The Radiosensitizing Effect of AZD0530 in Glioblastoma and Glioblastoma Stem-Like Cells

LGALS3BP is a novel and potential biomarker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common solid renal tumor. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the related tumor markers. LGALS3BP (galectin 3 binding protein) is a multifunctional glycoprotein implicated in immunity and cancer. Some studies have shown that LGALS3BP promotes the occurrence and development of tumors. However, their exact role in renal tumorigenesis remains unclear. Our study used a webserver to explore the mRNA expression and clinical features of LGALS3BP in ccRCC. Survival analysis showed that patients with high LGALS3BP expression had significantly worse OS and DFS than those with low LGALS3BP expression. LGALS3BP expression is significantly related to B cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Furthermore, we determined that LGALS3BP is significantly associated with angiogenesis, stemness and proliferation in renal cancer. Three phenotypes may be associated with a poor prognosis. Genes related to proliferation, angiogenesis and stemness were derived from a Venn diagram of FGF2. FGF2 is negatively correlated with proliferation and positively correlated with angiogenesis. Finally, we screened for drugs that may have potential therapeutic value for ccRCC. The PCR results showed that the expression of LGALS3BP in the normal cell line was lower than that in the tumor cell lines. After LGALS3BP knockdown, the proliferation of 769-P and 786-O cells decreased. The present findings show that LGALS3BP is critical for ccRCC cell proliferation and may be a potential target and biomarker for ccRCC.

Investigating the effect of Icaritin on hepatocellular carcinoma based on network pharmacology

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the cancers that kill people in the global population. Icaritin, a small molecule drug approved by NMPA, has demonstrated potential anti-HCC effects. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We employed a multi-omics approach in this study, including pharmaco-omics and proteomics, to look into the Icaritin's possible molecular targets and workings in the therapy of HCC. Through pharmaco-omics analysis, we identified ten putative target genes of Icaritin, including FYN. The relationship between Icaritin and these target genes, particularly FYN, was further validated through in vitro and in vivo experiments. The outcomes revealed that Icaritin may exert its anti-HCC effects through modulating the FYN gene, highlighting the importance of multi-omics approaches in drug discovery research. This research gives valuable insights regarding the therapeutic potential of Icaritin against HCC and its possible molecular mechanisms.

LncRNA WEE2-AS1 is a diagnostic biomarker that predicts poor prognoses in patients with glioma

BACKGROUND

Glioma is characterized by high morbidity, high mortality, and poor prognosis. Despite tremendous advances in the treatment of glioma, the prognosis of patients with glioma is still unsatisfactory. There is an urgent need to discover novel molecular markers that effectively predict prognosis in patients with glioma. The investigation of the role of WEE2-AS1 in various tumors is an emerging research field, but the biological function and prognostic value of WEE2-AS1 in glioma have rarely been reported. This study aimed to assess the value of WEE2-AS1 as a potential prognostic marker of glioma.

METHODS

Gene expression (RNA-Seq) data of patients with glioma were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to analyze the expression of WEE2-AS1 in the cells and tissues of glioma. The Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and logistic regression were used to evaluate the relationship between clinical variables and expression of WEE2-AS1. Cox regression analysis and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to evaluate the prognostic factors in glioma. A nomogram based on Cox multivariate analysis was used to predict the impact of WEE2-AS1 on glioma prognosis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify key WEE2-AS1-associated signaling pathways. Spearman's rank correlation was used to elucidate the association between WEE2-AS1 expression and immune cell infiltration levels.

RESULTS

We found that WEE2-AS1 was overexpressed in a variety of cancers, including glioma. High expression of WEE2-AS1 was associated with glioma progression. We determined that the expression of WEE2-AS1 might be an independent risk factor for the survival and prognosis of patients with glioma. We further observed that the mechanism of WEE2-AS1-mediated tumorigenesis involved neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, cell cycle, and the infiltration of immune cells into the glioma microenvironment.

CONCLUSION

These findings demonstrate that WEE2-AS1 is a promising biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with glioma. An increased understanding of its effects on the regulation of cell growth may lead to the development of clinical applications that improve the prognostic status of patients with glioma.

FYN: emerging biological roles and potential therapeutic targets in cancer

Src family protein kinases (SFKs) play a key role in cell adhesion, invasion, proliferation, survival, apoptosis, and angiogenesis during tumor development. In humans, SFKs consists of eight family members with similar structure and function. There is a high level of overexpression or hyperactivity of SFKs in tumor, and they play an important role in multiple signaling pathways involved in tumorigenesis. FYN is a member of the SFKs that regulate normal cellular processes. Additionally, FYN is highly expressed in many cancers and promotes cancer growth and metastasis through diverse biological functions such as cell growth, apoptosis, and motility migration, as well as the development of drug resistance in many tumors. Moreover, FYN is involved in the regulation of multiple cancer-related signaling pathways, including interactions with ERK, COX-2, STAT5, MET and AKT. FYN is therefore an attractive therapeutic target for various tumor types, and suppressing FYN can improve the prognosis and prolong the life of patients. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of FYN's structure, expression, upstream regulators, downstream substrate molecules, and biological functions in tumors.

Tau Protein as Therapeutic Target for Cancer? Focus on Glioblastoma

Despite being extensively studied for several decades, the microtubule-associated protein Tau has not finished revealing its secrets. For long, Tau has been known for its ability to promote microtubule assembly. A less known feature of Tau is its capability to bind to cancer-related protein kinases, suggesting a possible role of Tau in modulating microtubule-independent cellular pathways that are associated with oncogenesis. With the intention of finding new therapeutic targets for cancer, it appears essential to examine the interaction of Tau with these kinases and their consequences. This review aims at collecting the literature data supporting the relationship between Tau and cancer with a particular focus on glioblastoma tumors in which the pathological significance of Tau remains largely unexplored. We will first treat this subject from a mechanistic point of view showing the pivotal role of Tau in oncogenic processes. Then, we will discuss the involvement of Tau in dysregulating critical pathways in glioblastoma. Finally, we will outline promising strategies to target Tau protein for the therapy of glioblastoma.

Development of a prognostic model for children with neuroblastoma based on necroptosis-related genes

Background: Neuroblastoma (NBL) is a rare malignant tumor of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system in children with a low overall survival rate. Recent studies have revealed the important role of necroptosis in the occurrence and development of many kinds of tumors. In this study, a prognostic model based on necroptosis-related genes was constructed for NBL.

Methods: Expression profiles and clinical information for patients with NBL were downloaded from TARGET. Data for necroptosis-related genes were extracted for Cox regression and lasso regression analyses to evaluate factors associated with prognosis and to construct a prognostic model. Data from the GEO datasets GSE62564 and GSE85047 were used for external verification. Associations between risk scores were calculated, and immune infiltration, drug sensitivity, and mutation analyses were conducted. Functional enrichment analyses of genes in the prognostic model were performed.

Results: Six necroptosis-related genes (i.e., CYLD, JAK1, APC, ERH, CNBP, and BAX) were selected to construct a prognostic risk model. The risk score was highly correlated with levels of infiltration of multiple immune cells and sensitivity to common antineoplastic drugs. In addition, the risk score was identified as an independent prognostic factor for patients with NBL.

Conclusion: We constructed and validated a prognostic model based on necroptosis-related genes, providing insights into the development and progression of NBL and a basis for improved management. In addition to providing a tool for clinical decision-making, these findings support the importance of necroptosis in NBL and may guide the development of therapeutic strategies targeting this process.