Fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) is a marker of cancer-associated fibroblast, which is also expressed in cancer epithelial cells. However, the role of FAP in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells remains to be elucidated. Here we investigate the expression pattern of FAP in CRC tissues and cells to prove that FAP is upregulated in CRC cells. Loss- of and gain-of-function assays identified FAP promotes migration and invasion instead of an effect on cell proliferation. Microarray assays are adopted to identify the different expressed genes after FAP knockdown and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) is used to exploit the involved signaling pathway. Our works reveal FAP exerts a function dependent on NF-κB signaling pathway and FAP expression is associated with NF-κB signaling pathway in clinical samples. Our work shows FAP is secreted by CRC cells and soluble FAP could promote metastasis. To investigate the mechanism of FAP influencing the NF-κB signaling pathway, LC/MS is performed to identify the proteins interacting with FAP. We find that FAP binds to ENO1 and activates NF-κB signaling pathway dependent on ENO1. Blocking ENO1 could partially reverse the pro-metastatic effect mediated by FAP. We also provide evidences that both FAP and ENO1 are associated with CRC stages, and high levels of FAP and ENO1 predict a poor survival in CRC patients. In summary, our work could provide a novel mechanism of FAP in CRC cells and a potential strategy for treatment of metastatic CRC.

Previous studies in other countries have shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the growth arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6; rs8191974) and adapter-related protein complex 3 subunit sigma-2 (Ap3s2; rs2028299) were associated with an increasedrisk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the association of these loci with T2DM has not been examined in Chinese populations. We performed a replication study to investigate the association of these susceptibility loci with T2DM in the Chinese population.We genotyped 1968 Chinese participants (996 with T2DM and 972controls) for rs8191974 in Gas6 and rs2028299 near Ap3s2, and examined their association with T2DM using a logistic regression analysis. We also analyzed the correlation of genotypes and clinical phenotypes. The distribution of the T allele of SNP rs8191974 in the Gas6 gene was significantly different between T2DM cases and controls when compared with the C allele (P<0.05, OR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69-0.94). The occurrence of the CT genotype and the dominant model was also significantly less frequent in the T2DM cases vs. controls when compared with the CC genotype (CT vs. CC: P<0.05, OR: 0.75, 95% CI:0.62-0.90; TT+CT vs. CC: P<0.05, OR:0.75, 95% CI:0.63-0.90). In SNP rs2028299, the allele C showed no statistically significant differencein distribution between the control and T2DM groups when compared with allele A. However, in male populations, the dominant model was statistically more frequent when compared with genotype AA (CC+CA vs. AA: P<0.05, OR:1.29, 95% CI:1.02-1.64), and in obesity-stratified analysis, we also observed a significant difference in the distribution of the dominant model between the T2DM cases and controls in subjects with BMI≥24 kg/m and BMI<28kg/m (CC+CA vs. AA: P<0.05, OR: 6.33, 95% CI:4.17-9.61). In conclusion, our study shows that SNPsrs8191974 and rs2028299 are significantly associated with T2DM in the Chinese population.

Aims/IntroductionTo investigate the association between two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs3774261 and rs822393) in the ADIPOQ gene and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Han Chinese from northeast China.Materials and MethodsThe present study comprised 993 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 966 unrelated controls from northeastern China. Two SNPs were sequenced using SNPscan. The distribution of genotype frequencies of the two SNPs in ADIPOQ between cases and controls, and in subgroups stratified based on body mass index, were compared using logistic regression analysis. Linear regression was used to analyze the association between each SNP and clinical indicators.ResultsThe GG genotype of rs3774261 increased the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with the AA genotype in participants with a body mass index <24 (P = 0.021; odds ratio 1.636, 95% CI 1.708–2.484). Rs822393 was correlated with glycosylated hemoglobin (P = 0.043) in controls. Rs3774261 had an association with diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.017) in controls, and in controls with a body mass index <24; rs3774261 also had an association with both systolic blood pressure (P = 0.025) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.043).ConclusionsThe present results confirm the association between ADIPOQ variants and type 2 diabetes mellitus in northeastern China. However, additional larger replication studies are required to validate these findings.

An Indian study recently observed three new loci: rs9552911 in the SGCG, rs1593304 near PLXNA4 and rs4858889 in SCAP associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a south Asian population. The present study aimed to validate these findings in a Chinese population. We genotyped the above three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs9552911, rs1593304, and rs4858889, in a group of 1,972 Chinese individuals, comprising of 966 type 2 diabetic patients and 976 controls. Anthropometric variables and biochemical traits were measured in all the participants. The association analyses of genotype-disease and genotype-traits were estimated. The genotype frequency of rs9552911 differed statistically between the cases and controls (P=0.017). The difference was also evident between the cases and controls in non-obese participants (P=0.033). In addition, the SNP rs9552911 was associated with weight (P=0.033), total cholesterol (P=0.006) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P=0.007). The SNP rs1593304 was associated with β-cell function estimated by the homeostatic model assessment of β-cell function (P=0.041). However, there was no significant association between rs4858889 and T2DM. In conclusion, the results show that the SNP rs9552911 was associated with T2DM, possibly by affecting body mass index and lipid metabolism. The SNP rs1593304 may impair β-cell function.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of iodine on the development of thyroid cancer cells and to detect the underlying mechanisms. It was observed that proliferation was promoted and apoptosis was inhibited in cells treated with iodine at a specific concentration. This treatment group was then selected for further analysis, to investigate how iodine affects the development of thyroid cancer cells. It was reported that sperm protein associated with the nucleus, X-linked, family member A1 (SPANXA1) expression in iodine-treated cells was significantly upregulated. Furthermore, downregulation of SPANXA1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoted cell apoptosis. These results suggested that SPANXA1 played an important role in iodine-treated thyroid cancer cells. Novel associations between SPANXA1 and thyroid cancer were described in the current study. In addition, SPANXA1 gene silencing resulted in the downregulation of PI3K and phosphorylated (p)AKT expression in iodine-treated thyroid cancer cells, whereas iodine treatment alone resulted in upregulated PI3K and p-AKT expression. Inhibiting PI3K further suppressed cell proliferation and contributed to apoptosis, even in the presence of SPANXA1 at high levels. As a consequence, PI3K/AKT may be one of the key signalling pathways by which iodine promotes thyroid cancer development in association with SPANXA1. In addition, our results further suggested that patients with thyroid cancer may need to avoid high-iodine intake.