GSK3326595 is a promising drug to prevent SARS-CoV-2 Omicron and other variants infection by inhibiting ACE2-R671 di-methylation

FBXO22 promotes glioblastoma malignant progression by mediating VHL ubiquitination and degradation

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor. Despite comprehensive treatment with traditional surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the median survival rate is <14.6% and the 5-year survival rate is only 5%. FBXO22, a substrate receptor of the SCF ubiquitin ligases, has been reported to play a promoting role in melanoma, liver cancer, cervical cancer, and other cancers. However, the function of FBXO22 in GBM has not been reported. In the present study, we demonstrate that FBXO22 is highly expressed in glioma and is positively correlated with worse pathological features and shorter survival of GBM patients. We revealed that FBXO22 promotes GBM cell proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. In terms of mechanism, we reveal that FBXO22 decreases VHL expression by directly mediating VHL ubiquitination degradation, which ultimately increases HIF-1α and VEGFA expression. In addition, our data confirm that there are positive correlations among FBXO22, HIF-1α, and VEGFA expression, and there is a negative correlation between FBXO22 and VHL protein expression in glioma patients. Our study strongly indicates that FBXO22 is a promising diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for glioma patients.

Arginine methylation and respiratory disease

Arginine methylation, a vital post-translational modification, plays a pivotal role in numerous cellular functions such as signal transduction, DNA damage response and repair, regulation of gene transcription, mRNA splicing, and protein interactions. Central to this modification is the role of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), which have been increasingly recognized for their involvement in the pathogenesis of various respiratory diseases. This review begins with an exploration of the biochemical underpinnings of arginine methylation, shedding light on the intricate molecular regulatory mechanisms governed by PRMTs. It then delves into the impact of arginine methylation and the dysregulation of arginine methyltransferases in diverse pulmonary disorders. Concluding with a focus on the therapeutic potential and recent advancements in PRMT inhibitors, this article aims to offer novel perspectives and therapeutic avenues for the management and treatment of respiratory diseases.

PRMT1-mediated PGK1 arginine methylation promotes colorectal cancer glycolysis and tumorigenesis

Many types of cancer cells, including colorectal cancer cells (CRC), can simultaneously enhance glycolysis and repress the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which is called the Warburg effect. However, the detailed mechanisms of abnormal activation of the glycolysis pathway in colorectal cancer are largely unknown. In this study, we reveal that the protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) promotes glycolysis, proliferation, and tumorigenesis in CRC cells. Mechanistically, PRMT1-mediated arginine asymmetric dimethylation modification of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1, the first ATP-producing enzyme in glycolysis) at R206 (meR206-PGK1) enhances the phosphorylation level of PGK1 at S203 (pS203-PGK1), which inhibits mitochondrial function and promotes glycolysis. We found that PRMT1 and meR206-PGK1 expression were positively correlated with pS203-PGK1 expression in tissues from colorectal cancer patients. Furthermore, we also confirmed that meR206-PGK1 expression is positively correlated with the poor survival of patients with colorectal cancer. Our findings show that PRMT1 and meR206-PGK1 may become promising predictive biomarkers for the prognosis of patients with CRC and that arginine methyltransferase inhibitors have great potential in colorectal cancer treatment.

COVID-19 in patients with anemia and haematological malignancies: risk factors, clinical guidelines, and emerging therapeutic approaches

Extensive research in countries with high sociodemographic indices (SDIs) to date has shown that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be directly associated with more severe outcomes among patients living with haematological disorders and malignancies (HDMs). Because individuals with moderate to severe immunodeficiency are likely to undergo persistent infections, shed virus particles for prolonged periods, and lack an inflammatory or abortive phase, this represents an overall risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. In cases suffering from HDMs, further investigation is needed to achieve a better understanding of triviruses and a group of related variants in patients with anemia and HDMs, as well as their treatment through vaccines, drugs, and other methods. Against this background, the present study aimed to delineate the relationship between HDMs and the novel COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Besides, effective treatment options for HDM cases were further explored to address this epidemic and its variants. Therefore, learning about how COVID-19 manifests in these patients, along with exploiting the most appropriate treatments, may lead to the development of treatment and care strategies by clinicians and researchers to help patients recover faster. Video Abstract.

The development and application of pseudoviruses: assessment of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses

Although most Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients can recover fully, the disease remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. In addition to the consequences of acute infection, a proportion of the population experiences long-term adverse effects associated with SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is still critical to comprehend the virus's characteristics and how it interacts with its host to develop effective drugs and vaccines against COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, a replication-deficient recombinant glycoprotein chimeric viral particle, enables investigations of highly pathogenic viruses to be conducted without the constraint of high-level biosafety facilities, considerably advancing virology and being extensively employed in the study of SARS-CoV-2. This review summarizes three methods of establishing SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and current knowledge in vaccine development, neutralizing antibody research, and antiviral drug screening, as well as recent progress in virus entry mechanism and susceptible cell screening. We also discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages.

Protein arginine methylation in viral infection and antiviral immunity

Protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT)-mediated arginine methylation is an important post-transcriptional modification that regulates various cellular processes including epigenetic gene regulation, genome stability maintenance, RNA metabolism, and stress-responsive signal transduction. The varying substrates and biological functions of arginine methylation in cancer and neurological diseases have been extensively discussed, providing a rationale for targeting PRMTs in clinical applications. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated an interplay between arginine methylation and viral infections. PRMTs have been found to methylate and regulate several host cell proteins and different functional types of viral proteins, such as viral capsids, mRNA exporters, transcription factors, and latency regulators. This modulation affects their activity, subcellular localization, protein-nucleic acid and protein-protein interactions, ultimately impacting their roles in various virus-associated processes. In this review, we discuss the classification, structure, and regulation of PRMTs and their pleiotropic biological functions through the methylation of histones and non-histones. Additionally, we summarize the broad spectrum of PRMT substrates and explore their intricate effects on various viral infection processes and antiviral innate immunity. Thus, comprehending the regulation of arginine methylation provides a critical foundation for understanding the pathogenesis of viral diseases and uncovering opportunities for antiviral therapy.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 mediates arginine symmetric dimethylation of influenza A virus PB2 and supports viral replication

Influenza A virus (IAV) relies on intricate and highly coordinated associations with host factors for efficient replication and transmission. Characterization of such factors holds great significance for development of anti-IAV drugs. Our study identified protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) as a novel host factor indispensable for IAV replication. Silencing PRMT5 resulted in drastic repression of IAV replication. Our findings revealed that PRMT5 interacts with each protein component of viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) and promotes arginine symmetric dimethylation of polymerase basic 2 (PB2). Overexpression of PRMT5 enhanced viral polymerase activity in a dose-dependent manner, emphasizing its role in genome transcription and replication of IAV. Moreover, analysis of PB2 protein sequences across various subtypes of IAVs demonstrated the high conservation of potential RG motifs recognized by PRMT5. Overall, our study suggests that PRMT5 supports IAV replication by facilitating viral polymerase activity by interacting with PB2 and promoting its arginine symmetric dimethylation. This study deepens our understanding of how IAV manipulates host factors to facilitate its replication and highlights the great potential of PRMT5 to serve as an anti-IAV therapeutic target.

ACE2 in chronic disease and COVID-19: gene regulation and post-translational modification

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a counter regulator of the renin-angiotensin system, provides protection against several chronic diseases. Besides chronic diseases, ACE2 is the host receptor for SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-2 virus, mediating the first step of virus infection. ACE2 levels are regulated by transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational regulation or modification. ACE2 transcription is enhanced by transcription factors including Ikaros, HNFs, GATA6, STAT3 or SIRT1, whereas ACE2 transcription is reduced by the transcription factor Brg1-FoxM1 complex or ERRα. ACE2 levels are also regulated by histone modification or miRNA-induced destabilization. The protein kinase AMPK, CK1α, or MAP4K3 phosphorylates ACE2 protein and induces ACE2 protein levels by decreasing its ubiquitination. The ubiquitination of ACE2 is induced by the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 or UBR4 and decreased by the deubiquitinase UCHL1 or USP50. ACE2 protein levels are also increased by the E3 ligase PIAS4-mediated SUMOylation or the methyltransferase PRMT5-mediated ACE2 methylation, whereas ACE2 protein levels are decreased by AP2-mediated lysosomal degradation. ACE2 is downregulated in several human chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, or lung injury. In contrast, SARS-CoV-2 upregulates ACE2 levels, enhancing host cell susceptibility to virus infection. Moreover, soluble ACE2 protein and exosomal ACE2 protein facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection into host cells. In this review, we summarize the gene regulation and post-translational modification of ACE2 in chronic disease and COVID-19. Understanding the regulation and modification of ACE2 may help to develop prevention or treatment strategies for ACE2-mediated diseases.

PRMT2 promotes RCC tumorigenesis and metastasis via enhancing WNT5A transcriptional expression

Protein arginine methyltransferase 2 (PRMT2) is involved in several biological processes via histone methylation and transcriptional regulation. Although PRMT2 has been reported to affect breast cancer and glioblastoma progression, its role in renal cell cancer (RCC) remains unclear. Here, we found that PRMT2 was upregulated in primary RCC and RCC cell lines. We demonstrated that PRMT2 overexpression promoted RCC cell proliferation and motility both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we revealed that PRMT2-mediated H3R8 asymmetric dimethylation (H3R8me2a) was enriched in the WNT5A promoter region and enhanced WNT5A transcriptional expression, leading to activation of Wnt signaling and malignant progression of RCC. Finally, we confirmed that high PRMT2 and WNT5A expression was strongly correlated with poor clinicopathological characteristics and poor overall survival in RCC patient tissues. Our findings indicate that PRMT2 and WNT5A may be promising predictive diagnostic biomarkers for RCC metastasis. Our study also suggests that PRMT2 is a novel therapeutic target in patients with RCC.

TRIM21 attenuates renal carcinoma lipogenesis and malignancy by regulating SREBF1 protein stability

BACKGROUND

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of various cancers. Targeting metabolic processes is a very attractive treatment for cancer. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a type of metabolic disease, and the lipidomic profile of RCC is significantly altered compared with that of healthy tissue. However, the molecular mechanism underlying lipid metabolism regulation in RCC is not clear.

METHODS

The XF long-chain fatty acid oxidative stress test kits were used to assess the dependence on long-chain fatty acids and mitochondrial function after knockdown TRIM21 in RCC cells. The effect of TRIM21 on the lipid content in RCC cells was determined by metabolomics analysis, Oil Red O staining, and cellular Nile red staining. qRT-PCR and western blot were used to explore the relationship between TRIM21 and lipogenesis, and then the key molecule sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1) was identified to interact with TRIM21 by immunoprecipitation, which was also identified in an orthotopic model. Subsequently, the relevance and clinical significance of TRIM21 and SREBF1 were analyzed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and 239 tissues were collected from RCC patients.

RESULTS

TRIM21 silencing attenuated the dependence of RCC cells on fatty acids, and enhanced lipid accumulation in RCC cells. TRIM21 overexpression significantly decreased lipid contents by decreasing the expression of lipogenic enzymes via ubiquitination-mediated degradation of SREBF1. SREBF1 is critical for TRIM21-mediated lipogenesis inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, TRIM21 expression is negatively correlated with SREBF1 expression, and TRIM21-SREBF1 is a reliable combinational biomarker for RCC prognosis.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study reveal a novel pathway through which TRIM21 inhibits the lipid metabolism process of RCC and shed light on the development of targeted metabolic treatment and prognosis diagnosis of RCC.