STK39 enhances the progression of Cholangiocarcinoma via PI3K/AKT pathway

COL10A1 Facilitates Prostate Cancer Progression by Interacting With INHBA to Activate the PI3K/AKT Pathway

Prostate cancer (PCa) constitutes a highly common and lethal disease that impacts males globally. However, the specific molecular pathways responsible for its development are still unknown. Therefore, revealing the molecular regulators that contributed to the progression of PCa is pivotal for developing unique management strategies. Through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis of multiple public gene databases, we thoroughly investigated COL10A1 expression level, clinical significance, co-expressed genes and signalling pathways in PCa. COL10A1 and INHBA expression level was assessed in clinical PCa specimens using RT-qPCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. A combination of experimental techniques, including CCK-8 assay, colony formation, flow cytometry, Transwell, wound-healing, immunoprecipitation assays and rescue study, was utilised to examine the fundamental molecular pathways of COL10A1's action across PCa. The COL10A1 expression was significantly elevated in PCa, and its upregulation has been connected with tumour aggressiveness and a weak predictive outcome in subjects. The current investigation revealed that regulation of COL10A1 expression, either by upregulation or downregulation, resulted in sequential augmentation or suppression of PCa cell progression, migration and invasion. Mechanistically, COL10A1 was manifested to directly interact with INHBA and facilitate PI3K and AKT phosphorylation pathways within PCa cells and mouse models. The results of our study offer new perspectives on the tumorigenic role of COL10A1 in PCa and its interactions with INHBA may play important roles in PCa progression.

Decreasing of serine/threonine kinase 39 has tumour inhibiting effects on acute myeloid leukaemia by impacting the PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin signalling cascades

Serine/threonine kinase 39 (STK39) has been identified as a key regulator of tumour progression. However, whether STK39 plays a role in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) remains undetermined. This work explored the expression and functions of STK39 in AML. STK39 was found to be overexpressed in AML and was negatively correlated with overall survival. Functionally, silencing STK39 inhibited cell proliferation, promoted cell differentiation and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The tumour inhibiting effects of STK39 downregulation were also verified by an in vivo xenograft tumour assay. Mechanistically, STK39 was closely related to the PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin signalling cascades in AML. Silencing of STK39 had suppressive effects on the PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin signalling cascades. The suppressive effect of STK39 silencing on the Wnt/β-catenin signalling cascade was significantly reversed when PI3K/AKT was reactivated. When β-catenin was re-expressed, the tumour-inhibiting effects caused by STK39 silencing were significantly eliminated. Therefore, STK39 plays a crucial role in AML and could be targeted for potential therapeutic purposes in treating AML.

Signaling pathways in liver cancer: pathogenesis and targeted therapy

Liver cancer remains one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide with high incidence and mortality rates. Due to its subtle onset, liver cancer is commonly diagnosed at a late stage when surgical interventions are no longer feasible. This situation highlights the critical role of systemic treatments, including targeted therapies, in bettering patient outcomes. Despite numerous studies on the mechanisms underlying liver cancer, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are the only widely used clinical inhibitors, represented by sorafenib, whose clinical application is greatly limited by the phenomenon of drug resistance. Here we show an in-depth discussion of the signaling pathways frequently implicated in liver cancer pathogenesis and the inhibitors targeting these pathways under investigation or already in use in the management of advanced liver cancer. We elucidate the oncogenic roles of these pathways in liver cancer especially hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as the current state of research on inhibitors respectively. Given that TKIs represent the sole class of targeted therapeutics for liver cancer employed in clinical practice, we have particularly focused on TKIs and the mechanisms of the commonly encountered phenomena of its resistance during HCC treatment. This necessitates the imperative development of innovative targeted strategies and the urgency of overcoming the existing limitations. This review endeavors to shed light on the utilization of targeted therapy in advanced liver cancer, with a vision to improve the unsatisfactory prognostic outlook for those patients.

The Ubiquitin-Proteasome System Participates in Sperm Surface Subproteome Remodeling during Boar Sperm Capacitation

Sperm capacitation is a complex process endowing biological and biochemical changes to a spermatozoon for a successful encounter with an oocyte. The present study focused on the role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in the remodeling of the sperm surface subproteome. The sperm surface subproteome from non-capacitated and in vitro capacitated (IVC) porcine spermatozoa, with and without proteasomal inhibition, was selectively isolated. The purified sperm surface subproteome was analyzed using high-resolution, quantitative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in four replicates. We identified 1680 HUGO annotated proteins, out of which we found 91 to be at least 1.5× less abundant (p < 0.05) and 141 to be at least 1.5× more abundant (p < 0.05) on the surface of IVC spermatozoa. These proteins were associated with sperm capacitation, hyperactivation, metabolism, acrosomal exocytosis, and fertilization. Abundances of 14 proteins were found to be significantly different (p < 0.05), exceeding a 1.5-fold abundance between the proteasomally inhibited (100 µM MG132) and vehicle control (0.2% ethanol) groups. The proteins NIF3L1, CSE1L, NDUFB7, PGLS, PPP4C, STK39, and TPRG1L were found to be more abundant; while BPHL, GSN, GSPT1, PFDN4, STYXL1, TIMM10, and UBXN4 were found to be less abundant in proteasomally inhibited IVC spermatozoa. Despite the UPS having a narrow range of targets, it modulated sperm metabolism and binding by regulating susceptible surface proteins. Changes in CSE1L, PFDN4, and STK39 during in vitro capacitation were confirmed using immunocytochemistry, image-based flow cytometry, and Western blotting. The results confirmed the active participation of the UPS in the extensive sperm surface proteome remodeling that occurs during boar sperm capacitation. This work will help us to identify new pharmacological mechanisms to positively or negatively modulate sperm fertilizing ability in food animals and humans.

CircPAK1 promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via modulation of YAP nucleus localization by interacting with 14-3-3ζ

Background

Circular RNA (circRNA), a new class of non-coding RNA, has obvious correlations with the occurrence and development of many diseases, including tumors. This study aimed to investigate the potential roles of circPAK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

High-throughput sequencing was performed on 3 pairs of HCC and matched normal tissues to determine the upregulated circRNAs. The expression level of circPAK1 was detected by qRT-PCR in HCC and paired with normal liver tissue samples. The effects of circPAK1 on proliferation, invasion, metastasis and apoptosis of HCC cells were evaluated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. We also constructed Chitosan/si-circPAK1 (CS/si-circPAK1) nanocomplexes using Chitosan material to evaluate its in vivo therapeutic effect on HCC. High-throughput sequencing, RNA-sequencing, RNA probe pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation and Co-Immunoprecipitation assays were performed to explore the relationship between circPAK1, 14–3-3ζ, p-LATS1 and YAP. Exosomes isolated from lenvatinib-resistant HCC cell lines were used to evaluate the relationship between exosomal circPAK1 and lenvatinib resistance.

Results

CircPAK1, a novel circRNA, is highly expressed in HCC tumor tissues and cell lines as well as correlated with poor outcomes in HCC patients. Functionally, circPAK1 knockdown inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis while circPAK1 overexpression promoted HCC progression. The tumor-promoting phenotypes of circPAK1 on HCC were also confirmed by animal experiments. Importantly, the application of CS/si-circPAK1 nanocomplexes showed a better therapeutic effect on tumor growth and metastasis. Mechanistically, circPAK1 enhanced HCC progression by inactivating the Hippo signaling pathway, and this kind of inactivation is based on its competitively binding of 14–3-3 ζ with YAP, which weakens the recruitment and cytoplasmic fixation of 14–3-3 ζ to YAP, thus promoting YAP nucleus localization. Additionally, circPAK1 could be transported by exosomes from lenvatinib-resistant cells to sensitive cells and induce lenvatinib resistance of receipt cells.

Conclusion

CircPAK1 exerts its oncogenic function by competitively binding 14–3-3 ζ with YAP, thus promoting YAP nucleus localization, leading to the inactivation of a Hippo signaling pathway. Exosomal circPAK1 may drive resistance to lenvatinib, providing a potential therapeutic target for HCC patients.

Targeting STT3A produces an anti-tumor effect in lung adenocarcinoma by blocking the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Background

Glycosylation is crucial for the stability and biological functions of proteins. The aberrant glycosylation of critical proteins plays an important role in multiple cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). STT3 oligosaccharyltransferase complex catalytic subunit A (STT3A) is a major isoform of N-linked glycosyltransferase that catalyzes the glycosylation of various proteins. However, the functions of STT3A in LUAD are still unclear.

Methods

The expression profiles of STT3A were initially analyzed in public data sets and then validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays in clinical LUAD samples. The overall survival (OS) between patients with high and low STT3A expression was compared using a Kaplan-Meier curve with a log-rank analysis. STT3A was knocked-out using CRISPR/Cas9 and inhibited by NGI-1. Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation assay, wound-healing, transwell assay, and flow cytometry were performed to assess the cellular functions of STT3A in vitro. A mice xenograft model was established to investigate the effects of STT3A on tumor growth in vivo. Further, the downstream signaling pathways of STT3A were screened by mass spectrometry with a bioinformatics analysis, and the activation of the target pathways were subsequently validated by Western blot.

Results

The expression of STT3A was frequently upregulated in LUAD tissues than normal lung tissues. The high expression of STT3A was significantly associated with poor OS in LUAD patients. The knockout or inhibition of STT3A suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion, and arrested the cell cycle of LUAD cell lines in vitro. Similarly, the knockout or inhibition of STT3A suppressed tumor growth in vivo. In terms of molecular mechanism, STT3A may promote LUAD progression by activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathways and regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Conclusions

STT3A promotes LUAD progression via the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways and could serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for LUAD patients.

E2F1-mediated GINS2 transcriptional activation promotes tumor progression through PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high morbidity and mortality rates. It is therefore imperative to study the underlying mechanism of HCC to identify potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Recently, GINS2 has been identified to be a cancer-promoting gene in different cancer types. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism of GINS2 in HCC remains to be elucidated. To systematically explore the significance of GINS2, we first assessed the relative expression of GINS2 in pan-cancers based on data obtained from the HCCDB, TIMER, and TCGA databases. Then, we explored the clinical significance of GINS2 in HCC through Kaplan-Meier method as well as univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis. Additionally, functional enrichment analysis of GINS2 was done through GO, KEGG, PPI network, and immune cell infiltration analyses. Functional experiments were also conducted to investigate the biological significance of GINS2 in HCC cell lines. Our research revealed that GINS2 is involved in HCC progression and highlighted its potential value as a crucial diagnostic and therapeutic target for HCC.