Estrogen/estrogen receptor promotes the proliferation of endometrial carcinoma cells by enhancing hMOF expression

Particles and Prejudice: Nanomedicine Approaches to Reducing Health Disparities in Endometrial Cancer

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy worldwide and unfortunately has a much higher mortality rate in Black women compared with White women. Many potential factors contribute to these mortality rates, including the underlying effects of systemic and interpersonal racism. Furthermore, other trends in medicine have potential links to these rates including participation in clinical trials, hormone therapy, and pre-existing health conditions. Addressing the high incidence and disparate mortality rates in endometrial cancer requires novel methods, such as nanoparticle-based therapeutics. These therapeutics have been growing in increasing prevalence in pre-clinical development and have far-reaching implications in cancer therapy. The rigor of pre-clinical studies is enhanced by the likeness of the model to the human body. In systems for 3D cell culture, for example, the extracellular matrix mimics the tumor more closely. The increasing emphasis on precision medicine can be applied to cancer using nanoparticle-based methods and applied to pre-clinical models by using patient-derived model data. This review highlights the intersections of nanomedicine, precision medicine, and racial disparities within endometrial cancer and provides insights into reducing health disparities using recent scientific advances on the nanoscale.

Single-cell analysis reveals landscape of endometrial cancer response to estrogen and identification of early diagnostic markers

BACKGROUND

The development of endometrial cancer (EC) is closely related to the abnormal activation of the estrogen signaling pathway. Effective diagnostic markers are important for the early detection and treatment of EC.

METHOD

We downloaded single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptome (ST) data of EC from public databases. Enrichment scores were calculated for EC cell subpopulations using the "AddModuleScore" function and the AUCell package, respectively. Six predictive models were constructed, including logistic regression (LR), Gaussian naive Bayes (GaussianNB), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), extreme gradient boosting (XGB), and neural network (NK). Subsequently, receiver-operating characteristics with areas under the curves (AUCs) were used to assess the robustness of the predictive model.

RESULT

We classified EC cell coaggregation into six cell clusters, of which the epithelial, fibroblast and endothelial cell clusters had higher estrogen signaling pathway activity. We founded the epithelial cell subtype Epi cluster1, the fibroblast cell subtype Fib cluster3, and the endothelial cell subtype Endo cluster3 all showed early activation levels of estrogen response. Based on EC cell subtypes, estrogen-responsive early genes, and genes encoding Stage I and para-cancer differentially expressed proteins in EC patients, a total of 24 early diagnostic markers were identified. The AUCs values of all six classifiers were higher than 0.95, which indicates that the early diagnostic markers we screened have superior robustness across different classification algorithms.

CONCLUSION

Our study elucidates the potential biological mechanism of EC response to estrogen at single-cell resolution, which provides a new direction for early diagnosis of EC.

Stabilization of MOF (KAT8) by USP10 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma proliferation and metastasis through epigenetic activation of ANXA2/Wnt signaling

Dysregulation of MOF (also known as MYST1, KAT8), a highly conserved H4K16 acetyltransferase, plays important roles in human cancers. However, its expression and function in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unknown. Here, we report that MOF is highly expressed in ESCC tumors and predicts a worse prognosis. Depletion of MOF in ESCC significantly impedes tumor growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo, whereas ectopic expression of MOF but not catalytically inactive mutant (MOF-E350Q) promotes ESCC progression, suggesting that MOF acetyltransferase activity is crucial for its oncogenic activity. Further analysis reveals that USP10, a deubiquitinase highly expressed in ESCC, binds to and deubiquitinates MOF at lysine 410, which protects it from proteosome-dependent protein degradation. MOF stabilization by USP10 promotes H4K16ac enrichment in the ANXA2 promoter to stimulate ANXA2 transcription in a JUN-dependent manner, which subsequently activates Wnt/β-Catenin signaling to facilitate ESCC progression. Our findings highlight a novel USP10/MOF/ANXA2 axis as a promising therapeutic target for ESCC.

KAT8 is upregulated and recruited to the promoter of Atg8 by FOXO to induce H4 acetylation for autophagy under 20-hydroxyecdysone regulation

Selective gene expression in cells in physiological or pathological conditions is important for the growth and development of organisms. Acetylation of histone H4 at K16 (H4K16ac) catalyzed by histone acetyltransferase 8 (KAT8) is known to promote gene transcription; however, the regulation of KAT8 transcription and the mechanism by which KAT8 acetylates H4K16ac to promote specific gene expression are unclear. Using the lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera as a model, we reveal that the transcription factor FOXO promotes KAT8 expression and recruits KAT8 to the promoter region of autophagy-related gene 8 (Atg8) to increase H4 acetylation at that location, enabling Atg8 transcription under the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) regulation. H4K16ac levels are increased in the midgut during metamorphosis, which is consistent with the expression profiles of KAT8 and ATG8. Knockdown of Kat8 using RNA interference results in delayed pupation and repression of midgut autophagy and decreases H4K16ac levels. Overexpression of KAT8-GFP promotes autophagy and increases H4K16ac levels. FOXO, KAT8, and H4K16ac colocalized at the FOXO-binding region to promote Atg8 transcription under 20E regulation. Acetylated FOXO at K180 and K183 catalyzed by KAT8 promotes gene transcription for autophagy. 20E via FOXO promotes Kat8 transcription. Knockdown or overexpression of FOXO appeared to give similar results as knockdown or overexpression of KAT8. Therefore, FOXO upregulates KAT8 expression and recruits KAT8 to the promoter region of Atg8, where the KAT8 induces H4 acetylation to promote Atg8 transcription for autophagy under 20E regulation. This study reveals the mechanism that KAT8 promotes transcription of a specific gene.

Analysis of clinical data of different endometrial pathological types in perimenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding

Objective

Early detection and diagnosis are important for improving the therapeutic effect and quality of life in patients with endometrial cancer (EC). This study aimed to analyze the clinical data of different endometrial pathological types in perimenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in order to provide evidence for the prevention and early diagnosis of EC.

Methods

A total of 462 perimenopausal women with AUB were enrolled in this prospective observational study. Endometrial biopsy was performed in patients with suspected endometrial lesions. According to the pathological examination results, the patients were divided into endometrial polyp group (EP) (n = 71), endometrial hyperplasia without atypia group (EH) (n = 59), atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) (n = 36), and EC group (n = 27). The history risk factors and ultrasonic imaging characteristics of endometrium among the four groups were compared.

Results

Twenty-seven women were diagnosed with EC (5.84%). The prevalence rate of AEH and EC in the group of 51- to 55-year-old women was significantly higher than that in the groups of 40- to 45-year-old women and of 46- to 50-year-old women (P < 0.05). The age, body mass index, and history of diabetes gradually increased with the development of endometrial pathological types. In addition, the correlation index of endometrial blood flow increased gradually, and the proportion of uneven endometrial echo, unclear endometrial-myometrial junction (EMJ), and ovarian cyst also increased gradually. However, no statistically significant difference was found when comparing endometrial thickness (ET) and endometrial volume (EV) among endometrial pathological groups (P > 0.05). The ET, EV, endometrial vascularization index, endometrial flow index, and vascularization flow index in the ovarian cyst group were significantly higher (P < 0.05), and the proportion of uneven endometrium echo and unclear EMJ were significantly higher compared with that in the non-ovarian cyst group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The most common cause of perimenopausal women with AUB was benign endometrial lesions. However, women aged 51-55 years old with endometrial high risk factors and ovarian cyst should be alert to AEH and EC. Endometrial biopsy needs to be performed to determine endometrial malignancy in necessity.

Ferroptosis, Metabolic Rewiring, and Endometrial Cancer

Ferroptosis is a newly discovered form of regulated cell death. The main feature of ferroptosis is excessive membrane lipid peroxidation caused by iron-mediated chemical and enzymatic reactions. In normal cells, harmful lipid peroxides are neutralized by glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). When GPX4 is inhibited, ferroptosis occurs. In mammalian cells, ferroptosis serves as a tumor suppression mechanism. Not surprisingly, in recent years, ferroptosis induction has gained attention as a potential anticancer strategy, alone or in combination with other conventional therapies. However, sensitivity to ferroptosis inducers depends on the metabolic state of the cell. Endometrial cancer (EC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world, with more than 66,000 new cases diagnosed every year. Out of all gynecological cancers, carcinogenesis of EC is mostly dependent on metabolic abnormalities. Changes in the uptake and catabolism of iron, lipids, glucose, and glutamine affect the redox capacity of EC cells and, consequently, their sensitivity to ferroptosis-inducing agents. In addition to this, in EC cells, ferroptosis-related genes are usually mutated and overexpressed, which makes ferroptosis a promising target for EC prediction, diagnosis, and therapy. However, for a successful application of ferroptosis, the connection between metabolic rewiring and ferroptosis in EC needs to be deciphered, which is the focus of this review.

Expression profiles and functional prediction of histone acetyltransferases of the MYST family in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) of the MYST family are associated with a variety of human cancers. However, the relationship between MYST HATs and their clinical significance in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) has not yet been evaluated.

METHODS

The bioinformatics method was used to investigate the expression patterns and prognostic value of MYST HATs. Western blot was used to detect the expression of MYST HATs in KIRC.

RESULTS

The expression levels of MYST HATs except KAT8 (KAT5, KAT6A, KAT6B, and KAT7) were significantly reduced in KIRC tissues compared to normal renal tissues, and the western blot results of the KIRC samples also confirmed the result. Reduced expression levels of MYST HATs except KAT8 were significantly associated with high tumor grade and advanced TNM stage in KIRC, and showed a significant association with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with KIRC. We also found that the expression levels of MYST HATs were closely related to each other. Subsequently, gene set enrichment analysis showed that the function of KAT5 was different from that of KAT6A, KAT6B and KAT7. The expression levels of KAT6A, KAT6B and KAT7 had significant positive correlations with cancer immune infiltrates such as B cells, CD4⁺ T cells and CD8⁺ T cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that MYST HATs, except KAT8, play a beneficial role in KIRC.

First-in-Class Selective Inhibitors of the Lysine Acetyltransferase KAT8

KAT8 is a lysine acetyltransferase primarily catalyzing the acetylation of Lys16 of histone H4 (H4K16). KAT8 dysregulation is linked to the development and metastatization of many cancer types, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Few KAT8 inhibitors have been reported so far, none of which displaying selective activity. Based on the KAT3B/KDAC inhibitor C646, we developed a series of N-phenyl-5-pyrazolone derivatives and identified compounds 19 and 34 as low-micromolar KAT8 inhibitors selective over a panel of KATs and KDACs. Western blot, immunofluorescence, and CETSA experiments demonstrated that both inhibitors selectively target KAT8 in cells. Moreover, 19 and 34 exhibited mid-micromolar antiproliferative activity in different cancer cell lines, including NSCLC and AML, without impacting the viability of nontransformed cells. Overall, these compounds are valuable tools for elucidating KAT8 biology, and their simple structures make them promising candidates for future optimization studies.

Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery improves the surgical outcome and life quality of patients with endometrial carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) on the surgical outcome and quality of life (QoL) of patients with endometrial carcinoma (EC).

METHODS

A total of 120 patients with EC treated in the Shandong Hospital of Traditional Chinese from August 2019 to June 2021 were selected, of which 70 cases treated with LESS were included in the research group and 50 cases treated with traditional laparoscopic surgery were assigned to the control group. The operation indexes, postoperative recovery, incidence of complications and QoL were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

The data identified that the time to anal exhaust, percentage of postoperative analgesics used, time to ambulation and length of stay in the research group were significantly less than those in the control group. The operation time was significantly longer in the research group compared with the control group. There were no significant differences in intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissected, catheter indwelling time and total complication rate between the two groups. The QoL was significantly better in the research group compared with the control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The above results indicate that LESS can improve the surgical outcome and QoL of patients with EC.

Estrogen Receptor Function: Impact on the Human Endometrium

The physiological role of estrogen in the female endometrium is well established. On the basis of responses to steroid hormones (progesterone, androgen, and estrogen), the endometrium is considered to have proliferative and secretory phases. Estrogen can act in the endometrium by interacting with estrogen receptors (ERs) to induce mucosal proliferation during the proliferative phase and progesterone receptor (PR) synthesis, which prepare the endometrium for the secretory phase. Mouse knockout studies have shown that ER expression, including ERα, ERβ, and G-protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) in the endometrium is critical for normal menstrual cycles and subsequent pregnancy. Incorrect expression of ERs can produce many diseases that can cause endometriosis, endometrial hyperplasia (EH), and endometrial cancer (EC), which affect numerous women of reproductive age. ERα promotes uterine cell proliferation and is strongly associated with an increased risk of EC, while ERβ has the opposite effects on ERα function. GPER is highly expressed in abnormal EH, but its expression in EC patients is paradoxical. Effective treatments for endometrium-related diseases depend on understanding the physiological function of ERs; however, much less is known about the signaling pathways through which ERs functions in the normal endometrium or in endometrial diseases. Given the important roles of ERs in the endometrium, we reviewed the published literature to elaborate the regulatory role of estrogen and its nuclear and membrane-associated receptors in maintaining the function of endometrium and to provide references for protecting female reproduction. Additionally, the role of drugs such as tamoxifen, raloxifene, fulvestrant and G-15 in the endometrium are also described. Future studies should focus on evaluating new therapeutic strategies that precisely target specific ERs and their related growth factor signaling pathways.

Role of the Histone Acetyl Transferase MOF and the Histone Deacetylase Sirtuins in Regulation of H4K16ac During DNA Damage Repair and Metabolic Programming: Implications in Cancer and Aging

The accurate repair of genomic damage mediated by ionizing radiation (IR), chemo- or radiomimetic drugs, or other exogenous agents, is necessary for maintenance of genome integrity, preservation of cellular viability and prevention of oncogenic transformation. Eukaryotes have conserved mechanisms designed to perceive and repair the damaged DNA quite efficiently. Among the different types of DNA damage, double strand breaks (DSB) are the most detrimental. The cellular DNA DSB response is a hierarchical signaling network that integrates damage sensing and repair with chromatin structural changes that involve a range of pre-existing and induced covalent modifications. Recent studies have revealed that pre-existing histone modifications are important contributors within this signaling/repair network. This chapter discusses the role of a critical histone acetyl transferase (HAT) known as MOF (males absent on the first) and the histone deacetylases (HDACs) Sirtuins on histone H4K16 acetylation (H4K16ac) and DNA damage repair. We also discuss the role of this important histone modification in light of metabolic rewiring and its role in regulating human pathophysiologic states.

Knockdown of LMTK3 in the Endometrioid Adenocarcinoma Cell Line Ishikawa: Inhibition of Growth and Estrogen Receptor α

Objective

The curative effect of high-efficiency progesterone and other therapeutic drugs for endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients with preservation of reproductive capacity has not been satisfactory so far. Novel therapeutic drugs need to be explored.

Methods

We investigated the cytoplastic and nuclear expression levels of LMTK3 between endometrioid adenocarcinoma tissues and adjacent endometrial tissues by immunohistochemistry. We detected the effects of LMTK3 on cell viability of Ishikawa cells by CCK-8. We detected the effects of LMTK3 on cell cycle and apoptosis of Ishikawa cells by flow cytometry. We also detected the effects of LMTK3 knockdown on mRNA and protein levels of ERα by qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. We also used the cBioPortal online database to analyze the coexpression of LMTK3 and ESR1 in 1647 UCEC samples.

Results

We used TMAs to identify that LMTK3 was mainly detected in the cytoplasm of endometrioid tissues, and cytoplasmic LMTK3 expression in endometrioid tissues was higher than that in adjacent endometrial tissues (P < 0.05). LMTK3 knockdown decreased the proliferation of Ishikawa cells through decreasing cell viability (P < 0.01), increasing G1 (P < 0.001) arrest, and promoting apoptosis (P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation between the mRNA expression levels of LMTK3 and ESR1 (Spearman: P=2.011e-5, R=0.13; Pearson: P=7.18e-8, R=0.17). Knockdown of LMTK3 also reduced the mRNA (P < 0.001) and protein (P < 0.001) levels of ERα.

Conclusions

Inhibitors of LMTK3 may be a possible future treatment for ERα and LMTK3 highly expressed endometrioid adenocarcinoma following appropriate studies.

Circ_0109046 promotes the malignancy of endometrial carcinoma cells through the microRNA-105/SOX9/Wnt/β-catenin axis

Emerging evidence suggests the important involvements of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in cancer progression. This study focuses on the function of Circ_0109046 on the malignancy of endometrial carcinoma (EC) cells and the molecules involved. First, high expression of Circ_0109046 was found in EC tissues compared to the adjacent tissues, and it predicted unfavorable prognosis in patients. Similarly, high expression of Circ_0109046 was confirmed in EC cells relative to that in normal endometrial epithelial cells. Silencing of Circ_0109046 in AN3-CA cells inhibited proliferation and aggressiveness but increased apoptosis of cells. Circ_0109046 was mainly sub-localized in cytoplasm, and it mediated SOX9 expression through sponging microRNA (miR)-105. The proliferation and aggressiveness of EC cells suppressed by Circ_0109046 downregulation was recovered upon SOX9 overexpression. SOX9 activated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Furthermore, downregulation of Circ_0109046 reduced the growth of xenograft tumors in nude mice. This study evidenced that Circ_0109046 upregulates SOX9 expression through sponging miR105, leading to activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the malignant growth of EC. This study may offer novel understanding in EC treatment.

Histone Acetyltransferase MOF Orchestrates Outcomes at the Crossroad of Oncogenesis, DNA Damage Response, Proliferation, and Stem Cell Development

The DNA and protein complex known as chromatin is subject to posttranslational modifications (PTMs) that regulate cellular functions such that PTM dysregulation can lead to disease, including cancer. One critical PTM is acetylation/deacetylation, which is being investigated as a means to develop targeted cancer therapies. The histone acetyltransferase (HAT) family of proteins performs histone acetylation. In humans, MOF (hMOF), a member of the MYST family of HATs, acetylates histone H4 at lysine 16 (H4K16ac). MOF-mediated acetylation plays a critical role in the DNA damage response (DDR) and embryonic stem cell development. Functionally, MOF is found in two distinct complexes: NSL (nonspecific lethal) in humans and MSL (male-specific lethal) in flies. The NSL complex is also able to acetylate additional histone H4 sites. Dysregulation of MOF activity occurs in multiple cancers, including ovarian cancer, medulloblastoma, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and lung cancer. Bioinformatics analysis of KAT8, the gene encoding hMOF, indicated that it is highly overexpressed in kidney tumors as part of a concerted gene coexpression program that can support high levels of chromosome segregation and cell proliferation. The linkage between MOF and tumor proliferation suggests that there are additional functions of MOF that remain to be discovered.