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Yeyeodu S, Hanafi D, Webb K, Laurie NA, Kimbro KS. Population-enriched innate immune variants may identify candidate gene targets at the intersection of cancer and cardio-metabolic disease. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2024; 14:1286979. [PMID: 38577257 PMCID: PMC10991756 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1286979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Both cancer and cardio-metabolic disease disparities exist among specific populations in the US. For example, African Americans experience the highest rates of breast and prostate cancer mortality and the highest incidence of obesity. Native and Hispanic Americans experience the highest rates of liver cancer mortality. At the same time, Pacific Islanders have the highest death rate attributed to type 2 diabetes (T2D), and Asian Americans experience the highest incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cancers induced by infectious agents. Notably, the pathologic progression of both cancer and cardio-metabolic diseases involves innate immunity and mechanisms of inflammation. Innate immunity in individuals is established through genetic inheritance and external stimuli to respond to environmental threats and stresses such as pathogen exposure. Further, individual genomes contain characteristic genetic markers associated with one or more geographic ancestries (ethnic groups), including protective innate immune genetic programming optimized for survival in their corresponding ancestral environment(s). This perspective explores evidence related to our working hypothesis that genetic variations in innate immune genes, particularly those that are commonly found but unevenly distributed between populations, are associated with disparities between populations in both cancer and cardio-metabolic diseases. Identifying conventional and unconventional innate immune genes that fit this profile may provide critical insights into the underlying mechanisms that connect these two families of complex diseases and offer novel targets for precision-based treatment of cancer and/or cardio-metabolic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Yeyeodu
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
- Charles River Discovery Services, Morrisville, NC, United States
| | - Donia Hanafi
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Kenisha Webb
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Nikia A. Laurie
- Julius L Chambers Biomedical/Biotechnology Institute (JLC-BBRI), North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - K. Sean Kimbro
- Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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2
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Karakaya S, Gunnesson L, Elias E, Martos-Salvo P, Robledo M, Nilsson O, Wängberg B, Abel F, Påhlman S, Muth A, Mohlin S. Cytoplasmic HIF-2α as tissue biomarker to identify metastatic sympathetic paraganglioma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11588. [PMID: 37463949 PMCID: PMC10354100 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38606-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) and paragangliomas (PGLs) are rare neuroendocrine tumors. PGLs can further be divided into sympathetic (sPGLs) and head-and-neck (HN-PGLs). There are virtually no treatment options, and no cure, for metastatic PCCs and PGLs (PPGLs). Here, we composed a tissue microarray (TMA) consisting of 149 PPGLs, reflecting clinical features, presenting as a useful resource. Mutations in the pseudohypoxic marker HIF-2α correlate to an aggressive tumor phenotype. We show that HIF-2α localized to the cytoplasm in PPGLs. This subcompartmentalized protein expression differed between tumor subtypes, and strongly correlated to proliferation. Half of all sPGLs were metastatic at time of diagnosis. Cytoplasmic HIF-2α was strongly expressed in metastatic sPGLs and predicted poor outcome in this subgroup. We propose that higher cytoplasmic HIF-2α expression could serve as a useful clinical marker to differentiate paragangliomas from pheochromocytomas, and may help predict outcome in sPGL patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinan Karakaya
- Division of Pediatrics, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 19, BMC B11, 223 84, Lund, Sweden
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund University Cancer Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lisa Gunnesson
- Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Erik Elias
- Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Paula Martos-Salvo
- Division of Pediatrics, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 19, BMC B11, 223 84, Lund, Sweden
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Lund University Cancer Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Mercedes Robledo
- Hereditary Endocrine Cancer Group, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ola Nilsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Bo Wängberg
- Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Frida Abel
- Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sven Påhlman
- Lund University Cancer Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreas Muth
- Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sofie Mohlin
- Division of Pediatrics, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 19, BMC B11, 223 84, Lund, Sweden.
- Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- Lund University Cancer Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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Accattatis FM, Caruso A, Carleo A, Del Console P, Gelsomino L, Bonofiglio D, Giordano C, Barone I, Andò S, Bianchi L, Catalano S. CEBP-β and PLK1 as Potential Mediators of the Breast Cancer/Obesity Crosstalk: In Vitro and In Silico Analyses. Nutrients 2023; 15:2839. [PMID: 37447165 DOI: 10.3390/nu15132839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, obesity has reached pandemic proportions in several countries, and expanding evidence is showing its contribution to several types of malignancies, including breast cancer (BC). The conditioned medium (CM) from mature adipocytes contains a complex of secretes that may mimic the obesity condition in studies on BC cell lines conducted in vitro. Here, we report a transcriptomic analysis on MCF-7 BC cells exposed to adipocyte-derived CM and focus on the predictive functional relevance that CM-affected pathways/processes and related biomarkers (BMs) may have in BC response to obesity. CM was demonstrated to increase cell proliferation, motility and invasion as well as broadly alter the transcript profiles of MCF-7 cells by significantly modulating 364 genes. Bioinformatic functional analyses unraveled the presence of five highly relevant central hubs in the direct interaction networks (DIN), and Kaplan-Meier analysis sorted the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (CEBP-β) and serine/threonine-protein kinase PLK1 (PLK1) as clinically significant biomarkers in BC. Indeed, CEBP-β and PLK1 negatively correlated with BC overall survival and were up-regulated by adipocyte-derived CM. In addition to their known involvement in cell proliferation and tumor progression, our work suggests them as a possible "deus ex machina" in BC response to fat tissue humoral products in obese women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felice Maria Accattatis
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Amanda Caruso
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Alfonso Carleo
- Department of Pulmonology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Piercarlo Del Console
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Luca Gelsomino
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Daniela Bonofiglio
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
- Centro Sanitario, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Cinzia Giordano
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
- Centro Sanitario, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Ines Barone
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
- Centro Sanitario, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Andò
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
- Centro Sanitario, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
| | - Laura Bianchi
- Section of Functional Proteomics, Department of Life Sciences, Via Aldo Moro, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Stefania Catalano
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
- Centro Sanitario, Via P. Bucci, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (CS), 87036 Cosenza, Italy
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Huang H, Dai Y, Duan Y, Yuan Z, Li Y, Zhang M, Zhu W, Yu H, Zhong W, Feng S. Effective prediction of potential ferroptosis critical genes in clinical colorectal cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1033044. [PMID: 36324584 PMCID: PMC9619366 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1033044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colon cancer is common worldwide, with high morbidity and poor prognosis. Ferroptosis is a novel form of cell death driven by the accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides, which differs from other programmed cell death mechanisms. Programmed cell death is a cancer hallmark, and ferroptosis is known to participate in various cancers, including colon cancer. Novel ferroptosis markers and targeted colon cancer therapies are urgently needed. To this end, we performed a preliminary exploration of ferroptosis-related genes in colon cancer to enable new treatment strategies. METHODS Ferroptosis-related genes in colon cancer were obtained by data mining and screening for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using bioinformatics analysis tools. We normalized the data across four independent datasets and a ferroptosis-specific database. Identified genes were validated by immunohistochemical analysis of pathological and healthy clinical samples. RESULTS We identified DEGs in colon cancer that are involved in ferroptosis. Among these, five core genes were found: ELAVL1, GPX2, EPAS1, SLC7A5, and HMGB1. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that the expression of all five genes, except for EPAS1, was higher in tumor tissues than in healthy tissues. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary exploration of the five core genes revealed that they are differentially expressed in colon cancer, playing an essential role in ferroptosis. This study provides a foundation for subsequent research on ferroptosis in colon cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongliang Huang
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuexiang Dai
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingying Duan
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhongwen Yuan
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanxuan Li
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Maomao Zhang
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenting Zhu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hang Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenfei Zhong
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
| | - Senling Feng
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Major Obstetric Diseases, Guangzhou, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Kristan A, Debeljak N, Kunej T. Integration and Visualization of Regulatory Elements and Variations of the EPAS1 Gene in Human. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12111793. [PMID: 34828399 PMCID: PMC8620933 DOI: 10.3390/genes12111793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1), also HIF2α, is an alpha subunit of hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF), which mediates cellular and systemic response to hypoxia. EPAS1 has an important role in the transcription of many hypoxia-responsive genes, however, it has been less researched than HIF1α. The aim of this study was to integrate an increasing number of data on EPAS1 into a map of diverse OMICs elements. Publications, databases, and bioinformatics tools were examined, including Ensembl, MethPrimer, STRING, miRTarBase, COSMIC, and LOVD. The EPAS1 expression, stability, and activity are tightly regulated on several OMICs levels to maintain complex oxygen homeostasis. In the integrative EPAS1 map we included: 31 promoter-binding proteins, 13 interacting miRNAs and one lncRNA, and 16 post-translational modifications regulating EPAS1 protein abundance. EPAS1 has been associated with various cancer types and other diseases. The development of neuroendocrine tumors and erythrocytosis was shown to be associated with 11 somatic and 20 germline variants. The integrative map also includes 12 EPAS1 target genes and 27 interacting proteins. The study introduced the first integrative map of diverse genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, regulomics, and interactomics data associated with EPAS1, to enable a better understanding of EPAS1 activity and regulation and support future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleša Kristan
- Medical Centre for Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (N.D.)
| | - Nataša Debeljak
- Medical Centre for Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (A.K.); (N.D.)
| | - Tanja Kunej
- Department for Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1230 Domžale, Slovenia
- Correspondence:
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Islam F, Gopalan V, Lu CT, Pillai S, Lam AK. Identification of novel mutations and functional impacts of EPAS1 in colorectal cancer. Cancer Med 2021; 10:5557-5573. [PMID: 34250767 PMCID: PMC8366083 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Endothelial PAS domain‐containing protein 1 (EPAS1) has implications in many cancers. However, the molecular behaviours, functional roles and mutational status of EPAS1 have never been studied in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). The study aims to examine the genetic alterations and functional roles of EPAS1 in CRC. In addition, the clinical impacts of EPAS1 in CRC were studied. Significant EPAS1 DNA amplification (63.4%; n = 52/82) and consequent mRNA overexpression (72%; n = 59/82) were noted in patients with CRC. In CRC, 16% (n = 13/82) of the patients had mutations in the EPAS1 coding sequence and most of the mutated samples exhibited aberrant DNA changes and mRNA overexpression. We have identified two novel variants, c.1084C>T; p.L362L and c.1121T>G; p.F374C in CRC. These EPAS1 aberrations in CRC were correlated with clinicopathological parameters, including tumour size, histological grade, T‐stages, cancer perforation as well as the presence of synchronous cancer. Also, reduced cell proliferation, wound healing, migration and invasion were noted in colon cancer cells followed by EPAS1 silencing. To conclude, the results obtained from the current study indicated that EPAS1 plays important role in colorectal carcinogenesis, thus, could be useful as a prognostic marker and as a target for therapy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhadul Islam
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Vinod Gopalan
- School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Cu Tai Lu
- Department of Surgery, Gold Coast University Hospital, Southport, Queensland, Australia
| | - Suja Pillai
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Alfred K Lam
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
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