Downregulation of ACE2 is associated with advanced pathological features and poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianjiao Wang ◽  
Fang Xie ◽  
Yun-Hui Li ◽  
Bin Liang

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the alteration in ACE2 expression and correlation between ACE2 expression and immune infiltration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods: The authors first analyzed the expression profiles and prognostic value of ACE2 in ccRCC patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas public database. The authors used ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms to analyze the correlation between ACE2 expression and tumor microenvironment in ccRCC samples. Results: ACE2 was correlated with sex, distant metastasis, clinical stage, tumor T stage and histological grade. Moreover, downregulation of ACE2 was correlated with unfavorable prognosis. In addition, ACE2 expression was associated with different immune cell subtypes. Conclusion: The authors' analyses suggest that ACE2 plays an important role in the development and progression of ccRCC and may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in ccRCC patients.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang Yang ◽  
Xiao-fan Lu ◽  
Peng-cheng Luo ◽  
Jie Zhang

Background. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), usually is representative of metastatic heterogeneous neoplasm that links with poor prognosis, but the pathogenesis of ccRCC remains unclear. Currently, numerous evidences prove that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to participate in cellular processes of tumors. Therefore, to investigate the underlying mechanisms of ccRCC, the expression profiles of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. A total of 1526 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), 54 DEmiRNAs, and 2352 DEmRNAs were identified. To determine the connection of them, all DElncRNAs were input to the miRcode database. The results indicated that 85 DElncRNAs could connect with 9 DEmiRNAs in relation to our study. Then, databases of TargetScan and miRDB were used to search for targeted genes with reference to DEmiRNAs. The results showed that 203 out of 2352 targeted genes were identified in our TCGA set. Subsequently, ceRNA network was constructed according to Cytoscape and the targeted genes were functionally analyzed to elucidate the mechanisms of DEmRNAs. The results of survival analysis and regression analysis indicated that 6 DElncRNAs named COL18A1-AS1, WT1-AS, LINC00443, TCL6, AL356356.1, and SLC25A5-AS1 were significantly correlative with the clinical traits of ccRCC patients and could be served as predictors for ccRCC. Finally, these findings were validated by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Based on these discoveries, we believe that this identified ceRNA network will provide a novel perspective to elucidate ccRCC pathogenesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Ju ◽  
Yangyang Sun ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Xiaohui Wei ◽  
Zhenguo Wang ◽  
...  

With the rapid development of biotechnology, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have exhibited good application prospects in the treatment of cancer, and they may become new treatment targets for cancer. This study aimed to explore lncRNAs in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Differentially expressed lncRNAs in 54 pairs of ccRCC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues were analyzed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the most significant lncRNAs were selected and verified in ccRCC tissues. We found that lncRNA LINC02747 was highly expressed in ccRCC (P < 0.001) and was closely related to high TNM stage (P = 0.006) and histological grade (P = 0.004) and poor prognosis of patients (P < 0.001). In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that LINC02747 could promote the proliferation of ccRCC cells. We also found that LINC02747 regulated the proliferation of RCC cells by adsorbing miR-608. Subsequent mechanistic research showed that miR-608 is downregulated in ccRCC (P < 0.001), and overexpression of miR-608 inbibited the proliferation of RCC cells. Moreover, we found that TFE3 is a direct target gene of miR-608. MiR-608 regulated the proliferation of RCC cells by inhibiting TFE3. In conclusion, LINC02747 upregulates the expression of TFE3 by adsorbing miR-608, ultimately promoting the proliferation of ccRCC cells. The above findings indicate that LINC02747 acts as an oncogene in ccRCC and may be developed as a molecular marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of ccRCC. The LINC02747/miR-608/TFE3 pathway may become a new therapeutic target for ccRCC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Zhanxin Liu ◽  
Zichun Wang ◽  
Xiaoxiong Wang ◽  
Meisong Lu ◽  
Guang Chen

Several studies have indicated that HOXA transcript at the distal tip (HOTTIP) play important roles in the tumorigenesis and development of various cancers. We aim to investigate the expression and prognostic value of HOTTIP in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). A systematic review of PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science databases was performed to select eligible literatures relevant to the correlation between HOTTIP expression and clinical outcome of different cancers. The association between the HOTTIP level and overall survival (OS), lymph node metastasis (LNM), or clinical stage was subsequently analyzed. Survival analyses were performed in a large cohort of more than 500 patients with ccRCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) using bioinformatic methods. Seventeen studies with a total of 1594 patients with thirteen kinds of carcinomas were included in this analysis. The result showed that high HOTTIP expression could predict worse outcome in cancer patients, with the pooled hazard ratio (HR) of 2.34 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.96–2.79, p<0.0001). The result also showed that elevated HOTTIP expression was correlated with more LNM (OR=2.61, 95% CI 1.91-3.58, p<0.0001) and advanced clinical stage (OR=3.57, 95% CI 2.58-4.93, p<0.0001). We further validated that ccRCC patients with higher HOTTIP expression tend to have unsatisfactory outcomes both in the entire TCGA dataset and different clinical stratums, like age, grade, and stage. The tumor of those patients was associated with a larger size, easier to metastasis, advanced clinical stage, and a higher pathological grade. These findings suggested that increased HOTTIP expression might act as a novel prognostic marker for ccRCC patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Meng ◽  
Tianjun Lan ◽  
Duanqing Tian ◽  
Zeman Qin ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
...  

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) accounts for 75%–85% of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and has a poor 5-year survival rate. In recent years, medical advancement has promoted the understanding of the histopathological and molecular characterization of ccRCC; however, the carcinogenesis and molecular mechanisms of ccRCC remain unclear. Chromatin accessibility is an essential determinant of cellular phenotype. This study aimed to explore the potential role of chromatin accessibility in the development and progression of ccRCC. By the combination of open-access genome-wide chromatin accessibility profiles and gene expression profiles in ccRCC, we obtained a total of 13,474 crucial peaks, corresponding to 5,120 crucial genes and 9,185 differentially expressed genes. Moreover, two potential function modules (P2 and G4) that contained 129 upregulated genes were identified via the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Furthermore, we obtained five independent predictors (FSCN1, SLC17A9, ANKRD13B, ADCY2, and MAPT), and a prognostic model was established based on these genes through the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-proportional hazards model (LASSO-Cox) analysis. This model can stratify the ccRCC samples into a high-risk and a low-risk group, from which the patients have distinct prognosis. Further analysis demonstrated a completely different immune cell infiltration pattern between these two risk groups. This study also suggested that mast cell resting is associated with the prognosis of ccRCC and could be a target of immunotherapy. Overall, this study indicated that chromatin accessibility plays an essential role in ccRCC. The five prognostic chromatin accessibility biomarkers and the prognostic immune cells can provide a new direction for the treatment of ccRCC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Zhao ◽  
Jia Xue ◽  
Baoan Hong ◽  
Wubin Qian ◽  
Tiezhu Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Large-scale initiatives like The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) performed genomics studies on predominantly Caucasian kidney cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate genomics of Chinese clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods We performed whole-transcriptomic sequencing on 55 tumor tissues and 11 matched normal tissues from Chinese ccRCC patients. We systematically analyzed the data from our cohort and comprehensively compared with the TCGA ccRCC cohort. Results It found that PBRM1 mutates with a frequency of 11% in our cohort, much lower than that in TCGA Caucasians (33%). Besides, 31 gene fusions including 5 recurrent ones, that associated with apoptosis, tumor suppression and metastasis were identified. We classified our cohort into three classes by gene expression. Class 1 shows significantly elevated gene expression in the VEGF pathway, while Class 3 has comparably suppressed expression of this pathway. Class 2 is characterized by increased expression of extracellular matrix organization genes and is associated with high-grade tumors. Applying the classification to TCGA ccRCC patients revealed better distinction of tumor prognosis than reported classifications. Class 2 shows worst survival and Class 3 is a rare subtype ccRCC in the TCGA cohort. Furthermore, computational analysis on the immune microenvironment of ccRCC identified immune-active and tolerant tumors with significant increased macrophages and depleted CD4 positive T-cells, thus some patients may benefit from immunotherapies. Conclusion In summary, results presented in this study shed light into distinct genomic expression profiles in Chinese population, modified the stratification patterns by new molecular classification, and gave practical guidelines on clinical treatment of ccRCC patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Ju ◽  
Yangyang Sun ◽  
Feng Zhang ◽  
Xiaohui Wei ◽  
Zhenguo Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: With the rapid development of biotechnology, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have exhibited good application prospects in the treatment of cancer, and they may become new treatment targets for cancer. This study aimed to explore lncRNAs in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods: Differentially expressed lncRNAs in 54 pairs of ccRCC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues were analyzed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the most significant lncRNAs were selected and verified in ccRCC tissues. Results: It was found that lncRNA LINC02747 was highly expressed in ccRCC, which was closely related to high TNM stage and histological grade and poor prognosis of patients. The in vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that LINC02747 could promote the proliferation of ccRCC cells. We also found that LINC02747 regulated the proliferation of RCC cells by adsorbing miR-608. Subsequent mechanistic research showed that miR-608 is downregulated in ccRCC, and overexpression of miR-608 can inhibit the proliferation of RCC cells. Moreover, it was found that TFE3 is a direct target gene of miR-608. MiR-608 regulated the proliferation ability of RCC cells by inhibiting TFE3. In conclusion, LINC02747 upregulates the expression of TFE3 by adsorbing miR-608, ultimately promoting the proliferation ability of ccRCC cells. Conclusions: LINC02747 acts as an oncogene in ccRCC and may be developed as a molecular marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of ccRCC. The LINC02747/miR-608/TFE3 pathway may become a new therapeutic target for ccRCC.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1193
Author(s):  
Simone O. Heyliger ◽  
Karam F. A. Soliman ◽  
Marilyn D. Saulsbury ◽  
Romonia Renee Reams

Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common and aggressive form of all urological cancers, with poor prognosis and high mortality. At late stages, ccRCC is known to be mainly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Therefore, it is urgent and necessary to identify biomarkers that can facilitate the early detection of ccRCC in patients. In this study, the levels of transcripts of ccRCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset were used to identify prognostic biomarkers in this disease. Analyzing the data obtained indicated that the KRAB-ZNF protein is significantly suppressed in clear-cell carcinomas. Furthermore, ZNF433 is differentially expressed in ccRCC in a stage- and histological-grade-specific manner. In addition, ZNF433 expression was correlated with metastasis, with greater node involvement associated with lower ZNF433 expression (p < 0.01) and with a more unsatisfactory overall survival outcome (HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.33–0.6; p = 8.5 × 10−8). Since ccRCC is characterized by mutations in proteins that alter epigenetic modifications and /or chromatin remodeling, we examined the expression of ZNF433 transcripts in ccRCC with wildtype and mutated forms of BAP1, KDMC5, MTOR, PBRM1, SETD2, and VHL. Analysis revealed that ZNF433 expression was significantly reduced in ccRCC with mutations in the BAP1, SETD2, and KDM5C genes (p < 0.05). In addition, the ZNF433 promoter region was highly methylated, and hypermethylation was significantly associated with mRNA suppression (p < 2.2 × 10−16). In silico analysis of potential ZNF target genes found that the largest group of target genes are involved in cellular metabolic processes, which incidentally are particularly impaired in ccRCC. It was concluded from this study that gene expression of ZNF433 is associated with cancer progression and poorer prognosis, and that ZNF433 behaves in a manner that suggests that it is a prognostic marker and a possible tumor-suppressor gene in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.


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