Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37038218›Full record

ArticleCancer cell international2023

ATG4B and pS383/392-ATG4B serve as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets of colorectal cancer.

Wan-Hsiang Hu, Ting-Ting Liu, Pei-Feng Liu, Paul Morgan, I-Ling Lin, Wei-Lun Tsai, Yi-Yun Cheng, Ang-Tsen Hsieh, Tsung-Hui Hu, Chih-Wen Shu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer cell international, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Autophagy Protease ATG4D Facilitates Proliferation and Malignancy of Osteosarcoma Cells.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Wan-Hsiang Hu *Department of Colorectal Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83341, Taiwan.
Ting-Ting Liu *Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83341, Taiwan.
Pei-Feng LiuDepartment of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan.
Paul MorganIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
I-Ling LinDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 80708, Taiwan.
Wei-Lun TsaiDepartment of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, 81362, Taiwan.
Yi-Yun ChengInnovative Incubation Center, Praexisio Taiwain Inc, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
Ang-Tsen HsiehInstitute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70, Lianhai Rd., Gushan Dist, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan.
Tsung-Hui HuDivision of Hepato-Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan.
Chih-Wen ShuInstitute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, No. 70, Lianhai Rd., Gushan Dist, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan. cwshu@mail.nsysu.edu.tw.
National Sun Yat-sen University · TWKaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital · TWChang Gung University · TWIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · USKaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital · TWKaohsiung Veterans General Hospital · TWNational Tsing Hua University · TW

Funding

National Science and Technology Council 111-2320-B-110-006National Sun Yat-sen University VGHNSU111-004, VGHNSU111-014, 110-05, 111-05, NSYSUKMU 111-.P11Zuoying Branch of the Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital KAFGH-ZY-A-112-007
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAutophagy related protease 4B (ATG4B) is a protease required for autophagy processing, which is strongly implicated in cancer progression.  Phosphorylation of ATG4B is crucial for activation of its protease activity.  However, little is known about the relationship of ATG4B and its phosphorylated form at Ser 383 and 392 sites (pS383/392-ATG4B), with clinical outcomes, particularly in colorectal cancer (CRC).

methodsThe ATG4B gene expression in CRC patients was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to analyze its clinical relevance. Tissue microarrays composed of 118 CRC patient specimens were used to determine the associations of ATG4B and pS383/392-ATG4B protein levels with prognosis. The biological functions of ATG4B in CRC cells were inspected with cell proliferation, mobility and spheroid culture assays.

resultsATG4B gene expression was elevated in tumor tissues of CRC patients compared to that in adjacent normal tissues and high level of ATG4B expression was associated with poor survival. Similarly, protein levels of ATG4B and pS383/392-ATG4B were highly correlated with worse overall survival and disease-free survival. Stratification analysis results showed that high level of ATG4B had significantly higher risk of mortality in males and elderly patients compared to those female patients and patients 60 years or younger. In contrast, multivariate Cox's regression analysis indicated that high level of pS383/392-ATG4B was significantly linked to unfavorable overall survival and disease-free survival of males and elderly patients, whereas, it had no correlation with female patients and patients 60 years or younger. Moreover, high level of ATG4B was positively associated with increased mortality risk in patients with advanced AJCC stages (III and IV) and lymph node invasion (N1 and N2) for both overall survival and disease-free survival. Nevertheless, high level of pS383/392-ATG4B was positively correlated with increased mortality risk in patients with early AJCC stages (I and II) and without lymph node invasion (N0). In addition, silencing ATG4B attenuated migration, invasion, and further enhanced the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs in two and three-dimensional cultures of CRC cells.

conclusionsOur results suggest that ATG4B and pS383/392-ATG4B might be suitable biomarkers and therapeutic targets for CRC.

Indexed as

ATG4BcancerPhosphorylationPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID37038218
PMCPMC10088137
OpenAlexW4363650580

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.