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Background: This study sought to identify potential key genes for osteosarcoma metastasis and analyze their immune infiltration patterns using bioinformatic methods. Methods: We obtained transcriptomic data related to osteosarcoma and osteosarcoma with metastasis from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatment (TARGET) and The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases and identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We also identified potential key genes for osteosarcoma metastasis by a protein-protein interaction network analysis, and we conducted a Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis to identify the core genes for prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and drug sensitivity, and the risk prediction and prognosis models of metastasis were constructed. Results: By comparing the transcriptome data of osteosarcomas without metastasis and those with metastasis, a total of 19 core DEGs were identified, and the GO and KEGG analyses revealed an association between these DEGs and the regulation of cell division, secretory granule lumen, the Ras-associated protein 1 (Rap1) signaling pathway, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Compared with other immune cells, macrophage infiltration was predominant in osteosarcoma samples with metastatic osteosarcoma, and insulin-like growth factors-1 (IGF1) and myelocytomatosis protein 2 (MYC2) genes were predicted to more than 50 targeted therapeutic agents. A metastasis prediction model with 5 genes [i.e., ecotropic viral integration site 2B (EVI2B), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (CEBPA), lymphocyte cytosolic protein 2 (LCP2), selectin L (SELL), and Niemann-Pick disease, type C2A (NPC2A)], and a prognostic model with 4 genes [i.e., insulin-like growth factors-2 (IGF2), cathepsin O (CTSO), Niemann-Pick disease, type C2 (NPC2), and amyloid beta (A4) precursor protein-binding, family B, member 1 interacting protein (APBB1IP)] were developed. Conclusions: We constructed a metastasis prediction model with 5 genes (i.e., EVI2B, CEBPA, LCP2, SELL, and NPC2A), and a prognostic model with 4 genes (i.e., IGF2, CTSO, NPC2, and APBB1IP) that may be potential biomarkers for osteosarcoma metastasis. Macrophages are the predominant immune infiltrating cells in osteosarcoma metastasis and may provide a new direction for the treatment of osteosarcoma.
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Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common diseases in elderly people; however, the correlation between molecular alterations and the occurrence and progression of OA are still not well understood. We conducted this study to investigate the molecular changes in OA via the competing endogenous ribonucleic acid (ceRNA) network. Methods: We downloaded the messenger RNA (mRNA) data set, GSE48556, the microRNA (miRNA) data set, GSE105027, and the long non-coding (lncRNA) data set, GSE126963 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and examined the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in these data sets. Further, we constructed a ceRNA network of the differentially expressed miRNAs, mRNAs, and lncRNAs. To determine the biological functions of the ceRNA network, we performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional enrichment analyses. Finally, we conducted an immune cell infiltration analysisusing single-sample gene set enrichment analysis to examine the abundance of immune cells in healthy and OA patients, and compared the infiltration of 28 immune cells between the healthy and OA samples. We also analyzed the relationship between the abundance of immune cells and mRNA expression levels in the ceRNA network. Results: Ultimately hsa-mir-425-3p, dual specificity phosphatase 1, and 24 lncRNAs were identified in the ceRNA network. The functional enrichment analyses showed that these lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs are involved in various significant biological process, such as the regulation of leukocyte migration, Mitogen-Activated Protein (MAP) kinase tyrosine/serine/threonine phosphatase activity, the interleukin-17 signaling pathway, the tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, and osteoclast differentiation, and can also have a strong effect on immune cell infiltration. Conclusions: The dual-specificity phosphatase 1-specific ceRNA network can be used as a diagnostic tool to assess the progression of OA patients.
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BACKGROUND: The immune microenvironment plays an essential role in osteosarcoma (OSs); however, differences in immune-related long non-coding ribonucleic acids (irlncRNAs) in children with localized OSs and metastatic OSs have not yet been investigated. METHODS: The clinical data and the transcriptome of OSs were obtained from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database, and the immune-related genes were derived from the imported dataset. The correlations between immune-related genes and lncRNAs were examined. Next, the differential expressions of the irlncRNA pairs (IRLPs) in localized OSs and distant metastatic OSs were analyzed, and a prognostic model was constructed based on the significant differentially expressed IRLPs. We also analyzed the association between the IRLPs' signature risk score and the infiltration of the immune cells. Finally, we investigated the correlation between risk score and drug resistance. RESULTS: Thirty upregulated and 22 downregulated lncRNAs were identified in the localized and metastatic OSs samples. Univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses were undertaken to select 6 lncRNA pairs to establish the prognostic signature, the model was valuable in predicting OSs prognosis. Further, the expression of the finally selected irlncRNAs indicated that VPS9D1-AS1 (P=0.031), AP003086.2 (P=0.041), AL031847.1 (P=0.008), AL020997.3 (P=0.020), AC011444.1 (P=0.025), and AC006449.2 (P=0.003) were significantly upregulated in metastasis patients, but USP27X-AS1 (P=0.046), AL008721.2 (P=0.005), AC002091.1 (P=0.033), and AL118558.4 (P=0.049) were significantly overexpressed in localized patients. The overexpression of AC002091.1 (P=0.038) and AL118558.4 (P=0.004) resulted in better overall survival, but the upregulation of AC011444.1 (P=0.045), AL031847.1 (P=0.020), VPS9D1-AS1 (P=0.039), and AC006449.2 (0.006) led to a poor outcome. Differences in immune cell infiltration indicated that metastatic patients and localized have significant difference of 4 (CD4) T cells (P=0.006), monocytes (P=0.029), activated mast cells (P=0.018), and neutrophils (P=0.026), and a high abundance of activated dendritic cells (P=0.010) and activated mast cells (P=0.049) resulted in poor prognosis. Patients in the high-risk-score group were resistant to axitinib, but sensitive to dasatinib, bortezomib, and cisplatin. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, IRLPs were used to construct a novel and practical model for predicting the prognosis of localized and metastatic OSs in children.
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OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of spinal pedicle screw internal fixation through endoscope-assisted posterior approach for the treatment of traumatic atlantoaxial instability. METHODS: Between September 2008 and September 2010, 44 patients with traumatic atlantoaxial instability received spinal pedicle screw internal fixation through endoscope-assisted posterior operation (micro-invasive surgical therapy group, n=22) or traditional surgical therapy (control group, n=22). There was no significant difference in gender, age, type of injury, disease duration, and preoperative Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score between 2 groups (P > 0.05). The blood loss, operation time, length of the incision, improvement rate of JOA, and graft fusion rates were compared between 2 groups to assess the clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The blood loss, operation time, and length of the incision in the micro-invasive surgical therapy group were better than those in control group (P < 0.05). All incisions were primary healing. Of 88 pedicle screws, 7 pedicle screws penetrated into the interior walls of cervical transverse foramen in the micro-invasive surgical therapy group and 8 in the control group, but there was no syndrome of vertebral artery injury. All patients of the 2 groups were followed up 12 to 37 months (mean, 26 months). Bony fusion was achieved in all cases within 3 to 12 months (mean, 5.3 months). No loosening or breakage of screw occurred. At 6 months to 1 year after operation, the internal fixator was removed in 6 cases and the function of head and neck rotary movement were almost renewed. The JOA score was significantly improved at last follow-up when compared with preoperative score (P < 0.05), and no significant difference in JOA score and improvement rate between the 2 groups at last follow-up (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The micro-invasive surgical therapy can acquire the same effectiveness to the traditional surgical therapy in immediate recovery of stability, high graft fusion rate, and less complication. Moreover, it can significantly reduce the operation time, blood loss, and soft tissue injury, so this approach may be an ideal way of internal fixation to treat traumatic atlantoaxial instability.
