RNA-binding proteins in ovarian cancer: a novel avenue of their roles in diagnosis and treatment

A positive feedback loop of SRSF9/USP22/ZEB1 promotes the progression of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) is recognized as the most lethal type of gynecological malignancy, making treatment options challenging. Discovering novel therapeutic targets will benefit OC patients. This study aimed to reveal the mechanism by which SRSF9 regulates OC progression. Cell proliferation was determined via CCK-8 assays, whereas cell migration and invasion were monitored via Transwell assays. Western blotting and qPCR assays were used to detect protein and mRNA alterations. RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and actinomycin D experiments were performed to investigate the relationships between SRSF9 and USP22. Co-IP was used to validate the interaction between USP22 and ZEB1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to verify the regulatory effect of ZEB1 on the transcription of SRSF9. Subcutaneous xenograft models were established to evaluate the impact of SRSF9 on tumor development. Knockdown of SRSF9 significantly suppressed the proliferation, invasion, migration, tumorigenicity, and epithelial‒mesenchymal transition (EMT) of OC cells. SRSF9 can bind to USP22 mRNA, increasing its stability. Moreover, the overexpression of USP22 reversed the impact of SRSF9 silencing on malignant phenotypes. USP22 can mediate the deubiquitination of ZEB1, thereby enhancing the progression of OC. Furthermore, ZEB1 upregulated SRSF9 expression through transcriptional activation, thus establishing a positive feedback loop. SRSF9 enhanced the malignant characteristics of OC through a positive feedback loop of SRSF9/USP22/ZEB1. This functional circuit may help in the development of novel therapeutic approaches for treating OC.

Forever chemicals don't make hero mutant ninja turtles: Elevated PFAS levels linked to unusual scute development in newly emerged freshwater turtle hatchlings (Emydura macquarii macquarii) and a reduction in turtle populations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants known to pose significant risks to human and wildlife health. Freshwater turtles (Emydura macquarii macquarii), as long-lived species inhabiting aquatic ecosystems, are particularly vulnerable to PFAS bioaccumulation. This study investigated the multifaceted impact of PFAS contamination on these turtles, focusing on metabolic disruptions, reproductive success, hatchling health, and population impacts. Comprehensive analyses, including proteomics, lipidomics, metabolomics, and histopathology, were conducted on turtles from PFAS-impacted, control, and reference sites. The findings reveal significant metabolic disruptions in PFAS-exposed turtles, with alterations in amino acid and lipid metabolism, energy production, and oxidative stress responses. Proteomic analysis identified several health biomarkers indicative of early disease progression. Despite high levels of PFAS in tissues and organs, no gross or histopathological phenotypical abnormalities were directly linked to PFAS exposure. Gravid females from contaminated sites exhibited altered egg composition, particularly in magnesium to calcium ratios, potentially affecting eggshell strength. Biochemical profiles of egg albumin and yolk indicated significant differences in metabolites and lipids between contaminated and reference sites, suggesting potential impacts on embryo development. Hatchling deformities were notably higher and with increased frequency in terms of the types of deformities at the PFAS-impacted sites, with common defects including abnormal intergular scale shapes and marginal scale counts. Furthermore, the demographic profile of the turtle population showed a lack of juvenile turtles at contaminated sites, indicating reduced recruitment and potential long-term population declines. This indicates a field-based demonstration of an Adverse Outcome Pathway, from elevated levels of PFAS in the turtles, to biochemical perturbations within the animals, and finally population effects. These findings underscore the urgent need for regulatory measures to address PFAS contamination and its detrimental effects on wildlife.

The Diversity of Methylation Patterns in Serous Borderline Ovarian Tumors and Serous Ovarian Carcinomas

Background: Changes in DNA methylation patterns are a pivotal mechanism of carcinogenesis. In some tumors, aberrant methylation precedes genetic changes, while gene expression may be more frequently modified due to methylation alterations than by mutations. Methods: Herein, 128 serous ovarian tumors were analyzed, including borderline ovarian tumors (BOTS) with (BOT.V600E) and without (BOT) the BRAF V600E mutation, low-grade (lg), and high-grade (hg) ovarian cancers (OvCa). The methylome of the samples was profiled with Infinium MethylationEPIC microarrays. Results: The biggest number of differentially methylated (DM) CpGs and regions (DMRs) was found between lgOvCa and hgOvCa. By contrast, the BOT.V600E tumors had the lowest number of DM CpGs and DMRs compared to all other groups and, in relation to BOT, their genome was strongly downmethylated. Remarkably, the ten most significant DMRs, discriminating BOT from lgOvCa, encompassed the MHC region on chromosome 6. We also identified hundreds of DMRs, being of potential use as predictive biomarkers in BOTS and hgOvCa. DMRs with the best discriminative capabilities overlapped the following genes: BAIAP3, IL34, WNT10A, NEU1, SLC44A4, and HMOX1, TCN2, PES1, RP1-56J10.8, ABR, NCAM1, RP11-629G13.1, AC006372.4, NPTXR in BOTS and hgOvCa, respectively. Conclusions: The global genome-wide hypomethylation positively correlates with the increasing aggressiveness of ovarian tumors. We also assume that the immune system may play a pivotal role in the transition from BOTS to lgOvCa. Given that the BOT.V600E tumors had the lowest number of DM CpGs and DMRs compared to all other groups, when methylome is considered, such tumors might be placed in-between BOT and OvCa.

Targeting KRAS in gynecological malignancies

Cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers stand prominently as the leading gynecological malignancies of the female reproductive system. The conventional therapeutic modalities for gynecological malignancies have predominantly encompassed surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, efficacy of these approaches remains limited in cases of relapse or drug resistance. KRAS is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes in human cancers. The KRAS gene encodes a small guanosine triphosphatase protein that acts as a molecular switch for crucial intracellular signaling pathways. KRAS mutations are deeply involved in the occurrence and development of gynecological malignancies. The present review aims to expound upon the role of oncogenic KRAS as a biomarker, elucidating various therapeutic approaches under investigation targeting the KRAS pathway in gynecological tumors.

The RNA-binding protein sorbin and SH3 domain-containing 2 are transcriptionally regulated by specificity protein 1 and function as tumor suppressors in bladder cancer by stabilizing tissue factor pathway inhibitor

Sorbin and SH3 domain-containing 2 (SORBS2) is an RNA-binding protein and has been implicated in the development of some cancers. However, its role in bladder cancer (BC) is yet to be established. The expression of SORBS2 in BC tissues was determined from the Gene Expression Omnibus and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis databases and collected paired tumor/normal samples. The effects of SORBS2 on BC cells were detected by CCK-8, colony formation, Transwell, dual-luciferase, RNA immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and DNA pull-down assays. In vivo, BC cell growth and metastasis were studied by a xenograft subcutaneous model and a tail-vein metastasis model. The results showed that SORBS2 expression was significantly decreased in BC tissues and cells. SORBS2 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vitro and tumor growth and metastasis in vivo, while silencing SORBS2 produced the opposite effect. Mechanistically, we found that SORBS2 enhanced the stability of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) mRNA via direct binding to its 3' UTR. Restoration of TFPI expression reversed SORBS2 knockdown-induced malignant phenotypes of BC cells. In addition, SORBS2 expression was negatively regulated by the transcription factor specificity protein 1 (SP1). Conversely, SORBS2 can be transcriptionally regulated by SP1 and inhibit BC cell growth and metastasis via stabilization of TFPI mRNA, indicating SORBS2 may be a promising therapeutic target for BC.

Unravelling driver genes as potential therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer via integrated bioinformatics approach

Target-driven cancer therapy is a notable advancement in precision oncology that has been accompanied by substantial medical accomplishments. Ovarian cancer is a highly frequent neoplasm in women and exhibits significant genomic and clinical heterogeneity. In a previous publication, we presented an extensive bioinformatics study aimed at identifying specific biomarkers associated with ovarian cancer. The findings of the network analysis indicate the presence of a cluster of nine dysregulated hub genes that exhibited significance in the underlying biological processes and contributed to the initiation of ovarian cancer. Here in this research article, we are proceeding our previous research by taking all hub genes into consideration for further analysis. GEPIA2 was used to identify patterns in the expression of critical genes. The KM plotter analysis indicated that the out of all genes 5 genes are statistically significant. The cBioPortal platform was further used to investigate the frequency of genetic mutations across the board and how they affected the survival of the patients. Maximum mutation was reported by ELAVL2. In order to discover viable therapeutic candidates after competitive inhibition of ELAVL2 with small molecular drug complex, high throughput screening and docking studies were used. Five compounds were identified. Overall, our results suggest that the ELAV-like protein 2-ZINC03830554 complex was relatively stable during the molecular dynamic simulation. The five compounds that have been found can also be further examined as potential therapeutic possibilities. The combined findings suggest that ELAVL2, together with their genetic changes, can be investigated in therapeutic interventions for precision oncology, leveraging early diagnostics and target-driven therapy.

RNA-binding proteins signature is a favorable biomarker of prognosis, immunotherapy and chemotherapy response for cervical cancer

Cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) still present a huge threaten to women's health, especially the local advanced patients. Hence, developing more effectiveness prognostic signatures is urgently needed. This study constructed and verified a robust RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) related signature through a series of bioinformatics methods and explored the biological function of hub RBP in vitro experiments. As a result, the 10 RBPs signature was successfully established and could act as an independent prognostic biomarker in CESC patients, which displayed the highest sensitivity and specificity in prognosis prediction compared with other clinicopathological parameters. The risk model also presented good performance in risk stratification among CESC patients. Besides, a nomogram was constructed based on pathological stage and the risk signature and exhibited satisfactory accuracy in prognosis prediction. Functional enrichment indicated that the risk signature mainly participated in immune-related pathways and cancer-related pathways, and the infiltration level of immune cells and immune checkpoints showed a significantly higher degree in low-risk patients compared with high-risk patients. Notably, the 10 RBPs signature act as a novel biomarker in immunotherapy and chemotherapy response. In addition, PRPF40B was selected as hub RBP and its transcription and translation levels were obviously increased in CESC tissues, as well as Hela and Siha cells. Knockdown of PRPF40B inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of Hela and Siha cells in vitro. In conclusion, our research provides a noticeable strategy in prognostic prediction among CESC patients, which may illuminate the prospect of CESC patients' clinical outcome.

Identification of a basement membrane-related genes signature with immune correlation in bladder urothelial carcinoma and verification in vitro

BACKGROUND

Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is the most common genitourinary cancer and the prognosis of patients is often poor. However, studies of basement membrane-related genes (BM-related genes) in BLCA are less reported. Therefore, we established a BM-related genes signature to explore their functional and prognostic value in BLCA.

METHODS

In this study, a BM-related genes signature was constructed by LASSO-Cox regression analysis, and then a series of bioinformatics methods was used to assess the accuracy and validity of the signature. We constructed a nomogram for clinical application and also screened for possible therapeutic drugs. To investigate the functions and pathways affected by BM-related genes in BLCA, we performed functional enrichment analyses. In addition, we analyzed the immune cell infiltration landscape and immune checkpoint-related genes in the high and low-risk groups. Finally, we confirmed the prognostic value of BM-related genes in BLCA in vitro.

RESULTS

Combining multiple bioinformatics approaches, we identified a seven-gene signature. The accuracy and validity of this signature in predicting BLCA patients were confirmed by the test cohort. In addition, the risk score was strongly correlated with prognosis, immune checkpoint genes, drug sensitivity, and immune cell infiltration landscape. The risk score is an independent prognostic factor for BLCA patients. Further experiments revealed that all seven signature genes were differentially expressed between BLCA cell lines and normal bladder cells. Finally, overexpression of LAMA2 inhibited the migration and invasion ability of BLCA cell lines.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the BM-related genes signature was able to predict the prognosis of BLCA patients accurately, indicating that the BM-related genes possess great clinical value in the diagnosis and treatment of BLCA. Moreover, LAMA2 could be a potential therapeutic target, which provides new insights into the application of the BM-related genes in BLCA patients.

Immunogenic cell death-related gene landscape predicts the overall survival and immune infiltration status of ovarian cancer

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most troubling malignant tumor of the female reproductive system. It has a low early diagnosis rate and a high tumor recurrence rate after treatment. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a unique form of regulated cell death that can activate the adaptive immune system through the release of DAMPs and cytokines in immunocompromised hosts and establish long-term immunologic memory. Therefore, this study aims to explore the prognostic value and underlying mechanisms of ICD-related genes in OC on the basis of characteristics. Methods: The gene expression profiles and related clinical information of OC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. ICD-related genes were collected from the Genecards database. ICD-related prognostic genes were obtained by intersecting ICD-related genes with the OC prognostic-related genes that were analyzed in the TCGA database. Functional enrichment, genetic mutation, and immune infiltration correlation analyses were further performed to identify underlying mechanisms. Subsequently, we developed a TCGA cohort-based prognostic risk model that included a nine-gene signature through univariate and multivariate Cox regression and LASSO regression analyses. Meanwhile, external validation was performed on two sets of GEO cohorts and the TCGA training cohort for three other common tumors in women. In addition, a nomogram was established by integrating clinicopathological features and ICD-related gene signature to predict survival probability. Finally, functional enrichment and immune infiltration analyses were performed on the two risk subgroups. Results: By utilizing nine genes (ERBB2, RB1, CCR7, CD38, IFNB1, ANXA2, CXCL9, SLC9A1, and SLAMF7), we constructed an ICD-related prognostic signature. Subsequently, patients were subdivided into high- and low-risk subgroups in accordance with the median value of the risk score. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, risk score was an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio = 2.783; p < 0.01). In the TCGA training cohort and the two GEO validation cohorts, patients with high-risk scores had worse prognosis than those with low-risk scores (p < 0.05). The time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve further validated the prognostic power of the gene signature. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis indicated that multiple oncological pathways were significantly enriched in the high-risk subgroup. By contrast, the low-risk subgroup was strongly related to the immune-related signaling pathways. Immune infiltration analysis further illustrated that most immune cells showed higher levels of infiltration in the low-risk subgroup than in the high-risk subgroup. Conclusion: We constructed a novel ICD-related gene model for forecasting the prognosis and immune infiltration status of patients with OC. In the future, new ICD-related genes may provide novel potential targets for the therapeutic intervention of OC.

Efficacy evaluation of multi-immunotherapy in ovarian cancer: From bench to bed

Ovarian cancer, one of the most common gynecological malignancies, is characterized by high mortality and poor prognosis. Cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy remain the mainstay of ovarian cancer treatment, and most women experience recurrence after standard care therapies. There is compelling evidence that ovarian cancer is an immunogenic tumor. For example, the accumulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes is associated with increased survival, while increases in immunosuppressive regulatory T cells are correlated with poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, immunotherapies targeting components of the tumor microenvironment have been gradually integrated into the existing treatment options, including immune checkpoint blockade, adoptive cell therapy, and cancer vaccines. Immunotherapies have changed guidelines for maintenance treatment and established a new paradigm in ovarian cancer treatment. Despite single immunotherapies targeting DNA repair mechanisms, immune checkpoints, and angiogenesis bringing inspiring efficacy, only a subset of patients can benefit much from it. Thus, the multi-immunotherapy investigation remains an active area for ovarian cancer treatment. The current review provides an overview of various clinically oriented forms of multi-immunotherapy and explores potentially effective combinational therapies for ovarian cancer.