OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the prognostic and predictive value of the nucleotide excision repair-related gene GTF2H5, which is localized at the 6q24.2-26 deletion previously reported by our group to predict longer survival of high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients. METHODS: In order to test if protein levels of GTF2H5 are associated with patients' outcome, we performed GTF2H5 immunohistochemical staining in 139 high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas included in tissue microarrays. Upon stratification of cases into high- and low-GTF2H5 staining categories (> and < or = median staining, respectively) Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test were used to estimate patients' survival and assess statistical differences. We also evaluated the association of GTF2H5 with survival at the transcriptional level by using the on-line Kaplan-Meier plotter tool, which includes gene expression and survival data of 855 high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients from 13 different datasets. Finally, we determined whether stable short hairpin RNA-mediated GTF2H5 downregulation modulates cisplatin sensitivity in the SKOV3 and COV504 cell lines by using cytotoxicity assays. RESULTS: Low expression of GTF2H5 was associated with longer 5-year survival of patients at the protein (hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.93; p=0.024) and transcriptional level (HR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.97; p=0.023) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients. We confirmed the association with 5-year overall survival (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.78; p=0.0007) and also found an association with progression-free survival (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.96; p=0.026) in a homogenous group of 388 high-stage (stages III-IV using the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging system), optimally debulked high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients. GTF2H5-silencing induced a decrease of the half maximal inhibitory concentration upon cisplatin treatment in GTF2H5-silenced ovarian cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Low levels of GTF2H5 are associated with enhanced prognosis in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients and may contribute to cisplatin sensitization.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biomarkers, Tumor/biosynthesis/genetics ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/*genetics/metabolism/pathology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Proteins/biosynthesis/genetics ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/*genetics/metabolism/pathology ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*genetics/metabolism/pathology ; Prognosis ; Transcription Factors/biosynthesis/*genetics ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

INTRODUCTIONC-X-C chemokine receptor type 7 (CXCR7) has recently been characterised as a novel receptor for the C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12)/stromal cell-derived factor 1-alpha. CXCR7 has been thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis, angiogenesis and tumour metastasis. The present study aimed to examine the expression of CXCR7 in tissue samples of laryngeal cancer and maxillary sinus carcinoma to determine its role in the development of otorhinolaryngologic neoplasms.

METHODSSamples of otorhinolaryngologic neoplasms were obtained from 17 patients with either nasal polyps (n = 7), laryngeal cancer (n = 5) or maxillary sinus carcinoma (n = 5), and who underwent surgical resection at West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Total RNA was isolated and CXCR7 mRNA expression was examined and quantified by relative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. A one-way analysis of variance was performed using SPSS Statistics version 11.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA) to compare the CXCR7 mRNA levels among the three groups of patients.

RESULTSAll samples tested positive for CXCR7 mRNA. The quantitative results showed that the CXCR7 mRNA levels were highest in laryngeal cancer and lowest in maxillary sinus carcinoma neoplasms, although there was no significant difference among the three samples.

CONCLUSIONCXCL12 and its receptor CXCR7 may contribute to eosinophilic inflammation in patients with chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps. Our results also suggest that CXCR7 may play a role in the progression, metastasis and angiogenesis of otorhinolaryngologic tumours.

Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Otorhinolaryngologic Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, CXCR ; biosynthesis ; genetics

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related mortality in part due to its high resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. The anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 expression has been reported as a resistance factor in various types of tumors. Here, we investigated the expression of Mcl-1 in hepatoma cells and HCC tissues and its relationship with p53, and analyzed the possibility of the gene as a molecular target for HCC therapy. HCC specimens of 30 patients were examined by immunohistochemistry for Mcl-1 and p53 expression. Mcl-1 expression in hepatoma cell lines was measured by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The suppression of Mcl-1 by RNA interference or specific phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, LY294002, was evaluated as monotherapy, and it was combined with mitomycin C (MMC) in treating hepatoma cell line HepG2. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed by MTT and FACS analysis. Finally, changes of Mcl-1 or p53 expression in various hepatoma cell lines were examined after transfection with Mcl-1 siRNA, the Mcl-1 expression plasmid, or the wide-type p53 expression plasmid, respectively. Mcl-1 protein was remarkably enhanced in HCC tissues as compared with adjacent non-tumor liver tissues. In addition, Mcl-1 was prominently expressed in HepG2 and Hep3B cells, weakly in SMMC7721 cells, and not in L02 cells. P53 protein was also overexpressed in HCC tissues and there was a significant correlation between the expression of p53 and Mcl-1. Silencing Mcl-1 by RNAi or LY294002 downregulated Mcl-1 expression and led to decreased cell viability and increased apoptosis. Combination of MMC and Mcl-1 RNAi or LY294002 exhibited a significant chemosensitizing effect. The expression of p53 was not influenced by Mcl-1 siRNA in HepG2 cells or transfection with the Mcl-1 expression plasmid in L02 cells. Furthermore, the expression of Mcl-1 in Hep3B cells was also not significantly changed after transfection with the wild-type p53 expression plasmid. It is concluded that Mcl-1 is overexpressed in HCC tissues. The mechanisms by which silencing Mcl-1 sensitizes hepatoma cells towards chemotherapy may be not attributed to the upregulated expression of p53 but the dysfunction of p53 through Mcl-1/p53 interaction. Mcl-1 may be a potential target of gene therapy for HCC.
Adenoma, Liver Cell ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Chromones ; administration & dosage ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Morpholines ; administration & dosage ; Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Transfection ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; biosynthesis ; genetics

Many studies informed that microRNAs (miRNAs) could function as diagnostic and prognostic indicators in several cancers. The aims of this study were to explore the expression of miR-630 in bladder urothelial carcinoma and its clinical significance for the evaluation of cancer prognosis. A total of 116 patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma were obtained in this retrospective study between May, 2012 and Sep. 2015. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was conducted to evaluate the expression level of miR-630. The chi-square test was used to examine the associations between miR-630 expression and the clinicopathological features. The Kaplan-Meier method was conducted to explore the survival status of urothelial carcinoma patients. The log-rank test was used to analyze differences in survival rate. The results showed an obvious increase in miR-630 expression from normal bladder to bladder urothelial carcinoma (P=0.027). Additionally, patients with higher miR-630 expression had significantly shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (P=0.043) and overall survival (OS) (P=0.038) than those with lower miR-630 expression. Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that up-regulation of miR-630 was an independent prognostic factor for both DFS (P=0.042) and OS (P=0.046). It was demonstrated that miR-630 may be a novel and valuable prognostic factor for bladder urothelial carcinoma.
Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Carcinoma ; genetics ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; MicroRNAs ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Urothelium ; pathology

The abnormal expression of MUC15, a novel cell membrane-associated mucin, has been reported to predict poor survival in several cancers. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression of MUC15 in glioma and its correlation with clinicopathological features, including the survival of patients with glioma. The mRNA expression level of MUC15 was determined by RT-PCR, quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting in seven normal brain tissues and seven glioma tissues, respectively. The protein expression level of MUC15 was immunohistochemically detected in paraffin-embedded samples of 317 glioma tissues and 115 noncancerous brain tissues. The association of MUC15 expression levels with the clinicopathologic features and the prognosis was analyzed. The results showed that both mRNA and protein levels of MUC15 were significantly increased in glioma as compared with those in noncancerous brain tissue. Moreover, MUC15 overexpression was positively correlated with the advanced clinical stages of glioam patients (P<0.01). Furthermore, MUC15 expression levels were significantly correlated with the progression of glioma (P<0.001). Survival analysis indicated that glioma patients with higher MUC15 expression had a significantly shorter overall and 5-year survival time than those with low MUC15 expression. Multivariate analysis suggested that MUC15 overexpression was an independent factor for prognosis (hazard risk: 3.216; P=0.009). It was concluded that MUC15 is overexpressed in glioma tissues. Its overexpression correlates with tumor progression and it is a potentially unfavorable prognostic factor for patients with glioma.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Brain Neoplasms ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Glioma ; genetics ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be involved in multiple biological pathways that can influence tumor progression and metastasis and they can serve as prognostic biomarkers in many cancers. The present study examined the prognostic significance of miR-215 in cervical cancer. The paraffin-embedded paired cervical scrape samples and tumor tissue samples from 302 patients with stage II cervical cancer were detected for the expression of miR-215 by using qRT-PCR. A miR-215-based classifier was established by using the Cox regression model. The prognostic and predictive accuracy of this classifier was determined in both the internal testing group of 138 patients, and the external independent group of 280 patients. Moreover, cervical cancer HeLa cells overexpressing miR-215 (HeLa-miR-215) were constructed and subcutaneously injected into the nude mice to examine the effect of miR-215 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. The results showed that the expression level of miR-215 was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues than in paired normal tissues (P<0.0001). When patients were classified into high- and low-risk cancer progression groups according to miR-215 level, the 5-year disease-free survival in high- and low-risk groups were 43% (95% CI: 32.1-51.6) and 67% (95% CI: 48.6-77.3) (hazard ratio [HR] 2.02, 95% CI: 1.16-3.52; P=0.013) respectively. Moreover, the expression level of miR-215 was negatively associated with survival rate in patients at TNM stage T3 (HR: 3.317; 95% CI: 1.18-5.14, P=0.017) and TNM stage T4 (HR: 3.48; 95% CI: 1.49-4.45, P=0.008). Tumor volume in nude mice injected with HeLa-miR-215 cells was significantly larger than that in mice injected with control HeLa cells. It was concluded that the expression level of miR-215 is associated with cervical tumor progression and worse survival rate, suggesting that it may serve as a potential prognostic marker to identify patients at higher risk of recurrence.
Aged ; Animals ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; genetics ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; MicroRNAs ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology

miR-200c has been shown to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting ZEB1 and ZEB2 expression in breast cancer cells. This study further examined the role of miR-200c in the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer that goes beyond the regulation on ZEB1 and ZEB2 expression. In this study, the bioinformatics software (miRanda) was used to predict the target gene of miR-200c and Renilla luciferase assay to verify the result. The metastatic breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 were cultured and transfected with the miR-200c mimic or inhibitor. The expressions of miR-200c and HMGB1 were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Transwell assay and wound healing assay were employed to examine the invasive and migrating ability of transfected cells. Target prediction and Renilla luciferase analysis revealed that HMGB1 was a putative target gene of miR-200c. After transfection of MDA-MB-231 cells with the miR-200c mimic or inhibitor, the expression of miR-200c was significantly increased or decreased when compared with cells transfected with the miR-200c mimic NC or inhibitor NC. Moreover, the expression of HMGB1 was reversely correlated with that of miR-200c in transfected cells. Tranwell assay showed that the number of invasive cells was significantly reduced in miR-200c mimic group when compared with miR-200c inhibitor group. It was also found that the migrating ability of cells transfected with miR-200c mimics was much lower than that of cells transfected with miR-200c inhibitors. It was suggested that miR-200c can suppress the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells by regulating the expression of HMGB1. miR-200c and HMGB1 may become useful biomarkers for progression of breast cancer and targets of gene therapy.
Biomarkers, Tumor ; Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cell Movement ; genetics ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; HEK293 Cells ; HMGB1 Protein ; genetics ; Homeodomain Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; genetics ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; genetics ; pathology ; Repressor Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Transcription Factors ; biosynthesis ; Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 2 ; Zinc Finger E-box-Binding Homeobox 1

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to transfect TPT1 into cell lines SMMC-7721 and L-02, seperately, and to observe the changes of biological behaviors of the cell lines.

METHODSThrough lipofectamine, the eukaryotic report expression vector containing TPT1 ORF (open reading frame), pEGFP-N3TPT1, were transducted into hepatocarcinoma cell line SMMC-7721 cells and normal liver cell line L-02 cells, seperately. The transduction was repeated three times in 24 hrs. The differences of biological behaviors between the pEGFP-N3TPT1 and pEGFP-N3 groups were studied by RT-PCR, MTT assay, soft agar colony formation assay and cell cycle analysis.

RESULTSThe pEGFP-N3TPT1 transfected cells had a high mRNA level in the two cell lines (P < 0.05) compared with the pEGFP-N3 controls. The ability of proliferation and the soft agar colony formation were enhanced in the SMMC-7721 transducted cells with pEGFP-N3TPT1 compared with that transducted with pEGFP-N3 (P < 0.05), and the cell cycle analysis showed that the cells in the phase G(2)+S/M increased after pEGFP-N3TPT1 transduction. In the L-02 cell line, we obtained similar results, pEGFP-N3TPT1 enhanced the colony formation in plate (P < 0.05), but not make it form colony in soft agar.

CONCLUSIONSTPT1 can enhance malignant phenotype of SMMC-7721 cells and promote the growth of L-02 cells, but not transform L-02 into malignant phenotype.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; physiology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Genetic Vectors ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Open Reading Frames ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo investigate the differential expression of the hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS) family in human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC) and its potential clinical significance.

METHODSThe relative quantitative detection of the expression of HAS isoforms (HASs) was performed in 78 human BTCC tissues (mRNA & protein) and 12 normal human bladder mucosa (protein) by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, and the results were statistically analyzed according to the clinical data.

RESULTSAll the BTCC tissues expressed three HAS isoform mRNA and protein, but to a different extent, as for mRNA, HAS3 > HAS2 > HAS1 (P < 0.001), with a significant difference in HAS1/HAS2, HAS1/HAS3 and HAS2/HAS3 (P = 0.003, < 0.001, 0.006, respectively). Among the proteins, the HAS2 expression was the highest, with a significant difference in HAS1/HAS2, and HAS2/HAS3 (P = 0.004, 0.001, respectively), but not in HAS1/HAS3. The elevation of HAS1 mRNA and protein expression was significantly related with the tumor malignancy, tumor initial onset/recurrence, T1/T2 and T1/T3-4 stags, and tumor grading (P = 0.02, < 0.001, 0.038, < 0.001; 0.025, 0.031, 0.023, 0.002; respectively). The HAS2 mRNA expression was significantly related with tumor size (diameter ≤ 3.0 cm/> 3.0 cm), tumor number (single or multiple), tumor initial onset/recurrence, T-staging, and histopathological differentiation (low grade/high grade) (P = 0.012, 0.004, < 0.001, < 0.001, < 0.001, respectively), but its protein expression was not significantly different in all subgroups except with the tumor size (mass diameter > 3.0 cm/≤ 3.0 cm). However, HAS3 mRNA and protein expression had no significant difference among all the subgroups. In normal human bladder mucosa, no HAS expressions were detected.

CONCLUSIONSThe abnormally high expression of the HASs further indicate the reliability of hyaluronan as a urinary marker for human BTCC. Compared with HAS1 and HAS3, HAS2 as a marker may have more usefulness in studies on human BTCC carcinogenesis or development. The high expression of HAS1 protein seems to play a more important role in the BTCC tumorigenesis, and may indicate a poor prognosis of the BTCC patients.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glucuronosyltransferase ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hyaluronan Synthases ; Hyaluronic Acid ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; Reproducibility of Results ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo analyze microarray datasets deposited in the public database and to identify TNM associated genes in gastric cancers.

METHODSMicroarray datasets of gastric cancer were selected from GEO database. Differentially expressed genes related to TNM staging were evaluated by significant analysis of the microarray using MultiExperiment Viewer (MEV) platform. Candidate gene expressions in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines were verified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSGES4007 dataset was re-analyzed leading to the identification of 14 genes associated with TNM staging. Over-expression of matrix gla protein (MGP) was confirmed in gastric cancer cell lines and tumor tissues by quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Increased MGP expression was found in 22 of 54 cases of (40.7%) gastric cancer specimens compared to the normal gastric tissues. The up-regulation of MGP mRNA expression closely correlated with TNM stage (P = 0.001) and prognosis (P = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONSPublic databases of microarray studies are the valuable resources for data mining. MGP has been identified and confirmed as a novel biomarker for the TNM stage and prognosis of gastric cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Survival Rate ; Up-Regulation ; Young Adult