PAGE4 promotes prostate cancer cells survive under oxidative stress through modulating MAPK/JNK/ERK pathway

Cancer testis antigens: Emerging therapeutic targets leveraging genomic instability in cancer

Cancer care has witnessed remarkable progress in recent decades, with a wide array of targeted therapies and immune-based interventions being added to the traditional treatment options such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, despite these advancements, the challenge of achieving high tumor specificity while minimizing adverse side effects continues to dictate the benefit-risk balance of cancer therapy, guiding clinical decision making. As such, the targeting of cancer testis antigens (CTAs) offers exciting new opportunities for therapeutic intervention of cancer since they display highly tumor specific expression patterns, natural immunogenicity and play pivotal roles in various biological processes that are critical for tumor cellular fitness. In this review, we delve deeper into how CTAs contribute to the regulation and maintenance of genomic integrity in cancer, and how these mechanisms can be exploited to specifically target and eradicate tumor cells. We review the current clinical trials targeting aforementioned CTAs, highlight promising pre-clinical data and discuss current challenges and future perspectives for future development of CTA-based strategies that exploit tumor genomic instability.

Prognostic value of oxidative stress-related genes in colorectal cancer and its correlation with tumor immunity

Oxidative stress (OS) plays an essential role in chronic diseases such as colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we aimed to explore the relation between oxidative stress-related genes and CRC prognosis and their involvement in the immune microenvironment. Totally 101 OS-related genes were selected from the MsigDB database. Then, univariate Cox regression was used to explore the prognostic value of the selected genes correlated with the CRC patient survival in the TCGA database. A total of 9 prognostic OS-related genes in CRC were identified. Based on consensus clustering, CRC patients were then categorized into two molecular subtypes. A prognostic risk model containing 8 genes was established using Lasso regression, and CRC patients were divided into high or low-risk groups based on the median risk scores. The predictive value of the 8 genes in CRC prognosis was validated using ROC curves, which indicate that CTNNB1, STK25, RNF112, SFPQ, MMP3, and NOL3 were promising prognostic biomarkers in CRC. Furthermore, the immune cell infiltration levels in different risk groups or CRC subtypes were analyzed. We found that the high-risk or C1 subtype had immunosuppressive microenvironment, which might explain the unfavorable prognosis in the two groups of CRC patients. Additionally, functional experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of OS-related genes on CRC cell proliferation, stemness, and apoptosis. We found that CTNNB1, HSPB1, MMP3, and NOL3 were upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. Knockdown of CTNNB1, HSPB1, MMP3, and NOL3 significantly suppressed CRC cell proliferation, stemness and facilitated CRC cell apoptosis. In conclusion, we established prognostic CRC subtypes and an eight-gene risk model, which may provide novel prognostic indicators and benefit the design of individualized therapeutic strategies for CRC patients.

An integrative analysis of GEO data to identify possible therapeutic biomarkers of prostate cancer and targeting potential protein through Zea mays phytochemicals by virtual screening approaches

Prostate cancer (PC) is a prevalent type of cancer among men. Delaying the treatment of patients with upgraded or upstaged cancer may lead to unmanageable circumstances. The aim of this study is to contribute to the finding of biomarkers that are specific to PC and identify drug candidates derived from plants. The information about cancer is critical for clinicians to make decisions about patient treatment in the era of precision medicine. Advances in genomics technology have opened up new possibilities for identifying genes that are associated with cancer, including PC. This study identifies novel differentially expressed genes for PC. The seven PC microarray datasets were selected from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)/Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found based on a fold change of |logFC| ≥ 1 and an adjusted p-value of <0.05. The DEGs were further studied using several bioinformatics tools, including STRING, CytoHubba, SRplot, Coremine Medical database, FunRich and GeneMANIA, cBioPortal. The six new potential biomarkers, GAGE2A, GAGE12G, GAGE2E, GAGE13, GAGE12F and CSAG1 were identified. These biomarkers are associated with biological processes (BPs) such as cell division, and gene expression regulation, so these genes may have a crucial role in PC progression and may serve as potential biomarkers for PC. A total of 497 phytochemicals from corn plants have been screened against the target protein and found LTS0176591 as the best lead molecule with docking score of -6.31 kcal/mol. Further, molecular mechanics-generalized born surface area (MM-GBSA), molecular dynamics simulation, principal component analysis (PCA), free energy landscape (FEL) and molecular mechanics-Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MM-PBSA) were carried out to validate the findings.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

HOXC10 promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression by targeting FOXA3 and indicates poor survival outcome

Background

Esophageal cancer is one of the most unknown and deadliest cancers in the world. Although recent studies have identified some mutations linked to the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (ESCC), the specific role of HomeoboxC10 (HOXC10) in the pathogenesis still requires further investigation.

Methods

Agilent mRNA single-channel gene expression was employed to identify genome-wide gene signatures in ESCC. These signatures were also verified using qRT-PCR, immunohistochemical staining as well as Western blot. The biological functions of HOXC10 were further investigated through cellular studies conducted on ESCC cells. Survival analysis was conducted utilizing the Kaplan-Meier method. The GEPIA database and the STRING website were utilized to predict the potential targets that bind to HOXC10. Co-immunoprecipitation assays were performed to investigate the binding interaction between HOXC10 and Forkhead Box A3 (FOXA3). Animal models were established to analyze the effects of HOXC10 silencing on tumorigenesis in vivo.

Results

The expression levels of HOXC10 mRNA were found to be upregulated in ESCC. Survival analysis revealed a significant association between abnormally elevated levels of HOXC10 mRNA and an unfavorable prognosis in patients with ESCC. In vitro studies revealed that the knockdown of HOXC10 expression resulted in the inhibition of the proliferation, invasion, and migrating ability of ESCC cells through the upregulation of FOXA3. Furthermore, tumor-bearing mouse models studies demonstrated that HOXC10 through knockdown techniques significantly suppressed ESCC tumor growth. HOXC10 was found to enhance the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway by regulating FOXA3 in ESCC cells.

Conclusion

These results support a key role for HOXC10 in the tumorigenesis of ESCC by upregulating FOXA3 via the MAPK pathway and highlight its potential as a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker for ESCC.

Cancer/Testis Antigens as Targets for RNA-Based Anticancer Therapy

In the last few decades, RNA-based drugs have emerged as a promising candidate in the treatment of various diseases. The introduction of messenger RNA (mRNA) as a vaccine or therapeutic agent enables the production of almost any functional protein/peptide. The key to applying RNA therapy in clinical trials is developing safe and effective delivery systems. Exosomes and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have been exploited as promising vehicles for drug delivery. This review discusses the feasibility of exosomes and LNPs as vehicles for mRNA delivery. Cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) show restricted expression in normal tissues and widespread expression in cancer tissues. Many of these CTAs show expression in the sera of patients with cancers. These characteristics of CTAs make them excellent targets for cancer immunotherapy. This review summarizes the roles of CTAs in various life processes and current studies on mRNAs encoding CTAs. Clinical studies present the beneficial effects of mRNAs encoding CTAs in patients with cancers. This review highlight clinical studies employing mRNA-LNPs encoding CTAs.

SHOX2 promotes prostate cancer proliferation and metastasis through disruption of the Hippo-YAP pathway

The transcription factor SHOX2 gene is critical in regulating gene expression and the development of tumors, but its biological role in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. In this study, we found that SHOX2 expression was significantly raised in PCa tissues and was associated with clinicopathological features as well as disease-free survival (DFS) of PCa patients. Phenotypic tests showed that the absence of SHOX2 inhibited PCa growth and invasion, while SHOX2 overexpression promoted these effects. Mechanistically, SHOX2 was found to activate the transcription of nephronophthisis type 4 (NPHP4), a gene located downstream of SHOX2. Further analysis revealed that SHOX2 could potentially interfere with the Hippo-YAP signaling pathway through NPHP4 activation, facilitating the oncogenic behavior of PCa cells. These findings highlight SHOX2 as an oncogene in PCa and provide a basis for developing potential therapeutic approaches against this disease.

CMGC Kinases in Health and Cancer

CMGC kinases, encompassing cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), glycogen synthase kinases (GSKs), and CDC-like kinases (CLKs), play pivotal roles in cellular signaling pathways, including cell cycle regulation, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and gene expression regulation. The dysregulation and aberrant activation of these kinases have been implicated in cancer development and progression, making them attractive therapeutic targets. In recent years, kinase inhibitors targeting CMGC kinases, such as CDK4/6 inhibitors and BRAF/MEK inhibitors, have demonstrated clinical success in treating specific cancer types. However, challenges remain, including resistance to kinase inhibitors, off-target effects, and the need for better patient stratification. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the importance of CMGC kinases in cancer biology, their involvement in cellular signaling pathways, protein-protein interactions, and the current state of kinase inhibitors targeting these kinases. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges and future perspectives in targeting CMGC kinases for cancer therapy, including potential strategies to overcome resistance, the development of more selective inhibitors, and novel therapeutic approaches, such as targeting protein-protein interactions, exploiting synthetic lethality, and the evolution of omics in the study of the human kinome. As our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and protein-protein interactions involving CMGC kinases expands, so too will the opportunities for the development of more selective and effective therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.

Transcription Factor ELF1 Modulates Cisplatin Sensitivity in Prostate Cancer by Targeting MEIS Homeobox 2

As a widely used first-line agent for prostate cancer treatment, cisplatin is facing drug resistance which has resulted in chemotherapy failure in many prostate cancer patients, while the related molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we discovered that MEIS homeobox 2 (MEIS2) was lowly expressed in prostate cancer tissues by bioinformatics analysis, which had a close connection with the T stage and N stage of the tumor. Cell function experiments demonstrated that MEIS2 overexpression was capable of significantly suppressing proliferation of tumor cells, arresting prostate cancer cells in G0/G1 phase, and promoting DNA damage, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of prostate cancer to cisplatin. Dual-luciferase assay and chromatin co-immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays confirmed the binding relationship between MEIS2 and ELF1. The results of rescue assay showed that ELF1 could promote DNA damage and enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to cisplatin by activating MEIS2. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrated that ELF1 could modulate DNA damage through activating MEIS2 and thus enhance cisplatin sensitivity in prostate cancer. This study suggested that the ELF1/MEIS2 axis may be a therapeutic target to strengthen cisplatin sensitivity in prostate cancer.

Biology of Cancer-Testis Antigens and Their Therapeutic Implications in Cancer

Tumour-specific antigens have been an area of interest in cancer therapy since their discovery in the middle of the 20th century. In the era of immune-based cancer therapeutics, redirecting our immune cells to target these tumour-specific antigens has become even more relevant. Cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) are a class of antigens with an expression specific to the testis and cancer cells. CTAs have also been demonstrated to be expressed in a wide variety of cancers. Due to their frequency and specificity of expression in a multitude of cancers, CTAs have been particularly attractive as cancer-specific therapeutic targets. There is now a rapid expansion of CTAs being identified and many studies have been conducted to correlate CTA expression with cancer and therapy-resistant phenotypes. Furthermore, there is an increasing number of clinical trials involving using some of these CTAs as molecular targets in pharmacological and immune-targeted therapeutics for various cancers. This review will summarise the current knowledge of the biology of known CTAs in tumorigenesis and the regulation of CTA genes. CTAs as molecular targets and the therapeutic implications of these CTA-targeted anticancer strategies will also be discussed.

Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Attenuates Oxidative Stress-Induced Injury in Diabetic Retinopathy Rats

PURPOSE

To investigate the effects of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) on oxidative stress-induced injury of diabetic retinopathy (DR) rats.

METHODS

DR rat model was constructed treated with Ad-CFTR. Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining was applied for testing the thickness of each layer of retinal tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine levels of serum inflammatory cytokines and contents of oxidative stress related genes in rats. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining was used to detect retinal cell apoptosis, and western blotting to measure the expression of MAPK/NF-κB pathway-related proteins in retinal tissues.

RESULTS

Our experiment revealed the remarkable decrease of CFTR protein in retinal tissues of DR rats. DR rats had decreased body weight and increased blood glucose level, with decreased thickness of total retinal thickness (TRT), outer nuclear layer and outer plexiform layer (ONL + OPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), and inner plexiform layer (IPL). Besides, DR rats were apparently up-regulated in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, with increased malondial dehyde (MDA), p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 and p-JNK1/2/JNK1/2 expressions, decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in retinal tissues, as well as up-regulated p65 protein in nucleus and down-regulated p65 protein in cytoplasm. DR rats treated with Ad-CFTR were effectively improved regarding the above parameters except body weight and blood glucose.

CONCLUSIONS

CFTR can inhibit MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway to ameliorate inflammatory response and oxidative stress-induced injury of DR rats, thereby reducing retinal cell apoptosis and playing a protective role in retina.

Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Aging and Age-Related Diseases: A Review

Research on the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the aging process has advanced significantly over the last two decades. In light of recent findings, ROS takes part in the aging process of cells along with contributing to various physiological signaling pathways. Antioxidants being cells' natural defense mechanism against ROS-mediated alteration, play an imperative role to maintain intracellular ROS homeostasis. Although the complete understanding of the ROS regulated aging process is yet to be fully comprehended, current insights into various sources of cellular ROS and their correlation with the aging process and age-related diseases are portrayed in this review. In addition, results on the effect of antioxidants on ROS homeostasis and the aging process as well as their advances in clinical trials are also discussed in detail. The future perspective in ROS-antioxidant dynamics on antiaging research is also marshaled to provide future directions for ROS-mediated antiaging research fields.

The Prostate-Associated Gene 4 (PAGE4) Could Play a Role in the Development of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia under Oxidative Stress

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in elderly men with uncertain molecular mechanism, and oxidative stress (OS) has also been found associated with BPH development. Recently, we found that prostate-associated gene 4 (PAGE4) was one of the most significantly changed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in BPH, which can protect cells against stress stimulation. However, the exact role of PAGE4 in BPH remains unclear. This study is aimed at exploring the effect of PAGE4 in BPH under OS. Human prostate tissues and cultured WPMY-1 and PrPF cells were utilized. The expression and localization of PAGE4 were determined with qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. OS cell models induced with H₂O₂ were treated with PAGE4 silencing or PAGE4 overexpression or inhibitor (N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)) of OS. The proliferation activity, apoptosis, OS markers, and MAPK signaling pathways were detected by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry analysis, and Western blotting. PAGE4 was shown to be upregulated in human hyperplastic prostate and mainly located in the stroma. Acute OS induced with H₂O₂ increased PAGE4 expression (which was prevented by OS inhibitor), apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in WPMY-1 and PrPF cells. siPAGE4 plus H₂O₂ potentiated H₂O₂ effect via reducing the p-ERK1/2 level and increasing p-JNK1/2 level. Consistently, overexpression of PAGE4 offset the effect of H₂O₂ and partially reversed the PAGE4 silencing effect. However, knocking down and overexpression of PAGE4 alone determined no significant effects. Our novel data demonstrated that augmented PAGE4 promotes cell survival by activating p-ERK1/2 and decreases cell apoptosis by inhibiting p-JNK1/2 under the OS, which could contribute to the development of BPH.

Protein conformational dynamics and phenotypic switching

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are proteins that lack rigid 3D structure but exist as conformational ensembles. Because of their structural plasticity, they can interact with multiple partners. The protein interactions between IDPs and their partners form scale-free protein interaction networks (PINs) that facilitate information flow in the cell. Because of their plasticity, IDPs typically occupy hub positions in cellular PINs. Furthermore, their conformational dynamics and propensity for post-translational modifications contribute to "conformational" noise which is distinct from the well-recognized transcriptional noise. Therefore, upregulation of IDPs in response to a specific input, such as stress, contributes to increased noise and, hence, an increase in stochastic, "promiscuous" interactions. These interactions lead to activation of latent pathways or can induce "rewiring" of the PIN to yield an optimal output underscoring the critical role of IDPs in regulating information flow. We have used PAGE4, a highly intrinsically disordered stress-response protein as a paradigm. Employing a variety of experimental and computational techniques, we have elucidated the role of PAGE4 in phenotypic switching of prostate cancer cells at a systems level. These cumulative studies over the past decade provide a conceptual framework to better understand how IDP conformational dynamics and conformational noise might facilitate cellular decision-making.

Restraint stress induces uterine microenvironment disorder in mice during early pregnancy through the β2-AR/cAMP/PKA pathway

During pregnancy, uterus undergoes the environment adaptation as part of a program of development. In the world, one in four people worldwide suffer from mental illness, especially pregnant women. β-Adrenergic receptor (β-AR) is an important regulator that converts environmental stimuli into intracellular signals in mice uterus. CD-1 (ICR) mice undergone restraint stress, which was a case in model to simulate the psychological stress. The plasma and implantation sites in uterus were obtained and examined. PCR analysis demonstrated that β₂-AR expression levels in embryo day (E) 3, 5 and 7 were kept at a significantly higher level (p < 0.05) under restraint stress and higher than β₁-AR and β₃-AR in different gestation ages. The β₂-AR protein levels were obviously increased (p < 0.05) due to the markedly elevated norepinephrine (NE) concentration (p < 0.05). In our previous study, restraint stress can induce the apoptosis and inflammation. Also, the matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP-9) was decreased significantly (p < 0.05) under restraint stress. Meanwhile, Caspase3, p-NF-κB p65 and p-ERK1/2 were obviously increased (p < 0.05) in the work. In vitro studies showed that the p-ERK1/2 and Caspase-3 levels were raised (p < 0.05) after β₂-AR was activated. However, they were decreased when PKA was blocked. The protein levels of Caspase-3 were reduced when ERK and NF-κB were blocked (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the β₂-AR/cAMP/PKA pathway promoted apoptosis and affected the development of the uterus through the ERK and NF-κB signaling pathway. The findings of this study may provide evidence for female reproduction under psychological stress.

Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins play the roles of radioprotection on Normal Lung and radiosensitization on Lung Cancer via differential regulation of the MAPK Signaling Pathway

Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is a common serious complication and dose-limiting factor caused by radiotherapy for lung cancer. This study was to investigate radioprotective effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSP) on normal lung as well as radiosensitizing effects on lung cancer. In vitro, we demonstrated radioprotective effects of GSP on normal alveolar epithelial cells (MLE-12 and BEAS/2B) and radiosensitizing effects on lung cancer cells (LLC and A549). In vivo, we confirmed these two-way effects in tumor-bearing mice. The results showed that GSP inhibited tumor growth, and played a synergistic killing effect with radiotherapy on lung cancer. Meanwhile, GSP reduced radiation damage to normal lung tissues. The two-way effects related to the differential regulation of the MAPK signaling pathway by GSP on normal lung and lung cancer. Moreover, GSP regulated secretion of cytokines IL-6 and IFN-γ and expression of p53 and Ki67 on normal lung and lung cancer. Our findings suggest that GSP is expected to be an ideal radioprotective drug for lung cancer patients who are treated with radiotherapy.

eRNAs and Superenhancer lncRNAs Are Functional in Human Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in males worldwide. lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) play a significant role in the occurrence and development of PCa. eRNAs (enhancer RNAs) and SE-lncRNAs (superenhancer lncRNAs) are important elements of lncRNAs, but the role of eRNAs and SE-lncRNAs in PCa remains largely unclear. In this work, we identified 681 eRNAs and 292 SE-lncRNAs that were expressed differentially in PCa using a microarray. We also found that eRNAs transcribed from active open chromatin had significantly higher expression than those from active closed chromatin, and SE-lncRNAs had a little higher expression than eRNAs. Next, we constructed a transcriptional regulation network that eRNA-related enhancer and the target genes shared the same TF-binding motifs. Further, we investigated whether CTCF played a role in mediating the transcriptional regulation network. eRNAs, especially those that regulate androgen response genes, may be candidates for prognostic biomarkers and therapy targets. Our work provides a new perspective for developing medical treatments and therapies for prostate cancer.

Stromal-epithelial interactions in prostate cancer: Overexpression of PAGE4 in stromal cells inhibits the invasive ability of epithelial cells

It is now widely recognized that carcinoma-associated fibroblasts which are believed to be myofibroblasts, promote the transformation of prostate epithelial cells to cancer cells, enhance their proliferation and invasiveness, and induce the acquisition of resistance to cancer therapy and immune evasiveness. Prostate-associated gene 4 (PAGE4) is an intrinsically disordered protein that is remarkably prostate-specific. PAGE4 is also a stress-response protein that functions as a transcriptional regulator and is upregulated in early-stage prostate cancer (PCa) and its precursor lesions. However, PAGE4 is downregulated in high-grade PCa and metastatic disease. Here, we show that PAGE4 is highly expressed in the stromal cells surrounding the cancer-adjacent "normal" glands and low-grade PCa lesions but not in lesions proximal to high-grade PCa. Overexpression of PAGE4 in a stromal cell line inhibits the migration and invasion of PCa epithelial cells in multiple coculture systems. PAGE4 overexpression also inhibits the downregulation of E-cadherin in PCa epithelial cells when cocultured with stromal cells. Furthermore, signaling via tumor necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β pathways is decreased in the stromal cells overexpressing PAGE4 suggesting that PAGE4 appears to play a protective role against disease progression by perturbing interactions between epithelial cells and stromal cells in PCa. Taken together, these findings support previous observations that upregulation of PAGE4 in PCa correlates with a better prognosis and highlight PAGE4 as a novel therapeutic target for early-stage "low-risk" disease.

Intrinsically disordered proteins and phenotypic switching: Implications in cancer

It is now well established that intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that constitute a large part of the proteome across the three kingdoms, play critical roles in several biological processes including phenotypic switching. However, dysregulated expression of IDPs that engage in promiscuous interactions can lead to pathological states. In this chapter, using cancer as a paradigm, we discuss how IDP conformational dynamics and the resultant conformational noise can modulate phenotypic switching. Thus, contrary to the prevailing wisdom that phenotypic switching is highly deterministic (has a genetic underpinning) in cancer, emerging evidence suggests that non-genetic mechanisms, at least in part due to the conformational noise, may also be a confounding factor in phenotypic switching.