Interplay of Driver, Mini-Driver, and Deleterious Passenger Mutations on Cancer Progression

Cancer is caused by the accumulation of a critical number of somatic mutations (drivers) that offer fitness advantage to tumor cells. Moderately deleterious passengers, suppressing cancer progression, and mini-drivers, mildly beneficial to tumors, can profoundly alter the cancer evolutionary landscape. This observation prompted us to develop a stochastic evolutionary model intended to probe the interplay of drivers, mini-drivers and deleterious passengers in tumor growth over a broad range of fitness values and mutation rates. Below a (small) threshold number of drivers tumor growth exhibits a plateau (dormancy) with large burst occurring when a driver achieves fixation, reminiscent of intermittency in dissipative dynamical systems. The predictions of the model, in particular the relationship between the average number of passenger mutations versus drivers in a tumor, is in accord with clinical data on several cancers. When deleterious drivers are included, we predict a non-monotonic growth of tumors as the mutation rate is varied with shrinkage and even reversal occurring at very large mutation rates. This surprising finding explains the paradoxical observation that high chromosomal instability (CIN) correlates with improved prognosis in a number of cancers compared with intermediate CIN.

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Interaction between DNMT3B and MYH11 via hypermethylation regulates gastric cancer progression

BMC Cancer ◽

10.1186/s12885-021-08653-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jianhua Wang ◽

Ping Xu ◽

Yanping Hao ◽

Tingting Yu ◽

Limin Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Bioinformatics Analysis ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Malignant Phenotype ◽

Specific Pcr ◽

Repressive Effect ◽

The Relationship ◽

Gastric Cancer Progression

Abstract Background Gastric cancer (GC) has an unwelcoming prognosis when diagnosed at an advanced stage. The purpose of this study was to examine the expression of myosin heavy chain 11 (MYH11) in GC and mechanisms related. Methods The MYH11 expression in GC was investigated via the SangerBox platform. MYH11 expression in GC tissues and cell lines was examined by immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, and western blot. The relationship between MYH11 expression and patients’ prognosis was analyzed. The effects of MYH11 on the biological behaviors of GC cells were investigated by gain-of-function experiments. Bioinformatics analysis was used to find genes with relevance to MYH11 expression in GC. The relationship was verified by luciferase and ChIP-qPCR assays, followed by rescue assay validation. The causes of MYH11 downregulation in GC were verified by quantitative methylation-specific PCR. Finally, the effect of MYH11 on tumor growth was examined. Results MYH11 was downregulated in GC and predicted poor prognoses. MYH11 reverted the malignant phenotype of GC cells. MYH11 repressed the TNFRSF14 expression by binding to the TNFRSF14 promoter. TNFRSF14 reversed the inhibitory effect of MYH11 on the malignant phenotype of GC cells. The methylation of the MYH11 promoter was elevated in GC, which was correlated with the elevated DNMT3B in GC. Overexpression of DNMT3B repressed transcription of MYH11 by promoting its methylation. Also, MYH11 upregulation inhibited tumor growth. Conclusion DNMT3B inhibits MYH11 expression by promoting its DNA methylation, thereby attenuating the repressive effect of MYH11 on the transcriptional of TNFRSF14 and promoting the progression of GC.

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A tug-of-war between driver and passenger mutations in cancer and other adaptive processes

10.1101/003053 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christopher Dennis McFarland ◽

Leonid A Mirny ◽

Kirill S Korolev

Keyword(s):

Mutation Rate ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Evolutionary Dynamics ◽

Cancer Genomics ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Driver Mutations ◽

Fitness Advantage ◽

Adaptive Processes ◽

Passenger Mutations ◽

Stochastic Population Model

Cancer progression is an example of a rapid adaptive process where evolving new traits is essential for survival and requires a high mutation rate. Precancerous cells acquire a few key mutations that drive rapid population growth and carcinogenesis. Cancer genomics demonstrates that these few driver mutations occur alongside thousands of random passenger mutationsa natural consequence of cancer's elevated mutation rate. Some passengers can be deleterious to cancer cells, yet have been largely ignored in cancer research. In population genetics, however, the accumulation of mildly deleterious mutations has been shown to cause population meltdown. Here we develop a stochastic population model where beneficial drivers engage in a tug-of-war with frequent mildly deleterious passengers. These passengers present a barrier to cancer progression that is described by a critical population size, below which most lesions fail to progress, and a critical mutation rate, above which cancers meltdown. We find support for the model in cancer age-incidence and cancer genomics data that also allow us to estimate the fitness advantage of drivers and fitness costs of passengers. We identify two regimes of adaptive evolutionary dynamics and use these regimes to rationalize successes and failures of different treatment strategies. We find that a tumors load of deleterious passengers can explain previously paradoxical treatment outcomes and suggest that it could potentially serve as a biomarker of response to mutagenic therapies. The collective deleterious effect of passengers is currently an unexploited therapeutic target. We discuss how their effects might be exacerbated by both current and future therapies.

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MIB1 Upregulates IQGAP1 and Promotes Pancreatic Cancer Progression by inducing ST7 Degradation

10.21203/rs.3.rs-76668/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tao Liu ◽

Bin Zhang ◽

xin jin ◽

Xiang Cheng

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Western Blotting ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Pancreatic Tumors ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

The Relationship

Abstract BackgroundPancreatic cancer is a highly heterogeneous and has a poor prognosis. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying pancreatic cancer progression is essential for improving patient survival. Although the E3 ubiquitin ligase mind bomb 1 (MIB1) is involved in cancer cell proliferation and is often overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, the role of MIB1 in pancreatic cancer progression remains unclear.Methods The relationship of MIB1 with the clinicopathological features of pancreatic tumors was bioinformatically investigated in different datasets. The protein levels of MIB1 and ST7 were assessed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The role of MIB1 and ST7 in pancreatic cancer growth was assessed by MTS assays, colony formation assays, and experiments in mouse xenograft models. The interaction between MIB1 and ST7 was investigated by co-immunoprecipitation. The relationship between MIB1, ST7, and IQGAP1 levels was explored by Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR.ResultsMIB1 expression was elevated in pancreatic cancer tissues, and its expression levels were associated with unfavorable prognosis. MIB1 overexpression enhanced pancreatic cancer proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo. We identified ST7 as a novel MIB1 target for proteasomal degradation. Further, we found that ST7 suppressed tumor growth by downregulating IQGAP1 in pancreatic cancer cells.ConclusionsThese data suggest that MIB1 promotes pancreatic cancer progression by inducing ST7 degradation. ST7 suppresses tumor growth by downregulating IQGAP1 in pancreatic cancer cells. Therefore, the MIB1/ST7/IQGAP1 axis is essential for pancreatic cancer progression, and MIB1 inhibition may improve the survival of pancreatic cancer patients.

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RNF141 interacts with KRAS to promote colorectal cancer progression

Oncogene ◽

10.1038/s41388-021-01877-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiuna Zhang ◽

Xiaoyu Jiang ◽

Jie Yin ◽

Shiying Dou ◽

Xiaoli Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Plasma Membrane ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Critical Role ◽

Ring Finger ◽

Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽

Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation

AbstractRING finger proteins (RNFs) play a critical role in cancer initiation and progression. RNF141 is a member of RNFs family; however, its clinical significance, roles, and mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain poorly understood. Here, we examined the expression of RNF141 in 64 pairs of CRC and adjacent normal tissues by real-time PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis. We found that there was more expression of RNF141 in CRC tissue compared with its adjacent normal tissue and high RNF141 expression associated with T stage. In vivo and in vitro functional experiments were conducted and revealed the oncogenic role of RNF141 in CRC. RNF141 knockdown suppressed proliferation, arrested the cell cycle in the G1 phase, inhibited migration, invasion and HUVEC tube formation but promoted apoptosis, whereas RNF141 overexpression exerted the opposite effects in CRC cells. The subcutaneous xenograft models showed that RNF141 knockdown reduced tumor growth, but its overexpression promoted tumor growth. Mechanistically, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry indicated RNF141 interacted with KRAS, which was confirmed by Co-immunoprecipitation, Immunofluorescence assay. Further analysis with bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) and Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays showed that RNF141 could directly bind to KRAS. Importantly, the upregulation of RNF141 increased GTP-bound KRAS, but its knockdown resulted in a reduction accordingly. Next, we demonstrated that RNF141 induced KRAS activation via increasing its enrichment on the plasma membrane not altering total KRAS expression, which was facilitated by the interaction with LYPLA1. Moreover, KRAS silencing partially abolished the effect of RNF141 on cell proliferation and apoptosis. In addition, our findings presented that RNF141 functioned as an oncogene by upregulating KRAS activity in a manner of promoting KRAS enrichment on the plasma membrane in CRC.

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POU2F2 promotes the proliferation and motility of lung cancer cells by activating AGO1

BMC Pulmonary Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12890-021-01476-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ronggang Luo ◽

Yi Zhuo ◽

Quan Du ◽

Rendong Xiao

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Human Lung ◽

Lung Cancer Cells ◽

Human Lung Cancer ◽

Cancer Tissues

Abstract Background To detect and investigate the expression of POU domain class 2 transcription factor 2 (POU2F2) in human lung cancer tissues, its role in lung cancer progression, and the potential mechanisms. Methods Immunohistochemical (IHC) assays were conducted to assess the expression of POU2F2 in human lung cancer tissues. Immunoblot assays were performed to assess the expression levels of POU2F2 in human lung cancer tissues and cell lines. CCK-8, colony formation, and transwell-migration/invasion assays were conducted to detect the effects of POU2F2 and AGO1 on the proliferaion and motility of A549 and H1299 cells in vitro. CHIP and luciferase assays were performed for the mechanism study. A tumor xenotransplantation model was used to detect the effects of POU2F2 on tumor growth in vivo. Results We found POU2F2 was highly expressed in human lung cancer tissues and cell lines, and associated with the lung cancer patients’ prognosis and clinical features. POU2F2 promoted the proliferation, and motility of lung cancer cells via targeting AGO1 in vitro. Additionally, POU2F2 promoted tumor growth of lung cancer cells via AGO1 in vivo. Conclusion We found POU2F2 was highly expressed in lung cancer cells and confirmed the involvement of POU2F2 in lung cancer progression, and thought POU2F2 could act as a potential therapeutic target for lung cancer.

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Microbiota Alterations in Precancerous Colon Lesions: A Systematic Review

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13123061 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 3061

Author(s):

Francesca Aprile ◽

Giovanni Bruno ◽

Rossella Palma ◽

Maria Teresa Mascellino ◽

Cristina Panetta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Progression ◽

Endoscopic Resection ◽

Causative Role ◽

Health It ◽

Microbial Dysbiosis ◽

Pubmed Database ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Preventive Role

Gut microbiota plays an important role in human health. It may promote carcinogenesis and is related to several diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. This study of microbial dysbiosis in the etiology of colorectal adenoma aimed to investigate the possible causative role of microbiota in the adenoma–carcinoma sequence and its possible preventive role. A systematic, PRISMA-guided review was performed. The PubMed database was searched using “adenoma microbiota” and selecting original articles between January 2010 and May 2020 independently screened. A higher prevalence of Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Bacteroidetes phyla was observed in the fecal luminal and mucosa-associated microbiota of patients with adenoma. However, other studies provided evidence of depletion of Clostridium, Faecalibacterium, Bacteroides and Romboutsia. Results on the relationship between adenoma endoscopic resection and microbiota were inconsistent. In conclusion, none of the analyzed studies developed a predictive model that could differentiate adenoma from non-adenoma patients, and therefore, to prevent cancer progression. The impact of adenoma’s endoscopic resection on microbiota was investigated, but the results were inconclusive. Further research in the field is required.

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Tumor Immune Evasion Induced by Dysregulation of Erythroid Progenitor Cells Development

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13040870 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 870

Author(s):

Tomasz M. Grzywa ◽

Magdalena Justyniarska ◽

Dominika Nowis ◽

Jakub Golab

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Progenitor Cells ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Immune Evasion ◽

Transforming Growth Factor ◽

Early Stage ◽

Interleukin 10 ◽

Erythroid Progenitor ◽

Erythroid Progenitor Cells

Cancer cells harness normal cells to facilitate tumor growth and metastasis. Within this complex network of interactions, the establishment and maintenance of immune evasion mechanisms are crucial for cancer progression. The escape from the immune surveillance results from multiple independent mechanisms. Recent studies revealed that besides well-described myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) or regulatory T-cells (Tregs), erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in the regulation of immune response and tumor progression. EPCs are immature erythroid cells that differentiate into oxygen-transporting red blood cells. They expand in the extramedullary sites, including the spleen, as well as infiltrate tumors. EPCs in cancer produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and express programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and potently suppress T-cells. Thus, EPCs regulate antitumor, antiviral, and antimicrobial immunity, leading to immune suppression. Moreover, EPCs promote tumor growth by the secretion of growth factors, including artemin. The expansion of EPCs in cancer is an effect of the dysregulation of erythropoiesis, leading to the differentiation arrest and enrichment of early-stage EPCs. Therefore, anemia treatment, targeting ineffective erythropoiesis, and the promotion of EPC differentiation are promising strategies to reduce cancer-induced immunosuppression and the tumor-promoting effects of EPCs.

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The central role of mitochondria in the relationship between dietary lipids and cancer progression

Seminars in Cancer Biology ◽

10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.01.001 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alfonso Varela-López ◽

Laura Vera-Ramírez ◽

Francesca Giampieri ◽

María D. Navarro-Hortal ◽

Tamara Y. Forbes-Hernández ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cancer Progression ◽

Dietary Lipids ◽

The Relationship

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LncRNA SNHG14 Promotes Progression of Ovarian Cancer by Regulating miR-206 Expression

Tobacco Regulatory Science ◽

10.18001/trs.7.5.1.174 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 3997-4004

Author(s):

Zhibo Zou ◽

Lin Peng

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Flow Cytometry ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Nude Mice ◽

Luciferase Reporter ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

Research Objects

Objective: This study aimed to probe into the effect of LncRNA SNHG14 on ovarian cancer progression by regulating miR-206.Methods: Fifty-seven ovarian cancer (OC) patients who were treated in our hospital from December 2017 to December 2019 were collected as the research objects. During the operation, OC tissues and paracancerous tissues of patients were collected, and the effect of SNHG14 on OC tumor growth in nude mice was detected, and SNHG14 inhibitor was transfected into OC cells. The relative expression of SNHG14 in tissues and cells was detected by qRT-PCR, cell proliferation was testedvia CCK8, migration and invasion were detected through Transwell, apoptosis was assessedvia flow cytometry, and the targeted relationship between SNHG14 and miR-206 was detected by dual luciferase reporter gene.Results: SNHG14 is highly expressed in OC tissues, cells and nude mice. Down-regulating it can inhibit the biological ability of OC cells and inhibit the growth of nude mice tumors. It can directly target miR-206 to regulate CCND1 expression and promote OC progression.Conclusion: LncRNA SNHG14 can act as miR-206 sponge to regulate CCND1 expression downstream of miR-206 and promote OC progression.

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Systemic Platelet-activating Factor Receptor Activation Augments Experimental Lung Tumor Growth and Metastasis

Cancer Growth and Metastasis ◽

10.4137/cgm.s14501 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. CGM.S14501 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Patrick C. Hackler ◽

Sarah Reuss ◽

Raymond L. Konger ◽

Jeffrey B. Travers ◽

Ravi P. Sahu

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Lung Tumor ◽

Platelet Activating Factor ◽

Receptor Activation ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Melanoma Tumor ◽

Tumor Growth And Metastasis ◽

The Impact

Pro-oxidative stressors including cigarette smoke (CS) generate novel lipids with platelet-activated factor-receptor (PAF-R) agonistic activity mediate systemic immunosuppression, one of the most recognized events in promoting carcinogenesis. Our previous studies have established that these oxidized-PAF-R-agonists augment murine B16F10 melanoma tumor growth in a PAF-R-dependent manner because of its effects on host immunity. As CS generates PAF-R agonists, the current studies sought to determine the impact of PAF-R agonists on lung cancer growth and metastasis. Using the murine Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC1) model, we demonstrate that treatment of C57BL/6 mice with a PAF-R agonist augments tumor growth and lung metastasis in a PAF-R-dependent manner as these findings were not seen in PAF-R-deficient mice. Importantly, this effect was because of host rather than tumor cells PAF-R dependent as LLC1 cells do not express functional PAF-R. These findings indicate that experimental lung cancer progression can be modulated by the PAF system.

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