Up-regulation of Core 1 Beta 1, 3-Galactosyltransferase Suppresses Osteosarcoma Growth with Induction of IFN-γ Secretion and Proliferation of CD8+ T Cells

Advancements in osteosarcoma management: integrating immune microenvironment insights with immunotherapeutic strategies

Osteosarcoma, a malignant bone tumor predominantly affecting children and adolescents, presents significant therapeutic challenges, particularly in metastatic or recurrent cases. Conventional surgical and chemotherapeutic approaches have achieved partial therapeutic efficacy; however, the prognosis for long-term survival remains bleak. Recent studies have highlighted the imperative for a comprehensive exploration of the osteosarcoma immune microenvironment, focusing on the integration of diverse immunotherapeutic strategies-including immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumor microenvironment modulators, cytokine therapies, tumor antigen-specific interventions, cancer vaccines, cellular therapies, and antibody-based treatments-that are directly pertinent to modulating this intricate microenvironment. By targeting tumor cells, modulating the tumor microenvironment, and activating host immune responses, these innovative approaches have demonstrated substantial potential in enhancing the effectiveness of osteosarcoma treatments. Although most of these novel strategies are still in research or clinical trial phases, they have already demonstrated significant potential for individuals with osteosarcoma, suggesting the possibility of developing new, more personalized and effective treatment options. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current advancements in osteosarcoma immunotherapy, emphasizing the significance of integrating various immunotherapeutic methods to optimize therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, it underscores the imperative for subsequent research to further investigate the intricate interactions between the tumor microenvironment and the immune system, aiming to devise more effective treatment strategies. The present review comprehensively addresses the landscape of osteosarcoma immunotherapy, delineating crucial scientific concerns and clinical challenges, thereby outlining potential research directions.

Protein Stability Regulation in Osteosarcoma: The Ubiquitin-like Modifications and Glycosylation as Mediators of Tumor Growth and as Targets for Therapy

The identification of new therapeutic targets and the development of innovative therapeutic approaches are the most important challenges for osteosarcoma treatment. In fact, despite being relatively rare, recurrence and metastatic potential, particularly to the lungs, make osteosarcoma a deadly form of cancer. In fact, although current treatments, including surgery and chemotherapy, have improved survival rates, the disease's recurrence and metastasis are still unresolved complications. Insights for analyzing the still unclear molecular mechanisms of osteosarcoma development, and for finding new therapeutic targets, may arise from the study of post-translational protein modifications. Indeed, they can influence and alter protein structure, stability and function, and cellular interactions. Among all the post-translational modifications, ubiquitin-like modifications (ubiquitination, deubiquitination, SUMOylation, and NEDDylation), as well as glycosylation, are the most important for regulating protein stability, which is frequently altered in cancers including osteosarcoma. This review summarizes the relevance of ubiquitin-like modifications and glycosylation in osteosarcoma progression, providing an overview of protein stability regulation, as well as highlighting the molecular mediators of these processes in the context of osteosarcoma and their possible targeting for much-needed novel therapy.

Ginger polysaccharide alleviates the effects of acute exposure to carbonate in crucian carp (Carassius auratus) by regulating immunity, intestinal microbiota, and intestinal metabolism

Alkaline stress poses a significant challenge to the healthy growth of fish. Ginger polysaccharide (GP) is one of the main active substances in ginger and has pharmacological effects, such as anti-oxidation and immune regulation. However, the physiological regulatory mechanism of GP addition to diet on alkalinity stress in crucian carp remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential protective effects of dietary GP on antioxidant capacity, gene expression levels, intestinal microbiome, and metabolomics of crucian carp exposed to carbonate (NaHCO3). The CK group (no GP supplementation) and COG group (NaHCO3 stress and no GP supplementation) were set up. The GPCS group (NaHCO3 stress and 0.4% GP supplementation) was stressed for seven days. Based on these data, GP significantly increased the activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), acid phosphatase (ACP), and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in carp under alkalinity stress (p < 0.05) and decreased the activity of malon dialdehyde (MDA) (p < 0.05). GP restored the activity of GSH-PX, ACP, and AKP to CK levels. The expression levels of tumor necrosis factor β (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin 8 (IL-8) genes were decreased, and the expression levels of determination factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) genes were increased (p < 0.05). Based on 16 S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, GP improved the changes in the intestinal microbial diversity and structural composition of crucian carp caused by NaHCO3 exposure. In particular, GP increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes and decreased the relative abundance of Actinobacteria. The metabolic response of GP to NaHCO3 exposed crucian carp guts was studied using LC/MS. Compared to the COG group, the GPCS group had 64 different metabolites and enriched 10 metabolic pathways, including lipid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and carbohydrate metabolism. The addition of GP to feed can promote galactose metabolism and provide an energy supply to crucian carp, thus alleviating the damage induced by alkalinity stress. In conclusion, GP can mitigate the effects of NaHCO3 alkalinity stress by regulating immune function, intestinal flora, and intestinal metabolism in crucian carp. These findings provide a novel idea for studying the mechanism of salt-alkali tolerance in crucian carp by adding GP to feed.

Multi-omics analysis reveals cuproptosis and mitochondria-based signature for assessing prognosis and immune landscape in osteosarcoma

Background

Osteosarcoma (OSA), the most common primary mesenchymal bone tumor, is a health threat to children and adolescents with a dismal prognosis. While cuproptosis and mitochondria dysfunction have been demonstrated to exert a crucial role in tumor progression and development, the mechanisms by which they are regulated in OSA still await clarification.

Methods

Two independent OSA cohorts containing transcriptome data and clinical information were collected from public databases. The heterogeneity of OSA were evaluated by single cell RNA (scRNA) analysis. To identify a newly molecular subtype, unsupervised consensus clustering was conducted. Cox relevant regression methods were utilized to establish a prognostic gene signature. Wet lab experiments were performed to confirm the effect of model gene in OSA cells.

Results

We determined 30 distinct cell clusters and assessed OSA heterogeneity and stemness scRNA analysis. Then, univariate Cox analysis identified 24 candidate genes which were greatly associated with the prognosis of OSA. Based on these prognostic genes, we obtained two molecular subgroups. After conducting step Cox regression, three model genes were selected to construct a signature showing a favorable performance to forecast clinical outcome. Our proposed signature could also evaluate the response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy of OSA cases.

Conclusion

We generated a novel risk model based on cuproptosis and mitochondria-related genes in OSA with powerful predictive ability in prognosis and immune landscape.