AOC1 Contributes to Tumor Progression by Promoting the AKT and EMT Pathways in Gastric Cancer

METTL14 contributes to the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through regulating the stability of AOC1 mRNA

BACKGROUND

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant epithelial tumor of the nasopharyngeal mucosa with a high incidence rate all over the world. Methyltransferase-like 14 (METTL14) is a major RNA N6-adenosine methyltransferase implicated in tumor progression by regulating RNA function. This study is designed to explore the biological function and mechanism of METTL14 in NPC.

METHODS

METTL14 and Amine oxidase copper containing 1 (AOC1) expression were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The protein levels of METTL14, AOC1, Cyclin D1, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), and N-cadherin were measured using western blot. Cell proliferation, cycle progression, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were assessed using 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), Colony formation, flow cytometry, wound scratch, and transwell assays. The interaction between METTL14 and AOC1 was verified using RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP), and dual-luciferase reporter assays. The biological role of METTL14 on NPC tumor growth was examined by the xenograft tumor model in vivo.

RESULTS

METTL14 and AOC1 were highly expressed in NPC tissues and cells. Moreover, METTL14 knockdown might block NPC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and induce cell apoptosis in vitro. In mechanism, METTL14 might enhance the stability of AOC1 mRNA via m6A methylation. METTL14 silencing might repress NPC tumor growth in vivo.

CONCLUSION

METTL14 might boosted the development of NPC cells partly by regulating the stability of AOC1 mRNA, which provided a promising therapeutic target for NPC treatment.

Alkylamine-tethered molecules recruit FBXO22 for targeted protein degradation

Targeted protein degradation (TPD) relies on small molecules to recruit proteins to E3 ligases to induce their ubiquitylation and degradation by the proteasome. Only a few of the approximately 600 human E3 ligases are currently amenable to this strategy. This limits the actionable target space and clinical opportunities and thus establishes the necessity to expand to additional ligases. Here we identify and characterize SP3N, a specific degrader of the prolyl isomerase FKBP12. SP3N features a minimal design, where a known FKBP12 ligand is appended with a flexible alkylamine tail that conveys degradation properties. We found that SP3N is a precursor and that the alkylamine is metabolized to an active aldehyde species that recruits the SCFFBXO22 ligase for FKBP12 degradation. Target engagement occurs via covalent adduction of Cys326 in the FBXO22 C-terminal domain, which is critical for ternary complex formation, ubiquitylation and degradation. This mechanism is conserved for two recently reported alkylamine-based degraders of NSD2 and XIAP, thus establishing alkylamine tethering and covalent hijacking of FBXO22 as a generalizable TPD strategy.

Extracellular putrescine can augment the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of gastric cancer cells by promoting MAL2 expression by elevating H3K27ac in its promoter region

Dysregulation of polyamine metabolism has been associated with the development of many cancers. However, little information has been reported about the associations between elevated extracellular putrescine and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of gastric cancer (GC) cells. In this study, the influence of extracellular putrescine on the malignant behavior and EMT of the AGS and MKN-28 cells was investigated, followed by RNA sequencing profiling of transcriptomic alterations and CUT&Tag sequencing capturing H3K27ac variations across the global genome using extracellular putrescine. Our results demonstrated that the administration of extracellular putrescine significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and expression of N-cadherin in GC cells. We also observed elevated H3K27ac in MKN-28 cells but not in AGS cells when extracellular putrescine was used. A combination of transcriptomic alterations and genome-wide variations of H3K27ac highlighted the upregulated MAL2 and H3K27ac in its promoter region. Knockdown and overexpression of MAL2 were found to inhibit and promote EMT, respectively, in AGS and MKN-28 cells. We demonstrated that extracellular putrescine could upregulate MAL2 expression by elevating H3K27ac in its promoter region, thus triggering augmented EMT in GC cells.

Cuproptosis-related DNA methylation signature predict prognosis and immune microenvironment in cutaneous melanoma

The prognosis for Cutaneous Melanoma (CM), a skin malignant tumor that is extremely aggressive, is not good. A recently identified type of controlled cell death that is intimately related to immunotherapy and the development of cancer is called cuproptosis. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we developed and validated a DNA-methylation located in cuproptosis death-related gene prognostic signature (CRG-located DNA-methylation prognostic signature) to predict CM's prognosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis of our TCGA and GEO cohorts showed that high-risk patients had a shorter overall survival. The area under the curve (AUC) for the TCGA cohort was 0.742, while for the GEO cohort it was 0.733, according to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Furthermore, this signature was discovered as an independent prognostic indicator over CM patients based on Cox-regression analysis. Immunogenomic profiling indicated that majority immune-checkpoints got an opposite relationship with the signature, and patients in the group at low risk got higher immunophenoscore. Several immune pathways were enriched, according to functional enrichment analysis. In conclusion, a prognostic methylation signature for CM patients was established and confirmed. Because of its close relationship to the immune landscape, this signature may help clinicians make more accurate and individualized choices regarding therapy.

siRNA-based therapy for gastric adenocarcinoma: what's next step?

Gastric cancer continues to have a high death rate despite advancements in their diagnosis and treatment. Novel treatment techniques are thus desperately needed. This is where double-stranded RNA molecules known as small interfering RNA (siRNA), which may selectively target the mRNA of disease-causing genes, may find use in medicine. For siRNAs to function properly in the human body, they must be shielded from deterioration. Furthermore, in order to maintain organ function, they must only target the tumor and spare normal tissue. siRNAs have been designed using clever delivery mechanisms including polymers and lipids to achieve these objectives. Although siRNA protection is not hard to acquire, it is still challenging to target cancer cells with them. Here, we first discuss the basic characteristics of gastric cancer before describing the properties of siRNA and typical delivery methods created specifically for gastric tumors. Lastly, we provide a succinct overview of research using siRNAs to treat gastric tumors.

Single-cell profiling reveals immune disturbances landscape and HLA-F-mediated immune tolerance at the maternal-fetal interface in preeclampsia

Background

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder that always causes maternal and fetal serious adverse outcome. Disturbances in maternal immune tolerance to embryo at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI) may be associated with preeclampsia onset. Recent studies have revealed the reduced expression pattern of HLA-F at the MFI in preeclampsia, while the mechanism of it mediating maternal fetal immune tolerance has not been revealed.

Methods

Single-cell RNA sequencing on placental decidua was performed to reveal the immune disturbances landscape at the MFI in preeclampsia. Human Jar cells and NK-92MI cells were employed to study the role of HLA-F in trophoblasts and lymphocyte.

Results

A total of 101,250 cells were classified into 22 cell clusters. Disease-related IGFBP1+SPP1+ extracellular villus trophoblast (EVT) was identified in the preeclamptic placental decidua, accompanied by newly discovered immune cellular dysfunction such as reduced ribosomal functions of NK populations and abnormal expression of antigen-presenting molecules in most cell clusters. Certain genes that are characteristic of the intermediate stage of myeloid or EVT cell differentiation were found to have unexplored but important functions in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia; specifically, we detected enhanced cell cross-talk between IGFBP1+SPP1+ EVT2 or SPP1+M1 cells and their receptor cell populations at the MFI of PE patients compared to controls. With respect to HLA-F, mIF staining confirmed its reduced expression in PE samples compared to controls. Over-expression of HLA-F in Jar cells promoted cell proliferation, invasion, and migration while under-expression had the opposite effect. In NK-92MI cells, over-expression of HLA-F increased the secretion of immunoregulation cytokines such as CSF1 and CCL22, and promoted adaptive NKG2C+NK cell transformation.

Conclusions

We revealed the immune disturbance landscape at the MFI in preeclampsia. Our findings regarding cellular heterogeneity and immune cellular dysfunction, as revealed by scRNA-seq, and the function of HLA-F in cells provide new perspectives for further investigation of their roles in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, and then provide potential new therapeutic target.

Exploring the cellular and molecular differences between ovarian clear cell carcinoma and high-grade serous carcinoma using single-cell RNA sequencing and GEO gene expression signatures

The two most prevalent subtypes of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) are ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) and high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). Patients with OCCC have a poor prognosis than those with HGSC due to chemoresistance, implying the need for novel treatment target. In this study, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) together with bulk RNA-seq data from the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) database (the GSE189553 dataset) to characterize and compare tumor heterogeneity and cell-level evolution between OCCC and HGSC samples. To begin, we found that the smaller proportion of an epithelial OCCC cell subset in the G2/M phase might explain OCCC chemoresistance. Second, we identified a possible pathogenic OCCC epithelial cell subcluster that overexpresses LEFTY1. Third, novel biomarkers separating OCCC from HGSC were discovered and subsequently validated on a wide scale using immunohistochemistry. Amine oxidase copper containing 1 (AOC1) was preferentially expressed in OCCC over HGSC, while S100 calcium-binding protein A2 (S100A2) was detected less frequently in OCCC than in HGSC. In addition, we discovered that metabolic pathways were enriched in the epithelial compartment of the OCCC samples. In vitro experiments verified that inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation or glycolysis pathways exerted direct antitumor effects on both OCCC and HGSC cells, while targeting glutamine metabolism or ferroptosis greatly attenuated chemosensitivity only in OCCC cells. Finally, to determine whether there were any variations in immune cell subsets between OCCC and HGSC, data from scRNA-seq and mass cytometry were pooled for analysis. In summary, our work provides the first holistic insights into the cellular and molecular distinctions between OCCC and HGSC and is a valuable source for discovering new targets to leverage in clinical treatments to improve the poor prognosis of patients with OCCC.

Expression of Amine Oxidase Proteins in Adrenal Cortical Neoplasm and Pheochromocytoma

We delved into the expression of amine oxidase family proteins and their potential significance in adrenal gland neoplasm. Tissue microarrays were prepared for 132 cases of adrenal cortical neoplasm (ACN) consisting of 115 cases of adrenal cortical adenoma (ACA), 17 cases of adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC), and 163 cases of pheochromocytoma (PCC). Immunohistochemical stainings for MAOA, MAOB, LOX, and AOC3 were performed to evaluate the H-scores and compare them with clinicopathological parameters. The H-scores of MAOA (T; p = 0.005) and MAOB (T; p = 0.006) in tumor cells (T) were high in ACN, whereas LOX (T, S; p < 0.001) in tumor and stromal cells (S) and AOC3 (T; p < 0.001) were higher in PCC. In stromal cells, MAOA (S; p < 0.001) and AOC3 (S; p = 0.010) were more expressed in ACA than in ACC. MAOB (S) in PCC showed higher H-scores when the grading of adrenal pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (GAPP) score was 3 or higher (p = 0.027). In the univariate analysis, low MAOA expression in stromal cells of ACN was associated with shorter overall survival (p = 0.008). In conclusion, monoamine oxidase proteins revealed differences in expression between ACN and PCC and also between benign and malignant cells.

m6A-enriched lncRNA LINC00839 promotes tumor progression by enhancing TAF15-mediated transcription of amine oxidase AOC1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) contributes to tumorigenesis by modulating specific cancer-related pathways, but the roles of m6A-enriched lncRNAs and underlying mechanisms remain elusive in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we reanalyzed the previous genome-wide analysis of lncRNA profiles in 18 pairs of NPC and normal tissues, as well as in 10 paired samples from NPC with or without posttreatment metastases. We discerned that an oncogenic m6A-enriched lncRNA, LINC00839, which was substantially upregulated in NPC and correlated with poor clinical prognosis, promoted NPC growth and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, by using RNA pulldown assay combined with mass spectrometry, we found that LINC00839 interacted directly with the transcription factor, TATA-box binding protein associated factor (TAF15). Besides, ChIP and dual-luciferase report assays demonstrated that LINC00839 coordinated the recruitment of TAF15 to the promoter region of amine oxidase copper-containing 1 (AOC1), which encodes a secreted glycoprotein playing vital roles in various cancers, thereby activating AOC1 transcription in trans. In this study, potential effects of AOC1 in NPC progression were first proposed. Moreover, ectopic expression of AOC1 partially rescued the inhibitory effect of downregulation of LINC00839 in NPC. Furthermore, we showed that silencing vir-like m6A methyltransferase-associated (VIRMA) and insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding proteins 1 (IGF2BP1) attenuated the expression level and RNA stability of LINC00839 in an m6A-dependent manner. Taken together, our study unveils a novel oncogenic VIRMA/IGF2BP1-LINC00839-TAF15-AOC1 axis, and highlights the significance and prognostic value of LINC00839 expression in NPC carcinogenesis.

Ultrasound and microbubble-mediated delivery of miR-424-5p has a therapeutic effect in preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE

To determine the influence of ultrasound/microbubble-mediated miR-424-5p delivery on trophoblast cells and the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

Blood pressure and 24-h proteinuria of patients with preeclampsia (PE) were measured as well as the levels of miR-424-5p and amine oxidase copper containing 1 (AOC1) in placental tissues. HTR-8/Svneo and TEV-1 cells were subjected to cell transfection or ultrasonic microbubble transfection for determination of the expression of miR-424-5p, AOC1, β-catenin and c-Myc as well as cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasiveness. The concentrations of placental growth factor (PLGF), human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in HTR-8/Svneo and TEV-1 cells. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and dual luciferase reporter assay detected the binding of miR-424-5p to AOC1. A PE mouse model was induced by subcutaneous injection of L-NAME, where the influence of ultrasound/microbubble-mediated miR-424-5p delivery was evaluated.

RESULTS

miR-424-5p was downregulated while AOC1 was upregulated in the placental tissues from PE patients. Overexpression of miR-424-5p activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and promoted the proliferation of HTR-8/Svneo and TEV-1 cells as well as enhanced the migratory and invasive behaviors. AOC1 overexpression partly eliminated the effects of miR-424-5p on HTR-8/Svneo and TEV-1 cells. Ultrasound and microbubble mediated gene delivery enhanced the transfection efficiency of miR-424-5p and further promoted the effects of miR-424-5p in trophoblast cells. Ultrasound/microbubble-mediated miR-424-5p delivery alleviated experimental PE in mice.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound and microbubble-mediated miR-424-5p delivery targets AOC1 and activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thus promoting the aggressive phenotype of trophoblast cells, which indicating that miR-424-5p/AOC1 axis might be involved with PE pathogenesis.

TMT-based quantitative proteomic analysis reveals the underlying mechanisms of glycidyl methacrylate-induced 16HBE cell malignant transformation

Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) has been widely used as tackifying/crosslinking copolymer monomer in the industrial section. Occupational and environmental exposure to GMA is inevitable. GMA is classified as a Group 2 A carcinogen. However, it still lacks a sufficient understanding of its carcinogenicity at the protein level. The major pathways and players during the malignant transformation process remain unknown. In this study, we first established and characterized a malignant transformation model using human bronchial epithelial (16HBE) cells exposed to 8 μg/mL GMA. Then the proteomics approach, western-blot analysis as well as quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis were employed to investigate its underlying mechanisms of carcinogenicity. Our results showed that the 16HBE cells exposed to GMA and passaged to the 40th generation had undergone a malignant transformation. Proteomic analysis revealed that 123 proteins were significantly up-regulated while 160 proteins were down-regulated during the process of malignant transformation. Importantly, further pathway analysis identified the extracellular matrix-receptor (ECM-receptor) interaction pathway to be one of the major players mediating the process and most of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were up-regulated, including two vital proteins, CD44 and MMP14, as well as members from integrin family. These results provide direct proteomic evidence that DEPs related to the ECM-receptor interaction pathway play an active role in reinforcing the carcinogenicity of GMA. The findings of this study might deepen our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of GMA carcinogenicity and thus facilitate the risk assessment of GMA.

Up-regulation of collagen type V alpha 2 (COL5A2) promotes malignant phenotypes in gastric cancer cell via inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)

Recent studies have reported that collagen type V alpha 2 (COL5A2) is a hub gene and associated with the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) patients, playing an important role in GC. In this study, we aim to fathom out the biological roles of COL5A2 and its relevant mechanism in GC. Oncomine, gene expression profiling interactive analysis, and UALCAN were used to explore the effects of COL5A2 on GC. Cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, and transwell assay were conducted to investigate the biological behaviors of GC cell lines AGS and SGC-7901. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot were performed to determine gene and protein expressions. COL5A2 expression was up-regulated and negatively correlated with survival percentage of GC patients. COL5A2 expression was notably elevated in high stage and high grade of GC. Down-regulation of COL5A2 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of AGS and SGC-7901 cells. COL5A2 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by promoting the expressions of mesenchymal markers (SNAI1, SNAI2, TWIST, VIM, and MMP2), thereby facilitating the malignant phenotypes of GC. COL5A2 plays an oncogenic role in GC and has potential to predict the progression and prognosis of GC patients.

SOX15 transcriptionally increases the function of AOC1 to modulate ferroptosis and progression in prostate cancer

Amine oxidase copper-containing 1 (AOC1) is considered an oncogene in many types of tumors. Nevertheless, there have been no investigations of AOC1 and its regulatory mechanism in prostate cancer. Here, we reveal a novel action of AOC1 and a tumor suppressor mechanism in prostate cancer. AOC1 is downregulated in prostate cancer. Abatement of AOC1 in prostate cancer tissue is positively correlated with the tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and Gleason score for prostate cancer. Conversely, high expression of AOC1 is significantly associated with reduced proliferation and migration in prostate cancer both in vitro and in vivo. We show that the anticancer effect of AOC1 is mediated by its action on spermidine which leads to the activation of reactive oxygen species and ferroptosis. AOC1 expression in prostate cancer is positively regulated by the transcription factor SOX15. Therefore, SOX15 can transcriptionally promote AOC1 expression and strengthen this effect. Targeting AOC1 and SOX15 may be promising for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Identification of Potential Predictor of Biochemical Recurrence in Prostate Cancer

Background

Prostate cancer is a common malignancy in men. Radical prostatectomy is one of the primary treatment modalities for patients with prostate cancer. However, early identification of biochemical recurrence is a major challenge for post-radical prostatectomy surveillance. There is a lack of reliable predictors of biochemical recurrence. The purpose of this study was to explore potential biochemical recurrence indicators for prostate cancer.

Materials and Methods

We analyzed transcriptomic data of cases with biochemical recurrence in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Then, we performed integrative bioinformatics analyses to establish a biochemical recurrence predictor model of prostate cancer.

Results

There were 146 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between prostate cancer and normal prostate, including 12 upregulated and 134 downregulated genes. Comprehensive pathway enrichment analyses revealed that these DEGs were associated with multiple cellular metabolic pathways. Subsequently, according to the random assignment principle, 208 patients were assigned to the training cohort and 205 patients to the validation cohort. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that 7 genes were significantly associated with the biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. A model consisting of 5 genes was constructed using LASSO regression and multivariate Cox regression to predict biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer. Expression of PAH and AOC1 decreased with an increasing incidence of prostate cancer, whereas expression of DDC, LINC01436 and ORM1 increased with increasing incidence of prostate cancer. Kaplan–Meier curves and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves indicated that the 5-gene model had reliable utility in identifying the risk of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.

Conclusion

This study provides a model for predicting prostate cancer recurrence after surgery, which may be an optional indicator for postoperative follow-up.

Downregulation of amine oxidase copper containing 1 inhibits tumor progression by suppressing IL-6/JAK/STAT3 pathway activation in hepatocellular carcinoma

Amine oxidase copper containing 1 (AOC1) is a copper-containing amine oxidase that catalyzes the deamination of polyamines. AOC1 functions as an oncogene in human gastric cancer. There is little information available regarding the function of AOC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of AOC1 in HCC tissues, and the role of AOC1 in HCC progression was determined using western blot, Cell Counting Kit 8, clone formation, wound-healing and Transwell assays. An AOC1 survival curve was generated with data downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was performed to investigate the potential biological mechanisms of AOC1 in HCC. AOC1 was found to be upregulated in HCC tissues, which was associated with a poor prognosis. Furthermore, AOC1-knockdown inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasiveness, suppressed IL-6 expression, as well as decreasing JAK2 and STAT3 phosphorylation. Ultimately, the results of the present study illustrate that AOC1 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of HCC cells by regulating the IL-6/JAK/STAT3 pathway.

Photodynamic Therapy of Novel Photosensitizer Ameliorates TNBS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis via Inhibition of AOC1

Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic, nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease characterized by continuous and diffuse inflammatory changes in the colonic mucosa, requires novel treatment method. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), as a promising physico-chemical treatment method, were used to treat UC rats’ model with novel photosensitizer LD₄ in this paper, the treatment effect and mechanism was investigated. LD₄-PDT could improve the survival rate of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced UC model rats, decrease expression of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and increase the expression of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide oxidase (SOD), while protecting the integrity of the intestinal epithelium. LD₄-PDT treatment could rebuild the intestinal microflora composition and reprogram the colonic protein profiles in TNBS-induced rats to almost the normal state. Proteomics analysis based upon TNBS-induced UC model rats revealed that Amine oxidase copper-containing 1 (AOC₁) was a potential target of LD₄-PDT. Novel photosensitizer agent LD₄-PDT represents an efficient treatment method for UC, and AOC₁ may be a promising target.

Amine oxidase, copper containing 3 exerts anti‑mesenchymal transformation and enhances CD4+ T‑cell recruitment to prolong survival in lung cancer

Lung cancer remains notorious for its poor prognosis. Despite the advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors, the probability of curing the disease in lung cancer patients remains low. Novel mechanisms and treatment strategies are needed to provide hope to patients. Advanced strategies of next generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics were used to analyze normal and lung cancer tissues from lung cancer patients. Amine oxidases have been linked to leukocyte migration and tumorigenesis. However, the roles of amine oxidases in lung cancer are not well-understood. Our results indicated that amine oxidase, copper containing 3 (AOC3) was significantly decreased in the tumor tissue compared with the normal tissue, at both the mRNA and protein level, in the included lung cancer patients and public databases. Lower expression of AOC3 conferred a poorer survival probability across the different cohorts. Epigenetic silencing of AOC3 via miR-3691-5p caused tumor promotion and progression by increasing migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, knockdown of AOC3 caused less CD4⁺ T-cell attachment onto lung cancer cells and reduced transendothelial migration in vitro, as well as reducing CD4⁺ T-cell trafficking to the lung in vivo. In conclusion, the present study revealed that downregulation of AOC3 mediated lung cancer promotion and progression, as well as decrease of immune cell recruitment. This novel finding could expand our understanding of the dysregulation of the tumor immune microenvironment and could help to develop a novel strategy for the treatment of lung cancer.

The role of polyamines in gastric cancer

Advancements in our understanding of polyamine molecular and cellular functions have led to increased interest in targeting polyamine metabolism for anticancer therapeutic benefits. The polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are polycationic alkylamines commonly found in all living cells and are essential for cellular growth and survival. This review summarizes the existing research on polyamine metabolism and function, specifically the role of polyamines in gastric immune cell and epithelial cell function. Polyamines have been implicated in a multitude of cancers, but in this review, we focus on the role of polyamine dysregulation in the context of Helicobacter pylori-induced gastritis and subsequent progression to gastric cancer. Due to the emerging implication of polyamines in cancer development, there is an increasing number of promising clinical trials using agents to target the polyamine metabolic pathway for potential chemoprevention and anticancer therapy.

Increased AOC1 Expression Promotes Cancer Progression in Colorectal Cancer

Background

Amine oxidase copper containing 1 (AOC1) is a gene whose biological function in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been elucidated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of AOC1 expression in CRC and its biological function in CRC cell lines.

Materials and Methods

AOC1 expression levels were examined in paired CRC and peritumoral tissues, and distant liver metastatic tissues were examined using quantitative real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry staining. The log-rank test and Cox regression model were used to analyze the relationship between AOC1 expression and prognosis. Proliferation assays (Cell Counting Kit‐8 and colony formation assays), migration assays (Transwell and wound healing assays) and xenograft tumor formation in nude mice were performed to assess the biological role of AOC1 in CRC cells.

Results

AOC1 expression significantly increased in human CRC tissues, especially in liver metastases, and was associated with a worse prognosis. In addition, AOC1 had higher expression in tumor organoids than in normal organoids, suggesting that it was highly expressed in the tumor epithelium. Functional analysis demonstrated that AOC1 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and migration of CRC cells by inducing EMT in vitro. Xenograft tumor formation in nude mice showed that knockdown of AOC1 inhibited the tumor xenografts growth in vivo.

Conclusion

High expression of AOC1 was significantly associated with worse clinical outcomes, was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis, and promoted aggressive CRC cell phenotypes. AOC1 is expected to become a novel biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients with CRC and an effective therapeutic target in clinical practice.

Epigenetic Variation Analysis Leads to Biomarker Discovery in Gastric Adenocarcinoma

As one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) and its prognosis are still poorly understood. Various genetic and epigenetic factors have been indicated in GC carcinogenesis. However, a comprehensive and in-depth investigation of epigenetic alteration in gastric cancer is still missing. In this study, we systematically investigated some key epigenetic features in GC, including DNA methylation and five core histone modifications. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Program and other studies (Gene Expression Omnibus) were collected, analyzed, and validated with multivariate statistical analysis methods. The landscape of epi-modifications in gastric cancer was described. Chromatin state transition analysis showed a histone marker shift in gastric cancer genome by employing a Hidden-Markov-Model based approach, indicated that histone marks tend to label different sets of genes in GC compared to control. An additive effect of these epigenetic marks was observed by integrated analysis with gene expression data, suggesting epigenetic modifications may cooperatively regulate gene expression. However, the effect of DNA methylation was found more significant without the presence of the five histone modifications in our study. By constructing a PPI network, key genes to distinguish GC from normal samples were identified, and distinct patterns of oncogenic pathways in GC were revealed. Some of these genes can also serve as potential biomarkers to classify various GC molecular subtypes. Our results provide important insights into the epigenetic regulation in gastric cancer and other cancers in general. This study describes the aberrant epigenetic variation pattern in GC and provides potential direction for epigenetic biomarker discovery.

Toward Regulatory Effects of Curcumin on Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Across Different Diseases: A Review

Immune response, proliferation, migration and angiogenesis are juts a few of cellular events that are regulated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in cells. A number of studies have documented that TGF-β undergoes abnormal expression in different diseases, e.g., diabetes, cancer, fibrosis, asthma, arthritis, among others. This has led to great fascination into this signaling pathway and developing agents with modulatory impact on TGF-β. Curcumin, a natural-based compound, is obtained from rhizome and roots of turmeric plant. It has a number of pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diabetes and so on. Noteworthy, it has been demonstrated that curcumin affects different molecular signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin, Nrf2, AMPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase and so on. In the present review, we evaluate the potential of curcumin in regulation of TGF-β signaling pathway to corelate it with therapeutic impacts of curcumin. By modulation of TGF-β (both upregulation and down-regulation), curcumin ameliorates fibrosis, neurological disorders, liver disease, diabetes and asthma. Besides, curcumin targets TGF-β signaling pathway which is capable of suppressing proliferation of tumor cells and invading cancer cells.