TRIM59 induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and promotes migration and invasion by PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in medulloblastoma

Integrated computational analyses reveal novel insights into the stromal microenvironment of SHH-subtype medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumour of childhood. While our understanding of this disease has progressed substantially in recent years, the role of tumour microenvironment remains unclear. Given the increasing role of microenvironment-targeted therapeutics in other cancers, this study was aimed at further exploring its role in medulloblastoma. Multiple computational techniques were used to analyze open-source bulk and single cell RNA seq data from primary samples derived from all subgroups of medulloblastoma. Gene expression is used to infer stromal subpopulations, and network-based approaches are used to identify potential therapeutic targets. Bulk data was obtained from 763 medulloblastoma samples and single cell data from an additional 7241 cells from 23 tumours. Independent bulk (285 tumours) and single cell (32,868 cells from 29 tumours) validation cohorts were used to verify results. The SHH subgroup was found to be enriched in stromal activity, including the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, while group 3 is comparatively stroma-suppressed. Several receptor and ligand candidates underlying this difference are identified which we find to correlate with metastatic potential of SHH medulloblastoma. Additionally, a biologically active gradient is detected within SHH medulloblastoma, from "stroma-active" to "stroma-suppressed" cells which may have relevance to targeted therapy. This study serves to further elucidate the role of the stromal microenvironment in SHH-subgroup medulloblastoma and identify novel treatment possibilities for this challenging disease.

TRIM59: A potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in human tumors

TRIM59 is a protein that is highly expressed in a variety of tumors and promotes tumor development. However, the use of TRIM59 as tumor diagnosis and prognosis biomarker has not been fully explored. We collected datasets from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and gene expression omnibus (GEO) to investigate its potential as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis. A total of 46 studies, including 11,558 patients were included in this study. Here, we showed that TRIM59 was significantly upregulated in 15 type of human solid tumors in comparison to their adjacent tissues. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) results provided further evidence for the use of TRIM59 as a potential tumor diagnosis biomarker. Overall survival (OS) was compared between TRIM59 high expression and low expression groups. High expression of TRIM59 indicated a poor prognosis in multiple solid tumors. Taken together, these analyses showed that TRIM59 was upregulated in various types of tumors and had the potential to be used as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in human solid tumors.

Pro-Resolving FPR2 Agonists Regulate NADPH Oxidase-Dependent Phosphorylation of HSP27, OSR1, and MARCKS and Activation of the Respective Upstream Kinases

Background: Formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, being activated either by pro-resolving or proinflammatory ligands. FPR2-associated signal transduction pathways result in phosphorylation of several proteins and in NADPH oxidase activation. We, herein, investigated molecular mechanisms underlying phosphorylation of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), oxidative stress responsive kinase 1 (OSR1), and myristolated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS) elicited by the pro-resolving FPR2 agonists WKYMVm and annexin A1 (ANXA1). Methods: CaLu-6 cells or p22phox^Crispr/Cas9 double nickase CaLu-6 cells were incubated for 5 min with WKYMVm or ANXA1, in the presence or absence of NADPH oxidase inhibitors. Phosphorylation at specific serine residues of HSP27, OSR1, and MARCKS, as well as the respective upstream kinases activated by FPR2 stimulation was analysed. Results: Blockade of NADPH oxidase functions prevents WKYMVm- and ANXA1-induced HSP-27(Ser82), OSR1(Ser339) and MARCKS(Ser170) phosphorylation. Moreover, NADPH oxidase inhibitors prevent WKYMVm- and ANXA1-dependent activation of p38MAPK, PI3K and PKCδ, the kinases upstream to HSP-27, OSR1 and MARCKS, respectively. The same results were obtained in p22phox^Crispr/Cas9 cells. Conclusions: FPR2 shows an immunomodulatory role by regulating proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory activities and NADPH oxidase is a key regulator of inflammatory pathways. The activation of NADPH oxidase-dependent pro-resolving downstream signals suggests that FPR2 signalling and NADPH oxidase could represent novel targets for inflammation therapeutic intervention.

Blockade of TRIM59 enhances esophageal cancer cell chemosensitivity to cisplatin by upregulating p53

Human esophageal cancer (hESC) cell motility adopts various modes, resulting in hESC progression and poor survival. However, how tripartite motif 59 (TRIM59), as the ubiquitination machinery, participates in hESC metastasis is not completely understood. The results indicated that TRIM59 was aberrantly upregulated in hESC tissues compared with adjacent healthy esophageal tissues, which was associated with poor survival and advanced TNM state among patients with hESC. Moreover, patients with hESC with higher TRIM59 expression displayed undetectable p53 expression, which contributed to enhanced progression and motility of hESC. At the molecular level, TRIM59 was indicated to be an E3 putative ubiquitin ligase that targeted the p53 protein, leading to increased degradation of p53, which resulted in decreased chemosensitivity to cisplatin. TRIM59 knockdown reduced TRIM59 expression, increased p53 protein expression, and decreased hESC cell viability, clone formation and migration compared with the small interfering RNA negative control (siNC) group. Furthermore, hESC cell lines were more sensitive to cisplatin in the TRIM59-knockdown group compared with the siNC group. The results indicated a relationship between TRIM59, p53 and the chemosensitivity of cisplatin. The present study suggested that TRIM59 may serve as a promising prognostic indicator for patients with hESC.

TRIM59 Protects Mice From Sepsis by Regulating Inflammation and Phagocytosis in Macrophages

Sepsis is associated with bacterial invasion and inflammation and has a high mortality rate. Previous studies have demonstrated that tripartite motif 59 (TRIM59) was involved in NF-κB signaling and could promote phagocytosis of macrophages, but the role of TRIM59 in sepsis is still unknown. In our study, we found that TRIM59 was downregulated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). In the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis mice model, the mortality of Trim59^flox/floxLyz-Cre (Trim59-cKO) mice was higher, the immune cell infiltration and damage of liver and lung were more severe, and bacteria burden was increased. We also found that TRIM59 altered the production of pro-inflammation cytokines, as well as macrophage phagocytosis ability. Further analysis indicated that NF-κB signal pathway and Fcγ receptors might be involved in these regulations. Our study demonstrated for the first time that TRIM59 protects mice from sepsis by regulating inflammation and phagocytosis in macrophages.

TRIM59 as a novel molecular biomarker to predict the prognosis of patients with NSCLC

As a member of the tripartite motif family, tripartite motif-containing protein 59 (TRIM59) serves as an E3 ubiquitin ligase in various cellular processes, including intracellular signaling, development, apoptosis, protein quality control, innate immunity, autophagy and carcinogenesis. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and prognostic value of TRIM59 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expression of TRIM59 in patients with NSCLC was measured by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarrays. Datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used to further verify the expression level of TRIM59 in NSCLC, lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). The prognostic value of TRIM59 in NSCLC was also analyzed. Immunohistochemistry revealed that TRIM59 was primarily located in the cytoplasm of tumor cells. Analysis of TCGA datasets revealed that TRIM59 was more highly expressed in tumor tissues than in normal tissues (P<0.0001). Furthermore, the TRIM59 expression level was associated with tumor differentiation (P=0.012), while no association was observed between TRIM59 expression and any other clinicopathological parameters. However, the average overall survival rate of patients with NSCLC in the high TRIM59 expression group was significantly lower than that in the low expression group (P=0.014), especially in patients with LUSC (P=0.016) and patients with poor differentiation (P=0.033). The multivariate analysis indicated that high TRIM59 expression is an independent prognostic factor in patients with NSCLC (P=0.018) and was associated with poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Therefore, TRIM59 may serve as a novel molecular biomarker to predict the prognosis of patients with NSCLC.

The role of TRIM family proteins in the regulation of cancer stem cell self-renewal

The tripartite-motif (TRIM) family of proteins represents one of the largest classes of putative single protein RING-finger E3 ubiquitin ligases. The members of this family are characterized by an N-terminal TRIM motif containing one RING-finger domain, one or two zinc-finger domains called B boxes (B1 box and B2 box), and a coiled-coil region. The TRIM motif can be found in isolation or in combination with a variety of C-terminal domains, and based on C-terminus, TRIM proteins are classified into 11 distinct groups. Because of the complex nature of TRIM proteins, they are implicated in a variety of cellular functions and biological processes, including regulation of cell proliferation, cell division and developmental processes, cancer transformation, regulation of cell metabolism, autophagocytosis, modification of chromatin status, regulation of gene transcription, post-translational modifications, and interactions with pathogens. Here, we demonstrate the specific activities of TRIM family proteins that contribute to the cancer stem cell phenotype. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that several TRIM members guarantee the acquisition of stem cell properties and the ability to sustain stem-like phenotype by cancer cells using distinct mechanisms. For other members, further work is needed to understand their full contribution to stem cell self-renewal. Identification of TRIM proteins that possess the potential to serve as therapeutic targets may result in the development of new therapeutic strategies. Finally, these strategies may result in the disruption of the machinery of stemness acquisition, which may prevent tumor growth, progression, and overcome the resistance to anticancer therapies.

Tripartite Motif-Containing Protein 59 (TRIM59) Promotes Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Progression via the Focal Adhesion Kinase(FAK)/AKT/Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP) Pathway

Background

The tripartite motif-containing protein 59 (TRIM59) is an important member of the TRIM family, which regulates biological processes. However, the relationship between TRIM59 and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is not clear.

Material/Methods

The TRIM59 expression level was detected in EOC tissues and cell lines. CCK-8 assay, Transwell assay, and wound healing assay were performed to determine the effects of TRIM59 on EOC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Silencing of the expression of TRIM59 in EOC cells and expression of FAK/AKT/MMP pathway-related protein were detected by Western blot analysis.

Results

Through bioinformatics analysis, TRIM59 was found to be highly expressed in EOC and was correlated with prognosis of patients. TRIM59 was upregulated in EOC tissues and cells. Silencing TRIM59 significantly suppressed EOC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In terms of molecular mechanism, silencing TRIM59 inhibited the FAK/AKT/MMP pathway.

Conclusions

TRIM59 is a biomarker for the prognosis of EOC. It is also oncogenic and a potential target for EOC therapy.

Low Expression of miR-466f-3p Sustains Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Sonic Hedgehog Medulloblastoma Stem Cells Through Vegfa-Nrp2 Signaling Pathway

High-throughput analysis has improved the knowledge of medulloblastoma (MB), the leading cause of cancer related death in children, allowing a better comprehension of the key molecular pathways in MB pathogenesis. However, despite these advances, 30% of patients still die from the disease and survivors face severe long-term side effects. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a subset of cells that not only drive tumorigenesis, but are also one of the main determinants of chemoresistance. Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a hallmark of cancer and up to now few data is available in MB. To give insight into the role of the EMT process in maintaining the mesenchymal phenotype of CSCs, we analyzed the expression of EMT related transcripts and microRNAs in these cells. We firstly isolated CSCs from Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) MB derived from Ptch1 heterozygous mice and compared their expression level of EMT-related transcripts and microRNAs with cerebellar NSCs. We identified two molecules linked to SHH and EMT, Vegfa and its receptor Nrp2, over-expressed in SHH MB CSCs. Inhibition of Vegfa showed impairment of cell proliferation and self-renewal ability of CSCs concurrent with an increase of the expression of the EMT gene, E-cadherin, and a decrease of the EMT marker, Vimentin. Moreover, among deregulated microRNAs, we identified miR-466f-3p, a validated inhibitor of both Vegfa and Nrp2. These results allowed us to describe a new EMT molecular network, involving the down-regulation of miR-466f-3p together with the concordant up-regulation of Vegfa and Nrp2, that sustains the mesenchymal phenotype of SHH MB CSCs.