Numb/Notch/PLK1 signaling pathway mediated hyperglycemic memory in pancreatic cancer cell radioresistance and the therapeutic effects of metformin

Fundamental insights and molecular interactions in pancreatic cancer: Pathways to therapeutic approaches

The gastrointestinal tract can be affected by a number of diseases that pancreatic cancer (PC) is a malignant manifestation of them. The prognosis of PC patients is unfavorable and because of their diagnosis at advanced stage, the treatment of this tumor is problematic. Owing to low survival rate, there is much interest towards understanding the molecular profile of PC in an attempt in developing more effective therapeutics. The conventional therapeutics for PC include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as emerging immunotherapy. However, PC is still incurable and more effort should be performed. The molecular landscape of PC is an underlying factor involved in increase in progression of tumor cells. In the presence review, the newest advances in understanding the molecular and biological events in PC are discussed. The dysregulation of molecular pathways including AMPK, MAPK, STAT3, Wnt/β-catenin and non-coding RNA transcripts has been suggested as a factor in development of tumorigenesis in PC. Moreover, cell death mechanisms such as apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis and necroptosis demonstrate abnormal levels. The EMT and glycolysis in PC cells enhance to ensure their metastasis and proliferation. Furthermore, such abnormal changes have been used to develop corresponding pharmacological and nanotechnological therapeutics for PC.

Lycorine inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth and neovascularization by inducing Notch1 degradation and downregulating key vasculogenic genes

Pancreatic cancer is highly metastatic and lethal with an increasing incidence globally and a 5-year survival rate of only 8%. One of the factors contributing to the high mortality is the lack of effective drugs in the clinical setting. We speculated that effective compounds against pancreatic cancer exist in natural herbs and explored active small molecules among traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. The small molecule lycorine (MW: 323.77) derived from the herb Lycoris radiata inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth with an IC50 value of 1 μM in a concentration-dependent manner. Lycorine markedly reduced pancreatic cancer cell viability, migration, invasion, neovascularization, and gemcitabine resistance. Additionally, lycorine effectively suppressed tumor growth in mouse xenograft models without obvious toxicity. Pharmacological studies revealed that the levels and half-life of Notch1 oncoprotein in the pancreatic cancer cells Panc-1 and Patu8988 were notably reduced. Moreover, the expression of the key vasculogenic genes Semaphorin 4D (Sema4D) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) were also significantly inhibited by lycorine. Mechanistically, lycorine strongly triggered the degradation of Notch1 oncoprotein through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. In conclusion, lycorine effectively inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth, migration, invasion, neovascularization, and gemcitabine resistance by inducing degradation of Notch1 oncoprotein and downregulating the key vasculogenic genes Sema4D and Ang-2. Our findings provide a new therapeutic candidate and treatment strategy against pancreatic cancer.

Knockdown of circ_0005615 enhances the radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer by regulating the miR-665/NOTCH1 axis

Radiotherapy resistance is a challenge for colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in the occurrence and development of CRC. This study aimed to investigate the role of circ_0005615 in regulating the radiosensitivity of CRC. The levels of circ_0005615, microRNA-665 (miR-665), and notch receptor 1 (NOTCH1) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR or western blot. The radiosensitivity of CRC cells was assessed by colony formation assay. Cell viability, apoptosis, and colony formation were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, and colony formation assay. Cell migration and invasion were confirmed by transwell assay and scratch assay. The binding relationship between miR-665 and circ_0005615 or NOTCH1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Xenograft assay was used to test the effect of circ_0005615 on radiosensitivity in vivo. circ_0005615 and NOTCH1 were up-regulated, and miR-665 was down-regulated in CRC tissues and cells. Radiation decreased circ_0005615 and NOTCH1 levels and increased miR-665 level. Knockdown of circ_0005615 enhanced radiosensitivity of CRC cells. Moreover, circ_0005615 sponged miR-665 to regulate the radioresistance of CRC cells. Besides, miR-665 targeted NOTCH1 to mediate the radiosensitivity of CRC cells. Furthermore, circ_0005615 depletion increased CRC radiosensitivity in vivo. circ_0005615 silencing elevated radiosensitivity of CRC by regulating miR-665/NOTCH1 axis.

The Multitasker Protein: A Look at the Multiple Capabilities of NUMB

NUMB, a plasma membrane-associated protein originally described in Drosophila, is involved in determining cell function and fate during early stages of development. It is secreted asymmetrically in dividing cells, with one daughter cell inheriting NUMB and the other inheriting its antagonist, NOTCH. NUMB has been proposed as a polarizing agent and has multiple functions, including endocytosis and serving as an adaptor in various cellular pathways such as NOTCH, Hedgehog, and the P53-MDM2 axis. Due to its role in maintaining cellular homeostasis, it has been suggested that NUMB may be involved in various human pathologies such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Further research on NUMB could aid in understanding disease mechanisms and advancing the field of personalized medicine and the development of new therapies.

Chromatin Separation Regulators Predict the Prognosis and Immune Microenvironment Estimation in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background: Abnormal chromosome segregation is identified to be a common hallmark of cancer. However, the specific predictive value of it in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is unclear.

Method: The RNA sequencing and the clinical data of LUAD were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TACG) database, and the prognosis-related genes were identified. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) were carried out for functional enrichment analysis of the prognosis genes. The independent prognosis signature was determined to construct the nomogram Cox model. Unsupervised clustering analysis was performed to identify the distinguishing clusters in LUAD-samples based on the expression of chromosome segregation regulators (CSRs). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and the enriched biological processes and pathways between different clusters were identified. The immune environment estimation, including immune cell infiltration, HLA family genes, immune checkpoint genes, and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE), was assessed between the clusters. The potential small-molecular chemotherapeutics for the individual treatments were predicted via the connectivity map (CMap) database.

Results: A total of 2,416 genes were determined as the prognosis-related genes in LUAD. Chromosome segregation is found to be the main bioprocess enriched by the prognostic genes. A total of 48 CSRs were found to be differentially expressed in LUAD samples and were correlated with the poor outcome in LUAD. Nine CSRs were identified as the independent prognostic signatures to construct the nomogram Cox model. The LUAD-samples were divided into two distinct clusters according to the expression of the 48 CSRs. Cell cycle and chromosome segregation regulated genes were enriched in cluster 1, while metabolism regulated genes were enriched in cluster 2. Patients in cluster 2 had a higher score of immune, stroma, and HLA family components, while those in cluster 1 had higher scores of TIDES and immune checkpoint genes. According to the hub genes highly expressed in cluster 1, 74 small-molecular chemotherapeutics were predicted to be effective for the patients at high risk.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that the CSRs were correlated with the poor prognosis and the possible immunotherapy resistance in LUAD.