Kaiissar Mannoor

Downregulation of miR-486-5p contributes to tumor progression and metastasis by targeting protumorigenic ARHGAP5 in lung cancer

We have previously shown that miR-486-5p is one of the most downregulated micro RNAs in lung cancer. The objective of the study was to investigate the role of miR-486-5p in the progression and metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We evaluated miR-486-5p expression status on 76 frozen and 33 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of NSCLC by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR to determine its clinicopathologic significance. We then performed function analysis of miR-486-5p to determine its potential roles on cancer cell migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo. We also investigated the target genes of miR-486-5p in lung tumorigenesis. miR-486-5p expression level was significantly lower in lung tumors compared with their corresponding normal tissues (P<0.0001), and associated with stage (P=0.0001) and lymph node metastasis of NSCLC (P=0.0019). Forced expression of miR-486-5p inhibited NSCLC cell migration and invasion in vitro and metastasis in mice by inhibiting cell proliferation. Furthermore, ectopic expression of miR-486-5p in cancer cells reduced ARHGAP5 expression level, whereas miR-486-5p silencing increased its expression. Luciferase assay demonstrated that miR-486-5p could directly bind to the 3′-untranslated region of ARHGAP5. The expression level of miR-486-5p was inversely correlated with that of ARHGAP5 in lung tumor tissues (P=0.0156). Reduced expression of ARHGAP5 considerably inhibited lung cancer cell migration and invasion, resembling that of miR-486-5p overexpression. miR-486-5p may act as a tumor-suppressor contributing to the progression and metastasis of NSCLC by targeting ARHGAP5. miR-486-5p would provide potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for the disease.

Small nucleolar RNAs in cancer.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are important regulatory molecules involved in various physiological and cellular processes. Alterations of ncRNAs, particularly microRNAs, play crucial roles in tumorigenesis. Accumulating evidence indicates that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), another large class of small ncRNAs, are gaining prominence and more actively involved in carcinogenesis than previously thought. Some snoRNAs exhibit differential expression patterns in a variety of human cancers and demonstrate capability to affect cell transformation, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. We are beginning to comprehend the functional repercussions of snoRNAs in the development and progression of malignancy. In this review, we will describe current studies that have shed new light on the functions of snoRNAs in carcinogenesis and the potential applications for cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Characterization of microRNA transcriptome in lung cancer by next-generation deep sequencing.

Non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death. Systematically characterizing miRNAs in NSCLC will help develop biomarkers for its diagnosis and subclassification, and identify therapeutic targets for the treatment. We used next‐generation deep sequencing to comprehensively characterize miRNA profiles in eight lung tumor tissues consisting of two major types of NSCLC, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC). We used quantitative PCR (qPCR) to verify the findings in 40 pairs of stage I NSCLC tissues and the paired normal tissues, and 60 NSCLC tissues of different types and stages. We also investigated the function of identified miRNAs in lung tumorigenesis. Deep sequencing identified 896 known miRNAs and 14 novel miRNAs, of which, 24 miRNAs displayed dysregulation with fold change ≥4.5 in either stage I ACs or SCCs or both relative to normal tissues. qPCR validation showed that 14 of 24 miRNAs exhibited consistent changes with deep sequencing data. Seven miRNAs displayed distinctive expressions between SCC and AC, from which, a panel of four miRNAs (miRs‐944, 205‐3p, 135a‐5p, and 577) was identified that cold differentiate SCC from AC with 93.3% sensitivity and 86.7% specificity. Manipulation of miR‐944 expression in NSCLC cells affected cell growth, proliferation, and invasion by targeting a tumor suppressor, SOCS4. Evaluating miR‐944 in 52 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded SCC tissues revealed that miR‐944 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis. This study presents the earliest use of deep sequencing for profiling miRNAs in lung tumor specimens. The identified miRNA signatures may provide biomarkers for early detection, subclassification, and predicting metastasis, and potential therapeutic targets of NSCLC.

Expression of Natural Autoantibodies in MRL-lpr Mice Protects from Lupus Nephritis and Improves Survival

Natural autoantibodies (NAA) and their associated B cells constitute a substantial proportion of the normal Ab and B cell repertoire. They often have weak reactivity toward a variety of self-Ags such as DNA, nucleoproteins, and phospholipids. It remains controversial whether NAA contribute to or protect from autoimmune diseases. Using site-directed transgenic (sd-tg) mice expressing a prototypic NAA, we investigated the effect of NAA and NAA-producing B cells in disease development in the autoimmune-prone MRL/MpJ-Faslpr (MRL-lpr) mice. We found that the expression of NAA in MRL-lpr mice prevented proteinuria and reduced kidney immune complex formation. The mice had significantly improved survival. Administration of the IgM NAA to MRL-lpr mice also delayed the onset of nephritis. The sd-tg MRL-lpr mice had decreased levels of anti-dsDNA Abs, anti-Hep2 nuclear Abs, and anti-Sm/ribonucleoprotein Abs. There is a shift in the IgG subclass profile from IgG2a and IgG3 to IgG1 in the sd-tg MRL-lpr mice. The CD4+ T cells from the sd-tg MRL-lpr mice had increased expression of the negative costimulatory molecule CTLA-4 and increased production of IL-10 as compared with those from the wild-type mice. Furthermore, the NAA B cells produced large amounts of IL-10 upon TLR stimulation. These results indicate that NAA and NAA-producing B cells play an important role in protection from lupus nephritis and suggest that the NAA B cells may have an immune regulatory function via the provision of IL-10.

Identification of ENO1 As a Potential Sputum Biomarker for Early-Stage Lung Cancer by Shotgun Proteomics

BACKGROUND Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer. Early detection will reduce the related deaths. The objective of this study was to identify potential biomarkers for early-stage lung cancer in sputum supernatant. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using shotgun proteomics, we detected changes in protein profiles that were associated with lung cancer by analyzing sputum supernatants from 6 patients with early-stage lung cancer and 5 cancer-free controls. Using western blotting, we validated the proteomic results in 22 lung cancer cases and 22 controls. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we evaluated the diagnostic performance of the biomarker candidates in an independent set of 35 cases and 36 controls. RESULTS Proteomics identified 8 biomarker candidates for lung cancer. Western blotting validation of the candidates showed that enolase 1 (ENO1) displayed a higher expression level in patients with cancer than in cancer-free individuals (P = .015). ELISA revealed that the assessment of ENO1 expression in sputum supernatant had 58.33% sensitivity and 80.00% specificity in distinguishing patients with stage I lung cancer from cancer-free individuals. CONCLUSION The analysis of protein biomarkers in sputum may provide a potential approach for the early detection of lung cancer. Future validation of all the candidates defined by shotgun proteomics in a large cohort study may help develop additional biomarkers that can be added to ENO1 to provide more diagnostic efficacy for lung cancer.

Natural autoantibodies and associated B cells in immunity and autoimmunity

A substantial proportion of circulating antibodies in healthy individuals exhibit self-reactivity. These antibodies, referred to as natural autoantibodies, are thought to arise naturally without actual antigen stimulation as they are present in human cord blood and in mice housed in germfree conditions and fed an antigen-free diet. Natural autoantibodies are mainly of the IgM class, unmutated, and typically polyreactive. They provide critical early protection against pathogens, and play important roles in maintenance of homeostasis and modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses, thereby conferring protection from rampant autoimmune and inflammatory injuries. In this review, we summarize current information regarding the properties of natural autoantibodies and the B cells that produce them, their roles in immunity and autoimmunity, their mechanisms of action, and their therapeutic potential.

Exclusion of natural autoantibody-producing B cells from IgG memory B cell compartment during T cell-dependent immune responses

In healthy individuals, a substantial proportion of circulating Abs exhibit polyreactivity and self-reactivity. These Abs are referred to as natural autoantibodies (NAAs). As part of the innate immunity, NAAs play an important role in eliminating pathogens. However, inherent to their poly/autoreactivity is the potential for NAAs to differentiate to high-affinity autoantibodies during an immune response. We recently generated site-directed transgenic mice that express a prototypic NAA, ppc1-5, which binds a variety of self- and non-self-Ags including DNA and phosphocholine. We have shown previously that B cells expressing the ppc1-5 NAA are positively selected during their primary development. In this study, we demonstrate that following immunization with the T-dependent Ag, phosphocholine conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin, ppc1-5 NAA B cells mounted a quick IgM Ab response and entered germinal centers, but they failed to differentiate to IgG-producing cells during late primary and memory responses. Hybridomas and cDNA clones derived from the immunized mice included many IgM NAA-producing cells, but IgG NAA clones were extremely rare. Instead, many of the IgG B cells replaced their IgH transgene with an endogenous VH gene and produced non-autoreactive Abs. These results indicate that although NAA B cells are positively selected in the preimmune repertoire and can participate in early IgM Ab response, they are subjected to regulatory mechanisms that prevent them from developing to high-affinity IgG autoantibody production. This would explain, at least in part, why NAAs do not cause autoimmunity in most individuals.

Small nucleolar RNA signatures of lung tumor-initiating cells

BackgroundNon-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the number one cancer killer. Tumor-initiating cells (TICs) are responsible for tumor progression and recurrence. Emerging evidences suggest that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play malfunctioning roles in lung tumorigenesis. This study aims to determine if snoRNAs have important function in lung TICs by: 1) profiling and comparing snoRNA expression patterns in lung ALDH1+/- cells of 28 primary NSCLC tissues to identify new signatures of TICs; 2) determining prognostic significance of the snoRNA signatures by analyzing the expression in 82 NSCLC tissues with different stages and histological types using quantitative PCR; 3) functionally investigating if the snoRNAs contribute to stemness of lung TICs using in vitro and in vivo assays.ResultsTwenty-two snoRNAs were identified whose changes were specific to the TICs. The expression of two snoRNAs (snoRA3 and snoRA42) was inversely associated with survival of NSCLC patients (P = 0.002, p = 0.001, respectively). Functional analysis indicated that snoRA42 was upregulated in CD133+ cells isolated from NSCLC cell lines compared with the CD133- counterparts. snoRA42 knockdown reduced the proliferation and self-renewal of TICs in vitro. However, ectopic expression of snoRA42 in non-TICs enhanced the potentials of cell proliferation and self-renewal. snoRA42 expression was associated with expression of stem cell-core transcription factors in lung TICs. Blocking snoRA42 expression in TIC xenografts decreased tumorigenesis in mice.ConclusionsThe snoRNA signatures of lung TICs provide potential biomarkers for predicting outcome of NSCLC. snoRA42 is one of the important snoRNAs in regulating features of lung TICs, and thus contributes to lung tumorigenesis.

Genome-wide small nucleolar RNA expression analysis of lung cancer by next-generation deep sequencing

Emerging evidence indicates that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs, may play important function in tumorigenesis. Nonsmall‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the number one cancer killer for men and women. Systematically characterizing snoRNAs in NSCLC will develop biomarkers for its early detection and prognostication. We used next‐generation deep sequencing to comprehensively characterize snoRNA profiles in 12 NSCLC tissues. We used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) to verify the findings in 40 surgical Stage I NSCLC specimens and 126 frozen NSCLC tissues of different stages. The 126 NSCLC tissues were divided into a training set and a testing set. Deep sequencing identified 458 snoRNAs, of which, 29 had a ≥3.0‐fold expression level change in Stage I NSCLC tissues versus normal tissues. qRT‐PCR analysis showed that 16 of 29 snoRNAs exhibited consistent changes with deep sequencing data. The 16 snoRNAs exhibited 0.75–0.94 area under receiver–operator characteristic curve values in distinguishing lung tumor from normal lung tissues (all ≤0.0001) with 70.0–95.0% sensitivity and 70.0–95.0% specificity. Six genes (snoRA47, snoRA68, snoRA78, snoRA21, snoRD28 and snoRD66) were identified whose expressions were associated with overall survival of the NSCLC patients. A prediction model consisting of three genes (snoRA47, snoRA68 and snoRA78) was developed in the training set of 77 cases, which could significantly predict overall survival of the NSCLC patients (p < 0.0001). The prognostic performance of the prediction model was confirmed in the testing set of 49 NSCLC patients. The identified snoRNA signatures may provide potential biomarkers for the early detection and prognostication of NSCLC.

A Unique Subset of γδ T Cells Expands and Produces IL-10 in Patients with Naturally Acquired Immunity against Falciparum Malaria

Although expansions in γδ T cell populations are known to occur in the peripheral blood of patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum, the role of these cells in people with naturally acquired immunity against P. falciparum who live in malaria-endemic areas is poorly understood. We used a cross-sectional survey to investigate the role of peripheral blood γδ T cells in people living in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, a malaria-endemic area. We found that the proportion of non-Vγ9 γδ T cells was higher in non-hospitalized uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients (UMPs) from this region. Notably, we found that the non-Vγ9 γδ T cells in the peripheral blood of UMPs and negative controls from this region had the potential to expand and produce IL-10 and interferon-γ when cultured in the presence of IL-2 and/or crude P. falciparum antigens for 10 days. Furthermore, these cells were associated with plasma interleukin 10 (IL-10), which was elevated in UMPs. This is the first report demonstrating that, in UMPs living in a malaria-endemic area, a γδ T cell subset, the non-Vγ9 γδT cells, expands and produces IL-10. These results contribute to understanding of the mechanisms of naturally acquired immunity against P. falciparum.