Single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data jointly reveals VDAC2's impacts on prognosis and immune landscape of NSCLC.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is characterized by stronger metastatic ability and worse prognosis. In NSCLC, hypoxia is a major cause of invasion and metastasis through promoting angiogenesis. In present study, NSCLC cell clusters were extracted from single cell-sequencing dataset GSE131907, which were combined with hypoxia-related genes to group clusters. qRT-PCR and western blot were used to validate the expression of target gene. Nine NSCLC clusters were extracted, which were divided into two hypoxia-related subgroups, C1 and C2. Totally 101 differentially expressed prognostic genes were identified between subgroups. Of which, VDAC2 showed excellent prognostic value for NSCLC and was selected for further analysis. VDAC2 was upregulated in tumor samples in TCGA and was correlated with advanced stages. In vitro experiments validated this trend. Five crucial immune cells showed differential infiltration proportions between high and low VDAC2 expression groups. VDAC2 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion ability of NSCLC cells. Integrating single cell and bulk sequencing data as well as wet lab experiments, hypoxia-related VDAC2 exhibited important prognostic value and showed the promise of becoming immune-therapy target in NSCLC.

Elevated HMGB1 promotes the malignant progression and contributes to cisplatin resistance of non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: HMGB1 (high mobility group box B-1) exhibits crucial role in tumor genesis and development, including lung cancer. Whereas, more HMGB1-related details in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still largely unclear. METHODS: The HMGB1 and inflammatory factors in malignant (MPE) and non-malignant pleural effusion (BPE) were determined by ELISA. Additionally, qRT-PCR, western blot, or immunohistochemistry were used to determine HMGB1, drug-resistant and apoptotic proteins' expressions in NSCLC A549, A549-DDP cell lines, and xenograft model. Cell viability, migration/ invasion, and apoptosis were analyzed using MTT, Transwell, and flow cytometry assays, respectively. RESULTS: Inflammatory factors and HMGB1 expressions in MPE were significantly higher than BPE of NSCLC. Compared with preoperative and adjacent tissues, significantly higher HMGB1, drug-resistant protein, and anti-apoptotic protein expressions were observed in recurrent tissues. Overexpressed HMGB1 induced NSCLC cells to exhibit stronger aggressive, proliferative, and drug-resistant features. The related abilities were reversed when HMGB1 was interfered. Overexpressed HMGB1 showed a similar co-localization with drug resistant protein P-gp in cytoplasm in xenograft model, while low HMGB1 expression localized in cell nucleus. CONCLUSIONS: HMGB1 overexpression significantly promoted the malignant progression and cisplatin resistance of NSCLC in vitro and in vivo.

Up-regulated HMGB1 in the pleural effusion of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients reduces the chemosensitivity of NSCLC cells.

BACKGROUND:: Pleural effusion is one of the complications of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) correlates highly with invasion and metastasis in multiple tumors. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical value of HMGB1 in NSCLC patients, and to investigate the role of HMGB1 in the development of pleural effusion. In addition, we also investigated the regulatory role of HMGB1 in the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to cisplatin. METHODS:: 46 NSCLC malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and 31 benign pleural effusion samples were quantitatively analyzed with Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for cytokines, such as IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8 and HMGB1. The HMGB1 expression in NSCLC tissues was examined with RT-qPCR and western blotting methods. Then the influence by HMGB1 on the chemosensitivity of lung cancer A549 cells was examined with MTT assay and colony forming assay for the A549 cells post the treatment with cisplatin or (and) HMGB1. RESULTS:: The results demonstrated that HMGB1 was up-regulated in the pleural effusion of NSCLC patients, along with the up-regulated levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-8. And the up-regulation of HMGB1 was confirmed at both the mRNA and protein levels in the NSCLC tissues. Recombinant HMGB1 reduced the sensitivity of A549 cells to cisplatin in vitro. CONCLUSIONS:: In conclusion, HMGB1 was up-regulated in the pleural effusion and tumor tissues of NSCLC patients. HMGB1 reduced the sensitivity of NSCLC A549 cells to cisplatin in vitro.

Association of GSTP1 and XRCC1 gene polymorphisms with clinical outcome of advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

We investigated the association between the clinical outcome and GSTP1 and XRCC1 gene polymorphisms in advanced NSCLC patients with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. We prospectively recruited 325 NSCLC patients between January 2010 and January 2014. Genotypes of GSTP1 A313G, XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His and Arg399Gln were conducted using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. AG and GG genotypes of GSTP1 A313G were correlated with a higher CR + PR when compared with AA genotype. Furthermore, GA and AA genotypes of XRCC1 Arg399Gln were associated with more CR + PR when compared with GG genotype. In the Cox proportional hazards model, GG genotype of GSTP1 A313G was significantly correlated with a longer median survival time when compared with AA genotype, and it is associated with a heavy decreased risk of death from NSCLC. Moreover, GA and AA genotypes of XRCC1 Arg399Gln had a significantly longer median survival time, and GA and AA genotypes were significantly associated with a moderate reduced risk of death from NSCLC. GSTP1 A313G and XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphisms might influence the response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy and affect the clinical outcome of advanced NSCLC.