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Yao F, Zhou S, Zhang R, Chen Y, Huang W, Yu K, Yang N, Qian X, Tie X, Xu J, Zhang Y, Baheti T, Xu J, Dai X, Hao X, Zhang L, Wang X, Li Q. CRISPR/Cas9 screen reveals that targeting TRIM34 enhances ferroptosis sensitivity and augments immunotherapy efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Lett 2024; 593:216935. [PMID: 38704136 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent malignancy characterized by complex heterogeneity and drug resistance. Resistance to ferroptosis is closely related to the progression of HCC. While HCC tumors vary in their sensitivity to ferroptosis, the precise factors underlying this heterogeneity remain unclear. In this study, we sought to elucidate the mechanisms that contribute to ferroptosis resistance in HCC. Whole-genome CRISPR/Cas9 screen using a subtoxic concentration (IC20) of ferroptosis inducer erastin in the HCC cell line Huh7 revealed TRIM34 as a critical driver of ferroptosis resistance in HCC. Further investigation revealed that TRIM34 suppresses ferroptosis in HCC cells, promoting their proliferation, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, TRIM34 expression is elevated in HCC tumor tissues, correlating with a poor prognosis. Mechanistically, TRIM34 directly interacts with Up-frameshift 1 (UPF1), a core component of the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway, to promote its ubiquitination and degradation. This interaction suppresses GPX4 transcript degradation, thus promoting the protein levels of this critical ferroptosis suppressor in HCC. In light of the close crosstalk between ferroptosis and the adaptive immune response in cancer, HCC cells with targeting knockdown of TRIM34 exhibited an improved response to anti-PD-1 treatment. Taken together, the TRIM34/UPF1/GPX4 axis mediates ferroptosis resistance in HCC, thereby promoting malignant phenotypes. Targeting TRIM34 may thus represent a promising new strategy for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifan Yao
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Suiqing Zhou
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Ruizhi Zhang
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yining Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of General Surgery, The Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ili & Jiangsu Joint Institute of Health, Ili, China
| | - Kai Yu
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Nanmu Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliopancreatic Surgery, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450008, China
| | - Xiangjun Qian
- Department of Hepatobiliopancreatic Surgery, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450008, China
| | - Xiaofeng Tie
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jiali Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, The Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ili & Jiangsu Joint Institute of Health, Ili, China
| | - Tasiken Baheti
- Department of General Surgery, The Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ili & Jiangsu Joint Institute of Health, Ili, China
| | - Jing Xu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinzheng Dai
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Xiaopei Hao
- Department of Hepatobiliopancreatic Surgery, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450008, China.
| | - Liren Zhang
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Xuehao Wang
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Qing Li
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary Cancers (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
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Temaj G, Chichiarelli S, Telkoparan-Akillilar P, Saha S, Nuhii N, Hadziselimovic R, Saso L. Advances in molecular function of UPF1 in Cancer. Arch Biochem Biophys 2024; 756:109989. [PMID: 38621446 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2024.109989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
It is known that more than 10 % of genetic diseases are caused by a mutation in protein-coding mRNA (premature termination codon; PTC). mRNAs with an early stop codon are degraded by the cellular surveillance process known as nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), which prevents the synthesis of C-terminally truncated proteins. Up-frameshift-1 (UPF1) has been reported to be involved in the downregulation of various cancers, and low expression of UPF1 was shown to correlate with poor prognosis. It is known that UPF1 is a master regulator of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). UPF1 may also function as an E3 ligase and degrade target proteins without using mRNA decay mechanisms. Increasing evidence indicates that UPF1 could serve as a good biomarker for cancer diagnosis and treatment for future therapeutic applications. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have the ability to bind different proteins and regulate gene expression; this role in cancer cells has already been identified by different studies. This article provides an overview of the aberrant expression of UPF1, its functional properties, and molecular processes during cancer for clinical applications in cancer. We also discussed the interactions of lncRNA with UPF1 for cell growth during tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gazmend Temaj
- Faculty of Pharmacy, College UBT, 10000, Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo.
| | - Silvia Chichiarelli
- Department of Biochemical Sciences "A. Rossi-Fanelli", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Sarmistha Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Applied Sciences & Humanities, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Nexhibe Nuhii
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Tetovo, 1200, Tetovo, Macedonia.
| | - Rifat Hadziselimovic
- Faculty of Science, University of Sarajevo, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
| | - Luciano Saso
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", La Sapienza University, 00185, Rome, Italy.
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Zhou L, Shan Y, Li J, Li M, Meng Z, Guo N. Early growth response 1 regulates dual‑specificity protein phosphatase 1 and inhibits cell migration and invasion of tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Oncol Lett 2024; 27:240. [PMID: 38623570 PMCID: PMC11017821 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2024.14373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the head and neck, and among the OSCCs, tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is one of the most common types. Although therapy strategies have recently advanced, the prognosis of TSCC has not substantially improved. Metastasis is one of the main causes of patient mortality in TSCC; therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the mechanism by which TSCC metastasis is regulated. In the present study, the early growth response 1 (Egr-1) expression in TSCC was analyzed based on GEO datasets and the effect of Egr-1 in TSCC tumor cell migration and invasion was measured using Transwell assay. By overexpressing dual-specificity protein phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) in cells with Egr-1 knockdown using lentivirus infection, the role of DUSP1 in Egr-1-regulated TSCC cell migration and invasion was determined. By using luciferase and ChIP assays, the mechanism behind how DUSP1 is regulated by Egr-1 was detected. In the present study, it was demonstrated that Egr-1 was downregulated in TSCC and the knockdown of Egr-1 increased TSCC cell migration and invasion. The expression of Egr-1 was also correlated with DUSP1. The overexpression of DUSP1 in Egr-1 knockdown cells, reduced the level of cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that knockdown of Egr-1 inhibited the promoter activity of DUSP1 and the site through which Egr-1 regulates DUSP1 transcription was identified. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that Egr-1 regulates TSCC cell migration and invasion through modulating DUSP1, suggesting the potential of Egr-1 and DUSP1 as therapy targets for TSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longxun Zhou
- Department of Stomatology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Medical School of Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 252000, P.R. China
| | - Yuqun Shan
- Clinical Laboratory, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Medical School of Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 252000, P.R. China
| | - Jun Li
- Precision Biomedical Laboratory, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Medical School of Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 252000, P.R. China
| | - Min Li
- Precision Biomedical Laboratory, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Medical School of Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 252000, P.R. China
| | - Zhen Meng
- Biomedical Laboratory, Medical School of Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 252000, P.R. China
| | - Na Guo
- Department of Stomatology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, Medical School of Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong 252000, P.R. China
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Cha H, Kim M, Ahn N, Jeong SD, Ignatova E, Chi SW, Kim HH, Hwang J. Role of UPF1 in lncRNA-HEIH regulation for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. Exp Mol Med 2024; 56:344-354. [PMID: 38297160 PMCID: PMC10907594 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01158-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
UPF1, a novel posttranscriptional regulator, regulates the abundance of transcripts, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and thus plays an important role in cell homeostasis. In this study, we revealed that UPF1 regulates the abundance of hepatocellular carcinoma upregulated EZH2-associated lncRNA (lncRNA-HEIH) by binding the CG-rich motif, thereby regulating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumorigenesis. UPF1-bound lncRNA-HEIH was susceptible to degradation mediated by UPF1 phosphorylation via SMG1 and SMG5. According to analysis of RNA-seq and public data on patients with liver cancer, the expression of lncRNA-HEIH increased the levels of miR-194-5p targets and was inversely correlated with miR-194-5p expression in HCC patients. Furthermore, UPF1 depletion upregulated lncRNA-HEIH, which acts as a decoy of miR-194-5p that targets GNA13, thereby promoting GNA13 expression and HCC proliferation. The UPF1/lncRNA-HEIH/miR-194-5p/GNA13 regulatory axis is suggested to play a crucial role in cell progression and may be a suitable target for HCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunho Cha
- Graduate School for Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Minwoo Kim
- Graduate School for Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Narae Ahn
- Graduate School for Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seong Dong Jeong
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
| | | | - Sung Wook Chi
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyeon Ho Kim
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea
- Institute for Future Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jungwook Hwang
- Graduate School for Biomedical Science & Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
- Hanyang Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
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Wu C, Li H, Chang W, Zhong L, Zhang L, Wen Z, Mai S. Identification and Validation of UPF1 as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:2166. [PMID: 36421841 PMCID: PMC9690017 DOI: 10.3390/genes13112166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 09/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Up frameshift protein 1 (UPF1) is a key component of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) of mRNA containing premature termination codons (PTCs). The dysregulation of UPF1 has been reported in various cancers. However, the expression profile of UPF1 and its clinical significance in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. Methods: In order to detect UPF1 expression in ccRCC and its relationship with the clinical features of ccRCC, bulk RNA sequencing data were analyzed from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress databases. The impact of UPF1 on the immune microenvironment of ccRCC was evaluated by multiple immune scoring algorithms to identify the cell groups that typically express UPF1 using ccRCC single cell sequencing (scRNA) data. In addition, genes co-expressed with UPF1 were identified by the weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA), followed by KEGG and Reactome enrichment analysis. A series of functional experiments were performed to assess the roles of UPF1 in renal cancer cells. Finally, pan-cancer analysis of UPF1 was also performed. Results: Compared with normal tissues, the expression levels of UPF1 mRNA and protein in tumor tissues of ccRCC patients decreased significantly. In addition, patients with low expression of UPF1 had a worse prognosis. Analysis of the immune microenvironment indicated that UPF1 immune cell infiltration was closely related and the ccRCC scRNA-seq data identified that UPF1 was mainly expressed in macrophages. WGCNA analysis suggested that the functions of co-expressed genes are mainly enriched in cell proliferation and cellular processes. Experimental tests showed that knockdown of UPF1 can promote the invasion, migration and proliferation of ccRCC cells. Lastly, pan-cancer analysis revealed that UPF1 disorders were closely associated with various cancer outcomes. Conclusions: UPF1 may play a tumor suppressive role in ccRCC and modulate the immune microenvironment. The loss of UPF1 can predict the prognosis of ccRCC, making it a promising biomarker and providing a new reference for prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Hongmu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Wuguang Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Leqi Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Zhesheng Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Shijuan Mai
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
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mRNA Metabolism in Health and Disease. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10092262. [PMID: 36140363 PMCID: PMC9496247 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10092262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
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