scholarly journals The role of ferroptosis in breast cancer patients: a comprehensive analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeng-Hong Wu ◽  
Yun Tang ◽  
Hong Yu ◽  
Hua-Dong Li

AbstractBreast cancer (BC) affects the breast tissue and is the second most common cause of mortalities among women. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent cell death mode that is characterized by intracellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We constructed a prognostic multigene signature based on ferroptosis-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Moreover, we comprehensively analyzed the role of ferroptosis-associated miRNAs, lncRNAs, and immune responses. A total of 259 ferroptosis-related genes were extracted. KEGG function analysis of these genes revealed that they were mainly enriched in the HIF-1 signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, central carbon metabolism in cancer, and PPAR signaling pathway. Fifteen differentially expressed genes (ALOX15, ALOX15B, ANO6, BRD4, CISD1, DRD5, FLT3, G6PD, IFNG, NGB, NOS2, PROM2, SLC1A4, SLC38A1, and TP63) were selected as independent prognostic factors for BC patients. Moreover, T cell functions, including the CCR score, immune checkpoint, cytolytic activity, HLA, inflammation promotion, para-inflammation, T cell co-stimulation, T cell co-inhibition, and type II INF responses were significantly different between the low-risk and high-risk groups of the TCGA cohort. Immune checkpoints between the two groups revealed that the expressions of PDCD-1 (PD-1), CTLA4, LAG3, TNFSF4/14, TNFRSF4/8/9/14/18/25, and IDO1/2 among others were significantly different. A total of 1185 ferroptosis-related lncRNAs and 219 ferroptosis-related miRNAs were also included in this study. From the online database, we identified novel ferroptosis-related biomarkers for breast cancer prognosis. The findings of this study provide new insights into the development of new reliable and accurate cancer treatment options.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Huang ◽  
Maria Georganaki ◽  
Lei Liu Conze ◽  
Bàrbara Laviña ◽  
Luuk van Hooren ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Tumor vessels in glioma are molecularly and functionally abnormal, contributing to treatment resistance. Proteins differentially expressed in glioma vessels can change vessel phenotype and be targeted for therapy. ELTD1 (Adgrl4) is an orphan member of the adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor family upregulated in glioma vessels, and has been suggested as a potential therapeutic target. However, the role of ELTD1 in regulating vessel function in glioblastoma is poorly understood. Methods ELTD1 expression in human gliomas and its association with patient survival was determined using tissue microarrays and public databases. The role of ELTD1 in regulating tumor vessel phenotype was analyzed using orthotopic glioma models and ELTD1 -/- mice. Endothelial cells isolated from murine gliomas were transcriptionally profiled to determine differentially expressed genes and pathways. The consequence of ELTD1-deletion on glioma immunity was determined by treating tumor bearing mice with PD-1-blocking antibodies. Results ELTD1 levels were upregulated in human glioma vessels, increased with tumor malignancy, and were associated with poor patient survival. Progression of orthotopic gliomas was not affected by ELTD1-deletion, however, tumor vascular function was improved in ELTD1 -/- mice. Bioinformatic analysis of differentially expressed genes indicated increased inflammatory response and decreased proliferation in tumor endothelium in ELTD1 -/- mice. Consistent with an enhanced inflammatory response, ELTD1-deletion improved T-cell infiltration in GL261-bearing mice after PD-1 checkpoint blockade. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that ELTD1 participates in inducing vascular dysfunction in glioma, and suggests that targeting of ELTD1 may normalize the vessels and improve the response to immunotherapy.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Sarah Schäfer ◽  
Alma Zernecke

Atherosclerotic lesions are populated by cells of the innate and adaptive immune system, including CD8+ T cells. The CD8+ T cell infiltrate has recently been characterized in mouse and human atherosclerosis and revealed activated, cytotoxic, and possibly dysfunctional and exhausted cell phenotypes. In mouse models of atherosclerosis, antibody-mediated depletion of CD8+ T cells ameliorates atherosclerosis. CD8+ T cells control monopoiesis and macrophage accumulation in early atherosclerosis. In addition, CD8+ T cells exert cytotoxic functions in atherosclerotic plaques and contribute to macrophage cell death and necrotic core formation. CD8+ T cell activation may be antigen-specific, and epitopes of atherosclerosis-relevant antigens may be targets of CD8+ T cells and their cytotoxic activity. CD8+ T cell functions are tightly controlled by costimulatory and coinhibitory immune checkpoints. Subsets of regulatory CD25+CD8+ T cells with immunosuppressive functions can inhibit atherosclerosis. Importantly, local cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses may trigger endothelial damage and plaque erosion in acute coronary syndromes. Understanding the complex role of CD8+ T cells in atherosclerosis may pave the way for defining novel treatment approaches in atherosclerosis. In this review article, we discuss these aspects, highlighting the emerging and critical role of CD8+ T cells in atherosclerosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ombretta Annibali ◽  
Antonella Bianchi ◽  
Alba Grifoni ◽  
Valeria Tomarchio ◽  
Mariantonietta Tafuri ◽  
...  

AbstractClinical use of immune-checkpoints inhibitors (anti PD-1/PD-L1) resulted very effective for the treatment of relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (CHL). Recently, T cell Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) has been recognized as an immune checkpoint receptor able to negatively regulate T cell functions. Herein, we investigated the expression of TIGIT in CHL microenvironment in order to find a potential new target for inhibitor therapy. TIGIT, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression was evaluated in 34 consecutive patients with CHL. TIGIT expression in T lymphocytes surrounding Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells was observed in 19/34 patients (56%), of which 11 (58%) had advanced stages. In 16/19 (84%) cases, TIGIT+ peritumoral T lymphocytes showed also PD-1 expression. All 15 TIGIT− patients had PD-L1 expression in HRS cells (100%) while among 19 TIGIT+ patients, 11 (58%) were PD-L1+ and 8 (42%) were PD-L1−. Using a new scoring system for TIGIT immunoreactivity, all TIGIT+ cases with higher score (4/19) were PD-L1−. Our results confirm co-expression of TIGIT and PD-1 in peritumoral T lymphocytes. Of relevance, we demonstrated a mutually exclusive expression of TIGIT and PD-L1 using new TIGIT scoring system able to identify this immunocheckpoints’ modulation. These results pave the way to new therapeutic strategies for relapsed/refractory CHL.


Author(s):  
Xuehui Wang ◽  
Changle Ji ◽  
Jiashu Hu ◽  
Xiaochong Deng ◽  
Wenfang Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of endogenous RNAs, have shown to participate in the development of breast cancer (BC). Hsa_circ_0005273 is a circRNA generated from several exons of PTK2. However, the potential functional role of hsa_circ_0005273 in BC remains largely unknown. Here we aim to evaluate the role of hsa_circ_0005273 in BC. Methods The expression level of hsa_circ_0005273 and miR-200a-3p were examined by RT-qPCR in BC tissues and cell lines. The effect of knocking down hsa_circ_0005273 in BC cell lines were evaluated by examinations of cell proliferation, migration and cell cycle. In addition, xenografts experiment in nude mice were performed to evaluate the effect of hsa_circ_0005273 in BC. RNA immunoprecipitation assay, RNA probe pull-down assay, luciferase reporter assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization were conducted to confirm the relationship between hsa_circ_0005273, miR-200a-3p and YAP1. Results Hsa_circ_0005273 is over-expressed in BC tissues and cell lines, whereas miR-200a-3p expression is repressed. Depletion of hsa_circ_0005273 inhibited the progression of BC cells in vitro and in vivo, while overexpression of hsa_circ_0005273 exhibited the opposite effect. Importantly, hsa_circ_0005273 upregulated YAP1 expression and inactivated Hippo pathway via sponging miR-200a-3p to promote BC progression. Conclusions Hsa_circ_0005273 regulates the miR-200a-3p/YAP1 axis and inactivates Hippo signaling pathway to promote BC progression, which may become a potential biomarker and therapeutic target.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-hua Li ◽  
Fu-ling Chen ◽  
Hong-lin Shen

Abstract Background Bone disease causes short-term or long-term physical pain and disability. It is necessary to explore new drug for bone-related disease. This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of Salidroside in promoting osteogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs). Methods ADSCs were isolated and treated with different dose of Salidroside. Cell count kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was performed to assess the cell viability of ADSCs. Then, ALP and ARS staining were conducted to assess the early and late osteogenic capacity of ADSCs, respectively. Then, differentially expressed genes were obtained by R software. Then, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of the differentially expressed genes were further analyzed. The expression of OCN, COL1A1, RUNX2, WNT3A, and β-catenin were measured by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Last, β-catenin was silenced by small interfering RNA. Results Salidroside significantly increased the ADSCs viability at a dose-response manner. Moreover, Salidroside enhanced osteogenic capacity of ADSCs, which are identified by enhanced ALP activity and calcium deposition. A total of 543 differentially expressed genes were identified between normal and Salidroside-treated ADSCs. Among these differentially expressed genes, 345 genes were upregulated and 198 genes were downregulated. Differentially expressed genes enriched in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Western blot assay indicated that Salidroside enhanced the WNT3A and β-catenin expression. Silencing β-catenin partially reversed the promotion effects of Salidroside. PCR and Western blot results further confirmed these results. Conclusion Salidroside promoted osteogenic differentiation of ADSCs through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A646-A647
Author(s):  
Max Meneveau ◽  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
Kevin Lynch ◽  
Karlyn Pollack ◽  
Craig Slingluff

BackgroundVaccines are a promising therapeutic for patients with advanced cancer, but achieving robust T-cell responses remains a challenge. Melanoma-associated antigen-A3 (MAGE-A3) in combination with adjuvant AS15 (a formulation of Toll-Like-Receptor (TLR)-4 and 9 agonists and a saponin), induced systemic CD4+ T-cell responses in 50% of patients when given subcutaneously/intradermally. Little is known about the transcriptional landscape of the vaccine-site microenvironment (VSME) of patients with systemic T-cell responses versus those without. We hypothesized that patients with systemic T-cell responses to vaccination would exhibit increased immune activation in the VSME, higher dendritic cell (DC) activation/maturation, TLR-pathway activation, and enhanced Th1 signatures.MethodsBiopsies of the VSME were obtained from participants on the Mel55 clinical trial (NCT01425749) who were immunized with MAGE-A3/AS15. Biopsies were taken 8 days after immunization. T-cell response to MAGE-A3 was assessed in PBMC after in-vitro stimulation with recMAGE-A3, by IFNγ ELISPOT assay. Gene expression was assessed by RNAseq using DESeq2. Comparisons were made between immune-responders (IR), non-responders (NR), and normal skin controls. FDR p<0.01 was considered significant.ResultsFour IR, four NR, and three controls were evaluated. The 500 most variable genes were used for principal component analysis (PCA). Two IR samples were identified as outliers on PCA and excluded from further analysis. There were 882 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the IR group vs the NR group (figure 1A). Unsupervised clustering of the top 500 DEGs revealed clustering according to the experimental groups (figure 1B). Of the 10 most highly upregulated DEGs, 9 were immune-related (figure 1C). Gene-set enrichment analysis revealed that immune-related pathways were highly enriched in IRs vs NRs (figure 1D). CD4 and CD8 expression did not differ between IR and NR (figure 2A), though both were higher in IR compared to control. Markers of DC activation/maturation were higher in IR vs NR (figure 2B), as were several Th1 associated genes (figure 2C). Interestingly, markers of exhaustion were higher in IR v NR (figure 2D). Expression of numerous TLR-pathway genes was higher in IR vs NR, including MYD88, but not TICAM1 (figure 2E).Abstract 611 Figure 1Gene expression profiling of vaccine site samples from patients immunized with MAGE-A3/AS15. (A) Volcano plots showing the distribution of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between immune responders (IR) and non-responders (NR), IR and control, and NR and control. (B) Heatmap of the top 500 most differentially expressed genes demonstrating hierarchical clustering of sequenced samples according to IR, NR, and control. (C) Table showing the 10 most highly up and down-regulated genes in IR compared to NR. 9 of the top 10 most highly up-regulated genes are related to the immune response. (D) Enrichment plots from a gene set enrichment analysis highlighting the upregulation of immune related pathways in IR compared to NR. Gene set enrichment data was generated from the Reactome gene set database and included all expressed genes. Significance was set at FDR p <0.01Abstract 611 Figure 2Expression of T-cell markers in IR vs NR vs Control samples in the vaccine site microenvironment (VSME). (A) T-cell markers showing similar expression in IR vs NR but higher expression in IR vs control. (B) Markers of dendritic cell activation and maturation in the VSME which are higher in IR vs control but not IR vs NR. (B) Transcription factors and genes associated with Th1/Th2 responses within the VSME. (D) Genes associated with T-cell exhaustion at the VSME. (E) Expression of TLR pathway genes in the VSME. Expression data is provided in terms of normalized counts. Bars demonstrate median and interquartile range. N=9. IR = immune responder, NR = non-responder, TLR = Toll-like Receptor. * = <0.01, ** < 0.001, *** <0.0001, **** < 0.00001ConclusionsThese findings suggest a unique immune-transcriptional landscape in the VSME is associated with circulating T-cell responses to immunization, with differences in DC activation/maturation, Th1 response, and TLR signaling. Thus, immunologic changes in the VSME are useful predictors of systemic immune response, and host factors that modulate immune-related signaling at the vaccine site may have concordant systemic effects on promoting or limiting immune responses to vaccines.Trial RegistrationSamples for this work were collected from patients enrolled on the Mel55 clinical trial NCT01425749.Ethics ApprovalThis work was completed after approval from the UVA institutional review board IRB-HSR# 15398.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382098329
Author(s):  
Yujie Weng ◽  
Wei Liang ◽  
Yucheng Ji ◽  
Zhongxian Li ◽  
Rong Jia ◽  
...  

Human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)+ breast cancer is considered the most dangerous type of breast cancers. Herein, we used bioinformatics methods to identify potential key genes in HER2+ breast cancer to enable its diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis prediction. Datasets of HER2+ breast cancer and normal tissue samples retrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas databases were subjected to analysis for differentially expressed genes using R software. The identified differentially expressed genes were subjected to gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses followed by construction of protein-protein interaction networks using the STRING database to identify key genes. The genes were further validated via survival and differential gene expression analyses. We identified 97 upregulated and 106 downregulated genes that were primarily associated with processes such as mitosis, protein kinase activity, cell cycle, and the p53 signaling pathway. Visualization of the protein-protein interaction network identified 10 key genes ( CCNA2, CDK1, CDC20, CCNB1, DLGAP5, AURKA, BUB1B, RRM2, TPX2, and MAD2L1), all of which were upregulated. Survival analysis using PROGgeneV2 showed that CDC20, CCNA2, DLGAP5, RRM2, and TPX2 are prognosis-related key genes in HER2+ breast cancer. A nomogram showed that high expression of RRM2, DLGAP5, and TPX2 was positively associated with the risk of death. TPX2, which has not previously been reported in HER2+ breast cancer, was associated with breast cancer development, progression, and prognosis and is therefore a potential key gene. It is hoped that this study can provide a new method for the diagnosis and treatment of HER2 + breast cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Qiu ◽  
Xianxin Yan ◽  
Xinqin Xiao ◽  
Guijuan Zhang ◽  
Yanqiu Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The precancerous disease of breast cancer is an inevitable stage in the emergence and development of breast neoplasms. Breast cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumor in female worldwide. A large number of literatures have proved that, as antitumor drugs, flavonoid compounds can promote proliferation and immune regulation of T cell. Many researchers believe that Quercetin (Que) has great potential in the field of anti-breast cancer. Besides that, γδ T cells are a class of non-traditional T cells, which have long attracted attention due to their potential in immunotherapy. Above all, JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway is closely related to the immunity.MethodsIn the experiment designed in this paper, we first used Que, one of the flavonoids, to screen the target gene. Then, MCF-10A, MCF-10AT, MCF-7 and MDA-MB231 BC cells were co-cultured with Que for 24h and 48h, apoptosis was found in some the cells. We then cultured Que with γδ T cells and found that Que can promote the proliferation of Vδ2 T cell subsets of γδ T cells, thus enhancing the killing effect of γδ T cells. Western blot was use to showed the change of JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway related proteins after the Que was co-cultured with MCF-10AT and MCF-7 for 48h.ResultsNetwork pharmacology has shown that Que related pathways include the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway and are associated with precancerous breast cancers. Que induced apoptosis of MCF-10AT, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 in a time and concentration-dependent manner. Most importantly, Que can promote the differentiation of γδ T cells into the Vδ2 T cell subpopulation, this means that Que and γδ T cells may play a synergistic role in killing tumor cells and cellular immune regulation. In addition, our results showed that Que can increase in protein levels of IFNγ-R, p-JAK2 and p-STAT1, while the concomitant decrease protein levels of PD-L1.ConclusionsIn conclusion, Que plays a synergistic role in killing BC cells and promoting apoptosis by regulating the expression of IFNγ-R, p-JAK2, p-STAT1, and PD-L1 in the JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway and promoting the regulation of γδ T cells. Que may be a potential drug for the prevention of precancerous breast cancer and adjuvant treatment of BC.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document