The role of exosomes in the tumour microenvironment on macrophage polarisation

Exosomal noncoding RNAs in gynecological cancers: implications for therapy resistance and biomarkers

Gynecologic cancers, including ovarian cancer (OC), cervical cancer (CC), and endometrial cancer (EC), pose a serious threat to women's health and quality of life due to their high incidence and lethality. Therapeutic resistance in tumors refers to reduced sensitivity of tumor cells to therapeutic drugs or radiation, which compromises the efficacy of treatment or renders it ineffective. Therapeutic resistance significantly contributes to treatment failure in gynecologic tumors, although the specific molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles released and received by distinct kinds of cells. Exosomes contain proteins, lipids, and RNAs closely linked to their origins and functions. Recent studies have demonstrated that exosomal ncRNAs may be involved in intercellular communication and can modulate the progression of tumorigenesis, aggravation and metastasis, tumor microenvironment (TME), and drug resistance. Besides, exosomal ncRNAs also have the potential to become significant diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in various of diseases. In this paper, we reviewed the biological roles and mechanisms of exosomal ncRNAs in the drug resistance of gynecologic tumors, as well as explored the potential of exosomal ncRNAs acting as the liquid biopsy molecular markers in gynecologic cancers.

The Uridylyl Transferase TUT7-Mediated Accumulation of Exosomal miR-1246 Reprograms TAMs to Support CRC Progression

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a crucial role in promoting tumor growth and dissemination, motivating a search for key targets to interfere with the activation of TAMs or reprogram TAMs into the tumor-suppressive type. To gain insight into the mechanisms of macrophage polarization, a designed co-culture system is established, allowing for the education of macrophages in a manner that closely mimics the intricacies of TAMs in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Through database mining, exosomal miR-1246 is identified and is then validated. Exosomal miR-1246-driven polarization of TAMs disrupts the infiltration and function of CD8+ T cells. Mechanically, the amassment of exosomal miR-1246 stems from TUT7-mediated degradation of small noncoding RNA, a process stabilized by SNRPB, but not the precursor of miR-1246. Moreover, an Exo-motif is present in the exosomal miR-1246 sequence, enabling it to bind with the exosomal sorting protein hnRNPA2B1. RNA-seq analysis reveals that exogenous miR-1246 modulates the polarization of TAMs at a post-transcriptional level, emphasizing the pivotal role of the NLRP3 in macrophage polarization. In conclusion, the findings underscore the importance of exosomal miR-1246 as a trigger of macrophage reprogramming and uncover a novel mechanism for its enhanced presence in the TIME.

Engineered exosomes in emerging cell-free therapy

The discovery and use of exosomes ushered in a new era of cell-free therapy. Exosomes are a subgroup of extracellular vesicles that show great potential in disease treatment. Engineered exosomes. with their improved functions have attracted intense interests of their application in translational medicine research. However, the technology of engineering exosomes still faces many challenges which have been the great limitation for their clinical application. This review summarizes the current status of research on engineered exosomes and the difficulties encountered in recent years, with a view to providing new approaches and ideas for future exosome modification and new drug development.

Intercellular crosstalk between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts via exosomes in gastrointestinal tumors

Gastrointestinal (GI) tumors are a significant global health threat, with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Exosomes contain various biologically active molecules like nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids and can serve as messengers for intercellular communication. They play critical roles in the exchange of information between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME consists of mesenchymal cells and components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), with fibroblasts being the most abundant cell type in the tumor mesenchyme. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are derived from normal fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells that are activated in the TME. CAFs can secrete exosomes to modulate cell proliferation, invasion, migration, drug resistance, and other biological processes in tumors. Additionally, tumor cells can manipulate the function and behavior of fibroblasts through direct cell-cell interactions. This review provides a summary of the intercellular crosstalk between GI tumor cells and CAFs through exosomes, along with potential underlying mechanisms.

Identification macrophage signatures in prostate cancer by single-cell sequencing and machine learning

BACKGROUND

The tumor microenvironment (TME) encompasses a variety of cells that influence immune responses and tumor growth, with tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) being a crucial component of the TME. TAM can guide prostate cancer in different directions in response to various external stimuli.

METHODS

First, we downloaded prostate cancer single-cell sequencing data and second-generation sequencing data from multiple public databases. From these data, we identified characteristic genes associated with TAM clusters. We then employed machine learning techniques to select the most accurate TAM gene set and developed a TAM-related risk label for prostate cancer. We analyzed the tumor-relatedness of the TAM-related risk label and different risk groups within the population. Finally, we validated the accuracy of the prognostic label using single-cell sequencing data, qPCR, and WB assays, among other methods.

RESULTS

In this study, the TAM_2 cell cluster has been identified as promoting the progression of prostate cancer, possibly representing M2 macrophages. The 9 TAM feature genes selected through ten machine learning methods and demonstrated their effectiveness in predicting the progression of prostate cancer patients. Additionally, we have linked these TAM feature genes to clinical pathological characteristics, allowing us to construct a nomogram. This nomogram provides clinical practitioners with a quantitative tool for assessing the prognosis of prostate cancer patients.

CONCLUSION

This study has analyzed the potential relationship between TAM and PCa and established a TAM-related prognostic model. It holds promise as a valuable tool for the management and treatment of PCa patients.

Therapeutic efficacy of rare earth carbonate with chemoradiotherapy in late-stage non-small cell lung cancer: a cohort prospective study

Objective

To compare the therapeutic effects and adverse reactions of sterilizing rare earth carbonate combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy and simple concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to analyze the reasons for the differences.

Method

A total of 817 patients with pathologically diagnosed late-stage NSCLC from June 1, 2021 to December 30, 2022, in the affiliated hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, were selected. They were randomly divided into a control group of 394 people and an experimental group of 423 people. The control group was given concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cisplatin + etoposide), while the experimental group simultaneously took a low dose of sterilized rare earth carbonate (0.05mg/Kg). The χ² test and Fisher's test were used to compare the clinical pathological features, objective response rate (ORR), ECOG score, and adverse reactions of the two groups of patients, while survival analysis was used to compare the progression-free survival (PFS) of the two groups. Cox regression analysis was used to test factors related to prognosis.

Results

The differences in clinical pathological features between the two groups of patients were not statistically significant, with all P>0.05. The ORR of the control group was 45.18% (178/394), and the experimental group was 89.83% (380/423), with a statistically significant difference (P=0.001). After treatment, the ECOG score of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group, P<0.001. The adverse reaction grading of patients in both groups was below level 3 after treatment, and no treatment-related fatalities occurred. The risk of pulmonary infection and bone marrow suppression in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group.

Conclusion

In late-stage NSCLC patients, compared with simple concurrent chemoradiotherapy, the combination of concurrent chemoradiotherapy and sterilizing rare earth carbonate can significantly improve the short-term therapeutic effect and prognosis of patients, with good safety.

Exosomal circular RNAs: A chief culprit in cancer chemotherapy resistance

Chemotherapy is one of the primary treatments for malignant tumors. However, the acquired drug resistance hinders clinical efficacy and leads to treatment failure in most patients. Exosomes are cell-derived vesicles with a diameter of 30-150 nm carrying and delivering substances such as DNAs, RNAs, lipids, and proteins for cellular communication in tumor development. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) present covalently closed-loop RNA structures, which regulate tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis by controlling different genes and signaling pathways. CircRNAs are abundant and stably expressed in exosomes. Recent studies have shown that they play critical roles in chemotherapy resistance in various cancers. In this review, we summarized the origin of exosomes and discussed the regulation mechanism of exosomal circRNAs in cancer drug resistance.

Identifying key transcription factors and immune infiltration in non-small-cell lung cancer using weighted correlation network and Cox regression analyses

Introduction

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and a significant cause of cancer-related deaths. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of all lung cancer cases. Therefore, it is crucial to identify effective diagnostic and therapeutic methods. In addition, transcription factors are essential for eukaryotic cells to regulate their gene expression, and aberrant expression transcription factors are an important step in the process of oncogenesis in NSCLC.

Methods

Differentially expressed transcription factors between NSCLC and normal tissues by analyzing mRNA profiling from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database program were identified. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and line plot of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were performed to find prognosis-related transcription factors. The cellular functions of transcription factors were performed by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, wound healing assay, cell invasion assay in lung cancer cells.

Results

We identified 725 differentially expressed transcription factors between NSCLC and normal tissues. Three highly related modules for survival were discovered, and transcription factors highly associated with survival were obtained by using WGCNA. Then line plot of LASSO was applied to screen transcription factors related to prognosis and build a prognostic model. Consequently, SETDB2, SNAI3, SCML4, and ZNF540 were identified as prognosis-related transcription factors and validated in multiple databases. The low expression of these hub genes in NSCLC was associated with poor prognosis. The deletions of both SETDB2 and SNAI3 were found to promote proliferation, invasion, and stemness in lung cancer cells. Furthermore, there were significant differences in the proportions of 22 immune cells between the high- and low-score groups.

Discussion

Therefore, our study identified the transcription factors involved in regulating NSCLC, and we constructed a panel for the prediction of prognosis and immune infiltration to inform the clinical application of transcription factor analysis in the prevention and treatment of NSCLC.

Role of microRNA in Endocrine Disruptor-Induced Immunomodulation of Metabolic Health

The prevalence of poor metabolic health is growing exponentially worldwide. This condition is associated with complex comorbidities that lead to a compromised quality of life. One of the contributing factors recently gaining attention is exposure to environmental chemicals, such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Considerable evidence suggests that EDCs can alter the endocrine system through immunomodulation. More concerning, EDC exposure during the fetal development stage has prominent adverse effects later in life, which may pass on to subsequent generations. Although the mechanism of action for this phenomenon is mostly unexplored, recent reports implicate that non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRs), may play a vital role in this scenario. MiRs are significant contributors in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Studies demonstrating the immunomodulation of EDCs via miRs in metabolic health or towards the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) Hypothesis are still deficient. The aim of the current review was to focus on studies that demonstrate the impact of EDCs primarily on innate immunity and the potential role of miRs in metabolic health.