Expression levels of caspase-3 and gasdermin E and their involvement in the occurrence and prognosis of lung cancer

Abstract

Background Pyroptosis plays a dual role in the development of cancer and malignancy, and as such, may potentially be a new target for cancer treatment. However, the inflammatory response to pyroptosis may have adverse effects on the body. The roles of gasdermin E (GSDME), caspases, and related proteins associated with pyroptosis in cancer remain controversial. This study aimed to explore whether the expression levels of caspase-3 and GSDME affect the clinical stage, pathological grade, and survival prognosis of patients with lung cancer. Methods We examined the protein levels of GSDME, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 in lung tissues from 100 patients with lung cancer by using immunohistochemistry. Results We found that GSDME, caspase-3, and caspase-8 were more highly expressed in the tumor tissues than in the adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, we found that GSDME could serve as a prognostic factor because there was a positive correlation between its expression level and the postoperative survival rate of patients with lung cancer. Conclusions GSDME may be an independent factor affecting the prognosis of patients with lung cancer. However, the role of GSDME and its related proteins in cancer requires further research.

Pyroptosis: A new insight of non-small-cell lung cancer treatment

“…The above results indicated that GSDMD can be regard as an independent prognostic biomarker in LUAD patients. Meanwhile, the expression level of GSDME in lung cancer tissue is significantly higher than that in adjacent tissue, patients with lung cancer having a high GSDME expression have less lymph node metastasis and longer postoperative survival, although the decrease in GSDME level was not significantly correlated with tumor size, clinical stage, age, or tumor recurrence rate ( 55 , 110 ). In addition, the expression level of GSDME was positively correlated with that of caspase-3, and hence caspase-3 is also an important prognostic biomarker in lung cancer patients ( 55 ).…”

“…Compared to paired normal lung tissues, the expressions of GSDME, caspase-3, and caspase-8 were significantly were increased in most lung cancer tissues, and GSDME was mainly found in the cytoplasm and a small amount in the cell membrane in lung cancer tissues. However, the level of GSDME was positively correlated with the postoperative survival rate of patients with lung cancer ( 55 ). Similarly, GSDME was modestly upregulated in EGFR-mutant, and downregulation in serine/threonine kinase 11 (STK11)- or Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1)/Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NFE2L2)-mutant in LUAD patients based on the TCGA dataset.…”