Targeted inhibition of ACK1 can inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway

Non-Receptor Tyrosine Kinases: Their Structure and Mechanistic Role in Tumor Progression and Resistance

Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) function as key molecules in the signaling pathways in addition to their impact as a therapeutic target for the treatment of many human diseases, including cancer. PTKs are characterized by their ability to phosphorylate serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues and can thereby rapidly and reversibly alter the function of their protein substrates in the form of significant changes in protein confirmation and affinity for their interaction with protein partners to drive cellular functions under normal and pathological conditions. PTKs are classified into two groups: one of which represents tyrosine kinases, while the other one includes the members of the serine/threonine kinases. The group of tyrosine kinases is subdivided into subgroups: one of them includes the member of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), while the other subgroup includes the member of non-receptor tyrosine kinases (NRTKs). Both these kinase groups function as an "on" or "off" switch in many cellular functions. NRTKs are enzymes which are overexpressed and activated in many cancer types and regulate variable cellular functions in response to extracellular signaling-dependent mechanisms. NRTK-mediated different cellular functions are regulated by kinase-dependent and kinase-independent mechanisms either in the cytoplasm or in the nucleus. Thus, targeting NRTKs is of great interest to improve the treatment strategy of different tumor types. This review deals with the structure and mechanistic role of NRTKs in tumor progression and resistance and their importance as therapeutic targets in tumor therapy.

ZNF692 promotes osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through TNK2-mediated activation of the MEK/ERK pathway

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcoma is a diverse and aggressive bone tumor. Driver genes regulating osteosarcoma initiation and progression remains incompletely defined. Zinc finger protein 692 (ZNF692), a kind of Krüppel C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor, exhibited abnormal expression in different types of malignancies and showed a correlation with the clinical prognosis of patients as well as the aggressive characteristics of cancer cells. Nevertheless, its specific role in osteosarcoma is still not well understood.

METHODS

We investigated the dysregulation and clinical significance of ZNF692 in osteosarcoma through bioinformatic method and experimental validation. A range of in vitro assays, including CCK-8, colony formation, EdU incorporation, wound healing, and transwell invasion tests, were conducted to assess the impact of ZNF692 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in osteosarcoma. A xenograft mouse model was established to evaluate the effect of ZNF692 on tumor growth in vivo. Western blot assay was used to measure the protein levels of MEK1/2, P-MEK1/2, ERK1/2, and P-ERK1/2 in cells that had been genetically modified to either reduce or increase the expression of ZNF692. The relationship between ZNF692 and tyrosine kinase non-receptor 2 (TNK2) were validated by qRT-PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays.

RESULTS

Expression of ZNF692 was increased in both human osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, the expression of ZNF692 served as an independent predictive biomarker in osteosarcoma. The results of the survival analysis indicated that increased expression of ZNF692 was associated with worse outcome. Downregulation of ZNF692 inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells, whereas upregulation of ZNF692 has the opposite impact. Western blot assay indicates that reducing ZNF692 decreases phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2, whereas increasing ZNF692 expression enhances their phosphorylation. U0126, a potent inhibitor specifically targeting the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, partially counteracts the impact of ZNF692 overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. In addition, ZNF692 specifically interacts with the promoter region of TNK2 and stimulates the transcription of TNK2 in osteosarcoma cells. Forcing the expression of TNK2 weakens the inhibitory impact of ZNF692 knockdown on P-MEK1/2 and P-ERK1/2. Similarly, partly inhibiting TNK2 counteracts the enhancing impact of ZNF692 overexpression on the phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2. Functional tests demonstrate that the suppressive effects of ZNF692 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion are greatly reduced when TNK2 is overexpressed. In contrast, the reduction of TNK2 hinders the ability of ZNF692 overexpression to enhance cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

CONCLUSION

ZNF692 promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells via the TNK2-dependent stimulation of the MEK/ERK signaling pathway. The ZNF692-TNK2 axis might potentially function as a possible predictive biomarker and a promising target for novel therapeutics in osteosarcoma.

Identification of a Novel CD8+ T cell exhaustion-related gene signature for predicting survival in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major health concern, necessitating a deeper understanding of its prognosis and underlying mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism and prognostic value of CD8+ T Cell exhaustion (CD8+ TEX)-related genes in HCC and construct a survival prognosis prediction model for patients with HCC.

METHODS

CD8+ TEX-related genes associated with HCC prognosis were analysed and identified, and a prognostic prediction model was constructed using the 'least absolute shrinkage and selection operator' Cox regression model. Immunohistochemistry was used to verify the expression of the model genes in HCC tissues. A nomogram was constructed based on risk scores and clinical features, and its predictive efficacy was verified. The expression of STAM, ANXA5, and MAD2L2 in HCC cell lines was detected by western blotting; subsequently, these genes were knocked down in HCC cell lines by small interfering RNA, and their effects on the proliferation and migration of HCC cell lines were detected by colony formation assay, cck8, wound healing, and transwell assays.

RESULTS

Six genes related to CD8+ TEX were included in the risk-prediction model. The prognosis of patients with HCC in the low-risk group was significantly better than that of those in the high-risk group. Cox regression analysis revealed that the risk score was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with HCC. The differentially expressed genes in patients with high-risk HCC were mainly enriched in the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein-like receptor, hypoxia-inducible factor-1, and tumour programmed cell death protein (PD)-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathways. The CD8+ TEX-related genes STAM, ANXA5, and MAD2L2 were knocked down in HCC cell lines to significantly inhibit cell proliferation and migration. The prediction results of the nomogram based on the risk score showed a good fit and application value.

CONCLUSION

The prediction model based on CD8+ TEX-related genes can predict the prognosis of HCC and provide a theoretical basis for the early identification of patients with poor HCC prognosis.

M6A-mediated upregulation of HOXC10 promotes human hepatocellular carcinoma development through PTEN/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway

Human Hox genes (Homeobox) play a crucial role in embryonic development and cancer. The HOXC10 gene, a member of the HOX family, has been reported abnormally expressed in several cancers. However, the association between HOXC10 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be elucidated. In the present study, tissue microarray cohort data showed that high levels of HOXC10 expression predicted a poor survival in HCC patients. Meanwhile, HOXC10 was significantly upregulated in the Huh7 cell line compared with the well differentiated cell line HepG2 and human normal liver cells. Functionally, silencing HOXC10 in Huh7 cells inhibited cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and inhibited invasion and migration of HCC cells. HOXC10 overexpression in HepG2 cells increased cell proliferation, decreased apoptosis, and increased invasion and migration of HCC cells. In the HepG2 xenograft models, HOXC10 increased the tumor volume and weight compared with control. Mechanistically, the m6A modification of HOXC10 by METTL3 enhanced its expression by enhancing its mRNA stability. Both the in vitro and in vivo results showed that overexpressed HOXC10 activated the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway. In summary, the findings highlight the importance of HOXC10 in the regulation of HCC progression. HOXC10 is potentially a future therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

Effect of Network-Based Positive Psychological Nursing Model Combined With Elemene Injection on Negative Emotions, Immune Function and Quality of Life in Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy in the Era of Big Data

Background

With the development of big data, big data interpenetrate in every person's life. Health care is no exception to this trend, especially in regard to nursing analytics. The data that is analyzed and leveraged in this field is gathered from a variety of sources, including electronic health records (EHRs), medical histories, provider notes and mobile applications, creating an accumulation of personalized health information around each individual.

Objective

To explore the effect of the network-based positive psychological nursing model combined with elemene injection on negative emotions, immune function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with lung cancer (LC) undergoing chemotherapy.

Methods

The clinical data of 90 LC patients who underwent chemotherapy in our hospital from December 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and the patients were equally split into experimental group (EG) and control group (CG) according to the order of enrollment. The patients in CG received routine nursing intervention during chemotherapy, while those in EG received the network-based positive psychological nursing model combined with elemene injection to compare negative emotions, immune function and quality of life (QOL) between the two groups.

Results

Compared with CG, EG had notably higher immune function indexes (P < 0.001), lower serum VEGF and MMP-2 levels (P < 0.001), lower HAMA and HAMD scores (P < 0.05), and higher scores of PTGI, physiological function, psychological function, social function and physical function (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The network-based positive psychological nursing model combined with elemene injection is a reliable method to enhance the immune function and QOL of LC patients undergoing chemotherapy and alleviate their negative emotions, which has a high clinical application value.

Cdc42/Rac Interactive Binding Containing Effector Proteins in Unicellular Protozoans With Reference to Human Host: Locks of the Rho Signaling

Small GTPases are the key to actin cytoskeleton signaling, which opens the lock of effector proteins to forward the signal downstream in several cellular pathways. Actin cytoskeleton assembly is associated with cell polarity, adhesion, movement and other functions in eukaryotic cells. Rho proteins, specifically Cdc42 and Rac, are the primary regulators of actin cytoskeleton dynamics in higher and lower eukaryotes. Effector proteins, present in an inactive state gets activated after binding to the GTP bound Cdc42/Rac to relay a signal downstream. Cdc42/Rac interactive binding (CRIB) motif is an essential conserved sequence found in effector proteins to interact with Cdc42 or Rac. A diverse range of Cdc42/Rac and their effector proteins have evolved from lower to higher eukaryotes. The present study has identified and further classified CRIB containing effector proteins in lower eukaryotes, focusing on parasitic protozoans causing neglected tropical diseases and taking human proteins as a reference point to the highest evolved organism in the evolutionary trait. Lower eukaryotes’ CRIB containing proteins fall into conventional effector molecules, PAKs (p21 activated kinase), Wiskoit-Aldrich Syndrome proteins family, and some have unique domain combinations unlike any known proteins. We also highlight the correlation between the effector protein isoforms and their selective specificity for Cdc42 or Rac proteins during evolution. Here, we report CRIB containing effector proteins; ten in Dictyostelium and Entamoeba, fourteen in Acanthamoeba, one in Trypanosoma and Giardia. CRIB containing effector proteins that have been studied so far in humans are potential candidates for drug targets in cancer, neurological disorders, and others. Conventional CRIB containing proteins from protozoan parasites remain largely elusive and our data provides their identification and classification for further in-depth functional validations. The tropical diseases caused by protozoan parasites lack combinatorial drug targets as effective paradigms. Targeting signaling mechanisms operative in these pathogens can provide greater molecules in combatting their infections.

Salt-inducible kinase 2 functions as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma

Salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) has been reported to be involved in cancer progression in a dichotomous manner. However, the role and mechanism of action of SIK2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remain elusive. SIK2 expression in HCC tissues in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was analyzed using the AIPuFu platform. SIK2 expression in HCC cells was examined by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis. The expression of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, β-catenin, and c-Myc was detected by western blot analysis. SIK2 was downregulated in HCC tissues compared with normal patients, and low SIK2 expression was correlated with poor prognosis in HCC patients in TCGA database. SIK2 was lowly expressed in HCC cells than that in normal human liver epithelial cells. SIK2 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation and invasion and promoted apoptosis in HCC cells, while SIK2 silencing exerted the opposite effects. Additionally, SIK2 overexpression inactivated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in HCC cells, as evidenced by the reduced expression of β-catenin and c-Myc. β-catenin overexpression rescued the inhibitory effects of SIK2 on the malignant properties of HCC cells. Xenograft tumor experiment confirmed that SIK2 suppressed the growth of HCC cells in vivo. In conclusion, SIK2 exerted anti-tumor activity in HCC via inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Small Molecules Targeting Activated Cdc42-Associated Kinase 1 (ACK1/TNK2) for the Treatment of Cancers

Activated Cdc42-associated kinase 1 (ACK1/TNK2) is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase with a unique structure. It not only can act as an activated transmembrane effector of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) to transmit various RTK signals but also can play a corresponding role in epigenetic regulation. A number of studies have shown that ACK1 is a carcinogenic factor. Blockage of ACK1 has been proven to be able to inhibit cancer cell survival, proliferation, migration, and radiation resistance. Thus, ACK1 is a promising potential antitumor target. To date, despite many efforts to develop ACK1 inhibitors, no specific small molecule inhibitors have entered clinical trials. This Perspective provides an overview of the structural features, biological functions, and association with diseases of ACK1 and in vitro and in vivo activities, selectivity, and therapeutic potential of small molecule ACK1 inhibitors with different chemotypes.