Silencing of PRR11 suppresses cell proliferation and induces autophagy in NSCLC cells

RNA-sequencing transcriptomic analysis of scrapie-exposed ovine mesenchymal stem cells

In neurodegenerative diseases, including prion diseases, cellular models arise as useful tools to study the pathogenic mechanisms occurring in these diseases and to assess the efficacy of potential therapeutic compounds. In the present study, a RNA-sequencing analysis of bone marrow-derived ovine mesenchymal stem cells (oBM-MSCs) exposed to scrapie brain homogenate was performed to try to unravel genes and pathways potentially involved in prion diseases and MSC response mechanisms to prions. The oBM-MSCs were cultured in three different conditions (inoculated with brain homogenate of scrapie-infected sheep, with brain homogenate of healthy sheep and in standard growth conditions without inoculum) that were analysed at two exposure times: 2 and 4 days post-inoculation (dpi). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in scrapie-treated oBM-MSCs were found in the two exposure times finding the higher number at 2 dpi, which coincided with the inoculum removal time. Pathways enriched in DEGs were related to biological functions involved in prion toxicity and MSC response to the inflammatory environment of scrapie brain homogenate. Moreover, RNA-sequencing analysis was validated amplifying by RT-qPCR a set of 11 DEGs with functions related with prion propagation and its associated toxicity. Seven of these genes displayed significant expression changes in scrapie-treated cells. These results contribute to the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms behind the early toxicity observed in these cells after prion exposure and to elucidate the response of MSCs to neuroinflammation.

The Role of Inhaled Chitosan-Based Nanoparticles in Lung Cancer Therapy

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, largely due to the limited efficacy of anticancer drugs, which is primarily attributed to insufficient doses reaching the lungs. Additionally, patients undergoing treatment experience severe systemic adverse effects due to the distribution of anticancer drugs to non-targeted sites. In light of these challenges, there has been a growing interest in pulmonary administration of drugs for the treatment of lung cancer. This route allows drugs to be delivered directly to the lungs, resulting in high local concentrations that can enhance antitumor efficacy while mitigating systemic toxic effects. However, pulmonary administration poses the challenge of overcoming the mechanical, chemical, and immunological defenses of the respiratory tract that prevent the inhaled drug from properly penetrating the lungs. To overcome these drawbacks, the use of nanoparticles in inhaler formulations may be a promising strategy. Nanoparticles can assist in minimizing drug clearance, increasing penetration into the lung epithelium, and enhancing cellular uptake. They can also facilitate increased drug stability, promote controlled drug release, and delivery to target sites, such as the tumor environment. Among them, chitosan-based nanoparticles demonstrate advantages over other polymeric nanocarriers due to their unique biological properties, including antitumor activity and mucoadhesive capacity. These properties have the potential to enhance the efficacy of the drug when administered via the pulmonary route. In view of the above, this paper provides an overview of the research conducted on the delivery of anticancer drug-loaded chitosan-based nanoparticles incorporated into inhaled drug delivery devices for the treatment of lung cancer. Furthermore, the article addresses the use of emerging technologies, such as siRNA (small interfering RNA), in the context of lung cancer therapy. Particularly, recent studies employing chitosan-based nanoparticles for siRNA delivery via the pulmonary route are described.

A targetable PRR11-DHODH axis drives ferroptosis- and temozolomide-resistance in glioblastoma

Temozolomide (TMZ) is a widely utilized chemotherapy treatment for patients with glioblastoma (GBM), although drug resistance constitutes a major therapeutic hurdle. Emerging evidence suggests that ferroptosis-mediated therapy could offer an appropriate alternative treatment option against cancer cells that are resistant to certain drugs. However, recurrent gliomas display robust ferroptosis resistance, although the precise mechanism of resistance remains elusive. In the present work, we report that proline rich protein 11 (PRR11) depletion significantly sensitizes GBM cells to TMZ by inducing ferroptosis. Mechanistically, PRR11 directly binds to and stabilizes dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), which leads to glioma ferroptosis-resistant in a DHODH-dependent manner in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, PRR11 inhibits HERC4 and DHODH binding, by suppressing the recruitment of E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC4 and polyubiquitination degradation of DHODH at the K306 site, which maintains DHODH protein stability. Importantly, downregulated PRR11 increases lipid peroxidation and alters DHODH-mediated mitochondrial morphology, thereby promoting ferroptosis and increasing TMZ chemotherapy sensitivity. In conclusion, our results reveal a mechanism via which PRR11 drives ferroptosis resistance and identifies ferroptosis induction and TMZ as an attractive combined therapeutic strategy for GBM.

PUMC-MB1 is a novel group 3 medulloblastoma preclinical model, sensitive to PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor

PURPOSE

Medulloblastoma (MB), a common and heterogeneous posterior fossa tumor in pediatric patients, presents diverse prognostic outcomes. To advance our understanding of MB's intricate biology, the development of novel patient tumor-derived culture MB models with necessary data is still an essential requirement.

METHODS

We continuously passaged PUMC-MB1 in vitro in order to establish a continuous cell line. We examined the in vitro growth using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and in vivo growth with subcutaneous and intracranial xenograft models. The xenografts were investigated histopathologically with Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Concurrently, we explored its molecular features using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), targeted sequencing, and RNA sequecing. Guided by bioinformatics analysis, we validated PUMC-MB1's drug sensitivity in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

PUMC-MB1, derived from a high-risk MB patient, displayed a population doubling time (PDT) of 48.18 h and achieved 100% tumor growth in SCID mice within 20 days. HE and Immunohistochemical examination of the original tumor and xenografts confirmed the classification of PUMC-MB1 as a classic MB. Genomic analysis via WGS revealed concurrent MYC and OTX2 amplifications. The RNA-seq data classified it within the Group 3 MB subgroup, while according to the WHO classification, it fell under the Non-WNT/Non-SHH MB. Comparative analysis with D283 and D341med identified 4065 differentially expressed genes, with notable enrichment in the PI3K-AKT pathway. Cisplatin, 4-hydroperoxy cyclophosphamide/cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dactolisib (a selective PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor) significantly inhibited PUMC-MB1 proliferation in vitro and in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

PUMC-MB1, a novel Group 3 (Non-WNT/Non-SHH) MB cell line, is comprehensively characterized for its growth, pathology, and molecular characteristics. Notably, dactolisib demonstrated potent anti-proliferative effects with minimal toxicity, promising a potential therapeutic avenue. PUMC-MB1 could serve as a valuable tool for unraveling MB mechanisms and innovative treatment strategies.

The molecular mechanisms of various long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in human lung tumors: Shedding light on the molecular mechanisms

Although it is still mostly incomplete, unraveling the gene expression networks controlling the initiation and progression of cancer is crucial. The rapid identification and characterization of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is made possible by advancements in computational biology and RNA-seq technology. According to recent research, lncRNAs are involved in several stages in the genesis of lung cancer. These lncRNAs interact with DNA, RNA, protein molecules, and/or their combinations. They play a crucial role in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, as well as chromatin architecture. Their misexpression gives cancer cells the ability to start, grow, and spread tumors. This review will focus on their abnormal expression and function in lung cancer, as well as their involvement in cancer therapy and diagnosis.

Comprehensive analysis of co-expressed genes with TDP-43: prognostic and therapeutic potential in lung adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Transactivating DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is intimately associated with tumorigenesis and progression by regulating mRNA splicing, transport, stability, and non-coding RNA molecules. The exact role of TDP-43 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not yet been fully elucidated, despite extensive research on its function in various cancer types. An imperative aspect of comprehending the underlying biological characteristics associated with TDP-43 involves investigating the genes that are co-expressed with this protein. This study assesses the prognostic significance of these co-expressed genes in LUAD and subsequently explores potential therapeutic strategies based on these findings.

METHODS

Transcriptomic and clinical data pertaining to LUAD were retrieved from open-access databases to establish an association between mRNA expression profiles and the presence of TDP-43. A risk-prognosis model was developed to compare patient survival rates across various groups, and its accuracy was also assessed. Additionally, differences in tumor stemness, mutational profiles, tumor microenvironment (TME) characteristics, immune checkpoints, and immune cell infiltration were analyzed in the different groups. Moreover, the study entailed predicting the potential response to immunotherapy as well as the sensitivity to commonly employed chemotherapeutic agents and targeted drugs for each distinct group.

RESULTS

The TDP-43 Co-expressed Gene Risk Score (TCGRS) model was constructed utilizing four genes: Kinesin Family Member 20A (KIF20A), WD Repeat Domain 4 (WDR4), Proline Rich 11 (PRR11), and Glia Maturation Factor Gamma (GMFG). The value of this model in predicting LUAD patient survival is effectively illustrated by both the Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that the high TCGRS group was primarily enriched in biological pathways and functions linked to DNA replication and cell cycle; the low TCGRS group showed primary enrichment in immune-related pathways and functions. The high and low TCGRS groups showed differences in tumor stemness, mutational burden, TME, immune infiltration level, and immune checkpoints. The predictions analysis of immunotherapy indicates that the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) score (p < 0.001) and non-response rate (74% vs. 51%, p < 0.001) in the high TCGRS group are higher than those in the low TCGRS group. The Immune Phenotype Score (IPS) in the high TCGRS group is lower than in the low TCGRS group (p < 0.001). The drug sensitivity analysis revealed that the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for cisplatin, docetaxel, doxorubicin, etoposide, gemcitabine, paclitaxel, vincristine, erlotinib, and gefitinib (all p < 0.01) in the high TCGRS group are lower than those in the low TCGRS group.

CONCLUSIONS

The TCGRS derived from the model exhibits a reliable biomarker for evaluating both prognosis and treatment effectiveness among patients with LUAD. This study is anticipated to offer valuable insights into developing effective treatment strategies for this patient population. It is believed that this study is anticipated to contribute significantly to clinical diagnostics, the development of therapeutic drugs, and the enhancement of patient care.

PRR11 is a prognostic biomarker and correlates with immune infiltrates in bladder urothelial carcinoma

Abnormal proline-rich protein 11 (PRR11) expression is associated with various tumors. However, there are few reports concerning PRR11 with prognostic risk, immune infiltration, or immunotherapy of bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA). This study is based on online databases, such as Oncomine, GEPIA, HPA, LinkedOmics, TIMER, ESTIMATE and TISIDB, and BLCA data downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus, we employed an array of bioinformatics methods to explore the potential oncogenic roles of PRR11, including analyzing the relationship between PRR11 and prognosis, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability, and immune cell infiltration in BLCA. The results depict that PRR11 is highly expressed in BLCA, and BLCA patients with higher PRR11 expression have worse outcomes. In addition, there was a significant correlation between PRR11 expression and TMB and tumor immune infiltration. These findings suggest that PRR11 can be used as a potential marker for BLCA patient assessment and risk stratification to improve clinical prognosis, and its potential regulatory mechanism in the BLCA tumor microenvironment and targeted therapy is worthy of further investigation.

Proline-rich 11 (PRR11) promotes the progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma by activating the EGFR signaling pathway

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most common skin malignancies, and its incidence rate is increasing worldwide. Proline-rich 11 (PRR11) has been reported to be involved in the occurrence and development of various tumors. However, the role of PRR11 in cSCC remains unknown. In the present study, we observed upregulated expression of PRR11 in cSCC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of PRR11 in the cSCC cell lines A431 and SCL-1 inhibited cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest during the G1/S phase transition, promoted cell apoptosis, and reduced cell migration and invasion in vitro. Conversely, overexpression of PRR11 promoted cell proliferation, decreased cell apoptosis, and enhanced cell migration and invasion. PRR11 knockdown also inhibited cSCC tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model. Mechanistic investigations by RNA sequencing revealed that 891 genes were differentially expressed genes between cells with PRR11 knockdown and control cells. Enrichment analysis of different genes showed that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway was the top enriched pathway. We further validated that PRR11 induced EGFR pathway activity, which contributed to cSCC progression. These data suggest that PRR11 may serve as a novel therapeutic target in cSCC.

SKA2-mediated transcriptional downregulation of the key enzyme of CoQ10 biosynthesis PDSS2 in lung cancer cells

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. SKA2 is a novel cancer-associated gene that plays critical roles in both cell cycle and tumorigenesis including lung cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its implication in lung cancer remains elusive. In this study, we first analyzed the gene expression profiling after SKA2 knockdown, and identified several candidate downstream target genes of SKA2, including PDSS2, the first key enzyme in CoQ10 biosynthesis pathway. Further experiments verified that SKA2 remarkably repressed PDSS2 gene expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Luciferase reporter assay showed that SKA2 repressed PDSS2 promoter activity through its Sp1-binding sites. Co-immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that SKA2 associated with Sp1. Functional analysis revealed that PDSS2 remarkably suppressed lung cancer cell growth and motility. Furthermore, SKA2-induced malignant features can be also significantly attenuated by PDSS2 overexpression. However, CoQ10 treatment showed no obvious effects on lung cancer cell growth and motility. Of note, PDSS2 mutants with no catalytic activity exhibited comparable inhibitory effects on the malignant features of lung cancer cells and could also abrogate SKA2-promoted malignant phenotypes in lung cancer cells, highly suggesting a non-enzymatic tumor-suppressing activity of PDSS2 in lung cancer cells. The levels of PDSS2 expression were significantly decreased in lung cancer samples, and lung cancer patients with high expression of SKA2 and low expression of PDSS2 displayed remarkable poor prognosis. Collectively, our results demonstrated that PDSS2 is a novel downstream target gene of SKA2 in lung cancer cells, and the SKA2-PDSS2 transcriptional regulatory axis functionally contributes to human lung cancer cell malignant phenotypes and prognosis.

PRR11 in Malignancies: Biological Activities and Targeted Therapies

Proline rich 11 (PRR11), initially renowned for its relevance with cell-cycle progression, is a proline-rich protein coding gene in chromosome 17q22-23. Currently, accumulating studies have demonstrated that PRR11 plays a critical role in cellular proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, cell-cycle progression, apoptosis, autophagy and chemotherapy resistance via multiple signaling pathways and biological molecules in several solid tumors. In particular, PRR11 also serves as a promising prognostic indicator in a limited number of human cancers, gradually manifesting its potential application for targeted therapies. In this review, we summarize functional activities, related signaling pathways and biological molecules of PRR11 in various malignancies and generalize potential application of PRR11 for targeted therapies, thereby contributing to further exploration of PRR11 in cancer treatment.

Comprehensive machine-learning survival framework develops a consensus model in large-scale multicenter cohorts for pancreatic cancer

As the most aggressive tumor, the outcome of pancreatic cancer (PACA) has not improved observably over the last decade. Anatomy-based TNM staging does not exactly identify treatment-sensitive patients, and an ideal biomarker is urgently needed for precision medicine. Based on expression files of 1280 patients from 10 multicenter cohorts, we screened 32 consensus prognostic genes. Ten machine-learning algorithms were transformed into 76 combinations, of which we selected the optimal algorithm to construct an artificial intelligence-derived prognostic signature (AIDPS) according to the average C-index in the nine testing cohorts. The results of the training cohort, nine testing cohorts, Meta-Cohort, and three external validation cohorts (290 patients) consistently indicated that AIDPS could accurately predict the prognosis of PACA. After incorporating several vital clinicopathological features and 86 published signatures, AIDPS exhibited robust and dramatically superior predictive capability. Moreover, in other prevalent digestive system tumors, the nine-gene AIDPS could still accurately stratify the prognosis. Of note, our AIDPS had important clinical implications for PACA, and patients with low AIDPS owned a dismal prognosis, higher genomic alterations, and denser immune cell infiltrates as well as were more sensitive to immunotherapy. Meanwhile, the high AIDPS group possessed observably prolonged survival, and panobinostat may be a potential agent for patients with high AIDPS. Overall, our study provides an attractive tool to further guide the clinical management and individualized treatment of PACA.

PRR11 promotes cell proliferation by regulating PTTG1 through interacting with E2F1 transcription factor in pan-cancer

The upregulated proline rich 11 (PRR11) plays a critical role in cancer progression. The relevant biological functions of PRR11 in pan-cancer development are not well understood. In the current study, we found that PRR11 was upregulated in 19 cancer types compared with that of normal tissues and high-expressed PRR11 was a predictor of poor prognosis in 10 cancer types by bioinformatics. Then we showed that interfering PRR11 on three cancer cell lines could greatly inhibit cell proliferation and migration and arrest cells to S phase in vivo. Based on RNA-seq, downregulation of PRR11 expression could extremely suppress the expression of PTTG1 and the cell cycle pathway identified by a differentially expressed gene analysis and an enrichment analysis. The expression of PRR11 and PTTG1 was positively correlated in TCGA and independent GEO data sets. Importantly, we revealed that the PRR11 could express itself in the nucleus and interact with E2F1 on the PTTG1 promoter region to increase the expression of PTTG1. Further results indicated that the expression of PTTG1 was also associated with poor prognosis in 10 cancer types, while downregulation of PTTG1 expression could inhibit cancer cell proliferation and migration. Therefore, we found that PRR11 served as an oncogene in pan-cancer and could influence the cell cycle progression through regulating the expression of PTTG1 by interacting with the transcription factor E2F1.

PRR11 induces filopodia formation and promotes cell motility via recruiting ARP2/3 complex in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Filopodia, a finger-like structure and actin-rich plasma-membrane protrusion at the leading edge of the cell, has important roles in cell motility. However, the mechanisms of filopodia generation are not well-understood via the actin-related protein 2/3 (ARP2/3) complex in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) cells. We previously have demonstrated that PRR11 associates with the ARP2/3 complex to regulate cytoskeleton-nucleoskeleton assembly and chromatin remodeling. In this study, we further demonstrate that PRR11 involves in filopodia formation, focal adhesion turnover and cell motility through ARP2/3 complex. Cell phenotype assays revealed that the silencing of PRR11 increased cellular size and inhibited cell motility in NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, PRR11 recruited and co-localized with Arp2 at the membrane protrusion to promote filopodia formation but not lamellipodia formation. Notably, PRR11 mutant deletion of the proline-rich region 2 (amino acid residues 185–200) abrogated the effect of filopodia formation. In addition, PRR11-depletion inhibited filopodial actin filaments assembly and increased the level of active integrin β1 in the cell surface, whereas reduced the phosphorylation level of focal adhesion kinase (FAK^Y397) to repress focal adhesion turnover and cell motility in NSCLC cells. Taken together, our findings indicate that PRR11 has critical roles in controlling filopodia formation, focal adhesion turnover and cell motility by recruiting ARP2/3 complex, thus dysregualted expression of PRR11 potentially facilitates tumor metastasis in NSCLC cells.

PRR11 promotes ccRCC tumorigenesis by regulating E2F1 stability

Proline rich 11 (PRR11), a novel tumor-related gene, has been identified in different tumors. However, the relevant biological functions of PRR11 in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) have not been studied. In this study, we first identified PRR11 as a biomarker of ccRCC and predictor of poor prognosis by bioinformatics. Then, we showed that PRR11 silencing substantially reduced ccRCC cell proliferation and migration in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, we found that PRR11 induced the degradation of the E2F1 protein through its interaction with E2F1, and PRR11 reduced the stability of the E2F1 protein in ccRCC cells, thereby affecting cell cycle progression. Further results indicated that the downregulation of E2F1 expression partially reversed the changes in ccRCC cell biology caused by PRR11 deletion. In addition, we showed that PRR11 was a target gene of c-Myc. The transcription factor c-Myc may have promoted the expression of PRR11 in ccRCC cells by binding to the PRR11 promoter region, thereby accelerating the progression of ccRCC. In summary, we found that PRR11 served as an oncogene in ccRCC, and PRR11 reduced the protein stability of E2F1 and could be activated by c-Myc.

LncRNA CCDC26 Interacts with CELF2 Protein to Enhance Myeloid Leukemia Cell Proliferation and Invasion via the circRNA_ANKIB1/miR-195-5p/PRR11 Axis

LncRNA CCDC26 is aberrantly expressed in myeloid leukemia (ML) and promotes myeloid leukemia progression, but the potential mechanism of CCDC26 in regulating ML progression is unclear. In this study, we observed that lncRNA CCDC26 was upregulated in both chronic and acute ML cell lines. LncRNA CCDC26 promoted the proliferation and invasion of K562 and HL-60 cells, which was determined by cell counting kit-8 test and Transwell invasion assay. Flow cytometry showed that lncRNA CCDC26 inhibited cell apoptosis. Bioinformatics and expression correlation analyses revealed that there was a potential interaction between CCDC26 and CUGBP Elav-like family member 2 (CELF2) protein, an RNA bind protein (RBP). Then the relationship between CCDC26 and the RBP CELF2 was identified by using RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation (RNA-IP) assays. Further analysis showed that overexpression of CCDC26 could noticeably upregulate circRNA_ANKIB1 expression via sponging CELF2. Subsequently, we found that overexpressed circRNA_ANKIB1 could significantly promote proline rich 11 (PRR11) protein expression by sponging miR-195a-5p. Moreover, PRR11 was also upregulated by CCDC26 and downregulated by CELF2. Mechanically, we uncovered that the miR-195a-5p inhibitor activated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathways through upregulating PRR11 protein expression. Furthermore, the inhibitors of AKT, p65-NF-κB, or Bcl-2 could inhibit the effect of the miR-195a-5p inhibitor on ML cell behaviors. In conclusion, lncRNA CCDC26 could upregulate PRR11 protein expression by sponging miR-195a-5p, thereby activating the PI3K/AKT and NF-κB pathways to enhance ML cell proliferation and invasion and suppress cell apoptosis.

Causal network perturbations for instance-specific analysis of single cell and disease samples

MOTIVATION

Complex diseases involve perturbation in multiple pathways and a major challenge in clinical genomics is characterizing pathway perturbations in individual samples. This can lead to patient-specific identification of the underlying mechanism of disease thereby improving diagnosis and personalizing treatment. Existing methods rely on external databases to quantify pathway activity scores. This ignores the data dependencies and that pathways are incomplete or condition-specific.

RESULTS

ssNPA is a new approach for subtyping samples based on deregulation of their gene networks. ssNPA learns a causal graph directly from control data. Sample-specific network neighborhood deregulation is quantified via the error incurred in predicting the expression of each gene from its Markov blanket. We evaluate the performance of ssNPA on liver development single-cell RNA-seq data, where the correct cell timing is recovered; and two TCGA datasets, where ssNPA patient clusters have significant survival differences. In all analyses ssNPA consistently outperforms alternative methods, highlighting the advantage of network-based approaches.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION

http://www.benoslab.pitt.edu/Software/ssnpa/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

LncRNA KTN1-AS1 promotes the progression of non-small cell lung cancer via sponging of miR-130a-5p and activation of PDPK1

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the major cause of cancer-associated death worldwide, but its underlying mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are known to play an important role in the aberrant regulation of gene expression in many cancers, including NSCLC. Here, we investigated the involvement of the lncRNA KTN1-AS1 in NSCLC. We found that KTN1-AS1 expression was upregulated in NSCLC tissue and was positively associated with poor prognosis. KTN1-AS1 knockdown inhibited cell growth and proliferation, increased apoptosis, and modulated the expression of cell cycle- and apoptosis-related proteins (cyclin A1, cyclin-dependent kinase 2, Bcl2, and Bax) in NSCLC cell lines and tumour xenografts in nude mice. KTN1-AS1 bound to and directly regulated the expression of miR-130a-5p. Notably, miR-130a-5p overexpression suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in vitro and in vivo, and this effect was reversed by KTN1-AS1 overexpression. Finally, we showed that KTN1-AS1 modulated the expression of 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDPK1), a miR-130a-5p target and key regulator of autophagy in NSCLC cells. Taken together, our results suggest that the KTN1-AS1/miR-130a-5p/PDPK1 pathway may be a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.

PRR11 and SKA2 promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal carcinoma cells

Proline-rich protein 11 (PRR11) together with its upstream adjacent gene, spindle and kinetochore associated 2 (SKA2), represent a classic, head-to-head gene pair. The role of the PRR11 and SKA2 gene pair has been described in various types of cancer, including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and ovarian carcinoma. However, its role in esophageal carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. The mRNA expression levels of PRR11 and SKA2 were examined in ESCC surgical specimens. In addition, the role of PRR11 and SKA2 in the proliferation and migratory and invasive capacities of EC9706 and EC109 cell lines was examined. The results from the present study demonstrated that PRR11 and SKA2 expression levels were upregulated in ESCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, PRRl1 and SKA2 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation and migratory and invasive capacities of ESCC cells. Conversely, PRRl1 and SKA2 overexpression significantly promoted the proliferation and migratory and invasive capacities of ESCC cell lines via activation of the AKT signaling pathway and certain markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, including Snail and N-cadherin. The results from the present study suggested that the PRR11 and SKA2 gene pair may represent a potential target in the diagnosis and treatment of ESCC.

MiR-503-5p functions as an oncogene in oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting Smad7

BACKGROND

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common oral malignancy. Previous studies indicated that the level of miR-503-5p was upregulated in OSCC tissues. However, the mechanism by which miR-503-5p regulates the proliferation and invasion of OSCC cells remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of miR-503-5p during the progression of OSCC.

METHODS

The level of miR-503-5p in Tca8113 cells was detected using RT-qPCR assay. In addition, CCK-8, transwell assays and flow cytometry assays were conducted to detect cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis, respectively. Meanwhile, the dual luciferase reporter assay was applied to explore the interaction between miR-503-5p and Smad7 in Tca8113 cells.

RESULTS

Overexpression of miR-503-5p significantly promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of Tca8113 cells, while downregulation of miR-503-5p markedly inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of cells. In addition, knockdown of miR-503-5p obviously induced the apoptosis of Tca8113 cells via increasing the levels of Bax and cleaved caspase 3, and decreased the expression of Bcl-2. Moreover, SMAD family member 7 (Smad7) was identified as a direct binding target of miR-503-5p in Tca8113 cells. Overexpression of miR-503-5p significantly downregulated the levels of Smad7 and E-cadherin, but upregulated the levels of N-cadherin and MMP-9 in Tca8113 cells.

CONCLUSION

These results indicated that miR-503-5p might act as an oncogene in OSCC cells by targeting Smad7. Therefore, miR-503-5p might act as a novel and potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OSCC.

Downregulation of USP34 Inhibits the Growth and Migration of Pancreatic Cancer Cells via Inhibiting the PRR11

Background

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly lethal malignancy worldwide. Our previous study indicated that overexpression of USP34 could promote tumor growth in PC cells. Therefore, this study aimed to further investigate the role of USP34 during the tumorigenesis of PC.

Methods

The level of USP34 in PANC-1 and MiaPaCa-2 cells transfected with USP34-shRNAs was detected by RT-qPCR. Moreover, transwell migration and Annexin V/PI analysis were conducted to detect cell migration and apoptosis, respectively.

Results

In this study, downregulation of USP34 markedly inhibited proliferation and migration, and induced apoptosis in PANC-1 cells. Moreover, silencing of USP34 obviously downregulated the levels of PRR11 and p-p38 in PANC-1 cells. An in vivo study in nude mice bearing PANC-1 cell xenografts confirmed these results.

Conclusion

Downregulation of USP34 could inhibit proliferation and migration in PANC-1 cells via inhibiting PRR11, and inactivating p38 MAPK signaling. Therefore, USP34 might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of PC.

Weighted gene co-expression network analysis to explore the mechanism of heroin addiction in human nucleus accumbens

Heroin dependence is a complex behavioral disease, and a chronic encephalopathy with the important feature of relapse. The purpose of the study was to identify the regulatory mechanism of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in heroin dependence. We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to analyze the GSE87823 data package, which included 27 heroin users and 22 controls of human NAc tissue. Modules were correlated with basic information of samples and enrichment analyses used to identify biological function and transcription factors and online tools were used to perform the gene ontology of significant genes. We identified one gene module from the total data (blue) and the male data (turquoise), respectively. The overlap genes of top 10 hub genes in significant modules (PRR11, SLC35E1, LPP, ZNF721, ZNF611, LRRFIP1) were selected to identify as candidate genes in the regulation mechanism of NAc in heroin dependence. Then, we accorded the results to further explore that miRNA-hsa-miR-155-5p in male and total may be a potential marker. The candidate genes may serve as novel prognostic markers and treatment targets. Hsa-miR-155-5p may be a promising regulatory point for the treatment of heroin addiction.

PRR11 and SKA2 gene pair is overexpressed and regulated by p53 in breast cancer

Our previous study found that two novel cancer-related genes, PRR11 and SKA2, constituted a classic gene pair that was regulated by p53 and NF-Y in lung cancer. However, their role and regulatory mechanism in breast cancer remain elusive. In this study, we found that the expression levels of PRR11 and SKA2 were upregulated and have a negative prognotic value in breast cancer. Loss-of-function experiments showed that RNAi-mediated knockdown of PRR11 and/or SKA2 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Mechanistic experiments revealed that knockdown of PRR11 and/or SKA2 caused dysregulation of several downstream genes, including CDK6, TPM3, and USP12, etc. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that wild type p53 significantly repressed the PRR11-SKA2 bidirectional promoter activity, but not NF-Y. Interestingly, NF-Y was only essential for and correlated with the expression of PRR11, but not SKA2. Consistently, adriamycin-induced (ADR) activation of endogenous p53 also caused significant repression of the PRR11 and SKA2 gene pair expression. Notably, breast cancer patients with lower expression levels of either PRR11 or SKA2, along with wild type p53, exhibited better disease-free survival compared to others with p53 mutations and/or higher expression levels of either PRR11 or SKA2. Collectively, our study indicates that the PRR11 and SKA2 transcription unit might be an oncogenic contributor and might serve as a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Allicin attenuates pathological cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting autophagy via activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK/ERK/mTOR signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Cardiac hypertrophy is an adaptive response of the myocardium to pressure or volume overload. Recent evidences indicate that allicin can prevent cardiac hypertrophy. However, it is not clear whether allicin alleviates cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting autophagy.

PURPOSE

We aimed to investigate the effects of allicin on pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy, and further to clarify the related mechanism.

STUDY DESIGN/METHODS

Cardiac hypertrophy was successfully established by abdominal aortic constriction (AAC) in rats, and cardiomyocytes hypertrophy was simulated by angiotensin II (Ang II) in vitro. Hemodynamic parameters were monitored by organism function experiment system in vivo. The changes of cell surface area were observed using HE and immunofluorescence staining in vivoand in vitro, respectively. The expressions of cardiac hypertrophy relative protein (BNP and β-MHC), autophagy marker protein (LC3-II and Beclin-1), Akt, PI3K and ERK were detected by western blot.

RESULTS

Allicin could improve cardiac function, and reduce cardiomyocytes size, and decrease BNP and β-MHC protein expressions. Further results showed that allicin could lower LC3-II and Beclin-1 protein expressions both in vivo and in vitro experiments. And pharmacological inhibitor of mTOR, rapamycin could antagonize the effects of allicin on Ang II-induced cardiac hypertrophy and autophagy. Simultaneously, allicin could promote the expressions of p-Akt, p-PI3K and p-ERK protein.

CONCLUSION

These findings reveal a novel mechanism of allicin attenuating cardiac hypertrophy which allicin could inhibit excessive autophagy via activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK/ERK/mTOR signaling pathways.