Detailed Molecular Mechanism and Potential Drugs for COL1A1 in Carboplatin-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Keratin 17 and Collagen type 1 genes: Esophageal cancer molecular marker discovery and evaluation

One hundred eighty pairs of tissues of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) were tested by the transcriptome sequencing in order to explore etiology factors. The chi-square test and correlation analysis demonstrated that the relative expression levels of keratin 17 (KRT17) and collagen type I α1 chain (COL1A1) were significantly higher in EC with diabetes. Expression of KRT17 was correlated with blood glucose (r = 0.204, p = 0.001) and tumor size (r = -0.177, p = 0.038) in patients. COL1A1 correlated with age (r = -0.170, p = 0.029) and blood glucose levels (r = 0.190, p = 0.015). Experimental results of qRT-PCR: KRT17 and COL1A1 genes were highly expressed in ESCC (p < 0.05). When the two genes were used as a combination test, the positive detection rate of EC was 90.6%, and the ROC curve had greater power. The KRT17 and COL1A1 genes had the potential to be biomarkers for the diagnosis of ESCC.

Identification of the biological functions and chemo-therapeutic responses of ITGB superfamily in ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with ovarian cancer (OC) tend to face a poor prognosis due to a lack of typical symptoms and a high rate of recurrence and chemo-resistance. Therefore, identifying representative and reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and prediction of chemo-therapeutic responses is vital for improving the prognosis of OC.

METHODS

Expression levels, IHC staining, and subcellular distribution of eight ITGBs were analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-Ovarian Serous Cystadenocarcinoma (OV) database, GEO DataSets, and the HPA website. PrognoScan and Univariate Cox were used for prognostic analysis. TIDE database, TIMER database, and GSCA database were used to analyze the correlation between immune functions and ITGBs. Consensus clustering analysis was performed to subtype OC patients in the TCGA database. LASSO regression was used to construct the predictive model. The Cytoscape software was used for identifying hub genes. The 'pRRophetic' R package was applied to predict chemo-therapeutic responses of ITGBs.

RESULTS

ITGBs were upregulated in OC tissues except ITGB1 and ITGB3. High expression of ITGBs correlated with an unfavorable prognosis of OC except ITGB2. In OC, there was a strong correlation between immune responses and ITGB2, 6, and 7. In addition, the expression matrix of eight ITGBs divided the TCGA-OV database into two subgroups. Subgroup A showed upregulation of eight ITGBs. The predictive model distinguishes OC patients from favorable prognosis to poor prognosis. Chemo-therapeutic responses showed that ITGBs were able to predict responses of common chemo-therapeutic drugs for patients with OC.

CONCLUSIONS

This article provides evidence for predicting prognosis, immuno-, and chemo-therapeutic responses of ITGBs in OC and reveals related biological functions of ITGBs in OC.

Loss of mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1 supports proline-dependent proliferation and collagen biosynthesis in ovarian cancer

The pyruvate transporter MPC1 (mitochondrial pyruvate carrier 1) acts as a tumour-suppressor, loss of which correlates with a pro-tumorigenic phenotype and poor survival in several tumour types. In high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC), patients display copy number loss of MPC1 in around 78% of cases and reduced MPC1 mRNA expression. To explore the metabolic effect of reduced expression, we demonstrate that depleting MPC1 in HGSOC cell lines drives expression of key proline biosynthetic genes; PYCR1, PYCR2 and PYCR3, and biosynthesis of proline. We show that altered proline metabolism underpins cancer cell proliferation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and type I and type VI collagen formation in ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, exploring The Cancer Genome Atlas, we discovered the PYCR3 isozyme to be highly expressed in a third of HGSOC patients, which was associated with more aggressive disease and diagnosis at a younger age. Taken together, our study highlights that targeting proline metabolism is a potential therapeutic avenue for the treatment of HGSOC.

Molecular mechanisms of resveratrol as chemo and radiosensitizer in cancer

One of the primary diseases that cause death worldwide is cancer. Cancer cells can be intrinsically resistant or acquire resistance to therapies and drugs used for cancer treatment through multiple mechanisms of action that favor cell survival and proliferation, becoming one of the leading causes of treatment failure against cancer. A promising strategy to overcome chemoresistance and radioresistance is the co-administration of anticancer agents and natural compounds with anticancer properties, such as the polyphenolic compound resveratrol (RSV). RSV has been reported to be able to sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents and radiotherapy, promoting cancer cell death. This review describes the reported molecular mechanisms by which RSV sensitizes tumor cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.

Single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing reveal ligands and receptors associated with worse overall survival in serous ovarian cancer

Background

Serous ovarian carcinoma is the most frequent histological subgroup of ovarian cancer and the leading cause of death among gynecologic tumors. The tumor microenvironment and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have a critical role in the origin and progression of cancer. We comprehensively characterized the crosstalk between CAFs and ovarian cancer cells from malignant fluids to identify specific ligands and receptors mediating intercellular communications and disrupted pathways related to prognosis and therapy response.

Methods

Malignant fluids of serous ovarian cancer, including tumor-derived organoids, CAFs-enriched (eCAFs), and malignant effusion cells (no cultured) paired with normal ovarian tissues, were explored by RNA-sequencing. These data were integrated with single-cell RNA-sequencing data of ascites from ovarian cancer patients. The most relevant ligand and receptor interactions were used to identify differentially expressed genes with prognostic values in ovarian cancer.

Results

CAF ligands and epithelial cancer cell receptors were enriched for PI3K-AKT, focal adhesion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition signaling pathways. Collagens, MIF, MDK, APP, and laminin were detected as the most significant signaling, and the top ligand-receptor interactions THBS2/THBS3 (CAFs)—CD47 (cancer cells), MDK (CAFs)—NCL/SDC2/SDC4 (cancer cells) as potential therapeutic targets. Interestingly, 34 genes encoding receptors and ligands of the PI3K pathway were associated with the outcome, response to treatment, and overall survival in ovarian cancer. Up-regulated genes from this list consistently predicted a worse overall survival (hazard ratio > 1.0 and log-rank P < 0.05) in two independent validation cohorts.

Conclusions

This study describes critical signaling pathways, ligands, and receptors involved in the communication between CAFs and cancer cells that have prognostic and therapeutic significance in ovarian cancer.

Aptamer-conjugated nanoliposomes containing COL1A1 siRNA sensitize CRC cells to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs

COL1A1 is an important extracellular matrix component that is associated with poor prognosis in cancers. In this study, As1411 aptamer-conjugated liposomes were used for targeted siRNA delivery against the COL1A1 gene in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Cationic liposomes were synthesized and siRNA loading and conjugation of aptamer were confirmed by gel shift assay and spectrophotometry method. Release of siRNA from liposomes was assessed using dialysis method. Binding and uptake of aptamer-conjugated liposomes to and into cancer cells was assessed by fluorescence microscopy and flowcytometry. Gene expression was evaluated using qRT-PCR. Cell viability, chemosensitivity and apoptosis were determined by MTT assay and Annexin/PI kit. Cellular studies showed that liposomal transfer of COL1A1 siRNA into HCT116 and HEK293 cells significantly reduced the expression level of corresponding gen and cell viability, and significantly increased the sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs while free siRNA had no such effects. Aptamer conjugation was associated with increased cellular effects in HCT116 cells, but not in HEK293 cells. Our study revealed that delivery of COL1A1 siRNA via AS1411-targeted liposomes is a promising therapeutic approach to overcome treatment resistance in CRC.

Parathyroid Hormone Promotes Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell Migration and Proliferation Through Orai1-Mediated Calcium Signaling

Parathyroid hormone is the main endocrine regulator of extracellular calcium and phosphorus levels. Secondary hyperparathyroidism–induced endothelial dysfunction may be related to calcium homeostasis disorders. Here, we investigated the effects of parathyroid hormone on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and characterized the involvement of store-operated Ca²⁺ entry (SOCE) and the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) signaling pathway. We used immunoblot experiments to find that parathyroid hormone significantly enhanced the expression of the Orai1 channel, a type of channel mediating SOCE, SOCE activity, and Orai1-mediated proliferation of HUVECs but did not increase Orai2 and Orai3. RNA-seq was utilized to identify 1,655 differentially expressed genes (823 upregulated and 832 downregulated) in parathyroid hormone–treated HUVECs as well as enhanced focal adhesion signaling and expression levels of two key genes, namely, COL1A1 and NFATC1. Increased protein and mRNA expression levels of COL1A1 and NFATC1 were confirmed by immunoblotting and quantitative RT-PCR, respectively. Cytosol and nuclei fractionation experiments and immunofluorescence methods were used to show that parathyroid hormone treatment increased NFATC1 nuclear translocation, which was inhibited by a calcineurin inhibitor (CsA), a selective calmodulin antagonist (W7), an Orai channel inhibitor (BTP2), or Orai1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfection. Parathyroid hormone also increased COL1A1 expression, cell migration, and proliferation of HUVECs. The PTH-induced increase in HUVEC migration and proliferation were inhibited by CsA, W7, BTP2, or COL1A1 siRNA transfection. These findings indicated that PTH increased Orai1 expression and Orai1-mediated SOCE, causing the nuclear translocation of NFATC1 to increase COL1A1 expression and COL1A1-mediated HUVEC migration and proliferation. These results suggest potential key therapeutic targets of Orai1 and the downstream calmodulin/calcineurin/NFATC1/COL1A1 signaling pathway in parathyroid hormone–induced endothelial dysfunction and shed light on underlying mechanisms that may be altered to prevent or treat secondary hyperparathyroidism–associated cardiovascular disease.

Inferences of carboplatin response-related signature by integrating multiomics data in ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma

Platinum-based chemotherapy, especially carboplatin, is the primary measure to treat patients with ovarian cancer (OC). However, OC patients still have an adverse prognosis due to emergency of chemotherapy resistance. Ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (OSC) is the most common histological subtype of OC. Therefore, identifying the key factors that affect chemotherapy resistance and searching novel treatments had become a top priority. In this study, we analyzed carboplatin response-related mRNA, miRNA, DNA methylation, and alternative splicing (AS) and established a drug-resistant signature for carboplatin in OSC. This drug-resistant signature was obviously higher in resistant group than in non-resistant group and had accuracy predictive performance, which demonstrated that this signature could be considered as a superior indicator for OSC patients with carboplatin resistance. Furthermore, we selected three potential small molecule drugs including liranaftate, siguazodan, and tramiprostate to inhibit carboplatin resistance of OSC. In addition, we also identified ZINC00000205417, ZINC00000140928, and ZINC00021908260 were potential small molecule compounds for SLC17A7 based on Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) virtual screening. Finally, we confirmed the drug-like properties of these small molecule drugs via evaluating absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and toxicity (ADMET) property. In summary, the signature could be used as biomarker for carboplatin resistance and small molecule drugs targeting these genes could improve clinical treatment for OSC in the future.

TWIST1-EP300 Expedites Gastric Cancer Cell Resistance to Apatinib by Activating the Expression of COL1A2

The association between collagen type I alpha (COL1A) and chemoresistance has been verified in cancers. However, the specific role of COL1A2 in gastric cancer (GC) cell resistance to apatinib, a highly selective small-molecule inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, has not been investigated before. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential factors associated with COL1A2 regulation on GC cell apatinib resistance in vitro. With the aid of the Oncomine database and integrated bioinformatics methods, we identified COL1A2 overexpression in GC and its prognostic value. Mechanistically, the COL1A2 promoter has a distinct H3K27ac modification site and that E1A binding protein p300 (EP300) and twist family bHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1) can bind to the COL1A2 promoter, which in turn transcriptionally activated COL1A2 expression. In addition, overexpression of COL1A2 significantly promoted resistance to apatinib in GC cells, but knockdown of EP300 or TWIST1 remarkably inhibited COL1A2 expression and promoted sensitivity of GC cells to apatinib. Our findings demonstrated that the combination of EP300 and TWIST1 has a synergistically regulatory effect on COL1A2 expression, thus contributing to apatinib resistance in GC cells.

The Metabolism Reprogramming of microRNA Let-7-Mediated Glycolysis Contributes to Autophagy and Tumor Progression

Cancer is usually a result of abnormal glucose uptake and imbalanced nutrient metabolization. The dysregulation of glucose metabolism, which controls the processes of glycolysis, gives rise to various physiological defects. Autophagy is one of the metabolic-related cellular functions and involves not only energy regeneration but also tumorigenesis. The dysregulation of autophagy impacts on the imbalance of metabolic homeostasis and leads to a variety of disorders. In particular, the microRNA (miRNA) Let-7 has been identified as related to glycolysis procedures such as tissue repair, stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, and tumoral metastasis. In many cancers, the expression of glycolysis-related enzymes is correlated with Let-7, in which multiple enzymes are related to the regulation of the autophagy process. However, much recent research has not comprehensively investigated how Let-7 participates in glycolytic reprogramming or its links to autophagic regulations, mainly in tumor progression. Through an integrated literature review and omics-related profiling correlation, this review provides the possible linkage of the Let-7 network between glycolysis and autophagy, and its role in tumor progression.