miR-664b-3p inhibits colon cell carcinoma via negatively regulating Budding uninhibited by benzimidazole 3

In-silico design, pharmacophore-based screening, and molecular docking studies reveal that benzimidazole-1,2,3-triazole hybrids as novel EGFR inhibitors targeting lung cancer

Lung cancer is a complex and heterogeneous disease, which has been associated with various molecular alterations, including the overexpression and mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In this study, designed a library of 1843 benzimidazole-1,2,3-triazole hybrids and carried out pharmacophore-based screening to identify potential EGFR inhibitors. The 164 compounds were further evaluated using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to understand the binding interactions between the compounds and the receptor. In-si-lico ADME and toxicity studies were also conducted to assess the drug-likeness and safety of the identified compounds. The results of this study indicate that benzimidazole-1,2,3-triazole hybrids BENZI-0660, BENZI-0125, BENZI-0279, BENZI-0415, BENZI-0437, and BENZI-1110 exhibit dock scores of -9.7, -9.6, -9.6, -9.6, -9.6, -9.6 while referencing molecule -7.9 kcal/mol for EGFR (PDB ID: 4HJO), respectively. The molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the identified compounds formed stable interactions with the active site of EGFR, indicating their potential as inhibitors. The in-silico ADME and toxicity studies showed that the compounds had favorable drug-likeness properties and low toxicity, further supporting their potential as therapeutic agents. Finally, performed DFT studies on the best-selected ligands to gain further insights into their electronic properties. The findings of this study provide important insights into the potential of benzimidazole-1,2,3-triazole hybrids as promising EGFR inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer. This research opens up a new avenue for the discovery and development of potent and selective EGFR inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Comprehensive analysis of BUBs gene family in lung adenocarcinoma with immunological analysis

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most commonly malignant tumors, and major challenges remain in the treatment of LUAD. Budding uninhibited by benzimidazole 1/3 (BUB1/3) play significant roles in the process of spindle-assembly checkpoint (SAC) during mitosis. However, their roles in LUAD have not been established. Here, we performed an immunological analysis of BUB1/3 in LUAD using a comprehensive bioinformatics approach, quantitative real-time-PCR and Western blotting technique. Our results indicated that the expression levels of BUB1 and BUB3 in LUAD samples were higher than the expression levels in the control groups and were associated with some clinicopathologic parameters in patients with LUAD. BUB1/3 and their related genes were enriched in cell immune, and the immune infiltration analysis revealed that the BUB1/3 expression profile was significantly correlated with characteristics of immune cell infiltration. Survival analysis showed that the disease-free survival and overall survival of patients with LUAD decreased with an increase in the BUB1/3 expression levels. The mRNA and protein expression levels of BUB1 and BUB3 in each of the LUAD cell lines were upregulated to varying degrees. BUB1 and BUB3 are the potential immunological therapeutic intervention targets for patients with LUAD.

CAFs-derived small extracellular vesicles circN4BP2L2 promotes proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer via miR-664b-3p/HMGB3 pathway

Our previous research has demonstrated that colorectal cancer (CRC) progression was promoted by circN4BP2L2. This study aimed to further explore the mechanism of circN4BP2L2 in the development of CRC from the perspective of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). Cancer-associated fibroblasts cell (CAFs) and normal fibroblasts cell (NFs) were isolated from CRC tissues and adjacent tissues, respectively. The ultra-centrifugation was used for extraction of their related sEVs. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed using CCK-8 and flow cytometry, respectively. Transwell assay was conducted to measure cell migration. The tube formation ability was assessed by tube formation assay. The target relationships between circN4BP2L2 and miR-664b-3p, and miR-664b-3p and HMGB3 were validated by dual-luciferase reporter detection. The effect of CAFs-derived sEV (CAFs-sEVs) circN4BP2L2 on CRC was further studied in nude mice. CAFs-exo promoted cell proliferation, migration, tube formation ability, and inhibited apoptosis of CRC cells. CAFs-sEV circN4BP2L2 knockdown reversed the above results. CircN4BP2L2 directly targeted miR-664b-3p, and HMGB3 was targeted by miR-664b-3p. Moreover, subcutaneous tumorigenesis and liver metastasis of nude mice with CRC were repressed by CAFs-sEV circN4BP2L2 knockdown. CAFs-sEV circN4BP2L2 knockdown restrained CRC cell proliferation and migration by regulating miR-664b-3p/HMGB3 pathway.

Examination of the effects of microRNA-145-5p and phosphoserine aminotransferase 1 in colon cancer

Previous studies manifested that microRNA-145-5p is pivotal in the development of various cancers. Nevertheless, the potential function of microRNA-145-5p in colorectal cancer remains unclear. This study attempted to investigate the potential role and possible mechanism of microRNA-145-5p in colon cancer. MicroRNA-145-5p and phosphoserine aminotransferase 1 (PSAT1) levels in colon cancer cells were assayed via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation and cell cycle status were assessed using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, and flow cytometry. The target binding relationship of microRNA-145-5p and PSAT1 was identified using bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. The result of qRT-PCR disclosed that microRNA-145-5p was markedly down-regulated and PSAT1 level was up-regulated in colon cancer cell lines. Besides, enforced microRNA-145-5p level repressed proliferation of colon cancer cells, and cells were arrested in G0-G1 phase. Bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter genes confirmed that PSAT1 was a downstream target of microRNA-145-5p. Enforced PSAT1 level remarkably modulated cell cycle and fostered cell proliferation. Furthermore, rescue experiments displayed that microRNA-145-5p restrained cell cycle progression and cell proliferation and forced PSAT1 level could partially reverse this process. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that microRNA-145-5p repressed colon cancer cell cycle progression and cell proliferation via targeting PSAT1. Our findings identified microRNA-145-5p as an essential tumor repressor gene in colon cancer and may provide a novel biomarker for colon cancer.