Chenodeoxycholic acid inhibits lung adenocarcinoma progression via the integrin α5β1/FAK/p53 signaling pathway

Combating anoikis resistance: bioactive compounds transforming prostate cancer therapy

The study aims to discuss the challenges associated with treating prostate cancer (PCa), which is known for its complexity and drug resistance. It attempts to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs), such as those linked to anoikis resistance and circulating tumor cells, in PCa samples. This study involves analyzing the functional roles of these DEGs using gene enrichment analysis, and then screening of 102 bioactive compounds to identify a combination that can control the expression of the identified DEGs. In this study, 53 DEGs were identified from PCa samples including anoikis-resistant PCa cells and circulating tumor cells in PCa. Gene enrichment analysis with regards to functional enrichment of DEGs was performed. An inclusive screening process was carried out among 102 bioactive compounds to identify a combination capable of affecting and regulating the expression of selected DEGs. Eventually, gastrodin, nitidine chloride, chenodeoxycholic acid, and bilobalide were selected, as their combination demonstrated ability to modulate expression of 50 out of the 53 genes targeted. The subsequent analysis focused on investigating the biological pathways and processes influenced by this combination. The findings revealed a multifaceted and multidimensional approach to tumor regression. The combination of bioactive compounds exhibited effects on various genes including those related to production of inflammatory cytokines, cell proliferation, autophagy, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The current study has made a valuable contribution to the development of a combination of bioactive natural compounds that can significantly impede the development of treatment resistance in prostate tumor while countering the tumors' evasion of the immune system. The implications of this study are highly significant as it suggests the creation of an enhanced immunotherapeutic, natural therapeutic concoction with combinatorial potential.

The role of DGAT1 and DGAT2 in tumor progression via fatty acid metabolism: A comprehensive review

Fatty acid metabolism is a complex biochemical process, including the production, breakdown and application of fatty acids. Not only is it an important component of lipid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism is also connected to the energy metabolism pathways of cells and plays a vital role in maintaining the energy balance of organisms. Diacylglycerol-O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) and Diacylglycerol-O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) are key components in regulating lipid metabolism, which provide energy for cell proliferation and growth. Recent studies have shown that DGAT1 and DGAT2 influence tumor progression through fatty acid metabolism in cancer. Although DGAT1 and DGAT2 have similar names, they differ significantly in various aspects and play distinct roles in individual tumors. A comparative analysis of the physiological roles of these enzymes and their differential expressions in different types of tumors will enhance our understanding of their unique characteristics. This article summarizes the characteristics of tumor fatty acid metabolism and explains how DGAT1 and DGAT2 specifically promote tumor progression. In addition, this review discusses the potential of lipid-lowering drugs in tumor treatment, providing a new perspective on targeting fatty acid metabolism to inhibit tumor progression in the future, while emphasizing the importance of DGAT1 and DGAT2 as potential targets for tumor treatment.

Development of a prognostic model for lung adenocarcinoma polarity-related genes and analysis of immune landscape

Despite the progress made in the management of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the overall prognosis for LUAD individuals remains suboptimal. While the role of cell polarity in tumor invasion and metastasis is well established, its prognostic significance in LUAD is still unknown. Differential analysis was performed on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUAD and normal lung tissue, and candidate genes were identified by intersecting differentially expressed genes with polarity-related genes (PRGs). A prognostic model was constructed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression and LASSO regression. To enhance the robustness of the analysis, an independent prognostic analysis was conducted by incorporating relevant clinical information. The accuracy and sensitivity of the model were validated using survival analysis and ROC curves. Finally, immune landscape, immune therapy, tumor mutation burden, and drug sensitivity analysis were carried out on high- and low-risk patients. Ten prognostic genes were screened to divide LUAD patients into different risk groups. Survival analysis, ROC curves, and univariate/multivariate Cox regression analyses collectively demonstrated the favorable predictive performance of the model, which could be an independent prognostic factor. The nomogram, in conjunction with the calibration curve, demonstrated the model's compelling predictive capacity in prognosticating the overall survival of LUAD individuals. Low-risk LUAD patients exhibited heightened levels of immune cell infiltration, immune scores, and immune checkpoint expression compared to high-risk individuals. So, they may have a greater likelihood of benefiting from immune therapy. The high-risk group demonstrated a remarkably higher tumor mutation burden (TMB) in contrast with the low-risk group. XAV-939, Fulvestrant, and SR16157 may have potential value in the clinical use of LUAD. We revealed the potential linkage between PRGs and LUAD prognosis, and the application of these prognostic factors in risk stratification and prognosis prediction of LUAD patients may be of great significance.

Revealing a Novel Methylated Integrin Alpha-8 Related to Extracellular Matrix and Anoikis Resistance Using Proteomic Analysis in the Immune Microenvironment of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Genomic epigenetics of extracellular matrix (ECM) play an important role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Our study identified a signature of potential prognostic genes associated with ECM and constructed immune risk-related prognosis model in LUAD. We downloaded mRNAs transcriptome data, miRNAs expression data, and clinical patient information for LUAD based on The Cancer Genome Atlas. "Limma, clusterProfiler, ggplot2" R packages and GSEA were used to analyze meaningful genes and explore potential biological function. A competing endogenous RNA network was constructed to reveal the mechanism of ECM-related genes. Combined with clinical LUAD patients' characteristics, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to build prognostic immune risk model. Next, we calculated AUC value of ROC curve, and explored survival probability of different risk groups. A total of 2966 mRNAs were differently expressed in LUAD samples and normal samples. Function enrichment analyses proved mRNAs were associated with many tumor pathways, such as cell adhesion, vascular smooth muscle contraction, and cell cycle. There were 18 mRNAs related to ECM receptor signaling pathway, and 7 mRNAs expressions were correlated with EGFR expression, but only 5mRNAs were associated with the long-term prognosis. Based on Integrin alpha-8 (ITGA8) molecule, we identified potential 3 miRNAs from several databases. The promoter of ITGA8 was higher-methylated and lower-expressed in LUAD. And lower-expressed group has poor prognosis for patients. 66 immunomodulators related to ITGA8 were performed to construct immune correlation prediction model (p < 0.05). Comprehensive analyses of ITGA8 revealed it combined focal adhesion kinase to activate PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to influence the occurrence and development of LUAD. A novel immune prognostic model about ITGA8 was constructed and verified in LUAD patients. Combined with non-coding genes and genomic epigenetics, identification of potential biomarkers provided new light on therapeutic strategy for clinical patients.

Roles and inhibitors of FAK in cancer: current advances and future directions

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase that exhibits high expression in various tumors and is associated with a poor prognosis. FAK activation promotes tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis via both kinase-dependent and kinase-independent pathways. Moreover, FAK is crucial for sustaining the tumor microenvironment. The inhibition of FAK impedes tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance in cancer. Therefore, developing targeted inhibitors against FAK presents a promising therapeutic strategy. To date, numerous FAK inhibitors, including IN10018, defactinib, GSK2256098, conteltinib, and APG-2449, have been developed, which have demonstrated positive anti-tumor effects in preclinical studies and are undergoing clinical trials for several types of tumors. Moreover, many novel FAK inhibitors are currently in preclinical studies to advance targeted therapy for tumors with aberrantly activated FAK. The benefits of FAK degraders, especially in terms of their scaffold function, are increasingly evident, holding promising potential for future clinical exploration and breakthroughs. This review aims to clarify FAK's role in cancer, offering a comprehensive overview of the current status and future prospects of FAK-targeted therapy and combination approaches. The goal is to provide valuable insights for advancing anti-cancer treatment strategies.

The characteristics and the multiple functions of integrin β1 in human cancers

Integrins, which consist of two non-covalently linked α and β subunits, play a crucial role in cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. Among them, integrin β1 is the most common subunit and has emerged as a key mediator in cancer, influencing various aspects of cancer progression, including cell motility, adhesion, migration, proliferation, differentiation and chemotherapy resistance. However, given the complexity and sometimes contradictory characteristics, targeting integrin β1 for therapeutics has been a challenge. The emerging understanding of the mechanisms regulating by integrin β1 may guide the development of new strategies for anti-cancer therapy. In this review, we summarize the multiple functions of integrin β1 and signaling pathways which underlie the involvement of integrin β1 in several malignant cancers. Our review suggests the possibility of using integrin β1 as a therapeutic target and highlights the need for patient stratification based on expression of different integrin receptors in future clinical studies.

A predictive molecular signature consisting of lncRNAs associated with cellular senescence for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma

The role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been verified by more and more researches in recent years. However, there are few reports on cellular senescence-associated lncRNAs in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Therefore, to explore the prognostic effect of lncRNAs in LUAD, 279 cellular senescence-related genes, survival information and clinicopathologic parameters were derived from the CellAge database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then, we constructed a novel cellular senescence-associated lncRNAs predictive signature (CS-ALPS) consisting of 6 lncRNAS (AC026355.1, AL365181.2, AF131215.5, C20orf197, GAS6-AS1, GSEC). According to the median of the risk score, 480 samples were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups. Furthermore, the clinicopathological and biological functions, immune characteristics and common drug sensitivity were analyzed between two risk groups. In conclusion, the CS-ALPS can independently forecast the prognosis of LUAD, which reveals the potential molecular mechanism of cellular senescence-associated lncRNAs, and provides appropriate strategies for the clinical treatment of patients with LUAD.

Mechanism of Bile Acid-Induced Programmed Cell Death and Drug Discovery against Cancer: A Review

Bile acids are major signaling molecules that play a significant role as emulsifiers in the digestion and absorption of dietary lipids. Bile acids are amphiphilic molecules produced by the reaction of enzymes with cholesterol as a substrate, and they are the primary metabolites of cholesterol in the body. Bile acids were initially considered as tumor promoters, but many studies have deemed them to be tumor suppressors. The tumor-suppressive effect of bile acids is associated with programmed cell death. Moreover, based on this fact, several synthetic bile acid derivatives have also been used to induce programmed cell death in several types of human cancers. This review comprehensively summarizes the literature related to bile acid-induced programmed cell death, such as apoptosis, autophagy, and necroptosis, and the status of drug development using synthetic bile acid derivatives against human cancers. We hope that this review will provide a reference for the future research and development of drugs against cancer.