Oxidative phosphorylation inducers fight pathological angiogenesis

Identification of oxidative phosphorylation-related genes in moyamoya disease by combining bulk RNA-sequencing analysis and machine learning

Introduction: Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a chronic cerebrovascular disease that can lead to ischemia and hemorrhagic stroke. The relationship between oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and MMD pathogenesis remains unknown. Methods: The gene expression data of 60 participants were acquired from three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, including 36 and 24 in the MMD and control groups. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between MMD patients MMD and control groups were identified. Machine learning was used to select the key OXPHOS-related genes associated with MMD from the intersection of DEGs and OXPHOS-related gene sets. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), Immune infiltration and microenvironments analysis were used to analyze the function of key genes. Machine learning selected four key OXPHOS-related genes associated with MMD: CSK, NARS2, PTPN6 and SMAD2 (PTPN6 was upregulated and the other three were downregulated). Results: Functional enrichment analysis showed that these genes were mainly enriched in the Notch signaling pathway, GAP junction, and RNA degradation, which are related to several biological processes, including angiogenesis, proliferation of vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells, and cytoskeleton regulation. Immune analysis revealed immune infiltration and microenvironment in these MMD samples and their relationships with four key OXPHOS-related genes. APC co-inhibition (p = 0.032), HLA (p = 0.001), MHC I (p = 0.013), T cellco- inhibition (p = 0.032) and Type I IFN responses (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the MMD groups than those in the control groups. The CSK positively correlated with APC co-inhibition and T cell-co-inhibition. The NARS2 negatively correlated with Type I IFN response. The SMAD2 negatively correlated with APC co-inhibition and Type I IFN response. The PTPN6 positively correlated with HLA, MHC I and Type I IFN responses. Discussion: This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of OXPHOS in MMD and will contribute to the development of new treatment methods and exploration of MMD pathogenesis.

Enhancing intraneural revascularization following peripheral nerve injury through hypoxic Schwann-cell-derived exosomes: an insight into endothelial glycolysis

BACKGROUND

Endothelial cell (EC)-driven intraneural revascularization (INRV) and Schwann cells-derived exosomes (SCs-Exos) both play crucial roles in peripheral nerve injury (PNI). However, the interplay between them remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate the effects and underlying mechanisms of SCs-Exos on INRV following PNI.

RESULTS

We found that GW4869 inhibited INRV, as well as that normoxic SCs-Exos (N-SCs-Exos) exhibited significant pro-INRV effects in vivo and in vitro that were potentiated by hypoxic SCs-Exos (H-SCs-Exos). Upregulation of glycolysis emerged as a pivotal factor for INRV after PNI, as evidenced by the observation that 3PO administration, a glycolytic inhibitor, inhibited the INRV process in vivo and in vitro. H-SCs-Exos more significantly enhanced extracellular acidification rate/oxygen consumption rate ratio, lactate production, and glycolytic gene expression while simultaneously suppressing acetyl-CoA production and pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 subunit alpha (PDH-E1α) expression than N-SCs-Exos both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we determined that H-SCs-Exos were more enriched with miR-21-5p than N-SCs-Exos. Knockdown of miR-21-5p significantly attenuated the pro-glycolysis and pro-INRV effects of H-SCs-Exos. Mechanistically, miR-21-5p orchestrated EC metabolism in favor of glycolysis by targeting von Hippel-Lindau/hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and PDH-E1α, thereby enhancing hypoxia-inducible factor-1α-mediated glycolysis and inhibiting PDH-E1α-mediated oxidative phosphorylation.

CONCLUSION

This study unveiled a novel intrinsic mechanism of pro-INRV after PNI, providing a promising therapeutic target for post-injury peripheral nerve regeneration and repair.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals enhanced antitumor immunity after combined application of PD-1 inhibitor and Shenmai injection in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have altered the clinical management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the low response rate, severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs), and hyperprogressive disease following ICIs monotherapy require attention. Combination therapy may overcome these limitations and traditional Chinese medicine with immunomodulatory effects provides a promising approach. Shenmai injection (SMI) is a clinically effective adjuvant treatment for cancer with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Therefore, the combined effects and mechanisms of SMI and programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor against NSCLC was focused on this study.

METHODS

A Lewis lung carcinoma mouse model and a lung squamous cell carcinoma humanized mouse model were used to investigate the combined efficacy and safety of SMI and PD-1 inhibitor. The synergistic mechanisms of the combination therapy against NSCLC were explored using single-cell RNA sequencing. Validation experiments were performed using immunofluorescence analysis, in vitro experiment, and bulk transcriptomic datasets.

RESULTS

In both models, combination therapy alleviated tumor growth and prolonged survival without increasing irAEs. The GZMA^high and XCL1^high natural killer (NK) cell subclusters with cytotoxic and chemokine signatures increased in the combination therapy, while malignant cells from combination therapy were mainly in the apoptotic state, suggesting that mediating tumor cell apoptosis through NK cells is the main synergistic mechanisms of combination therapy. In vitro experiment confirmed that combination therapy increased secretion of Granzyme A by NK cells. Moreover, we discovered that PD-1 inhibitor and SMI combination blocked inhibitory receptors on NK and T cells and restores their antitumoral activity in NSCLC better than PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy, and immune and stromal cells exhibited a decrease of angiogenic features and attenuated cancer metabolism reprogramming in microenvironment of combination therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that SMI reprograms tumor immune microenvironment mainly by inducing NK cells infiltration and synergizes with PD-1 inhibitor against NSCLC, suggested that targeting NK cells may be an important strategy for combining with ICIs. Video Abstract.

Angiogenesis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Molecular Mechanisms to Systemic Therapies

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy. The hypervascular nature of the majority of HCCs and the peculiar vascular derangement occurring during liver carcinogenesis underscore the importance of angiogenesis in the development and progression of these tumors. Indeed, several angiogenic molecular pathways have been identified as deregulated in HCC. The hypervascular nature and the peculiar vascularization of HCC, as well as deregulated angiogenic pathways, represent major therapeutic targets. To a large extent, intra-arterial locoregional treatments (transarterial-(chemo)embolization) rely on tumor ischemia caused by embolization of tumor feeding arteries, even though this may represent the "primum movens" of tumor recurrence through the activation of neoangiogenesis. Considering systemic therapies, the currently available tyrosine kinase inhibitors (sorafenib, regorafenib, cabozantinib and lenvatinib) and monoclonal antibodies (ramucirumab and bevacizumab, in combination with the anti-PD-L1, atezolizumab) primarily target, among others, angiogenic pathways. Considering the importance of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis and treatment of liver cancer, in this paper, we aim to review the role of angiogenesis in HCC, addressing the molecular mechanisms, available antiangiogenic therapies and prognostic biomarkers in patients receiving these treatments.

Developmental origins of Parkinson disease: Improving the rodent models

Numerous pesticides are inhibitors of the oxidative phosphorylation system. Oxidative phosphorylation dysfunction adversely affects neurogenesis and often accompanies Parkinson disease. Since brain development occurs mainly in the prenatal period, early exposure to pesticides could alter the development of the nervous system and increase the risk of Parkinson disease. Different rodent models have been used to confirm this hypothesis. However, more precise considerations of the selected strain, the xenobiotic, its mode of administration, and the timing of animal analysis, are necessary to resemble the model to the human clinical condition and obtain more reliable results.

Identification of Human Retinal Organoid Cell Differentiation-Related Genes via Single-Cell Sequencing Data Analysis

Objective. To study the development process of the human retina, we analyzed the development track of main cell types and transitional cell populations, identifying the retinal organoid cell differentiation-related genes (RDRGs). Methods. Single-cell RNA sequencing data (scRNA-Seq) of human retinal organoids were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database in this study. Data were processed with quality analysis and analysis of variance. Principal component analysis and $t$ -distributed stochastic neighbor embedding were used to conduct dimension reduction analysis and type annotation for the screened data. Marker genes and RDRGs were identified by differential analysis. Cell differentiation characteristics were determined by trajectory analysis. Enrichment pathways were analyzed by Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG), and functional modules were obtained by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Results. iPSCs were mainly located at the root of differentiation trajectory, while neurons and astrocytes were distributed in different branches, respectively. Meanwhile, 220 RDRGs were obtained. They were involved in the biological functions related to vision and visual development, as well as significantly enriched in signaling pathways associated with retinal vascular development and retinal neuroregulation. Protein-protein interaction network construction and functional subnetwork analysis were conducted on RDRGs, and two functional submodules were obtained. The enrichment analysis presented that the two submodules played a vital role in retinal development, visual perception, and cell respiration. Conclusions. This study identified RDRGs and revealed the biological functions involved in these genes, which are expected to provide evidence for researching retinal development and diseases.

Tumor microenvironment conditions that favor vessel co-option in colorectal cancer liver metastases: A theoretical model

Vessel co-option is an alternative strategy by which tumour cells vascularize and gain access to nutrients to support tumour growth, survival and metastasis. In vessel co-option, the cancer cells move towards the pre-existing vasculature and hijack them. Vessel co-option is adopted by a wide range of human tumours including colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM) and is responsible for the effectiveness of treatment in CRCLM. Furthermore, vessel co-option is an intrinsic feature and an acquired mechanism of resistance to anti-angiogenic treatment. In this review, we describe the microenvironment, the molecular players, discovered thus far of co-opting CRCLM lesions and propose a theoretical model. We also highlight key unanswered questions that are critical to improving our understanding of CRCLM vessel co-option and for the development of effective approaches for the treatment of co-opting tumours.