N-glycosylation state of TRPM8 protein revealed by terahertz spectroscopy and molecular modelling

Terahertz technology and its applications in head and neck diseases

The terahertz (THz) radiation refers to electromagnetic waves between infrared and millimeter waves. THz technology has shown a significant potential for medical diagnosis and biomedical applications over the past three decades. Therefore, exploring the biological effects of THz waves has become an important new field in life sciences. Specifically, THz radiation has been proved to be able to diagnose and treat several head and neck diseases. In this review, we primarily discuss the biological characteristics of THz waves and clinical applications of THz technology, focusing on the research progress of THz technology in head and neck diseases (brain cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer, oral diseases, thyroid nodules, Alzheimer's disease, eyes diseases, and otitis). The future application perspectives of THz technologies in head and neck diseases are also highlighted and proposed.

Comprehensive Pan-Cancer Analysis of TRPM8 in Tumor Metabolism and Immune Escape

Background

Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) modulates tumor biology and sensitivity to treatment. The present study aimed to determine the part it plays in tumor immunity and physiology using pan-cancer analysis.

Method

Data from the GTEx, CCLE, TISIDB, GSCA, cBioportal, and TCGA databases were collected using Estimate, Scanneo, and GSEA, and the associations between TRPM8 and prognosis, molecular subtypes, mutational burden, microsatellite instability, immune gene functions, and drug sensitivity were analyzed in 33 tumor types.

Result

TRPM8 levels were found to be elevated in most tumors, particularly in solid tumors, with variations according to clinical stage. Mutation frequency was greatest in endometrial carcinoma. High levels of TRPM8 were linked to unfavorable prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and the tumor microenvironment, as well as correlating with abnormalities in the transcription levels of genes associated with immunity and DNA repair. TRPM8 was also linked to unfavorable patient outcomes and cancer-associated signaling.

Conclusions

TRPM8 is strongly associated with tumor physiology and immunity. The Pan-Cancer analysis suggests the potential of TRPM8 as a treatment target or biomarker for determining the prognosis of a specific type of cancer.

Epithelial Sodium Channel Inhibition by Amiloride Addressed with THz Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling

THz spectroscopy is important for the study of ion channels because it directly addresses the low frequency collective motions relevant for their function. Here we used THz spectroscopy to investigate the inhibition of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) by its specific blocker, amiloride. Experiments were performed on A6 cells' suspensions, which are cells overexpressing ENaC derived from Xenopus laevis kidney. THz spectra were investigated with or without amiloride. When ENaC was inhibited by amiloride, a substantial increase in THz absorption was noticed. Molecular modeling methods were used to explain the observed spectroscopic differences. THz spectra were simulated using the structural models of ENaC and ENaC-amiloride complexes built here. The agreement between the experiment and the simulations allowed us to validate the structural models and to describe the amiloride dynamics inside the channel pore. The amiloride binding site validated using THz spectroscopy agrees with previous mutagenesis studies. Altogether, our results show that THz spectroscopy can be successfully used to discriminate between native and inhibited ENaC channels and to characterize the dynamics of channels in the presence of their specific antagonist.