HMGCR inhibition stabilizes the glycolytic enzyme PKM2 to support the growth of renal cell carcinoma

Low-Density Lipoproteins Increase Proliferation, Invasion, and Chemoresistance via an Exosome Autocrine Mechanism in MDA-MB-231 Chemoresistant Cells

Dyslipidemias involving high concentrations of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) increase the risk of developing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), wherein cholesterol metabolism and protein translation initiation mechanisms have been linked with chemoresistance. Doxorubicin (Dox) treatment, a member of the anthracycline family, represents a typical therapeutic strategy; however, chemoresistance remains a significant challenge. Exosomes (Exs) secreted by tumoral cells have been implicated in cell communication pathways and chemoresistance mechanisms; the content of exosomes is an outcome of cellular cholesterol metabolism. We previously induced Dox resistance in TNBC cell models, characterizing a variant denominated as variant B cells. Our results suggest that LDL internalization in parental and chemoresistant variant B cells is associated with increased cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and spheroid growth. We identified the role of eIF4F translation initiation factor and the down-regulation of tumor suppressor gene PDCD4, an inhibitor of eIF4A, in chemoresistant variant B cells. In addition, the exomes secreted by variant B cells were characterized by the protein content, electronic microscopy, and cell internalization assays. Critically, exosomes purified from LDL-treated variant B cell promoted cell proliferation, migration, and an increment in lactate concentration. Our results suggest that an autocrine phenomenon induced by exosomes in chemoresistant cells may induce modifications on signaling mechanisms of the p53/Mdm2 axis and activation of p70 ribosomal protein kinase S6. Moreover, the specific down-regulated profile of chaperones Hsp90 and Hsp70 secretion inside the exosomes of the chemoresistant variant could be associated with this phenomenon. Therefore, autocrine activation mediated by exosomes and the effect of LDL internalization may influence changes in exosome chaperone content and modulate proliferative signaling pathways, increasing the aggressiveness of MDA-MB-231 chemoresistant cells.

Lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and prostate cancer: a crucial metabolic journey

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies in males worldwide, and its development and progression involve the regulation of multiple metabolic pathways. Alterations in lipid metabolism affect the proliferation and metastatic capabilities of PCa cells. Cancer cells increase lipid synthesis and regulate fatty acid oxidation to meet their growth and energy demands. Similarly, changes occur in amino acid metabolism in PCa. Cancer cells exhibit an increased demand for specific amino acids, and they regulate amino acid transport and metabolic pathways to fulfill their proliferation and survival requirements. These changes are closely associated with disease progression and treatment response in PCa cells. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation of the metabolic characteristics of PCa is expected to offer novel insights and approaches for the early diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Lipid metabolism reprogramming in head and neck cancer

Lipid metabolism reprogramming is one of the most prominent metabolic anomalies in cancer, wherein cancer cells undergo dysregulation of lipid metabolism to acquire adequate energy, cell membrane building blocks, as well as signaling molecules essential for cell proliferation, survival, invasion, and metastasis. These adaptations enable cancer cells to effectively respond to challenges posed by the tumor microenvironment, leading to cancer therapy resistance and poor cancer prognosis. Head and neck cancer, ranking as the seventh most prevalent cancer, exhibits numerous abnormalities in lipid metabolism. Nevertheless, the precise role of lipid metabolic rewiring in head and neck cancer remains unclear. In line with the LIPID MAPS Lipid Classification System and cancer risk factors, the present review delves into the dysregulated molecules and pathways participating in the process of lipid uptake, biosynthesis, transportation, and catabolism. We also present an overview of the latest advancements in understanding alterations in lipid metabolism and how they intersect with the carcinogenesis, development, treatment, and prognosis of head and neck cancer. By shedding light on the significance of metabolic therapy, we aspire to improve the overall prognosis and treatment outcomes of head and neck cancer patients.

Glycolysis-cholesterol metabolic axis in immuno-oncology microenvironment: emerging role in immune cells and immunosuppressive signaling

Cell proliferation and function require nutrients, energy, and biosynthesis activity to duplicate repertoires for each daughter. It is therefore not surprising that tumor microenvironment (TME) metabolic reprogramming primarily orchestrates the interaction between tumor and immune cells. Tumor metabolic reprogramming affords bioenergetic, signaling intermediates, and biosynthesis requirements for both malignant and immune cells. Different immune cell subsets are recruited into the TME, and these manifestations have distinct effects on tumor progression and therapeutic outcomes, especially the mutual contribution of glycolysis and cholesterol metabolism. In particularly, glycolysis-cholesterol metabolic axis interconnection plays a critical role in the TME modulation, and their changes in tumor metabolism appear to be a double-edged sword in regulating various immune cell responses and immunotherapy efficacy. Hence, we discussed the signature manifestation of the glycolysis-cholesterol metabolic axis and its pivotal role in tumor immune regulation. We also highlight how hypothetical combinations of immunotherapy and glycolysis/cholesterol-related metabolic interventions unleash the potential of anti-tumor immunotherapies, as well as developing more effective personalized treatment strategies.

Liraglutide attenuates type 2 diabetes mellitus-associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by activating AMPK/ACC signaling and inhibiting ferroptosis

BACKGROUND

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The pathogenesis of NAFLD involves multiple biological changes, including insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, as well as genetic and environmental factors. Liraglutide has been used to control blood sugar. But the impact of liraglutide on T2DM-associated NAFLD remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact and potential molecular mechanisms of inhibiting ferroptosis for liraglutide improves T2DM-associated NAFLD.

METHODS

Mice were fed on high-fat-diet and injected with streptozotocin to mimic T2DM-associated NAFLD and gene expression in liver was analysed by RNA-seq. The fast blood glucose was measured during the period of liraglutide and ferrostatin-1 administration. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to evaluate the pathological changes in the liver. The occurrence of hepatic ferroptosis was measured by lipid peroxidation in vivo. The mechanism of liraglutide inhibition ferroptosis was investigated by in vitro cell culture.

RESULTS

Liraglutide not only improved glucose metabolism, but also ameliorated tissue damage in the livers. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that liraglutide regulates lipid metabolism related signaling including AMPK and ACC. Furthermore, ferroptosis inhibitor rather than other cell death inhibitors rescued liver cell viability in the presence of high glucose. Mechanistically, liraglutide-induced activation of AMPK phosphorylated ACC, while AMPK inhibitor compound C blocked the liraglutide-mediated suppression of ferroptosis. Moreover, ferroptosis inhibitor restored liver function in T2DM mice in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that liraglutide ameliorates the T2DM-associated NAFLD, which possibly through the activation of AMPK/ACC pathway and inhibition of ferroptosis.

MiR-122-5p regulates the mevalonate pathway by targeting p53 in non-small cell lung cancer

The 5-year survival rate of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is very low. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the occurrence of NSCLC. miR-122-5p interacts with wild-type p53 (wtp53), and wtp53 affects tumor growth by inhibiting the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the role of these factors in NSCLC. The role of miR-122-5p and p53 was established in samples from NSCLC patients, and human NSCLC cells A549 using the miR-122-5p inhibitor, miR-122-5p mimic, and si-p53. Our results showed that inhibiting miR-122-5p expression led to the activation of p53. This inhibited the progression of the MVA pathway in the NSCLC cells A549, hindered cell proliferation and migration, and promoted apoptosis. miR-122-5p was negatively correlated with p53 expression in p53 wild-type NSCLC patients. The expression of key genes in the MVA pathway in tumors of p53 wild-type NSCLC patients was not always higher than the corresponding normal tissues. The malignancy of NSCLC was positively correlated with the high expression of the key genes in the MVA pathway. Therefore, miR-122-5p regulated NSCLC by targeting p53, providing potential molecular targets for developing targeted drugs.

Key events in cancer: Dysregulation of SREBPs

Lipid metabolism reprogramming is an important hallmark of tumor progression. Cancer cells require high levels of lipid synthesis and uptake not only to support their continued replication, invasion, metastasis, and survival but also to participate in the formation of biological membranes and signaling molecules. Sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are core transcription factors that control lipid metabolism and the expression of important genes for lipid synthesis and uptake. A growing number of studies have shown that SREBPs are significantly upregulated in human cancers and serve as intermediaries providing a mechanistic link between lipid metabolism reprogramming and malignancy. Different subcellular localizations, including endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, and nucleus, play an indispensable role in regulating the cleavage maturation and activity of SREBPs. In this review, we focus on the relationship between aberrant regulation of SREBPs activity in three organelles and tumor progression. Because blocking the regulation of lipid synthesis by SREBPs has gradually become an important part of tumor therapy, this review also summarizes and analyzes several current mainstream strategies.

Characterization of the microenvironment in different immune-metabolism subtypes of cervical cancer with prognostic significance

Introduction: Immune cell infiltration and metabolic reprogramming may have great impact on the tumorigenesis and progression of malignancies. The interaction between these two factors in cervical cancer remains to be clarified. Here we constructed a gene set containing immune and metabolism related genes and we applied this gene set to molecular subtyping of cervical cancer. Methods: Bulk sequencing and single-cell sequencing data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database respectively. Immune and metabolism related genes were collected from Immport and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) database respectively. Unsupervised consensus clustering was performed to identify the molecular subtypes. Cibersort was applied to evaluate the immune cells infiltration status. Differential expression analysis and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed to characterize the molecular pattern of different subtypes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used for prognosis prediction model construction and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used for performance evaluation. The hub genes in the model were verified in single-cell sequencing dataset and clinical specimens. In vitro experiments were performed to validate the findings in our research. Results: Three subtypes were identified with prognostic implications. C1 subgroup was in an immunosuppressive state with activation of mitochondrial cytochrome P450 metabolism, C2 had poor immune cells infiltration and was characterized by tRNA anabolism, and the C3 subgroup was in an inflammatory state with activation of aromatic amino acid synthesis. The area under the ROC curve of the constructed model was 0.8, which showed better performance than clinical features. IMPDH1 was found to be significantly upregulated in tumor tissue and it was demonstrated that IMPDH1 could be a novel therapeutic target in vitro. Discussion: In summary, our findings suggested novel molecular subtypes of cervical cancer with distinct immunometabolic profiles and uncovered a novel therapeutic target.

COVID-19 inhibits spermatogenesis in the testes by inducing cellular senescence

Introduction: COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has been linked to organ damage in humans since its worldwide outbreak. It can also induce severe sperm damage, according to research conducted at numerous clinical institutions. However, the exact mechanism of damage is still unknown. Methods: In this study, testicular bulk-RNA-seq Data were downloaded from three COVID-19 patients and three uninfected controls from GEO to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 infection on spermatogenesis. Relative expression of each pathway and the correlation between genes or pathways were analyzed by bioinformatic methods. Results: By detecting the relative expression of each pathway and the correlation between genes or pathways, we found that COVID-19 could induce testicular cell senescence through MAPK signaling pathway. Cellular senescence was synergistic with MAPK pathway, which further affected the normal synthesis of cholesterol and androgen, inhibited the normal synthesis of lactate and pyruvate, and ultimately affected spermatogenesis. The medications targeting MAPK signaling pathway, especially MAPK1 and MAPK14, are expected to be effective therapeutic medications for reducing COVID-19 damage to spermatogenesis. Conclusion: These results give us a new understanding of how COVID-19 inhibits spermatogenesis and provide a possible solution to alleviate this damage.

Special issue "The advance of solid tumor research in China": Multi-omics analysis based on 1311 clear cell renal cell carcinoma samples identifies a glycolysis signature associated with prognosis and treatment response

In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), glycolysis is enhanced mainly because of the increased expression of key enzymes in glycolysis. Hence, the discovery of new molecular biomarkers for glycolysis may help guide and establish a precise system of diagnosis and treatment for ccRCC. Expression profiles of 1079 tumor samples of ccRCC patients (including 311 patients treated with everolimus or nivolumab) were downloaded from public databases. Proteomic profiles of 232 ccRCC samples were obtained from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC). Biological changes, tumor microenvironment and prognostic differences were explored between samples with various glycolysis characteristics. There were significant differences in CD8⁺ effector T cells, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and pan-fibroblast TGFb between the Low and High glyScore groups. The tumor mutation burden of the Low glyScore group was lower than that of the High glyScore group. And higher glyScore was significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS) in 768 ccRCC patients (P < .0001). External validation in FUSCC cohort also indicated that glyScore was of strong ability for predicting OS (P < .05). GlyScore may serve as a biomarker for predicting everolimus response in ccRCC patients due to its significant associations with progression-free survival (PFS). And glyScore may also predict overall survival in patients treated with nivolumab. We calculated the glyScore in ccRCC and the defined glyScore was of strong ability for predicting OS. In addition, glyScore may also serve as a biomarker for predicting PFS in patients treated with everolimus and could predict OS in patients treated with nivolumab.

Effects of follicle-stimulating hormone on fat metabolism and cognitive impairment in women during menopause

Lipid metabolism disorder is a common pathological manifestation of menopausal women, and is also an important risk factor for many diseases at this stage of life. Epidemiological studies have shown that high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in menopausal women are closely associated with changes in body composition, central obesity, and cognitive decline. Exogenous FSH causes growth and proliferation of adipose, whereas blockage of the FSH signaling pathway leads to decline in adipose. Mechanistically, FSH, FSH receptor (FSHR), G protein coupling, gene mutation and other pathways are involved in adipogenesis and cognitive impairment. Here, we review the critical role and potential interactions of FSH in adipogenesis and cognitive impairment in menopausal women. Further understanding of the exact mechanisms of FSH aggravating obesity and cognitive impairment may provide a new perspective for promoting healthy aging in menopausal women.

Effects of oocyte vitrification on gene expression in the liver and kidney tissues of adult offspring

Oocyte vitrification is an important assisted reproductive technology (ART) that preserves the fertility of unmarried patients with malignant tumors, and promotes the development of the oocyte donation program. In recent years, the effects of ART, including the vitrification of oocytes and embryos on the health of offspring, have attracted much attention; however, it is difficult to conduct long-term follow-up and biochemical evaluation in humans. In this study, we detected the effect of oocyte vitrification on gene expression in the organs of adult mice offspring by RNA sequencing for the first time. Our results showed that only a small amount of gene expression was significantly affected. Seven genes (Tpm3, Hspe1-rs1, Ntrk2, Cyp4a31, Asic5, Cyp4a14, Retsat) were abnormally expressed in the liver, and ten genes (Lbp, Hspe1-rs1, Prxl2b, Pfn3, Gm9008, Bglap3, Col8a1, Hmgcr, Ero1lb, Ifi44l) were abnormal in the kidney. Several genes were related to metabolism and disease occurrence in the liver or kidney. Besides, we paid special attention to the expression of known imprinted genes and DNA methylation-related genes in adult organs, which are susceptible to oocyte cryopreservation in the preimplantation stage. As a result, some of these transcripts were detected in adult organs, but they were not affected by oocyte vitrification. In conclusion, we first report that oocyte vitrification did not significantly change the global gene expression in offspring organs; nonetheless, it can still influence the transcription of a few functional genes. The potential adverse effects caused by oocyte vitrification need attention and further study.

Identification of Putative Causal Relationships Between Type 2 Diabetes and Blood-Based Biomarkers in East Asians by Mendelian Randomization

Observational studies have revealed phenotypic associations between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and many biomarkers. However, causality between these conditions in East Asians is unclear. We leveraged genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics on T2D (n = 77,418 cases; n = 356,122 controls) from the Asian Genetic Epidemiology Network (sample recruited during 2001-2011) and GWAS summary statistics on 42 biomarkers (n = 12,303-143,658) from BioBank Japan (sample recruited during 2003-2008) to investigate causal relationships between T2D and biomarkers. Applications of Mendelian randomization approaches consistently revealed genetically instrumented associations of T2D with increased serum potassium levels (liability-scale β = 0.04-0.10; P = 6.41 × 10-17-9.85 × 10-5) and decreased serum chloride levels (liability-scale β = -0.16 to -0.06; P = 5.22 × 10-27-3.14 × 10-5), whereas these 2 biomarkers showed no causal effects on T2D. Heritability Estimation Using Summary Statistics (ρ-HESS) and summary-data-based Mendelian randomization highlighted 27 genomic regions and 3 genes (α-1,3-mannosyl-glycoprotein 2-β-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (MGAT1), transducing-like enhancer (TLE) family member 1, transcriptional corepressor (TLE1), and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR)) that interactively associated with the shared genetics underlying T2D and the 2 biomarkers. Thus, T2D may causally affect serum potassium and chloride levels among East Asians. In contrast, the relationships of potassium and chloride with T2D are not causal, suggesting the importance of monitoring electrolyte disorders for T2D patients.

Dynamic transcriptome changes during osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells isolated from chicken

Osteoblasts are indispensable for skeletal growth and maintenance. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are useful in studying osteogenesis. In this study, BMSCs isolated from White Leghorns were differentiated into osteoblasts in vitro. Cells induced for -1, 0, 1, 11, and 22 d were used for transcriptomic analyses using the HISAT2-Stringtie-DESeq2 pipeline. Weighted correlation network analysis was processed to investigate significant modules, including differentially expressed genes (DEGs), correlated with osteogenic differentiation. Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed to elucidate the mechanisms of osteoblast differentiation. A total of 534, 1,144, 1,077, and 337 DEGs were identified between cells induced for -1 and 0, 0 and 1, 1 and 11, and 11 and 22 d, respectively (|log2FC| > 1.0, FDR <0.05). DEGs were mainly enriched in pathways related to cell proliferation in the early stage of osteogenic differentiation and pathways, such as the TGF-β signaling pathway, in the middle and late stages of osteogenic differentiation. A protein–protein interaction network of the 87 DEGs in the MEturquoise module within top 5-%-degree value was built utilizing the STRING database. This study is the first to elucidate the transcriptomic changes in the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs isolated from White Leghorns at different times. Our results provide insight into the dynamic transcriptome changes during BMSC differentiation into osteoblasts in chicken.

A Cluster of Metabolic-Related Genes Serve as Potential Prognostic Biomarkers for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of renal cancer, characterized by the dysregulation of metabolic pathways. RCC is the second highest cause of death among patients with urologic cancers and those with cancer cell metastases have a 5-years survival rate of only 10–15%. Thus, reliable prognostic biomarkers are essential tools to predict RCC patient outcomes. This study identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database that are associated with pre-and post-metastases in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients and intersected these with metabolism-related genes in the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) database to identify metabolism-related DEGs (DEMGs). GOplot and ggplot packages for gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of DEMGs with log (foldchange) (logFC) were used to identify metabolic pathways associated with DEMG. Upregulated risk genes and downregulated protective genes among the DEMGs and seven independent metabolic genes, RRM2, MTHFD2, AGXT2, ALDH6A1, GLDC, HOGA1, and ETNK2, were found using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, intersection, and Lasso-Cox regression analysis to establish a metabolic risk score signature (MRSS). Kaplan-Meier survival curve of Overall Survival (OS) showed that the low-risk group had a significantly better prognosis than the high-risk group in both the training cohort (p < 0.001; HR = 2.73, 95% CI = 1.97–3.79) and the validation cohort (p = 0.001; HR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.50–5.38). The nomogram combined with multiple clinical information and MRSS was more effective at predicting patient outcomes than a single independent prognostic factor. The impact of metabolism on ccRCC was also assessed, and seven metabolism-related genes were established and validated as biomarkers to predict patient outcomes effectively.

Extracellular Hsp90α Supports the ePKM2-GRP78-AKT Axis to Promote Tumor Metastasis

Tumor-secreted proteins can provide numerous molecular targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Of note, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is secreted by tumor cells to promote malignant progression, while its regulatory mechanism or the interacting network remains uncovered. In the present study, we identified extracellular heat shock protein 90 alpha (eHsp90α) as one potential interacting protein of ePKM2 by mass spectrometry (MS), which was further verified by pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation analysis. Later, we found that eHsp90α enhanced the effect of ePKM2 on migration and invasion of lung cancer cells. Blocking of Hsp90α activity, on the other hand, attenuated tumor migration or invasion induced by ePKM2. Eventually, the in vivo role of Hsp90α in regulating ePKM2 activity was validated by the mouse xenograft tumor model. Mechanistically, we found that eHsp90α binds to and stabilizes ePKM2 to protect it from degradation in the extracellular environment. Besides, eHsp90α promoted the interaction of ePKM2 with cell surface receptor GRP78, which leads to the activation of the ePKM2/GRP78/AKT axis. Collectively, we unraveled the novel molecular mechanism of eHsp90α in regulating ePKM2 activity during tumor progression, which is beneficial for the development of new treatments against lung cancer.

A New Prognostic Risk Signature of Eight Ferroptosis-Related Genes in the Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common renal cell carcinoma and has poor prognosis in the locally advanced stage. Ferroptosis, a relatively new type of cell death, has gained significant attention in recent years. This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) in ccRCC. In this study, 50 differentially expressed FRGs between ccRCC and adjacent normal kidney tissues were identified, 26 of them correlated with overall survival (OS) (P <0.05). Eight optimal FRGs were selected by Lasso regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis, and used to construct a new prognostic risk signature to predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients. In addition, the signature passed the validation of prognostic survival analyses by a significant margin, and the risk score was identified as an independent prognostic marker via Cox regression analyses. Further studies indicated that the signature was significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration. Moreover, the levels of eight FRGs were examined in ccRCC. Collectively, the 8-FRG prognostic risk signature helps the clinicians predict the prognosis and OS of the patients, and standardize prognostic assessments.