Title: RARB associated with MSI, affects progression and prognosis of gastric cancer
Version: 1 Date: 04 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
Xufan et al. observed the clinical and biological functions of RARB in gastric cancer. RARB
was positively correlated with poor prognosis and negatively with MSI status, Knockdown
of RARAB increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion as well as elevated EMT-
related protein expression of gastric cancer cells. However, several parts in the manuscript are
controversial in the present version.
Comments:
1) The last part of the Conclusion section is most difficult to understand easily (page 7, lines
4-7, In conclusion, RARB is oncogenic at the cellular level, but its aggressive-----). RARB
knockdown led to accelerate cell proliferation, invasiveness and EMT, but why is RARB
oncogenic other than tumor suppressive?
2) Clinical tissue samples were obtained from Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from 2020
to 2022 (Materials and Methods). How many gastric cancer cases did the authors examine RARB
expression by immunohistochemistry? The authors should examine the relationship between
RARB expression and clinicopathological features (including MSI status) of gastric cancer using
their own sample.
3) In the Conclusion section, the authors discussed the reason of why RARB-high gastric
cancer group had a worse prognosis using an explanation of tumor immune microenvironment.
However, this is only speculation. To explain this, the authors should examine the relationship
between RARB expression and tumor microenvironment (such as the ratio of tumor infiltration
lymphocyte, CD8+ and FOXP3+, etc.) by immunohistochemistry.
4) The authors should add more explanation of the mechanism by which RARB is associated
with MSI. Is RARB a downstream target of MSI?
Minor comments:
1) The Introduction section is very simply written, but this is uncertain what is the current
problem, why the present study is necessary, why prognostic factor associated with MSI is
focused, are there any MSI target genes associated with prognosis etc. Because there are a large
number of published papers regarding MSI-H and cancer including gastric cancer, more polite
explanation should be required for readers.
2) The photograph of Figure 3A “cancer” is not general histology of gastric cancer, which looks
like a non-cancerous region with gastric epithelial cells. The authors should show the photograph
of immunohistochemical data with well-differentiated or undifferentiated gastric cancer tissue
that can generally understand.
Title: RARB associated with MSI, affects progression and prognosis of gastric cancer
Version: 1 Date: 04 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
Xufan et al. observed the clinical and biological functions of RARB in gastric cancer. RARB
was positively correlated with poor prognosis and negatively with MSI status, Knockdown
of RARAB increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion as well as elevated EMT-
related protein expression of gastric cancer cells. However, several parts in the manuscript are
controversial in the present version.
Comments:
1) The last part of the Conclusion section is most difficult to understand easily (page 7, lines
4-7, In conclusion, RARB is oncogenic at the cellular level, but its aggressive-----). RARB
knockdown led to accelerate cell proliferation, invasiveness and EMT, but why is RARB
oncogenic other than tumor suppressive?
2) Clinical tissue samples were obtained from Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from 2020
to 2022 (Materials and Methods). How many gastric cancer cases did the authors examine RARB
expression by immunohistochemistry? The authors should examine the relationship between
RARB expression and clinicopathological features (including MSI status) of gastric cancer using
their own sample.
3) In the Conclusion section, the authors discussed the reason of why RARB-high gastric
cancer group had a worse prognosis using an explanation of tumor immune microenvironment.
However, this is only speculation. To explain this, the authors should examine the relationship
between RARB expression and tumor microenvironment (such as the ratio of tumor infiltration
lymphocyte, CD8+ and FOXP3+, etc.) by immunohistochemistry.
4) The authors should add more explanation of the mechanism by which RARB is associated
with MSI. Is RARB a downstream target of MSI?
Minor comments:
1) The Introduction section is very simply written, but this is uncertain what is the current
problem, why the present study is necessary, why prognostic factor associated with MSI is
focused, are there any MSI target genes associated with prognosis etc. Because there are a large
number of published papers regarding MSI-H and cancer including gastric cancer, more polite
explanation should be required for readers.
2) The photograph of Figure 3A “cancer” is not general histology of gastric cancer, which looks
like a non-cancerous region with gastric epithelial cells. The authors should show the photograph
of immunohistochemical data with well-differentiated or undifferentiated gastric cancer tissue
that can generally understand.
Please review this paper.
user
Title: RARB associated with MSI, affects progression and prognosis of gastric cancer
Version: 1 Date: 04 Nov 2023
Reviewer's report:
Xufan et al. observed the clinical and biological functions of RARB in gastric cancer. RARB
was positively correlated with poor prognosis and negatively with MSI status, Knockdown
of RARAB increased cell proliferation, migration and invasion as well as elevated EMT-
related protein expression of gastric cancer cells. However, several parts in the manuscript are
controversial in the present version.
Comments:
1) The last part of the Conclusion section is most difficult to understand easily (page 7, lines
4-7, In conclusion, RARB is oncogenic at the cellular level, but its aggressive-----). RARB
knockdown led to accelerate cell proliferation, invasiveness and EMT, but why is RARB
oncogenic other than tumor suppressive?
2) Clinical tissue samples were obtained from Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from 2020
to 2022 (Materials and Methods). How many gastric cancer cases did the authors examine RARB
expression by immunohistochemistry? The authors should examine the relationship between
RARB expression and clinicopathological features (including MSI status) of gastric cancer using
their own sample.
3) In the Conclusion section, the authors discussed the reason of why RARB-high gastric
cancer group had a worse prognosis using an explanation of tumor immune microenvironment.
However, this is only speculation. To explain this, the authors should examine the relationship
between RARB expression and tumor microenvironment (such as the ratio of tumor infiltration
lymphocyte, CD8+ and FOXP3+, etc.) by immunohistochemistry.
4) The authors should add more explanation of the mechanism by which RARB is associated
with MSI. Is RARB a downstream target of MSI?
Minor comments:
1) The Introduction section is very simply written, but this is uncertain what is the current
problem, why the present study is necessary, why prognostic factor associated with MSI is
focused, are there any MSI target genes associated with prognosis etc. Because there are a large
number of published papers regarding MSI-H and cancer including gastric cancer, more polite
explanation should be required for readers.
2) The photograph of Figure 3A “cancer” is not general histology of gastric cancer, which looks
like a non-cancerous region with gastric epithelial cells. The authors should show the photograph
of immunohistochemical data with well-differentiated or undifferentiated gastric cancer tissue
that can generally understand.
assistant