Enolase-phosphatase 1 acts as an oncogenic driver in glioma

Enolase-phosphatase 1 (ENOPH1), a newly identified enzyme involved in l-methionine biosynthesis, is associated with anxiety and depression. In this study, ENOPH1 was found to play a crucial role in promoting the proliferation and migration of glioma cells. Among high-grade glioma patients, the overall survival of the group showing high ENOPH1 expression was shorter than that of the group showing low ENOPH1 expression. ENOPH1 knockdown inhibited glioma cell proliferation and migration. In parallel, ENOPH1 knockdown suppressed tumor growth capacity and prolonged survival in an orthotopic glioma model. Mechanistically, we found that ENOPH1 activates the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway by regulating THEM4. In conclusion, ENOPH1 is an important mediator that promotes glioma cell proliferation and migration.

FAM83H overexpression predicts worse prognosis and correlates with less CD8+ T cells infiltration and Ras-PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND

Family with sequence similarity 83 members H (FAM83H) is one member of Family with sequence similarity 83 (FAM83) family, which possess oncogenic properties in several types of cancer. However, the potential function of FAM83H in pancreatic cancer (PC) still remain unknown.

AIM

This study aims to explore the role of FAM83H during pancreatic carcinogenesis and the regulation of immune infiltration in PC.

METHODS

In the current study, the clinical significance and potential biological of FAM83H were evaluated by bioinformatics analysis. Possible associations between FAM83H expression and tumor immunity were analyzed using ESTIMATE algorithm and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA).

RESULTS

FAM83H expression was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues, and positively associated with higher histologic grade, tumor recurrence, and worse prognosis. FAM83H overexpression is notably associated with KRAS activation. And functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that FAM83H may be involved in positive regulation of cell proliferation and migration, Ras protein signal transduction, regulation of cell-matrix adhesion, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), TGF-β receptor signaling in EMT, and activated NOTCH transmits signal to the nucleus. ESTIMATE algorithm and ssGSEA demonstrated that FAM83H overexpression suppressed the infiltration and antitumor activity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), especially for CD8⁺ T cells. Besides, FAM83H overexpression significantly correlated with low expression of TIL-related gene markers (e.g. CD8A, CD8B, CD2, CD3D, and CD3E).

CONCLUSION

The study suggests that FAM83H overexpression predicts poor prognosis and correlates with less CD8⁺ T cells infiltration and Ras-PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway in PC.

[Comments on 2019 Chinese practice guideline for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus mother-to-child transmission]

Recently, the Society of Infectious Diseases of Chinese Medical Association and Chinese GRADE Center jointly released the "2019 Chinese practice guideline for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B virus mother-to-child transmission" . We concerned several issues in the Guideline, including the improper citation of some references, no recommendations for some key strategies for the prevention of hepatitis B virus mother-to-child transmission, insufficient or even lack of evidence for some recommendations and others. Based on the principle of academic contention, we present in this article our comments on the Guideline to discuss these issues with the Guideline's authors and readers.

Influence of Utilizing Breast Meat Afflicted with Woody Breast Myopathy on Sausage Textural Properties

ObjectivesWoody breast (WB) myopathy reduces the utility and value of breast meat for the broiler industry. It is hypothesized that WB meat may be included in comminuted products to increase utility and ultimately add value to the broiler industry. Information on the textural and quality characteristics that WB inclusion has on further processed products is limited in the literature. The objective of this research was to evaluate the quality of sausage made with WB meat of varying degrees of severity.Materials and MethodsFor each of three replications, broiler breast meat (normal, moderate WB, and severe WB) and chicken abdominal fat were obtained from a commercial poultry processor. Breast meat was coarse ground (19-mm) and combined with fat (targeting 15%) to produce 10-kg batches representing 25, 50, and 100% moderate WB meat, 25, 50, 100% severe WB meat, and a 100% normal control. The batches were then re-ground (4.8-mm), mixed for 1 min with 1.5% salt, and stuffed into 35-mm natural casings. Links were placed in individual bags, cooked to 70°C in a water-bath, and allowed to cool to room temperature before hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness were evaluated using texture profile analysis. Individual sausage links were weighed before and after cooking and cook loss was calculated. Data were analyzed using SAS version 9.3 with a fixed effects design with replication as a random effect.ResultsSausage hardness tended to be softer (P = 0.06) as WB inclusion rate and severity increased. Cohesiveness and springiness values were similar between treatments (P = 0.53, P = 0.95, respectively). Gumminess decreased (P < 0.05) as severity and inclusion of WB increased indicating a lack of bind, which was further supported by the decline in chewiness (P < 0.05). The raw 25% moderate WB and 50% severe WB sausage links were similar in lightness values (L*) to the normal sausage links. In cooked sausage, 25% and 50% inclusion of WB meat regardless of severity were similar in lightness values (L*) compared to the 100% normal formulations.ConclusionWith no difference in cook loss (P = 0.08), the data presented indicates that moderate and severe WB meat can be included in the formulation of linked sausages to increase utility and value of broiler WB meat.

A Proposed Mechanism for Texture Property of Woody Breast in Broilers

ObjectivesWoody breast is a myopathy observed in chicken breast meat (Pectoralis major) characterized by its tough and rubbery texture. However, the exact causation of woody breast texture is still unknown. We hypothesize that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) dysfunctionality early postmortem results in rapid leakage of intracellular calcium may partially contribute to the abnormal meat texture observed in woody breast meat. The objective of this preliminary study was to investigate this hypothesis.Materials and MethodsFourteen Ross line broiler breast fillets (7 severe woody breast and 7 normal) were collected at 3 h postmortem from a commercial processing plant located in the southeast United States. The 7 woody breast samples also exhibited moderate to severe white striping. The 7 normal samples did not exhibit any signs of white striping or woody breast. Each sample was trimmed, weighed, vacuum packaged and frozen at –20°C at approximately 8 h postmortem. One 1.9 cm strip across the cranial end of each fillet was fabricated and pulverized in liquid nitrogen to measure sarcomere length (Laser Scan Confocal Microscope with a 100x/NA 1.4 objective), calpain activity (immunoblotting for µ-calpain autolysis), proteolysis (immunoblotting for troponin-T degradation) and collagen content (hydroxyproline content). Purge was also collected from each sample to evaluate protein (bicinchoninic acid assay) and free calcium concentration (atomic absorption).ResultsWoody breast fillets were heavier than normal chicken breast fillets (522.9 vs. 446.9g; P < 0.05). Woody breast samples tended to have shorter sarcomeres (1.70 vs. 2.02 µm; P = 0.0543) and less intact troponin-T compared to normal breast samples (relative intact troponin-T band density: 49.98 vs. 56.97%; P = 0.0515) at 8 h postmortem. It was interesting to note that no µ-calpain band was detected through immunoblotting for both the woody breast and normal samples at 8 h postmortem. Other studies have found similar results as poultry µ-calpain autolyzed at a much rapid rate than µ-calpain in mammalian species. In addition, the purge from woody breast samples also had higher levels of free calcium compared to normal samples (6.2 vs. 4.2 nmol calcium/mg protein; P < 0.05). Lastly, there was more collagen present in the woody breast samples compared to normal chicken breast samples (3.89 vs. 2.08 mg collagen/g muscle tissue; P < 0.05).ConclusionThe results indicated that the cause of texture abnormality of woody breast may be the combined effects of more calcium being released from the SR early postmortem resulting in shorter sarcomere length and more collagen being deposited in the chicken breast meat. Additional research with the focus on SR integrity and functionality as well as collagen crosslinks are needed to further elucidate the basic mechanism of woody breast texture formation.

BRCA1-associated protein inhibits glioma cell proliferation and migration and glioma stem cell self-renewal via the TGF-β/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway

PURPOSE

BRCA1-associated protein (BRAP) was first identified by its ability to bind to the nuclear localization signalling motif of BRCA1 and other proteins. Subsequently, human BRAP has been found to exert multiple functions, many of which are related to cancer development. Up till now, however, the role of BRAP in glioma development has remained obscure. Here, we report a role for BRAP in mediating the proliferation and migration of glioma cells both in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS

The expression of BRAP in 98 glioma patient samples was determined by immunohistochemistry, after which associations between BRAP expression and patient prognosis were assessed. A short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was used to knock down BRAP and an expression vector was used to exogenously overexpress BRAP in glioma cells. The effects of BRAP expression on tumour cell behaviour in vitro and in an in vivo xenograft mouse model were examined.

RESULTS

We found that in glioma patients BRAP expression was associated with a favourable prognosis. We also found that shRNA-mediated knockdown of BRAP facilitated the proliferation and migration of glioma cells and the self-renewal of glioma stem cells. In parallel, we found that BRAP knockdown increased tumour growth and invasion and decreased survival in an in vivo glioma xenograft mouse model. Mechanistically, we found that BRAP inhibited glioma cell proliferation and migration, as well as glioma stem cell self-renewal via the TGF-β/PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, our findings identify BRAP as a mediator of glioma cell proliferation, migration and glioma stem cell self-renewal.

Detection of razor shear force differences in broiler breast meat due to the woody breast condition depends on measurement technique and meat state1

Broiler breast meat with the woody breast (WB) myopathy exhibits abnormal tissue hardness and muscle rigidity in the raw state. The effectiveness of using instrumental shear measurements to characterize texture in WB fillets before and after cooking is not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of WB on razor shear force measurements in fresh never-frozen and frozen-thawed broiler breast fillets in both the raw and cooked state. Deboned breast fillets (n = 234) were collected from a commercial processing plant and categorized as normal (n = 78), moderate WB (n = 86), or severe WB (n = 70). At 24 h postmortem fillets were either used for texture analysis directly or frozen-thawed prior to analysis. Each fillet was measured before and after cooking using either the blunt blade (BMORS) or sharpened blade (MORS) versions of the Meullenet-Owens razor shear test. The ability of BMORS to distinguish between normal and WB fillets was different between raw and cooked fillets. In both fresh and frozen-thawed fillets, raw BMORS shear values (peak shear force and shear energy) increased (P < 0.0001) with WB severity. In fresh fillets, cooked BMORS values were similar between normal, moderate WB, and severe WB fillets. In frozen-thawed fillets, cooked BMORS values were greater (P < 0.001) in severe WB compared to normal fillets but were similar between normal and moderate WB fillets. Cooking had less impact on the ability of MORS to distinguish between normal and WB fillets. For both fresh and frozen-thawed fillets, MORS shear values (peak shear force and shear energy) were greater (P < 0.05) in WB fillets than normals in both the raw and cooked states. Data from this study demonstrate that the WB myopathy influences razor shear measurements in raw broiler breast fillets, but suggest that the ability to objectively detect texture differences in cooked WB meat is strongly dependent upon razor shear technique.

[Combined anluohuaxianwan and entecavir treatment significantly improve the improvement rate of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection]

Objective: To explore the improvement rate of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection who received entecavir alone or in combination with anluohuaxianwan for 78 weeks. Methods: Patients with chronic HBV infection were randomly treated with entecavir alone or in combination with anluohuaxian for 78 weeks. Ishak fibrosis score was used for blind interpretation of liver biopsy specimens. The improvement in liver fibrosis condition before and after the treatment was compared. Student's t test and non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U-Test and Kruskal-Wallis test) were used to analyze the measurement data. The categorical variables were analyzed by Chi-square test method and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to test bivariate associations. Results: Liver fibrosis improvement rate after 78 weeks of treatment was 36.53% (80/219) and the progression rate was 23.29% (51/219). The improvement of liver fibrosis was associated to the degree of baseline fibrosis and treatment methods (P < 0.05). The improvement rate of hepatic fibrosis in patients treated with anluohuaxianwan combined with entecavir at baseline F < 3 (54.74%, 52/95) was significantly higher than that in patients treated only with entecavir (33.33%, 16/48), P = 0.016 and the progression rate of hepatic fibrosis (13.68%, 13/95) was lower than that in patients treated alone (18.75%, 9/48), P = 0.466. In patients with baseline F < 3, the proportion of patients with improved and stable liver fibrosis in the combined treatment group (68.1%, 32/47) was higher than that in the treatment group alone (51.7%, 15/29). Conclusion: Combined anluohuaxianwan and entecavir treatment can significantly improve the improvement rate of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Furthermore, it has the tendency to improve the stability rate and reduce the rate of progression of liver fibrosis.

miR-21 induces endothelial progenitor cells proliferation and angiogenesis via targeting FASLG and is a potential prognostic marker in deep venous thrombosis

BACKGROUND

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of lower extremities is a common thrombotic disease, occurring either in isolation or as a complication of other diseases or procedures. MiR-21 is one of important microRNAs which play critical role in various cellular function. This study aim to determine the effect of miR-21 on endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and its role in predicting prognosis of DVT.

METHODS

EPCs was isolated from DVT models and control subjects. miR-21 expression was confirmed by RT-PCR. Potential target mRNA was predicted by bioinformatics analysis. EPCs biological functions were examined by CCK-8 and tube formation assay. Besides, miR-21 expression was determined in DVT patients to investigate the correlation between miR-21 expression and prognosis of DVT. Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were also performed to reveal the risk factors associated with prognosis.

RESULTS

Here, we found miR-21 was downregulated in EPCs of DVT model rats. Increased miR-21 expression promoted proliferation and angiogenesis of EPCs. Moreover, we demonstrated that FASLG was a target of miR-21 and revealed that FASLG knockdown inhibited function of EPCs. Upregulation of miR-21 led to thrombus resolution in a rat model of venous thrombosis. In addition, lower expression level of miR-21 in DVT patients was associated with an increase of recurrent DVT and post thrombotic syndrome (PTS). Furthermore, Cox proportional hazard regression analyses demonstrated miR-21 expression level as an independent predictor of recurrence of DVT.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data revealed a role of miR-21 in regulating biological function of EPCs and could be a predictor for recurrent DVT or PTS.

[Effect of Anluohuaxianwan on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors in rat liver with fibrosis]

Objective: To investigate the effect of anluohuaxianwan (ALHXW) using rat model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) induced liver fibrosis on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). Methods: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into control, model and treatment groups. Rats in the model and treatment groups were injected intraperitoneally with 40% CCl(4) (2 ml/kg), and the control group were given isotonic saline twice a week for six weeks. Meanwhile, the treatment group were gavaged with ALHXW solution daily (concentration 0.15 g/ml, 9.9 ml/kg) for 6 weeks, while the control and model groups were given isotonic saline once a day for 6 weeks. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured at the end of third and sixth week. At the end of six weeks, liver tissues were harvested for histopathological evaluation and the detection of mRNA and protein expression levels of MMP-2/13 and TIMP-1/2. According to different data, LSD method, parametric (one-way ANOVA) and non-parametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis H-test and Mann-Whitney U test) were used for statistical analysis. Results: Compared with the model group, ALHXW markedly alleviated liver injury in the treatment group, and thereby improved the general state of rats, liver and spleen morphological characteristics, and ALT and AST levels. Histopathological examination demonstrated that the extent of liver fibrosis was improved (2.75 ± 0.75 vs. 3.55 ± 0.69, P = 0.015) in the treatment group as compared with the model group. The mRNA and protein expression levels of MMP-13 in the treatment group were significantly higher than that of the model group (mRNA: 10.50 ± 7.64 vs. 4.40 ± 2.97, P = 0.029. Protein: 1.15 ± 0.09 vs. 0.78 ± 0.21, P = 0.016), whereas the mRNA and protein expression levels of MMP-2, TIMP-1/2 in the treatment group were significantly lower than that of the model group (mRNA: 4.55 ± 3.29 vs. 7.83 ± 4.19, P = 0.048; 1.66 ± 0.73 vs. 3.69 ± 2.78, P = 0.023; 2.25 ± 1.16 vs. 3.41 ± 1.51, P = 0.049; respectively. Protein: 0.44 ± 0.11 vs. 0.65 ± 0.05, P = 0.03; 0.69 ± 0.06 vs. 1.07 ± 0.21, P = 0.016; 0.46 ± 0.09 vs. 0.81 ± 0.13, P = 0.003; respectively). Conclusion: ALHXW exerts anti-liver fibrosis effects mainly by improving liver function, inhibiting the activation of hepatic stellate cells, enhancing the expression of MMP-13, and inhibiting the expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-1/2.

Integration of metabolomics and expression of enolase-phosphatase 1 links to hepatocellular carcinoma progression

Reprogramming of cellular metabolism is one of the hallmarks for cancer, in which tumor cells rewire their metabolic fluxes to generate sufficient energy and biosynthetic intermediates. Therefore, elucidating the correlation between cellular metabolism and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression may provide insights into novel approaches to cancer therapy. Methods: We assembled an integrated pathway-level metabolic profiling by mining metabolomic, transcriptomic and proteomic data of three HCC cell lines with increasing metastatic potentials. Immunohistochemical staining was performed in a tissue microarray from 185 HCC clinical specimens. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analyses were applied to test the association between gene expression and survival outcome. In vitro assays were conducted to investigate the functional role of enolase-phosphatase 1 (ENOPH1) in HCC malignant behaviors. Reversed genetics analysis was performed to determine the function of ENOPH1 in HCC metastasis. An intrahepatic mouse model further confirmed the role of ENOPH1 in metastasis. Results: We have determined that HCC cell metastasis is associated with alterations in metabolite levels and expressions of metabolic enzymes in the cysteine/methionine metabolism pathway, and show that one of metabolic enzymes, enolase-phosphatase 1 (ENOPH1), is persistently upregulated with an increase in metastatic potential. The upregulation of ENOPH1 expression was observed as an independent prognostic factor for HCC patients. ENOPH1 overexpression promoted cell migration and invasion, whereas ENOPH1 downregulation inhibited cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, an enhanced phosphorylation of AKT with ENOPH1 upregulation was observed. ENOPH1-mediated malignant capacity in HCC cells can be rescued by an AKT inhibitor. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings illustrate that ENOPH1 promotes HCC progression and could serve as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.

Long-Term Outcome of Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis in Pregnancy-Related Venous Thrombosis

BACKGROUND Venous thromboembolism (VT) is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) is an effective and safe treatment modality for VT patients. However, the long-term outcome of CDT in pregnancy-related venous thrombosis are unclear. The aim of this study was to assess long-term results of pregnancy-related VT patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS We reviewed 41 pregnancy-related deep venous thrombosis (DVT) patients who underwent CDT from February 2008 to May 2015. Clinical data, including demographic variables, disease location, vascular risk factors, treatment regimen, interventional procedure and complications, were collected retrospectively. Clinical and color-duplex ultrasonography were performed to monitor venous patency during follow-up. Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) was assessed with the Villalta scale and quality of life (QOL) was evaluated by the VEINES-QOL/Sym questionnaire. RESULTS Twenty-three patients underwent spontaneous abortion or induced abortion within 3 months before DVT, and 18 patients had DVT during the first 3 months after delivery. Technical success was achieved in all patients. Grade III (complete) lysis was obtained in 15 patients and grade II (partial) lysis was obtained in 21 patients. The follow-up period was 3 years. Twenty-eight patients had venous patency at 3-year follow-up; 36.6% of patients developed mild or moderate PTS (Villalta score 5-14) and 4.8% with severe PTS (Villalta score ≥15). VEINES-QOL/Sym scores were 55.24±7.35 and 53.25±6.65, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Catheter-directed thrombolysis is a reliable and safe treatment modality for postnatal or abortion patients with DVT. CDT can reduce the incidence rate of PTS and increase the quality of life.

The applied anatomy and clinical significance of the proximal, V1 segment of vertebral artery

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to probe the morphological features of the proximal segment (V1) of vertebral artery (VA) in a sample of Chinese cadavers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The origin, course and outer diameter at origin of the pre-vertebral part of the VAs were evaluated in 119 adult cadavers.

RESULTS

It was found that 94.12% of the VAs originated from the subclavian arteries, bilaterally. The variant origins were present in 5.88% of the cadavers and all originated directly from the arch of the aorta. All the variations were observed on the left side of male cadavers. The average outer diameters at origin of the normal and variation groups were 4.35 ± 1.00 mm and 4.82 ± ± 1.42 mm, respectively, p = 0.035. In the normal group, but not in the variation group, the average diameter in the males was significantly larger than that in the females (4.50 ± 0.99 mm, 3.92 ± 0.92 mm, respectively, p = 0.000). In addition, only 5 cadavers in the normal group had hypoplastic VAs (4.20%, 4 males, 3 right-sided). Vertebral artery dominance (VAD) was present in 91 (69 males) out of 112 cadavers and more common on the left (n = 48). In addition, 3 cadavers satisfied conditions for coexistence of VAD and vertebral artery hypoplasia. All 7 cadavers in the variation group exhibited VAD, which was more common on the right side (n = 5).

CONCLUSIONS

The morphologic variations and frequencies described above have implications for the early prevention, abnormal anatomy detection, accurate diagnosis, safe surgery and endovascular treatment of cardiovascular and neurological disease.

[Correlation between serum HBV DNA level and HBsAg titer in HBeAg-positive pregnant women and impact of genomic variability of hepatitis B virus pre S/S regions on their correlations]

Objective: To analyze the correlation between serum HBV DNA level and HBsAg titer in hepatitis B e antigen positive pregnant women without antiviral therapy, and investigate the impact of genomic variability of preS/S regions on their correlations. Methods: Prenatal serum samples from 882 pregnant women with chronic HBV infection who were positive for HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA and were not on antiviral therapy were included in the analysis. The Abbott i2000 and m2000 systems were used to qualitatively or quantitatively detect HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA levels, respectively. HBV genotyping was performed using a type-specific primer nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). In addition, serum samples of pregnant women with HBV DNA levels correlated with HBsAg titer and HBV DNA levels higher than HBsAg titers were used to perform preS/S region amplification by nPCR method. PCR products were directly sequenced and mutation sites were analyzed by MEGA6.0 stasticial software. Mann-Whitney U test was used for the measurement data, and 2-test test for count data. Correlations between variables were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation. Results: Serum HBsAg titer of HBeAg-positive pregnant women was positively correlated with HBV DNA level (r = 0.754, P < 0.01). Compared with the control group, mutation sites A60V (100% vs. 15.38%, χ(2) = 7.61, P < 0.01), V90A (100% vs. 30.77%, χ(2) = 4.43, P < 0.05) and I161T of HBV preS/S region (80.00% vs. 0, χ(2) = 9.14, P < 0.01) showed a significant decrease in HBsAg titer. Conclusion: Serum HBV DNA levels were positively correlated with HBsAg titer in HBeAg-positive pregnant women. Therefore, serum HBsAg titer may be used as a surrogate marker of serum HBV DNA. Single or multiple amino acid mutations sites A60V, V90A, and I161T in preS/S region may be one of the reasons that lead to a significant drop in HBsAg titer and affect its correlation with HBV DNA levels.

[Status and progress in chronic hepatitis B cure]

Currently available antiviral treatment can not eradicate hepatitis B virus completely, and needs long-term or lifelong therapy for the majority of patients with chronic hepatitis B. New antiviral inhibitors and immune modulatory therapies are in development, and have opened new possibilities to cure chronic hepatitis B. This paper summarises status and progress in chronic hepatitis B cure.

Glycine decarboxylase induces autophagy and is downregulated by miRNA-30d-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma

Glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) belongs to the glycine cleavage system and is involved in one-carbon metabolism. We previously reported that GLDC downregulation enhances hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and intrahepatic metastasis through decreasing ROS-mediated ubiquitination of cofilin. The role of autophagy in cancer metastasis is still controversial. Redox-dependent autophagy largely relies on the magnitude and the rate of ROS generation. Thus, we aimed to explore the role of GLDC in cellular autophagy during HCC progression. We showed that a high GLDC expression level is associated with better overall survival and is an independent factor for the favorable prognosis of HCC patients. GLDC overexpression significantly induced cell autophagy, whereas GLDC downregulation reduced cell autophagy. Of note, GLDC is the post-transcriptional target of miR-30d-5p. GLDC overexpression could rescue miR-30d-5p-mediated cell metastasis and increase autophagy. Furthermore, upregulation of GLDC could significantly decrease p62 expression and impair intrahepatic metastasis in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that GLDC may play an important role to increasing miR-30d-5p-reduced autophagy to suppress HCC progress.