AHNAK2 promotes thyroid carcinoma progression by activating the NF-κB pathway

AHNAK2 Regulates NF-κB/MMP-9 Signaling to Promote Pancreatic Cancer Progression

Early metastasis of pancreatic cancer (PaC) is a major cause of its high mortality rate. Previous studies have shown that AHNAK2 is involved in the progression of some tumors and is predicted to be an independent prognostic factor for PaC; however, the specific mechanisms through which AHNAK2 regulates PaC remain unclear. In this study, we examined the role of AHNAK2 in PaC and its potential molecular mechanisms. AHNAK2 mRNA and protein expression in PaC tissues and cells were measured using qRT-PCR and western blot analysis. After AHNAK2 knockdown using small interfering RNA, PaC cells were subjected to CCK-8 scratch, and Transwell assays to assess cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, respectively. Furthermore, the validation of the mechanistic pathway was achieved by western blot analysis. AHNAK2 mRNA and protein levels were up-regulated in PaC and silencing AHNAK2 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PaC cells. Mechanistically, AHNAK2 knockdown decreased the expression of phosphorylated p65, phosphorylated IκBα, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), suggesting that activation of the NF-κB/MMP-9 signaling pathway was inhibited. Importantly, activation of NF-κB reversed the effects of AHNAK2 knockdown. Our findings indicate that AHNAK2 promotes PaC progression through the NF-kB/MMP-9 pathway and provides a theoretical basis for targeting AHNAK2 for the treatment of PaC.

AHNAK2 Promotes the Progression of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma by Maintaining the Stability of c-MET

Purpose

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is extremely malignant and rapidly progresses. The overall response rate of PDAC to current treatment methods is still unsatisfactory. Thus, identifying novel targets and clarifying the underlying mechanisms associated with PDAC progression may potentially offer additional treatment strategies. AHNAK2 is aberrantly expressed in a variety of tumors and exerts pro-tumorigenic effects. However, the biological role of AHNAK2 in PDAC remains poorly understood.

Methods

The expression of AHNAK2 in PDAC and paired non-tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Lentivirus knockdown was performed to investigate the impact of AHNAK2 on the biological function of pancreatic cancer cells. The subcutaneous cell-derived xenograft (CDX) model and the KPC spontaneous mouse model with AHNAK2 silencing were used to observe the effects of AHNAK2 on tumor growth and prognosis. The expression of c-MET at protein level in response to HGF treatment was assessed using western blot.

Results

Our results demonstrated that AHNAK2 was highly expressed in PDAC clinical samples and associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown of AHNAK2 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. AHNAK2 knockdown or knockout resulted in tumor growth suppression and prolonged survival in mice with PDAC. In addition, AHNAK2 and c-MET expression levels showed a significant positive correlation at the post-transcriptional level. Mechanistically, AHNAK2 promoted tumor progression by preventing c-MET degradation and persistently activating the HGF/c-MET signaling pathway.

Conclusion

Overall, our study revealed that AHNAK2 plays an important role in PDAC progression by modulating the c-MET signaling pathway, and targeting AHNAK2 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for PDAC.

Network medicine approaches for identification of novel prognostic systems biomarkers and drug candidates for papillary thyroid carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is one of the most common endocrine carcinomas worldwide and the aetiology of this cancer is still not well understood. Therefore, it remains important to understand the disease mechanism and find prognostic biomarkers and/or drug candidates for PTC. Compared with approaches based on single-gene assessment, network medicine analysis offers great promise to address this need. Accordingly, in the present study, we performed differential co-expressed network analysis using five transcriptome datasets in patients with PTC and healthy controls. Following meta-analysis of the transcriptome datasets, we uncovered common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for PTC and, using these genes as proxies, found a highly clustered differentially expressed co-expressed module: a 'PTC-module'. Using independent data, we demonstrated the high prognostic capacity of the PTC-module and designated this module as a prognostic systems biomarker. In addition, using the nodes of the PTC-module, we performed drug repurposing and text mining analyzes to identify novel drug candidates for the disease. We performed molecular docking simulations, and identified: 4-demethoxydaunorubicin hydrochloride, AS605240, BRD-A60245366, ER 27319 maleate, sinensetin, and TWS119 as novel drug candidates whose efficacy was also confirmed by in silico analyzes. Consequently, we have highlighted here the need for differential co-expression analysis to gain a systems-level understanding of a complex disease, and we provide candidate prognostic systems biomarker and novel drugs for PTC.

AHNAKs roles in physiology and malignant tumors

The AHNAK family currently consists of two members, namely AHNAK and AHNAK2, both of which have a molecular weight exceeding 600 kDa. Homologous sequences account for approximately 90% of their composition, indicating a certain degree of similarity in terms of molecular structure and biological functions. AHNAK family members are involved in the regulation of various biological functions, such as calcium channel modulation and membrane repair. Furthermore, with advancements in biological and bioinformatics technologies, research on the relationship between the AHNAK family and tumors has rapidly increased in recent years, and its regulatory role in tumor progression has gradually been discovered. This article briefly describes the physiological functions of the AHNAK family, and reviews and analyzes the expression and molecular regulatory mechanisms of the AHNAK family in malignant tumors using Pubmed and TCGA databases. In summary, AHNAK participates in various physiological and pathological processes in the human body. In multiple types of cancers, abnormal expression of AHNAK and AHNAK2 is associated with prognosis, and they play a key regulatory role in tumor progression by activating signaling pathways such as ERK, MAPK, Wnt, and MEK, as well as promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Intrathyroid thymic carcinoma: clinicopathological features and whole exome sequencing analysis

Intrathyroid thymic carcinoma (ITC) is a rare malignant tumour. We present nine cases of ITC that were analysed by immunohistochemical staining, of which five were analysed using whole exome sequencing (WES). These cases included six women and three men with an age range of 31-66 years. The average postoperative follow-up term was 37.8 months (range, 7-95 months), and all patients survived well except for one case with lung metastasis. Microscopically, ITC showed solid islands of tumour cells separated by fibrous connective tissue containing lymphocytes and other inflammatory cells. Tumour cells strongly expressed Ckpan (AE1/AE3), P63, and CD117. And all cases but one were positive for CD5. The median value of Ki-67 was 32% (range 10-60%). We observed partial positivity of Syn and CgA in only one case. ITC shares morphological and immunohistochemical similarities with thymic squamous cell carcinoma. In situ hybridization of EBER showed negative results. All cases were microsatellite stable, and the tumour mutational burden of the 5 cases was all < 1 mutations/Mb. WES showed higher mutation rates for N4BP1 (2/5), and many genetic alterations were related to the NF-kB signalling pathway, which is crucial for insight into the molecular mechanisms of the occurrence and development of ITC.

Identification of potential biomarkers for papillary thyroid carcinoma by comprehensive bioinformatics analysis

To perform bioinformatics analysis on the papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) gene chip dataset to explore new biological markers for PTC. The gene expression profiles of GSE3467 and GSE6004 chip data were collected by GEO2R, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) relationship analysis was achieved using STRING, and the hub genes were obtained using the Cytoscape software. GEPIA was used to validate the expressions of the hub genes in the normal and tumor tissues and to conduct survival analyses. Pertinent genetic pathology results were fetched using the HPA database. Finally, the key genes were clinically verified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. 97 genes were jointly up-regulated and 107 genes were jointly down-regulated in GSE3467 and GSE6004. GO function enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were involved in the regulation of calcium ion transport into cytosol, integrin binding, and cell adhesion molecule binding. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the DEGs were chiefly associated with thyroid cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. According to the PPI network, 30 key target genes were identified. Only the expressions of ANK2, TLE1, and TCF4 matched between the normal and tumor tissues, and were associated with disease prognosis. When compared with the normal thyroid tissues, the protein and mRNA expressions of ANK2, TLE1, and TCF4 were down-regulated in PTC. Significant differences exist in overall gene expression between the thyroid tissues of patients with PTC and those of healthy people. Furthermore, the differential genes ANK2, TLE1, and TCF4 are expected to be reliable molecular markers for the mechanism study and diagnosis of PTC.

SYTL5 Promotes Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Progression by Enhancing Activation of the NF-κB Signaling Pathway

The function and mechanism of SYTL5 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) are still unclear. In this research, we found that SYTL5 was significantly overexpressed in PTC tissues compared with normal thyroid tissues. SYTL5 downregulation significantly weakened the proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities of PTC cells. In addition, upregulated SYTL5 could promote cancer progression by activating the NF-κB signaling pathway. RAC1b expression is positively associated with SYTL5, and overexpressed RAC1b abrogated the antitumor effect after SYTL5 inhibition. In conclusion, our findings identify the oncogenic role of SYTL5 in PTC by activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, thus facilitating PTC development and progression.

Inhibition of AHNAK nucleoprotein 2 alleviates pulmonary fibrosis by downregulating the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and advanced interstitial lung disease with poor prognosis. AHNAK nucleoprotein 2 (AHNAK2) is a macromolecular protein that is important for cell migration and muscle membrane repair. The protein acts via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a key mechanism in the pathogenesis of IPF. However, very few studies have elucidated the effect of AHNAK2 in the development of IPF. Therefore, we aimed to determine the role of AHNAK2 in IPF development.

METHODS

C57BL/6 mice were induced with bleomycin (BLM), while A549 and Beas-2b pulmonary epithelial cell lines were treated with TGF-β1 to induce IPF model. The expression of AHNAK2 was detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in vivo, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting (WB) in vitro. C57BL/6 mice were injected with adeno-associated virus (AAV)-sh NC or AAV-sh AHNAK2; the pulmonary function and EMT markers expression were measured in mice. The migratory abilities of the two transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)-induced cell lines were examined using wound-healing and Transwell assays after transfection with si-NC, si-AHNAK2-1 and -2. EMT markers expression was detected using RT-qPCR and WB. Smad3 and phosphorylated-Smad3 of the two cells were examined using WB. Following Smad3 inhibition by Smad3 phosphorylation inhibitor (SIS3), TGF-β1-induced cell migration and EMT markers expression were evaluated again after different transfections.

RESULTS

AHNAK2 expression was higher in the IPF model than in the normal model in vivo and in vitro. Partial inhibition of AHNAK2 suppressed the EMT process and improved pulmonary ventilation and compliance in the mouse model of IPF. Similarly, knockdown of AHNAK2 suppressed the migration of pulmonary epithelial cells and reversed EMT. Furthermore, Smad3 of the two TGF-β1-induced cell lines was not activated when AHNAK2 was inhibited. When SIS3 inhibited the activation of Smad3, the suppression of AHNAK2 had no effect on A549 and Beas-2b, regardless of TGF-β1 induction.

CONCLUSIONS

Inhibition of AHNAK2 alleviates pulmonary fibrosis and partially reverses EMT by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway. Therefore, AHNAK2 is a potential therapeutic target for IPF.

The AHNAK induces increased IL-6 production in CD4+ T cells and serves as a potential diagnostic biomarker for recurrent pregnancy loss

Disorganized maternal-fetal immune tolerance contributes to the occurrence of unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). AHNAK is a scaffolding protein participating in the regulation of Ca2+ entry into T cells and the pathophysiology of diverse diseases. We performed differential gene expression analysis in decidual immune cells (DICs) isolated from three patients with RPL and from three healthy controls via RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), which revealed 407 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Among these DEGs, we underscored the clinical significance of elevated AHNAK mRNA and protein levels in DICs, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and decidua of the patients with RPL, suggesting its potential use as a biomarker for the diagnosis of RPL. Especially, the ratios of decidual and blood AHNAK+CD4+ T cells in the CD4+ T cell population were significantly increased in patients with RPL, and the loss of AHNAK was further shown to inhibit interleukin (IL)-6 secretion in the CD4+ Jurkat cell line. Similar patterns were also observed in the clinical decidual and blood specimens. We uncovered that the AHNAK+CD4+ T cells could secrete more IL-6 than that the corresponding AHNAK-CD4+ T cells. Moreover, the frequencies of decidual and blood IL-6+CD4+ T cells in the CD4+ T-cell population were also increased in patients with RPL and showed significant positive correlations with the frequencies of AHNAK+CD4+ T cells. Our findings suggest that the elevated AHNAK expressed by CD4+ T cells may be involved in the immune dysregulation of RPL by increasing IL-6 production, illustrating its potential as a novel intervention target for RPL.

The Obscure Potential of AHNAK2

Simple Summary

AHNAK2 is a relatively newly discovered protein. It can interact with many other proteins. This protein is increased in cells of variety of different cancers. AHNAK2 may play a vital role in cancer formation. AHNAK2 may have a role in early detection of cancer. This obscure potential of AHNAK2 is being studied.

Abstract

AHNAK2 is a protein discovered in 2004, with a strong association with oncogenesis in various epithelial cancers. It has a large 616 kDa tripartite structure and is thought to take part in the formation of large multi-protein complexes. High expression is found in clear cell renal carcinoma, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, uveal melanoma, and lung adenocarcinoma, with a relation to poor prognosis. Little work has been done in exploring the function and relation AHNAK2 has with cancer, with early studies showing promising potential as a future biomarker and therapeutic target.