RNA-Sequencing Reveals Heat Shock 70-kDa Protein 6 (HSPA6) as a Novel Thymoquinone-Upregulated Gene That Inhibits Growth, Migration, and Invasion of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

TQFL19, a Novel Derivative of Thymoquinone (TQ), Plays an Essential Role by Inhibiting Cell Growth, Metastasis, and Invasion in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is a significant public health concern globally. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered the most challenging type, as it is defined by an absence of estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, along with a lack of HER2 overexpression. In the current study, we developed a novel thymoquinone (TQ), TQFL19, to control TNBC progression. Purpose: The current study aimed to investigate the anticancer potential of a newly synthesized TQFL19 against TNBC. Study design: To achieve our research goals, we meticulously developed both in vitro and in vivo studies focused on TNBC cell growth, metastasis, and invasion. Results: Characterization and ADMET properties prediction of TQFL19 were first performed before treating TNBC cells. TQFL19 exhibited more potent cytotoxicity than TQ against 4T1, BT-549, and MDA-MB-231 cells and induced apoptosis of 4T1 and MDA-MB-231, besides cell cycle arrest of MDA-MB-231. In vivo mice allograft of 4T1 revealed the ability of TQFL19 to hinder the growth, migration, and metastasis of TNBC cells. Conclusions: The results suggest that TQFL19 potentially inhibited TNBC growth, metastasis, and invasion. The results conclude that TQFL19 could be a viable candidate for TNBC therapy.

The mechanism of arsenic trioxide and microwave ablation in the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma based on high throughput sequencing

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common head and neck malignant tumour with high incidence and poor prognosis. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has therapeutic effects on solid tumours. Microwave ablation (MWA) has unique advantages in the treatment of solid tumours. However, the therapeutic mechanism of ATO and MWA, as well as their combined effect on OSCC were largely unelucidated. Cal-27 cell-bearing nude mice were treated with ATO and/or MWA, respectively. RNA sequencing was used to obtain gene expression profiles in tumour tissues of mice treated by ATO or MWA. RNA sequencing results were verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-expression network was constructed based on the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) theory. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses were performed using differentially expressed genes. The combined effect of ATO and MWA on OSCC was evaluated. Finally, CCK-8 assay, EdU assay and transwell migration assay were performed to detect the effect of HSPA6 on the proliferation and migration of OSCC cells. The reduced volume of tumour tissues was observed in both ATO- and MWA-treated groups. 37.8% decreased in the ATO group and 35.0% in the MWA group. A total of 207 and 539 differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs were identified in the ATO group. And a total of 200 and 522 differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in the MWA group were identified. The expression levels of 8 genes were verified by real-time PCR. The differentially expressed genes were closely related to "chemical carcinogenesis", "herpes simplex infection", "porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism", and "MAPK signalling pathway". The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-expression networks were constructed. The combined treatment with ATO and MWA showed a better inhibitive effect on OSCC than either of them. The synergistic effect of ATO and MWA was related to the upregulation of HSPA6. The downregulation of HSPA6 could promote the proliferation and migration of OSCC cells. This study detected the long non-coding RNA and mRNA expression profiles related to the treatment of OSCC and constructed corresponding ceRNA networks. Arsenic trioxide and MWA have a synergistic effect on OSCC, which was related to the upregulation of HSPA6.

Interferon signaling and ferroptosis in tumor immunology and therapy

This study sought to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the impact of the interferon signaling pathway on Ferroptosis in tumor cells and its correlation with CD8 + T cell exhaustion. Using mouse models and single-cell sequencing, the researchers studied the interaction between CD8 + T cells and the interferon signaling pathway. Differential gene analysis revealed key genes involved in CD8 + T cell exhaustion, and their downstream factors were explored using bioinformatics tools. The expression levels of interferon-related genes associated with Ferroptosis were analyzed using data from the TCGA database, and their relevance to tumor tissue Ferroptosis and patients' prognosis was determined. In vitro experiments were conducted to measure the levels of IFN-γ, MDA, and LPO, as well as tumor cell viability and apoptosis. In vivo validation using a mouse tumor model confirmed the results obtained from the in vitro experiments, highlighting the potential of silencing HSPA6 or DNAJB1 in enhancing the efficacy of PD-1 therapy and inhibiting tumor growth and migration.

Identifying SLC2A6 as the novel protective factor in breast cancer by TP53-related genes affecting M1 macrophage infiltration

The high heterogeneity of breast cancer (BC) caused by pathogenic gene mutations poses a challenge to immunotherapy, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. The difference in the infiltration of M1 macrophages induced by TP53 mutations has a significant impact on BC immunotherapy. The aim of this study was to develop a TP53-related M1 macrophage infiltration molecular typing risk signature in BC and evaluate the biological functions of the key gene to find new immunotherapy biomarkers. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) and negative matrix factorization (NMF) were used for distinguishing BC subtypes. The signature and the nomogram were both constructed and evaluated. Biological functions of the novel signature gene SLC2A6 were confirmed through in vitro and in vivo experiments. RNA-Sequencing and protein profiling were used for detecting the possible mechanism of SLC2A6. The results suggested that four BC subtypes were distinguished by TP53-related genes that affect M1 macrophage infiltration. The signature constructed by molecular typing characteristics could evaluate BC's clinical features and tumor microenvironment. The nomogram could accurately predict the prognosis. The signature gene SLC2A6 was found to have an abnormally low expression in tumor tissues. Overexpression of SLC2A6 could inhibit proliferation, promote mitochondrial damage, and result in apoptosis of tumor cells. The HSP70 family member protein HSPA6 could bind with SLC2A6 and increase with the increased expression of SLC2A6. In summary, the risk signature provides a reference for BC risk assessment, and the signature gene SLC2A6 could act as a tumor suppressor in BC.

Thymoquinone attenuates diabetes-induced hepatic damage in rat via regulation of oxidative/nitrosative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory cascade with molecular docking approach

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic condition that causes organ dysfunction. The current experiment sought to determine the effect of thymoquinone (TQ) on hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, oxidative/nitrosative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in diabetic rats prompted by streptozotocin (STZ) (55 mg/kg body weight i/p). The animals were allocated into control, TQ (50 mg/kg B.W. orally administered for 4 succeeding weeks), Diabetic, and Diabetic + TQ groups. This study confirmed that TQ preserves the levels of insulin, fasting blood glucose, HOMA β-cell indices, HbA1c %, body weight, and lipid profile substantially relative to the DC group. Furthermore, hepatic antioxidant (CAT, GSH, and T-SOD) values were reduced. Conversely, the enzymatic activity of liver functions (AST, ALT, ALP, cytochrome P450, and hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase), lipid peroxidation (MDA), pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6), nitric oxide (NO) and inflammatory marker (CRP) enhanced with STZ administration, which is substantially restored after TQ treatment. Relative to the diabetic rats, TQ reestablished the hepatic architectural changes and collagen fibers. Additionally, TQ downregulated the intensity of the immunohistochemical staining of pro-apoptotic marker (caspase-3), p53, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) proteins in hepatic tissues. Furthermore, TQ displayed abilities to interact and inhibit the binding site of caspase-3, interleukin-6 receptor, interleukin-1 receptor type 1, TNF receptor superfamily member 1A, and TNF receptor superfamily member 1B in rats following the molecular docking modeling. All these data re-establish the liver functions, antioxidant enzymes, anti-inflammatory markers, and anti-apoptotic proteins impacts of TQ in STZ-induced DM rats. Founded on these outcomes, the experiment proposes that TQ is a novel natural supplement with various clinical applications, including managing DM, which in turn is recommended to play a pivotal role in preventing the progression of diabetes mellitus.

Metochalcone induces senescence-associated secretory phenotype via JAK2/STAT3 pathway in breast cancer

Breast and lung cancers are the leading causes of mortality and most frequently diagnosed cancers in women and men, respectively, worldwide. Although the antitumor activity of chalcones has been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms of isoliquiritigenin analog 2', 4', 4-trihydroxychalcone (metochalcone; TEC) against carcinomas remain less well understood. In this study, we found that TEC inhibited cell proliferation of breast cancer BT549 cells and lung cancer A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. TEC induced cell cycle arrest in the S-phase, cell migration inhibition in vitro, and reduced tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis revealed that TEC modulated the activity of the JAK2/STAT3 and P53 pathways. TEC triggered the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) by repressing the JAK2/STAT3 axis. The mechanism of metochalcone against breast cancer depended on the induction of SASP via deactivation of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, highlighting the potential of chalcone in senescence-inducing therapy against carcinomas.

Genetic overlap and causal inferences between diet-derived antioxidants and small-cell lung cancer

Several studies have reported that antioxidants exert both preventive and inhibitory effects against tumors. However, their causal effects on small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remain controversial. Herein, we explored the causal effects of 6 antioxidants on SCLC by combining a genome-wide association study database and the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. We obtained antioxidant genetic variance data for 6 exposure factors: carotene, vitamin A (retinol), selenium, zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin E, from the genome-wide association study database. The instrumental variables for exposure factors and SCLC outcomes were integrated by screening instrumental variables and merging data. Two-sample MR was used to analyze the causal relationship between exposure and outcomes. Finally, we examined the heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy of the MR analysis by performing multiple sensitivity analyses. We found a causal relationship between carotene and SCLC using two-sample MR analysis and sensitivity analysis (P = .02; odds ratio = 0.73; 95% confidence interval: 0.55-0.95). In contrast, there was no causal relationship between other examined antioxidants and SCLC. We found that diet-derived circulating antioxidants could afford protection against SCLC, and carotene is the causal protective factor against SCLC.

Lactate-lactylation-HSPA6 axis promotes PRRSV replication by impairing IFN-β production

Lactate, traditionally considered a metabolic by-product, has recently been identified as a substrate for the induction of lactylation, a newly identified epigenetic modification that plays an important role in the regulation of host gene expression. Our previous study showed that lactate levels were significantly elevated in cells infected with the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), an Arterivirus that has devastated the swine industry worldwide for over 30 years. However, the role of elevated lactate in PRRSV infections remains unknown. In this study, we found that lactate was required for optimal PRRSV proliferation, and PRRSV infection increased cellular lactylation in a dose-dependent manner. Using the Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) combined with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to screen the downstream genes regulated by lactylation in PRRSV-infected cells, we found that PRRSV-induced lactylation activated the expression of heat shock 70 kDa protein 6 (HSPA6). Follow-up experiments showed that HSPA6 is important for PRRSV proliferation by negatively modulating interferon (IFN)-β induction. Mechanistically, HSPA6 impeded the interaction between TNF-receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3) and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit epsilon (IKKε), thereby hindering the production of IFN-β. Taken together, these results indicate that the activated lactate-lactylation-HSPA6 axis promotes viral growth by impairing IFN-β induction, providing new therapeutic targets for the prevention and control of PRRSV infection. The results presented here also link lactylation to the virus life cycle, improving our understanding of epigenetic regulation in viral infection.IMPORTANCEAs a newly identified epigenetic modification, lactate-induced lactylation has received attentions because it plays important roles in gene expression and contributes to tumorigenesis and the innate immune response. Previous studies showed that many viruses upregulate cellular lactate levels; however, whether virus-elevated lactate induces lactylation and the subsequent biological significance of the modification to viral infection have not been reported. In this study, we demonstrated that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection induced cellular lactylation, which, in turn, upregulated the expression of HSPA6, an IFN-negative regulator. We also dissected the mechanism by which HSPA6 negatively regulates IFN-β production. To our knowledge, this is the first report to study virus-induced lactylation and establish the relationship between lactylation and virus infection.

Potential anticancer properties and mechanisms of thymoquinone in colorectal cancer

Colorectal neoplasms are one of the deadliest diseases among all cancers worldwide. Thymoquinone (TQ) is a natural compound of Nigella sativa that has been used in traditional medicine against a variety of acute/chronic diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, rheumatism, headache, back pain, anorexia, amenorrhea, paralysis, inflammation, mental disability, eczema, obesity, infections, depression, dysentery, hypertension, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hepatic, and renal disorders. This review aims to present a detailed report on the studies conducted on the anti-cancer properties of TQ against colorectal cancer, both in vitro and in vivo. TQ stands as a promising natural therapeutic agent that can enhance the efficacy of existing cancer treatments while minimizing the associated adverse effects. The combination of TQ with other anti-neoplastic agents promoted the efficacy of existing cancer treatments. Further research is needed to acquire a more comprehensive understanding of its exact molecular targets and pathways and maximize its clinical usefulness. These investigations may potentially aid in the development of novel techniques to combat drug resistance and surmount the obstacles presented by chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing analysis of B cell marker genes in TNBC TME landscape and immunotherapy

Objective

This study amied to investigate the prognostic characteristics of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients by analyzing B cell marker genes based on single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing.

Methods

Utilizing single-cell sequencing data from TNBC patients, we examined tumor-associated B cell marker genes. Transcriptomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were used as the foundation for predictive modeling. Independent validation set was conducted using the GSE58812 dataset. Immune cell infiltration into the tumor was assessed through various, including XCELL, TIMER, QUANTISEQ, CIBERSORT, CIBERSORT-ABS, and ssGSEA. The TIDE score was utilized to predict immunotherapy outcomes. Additional investigations were conducted on the immune checkpoint blockade gene, tumor mutational load, and the GSEA enrichment analysis.

Results

Our analysis encompassed 22,106 cells and 20,556 genes in cancerous tissue samples from four TNBC patients, resulting in the identification of 116 B cell marker genes. A B cell marker gene score (BCMG score) involving nine B cell marker genes (ZBP1, SEL1L3, CCND2, TNFRSF13C, HSPA6, PLPP5, CXCR4, GZMB, and CCDC50) was developed using TCGA transcriptomic data, revealing statistically significant differences in survival analysis (P<0.05). Functional analysis demonstrated that marker genes were predominantly associated with immune-related pathways. Notably, substantial differences between the higher and lower- BCMG score groups were observed in terms of immune cell infiltration, immune cell activity, tumor mutational burden, TIDE score, and the expression of immune checkpoint blockade genes.

Conclusion

This study has established a robust model based on B-cell marker genes in TNBC, which holds significant potential for predicting prognosis and response to immunotherapy in TNBC patients.

BARX1 promotes osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion by regulating HSPA6 expression

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a bone tumour affecting adolescents. Dysregulation of Barx homeobox 1 (BARX1) expression is involved in various cancers, but its function and mechanism in the process of OS are undefined. This study revealed that BARX1 expression is higher in OS tissue than in adjacent normal tissue. Downregulation of BARX1 in OS cells significantly suppressed their proliferation and migration, whereas enforced expression of exogenous BARX1 exerted the opposite effects on OS cells. Subsequently, heat shock 70-kDa protein 6 (HSPA6) expression was clearly increased after BARX1 overexpression in OS cells, as confirmed by RNA sequencing. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that HSPA6 expression is directly regulated by BARX1. The in vitro assay indicated that silencing HSPA6 expression attenuated OS proliferation and migration induced by BARX1. A dual immunofluorescence labelling assay provided further evidence that BARX1 was overexpressed and associated with HSPA6 overexpression in OS tumour tissue. In conclusion, BARX1 promotes OS cell proliferation and migration by inducing the expression of HSPA6, which plays an oncogenic role in OS. BARX1 and HSPA6 can potentially act as novel therapeutic targets for OS.

Antiviral Potential of Small Molecules Cordycepin, Thymoquinone, and N6, N6-Dimethyladenosine Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Entry Protein ADAM17

COVID-19 is an acute respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that has spawned a worldwide pandemic. ADAM17 is a sheddase associated with the modulation of the receptor ACE2 of SARS-CoV-2. Studies have revealed that malignant phenotypes of several cancer types are closely relevant to highly expressed ADAM17. However, ADAM17 regulation in SARS-CoV-2 invasion and its role on small molecules are unclear. Here, we evaluated the ADAM17 inhibitory effects of cordycepin (CD), thymoquinone (TQ), and N6, N6-dimethyladenosine (m⁶₂A), on cancer cells and predicted the anti-COVID-19 potential of the three compounds and their underlying signaling pathways by network pharmacology. It was found that CD, TQ, and m⁶₂A repressed the ADAM17 expression upon different cancer cells remarkably. Moreover, CD inhibited GFP-positive syncytia formation significantly, suggesting its potential against SARS-CoV-2. Pharmacological analysis by constructing CD-, TQ-, and m⁶₂A-based drug-target COVID-19 networks further indicated that ADAM17 is a potential target for anti-COVID-19 therapy with these compounds, and the mechanism might be relevant to viral infection and transmembrane receptors-mediated signal transduction. These findings imply that ADAM17 is of potentially medical significance for cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, which provides potential new targets and insights for developing innovative drugs against COVID-19.

HSPA6, a novel prognostic and therapeutic biomarker, associated with Ming classification in gastric cancer

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the clinical relevance of heat shock protein family A member 6 (HSPA6) in gastric cancer (GC) and its effect on GC cell proliferation.

METHODS

HSPA6 mRNA and protein levels were analyzed by bioinformatics, RT-qPCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry. HSPA6 was correlated with clinicopathological variables by the Chi-square test. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the univariate and multivariate Cox models were used to assess the prognostic value of HSPA6. Nomogram was used to predict overall survival in patients with GC. Knockdown or over-expression of HSPA6 in GC cell lines was constructed by lentiviral transduction. EdU and CCK-8 assay were used to detect cell proliferation. In vivo mouse tumor models were performed to evaluate the effects of HSPA6 on GC growth.

RESULTS

HSPA6 were significantly upregulated in the GC tissues compared to the normal stomach epithelium and were associated with Ming classification (p < 0.001) and tumor size (p = 0.002). Patients with high expression of HSPA6 showed worse survival compared to the low expression group. HSPA6 was identified to be an independent prognostic biomarker for GC. HSPA6 was functionally annotated with the cell cycle, G2M checkpoint and Hippo pathway. Knockdown of HSPA6 suppressed XGC-1 cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of HSPA6 in AGS cells increased proliferation rates, increased the levels of cyclinB1 and YAP and decreased that of phosphorylated YAP. HSPA6 knockdown in the NUGC2 cells had the opposite effect.

CONCLUSIONS

HSPA6 promotes GC proliferation by the Hippo pathway, as a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target.

Establish immune-related gene prognostic index for esophageal cancer

Background: Esophageal cancer is a tumor type with high invasiveness and low prognosis. As immunotherapy has been shown to improve the prognosis of esophageal cancer patients, we were interested in the establishment of an immune-associated gene prognostic index to effectively predict the prognosis of patients. Methods: To establish the immune-related gene prognostic index of esophageal cancer (EC), we screened 363 upregulated and 83 downregulated immune-related genes that were differentially expressed in EC compared to normal tissues. By multivariate Cox regression and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA), we built a prognostic model based on eight immune-related genes (IRGs). We confirmed the prognostic model in both TCGA and GEO cohorts and found that the low-risk group had better overall survival than the high-risk group. Results: In this study, we identified 363 upregulated IRGs and 83 downregulated IRGs. Next, we found a prognostic model that was constructed with eight IRGs (OSM, CEACAM8, HSPA6, HSP90AB1, PCSK2, PLXNA1, TRIB2, and HMGB3) by multivariate Cox regression analysis and WGCNA. According to the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis results, the model we constructed can predict the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer. This result can be verified by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Patients were divided into two groups with different outcomes. IRGPI-low patients had better overall survival than IRGPI-high patients.

Conclusion: Our findings indicated the potential value of the IRGPI risk model for predicting the prognosis of EC patients.

High abundance of CDC45 inhibits cell proliferation through elevation of HSPA6

OBJECTIVES

CDC45 is the core component of CMG (CDC45-MCMs-GINS) complex that plays important role in the initial step of DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. The expression level of cdc45 is under the critical control for the accurate cell cycle progression. Loss-of-function of cdc45 has been demonstrated to inhibit cell proliferation and leads to cell death due to the inhibition of DNA replication and G1-phase arrest. An increasing of CDC45 inhibits cell proliferation as well. Nevertheless, a systematic analysis of the effect of high dose of CDC45 on cell physiology and behaviors is unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of high dose of CDC45 on cell behaviors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We overexpressed cdc45 in cultured cell lines, Ciona and Drosophila embryos, respectively. The cell cycle progression was examined by the BrdU incorporation experiment, flow cytometry and PH3 (phospho-Histone 3) staining. RNA-sequencing analysis and qRT-PCR were carried out to screen the affected genes in HeLa cells overexpressing cdc45. siRNA-mediated knockdown was performed to investigate gene functions in HeLa cells overexpressing cdc45.

RESULTS

We found that high level of cdc45 from different species (human, mammal, ascidian, and Drosophila) inhibited cell cycle in vitro and in vivo. High dose of CDC45 blocks cells entering into S phase. However, we failed to detect DNA damage and cell apoptosis. We identified hspa6 was the most upregulated gene in HeLa cells overexpressing cdc45 via RNA-seq analysis and qRT-PCR validation. Overexpression of Hs-hspa6 inhibited proliferation rate and DNA replication in HeLa cells, mimicking the phenotype of cdc45 overexpression. RNAi against hspa6 partially rescued the cell proliferation defect caused by high dose of CDC45.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that high abundance of CDC45 stops cell cycle. Instead of inducing apoptosis, excessive CDC45 prevents cell entering S phase probably due to promoting hspa6 expression.

Thymoquinone upregulates IL17RD in controlling the growth and metastasis of triple negative breast cancer cells in vitro

Background

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a molecular subtype of breast cancer, which is a major health burden of females worldwide. Thymoquinone (TQ), a natural compound, has been found to be effective against TNBC cells, and this study identified IL17RD as a novel target of TQ in TNBC cells.

Methods

We have performed chromatin immunoprecipitation Sequence (ChIP-Seq) by MBD1 (methyl-CpG binding domain protein 1) antibody to identify genome-wide methylated sites affected by TQ. ChIP-seq identified 136 genes, including the tumor suppressor IL17RD, as a novel target of TQ, which is epigenetically upregulated by TQ in TNBC cell lines BT-549 and MDA-MB-231. The IL17RD expression and survival outcomes were studied by Kaplan–Meier analysis.

Results

TQ treatment inhibited the growth, migration, and invasion of TNBC cells with or without IL17RD overexpression or knockdown, while the combination of IL17RD overexpression and TQ treatment were the most effective against TNBC cells. Moreover, higher expression of IL17RD is associated with longer survival in TNBC patients, indicating potential therapeutic roles of TQ and IL17RD against TNBC.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that IL17RD might be epigenetically upregulated in TNBC cell lines by TQ, and this might be one of the mechanisms by which TQ exerts its anticancer and antimetastatic effects on TNBC cells.

Cordycepin Inhibits Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Regulating EMT-TFs SLUG, TWIST1, SNAIL1, and ZEB1

Cancer metastasis is the most important cause of cancer-related death, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays crucial roles in cancer metastasis. Cordycepin (CD) is highly enriched in the medicinally used Cordyceps mushroom. In this study, we conducted the antimetastatic activities of CD, specifically focusing on its regulatory effects on EMT-inducing transcription factors (EMT-TFs) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Our study showed CD to inhibit the growth, migration, and invasion of BT549 and 4T1 cancer cell lines, by employing cell viability assay and real-time cell analyses. The protein levels of N-Cadherin and E-Cadherin, as well as their transcription factors TWIST1, SLUG, SNAIL1, and ZEB1 in BT549 and 4T1 cells, were estimated by Western blot assays. Results from dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that CD is capable of inactivating the EMT signaling pathway by inhibiting TWIST1 and SLUG expression. Furthermore, in vivo studies with mice carrying cancer cell-derived allograft tumors showed the inhibitory effect of CD on cancer cell growth and metastasis. Furthermore, the additive/synergistic anti-metastasis effect of CD and thymoquinone (TQ), another natural product with promising anticancer roles, was demonstrated by combinational treatment. The results from this research indicate that CD would be a promising therapeutic molecule against TNBC by targeting EMT-TFs, possibly in SLUG, TWIST1, SNAIL1, and ZEB1.

HSPA6 and its role in cancers and other diseases

Heat Shock Protein Family A (Hsp70) Member 6 (HSPA6) (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man: 140555) belongs to the HSP70 family and is a partially conserved inducible protein in mammals. The HSPA6 gene locates on the human chromosome 1q23.3 and encodes a protein containing two important structural domains: The N-terminal nucleotide-binding domain and the C-terminal substrate-binding domain. Currently, studies have found that HSPA6 not only plays a role in the tumorigenesis and tumor progresses but also causes non-tumor-related diseases. Furthermore, HSPA6 exhibits to inhibit tumorigenesis and tumor progression in some types of cancers but promotes in others. Even though HSPA6 research has increased, its exact roles and mechanisms are still unclear. This article reviews the structure, expression, function, research progress, possible mechanism, and perspective of HSPA6 in cancers and other diseases, highlighting its potential role as a targeted therapeutic and prognostic marker.

HSPA6 is Correlated With the Malignant Progression and Immune Microenvironment of Gliomas

Gliomas are primary intracranial space lesions with a high mortality rate. Current treatments for glioma are very limited. Recently, immunotargeted therapy of the glioma microenvironment has been developed. Members of the 70 kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) family are involved in the development of many tumors and immunity. HSPA6 protein belongs to the HSP70 family; However, the biological function of this protein in gliomas has yet to be evaluated. In the present study, a range of analyses, involving protein networks, survival, clinical correlation, and function, revealed that the expression of HSPA6 was negatively correlated with clinical prognosis and closely associated with immunity, invasion, and angiogenesis. Quantitative protein analysis confirmed that HSPA6 was expressed at high levels in patients with glioblastoma. Vitro experiments further verified that HSPA6 enhanced the malignant progression of glioma cells by promoting proliferation, invasion and anti-apoptosis. We also found that HSPA6 was closely correlated with genomic variations and tumor microenvironment. Collectively, we demonstrated that HSPA6 may represent a new therapeutic target to improve the prognosis of patients with gliomas.

Identification and Functional Analysis of the Regulatory Elements in the pHSPA6 Promoter

Functional and expressional research of heat shock protein A6 (HSPA6) suggests that the gene is of great value for neurodegenerative diseases, biosensors, cancer, etc. Based on the important value of pigs in agriculture and biomedicine and to advance knowledge of this little-studied HSPA member, the stress-sensitive sites in porcine HSPA6 (pHSPA6) were investigated following different stresses. Here, two heat shock elements (HSEs) and a conserved region (CR) were identified in the pHSPA6 promoter by a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated precise gene editing strategy. Gene expression data showed that sequence disruption of these regions could significantly reduce the expression of pHSPA6 under heat stress. Stimulation studies indicated that these regions responded not only to heat stress but also to copper sulfate, MG132, and curcumin. Further mechanism studies showed that downregulated pHSPA6 could significantly affect some important members of the HSP family that are involved in HSP40, HSP70, and HSP90. Overall, our results provide a new approach for investigating gene expression and regulation that may contribute to gene regulatory mechanisms, drug target selection, and breeding stock selection.

HSP70s in Breast Cancer: Promoters of Tumorigenesis and Potential Targets/Tools for Therapy

The high frequency of breast cancer worldwide and the high mortality among women with this malignancy are a serious challenge for modern medicine. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and emergence of metastatic, therapy-resistant breast cancers would help development of novel approaches to better treatment of this disease. The review is dedicated to the role of members of the heat shock protein 70 subfamily (HSP70s or HSPA), mainly inducible HSP70, glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78 or HSPA5) and GRP75 (HSPA9 or mortalin), in the development and pathogenesis of breast cancer. Various HSP70-mediated cellular mechanisms and pathways which contribute to the oncogenic transformation of mammary gland epithelium are reviewed, as well as their role in the development of human breast carcinomas with invasive, metastatic traits along with the resistance to host immunity and conventional therapeutics. Additionally, intracellular and cell surface HSP70s are considered as potential targets for therapy or sensitization of breast cancer. We also discuss a clinical implication of Hsp70s and approaches to targeting breast cancer with gene vectors or nanoparticles downregulating HSP70s, natural or synthetic (small molecule) inhibitors of HSP70s, HSP70-binding antibodies, HSP70-derived peptides, and HSP70-based vaccines.

PIK3CA hotspot mutations p. H1047R and p. H1047L sensitize breast cancer cells to thymoquinone treatment by regulating the PI3K/Akt1 pathway

BACKGROUND

Nigella sativa (N. sativa) exhibits anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimetastatic and antinociceptive effects and has been used to treat dozens of diseases. Thymoquinone (TQ) is an important and active component isolated from N. sativa seeds. Inhibition of cancer-associated activating PIK3CA mutations is a new prospective targeted therapy in personalized metastatic breast cancer (MBC). TQ is reported to be an effective inhibitor of the PI3K/Akt1 pathway in MBC. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antitumor effect of TQ in the context of two PIK3CA hotspot mutations, p. H1047R and p. H1047L.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Molecular dynamics, free energy landscapes and principal component analyses were also used to survey the mechanistic effects of the p. H1047R and p. H1047L mutations on the PI3K/Akt1 pathway. Our findings clearly confirmed that the p. H1047R and p. H1047L mutants could reduce the inhibitory effect of ΔNp63α on the kinase domain of PIK3CA, resulting in increased activity of PI3K downstream signals. Structurally, the partial disruption of the interaction between the ΔNp63α DNA binding domain and the PIK3CA kinase domain at residues 114-359 and 797-1068 destabilizes the conformation of the activation loop and modifies the PIK3CA/ΔNp63α complex. Alongside these structural changes, we found that TQ treatment resulted in high PI3K/Akt1 pathway inhibition in p. H1047R and p. H1047L-expressing cells versus wild-type cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These two PIK3CA hotspot mutations therefore not only contribute to tumor progression in patients with MBC but may also serve as targets for the development of novel small molecule therapeutic strategies.

Comprehensive analysis of a new immune-related prognostic signature for esophageal cancer and its correlation with infiltrating immune cells and target genes

Background

The incidence of esophageal cancer (ESCA) is increasing rapidly, and the 5-year survival rate is less than 20%. This study provides new ideas for clinical treatment by establishing a prognostic signature composed of immune-related genes (IRGs), and fully analyzing its relationship with target genes and the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Methods

We downloaded the ESCA expression matrix and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified with the edgeR package and crossed with the IRGs we obtained from the ImmPort database to obtain differential IRGs (DEIRGs). The prognostic signature was then obtained through univariate Cox, LASSO-Cox, and multivariate Cox analyses. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the prediction effect of the model. The immune cell infiltration abundance obtained by ssGSEA and therapeutic target genes was used to perform sufficient correlation analysis with the obtained prognostic signature and related genes.

Results

A total of 173 samples were obtained from TCGA database, including 162 tumor and 11 normal samples. The 3,033 differential genes were used to obtain 254 DEIRGs by intersections with 2,483 IRGs (IRGs) obtained from the ImmPort Database. Finally, multivariate Cox regression analysis identified eight prognostic DEIRGs and established a new prognostic signature (HR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.68–3.67; P<0.001). Based on the expression of the eight genes, the cohort was then divided into high and low risk groups and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves were plotted with the log-rank test P<0.0001 and 1-, 3-year area under the curve (AUC) >0.7. The K-M curves grouped according to high and low risks performed well in the two subgroup validation cohorts, with log-rank test P<0.05. There were differences in the degree of infiltration of 16 kinds of immune cells in tumor and normal samples, and the infiltration abundance of 12 kinds of immune cells was different in the high and low-risk groups.

Conclusions

An effective and validated prognostic signature composed of IRGs was established and had a strong correlation with immune cells and target genes of drug therapy.

COVID-19 disease and malignant cancers: The impact for the furin gene expression in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2

Furin is a proprotein convertase that activates different kinds of regulatory proteins, including SARS-CoV-2 spike protein which contains an additional furin-specific cleavage site. It is essential in predicting cancer patients' susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and the disease outcomes due to varying furin expressions in tumor tissues. In this study, we analyzed furin's expression, methylation, mutation rate, functional enrichment, survival rate and COVID-19 outcomes in normal and cancer tissues using online databases, and our IHC. As a result, furin presented with biased expression profiles in normal tissues, showing 12.25-fold higher than ACE2 in the lungs. The furin expression in tumors were significantly increased in ESCA and TGCT, and decreased in DLBC and THYM, indicating furin may play critical mechanistic functions in COVID-19 viral entry into cells in these cancer patients. Line with furin over/downexpression, furin promoter hypo-/hyper-methylation may be the regulatory cause of disease and lead to pathogenesis of ESCA and THYM. Furthermore, presence of FURIN-201 isoform with functional domains (P_proprotein, Peptidase_S8 and S8_pro-domain) is highest in all cancer types in comparison to other isoforms, demonstrating its use in tumorigenesis and SARS-Cov-2 entry into tumor tissues. Furin mutation frequency was highest in UCES, and its mutation might elevate ACE2 expression in LUAD and UCEC, reduce ACE2 expression in COAD, elevate HSPA5 expression in PAAD, and elevate TMPRSS2 expression in BRCA. These results showed that furin mutations mostly increased expression of ACE2, HSPA5, and TMPRSS2 in certain cancers, indicating furin mutations might facilitate COVID-19 cell entry in cancer patients. In addition, high expression of furin was significantly inversely correlated with long overall survival (OS) in LGG and correlated with long OS in COAD and KIRC, indicating that it could be used as a favorable prognostic marker for cancer patients' survival. GO and KEGG demonstrated that furin was mostly enriched in genes for metabolic and biosynthetic processes, retinal dehydrogenase activity, tRNA methyltransferase activity, and genes involving COVID-19, further supporting its role in COVID-19 and cancer metabolism. Moreover, Cordycepin (CD) inhibited furin expression in a dosage dependent manner. Altogether, furin's high expression might not only implies increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and higher severity of COVID-19 symptoms in cancer patients, but also it highlights the need for cancer treatment and therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. CD might have a potential to develop an anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug through inhibiting furin expression.

TQFL12, a novel synthetic derivative of TQ, inhibits triple-negative breast cancer metastasis and invasion through activating AMPK/ACC pathway

Thymoquinone (TQ) has been reported as an anti‐tumour drug widely studied in various tumours, and its mechanism and effect of which has become a focus of current research. However, previous studies from our laboratory and other groups found that TQ showed weak anti‐tumour effects in many cancer cell lines and animal models. Therefore, it is necessary to modify and optimize the structure of TQ to obtain new chemical entities with high efficiency and low toxicity as candidates for development of new drugs in treating cancer. Therefore, we designed and synthesized several TQ derivatives. Systematic analysis, including in vitro and in vivo, was conducted on a panel of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and mouse model to demonstrate whether TQFL12, a new TQ derivative, is more efficient than TQ. We found that the anti‐proliferative effect of TQFL12 against TNBC cells is significantly stronger than TQ. We also demonstrated TQFL12 affects different aspects in breast cancer development including cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Moreover, TQFL12 inhibited tumour growth and metastasis in cancer cell–derived xenograft mouse model, with less toxicity compared with TQ. Finally, mechanism research indicated that TQFL12 increased AMPK/ACC activity by stabilizing AMPKα, while molecular docking supported the direct interaction between TQFL12 and AMPKα. Taken together, our findings suggest that TQFL12, as a novel chemical entity, possesses a better inhibitory effect on TNBC cells and less toxicity in both in vitro and in vivo studies. As such, TQFL12 could serve as a potential therapeutic agent for breast cancer.