Genetic variants in MAPK10 modify renal cell carcinoma susceptibility and clinical outcomes

Three-Dimensional Mechanical Microenvironment Rescued the Decline of Osteogenic Differentiation of Old Human Jaw Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Resorption and atrophy of the alveolar bone, as two consequences of osteoporosis that remarkably complicate the orthodontic and prosthodontic treatments, contribute to the differentiated biological features and force-induced response of jaw bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (JBMSCs) in elderly patients. We isolated and cultured JBMSCs from adolescent and adult patients and then simulated the loading of orthodontic tension stress by constructing an in vitro three-dimensional (3D) stress loading model. The decline in osteogenic differentiation of aged JBMSCs was reversed by tensile stress stimulation. It is interesting to note that tension stimulation had a stronger effect on the osteogenic differentiation of elderly JBMSCs compared to the young ones, indicating a possible mechanism of aging rescue. High-throughput sequencing of microRNA (miRNAs) was subsequently performed before and after tension stimulation in all JBMSCs, followed by the comprehensive comparison of mechanically responsive miRNAs in the 3D strain microenvironment. The results suggested a significant reduction in the expression of miR-210-3p and miR-214-3p triggered by the 3D strain microenvironment in old-JBMSCs. Bioinformatic analysis indicated that both miRNAs participate in the regulation of critical pathways of aging and cellular senescence. Taken together, this study demonstrated that the 3D strain microenvironment efficiently rescued the cellular senescence of old-JBMSCs via modulating specific miRNAs, which provides a novel strategy for coordinating periodontal bone loss and regeneration of the elderly.

Altered microRNA expression profiles of human spermatozoa in normal fertile men of different ages

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are mediators of the aging process. The purpose of this work was to analyze the miRNA expression profiles of spermatozoa from men of different ages with normal fertility. Twenty-seven donors were divided into three groups by age (Group A, n = 8, age: 20-30 years; Group B, n = 10, age: 31-40 years; and Group C, n = 9, age: 41-55 years) for high-throughput sequencing analysis. Samples from 65 individuals (22, 22, and 21 in Groups A, B, and C, respectively) were used for validation by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A total of 2160 miRNAs were detected: 1223 were known, 937 were newly discovered and unnamed, of which 191 were expressed in all donors. A total of 7, 5, and 17 differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) were found in Group A vs B, Group B vs C, and Group A vs C comparisons, respectively. Twenty-two miRNAs were statistically correlated with age. Twelve miRNAs were identified as age-associated miRNAs, including hsa-miR-127-3p, mmu-miR-5100_L+2R-1, efu-miR-9226_L-2_1ss22GA, cgr-miR-1260_L+1, hsa-miR-652-3p_R+1, pal-miR-9993a-3p_L+2R-1, hsa-miR-7977_1ss6AG, hsa-miR-106b-3p_R-1, hsa-miR-186-5p, PC-3p-59611_111, hsa-miR-93-3p_R+1, and aeca-mir-8986a-p5_1ss1GA. There were 9165 target genes of age-associated miRNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of the target genes identified revealed enrichment of protein binding, membrane, cell cycle, and so on. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis of age-related miRNAs for target genes revealed 139 enriched pathways, such as signaling pathways regulating stem cell pluripotency, metabolic pathways, and the Hippo signaling pathway. This suggests that miRNAs play a key role in male fertility changes with increasing age and provides new evidence for the study of the mechanism of age-related male fertility decline.

Formin-related protein 1 facilitates proliferation and aggressive phenotype of clear cell renal cell carcinoma through MAPK/MMP2 pathway

BACKGROUND

Formin-related protein-1(FRL1) has reportedly been overexpressed in a variety of malignancies, such as clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, the clinical value and molecular mechanisms underlying ccRCC tumorigenesis and progression in association with FRL1 remain poorly understood.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on 119 paraffin-embedded RCC tissue samples to detect FRL1 expression and analyze its prognostic value. Colony formation, the CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, and in vivo nude mice subcutaneous experiments were used to identify the effects of FRL1 on growth and proliferation. In vitro tests for wound healing, migration, and invasion were used to assess the involvement of FRL1 in invasion and metastatic potential. The process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition process (EMT) and the MMP2 expression were detected in stably transfected RCC cells via western blotting, as well as in tumor tissue paraffin sections from xenograft model.

RESULTS

Both FRL1 mRNA and protein levels were noticeably elevated in ccRCC cell lines and samples. Aberrant overexpression of FRL1 was associated with unfavorable clinicopathological features of ccRCC and indicated poor prognosis. Ectopic overexpression of FRL1 increased the growth-promoting traits of ccRCC cells as well as the migratory and invasive capacity of RCC cells, whereas FRL1-silencing caused the opposite results. In addition, FRL1 promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and upregulated the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2). Finally, overexpression of FRL1 upregulated phosphorylation level of ERK1/2 with no effect on total level of ERK1/2 in the RCC cells. MAPK/ERK inhibitor reversed the promotional effects of FRL1.

CONCLUSION

FRL1 was overexpressed in ccRCC tissues and predicted poor prognosis. FRL1 contributes to invasion and aggressive phenotype of ccRCC by facilitating EMT through MAPK/MMP2 axis.

Molecular characteristics and therapeutic implications of Toll-like receptor signaling pathway in melanoma

Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes and is often considered immunogenic cancer. Toll-like receptor-related genes are expressed differently in most types of cancer, depending on the immune microenvironment inside cancer, and the key function of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) for melanoma has not been fully elucidated. Based on multi-omics data from TCGA and GEO databases, we first performed pan-cancer analysis on TLR, including CNV, SNV, and mRNA changes in TLR-related genes in multiple human cancers, as well as patient prognosis characterization. Then, we divided melanoma patients into three subgroups (clusters 1, 2, and 3) according to the expression of the TLR pathway, and explored the correlation between TLR pathway and melanoma prognosis, immune infiltration, metabolic reprogramming, and oncogene expression characteristics. Finally, through univariate Cox regression analysis and LASSO algorithm, we selected six TLR-related genes to construct a survival prognostic model, divided melanoma patients into the training set, internal validation set 1, internal validation set 2, and external validation set for multiple validations, and discussed the correlation between model genes and clinical features of melanoma patients. In conclusion, we constructed a prognostic survival model based on TLR-related genes that precisely and independently demonstrated the potential to assess the prognosis and immune traits of melanoma patients, which is critical for patients' survival.

Construction and validation of an oxidative-stress-related risk model for predicting the prognosis of osteosarcoma

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone malignancy in teenagers, and warrants effective measures for diagnosis and prognosis. Oxidative stress (OS) is the key driver of several cancers and other diseases.

METHODS

The TARGET-osteosarcoma database was employed as the training cohort and GSE21257 and GSE39055 was applied for external validation. The patients were classified into the high- and low-risk groups based on the median risk score of each sample. ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT were applied for the evaluation of tumor microenvironment immune infiltration. GSE162454 of single-cell sequencing was employed for analyzing OS-related genes.

RESULTS

Based on the gene expression and clinical data of 86 osteosarcoma patients in the TARGET database, we identified eight OS-related genes, including MAP3K5, G6PD, HMOX1, ATF4, ACADVL, MAPK1, MAPK10, and INS. In both the training and validation sets, the overall survival of patients in the high-risk group was significantly worse than that in the low-risk group. The ESTIMATE algorithm revealed that patients in the high-risk group had higher tumor purity but lower immune score and stromal score. In addition, the CIBERSORT algorithm showed that the M0 and M2 macrophages were the predominant infiltrating cells in osteosarcoma. Based on the expression analysis of immune checkpoint, CD274(PDL1), CXCL12, BTN3A1, LAG3, and IL10 were identified as potential immune therapy targets. Analysis of the single cell sequencing data also revealed the expression patterns of OS-related genes in different cell types.

CONCLUSIONS

An OS-related prognostic model can accurately provide the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients, and may help identify suitable candidates for immunotherapy.

Genetic Analysis Implicates Dysregulation of SHANK2 in Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression

SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains (SHANK) is a family of scaffold proteins that were first identified to be involved in balancing synaptic transmission via regulation of intracellular signalling crosstalk and have been linked to various cancers. However, the role of the SHANK genes in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains to be elucidated. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether genetic variants in SHANK family genes affect the risk of RCC and survival of patients. A genetic association study was conducted using logistic regression and Cox regression analyses, followed by the correction for a false discovery rate (FDR), in 630 patients with RCC and controls. A pooled analysis was further performed to summarise the clinical relevance of SHANK gene expression in RCC. After adjustment for known risk factors and the FDR, the SHANK2 rs10792565 T allele was found to be associated with an increased risk of RCC (adjusted odds ratio = 1.79, 95% confidence interval = 1.32-2.44, p = 1.96 × 10^-4, q = 0.030), whereas no significant association was found with RCC survival. A pooled analysis of 19 independent studies, comprising 1509 RCC and 414 adjacent normal tissues, showed that the expression of SHANK2 was significantly lower in RCC than in normal tissues (p < 0.001). Furthermore, low expression of SHANK2 was correlated with an advanced stage and poor prognosis for patients with clear cell and papillary RCC. This study suggests that SHANK2 rs10792565 is associated with an increased risk of RCC and that SHANK2 may play a role in RCC progression.