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BackgroundPhosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are lipid enzymes that regulate a wide range of intracellular functions. In contrast to Class I and Class III PI3K, which have more detailed descriptions, Class II PI3K has only recently become the focus of functional research. PIK3C2A is a classical member of the PI3Ks class II. However, the role of PIK3C2A in cancer prognosis and progression remains unknown.MethodsThe expression pattern and prognostic significance of PIK3C2A in human malignancies were investigated using multiple datasets and scRNA-seq data. The PIK3C2A expression in renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) was then validated utilizing Western blot. The functional role of PIK3C2A in KIRC was assessed using combined function loss experiments with in vitro experiments. Furthermore, the correlation of PIK3C2A expression with tumor immunity was investigated in KIRC. The TCGA database was employed to investigate PIK3C2A functional networks.ResultsSignificant decrease in PIK3C2A expression in KIRC, demonstrated that it potentially influences the prognosis of diverse tumors, particularly KIRC. In addition, PIK3C2A was significantly correlated with the T stage, M stage, pathologic stage, and histologic grade of KIRC. Nomogram models were constructed and used to predict patient survival based on the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis. PIK3C2A knockdown resulted in significantly increased KIRC cell proliferation. Of note, PIK3C2A expression demonstrated a significant correlation with the infiltrating levels of primary immune cells in KIRC.ConclusionThese findings support the hypothesis that PIK3C2A is a novel biomarker for tumor progression and indicates dynamic shifts in immune infiltration in KIRC. Furthermore, aberrant PIK3C2A expression can influence the biological activity of cancer cells.

IMPORTANCE: Studies of the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) to protect ovarian function have shown mixed results. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether administering GnRHa during chemotherapy in premenopausal women with breast cancer can reduce ovarian impairment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This randomized clinical trial, conducted at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital and Zhejiang Cancer Hospital in China, was an open-label trial involving premenopausal women aged 18 to 49 years with operable stage I to III breast cancer for which treatment with adjuvant or neoadjuvant cyclophosphamide-containing chemotherapy was planned in 2 parallel groups: treatment with chemotherapy with or without GnRHa. Enrollment occurred from September 2015 to August 2017, and follow-up ended December 2020. The data were analyzed in March 2021. A total of 405 patients were enrolled in the study, among whom 27 patients (6.7%) quit participation voluntarily, 33 (8.1%) did not meet the inclusion criteria and were excluded, and 15 (3.7%) were lost to follow-up. Ultimately 330 patients were included in the primary analysis, including 29 patients with baseline anti-Müllerian hormone levels less than 0.5ng/ mL. INTERVENTIONS: Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive chemotherapy with (n = 165) or without (n = 165) GnRHa. In patients randomized to receive GnRHa, 3.6 mg of goserelin or 3.75 mg of leuprorelin was injected subcutaneously once every 28 days from 1 to 2 weeks before the first cycle of chemotherapy to 4 weeks after the last cycle of chemotherapy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was the rate of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) at 12 months after chemotherapy. Premature ovarian insufficiency was defined as anti-Müllerian hormone levels of less than 0.5 ng/mL in this study. The secondary end point was overall survival (OS) and tumor-free survival (TFS). RESULTS: A total of 330 eligible patients could be evaluated with complete data, among whom 301 patients (91.2%; GnRHA group: mean [SD] age, 40.6 [6.7] years; control group: mean [SD] age, 40.2 [5.9] years) were eligible for primary end point analysis. At 12 months after the completion of chemotherapy, the POI rate was 10.3% (15 of 146) in the GnRHa group and 44.5% (69 of 155) in the control group (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.14-0.39; P

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) develops through step-wise genetic and molecular alterations including Kras mutation and inactivation of apoptotic pathways. Here, we find that development of anoikis resistance and metastasis of KrasG12D-driven PDAC in mice is accelerated by deleting Plk3, explaining the often reduced Plk3 expression in human PDAC. Importantly, a 41 kDa Plk3 (p41Plk3) that contained the entire kinase domain at the N-terminus (1-353 aa) is activated by scission of the precursor p72Plk3 at Arg354 by metalloendopeptidase Nardilysin (NRDC), and the resulting p32Plk3 C-terminal Polo-box domain (PBD) was quickly removed by proteasome degradation preventing the p41Plk3 inhibition by PBD. We found that p41Plk3 is the activated form of Plk3 that regulates a feedforward mechanism to promote anoikis and suppress PDAC and metastasis. p41Plk3 phosphorylates c-Fos on Thr164, which in turn, induces expression of Plk3 and pro-apoptotic genes. These findings uncovered an NRDC-regulated post-translational mechanism (PTM) that activates Plk3, establishing a prototypic regulation by scission mechanism.

Axillary lymph node dissection is an indispensable step in modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer. It is the most reliable method and the golden standard to determine the status of axillary lymph nodes. It is also of great importance to evaluate the prognosis and develop treatment plans for breast cancer patients. Axillary lymph node dissection can be anatomically divided into levels I, II, and III. Level I and Level II axillary lymph dissection is the standard clinical treatment of axillary lymph nodes positive breast cancer, whereas level III axillary lymph node dissection has been controversial. Level III axillary lymph node metastasis is one of the important factors that can easily cause distant metastasis and recurrence. It is also an important index to estimate the prognosis of breast cancer patients. To facilitate the decision of whether or not to perform level III lymph node dissection, we reviewed the indications, complications, and surgical procedures of level III lymph node dissection.

Although pyroptosis is critical for macrophages against pathogen infection, its role and mechanism in cancer cells remains unclear. PD-L1 has been detected in the nucleus, with unknown function. Here we show that PD-L1 switches TNFα-induced apoptosis to pyroptosis in cancer cells, resulting in tumour necrosis. Under hypoxia, p-Stat3 physically interacts with PD-L1 and facilitates its nuclear translocation, enhancing the transcription of the gasdermin C (GSDMC) gene. GSDMC is specifically cleaved by caspase-8 with TNFα treatment, generating a GSDMC N-terminal domain that forms pores on the cell membrane and induces pyroptosis. Nuclear PD-L1, caspase-8 and GSDMC are required for macrophage-derived TNFα-induced tumour necrosis in vivo. Moreover, high expression of GSDMC correlates with poor survival. Antibiotic chemotherapy drugs induce pyroptosis in breast cancer. These findings identify a non-immune checkpoint function of PD-L1 and provide an unexpected concept that GSDMC/caspase-8 mediates a non-canonical pyroptosis pathway in cancer cells, causing tumour necrosis.

Background The predicting value of AMH for ovarian dysfunction after chemotherapy is controversial. This study is designed to evaluate the value of serum AMH clinically and theoretically. Patients, animals and methods We detected the serum estradiol, FSH and AMH in 144 pre-menopausal women with breast cancer receiving cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy. The differences of hormones before and after chemotherapy were compared; the correlations among the hormones and amenorrhea, menstrual recovery were analyzed. In addition, serum AMH was detected randomly in 177 normal healthy women and 36 normal female C57BL/6J mice of different ages, meanwhile the status of ovary follicles was observed. Furthermore, 72 Balb/c nude mice with breast cancer were randomly assigned to three groups with different dosage of CTX (control, 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg), the alterations of serum AMH and ovary follicles were recorded and analyzed. Results Chemotherapy induced amenorrhea was associated with pre-chemo AMH level, E2 level and FSH level (P 0.05). In breast cancer patients received chemotherapy, the serum AMH did not differ significantly between pre- and post- chemotherapy in patients younger than 35 years old (P>0.05), while dramatic decline was detected in patients over 35 years old (P

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most aggressive solid malignant tumors worldwide. Increasing investigations demonstrate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression is abnormally dysregulated in cancers. It is crucial to identify and predict the prognosis of patients for the selection of further therapeutic treatment. Methods: PDAC lncRNAs abundance profiles were used to establish a signature that could better predict the prognosis of PDAC patients. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model was applied to establish a multi-lncRNA signature in the TCGA training cohort (N = 107). The signature was then validated in a TCGA validation cohort (N = 70) and another independent Fudan cohort (N = 46). Results: A five-lncRNA signature was constructed and it was significantly related to the overall survival (OS), either in the training or validation cohorts. Through the subgroup and Cox regression analyses, the signature was proven to be independent of other clinic-pathologic parameters. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis also indicated that our signature had a better predictive capacity of PDAC prognosis. Furthermore, ClueGO and CluePedia analyses showed that a number of cancer-related and drug response pathways were enriched in high risk groups. Conclusions: Identifying the five-lncRNA signature (RP11-159F24.5, RP11-744N12.2, RP11-388M20.1, RP11-356C4.5, CTC-459F4.9) may provide insight into personalized prognosis prediction and new therapies for PDAC patients.

e12548 Background: Pyroptosis is a type of inflammatory cell death mediated by gasdermins. Pyroptosis is critical for macrophage against pathogen infection. Recently growing evidences show that pyroptosis may affect development and progression of many cancers. We aim to explore the expression and related function of pyroptosis executioner Gasdermin D (GSDMD) in breast cancer. Methods: We investigated the expression level of GSDMD using TNM plotter and Breast Cancer landscape proteome with TCGA, GTEx and TARGET databases, and the prognostic value of GSDMD in invasive breast cancer using Kaplan-Meier plotter with TCGA, GEO and EGA databases. The treatment response prediction values of GSDMD in invasive breast were calculated using ROC-plotter with GEO database. Further validation of the prognostic value and chemotherapy response prediction value of GSDMD were carried out with immunohistochemical staining on tissues from 165 cases of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy in our cancer center. Results: TNM plotter and breast cancer landscape proteome portal analysis shows that overall expression level of GSDMD in invasive breast cancer tissue is 1.67 folds higher than it is in breast normal tissues ( p=1.05*e-06). Expression of GSDMD in LuminalB subtype (p=0.019) and Her2 subtype(p=0.04) is significantly higher than it is in TNBC subtype. Calculations with Kaplan-Meier plotter show expression of GSDMD is negatively correlated with overall survival(OS), HR=0.61(0.4−0.95) p=0.027 and relapse free survival (RFS), HR =0.65(0.58−0.63), p=8.7*e-14 and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) HR =0.75(0.61−0.91), p=0.0038 in breast cancer patients. ROC-plotter calculations show high GSDMD expression is a powerful endocrine therapy (AUC=0.731 p=6*e-09 ) and chemotherapy response (AUC=0.64 p=8*e-05 ) predictor based on 5-year RFS in overall breast cancer patients. Our IHC staining analysis shows consistent prognostic and chemotherapy prediction value of GSDMD expression in TNBC patients. Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings suggest that high expression of GSDMD is positively correlated with prognosis and therapeutic response in breast cancer. GSDMD is a promising prognostic marker and therapeutic response predictor in invasive breast cancer.

e16256 Background: Although pyroptosis is critical for macrophages against pathogen infection, its role in cancer cells remains elusive. GSDMC is a pyroptosis executioner newly identified in cancer cells and have been shown to facilitate inflammatory tumor death. However, the expression of GSDMC in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), its prognostic significance and possible impact on reshaping tumor immune microenviroment in PDAC is still unknown. Methods: We investigated the expression level of GSDMC using TNM plotter with TCGA and GTEx databases, the prognostic value of GSDMC in PDAC using Kaplan-Meier plotter with TCGA, GTEx and TCGA databases. The correlations between GSDMC and immune infiltration in PDAC were calculated using TIMER2.0 and TIDE with TCGA database. We further validated the prognostic value of GSDMC with immunohistochemistry(IHC) staining on a tissue microarray of 172 cases of PDAC patients receiving treatment in our institution. Correlations between expression of GSDMC and tumor infiltration lymphacytes(TILs) cells were also analyzed on tissue samples of those 172 PDAC patients. Results: TNM plotter analysis shows that the expression of GSDMC in PDAC tumor tissue is 10.49 folds higher than it is in pancreatic normal tissues (p = 8.86*e-56). Results from Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis shows high expression of GSDMC is significantly correlated with poorer overall survival(OS), HR = 1.8(1.19−2.71) logrank P = 0.004 and shorter relapse free survival (RFS), HR = 4.6(1.94−10.88), Logrank P = 0.00014 in PDAC. Analysis with TIMER2.0 and TIDE platform shows that expression of GSDMC is positively correlated with immunosuppressive cells, Cancer Associated Fiberblast (CAF) and Meyloid Derived Tumor Suprresso Cells(MDTSC). IHC staining analysis results is also consistent with aformentioned bioinformatic analysis, showing that high GSDMC expression correlated with shorter OS and reduced Tils infiltration. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that high expression of GSDMC is related to poor prognosis and compromised immune cell infiltration in PDAC. GSDMC holds promise for serving as a valuable prognostic marker and therapeutic target in PDAC.

The protein encoded by immature colon carcinoma transcript 1 (ICT1) is a component of the human mitochondrial ribosome, and is reported to be implicated in cell proliferation, viability and apoptosis of HeLa cells. This study was conducted to investigate the role of ICT1 in human breast cancer. Oncomine database was used to investigate ICT1 expression in human breast cancer tissues compared to normal tissues. The results showed that ICT1 was highly overexpressed in various human breast cancer subtypes. Then short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of ICT1 was performed in human breast cancer ZR-75-30 and T-47D cells. A series of functional analysis, including MTT, colony formation and flow cytometry assays were conducted after ICT1 knockdown. Our results demonstrated that knockdown of ICT1 significantly suppressed cell viability and proliferation through cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, knockdown of ICT1 altered signaling pathways associated with cell growth and apoptosis, including phospho‑BAD (Ser112), phospho-PRAS40 (Thr246) and induction of phospho‑AMPKα (Thr172). Additionally, it was further confirmed by western blot analysis that ICT1 knockdown altered the expression of apoptosis- or cell cycle‑related proteins such as Bcl-2, caspase-3, CDK1, CDK2 and cyclin B. In conclusion, targeting ICT1 in breast cancer cells may provide a new strategy for breast cancer gene therapy.

We report a 28-year-old woman who presented with a 6-year history of milk-like discharge from both of her nipples and was diagnosed with prolactinoma based on computed tomography (CT) findings and serum prolactin level. Further breast examination revealed a mass located in the upper outer region of the left breast. She underwent subtotal pituitary tumor resection. Thereafter, modified radical mastectomy was performed for left breast cancer. Twelve years after treatment, prolactinoma recurrence was detected, and bromocriptine therapy was administered. No recurrence of breast cancer was discovered. Based on this case report, we stress the importance of prolactin levels due to their possible biologic effects on breast cancer induction or growth.

We determined the effects of the

Breast cancer is the cause for highest number of cancer-related death among women worldwide. This study was focused on investigating the role of zinc-finger protein X-linked (ZFX) in human breast cancer. Expression levels of ZFX were analyzed in 99 patients and four breast cancer cell lines. Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference was applied to silence ZFX expression, and the effects of ZFX knockdown on the growth of breast cancer cells were investigated. The immunohistochemical expression of ZFX was higher in more advanced tumor tissues. ZFX was also overexpressed in multiple breast cancer cell lines. Knockdown of ZFX inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, ZFX silencing resulted in cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. Depletion of ZFX decreased the phosphorylation level of AKT and increased the phosphorylation level of ERK2 and the expression of cyclin D1, which is involved in cell survival and cell cycle regulation. These findings suggest that ZFX plays an important role in breast cancer development and could be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a critical factor involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Vitamin D and resveratrol are two nutritional factors that have reported neuroprotective effects, and findings from cellular models suggest that resveratrol could potentiate vitamin D's effects. We aimed to determine the effects of vitamin D & resveratrol on ER stress mediated neurodegeneration and whether synergistic effects existed. Tunicamycin and Aβ25-35 was utilized to induce ER stress in SH-SY5Y cells, cells were then incubated with vitamin D and resveratrol. The combination of vitamin D & resveratrol completely reversed tunicamycin and Aβ25-35 induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells, as well as elevation in ER stress markers (i.e.GRP78, p-eIF2α and CHOP), insulin signaling disruption (i.e. elevation in p-IRS-1serine307 and reduction in p-Akt serine473) and tau phosphorylation (i.e. reduction in p-GSK3β serine9, and elevation in p-Tau serine396 &404). Further studies are required to clarify whether the observed synergistic effects in the present study would also existed in vivo, this will lay scientific foundation whether the combination of vitamin D with resveratrol might be an effective maneuver in the treatment of AD in human subjects.

Paired box 6 (PAX6) plays a significant role in the development of human neuroectodermal epithelial tissues. Previous studies have suggested that the PAX6 promoter is hypermethylated in breast cancer and that it is involved in breast cancer cell proliferation. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of PAX6 in invasive breast cancer tissues, and to evaluate its prognostic significance. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect PAX6 expression on a breast cancer tissue microarray containing tissues from 111 patients. Associations of PAX6 expression with staging and prognosis were analyzed. PAX6 was mainly expressed in the nucleus. The PAX6 staining intensity was not associated with age, histological grade, lymph node status, tumor size, or progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression (all P>0.05). A high level of PAX6 staining was more frequent in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative cases compared with ER-positive cases (43.9 vs. 25.7%; P=0.049). After a median follow-up time of 110 months, the patients with low PAX6 expression exhibited an improved survival rate compared with the patients with high PAX6 expression (P