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Jalali Z, Nejad Ebrahimi S, Rezadoost H. Identifying natural products for gastric cancer treatment through pharmacophore creation, 3D QSAR, virtual screening, and molecular dynamics studies. Daru 2023; 31:243-258. [PMID: 37733194 PMCID: PMC10624797 DOI: 10.1007/s40199-023-00480-0] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gastric cancer (GC) is known as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death and the fifth major cancer in the world, and this is a serious threat to general health all over the world. The lack of early detection markers results in a belated diagnosis, i.e. the final stages, which could be associated with the ineffectiveness of the treatment strategies, and naturally, it leads to poor prognosis. Even though a variety of treatments have been developed, there is a trend of studying traditional medicinal plants, due to the worrying side effect of drugs available in the market. METHODS In this study, pharmacophore generation and 3D-QSAR model were created using 50 compounds with anti-gastric cancer activity (with IC50 had been reported in the previous studies). RESULTS Based on three of the best pharmacophoric hypotheses, virtual screening was performed to discover the top anti-gastric cancer compounds from a database of 183,885 compounds. The selected compounds were used for molecular docking with three protein receptors 7BKG, 4F5B, and 4ZT1 to investigate the intermolecular interactions between these ligands and receptors. Finally, 21 lead compounds with the highest amount of docking score ranging from - 13.366 to -6.404 kcal/mol were selected, and then the ADME/Tox properties of these compounds were calculated. All these compounds have a fitness score above 1.8, a molecular weight of less than 500 g/mol, hydrogen bond donors up to 3, hydrogen bond acceptors up to 8.50, and logP of 1.013 to 4.174. Finally, molecular dynamic simulations for top-scoring ligand-receptor complexes were investigated. CONCLUSION These selected lead compounds have the most anti-gastric cancer effects among the 183,885 compounds in the database. Therefore, lead compounds might be considered for gastric cancer therapy in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Jalali
- Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, 1983963113, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samad Nejad Ebrahimi
- Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, 1983963113, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Hassan Rezadoost
- Department of Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, 1983963113, Tehran, Iran
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Iftikhar R, Snarski P, King AN, Ghimire J, Ruiz E, Lau F, Savkovic SD. Epiploic Adipose Tissue (EPAT) in Obese Individuals Promotes Colonic Tumorigenesis: A Novel Model for EPAT-Dependent Colorectal Cancer Progression. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15030977. [PMID: 36765934 PMCID: PMC9913240 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15030977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The obesity epidemic is associated with increased colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and progression, the mechanisms of which remain unclear. In obese individuals, hypertrophic epiploic adipose tissue (EPAT), attached to the colon, has unique characteristics compared to other fats. We hypothesized that this understudied fat could serve as a tumor-promoting tissue and developed a novel microphysiological system (MPS) for human EPAT-dependent colorectal cancer (CRC-MPS). In CRC-MPS, obese EPAT, unlike lean EPAT, considerably attracted colon cancer HT29-GFP cells and enhanced their growth. Conditioned media (CM) from the obese CRC-MPS significantly increased the growth and migration of HT29 and HCT116 cells (p < 0.001). In HT29 cells, CM stimulated differential gene expression (hOEC867) linked to cancer, tumor morphology, and metabolism similar to those in the colon of high-fat-diet obese mice. The hOEC867 signature represented pathways found in human colon cancer. In unsupervised clustering, hOEC867 separated transcriptomes of colon cancer samples from normal with high significance (PCA, p = 9.6 × 10-11). These genes, validated in CM-treated HT29 cells (p < 0.05), regulate the cell cycle, cancer stem cells, methylation, and metastasis, and are similarly altered in human colon cancer (TCGA). These findings highlight a tumor-promoting role of EPAT in CRC facilitated with obesity and establishes a platform to explore critical mechanisms and develop effective treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rida Iftikhar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Patricia Snarski
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Angelle N. King
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Jenisha Ghimire
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Emmanuelle Ruiz
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Frank Lau
- Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Suzana D. Savkovic
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-504-988-1409
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Sarkar M, Nguyen T, Gundre E, Ogunlusi O, El-Sobky M, Giri B, Sarkar TR. Cancer-associated fibroblasts: The chief architect in the tumor microenvironment. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1089068. [PMID: 36793444 PMCID: PMC9923123 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1089068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Stromal heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a crucial role in malignancy and therapeutic resistance. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are one of the major players in tumor stroma. The heterogeneous sources of origin and subsequent impacts of crosstalk with breast cancer cells flaunt serious challenges before current therapies to cure triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and other cancers. The positive and reciprocal feedback of CAFs to induce cancer cells dictates their mutual synergy in establishing malignancy. Their substantial role in creating a tumor-promoting niche has reduced the efficacy of several anti-cancer treatments, including radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and endocrine therapy. Over the years, there has been an emphasis on understanding CAF-induced therapeutic resistance in order to enhance cancer therapy results. CAFs, in the majority of cases, employ crosstalk, stromal management, and other strategies to generate resilience in surrounding tumor cells. This emphasizes the significance of developing novel strategies that target particular tumor-promoting CAF subpopulations, which will improve treatment sensitivity and impede tumor growth. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the origin and heterogeneity of CAFs, their role in tumor progression, and altering the tumor response to therapeutic agents in breast cancer. In addition, we also discuss the potential and possible approaches for CAF-mediated therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mrinmoy Sarkar
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States,Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India
| | - Tristan Nguyen
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Esheksha Gundre
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Olajumoke Ogunlusi
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Mohanad El-Sobky
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Biplab Giri
- Department of Physiology, University of Gour Banga, English Bazar, India,*Correspondence: Biplab Giri, ; Tapasree Roy Sarkar,
| | - Tapasree Roy Sarkar
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States,*Correspondence: Biplab Giri, ; Tapasree Roy Sarkar,
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Liang T, Wu X, Wang L, Song T, Wu P, Niu Y, Huang H. Correlation of NNMT and DKK1 Protein Expression With Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognosis of Breast Cancer. Clin Med Insights Oncol 2023; 17:11795549231168073. [PMID: 37114075 PMCID: PMC10126688 DOI: 10.1177/11795549231168073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) and Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) play an important role in the development of breast cancer, and the purpose of this study was designed to examine the clinical and prognostic significance of NNMT and DKK1 in breast cancer. Methods The GEPIA2 database was used to evaluate the expression and survival of NNMT mRNA and DKK1 mRNA of breast cancer. Then an immunohistochemical study was carried out on 374 cases of breast tissue to identify the protein expression and significance of NNMT and DKK1. Next, the prognostic significance of DKK1 in breast cancer was explored by COX and Kaplan-Meier models. Results Protein NNMT expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis and histological grade (P < .05) while protein DKK1 expression was related to tumor size, pT stage, histological grade, and Ki-67 (P < .05). Protein DKK1 was related to disease-specific survival (DSS), and low DKK1 expression indicated a poor prognosis of breast cancer patients (P < .05). Combined expression of protein NNMT and protein DKK1 predicted different prognosis of DSS (P < .05). Conclusions Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase and DKK1 were linked to breast cancer malignancy and invasion. Breast cancer patients with low DKK1 expression had a worse prognosis. Oncotypes of NNMT and DKK1 expression predicted patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tairong Liang
- Department of Pathology, The Second
Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Xiuqian Wu
- The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of
Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Lan Wang
- Department of Pathology, The Second
Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Tiantian Song
- Department of Pharmacology, Shantou
University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Preventive Medicine,
Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Peishan Wu
- Department of Pathology, The Second
Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Yongdong Niu
- Department of Pharmacology, Shantou
University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Haihua Huang
- Department of Pathology, The Second
Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Haihua Huang, Department of Pathology, The
Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou
515000, China.
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Cai L, Ke C, Lin Z, Huang Y, Wang A, Wang S, Chen C, Zhong C, Fu L, Hu P, Chai J, Zhang H, Zhang B. Prognostic value of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD +) metabolic genes in patients with stomach adenocarcinoma based on bioinformatics analysis. J Gastrointest Oncol 2022; 13:2845-2862. [PMID: 36636067 PMCID: PMC9830334 DOI: 10.21037/jgo-22-1092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Because stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) has a poor prognosis, it is necessary to explore new prognostic genes to stratify patients to guide existing individualized treatments. Methods Survival and clinical information, RNA-seq data and mutation data of STAD were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Fifty-one nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) metabolism-related genes (NMRGs) were obtained from the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Reactome databases. Differentially expressed NMRGs (DE-NMRGs) between STAD and normal samples were screened, and consistent clustering analysis of STAD patients was performed based on the DE-NMRGs. Survival analysis, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), mutation frequency analysis, immune microenvironment analysis and drug prediction were performed among different clusters. Additionally, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among different clusters were selected, and the intersections of DEGs and DE-NMRGs were selected as the prognostic genes. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed on a human gastric mucosa epithelial cell line and cancer cell line to verify the expression of the prognostic genes. Results A total of 27 DE-NMRGs and two clusters were selected. There was a difference in survival between clusters 1 and 2. Furthermore, 18 DE-NMRGs were significantly different between clusters 1 and 2. The different Gene Ontology (GO) biological processes and KEGG pathways between clusters 1 and 2 were mainly enriched in cyclic nucleotide mediated signaling, synaptic signaling and hedgehog signaling pathway, etc. The somatic mutation frequencies were different between the two clusters, and TTN was the highest mutated gene in the patients of the clusters 1 and 2. Additionally, eight immune cells, immune score, stromal score, and estimate score were different between clusters 1 and 2. The patients in cluster 2 were sensitive to CTLA4 inhibitor treatment. Furthermore, the top five drugs (AP.24534, BX.795, Midostaurin, WO2009093927 and CCT007093) were significantly higher in cluster 1 than in cluster 2. Finally, three genes (AOX1, NNMT and PTGIS) were acquired as prognostic, and their expressions were consistent with the results of bioinformatics analysis. Conclusions Three prognostic genes related to NAD+ metabolism in STAD were screened out, which provides a theoretical basis and reference value for future treatment and prognosis of STAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linkun Cai
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chuanfeng Ke
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zikai Lin
- Nanshan School, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yalan Huang
- Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, China
| | - Aling Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shiying Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunhui Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cailing Zhong
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lingyu Fu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Peixin Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiwei Chai
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Beiping Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Pozzi V, Campagna R, Sartini D, Emanuelli M. Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase as Promising Tool for Management of Gastrointestinal Neoplasms. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12091173. [PMID: 36139012 PMCID: PMC9496617 DOI: 10.3390/biom12091173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) neoplasms include esophageal, gastric, colorectal, hepatic, and pancreatic cancers. They are characterized by asymptomatic behavior, being responsible for diagnostic delay. Substantial refractoriness to chemo- and radiotherapy, exhibited by late-stage tumors, contribute to determine poor patient outcome. Therefore, it is of outmost importance to identify new molecular targets for the development of effective therapeutic strategies. In this study, we focused on the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), which catalyzes the N-methylation reaction of nicotinamide and whose overexpression has been reported in numerous neoplasms, including GI cancers. The aim of this review was to report data illustrating NNMT involvement in these tumors, highlighting its contribution to tumor cell phenotype. Cited works clearly demonstrate the interesting potential use of enzyme level determination for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes. NNMT was also found to positively affect cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasiveness, contributing to sustain in vitro and in vivo tumor growth and metastatic spread. Moreover, enzyme upregulation featuring tumor cells was significantly associated with enhancement of resistance to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. Taken together, these results strongly suggest the possibility to target NNMT for setup of molecular-based strategies to effectively treat GI cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Pozzi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60020 Ancona, Italy
| | - Roberto Campagna
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60020 Ancona, Italy
| | - Davide Sartini
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60020 Ancona, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-071-2204673
| | - Monica Emanuelli
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60020 Ancona, Italy
- New York-Marche Structural Biology Center (NY-MaSBiC), Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
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Li XY, Pi YN, Chen Y, Zhu Q, Xia BR. Nicotinamide N-Methyltransferase: A Promising Biomarker and Target for Human Cancer Therapy. Front Oncol 2022; 12:894744. [PMID: 35756670 PMCID: PMC9218565 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.894744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells typically exhibit a tightly regulated program of metabolic plasticity and epigenetic remodeling to meet the demand of uncontrolled cell proliferation. The metabolic-epigenetic axis has recently become an increasingly hot topic in carcinogenesis and offers new avenues for innovative and personalized cancer treatment strategies. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is a metabolic enzyme involved in controlling methylation potential, impacting DNA and histone epigenetic modification. NNMT overexpression has been described in various solid cancer tissues and even body fluids, including serum, urine, and saliva. Furthermore, accumulating evidence has shown that NNMT knockdown significantly decreases tumorigenesis and chemoresistance capacity. Most importantly, the natural NNMT inhibitor yuanhuadine can reverse epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in lung cancer cells. In this review, we evaluate the possibility of NNMT as a diagnostic biomarker and molecular target for effective anticancer treatment. We also reveal the exact mechanisms of how NNMT affects epigenetics and the development of more potent and selective inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Yu Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Ya-Nan Pi
- Department of Gynecology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China
| | - Yao Chen
- Department of Gynecology, Bengbu Medical College Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Qi Zhu
- The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Bai-Rong Xia
- The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui Provincial Cancer Hospital, Hefei, China
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8
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Tumor stromal nicotinamide N-methyltransferase overexpression as a prognostic biomarker for poor clinical outcome in early-stage colorectal cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2767. [PMID: 35177765 PMCID: PMC8854702 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06772-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In a quest for prognostic biomarkers in early-stage colorectal cancer, we investigated NNMT (nicotinamide N-methyltransferase) in large cohorts of patients. Immunohistochemical examination of 679 patients illustrates that NNMT protein is predominantly expressed in the cancer stroma at varying levels, and about 20% of cancer tissues overexpress NNMT when compared to levels observed in normal colorectal mucosa. Clinical correlation analyses of 572 patients with early-stage cancers reveal that NNMT protein overexpression is significantly associated with shorter overall and disease-free survival, but no such correlation is found in late-stage colorectal cancer. Analyses of TCGA and CPTAC colorectal cancer cohorts show that NNMT mRNA expression is positively correlated with protein levels, is significantly higher in CIMP-high or MSI subtypes than in CIMP-low or MSS subtypes, and is positively correlated with its paralog INMT but not with its interaction partners such as PNMT, ADK, APP, ATF6, BMF, BRD4, CDC37, or CRYZ. In early-stage cancers, NNMT expression is higher in BRAF-mutated than in BRAF wild type tumors but is not affected by KRAS or PIK3CA mutation status. As a cancer stromal protein with important roles in metabolism and cancer epigenetics, NNMT is emerging as a promising biomarker for risk stratification of early-stage cancers.
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9
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Yin HM, He Q, Chen J, Li Z, Yang W, Hu X. Drug metabolism-related eight-gene signature can predict the prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma. J Clin Lab Anal 2021; 35:e24085. [PMID: 34773716 PMCID: PMC8649372 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Metabolic abnormalities in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma lead to drug resistance and poor prognosis. Therefore, this study aimed to explore biomarkers that can predict the prognostic risk of gastric adenocarcinoma by analyzing drug metabolism‐related genes. Methods The RNA‐seq and clinical information on gastric adenocarcinoma were downloaded from the UCSC and gene expression omnibus databases. Univariate and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analyses were used to identify the prognostic gene signature of gastric adenocarcinoma. The relationships between gastric adenocarcinoma prognostic risk and tumor microenvironment were assessed using CIBERSORT, EPIC, QUANTISEQ, MCPCounter, xCell, and TIMER algorithms. The potential drugs that could target the gene signatures were predicted in WebGestalt, and molecular docking analysis verified their binding stabilities. Results Combined with clinical information, an eight‐gene signature, including GPX3, ABCA1, NNMT, NOS3, SLCO4A1, ADH4, DHRS7, and TAP1, was identified from the drug metabolism‐related gene set. Based on their expressions, risk scores were calculated, and patients were divided into high‐ and low‐risk groups, which had significant differences in survival status and immune infiltrations. Risk group was also identified as an independent prognostic factor of gastric adenocarcinoma, and the established prognostic and nomogram models exhibited excellent capacities for predicting prognosis. Finally, miconazole and niacin were predicted as potential therapeutic drugs for gastric adenocarcinoma that bond stably with NOS3 and NNMT through hydrogen interactions. Conclusions This study proposed a drug metabolism‐related eight‐gene signature as a potential biomarker to predict the gastric adenocarcinoma prognosis risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Mei Yin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiong He
- Pathology Department, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhen Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wanli Yang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaobo Hu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Tatekawa S, Ofusa K, Chijimatsu R, Vecchione A, Tamari K, Ogawa K, Ishii H. Methylosystem for Cancer Sieging Strategy. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5088. [PMID: 34680237 PMCID: PMC8534198 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13205088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 10/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
As cancer is a genetic disease, methylation defines a biologically malignant phenotype of cancer in the association of one-carbon metabolism-dependent S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a methyl donor in each cell. Methylated substances are involved in intracellular metabolism, but via intercellular communication, some of these can also be secreted to affect other substances. Although metabolic analysis at the single-cell level remains challenging, studying the "methylosystem" (i.e., the intercellular and intracellular communications of upstream regulatory factors and/or downstream effectors that affect the epigenetic mechanism involving the transfer of a methyl group from SAM onto the specific positions of nucleotides or other metabolites in the tumor microenvironment) and tracking these metabolic products are important research tasks for understanding spatial heterogeneity. Here, we discuss and highlight the involvement of RNA and nicotinamide, recently emerged targets, in SAM-producing one-carbon metabolism in cancer cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and immune cells. Their significance and implications will contribute to the discovery of efficient methods for the diagnosis of and therapeutic approaches to human cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shotaro Tatekawa
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Yamadaoka 2-2, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (S.T.); (K.T.)
| | - Ken Ofusa
- Department of Medical Data Science, Center of Medical Innovation and Translational Research, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Yamadaoka 2-2, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (K.O.); (R.C.)
- Food and Life-Science Laboratory, Prophoenix Division, Idea Consultants, Inc., Osaka 559-8519, Japan
| | - Ryota Chijimatsu
- Department of Medical Data Science, Center of Medical Innovation and Translational Research, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Yamadaoka 2-2, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (K.O.); (R.C.)
| | - Andrea Vecchione
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Rome “Sapienza”, Santo Andrea Hospital, Via di Grottarossa, 1035-00189 Rome, Italy;
| | - Keisuke Tamari
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Yamadaoka 2-2, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (S.T.); (K.T.)
| | - Kazuhiko Ogawa
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Yamadaoka 2-2, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (S.T.); (K.T.)
| | - Hideshi Ishii
- Department of Medical Data Science, Center of Medical Innovation and Translational Research, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Yamadaoka 2-2, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; (K.O.); (R.C.)
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11
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Yang J, Tong Q, Zhang Y, Yuan S, Gao Y, Deng K, Wang Y, Lu J, Xie X, Zhang Z, Zhang J. Overexpression of Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase mainly covers stroma of colorectal cancer and correlates with unfavorable survival by its product 1-MNA. J Cancer 2021; 12:6170-6181. [PMID: 34539890 PMCID: PMC8425209 DOI: 10.7150/jca.56419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is abnormally expressed in tumor tissues of several cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC) and associated with cancer progression. However, the distribution characteristics and the clinical value of each part of NNMT expression in CRC are still not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to determine the distribution of NNMT expression and its association with survival in CRC. Methods: By using the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and clinical proteomic tumor analysis consortium (CPTAC), we firstly analyzed the difference of gene and protein levels of NNMT between CRC and normal colorectal tissue. Then, NNMT protein expressions were detected in 18 intraepithelial neoplastic samples and 177 CRC tumor samples through immunohistochemistry in our study cohort. Furthermore, the relationship between NNMT expression and clinicopathological characteristics, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of CRC patients were analyzed by Pearson χ2 test and log-rank test, respectively, in public datasets and our study cohort. Lastly, the function of NNMT and its product 1-methyl-nicotinamide (1-MNA) on migration and invasion in colorectal cancer cells was analyzed by wound healing assay and transwell assay. Results: We determined that higher NNMT expression in CRC tissues than normal tissues in both gene and protein level in TCGA and CPTAC datasets (all p < 0.05). In addition, the strong relationships of NNMT expression with stromal cells were found in the TCGA cohort. Fortunately, our cohort could validate that the expression of NNMT in tumor stroma cell was significantly higher than that in tumor cell (p < 0.0001), and both of them were significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissue (ANT) (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Furthermore, the positive NNMT expression in tumor cell and stromal cell were associated with series of unfavorable clinical characteristics, including advanced TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis (all p < 0.05). Also, higher NNMT was associated with unfavorable survival both in our study and public datasets, including TCGA and two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets (GSE33113 and GSE17538). Moreover, the functional experiments showed that stromal cells with high NNMT expression can secret 1-MAN to promote migration and invasion of CRC cells in vitro. Conclusions: In CRC, NNMT is overexpressed in tumor cells and stroma cells, and then mainly expressed in tumor stroma cells. Overexpression of NNMT in tumor cell and stroma cell both are associated with metastasis and unfavorable survival. Besides, stromal cells with high NNMT expression secrets 1-MAN to promote migration and invasion of CRC cells. Therefore, NNMT may be a potential prognostic indicator in CRC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Ningbo Diagnostic Pathology Center, 685 North Huancheng Road, Ningbo 315010, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Department of Pathology, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, 57 Xingning Road, Ningbo 315040, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingchao Tong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Shijin Yuan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuzhen Gao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Ke Deng
- Department of colorectal surgery, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, 57 Xingning Road, Ningbo 315040, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanzhong Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Lu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyou Xie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Ningbo Diagnostic Pathology Center, 685 North Huancheng Road, Ningbo 315010, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, 3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
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12
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Alcaraz J, Ikemori R, Llorente A, Díaz-Valdivia N, Reguart N, Vizoso M. Epigenetic Reprogramming of Tumor-Associated Fibroblasts in Lung Cancer: Therapeutic Opportunities. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13153782. [PMID: 34359678 PMCID: PMC8345093 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13153782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, partly due to limited therapy responses. New avenues of knowledge are indicating that lung cancer cells do not form a tumor in isolation but rather obtain essential support from their surrounding host tissue rich in altered fibroblasts. Notably, there is growing evidence that tumor progression and even the current limited responses to therapies could be prevented by rescuing the normal behavior of fibroblasts, which are critical housekeepers of normal tissue function. For this purpose, it is key to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the pathologic alterations of fibroblasts in cancer. This work provides a comprehensive review of the main molecular mechanisms involved in fibroblast transformation based on epigenetic reprogramming, and summarizes emerging therapeutic approaches to prevent or overcome the pathologic effects of tumor-associated fibroblasts. Abstract Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The desmoplastic stroma of lung cancer and other solid tumors is rich in tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) exhibiting an activated/myofibroblast-like phenotype. There is growing awareness that TAFs support key steps of tumor progression and are epigenetically reprogrammed compared to healthy fibroblasts. Although the mechanisms underlying such epigenetic reprogramming are incompletely understood, there is increasing evidence that they involve interactions with either cancer cells, pro-fibrotic cytokines such as TGF-β, the stiffening of the surrounding extracellular matrix, smoking cigarette particles and other environmental cues. These aberrant interactions elicit a global DNA hypomethylation and a selective transcriptional repression through hypermethylation of the TGF-β transcription factor SMAD3 in lung TAFs. Likewise, similar DNA methylation changes have been reported in TAFs from other cancer types, as well as histone core modifications and altered microRNA expression. In this review we summarize the evidence of the epigenetic reprogramming of TAFs, how this reprogramming contributes to the acquisition and maintenance of a tumor-promoting phenotype, and how it provides novel venues for therapeutic intervention, with a special focus on lung TAFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Alcaraz
- Unit of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (R.I.); (A.L.); (N.D.-V.)
- Thoracic Oncology Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain;
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence: (J.A.); (M.V.)
| | - Rafael Ikemori
- Unit of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (R.I.); (A.L.); (N.D.-V.)
| | - Alejandro Llorente
- Unit of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (R.I.); (A.L.); (N.D.-V.)
| | - Natalia Díaz-Valdivia
- Unit of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain; (R.I.); (A.L.); (N.D.-V.)
| | - Noemí Reguart
- Thoracic Oncology Unit, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain;
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Miguel Vizoso
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Correspondence: (J.A.); (M.V.)
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13
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Wen Z, Liang W, Zhong Y, Sun F, Zhang Q. [Expression of nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase in gastric cancer and its biological and clinicopathological significance]. NAN FANG YI KE DA XUE XUE BAO = JOURNAL OF SOUTHERN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2021; 41:828-838. [PMID: 34238734 PMCID: PMC8267982 DOI: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2021.06.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression of nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase (NNMT) in gastric cancer (GC) and explore its biological and clinicopathological significance. OBJECTIVE We screened the candidate genes associated with the classification and prognosis of gastric cancer by analyzing GEO, Oncomine and TCGA datasets. The molecular pathways and protein interaction network involving these candidate genes were analyzed using STRING, GSEA, David and Cytoscape software. The expressions of the candidate genes in 28 pairs of gastric cancer and adjacent tissues were detected with qRTPCR, and CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, wound healing assay and Transwell assay were carried out to analyze the effects of modulation of NNMT expression on proliferation, invasion and migration of different gastric cancer cell lines. OBJECTIVE NNMT was highly expressed in gastric cancer tissues and was negatively correlated with the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Pathway analysis showed that the high expression of NNMT was associated with adhesion-related pathway molecules such as extracellular matrix receptors, cell adhesion molecules, and cytokine receptors, while its low expression was associated with base mismatch repair and riboflavin metabolism. Protein interaction analysis showed that NNMT interacted with 16 differentially expressed proteins such as AURKA and was co-expressed with TAGLN, PTRF, AKAP12 and IGF2BP2. In clinical tissue specimens, qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of NNMT mRNA was significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues than in the adjacent tissues (P < 0.05). In gastric cancer cell lines, overexpression of NNMT was found to significantly promote cell proliferation, invasion and migration, while NNMT knockdown produced obvious inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, invasion and migration. OBJECTIVE NNMT is highly expressed in gastric cancer and negatively correlated with the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. The high expression of NNMT promotes the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells, suggesting the potential of NNMT as prognostic marker of gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Wen
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - W Liang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- First Clinical Medical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Y Zhong
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- First Clinical Medical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - F Sun
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- First Clinical Medical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Q Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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