Overproduced CPSF4 Promotes Cell Proliferation and Invasion via PI3K-AKT Signaling Pathway in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Modulation of diverse biological processes by CPSF, the master regulator of mRNA 3' ends

The cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) complex plays a central role in the formation of mRNA 3' ends, being responsible for the recognition of the poly(A) signal sequence, the endonucleolytic cleavage step, and recruitment of poly(A) polymerase. CPSF has been extensively studied for over three decades, and its functions and those of its individual subunits are becoming increasingly well-defined, with much current research focusing on the impact of these proteins on the normal functioning or disease/stress states of cells. In this review, we provide an overview of the general functions of CPSF and its subunits, followed by a discussion of how they exert their functions in a surprisingly diverse variety of biological processes and cellular conditions. These include transcription termination, small RNA processing, and R-loop prevention/resolution, as well as more generally cancer, differentiation/development, and infection/immunity.

Knockdown of CPSF4 Inhibits Bladder Cancer Cell Growth by Upregulating NRF1

Increasing studies have shown that nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) deficiency frequently occurs in many human diseases, and its activation can protect neurons and other cells from degenerative diseases and malignant tumors. However, how NRF1 is regulated in bladder cancer remains unknown. Our research aims to reveal the role of leavage and polyadenylation-specific factor 4 (CPSF4) on the growth inhibition effect of bladder cancer and clarify its relationship with NRF1. Here, cell proliferation assay, transwell migration assay and multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) formation assay in the bladder cancer cell lines were carried out to measure tumor cell growth. Western bolt assay was carried out to identify the relationship between NRF1 and CPSF4. Also, subcutaneous xenograft tumors in nude mice were established to further validate the inhibition effect of CPSF4 on bladder tumor and the regulation on NRF1. The results in vitro showed that knockdown of CPSF4 strongly reduced the proliferation and migration, and inhibited MCTS formation in 5637 and HT1376 cell lines, while an additional knockdown of increased NRF1 induced by CPSF4 knockdown partially abolished these effects. The results in vivo showed that knockdown of CPSF4 strongly reduced the volume and weight of subcutaneous tumor, and decreased the expression of Ki-67 in tumor tissue, while NRF1 knockdown partially reversed these effects induced by CPSF4 knockdown. Western bolt assay demonstrated that CPSF4 could negatively regulate NRF1. Our results indicated that knock-down of CPSF4 inhibited bladder cancer cell growth by upregulating NRF1, which might provide evidence of CPSF4 as a therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

Mechanism underlying the effect of Pulsatilla decoction in hepatocellular carcinoma treatment: a network pharmacology and in vitro analysis

BACKGROUND

Currently, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with a poor prognosis. Moreover, there exist limited strategies for treating HCC. Pulsatilla decoction (PD), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used to treat inflammatory bowel disease and several cancer types. Accordingly, we explored the mechanism of PD in HCC treatment via network pharmacology and in vitro experiments.

METHODS

Online databases were searched for gene data, active components, and potential target genes associated with HCC development. Subsequently, bioinformatics analysis was performed using protein-protein interaction and Network Construction and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to screen for potential anticancer components and therapeutic targets of PD. Finally, the effect of PD on HCC was further verified by in vitro experiments.

RESULTS

Network pharmacological analysis revealed that 65 compounds and 180 possible target genes were associated with the effect of PD on HCC. These included PI3K, AKT, NF-κB, FOS, and NFKBIA. KEGG analysis demonstrated that PD exerted its effect on HCC mainly via the PI3K-AKT, IL-17, and TNF signaling pathways. Cell viability and cell cycle experiments revealed that PD could significantly inhibit cancer cell proliferation and kill HCC cells by inducing apoptosis. Furthermore, western blotting confirmed that apoptosis was mediated primarily via the PI3K-AKT, IL-17, and TNF signaling pathways.

CONCLUSION

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to elucidate the molecular mechanism and potential targets of PD in the treatment of HCC using network pharmacology.

Diverse activity of miR-150 in Tumor development: shedding light on the potential mechanisms

There is a growing interest to understand the role and mechanism of action of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer. The miRNAs are defined as short non-coding RNAs (18-22nt) that regulate fundamental cellular processes through mRNA targeting in multicellular organisms. The miR-150 is one of the miRNAs that have a crucial role during tumor cell progression and metastasis. Based on accumulated evidence, miR-150 acts as a double-edged sword in malignant cells, leading to either tumor-suppressive or oncogenic function. An overview of miR-150 function and interactions with regulatory and signaling pathways helps to elucidate these inconsistent effects in metastatic cells. Aberrant levels of miR-150 are detectable in metastatic cells that are closely related to cancer cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. The ability of miR-150 in regulating of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, a critical stage in tumor cell migration and metastasis, has been highlighted. Depending on the cancer cells type and gene expression profile, levels of miR-150 and potential target genes in the fundamental cellular process can be different. Interaction between miR-150 and other non-coding RNAs, such as long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs, can have a profound effect on the behavior of metastatic cells. MiR-150 plays a significant role in cancer metastasis and may be a potential therapeutic target for preventing or treating metastatic cancer.

Comprehensive analysis of CPSF4-related alternative splice genes in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

An important stage in controlling gene expression is RNA alternative splicing (AS), and aberrant AS can trigger the development and spread of malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A crucial component of AS is cleavage and polyadenylation-specific factor 4 (CPSF4), a component of the CPSF complex, but it is unclear how CPSF4-related AS molecules describe immune cell infiltration in the total tumor microenvironment (TME).

METHODS

Using RNA-sequencing data and clinical data from TCGA-LIHC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the AS genes with differential expression were found. The univariate Cox analysis, KM analysis, and Spearman analysis were used to identify the AS genes related to prognosis. Screening of key AS genes that are highly correlated with CPSF4. Key genes were screened using Cox regression analysis and stepwise regression analysis, and prognosis prediction models and the topography of TME cell infiltration were thoroughly analyzed.

RESULTS

A model consisting of seven AS genes (STMN1, CLSPN, MDK, RNFT2, PRR11, RNF157, GHR) was constructed that was aimed to predict prognostic condition. The outcomes of the HCC samples in the high-risk group were considerably worse than those in the lower risk group (p < 0.0001), and different risk patient groups were formed. According to the calibration curves and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values for survival at 1, 2, and 3 years, the clinical nomogram performs well in predicting survival in HCC patients. These values were 0.76, 0.70, and 0.69, respectively. Moreover, prognostic signature was markedly related to immune infiltration and immune checkpoint genes expression.

CONCLUSION

By shedding light on the function of CPSF4 and the seven AS genes in the formation and progression of HCC, this research analysis contributes to the development of more useful prognostic, diagnostic, and possibly therapeutic biomarkers.

Cleavage and Polyadenylation-Specific Factor 4 (CPSF4) Expression Is Associated with Enhanced Prostate Cancer Cell Migration and Cell Cycle Dysregulation, In Vitro

Potential oncogene cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 4 (CPSF4) has been linked to several cancer types. However, little research has been conducted on its function in prostate cancer (PCa). In benign, incidental, advanced, and castrate resistant PCa (CRPCa) patient samples, protein expression of CPSF4 was examined on tissue microarray (TMAs) of 353 PCa patients using immunohistochemistry. Using the 'The Cancer Genome Atlas' Prostate Adenocarcinoma (TCGA PRAD) database, significant correlations were found between high CPSF4 expression and high-risk genomic abnormalities such as ERG-fusion, ETV1-fusion, and SPOP mutations. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of CPSF4 revealed evidence for the increase in biological processes such as cellular proliferation and metastasis. We further examined the function of CPSF4 in vitro and confirmed CPSF4 clinical outcomes and its underlying mechanism. Our findings showed a substantial correlation between Gleason groups and CPSF4 protein expression. In vitro, CPSF4 knockdown reduced cell invasion and migration while also causing G1 and G2 arrest in PC3 cell lines. Our findings demonstrate that CPSF4 may be used as a possible biomarker in PCa and support its oncogenic function in cellular proliferation and metastasis.

A novel nomogram for predicting overall survival in peripheral T cell lymphoma patients.. [DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2823604/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0]

Background The prognosis of peripheral T cell lymphomas (PTCLs) varies greatly. This study aimed at generating a prognostic nomogram based on differentially expressed genes (DEGs).Methods Firstly, we collected RNA transcripts from Gene Expression Omnibus and identified DEGs. Secondly we used univariate Cox regression, Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to screen the independent risk factors to construct nomogram in the training cohort. Thirdly, we evaluate its prediction accuracy via decision curves analysis (DCA), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration rate to confirm its performance on survival in training and validation cohort. Then we carried out subgroup analysis in training and validation to eliminate the effects of age, gender, and pathological subtype. Lastly, to verify feasibility of nomogram in practice, we applied immunohistochemistry to clinical samples and analyzed the relationship between IHC scores and prognosis.Results The 702 DEGs between 40 PTCLs and 20 non-tumor patients were identified. Then ANGPTL2, CPSF4, CLIC4 and OTUD6B were screened out as independent risk factors via univariate Cox regression and LASSO. The DCA, ROC, Harrell’s concordance index (c-index) and calibration rate showed nomogram predicting more accurately than any single specific transcript. The results showed PTCLs with higher nomogram-score had a longer survival, regardless of age, gender and pathological subtype. Finally, the high expression level of ANGPTL2, CPSF4 and OTUD6B related to poor prognosis. Higher expression of CLIC4 related to longer survival.Conclusion This nomogram showed the favorable clinical applicability, regardless of age, gender and pathological subtype.

Expression signature and molecular basis of CDH11 in OSCC detected by a combination of multiple methods

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common malignancy in the oral cancer threatening human health and the survival rate of OSCC has not been effectively improved in recent decades, so more effective biomarkers for the targeted therapy of OSCC are needed. Moreover, the role of CDH11 in OSCC has not been intensively investigated. We here show that the CDH11 protein and mRNA expression levels in the OSCC tissues were all significantly higher than in the non-cancerous tissues using RT-qPCR and western blot. This study also revealed that patients with higher CDH11 levels showed a higher incidence of perineural invasion and lymph node metastasis. By using data available from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and ArrayExpress databases, overexpressed CDH11 in OSCC that associated with patients'history of alcohol, negative Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) status, perineural invasion, infiltration of multiple immune cells, and Single-cell functional states including quiescence and angiogenesis, possessed an excellent discriminatory capability in the OSCC patients. Moreover, the majority of the biological processes or pathways were significantly clustered by co-expressed genes, including extracellular matrix organization, the epithelial to mesenchymal transition, carbon metabolism, and the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and the upstream transcriptional regulation mechanism of CDH11 in OSCC was showed on a transcription factor/miRNA-mRNA network with the online tool NetworkAnalyst. Finally, frequent mutation of CDH11 was observed on a mouse OSCC model through whole-genome sequencing. CDH11 might serve as a valuable biomarker in OSCC, as it was identified to be overexpressed in OSCC and related to its clinical progression.

WTAP promotes oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma development by decreasing CPSF4 expression in an m6A-dependent manner

m⁶A is a widespread RNA modification. However, the mechanism through which m⁶A regulated the progress of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains undetermined. The levels and prognosis of WTAP were analysed using an ESCC tissue microarray (87 ESCC and 44 paracancerous tissues). TCGA and Oncolnc databases validate WTAP expression and prognosis. CCK8, colony formation (CF), wound healing, transwell cell invasion (CI), and migration (CM) assays were employed for the detection of the biological impacts of WTAP. Expression of tumour stemness-related genes was assessed via qRT-PCR and western blotting. The m⁶A RNA methylation (m⁶AMe) quantitative kit was employed for cellular methylation level detection. Arraystar m⁶A-mRNA and lncRNA epitranscriptomic microarray analyses were used to screen low methylation, high expression, and prognosis-related candidate gene CPSF4. KEGG enrichment analysis was used to screen the downstream signalling pathways of CPSF4. WTAP, a methyltransferase "writer", was markedly enhanced in ESCC and was strongly correlated with poor patient outcome. WTAP knockdown inhibited the cell proliferation (CP), CI, CM, and stemness of ESCC cells in vitro and reduced the overall m⁶A modification (m⁶AMo) percentage of ESCC cells. CPSF4 is a target of WTAP-based m⁶AMo. WTAP-based m⁶AMo of CPSF4 transcript reduced the stability of CPSF4 by relying on YTHDF2. We identified the significant role of WTAP-catalysed m⁶AMo in ESCC tumourigenesis, wherein it facilitates ESCC tumour growth and metastasis through decreasing CPSF4 expression in an m⁶A-dependent manner.

Integrating Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification to Explore the Mechanism of Effect of Zuojin Pills in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

Background and Aim

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most malignant tumors worldwide. Zuojin pills (ZJP), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, which can treat a variety of cancers. However, the active compounds present in ZJP and the potential mechanisms through which ZJP acts against pancreatic cancer have not been thoroughly investigated.

Methods

Data on pancreatic cancer-related genes, bioactive compounds, and potential targets of ZJP were downloaded from public databases. Bioinformatics analysis, including protein–protein interaction (PPI), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses, was conducted to identify important components, potential targets, and signaling pathways through which ZJP affects pancreatic cancer. The results of this analysis were verified by in vitro experiments.

Results

The network pharmacology analysis results showed that 41 compounds and 130 putative target genes of ZJP were associated with anti-pancreatic cancer effects. ZJP may exert its inhibitory effects against pancreatic cancer by acting on key targets such as JUN, TP53, and MAPK1. Moreover, KEGG analysis indicated that the anti-pancreatic cancer effect of ZJP was mediated by multiple pathways, such as the PI3K-AKT, IL-17, TNF, HIF-1, and P53 signaling pathways. Among these, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, which included the highest number of enriched genes, may play a more important role in treating pancreatic cancer. The in vitro results showed that ZJP significantly inhibits the cell cycle and cell proliferation through the PI3K/AKT/caspase pathway and that it can induce apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells, consistent with the results predicted by network pharmacological methods.

Conclusion

This study preliminarily investigated the pharmacological effects of ZJP, which appear to be mediated by multiple compounds, targets and pathways, and its potential therapeutic effect on pancreatic cancer. Importantly, our work provides a promising approach for the identification of compounds in TCM and the characterization of therapeutic mechanisms.