Thromboxane synthase expression and correlation with VEGF and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Thromboxane synthase (TXS) metabolizes prostaglandin H2 into thromboxanes, which are biologically active on cancer cells. TXS over-expression has been reported in a range of cancers, and associated with angiogenesis and poor outcome. TXS has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in NSCLC. This study examines a link between TXS expression, angiogenesis, and survival in NSCLC. Methods: TXS and VEGF metabolite levels were measured in NSCLC serum samples (n = 46) by EIA. TXB₂ levels were correlated with VEGF. A 204-patient TMA was stained for TXS, VEGF, and CD-31 expression. Expression was correlated with a range of clinical parameters, including overall survival. TXS expression was correlated with VEGF and CD-31. Stable TXS clones were generated and the effect of overexpression on tumor growth and angiogenesis markers was examined in-vitro and in-vivo (xenograft mouse model). Results: Serum TXB₂ levels were correlated with VEGF (p < 0.05). TXS and VEGF were expressed to a varying degree in NSCLC tissue. TXS was associated with VEGF (p < 0.0001) and microvessel density (CD-31; p < 0.05). TXS and VEGF expression levels were higher in adenocarcinoma (p < 0.0001) and female patients (p < 0.05). Stable overexpression of TXS increased VEGF secretion in-vitro. While no significant association with patient survival was observed for either TXS or VEGF in our patient cohort, TXS overexpression significantly (p < 0.05) increased tumor growth in-vivo. TXS overexpression was also associated with higher levels of VEGF, microvessel density, and reduced apoptosis in xenograft tumors. Conclusion: TXS promotes tumor growth in-vivo in NSCLC, an effect which is at least partly mediated through increased tumor angiogenesis.     

CD10 expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

CD10 is a cell surface endopeptidase that inactivates various potentially growth stimulatory peptides. In lung cancer cell lines this downregulation has been associated with increased proliferation. Downregulation of CD10 in lung cancer tissue is described, suggesting a potential role in carcinogenesis and a possible use of CD10 as a prognostic marker. We aimed to determine the rate of CD10 expression in our non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) collection and to clarify its correlation with clinicopathological parameters and patient survival. 114 NSCLC were analysed immunohistochemically using a monoclonal CD10 antibody (clone NCL-CD10-270) on an NSCLC tissue micro array. The staining was semiquantitatively scored. CD10 expression was observed in 19% of cases, without any significant association with tumour type, -size, -grading, nodal status, clinical stage, and patient survival time. We conclude that a diagnostic use of CD10 immunostaining in NSCLC is unlikely.     

MicroRNA signatures in tumor tissue related to angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer

Background

Angiogenesis is regarded as a hallmark in cancer development, and anti-angiogenic treatment is presently used in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding, endogenous, single stranded RNAs that regulate gene expression. In this study we aimed to identify significantly altered miRs related to angiogenesis in NSCLC.

Methods

From a large cohort of 335 NSCLC patients, paraffin-embedded samples from 10 patients with a short disease specific survival (DSS), 10 with a long DSS and 10 normal controls were analyzed. The miRs were quantified by microarray hybridization and selected miRs were validated by real-time qPCR. The impacts of different pathways, including angiogenesis, were evaluated by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) derived from Protein ANalysis THrough Evolutionary Relationship (PANTHER). One of the most interesting candidate markers, miR-155, was validated by in situ hybridization (ISH) in the total cohort (n = 335) and correlation analyses with several well-known angiogenic markers were done.

Results

128 miRs were significantly up- or down-regulated; normal versus long DSS (n = 68) and/or normal versus short DSS (n = 63) and/or long versus short DSS (n = 37). The pathway analysis indicates angiogenesis-related miRs to be involved in NSCLC. There were strong significant correlations between the array hybridization and qPCR validation data. The significantly altered angiogenesis-related miRs of high interest were miR-21, miR-106a, miR-126, miR-155, miR-182, miR-210 and miR-424. miR-155 correlated significantly with fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) in the total cohort (r = 0.17, P = 0.002), though most prominent in the subgroup with nodal metastasis (r = 0.34, P<0.001).

Conclusions

Several angiogenesis-related miRs are significantly altered in NSCLC. Further studies to understand their biological functions and explore their clinical relevance are warranted.     

Prognostic significance of TBX2 expression in non-small cell lung cancer

T-box2 (TBX2) expression has been reported to be related to aggressive tumor features. However, the role of TBX2 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumorigenesis has never been elucidated. So we aimed at investigating the potential role of TBX2 in NSCLC. TBX2 expression was evaluated by qRT-PCR and Western blotting in 50 paired fresh lung cancer tissues as well as immunohistochemistry on 212 paraffin-embedded sections. We showed that the expression level of TBX2 was significantly increased in NSCLC as compared with the adjacent noncancerous tissue. Positive expression level of TBX2 was associated with histological type, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. Kaplan–Meier survival curves showed that positive expression level of TBX2 was associated with poor overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival of NSCLC patients. Results showed that TBX2 positivity was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR 1.87, 95 % CI 1.004–3.153, p = 0.012). On the basis of these results, we suggested that TBX2 protein expression may be an unfavorable independent prognostic parameter for NSCLC.     

Silencing Sirtuin 6 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines

Sirtuins (SIRT1–7), are NAD-dependent deacetylases and ADP-ribosyl transferases, plays a major part in carcinogenesis. The previous report suggests that in cancer, sirtuins gained tremendous interest and critical regulators of the unusual processes. In carcinogenesis, sirtuins possess either tumor suppressor or promoter. However, in lung cancer condition the studies of sirtuins are less studied. Hence, this designed study investigates the impact of multifaceted sirtuins in NSCLC cells. We evaluated the mRNA and protein expressions of sirtuins by RTPCR and western blot. We found SIRT6 significantly overexpressed in NCI-H520, A549, and NCI-H460 compared with the normal BEAS-2B cell line. Silencing of SIRT6 by siRNA in NSCLC cells caused activation of p53/p21 mediated inhibition of cell proliferation leading to arrest in cell cycle and apoptosis induction. Our results implied that SIRT6 is a tumor promoter in NSCLC development, progression, and regulation. The silencing of SIRT6 to be a novel therapy for lung cancer.     

Saxatilin suppresses tumor-induced angiogenesis by regulating VEGF expression in NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells

Tumor growth and metastasis are dependent on angiogenesis, and endothelial cell invasion and migration are apparent means of regulating tumor progression. We report here that saxatilin, a snake venom-derived disintegrin, suppresses the angiogenesis-inducing properties of NCI-H460 human lung cancer cells. Culture supernatants of NCI-H460 cells are able to induce human umbilical vascular endothelial cell (HUVEC) invasion and tube formation. However, treatment of the cancer cells with saxatilin resulted in reduced angiogenic activity of the culture supernatant. This suppressed angiogenic property was found to be associated with the level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the culture supernatant. Further experimental evidence indicated that saxatilin inhibits VEGF production in NCI-H460 cells by affecting hypoxia induced factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) expression via the Akt pathway.     

Camptothecin-induced apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer is independent of cyclooxygenase expression

Recent observations show a positive correlation between the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX), especially COX-2), and cancer development. Here we tested the hypothesis that expression of COX-2 could influence apoptosis in lung cancer cell lines. To address this question, we determined the effects of camptothecin-induced apoptosis on three lung cancer cell lines which over express COX-1 (CORL23), COX-2 (MOR-P) and neither isoform (H-460), and determine if these effects were prostaglandin mediated. We also compared the effects of non-selective and isoenzyme selective COX-2 inhibitors on camptothecin-induced apoptosis in these three cell lines. Camptothecin induced apoptosis in all three cell lines independently of COX-1 or COX-2 expression. Indomethacin, a non-selective COX inhibitor and NS398, a selective COX-2 inhibitor had no effect on camptothecin-induced apoptosis at concentrations that abolished prostaglandin production. In conclusion, these finding suggest that the COX pathway is not involved in camptothecin-induced apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.     

MicroRNA-141 promotes the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cells by regulating expression of PHLPP1 and PHLPP2

The dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) is crucially implicated in the development of various cancers. In this study, we explored the biological role of miR-141 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). miR-141 expression was significantly up-regulated in NSCLC tissues, and its overexpression accelerated NSCLC cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. We subsequently identified the antagonists of PI3K/AKT signaling, PH domain leucine-rich-repeats protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) and PHLPP2, as direct targets of miR-141. Re-introduction of PHLPP1 and PHLPP2 abrogated miR-141-induced proliferation of NSCLC cells. Together, the results of this study suggest that miR-141 and its targets PHLPP1 and PHLPP2 play critical roles in NSCLC tumorigenesis, and provide potential therapeutic targets for NSCLC treatment.     

Expression of periostin in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: correlation with angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis

The aim of this study was to evaluate periostin expression measured immunohistochemically in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to determine its association with clinical features, prognosis, angiogenesis, and lymphangiogenesis. We investigated periostin expression in a series of 88 patients with NSCLC. We also determined whether expression of periostin correlated with microvessel density and lymphatic microvessel density. Periostin was expressed in 42% of 88 patients. Its expression was significantly correlated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, disease stage, and lymphatic invasion (p=0.0128, 0.0015, 0.0310 and 0.0273, respectively). There also was a significant relation between periostin expression and microvessel density and lymphatic microvessel density (all p<0.0001). Five-year survival rates were better in patients with negative periostin expression than in those with positive periostin expression (p=0.0044). Periostin expression was not significant in a multivariate additive model. Our findings show that periostin correlates with increased tumor progression and a worse prognosis in NSCLC, as well as with angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis.     

榄香烯治疗非小细胞肺癌的作用机制研究进展

榄香烯注射液是从天然中草药姜科植物温郁金中提取获得的萜烯类化合物,其主要生物学活性为降低肿瘤细胞有丝分裂能力,诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡,抑制肿瘤细胞的生长,从而改善NSCLC患者的临床症状,增强患者免疫力.本文主要从杀灭癌细胞、诱导癌细胞凋亡、抑制癌细胞血管形成、增强患者免疫力等几方面综述榄香烯注射液对非小细胞肺癌的作用机制.     

非小细胞肺癌中血管生成拟态和VEGF的表达及意义

目的探讨血管生成拟态(vasculogenic mimicry,VM)与血管内皮生长因子(vascular epithelial growth factor,VEGF)在非小细胞肺癌(non-small cell lung cancer,NSCLC)中的表达及意义。方法收集NSCLC术后标本160例和20例正常肺组织,应用免疫组化法和组织化学法检测NSCLC和正常肺组织中VM和VEGF的表达情况。结果在NSCLC组织和正常肺组织中,VM和VEGF的阳性率分别为36.9%、51.3%和0%、0%,差异有统计学意义;含有VM的NSCLC的VEGF表达高于无VM者(P<0.05),且VM与NSCLC的组织学分级、淋巴结转移及临床分期等有关(P<0.05);多因素分析:PTNM分期、VM、VEGF的表达是影响NSCLC根治术后患者预后的独立因素(P<0.05);VM阳性组与阴性组的5年生存率分别为1.7%和41.6%,差异有统计学意义;VEGF阳性组与阴性组的5年生存率分别为2.4%和52.6%,差异有统计学意义。结论具有VM的NSCLC组织分化低,患者临床预后差;VEGF的表达水平和VM与NSCLC的发展及预后有一定的关系。     

Shedding of c-Met ectodomain correlates with c-Met expression in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to reveal the correlation of shedding and expression of c-Met in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient.

Materials and methods: We measured soluble c-Met and c-Met level in a panel of pre-clinical models and 197 advanced Chinese NSCLC patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry, respectively.

Results: Shedding of soluble c-Met associates with total c-Met amount in pre-clinical models, and soluble c-Met correlates with both c-Met expression level and tumor size in human, high soluble c-Met predicts poorer outcome.     

The expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the non-small cell lung cancer

ObjectiveThe objective was to investigate the expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as the effects of macrophage MIF on tumor cells.MethodsThe human NSCLC cell strains H358 and H524 were selected as research objects. The Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Western Blot were utilized to detect the expression levels of MIF in human NSCLC cell strains. The lentiviral plasmid was utilized for MIF-mRNA interference. The expression levels of MIF before and after transfection were compared. The cell strains were cultured and proliferated for cell count and comparison.ResultsH358 showed MIF high expression while H524 showed MIF low expression. Once the H358 cells were constructed as silent MIF expression, compared with the original H358 cells, the difference was statistically significant. Once the H524 cells were constructed as high MIF expression, compared with original H524 cells, the difference was statistically significant. Being cultured for respective 3, 5, and 7 days, the transfected H358 cells showed a significant decrease in proliferative activity compared with original H358 cells, while the transfected H524 cells showed a significant increase in proliferative activity compared with original H524 cells.ConclusionMIF has high expression in H358 cells while low expression in H524 cells. The expression of MIF could enhance the proliferative activity of NSCLC tumor cells.     

Peripheral immune cell gene expression predicts survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Prediction of cancer recurrence in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) currently relies on the assessment of clinical characteristics including age, tumor stage, and smoking history. A better prediction of early stage cancer patients with poorer survival and late stage patients with better survival is needed to design patient-tailored treatment protocols. We analyzed gene expression in RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of NSCLC patients to identify signatures predictive of overall patient survival. We find that PBMC gene expression patterns from NSCLC patients, like patterns from tumors, have information predictive of patient outcomes. We identify and validate a 26 gene prognostic panel that is independent of clinical stage. Many additional prognostic genes are specific to myeloid cells and are more highly expressed in patients with shorter survival. We also observe that significant numbers of prognostic genes change expression levels in PBMC collected after tumor resection. These post-surgery gene expression profiles may provide a means to re-evaluate prognosis over time. These studies further suggest that patient outcomes are not solely determined by tumor gene expression profiles but can also be influenced by the immune response as reflected in peripheral immune cells.