Cancer Biomarkers - Volume 37, issue 3

Authors: Ling, Qing | Mao, Shihui | Pan, Jiajia | Wei, Wenwen | Qian, Yu | Li, Fenglin | Huang, Shujuan | Ye, Wenle | Lin, Xiangjie | Huang, Jiansong | Wang, Jinghan | Jin, Jie

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Fatty acid oxidation has been considered as an important energy source for tumorigenesis and development. Several studies have investigated the role of CPT1A, a kind of fatty acid oxidation rate-limiting enzyme, in AML. However, prognostic value and regulatory network of another subtype, CPT1B in AML remains elusive. This study aims to clarify the independent prognostic role of CPT1B in CN-AML based on clinical data and molecular level data (mRNA, miRNA and lncRNA). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic value of CPT1B in AML patients. METHODS: First, we …analyzed the CPT1B expression in AML cohort via the online database “GEPIA”. Subsequently, miRNA-mRNA and ceRNA networks were constructed to help predict the role of CPT1B in AML. Several molecules which showed the prognostic value and metabolic function of CPT1B were identified. Finally, the expression of CPT1B in our own cohort of 324 CN-AML patients was analyzed to clarify the results. RESULTS: It was found that CPT1B was markedly higher in AML patients compared to normal people and this upregulation was associated with the poor clinical outcome. Several molecules revealed the possible regulatory mechanism of CPT1B in AML. CONCLUSION: CPT1B is a potential prognostic factor and a therapeutic target for AML treatment. Show more

Keywords: CPT1B, prognostic factor, differrential molecules, miRNA-mRNA network, ceRNA network

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-210043

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 133-145, 2023

Authors: Yang, Yixing | Zhao, Weizhen | Du, Jun | Wang, Yueyuan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is one of the most malignancy over the world. Previous studies have proven that Molecules Interacting with CasL-Like 1 (MICALL1) participated in cellular trafficking cascades, while there has no study to explore the function and carcinogenic mechanism MICALL1 in LIHC. METHODS: We aimed to investigate the relationship between MICALL1 mRNA expression and LIHC using TCGA database. The expression of MICALL1 protein in clinic samples were examined by UALCAN database. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Logistic regression and Cox regression were performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of MICALL1. The …MICALL1-binding protein were built by the STRING tool. Enrichment analysis by GO, KEGG and GSEA was used to explore possible function of MICALL1. The ssGSEA method was used to investigate the association between MICALL1 expression and the immune infiltration level in LIHC. RESULTS: The expression and prognostic value of different MICAL family members in LIHC were evaluated. The expression of MICALL1 was significantly increased at both the transcript and protein levels in LIHC tissues. Further, the LIHC patients with high MICALL1 levels showed a worse OS, DSS and PFI. Some clinicopathologic features were identified to be related to MICALL1 expression in LIHC included clinical T stage, pathologic stage, histologic grade and AFP concentration. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis showed that MICALL1 was an independent prognostic marker for OS and DSS. Further enrichment analysis revealed that the K-RAS, TNFα /NF-κ B and inflammatory response were significantly enriched in the high MICALL1 expression group. Immune infiltration analysis showed that high MICALL1 expression was correlated with infiltration level of macrophage cells, Th2 cells and some other immune cell types, including TFH. CONCLUSIONS: MICALL1 expression was significantly associated with immune cell infiltration and may regarded as a promising prognostic biomarker for LIHC patients. Show more

Keywords: MICALL1, overall survival, prognosis, LIHC, immune infiltration

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-220370

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 147-160, 2023

Authors: He, Jiarong | Zhou, Wen | Zhang, Mingming

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Pyroptosis could regulate tumor cell trafficking, invasion, and metastasis, as well as the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, prognostic characteristics of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) and their effect on the progression of glioma remain insufficient. METHODS: The genetic, transcriptional, and survival data of patients with glioma used for bioinformatic analysis were obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. RESULTS: Screening of two different molecular subtypes revealed that PRG variations were associated with characteristics of TME cell infiltration, clinicopathological characteristics, and prognosis of patients with glioma. After …Cox regression of differentially expressed genes, a risk score for predicting overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated. Its predictive accuracy in patients with glioma was validated. The high-risk group of PRG signature had a poorer OS than the low-risk group (training cohort, P < 0.001; validation cohort, P < 0.001). A high risk score implies more immune cell infiltration and better immunotherapy response to immune checkpoint blockers. In addition, the differential expression of three pyroptosis-pairs in tumor and normal tissues was identified. Furthermore, the risk score was significantly associated with chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity and cancer stem cell (CSC) index. Subsequently, a highly accurate nomogram was established to facilitate applicability in the preliminary clinical application of risk score. CONCLUSION: Our findings may provide the basis for future research targeting pyroptosis in glioma and evaluation of prognosis and development of more effective immunotherapy strategies. Show more

Keywords: Glioma, pyroptosis, mutation burden, signature, tumor microenvironment

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-220362

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 161-177, 2023

Authors: Mosaad, Hala | Ahmed, Mona Mostafa | Elaidy, Mostafa M. | Elfarargy, Ola M. | Abdelwahab, Mai Mohamed | Abdelnour, Hanim M.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract with unfavorable prognosis. Therefore, novel biomarkers that may be used for new diagnostic strategies and drug-targeting therapy should be developed. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression of miR-29b in CRC and its association with ETV4 and cyclin D1 expression. Moreover, the current work aims to investigate the association between them and the clinicopathological features of CRC. METHODS: The expression of miR-29b and ETV4 (by qRT-PCR) and ETV4 and cyclin D1 (immunohistochemistry) was investigated in 65 cases of colon cancer and …surrounding healthy tissues. RESULTS: MiR-29b down-regulated and ETV4 and Cyclin D1 up-regulated significantly in colon cancer tissues compared to normal nearby colonic tissues. In addition, significant associations between ETV4 and cyclin D1 expressions and progressive stage and lymph node (LN) metastasis (P < 0.001 for each) were found. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between miR-29b gene expression and ETV4 gene expression (r = - 0.298, P < 0.016). CONCLUSION: Down-regulation of miR-29b and over-expression of ETV4 and cyclin D1 may be utilized as early diagnostic marker for development of colon cancer. ETV4 and cyclin D1 correlate with poor prognostic indicators and considered as a possible target for therapy in colon cancer. Show more

Keywords: Colon cancer, miR-29b, ETV4, cyclin D1

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-220349

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 179-189, 2023

Authors: Peng, Shuang | Zhang, Shiyu | Fan, Xingchen | Zhu, Jingfeng | Liu, Cheng | Yue, Yulin | Wang, Tongshan | Zhu, Wei

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs regulating mRNA expression by targeting at mRNAs is known constructive in tumor occurrence, immune escape, and metastasis. OBJECTIVE: This research aims at finding negatively regulatory miRNA-mRNA pairs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: GENE expression data of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEO database were employed in differently expressed RNA and miRNA (DE-miRNAs/DE-mRNAs) screening. Function analysis was conducted with DAVID-mirPath. MiRNA-mRNA axes were identified by MiRTarBase and TarBase and verified in esophageal specimen by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve and Decision Curve …Analysis (DCA) were applied in miRNA-mRNA pairs predictive value estimation. Interactions between miRNA-mRNA regulatory pairs and immune features were analyzed using CIBERSORT. RESULTS: Combining TCGA database, 4 miRNA and 10 mRNA GEO datasets, totally 26 DE-miRNAs (13 up and 13 down) and 114 DE-mRNAs (64 up and 50 down) were considered significant. MiRTarBase and TarBase identified 37 reverse regulation miRNA-mRNA pairs, 14 of which had been observed in esophageal tissue or cell line. Through analysis of RT-qPCR outcome, miR-106b-5p/KIAA0232 signature was chosen as characteristic pair of ESCC. ROC and DCA verified the predictive value of model containing miRNA-mRNA axis in ESCC. Via affecting mast cells, miR-106b-5p/KIAA0232 may contribute to tumor microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic model of miRNA-mRNA pair in ESCC was established. Their complex role in ESCC pathogenesis especially tumor immunity was partly disclosed. Show more

Keywords: Biomarkers, miRNA-mRNA interaction, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, TCGA, GEO, PCR

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-220309

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 191-203, 2023

Article Type: Retraction

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-239001

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 205-205, 2023