ACSL4 promotes colorectal cancer and is a potential therapeutic target of emodin

ACSL4 promotes malignant progression of Hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting PAK2 transcription

Long-chain fatty acyl-Coa ligase 4 (ACSL4) is an important enzyme that converts fatty acids to fatty acyl-Coa esters, there is increasing evidence for its role in carcinogenesis. However, the precise role of ACLS4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not clearly understood. In the present study, we provide evidence that ACSL4 expression was specifically elevated in HCC and is associated with poor clinical outcomes. ACSL4 significantly promotes the growth and metastasis of HCC both in vitro and in vivo. RNA sequencing and functional experiments showed that the effect of ACSL4 on HCC development was heavily dependent on PAK2. ACSL4 expression is well correlated with PAK2 in HCC, and ACSL4 even transcriptionally increased PAK2 gene expression mediated by Sp1. In addition, emodin, a naturally occurring anthraquinone derivative, inhibited HCC cell growth and tumor progression by targeting ACSL4. In summary, ACSL4 plays a novel oncogene in HCC development by regulating PAK2 transcription. Targeting ACSL4 could be useful in drug development and therapy for HCC.

Regulation of VEGF-A expression and VEGF-A-targeted therapy in malignant tumors

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), a highly conserved dimeric glycoprotein, is a key regulatory gene and a marker molecule of angiogenesis. The upregulation of VEGF-A facilitates the process of tumor vascularization, thereby fostering the initiation and progression of malignant neoplasms. Many genes can adjust the angiogenesis of tumors by changing the expression of VEGF-A. In addition, VEGF-A also exhibits immune regulatory properties, which directly or indirectly suppresses the antitumor activity of immune cells. The emergence of VEGF-A-targeted therapy alone or in rational combinations has revolutionized the treatment of various cancers. This review discusses how diverse mechanisms in various tumors regulate VEGF-A expression to promote tumor angiogenesis and the role of VEGF-A in tumor immune microenvironment. The application of drugs targeting VEGF-A in tumor therapy is also summarized including antibody molecule drugs and traditional Chinese medicine.

ACSL4 accelerates osteosarcoma progression via modulating TGF-β/Smad2 signaling pathway

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant bone sarcoma arising from mesenchymal stem cells. The biological role of Acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4), recently identified as an oncogene in numerous tumor types, remains largely unclear in OS. In this study, we investigated the expression of ACSL4 in OS tissues using immunohistochemistry staining (IHC) staining of a human tissue microarray and in OS cells by qPCR assay. Our findings revealed a significant up-regulation of ACSL4 in both OS tissues and cells. To further understand its biological effects, we conducted a series of loss-of-function experiments using ACSL4-depleted MNNG/HOS and U-2OS cell lines, focusing on OS cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis in vitro. Our results demonstrated that ACSL4 knockdown remarkably suppressed OS cell proliferation, arrested cells in the G2 phase, induced cell apoptosis, and inhibited cell migration. Additionally, a subcutaneous xenograft mice model was established to validate the in vivo impact of ACSL4, revealing ACSL4 silencing impaired tumor growth in the OS xenograft mice. Additionally, we discovered that ACSL4 could regulate the phosphorylation level of Smad2 through cooperative interactions, and treatment with a TGF-β inhibitor weakened the promoting effects of ACSL4 overexpression. In short, ACSL4 regulated OS progression by modulating TGF-β/Smad2 signaling pathway. These findings underscore ACSL4 as a promising therapeutic target for OS patients and contribute novel insights into the pathogenesis of OS.

Modulation of ferroptosis by non‑coding RNAs in cancers: Potential biomarkers for cancer diagnose and therapy

Ferroptosis is a recently discovered cell programmed death. Extensive researches have indicated that ferroptosis plays an essential role in tumorigenesis, development, migration and chemotherapy drugs resistance, which makes it become a new target for tumor therapy. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are considered to control a wide range of cellular processes by modulating gene expression. Recent studies have indicated that ncRNAs regulate the process of ferroptosis via various pathway to affect the development of cancer. However, the regulation network remains ambiguous. In this review, we outlined the major metabolic processes of ferroptosis and concluded the relationship between ferroptosis-related ncRNAs and cancer progression. In addition, the prospect of ncRNAs being new therapeutic targets and early diagnosis biomarkers for cancer by regulating ferroptosis were presented, and the possible obstacles were also predicted. This could help in discovering novel cancer early diagnostic methods and therapeutic approaches.

ROS/pH dual-sensitive emodin-chlorambucil co-loaded micelles enhance anti-tumor effect through combining oxidative damage and chemotherapy

The high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) at the tumor site has been widely used in the tumor targeted delivery. However, the ROS stimulus-responsive vector itself is also a ROS consumer, and the consumption of endogenous ROS may not be sufficient to maintain sustained drug release. In this study, we designed and synthesized ROS/pH dual-sensitive polymer micelles for the co-delivery of emodin (EMD) and chlorambucil (CLB). The release of quinone methides (QM) can consume glutathione (GSH), on the one hand, it can enhance the chemotoxicity of phenylbutyrate nitrogen mustard, on the other hand, emodin can induce oxidative damage of tumor cells and maintain the sustained targeted release of drugs.

Exposure to anticancer drugs modulates the expression of ACSL4 and ABCG2 proteins in adrenocortical carcinoma cells

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and malignant disease, with more than 50 % of patients developing hormone-secreting tumors. These tumors are genetically heterogeneous and potentially lethal, as metastasis is often underway at the time of diagnosis. While chemoresistance can be multifactorial, Acyl CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) is known to contribute to the generation of highly aggressive cellular phenotypes, while increased expression and activity of multidrug transporters such as ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) are known to play a key role. Therefore, the objective of this work was to determine changes in the expression of ACSL4 and ABCG2 in ACC cell lines after exposure to antitumor drugs. Bioinformatics analysis of public database GSE140818 revealed higher ACSL4 and ABCG2 expression in HAC15 cells resistant to mitotane when compared to wild type cells. In addition, our studies revealed an increase in ACSL4 and ABCG2 expression in lowly aggressive H295R cells undergoing early treatment with non-lethal concentrations of mitotane, doxorubicin and cisplatin. Comparable results were obtained in lowly aggressive breast cancer cells MCF-7. The increase in ACSL4 and ABCG2 expression favored tumor cell viability, proliferation and compound efflux, an effect partially offset by ACSL4 and ABCG2 inhibitors. These results provide relevant data on the undesired molecular effects of antitumor drugs and may fuel future studies on patients' early response to antitumor treatment.

Identification of disulfidptosis-related genes with immune infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant primary tumor that is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage; thus, there is an urgent need for efficient and sensitive novel diagnostic markers to determine the prognosis and halt disease progression in patients with HCC. Disulfidptosis is a recently discovered form of programmed cell death, essentially an abnormal accumulation of intracellular bisulfides. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the role of disulfidptosis-related genes (DRGs) in the pathogenesis of HCC. Based on public databases, our work demonstrates the relationship between DRG and expression, immunity, mutation/drug sensitivity, and functional enrichment in HCC. We also revealed the significant heterogeneity of HCC in different DRGs sub-clusters and in differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively. Subsequently, the most relevant candidate gene, SLC7A11, was screened by machine learning to further validate the significance of SLC7A11 in the clinical features, prognosis, nomogram pattern, and immune infiltration of HCC. Our study, which elucidates the potential mechanisms of DRGs and HCC, reveals that SLC7A11 can serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and provides opportunities and challenges for individualized cancer immunotherapy strategies.

Role of ferroptosis in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second deadliest cancer and the third-most common malignancy in the world. Surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy have been widely used to treat CRC, but some patients still develop resistance to these treatments. Ferroptosis is a novel non-apoptotic form of cell death. It is an iron-dependent non-apoptotic cell death characterized by the accumulation of lipid reactive oxygen species and has been suggested to play a role in reversing resistance to anticancer drugs. This review summarizes recent advances in the prognostic role of ferroptosis in CRC and the mechanism of action in CRC.

ACSL3 and ACSL4, Distinct Roles in Ferroptosis and Cancers

The long-chain fatty acyl CoA synthetase (ACSLs) family of enzymes contributes significantly to lipid metabolism and produces acyl-coenzyme A by catalyzing fatty acid oxidation. The dysregulation of ACSL3 and ACSL4, which belong to the five isoforms of ACSLs, plays a key role in cancer initiation, development, metastasis, and tumor immunity and may provide several possible therapeutic strategies. Moreover, ACSL3 and ACSL4 are crucial for ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic cell death triggered by the accumulation of membrane lipid peroxides due to iron overload. Here, we present a summary of the current knowledge on ACSL3 and ACSL4 and their functions in various cancers. Research on the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of ferroptosis is critical to developing targeted therapies for cancer.