Rapamycin antagonizes cadmium-induced breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis through directly modulating ACSS2

Role of ATP citrate lyase and its complementary partner on fatty acid synthesis in gastric cancer

ATP citrate lyase (ACLY) and acyl-CoA short-chain synthetases 2 (ACSS2) are key enzymes in lipid metabolism. We explored the role of ACLY in gastric cancer (GC) and the effect of ACLY and ACSS2 compensation on GC growth. We used immunohistochemistry to verify the expression level of ACLY in GC, shRNA to stably knock down the expression level of ACLY in GC cells. The expression levels of lipid metabolizing enzymes were verified by qPCR and WB, and targeted lipidomics and quantification of lipid metabolism-related indicators helped us to understand the changes in lipid metabolism. Finally, subcutaneous graft tumors validate our findings from in vitro experiments. ACLY is upregulated in GC tissues, downregulation of ACLY reduced lipid accumulation and inhibited GC proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. ACSS2 maintains cell growth by compensatory elevation to maintain fatty acid synthesis activity in ACLY-depleted GC cells. Inhibition of ACSS2 enhanced the inhibitory effect of downregulation of ACLY on the growth of transplanted tumors in nude mice. Downregulation of ACLY inhibited GC cell growth in vitro and in vivo. ACSS2 was compensated to increase to maintain cell growth in ACLY-depleted GC cells.

Advances in prognostic models for osteosarcoma risk

The risk prognosis model is a statistical model that uses a set of features to predict whether an individual will develop a specific disease or clinical outcome. It can be used in clinical practice to stratify disease severity and assess risk or prognosis. With the advancement of large-scale second-generation sequencing technology, along Prognosis models for osteosarcoma are increasingly being developed as large-scale second-generation sequencing technology advances and clinical and biological data becomes more abundant. This expansion greatly increases the number of prognostic models and candidate genes suitable for clinical use. This article will present the predictive effects and reliability of various prognosis models, serving as a reference for their evaluation and application.

Long-term cadmium exposure induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells by activating CYP1B1-mediated glutamine metabolic reprogramming in BT474 cells and MMTV-Erbb2 mice

Cadmium (Cd) exposure is known to enhance breast cancer (BC) progression. Cd promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in BC cells, facilitating BC cell aggressiveness and invasion, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. Hence, transgenic MMTV-Erbb2 mice (6 weeks) were orally administered Cd (3.6 mg/L, approximately equal to 19.64 μΜ) for 23 weeks, and BC cells (BT474 cells) were exposed to Cd (0, 0.1, 1 or 10 μΜ) for 72 h to investigate the effect of Cd exposure on EMT in BC cells. Chronic Cd exposure dramatically expedited tumor metastasis to multiple organs; decreased E-cadherin density; and increased Vimentin, N-cadherin, ZEB1, and Twist density in the tumor tissues of MMTV-Erbb2 mice. Notably, transcriptomic analysis of BC tumors revealed cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) as a key factor that regulates EMT progression in Cd-treated MMTV-Erbb2 mice. Moreover, Cd increased CYP1B1 expression in MMTV-Erbb2 mouse BC tumors and in BT474 cells, and CYP1B1 inhibition decreased Cd-induced BC cell malignancy and EMT in BT474 cells. Importantly, the promotion of EMT by CYP1B1 in Cd-treated BC cells was presumably controlled by glutamine metabolism. This study offers novel perspectives into the effect of environmental Cd exposure on driving BC progression and metastasis, and this study provides important guidance for comprehensively assessing the ecological and health risks of Cd.

Integrative Co-Registration of Elemental Imaging and Histopathology for Enhanced Spatial Multimodal Analysis of Tissue Sections through TRACE

Summary

Elemental imaging provides detailed profiling of metal bioaccumulation, offering more precision than bulk analysis by targeting specific tissue areas. However, accurately identifying comparable tissue regions from elemental maps is challenging, requiring the integration of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides for effective comparison. Facilitating the streamlined co-registration of Whole Slide Images (WSI) and elemental maps, TRACE enhances the analysis of tissue regions and elemental abundance in various pathological conditions. Through an interactive containerized web application, TRACE features real-time annotation editing, advanced statistical tools, and data export, supporting comprehensive spatial analysis. Notably, it allows for comparison of elemental abundances across annotated tissue structures and enables integration with other spatial data types through WSI co-registration.

Availability and Implementation

Available on the following platforms- GitHub: jlevy44/trace_app , PyPI: trace_app , Docker: joshualevy44/trace_app , Singularity: joshualevy44/trace_app .

Contact

joshua.levy@cshs.org.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available.

Recent Advances in Nanomaterials-Based Targeted Drug Delivery for Preclinical Cancer Diagnosis and Therapeutics

Nano-oncology is a branch of biomedical research and engineering that focuses on using nanotechnology in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanomaterials are extensively employed in the field of oncology because of their minute size and ultra-specificity. A wide range of nanocarriers, such as dendrimers, micelles, PEGylated liposomes, and polymeric nanoparticles are used to facilitate the efficient transport of anti-cancer drugs at the target tumor site. Real-time labeling and monitoring of cancer cells using quantum dots is essential for determining the level of therapy needed for treatment. The drug is targeted to the tumor site either by passive or active means. Passive targeting makes use of the tumor microenvironment and enhanced permeability and retention effect, while active targeting involves the use of ligand-coated nanoparticles. Nanotechnology is being used to diagnose the early stage of cancer by detecting cancer-specific biomarkers using tumor imaging. The implication of nanotechnology in cancer therapy employs photoinduced nanosensitizers, reverse multidrug resistance, and enabling efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA molecules for therapeutic applications. However, despite recent advancements in nano-oncology, there is a need to delve deeper into the domain of designing and applying nanoparticles for improved cancer diagnostics.

The interaction between polyphyllin I and SQLE protein induces hepatotoxicity through SREBP-2/HMGCR/SQLE/LSS pathway

Polyphyllin I (PPI) and polyphyllin II (PII) are the main active substances in the Paris polyphylla. However, liver toxicity of these compounds has impeded their clinical application and the potential hepatotoxicity mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this work, we found that PPI and PII exposure could induce significant hepatotoxicity in human liver cell line L-02 and zebrafish in a dose-dependent manner. The results of the proteomic analysis in L-02 cells and transcriptome in zebrafish indicated that the hepatotoxicity of PPI and PII was associated with the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway disorders, which were alleviated by the cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitor lovastatin. Additionally, 3-hydroxy-3-methy-lglutaryl CoA reductase (HMGCR) and squalene epoxidase (SQLE), the two rate-limiting enzymes in the cholesterol synthesis, selected as the potential targets, were confirmed by the molecular docking, the overexpression, and knockdown of HMGCR or SQLE with siRNA. Finally, the pull-down and surface plasmon resonance technology revealed that PPI could directly bind with SQLE but not with HMGCR. Collectively, these data demonstrated that PPI-induced hepatotoxicity resulted from the direct binding with SQLE protein and impaired the sterol-regulatory element binding protein 2/HMGCR/SQLE/lanosterol synthase pathways, thus disturbing the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. The findings of this research can contribute to a better understanding of the key role of SQLE as a potential target in drug-induced hepatotoxicity and provide a therapeutic strategy for the prevention of drug toxic effects with similar structures in the future.

Acetyl-CoA: An interplay between metabolism and epigenetics in cancer

Due to its high mortality and severe economic burden, cancer has become one of the most difficult medical problems to solve today. As a key node in metabolism and the main producer of energy, acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) plays an important role in the invasion and migration of cancer. In this review, we discuss metabolic pathways involving acetyl-CoA, the targeted therapy of cancer through acetyl-CoA metabolic pathways and the roles of epigenetic modifications in cancer. In particular, we emphasize that the metabolic pathway of acetyl-CoA exerts a great impact in cancer; this process is very different from normal cells due to the "Warburg effect". The concentration of acetyl-CoA is increased in the mitochondria of cancer cells to provide ATP for survival, hindering the growth of normal cells. Therefore, it may be possible to explore new feasible and more effective treatments through the acetyl-CoA metabolic pathway. In addition, a growing number of studies have shown that abnormal epigenetic modifications have been shown to play contributing roles in cancer formation and development. In most cancers, acetyl-CoA mediated acetylation promotes the growth of cancer cells. Thus, acetylation biomarkers can also be detected and serve as potential cancer prediction and prognostic markers.

Recent Advances in the Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Carbon Nanomaterials for the Removal of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: A Review

The large-scale production and frequent use of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have led to the continuous release and wide distribution of these pollutions in the natural environment. At low levels, EDC exposure may cause metabolic disorders, sexual development, and reproductive disorders in aquatic animals and humans. Adsorption treatment, particularly using nanocomposites, may represent a promising and sustainable method for EDC removal from wastewater. EDCs could be effectively removed from wastewater using various carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanofiber, carbon nanotubes, graphene, magnetic carbon nanomaterials, carbon membranes, carbon dots, carbon sponges, etc. Important applications of carbon nanocomposites for the removal of different kinds of EDCs and the theory of adsorption are discussed, as well as recent advances in carbon nanocomposite synthesis technology and characterization technology. Furthermore, the factors affecting the use of carbon nanocomposites and comparisons with other adsorbents for EDC removal are reviewed. This review is significant because it helps to promote the development of nanocomposites for the decontamination of wastewater.

Comprehensive analysis of fatty acid and lactate metabolism–related genes for prognosis value, immune infiltration, and therapy in osteosarcoma patients

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent bone tumor. Notwithstanding that significant medical progress has been achieved in recent years, the 5-year overall survival of osteosarcoma patients is inferior. Regulation of fatty acids and lactate plays an essential role in cancer metabolism. Therefore, our study aimed to comprehensively assess the fatty acid and lactate metabolism pattern and construct a fatty acid and lactate metabolism–related risk score system to predict prognosis in osteosarcoma patients. Clinical data and RNA expression data were downloaded from the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. We used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox regression analyses to construct a prognostic risk score model. Relationships between the risk score model and age, gender, tumor microenvironment characteristics, and drug sensitivity were also explored by correlation analysis. We determined the expression levels of prognostic genes in osteosarcoma cells via Western blotting. We developed an unknown fatty acid and lactate metabolism–related risk score system based on three fatty acid and lactate metabolism–related genes (SLC7A7, MYC, and ACSS2). Survival analysis showed that osteosarcoma patients in the low-risk group were likely to have a better survival time than those in the high-risk group. The area under the curve (AUC) value shows that our risk score model performs well in predicting prognosis. Elevated fatty acids and lactate risk scores weaken immune function and the environment of the body, which causes osteosarcoma patients’ poor survival outcomes. In general, the constructed fatty acid and lactate metabolism–related risk score model can offer essential insights into subsequent mechanisms in available research. In addition, our study may provide rational treatment strategies for clinicians based on immune correlation analysis and drug sensitivity in the future.

Acetyl-CoA synthetase 2(ACSS2): a review with a focus on metabolism and tumor development

Acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), an important member of the acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACSS) family, can catalyze the conversion of acetate to acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). Currently, acetyl-CoA is considered an important intermediate metabolite in the metabolism of energy substrates. In addition, nutrients converge through acetyl-CoA into a common metabolic pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Not only does ACSS2 play a crucial role in material energy metabolism, it is also involved in the regulation of various acetylation processes, such as regulation of histone and transcription factor acetylation. ACSS2-mediated regulation of acetylation is related to substance metabolism and tumorigenesis. In mammalian cells, ACSS2 utilizes intracellular acetate to synthesize acetyl-CoA, a step in the process of DNA and histone acetylation. In addition, studies in tumors have shown that cancer cells adapt to the growth conditions in the tumor microenvironment (TME) by activating or increasing the expression level of ACSS2 under metabolic stress. Therefore, this review mainly outlines the role of ACSS2 in substance metabolism and tumors and provides insights useful for investigating ACSS2 as a therapeutic target.

Acetyl-CoA Synthetase 2 as a Therapeutic Target in Tumor Metabolism

Simple Summary

Acetyl-CoA Synthetase 2 (ACSS2) is highly expressed in a variety of tumors, which is very important for tumor growth, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in the nutritional stress microenvironment. Studies have proven that ACSS2 inhibitors can be effective in halting cancer growth and can be combined with other antineoplastic drugs to reduce drug resistance. This article mainly reviews the mechanism of ACSS2-promoting tumor growth from many aspects and the prospect of clinical application of targeted inhibitors.

Abstract

Acetyl-CoA Synthetase 2 (ACSS2) belongs to a member of the acyl-CoA short-chain synthase family, which can convert acetate in the cytoplasm and nucleus into acetyl-CoA. It has been proven that ACSS2 is highly expressed in glioblastoma, breast cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, renal cancer, and other tumors, and is closely related to tumor stage and the overall survival rate of patients. Accumulating studies show that hypoxia and a low serum level induce ACSS2 expression to help tumor cells cope with this nutrient-poor environment. The potential mechanisms are associated with the ability of ACSS2 to promote the synthesis of lipids in the cytoplasm, induce the acetylation of histones in the nucleus, and facilitate the expression of autophagy genes. Novel-specific inhibitors of ACSS2 are developed and confirmed to the effectiveness in pre-clinical tumor models. Targeting ACSS2 may provide novel approaches for tumor treatment. This review summarizes the biological function of ACSS2, its relation to survival and prognosis in different tumors, and how ACSS2 mediates different pathways to promote tumor metastasis, invasion, and drug resistance.

Quantification and health risk assessment of lead and cadmium in wheat, rice, and their processed products from Peru

In Peru, rice grains, wheat, and their processed products are accessible due to their low cost; however, their sale does not have quality certification, so their safety is not guaranteed. This study quantified lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) by voltammetry in 16 samples of grains and processed products from four markets in Arequipa (Altiplano, Andrés Avelino Cáceres, Los Incas, and San Camilo) and evaluated their potential health risk. The maximum concentrations of Pb in rice, wheat, and their processed products were 4.821 mg/kg, 7.962 mg/kg, 4.717 mg/kg, and 6.440 mg/kg, respectively; only seven samples showed Cd. All samples exceeded the maximum level (ML) for Pb, and four samples exceeded the ML for Cd established by the Codex Alimentarius (0.200 mg/kg); the rice product had the highest concentration of Pb and Cd. In relation to the estimation of potential health risk, the estimated daily intake (EDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), and target cancer risk (TR), showed that the consumption of all processed rice and wheat products (except Andrés Avelino Cáceres rice and San Camilo wheat) represent a health threat associated with an increased probability of cancer development.

N6-methyladenosine-mediated downregulation of miR-374c-5p promotes cadmium-induced cell proliferation and metastasis by targeting GRM3 in breast cancer cells

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that can facilitate the development and progression of breast cancer (BC). Emerging evidence has indicated that the progression of Cd-exposed BC is related to the dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs). The purpose of our study was to investigate the expression pattern and underlying mechanisms of miR-374c-5p in Cd-mediated BC progression. In this study, T-47D cells and MCF-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of Cd (0.1, 1 and 10 μM) for 72 h. MiR-374c-5p expression was downregulated, and transfection of miR-374c-5p mimics significantly decreased BC cell proliferation, migration and invasion induced by 10 μM Cd. Importantly, we used the Cytoscape software plugin cytoHubba to analyse the intersected genes between our RNA-Seq results and the mirDIP database, and six hub genes (CNR1, CXCR4, GRM3, RTN1, SLC1A6 and ZEB1) were identified as potential direct targets of miR-374c-5p in our model; however, luciferase reporter assays indicated that miR-374c-5p only repressed GRM3 by directly binding to its 3'-untranslated region (UTR). Of note, we verified that suppression of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification led to miR-374c-5p downregulation by decreasing its RNA transcript stability. Together, these findings demonstrated that m6A modification of pri-miRNA-374c blocks miRNA-374c-5p maturation and then activates GRM3 expression, which drives BC cell metastasis after Cd exposure.