Proteomic analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells treated with platycodin D

Prognostic and therapeutic model based on disulfidptosis-related genes for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Disulfidptosis, a newly discovered mode of cell death caused by excessive accumulation of intracellular disulfide compounds, is closely associated with tumor development. This study focused on the relationship between disulfidptosis and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Firstly, the characterizations of disulfidptosis-related genes (DRGs) in ccRCC were showed, which included number variation (CNV), single nucleotide variation (SNV), DNA methylation, mRNA expression and gene mutation. Then, the ccRCC samples were classified into three clusters through unsupervised clustering based on DRGs. Survival and pathway enrichment differences were evaluated among the three clusters. Subsequently, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the three clusters were screened by univariate Cox, LASSO, and multivariate Cox analysis, and five key DEGs were obtained. Based on the five key DEGs, the ccRCC samples were reclassified into two geneclusters and the survival differences and immune cell infiltration between two geneclusters was investigated. In next step, ccRCC samples were divided into two groups according to PCA scores of five key DEGs, namely high PCA score group (HPSG) and low PCA score group (LPSG). On this basis, differences in survival prognosis, immune cell infiltration and correlation with immune checkpoint, as well as differences in sensitivity to targeted drugs were compared between HPSG and LPSG. The expression levels of four immune checkpoints were higher in HPSG than in LPSG, whereas the LPSG was more sensitive to targeted drug therapy than the HPSG. Finally, validation experiments on HDAC4 indicated that HDAC4 could increase the proliferation and colony formation ability of ccRCC cells.

Using omics approaches to dissect the therapeutic effects of Chinese herbal medicines on gastrointestinal cancers

Chinese herbal medicines offer a rich source of anti-cancer drugs. Differences between the pharmacology of Chinese herbal medicines and modern synthetic chemicals hinder the development of drugs derived from herbal products. To address this challenge, novel omics approaches including transcriptomics, proteomics, genomics, metabolomics, and microbiomics have been applied to dissect the pharmacological benefits of Chinese herbal medicines in cancer treatments. Numerous Chinese herbal medicines have shown potential anti-tumor effects on different gastrointestinal (GI) cancers while eliminating the side effects associated with conventional cancer therapies. The present study aimed to provide an overview of recent research focusing on Chinese herbal medicines in GI cancer treatment, based on omics approaches. This review also illustrates the potential utility of omics approaches in herbal-derived drug discovery. Omics approaches can precisely and efficiently reveal the key molecular targets and intracellular interaction networks of Chinese herbal medicines in GI cancer treatment. This study summarizes the application of different omics-based approaches in investigating the effects and mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicines in GI cancers. Future research directions are also proposed for this area of study.

Distribution, biotransformation, pharmacological effects, metabolic mechanism and safety evaluation of Platycodin D：A comprehensive review

Platycodonis Radix (Jiegeng), the dried root of Platycodon grandiflorum, is a traditional herb used as both medicine and food. Its clinical application for the treatment of cough, phlegm, sore throat, pulmonary and respiratory diseases has been thousands of years in China. Platycodin D is the main active ingredient in Platycodonis Radix, which belongs to the family of pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins because it contains an oleanolane type aglycone linked with double sugar chains. Modern pharmacology has demonstrated that Platycodin D displays various biological activities, such as analgesics, expectoration and cough suppression, promoting weight loss, anti-tumor and immune regulation, suggesting that Platycodin D has the potential to be a drug candidate and an interesting target as a natural product for clinical research. In this review, the distribution and biotransformation, pharmacological effects, metabolic mechanism and safety evaluation of Platycodin D are summarized to lay the foundation for further studies.

Integrative Analyses and Verification of the Expression and Prognostic Significance for RCN1 in Glioblastoma Multiforme

Glioblastoma multiform is a lethal primary brain tumor derived from astrocytic, with a poor prognosis in adults. Reticulocalbin-1 (RCN1) is a calcium-binding protein, dysregulation of which contributes to tumorigenesis and progression in various cancers. The present study aimed to identify the impact of RCN1 on the outcomes of patients with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The study applied two public databases to require RNA sequencing data of Glioblastoma multiform samples with clinical data for the construction of a training set and a validation set, respectively. We used bioinformatic analyses to determine that RCN1 could be an independent factor for the overall survival of Glioblastoma multiform patients. In the training set, the study constructed a predictive prognostic model based on the combination of RCN1 with various clinical parameters for overall survival at 0.5-, 1.0-, and 1.5-years, as well as developed a nomogram, which was further validated by validation set. Pathways analyses indicated that RCN1 was involved in KEAS and MYC pathways and apoptosis. In vitro experiments indicated that RCN1 promoted cell invasion of Glioblastoma multiform cells. These results illustrated the prognostic role of RCN1 for overall survival in Glioblastoma multiform patients, indicated the promotion of RCN1 in cell invasion, and suggested the probability of RCN1 as a potential targeted molecule for treatment in Glioblastoma multiform.

Identification of targets of JS-K against HBV-positive human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2.2.15 cells with iTRAQ proteomics

JS-K, a nitric oxide-releasing diazeniumdiolates, is effective against various tumors. We have discovered that JS-K was effective against Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-positive HepG2.2.15 cells. This study used iTRAQ to identify differentially expressed proteins following JS-K treatment of HepG2.2.15 cells. Silenced Transgelin (shTAGLN-2.15) cells were constructed, and the cell viability was analyzed by the CCK8 assay after treatment with JS-K. There were 182 differentially expressed proteins in JS-K treated-HepG2.2.15 cells; 73 proteins were up-regulated and 109 proteins were down-regulated. These proteins were categorized according to GO classification. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that Endocytosis, Phagosome and Proteoglycans were the most significant pathways. RT-PCR confirmed that the expression levels of TAGLN, IGFBP1, SMTN, SERPINE1, ANXA3, TMSB10, LGALS1 and KRT19 were significantly up-regulated, and the expression levels of C5, RBP4, CHKA, SIRT5 and TRIM14 were significantly down-regulated in JS-K treated-HepG2.2.15 cells. Western blotting confirmed the increased levels of USP13 and TAGLN proteins in JS-K treated-HepG2.2.15 cells. Molecular docking revealed the binding of JS-K to TAGLN and shTAGLN-2.15 cells were resistant to JS-K cytotoxicity, suggesting that TAGLN could be an important target in JS-K anti-HBV-positive liver cancer cells. These proteomic findings could shed new insights into mechanisms underlying the effect of JS-K against HBV-related HCC.

Prohibitin regulates mTOR pathway via interaction with FKBP8

The ability of tumor cells to sustain continuous proliferation is one of the major characteristics of cancer. The activation of oncogenes and the mutation or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes ensure the rapid proliferation of tumor cells. The PI3K-Akt-mTOR axis is one of the most frequently modified signaling pathways whose activation sustains cancer growth. Unsurprisingly, it is also one of the most commonly attempted targets for cancer therapy. FK506 binding protein 8 (FKBP8) is an intrinsic inhibitor of mTOR kinase that also exerts an anti-apoptotic function. We aimed to explain these contradictory aspects of FKBP8 in cancer by identifying a "switch" type regulator. We identified through immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis that the mitochondrial protein prohibitin 1 (PHB1) specifically interacts with FKBP8. Furthermore, the downregulation of PHB1 inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells and the mTOR signaling pathway, whereas the FKBP8 level in the mitochondria was substantially reduced. Moreover, concomitant with these changes, the interaction between FKBP8 and mTOR substantially increased in the absence of PHB1. Collectively, our finding highlights PHB1 as a potential regulator of FKBP8 because of its subcellular localization and mTOR regulating role.

Bioactive platycodins from Platycodonis Radix: Phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, toxicology and pharmacokinetics

Platycodonis Radix, the root of Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC., is a well-known edible herbal medicine. It is a common vegetable used for the preparation of side dish, kimchi, dessert, and tea. Besides, it has been used to treat respiratory disease including cough, excessive phlegm, and sore throat for a long history. In the past decades, the bioactive components and the pharmacological activities of Platycodonis Radix have been widely investigated. Thereinto, platycodins, the oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins were demonstrated to be the main bioactive components in Platycodonis Radix, and more than 70 platycodins have been identified up to date. This paper mainly reviewed the phytochemistry, pharmacological activities (apophlegmatic, anti-tussive, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, immunomodulatory, cardiovascular protective, and hepatoprotective activities, etc.), toxicology and pharmacokinetics of platycodins isolated from Platycodonis Radix, aiming to promote further investigation on therapeutic potential of these platycodins.

ERp29 affects the migratory and invasive ability of human extravillous trophoblast HTR-8/SVneo cells via modulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Dysfunction of trophoblast metastasis into the endometrium is the main cause of pre-eclampsia (PE); however, the factors affecting this process are still unclear. In this study, we found that endoplasmic reticulum protein 29 (ERp29), one molecular chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum, was aberrantly upregulated in the placenta of pre-eclamptic patients compared with healthy controls. Then, an in vitro study using human extravillous trophoblast HTR-8/SVneo cells showed that ERp29 upregulation could inhibit the migratory and invasive ability of HTR-8/SVneo cells, while ERp29 downregulation had the opposite effect. Mechanical experiments confirmed that ERp29 blocked trophoblast metastasis via inhibiting the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and affecting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study revealed the important role of ERp29 in trophoblast metastasis and improved the mechanical understanding of PE occurrence.

Identification of ceRNA network based on a RNA-seq shows prognostic lncRNA biomarkers in human lung adenocarcinoma

Previous studies have emphasized the significant functions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in tumor biology. However, the functions of certain cancer lncRNAs in the lncRNA-related ceRNA network in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) are unknown. A systematic and integrative survey of RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was performed to identify candidate lncRNAs for the prognosis of LUAD. In total, 20,502 genes that contain 181 lncRNAs were evaluated in a cohort of 570 LUAD cases. Initially, 6,280 differentially expressed genes (fold-change >2, P<0.05) were obtained using R package, which includes 75 lncRNAs. Next, by univariate regression and multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, 32 genes were associated with survival in LUAD. Using these 29 mRNAs and 3 lncRNAs, a prognosis index (PI) was calculated to accurately estimate the survival in LUAD: PI=∑exp_{risk gene} × HRrisk gene. Furthermore, the 32-gene signature was an independent prognostic indicator for LUAD (HR >1; P<0.05, by multivariate analysis). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of three risk lncRNAs-FAM138B, NHEG1 and TLX1NB-was performed, based on the P-values of the associated genes, and the top 27 miRNAs that bound to these lncRNAs were predicted by Miranda as target miRNAs. Next, these target miRNAs were transferred to the TarBase, miRTarBase, miRecards and starBase v2.0 databases to obtain their target genes. According to the previous miRNA-mRNA and miRNA-lncRNA data, three lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA networks were established, based on the 29 prognostic mRNAs, forming a regulatory network in LUAD. The present study provided insight into the lncRNA-related ceRNA network in LUAD and has identified potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.

Significance of prohibitin domain family in tumorigenesis and its implication in cancer diagnosis and treatment

Prohibitin (PHB) was originally isolated and characterized as an anti-proliferative gene in rat liver. The evolutionarily conserved PHB gene encodes two human protein isoforms with molecular weights of ~33 kDa, PHB1 and PHB2. PHB1 and PHB2 belong to the prohibitin domain family, and both are widely distributed in different cellular compartments such as the mitochondria, nucleus, and cell membrane. Most studies have confirmed differential expression of PHB1 and PHB2 in cancers compared to corresponding normal tissues. Furthermore, studies verified that PHB1 and PHB2 are involved in the biological processes of tumorigenesis, including cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis. Two small molecule inhibitors, Rocaglamide (RocA) and fluorizoline, derived from medicinal plants, were demonstrated to interact directly with PHB1 and thus inhibit the interaction of PHB with Raf-1, impeding Raf-1/ERK signaling cascades and significantly suppressing cancer cell metastasis. In addition, a short peptide ERAP and a natural product xanthohumol were shown to target PHB2 directly and prohibit cancer progression in estrogen-dependent cancers. As more efficient biomarkers and targets are urgently needed for cancer diagnosis and treatment, here we summarize the functional role of prohibitin domain family proteins, focusing on PHB1 and PHB2 in tumorigenesis and cancer development, with the expectation that targeting the prohibitin domain family will offer more clues for cancer therapy.

Homogenous and Microbeam X-Ray Radiation Induces Proteomic Changes in the Brains of Irradiated Rats and in the Brains of Nonirradiated Cage Mate Rats

To evaluate microbeam radiation therapy (MRT), for brain tumor treatment, the bystander effect in nonirradiated companion animals was investigated. Adult rats were irradiated with 35 or 350 Gy at the European Synchrotron Research Facility using homogenous irradiation (HR) or MRT to the right brain hemisphere. The irradiated rats were housed with nonirradiated rats. After 48 hours, all rats were euthanized and the frontal lobe proteome was analyzed using 2-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Proteome changes were determined by analysis of variance (P < .05). Homogenous irradiation increased serum albumin, heat shock protein 71 (HSP-71), triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), fructose bisphosphate aldolase (FBA), and prohibitin and decreased dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (DLD) and pyruvate kinase. Microbeam radiation therapy increased HSP-71, FBA, and prohibitin, and decreased aconitase, dihydropyrimidinase, TPI, tubulin DLD, and pyruvate kinase. Cage mates with HR irradiated rats showed increased HSP-71 and FBA and decreased pyruvate kinase, DLD, and aconitase. Cage mates with MRT irradiated rats showed increased HSP-71, prohibitin, and FBA and decreased aconitase and DLD. Homogenous irradiation proteome changes indicated tumorigenesis, while MRT proteome changes indicated an oxidative stress response. The bystander effect of proteome changes appeared antitumorigenic and inducing radioresistance. This investigation also supports the need for research into prohibitin interaction with HSP-70/71 chaperones and cancer therapy.

Saponins from Chinese Medicines as Anticancer Agents

Saponins are glycosides with triterpenoid or spirostane aglycones that demonstrate various pharmacological effects against mammalian diseases. To promote the research and development of anticancer agents from saponins, this review focuses on the anticancer properties of several typical naturally derived triterpenoid saponins (ginsenosides and saikosaponins) and steroid saponins (dioscin, polyphyllin, and timosaponin) isolated from Chinese medicines. These saponins exhibit in vitro and in vivo anticancer effects, such as anti-proliferation, anti-metastasis, anti-angiogenesis, anti-multidrug resistance, and autophagy regulation actions. In addition, related signaling pathways and target proteins involved in the anticancer effects of saponins are also summarized in this work.