Expression of NUAK2 in gastric cancer tissue and its effects on the proliferation of gastric cancer cells

Depletion of NUAK2 blocks the stemness and angiogenesis and facilitates senescence of lung adenocarcinoma cells via enhancing ferroptosis

BACKGROUND

NUAK family kinase 2 (NUAK2) has been identified as an important mediator for tumor progression in multiple malignancies. Nevertheless, its role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear.

METHODS

Bioinformatic analysis was performed to assess the expression and prognosis of NUAK2 in patients with LUAD. The NUAK2 expression was measured in multiple LUAD cell lines, and the loss-of-function experiment was conducted. Cell proliferation ability was assessed using CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Spheroid formation, alkaline phosphatase (AP) staining, tube formation and SA-β-gal staining assays were performed to examine stemness, angiogenesis and senescence. Lipid peroxidase was assessed by TBARS production and lipid ROS. Western blot was used to detect critical proteins. In addition, A549 cells were treated with ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) for a rescue assay. Finally, A549 cells were subcutaneously injected into the right flank of mice to establish LUAD-bearing mouse model, and the tumor weight and size were detected.

RESULTS

NUAK2 was upregulated in patients with LUAD and LUAD cell lines. NUAK2 depletion inhibited cell viability, colonies, tumor spheres and decreased Oct4 and Nanog expression, confirming NUAK2 depletion inhibited proliferation and stemness of A549 cells. Meanwhile, NUAK2 depletion blocked angiogenesis via reducing formed tubes and VEGFR1/2 expression, and promoted senescence of A549 cells by elevating SA-β-gal-positive cells and p16, p21 and p53 expression. Moreover, NUAK2 depletion elevated lipid ROS, TBARS production and Fe2+ level, demonstrating that NUAK2 depletion could trigger ferroptosis in A549 cells. Furthermore, the rescue experiments revealed that the impacts of NUAK2 depletion on malignant behaviors in A549 cells were partly weakened by additional Fer-1 treatment. Finally, in vivo experiments demonstrated that NUAK2 knockdown greatly inhibited tumor growth in LUAD-bearing mice.

CONCLUSION

In summary, NUAK2 depletion impeded oncogenic phenotypes of A549 cells partly via triggering ferroptosis, suggesting NUAK2 as a novel target for treating LUAD.

OTUD7B deubiquitinates and stabilizes YAP1 to upregulate NUAK2 expression, thus accelerating gastric cancer procession

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Ovarian tumor protein superfamily serves a crucial role in tumor growth progression, among them, ovarian tumor domain-containing 7B (OTUD7B) as a deubiquitinase (DUB) is frequently found in various cancers, but the role of OTUD7B in GC is poorly understood.

AIMS

To clarify the effect of OTUD7B on GC progression.

METHODS

Functional experiments were performed to detect the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells. Xenografts were used to measure the effects in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and ubiquitination assays showed the interaction of OTUD7B and YAP1.

RESULTS

OTUD7B was highly expressed in tumor tissues from GC patients, and high mRNA expression was strongly associated with poor prognosis, suggesting that OTUD7B was an independent prognostic factor. Moreover, OTUD7B overexpression promoted GC cell proliferation and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo, whereas OTUD7B knockdown exhibited opposing biological effects. Mechanically, OTUD7B promoted downstream target genes of YAP1 including NUAK2, Snail, Slug, CDK6, CTGF, and BIRC5. Importantly, OTUD7B enhanced the activation of YAP1 via deubiquitinating and stabilizing to upregulate NUAK2 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

OTUD7B is a novel DUB of the YAP1 pathway and accelerates GC progression. Therefore, OTUD7B may be a promising therapeutic target against GC.

Activated Akt expression is associated with the recurrence of primary melanomas and further refines the prognostic and predictive values for relapse in acral melanomas

A PTEN deficiency leads to the activation of phospho-Akt at serine 473 (p-Akt) and promotes the tumorigenesis of melanomas by coupling with NUAK2 amplification. We tested the prognostic impact of p-Akt and/or NUAK2 expression on the relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of melanoma patients. Primary tumors from patients with acral melanomas (112), Low-cumulative sun damage (CSD) melanomas (38), and High-CSD melanomas (18) were examined using immunohistochemistry and their prognostic significance was analyzed statistically. The expression of p-Akt was found in 32.1%, 68.4%, and 55.6% of acral, Low-CSD, and High-CSD melanomas, while NUAK2 expression was found in 46.4%, 76.3%, and 50.0%, respectively. Either p-Akt or NUAK2 expression was inversely correlated with the RFS of primary melanoma patients and acral melanoma patients (p-Akt: p < .0001, p < .0001; NUAK2; p = .0005, p < .0001, respectively). Strikingly, multivariate analyses revealed that p-Akt had a significant impact on RFS (Hazard ratio = 4.454; p < .0001), while NUAK2 did not. Further subset analyses revealed that p-Akt expression had an inferior RFS of patients with acral melanomas (Hazard ratio = 4.036; p = .0005). We conclude that the expression of p-Akt has a significant impact on RFS of patients with primary melanomas and can predict the relapse of patients with acral melanomas.

Development of a tumor microenvironment-related prognostic signature in glioma to predict immune landscape and potential therapeutic drugs

The involvement of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in the biology of gliomas has expanded, while it is yet uncertain its potential of supporting diagnosis and therapy choices. According to immunological characteristics and overall survival, cohorts of glioma patients from public databases were separated into two TME-relevant clusters in this analysis. Based on differentially expressed genes between TME clusters and correlative regression analysis, a 21-gene molecular classifier of TME-related prognostic signature (TPS) was constructed. Afterward, the prognostic efficacy and effectiveness of TPS were assessed in the training and validation groups. The outcome demonstrated that TPS might be utilized alone or in conjunction with other clinical criteria to act as a superior prognostic predictor for glioma. Also, high-risk glioma patients classified by TPS were considered to associate with enhanced immune infiltration, greater tumor mutation, and worse general prognosis. Finally, possible treatment medicines specialized for different risk subgroups of TPS were evaluated in drug databases.

Insights into recent findings and clinical application of YAP and TAZ in cancer

Decades of research have mapped out the basic mechanics of the Hippo pathway. The paralogues Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), as the central transcription control module of the Hippo pathway, have long been implicated in the progression of various human cancers. The current literature regarding oncogenic YAP and TAZ activities consists mostly of context-specific mechanisms and treatments of human cancers. Furthermore, a growing number of studies demonstrate tumour-suppressor functions of YAP and TAZ. In this Review we aim to synthesize an integrated perspective of the many disparate findings regarding YAP and TAZ in cancer. We then conclude with the various strategies for targeting and treating YAP- and TAZ-dependent cancers.

MiR-1179 represses cell proliferation, migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma through suppression of NUAK2

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the function and mechanism of miR-1179 in the tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS

The levels of miR-1179 and NUAK2 in clinical tissues or cell lines were examined using quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), EdU assay, colony formation, wound healing, Transwell assays and flow cytometry assays were conducted to examine the impact of miR-1179 on HCC cells. The protein expression of NUAK2 was detected using Western blotting assay. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to reveal the association of miR-1179 with NUAK2.

RESULTS

MiR-1179 expression was significantly downregulated in HCC specimens and cell lines compared to normal samples and cells. The miR-1179 overexpression inhibited HCC cell migration, invasion and proliferation through targeting NUAK2. Overexpression of NUAK2 can reverse the effect of miR-1179 on hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

CONCLUSION

miR-1179 suppresses HCC developmen through targeting NUAK2. Which can be used as a potent HCC diagnostic marker.

NUAK2 silencing inhibits the proliferation, migration and epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition of cervical cancer cells via upregulating CYFIP2

NUAK family kinase 2 (NUAK2) has been reported to be involved in various cancer cell processes, including proliferation, apoptosis and invasion, by targeting multiple genes. However, to the best of our knowledge, its biological function in cervical cancer (CC) has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to measure the expression of NUAK2 and to evaluate its functions in CC. The expression levels of NUAK2 and cytoplasmic FMRP-interacting protein 2 (CYFIP2) were detected in CC tissues and cell lines. In addition, the effects of NUAK2 and CYFIP2 knockdown on CC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were evaluated in vitro using Cell Counting Kit-8, immunofluorescence, wound healing assay, Transwell assay and western blotting, respectively. Furthermore, co-immunoprecipitation was performed to determine the interaction between NUAK2 and CYFIP2. The results revealed that the expression levels of NUAK2 were upregulated in CC tissues and cells, whereas CYFIP2 expression was reduced. In addition, knockdown of NUAK2 reduced cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT. Notably, NUAK2 was found to bind directly to CYFIP2. Furthermore, CYFIP2 inhibition reversed the effects of NUAK2 on CC cells. In summary, NUAK2 may regulate CYFIP2 expression to promote CC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT.

PRKAR1A and Thyroid Tumors

Simple Summary

In 2021 it is estimated that there will be 44,280 new cases of thyroid cancer in the United States and the incidence rate is higher in women than in men by almost 3 times. Well-differentiated thyroid cancer is the most common subtype of thyroid cancer and includes follicular (FTC) and papillary (PTC) carcinomas. Over the last decade, researchers have been able to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in thyroid carcinogenesis, identifying genes including but not limited to RAS, BRAF, PAX8/PPARγ chromosomal rearrangements and others, as well as several tumor genes involved in major signaling pathways regulating cell cycle, differentiation, growth, or proliferation. Patients with Carney complex (CNC) have increased incidence of thyroid tumors, including cancer, yet little is known about this association. CNC is a familial multiple neoplasia and lentiginosis syndrome cause by inactivating mutations in the PRKAR1A gene which encodes the regulatory subunit type 1α of protein kinase A. This work summarizes what we know today about PRKAR1A defects in humans and mice and their role in thyroid tumor development, as the first such review on this issue.

Abstract

Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine malignancy and the incidence is rapidly increasing. Follicular (FTC) and papillary thyroid (PTC) carcinomas comprise the well-differentiated subtype and they are the two most common thyroid carcinomas. Multiple molecular genetic and epigenetic alterations have been identified in various types of thyroid tumors over the years. Point mutations in BRAF, RAS as well as RET/PTC and PAX8/PPARγ chromosomal rearrangements are common. Thyroid cancer, including both FTC and PTC, has been observed in patients with Carney Complex (CNC), a syndrome that is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and predisposes to various tumors. CNC is caused by inactivating mutations in the tumor-suppressor gene encoding the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA) type 1α regulatory subunit (PRKAR1A) mapped in chromosome 17 (17q22–24). Growth of the thyroid is driven by the TSH/cAMP/PKA signaling pathway and it has been shown in mouse models that PKA activation through genetic ablation of the regulatory subunit Prkar1a can cause FTC. In this review, we provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms contributing to thyroid tumorigenesis associated with inactivation of the RRKAR1A gene.

lncRNA FGD5‑AS1 promotes breast cancer progression by regulating the hsa‑miR‑195‑5p/NUAK2 axis

Breast cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in women worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as important regulators of tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis. lncRNA FGD5-AS1 has been previously reported as a carcinogenic gene, however its role in breast cancer has yet to be investigated. The present study aimed to understand the function of lncRNA FGD5-AS1 in breast cancer and examine the underlying molecular mechanisms. Sample tissues for downstream gene expression profiling were collected from patients with breast cancer (n=23). The effect of FGD5-AS1 overexpression on cell viability, invasion and migration has been studied in breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). Changes in glycolysis were monitored by comparing glucose consumption, lactate production and ATP levels. Using StarBase and TargetScan databases a putative interaction between FGD5-AS1, miR-195-5p and SNF1-like kinase 2 (NUAK2) was predicted in silico. Expression levels of FGD5-AS1, has-miR-195-5p and NUAK2 were validated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and interactions were validated using dual-luciferase reporter assays and RNA pull-down. High expression of lncRNA FGD5-AS1 was detected in breast cancer tissue samples and disease model cell lines. Silencing of FGD5-AS1 led to decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion. It was identified that at a molecular level FGD5-AS1 serves as a sponge of miR-195-5p and alters the expression of its downstream target gene NUAK2. In breast cancer lncRNA FGD5-AS1 serve a key role in glycolysis and tumor progression via the miR-195-5p/NUAK2 axis. The findings of the present study indicated FGD5-AS1 as a candidate target for intervention in patients with breast cancer.

NUAK2 localization in normal skin and its expression in a variety of skin tumors with YAP

BACKGROUND

NUAK2 is a critical gene that participates in the carcinogenesis of various types of cancers including melanomas. However, the expression patterns of NUAK2 in normal skin and in various types of skin tumors have not been fully elucidated to date.

OBJECTIVES

To elucidate the distribution and localization of NUAK2 expression in normal skin, and characterize the expression patterns of NUAK2 and YAP in various types of skin tumors.

METHODS

In this study, we characterized the expression of NUAK2 in tissues by developing a novel NUAK2-specific monoclonal antibody and using that to determine NUAK2 expression patterns in normal skin and in 155 cases of various types of skin tumors, including extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), Bowen's disease (BD), actinic keratosis (AK), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and angiosarcoma (AS). Further, we analyzed the expression patterns of YAP and p-Akt in those tumors.

RESULTS

Our analyses revealed that NUAK2 is expressed at high frequencies in EMPD, SCC, BD, AK, BCC and AS. The expression of p-Akt was positively correlated with tumor size in EMPD (P = 0.001). Importantly, the expression of NUAK2 was significantly correlated with YAP in SCC (P = 0.012) and in BD (P = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that the YAP-NUAK2 axis has critical importance in the tumorigenesis of SCC and BD, and that therapeutic modalities targeting the YAP-NUAK2 axis may be an effective approach against skin tumors including SCC and BD.

PKA Activates AMPK Through LKB1 Signaling in Follicular Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer affects about one percent of the population, and has seen rising incidence in recent years. Follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) comprises 10-15% of all thyroid cancers. Although FTC is often localized, it can behave aggressively with hematogenous metastasis, leading to an increased risk of cancer death. We previously described a mouse model for FTC caused by tissue-specific ablation of the Protein Kinase A (PKA) regulatory subunit Prkar1a, either by itself or in combination with knockout of Pten. Loss of Prkar1a causes enhanced activity of PKA, whereas ablation of Pten causes activation of Akt signaling. At the molecular level, these genetic manipulations caused activation of mTOR signaling, which was also observed in human FTC cases. To understand the mechanism by which PKA activates mTOR, we began by studying intracellular kinases known to modulate mTOR function. Although AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) has been characterized as a negative regulator of mTOR activity, our tumor model exhibited activation of both AMPK and mTOR. To understand the mechanism by which AMPK was turned on, we next studied kinases known to cause its phosphorylation. In this paper, we report that PKA leads to AMPK activation through the LKB1 kinase. Although LKB1 has traditionally been considered a tumor suppressor, our data indicates that it may have a complex role in the thyroid gland, where its activation appears to be frequently associated with follicular thyroid carcinoma in both mice and humans.

NUAK2 is a critical YAP target in liver cancer

The Hippo-YAP signaling pathway is a critical regulator of proliferation, apoptosis, and cell fate. The main downstream effector of this pathway, YAP, has been shown to be misregulated in human cancer and has emerged as an attractive target for therapeutics. A significant insufficiency in our understanding of the pathway is the identity of transcriptional targets of YAP that drive its potent growth phenotypes. Here, using liver cancer as a model, we identify NUAK2 as an essential mediator of YAP-driven hepatomegaly and tumorigenesis in vivo. By evaluating several human cancer cell lines we determine that NUAK2 is selectively required for YAP-driven growth. Mechanistically, we found that NUAK2 participates in a feedback loop to maximize YAP activity via promotion of actin polymerization and myosin activity. Additionally, pharmacological inactivation of NUAK2 suppresses YAP-dependent cancer cell proliferation and liver overgrowth. Importantly, our work here identifies a specific, potent, and actionable target for YAP-driven malignancies.

Hippo-YAP pathway plays an important role in cancers; however the in vivo relevance of YAP/TAZ target genes is unclear. Here, the authors show that NUAK2 is a target of YAP and participates in a feedback loop to maximize YAP activity. Inhibition of NUAK2 suppresses YAP-driven hepatomegaly and liver cancer growth, offering a new target for cancer therapy.