ERO1L promotes the proliferation and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma via the Wnt2/β-catenin signaling pathway

TRIM26 deficiency enhancing liver regeneration through macrophage polarization and β-catenin pathway activation

Liver regeneration is a complex process involving the crosstalk between parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells, especially macrophages. However, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we identify the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM26 as a crucial regulator of liver regeneration. Following partial hepatectomy or acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride, Trim26 knockout mice exhibit enhanced hepatocyte proliferation compared to wild-type controls, while adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated overexpression of Trim26 reverses the promotional effects. Mechanistically, Trim26 deficiency promotes the recruitment of macrophages to the liver and their polarization towards pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype. These M1 macrophages secrete Wnts, including Wnt2, which subsequently stimulate hepatocyte proliferation through the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In hepatocytes, Trim26 knockdown reduces the ubiquitination and degradation of β-catenin, thereby further enhancing Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Pharmacological inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin pathway by ICG-001 or depletion of macrophages by clodronate liposomes diminishes the pro-regenerative effects of Trim26 deficiency. Moreover, bone marrow transplantation experiments provide evidence that Trim26 knockout in myeloid cells alone can also promote liver regeneration, highlighting the critical role of macrophage Trim26 in this process. Taken together, our study uncovers TRIM26 as a negative regulator of liver regeneration by modulating macrophage polarization and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in hepatocytes, providing a potential therapeutic target for promoting liver regeneration in clinical settings.

Biological mechanisms and clinical significance of endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1 alpha (ERO1α) in human cancer

A firm link between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and tumors has been wildly reported. Endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1 alpha (ERO1α), an ER-resident thiol oxidoreductase, is confirmed to be highly upregulated in various cancer types and associated with a significantly worse prognosis. Of importance, under ER stress, the functional interplay of ERO1α/PDI axis plays a pivotal role to orchestrate proper protein folding and other key processes. Multiple lines of evidence propose ERO1α as an attractive potential target for cancer treatment. However, the unavailability of specific inhibitor for ERO1α, its molecular inter-relatedness with closely related paralog ERO1β and the tightly regulated processes with other members of flavoenzyme family of enzymes, raises several concerns about its clinical translation. Herein, we have provided a detailed description of ERO1α in human cancers and its vulnerability towards the aforementioned concerns. Besides, we have discussed a few key considerations that may improve our understanding about ERO1α in tumors.

Prognostic biomarker discovery based on proteome landscape of Chinese lung adenocarcinoma

Despite recent innovations in imaging and genomic screening promotes advance in diagnosis and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), there remains high mortality of LUAD and insufficient understanding of LUAD biology. Our previous study performed an integrative multi-omic analysis of LUAD, filling the gap between genomic alterations and their biological proteome effects. However, more detailed molecular characterization and biomarker resources at proteome level still need to be uncovered. In this study, a quantitative proteomic experiment of patient-derived benign lung disease samples was carried out. After that, we integrated the proteomic data with previous dataset of 103 paired LUAD samples. We depicted the proteomic differences between non-cancerous and tumor samples and among diverse pathological subtypes. We also found that up-regulated mitophagy was a significant characteristic of early-stage LUAD. Additionally, our integrative analysis filtered out 75 potential prognostic biomarkers and validated two of them in an independent LUAD serum cohort. This study provided insights for improved understanding proteome abnormalities of LUAD and the novel prognostic biomarker discovery offered an opportunity for LUAD precise management.

Cordycepin reprogramming lipid metabolism to block metastasis and EMT via ERO1A/mTOR/SREBP1 axis in cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) with a high malignancy is usually diagnosed as advanced and is prone to metastasis and leads to a poor prognosis. It is reported that cordycepin has anti-tumor effect. However, the molecular targets and mechanisms of cordycepin in inhibiting CCA metastasis remains unclear. In order to evaluate the therapeutic effect of cordycepin on CCA metastasis, experiments were conducted in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that cordycepin inhibited the migration and EMT progression of HuCCT1 and QBC939 cells. Cordycepin has a strong hypolipidemic effects, therefore, we examined its effect on lipid metabolism in CCA. Cordycepin inhibits SREBP1 mediated fatty acid synthesis through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Meanwhile, cordycepin can reduce ERO1A expression in HuCCT1 and QBC939 cells. ERO1A plays a role in malignant tumors. ERO1A promotes migration and lipid metabolism of CCA cells through AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. In addition, cordycepin significantly inhibited the tumor metastasis and the serum levels of TG and T-CHO in mice. Taken together, we demonstrate that cordycepin mediated ERO1A/mTOR/SREBP1 axis inhibits lipid metabolism and metastasis in CCA cells in vitro and in vivo. These data suggest that cordycepin can be used as a novel drug for the clinical treatment of CCA and to improve the prognosis.