CHI3L1 elevation

This study found that the YKL-40 expression level was significantly stronger in low-grade than in high-grade canine cutaneous mast cell tumors and was associated with various clinical and pathological features. Stronger YKL-40 expression level correlated with longer survival time, especially in low-grade cMCTs. Therefore, YKL-40 could serve as a prognostic marker for cMCTs.

Our results confirmed that the CHI3L1 could serve as an independent predictor for OS in HCC patients after hepatectomy. The nomogram showed a good performance in prognosis prediction of HCC.

Regarding the prognostic capability, YKL-40 ≥100 ng/ml (the median cut-off value) (P = 0.003) and YKL-40 ≥150 ng/ml (the third interquartile cut-off value) (P = 0.021) reflected an elevated accumulating MACE rate, whereas accumulating MACE was not different between CHD patients with YKL-40 ≥80 and <80 ng/ml (the first interquartile cut-off value) (P = 0.083). Serum YKL-40 is positively linked with inflammatory cytokines and the Gensini score, whose high expression cut-off by 100 and 150 ng/ml estimates a higher MACE risk in CHD patients.

Elevated CHI3L1 expression was associated with genes which were related to the recruitment and infiltration of neutrophils. Consequently, CHI3L1 may serve as a novel evaluation factor for the degree of neutrophil infiltration in advanced bladder cancer in those scheduled for chemotherapy.

The expression of YKL-40 was significantly higher in CRC tumor tissue compared to healthy tissue and correlated with MMP-8, IL17A, and PD-L1 expression. In silico analysis revealed an association of YKL-40 with disease recurrence, and GSEA revealed a potential link between elevated YKL-40 expression and immunosuppressive properties of the tumor microenvironment in CRC.

Six independent cohorts of CRC patients were stratified by YKL-40 tissue expression to define its prognostic role and its effect on cetuximab and oxaliplatin treatment response. YKL-40 high-expressing HCT116 and Caco2 cells showed increased motility, invasion and proliferation. Our study recognizes a novel role of YKL-40 tissue expression in promoting CRC metastatic potential, through EMT signaling activation, and provides significant clinical implications that may impact the risk prediction of patients with mCRC. YKL-40 high tissue levels also strengthen a predictive value for better cetuximab responsiveness, even in patients with KRAS mutations. Since resistance to cetuximab remains one of the greatest challenges in treating CRC, our findings may be crucial for developing novel YKL-40-targeted therapy approaches.

CHI3L1 level in CSF is correlated with the severity and prognosis of anti-LGI1 encephalitis. (CSF CHI3L1 levels are correlated with the severity and prognosis of anti-LGI1 encephalitis.).

Strikingly, high YKL-40 tissue levels showed a predictive value for a better response to cetuximab, even in patients with stage IV CRC and mutant KRAS, and worse sensitivity to oxaliplatin. Taken together, our findings establish that tissue YKL-40 overexpression enhances CRC metastatic potential, highlighting this gene as a novel prognostic candidate, a predictive biomarker for therapy response, and an attractive target for future therapy in CRC.

The observed effect of COS could be due to the blocking of YKL-40-receptor binding inhibiting cancer-promoting signaling pathways. Alternative biological functions of COS could also be involved.

These data provide new insights into YKL-40 expression at the protein level in various tumor entities and its regulation in tumor models. Our data suggest that upregulation of YKL-40 expression is a common feature in vivo and is finely regulated by tumor cell-microenvironment interactions.

The results suggest that a protein panel of the inflammatory biomarkers YKL-40, IL-6, and CRP, and the cancer biomarkers CEA and CA19-9 might identify patients that benefit from more aggressive treatment and surveillance, although the additional value of IL-6 and CRP in this aspect is limited.

In radically operated stage II to IV CRC patients who received adjuvant 5-FU-based chemotherapy, a postoperatively elevated CEA alone or in combination with CA19-9, YKL-40, CRP, or IL-6, or a normal CEA combined with an elevated YKL-40 or with an elevated CRP, may indicate patients at high risk of relapse.

In a prospective cohort of invasive BrC patients, overweight/obesity was associated with improved future outcomes. The combination of a normal BMI with high leptin and low adiponectin levels and high TF activity was associated with an increased risk of recurrence and decreased survival.

Collectively, our study revealed the possible methylated-differentially expressed genes and associated pathways in glioblastoma and identified four DNA methylation-based biomarkers of glioblastoma. These results may provide insight on diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and therapeutic targets in glioblastoma.