TNFR1 and TNFR2, Which Link NF-κB Activation, Drive Lung Cancer Progression, Cell Dedifferentiation, and Metastasis

Unveiling the mechanisms of trichloroethylene hypersensitivity syndrome: Exploring the role of connexin 43 gap junctions in severe skin damage

Trichloroethylene (TCE), extensively used as an organic solvent in various industrial applications, has been identified as a causative factor in inducing hypersensitivity syndrome (THS). Currently, there is no specific treatment for THS, and most patients experience serious adverse outcomes due to extensive skin damage leading to severe infection. However, the pathogenesis of THS-associated skin damage remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the mechanism underlying skin damage from the perspective of intercellular communication and gap junctions in THS. Our results verified that hyperactivation of connexin43 gap junctions, caused by the aberrantly elevated expression of connexin43, triggers a bystander effect that promotes apoptosis and inflammation in THS via the TNF-TNFRSF1B and mitochondria-associated pathways. Additionally, we identified the gap junction inhibitor Carbenoxolone disodium (CBX) as a promising agent for the treatment of skin damage in THS. CBX protects against inflammatory cell infiltration in the skin and decreases immune cell imbalance in the peripheral blood of THS mice. Furthermore, CBX reduces connexin43 expression, apoptosis and inflammation in THS mice. The study reveals new insights into the mechanisms underlying TCE-induced skin damage, offering a potential treatment strategy for the development of effective therapies targeting severe dermatitis induced by chemical exposure.

HspBP1 in Complex with the Peptide of the Innate Immunity Protein Tag7 is Able to Lyse Tumor Cells Carrying TNFR1 Receptor

The search for new cytotoxic agents capable of lysing tumor cells is an important task in the fight against cancer. Here we have shown that the HspBP1 protein, the chaperone of the heat shock protein Hsp70, is able to form a complex with the previously discovered peptide (17.1) of the innate immunity protein Tag7. Experiments using thermophoresis demonstrated that the affinity of the Tag7 protein peptide 17.1 to the HspBP1 molecule is 100 times higher than that of the full-sized Tag7 molecule. The addition of the 17.1-HspBP1 complex to tumor cells induces apoptosis and necroptosis in them. The results obtained in this work can be used to develop promising antitumor drugs.

Unraveling temporal and spatial biomarkers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer: insights into the crucial role of immunosuppressive cells

The occurrence and progression of tumors can be established through a complex interplay among tumor cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasive factors and immune cells. In this study, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatially resolved transcriptomics (ST) to evaluate the pseudotime trajectory and spatial interactive relationship between EMT-invasive malignant tumors and immune cells in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues at different stages (stage I/II and stage III with tumor deposit). Our research characterized the spatiotemporal relationship among different invasive tumor programs by constructing pseudotime endpoint-EMT-invasion tumor programs (EMTPs) located at the edge of ST, utilizing evolution trajectory analysis integrated with EMT-invasion genes. Strikingly, the invasive and expansive process of tumors undergoes remarkable spatial reprogramming of regulatory and immunosuppressive cells, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), regulatory T cells (Treg), and exhausted T cells (Tex). These EMTP-adjacent cell are linked to EMT-related invasion genes, especially the C-X-C motif ligand 1 (CXCL1) and CXCL8 genes that are important for CRC prognosis. Interestingly, the EMTPs in stage I mainly produce an inflammatory margin invasive niche, while the EMTPs in stage III tissues likely produce a hypoxic pre-invasive niche. Our data demonstrate the crucial role of regulatory and immunosuppressive cells in tumor formation and progression of CRC. This study provides a framework to delineate the spatiotemporal invasive niche in CRC samples.