Down-Regulation of LncRNA DGCR5 Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background/Aims: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play pivotal roles in multiple tumors and can act as tumor biomarkers. In this study, we explored the association of the expression of an lncRNA, DGCR5 with clinicopathological features and prognosis in HCC. Methods: Expression levels of DGCR5 were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and the clinical data was obtained, including basic information, data of clinicopathology and cancer specific survival rate. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariable Cox regression models were used to analyze predictive efficiency, long-term survival outcomes and risk factors. Results: DGCR5 was found down-regulated in HCC tissues (PP = 0.0035) and low expression of DGCR5 was correlated with a poor cancer specific survival (CSS) (P = 0.0019), as the overall 5-year CSS rates were 10.3% (low expression group) and 36.6% (high expression group), respectively. A stratified analysis demonstrated that low DGCR5 expression was an independent negative prognostic factor for HCC. In addition, the area under the ROC curve was 0.782 with a sensitivity of 0.633 and a specificity of 0.833. Conclusions: Our results suggest that DGCR5 may be a participator in HCC and can serve as potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis in HCC

Prognostic Value of Phosphotyrosine Phosphatases in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background/Aims: During the occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), phosphotyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are usually described as tumor suppressors or proto-oncogenes, and to some degree are correlated with the prognosis of HCC. Methods: A total of 321 patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and 180 patients from our validated cohort with hepatocellular carcinoma were recruited in this study. Kaplan-Meier, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model were used to evaluate the risk factors for survival. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were applied to detect the expression levels of PTP genes. Results: After screening the data of TCGA, we identified five PTPs as HCC overall survival related PTP genes, among which only three (PTPN12, PTPRN, PTPN18) exhibited differential expression levels in our 180 paired HCC and adjacent tissues (P< 0.001). Further analysis revealed that expression of PTPN18 was positively, but PTPRN was negatively associated with prognosis of HCC both in TCGA cohort and our own cohort. As to PTPN12, results turned out to be opposite according to HBV status. In detail, higher expression of PTPN12 was associated with better outcome in HBV group but worse prognosis in Non-HBV group. Conclusion: Our results suggested that PTPN12, PTPRN and PTPN18 were independent prognostic factors in HCC

Down-Regulation of LncRNA DGCR5 Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background/Aims: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play pivotal roles in multiple tumors and can act as tumor biomarkers. In this study, we explored the association of the expression of an lncRNA, DGCR5 with clinicopathological features and prognosis in HCC. Methods: Expression levels of DGCR5 were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and the clinical data was obtained, including basic information, data of clinicopathology and cancer specific survival rate. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariable Cox regression models were used to analyze predictive efficiency, long-term survival outcomes and risk factors. Results: DGCR5 was found down-regulated in HCC tissues (PP = 0.0035) and low expression of DGCR5 was correlated with a poor cancer specific survival (CSS) (P = 0.0019), as the overall 5-year CSS rates were 10.3% (low expression group) and 36.6% (high expression group), respectively. A stratified analysis demonstrated that low DGCR5 expression was an independent negative prognostic factor for HCC. In addition, the area under the ROC curve was 0.782 with a sensitivity of 0.633 and a specificity of 0.833. Conclusions: Our results suggest that DGCR5 may be a participator in HCC and can serve as potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis in HCC

Pathogenicity and transmissibility of a novel respirovirus isolated from a Malayan pangolin.

The identification of SARS-CoV-2-like viruses in Malayan pangolins (Manis javanica) has focused attention on these endangered animals and the viruses they carry. We successfully isolated a novel respirovirus from the lungs of a dead Malayan pangolin. Similar to murine respirovirus, the full-length genome of this novel virus was 15_384 nucleotides comprising six genes in the order 3'-(leader)-NP-P-M-F-HN-l-(trailer)-5'. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that this virus belongs to the genus Respirovirus and is most closely related to murine respirovirus. Notably, animal infection experiments indicated that the pangolin virus is highly pathogenic and transmissible in mice, with inoculated mice having variable clinical symptoms and a fatality rate of 70.37_%. The virus was found to replicate in most tissues with the exception of muscle and heart. Contact transmission of the virus was 100_% efficient, although the mice in the contact group displayed milder symptoms, with the virus mainly being detected in the trachea and lungs. The isolation of a novel respirovirus from the Malayan pangolin provides new insight into the evolution and distribution of this important group of viruses and again demonstrates the potential infectious disease threats faced by endangered pangolins

Pathogenicity, tissue tropism and potential vertical transmission of SARSr-CoV-2 in Malayan pangolins

SARS-CoV-2 is having severe impact on public health at a global scale. Malayan pangolin SARS-CoV-2-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV-2) is closely related to SARS-CoV-2. We show that CT scans of virus-positive pangolins reveal bilateral ground-glass opacities in lungs in similar manner to COVID-19 patients. The virus infected multiple organs in pangolins, with the lungs being the major target. Histological expression showed that ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are co-expressed with viral RNA. Transcriptome analysis revealed an inadequate interferon response, with different dysregulated chemokines and cytokines responses in pregnant and non-pregnant adults and fetuses. Viral RNA and protein were detected in three fetuses providing evidence for vertical virus transmission. In sum, our study identifies the biological framework of SARSr-CoV-2 in pangolins, revealing striking similarities to COVID-19 in humans