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Liu W, Du L, Cui Y, He C, He Z. WNT5A regulates the proliferation, apoptosis and stemness of human stem Leydig cells via the β-catenin signaling pathway. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:93. [PMID: 38367191 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05077-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Stem Leydig cells (SLCs) are essential for maintaining normal spermatogenesis as the significant component of testis microenvironment and gonadal aging. Although progress has been achieved in the regulation of male germ cells in mammals and humans, it remains unknown about the genes and signaling pathways of human SLCs. Here we have demonstrated, for the first time, that WNT5A (Wnt family member 5a) mediates the proliferation, apoptosis, and stemness of human SLCs, namely NGFR+ Leydig cells. We revealed that NGFR+ Leydig cells expressed NGFR, PDGFRA, NES, NR2F2, and THY1, hallmarks for SLCs. RNA-sequencing showed that WNT5A was expressed at a higher level in human SLCs than non-SLCs, while immunohistochemistry and Western blots further illustrated that WNT5A was predominantly expressed in human SLCs. Notably, CCK-8, EdU and Western blots displayed that WNT5A enhanced the proliferation and DNA synthesis and retained stemness of human SLCs, whereas flow cytometry and TUNEL analyses demonstrated that WNT5A inhibited the apoptosis of these cells. WNT5A knockdown caused an increase in LC lineage differentiation of human SLCs and reversed the effect of WNT5A overexpression on fate decisions of human SLCs. In addition, WNT5A silencing resulted in the decreases in nuclear translocation of β-catenin and expression levels of c-Myc, CD44, and Cyclin D1. Collectively, these results implicate that WNT5A regulates the proliferation, apoptosis and stemness of human SLCs through the activation of the β-catenin signaling pathway. This study thus provides a novel molecular mechanism underlying the fate determinations of human SLCs, and it offers a new insight into the niche regulation of human testis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Li Du
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Yinghong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Caimei He
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zuping He
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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He T, Wang Y, Lv W, Wang Y, Li X, Zhang Q, Shen HM, Hu J. FBP1 inhibits NSCLC stemness by promoting ubiquitination of Notch1 intracellular domain and accelerating degradation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:87. [PMID: 38349431 PMCID: PMC10864425 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05138-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
The existence of cancer stem cells is widely acknowledged as the underlying cause for the challenging curability and high relapse rates observed in various tumor types, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite extensive research on numerous therapeutic targets for NSCLC treatment, the strategies to effectively combat NSCLC stemness and achieve a definitive cure are still not well defined. The primary objective of this study was to examine the underlying mechanism through which Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1), a gluconeogenic enzyme, functions as a tumor suppressor to regulate the stemness of NSCLC. Herein, we showed that overexpression of FBP1 led to a decrease in the proportion of CD133-positive cells, weakened tumorigenicity, and decreased expression of stemness factors. FBP1 inhibited the activation of Notch signaling, while it had no impact on the transcription level of Notch 1 intracellular domain (NICD1). Instead, FBP1 interacted with NICD1 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXW7 to facilitate the degradation of NICD1 through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, which is independent of the metabolic enzymatic activity of FBP1. The aforementioned studies suggest that targeting the FBP1-FBXW7-NICD1 axis holds promise as a therapeutic approach for addressing the challenges of NSCLC recurrence and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyu He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanye Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wang Lv
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yiqing Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xinye Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qingyi Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Han-Ming Shen
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China.
| | - Jian Hu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Evaluation Technology for Medical Device of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
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Hu M, Dai C, Sun X, Chen Y, Xu N, Lin Z, Xu S, Cheng C, Tan Z, Bian S, Zheng W. Ubiquitination-specific protease 7 enhances stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma by stabilizing basic transcription factor 3. Funct Integr Genomics 2024; 24:28. [PMID: 38340226 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-024-01310-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
This study aims to explore the molecular regulation mechanism of ubiquitination-specific protease 7 (USP7) in facilitating the stemness properties of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays were conducted in SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells transfected with USP7 overexpression/knockdown plasmids and USP7 inhibitor P22077. The proliferation, migration, invasion, and self-renewal capacity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were detected by CCK-8, colony formation, Transwell, scratch, and tumor sphere formation, respectively. MS was performed to identify the potential substrate of USP7 following P22077 treatment. Co-IP assay was used to verify the interaction between USP7 and basic transcription factor 3 (BTF3) in HCC cells. The overexpression of USP7 could promote the proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation capacity of SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells. Additionally, ectopic UPS7 enhanced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem-like characteristics of the HCC cells. In contrast, USP7 depletion by knockdown of USP7 or administrating inhibitor P22077 significantly inhibited these malignant phenotypes of SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells. Following MS analysis, BTF3 was identified as a potential substrate for USP7. USP7 could interact with BTF3 and upregulate its protein level, while USP7 depletion significantly upregulated the ubiquitination levels. Overexpression of BTF3 partially rescue the inhibitory effects of USP7 depletion on the malignant phenotypes and stemness properties of SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells. USP7 can promote the stemness and malignant phenotype of HCC by stabilizing BTF3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingchao Hu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Chengchen Dai
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Xieyin Sun
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yinqi Chen
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Nuo Xu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhaoyi Lin
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shiyu Xu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chun Cheng
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Zhonghua Tan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
| | - Saiyan Bian
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Wenjie Zheng
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China.
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
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Zhou X, Li Z, Li M. LncRNA WWTR1-AS1 upregulates Notch3 through miR-136 to increase cancer cell stemness in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. BMC Womens Health 2024; 24:104. [PMID: 38331752 PMCID: PMC10851613 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-02905-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This Study investigated the role of WWTR1-AS1 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). RESULTS WWTR1-AS1 expression was upregulated in CSCC tissues. WWTR1-AS1 was predicted to interact with miR-136, whereas correlation analysis revealed that there was no close correlation between WWTR1-AS1 and miR-136 across CSCC samples. Moreover, WWTR1-AS1 and miR-136 did not regulate the expression of each other. In addition, overexpression of WWTR1-AS1 increased the expression levels of Notch3, which could be targeted by miR-136. Cell stemness analysis indicated that the overexpression of WWTR1-AS1 and Notch3 increased CSCC cell stemness and the capacity of CSCC cell to grow as spheroids. Overexpression of miR-136 decreased CSCC cell stemness and reversed the effects of overexpression of WWTR1-AS1 on Notch3 in CSCC cells. CONCLUSION Therefore, WWTR1-AS1 may upregulate Notch3 through miR-136 to increase cancer cell stemness in CSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bishan hospital of Chongqing medical university, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, No. 9 Shuangxing Avenue, Biquan Street, Bishan District, 402760, Chongqing City, P. R. China
| | - Zhizun Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bishan hospital of Chongqing medical university, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, No. 9 Shuangxing Avenue, Biquan Street, Bishan District, 402760, Chongqing City, P. R. China
| | - Moyu Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bishan hospital of Chongqing medical university, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, No. 9 Shuangxing Avenue, Biquan Street, Bishan District, 402760, Chongqing City, P. R. China.
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Yang C, Li Y, Hu Y, Li Q, Lan Y, Li Y. Per-cell histone acetylation is associated with terminal differentiation in human T cells. Clin Epigenetics 2024; 16:21. [PMID: 38321550 PMCID: PMC10845582 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-024-01634-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epigenetic remodeling at effector gene loci has been reported to be critical in regulating T cell differentiation and function. However, efforts to investigate underlying epigenetic mechanisms that control T cell behaviors have been largely hindered by very limited experimental tools, especially in humans. RESULTS In this study, we employed a flow cytometric assay to analyze histone acetylation at single-cell level in human T cells. The data showed that histone acetylation was increased during T cell activation. Among T cell subsets, terminally differentiated effector memory T (TEMRA) cells robustly producing effector cytokines were hyper-acetylated. Conversely, these TEMRA cells had lower expression levels of TCF-1, a key transcription factor for maintaining stem cell features. Pharmaceutical inhibition of histone acetylation using a small molecule C646 restrained the production of effector molecules, but retained stem cell-like properties in T cells after expansion. CONCLUSIONS Per-cell histone acetylation is associated with terminal differentiation and poor stemness in human T cells. These observations suggest a new approach to enhance the stem cell-like properties of T cells and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - You Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yaqiu Hu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Qian Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yinghua Lan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, China.
| | - Yongguo Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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Jiang N, Tian X, Wang Q, Hao J, Jiang J, Wang H. Regulation Mechanisms and Maintenance Strategies of Stemness in Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2024; 20:455-483. [PMID: 38010581 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-023-10658-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Stemness pertains to the intrinsic ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to undergo self-renewal and differentiate into multiple lineages, while simultaneously impeding their differentiation and preserving crucial differentiating genes in a state of quiescence and equilibrium. Owing to their favorable attributes, including uncomplicated isolation protocols, ethical compliance, and ease of procurement, MSCs have become a focal point of inquiry in the domains of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. As age increases or ex vivo cultivation is prolonged, the functionality of MSCs decreases and their stemness gradually diminishes, thereby limiting their potential therapeutic applications. Despite the existence of several uncertainties surrounding the comprehension of MSC stemness, considerable advancements have been achieved in the clarification of the potential mechanisms that lead to stemness loss, as well as the associated strategies for stemness maintenance. This comprehensive review provides a systematic overview of the factors influencing the preservation of MSC stemness, the molecular mechanisms governing it, the strategies for its maintenance, and the therapeutic potential associated with stemness. Finally, we underscore the obstacles and prospective avenues in present investigations, providing innovative perspectives and opportunities for the preservation and therapeutic utilization of MSC stemness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nizhou Jiang
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xiliang Tian
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Quanxiang Wang
- Hongqi Hospital Affiliated to Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China
| | - Jiayu Hao
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China
| | - Jian Jiang
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China.
| | - Hong Wang
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China.
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Shin HC, Kim J, Park SR, Choi BH. mTOR Plays an Important Role in the Stemness of Human Fetal Cartilage Progenitor Cells (hFCPCs). Tissue Eng Regen Med 2024; 21:309-318. [PMID: 37812329 PMCID: PMC10825109 DOI: 10.1007/s13770-023-00598-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is known to regulate self-renewal ability and potency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and adult stem cells in opposite manners. However, its effects vary even among adult stem cells and are not reported in fetal stem/progenitor cells. This study investigated the role of mTOR in the function of human fetal cartilage-derived progenitor cells (hFCPCs). METHODS mTOR activity in hFCPCs was first examined via the level of phosphor-mTOR until passage 19, together with doubling time of cells and senescence-associated b-galactosidase (SA-bGal). Then, the effect of 100 nM rapamycin, the inhibitor of mTOR, was investigated on self-renewal ability, proliferation rate and osteogenic/adipogenic potential of hFCPCs in vitro. Expression of stemness genes (Oct-4, Sox2 and Nanog) and cell cycle regulators (CDK4 and Cyclin D1) was measured at mRNA or protein levels. RESULTS mTOR activity was maintained constantly at high levels in hFCPCs until passage 19, while their proliferation rate was decreasing from 48 h at passage 13 to 70 h at passage 9 and senescent cells were observed at passage 18 (8.3 ± 1.2%) and 19 (15.6 ± 1.9%). Inhibition of mTOR in hFCPCs impaired their colony forming frequency (CFU-F) by 4 folds, while showing no change in their doubling time and expression of CDK4 and Cyclin D1. Upon mTOR inhibition, Oct4 expression decreased by 2 folds and 4 folds at the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, while that of Sox2 and Nanog did not change significantly. Finally, mTOR inhibition reduced osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of hFCPCs in vitro. CONCLUSION This study has shown that mTOR plays an important role in the self-renewal ability of hFCPCS but not in their proliferation, The effect of mTOR appears to be associated with Oct-4 expression and important in the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation ability of hFCPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Him-Cha Shin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea
| | - Jiyoung Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea
| | - So Ra Park
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea
| | - Byung Hyune Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea.
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Tripathi SK, Sahoo RK, Biswal BK. Exposure of piperlongumine attenuates stemness and epithelial to mesenchymal transition phenotype with more potent anti-metastatic activity in SOX9 deficient human lung cancer cells. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2024:10.1007/s00210-024-02965-4. [PMID: 38280008 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-02965-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Phytocompounds have shown hopeful results in cancer therapy. Piperlongumine (PIP), a naturally derived bioactive alkaloid found in our dietary spice, exhibits promising pharmacological relevance including anticancer activity. This study reconnoitred the anti-lung cancer effect of PIP and the allied mechanisms, in vitro and ex vivo. The cytotoxic, anti-proliferative, and apoptotic effects of PIP on lung cancer cells (LCC) were checked via cell viability, colony formation, cell migration, invasion, comet assay, and various staining techniques. Further, multicellular spheroids assay explored the anti-lung cancer potential of PIP, ex vivo. Preliminary results explored that PIP exerts selective cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects on LCC by DNA damage and cell cycle arrest. PIP remarkably escalated the cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and promoted dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), which triggers activation of caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway in LCC. Mechanistically, PIP showed F-actin deformation mediated significant anti-migratory and anti-invasive activity against LCC. Herein, we also found that F-actin dis-organization modulates the expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and inhibits the expression of stemness marker proteins, like SOX9, CD-133, and CD-44. Moreover, PIP effectively reduced the size of spheroids with strong apoptotic and cytotoxic effects, ex vivo. This has been the first study to discover the high expression of SOX9 supporting the survival of LCC, whereas its inhibition induces higher sensitivity to PIP treatment. This study concludes a newer therapeutic agent (PIP) with promising anticancer activity against LCC by escalating ROS and attenuating MMP, stemness, and EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Kant Tripathi
- Cancer Drug Resistance Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27514, NC, USA
| | - Rajeev Kumar Sahoo
- Cancer Drug Resistance Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Bijesh Kumar Biswal
- Cancer Drug Resistance Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India.
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Xiao G, Lu W, Yuan J, Liu Z, Wang P, Fan H. Fbxw7 suppresses carcinogenesis and stemness in triple-negative breast cancer through CHD4 degradation and Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibition. J Transl Med 2024; 22:99. [PMID: 38268032 PMCID: PMC10809768 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-04897-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of cells in tumor tissues that can drive tumor initiation and promote tumor progression. A small number of previous studies indirectly mentioned the role of F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBXW7) as a tumor suppressor in Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, few studies have focused on the function of FBXW7 in cancer stemness in TNBC and the related mechanism. METHODS We detected FBXW7 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 80 TNBC patients. FBXW7 knockdown and overexpression in MD-MBA-231 and HCC1937 cell models were constructed. The effect of FBXW7 on malignant phenotype and stemness was assessed by colony assays, flow cytometry, transwell assays, western blot, and sphere formation assays. Immunoprecipitation-Mass Spectrometry (IP-MS) and ubiquitination experiments were used to find and verify potential downstream substrate proteins of FBXW7. Animal experiments were constructed to examine the effect of FBXW7 on tumorigenic potential and cancer stemness of TNBC cells in vivo. RESULTS The results showed that FBXW7 was expressed at low levels in TNBC tissues and positively correlated with prognosis of TNBC patients. In vitro, FBXW7 significantly inhibited colony formation, cell cycle progression, cell migration, EMT process, cancer stemness and promotes apoptosis. Further experiments confirmed that chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4) is a novel downstream target of FBXW7 and is downregulated by FBXW7 via proteasomal degradation. Moreover, CHD4 could promote the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and reverse the inhibitory effect of FBXW7 on β-catenin, and ultimately activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Rescue experiments confirmed that the FBXW7-CHD4-Wnt/β-catenin axis was involved in regulating the maintenance of CSC in TNBC cells. In animal experiments, FBXW7 reduced CSC marker expression and suppressed TNBC cell tumorigenesis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results highlight that FBXW7 degrades CHD4 protein through ubiquitination, thereby blocking the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to inhibit the stemness of TNBC cells. Thus, targeting FBXW7 may be a promising strategy for therapeutic intervention against TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Xiao
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Weiping Lu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Jing Yuan
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Zuyue Liu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Peili Wang
- Breast Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital, No 127 Dongming Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China
| | - Huijie Fan
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
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Sengupta P, Dutta A, Suseela YV, Roychowdhury T, Banerjee N, Dutta A, Halder S, Jana K, Mukherjee G, Chattopadhyay S, Govindaraju T, Chatterjee S. G-quadruplex structural dynamics at MAPK12 promoter dictates transcriptional switch to determine stemness in breast cancer. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:33. [PMID: 38214819 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05046-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
P38γ (MAPK12) is predominantly expressed in triple negative breast cancer cells (TNBC) and induces stem cell (CSC) expansion resulting in decreased survival of the patients due to metastasis. Abundance of G-rich sequences at MAPK12 promoter implied the functional probability to reverse tumorigenesis, though the formation of G-Quadruplex (G4) structures at MAPK12 promoter is elusive. Here, we identified two evolutionary consensus adjacent G4 motifs upstream of the MAPK12 promoter, forming parallel G4 structures. They exist in an equilibria between G4 and duplex, regulated by the binding turnover of Sp1 and Nucleolin that bind to these G4 motifs and regulate MAPK12 transcriptional homeostasis. To underscore the gene-regulatory functions of G4 motifs, we employed CRISPR-Cas9 system to eliminate G4s from TNBC cells and synthesized a naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivative (TGS24) which shows high-affinity binding to MAPK12-G4 and inhibits MAPK12 transcription. Deletion of G4 motifs and NDI compound interfere with the recruitment of the transcription factors, inhibiting MAPK12 expression in cancer cells. The molecular basis of NDI-induced G4 transcriptional regulation was analysed by RNA-seq analyses, which revealed that MAPK12-G4 inhibits oncogenic RAS transformation and trans-activation of NANOG. MAPK12-G4 also reduces CD44High/CD24Low population in TNBC cells and downregulates internal stem cell markers, arresting the stemness properties of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallabi Sengupta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Anindya Dutta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Y V Suseela
- Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory, New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India
| | - Tanaya Roychowdhury
- Department of Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder, IICB, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Nilanjan Banerjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Ananya Dutta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Satyajit Halder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Kuladip Jana
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Gopeswar Mukherjee
- Barasat Cancer Research and Welfare Centre, Barasat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Samit Chattopadhyay
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, K. K. Birla Goa Campus, Goa, 403726, India
| | - Thimmaiah Govindaraju
- Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory, New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India.
| | - Subhrangsu Chatterjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India.
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Deng Z, Xu M, Ding Z, Kong J, Liu J, Zhang Z, Cao P. ID2 promotes tumor progression and metastasis in thyroid cancer. Endocrine 2024:10.1007/s12020-023-03674-3. [PMID: 38195969 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-023-03674-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhibitor of DNA Binding 2 (ID2) plays a crucial role in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and stemness. Aberrant ID2 expression is associated with poor prognosis in various cancers. However, the specific function of ID2 in thyroid cancer remain unclear. METHOD The TCGA database were utilized to explore the clinical relevance of ID2 in cancer. GO, KEGG, and TIMER were employed to predict the potential roles of ID2 in cancer. Functional analysis, including CCK-8, colony formation, transwell, wound healing, and sphere formation experiments, were conducted to determine the biological functions of ID2 in human cancers. Western blot (WB), RT-qPCR, and immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses were used to investigate the relationship between ID2 and downstream targets. RESULTS Our study revealed significant overexpression of ID2 in various malignant tumor cells. Knocking ID2 significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation and invasion, while overexpressing ID2 enhanced these capabilities. Additionally, ID2 mediates resistance of cancer cells to protein kinase B (or Akt) inhibitions. Further WB and IHC experiments indicated that ID2 promotes the phosphorylation activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway, thereby upregulating the expression of downstream proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and stemness-related markers. CONCLUSION We found that ID2 significantly promotes thyroid cancer cell proliferation, migration, EMT, and stemness through the PI3K/Akt pathway. Moreover, ID2 plays a crucial role in regulating cancer immune responses. It may serve as a potential biomarker for enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongming Deng
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Min Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Zhenghua Ding
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Jianqiao Kong
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Juanjuan Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Zelin Zhang
- Department of Oncology Department, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China.
| | - Ping Cao
- Department of Oncology Department, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China.
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Qiao Z, Li Y, Li S, Liu S, Cheng Y. Hypoxia-induced SHMT2 protein lactylation facilitates glycolysis and stemness of esophageal cancer cells. Mol Cell Biochem 2024:10.1007/s11010-023-04913-x. [PMID: 38175377 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-023-04913-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a familiar digestive tract tumor with highly lethal. The hypoxic environment has been demonstrated to be a significant factor in modulating malignant tumor progression and is strongly associated with the abnormal energy metabolism of tumor cells. Serine hydroxymethyl transferase 2 (SHMT2) is one of the most frequently expressed metabolic enzymes in human malignancies. The study was designed to investigate the biological functions and regulation mechanisms of SHMT2 in EC under hypoxia. We conducted RT-qPCR to assess SHMT2 levels in EC tissues and cells (TE-1 and EC109). EC cells were incubated under normoxia and hypoxia, respectively, and altered SHMT2 expression was evaluated through RT-qPCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence. The biological functions of SHMT2 on EC cells were monitored by performing CCK-8, EdU, transwell, sphere formation, glucose uptake, and lactate production assays. The SHMT2 protein lactylation was measured by immunoprecipitation and western blot. In addition, SHMT2-interacting proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics and validated by rescue experiments. SHMT2 was notably upregulated in EC tissues and cells. Hypoxia elevated SHMT2 protein expression, augmenting EC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, stemness, and glycolysis. In addition, hypoxia triggered lactylation of the SHMT2 protein and enhanced its stability. SHMT2 knockdown impeded the malignant phenotype of EC cells. Further mechanistic studies disclosed that SHMT2 is involved in EC progression by interacting with MTHFD1L. Hypoxia-induced SHMT2 protein lactylation and upregulated its protein level, which in turn enhanced MTHFD1L expression and accelerated the malignant progression of EC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Qiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shaomin Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shiyuan Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yao Cheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China.
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Zhang Q, Ma Y, Yan Y, Zhang L, Zhang Y. CYB5R1 is a potential biomarker that correlates with stemness and drug resistance in gastric cancer. Transl Oncol 2024; 39:101766. [PMID: 37844477 PMCID: PMC10587760 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug resistance is a major obstacle in the treatment of gastric cancers (GC). In recent years, the prognostic value of the mRNA expression-based stemness score (mRNAss) across cancers has been reported. We intended to search for the key genes associated with Cancer stem cells (CSCs) and drug resistance. METHODS All GC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were then divided into low- and high-mRNAss groups based on the median value of mRNAss. A weighted correlation network analysis (WCGNA) was used to identify co-expressed genes related to mRNAss groups. Differential gene expression analysis with Limma was performed in the GSE31811. The correlations between CYB5R1 and the immune cells and macrophage infiltration were analyzed by TIMER database. Spheroid formation assay was used to evaluate the stemness of gastric cancer cells, and transwell assay was used to detect the invasion and migration ability of gastric cancer cells. RESULTS GC patients with high mRNAss values had a worse prognosis than those with low mRNAss values. 584 genes were identified by WGCNA analysis. 668 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (|logFC|>1) with 303 down-regulated and 365 up-regulated were established in drug-effective patients compared to controls. TCGA-STAD samples were divided into 3 subtypes based on 303 down-regulated genes. CYB5R1 was a potential biomarker that correlated with the response to drugs in GC (AUC=0.83). CYB5R1 participated in drug resistance and tumorigenesis through NFS1 in GC. CONCLUSIONS Our study highlights the clinical importance of CYB5R1 in GC and the CYB5R1-NFS1 signaling-targeted therapy might be a feasible strategy for the treatment of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First People's Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang, China.
| | - Yufan Ma
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First People's Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang, China
| | - Yongfeng Yan
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First People's Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First People's Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang, China
| | - Yajun Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, the First People's Hospital of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Xichang, China
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Yadav RP, Baranwal S. Kindlin-2 regulates colonic cancer stem-like cells survival and self-renewal via Wnt/β-catenin mediated pathway. Cell Signal 2024; 113:110953. [PMID: 38084837 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2023.110953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) have emerged as a critical mediator in recurrence and resistance in cancers. Kindlin-isoform (1 and 2) binds with cytoplasmic β-tail of integrin and are essential co-activators of integrin function. Given their important function in regulating cancer hallmarks such as cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and metastasis, we hypothesize that it might play a critical role in CSC growth, survival, and self-renewal of colon cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using knockdown approaches, we inhibited Kindlin-2 expression in HCT116 and HT29 colon cancer cells. Extreme limiting dilution and self-renewal assay were performed to measure the role of Kindlin in colonic CSC. Standard methods such as qRT-PCR and western blotting were carried out to understand the signaling cascade by which Kindlin regulates CSC marker expression and downstream targets. RESULTS Our data show isoform-specific upregulation of Kindlin-2 in colonic CSCs. The silencing of Kindlin-2 reduces colonosphere formation, decreases CSC size, and self-renewal marker genes such as CD-133, CXCR-4, LGR-5, and C-MYC. Kindlin-2 silencing reduces colonosphere proliferation, invasion, and migration of colonic CSCs. Mechanistically, Kindlin-2 silencing reduces the expression, and nuclear localization of β-catenin, and decreases β-catenin target genes such as C-MYC, cyclin D1, DKK-1, and Snail-1. CONCLUSION Our study delineates the isoform-specific activity of Kindlin-2 in regulating Colonic CSC. Isoform-specific targeting of Kindlin-2 may be a novel strategy to tackle this devastating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi Prakash Yadav
- Department of Microbiology, Gastrointestinal Disease Lab, Room 522 Academic Building, Central University of Punjab, School of Basic Science, VPO Ghudda, Bathinda, Punjab 151401, India
| | - Somesh Baranwal
- Department of Microbiology, Gastrointestinal Disease Lab, Room 522 Academic Building, Central University of Punjab, School of Basic Science, VPO Ghudda, Bathinda, Punjab 151401, India.
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George DC, Bertrand FE, Sigounas G. Notch-3 affects chemoresistance in colorectal cancer via DNA base excision repair enzymes. Adv Biol Regul 2024; 91:101013. [PMID: 38290285 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2024.101013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death. With over 153,000 new CRC cases predicted, it is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer. Early detection can lead to curative surgical intervention, but recurrent and late metastatic disease is frequently treated with chemotherapeutic options based on induction of DNA damage. Understanding mechanism(s) that regulate DNA damage repair within colon tumor cells is essential to developing effective therapeutic strategies. The Notch signaling pathway is known to participate in normal colon development and we have recently described a pathway by which Notch-1, Notch-3 and Smad may regulated EMT and stem-like properties in colon tumor cells, promoting tumorigenesis. Little is known about how Notch may regulate drug resistance. In this study, we used shRNA to generate colon tumor cells with loss of Notch-3 expression. These cells exhibited reduced expression of the base-excision repair proteins PARP1 and APE1, along with increased sensitivity to ara-c and cisplatin. These data point to a pathway in which Notch-3 signaling can regulate DNA repair within colon tumor cells and suggests that targeting Notch-3 may be an effective approach to rendering colon tumors sensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis C George
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Fred E Bertrand
- Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
| | - George Sigounas
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.
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Qin Y, Xiong S, Ren J, Sethi G. Autophagy machinery in glioblastoma: The prospect of cell death crosstalk and drug resistance with bioinformatics analysis. Cancer Lett 2024; 580:216482. [PMID: 37977349 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Brain tumors are common malignancies with high mortality and morbidity in which glioblastoma (GB) is a grade IV astrocytoma with heterogeneous nature. The conventional therapeutics for the GB mainly include surgery and chemotherapy, however their efficacy has been compromised due to the aggressiveness of tumor cells. The dysregulation of cell death mechanisms, especially autophagy has been reported as a factor causing difficulties in cancer therapy. As a mechanism contributing to cell homeostasis, the autophagy process is hijacked by tumor cells for the purpose of aggravating cancer progression and drug resistance. The autophagy function is context-dependent and its role can be lethal or protective in cancer. The aim of the current paper is to highlight the role of autophagy in the regulation of GB progression. The cytotoxic function of autophagy can promote apoptosis and ferroptosis in GB cells and vice versa. Autophagy dysregulation can cause drug resistance and radioresistance in GB. Moreover, stemness can be regulated by autophagy and overall growth as well as metastasis are affected by autophagy. The various interventions including administration of synthetic/natural products and nanoplatforms can target autophagy. Therefore, autophagy can act as a promising target in GB therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Qin
- Department of Lab, Chifeng Cancer Hospital (The 2nd Afflicted Hospital of Chifeng University), Chifeng University, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 024000, China.
| | - Shengjun Xiong
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jun Ren
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology, National University of Singapore, NUS Centre for Cancer Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, 16 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
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Guo YJ, Pang JR, Zhang Y, Li ZR, Zi XL, Liu HM, Wang N, Zhao LJ, Gao Y, Wang B, Herdewijn P, Jin CY, Liu Y, Zheng YC. Neddylation-dependent LSD1 destabilization inhibits the stemness and chemoresistance of gastric cancer. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:126801. [PMID: 37689288 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Histone lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) expression has been evaluated in multiple tumors, including gastric cancer (GC). However, the mechanisms underlying LSD1 dysregulation in GC remain largely unclear. In this study, neural precursor cell-expressed developmentally down-regulated protein 8 (NEDD8) was identified to be conjugated to LSD1 at K63 by ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 M (UBE2M), and this neddylated LSD1 could promote LSD1 ubiquitination and degradation, leading to a decrease of GC cell stemness and chemoresistance. Herein, our findings revealed a novel mechanism of LSD1 neddylation and its contribution to decreasing GC cell stemness and chemoresistance. Taken together, our findings may whistle about the future application of neddylation inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Jia Guo
- Henan Key Laboratory of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Department of Pharmacy, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jing-Ru Pang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhong-Rui Li
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Zi
- Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Hong-Min Liu
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Ning Wang
- The School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, China
| | - Li-Juan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Ya Gao
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Piet Herdewijn
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49-Box 1041, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cheng-Yun Jin
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Engineering Research Center for Application & Translation of Precision Clinical Pharmacy, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Yi-Chao Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Preparation Technologies, Ministry of Education of China, Key Laboratory of Henan Province for Drug Quality and Evaluation, XNA platform, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment, Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, 100 Kexue Avenue, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
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Shetty SS, Sharma M, Padam KSR, Kudva A, Patel P, Radhakrishnan R. The interplay of EMT and stemness driving malignant transformation of Oral Submucous Fibrosis. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res 2024; 14:63-71. [PMID: 38261875 PMCID: PMC10794927 DOI: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2023.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a persistent oral mucosal condition that carries an elevated risk of undergoing malignant transformation. Our objective was to elucidate the involvement of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in OSF and its progression to malignancy by studying a panel of EMT markers, thereby understanding the molecular mechanisms. Methods An immunohistochemical analysis was done to detect the presence of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, pan-cytokeratin (PanCK), vimentin, α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin), and CD44 in a total of 100 tissue samples. These samples comprised 40 cases of OSF, 20 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma associated with OSF (OSFSCC), and 40 cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). A whole transcriptomic analysis was performed on a group of seven matched samples encompassing NOM, OSF, OSFSCC, and OSCC. Results We observed significantly decreased expression of E-cadherin and PanCK, while N-cadherin, vimentin, α-SMA, and CD44 showed significantly higher expression in OSFSCC and OSCC as compared to OSF, both at protein and RNA levels. CD44 expression was noticeably higher in OSFSCC (p < 0.001) than in OSCC. Conclusion Downregulation of epithelial markers with concomitant upregulation of mesenchymal and stem cell markers suggests the potential role of EMT and stemness in accelerating the pathogenesis and malignant transformation of OSF. The high levels of CD44 expression seen in OSFSCC indicate a high propensity for aggressiveness and acquisition of stem-like characteristics by the cells undergoing EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smitha Sammith Shetty
- Department of Oral Pathology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
| | - Mohit Sharma
- Department of Oral Pathology, SGT Dental College Hospital & Research Institute, Gurugram, Haryana, 122505, India
| | - Kanaka Sai Ram Padam
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Adarsh Kudva
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
| | - Pratik Patel
- Sangee Oral Pathology Center, Haripura, Surat, Gujarat, 395003, India
| | - Raghu Radhakrishnan
- Department of Oral Pathology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S102TA, UK
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Ye L, Liu B, Huang J, Zhao X, Wang Y, Xu Y, Wang S. DCLK1 and its oncogenic functions: A promising therapeutic target for cancers. Life Sci 2024; 336:122294. [PMID: 38007147 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Abstract
Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1), a significant constituent of the protein kinase superfamily and the doublecortin family, has been recognized as a prooncogenic factor that exhibits a strong association with the malignant progression and clinical prognosis of various cancers. DCLK1 serves as a stem cell marker that governs tumorigenesis, tumor cell reprogramming, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Multiple studies have indicated the capable of DCLK1 in regulating the DNA damage response and facilitating DNA damage repair. Additionally, DCLK1 is involved in the regulation of the immune microenvironment and the promotion of tumor immune evasion. Recently, DCLK1 has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for a multitude of cancers. Several small-molecule inhibitors of DCLK1 have been identified. Nevertheless, the biological roles of DCLK1 are mainly ambiguous, particularly with the disparities between its α- and β-form transcripts in the malignant progression of cancers, which impedes the development of more precisely targeted drugs. This article focuses on tumor stem cells, tumor epithelial-mesenchymal transition, the DNA damage response, and the tumor microenvironment to provide a comprehensive overview of the association between DCLK1 and tumor malignant progression, address unsolved questions and current challenges, and project future directions for targeting DCLK1 for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Ye
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Beibei Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Jingling Huang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China
| | - Yungen Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Design and Optimization, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, PR China.
| | - Shuping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, PR China.
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Guo J, Zhao J. USP22-JMJD8 axis promotes Lenvatinib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res 2024; 1871:119617. [PMID: 37898375 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2023.119617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Lenvatinib is the first-line treatment for patients with advanced HCC, however, drug resistance cannot be avoided during the treatment process, limiting the efficacy of Lenvatinib. We constructed drug-resistant HCC cells by gradually increasing the dose of Lenvatinib. The study found for the first time that USP22 and JMJD8 are upregulated in Lenvatinib resistant HCC cells. In addition, the expression level of stemness related proteins (CD133, C-MYC, BMI1, β-CATENIN) in drug-resistant cells was higher than that in wild-type HCC cells. Knockdown of USP22 in drug-resistant HCC cells could reduce the invasion, migration and stemness of cells. Next, we explored the mechanism of USP22 in Lenvatinib resistance of HCC cells. Under the treatment of Lenvatinib, USP22 knockdown inhibited the cell viability of drug-resistant HCC cells and promoted the apoptosis of drug-resistant cells. Animal experiments in nude mice further demonstrated the important role of USP22 in inducing the resistance of HCC to Lenvatinib in vivo. More importantly, we found that USP22 and JMJD8 constitute a functional axis regulating the drug resistance of Lenvatinib in HCC. In the rescue experiment, the overexpression of JMJD8 could reduce the apoptosis induced by USP22 knockdown. In general, this study shows that USP22-JMJD8 is a drug design target for the mechanism of Lenvatinib resistance in HCC, which may improve the long-term efficacy of Lenvatinib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinhui Guo
- Qingdao Medical College, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Jie Zhao
- College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China.
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Sarabia-Sánchez MA, Robles-Flores M. WNT Signaling in Stem Cells: A Look into the Non-Canonical Pathway. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2024; 20:52-66. [PMID: 37804416 PMCID: PMC10799802 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-023-10610-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
Tissue homeostasis is crucial for multicellular organisms, wherein the loss of cells is compensated by generating new cells with the capacity for proliferation and differentiation. At the origin of these populations are the stem cells, which have the potential to give rise to cells with both capabilities, and persevere for a long time through the self-renewal and quiescence. Since the discovery of stem cells, an enormous effort has been focused on learning about their functions and the molecular regulation behind them. Wnt signaling is widely recognized as essential for normal and cancer stem cell. Moreover, β-catenin-dependent Wnt pathway, referred to as canonical, has gained attention, while β-catenin-independent Wnt pathways, known as non-canonical, have remained conspicuously less explored. However, recent evidence about non-canonical Wnt pathways in stem cells begins to lay the foundations of a conceivably vast field, and on which we aim to explain this in the present review. In this regard, we addressed the different aspects in which non-canonical Wnt pathways impact the properties of stem cells, both under normal conditions and also under disease, specifically in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Sarabia-Sánchez
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Martha Robles-Flores
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico.
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He C, Ding Y, Yang Y, Che G, Teng F, Wang H, Zhang J, Zhou D, Chen Y, Zhou Z, Wang H, Teng L. Stem cell landscape aids in tumor microenvironment identification and selection of therapeutic agents in gastric cancer. Cell Signal 2024; 113:110965. [PMID: 37935339 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2023.110965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 10/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) are strongly associated with the refractory characteristics of gastric cancer, including drug resistance, recurrence, and metastasis. The prognosis for advanced gastric cancer patients treated with multimodal therapy after surgery remains discouraging. GCSCs hold promise as therapeutic targets for GC patients. We obtained 26 sets of stem cell-related genes from the StemChecker database. The Consensus clustering algorithm was employed to discern three distinct stemness subtypes. Prognostic outcomes, components of the tumor microenvironment (TME), and responses to therapies were compared among these subtypes. Following this, a stemness-risk model was formulated using weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA), alongside Cox regression and random survival forest analyses. The C2 subtype predominantly showed enrichment in negative prognostic CSC gene sets and demonstrated an immunosuppressive TME. This specific subtype exhibited minimal responsiveness to immunotherapies and demonstrated reduced sensitivity to drugs. Four pivotal genes were integrated into the construction of the stemness model. Gastric cancer patients with higher stemness-risk scores demonstrated poorer prognoses, a greater presence of immunosuppressive components in TME, and lower rates of treatment response. Subset analysis indicated that only the low-stemness risk subtype derives benefit from 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. The model's effectiveness in immunotherapeutic prediction was further validated in the PRJEB25780 cohort. Our study categorized gastric cancer patients into three stemness subtypes, each demonstrating distinct prognoses, components of TME infiltration, and varying sensitivity or resistance to standard chemotherapy or targeted therapy. We propose that the stemness risk model may help the development of well-grounded treatment recommendations and prognostic assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao He
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yongfeng Ding
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Gang Che
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei Teng
- Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haohao Wang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Donghui Zhou
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanyan Chen
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhan Zhou
- Institute of Drug Metabolism and Pharmaceutical Analysis and Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haiyong Wang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lisong Teng
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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Wang J, Qin W, Zhong Y, Hu H, Yang J, Huang H, Huang N, Liu S, Li J, Zheng L, Qin A, Lu Z. Injectable collagen hydrogel combines human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells to promote endometrial regeneration in rats with thin endometrium. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:127591. [PMID: 37884246 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The regeneration of thin endometrium still remains as a great challenge in the field of reproductive medicine. Stem cells-based therapy has been considered as a promising strategy for the restoration of thin endometrium. However, the low transplantation and retention rate of stem cells and loss of stemness due to in vitro expansion limits the therapeutic efficacy. In our study, we combined collagen hydrogel and human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (uMSCs) for improving the regeneration of thin endometrium, by using the potent pluripotency and low immunogenicity of uMSCs and collagen hydrogel that promotes the anchorage and proliferation of stem cells. Results showed that collagen hydrogel has favorable biocompatibility and the capacity to enhance the cell viability and expression of stemness-associated genes (including organic cation/carnitine transporter4 (Oct-4), Nanog homeobox (Nanog) and SRY-box transcription factor 2 (SOX2)) of uMSCs. The combination of collagen hydrogel and uMSCs prolonged the retention time of the constructs in the uterine cavity and improved endometrial thickness compared with uMSCs alone, leading to increase the fertility of the rats with thin endometrium. These highlighted therapeutic prospects of collagen hydrogel combined with uMSCs for the minimally invasive therapy of thin endometrium in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Wang
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Weili Qin
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Yanping Zhong
- Institute of Life Science, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Hao Hu
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Afliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Junxu Yang
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Afliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Hanji Huang
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Institute of Life Science, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Afliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Nanchang Huang
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Afliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Shuhan Liu
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Afliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Jiaxu Li
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Li Zheng
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Institute of Life Science, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Afliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
| | - Aiping Qin
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
| | - Zhenhui Lu
- Guangxi Engineering Center in Biomedical Materials for Tissue and Organ Regeneration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Regenerative Medicine and Medical Bioresource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Institute of Life Science, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China; Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, The First Afliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.
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Li XH, Huang GZ, Xu ZL, Zhao CY, Dong XY, Cui BK, Lin XJ. IL20RB signaling enhances stemness and chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer. J Transl Med 2023; 21:911. [PMID: 38098005 PMCID: PMC10722837 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04800-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with high mortality, and cancer cell stemness and related drug resistance are considered important contributors to its poor prognosis. The objective of this study was to identify regulatory targets associated with the maintenance of pancreatic cancer stemness. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pancreatic tumor samples were collected from patients at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, followed by immunofluorescence analysis. Pancreatic cancer cell lines with Interleukin-20 receptor subunit beta (IL20RB) overexpression and knockdown were established, and clonal formation, spheroid formation and side population cell analysis were conducted. The effects of IL20RB knockdown on the tumor-forming ability of pancreatic cancer cells and chemotherapy resistance in vivo were explored. RESULTS IL20RB expression was significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues, and was correlated with unfavorable prognosis. The IL20RB receptor promotes stemness and chemoresistance in both in vitro and in vivo models of pancreatic cancer. Mechanistically, IL20RB enhances the stemness and chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer by promoting STAT3 phosphorylation, an effect that can be counteracted by a STAT3 phosphorylation inhibitors. Additionally, Interleukin-19 derived from the microenvironment is identified as the primary ligand for IL20RB in mediating these effects. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate that IL20RB plays a crucial role in promoting stemness in pancreatic cancer. This discovery provides a potential therapeutic target for this lethal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Hui Li
- Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfengdong Road, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Gui-Zhong Huang
- Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfengdong Road, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Zi-Lan Xu
- Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfengdong Road, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Chong-Yu Zhao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Xiao-Yuan Dong
- Department of Gynecology, Guangdong Hydropower Hospital, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Bo-Kang Cui
- Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfengdong Road, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Lin
- Department of Pancreatobiliary Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfengdong Road, Guangzhou, 510060, China.
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75
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Zhou W, Yan K, Xi Q. BMP signaling in cancer stemness and differentiation. Cell Regen 2023; 12:37. [PMID: 38049682 PMCID: PMC10695912 DOI: 10.1186/s13619-023-00181-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
The BMP (Bone morphogenetic protein) signaling pathway plays a central role in metazoan biology, intricately shaping embryonic development, maintaining tissue homeostasis, and influencing disease progression. In the context of cancer, BMP signaling exhibits context-dependent dynamics, spanning from tumor suppression to promotion. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a modest subset of neoplastic cells with stem-like attributes, exert substantial influence by steering tumor growth, orchestrating therapy resistance, and contributing to relapse. A comprehensive grasp of the intricate interplay between CSCs and their microenvironment is pivotal for effective therapeutic strategies. Among the web of signaling pathways orchestrating cellular dynamics within CSCs, BMP signaling emerges as a vital conductor, overseeing CSC self-renewal, differentiation dynamics, and the intricate symphony within the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, BMP signaling's influence in cancer extends beyond CSCs, intricately regulating cellular migration, invasion, and metastasis. This multifaceted role underscores the imperative of comprehending BMP signaling's contributions to cancer, serving as the foundation for crafting precise therapies to navigate multifaceted challenges posed not only by CSCs but also by various dimensions of cancer progression. This article succinctly encapsulates the diverse roles of the BMP signaling pathway across different cancers, spanning glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), colorectal cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), lung cancer, prostate cancer, and osteosarcoma. It underscores the necessity of unraveling underlying mechanisms and molecular interactions. By delving into the intricate tapestry of BMP signaling's engagement in cancers, researchers pave the way for meticulously tailored therapies, adroitly leveraging its dualistic aspects-whether as a suppressor or promoter-to effectively counter the relentless march of tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Kun Yan
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Qiaoran Xi
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, MOE Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
- Joint Graduate Program of Peking-Tsinghua-NIBS, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
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76
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Luo M, Gong W, Zhang Y, Li H, Ma D, Wu K, Gao Q, Fang Y. New insights into the stemness of adoptively transferred T cells by γc family cytokines. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:347. [PMID: 38049832 PMCID: PMC10694921 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01354-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell-based adoptive cell therapy (ACT) has exhibited excellent antitumoral efficacy exemplified by the clinical breakthrough of chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR-T) in hematologic malignancies. It relies on the pool of functional T cells to retain the developmental potential to serially kill targeted cells. However, failure in the continuous supply and persistence of functional T cells has been recognized as a critical barrier to sustainable responses. Conferring stemness on infused T cells, yielding stem cell-like memory T cells (TSCM) characterized by constant self-renewal and multilineage differentiation similar to pluripotent stem cells, is indeed necessary and promising for enhancing T cell function and sustaining antitumor immunity. Therefore, it is crucial to identify TSCM cell induction regulators and acquire more TSCM cells as resource cells during production and after infusion to improve antitumoral efficacy. Recently, four common cytokine receptor γ chain (γc) family cytokines, encompassing interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-7, IL-15, and IL-21, have been widely used in the development of long-lived adoptively transferred TSCM in vitro. However, challenges, including their non-specific toxicities and off-target effects, have led to substantial efforts for the development of engineered versions to unleash their full potential in the induction and maintenance of T cell stemness in ACT. In this review, we summarize the roles of the four γc family cytokines in the orchestration of adoptively transferred T cell stemness, introduce their engineered versions that modulate TSCM cell formation and demonstrate the potential of their various combinations. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengshi Luo
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenjian Gong
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuewen Zhang
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huayi Li
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ding Ma
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kongming Wu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qinglei Gao
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Yong Fang
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Lu X, Ying Y, Zhang W, Li R, Wang W. Identification of stemness subtypes and features to improve endometrial cancer treatment using machine learning. Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol 2023; 51:57-73. [PMID: 36748358 DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2023.2172027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Endometrial cancer is one of the most common malignant tumours in women, and cancer stem cells are known to play an important role in its growth, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. Immunotherapy for endometrial cancer is still under research. In this study, a total of 547 endometrial cancer cases were randomly divided into training set (351 cases) set and test set (196 cases). The stemness index of patients was calculated using the One-Class Logistic Regression (OCLR) machine learning algorithm to explore the clinicopathological differences between index levels. Stemness subtypes were determined according to the characteristics of cancer stemness and their clinicopathological characteristics, immune features, and therapeutic effects were described. Our study suggests that endometrial cancer is classified into two stemness subtypes. Stemness subtypes, which are associated with its clinical features, may be independent prognostic factors for endometrial cancer. The stemness subtypes differed significantly in immune activity, immune cell infiltration, and the immune microenvironment, including sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs and potential therapeutic compounds. Algorithms were utilised to construct a stemness subtype prediction model and predictor. These findings will provide guidance for the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of endometrial cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqin Lu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanqi Ying
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wenyi Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wuliang Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Chang Y, Chen L, Tang J, Chen G, Ji J, Xu M. USP7-mediated JUND suppresses RCAN2 transcription and elevates NFATC1 to enhance stem cell property in colorectal cancer. Cell Biol Toxicol 2023; 39:3121-3140. [PMID: 37535148 DOI: 10.1007/s10565-023-09822-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) encompass a subset of highly aggressive tumor cells that are involved in tumor initiation and progression. This study investigates the function of regulator of calcineurin 2 (RCAN2) in the stem cell property in colorectal cancer (CRC). By analyzing four GEO datasets, we obtained RCAN2 as a stemness-related gene in CRC. RCAN2 was poorly expressed in CRC tissues and cells, especially in CSCs. RCAN2 restoration reduced calcineurin activity and promoted phosphorylation and degradation of nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATC1) protein, leading to reduced stemness of CSCs. JunD proto-oncogene (JUND), whose protein level was increased in CRC samples and CRC stem cells, bound to RCAN2 and suppressed its transcription. The abundant ubiquitin specific peptidase 7 (USP7) in CSCs enhanced JUND protein stability through deubiquitination modification. Lentivirus-mediated knockdown of USP7 or JUND also blocked the calcineurin-NFATC1 signaling and reduced the protein levels of stemness-related proteins. Moreover, the USP7 knockdown weakened the colony/sphere formation ability as well as the tumorigenicity of CSCs, and it reduced the CSC content in xenograft tumors. However, further restoration of JUND rescued the stemness of the CSCs. Overall, this study demonstrates that USP7-mediated JUND suppresses RCAN2 transcription and activates NFATC1 to enhance stem cell property in CRC. 1. RCAN2 is poorly expressed in CRC tissues and cells and especially in CSCs. 2. RCAN2 reduces stemness of CSCs by blocking calcineurin-NFATC1 signal transduction. 3. JUND binds to RCAN2 promoter to suppresses RCAN2 transcription. 4. USP7 enhances JUND protein stability via deubiquitination modification. 5. Downregulation of USP7 or JUND restores RCAN2 level and suppresses stemness of CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunli Chang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Pudong New Area People's Hospital, No. 490, Chuanhuan South Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201299, People's Republic of China
| | - Lingling Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Pudong New Area People's Hospital, No. 490, Chuanhuan South Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201299, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Tang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Pudong New Area People's Hospital, No. 490, Chuanhuan South Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201299, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoyu Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Pudong New Area People's Hospital, No. 490, Chuanhuan South Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201299, People's Republic of China
| | - Jieru Ji
- Department of Gastroenterology, Pudong New Area People's Hospital, No. 490, Chuanhuan South Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201299, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Pudong New Area People's Hospital, No. 490, Chuanhuan South Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201299, People's Republic of China.
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Zhang Z, Chen Y, Guo Y, Shen H, Wang J, Chen H. RFX2 promotes tumor cell stemness through epigenetic regulation of PAF1 in spinal ependymoma. J Neurooncol 2023; 165:487-497. [PMID: 38057505 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-023-04506-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Spinal ependymoma (SE) is a rare tumor that is most commonly low-grade and tends to recur when complete tumor resection is not feasible. We investigated the molecular mechanism induces stem cell features in SE. METHODS Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to analyze the expression of RFX2 in tumor tissues of SE patients at different stages. The expression of tumor stemness markers (Netsin and CD133) was analyzed using western blot analysis and IF, and the efficiency of sphere formation in SE cells was analyzed. The biological activities of SE cells were analyzed by EdU proliferation assay, TUNEL, wound healing, and Transwell assays. The regulatory relationship of RFX2 on PAF1 was verified by ChIP-qPCR and the dual-luciferase assay. SE cells were injected into the spinal cord of nude mice for in vivo assays. RESULTS RFX2 was higher in the tumor tissues of SE-III patients than in the tumor tissues of SE-I patients. RFX2 knockdown reduced the expression of tumor stemness markers in SE cells and inhibited the sphere formation efficiency. Moreover, RFX2 knockdown ameliorated the malignant progression of SE in nude mice, as manifested by prolonged survival and alleviated SE tumor infiltration. RFX2 bound to the PAF1 promoter to induce its transcription. Overexpression of PAF1 overturned the effects of RFX2 knockdown on stem cell features and biological activities of SE cells, thereby reducing survival in mice. CONCLUSIONS RFX2 activates PAF1 transcription, which promotes tumor stemness of SE cells and leads to the malignant progression of SE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yusheng Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yang Guo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Hanwei Shen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangtao Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Hang Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan, People's Republic of China.
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80
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Yu Y, Tan C, Ding L, Zhu Z, Zhang G, Long C. ZIC2 accelerates growth and stemness in gastric cancer through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Tissue Cell 2023; 85:102222. [PMID: 37774522 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2023.102222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
In the digestive system, gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most usual pernicious tumors. Despite great improvement has been created in treatment, it is still the second major reason of cancer-relevant death. Thus, further researches are required to explicate the latent molecular mechanisms and look for novel biomarkers. ZIC2 has been confirmed to be a facilitator in diversified cancers. However, the particular regulatory of ZIC2 in GC needs further investigation. In this work, it was notarized that ZIC2 expression was up-regulated in GC, and ZIC2 knockdown weakened GC cell proliferation. Moreover, ZIC2 suppression retarded cell migration and invasion. Additionally, results from the spheroid formation assay and western blot revealed that ZIC2 silencing reduced cell stemness. Next, we discovered that ZIC2 inhibition restrain the Wnt/β-catenin pathway through modulating β-catenin, Axin, c-myc and MMP-7 expression. At last, it was uncovered that ZIC2 repression relieved tumor growth in vivo. In summary, ZIC2 served as a promotive regulator in GC, aggravating growth and stemness in GC progression through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This discovery hinted that ZIC2 may be a valid target for anticancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Yu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jingjiang People's Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, China
| | - Chao Tan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jingjiang People's Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, China
| | - Li Ding
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jingjiang People's Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, China
| | - Zhen Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jingjiang People's Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, China
| | - Gong Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Jingjiang People's Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, China
| | - Cong Long
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Jingjiang People's Hospital, Jingjiang, Jiangsu, 214500, China.
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Jalil AT, Abdulhadi MA, Al Jawadri AMH, Talib HA, Al-Azzawi AKJ, Zabibah RS, Ali A. Cancer Stem Cells in Colorectal Cancer: Implications for Targeted Immunotherapies. J Gastrointest Cancer 2023; 54:1046-1057. [PMID: 37247115 DOI: 10.1007/s12029-023-00945-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Colorectal cancers are composed of heterogeneous cell populations in the concepts of genetic and functional degrees that among them cancer stem cells are identified with their self-renewal and stemness capability mediating primary tumorigenesis, metastasize, therapeutic resistance, and tumor recurrence. Therefore, understanding the key mechanisms of stemness in colorectal cancer stem cells (CRCSCs) provides opportunities to discover new treatments or improve existing therapeutic regimens. METHODS We review the biological significance of stemness and the results of potential CRCSC-based targeted immunotherapies. Then, we pointed out the barriers to targeting CRCSCs in vivo and highlight new strategies based on synthetic and biogenic nanocarriers for the development of future anti-CRCSC trials. RESULTS The CSCs' surface markers, antigens, neoantigens, and signaling pathways supportive CRCSCs or immune cells that are interacted with CRCSCs could be targeted by immune monotherapy or in formulation with developed nanocarriers to overcome the resistant mechanisms in immune evader CRCSCs. CONCLUSION Identification molecular and cellular cues supporting stemness in CRCSCs and their targeting by nanoimmunotherpy can improve the efficacy of existed therapies or explore novel therapeutic options in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abduladheem Turki Jalil
- Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Babylon, Hilla, 51001, Iraq.
| | | | | | - Hayder Abdullah Talib
- College of Agriculture, National University of Science and Technology, Dhi Qar, Iraq
| | | | - Rahman S Zabibah
- Medical Laboratory Technology Department, College of Medical Technology, The Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
| | - Ahmed Ali
- Medical Technical College, Al-Farahidi University, Baghdad, Iraq
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82
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Zhu W, Ye B, Yang S, Li Y. USP10 promotes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cell survival and stemness via SNAI1 deubiquitination. J Mol Histol 2023; 54:703-714. [PMID: 37755617 DOI: 10.1007/s10735-023-10150-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Cancer cell stemness contributes significantly to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) progression. However, the roles of deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) in ICC modulation are poorly understood. Ubiquitin specific peptidase 10 (USP10) was highly expressed in ICC spheres. The interaction between USP10 and snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (SNAI1) reduced the polyubiquitination of the SNAI1 protein and stabilized the SNAI1 protein. USP10 knockdown in RBE cells inhibited cell proliferation, promoted cell apoptosis and decreased the diameter of the formed spheres and the expression levels of CD44, EpCAM, OCT4 and SOX2. SNAI1 overexpression alleviated the effect of USP10 knockdown in RBE cells. In addition, the knockdown of USP10 attenuated the ability of RBE cells to form tumors subcutaneously in nude mice. Our results revealed that USP10 attenuates ICC cell malignancy by deubiquitinating SNAI1, indicating that USP10 could be developed as a therapeutic target for ICC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanlin Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Bin Ye
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shangwen Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui, 323000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Youming Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
- , No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China.
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83
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Chen L, Lv Y. Suspension state affects the stemness of breast cancer cells by regulating the glycogen synthase kinase-3β. Tissue Cell 2023; 85:102208. [PMID: 37683322 DOI: 10.1016/j.tice.2023.102208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are considered an important factor involved in tumor metastasis and can overcome mechanical interactions to gain the ability to distant metastasis. The previous study had shown that the suspension state could regulate the stemness of breast cancer cells (BCCs). However, the specific molecular mechanisms involved have not yet been explored clearly. In this study, MCF-7 and MDA-MBA-231 BCCs were cultured in suspension and adherent. The effect of suspension state on BCCs was further elucidated by observing suspension cell clusters, sorting CD44+/CD24- cell subpopulation and detecting self-renewal ability. Furthermore, it was found that glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) was significantly down-regulated in MCF-7 suspension cells along with the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, but the converse was true for MDA-MB-231 cells. Subsequently, GSK-3β was differentially expressed in MCF-7 suspension cells. The activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness were all inhibited when GSK-3 was overexpressed in suspension MCF-7 cells. While GSK-3β was down-regulated, it further promoted the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, mesenchymal characteristic and stemness of MCF-7 cells. This study demonstrated that suspension state could activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling by inhibiting GSK-3β to promote the stemness of epithelial BCCs, providing a therapeutic strategy for targeted CTCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lini Chen
- Mechanobiology and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, PR China
| | - Yonggang Lv
- State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, PR China.
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84
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Krzysiek-Maczka G, Brzozowski T, Ptak-Belowska A. Helicobacter pylori-activated fibroblasts as a silent partner in gastric cancer development. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2023; 42:1219-1256. [PMID: 37460910 PMCID: PMC10713772 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10122-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection of gastric mucosa leading to active chronic gastritis, gastroduodenal ulcers, and MALT lymphoma laid the groundwork for understanding of the general relationship between chronic infection, inflammation, and cancer. Nevertheless, this sequence of events is still far from full understanding with new players and mediators being constantly identified. Originally, the Hp virulence factors affecting mainly gastric epithelium were proposed to contribute considerably to gastric inflammation, ulceration, and cancer. Furthermore, it has been shown that Hp possesses the ability to penetrate the mucus layer and directly interact with stroma components including fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. These cells, which are the source of biophysical and biochemical signals providing the proper balance between cell proliferation and differentiation within gastric epithelial stem cell compartment, when exposed to Hp, can convert into cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) phenotype. The crosstalk between fibroblasts and myofibroblasts with gastric epithelial cells including stem/progenitor cell niche involves several pathways mediated by non-coding RNAs, Wnt, BMP, TGF-β, and Notch signaling ligands. The current review concentrates on the consequences of Hp-induced increase in gastric fibroblast and myofibroblast number, and their activation towards CAFs with the emphasis to the altered communication between mesenchymal and epithelial cell compartment, which may lead to inflammation, epithelial stem cell overproliferation, disturbed differentiation, and gradual gastric cancer development. Thus, Hp-activated fibroblasts may constitute the target for anti-cancer treatment and, importantly, for the pharmacotherapies diminishing their activation particularly at the early stages of Hp infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gracjana Krzysiek-Maczka
- Department of Physiology, the Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 16 Grzegorzecka Street, 31-531, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Tomasz Brzozowski
- Department of Physiology, the Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 16 Grzegorzecka Street, 31-531, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Agata Ptak-Belowska
- Department of Physiology, the Faculty of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 16 Grzegorzecka Street, 31-531, Kraków, Poland
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85
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Tang W, Tang H, Xu S, Yu H, Chen Z. Transcription Factor MITF Inhibits the Transcription of CPT1B to Regulate Fatty Acid β-Oxidation and Thus Affects Stemness in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells. Pharmacology 2023; 109:52-64. [PMID: 38016436 DOI: 10.1159/000534547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play critical roles in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression, and fatty acid oxidation is key for CSC growth and survival. Therefore, investigating the molecular mechanisms regulating fatty acid β-oxidation in LUAD is important for its treatment. METHODS Bioinformatics analysis assessed CPT1B and MITF expression and their correlation in LUAD tissues, as well as the pathways enriched by CPT1B. qRT-PCR assessed expression of CPT1B and MITF, while CCK-8 and sphere-forming assays were used to measure cell viability and stemness, respectively. Dual staining detected lipid accumulation, while kits were used to measure fatty acid β-oxidation and glycerol content. qRT-PCR was used to assay expression of lipid oxidation genes. Western blot was used to examine expression of stem cell-related markers. Dual-luciferase assay and ChIP assay were used to verify the binding relationship between MITF and CPT1B. RESULTS CPT1B was found to be highly expressed in LUAD and enriched in linoleic acid metabolism pathway and α-linolenic acid metabolism pathway. Functional experiments showed that CPT1B could promote stemness in LUAD cells by regulating fatty acid β-oxidation. Additionally, CPT1B was found to be regulated by the upstream transcription factor MITF, which was lowly expressed in LUAD and could downregulate CPT1B expression. Rescue experiments revealed that CPT1B/MITF axis could affect stemness in LUAD cells by regulating fatty acid β-oxidation. CONCLUSION Transcription factor MITF inhibited transcription of CPT1B to regulate fatty acid β-oxidation, thereby suppressing stemness in LUAD cells. MITF and CPT1B may become new targets for LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weijian Tang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongguang Tang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The People's Hospital of Xinchang, Shaoxing, China
| | - Shaohua Xu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hao Yu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhoumiao Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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86
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Ryu C, Lee M, Lee JY. Mild heat treatment in vitro potentiates human adipose stem cells: delayed aging and improved quality for long term culture. Biomater Res 2023; 27:122. [PMID: 38008757 PMCID: PMC10680349 DOI: 10.1186/s40824-023-00448-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have gained significant attention for diverse biomedical applications, including cell-based therapy. Hence, in vitro expansion of MSCs is critical; however, in vitro MSC culture, especially long-term culture, inevitably leads to significant loss of stemness, growth, and differentiation potential. METHOD Effects of mild heat treatment (HT) conditions (temperature, duration, and repetition) on the characteristics of adipose tissue-derived MSCs in vitro were systematically investigated. Characteristics of the MSCs subjected to the predetermined HT conditions (41 or 44ºC, 1 h, and 2X HT) were first analyzed in a single passage using various assays. In addition, the feasibility of HT for long-term MSC culture was studied. The RNA sequencing analyses were performed to elucidate the mechanism of HT effects on MSCs. RESULTS A comprehensive exploration of various HT conditions revealed that specific mild HT at 41ºC or 44ºC for 1 h upregulated the expression of heat shock proteins and stemness markers and enhanced differentiation potentials. Furthermore, periodic mild HT extended the maintenance of growth rate and stemness of MSCs up to an additional 10 passages, which substantially retarded their spontaneous aging during subsequent in vitro culture. RNA sequencing analyses unveiled that HT downregulated genes associated with aging and apoptosis. CONCLUSION Our study successfully demonstrated that mild HT of MSCs has positive effects on their application in various biomedical fields, enhancing their capabilities and slowing down the aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiseon Ryu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Minseo Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Young Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea.
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87
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Zhang W, Han S, Yuan Y, Xu M, Ding A, Li M. FTO Knockdown-Mediated Maturation of miR-383-5p Inhibits Malignant Advancement of Pancreatic Cancer by Targeting ITGA3. Biochem Genet 2023:10.1007/s10528-023-10560-0. [PMID: 38001392 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-023-10560-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
m6A demethylase FTO is confirmed to be involved in pancreatic cancer progression. FTO regulates miRNA processing. To investigate the regulatory effect of FTO on miR-383-5p and its role in pancreatic cancer. The expression of miR-383-5p, ITGA3, and FTO was predicted using bioinformatic analysis in tissues and was measured using qPCR in cells. Cell biological functions were investigated using MTT assay, Transwell assay, sphere formation assay, and qPCR. The targeting relationship between miR-383-5p and ITGA3 was evaluated using the dual-luciferase reporter assay. The effect of FTO on miR-383-5p processing was evaluated using RIP and MeRIP assay. FTO expression was upregulated in pancreatic cancer and silencing of FTO promoted the processing of miR-383-5p in an m6A-dependent manner. m6A-modified miRNA processing was recognized by IGF2BP1. Downregulation of miR-383-5p reversed FTO knockdown-induced inhibition of cellular processes. The FTO/miR-383-5p/ITGA3 axis facilitated cell viability, metastasis, and stemness in pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No. 72, Guangzhou Road, Gulou District, Nanjing, 210008, China
| | - Shilong Han
- Department of Interventional and Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 301, Yanchang Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, 200072, China
| | - Yifeng Yuan
- Department of Interventional and Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 301, Yanchang Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, 200072, China
| | - Minjie Xu
- Department of Interventional and Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, No. 301, Yanchang Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, 200072, China
| | - Anle Ding
- AnHui University of Science and Technology, No. 168, Taifeng Road, Huainan, 232001, Anhui, China
| | - Maoquan Li
- Department of Interventional and Vascular Surgery, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine of Nanjing Medical University, No. 301, Yanchang Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, 200072, China.
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Anilkumar KV, Rema LP, John MC, Vanesa John T, George A. miRNAs in the prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer: A review. Life Sci 2023; 333:122183. [PMID: 37858714 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive and invasive type of breast cancer (BC) with high mortality rate wherein effective target medicaments are lacking. It is a very heterogeneous group with several subtypes that account for 10-20% of cancer among women globally, being negative for three most important receptors (estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)), with an early and high recurrence resulting in poor survival rate. Therefore, a more thorough knowledge on carcinogenesis of TNBC is required for the development of personalized treatment options. miRNAs can either promote or suppress tumorigenesis and have been linked to a number of features of cancer progression, including proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recent miRNA research shows that there is great potential for the development of novel biomarkers as they have emerged as drivers of tumorigenesis and provide opportunities to target various components involved in TNBC, thus helping to solve this difficult-to-treat disease. In this review, we summarize the most relevant miRNAs that play an essential role in TNBC biology. Their role with regard to molecular mechanisms underlying TNBC progression has been discussed, and their potential use as therapeutic or prognostic markers to unravel the intricacy of TNBC based on the pieces of evidence obtained from various works of literature has been briefly addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavya V Anilkumar
- PG and Research Department of Zoology, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, 682011, India; Cell and Molecular Biology Facility, Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur 680005, Kerala, India
| | - L P Rema
- PG and Research Department of Zoology, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, 682011, India
| | - Mithun Chacko John
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala 680005, India
| | - T Vanesa John
- Department of Pathology, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur 680005, Kerala, India
| | - Alex George
- Cell and Molecular Biology Facility, Jubilee Centre for Medical Research, Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur 680005, Kerala, India.
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Yang Z, Liu Z, Lu W, Guo H, Chen J, Zhang Y. LncRNA WAC-AS1 promotes osteosarcoma Metastasis and stemness by sponging miR-5047 to upregulate SOX2. Biol Direct 2023; 18:74. [PMID: 37957698 PMCID: PMC10644615 DOI: 10.1186/s13062-023-00433-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stemness and osteosarcoma (OS) malignant progression are closely associated. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association have not been fully demonstrated. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are an intriguing class of widely prevalent endogenous RNAs involved in OS progression, the vast majority of which have not been characterized functionally. Here, we identified tumor promoter lncRNA WAC-AS1 to be highly expressed in OS tumors and associated with worse survival. Further analysis revealed that WAC-AS1 increased tumorsphere formation of OS cells and promoted metastasis, as confirmed by cell proliferation, transwell and wound healing assays. MiR-5047 was identified as a downstream target of WAC-AS1. Subsequently, based on bioinformatics analysis, RIP assay and luciferase reporter assay, SOX2 mRNA was verified as a target of miR-5047. WAC-AS1 enhanced OS cell proliferation and stemness via acting as a ceRNA by binding to miR-5047, thereby increasing SOX2 expression. In addition, SOX2 bound to the promoter region of WAC-AS1 and promoted its transcription, thereby forming a positive feedback loop to regulate OS malignancy. Taken together, our findings show WAC-AS1 is a tumor promoter and a key regulator of OS cell stemness and metastasis via a miR-5047/SOX2 axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhining Yang
- Department of Radiotherapy, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, No. 7 Raoping Road, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Zhaoyong Liu
- Department of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, No.57 Changping Road, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, China
| | - Weiqing Lu
- Department of Radiotherapy, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, No. 7 Raoping Road, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Huancheng Guo
- Department of Orthopaedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, No.57 Changping Road, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, China
| | - Jianzhou Chen
- Department of Radiotherapy, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, No. 7 Raoping Road, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Radiotherapy, Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, No. 7 Raoping Road, Shantou, 515041, Guangdong, PR China.
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90
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Zhang G. Prognostic clinical phenotypes associated with tumor stemness in the immune microenvironment of T-cell exhaustion for hepatocellular carcinoma. Discov Oncol 2023; 14:203. [PMID: 37957420 PMCID: PMC10643807 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-023-00819-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cell exhaustion (TEX) and high heterogeneity of cancer stem cells (CSCs) are associated with progression, metastasis, and treatment resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we aim to characterize TEX-stemness-related genes (TEXSRGs) and screen for HCC patients who are more sensitive to immunotherapy. The immune cell abundance identifier (ImmuCellAI) was utilized to precisely evaluate the abundance of TEX and screen TEX-related genes. The stemness index (mRNAsi) of samples was analyzed through the one-class logistic regression (OCLR) algorithm. Application of the non-negative matrix decomposition algorithm (NMF) for subtype identification of HCC samples. The different subtypes were assessed for differences in prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME) landscape, and immunotherapy treatment response. Then, the TEXSRGS-score, which can accurately forecast the survival outcome of HCC patients, was built by LASSO-Cox and multivariate Cox regression, and experimentally validated for the most important TEXSRGs. We also analyzed the expression of TEXSRGs and the infiltration of CD8+ T cells in clinical samples using qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Based on 146 TEXSRGs, we found two distinct clinical phenotypes with different TEX infiltration abundance, tumor stemness index, enrichment pathways, mutational landscape, and immune cell infiltration through the non-negative matrix decomposition algorithm (NMF), which were confirmed in the ICGC dataset. Utilizing eight TEXSRGs linked to clinical outcome, we created a TEXSRGs-score model to further improve the clinical applicability. Patients can be divided into two groups with substantial differences in the characteristics of immune cell infiltration, TEX infiltration abundance, and survival outcomes. The results of qRT-PCR and IHC analysis showed that PAFAH1B3, ZIC2, and ESR1 were differentially expressed in HCC and normal tissues and that patients with high TEXSRGs-scores had higher TEX infiltration abundance and tumor stemness gene expression. Regarding immunotherapy reaction and immune cell infiltration, patients with various TEXSRGs-score levels had various clinical traits. The outcome and immunotherapy efficacy of patients with low TEXSRGs-score was favorable. In conclusion, we identified two clinical subtypes with different prognoses, TEX infiltration abundance, tumor cell stemness index, and immunotherapy response based on TEXSRGs, and developed and validated a TEXSRGs-score capable of accurately predicting survival outcomes in HCC patients by comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. We believe that the TEXSRGs-score has prospective clinical relevance for prognostic assessment and may help physicians select prospective responders in preference to current immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Genhao Zhang
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Zhengzhou University First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
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91
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Wang C, Chen Y, Zhou R, Yang Y, Fang Y. Systematic Analysis of Tumor Stem Cell-related Gene Characteristics to Predict the PD-L1 Immunotherapy and Prognosis of Gastric Cancer. Curr Med Chem 2023; 31:CMC-EPUB-135846. [PMID: 37936456 DOI: 10.2174/0109298673278775231101064235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
AIMS We aimed to develop a prognostic model with stemness-correlated genes to evaluate prognosis and immunotherapy responsiveness in gastric cancer (GC). BACKGROUND Tumor stemness is related to intratumoral heterogeneity, immunosuppression, and anti-tumor resistance. We developed a prognostic model with stemness-correlated genes to evaluate prognosis and immunotherapy responsiveness in GC. OBJECTIVE We aimed to develop a prognostic model with stemness-correlated genes to evaluate prognosis and immunotherapy responsiveness in GC. METHODS We downloaded single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of GC patients from the Gene-Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and screened GC stemness- related genes using CytoTRACE. We characterized the association of tumor stemness with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and immunity. Thereafter, a 9-stemness signature-based prognostic model was developed using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), univariate Cox regression analysis, and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. The model predictive value was evaluated with a nomogram. RESULTS Early GC patients had significantly higher levels of stemness. The stemness score showed a negative relationship to tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score and immune infiltration, especially T cells and B cells. A stemness-based signature based on 9 genes (ERCC6L, IQCC, NKAPD1, BLMH, SLC25A15, MRPL4, VPS35, SUMO3, and CINP) was constructed with good performance in prognosis prediction, and its robustness was validated in GSE26942 cohort. Additionally, nomogram and risk score exhibited the most powerful ability for prognosis prediction. High-risk patients exhibited a tendency to develop immune escape and low response to PD-L1 immunotherapy. CONCLUSION We developed a stemness-based gene signature for prognosis prediction with accuracy and reliability. This signature also helps clinical decision-making of immunotherapy for GC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenchen Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Ying Chen
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Ru Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Ya'nan Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200000, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200000, China
| | - Yantian Fang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200000, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200000, China
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Shi X, Wei K, Wu Y, Mao L, Pei W, Zhu H, Shi Y, Zhang S, Tao S, Wang J, Pang S, Mao H, Wang W, Yang Q, Chen C. Exosome-derived miR-372-5p promotes stemness and metastatic ability of CRC cells by inducing macrophage polarization. Cell Signal 2023; 111:110884. [PMID: 37690660 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2023.110884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common malignancy in the digestive system, and tumor metastasis is the main cause of death in clinical patients with CRC. It has been shown that exosomes promote phenotypic changes in macrophages and tumor metastasis in the CRC tumor microenvironment. In this study, we used miRNA-seq technology to screen out the highly expressed miR-372-5p among the miRNAs differentially expressed in plasma exosomes of clinical CRC patients. It was found that miR-372-5p highly expressed in HCT116 exosomes could be phagocytosed by macrophages and promote their polarization into M2 macrophages by regulating the PTEN/AKT pathway. Meanwhile, co-culture of CRC cells with conditioned medium (CM) of macrophages enhanced the EMT, stemness and metastasis of CRC cells. Mechanistically, CRC cells exosome-derived miR-372-5p induced polarized M2 macrophages to secrete chemokine C-X-C-Motif Ligand 12 (CXCL12), which activated the WNT/β-catenin pathway to promote the EMT, stemness and metastatic ability of CRC cells. In summary, this study elucidated the molecular mechanism of exosomal miR-372-5p promoting metastasis and stemness in CRC, which may provide new therapeutic targets for CRC metastasis and prognosis assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuru Shi
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Ke Wei
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Yulun Wu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Lingyu Mao
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Wenhao Pei
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Haitao Zhu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Yingxiang Shi
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Shiwen Zhang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Shuang Tao
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Siyan Pang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Huilan Mao
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Research (Bengbu Medical College), Anhui 233030, China
| | - Wenrui Wang
- Department of Biotechnology, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui 233030, China.
| | - Qingling Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui 233030, China.
| | - Changjie Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bengbu Medical College, Anhui 233030, China.
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93
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Ge M, Zhu Y, Wei M, Piao H, He M. Improving the efficacy of anti-EGFR drugs in GBM: Where we are going? Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:188996. [PMID: 37805108 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.188996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
The therapies targeting mutations of driver genes in cancer have advanced into clinical trials for a variety of tumors. In glioblastoma (GBM), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the most commonly mutated oncogene, and targeting EGFR has been widely investigated as a promising direction. However, the results of EGFR pathway inhibitors have not been satisfactory. Limited blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, drug resistance, and pathway compensation mechanisms contribute to the failure of anti-EGFR therapies. This review summarizes recent research advances in EGFR-targeted therapy for GBM and provides insight into the reasons for the unsatisfactory results of EGFR-targeted therapy. By combining the results of preclinical studies with those of clinical trials, we discuss that improved drug penetration across the BBB, the use of multi-target combinations, and the development of peptidomimetic drugs under the premise of precision medicine may be promising strategies to overcome drug resistance in GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manxi Ge
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Yan Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Minjie Wei
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Medical Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Shenyang, China.
| | - Haozhe Piao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Miao He
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China; Liaoning Key Laboratory of Molecular Targeted Anti-Tumor Drug Development and Evaluation, Liaoning Cancer Immune Peptide Drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China.
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Liang Y, Chen S, Xie J, Yan G, Guo T, Li T, Liu S, Zeng W, Zhang S, Ma K, Chen H, Ou Y, Wang B, Gu W, Duan Y. Establishment of a prognostic model based on m 6A regulatory factors and stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma using RNA-seq data and scRNA-seq data. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:12881-12896. [PMID: 37466793 PMCID: PMC10587019 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05045-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with high incidence and mortality is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide. Increasing evidence has reported that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has been considered as a major contribution to the occurrence and development of tumors. METHOD In our study, we comprehensively analyzed the connection between m6A regulatory factors and cancer stem cells (CSCs) of HCC to establish a clinical tool for predicting its outcome. First, we concluded that the expression level of m6A regulatory factors was related with the stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma. Subsequently, we gained a ten hub regulatory factors that were associated with prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma by overall survival (OS) analysis using ICGC and TCGA datasets, and these regulatory factors included YTHDF1, IGF2BP1, METTL3, IGF2BP3, HNRNPA2B1, IGF2BP2, RBM15B, HNRNPC, RBMX, and LRPPR. Next, we found that these ten hub m6A regulatory factors were highly expressed in CSCs, and CSCs related pathways were also enriched by the gene set variation analysis (GSVA). Then, correlation, consensus clustering and PCA analysis were performed to reveal potential therapeutic benefits of HCC. Moreover, univariate Cox regression (UNICOX), LASSON and multivariate Cox regression (MULTICOX) analyses were adopted to establish HCC prognosis prediction signature. RESULTS Four regulatory factors RBM15B, LRPPRC, IGF2BP1, and IGF2BP3 were picked as valuable prognostic indicators. CONCLUSION In summary, these ten hub regulatory factors would be useful therapeutic targets for HCC treatment, and RBM15B/LRPPRC/IGF2BP1/IGF2BP3 prognostic indicators can be used to guide therapy for HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Liang
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Sen Chen
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, Institute for Medical Research, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510180, China
| | - Jinghe Xie
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Guangzhou International Campus, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanrong Yan
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, Guangzhou International Campus, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Tingting Guo
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, Institute for Medical Research, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510180, China
| | - Tianyang Li
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Guangzhou Digestive Disease Center, School of Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, South China University of Technology, No.1 Panfu Road, Guangzhou, 510180, People's Republic of China
| | - Shoupei Liu
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, Institute for Medical Research, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510180, China
| | - Weiping Zeng
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510180, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Guangzhou Digestive Disease Center, School of Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, South China University of Technology, No.1 Panfu Road, Guangzhou, 510180, People's Republic of China
| | - Keqiang Ma
- Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, Huadu District People's Hospital of Guangzhou, Guangzhou, 510800, People's Republic of China
| | - Honglin Chen
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Yimeng Ou
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, 19 Nonglin Xia Road, Guangzhou, 510699, People's Republic of China.
| | - Bailin Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Jinan University, 601 Huangpu Dadao West Road, Guangzhou, 510220, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weili Gu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Guangzhou Digestive Disease Center, School of Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, South China University of Technology, No.1 Panfu Road, Guangzhou, 510180, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yuyou Duan
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, Institute for Medical Research, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510180, China.
- National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510180, China.
- Laboratory of Stem Cells and Translational Medicine, Institute for Clinical Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, No.1 Panfu Road, Guangzhou, 510180, People's Republic of China.
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Li K, Wu X, Li Y, Hu TT, Wang W, Gonzalez FJ, Liu W. AKAP12 promotes cancer stem cell-like phenotypes and activates STAT3 in colorectal cancer. Clin Transl Oncol 2023; 25:3263-3276. [PMID: 37326825 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-023-03230-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have unique biological characteristics, including tumorigenicity, immortality, and chemoresistance. Colorectal CSCs have been identified and isolated from colorectal cancers by various methods. AKAP12, a scaffolding protein, is considered to act as a potential suppressor in colorectal cancer, but its role in CSCs remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the function of AKAP12 in Colorectal CSCs. METHODS Herein, Colorectal CSCs were enriched by cell culture with a serum-free medium. CSC-associated characteristics were evaluated by Flow cytometry assay and qPCR. AKAP12 gene expression was regulated by lentiviral transfection assay. The tumorigenicity of AKAP12 in vivo by constructing a tumor xenograft model. The related pathways were explored by qPCR and Western blot. RESULTS The depletion of AKAP12 reduced colony formation, sphere formation, and expression of stem cell markers in colorectal cancer cells, while its knockdown decreased the volume and weight of tumor xenografts in vivo. AKAP12 expression levels also affected the expression of stemness markers associated with STAT3, potentially via regulating the expression of protein kinase C. CONCLUSION This study suggests Colorectal CSCs overexpress AKAP12 and maintain stem cell characteristics through the AKAP12/PKC/STAT3 pathway. AKAP12 may be an important therapeutic target for blocking the development of colorectal cancer in the field of cancer stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuan Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, 200070, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai, 200070, People's Republic of China
| | - Ting-Ting Hu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, People's Republic of China
| | - Weifeng Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China
| | - Frank J Gonzalez
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Weiwei Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China.
- Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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Ge L, Jin T, Zhang W, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Hu X, Zhang W, Song F, Huang P. Identification of potential pseudogenes for predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:14255-14269. [PMID: 37553422 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05241-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a highly deadly malignant tumor with high recurrence and metastasis rates. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in tumor metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to drugs, which have attracted widespread attention in recent years. Research has shown that pseudogenes may regulate stemness to promote the progression of HCC, but its specific mechanisms and impact on prognosis remain unclear. METHODS In this study, clinical prognosis information of HCC was first downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then we calculated the mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) of HCC. We also screened the differentially expressed pseudogene (DEPs) and conducted univariate Cox regression analysis to investigate their effect on the prognosis of HCC. Further, genomic mutation frequency analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were performed to compare the role of pseudogenes and stemness in promoting the progression of HCC. Finally, we conducted the correlation analysis to examine the potential mechanism of pseudogenes regulating stemness to promote the progression of HCC and detected the possible pathways through the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. RESULTS Herein, we revealed that the high stemness of HCC correlated with an unfavorable prognosis. We obtained 31 up-regulated and 8 down-regulated DEPs in HCC and screened CTB-63M22.1, a poor prognostic indicator of HCC. In addition, CTB-63M22.1 had a mutation frequency similar to mRNAsi and acted in a module similar to that of mRNAsi on HCC. We then screened two RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) LIN28B and NOP56 with the highest correlation with stemness. We also discovered that they were primarily enriched in the biological process as examples of mitotic nuclear division and cell cycle. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these results revealed that pseudogenes CTB-63M22.1 may regulate cancer stemness by regulating RBPs, suggesting that CTB-63M22.1 may serve as an innovative therapeutic target and a reliable prognostic marker for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luqi Ge
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Tiefeng Jin
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wanli Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhentao Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiwen Zhang
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Feifeng Song
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Ping Huang
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
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Wang X, Chen X, Zhao M, Li G, Cai D, Yan F, Fang J. Integration of scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq constructs a stemness-related signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy responses in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:13823-13839. [PMID: 37535162 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05202-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Cancer stem cells are associated with unfavorable prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, existing stemness-related biomarkers and prognostic models are limited. METHODS The stemness-related signatures were derived from taking the union of the results obtained by performing WGCNA and CytoTRACE analysis at the bulk RNA-seq and scRNA-seq levels, respectively. Univariate Cox regression and the LASSO were applied for filtering prognosis-related signatures and selecting variables. Finally, ten gene signatures were identified to construct the prognostic model. We evaluated the differences in survival, genomic alternation, biological processes, and degree of immune cell infiltration in the high- and low-risk groups. pRRophetic and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithms were utilized to predict chemosensitivity and immunotherapy response. Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database was used to evaluate the protein expressions. RESULTS A stemness-related prognostic model was constructed with ten genes including YBX1, CYB5R3, CDC20, RAMP3, LDHA, MTHFS, PTRH2, SRPRB, GNA14, and CLEC3B. Kaplan-Meier and ROC curve analyses showed that the high-risk group had a worse prognosis and the AUC of the model in four datasets was greater than 0.64. Multivariate Cox regression analyses verified that the model was an independent prognostic indicator in predicting overall survival, and a nomogram was then built for clinical utility in predicting the prognosis of HCC. Additionally, chemotherapy drug sensitivity and immunotherapy response analyses revealed that the high-risk group exhibited a higher likelihood of benefiting from these treatments. CONCLUSION The novel stemness-related prognostic model is a promising biomarker for estimating overall survival in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Chen
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengmeng Zhao
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Guanjie Li
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Daren Cai
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China
| | - Fangrong Yan
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jingya Fang
- Research Center of Biostatistics and Computational Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China.
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98
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Khan AQ. Special issue: Deregulated transcription factors in the cancer therapeutic challenges: An update on cancer stemness features. Semin Cancer Biol 2023; 96:3-4. [PMID: 37673315 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Quaiyoom Khan
- Translational Research Institute, Academic Health System, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
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99
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Sadovsky E, Chu T, Barak O, Sadovsky Y, Ouyang Y. The impact of opioids on the transcriptional landscape of human villous trophoblasts. Placenta 2023; 143:54-61. [PMID: 37832183 PMCID: PMC10841529 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Opioid use disorder (OUD) is implicated in major obstetrical diseases such as fetal growth restriction. Whether or not opioids directly impact placental trophoblast development and function remains unclear. We sought to examine the expression of opioid receptors (OPRs) in villous trophoblasts and the effect of opioids on placental transcriptomics. METHODS Trophoblast stem (TS) cells and primary human trophoblast (PHT) cells from healthy term placentas were used to assess OPR expression in conditions that enhance trophoblast stemness vs differentiation. Placental RNAseq was conducted using our retrospective cohorts of pregnant people with OUD vs controls, both without major obstetrical complications. RT-qPCR was used to determine the effect of fentanyl on the expression of putative opioid targets and stemness or differentiation-associated genes in TS and PHT cells. RESULTS Three main OPRs, including OPRM1, OPRD1, and OPRK1 were expressed in term PHT cells cultured in the stemness medium, whereas only OPRD1 and OPRK1 were expressed in TS cells. Interestingly, upon induction of differentiation, the expressed OPR mRNAs in TS or in PHT cells were downregulated. We found 286 differentially expressed long RNAs in placentas from the OUD participants vs controls. While three putative opioid targets differed their expression in stemness vs differentiation states of trophoblasts, fentanyl had no effect on their expression or the expression of major stemness or differentiation-relevant genes in TS and PHT cells. DISCUSSION Trophoblastic expression of OPRs and opioid RNA targets is impacted by cell differentiation, suggesting differential susceptibility of villous trophoblasts to the effect of opioids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Sadovsky
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Tianjiao Chu
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Oren Barak
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yoel Sadovsky
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yingshi Ouyang
- Magee-Womens Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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100
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Wu Y, Liang H, Luo A, Li Y, Liu Z, Li X, Li W, Liang K, Li J, Liu Z, Du Y. Gelatin-based 3D biomimetic scaffolds platform potentiates culture of cancer stem cells in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Biomaterials 2023; 302:122323. [PMID: 37717405 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are crucial for tumorigenesis, metastasis, and therapy resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). To further elucidate the mechanism underlying characteristics of CSCs and develop CSCs-targeted therapy, an efficient culture system that could expand and maintain CSCs is needed. CSCs reside in a complex tumor microenvironment, and three-dimensional (3D) culture systems of biomimetic scaffolds are expected to better support the growth of CSCs by recapitulating the biophysical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we established gelatin-based 3D biomimetic scaffolds mimicking the stiffness and collagen content of ESCC, which could enrich ESCC CSCs efficiently. Biological changes of ESCC cells laden in scaffolds with three different viscoelasticity emulating physiological stiffness of esophageal tissues were thoroughly investigated in varied aspects such as cell morphology, viability, cell phenotype markers, and transcriptomic profiling. The results demonstrated the priming effects of viscoelasticity on the stemness of ESCC. The highly viscous scaffolds (G': 6-403 Pa; G'': 2-75 Pa) better supported the enrichment of ESCC CSCs, and the TGF-beta signaling pathway might be involved in regulating the stemness of ESCC cells. Compared to two-dimensional (2D) cultures, highly viscous scaffolds significantly promoted the clonal expansion of ESCC cells in vitro and tumor formation ability in vivo. Our findings highlight the crucial role of biomaterials' viscoelasticity for the 3D culture of ESCC CSCs in vitro, and this newly-established culture system represents a valuable platform to support their growth, which could facilitate the CSCs-targeted therapy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yenan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Haiwei Liang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Aiping Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Zhiqiang Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Wenxin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Kaini Liang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Junyang Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhihua Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Yanan Du
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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