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Wang X, Zhang Z, Shi Y, Zhang W, Su C, Wang D. Construction of a Novel Mitochondria-Associated Gene Model for Assessing ESCC Immune Microenvironment and Predicting Survival. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2024; 34:1164-1177. [PMID: 38719775 PMCID: PMC11180922 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.2310.10052] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is among the most common malignant tumors of the digestive tract, with the sixth highest fatality rate worldwide. The ESCC-related dataset, GSE20347, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify genes that are highly correlated with ESCC. A total of 91 transcriptome expression profiles and their corresponding clinical information were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. A mitochondria-associated risk (MAR) model was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression analysis and validated using GSE161533. The tumor microenvironment and drug sensitivity were explored using the MAR model. Finally, in vitro experiments were performed to analyze the effects of hub genes on the proliferation and invasion abilities of ESCC cells. To confirm the predictive ability of the MAR model, we constructed a prognostic model and assessed its predictive accuracy. The MAR model revealed substantial differences in immune infiltration and tumor microenvironment characteristics between high- and low-risk populations and a substantial correlation between the risk scores and some common immunological checkpoints. AZD1332 and AZD7762 were more effective for patients in the low-risk group, whereas Entinostat, Nilotinib, Ruxolutinib, and Wnt.c59 were more effective for patients in the high-risk group. Knockdown of TYMS significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasive ability of ESCC cells in vitro. Overall, our MAR model provides stable and reliable results and may be used as a prognostic biomarker for personalized treatment of patients with ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu Wang
- Department of General Practice, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, P.R. China
| | - Zhenhu Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, P.R. China
| | - Yamin Shi
- School of Foreign Languages, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Jinan 250014, P. R. China
| | - Wenjuan Zhang
- Department of Surgical, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, P.R. China
| | - Chongyi Su
- Department of Emergency, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, P.R. China
| | - Dong Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, P.R. China
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Ingebriktsen LM, Svanøe AA, Myrmel Sæle AK, Humlevik ROC, Toska K, Kalvenes MB, Aas T, Heie A, Askeland C, Knutsvik G, Stefansson IM, Akslen LA, Hoivik EA, Wik E. Age-Related Clusters and Favorable Immune Phenotypes in Breast Cancer of the Young Patients. Mod Pathol 2024; 37:100529. [PMID: 38810731 DOI: 10.1016/j.modpat.2024.100529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) patients aged <40 years at diagnosis experience aggressive disease and poorer survival compared with women diagnosed with BC at 40 to 49 years, but the age-related biology is described to little extent. Here, we explored transcriptional alterations in BC to gain better understanding of age-related tumor biology. We studied a subset of the Bergen in-house cohort (n = 127; age range, 26-49 years) and used the NanoString Breast Cancer 360 expression panel on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded BC tissue, and publicly available global BC messenger RNA expression data (n = 204, age range, 22-49 years), to explore differentially expressed genes between the young (age <40 years) and older (age 40-49 years) patients. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering was applied to identify gene expression-based patient clusters. We applied established computational approaches to define the PAM50 subtypes, risk of recurrence scores (ROR), and risk groups and to infer the proportions of 22 immune cell types from bulk gene expression profiles of patients aged <50 years at BC diagnosis. Differentially expressed genes and gene sets were investigated using OncoEnrichR and g:Profiler to describe functional profiles and pathway enrichment. We identified 4 age-related patient clusters presenting distinct characteristics of PAM50 subtypes and ROR profiles, which demonstrated independent prognostic value when adjusted for traditional clinicopathologic variables and the known molecular subtypes. Our findings showed better survival than expected in the basal-enriched cluster 2 and in triple-negative and basal-like BC. Deconvolution analyses of immunophenotypes indicated higher levels of M0 and M1 macrophages than M2 macrophages in subsets of young BC. Our approach identifies age-based patient clusters with distinct clinicopathologic profiles, to a large extent overlapping with the PAM50 subtypes, although with independent prognostic values in multivariate survival analyses. The patient clusters provided new insight in the immune cell distribution across tumor subtypes, potentially contributing to survival differences between the clusters and the molecular subtypes and indicating age-related mechanisms improving outcome. Our study confirms the applicability of ROR as a valid prognosticator also in a young BC cohort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lise Martine Ingebriktsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Amalie Abrahamsen Svanøe
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Anna Kristine Myrmel Sæle
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Rasmus Olai Collett Humlevik
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Karen Toska
- Section for Cancer Genomics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - May Britt Kalvenes
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Turid Aas
- Department of Surgery, Section for Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anette Heie
- Department of Surgery, Section for Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Cecilie Askeland
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Gøril Knutsvik
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ingunn Marie Stefansson
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lars Andreas Akslen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Erling Andre Hoivik
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Elisabeth Wik
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers CCBIO, Section for Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Pathology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
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Ahmadi M, Ritter CA, von Woedtke T, Bekeschus S, Wende K. Package delivered: folate receptor-mediated transporters in cancer therapy and diagnosis. Chem Sci 2024; 15:1966-2006. [PMID: 38332833 PMCID: PMC10848714 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc05539f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Neoplasias pose a significant threat to aging society, underscoring the urgent need to overcome the limitations of traditional chemotherapy through pioneering strategies. Targeted drug delivery is an evolving frontier in cancer therapy, aiming to enhance treatment efficacy while mitigating undesirable side effects. One promising avenue utilizes cell membrane receptors like the folate receptor to guide drug transporters precisely to malignant cells. Based on the cellular folate receptor as a cancer cell hallmark, targeted nanocarriers and small molecule-drug conjugates have been developed that comprise different (bio) chemistries and/or mechanical properties with individual advantages and challenges. Such modern folic acid-conjugated stimuli-responsive drug transporters provide systemic drug delivery and controlled release, enabling reduced dosages, circumvention of drug resistance, and diminished adverse effects. Since the drug transporters' structure-based de novo design is increasingly relevant for precision cancer remediation and diagnosis, this review seeks to collect and debate the recent approaches to deliver therapeutics or diagnostics based on folic acid conjugated Trojan Horses and to facilitate the understanding of the relevant chemistry and biochemical pathways. Focusing exemplarily on brain and breast cancer, recent advances spanning 2017 to 2023 in conjugated nanocarriers and small molecule drug conjugates were considered, evaluating the chemical and biological aspects in order to improve accessibility to the field and to bridge chemical and biomedical points of view ultimately guiding future research in FR-targeted cancer therapy and diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Ahmadi
- Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Center for Innovation Competence (ZIK) Plasmatis Felix Hausdorff-Str. 2 17489 Greifswald Germany
| | - Christoph A Ritter
- Institute of Pharmacy, Section Clinical Pharmacy, University of Greifswald Greifswald Germany
| | - Thomas von Woedtke
- Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Center for Innovation Competence (ZIK) Plasmatis Felix Hausdorff-Str. 2 17489 Greifswald Germany
- Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Greifswald University Medical Center Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße 17475 Greifswald Germany
| | - Sander Bekeschus
- Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Center for Innovation Competence (ZIK) Plasmatis Felix Hausdorff-Str. 2 17489 Greifswald Germany
- Clinic and Policlinic for Dermatology and Venereology, Rostock University Medical Center Strempelstr. 13 18057 Rostock Germany
| | - Kristian Wende
- Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Center for Innovation Competence (ZIK) Plasmatis Felix Hausdorff-Str. 2 17489 Greifswald Germany
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Yu F, Shi L, Wang Q, Xing X, Li Z, Hou L, Zhou Z, Wang Z, Xiao Y. The Association Between Thymidylate Synthase Gene Polymorphisms and the Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Chinese Han Population. Biochem Genet 2024; 62:468-484. [PMID: 37378701 PMCID: PMC10901929 DOI: 10.1007/s10528-023-10431-8] [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: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Family history of hypertension, smoking, diabetes and alcohol consumption and atherosclerotic plaque were identified as common risk factors in IS. We aimed at investigating the relationship between Thymidylate Synthase (TS) gene polymorphisms and ischemic stroke (IS).This case-control research selected and genotyped three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)of TS( rs699517, rs2790, and rs151264360) with Sanger sequencing in Chinese Han population. We also adopted logistic regression analysis in genetic models for calculating odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Genotype-Tissue Expression(GTEx) database analyzed the tissue-specific expression and TS polymorphisms. The ischemic stroke patients showed higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and total homocysteine (tHcy). It was found that patients with the TT genotype of rs699517 and GG genotype of rs2790 had larger degrees of tHcy than those with CC + CT genotypes and AA + AG genotypes, respectively. The genotype distribution of the three SNPs did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). Haplotype analysis showed that T-G-del was the major haplotype in IS, and C-A-ins was the major haplotype in controls. GTEx database indicated that the rs699517 and rs2790 increased the expression of TS in healthy human and associated with TS expression level in a single tissue. In conclusion: This study has shown that TS rs699517 and rs2790 were significantly related to ischemic stroke patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuhua Yu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Key Laboratory of Post-Trauma Neuro-Repair and Regeneration in Central Nervous System, Ministry of Education & Key Laboratory of Injuries, Variations and Regeneration of Nervous System, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Neurological Institute, 154 Anshan Road, Tianjin, 300052, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng People's Hospital, No.67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Shi
- Department of Neurology, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng People's Hospital, No.67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianru Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Liaocheng Fourth People's Hospital. No, 47 Huayuan North Road, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaohui Xing
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng People's Hospital, No.67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongchen Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng People's Hospital, No.67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Hou
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng People's Hospital, No.67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengshan Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, People's Hospital of Chiping District, No.1057 Wenhua Road, Chiping District, Liaocheng, 252100, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Zengguang Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Key Laboratory of Post-Trauma Neuro-Repair and Regeneration in Central Nervous System, Ministry of Education & Key Laboratory of Injuries, Variations and Regeneration of Nervous System, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Neurological Institute, 154 Anshan Road, Tianjin, 300052, China.
| | - Yilei Xiao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng People's Hospital, No.67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, 252000, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
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Petrova B, Maynard AG, Wang P, Kanarek N. Regulatory mechanisms of one-carbon metabolism enzymes. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105457. [PMID: 37949226 PMCID: PMC10758965 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
One-carbon metabolism is a central metabolic pathway critical for the biosynthesis of several amino acids, methyl group donors, and nucleotides. The pathway mostly relies on the transfer of a carbon unit from the amino acid serine, through the cofactor folate (in its several forms), and to the ultimate carbon acceptors that include nucleotides and methyl groups used for methylation of proteins, RNA, and DNA. Nucleotides are required for DNA replication, DNA repair, gene expression, and protein translation, through ribosomal RNA. Therefore, the one-carbon metabolism pathway is essential for cell growth and function in all cells, but is specifically important for rapidly proliferating cells. The regulation of one-carbon metabolism is a critical aspect of the normal and pathological function of the pathway, such as in cancer, where hijacking these regulatory mechanisms feeds an increased need for nucleotides. One-carbon metabolism is regulated at several levels: via gene expression, posttranslational modification, subcellular compartmentalization, allosteric inhibition, and feedback regulation. In this review, we aim to inform the readers of relevant one-carbon metabolism regulation mechanisms and to bring forward the need to further study this aspect of one-carbon metabolism. The review aims to integrate two major aspects of cancer metabolism-signaling downstream of nutrient sensing and one-carbon metabolism, because while each of these is critical for the proliferation of cancerous cells, their integration is critical for comprehensive understating of cellular metabolism in transformed cells and can lead to clinically relevant insights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boryana Petrova
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Adam G Maynard
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Naama Kanarek
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
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Chmielewska-Kassassir M, Sobierajska K, Ciszewski WM, Kryczka J, Zieleniak A, Wozniak LA. Evening Primrose Extract Modulates TYMS Expression via SP1 Transcription Factor in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5003. [PMID: 37894370 PMCID: PMC10605291 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15205003] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine the mechanism of EPE in downregulating TYMS in MPM cancer. METHODS The TYMS mRNA expression with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition biomarkers and nuclear factor SP1 was assessed using the GEO database in a data set of MPM patients (GSE51024). Invasive MPM cell lines were in vitro models for the investigation of TYMS expression after EPE treatment. The tyms promoter SP1 binding sequences were determined using Genomatix v 3.4 software Electrophoretic mobility shift and dual-luciferase reporter assays revealed specific SP1 motifs in the interaction of EPE and reference compounds. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and Re-ChIP were used for the co-occupancy study. RESULTS In MPM patients, a positive correlation of overexpressed TYMS with mesenchymal TWIST1, FN1 and N-cadherin was observed. EPE and its major components, gallic and ellagic acid (GA and EA, respectively), downregulated TYMS in invasive MPM cells by interacting with particular SP1 motifs on the tyms promoter. The luciferase constructs confirmed the occupation of two SP1 regulatory regions critical for the promotion of TYMS expression. Both EPE and reference standards influenced SP1 translocation into the nucleus. CONCLUSION EPE components reduced TYMS expression by occupation of SP1 motifs on the tyms promoter and reversed the EMT phenotype of invasive MPM cells. Further in-depth analysis of the molecular docking of polyphenol compounds with SP1 regulatory motifs is required.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katarzyna Sobierajska
- Department of Molecular Cell Mechanisms, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland; (K.S.); (W.M.C.)
| | - Wojciech M. Ciszewski
- Department of Molecular Cell Mechanisms, Medical University of Lodz, Mazowiecka 6/8, 92-215 Lodz, Poland; (K.S.); (W.M.C.)
| | - Jakub Kryczka
- Institute of Medical Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodowa 106, 93-232 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Andrzej Zieleniak
- Department of Structural Biology, Medical University of Lodz, Żeligowskiego 7/9, 90-752 Lodz, Poland; (M.C.-K.); (A.Z.)
| | - Lucyna A. Wozniak
- Department of Structural Biology, Medical University of Lodz, Żeligowskiego 7/9, 90-752 Lodz, Poland; (M.C.-K.); (A.Z.)
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Yang J, Zhang J, Chen J, Yang X, Sun H, Zhao Z, Zhou H, Shen H. Thymidylate synthase promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma growth by relieving oxidative stress through activating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 expression. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290264. [PMID: 37682862 PMCID: PMC10490860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) is involved in the malignant process of multiple cancers, and has gained much attention as a cancer treatment target. However, the mechanism in carcinogenesis of esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) is little reported. The present study was to clear the biological roles and carcinogenic mechanism of TYMS in ESCC, and explored the possibility to use TYMS as a tumor marker in diagnosis and a drug target for the treatment of ESCC. METHODS Stably TYMS-overexpression cells established by lentivirus transduction were used for the analysis of cell proliferation. RNA sequencing was performed to explore the possible carcinogenic mechanisms. RESULTS GEPIA databases analysis showed that TYMS expression in esophageal cancer tissues was higher than that in normal tissues. The MTT assay, colony formation assay, and nude mouse subcutaneous tumor model found that the overexpression of TYMS increased cell proliferation. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that the promoted cell proliferation in TYMS-overexpression ESCC cells were mediated through activating genes expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and Nrf2 dependent antioxidant enzymes to relieve oxidative stress, which was confirmed by increased glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities, and reduced reactive oxygen species. Nrf2 active inhibitors (ML385) used in TYMS-overexpression cells inhibited the expression of Nrf2-dependent antioxidant enzyme genes, thereby increasing oxidative stress and blocking cell proliferation. CONCLUSION Our study indicated a novel and effective regulatory capacity of TYMS in the cell proliferation of ESCC by relieving oxidative stress through activating expression of Nrf2 and Nrf2-dependent antioxidant enzymes genes. These properties make TYMS and Nrf2 as appealing targets for ESCC clinical chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Yang
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Physiology, College of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
| | - Jingtian Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The Fifth Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
| | - Xiaolong Yang
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Basic Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
| | - Hui Sun
- Science & Technology Information and Strategy Research Center of Shanxi, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
| | - Zhenxiang Zhao
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
| | - Hui Zhou
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
| | - Hao Shen
- College of Pharmacy, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, PR China
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Li M, Sun S, Bian Z, Yao S, Liu M, You X, Li M. SNHG15 promotes chemoresistance and glycolysis in colorectal cancer. Pathol Res Pract 2023; 246:154480. [PMID: 37148838 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.154480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in tumor progression. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 15 (SNHG15) is a lncRNA that has been confirmed to play an oncogenic role in multiple cancer types. However, its role in glycolysis and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer (CRC) is unclear. The expression of SNHG15 in CRC was analyzed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases by bioinformatics methods. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were used to evaluate cell viability. Cell sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was detected by CCK-8. Glucose absorption and lactate production were used to evaluate the impact of SNHG15 on glycolysis. RNA-seq, real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting (WB) were used to reveal the potential molecular mechanism of SNHG15 in CRC. SNHG15 was upregulated in CRC tissues compared with paired noncancerous tissues. Ectopic SNHG15 expression increased proliferation, 5-FU chemoresistance, and glycolysis in CRC cells. In contrast, SNHG15 knockdown inhibited CRC proliferation, 5-FU chemoresistance and glycolysis. Multiple pathways, including apoptosis and glycolysis, were potentially regulated by SNHG15 based on RNA-seq and pathway enrichment analyses. RT-qPCR and WB experiments confirmed that SNHG15 promoted the expression of TYMS, BCL2, GLUT1 and PKM2 in CRC cells. In conclusion, SNHG15 promotes 5-FU chemoresistance and glycolysis in CRC by potentially regulating the expression of TYMS, BCL2, GLUT1 and PKM2 and appears to be a new target for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- Pharmacy Department, Wuxi 9th People's Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, China.
| | - Shengbai Sun
- Wuxi Cancer Institute, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214062, China
| | - Zehua Bian
- Wuxi Cancer Institute, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214062, China
| | - Surui Yao
- Wuxi Cancer Institute, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214062, China
| | - Meng Liu
- Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Xiaohong You
- Pharmacy Department, Wuxi 9th People's Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, China.
| | - Min Li
- Pharmacy Department, Wuxi 9th People's Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214100, China
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Pilesi E, Angioli C, Graziani C, Parroni A, Contestabile R, Tramonti A, Vernì F. A gene-nutrient interaction between vitamin B6 and serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) affects genome integrity in Drosophila. J Cell Physiol 2023. [PMID: 37183313 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.31033] [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: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), the catalytically active form of vitamin B6, participates as a cofactor to one carbon (1C) pathway that produces precursors for DNA metabolism. The concerted action of PLP-dependent serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) and thymidylate synthase (TS) leads to the biosynthesis of thymidylate (dTMP), which plays an essential function in DNA synthesis and repair. PLP deficiency causes chromosome aberrations (CABs) in Drosophila and human cells, rising the hypothesis that an altered 1C metabolism may be involved. To test this hypothesis, we used Drosophila as a model system and found, firstly, that in PLP deficient larvae SHMT activity is reduced by 40%. Second, we found that RNAi-induced SHMT depletion causes chromosome damage rescued by PLP supplementation and strongly exacerbated by PLP depletion. RNAi-induced TS depletion causes severe chromosome damage, but this is only slightly enhanced by PLP depletion. dTMP supplementation rescues CABs in both PLP-deficient and PLP-proficient SHMTRNAi . Altogether these data suggest that a reduction of SHMT activity caused by PLP deficiency contributes to chromosome damage by reducing dTMP biosynthesis. In addition, our work brings to light a gene-nutrient interaction between SHMT decreased activity and PLP deficiency impacting on genome stability that may be translated to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Pilesi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Angioli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Graziani
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Parroni
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council (IBPM-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Contestabile
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Tramonti
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi Fanelli", Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology, National Research Council (IBPM-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Fiammetta Vernì
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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10
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Wedam R, Greer YE, Wisniewski DJ, Weltz S, Kundu M, Voeller D, Lipkowitz S. Targeting Mitochondria with ClpP Agonists as a Novel Therapeutic Opportunity in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15071936. [PMID: 37046596 PMCID: PMC10093243 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15071936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide and the leading cause of cancer mortality in women. Despite the recent development of new therapeutics including targeted therapies and immunotherapy, triple-negative breast cancer remains an aggressive form of breast cancer, and thus improved treatments are needed. In recent decades, it has become increasingly clear that breast cancers harbor metabolic plasticity that is controlled by mitochondria. A myriad of studies provide evidence that mitochondria are essential to breast cancer progression. Mitochondria in breast cancers are widely reprogrammed to enhance energy production and biosynthesis of macromolecules required for tumor growth. In this review, we will discuss the current understanding of mitochondrial roles in breast cancers and elucidate why mitochondria are a rational therapeutic target. We will then outline the status of the use of mitochondria-targeting drugs in breast cancers, and highlight ClpP agonists as emerging mitochondria-targeting drugs with a unique mechanism of action. We also illustrate possible drug combination strategies and challenges in the future breast cancer clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohan Wedam
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Yoshimi Endo Greer
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - David J Wisniewski
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sarah Weltz
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Manjari Kundu
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Donna Voeller
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Stanley Lipkowitz
- Women's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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11
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Li YZ, Xie J, Wang RQ, Gao XQ, Liu PJ, Liu J. KLF2 is a clinical diagnostic and treatment biomarker of breast cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1182123. [PMID: 37123417 PMCID: PMC10133575 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1182123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: As a highly prevalent malignancy among women worldwide, breast cancer, remains a critical public health issue necessitating the development of novel therapeutics and biomarkers. Kruppel Like Factor 2 (KLF2), a member of the Kruppel family of transcription factors, has been implicated in various types of cancer due to its diminished expression; however, the potential implications of KLF2 expression in relation to breast cancer progression, prognosis, and therapy remain unclear. Methods: The present study employed the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) and The Human Protein Atlas databases to investigate the expression pattern of KLF2 in pan-cancer. The relationship between KLF2 expression and clinical features or immune infiltration of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) breast cancer samples was evaluated using Breast Cancer Integrative Platform (BCIP) and TIMER. The expression levels of KLF2 in breast cancer were validated via immunohistochemical staining analysis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to study the KLF2-related gene ontology. STRING database was employed to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of KLF2 in relation to vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α). The expression of KLF2 following diverse breast cancer therapies was analyzed in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The expression of KLF2 following treatment with simvastatin was validated via immunofluorescence and western blotting. Results: Our study reveals that KLF2 displays significantly reduced expression in cancerous tissues compared to non-cancerous controls. Patients with low KLF2 expression levels exhibited poor prognosis across multiple cancer types. KLF2 expression levels were found to be reduced in advanced cancer stages and grades, while positively correlated with the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and tumor size in breast cancer. KLF2 expression is associated with diverse immune infiltration cells, and may impact the breast tumor immune microenvironment by regulating dendritic cell activation. Additionally, we observed a negative correlation between KLF2 expression levels and angiogenesis, as well as the expression of VEGFA and HIF1α. Notably, the anticancer drug simvastatin could induce KLF2 expression in both breast cancer. Conclusion: Based on our observations, KLF2 has potential as a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarker for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Zhao Li
- Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Juan Xie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Rui-Qi Wang
- Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiao-Qian Gao
- Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Pei-Jun Liu
- Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- *Correspondence: Pei-Jun Liu, ; Jie Liu,
| | - Jie Liu
- Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi Province, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
- *Correspondence: Pei-Jun Liu, ; Jie Liu,
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12
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Zhou N, Tang Q, Yu H, Li T, Ren F, Zu L, Chen G, Chen J, Xu S. Comprehensive analyses of one-carbon metabolism related genes and their association with prognosis, tumor microenvironment, chemotherapy resistance and immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1034208. [PMID: 36438661 PMCID: PMC9699278 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1034208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 04/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common type of lung cancer and is a global public health concern. One-carbon (1C) metabolism plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of multiple cancer types. However, there are limited studies investigating 1C metabolism in LUAD. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of 1C metabolism-related genes in LUAD and to explore the potential correlation of these genes with gene methylation, the tumor microenvironment, and immunotherapy. Methods: We identified 26 1C metabolism-related genes and performed a Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of these genes. Consensus clustering was further performed to determine the 1C metabolism-related gene patterns in LUAD. The clinical and molecular characteristics of subgroups were investigated based on consensus clustering. CIBERSORT and ssGSEA algorithms were used to calculate the relative infiltration levels of multiple immune cell subsets. The relationship between 1C metabolism-related genes and drug sensitivity to immunotherapy was evaluated using the CellMiner database and IMvigor210 cohort, respectively. Results: The expression levels of 23 1C metabolism-related genes were significantly different between LUAD tumor tissues and normal tissues. Seventeen of these genes were related to prognosis. Two clusters (cluster 1 and cluster 2) were identified among 497 LUAD samples based on the expression of 7 prognosis-related genes. Distinct expression patterns were observed between the two clusters. Compared to cluster 2, cluster 1 was characterized by inferior overall survival (OS) (median OS = 41 vs. 60 months, p = 0.00031), increased tumor mutation burden (15.8 vs. 7.5 mut/Mb, p < 0.001), high expression of PD-1 (p < 0.001) and PD-L1 (p < 0.001), as well as enhanced immune infiltration. 1C metabolism-related genes were positively correlated with the expression of methylation enzymes, and a lower methylation level was observed in cluster 1 (p = 0.0062). Patients in cluster 1 were resistant to chemotherapy drugs including pemetrexed, gemcitabine, paclitaxel, etoposide, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin. The specific expression pattern of 1C metabolism-related genes was correlated with a better OS in patients treated with immunotherapy (median OS: 11.2 vs. 7.8 months, p = 0.0034). Conclusion: This study highlights that 1C metabolism is correlated with the prognosis of LUAD patients and immunotherapy efficacy. Our findings provide novel insights into the role of 1C metabolism in the occurrence, development, and treatment of LUAD, and can assist in guiding immunotherapy for LUAD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Zhou
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Quanying Tang
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Haochuan Yu
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Fan Ren
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Lingling Zu
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Gang Chen
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Song Xu
- Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
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13
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Yuan SHC, Chang SC, Chou PY, Yang Y, Liu HP. The Implication of Serum Autoantibodies in Prognosis of Canine Mammary Tumors. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12182463. [PMID: 36139323 PMCID: PMC9495273 DOI: 10.3390/ani12182463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Canine mammary tumor (CMT) is the most prevalent neoplasm in female dogs. Tumor recurrence and metastasis occur in malignant CMT (MMT) dogs after surgery. Identification of serum prognostic biomarkers holds the potential to facilitate prediction of disease outcomes. We have identified CMT-associated autoantibodies against thymidylate synthetase (TYMS), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5 (IGFBP5), hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 (HAPLN1), and anterior gradient 2 (AGR2), i.e., TYMS-AAb, IGFBP5-AAb, HAPLN1-AAb, and AGR2-AAb, respectively, by conducting serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Herein we assessed serum AAb levels in 11 MMT dogs before and after surgery, demonstrating that IGFBP5-AAb and HAPLN1-AAb significantly decrease at 3- and 12-months post-surgery (p < 0.05). We evaluated the correlation between the presurgical AAb level and overall survival (OS) of 90 CMT dogs after surgery. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis reveals that IGFBP5-AAbHIgh and TYMS-AAbHigh are significantly correlated with worse OS (p = 0.017 and p = 0.029, respectively), while AGR2-AAbLow is correlated with somewhat poorer OS (p = 0.086). Areas under a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of IGFBP5-AAb and TYMS-AAb in predicting OS of MMT dogs are 0.611 and 0.616, respectively. Notably, MMT dogs presenting TYMS-AAbHigh/IGFBP5-AAbHigh/AGR2-AAbLow have worst OS (p = 0.0004). This study reveals an association between the serum AAb level and CMT prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Hsien-Chi Yuan
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Chieh Chang
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Yi Chou
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Youngsen Yang
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung, Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 40705, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Ping Liu
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-4-2284-0368 (ext. 51)
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14
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Thymidylate Synthase Overexpression Drives the Invasive Phenotype in Colon Cancer Cells. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10061267. [PMID: 35740289 PMCID: PMC9219882 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10061267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) is the crucial enzymatic precursor for DNA biosynthesis and, therefore, the critical target for numerous types of chemotherapy, including the most frequently applied agent in colon cancer treatment 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). TYMS also seems to be associated with cancer metastasis and acquiring mesenchymal character by tumor cells during epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Based on that knowledge, we decided to investigate the role of TYMS in the modulation of invasive ability in colon cancer cells, where its effect on cancer metastasis has not been studied in detail before. We employed colon cancer cells isolated from different stages of tumor development, cells undergoing EMT, and TYMS overexpressing cells. The elongation ratio, cell migration, invasion assay, and MMP-7 secretion were applied to analyze the cell behavior. Important epithelial and mesenchymal markers characteristic of EMT were examined at the protein level by Western blot assay. Overall, our study showed a correlation between TYMS level and invasion ability in colon cancer cells and, above all, a crucial role of TYMS in the EMT regulation. We postulate that chemotherapeutics that decrease or inhibit TYMS expression could increase the effectiveness of the therapy in patients with colon cancer, especially in the metastatic stage.
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15
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Cipriani C, Pacheco MP, Kishk A, Wachich M, Abankwa D, Schaffner-Reckinger E, Sauter T. Bruceine D Identified as a Drug Candidate against Breast Cancer by a Novel Drug Selection Pipeline and Cell Viability Assay. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15020179. [PMID: 35215292 PMCID: PMC8875459 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The multi-target effects of natural products allow us to fight complex diseases like cancer on multiple fronts. Unlike docking techniques, network-based approaches such as genome-scale metabolic modelling can capture multi-target effects. However, the incompleteness of natural product target information reduces the prediction accuracy of in silico gene knockout strategies. Here, we present a drug selection workflow based on context-specific genome-scale metabolic models, built from the expression data of cancer cells treated with natural products, to predict cell viability. The workflow comprises four steps: first, in silico single-drug and drug combination predictions; second, the assessment of the effects of natural products on cancer metabolism via the computation of a dissimilarity score between the treated and control models; third, the identification of natural products with similar effects to the approved drugs; and fourth, the identification of drugs with the predicted effects in pathways of interest, such as the androgen and estrogen pathway. Out of the initial 101 natural products, nine candidates were tested in a 2D cell viability assay. Bruceine D, emodin, and scutellarein showed a dose-dependent inhibition of MCF-7 and Hs 578T cell proliferation with IC50 values between 0.7 to 65 μM, depending on the drug and cell line. Bruceine D, extracted from Brucea javanica seeds, showed the highest potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Cipriani
- Systems Biology Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (C.C.); (M.P.P.); (A.K.)
| | - Maria Pires Pacheco
- Systems Biology Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (C.C.); (M.P.P.); (A.K.)
| | - Ali Kishk
- Systems Biology Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (C.C.); (M.P.P.); (A.K.)
| | - Maryem Wachich
- Cancer Cell Biology and Drug Discovery Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (M.W.); (D.A.); (E.S.-R.)
| | - Daniel Abankwa
- Cancer Cell Biology and Drug Discovery Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (M.W.); (D.A.); (E.S.-R.)
| | - Elisabeth Schaffner-Reckinger
- Cancer Cell Biology and Drug Discovery Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (M.W.); (D.A.); (E.S.-R.)
| | - Thomas Sauter
- Systems Biology Group, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, L-4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; (C.C.); (M.P.P.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence:
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16
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Wang L, Shi C, Yu J, Xu Y. FOXM1-induced TYMS upregulation promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Cell Int 2022; 22:47. [PMID: 35093082 PMCID: PMC8801073 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-021-02372-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and one of the major causes of cancer-related death. Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) catalyzes the methylation of deoxy guanosine to deoxy thymidylate, which is a crucial gene for DNA repair and replication. Thus, TYMS was reported to be closely associated with developing a variety of tumors, but it has been poorly studied in HCC.
Materials and methods
We used the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), BrdU, and CFSE assay to measure cell proliferation. The flow cytometry assay and the TUNEL assay were used for assessing cell apoptosis. The flow cytometry assay was used to analyze the cell cycle. The Transwell invasion assay and the wound healing assay were conducted to determine the invasive ability of the cells. RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses were performed to evaluate the mRNA and protein expression levels of specific genes, respectively.
Results
TYMS was found to be upregulated in both HCC cells and patient samples. High expression of TYMS was associated with an unfavorable prognosis in HCC patients based on the TCGA-LIHC dataset. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion assays revealed that TYMS promoted the proliferation and invasion of HCC cells as well as inhibited apoptosis. In addition, TYMS is a downstream target of FOXM1. TYMS knockdown reversed the 5-FU resistance caused by FOXM1 overexpression and re-sensitized HCC cells to 5-FU treatment.
Conclusion
This study suggested that TYMS serves as an oncogene in HCC, and targeting the FOXM1-TYMS axis may help improve the survival of HCC patients as well as provide new insights for treating advanced HCC patients.
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17
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Sato Y, Tomita M, Soga T, Ochiai A, Makinoshima H. Upregulation of Thymidylate Synthase Induces Pemetrexed Resistance in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:718675. [PMID: 34646134 PMCID: PMC8504579 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.718675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an invasive malignancy that develops in the pleural cavity, and antifolates are used as chemotherapeutics for treating. The majority of antifolates, including pemetrexed (PMX), inhibit enzymes involved in purine and pyrimidine synthesis. MPM patients frequently develop drug resistance in clinical practice, however the associated drug-resistance mechanism is not well understood. This study was aimed to elucidate the mechanism underlying resistance to PMX in MPM cell lines. We found that among the differentially expressed genes associated with drug resistance (determined by RNA sequencing), TYMS expression was higher in the established resistant cell lines than in the parental cell lines. Knocking down TYMS expression significantly reduced drug resistance in the resistant cell lines. Conversely, TYMS overexpression significantly increased drug resistance in the parental cells. Metabolomics analysis revealed that the levels of dTMP were higher in the resistant cell lines than in the parental cell lines; however, resistant cells showed no changes in dTTP levels after PMX treatment. We found that the nucleic acid-biosynthetic pathway is important for predicting the efficacy of PMX in MPM cells. The results of chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (ChIP-qPCR) assays suggested that H3K27 acetylation in the 5′-UTR of TYMS may promote its expression in drug-resistant cells. Our findings indicate that the intracellular levels of dTMP are potential biomarkers for the effective treatment of patients with MPM and suggest the importance of regulatory mechanisms of TYMS expression in the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzo Sato
- Tsuruoka Metabolomics Laboratory, National Cancer Center, Tsuruoka, Japan.,Shonai Regional Industry Promotion Center, Tsuruoka, Japan.,Systems Biology Program, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Japan.,Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Japan
| | - Masaru Tomita
- Systems Biology Program, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Japan.,Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Japan
| | - Tomoyoshi Soga
- Systems Biology Program, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa, Japan.,Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tsuruoka, Japan
| | - Atsushi Ochiai
- Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Hideki Makinoshima
- Tsuruoka Metabolomics Laboratory, National Cancer Center, Tsuruoka, Japan.,Division of Translational Information, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
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18
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Thymidylate synthase and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms and breast cancer susceptibility in a Brazilian population. Meta Gene 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mgene.2021.100889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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19
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Song S, Tian B, Zhang M, Gao X, Jie L, Liu P, Li J. Diagnostic and prognostic value of thymidylate synthase expression in breast cancer. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2021; 48:279-287. [PMID: 33030246 PMCID: PMC7820961 DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.13415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Nucleotide metabolism is the driving force of cell proliferation, and thymidylate synthase (TYMS) catalyzes a rate-limiting step in the initial synthesis of nucleotides. Previous studies reported that TYMS activity significantly affected the proliferation of tumour cells. However, the diagnostic and prognostic significance of TYMS expression in breast cancer remains unclear. Here, we used the Breast Cancer Integrative Platform (BCIP) to investigate the relationship between progression and prognosis of breast cancer with TYMS expression, and then verified the database analysis using immunohistochemical staining. Our results indicated TYMS expression was greater in breast cancer than adjacent normal tissues and greater in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) than non-TNBC tissues. TYMS expression also had significant positive correlations with histological grade, tumour size, and ER negativity, and PR negativity. The increased copy number of the TYMS gene appears to be the reason for its upregulation in breast cancer. Breast cancer patients with higher TYMS expression had poorer prognosis. Our data suggest that TYMS has potential use as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoran Song
- Center for Translational MedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi ProvinceThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Bixia Tian
- Center for Translational MedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi ProvinceThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Miao Zhang
- Center for Translational MedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi ProvinceThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Xiaoqian Gao
- Center for Translational MedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi ProvinceThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Liu Jie
- Center for Translational MedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi ProvinceThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Peijun Liu
- Center for Translational MedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi ProvinceThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Juan Li
- Center for Translational MedicineThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Key Laboratory for Tumor Precision Medicine of Shaanxi ProvinceThe First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
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