FOXM1 regulates glycolysis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells through PDK1

Abnormal expression of FOXM1 in carcinogenesis of renal cell carcinoma: From experimental findings to clinical applications

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a prevalent malignancy within the genitourinary system. At present, patients with high-grade or advanced RCC continue to have a bleak prognosis. Mounting research have emphasized the significant involvement of Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) in RCC development and progression. Therefore, it is imperative to consolidate the existing evidence regarding the contributions of FOXM1 to RCC tumorigenesis through a comprehensive review. This study elucidated the essential functions of FOXM1 in promoting RCC growth, invasion, and metastasis by regulating cell cycle progression, DNA repair, angiogenesis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Also, FOXM1 might serve as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker as well as a therapeutic target for RCC. Clinical findings demonstrated that the expression of FOXM1 was markedly upregulated in RCC samples, while a high level of FOXM1 was found to be associated with a poor overall survival rate of RCC. Furthermore, it is worth noting that FOXM1 may have a significant impact on the resistance of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) to radiotherapy. This observation suggests that inhibiting FOXM1 could be a promising strategy to impede the progression of RCC and enhance its sensitivity to radiotherapy. The present review highlighted the pivotal role of FOXM1 in RCC development. FOXM1 has the capacity to emerge as not only a valuable diagnostic and prognostic tool but also a viable therapeutic option for unresectable RCC.

Matrine regulates miR-495-3p/miR-543/PDK1 axis to repress the progression of acute myeloid leukemia via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a commonly hematological malignancy with feature of rapidly increased immature myeloid cells in bone marrow. The anti-tumor activity of matrine has been reported in various cancers. However, the functional role of matrine in AML progression still needs to be studied. Cell growth, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in AML cells were evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)/adenosine diphosphate (ADP) ratio, lactate production and glucose consumption were detected to evaluate glycolysis. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to determine the relationships between phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) and microRNA-495-3p (miR-495-3p)/microRNA-543 (miR-543) in AML cells. The results showed that matrine inhibited cell proliferation, glycolysis, and accelerated cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in AML cells. MiR-495-3p/miR-543 was lowly expressed, and PDK1 was highly expressed in AML. Functionally, both miR-495-3p and miR-543 could reverse the effects of matrine on cell proliferation, glycolysis, apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in AML cells. Mechanistically, miR-495-3p/miR-543 directly targeted PDK1, and the inhibition impacts of miR-495-3p/miR-543 on AML progression could be rescued by PDK1 overexpression. Moreover, matrine also could regulate PDK1 expression to suppress AML progression. Besides, matrine modulated miR-495-3p/miR-543/PDK1 axis to inhibit the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. In summary, matrine hampered the progression of AML through targeting miR-495-3p and miR-543 to attenuate PDK1 expression, thereby repressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.