Multilevel regulation of Wnt signaling by Zic2 in colon cancer due to mutation of β-catenin

Effect of ZIC2 on immune infiltration and ceRNA axis regulation in lung adenocarcinoma via bioinformatics and experimental studies

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to conclude the effect and mechanism of ZIC2 on immune infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

METHODS

Expression of ZIC2 in several kinds of normal tissues of TCGA data was analyzed and its correlation with the baseline characteristic of LUAD patients were analyzed. The immune infiltration analysis of LUAD patients was performed by CIBERSORT algorithm. The correlation analysis between ZIC2 and immune cell composition was performed. Additionally, the potential upstream regulatory mechanisms of ZIC2 were predicted to identify the possible miRNAs and lncRNAs that regulated ZIC2 in LUAD. In vitro and in vivo experiments were also conducted to confirm the potential effect of ZIC2 on cell proliferation and invasion ability of LUAD cells.

RESULTS

ZIC2 expression was decreased in various normal tissues, but increased in multiple tumors, including LUAD, and correlated with the prognosis of LUAD patients. Enrichment by GO and KEGG suggested the possible association of ZIC2 with cell cycle and p53 signal pathway. ZIC2 expression was significantly correlated with T cells CD4 memory resting, Macrophages M1, and plasma cells, indicating that dysregulated ZIC2 expression in LUAD may directly influence immune infiltration. ZIC2 might be regulated by several different lncRNA-mediated ceRNA mechanisms. In vitro experiments validated the promotive effect of ZIC2 on cell viability and invasion ability of LUAD cells. In vivo experiments validated ZIC2 can accelerate tumor growth in nude mouse.

CONCLUSION

ZIC2 regulated by different lncRNA-mediated ceRNA mechanisms may play a critical regulatory role in LUAD through mediating the composition of immune cells in tumor microenvironment.

A novel mitochondrial metabolism-related gene signature for predicting the prognosis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. Due to the important role of mitochondrial metabolism in cancer progression, a clinical prognostic model based on mitochondrial metabolism and clinical features was constructed in this study to predict the prognosis of ESCC. Firstly, the mitochondrial metabolism scores (MMs) were calculated based on 152 mitochondrial metabolism-related genes (MMRGs) by single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). Subsequently, univariate Cox regression and LASSO algorithm were used to identify prognosis-associated MMRG and risk-stratify patients. Functional enrichment, interaction network and immune-related analyses were performed to explore the features differences in patients at different risks. Finally, a prognostic nomogram incorporating clinical factors was constructed to assess the prognosis of ESCC. Our results found there were differences in clinical features between the MMs-high group and the MMs-low group in the TCGA-ESCC dataset (P<0.05). Afterwards, we identified 6 MMRGs (COX10, ACADVL, IDH3B, AKR1A1, LIAS, and NDUFB8) signature that could accurately distinguish high-risk and low-risk ESCC patients. A predictive nomogram that combined the 6 MMRGs with sex and N stage to predict the prognosis of ESCC was constructed, and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve at 1, 2 and 3 years were 0.948, 0.927 and 0.848, respectively. Finally, we found that COX10, one of 6 MMRGs, could inhibit the malignant progression of ESCC in vitro. In summary, we constructed a clinical prognosis model based on 6 MMRGs and clinical features which can accurately predict the prognosis of ESCC patients.

Interactions between miRNAs and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in endometriosis

Endometriosis is a disease characterized by the ectopic growth of endometrial tissue (glands and stroma) outside the confines of the uterus and often involves vital organs such as the intestines and urinary system. Endometriosis is considered a refractory disease owing to its enigmatic etiology, propensity for recurrence following conservative or surgical interventions, and the absence of radical treatment and long-term management. In recent years, the incidence of endometriosis has gradually increased, rendering it a pressing concern among women of childbearing age. A more profound understanding of its pathogenesis can significantly improve prognosis. Recent research endeavors have spotlighted the molecular mechanisms by which microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the occurrence and progression of endometriosis. Many miRNAs have been reported to be aberrantly expressed in the affected tissues of both patients and animal models. These miRNAs actively participate in the regulation of inflammatory reactions, cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. Their capacity to modulate crucial signaling pathways, such as the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, reinforces their potential utility as diagnostic markers or therapeutic agents for endometriosis. In this review, we provide the latest insights into the role of miRNAs that interact with the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to regulate the biological behaviors of endometriosis cells and disease-related symptoms, such as pain and infertility. We hope that this review will provide novel insights and promising targets for innovative therapies addressing endometriosis.

Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals Diagnostic Biomarkers and Immune Cell Infiltration Characteristics of Solar Lentigines

Background

Solar lentigines (SLs), serving as a prevalent characteristic of skin photoaging, present as cutaneous aberrant pigmentation. However, the underlying pathogenesis remains unclear and there is a dearth of reliable diagnostic biomarkers.

Objective

The aim of this study was to identify diagnostic biomarkers for SLs and reveal its immunological features.

Methods

In this study, gene expression profiling datasets (GSE192564 and GSE192565) of SLs were obtained from the GEO database. The GSE192564 was used as the training group for screening of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and subsequent depth analysis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was employed to explore the biological states associated with SLs. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was employed to identify the significant modules and hub genes. Then, the feature genes were further screened by the overlapping of hub genes and up-regulated differential genes. Subsequently, an artificial neural network was constructed for identifying SLs samples. The GSE192565 was used as the test group for validation of feature genes expression level and the model's classification performance. Furthermore, we conducted immune cell infiltration analysis to reveal the immune infiltration landscape of SLs.

Results

The 9 feature genes were identified as diagnostic biomarkers for SLs in this study. And an artificial neural network based on diagnostic biomarkers was successfully constructed for identification of SLs. GSEA highlighted potential role of immune system in pathogenesis of SLs. SLs samples had a higher proportion of several immune cells, including activated CD8 T cell, dendritic cell, myeloid-derived suppressor cell and so on. And diagnostic biomarkers exhibited a strong relationship with the infiltration of most immune cells.

Conclusion

Our study identified diagnostic biomarkers for SLs and explored its immunological features, enhancing the comprehension of its pathogenesis.

FOXM1-regulated ZIC2 promotes the malignant phenotype of renal clear cell carcinoma by activating UBE2C/mTOR signaling pathway

Background: As a transcription factor, Zic family member 2 (ZIC2) has been involved in more and more studies of tumorigenesis, which has been proved by our research team to be an effective prognostic marker for Pan-cancer. However, the prognosis, tumor promoting effect and regulatory mechanism of ZIC2 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are still unknown. Methods: The potential clinical significance of ZIC2 was evaluated by bioinformatics analysis using data from TCGA, GEO, and ArrayExpress data sets. WB and IHC were used to detect ZIC2 expression in tumors and adjacent tissues. CCK-8, EdU, colony formation, cell cycle, wound healing, transwell, subcutaneous xenograft, and lung metastasis models were used to detect the biological function of ZIC2. The regulatory mechanism of ZIC2 was confirmed by data of RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, MS-PCR, Chip-PCR, and luciferase reporter experiments. Results: ZIC2 was markedly upregulated and correlated with poor clinicopathological features in ccRCC. Knockdown of ZIC2 resulted in reduced cell proliferation, invasion, migration, induction of G2/M phase arrest, and reduced tumor formation and lung metastasis in nude mice. The opposite was observed after overexpression. Mechanistically, the high expression of ZIC2 is regulated by hypomethylation and high H3K4Me3 in the promoter region, as well as positive transcriptional regulation by FOXM1. And then, ZIC2 transcriptase-positively regulates UBE2C and activates AKT/mTOR signaling pathway to promote tumor malignant progression. Conclusion: This study reveals that FOXM1-ZIC2-UBE2C-mTOR signaling axis promotes the progression of ccRCC, which can be used as a prognostic indicator and potential therapeutic target.

The Roles of Zinc Finger Proteins in Colorectal Cancer

Despite colorectal cancer remaining a leading worldwide cause of cancer-related death, there remains a paucity of effective treatments for advanced disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying the development of colorectal cancer include altered cell signaling and cell cycle regulation that may result from epigenetic modifications of gene expression and function. Acting as important transcriptional regulators of normal biological processes, zinc finger proteins also play key roles in regulating the cellular mechanisms underlying colorectal neoplasia. These actions impact cell differentiation and proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, apoptosis, homeostasis, senescence, and maintenance of stemness. With the goal of highlighting promising points of therapeutic intervention, we review the oncogenic and tumor suppressor roles of zinc finger proteins with respect to colorectal cancer tumorigenesis and progression.

IGF2BP1-mediated N6-methyladenosine modification promotes intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma progression

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation and its associated RNA-binding protein insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) are involved in tumor initiation and progression. Here, we explored the biological function and clinical significance of IGF2BP1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). We found that IGF2BP1 expression was upregulated by H3K27 acetylation enrichment of its promoter, which positively correlated with poor clinicopathological characteristics and survival. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments showed that IGF2BP1 overexpression (knockdown) enhanced (attenuated) iCCA growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, IGF2BP1 not only regulated the c-Myc/p16 axis to promote iCCA growth and inhibit senescence, but also activated the ZIC2/PAK4/AKT/MMP2 axis to induce tumor metastasis. More importantly, BTYNB, a recently identified IGF2BP1 inhibitor, exerted promising anti-tumor efficacy in a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model, and IGF2BP1 conditional knockout (cKO) reduced the tumor burden. These results demonstrate the crucial role of IGF2BP1 in iCCA progression via m6A-dependent modification, highlighting IGF2BP1 as a potential therapeutic target in iCCA.