Expression of CUEDC2 in colorectal cancer with different invasion and migration abilities

CUEDC2 Drives β-Catenin Nuclear Translocation and Promotes Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis

Hyperactivation of Wnt signaling is crucial in tumor formation. Fully elucidating the molecular details of how the cancer-specific Wnt signaling pathway is activated or contributes to tumorigenesis will help in determining future treatment strategies. Here, we aimed to explore the contribution of CUEDC2, a novel CUE-domain-containing protein, to the activation of Wnt signaling and the tumorigenesis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to determine the underlying mechanisms. TNBC patient samples and disease-free survival (DFS) data were used to determine the association between CUEDC2 and TNBC progression. The effects of CUEDC2 on TNBC were examined in TNBC cells in vitro and in subcutaneous xenograft tumors in vivo. Gene knockdown, immunoprecipitation plus liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, pull-down, co-immunoprecipitation, localized surface plasmon resonance, and nuclear translocation analysis were used to uncover the mechanisms of CUEDC2 in regulating Wnt signaling and TNBC development. CUEDC2 is sufficient to maintain the hyperactivation of Wnt signaling required for TNBC tumorigenesis. The contribution of CUEDC2 plays a major role in determining the outcome of oncogenic Wnt signaling both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the CUE domain in CUEDC2 directly bound to the ARM (7–9) domain in β-catenin, promoted β-catenin nuclear translocation and enhanced the expression of β-catenin targeted genes. More importantly, an 11-amino-acid competitive peptide targeting the CUE domain in CUEDC2 blocked the interactions of CUEDC2 and β-catenin and abrogated the malignant phenotype of TNBC cells in vitro and in vivo. We observed that TNBC patients who exhibited higher levels of CUEDC2 showed marked hyperactivation of the Wnt signaling pathway and poor clinical outcomes, highlighting the clinical relevance of our findings. CUEDC2 promotes TNBC tumor growth by enhancing Wnt signaling through directly binding to β-catenin and accelerating its nuclear translocation. Targeting the interactions of CUEDC2 and β-catenin may be a valuable strategy for combating TNBC.

Kawasaki disease: SOCS2-AS1/miR-324-5p/CUEDC2 axis regulates the progression of human umbilical vein endothelial cells

BACKGROUND

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most prevailing cause of acquired heart disease in children, due to permanent coronary artery damage. Recently, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human diseases has been highlighted. However, the role of lncRNA SOCS2 antisense RNA 1 (SOCS2-AS1) on the function of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in KD remains elusive.

METHODS

SOCS2-AS1 expression was examined via RT-qPCR. CCK-8, EdU, caspase-3 activity, flow cytometry and TUNEL assays were conducted for exploring the function of SOCS2-AS1 in HUVECs of KD. The interaction among RNAs (SOCS2-AS1, miR-324-5p and CUEDC2) was validated via luciferase reporter, RIP and RNA pull-down assays.

RESULTS

SOCS2-AS1 was highly expressed in serum and tissues of KD patients. SOCS2-AS1 depletion repressed the proliferation of HUVECs, whereas it facilitated apoptosis. Further, SOCS2-AS1 could bind with miR-324-5p and negatively regulated miR-324-5p expression in HUVECs. Besides, CUE domain containing 2 (CUEDC2) was the downstream target of miR-324-5p, and SOCS2-AS1 could release CUEDC2 expression via sponging miR-324-5p in HUVECs. Furthermore, downregulating miR-324-5p or upregulating CUEDC2 could rescue the progression of HUVECs restrained by SOCS2-AS1 knockdown.

CONCLUSIONS

SOCS2-AS1 upregulates CUEDC2 via inhibiting miR-324-5p to promote the progression of HUVECs in KD, providing new insights for KD treatment.

IMPACT

SOCS2-AS1 is highly expressed in the serum of KD patients. SOCS2-AS1 contributes to cell proliferation in HUVECs of KD through elevating CUEDC2 expression by sequestering miR-324-5p. SOCS2-AS1/miR-324-5p/CUEDC2 axis exerts a progression-facilitating function in KD. These findings suggest SOCS2-AS1 as a novel potential target for KD treatment.

CUEDC2 ablation enhances the efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells in ameliorating cerebral ischemia/reperfusion insult

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has been reported to be a promising therapeutic option for cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) insult. However, the poor survival rate of engrafted MSCs under unfavorable cerebral I/R-induced microenvironment inhibits their efficiency during clinical application. CUE domain-containing 2(CUECD2) exhibits its protective role on cardiomyocytes by mediating the antioxidant capacity. Our study explored the functional role of CUEDC2 in cerebral I/R challenge and determined whether CUECD2-modified MSCs could improve the efficacy of treatment of the insulted neurons. We also evaluated the possible mechanisms involved in cerebral I/R condition. Cerebral I/R stimulation suppressed CUEDC2 levels in brain tissues and neurons. siRNA-CUEDC2 in neurons significantly inhibited cerebral I/R-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress levels in vitro. Moreover, siRNA-CUEDC2 in the MSCs group remarkably enhanced the therapeutic efficacies in cerebral I/R-induced neuron injury and brain tissue impairment when compared to the non-genetic MSCs treatment group. At the molecular level, siRNA-CUEDC2 in MSCs markedly enhanced its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect in co-cultured neurons by upregulating glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) expression levels while suppressing NF-kB activation. These findings provide a novel strategy for the utilization of MSCs to promote cerebral ischemic stroke outcomes.

Expression of SLC5A5 in Circulating Tumor Cells May Distinguish Follicular Thyroid Carcinomas from Adenomas: Implications for Blood-Based Preoperative Diagnosis

Preoperative diagnosis of thyroid nodules reduces unnecessary surgery. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may contain information of primary tumor(s). We asked whether the peripheral blood expression of genes specific for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) differentiates benign thyroid nodules from malignant nodules. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from thyroid nodule patients (n = 20) were isolated preoperatively and the expression of seven CTC-associated genes was measured in patients with thyroid nodule(s) (n = 20). Among the tested genes, the expression of SLC5A5 and LGALS3 were validated in a larger number of patients (n = 64) and our results show that SLC5A5 expression differentiated follicular adenomas from follicular carcinomas (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.831). The expression of SLC5A5 in CTCs may preoperatively distinguish thyroid follicular adenomas from follicular carcinomas.