RNA binding protein NKAP protects glioblastoma cells from ferroptosis by promoting SLC7A11 mRNA splicing in an m6A-dependent manner

Ferroptosis: A novel therapeutic strategy and mechanism of action in glioma

Glioma is the most common malignant tumor of the central nervous system and resistance is easily developed to chemotherapy drugs during the treatment process, resulting in high mortality and short survival in glioma patients. Novel therapeutic approaches are urgently needed to improve the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs and to improve the prognosis of patients with glioma. Ferroptosis is a novel regulatory cell death mechanism that plays a key role in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and other diseases. Studies have found that ferroptosis-related regulators are closely related to the survival of patients with glioma, and induction of ferroptosis can improve glioma resistance to chemotherapy drugs. Therefore, induction of tumor cell ferroptosis may be an effective therapeutic strategy for glioma. This review summarizes the relevant mechanisms of ferroptosis, systematically summarizes the key role of ferroptosis in the treatment of glioma and outlines the relationship between ferroptosis-related ncRNAs and the progression of glioma.

More than a duologue: In-depth insights into epitranscriptomics and ferroptosis

Beyond transcription, RNA molecules are enzymatically modified to influence the biological functions of living organisms. The term “epitranscriptomics” describes the changes in RNA strands aside from altering the innate sequences. Modifications on adenosine (A) are the most widely characterized epitranscriptomic modification, including N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A), N¹-methyladenosine (m¹A), polyadenylation, and adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing, and modifications on other nucleotides seem to be fewer, such as N⁷-methylguanosine (m⁷G), 5-methylcytosine (m⁵C), and pseudouridine (Ψ). These changes on the RNA strand surface, exclusively by their RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs), are reported in various biological phenomena, including programmed cell death (PCD). One necro-biological phenomenon that has been observed for long but has started to gain heed in recent years is “ferroptosis.” The phospholipid peroxidation by polyunsaturated-fatty-acid-containing-phospholipid hydroperoxyl (PLOOH) radicals destroys membrane integrity due to a series of mechanisms. The Fenton reaction, constituting the final Haber–Weiss reaction that is less recognized, collaboratively leading to the conversion of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) to PLOOH, is the etymological origin of ferroptosis. However, it is with increasing evidence that ferroptotic signaling is also intervened by epitranscriptomic modifications, although the truth is still ambiguous. We attempted to delineate some up-to-date discoveries on both epitranscriptomics and ferroptosis, bringing up the fundamentals to address any potential connection between the two. Next, we discussed whether a duologal relationship, or more, exists between the two, taking the ROS level and iron status into consideration. Lastly, we surveyed future perspectives that would favor the understanding of these topics.

Research Progress on the Role of RNA m6A Modification in Glial Cells in the Regulation of Neurological Diseases

Glial cells are the most abundant and widely distributed cells that maintain cerebral homeostasis in the central nervous system. They mainly include microglia, astrocytes, and the oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Moreover, glial cells may induce pathological changes, such as inflammatory responses, demyelination, and disruption of the blood–brain barrier, to regulate the occurrence and development of neurological diseases through various molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, RNA m6A modifications are involved in various pathological processes associated with glial cells. In this review, the roles of glial cells in physiological and pathological states, as well as advances in understanding the mechanisms by which glial cells regulate neurological diseases under RNA m6A modification, are summarized, hoping to provide new perspectives on the deeper mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets for neurological diseases.

The molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and its role in glioma progression and treatment

Ferroptosis is one of the programmed modes of cell death that has attracted widespread attention recently and is capable of influencing the developmental course and prognosis of many tumors. Glioma is one of the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system, but effective treatment options are very limited. Ferroptosis plays a critical role in the glioma progression, affecting tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, tumor necrosis, and shaping the immune-resistant tumor microenvironment. Inducing ferroptosis has emerged as an attractive strategy for glioma. In this paper, we review ferroptosis-related researches on glioma progression and treatment.

A Novel Splice Variant of BCAS1 Inhibits β-Arrestin 2 to Promote the Proliferation and Migration of Glioblastoma Cells, and This Effect Was Blocked by Maackiain

Brain-enriched myelin-associated protein 1 (BCAS1) is frequently highly expressed in human cancer, but its detailed function is unclear. Here, we identified a novel splice variant of the BCAS1 gene in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) named BCAS1-SV1. The expression of BCAS1-SV1 was weak in heathy brain cells but high in GBM cell lines. The overexpression of BCAS1-SV1 significantly increased the proliferation and migration of GBM cells, whereas the RNA-interference-mediated knockdown of BCAS1-SV1 reduced proliferation and migration. Moreover, using a yeast-two hybrid assay, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence staining, we confirmed that β-arrestin 2 is an interaction partner of BCAS1-SV1 but not BCAS1. The downregulation of β-arrestin 2 directly enhanced the malignancy of GBM and abrogated the effects of BCAS1-SV1 on GBM cells. Finally, we used a yeast two-hybrid-based growth assay to identify that maackiain (MK) is a potential inhibitor of the interaction between BCAS1-SV1 and β-arrestin 2. MK treatment lessened the proliferation and migration of GBM cells and prolonged the lifespan of tumor-bearing mice in subcutaneous xenograft and intracranial U87-luc xenograft models. This study provides the first evidence that the gain-of-function BCAS1-SV1 splice variant promotes the development of GBM by suppressing the β-arrestin 2 pathway and opens up a new therapeutic perspective in GBM.

The Role of SLC7A11 in Cancer: Friend or Foe?

SLC7A11 controls the uptake of extracellular cystine in exchange for glutamate at a ratio of 1:1, and it is overexpressed in a variety of tumours. Accumulating evidence has shown that the expression of SLC7A11 is fine-tuned at multiple levels, and plays diverse functional and pharmacological roles in tumours, such as cellular redox homeostasis, cell growth and death, and cell metabolism. Many reports have suggested that the inhibition of SLC7A11 expression and activity is favourable for tumour therapy; thus, SLC7A11 is regarded as a potential therapeutic target. However, emerging evidence also suggests that on some occasions, the inhibition of SLC7A11 is beneficial to the survival of cancer cells, and confers the development of drug resistance. In this review, we first briefly introduce the biological properties of SLC7A11, including its structure and physiological functions, and further summarise its regulatory network and potential regulators. Then, focusing on its role in cancer, we describe the relationships of SLC7A11 with tumourigenesis, survival, proliferation, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance in more detail. Finally, since SLC7A11 has been linked to cancer through multiple approaches, we propose that its contribution and regulatory mechanism require further elucidation. Thus, more personalised therapeutic strategies should be adapted when targeting SLC7A11.

The Potential Value of m6A RNA Methylation in the Development of Cancers Focus on Malignant Glioma

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that has emerged in the last few years and has received increasing attention as the most abundant internal RNA modification in eukaryotic cells. m6A modifications affect multiple aspects of RNA metabolism, and m6A methylation has been shown to play a critical role in the progression of multiple cancers through a variety of mechanisms. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which m6A RNA methylation induced peripheral cancer cell progression and its potential role in the infiltration of immune cell of the glioblastoma microenvironment and novel immunotherapy. Assessing the pattern of m6A modification in glioblastoma will contribute to improving our understanding of microenvironmental infiltration and novel immunotherapies, and help in developing immunotherapeutic strategies.

Cullin 4A/protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (CUL4A/PRMT5) promotes cell malignant phenotypes and tumor growth in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Targeted therapy is an important therapeutic strategy currently, however, the development of targeted therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is relatively lagging. Cullin 4A (CUL4A) was reported to be overexpressed in NPC; nevertheless, the specific role of CUL4A remains unrevealed. NPC cells and tumor-bearing mice were cultivated to explore the role and mechanism of CUL4A in NPC. After evaluating CUL4A levels in NPC cells, functional experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of CUL4A knockdown and overexpression on cell proliferative, invasive and migratory aptitude as well as NF-κB signaling. Following the GeneMANIA database predicted that protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) was downstream of CUL4A, the mediated role of PRMT5 in the regulation of CUL4A on cells was then determined. Moreover, the tumor volumes and weights of tumor-bearing mice were recorded, and the levels of proliferation-, migration-, and NF-κB signaling-related proteins in the tumor were determined. Herein, CUL4A was enhanced in NPC cells, and its knockdown and overexpression separately suppressed and promoted cell proliferative, invasive, and migratory aptitude as well as NF-κB signal activation. Novelty, PRMT5 knockdown reversed the influences of CUL4A overexpression on these aspects. In addition, its knockdown likewise reversed the facilitating impact of CUL4A expression on tumor growth and declined the expression levels of proliferation-, migration-, and NF-κB signaling-related protein in the tumor. Together, this paper indicated that CUL4A promoted the proliferative, invasive, and migratory aptitude of NPC cells as well as tumor growth by promoting PRMT5 to activate NF-κB signaling.