STAT3-induced WDR1 overexpression promotes breast cancer cell migration

Analysis of serum peptidome profiles of non-metastatic and metastatic feline mammary carcinoma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

BACKGROUND

Feline mammary carcinoma (FMC) is a common aggressive and highly metastatic cancer affecting female cats. Early detection is essential for preventing local and distant metastasis, thereby improving overall survival rates. While acquiring molecular data before surgery offers significant potential benefits, the current protein biomarkers for monitoring disease progression in non-metastatic FMC (NmFMC) and metastatic FMC (mFMC) are limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the serum peptidome profiles of NmFMC and mFMC using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A cross-sectional study was conducted to compare serum peptidome profiles in 13 NmFMC, 23 mFMC and 18 healthy cats. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis was performed on non-trypsinized samples.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 8284 expressed proteins observed, several proteins were found to be associated with human breast cancer. In NmFMC, distinctive protein expressions encompassed double-stranded RNA-binding protein Staufen homolog 2 (STAU2), associated with cell proliferation, along with bromodomain adjacent to zinc finger domain 2A (BAZ2A) and gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor subunit epsilon (GABRE), identified as potential treatment targets. Paradoxically, positive prognostic markers emerged, such as complement C1q like 3 (C1QL3) and erythrocyte membrane protein band 4.1 (EPB41 or 4.1R). Within the mFMC group, overexpressed proteins associated with poor prognosis were exhibited, including B-cell lymphoma 6 transcription repressor (BCL6), thioredoxin reductase 3 (TXNRD3) and ceruloplasmin (CP). Meanwhile, the presence of POU class 5 homeobox (POU5F1 or OCT4) and laminin subunit alpha 1 (LAMA1), reported as metastatic biomarkers, was noted.

CONCLUSION

The presence of both pro- and anti-proliferative proteins was observed, potentially indicating a distinctive characteristic of NmFMC. Conversely, proteins associated with poor prognosis and metastasis were noted in the mFMC group.

WDR1 promotes prostate cancer progression through Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among men. A comprehensive understanding of PCa progression is crucial for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for its treatment. While WDR1 (WD-repeat domain 1) serves as a significant cofactor of actin-depolymerizing factor/cofilin, its role in PCa progression remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that knockdown of WDR1 in various PCa cells substantially inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, as confirmed at both the cellular and molecular levels. Moreover, the overexpression of WDR1 promoted PCa cell proliferation and metastasis in vitro. Mechanistically, we showed that the application of lithium chloride, an activator of the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway, restored the suppressive effects of WDR1 deficiency on cell proliferation and migration in PCa cells. Our findings suggest that the WDR1-β-Catenin axis functions as an activator of the malignant phenotype and represents a promising therapeutic target for PCa treatment.

Exosome-derived tRNA fragments tRF-GluCTC-0005 promotes pancreatic cancer liver metastasis by activating hepatic stellate cells

Early metastasis is the primary factor in the very poor prognosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), with liver metastasis being the most common form of distant metastasis in PDAC. To investigate the mechanism of PDAC liver metastasis, we found that PDAC cells can promote the formation of pre-metastatic niches (PMNs) through exosomes to facilitate liver metastasis in the early stage. In our study, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were treated with PDAC-derived exosomes (PDAC-exo), and the activation of HSCs was detected. A novel transfer RNA-derived fragment, the tRF-GluCTC-0005 was obtained by small RNA sequencing from serum exosomes of PDAC patients. Bioinformatics analysis and RNA pull-down assays revealed the interaction between WDR1 and tRF-GluCTC-0005. A KPC transgenic mouse model and an AAV-mediated sh-WDR1 mouse model were used to detect the mechanism of liver metastasis in vivo. Finally, the dual luciferase reporter assay, protein mutation truncation assay, Co-IP assay, and flow cytometry assay were used to explore the molecular mechanism in HSCs activation and PMNs formation. We found that the tRF-GluCTC-0005 in exosomes binds to the 3' untranslated region of the mRNA of the WDRl in HSCs and increases mRNA stability. The N-terminals of WDR1 bind to the YAP protein directly, inhibit YAP phosphorylation, and promote the expression of YAP transcription factors. The tRF-GluCTC-0005 in PDAC-exo significantly recruits myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the liver, creating a PMNs immunosuppressive microenvironment and further advancing liver metastasis from PDAC. Our results suggest that the key of PDAC liver metastasis is the activation of HSCs through upregulation of WDR1 by tRF-GluCTC-0005 in exosomes, which mediates the infiltration of MDSCs to form PMNs.

The regulatory relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and noncoding RNA

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), as a key node in numerous carcinogenic signaling pathways, is activated in various tumor tissues and plays important roles in tumor formation, metastasis, and drug resistance. STAT3 is considered a potential subtarget for tumor therapy. Noncoding RNA (ncRNA) is a special type of RNA transcript. Transforming from "junk" transcripts into key molecules involved in cell apoptosis, growth, and functional regulation, ncRNA has been proven to be closely related to various epithelial-mesenchymal transition and drug resistance processes in tumor cells over the past few decades. Research on the relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and ncRNAs has attracted increased attention. To date, existing reviews have mainly focused on the regulation by ncRNAs on the transcription factor STAT3; there has been no review of the regulation by STAT3 on ncRNAs. However, understanding the regulation of ncRNAs by STAT3 and its mechanism is important to comprehensively understand the mutual regulatory relationship between STAT3 and ncRNAs. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the regulation by transcription factor STAT3 on long noncoding RNA, microRNA, and circular RNA and its possible mechanisms. In addition, we provide an update on research progress on the regulation of STAT3 by ncRNAs. This will provide a new perspective to comprehensively understand the regulatory relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and ncRNAs, as well as targeting STAT3 or ncRNAs to treat diseases such as tumors.

The tumor-enriched small molecule gambogic amide suppresses glioma by targeting WDR1-dependent cytoskeleton remodeling

Glioma is the most prevalent brain tumor, presenting with limited treatment options, while patients with malignant glioma and glioblastoma (GBM) have poor prognoses. The physical obstacle to drug delivery imposed by the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) and glioma stem cells (GSCs), which are widely recognized as crucial elements contributing to the unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. In this study, we found a small molecule, gambogic amide (GA-amide), exhibited the ability to effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and displayed a notable enrichment within the tumor region. Moreover, GA-amide exhibited significant efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth across various in vivo glioma models, encompassing transgenic and primary patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. We further performed a genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) knockout screen to determine the druggable target of GA-amide. By the combination of the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), the drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) approach, molecular docking simulation and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, WD repeat domain 1 (WDR1) was identified as the direct binding target of GA-amide. Through direct interaction with WDR1, GA-amide promoted the formation of a complex involving WDR1, MYH9 and Cofilin, which accelerate the depolymerization of F-actin to inhibit the invasion of patient-derived glioma cells (PDCs) and induce PDC apoptosis via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In conclusion, our study not only identified GA-amide as an effective and safe agent for treating glioma but also shed light on the underlying mechanisms of GA-amide from the perspective of cytoskeletal homeostasis.

Using publicly available datasets to identify population-based transcriptomic landscape contributing to the aggressiveness of breast cancer in young women

Introduction: Although the risk of breast cancer increases with advancing age, some regions have larger number of young breast cancer patients (≤45 years-old), such as the Middle East, Eastern Asia, and North Africa, with more aggressive and poorly differentiated tumors. We aimed to conduct an in-silico analysis in an attempt to understand the aggressive nature of early-onset breast cancer, and to identify potential drivers of early-onset breast cancer using gene expression profiling datasets in a population-dependent manner. Methods: Functional genomics experiments data were acquired from cBioPortal database for cancer genomics, followed by the stratification of patients based on the age at representation of breast cancer and race. Differential gene expression analysis and gene amplification status analysis were carried out, followed by hub gene, transcription factor, and signalling pathway identification. Results: PAM50 subtype analysis revealed that young patients (≤45 years-old) had four-fold more basal tumors and worst progression-free survival (median of 101 months), compared with the 45-65 years group (median of 168 months). Fourteen genes were amplified in more than 14% of patients with an early-onset breast cancer. Interestingly, FREM2, LINC00332, and LINC00366 were exclusively amplified in younger patients. Gene expression data from three different populations (Asian, White, and African) revealed a unique transcriptomic profile of young patients, which was also reflected on the PAM50 subtype analysis. Our data indicates a higher tendency of young African patients to develop basal tumors, while young Asian patients are more prone to developing Luminal A tumors. Most genes that were found to be upregulated in younger patients are involved in important signaling pathways that promote cancer progression and metastasis, such as MAPK pathway, Reelin pathway and the PI3K/Akt pathway. Conclusion: This study provides strong evidence that the molecular profile of tumors derived from young breast cancer patients of different populations is unique and may explain the aggressiveness of these tumors, stressing the need to conduct population- based multi-omic analyses to identify the potential drivers for tumorigenesis and molecular profiles of young breast cancer patients.

miR-1250-5p is a novel tumor suppressive intronic miRNA hypermethylated in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: novel targets with impact on ERK signaling and cell migration

Background

miR-1250 is localised to the second intron of AATK at chromosome 17q25. As a CpG island is present at the putative promoter region of its host gene, AATK, we postulated that the intronic miR-1250-5p is a tumor suppressor miRNA co-regulated with its host gene, AATK, by promoter DNA methylation in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).

Methods

AATK/miR-1250 methylation was studied in healthy controls, including ten normal peripheral blood buffy coats and eleven normal tonsils, ten lymphoma cell lines, and 120 primary lymphoma samples by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). The expression of miR-1250-5p and AATK was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR. Tumor suppressor properties of miR-1250-5p were demonstrated by over-expression of precursor miR-1250-5p in lymphoma cells. The target of miR-1250-5p was verified by luciferase reporter assay.

Results

AATK/miR-1250 methylation was absent in healthy peripheral blood and tonsils, but detected in five (50%) NHL cell lines. AATK/miR-1250 methylation correlated with repression of miR-1250-5p and AATK in NHL cell lines. In completely methylated SU-DHL-6 and SUP-T1 cells, treatment with 5-AzadC led to promoter demethylation and re-expression of both miR-1250-5p and AATK. In primary lymphoma samples, AATK/miR-1250 was frequently methylated in B-cell lymphoma (n = 41, 44.09%) and T-cell lymphoma (n = 9, 33.33%) with a comparable frequency (P = 0.318). In SU-DHL-6 and SU-DHL-1 cells, restoration of miR-1250-5p resulted in decreased cellular proliferation by MTS assay, increased cell death by trypan blue staining and enhanced apoptosis by annexin V-PI assay. Moreover, MAPK1 and WDR1 were verified as direct targets of miR-1250-5p by luciferase assay. In 39 primary NHLs, miR-1250-5p expression was shown to be inversely correlated with each of MAPK1 (P = 0.05) and WDR1 (P = 0.031) by qRT-PCR. Finally, in SU-DHL-1 cells, overexpression of miR-1250-5p led to repression of MAPK1 and WDR1 at both transcript and protein levels, with downregulation of phospho-ERK2 by Western-blotting and inhibition of SDF-1-dependent cell migration by transwell assay.

Conclusions

miR-1250-5p is a novel tumor suppressive intronic miRNA co-regulated and silenced by promoter DNA methylation of its host gene AATK in NHL. MAPK1 and WDR1 are novel miR-1250-5p direct targets rendering inhibition of MAPK/ERK signaling and SDF-1-dependent cell migration, hence implicated in survival and dissemination of lymphoma.

VWCE Functions as a Tumor Suppressor in Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death, for which the majority of deaths result from metastases. Von Willebrand factor C and EGF domain (VWCE) is a member of the Von Willebrand factor (VWF) gene family; however, its function, regulatory mechanism, and clinical value in breast cancer remain unclear. In the present study, we sought to elucidate the role of VWCE in breast cancer metastasis. We examined the expression of VWCE in breast cancer tissues and normal control tissues of 50 breast cancer patients. We found that VWCE expression was downregulated in breast cancer cells and tissues compared to normal breast epithelial cells or the adjacent normal tissues. To explore the role of VWCE in human breast cancer development, we introduced a VWCE-overexpressing or control lentiviral vector into the breast cancer MDA-MB-453 and MDA-MB-231 lines in vitro. The overexpression of VWCE inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and chemoresistance of the breast cancer cell lines. More importantly, the forced expression of VWCE suppressed tumor formation and metastasis in nude mice. iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis revealed that VWCE overexpression induced a 10-fold decrease in the level of WD-repeat domain 1 (WDR1) protein expression. Rescue experiments further verified that WDR1 was a downstream molecule of VWCE, and WDR1 overexpression reversed the above effects of VWCE overexpression on tumor growth. Therefore, VWCE may represent a novel tumor suppressor, for which its deregulation promotes breast cancer progression via the upregulation of WDR1.

WD Repeat Domain 1 Deficiency Inhibits Neointima Formation in Mice Carotid Artery by Modulation of Smooth Muscle Cell Migration and Proliferation

The migration, dedifferentiation, and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are responsible for intimal hyperplasia, but the mechanism of this process has not been elucidated. WD repeat domain 1 (WDR1) promotes actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin-mediated depolymerization of actin filaments (F-actin). The role of WDR1 in neointima formation and progression is still unknown. A model of intimal thickening was constructed by ligating the left common carotid artery in Wdr1 deletion mice, and H&E staining showed that Wdr1 deficiency significantly inhibits neointima formation. We also report that STAT3 promotes the proliferation and migration of VSMCs by directly promoting WDR1 transcription. Mechanistically, we clarified that WDR1 promotes the proliferation and migration of VSMCs and neointima formation is regulated by the activation of the JAK2/STAT3/WDR1 axis.

Unravelling the anticancer potency of 1,2,4-triazole-N-arylamide hybrids through inhibition of STAT3: synthesis and in silico mechanistic studies

The discovery of potent STAT3 inhibitors has gained noteworthy impetus in the last decade. In line with this trend, considering the proven biological importance of 1,2,4-triazoles, herein, we are reporting the design, synthesis, pharmacokinetic profiles, and in vitro anticancer activity of novel C3-linked 1,2,4-triazole-N-arylamide hybrids and their in silico proposed mechanism of action via inhibition of STAT3. The 1,2,4-triazole scaffold was selected as a privilege ring system that is embedded in core structures of a variety of anticancer drugs which are either in clinical use or still under clinical trials. The designed 1,2,4-triazole derivatives were synthesized by linking the triazole-thione moiety through amide hydrophilic linkers with diverse lipophilic fragments. In silico study to predict cytotoxicity of the new hybrids against different kinds of human cancer cell lines as well as the non-tumor cells was conducted. The multidrug-resistant human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MDA-MB-231) was found most susceptible to the cytotoxic effect of synthesized compounds and hence were selected to evaluate the in vitro anticancer activity. Four of the designed derivatives showed promising cytotoxicity effects against selected cancer cells, among which compound 12 showed the highest potency (IC₅₀ = 3.61 µM), followed by 21 which displayed IC₅₀ value of 3.93 µM. Also, compounds 14 and 23 revealed equipotent activity with the reference cytotoxic agent doxorubicin. To reinforce these observations, the obtained data of in vitro cytotoxicity have been validated in terms of ligand-protein interaction and new compounds were analyzed for ADMET properties to evaluate their potential to build up as good drug candidates. This study led us to identify two novel C3-linked 1,2,4-triazole-N-arylamide hybrids of interesting antiproliferative potentials as probable lead inhibitors of STAT3 with promising pharmacokinetic profiles.

WD repeat-containing protein 1 maintains β-Catenin activity to promote pancreatic cancer aggressiveness

Background

The molecular signature underlying pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) progression may include key proteins affecting the malignant phenotypes. Here, we aimed to identify the proteins implicated in PDAC with different tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stages.

Methods

Eight-plex isobaric tags coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry were used to analyse the proteome of PDAC tissues with different TNM stages. A loss-of-function study was performed to evaluate the oncogenic roles of WD repeat-containing protein 1 (WDR1) in PDAC. The molecular mechanism by which WDR1 promotes PDAC progression was studied by real-time qPCR, Western blotting, proximity ligation assay and co-immunoprecipitation.

Results

A total of 5036 proteins were identified, and 4708 proteins were quantified with high confidence. Compared with normal pancreatic tissues, 37 proteins were changed significantly in PDAC tissues of different stages. Moreover, 64 proteins were upregulated or downregulated in a stepwise manner as the TNM stages of PDAC increased, and 10 proteins were related to tumorigenesis. The functionally uncharacterised protein, WDR1, was highly expressed in PDAC and predicted a poor prognosis. WDR1 knockdown suppressed PDAC tumour growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, WDR1 knockdown repressed the activity of the Wnt/β-Catenin pathway; ectopic expression of a stabilised form of β-Catenin restored the suppressive effects of WDR1 knockdown. Mechanistically, WDR1 interacted with USP7 to prevent ubiquitination-mediated degradation of β-Catenin.

Conclusion

Our study identifies several previous functional unknown proteins implicated in the progression of PDAC, and provides new insight into the oncogenic roles of WDR1 in PDAC development.

STAT3-induced upregulation of circCCDC66 facilitates the progression of non-small cell lung cancer by targeting miR-33a-5p/KPNA4 axis

Emerging evidence has manifested the critical effect of abnormally expressed circular RNAs (circRNAs) on the initiation and progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although circRNA circCCDC66 has been revealed to elicit facilitating impact on cell growth and metastasis in colon cancer, the potential biological function and regulatory mechanism of it in NSCLC still require to be explored. In this study, circCCDC66 in NSCLC cells was highly expressed. Downregulation of circCCDC66 impaired cell proliferation, migration and invasion whereas boosted cell apoptosis in NSCLC. Data from molecular mechanism assays testified that circCCDC66 bound with miR-33a-5p in NSCLC cells. And miR-33a-5p inhibition could rescue the suppressive effect of circCCDC66 knockdown on NSCLC progression. In addition, karyopherin subunit alpha 4 (KPNA4) in NSCLC cells was proofed to be directly targeted by miR-33a-5p. Moreover, through rescued-function assays, we observed that upregulating KPNA4 expression could countervail the restraining function of silenced circCCDC66 on NSCLC progression. Furthermore, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was validated to activate CCDC66 transcription and thereby promote circCCDC66 expression in NSCLC cells. Briefly, STAT3-induced circCCDC66 upregulation accelerates NSCLC progression via miR-33a-5p/KPNA4 axis, suggesting circCCDC66 as a promising biomarker in NSCLC treatment.

Low Expression of ASK1-Interacting Protein-1 Is Significantly Correlated with Tumor Angiogenesis and Poor Survival in Patients with Early Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective

To investigate the expression of tumor suppressor protein ASK1-interacting protein-1 (AIP1) in cancer tissues of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its correlation with tumor progression, tumor angiogenesis and prognosis.

Methods

A total of 136 patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent radical resection of lung cancer in Qianfoshan Hospital of Shandong Province from January 2011 to December 2011 were enrolled. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect AIP1 protein in tumor tissues. Vascular endothelial CD34 immunohistochemical staining was used to count intratumoral microvessel density (MVD). SPSS 19.0 software was used to analyze the relationship between AIP1 protein expression and clinicopathological features, tumor angiogenesis and prognosis.

Results

Low expression of AIP1 was more common in tumor tissues with high MVD, and patients with low expression of AIP1 were more likely to have tumor recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that low expression of AIP1 had predictive value for overall survival, disease-free survival, and disease-specific survival.

Conclusion

Downregulation of AIP1 protein expression is associated with lung cancer progression, tumor angiogenesis and poor prognosis. Consequently, AIP1 may prove to be an important predictor of recovery from lung cancer and could become a new therapeutic target for lung cancer treatment.

Hippocampal Wdr1 Deficit Impairs Learning and Memory by Perturbing F-actin Depolymerization in Mice

WD repeat protein 1 (Wdr1), known as a cofactor of actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin, is conserved among eukaryotes, and it plays a critical role in the dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. However, the function of Wdr1 in the central nervous system remains elusive. Using Wdr1 conditional knockout mice, we demonstrated that Wdr1 plays a significant role in regulating synaptic plasticity and memory. The knockout mice exhibited altered reversal spatial learning and fear responses. Moreover, the Wdr1 CKO mice showed significant abnormalities in spine morphology and synaptic function, including enhanced hippocampal long-term potentiation and impaired long-term depression. Furthermore, we observed that Wdr1 deficiency perturbed actin rearrangement through regulation of the ADF/cofilin activity. Taken together, these results indicate that Wdr1 in the hippocampal CA1 area plays a critical role in actin dynamics in associative learning and postsynaptic receptor availability.

ELK3 expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells promotes breast cancer progression and metastasis through exosomal miRNAs

Tumor-associated lymphatic vessels (LV) serve as a route of cancer dissemination through the prometastatic crosstalk between lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) lining the LVs and cancer cells. Compared to blood endothelial cell-derived angiocrine factors, however, LEC-secreted factors in the tumor microenvironment and their roles in tumor metastasis are poorly understood. Here, we report that ELK3 expressed in LECs contributes to the dissemination of cancer cells during tumor growth by providing oncogenic miRNAs to tumor cells through exosomes. We found that conditioned medium from ELK3-suppressed LECs (LCM) lost its ability to promote the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells such as MDA-MB-231, Hs578T and BT20 in vitro. Suppression of ELK3 in LECs diminished the ability of LECs to promote tumor growth and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 in vivo. Exosomes derived from LECs significantly increased the migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 in vitro, but ELK3 suppression significantly diminished the pro-oncogenic activity of exosomes from LECs. Based on the miRNA expression profiles of LECs and functional analysis, we identified miR-503-3p, miR-4269 and miR-30e-3p as downstream targets of ELK3 in LECs, which cause the above phenotype of cancer cells. These findings strongly suggest that ELK3 expressed in LECs is a major regulator that controls the communication between the tumor microenvironment and tumors to support cancer metastasis.

Systems Biology Approaches to Investigate Genetic and Epigenetic Molecular Progression Mechanisms for Identifying Gene Expression Signatures in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer. Particularly, papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) accounts for the highest proportion of thyroid cancer. Up to now, there are few researches discussing the pathogenesis and progression mechanisms of PTC from the viewpoint of systems biology approaches. In this study, first we constructed the candidate genetic and epigenetic network (GEN) consisting of candidate protein–protein interaction network (PPIN) and candidate gene regulatory network (GRN) by big database mining. Secondly, system identification and system order detection methods were applied to prune candidate GEN via next-generation sequencing (NGS) and DNA methylation profiles to obtain the real GEN. After that, we extracted core GENs from real GENs by the principal network projection (PNP) method. To investigate the pathogenic and progression mechanisms in each stage of PTC, core GEN was denoted in respect of KEGG pathways. Finally, by comparing two successive core signaling pathways of PTC, we not only shed light on the causes of PTC progression, but also identified essential biomarkers with specific gene expression signature. Moreover, based on the identified gene expression signature, we suggested potential candidate drugs to prevent the progression of PTC with querying Connectivity Map (CMap).

WDR1 Promotes Cell Growth and Migration and Contributes to Malignant Phenotypes of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer through ADF/cofilin-mediated Actin Dynamics

The characteristic of carcinoma is cell migration and invasion, which involve in strong actin dynamics. Regulations of actin dynamics have been implicated in cancer cell migration and tumor progression. WDR1 (WD-repeat domain 1) is a major cofactor of the actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin, strongly accelerating ADF/cofilin-mediated actin disassembly. The role of WDR1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression has been unknown. Here, we show that the expression levels of WDR1 are increased in human NSCLC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues, and high WDR1 level correlates with poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. Knockdown of WDR1 in NSCLC cells significantly inhibits cell migration, invasion, EMT process and tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Otherwise, overexpression of WDR1 promotes NSCLC cell proliferation and migration. Mechanically, our data suggested WDR1 regulated tumor cells proliferation and migration might through actin cytoskeleton-mediated regulation of YAP, and we demonstrated that WDR1 contributes to NSCLC progression through ADF/cofilin-mediated actin disassembly. Our findings implicate that the ADF/cofilin-WDR1-actin axis as an activator of malignant phenotype that will be a promising therapeutic target in lung cancer.

Functions of actin-interacting protein 1 (AIP1)/WD repeat protein 1 (WDR1) in actin filament dynamics and cytoskeletal regulation

Actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin and actin-interacting protein 1 (AIP1), also known as WD-repeat protein 1 (WDR1), are conserved among eukaryotes and play critical roles in dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. AIP1 preferentially promotes disassembly of ADF/cofilin-decorated actin filaments but exhibits minimal effects on bare actin filaments. Therefore, AIP1 has been often considered to be an ancillary co-factor of ADF/cofilin that merely boosts ADF/cofilin activity level. However, genetic and cell biological studies show that AIP1 deficiency often causes lethality or severe abnormalities in multiple tissues and organs including muscle, epithelia, and blood, suggesting that AIP1 is a major regulator of many biological processes that depend on actin dynamics. This review summarizes recent progress in studies on the biochemical mechanism of actin filament severing by AIP1 and in vivo functions of AIP1 in model organisms and human diseases.

TMPRSS4 Upregulates TWIST1 Expression through STAT3 Activation to Induce Prostate Cancer Cell Migration

Transmembrane protease serine 4 (TMPRSS4), a type-II transmembrane serine protease, is involved in the development and progression of wide range of tumors. However, the biological role of TMPRSS4 in prostate cancer remains obscure. Here, we investigated the effect of TMPRSS4 on proliferation and migration in prostate cancer and potential mechanisms. Our findings demonstrated over-expression of TMPRSS4 promoted the PC3 prostate cancer cells migration, which could be reversed by TMPRSS4 silencing. TMPRSS4 induced TWIST1 expression and followed progression of EMT along with upregulation of N-cadherin and downregulation of E-cadherin via STAT3 phosphorylation. Silencing TWIST1 significantly attenuated TMPRSS4-induced PC3 migration. Moreover, knockdown of STAT3 effectively attenuated TMPRSS4-induced TWIST1 expression and TWIST1 promoter activity. Taken together, we demonstrated a mechanistic cascade of TMPRSS4 up-regulating STAT3 activation and subsequent TWIST1 expression, leading to prostate cancer migration.