Revisiting the Old Data of Heat Shock Protein 27 Expression in Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Enigmatic HSP27, More Than Heat Shock

Decoding the Role of O-GlcNAcylation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) influence protein functionality by modulating protein stability, localization, and interactions with other molecules, thereby controlling various cellular processes. Common PTMs include phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, glycosylation, SUMOylation, methylation, sulfation, and nitrosylation. Among these modifications, O-GlcNAcylation has been shown to play a critical role in cancer development and progression, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This review outlines the role of O-GlcNAcylation in the development and progression of HCC. Moreover, we delve into the underlying mechanisms of O-GlcNAcylation in HCC and highlight compounds that target O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA) to improve treatment outcomes. Understanding the role of O-GlcNAcylation in HCC will offer insights into potential therapeutic strategies targeting OGT and OGA, which could improve treatment for patients with HCC.

Molecular Chaperones' Potential against Defective Proteostasis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuronal degenerative condition identified via a build-up of mutant aberrantly folded proteins. The native folding of polypeptides is mediated by molecular chaperones, preventing their pathogenic aggregation. The mutant protein expression in ALS is linked with the entrapment and depletion of chaperone capacity. The lack of a thorough understanding of chaperones' involvement in ALS pathogenesis presents a significant challenge in its treatment. Here, we review how the accumulation of the ALS-linked mutant FUS, TDP-43, SOD1, and C9orf72 proteins damage cellular homeostasis mechanisms leading to neuronal loss. Further, we discuss how the HSP70 and DNAJ family co-chaperones can act as potential targets for reducing misfolded protein accumulation in ALS. Moreover, small HSPB1 and HSPB8 chaperones can facilitate neuroprotection and prevent stress-associated misfolded protein apoptosis. Designing therapeutic strategies by pharmacologically enhancing cellular chaperone capacity to reduce mutant protein proteotoxic effects on ALS pathomechanisms can be a considerable advancement. Chaperones, apart from directly interacting with misfolded proteins for protein quality control, can also filter their toxicity by initiating strong stress-response pathways, modulating transcriptional expression profiles, and promoting anti-apoptotic functions. Overall, these properties of chaperones make them an attractive target for gaining fundamental insights into misfolded protein disorders and designing more effective therapies against ALS.

The role of heat shock proteins in metastatic colorectal cancer: A review

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a large molecular chaperone family classified by their molecular weights, including HSP27, HSP40, HSP60, HSP70, HSP90, and HSP110. HSPs are likely to have antiapoptotic properties and participate actively in various processes such as tumor cell proliferation, invasion, metastases, and death. In this review, we discuss comprehensively the functions of HSPs associated with the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) and metastasis and resistance to cancer therapy. Taken together, HSPs have numerous clinical applications as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis and potential therapeutic targets for CRC and its related metastases.