Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor: An Overview and Its Role as a Potential Therapeutic Target Molecule for Digestive Malignancies

Single-Cell Patch-Clamp/Proteomics of Human Alzheimer's Disease iPSC-Derived Excitatory Neurons Versus Isogenic Wild-Type Controls Suggests Novel Causation and Therapeutic Targets

Standard single-cell (sc) proteomics of disease states inferred from multicellular organs or organoids cannot currently be related to single-cell physiology. Here, a scPatch-Clamp/Proteomics platform is developed on single neurons generated from hiPSCs bearing an Alzheimer's disease (AD) genetic mutation and compares them to isogenic wild-type controls. This approach provides both current and voltage electrophysiological data plus detailed proteomics information on single-cells. With this new method, the authors are able to observe hyperelectrical activity in the AD hiPSC-neurons, similar to that observed in the human AD brain, and correlate it to ≈1400 proteins detected at the single neuron level. Using linear regression and mediation analyses to explore the relationship between the abundance of individual proteins and the neuron's mutational and electrophysiological status, this approach yields new information on therapeutic targets in excitatory neurons not attainable by traditional methods. This combined patch-proteomics technique creates a new proteogenetic-therapeutic strategy to correlate genotypic alterations to physiology with protein expression in single-cells.

Determination of the Possible Target Genes of Hepatoma-derived Growth Factor in Hepatoma Cells

BACKGROUND/AIM

We identified a new growth factor, hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), which is a presumed growth-stimulating factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, we identified two microRNAs (miR-6072 and miR-3137) induced by HDGF, which were also found to be associated with the prognosis of HCC patients. This study aimed to identify the target genes of these HDGF-related microRNAs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A public database was searched for candidate target genes of HDGF-related microRNAs. Using the microarray system, the genes whose expression changed in response to HDGF administration were determined. Finally, a public cancer genomics database was searched for genes that were induced by HDGF and associated with the prognosis of HCC.

RESULTS

A total of 1,132 genes were identified as common target genes of the 2 HDGF-related microRNAs. Among these genes, a microarray system showed that the expression of 6 genes was increased (≥1.5-fold) or decreased (≤0.67-fold) after HDGF administration. Using a cancer genomics database, two of the six genes were found to be related to the prognosis of HCC. A high expression of alkylglycerone phosphate synthase (AGPS) was significantly associated with a poor survival (p=0.0025, 0.0063 and 0.0081 for the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival, respectively). A high expression of the shroom family member 4 (SHROOM4) gene was found to be significantly associated with a better survival (p=0.003, 0.0006 and 0.0006 for the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival, respectively).

CONCLUSION

This study identified potential target genes of HDGF-related microRNAs that were associated with the prognosis of HCC.

Role of the long non-coding RNAs in regulation of Gemcitabine response in tumor cells

Chemotherapy is widely used as one of the first line therapeutic methods in cancer patients. However, chemotherapeutic resistance is one of the most common problems in cancer patients, which leads to the therapeutic failure and tumor relapse. Considering the side effects of chemotherapy drugs in normal tissues, it is required to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in drug resistance to improve the therapeutic strategies in cancer patients. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have pivotal roles in regulation of cellular processes associated with drug resistance. LncRNAs deregulations have been frequently reported in a wide range of chemo-resistant tumors. Gemcitabine (GEM) as a nucleoside analog has a wide therapeutic application in different cancers. However, GEM resistance is considered as a therapeutic challenge. Considering the role of lncRNAs in the occurrence of GEM resistance, in the present review we discussed the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in regulation of GEM response among cancer patients. It has been reported that lncRNAs have mainly an oncogenic role as the inducers of GEM resistance through direct or indirect regulation of transcription factors, autophagy, polycomb complex, and signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT, MAPK, WNT, JAK/STAT, and TGF-β. This review paves the way to present the lncRNAs as non-invasive markers to predict GEM response in cancer patients. Therefore, lncRNAs can be introduced as the efficient markers to reduce the possible chemotherapeutic side effects in GEM resistant cancer patients and define a suitable therapeutic strategy among these patients.

Proteomic cardiovascular risk assessment in chronic kidney disease

AIMS

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is widely prevalent and independently increases cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular risk prediction tools derived in the general population perform poorly in CKD. Through large-scale proteomics discovery, this study aimed to create more accurate cardiovascular risk models.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Elastic net regression was used to derive a proteomic risk model for incident cardiovascular risk in 2182 participants from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort. The model was then validated in 485 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort. All participants had CKD and no history of cardiovascular disease at study baseline when ∼5000 proteins were measured. The proteomic risk model, which consisted of 32 proteins, was superior to both the 2013 ACC/AHA Pooled Cohort Equation and a modified Pooled Cohort Equation that included estimated glomerular filtrate rate. The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort internal validation set demonstrated annualized receiver operating characteristic area under the curve values from 1 to 10 years ranging between 0.84 and 0.89 for the protein and 0.70 and 0.73 for the clinical models. Similar findings were observed in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities validation cohort. For nearly half of the individual proteins independently associated with cardiovascular risk, Mendelian randomization suggested a causal link to cardiovascular events or risk factors. Pathway analyses revealed enrichment of proteins involved in immunologic function, vascular and neuronal development, and hepatic fibrosis.

CONCLUSION

In two sizeable populations with CKD, a proteomic risk model for incident cardiovascular disease surpassed clinical risk models recommended in clinical practice, even after including estimated glomerular filtration rate. New biological insights may prioritize the development of therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular risk reduction in the CKD population.

Molecular Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments in Digestive Malignancy

In this Special Issue, "Molecular Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Treatments in Digestive Malignancy", of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, a total of 10 impactful articles have been published [...].

Hepatocyte-Specific Triggering of Hepatic Stellate Cell Profibrotic Activation by Apoptotic Bodies: The Role of Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor, HIV, and Ethanol

Liver disease is one of the leading comorbidities in HIV infection. The risk of liver fibrosis development is potentiated by alcohol abuse. In our previous studies, we reported that hepatocytes exposed to HIV and acetaldehyde undergo significant apoptosis, and the engulfment of apoptotic bodies (ABs) by hepatic stellate cells (HSC) potentiates their pro-fibrotic activation. However, in addition to hepatocytes, under the same conditions, ABs can be generated from liver-infiltrating immune cells. The goal of this study is to explore whether lymphocyte-derived ABs trigger HSC profibrotic activation as strongly as hepatocyte-derived ABs. ABs were generated from Huh7.5-CYP2E1 (RLW) cells and Jurkat cells treated with HIV+acetaldehyde and co-culture with HSC to induce their pro-fibrotic activation. ABs cargo was analyzed by proteomics. ABs generated from RLW, but not from Jurkat cells activated fibrogenic genes in HSC. This was driven by the expression of hepatocyte-specific proteins in ABs cargo. One of these proteins is Hepatocyte-Derived Growth Factor, for which suppression attenuates pro-fibrotic activation of HSC. In mice humanized with only immune cells but not human hepatocytes, infected with HIV and fed ethanol, liver fibrosis was not observed. We conclude that HIV+ABs of hepatocyte origin promote HSC activation, which potentially may lead to liver fibrosis progression.

Small Extracellular Vesicles and Their Involvement in Cancer Resistance: An Up-to-Date Review

In recent years, tremendous progress has been made in understanding the roles of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cancer. Thanks to advancements in molecular biology, it has been found that the fraction of EVs called exosomes or small EVs (sEVs) modulates the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents by delivering molecularly active non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). An in-depth analysis shows that two main molecular mechanisms are involved in exosomal modified chemoresistance: (1) translational repression of anti-oncogenes by exosomal microRNAs (miRs) and (2) lack of translational repression of oncogenes by sponging of miRs through long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs). At the cellular level, these processes increase the proliferation and survival of cancer cells and improve their ability to metastasize and resist apoptosis. In addition, studies in animal models have shown enhancing tumor size under the influence of exosomal ncRNAs. Ultimately, exosomal ncRNAs are responsible for clinically significant chemotherapy failures in patients with different types of cancer. Preliminary data have also revealed that exosomal ncRNAs can overcome chemotherapeutic agent resistance, but the results are thoroughly fragmented. This review presents how exosomes modulate the response of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Understanding how exosomes interfere with chemoresistance may become a milestone in developing new therapeutic options, but more data are still required.

MiR-129-5p exerts Wnt signaling-dependent tumor-suppressive functions in hepatocellular carcinoma by directly targeting hepatoma-derived growth factor HDGF

BACKGROUND

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), histone deacetylases (HDACs) are frequently overexpressed. This results in chromatin compaction and silencing of tumor-relevant genes and microRNAs. Modulation of microRNA expression is a potential treatment option for HCC. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the epigenetically regulated miR-129-5p regarding its functional effects and target genes to understand its relevance for HCC tumorigenesis.

METHODS

Global miRNA expression of HCC cell lines (HLE, HLF, Huh7, HepG2, Hep3B) and normal liver cell lines (THLE-2, THLE-3) was analyzed after HDAC inhibition by miRNA sequencing. An in vivo xenograft mouse model and in vitro assays were used to investigate tumor-relevant functional effects following miR-129-5p transfection of HCC cells. To validate hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) as a direct target gene of miR-129-5p, luciferase reporter assays were performed. Survival data and HDGF expression were analyzed in public HCC datasets. After siRNA-mediated knockdown of HDGF, its cancer-related functions were examined.

RESULTS

HDAC inhibition induced the expression of miR-129-5p. Transfection of miR-129-5p increased the apoptosis of HCC cells, decreased proliferation, migration and ERK signaling in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Direct binding of miR-129-5p to the 3'UTR of HDGF via a noncanonical binding site was validated by luciferase reporter assays. HDGF knockdown reduced cell viability and migration and increased apoptosis in Wnt-inactive HCC cells. These in vitro results were in line with the analysis of public HCC datasets showing that HDGF overexpression correlated with a worse survival prognosis, primarily in Wnt-inactive HCCs.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides detailed insights into the regulatory network of the tumor-suppressive, epigenetically regulated miR-129-5p in HCC. Our results reveal for the first time that the therapeutic application of mir-129-5p may have significant implications for the personalized treatment of patients with Wnt-inactive, advanced HCC by directly regulating HDGF. Therefore, miR-129-5p is a promising candidate for a microRNA replacement therapy to prevent HCC progression and tumor metastasis.

Association of serum hepatoma-derived growth factor levels with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A pilot study

Background

Hepatoma‐derived growth factor (HDGF) is reported to play an important role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, growing evidence indicates its participation in immune system activation. This study analyzed the relationship among serum HDGF levels, disease activity, and laboratory markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

Blood samples from 165 patients with RA, 42 with osteoarthritis (OA), and 28 healthy controls, were used to evaluate the serum HDGF levels. Correlations of serum HDGF levels with age, 28‐joint count disease activity score (DAS28), and laboratory findings were assessed by Pearson correlation and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses to obtain HDGF optimal cutoffs according to the disease status. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on the knee synovial tissue samples from patients with RA and OA (n = 10 each) to investigate HDGF joint expression.

Results

Serum HDGF levels were significantly correlated with DAS28 erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = 0.412, p < 0.001) and C‐reactive protein values (r = 0.376, p < 0.001). The optimal cutoffs of serum HDGF levels from the ROC analysis were 5.79 and 5.14 for the differentiation of active/inactive disease and remission/non‐remission, respectively. The ideal cutoff of serum HDGF levels to differentiate RA and OA was determined as 5.47. Serial serum HDGF level analyses in 21 patients with RA revealed that serum HDGF levels significantly decreased after improvement in disease activity (p = 0.046). HDGF expression was not observed in the synovial tissues of the patients with RA and OA.

Conclusion

Serum HDGF level could be a potential laboratory biomarker for the severity of RA.

Natural Compounds as Promising Adjuvant Agents in The Treatment of Gliomas

In humans, glioblastoma is the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumor. Usually, glioblastoma has specific characteristics, such as aggressive cell proliferation and rapid invasion of surrounding brain tissue, leading to a poor patient prognosis. The current therapy-which provides a multidisciplinary approach with surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide-is not very efficient since it faces clinical challenges such as tumor heterogeneity, invasiveness, and chemoresistance. In this respect, natural substances in the diet, integral components in the lifestyle medicine approach, can be seen as potential chemotherapeutics. There are several epidemiological studies that have shown the chemopreventive role of natural dietary compounds in cancer progression and development. These heterogeneous compounds can produce anti-glioblastoma effects through upregulation of apoptosis and autophagy; allowing the promotion of cell cycle arrest; interfering with tumor metabolism; and permitting proliferation, neuroinflammation, chemoresistance, angiogenesis, and metastasis inhibition. Although these beneficial effects are promising, the efficacy of natural compounds in glioblastoma is limited due to their bioavailability and blood-brain barrier permeability. Thereby, further clinical trials are necessary to confirm the in vitro and in vivo anticancer properties of natural compounds. In this article, we overview the role of several natural substances in the treatment of glioblastoma by considering the challenges to be overcome and future prospects.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma-associated microRNAs Induced by Hepatoma-derived Growth Factor Stimulation

BACKGROUND/AIM

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is involved in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study assessed the epigenomic changes in hepatoma-derived cells through HDGF stimulation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used two hepatoma-derived cell lines (HepG2 and SK-Hep1) and searched for microRNAs whose expression commonly changed in response to HDGF administration. We further explored a genetic database to investigate the association of the candidate microRNAs with the survival of HCC patients.

RESULTS

Despite both HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells being categorized as hepatoma-derived cells, the microRNA profile differed between these two lines. However, HepG2 and SK-Hep1 cells shared 30 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated microRNAs. Of these, miR-6072 and miR-3137 were significantly associated with a poor prognosis in HCC patients.

CONCLUSION

We identified two candidate microRNAs whose expression increased in response to HDGF stimulation. Both these molecules were associated with a poor prognosis of HCC patients.