Recent research advances show that tumor cell intravasation (entry into the circulation) and metastasis occur very early in breast cancer progression. Clinical studies also illustrate the potential importance of detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in outcomes of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Whether these cells exhibit the invasiveness and express tumor stem or progenitor markers, hallmark of the metastatic phenotype, is less well characterized. To detect CTCs with the invasive phenotype and to explore their molecular features, we applied a functional cell separation method, called collagen adhesion matrix (CAM) assay, as enrichment and identification steps. The CAM-coated device successfully recovered tumor cells spiked in 1 ml of blood with a 54% 6 9% (n 5 18) recovery rate and 0.5-35% purity, and detected invasive tumor cells in 10/10 blood samples (100% yield) from patients with metastatic breast cancer with a range of 18-256 CTCs/ml and average of 126 6 25 (mean 6 SD) CTCs/ml. CTCs were detected in blood samples of 28/54 (52%) Stage I-III breast cancer patients with a mean count of 61 CTCs/ml. Furthermore, the relative frequency of these cells correlated to the staging, lymph node-status and survival of patients with early stage breast cancer. CAM-captured cells were capable of propagation in culture. Gene expression and multiplex flow cytometric analyses on CAM-captured cells demonstrated the existence of distinct populations of CTCs including these of epithelial lineage and stem or progenitor cells. Thus, CAM-initiated CTC detection provides advantages for examining invasiveness and tumor progenitor phenotypes.Recent studies show that entry of tumor cells into the circulation and subsequent metastasis occur early in breast cancer progression.

In China, direct observation is not well implemented and may not be a feasible policy option. Official completion rates are higher than we found in this study. The concept of free treatment has become blurred, with charges for additional tests and drugs, especially liver protection drugs. The government is already actively tackling these issues, and involvement of managers and others in this process will be helpful.

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Circular RNA (circRNA) are single-stranded RNA with covalently closed 3 0 and 5 0 ends, with many recognized to be involved in human diseases as gene regulators, typically by interacting with other RNA. CircFNDC3B is a circRNA formed by back-splicing of exons 5 and 6 of the FNDC3B gene. CircFNDC3B was recently implicated in renal carcinoma, gastric and bladder cancer. However, the expression levels of circFNDC3B and its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. Expression of circFNDC3B and TIMP3 levels in CRC tissues and cell lines were found to be low, whereas microRNA (miR)-937-5p expression was high in CRC. Micro-RNA-937-5p downregulated TIMP3, thereby promoting tumor cell proliferation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis. Moreover, CircFNDC3B was shown to bind to miR-937-5p. CircFNDC3B and circFNDC3B-enriched exosomes inhibited tumorigenic, metastatic and angiogenic properties of CRC, and miR-937-5p overexpression or TIMP3 knockdown could reverse these effects. In vivo CRC tumor growth, angiogenesis and liver metastasis were suppressed by circFNDC3B overexpression, circFNDC3Benriched exosomes or miR-937-5p knockdown. In conclusion, our work reports a tumor-suppressing role for the circFNDC3B-miR-97-5p-TIMP3 pathway and suggests that circFNDC3B-enriched exosomes can inhibit angiogenesis and CRC progression.

Background Circular RNA UBE2D2 (circ_UBE2D2) has been found to be involved in the progression of breast cancer. Exosomes are critical mediators of intercellular communication, however, the function of exosomal circ_UBE2D2 in breast cancer remains vague. Material/Methods Cell viability was measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Western blot was used to detect the levels of estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), E-cadherin, vimentin, CD9, and CD63. Migrated and invaded cells were examined using Transwell assay. Circ_UBE2D2 and microRNA (miR)-200a-3p levels were detected using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation method. The interaction between circ_UBE2D2 and miR-200a-3p was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Murine xenograft model was established to conduct in vivo experiments. Results We found that circ_UBE2D2 was upregulated in breast cancer tamoxifen-resistant tissues and cell lines, and circ_UBE2D2 deletion mitigated tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer cells. Circ_UBE2D2 was also significantly loaded in exosomes isolated from resistant cells and could be transferred to parental cells. MiR-200a-3p was a target of circ_UBE2D2, and we demonstrated that exosomes mediated transfer of circ_UBE2D2 interacted with miR-200a-3p to enhance tamoxifen resistance of breast cancer cells by regulating cell viability, metastasis, and the level of ERα in vivo and in vitro . Conclusions Exosomes mediated transfer of circ_UBE2D2 reinforced tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer by binding to miR-200a-3p, providing new insights into the boost of the effectiveness of tamoxifen on breast cancer patients.

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Among the many proteases associated with human cancer, seprase or fibroblast activation protein A, a type II transmembrane glycoprotein, has two types of EDTA-resistant protease activities: dipeptidyl peptidase and a 170-kDa gelatinase activity. To test if activation of gelatinases associated with seprase could be involved in malignant tumors, we used a mammalian expression system to generate a soluble recombinant seprase (r-seprase). In the presence of putative EDTAsensitive activators, r-seprase was converted into 70-to 50-kDa shortened forms of seprase (s-seprase), which exhibited a 7-fold increase in gelatinase activity, whereas levels of dipeptidyl peptidase activity remained unchanged. In malignant human tumors, seprase is expressed predominantly in tumor cells as shown by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Proteins purified from experimental xenografts and malignant tumors using antibody-or lectinaffinity columns in the presence of 5 mmol/L EDTA were assayed for seprase activation in vivo. Seprase expression and activation occur most prevalently in ovarian carcinoma but were also detected in four other malignant tumor types, including adenocarcinoma of the colon and stomach, invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, and malignant melanoma. Together, these data show that, in malignant tumors, seprase is proteolytically activated to confer its substrate specificity in collagen proteolysis and tumor invasion. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(20): 9977-85)

BackgroundCDH1 is a protein encoded by the CDH1 gene in humans. Loss of CDH1 function contributes to cancer progression by increasing proliferation, invasion, and/or metastasis. However, the association and clinicopathological significance between CDH1 hypermethylation and gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. In this study, we systematically reviewed the studies of CDH1 hypermethylation and GC, and evaluated the association between CDH1 hypermethylation and GC using meta-analysis methods.MethodsA comprehensive search of the PubMed and Embase databases was performed for publications up to July 2014. Methodological quality of the studies was also evaluated. The data were extracted and assessed by two reviewers independently. Analyses of pooled data were performed. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated and summarized.ResultsA final analysis of 1,079 GC patients from 14 eligible studies was performed. CDH1 hypermethylation level in the cancer group was significantly higher compared to the normal gastric mucosa (OR =8.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.39–33.51, Z=5.47, P<0.00001). CDH1 hypermethylation was not significantly higher in GC than in adjacent gastric mucosa (OR =3.68, 95% CI: 0.96–14.18, Z=1.90, P=0.06). However, CDH1 hypermethylation was higher in adjacent gastric mucosa compared to that in normal gastric mucosa (OR =2.55, 95% CI: 1.22–5.32, Z=2.49, P<0.01). In addition, CDH1 hypermethylation was correlated with Helicobacter pylori (HP) status in GC. The pooled OR from six studies including 280 HP-positive GCs and 193 HP-negative GCs is 1.72 (95% CI: 1.13–2.61, Z=2.55, P=0.01).ConclusionThe results of this meta-analysis reveal that CDH1 hypermethylation levels in cancer and adjacent gastric mucosa are significantly higher compared to normal gastric mucosa. Thus, CDH1 hypermethylation is significantly correlated with GC risk. CDH1 hypermethylation is correlated with HP status, indicating that it plays a more important role in the pathogenesis of HP-positive GC and might be an interesting potential drug target for GC patients.