The Involvement of ERCC2/XPD and ERCC6/CSB Wild Type Alleles in Protection Against Aging and Cancer

Genetic Polymorphisms Involved in Bladder Cancer: A Global Review

Bladder cancer (BC) has been associated with genetic susceptibility. Single peptide polymorphisms (SNPs) can modulate BC susceptibility. A literature search was performed covering the period between January 2000 and October 2020. Overall, 334 articles were selected, reporting 455 SNPs located in 244 genes. The selected 455 SNPs were further investigated. All SNPs that were associated with smoking and environmental exposure were excluded from this study. A total of 197 genes and 343 SNPs were found to be associated with BC, among which 177 genes and 291 SNPs had congruent results across all available studies. These genes and SNPs were classified into eight different categories according to their function.

Role of Moonlighting Proteins in Disease: Analyzing the Contribution of Canonical and Moonlighting Functions in Disease Progression

The term moonlighting proteins refers to those proteins that present alternative functions performed by a single polypeptide chain acquired throughout evolution (called canonical and moonlighting, respectively). Over 78% of moonlighting proteins are involved in human diseases, 48% are targeted by current drugs, and over 25% of them are involved in the virulence of pathogenic microorganisms. These facts encouraged us to study the link between the functions of moonlighting proteins and disease. We found a large number of moonlighting functions activated by pathological conditions that are highly involved in disease development and progression. The factors that activate some moonlighting functions take place only in pathological conditions, such as specific cellular translocations or changes in protein structure. Some moonlighting functions are involved in disease promotion while others are involved in curbing it. The disease-impairing moonlighting functions attempt to restore the homeostasis, or to reduce the damage linked to the imbalance caused by the disease. The disease-promoting moonlighting functions primarily involve the immune system, mesenchyme cross-talk, or excessive tissue proliferation. We often find moonlighting functions linked to the canonical function in a pathological context. Moonlighting functions are especially coordinated in inflammation and cancer. Wound healing and epithelial to mesenchymal transition are very representative. They involve multiple moonlighting proteins with a different role in each phase of the process, contributing to the current-phase phenotype or promoting a phase switch, mitigating the damage or intensifying the remodeling. All of this implies a new level of complexity in the study of pathology genesis, progression, and treatment. The specific protein function involved in a patient's progress or that is affected by a drug must be elucidated for the correct treatment of diseases.

Genetic Association of ERCC6 rs2228526 Polymorphism with the Risk of Cancer: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

At present, several studies have assessed the association between ERCC6 rs2228526 polymorphism and the risk of cancer. However, the association remained controversial. To provide a more accurate estimate on the association, we performed a meta-analysis search of case-control studies on the associations of ERCC6 rs2228526 with susceptibility to cancer. PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Wanfang database, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases (CNKI) China Biological Medicine Database (CBM) (up to August 2021) were searched to identify eligible studies. The effect summary odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was applied to assay the association between the ERCC6 rs2228526 polymorphism and the risk of cancer. 14 studies included 15 case-control studies which contained 5,856 cases, and 6,387 controls were finally determined as qualified studies for this meta-analysis. Overall, based on current studies, we found significant association between ERCC6 rs2228526 polymorphism and the risk of cancer in four genetic models [the allele model G vs. A: 1.10, (1.03–1.17); the homozygous model GG vs. AA: 1.27, (1.07–1.51); heterozygote model GA vs. AA: 1.08, (1.00–1.17); the dominant model GG + GA vs. AA: 1.10, (1.02–1.19); the recessive model GG vs. GA + AA: 1.22, (1.03–1.45)]. In the stratified analysis based on ethnicity, we found significant association in two genetic models in Asians. Further, significant genetic cancer susceptibility was found under PB control on subgroup analysis by source of control. In addition, no significant association was found in lung cancer and bladder cancer patients in subgroup analyses based on cancer style. This study suggests that the ERCC6 rs2228526 polymorphism may be associated with increased cancer risk.

CSB promoter downregulation via histone H3 hypoacetylation is an early determinant of replicative senescence

Cellular senescence has causative links with ageing and age-related diseases, however, it remains unclear if progeroid factors cause senescence in normal cells. Here, we show that depletion of CSB, a protein mutated in progeroid Cockayne syndrome (CS), is the earliest known trigger of p21-dependent replicative senescence. CSB depletion promotes overexpression of the HTRA3 protease resulting in mitochondrial impairments, which are causally linked to CS pathological phenotypes. The CSB promoter is downregulated by histone H3 hypoacetylation during DNA damage-response. Mechanistically, CSB binds to the p21 promoter thereby downregulating its transcription and blocking replicative senescence in a p53-independent manner. This activity of CSB is independent of its role in the repair of UV-induced DNA damage. HTRA3 accumulation and senescence are partially rescued upon reduction of oxidative/nitrosative stress. These findings establish a CSB/p21 axis that acts as a barrier to replicative senescence, and link a progeroid factor with the process of regular ageing in human.

Senescence of metabolically active cells is a process linked to ageing. Here the authors reveal that CSB is required to block replicative senescence, and epigenetic control of CSB downregulation triggers proliferative arrest in a p21-dependent manner.