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Abstract: Background Glioblastoma is a highly aggressive central nervous system neoplasm characterized by extensive infiltration of malignant cells into brain parenchyma, thus preventing complete tumor eradication. Cysteine cathepsins B, S, L and K are involved in cancer progression and are overexpressed in glioblastoma. We report here for the first time that cathepsin X mRNA and protein are also abundantly present in malignant glioma. Materials and methods Gene expression of cathepsins K and X was analyzed using publically-available tran-scriptomic datasets and correlated with glioma grade and glioblastoma subtype. Kaplan-Maier survival analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of cathepsin K and X mRNA expression. Cathepsin protein expression was localized and semi-quantified in tumor tissues by immunohistochemistry. Results Highest gene expression of cathepsins K and X was found in glioblastoma, in particular in the mesenchymal subtype. Overall, high mRNA expression of cathepsin X, but not that of cathepsin K, correlated with poor patients’ survival. Cathepsin K and X proteins were abundantly and heterogeneously expressed in glioblastoma tissue. Immuno-labeling of cathepsins K and X was observed in areas of CD133-positive glioblastoma stem cells, localized around arterioles in their niches that also expressed SDF-1α and CD68. mRNA levels of both cathepsins K and X correlated with mRNA levels of markers of glioblastoma stem cells and their niches. Conclusions The presence of both cathepsins in glioblastoma stem cell niche regions indicates their possible role in regulation of glioblastoma stem cell homing in their niches. The clinical relevance of this data needs to be elaborated in further prospective studies.
Keywords: cathepsins, glioblastoma, immunohistochemistry, patient survival, cancer stem cell niches
Published in DiRROS: 24.07.2024; Views: 574; Downloads: 340
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Keywords: dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging, overall survival, squamous cell head and neck cancer, concomitant chemoradiotherapy
Published in DiRROS: 09.07.2024; Views: 502; Downloads: 183
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Keywords: cathepsins, glioblastoma, immunohistochemistry, patient survival, cancer stem cell niches
Published in DiRROS: 11.06.2024; Views: 413; Downloads: 231
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Abstract: Gamma-enolase, known also as neuron-specific enolase (NSE), is an enzyme of the glycolytic pathway, which is expressed predominantly in neurons and cells of the neuroendocrine system. As a tumour marker it is used in diagnosis and prognosis of cancer; however, the mechanisms enrolling it in malignant progression remain elusive. As a cytoplasmic enzyme gamma-enolase is involved in increased aerobic glycolysis, the main source of energy in cancer cells, supporting cell proliferation. However, different cellular localisation at pathophysiological conditions, proposes other cellular engagements. The C-terminal part of the molecule, which is not related to glycolytic pathway, was shown to promote survival of neuronal cells by regulating neuronal growth factor receptor dependent signalling pathways, resulting also in extensive actin cytoskeleton remodelling. This additional function could be important also in cancer cells either to protect cells from stressful conditions and therapeutic agents or to promote tumour cell migration and invasion. Gamma-enolase might therefore have a multifunctional role in cancer progression: it supports increased tumour cell metabolic demands, protects tumour cells from stressful conditions and promotes their invasion and migration.
Keywords: gamma-enolase, cancer, glycolysis, cell survival, tumour marker
Published in DiRROS: 23.04.2024; Views: 601; Downloads: 328
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Abstract: The standard treatment for inoperable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA NSCLC) includes concurrent or sequential chemotherapy (ChT) and radiation therapy (RT). Long term survival rates with these approaches remains only in the order of 15%, therefore new treatment strategies, including immunotherapy, are under investigation, with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) as one of the major players. We evaluated the clinical significance of PD-L1 expression in tumor samples from patients with inoperable LA NSCLC who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in our institution between 2005 and 2010 and correlated their expression with clinicopathological parameters and outcome of treatment. Among 107 patients treated with concurrent CRT, a total of 43 (36 males and 7 females) had sufficient tissue for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. The expression of PD-L1 was demonstrated in 7 tumors, in 6 males and 1 female. No statistical significant differences in patient characteristics, including age, smoking status and gender, were found according to the PD-L1 expression. After a median follow up of 103.6 months, median progression free survival (PFS) was 19.9 months in patients without and 10.1 months in patients with PD-L1 expression (p=0.008). Median overall survival (OS) was 28.4 and 12.1 months for PD-L1 negative and PD-L1 positive patients, respectively (p=0.012). In conclusions, patients with PD-L1 expression had shorter PFS and OS after concurrent CRT in LA NSCLC. Unfortunately, only small number of patients had tissue available for the IHC testing, therefore no firm conclusions could be made and further investigation is warranted.
Keywords: non-small cell lung cancer, lung cancer, chemoradiotherapy, survival
Published in DiRROS: 17.12.2020; Views: 2509; Downloads: 595
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