Dr Ming Yang

Background: Asthma exacerbations are associated with heightened asthma symptoms, which can result in hospitalization in severe cases. However, the molecular immunologic processes that determine the course of an exacerbation remain poorly understood, impeding the progression of development of effective therapies. Objective: Our aim was to identify candidate genes that are strongly associated with asthma exacerbation at a cellular level. Methods: Subjects with asthma exacerbation and healthy control subjects were recruited, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was isolated from these subjects via bronchoscopy. Cells were isolated through fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on enriched cell populations. Results: We showed that the levels of monocytes, CD8 T cells, and macrophages are significantly elevated in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients. A set of cytokines and intracellular transduction regulators are associated with asthma exacerbations and are shared across multiple cell clusters, forming a complicated molecular framework. An additional group of core exacerbation-associated modules is activated, including eukaryotic initiation factor 2 signaling, ephrin receptor signaling, and C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 signaling in the subpopulations of CD8 T cells (C1-a) and monocyte clusters (C7 clusters), which are associated with infection. Conclusion: Our study identified a significant number of severe asthma¿associated genes that are differentially expressed by multiple cell clusters. + +

Airway epithelial cells (AECs) play a key role in asthma susceptibility and severity. Integrin ß4 (ITGB4) is a structural adhesion molecule that is down-regulated in the airway epithelium of asthma patients. Although a few studies hint toward the role of ITGB4 in asthmatic inflammation pathogenesis, their specific resultant effects remain unexplored. In the present study, we determined the role of ITGB4 of AECs in the regulation of Th2 response and identified the underpinning molecular mechanisms. We found that ITGB4 deficiency led to exaggerated lung inflammation and AHR with higher production of CCL17 in house dust mite (HDM)-treated mice. ITGB4 regulated CCL17 production in AECs through EGFR, ERK and NF-¿B pathways. EFGR-antagonist treatment or the neutralization of CCL17 both inhibited exaggerated pathological marks in HDM-challenged ITGB4-deficient mice. Together, these results demonstrated the involvement of ITGB4 deficiency in the development of Th2 responses of allergic asthma by down-regulation of EGFR and CCL17 pathway in AECs.

Severe RSV infection is the main cause of hospitalization to children under the age of five. The regulation of miRNAs on the severity of RSV infection is unclear. The aim of the study was to identify the critical differential expression miRNAs (DE miRNAs) that can regulate the pathological response in RSV-infected airway epithelial cells. In this study, miRNA and mRNA chips of RSV-infected airway epithelia from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were screened and analysed, separately. DE miRNAs-targeted genes were performed for further pathway and process enrichment analysis. DE miRNA-targeted gene functional network was constructed on the basis of miRNA-mRNA interaction. The screened critical miRNA was also investigated by bioinformatics analysis. Then, RSV-infected human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) were constructed to verify the expression of the DE miRNAs. Finally, specific synthetic DE miRNAs mimics were used to confirm the effect of DE miRNAs on the RSV-infected HBECs. 45 DE miRNAs were identified from GEO62306 dataset. Our results showed that hsa-mir-34b-5p and hsa-mir-34c-5p decreased significantly in HBECs after RSV infection. Consistent with the biometric analysis, hsa-mir-34b/c-5p is involved in the regulation of mucin expression gene MUC5AC. In RSV-infected HBECs, the inducement of MUC5AC production by decreased hsa-mir-34b/c-5p was partly mediated through activation of c-Jun. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism of mucus obstruction after RSV infection and represent valuable targets for RSV infection and airway obstruction treatment.

Background: Acute exacerbations of asthma represent a major burden of disease and are often caused by respiratory infections. Viral infections are recognized as significant triggers of exacerbations; however, less is understood about the how microbial bioproducts such as the endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide (LPS)) trigger episodes. Indeed, increased levels of LPS have been linked to asthma onset, severity and steroid resistance. Objective: The goal of this study was to identify mechanisms underlying bacterial-induced exacerbations by employing LPS as a surrogate for infection. Methods: We developed a mouse model of LPS-induced exacerbation on the background of pre-existing type-2 allergic airway disease (AAD). Results: LPS-induced exacerbation was characterized by steroid-resistant airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and an exaggerated inflammatory response distinguished by increased numbers of infiltrating neutrophils/macrophages and elevated production of lung inflammatory cytokines, including TNFa, IFN¿, IL-27 and MCP-1. Expression of the type-2 associated inflammatory factors such as IL-5 and IL-13 were elevated in AAD but not altered by LPS exposure. Furthermore, AHR and airway inflammation were no longer suppressed by corticosteroid (dexamethasone) treatment after LPS exposure. Depletion of pulmonary macrophages by administration of 2-chloroadenosine into the lungs suppressed AHR and reduced IL-13, TNFa and IFN¿ expression. Blocking IL-13 function, through either IL-13-deficiency or administration of specific blocking antibodies, also suppressed AHR and airway inflammation. Conclusions & Clinical Relevance: We present evidence that IL-13 and innate immune pathways (in particular pulmonary macrophages) contribute to LPS-induced exacerbation of pre-existing AAD and provide insight into the complex molecular processes potentially underlying microbial-induced exacerbations.

Airway epithelial cells play a significant role in the pathogenesis of asthma. Although the structural and functional defects of airway epithelial cells have been postulated to increase asthma susceptibility and exacerbate asthma severity, the mechanism and implication of these defects remain uncertain. Integrin ß4 (ITGB4) is a structural adhesion molecule that is downregulated in the airway epithelium of asthma patients. In this study, we demonstrated that ITGB4 deficiency leads to severe allergy-induced airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) in mice. After house dust mite (HDM) challenge, epithelial cell-specific ITGB4-deleted mice showed increased lymphocyte, eosinophil, and neutrophil infiltration into lung compared with that of the wild-type mice. ITGB4 deficiency also resulted in increased expression of the Th2 cytokine IL-4, IL-13, and the Th17 cytokine IL-17A in the lung tissue and in the T cells after HDM challenge. The aggravated inflammation in ITGB4 defect mice was partly caused by enhanced disrupted epithelial barrier integrity after HDM stress, which induced the increased thymic stromal lymphopoietin secretion from airway epithelial cells. This study therefore demonstrates that ITGB4 plays a pivotal role in containing allergen-mediated lung inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness in allergic asthma.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection induces asthma exacerbations, which leads to worsening of clinical symptoms and may result in a sustained decline in lung function. Exacerbations are the main cause of morbidity and mortality associated with asthma, and significantly contribute to asthma-associated healthcare costs. Although glucocorticoids are used to manage exacerbations, some patients respond to them poorly. The underlying mechanisms associated with steroid-resistant exacerbations remain largely unknown. We have previously established a mouse model of RSV-induced exacerbation of allergic airways disease, which mimics hallmark clinical features of asthma. In this study, we have identified key roles for macrophage IFN-¿ and IL-27 in the regulation of RSV-induced exacerbation of allergic airways disease. Production of IFN-¿ and IL-27 was steroid-resistant, and neutralization of IFN-¿ or IL-27 significantly suppressed RSV-induced steroid-resistant airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation. We have previously implicated activation of pulmonary macrophage by TNF-a and/or MCP-1 in the mechanisms of RSV-induced exacerbation. Stimulation of pulmonary macrophages with TNF-a and/or MCP-1 induced expression of both IFN-¿ and IL-27. Our findings highlight critical roles for IFN-¿ and IL-27, downstream of TNF-a and MCP-1, in the mechanism of RSV-induced exacerbation. Thus, targeting the pathways that these factors activate may be a potential therapeutic approach for virus-induced asthma exacerbations.

Severe asthma has significant disease burden and results in high healthcare costs. While existing therapies are effective for the majority of asthma patients, treatments for individuals with severe asthma are often ineffective. Mouse models are useful to identify mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis and for the preclinical assessment of new therapies. In fact, existing mouse models have contributed significantly to our understanding of allergic/eosinophilic phenotypes of asthma and facilitated the development of novel targeted therapies (e.g. anti-IL-5 and anti-IgE). These therapies are effective in relevant subsets of severe asthma patients. Unfortunately, non-allergic/non-eosinophilic asthma, steroid resistance and disease exacerbation remain areas of unmet clinical need. No mouse model encompasses all features of severe asthma. However, mouse models can provide insight into pathogenic pathways that are relevant to severe asthma. In this review, as examples, we highlight models relevant to understanding steroid resistance, chronic tissue remodelling and disease exacerbation. Although these models highlight the complexity of the immune pathways that may underlie severe asthma, they also provide insight into new potential therapeutic approaches.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. However, we know little of mutational spectrum in the Chinese population. Thus, here we report the identification of somatic mutations for Chinese PTC using 402 tumor-normal pairs (Discovery: 91 pairs via exome sequencing; validation: 311 pairs via Sanger sequencing). We observed three distinct mutational signatures, evidently different from the two mutational signatures among Caucasian PTCs. Ten significantly mutated genes were identified, most previously uncharacterized. Notably, we found that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) GAS8-AS1 is the secondary most frequently altered gene and acts as a novel tumor suppressor in PTC. As a mutation hotspot, the c.713A>G/714T>C dinucleotide substitution was found among 89.1% patients with GAS8-AS1 mutations and associated with advanced PTC disease (P = 0.009). Interestingly, the wild-type lncRNA GAS8-AS1 (A T ) showed consistently higher capability to inhibit cancer cell growth compared to the mutated lncRNA (G C ). Further studies also elucidated the oncogene nature of the G protein-coupled receptor LPAR4 and its c.872T>G (p.Ile291Ser) mutation in PTC malignant transformation. The BRAF c.1799T>A (p.Val600Glu) substitution was present in 59.0% Chinese PTCs, more frequently observed in patients with lymph node metastasis (P = 1.6 × 10-4). Together our study defines a exome mutational spectrum of PTC in the Chinese population and highlights lncRNA GAS8-AS1 and LPAR4 as potential diagnostics and therapeutic targets. 713 714 713 714

As a well-known oncogene, B cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) can promote cancer cell survival through preventing their apoptosis. Several functional BCL-2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), such as rs2279115, rs1801018, and rs1564483, have been identified and might contribute to cancer susceptibility. However, the involvement of these SNPs in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) was still unclear. As a result, we investigated associations between these three genetic variants and SCLC risk in a case-control design. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets consisted of 520 SCLC patients and 1040 controls from two medical centers. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95¿% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated utilizing unconditional logistic regression. We found that only BCL-2 rs2279115 genetic variant significantly contributed to decreased SCLC risk in Chinese Han populations, with the rs2279115 A allele as the protective allele. Stratified analyses of association between BCL2 rs2279115 SNP and SCLC risk indicated that the functional polymorphism was only significantly associated with decreased risk of the limited stage SCLC but not the extensive stage disease. Our results indicate that the BCL-2 rs2279115 genetic variant was associated with SCLC risk in Chinese populations and support the hypothesis that SNPs in regulatory regions of oncogenes might contribute to cancer susceptibility.

A novel, green, and atom-economical boric acid catalyzed direct amidation without the use of any coupling agents for the preparation of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and SAHA-based inhibitors targeting anti-proliferation of cancer cells is provided. The new SAHA-based inhibitor B123, when used alone, exhibited higher anti-proliferative activities than SAHA or Cisplatin against a number of human cancer cells. We have examined the effect of combination of these SAHA-based inhibitors with Cisplatin. We found synergistic effects of the combination of SAHA-based inhibitors with Cisplatin over a wide range of concentrations against human liver cancer cells HepG2 and two human lung cancer cell lines H1299 and H460. This synergism leads up to 8-fold of dose reduction for Cisplatin in the combination with our synthesized inhibitor B123 against H1299.

Nucleic acid-based gene therapy is a promising treatment option to cure numerous intractable diseases. For non-viral gene carriers, low-molecular-weight polymeric vectors generally demonstrate poor transfection performance, but benefit their final removals from the body. Recently, it was reported that aminated poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) is one potential gene vector. Based on ethylenediamine (ED)-functionalized low-molecular-weight PGMA (denoted by PGED), a flexible strategy was herein proposed to design new well-defined reducible cationic nanogels (denoted by PGED-NGs) with friendly crosslinking reagents for highly efficient nucleic acid delivery. a-Lipoic acid (LA), one natural antioxidant in human body, was readily introduced into ED-functionalized PGMA and crosslinked to produce cationic PGED-NGs with plentiful reducible lipoyl groups. PGED-NGs could effectively complex plasmid DNA (pDNA) and short interfering RNA (siRNA). Compared with pristine PGED, PGED-NGs exhibited much better performance of pDNA transfection. PGED-NGs also could efficiently transport MALAT1 siRNA (siR-M) into hepatoma cells and significantly suppressed the cancer cell proliferation and migration. The present work indicated that reducible cationic nanogels involving LA crosslinking reagents are one kind of competitive candidates for high-performance nucleic acid delivery systems. Statement of Significance Recently, the design of new types of high-performance nanoparticles is of great significance in delivering therapeutics. Nucleic acid-based therapy is a promising treatment option to cure numerous intractable diseases. A facile and straightforward strategy to fabricate safe nucleic acid delivery nanovectors is highly desirable. In this work, based on ethylenediamine-functionalized low-molecular-weight poly(glycidyl methacrylate), a flexible strategy was proposed to design new well-defined reducible cationic nanogels (denoted by PGED-NGs) with a-Lipoic acid, one friendly crosslinking reagent, for highly efficient nucleic acid delivery. Such PGED-NGs possess plentiful reducible lipoyl groups, effectively encapsulated pDNA and siRNA and exhibited excellent abilities of nucleic acid delivery. The present work indicated that reducible cationic nanogels involving a-lipoic acid crosslinking reagents are one kind of competitive candidates for high-performance nucleic acid delivery systems.

The chromosome 5p15.33 TERT-CLPTM1L region has been identified by genome-wide association studies as a susceptibility locus of multiple malignancies. However, the involvement of this locus in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) development is still largely unclear. We fine-mapped the TERT-CLPTM1L region through genotyping 15 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) using a two stage case-control strategy. After analyzing 2098 ESCC patients and frequency-matched 2150 unaffected controls, we found that rs2853691, rs2736100 and rs451360 genetic polymorphisms are significantly associated with ESCC risk in Chinese (all P < 0.05). Reporter gene assays indicated that the ESCC susceptibility SNP rs2736100 locating in a potential TERT intronic promoter has a genotype-specific effect on TERT expression. Similarly, the CLPTM1L rs451360 SNP also showed allelic impacts on gene expression. After measuring TERT and CLPTM1L expression in sixty-six pairs of esophageal cancer and normal tissues, we observed that the rs2736100 G risk allele carriers showed elevated oncogene TERT expression. Also, subjects with the rs451360 protective T allele had much lower oncogene CLPTM1L expression than those with G allele in tissue specimens. Results of these analyses underline the complexity of genetic regulation of telomere biology and further support the important role of telomerase in carcinogenesis. Our data also support the involvement of CLPTM1L in ESCC susceptibility.

Viral respiratory infections trigger severe exacerbations of asthma, worsen disease symptoms, and impair lung function. To investigate the mechanisms underlying viral exacerbation, we established a mouse model of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-induced exacerbation after allergen sensitization and challenge. RSV infection of OVA-sensitized/challenged BALB/c mice resulted in significantly increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and macrophage and neutrophil lung infiltration. Exacerbation was accompanied by increased levels of inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-a, MCP-1, and keratinocyte-derived protein chemokine [KC]) compared with uninfected OVA-treated mice or OVA-treated mice exposed to UV-inactivated RSV. Dexamethasone treatment completely inhibited all features of allergic disease, including AHR and eosinophil infiltration, in uninfected OVAsensitized/challenged mice. Conversely, dexamethasone treatment following RSV-induced exacerbation only partially suppressed AHR and failed to dampen macrophage and neutrophil infiltration or inflammatory cytokine production (TNF-a, MCP-1, and KC). This mimics clinical observations in patients with exacerbations, which is associated with increased neutrophils and often poorly responds to corticosteroid therapy. Interestingly, we also observed increased TNF-a levels in sputum samples from patients with neutrophilic asthma. Although RSV-induced exacerbation was resistant to steroid treatment, inhibition of TNF-a and MCP-1 function or depletion of macrophages suppressed features of disease, including AHR and macrophage and neutrophil infiltration. Our findings highlight critical roles for macrophages and inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-a and MCP-1) in viral-induced exacerbation of asthma and suggest examination of these pathways as novel therapeutic approaches for disease management.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that regulate a broad spectrum of biological processes, including immune responses. Although the contributions of miRNAs to the function of immune cells are beginning to emerge, their specific roles remain largely unknown. IL-33 plays an important role in macrophage activation for innate host defense and proinflammatory responses. In this study, we report that miR-487b can suppress the levels of mRNA and protein for IL-33 during the differentiation of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). This results in inhibition of IL-33-induced expression of Ag-presenting and costimulatory molecules and proinflammatory mediators. A luciferase assay showed that miR-487b binds to the IL-33 39-untranslated region. We also confirmed that IL-33 directly promotes the activation of BMDMs by increasing the expression of MHC class I, MHC class II, CD80/CD86, and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in a dose-dependent manner. Exposure of BMDMs to the TLR4 ligand, LPS, decreased miR-487b expression, increased IL-33 transcript levels, and induced the production of proinflammatory mediators (e.g., iNOS, IL-1b, IL-6, and TNF-a). Treatment with a specific inhibitor of miR-487b function also resulted in increased levels of IL-33 mRNA, which augmented LPS-induced expression of these inflammatory mediators in macrophages. Collectively, our results indicate that miR-487b plays a negative regulatory role in macrophages by controlling the levels of IL-33 transcript and protein to fine-tune innate immune host defense and proinflammatory responses of these cells. Thus, miR-487b plays an important role in the regulation of macrophage homeostasis and activation by targeting IL-33 transcripts.

Lung carcinoma is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and threats human life and health. In clinical practice, gefitinib, one of the most well-known epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, was frequently used in the treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma. However, this drug is not useful for all non-small cell patients. In this study, the biomarkers were found out to predict the therapeutic effects of gefitinib for lung carcinoma patients. Serum samples were collected from patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) was conducted to obtain the metabolic data for each patient. Partial least squares-discriminate analysis (PLS-DA) was performed to indicate the differences between metabolites of patients, and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to eliminate the interference of the patient's gender, age, smoking history and disease stage. Thus, differential biomarkers were found. The combination of these biomarkers was statistically significant predictors based on progression-free survival. If these biomarkers can be further confirmed by the clinic, it could suggest the proper therapeutic schedule, and help to reduce patients¿ economic burden and medication side effects.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers. Maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3, one kind of long noncoding RNA [lncRNA]) can act as a tumor suppressor and regulate P53 target gene expression. However, lncRNA MEG3 demonstrates relatively low or no expression in human HCC. This study provides a promising concept to codeliver lncRNA and pDNA for cancer therapy. As proof-of-concept, the pcDNA-MEG3 and pcDNA-P53 plasmids-condensed nanocomplexes with the liver-targeting polycation gene vector, pullulan-based ethanolamine-modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (denoted as PuPGEA), are proposed to codeliver lncRNA and pDNA to treat HCC. Pullulan-containing nanovectors are shown to be able to effectively mediate gene delivery in liver cells. To assess gene delivery performances of PuPGEA, a series of assays such as in vitro gene transfection, HCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, matrigel transwell assays, and in vivo xenograft animal models are carried out. The codelivery system with PuPGEA/(MEG3+P53) nanocomplexes demonstrates additive effects in suppressing HCC compared to PuPGEA/MEG3 or PuPGEA/P53 nanocomplexes alone. These results suggest that codelivery of lncRNA and pDNA by polycation nanovectors is a promising method to treat cancers.

Accumulated evidences demonstrated that GLB1 is involved in cell senescence and cancer development. The GLB1 rs4678680 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been identified as a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility polymorphism by a genome-wide association study in Korean population previously. However, little or nothing was known about its involvement and functional significance in hepatitis B viruses (HBV)-related HCC in Chinese. Therefore, we investigated the association between the GLB1 rs4678680 SNP and HBV-related HCC risk as well as its biological function in vivo. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets from two medical centers of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. The potential regulation role the rs4678680 genetic variant on GLB1 expression was examined with HCC and normal liver tissues. We found that The rs4678680 G allele was showed to be risk allele; individuals with the TG genotype had an OR of 1.51 (95% CI = 1.10-2.07, P = 0.010, Shandong set) or 1.49 (95% CI = 1.11-1.99, P = 0.008, Jiangsu set) for developing HBV-related HCC, respectively, compared with individuals with the TT genotype. This association was more pronounced in males, individuals aged older than 57 years and drinkers (all P < 0.05). In the genotype-phenotype correlation analyses of fifty-six human liver tissue samples, rs4678680 TG or GG was associated with a statistically significant increase of GLB1 mRNA expression (P < 0.05). Our data indicated that the GLB1 rs4678680 SNP contributes to susceptibility to develop HBV-related HCC, highlighting the involvement of GLB1 and cell senescence in etiology of HCC.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables been shown to possess anticarcinogenic activities in lung malignances. We previously found sulforaphene (4-methylsufinyl-3-butenyl isothiocyanate, SFE), one new kind of isothiocyanates, existing in a relative high abundance in radish seeds. An efficient methodology based on macroporous resin and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography was developed to isolate SFE in reasonably large quantities, high purity and low cost. However, it is still largely unclear whether SFE could function as an antineoplastic compound, especially in lung cancer. In this study, we systematically investigated the anti-cancer effects of SFE in vitro as well as its possible underling molecular mechanisms in lung cancer. The acute toxicity tests and pharmacokinetics tests for SFE were performed to evaluate its drugability in mice. Also, we evaluated the in vivo anti-cancer effects of SFE using nude Balb/C mice with lung cancer xenograft. SFE can induce apoptosis of multiple lung cancer celllines and, thus, inhibited cancer cell proliferation. Lung cancer cells treated with SFE exhibit significant inhibition of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, including depressed PTEN expression and inhibition of AKT phosphoralation. At well-tolerated doses, administration of SFE to mice bearing lung cancer xenografts leads to significant inhibitions of tumor growth. In summary, our work identifies SFE as a novel natural broad-spectrum small molecule inhibitor for lung cancer.

Sulforaphene (SFE), a natural isothiocyanate, extracted from radish seeds is forcefully associated with cancer prevention. Nonetheless, the mechanism responsible for SFE-induced cell death is not understood. In the present study, one of the anti-cancer mechanisms of SFE was clarified in hepatocellular carcinoma. SFE exerted cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner and led to apoptotic cell death in HepG2 and SMMC7721. After SFE treatment, a large number of spherical cells were suspended in the medium, and the phenomenon was not associated with EMT. We speculated that the phenomenon should be connected with anoikis. A proteomics study revealed that levels of some proteins including Keratin 8 (KRT8) and Enolase1 (ENO1), etc. were changed in SFE treated cells compared to an untreated control. We had further confirmed that SFE reduced the expression of Keratin 8 and Keratin 18 (K8/18) typically co-expressed as the primary keratin pair with western blotting. What's more, K8/18 loss increased the level of Fas and decreased the level of the inhibitory protein cFLIP. Interestingly, we showed that SFE-treated cells lost cell-matrix interactions without inducing metastasis and increased the apoptosis ratio in a suspension culture model as well as the K8/18 siRNA-treated cell. Taken together, these findings suggest that keratin 8 plays a role in mediating SFE-induced Fas-related death in hepatocellular carcinoma. And our findings present the first evidence that SFE decreased the resistance to anoikis in liver cancer cell lines.

TERT is the catalytic subunit of telomerase which plays an essential part in cellular immortality by maintaining telomere integrity. TERT is commonly over-expressed in human malignancies, indicating its key role in cell transformation. The chromosome 5p15.33 TERT-CLPTM1L region has been associated with susceptibility of multiple cancers via a genome-wide association approach. However, the involvement of this locus in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) etiology is still largely unknown. We analyzed 15 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) of the TERT-CLPTM1L region in a two stage case-control design. After genotyping 2300 PTC patients and frequency-matched 2300 unaffected controls, we found that TERT rs2736100 genetic variant is significantly associated with elevated PTC risk. Ex vivo reporter gene assays indicated that the PTC susceptibility rs2736100 polymorphism locating in a potential TERT intronic enhancer has a genotype-specific effect on TERT expression. Correlations between rs2736100 genotypes and tissue-specific TERT expression supported the regulatory function of this genetic variant in vivo. Our data demonstrated that the functional TERT rs2736100 SNP as a novel genetic component of PTC etiology. This study, together with recent studies in other cancers, unequivocally establishes an essential role of TERT in cancers.

Metallopeptidase 13 (MMP13), a well-known and highly regulated zinc-dependent MMP collagenase, plays a crucial part in development and progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Therefore, we examined associations between ESCC susceptibility and four haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) using a two stage case-control strategy. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were computed by logistic regression model. After analyzing 1588 ESCC patients and frequency-matched 1600 unaffected controls, we found that MMP13 rs2252070 G > A genetic polymorphism is significantly associated with ESCC risk in Chinese Han populations (GA: OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.54-0.74, P = 1.7 × 10 , AA: OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.66-0.81, P = 1.8 × 10 ). Interestingly, the rs2252070 G-to-A change was shown to diminish a Sp1-binding site in ESCC cells. Reporter gene assays indicated that the rs2252070 A allele locating in a potential MMP13 promoter has low promoter activities. After measuring MMP13 gene expression in sixty-six pairs of esophageal cancer and normal tissues, we observed that the rs2252070 A protective allele carriers showed decreased oncogene MMP13 expression. Results of these analyses underline the support of the notion that MMP13 might function as a key oncogene in esophageal carcinogenesis. -6 -6

The role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) and its functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is still largely unclear. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of lncRNA HOTAIR and its three haplotype-tagging SNPs (htSNPs) in PTC. There was higher expression of HOTAIR in PTC tissues compared to normal tissues. A series of gain-loss assays demonstrated that HOTAIR acts as a PTC oncogene via promoting tumorigenic properties of PTC cells. Additionally, the functional HOTAIR rs920778 genetic variant was a PTC susceptibility SNP. Subjects with the HOTAIR rs920778 TT genotype had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.88, 1.25 and 1.61 (P = 6.0 × 10 , P = 0.028 and P = 3.2 × 10 ) for developing PTC in Shandong, Jiangsu and Jilin case-control sets compared with subjects with the CC genotype. This statistically significant associations were only found between the rs920778 genetic polymorphism and PTC risk in females but not in males. The allele-specific regulation on HOTAIR expression by the rs920778 SNP was confirmed both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that functional SNPs influencing lncRNA regulation may explain a part of PTC genetic basis. -6 -5

Limited evidence is available about the specific miRNA networks that regulate differentiation of specific immune cells. In this study, we characterized miRNA expression and associated alterations in expression with putative mRNA targets that are critical during differentiation of macrophages. In an effort to map the dynamic changes in the bone marrow (BM), we profiled whole BM cultures during differentiation into macrophages. We identified 112 miRNAs with expression patterns that were differentially regulated 5-fold or more during BMDM development. With TargetScan and MeSH databases, we identified 1267 transcripts involved in 30 canonical pathways linked to macrophage biology as potentially regulated by these specific 112 miRNAs. Furthermore, by employing miRanda and Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA) analysis systems, we identified 18 miRNAs that are temporally linked to the expression of CSF1R, CD36, MSR1 and SCARB1; 7 miRNAs linked to the regulation of the transcription factors RUNX1 and PU.1, and 14 miRNAs target the nuclear receptor PPARa and PPAR¿. This novel information provides an important reference resource for further study of the functional links between miRNAs and their target mRNAs for the regulation of differentiation and function of macrophages.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have provided many insights into cancer genetics. However, the molecular mechanisms of many susceptibility SNPs defined by GWASs in cancer heritability and in promoting cancer risk remain elusive. New research strategies, including functional evaluations, are warranted to systematically explore truly causal genetic variants. In this study, we developed an integrative functional genomics methodology to identify cancer susceptibility SNPs in transcription factor-binding sites across the whole genome. Employing integration of functional genomic data from c-Myc cistromics, 1000 Genomes, and the TRANSFAC matrix, we successfully annotated 12 SNPs present in the c-Myc cistrome with properties consistent with modulating c-Myc binding affinity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). After genotyping these 12 SNPs in 1,806 HBV-related HCC case subjects and 1,708 control subjects, we identified a HCC susceptibility SNP, rs157224G>T, in Chinese populations (T allele: odds ratio = 1.64, 95% confidence interval = 1.32¿2.02; p = 5.2¿× 10 ). This polymorphism leads to HCC predisposition through modifying c-Myc-mediated transcriptional regulation of EPB41, with the risk rs157224T allele showing significantly decreased gene expression. Based on cell proliferation, wound healing, and transwell assays as well as the mouse xenograft model, we identify EPB41 as a HCC susceptibility gene in¿vitro and in¿vivo. Consistent with this notion, we note that EPB41 expression is significantly decreased in HCC tissue specimens, especially in portal vein metastasis or intrahepatic metastasis, compared to normal tissues. Our results highlight the involvement of regulatory genetic variants in HCC and provide pathogenic insights of this malignancy via a genome-wide approach. -6

Sulforaphene (SFE, 4-methylsufinyl-3-butenyl isothiocyanate) is a member of isothiocyanates, which is derived from radish seeds. It has shown that multiple isothiocyanates, such as sulforaphane, can effectively inhibit cancer cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. However, it is still largely unknown if SFE could impact breast cancer. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effects of SFE on triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) via a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. We found that SFE can significantly inhibit cell proliferation in multiple TNBC cell lines through inducing G2/M phase arrest as well as cell apoptosis. Nude mice xenograft assays support the anti-TNBC role of SFE in vivo. Interestingly, SFE can repress expression of cyclinB1, Cdc2, and phosphorylated Cdc2, and, then, induced G2/M phase arrest of TNBC cells. To identify SFE target genes, we detected genome-wide gene expression changes through gene expression profiling and observed 27 upregulated and 18 downregulated genes in MDA-MB-453 cells treated with SFE. Among these genes, Egr1 was successfully validated as a consistently activated gene after SFE treatment in TNBC MDA-MB-453 and MDA-MB-436 cells. Egr1 overexpression inhibited proliferation of TNBC cells. However, Egr1 knockdown using siRNAs significantly promoted TNBC cell growth, indicating the tumor suppressor nature of Egr1. In sum, we for the first time found that SFE might be a potential anti-TNBC natural compound and its antiproliferation effects might be mediated by tumor suppressor Egr1.

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) acts as an oncogene in gastric cancer development. HOTAIR could induce genome-wide retargeting of polycomb-repressive complex 2, trimethylates histone H3 lysine-27 (H3K27me3) and deregulation of multiple downstream genes. Additionally, as the ceRNA of miR-331-3p, HOTAIR may modulate HER2 deregulation in gastric cancer cells. We hypothesized that the functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in HOTAIR may affect HOTAIR expression and/or its function and, thus, gastric cancer risk. We examined the association between three haplotype-tagging SNPs (htSNP) across the whole HOTAIR locus and gastric cancer risk as well as the functional relevance of a gastric cancer susceptibility SNP rs920778. Genotypes were determined in two independent hospital-based case-control sets that consisted of 800 gastric cancer patients and 1600 controls. The allele-specific regulation on HOTAIR expression by the rs920778 SNP was examined in vitro and in vivo. We found that the HOTAIR rs920778 TT carriers had a 1.66- and 1.87-fold increased gastric cancer risk in Jinan and Huaian populations compared with the CC carriers (P=4.2×10 and 6.5×10 ). During inspecting functional relevance of the rs920778 SNP, we observed an allelic regulation of rs920778 on HOTAIR expression in both gastric cancer cell lines and tissue samples, with higher HOTAIR expression among T allele carriers. These findings elucidate that functional genetic variants influencing lncRNA expression may explain a portion of gastric cancer genetic basis. -4 -5

Background Steroid-resistant asthma is a major clinical problem that is linked to activation of innate immune cells. Levels of IFN-¿ and LPS are often increased in these patients. Cooperative signaling between IFN-¿/LPS induces macrophage-dependent steroid-resistant airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in mouse models. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate the function of innate immune cells by controlling mRNA stability and translation. Their role in regulating glucocorticoid responsiveness and AHR remains unexplored. Objective IFN-¿ and LPS synergistically increase the expression of miR-9 in macrophages and lung tissue, suggesting a role in the mechanisms of steroid resistance. Here we demonstrate the role of miR-9 in IFN-¿/LPS-induced inhibition of dexamethasone (DEX) signaling in macrophages and in induction of steroid-resistant AHR. Methods MiRNA-9 expression was assessed by means of quantitative RT-PCR. Putative miR-9 targets were determined in silico and confirmed in luciferase reporter assays. miR-9 function was inhibited with sequence-specific antagomirs. The efficacy of DEX was assessed by quantifying glucocorticoid receptor (GR) cellular localization, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity, and AHR. Results Exposure of pulmonary macrophages to IFN-¿/LPS synergistically induced miR-9 expression; reduced levels of its target transcript, protein phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit B (B56) d isoform; attenuated PP2A activity; and inhibited DEX-induced GR nuclear translocation. Inhibition of miR-9 increased both PP2A activity and GR nuclear translocation in macrophages and restored steroid sensitivity in multiple models of steroid-resistant AHR. Pharmacologic activation of PP2A restored DEX efficacy and inhibited AHR. MiR-9 expression was increased in sputum of patients with neutrophilic but not those with eosinophilic asthma. Conclusion MiR-9 regulates GR signaling and steroid-resistant AHR. Targeting miR-9 function might be a novel approach for the treatment of steroid-resistant asthma.

As a well-known DNA repair gene, RAD52 plays an essential role in homologous recombination repair of double strand break, maintenance of genomic stability and prevention of cell malignant transformation. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified common genetic variants at 12p13.33 RAD52 locus associated with lung cancer risk in Caucasians. However, little or nothing has been known about the RAD52 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) in the Chinese population. As a result, we examined the association between six RAD52 SNPs (rs10849605, rs1051669, rs10774474, rs11571378, rs7963551 and rs6489769) and SCLC susceptibility in Chinese. After 520 SCLC cases and 1040 controls in two independent case-control sets were genotyped, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by logistic regression. We found that only the RAD52 rs7963551 SNP was significantly associated with SCLC risk among six RAD52 SNPs genotyped. The odds of having the rs7963551 CA genotype in SCLC patients was 0.38 (95% CI = 0.24-0.62, P = 1.1×10 ) compared with the CC genotype. Stratified analyses of association between rs7963551 SNP and SCLC risk indicated that the functional polymorphism was only significantly associated with decreased risk among smokers but not nonsmokers. Our results demonstrated that the functional RAD52 rs7963551 SNP contributes to susceptibility to developing SCLC in the Chinese population. -4

5S rRNA plays an important part in ribosome biology and is over-expression in multiple cancers. In this study, we found that 5S rRNA is a direct target of miR-150 and miR-383 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Overexpression of miR-150 and miR-383 inhibited ESCC cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, 5S rRNA silencing by miR-150 and miR-383 might intensify rpL11-c-Myc interaction, which attenuated role of c-Myc as an oncogenic transcriptional factor and dysregulation of multiple c-Myc target genes. Taken together, our results highlight the involvement of miRNAs in ribosomal regulation during tumorigenesis.

treRNA is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) involved in cancer progression. In this study, we show that miR-190a can silence treRNA post-transcriptionally. Suppression of treRNA by miR-190a led to significant changes of mesenchymal-epithelial transition markers and impaired migration and invasion capability of hepatoma cells. TCGA data indicated that miR-190a exhibited lower expression in hepatoma tissues, especially from patients with vascular tumor invasion, compared to normal tissues. Our results reveal the involvement of miR-190a-treRNA axis in hepatoma progression and shed light on lncRNA-based cancer therapies for hepatoma patients at high risk of metastasis.

Background: MALAT1, a highly conserved long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), acts as oncogene in multiple human cancers. Results: miR-101 and miR-217 can silenceMALAT1expression and then inhibit esophageal cancer proliferation, migration and invasion. Conclusion: Tumor suppressor miR-101 and miR-217 can negatively regulate MALAT1 expression. Significance: These data provide a new mechanism for MALAT1 regulation.

To explore the correlation between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status and the risk of brain metastasis (BM) in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, the clinical data of 100 patients with pathologically confirmed lung adenocarcinoma and known EGFR mutation status at exon 18, 19, 20, or 21 were analyzed retrospectively. The incidence of BM was similar between patients with wild-type EGFR and those with EGFR mutations (p¿=¿0.48). However, among patients with EGFR mutations, the incidence of BM was significantly higher in patients with mutation at exon 19 than in patients with mutation at other sites (p¿=¿0.007). Besides, among patients with heterochronous BM, 66.7¿% had EGFR mutations. Regarding brain-metastasis-free survival (BMFS), patients with EGFR sensitive mutations (mutation at exon 19/21/and dual mutation) had significantly shorter BMFS compared with patients with wild-type EGFR (p¿=¿0.018). For patients treated only with chemotherapy, BM was an unfavorable prognostic factor. Patients with BM had worse overall survival compared with those without BM (p¿=¿0.035). However, in patients with BM and EGFR sensitive mutations, those treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) had significantly longer overall survival compared with those treated with chemotherapy only (p¿=¿0.0081). In conclusion, among patients with EGFR mutations, those mutated at exon 19 had the highest incidence of BM. Furthermore, patients with EGFR mutations are more likely to develop heterochronous BM. The BMFS was significantly shorter in patients with EGFR sensitive mutations. TKIs improved the survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma and BM who harbored EGFR sensitive mutations.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the most significant contributors to tobacco-induced lung carcinogenesis. Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is a central enzyme in the removal of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites caused by DNA damaging agents. This study aimed to investigate the potential interaction of APEX1 polymorphisms and PAHs on genetic damage and lung cancer risk among male Chinese. We recruited an occupational cohort of 922 male coke oven workers and determined their DNA damage levels by calculating the lymphocytic micronucleus (MN) frequencies. Two well-studied APEX1 polymorphisms (-307A>C and Asp148Glu) and their associations with MN frequencies were examined. The impact of MN-related single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on lung cancer risk was further investigated in two case-control studies including 1634 male lung cancer patients and 1678 controls. It was shown that, the APEX1 148Glu allele was associated with significantly higher MN frequencies than 148Asp allele, with strongest associations among the highest PAH-exposure workers (P=0.008). The APEX1 148Glu allele was also associated with increased lung cancer risk among male smokers, especially among heavy smokers in both case-control studies (odd ratio: 4.40, 95%CI: 3.29-5.72). In addition, APEX1 148Glu variant interacts with smoking in increasing male lung cancer risk, as measured by the attributable proportion due to interaction, which was 0.23 (95%CI: 0.06-0.39). This study showed evidence on interaction between APEX1 148Glu variant and cigarette smoking in increasing lung cancer susceptibility among male Chinese, which may be due to the synergistic effects of APEX1 148Glu and PAHs in increasing chromosome damage levels. The results provide a new insight into gene-interactions in lung carcinogenesis.

As an important member in homologous recombination repair, RAD52 plays a crucial part in maintaining genomic stability and prevent carcinogenesis. Several cancer susceptibility RAD52 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified previously. However, little or nothing has been known about the RAD52 SNPs and their functional significance in hepatitis B viruses (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, we investigated the association between five RAD52 SNPs (rs1051669, rs10774474, rs11571378, rs7963551, and rs6489769) and HBV-related HCC risk as well as its biological function in vivo. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. The allele-specific regulation on RAD52 expression by the functional genetic variant was examined with normal liver tissues. We found that only the RAD52 rs7963551 SNP was significantly associated with HCC risk, with the odds of having the rs7963551 CC genotype in patients was 0.59 (95% CI=0.45-0.78, P=1.5×10^-4, HCC cases versus chronic HBV carriers) or 0.65 (95% CI=0.52-0.81, P=1.1×10^-4, HCC cases versus healthy controls) compared with the AA genotype. In the genotype-phenotype correlation analyses of 44 human liver tissue samples, rs7963551 CC or AC was associated with a statistically significant increase of RAD52 mRNA expression, which are consistent to functional relevance of allelic regulation of RAD52 expression by rs7963551 SNP and miRNA let-7 in cancer cells. Our data demonstrated that RAD52 functional rs7963551 SNP contributes to susceptibility to developing HCC.

Accumulated evidence demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a pivotal role in tumorigenesis. However, it is still largely unknown how these lncRNAs were regulated by small ncRNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), at the post-transcriptional level. We here use lncRNA HOTTIP as an example to study how miRNAs impact lncRNAs expression and its biological significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LncRNA HOTTIP is a vital oncogene in HCC, one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. In the current study, we identified miR-192 and miR-204 as two microRNAs (miRNAs) suppressing HOTTIP expression via the Argonaute 2 (AGO2)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) pathway in HCC. Interaction between miR-192 or miR-204 and HOTTIP were further confirmed using dual luciferase reporter gene assays. Consistent with this notion, a significant negative correlation between these miRNAs and HOTTIP exists in HCC tissue specimens. Interestingly, the dysregulation of the three ncRNAs was associated with overall survival of HCC patients. In addition, the posttranscriptional silencing of HOTTIP by miR-192, miR-204 or HOTTIP siRNAs could significantly suppress viability of HCC cells. On the contrary, antagonizing endogenous miR-192 or miR-204 led to increased HOTTIP expression and stimulated cell proliferation. In vivo mouse xenograft model also support the tumor suppressor role of both miRNAs. Besides the known targets (multiple 5¿ end HOX A genes, i.e. HOXA13), glutaminase (GLS1) was identified as a potential downstream target of the miR-192/-204-HOTTIP axis in HCC. Considering glutaminolysis as a crucial hallmark of cancer cells and significantly inhibited cell viability after silencingGLS1, we speculate that the miR-192/-204-HOTTIP axis may interrupt HCC glutaminolysis through GLS1 inhibition. These results elucidate that the miR-192/-204-HOTTIP axis might be an important molecular pathway during hepatic cell tumorigenesis. Our data in clinical HCC samples highlight miR-192, miR-204 and HOTTIP with prognostic and potentially therapeutic implications.

Pathogenic bacterial infections of the lung are life threatening and underpin chronic lung diseases. Current treatments are often ineffective potentially due to increasing antibiotic resistance and impairment of innate immunity by disease processes and steroid therapy. Manipulation miRNA directly regulating anti-microbial machinery of the innate immune system may boost host defence responses. Here we demonstrate that miR-328 is a key element of the host response to pulmonary infection with non-typeable haemophilus influenzae and pharmacological inhibition in mouse and human macrophages augments phagocytosis, the production of reactive oxygen species, and microbicidal activity. Moreover, inhibition of miR-328 in respiratory models of infection, steroid-induced immunosuppression, and smoke-induced emphysema enhances bacterial clearance. Thus, miRNA pathways can be targeted in the lung to enhance host defence against a clinically relevant microbial infection and offer a potential new anti-microbial approach for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

A facile and atom-economical boric acid catalyzed direct amidation without any coupling agents for the preparation of Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid (SAHA) and SAHA-based inhibitors targeting anti-proliferation of cancer cells is described. It is applicable to the preparation of SAHAbased inhibitors having an unprotected hydroxyl group in the phenyl ring without the need of the protection. The in-vitro assays data indicate that the nature and the position of the substituents (activating and/or deactivating) in the capping group (phenyl ring) of SAHA-based inhibitors synthesized in this study have a vital impact on the potency of anti-proliferative activity against cancer cells. With low toxicity toward the normal cells, a number of synthesized SAHA-based inhibitors with two substituents in the phenyl ring possess higher antiproliferative activity than SAHA and Cisplatin toward six studied cancer cell lines: A375 human skin cancer cells, A549 human lung cancer cells, MGC80-3 human gastric cancer cells, H460 human lung cancer cells, H1299 human lung cancer cells, and HepG2 human liver cancer cells. Cisplatin is a common chemotherapeutic drug with high cytotoxicity for a variety of cancer treatments. The inhibitors provided in this study might signify future therapeutic drugs for cancer treatment.

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is very common in China and is also one of the most common cancers worldwide. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between genetic variants of various cancer-related genes and the risk of ESCC. Methods: In this study, we first examined the association between 18 potentially disruptive genetic variants of 17 genes, including alcohol dehydrogenase 4 (ADH4) and checkpoint kinase 2(CHEK2), and ESCC risk in a Hangzhou population of 617 patients matched with 534 controls. Among the 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), two were validated in a Jinan population of 540 patients matched with 550 controls. Results: Sixteen SNPs in 15 genes, including CHEK2, did not have significantly different allele frequency distributions between ESCC patients and control subjects. A significantly increased risk of developing ESCC was revealed in subjects with the AA genotype of rs3805322 (ADH4) compared with those with the AG or GG genotype by unconditional univariate logistic regression analysis. Using a dominant model, the CC genotype of rs4822983 (CHEK2) had a marginally significant protective effect compared to the CT and TT genotypes. The association of ESCC risk with these two SNPs (rs3805322 and rs4822983) was further validated in a Jinan case-control set. Individuals with the ADH4 rs3805322 AA or AG genotype had ORs of 1.10 (95% CI = 0.81-1.49, P < 0.001) or 1.86 (95% CI = 1.33-2.59, P = 0.559), respectively, for developing ESCC compared with individuals with the GG genotype. CHEK2 rs4822983 CC carriers showed a marginally significantly decreased ESCC risk compared with those carrying the CT and TT genotypes in the validation set (95% CI = 0.61-1.01, P = 0.064). However, no evidence of interaction existed between the two SNPs and smoking or drinking in the Jinan case-control set. Conclusions: In conclusion, this current study provides substantial evidence that genetic polymorphisms of rs3805322 in the ADH4 gene may be associated with an increased risk of developing ESCC in two Chinese Han populations. Future studies to address the biological function of this polymorphism in the development of ESCC are warranted.

A functional rs4245739 A>C single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) locating in the MDM43'-untranslated (3'-UTR) region creates a miR-191-5p or miR-887-3p targeting sites. This change results in decreased expression of oncogene MDM4. Therefore, we examined the association between this SNP and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) risk as well as its regulatory function in SCLC cells. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets consisted of 520SCLC cases and 1040 controls from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. The impact of the rs4245739 SNP on miR-191-5p/miR-887-3p mediated MDM4 expression regulation was investigated using luciferase reporter gene assays. We found that the MDM4 rs4245739AC and CC genotypes were significantly associated with decreased SCLC susceptibility compared with the AA genotype in both case-control sets (Shandong set: OR=0.53, 95% CI=0.32-0.89, P=0.014; Jiangsu set: OR=0.47, 95% CI=0.26-0.879, P=0.017). Stratified analyses indicated that there was a significantly multiplicative interaction between rs4245739 and smoking (P<inf>interactioin</inf>=0.048). After co-tranfection of miRNAs and different allelic-MDM4 reporter constructs into SCLC cells, we found that the both miR-191-5p and miR-887-3p can lead to significantly decreased MDM4 expression activities in the construct with C-allelic 3'-UTR but not A-allelic 3'-UTR, suggesting a consistent genotypephenotype correlation. Our data illuminate that the MDM4rs4245739SNP contributes to SCLC risk and support the notion that gene 3'-UTR genetic variants, impacting miRNAbinding, might modify SCLC susceptibility. Copyright:

Background The Chinese Hui population, as the second largest minority ethnic group in China, may have a different genetic background from Han people because of its unique demographic history. In this study, we aimed to identify genetic differences between Han and Hui Chinese from the Ningxia region of China by comparing eighteen single nucleotide polymorphisms in cancer-related genes. Methods DNA samples were collected from 99 Hui and 145 Han people from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China, and SNPs were detected using an improved multiplex ligase detection reaction method. Genotyping data from six 1000 Genomes Project population samples (99 Utah residents with northern and western European ancestry (CEU), 107 Toscani in Italy (TSI), 108 Yoruba in Ibadan (YRI), 61 of African ancestry in the southwestern US (ASW), 103 Han Chinese in Beijing (CHB), and 104 Japanese in Tokyo (JPT)) were also included in this study. Differences in the distribution of alleles among the populations were assessed using x tests, and FST was used to measure the degree of population differentiation. Results We found that the genetic diversity of many SNPs in cancer-related genes in the Hui Chinese in Ningxia was different from that in the Han Chinese in Ningxia. For example, the allele frequencies of four SNPs (rs13361707, rs2274223, rs465498, and rs753955) showed different genetic distributions (p<0.05) between Chinese Ningxia Han and Chinese Ningxia Hui. Five SNPs (rs730506, rs13361707, rs2274223, rs465498 and rs753955) had different FST values (FST>0.000) between the Hui and Han populations. Conclusions These results suggest that some SNPs associated with cancer-related genes vary among different Chinese ethnic groups.We suggest that population differences should be carefully considered in evaluating cancer risk and prognosis as well as the efficacy of cancer therapy. 2

B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) prevents apoptosis and its overexpression could promote cancer cell survival. Multiple functional BCL-2 genetic polymorphisms, such as rs2279115, rs1801018 and rs1564483, have been identified previously and might be involved in cancer development through deregulating BCL-2 expression. Therefore, we examined associations between these three polymorphisms and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) susceptibility as well as its biological function in vivo. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets consisted of 1588 ESCC patients and 1600 controls from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by logistic regression. The impact of the rs2279115 polymorphism on BCL-2 expression was detected using esophagus tissues. Our results demonstrated that the BCL-2 rs2279115 AA genotype was significantly associated with decreased ESCC risk compared with the CC genotype (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.57-0.90, P = 0.005), especially in nonsmokers (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.29-0.59, P = 0.001) or nondrinkers (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.32-0.62, P = 0.002). Genotype-phenotype correlation studies demonstrated that subjects with the rs2279115 CA and AA genotypes had a statistically significant decrease of BCL-2 mRNA expression compared to the CC genotype in both normal and cancerous esophagus tissues. Our results indicate that the BCL-2 rs2279115 polymorphism contributes to ESCC susceptibility in Chinese populations.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate complex transcriptional networks underpin immune responses. However, little is known about the specific miRNA networks that control differentiation of specific leukocyte subsets. In this study, we profiled miRNA expression during differentiation of eosinophils from bone marrow (BM) progenitors (bmEos), and correlated expression with potential mRNA targets involved in crucial regulatory functions. Profiling was performed on whole BM cultures to document the dynamic changes in miRNA expression in the BM microenvironment over the differentiation period. miRNA for network analysis were identified in BM cultures enriched in differentiating eosinophils, and chosen for their potential ability to target mRNA of factors that are known to play critical roles in eosinophil differentiation pathways or cell identify. Methodology/Principal Findings: We identified 68 miRNAs with expression patterns that were up- or down- regulated 5-fold or more during bmEos differentiation. By employing TargetScan and MeSH databases, we identified 348 transcripts involved in 30 canonical pathways as potentially regulated by these miRNAs. Furthermore, by applying miRanda and Ingenuity Pathways Analysis (IPA), we identified 13 specific miRNAs that are temporally associated with the expression of IL-5Ra and CCR3 and 14 miRNAs associated with the transcription factors GATA-1/2, PU.1 and C/EBPe. We have also identified 17 miRNAs that may regulate the expression of TLRs 4 and 13 during eosinophil differentiation, although we could identify no miRNAs targeting the prominent secretory effector, eosinophil major basic protein. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first study to map changes in miRNA expression in whole BM cultures during the differentiation of eosinophils, and to predict functional links between miRNAs and their target mRNAs for the regulation of eosinophilopoiesis. Our findings provide an important resource that will promote the platform for further understanding of the role of these non-coding RNAs in the regulation of eosinophil differentiation and function. © 2014 Yang et al.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in leukocyte differentiation, although those utilised for specific programs and key functions remain incompletely characterised. As a global approach to gain insights into the potential regulatory role of miRNA in mast cell differentiation we characterised expression in BM cultures from the initiation of differentiation. In cultures enriched in differentiating mast cells we characterised miRNA expression and identified miRNA targeting the mRNA of putative factors involved in differentiation pathways and cellular identity. Detailed pathway analysis identified a unique miRNA network that is intimately linked to the mast cell differentiation program. Methodology/Principal Findings: We identified 86 unique miRNAs with expression patterns that were up- or down-regulated at 5-fold or more during bone marrow derived mast cells (BMMC) development. By employing TargetScan and MeSH databases, we identified 524 transcripts involved in 30 canonical pathways as potentially regulated by these specific 86 miRNAs. Furthermore, by applying miRanda and IPA analyses, we predict that 7 specific miRNAs of this group are directly associated with the expression of c-Kit and FceRIa and likewise, that 18 miRNAs promote expression of Mitf, GATA1 and c/EBPa three core transcription factors that direct mast cell differentiation. Furthermore, we have identified 11 miRNAs that may regulate the expression of STATs-3, -5a/b, GATA2 and GATA3 during differentiation, along with 13 miRNAs that target transcripts encoding Ndst2, mMCP4 and mMCP6 and thus may regulate biosynthesis of mast cell secretory mediators. Conclusions/ Significance: This investigation characterises changes in miRNA expression in whole BM cultures during the differentiation of mast cells and predicts functional links between miRNAs and their target mRNAs for the regulation of development. This information provides an important resource for further investigations of the contributions of miRNAs to mast cell differentiation and function. © 2014 Xiang et al.

Background: Biomass smoke at higher concentrations is associated with respiratory symptoms and, after years of exposure, increased risk of respiratory disorders in adults, but its effects on cardiovascular diseases are not well characterized, particularly compared with other pollution sources like tobacco smoke or traffic. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study and enrolled 25 women living in rural Sichuan, China. We measured integrated 24-h personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM ) and black carbon, and measured PM and black carbon in their kitchens. We assessed participants' brachial and central blood pressure and arterial stiffness using pulse wave analysis, and analyzed dried blood spot and buccal cell samples for C-reactive protein and relative telomere length. We also evaluated the difference in these physiological and biomarker measures between individuals with high (=median) versus low (<median) PM exposure using multivariate regression. Results: Geometric mean 24-h PM and black carbon exposures were 61µg/m (95% CI: 48, 78) and 3.2µg/m (95% CI: 2.3, 4.5), respectively. Average kitchen PM and black carbon concentrations were only moderately correlated with personal exposures (PM : r=0.41; black carbon: r=0.63), although they had similar means. Women in the high and low exposure groups were similar in age, obesity, socioeconomic status, salt intake, and physical activity. Women in the high PM exposure group had higher mean brachial systolic blood pressure (SBP; difference=4.6mmHg, 95% CI -7.8, 16.9), central SBP (difference=3.1mmHg, 95% CI: -8.4, 14.5), central pulse pressure (difference=4.1mmHg; 95% CI: -4.2, 12.4), and augmentation index (difference=2.8%, 95% CI: -1.6, 7.2). High exposed women had 43% shorter telomere length (95% CI: -113, 28) than that of women in the low exposure group. There were no differences in pulse wave velocity or C-reactive protein between the two exposure groups. None of the results was statistically significant. Conclusions: Our results suggest that it is feasible to measure markers of vascular function and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in field studies of biomass smoke. Although many of the associations were in the expected direction, larger studies would be needed to establish the effects. 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 3 3

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR), which could induce genome-wide retargeting of polycomb- repressive complex 2, trimethylates histone H3 lysine-27 (H3K27me3) and deregulation of multiple downstream genes, is involved in development and progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We hypothesized that the functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in HOTAIR may affect HOTAIR expression and/or its function and, thus, ESCC risk. Therefore, we examined the association between three haplotypetagging SNPs (htSNP) across the whole HOTAIR locus and ESCC risk as well as the functional relevance of an ESCC susceptibility SNP rs920778. Genotypes were determined in three independent case-control sets consisted of 2098 ESCC patients and 2150 controls. The allele-specific regulation on HOTAIR expression by the rs920778 SNP was investigated in vitro and in vivo. We found that the HOTAIR rs920778 TT carriers had a 1.37-fold, 1.78-fold and 2.08-fold increased ESCC risk in Jinan, Shijiazhuang and Huaian populations, respectively, compared with the CC carriers (P = 0.003, 7.7 × 10 and 5.9 × 10 ). During inspecting functional relevance of the rs920778 SNP, we identified a novel intronic HOTAIR enhancer locating between +1719bp and +2353bp from the transcriptional start site through reporter assays. Moreover, there is an allelic regulation of rs920778 on HOTAIR expression via this enhancer in both ESCC cell lines and normal esophageal tissue specimens, with higher HOTAIR expression among T allele carriers. These results demonstrate that functional genetic variants influencing lncRNA regulation may explain a fraction of ESCC genetic basis. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. -4 -4

Recent genome-wide association studies have identified several leukocyte telomere length (LTL)-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our previous data demonstrated that two SNPs (rs398652 on 14q21 and rs621559 on 1p34.2) were associated with LTL and risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in Chinese. However, the role of these genetic variants on glioma risk is still unknown. Therefore, we examined if these genetic variants have impact on the genetic susceptibility of glioma in Chinese. On the basis of analyzing 404 glioma patients and frequency-matched 820 controls, we found that subjects having the 1p34.2 rs621559 AG or GG genotype had an OR of 1.82 (95 % CI = 1.07-3.09, P = 0.026) or 2.12 (95 % CI = 1.26-3.56, P = 0.005) for developing glioma, respectively, compared with subjects having the rs621559 AA genotype. Similarly, the 14q21 rs398652 AG or GG genotype was associated with increased glioma risk (OR = 1.39, 95 % CI = 1.07-1.80, P = 0.012; OR = 1.52, 95 % CI = 1.04-2.20, P = 0.029) compared to AA genotype. In all, our results highlight the possible role of telomere in carcinogenesis. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media.

As a crucial homologous recombination repair gene, RAD52 participates in maintenance of genomic stability and prevention of tumorigenesis. Although several cancer susceptibility RAD52 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified previously, little was known on how the RAD52 SNPs are involved in glioma development in Han Chinese. Therefore, we examined the association between five RAD52 SNPs (rs1051669, rs10774474, rs11571378, rs7963551 and rs6489769) and glioma risk using a case¿control design. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. We found that only the RAD52 rs7963551 SNP was significantly associated with glioma risk, with the odds of having the rs7963551 AC or CC genotype in patients was 0.49 (95 % CI 0.37¿0.65, P = 9.2 × 10 ) or 0.39 (95 % CI 0.18¿0.81, P = 0.012) compared with the AA genotype. These data are consistent with functional relevance of allelic regulation of RAD52 expression by the rs7963551 SNP and miRNA let-7 in cancer cells. Stratified analyses elucidated that statistically significant association between glioma and rs7963551 SNP only existed in either astrocytic tumors (P = 6.3 × 10 ) or oligoastrocytic tumors (P = 0.002). In conclusion, our results support the hypothesis that genetic variants influencing miRNA-mediated regulation of tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes may contribute glioma susceptibility. -6 -6

Background and purpose Nitric oxide (NO), mainly synthesized by inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) in pathological conditions, plays an important role in cytotoxicity, inflammation and fibrosis. Elevations in exhaled NO after thoracic radiation have been reported to predict radiation-induced lung injury (RILI). This study examined whether genetic variations in NOS2 gene is associated with the risk of RILI. Material and methods A cohort of 301 patients between 2009 and 2011 were genotyped for 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NOS2 gene by the Sequenom MassArray system. Kaplan-Meier cumulative probability was used to assess RILI risk and Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of NOS2 genotypes on RILI. Results Multivariate analysis found that three SNPs (rs2297518, rs1137933 and rs16949) in NOS2 were significantly associated with risk of RILI = 2 (P value = 0.001, 0.000092, 0.001, respectively) after adjusting for other covariates. Their associations were independent of radiation dose and mean lung dose. Further haplotype analysis indicated that the ATC haplotype of three SNPs is associated with reducing the risk of developing RILI. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that genetic variants of NOS2 may serve as a reliable predictor of RILI in lung cancer patients treated with thoracic radiation. © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aim: As a tumor suppressor, FEN1 plays an essential role in preventing tumorigenesis. Two functional germline variants (-69G. >. A and 4150G. >. T) in the FEN1 gene have been associated with DNA damage levels in coke-oven workers and multiple cancer risk in general populations. However, it is still unknown how these genetic variants are involved in breast cancer susceptibility. Methods: We investigated the association between these polymorphisms and breast cancer risk in two independent case-control sets consisted of a total of 1100 breast cancer cases and 1400 controls. The influence of these variations on FEN1 expression was also examined using breast normal tissues. Results: It was found that the FEN1-69GG genotypes were significantly correlated to increased risk for developing breast cancer compared with the -69AA genotype in both sets [Jinan set: odds ratios (OR)=1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.20-1.65, P=1.9×10 ; Huaian set: OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.22-1.86, P=1.7×10 ]. Similar results were observed for 4150G>T polymorphism. The genotype-phenotype correlation analyses demonstrated that the -69G or 4150G allele carriers had more than 2-fold decreased FEN1 expression in breast tissues compared with -69A or 4150T carriers, suggesting that lower FEN1 expression may lead to higher risk for malignant transformation of breast cells. Conclusion: Our findings highlight FEN1 as an important gene in human breast carcinogenesis and genetic variants in FEN1 confer susceptibility to breast cancer. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. -5 -4

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether genetic variations in the transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) pathway influenced clinical outcome of advanced lung adenocarcinoma with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations treated with gefitinib. Patients and methods: Two hundred six patients with advanced lung adenocarcinomas were enrolled in this study. EGFR mutation in these tumors was detected. Among them, 106 patients with EGFR mutation and 37 of 100 patients with wild type were treated with gefitinib. Genotype of 33 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 13 genes involved in the TGF-ß signaling pathway was determined, and their association with survival time was analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to assess the role of biological/clinical parameters in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) using Pearson's ¿ test, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Among SNPs analyzed, multivariate analysis showed the cytidylate and thymidine (CT) genotype of SMAD3: rs11632964 was associated with a longer OS and PFS when the entire cohort of 143 patients were included; the association was significant in the patients with EGFR mutant tumors (30.8 versus 17.5 months; log-rank P = 0.020; and 20.8 versus 9.4 months; log-rank P = 0.001), when compared with patients with wild-type EGFR tumors. In patients with mutant EGFR, the CT genotype of SMAD3: rs11071938 and the cytidylate and cytidylate genotype of SMAD3: rs6494633 were also found to be associated with better PFS. Dual luciferase reporter assays showed gefitinib-resistant PC9/G cells transfected with SMAD3: rs11632964T allelic reporter construct showed significantly lower luciferase activities compared with cells expression C allelic reporter construct. There was significantly decreased expression of SMAD3 and pi-SMAD3 in the PC-9/G cells compared with PC-9. Conclusions: Among the candidate genes involved in the TGF-ß pathway, the polymorphisms of SMAD3 appear to be highly predictive of outcome of patients with lung adenocarcinoma after gefitinib treatment, especially in those with EGFR mutations. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology. All rights reserved. 2

Aim: Interleukin-23 (IL-23) and IL-23 receptor (IL23R) play an important role during the T-helper 17 (Th17) cell-mediated inflammatory process as well as pathogenesis of multiple cancers. Several IL-23R single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), especially rs6682925, rs10889677 and rs1884444 polymorphisms, are considered to have significant impacts on susceptibility of multiple cancers. A number of case-control studies have explored the role these genetic polymorphisms in development of carcinogenesis, but the conclusions are inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to systematically investigate the associations between the three genetic variants and multiple cancer risk. Methods: A total of ten studies are eligible (12,211 patients and 14,650 controls). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were appropriately calculated using either fixed-effect model or random-effect model. Results: Significant associations between rs6682925 or rs10889677 polymorphism and cancer risk were found (OR. = 1.11, 95% CI. = 1.03-1.21, P= 0.007; or OR. = 0.85, 95% CI. = 0.71-0.92, P= 0.001). However, there was no such association between rs1884444 genotypes and cancer susceptibility (P>. 0.05). Conclusion: These findings reveal that the IL-23R rs6682925 and rs10889677 genetic variants play a more important part in pathogenesis of multiple cancers. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

In this work, a novel protocol was developed for size tuning and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) removal of gold nanorods using commercially available nonionic fluorosurfactants (FSN), an excellent candidate for PEG and other modification reagents. The tunable gold nanorods can easily be obtained by stopping the ligand replacement reaction at different time intervals. The FSN-coated gold nanorods are stable in the presence of high salt concentrations and over a wide range of pH values. Additionally, the cellular uptake experiments demonstrate that the FSN-coated gold nanorods have superior features in comparison to the widely used PEG-coated gold nanorods, such as high uptake amount, tunable uptake and excellent stability. Our findings suggest that FSN ligands are an ideal candidate for modifying gold nanorods with tunable aspect ratios, excellent biocompatibility, nontoxicity, and high stability, enabling conjugation to biomolecules for specific targeting, uptake, and delivery. © The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified eleven leukocyte telomere length (LTL)-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Since LTL has been associated with risk of many malignancies, LTL-related SNPs may contribute to cancer susceptibility. To test this hypothesis in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we genotyped these eleven LTL-related SNPs in a case-control set including 1186 HBV-related HCC cases, 508 chronic HBV carriers and 1308 healthy controls at the discovery stage. The associations of HCC risk with these SNPs were further confirmed in an independent case-control set. We found that 1p34.2 rs621559 and 14q21 rs398652 were significantly associated with HBV-related HCC risk (both P<0.005 after Bonferroni corrections). There was no significant difference of either rs621559 or rs398652 genotypes between chronic HBV carriers and healthy controls, demonstrating that the association was not due to predisposition to HBV infection. In the pooled analyses (1806 HBV-related HCC cases and 1954 controls), we observed a decreased HCC risk, 0.72-times, associated with the 1p34.2 rs621559 AA genotype compared to the GG genotype (P = 1.6×10 ). Additionally, there was an increased HCC risk, 1.27-fold, associated with the rs398652 GG genotype (P = 3.3×10 ). A statistical joint effect between the rs621559 GG and rs398652 GG genotypes may exist in elevating risk of HBV-related HCC. We show, for the first time, that rs398652 and rs621559 might be marker genetic variants for risk of HBV-related HCC in the Chinese population. Copyright: -6 -6

Although the entire etiology of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is still unclear, alcohol drinking has been identified as a major environmental risk factor. The aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) superfamily members are major enzymes involved in the alcohol-metabolizing pathways. Accumulating evidences demonstrated that ALDH7A1, one of ALDH superfamily members, degrades and detoxifies acetaldehyde generated by alcohol metabolism and have been associated with development and prognosis of multiple cancers. However, it is still unknown if ALDH7A1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) contribute to ESCC susceptibility. In this study, we examined the association between sixteen ALDH7A1 SNPs and risk of developing ESCC. Genotypes were determined in 2,098 ESCC patients and 2,150 controls (three independent hospital-based case¿control sets from different regions of China). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95¿% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. Our data demonstrated that only the ALDH7A1 rs13182402 SNP confer susceptibility to ESCC (For AG genotype, OR = 0.75, 95¿% CI = 0.66¿0.91, P = 4.8 × 10 ; for GG genotype, OR = 0.59, 95¿% CI = 0.41¿0.88, P = 0.003). These results are consistent to the biological functions of ALDH7A1 during alcohol metabolism and carcinogenesis. -6

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynaecological malignancies worldwide. Here we perform a three-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) in Han Chinese women to identify risk genetic variants for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We scan 900,015 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 1,057 EOC cases and 1,191 controls in stage I, and replicate 41 SNPs (P meta <10 a ^'4) in 960 EOC cases and 1,799 controls (stage II), and an additional 492 EOC cases and 1,004 controls (stage III). Finally, we identify two EOC susceptibility loci at 9q22.33 (rs1413299 in COL15A1, P meta =1.88 × 10 a ^'8) and 10p11.21 (rs1192691 near ANKRD30A, P meta =2.62 × 10 a ^'8), and two consistently replicated loci at 12q14.2 (rs11175194 in SRGAP1, P meta =1.14 × 10 a ^'7) and 9q34.2 (rs633862 near ABO and SURF6, P meta =8.57 × 10 a ^'7) (P<0.05 in all three stages). These results may advance our understanding of genetic susceptibility to EOC. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

China was one of the countries with highest esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) incidence and mortality worldwide. Alcohol drinking has been identified as a major environmental risk-factor related to ESCC. The alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) family are major enzymes involved in the alcohol-metabolizing pathways, including alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) and ADH1C. Interestingly, ADH1B and ADH1C genes locate tandemly with ADH7 in a genomic segment as a gene cluster, and are all polymorphic. Several ESCC susceptibility single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the ADH1B-ADH1C-ADH7 cluster have been identified previously through a genome-wide association study (GWAS). In the study, we examined the association between five ADH1B-ADH1C-ADH7 cluster SNPs (rs1042026, rs17033, rs1614972, rs1789903 and rs17028973) and risk of developing ESCC. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. Our data demonstrated that these ADH1B-ADH1C-ADH7 cluster SNPs confer susceptibility to ESCC in these two case-control sets, which were consistent to results of the previous GWAS. © 2014 Wang et al.

As a heterogeneous kind of malignances, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematologic cancer worldwide with the significantly increased morbidity in China. Accumulated evidences demonstrated that oncoprotein MDM4 plays a crucial role in the TP53 tumor suppressor signaling pathway. An rs4245739 A>C polymorphism locating in the MDM4 3'-untranslated region creates a miR-191 target site and results in allele-specific MDM4 expression. In this study, we examined the association between this polymorphism as well as the TP53 Arg72Pro (rs1042522 G>C) genetic variant and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) risk in a Chinese Han population. Genotypes were determined in 200 NHL cases and 400 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by logistic regression. We found significantly increased NHL risk among carriers of the TP53 72Pro allele compared with those with the 72Arg allele (P = 0.002 for the Pro/Pro genotype). We also observed a significantly decreased NHL risks among carriers of the MDM4 rs4245739 C allele compared with those with the A allele in Chinese (P = 0.014 for the AC genotype). Stratified analyses revealed the associations between these SNPs and NHL risk are especially noteworthy in young or male individuals. Additionally, the associations are much pronounced in NHL patients with B-cell lymphomas or grade 3 or 4 disease. Our results indicate that the TP53 Arg72Pro and the MDM4 rs4245739 polymorphisms contribute to NHL susceptibility and support the hypothesis that genetic variants in the TP53 pathway genes can act as important modifiers of NHL risk.

Oxidative stress appears to have an important role in glucocorticoid insensitivity, as a crucial problem in asthma therapy. We studied the preventive effect of antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the airways in an animal model of steroid resistant acute exacerbation of asthma. Systemically sensitized Balb/C mice were exposed to Ovalbumin aerosol on days 13, 14, 15 and 16, followed by intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce acute exacerbation. NAC (intraperitoneal, 320 mg/kg 30 min before and 12 hours after each challenge) reduced hyperresponsiveness with/out dexamethasone. LPS application caused neutrophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and eosinophil count was higher than respective control in BALF as well as neutrophils after dexamethasone treatment. NAC significantly decreased neutrophil and eosinophil count in BALF as well as inflammatory cytokines (IL-13 and IL-5).We concluded that addition of NAC to asthma therapy has beneficial preventive effects in an animal model of steroid resistant acute exacerbation of asthma.

Short leukocyte telomere length has been associated with significantly increased risk of esophageal cancer. A previous genome-wide association study demonstrated that four SNPs (rs398652 on 14q21, rs621559 on 1p34.2, rs6028466 on 20q11.22 and rs654128 on 6q22.1) were associated with leukocyte telomere length in Caucasians. However, the role of these genetic variants on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) susceptibility is still unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether these polymorphisms have impact on leukocyte telomere length and the risk of ESCC in Chinese. After measuring leukocyte telomere length of 550 healthy individuals, we observed that both rs621559 and rs398652 genetic variants are significantly associated with leukocyte telomere length. On the basis of analyzing 1550 ESCC patients and frequency-matched 1620 controls from 4 medical centers in China, we found that 0.71-fold decreased risk of ESCC is associated with the rs621559 AA genotype compared with the rs621559 GG genotype (p = 5.9 × 10 ). We also detected a moderately increased OR for ESCC that was associated with the 14q21 rs398652 G allele (p = 6.5 × 10 ). It has been shown that both rs621559 and rs398652 polymorphisms were significantly associated with ESCC risk in additive, recessive or dominant genetic models. Stratified analyses demonstrated that these associations were more pronounced in males. Our results highlight the complexity of genetic regulation of telomere length and further support the important role of telomere in carcinogenesis. Copyright © 2012 UICC. -6 -4

As a tumor suppressor, breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) plays a pivotal role in maintaining genomic stability. A functional rs799917 T>C polymorphism located in the BRCA1 coding sequence could influence miR-638-mediated regulation of BRCA1 expression. Therefore, we examined the association between this polymorphism and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk as well as its biological function. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control studies consisted of 1128 ESCC patients and 1150 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. The allele-specific regulation on BRCA1 expression by the polymorphism was investigated in vitro and in vivo. We found that the BRCA1 rs799917 CC genotype was significantly associated with increased ESCC risk compared with the TT genotype in both studies (Jinan population: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.04-1.58, P = 0.020; Huaian population: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.17-1.83, P = 0.001). Stratified analyses with pooled data indicated that a multiplicative interaction between rs799917 and smoking or drinking in intensifying ESCC risk was evident (gene-smoking: P = 5.8 × 10 ; gene-drinking: P = 7.1 × 10-7). In vitro experiments indicate that miR-638 could negatively regulate BRCA1 expression and enhance proliferation of ESCC cells. In vivo BRCA1 messenger RNA expression analyses showed that the rs799917 C allele carriers had significantly decreased BRCA1 expression in both normal and cancerous esophagus tissues compared with T allele carriers, suggesting that lower BRCA1 expression may lead to higher risk for malignant transformation of esophagus cells. These results suggest that BRCA1 functional rs799917 polymorphism is involved in susceptibility to developing ESCC, alone and in a gene-environment interaction manner. © The Author 2013. interaction interaction -5

Cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation response play critical roles in the development of smokinginduced lung cancer. However, it is still not well known whether their genetic variants are associated with lung cancer susceptibility. In this study, we performed imputation-based association analyses to investigate the influence of common genetic variants in these pathways and their interactions with smoking on lung cancer susceptibility. We first selected 24 042 unvalidated genetic variants in 798 genes from the imputed dataset of the previous lung cancer genome-wide association study in 2331 cases and 3077 controls, and then conducted additional two-stage validations in 4133 cases and 4522 controls. We found a genome-wide significant (P < 5.0 × 10 ) association for rs2282987 in CDK6 at 7q21.2 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, combined Padd = 2.27 × 10 ] and a consistent association for rs2706748 in SH3RF1 at 4q32.3 (OR = 1.17, combined Padd = 5.10 × 10 ). Interaction analyses showed that rs2282987 and rs2706748 interacted with both smoking status (Pinteraction were 1.04 × 10 and 3.03 × 10 , respectively) and smoking history (Pinteraction were 1.21 × 10 and 5.21 × 10 , respectively) to contribute to lung cancer susceptibility in subjects aged 51-60 years. These results further underscore the contribution of genetic variants involved in pathways of cell cycle regulation and apoptosis to lung cancer susceptibility, and highlight gene-environment interactions in lung cancer etiology, especially in subjects aged 51-60 years. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. -8 -9 -6 -2 -2 -2 -2

As a tumor suppressor, FEN1 plays an essential role in keeping genomic instability and preventing tumorigenesis. There are two functional genetic variants (-69G>A and 4150G>T) in the FEN1 gene, which have been associated with DNA damage levels in coke-oven workers as well as risks of lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer in general populations. However, it is still unknown how these polymorphisms and their haplotypes are associated with glioma risk. Therefore, we investigated the role of these polymorphisms in glioma development using a case-control design in a Chinese population. The impact of the haplotypes constructed by these two polymorphisms on glioma risk was also examined. It was observed that the FEN1-69GG or 4150GG genotype were significantly associated to increased glioma risk compared with the -69AA or 4150TT genotype [Odds ratios (OR) = 1.87, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.23-2.85, P = 0.003; or OR = 1.87, 95 % CI = 1.23-2.84, P = 0.003). The associations were more pronounced among female subjects (For -69AG or GG genotype: OR = 2.35, 95 % CI = 1.22-4.52; for 4150TG or GG genotype: OR = 2.33, 95 % CI = 1.21-4.48) and patients with grade 1 or 2 disease (For -69AG or GG genotype: OR = 2.21, 95 % CI = 1.20-4.05; for 4150TG or GG genotype: OR = 2.45, 95 % CI = 1.31-4.58). Additionally, the G G haplotype was also significantly associated with increased glioma risk compared with the A T haplotype. Our results suggest that FEN1 polymorphisms and haplotypes are associated with glioma risk. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York. -69 4150 -69 4150

The oncoprotein MDM4 plays an essential role in P53 tumor suppressor pathway through negative regulation of P53 function. It has been reported that the rs4245739 A > C polymorphism located in the MDM4 3'-untranslated region creates a miR-191 target site and results in decreased MDM4 expression. Therefore, we investigated the association of the MDM4 rs4245739 polymorphism as well as the P53 Arg72Pro genetic variant with the breast cancer risk. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets consisting of 1100 breast cancer cases and 1400 controls from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. Our results demonstrated that the MDM4 rs4245739 AC and CC genotypes were significantly associated with decreased breast cancer risk compared to the AA genotype in both the case-control sets (Jinan set: OR = 0.55, 95 % CI 0.40-0.76, P = 2.3 × 10 ; Huaian set: OR = 0.41, 95 % CI 0.25-0.67, P = 3.1 × 10 ). The P53 Arg/Pro genotype or Pro/Pro genotype was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer, compared to the P53 Arg/Arg genotype in both the case-control sets (all P < 0.05). Interestingly, we observed a combinational effect between MDM4 rs4245739 and P53 Arg72Pro variants in attenuating breast cancer risk, highlighting the importance of the P53 tumor suppressor pathway genes during malignant transformation. Our results also support the hypothesis that genetic variants interrupting miRNA-mediated gene regulation might be important genetic modifiers of breast cancer risk. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York. -4 -4

BACKGROUND Recent studies show that microRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression, may have potential for monitoring cancer status. We investigated circulating miRNAs in prostate cancer that may be associated with the progression of hormone-sensitive primary tumors to metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) after androgen deprivation therapy. METHODS Using genome-wide expression profiling by TaqMan Human MicroRNA Arrays (Applied Biosystems) and/or quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we compared the expression levels of miRNAs in serum samples from 28 patients of low-risk localized disease, 30 of high-risk localized disease and 26 of metastatic CRPC. RESULTS We demonstrated that serum samples from patients of low risk, localized prostate cancer and metastatic CRPC patients exhibit distinct circulating miRNA signatures. MiR-375, miR-378, and miR-141 were significantly over-expressed in serum from CRPC patients compared with serum from low-risk localized patients, while miR-409-3p was significantly under-expressed. In prostate primary tumor samples, miR-375 and miR-141 also had significantly higher expression levels compared with those in normal prostate tissue. CONCLUSIONS Circulating miRNAs, particularly miR-375, miR-141, miR-378, and miR-409-3p, are differentially expressed in serum samples from prostate cancer patients. In the search for improved minimally invasive methods to follow cancer pathogenesis, the correlation of disease status with the expression patterns of circulating miRNAs may indicate the potential importance of circulating miRNAs as prognostic markers for prostate cancer progression. Prostate 73: 346-354, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background Few studies were reported on the comparison of clinical outcomes between intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). This study aimed to determine whether IMRT improves clinical outcomes compared with 3D-CRT in patients with GBM. Methods The records of 54 patients with newly-diagnosed GBM from July 2009 to December 2010 were reviewed. The patients underwent postoperative IMRT or 3D-CRT with concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide. Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test were used to estimate differences of patients' survival. Results The median follow-up was 13 months. Of the 54 patients, fifty (92.6%) completed the combined modality treatment. The 1-year overall survival rate (OS) was 79.6%. The pattern of failure was predominantly local. A comparative analysis revealed that no statistical difference was observed between the IMRT group (n=21) and the 3D-CRT group (n=33) for 1-year OS (89.6% vs. 75.8%, P=0.795), or 1-year progression-free survival (PFS) (61.0% vs. 45.5%, P=0.867). In dosimetric comparison, IMRT seemed to allow better sparing of organs at risk than 3D-CRT did (P=0.050, P=0.055). However, there was no significant difference for toxicities of irradiation between the IMRT group and the 3D-CRT group. Conclusions Our preliminary results suggested that delivering standard radiation doses by IMRT is unlikely to improve local control or overall survival for GBM compared with 3D-CRT. Given this lack of survival benefit and increased costs ofIMRT, the utilization ofIMRTtreatment for GBM needs to be carefully rationalized.

Aim: As a novel molecularly targeting agent for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Gefitinib can block its tyrosine kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Genetic variations in EGFR may affect its protein function or expression and lead to diverse outcomes in NSCLC patients after Gefitinib therapy. Therefore, this prospective study examined whether EGFR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with different survival time in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients treated with Gefitinib. Methods: One hundred and twenty-eight patients with stage IIIB or IV lung adenocarcinoma receiving Gefitinib target therapy between 2008 and 2010 were recruited in this study. Six EGFR haplotype-tagging SNPs were genotyped by the Sequenom MassArray system. Survival by different genotypes was compared using Kaplan-Meier methods. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to estimate the effect of prognostic factors on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: After the median 16.6. months of follow-up, the unfavorable EGFR rs2293347AA or GA genotype was significantly correlated with shorter OS (AA vs. GG: 2.0 vs. 21.0. months; hazard ratio (HR) = 2.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-5.56; P= 0.036; GA vs. GG: 15.0 vs. 21.0. months; HR = 1.75, 95%CI = 1.08-2.86, P= 0.025) compared with the favorable rs2293347GG genotype. The prognostic significance of EGFR rs4947492 polymorphism on OS also existed (GG carriers vs. AA carriers: median OS = 24.6 vs. 14.9. months, HR = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.10-0.83, P= 0.021). No significant associations were found among other EGFR SNPs and survival. Conclusion: EGFR rs2293347 and rs4947492 SNPs might be potential predictive markers of OS in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients treated with Gefitinib. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

CYP1A1 plays an essential role in pathogenesis of head and neck cancers. Functional CYP1A1 Ile462Val and MspI single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) are considered to have significant effects on risk of head and neck cancers. Several case-control studies have examined how these genetic polymorphisms are involved in development of this group of malignancies, but the conclusions are inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to systematically examine the associations between these functional genetic variants and head and neck cancer risk. A total of 28 studies are eligible for CYP1A1 Ile462Val SNP (4639 patients and 4701 controls), and 22 studies for MspI SNP (4168 patients and 4638 controls). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were appropriately calculated using either fixed-effect model or random-effect model. There was no association between Ile462Val polymorphism and head and neck cancer risk (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.99-1.53, P = 0.062). However, in a stratified analysis, a statistically significant correlation between this SNP and pharyngeal cancer risk was observed (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.32-2.33, P < 0.001). For MspI SNP, our data indicated that carriers of TC and CC genotypes had a 34% increased risk to develop head and neck cancers compared to TT carriers (95% CI = 1.15-1.57, P < 0.001). This effect was even more pronounced in smokers (OR = 2.98, 95% CI = 1.69-5.26, P < 0.001), demonstrating that gene-smoking interaction intensifying carcinogenesis may exist. These findings reveal that the functional CYP1A1 MspI genetic variant, alone and in combination with smoking, plays a more important role in pathogenesis of head and neck cancers.© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

As an oncoprotein, MDM4 plays a key part in P53 tumor suppressor pathway through negatively regulating P53 function. It has been reported that an rs4245739 A>C polymorphism locating in the MDM4 3'-untranslated region creates a miR-191 target site and results in decreased MDM4 expression. Therefore, we investigated the association between this polymorphism and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) risk as well as its biological function in vivo. Genotypes were determined in two independent case-control sets consisted of 1128 ESCC cases and 1150 controls from two regions of China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated by logistic regression. The impact of the polymorphism on MDM4 expression was examined with esophagus tissues. Our results demonstrated that the MDM4 rs4245739 AC and CC genotypes were significantly associated with decreased ESCC risk compared with the AA genotype in both case-control sets (Jinan set: OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.35-0.82, P = 0.004; Huaian set: OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.45-0.99, P = 0.049). Stratified analyses revealed that a multiplicative interaction between rs4245739 and smoking or drinking was evident (Gene-smoking: P = 0.022; gene-drinking: P = 0.032). After detecting In vivo MDM4 mRNA expression, we found that the rs4245739 AC and CC genotype carriers had significantly decreased MDM4 expression in normal esophagus tissues compared with AA genotype carriers, indicating a consistent genotype-phenotype correlation. Our results elucidate that the MDM4 rs4245739 polymorphism contributes to susceptibility of ESCC and support the hypothesis that genetic variants, interrupting miRNA-mediated gene regulation, may modify cancer risk. © 2013 Zhou et al. interactioin interactioin