BTN3A2 Expression Is Connected With Favorable Prognosis and High Infiltrating Immune in Lung Adenocarcinoma

BTN3A2 interacted with MFGE8 to alleviate preeclampsia by promoting ferroptosis and inhibiting angiogenesis

AIMS

Preeclampsia (PE) is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality and is characterized by placental ischemia. Angiogenic disorders and ferroptosis are key mechanisms in PE; however, their relationship remains unclear. The butyrophilin 3A (BTN3A) family member BTN3A2 is involved in the progression of many cancers; however, its role in PE angiogenesis and ferroptosis is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of BTN3A2 in PE angiogenesis and ferroptosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Placental tissues were collected from healthy individuals and PE patients to explore the correlation between ferroptosis and angiogenesis. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were subjected to hypoxia, ferrostatin-1, Erastin, and gene manipulations (oe-BTN3A2, si-BTN3A2, and si-milk factor-globule-EFG factor 8 (MFGE8)) to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Finally, a rat model of PE was established by intraperitoneal injection of Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester to verify the effects of BTN3A2 on angiogenesis.

KEY FINDINGS

Placental ferroptosis was negatively correlated with angiogenesis in PE. Clone number, migration, and tube number decreased in HUVECs after hypoxic exposure, and these effects were reversed by ferrostatin-1. BTN3A2 was increased in PE placentae and inhibited the viability of hypoxic HUVECs by inducing ferroptosis. Mechanistically, BTN3A2 interacted with MFGE8, and BTN3A2 promoted hypoxia-induced ferroptosis in HUVECs by downregulating MFGE8. Additionally, BTN3A2 knockdown promoted placental angiogenesis and improved the prognosis in PE rats.

SIGNIFICANCE

BTN3A2 interacted with MFGE8 to alleviate PE by promoting ferroptosis and inhibiting angiogenesis. Therefore, it may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the diagnosis and treatment of PE.

Tumor-Activated Neutrophils Promote Lung Cancer Progression through the IL-8/PD-L1 Pathway

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer remains a major global health threat due to its complex microenvironment, particularly the role of neutrophils, which are crucial for tumor development and immune evasion mechanisms. This study aimed to delve into the impact of lung cancer cell-conditioned media on neutrophil functions and their potential implications for lung cancer progression.

METHODS

Employing in vitro experimental models, this study has analyzed the effects of lung cancer cell-conditioned media on neutrophil IL-8 and IFN-γ secretion, apoptosis, PD-L1 expression, and T-cell proliferation by using techniques, such as ELISA, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, and CFSE proliferation assay. The roles of IL-8/PD-L1 in regulating neutrophil functions were further explored using inhibitors for IL-8 and PD-L1.

RESULTS

Lung cancer cell lines were found to secrete higher levels of IL-8 compared to normal lung epithelial cells. The conditioned media from lung cancer cells significantly reduced apoptosis in neutrophils, increased PD-L1 expression, and suppressed T-cell proliferation and IFN-γ secretion. These effects were partially reversed in the presence of IL-8 inhibitors in Tumor Tissue Culture Supernatants (TTCS), while being further enhanced by IL-8. Both apoptosis and PD-L1 expression in neutrophils demonstrated dose-dependency to TTCS. Additionally, CFSE proliferation assay results further confirmed the inhibitory effect of lung cancer cell-conditioned media on T-- cell proliferation.

CONCLUSION

This study has revealed lung cancer cell-conditioned media to modulate neutrophil functions through regulating factors, such as IL-8, thereby affecting immune regulation and tumor progression in the lung cancer microenvironment.

A causal relationship between distinct immune features and acute or chronic pancreatitis: results from a mendelian randomization analysis

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to thoroughly examining the causal link between immune traits and four types of pancreatitis, using mendelian randomization.

METHODS

Data on 731 immune traits were collected from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) database as exposure. Information regarding acute pancreatitis (AP), alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis (AAP), chronic pancreatitis (CP), and alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis (ACP) were acquired from the FinnGen Consortium as outcomes. Mendelian randomization (MR) using inverse variance weighting (IVW) evaluated the links between immune traits and pancreatitis. We evaluated the robustness of the IVW results through sensitivity analyses and validated them using meta-analysis with AP and CP data from the UK Biobank in the GWAS catalog.

RESULTS

A total of 36 immune traits showed significant associations with susceptibility of four types of pancreatitis, including AP (7 traits), AAP (8 traits), CP (14 traits), and ACP (7 traits). Twenty characteristics were found to be potential risk factors for pancreatitis, identified in B Cells (5 traits), conventional dendritic cells (cDCs, 2 traits), maturation stage of T cells (2 traits), monocytes (2 traits), myeloid cells (2 traits), T cells, B cells, natural killer cells (TBNK, 2 traits), and regulatory T cells (Treg cells, 5 traits). Multiple sensitivity analyses confirmed the validity of the findings. Meta-analysis confirmed a solid causal relationship between CX3CR1 on CD14- CD16-of monocyte panel and the susceptibility of CP.

CONCLUSIONS

Our MR study identified immune traits causally linked to acute and chronic pancreatitis, offering new insights for early clinical intervention and immune cell-targeted therapies.

From immunomodulation to therapeutic prospects: Unveiling the biology of butyrophilins in cancer

Butyrophilin (BTN) proteins are a type of membrane protein that belongs to the Ig superfamily. They exhibit a high degree of structural similarity to molecules in the B7 family. They fulfill a complex function in regulating immune responses, including immunomodulatory roles, as they influence γδ T cells. The biology of BTN molecules indicates that they are capable of inhibiting the immune system's ability to detect antigens within tumors. A dynamic association between BTN molecules and cellular surfaces is also recognized in specific contexts, influencing their biology. Notably, the dynamism of BTN3A1 is associated with the immunosuppression of T cells or the activation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. Cancer immunotherapy relies heavily on T cells to modulate immune function within the intricate interaction of the tumor microenvironment (TME). A significant interaction between the TME and antitumor immunity involves the presence of BTN, which should be taken into account when developing immunotherapy. This review explores potential therapeutic applications of BTN molecules, based on the current understanding of their biology.

microRNA-105-5p protects against chondrocyte injury, extracellular matrix degradation, and osteoarthritis progression by targeting SPARCL1

OBJECTIVE

Both microRNA (miR)-105-5p and SPARCL1 were discovered to be differentially expressed in osteoarthritis (OA), but their roles and exact mechanisms have not been entirely elaborated. This paper sets out to probe the impact of miR-105-5p/SPARCL1 on chondrocyte injury, extracellular matrix degradation, and osteoarthritis progression.

METHODS

C28/I2 cells were stimulated with IL-1β to construct an in vitro OA model. C28/I2 cells were transfected with sh-SPARCL1, oe-SPARCL1, or miR-105-5p mimic before IL-1β induction. CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, and ELISA were adopted to assess cell viability, apoptosis, and inflammatory factor expression, respectively. The binding relationship of miR-105-5p to SPARCL1 was assessed using dual-luciferase reporter assay. After an OA rat model was established, rats underwent intra-articular injection with ago-miR-105-5p. TUNEL was applied to determine cell apoptosis in vivo. mRNA and protein levels were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively, in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

IL-1β treatment diminished miR-105-5p expression and augmented SPARCL1 expression in C28/I2 cells. miR-105-5p decreased SPARCL1 expression by targeting SPARCL1. miR-105-5p overexpression or SPARCL1 silencing prominently reversed the decrease in viability and the promotion of inflammatory factor production, cartilage matrix degradation, and apoptosis in IL-1β-stimulated C28/I2 cells. Furthermore, upregulation of SPARCL1 nullified the influence of miR-105-5p overexpression on viability, apoptosis, inflammation, and cartilage matrix degradation in IL-1β-stimulated C28/I2 cells. miR-105-5p overexpression ameliorated knee cartilage tissue injury in OA rats.

CONCLUSION

Conclusively, miR-105-5p exerted suppressive effects on chondrocyte injury, extracellular matrix degradation, and OA progression by targeting SPARCL1.

BZW1 is a prognostic and immunological biomarker in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the digestive system and is called the "king of cancer" because it has been labeled with high malignancy, rapid progression, poor survival, and poor prognosis. Previously, it was reported that the basic leucine zipper and W2 domains 1 (BZW1) is involved in the progression of many tumors. However, its research in digestive system tumors such as pancreatic cancer is rarely studied. To explore potential biomarkers related to survival and prognosis of pancreatic cancer and provide a new targeted therapy for it. We first analyzed the mRNA and protein expression of BZW1 in pancreatic cancer. We then explored the correlation of BZW1 with survival prognosis and immune infiltration in pancreatic cancer patients. Finally, we explored BZW1-related gene enrichment analysis, including protein-protein interaction networks, gene ontology functional enrichment analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis. The mRNA and protein expression of the BZW1 gene in pancreatic cancer tissues were higher than those in adjacent normal tissues, and pancreatic cancer patients with high BZW1 expression had a poor prognosis. In addition, the expression of BZW1 was positively or negatively correlated with different immune cells of pancreatic cancer, such as CD4 + T lymphocytes, CD8 + T lymphocytes, B cells, macrophages, neutrophils, etc. Correlation enrichment analysis showed that we obtained 50 available experimentally determined BZW1-binding proteins and 100 targeted genes related to BZW1, and the intersection genes were eukaryotic translation termination factor 1 and Guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha inhibiting activity polypeptide 3. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between BZW1 and eukaryotic translation termination factor 1 and Guanine nucleotide binding protein, alpha inhibiting activity polypeptide 3 genes in pancreatic cancer. Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed BZW1 was mainly related to biological processes such as "mRNA processing," "RNA splicing," "regulation of translational initiation," and "activation of innate immune response." The results of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis further indicated that BZW1 may be involved in pancreatic carcinogenesis through the "spliceosome" and "ribosome." The BZW1 gene may be a potential immunotherapy target and a promising prognostic marker for pancreatic cancer.

Significance of an altered lncRNA landscape in schizophrenia and cognition: clues from a case-control association study

Genetic etiology of schizophrenia is poorly understood despite large genome-wide association data. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with a probable regulatory role are emerging as important players in neuro-psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. Prioritising important lncRNAs and analyses of their holistic interaction with their target genes may provide insights into disease biology/etiology. Of the 3843 lncRNA SNPs reported in schizophrenia GWASs extracted using lincSNP 2.0, we prioritised n = 247 based on association strength, minor allele frequency and regulatory potential and mapped them to lncRNAs. lncRNAs were then prioritised based on their expression in brain using lncRBase, epigenetic role using 3D SNP and functional relevance to schizophrenia etiology. 18 SNPs were finally tested for association with schizophrenia (n = 930) and its endophenotypes-tardive dyskinesia (n = 176) and cognition (n = 565) using a case-control approach. Associated SNPs were characterised by ChIP seq, eQTL, and transcription factor binding site (TFBS) data using FeatSNP. Of the eight SNPs significantly associated, rs2072806 in lncRNA hsaLB_IO39983 with regulatory effect on BTN3A2 was associated with schizophrenia (p = 0.006); rs2710323 in hsaLB_IO_2331 with role in dysregulation of ITIH1 with tardive dyskinesia (p < 0.05); and four SNPs with significant cognition score reduction (p < 0.05) in cases. Two of these with two additional variants in eQTL were observed among controls (p < 0.05), acting likely as enhancer SNPs and/or altering TFBS of eQTL mapped downstream genes. This study highlights important lncRNAs in schizophrenia and provides a proof of concept of novel interactions of lncRNAs with protein-coding genes to elicit alterations in immune/inflammatory pathways of schizophrenia.

De novo identification of complex traits associated with asthma

Introduction

Asthma is a heterogeneous inflammatory disease often associated with other complex phenotypes. Identifying asthma-associated diseases and uncovering the molecular mechanisms mediating their interaction can help detangle the heterogeneity of asthma. Network analysis is a powerful approach for untangling such inter-disease relationships.

Methods

Here, we integrated information on physical contacts between common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and gene expression with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data from the lung and whole blood to construct two tissue-specific spatial gene regulatory networks (GRN). We then located the asthma GRN (level 0) within each tissue-specific GRN by identifying the genes that are functionally affected by asthma-associated spatial eQTLs. Curated protein interaction partners were subsequently identified up to four edges or levels away from the asthma GRN. The eQTLs spatially regulating genes on levels 0-4 were queried against the GWAS Catalog to identify the traits enriched (hypergeometric test; FDR ≤ 0.05) in each level.

Results

We identified 80 and 82 traits significantly enriched in the lung and blood GRNs, respectively. All identified traits were previously reported to be comorbid or associated (positively or negatively) with asthma (e.g., depressive symptoms and lung cancer), except 8 traits whose association with asthma is yet to be confirmed (e.g., reticulocyte count). Our analysis additionally pinpoints the variants and genes that link asthma to the identified asthma-associated traits, a subset of which was replicated in a comorbidity analysis using health records of 26,781 asthma patients in New Zealand.

Discussion

Our discovery approach identifies enriched traits in the regulatory space proximal to asthma, in the tissue of interest, without a priori selection of the interacting traits. The predictions it makes expand our understanding of possible shared molecular interactions and therapeutic targets for asthma, where no cure is currently available.

BTN3A: A Promising Immune Checkpoint for Cancer Prognosis and Treatment

Butyrophilin-3A (BTN3A) subfamily members are a group of immunoglobulins present on the surface of different cell types, including innate and cancer cells. Due to their high similarity with the B7 family members, different studies have been conducted and revealed the involvement of BTN3A molecules in modulating T cell activity within the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, a great part of this research focused on γδ T cells and how BTN3A contributes to their functions. In this review, we will depict the roles and various aspects of BTN3A molecules in distinct tumor microenvironments and review how BTN3A receptors modulate diverse immune effector functions including those of CD4+ (Th1), cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, and NK cells. We will also highlight the potential of BTN3A molecules as therapeutic targets for effective immunotherapy and successful cancer control, which could represent a bright future for patient treatment.