Capecitabine Regulates HSP90AB1 Expression and Induces Apoptosis via Akt/SMARCC1/AP-1/ROS Axis in T Cells

Transplant oncology and anti-cancer immunosuppressants

Organ transplantation is a life-saving intervention that enhances the quality of life for patients with end-stage organ failure. However, long-term immunosuppressive therapy is required to prevent allogeneic graft rejection, which inadvertently elevates the risk of post-transplant malignancies, especially for liver transplant recipients with a prior history of liver cancer. In response, the emerging field of transplant oncology integrates principles from oncology and immunology to improve outcomes for patients at high risk of tumor occurrence or recurrence following transplantation. Therefore, it is of substantial clinical significance to develop immunosuppressants that possess both immunosuppressive and anti-tumor properties. For instance, mTOR inhibitors demonstrate anti-tumor effects among antimetabolite immunosuppressive drugs, and recent studies indicate that capecitabine, an antimetabolite chemotherapeutic, may also exhibit immunosuppressive activity in the clinic for liver transplants suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma. This review systematically explores potential immunosuppressants with dual anti-tumor and immunosuppressive effects to support the management of transplant patients at elevated risk of tumor occurrence or recurrence.

CD226 implicated in Akt-dependent apoptosis of CD4+ T cell contributes to asthmatic pathogenesis

Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease in which CD4+ T cell dysregulation occurs. Here, we investigated the molecular role and clinical significance of CD226, a costimulatory molecule of T lymphocytes, in the development of allergic asthma. Our results revealed that the expression of CD226 was significantly increased in CD4+ effector T cells, especially in T helper (Th) 2 cells and Th17 cells in patients with asthma. Moreover, CD4+ T cell-specific Cd226-knockout mice were generated and together with littermates were challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) to establish a model of allergic asthma. We found that CD226 deficiency in CD4+ T cells mitigated lung inflammation, IgE production, and eosinophil infiltration and reduced airway remodeling in experimental allergic asthma. However, the impact of CD226 on asthma was independent of Treg cell modulation. Through RNA-seq data analysis, the apoptosis pathway was screened. Mechanistically, CD226 deletion promoted CD4+ T cell late apoptosis via the activation of Caspase-3 in an Akt-dependent manner. Furthermore, blocking CD226 signaling with a recombinant fusion protein attenuated asthma features in mice and achieved a good therapeutic effect. Overall, this study revealed a unique role of CD226 in CD4+ T cell regulation in asthma pathogenesis. Therefore, targeting CD226 may provide new insights into the clinical treatment of asthma.

Aberrant Expressions of PSMD14 in Tumor Tissue are the Potential Prognostic Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Curative Resection

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high mortality rate, with curative resection being the primary treatment. However, HCC patients have a large possibility of recurrence within 5 years after curative resection.

Methods

Thus, identifying biomarkers to predict recurrence is crucial. In our study, we analyzed data from CCLE, GEO, and TCGA, identifying eight oncogenes associated with HCC. Subsequently, the expression of 8 genes was tested in 5 cases of tumor tissues and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. Then ATP6AP1, PSMD14 and HSP90AB1 were selected to verify the expression in 63 cases of tumor tissues and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. The results showed that ATP6AP1, PSMD14, HSP90AB1 were generally highly expressed in tumor tissues. A five-year follow-up of the 63 clinical cases, combined with Kaplan-Meier Plotter's relapse-free survival (RFS) analysis, found a significant correlation between PSMD14 expression and recurrence in HCC patients. Subsequently, we analyzed the PSMD14 mutations and found that the PSMD14 gene mutations can lead to a shorter disease-free survival time for HCC patients.

Results

The results of enrichment analysis indicated that the differentially expressed genes related to PSMD14 are mainly enriched in the signal release pathway.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our research showed that PSMD14 might be related to recurrence in HCC patients, and the expression of PSMD14 in tumor tissue might be a potential prognostic biomarker after tumor resection in HCC patients.