OBJECTIVE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is sensitive to ferroptosis, a new form of programmed cell death that occurs in most tumor types. However, the mechanism through which ferroptosis modulates HCC remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the oncogenic role and prognostic value of FANCD2 and provide novel insights into the prognostic assessment and prediction of immunotherapy. METHODS: Using clinicopathological parameters and bioinformatic techniques, we comprehensively examined the expression of FANCD2 macroscopically and microcosmically. We conducted univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to identify the prognostic value of FANCD2 in HCC and elucidated the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of FANCD2 in oncogenesis by promoting iron-related death. RESULTS: FANCD2 was significantly upregulated in digestive system cancers with abundant immune infiltration. As an independent risk factor for HCC, a high FANCD2 expression level was associated with poor clinical outcomes and response to immune checkpoint blockade. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that FANCD2 was mainly involved in the cell cycle and CYP450 metabolism. CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to comprehensively elucidate the oncogenic role of FANCD2. FANCD2 has a tumor-promoting aspect in the digestive system and acts as an independent risk factor in HCC; hence, it has recognized value for predicting tumor aggressiveness and prognosis and may be a potential biomarker for poor responsiveness to immunotherapy.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis* ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Immunotherapy ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group D2 Protein/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis of a child affected with refractory leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia. METHODS: Clinical manifestation and auxiliary examination of the child were discussed. Whole exome next generation sequencing (NGS) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) were used to detected potential mutations of the FANCA gene. RESULTS: Repeated blood tests indicated that the child had abnormal WBC count at (2.7-3.98)×10^9;/L, platelet at (33-81) ×10^9;/L and hemoglobin at (100-120) g/L. NGS showed that she and her mother both carried a heterozygous c.3181A>G mutation (non-pathogenic) and a c.3788_3790del mutation of the FANCA gene. MLPA showed that she and her father both had heterozygous deletion of exons 11 to 14 of the FANCA gene. CONCLUSION The compound heterozygous mutations of c.3788_3790del and deletion of exons 11 to 14 of the FANCA gene probably underlie the refractory leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia in the child.
Child ; Exons ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group A Protein ; genetics ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; genetics ; Mutation ; Thrombocytopenia ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo provide prenatal diagnosis for a pregnant woman who had given birth to a child with Fanconi anemia with combined next-generation sequencing (NGS) and Sanger sequencing.

METHODSFor the affected child, potential mutations of the FANCA gene were analyzed with NGS. Suspected mutation was verified with Sanger sequencing. For prenatal diagnosis, genomic DNA was extracted from cultured fetal amniotic fluid cells and subjected to analysis of the same mutations.

RESULTSA low-frequency frameshifting mutation c.989_995del7 (p.H330LfsX2, inherited from his father) and a truncating mutation c.3971C>T (p.P1324L, inherited from his mother) have been identified in the affected child and considered to be pathogenic. The two mutations were subsequently verified by Sanger sequencing. Upon prenatal diagnosis, the fetus was found to carry two mutations.

CONCLUSIONThe combined next-generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing can reduce the time for diagnosis and identify subtypes of Fanconi anemia and the mutational sites, which has enabled reliable prenatal diagnosis of this disease.

Adult ; Base Sequence ; Child, Preschool ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Fanconi Anemia ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group A Protein ; genetics ; Female ; Fetal Diseases ; diagnosis ; genetics ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of PARP1 inhibitor PJ34 on multi-drug resistance in a human multiple myeloma cell line and its connection with FA/BRCA pathway in DNA damage repair.

METHODSA CCK8 assay was used to measure the inhibition rate. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect expression changes of DNA repair genes involved in the FA/BRCA pathway. Western blotting assay was used to detect expression of key protein FANCD2 in the FA/BRCA pathway. Annexin VFITC/PI double staining flow cytometry was used to measure cell apoptosis induced by PJ34. A COMET assay was used to detect the effect of PJ34 on DNA damage repair.

RESULTSPJ34 could significantly enhance the sensitivity of RPMI8226/R cells to melphalan. The IC50 value of melphalan was dropped from 20.43 mol/L to 7.8 mol/L. PJ34 could inhibit the DNA damage repair, and the effect was related with the inhibition of FA/BRCA pathway. PJ34 and melphalan showed a synergistic effect in promoting the apoptosis of RPMI8226/R cells.

CONCLUSIONPJ34 can reverse the resistance of RPMI8226/R cells to melphalan by inhibiting the FA/BRCA pathway, which in turn can induce suppression of DNA damage repair. Therefore, PJ34 may have clinical value in overcoming the multi-drug resistance of multiple myeloma.

Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; BRCA2 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group D2 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phenanthrenes ; pharmacology ; Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases ; genetics ; metabolism

This study was purposed to investigate the relationship between expression of the FANCG gene and adult sporadic acute myeloid leukemia (AML), real-time PCR with SYBR Green I technique was used for detecting FANCG gene expression level in bone marrow mononuclear cells of 54 newly diagnosed AML patients, 46 AML patients in complete remission (CR) and 36 control samples. β-actin gene was used as internal reference. Relative changes of FANCG gene expression level were detected by 2(-ΔΔCT) method in newly diagnosed AML patients and control samples, in newly diagnosed AML and patient in CR, as well as in AML patients in CR and control samples. The results showed that the relative expression level of FANCG mRNA was 0.56 ± 0.27 in newly diagnosed group, 0.75 ± 0.54 in AML CR group, and 0.85 ± 0.45 in control group. The expression level of FANCG mRNA in newly diagnosed group was significantly lower than that in control and AML CR groups (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant deference in comparison of AML CR group with the control group (P > 0.05). It is concluded that the expression of FANCG gene decrease in the newly diagnosed AML patients. There is no significant difference between AML CR group and control group, which indicated that FANCG gene may be related with the onset and the prognosis of AML, and may provide a clinical value for evaluating effect of chemotherapy.
Adult ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group G Protein ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUNDFanconi anemia is a severe congenital disorder associated with mutations in a cluster of genes responsible for DNA repair. Arriving at an accurate and timely diagnosis can be difficult in cases of Fanconi anemia with atypical clinical features. It is very important to increase the rate of accurate diagnosis for such cases in a clinical setting. The purpose of this study is to explore the clinical diagnosis of Fanconi anemia in children with atypical clinical features.

METHODSSix cases of Fanconi anemia with atypical clinical features were enrolled in the study, and their clinical features were recorded, their FANCA gene transcription was assessed by RT-PCR, and FANCA mutations and the ubiquitination of FANCD2 protein were analyzed using DNA sequencing and western blotting respectively.

RESULTSAll six cases showed atypical clinical features including no apparent deformities, lack of response to immune therapy, and progressively increasing bone marrow failure. They also have significantly increased fetal hemoglobin, negative mitomycin-induced fracture test results, and carry a FANCA gene missense mutation. Single protein ubiquitination of FANCD2 was not observed in those patients.

CONCLUSIONThe combination of clinical features, FANCA pathogenic gene mutation genotype and the absence of FANCD2 protein ubiquitination are helpful in the accurate and timely diagnosis of Fanconi anemia in children.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Fanconi Anemia ; diagnosis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group D2 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Ubiquitination

PURPOSE: Fanconi anemia complementation group F (FANCF) is a key factor to maintaining the function of Fanconi anaemia/BRCA (FA/BRCA) pathway, a DNA-damage response pathway. However, the functional role of FANCF in breast cancer has not been elucidated. In the present study, we evaluated the chemosensitization effect of FANCF in breast cancer cells. METHODS: We performed specific knockdown of the endogenous FANCF in breast cancer cells by transfecting the cells with an FANCF short hairpin RNA (shRNA) vector. Cell viability was measured with a Cell Counting Kit-8, and DNA damage was assessed with the alkaline comet assay. The apoptosis, cell cycle, and drug accumulation were measured by flow cytometric analysis. Protein expression levels were determined by Western blot analysis, using specific antibodies. RESULTS: The analyses of two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-435S) demonstrated that the FANCF shRNA could effectively block the FA/BRCA pathway through the inhibition of Fanconi anemia complementation group D2 ubiquitination. Moreover, FANCF silencing potentiated the sensitivity of cells to mitomycin C (MMC), where combined FANCF shRNA/MMC treatment inhibited cell proliferation, induced S-phase arrest, apoptosis, and DNA fragmentation, and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential, compared with MMC treatment alone. CONCLUSION: Taken together, this study demonstrates that the inhibition of FANCF by its shRNA leads to a synergistic enhancement of MMC cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells. These results suggest that the inhibition of the FA/BRCA pathway is a useful adjunct to cytotoxic chemotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer.
Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Count ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Comet Assay ; Complement System Proteins ; DNA Damage ; DNA Fragmentation ; Fanconi Anemia ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group F Protein ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Mitomycin ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Ubiquitin ; Ubiquitination

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disorder affecting multiple body systems. Genetic testing, including prenatal testing, is a prerequisite for the diagnosis of many clinical conditions. However, genetic testing is complicated for FA because there are often many genes that are associated with its development, and large deletions, duplications, or sequence variations are frequently found in some of these genes. This study describes successful genetic testing for molecular diagnosis, and subsequent prenatal diagnosis, of FA in a patient and his family in Korea. We analyzed all exons and flanking regions of the FANCA, FANCC, and FANCG genes for mutation identification and subsequent prenatal diagnosis. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification analysis was performed to detect large deletions or duplications in the FANCA gene. Molecular analysis revealed two mutations in the FANCA gene: a frameshift mutation c.2546delC and a novel splice-site mutation c.3627-1G>A. The FANCA mutations were separately inherited from each parent, c.2546delC was derived from the father, whereas c.3627-1G>A originated from the mother. The amniotic fluid cells were c.3627-1G>A heterozygotes, suggesting that the fetus was unaffected. This is the first report of genetic testing that was successfully applied to molecular diagnosis of a patient and subsequent prenatal diagnosis of FA in a family in Korea.
Base Sequence ; Child, Preschool ; Exons ; Fanconi Anemia/*diagnosis/genetics ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group A Protein/genetics ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group C Protein/genetics ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group G Protein/genetics ; Female ; Frameshift Mutation ; Genetic Testing ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; RNA Splice Sites ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal or X-linked recessive disorder characterized by chromosomal instability, bone marrow failure, cancer susceptibility, and a profound sensitivity to agents that produce DNA interstrand cross-link (ICL). To date, 15 genes have been identified that, when mutated, result in FA or an FA-like syndrome. It is believed that cellular resistance to DNA interstrand cross-linking agents requires all 15 FA or FA-like proteins. Here, we review our current understanding of how these FA proteins participate in ICL repair and discuss the molecular mechanisms that regulate the FA pathway to maintain genome stability.
DNA Damage ; DNA Repair ; Exodeoxyribonucleases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fanconi Anemia ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group N Protein ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Recombinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Ubiquitination

OBJECTIVETo investigate the reverse effect of mutidrug resistance of curcumin combined with melphalan on the mutidrug-resistant human multiple myeloma cell line MOLP-2/R and the relation with FA/BRCA pathway.

METHODSThe inhibitory effects of the drugs on the growth of MOLP-2/R cells were determined by MTT assay. Cell cycle analysis, intracellular drug concentration and apoptosis were assayed by flow cytometry. The expression of FANCD2 monoubiquitination was determined by Western blot analysis.

RESULTSCo-administration of curcumin and melphalan had an synergistic inhibitory effects on the proliferation, IC50 of melphalan with 10 micromol/L curcumin reduced from 45.5 micromol/L to 19 micromol/L in MOLP-2/R cells. The apoptosis percentage of MOLP-2/R cells was significantly increased from (23.3 +/- 0.6)% to (52.6% +/- 0.8)% by the treatment of melphalan 20 micromol/L plus curcumin 10 micromol/L with the increased percentage of cells in the G2/M phase (from 9.1% to 18.5%) and enhanced intracellular drug concentration of MOLP-2/ R cells (from 15.2 +/- 0.3 to 21.4 +/- 0.8 ). The effects were accompanied with inhibition of FA/BRCA pathway by down regulation of FANCD2 protein monoubiquitination.

CONCLUSIONCurcumin combined with melphalan results in synergistic effects and reverses multiple drug resistance of MOLP-2/R cells effectively. The inhibition of FA/BRCA pathway may be the mechanism.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; drug effects ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group D2 Protein ; metabolism ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology