1
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Pan X, Xu J, Zhou Y. Multifaceted role of FAM210B in hepatocellular carcinoma: Implications for tumour progression, microenvironment modulation and therapeutic selection. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e70031. [PMID: 39198940 PMCID: PMC11358035 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.70031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2024] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and lethal liver cancer characterized by complex aetiology and limited treatment options. FAM210B, implicated in various cancers, is noteworthy for its potential role in the progression and treatment response of HCC. Yet, its expression patterns, functional impacts and correlations with patient outcomes and resistance to therapy are not well understood. We employed a comprehensive methodology to explore the role of FAM210B in HCC, analysing its expression across cancers, subcellular localization and impacts on cell proliferation, invasion, migration, biological enrichment and the immune microenvironment. Additionally, we investigated its expression in single cells, drug sensitivity and relationships with genomic instability, immunotherapy efficacy and key immune checkpoints. While FAM210B expression varied across cancers, there was no notable difference between HCC and normal tissues. Elevated levels of FAM210B were associated with improved survival outcomes. Subcellular analysis located FAM210B in the plasma membrane and cytosol. FAM210B was generally downregulated in HCC, and its suppression significantly enhanced cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Biological enrichment analysis linked FAM210B to metabolic and immune response pathways. Moreover, its expression modified the immune microenvironment of HCC, affecting drug responsiveness and immunotherapy outcomes. High expression levels of FAM202B correlated with increased resistance to sunitinib and enhanced responsiveness to immunotherapy, as evidenced by associations with tumour mutation burden, PDCD1, CTLA4 and TIDE scores. FAM210B exerts a complex influence on HCC, affecting tumour cell behaviour, metabolic pathways, the immune microenvironment and responses to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianzhu Pan
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical CollegeHefeiChina
| | - Jun Xu
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical CollegeHefeiChina
| | - Yuanqin Zhou
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical CollegeHefeiChina
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2
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Xing F, Liu N, Wang C, Wang XD. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester promotes oxaliplatin sensitization in colon cancer by inhibiting autophagy. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14624. [PMID: 38918541 PMCID: PMC11199620 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65409-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Colon cancer ranks as the third most prevalent form of cancer globally, with chemotherapy remaining the primary treatment modality. To mitigate drug resistance and minimize adverse effects associated with chemotherapy, selection of appropriate adjuvants assumes paramount importance. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a naturally occurring compound derived from propolis, exhibits a diverse array of biological activities. We observed that the addition of CAPE significantly augmented the drug sensitivity of colon cancer cells to oxaliplatin. In SW480 and HCT116 cells, oxaliplatin combined with 10 µM CAPE reduced the IC50 of oxaliplatin from 14.24 ± 1.03 and 84.16 ± 3.02 µM to 2.11 ± 0.15 and 3.92 ± 0.17 µM, respectively. We then used proteomics to detect differentially expressed proteins in CAPE-treated SW480 cells and found that the main proteins showing changes in expression after CAPE treatment were p62 (SQSTM1) and LC3B (MAP1LC3B). Gene ontology analysis revealed that CAPE exerted antitumor and chemotherapy-sensitization effects through the autophagy pathway. We subsequently verified the differentially expressed proteins using immunoblotting. Simultaneously, the autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1 and the mCherry-EGFP-LC3 reporter gene were used as controls to detect the effect of CAPE on autophagy levels. Collectively, the results indicate that CAPE may exert antitumor and chemotherapy-sensitizing effects by inhibiting autophagy, offering novel insights for the development of potential chemosensitizing agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xing
- Department of Gastrointestinal Nutrition Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130000, China
| | - Ning Liu
- Academic Center, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130000, China
| | - Can Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Nutrition Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130000, China
| | - Xu-Dong Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Nutrition Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130000, China.
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3
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Zhu G, Wang L, Wang X, Dong X, Yang S, Wang J, Xu S, Zeng Y. Comparative Proteomics Identified EXOSC1 as a Target Protein of Anticancer Peptide LVTX-8 in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells. J Proteome Res 2024. [PMID: 38700954 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a prevalent malignancy that usually occurs among the nose and throat. Due to mild initial symptoms, most patients are diagnosed in the late stage, and the recurrence rate of tumors is high, resulting in many deaths every year. Traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy are prone to causing drug resistance and significant side effects. Therefore, searching for new bioactive drugs including anticancer peptides is necessary and urgent. LVTX-8 is a peptide toxin synthesized from the cDNA library of the spider Lycosa vittata, which is consisting of 25 amino acids. In this study, a series of in vitro cell experiments such as cell toxicity, colony formation, and cell migration assays were performed to exam the anticancer activity of LVTX-8 in NPC cells (5-8F and CNE-2). The results suggested that LVTX-8 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration of NPC cells. To find the potential molecular targets for the anticancer capability of LVTX-8, high-throughput proteomic and bioinformatics analysis were conducted on NPC cells. The results identified EXOSC1 as a potential target protein with significantly differential expression levels under LVTX-8+/LVTX-8- conditions. The results in this research indicate that spider peptide toxin LVTX-8 exhibits significant anticancer activity in NPC, and EXOSC1 may serve as a target protein for its anticancer activity. These findings provide a reference for the development of new therapeutic drugs for NPC and offer new ideas for the discovery of biomarkers related to NPC diagnosis. The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium (https://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org) via the iProX partner repository with the data set identifier PXD050542.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganghua Zhu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Lingxiang Wang
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China
| | - Xingyao Wang
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaoping Dong
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China
| | - Shu Yang
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Jiaqi Wang
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China
| | - Siyuan Xu
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China
| | - Yong Zeng
- The National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Animal Peptide Drug Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, Hunan, China
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4
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Wu K, Wu B, Yan K, Ding Q, Miao Z. KLK10 promotes the progression of KRAS mutant colorectal cancer via PAR1-PDK1-AKT signaling pathway. Cell Biol Int 2024; 48:440-449. [PMID: 38115179 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.12113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS) gene mutation is common in colorectal cancer (CRC) and is often predictive of treatment failure and poor prognosis. To understand the mechanism, we compared the transcriptome of CRC patients with wild-type and mutant KRAS and found that KRAS mutation is associated with the overexpression of a secreted serine protease, kallikrein-related peptidase 10 (KLK10). Moreover, using in vitro and in vivo models, we found that KLK10 overexpression favors the rapid growth and liver metastasis of KRAS mutant CRC and can also impair the efficacy of KRAS inhibitors, leading to drug resistance and poor survival. Further functional assays revealed that the oncogenic role of KLK10 is mediated by protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1). KLK10 cleaves and activates PAR1, which further activates 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1)-AKT oncogenic pathway. Notably, suppressing PAR1-PDK1-AKT cascade via KLK10 knockdown can effectively inhibit CRC progression and improve the sensitivity to KRAS inhibitor, providing a promising therapeutic strategy. Taken together, our study showed that KLK10 promotes the progression of KRAS mutant CRC via activating PAR1-PDK1-AKT signaling pathway. These findings expanded our knowledge of CRC development, especially in the setting of KRAS mutation, and also provided novel targets for clinical intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Wu
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Boyu Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Shangrao Municipal Hospital, Shangrao, Jiangxi, China
| | - Kangpeng Yan
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Qunhua Ding
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Zhiguo Miao
- Department of Abdominal Surgery, Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
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5
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Wang C, Guo J, Zhang Y, Zhou S, Jiang B. Cuproptosis-Related Gene FDX1 Suppresses the Growth and Progression of Colorectal Cancer by Retarding EMT Progress. Biochem Genet 2024:10.1007/s10528-024-10784-8. [PMID: 38520567 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-024-10784-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a usual cancer and a kind of lethiferous cancer. Cuproptosis-related gene ferredoxin 1 (FDX1) has been discovered to act as a suppressor, thereby suppressing some cancers' progression. But, the regulatory functions of FDX1 in CRC progression keep vague. In this work, at first, through TCGA database, it was revealed that FDX1 exhibited lower expression in COAD (colon adenocarcinoma) tissues, and CRC patients with lower FDX1 expression had worse prognosis. Furthermore, FDX1 expression was verified to be down-regulated in CRC tissues (n = 30) and cells. It was further uncovered that FDX1 expression was positively correlated with CDH1 and TJP1 (epithelial marker), and negatively correlated with CDH2, TWIST1, and FN1 (stromal marker), suggesting that FDX1 was closely associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progress. Next, it was demonstrated that overexpression of FDX1 suppressed cell viability, invasion, and migration in CRC. Furthermore, it was verified that FDX1 retarded the EMT progress in CRC. Lastly, through rescue assays, the inhibited CRC progression mediated by FDX1 overexpression was rescued by EGF (EMT inducer) treatment. At last, it was uncovered that the tumor growth and metastasis were relieved after FDX1 overexpression, but these changes were reversed after EGF treatment. In conclusion, FDX1 inhibited the growth and progression of CRC by inhibiting EMT progress. This discovery hinted that FDX1 may act as an effective candidate for CRC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine Oncology, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 64, Chaohu North Road, Juchao District, Chaohu, 238000, Anhui, China.
| | - Jingjing Guo
- Department of Internal Medicine Oncology, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 64, Chaohu North Road, Juchao District, Chaohu, 238000, Anhui, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Internal Medicine Oncology, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 64, Chaohu North Road, Juchao District, Chaohu, 238000, Anhui, China
| | - Shusheng Zhou
- Department of Internal Medicine Oncology, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 64, Chaohu North Road, Juchao District, Chaohu, 238000, Anhui, China
| | - Bing Jiang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Chaohu, 238000, Anhui, China
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6
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Cheng F, Li P, Xu S, Zhang C, Liang H, Ding Z. A pair of primary colorectal cancer-derived and corresponding synchronous liver metastasis-derived organoid cell lines. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:4396-4422. [PMID: 38407980 PMCID: PMC10968669 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Proper preclinical models for the research of colorectal cancer (CRC) and CRC liver metastases (CLM) are a clear and unmet need. Patient-derived organoids have recently emerged as a robust preclinical model, but are not available to all scientific researchers. Here, we present paired 3D organoid cell lines of CWH22 (CRC-derived) and CLM22 (CLM-derived) with sound background information and the short tandem repeats are identical to those of the normal tissue. Morphological and immunohistochemical staining, along with whole-exome sequencing (WES), confirmed that the organoids exhibited the same differentiation, molecular expression, and mutation status as the corresponding tumor tissue. Both organoids possessed mutated APC/KRAS/SMAD4/CDKN1B/KMT2C genes and wild-type TP53 and PIK3CA; stably secreted the tumor markers CEA and CA19-9, and possessed sound proliferation rates in vitro, as well as subcutaneous tumorigenicity and liver metastatic abilities in vivo. IC50 assays confirmed that both cell lines were sensitive to 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, SN-38, and sotorasib. WES and karyotype analyses revealed the genomic instability status as chromosome instability. The corresponding adherent cultured CWH22-2D/CLM22-2D cells were established and compared with commonly used CRC cell lines from the ATCC. Both organoids are publicly available to all researchers and will be useful tools for specific human CRC/CLM studies both in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangling Cheng
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Pengcheng Li
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Sanpeng Xu
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Huifang Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Zeyang Ding
- Hepatic Surgery Centre, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Wuhan 430030, China
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7
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Ortiz JR, Lewis SM, Ciccone M, Chatterjee D, Henry S, Siepel A, Dos Santos CO. Single-Cell Transcription Mapping of Murine and Human Mammary Organoids Responses to Female Hormones. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia 2024; 29:3. [PMID: 38289401 PMCID: PMC10827859 DOI: 10.1007/s10911-023-09553-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
During female adolescence and pregnancy, rising levels of hormones result in a cyclic source of signals that control the development of mammary tissue. While such alterations are well understood from a whole-gland perspective, the alterations that such hormones bring to organoid cultures derived from mammary glands have yet to be fully mapped. This is of special importance given that organoids are considered suitable systems to understand cross species breast development. Here we utilized single-cell transcriptional profiling to delineate responses of murine and human normal breast organoid systems to female hormones across evolutionary distinct species. Collectively, our study represents a molecular atlas of epithelial dynamics in response to estrogen and pregnancy hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven M Lewis
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Michael Ciccone
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA
| | | | - Samantha Henry
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Adam Siepel
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA
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Tian H, Wei R, Xiao C, Fan T, Che Y, Liu T, Zheng B, Li C, He J. Tumor-derived KLK8 predicts inferior survival and promotes an immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment in lung squamous cell carcinoma. BMC Pulm Med 2024; 24:53. [PMID: 38273291 PMCID: PMC10809653 DOI: 10.1186/s12890-023-02770-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is the second most common lung cancer worldwide, leading to millions of deaths annually. Although immunotherapy has expanded the therapeutic choices for LUSC and achieved considerable efficacy in a subset of patients, many patients could not benefit, and resistance was pervasive. Therefore, it is significant to investigate the mechanisms leading to patients' poor response to immunotherapies and explore novel therapeutic targets. Using multiple public LUSC datasets, we found that Kallikrein-8 (KLK8) expression was higher in tumor samples and was correlated with inferior survival. Using a LUSC cohort (n = 190) from our center, we validated the bioinformatic findings about KLK8 and identified high KLK8 expression as an independent risk factor for LUSC. Function enrichment showed that several immune signaling pathways were upregulated in the KLK8 low-expression group and downregulated in the KLK8 high-expression group. For patients with low KLK8 expression, they were with a more active TME, which was both observed in the TCGA database and immune marker immunohistochemistry, and they had extensive positive relations with immune cells with tumor-eliminating functions. This study identified KLK8 as a risk factor in LUSC and illustrated the associations between KLK8 and cancer immunity, suggesting the potentiality of KLK8 as a novel immune target in LUSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- He Tian
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Ran Wei
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Chu Xiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Tao Fan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Yun Che
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Tiejun Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Bo Zheng
- Department of Pathology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Chunxiang Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
| | - Jie He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China.
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Zhao J, Quan J, Chen W, Xie X. Grid2 interacting protein is a potential biomarker related to immune infiltration in colorectal cancer. Eur J Med Res 2023; 28:511. [PMID: 37964339 PMCID: PMC10644545 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-023-01468-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the three deadliest malignant tumors in the world, posing a severe hazard to human health. Nonetheless, the 5-year survival rate for advanced CRC remains unsatisfactory. Grid2 interacting protein (GRID2IP) is a Purkinje fiber postsynaptic scaffold protein implicated in a number of signal transduction pathways in the nervous system. Previous studies have shown that Grid2 is closely related to the occurrence and prognosis of gastric cancer and many other diseases. Therefore, we aim to identify the relationship between GRID2IP and the occurrence and prognosis of CRC. METHODS Transcriptome data were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to analyze the differential expression of GRID2IP in a variety of malignant tumors and then validate it by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction(Q-PCR) and Western Blot in HT29 and SW480 cells. "DESeq2" package was used to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the high- and low-GRID2IP subgroups. In relation to DEGs, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were performed. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) were employed to examine DEGs-associated signaling pathways and GRID2IP-associated immune cell infiltration levels. Besides, overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) were compared between the two subgroups using a Kaplan-Meier analysis. In addition, a prognostic model for GRID2IP and clinical characteristics was developed using the univariate Cox regression method. The "pRRophetic" package was applied to predict the drug sensitivity of different subgroups. Moreover, we also performed single-cell analysis of GRID2IP using the TISCH database. RESULTS GRID2IP is upregulated in CRC patients. The rise of GRID2IP inhibits the invasion of tumor-associated immune cells resulting in a lower immune score. In addition, high GRID2IP expression was associated with poor prognosis in different clinical subgroups. Analysis of single cells revealed that GRID2IP was predominantly expressed in immune cells, myofibroblasts, and cancerous cells. In terms of chemotherapy drug sensitivity, the subgroup with high GRID2IP expression was less sensitive to gemcitabine. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that rising GRID2IP promotes tumor-associated immune cell infiltration and suggests adverse outcomes in CRC patients, which may be a useful biomarker for determining the prognosis of CRC and a potential target molecule for CRC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajing Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515000, China
| | - Jiazheng Quan
- Marshall Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Biological Therapy, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Weilin Chen
- Marshall Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Biological Therapy, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Xiaojun Xie
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515000, China.
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10
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George N, Bhandari P, Shruptha P, Jayaram P, Chaudhari S, Satyamoorthy K. Multidimensional outlook on the pathophysiology of cervical cancer invasion and metastasis. Mol Cell Biochem 2023; 478:2581-2606. [PMID: 36905477 PMCID: PMC10006576 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-023-04686-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Cervical cancer being one of the primary causes of high mortality rates among women is an area of concern, especially with ineffective treatment strategies. Extensive studies are carried out to understand various aspects of cervical cancer initiation, development and progression; however, invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma has poor outcomes. Moreover, the advanced stages of cervical cancer may involve lymphatic circulation with a high risk of tumor recurrence at distant metastatic sites. Dysregulation of the cervical microbiome by human papillomavirus (HPV) together with immune response modulation and the occurrence of novel mutations that trigger genomic instability causes malignant transformation at the cervix. In this review, we focus on the major risk factors as well as the functionally altered signaling pathways promoting the transformation of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia into invasive squamous cell carcinoma. We further elucidate genetic and epigenetic variations to highlight the complexity of causal factors of cervical cancer as well as the metastatic potential due to the changes in immune response, epigenetic regulation, DNA repair capacity, and cell cycle progression. Our bioinformatics analysis on metastatic and non-metastatic cervical cancer datasets identified various significantly and differentially expressed genes as well as the downregulation of potential tumor suppressor microRNA miR-28-5p. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the genomic landscape in invasive and metastatic cervical cancer will help in stratifying the patient groups and designing potential therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neena George
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Planetarium Complex, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Poonam Bhandari
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Planetarium Complex, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Padival Shruptha
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Planetarium Complex, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Pradyumna Jayaram
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Planetarium Complex, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Sima Chaudhari
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Planetarium Complex, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Kapaettu Satyamoorthy
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, Planetarium Complex, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India.
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11
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Li A, Li Y, Li Y, Zhang M, Zhang H, Chen F. Identification and validation of key genes associated with pathogenesis and prognosis of gastric cancer. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16243. [PMID: 37868053 PMCID: PMC10586292 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. However, the precise mechanisms and specific biomarkers of GC have not been fully elucidated. We therefore sought to identify and validate the genes associated with GC. Methods RNA sequencing was performed on gastric tissue specimens from 10 cases each of non-atrophic gastritis (NAG), intestinal metaplasia (IM), and GC. Validation of gene expression was conducted through immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. The Kaplan-Meier Plotter database was utilized to screen genes associated with prognosis, while protein-protein interaction analysis was conducted to identify hub genes. Results In GC-IM, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were predominantly enriched in pathways related to ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, PI3K-Akt pathway, and pathways in cancer. Conversely, in IM-NAG, the DEGs were primarily enriched in pathways associated with fat digestion and absorption, pancreatic secretion, and retinol metabolism. IHC staining revealed elevated expression levels of KLK7 and KLK10 in GC. Specifically, KLK7 expression was found to be correlated with differentiation (P = 0.025) and depth of invasion (P = 0.007) in GC, while both KLK7 and KLK10 were associated with the overall survival (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a total of ten hub genes from DEGs in GC-NAG (COL6A2, COL1A1, COL4A1, COL1A2, SPARC, COL4A2, FN1, PCOLCE, SERPINH1, LAMB1) and five hub genes in IM-NAG (SI, DPP4, CLCA1, MEP1A, OLFM4) were demonstrated to have a significant correlation with the prognosis of GC. Conclusions The present study successfully identified and validated crucial genes associated with GC, providing valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of this disease. The findings of this study have the potential to inform clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ai Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yueyue Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Mingming Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Feixue Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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12
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Ortiz JR, Lewis SM, Ciccone MF, Chatterjee D, Henry S, Siepel A, Dos Santos CO. Single-cell transcription mapping of murine and human mammary organoids responses to female hormones. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.28.559971. [PMID: 37808747 PMCID: PMC10557705 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.28.559971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
During female adolescence and pregnancy, rising levels of hormones result in a cyclic source of signals that control the development of mammary tissue. While such alterations are well understood from a whole-gland perspective, the alterations that such hormones bring to organoid cultures derived from mammary glands have yet to be fully mapped. This is of special importance given that organoids are considered suitable systems to understand cross species breast development. Here we utilized single-cell transcriptional profiling to delineate responses of murine and human normal breast organoid systems to female hormones across evolutionary distinct species. Collectively, our study represents a molecular atlas of epithelial dynamics in response to estrogen and pregnancy hormones.
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13
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Hashemi M, Arani HZ, Orouei S, Fallah S, Ghorbani A, Khaledabadi M, Kakavand A, Tavakolpournegari A, Saebfar H, Heidari H, Salimimoghadam S, Entezari M, Taheriazam A, Hushmandi K. EMT mechanism in breast cancer metastasis and drug resistance: Revisiting molecular interactions and biological functions. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 155:113774. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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14
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Li Q, Wang M, Zhang S, Jin M, Chen R, Luo Y, Sun X. Single-cell RNA sequencing in atherosclerosis: Mechanism and precision medicine. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:977490. [PMID: 36267275 PMCID: PMC9576927 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.977490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is the pathological basis of various vascular diseases, including those with high mortality, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. However, its pathogenesis is complex and has not been fully elucidated yet. Over the past few years, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has been developed and widely used in many biological fields to reveal biological mechanisms at the cellular level and solve the problems of cellular heterogeneity that cannot be solved using bulk RNA sequencing. In this review, we briefly summarize the existing scRNA-seq technologies and focus on their application in atherosclerosis research to provide insights into the occurrence, development and treatment of atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaoyu Li
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Natural Medicine) and Translational Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Beijing, China
| | - Mengchen Wang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Natural Medicine) and Translational Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Beijing, China
| | - Shuxia Zhang
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Natural Medicine) and Translational Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Beijing, China
| | - Meiqi Jin
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Natural Medicine) and Translational Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Beijing, China
| | - Rongchang Chen
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Natural Medicine) and Translational Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Luo
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Natural Medicine) and Translational Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Yun Luo, ; Xiaobo Sun,
| | - Xiaobo Sun
- Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Peking Union Medical College and Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Discovery of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Natural Medicine) and Translational Medicine, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resource Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Pharmacovigilance, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Yun Luo, ; Xiaobo Sun,
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15
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Li XY, Su LX, Chen WX, Liu H, Zhang LY, Shen YC, You JX, Wang JB, Zhang L, Wang D, Wen MZ, Wang Z, Shao YH, Chen DH, Yang XT. Clinical Implications of Necroptosis Genes Expression for Cancer Immunity and Prognosis: A Pan-Cancer Analysis. Front Immunol 2022; 13:882216. [PMID: 35795676 PMCID: PMC9251086 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.882216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Necroptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is increasingly being investigated for its controversial role in tumorigenesis and progression. Necroptosis suppresses tumor formation and tumor development by killing tumor cells; however, the necrotic cells also promote tumor formation and tumor development via the immunosuppressive effect of necroptosis and inflammatory response caused by cytokine release. Thus, the exact mechanism of necroptosis in pan-cancer remains unknown. Methods The data of 11,057 cancer samples were downloaded from the TCGA database, along with clinical information, tumor mutation burden, and microsatellite instability information of the corresponding patients. We used the TCGA data in a pan-cancer analysis to identify differences in mRNA level as well as single nucleotide variants, copy number variants, methylation profiles, and genomic signatures of miRNA-mRNA interactions. Two drug datasets (from GDSC, CTRP) were used to evaluate drug sensitivity and resistance against necroptosis genes. Results Necroptosis genes were aberrantly expressed in various cancers. The frequency of necroptosis gene mutations was highest in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, the correlation between necroptosis gene expression in the tumor microenvironment and immune cell infiltration varied for different cancers. High necroptosis gene expression was found to correlate with NK, Tfh, Th1, CD8_T, and DC cells. These can therefore be used as biomarkers to predict prognosis. By matching gene targets with drugs, we identified potential candidate drugs. Conclusion Our study showed the genomic alterations and clinical features of necroptosis genes in 33 cancers. This may help clarify the link between necroptosis and tumorigenesis. Our findings may also provide new approaches for the clinical treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-yu Li
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Li-xin Su
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Xue Chen
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Department of Nephrology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu-yu Zhang
- The Department of Kidney Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yu-Chen Shen
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian-Xiong You
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Bing Wang
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Liming Zhang
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Deming Wang
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ming-Zhe Wen
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenfeng Wang
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-hao Shao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - De-Hu Chen
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hospital Affiliated 5 to Nantong University (Taizhou People's Hospital), Taizhou, China
| | - Xi-tao Yang
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Xi-tao Yang,
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Srinivasan S, Kryza T, Batra J, Clements J. Remodelling of the tumour microenvironment by the kallikrein-related peptidases. Nat Rev Cancer 2022; 22:223-238. [PMID: 35102281 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-021-00436-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) are critical regulators of the tumour microenvironment. KLKs are proteolytic enzymes regulating multiple functions of bioactive molecules including hormones and growth factors, membrane receptors and the extracellular matrix architecture involved in cancer progression and metastasis. Perturbations of the proteolytic cascade generated by these peptidases, and their downstream signalling actions, underlie tumour emergence or blockade of tumour growth. Recent studies have also revealed their role in tumour immune suppression and resistance to cancer therapy. Here, we present an overview of the complex biology of the KLK family and its context-dependent nature in cancer, and discuss the different therapeutic strategies available to potentially target these proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srilakshmi Srinivasan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas Kryza
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
- Mater Research Institute, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Genomics and Personalised Medicine, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Judith Clements
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre-Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.
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Biochanin A Suppresses Tumor Progression and PD-L1 Expression via Inhibiting ZEB1 Expression in Colorectal Cancer. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:3224373. [PMID: 35242187 PMCID: PMC8888121 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3224373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Objective. To investigate the regulatory effect of ZEB1 on PD-L1 expression and the pharmacodynamic effects of Biochanin A on the malignant biological behaviors of colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods. The correlation between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) score and features of the tumor microenvironment (TME) was investigated using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. The correlation between ZEB1 and PD-L1 expression was validated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, and the regulatory effect of ZEB1 on PD-L1 expression was explored by in vitro assays. Moreover, the pharmacodynamic effects of Biochanin A on ZEB1 and PD-L1 expression, as well as malignant biological behaviors of CRC cells, were evaluated by in vitro and in vivo assays. Results. EMT score was positively correlated with a majority of immunostimulators, immune checkpoints, activities of antitumor immunity cycles, and infiltration levels of most immune cells in the TCGA dataset. In addition, ZEB1 was correlated with and positively regulated PD-L1 expression in CRC. Besides, Biochanin A, an inhibitor for the ZEB1/PD-L1 axis, notably inhibited ZEB1-mediated aggressiveness and PD-L1 expression of CRC cells. Moreover, Biochanin A also exerted a tumor-inhibitory role in vivo in the CRC mouse model. Conclusion. Overall, we found that ZEB1 is a main regulator of PD-L1 expression in CRC. In addition, we also identified Biochanin A as a novel inhibitor for the ZEB1/PD-L1 axis, which could inhibit tumor progression and immune escape.
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