GRK5 functions as an oncogenic factor in non-small-cell lung cancer

Unveiling G-protein coupled receptor kinase-5 inhibitors for chronic degenerative diseases: Multilayered prioritization employing explainable machine learning-driven multi-class QSAR, ligand-based pharmacophore and free energy-inspired molecular simulation

GRK5 holds a pivotal role in cellular signaling pathways, with its overexpression in cardiomyocytes, neuronal cells, and tumor cells strongly associated with various chronic degenerative diseases, which highlights the urgent need for potential inhibitors. In this study, multiclass classification-based QSAR models were developed using diverse machine learning algorithms. These models were built from curated compounds with experimentally derived GRK5 inhibitory activity. Additionally, a pharmacophore model was constructed using active compounds from the dataset. Among the models, the SVM-based approach proved most effective and was initially used to screen DrugBank compounds within the applicability domain. Compounds showing significant GRK5 inhibitory potential underwent evaluation for key pharmacophoric features. Prospective compounds were subjected to molecular docking to assess binding affinity towards GRK5's key active site amino acid residues. Stability at the binding site was analyzed through 200 ns molecular dynamics simulations. MM-GBSA analysis quantified individual free energy components contributing to the total binding energy with respect to binding site residues. Metadynamics analysis, including PCA, FEL, and PDF, provided crucial insights into conformational changes of both apo and holo forms of GRK5 at defined energy states. The study identifies DB02844 (S-Adenosyl-1,8-Diamino-3-Thiooctane) and DB13155 (Esculin) as promising GRK5 inhibitors, warranting further in vitro and in vivo validation studies.

GPR168 functions as a tumor suppressor in mouse melanoma by restraining Akt signaling pathway

Malignant melanoma (MM) is a malignant tumor associated with high mortality rates and propensity for metastasis. Despite advancement in treatment, the incidence of MM continue to rise globally. GPR168, also known as MrgprF, is a MAS related GPR family member. The low expression of GPR168 has also been reported in many malignant tumors including MM. In the study, the statistical analysis from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) revealed a significant down regulation of GPR168 in melanoma compared to normal melanocytes, underscoring its importance in MM. The aim of the present study is to investigate the affect of GPR168 overexpression and elucidate its molecular mechanisms in MM cells. In addition, we used mouse melanoma B16-F10 cell line and xenograph tumor model to explore the function of GPR168 in melanoma. Our findings demonstrate that GPR168 overexpression could inhibit B16-F10 cell proliferation, migration, and xenografts tumor growth. Further, mechanistic studies revealed that GPR168 affected B16-F10 progress through Akt signal pathway with the decreased expression of p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, β-catenin, Myc, CyclinD1 and CDK4. In order to validate these findings, a rescue experiment was formulated employing GPR168 polyclonal antibody (Anti-GPR168 pAbs) to block GPR168 functionality. The addition of Anti-GPR168 pAbs into the culture medium restored both cell proliferation and migration. In conclusion, the overexpression of GPR168 in mouse melanoma B16-F10 cells suppressed proliferation and migration through the Akt signaling pathway. These findings collectively propose GPR168 as a promising novel tumor suppressor in MM, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target in future interventions.

Novel prognostic signature for lung adenocarcinoma based on immune-related mRNA pairs

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a highly lethal malignant tumor. While the involvement of multiple mRNAs in the progression of LUAD is well established, the potential diagnostic value of immune-related mRNAs (irmRNAs) in LUAD remains largely unexplored. In this study, we utilized RNA-seq, clinical data, and immune-related gene information from LUAD patients to identify differentially expressed immune-related mRNAs (DEirmRNAs) and developed a predictive risk model based on specific DEirmRNA pairs closely linked with patient prognosis. We classified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups and analyzed factors such as survival rate, clinical characteristics, gene enrichment, immune cell infiltration, tumor mutation load, and drug susceptibility. We confirmed the expression levels of these DEirmRNAs in tumor tissues using qRT-PCR assay. Our results showed that the low-risk group had a longer survival time and lower tumor mutation burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI) compared to the high-risk group. The high-risk group also had a significant reduction in the number of certain immune cells and a lower half-maximum inhibitor concentration (IC50). We identified specific DEirmRNA pairs that were up-regulated or down-regulated in tumor tissues compared to adjacent tissues. Our prognostic risk model based on DEirmRNA pairs could be used to predict the prognosis of LUAD patients and provide reference for better treatment.

Development of a new class of potent and highly selective G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 inhibitors and structural insight from crystal structures of inhibitor complexes

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) is an important drug development target for heart failure, cardiac hypertrophy, and cancer. We have designed and developed a new class of highly selective, potent, and non-covalent GRK5 inhibitors. One of the inhibitors displayed GRK5 IC50 value of 10 nM and exhibited >100,000-fold selectivity over GRK2. The X-ray structure of a ketoamide-derived inhibitor-bound GRK5 showed the formation of a hemithioketal intermediate with active site Cys474 in the GRK5 active site and provided new insights into the ligand-binding site interactions responsible for high selectivity. The current studies serve as an important guide to therapeutic GRK5 inhibitor drug development.

IKZF4 acts as a novel tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer by suppressing Notch signaling pathway

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the predominant cause of cancer-related mortality globally, although many clinical efforts have been developed to improve the outcomes. The Ikaros zing-finger family transcription factors (IKZFs) have been proved to play pivotal roles in lymphopoiesis and myeloma progression, but their roles in solid tumors development remain unclear. We performed integrative bioinformatical analysis to determine the dysregulation expression of IKZFs in multiple tumors and the correlation between IKZF4 and NSCLC tumor environment. We showed that IKZFs were dysregulated in multiple tumors and IKZF4 was significantly decreased in NSCLC tissues and cell lines due to promoter hypermethylation. We found that low IKZF4 expression obviously correlated with patients' poor clinical outcome. We revealed that IKZF4 overexpression inhibited NSCLC cell growth, migration and xenograft tumor growth, supporting the inhibitory role of IKZF4 in NSCLC tumorigenesis. Additionally, integrative bioinformatical analysis showed that IKZF4 was involved in NSCLC tumor microenvironment. Mechanically, RNA-seq results showed that IKZF4 forced-expression remarkably suppressed Notch signaling pathway in NSCLC, which was validated by qRT-PCR and immunoblot assays. Moreover, we screened several potential agonists for IKZF4.

Computational analysis of G-protein-coupled receptor kinase family members as potential targets for colorectal cancer therapy

Background

G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinases (GRKs) interact with ligand-activated GPCR, causing intracellular phosphorylation and interfering with the intracellular signal transduction associated with the development of cancer. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a fast-growing disease, and its molecular mechanism involves various regulatory proteins, including kinases. However, the GRK mechanism in CRC has not been explored.

Methods

We used an integrated computational approach to investigate the potential of GRK family members as targeted proteins in CRC. The GRK expression levels in tumor and normal tissues, colon adenocarcinoma samples, and metastatic colon adenocarcinoma were analyzed using ONCOMINE, GEPIA, and UALCAN, as well as TNM plots. Genetic changes in the GRK family genes were investigated using cBioportal. The prognostic value related to the gene expression of the GRK family was examined using GEPIA and UALCAN. Co-expression analysis of the GRK family was conducted using COXPRESdb. Association analysis of the Gene Ontology, KEGG pathway enrichment, and drug-gene analyses were performed using the over-representation analysis (ORA) in WebGestalt.

Results

GRK2, GRK3, and GRK5 mRNA levels increased significantly in patients with CRC and metastatic CRC. Genetic changes were detected in patients with CRC, including GRK7 (1.1%), GRK2 (1.7%), GRK4 (2.3%), GRK5 (2.5%), GRK6 (2.5%), GRK3 (2.9%), and GRK1 (4%). CRC patients with low mRNA of GRK7 levels had better disease-free and overall survival than those with high GRK7 levels. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed significant positive correlations between GRK5 and GRK2 and between GRK2 and GRK6. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the gene network (GN) regulated several cellular pathways, such as the morphine addiction signaling and chemokine signaling pathways in cancer. The drug-gene association analysis indicated that the GN was associated with several drugs, including reboxetine, pindolol, beta-blocking agents, and protein kinase inhibitors.

Conclusion

No research has been conducted on the relation of GRK1 and GRK7 to cancer, particularly CRC. In this work, genes GRK2, GRK3, GRK5, and GRK6 were found to be oncogenes in CRC. Although inhibitors against GRK2, GRK5, and GRK6 have previously been developed, further research, particularly preclinical and clinical studies, is needed before these agents may be used to treat CRC.

Identification of epigenetic dysregulation gene markers and immune landscape in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma by comprehensive genomic analysis

Kidney cancer is one the most lethal cancers of the urinary system, but current treatments are limited and its prognosis is poor. This study focused on kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) and analyzed the relationship between epigenetic alterations and KIRC prognosis, and explored the prognostic significance of these findings in KIRC patients. Based on multi-omics data, differentially expressed histone-modified genes were identified using the R package limma package. Gene enhancers were detected from data in the FANTOM5 database. Gene promoters were screened using the R package ChIPseeker, and the Bumphunter in the R package CHAMP was applied to screen differentially methylated regions (DMR). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis of genes was performed using the R package clusterProfiler. We identified 51 dysregulated epigenetic protein coding genes (epi-PCGs) from 872 epi-PCGs, and categorized three molecular subtypes (C1, C2, and C3) of KIRC samples with significantly different prognosis. Notably, among the three molecular subtypes, we found a markedly differential immune features in immune checkpoints, cytokines, immune signatures, and immune cell distribution. C2 subtype had significantly lower enrichment score of IFNγ, cytotoxic score (CYT), and angiogenesis. In addition, an 8-gene signature containing 8 epi-PCGs (ETV4, SH2B3, FATE1, GRK5, MALL, HRH2, SEMA3G, and SLC10A6) was developed for predicting KIRC prognosis. Prognosis of patients with a high 8-gene signature score was significantly worse than those with a low 8-gene signature score, which was also validated by the independent validation data. The 8-gene signature had a better performance compared with previous signatures of KIRC. Overall, this study highlighted the important role of epigenetic regulation in KIRC development, and explored prognostic epi-PCGs, which may provide a guidance for exploiting further pathological mechanisms of KIRC and for developing novel drug targets.

Next-generation sequencing identifies HOXA6 as a novel oncogenic gene in low grade glioma

Background: Low grade glioma is one of the most common lethal cancers in the human nervous system. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that homeobox A cluster (HOXA) gene family plays a critical role in the transcriptional regulation as well as cancer initiation and progression. However, the expression, biological functions and upstream regulatory mechanism of 11 HOXAs in low grade glioma are not yet clear.

Methods: In this study, we utilized various public databases and bioinformatics analyzed, including TCGA, CGGA, Rembrandt, HPA, LinkedOmics, cBioPortal, TISDIB, single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA), TIMER, LnCeVar, LASSO regression, Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier plot, and receiver operating, characteristic (ROC) analyses, GDSC and CTRP databases to analyzed the mRNA and protein expression profiles, gene mutation, clinical features, diagnosis, prognosis, signaling pathway, TMB, immune subtype, immune cell infiltration, immune modulator, ceRNA network and drug sensitivity of 11 HOXAs. Growth curve and transwell assays were utilized to study the biological characteristics of HOXA6 in LGG progression.

Results: In the present study, we found that 11 HOXAs (HOXA1, HOXA2, HOXA3, HOXA4, HOXA5, HOXA6, HOXA7, HOXA9, HOXA10, HOXA11 and HOXA3) were consistently up-regulated in LGG tissues and GBM tissues. Up-regulated of the HOXAs expression were significantly correlated with higher tumor stage, IDH mutation status, 1p/19q co-deletion, histological type and primary therapy outcome. Survival analyses showed that higher expression of HOXA1, HOXA2, HOXA3, HOXA4, HOXA5, HOXA7, HOXA9, HOXA10, HOXA11 and HOXA13 were correlated with shorter overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in LGG patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that HOXA1, HOXA6 expression and tumor grade, age, primary therapy outcome and age were independent factors affecting the prognosis of LGG patients. ROC curve analysis of HOXAs showed that HOXAs had a high accuracy (AUC > 0.80) in predicting LGG. Furthermore, gene functional enrichment analysis indicated that HOXAs mainly involved in the inflammatory response and immune regulation signaling pathway. CNV and DNA methylation significantly affect the expression of HOXAs. Finally, we uncover that HOXAs expression are highly correlated with immune cells infiltrate, immune modulator and drug sensitivity. We also uncover that the HOXAs related ceRNA network in LGG. More importantly, we found that HOXA6 was highly expressed in LGG cells lines and significantly affected their proliferation and migration abilities.

Conclusions: In conclusion, our data demonstrated that HOXA was correlated with progression and immune infiltration, and could serve as a prognostic biomarker for LGG.

NcRNA-Mediated High Expression of HMMR as a Prognostic Biomarker Correlated With Cell Proliferation and Cell Migration in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background

Hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (HMMR) plays a pivotal role in cell proliferation in various cancers, including lung cancer. However, its function and biological mechanism in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remain unclear.

Methods

Data on HMMR expression from several public databases were extensively analyzed, including the prognosis of HMMR in the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were analyzed using DAVID and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) software. The correlation between HMMR expression and immune cell infiltration was analyzed in the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database, and the gene and protein networks were examined using the GeneMANIA and STRING databases. Experimentally, the expression of HMMR in LUAD and lung cancer cell lines was determined using immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR assays. Besides, the function of HMMR on cancer cell proliferation and migration was examined using cell growth curve and colony formation, Transwell, and wound healing assays.

Results

In this study, we found that HMMR was elevated in LUAD and that its high expression was associated with poor clinicopathological features and adverse outcomes in LUAD patients. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that the expression of HMMR was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration and immune modulation. Interestingly, diverse immune cell infiltration affects the prognosis of LUAD. In the functional assay, depletion of HMMR significantly repressed the cancer cell growth and migration of LUAD. Mechanically, we found that that the DNA methylation/TMPO-AS1/let-7b-5p axis mediated the high expression of HMMR in LUAD. Depletion of TMPO-AS1 and overexpression of let-7b-5p could result in the decreased expression of HMMR in LUAD cells. Furthermore, we found that TMPO-AS1 was positively correlated with HMMR, yet negatively correlated with let-7b-5p expression in LUAD.

Conclusions

Our findings elucidated that the DNA methylation/TMPO-AS1/let-7b-5p axis mediated the high expression of HMMR, which may be considered as a biomarker to predict prognosis in LUAD.

NCAPG as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Glioma

Background

Non-SMC condensin I complex subunit G (NCAPG) is expressed in various human cancers, including gliomas. However, its biological function in glioma remains unclear. The present study was designed to determine the biological functions of NCAPG in glioma and to evaluate the association of NCAPG expression with glioma progression.

Methods

Clinical data on patients with glioma were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and the Rembrandt and Gravendeel databases. The correlations among NCAPG expression, pathological characteristics, and clinical outcome were evaluated. In addition, the correlations of NCAPG expression with immune cell infiltration and glioma progression were analyzed.

Results

NCAPG expression was higher in gliomas than in adjacent normal tissues. Higher expression of NCAPG in gliomas correlated with poorer prognosis, unfavorable histological features, absence of mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene (IDH), absence of chromosome 1p and 19q deletions, and responses to chemoradiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated, in addition to patient age, tumor grade, absence of IDH mutations, and absence of chromosome 1p and 19q deletions, NCAPG expression was independently prognostic of overall survival, disease-free survival, and progression-free survival in patients with glioma. In addition, high expression of NCAPG correlated with tumor infiltration of B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated that high NCAPG expression was associated with cell proliferation and immune response-related signaling pathways. NCAPG knockdown in glioma cell lines significantly reduced cell survival, proliferation, and migration.

Conclusion

NCAPG expression correlates with glioma progression and immune cell infiltration, suggesting that NCAPG expression may be a useful prognostic biomarker for glioma.

Systematic Analysis and Validation of the Prognosis, Immunological Role and Biology Function of the Ferroptosis-Related lncRNA GSEC/miRNA-101-3p/CISD1 Axis in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common type of lung cancer, accounting for approximately 85% of pulmonary malignancies. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that ferroptosis plays a central role in both immunities as well as tumor proliferation. However, the clinical significance, immunological function, and upstream modulatory mechanism of ferroptosis-related genes in LUAD remain unclear. Here, we utilized various bioinformatics data to identify differentially expressed (DEGs) and prognosis-related ferroptosis (FRGs) genes in LUAD. Based upon identified DEGs, FRG, and ceRNA modulatory networks were constructed. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between FRGs and the tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, tumor-infiltrating immunity, cellular checkpoint control, and drug sensitivity in LUAD. A loss-of-function analysis was performed to verify the function of CISD1 in LUAD progression. Our findings revealed that certain FRGs (CISD1, ATP5MC3, PGD, SLC7A11, ACSL3, and FANCD2) are significantly upregulated in LUAD and that their elevated expression is associated with both advanced tumor stage and unfavorable prognosis. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment results revealed these FRGs to be primarily involved in ferroptosis and glutathione metabolism in LUAD. We constructed a prognostic FRG-based model capable of accurately predicting LUAD patient overall survival with high specificity. The upstream lncRNA GSEC/miRNA-101-3p regulatory axis involving CISD1, ATP5MC3, and PGD was identified to be relevant in tumor progression. We also found GSEC, CISD1, ATP5MC3, and PGD to be upregulated, with miRNA-101-3p downregulated, in the setting of LUAD. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed CISD1, ATP5MC3, and PGD overexpression in LUAD tissue samples; CISD1 knockdown was noted to significantly inhibit LUAD proliferation and migration. In summary, this study characterizes relevant functional roles of the lncRNA GSEC/miR-101-3p axis in the setting of LUAD and suggests diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers potentially useful in the clinical management of this illness.

Co-Overexpression of GRK5/ACTC1 Correlates With the Clinical Parameters and Poor Prognosis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Background: The prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is poor, and the present prognostic predictors of EOC are neither sensitive nor specific.

Objective: The aim of this study was to search the prognostic biomarkers of EOC and to investigate the expression of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) and actin alpha cardiac muscle 1 (ACTC1) in EOC tissues (both paraffin-embedded and fresh-frozen tissues) and to explore their association with clinicopathological parameters and prognostic value in patients with EOC.

Methods: A total of 172 paraffin-embedded cancer tissues of EOC patients diagnosed and operated at the memorial hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between December 2009 and March 2017 and 41 paratumor tissues were collected and the expression of GRK5 and ACTC1 was examined using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, 16 fresh-frozen EOC tissues and their matched paratumor tissues were collected from the Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, between August 2013 and November 2019 and subjected to reverse-transcription quantitative PCR analysis to detect the mRNA expression of GRK5 and ACTC1.

Results: The expression of GRK5 and ACTC1 was both higher in cancer tissues than in paratumor tissues. GRK5 expression was positively correlated with ACTC1 expression. In addition, GRK5, ACTC1, and GRK5/ACTC1 expression was associated with the recurrence-free survival and overall survival of EOC patients. Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that GRK5+/ACTC1+ co-expression, intestinal metastasis, postoperative chemotherapy, platinum resistance, and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors of EOC.

Conclusion: GRK5 and ACTC1 are both upregulated in EOC compared with those in paratumor tissues. The co-expression of GRK5+/ACTC1+ rather than GRK5 or ACTC1 is an independent prognostic biomarker of EOC.

Comprehensive Analysis of the Prognostic and Immunological Role of PAFAH1B in Pan-Cancer

Platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase 1B3 (PAFAH1B3) plays a critical role in cancer initiation, metastasis, and progression; however, it remains unknown how PAFAH1B3 impacts cancer diagnosis and prognosis or regulates the immune response to different types of cancer. In this study, PAFAH1B3 was elevated in human pan-cancer, and this correlated with greater pathology and poor prognosis, in particular for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). In addition, PAFAH1B3 expression was positively associated with tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), immune cell infiltration, immune-modulatory related gene expression, and diverse cancer drug sensitivity in human cancer. Increased PAFAH1B3 expression correlated with poor overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) of NSCLC and LIHC, and has potential as an independent risk factor for overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) during LIHC. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis confirmed that PAFAH1B3 is primarily involved in immune regulation. More importantly, results demonstrated that PAFAH1B3 was upregulated in liver cancer cells lines and that knockdown of this gene significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). In summary, this study elucidates the clinical significance and biological function of PAFAH1B3 during liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of various cancer types.

MicroRNA-125b-5p Correlates With Prognosis and Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression

A growing number of studies have focused on investigating microRNAs as crucial regulators in the progression of multiple cancer types. Nevertheless, the biological effects and immunological role of miR-125b-5p in non-small cell lung cancer (lung adenocarcinoma, LUAD) have not been determined. The present study aimed to examine the function of miR-125b-5p on cell proliferation and the outcomes of LUAD patients. We utilized diverse public databases in the analysis of the expression, prognosis, diagnostic value, and immune role of miR-125b-5p in non-small cell lung cancer. The growth curve, colony formation, flow cytometry, and Transwell and invasion assays were utilized to determine the function of miR-125b-5p in LUAD progression. In this study, we found that miR-125b-5p was decreased in LUAD and correlated with poor prognosis. Pathway analyses revealed that miR-125b-5p was mainly involved in cell proliferation and immune regulation. Moreover, in vitro experiments indicated that the overexpression of miR-125b-5p significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced cell apoptosis of LUAD. Finally, we discovered that miR-125b-5p correlated with immune cell infiltration. In summary, these results demonstrated that miR-125b-5p serves as a prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for LUAD.

Identification and Validation Prognostic Impact of MiRNA-30a-5p in Lung Adenocarcinoma

MiRNA-30a-5p is a microRNA found to be decreased in various human cancers, including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the molecular mechanisms of miRNA-30a-5p involve in the progression of LUAD remains unclear. In this study, we found that miRNA-30a-5p expression was significantly decreased in LUAD cells lines, LUAD tissues, and peripheral blood serum. Besides, LUAD patients with decreased miRNA-30a-5p expression exhibit worse clinical outcomes compared to the patients with higher miRNA-30a-5p expression, decreased expression of miRNA-30a-5p was associated with advanced clinical outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of miRNA-30a-5p showed an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.902, indicating its prognostic value in LUAD. Moreover, immune infiltration and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) enrichment analyze demonstrated that miRNA-30a-5p expression was associated with immune cell infiltrated in LUAD. Finally, we found that miRNA-30a-5p inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and self-renewal abilities of LUAD in vitro. In summary, this is the first report that miRNA-30a-5p correlated with progression and immune infiltration, which shed some lights on potential prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for LUAD.

Comprehensive Pan-Cancer Analysis of the Prognostic and Immunological Roles of the METTL3/lncRNA-SNHG1/miRNA-140-3p/UBE2C Axis

Growing evidence has demonstrated that UBE2C plays a critical role in cancer progression, but there is no study focusing on the prognosis, upstream regulation mechanism, and immunological roles of UBE2C across diverse tumor types. In this study, we found that UBE2C was elevated in this human pan-cancer analysis, and high expression of UBE2C was correlated with poor prognosis. In addition, UBE2C expression was markedly associated with tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), immune cell infiltration, and diverse drug sensitivities. Finally, we showed that the METTL3/SNHG1/miRNA-140-3p axis could potentially regulate UBE2C expression. N(6)-Methyladenosine (m6A) modifications improved the stability of methylated SNHG1 transcripts by decreasing the rate of RNA degradation, which lead to upregulation of SNHG1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In vitro functional experiments showed that SNHG1, as a competing endogenous RNA, sponges miR-140-3p to increase UBE2C expression in NSCLC cell lines. Our study elucidates the clinical importance and regulatory mechanism of the METTL3/SNHG1/miRNA-140-3p/UBE2C axis in NSCLC and provides a prognostic indicator, as well as a promising therapeutic target for patients with NSCLC.

Review On Documented Medicinal Plants Used For The Treatment Of Cancer

Background:

Cancer is a frightful disease and it is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Naturally derived compounds are gaining interest of research workers as they have less toxic side effects as compared to currently used treatments such as chemotherapy. Plants are the pool of chemical compounds which provides a promising future for research on cancer.

Objective:

This review paper provides updated information gathered on medicinal plants and isolated phytoconstituents used as anticancer agents and summarises the plant extracts and their isolated chemical constituents exhibiting anticancer potential on clinical trials.

Methods:

An extensive bibliographic investigation was carried out by analysing worldwide established scientific databases like SCOPUS, PUBMED, SCIELO, ScienceDirect, Springerlink, Web of Science, Wiley, SciFinder and Google Scholar etc. In next few decades, herbal medicine may become a new epoch of medical system.

Results:

Many researches are going on medicinal plants for the treatment of cancer but it is a time to increase further experimental studies on plant extracts and their chemical constituents to find out their mechanism of action at molecular level.

Conclusion:

The article may help many researchers to start off further experimentation that might lead to the drugs for the cancer treatment.

SNX20AR/MiRNA-301a-3p/SNX20 Axis Associated With Cell Proliferation and Immune Infiltration in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer is the most common tumor with severe morbidity and high mortality. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that SNX20 plays crucial roles in the progression of human cancer. However, the functions and mechanism of SNX20 in LUAD are still barely known. Here, we employ the TCGA, GEO and CCLE databases to examine the expression of SNX20 in human varies cancer, the results shown that SNX20 is down-regulated in lung Adenocarcinoma, SNX20 level was significantly positive correlated with poor prognosis and lung cancer immune cell infiltration. We found that over-expression of SNX20 significantly restrain NSCLC cell proliferation and migration. Subsequently, we discover a network regulating SNX20 in LUAD, further study found that the decreased of the SNX20 likely caused by DNA hypermethylation. Furthermore, we identified that SNX20AR/miRNA-301a-3p mediated decreased of SNX20 correlated with lung cancer progression and cancer immune infiltration in LUAD. Our findings suggested that ncRNAs play a crucial role in the regulatory network of SNX20. Collectively, our findings demonstrate the suppressor roles of the SNX20AR/miRNA-301a-3p/SNX20 axis in Lung Adenocarcinoma, represent that SNX20 have the potential of as an effective therapeutic target in future.

Circ_0001821 knockdown suppresses growth, metastasis, and TAX resistance of non-small-cell lung cancer cells by regulating the miR-526b-5p/GRK5 axis

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a huge obstacle to human health. Certain circular RNAs endow with crucial regulatory roles in NSCLC progression. Here, we investigated the functional effects of circ_0001821 on cellular behaviors of NSCLC cells and explored the possible mechanism. The expression of circ_0001821, microRNA (miR)-526b-5p, and G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or Western blot assay. Clonogenicity in NSCLC cells was detected via colony formation assay. Cell migration and invasion were monitored by Transwell assay. Cell sensitivity to paclitaxel (TAX) evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry, caspase-3 activity, and caspase-9 activity. The targeted relationship between miR-526b-5p and circ_0001821 or GRK5 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter or RNA pull-down assay. Moreover, the role of circ_0001821 in vivo was examined by xenograft model assay. The results presented that the expression of circ_0001821 and GRK5 was increased, while miR-526b-5p expression was decreased in NSCLC tissues and cells. Circ_0001821 knockdown reduced colony formation ability and metastasis ability but enhanced TAX sensibility and apoptosis of NSCLC cells, which was attenuated by miR-526b-5p inhibition or GRK5 overexpression. Circ_0001821 targeted miR-526b-5p, and miR-526b-5p targeted GRK5. Circ_0001821 could upregulate GRK5 expression by sponging miR-526b-5p. Depletion of circ_0001821 also blocked tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, the depletion of circ_0001821 inhibited NSCLC progression, at least in part, by modulating the miR-526b-5p/GRK5 axis.

Signatures and Prognostic Values of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) - related Immune Genes in Bladder Cancer

In recent years, genes associated with N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification were found to participate in modulation of multiple tumor biological processes. Concomitantly, the significantly complicated dual effects of tumor microenvironment have been observed on cancer progression. The present study aims to investigate m6A-related immune genes (m6AIGs) for their signatures and prognostic values in bladder cancer (BC). Out of 2856 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of BC, a total of 85 genes were obtained following intersection of DEGs, immune genes and m6A-related genes. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis illustrated four genes (BGN, GRK5, IL32, and SREBF1) were significantly associated with the prognosis of BC patients. The BC samples were divided into two types based on the consensus clustering, and the principal component analysis demonstrated a separation between them. It was found that high expression of BGN and GRK5 were linked with advanced T and N stage, and the expression of SREBF1 in early T stage was higher than that in advanced T stage. Subsequently, the nomogram to predict 3- and 5-year survival probability of BC patients was developed and calibrated. GSEA analysis for risk subgroups showed WNT and TGF-beta signaling pathways were involved in regulation of BC progression in high risk level group. In the low risk level group, cytosolic DNA-Sensing cGAS-STING and RIG-I-like receptors signaling pathways were found to be correlated with BC development. These findings provide a novel insight on studies for BC progression.

Ivacaftor Inhibits Glioblastoma Stem Cell Maintenance and Tumor Progression

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and malignant primary brain tumor. Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) not only initiate and sustain uncontrolled cell proliferation but also resistant to conventional clinical therapies including temozolomide (TMZ) dependent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, implying that there is an urgent need to identify new therapeutic strategies especially specific targeting GSCs. Here, we provide evidence showing that ivacaftor commonly applied in cystic fibrosis therapy acts as a potent inhibitor for GSCs maintenance. We found that ivacaftor promotes cellular apoptosis in vitro and represses patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor growth in vivo. In addition, we demonstrate that ivacaftor decreases stemness marker gene expressions of GSCs, including CD133, CD44, and Sox2. In summary, our findings reveal that ivacaftor inhibits glioblastoma progression via specifically eliminating GSCs, which opens a new avenue for GBM clinical therapy in the future.

Unraveling the Molecular Nexus between GPCRs, ERS, and EMT

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a large family of transmembrane proteins that transduce an external stimulus into a variety of cellular responses. They play a critical role in various pathological conditions in humans, including cancer, by regulating a number of key processes involved in tumor formation and progression. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process in promoting cancer cell invasion and tumor dissemination leading to metastasis, an often intractable state of the disease. Uncontrolled proliferation and persistent metabolism of cancer cells also induce oxidative stress, hypoxia, and depletion of growth factors and nutrients. These disturbances lead to the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and induce a cellular condition called ER stress (ERS) which is counteracted by activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Many GPCRs modulate ERS and UPR signaling via ERS sensors, IRE1α, PERK, and ATF6, to support cancer cell survival and inhibit cell death. By regulating downstream signaling pathways such as NF-κB, MAPK/ERK, PI3K/AKT, TGF-β, and Wnt/β-catenin, GPCRs also upregulate mesenchymal transcription factors including Snail, ZEB, and Twist superfamilies which regulate cell polarity, cytoskeleton remodeling, migration, and invasion. Likewise, ERS-induced UPR upregulates gene transcription and expression of proteins related to EMT enhancing tumor aggressiveness. Though GPCRs are attractive therapeutic targets in cancer biology, much less is known about their roles in regulating ERS and EMT. Here, we will discuss the interplay in GPCR-ERS linked to the EMT process of cancer cells, with a particular focus on oncogenes and molecular signaling pathways.

Targeting GRK5 for Treating Chronic Degenerative Diseases

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell-surface receptors and they are responsible for the transduction of extracellular signals, regulating almost all aspects of mammalian physiology. These receptors are specifically regulated by a family of serine/threonine kinases, called GPCR kinases (GRKs). Given the biological role of GPCRs, it is not surprising that GRKs are also involved in several pathophysiological processes. Particular importance is emerging for GRK5, which is a multifunctional protein, expressed in different cell types, and it has been found located in single or multiple subcellular compartments. For instance, when anchored to the plasma membrane, GRK5 exerts its canonical function, regulating GPCRs. However, under certain conditions (e.g., pro-hypertrophic stimuli), GRK5 translocates to the nucleus of cells where it can interact with non-GPCR-related proteins as well as DNA itself to promote “non-canonical” signaling, including gene transcription. Importantly, due to these actions, several studies have demonstrated that GRK5 has a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of chronic-degenerative disorders. This is true in the cardiac cells, tumor cells, and neurons. For this reason, in this review article, we will inform the readers of the most recent evidence that supports the importance of targeting GRK5 to prevent the development or progression of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases.

A novel target anti-interleukin-13 receptor subunit alpha-2 monoclonal antibody inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in lung cancer

IL13Rα2 shows high expression in different types of tumors and can be a target for cancer therapy in humans due to its poor prognosis. The aim of our study is to characterize and investigate the effect of interleukin-13 receptor subunit alpha-2monoclonal antibody mAb15D8 on lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo by blocking its specific epitope in IL13Rα2 antigen. The mAb15D8 blocking epitope was analyzed through the mutagenesis of IL13Rα2 and confirmed with western blot. We found that the IL13Rα2 epitope recognized by mAb15D8 antibody is a new binding site localized in the fibronectin-III domain-1 of IL13Rα2 antigen. Moreover, the mAb15D8 obviously reduced cell proliferation, migration of H460, A549, SKOV3, and B16F10 cells. Treatment with mAb15D8 significantly reduced the H460 xenograft tumor formation and growth in nude mice and inhibited B16F10 tumor metastasis and increased survival in C57BL/6 mice. Pharmacokinetic and toxicological analysis demonstrated the safety of mAb15D8 as a potential therapeutic agent. We developed a novel mouse monoclonal antibody against IL13Rα2 which binds to specific epitope on IL13Rα2 antigen. In vivo treatment with the antibody significantly reduced tumor growth and lung metastasis and prolonged survival. These results suggest mAb15D8 antibody as a potential therapeutic agent for cancer therapy.

Long noncoding RNAs, ENST00000598996 and ENST00000524265, are correlated with favorable prognosis and act as potential tumor suppressors in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is a serious malignancy worldwide due to its distant metastasis and high recurrence rates. Increasing evidence has indicated that dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis and progression in multiple malignancies. However, their clinical significances, biological functions and molecular mechanisms in BC remain poorly understood. Hence, the present study investigated the expression profile of lncRNAs and mRNAs in five BC tissues and the corresponding adjacent normal specimens using high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). A total of 103 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs were identified, including 35 upregulated and 68 downregulated ones in BC tissues. Similarly, a total of 2,756 DE-mRNAs were detected, including 1,467 upregulated and 1,289 downregulated. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses, and lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network analyses suggested that these dysregulated lncRNAs are potentially implicated in the onset and progression of BC. Subsequently, four lncRNAs (upregulated ENST00000433108; downregulated ENST00000598996, ENST00000524265 and ENST00000398461) and two mRNAs (upregulated CCNB1 and CDK1) in 64 pairs of BC and adjacent normal tissues and four BC cell lines were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and these results were consistent with the sequencing data. Additionally, Fisher's exact test, Kaplan-Meier plots, and Cox regression analyses were used for elucidating the clinical values of ENST00000598996 and ENST00000524265. Furthermore, a receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to assess their diagnostic values. The low expression level of ENST00000598996 and ENST00000524265 was correlated with unfavorable clinicopathological parameters, and shorter progression-free and overall survival time, whereas, ENST00000433108 was not associated with either. The in vitro functional experiments also revealed that the overexpression of ENST00000598996 and ENST00000524265 decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of BC cells. Collectively, the results of the present study provide a novel landscape of lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles in BC. In addition, the results also indicated that ENST00000598996 and ENST00000524265 may serve as tumor suppressors, potential diagnostic biomarkers and prognostic predictors for patients with BC.

Characterization of GRK5 as a novel regulator of rhabdomyosarcoma tumor cell growth and self-renewal

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft-tissue pediatric sarcoma. Clinical outcomes for RMS patients with relapsed or metastatic disease remain poor. Treatment options remain limited, presenting an urgent need for novel therapeutic targets. Using a high-throughput siRNA screen against the human kinome, we identified GRK5, a G-protein receptor kinase, as a novel regulator of RMS tumor cell growth and self-renewal. Through functional assays in vitro and in vivo, we show that GRK5 regulates cell cycle in a kinase-independent manner to promote RMS tumor cell growth. NFAT1 expression is regulated by GRK5 in a kinase independent manner, and loss of NFAT1 phenocopies GRK5 loss-of-function effects on the cell cycle alterations. Self-renewal of tumor propagating cells (TPCs) is thought to give rise to tumor relapse. We show that loss of GRK5 results in a significant reduction of RMS self-renewal capacity in part due to increased cell death. Treatment of human RMS xenografts in mice with CCG-215022, a GRK5-selective inhibitor, results in reduced tumor growth and self-renewal in both major subtypes of RMS. GRK5 represents a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of RMS.

Downregulation of GRK5 hampers the migration of breast cancer cells

Sunitinib is a multispecific kinase inhibitor and one of its targets is the kinase GRK5, which is regulating a multitude of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). In this study we demonstrate that a decreased GRK5 expression induced by knock-down experiments or sunitinib treatment hampers the migration of cancer cell lines. A proteomic analysis revealed many pathways related to cell migration which were down regulated upon the GRK5 knock-down. Furthermore, we found in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells that the inhibition of migration is mediated by the GPCR gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) leading to a reduced expression of migration regulating downstream targets like CDC42 and ROCK1. An in silico Kaplan Meier analysis revealed that GRK5 and GRPR overexpression reduces the distant metastasis free survival in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. Thus, we suggest a novel anti-migratory effect of impaired GRK5 expression which induces a negative feedback loop on GRPR signalling.

A Toolbox for Functional Analysis and the Systematic Identification of Diagnostic and Prognostic Gene Expression Signatures Combining Meta-Analysis and Machine Learning

The identification of biomarker signatures is important for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. However, the detection of clinical reliable signatures is influenced by limited data availability, which may restrict statistical power. Moreover, methods for integration of large sample cohorts and signature identification are limited. We present a step-by-step computational protocol for functional gene expression analysis and the identification of diagnostic and prognostic signatures by combining meta-analysis with machine learning and survival analysis. The novelty of the toolbox lies in its all-in-one functionality, generic design, and modularity. It is exemplified for lung cancer, including a comprehensive evaluation using different validation strategies. However, the protocol is not restricted to specific disease types and can therefore be used by a broad community. The accompanying R package vignette runs in ~1 h and describes the workflow in detail for use by researchers with limited bioinformatics training.

GRK5 influences the phosphorylation of tau via GSK3β and contributes to Alzheimer's disease

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) is a serine/threonine kinase whose dysfunction results in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer-like pathology, including tau hyperphosphorylation. However, the mechanisms whereby GRK5 influences tau phosphorylation remain incompletely understood. In the current study, we showed that GRK5 influenced the phosphorylation of tau via glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). The activity of both tau and GSK3β in the hippocampus was increased in aged GRK5-knockout mice, which is consistent with what occurs in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Furthermore, GRK5 regulated the activity of GSK3β and phosphorylated tau in vitro. Regardless of changes of GRK5 protein levels, tau hyperphosphorylation remained reduced after GSK3β activity was inhibited, suggesting that GRK5 may specifically influence tau hyperphosphorylation by modulating GSK3β activity. Taken together, our findings suggest that GRK5 deficiency contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease by influencing the hyperphosphorylation of tau through the activation of GSK3β.