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Cheng J, Liu H, Shen Y, Ding J, He H, Mao S, Chen L, Zhang C, Zhou J. Deubiquitinase UCHL1 stabilizes KDM4B to augment VEGF signaling and confer bevacizumab resistance in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Transl Oncol 2024; 45:101987. [PMID: 38743986 PMCID: PMC11109002 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.101987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bevacizumab resistance poses barriers to targeted therapy in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Whether there exist epigenetic targets that modulate bevacizumab sensitivity in ccRCC remains indefinite. The focus of this study is to explore the role of UCHL1 in ccRCC. METHODS Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were utilized to investigate the roles of UCHL1 in ccRCC. In vivo ubiquitination assays were performed to validate the posttranslational modification of KDM4B by UCHL1. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were utilized to explore KDM4B/VEGFA epigenetic regulations. RESULTS UCHL1 was increased in ccRCC and associated with unfavorable survival outcomes in patients. UCHL1 was required for ccRCC growth and migration. Mechanistically, the wild-type UCHL1, but not C90A mutant, mediated the deubiquitination of KDM4B and thereby stabilized its proteins. KDM4B was up-regulated in ccRCC and potentiated cell growth. UCHL1 depended on KDM4B to augment ccRCC malignancies. Targeting UCHL1 suppressed tumor growth, colony formation, and migration abilities, which could be rescued by KDM4B. Furthermore, KDM4B was directly bound to the promoter region of VEGFA, abolishing repressive H3K9me3 modifications. KDM4B coordinated with HIF2α to activate VEGFA transcriptional levels. UCHL1-KDM4B axis governs VEGFA levels to sustain the angiogenesis phenotypes. Finally, a specific small-molecule inhibitor (6RK73) targeting UCHL1 remarkably inhibited ccRCC progression and further sensitized ccRCC to bevacizumab treatment. CONCLUSION Overall, this study defined an epigenetic mechanism of UCHL1/KDM4B in activating VEGF signaling. The UCHL1-KDM4B axis represents a novel target for treating ccRCC and improving the efficacy of anti-angiogenesis therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Cheng
- Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Hanqing Liu
- Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, China
| | - Yan Shen
- Research Centre for Experimental Medicine, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 197 Ruijin Road II, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Jiawei Ding
- Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Hongchao He
- Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Shilong Mao
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Zhongshan-Xuhui Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Li Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Zhongshan-Xuhui Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Chuanjie Zhang
- Department of Urology, the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, China; Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
| | - Jian Zhou
- Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Xuhui Central Hospital, Shanghai 200031, China.
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Liu Y, Yi J, Wu P, Zhang J, Li X, Li J, Zhou L, Liu Y, Xu H, Chen E, Zhang H, Liang M, Liu P, Pan X, Lu Y. Wemics: A Single-Base Resolution Methylation Quantification Method for Enhanced Prediction of Epigenetic Regulation. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2308884. [PMID: 38544480 PMCID: PMC11151077 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202308884] [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: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism that alters gene expression without changing DNA sequence, is essential for organism development and key biological processes like genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation. Despite tremendous efforts in DNA methylation research, accurate quantification of cytosine methylation remains a challenge. Here, a single-base methylation quantification approach is introduced by weighting methylation of consecutive CpG sites (Wemics) in genomic regions. Wemics quantification of DNA methylation better predicts its regulatory impact on gene transcription and identifies differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with more biological relevance. Most Wemics-quantified DMRs in lung cancer are epigenetically conserved and recurrently occurred in other primary cancers from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and their aberrant alterations can serve as promising pan-cancer diagnostic markers. It is further revealed that these detected DMRs are enriched in transcription factor (TF) binding motifs, and methylation of these TF binding motifs and TF expression synergistically regulate target gene expression. Using Wemics on epigenomic-transcriptomic data from the large lung cancer cohort, a dozen novel genes with oncogenic potential are discovered that are upregulated by hypomethylation but overlooked by other quantification methods. These findings increase the understanding of the epigenetic mechanism by which DNA methylation regulates gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Liu
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
- Institute of BioinformaticsZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Jiani Yi
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
| | - Pin Wu
- Department of Thoracic SurgeryThe Second Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310009China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
| | - Xufan Li
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
| | - Jia Li
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
| | - Liyuan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
- Institute of BioinformaticsZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Yong Liu
- Department of PhysiologyThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZ85721USA
| | - Haiming Xu
- Institute of BioinformaticsZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Enguo Chen
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
| | - Honghe Zhang
- Department of PathologyResearch Unit of Intelligence Classification of Tumor Pathology and Precision TherapyChinese Academy of Medical SciencesZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou310058China
| | - Mingyu Liang
- Department of PhysiologyThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZ85721USA
| | - Pengyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine in Diagnosis and Monitoring Research of Zhejiang ProvinceDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Clinical LaboratorySir Run Run Shaw Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310016China
- Department of PhysiologyThe University of ArizonaTucsonAZ85721USA
- Cancer centerZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Xiaoqing Pan
- Department of MathematicsShanghai Normal UniversityShanghai200233China
| | - Yan Lu
- Cancer centerZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological DiseasesDepartment of Gynecologic OncologyWomen's Hospital and Institute of Translational MedicineZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiang310029China
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Ichinose Y, Hasebe T, Hirasaki M, Sakakibara A, Yokogawa H, Nukui A, Hiratsuka M, Fujimoto A, Iso C, Wakui N, Shibasaki S, Kamada K, Suzuki N, Kamakura Y, Yasuda M, Aya A, Shimada H, Matsuura K, Ishiguro H, Osaki A, Saeki T. Vimentin-positive invasive breast carcinoma of no special type: A breast carcinoma with lethal biological characteristics. Pathol Int 2023; 73:413-433. [PMID: 37378453 DOI: 10.1111/pin.13350] [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: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Vimentin is a stable mesenchymal immunohistochemical marker and is widely recognized as a major marker of mesenchymal tumors. The purpose of the present study was to investigate if the vimentin expression status might serve as a significant predictor of outcomes in patients with invasive breast carcinoma of no special type (IBC-NST) and to investigate, by comprehensive RNA sequencing analyses, the mechanisms involved in the heightened malignant potential of vimentin-positive IBC-NSTs. This study, conducted using the data of 855 patients with IBC-NST, clearly identified vimentin expression status as a very important independent biological parameter for accurately predicting the outcomes in patients with IBC-NST. RNA sequence analyses clearly demonstrated significant upregulation of coding RNAs known to be closely associated with cell proliferation or cellular senescence, and significant downregulation of coding RNAs known to be closely associated with transmembrane transport in vimentin-positive IBC-NSTs. We conclude that vimentin-positive IBC-NSTs show heightened malignant biological characteristics, possibly attributable to the upregulation of RNAs closely associated with proliferative activity and cellular senescence, and downregulation of RNAs closely associated with transmembrane transport in IBC-NSTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Ichinose
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Takahiro Hasebe
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masataka Hirasaki
- Department of Clinical Cancer Genomics, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ayaka Sakakibara
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hideki Yokogawa
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Asami Nukui
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Miyuki Hiratsuka
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Akihiro Fujimoto
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Chihiro Iso
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Noriko Wakui
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Satomi Shibasaki
- Community Health Science Center, Saitama Medical University, Iruma, Saitama, Japan
| | - Koichi Kamada
- Department of Pathology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Suzuki
- Department of Pathology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Yasuo Kamakura
- Department of Clinical Cancer Genomics, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masanori Yasuda
- Department of Pathology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Asano Aya
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University, Iruma, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hiroko Shimada
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kazuo Matsuura
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ishiguro
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Akihiko Osaki
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Saeki
- Department of Breast Oncology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Hidaka City, Saitama, Japan
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Zhang X, Wen Z, Wang Q, Ren L, Zhao S. A novel stratification framework based on anoikis-related genes for predicting the prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1199869. [PMID: 37575253 PMCID: PMC10413143 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1199869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Anoikis resistance is a prerequisite for the successful development of osteosarcoma (OS) metastases, whether the expression of anoikis-related genes (ARGs) correlates with OS prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using ARGs as prognostic tools for the risk stratification of OS. Methods The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases provided transcriptome information relevant to OS. The GeneCards database was used to identify ARGs. Differentially expressed ARGs (DEARGs) were identified by overlapping ARGs with common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between OS and normal samples from the GSE16088, GSE19276, and GSE99671 datasets. Anoikis-related clusters of patients were obtained by consistent clustering, and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) of the different clusters was completed. Next, a risk model was created using Cox regression analyses. Risk scores and clinical features were assessed for independent prognostic values, and a nomogram model was constructed. Subsequently, a functional enrichment analysis of the high- and low-risk groups was performed. In addition, the immunological characteristics of OS samples were compared between the high- and low-risk groups, and their sensitivity to therapeutic agents was explored. Results Seven DEARGs between OS and normal samples were obtained by intersecting 501 ARGs with 68 common DEGs. BNIP3 and CXCL12 were significantly differentially expressed between both clusters (P<0.05) and were identified as prognosis-related genes. The risk model showed that the risk score and tumor metastasis were independent prognostic factors of patients with OS. A nomogram combining risk score and tumor metastasis effectively predicted the prognosis. In addition, patients in the high-risk group had low immune scores and high tumor purity. The levels of immune cell infiltration, expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, immune response gene sets, and immune checkpoints were lower in the high-risk group than those in the low-risk group. The low-risk group was sensitive to the immune checkpoint PD-1 inhibitor, and the high-risk group exhibited lower inhibitory concentration values by 50% for 24 drugs, including AG.014699, AMG.706, and AZD6482. Conclusion The prognostic stratification framework of patients with OS based on ARGs, such as BNIP3 and CXCL12, may lead to more efficient clinical management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Zhang
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Nutrition, College of Public Health of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenxing Wen
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Oncology, Nanyang Central Hospital, Nanyang, China
| | - Lijuan Ren
- Molecular Diagnosis and Gene Testing Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shengli Zhao
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Guangzhou, China
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Sanati M, Afshari AR, Ahmadi SS, Moallem SA, Sahebkar A. Modulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system by phytochemicals: Therapeutic implications in malignancies with an emphasis on brain tumors. Biofactors 2023; 49:782-819. [PMID: 37162294 DOI: 10.1002/biof.1958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Regarding the multimechanistic nature of cancers, current chemo- or radiotherapies often fail to eradicate disease pathology, and frequent relapses or resistance to therapies occur. Brain malignancies, particularly glioblastomas, are difficult-to-treat cancers due to their highly malignant and multidimensional biology. Unfortunately, patients suffering from malignant tumors often experience poor prognoses and short survival periods. Thus far, significant efforts have been conducted to discover novel and more effective modalities. To that end, modulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has attracted tremendous interest since it affects the homeostasis of proteins critically engaged in various cell functions, for example, cell metabolism, survival, proliferation, and differentiation. With their safe and multimodal actions, phytochemicals are among the promising therapeutic tools capable of turning the operation of various UPS elements. The present review, along with an updated outline of the role of UPS dysregulation in multiple cancers, provided a detailed discussion on the impact of phytochemicals on the UPS function in malignancies, especially brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Sanati
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
- Experimental and Animal Study Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
| | - Amir R Afshari
- Natural Products and Medicinal Plants Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Seyed Sajad Ahmadi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Khatam-Ol-Anbia Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Seyed Adel Moallem
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Al-Zahraa University for Women, Karbala, Iraq
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Sahebkar
- Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Prazanowska KH, Lim SB. An integrated single-cell transcriptomic dataset for non-small cell lung cancer. Sci Data 2023; 10:167. [PMID: 36973297 PMCID: PMC10042991 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02074-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
As single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as a great tool for studying cellular heterogeneity within the past decade, the number of available scRNA-seq datasets also rapidly increased. However, reuse of such data is often problematic due to a small cohort size, limited cell types, and insufficient information on cell type classification. Here, we present a large integrated scRNA-seq dataset containing 224,611 cells from human primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors. Using publicly available resources, we pre-processed and integrated seven independent scRNA-seq datasets using an anchor-based approach, with five datasets utilized as reference and the remaining two, as validation. We created two levels of annotation based on cell type-specific markers conserved across the datasets. To demonstrate usability of the integrated dataset, we created annotation predictions for the two validation datasets using our integrated reference. Additionally, we conducted a trajectory analysis on subsets of T cells and lung cancer cells. This integrated data may serve as a resource for studying NSCLC transcriptome at the single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Hanna Prazanowska
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16499, Korea
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, Suwon, 16499, Korea
| | - Su Bin Lim
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16499, Korea.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ajou University Graduate School of Medicine, Suwon, 16499, Korea.
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Multi-Omics Analysis Revealed a Significant Alteration of Critical Metabolic Pathways Due to Sorafenib-Resistance in Hep3B Cell Lines. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911975. [PMID: 36233276 PMCID: PMC9569810 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second prominent cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. Usually, HCC is diagnosed in advanced stages, wherein sorafenib, a multiple target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is used as the first line of treatment. Unfortunately, resistance to sorafenib is usually encountered within six months of treatment. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify the underlying reasons for drug resistance. In the present study, we investigated the proteomic and metabolomics alterations accompanying sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B cells by employing ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS). The Bruker Human Metabolome Database (HMDB) library was used to identify the differentially abundant metabolites through MetaboScape 4.0 software (Bruker). For protein annotation and identification, the Uniprot proteome for Homo sapiens (Human) database was utilized through MaxQuant. The results revealed that 27 metabolites and 18 proteins were significantly dysregulated due to sorafenib resistance in Hep3B cells compared to the parental phenotype. D-alanine, L-proline, o-tyrosine, succinic acid and phosphatidylcholine (PC, 16:0/16:0) were among the significantly altered metabolites. Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase isozyme L1, mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, UDP-glucose-6-dehydrogenase, sorbitol dehydrogenase and calpain small subunit 1 were among the significantly altered proteins. The findings revealed that resistant Hep3B cells demonstrated significant alterations in amino acid and nucleotide metabolic pathways, energy production pathways and other pathways related to cancer aggressiveness, such as migration, proliferation and drug-resistance. Joint pathway enrichment analysis unveiled unique pathways, including the antifolate resistance pathway and other important pathways that maintain cancer cells' survival, growth, and proliferation. Collectively, the results identified potential biomarkers for sorafenib-resistant HCC and gave insights into their role in chemotherapeutic drug resistance, cancer initiation, progression and aggressiveness, which may contribute to better prognosis and chemotherapeutic outcomes.
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