Mitochondrial Respiration Inhibition Suppresses Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Via PI3K/Akt/FoxO1/Cyclin D1 Pathway

Identification of PSMD11 as a novel cuproptosis- and immune-related prognostic biomarker promoting lung adenocarcinoma progression

BACKGROUND

Due to the unfavorable prognosis associated with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies is essential. Cuproptosis, an emerging form of regulated cell death, is implicated in mitochondrial metabolism and is induced by copper ions. This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of cuproptosis- and immune-related genes (CIRGs) in LUAD.

METHODS

We used The Cancer Genome Atlas database to develop a prognostic prediction model for LUAD patients based on eight CIRGs. Using Cox regression analysis, we determined that the CIRG signature is a reliable, independent prognostic factor. We further identified PSMD11 as a critical CIRG and performed immunohistochemistry to study the protein expression levels of PSMD11 in LUAD tissues. We also investigated the impact of PSMD11 on the biological behavior of lung cancer cell lines.

RESULTS

We found that patients with low PSMD11 expression levels displayed an improved prognosis compared with those with high PSMD11 expression levels. Overexpression of PSMD11 enhanced proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth of lung carcinoma cell line A549, while PSMD11 knockdown diminished proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth of lung carcinoma cell line PC9. Additionally, we discovered that PSMD11 expression was positively correlated with the infiltration of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and the increased expression of immunosuppressive molecules.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that PSMD11 may serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for LUAD.

Diosmin Promotes Myogenesis via Activating the Akt/FOXO1 Pathway to Facilitate the Proliferation of C2C12 Myoblasts

Our previous study with artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted screening found that diosmin, a natural flavonoid extracted from citrus, may affect myoblast proliferation and differentiation. At present, few studies have been conducted regarding the biological function of diosmin in muscle cells. Here, using molecular biological techniques, we found that diosmin elevated the proliferation ability of C2C12 myoblasts via activating the Akt/FOXO1 pathway to promote FOXO1 nuclear export, thus repressing p27 protein expression, increasing CDK2, CDK4, and cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 protein expression and accelerating cell cycle transformation, which contributed to myogenesis. Moreover, diosmin suppressed differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts by delaying the terminal exit of the cell cycle in early differentiated myoblasts and inhibiting autophagic flux in mature myotubes. Furthermore, diosmin promoted myogenesis by activating the Akt/FOXO1 pathway to facilitate myoblast proliferation, which had a positive biological effect on the repair of muscle injury. This study revealed the effect and mechanism of diosmin on skeletal muscle cells and simultaneously provided a new candidate drug for the treatment of myopathy.

Targeting cyclin D1 as a therapeutic approach for papillary thyroid carcinoma

Cyclin D1 functions as a mitogenic sensor that specifically binds to CDK4/6, thereby integrating external mitogenic inputs and cell cycle progression. Cyclin D1 interacts with transcription factors and regulates various important cellular processes, including differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and DNA repair. Therefore, its dysregulation contributes to carcinogenesis. Cyclin D1 is highly expressed in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the particular cellular mechanisms through which abnormal cyclin D1 expression causes PTC are poorly understood. Unveiling the regulatory mechanisms of cyclin D1 and its function in PTC may help determine clinically effective strategies, and open up better opportunities for further research, leading to the development of novel PTC regimens that are clinically effective. This review explores the mechanisms underlying cyclin D1 overexpression in PTC. Furthermore, we discuss the role of cyclin D1 in PTC tumorigenesis via its interactions with other regulatory elements. Finally, recent progress in the development of therapeutic options targeting cyclin D1 in PTC is examined and summarized.

UQCRFS1 serves as a prognostic biomarker and promotes the progression of ovarian cancer

UQCRFS1 has been reported to be highly expressed in gastric and breast cancer, but the mechanism remains unclear. The prognosis and biological functions of UQCRFS1 in ovarian cancer (OC) have not been evaluated. The expression of UQCRFS1 in EOC was detected by GEPIA and HPA websites, and the prognosis value was investigated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Then the correlation between the UQCRFS1 gene and tumor-related signature were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis and rank sum test. Subsequently, the expression of the UQCRFS1 gene in four ovarian cancer cell lines was detected. A2780 and OVCAR8 with the highest expression of UQCRFS1 were selected in the following biological experiments. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 assay, cell cycle and apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was detected by DCFH-DA, DNA damage gene mRNA expression was analyzed by RT-PCR, and AKT/mTOR pathway protein expression were also examined by western blot after siRNA transfection. We found that UQCRFS1 was high-expression in EOC and associated with poor prognosis. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that the high expression of UQCRFS1 is associated with the cell cycle, apoptosis, oxidative phosphorylation, and DNA damage. Further studies found that knockdown of UQCRFS1 cells reduced cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, increased proportion of apoptosis, ROS production, and expression of DNA damage genes, inhibited ATK/mTOR pathway. The study suggested that UQCRFS1 may be a candidated target for diagnosis and treatments in OC.

Salvianolic acid B from Salvia miltiorrhiza bunge: A potential antitumor agent

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb widely found in China since ancient times with a high economic and medicinal value. Salvianolic acid B (Sal-B) is an important natural product derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza and this review summarizes the anticancer activity of Sal-B. Sal-B inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by targeting multiple cell signaling pathways. This review aims to review experimental studies to describe the possible anticancer mechanisms of Sal-B and confirm its potential as a therapeutic drug.