Autophagy-dependent crosstalk between GILT and PAX-3 influences radiation sensitivity of human melanoma cells

Interferon Gamma Inducible Protein 30: from biological functions to potential therapeutic target in cancers

Interferon Gamma Inducible Protein 30 (IFI30), also known as Gamma-Interferon-Inducible Lysosomal Thiol Reductase (GILT), is predominantly found in lysosomes and the cytoplasm. As the sole enzyme identified to catalyze disulfide bond reduction in the endocytic pathway, IFI30 contributes to both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted antigen cross-presentation and MHC class II-restricted antigen processing by decreasing the disulfide bonds of endocytosed proteins. Remarkably, emerging research has revealed that IFI30 is involved in tumorigenesis, tumor development, and the tumor immune response. Targeting IFI30 may provide new strategies for cancer therapy and improve the prognosis of patients. This review provided a comprehensive overview of the research progress on IFI30 in tumor progression, cellular redox status, autophagy, tumor immune response, and drug sensitivity, with a view to providing the theoretical basis for pharmacological intervention of IFI30 in tumor therapy, particularly in immunotherapy.

Establishment of a novel lysosomal signature for the diagnosis of gastric cancer with in-vitro and in-situ validation

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) represents a malignancy with a multi-factorial combination of genetic, environmental, and microbial factors. Targeting lysosomes presents significant potential in the treatment of numerous diseases, while lysosome-related genetic markers for early GC detection have not yet been established, despite implementing this process by assembling artificial intelligence algorithms would greatly break through its value in translational medicine, particularly for immunotherapy.

Methods

To this end, this study, by utilizing the transcriptomic as well as single cell data and integrating 20 mainstream machine-learning (ML) algorithms. We optimized an AI-based predictor for GC diagnosis. Then, the reliability of the model was initially confirmed by the results of enrichment analyses currently in use. And the immunological implications of the genes comprising the predictor was explored and response of GC patients were evaluated to immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Further, we performed systematic laboratory work to evaluate the build-up of the central genes, both at the expression stage and at the functional aspect, by which we could also demonstrate the reliability of the model to guide cancer immunotherapy.

Results

Eight lysosomal-related genes were selected for predictive model construction based on the inclusion of RMSE as a reference standard and RF algorithm for ranking, namely ADRB2, KCNE2, MYO7A, IFI30, LAMP3, TPP1, HPS4, and NEU4. Taking into account accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 measurements, a preliminary determination of our study was carried out by means of applying the extra tree and random forest algorithms, incorporating the ROC-AUC value as a consideration, the Extra Tree model seems to be the optimal option with the AUC value of 0.92. The superiority of diagnostic signature is also reflected in the analysis of immune features.

Conclusion

In summary, this study is the first to integrate around 20 mainstream ML algorithms to construct an AI-based diagnostic predictor for gastric cancer based on lysosomal-related genes. This model will facilitate the accurate prediction of early gastric cancer incidence and the subsequent risk assessment or precise individualized immunotherapy, thus improving the survival prognosis of GC patients.

Inhibition of Calpain Attenuates Degeneration of Substantia Nigra Neurons in the Rotenone Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease

In the central nervous system (CNS), calcium homeostasis is a critical determinant of neuronal survival. Calpain, a calcium-dependent neutral protease, is widely expressed in the brain, including substantia nigra (SN) dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Though calpain is implicated in human Parkinson's disease (PD) and corresponding animal models, the roles of specific ubiquitous calpain isoforms in PD, calpain-1 and calpain-2, remain poorly understood. In this study, we found that both isoforms are activated in a nigrostriatal pathway with increased phosphorylated synuclein following the administration of rotenone in Lewis rats, but calpain isoforms played different roles in neuronal survival. Although increased expression of calpain-1 and calpain-2 were detected in the SN of rotenone-administered rats, calpain-1 expression was not altered significantly after treatment with calpain inhibitor (calpeptin); this correlated with neuronal survival. By contrast, increased calpain-2 expression in the SN of rotenone rats correlated with neuronal death, and calpeptin treatment significantly attenuated calpain-2 and neuronal death. Calpain inhibition by calpeptin prevented glial (astroglia/microglia) activation in rotenone-treated rats in vivo, promoted M2-type microglia, and protected neurons. These data suggest that enhanced expression of calpain-1 and calpain-2 in PD models differentially affects glial activation and neuronal survival; thus, the attenuation of calpain-2 may be important in reducing SN neuronal loss in PD.

GILT Expression in Human Melanoma Cells Enhances Generation of Antigenic Peptides for HLA Class II-Mediated Immune Recognition

Melanoma is an aggressive skin cancer that has become increasingly prevalent in western populations. Current treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and high-dose radiation have had limited success, often failing to treat late stage, metastatic melanoma. Alternative strategies such as immunotherapies have been successful in treating a small percentage of patients with metastatic disease, although these treatments to date have not been proven to enhance overall survival. Several melanoma antigens (Ags) proposed as targets for immunotherapeutics include tyrosinase, NY-ESO-1, gp-100, and Mart-1, all of which contain both human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and class II-restricted epitopes necessary for immune recognition. We have previously shown that an enzyme, gamma-IFN-inducible lysosomal thiol-reductase (GILT), is abundantly expressed in professional Ag presenting cells (APCs), but absent or expressed at greatly reduced levels in many human melanomas. In the current study, we report that increased GILT expression generates a greater pool of antigenic peptides in melanoma cells for enhanced CD4+ T cell recognition. Our results suggest that the induction of GILT in human melanoma cells could aid in the development of a novel whole-cell vaccine for the enhancement of immune recognition of metastatic melanoma.

Prognostic value of gamma-interferon-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase expression in female patients diagnosed with breast cancer

Because of the high heterogeneity of breast cancer outcome, identification of novel prognostic biomarkers is critical to improve patient stratification and guide precise treatment. We examined the prognostic value of gamma-interferon-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) expression in a training set of 416 breast cancer patients and a validation set of 210 patients, and performed functional studies to investigate the functions and underlying mechanisms of GILT on breast cancer prognosis. Our results indicated that high GILT expression in breast cancer cells was associated with improved disease-free survival (DFS; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.189, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.099-0.361) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS; HR = 0.187, 95% CI: 0.080-0.437) of breast cancer patients both in the training set and the external validation set (HR = 0.453, 95% CI: 0.235-0.873 for DFS, HR = 0.488, 95% CI: 0.245-0.970 for BCSS). In vitro and in vivo studies showed that GILT overexpression inhibited breast cancer cells proliferation, invasion, migration and tumor formation in nude mice and increased sensitivity of breast cancer cells to standard treatment. Proteomics analysis indicated that GILT inhibited reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy activation in breast cancer cells, and GILT overexpression-mediated tumor growth was further enhanced in the presence of autophagy or ROS inhibitors. Our results demonstrate that GILT expression can be effectively used to predict the prognosis and guide treatment strategies of breast cancer patients.

Protective Effects of Estrogen via Nanoparticle Delivery to Attenuate Myelin Loss and Neuronal Death after Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with devastating neurological deficits affecting more than 11,000 Americans each year. Although several therapeutic agents have been proposed and tested, no FDA-approved pharmacotherapy is available for SCI treatment. We have recently demonstrated that estrogen (E2) acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, attenuating gliosis in SCI. We have also demonstrated that nanoparticle-mediated focal delivery of E2 to the injured spinal cord decreases lesion size, reactive gliosis, and glial scar formation. The current study tested in vitro effects of E2 on reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calpain activity in microglia, astroglia, macrophages, and fibroblasts, which are believed to participate in the inflammatory events and glial scar formation after SCI. E2 treatment decreased ROS production and calpain activity in these glial cells, macrophages, and fibroblast cells in vitro. This study also tested the efficacy of fast- and slow-release nanoparticle-E2 constructs in a rat model of SCI. Focal delivery of E2 via nanoparticles increased tissue distribution of E2 over time, attenuated cell death, and improved myelin preservation in injured spinal cord. Specifically, the fast-release nanoparticle-E2 construct reduced the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in injured spinal cord tissues, and the slow-release nanoparticle-E2 construct prevented gliosis and penumbral demyelination distal to the lesion site. These data suggest this novel E2 delivery strategy to the lesion site may decrease inflammation and improve functional outcomes following SCI.

IFI30 expression predicts patient prognosis in breast cancer and dictates breast cancer cells proliferation via regulating autophagy

Introduction: Incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer are increasing in women worldwide. Immunotherapy is a relatively popular treatment modality for all malignant tumors including breast cancer in recent years. Interferon γ-inducible protein 30 (IFI30) could catalyze the reduction of disulfide bonds and enhance major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-restricted antigen processing. Recent studies showed that IFI30 played an important role in the immune response of malignant tumors. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and clinical proteomic tumor Analysis consortium (CPTAC) database were applied to predict the role of IFI30 in breast cancer and the relationship between IFI30 and prognosis of breast cancer patients. Then we detected the expression of IFI30 in clinical samples of breast cancer patients, and analyzed the relationship between IFI30 and the prognosis of breast cancer patients. We used lentivirus infection method to construct a stable IFI30 knockdown cell line, and detected the effect of IFI30 in breast cancer cells. Nude mice tumor bearing experiment was performed to investigate the effect of IFI30 on breast cancer cells in vivo. Western blot was used to verify the regulation of autophagy related protein LC3 and p62 by IFI30. Results: We found that IFI30 was highly expressed in breast cancer tissues and was associated with poor outcome of patients. The knockdown of IFI30 could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells and significantly inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Increased accumulation of LC3-II and p62 suggested impaired autophagy in IFI30 knockdown cells. Discussion: As a result, we suggested that IFI30 might play a key role in the initiation and progression of human breast cancer and might be a new therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Enolase inhibition alters metabolic hormones and inflammatory factors to promote neuroprotection in spinal cord injury

Enolase inhibition is a potential therapeutic strategy currently being investigated for treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) as it reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, alters metabolic factors, and reduces gliosis in acute SCI. Herein, the role of enolase in SCI has been examined to better understand the effects of this enzyme on inflammation, metabolic hormones, glial cell activation, and neuroprotection under these shorter injury conditions. Immunohistochemical analyses of inflammatory markers vimentin, Cox-2, and caspase-1 indicated that enolase inhibition attenuated the elevated levels of inflammation seen following SCI. Iba1, GFAP, NFP, and CSPG staining indicated that enolase inhibition with prolonged administration of ENOblock reduced microglia/astrocyte activation and lead to enhanced neuroprotection in SCI. An analysis of metabolic hormones revealed that ENOblock treatment significantly upregulated plasma concentrations of peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide 1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, glucagon, and insulin hormones as compared to vehicle-treated controls (Mann-Whitney, p ≤ 0.05). ENOblock did not have a significant effect on plasma concentrations of pancreatic polypeptide. Interestingly, ENOblock treatment inhibited chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG), which is produced by activated glia and serves to block regrowth of axons across the lesion site following injury. An increased level of NeuN and MBP with reduced caspase-1 was detected in SCI tissues after ENOblock treatment, suggesting preservation of myelin and induction of neuroprotection. ENOblock also induced improved motor function in SCI rats, indicating a role for enolase in modulating inflammatory and metabolic factors in SCI with important implications for clinical consideration.

Overexpressed VEPH1 inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, and migration of human cutaneous melanoma cells through inactivating the TGF-β signaling pathway

Malignant melanoma has a profound influence on populations around the world, with the underlying mechanisms controlling this disease yet to be fully identified. Hence, the current study aimed to investigate effects associated with VEPH1 on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), proliferation, invasion, migration and the apoptosis of human cutaneous melanoma (CM) cells through the TGF-β signaling pathway. Microarray-based gene analysis was initially performed to screen the CM-related differentially expressed genes. The expression of VEPH1, TGF-β signaling pathway- and EMT-related genes in CM tissues and cell lines was subsequently evaluated. Gain-of- and loss-of-function experiments were conducted to examine the effects of VEPH1 and the TGF-β signaling pathway on the expression of EMT-related genes, cell proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis in vitro. Finally, tumor formation in nude mice was conducted. VEPH1 was lowly expressed and regulated the progression of CM with involvement in the TGF-β signaling pathway. Human CM tissues were noted to activate the TGF-β signaling pathway and EMT. A375 cells treated with overexpressed VEPH1 plasmids or/and TGF-β signaling pathway inhibitor SB-431542 displayed diminished TGF-β, SMAD4, Vimentin and N-cadherin expression while the expression of E-cadherin was elevated, accompanied by decreased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, inhibited cell cycle entry. However, si-VEPH1 or TGF-β signaling pathway activator contributed to reverse results. Taken together, the key findings of the current study present evidence suggesting that VEPH1 protects against human CM by inhibiting the activation of the TGF-β signaling pathway, highlighting its potential as a target for the prognosis and diagnosis of CM.

PAX3 is a biomarker and prognostic factor in melanoma: Database mining

Paired box 3 (PAX3) is a transcription factor and critical regulator of pigment cell development during embryonic development. However, while there have been several studies on PAX3, its expression patterns and precise role remain to be clarified. The present study is an in-depth computational study of tumor-associated gene information, with specific emphasis on the expression of PAX3 in melanoma, using Oncomine along with an investigation of corresponding expression profiles in an array of cancer cell lines through Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia analysis. Based on Kaplan-Meier analysis, the prognostic value of high PAX3 expression in tissues from patients with melanoma compared with normal tissues was assessed. PAX3 was more highly expressed in male patients with melanoma compared with female patients with melanoma. Using Oncomine and Coexpedia analysis, it was demonstrated that PAX3 expression was clearly associated with SRY-box 10 expression. The survival analysis results revealed that high PAX3 mRNA expression was associated with worse survival rates in patients with melanoma. These results suggested that PAX3 may be a biomarker and essential prognostic factor for melanoma, and provided an important theoretical basis for the development of melanoma treatments.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagic and apoptotic cell death, and immune activation by a natural triterpenoid in human prostate cancer cells

Though the current therapies are effective at clearing an early stage prostate cancer, they often fail to treat late-stage metastatic disease. We aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects of a natural triterpenoid, ganoderic acid DM (GA-DM), on two human prostate cancer cell lines: the androgen-independent prostate carcinoma (PC-3), and androgen-sensitive prostate adenocarcinoma (LNCaP). Cell viability assay showed that GA-DM was relatively more toxic to LNCaP cells than to PC-3 cells (IC₅₀ s ranged 45-55 µM for PC-3, and 20-25 µM for LNCaP), which may have occurred due to differential expression of p53. Hoechst DNA staining confirmed detectable nuclear fragmentation in both cell lines irrespective of the p53 status. GA-DM treatment decreased Bcl-2 proteins while it upregulated apoptotic Bax and autophagic Beclin-1, Atg5, and LC-3 molecules, and caused an induction of both early and late events of apoptotic cell death. Biochemical analyses of GA-DM-treated prostate cancer cells demonstrated that caspase-3 cleavage was notable in GA-DM-treated PC-3 cells. Interestingly, GA-DM treatment altered cell cycle progression in the S phase with a significant growth arrest in the G2 checkpoint and enhanced CD4 ⁺ T cell recognition of prostate tumor cells. Mechanistic study of GA-DM-treated prostate cancer cells further demonstrated that calpain activation and endoplasmic reticulum stress contributed to cell death. These findings suggest that GA-DM is a candidate for future drug design for prostate cancer as it activates multiple pathways of cell death and immune recognition.

Anticancer Activity of Ganoderic Acid DM: Current Status and Future Perspective

Ganoderma lucidum is a mushroom that has a long history of medicinal use in the Far East countries as this mushroom is revered for its supposed miracle cures and life improving properties. Recently, this mushroom has come under scientific scrutiny to examine the possibility of finding biologically active compounds that may have an impact on human physiology. The main category of biologically active compounds produced in the G. lucidum, are the triterpenoids, which are known as Ganoderic Acids. In this review, we discuss one Ganoderic Acid in particular known as Ganoderic Acid-DM (GA-DM) that is extracted from the Ganoderma lucidum mushroom. We will discuss GA-DM as a potential therapeutic candidate for treating a number of diseases yet will focus on the potential to be used as an alternative or supplemental therapeutic agent in regards to various cancer types. The urge for this promising therapeutic agent is that GA-DM is capable of inducing cell death in cancer cells while exhibiting minimal toxicity to normal bystander cells. Furthermore, this review will look at GA-DM's ability to stimulate an immune response in the tumor environment to potentially provide long-term protection from the malignant tumors. We will also discuss the known routes of administration of GA-DM and pose the advantages and disadvantages of each route in a comparative manner. Finally, we will cover current status of the roles GA-DM may have as a therapeutic agent in respect to different cancer types as wells as discuss about its future perspective as a therapeutic candidate in other diseases as well.