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Zhang J, Wang C, Yu Y. Comprehensive analyses and experimental verification of NETs and an EMT gene signature for prognostic prediction, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2024; 39:2006-2023. [PMID: 38088494 DOI: 10.1002/tox.24082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is an aggressive malignancy with high mortality and poor prognosis. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) significantly influence on the progression of various cancers. However, the underlying relevance of NETs- and EMT-associated genes on the outcomes of patients with PAAD remains to be elucidated. Transcriptome RNA sequencing data, together with clinical information and single-cell sequencing data of PAAD were collected from public databases. In the TCGA-PAAD cohort, ssGSEA was used to calculate NET and EMT scores. WGCNA was used to determine the key gene modules. A risk model with eight NET- and EMT-related genes (NERGs) was established using LASSO and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Patients in the reduced risk (RR) group showed better prognostic values compared with those in the elevated risk (ER) group. The prognostic model exhibited reliable and robust prediction when validated using an external database. The distributions of risk genes were explored in a single-cell sequencing data set. Immune infiltration, immune cycle, and immune checkpoints were compared between the RR and ER groups. Moreover, potential chemotherapeutic drugs were examined. DCBLD2 was identified as a key gene in PAAD cell lines by qRT-PCR, and was highly expressed in PAAD tissues. GSEA demonstrated that DCBLD2 induced the EMT. Transwell assays and western blotting showed that cell invasion and EMT induction were significantly reduced after DCBLD2 knockdown. Collectively, we constructed a prognosis model based on a NET and EMT gene signature, providing a valuable perspective for the prognostic evaluation and management of PAAD patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhang
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, International Campus, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Chaochen Wang
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University School of Medicine, International Campus, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Yaqun Yu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
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Liu Y, Tang R, Meng QC, Shi S, Xu J, Yu XJ, Zhang B, Wang W. NUSAP1 promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression by drives the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and reduces AMPK phosphorylation. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:87. [PMID: 38229038 PMCID: PMC10790387 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-11842-5] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis, and its molecular mechanisms are unclear. Nucleolar and spindle-associated protein 1 (NUSAP1), an indispensable mitotic regulator, has been reported to be involved in the development of several types of tumors. The biological function and molecular mechanism of NUSAP1 in PDAC remain controversial. This study explored the effects and mechanism of NUSAP1 in PDAC. METHODS Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. A protein‒protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to identify hub genes. Experimental studies and tissue microarray (TMA) analysis were performed to investigate the effects of NUSAP1 in PDAC and explore its mechanism. RESULTS Network analysis revealed that NUSAP1 is an essential hub gene in the PDAC transcriptome. Genome heterogeneity analysis revealed that NUSAP1 is related to tumor mutation burden (TMB), loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) in PDAC. NUSAP1 is correlated with the levels of infiltrating immune cells, such as B cells and CD8 T cells. High NUSAP1 expression was found in PDAC tissues and was associated with a poor patient prognosis. NUSAP1 promoted cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion, drives the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and reduces AMPK phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS NUSAP1 is an essential hub gene that promotes PDAC progression and leads to a dismal prognosis by drives the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and reduces AMPK phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Liu
- Department of Endoscopy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Rong Tang
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Qing-Cai Meng
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Si Shi
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Xu
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Xian-Jun Yu
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Pancreatic Cancer Institute, No.270 Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
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Wang H, Guo H, Sun J, Wang Y. Multi-omics analyses based on genes associated with oxidative stress and phospholipid metabolism revealed the intrinsic molecular characteristics of pancreatic cancer. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13564. [PMID: 37604837 PMCID: PMC10442332 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40560-4] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress (OS), which impacts lipid metabolic reprogramming, can affect the biological activities of cancer cells. How oxidative stress and phospholipid metabolism (OSPM) influence the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC) needs to be elucidated. The metabolic data of 35 pancreatic tumor samples, 34 para-carcinoma samples, and 31 normal pancreatic tissues were obtained from the previously published literature. Pan-cancer samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). And the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), ArrayExpress, and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were searched for more PC and normal pancreatic samples. The metabolites in PC were compared with normal and para-carcinoma tissues. The characteristics of the key OSPM genes were summarized in pan-cancer. The random survival forest analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to construct an OSPM-related signature. Based on this signature, PC samples were divided into high- and low-risk subgroups. The dysregulations of the tumor immune microenvironment were further investigated. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to investigate the expression of genes in the signature in PC and normal tissues. The protein levels of these genes were further demonstrated. In PC, metabolomic studies revealed the alteration of PM, while transcriptomic studies showed different expressions of OSPM-related genes. Then 930 PC samples were divided into three subtypes with different prognoses, and an OSPM-related signature including eight OSPM-related genes (i.e., SLC2A1, MMP14, TOP2A, MBOAT2, ANLN, ECT2, SLC22A3, and FGD6) was developed. High- and low-risk subgroups divided by the signature showed different prognoses, expression levels of immune checkpoint genes, immune cell infiltration, and tumor microenvironment. The risk score was negatively correlated with the proportion of TIL, pDC, Mast cell, and T cell co-stimulation. The expression levels of genes in the signature were verified in PC and normal samples. The protein levels of SLC2A1, MMP14, TOP2A, MBOAT2, ANLN, and SLC22A3 showed up-regulation in PC samples compared with normal tissues. After integrating metabolomics and transcriptomics data, the alterations in OSPM in PC were investigated, and an OSPM-related signature was developed, which was helpful for the prognostic assessment and individualized treatment for PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongdong Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Hui Guo
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Jiaao Sun
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Yuefeng Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
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Pierce MR, Hougland JL. A rising tide lifts all MBOATs: recent progress in structural and functional understanding of membrane bound O-acyltransferases. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1167873. [PMID: 37250116 PMCID: PMC10213974 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1167873] [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: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Acylation modifications play a central role in biological and physiological processes. Across a range of biomolecules from phospholipids to triglycerides to proteins, introduction of a hydrophobic acyl chain can dramatically alter the biological function and cellular localization of these substrates. Amongst the enzymes catalyzing these modifications, the membrane bound O-acyltransferase (MBOAT) family occupies an intriguing position as the combined substrate selectivities of the various family members span all three classes of these biomolecules. MBOAT-dependent substrates are linked to a wide range of health conditions including metabolic disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. Like many integral membrane proteins, these enzymes have presented challenges to investigation due to their intractability to solubilization and purification. However, over the last several years new solubilization approaches coupled with computational modeling, crystallography, and cryoelectron microscopy have brought an explosion of structural information for multiple MBOAT family members. These studies enable comparison of MBOAT structure and function across members catalyzing modifications of all three substrate classes, revealing both conserved features amongst all MBOATs and distinct architectural features that correlate with different acylation substrates ranging from lipids to proteins. We discuss the methods that led to this renaissance of MBOAT structural investigations, our new understanding of MBOAT structure and implications for catalytic function, and the potential impact of these studies for development of new therapeutics targeting MBOAT-dependent physiological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariah R. Pierce
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States
| | - James L. Hougland
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States
- BioInspired Syracuse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States
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Li H, Wang X, Yang Q, Cheng L, Zeng HL. Identification of iron metabolism-related genes as diagnostic signatures in sepsis by blood transcriptomic analysis. Open Life Sci 2023; 18:20220549. [PMID: 36820206 PMCID: PMC9938542 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2022-0549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Iron metabolism is considered to play the principal role in sepsis, but the key iron metabolism-related genetic signatures are unclear. In this study, we analyzed and identified the genetic signatures related to the iron-metabolism in sepsis by using a bioinformatics analysis of four transcriptomic datasets from the GEO database. A total of 21 differentially expressed iron metabolism-related signatures were identified including 9 transporters, 8 enzymes, and 4 regulatory factors. Among them, lipocalin 2 was found to have the highest diagnostic value as its expression showed significant differences in all the comparisons including sepsis vs healthy controls, sepsis vs non-sepsis diseases, and mild forms vs severe forms of sepsis. Besides, the cytochrome P450 gene CYP1B1 also showed diagnostic values for sepsis from the non-sepsis diseases. The CYP4V2, LTF, and GCLM showed diagnostic values for distinguishing the severe forms from mild forms of sepsis. Our analysis identified 21 sepsis-associated iron metabolism-related genetic signatures, which may represent diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of sepsis, and will improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying the occurrence of sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huijun Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xu Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qing Yang
- Institute of Food Science and Engineering, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan, China
| | - Liming Cheng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hao-Long Zeng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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He Q, Liu Z, Wang J. Targeting KRAS in PDAC: A New Way to Cure It? Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14204982. [PMID: 36291766 PMCID: PMC9599866 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14204982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most intractable malignant tumors worldwide, and is known for its refractory nature and poor prognosis. The fatality rate of pancreatic cancer can reach over 90%. In pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC), the most common subtype of pancreatic cancer, KRAS is the most predominant mutated gene (more than 80%). In recent decades, KRAS proteins have maintained the reputation of being “undruggable” due to their special molecular structures and biological characteristics, making therapy targeting downstream genes challenging. Fortunately, the heavy rampart formed by KRAS has been broken down in recent years by the advent of KRASG12C inhibitors; the covalent inhibitors bond to the switch-II pocket of the KRASG12C protein. The KRASG12C inhibitor sotorasib has been received by the FDA for the treatment of patients suffering from KRASG12C-driven cancers. Meanwhile, researchers have paid close attention to the development of inhibitors for other KRAS mutations. Due to the high incidence of PDAC, developing KRASG12D/V inhibitors has become the focus of attention. Here, we review the clinical status of PDAC and recent research progress in targeting KRASG12D/V and discuss the potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyu He
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
- School of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Zuojia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
- Correspondence: (Z.L.); (J.W.)
| | - Jin Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Physics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400, USA
- Correspondence: (Z.L.); (J.W.)
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