Dysregulation of Transcription Factor Activity During Formation of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts

Transcription factors in fibroblast plasticity and CAF heterogeneity

In recent years, research focused on the multifaceted landscape and functions of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) aimed to reveal their heterogeneity and identify commonalities across diverse tumors for more effective therapeutic targeting of pro-tumoral stromal microenvironment. However, a unified functional categorization of CAF subsets remains elusive, posing challenges for the development of targeted CAF therapies in clinical settings.The CAF phenotype arises from a complex interplay of signals within the tumor microenvironment, where transcription factors serve as central mediators of various cellular pathways. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing technology have emphasized the role of transcription factors in the conversion of normal fibroblasts to distinct CAF subtypes across various cancer types.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the specific roles of transcription factor networks in shaping CAF heterogeneity, plasticity, and functionality. Beginning with their influence on fibroblast homeostasis and reprogramming during wound healing and fibrosis, it delves into the emerging insights into transcription factor regulatory networks. Understanding these mechanisms not only enables a more precise characterization of CAF subsets but also sheds light on the early regulatory processes governing CAF heterogeneity and functionality. Ultimately, this knowledge may unveil novel therapeutic targets for cancer treatment, addressing the existing challenges of stromal-targeted therapies.

Decapping enzyme 2 is a novel immune-related biomarker that predicts poor prognosis in glioma

This study analyzed sequencing and clinical data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and gene expression synthesis, and used Chinese glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) data for external validation. The expression of DCP2 in normal brain and tumor tissue was compared. We analyzed the clinical and molecular characteristics and prognostic value of DCP2 in glioma. In addition, DCP2 expression levels were evaluated in 30 glioma tissue samples and upregulated in glioma samples compared to normal brain tissue (p < 0.001). Multivariate data analysis from TCGA showed that increased DCP2 expression was an independent risk factor for overall survival and prognosis of glioma patients. As indicated by the analysis of the TCGA data set. The expression level of DCP2 is closely related to tumor immunity, including tumor immune cell infiltration, immune score, and co-expression of multiple immune-related genes. In addition, DCP2 was positively correlated with IL-6 and IL-7. Glioma cell proliferation and invasion were evaluated using cell viability, colony formation, wound healing, and transwell assays.Apoptosis and cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry. DCP2 promoted the proliferation, invasion and migration of glioma cells T98G and U251, inhibited apoptosis and blocked the S phase of the cell cycle. As a result of the altered expression of DCP2, a new prognostic biomarker may be identified that can improve patient survival.These findings suggest DCP2 as a potential biomarker for the prognosis of glioma and a candidate immunotherapy target.

Peripheral Inflammatory Indexes Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) as Prognostic Biomarkers in Advanced Solitary Fibrous Tumour (SFT) Treated with Pazopanib

Pazopanib was assessed prospectively in the GEIS-32 phase II study (NCT02066285) on advanced solitary fibrous tumour (SFT), resulting in a longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with historical controls treated with chemotherapy. A retrospective analysis of peripheral inflammatory indexes in patients enrolled into GEIS-32 was performed to evaluate their prognostic and predictive value. Patients received pazopanib 800 mg/day as the first antiangiogenic line. The impacts of baseline neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and red cell distribution width (RDW) on PFS, OS, and Choi response were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Metastasis-free interval (MFI), mitotic count, and ECOG were also included as potential prognostic factors. Sixty-seven SFT patients, enrolled in this study, showed a median age of 63 years and a female/male distribution of 57/43. The median follow-up from treatment initiation was 16.8 months. High baseline NLR, PLR, and standardised RDW were significantly associated with worse PFS and OS. NLR, RDW, MFI, and mitotic count were independent variables for PFS, while RDW and ECOG were independent for OS. Further, NLR and mitotic count were independent factors for Choi response. High baseline NLR and RDW values were independent prognostic biomarkers for worse outcome in advanced SFT patients treated with pazopanib.

RUNX1 is a promising prognostic biomarker and related to immune infiltrates of cancer-associated fibroblasts in human cancers

Background

Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) is a vital regulator of mammalian expression. Despite multiple pieces of evidence indicating that dysregulation of RUNX1 is a common phenomenon in human cancers, there is no evidence from pan-cancer analysis.

Methods

We comprehensively investigated the effect of RUNX1 expression on tumor prognosis across human malignancies by analyzing multiple cancer-related databases, including Gent2, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), UALCAN, PrognoScan, cBioPortal, STRING, and Metascape.

Results

Bioinformatics data indicated that RUNX1 was overexpressed in most of these human malignancies and was significantly associated with the prognosis of patients with cancer. Immunohistochemical results showed that most cancer tissues were moderately positive for granular cytoplasm, and RUNX1 was expressed at a medium level in four types of tumors, including cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, glioma, and renal cancer. RUNX1 expression was positively correlated with infiltrating levels of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in 33 different cancers. Moreover, RUNX1 expression may influence patient prognosis by activating oncogenic signaling pathways in human cancers.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that RUNX1 expression correlates with patient outcomes and immune infiltrate levels of CAFs in multiple tumors. Additionally, the increased level of RUNX1 was linked to the activation of oncogenic signaling pathways in human cancers, suggesting a potential role of RUNX1 among cancer therapeutic targets. These findings suggest that RUNX1 can function as a potential prognostic biomarker and reflect the levels of immune infiltrates of CAFs in human cancers.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09632-y.

Systemic Deficiency of PTEN Accelerates Breast Cancer Growth and Metastasis

Mutation or loss of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN or its functional status in tumor stromal cells may affect tumor occurrence, development, invasion, and metastasis, in which, however, the role of overall low PTEN expression, mutation, or deletion in the tumor-bearing host has rarely been reported. Breast cancer is a common highly invasive metastatic tumor. We therefore treated mouse breast cancer 4T1 cells with the specific PTEN inhibitor VO-OHpic to study the effects of PTEN suppression or deletion on malignant behavior in vivo and in vitro. VO-OHpic effectively inhibited PTEN gene/protein expression in 4T1 cells, accelerated cell proliferation, and enhanced cell migration and invasion. We also transplanted 4T1 cells with VO-OHpic-inhibited PTEN into mice to create orthotopic and metastatic breast cancer models. The proliferation of 4T1 cells in mouse mammary gland was increased and distant metastasis was enhanced, with metastatic foci in the lung, liver, and intestinal tract. In addition, injection of mice with VO-OHpic to inhibit PTEN in the overall microenvironment accelerated the proliferation of transplanted 4T1 cells and enhanced distant metastasis and the formation of metastatic tumors. Metastatic foci formed in the lung, liver, intestine, thymus, and brain, and PTEN levels in the organ/tissues were negatively associated with the formation of metastatic foci. Similarly, inoculation of PTEN-deficient 4T1 cells into systemic PTEN-inhibited mice further enhanced the orthotopic growth and distant metastasis of 4T1 breast cancer. VO-OHpic inhibition of PTEN in 4T1 cells was also associated with significantly increased phosphorylation of Akt and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), suggesting that inhibition of PTEN could activate the PI3K-Akt pathway, as a key signaling pathway regulating cell proliferation and death. These results confirmed that functional loss or deletion of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN significantly enhanced the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of 4T1 cells. Systemic decrease or deletion of PTEN in the organism or organ/tissue microenvironment was conducive to the proliferation of breast cancer cells in situ and distant metastasis. These results suggest that, as well the PTEN in cancer cells the systemic microenvironment PTEN intensely mediates the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of mouse breast cancer cells via regulating the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.