MXRA5 is decreased in preeclampsia and affects trophoblast cell invasion through the MAPK pathway

HIF-1α Activates Hypoxia-Induced MXRA5 Expression in the Progression of Ovarian Cancer

The hypoxic microenvironment of tumor cells is closely related to the progression of ovarian cancer (OV). Hypoxia (HY)-related matrix-remodeling associated 5 (MXRA5) was expressed at elevated levels in many tumors, but research on the impact of MXRA5 in OV remains limited. This study aims to explore the role of MXRA5 in regulating cellular HY in OV. The MXRA5 expression and its clinical significance in OV were evaluated using GEPIA2, Kaplan-Meier plotter databases, and immunohistochemistry assay. OV cells were treated with normoxia and HY conditions. The siRNAs were designed to knock down the MXRA5 expression in hypoxic cells. The cellular capacities were detected by CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, Transwel assay, and TUNEL assay, each method targeting a different aspect of cellular behavior. The MXRA5 level was increased in OV and associated with the progression free survival and overall survival of OV patients. The proliferation and invasion abilities of OV cells were promoted, while apoptosis capacities were inhibited in hypoxic cells. After the knockdown of MXRA5 in hypoxic cells, the proliferative capacities and invasive abilities of the cells were reduced, and the apoptosis capacities were enhanced. Moreover, mechanistically, HIF-1α is a key transcription factor in response to HY that binds to the MXRA5 promoter. MXRA5 expression was induced by HY and had prognostic performance in OV. Knockdown of MXRA5 can inhibit proliferation and invasion in OV cells caused by HIF-1α, revealing that MXRA5 is one potential targets for tumor HY regulation in OV.

Potential molecular mechanisms and clinical implications of piRNAs in preeclampsia: a review

Preeclampsia is a multisystem progressive condition and is one of the most serious complications of pregnancy. Owing to its unclear pathogenesis, there are no precise and effective therapeutic targets for preeclampsia, and the only available treatment strategy is to terminate the pregnancy and eliminate the clinical symptoms. In recent years, non-coding RNAs have become a hotspot in preeclampsia research and have shown promise as effective biomarkers for the early diagnosis of preeclampsia over conventional biochemical markers. PIWI-interacting RNAs, novel small non-coding RNA that interact with PIWI proteins, are involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of PIWI-interacting RNAs in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia remain unclear. In this review, we discuss the findings of existing studies on PIWI-interacting RNA biogenesis, functions, and their possible roles in preeclampsia, providing novel insights into the potential application of PIWI-interacting RNAs in the early diagnosis and clinical treatment of preeclampsia.

Human dental pulp stem cells derived extracellular matrix promotes mineralization via Hippo and Wnt pathways

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is an intricate structure providing the microenvironment niche that influences stem cell differentiation. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of decellularized ECM derived from human dental pulp stem cells (dECM_DPSCs) and gingival-derived mesenchymal stem cells (dECM_GSCs) as an inductive scaffold for osteogenic differentiation of GSCs. The proteomic analysis demonstrated that common and signature matrisome proteins from dECM_DPSCs and dECM_GSCs were related to osteogenesis/osteogenic differentiation. RNA sequencing data from GSCs reseeded on dECM_DPSCs revealed that dECM_DPSCs upregulated genes related to the Hippo and Wnt signaling pathways in GSCs. In the inhibitor experiments, results revealed that dECM_DPSCs superiorly promoted GSCs osteogenic differentiation, mainly mediated through Hippo and Wnt signaling. The present study emphasizes the promising translational application of dECM_DPSCs as a bio-scaffold rich in favorable regenerative microenvironment for tissue engineering.

Public RNA-seq data-based identification and functional analyses reveal that MXRA5 retains proliferative and migratory abilities of dental pulp stem cells

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) usually remain quiescent in the dental pulp tissue; however, once the dental pulp tissue is injured, DPSCs potently proliferate and migrate into the injury microenvironment and contribute to immuno-modulation and tissue repair. However, the key molecules that physiologically support the potent proliferation and migration of DPSCs have not been revealed. In this study, we searched publicly available transcriptome raw data sets, which contain comparable (i.e., equivalently cultured) DPSC and mesenchymal stem cell data. Three data sets were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and then processed and analyzed. MXRA5 was identified as the predominant DPSC-enriched gene associated with the extracellular matrix. MXRA5 is detected in human dental pulp tissues. Loss of MXRA5 drastically decreases the proliferation and migration of DSPCs, concomitantly with reduced expression of the genes associated with the cell cycle and microtubules. In addition to the known full-length isoform of MXRA5, a novel splice variant of MXRA5 was cloned in DPSCs. Recombinant MXRA5 coded by the novel splice variant potently induced the haptotaxis migration of DPSCs, which was inhibited by microtubule inhibitors. Collectively, MXRA5 is a key extracellular matrix protein in dental pulp tissue for maintaining the proliferation and migration of DPSCs.

Regulators involved in trophoblast syncytialization in the placenta of intrauterine growth restriction

Placental dysfunction refers to the insufficiency of placental perfusion and chronic hypoxia during early pregnancy, which impairs placental function and causes inadequate supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, affecting fetal development and health. Fetal intrauterine growth restriction, one of the most common outcomes of pregnancy-induced hypertensions, can be caused by placental dysfunction, resulting from deficient trophoblast syncytialization, inadequate trophoblast invasion and impaired vascular remodeling. During placental development, cytotrophoblasts fuse to form a multinucleated syncytia barrier, which supplies oxygen and nutrients to meet the metabolic demands for fetal growth. A reduction in the cell fusion index and the number of nuclei in the syncytiotrophoblast are found in the placentas of pregnancies complicated by IUGR, suggesting that the occurrence of IUGR may be related to inadequate trophoblast syncytialization. During the multiple processes of trophoblasts syncytialization, specific proteins and several signaling pathways are involved in coordinating these events and regulating placental function. In addition, epigenetic modifications, cell metabolism, senescence, and autophagy are also involved. Study findings have indicated several abnormally expressed syncytialization-related proteins and signaling pathways in the placentas of pregnancies complicated by IUGR, suggesting that these elements may play a crucial role in the occurrence of IUGR. In this review, we discuss the regulators of trophoblast syncytialization and their abnormal expression in the placentas of pregnancies complicated by IUGR.

Transcriptomic differences between fibrotic and non-fibrotic testicular tissue reveal possible key players in Klinefelter syndrome-related testicular fibrosis

Klinefelter syndrome (KS; 47,XXY) affects 1-2 in 1000 males. Most men with KS suffer from an early germ cell loss and testicular fibrosis from puberty onwards. Mechanisms responsible for these processes remain unknown. Previous genomics studies on testis tissue from men with KS focused on germ cell loss, while a transcriptomic analysis focused on testicular fibrosis has not yet been performed. This study aimed to identify factors involved in the fibrotic remodelling of KS testes by analysing the transcriptome of fibrotic and non-fibrotic testicular tissue. RNA sequencing was performed to compare the genes expressed in testicular samples with (KS and testis atrophy) and without (Sertoli cell-only syndrome and fertile controls) fibrosis (n = 5, each). Additionally, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between KS and testis atrophy samples were studied to reveal KS-specific fibrotic genes. DEGs were considered significant when p < 0.01 and log2FC > 2. Next, downstream analyses (GO and KEGG) were performed. Lastly, RNA in situ hybridization was performed to validate the results. The first analysis (fibrotic vs non-fibrotic) resulted in 734 significant DEGs (167 up- and 567 down-regulated). Genes involved in the extracellular structure organization (e.g. VCAM1) were found up-regulated. KEGG analysis showed an up-regulation of genes involved in the TGF-β pathway. The KS vs testis atrophy analysis resulted in 539 significant DEGs (59 up- and 480 down-regulated). Chronic inflammatory response genes were found up-regulated. The overlap of X-linked DEGs from the two analyses revealed three genes: matrix-remodelling associated 5 (MXRA5), doublecortin (DCX) and variable charge X-Linked 3B (VCX3B). RNA in situ hybridization showed an overexpression of VCAM1, MXRA5 and DCX within the fibrotic group compared with the non-fibrotic group. To summarize, this study revealed DEGs between fibrotic and non-fibrotic testis tissue, including VCAM1. In addition, X-linked fibrotic genes were revealed, e.g. MXRA5, DCX and VCX3B. Their potential role in KS-related testicular fibrosis needs further study.

Construction and analysis of heart failure diagnosis model based on random forest and artificial neural network

Heart failure is a global health problem and the number of sufferers is increasing as the population grows and ages. Existing diagnostic techniques for heart failure have various limitations in the clinical setting and there is a need to develop a new diagnostic model to complement the existing diagnostic methods. In recent years, with the development and improvement of gene sequencing technology, more genes associated with heart failure have been identified. We screened for differentially expressed genes in heart failure using available gene expression data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and identified 6 important genes by a random forest classifier (ASPN, MXRA5, LUM, GLUL, CNN1, and SERPINA3). And we have successfully constructed a new heart failure diagnostic model using an artificial neural network and validated its diagnostic efficacy in a public dataset. We calculated heart failure-related differentially expressed genes and obtained 24 candidate genes by random forest classification, and selected the top 6 genes as important genes for subsequent analysis. The prediction weights of the genes of interest were determined by the neural network model and the model scores were evaluated in 2 independent sample datasets (GSE16499 and GSE57338 datasets). Since the weights of RNA-seq predictions for constructing neural network models were theoretically more suitable for disease classification of RNA-seq data, the GSE57338 dataset had the best performance in the validation results. The diagnostic model derived from our study can be of clinical value in determining the likelihood of HF occurring through cardiac biopsy. In the meantime, we need to further investigate the accuracy of the diagnostic model based on the results of our study.

Monosomy X in isogenic human iPSC-derived trophoblast model impacts expression modules preserved in human placenta

Mammalian sex chromosomes encode homologous X/Y gene pairs that were retained on the Y chromosome in males and escape X chromosome inactivation (XCI) in females. Inferred to reflect X/Y pair dosage sensitivity, monosomy X is a leading cause of miscarriage in humans with near full penetrance. This phenotype is shared with many other mammals but not the mouse, which offers sophisticated genetic tools to generate sex chromosomal aneuploidy but also tolerates its developmental impact. To address this critical gap, we generated X-monosomic human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) alongside otherwise isogenic euploid controls from male and female mosaic samples. Phased genomic variants in these hiPSC panels enable systematic investigation of X/Y dosage-sensitive features using in vitro models of human development. Here, we demonstrate the utility of these validated hiPSC lines to test how X/Y-linked gene dosage impacts a widely used model for human syncytiotrophoblast development. While these isogenic panels trigger a GATA2/3- and TFAP2A/C-driven trophoblast gene circuit irrespective of karyotype, differential expression implicates monosomy X in altered levels of placental genes and in secretion of placental growth factor (PlGF) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Remarkably, weighted gene coexpression network modules that significantly reflect these changes are also preserved in first-trimester chorionic villi and term placenta. Our results suggest monosomy X may skew trophoblast cell type composition and function, and that the combined haploinsufficiency of the pseudoautosomal region likely plays a key role in these changes.

Atractylenolide inhibits apoptosis and oxidative stress of HTR-8/SVneo cells by activating MAPK/ERK signalling in preeclampsia

BACKGROUND

Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe hypertension-related disorder occurring during pregnancy that leads to significant mortality and morbidity in both the foetus and mother. Atractylenolide (ATL), a traditional Chinese natural agent isolated from the herb Atractylodes macrocephala, exhibits a series of pharmacological activities, including anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects.

PURPOSE

The impacts of ATL on apoptosis and oxidative stress in HTR-8/SVneo cells during PE development was investigated.

STUDY DESIGN

We identified ATL by an overlap analysis of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) database using the keyword 'gestational hypertension' and Traditional Chinese Medicine (Batman-TCM) database using the keyword 'Atractylodes macrocephala'.

METHODS

Cell viability, proliferation, and migration were detected by CCK-8, EdU, and transwell assays. Flow cytometry and 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate were used to assess apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels.

RESULTS

EdU and CCK-8 assays demonstrated that ATL significantly enhanced the viability of HTR-8/SVneo cells. Transwell assays showed that ATL remarkably induced the migration of HTR-8/SVneo cells. Moreover, ROS production in HTR-8/SVneo cells was induced by H₂O₂, whilst ATL alleviated this H₂O₂-induced ROS production and apoptosis in cells.

CONCLUSION

ATL attenuated apoptosis and oxidative stress in HTR-8/SVneo cells in PE by activating the MAPK/ERK signalling pathway. ATL has potential to be utilized as a potential therapeutic candidate for PE.

Bioinformatics Analysis and Identification of Genes and Pathways in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Purpose

Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is considered to be the most common cause of heart failure, with high prevalence and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the different expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways in the pathogenesis of ICM using bioinformatics analysis.

Methods

The control and ICM datasets GSE116250, GSE46224 and GSE5406 were collected from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. DEGs were identified using limma package of R software, and co-expressed genes were identified using Venn diagrams. Then, the gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the biological functions and signaling pathways. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were assembled with Cytoscape software to identify hub genes related to the pathogenesis of ICM. RT-PCR of Heart tissues (n=2 for non-failing controls and n=4 for ischemic cardiomyopathy patients) was used to validate the bioinformatic results.

Results

A total of 844 DEGs were screened from GSE116250, of which 447 were up-regulated genes and 397 were down-regulated genes, respectively. A total of 99 DEGs were singled out from GSE46224, of which 58 were up-regulated genes and 41 were down-regulated genes, respectively. Thirty DEGs were screened from GSE5406, including 10 genes with up-regulated expression and 20 genes with down-regulated expression. Five up-regulated and 3 down-regulated co-expressed DEGs were intersected in three datasets. GO and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that DEGs are mainly enriched in collagen fibril organization, protein digestion and absorption, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway and other related pathways. Collagen alpha-1(III) chain (COL3A1), collagen alpha-2(I) chain (COL1A2) and lumican (LUM) are the three hub genes in all three datasets through PPI network analysis. The expression of 5 DEGs (SERPINA3, FCN3, COL3A1, HBB, MXRA5) in heart tissues by qRT-PCR results was consistent with our GEO analysis, while expression of 3 DEGs (ASPN, LUM, COL1A2) was opposite with GEO analysis.

Conclusion

These findings from this bioinformatics network analysis investigated key hub genes, which contributed to better understanding the mechanism and new therapeutic targets of ICM.

MXRA5 Is a Novel Immune-Related Biomarker That Predicts Poor Prognosis in Glioma

Background

Glioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor and is associated with poor prognosis. Identifying effective biomarkers for glioma is particularly important. MXRA5, a secreted glycoprotein, is involved in cell adhesion and extracellular matrix remodeling and has been reported to be expressed in many cancers. However, the role and mechanism of action of MXRA5 in gliomas remain unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the role of MXRA5 at the transcriptome level and its clinical prognostic value.

Methods

In this study, RNA microarray data of 301 glioma patients from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) were collected as a training cohort and RNA-seq data of 702 glioma samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used for validation. We analyzed the clinical and molecular characteristics as well as the prognostic value of MXRA5 in glioma. In addition, the expression level of MXRA was evaluated in 28 glioma tissue samples.

Results

We found that MXRA5 expression was significantly upregulated in high-grade gliomas and IDH wild-type gliomas compared to controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that MXRA5 is a potential marker of the mesenchymal subtype of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We found that MXRA5 expression is highly correlated with immune checkpoint molecule expression levels and tumor-associated macrophage infiltration. High MXRA5 expression could be used as an independent indicator of poor prognosis in glioma patients.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that MXRA5 expression is associated with the clinicopathologic features and poor prognosis of gliomas. MXRA5 may play an important role in the immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioma. As a secreted glycoprotein, MXRA5 is a potential circulating biomarker for glioma, deserving further investigation.

Examining Sex Differences in the Human Placental Transcriptome During the First Fetal Androgen Peak

Sex differences in human placenta exist from early pregnancy to term, however, it is unclear whether these differences are driven solely by sex chromosome complement or are subject to differential sex hormonal regulation. Here, we survey the human chorionic villus (CV) transcriptome for sex-linked signatures from 11 to 16 gestational weeks, corresponding to the first window of increasing testis-derived androgen production in male fetuses. Illumina HiSeq RNA sequencing was performed on Lexogen Quantseq 3' libraries derived from CV biopsies (n = 11 females, n = 12 males). Differential expression (DE) was performed to identify sex-linked transcriptional signatures, followed by chromosome mapping, pathway analysis, predicted protein interaction, and post-hoc linear regressions to identify transcripts that trend over time. We observe 322 transcripts DE between male and female CV from 11 to 16 weeks, with 22 transcripts logFC > 1. Contrary to our predictions, the difference between male and female expression of DE autosomal genes was more pronounced at the earlier gestational ages. In females, we found selective upregulation of extracellular matrix components, along with a number of X-linked genes. In males, DE transcripts centered on chromosome 19, with mitochondrial, immune, and pregnancy maintenance-related transcripts upregulated. Among the highest differentially expressed autosomal genes were CCRL2, LGALS13, and LGALS14, which are known to regulate immune cell interactions. Our results provide insight into sex-linked gene expression in late first and early second trimester developing human placenta and lay the groundwork to understand the mechanistic origins of sex differences in prenatal development.

Biomarkers of placental redox imbalance in pregnancies with preeclampsia and consequent perinatal outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To compare redox and inflammatory markers between normal and PE-derived placentas and to evaluate the relationship between placental redox imbalance markers and perinatal outcomes in pregnancies with PE.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the maternity hospital of a university hospital in Maceio-Alagoas, Brazil, in 2017, including women diagnosed with PE and healthy pregnant women and their conceptuses. After screening, standardized questionnaires containing socioeconomic, clinical, obstetric and anthropometric data were applied. After delivery, placental samples were collected for quantification of biomarkers of redox imbalance (catalase - CAT; malondialdehyde - MDA; hydrogen peroxide - H₂O₂; superoxide dismutase - SOD; reduced glutathione - GSH; oxidized glutathione - GSSG; and their ratio - GSH/GSSG) and inflammation (myeloperoxidase - MPO; interleukin (IL)-6; IL-8; IL-10; and tumor necrosis factor-alpha - TNF-α). All biomarkers were evaluated via linear regression with adjustments of variables with measures of weight, length, head circumference (HC), chest circumference (CC) and gestational age of newborns at birth, considering p < 0.05 as significant.

RESULTS

A total of 100 pregnant women with PE and 50 healthy pregnant women were studied. Higher placental levels of catalase (p = 0.018), SOD (p = 0.031), the GSH/GSSG ratio (p = 0.019) and IL-6 (p = 0.010) and lower GSSG (p = 0.001) were observed in pregnant women with PE than in the control group. Positive associations between placental GSH levels and body weight, HC, CC and gestational age at birth (p < 0.05) were identified.

CONCLUSION

PE-derived placentas had high concentrations of some antioxidants (enzymes and thiols), which might be a compensation mechanism against oxidative stress. Placental GSH levels were the only biomarker, among the studied ones, related positively with beneficial perinatal outcomes, suggesting that this endogenous antioxidant plays an important role in maintaining the health of the conceptus and women with PE.

Identification and functional activity of matrix-remodeling associated 5 (MXRA5) in benign hyperplastic prostate

Objective: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in aging males. The current study aims to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with BPH and to elucidate the role of matrix-remodeling associated 5 (MXRA5) protein and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways in BPH.

Results: A total of 198 DEGs and a number of related pathways were identified with MXRA5 being one of the most significantly altered DEGs. MXRA5 was upregulated in BPH samples and localized mostly in stroma. Knockdown of MXRA5 induced stromal cell cycle arrest instead of inhibiting apoptosis. Consistently, MXRA5 overexpression enhanced epithelial cell proliferation. In addition, phosphorylated ERK1/2 and p38, key members of the MAPK family, were strongly decreased with knockdown but increased with overexpression.

Conclusion: Our novel data demonstrates that upregulation of MXRA5 in the enlarged prostate could contribute to the development of BPH through increasing cell proliferation via the MAPK pathway. Thus, the MXRA5-MAPK system could be rediscovered as a new therapeutic target for treating BPH.

Methods: Microarray analysis and integrated bioinformatics were conducted. The expression and biologic functions of MXRA5 was investigated via RT-PCR, western-blot, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and MTT assay. Finally, genes involved in regulation of the MAPK pathway were investigated.

Identification of putative biomarkers for Infantile Hemangiomas and Propranolol treatment via data integration

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common benign tumors in early childhood. They show a distinctive mechanism of tumor growth in which a rapid proliferative phase is followed by a regression phase (involution). Propranolol is an approved treatment for IHs, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. We integrated and harmonized microRNA and mRNA transcriptome data from newly generated microarray data on IHs with publicly available data on toxicological transcriptomics from propranolol exposure, and with microRNA data from IHs and propranolol exposure. We identified subsets of putative biomarkers for proliferation and involution as well as a small set of putative biomarkers for propranolol's mechanism of action for IHs, namely EPAS1, LASP1, SLC25A23, MYO1B, and ALDH1A1. Based on our integrative data approach and confirmatory experiments, we concluded that hypoxia in IHs is regulated by EPAS1 (HIF-2α) instead of HIF-1α, and also that propranolol-induced apoptosis in endothelial cells may occur via mitochondrial stress.

Proteomics analysis of site-specific glycoforms by a virtual multistage mass spectrometry method

Determination of site-specific glycoforms is the key to reveal the micro-heterogeneity of protein glycosylation at proteome level. Herein, we presented an integrated virtual multistage MS strategy to identify intact glycopeptides, which allowed the determination of site-specific glycoforms. In this strategy, the enzymatically de-glycosylated peptides and intact glycopeptides were mixed and analyzed in the same LC-MS/MS run. The acquired MS2 spectra of intact glycopeptides allowed determination of the glycans, and the MS2 spectra of the de-glycosylated peptides enabled the identification of peptide backbone sequences. Compared with the conventional multistage strategy, the peptide backbones could be directly identified by the MS2 of the de-glycopeptides with higher sensitivity. This strategy was first validated by analyzing the glycosites and site-specific glycoforms of mouse liver tissues. Then, it was applied to differential analysis of the glycoproteomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and adjacent liver tissues. Compared with the identification scheme using only MS2 spectra of intact glycopeptides or glycosites, this approach enabled quantitative analysis on two levels, i.e. glycosites and site-specific glycoforms, simultaneously. Thus, it could be a powerful tool to characterize the subtle differences in the macro- and micro-heterogeneity of protein glycosylation for different samples.