MiRNA profile in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma:Downregulation of miR-143 and miR-145

AIM:To investigate the expression profile of miRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).METHODS:The expression profile of miRNA in ESCC tissues was analyzed by miRNA microarray.The expression levels of miR-143 and miR-145 in 86 ESCC patients were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR) using TaqMan assay.The mobility effect was estimated by wound-healing using esophageal carcinoma cells transfected with miRNA expression plasmids.RESULTS:A set of miRNAs was found to be deregulated in the ESCC tissues,and the expression levels of miR-143 and-145 were significantly decreased in most of the ESCC tissues examined.Both miR-143 and miR-145 expression correlated with tumor invasion depth.The transfection of human esophageal carcinoma cells with miR-143 and miR-145 expression plasmids resulted in a greater inhibition of cell mobility,however,the protein level of the previously reported target of miR-145,FSCN1,did not show any significant downregulation.CONCLUSION:These findings suggest that the deregulation of miRNAs plays an important role in the progression of ESCC.Both miR-143 and miR-145 might act as anti-oncomirs common to ESCC.

Autoantibodies: Potential clinical applications in early detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma(EGJA)are the two main types of gastrointestinal cancers that pose a huge threat to human health.ESCC remains one of the most common malignant diseases around the world.In contrast to the decreasing prevalence of ESCC,the incidence of EGJA is rising rapidly.Early detection represents one of the most promising ways to improve the prognosis and reduce the mortality of these cancers.Current approaches for early diagnosis mainly depend on invasive and costly endoscopy.Non-invasive biomarkers are in great need to facilitate earlier detection for better clinical management of patients.Tumor-associated autoantibodies can be detected at an early stage before manifestations of clinical signs of tumorigenesis,making them promising biomarkers for early detection and monitoring of ESCC and EGJA.In this review,we summarize recent insights into the iden-tification and validation of tumor-associated autoantibodies for the early detection of ESCC and EGJA and discuss the challenges remaining for clinical validation.

RIOK1 synergizes with TRIP13 by regulating the E2F-Rb signaling pathway to promote the proliferation of esophageal cancer cells

Esophageal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the world,with approximately half of the new cases occurring in China every year.^(1)Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)is the main subtype,accounting for more than 90%,and the five-year survival rate is less than 10%.Using large-scale genome analysis,many driver mutations and key pathways associated with ESCC have been identified.However,these genomic signatures have not improved the clinical management of EscC patients,or established effective targeted therapy.^(2)Esophageal cancer still lacks representative molecular markers.

Down-regulated γ-catenin expression is associated with tumor aggressiveness in esophageal cancer

AIM:To evaluate the significance ofγ-catenin in clinical pathology,cellular function and signaling mechanism in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).METHODS:The mRNA expression ofγ-catenin was detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in 95 tissue specimens and evaluated for association with the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival time of patients with ESCC.siRNAs against humanγ-catenin were used to inhibitγ-catenin expression.Hanging drop aggregation assay and dispase-based dissociation assay were performed to detect the effect ofγ-catenin on ESCC cell-cell adhesion.Transwell assay was performed to determine cell migration.Luciferase-based transcriptional reporter assay(TOPflash)was used to measureβ-catenindependent transcription in cells with reducedγ-catenin expression.The expression and subcellular localizations ofβ-catenin and E-cadherin were examined using Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis.RESULTS:γ-catenin mRNA expression was significantly associated with tumor histological grade(P=0.017)in ESCC.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed thatγ-catenin expression levels had an impact on the survival curve,with lowγ-catenin indicating worse survival(P=0.003).The multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated thatγ-catenin was an independent prognostic factor for survival.Experimentally,silencingγ-catenin caused defects in cell-cell adhesion and a concomitant increase in cell migration in both KYSE150 and TE3 ESCC cells.Analysis of Wnt signaling revealed no activation event associated withγ-catenin expression.Totalβ-catenin and Triton X-100-insolubleβ-catenin were significantly reduced in theγ-catenin-specific siRNA-transfected KYSE150 and TE3 cells,whereas Triton X-100-solubleβ-catenin was not altered.Moreover,knocking downγ-catenin expression resulted in a significant decrease of E-cadherin and Triton X-100-insoluble desmocollin-2,along with reducedβ-catenin and E-cadherin membrane localization in ESCC cells.CONCLUSION:γ-catenin is a tumor suppressor in ESCC and may serve as a prognostic marker.Dysregulated expression ofγ-catenin may play important roles in ESCC progression.

Protein-coding genes combined with long noncoding RNA as a novel transcriptome molecular staging model to predict the survival of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background:Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)is the predominant subtype of esophageal carcinoma in China.This study was to develop a staging model to predict outcomes of patients with ESCC.Methods:Using Cox regression analysis,principal component analysis(PCA),partitioning clustering,Kaplan-Meier analysis,receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis,and classification and regression tree(CART)analysis,we mined the Gene Expression Omnibus database to determine the expression profiles of genes in 179 patients with ESCC from GSE63624 and GSE63622 dataset.Results:Univariate cox regression analysis of the GSE63624 dataset revealed that 2404 protein-coding genes(PCGs)and 635 long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)were associated with the survival of patients with ESCC.PCA categorized these PCGs and lncRNAs into three principal components(PCs),which were used to cluster the patients into three groups.ROC analysis demonstrated that the predictive ability of PCG-lncRNA PCs when applied to new patients was better than that of the tumor-node-metastasis staging(area under ROC curve[AUC]:0.69 vs.0.65,P<0.05).Accord-ingly,we constructed a molecular disaggregated model comprising one lncRNA and two PCGs,which we desig-nated as the LSB staging model using CART analysis in the GSE63624 dataset.This LSB staging model classified the GSE63622 dataset of patients into three different groups,and its effectiveness was validated by analysis of another cohort of 105 patients.Conclusions:The LSB staging model has clinical significance for the prognosis prediction of patients with ESCC and may serve as a three-gene staging microarray.

P300/CBP-associated factor(PCAF)-mediated acetylation of Fascin at lysine 471 inhibits its actin-bundling activity and tumor metastasis in esophageal cancer

Background:Fascin is crucial for cancer cell filopodium formation and tumor metastasis,and is functionally regulated by post-translational modifications.However,whether and how Fascin is regulated by acetylation remains unclear.This study explored the regulation of Fascin acetylation and its corresponding roles in filopodium formation and tumor metastasis.Methods:Immunoprecipitation and glutathione-S-transferase pull-down assays were performed to examine the interaction between Fascin and acetyltransferase P300/CBP-associated factor(PCAF),and immunofluorescence was used to investigate their colocalization.An in vitro acetylation assay was performed to identify Fascin acetylation sites by using mass spectrometry.A specific antibody against acetylated Fascin was generated and used to detect the PCAF-mediated Fascin acetylation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)cells using Western blotting by overexpressing and knocking down PCAF expression.An in vitro cell migration assay was performed,and a xenograft model was established to study in vivo tumor metastasis.Live-cell imaging and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching were used to evaluate the function and dynamics of acetylated Fascin in filopodium formation.The clinical significance of acetylated Fascin and PCAF in ESCC was evaluated using immunohistochemistry.Results:Fascin directly interacted and colocalized with PCAF in the cytoplasm and was acetylated at lysine 471(K471)by PCAF.Using the specific antiAcK471-Fascin antibody,Fascin was found to be acetylated in ESCC cells,and the acetylation level was consequently increased after PCAF overexpression and decreased after PCAF knockdown.Functionally,Fascin-K471 acetylation markedly suppressed in vitro ESCC cell migration and in vivo tumor metastasis,whereas Fascin-K471 deacetylation exhibited a potent oncogenic function.Moreover,Fascin-K471 acetylation reduced filopodial length and density,and lifespan of ESCC cells,while its deacetylation produced the opposite effect.In the filipodium shaft,K471-acetylated Fascin displayed rapid dynamic exchange,suggesting that it remained in its monomeric form owing to its weakened actinbundling activity.Clinically,high levels of AcK471-Fascin in ESCC tissues were strongly associated with prolonged overall survival and disease-free survival of ESCC patients.Conclusions:Fascin interacts directly with PCAF and is acetylated at lysine 471 in ESCC cells.Fascin-K471 acetylation suppressed ESCC cell migration and tumor metastasis by reducing filopodium formation through the impairment of its actin-bundling activity.