PLCε promotes urinary bladder cancer cells proliferation through STAT3/LDHA pathway‑mediated glycolysis

Advancements in research on lactate dehydrogenase A in urinary system tumors

Tumors of the urinary system, such as prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and renal cell carcinoma, are among the most prevalent types of tumors. They often remain asymptomatic in their early stages, with some patients experiencing recurrence or metastasis post-surgery, leading to disease progression. Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) plays a crucial role in the glycolysis pathway and is closely associated with anaerobic glycolysis in urinary system tumors. Therefore, a comprehensive investigation into the intricate mechanism of LDHA in these tumors can establish a theoretical foundation for early diagnosis and advanced treatment. This review consolidates the current research and applications of LDHA in urinary system tumors, with the aim of providing researchers with a distinct perspective.

Protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 accentuates cholangiocarcinoma progression via mTORC1-mediated glycolysis

This study aimed to investigate the expression of protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) in cholangiocarcinoma (CHOL) and elucidate its potential impact as well as the underlying mechanisms governing the progression of CHOL. In this study, we used CHOL cells (HUCCT1, RBE, and CCLP1) and conducted a series of experiments, including qRT-PCR, cell counting kit-8 assays, EdU assays, flow cytometry, wound healing assays, Transwell assays, western blotting, double luciferase assays, and ELISA. Subsequently, a mouse model was established using cancer cell injections. Haematoxylin-eosin staining, along with Ki67 and TUNEL assays, were employed to assess tissue histopathology, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. Our findings revealed significantly elevated PRC1 expression in CHOL. According to bioinformatics analysis, it was found that the increased PRC1 level is correlated with the high tumour grades, metastases, and unfavourable prognoses. Notably, PRC1 knockdown inhibited cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion while promoting apoptosis in CHOL cells. Analysing TCGA-CHOL data and utilising transcription factor prediction tools (hTFtarget and HumanTFDB), we identified that genes positively correlated with PRC1 in TCGA-CHOL intersect with predicted transcription factors, revealing the activation of PRC1 by forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1). Moreover, PRC1 was found to exert regulatory control over glycolysis and the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway in the context of CHOL based on KEGG and GSEA analysis. Collectively, these results underscore the pivotal role of PRC1 in CHOL progression, wherein it modulates glycolysis and the mTORC1 pathway under the regulatory influence of FOXM1.

Targeting the bicarbonate transporter SLC4A4 overcomes immunosuppression and immunotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer

Solid tumors are generally characterized by an acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) that favors cancer progression, therapy resistance and immune evasion. By single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis in individuals with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), we reveal solute carrier family 4 member 4 (SLC4A4) as the most abundant bicarbonate transporter, predominantly expressed by epithelial ductal cells. Functionally, SLC4A4 inhibition in PDAC cancer cells mitigates the acidosis of the TME due to bicarbonate accumulation in the extracellular space and a decrease in lactate production by cancer cells as the result of reduced glycolysis. In PDAC-bearing mice, genetic or pharmacological SLC4A4 targeting improves T cell-mediated immune response and breaches macrophage-mediated immunosuppression, thus inhibiting tumor growth and metastases. In addition, Slc4a4 targeting in combination with immune checkpoint blockade is able to overcome immunotherapy resistance and prolong survival. Overall, our data propose SLC4A4 as a therapeutic target to unleash an antitumor immune response in PDAC.

CNN1 Represses Bladder Cancer Progression and Metabolic Reprogramming by Modulating HIF-1α Signaling Pathway

Bladder cancer (BC) is the second most common urinary system malignant tumor around the whole world. It has been reported that CNN1 was lowly expressed in BC tissues. However, the mechanisms of CNN1 on BC cells were unclear. Herein, we aimed to probe the specific influences of CNN1 on BC pathogenesis. First, the expression level and prognostic ability of CNN1 in BC patients were surveyed. Then, CNN1 overexpression was executed to exhibit the influences of CNN1 on BC cells. The real-time PCR and Western blotting were employed to detect by the mRNA and protein expression levels. CCK8 assay was utilized to examine cell proliferation, and transwell assay was executed to test cell invasion and migration. The corresponding kits were utilized to detect glucose absorption, lactate secretion, and ATP level. BC cells overexpressing CNN1 were utilized to establish a nude mouse xenograft tumor model, and the tumor volume and tumor weight were detected. Nude mouse tumor tissues were used for immunohistochemical experiments to test the expression levels of Ki-67 and CNN1. The outcomes indicated that CNN1 was significantly lowly expressed in BC tissues and cells. Besides, low expression of CNN1 might be concerned with poor prognosis. Moreover, overexpression of CNN1 repressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration of BC cells. Furthermore, CNN1 overexpression decreased the protein levels of glycolysis-related protein GLUT1 (glucose transporter 1), pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), and LDHA (lactate dehydrogenase A). Then, the decreased mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α and PDK1 were identified after CNN1 overexpression. The in vivo assays verified the effects of aberrant expression of CNN1 in mice with BC. In conclusion, these findings suggested that CNN1 might modulate BC progression through activating HIF-1α pathway and CNN1 might be a promising marker for BC diagnosis.

USP24-GSDMB complex promotes bladder cancer proliferation via activation of the STAT3 pathway

Background: Bladder cancer is the fourth and tenth most common malignancy in men and women worldwide, respectively. One of the main reasons for the unsatisfactory therapeutic control of bladder cancer is that the molecular biological mechanism of bladder cancer is complex. Gasdermin B (GSDMB) is one member of the gasdermin family and participates in the regulation of cell pyroptosis. The role of GSDMB in bladder cancer has not been studied to date. Methods: TCGA database was used to exam the clinical relevance of GSDMB. Functional assays such as MTT assay, Celigo fluorescent cell-counting assay, Annexin V-APC assay and xenografts were used to evaluate the biological role of GSDMB in bladder cancer. Mass spectrometry and immunoprecipitation were used to detect the protein interaction between GSDMB and STAT3, or GSDMB and USP24. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to study the relationship between USP24, GSDMB and STAT3. Results: In this study, bioinformatics analysis indicated that the mRNA expression level of GSDMB in bladder cancer tissues was higher than that in adjacent normal tissues. Then, we showed that GSDMB promoted bladder cancer progression. Furthermore, we demonstrated that GSDMB interacted with STAT3 to increase the phosphorylation of STAT3 and modulate the glucose metabolism and promote tumor growth in bladder cancer cells. Besides, we also showed that USP24 stabilized GSDMB to activate STAT3 signaling, which was blocked by the USP24 inhibitor. Conclusions: We suggested that aberrantly up-regulated GSDMB was responsible for enhancing the growth and invasion ability of bladder cancer cells. Then, we showed that GSDMB could bind to STAT3 and activate STAT3 signaling in bladder cancer. Furthermore, we also demonstrated that USP24 interacted with GSDMB and prevented GSDMB from degradation in bladder cancer cells. Therefore, the USP24/GSDMB/STAT3 axis may be a new targetable signaling pathway for bladder cancer treatment.

Androgen receptor signalling confers clonogenic and migratory advantages in urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder

Bladder urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) incidence is about three times higher in men compared with women. There are several indications for the involvement of hormonal factors in the aetiology of UCC. Here, we provide evidence of androgen signalling in UCC progression. Microarray and qPCR analysis revealed that the androgen receptor (AR) mRNA level is upregulated in a subset of UCC cases. In an AR‐positive UCC‐derived cell line model, UM‐UC‐3‐AR, androgen treatment increased clonogenic capacity inducing the formation of big stem cell‐like holoclones, while AR knockdown or treatment with the AR antagonist enzalutamide abrogated this clonogenic advantage. Additionally, blockage of AR signalling reduced the cell migration potential of androgen‐stimulated UM‐UC‐3‐AR cells. These phenotypic changes were accompanied by a rewiring of the transcriptome with almost 300 genes being differentially regulated by androgens, some of which correlated with AR expression in UCC patients in two independent data sets. Our results demonstrate that AR signals in UCC favouring the development of an aggressive phenotype and highlights its potential as a therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

Identifying Novel Cell Glycolysis-Related Gene Signature Predictive of Overall Survival in Gastric Cancer

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is believed to be one of the most common digestive tract malignant tumors. The prognosis of GC remains poor due to its high malignancy, high incidence of metastasis and relapse, and lack of effective treatment. The constant progress in bioinformatics and molecular biology techniques has given rise to the discovery of biomarkers with clinical value to predict the GC patients' prognosis. However, the use of a single gene biomarker can hardly achieve the satisfactory specificity and sensitivity. Therefore, it is urgent to identify novel genetic markers to forecast the prognosis of patients with GC.

Materials and Methods

In our research, data mining was applied to perform expression profile analysis of mRNAs in the 443 GC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort. Genes associated with the overall survival (OS) of GC were identified using univariate analysis. The prognostic predictive value of the risk factors was determined using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariate analysis. The risk scoring system was built in TCGA dataset and validated in an independent Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset comprising 300 GC patients. Based on the median of the risk score, GC patients were grouped into high-risk and low-risk groups.

Results

We identified four genes (GMPPA, GPC3, NUP50, and VCAN) that were significantly correlated with GC patients' OS. The high-risk group showed poor prognosis, indicating that the risk score was an effective predictor for the prognosis of GC patients.

Conclusion

The signature consisting of four glycolysis-related genes could be used to forecast the GC patients' prognosis.

Sirtuin 6 and metabolic genes interplay in Warburg effect in cancers

Under oxygen availability, normal cells undergo mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to metabolize glucose and yield up to 36 ATPs per glucose molecule for cellular functions, and undergo non-oxidative metabolism (glycolysis) under hypoxic and proliferating conditions to yield 2 ATP per glucose. These cells metabolize glucose to pyruvate via glycolysis followed by conversion of pyruvate to lactate via lactate dehydrogenase. However, cancer cells have the ability to undergo glycolysis and ferment glucose to lactate regardless of oxygen availability; a phenomenon first addressed by Otto Warburg and called, "Warburg effect". Numerous glycolytic genes/proteins have been identified in tumors; that include glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate kinase-M2 splice isoform (PKM2), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH-A). Histone deacetylase sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), an epigenetic regulator, is highly expressed in various cancers. SIRT6 plays an important role in Warburg effect by regulating many glycolytic genes. Loss of SIRT6 enhances tumor growth via enhancing glycolysis. This review is mainly concerned with exploring the most recent advances in understanding the roles of the metabolic genes (GLUT1, HK2, PKM2, and LDH-A) and the epigenetic regulator SIRT6 in cancer metabolism and how SIRT6 can modulate these metabolic genes expression and its possible use as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment.