ZNF452 facilitates tumor proliferation and invasion via activating AKT-GSK3β signaling pathway and predicts poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer patients

ZNF131-BACH1 transcriptionally accelerates RAD51-dependent homologous recombination repair and therapy-resistance of non-small-lung cancer cells by preventing their degradation from CUL3

Rationale: Both bulk RNA-sequencing and GEO database upon chemotherapy to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells reveal that ZNF131 (Zinc Finger Protein 131) maybe a crucial transcriptional factor involved. However, it is a recently discovered protein with largely unexplored expression patterns and biological functions. Methods: Bioinformatics analyses and immunohistochemistry staining were assessed to detect both mRNA and protein levels of ZNF131 in NSCLC specimens and cell lines. Next, colony formation assay, MTT assay, EdU assay, transwell assay, flow cytometric analysis, sphere formation assay, western blotting analysis, mouse xenograft model analysis, immunofluorescence assay, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction were performed to investigate the effect of ZNF131 interaction on proliferation, invasion, stemness, chemotherapy sensitivity. RNA-sequencing assay, RNA-microarray, and ChIP-sequencing assay were used to identify candidate downstream target genes. Further, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, GST pull-down assay, and immunoprecipitation assays were performed to evaluate the interactions between ZNF131, BACH1, and CUL3. Results: ZNF131 was elevated in NSCLC specimens and cell lines, which significantly correlates with advanced TNM stage and poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. ZNF131 overexpression promotes NSCLC cell proliferation, invasion, and stemness both in vitro and in vivo. ZNF131 appears to target the RAD51 gene within a well-defined region (-668bp to -403bp) of the RAD51 promoter. ZNF131 contributes to RAD51-dependent homologous recombination (HR), primarily through its Zinc Finger and BTB domains. ZNF131-BACH1 interaction, mediated by their respective BTB domains, enhances the stability of both proteins, effectively preventing their ubiquitin-mediated degradation by CUL3. The ZNF131-BACH1 partnership significantly amplifies RAD51-dependent HR, resulting in expedited resistance to both radiotherapy and chemotherapy in NSCLC patients. Desoxyrhaponticin was shown to halt NSCLC progression and orchestrate a synergistic effect together with chemotherapy at least partially by targeting ZNF131. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that ZNF131 exhibits heightened expression in NSCLC, driving essential processes such as proliferation, invasion, and stemness by transcriptionally activating RAD51. The ZNF131-BACH1 interaction serves as a crucial enhancer, further boosting RAD51 transcription and ultimately accelerating therapy resistance in NSCLC.

A Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics Consortium (PACE) meta-analysis highlights potential relationships between birth order and neonatal blood DNA methylation

Higher birth order is associated with altered risk of many disease states. Changes in placentation and exposures to in utero growth factors with successive pregnancies may impact later life disease risk via persistent DNA methylation alterations. We investigated birth order with Illumina DNA methylation array data in each of 16 birth cohorts (8164 newborns) with European, African, and Latino ancestries from the Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics Consortium. Meta-analyzed data demonstrated systematic DNA methylation variation in 341 CpGs (FDR adjusted P < 0.05) and 1107 regions. Forty CpGs were located within known quantitative trait loci for gene expression traits in blood, and trait enrichment analysis suggested a strong association with immune-related, transcriptional control, and blood pressure regulation phenotypes. Decreasing fertility rates worldwide with the concomitant increased proportion of first-born children highlights a potential reflection of birth order-related epigenomic states on changing disease incidence trends.

Zinc finger protein 367 promotes metastasis by inhibiting the Hippo pathway in breast cancer

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) disseminating is an important cause of distant metastasis. However, the mechanism involved in increasing the numbers of CTCs in breast cancer is unclear. Herein, Zinc finger protein 367 (ZNF367) was identified as a potential prometastatic gene in an integrative breast cancer datasets. ZNF367 was upregulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines, and significantly correlated with poorer metastasis-free and overall survivals in patients. ZNF367 promoted tumor metastasis accompanied with increase of CTC numbers. Mechanistically, ZNF367 interacted with chromatin remodeling protein BRG1 and transcriptionally activated CIT and TP53BP2, leading to the inhibition of the Hippo pathway and activation of YAP1, which gave rise to the resistance of anoikis and increased CTCs in the blood circulation. More importantly, administration of a YAP1 inhibitor Verteporfin resensitized ZNF367-overexpressing breast cancer cells to anoikis and abrogated metastasis. Our findings addressed the importance of ZNF367 in breast cancer as a prognostic biomarker and offered a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of a subset of metastatic breast cancer with ZNF367 overexpression.