Characterization of Tumor Suppressive Function of cornulin in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

By using cDNA microarray analysis, we identified cornulin (CRNN) gene was frequently downregulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In the present study, we investigated the role of CRNN in ESCC development. The results showed that CRNN was frequently downregulated in primary ESCCs in both mRNA level (26/56, 46.4%) and protein level (137/249, 55%), which was significantly associated with lymph node metastases (P=0.027), advanced clinical stage (P=0.039), and overall survival rate (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that the CRNN downregulation was an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Functional studies with both in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that CRNN had strong tumor suppressive ability in ESCC cells. The tumor-suppressive mechanism of CRNN was associated with its role in cell cycle arrest at G1/S checkpoint by upregulating expressions of P21^WAF1/CIP1 and Rb. Silencing CRNN expression by RNA interference could effectively inhibit its tumor suppressive effect. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that CRNN is a tumor suppressor gene that plays a critical tumor suppressive role in ESCC.     

食管鳞癌的蛋白质组学

大部分食管鳞癌（esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, ESCC）确诊时已发展至中晚期,临床治疗效果差,是导致我国华北地区ESCC死亡率居高不下的主要原因之一.因此,亟需筛查ESCC特异性、敏感性的生物标志物,以期用于ESCC早期诊断、个体化分子靶向治疗和预后评价. 与相对稳定、携带遗传信息的基因组不同,蛋白质组具有时空变化特性,由此构成生命活动复杂性的物质基础.在病理情况下,蛋白质组能够精确反映患病组织器官的功能状态,因此为疾病的监测提供了窗口.本文总结了ESCC蛋白质组研究现状及差异表达的蛋白质谱,并探讨了ESCC候选分子标志物的潜在临床应用价值.     

Down-Regulation of miR-129-5p Inhibits Growth and Induces Apoptosis in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Targeting APC

miRNAs regulate gene expression and are key mediators of tumourigenesis. miR-129 has diverse effects in tumours, but its role in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains unknown. This article focuses on the role of miR-129-5p in LSCC. We show miR-129-5p is upregulated in primary LSCC tumours and correlated with advanced disease. Down-regulating miR-129-5p suppressed cell proliferation and migration, and caused cell cycle arrest in Hep-2 cell lines. Downregulation of miR-129-5p alone is sufficient to induce apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, the growth of LSCC xenograft exposed to miR-129-5p antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) in BALB/c mice was markedly inhibited. In addition, we found that miR-129-5p targeted adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) to release inhibition of Wnt signalling causing cell growth and tumourigenesis. Our results suggest miR-129-5p functions as an oncogene in LSCC by repressing APC and is a potential therapeutic target for LSCC.     

食管鳞癌组织中的神经纤维分布

目的：探讨食管鳞癌组织中神经纤维的分布情况。方法：应用免疫组化ABC法,探查手术切除的食管鳞癌组织里S100及GAP-43阳性神经纤维的分布情况,并分析其与患者临床病理参数的关系。结果：相对于正常组织,食管鳞癌组织中存在相当数量的S100及GAP-43阳性神经纤维（束）不规则地分布于肿瘤细胞之间,且S100阳性纤维密度大于GAP-43阳性纤维密度;统计分析显示肿瘤组织中纤维密度与患者的肿瘤大小、淋巴结转移相关。结论：食管鳞癌组织中确实存在神经纤维分布,并对肿瘤发展起一定作用。     

食管鳞癌组织中的神经纤维分布

目的:探讨食管鳞癌组织中神经纤维的分布情况.方法:应用免疫组化ABC法,探查手术切除的食管鳞癌组织里S100及GAP-43阳性神经纤维的分布情况,并分析其与患者临床病理参数的关系.结果:相对于正常组织,食管鳞癌组织中存在相当数量的S100及GAP-43阳性神经纤维(束)不规则地分布于肿瘤细胞之间,且S100阳性纤维密度大于GAP-43阳性纤维密度;统计分析显示肿瘤组织中纤维密度与患者的肿瘤大小、淋巴结转移相关.结论:食管鳞癌组织中确实存在神经纤维分布,并对肿瘤发展起一定作用.     

Enhanced Expression of miR-425 Promotes Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Tumorigenesis by Targeting SMAD2

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) is one of the most common and deadly cancers in the world. Currently, clinical therapy of ESCC remains limited and the five-year survival rate is poor. The function of miR-425 has been reported in multiple human cancers.However, the tumorigenic role and clinical significance of miR-425 in ESCC remains unclear. We found that enhanced expression of miR-425 in ESCC cell lines not only promoted cell proliferation and colony formation, but also increased cellular metastasis. Furthermore, we revealed the mechanism that miR-425 inhibited the expression of SMAD2 by targeting the second binding site in the 30-untranslated region(30-UTR) in ESCC. This mode of action influenced not only SMAD2 mRNA expression but also protein expression. In addition, we detected the expression of miR-425 in ESCC tissues and plasma. Moreover, we analyzed the relationship between miR-425 expression and SMAD2 m RNA expression. We found that miR-425 was overexpressed in ESCC tissues and the plasma relative to adjacent normal tissues and plasma of healthy individuals. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between miR-425 expression and SMAD2. Taken together, our results show that miR-425 functions as an oncogene by targeting the 30-UTR of SMAD2 and indicate the potential utility of plasma miR-425 as a novel biomarker for ESCC diagnosis.     

Investigation of Tumor Suppressing Function of CACNA2D3 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

Deletion of 3p is one of the most frequent genetic alterations in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), suggesting the existence of one or more tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) within these regions. In this study, one TSG, CACNA2D3 at 3p21.1, was characterized.

Methods

Expression of CACNA2D3 in ESCCs was tested by quantitative real-time PCR and tissue microarray. The mechanism of CACNA2D3 downregulation was investigated by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR). The tumor suppressive function of CACNA2D3 was characterized by both in vitro and in vivo tumorigenic assays, cell migration and invasion assays.

Results

CACNA2D3 was frequently downregulated in ESCCs (24/48, 50%), which was significantly associated with promoter methylation and allele loss (P<0.05). Tissue microarray result showed that downregulation of CACNA2D3 was detected in (127/224, 56.7%) ESCCs, which was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.01), TNM staging (P = 0.003) and poor outcome of ESCC patients (P<0.05). Functional studies demonstrated that CACNA2D3 could inhibit tumorigenicity, cell motility and induce apoptosis. Mechanism study found that CACNA2D3 could arrest cell cycle at G1/S checkpoint by increasing expressions of p21 and p53 and decreasing expression of CDK2. In addition, CACNA2D3 could upregulate intracellular free cytosolic Ca²⁺ and subsequently induce apoptosis.

Conclusion

CACNA2D3 is a novel TSG responsible to the 3p21 deletion event and plays a critical suppressing role in the development and progression of ESCC.     

Cost-Effectiveness of Cetuximab for Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BackgroundCostly biologicals in palliative oncology are emerging at a rapid pace. For example, in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma addition of cetuximab to a palliative chemotherapy regimen appears to improve survival. However, it simultaneously results in higher costs. We aimed to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of adding cetuximab to first-line chemotherapeutic treatment of patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, based on data from a randomized controlled phase II trial.MethodsA cost effectiveness analysis model was applied based on individual patient data. It included only direct medical costs from the health-care perspective. Quality-adjusted life-years and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated. Sensitivity analysis was performed by a Monte Carlo analysis.ResultsAdding cetuximab to a cisplatin-5-fluorouracil first-line regimen for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma resulted in an the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of €252,203 per quality-adjusted life-year. Sensitivity analysis shows that there is a chance of less than 0.001 that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio will be less than a maximum willingness to pay threshold of €40,000 per quality-adjusted life-year, which is representative for the threshold used in The Netherlands and other developed countries.ConclusionsAddition of cetuximab to a cisplatin-5-fluorouracil first-line regimen for advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is not cost-effective when appraised according to currently accepted criteria. Cost-effectiveness analyses using outcome data from early clinical trials (i.c. a phase II trial) enable pharmaceutical companies and policy makers to gain early insight into whether a new drug meets the current eligibility standards for reimbursement and thereby potential admittance for use in regular clinical practice.     

miR-139-5p is a regulator of metastatic pathways in breast cancer

Metastasis is a complex, multistep process involved in the progression of cancer from a localized primary tissue to distant sites, often characteristic of the more aggressive forms of this disease. Despite being studied in great detail in recent years, the mechanisms that govern this process remain poorly understood. In this study, we identify a novel role for miR-139-5p in the inhibition of breast cancer progression. We highlight its clinical relevance by reviewing miR-139-5p expression across a wide variety of breast cancer subtypes using in-house generated and online data sets to show that it is most frequently lost in invasive tumors. A biotin pull-down approach was then used to identify the mRNA targets of miR-139-5p in the breast cancer cell line MCF7. Functional enrichment analysis of the pulled-down targets showed significant enrichment of genes in pathways previously implicated in breast cancer metastasis (P < 0.05). Further bioinformatic analysis revealed a predicted disruption to the TGFβ, Wnt, Rho, and MAPK/PI3K signaling cascades, implying a potential role for miR-139-5p in regulating the ability of cells to invade and migrate. To corroborate this finding, using the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, we show that overexpression of miR-139-5p results in suppression of these cellular phenotypes. Furthermore, we validate the interaction between miR-139-5p and predicted targets involved in these pathways. Collectively, these results suggest a significant functional role for miR-139-5p in breast cancer cell motility and invasion and its potential to be used as a prognostic marker for the aggressive forms of breast cancer.     

Porcine acellular dermal matrix accelerates wound healing through miR-124-3p.1 and miR-139-5p

Background aimsCutaneous wound management is a major health problem and imposes a huge economic burden worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated that wound healing is a highly coordinated process including epithelialization, angiogenesis, remodeling and scarring. This progression requires self-renewal, preservation and repair properties of stem cells. However, our understanding of the detailed internal regulatory mechanism following injury and the means to accelerate wound healing are limited.MethodsOur previous research revealed that porcine acellular dermal matrix (ADM) effectively promotes wound healing and scar formation through epidermal stem cells (ESCs), and this process is relevant to the alteration of internal miRNA levels. In this study, we investigated the regulatory function of porcine ADM treatment on miRNAs in ESCs.ResultsWe report that the treatment of porcine ADM reduced the levels of miR-124-3p.1 and miR-139-5p in wounds. MiR-124-3p.1 and miR-139-5p inhibited the expression of JAG1 and Notch1, respectively, by directly targeting miRNAs in ESCs.ConclusionsThis work demonstrates that porcine ADM induced down-regulation of miR-124-3p.1/139-5p in wounds and up-regulation of JAG1/Notch1 in ESCs, thus enhancing cutaneous wound healing.     

喉鳞状细胞癌组织miR-1207-5p、miR-186-5p表达水平与PI3K/Akt信号通路、临床病理特征和预后的关系

摘要 目的：探讨喉鳞状细胞癌（LSCC）组织miR-1207-5p、miR-186-5p表达水平与磷脂酰肌醇3-激酶/蛋白激酶B（PI3K/Akt）信号通路、临床病理特征和预后的关系。方法：选取2017年1月至2020年1月南充市中心医院收治的120例LSCC患者,取手术切除的LSCC组织和癌旁组织。检测miR-1207-5p、miR-186-5p、PI3K mRNA、Akt mRNA表达。患者出院后随访3年,统计总生存（OS）和无复发生存（RFS）情况。分析miR-1207-5p、miR-186-5p与PI3K、Akt的相关性以及影响LSCC患者预后的因素。结果：LSCC组织miR-1207-5p、miR-186-5p表达低于癌旁组织（P＜0.05）,PI3K mRNA、Akt mRNA表达高于癌旁组织（P＜0.05）。LSCC组织miR-1207-5p、miR-186-5p表达与PI3K mRNA、Akt mRNA表达呈负相关（P＜0.05）。肿瘤直径≥1 cm、低分化、TNM分期Ⅲ期、颈部淋巴结转移LSCC组织中miR-1207-5p、miR-186-5p表达低于肿瘤直径＜1 cm、中高分化、TNM分期Ⅰ～Ⅱ期、无颈部淋巴结转移（P＜0.05）。miR-1207-5p低表达、miR-186-5p低表达LSCC患者3年总生存（OS）率和无复发生存（RFS）率低于miR-1207-5p高表达、miR-186-5p高表达LSCC患者（P＜0.05）。多因素COX回归分析显示TNM III期、颈部淋巴结转移是LSCC患者复发和死亡的危险因素（P＜0.05）,高miR-1207-5p、高miR-186-5p是保护因素（P＜0.05）。结论：LSCC组织中miR-1207-5p和miR-186-5p表达均下调,与LSCC恶性病理特征、PI3K/Akt信号通路激活以及低生存率有关。     

食管鳞状细胞癌中MMP-9、CD-147的表达及意义

目的：探讨基质金属蛋白酶9（MMP-9）和CD-147在食管鳞状细胞癌的表达及其与肿瘤浸润转移的关系。方法：应用免疫组化S-P法观察57例食管鳞癌组织中MMP-9、CD-147的表达,并探讨其与食管鳞癌临床病理资料的关系。结果：MMP-9、CD-147在癌组织中的阳性表达率分别为82．46％,64．91％;在癌旁组织中的阳性表达率分别是29．82％,8．77％。在食管鳞癌中,MMP-9及CD-147的表达均与食管鳞癌的浸润深度有关,与分化程度无明显关联;有淋巴结转移的病例阳性表达率明显高于无淋巴结转移组。结论：MMP-9及CD-147的表达均与食管鳞癌的浸润深度及淋巴结转移有关。     

Tenascin-C,a Prognostic Determinant of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

Tenascin-C, an adhesion modulatory extracellular matrix molecule, is highly expressed in numerous human malignancies; thus, it may contribute to carcinogenesis and tumor progression. We explored the clinicopathological significance of Tenascin-C as a prognostic determinant of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

In ESCC patient tissues and cell lines, the presence of isoforms were examined using western blotting. We then investigated Tenascin-C immunohistochemical expression in 136 ESCC tissue samples. The clinical relevance of Tenascin-C expression and the correlation between Tenascin-C expression and expression of other factors related to cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were also determined.

Results

Both 250 and 350 kDa sized isoforms of Tenascin-C were expressed only in esophageal cancer tissue not in normal tissue. Furthermore, both isoforms were also identified in all of four CAFs derived from esophageal cancer tissues. Tenascin-C expression was remarkably higher in ESCC than in adjacent non-tumor esophageal epithelium (p < 0.001). Tenascin-C expression in ESCC stromal fibroblasts was associated with patient’s age, tumor (pT) stage, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage, and cancer recurrence. Tenascin-C expression in cancer cells was correlated with an increase in tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) population, cancer recurrence, and hypoxia inducible factor1α (HIF1α) expression. Moreover, Tenascin-C overexpression in cancer cells and stromal fibroblasts was an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). In the Cox proportional hazard regression model, Tenascin-C overexpression in cancer cells and stromal fibroblasts was a significant independent hazard factor for OS and DFS in ESCC patients in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Furthermore, Tenascin-C expression in stromal fibroblasts of the ESCC patients was positively correlated with platelet-derived growth factor α (PDGFRα), PDGFRβ, and smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression. The 5-year OS and DFS rates were remarkably lower in patients with positive expressions of both Tenascin-C and PDGFRα (p < 0.001), Tenascin-C and PDGFRβ (p < 0.001), Tenascin-C and SMA (p < 0.001), Tenascin-C and fibroblast activation protein (FAP) (p < 0.001), and Tenascin-C and fibroblast-stimulating protein-1 (FSP1) (p < 0.001) in ESCC stromal fibroblasts than in patients with negative expressions of both Tenascin-C and one of the abovementioned CAF markers.

Conclusion

Our results show that Tenascin-C is a reliable and significant prognostic factor in ESCC. Tenascin-C may thus be a potent ESCC therapeutic target.     

食管鳞癌与腺癌差异基因表达的对比分析

目的:研究食管鳞癌(esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,ESCC)与食管腺癌(esophageal adenocarcinoma,EAC)的基因差异表达,探讨ESCC与EAC发生发展的基因学基础。方法:选取8例ESCC和8例EAC组织抽提mRNA,应用cDNA芯片技术通过芯片杂交、生物信息学处理,找出两者间差异表达基因。结果:采用BioStarH-40芯片发现差异表达基因541条,差异表达基因占13.8%,其中表达增强309条(显著增强73条),表达降低232条(显著降低61条)。结论:ESCC与EAC基因表达比较,差异有统计学意义,这些差异可能在两类肿瘤不同的生物学行为中起重要作用。     

食管鳞癌与腺癌差异基因表达的对比分析

目的：研究食管鳞癌（esophageal squamous cell carcinoma,ESCC）与食管腺癌（esophageal adenocarcinoma,EAC）的基因差异表达,探讨ESCC与EAC发生发展的基因学基础。方法：选取8例ESCC和8例EAC组织抽提mRNA,应用cDNA芯片技术通过芯片杂交、生物信息学处理,找出两者间差异表达基因。结果：采用BioStarH-40芯片发现差异表达基因541条,差异表达基因占13．8％,其中表达增强309条（显著增强73条）,表达降低232条（显著降低61条）。结论：ESCC与EAC基因表达比较,差异有统计学意义,这些差异可能在两类肿瘤不同的生物学行为中起重要作用。     

VEGF-A在食管鳞状细胞癌中的表达及临床意义

目的:探讨血管内皮生长因子A(VEGF-A)在食管鳞状细胞癌中的表达及临床意义。方法:收集2009年1月-2010年12月收治的45例食管鳞状细胞癌患者临床资料及病理标本,应用免疫组织化学法检测肿瘤组织VEGF-A表达及微淋巴管密度(MLVD),分析VEGF-A表达与食管鳞癌患者临床病理资料、MLVD及与患者生存期限的关系。结果:1有淋巴结转移的患者VEGF-A表达阳性率为66.67%,明显高于无淋巴结转移患者的38.10%(P0.05);2 VEGF-A阳性食管鳞状细胞癌患者MLVD为(8.35±2.45)明显高于阴性患者的(5.32±1.44),(P0.05);3VEGF-A阳性食管鳞状细胞癌患者3年存活率为41.67%明显低于阴性患者的61.90%(P0.05)。结论:VEGF-A表达在确定早期食管鳞状细胞癌淋巴结转移方面具有一定的应用价值,可以作为评价预后的有效指标。     

Loss of 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Is an Independent Unfavorable Prognostic Factor for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes catalyze the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine, which result in genomic DNA demethylation. It was reported that 5-hmC levels were decreased in a variety of cancers and could be regarded as an epigenetic hallmark of cancer. In the present study, 5-hmC levels were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 173 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues and 91 corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues; DNA dot blot assays were used to detect the 5-hmC level in another 50 pairs of ESCC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues. In addition, the mRNA level of TET1, TET2 and TET3 in these 50 pairs of ESCC tissues was detected by real-time PCR. The IHC and DNA dot blot results showed that 5-hmC levels were significantly lower in ESCC tissues compared with corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues (P = 0.029). TET2 and TET3 expression was also significantly decreased in tumor tissues compared with paired non-tumor tissues (TET2, P < 0.0001; TET3, P = 0.009), and the decrease in 5-hmC was significantly associated with the downregulation of TET2 expression (r = 0.405, P = 0.004). Moreover, the loss of 5-hmC in ESCC tissues was significantly associated with poor overall survival among patients with ESCC (P = 0.043); multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the loss of 5-hmC in ESCC tissues was an independent unfavorable prognostic indicator for patients with ESCC (HR = 1.569, P = 0.029). In conclusion, 5-hmC levels were decreased in ESCC tissues, and the loss of 5-hmC in tumor tissues was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with ESCC.