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ASCL1

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most malignant neoplasms in common human cancers. The tumor is composed of small immature-looking cells with a round or fusiform shape, which possesses weak adhesion features among them, suggesting that SCLC shows the morphological characteristics of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). SCLC is characterized by high metastatic and recurrent rates, sensitivity to the initial chemotherapy, and easy acquirement of chemoresistance afterwards. These characters may be related to the EMT phenotype of SCLC. Notch signaling is an important signaling pathway, and could have roles in regulating neuroendocrine differentiation, proliferation, cell adhesion, EMT, and chemoresistance. Notch1 is usually absent in SCLC in vivo, but could appear after chemotherapy. Notch1 can enhance cell adhesion by induction of E-cadherin in SCLC, which indicates mesenchymal to epithelial transition. On the other hand, achaete-scute complex homologue 1 (ASCL1), negatively regulated by Notch signaling, is a lineage-specific gene of SCLC, and functions to promote neuroendocrine differentiation as well as EMT. ASCL1-transfected adenocarcinoma cell lines induced neuroendocrine phenotypes and lost epithelial cell features. SCLC is characterized by neuroendocrine differentiation and EMT-like features, which could be produced by inactive Notch signaling and ASCL1 expression. In addition, chemical and radiation treatments can activate Notch signaling, which suppress neuroendocrine differentiation and induces chemoradioresistance, accompanied by secession from EMT. Thus, the status of Notch signaling and ASCL1 expression may determine the cell behaviors of SCLC partly through modifying EMT phenotypes.

Laryngeal cancer is one of the most common fatal cancers among head and neck carcinomas, whose mechanism, however, remains unclear. The proneural basic-helix-loop-helix protein achaete-scute complex homologue-1, a member of the basic helix-loop-helix family, plays a very important role in many cancers. This study aims to explore the clinical value and mechanism of achaete-scute complex homologue-1 in laryngeal cancer. Methods including Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometry, Transwell invasion assays, and scratch assay were adopted to further explore the bio-function of achaete-scute complex homologue-1, whose expression was examined in fresh and paraffin chip of laryngeal carcinoma tissues by means of western blot and immunohistochemistry, after the interference of achaete-scute complex homologue-1; achaete-scute complex homologue-1, an overexpression in laryngeal carcinoma whose carcinogenicity potential was confirmed via western blot, was correlative with T classification (p = 0.002), histological differentiation (p = 0.000), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.000), and poor survival (p = 0.000). Multivariate analysis shows that achaete-scute complex homologue-1 overexpression is an independent prognostic factor unfavorable to laryngeal carcinoma patients (p = 0.000). Moreover, knocking down achaete-scute complex homologue-1 expression could significantly suppress the proliferation, migration, and invasion of laryngeal carcinoma cell in vitro and disorder epithelial-mesenchymal transformation-associated protein expression. Achaete-scute complex homologue-1 plays an important role in the genesis and progression of laryngeal carcinoma and may act as a potential biomarker for therapeutic target and prognostic prediction.