Regulator of cullins-1 (ROC1) negatively regulates the Gli2 regulator SUFU to activate the hedgehog pathway in bladder cancer

E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases in bladder cancer tumorigenesis and implications for immunotherapies

With the rapidly increasing incidence of bladder cancer in China and worldwide, great efforts have been made to understand the detailed mechanism of bladder cancer tumorigenesis. Recently, the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy has changed the treatment strategy for bladder cancer, especially for advanced bladder cancer, and has improved the survival of patients. The ubiquitin-proteasome system, which affects many biological processes, plays an important role in bladder cancer. Several E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases target immune checkpoints, either directly or indirectly. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases in bladder cancer tumorigenesis and further highlight the implications for bladder cancer immunotherapies.

The role of Hedgehog and Notch signaling pathway in cancer

Notch and Hedgehog signaling are involved in cancer biology and pathology, including the maintenance of tumor cell proliferation, cancer stem-like cells, and the tumor microenvironment. Given the complexity of Notch signaling in tumors, its role as both a tumor promoter and suppressor, and the crosstalk between pathways, the goal of developing clinically safe, effective, tumor-specific Notch-targeted drugs has remained intractable. Drugs developed against the Hedgehog signaling pathway have affirmed definitive therapeutic effects in basal cell carcinoma; however, in some contexts, the challenges of tumor resistance and recurrence leap to the forefront. The efficacy is very limited for other tumor types. In recent years, we have witnessed an exponential increase in the investigation and recognition of the critical roles of the Notch and Hedgehog signaling pathways in cancers, and the crosstalk between these pathways has vast space and value to explore. A series of clinical trials targeting signaling have been launched continually. In this review, we introduce current advances in the understanding of Notch and Hedgehog signaling and the crosstalk between pathways in specific tumor cell populations and microenvironments. Moreover, we also discuss the potential of targeting Notch and Hedgehog for cancer therapy, intending to promote the leap from bench to bedside.

Clinicopathological and prognostic role of ROC1 in neoplasms: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Regulator of cullins 1 (ROC1) is frequently overexpressed in multiple tumors, and many pieces of research demonstrate that ROC1 is associated with the prognosis and development of a diversity of neoplasms and it is able to serve as a promising prognostic biomarker. Here we performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic and clinicopathological significance of ROC1 in patients suffering from cancer.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WanFang database. The role of ROC1 in cancers was evaluated by pooled hazard ratios (HRs), odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

In total, 9 studies including 1002 patients were enrolled in this analysis. The pooled results showed that patients with high expression of ROC1 had poor overall survival (OS) (HR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.48-2.60, P < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR: 1.727, 95% CI: 0.965-2.488, P < 0.001). Additionally, elevated expression of ROC1 was significantly correlated with advanced clinical Tumor Node Metastasis stage (OR: 2.708, 95% CI: 1.856-3.951, P < 0.001), positive lymph node metastasis (OR: 1.968; 95% CI: 1.294-2.993, P = .002), large tumor size (OR: 1.522, 95% CI: 1.079-2.149, P = .017) and poor tumor differentiation (OR: 2.448, 95% CI: 1.793-3.344, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated ROC1 expression predicted worse prognosis and advanced pathological parameters in various cancers. ROC1 was a significant prognostic biomarker for poor survival in human cancers.

Regulation of Hedgehog Signal Transduction by Ubiquitination and Deubiquitination

The Hedgehog (Hh) family of secreted proteins governs embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis in species ranging from insects to mammals. Deregulation of Hh pathway activity has been implicated in a wide range of human disorders, including congenital diseases and cancer. Hh exerts its biological influence through a conserved signaling pathway. Binding of Hh to its receptor Patched (Ptc), a twelve-span transmembrane protein, leads to activation of an atypical GPCR family protein and Hh signal transducer Smoothened (Smo), which then signals downstream to activate the latent Cubitus interruptus (Ci)/Gli family of transcription factors. Hh signal transduction is regulated by ubiquitination and deubiquitination at multiple steps along the pathway including regulation of Ptc, Smo and Ci/Gli proteins. Here we review the effect of ubiquitination and deubiquitination on the function of individual Hh pathway components, the E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases involved, how ubiquitination and deubiquitination are regulated, and whether the underlying mechanisms are conserved from Drosophila to mammals.