High Expression of POGK Predicts Poor Prognosis in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Pan-Cancer Analysis Reveals Disulfidoptosis-Associated Genes as Promising Immunotherapeutic Targets: Insights Gained from Bulk Omics and Single-Cell Sequencing Validation

Disulfidoptosis, a novel form of cell death, is distinct from other well-known cell death mechanisms. Consequently, a profound investigation into disulfidoptosis elucidates the fundamental mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis, presenting promising avenues for therapeutic intervention. Comprehensive analysis of disulfidoptosis-associated gene (DRG) expression in pan cancer utilized TCGA, GEO, and ICGC datasets, including survival and Cox-regression analyses for prognostic evaluation. We analyzed the association between DRG expression and both immune cell infiltration and immune-related gene expression using the ESTIMATE and TISDIB datasets. We obtained our single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from the GEO repository. Subsequently, we assessed disulfidoptosis activity in various cell types. Evaluation of immune cell infiltration and biological functions was analyzed via single-sample gene set enrichment (ssGSEA) and gene set variation analysis (GSVA). For in vitro validation experiments, the results from real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot were used to explore the expression of SLC7A11 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and different cancer cell lines, while siRNA-mediated SLC7A11 knockdown effects on HCC cell proliferation and migration were examined. Expression levels of DRGs, especially SLC7A11, were significantly elevated in tumor samples compared to normal samples, which was associated with poorer outcomes. Except for SLC7A11, DRGs consistently exhibited high CNV and SNV rates, particularly in HCC. In various tumors, DRGs were negatively associated with DNA promoter methylation. TME analyses further illustrated a negative correlation of DRG expression with ImmuneScore and StromalScore and a positive correlation with tumor purity. Our analysis unveiled diverse cellular subgroups within HCC, particularly focusing on Treg cell populations, providing insights into the intricate interplay of immune activation and suppression within the tumor microenvironment (TME). These findings were further validated through RT-qPCR, Western blot analyses, and immunohistochemical analyses. Additionally, the knockdown of SLC7A11 induced a suppression of proliferation and migration in HCC cell lines. In conclusion, our comprehensive pan-cancer analysis research has demonstrated the significant prognostic and immunological role of disulfidoptosis across a spectrum of tumors, notably HCC, and identified SLC7A11 as a promising therapeutic target.

Identification and validation of feature genes associated with M1 macrophages in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-specific cardiovascular complication that is the leading cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Previous studies have indicated the importance of immune cells, such as M1 and M2 macrophages, in the pathogenesis of PE. However, the mechanisms leading to immune dysregulation are unclear. Data-independent acquisition proteomic analysis was performed on placental tissues collected from patients with PE and healthy controls. Transcriptome data for placenta samples from patients with PE and their corresponding controls were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differential analysis of transcriptome and proteome data between PE and control groups was performed using R software. Immunocytic infiltration scoring was performed using the quantiseq algorithm. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) screened for feature genes associated with M1 cell infiltration. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis identified hub genes. We confirm that the infiltration score of M1 macrophages was significantly increased in the placental tissues of patients with PE. Differential analysis, WGCNA, and PPI analysis identified four hub molecules associated with M1 cell infiltration (HTRA4, POGK, MFAP5, and INHBA). The hub molecules displayed dysregulated expression in PE tissues. The qPCR, Western blots, and immunohistochemistry analyses confirmed that Inhibin, beta A (INHBA) was highly expressed in placental tissues of patients with PE. Immunofluorescence revealed the extensive infiltration of M1 macrophages in the placental tissues of patients with PE and their co-localization with INHBA. The collective results identified hub genes associated with M1 macrophage infiltration, providing potential targets for the pathogenesis and treatment of PE.