CCT8 recovers WTp53-suppressed cell cycle evolution and EMT to promote colorectal cancer progression

Lipocalin-2-mediated intestinal epithelial cells pyroptosis via NF-κB/NLRP3/GSDMD signaling axis adversely affects inflammation in colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a major inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by intestinal epithelium damage. Recently, Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) has been identified as a potential fecal biomarker for patients with UC. However, further investigation is required to explore its pro-inflammatory role in UC and the underlying mechanism. The biological analysis revealed that Lcn2 serves as a putative signature gene in the colon mucosa of patients with UC and its association with the capsase/pyroptosis signaling pathway in UC. In wild-type mice with DSS-induced colitis, LCN2 overexpression in colon mucosa via in vivo administration of Lcn2 overexpression plasmid resulted in exacerbation of colitis symptoms and epithelium damage, as well as increased expression levels of pyroptosis markers (cleaved caspase1, GSDMD, IL-1β, HMGB1 and IL-18). Additionally, we observed downregulation in the expression levels of pyroptosis markers following in vivo silencing of LCN2. However, the pro-inflammatory effect of LCN2 overexpression was effectively restrained in GSDMD-KO mice. Moreover, single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that Lcn2 was predominantly expressed in the intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) within the colon mucosa of patients with UC. We found that LCN2 effectively regulated pyroptosis events by modulating the NF-κB/NLRP3/GSDMD signaling axis in NCM460 cells stimulated by LPS and ATP. These findings demonstrate the pro-inflammatory role of LCN2 in colon epithelium and provide a potential target for inhibiting pyroptosis in UC.

Chaperonin TRiC/CCT subunit CCT7 is involved in the replication of canine parvovirus in F81 cells

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is one of the most common lethal viruses in canines. The virus disease is prevalent throughout the year, with high morbidity and mortality rate, causing serious harm to dogs and the dog industry. Previously, yeast two hybrid method was used to screen the protein chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT7) that interacts with VP2. However, the mechanism of interactions between CCT7 and VP2 on CPV replication remains unclear. In this study, we first verified the interaction between CCT7 and viral VP2 proteins using yeast one-to-one experiment and co-immunoprecipitation (CoIP) experiment. Laser confocal microscopy observation showed that CCT7 and VP2 were able to co-localize and were mostly localized in the cytoplasm. In addition, the study of VP2 truncated mutant found that the interaction region of VP2 with CCT7 was located between amino acids 231 and 320. Cycloheximide (CHX) chase experiments showed that CCT7 can improve the stability of VP2 protein. After further regulation of CCT7 expression in F81 cells, it was found that the expression level of VP2 protein was significantly reduced after knocking down CCT7 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) or HSF1A inhibitor, and increased after overexpressing host CCT7. The study reveals the role of VP2 interacting protein CCT7 in the replication process of CPV, which could provide a potential target for the prevention and control of CPV.

Revisiting the chaperonin T-complex protein-1 ring complex in human health and disease: A proteostasis modulator and beyond

BACKGROUND

Disrupted protein homeostasis (proteostasis) has been demonstrated to facilitate the progression of various diseases. The cytosolic T-complex protein-1 ring complex (TRiC/CCT) was discovered to be a critical player in orchestrating proteostasis by folding eukaryotic proteins, guiding intracellular localisation and suppressing protein aggregation. Intensive investigations of TRiC/CCT in different fields have improved the understanding of its role and molecular mechanism in multiple physiological and pathological processes.

MAIN BODY

In this review, we embark on a journey through the dynamic protein folding cycle of TRiC/CCT, unraveling the intricate mechanisms of its substrate selection, recognition, and intriguing folding and assembly processes. In addition to discussing the critical role of TRiC/CCT in maintaining proteostasis, we detail its involvement in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, autophagy, metabolic control, adaptive immunity and signal transduction processes. Furthermore, we meticulously catalogue a compendium of TRiC-associated diseases, such as neuropathies, cardiovascular diseases and various malignancies. Specifically, we report the roles and molecular mechanisms of TRiC/CCT in regulating cancer formation and progression. Finally, we discuss unresolved issues in TRiC/CCT research, highlighting the efforts required for translation to clinical applications, such as diagnosis and treatment.

CONCLUSION

This review aims to provide a comprehensive view of TRiC/CCT for researchers to inspire further investigations and explorations of potential translational possibilities.

Identification of Novel Prognostic Long Non-coding RNAs in Lung Adenocarcinoma Using WGCNA Analysis

Long non-coding RNAs play crucial role in the tumorigenesis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the function of a large number of lncRNAs in LUAD has not been investigated yet. Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to construct the co-expression module in the TCGA-LUAD cohort. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was used to explore the relationship of genes in the key module. The function of the key module on the prognosis in LUAD was analyzed using GO and KEGG analysis. Finally, we constructed the mRNA-lncRNA co-expression network in the key module to identify the hub lncRNAs that play crucial role in the prognosis in LUAD. The most highly expressed 2500 mRNAs and 2500 lncRNAs in the TCGA-LUAD cohort were clustered into 21 modules. After analyzing the correlation between the module and prognostic clinical traits, the Tan module, consisting of 130 genes, was selected as the key module on the prognosis in LUAD. And then, we found that genes in the key module were majorly enriched in ten multiple signaling pathways. Subsequently, we constructed the mRNA-lncRNA co-expression network based on the genes in the key module. Finally, we identified three lncRNAs and nineteen mRNAs that could be the promising prognostic biomarkers for LUAD. We identified three lncRNAs (MIR99AHG, ADAMTS9-AS2, and AC037459.2) and nineteen mRNAs as potential prognostic biomarkers in LUAD, which provided new insight for prognosis monitoring and therapy development in LUAD.

CCT8 promotes cell migration and tumor metastasis in lung adenocarcinomas

Chaperonins, which contain t-complex polypeptide 1 (CCT), are critical for correct protein folding to generate stable and functional protein conformations, which are important for cell growth and survival. However, little is known about the expression and prognostic significance of CCT8 (subunit 8 of the CCT complex chaperonin) in lung cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that CCT8 expression is frequently increased in human lung cancer. Survival analysis indicated that CCT8 expression is closely correlated with inferior overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), but not in lung squamous carcinoma (LUSC). Subsequently, ectopic expression of CCT8 facilitated cell migration and tumor metastasis, and vice versa. Mechanistically, CCT8 interacted and activated ATK. Inhibition of AKT suppressed CCT8-induced cell migration and tumor metastasis. Our findings support CCT8 as a biomarker for LUAD prognosis and as a target for LUAD therapy.

A potential tumor marker: Chaperonin containing TCP‑1 controls the development of malignant tumors (Review)

Due to concealment, high invasiveness and a lack of indicators, malignant tumors have emerged as one of the deadliest diseases worldwide and their incidence is rising yearly. Research has revealed that the chaperonin family member, chaperonin containing TCP‑1 (CCT), serves a crucial role in malignant tumors. CCT is involved in the growth of numerous malignant tumors such as lung cancer, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer and assists the folding of a number of proteins linked to cancer, such as KRAS, p53 and STAT3. According to clinical data, CCT is highly expressed in a range of tumor cells and is associated with poor patient prognosis. In addition, through controlling the cell cycle or interacting with other proteins (including YAP1, HoXB2 and SMAD2), CCT has an effect on the proliferation, invasion and migration of cancer cells. As a result, it is possible that CCT will become a new tumor marker or therapeutic target, which will provide some guidance for early tumor screening or late tumor prognosis. In the present review, the molecular properties of CCT are introduced, alongside a summary of its interactions with other cancer‑related proteins and a discussion of its function in common malignant tumors. It is expected that the present review will offer fresh approaches to the treatment of cancer.

THOC3 interacts with YBX1 to promote lung squamous cell carcinoma progression through PFKFB4 mRNA modification

The THO complex (THOC) is ubiquitously involved in RNA modification and various THOC proteins have been reported to regulate tumor development. However, the role of THOC3 in lung cancer remains unknown. In this study, we identified that THOC3 was highly expressed in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and negatively associated with prognosis. THOC3 knockdown inhibited LUSC cell growth, migration, and glycolysis. THOC3 expression was regulated by TRiC proteins, such as CCT8 and CCT6A, which supported protein folding. Furthermore, THOC3 could form a complex with YBX1 to promote PFKFB4 transcription. THOC3 was responsible for exporting PFKFB4 mRNA to the cytoplasm, while YBX1 ensured the stability of PFKFB4 mRNA by recognizing m5C sites in its 3'UTR. Downregulation of PFKFB4 suppressed the biological activities of LUSC. Collectively, these findings suggest that THOC3, folded by CCT proteins can collaborate with YBX1 to maintain PFKFB4 expression and facilitate LUSC development. Therefore, THOC3 could be considered as a novel promising therapeutic target for LUSC.

Rational targeting of autophagy in colorectal cancer therapy: From molecular interactions to pharmacological compounds

The abnormal progression of tumors has been a problem for treatment of cancer and therapeutic should be directed towards targeting main mechanisms involved in tumorigenesis in tumors. The genomic mutations can result in changes in biological mechanisms in human cancers. Colorectal cancer is one of the most malignant tumors of gastrointestinal tract and its treatment has been faced some difficulties due to development of resistance in tumor cells and also, their malignant behavior. Hence, new therapeutic modalities for colorectal cancer are being investigated. Autophagy is a "self-digestion" mechanism that is responsible for homeostasis preserving in cells and its aberrant activation/inhibition can lead to tumorigenesis. The current review focuses on the role of autophagy mechanism in colorectal cancer. Autophagy may be associated with increase/decrease in progression of colorectal cancer due to mutual function of this molecular mechanism. Pro-survival autophagy inhibits apoptosis to increase proliferation and survival rate of colorectal tumor cells and it is also involved in cancer metastasis maybe due to EMT induction. In contrast, pro-death autophagy decreases growth and invasion of colorectal tumor cells. The status of autophagy (upregulation and down-regulation) is a determining factor for therapy response in colorectal tumor cells. Therefore, targeting autophagy can increase sensitivity of colorectal tumor cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Interestingly, nanoparticles can be employed for targeting autophagy in cancer therapy and they can both induce/suppress autophagy in tumor cells. Furthermore, autophagy modulators can be embedded in nanostructures in improving tumor suppression and providing cancer immunotherapy.

Multi-Omics Analysis and Verification of the Oncogenic Value of CCT8 in Pan-Cancers

Background

Chaperonin-containing TCP1 subunit 8 (CCT8) has been proved to be involved in the occurrence and development of some cancers. However, no study has reported the potential role of CCT8 in a pan-cancer manner.

Methods

TIMER2.0, GEPIA2, UALCAN and Sangerbox were used to explore the expression, prognosis and methylation of CCT8. We used cBioPortal, TISIDB, SangerBox, TIMER2.0 and TISMO to investigate the genetic alteration of CCT8 and the relationship of CCT8 with molecular subtype, immune subtype, immune infiltration and immunotherapy response. CCT8-related genes were screened out through GEPIA and STRING for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. CCK-8, the colony formation assay, the wound healing assay and the Transwell assay were performed to explore the influence of CCT8 on proliferation and migration.

Results

CCT8 was highly expressed in most cancers with a poor prognosis. The expression level of CCT8, which was affected by the promoter region methylation and genetic alteration, was related to the molecular and immune subtype of cancers. Interestingly, CCT8 was positively associated with the activated CD4 T cells and type 2 T-helper cells. CCT8 played a vital role in the cell cycle and RNA transport of cancers, and it significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of lung adenocarcinoma cells when it was knocked down.

Conclusion

CCT8 plays an indispensable role in promoting the proliferation and migration of many cancers. CCT8 might be a biomarker of T-helper type 2 (Th2) cell infiltration and a promising therapeutic target for T-helper type 1(Th1)/Th2 imbalance.

Construction of Exosome SORL1 Detection Platform Based on 3D Porous Microfluidic Chip and its Application in Early Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer

Exosomes are promising new biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis, due to their rich biological fingerprints and high level of stability. However, the accurate detection of exosomes with specific surface receptors is limited to clinical application. Herein, an exosome enrichment platform on a 3D porous sponge microfluidic chip is constructed and the exosome capture efficiency of this chip is ≈90%. Also, deep mass spectrometry analysis followed by multi-level expression screenings revealed a CRC-specific exosome membrane protein (SORL1). A method of SORL1 detection by specific quantum dot labeling is further designed and the ensemble classification system is established by extracting features from 64-patched fluorescence images. Importantly, the area under the curve (AUC) using this system is 0.99, which is significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that using a conventional biomarker (carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), AUC of 0.71). The above system showed similar diagnostic performance, dealing with early-stage CRC, young CRC, and CEA-negative CRC patients.

Phosducin-like 3 is a novel prognostic and onco-immunological biomarker in glioma: A multi-omics analysis with experimental verification

Malignant glioma is the most frequent primary tumor of the central nervous system. PDCL3 is a member of the phosducin-like protein family, and its imbalance has been shown to be associated with several human diseases. However, the underlying role of PDCL3 in human malignant cancers, especially in malignant gliomas, is unclear. In this study, we combined public database analysis and experimental verification to explore the differential expression, prognostic value and potential functions and mechanisms of PDCL3. The results revealed that PDCL3 is upregulated in multiple cancers and acts as a potential prognostic biomarker of glioma. Mechanistically, PDCL3 expression is associated with epigenetic modifications and genetic mutations. PDCL3 may directly interact with the chaperonin-containing TCP1 complex, regulating cell malignancy, cell communication and the extracellular matrix. More importantly, the association of PDCL3 with the infiltration of immune cells, immunomodulatory genes, immune checkpoints, cancer stemness and angiogenesis suggested that PDCL3 may regulate the glioma immune landscape. Furthermore, PDCL3 interference also decreased the proliferation, invasion and migration of glioma cells. In conclusion, PDCL3 is a novel oncogene and can be adopted as a biomarker with value in assisting clinical diagnosis, predicting patient outcomes and assessing the immune landscape of the tumor microenvironment in glioma.

Nucleophosmin 1 is a prognostic marker of gastrointestinal cancer and is associated with m6A and cuproptosis

Background: NPM1 is highly expressed in a variety of solid tumors and promotes tumor development. However, there are few comprehensive studies on NPM1 analysis in gastrointestinal cancer.

Methods: We used bioinformatics tools to study the expression difference of NPM1 between gastrointestinal cancer and control group, and analyzed the relationship between its expression level and the diagnosis, prognosis, functional signaling pathway, immune infiltration, m6A and cuproptosis related genes of gastrointestinal cancer. At the same time, the expression difference of NPM1 between esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) samples and control samples was verified by in vitro experiments.

Results: NPM1 was overexpressed in gastrointestinal cancer. In vitro experiments confirmed that the expression of NPM1 in ESCA samples was higher than that in normal samples. The expression of NPM1 has high accuracy in predicting the outcome of gastrointestinal cancer. The expression of NPM1 is closely related to the prognosis of multiple gastrointestinal cancers. Go and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that NPM1 co-expressed genes involved in a variety of biological functions. NPM1 expression is potentially associated with a variety of immune cell infiltration, m6A and cuproptosis related genes in gastrointestinal cancers.

Conclusion: NPM1 can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of gastrointestinal cancer, which is related to the immune cell infiltration and the regulation of m6A and cuproptosis.

Depletion of Fibroblast Growth Factor 12 Restrains the Viability, Stemness, and Motility of Colorectal Cancer

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death. CRC patients have a poor prognosis due to tumor metastasis and recurrence. Fibroblast growth factor 12 (FGF12), a member of the FGF family, is highly expressed in several cancers. However, little is known about the roles of FGF12 in CRC progression.

Methods

The overall survival (OS) of CRC patients was detected via Kaplan-Meier analysis. The FGF12 expression in both CRC tissues and cells was analyzed by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and western blotting (WB). LoVo and SW480 cells were transfected with shFGF12 lentivirus to silence FGF12. In vivo and in vitro experiments were performed to explore the FGF12 functions in CRC, including CCK-8, Edu, flow cytometry, Transwell, EMT, cancer stemness, and tumor xenograft experiments.

Results

FGF12 was upregulated in both CRC cells and tissues. High expression of FGF12 indicated a shorter OS in CRC patients. FGF12 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, invasion, stemness, and EMT of CRC cells. FGF12 knockdown promoted CRC cell apoptosis in vitro. 740 Y-P (a PI3K/AKT pathway activator) restored the proliferation, stemness, invasion, and EMT in FGF12-deficient cells and reversed LoVo cell apoptosis induced by FGF12 depletion. Depletion of FGF12 inhibited tumor growth, EMT, cancer stemness, and PI3K/AKT pathway in a xenograft mouse model.

Conclusions

FGF12 predicts bad clinical outcome and modulates the viability, stemness, and motility of CRC cells. Our study may provide a new insight for the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.