ZNF143 Suppresses Cell Apoptosis and Promotes Proliferation in Gastric Cancer via ROS/p53 Axis

CXXC5 drove inflammation and ovarian cancer proliferation via transcriptional activation of ZNF143 and EGR1

CXXC5, a zinc-finger protein, is known for its role in epigenetic regulation via binding to unmethylated CpG islands in gene promoters. As a transcription factor and epigenetic regulator, CXXC5 modulates various signaling processes and acts as a key coordinator. Altered expression or activity of CXXC5 has been linked to various pathological conditions, including tumorigenesis. Despite its known role in cancer, CXXC5's function and mechanism in ovarian cancer are unclear. We analyzed multiple public databases and found that CXXC5 is highly expressed in ovarian cancer, with high expression correlating with poor patient prognosis. We show that CXXC5 expression is regulated by oxygen concentration and is a direct target of HIF1A. CXXC5 is critical for maintaining the proliferative potential of ovarian cancer cells, with knockdown decreasing and overexpression increasing cell proliferation. Loss of CXXC5 led to inactivation of multiple inflammatory signaling pathways, while overexpression activated these pathways. Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, we confirmed ZNF143 and EGR1 as downstream transcription factors of CXXC5, mediating its proliferative potential in ovarian cancer. Our findings suggest that the CXXC5-ZNF143/EGR1 axis forms a network driving ovarian cell proliferation and tumorigenesis, and highlight CXXC5 as a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer treatment.

LOC644656 promotes cisplatin resistance in cervical cancer by recruiting ZNF143 and activating the transcription of E6-AP

Cisplatin resistance remains a persistent challenge in cervical cancer (CC) treatment. Molecular biomarkers have garnered attention for their association with cisplatin resistance in various diseases. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert significant influence on CC development. This study explores the role of LOC644656 in regulating cisplatin resistance in CC. Parental and cisplatin-resistant CC cells underwent cisplatin treatment. Functional assays assessed cell proliferation and apoptosis under different conditions. RNA pull-down with mass spectrometry, along with literature review, elucidated the interaction between LOC644656, ZNF143, and E6-AP. Mechanistic assays analyzed the relationship between different factors. RT-qPCR and western blot quantified RNA and protein levels, respectively. In vivo models validated E6-AP's function. Results revealed LOC644656 overexpression in cisplatin-resistant CC cells, exacerbating cell growth. LOC644656 recruited ZNF143 to activate E6-AP transcription, promoting cisplatin resistance in CC. In conclusion, LOC644656 positively modulates E6-AP expression via ZNF143-mediated transcriptional activation, contributing to cisplatin resistance in CC.

Apatinib induces zebrafish hepatotoxicity by inhibiting Wnt signaling and accumulation of oxidative stress

Apatinib, a small-molecule VEGFR2-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has shown potent anticancer activity in various clinical cancer treatments, but also different adverse reactions. Therefore, it is necessary to study its potential toxicity and working mechanism. We used zebrafish to investigate the effects of apatinib on the development of embryos. Zebrafish exposed to 2.5, 5, and 10 μM apatinib showed adverse effects such as decreased liver area, pericardial oedema, slow yolk absorption, bladder atrophy, and body length shortening. At the same time, it leads to abnormal liver tissue structure, liver function and related gene expression. Furthermore, after exposure to apatinib, oxidative stress levels were significantly elevated but liver developmental toxicity was effectively ameliorated with oxidative stress inhibitor treatment. Apatinib induces down-regulation of key target genes of Wnt signaling pathway in zebrafish, and it is found that Wnt activator can significantly rescue liver developmental defects. These results suggest that apatinib may induce zebrafish hepatotoxicity by inhibiting the Wnt signaling pathway and up-regulating oxidative stress, helping to strengthen our understanding of rational clinical application of apatinib.

The role of zinc finger proteins in malignant tumors

Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) are the largest family of transcriptional factors in mammalian cells. Recently, their role in the development, progression, and metastasis of malignant tumors via regulating gene transcription and translation processes has become evident. Besides, their possible involvement in drug resistance has also been found, indicating that ZNFs have the potential to become new biological markers and therapeutic targets. In this review, we summarize the oncogenic and suppressive roles of various ZNFs in malignant tumors, including lung, breast, liver, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, and other cancers, highlighting their role as prognostic markers, and hopefully provide new ideas for the treatment of malignant tumors in the future.

Anticancer therapeutic effect of ginsenosides through mediating reactive oxygen species

Dysregulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and ROS-regulated pathways in cancer cells leads to abnormal accumulation of reactive oxygen species, displaying a double-edged role in cancer progression, either supporting transformation/proliferation and stimulating tumorigenesis or inducing cell death. Cancer cells can accommodate reactive oxygen species by regulating them at levels that allow the activation of pro-cancer signaling pathways without inducing cell death via modulation of the antioxidant defense system. Therefore, targeting reactive oxygen species is a promising approach for cancer treatment. Ginsenosides, their derivatives, and related drug carriers are well-positioned to modulate multiple signaling pathways by regulating oxidative stress-mediated cellular and molecular targets to induce apoptosis; regulate cell cycle arrest and autophagy, invasion, and metastasis; and enhance the sensitivity of drug-resistant cells to chemotherapeutic agents of different cancers depending on the type, level, and source of reactive oxygen species, and the type and stage of the cancer. Our review focuses on the pro- and anticancer effects of reactive oxygen species, and summarizes the mechanisms and recent advances in different ginsenosides that bring about anticancer effects by targeting reactive oxygen species, providing new ideas for designing further anticancer studies or conducting more preclinical and clinical studies.

Zinc Finger Proteins in the War on Gastric Cancer: Molecular Mechanism and Clinical Potential

According to the 2020 global cancer data released by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) International, gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with yearly increasing incidence and the second-highest fatality rate in malignancies. Despite the contemporary ambiguous molecular mechanisms in GC pathogenesis, numerous in-depth studies have demonstrated that zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) are essential for the development and progression of GC. ZFPs are a class of transcription factors with finger-like domains that bind to Zn²⁺ extensively and participate in gene replication, cell differentiation and tumor development. In this review, we briefly outline the roles, molecular mechanisms and the latest advances in ZFPs in GC, including eight principal aspects, such as cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion and metastasis, inflammation and immune infiltration, apoptosis, cell cycle, DNA methylation, cancer stem cells (CSCs) and drug resistance. Intriguingly, the myeloid zinc finger 1 (MZF1) possesses reversely dual roles in GC by promoting tumor proliferation or impeding cancer progression via apoptosis. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanism of ZFPs on GC progression will pave the solid way for screening the potentially effective diagnostic indicators, prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of GC.

FBXO9 Mediates the Cancer-Promoting Effects of ZNF143 by Degrading FBXW7 and Facilitates Drug Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

F-box proteins are critical for malignancy because they control the turnover of key proteins that govern multiple cellular processes. F-box protein 9 (FBXO9) belongs to the F-box protein family and exhibits oncogenic properties in hematological malignancies. However, the function and molecular mechanism of FBXO9 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. Here, we report that FBXO9 was remarkably overexpressed in HCC. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments showed that FBXO9 facilitates HCC cell proliferation and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, as a direct upstream transcription factor, FBXO9 is regulated by zinc finger protein 143 (ZNF143) and accelerates tumor growth and metastasis by targeting the F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7 (FBXW7) for ubiquitination and degradation. Additionally, we found that with FBXO9 knockdown, HCC cells were more sensitive to treatment with lenvatinib and sorafenib. In summary, our results demonstrate that a ZNF143-FBXO9-FBXW7 signaling regulatory axis may be involved in tumor progression in HCC, and suggest that FBXO9 could be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.

Overexpression of zinc-finger protein 677 inhibits proliferation and invasion by and induces apoptosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Recent studies have demonstrated that zinc-finger protein 677 (ZNF677) acts as a tumor suppressor gene in cancer. However, the expression and function of ZNF677 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are still unclear. In this study, we used bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments to investigate the expression of ZNF677 in ccRCC tissues and the malignant biological behavior of ZNF677 in 786–0 cells. We demonstrated that ZNF677 is hypermethylated in ccRCC and is associated with clinicopathological features. The results of the functional assays indicate that ZNF677 inhibits tumor cell proliferation and invasion and induces apoptosis. Further prognostic analysis indicated that low expression of ZNF677 is associated with shorter overall survival. Additionally, ZNF677 overexpression suppressed the invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of 786–0 cells by inactivating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This is the first report to evaluate the influence of ZNF677 on ccRCC cells malignant biological behavior. The results indicate that high expression of ZNF677 could be considered as a favorable prognostic indicator for ccRCC.

Identification and validation of a novel zinc finger protein-related gene-based prognostic model for breast cancer

Background

Breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) is a commonly occurring malignant tumor. Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) constitute the largest transcription factor family in the human genome and play a mechanistic role in many cancers' development. The prognostic value of ZNFs has yet to be approached systematically for BRCA.

Methods

We analyzed the data of a training set from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and two validation cohort from GSE20685 and METABRIC datasets, composed of 3,231 BRCA patients. After screening the differentially expressed ZNFs, univariate Cox regression, LASSO, and multiple Cox regression analysis were performed to construct a risk-based predictive model. ESTIMATE algorithm, single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), and gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) were utilized to assess the potential relations among the tumor immune microenvironment and ZNFs in BRCA.

Results

In this study, we profiled ZNF expression in TCGA based BRCA cohort and developed a novel prognostic model based on 14 genes with ZNF relations. This model was composed of high and low-score groups for BRCA classification. Based upon Kaplan-Meier survival curves, risk-status-based prognosis illustrated significant differences. We integrated the 14 ZNF-gene signature with patient clinicopathological data for nomogram construction with accurate 1-, 3-, and 5-overall survival predictive capabilities. We then accessed the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database for therapeutic drug response prediction of signature-defined BRCA patient groupings for our selected TCGA population. The signature also predicts sensitivity to chemotherapeutic and molecular-targeted agents in high- and low-risk patients afflicted with BRCA. Functional analysis suggested JAK STAT, VEGF, MAPK, NOTCH TOLL-like receptor, NOD-like receptor signaling pathways, apoptosis, and cancer-based pathways could be key for ZNF-related BRCA development. Interestingly, based on the results of ESTIMATE, ssGSEA, and GSEA analysis, we elucidated that our ZNF-gene signature had pivotal regulatory effects on the tumor immune microenvironment for BRCA.

Conclusion

Our findings shed light on the potential contribution of ZNFs to the pathogenesis of BRCA and may inform clinical practice to guide individualized treatment.

Microarray analysis of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs in daidzein-treated lung cancer cells

Daidzein has been found to significantly inhibit the proliferation of lung cancer cells, while its potential molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To determine the molecular mechanism of daidzein on lung cancer cells, the Capital Bio Technology Human long non-coding (lnc) RNA Array v4, 4×180K chip was used to detect the gene expression profiles of 40,000 lncRNAs and 34,000 mRNAs in a human cancer cell line. Reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q) PCR analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of target lncRNA and mRNAs in the H1299 cells treated with and without daidzein, using the lncRNA and mRNA gene chip. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to determine the differentially expressed genes from the results of the chip assays. There were 119 and 40 differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs, respectively, that had a 2-fold change in expression level. A total of eight lncRNAs were upregulated in the H1299 lung cancer cells, while 111 lncRNAs were downregulated. Furthermore, five mRNAs were upregulated, and 35 mRNAs were downregulated. A total of six differentially expressed lncRNAs (ENST00000608897.1, ENST00000444196.1, ENST00000608741.1, XR_242163.1, ENST00000505196.1 and ENST00000498032.1) were randomly selected to validate the microarray data, which were consistent with the RT-qPCR analysis results. Differentially expressed mRNAs were enriched in important Gene Ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrated that daidzein affected the expression level of lncRNAs in lung cancer cells, suggesting that daidzein may have potential effects on lung cancer cells.

Increased PYCR1 mRNA predicts poor prognosis in kidney adenocarcinoma: A study based on TCGA database

ABSTRACT

The pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase 1 (PYCR1) plays important roles in cancers, but its contribution to adenocarcinoma of the kidney (AK) and the potential mechanism remain to be clarified. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the relationship between PYCR1 mRNA and AK based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database.PYCR1 mRNA in AK and normal tissues was compared using Wilcoxon rank sum test. The relationship between PYCR1 mRNA and clinicopathological characters was evaluated using logistic regression. The association between PYCR1 mRNA and survival rate was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier test and Cox regression of univariate and multivariate analysis. Additionally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was conducted to annotate the biological function of PYCR1 mRNA.Increased PYCR1 mRNA was found in AK tissues. Increased PYCR1 mRNA was related to high histologic grade, clinical stage, and lymph node and distant metastasis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and univariate analysis showed that AK patients with increased PYCR1 mRNA had worse prognosis than those without. PYCR1 mRNA remained independently associated with overall survival (HR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66; P = .009) in multivariate analysis. The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis suggested that ribosome, proteasome, inhibition of p53 signaling pathway, extracellular matrix receptor interaction, and homologous recombination were differentially enriched in increased PYCR1 mRNA phenotype.Increased PYCR1 mRNA is a potential marker in patients with AK. More importantly, p53 pathway, ribosome, proteasome, extracellular matrix receptor interaction, and homologous are differentially enriched in AK patients with increased PYCR1 mRNA.

Overexpression of ZNF460 predicts worse survival and promotes metastasis through JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in patient with colon cancer

Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) are a class of protein containing zinc finger domains, and they play an important role in tumor progression. However, as a member of the ZNFs family, the effect of ZNF460 in colon cancer remains unclear. In this study, we found that the expression of ZNF460 protein were markedly increased in clinical colon cancer tissues compared with para-cancer non-cancerous tissues by tissue immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot (WB). We also confirmed this result at the mRNA and protein levels of ZNF460 through bioinformatics analysis. In addition, high expression of ZNF460 was correlated with increased depth of invasion (P<0.05), increased lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), distant metastasis (P<0.05) and high blood serum CA19-9 level (P<0.05). High expression of ZNF460 predicted poor overall survival (OS) and recurrence free survival (RFS) in patients with colon cancer. Moreover, multivariate analyses revealed that ZNF460 was an independent prognostic factor in both OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.636; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.028-2.603; P = 0.038) and RFS (HR: 2.215; 95% CI: 1.227-3.997; P = 0.008). The knockdown of ZNF460 suppressed the invasion and metastasis of colon cancer cells in vitro. Mechanistically, we revealed that ZNF460 promotes the activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in colon cancer cells. Taken together, overexpression of ZNF460 predicted worse survival and promoted metastasis through JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in patient with colon cancer, and could be a novel therapeutic target in colon cancer.