Hsp90ab1 stabilizes LRP5 to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition via activating of AKT and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways in gastric cancer progression

Bioinformatic Analysis of IKK Complex Genes Expression in Selected Gastrointestinal Cancers

Gastrointestinal cancers account for over a quarter of all cancer cases and are associated with poor prognosis and high mortality rates. The IKK complex (the canonical I kappa B kinase), comprising the CHUK, IKBKB, and IKBKG genes, plays a crucial role in activating the NF-kB signaling pathway. This study aimed to analyze publicly available bioinformatics data to elucidate the oncogenic role of IKK genes in selected gastrointestinal cancers. Our findings reveal that IKBKB and IKBKG are significantly upregulated in all examined cancers, while CHUK is upregulated in esophageal carcinoma and stomach adenocarcinoma. Additionally, the expression of IKK genes varies with histological grade and nodal metastases. For instance, in stomach adenocarcinoma, CHUK and IKBKB are upregulated in higher histological grades and greater lymph node infiltration. Lower expression levels of CHUK, IKBKB, and IKBKG in stomach adenocarcinoma and IKBKB in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma correlate with shorter overall survival. Conversely, in esophageal adenocarcinoma, reduced IKBKG expression is linked to longer overall survival, while higher IKBKB expression in colon adenocarcinoma is associated with longer overall survival. Given the significant role of IKK genes in the development and progression of selected gastrointestinal cancers, they hold potential as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets, offering valuable insights for clinical practice.

HSP90 multi-functionality in cancer

The 90-kDa heat shock proteins (HSP90s) are molecular chaperones essential for folding, unfolding, degradation and activity of a wide range of client proteins. HSP90s and their cognate co-chaperones are subject to various post-translational modifications, functional consequences of which are not fully understood in cancer. Intracellular and extracellular HSP90 family members (HSP90α, HSP90β, GRP94 and TRAP1) promote cancer by sustaining various hallmarks of cancer, including cell death resistance, replicative immortality, tumor immunity, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. Given the importance of HSP90 in tumor progression, various inhibitors and HSP90-based vaccines were developed for the treatment of cancer. Further understanding of HSP90 functions in cancer may provide new opportunities and novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer.

Preliminary study of BF/C2 on immune mechanism of grass carp against GCRV infection

BF/C2 is a crucial molecule in the coagulation complement cascade pathway and plays a significant role in the immune response of grass carp through the classical, alternative, and lectin pathways during GCRV infection. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the mRNA expression levels of BF/C2 (A, B) in grass carp positively correlated with GCRV viral replication at various stages of infection. Excessive inflammation leading to death coincided with peak levels of BF/C2 (A, B) mRNA expression and GCRV viral replication. Correspondingly, BF/C2 (A, B) recombinant protein, CIK cells and GCRV co-incubation experiments yielded similar findings. Therefore, 3 h (incubation period) and 9 h (death period) were selected as critical points for this study. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed significant differences in the expression of BF/C2A and BF/C2B during different stages of CIK infection with GCRV and compared to the blank control group (PBS). Specifically, the BF/C2A_3 and BF/C2A_9 groups exhibited 2729 and 2228 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), respectively, with 1436 upregulated and 1293 downregulated in the former, and 1324 upregulated and 904 downregulated in the latter. The BF/C2B_3 and BF/C2B_9 groups showed 2303 and 1547 DEGs, respectively, with 1368 upregulated and 935 downregulated in the former, and 818 upregulated and 729 downregulated in the latter. KEGG functional enrichment analysis of these DEGs identified shared pathways between BF/C2A and PBS groups at 3 and 9 h, including the C-type lectin receptor signaling pathway, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, Salmonella infection, apoptosis, tight junction, and adipocytokine signaling pathway. Additionally, the BF/C2B groups at 3 and 9 h shared pathways related to protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, and biosynthesis of amino acids. The mRNA levels of these DEGs were validated in cellular models, confirming consistency with the sequencing results. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of these candidate genes (mapk1, il1b, rela, nfkbiab, akt3a, hyou1, hsp90b1, dnajc3a et al.) in the head kidney, kidney, liver and spleen of grass carp immune tissue were significantly different from those of the control group by BF/C2 (A, B) protein injection in vivo. These candidate genes play an important role in the response of BF/C2 (A, B) to GCRV infection and it also further confirmed that BF/C2 (A, B) of grass carp plays an important role in coping with GCRV infection.

Protein interactome analysis of ATP1B1 in alveolar epithelial cells using Co-Immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry and parallel reaction monitoring assay

Aims

Alveolar epithelial barrier integrity is essential for lung homeostasis. Na, K-ATPase β1 subunit (ATP1B1) involves alveolar edema fluid clearance and alveolar epithelial barrier stability. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of ATP1B1 in alveolar epithelial cells still needs to be understood.

Main methods

We utilized Co-Immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry proteomic analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, enrichment analysis, and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) analysis to investigate proteins interacting with ATP1B1 in A549 cells.

Key findings

A total of 159 proteins were identified as significant proteins interacting with ATP1B1 in A549 cells. Ribosomal and heat shock proteins were major constituents of the two main functional modules based on the PPI network. Enrichment analysis showed that significant proteins were involved in protein translation, posttranslational processing, and function regulation. Moreover, 10 proteins of interest were verified by PRM, and fold changes in 6 proteins were consistent with proteomics results. Finally, HSP90AB1, EIF4A1, TUBB4B, HSPA8, STAT1, and PLEC were considered candidates for binding to ATP1B1 to function in alveolar epithelial cells.

Significance

Our study provides new insights into the role of ATP1B1 in alveolar epithelial cells and indicates that six proteins, in particular HSP90AB1, may be key proteins interacting with and regulating ATP1B1, which might be potential targets for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Wnt signaling in gastric cancer: current progress and future prospects

Levels of the Wnt pathway components are abnormally altered in gastric cancer cells, leading to malignant cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, poor prognosis and chemoresistance. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanism of Wnt signaling pathway in gastric cancer. We systematically reviewed the molecular mechanisms of the Wnt pathway in gastric cancer development; and summarize the progression and the challenges of research on molecular agents of the Wnt pathway.

A probabilistic knowledge graph for target identification

Early identification of safe and efficacious disease targets is crucial to alleviating the tremendous cost of drug discovery projects. However, existing experimental methods for identifying new targets are generally labor-intensive and failure-prone. On the other hand, computational approaches, especially machine learning-based frameworks, have shown remarkable application potential in drug discovery. In this work, we propose Progeni, a novel machine learning-based framework for target identification. In addition to fully exploiting the known heterogeneous biological networks from various sources, Progeni integrates literature evidence about the relations between biological entities to construct a probabilistic knowledge graph. Graph neural networks are then employed in Progeni to learn the feature embeddings of biological entities to facilitate the identification of biologically relevant target candidates. A comprehensive evaluation of Progeni demonstrated its superior predictive power over the baseline methods on the target identification task. In addition, our extensive tests showed that Progeni exhibited high robustness to the negative effect of exposure bias, a common phenomenon in recommendation systems, and effectively identified new targets that can be strongly supported by the literature. Moreover, our wet lab experiments successfully validated the biological significance of the top target candidates predicted by Progeni for melanoma and colorectal cancer. All these results suggested that Progeni can identify biologically effective targets and thus provide a powerful and useful tool for advancing the drug discovery process.

Gastric cancer prognosis: unveiling autophagy-related signatures and immune infiltrates

Background

Autophagy played a crucial regulatory role in tumor initiation and progression. Therefore, we aimed to comprehensively analyze autophagy-related genes (ARGs) in gastric cancer, focusing on their expression, prognostic value, and potential functions.

Methods

The gastric cancer gene chip datasets (GSE79973 and GSE54129) were collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Subsequently, the Limma package was employed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the normal and disease groups. The selected ARGs were further authenticated using the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and GSE19826 database.

Results

A total of 15 autophagy-related DEGs, eight of which were upregulated [FKBP1A, IL24, PEA15, HSP90AB1, cathepsin B (CTSB), ITGB1, SPHK1, HIF1A], while seven were downregulated (DAPK2, EIF2AK3, FKBP1B, PTK6, NKX2-3, NFE2L2, PRKCD). Analysis revealed that CTSB was specifically associated with the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showcased a significant enrichment of CTSB-related genes within immune-related pathways. Moreover, correlation analysis demonstrated a clear association between the expression of CTSB and immune infiltration. The upregulation of CTSB in gastric cancer was linked to poor survival and increased immune infiltration.

Conclusions

We conjectured that CTSB likely played a critical role in regulating immunity and autophagy in gastric cancer.

TMEM65 promotes gastric tumorigenesis by targeting YWHAZ to activate PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway and is a therapeutic target

Copy number alterations are crucial for the development of gastric cancer (GC). Here, we identified Transmembrane Protein 65 (TMEM65) amplification by genomic hybridization microarray to profile copy-number variations in GC. TMEM65 mRNA level was significantly up-regulated in GC compared to adjacent normal tissues, and was positively associated with TMEM65 amplification. High TMEM65 expression or DNA copy number predicts poor prognosis (P < 0.05) in GC. Furtherly, GC patients with TMEM65 amplification (n = 129) or overexpression (n = 78) significantly associated with shortened survival. Ectopic expression of TMEM65 significantly promoted cell proliferation, cell cycle progression and cell migration/invasion ability, but inhibited apoptosis (all P < 0.05). Conversely, silencing of TMEM65 in GC cells showed opposite abilities on cell function in vitro and suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo (all P < 0.01). Moreover, TMEM65 depletion by VNP-encapsulated TMEM65-siRNA significantly suppressed tumor growth in subcutaneous xenograft model. Mechanistically, TMEM65 exerted oncogenic effects through activating PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, as evidenced of increased expression of key regulators (p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, p-mTOR) by Western blot. YWHAZ (Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/Tryptophan 5-Monooxygenase) was identified as a direct downstream effector of TMEM65. Direct binding of TMEM65 with YWHAZ in the cytoplasm inhibited ubiquitin-mediated degradation of YWHAZ. Moreover, oncogenic effect of TMEM65 was partly dependent on YWHAZ. In conclusion, TMEM65 promotes gastric tumorigenesis by activating PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling via cooperating with YWHAZ. TMEM65 overexpression may serve as an independent new biomarker and is a therapeutic target in GC.

Deciphering potential vascularization factors of on-chip co-cultured hiPSC-derived cerebral organoids

The lack of functional vascular system in stem cell-derived cerebral organoids (COs) limits their utility in modeling developmental processes and disease pathologies. Unlike other organs, brain vascularization is poorly understood, which makes it particularly difficult to mimic in vitro. Although several attempts have been made to vascularize COs, complete vascularization leading to functional capillary network development has only been achieved via transplantation into a mouse brain. Understanding the cues governing neurovascular communication is therefore imperative for establishing an efficient in vitro system for vascularized cerebral organoids that can emulate human brain development. Here, we used a multidisciplinary approach combining microfluidics, organoids, and transcriptomics to identify molecular changes in angiogenic programs that impede the successful in vitro vascularization of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived COs. First, we established a microfluidic cerebral organoid (CO)-vascular bed (VB) co-culture system and conducted transcriptome analysis on the outermost cell layer of COs cultured on the preformed VB. Results revealed coordinated regulation of multiple pro-angiogenic factors and their downstream targets. The VEGF-HIF1A-AKT network was identified as a central pathway involved in the angiogenic response of cerebral organoids to the preformed VB. Among the 324 regulated genes associated with angiogenesis, six transcripts represented significantly regulated growth factors with the capacity to influence angiogenic activity during co-culture. Subsequent on-chip experiments demonstrated the angiogenic and vasculogenic potential of cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (CYR61) and hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) as potential enhancers of organoid vascularization. Our study provides the first global analysis of cerebral organoid response to three-dimensional microvasculature for in vitro vascularization.

MIWE: detecting the critical states of complex biological systems by the mutual information weighted entropy

Complex biological systems often undergo sudden qualitative changes during their dynamic evolution. These critical transitions are typically characterized by a catastrophic progression of the system. Identifying the critical point is critical to uncovering the underlying mechanisms of complex biological systems. However, the system may exhibit minimal changes in its state until the critical point is reached, and in the face of high throughput and strong noise data, traditional biomarkers may not be effective in distinguishing the critical state. In this study, we propose a novel approach, mutual information weighted entropy (MIWE), which uses mutual information between genes to build networks and identifies critical states by quantifying molecular dynamic differences at each stage through weighted differential entropy. The method is applied to one numerical simulation dataset and four real datasets, including bulk and single-cell expression datasets. The critical states of the system can be recognized and the robustness of MIWE method is verified by numerical simulation under the influence of different noises. Moreover, we identify two key transcription factors (TFs), CREB1 and CREB3, that regulate downstream signaling genes to coordinate cell fate commitment. The dark genes in the single-cell expression datasets are mined to reveal the potential pathway regulation mechanism.

Aberrant Expressions of PSMD14 in Tumor Tissue are the Potential Prognostic Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Curative Resection

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high mortality rate, with curative resection being the primary treatment. However, HCC patients have a large possibility of recurrence within 5 years after curative resection.

Methods

Thus, identifying biomarkers to predict recurrence is crucial. In our study, we analyzed data from CCLE, GEO, and TCGA, identifying eight oncogenes associated with HCC. Subsequently, the expression of 8 genes was tested in 5 cases of tumor tissues and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. Then ATP6AP1, PSMD14 and HSP90AB1 were selected to verify the expression in 63 cases of tumor tissues and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. The results showed that ATP6AP1, PSMD14, HSP90AB1 were generally highly expressed in tumor tissues. A five-year follow-up of the 63 clinical cases, combined with Kaplan-Meier Plotter's relapse-free survival (RFS) analysis, found a significant correlation between PSMD14 expression and recurrence in HCC patients. Subsequently, we analyzed the PSMD14 mutations and found that the PSMD14 gene mutations can lead to a shorter disease-free survival time for HCC patients.

Results

The results of enrichment analysis indicated that the differentially expressed genes related to PSMD14 are mainly enriched in the signal release pathway.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our research showed that PSMD14 might be related to recurrence in HCC patients, and the expression of PSMD14 in tumor tissue might be a potential prognostic biomarker after tumor resection in HCC patients.

Large-Scale Identification of Lysine Crotonylation Reveals Its Potential Role in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose

Lysine crotonylation, an emerging posttranslational modification, has been implicated in the regulation of diverse biological processes. However, its involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains elusive. This study aims to reveal the global crotonylome in OSCC under hypoxic conditions and explore the potential regulatory mechanism of crotonylation in OSCC.

Methods

Liquid-chromatography fractionation, affinity enrichment of crotonylated peptides, and high-resolution mass spectrometry were employed to detect differential crotonylation in CAL27 cells cultured under hypoxia. The obtained data were further subjected to bioinformatics analysis to uncover the involved biological processes and pathways of the dysregulated crotonylated proteins. A site-mutated plasmid was utilized to investigate the effect of crotonylation on Heat Shock Protein 90 Alpha Family Class B Member 1 (HAP90AB1) function.

Results

A large-scale crotonylome analysis revealed 1563 crotonylated modification sites on 605 proteins in CAL27 cells under hypoxia. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a significant decrease in histone crotonylation levels, while up-regulated crotonylated proteins were mainly concentrated in non-histone proteins. Notably, glycolysis-related proteins exhibited prominent up-regulation among the identified crotonylated proteins, with HSP90AB1 displaying the most significant changes. Subsequent experimental findings confirmed that mutating lysine 265 of HSP90AB1 into a silent arginine impaired its function in promoting glycolysis.

Conclusion

Our study provides insights into the crotonylation modification of proteins in OSCC under hypoxic conditions and elucidates the associated biological processes and pathways. Crotonylation of HSP90AB1 in hypoxic conditions may enhance the glycolysis regulation ability in OSCC, offering novel perspectives on the regulatory mechanism of crotonylation in hypoxic OSCC and potential therapeutic targets for OSCC treatment.

Proliferation, migration, and resistance to oxidative and thermal stresses of HT1080 cells with knocked out genes encoding Hsp90α and Hsp90β

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) fulfils essential housekeeping functions in the cell associated with the folding, stabilization, and turnover of various proteins. In mammals, there exist two Hsp90 isoforms, stress-inducible Hsp90α and constitutively expressed Hsp90β. In an attempt to identify cellular processes dependent on Hsp90α and Hsp90β, we generated a panel of clones of human fibrosarcoma HT1080 cells with the knocked out HSP90AA1 or HSP90AB1 genes encoding, respectively, Hsp90α and Hsp90β. The knockout of the HSP90AA1 and HSP90AB1 genes practically did not affect cell proliferation and resistance to thermal shock and oxidative stress. The loss of Hsp90α in Hsp90α-null cell clones also did not impair cell migration, while the migration of the Hsp90β-null cell clones was prominently reduced as compared to parent HT1080 cells. This indicated the necessity of Hsp90β for efficient basal migration of HT1080 cells whereas Hsp90α seems to be dispensable for this process. The knockout of one Hsp90 isoform was invariably accompanied by an increase in the level of the other Hsp90 isoform by 30-50%, which partly or fully compensated for a decrease in the total level of Hsp90. Thus, we demonstrated the dispensability of Hsp90α and Hsp90β for HT1080 cells in several cellular processes under normal and stress conditions, which suggested the participation of the two Hsp90 isoforms in the same biological processes and full or at least partial functional substitution of one Hsp90 isoform by the other.

DSCC1 interacts with HSP90AB1 and promotes the progression of lung adenocarcinoma via regulating ER stress

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and the most common type is lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). LUAD is frequently diagnosed in people who never smoked, patients are always diagnosed at advanced inoperable stages, and the prognosis is ultimately poor. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of novel targeted therapeutics to suppress LUAD progression. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of DNA replication and sister chromatid cohesion 1 (DSCC1) was higher in LUAD samples than normal tissues, and the overexpression of DSCC1 or its coexpressed genes were highly correlated with poor outcomes of LUAD patients, highlighting DSCC1 might be involved in LUAD progression. Furthermore, the expression of DSCC1 was positively correlated with multiple genetic mutations which drive cancer development, including TP53, TTN, CSMD, and etc. More importantly, DSCC1 could promote the cell proliferation, stemness, EMT, and metastatic potential of LUAD cells. In addition, DSCC1 interacted with HSP90AB1 and promoted the progression of LUAD via regulating ER stress. Meanwhile, DSCC1 expression negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration in lung cancer, and DSCC1 positively regulated the expression of PD-L1 in LUAD cells. Collectively, this study revealed that DSCC1 is a novel therapeutic target to treat LUAD and a biomarker for predicting the efficiency of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade treatment.

ADAM11 a novel regulator of Wnt and BMP4 signaling in neural crest and cancer

Introduction: Cranial neural crest (CNC) cells are induced at the border of the neural plate by a combination of FGF, Wnt, and BMP4 signaling. CNC then migrate ventrally and invade ventral structures where they contribute to craniofacial development. Methods: We used loss and gain of function experiments to determine phenotypes associated with the perturbation of Adam11 expression in Xenopus Laevis. Mass spectrometry to identify partners of Adam11 and changes in protein expression in CNC lacking Adam11. We used mouse B16 melanoma to test the function of Adam11 in cancer cells, and published database analysis to study the expression of ADAM11 in human tumors. Results: Here we show that a non-proteolytic ADAM, Adam11, originally identified as a putative tumor suppressor binds to proteins of the Wnt and BMP4 signaling pathway. Mechanistic studies concerning these non-proteolytic ADAM lack almost entirely. We show that Adam11 positively regulates BMP4 signaling while negatively regulating β-catenin activity. In vivo, we show that Adam11 influences the timing of neural tube closure and the proliferation and migration of CNC. Using both human tumor data and mouse B16 melanoma cells, we further show that ADAM11 levels similarly correlate with Wnt or BMP4 activation levels. Discussion: We propose that ADAM11 preserves naïve cells by maintaining low Sox3 and Snail/Slug levels through stimulation of BMP4 and repression of Wnt signaling, while loss of ADAM11 results in increased Wnt signaling, increased proliferation and early epithelium to mesenchyme transition.

Expression of pyroptosis-related genes are correlated with immune microenvironment and predict prognosis in ESCA

OBJECTIVES

Pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) are abnormally expressed in a variety of gastrointestinal tumors, this study aimed to investigate the role of pyroptosis genes in assessing the prognosis of esophageal cancer (ESCA).

METHODS

Through consensus clustering, we identified two subtypes associated with PRGs. After Lasso regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis, a polygenic signature based on six prognostic PRGS was constructed. Afterwards, we combined the risk score with clinical predictors to construct and validate a PRGs-associated ESCA prognostic model.

RESULTS

Through analysis, we Successfully constructed and validated a PRGs-associated ESCA prognostic model that predicts ESCA survival and correlates with the tumor immune microenvironment.

CONCLUSION

Based on PRGs features, we established a new ESCA hierarchical model. This model has important clinical implications for ESCA patients, both in terms of assessing prognosis and in terms of targeted and immunotherapy.

PRM-based quantitative proteomics analysis of altered HSP abundance in villi and decidua of patients with early missed abortion

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to identify differentially expressed heat shock protein (HSP) profiles in the villi and decidua from patients with early missed abortion (EMA).

METHODS

By using high-throughput and high-precision parallel reaction monitoring (PRM)-based targeted proteomics techniques, this study examined the abundance of HSPs in the villi and decidua of 10 patients with EMA and 10 controls. Moreover, the abundance of 3 HSPs in the villi of another 22 patients with EMA and 22 controls was verified with Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

RESULTS

There were potential differences in the abundance of 16 HSPs and 42 polypeptides in human villi and decidua compared with those of the control group. Among them, HSP90AB1, HSPD1 and HSPA13 were downregulated in abundance in villi of patients with EMA, with a statistically significant difference, which was consistent with the verification results of Western blots and IHC.

CONCLUSION

Using a PRM-based targeted proteomics technique, this study is the first to screen and quantitatively analyze the expression profile of HSPs in the villi and decidua of patients with EMA. The significant downregulation of HSP90AB1, HSPD1 and HSPA13 was found to have a potentially intimate association with the occurrence of EMA. The findings in our study may provide novel potential research targets related to HSPs for the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of EMA.

Mapping the tumor microenvironment in clear cell renal carcinoma by single-cell transcriptome analysis

Introduction: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. To identify viable therapeutic targets, a comprehensive understanding of intratumoral heterogeneity is crucial. In this study, we conducted bioinformatic analysis to scrutinize single-cell RNA sequencing data of ccRCC tumor and para-tumor samples, aiming to elucidate the intratumoral heterogeneity in the ccRCC tumor microenvironment (TME). Methods: A total of 51,780 single cells from seven ccRCC tumors and five para-tumor samples were identified and grouped into 11 cell lineages using bioinformatic analysis. These lineages included tumor cells, myeloid cells, T-cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, indicating a high degree of heterogeneity in the TME. Copy number variation (CNV) analysis was performed to compare CNV frequencies between tumor and normal cells. The myeloid cell population was further re-clustered into three major subgroups: monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Differential expression analysis, gene ontology, and gene set enrichment analysis were employed to assess inter-cluster and intra-cluster functional heterogeneity within the ccRCC TME. Results: Our findings revealed that immune cells in the TME predominantly adopted an inflammatory suppression state, promoting tumor cell growth and immune evasion. Additionally, tumor cells exhibited higher CNV frequencies compared to normal cells. The myeloid cell subgroups demonstrated distinct functional properties, with monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells displaying diverse roles in the TME. Certain immune cells exhibited pro-tumor and immunosuppressive effects, while others demonstrated antitumor and immunostimulatory properties. Conclusion: This study contributes to the understanding of intratumoral heterogeneity in the ccRCC TME and provides potential therapeutic targets for ccRCC treatment. The findings emphasize the importance of considering the diverse functional roles of immune cells in the TME for effective therapeutic interventions.

ADAM11 a novel regulator of Wnt and BMP4 signaling in neural crest and cancer

Cranial neural crest (CNC) cells are induced at the border of the neural plate by a combination of FGF, Wnt, and BMP4 signaling. CNC then migrate ventrally and invade ventral structures where they contribute to craniofacial development. Here we show that a non-proteolytic ADAM, Adam11, originally identified as a putative tumor suppressor binds to proteins of the Wnt and BMP4 signaling pathway. Mechanistic studies concerning these non-proteolytic ADAM lack almost entirely. We show that Adam11 positively regulates BMP4 signaling while negatively regulating β-catenin activity. By modulating these pathways, Adam11 controls the timing of neural tube closure and the proliferation and migration of CNC. Using both human tumor data and mouse B16 melanoma cells, we further show that ADAM11 levels similarly correlate with Wnt or BMP4 activation levels. We propose that ADAM11 preserve naïve cells by maintaining low Sox3 and Snail/Slug levels through stimulation of BMP4 and repression of Wnt signaling, while loss of ADAM11 results in increased Wnt signaling, increased proliferation and early epithelium to mesenchyme transition.

HSP90AB1 as the Druggable Target of Maggot Extract Reverses Cisplatin Resistance in Ovarian Cancer

Cisplatin resistance is a crucial factor affecting ovarian cancer patient's survival rate, but the primary mechanism underlying cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer remains unclear, and this prevents the optimal use of cisplatin therapy. Maggot extract (ME) is used in traditional Chinese medicine for patients with comas and patients with gastric cancer when combined with other drug treatments. In this study, we investigated whether ME enhances the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin. Two ovarian cancer cells-A2780/CDDP and SKOV3/CDDP-were treated with cisplatin and ME in vitro. SKOV3/CDDP cells that stably expressed luciferase were subcutaneously or intraperitoneally injected into BALB/c nude mice to establish a xenograft model, and this was followed by ME/cisplatin treatment. In the presence of cisplatin, ME treatment effectively suppressed the growth and metastasis of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer in vivo and in vitro. RNA-sequencing data showed that HSP90AB1 and IGF1R were markedly increased in A2780/CDDP cells. ME treatment markedly decreased the expression of HSP90AB1 and IGF1R, thereby increasing the expression of the proapoptotic proteins p-p53, BAX, and p-H2AX, while the opposite effects were observed for the antiapoptotic protein BCL2. Inhibition of HSP90 ATPase was more beneficial against ovarian cancer in the presence of ME treatment. In turn, HSP90AB1 overexpression effectively inhibited the effect of ME in promoting the increased expression of apoptotic proteins and DNA damage response proteins in SKOV3/CDDP cells. Inhibition of cisplatin-induced apoptosis and DNA damage by HSP90AB1 overexpression confers chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. ME can enhance the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin toxicity by inhibiting HSP90AB1/IGF1R interactions, and this might represent a novel target for overcoming cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer chemotherapy.

A novel inflammasome-related gene nomogram predicts survival in hepatocellular carcinoma

Inflammasomes are closely associated with the progression of multiple cancers. We established an inflammasome-related gene (IRG)-based model to predict the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The RNA-sequencing data and clinical information of HCC patients were downloaded from the cancer genome atlas-liver hepatocellular carcinoma database, and the differentially expressed inflammasome-related gene were screened. Seven prognostic differentially expressed inflammasome-related genes were identified by univariate Cox analysis and incorporated into the risk model using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-Cox algorithm. The predictive accuracy of the risk model was evaluated through the Kaplan-Meier, receiver operating characteristic and Cox regression analyses. The performance of the model was verified in the International Cancer Genome Consortium-Liver Cancer - RIKEN, JP cohort. A nomogram was constructed to predict the 1-, 2-, 3- ,and 5-year survival of HCC patients, and its performance was evaluated using calibration curves. The significantly enriched gene ontology terms, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathways and infiltrating immune cell populations associated with the IRG model were also analyzed to explore of the potential molecular mechanisms and immunotherapeutic targets. An independent and highly accurate prognostic model consisting of 7 IRGs was established and verified in 2 independent HCC cohorts. The IRG model was significantly associated with cell division and cell cycle. In addition, the high-risk group was more likely to have greater infiltration of immune cells and higher expression of immune checkpoint-related genes compared to the low-risk group. An IRG-based model was established to predict 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate in individual HCC patients, which provides new insights into the role of inflammasomes in HCC.

Evaluation of the proteomic landscape of HPV E7‑induced alterations in human keratinocytes reveal therapeutically relevant pathways for cervical cancer

The lack of specific and accurate therapeutic targets poses a challenge in the treatment of cervical cancer (CC). Global proteomics has the potential to characterize the underlying and intricate molecular mechanisms that drive the identification of therapeutic candidates for CC in an unbiased manner. The present study assessed human papillomavirus (HPV)‑induced proteomic alterations to identify key cancer hallmark pathways and protein‑protein interaction (PPI) networks, which offered the opportunity to evaluate the possibility of using these for targeted therapy in CC. Comparative proteomic profiling of HPV‑transfected (HPV16/18 E7), HPV‑transformed (CaSki and HeLa) and normal human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells was performed using the liquid chromatography‑tandem mass spectrometry (LC‑MS/MS) technique. Both label‑free quantification and differential expression analysis were performed to assess differentially regulated proteins in HPV‑transformed and ‑transfected cells. The present study demonstrated that protein expression was upregulated in HPV‑transfected cells compared with in HPV‑transformed cells. This was probably due to the ectopic expression of E7 protein in the former cell type, in contrast to its constitutive expression in the latter cell type. Subsequent pathway visualization and network construction demonstrated that the upregulated proteins in HPV16/18 E7‑transfected cells were predominantly associated with a diverse array of cancer hallmarks, including the mTORC1 signaling pathway, MYC targets V1, hypoxia and glycolysis. Among the various proteins present in the cancer hallmark enrichment pathways, phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) was present across all pathways. Therefore, PGK1 may be considered as a potential biomarker. PPI analysis demonstrated a direct interaction between p130 and polyubiquitin B, which may lead to the degradation of p130 via the ubiquitin‑proteasome proteolytic pathway. In summary, elucidation of the key signaling pathways in HPV16/18‑transfected and ‑transformed cells may aid in the design of novel therapeutic strategies for clinical application such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy against cervical cancer.

Analysis of signaling cascades from myeloma cells treated with pristimerin

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the 2nd most frequently diagnosed blood cancer after non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The present study aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the control and pristimerin-treated MM cell lines. We examined the GSE14011 microarray dataset and screened DEGs with GEO2R statistical tool using the inbuilt limma package. We used a bioinformatics pipeline to identify the differential networks, signaling cascades, and the survival of the hub genes. We implemented two different enrichment analysis including ClueGO and Metacore™, to get accurate annotation for most significant DEGs. We screened the most significant 408 DEGs from the dataset based on p-values and logFC values. Using protein network analysis, we found the genes UBC, HSP90AB1, HSPH1, HSPA1B, HSPA1L, HSPA6, HSPD1, DNAJB1, HSPE1, DNAJC10, BAG3, and DNAJC7 had higher node degree distribution. In contrast, the functional annotation provided that the DEGs were predominantly enriched in B-cell receptor signaling, unfolded protein response, positive regulation of phagocytosis, HSP70, and HSP40-dependent folding, and ubiquitin-proteasomal proteolysis. Using network algorithms, and comparing enrichment analysis, we found the hub genes enriched were INHBE, UBC, HSPA1A, HSP90AB1, IKBKB, and BAG3. These DEGs were further validated with overall survival and gene expression analysis between the tumor and control groups. Finally, pristimerin effects were validated independently in a cell line model consisting of IM9 and U266 MM cells. Pristimerin induced in vitro cytotoxicity in MM cells in a dose-dependent manner. Pristimerin inhibited NF-κB, induced accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins and inhibited HSP60 in the validation of bioinformatics findings, while pristimerin-induced caspase-3 and PARP cleavage confirmed cell death. Taken together, we found that the identified DEGs were strongly associated with the apoptosis induced in MM cell lines due to pristimerin treatment, and combinatorial therapy derived from pristimerin could act as novel anti-myeloma multifunctional agents.

Integrative Multi-OMICs Identifies Therapeutic Response Biomarkers and Confirms Fidelity of Clinically Annotated, Serially Passaged Patient-Derived Xenografts Established from Primary and Metastatic Pediatric and AYA Solid Tumors

Establishment of clinically annotated, molecularly characterized, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) from treatment-naïve and pretreated patients provides a platform to test precision genomics-guided therapies. An integrated multi-OMICS pipeline was developed to identify cancer-associated pathways and evaluate stability of molecular signatures in a panel of pediatric and AYA PDXs following serial passaging in mice. Original solid tumor samples and their corresponding PDXs were evaluated by whole-genome sequencing, RNA-seq, immunoblotting, pathway enrichment analyses, and the drug−gene interaction database to identify as well as cross-validate actionable targets in patients with sarcomas or Wilms tumors. While some divergence between original tumor and the respective PDX was evident, majority of alterations were not functionally impactful, and oncogenic pathway activation was maintained following serial passaging. CDK4/6 and BETs were prioritized as biomarkers of therapeutic response in osteosarcoma PDXs with pertinent molecular signatures. Inhibition of CDK4/6 or BETs decreased osteosarcoma PDX growth (two-way ANOVA, p < 0.05) confirming mechanistic involvement in growth. Linking patient treatment history with molecular and efficacy data in PDX will provide a strong rationale for targeted therapy and improve our understanding of which therapy is most beneficial in patients at diagnosis and in those already exposed to therapy.

B7-1 mediates podocyte injury and glomerulosclerosis through communication with Hsp90ab1-LRP5-β-catenin pathway

Podocyte injury is a hallmark of glomerular diseases; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. B7-1 is increased in injured podocytes, but its intrinsic role is controversial. The clinical data here revealed the intimate correlation of urinary B7-1 with severity of glomerular injury. Through transcriptomic and biological assays in B7-1 transgenic and adriamycin nephropathy models, we identified B7-1 is a key mediator in podocyte injury and glomerulosclerosis through a series of signal transmission to β-catenin. Using LC-MS/MS, Hsp90ab1, a conserved molecular chaperone, was distinguished to be an anchor for transmitting signals from B7-1 to β-catenin. Molecular docking and subsequent mutant analysis further identified the residue K69 in the N terminal domain of Hsp90ab1 was the key binding site for B7-1 to activate LRP5/β-catenin pathway. The interaction and biological functions of B7-1-Hsp90ab1-LRP5 complex were further demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. We also found B7-1 is a novel downstream target of β-catenin. Our results indicate an intercrossed network of B7-1, which collectively induces podocyte injury and glomerulosclerosis. Our study provides an important clue to improve the therapeutic strategies to target B7-1.

Maggot Extract Inhibits Cell Migration and Tumor Growth by Targeting HSP90AB1 in Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies, because of metastatic dissemination with poor late clinical therapy. Maggots have been used in traditional Chinese medicine, where they are also known as 'Wu Gu Chong'. Previous studies have indicated that maggot extract (ME) was beneficial for the treatment of gastric cancer when combined with other drugs, but the effect on anti-ovarian cancer and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ME on suppressing the proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells, and to clarify the underlying mechanism. In this research, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation assay, and luciferase-positive cell quantification assay were employed to identify the inhibitory effects of ME on cell proliferation. Then, the pro-apoptosis and anti-metastasis effects of ME were explored by Western blot, dual annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide (FITC/PI) assay, immunofluorescent staining, and wound-healing assay. We further established a xenograft model by subcutaneously or intraperitoneally injecting BALB/c nude mice with SKOV3 cells stably expressing luciferase, and the mice were treated with ME. The results showed that ME therapy effectively restrained the growth and metastasis of ovarian tumors in vivo. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of cancer factors including heat shock protein 90 alpha family class B member 1 (HSP90AB1), MYC, and insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR assay to explore the possible antitumor mechanisms of ME. Next, HSP90 ATPase activity was inhibited by geldanamycin in A2780, and the cell viability was shown to be dramatically reduced, decreasing further with the combination of ME and cisplatin. In turn, HSP90AB1 overexpression effectively inhibited the effect of ME in suppressing capability for cell viability and migration. In addition, HSP90AB1 overexpression limited the ability of ME to inhibit expression of MYC and IGF1R, while the opposite effect was observed for expression of pro-apoptosis protein caspase3 and BAX. Therefore, this study confirmed the potential roles and mechanisms of ME in inhibiting the growth and metastasis of ovarian tumors and promoting apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells by inhibiting overexpression of HSP90AB1.

PI3K-activated MSC proteomes inhibit mammary tumors via Hsp90ab1 and Myh9

Despite the advance in medications in the past decade, aggressive breast cancer such as triple-negative breast cancer is difficult to treat. Here, we examined a counter-intuitive approach to converting human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into induced tumor-suppressing cells by administering YS49, a PI3K/Akt activator. Notably, PI3K-activated MSCs generated tumor-suppressive proteomes, while PI3K-inactivated MSCs tumor-promotive proteomes. In a mouse model, the daily administration of YS49-treated MSC-derived CM decreased the progression of primary mammary tumors as well as the colonization of tumor cells in the lung. In the ex vivo assay, the size of freshly isolated human breast cancer tissues, including estrogen receptor positive and negative as well as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive and negative, was decreased by YS49-treated MSC-derived CM. Hsp90ab1 was enriched in CM as an atypical tumor-suppressing protein and immunoprecipitated a non-muscle myosin, Myh9. Extracellular Hsp90ab1 and Myh9 exerted the anti-tumor action and inhibited the maturation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Collectively, this study demonstrated that the activation of PI3K generated tumor-suppressive proteomes in MSCs and supported the possibility of using patient-derived MSCs for the treatment of breast cancer and bone metastasis.

Origination of LTR Retroelement-Derived NYNRIN Coincides with Therian Placental Emergence

The emergence of the placenta is a revolutionary event in the evolution of therian mammals, to which some LTR retroelement-derived genes, such as PEG10, RTL1, and syncytin, are known to contribute. However, therian genomes contain many more LTR retroelement-derived genes that may also have contributed to placental evolution. We conducted large-scale evolutionary genomic and transcriptomic analyses to comprehensively search for LTR retroelement-derived genes whose origination coincided with therian placental emergence and that became consistently expressed in therian placentae. We identified NYNRIN as another Ty3/Gypsy LTR retroelement-derived gene likely to contribute to placental emergence in the therian stem lineage. NYNRIN knockdown inhibited the invasion of HTR8/SVneo invasive-type trophoblasts, whereas the knockdown of its nonretroelement-derived homolog KHNYN did not. Functional enrichment analyses suggested that NYNRIN modulates trophoblast invasion by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix remodeling and that the ubiquitin-proteasome system is responsible for the functional differences between NYNRIN and KHNYN. These findings extend our knowledge of the roles of LTR retroelement-derived genes in the evolution of therian mammals.

Identification of novel tumor microenvironment-associated genes in gastric cancer based on single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets

Tumor microenvironment and heterogeneity play vital roles in the development and progression of gastric cancer (GC). In the past decade, a considerable amount of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) studies have been published in the fields of oncology and immunology, which improve our knowledge of the GC immune microenvironment. However, much uncertainty still exists about the relationship between the macroscopic and microscopic data in transcriptomics. In the current study, we made full use of scRNA-seq data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE134520) to identify 25 cell subsets, including 11 microenvironment-related cell types. The MIF signaling pathway network was obtained upon analysis of receptor–ligand pairs and cell–cell interactions. By comparing the gene expression in a wide variety of cells between intestinal metaplasia and early gastric cancer, we identified 64 differentially expressed genes annotated as immune response and cellular communication. Subsequently, we screened these genes for prognostic clinical value based on the patients’ follow-up data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. TMPRSS15, VIM, APOA1, and RNASE1 were then selected for the construction of LASSO risk scores, and a nomogram model incorporating another five clinical risk factors was successfully created. The effectiveness of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator risk scores was validated using gene set enrichment analysis and levels of immune cell infiltration. These findings will drive the development of prognostic evaluations affected by the immune tumor microenvironment in GC.

Establish immune-related gene prognostic index for esophageal cancer

Background: Esophageal cancer is a tumor type with high invasiveness and low prognosis. As immunotherapy has been shown to improve the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients, we were interested in the establishment of an immune-associated gene prognostic index to effectively predict the prognosis of patients. Methods: To establish the immune-related gene prognostic index of esophageal cancer (EC), we screened 363 upregulated and 83 downregulated immune-related genes that were differentially expressed in EC compared to normal tissues. By multivariate Cox regression and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), we built a prognostic model based on eight immune-related genes (IRGs). We confirmed the prognostic model in both TCGA and GEO cohorts and found that the low-risk group had better overall survival than the high-risk group. Results: In this study, we identified 363 upregulated IRGs and 83 downregulated IRGs. Next, we found a prognostic model that was constructed with eight IRGs (OSM, CEACAM8, HSPA6, HSP90AB1, PCSK2, PLXNA1, TRIB2, and HMGB3) by multivariate Cox regression analysis and WGCNA. According to the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis results, the model we constructed can predict the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. This result can be verified by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Patients were divided into two groups with different outcomes. IRGPI-low patients had better overall survival than IRGPI-high patients.

Conclusion: Our findings indicated the potential value of the IRGPI risk model for predicting the prognosis of EC patients.

NCX1 coupled with TRPC1 to promote gastric cancer via Ca2+/AKT/β-catenin pathway

Plasma membrane Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger 1 (NCX1) is a bidirectional ion transporter to operate in Ca²⁺ entry or exit modes, and TRPC1 is Ca²⁺-permeable channel. Both NCX1 and TRPC1 play critical roles in maintaining cytosolic free Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺]_cyt) homeostasis in mammalian cells. Although either TRPC1 channel or Ca²⁺ entry mode of NCX1 is implicated in some tumorigenesis, it has not been explored if a coordination of NCX1 and TRPC1 involves in the pathogenesis of H. pylori-associated human gastric cancer (GC). Here we found the protein expression of NCX1 was significantly enhanced in human GC specimens, which correlated with tumor progression and poor survival in GC patients. TRPC1 and NCX1 were parallelly enhanced, co-localized and bound in human GC cells. By a functional coupling, TRPC1 drives NCX1 to the Ca²⁺ entry mode, raising [Ca²⁺]_cyt in GC cells. Moreover, CaCl₂, H. pylori and their virulence factors all enhanced expressions and activities of NCX1 and TRPC1, and evoked aberrant Ca²⁺ entry to promote proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells through AKT/β-catenin pathway. Tumor growth and metastasis also depended on the enhanced expression of NCX1 in subcutaneously xenografted GC mouse model. Overall, our findings indicate that TRPC1/NCX1 coupling may promote H. pylori-associated GC through the Ca²⁺/AKT/β-catenin pathway. Since the Ca²⁺ exit mode and the Ca²⁺ entry mode of NCX1 play different roles under mostly physiological and pathological conditions respectively, targeting TRPC1/NCX1 coupling could be a novel strategy for selectively blocking Ca²⁺ entry mode to potentially treat digestive cancer with less side effect.

Systemic Analysis of the Anticancer Effects of Sijunzi Decoction on Gastric Cancer Based on Network Pharmacology

Objective:

Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) has been used for alleviating peptic ulcer or gastric discomfort, and treating spleen disorders since the Song Dynasty, but its pharmacological effect on human gastric cancer (GC) is still unclear. In this research, a network pharmacology-based strategy was applied to explore active ingredients, potential targets, and molecular mechanisms of SJZD against GC.

Methods:

The active compounds and potential targets of SJZD, as well as GC-associated gene targets, were retrieved from publicly available databases. Bioinformatics approaches were used to assess the network interaction, functional regulation, and signaling pathways between SJZD ingredients and GC targets. The anticancer effects of SJZD against GC were verified in vivo by a mouse subcutaneous model.

Results:

The results of network analysis showed that quercetin was the most active ingredient in SJZD. Several prominent target genes of SJZD were identified, such as AKT1 and STAT3. Gene ontology analysis revealed that the core anti-GC targets of SJZD included transcription factor activity and kinase activity. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that GC patients could be benefited from SJZD treatment via modulation of signaling pathways related to endocrine system, cancer, and infectious disease. Furthermore, in vivo experiments showed that high-dose SJZD could inhibit GC xenograft tumor growth, reduce GC cell proliferation, induce GC cell apoptosis, and decrease the expression of p-AKT1 and p-STAT3.

Conclusions:

Taken together, our results suggest that SJZD can serve as an effective adjuvant therapeutic agent for GC patients.

Exploring YAP1-centered networks linking dysfunctional CFTR to epithelial-mesenchymal transition

In this work, a systems biology approach identifies potentially dysregulated EMT signaling in CF (including the Hippo, Wnt, TGF-β, p53, and MYC pathways), integrated by YAP1 and TEAD4.

Mutations in the CFTR anion channel cause cystic fibrosis (CF) and have also been related to higher cancer incidence. Previously we proposed that this is linked to an emerging role of functional CFTR in protecting against epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the pathways bridging dysfunctional CFTR to EMT remain elusive. Here, we applied systems biology to address this question. Our data show that YAP1 is aberrantly active in the presence of mutant CFTR, interacting with F508del, but not with wt-CFTR, and that YAP1 knockdown rescues F508del-CFTR processing and function. Subsequent analysis of YAP1 interactors and roles in cells expressing either wt- or F508del-CFTR reveal that YAP1 is an important mediator of the fibrotic/EMT processes in CF. Alongside, five main pathways emerge here as key in linking mutant CFTR to EMT, namely, (1) the Hippo pathway; (2) the Wnt pathway; (3) the TGFβ pathway; (4) the p53 pathway; and (5) MYC signaling. Several potential hub proteins which mediate the crosstalk among these pathways were also identified, appearing as potential therapeutic targets for both CF and cancer.

Capecitabine Regulates HSP90AB1 Expression and Induces Apoptosis via Akt/SMARCC1/AP-1/ROS Axis in T Cells

Transplant oncology is a newly emerging discipline integrating oncology, transplant medicine, and surgery and has brought malignancy treatment into a new era via transplantation. In this context, obtaining a drug with both immunosuppressive and antitumor effects can take into account the dual needs of preventing both transplant rejection and tumor recurrence in liver transplantation patients with malignancies. Capecitabine (CAP), a classic antitumor drug, has been shown to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis in tumor cells. Meanwhile, we have demonstrated that CAP can induce ROS production and apoptosis in T cells to exert immunosuppressive effects, but its underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. In this study, metronomic doses of CAP were administered to normal mice by gavage, and the spleen was selected for quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis. The results showed that CAP significantly reduced the expression of HSP90AB1 and SMARCC1 in the spleen. It was subsequently confirmed that CAP also significantly reduced the expression of HSP90AB1 and SMARCC1 and increased ROS and apoptosis levels in T cells. The results of in vitro experiments showed that HSP90AB1 knockdown resulted in a significant decrease in p-Akt, SMARCC1, p-c-Fos, and p-c-Jun expression levels and a significant increase in ROS and apoptosis levels. HSP90AB1 overexpression significantly inhibited CAP-induced T cell apoptosis by increasing the p-Akt, SMARCC1, p-c-Fos, and p-c-Jun expression levels and reducing the ROS level. In conclusion, HSP90AB1 is a key target of CAP-induced T cell apoptosis via Akt/SMARCC1/AP-1/ROS axis, which provides a novel understanding of CAP-induced T cell apoptosis and lays the experimental foundation for further exploring CAP as an immunosuppressant with antitumor effects to optimize the medication regimen for transplantation patients.

Inactivation of Wnt-LRP5 signaling suppresses the proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells

Background

Ovarian cancer (OCa) is the most lethal gynecological malignant tumor, with few or no specific symptoms in its early stage. There are many signaling pathways involved in the process of OCa progression, among which the highly complex Wnt signaling pathway plays a unique role in the occurrence and development of OCa because of its functions of regulating gene expression, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Lipoprotein associated receptor protein 5/6 (LRP5/6) binds to activate this key pathway. Therefore, it is very important to study the mechanism of Wnt-LRP5 signaling pathway in the proliferation and migration of OCa.

Methods

In the present study, we have investigated the role of Wnt-LRP5 signaling pathway in OCa proliferation and migration for the first time using the dominant negative plasmid of LRP5 (DN-LRP5) and human OCa cells HO8910PM plus in a mouse model.

Results

Our data showed inactivation of LRP5 resulted in shift of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), rearrangement of the cytoskeleton, lowered activity of pro-proliferation and pro-migration cancer signaling pathways including Akt, p38 and NF-κB, eventually decreased proliferation and migration of OCa cells HO8910PM in vitro. Moreover, in vivo OCa-DN-LRP5 mouse model developed significantly smaller tumors as determined by inoculation of HO8910PM-DN-LRP5 cells into nude mice.

Conclusions

Collectively, our results demonstrate the dominant role of Wnt-LRP5 in OCa proliferation and migration and its potential as a valuable therapeutic target.

HSP70 and HSP90 in Cancer: Cytosolic, Endoplasmic Reticulum and Mitochondrial Chaperones of Tumorigenesis

HSP70 and HSP90 are two powerful chaperone machineries involved in survival and proliferation of tumor cells. Residing in various cellular compartments, HSP70 and HSP90 perform specific functions. Concurrently, HSP70 and HSP90 homologs may also translocate from their primary site under various stress conditions. Herein, we address the current literature on the role of HSP70 and HSP90 chaperone networks in cancer. The goal is to provide a comprehensive review on the functions of cytosolic, mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum HSP70 and HSP90 homologs in cancer. Given that high expression of HSP70 and HSP90 enhances tumor development and associates with tumor aggressiveness, further understanding of HSP70 and HSP90 chaperone networks may provide clues for the discoveries of novel anti-cancer therapies.

LRP5 promotes cancer stem cell traits and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer

The overactivation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway and the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs) are essential for the onset and malignant progression of most human cancers. However, their regulatory mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not yet been well demonstrated. Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) has been identified as an indispensable co-receptor with frizzled family members for the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signal transduction. Herein, we show that activation of LRP5 gene promotes CSCs-like phenotypes, including tumorigenicity and drug resistance in CRC cells, through activating the canonical Wnt/β-catenin and IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathways. Clinically, the expression of LRP5 is upregulated in human CRC tissues and closely associated with clinical stages of patients with CRC. Further analysis showed silencing of endogenous LRP5 gene is sufficient to suppress the CSCs-like phenotypes of CRC through inhibiting these two pathways. In conclusion, our findings not only reveal a regulatory cross-talk between canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, IL-6/STAT3 signalling pathway and CD133-related stemness that promote the malignant behaviour of CRC, but also provide a valuable target for the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

A novel C-terminal heat shock protein 90 inhibitor that overcomes STAT3-Wnt-β-catenin signaling-mediated drug resistance and adverse effects

Rationale: The heat shock protein (Hsp) system plays important roles in cancer stem cell (CSC) and non-CSC populations. However, limited efficacy due to drug resistance and toxicity are obstacles to clinical use of Hsp90 inhibitors, suggesting the necessity to develop novel Hsp90 inhibitors overcoming these limitations. Methods: The underlying mechanism of resistance to Hsp90 inhibitors was investigated by colony formation assay, sphere formation assay, western blot analysis, and real-time PCR. To develop anticancer Hsp90 inhibitors that overcome the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-mediated resistance, we synthesized and screened a series of synthetic deguelin-based compounds in terms of inhibition of colony formation, migration, and viability of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and toxicity to normal cells. Regulation of Hsp90 by the selected compound NCT-80 [5-methoxy-N-(3-methoxy-4-(2-(pyridin-3-yl)ethoxy)phenyl)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-chromene-6-carboxamide] was investigated by immunoprecipitation, drug affinity responsive target stability assay, binding experiments using ATP-agarose beads and biotinylated drug, and docking analysis. The antitumor, antimetastatic, and anti-CSC effects of NCT-80 were examined in vitro and in vivo using various assays such as MTT, colony formation, and migration assays and flow cytometric analysis and tumor xenograft models. Results: We demonstrated a distinct mechanism in which Hsp90 inhibitors that block N-terminal ATP-binding pocket causes transcriptional upregulation of Wnt ligands through Akt- and ERK-mediated activation of STAT3, resulting in NSCLC cell survival in an autocrine or paracrine manner. In addition, NCT-80 effectively reduced viability, colony formation, migration, and CSC-like phenotypes of NSCLC cells and their sublines with acquired resistance to anticancer drugs by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the growth of NSCLC patient-derived xenograft tumors without overt toxicity. With regards to mechanism, NCT-80 directly bound to the C-terminal ATP-binding pocket of Hsp90, disrupting the interaction between Hsp90 and STAT3 and degrading STAT3 protein. Moreover, NCT-80 inhibited chemotherapy- and EGFR TKI-induced programmed cell death ligand 1 expression and potentiated the antitumor effect of chemotherapy in the LLC-Luc allograft model. Conclusions: These data indicate the potential of STAT3/Wnt signaling pathway as a target to overcome resistance to Hsp90 inhibitors and NCT-80 as a novel Hsp90 inhibitor that targets both CSCs and non-CSCs in NSCLC.

HSP90AB1 Promotes the Proliferation, Migration, and Glycolysis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide. Heat shock protein 90 alpha family class B member 1 (HSP90AB1) is highly expressed in a variety of cancers and is associated with poor prognosis, however, its role in HNSCC is still poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the function HSP90AB1 played in HNSCC progression. Methods: The expression level of HSP90AB1 in HNSCC was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis and western blotting, and its relationship with clinicopathological parameters was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry. Three stable HSP90AB1 knockdown HNSCC cell lines were constructed by lentiviral transfection. The effect of HSP90AB1 knockdown on the proliferation and migration of HNSCC cells was tested by CCK-8 assay, EdU incorporation assay, colony formation assay, nude mouse xenograft models, transwell migration assay, wound healing assay, and western blotting. The effect of HSP90AB1 knockdown on glycolysis in HNSCC cells was assessed by quantitative real-time PCR and related assay kits. Finally, the levels of Akt and phospho-Akt (Ser473) proteins after HSP90AB1 knockdown were detected by western blotting. Results: HSP90AB1 was highly expressed in HNSCC and associated with T grade, lymph node metastasis, and prognosis. Knockdown of HSP90AB1 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and glycolysis of HNSCC, and reduced the level of phospho-Akt. Conclusion: HSP90AB1 functions as an oncogene in HNSCC, and has the potential to become a prognostic factor and therapeutic target.

LRP5 Promotes Gastric Cancer via Activating Canonical Wnt/β-Catenin and Glycolysis Pathways

The overactivation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway is one of the main cascades for the initiation, progression, and recurrence of most human malignancies. As an indispensable coreceptor for the signaling transduction of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway, LRP5 is up-regulated and exerts a carcinogenic role in most types of cancer. However, its expression level and role in gastric cancer (GC) has not been clearly elucidated. The current work showed that LRP5 was overexpressed in GC tissues and the expression of LRP5 was positively associated with the advanced clinical stages and poor prognosis. Ectopic expression of LRP5 enhanced the proliferation, invasiveness, and drug resistance of GC cells in vitro, and accelerated the tumor growth in nude mice, through activating the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and up-regulating aerobic glycolysis, thus increasing the energy supply for GC cells. Additionally, the expression of LRP5 and glycolysis-related genes showed an obviously positive correlation in GC tissues. By contrast, the exact opposite results were observed when the endogenous LRP5 was silenced in GC cells. Collectively, these results not only reveal the carcinogenic role of LRP5 during GC development through activating the canonical Wnt/β-catenin and glycolysis pathways, but also provide a valuable candidate for the diagnosis and treatment of human GC.

Conversion of Osteoclasts into Bone-Protective, Tumor-Suppressing Cells

Simple Summary

Osteoclasts are bone-resorbing cells and, together with bone-forming osteoblasts, they are responsible for maintaining healthy bones. When cancer cells invade into the bone, however, osteoclasts assist in cancer progression and stimulate bone loss. In this study, we converted the bone-destructive action of osteoclasts by activating their Wnt signaling and generated an osteoclast-derived, bone-protective, tumor-suppressive conditioned medium. The conditioned medium was able to suppress tumor growth and bone loss in a mouse model of mammary tumors and bone metastasis. The described approach is expected to add a novel strategy to treat primary breast cancer as well as bone metastasis.

Abstract

Osteoclasts are a driver of a vicious bone-destructive cycle with breast cancer cells. Here, we examined whether this vicious cycle can be altered into a beneficial one by activating Wnt signaling with its activating agent, BML284. The conditioned medium, derived from Wnt-activated RAW264.7 pre-osteoclast cells (BM CM), reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of EO771 mammary tumor cells. The same inhibitory effect was obtained with BML284-treated primary human macrophages. In a mouse model, BM CM reduced the progression of mammary tumors and tumor-induced osteolysis and suppressed the tumor invasion to the lung. It also inhibited the differentiation of RANKL-stimulated osteoclasts and enhanced osteoblast differentiation. BM CM was enriched with atypical tumor-suppressing proteins such as Hsp90ab1 and enolase 1 (Eno1). Immunoprecipitation revealed that extracellular Hsp90ab1 interacted with latent TGFβ (LAP-TGFβ) as an inhibitor of TGFβ activation, while Hsp90ab1 and Eno1 interacted and suppressed tumor progression via CD44, a cell-adhesion receptor and a cancer stem cell marker. This study demonstrated that osteoclast-derived CM can be converted into a bone-protective, tumor-suppressing agent by activating Wnt signaling. The results shed a novel insight on the unexplored function of osteoclasts as a potential bone protector that may develop an unconventional strategy to combat bone metastasis.

Comprehensive Analysis to Identify the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Related Immune Signatures as a Prognostic and Therapeutic Biomarkers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease with the high rates of the morbidity and mortality due to the lack of the effective prognostic model for prediction.

Aim: To construct a risk model composed of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related immune genes for the assessment of the prognosis, immune infiltration status, and chemosensitivity.

Methods: We obtained the transcriptome and clinical data of the HCC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases. The Pearson correlation analysis was applied to identify the differentially expressed EMT-related immune genes (DE-EMTri-genes). Subsequently, the univariate Cox regression was introduced to screen out the prognostic gene sets and a risk model was constructed based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-penalized Cox regression. Additionally, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to compare the prognostic value of the newly established model compared with the previous model. Furthermore, the correlation between the risk model and survival probability, immune characteristic, and efficacy of the chemotherapeutics were analyzed by the bioinformatics methods.

Results: Six DE-EMTri-genes were ultimately selected to construct the prognostic model. The area under the curve (AUC) values for 1-, 2-, and 3- year were 0.773, 0.721, and 0.673, respectively. Stratified survival analysis suggested that the prognosis of the low-score group was superior to the high-score group. Moreover, the univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that risk score [hazard ratio (HR) 5.071, 95% CI 3.050, 8.432; HR 4.396, 95% CI 2.624, 7.366; p < 0.001] and stage (HR 2.500, 95% CI 1.721, 3.632; HR 2.111, 95% CI 1.443, 3.089; p < 0.001) served as an independent predictive factors in HCC. In addition, the macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and regulatory T (Treg) cells were significantly enriched in the high-risk group. Finally, the patients with the high-risk score might be more sensitive to cisplatin, doxorubicin, etoposide, gemcitabine, and mitomycin C.

Conclusion: We established a reliable EMTri-genes-based prognostic signature, which may hold promise for the clinical prediction.

Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancers and targeted therapies

Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been broadly implicated in human cancers and experimental cancer models of animals. Aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling is tightly linked with the increment of prevalence, advancement of malignant progression, development of poor prognostics, and even ascendence of the cancer-associated mortality. Early experimental investigations have proposed the theoretical potential that efficient repression of this signaling might provide promising therapeutic choices in managing various types of cancers. Up to date, many therapies targeting Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancers have been developed, which is assumed to endow clinicians with new opportunities of developing more satisfactory and precise remedies for cancer patients with aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling. However, current facts indicate that the clinical translations of Wnt/β-catenin signaling-dependent targeted therapies have faced un-neglectable crises and challenges. Therefore, in this study, we systematically reviewed the most updated knowledge of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancers and relatively targeted therapies to generate a clearer and more accurate awareness of both the developmental stage and underlying limitations of Wnt/β-catenin-targeted therapies in cancers. Insights of this study will help readers better understand the roles of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in cancers and provide insights to acknowledge the current opportunities and challenges of targeting this signaling in cancers.

Effect of HSP90AB1 and CC domain interaction on Bcr-Abl protein cytoplasm localization and function in chronic myeloid leukemia cells

Background

The fusion oncoprotein Bcr-Abl is mostly located in the cytoplasm, which causes chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). After moving into the nucleus, the fusion protein can induce apoptosis of CML cells. The coiled-coil domain (CC domain) of Bcr-Abl protein plays a central role in the subcellular localization. However, how CC domain affects subcellular localization of Bcr-Abl remains unclear.

Methods

Herein, the key proteins interacting with the Bcr-Abl CC domain were screened by immunoprecipitation binding mass spectrometry. The specific site of Bcr-Abl CC domain binding to target protein was predicted by Deep Viewer. Immunoprecipitation assay was used to confirmed the specific sites of protein binding. IF and western blot were used to observe the subcellular localization of target protein. Western blot was used to examine the protein changes. CCK-8, clonal formation test and FCM cycle detection were used to observe the effect of inhibitor on the proliferation ability of CML cells. FCM apoptosis detection was used to observe the level of cells apoptosis.

Results

HSP90AB1 interacts with Bcr-Abl CC domain via N-terminal domain (NTD), preventing the transport of Bcr-Abl protein to the nucleus and maintaining the activation of Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase. The nucleus-entrapped Bcr-Abl markedly inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis of CML cells by activating p73 and repressing the expression of cytoplasmic oncogenic signaling pathways mediated by Bcr-Abl. Moreover, the combination of 17AAG (Tanespimycin) with Leptomycin B (LMB) considerably decreased the proliferation of CML cells.

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence that it is feasible to transport Bcr-Abl into the nucleus as an alternative strategy for the treatment of CML, and targeting the NTD of HSP90AB1 to inhibit the interaction with Bcr-Abl is more accurate for the development and application of HSP90 inhibitor in the treatment of CML and other Bcr-Abl-addicted malignancies.

Systems Immunology Analysis Reveals the Contribution of Pulmonary and Extrapulmonary Tissues to the Immunopathogenesis of Severe COVID-19 Patients

As one of the current global health conundrums, COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic increase of cases exceeding 79 million and 1.7 million deaths worldwide. Severe presentation of COVID-19 is characterized by cytokine storm and chronic inflammation resulting in multi-organ dysfunction. Currently, it is unclear whether extrapulmonary tissues contribute to the cytokine storm mediated-disease exacerbation. In this study, we applied systems immunology analysis to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in lung, liver, kidney, and heart tissues and the potential contribution of these tissues to cytokines production. Notably, genes associated with neutrophil-mediated immune response (e.g. CXCL1) were particularly upregulated in lung, whereas genes associated with eosinophil-mediated immune response (e.g. CCL11) were particularly upregulated in heart tissue. In contrast, immune responses mediated by monocytes, dendritic cells, T-cells and B-cells were almost similarly dysregulated in all tissue types. Focused analysis of 14 cytokines classically upregulated in COVID-19 patients revealed that only some of these cytokines are dysregulated in lung tissue, whereas the other cytokines are upregulated in extrapulmonary tissues (e.g. IL6 and IL2RA). Investigations of potential mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 modulates the immune response and cytokine production revealed a marked dysregulation of NF-κB signaling particularly CBM complex and the NF-κB inhibitor BCL3. Moreover, overexpression of mucin family genes (e.g. MUC3A, MUC4, MUC5B, MUC16, and MUC17) and HSP90AB1 suggest that the exacerbated inflammation activated pulmonary and extrapulmonary tissues remodeling. In addition, we identified multiple sets of immune response associated genes upregulated in a tissue-specific manner (DCLRE1C, CHI3L1, and PARP14 in lung; APOA4, NFASC, WIPF3, and CD34 in liver; LILRA5, ISG20, S100A12, and HLX in kidney; and ASS1 and PTPN1 in heart). Altogether, these findings suggest that the cytokines storm triggered by SARS-CoV-2 infection is potentially the result of dysregulated cytokine production by inflamed pulmonary and extrapulmonary (e.g. liver, kidney, and heart) tissues.

CST1 Promoted Gastric Cancer Migration and Invasion Through Activating Wnt Pathway

Introduction

Gastric cancer is one of the main reasons of cancer-induced death, exploring the molecular mechanisms of gastric cancer progression is critical for gastric cancer therapy. Here, we studied the role of cysteine protease inhibitor CST1 in gastric cancer progression.

Methods

Matrigel-coated or -uncoated transwell assay was used to determine the effect of CST1 on gastric cancer invasion and migration, luciferase reporter system was used to determine the effect of CST1 on Wnt pathway activity.

Results

CST1 had high expression levels in gastric cancer tissues and cells, patients who had high CST1 expression had poor outcome. Overexpression of CST1 increased gastric cancer migration and invasion, while knockdown of CST1 suppressed gastric cancer migration invasion. Mechanism analysis showed CST1 promoted WNT signaling pathway activity, promoted the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and the expression of Wnt signaling targets. Inhibition of Wnt pathway in CST1 overexpression cells inhibited migration and invasion, suggesting CST1 promoted gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through activating the Wnt pathway.

Conclusion

In summary, we found CST1 promoted gastric cancer migration and invasion through activating Wnt signaling, providing a novel target for gastric cancer therapy.

EEF1A2 interacts with HSP90AB1 to promote lung adenocarcinoma metastasis via enhancing TGF-β/SMAD signalling

BACKGROUND

Eukaryotic protein translation elongation factor 1α2 (EEF1A2) is an oncogene that promotes the progression of breast and pancreatic cancer. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the oncogenic function of EEF1A2 in the metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

METHODS

Immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to study EEF1A2 expression levels in LUAD tissues and cells, respectively. The role of EEF1A2 in LUAD progression were investigated in vitro and in vivo. We identified potential EEF1A2-binding proteins by liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-MS)/MS. Protein-protein interactions were determined by immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP).

RESULTS

In this study, we report that EEF1A2 mediates the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), to promote the metastasis of LUAD cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, EEF1A2 interacts with HSP90AB1 to increase TGFβ Receptor (TβR)-I, and TβRII expression, followed by enhanced SMAD3 and pSMAD3 expression and nuclear localisation, which promotes the EMT of LUAD cells. Overexpression of EEF1A2 in cancer tissues is associated with poor prognosis and short survival of patients with LUAD.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the molecular functions of EEF1A2 in LUAD metastasis and indicate that EEF1A2 represents a promising target in the treatment of aggressive LUAD.

Membrane Interactome of a Recombinant Fragment of Human Surfactant Protein D Reveals GRP78 as a Novel Binding Partner in PC3, a Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cell Line

Surfactant protein-D (SP-D), a member of the collectin family has been shown to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. SP-D is composed of an N-terminal collagen-like domain and a calcium-dependent carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD). Recently, we reported that a recombinant fragment of human SP-D (rfhSP-D), composed of homotrimeric CRD region, induced intrinsic apoptotic pathway in prostate cancer cells. Here, we analyzed the membrane interactome of rfhSP-D in an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line, PC3, by high resolution mass spectrometry and identified 347 proteins. Computational analysis of PPI network of this interactome in the context of prostate cancer metastasis and apoptosis revealed Glucose Regulated Protein of 78 kDa (GRP78) as an important binding partner of rfhSP-D. Docking studies suggested that rfhSP-D (CRD) bound to the substrate-binding domain of glycosylated GRP78. This was further supported by the observations that human recombinant GRP78 interfered with the binding of rfhSP-D to anti-SP-D polyclonal antibodies; GRP78 also significantly inhibited the binding of recombinant full-length human SP-D with a monoclonal antibody specific to the CRD in a dose-dependent manner. We conclude that the interaction with rfhSP-D is likely to interfere with the pro-survival signaling of GRP78.

Preventing tumor progression to the bone by induced tumor-suppressing MSCs

Background: Advanced breast cancer metastasizes to many organs including bone, but few effective treatments are available. Here we report that induced tumor-suppressing (iTS) MSCs protected bone from metastases while un-induced MSCs did not. Methods: iTS MSCs were generated by overexpressing Lrp5, β-catenin, Snail, or Akt. Their tumor-suppressing capability was tested using a mouse model of mammary tumors and bone metastasis, human breast cancer tissues and cancer cell lines. Results: In a mouse model, the induced MSC-derived conditioned medium (MSC CM) reduced mammary tumors and suppressed tumor-induced osteolysis. Tumor-promoting genes such as CXCL2 and LIF, as well as PDL1, a blocker of T-cell-based immune responses were downregulated. Proteomics analysis revealed that heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90ab1), calreticulin (Calr) and peptidylprolyl isomerase B (Ppib), which are highly expressed intracellular proteins in many cancers, were enriched in MSC CM as atypical tumor suppressors. Thus, overexpressing selected genes that were otherwise tumorigenic rendered MSCs the tumor-suppressing capability through the atypical suppressors, as well as p53 and Trail. Notably, the inhibitory effect of Lrp5- and Akt-overexpressing MSC CMs, Hsp90ab1 and Calr presented selective inhibition to tumor cells than non-tumor cells. The development of bone-resorbing osteoclasts was also suppressed by MSC CMs. Conclusion: Collectively, the results showed an anti-tumor effect of iTS MSCs and suggested novel therapeutic approaches to suppress the progression of tumors into the bone.