ADAMTS12 promotes migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition and predicts poor prognosis for pancreatic cancer

Background: ADAMTS(a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin-like motifs) family, a group of extracellular multifunctional enzymes, has been proven to play a pivotal role in the tumor. In pancreatic cancer, the role and mechanism of this family remain unclear. The present study aimed to figure out the hub gene of ADAMTSs and explore the exact roles in the prognosis and biological functions in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC). Methods: We used several databases to analyze the ADAMTS family and then screen out the hub genes. The expression of ADAMTS12 in 106 pairs of PDAC tumors and adjacent normal tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry, and its correlations with clinical parameters were further analyzed. The impacts of ADAMTS12 on the migration of PDAC cells were predicted by gene set enrichment analysis and confirmed by transwell assays. The potential impacts of ADAMTS12 on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) were identified by database analysis and experimental proof of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(q PCR) and Western blotting. Results: Our study found that ADAMTS12 was a crucial gene in PDAC, and it was highly expressed in tumor tissues when compared to that in the adjacent tissues. ADATMS12 had predictive value of a poor prognosis for PDAC. The elevation of ADAMTS12 was parallel to the progression of PDAC. Inhibition of ADAMTS12 suppressed the migration of PDAC cells and interfered with the process of EMT. Conclusions: ADAMTS12 is a crucial member of ADAMTSs in PDAC and a predictor of poor prognosis. Additionally, based on its impacts on migration and metastasis in PDAC and the relationship with EMT, ADAMTS12 plays a role of an oncogene in PDAC and may be a promising target for treatment.

Clinicopathological,treatment,and prognosis study of 43 gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas

AIM To provide more information and therapeutic methods about gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas(G-NECs) which occur rarely but are highly malignant and clinically challenging.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics, treatments, and prognosis of 43 G-NEC patients at our hospital between January 2007 and December 2014. The diagnosis was based on the 2010 World Health Organization criteria.RESULTS Forty-three G-NECs containing 39 small cell carcinomas and 4 large cell NECs with Ki67 > 60% were included in this study, accounting for only 0.95% of all gastric carcinomas. The median patient age was 62 years (range, 33-82) and the male-to-female ratio was 4.4:1. All patients underwent surgery, including 38 curative resections and 5 palliative resections. Among these 43 patients, nearly half(48.84%) of these tumors were located in the cardiac region of the stomach, regional lymph node metastasis was found in 31 cases(72.09%), and liver metastasis was found in 6 cases(13.95%). Follow-up information was got for 40 patients. Twentythree die of this disease with a median survival of 31 mo(range 1-90). The 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rate was 77.50%, 57.04%, 44.51%, and 35.05%, respectively. Survival was better in patients with tumor located in the cardiac region of the stomach, less than 7 lymph nodes metastasis and no liver metastasis. Five patients did not undergo postoperative chemotherapy, and the median survival time for these patients was 15 mo. For the remaining 34 patients who received postoperative chemotherapy, the median survival time was 44 mo and those received etoposide, cisplatin, and Paclitaxel survived the best. One patient with resected liver metastasis who received postoperative Capecitabine plus Oxaliplatin and Paclitaxel systemic chemotherapy plus octreotide LAR(30 mg intramuscularly, every 4 wk, for 2 years) has survived for 74 mo with no recurrence.CONCLUSION G-NECs are mostly nonfunctioning, which lead to a delay in detection. Local and/or distant metastases were noticed in most patients when diagnosed, and they required postoperative medical treatment. Adjuvant etoposide, cisplatin plus Paclitaxel systemic chemotherapy is recommended for these patients.

Clinical significance of programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 pathway in gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas

BACKGROUND Recently, more and more studies have demonstrated the pivotal role of programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1(PD-1/PD-L1) pathway in the immune evasion of tumors from the host immune system. However, the role of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas(G-NECs) remains unknown.AIM To investigate the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 and role of PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in G-NECs, which occur rarely but are highly malignant and clinically defiant.METHODS We investigated the expression of PD-L1 on tumor cells and PD-1^+, CD8^+, and FOXP3^+ T cell infiltration by immunohistochemistry in 43 resected G-NEC tissue specimens. The copy number alterations of PD-L1 were assessed by qRT-PCR.RESULTS Most of the G-NECs tumor cells exhibited a near-uniform expression pattern of PD-L1, while some showed a tumor-stromal interface enhanced pattern. Of the 43G-NECs, 21(48.8%) were classified as a high PD-L1 expression group, and the high expression of PD-L1 was associated with poor overall survival(OS). The high expression of PD-L1 was correlated with abundant PD-1^+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes(TILs) instead of CD8^+ TILs and FOXP3^+ regulatory T cells(Tregs).Our analysis also suggested that the infiltration of CD8^+ TILs tended to be a favorable factor for OS, although the difference did not reach the statistical significance(P = 0.065). Meanwhile, PD-L1 was significantly overexpressed in cases with copy number gain as compared with those without.CONCLUSION Our data demonstrated for the first time that high expression of PD-L1 in GNECs is associated with a poor prognosis, while the high expression may be due to the copy number variation of PD-L1 gene or stimulation of TILs. These results provide a basis for the immunotherapy targeting PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in GNECs.

Effect of CD74 on the prognosis of patients with resectable pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: CD74 is known as a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that is associated with the major histocompatibility complex class II α and β chains. Recent studies have demonstrated that the expression of CD74 is also linked to some forms of tumors. The present study was to assess the effect of CD74 expression on the prognosis of resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC). METHODS: Forty-six patients who had received a curative resection of primary PDAC and postoperative chemotherapy were included in this study. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted of CD74 on paraffin-embedded tumor sample slices. The patients were grouped according to CD74 staining: CD74(-): CD74 positive tumor cells 【25%; and CD74(+): CD74 positive tumor cells ≥25%. The correlation of CD74 expression level with clinicopathological features and cumulative survival rate was calculated. RESULTS: The numbers of CD74(+) and(-) patients were 32 and 14, respectively. CD74(+) patients showed a high rate of perineural invasion(P=0.007). The 3- and 5-year cumulative survival rates of CD74(-) patients were significantly higher than those of CD74(+) patients(62% and 41% vs 9% and 0%, P=0.000). Multivariate analysis showed that CD74 expression and lymphatic permeation were the independent prognostic indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The overexpression of CD74 is a key factor associated with perineural invasion. Lower-stage(I and II) PDAC patients with CD74 overexpression have a poor prognosis even if they receive a curative resection. CD74 can be used as a prognostic indicator for resectable PDAC.

Prostacyclin decreases splanchnic vascular contractility in cirrhotic rats

BACKGROUND： Prostacyclin has been shown to increase portal hypertension, but the mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether the overproduction of prostacyclin（PGI2） in cirrhosis participates in the splanchnic vascular hyporesponsiveness to vasoconstrictors in cirrhotic rats.METHODS： Cirrhotic model was created by subcutaneous injection of 60% carbon tetrachloride（CCl4） corn oil solution combined with intermittent drinking of 5% alcohol, and agematched rats served as controls. The isolated third-generation mesenteric arterioles were used to examine the contractile response to norepinephrine. The changes in vascular diameter were observed under a microscope imaging device. The plasma concentration of 6-ketone-prostaglandin F1α（6-keto-PGF1α, a stable metabolite of PGI2） was tested via enzyme immunoassays and the expression of cyclooxygenase（COX） in mesenteric arteries was detected by Western blotting.RESULTS： In parallel with the increase of plasma 6-ketoPGF1α, the contractile response of arterioles from cirrhotic rats to norepinephrine was significantly impaired compared with that from controls. Inhibition of PGI2 or protein kinase A with indomethacin or Rp-adenosine 3＇, 5＇-cyclic monophosphothioate（Rp-cAMPS） partially reversed the vascular hypo-contractile response to norepinephrine in arterioles from cirrhotic rats.Indomethacin significantly decreased the plasma 6-keto-PGF1α.Furthermore, indomethacin significantly attenuated the effect of Rp-cAMPS on arterioles from cirrhotic rats. COX-1 expression was up-regulated in mesenteric arteries from cirrhotic rats,whereas COX-2 was not detectable in the mesenteric arteries from both cirrhotic and control rats.CONCLUSION： Enhanced COX-1 expression in cirrhotic rats resulted in elevated PGI2 production which partially contributedto the splanchnic vascular hyporesponsiveness to a vasoconstrictor via the protein kinase A pathway.

The genomic,transcriptomic,and immunological profiles of perineural invasion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Dear Editor,Cancer neuroscience is an emerging topic in cancer research(Monje et al.,2020;Shi et al.,2022).Perineural invasion(PNI),defined as the neoplastic invasion of tumor cells into or surrounding the different layers of nervous fibers(epineural,perineural,and endoneural spaces of the neuronal sheath),is associated with aggressive tumor behavior.

Functional analyses of an E3 ligase gene AIP2 from wheat in Arabidopsis revealed its roles in seed germination and pre‐harvest sprouting

Pre‐harvest sprouting（PHS） seriously affects wheat yield and quality of the grain. ABI3 is a key factor in the activation of seed development and repression of germination in Arabidopsis. An ABI3‐interacting protein（AIP2） could polyubiquitinate ABI3, impair seed dormancy and promote seed germination in Arabidopsis. In this study,two wheat AIP2 genes, TaAIP2A and TaAIP2B, were isolated.Subcellular localization assay and yeast two‐hybrid analysis revealed that TaAIP2A and TaAIP2B may function through interaction with wheat Viviporous‐1（TaVp1）. The transcripts TaAIP2A and TaAIP2B were more abundant in wheat PHS susceptible cultivars than that of resistant ones, and decreased gradually following seed development. Expression of TaAIP2A and TaAIP2B in Arabidopsis aip2‐1 mutant lines resulted in earlier flowering, promotion of seed germination,and reduced ABA sensitivity, respectively, somehow mimicking the phenotype of the wild type, with TaAIP2B having a stronger role in these aspects. Furthermore, the expression ofupstream genes ABI1 and ABI2 were upregulated, whereas that of downstream genes ABI3 and ABI5 were downregulated in both TaAIP2A and TaAIP2B complemented lines upon ABA treatment. These results suggested that wheat AIP2s could negatively regulate the ABA signaling pathway and play important roles in seed germination, and thus wheat PHS resistance finally.

Investigation into Hydrogen Diffusion and Susceptibility of Hydrogen Embrittlement of High Strength 0Cr16Ni5Mo Steel

High strength bolt steel 0Crl6Ni5Mo was charged with hydrogen by means of electrochemical technique to evaluate the hydrogen diffusion behavior. The bolt steels were investigated by a combination of electrochemical hydrogen permeation, thermal desorption spectroscopy （TDS）, slow strain rate test （SSRT） and microstructure observation. The hydrogen concentration of both 10.9 grade （Rm=950-1 150 MPa） and 12.9 grade （Rm=1 150-1 250 MPa） bolt steels increases with increasing the hydrogen charging current densities and charging time. The 12.9 grade bolt steel has higher apparent diffusion coefficient than 10.9 grade steel, corresponding to the value of 4.7×10 7 mm^2/s. By means of TDS tests, the activation energies of the two experimental steels are 17.74 kJ/mol and 18.92 kJ/mol, respectively. The hydrogen traps of both grade bolt steels are dislocations and crystal lattice. The notch tensile strength of the steels is reduced with the hydrogen concentration carried out by SSRT. The fracture morphologies of the steels after hydrogen charging present ductile dimple and quasi-cleavage characteristic.