Hypoxia-induced SKA3 promoted cholangiocarcinoma progression and chemoresistance by enhancing fatty acid synthesis via the regulation of PAR-dependent HIF-1a deubiquitylation

Multifunctional DNA nano-sponge system for targeted sensitization of ovarian cancer chemotherapy via metabolic reprogramming and ferroptosis induction

The inefficacy of chemotherapy in ovarian cancer, hindered by poor targeting and multiple drug resistance, is intricately linked to the tumor micro-environment and abnormal metabolic patterns. Here, we present ZnOov@DS-DOX, an innovative nanomaterial that integrates small-sized ZnO nanoparticles with oxygen vacancies, embedded within 2D-ZnMOF and encapsulated in a DNA nanosponge, to enhance doxorubicin delivery. This system targets ovarian cancer cells specifically through the MUC1 aptamer and remodels metabolic signaling within the tumor microenvironment. ZnOov alleviates hypoxia and reduces chemoresistance by catalyzing H2O2, while Zn2+ release activates DNAzymes to target HIF-1a mRNA. The system reduces the efflux of chemotherapy drugs and inhibits cellular glycolysis. Disrupting the Warburg effect enhances mitochondrial respiration, increases ROS levels, disrupts the redox system, and induces ferroptosis, thereby significantly improving therapeutic efficacy. The uptake rate of ovarian cancer cells for the system was nearly 15 times higher than that of normal cells. Following treatment, the IC50 value of ovarian cancer cells decreased by approximately 72.7 %. Our in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that ZnOov@DS-DOX effectively modulates tumor metabolic pathways, mitigates drug resistance, and enhances treatment outcomes, representing a significant advancement in nanomedicine and cancer therapy.

Lactate accumulation from HIF-1α-mediated PMN-MDSC glycolysis restricts brain injury after acute hypoxia in neonates

Fetal intrauterine distress (FD) during delivery can cause fetal intrauterine hypoxia, posing significant risks to the fetus, mother, and newborns. While studies highlight the role of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) in neonatal diseases and tumor hypoxia, their specific involvement in newborns experiencing fetal distress during delivery (FDNB) is not well understood. Here, we found elevated PMN-MDSC activation, increased glycolysis, enhanced lactate production, and upregulated HIF-1α expression in the blood of FDNB neonates compared to healthy newborns (NNB). Importantly, PMN-MDSC levels were inversely correlated with neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a marker for neurological injury. In neonatal mice subjected to acute hypoxia, a 48-h exposure led to a shift from exacerbation to amelioration of brain damage when compared with a 24-h period. This change was associated with a reduction in microglial activation, a decrease in the expression of inflammatory factors within the microglia, alongside increased peripheral PMN-MDSC activation. Depleting PMN-MDSCs led to heightened microglial activation and aggravated brain injury. Mechanistically, enhanced activation of PMN-MDSCs promotes HIF-1α accumulation while enhancing glycolysis and lactate release, thereby mitigating neonatal brain injury. Notably, lactate supplementation in hypoxic mice rescued brain damage caused by insufficient PMN-MDSC activation due to HIF-1α deficiency. Our study clarifies the role of lactate in peripheral PMN-MDSCs after acute hypoxia and its effects on microglial activation and subsequent brain injury.

Impact of sleep deprivation on colon cancer: Unraveling the KynA-P4HA2-HIF-1α axis in tumor lipid metabolism and metastasis

OBJECTIVE

There is growing evidence that sleep deprivation promotes cancer progression. In addition, colon cancer patients often experience sleep deprivation due to factors such as cancer pain and side effects of treatment. The occurrence of liver metastases is an important factor in the mortality of colon cancer patients. However, the relationship between sleep deprivation and liver metastases from colon cancer has not been elucidated.

METHODS

A sleep deprivation liver metastasis model was constructed to evaluate the effect of sleep deprivation on liver metastasis of colon cancer. Subsequently, mice feces were collected for untargeted metabolomics to screen and identify the key mediator, Kynurenic acid (KynA). Furthermore, HILPDA was screened by transcriptomics, and its potential mechanism was explored through ChIP, co-IP, ubiquitination experiments, phenotyping experiments, etc. RESULTS: Sleep deprivation promotes liver metastases in colon cancer. Functionally, sleep deprivation aggravates lipid accumulation and decreases the production of the microbiota metabolite KynA. In contrast, KynA inhibited colon cancer progression in vitro. In vivo, KynA supplementation reversed the promoting effects of sleep deprivation on liver metastases from colon cancer. Mechanistically, KynA downregulates the expression of P4HA2 to promote the ubiquitination and degradation of HIF-1α, which leads to a decrease in the transcription of HILPDA, and ultimately leads to an increase in lipolysis of colon cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal that sleep deprivation impairs intracellular lipolysis by KynA, leading to lipid droplets accumulation in colon cancer cells. This process ultimately promotes colon cancer liver metastasis. This suggests a promising strategy for colon cancer treatment.

Reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism: a hidden force regulating the occurrence and progression of cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumor that originates from the bile duct epithelium and with a poor outcome due to lack of effective early diagnostic methods. Surgical resection is the preferred method for cure, but treatment options are limited for advanced diseases, such as distant metastatic or locally progressive tumors. Therefore, it is urgent to explore other new treatment methods. As modern living standards rise, the acceptance of high-fat, high-protein, and high-carbohydrate diets is growing among the public, and the resulting metabolic abnormalities are intimately linked to the initiation and spread of tumors. Metabolic reprogramming is a key mechanism in the process of tumor development and progression and is closely related to cancer cell proliferation, metastasis and drug resistance. Fatty acid (FA) metabolism, an integral component of cancer cell metabolism, can provide an energy source for cancer cells and participate in cell signaling, the regulation of the immune response and the maintenance of homeostasis of the internal environment, which are closely linked to the development and progression of CCA. Therefore, a better understanding of FA metabolism may provide promising strategies for early diagnosis, prognostic assessment and targeted therapy for CCA patients. In this paper, we review the effects of FA metabolism on CCA development and progression, summarize related mechanisms and the existing clinical applications of targeted lipid metabolism in CCA, and explore new targets for CCA metabolic therapy.

Hypoxia and lipid metabolism related genes drive proliferation migration and immune infiltration mechanisms in colorectal cancer subtyping

Hypoxia and lipid metabolism play crucial roles in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the specific functions of hypoxia- and lipid metabolism-related genes (HLPG) in CRC and their relationships with patient prognosis remain unclear. Differential expression analysis using the TCGA-COAD and GEO databases identified 117 HLPGs through the intersection of the two gene sets. After univariate Cox regression analysis, 17 prognostically relevant HLPG were identified. Consensus clustering classified CRC samples into two subtypes, and the immune microenvironment differences between them were evaluated. A risk scoring model utilizing seven prognostically significant HLPGs was created and its predictive performance was assessed through survival analysis and ROC curves. Finally, the key genes ITLN1 and SFRP2 were functionally validated in CRC cell lines. HLPG was closely linked to CRC prognosis. Two molecular subtypes were identified: Cluster A, characterized by enriched immune pathways and higher immune infiltration, and Cluster B, associated with improved overall survival. The seven HLPG-based risk scoring model effectively stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups, with high-risk patients exhibiting significantly poorer survival outcomes. Functional studies confirmed that SFRP2 and ITLN1 play essential roles in CRC cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, ITLN1 upregulated PD-L1 expression, increasing sensitivity to immunotherapy. Hypoxia was found to promote lipid metabolic alterations by modulating SFRP2 and ITLN1 expression. This study highlights the prognostic significance of HLPGs in CRC and introduces a robust risk scoring model for patient outcome prediction. ITLN1 could be a target for enhancing immunotherapy response in CRC.

OSBPL10-CNBP axis mediates hypoxia-induced pancreatic cancer development

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of malignancies with worst outcomes among digestive system tumors. Identification of novel biomarkers is of great significance for treatment researches and prognosis prediction of pancreatic cancer patients. Due to OSBPL10 known involvement in oncogenic activity in other tumors, we elucidated the mechanism underlying its contribution to pancreatic cancer progression. We employed data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database to detect the expression of OSBPL10 in normal and pancreatic cancer tissues. A series of assays were conducted to assess the impact of OSBPL10 on the proliferation and metastatic capacities of pancreatic cancer cells and the influence of OSBPL10 on macrophages were evaluated by Flow cytometry. In addition, Co-immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, and western blot assays were utilized to investigate the potential mechanisms of OSBPL10 activity. From our study, OSBPL10 is revealed to be upregulated in pancreatic cancer, with poor prognosis. The overexpression promotes malignant behaviors of pancreatic cancer cells and has an impact on tumor immune microenvironment by stimulating the transformation M1 macrophages into M2 macrophages. Mechanistically, hypoxia induces the expression of OSBPL10 through interaction between hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α and the promoter region of OSBPL10. Additionally, OSBPL10 directly bound to CNBP, mediating CNBP expression and ultimately regulating the proliferation and metastasis capacity of pancreatic cancer cells, as well as influencing macrophage polarization. The research emphasized the oncogenic role of OSBPL10 in pancreatic cancer, uncovering key mechanisms involving hypoxia, HIF-1α, and CNBP. The finding suggests that OSBPL10 is a novel biomarker in pancreatic cancer, making it a potential therapeutic target for intervention in this malignancy.

Fatty acid metabolism: A new target for nasopharyngeal carcinoma therapy

Lipid metabolic reprogramming is considered one of the most prominent metabolic abnormalities in cancer, and fatty acid metabolism is a key aspect of lipid metabolism. Recent studies have shown that fatty acid metabolism and its related lipid metabolic pathways play important roles in the malignant progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). NPC cells adapt to harsh environments by enhancing biological processes such as fatty acid metabolism, uptake, production, and oxidation, thereby accelerating their growth. In addition, the reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism plays a central role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of NPC, and the phenotypic transformation of immune cells is closely related to fatty acid metabolism. Moreover, the reprogramming of fatty acid metabolism in NPC contributes to immune escape, which significantly affects disease treatment, progression, recurrence, and metastasis. This review explores recent advances in fatty acid metabolism in NPC and focuses on the interconnections among metabolic reprogramming, tumor immunity, and corresponding therapies. In conclusion, fatty acid metabolism represents a potential target for NPC treatment, and further exploration is needed to develop strategies that target the interaction between fatty acid metabolic reprogramming and immunotherapy.

Integrated ubiquitomics characterization of hepatocellular carcinomas

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Patients with aggressive HCC have limited therapeutic options. Therefore, a better understanding of HCC pathogenesis is needed to improve treatment. Genomic studies of HCC have improved our understanding of cancer biology. However, the ubiquitomic characteristics of HCC remain poorly understood. We aimed to reveal the ubiquitomic characteristics of HCC and provide clinical feature biomarkers of the aggressive HCC that may be used for diagnosis or therapy in the clinic.

APPROACH AND RESULTS

The comprehensive proteomic, phosphoproteomic, and ubiquitomic analyses were performed on tumors and adjacent normal liver tissues from 85 patients with HCC. HCCs displayed overexpression of drugable targets CBR1-S151 and CPNE1-S55. COL4A1, LAMC1, and LAMA4 were highly expressed in the disease free survival-poor patients. Phosphoproteomic and ubiquitomic features of HCC revealed cross talk in metabolism and metastasis. Ubiquitomics predicted diverse prognosis and clarified HCC subtype-specific proteomic signatures. Expression of biomarkers TUBA1A, BHMT2, BHMT, and ACY1 exhibited differential ubiquitination levels and displayed high prognostic risk scores, suggesting that targeting these proteins or their modified forms may be beneficial for future clinical treatment. We validated that TUBA1A K370 deubiquitination drove severe HCC and labeled an aggressive subtype of HCCs. TUBA1A K370 deubiquitination was at least partly attributed to protein kinase B-mediated USP14 activation in HCC. Notably, targeting AKT-USP14-TUBA1A complex promoted TUBA1A degradation and blocked liver tumorigenesis in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

This study expands our knowledge of ubiquitomic signatures, biomarkers, and potential therapeutic targets in HCC.

MAL2 reprograms lipid metabolism in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma via EGFR/SREBP-1 pathway based on single-cell RNA sequencing

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly aggressive cancer characterized by a poor prognosis and resistance to chemotherapy. In this study, utilizing scRNA-seq, we discovered that the tetra-transmembrane protein mal, T cell differentiation protein 2 (MAL2), exhibited specific enrichment in ICC cancer cells and was strongly associated with a poor prognosis. The inhibition of MAL2 effectively suppressed cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Transcriptomics and metabolomics analyses suggested that MAL2 promoted lipid accumulation in ICC by stabilizing EGFR membrane localization and activated the PI3K/AKT/SREBP-1 axis. Molecular docking and Co-IP proved that MAL2 interacted directly with EGFR. Based on constructed ICC organoids, the downregulation of MAL2 enhanced apoptosis and sensitized ICC cells to cisplatin. Lastly, we conducted a virtual screen to identify sarizotan, a small molecule inhibitor of MAL2, and successfully validated its ability to inhibit MAL2 function. Our findings highlight the tumorigenic role of MAL2 and its involvement in cisplatin sensitivity, suggesting the potential for novel combination therapeutic strategies in ICC.

SKA3 targeted therapies in cancer precision surgery: bridging bench discoveries to clinical applications - review article

Spindle and kinetochore-associated complex subunit 3 (SKA3) is a microtubule-binding subcomplex of the outer kinetochore, which plays a vital role in proper chromosomal segregation and cell division. Recently, SKA3 have been demonstrated its oncogenic role of tumorigenesis and development in cancers. In this review, the authors comprehensively deciphered SKA3 in human cancer from various aspects, including bibliometrics, pan-cancer analysis, and narrative summary. The authors also provided the top 10 predicted drugs targeting SKA3. The authors proposed that SKA3 was a potential target and brought new therapeutic opportunities for cancer patients.

Hsa_circ_0021205 enhances lipolysis via regulating miR-195-5p/HSL axis and drives malignant progression of glioblastoma

Abnormal lipid metabolism is an essential hallmark of glioblastoma. Hormone sensitive lipase (HSL), an important rate-limiting enzyme contributed to lipolysis, which was involved in aberrant lipolysis of glioblastoma, however, its definite roles and the relevant regulatory pathway have not been fully elucidated. Our investigations disclosed high expression of HSL in glioblastoma. Knock-down of HSL restrained proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioblastoma cells while adding to FAs could significantly rescue the inhibitory effect of si-HSL on tumor cells. Overexpression of HSL further promoted tumor cell proliferation and invasion. Bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay were performed to predict and verify the regulatory role of ncRNAs on HSL. Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0021205 regulated HSL expression by sponging miR-195-5p, which further promoted lipolysis and drove the malignant progression of glioblastoma. Besides, hsa_circ_0021205/miR-195-5p/HSL axis activated the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway. These findings suggested that hsa_circ_0021205 promoted tumorigenesis of glioblastoma through regulation of HSL, and targeting hsa_circ_0021205/miR-195-5p/HSL axis can serve as a promising new strategy against glioblastoma.

ADP-ribosylation: An emerging direction for disease treatment

ADP-ribosylation (ADPr) is a dynamically reversible post-translational modification (PTM) driven primarily by ADP-ribosyltransferases (ADPRTs or ARTs), which have ADP-ribosyl transfer activity. ADPr modification is involved in signaling pathways, DNA damage repair, metabolism, immunity, and inflammation. In recent years, several studies have revealed that new targets or treatments for tumors, cardiovascular diseases, neuromuscular diseases and infectious diseases can be explored by regulating ADPr. Here, we review the recent research progress on ART-mediated ADP-ribosylation and the latest findings in the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases.