PKMYT1 as a Potential Target to Improve the Radiosensitivity of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Targeting RNA N6-methyladenosine modification-- a novel therapeutic target for HER2- positive gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and is considered the 5th most frequent occurring cancer worldwide. It has gained great attention from the clinicians and researchers because of high mortality rate. It is generally treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. Recently, additional treatment options including immunotherapy and targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been developed. However, poor prognosis, limited survival rate of patients, and drug resistance to treatment remain critical problems. To improve treatment options or to overcome the bottleneck of treatment, identification of diagnostic and prognostic markers, determining the most effective therapeutic options, and uncovering the molecular regulations associated with treatment strategies are required. In this regard n6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulation is considered important. This reversible modification plays a crucial role in progression, development and treatment of HER2-positive gastric cancer. Here, we discuss the role of m6A modification in HER2-positive gastric cancer progression through collecting related studies at present. We further discuss the association of m6A modification with therapeutic efficacy in HER2-positive gastric cancer and list some examples. We conclude that modification of m6A can be a new strategy for improving the prognosis and survival rate of HER2-positive gastric cancer patients.

Genome-wide CRISPR screens identify PKMYT1 as a therapeutic target in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with an overall 5-year survival rate of <12% due to the lack of effective treatments. Novel treatment strategies are urgently needed. Here, PKMYT1 is identified through genome-wide CRISPR screens as a non-mutant, genetic vulnerability of PDAC. Higher PKMYT1 expression levels indicate poor prognosis in PDAC patients. PKMYT1 ablation inhibits tumor growth and proliferation in vitro and in vivo by regulating cell cycle progression and inducing apoptosis. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of PKMYT1 shows efficacy in multiple PDAC cell models and effectively induces tumor regression without overt toxicity in PDAC cell line-derived xenograft and in more clinically relevant patient-derived xenograft models. Mechanistically, in addition to its canonical function of phosphorylating CDK1, PKMYT1 functions as an oncogene to promote PDAC tumorigenesis by regulating PLK1 expression and phosphorylation. Finally, TP53 function and PRKDC activation are shown to modulate the sensitivity to PKMYT1 inhibition. These results define PKMYT1 dependency in PDAC and identify potential therapeutic strategies for clinical translation.

Structural and energetic insights into the selective inhibition of PKMYT1 against WEE1

Protein kinase, membrane-associated tyrosine/threonine 1 (PKMYT1), a member of the WEE family and responsible for the regulation of CDK1 phosphorylation, has been considered a promising therapeutic target for cancer therapy. However, the highly structural conservation of the ATP-binding sites of the WEE family poses a challenge to the design of selective inhibitors for PKMYT1. Here, molecular docking, multiple microsecond-length molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and end-point free energy calculations were performed to uncover the molecular mechanism of the binding selectivity of RP-6306 toward PKMYT1 over its highly homologous kinase WEE1. The binding specificity of RP-6306 reported in previous experimental bioassays was clarified by MD simulations and binding free energy calculations. Further, the binding free energy prediction indicated that the binding selectivity of RP-6306 largely derived from the difference in the protein-ligand electrostatic interactions. The per-residue free energy decomposition suggested that the non-conserved gatekeeper residue in the hinge domain of PKMYT1/WEE1, Thr187/Asn376, is the critical factor responsible for the binding selectivity of RP-6306 toward PKMYT1. In addition, a water-mediated hydrogen bond was formed between RP-6306 and Gly191 at the hinge domain in the PKMYT1/RP-6306 complex, which was absent in the WEE1/RP-6306 complex. This study is expected to offer useful information for the design of more potent and selective PKMYT1 inhibitors.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

The epigenetic downregulation of LncGHRLOS mediated by RNA m6A methylase ZCCHC4 promotes colorectal cancer tumorigenesis

BACKGROUND

m6A modification is currently recognized as a major driver of RNA function that maintains cancer cell homeostasis. Long non-coding (Lnc) RNAs control cell proliferation and play an important role in the occurrence and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). ZCCHC4 is a newly discovered m6A methyltransferase whose role and mechanism in tumors have not yet been elucidated.

METHODS

The EpiQuik m6A RNA methylation kit was used to detect the level of total RNA m6A in six types of digestive tract tumors. The Kaplan-Meier method and receiver operating characteristic curve were used to evaluate the prognostic and diagnostic value of the newly discovered m6A methyltransferase, ZCCHC4, in CRC. The effects on CRC growth in vitro and in vivo were studied using gain- and loss-of-function experiments. The epigenetic mechanisms underlying ZCCHC4 upregulation in CRC were studied using RIP, MeRIP-seq, RNA pull-down, and animal experiments.

RESULTS

We reported that the ZCCHC4-LncRNAGHRLOS-KDM5D axis regulates the growth of CRC in vitro and in vivo. We found that ZCCHC4 was upregulated in primary CRC samples and could predict adverse clinical outcomes in patients with CRC. Mechanistically, ZCCHC4 downregulated LncRNAGHRLOS to promote CRC tumorigenesis. As a downstream molecule of LncRNAGHRLOS, KDM5D directly controls CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that the ZCCHC4 axis contributes to the tumorigenesis and progression of CRC and that ZCCHC4 may be a potential biomarker for this malignancy.

CKS1B as a potential target for prognostic assessment and intervention in pancreatic cancer and its role in abnormal proliferation and cellular phenotype through mediation of cell cycle signaling pathways

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the role of cell cycle protein-dependent kinase regulatory subunit 1B (CKS1B) in driving the aggressive and rapid proliferation observed in pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

A comprehensive analysis was carried out using raw mRNA information and data from 2 databases: the cancer genome atlas and gene expression omnibus. The differential expression of CKS1B at the mRNA and tissue levels in cancer and adjacent paracancerous tissues were assessed. Additionally, the relationship of CKS1B expression and overall survival (OS) rate was investigated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Potential molecular mechanisms by which CKS1B may influence the biological characteristics of pancreatic cancer were explored using resources available within the encyclopedia of RNA interactomes database.

RESULTS

The CKS1B exhibited significant differential expression at the mRNA as well as protein levels. A correlation with statistical significance between CKS1B expression and N stage, age, and alcohol consumption was observed. Notably, high CKS1B expression was determined as a predictive factor for worse OS. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a potential synergistic role between CKS1B and the molecule PKMYT1, which could impact the ATR-Chk1-Cdc25 signaling pathway and disrupt the G2/M checkpoint within the cell cycle, ultimately promoting abnormal tumor proliferation.

CONCLUSION

The CKS1B may serve as a novel potential prognostic factor in pancreatic cancer and is involved in the abnormal proliferation biology phenotype by mediating cell cycle signaling pathways.

Unveiling promising breast cancer biomarkers: an integrative approach combining bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer remains a significant health challenge worldwide, necessitating the identification of reliable biomarkers for early detection, accurate prognosis, and targeted therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Breast cancer RNA expression data from the TCGA database were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The top 500 up-regulated DEGs were selected for further investigation using random forest analysis to identify important genes. These genes were evaluated based on their potential as diagnostic biomarkers, their overexpression in breast cancer tissues, and their low median expression in normal female tissues. Various validation methods, including online tools and quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR), were used to confirm the potential of the identified genes as breast cancer biomarkers.

RESULTS

The study identified four overexpressed genes (CACNG4, PKMYT1, EPYC, and CHRNA6) among 100 genes with higher importance scores. qRT-PCR analysis confirmed the significant upregulation of these genes in breast cancer patients compared to normal samples.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that CACNG4, PKMYT1, EPYC, and CHRNA6 may serve as valuable biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis, and PKMYT1 may also have prognostic significance. Furthermore, CACNG4, CHRNA6, and PKMYT1 show promise as potential therapeutic targets. These findings have the potential to advance diagnostic methods and therapeutic approaches for breast cancer.

BZW2 Modulates Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression through Glycolysis-Mediated IDH3G Lactylation Modification

Histone lactylation (Hla) is a metabolically stress-related histone modification that featured in specific gene expression regulation. However, the role of Hla in the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unexplored. Through bioinformatics analysis, we found that BZW2 exhibited an elevated level of expression in LUAD tissues, which was associated with a poor prognosis. Flow cytometry and TUNEL assay were used to analyze the apoptosis of LUAD cells and tissues, respectively. The effect of the cell function experiment on the LUAD cell phenotype was analyzed. An XF 96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer measured the ECAR value, and kits were used to detect lactate production and glucose consumption. Animal experiments were performed for further verification. Cell experiments showed that BZW2 fostered the malignant progression of LUAD by promoting glycolysis-mediated lactate production and lactylation of IDH3G. In a compelling in vivo validation, the inhibition of Hla could suppress the malignant progression of LUAD. Knockdown of BZW2 combined with 2-DG treatment significantly repressed tumor growth in mice. BZW2 could regulate the progression of LUAD through glycolysis-mediated IDH3G lactylation, offering a theoretical basis for the targeted treatment of LUAD with glycolysis and Hla.

Transcription factor TEAD4 facilitates glycolysis and proliferation of gastric cancer cells by activating PKMYT1

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) ranks third for cancer deaths worldwide, and glycolysis is a hallmark of several cancers, including GC. TEAD4 plays a role in establishing an oncogenic cascade in cancers, including GC. Whether TEAD4 can influence the glycolysis of GC cells remains uncovered. Hence, this study attempted to investigate the impact on glycolysis of GC cells by TEAD4.

METHODS

By using bioinformatics analysis, differentially expressed mRNAs were screened, and downstream regulatory genes were predicted. Expression levels of TEAD4 and PKMYT1 were assessed by qRT-PCR. The binding sites between TEAD4 and PKMYT1 were predicted by the JASPAR database, meanwhile their modulatory relationship was confirmed through dual-luciferase assay and chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Cell viability and proliferation were assayed via CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Glycolysis was measured by assaying extracellular acidification rate, oxygen consumption rate, and production of pyruvic acid, lactate, citrate, and malate. Expression levels of proteins (HK-2 and PKM2) related to glycolysis were assessed by Western blot.

RESULTS

TEAD4 was upregulated in GC tissues and cells. TEAD4 knockdown substantially repressed glycolysis and proliferation of GC cells. PKMYT1, the target gene downstream of TEAD4, was identified via bioinformatics prediction, and its expression was elevated in GC. Dual-luciferase and ChIP assay validated the targeted relationship between the promoter region of PKMYT1 and TEAD4. As revealed by rescue experiments, the knockdown of TEAD4 reversed the stimulative effect on GC cell glycolysis and proliferation by forced expression of PKMYT1.

CONCLUSION

TEAD4 activated PKMYT1 to facilitate the proliferation and glycolysis of GC cells. TEAD4 and PKMYT1 may be possible therapeutic targets for GC.

Myt1 overexpression mediates resistance to cell cycle and DNA damage checkpoint kinase inhibitors

Cell cycle checkpoint kinases serve as important therapeutic targets for various cancers. When they are inhibited by small molecules, checkpoint abrogation can induce cell death or further sensitize cancer cells to other genotoxic therapies. Particularly aberrant Cdk1 activation at the G2/M checkpoint by kinase inhibitors causing unscheduled mitotic entry and mitotic arrest was found to lead to DNA damage and cell death selectively in cancer cells. Promising drugs inhibiting kinases like Wee1 (Adavosertib), Wee1+Myt1 (PD166285), ATR (AZD6738) and Chk1 (UCN-01) have been developed, but clinical data has shown variable efficacy for them with poorly understood mechanisms of resistance. Our lab recently identified Myt1 as a predictive biomarker of acquired resistance to the Wee1 kinase inhibitor, Adavosertib. Here, we investigate the role of Myt1 overexpression in promoting resistance to inhibitors (PD166285, UCN-01 and AZD6738) of other kinases regulating cell cycle progression. We demonstrate that Myt1 confers resistance by compensating Cdk1 inhibition in the presence of these different kinase inhibitors. Myt1 overexpression leads to reduced premature mitotic entry and decreased length of mitosis eventually leading to increased survival rates in Adavosertib treated cells. Elevated Myt1 levels also conferred resistance to inhibitors of ATR or Chk1 inhibitor. Our data supports that Myt1 overexpression is a common mechanism by which cancer cells can acquire resistance to a variety of drugs entering the clinic that aim to induce mitotic catastrophe by abrogating the G2/M checkpoint.

Core genes in lung adenocarcinoma identified by integrated bioinformatic analysis

This study aims to identify potential core genes of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Three datasets (GSE32863, GSE43458, and GSE116959) were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LUAD and normal tissues were filtrated by GEO2R tool. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed via Metascape database. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed and core genes were identified using STRING and Cytoscape. Core genes expressions and their relevant clinical characteristics were performed via Oncomine and UALCAN databases respectively. The correlation between core genes and immune infiltrates was investigated by TIMER database. Kaplan-Meier plotter was performed for survival analysis. The signal pathway network of core genes was mapped by KEGG Mapper analysis tool. In this study, ten core genes were significantly related to overall survival (OS) of LUAD patients, which can provide clues for prognosis of LUAD.

Overexpression of PKMYT1 associated with poor prognosis and immune infiltration may serve as a target in triple-negative breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignancies among women worldwide. It is necessary to search for improvement in diagnosis and treatment methods to improve the prognosis. Protein kinase, membrane associated tyrosine/threonine 1 (PKMYT1), a member of the Wee family of protein kinases, has been studied in some tumors except BC. This study has explored that PKMYT1 functional role by bioinformatics methods combined with local clinical samples and experiments. Comprehensive analysis showed that PKMYT1 expression was higher in BC tissues, especially in advanced patients than that in normal breast tissues. The expression of PKMYT1 was an independent determinant for BC patients' prognosis when combined with the clinical features. In addition, based on multi-omics analysis, we found that the PKMYT1 expression was closely relevant to several oncogenic or tumor suppressor gene variants. The analysis of single-cell sequencing indicated that PKMYT1 expression was upregulated in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), consistent with the results of bulk RNA-sequencing. High PKMYT1 expression was correlated with a poor prognosis. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that PKMYT1 expression was associated with cell cycle-related, DNA replication-related, and cancer-related pathways. Further research revealed that PKMYT1 expression was linked to immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, loss-of-function experiments in vitro were performed to investigate the role of PKMYT1. TNBC cell lines' proliferation, migration, and invasion were inhibited when PKMYT1 expression was knock-down. Besides, the down-regulation of PKMYT1 induced apoptosis in vitro. As a result, PKMYT1 might be a biomarker for prognosis and a therapeutic target for TNBC.

Targeting mitochondrial one-carbon enzyme MTHFD2 together with pemetrexed confers therapeutic advantages in lung adenocarcinoma

Metabolic remodeling is the fundamental molecular feature of malignant tumors. Cancer cells require sufficient energy supplies supporting their high proliferative rate. MTHFD2, a mitochondrial one-carbon metabolic enzyme, is dysregulated in several malignancies and may serve as a promising therapeutic candidate in cancer treatment. Here, our data confirmed that MTHFD2 gene and protein was upregulated in the cancerous tissues of LUAD patients and was correlated with a poor survival in LUAD. MTHFD2 was involved in lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis by mediating its downstream molecules, such as DNA helicases (MCM4 and MCM7), as well as ZEB1, Vimentin and SNAI1, which contributed to tumor cell growth and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Moreover, we identified that miRNA-99a-3p appeared to be an upstream mediator directly regulating MTHFD2 and MCM4 expression. Moreover, specific inhibition of MTHFD2 functions by siRNA or a chemical compound, improved anti-tumor sensitivities induced by pemetrexed in LUAD. Taken together, our study revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms of MTHFD2 in regulating cell proliferation and identified a novel therapeutic strategy improving the treatment efficacies in LUAD.

Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis Identifies a New Stemness Index-Related Survival Model for Prognostic Prediction in Lung Adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most lethal malignancies and is currently lacking in effective biomarkers to assist in diagnosis and therapy. The aim of this study is to investigate hub genes and develop a risk signature for predicting prognosis of LUAD patients.

METHODS

RNA-sequencing data and relevant clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify hub genes associated with mRNA expression-based stemness indices (mRNAsi) in TCGA. We utilized LASSO Cox regression to assemble our predictive model. To validate our predictive model, me applied it to an external cohort.

RESULTS

mRNAsi index was significantly associated with the tissue type of LUAD, and high mRNAsi scores may have a protective influence on survival outcomes seen in LUAD patients. WGCNA indicated that the turquoise module was significantly correlated with the mRNAsi. We identified a 9-gene signature (CENPW, MCM2, STIL, RACGAP1, ASPM, KIF14, ANLN, CDCA8, and PLK1) from the turquoise module that could effectively identify a high-risk subset of these patients. Using the Kaplan-Meier survival curve, as well as the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (tdROC) analysis, we determined that this gene signature had a strong predictive ability (AUC = 0.716). By combining the 9-gene signature with clinicopathological features, we were able to design a predictive nomogram. Finally, we additionally validated the 9-gene signature using two external cohorts from GEO and the model proved to be of high value.

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that the 9-gene mRNAsi-related signature can predict the prognosis of LUAD patient and contribute to decisions in the treatment and prevention of LUAD patients.

Demethylase ALKBH5 suppresses invasion of gastric cancer via PKMYT1 m6A modification

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most pernicious tumors that seriously harm human healthcare. GC metastasis is one of the prime cause of failed cancer treatment, but correlation between N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and GC metastasis was less reported.

Methods

Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) of GC tissues was conducted. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were taken to determine the expression of ALKBH5 in GC tissues and cell lines. RNA-seq together with MeRIP-qRT-PCR was used to screen the target gene of ALKBH5. RNA pulldown, mass spectrometry and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) were used to search the “reader” protein of target gene. The mechanism was also validated via a tail vein injection method for lung metastasis model.

Results

Decreased expression of ALKBH5 was detected in GC samples, and it was correlated with clinical tumor distal metastasis and lymph node metastasis. ALKBH5 interference promoted metastasis of GC cells and this effect was closely related to the demethylase activity of ALKBH5. PKMYT1, as a downstream target of ALKBH5, promoted invasion and migration in GC. Caused by ALKBH5 knockdown or its demethylase activity mutation, upregulated expression of PKMYT1 indicated that ALKBH5 modulates expression of PKMYT1 in an m6A-dependent manner. IGF2BP3 helped stabilize the mRNA stability of PKMYT1 via its m6A modification site.

Conclusions

This study established an ALKBH5-PKMYT1-IGF2BP3 regulation system in metastasis, representing a new therapeutic target for GC metastasis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12943-022-01522-y.

A novel 14-gene signature for overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma based on the Bayesian hierarchical Cox proportional hazards model

There have been few investigations of cancer prognosis models based on Bayesian hierarchical models. In this study, we used a novel Bayesian method to screen mRNAs and estimate the effects of mRNAs on the prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Based on the identified mRNAs, we can build a prognostic model combining mRNAs and clinical features, allowing us to explore new molecules with the potential to predict the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma. The mRNA data (n = 594) and clinical data (n = 470) for lung adenocarcinoma were obtained from the TCGA database. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), univariate Cox proportional hazards regression, and the Bayesian hierarchical Cox proportional hazards model were used to explore the mRNAs related to the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression was used to identify independent markers. The prediction performance of the prognostic model was evaluated not only by the internal cross-validation but also by the external validation based on the GEO dataset (n = 437). With the Bayesian hierarchical Cox proportional hazards model, a 14-gene signature that included CPS1, CTPS2, DARS2, IGFBP3, MCM5, MCM7, NME4, NT5E, PLK1, POLR3G, PTTG1, SERPINB5, TXNRD1, and TYMS was established to predict overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the 14-gene signature (HR 3.960, 95% CI 2.710–5.786), T classification (T₁, reference; T₃, HR 1.925, 95% CI 1.104–3.355) and N classification (N₀, reference; N₁, HR 2.212, 95% CI 1.520–3.220; N₂, HR 2.260, 95% CI 1.499–3.409) were independent predictors. The C-index of the model was 0.733 and 0.735, respectively, after performing cross-validation and external validation, a nomogram was provided for better prediction in clinical application. Bayesian hierarchical Cox proportional hazards models can be used to integrate high-dimensional omics information into a prediction model for lung adenocarcinoma to improve the prognostic prediction and discover potential targets. This approach may be a powerful predictive tool for clinicians treating malignant tumours.

Identification of MCM4 as a Prognostic Marker of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Methods

MCM4 expression difference in HCC were analyzed from TCGA and GEO data and verified by real-time PCR and western blot. ROC curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of MCM4 and AFP. Additionally, the relationship between MCM4 and stage or nodal metastasis status or grade or age in TCGA cohort with HCC was observed from the UALCAN website. The univariate and multivariate Cox and functional analyses were done to explore the prognostic value of MCM4 in TCGA cohort.

Results

It was found that MCM4 was significantly highly expressed in HCC tissues from TCGA, GEO, and experimental data. Furthermore, ROC curve analysis showed that MCM4 was superior to be a diagnostic biomarker than AFP from TCGA (AUC_MCM4 = 0.9461, AUC_AFP = 0.7056) and GEO (GSE19665: AUC_MCM4 = 0.8800, AUC_AFP = 0.5100; GSE64041 AUC_MCM4 = 0.8038, AUC_AFP = 0.6304). AUC of MCM4 from real-time PCR result in 60 pairs of HCC and adjacent tissues was 0.7172, demonstrating the prediction value of MCM4. Besides, different expression tendencies of MCM4 among different stages or nodal metastasis status or grade or age were observed from the UALCAN website. In addition, multiROC analysis showed the advantage of MCM4 as a survival prediction at 1, 3, and 5 years with the higher AUC at 0.69 of 1 year, 0.65 of 3 years, and 0.61 of 5 years. It was shown that MCM4 was independently associated with OS in univariate and multivariate Cox analysis. And GSEA displayed that MCM4 was highly enriched in KEGG_CELL_CYCLE signaling pathway following higher correlation positively with CDC6, PLK1, CRC1, and BUB1B in HCC.

Conclusion

MCM4 might be a potential biomarker in guiding the prognostic status of HCC patients.

PKMYT1 regulates the proliferation and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells by targeting CCNA2

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has gradually become a global public health issue in recent years. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the mechanism of OSCC development and to identify a potential target that may be used in its treatment. The expression of protein kinase, membrane-associated tyrosine/threonine 1 (PKMYT1) and cyclin A2 (CCNA2) in SCC-9 cells was determined prior to and following transfection with short hairpin RNA targeting PKMYT1. Cell proliferation, colony-forming ability, migration and invasion were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Furthermore, the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)- and migration-related proteins were evaluated using western blot analysis. Additionally, co-immunoprecipitation was used to verify the binding of PKMYT1 and CCNA2. The results revealed that PKMYT1 was highly expressed in OSCC cells and that PKMYT1 knockdown could inhibit proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, EMT and CCNA2 expression in SCC-9 cells. In addition, PKMYT1 was demonstrated to bind to CCNA2, and knocking down PKMYT1 resulted in inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, colony formation ability, migration, invasion and EMT by downregulating CCNA2 expression. PKMYT1 was observed to regulate the proliferation, migration and EMT of OSCC cells by targeting CCNA2, which may be used in the future to improve OSCC treatment.

PKMYT1, exacerbating the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma, is implied as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most lethal urological malignancies with high tumor heterogeneity, and reliable biomarkers are still needed for its diagnosis and prognosis. WEE family kinases function as key regulators of the G2/M transition, have essential roles in maintaining cellular genomic stability and have the potential to be promising therapeutic targets in various tumors. However, the roles of WEE family kinases in ccRCC remain undetermined. In the present study, we first explored multiple public datasets and found that PKMYT1 was up-regulated in both RCC tumors and cell lines. Expression levels of PKMYT1 were highly associated with pathological stage and grade. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that high PKMYT1 expression was associated with lower overall survival and disease-free survival. Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that the expression of PKMYT1 could better distinguish ccRCC from normal samples. Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that cell cycle- related pathways and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) might be potential mechanisms of PKMYT1 in ccRCC tumorigenesis. Moreover, knockdown of PKMYT1 in vitro attenuated the proliferation, migration and invasion of RCC cell lines, promoted cell apoptosis and prevented the EMT phenotype in vitro. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that PKMYT1 has the potential to act as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for RCC patients. Targeting PKMYT1 may be considered as a new potential therapeutic method and direction in RCCs.

CHEK1: a hub gene related to poor prognosis for lung adenocarcinoma

Aim: The study aims to pinpoint hub genes and investigate their functions in order to gain insightful understandings of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods: Bioinformatic approaches were adopted to investigate genes in databases including Gene Expression Omnibus, WebGestalt, STRING and Cytoscape, GEPIA2, Oncomine, Human Protein Atlas, TIMER2.0, UALCAN, cBioPortal, TargetScanHuman, OncomiR, ENCORI, Kaplan-Meier plotter, UCSC Xena, European Molecular Biology Laboratory - European Bioinformatics Institute Single Cell Expression Atlas and CancerSEA. Results: Five hub genes were ascertained. CHEK1 was overexpressed in a range of cancers, including LUAD. Promoter methylation, amplification and miRNA regulation might trigger CHEK1 upregulation, signaling poor prognosis. CHEK1 with its coexpressed genes were enriched in the cell cycle pathway. Intratumor heterogeneity of CHEK1 expression could be observed. Cell clusters with CHEK1 expression were more prone to metastasis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Conclusion: CHEK1 might potentially act as a prognostic biomarker for LUAD.

LncRNA PKMYT1AR promotes cancer stem cell maintenance in non-small cell lung cancer via activating Wnt signaling pathway

Background

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of human lung cancers, which has diverse pathological features. Although many signaling pathways and therapeutic targets have been defined to play important roles in NSCLC, limiting efficacies have been achieved.

Methods

Bioinformatics methods were used to identify differential long non-coding RNA expression in NSCLC. Real-time RT-PCR experiments were used to examine the expression pattern of lncRNA PKMYT1AR, miR-485-5p. Both in vitro and in vivo functional assays were performed to investigate the functional role of PKMYT1AR/miR-485-5p/PKMYT1 axis on regulating cell proliferation, migration and tumor growth. Dual luciferase reporter assay, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), immunoblot, co-immunoprecipitation experiments were used to verify the molecular mechanism.

Result

Here, we identify a human-specific long non-coding RNA (lncRNA, ENST00000595422), termed PKMYT1AR (PKMYT1 associated lncRNA), that is induced in NSCLC by Yin Yang 1 (YY1) factor, especially in cancerous cell lines (H358, H1975, H1299, H1650, A549 and SPC-A1) compared to that in normal human bronchial epithelium cell line (BEAS-2B). We show that PKMYT1AR high expression correlates with worse clinical outcome, and knockdown of PKMYT1AR inhibits tumor cell proliferation, migration and xenograft tumor formation abilities. Bioinformatic analysis and a luciferase assay demonstrate that PKMYT1AR directly interacts with miR-485-5p to attenuate the inhibitory role on its downstream oncogenic factor PKMYT1 (the protein kinase, membrane-associated tyrosine/threonine 1) in NSCLC. Furthermore, we uncover that miR-485-5p is downregulated in both cancerous cell lines and peripheral blood serum isolated from NSCLC patients compared to reciprocal control groups. Consistently, forced expression of miR-485-5p inhibits the proliferation and migration abilities of tumor cells. Moreover, we provide evidence showing that PKMYT1AR targeting antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) dramatically inhibit tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistic study shows that PKMYT1AR/ miR-485-5p /PKMYT1 axis promotes cancer stem cells (CSCs) maintenance in NSCLC via inhibiting β-TrCP1 mediated ubiquitin degradation of β-catenin proteins, which in turn causes enhanced tumorigenesis.

Conclusions

Our findings reveal the critical role of PKMYT1AR/miR-485-5p /PKMYT1 axis during NSCLC progression, which could be used as novel therapeutic targets in the future.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12943-021-01469-6.

Diarylpentanoid (1,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadiene-3-one) (MS13) Exhibits Anti-proliferative, Apoptosis Induction and Anti-migration Properties on Androgen-independent Human Prostate Cancer by Targeting Cell Cycle-Apoptosis and PI3K Signalling Pathways

Diarylpentanoids exhibit a high degree of anti-cancer activity and stability in vitro over curcumin in prostate cancer cells. Hence, this study aims to investigate the effects of a diarylpentanoid, 1,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadiene-3-one (MS13) on cytotoxicity, anti-proliferative, apoptosis-inducing, anti-migration properties, and the underlying molecular mechanisms on treated androgen-independent prostate cancer cells, DU 145 and PC-3. A cell viability assay has shown greater cytotoxicity effects of MS13-treated DU 145 cells (EC₅₀ 7.57 ± 0.2 µM) and PC-3 cells (EC₅₀ 7.80 ± 0.7 µM) compared to curcumin (EC₅₀: DU 145; 34.25 ± 2.7 µM and PC-3; 27.77 ± 6.4 µM). In addition, MS13 exhibited significant anti-proliferative activity against AIPC cells compared to curcumin in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Morphological observation, increased caspase-3 activity, and reduced Bcl-2 protein levels in these cells indicated that MS13 induces apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent. Moreover, MS13 effectively inhibited the migration of DU 145 and PC-3 cells. Our results suggest that cell cycle-apoptosis and PI3K pathways were the topmost significant pathways impacted by MS13 activity. Our findings suggest that MS13 may demonstrate the anti-cancer activity by modulating DEGs associated with the cell cycle-apoptosis and PI3K pathways, thus inhibiting cell proliferation and cell migration as well as inducing apoptosis in AIPC cells.

Identification of VWF as a Novel Biomarker in Lung Adenocarcinoma by Comprehensive Analysis

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most malignant tumors with high morbidity and mortality worldwide due to the lack of reliable methods for early diagnosis and effective treatment. It’s imperative to study the mechanism of its development and explore new biomarkers for early detection of LUAD. In this study, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset GSE43458 and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to explore the differential co-expressed genes between LUAD and normal samples. Three hundred sixity-six co-expressed genes were identified by differential gene expression analysis and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) method. Those genes were mainly enriched in ameboidal-type cell migration (biological process), collagen-containing extracellular matrix (cell component), and extracellular matrix structure constituent (molecular function). The protein-protein network (PPI) was constructed and 10 hub genes were identified, including IL6, VWF, CDH5, PECAM1, EDN1, BDNF, CAV1, SPP1, TEK, and SELE. The expression level of hub genes was validated in the GEPIA database, compared with normal tissues, VWF is lowly expressed and SPP1 is upregulated in LUAD tissues. The survival analysis showed increased expression of SPP1 indicated unfavorable prognosis whereas high expression of VWF suggested favorable prognosis in LUAD (p < 0.05). Based on the immune infiltration analysis, the relationship between SPP1 and VWF expression and macrophage, neutrophil, and dendritic cell infiltration was weak in LUAD. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were used to validate the expression of VWF and SPP1 in normal human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cell and three LUAD cell lines, H1299, H1975, and A549. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was further performed to detect the expression of VWF in 10 cases LUAD samples and matched normal tissues. In summary, the data suggest that VWF is a potential novel biomarker for prognosis of LUAD.

Overexpression of PKMYT1 Facilitates Tumor Development and Is Correlated with Poor Prognosis in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND Protein kinase membrane-associated tyrosine/threonine (PKMYT1) has been found in many tumors, but its association with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS PKMYT1 expression in ccRCC was examined in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource databases. The correlation between PKMYT1 expression and clinicopathological parameters was explored via the chi-square test. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to estimate the diagnostic performance of PKMYT1. Kaplan-Meier curves, a Cox model, nomogram, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the prognostic value and clinical utility of PKMYT1. Genes coexpressed with PKMYT1 in ccRCC were identified based on TCGA, the gene expression profiling interactive, and cBioPortal. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis revealed biological pathways associated with PKMYT1 in ccRCC. RESULTS Weighted gene coexpression network analysis identified PKMYT1 as one of the genes most significantly correlated with progression of histological grade. PKMYT1 was significantly upregulated in ccRCC compared with normal tissue (P<0.001), with a trend toward differentiating between individuals with ccRCC and those who were healthy (area under the curve=0.942). High PKMYT1 expression was correlated with unsatisfactory survival (hazard ratio=1.67, P=0.001), indicating that it is a risk factor for ccRCC. A nomogram incorporating PKMYT1 level was created and showed a clinical net benefit. PKMYT1 was strongly positively correlated with the anti-silencing function of 1B histone chaperone (ASF1B) gene in ccRCC. CONCLUSIONS PKMYT1 is upregulated in ccRCC and its presence indicates poor prognosis, making it a potential therapeutic target for ccRCC.