Srag Regulates Autophagy via Integrating into a Preexisting Autophagy Pathway in Testis

RPGR is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the small GTPase RAB37 required for retinal function via autophagy regulation

Although the small GTPase RAB37 acts as an organizer of autophagosome biogenesis, the upstream regulatory mechanism of autophagy via guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-guanosine triphosphate (GTP) exchange in maintaining retinal function has not been determined. We found that retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that activates RAB37 by accelerating GDP-to-GTP exchange. RPGR directly interacts with RAB37 via the RPGR-RCC1-like domain to promote autophagy through stimulating exchange. Rpgr knockout (KO) in mice leads to photoreceptor degeneration owing to autophagy impairment in the retina. Notably, the retinopathy phenotypes of Rpgr KO retinas are rescued by the adeno-associated virus-mediated transfer of pre-trans-splicing molecules, which produce normal Rpgr mRNAs via trans-splicing in the Rpgr KO retinas. This rescue upregulates autophagy through the re-expression of RPGR in KO retinas to accelerate GDP-to-GTP exchange; thus, retinal homeostasis reverts to normal. Taken together, these findings provide an important missing link for coordinating RAB37 GDP-GTP exchange via the RPGR and retinal homeostasis by autophagy regulation.

Transcriptome analysis reveals the genes involved in spermatogenesis in white feather broilers

Semen volume is an important economic trait of broilers and one of the important indices for continuous breeding. The objective of this study was to identify genes related to semen volume through transcriptome analysis of the testis tissue of white feather broilers. The testis samples with the highest semen volume (H group, n = 5) and lowest semen volume (L group, n = 5) were selected from 400-day-old roosters for transcriptome analysis by RNA sequencing. During the screening of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the H and L groups, a total of 386 DEGs were identified, among which 348 were upregulated and 38 were downregulated. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that the immune response, leukocyte differentiation, cell adhesion molecules and collagen binding played vital roles in spermatogenesis. The results showed that 4 genes related to spermatogenesis, namely, COL1A1, CD74, ARPC1B and APOA1, were significantly expressed in Group H, which was consistent with the phenotype results. Our findings may provide a basis for further research on the genetic mechanism of semen volume in white feather broilers.

ABHD12 contributes to tumorigenesis and sorafenib resistance by preventing ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Sorafenib induces ferroptosis, making it a useful treatment against advanced liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). However, sorafenib resistance is extremely common among LIHC patients. Here, we used a comprehensive approach to investigate the effects of ABHD12, which regulates tumorigenesis and sorafenib resistance in LIHC. We validated ABHD12 expression was upregulated in LIHC tissue, which correlated with worse overall survival and related to tumor size or stage. ABHD12 facilitated a pro-tumorigenic phenotype involving increased cell proliferation, migration, and clonogenicity as well as sorafenib resistance. Knockout of ABHD12 sensitized liver cancer cells to sorafenib-induced ferroptosis. Co-delivery of sorafenib and ABHD12 inhibitor into a nude mouse model enhanced therapeutic efficacy for LIHC. Our study demonstrates that ABHD12 contributes to tumor growth and sorafenib resistance in liver cancer, which indicate the promising potential of ABHD12 in diagnosis and prognosis as well as highlight the potential therapeutic applications for co-delivery of sorafenib and ABHD12 inhibitor.

The constructive and destructive impact of autophagy on both genders' reproducibility, a comprehensive review

Reproduction is characterized by a series of massive renovations at molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Recent studies have strongly tended to reveal the involvement of basic molecular pathways such as autophagy, a highly conserved eukaryotic cellular recycling, during reproductive processes. This review comprehensively describes the current knowledge, updated to September 2022, of autophagy contribution during reproductive processes in males including spermatogenesis, sperm motility and viability, and male sex hormones and females including germ cells and oocytes viability, ovulation, implantation, fertilization, and female sex hormones. Furthermore, the consequences of disruption in autophagic flux on the reproductive disorders including oligospermia, azoospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia, globozoospermia, premature ovarian insufficiency, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, and other disorders related to infertility are discussed as well.Abbreviations: AKT/protein kinase B: AKT serine/threonine kinase; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; ATG: autophagy related; E2: estrogen; EDs: endocrine disruptors; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; FSH: follicle stimulating hormone; FOX: forkhead box; GCs: granulosa cells; HIF: hypoxia inducible factor; IVF: in vitro fertilization; IVM: in vitro maturation; LCs: Leydig cells; LDs: lipid droplets; LH: luteinizing hormone; LRWD1: leucine rich repeats and WD repeat domain containing 1; MAP1LC3: microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3; MAPK: mitogen-activated protein kinase; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; NFKB/NF-kB: nuclear factor kappa B; P4: progesterone; PCOS: polycystic ovarian syndrome; PDLIM1: PDZ and LIM domain 1; PI3K: phosphoinositide 3-kinase; PtdIns3P: phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate; PtdIns3K: class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; POI: premature ovarian insufficiency; ROS: reactive oxygen species; SCs: Sertoli cells; SQSTM1/p62: sequestosome 1; TSGA10: testis specific 10; TST: testosterone; VCP: vasolin containing protein.

Identification of MYEOV-Associated Gene Network as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Pancreatic Cancer

The molecular mechanism that promotes pancreatic cancer remains unclear, so it is important to find the molecular network of important genes related to pancreatic cancer. To find the key molecule of pancreatic cancer, differential gene expression analyses were analyzed by the Deseq2 package, edgeR package, and limma-voom package, respectively. Pancreatic cancer survival-related genes were analyzed by COX survival analysis. Finally, we integrated the results to obtain the significantly differentially expressed gene, MYEOV (myeloma overexpressed gene), most strongly related to survival in pancreatic cancer. Experimental verification by qRT-PCR confirmed that transcription levels of MYEOV mRNA markedly increased in pancreatic cancer cells relative to normal human pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (HPDE). Through the comprehensive analysis of multiple databases, we constructed a molecular network centered on MYEOV and found specific links between molecules in this network and tumor-associated immune cells. It was noted that MYEOV could serve as a ceRNA by producing molecular sponging effects on hsa-miR-103a-3p and hsa-miR-107, thus affecting the role of GPRC5A, SERPINB5, EGFR, KRAS, EIF4G2, and PDCD4 on pancreatic cancer progression. Besides, we also identified that infiltrated immune cells are potential mediators for the molecules in the MYEOV-related network to promote pancreatic cancer progression. It is the first report to focus on the possibility that MYEOV may act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to form an interactive network with some pancreatic cancer-related genes such as KRAS and serve as a key therapeutic target of pancreatic cancer treatment.

Combination of an autophagy inhibitor with immunoadjuvants and an anti-PD-L1 antibody in multifunctional nanoparticles for enhanced breast cancer immunotherapy

BACKGROUND

The application of combination therapy for cancer treatment is limited due to poor tumor-specific drug delivery and the abscopal effect.

METHODS

Here, PD-L1- and CD44-responsive multifunctional nanoparticles were developed using a polymer complex of polyethyleneimine and oleic acid (PEI-OA) and loaded with two chemotherapeutic drugs (paclitaxel and chloroquine), an antigen (ovalbumin), an immunopotentiator (CpG), and an immune checkpoint inhibitor (anti-PD-L1 antibody).

RESULTS

PEI-OA greatly improved the drug loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency of the nanoplatform, while the anti-PD-L1 antibody significantly increased its cellular uptake compared to other treatment formulations. Pharmacodynamic experiments confirmed that the anti-PD-L1 antibody can strongly inhibit primary breast cancer and increase levels of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell at the tumor site. In addition, chloroquine reversed the "immune-cold" environment and improved the anti-tumor effect of both chemotherapeutics and immune checkpoint inhibitors, while it induced strong immune memory and prevented lung metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our strategy serves as a promising approach to the rational design of nanodelivery systems for simultaneous active targeting, autophagy inhibition, and chemotherapy that can be combined with immune-checkpoint inhibitors for enhanced breast cancer treatment.

Decoding genome recombination and sex reversal

Over the past 440 years since the discovery of the medicinal value of swamp eels, much progress has been made in the study of their biology. The fish is emerging as an important model animal in sexual development, in addition to economic and pharmaceutical implications. Tracing genomic history that shapes speciation of the fish has led to discovery of the whole genome-wide chromosome fission/fusion events. Natural intersex differentiation is a compelling feature for sexual development research. Notably, identification of progenitors of germline stem cells that have bipotential to differentiate into either male or female germline stem cells provides new insight into sex reversal. Here, we review these advances that have propelled the field forwards and present unsolved issues that will guide future investigations to finally elucidate vertebrate sexual development using the new model.

Repurposing drugs in autophagy for the treatment of cancer: From bench to bedside

Autophagy is a multistep degradation pathway involving the lysosome, which supports nutrient reuse and metabolic balance, and has been implicated as a process that regulates cancer genesis and development. Targeting tumors by regulating autophagy has become a therapeutic strategy of interest. Drugs with other indications can have antitumor activity by modulating autophagy, providing a shortcut to developing novel antitumor drugs (i.e., drug repurposing/repositioning), as successfully performed for chloroquine (CQ); an increasing number of repurposed drugs have since advanced into clinical trials. In this review, we describe the application of different drug-repurposing approaches in autophagy for the treatment of cancer and focus on repurposing drugs that target autophagy to treat malignant neoplasms.

miR-135a Suppresses Granulosa Cell Growth by Targeting Tgfbr1 and Ccnd2 during Folliculogenesis in Mice

The success of female reproduction relies on high quality oocytes, which is determined by well-organized cooperation between granulosa cells (GCs) and oocytes during folliculogenesis. GC growth plays a crucial role in maintaining follicle development. Herein, miR-135a was identified as a differentially expressed microRNA in pre-ovulatory ovarian follicles between Large White and Chinese Taihu sows detected by Solexa deep sequencing. We found that miR-135a could significantly facilitate the accumulation of cells arrested at the G1/S phase boundary and increase apoptosis. Mechanically, miR-135a suppressed transforming growth factor, beta receptor I (Tgfbr1) and cyclin D2 (Ccnd2) expression by targeting their 3′UTR in GCs. Furthermore, subcellular localization analysis and a chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative real-time PCR (ChIP-qPCR) assay demonstrated that the TGFBR1-SMAD3 pathway could enhance Ccnd2 promoter activity and thus upregulate Ccnd2 expression. Finally, estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2) functioned as a transcription factor by directly binding to the miR-135a promoter region and decreasing the transcriptional activity of miR-135a. Taken together, our study reveals a pro-survival mechanism of ESR2/miR-135a/Tgfbr1/Ccnd2 axis for GC growth, and also provides a novel target for the improvement of female fertility.