Ubiquitously specific protease 4 inhibitor-Vialinin A attenuates inflammation and fibrosis in S100-induced hepatitis mice through Rheb/mTOR signalling

A novel USP4 inhibitor that suppresses colorectal cancer stemness by promoting β-catenin and Twist1 degradation

BACKGROUND

The high mortality rate of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is primarily attributed to resistance to chemotherapy, where cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a crucial role. Deubiquitinating enzymes are essential regulators of CSC maintenance, making them potential targets for eliminating CSCs and overcoming chemotherapy resistance. This study aims to identify key deubiquitinating enzymes regulating CSCs and drug resistance of CRC.

METHODS

RNA sequencing was performed to examine the mRNA expression of known deubiquitinating enzymes in CRC tissues from patients with alternate response to chemotherapy. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed to evaluate the function of USP4 in regulation of stemness and drug sensitivity in CRC. High-throughput virtual screening and target management assays were conducted to identify small molecule inhibitor targeting USP4. Cell lines, organoids and animal models were used to evaluate the function of USP4 and its small molecule inhibitor in stemness and chemotherapy response.

RESULTS

The expression of USP4 was significantly elevated in CRC samples from progressive disease (PD) or stable disease (SD) patients compared to partial response (PR) specimen. USP4 promoted stemness by stabilizing the β-catenin and Twist1 proteins in CRC cells. A natural small molecule product U4-I05 diminished the stem-like features of CSCs and enhanced their sensitivity to oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil by targeting inhibition of its deubiquitinating enzyme activity through binding the catalytic domain of USP4 (311 cysteine site) at nanomolar concentrations, triggering proteasome-mediated degradation of β-catenin and Twist1. Treatment with U4-I05 also inhibited tumor metastasis and extended survival in a genetically engineered CRC mouse model.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identifies U4-I05 as a USP4 inhibitor with significant therapeutic efficacy against CRC, offering a promising avenue for the development of new treatments targeting cancer stemness and chemotherapy resistance.

Inhibition of viability of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells by vialinin A under high glucose condition

AIM

To investigate the effects of vialinin A on viability of human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) under high glucose condition and its potential mechanism.

METHODS

The HRECs were divided into four groups: normal glucose control group (NG, 5 mmol/L D-glucose), high glucose group (HG, 30 mmol/L D-glucose), HG+1 µmol/L vialinin A group, and HG+5 µmol/L vialinin A group. The cell viabilities were measured with cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay for proliferation, with scratch assay for migration, and tube formation, for evaluation of the impact of vialinin A on cellular behaviour. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to determine the expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

RESULTS

The proliferative capacity and migration of HRECs was reduced by 5 µmol/L vialinin A in high glucose environment (both P<0.05). Vialinin A also inhibited high-glucose-induced tube formation of HRECs. The expression level of VEGF and PI3K in HRECs was also significantly decreased by vialinin A (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Vialinin A inhibits the cell viability of HRECs. It may serve as a potential target for anti-angiogenic therapy.

FGF4 ameliorates the liver inflammation by reducing M1 macrophage polarization in experimental autoimmune hepatitis

BACKGROUND

The global prevalence of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is increasing due in part to the lack of effective pharmacotherapies. Growing evidence suggests that fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) is crucial for diverse aspects of liver pathophysiology. However, its role in AIH remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether FGF4 can regulate M1 macrophage and thereby help treat liver inflammation in AIH.

METHODS

We obtained transcriptome-sequencing and clinical data for patients with AIH. Mice were injected with concanavalin A to induce experimental autoimmune hepatitis (EAH). The mechanism of action of FGF4 was examined using macrophage cell lines and bone marrow-derived macrophages.

RESULTS

We observed higher expression of markers associated with M1 and M2 macrophages in patients with AIH than that in individuals without AIH. EAH mice showed greater M1-macrophage polarization than control mice. The expression of M1-macrophage markers correlated positively with FGF4 expression. The loss of hepatic Fgf4 aggravated hepatic inflammation by increasing the abundance of M1 macrophages. In contrast, the pharmacological administration of FGF4 mitigated hepatic inflammation by reducing M1-macrophage levels. The efficacy of FGF4 treatment was compromised following the in vivo clearance of macrophage populations. Mechanistically, FGF4 treatment activated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (AKT)-signal pathway in macrophages, which led to reduced M1 macrophages and hepatic inflammation.

CONCLUSION

We identified FGF4 as a novel M1/M2 macrophage-phenotype regulator that acts through the PI3K-AKT-signaling pathway, suggesting that FGF4 may represent a novel target for treating inflammation in patients with AIH.

Vialinin A alleviates oxidative stress and neuronal injuries after ischaemic stroke by accelerating Keap1 degradation through inhibiting USP4-mediated deubiquitination

BACKGROUND

Oxidative stress is known as a hallmark of cerebral ischaemia‒reperfusion injury and it exacerbates the pathologic progression of ischaemic brain damage. Vialinin A, derived from a Chinese edible mushroom, possesses multiple pharmacological activities in cancer, Kawasaki disease, asthma and pathological scarring. Notably, vialinin A is an inhibitor of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 4 (USP4) that shows anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. However, the precise effect of vialinin A in ischaemic stroke, as well as its underlying mechanisms, remains largely unexplored.

PURPOSE

The present research focuses on the impacts of vialinin A on oxidative stress and explores the underlying mechanisms involved while also examining its potentiality as a therapeutic candidate for ischaemic stroke.

METHODS

Mouse ischaemic stroke was conducted by MCAO surgery. Vialinin A was administered via lateral ventricular injection at a dose of 2 mg/kg after reperfusion. Subsequent experiments were meticulously conducted at the appropriate time points. Stroke outcomes were evaluated by TTC staining, neurological score, Nissl staining and behavioural analysis. Co-IP assays were operated to examine the protein-protein interactions. Immunoblot analysis, qRT-PCR, and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to further investigate its underlying mechanisms.

RESULTS

In this study, we initially showed that administration of vialinin A alleviated cerebral ischaemia‒reperfusion injury-induced neurological deficits and neuronal apoptosis. Furthermore, vialinin A, which is an antioxidant, reduced oxidative stress injury, promoted the activation of the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway and increased the protein degradation of Keap1. The substantial neuroprotective effects of vialinin A against ischaemic stroke were compromised by the overexpression of USP4. Mechanistically, vialinin A inhibited the deubiquitinating enzymatic activity of USP4, leading to enhanced ubiquitination of Keap1 and subsequently promoting its degradation. This cascade caused the activation of Nrf2-dependent antioxidant response, culminating in a reduction of neuronal apoptosis and the amelioration of neurological dysfunction following ischaemic stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that inhibition of USP4 to activate Keap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway may represent a mechanism by which vialinin A conferred protection against cerebral ischaemia‒reperfusion injury and sheds light on its promising prospects as a therapeutic intervention for ischaemic stroke.

Roles of ubiquitin-specific proteases in inflammatory diseases

Ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs), as one of the deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) families, regulate the fate of proteins and signaling pathway transduction by removing ubiquitin chains from the target proteins. USPs are essential for the modulation of a variety of physiological processes, such as DNA repair, cell metabolism and differentiation, epigenetic modulations as well as protein stability. Recently, extensive research has demonstrated that USPs exert a significant impact on innate and adaptive immune reactions, metabolic syndromes, inflammatory disorders, and infection via post-translational modification processes. This review summarizes the important roles of the USPs in the onset and progression of inflammatory diseases, including periodontitis, pneumonia, atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, sepsis, hepatitis, diabetes, and obesity. Moreover, we highlight a comprehensive overview of the pathogenesis of USPs in these inflammatory diseases as well as post-translational modifications in the inflammatory responses and pave the way for future prospect of targeted therapies in these inflammatory diseases.

Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuate S100-Induced Autoimmune Hepatitis via Modulating Th1 and Th17 Cell Responses in Mice

Currently, the first-line treatment for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is still the combination of glucocorticoids or immunosuppressants. However, hormone and immunosuppressive therapy can cause serious side effects, such as Cushing syndrome and bone marrow suppression. Previous studies reported on the applicability and safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to ameliorate liver inflammation and fibrosis. However, the characteristics of MSCs sources directly contribute to the different conclusions on the mechanisms underlying MSC-mediated immunoregulation. Bone marrow-derived MSCs can exert an immunosuppression effect to ameliorate the S100-induced AIH model by inhibiting several proinflammatory cytokines and upregulating of PD-L1 in liver tissue. It is not clear whether human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (hUC-MSCs) could directly inhibit liver inflammation and ultimately alleviate the dysfunction of hepatocytes in the AIH model. First, hUC-MSCs were extracted from umbilical cord tissue, and the basic biological properties and multilineage differentiation potential were examined. Second, 1 × 106 hUC-MSCs were administered intravenously to AIH mice. At the peak of the disease, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase and pathologic damage to liver tissue were measured to evaluate liver function and degree of inflammation. We also observed that the infiltration of CD4+ T cells in the liver was significantly reduced. Furthermore, the frequency of the splenic IFNγ- and IL-17A- producing CD4+ T cells were also significantly decreased, while we only observed an increasing trend in Treg cells in liver tissue. Third, an RNA sequencing analysis of liver tissue was performed, which showed that in the UC-MSC-treated group, the transcriptional profiles of inflammation-related signaling pathways were significantly negatively regulated compared to those of phosphate-buffered saline-treated mice. Collectively, these findings indicated the potential of hUC-MSC to suppress immune responses in immune anomaly mediated liver disease, thus offering a potential clinical option to improve AIH.

Ubiquitin specific peptidases and prostate cancer

Protein ubiquitination is an important post-translational modification mechanism, which regulates protein stability and activity. The ubiquitination of proteins can be reversed by deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). Ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs), the largest DUB subfamily, can regulate cellular functions by removing ubiquitin(s) from the target proteins. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading type of cancer and the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in men worldwide. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the development of PCa is highly correlated with USPs. The expression of USPs is either high or low in PCa cells, thereby regulating the downstream signaling pathways and causing the development or suppression of PCa. This review summarized the functional roles of USPs in the development PCa and explored their potential applications as therapeutic targets for PCa.

Polyguanine alleviated autoimmune hepatitis through regulation of macrophage receptor with collagenous structure and TLR4‐TRIF‐NF‐κB signalling

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a progressive and chronic inflammatory disease in the liver. MARCO is a surface receptor of macrophage involving in tissue inflammation and immune disorders. Moreover, polyguanine (PolyG) is considered to bind to macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO). However, the role of MARCO and PolyG in the development and treatment of AIH still remains unclear. Therefore, this study explores the expression of MARCO and therapeutic activity of PolyG in both S100‐induced AIH in mouse and Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐treated macrophage (RAW264.7 cells). Moreover, there were significant increases in inflammatory factors and MARCO, as well as decrease in I‐kappa‐B‐alpha (Ik‐B) in the liver of AIH mice and LPS‐induced cells. However, PolyG treatment significantly reversed the elevation of inflammatory cytokins, MARCO and reduction of Ik‐B. In addition, PolyG treatment could downregulate the expression of Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) and TIR‐domain‐containing adaptor inducing interferon‐β (TRIF), decrease macrophage M1 polarization and increase macrophage M2 polarization. When hepatocytes were co‐cultured with different treatment of macrophages, similar expression profile of inflammatory cytokines was observed in hepatocytes. The research revealed that MARCO expression was elevated in AIH mice. PolyG treatment and inhibition of MARCO significantly reduced inflammatory cytokines expression in the liver as well as hepatocytes and macrophages. Therefore, MARCO could be a target for the treatment of AIH.

Binding of Vialinin A and p-Terphenyl Derivatives to Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 4 (USP4): A Molecular Docking Study

The para-terphenyl derivative vialinin A (Vi-A), isolated from Thelephora fungi, has been characterized as a potent inhibitor of the ubiquitin-specific protease 4 (USP4). Blockade of USP4 contributes to the anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of the natural product. We have investigated the interaction of Vi-A with USP4 by molecular modeling, to locate the binding site (around residue V98 within the domain in USP segment) and to identify the binding process and interaction contacts. From this model, a series of 32 p-terphenyl compounds were tested as potential USP4 binders, mainly in the vialinin, terrestrin and telephantin series. We identified 11 compounds presenting a satisfactory USP4 binding capacity, including two fungal products, vialinin B and aurantiotinin A, with a more favorable empirical energy of USP4 interaction (ΔE) than the reference product Vi-A. The rare p-terphenyl aurantiotinin A, isolated from the basidiomycete T. aurantiotincta, emerged as a remarkable USP4 binder. Structure-binding relationships have been identified and discussed, to guide the future design of USP4 inhibitors based on the p-terphenyl skeleton. The docking study should help the identification of other protease inhibitors from fungus.

Anti-inflammatory and anticancer p-terphenyl derivatives from fungi of the genus Thelephora

Fungi from the genus Thelephora have been exploited to identify bioactive compounds. The main natural products characterized are para-terphenyl derivatives, chiefly represented by the lead anti-inflammatory compound vialinin A isolated from species T. vialis and T. terrestris. Different series of p-terphenyls have been identified, including vialinins, ganbajunins, terrestrins, telephantins and other products. Their mechanism of action is not always clearly identified, and different potential molecule targets have been proposed. The lead vialinin A functions as a protease inhibitor, efficiently targeting ubiquitin-specific peptidases USP4/5 and sentrin-specific protease SENP1 which are prominent anti-inflammatory and anticancer targets. Protease inhibition is coupled with a powerful inhibition of the cellular production of tumor necrosis factor TNFα. Other mechanisms contributing to the anti-inflammatory or anti-proliferative action of these p-terphenyl compounds have been invoked, including the formation of cytotoxic copper complexes for derivatives bearing a catechol central unit such vialinin A, terrestrin B and telephantin O. These p-terphenyl compounds could be further exploited to design novel anticancer agents, as evidenced with the parent compound terphenyllin (essentially found in Aspergillus species) which has revealed marked antitumor and anti-metastatic effects in xenograft models of gastric and pancreatic cancer. This review shed light on the structural and functional diversity of p-terphenyls compounds isolated from Thelephora species, their molecular targets and pharmacological properties.

Nimbolide attenuated the inflammation in the liver of autoimmune hepatitis's mice through regulation of HDAC3

A chronic liver disease named autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) will carry elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines, but there is currently no effective treatment to cure it. Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) takes an important position in regulating the expression of inflammatory genes. Nimbolide (NIB) is a limonoid extracted from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) that has been found to be effective against many diseases, including cancer, scleroderma, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Here, we investigated the protective effect of nimbolide on AIH liver. Mice and AML12 cells were employed to establish AIH model with liver antigen S100 and cell injury model of LPS, and then treated with different concentrations of nimbolide. After the successful establishment of the animal model and cell model, inflammatory cytokines of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α as well as cellular signaling related to inflammation such as STAT3, IκB-α and NF-κB were examined. We observed for the first time about nimbolide can effectively inhibit inflammation in AIH mice's liver and AML12 cells by inhibiting HDAC3 expression. HDAC3 knocked down by siRNA in cells can also effectively alleviate the inflammation in AML12 cells, further confirming that HDAC3 plays an important role in the inflammation of liver cells. These results suggest nimbolide could be a potential new treatment for autoimmune hepatitis, and HDAC3 may become a new target for autoimmune hepatitis.

Regulation of Cancer Metabolism by Deubiquitinating Enzymes: The Warburg Effect

Cancer is a disorder of cell growth and proliferation, characterized by different metabolic pathways within normal cells. The Warburg effect is a major metabolic process in cancer cells that affects the cellular responses, such as proliferation and apoptosis. Various signaling factors down/upregulate factors of the glycolysis pathway in cancer cells, and these signaling factors are ubiquitinated/deubiquitinated via the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Depending on the target protein, DUBs act as both an oncoprotein and a tumor suppressor. Since the degradation of tumor suppressors and stabilization of oncoproteins by either negative regulation by E3 ligases or positive regulation of DUBs, respectively, promote tumorigenesis, it is necessary to suppress these DUBs by applying appropriate inhibitors or small molecules. Therefore, we propose that the DUBs and their inhibitors related to the Warburg effect are potential anticancer targets.