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Qiu L, Xu H, Sui B, Jiang P, Wang J, Xu D, Liang F, Ma T, Wang H, Chen J. Elucidating the Functional Mechanism of PTK7 in Cancer Development through Spatial Assembly Analysis Using Super Resolution Imaging. Anal Chem 2024; 96:7669-7678. [PMID: 38708542 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Protein tyrosine kinase-7 (PTK7) has been reported as a vital participant in the Wnt signaling pathway, influencing tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, their specific roles in the mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression remain elusive. Here, using direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) with aptamer-probe labeling, we first revealed that a weakening clustering distribution of PTK7 on the basal membranes happened as cellular migration increased during cancer progression. This correspondence was further supported by a diminished aggregated state of PTK7 caused by direct enhancement of cell migration. By comparing the alterations in PTK7 distribution with activation or inhibition of specific Wnt signaling pathway, we speculated that PTK7 could modulate cell migration by participating in the interplay between canonical Wnt (in MCF7 cells) and noncanonical Wnt signals (in MDA-MB-231 cells). Furthermore, we discovered that the spatial distribution morphology of PTK7 was also subject to the hydrolysis ability and activation state of the related hydrolase Matrix metallopeptidase14 (MMP14). This function-related specific assembly of PTK7 reveals a clear relationship between PTK7 and cancer. Meanwhile, potential molecular interactions predicted by the apparent assembly morphology can promote a deep understanding of the functional mechanism of PTK7 in cancer progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luqi Qiu
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Haijiao Xu
- Research Center of Biomembranomics, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
| | - Binglin Sui
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Pengwei Jiang
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Jiaqi Wang
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Dandan Xu
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Feng Liang
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Tao Ma
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
| | - Hongda Wang
- Research Center of Biomembranomics, State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5625 Renmin Street, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
| | - Junling Chen
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430081, China
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Khatif H, Bazzi H. Generation and characterization of a Dkk4-Cre knock-in mouse line. Genesis 2024; 62:e23532. [PMID: 37435631 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.23532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Ectodermal appendages in mammals, such as teeth, mammary glands, sweat glands and hair follicles, are generated during embryogenesis through a series of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions. Canonical Wnt signaling and its inhibitors are implicated in the early steps of ectodermal appendage development and patterning. To study the activation dynamics of the Wnt target and inhibitor Dickkopf4 (Dkk4) in ectodermal appendages, we used CRSIPR/Cas9 to generate a Dkk4-Cre knock-in mouse (Mus musculus) line, where the Cre recombinase cDNA replaces the expression of endogenous Dkk4. Using Cre reporters, the Dkk4-Cre activity was evident at the prospective sites of ectodermal appendages, overlapping with the Dkk4 mRNA expression. Unexpectedly, a predominantly mesenchymal cell population in the embryo posterior also showed Dkk4-Cre activity. Lineage-tracing suggested that these cells are likely derived from a few Dkk4-Cre-expressing cells in the epiblast at early gastrulation. Finally, our analyses of Dkk4-Cre-expressing cells in developing hair follicle epithelial placodes revealed intra- and inter-placodal cellular heterogeneity, supporting emerging data on the positional and transcriptional cellular variability in placodes. Collectively, we propose the new Dkk4-Cre knock-in mouse line as a suitable model to study Wnt and DKK4 inhibitor dynamics in early mouse development and ectodermal appendage morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houda Khatif
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- The Cologne Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hisham Bazzi
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- The Cologne Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Qian J, Wang Q, Xiao L, Xiong W, Xian M, Su P, Yang M, Zhang C, Li Y, Zhong L, Ganguly S, Zu Y, Yi Q. Development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies against DKK1 peptide-HLA-A2 complex to treat human cancers. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e008145. [PMID: 38267222 PMCID: PMC10824003 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-008145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Targeted immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is an effective and safe method for the treatment of malignancies. Development of mAbs with improved cytotoxicity, targeting new and known tumor-associated antigens, therefore continues to be an active research area. We reported that Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is a good target for immunotherapy of human cancers based on its wide expression in different cancers but not in normal tissues. As DKK1 is a secreted protein, mAbs binding directly to DKK1 have limited effects on cancer cells in vivo. METHODS The specificity and antibody-binding capacity of DKK1-A2 mAbs were determined using indirect ELISA, confocal imaging, QIFIKIT antibody-binding capacity and cell surface binding assays. The affinity of mAbs was determined using a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. A flow cytometry-based cell death was performed to detect tumor cell apoptosis. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assays were used to evaluate the ability of DKK1-A2 mAbs to mediate ADCC and CDC activities against tumor cells in vitro. Flow cytometry data were collected with an FACSymphony A3 cell analyzer and analyzed with FlowJo V.10.1 software. Human cancer xenograft mouse models were used to determine the in vivo therapeutic efficacy and the potential safety and toxicity of DKK1-A2 mAbs. In situ TUNEL assay was performed to detect apoptosis in tumors and mouse organs. RESULTS We generated novel DKK1-A2 mAbs that recognize the DKK1 P20 peptide presented by human HLA-A*0201 (HLA-A2) molecules (DKK1-A2 complexes) that are naturally expressed by HLA-A2+DKK1+ cancer cells. These mAbs directly induced apoptosis in HLA-A2+DKK1+ hematologic and solid cancer cells by activating the caspase-9 cascade, effectively lysed the cancer cells in vitro by mediating CDC and ADCC and were therapeutic against established cancers in their xenograft mouse models. As DKK1 is not detected in most human tissues, DKK1-A2 mAbs neither bound to or killed HLA-A2+ blood cells in vitro nor caused tissue damage in tumor-free or tumor-bearing HLA-A2-transgenic mice. CONCLUSION Our study suggests that DKK1-A2 mAbs may be a promising therapeutic agent to treat human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianfei Qian
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Qiang Wang
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Liuling Xiao
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Wei Xiong
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Miao Xian
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Pan Su
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maojie Yang
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Chuanchao Zhang
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yabo Li
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ling Zhong
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Siddhartha Ganguly
- Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Youli Zu
- Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Institute for Academic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Qing Yi
- Center for Translational Research in Hematological Malignancies, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center/Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA
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Terhaar HM, Henriksen MDL, Mehaffy C, Hess A, McMullen RJ. The use of shotgun label-free quantitative proteomic mass spectrometry to evaluate the inflammatory response in aqueous humor from horses with uveitis compared to ophthalmologically healthy horses. Vet Ophthalmol 2024; 27:40-52. [PMID: 37144658 DOI: 10.1111/vop.13107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to use shotgun label-free tandem mass spectrometry (LF-MS/MS) to evaluate aqueous humor (AH) from horses with uveitis (UH) compared to ophthalmologically healthy horses (HH). ANIMALS STUDIED Twelve horses diagnosed with uveitis based on ophthalmic examination and six ophthalmologically healthy horses (postmortem) purchased for teaching purposes. PROCEDURES All horses received a complete ophthalmic examination and physical exam. Aqueous paracentesis was performed on all horses and AH total protein concentrations were measured with nanodrop (TPn) and refractometry (TPr). AH samples were analyzed with shotgun LF-MS/MS and proteomic data were compared between groups using Wilcoxon rank-sum test. RESULTS A total of 147 proteins were detected, 11 proteins had higher abundance in UH, and 38 proteins had lower abundance in UH. Proteins with higher abundance included apolipoprotein E, alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M), alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein, prothrombin, fibrinogen, complement component 4 (C4), joining chain for IgA and IgM, afamin, and amine oxidase. There were positive correlations between TPn (p = .003) and TPr (p = .0001) compared to flare scores. CONCLUSION Differential abundance of A2M, prothrombin, fibrinogen, and C4 indicate upregulation of the complement and coagulation cascade in equine uveitis. Proinflammatory cytokines and the complement cascade have potential as therapeutic targets for equine uveitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M Terhaar
- Comparative Ophthalmology, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Michala de Linde Henriksen
- Comparative Ophthalmology, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Carolina Mehaffy
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Ann Hess
- Department of Statistics, College of Natural Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Richard J McMullen
- Equine Ophthalmology, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, JT Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital, Auburn, Alabama, USA
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Yang F, Ruixin Y, Xiaochun M, Fan Z, Junbin L, Pengmei D, Guoyan J. Extremely hair follicle density is associated with a significantly different cecal microbiota in rex rabbits. Exp Dermatol 2023; 32:1361-1370. [PMID: 37160722 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
It has become increasingly clear that gut microbiota and skin are interconnected since the discovery of the 'gut-brain-skin' axis. Hair follicles (HFs) are skin microorganisms, but few studies have investigated their relationship to gut microbiota. Hence, we hypothesize that HFs have a close relationship with the gut, similarly to what was reported for the skin. Using rex rabbits as an animal model, one hundred healthy half-sibling rex rabbits were selected for the experiment, and 16 s rRNA gene sequencing was performed on the cecal microbiota of nine rabbits with the extremely high (HS) and low (LS) hair density (n = 9 per group) to determine differences between the composition and function of these communities. In comparison with the LS group, several alpha diversity index values were significantly lower in the HS group, although the higher variation in species composition in the HS group. Additionally, species diversity and abundance differed significantly in the cecum microbiota of HS and LS rabbits. Further, primary and secondary HF density was significantly correlated with the families Muribaculaceae and Bacteroidaceae, and genera Blautia, Bacteroides and Desulfovibrio. In particular, Muribaculaceae, Bacteroidaceae, Blautia and Bacteroides may support the development of HFs. Moreover, the expression of WNT4, WNT10a, WNT10b, CTNNB1 (β-catenin) and LEF1 in the skin was significantly higher in the HS group compared with the LS group. Altogether, the results of this study suggest that the extremely high density of HF in rabbits is associated with a significantly different microbiota diversity and community structure, and the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway was activated in the HS group. Thus, key bacteria may promote the development of HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yang Ruixin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ma Xiaochun
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhang Fan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Liu Junbin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Dong Pengmei
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jiang Guoyan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
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Alimohammadi M, Gholinezhad Y, Mousavi V, Kahkesh S, Rezaee M, Yaghoobi A, Mafi A, Araghi M. Circular RNAs: novel actors of Wnt signaling pathway in lung cancer progression. EXCLI JOURNAL 2023; 22:645-669. [PMID: 37636026 PMCID: PMC10450211 DOI: 10.17179/excli2023-6209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Circular RNAs (CircRNAs) are a class of regulatory RNA transcripts, which are ubiquitously expressed in eukaryotes. CircRNA dysregulation has been shown to disrupt the interaction of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which regulates several biological processes involved in tumorigenesis, thereby contributing to the development and progression of cancer. Interactions of tumor-derived circRNAs with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway provide both clinical diagnostic biomarkers and promising therapeutic targets. In this review, we outlined current evidence on the roles of circRNAs associated with the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in regulating lung cancer formation and development. We believe that our findings will assist in the advancement or establishment of circRNA-based lung cancer therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Alimohammadi
- Student Research Committee, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yasaman Gholinezhad
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahide Mousavi
- School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Samaneh Kahkesh
- Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Malihe Rezaee
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Yaghoobi
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Mafi
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mahmood Araghi
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
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Ostler JB, Jones C. The Bovine Herpesvirus 1 Latency-Reactivation Cycle, a Chronic Problem in the Cattle Industry. Viruses 2023; 15:552. [PMID: 36851767 PMCID: PMC9966457 DOI: 10.3390/v15020552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) is a persistent and recurring disease that affects cattle worldwide. It is a major contributor to bovine respiratory disease and reproductive failure in the US. A major complication of BoHV-1 arises from the lifelong latent infection established in the sensory ganglia of the peripheral nervous system following acute infection. Lifelong latency is marked by periodic reactivation from latency that leads to virus transmission and transient immunosuppression. Physiological and environmental stress, along with hormone fluctuations, can drive virus reactivation from latency, allowing the virus to spread rapidly. This review discusses the mechanisms of the latency/reactivation cycle, with particular emphasis on how different hormones directly regulate BoHV-1 gene expression and productive infection. Glucocorticoids, including the synthetic corticosteroid dexamethasone, are major effectors of the stress response. Stress directly regulates BoHV-1 gene expression through multiple pathways, including β-catenin dependent Wnt signaling, and the glucocorticoid receptor. Related type 1 nuclear hormone receptors, the androgen and progesterone receptors, also drive BoHV-1 gene expression and productive infection. These receptors form feed-forward transcription loops with the stress-induced Krüppel-like transcription factors KLF4 and KLF15. Understanding these molecular pathways is critical for developing novel therapeutics designed to block reactivation and reduce virus spread and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clinton Jones
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
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Williams MJ, White SC, Joseph Z, Hruska KA. Updates in the chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder show the role of osteocytic proteins, a potential mechanism of the bone-Vascular paradox, a therapeutic target, and a biomarker. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1120308. [PMID: 36776982 PMCID: PMC9909112 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1120308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) is a complex multi-component syndrome occurring during kidney disease and its progression. Here, we update progress in the components of the syndrome, and synthesize recent investigations, which suggest a potential mechanism of the bone-vascular paradox. The discovery that calcified arteries in chronic kidney disease inhibit bone remodeling lead to the identification of factors produced by the vasculature that inhibit the skeleton, thus providing a potential explanation for the bone-vascular paradox. Among the factors produced by calcifying arteries, sclerostin secretion is especially enlightening. Sclerostin is a potent inhibitor of bone remodeling and an osteocyte specific protein. Its production by the vasculature in chronic kidney disease identifies the key role of vascular cell osteoblastic/osteocytic transdifferentiation in vascular calcification and renal osteodystrophy. Subsequent studies showing that inhibition of sclerostin activity by a monoclonal antibody improved bone remodeling as expected, but stimulated vascular calcification, demonstrate that vascular sclerostin functions to brake the Wnt stimulation of the calcification milieu. Thus, the target of therapy in the chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder is not inhibition of sclerostin function, which would intensify vascular calcification. Rather, decreasing sclerostin production by decreasing the vascular osteoblastic/osteocytic transdifferentiation is the goal. This might decrease vascular calcification, decrease vascular stiffness, decrease cardiac hypertrophy, decrease sclerostin production, reduce serum sclerostin and improve skeletal remodeling. Thus, the therapeutic target of the chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder may be vascular osteoblastic transdifferentiation, and sclerostin levels may be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of the chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder and the progress of its therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Williams
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO, United States,*Correspondence: Keith A. Hruska, ; Matthew J. Williams,
| | - Sarah C. White
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Zachary Joseph
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Keith A. Hruska
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO, United States,Departments of Medicine and Cell Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO, United States,*Correspondence: Keith A. Hruska, ; Matthew J. Williams,
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Diaz A, Martin-Jimenez C, Woo Y, Merino P, Torre E, Yepes M. Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Triggers Wingless/Int1-Independent Phosphorylation of the Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-6 in Cerebral Cortical Neurons. J Alzheimers Dis 2022; 89:877-891. [PMID: 35964187 DOI: 10.3233/jad-220320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine proteinase found in excitatory synapses located in the II/III and V cortical layers. The synaptic release of uPA promotes the formation of synaptic contacts and the repair of synapses damaged by various forms of injury, and its abundance is decreased in the synapse of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Inactivation of the Wingless/Int1 (Wnt)-β-catenin pathway plays a central role in the pathogenesis of AD. Soluble amyloid-β (Aβ) prevents the phosphorylation of the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-6 (LRP6), and the resultant inactivation of the Wnt-β-catenin pathway prompts the amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) and causes synaptic loss. OBJECTIVE To study the role of neuronal uPA in the pathogenesis of AD. METHODS We used in vitro cultures of murine cerebral cortical neurons, a murine neuroblastoma cell line transfected with the APP-695 Swedish mutation (N2asw), and mice deficient on either plasminogen, or uPA, or its receptor (uPAR). RESULTS We show that uPA activates the Wnt-β-catenin pathway in cerebral cortical neurons by triggering the phosphorylation of LRP6 via a plasmin-independent mechanism that does not require binding of Wnt ligands (Wnts). Our data indicate that uPA-induced activation of the Wnt-β-catenin pathway protects the synapse from the harmful effects of soluble Aβ and prevents the amyloidogenic processing of AβPP by inhibiting the expression of β-secretase 1 (BACE1) and the ensuing generation of Aβ 40 and Aβ 42 peptides. CONCLUSION uPA protects the synapse and antagonizes the inhibitory effect of soluble Aβ on the Wnt-β-catenin pathway by providing an alternative pathway for LRP6 phosphorylation and β-catenin stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Diaz
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Cynthia Martin-Jimenez
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yena Woo
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Paola Merino
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Enrique Torre
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Manuel Yepes
- Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
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10
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Huang YL, Zhang JN, Hou TZ, Gu L, Yang HM, Zhang H. Inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling attenuates axonal degeneration in models of Parkinson's disease. Neurochem Int 2022; 159:105389. [PMID: 35809720 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2022.105389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
There are currently no treatments to delay or prevent Parkinson's disease (PD), and protective treatments require early administration. Targeting axonal degeneration in early PD could have an important clinical effect; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms controlling axonal degeneration in PD are not fully understood. Here, we studied the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in axonal degeneration induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or overexpression of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) in vitro and in vivo. We found that the levels of both β-catenin and p-S9-glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) increased and the levels of phosphorylated β-catenin (p-β-catenin) decreased during 6-OHDA-induced axonal degeneration and that the inhibitors of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway IWR-1 and Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) attenuated the degenerative process in primary neurons in vitro. Furthermore, IWR-1 enhanced the increase of LC3-II levels and the decrease of p62 triggered by 6-OHDA treatment, whereas the autophagy inhibitor 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) alleviated the protective effect of IWR-1 on axons in vitro. Consistent with the in vitro findings, both β-catenin and p-S9-GSK-3β were upregulated in a 6-OHDA-induced rat PD model, and blocking the Wnt/β-catenin pathway with DKK-1 attenuated the degeneration of dopaminergic axons at an early time point in vivo. The protective effect of inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling was further confirmed in an α-Syn overexpression-induced animal models of PD. Taken together, these data indicate that the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is involved axonal degeneration in PD, and suggest that Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitors have the therapeutic potential for the prevention of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Lin Huang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders and Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Ministry of Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Jian-Nan Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders and Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Ministry of Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.
| | - Tian-Zhong Hou
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders and Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Ministry of Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Li Gu
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders and Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Ministry of Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Hui-Min Yang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders and Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Ministry of Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders and Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disorders of the Ministry of Education, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.
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11
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Mo Z, Zeng Z, Liu Y, Zeng L, Fang J, Ma Y. Activation of Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling Pathway as a Promising Therapeutic Candidate for Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:914537. [PMID: 35668927 PMCID: PMC9163667 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.914537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality, and survivors experience serious neurological and motor behavioral deficiencies. Following a cerebral ischemic event, substantial alterations in both cellular and molecular activities occur because of ischemia/reperfusion injury. Wnt signaling is an evolutionarily conserved signaling pathway that has been manifested to play a key role in embryo development and function maintenance in adults. Overactivation of Wnt signaling has previously been investigated in cancer-based research studies. Recently, abnormal Wnt signaling activity has been observed in ischemic stroke, which is accompanied by massive blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption, neuronal apoptosis, and neuroinflammation within the central nervous system (CNS). Significant therapeutic effects were observed after reactivating the adynamic signaling activity of canonical Wnt signaling in different cell types. To better understand the therapeutic potential of Wnt as a novel target for stroke, we reviewed the role of Wnt signaling in the pathogenesis of stroke in different cell types, including endothelial cells, neurons, oligodendrocytes, and microglia. A comprehensive understanding of Wnt signaling among different cells may help to evaluate its potential value for the development of novel therapeutic strategies based on Wnt activation that can ameliorate complications and improve functional rehabilitation after ischemic stroke.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhizhun Mo
- Emergency Department, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhongyi Zeng
- Emergency Department, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuxiang Liu
- Emergency Department, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Linsheng Zeng
- Emergency Department, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiansong Fang
- Science and Technology Innovation Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Jiansong Fang, ; Yinzhong Ma,
| | - Yinzhong Ma
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Materials and Cellular Immunomodulation, Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Jiansong Fang, ; Yinzhong Ma,
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12
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Jean WH, Huang CT, Hsu JH, Chiu KM, Lee MY, Shieh JS, Lin TY, Wang SJ. Anticonvulsive and Neuroprotective Effects of Eupafolin in Rats Are Associated with the Inhibition of Glutamate Overexcitation and Upregulation of the Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway. ACS Chem Neurosci 2022; 13:1594-1603. [PMID: 35500294 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Several plant compounds have been found to possess neuroactive properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticonvulsant effect of eupafolin, a major active component extracted from Salvia plebeia, a herb used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties. To this end, we assessed the anticonvulsant effects of eupafolin in rats intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with kainic acid (KA) to elucidate this mechanism. Treatment with eupafolin (i.p.) for 30 min before KA administration significantly reduced behavioral and electrographic seizures induced by KA, similar to carbamazepine (i.p.), a widely used antiepileptic drug. Eupafolin treatment also significantly decreased KA seizure-induced neuronal cell death and glutamate elevation in the hippocampus. In addition, eupafolin notably reversed KA seizure-induced alterations in α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor subunit GluR2, glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67, GABAergic enzyme), and Wnt signaling-related proteins, including porcupine, Wnt1, phosphorylated-glycogen synthase kinase-3β, β-catenin, and Bcl-2 in the hippocampus. Furthermore, the increased level of Dickkopf-related protein 1 (Dkk-1, a Wnt signaling antagonist) and the decreased level of Disheveled1 (Dvl-1, a Wnt signaling activator) in the hippocampus of KA-treated rats were reversed by eupafolin. This study provides evidence of the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties of eupafolin and of the involvement of regulation of glutamate overexcitation and Wnt signaling in the mechanisms of these properties. These findings support the benefits of eupafolin in treating epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Horng Jean
- Department of Anesthesiology, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 22060, Taiwan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan 32003, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Ta Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Hsuan Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
| | - Kuan-Ming Chiu
- Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Cardiovascular Center, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 22060, Taiwan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan 32003, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Yi Lee
- Department of Medical Research, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 22060, Taiwan
| | - Jiann-Shing Shieh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan 32003, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Yu Lin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Far-Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City 22060, Taiwan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan 32003, Taiwan
| | - Su-Jane Wang
- School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
- Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan 33303, Taiwan
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13
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Genetic analyses identify pleiotropy and causality for blood proteins and highlight Wnt/β-catenin signalling in migraine. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2593. [PMID: 35546551 PMCID: PMC9095680 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30184-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Migraine is a common complex disorder with a significant polygenic SNP heritability (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$${h}_{{SNP}}^{2}$$\end{document}hSNP2). Here we utilise genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics to study pleiotropy between blood proteins and migraine under the polygenic model. We estimate \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$${h}_{{SNP}}^{2}$$\end{document}hSNP2 for 4625 blood protein GWASs and identify 325 unique proteins with a significant \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$${h}_{{SNP}}^{2}$$\end{document}hSNP2 for use in subsequent genetic analyses. Pleiotropy analyses link 58 blood proteins to migraine risk at genome-wide, gene and/or single-nucleotide polymorphism levels—suggesting shared genetic influences or causal relationships. Notably, the identified proteins are largely distinct from migraine GWAS loci. We show that higher levels of DKK1 and PDGFB, and lower levels of FARS2, GSTA4 and CHIC2 proteins have a significant causal effect on migraine. The risk-increasing effect of DKK1 is particularly interesting—indicating a role for downregulation of β-catenin-dependent Wnt signalling in migraine risk, suggesting Wnt activators that restore Wnt/β-catenin signalling in brain could represent therapeutic tools against migraine. Understanding of the causes and treatment of migraine is incomplete. Here, the authors detect pleiotropic genetic effects and causal relationships between migraine and 58 proteins that are largely distinct from migraine-associated loci identified by GWAS.
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14
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Wang Z, Zhao T, Zhang S, Wang J, Chen Y, Zhao H, Yang Y, Shi S, Chen Q, Liu K. The Wnt signaling pathway in tumorigenesis, pharmacological targets, and drug development for cancer therapy. Biomark Res 2021; 9:68. [PMID: 34488905 PMCID: PMC8422786 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-021-00323-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling was initially recognized to be vital for tissue development and homeostasis maintenance. Further studies revealed that this pathway is also important for tumorigenesis and progression. Abnormal expression of signaling components through gene mutation or epigenetic regulation is closely associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in several tissues. Additionally, Wnt signaling also influences the tumor microenvironment and immune response. Some strategies and drugs have been proposed to target this pathway, such as blocking receptors/ligands, targeting intracellular molecules, beta-catenin/TCF4 complex and its downstream target genes, or tumor microenvironment and immune response. Here we discuss the roles of these components in Wnt signaling pathway in tumorigenesis and cancer progression, the underlying mechanisms that is responsible for the activation of Wnt signaling, and a series of drugs targeting the Wnt pathway provide multiple therapeutic values. Although some of these drugs exhibit exciting anti-cancer effect, clinical trials and systematic evaluation should be strictly performed along with multiple-omics technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Wang
- Central Laboratory, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China.,School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China
| | - Tingting Zhao
- Central Laboratory, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China.,School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China
| | - Shihui Zhang
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH164UU, UK
| | - Junkai Wang
- Central Laboratory, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China
| | - Yunyun Chen
- Central Laboratory, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China.,School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China
| | - Hongzhou Zhao
- Central Laboratory, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China.,School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China
| | - Yaxin Yang
- Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14627, USA
| | - Songlin Shi
- School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Chen
- Cancer Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, SAR, China
| | - Kuancan Liu
- Central Laboratory, Xiang'an Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China. .,School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, P. R. China.
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15
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Linnekamp JF, Kandimalla R, Fessler E, de Jong JH, Rodermond HM, van Bochove GGW, The FO, Punt CJA, Bemelman WA, van de Ven AWH, Tanis PJ, Kemper EM, Koens L, Dekker E, Vermeulen L, van Laarhoven HWM, Medema JP. Pre-Operative Decitabine in Colon Cancer Patients: Analyses on WNT Target Methylation and Expression. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102357. [PMID: 34068407 PMCID: PMC8153633 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA hypermethylation is common in colon cancer. Previously, we have shown that methylation of WNT target genes predicts poor prognosis in stage II colon cancer. The primary objective of this study was to assess whether pre-operative treatment with decitabine can decrease methylation and increase the expression of WNT target genes APCDD1, AXIN2 and DKK1 in colon cancer patients. A clinical study was conducted, investigating these potential effects of decitabine in colon cancer patients (DECO). Patients were treated two times with 25 mg/m2 decitabine before surgery. Methylation and expression of LINE1 and WNT target genes (primary outcome) and expression of endogenous retroviral genes (secondary outcome) were analysed in pre- and post-treatment tumour samples using pyrosequencing and rt-PCR. Ten patients were treated with decitabine and eighteen patients were used as controls. Decitabine treatment only marginally decreased LINE1 methylation. More importantly, no differences in methylation or expression of WNT target or endogenous retroviral genes were observed. Due to the lack of an effect on primary and secondary outcomes, the study was prematurely closed. In conclusion, pre-operative treatment with decitabine is safe, but with the current dosing, the primary objective, increased WNT target gene expression, cannot be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke F. Linnekamp
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
- Oncode Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Raju Kandimalla
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
| | - Evelyn Fessler
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
| | - Joan H. de Jong
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
- Oncode Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hans M. Rodermond
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
- Oncode Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gregor G. W. van Bochove
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
- Oncode Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frans O. The
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, OLVG, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Cornelis J. A. Punt
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (C.J.A.P.); (H.W.M.v.L.)
| | - Willem A. Bemelman
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (W.A.B.); (A.W.H.v.d.V.); (P.J.T.)
| | - Anthony W. H. van de Ven
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (W.A.B.); (A.W.H.v.d.V.); (P.J.T.)
- Department of Surgery, Flevo Hospital Almere, 1315 RA Almere, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter J. Tanis
- Department of Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (W.A.B.); (A.W.H.v.d.V.); (P.J.T.)
| | - Elles M. Kemper
- Department of Pharmacology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Lianne Koens
- Department of Pathology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Evelien Dekker
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Louis Vermeulen
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
- Oncode Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hanneke W. M. van Laarhoven
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (C.J.A.P.); (H.W.M.v.L.)
| | - Jan Paul Medema
- Laboratory for Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR), Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (J.F.L.); (R.K.); (E.F.); (J.H.d.J.); (H.M.R.); (G.G.W.v.B.); (L.V.)
- Oncode Institute, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Correspondence:
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16
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Poutoglidou F, Pourzitaki C, Manthou ME, Samoladas E, Saitis A, Malliou F, Kouvelas D. Infliximab prevents systemic bone loss and suppresses tendon inflammation in a collagen-induced arthritis rat model. Inflammopharmacology 2021; 29:661-672. [PMID: 33982199 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-021-00815-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Reduced Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and tendon abnormalities, such as tenosynovitis and enthesitis, are prevalent comorbidities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of chronic treatment with infliximab on BMD and tendon inflammation in an animal model of inflammatory arthritis. Collagen-Induced Arthritis (CIA) was induced in rats, followed by long-term intraperitoneal administration of infliximab. Two additional groups of animals received methotrexate either as a monotherapy or as a co-treatment to infliximab. BMD was evaluated by Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) and bone histological examination. Tendon inflammation was assessed histologically and by quantitative ELISA analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokines in tendon tissues. Both methotrexate and infliximab treatment alleviated joint inflammation and reduced paw edema. Infliximab-treated animals exhibited an improved trabecular microarchitecture on micro-CT and histological analysis compared to both non-treated and methotrexate-treated animals. Infliximab almost reversed the pathological changes in tendons induced by CIA. Finally, we observed statistically significant declines in tendon TNF-a and IL-23 levels after infliximab treatment. Our study provides evidence that infliximab prevents arthritis-related osteoporosis and suppresses tendon inflammation in an animal model of inflammatory arthritis, in addition to controlling disease activity. These findings offer perspectives for the management of osteoporosis and enthesitis in RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frideriki Poutoglidou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Chryssa Pourzitaki
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Eleni Manthou
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Efthimios Samoladas
- Orthopeadics Division of Gennimatas Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Athanasios Saitis
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Foteini Malliou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Kouvelas
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
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17
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El-Shayeb AF, El-Habachi NM, Mansour AR, Zaghloul MS. Serum midkine is a more sensitive predictor for hepatocellular carcinoma than Dickkopf-1 and alpha-L-fucosidase in cirrhotic HCV patients. Medicine (Baltimore) 2021; 100:e25112. [PMID: 33907088 PMCID: PMC8084028 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000025112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) level is the gold standard diagnostic tool for detection and monitoring hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but with low sensitivity. Thus, the identification of alternative or combined serum markers of HCC is highly needed. Therefore, the aim of this work was to verify the value of serum midkine (MDK), Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), and alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU) in detection of HCC.We recruited 244 subjects to the present study; 89 with liver cirrhosis, 86 cirrhotic hepatitis C virus (HCV) induced HCC, and 69 apparently healthy volunteers as controls. Serum AFP, MDK, DKK1, and AFU were measured by ELISA.Patients with HCC showed significantly higher serum MDK, DKK1, and AFU levels compared with those patients with liver cirrhosis and healthy controls (X2 = 179.56, 153.94, and 90.07 respectively) (P < .001 in all). In HCC cases, neither of MDK, DKK1, or AFU was correlated with tumor number. On the other hand, only serum DKK1 was significantly higher in lesions >5 cm, those with portal vein thrombosis and advanced HCC stage. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that serum MDK levels discriminated between cirrhosis and HCC at a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 90% at cut-off value of >5.1 ng/mL.Although our results showed that serum MDK, DKK-1, and AFU are increased in HCC cases only MDK may be considered as the most promising serological marker for the prediction of the development of HCC in cirrhotic HCV patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Amal R. Mansour
- Department of Physiology
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria
| | - Mariam S. Zaghloul
- Hepatology, Gastroentrology and Infectious Diseases Department, Faculty of Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
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18
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Poutoglidou F, Pourzitaki C, Manthou ME, Samoladas E, Malliou F, Saitis A, Kouvelas D. Effects of Long-Term Methotrexate, Infliximab, and Tocilizumab Administration on Bone Microarchitecture and Tendon Morphology in Healthy Wistar Rats. Cureus 2021; 13:e14696. [PMID: 34055540 PMCID: PMC8153088 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.14696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Rheumatic diseases are associated with bone loss, both systemic and periarticular, and tendon abnormalities. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of three antiarthritic drugs, methotrexate, an anti-folate metabolite; infliximab, a Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor; and tocilizumab, an antibody against Interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor, on bone microarchitecture and tendon morphology in the absence of an inflammatory state. Materials and methods Thirty-five, 8- to 9-week-old, male, Wistar rats were randomly allocated into five groups: negative control (CTRL), vehicle (VEH), methotrexate (MTX), infliximab (INFX), and tocilizumab (TCZ). After 8 weeks of antiarthritic drug intraperitoneal administration, animals were euthanized and rat tibiae and patellar tendons were histologically examined. Results All sections exhibited normal bone microarchitecture. Histological scores in all groups corresponded to normal bone mineral density. No no apparent differences in tenocyte morphology and architecture of collagen fibers were observed. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that long-term administration of methotrexate, infliximab, and tocilizumab had no effect on bone microarchitecture and tendon morphology in rats in the absence of an inflammatory condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frideriki Poutoglidou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Chryssa Pourzitaki
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Maria Eleni Manthou
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Efthimios Samoladas
- Division of Orthopaedics, Genimatas Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Foteini Malliou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Athanasios Saitis
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Dimitrios Kouvelas
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
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19
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Huo Q, Xu C, Shao Y, Yu Q, Huang L, Liu Y, Bao H. Free CA125 promotes ovarian cancer cell migration and tumor metastasis by binding Mesothelin to reduce DKK1 expression and activate the SGK3/FOXO3 pathway. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:574-588. [PMID: 33613114 PMCID: PMC7893585 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.52097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: CA125/MUC16 is an O-glycosylated protein that is expressed on the surfaces of ovarian epithelial cells. This molecule is a widely used tumor-associated marker for diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Recently, CA125 was shown to be involved in ovarian cancer metastasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of CA125 during ovarian cancer metastasis. Methods: We analyzed the Oncomine and CSIOVDB databases to determine the expression levels of DKK1 in ovarian cancer. DKK1 expression levels were upregulated or downregulated and applied with CA125 to Transwell and Western blot assays to ascertain the underlying mechanism by which CA125 stimulates cell migration via the SGK3/FOXO3 pathway. Anti-mesothelin antibodies (anti-MSLN) were used to block CA125 stimulation. Then the expression levels of DKK1were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to eliminate the blocking effect of anti-MSLN to CA125 stimulation. Xenograft mouse models were used to detect the effects of CA125 and anti-MSLN on ovarian cancer metastasis in vivo. Results: DKK1 levels were downregulated in ovarian tumor tissues according to the analyses of two databases and significantly correlated with FIGO stage, grade and disease-free survival in ovarian cancer patients. DKK1 levels were downregulated by CA125 stimulation in vitro. Overexpression of DKK1 reversed the ability of exogenous CA125 to mediate cell migration by activating the SGK3/FOXO3 signaling pathway. Anti-MSLN abrogated the DKK1 reduction and increased the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. The use of anti-MSLN in xenograft mouse models significantly reduced tumor growth and metastasis accelerated by CA125. Conclusions: These experiments revealed that the SGK3/FOXO3 pathway was activated, wherein decreased expression of DKK1 was caused by CA125, which fuels ovarian cancer cell migration. Mesothelin is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of ovarian cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyu Huo
- School of Medical Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300203, China
| | - Chen Xu
- Laboratory Science Department, Tianjin 4th Central Hospital, Tianjin, 300100, China
| | - Yanhong Shao
- School of Medical Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300203, China
| | - Qin Yu
- School of Medical Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300203, China
| | - Lunhui Huang
- School of Medical Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300203, China
| | - Yunde Liu
- School of Medical Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300203, China
| | - Huijing Bao
- Integrative Medical Diagnosis Laboratory, Tianjin Nankai Hospital, Tianjin, 300100, China; School of Medical Technology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300203, China
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circRNA hsa_circ_0018414 inhibits the progression of LUAD by sponging miR-6807-3p and upregulating DKK1. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2021; 23:783-796. [PMID: 33614229 PMCID: PMC7868730 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a subtype of lung cancer with a high incidence and mortality all over the world. In recent years, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been verified to be a novel subtype of noncoding RNAs that exert vital functions in various cancers. Our research was designed to investigate the role of circ_0018414 in LUAD. We first observed that circ_0018414 was downregulated in LUAD tissues and cells. Also, low expression of circ_0018414 predicted unfavorable prognosis of LUAD patients. Then, upregulation of circ_0018414 repressed cell proliferation and stemness, while promoting cell apoptosis, in LUAD. Moreover, circ_0018414 overexpression enhanced the expression of its host gene, dickkopf WNT signaling pathway inhibitor 1 (DKK1), therefore inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Additionally, circ_0018414 could sponge miR-6807-3p to protect DKK1 mRNA from miR-6807-3p-induced silencing, leading to DKK1 upregulation in LUAD cells. Finally, rescue assays proved that circ_0018414 inhibited the progression of LUAD via the miR-6807-3p/DKK1 axis-inactivated Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The findings in our work indicated circ_0018414 as a tumor inhibitor in LUAD, which might provide a new perspective for LUAD treatment.
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Ibrahim NH, Abdel-Monem SM, Elbarashy AWSE, Elhussieny HAW, Elsayed RAH. Study of serum and synovial fluid Dickkopf-1 levels in patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knee joint in correlation with disease activity and severity. EGYPTIAN RHEUMATOLOGY AND REHABILITATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1186/s43166-020-00019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a typical complex degenerative articular ailment that shows focal cartilage loss, new bone formation with involvement of entire joint tissues. Dkk-1 assumes a job in controlling the pattern of bone repair and regeneration in both OA and RA. This study aimed to determine serum and synovial fluid levels of Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1) in patients with primary OA of the knee joint and study their correlations with disease activity and severity. This study included 45 patients, 30 of them were diagnosed as primary knee OA. Fifteen rheumatoid arthritis patients as well as 15 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study as control groups, serum and synovial levels of Dkk-1 were estimated utilizing the ELISA technique.
Results
Serum levels of Dkk-1 were significantly higher in OA patients than healthy subjects (p < 0.001), although it was even significantly higher in RA patients than OA patients (p < 0.001). There was a highly significant decrease in the median synovial level of Dkk-1 in OA patients compared to the RA control group (p < 0.001). There was a highly statistically significant inverse correlation between circulating as well as synovial fluid Dkk-1 levels and radiological disease grading in knee OA (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant decrease in serum levels of Dkk-1 in patients with severe OA (grade 3, 4) compared to those with mild OA (Grade 2) (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Dkk-1 is an interesting marker that is related to articular disease .It could play an important role in decelerating the degenerative process of OA and can reflects radiographic severity of the disease as well.
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22
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Insights into Potential Targets for Therapeutic Intervention in Epilepsy. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228573. [PMID: 33202963 PMCID: PMC7697405 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease that affects approximately 65 million people worldwide. However, despite the continuous development of antiepileptic drugs, over 30% patients with epilepsy progress to drug-resistant epilepsy. For this reason, it is a high priority objective in preclinical research to find novel therapeutic targets and to develop effective drugs that prevent or reverse the molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy progression. Among these potential therapeutic targets, we highlight currently available information involving signaling pathways (Wnt/β-catenin, Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and zinc signaling), enzymes (carbonic anhydrase), proteins (erythropoietin, copine 6 and complement system), channels (Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type 1 (TRPV1) channel) and receptors (galanin and melatonin receptors). All of them have demonstrated a certain degree of efficacy not only in controlling seizures but also in displaying neuroprotective activity and in modifying the progression of epilepsy. Although some research with these specific targets has been done in relation with epilepsy, they have not been fully explored as potential therapeutic targets that could help address the unsolved issue of drug-resistant epilepsy and develop new antiseizure therapies for the treatment of epilepsy.
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Sun L, Song F, Liu H, Wang C, Tang X, Li Z, Ge H, Liu P. The novel mutation P36R in LRP5L contributes to congenital membranous cataract via inhibition of laminin γ1 and c-MAF. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2020; 258:2737-2751. [PMID: 32789677 DOI: 10.1007/s00417-020-04846-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The present study investigated a pathogenic mutation and its mechanism on membranous cataract in a congenital membranous cataract family. METHODS An autosomal dominant four-generation Chinese congenital membranous cataract family was recruited and whole-exome sequencing was performed to screen for sequence variants. Candidate variants were validated using polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing. Wild-type and mutant low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5-like (LRP5L) plasmids were constructed and transfected into human lens epithelial cells (HLE B-3) and human anterior lens capsules. The cell lysates, nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins, and basement membrane components of HLE B-3 cells were harvested. LRP5L and laminin γ1 were knocked down in HLE B-3 cells using specific small-interfering RNA. The protein expression levels of LRP5L, laminin γ1, and c-MAF were detected using immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. RESULTS We identified a novel suspected pathogenic mutation in LRP5L (c.107C > G, p.P36R) in the congenital membranous cataract family. This mutation was absent in 300 normal controls and 300 age-related cataract patients. Bioinformatics analysis with PolyPhen-2 and SIFT suggested that LRP5L-P36R was pathogenic. LRP5L upregulated laminin γ1 expression in the cytoplasmic proteins of HLE B-3 cells and human anterior lens capsules, and LRP5L-P36R inhibited the effects of LRP5L. LRP5L upregulated c-MAF expression in the nucleus and cytoplasm of HLE B-3 cells, and LRP5L-P36R inhibited c-MAF expression via inhibition of laminin γ1. CONCLUSION Our study identified a novel gene, LRP5L, associated with congenital membranous cataract, and its mutant LRP5L-P36R contributed to membranous cataract development via inhibition of laminin γ1 and c-MAF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyao Sun
- Eye Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Fanqian Song
- Eye Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Hanruo Liu
- Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Science Key Laboratory, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100000, China
| | - Chao Wang
- Eye Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Xianling Tang
- Eye Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Zhijian Li
- Eye Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Hongyan Ge
- Eye Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Ping Liu
- Eye Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, 150001, China.
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Zhou B, Peng K, Wang G, Chen W, Liu P, Chen F, Kang Y. miR‑483‑3p promotes the osteogenesis of human osteoblasts by targeting Dikkopf 2 (DKK2) and the Wnt signaling pathway. Int J Mol Med 2020; 46:1571-1581. [PMID: 32945363 PMCID: PMC7447299 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2020.4694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic bone disease during which bone mass decreases and bone quality is reduced. Maintaining the bone formation capacity of osteoblasts is crucial for the treatment of osteoporosis. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis was performed on online microarray expression profiles to identify miRNA(s) related to osteoblast proliferation and bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) osteogenic differentiation. The specific effects of candidate miRNAs on cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and Wnt signaling‑related factors were examined. As regards the downstream mechanisms, online tools were employed to predict the downstream targets of candidate miRNAs and the predicted miRNA‑mRNA binding was verified. Finally, the dynamic effects of miRNAs and mRNAs were examined. The results revealed that miR‑483‑3p expression was decreased in bone tissue samples from patients with osteoporosis. In miR‑483‑3p‑overexpressing human osteoblasts, cell viability, DNA synthesis capacity and osteogenesis were promoted, and the protein levels of Wnt1, β‑catenin and cyclin D1 were increased. However, the protein receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa‑Β ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) ratio and cell apoptotic rate were decreased. The Wnt signaling, antagonist Dikkopf 2 (DKK2), was targeted and negatively regulated by miR‑483‑3p. DKK2 knockdown exerted similar effects as miR‑483‑3p overexpression, while DKK2 overexpression inhibited cell viability, DNA synthesis capacity and osteogenesis. DKK2 overexpression also decreased the Wnt1, β‑catenin, and cyclin D1 protein levels, whereas it promoted the the RANKL/OPG ratio and the apoptosis of human osteoblasts. DKK2 overexpression reversed the functions of miR‑483‑3p overexpression. On the whole, the findings of the present study demonstrate that the miR‑483‑3p/DKK2 axis modulates the bone formation process by affecting osteoblast proliferation, pre‑osteoblast differentiation into mature osteoblasts and new bone matrix formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhou
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China
| | - Kun Peng
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China
| | - Guoqiang Wang
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China
| | - Weihua Chen
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China
| | - Ping Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China
| | - Fei Chen
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China
| | - Yijun Kang
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China
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Poutoglidou F, Pourzitaki C, Dardalas I, Manthou ΜE, Samoladas E, Kouvelas D. The Use of Collagen-Induced Arthritis Animal Model on Studying Bone Metabolism. Calcif Tissue Int 2020; 107:109-120. [PMID: 32356018 DOI: 10.1007/s00223-020-00697-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
CIA is a well-studied animal model of autoimmune arthritis. It resembles rheumatoid arthritis as far as histopathological changes and molecular pathogenesis are concerned. CIA is induced by immunization with collagen type II in susceptible strains. The purpose of this review is to assess the use of CIA animal model on bone metabolism and the potential therapeutic agents that could reverse this effect. A database search from their inception to 2019 was conducted to identify experimental animal studies pertinent to CIA model and bone examination. Studies including ovariectomy or without a direct comparison between control and CIA groups were excluded. Forty-eight articles were considered suitable for inclusion. Imaging techniques, biomechanical analysis, histopathological studies, and molecular biology techniques were employed. A decrease in bone mineral density in CII arthritic animals was established. Bone loss was either periarticular, generalized or both. Although trabecular bone loss was clear, the effect on cortical bone is yet to be determined. The proposed mechanism is an imbalance between bone formation and resorption as a result of osteoclast activation. The signal pathways implicated appear to be the RANKL/RANK/OPG and the Wnt pathway. Many therapeutic targets were investigated with promising results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frideriki Poutoglidou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Chryssa Pourzitaki
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Ioannis Dardalas
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Μaria-Eleni Manthou
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Efthimios Samoladas
- Faculty of Medicine, Orthopeadics Division of Genimatas Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Kouvelas
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Targeting Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway for Developing Therapies for Hair Loss. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21144915. [PMID: 32664659 PMCID: PMC7404278 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Persistent hair loss is a major cause of psychological distress and compromised quality of life in millions of people worldwide. Remarkable progress has been made in understanding the molecular basis of hair loss and identifying valid intracellular targets for designing effective therapies for hair loss treatment. Whereas a variety of growth factors and signaling pathways have been implicated in hair cycling process, the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a central role in hair follicle regeneration. Several plant-derived chemicals have been reported to promote hair growth by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in various in vitro and in vivo studies. This mini-review sheds light on the role of Wnt/β-catenin in promoting hair growth and the current progress in designing hair loss therapies by targeting this signaling pathway.
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The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is involved in regulating feather growth of embryonic chicks. Poult Sci 2020; 99:2315-2323. [PMID: 32359566 PMCID: PMC7597444 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2020.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Avian feathers have robust growth and regeneration capability and serve as a useful model for decoding hair morphogenesis and other developmental studies. However, the molecular signaling involved in regulating the development of feather follicles is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in regulating feather morphogenesis in embryonic chicks through in ovo injection of different doses of Dickkopf-1 (DKK1, a specific inhibitor of the target of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway). A total of 120 fertilized embryo eggs were randomly divided into 4 treatments, including a noninjection group (control group) and groups injected with 100 μL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)/egg (PBS control group), 100 μL of PBS/egg containing 600-ng DKK1/egg (600-ng DKK1 group), and 100-μL PBS/egg containing 1,200-ng DKK1/egg (1,200-ng DKK1 group). Feathers and skin tissues were sampled on embryonic (E) day 15 and the day of hatching to examine the feather mass, diameter and density of feather follicles, and the protein expression of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The results showed that, compared with CON and PBS treatment, the injection of DKK1 into the yolk sac of chick embryos had no significant effect on the hatching rate and embryo weight (P > 0.05), while it significantly decreased the relative mass of feathers in the whole body (P < 0.05). The high dose of DKK1 (1,200-ng DKK1/egg) decreased the relative mass of feathers on the back, chest, belly, neck, wings, head, and legs, which was more obvious than that in the 600-ng DKK1 group, which presented a dose-dependent effect. In addition, DKK1 injection significantly downregulated the protein expression levels of β-catenin, transcription factor 4, Cyclin D1, and c-Myc (P < 0.05). The immunofluorescence result of β-catenin was consistent with the Western blotting assay results. Altogether, these observations suggested that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is involved in regulating feather follicle development and feather growth during the embryonic development of chicks.
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Infection-induced signals generated at the plasma membrane epigenetically regulate Wnt signaling in vitro and in vivo. J Biol Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9258(17)49912-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Ahmed I, Roy BC, Rao Jakkula LUM, Subramaniam D, Dandawate P, Anant S, Sampath V, Umar S. Infection-induced signals generated at the plasma membrane epigenetically regulate Wnt signaling in vitro and in vivo. J Biol Chem 2019; 295:1021-1035. [PMID: 31836665 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.010285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt signaling regulates immunomodulatory functions during infection and inflammation. Employing NCCIT and HCT116 cells, having high endogenous Wnt signaling, we observed elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5/6 (LRP5/6) and Frizzled class receptor 10 (FZD10) and increases in β-catenin, doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1), CD44 molecule (CD44), and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 (ALDH1A1). siRNA-induced knockdown of these receptors antagonized TOPflash reporter activity and spheroid growth in vitro and elevated Wnt-inhibitory factor 1 (WIF1) activity. Elevated mRNA and protein levels of LRP5/6 and FZD10 paralleled expression of WNT2b and WNT4 in colonic crypts at days 6 and 12 post-infection with Citrobacter rodentium (CR) and tended to decline at days 20-34. The CR mutant escV or the tankyrase inhibitor XAV939 attenuated these responses. A three-dimensional organoid assay in colonic crypts isolated from CR-infected mice revealed elevated levels of LRP5/6 and FZD10 and β-catenin co-localization with enhancer of zeste 2 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit (EZH2). Co-immunoprecipitation in the membrane fraction revealed that axin associates with LRP5/6 in CR-infected crypts, and this association was correlated with increased β-catenin. Colon tumors from either CR-infected ApcP Min/+ or azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS)-treated mice had high LRP5/6 or FZD10 levels, and chronic Notch blockade through the γ-secretase inhibitor dibenzazepine down-regulated LRP5/6 and FZD10 expression. In CR-responsive CT-26 cells, siRNA-induced LRP5/6 or FZD10 knockdown antagonized TOPflash reporter activity. Elevated miR-153-3p levels correlated with LRP5/6 and FZD10, and miR-153-3p sequestration via a plasmid-based miR inhibitor system attenuated Wnt signaling. We conclude that infection-induced signals from the plasma membrane epigenetically regulate Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishfaq Ahmed
- Department of Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160
| | - Badal Chandra Roy
- Department of Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160
| | | | | | - Prasad Dandawate
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160
| | - Shrikant Anant
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160
| | - Venkatesh Sampath
- Division of Neonatology, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri 64108
| | - Shahid Umar
- Department of Surgery, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160
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Song Z, Wang H, Zhang S. Negative regulators of Wnt signaling in non-small cell lung cancer: Theoretical basis and therapeutic potency. Biomed Pharmacother 2019; 118:109336. [PMID: 31545260 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2019.109336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Revised: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Significant advances in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been made over the past decade, and they predominantly involve molecular targets such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements. However, despite the initial good response, drug resistance eventually develops. The Wnt signaling pathway has recently been considered important in embryonic development and tumorigenesis in many cancers, particularly NSCLC. Moreover, the aberrant Wnt pathway plays a significant role in NSCLC and is associated with cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, invasion and drug resistance, and the suppression of canonical or noncanonical Wnt signaling through various biological or pharmacological negative regulators has been proven to produce specific anticancer effects. Thus, blocking the Wnt pathway via its negative regulators may overcome the resistance of current treatment methods and lead to new treatment strategies for NSCLC. Therefore, in this review, we summarize recent studies on the role of negative regulators in Wnt signaling in NSCLC and the therapeutic potency of these molecules as agents and targets for NSCLC treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikuan Song
- West China School of Basic Medical Science and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Haoyu Wang
- West China School of Basic Medical Science and Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China
| | - Shuang Zhang
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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A1CF-Axin2 signal axis regulates apoptosis and migration in Wilms tumor-derived cells through Wnt/β-catenin pathway. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2019; 55:252-259. [PMID: 30825095 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-019-00335-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A1CF, a complementary factor of APOBEC-1, is involved in many cellular processes for its mRNA editing role, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. Here, we explored the regulatory function of A1CF in Wilms tumor-derived cells. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect the mRNA level of A1CF, Axin2, β-Catenin, CCND1 or NKD1 in A1CF-depleted or A1CF-overexpression G401 cells. Western bolt was used to analyze the expression of A1CF, Axin2, and β-catenin protein. The cell apoptosis and migration ability were determined using flow cytometry assay or wound healing, respectively. Our study demonstrated that overexpression of A1CF, Axin2 was upregulated and knockdown of A1CF decreased Axin2 expression at mRNA and protein levels in G401 cells. Besides, knockdown of A1CF further upregulated β-catenin, the classical regulator of Wnt signal pathway, and increased CCND1 and NKD1, the target genes of Wnt/β-catenin. Furthermore, overexpression of Axin2 partly rescued the expression of β-catenin in A1CF-deficiency stable G401 cells. In Wnt agonist BML-284 treated G401 cells, A1CF was increased like other classical regulator of Wnt signal pathway, such as Axin2 and β-catenin. Meanwhile, knockdown of Axin2 rescued β-catenin expression which was decreased in A1CF overexpression condition with BML-284. Further, overexpression of A1CF reduced cell apoptosis but promoted cell migration, and overexpression of Axin2 got similar results. In A1CF-decreased stable G401 cells, overexpression of Axin2 partly rescued the cell apoptosis and migration. We find that A1CF is a positive regulator of Axin2, a Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitor, and A1CF-Axin2 signal axis regulates Wilms tumor-derived cells' apoptosis and migration through Axin2.
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Bahl C, Singh N, Behera D, Sharma S. Genetic Variants in the Wingless Antagonist Genes ( sFRP, DKK, and Axin2) Predict the Overall Survival and Prognosis of North Indian Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Platinum-Based Doublet Chemotherapy. Cancer Biother Radiopharm 2018; 33:466-477. [PMID: 30346805 DOI: 10.1089/cbr.2018.2491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: To investigate the prognostic implication of genetic variants within the wingless (Wnt) antagonist genes (DKK, sFRP, and Axin2) in North Indian lung cancer patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 212 subjects were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique for 18 polymorphic sites in DKK4, DKK3, DKK2, sFRP3, sFRP4, and Axin2. Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was obtained using the Cox regression method. Results: It was observed that the unfavorable genotypes of the three DKK2 variants collectively (rs447372, rs419558, and rs17037102) exhibited a highly decreased rate of death (adjusted HR = 0.37, p = 0.03). Adenocarcinoma (ADCC) patients carrying the heterozygous (CT) genotype for DKK4 rs2073664 showed a better OS compared with wild genotype (log rank p = 0.01). The two exonic variants (148 and 1386) of Axin2 gene showed contrasting results, where the ADCC subjects having TT genotype for Axin2 148 showed a better prognosis (adjusted HR = 0.48, p = 0.003) and those with TT genotype for Axin2 1386 showed a poor prognosis in small-cell lung carcinoma patients (adjusted HR = 2.33, p = 0.02). The intronic Axin2 1712 + 19 variant on the other hand indicated a highly increased death risk in ADCC patients with GG genotype. Survival tree analysis depicted DKK4 rs2073664 as the major contributor in predicting the survival of the lung cancer patients. Node 3 exhibited the lowest death rate (HR = 0.04, p = 0.008) and better median survival time (9 months vs. 3 months) when compared with reference node. Conclusions: A cumulative effect of three variants of DKK2 gene along with DKK4 rs2073664 can jointly predict the survival as shown by tree analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charu Bahl
- Department of Biotechnology, Thapar University, Patiala, India
| | - Navneet Singh
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Digambar Behera
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
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Li C, Cao J, Zhang N, Tu M, Xu F, Wei S, Chen X, Xu Y. Identification of RSPO2 Fusion Mutations and Target Therapy Using a Porcupine Inhibitor. Sci Rep 2018; 8:14244. [PMID: 30250044 PMCID: PMC6155119 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32652-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancers are driven by a variety of somatic gene mutations and identifying these mutations enables the development of novel target drugs. We have sought to identify abnormalities in Wnt pathway-related genes that are sensitive to Wnt inhibitor treatment. We examined Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) RNA samples and found new R-Spondin 2 (RSPO2) transcript fusions with the EMC2, PVT1 or HNF4G genes. These fusion events were identified in about 1.4% of the digestive system cancer samples. We then examined the oncogenic effects of the RSPO2-EMC2 fusion gene and confirmed that it can drive oncogenesis, sustain tumor growth and promote metastasis. Finally, we used a Wnt pathway Porcupine inhibitor CGX1321 to treat PDX mouse models containing RSPO2 fusion genes. All the RSPO2 fusion tumors responded to the treatment and stopped progression. Our data show that Wnt pathway inhibition could provide an effective treatment for cancers containing RSPO2 fusion. The RSPO2 fusion will serve as a good biomarker for screening patients to support clinical treatment of digestive system cancers using Wnt pathway inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Li
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Jing Cao
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Ning Zhang
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Meiqing Tu
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Fengwei Xu
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Shuang Wei
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Xiaojing Chen
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yuhong Xu
- Pharmacy School, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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Busceti CL, Di Menna L, Bianchi F, Mastroiacovo F, Di Pietro P, Traficante A, Bozza G, Niehrs C, Battaglia G, Bruno V, Fornai F, Volpe M, Rubattu S, Nicoletti F. Dickkopf-3 Causes Neuroprotection by Inducing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:292. [PMID: 30258353 PMCID: PMC6143799 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Dickkopf-3 (Dkk3) is an atypical member of the Dkk family of Wnt inhibitors, which has been implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders. However, the role of Dkk3 in mechanisms of cell degeneration and protection is unknown. We used Dkk3 knockout mice to examine how endogenous Dkk3 influences ischemic brain damage. In addition, we used primary cultures of astrocytes or mixed cultures of astrocytes and neurons to investigate the action of Dkk3 on cell damage and dissect the underlying molecular mechanisms. In a model of focal brain ischemia induced by permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion (MCAO) Dkk3−/− mice showed a significantly greater infarct size with respect to their wild-type counterparts at all time points investigated (1, 3 and 7 days after MCAO). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that Dkk3 expression was enhanced at the borders of the ischemic focus, and was predominantly detected in astrocytes. This raised the possibility that Dkk3 produced by astrocytes acted as a protective molecule. We tested this hypothesis using either primary cultures of cortical astrocytes or mixed cortical cultures containing both neurons and astrocytes. Genetic deletion of Dkk3 was permissive to astrocyte damage induced by either oxidative stress or glucose deprivation. In addition, application of human recombinant Dkk3 (hrDkk3) was highly protective against oxidative stress in cultured astrocytes. We tested the hypothesis that the protective activity of Dkk3 was mediated byvascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Interestingly, glucose deprivation up-regulated both Dkk3 and VEGF in cultured astrocytes prepared from wild-type mice. VEGF induction was not observed in astrocytes lacking Dkk3 (i.e., in cultures prepared from Dkk3−/− mice). In mixed cultures of cortical cells, excitotoxic neuronal death induced by a brief pulse with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) was significantly enhanced when Dkk3 was lacking in astrocytes, whereas post-NMDA addition of hrDkk3 was neuroprotective. Neuroprotection by hrDkk3 was significantly reduced by pharmacological blockade of type-2 VEGF receptors and was mimicked by hrVEGF. These data offer the first evidence that Dkk3 protects both neurons and astrocytes against a variety of toxic insults, and at least in culture, protection involves VEGF induction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Christof Niehrs
- Division of Molecular Embryology, DKFZ-ZMBH Allianz, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Valeria Bruno
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University Sapienza, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Fornai
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.,Department of Human Morphology and Applied Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Massimo Volpe
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.,Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University Sapienza, Rome, Italy
| | - Speranza Rubattu
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.,Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University Sapienza, Rome, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University Sapienza, Rome, Italy
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35
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Pashirzad M, Shafiee M, Khazaei M, Fiuji H, Ryzhikov M, Soleimanpour S, Hesari A, Avan A, Hassanian SM. Therapeutic potency of Wnt signaling antagonists in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer, current status and perspectives. J Cell Physiol 2018; 234:1237-1247. [PMID: 30191954 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.27137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Prostate cancer is a major cause of cancer-related death in males. Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of this disease by regulating angiogenesis, drug resistance, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Suppression of Wnt canonical or noncanonical signaling pathways via Wnt biological or pharmacological antagonists is a potentially novel therapeutic approach for patients with prostate cancer. This review summarizes the role of Wnt signaling inhibitors in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer for a better understanding and hence a better management of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehran Pashirzad
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Shafiee
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Majid Khazaei
- Department of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hamid Fiuji
- Department of Biochemistry, Payam-e-Noor University, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mikhail Ryzhikov
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, St. Louis University, School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Saman Soleimanpour
- Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - AmirReza Hesari
- Department of Modern Sciences and Technologies, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Amir Avan
- Department of Modern Sciences and Technologies, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Seyed Mahdi Hassanian
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Microanatomy Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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36
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Zhu L, Jones C. The canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway stimulates herpes simplex virus 1 productive infection. Virus Res 2018; 256:29-37. [PMID: 30077727 PMCID: PMC6261341 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2018.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The ability of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) to replicate efficiently in differentiated cells is regulated by cellular factors that stimulate viral gene expression, cell survival, and viral morphogenesis. Activation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway generally increases β-catenin protein levels, cell survival, and growth in dividing cells suggesting this important signaling pathway regulates productive infection. In this study, we demonstrated that a β-catenin specific small molecule inhibitor (iCRT14) reduced HSV-1 titers approximately 10-fold in primary human lung fibroblasts and Vero cells. Furthermore, β-catenin dependent transcription was increased at late times after infection and as expected iCRT14 reduced β-catenin dependent transcription. Although HSV-1 infection increased β-catenin steady state protein levels approximately 4-fold in Vero cells, there was only a nominal increase in human lung fibroblasts. We hypothesized that VP16 regulates β-catenin dependent transcription because VP16 is a viral regulatory protein expressed at late times after infection. In the absence of other viral proteins, VP16 increased β-catenin dependent transcription and β-catenin steady state protein levels. Collectively, these studies suggested the cellular transcription factor β-catenin stimulates productive infection, in part because VP16 enhances β-catenin dependent transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqian Zhu
- Oklahoma State University, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, OK, 74078, United States; Yangzhou University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Jiangsu Co-innovation, Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, 48 Wenhui East Road, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Clinton Jones
- Oklahoma State University, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, OK, 74078, United States.
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Yoshida Y, Yamasaki S, Oi K, Kuranobu T, Nojima T, Miyaki S, Ida H, Sugiyama E. IL-1β Enhances Wnt Signal by Inhibiting DKK1. Inflammation 2018; 41:1945-1954. [DOI: 10.1007/s10753-018-0838-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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38
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Padwal M, Cheng G, Liu L, Boivin F, Gangji AS, Brimble KS, Bridgewater D, Margetts PJ. WNT signaling is required for peritoneal membrane angiogenesis. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2018; 314:F1036-F1045. [DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00497.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The wingless-type mouse mammary tumor virus integration site family (WNT) signaling pathway is involved in wound healing and fibrosis. We evaluated the WNT signaling pathway in peritoneal membrane injury. We assessed WNT1 protein expression in the peritoneal effluents of 54 stable peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and WNT-related gene expression in ex vivo mesothelial cell cultures from 21 PD patients. In a transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-mediated animal model of peritoneal fibrosis, we evaluated regulation of the WNT pathway and the effect of WNT inhibition on peritoneal fibrosis and angiogenesis. WNT1 and WNT2 gene expression were positively correlated with peritoneal membrane solute transport in PD patients. In the mouse peritoneum, TGF-β-induced peritoneal fibrosis was associated with increased expression of WNT2 and WNT4. Peritoneal β-catenin protein was significantly upregulated after infection with adenovirus expressing TGF-β (AdTGF-β) along with elements of the WNT signaling pathway. Treatment with a β-catenin inhibitor (ICG-001) in mice with AdTGF-β-induced peritoneal fibrosis resulted in attenuation of peritoneal angiogenesis and reduced vascular endothelial growth factor. Similar results were also observed with the WNT antagonist Dickkopf-related protein (DKK)-1. In addition to this, DKK-1 blocked epithelial-mesenchymal transition and increased levels of the cell adhesion protein E-cadherin. We provide evidence that WNT signaling is active in the setting of experimental peritoneal fibrosis and WNT1 correlates with patient peritoneal membrane solute transport in PD patients. Intervention in this pathway is a possible therapy for peritoneal membrane injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manreet Padwal
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Genyang Cheng
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Limin Liu
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Felix Boivin
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Azim S. Gangji
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Peter J. Margetts
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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39
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Workman A, Zhu L, Keel BN, Smith TPL, Jones C. The Wnt Signaling Pathway Is Differentially Expressed during the Bovine Herpesvirus 1 Latency-Reactivation Cycle: Evidence That Two Protein Kinases Associated with Neuronal Survival, Akt3 and BMPR2, Are Expressed at Higher Levels during Latency. J Virol 2018; 92:e01937-17. [PMID: 29321317 PMCID: PMC5972910 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01937-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory neurons in trigeminal ganglia (TG) of calves latently infected with bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) abundantly express latency-related (LR) gene products, including a protein (ORF2) and two micro-RNAs. Recent studies in mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2A) demonstrated ORF2 interacts with β-catenin and a β-catenin coactivator, high-mobility group AT-hook 1 (HMGA1) protein, which correlates with increased β-catenin-dependent transcription and cell survival. β-Catenin and HMGA1 are readily detected in a subset of latently infected TG neurons but not TG neurons from uninfected calves or reactivation from latency. Consequently, we hypothesized that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is differentially expressed during the latency and reactivation cycle and an active Wnt pathway promotes latency. RNA-sequencing studies revealed that 102 genes associated with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were differentially expressed in TG during the latency-reactivation cycle in calves. Wnt agonists were generally expressed at higher levels during latency, but these levels decreased during dexamethasone-induced reactivation. The Wnt agonist bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) was intriguing because it encodes a serine/threonine receptor kinase that promotes neuronal differentiation and inhibits cell death. Another differentially expressed gene encodes a protein kinase (Akt3), which is significant because Akt activity enhances cell survival and is linked to herpes simplex virus 1 latency and neuronal survival. Additional studies demonstrated ORF2 increased Akt3 steady-state protein levels and interacted with Akt3 in transfected Neuro-2A cells, which correlated with Akt3 activation. Conversely, expression of Wnt antagonists increased during reactivation from latency. Collectively, these studies suggest Wnt signaling cooperates with LR gene products, in particular ORF2, to promote latency.IMPORTANCE Lifelong BoHV-1 latency primarily occurs in sensory neurons. The synthetic corticosteroid dexamethasone consistently induces reactivation from latency in calves. RNA sequencing studies revealed 102 genes associated with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway are differentially regulated during the latency-reactivation cycle. Two protein kinases associated with the Wnt pathway, Akt3 and BMPR2, were expressed at higher levels during latency but were repressed during reactivation. Furthermore, five genes encoding soluble Wnt antagonists and β-catenin-dependent transcription inhibitors were induced during reactivation from latency. These findings are important because Wnt, BMPR2, and Akt3 promote neurogenesis and cell survival, processes crucial for lifelong viral latency. In transfected neuroblastoma cells, a viral protein expressed during latency (ORF2) interacts with and enhances Akt3 protein kinase activity. These findings provide insight into how cellular factors associated with the Wnt signaling pathway cooperate with LR gene products to regulate the BoHV-1 latency-reactivation cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aspen Workman
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, USA
| | - Liqian Zhu
- Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Brittney N Keel
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, USA
| | - Timothy P L Smith
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska, USA
| | - Clinton Jones
- Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
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40
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Xu Y, Zhang C, Liang H, Hu S, Li P, Liu L, Duan X, Chen C, Zhang Y, Dai P. Dishevelled 1, a pivotal positive regulator of the Wnt signalling pathway, mediates 5-fluorouracil resistance in HepG2 cells. ARTIFICIAL CELLS NANOMEDICINE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY 2018; 46:192-200. [DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2018.1453827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yisong Xu
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hui Liang
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shanshuang Hu
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Pengkun Li
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Linna Liu
- Pharmacy Department, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xianglong Duan
- Second Department of General Surgery, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an, China
| | - Chao Chen
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yani Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
| | - Penggao Dai
- School of Life Sciences, National Engineering Research Center for Miniaturized Detection Systems, Northwest University, Xi'an, China
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41
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Barbieri E, Deflorian G, Pezzimenti F, Valli D, Saia M, Meani N, Gruszka AM, Alcalay M. Nucleophosmin leukemogenic mutant activates Wnt signaling during zebrafish development. Oncotarget 2018; 7:55302-55312. [PMID: 27486814 PMCID: PMC5342418 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleophosmin (NPM1) is a ubiquitous multifunctional phosphoprotein with both oncogenic and tumor suppressor functions. Mutations of the NPM1 gene are the most frequent genetic alterations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and result in the expression of a mutant protein with aberrant cytoplasmic localization, NPMc+. Although NPMc+ causes myeloproliferation and AML in animal models, its mechanism of action remains largely unknown. Here we report that NPMc+ activates canonical Wnt signaling during the early phases of zebrafish development and determines a Wnt-dependent increase in the number of progenitor cells during primitive hematopoiesis. Coherently, the canonical Wnt pathway is active in AML blasts bearing NPMc+ and depletion of the mutant protein in the patient derived OCI-AML3 cell line leads to a decrease in the levels of active β-catenin and of Wnt target genes. Our results reveal a novel function of NPMc+ and provide insight into the molecular pathogenesis of AML bearing NPM1 mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Barbieri
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy.,Current address: Gene Expression and Regulation Program, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gianluca Deflorian
- The FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM) Foundation, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Debora Valli
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Saia
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Natalia Meani
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Alicja M Gruszka
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy
| | - Myriam Alcalay
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy.,Dipartimento di Oncologia ed Emato-Oncologia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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43
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Wang W, Zhu H, Dong Y, Tian Z, Dong T, Hu H, Niu C. Dimorphic expression of sex-related genes in different gonadal development stages of sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus, a primitive fish species. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2017; 43:1557-1569. [PMID: 28963671 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-017-0392-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Molecular mechanism of sex determination and differentiation of sturgeon, a primitive fish species, is extraordinarily important due to the valuable caviar; however, it is still poorly known. The present work aimed to identify the major genes involved in regulating gonadal development of sterlet, a small species of sturgeon, from 13 candidate genes which have been shown to relate to gonadal differentiation and development in other teleost fish. The sex and gonadal development of sterlets were determined by histological observation and levels of sex steroids testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), and 17β-estradiol (E2) in serum. Sexually dimorphic gene expressions were investigated. The results revealed that gonadal development were asynchronous in 2-year-old male and female sterlets with the testes in early or mid-spermatogenesis and the ovaries in chromatin nucleolus stage or perinucleolus stage, respectively. The levels of T and E2 were not significantly different between sexes or different gonadal development stages while 11-KT had the higher level in mid-spermatogenesis testis stage. In all the investigated gonadal development stages, gene dmrt1 and hsd11b2 were expressed higher in male whereas foxl2 and cyp19a1 were expressed higher in female. Thus, these genes provided the promising markers for sex identification of sterlet. It was unexpected that dkk1 and dax1 had significantly higher expression in ovarian perinucleolus stage than in ovarian chromatin nucleolus stage and in the testis, suggesting that these two genes had more correlation with ovarian development than with the testis, contrary to the previous reports in other vertebrates. Testicular development-related genes (gsdf and amh) and estrogen receptor genes (era and erb) differentially expressed at different testis or ovary development stages, but their expressions were not absolutely significantly different in male and female, depending on the gonadal development stage. Expression of androgen receptor gene ar or rspo, which was supposed to be related to ovarian development, presented no difference between gonadal development stages investigated in this study whenever in male or female.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xin Jie Kou Wai Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing, 100875, China
- National Freshwater Fisheries Engineering Technology Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology (No. BZ0301), Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, No.18 Ma Jia Pu Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100068, China
| | - Hua Zhu
- National Freshwater Fisheries Engineering Technology Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology (No. BZ0301), Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, No.18 Ma Jia Pu Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100068, China
| | - Ying Dong
- National Freshwater Fisheries Engineering Technology Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology (No. BZ0301), Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, No.18 Ma Jia Pu Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100068, China
| | - ZhaoHui Tian
- National Freshwater Fisheries Engineering Technology Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology (No. BZ0301), Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, No.18 Ma Jia Pu Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100068, China
| | - Tian Dong
- National Freshwater Fisheries Engineering Technology Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology (No. BZ0301), Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, No.18 Ma Jia Pu Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100068, China
| | - HongXia Hu
- National Freshwater Fisheries Engineering Technology Research Center, Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Fishery Biotechnology (No. BZ0301), Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, No.18 Ma Jia Pu Road, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100068, China.
| | - CuiJuan Niu
- Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xin Jie Kou Wai Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing, 100875, China.
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Bahl C, Singh N, Behera D, Sharma S. High-order gene interactions between the genetic polymorphisms in Wnt and AhR pathway in modulating lung cancer susceptibility. Per Med 2017; 14:487-502. [PMID: 29749862 DOI: 10.2217/pme-2017-0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
AIM Genetic variations present within Wnt and AhR pathway might be related to the lung cancer susceptibility. METHODS A total of 555 subjects were genotyped using PCR-RFLP technique for polymorphic sites in DKK4, DKK3, DKK2, sFRP3, sFRP4, Axin2 and AhR. Multifactor dimensionality reduction method and classification and regression tree analysis was used. RESULTS Overall sFRP4rs1802073 which has a cross validation consistency of 10/10, prediction error = 0.43 (p > 0.0001) is the best factor model. The second best model was sFRP4rs1802073 and DKK2rs419558 with cross validation consistency of 9/10 and prediction error = 0.40. In classification and regression tree analysis, DKK2 rs419558 came out to be a significant factor; DKK2rs17037102 (M)/DKK2rs419558 (M) showed a tenfold risk of acquiring lung cancer, p = 0.0001. DKK2rs17037102 (M)/AhRrs2066853 (W)/AhRrs10250822 (M) showed an 11-fold risk of developing lung cancer, p = 0.00001. CONCLUSION Both DKK2 and sFRP4 polymorphisms are found to play a crucial role; especially for smokers towards modulating risk for lung cancer. AhR variants are contributing maximally toward lung cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charu Bahl
- Department of Biotechnology, Thapar University, Patiala, Punjab 147002, India
| | - Navneet Singh
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Post-Graduate Institute of Education & Medical Research (PGIMER), Sector 14, Chandigarh, India
| | - Digambar Behera
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Post-Graduate Institute of Education & Medical Research (PGIMER), Sector 14, Chandigarh, India
| | - Siddharth Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Thapar University, Patiala, Punjab 147002, India
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Zhou L, Chen D, Huang XM, Long F, Cai H, Yao WX, Chen ZC, Liao ZJ, Deng ZZ, Tan S, Shan YL, Cai W, Wang YG, Yang RH, Jiang N, Peng T, Hong MF, Lu ZQ. Wnt5a Promotes Cortical Neuron Survival by Inhibiting Cell-Cycle Activation. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:281. [PMID: 29033786 PMCID: PMC5626855 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
β-Amyloid protein (Aβ) is thought to cause neuronal loss in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aβ treatment promotes the re-activation of a mitotic cycle and induces rapid apoptotic death of neurons. However, the signaling pathways mediating cell-cycle activation during neuron apoptosis have not been determined. We find that Wnt5a acts as a mediator of cortical neuron survival, and Aβ42 promotes cortical neuron apoptosis by downregulating the expression of Wnt5a. Cell-cycle activation is mediated by the reduced inhibitory effect of Wnt5a in Aβ42 treated cortical neurons. Furthermore, Wnt5a signals through the non-canonical Wnt/Ca2+ pathway to suppress cyclin D1 expression and negatively regulate neuronal cell-cycle activation in a cell-autonomous manner. Together, aberrant downregulation of Wnt5a signaling is a crucial step during Aβ42 induced cortical neuron apoptosis and might contribute to AD-related neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhou
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Clinical Medicine of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Di Chen
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute of Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xu-Ming Huang
- Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Clinical Medicine of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fei Long
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute of Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hua Cai
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute of Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wen-Xia Yao
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute of Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhong-Cheng Chen
- Department of Laboratory, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | | | - Zhe-Zhi Deng
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sha Tan
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi-Long Shan
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Cai
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yu-Ge Wang
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ri-Hong Yang
- Department of Pathology, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nan Jiang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tao Peng
- Laboratory of Viral Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sino-French Hoffmann Institute of Immunology, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ming-Fan Hong
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Clinical Medicine of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zheng-Qi Lu
- Department of Neurology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Generation of DKK1 transgenic Tibet minipigs by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Oncotarget 2017; 8:74331-74339. [PMID: 29088789 PMCID: PMC5650344 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.20604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hairless mice have been widely applied in skin-related researches, while hairless pigs will be a useful model for skin-related study and other biomedical researches. Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) is inhibitor of Wnt signaling pathway. Transgenic mice expressing DKK1 transgene under control of a human keratin 14 (K14) promoter display hairless phenotype, which encouraged us to generate transgenic minipigs expressing pig DKK1 transgene under control of K14 promoter and finally achieve hairless minipigs. To generate transgenic cloned pigs, we constructed the lentiviral expression vector pERKDZG which contains two independent expression cassettes, the transcription of Tibet minipig DKK1 and EGFP genes are driven by K14 promoter, while mRFP is regulated under the control of Ef-1α promoter. Prior to generating the transgenic pig, the functionality of pERKDZG construct was verified by fluorescence assay and via checking pDKK1 expression. Subsequently, lentiviruses harboring ERKDZG transgene infected porcine embryonic fibroblasts (PEFs), followed by sorting RFP-positive PEFs by flow cytometry to obtain the purified PEFs carrying ERKDZG, designated DKK1-PEFs as donor cells used for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Finally, we obtained 3 DKK1 transgenic cloned pigs with skin-specific expression of pDKK1 and EGFP transgenes, but unfortunately, DKK1 transgenic cloned pigs don't display hairless phenotype as expected. Taken together, we achieve DKK1 transgenic cloned pigs with skin-specific expression of pDKK1 transgene which provide a pig model for exploring DKK1 gene functions in pigs.
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47
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Contaldi F, Capuano F, Fulgione A, Aiese Cigliano R, Sanseverino W, Iannelli D, Medaglia C, Capparelli R. The hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori predisposes to Alzheimer's disease is biologically plausible. Sci Rep 2017; 7:7817. [PMID: 28798312 PMCID: PMC5552707 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07532-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is epidemiological evidence that H. pylori might predispose to Alzheimer's disease. To understand the cellular processes potentially linking such unrelated events, we incubated the human gastric cells MNK-28 with the H. pylori peptide Hp(2-20). We then monitored the activated genes by global gene expression. The peptide modulated 77 genes, of which 65 are listed in the AlzBase database and include the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease: APP, APOE, PSEN1, and PSEN2. A large fraction of modulated genes (30 out of 77) belong to the inflammation pathway. Remarkably, the pathways dis-regulated in Alzheimer's and Leasch-Nyhan diseases result dis-regulated also in this study. The unsuspected links between such different diseases - though still awaiting formal validation - suggest new directions for the study of neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felice Contaldi
- Department of Agriculture, University of Naples "Federico II", Portici, 80055, Italy
| | - Federico Capuano
- Department of Food Microbiology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Portici, 80055, Italy
| | - Andrea Fulgione
- Department of Agriculture, University of Naples "Federico II", Portici, 80055, Italy
| | - Riccardo Aiese Cigliano
- Sequentia Biotech, Edifici CRAG, Campus UAB, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Walter Sanseverino
- Sequentia Biotech, Edifici CRAG, Campus UAB, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Domenico Iannelli
- Department of Agriculture, University of Naples "Federico II", Portici, 80055, Italy.
| | - Chiara Medaglia
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
| | - Rosanna Capparelli
- Department of Agriculture, University of Naples "Federico II", Portici, 80055, Italy.
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48
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The hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori predisposes to Alzheimer’s disease is biologically plausible. Sci Rep 2017. [DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07532-x%0apapers3:/publication/doi/10.1038/s41598-017-07532-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractThere is epidemiological evidence that H. pylori might predispose to Alzheimer’s disease. To understand the cellular processes potentially linking such unrelated events, we incubated the human gastric cells MNK-28 with the H. pylori peptide Hp(2-20). We then monitored the activated genes by global gene expression. The peptide modulated 77 genes, of which 65 are listed in the AlzBase database and include the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease: APP, APOE, PSEN1, and PSEN2. A large fraction of modulated genes (30 out of 77) belong to the inflammation pathway. Remarkably, the pathways dis-regulated in Alzheimer’s and Leasch-Nyhan diseases result dis-regulated also in this study. The unsuspected links between such different diseases – though still awaiting formal validation – suggest new directions for the study of neurological diseases.
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49
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Contaldi F, Capuano F, Fulgione A, Aiese Cigliano R, Sanseverino W, Iannelli D, Medaglia C, Capparelli R. The hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori predisposes to Alzheimer’s disease is biologically plausible. Sci Rep 2017. [DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07532-x
papers3:/publication/doi/10.1038/s41598-017-07532-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractThere is epidemiological evidence that H. pylori might predispose to Alzheimer’s disease. To understand the cellular processes potentially linking such unrelated events, we incubated the human gastric cells MNK-28 with the H. pylori peptide Hp(2-20). We then monitored the activated genes by global gene expression. The peptide modulated 77 genes, of which 65 are listed in the AlzBase database and include the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease: APP, APOE, PSEN1, and PSEN2. A large fraction of modulated genes (30 out of 77) belong to the inflammation pathway. Remarkably, the pathways dis-regulated in Alzheimer’s and Leasch-Nyhan diseases result dis-regulated also in this study. The unsuspected links between such different diseases – though still awaiting formal validation – suggest new directions for the study of neurological diseases.
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50
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Leonard JL, Leonard DM, Wolfe SA, Liu J, Rivera J, Yang M, Leonard RT, Johnson JPS, Kumar P, Liebmann KL, Tutto AA, Mou Z, Simin KJ. The Dkk3 gene encodes a vital intracellular regulator of cell proliferation. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0181724. [PMID: 28738084 PMCID: PMC5524345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the Dickkopf (Dkk) family of Wnt antagonists interrupt Wnt-induced receptor assembly and participate in axial patterning and cell fate determination. One family member, DKK3, does not block Wnt receptor activation. Loss of Dkk3 expression in cancer is associated with hyperproliferation and dysregulated ß-catenin signaling, and ectopic expression of Dkk3 halts cancer growth. The molecular events mediating the DKK3-dependent arrest of ß-catenin-driven cell proliferation in cancer cells are unknown. Here we report the identification of a new intracellular gene product originating from the Dkk3 locus. This Dkk3b transcript originates from a second transcriptional start site located in intron 2 of the Dkk3 gene. It is essential for early mouse development and is a newly recognized regulator of ß-catenin signaling and cell proliferation. Dkk3b interrupts nuclear translocation ß-catenin by capturing cytoplasmic, unphosphorylated ß-catenin in an extra-nuclear complex with ß-TrCP. These data reveal a new regulator of one of the most studied signal transduction pathways in metazoans and provides a novel, completely untapped therapeutic target for silencing the aberrant ß-catenin signaling that drives hyperproliferation in many cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack L. Leonard
- Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Deborah M. Leonard
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Scot A. Wolfe
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jilin Liu
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jaime Rivera
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Michelle Yang
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ryan T. Leonard
- Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jacob P. S. Johnson
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Prashant Kumar
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Kate L. Liebmann
- Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Amanda A. Tutto
- Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Zhongming Mou
- Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Karl J. Simin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
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