results Of the 184 patients, 23 (12.5%) were genetically altered in m6A regulators, with the highest frequency of mutations in ZC3H13 and LRPPRC. We constructed a m6A score system to investigate the prognosis of ESCA. The m6A score was closely related to immune cell infiltration in the tumor immune microenvironment. Patients with a high m6A score had an unfavorable prognosis. The combination of tumor mutation burden and m6A score would improve the prognostic value. Conclusions Our study established and validated a strong prognostic signature based on m6A regulators. This can be used to accurately predict the prognosis of ESCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongzhao Yang
- Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Colorectal Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jianbo Liu
- Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Colorectal Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Li
- Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Colorectal Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaodong Wang
- Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhigui Li
- Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Colorectal Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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2
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Xu X, Zhao J, Yang M, Han L, Yuan X, Chi W, Jiang J. The emerging roles of N6-methyladenosine RNA modifications in thyroid cancer. Eur J Med Res 2023; 28:475. [PMID: 37915103 PMCID: PMC10621220 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-023-01382-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most predominant malignancy of the endocrine system, with steadily growing occurrence and morbidity worldwide. Although diagnostic and therapeutic methods have been rapidly developed in recent years, the underlying molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of TC remain enigmatic. The N6-methyladenosine(m6A) RNA modification is designed to impact RNA metabolism and further gene regulation. This process is intricately regulated by a variety of regulators, such as methylases and demethylases. Aberrant m6A regulators expression is related to the occurrence and development of TC and play an important role in drug resistance. This review comprehensively analyzes the effect of m6A methylation on TC progression and the potential clinical value of m6A regulators as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxin Xu
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiayao Zhao
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingyue Yang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China
| | - Lutuo Han
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingxing Yuan
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
- Heilongjiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science, No. 33 of West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Wencheng Chi
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
- Heilongjiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science, No. 33 of West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China.
| | - Jiakang Jiang
- Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
- Heilongjiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science, No. 33 of West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang, People's Republic of China.
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, China.
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3
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Zhang Y, Chen Y, Chen R, Zhou H, Lin Y, Li B, Song H, Zhou G, Dong M, Xu H. YTHDF3as a prognostic predictive biomarker of thyroid cancer and its correlation with immune infiltration. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:882. [PMID: 37726690 PMCID: PMC10507848 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11361-9] [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: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Thyroid cancer (TC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies, and its morbidity continues to rise. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation, an epigenetic modification, is an important regulator of gene expression in TC. Therefore, it's worth finding the characteristics and predictive value of the m6A RNA methylation regulators in thyroid cancer (TC). METHOD RNA-seq data of TC was downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to screen out the differential expressed regulators. The absolute contraction selection operator (Lasso) Cox regression was used to construct the risk model of m6A methylation regulators. The predictive value of the risk scoring model was evaluated by Kaplan Meier (K-M) analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The underlying mechanism of m6A methylation regulators in TC was predicted by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Further validation was performed by using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and q-PCR. The correlation between risk-related gene and immune infiltration was evaluated by Tumour Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). RESULTS IGF2BP2, YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 were screened out as strong independent prognostic factors of TC. Then a risk score model was established to further screen the predictors. Finally, according to the results of overall survival (OS) and clinical characteristics of TC, YTHDF3 was screened out as a potential predictor. Meanwhile, IHC and qPCR confirmed that YTHDF3 was expressed differential in TC. The expression of YTHDF3 was positively associated with the infiltration level of CD4+ T cells and macrophages. It was strongly correlated with a variety of immune markers in TC. CONCLUSION We confirmed that YTHDF3 can be used as a potential prognostic biomarker of TC. It not only plays a decisive role in the initiation and development of TC, but also provides a new perspective for understanding the modification of m6A RNA in TC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihan Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Microbiota and Immunological Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Chen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Changhai Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruihua Chen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Microbiota and Immunological Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Zhou
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Microbiota and Immunological Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Lin
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Microbiota and Immunological Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bingxin Li
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Microbiota and Immunological Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huaidong Song
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics & Endocrinology, The Core Laboratory in Medical Center of Clinical Research, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoqiang Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Changshu Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Changshu, China.
| | - Mei Dong
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics & Endocrinology, The Core Laboratory in Medical Center of Clinical Research, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Huanbai Xu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center for Microbiota and Immunological Diseases, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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4
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Ji J, Liu S, Liang Y, Zheng G. Comprehensive analysis of m6A regulators and relationship with tumor microenvironment, immunotherapy strategies in colorectal adenocarcinoma. BMC Genom Data 2023; 24:44. [PMID: 37568073 PMCID: PMC10422724 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-023-01149-y] [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: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is the most prevalent and abundant type found in eukaryotic cells. It plays a crucial role in the initiation and progression of cancers. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively investigate the landscape of m6A regulators and their association with tumor microenvironment (TME), immunotherapeutic strategies in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). RESULTS The differential expression, mutation, CNV frequency and prognostic value of 27 m6A regulators were systematically analyzed in COAD. Patients were classified into two clusters based on m6A regulators through consistent clustering analysis, with cluster A showing significant survival benefits. Most of the m6A regulators were negatively correlated with immune cells, except for WTAP, IGF2BP3, FTO, ALKBH5, which showed a positive correlation. We developed an m6A scoring system to calculate the m6Ascore for each patient. Patients with a high-m6Ascore had a better outcome, with the AUC of 0.775. An independent cohort of 416 COAD patients acquired from GSE38832 database was used to validate the prognosis prediction ability of m6Ascore. Moreover, the m6Ascore was negatively correlated with infiltration of anti-tumor immune cells. Additionally, patients with a high-m6Ascore responded better to anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4 therapies, and those with MSI-H had a higher m6Ascore. Finally, we investigated the value of m6Ascore in predicting the response of patients to 15 commonly used drugs. CONCLUSIONS We comprehensively analyzed m6A regulators in COAD, including RNA expression, CNV changes, mutations and their correlation with TME. Our results showed that the m6A scoring system had significant predictive power for the prognosis of COAD patients, potentially leading to new personalized immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Ji
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China
| | - Shichao Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250014, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongyuan Liang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250014, People's Republic of China
| | - Guixi Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, People's Republic of China.
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5
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Su C, Zhang Y, Chen P, Yang W, Du J, Zhang D. Methyltransferase-like 3 induces the development of cervical cancer by enhancing insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding proteins 3-mediated apoptotic chromatin condensation inducer 1 mRNA stability. Bioengineered 2022; 13:7034-7048. [PMID: 35255776 PMCID: PMC9208506 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2044261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays a critical role in the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer (CC). Here, we aimed to investigate the potential role of methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in CC. Gene expression was determined via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cellular functions were detected using colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), and Transwell assays. The interactions among METTL3, insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3), and apoptotic chromatin condensation inducer 1 (ACIN1) were confirmed using the MeRIP and RIP assays. An in vivo assay was performed to verify the role of METTL3 in CC development. METTL3 is overexpressed in CC, and therefore, its knockdown inhibits the proliferation and migration of CC cells. Silencing METTL3 inhibits tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, a positive association was observed between METTL3 and ACIN1. METTL3 interacts with IGF2BP3 to promote the mRNA stability of ACIN1, the overexpression of which induces the aggressiveness of CC cells. METTL3 promotes ACIN1 mRNA stability to accelerate CC progression, implying that METTL3 is a promising biomarker in CC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuihong Su
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Ping Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Jiaqiu Du
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Danfeng Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang, China
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6
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Sa R, Liang R, Qiu X, He Z, Liu Z, Chen L. Targeting IGF2BP2 Promotes Differentiation of Radioiodine Refractory Papillary Thyroid Cancer via Destabilizing RUNX2 mRNA. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14051268. [PMID: 35267576 PMCID: PMC8909796 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14051268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Differentiation therapy is one of the most promising treatment approaches for radioiodine refractory papillary thyroid cancer (RR-PTC). In this study, we found that insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 promoted dedifferentiation of PTC via integrating to 3′-untranslated regions of runt-related transcription factor 2, which bound to the promoter region of sodium/iodide symporter, downregulating its expression. Abstract N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators play an important role in multiple biological and pathological processes of radioiodine refractory papillary thyroid cancer (RR-PTC). However, the function of m6A regulators in differentiation of RR-PTC remains unclear. In this study, online data, clinical samples, and RR-PTC cell lines (K1 and TPC1) were used to identify the m6A regulators that contributed to the differentiation of RR-PTC. Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) was found to be associated with thyroid-specific genes in online data analyses, and metastatic PTCs with high expression of IGF2BP2 were prone to be 131I-nonavid in clinical analyses. Furthermore, targeting IGF2BP2 increased 125I uptake in RR-PTC cell lines and enhanced the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) expression. Mechanistically, IGF2BP2 bound to the m6A modification site of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) 3′-UTR and enhanced the RUNX2 mRNA stability. Moreover, RUNX2 could bind to the promoter region of NIS to block the differentiation of RR-PTC. Together, these results demonstrated that IGF2BP2 represents a diagnostic marker for RR-PTC, suggesting a novel differentiation therapeutic strategy of targeting IGF2BP2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ri Sa
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600# Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China; (R.S.); (X.Q.); (Z.H.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 1# Xinmin Street, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Rui Liang
- Department of Geriatrics and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 37# Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, China;
| | - Xian Qiu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600# Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China; (R.S.); (X.Q.); (Z.H.)
| | - Ziyan He
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600# Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China; (R.S.); (X.Q.); (Z.H.)
| | - Zhiyan Liu
- Department of Pathology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600# Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China
- Correspondence: (Z.L.); (L.C.); Tel.: +86-189-3017-2295 (Z.L.); +86-216-436-9181(L.C.)
| | - Libo Chen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600# Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China; (R.S.); (X.Q.); (Z.H.)
- Correspondence: (Z.L.); (L.C.); Tel.: +86-189-3017-2295 (Z.L.); +86-216-436-9181(L.C.)
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7
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Wang W, Shen C, Zhao Y, Sun B, Qiu X, Yin S, Chen J, Li X. The Role of m6A RNA Methylation-Related lncRNAs in the Prognosis and Tumor Immune Microenvironment of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 9:719820. [PMID: 35047491 PMCID: PMC8762243 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.719820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence has indicated that N6-methylandenosine (m6A) RNA methylation plays a critical role in cancer development. However, the function of m6A RNA methylation-related long noncoding RNAs (m6A-lncRNAs) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has never been reported. This study aimed to investigate the role of m6A-lncRNAs in the prognosis and tumor microenvironment (TME) of PTC. Three subgroups (clusters 1, 2, and 3) were identified by consensus clustering of 19 prognosis-related m6A-lncRNA regulators, of which cluster 1 is preferentially related to unfavorable prognosis, lower immune scores, and distinct immune infiltrate level. A risk-score model was established based on 8 prognosis-related m6A-lncRNAs. Patients with a high-risk score showed a worse prognosis, and the ROC indicated a reliable prediction performance for patients with PTC (AUC = 0.802). As expected, the immune scores, the infiltration levels of immune cells, and ESTIMATE scores in the low-risk subgroups were notably higher (p < 0.001) when compared with those in high-risk subgroups. Furthermore, GSEA analysis revealed that tumor associated pathways, hallmarks, and biological processes were remarkably enriched in the high-risk subgroup. Further analysis indicated that the risk score and age were independent prognostic factors for PTC. An integrated nomogram was constructed that accurately predicted the survival status (AUC = 0.963). Moreover, a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulated network was established based on seven prognosis-related m6A-lncRNAs. In addition, 30 clinical samples and different PTC cells were validated. This is the first study to reveal that m6A-lncRNAs plays a vital role in the prognosis and TME of PTC. To a certain degree, m6A-lncRNAs can be considered as new, promising prognostic biomarkers and treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlong Wang
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Cong Shen
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yunzhe Zhao
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Botao Sun
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiangyuan Qiu
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shujuan Yin
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jiaxin Chen
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xinying Li
- Thyroid Surgery Department, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
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8
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Huang Y, Li X, Chen W, He Y, Wu S, Li X, Hou B, Wang S, He Y, Jiang H, Lun Y, Zhang J. Analysis of the prognostic significance and potential mechanisms of lncRNAs associated with m6A methylation in papillary thyroid carcinoma. Int Immunopharmacol 2021; 101:108286. [PMID: 34735975 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2021.108286] [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: 08/18/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND m6A methylation-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in the progression of various tumors and can be used as prognostic markers. However, whether m6A-related lncRNAs also play the same function as prognostic markers in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains unclear. METHODS Consensus cluster analysis was performed to divide PTC samples obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database into two clusters according to the expression of m6A-related lncRNAs. Then, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was performed to create and verify a prognostic model. Furthermore, the relationship among risk scores, clusters, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), tumor microenvironment (TME), clinicopathological characteristics, immune infiltration, immune checkpoint, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) was analyzed. In addition, a nomogram was created, and subsequently, the drug sensitivity of lncRNAs in the prognostic model was analyzed. Finally, the relationship between these lncRNAs and prognosis in pan-cancer was investigated. RESULTS The prognosis, RAS, BRAF, M, and TME were found to be different in two clusters. The prognostic model included three lncRNAs: PSMG3-AS1, BHLHE40-AS1, and AC016747.3. The risk score was associated with clusters, PD-L1, tumor microenvironment, clinicopathological characteristics, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint, and TMB, and thus, risk score was confirmed as useful prognostic indicator. Differentially expressed lncRNAs are involved in many malignancies and can be identified as cancer prognostic makers. CONCLUSION According to our research, we can regard m6A-related lncRNAs involved in the procession of PTC as a biomarker of progression-free survival for PTC patients, and pan-cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinde Huang
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Wenbin Chen
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Yuzhen He
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Song Wu
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Xinyang Li
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Bingchen Hou
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Shiyue Wang
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Yuchen He
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Han Jiang
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Yu Lun
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, The First Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China.
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9
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Sun D, Yang H, Fan L, Shen F, Wang Z. m6A regulator-mediated RNA methylation modification patterns and immune microenvironment infiltration characterization in severe asthma. J Cell Mol Med 2021; 25:10236-10247. [PMID: 34647423 PMCID: PMC8572790 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.16961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification is one of the most prevalent RNA modification forms of eukaryotic mRNA and is an important post‐transcriptional mechanism for regulating genes. However, the role of m6A modification in the regulation of severe asthma has never been reported. Thus, we aimed to investigate the m6A regulator‐mediated RNA methylation modification patterns and immune microenvironment infiltration characterization in severe asthma. In this study, 87 healthy controls and 344 severe asthma cases from the U‐BIOPRED (Unbiased Biomarkers for the Prediction of Respiratory Disease Outcomes) programme were used to systematically evaluate the m6A modification patterns mediated by 27 m6A regulators and to investigate the effects of m6A modification on immune microenvironment characteristics. We found that 16 m6A regulators were abnormal and identified two key m6A regulators (YTHDF3 and YTHDC1) and three m6A modification patterns. The study of infiltration characteristics of immune microenvironment found that pattern 2 had more infiltrating immune cells and more active immune response. Besides, it was found that the eosinophils which are very important for severe asthma were affected by YTHDF3 and EIF3B. We also verified key m6A regulators with merip‐seq and found that they were mainly distributed in exons and enriched in 3′UTR. In conclusion, our findings suggested that m6A modification plays a key role in severe asthma, and may be able to guide the future strategy of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deyang Sun
- The First Clinical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huan Yang
- The First Clinical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liming Fan
- The First Clinical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fenglin Shen
- The First Clinical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- The First Clinical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Respiration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
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10
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Li X, Yang S, Zhao C, Yang J, Li C, Shen W, Hu H, Zhang W, Yang S. CircHACE1 functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to curb differentiated thyroid cancer progression by upregulating Tfcp2L1 through adsorbing miR-346. Endocr J 2021; 68:1011-1025. [PMID: 34092745 DOI: 10.1507/endocrj.ej20-0806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are correlated with the occurrence and progression of differentiated thyroid cancer (THCA). However, the regulatory mechanism of circRNAs in differentiated THCA is unclear. In the present study, we analyzed the circRNA microarray dataset (GSE93522) of thyroid tumors and discovered that circRNA HACE1 (circHACE1) was downregulated in differentiated THCA. We detected circHACE1 expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Gain-of-function experiments were performed to analyze the biological function of circHACE1 in differentiated THCA cells in vitro. The regulatory mechanism of circHACE1 in differentiated THCA was explored through bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter, RIP (RNA immunoprecipitation), and/or RNA pull-down assays. The biological function of circHACE1 in THCA was confirmed by xenograft assay. We verified that circHACE1 was downregulated in differentiated THCA. Also, differentiated THCA patients with low circHACE1 expression were associated with TNM grade, lymphoid node metastasis, tumor size, and poor prognosis. CircHACE1 overexpression decreased xenograft tumor growth in vivo and induced cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, impeded proliferation, migration, and invasion in differentiated THCA cells in vitro. CircHACE1 could function as a microRNA (miR)-346 sponge and regulated Tfcp2L1 (transcription factor CP2 like 1) expression. MiR-346 overexpression offset circHACE1 elevation-mediated effects on malignant behaviors of differentiated THCA cells. Furthermore, Tfcp2L1 silencing counteracted the suppressive impact of miR-346 inhibitor on the malignancy of differentiated THCA cells. In conclusion, circHACE1 adsorbed miR-346 and elevated Tfcp2L1 expression, thus curbing cell malignancy in differentiated THCA, manifesting that circHACE1 might be a target for differentiated THCA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyi Li
- Department of Endocrinology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Song Yang
- Department of Oncology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Chengyuan Zhao
- Department of Endocrinology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Endocrinology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Chen Li
- Department of Stomatology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Wenhao Shen
- Department of Oncology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Haitao Hu
- Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Shufang Yang
- Department of Endocrinology, Taizhou People's Hospital, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, China
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11
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Identification of Critical m 6A RNA Methylation Regulators with Prognostic Value in Lower-Grade Glioma. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 2021:9959212. [PMID: 34212046 PMCID: PMC8205593 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9959212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidences have revealed that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation regulators participate in the tumorigenesis and development of multiple tumors. So far, there has been little comprehension about the effects of m6A RNA methylation regulators on lower-grade gliomas (LGG). Here, we systematically investigated the expression profiles and prognostic significance of 36 m6A RNA methylation regulators in LGG patients from the TCGA and CGGA databases. Most of the m6A RNA methylation regulators are differentially expressed in LGG tissues as compared with normal brain tissues and glioblastoma (GBM) tissues. The consensus clustering for these m6A RNA methylation regulators identified three clusters. Patients in cluster 3 exhibited worse prognosis. In addition, we constructed an m6A-related prognostic signature, which exhibited excellent performance in prognostic stratification of LGG patients according to the results of the Kaplan-Meier curves, ROC curves, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. In addition, a significant correlation was observed between the m6A-related prognostic signature and the immune landscape of the LGG microenvironment. The high-risk group exhibited higher immune scores, stromal scores, and ESTIMATE scores but lower tumor purity and lower abundance of activated NK cells. Moreover, the expression level of immune checkpoints was positively correlated with the risk score. To conclude, the current research systematically demonstrated the prognostic roles of m6A RNA methylation regulators in LGG.
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12
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Jing FY, Zhou LM, Ning YJ, Wang XJ, Zhu YM. The Biological Function, Mechanism, and Clinical Significance of m6A RNA Modifications in Head and Neck Carcinoma: A Systematic Review. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:683254. [PMID: 34136491 PMCID: PMC8201395 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.683254] [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: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most common cancers, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying its onset and development have not yet been fully elucidated. Indeed, an in-depth understanding of the potential molecular mechanisms underlying HNSCC oncogenesis may aid the development of better treatment strategies. Recent epigenetic studies have revealed that the m6A RNA modification plays important roles in HNSCC. In this review, we summarize the role of m6A modification in various types of HNSCC, including thyroid, nasopharyngeal, hypopharyngeal squamous cell, and oral carcinoma. In addition, we discuss the regulatory roles of m6A in immune cells within the tumor microenvironment, as well as the potential molecular mechanisms. Finally, we review the development of potential targets for treating cancer based on the regulatory functions of m6A, with an aim to improving targeted therapies for HNSCC. Together, this review highlights the important roles that m6A modification plays in RNA synthesis, transport, and translation, and demonstrates that the regulation of m6A-related proteins can indirectly affect mRNA and ncRNA function, thus providing a novel strategy for reengineering intrinsic cell activity and developing simpler interventions to treat HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Yang Jing
- Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Department of Dental Implant Center, Stomatologic Hospital & College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Li-Ming Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Department of Dental Implant Center, Stomatologic Hospital & College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yu-Jie Ning
- Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Department of Dental Implant Center, Stomatologic Hospital & College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Department of Dental Implant Center, Stomatologic Hospital & College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - You-Ming Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Department of Dental Implant Center, Stomatologic Hospital & College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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13
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Zhang SY, Zhang SW, Zhang T, Fan XN, Meng J. Recent advances in functional annotation and prediction of the epitranscriptome. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2021; 19:3015-3026. [PMID: 34136099 PMCID: PMC8175281 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.05.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA modifications, in particular N6-methyladenosine (m6A), participate in every stages of RNA metabolism and play diverse roles in essential biological processes and disease pathogenesis. Thanks to the advances in sequencing technology, tens of thousands of RNA modification sites can be identified in a typical high-throughput experiment; however, it remains a major challenge to decipher the functional relevance of these sites, such as, affecting alternative splicing, regulation circuit in essential biological processes or association to diseases. As the focus of RNA epigenetics gradually shifts from site discovery to functional studies, we review here recent progress in functional annotation and prediction of RNA modification sites from a bioinformatics perspective. The review covers naïve annotation with associated biological events, e.g., single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), RNA binding protein (RBP) and alternative splicing, prediction of key sites and their regulatory functions, inference of disease association, and mining the diagnosis and prognosis value of RNA modification regulators. We further discussed the limitations of existing approaches and some future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Yao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Information Fusion Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Shao-Wu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Information Fusion Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Teng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Information Fusion Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Xiao-Nan Fan
- Key Laboratory of Information Fusion Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Automation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Jia Meng
- Department of Biological Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
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14
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Li Q, Jiang S, Feng T, Zhu T, Qian B. Identification of the EMT-Related Genes Signature for Predicting Occurrence and Progression in Thyroid Cancer. Onco Targets Ther 2021; 14:3119-3131. [PMID: 34012269 PMCID: PMC8127002 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s301127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The detection rate of thyroid cancer (TC) has been continuously improved due to the development of detection technology. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is thought to be closely related to the malignant progression of tumors. However, the relationship between EMT-related genes (ERGs) characteristics and the diagnosis and prognosis of TC patients has not been studied. METHODS Four datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were used to perform transcriptomic profile analysis. The overlapping differentially expressed ERGs (DEERGs) were analyzed using the R package "limma". Then, the hub genes, which had a higher degree, were identified by the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Gene expression analysis between the TC and normal data, the disease-free survival (DFS) analysis of TC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas Thyroid Cancer (TCGA-THCA) cohort, function analysis, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to verify the importance of the hub genes. Finally, a prognostic risk scoring was constructed to predict DFS in patients with the selected genes. RESULTS A total of 43 DEERGs were identified and 10 DEERGs were considered hub ERGs, which had a high degree of connectivity in the PPI network. Then, the differential expressions of FN1, ITGA2, and KIT between TC and normal tissues were verified in the TCGA-THCA cohort and their protein expressions were also verified by IHC. DFS analysis indicated upregulations of FN1 expression (P<0.01) and ITGA2 expression (P<0.01) and downregulation of KIT expression (P=0.01) increased risks of decreased DFS for TCGA-THCA patients. Besides, by building a prognostic risk scoring model, we found that the DFS of TCGA-THCA patients was significantly worse in high-risk groups. CONCLUSION In summary, these hub ERGs were potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of TC, which can provide a basis for further exploring the efficacy of EMT in patients with TC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- Public Health College, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital/Clinical Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Sheng Jiang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, China National Nuclear Corporation 416 Hospital, Chengdu, 610051, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tienan Feng
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital/Clinical Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tengteng Zhu
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital/Clinical Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
| | - Biyun Qian
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital/Clinical Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, People’s Republic of China
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15
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Tian R, Zhang S, Sun D, Bei C, Li D, Zheng C, Song X, Chen M, Tan S, Zhu X, Zhang H. M6A Demethylase FTO Plays a Tumor Suppressor Role in Thyroid Cancer. DNA Cell Biol 2020; 39:2184-2193. [PMID: 33054406 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2020.5956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of N6-methyladenosine demethylase FTO in thyroid cancer. Bioinformatic analysis showed that FTO expression was downregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and correlated with lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer patients. We conducted experimental verification by collecting Asian samples. The results of quantitative reverse transcription-PCR showed that the mRNA expression of FTO in the blood of 30 thyroid cancer patients was lower than that of the control population. At the same time, we found that FTO expression was negative in tissues of 16/56 (28.57%) thyroid cancer cases and 4/40 (10.00%) nontumor thyroid cases through the immunohistochemical method, indicating a lower FTO expression in thyroid cancer tissues than nontumor thyroid tissues (p < 0.05). In addition, the protein expression of FTO was significantly related to the tumor grade and lymph node metastasis in thyroid cancer patients (p < 0.05), but not to other clinicopathological features. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that FTO expression was an independent risk factor for tumor grade. Survival analysis showed no significant difference in the disease-free survival time of thyroid cancer patients between high expression and low expression groups of FTO. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis found that promoter DNA methylation and copy number variation might cause downregulated FTO and then affect TP53 pathways in thyroid cancer. We found that FTO expression was downregulated in thyroid cancer tissues and related to the progression of thyroid cancer, suggesting a tumor suppressor role of FTO in thyroid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Run Tian
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Shidong Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Daxin Sun
- Department of Thyroid Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Chunhua Bei
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Di Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Chuanjun Zheng
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Xin Song
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Mengshi Chen
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, P.R. China
| | - Shengkui Tan
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, P.R. China
| | - Xiaonian Zhu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
| | - Huixia Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Guilin Medical University, Guilin, P.R. China
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