Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma Samples Research Articles

Concentration of Secreted Frizzled-Related Proteins (SFRPs) in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Subtypes-A Preliminary Study.

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common lung cancer worldwide. Secreted frizzled-related proteins (SFRPs) are important tumour suppressors and antagonists of the Wnt signalling pathway, which is linked with cancer development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of SFRP1, SFRP2, and SFRP5 proteins in tumour and non-tumour (NT) samples obtained from 65 patients with primary NSCLC. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the concentrations of SFRPs in the tissue homogenates. A significantly lower SFRP2 protein concentration was found in the total NSCLC tumour samples and the following NSCLC subtypes: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) (p > 0.05, p = 0.028 and p = 0.001, respectively). AC tumour samples had a higher SFRP1 level than NT samples (p = 0.022), while the highest SFRP1 concentration was found in NSCLC samples from patients with clinical stage T4 cancer. Increased concentrations of SFRP1 and SFRP5 were present in stage III NSCLC samples, while the tumour samples with high pleural invasion (PL2) had an increased level of SFRP2. The results from this study suggest that the tumour suppressor or oncogenic roles of SFRPs could be connected with the NSCLC subtype. The levels of SFRPs varied according to the clinicopathological parameters of NSCLC.

Assessment of Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1 Expression in Non-small Cell Lung Carcinomas by Immunohistochemistry

Background: Non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) expressing programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), a transmembrane protein, are more likely to respond to immunotherapy drugs. All advanced NSCLC samples should be examined with PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC). PD-L1 is now the only approved predictive biomarker of immunotherapy response in NSCLC patients. This study evaluates the expression of PD-L1 in NSCLC by IHC and assesses the morphological and clinical correlation of PD-L1 expression. Materials and Methods: All patients with histologically proven NSCLC with needle core biopsies and resected specimens were analyzed in the department of pathology. The correlation of PD-L1 expression with morphological and clinical parameters was analyzed. Results: On evaluating PD-L1 expression in 97 cases of NSCLC, 61.85% ( n = 60) had positive PD-L1 staining. Among patients with a positive tumor proportion score, 22 had a history of smoking, 51 were ≥50 years old, 43 were male patients, 24 were in Stage IV, 44 had a history of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, 47 had adenocarcinoma, and 33 had Grade II tumors. The association of PD-L1 expression with various clinicopathological parameters such as gender, smoking status, histological type, histological grade, clinical tumor stage, previous treatment history, site and type of biopsy, necrosis, and peritumoral lymphoid response was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Our study indicated that PD-L1 expression was not associated with various clinicopathological variables in NSCLC. More research is needed to look into the probable factors that influence the PD-L1-positive distribution. Since expression of the PD-L1 protein is proven to be of therapeutic and prognostic significance, we recommend that testing for PD-L1 should be done at least in cases of advanced-stage NSCLC.

Targeting the SREBP-1/Hsa-Mir-497/SCAP/FASN Oncometabolic Axis Inhibits the Cancer Stem-like and Chemoresistant Phenotype of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Cells.

Background: Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death, with an annual global mortality rate of 18.4%. Despite advances in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, non–small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) continues to be characterized by a poor prognosis. This may be associated with the enrichment of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the development of chemoresistance—a double-edged challenge that continues to impede the improvement of long-term outcomes. Metabolic reprogramming is a new hallmark of cancer. Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) play crucial regulatory roles in the synthesis and uptake of cholesterol, fatty acids, and phospholipids. Recent evidence has demonstrated that SREBP-1 is upregulated in several cancer types. However, its role in lung cancer remains unclear. Objective: This study investigated the role of SREBP-1 in NSCLC biology, progression, and therapeutic response and explored the therapeutic exploitability of SREBP-1 and SREBP-1-dependent oncometabolic signaling and miRNA epigenetic regulation. Methods: We analyzed SREBP-1 levels and biological functions in clinical samples and the human NSCLC cell lines H441 and A549 through shRNA-based knock down of SREBP function, cisplatin-resistant clone generation, immunohistochemical staining of clinical samples, and cell viability, sphere-formation, Western blot, and quantitative PCR assays. We conducted in-silico analysis of miRNA expression in NSCLC samples by using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE102286) database. Results: We demonstrated that SREBP-1 and SCAP are highly expressed in NSCLC and are positively correlated with the aggressive phenotypes of NSCLC cells. In addition, downregulation of the expression of tumor-suppressing hsa-miR-497-5p, which predictively targets SREBP-1, was observed. We also demonstrated that SREBP-1/SCAP/FASN lipogenic signaling plays a key role in CSCs-like and chemoresistant NSCLC phenotypes, especially because the fatostatin or shRNA targeting of SREBP-1 significantly suppressed the viability, cisplatin resistance, and cancer stemness of NSCLC cells and because treatment induced the expression of hsa-miR-497. Conclusion: Targeting the SREBP-1/hsa-miR-497 signaling axis is a potentially effective anticancer therapeutic strategy for NSCLC.

Hippocalcin-like 1 is a key regulator of LDHA activation that promotes the growth of non-small cell lung carcinoma.

Hippocalcin-like 1 (HPCAL1), a neuronal calcium sensor protein family member, has been reported toregulate cancer growth. As yet, however, the biological functions of HPCAL1 and its molecular mechanisms have not been investigated in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). HPCAL1 expression in NSCLC samples was detected using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and RT-PCR. The anticancer effects of HPCAL1 knockdown were determined by MTT, soft agar, cell cycle, oxygen consumption and reactive oxygen species assays. The effect of HPCAL1 knockdown on in vivo tumor growth was assessed using NSCLC cancer patient-derived xenograft models. Potentially interacting protein partners of HPCAL1 were identified using IP-MS/MS, immunoprecipitation and Western blottingassays. Metabolic alterations resulting from HPCAL1 knockdown were investigated using non-targeted metabolomics and RNA sequencing analyses. We found thatHPCAL1 is highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and is positively correlated with low survival rates and AJCC clinical staging in lung cancer patients. Knockdown of HPCAL1 strongly increased oxygen consumption rates andthe production of reactive oxygen species. HPCAL1 knockdown also inhibited NSCLC cell growth and patient-derived NSCLC tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that HPCAL1 can directly bindto LDHA and enhance SRC-mediated phosphorylation of LDHA at tyrosine 10. The metabolomics and RNA sequencing analyses indicated thatHPCAL1 knockdown reduces amino acid levels and induces fatty acid synthesis through regulating the expression of metabolism-related genes. Additionally, rescued cells expressing wild-type or mutant LDHA in HPCAL1 knockdown cells suggest that LDHAmay serve as the main substrate of HPCAL1. Our data indicate that the effect of HPCAL1 knockdown on reducing SRC-mediated LDHA activity attenuates NSCLC growth. Our findings reveal novel biological functions and a mechanismunderlying the role of HPCAL1 in NSCLC growth in vitro and in vivo.

Untargeted Lipidomics of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Demonstrates Differentially Abundant Lipid Classes in Cancer vs. Non-Cancer Tissue.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) represents 85% of newly diagnosed lung cancers. In this study, we utilized our untargeted assignment tool Small Molecule Isotope Resolved Formula Enumerator (SMIRFE) and ultra-high-resolution Fourier transform mass spectrometry to examine lipid profile differences between paired cancerous and non-cancerous lung tissue samples from 86 patients with suspected stage I or IIA primary NSCLC. Correlation and co-occurrence analysis revealed significant lipid profile differences between cancer and non-cancer samples. Further analysis of machine-learned lipid categories for the differentially abundant molecular formulas identified a high abundance sterol, high abundance and high m/z sphingolipid, and low abundance glycerophospholipid metabolic phenotype across the NSCLC samples. At the class level, higher abundances of sterol esters and lower abundances of cardiolipins were observed suggesting altered stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) or acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase (ACAT1) activity and altered human cardiolipin synthase 1 or lysocardiolipin acyltransferase activity respectively, the latter of which is known to confer apoptotic resistance. The presence of a shared metabolic phenotype across a variety of genetically distinct NSCLC subtypes suggests that this phenotype is necessary for NSCLC development and may result from multiple distinct genetic lesions. Thus, targeting the shared affected pathways may be beneficial for a variety of genetically distinct NSCLC subtypes.

Abstract 1841: IMGC936, an investigational ADAM9-targeting antibody drug conjugate, is active against patient-derived ADAM9-expressing xenograft models

Abstract Background: A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) 9 is a member of the ADAM family of transmembrane proteins. ADAM9 overexpression correlates with tumor progression, metastasis and poor prognosis in multiple cancers. IMGC936, an ADAM9-targeting antibody drug conjugate (ADC), is comprised of a high-affinity humanized monoclonal antibody site-specifically coupled to DM21 at a drug-antibody ratio of 2.0. DM21 is a next-generation linker-payload that combines a maytansinoid microtubule-disrupting payload with a stable tripeptide linker. IMGC936 is in a phase 1 dose escalation study evaluating safety and pharmacokinetics in cancer patients. The goals of this study were: 1) to explore ADAM9 expression in various solid tumors, and 2) to evaluate the activity of IMGC936 in clinically relevant patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models with ADAM9 expression similar to that observed in human tumors. Methods: ADAM9 expression was evaluated on primary patient and PDX formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples with the anti-ADAM9 antibody D64B5 (Cell Signaling Technology). Expression of ADAM9 was quantitated by H-score to capture the frequency and intensity of staining. Mice bearing PDX tumors were dosed once at 8.6 mg/kg of IMGC936, which delivered 100 µg/kg of DM payload. Anti-tumor activity was defined by NCI standards: median tumor volume of treated mice over control mice (%) > 42% (inactive), ≤ 42% (active), and <10% (highly active). Results and Conclusions: ADAM9 was highly expressed in multiple tumor types. A majority of the tumor samples had medium to high levels of ADAM9 with 62% of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), 65% of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), 73% of gastric cancer, and 85% of pancreatic cancer samples having H- scores of 101 to 300. The remaining tumor samples had lower levels of ADAM9 expression (H-score 1 to 100) with only 1.2% of NSCLC samples being ADAM9-negative. Activity of IMGC936 was analyzed in PDX models derived from NSCLC, TNBC, pancreatic and gastric cancers. The range of ADAM9 expression was 27 to 226 by H-score, with 80% of the samples having H-scores above 101. A single dose of IMGC936 at 8.6 mg/kg was well tolerated. Across the tumor types tested, IMGC936 was active or highly active in 24 out of 35 models (69%) with complete regressions in 6 models (4 NSCLC, 2 TNBC). The 24 IMGC936 sensitive models had H-scores between 65 and 224. The 11 non-sensitive models had H-scores between 27 and 226. The data suggest that factors independent of ADAM9 expression contribute to model sensitivity toward IMGC936 and warrant further biomarker exploration. These studies demonstrate that ADAM9 is highly expressed in a large number of solid tumor indications and show that IMGC936 has activity against multiple solid tumor types with a wide range of clinically relevant ADAM9 levels. These data support the clinical evaluation of IMGC936 (NCT04622774). Citation Format: Olga Ab, Juniper A. Scribner, Kerstin Sinkevicius, Deryk Loo, Stuart W. Hicks, Krystal Watkins, Francine Z. Chen, Christopher Espelin, Marian Themeles, Ying Li, Chet Bohac, Patrick Zweidler McKay, Paul A. Moore, Callum M. Sloss, Ezio Bonvini, Eric H. Westin. IMGC936, an investigational ADAM9-targeting antibody drug conjugate, is active against patient-derived ADAM9-expressing xenograft models [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1841.

Use of the Idylla EGFR Mutation Test for Variant Detection in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Samples.

Stratified management of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) through epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) variant analysis has become standard clinical practice. The Idylla system is a fully compliant European in vitro diagnostics device, a fully automated platform designed to rapidly genotype formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples. This retrospective study aims to validate the Idylla EGFR Mutation Test for use with extracted DNA from known NSCLC samples. In this study, 20 µL of archival extracted DNA was placed directly inside the Idylla EGFR assay single-use cartridge. Idylla results were compared with the original Sanger sequencing reference method. The Idylla EGFR Mutation Test yielded valid results for all samples tested, confirming the variants identified by the reference method that lay within the Idylla target range. No false-positive cases were noted with the Idylla assay. Variant genotype reports were obtained within 150 minutes. The Idylla EGFR assay is sensitive for extracted DNA and can be reliably applied to cytologic specimens, enabling its implementation as an ancillary first-line test for patients with NSCLC.

CircRNA_0000429 Regulates Development of NSCLC by Acting as a Sponge of miR-1197 to Control MADD

BackgroundNon-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Circular RNA_0000429 (circ_0000429) is an identified circular RNA (circRNA) that is correlated with cancer progression. However, the role of circ_0000429 in NSCLC remains unknown. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the function of circ_0000429 in NSCLC and the underlying mechanism.MethodsThe expression patterns of circ_0000429 were determined using qRT-PCR in NSCLC samples and cell lines. The subcellular distribution of circ_0000429 in NSCLC cells was analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Cell proliferation was examined utilizing the CCK-8 assay. Cell migration and invasion were evaluated using the transwell assay. We used the bioinformatics software TargetScan and miRanda to predict circRNA–miRNA and miRNA–mRNA interactions.ResultsOur results showed that circ_0000429 expressions were significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of circ_0000429 significantly inhibited the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated that circ_0000429 acted as a sponge to absorb microRNA-1197 (miR-1197) and promoted MADD expression.ConclusionCollectively, our results demonstrated that circ_0000429 exhibited a carcinogenic role by sponging miR-1197 and regulating CMADD expression in NSCLC. These findings provided evidence for understanding the role of circ_0000429 in NSCLC tumorigenesis.

MiR-587 acts as an oncogene in non-small-cell lung carcinoma via reducing CYLD expression.

This study aims to explore the cancer-associated functions of microRNA-587 (miR-587) in the development of non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and the molecular mechanism. Relative expression levels of miR-587 and CYLD in NSCLC samples were detected by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Proliferative and migratory abilities in A549 and H1299 cells with overexpressed miR-587 were examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. The regulatory interaction between miR-587 and CYLD was determined by Dual-Luciferase reporter assay and Pearson correlation test. At last, the co-regulation of miR-587 and CYLD on NSCLC cell functions was assessed by rescue experiments. MiR-587 was upregulated in NSCLC samples and closely linked to tumor staging, whereas CYLD was downregulated and negatively correlated to that of miR-587. Survival analysis suggested that miR-587 was an unfavorable factor to the prognosis of NSCLC. Overexpression of miR-587 stimulated proliferative and migratory abilities in A549 and H1299 cells. CYLD was the downstream gene binding miR-587. Overexpression of CYLD could partially abolish the regulatory effects of overexpressed miR-587 on promoting proliferative and migratory abilities in NSCLC cells. MiR-587 stimulates proliferative and migratory abilities in NSCLC by downregulating CYLD, thus aggravating the progression of NSCLC.

UNC5A, an epigenetically silenced gene, functions as a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer.

UNC5A has been reported to be related with human cancers. However, the function and mechanism in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains unknown. We analyzed two NSCLC cell lines (A549 and H157), one normal human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) and the tissues of NSCLC. We used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blot and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining to examine the expression of UNC5A. Methylation status of the UNC5A promoter was analyzed using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP). We used western blot to analyzed protein levels of PI3K/Akt pathway. We found that the mRNA expression of UNCA5 was significantly downregulated in NSCLC cells and tissues. The promoter of UNC5A was hypermethylated in NSCLC cells compared to normal control cells. The expression of UNC5A could be reversed by demethylation agent in NSCLC cells. The expression of UNC5A was decreased in NSCLC samples and significantly associated with the advanced types of NSCLC. Functionally, knockdown of UNC5A promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion and induced apoptosis in NSCLC, overexpression of UNC5A yielded the opposite result. Moreover, we found that UNC5A negatively regulated PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in NSCLC. UNC5A is a novel epigenetically silenced gene in NSCLC and consequent under-expression of UNC5A may contribute to NSCLC tumorigenesis through regulating PI3K/Akt pathway.

Abstract 5572: IMC-F106C, a novel and potent immunotherapy approach to treat PRAME expressing solid and hematologic tumors

Abstract Background: Bispecific immunotherapies have been validated for the treatment of hematologic tumors but none have yet been approved for solid tumor indications, including high prevalent tumors such as non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Immunocore is developing ImmTAC® molecules, a new class of TCR/anti-CD3 bispecific fusion protein, that target intracellularly derived peptides presented at the tumor cell surface in complex with human leukocyte antigen (HLA). The ImmTAC IMC-F106C is in development for the treatment of advanced cancers that are positive for Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma (PRAME). PRAME is a cancer-testis antigen (CTA) that is highly expressed in normal testis and a range of solid and hematologic malignancies. The aim of this study was to characterise the expression of PRAME in a variety of human malignancies (mRNA and protein) and demonstrate that IMC-F106C can potently redirect T cells to eliminate indication-relevant tumor cells in vitro. Method: FFPE tumor samples were analysed by RT-qPCR and IHC for a number of tumor indications, to determine levels of PRAME mRNA and protein expression in patient samples for each indication. The activity of IMC-F106C was investigated in cellular assays using healthy donor PBMCs as effectors, targeting a variety of indication-relevant tumor cell lines expressing a PRAME-specific peptide complexed with HLA-A*02:01, including NSCLC non-small-cell lung carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, and acute myeloid leukemia cell lines. T cell activation was assessed by cytokine release and T cell-mediated target-cell killing was evaluated by measurement of cell death (xCELLigence). Results: PRAME mRNA and protein expression was highly prevalent in samples of NSCLC, including both the adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma subtypes, SCLC, melanoma, ovarian, endometrial carcinoma samples, and in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Over 60% of samples demonstrated some level of PRAME expression by IHC and RT-qPCR in these 6 cancer indications. In the PRAME positive HLA-A*02:01 positive cell lines, IMC-F106C redirected donor effector cells to release IFNγ and GrB and kill tumor cells in a dose-dependent manner, with activity demonstrated as low as < 1 pM. By contrast, cell lines negative for PRAME or HLA-A*02:01 expression failed to induce responses < 1 nM of IMC-F106C. Conclusion: These data indicate that PRAME is expressed in a number of solid tumors, and is highly prevalent in lung tumours, irrespective of EGFR status, as well as female-oriented cancers. In conjunction, IMC-F106C efficiently redirects T cell activity against tumor cell lines that express PRAME across a range of tumor indications. Taken together, IMC-F106C could prove to be a highly effective immunotherapy option for HLA*02:01 positive patients with PRAME positive tumors. Citation Format: Sylvie Moureau, Alessio Vantellini, Florence Schlosser, Jacob Robinson, Jane Harper, Athiva Shankar, Greg Dobrynin, Gabrielle Le Provost, Amanda Williams, David Berman, Laure Humbert. IMC-F106C, a novel and potent immunotherapy approach to treat PRAME expressing solid and hematologic tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5572.

Upregulation of annexin A1 protein expression in the intratumoral vasculature of human non-small-cell lung carcinoma and rodent tumor models.

Annexin A1 (anxA1) is an immunomodulatory protein that has been proposed as a tumor vascular target for antitumor biologic agents, yet to date the vascular expression of anxA1 in specific tumor indications has not been systematically assessed. Attempts to evaluate vascular anxA1 expression by immunohistochemistry are complicated by a lack of available antibodies that are both specific for anxA1 and bind the N-terminal–truncated form of anxA1 that has previously been identified in tumor vasculature. To study the vascular expression pattern of anxA1 in non–small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), we isolated an antibody capable of binding N-terminal–truncated anxA127-346 and employed it in immunohistochemical studies of human lung specimens. Lung tumor specimens evaluated with this antibody revealed vascular (endothelial) anxA1 expression in five of eight tumor samples studied, but no vascular anxA1 expression was observed in normal lung tissue. Tumor microarray analysis further demonstrated positive vascular staining for anxA1 in 30 of 80 NSCLC samples, and positive staining of neoplastic cells was observed in 54 of 80 samples. No correlation was observed between vascular and parenchymal anxA1 expression. Two rodent tumor models, B16-F10 and Py230, were determined to have upregulated anxA1 expression in the intratumoral vasculature. These data validate anxA1 as a potential vascular anti-tumor target in a subset of human lung tumors and identify rodent models which demonstrate anxA1 expression in tumor vasculature.

The genomic landscape of immune-related genes and its correlations with TMB and PD-L1 expression in Chinese NSCLC.

e21056 Background: Understanding the genomic landscape of immune-related genes (IRGs) of patient with Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma (NSCLC) may provide critical insight and facilitate development of novel strategies for cancer therapy. Methods: Targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on tissue obtained from patients with NSCLC using a 381-gene panel. The IRGs were mainly based on a published article that summarized the genes related to activated T cells, immune cytolytic activity and IFN-γ release. Genomic alterations including single nucleotide variation (SNV), insertions/deletions, copy number variations (CNV) and gene fusions were assessed. Mutational profiles of IRGs and its correlations with Tumor mutation burden (TMB) and PD-L1 expression in NSCLC patients were analyzed from the 3D Medicine database. Results: Genomic data of 2,510 patients with NSCLC were analyzed via tissue detection [median age 62 years, (IQR: 54 - 69 years)]. 4.26% (107 / 2,510) of the patients had at least one characterized altered IRGs. The most frequently mutated IRGs identified for all genomic alternations occurred in PDCD1LG2 (40%), FAS (27%), LCK (23%), CD274 (21%), CD74 (3%), and missense mutations were the mainly mutant types of PDCD1LG2 and LCK, and copy number gains were showed in PDCD1LG2 and CD274. TMB levels in NSCLC patients with IRGs mutations were higher than in wild-type patients (mean TMB: 14.17 mut/MB vs 9.27 mut/MB, P < 0.001). 65.42% (70/107, 9.35% for PD-L1 > = 1% and < 5%, 28.97% for PD-L1 > = 5% and < 50%, 27.10% for PD-L1 > = 50%) of patients harboring PD-L1-positive ( > = 1%), and the proportion of patients with mutations in IRGs does not exceed 10% in each subgroup. Results of Pearson Chi-square test showed that the PD-L1 expression had different between two groups ( Χ2 = 13.3774, P = 0.0038), patients harboring IRGs mutation had a significantly higher level of PD-L1 than those wide-type patients (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Genomic landscape of IRGs significantly correlated with that of PD-L1 expression. Further analyses using more precisely IRGs and different stage NSCLC samples are requisite to support a role for IRGs as an target to immune therapy of cancers.

Immunohistochemical Study Using Monoclonal VE1 Antibody Can Substitute the Molecular Tests for Apprehension of BRAF V600E Mutation in Patients with Non-small-Cell Lung Carcinoma.

In patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), the analysis of BRAF V600E mutation has become more and more applied since the introduction of many mutation-targeted medications. In this regard, the advantage of immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a reliable diagnostic test substitute to other molecular studies has not been approved yet. Objective. To examine the dependability of using immunohistochemical method utilizing monoclonal VE1 antibody in the detection of BRAF V600 E mutation in patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma and compare the results there with that of polymerase chain reaction (SSCP-PCR). Materials and Methods. We retrospectively identified 53 patients of whom their histopathological diagnosis was non-small-cell carcinoma of different types. Evaluation of BRAF V600E mutation was assessed using polymerase chain reaction (SSCP-PCR) and IHC using VE1 antibody. This approach was applied to all cases under the study. Results. Among the 53 NSCLC samples, only 5 (9.3%) cases harbored BRAF V600E mutation, 80% were of adenocarcinoma type, and the rest (20%) was of squamous cell carcinoma. IHC analysis for VE1 was positive in 4 out of 5 (80%) BRAF-mutated tumors and negative in all nonmutated BRAF V600 E NSCLC. Conclusion. Our results revealed that VE1 antibody IHC analysis is a promising technique that can be used to detect BRAF V600-mutated NSCLC with relatively high specificity and sensitivity and might become a potential alternative to the current molecular biological methods that are in use for this purpose.

Circular RNA ZFR accelerates non-small cell lung cancer progression by acting as a miR-101-3p sponge to enhance CUL4B expression

Background Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Circular RNA ZFR (circZFR) is an identified circular RNA (circRNA) that is correlated with cancer progression. However, the role of circZFR in NSCLC remains unknown. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the function of circZFR in NSCLC and the underlying mechanism. Methods The expression patterns of circZFR were determined using qRT-PCR in NSCLC samples and cell lines. The subcellular distribution of circZFR in NSCLC cells was analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Cell proliferation was examined utilizing the CCK-8 assay. Cell migration and invasion were evaluated using the Transwell assay. We used the bioinformatics software TargetScan and miRanda to predict circRNA–miRNA and miRNA–mRNA interactions. Results Our results showed that circZFR expressions were significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of circZFR significantly inhibited the cell proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated that circZFR acted as a sponge to absorb microRNA-101-3p (miR-101-3p) and promoted cullin 4B (CUL4B) expression. Conclusions Collectively, our results demonstrated that circZFR exhibited a carcinogenic role by sponging miR-101-3p and regulating CUL4B expression in NSCLC. These findings provided evidence for understanding the role of circZFR in NSCLC tumourigenesis.

Abstract 4504: MILIP is a pan cancer-associated long noncoding RNA that links MYC to inactivation of p53

Abstract The involvement of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in cancer pathogenesis has been increasingly appreciated. Although the expression and function of ncRNAs is highly tissue type- and context-dependent, we have found that long ncRNA (lncRNA) MILIP (Myc-inducible lncRNA inactivating p53) is commonly upregulated in TCGA cancer samples across 20 cancer types and that its high expression was associated with poor overall survival of patients. The increase in MILIP expression was subsequently corroborated using in situ hybridization (ISH) in a panel of colorectal cancer and a cohort of non-small cell lung carcinoma samples compared with paired normal tissues and its negative relation to patient survival was confirmed. shRNA silencing of MILIP reduced viability and clonogenicity in various types of malignant cells including A549 lung cancer, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer, HCT116 colon cancer, U2OS and Saos-2 osteosarcoma and BE(2)C neuroblastoma cells, and retarded A549 and MCF-7 xenograft growth. The inhibitory effect of MILIP silencing on cell viability was reversed by co-introduction of a shRNA-resistant mutant of MILIP, and moreover, introduction of exogenous MILIP promoted cell proliferation. Thus, MILIP functions as an oncogenic driver in diverse types of cancers. Strikingly, transcriptomics analysis revealed that the p53 pathway was mostly enriched in cells with MILIP silenced. Further mechanistic investigations demonstrated that MILIP was located to both the cytoplasm and nucleus, and that both fractions of MILIP contributed to its oncogenic role, as cytoplasmic MILIP accelerated p53 polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, whereas nuclear MILIP regulated p53 occupancy of its target promoters. Interestingly, we identified a consensus c-Myc binding site at the proximal promoter of the gene encoding MILIP that was transcriptionally activated upon binding to c-Myc. Indeed, MILIP upregulation appeared to be associated with MYC gene amplification. These results suggest that lncRNA MILIP plays a role in relaying oncogenic signaling of MYC to disabling the tumor suppressor p53. Of note, MILIP silencing also reduced viability of p53-null cancer cells and those carrying mutant p53, indicating that MILIP can also promote cancer pathogenesis independently of its effects on p53. Collectively, these findings identify MILIP as a pan-cancer associated oncogenic driver and implicate that MILIP may constitute a target for treatment of diverse types of cancer. Citation Format: Yuchen Feng, Liu Teng, Simonne K. Sherwin, Xiaoying Liu, Jinming Li, Margaret Farrelly, Yongyan Wu, Wei Gao, Zhuanyun Du, Yanfeng Xi, Jin Liang, Ting La, Yuanyuan Zhang, Hessam Tabatabaee, Xu Guang Yan, Hamed Yari, Tao Liu, Rick F. Thorne, Su Tang Guo, Binquan Wang, Xu Dong Zhang, Lei Jin. MILIP is a pan cancer-associated long noncoding RNA that links MYC to inactivation of p53 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4504.

Metabolic enzymes expressed by cancer cells impact the immune infiltrate

ABSTRACTThe expression of two metabolic enzymes, i.e., aldehyde dehydrogenase 7 family, member A1 (ALDH7A1) and lipase C, hepatic type (LIPC) by malignant cells, has been measured by immunohistochemical methods in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) biopsies, and has been attributed negative and positive prognostic value, respectively. Here, we demonstrate that the protein levels of ALDH7A1 and LIPC correlate with the levels of the corresponding mRNAs. Bioinformatic analyses of gene expression data from 4921 cancer patients revealed that the expression of LIPC positively correlates with abundant tumor infiltration by myeloid and lymphoid cells in NSCLC, breast carcinoma, colorectal cancer and melanoma samples. In contrast, high levels of ALDH7A1 were associated with a paucity of immune effectors within the tumor bed. These data reinforce the notion that the metabolism of cancer cells has a major impact on immune and inflammatory processes in the tumor microenvironment, pointing to hitherto unsuspected intersections between oncometabolism and immunometabolism.

Association of Overexpressed MYC Gene with Altered PHACTR3 and E2F4 Genes Contributes to Non-small Cell Lung Carcinoma Pathogenesis.

SummaryBackgroundC-Myc is one of the major cellular oncogenes overexpressed in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Its deregulated expression is necessary but not sufficient for malignant transformation. We evaluated expression of MYC gene in NSCLC patients and its association with alterations in the genes previously identified to be related to NSCLC pathogenesis, PHACTR3 and E2F4.MethodsWe analyzed MYC gene expression by qRT-PCR in 30 NSCLC patients’ samples and paired normal lung tissue. MYC expression was further statistically evaluated in relation to histopathological parameters, PHACTR3 and E2F4 gene alterations and survival. Alterations in aforementioned genes were previously detected and identified based on AP-PCR profiles of paired normal and tumor DNA samples, selection of DNA bands with altered mobility in tumor samples and their characterization by the reamplification, cloning and sequencing.ResultsMYC expression was significantly increased in NSCLC samples and its overexpression significantly associated with squamous cell carcinoma subtype. Most importantly, MYC overexpression significantly coincided with mutations in PHACTR3 and E2F4 genes, in group of all patients and in squamous cell carcinoma subtype. Moreover, patients with jointly overexpressed MYC and altered PHACTR3 or E2F4 showed trend of shorter survival.ConclusionsOverall, MYC is frequently overexpressed in NSCLC and it is associated with mutated PHACTR3 gene, as well as mutated E2F4 gene. These joint gene alterations could be considered as potential molecular markers of NSCLC and its specific subtypes.

Integrated analysis of the prognostic value of TP53 dependent etoposide-induced gene 24 in non-small cell lung cancer

BackgroundEtoposide-induced gene 24 (EI24) is an induction target of TP53-mediated apoptosis in human cancer cells. The hypothesis of this study is that EI24 might be a prognostic biomarker of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Material and methodsFourteen gene expression NSCLC datasets with follow-up information (a total of 2582 accessible cases) were collected from Asia, Europe and North America. The Kaplan-Meier and Cox analyses were applied to evaluate the relation between EI24 and the outcomes of NSCLC. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore EI24 and cancer-related gene signatures. ResultsEI24 was significantly upregulated in mutated TP53 NSCLC samples and significantly downregulated with the increase in the TP53 expression level in NSCLC. GSEA results suggested that EI24 significantly enriched metastasis and poor prognosis gene signatures. Meanwhile, EI24 was significantly upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma compared with normal lungs (p < 0.01). It was also highly expressed in the later TNM stages and the ALK fusion+, higher MYC gene copy and EGFR wild type subgroups (p < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that the expression of EI24 was significantly associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival in a dose-dependent manner in GSE31210 dataset. The C-index of Cox model with EI24 is 0.70, that is better than that with MYC (0.51), KRAS (0.51) and EGFR (0.59), which indicates better prognostic performance of EI24. The prognostic significance of EI24 for overall survival of NSCLC was validated by pooled and meta-analysis on 14 datasets. The stratification analysis revealed that EI24 prognosticated poor overall survival (HR = 3.37, 95% CI = 1.39–9.62, p < 0.05) in the TP53 wild type subgroup, but not in the mutated TP53 NSCLC subgroup. Moreover, YY1 might transcriptionally regulate EI24 in a positive manner. ConclusionEI24 is a potential prognostic biomarker and impacts poor outcome in NSCLC. The prognostic significance of EI24 might rely on TP53 status.

PGAM5 expression and macrophage signatures in non-small cell lung cancer associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

BackgroundCOPD patients are at increased risk of developing non-small cell lung carcinoma that has a worse prognosis. Oxidative stress contributes to carcinogenesis and is increased in COPD patients due to mitochondrial dysfunction. We determined whether mitochondrial dysfunction is a contributing factor to the reduced survival of COPD patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC).MethodsUsing a transcriptomic database and outcome data of 3553 NSCLC samples, we selected mitochondrial-related genes whose levels in the tumour correlated with patient mortality. We further selected those genes showing a ≥ 2 fold expression in cancer compared to normal tissue. Cell-type specific expression of these proteins in lung tissue from NSCLC patients who were non-smokers or smokers with or without COPD (healthy smokers) was determined by immunohistochemistry. Gene set variation analysis was used in additional NSCLC datasets to determine the relative expression of specific macrophage transcriptomic signatures within lung cancer tissue.ResultsThe expression of 14 mitochondrial-related genes was correlated with patient mortality and these were differentially expressed between cancer and normal lung tissue. We studied further the expression of one of these genes, PGAM5 which is a regulator of mitochondrial degradation by mitophagy. In background lung tissue, PGAM5 was only expressed in alveolar macrophages, with the highest expression in smokers with COPD compared to healthy smokers and non-smokers. In cancerous tissue, only the malignant epithelial cells and associated macrophages at the periphery of the cancer expressed PGAM5. Pre-neoplastic epithelium also showed the expression of PGAM5. There was no difference in expression in cancer tissue between COPD, healthy smoker and non-smoker groups. Macrophages at the edge of the cancer from COPD patients showed a trend towards higher expression of PGAM5 compared to those from the other groups. There was a significant correlation between PGAM5 expression in cancer tissue and the level of expression of 9 out of 49 previously-defined macrophage transcriptomic signatures with a particular one associated with patient mortality (p < 0.05).ConclusionPGAM5 is expressed in pre-neoplastic tissue and NSCLC, but not in normal epithelium. The association between PGAM5 expression and patient mortality may be mediated through the induction of specific macrophage phenotypes.