ObjectiveTo analyze the correlation between the molecular biological information of SMARCA4-deficient non-small cell lung cancer (SMARCA4-dNSCLC) and its clinical prognosis, and to explore the spatial features and molecular mechanisms of interactions between cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of SMARCA4-dNSCLC. MethodsUsing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), this study conducted functional enrichment analysis on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SMARCA4-dNSCLC and depicted its genomic variation landscape. Through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and a combination of 10 different machine learning algorithms, patients in the training group were divided into a low-risk group and a high-risk group based on a median risk score (RiskScore). A corresponding prognostic prediction model was established, and on this basis, a nomogram was constructed to predict the 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates of patients. K-M survival curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and time-dependent ROC curves were drawn to evaluate the predictive ability of the model. External datasets from GEO further validated the prognostic value of the prediction model. In addition, we also evaluated the immunological characteristics of the TME of the prognostic model. Finally, using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptome (ST), we explored the spatial features of interactions between cells in the TME of SMARCA4-dNSCLC, intercellular communication, and molecular mechanisms. ResultsA total of 56 patients were included in the training group, including 38 males and 18 females, with a median age of 62 (56-70) years. There were 28 patients in both the low-risk and high-risk groups. A total of 474 patients were included in the training group, including 265 males and 209 females, with a median age of 65 (58-70) years. A risk score model composed of 8 prognostic feature genes (ELANE, FSIP2, GFI1B, GPR37, KRT81, RHOV, RP1, SPIC) was established. Compared with patients in the low-risk group, those in the high-risk group showed a more unfavorable prognostic outcome. Immunological feature analysis revealed differences in the infiltration of various immune cells between the low-risk and high-risk groups. ScRNA-seq and ST analyses found that interactions between cells were mainly through macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) signaling pathways (MIF-CD74+CXCR4 and MIF-CD74+CD44) via ligand-receptor pairs, while also describing the niche interactions of the MIF signaling pathway in tissue regions. ConclusionThe 8-gene prognostic model constructed in this study has certain predictive accuracy in predicting the survival of SMARCA4-dNSCLC. Combining the ScRNA-seq and ST analyses, cell-to-cell crosstalk and spatial niche interaction may occur between cells in the TME via the MIF signaling pathway (MIF-CD74+CXCR4 and MIF-CD74+CD44).
ObjectiveTo review the role of intestinal flora on the tumor microenvironment and the effect of both on the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a view to providing new ideas on the causes of HCC development and progression. MethodRelevant articles in the direction of intestinal flora and tumor microenvironment and HCC as well as the relationship between intestinal flora and tumor microenvironment in recent years were searched and summarized. ResultsThe tumor microenvironment played an important role in the occurrence, development and postoperative recurrence of HCC. The intestinal flora, as one of the important regulators of tumor microenvironment, could induce HCC by affecting the tumor microenvironment in addition to interacting with the liver through the gut-liver axis. ConclusionIntestinal flora can influence to HCC by regulating the tumor microenvironment, and its specific mechanism of action still needs to be further investigated, which can be a new direction for HCC research.
ObjectiveTo summarize the research progress of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on tumor microenvironment immunophenotyping.MethodThe related literatures of basic and clinical studies on HCC immunophenotyping in the recent years were reviewed.ResultsHCC could be divided into different immunophenotypes based on tumor microenvironment, and it showed different immune molecular characteristics, immune cell infiltration characteristics, and anti-tumor ability. At the same time, the HCC immunophenotype was significantly associated with patients’ survival and had been proved to be able to better evaluate the prognosis of HCC patients. According to the relevant molecular characteristics in the HCC immune microenvironment, it could provide guidance for the drug regimen of immunotherapy.ConclusionHCC immunophenotyping is still in the early stage of research, and its clinical application value has been preliminarily shown for the evaluation of patients’ prognosis and immunotherapy decision-making, which is a new idea of individualized treatment of HCC in the future.
ObjectiveTo summarize the latest research progress and related mechanisms of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in invasion, metastasis and drug resistance of breast cancer, so as to seek the best treatment strategy for patients with breast cancer metastasis and drug resistance. MethodThe literatures about CAFs research in breast cancer in recent years were searched and summarized. ResultsCAFs was the main stromal cell in tumor microenvironment (TME). By changing TME, the biological characteristics of CAFs could be changed and the growth and invasion of breast cancer cells could be induced. CAFs in breast cancer promotes the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells by interacting with inflammatory factors and promoting the formation of pre-transplantation ecosystems, and CAFs also mediates chemotherapy resistance to breast cancer, target resistance, endocrine resistance, and radiation resistance through the secretion of various cellular factors. ConclusionsAt present, some progress has been made in the research of CAFs in breast cancer, but there is still a certain gap to clinical application CAFs has a variety of functional phenotypes, so it is necessary to identify and characterize specific CAFs subtypes when studying new anti-CAFs therapeutic strategies. It has been proved that CAFs has great potential as a specific target for breast cancer treatment, but CAFs still lacks specific biomarkers. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the biological characteristics and heterogeneity of CAFs can provide a reliable theoretical basis for developing drugs targeting CAFs.
ObjectiveTo summarize the relationship between integrins, tumor metabolism, and tumor cells with pancreatic stellate cells in the tumor microenvironment, in order to provide targets and ideas for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.MethodTo review the literatures on pancreatic stellate cells, integrins, and amino acid metabolism as therapeutic targets for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in the domestic and overseas.ResultsThe drug research for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma was currently under vigorous development, but remain in the animal and clinical test stage. As a new therapeutic protein, ProAgio could inhibit the expression of integrin αvβ3, activation and secretion of pancreatic stellate cells, and alanine metabolism in the microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, so as to achieve the dual effects of anti-fibrosis and anti-tumor.ConclusionsThe roles of activated pancreatic stellate cells, ProAgio, integrin αvβ3, and alanine metabolism in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have been partially elucidated, but the specific mechanism still needs further investigation and may become a completely new therapeutic target someday.
Objective To introduce the research status of the immunomodulatory role of various immune cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Method The related basic and clinical research literatures on the correlation between various immune cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment and the occurrence, development and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma were reviewed and summarized. Results Immune cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment have obvious complexity and diversity. Inhibitory immune cells in various immunosuppressive environments and stimulating immune cells that exert anti-tumor effects jointly promote or inhibit the occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusions The exact role of various immune cells in the tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma remains to be further studied. With the continuous accumulation of relevant research results, more patients with hepatocellular carcinoma will benefit from immunotherapy.
Objective To summarize research status and mechanism about effects of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) on breast cancer stem cells. Method Relevant literatures about the relationship between the CAFs and breast cancer stem cells were collected and reviewed. Results CAFs were the majority type of the breast cancer stromal cells. The cancer stromal cell was also the important part of the tumor microenvironment, which could promote the proliferation, adhesion, invasion, and metastasis of the breast cancer. A subpopulation of cancer stem cells with the potentials of self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation in the breast cancer tissues might cause the tumor development. There was a phenotypic heterogeneity in the beast cancer stem cells, it was related to the tumor recurrence and therapy resistance. The CAFs could promote the formation of breast cancer stem cells through the epithelial mesenchymal transition and promote the transformation of tumor stem cell phenotype. More research needed to be done to prove these processes. Conclusion CAFs play an important role in formation of breast cancer stem cells and transformation of tumor stem cell phenotype, which might provide a new idea about treating breast cancer.
ObjectiveTo summarizes the mechanisms of carcinogenesis of colorectal cells, the occurrence and development of cancer cells, and their interactions with the tumor niche of colorectal cancer (CRC) from the perspective of the tumor niche, exploring new ideas for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of CRC. MethodThe relevant literature at home and abroad in recent years on the researches of mechanism of the occurrence and development of CRC and its relation with the tumor niche of CRC was searched and reviewed. ResultsThe theory of tumor ecology indicates that the human normal body can be regarded as a relatively closed and perfect ecosystem. Each normal tissue and organ within the body represent a niche in this ecosystem, which interact, affect, and symbiotically coexist with each other, forming a dynamic ecological balance. Tumor cells, being a “new species” distinct from normal tissue cells, “invade” the ecological system of the normal body under specific conditions and interact with the surrounding microenvironment, which is defined as the tumor niche. Analysis of current literature retrieved from the perspective of the tumor niche suggested that, although genetic factors are involved in the carcinogenesis of colorectal cells, the majority of such carcinogenesis stems from the continuous stimulation of the colorectal niche. Current research primarily focuses on the conclusion that the carcinogenesis of colorectal cells is associated with factors such as chronic inflammatory response, intestinal microorganisms, oxidative stress, and pyroptosis. After carcinogenesis and the eventual formation of CRC, the growth of cancer cells and tissues first requires breaching the defense of the immune system in the colorectal niche. Immune cells in the immune system play a crucial role in the tumor niche during the occurrence and development of CRC. ConclusionsThe proposal of the tumor niche concept enables researchers, when studying the mechanisms of tumor occurrence and development, to no longer merely focus on the tumor and its microenvironment. Instead, the tumor as a part of the body’s ecosystem was studied. Components of the tumor niche, such as chronic inflammatory responses, intestinal microorganisms, oxidative stress, pyroptosis, and immune system, have a significant impact on the mechanisms of carcinogenesis of most colorectal cells, as well as the occurrence and development of cancer cells. These factors influence the progression of CRC in various aspects.
ObjectiveTo detect the expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and PTC with coexistent Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) tissues, and to explore its clinical significance of its expression.MethodsThe PTC patients who underwent thyroidectomy at the Thyroid Surgery Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University from March 2017 to May 2019 were retrospectively collected. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of PD-L1 in the PTC tissues, PD-L1 staining positive cells ≥20% was judged as positive expression, <20% was judged as negative expression. The relationship between PD-L1 positive expression rate and clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with PTC were analyzed, and the correlation between the presence of HT in PTC tissues and PD-L1 positive expression was studied.ResultsA total of 138 patients with PTC were included in this study, including 104 patients with PTC alone and 34 PTC patients with coexistent HT. The positive rate of PD-L1 expression in the 138 cases of PTC tissues was 35.5% (49/138), among which was 43.3% (45/104) in the pure PTC tissues, and 11.8% (4/34) in the PTC tissues with HT, the latter was significantly lower than the former (P=0.001). The results of univariate analysis showed that the positive rate of PD-L1 expression was related to the tumor size, the presence or absence of extraglandular invasion and HT in PTC patients (P<0.05), and the results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that the positive rate of PD-L1 expression was positively correlated with tumor size (rs=0.173, P=0.041) and extraglandular invasion (rs=0.197, P=0.021), and negatively correlated with whether TH was merged (rs=–0.284, P=0.001). The multivariate analysis results showed that the positive rate of PD-L1 expression was closely related to whether PTC with coexistent HT [OR=5.720, 95%CI (1.879, 17.411), P=0.002], and it was not found to be related to tumor size and presence of extraglandular invasion (P>0.05).ConclusionsPositive rate of PD-L1 expression has a certain relationship with tumor size and presence or absence of extraglandular invasion, and which in PTC patients with or without HT is significantly different, that is, positive rate of PD-L1 expression in PTC with HT is lower suggests that coexistent HT might be an inhibitory factor in occurrence of PTC, and immune microenvironment-related factors of PTC might be involved in occurrence and development of thyroid cancer.
Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of mast cell expressed membrane protein 1 (MCEMP1) in gastric cancer and its relationship with prognosis and tumor immune infiltration. Methods Transcriptome expression profile data and clinical data information of gastric cancer and normal samples were downloaded from TCGA database, and differentially expressed genes in gastric cancer tumor microenvironment were extracted using R 4.0.5 software. Protein-protein interaction network of differentially expressed genes was constructed by using STRING online website, protein-protein interaction network and univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were used for cross-tabulation analysis to obtain key genes. Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test was used to investigate the correlation between key genes and clinicopathological features. The possible signaling pathways involved in key genes were predicted by gene set enrichment analysis. We further analyzed the relationship between expression of key gene and the level of immune infiltration and immune molecules in gastric cancer by TISIDB online database and CIBERSORT algorithm. Results A total of 760 differentially expressed genes in gastric cancer were found and a key gene of MCEMP1 was derived from cross-tabulation analysis based on the results of protein-protein interaction network and univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Expression of MCEMP1 was significantly upregulated in gastric cancer tissues (P<0.001), and survival analysis showed that the overall survival rate of the group with high expression level of MCEMP1 was lower than that of low expression [HR=1.176, 95%CI (1.066, 1.297）, P=0.046]. Expression of MCEMP1 also correlated with age, T-stage, and clinical stage of gastric cancer (P<0.05) , and expression of MCEMP1 was significantly associated with a variety kinds of immune cells and expression of immune molecules (P<0.05). Conclusion MCEMP1 is a potential prognostic marker for gastric cancer and is associated with immune infiltration in gastric cancer.