circCYP24A1 promotes Docetaxel resistance in prostate Cancer by Upregulating ALDH1A3

Integrative Chinese-Western medicine strategy to overcome docetaxel resistance in prostate cancer

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) have emerged as a promising complementary therapy in the management of prostate cancer (PCa), particularly in addressing resistance to Docetaxel (DTX) chemotherapy.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the development of resistance to DTX in PCa and explore the innovative approach of integrating TCMs in PCa treatment to overcome this resistance. Key areas of investigation include alterations in microtubule proteins, androgen receptor and androgen receptor splice variant 7, ERG rearrangement, drug efflux mechanisms, cancer stem cells, centrosome clustering, upregulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, enhanced DNA damage repair capability, and the involvement of neurotrophin receptor 1/protein kinase C.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

With "Prostate cancer", "Docetaxel", "Docetaxel resistance", "Natural compounds", "Traditional Chinese medicine", "Traditional Chinese medicine compound", "Medicinal plants" as the main keywords, PubMed, Web of Science and other online search engines were used for literature retrieval.

RESULTS

Our findings underscore the intricate interplay of molecular alterations that collectively contribute to the resistance of PCa cells to DTX. Moreover, we highlight the potential of TCMs as a promising complementary therapy, showcasing their ability to counteract DTX resistance and enhance therapeutic efficacy.

CONCLUSION

The integration of TCMs in PCa treatment emerges as an innovative approach with significant potential to overcome DTX resistance. This review not only provides insights into the mechanisms of resistance but also presents new prospects for improving the clinical outcomes of patients with PCa undergoing DTX therapy. The comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms lays the foundation for future research and the development of more effective therapeutic interventions.

A New Vista of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3): New Specific Inhibitors and Activity-Based Probes Targeting ALDH1A3 Dependent Pathways in Glioblastoma, Mesothelioma and Other Cancers

Aldehyde dehydrogenases of the subfamily 1A (ALDH1A) are enzymes necessary for the oxidation of all-trans or 9-cis retinal to retinoic acid (RA). Retinoic acid and its derivatives are important for normal development and maintenance of epithelia, reproduction, memory, and immune function in adults. Moreover, in recent years, it has been demonstrated that ALDH1A members are also expressed and functional in several human cancers where their role is not limited to the synthesis of RA. Here, we review the current knowledge about ALDH1A3, one of the 1A isoforms, in cancers with an emphasis on two of the deadliest tumors that affect humans: glioblastoma multiforme and mesothelioma. In both tumors, ALDH1A3 is considered a negative prognostic factor, and its level correlates with excessive proliferation, chemoresistance, and invasiveness. We also review the recent attempts to develop both ALDH1A3-selective inhibitors for cancer therapy and ALDH1A3-specific fluorescent substrates for fluorescence-guided tumor resection.

Epigenetic changes associated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment in bladder cancer

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is an established immunotherapeutic, however, a significant portion of patients do not respond to treatment. Despite extensive research into the therapeutic mechanism of BCG, gaps remain in our understanding. This review specifically focuses on the epigenomic contributions in the immune microenvironment, in the context of BCG treatment for NMIBC. We also summarise the current understanding of NMIBC epigenetic characteristics, and discuss how future targeted strategies for BCG therapy should incorporate epigenomic biomarkers in conjunction with genomic biomarkers.

ALDH1A3 contributes to tumorigenesis in high-grade serous ovarian cancer by epigenetic modification

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most lethal histotype of ovarian cancer due to its unspecific symptoms in part. ALDH1A3 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A3) is a key enzyme for acetyl-CoA production involving aggressive behaviors of cancers. However, ALDH1A3's effects and molecular mechanisms in HGSOC remain to be clarified. Using RNA-seq and publicly available datasets, ALDH1A3 was found to be highly expressed in HGSOC, and associated with poor survival. Knockdown of ALDH1A3 prevented HGSOC tumorigenesis and enhanced cell sensitivity to paclitaxel or cisplatin. ALDH1A3 expression in HGSOC cells was found to be increased by hypoxia, but decreased by HIF-1α inhibitor KC7F2. The dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that the increased transcriptional activity of ALDH1A3 induced by HIF-1α overexpression was reduced by KC7F2. In addition, PITX1 (paired like homeodomain 1) was identified to be inhibited by ALDH1A3 knockdown, and PITX1 depletion inhibited cell proliferation. The mechanistic studies showed that ALDH1A3 knockdown reduced the acetylation of histone 3 lysine 27 (H3K27ac). Treatment of exogenous acetate with NaOAc or inhibition of histone deacetylase with Pracinostat increased H3K27ac and PITX1 levels. CHIP assay demonstrated a significant enrichment of H3K27ac at the PITX1 promoter, and ALDH1A3 knockdown reduced the binding between H3K27ac and PITX1. Taken together, our data suggest that ALDH1A3, transcriptional activated by HIF-1α, promotes tumorigenesis and decreases chemosensitivity by increasing H3K27ac of PITX1 promoter in HGSOC.

MiR-4524b-5p-targeting ALDH1A3 attenuates the proliferation and radioresistance of glioblastoma via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling

Increasing evidence has revealed a strong connection between the aldehyde dehydrogenase family member ALDH1A3 and tumorigenesis, therapy resistance, and prognosis in diverse types of cancer. However, the specific miRNA involved in the pathways that regulate ALDH1A3-mediated glioblastoma (GBM) radioresistance remains to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated a high expression of ALDH1A3 in GBM cells, which plays a critical role in their proliferation and radioresistance. We also identified miR-4524b-5p, which is downregulated in GBM, as the ALDH1A3 upstream regulator. Overexpression of miR-4524b-5p reduced proliferation and radioresistance in GBM cells. Moreover, silencing ALDH1A3 reduced PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and glycolytic activity in GBM cells, whereas inhibiting mTOR reversed the radioresistance effects of ALDH1A3 on these cells. In vivo experiments have evidenced that ALDH1A3 silencing and miR-4524b-5p overexpression significantly reduced tumor growth and GBM cells radioresistance. In summary, targeting the miR-4524b-5p and ALDH1A3 axis is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating GBM.

ALDH1A3 promotes invasion and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer by regulating the plasminogen activation pathway

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) is a cancer stem cell marker that promotes metastasis. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) progression has been linked to ALDH1A3-induced gene expression changes. To investigate the mechanism of ALDH1A3-mediated breast cancer metastasis, we assessed the effect of ALDH1A3 on the expression of proteases and the regulators of proteases that degrade the extracellular matrix, a process that is essential for invasion and metastasis. This revealed that ALDH1A3 regulates the plasminogen activation pathway; it increased the levels and activity of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). This resulted in a corresponding increase in the activity of serine protease plasmin, the enzymatic product of tPA and uPA. The ALDH1A3 product all-trans-retinoic acid similarly increased tPA and plasmin activity. The increased invasion of TNBC cells by ALDH1A3 was plasminogen-dependent. In patient tumours, ALDH1A3 and tPA are co-expressed and their combined expression correlated with the TNBC subtype, high tumour grade and recurrent metastatic disease. Knockdown of tPA in TNBC cells inhibited plasmin generation and lymph node metastasis. These results identify the ALDH1A3-tPA-plasmin axis as a key contributor to breast cancer progression.

Inhibition of integrin receptors reduces extracellular matrix levels, ameliorating benign prostate hyperplasia

Although a high prevalence of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) has been documented, the risk factors are poorly understood. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of BPH. Succinylation, a type of posttranslational modification, mostly targets metabolic processes. The level of succinylation was investigated in 4 BPH patients and 4 healthy controls. Additionally, 176 patients with BPH were analyzed by using pan-antisuccinyllysine antibody blotting. TMT-labeling proteomic and sc-RNAseq Cellchat analyses were employed to identify key signaling factors involved in the development of BPH. In vivo and in vitro experiments were used to confirm the role of integrin receptors. The global succinylation level in BPH was higher than that in the healthy prostate. Positive correlations of prostate volume with IHC score sand urodynamics testing were found in large clinical cohorts. The extracellular matrix (ECM), metabolic processes and immune signaling were involved in succinylation in BPH, as indicated by using TMT-labeling proteomic analysis, and this finding was also confirmed by sc-RNAseq CellChat analysis. The proteins upregulated in SIRT5 knockout WPMY-1 cells were also enriched in the extracellular matrix and metabolic processes. More importantly, integrin receptor inhibition in a mouse model of BPH significantly ameliorated prostate hyperplasia. High levels of succinylation modifications were found in BPH, and succinylated proteins influenced the activation of the ECM. Inhibition of ECM signaling further ameliorated prostate hyperplasia in mice.

The Expanding Role of Cancer Stem Cell Marker ALDH1A3 in Cancer and Beyond

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A3 (ALDH1A3) is one of 19 ALDH enzymes expressed in humans, and it is critical in the production of hormone receptor ligand retinoic acid (RA). We review the role of ALDH1A3 in normal physiology, its identification as a cancer stem cell marker, and its modes of action in cancer and other diseases. ALDH1A3 is often over-expressed in cancer and promotes tumor growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance by altering gene expression, cell signaling pathways, and glycometabolism. The increased levels of ALDH1A3 in cancer occur due to genetic amplification, epigenetic modifications, post-transcriptional regulation, and post-translational modification. Finally, we review the potential of targeting ALDH1A3, with both general ALDH inhibitors and small molecules specifically designed to inhibit ALDH1A3 activity.

circCYP24A1 facilitates esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression through binding PKM2 to regulate NF-κB-induced CCL5 secretion

BACKGROUND

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common gastrointestinal malignant tumor, while the molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Multiple circular RNAs have been reported to involve in the onset and progression of malignant tumors through various molecular mechanisms. However, the clinical significance and functional mechanism of most circRNAs involved in the progression of ESCC remains obscure.

METHODS

RNA-Seq was used to explore potential circRNAs in participated in 5 pairs of ESCC and their corresponding normal esophageal tissues. The up-regulated circCYP24A1 was selected. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was cunducted to verificated the expression and intracellular localization of circCYP24A1 by using the tissue microarray. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the potential prognostic value of circCYP24A1 on overall survival of ESCC patients. The biological function were confirmed by gain- and loss-of-function approaches in vivo. mRNA expression profile microarray was proformed to investigate the downstream signaling pathways involved in circCYP24A1. RNA pull-down assay and mass spectrometry were performed to identify the proteins associated with circCYP24A1. Rescue experiments were carried out to identified hypothetical regulatory role of circCYP24A1 on ESCC progression in vivo and in virto.

RESULTS

In this study, we identified circCYP24A1 in ESCC tissues by RNA sequencing, which is up-regulated in 114 cases of ESCC tissues and acts as a novel prognosis-related factor. Moreover, circCYP24A1 promoted the ability of proliferation, migration, invasion and clone formation in vitro, as well as tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, chemokine (C-Cmotif) ligand 5 (CCL5) is functional downstream mediator for circCYP24A1, which is screened by mRNA microarray. Moreover, circCYP24A1 physically interacts with M2 isoform of pyruvate kinase (PKM2). Rescue experiments showed that PKM2 knockdown partly reverses the promotional effects of circCYP24A1. It was revealed that circCYP24A1 increases secretion of CCL5 through the mechanism mainly by interacting with PKM2, an activator of NF-κB pathway, and thereby accelerate malignant progression of ESCC.

CONCLUSIONS

Up-regulated circCYP24A1 could activate NF-κB pathway by binding PKM2, which promotes the secretion of CCL5 and accelerate malignant progression of ESCC. Our fndings recommended a novel function for circCYP24A1 as a potential effective biomarker for judging prognosis and a therapeutic target in ESCC.