Comprehensive Identification of Bridge Genes to Explain the Progression from Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection to Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Virus-Host Protein Interaction Network of the Hepatitis E Virus ORF2-4 by Mammalian Two-Hybrid Assays

Throughout their life cycle, viruses interact with cellular host factors, thereby influencing propagation, host range, cell tropism and pathogenesis. The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an underestimated RNA virus in which knowledge of the virus-host interaction network to date is limited. Here, two related high-throughput mammalian two-hybrid approaches (MAPPIT and KISS) were used to screen for HEV-interacting host proteins. Promising hits were examined on protein function, involved pathway(s), and their relation to other viruses. We identified 37 ORF2 hits, 187 for ORF3 and 91 for ORF4. Several hits had functions in the life cycle of distinct viruses. We focused on SHARPIN and RNF5 as candidate hits for ORF3, as they are involved in the RLR-MAVS pathway and interferon (IFN) induction during viral infections. Knocking out (KO) SHARPIN and RNF5 resulted in a different IFN response upon ORF3 transfection, compared to wild-type cells. Moreover, infection was increased in SHARPIN KO cells and decreased in RNF5 KO cells. In conclusion, MAPPIT and KISS are valuable tools to study virus-host interactions, providing insights into the poorly understood HEV life cycle. We further provide evidence for two identified hits as new host factors in the HEV life cycle.

Comprehensive analysis of ZFPM2-AS1 prognostic value, immune microenvironment, drug sensitivity, and co-expression network: from gastric adenocarcinoma to pan-cancers

BACKGROUND

ZFPM2-AS1, as an oncogenic lncRNA, plays an essential role in the progression of several tumors. However, the prognostic significance, biological function, and molecular mechanism of ZFPM2-AS1 in most tumors have not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

We analyzed differentially expressed immune-related lncRNAs (IRlncRNAs) and clustered gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) samples based on these lncRNAs expression. Then, WGCNA and survival analysis were performed to determine key IRlncRNA (ZFPM2-AS1) in GAC. The comprehensive analysis was performed to evaluate the association between ZFPM2-AS1 expression and survival, tumor microenvironment (TME), immune-related factors, and related signal pathways in pan-cancers. Furthermore, we constructed a co-expression network of ZFPM2-AS1, and NUP107 and C8orf76 were identified as target mRNAs. We further evaluated the role of NUP107 and C8orf76 in the GAC microenvironment. More importantly, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to validate ZFPM2-AS1, NUP107 and C8orf76 expression.

RESULTS

ZFPM2-AS1 was remarkably overexpressed and correlated with poor overall survival in most tumors. Further analysis showed that ZFPM2-AS1 was related to various immune cells infiltrated in the microenvironment of most tumors. GSEA revealed that ZFPM2-AS1 in GAC was primarily involved in immune-related pathways. Furthermore, NUP107 and C8orf76 were identified as potential target mRNAs of ZFPM2-AS1, which was related to infiltrating immune cells in the GAC microenvironment. qRT-PCR verified that ZFPM2-AS, NUP107 and C8orf76 were highly expressed in gastric cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

ZFPM2-AS1 could be a potential biomarker for cancer prognosis, and a promising immune target for cancer therapy. Furthermore, ZFPM2-AS1 might play an immunosuppressive role in the GAC microenvironment.