ARSD, a novel ERα downstream target gene, inhibits proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells via activating Hippo/YAP pathway

Identification of potential novel N6-methyladenosine effector-related lncRNA biomarkers for serous ovarian carcinoma: a machine learning-based exploration in the framework of 3P medicine

Background

Serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC) is considered the most lethal gynecological malignancy. The current lack of reliable prognostic biomarkers for SOC reduces the efficacy of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM/3PM) in patients with SOC, leading to unsatisfactory therapeutic outcomes. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification-associated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are effective predictors of SOC. In this study, an effective risk prediction model for SOC was constructed based on m6A modification-associated lncRNAs.

Methods

Transcriptomic data and clinical information of patients with SOC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Candidate lncRNAs were identified using univariate and multivariate and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-penalized Cox regression analyses. The molecular mechanisms of m6A effector-related lncRNAs were explored via Gene Ontology, pathway analysis, gene set enrichment analysis, and gene set variation analysis (GSVA). The extent of immune cell infiltration was assessed using various algorithms, including CIBERSORT, Microenvironment Cell Populations counter, xCell, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, and GSVA. The calcPhenotype algorithm was used to predict responses to the drugs commonly used in ovarian carcinoma therapy. In vitro experiments, such as migration and invasion Transwell assays, wound healing assays, and dot blot assays, were conducted to elucidate the functional roles of candidate lncRNAs.

Results

Six m6A effector-related lncRNAs that were markedly associated with prognosis were used to establish an m6A effector-related lncRNA risk model (m6A-LRM) for SOC. Immune microenvironment analysis suggested that the high-risk group exhibited a proinflammatory state and displayed increased sensitivity to immunotherapy. A nomogram was constructed with the m6A effector-related lncRNAs to assess the prognostic value of the model. Sixteen drugs potentially targeting m6A effector-related lncRNAs were identified. Furthermore, we developed an online web application for clinicians and researchers (https://leley.shinyapps.io/OC_m6A_lnc/). Overexpression of the lncRNA RP11-508M8.1 promoted SOC cell migration and invasion. METTL3 is an upstream regulator of RP11-508M8.1. The preliminary regulatory axis METTL3/m6A/RP11-508M8.1/hsa-miR-1270/ARSD underlying SOC was identified via a combination of in vitro and bioinformatic analyses.

Conclusion

In this study, we propose an innovative prognostic risk model and provide novel insights into the mechanism underlying the role of m6A-related lncRNAs in SOC. Incorporating the m6A-LRM into PPPM may help identify high-risk patients and personalize treatment as early as possible.

Arylsulfatase D is a prognostic biomarker that promotes glioma cells progression through JAK2/STAT3 pathway and M2 macrophage infiltration

Background

Arylsulfatase D (ARSD) belongs to the sulfatase family and plays a crucial role in maintaining the proper structure of bone and cartilage matrix. Although several researches have revealed the functions of ARSD in tumor progression, the prognostic value of ARSD in glioma and the related mechanisms have not been fully investigated.

Methods

We performed a pan-cancer analysis of ARSD, and investigated the relationship between expression of ARSD and overall survival (OS) in multiple glioma datasets. ROC curves and nomograms were created to investigate the predictive capacity of ARSD. Immune and analysis were conducted to investigate the mechanisms underlying the roles of ARSD in glioma. Glioma tissue samples were collected to verify the expression of ARSD in glioma, while the functions of ARSD were explored using cell experiment. M2 macrophage infiltration assay was used to determine the relation between ARSD and tumor immune microenvironment.

Results

Survival analysis indicated that individuals with high ARSD expression in glioma had a shorter survival time. Cox analysis showed that ARSD had a good ability for predicting prognosis in glioma. Immune analysis suggested that ARSD could regulate immune cell infiltration and affect the Cancer-Immunity Cycle to create an immunosuppressive environment. Combined with cell experiment and bioinformatic analysis, we found that ARSD can promote glioma progression through regulation of JAK2/STAT3 pathway and M2 macrophage infiltration.

Conclusion

Our study found that ARSD can promote glioma development by regulating immune microenvironment and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, which provided a potential therapy target for glioma treatment.

YAP/TAZ: Molecular pathway and disease therapy

The Yes-associated protein and its transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (YAP/TAZ) are two homologous transcriptional coactivators that lie at the center of a key regulatory network of Hippo, Wnt, GPCR, estrogen, mechanical, and metabolism signaling. YAP/TAZ influences the expressions of downstream genes and proteins as well as enzyme activity in metabolic cycles, cell proliferation, inflammatory factor expression, and the transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts. YAP/TAZ can also be regulated through epigenetic regulation and posttranslational modifications. Consequently, the regulatory function of these mechanisms implicates YAP/TAZ in the pathogenesis of metabolism-related diseases, atherosclerosis, fibrosis, and the delicate equilibrium between cancer progression and organ regeneration. As such, there arises a pressing need for thorough investigation of YAP/TAZ in clinical settings. In this paper, we aim to elucidate the signaling pathways that regulate YAP/TAZ and explore the mechanisms of YAP/TAZ-induce diseases and their potential therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, we summarize the current clinical studies investigating treatments targeting YAP/TAZ. We also address the limitations of existing research on YAP/TAZ and propose future directions for research. In conclusion, this review aims to provide fresh insights into the signaling mediated by YAP/TAZ and identify potential therapeutic targets to present innovative solutions to overcome the challenges associated with YAP/TAZ.

GEMIN4, a potential therapeutic targets for patients with basal-like subtype breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) takes up about 10-20% of all breast cancer(BC), what's more, BLBC has the lowest survival rate among all BC subtypes because of lacks of efficient treatment methods. We aimed to explore the molecules that can be used as diagnostic maker for BLBC at early stage and provide optimized treatment strategies for BLBC patients in this study.

METHODS

Apply weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify gene modules related to BLBC;The functional enrichment of candidate genes related to BLBC in the red module of Go data package and KEGG analysis;Overlapping cross analysis of URGs and WGCNA to identify candidate genes in each BC subtype;Divide BCBL patients into high-risk and low-risk groups, and analyze the two groups of overall survival (OS) and relapse free survival (RFS);Screening of GEMIN4 dependent cell lines; QRT PCR was used to verify the expression of GEMIN4 transfected with siRNA; CCK8 was used to determine the effect of GEMIN4 on cell viability; Positive cell count detected by BrdU staining;GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of GEMIN4.

RESULTS

The "red module" has the highest correlation with BLBC, with 913 promising candidate genes identified from the red module;913 red module candidate genes related to BLBC participated in multiple GO terms, and KEGG enrichment analysis results mainly enriched in estrogen signaling pathways and pathways in cancer;There are 386 overlapping candidate genes among the 913 "red module" genes identified by 1893 common URG and WGCNA;In BLBC patients, 9 highly expressed genes are associated with OS. Five highly expressed genes are associated with RFS. Kaplan Meier survival analysis suggests that high GEMIN4 expression levels are associated with poor prognosis in BLBC patients;The GEMIN4 gene dependency score in HCC1143 and CAL120 cell lines is negative and low; Si-GEMIN4-1 can significantly reduce the mRNA expression of GEMIN4; Si-GEMIN4 can inhibit cell viability; Si-GEMIN4 can reduce the number of positive cells;GO enrichment analysis showed that GEMIN4 is associated with DNA metabolism processes and adenylate binding; KEGG pathway enrichment analysis shows that GEMIN4 is related to ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes.

CONCLUSION

We hypothesized that GEMIN4 may be the potential target for the treatment of BLBC.

GATA3 positively regulates PAR1 to facilitate in vitro disease progression and decrease cisplatin sensitivity in neuroblastoma via inhibiting the hippo pathway

GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) is reported to critically involved in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma (NB). This study investigated the specific role and mechanism of GATA3 in NB progression. JASPAR was utilized to predict GATA3's downstream targets, whose binding relation with GATA3 was inspected by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. NB cell lines underwent transfection of GATA3/protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) overexpression plasmids or shGATA3, followed by cisplatin treatment. NB cell sensitivity to cisplatin, viability, migration, invasion, cell cycle progression and apoptosis were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, wound healing assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Expressions of GATA3, PAR1, epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related molecules (N-Cadherin and Vimentin), hippo pathway-related molecules (mammalian Ste20-like kinase (Mst)1, Mst2, Mps one binding (Mob) 1, phosphorylated (p)-Mob1, Yes-associated protein (YAP) and p-YAP) in NB tissues and cell lines were assessed by western blot or qRT-PCR. GATA3 expression was increased in NB tissues and cells. GATA3 overexpression increased NB cell viability, promoted migration, invasion, and cell cycle progression, increased the expressions of N-Cadherin, Vimentin and YAP, decreased the expressions of Mst1, Mst2, Mob1, p-Mob1, p-YAP and the ratio of p-YAP to YAP, and attenuated cisplatin-induce cell apoptosis, which GATA3 knockdown induced the opposite effect. GATA3 directly targeted PAR1, whose overexpression increased NB cell viability, inhibited the hippo pathway, and attenuated cisplatin-induce cell apoptosis, and reversed GATA3 knockdown-induced effect on these aspects. GATA3 positively regulates PAR1 to facilitate in-vitro disease progression and decrease cisplatin sensitivity in NB via inhibiting the hippo pathway.

The genomic landscape of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome: Possible clues for pathogenesis

OBJECTIVES

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare hamartomatous polyposis syndrome with a proposed association with chronic autoimmune inflammation. To date, genetic background of patients with CCS remains less investigated. In this study we aimed to explore the genomic landscape of CCS.

METHODS

Whole exome sequencing was performed on peripheral blood samples extracted from 18 patients with CCS. Potential function-impacting germline variants were filtered by R software. Through systematic data analysis, a number of genetic variants were identified. Enrichment analysis was performed using the R package ClusterProfiler.

RESULTS

Overall, 3960 low-frequency (<0.05 or not reported in the Exome Aggregation Consortium East Asian, 1000 Genomes, or ESP6500 database) potentially function-impacting germline variants were identified, with 18 genes (FDFT1, LOC400863, MUC3A, MUC4, ZNF806, GXYLT1, MUC6, PABPC3, PSPH, ZFPM1, CIC, LOC283710, ARSD, GOLGA6L2, LOC388282, SLC25A5, TMEM247, WDR89) involved over half the patients. Functional enrichment of these genes revealed several biological processes in relation to innate immune responses and glycosylation. Only one likely pathogenic germline variant of an hamartomatous polyposis syndrome-associated gene, PTCH1, was detected in one patient.

CONCLUSIONS

CCS has genomic alteration patterns completely distinct from those of traditional hamartomatous polyposis syndrome. The germline mutation landscape indicates potential roles of innate immune responses and glycosylation in the pathogenesis of CCS.

ARSD is responsible for carcinoma and amyloidosis of breast epithelial cells

Breast cancer (BC) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) have pronounced female-to-male disparities and both are the major causes of death in elderly women. Intriguingly, there is an inverse incidence between BC and AD. In our previous study, we found that the expression of ARSD, a female-biased gene on chromosome Xp22.3 that encodes arylsulfatase D, is significantly downregulated in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and tissue samples, and that ectopic ARSD overexpression could inhibit proliferation and migration of BC cells. However, the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, ARSD-overexpressing MDA-MB-231 cell strains were established. RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR validation were performed followed by GO and KEGG analyses. Transcriptome sequencing unveiled that Alzheimer's/Parkinson's/prion diseases were enriched in ARSD overexpressing BC cells. Besides, the top enriched pathways included lipoprotein/cholesterol metabolism, molecular chaperone and misfolding protein binding, mitochondrial respiration, dysfunction of lysosomes, etc. In which, a battery of genes, e.g., SERF1A, APOE, CD36 etc., were upregulated, while a series of genes, e.g., NDUFA11, NDUFS3, NDUFV1, etc. were downregulated, which were closely related to amyloidosis. The amyloidosis of BC cells and nerval cells caused by ARSD overexpression was verified with western blotting, immunohistochemical and Congo red staining. Collectively, downregulated ARSD may be closely associated with BC, and upregulated ARSD may cause amyloidosis of BC cells. Our findings suggest that ARSD deserves to be considered a new promising target for treating TNBC or for AD.