Effects of the MTOR and AKT1 genes polymorphisms on papillary thyroid cancer development

Study on chemical profiling of bailing capsule and its potential mechanism against thyroiditis based on network pharmacology with molecular docking strategy

Bailing capsule (BLC), a drug that is clinically administered to modulate the autoimmune system, exhibits promising therapeutic potential in the treatment of thyroiditis. This study elucidates the chemical profile of BLC and its potential therapeutic mechanism in thyroiditis, leveraging network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques. Utilizing ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MS), 58 compounds were identified, the majority of which were nucleosides and amino acids. Utilizing the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC QqQ MS/MS) strategy, 16 representative active components from six batches of BLCs were simultaneously determined. Network pharmacology analysis further revealed that the active components included 5'-adenylate, guanosine, adenosine, cordycepin, inosine, 5'-guanylic acid, and l-lysine. Targets with higher connectivity included AKT1, MAPK3, RAC1, and PIK3CA. The signaling pathways primarily focused on thyroid hormone regulation and the Ras, PI3K/AKT, and MAPK pathways, all of which were intricately linked to inflammatory immunity and hormonal regulation. Molecular docking analysis corroborated the findings from network pharmacology, revealing that adenosine, guanosine, and cordycepin exhibited strong affinity toward AKT1, MAPK3, PIK3CA, and RAC1. Overall, this study successfully elucidated the material basis and preliminary mechanism underlying BLC's intervention in thyroiditis, thus laying a solid basis for further exploration of its in-depth mechanisms.

Genetic variants in the mTOR pathway with renal cancer risk and subtypes in East Indian population

INTRODUCTION

Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), which accounts for 2%-3% of all adult malignant neoplasms with a male-to-female predominance of 1.9 to 1 with typical presentation between 55 and 75 years. The phosphoinositide-3-kinase-protein kinase B/Akt (PI3KPKB/Akt) pathway is a main pathway in control of cell growth. mTOR pathway plays a key role in the pathogenesis of RCC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Its a prospective observational study. Tissue samples were collected and processed and DNA isolation and sequencing was done to see for any association and expression.

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Polymorphism analysis of the sequence of three genes MTOR, AKT1, and PIK3CA done and found an intronic variant of the MTOR gene (rs3737611) and AKT1 gene (rs2498797) to be significantly associated with clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma tumor samples.

DISCUSSION

This study will help to understand the pathogenesis better and the information can be used to develop new drugs and personalized treatment strategies that are tailored to an individual's genetic makeup. The study identify individuals who are at heightened risk for developing renal cancer and could benefit from targeted screening or preventative measures. Some sample size and definite geographical sample pool remains the main limitation of the study which may not be externally validate the study results.

Clinical Implications of mTOR Expression in Papillary Thyroid Cancer—A Systematic Review

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) comprises approximately 80% of all thyroid malignancies. Although several etiological factors, such as age, gender, and irradiation, are already known to be involved in the development of PTC, the genetics of cancerogenesis remain undetermined. The mTOR pathway regulates several cellular processes that are critical for tumorigenesis. Activated mTOR is involved in the development and progression of PTC. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of papers studying the expression of the mTOR gene and protein and its relationship with PTC risk and clinical outcome. A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases (the search date was 2012–2022). Studies investigating the expression of mTOR in the peripheral blood or tissue of patients with PTC were deemed eligible for inclusion. Seven of the 286 screened studies met the inclusion criteria for mTOR gene expression and four for mTOR protein expression. We also analyzed the data on mTOR protein expression in PTC. We analyzed the association of mTOR expression with papillary thyroid cancer clinicopathological features, such as the TNM stage, BRAF V600E mutation, sex distribution, lymph node and distant metastases, and survival prognosis. Understanding specific factors involved in PTC tumorigenesis provides opportunities for targeted therapies. We also reviewed the possible new targeted therapies and the use of mTOR inhibitors in PTC. This topic requires further research with novel techniques to translate the achieved results to clinical application.

Association of AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms with papillary thyroid carcinoma: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer which its precise etiology remains unknown. However, environmental and genetic factors contribute to the etiology of PTC. Axis inhibition protein 1 (Axin1) is a scaffold protein that exerts its role as a tumor suppressor. In addition, Cathepsin B (Ctsb) is a cysteine protease with higher expression in several types of tumors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible association of AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms with PTC susceptibility.

MATERIALS & METHODS

In total, 156 PTC patients and 158 sex-, age-, and BMI-matched control subjects were enrolled in the study. AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A and CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphisms were genotyped using the PCR-RFLP method.

RESULTS

There was a relationship between AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A polymorphism and an increased risk of PTC in all genetic models except the overdominant model. The AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with an increased PTC risk only in codominant and overdominant models. The frequency of AXIN1 A_rs12921862 A_rs1805105 haplotype was higher in the PTC group and also this haplotype was associated with an increased risk of PTC. Moreover, the AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A polymorphism was not associated with PTC clinical and pathological findings, but AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with almost three folds of larger tumor size (≥1 cm). There was no association between CTSB rs12898 G/A polymorphism and PTC and its findings.

CONCLUSION

The AXIN1 rs12921862 C/A and rs1805105 G/A polymorphisms were associated with PTC. AXIN1 rs1805105 G/A polymorphism was associated with higher tumor size.

Meta-analysis of the association between mTORC1-related genes polymorphisms and cancer risk

BACKGROUND

mTOR, mLST8 and RAPTOR are the core components of mTORC1, which has been found to be closely related to tumorigenesis. Currently, multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in mTOR gene (rs2295080, rs17036508 and rs1034528), mLST8 gene (rs3160 and rs26865) and RPTOR gene (rs1062935, rs3751932, rs3751834, rs12602885) have been extensively studied for their associations with cancer risk. However, the results remained inconclusive and conflicting. Therefore, we here performed a meta-analysis of all available studies to investigate the association between these SNPs and cancer risk.

METHODS

Up to April 2021, 25 related publications were retrieved and included in this meta-analysis. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated by fixed or random effects models were applied to assess the strength of association. Trial Sequential Analysis (TSA) was conducted to weaken the random error and enhance the reliability of evidence.

RESULTS

After Bonferroni correction, it was revealed that rs3160, rs26865, rs1062935, rs3751932, rs3751834 and rs10602885 were not associated with cancer risk. However, rs17036508 and rs1034528 showed significant association with total cancer risk. A significant association was also found between rs2295080 and total cancer risk, and stratified analysis by cancer type suggested that rs2295080 was specifically associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk, prostate cancer risk, and breast cancer risk.

CONCLUSIONS

The present meta-analysis suggested that the rs2295080, rs17036508 and rs1034528 polymorphisms in mTOR gene may be the susceptive factors for cancer development, while the target genetic polymorphisms in mLST8 gene or RPTOR gene may not be associated with cancer risk. However, these findings remain to be confirmed or further reinforced in large and well-designed studies in different ethnic populations.

Employing siRNA tool and its delivery platforms in suppressing cisplatin resistance: Approaching to a new era of cancer chemotherapy

Although chemotherapy is a first option in treatment of cancer patients, drug resistance has led to its failure, requiring strategies to overcome it. Cancer cells are capable of switching among molecular pathways to ensure their proliferation and metastasis, leading to their resistance to chemotherapy. The molecular pathways and mechanisms that are responsible for cancer progression and growth, can be negatively affected for providing chemosensitivity. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a powerful tool extensively applied in cancer therapy in both pre-clinical (in vitro and in vivo) and clinical studies because of its potential in suppressing tumor-promoting factors. As such oncogene pathways account for cisplatin (CP) resistance, their targeting by siRNA plays an important role in reversing chemoresistance. In the present review, application of siRNA for suppressing CP resistance is discussed. The first priority of using siRNA is sensitizing cancer cells to CP-mediated apoptosis via down-regulating survivin, ATG7, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, and XIAP. The cancer stem cell properties and related molecular pathways including ID1, Oct-4 and nanog are inhibited by siRNA in CP sensitivity. Cell cycle arrest and enhanced accumulation of CP in cancer cells can be obtained using siRNA. In overcoming siRNA challenges such as off-targeting feature and degradation, carriers including nanoparticles and biological carriers have been applied. These carriers are important in enhancing cellular accumulation of siRNA, elevating gene silencing efficacy and reversing CP resistance.