Increased Levels of Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 Are Associated With Poor Survival of Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Activation of CaMKII/HDAC4 by SDF1 contributes to pulmonary arterial hypertension via stabilization Runx2

Stromal derived factor 1 (SDF1) has been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). However, the detailed molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To address this, we utilized primary cultured rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rat models to investigate the mechanisms of SDF1 driving PASMCs proliferation and pulmonary arterial remodeling. SDF1 increased runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) acetylation by Calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-dependent HDAC4 cytoplasmic translocation, elevation of Runx2 acetylation conferred its resistance to proteasome-mediated degradation. The accumulation of Runx2 further upregulated osteopontin (OPN) expression, finally leading to PASMCs proliferation. Blocking SDF1, suppression of CaMKII, inhibition the nuclear export of HDAC4 or silencing Runx2 attenuated pulmonary arterial remodeling and prevented PAH development in MCT-induced PAH rat models. Our study provides novel sights for SDF1 induction of PASMCs proliferation and suggests that targeting SDF1/CaMKII/HDAC4/Runx2 axis has potential value in the management of PAH.

The role of miR-433-3p in vascular calcification in type 2 diabetic patients: targeting WNT/β-Catenin and RANKL/RANK/OPG signaling pathways

BACKGROUND

Vascular calcification (VC) is a major predictor of cardiovascular diseases that represent the principal cause of mortality among type-2 diabetic patients. Accumulating data suggest the vital role of some microRNAs on vascular calcification as an epigenetic regulator. Thus, we assessed herein, the role of serum miR-433-3p in vascular calcification in type-2 diabetic patients.

METHODS

Twenty healthy subjects (control group) and forty diabetic patients (20 without VC and 20 with VC) were involved in the study. miR-433-3p gene expression was measured. Runx2, Dickkopf-1 (DKK1), β-catenin, Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels in serum were assessed by ELISA technique.

RESULTS

Diabetes patients had significantly lower levels of miR-433-3p expression in comparison to the control group, with the lowest levels being found in diabetic patients with VC. Furthermore, Runx2, β-catenin, and RANKL levels were significantly increased with concomitant lower DKK1 and OPG levels detected in the two diabetic groups especially those with VC.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, the study documented that down-regulation of miR-433-3p may contribute to the development of VC through activating WNT/β-Catenin and RANKL/RANK/OPG signaling pathways.

Identifying key transcription factors and miRNAs coregulatory networks associated with immune infiltrations and drug interactions in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

BACKGROUND

The deregulated genetic factors are critically associated with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) development and progression. However, the identification of hub-transcription factors (TFs) and miRNA-hub-TFs co-regulatory network-mediated pathogenesis in IPAH remains lacking.

METHODS

We used GSE48149, GSE113439, GSE117261, GSE33463, and GSE67597 for identifying key genes and miRNAs in IPAH. We used a series of bioinformatics approaches, including R packages, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to identify the hub-TFs and miRNA-hub-TFs co-regulatory networks in IPAH. Also, we employed a molecular docking approach to evaluate the potential protein-drug interactions.

RESULTS

We found that 14 TFs encoding genes, including ZNF83, STAT1, NFE2L3, and SMARCA2 are upregulated, and 47 TFs encoding genes, including NCOR2, FOXA2, NFE2, and IRF5 are downregulated in IPAH relative to the control. Then, we identified the differentially expressed 22 hub-TFs encoding genes, including four upregulated (STAT1, OPTN, STAT4, and SMARCA2) and 18 downregulated (such as NCOR2, IRF5, IRF2, MAFB, MAFG, and MAF) TFs encoding genes in IPAH. The deregulated hub-TFs regulate the immune system, cellular transcriptional signaling, and cell cycle regulatory pathways. Moreover, the identified differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) are involved in the co-regulatory network with hub-TFs. The six hub-TFs encoding genes, including STAT1, MAF, CEBPB, MAFB, NCOR2, and MAFG are consistently differentially expressed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of IPAH patients, and these hub-TFs showed significant diagnostic efficacy in distinguishing IPAH cases from the healthy individuals. Moreover, we revealed that the co-regulatory hub-TFs encoding genes are correlated with the infiltrations of various immune signatures, including CD4 regulatory T cells, immature B cells, macrophages, MDSCs, monocytes, Tfh cells, and Th1 cells. Finally, we discovered that the protein product of STAT1 and NCOR2 interacts with several drugs with appropriate binding affinity.

CONCLUSIONS

The identification of hub-TFs and miRNA-hub-TFs co-regulatory networks may provide a new avenue into the mechanism of IPAH development and pathogenesis.

Prognostic value and immune characteristics of RUNX gene family in human cancers: a pan-cancer analysis

Background: Runt-related transcription factors (RUNX) are involved in numerous fundamental biological processes and play crucial parts in tumorigenesis and metastasis both directly and indirectly. However, the pan-cancer evidence of the RUNX gene family is not available.

Methods: In this study, we analyzed the potential association between RUNX gene family expression and patient’s prognosis, immune cell infiltration, drug response, and genetic mutation data across different types of tumors using based on The Cancer Genome Atlas, Gene Expression Omnibus, and Oncomine database.

Results: The results showed that the expression of the RUNX gene family varied among different cancer types, revealing its heterogeneity in cancers and that expression of RUNX2 was lower than that of RUNX1 and RUNX3 across all cancer types. RUNX gene family gene expression was related to prognosis in several cancers. Furthermore, our study revealed a clear association between RUNX gene family expression and ESTIMATE score, RNA stemness, and DNA stemness scores. Compared with RUNX1 and RUNX2, RUNX3 showed relatively low levels of genetic alterations. RUNX gene family genes had clear associations with immune infiltrate subtypes, and their expression was positively related to immune checkpoint genes and drug sensitivity in most cases. Two immunotherapy cohorts confirm that the expression of RUNX was correlated with the clinical response of immunotherapy.

Conclusions: These findings will help to elucidate the potential oncogenic roles of RUNX gene family genes in different types of cancer and it can function as a prognostic marker in various malignant tumors.

Impact of Parthanatos on the Increased Risk of Onset and Mortality in Male Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension

There have been no studies as to whether parthanatos, a poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1)-dependent and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF)-mediated caspase-independent programmed cell death, is present in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Basic studies have, however, been conducted on several of the key molecules in parthanatos, such as PARP-1, AIF, and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). For this study, we collected blood samples from 88 incident male patients with PH and 50 healthy controls at the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital. We measured the key factors of parthanatos (PARP-1, PAR, AIF, and MIF) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and performed a logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards analysis, and Kaplan-Meier test to assess the prognostic value of the key molecules in diagnosing and predicting survival. The patients who ultimately died had a significantly poorer clinical status during the study than those who survived. The PARP-1, PAR, AIF, and MIF levels were significantly higher in the patients than in the controls (all p < .0001), and the PARP-1, PAR, and AIF levels were higher in the nonsurvivors than in the survivors (all p < .0001). PARP-1 and AIF levels served as independent predictors of disease onset and mortality in these patients (all p < .005). Patients with PARP-1 levels <11.24 ng/mL or AIF levels <1.459 pg/mL had significantly better survival than those with higher PARP-1 or AIF levels (p < .0001). Circulating levels of PARP-1 and AIF were independent predictors for PH onset and mortality, which indicated that parthanatos might be associated with the pathogenesis of PH.

Novel molecular insights and public omics data in pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare disease with high morbidity and mortality which mainly affects women of reproductive age. Despite recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension, the high heterogeneity in the presentation of the disease among different patients makes it difficult to make an accurate diagnosis and to apply this knowledge to effective treatments. Therefore, new studies are required to focus on translational and personalized medicine to overcome the lack of specificity and efficacy of current management. Here, we review the majority of public databases storing 'omics' data of pulmonary hypertension studies, from animal models to human patients. Moreover, we review some of the new molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension, including non-coding RNAs and the application of 'omics' data to understand this pathology, hoping that these new approaches will provide insights to guide the way to personalized diagnosis and treatment.