Autophagy modulation in bladder cancer development and treatment (Review)

Homogeneous Polyporus polysaccharide exerts anti-bladder cancer effects via autophagy induction

CONTEXT

Polyporus polysaccharide (PPS), the leading bioactive ingredient extracted from Polyporus umbellatus (Pers.) Fr. (Polyporaceae), has been demonstrated to exert anti-bladder cancer and immunomodulatory functions in macrophages.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of homogeneous Polyporus polysaccharide (HPP) on the proliferation and autophagy of bladder cancer cells co-cultured with macrophages.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MB49 bladder cancer cells and RAW264.7 macrophages were co-cultured with or without HPP intervention (50, 100, or 200 μg/mL) for 24 h. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and 5-ethynyl-2″-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining evaluated MB49 cell proliferation. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observed autophagosomes. Western blotting detected the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway proteins.

RESULTS

HPP inhibited the proliferation of MB49 cells co-cultured with RAW264.7 cells but not MB49 cells alone. HPP altered the expression of autophagy-related proteins and promoted the formation of autophagosomes in MB49 cells in the co-culture system. Autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and chloroquine (CQ) not only antagonized HPP-induced autophagy but also attenuated the inhibitory effects of HPP on MB49 cell proliferation in the co-culture system. HPP or RAW264.7 alone was not sufficient to induce autophagy in MB49 cells. In addition, HPP suppressed the protein expression of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in MB49 cells in the co-culture system.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

HPP induced bladder cancer cell autophagy by regulating macrophages in the co-culture system, resulting in the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was involved in HPP-induced autophagy in the co-culture system.

Repurposing thioridazine for inducing immunogenic cell death in colorectal cancer via eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP and secretory autophagy pathways

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly prevalent cancer type with limited targeted therapies available and 5-year survival rate, particularly for late-stage patients. There have been numerous attempts to repurpose drugs to tackle this problem. It has been reported that autophagy inducers could augment the effect of certain chemotherapeutic agents by enhancing immunogenic cell death (ICD).

METHODS

In this study, we employed bioinformatics tools to identify thioridazine (THD), an antipsychotic drug, and found that it could induce autophagy and ICD in CRC. Then in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to further elucidate the molecular mechanism of THD in CRC.

RESULTS

THD was found to induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in CRC cells by activating the eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP axis and facilitating the accumulation of secretory autophagosomes, leading to ICD. In addition, THD showed a remarkable ICD-activating effect when combined with oxaliplatin (OXA) to prevent tumor progression in the mouse model.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, our findings suggest that the repurposed function of THD in inhibiting CRC involves the upregulation of autophagosomes and ER stress signals, promoting the release of ICD markers, and providing a potential candidate to enhance the clinical outcome for CRC treatment. Video Abstract.

Ehrlichia effector SLiM-icry: Artifice of cellular subversion

As an obligately intracellular bacterial pathogen that selectively infects the mononuclear phagocyte, Ehrlichia chaffeensis has evolved sophisticated mechanisms to subvert innate immune defenses. While the bacterium accomplishes this through a variety of mechanisms, a rapidly expanding body of evidence has revealed that E. chaffeensis has evolved survival strategies that are directed by the versatile, intrinsically disordered, 120 kDa tandem repeat protein (TRP120) effector. E. chaffeensis establishes infection by manipulating multiple evolutionarily conserved cellular signaling pathways through effector-host interactions to subvert innate immune defenses. TRP120 activates these pathways using multiple functionally distinct, repetitive, eukaryote-mimicking short linear motifs (SLiMs) located within the tandem repeat domain that have evolved in nihilo. Functionally, the best characterized TRP120 SLiMs mimic eukaryotic ligands (SLiM-icry) to engage pathway-specific host receptors and activate cellular signaling, thereby repurposing these pathways to promote infection. Moreover, E. chaffeensis TRP120 contains SLiMs that are targets of post-translational modifications such as SUMOylation in addition to many other validated SLiMs that are curated in the eukaryotic linear motif (ELM) database. This review will explore the extracellular and intracellular roles TRP120 SLiM-icry plays during infection - mediated through a variety of SLiMs - that enable E. chaffeensis to subvert mononuclear phagocyte innate defenses.

Anticancer effects of the HDAC inhibitor, 3β,6β‑dihydroxyurs‑12‑en‑27‑oic acid, in MCF‑7 breast cancer cells via the inhibition of Akt/mTOR pathways

Astilbe chinensis (A. chinensis) is a perennial herb that is used to treat chronic bronchitis and pain. The anticancer activity of 3β,6β‑dihydroxyurs‑12‑en‑27‑oic acid (ACT‑3), a major component isolated from A. chinensis, has not yet been investigated in detail. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitory and anticancer activities of ACT‑3 compared with suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) in MCF‑7 human breast cancer cells. The purity of ACT‑3 was determined using high‑performance liquid chromatography. In the present study, the effects of ACT‑3 on anticancer effects of MCF‑7 cells were determined by measuring the level of apoptotic cell death and cell cycle regulator using flow cytometry analysis and western blot analysis, respectively. The effects of ACT‑3 on HDAC enzyme activity were measured using assay kits. ACT‑3 and SAHA increased the levels of acetylated histone H3 and reduced the levels of HDAC1 and HDAC3 in MCF‑7 cells. ACT‑3 significantly decreased the cell viability in a concentration‑dependent manner and induced different morphological changes at high concentrations. ACT‑3 and SAHA significantly inhibited the colony formation in MCF‑7 cells. ACT‑3 inhibited total HDAC activity in a dose‑dependent manner. ACT‑3 significantly reduced the expression levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin‑dependent kinase 4, and upregulated the expression levels of p21^WAF1 and p53. A significant increase in the G1 phase cell population was observed in MCF‑7 cells and ACT‑3 induced apoptosis by reducing the ratio of B‑cell lymphoma‑2 (Bcl‑2)/Bcl‑2‑associated X (Bax) and releasing cleaved caspase 9. Additionally, ACT‑3 significantly increased autophagic cell death by inhibiting the serine‑threonine kinase/mammalian target of the rapamycin pathway. Autophagy induction was confirmed via acridine orange staining. ACT‑3 significantly increased the pERK1/2 and p21 in MCF‑7 cells. Thus, the activated ERK pathway played an important role in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via ERK‑dependent induction of p21 in MCF‑7 cells. These data indicated that ACT‑3 can be used as a promising anticancer agent to overcome the limitations and reduce the side effects of conventional anticancer drugs.

Activation of autophagy triggers mitochondrial loss and changes acetylation profile relevant for mechanotransduction in bladder cancer cells

Bladder cells are constantly exposed to multiple xenobiotics and bioactive metabolites. In addition to this challenging chemical environment, they are also exposed to shear stress originating from urine and interstitial fluids. Hence, physiological function of bladder cells relies on a high biochemical and biomechanical adaptive competence, which, in turn, is largely supported via autophagy-related mechanisms. As a negative side of this plasticity, bladder cancer cells are known to adapt readily to chemotherapeutic programs. At the molecular level, autophagy was described to support resistance against pharmacological treatments and to contribute to the maintenance of cell structure and metabolic competence. In this study, we enhanced autophagy with rapamycin (1-100 nM) and assessed its effects on the motility of bladder cells, as well as the capability to respond to shear stress. We observed that rapamycin reduced cell migration and the mechanical-induced translocation potential of Krüppel-like transcription factor 2 (KLF2). These effects were accompanied by a rearrangement of cytoskeletal elements and mitochondrial loss. In parallel, intracellular acetylation levels were decreased. Mechanistically, inhibition of the NAD + -dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) with nicotinamide (NAM; 0.1-5 mM) restored acetylation levels hampered by rapamycin and cell motility. Taken together, we described the effects of rapamycin on cytoskeletal elements crucial for mechanotransduction and the dependency of these changes on the mitochondrial turnover caused by autophagy activation. Additionally, we could show that targeted metabolic intervention could revert the outcome of autophagy activation, reinforcing the idea that bladder cells can easily adapt to multiple xenobiotics and circumvent in this way the effects of single chemicals.

Molecular subtypes, tumor microenvironment infiltration characterization and prognosis model based on cuproptosis in bladder cancer

Cuproptosis is a kind of cell death dependent on copper. We aimed to explore the functions of the cuproptosis in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and construct a cuproptosis-related prognosis signature in bladder cancer (BCa). Using BCa patients in the public cohort, the cuproptosis-related molecular subtypes and cuproptosis-related prognosis signature were developed. Three cuproptosis-related molecular subtypes, with different prognoses and TME characteristics, were identified in BCa. The cuproptosis-related prognosis signature can divide patients into high- and low-risk groups with different prognoses, TME characteristics, chemotherapeutic drug susceptibility and immunotherapeutic response. Low risk group patients had a favored prognosis and response to immunotherapy. The dysregulation of cuproptosis-related genes expression levels was validated in multiple BCa cells using in vitro experiments. Cuproptosis has an important role in the tumor progression and the characterization of TME in BCa. The cuproptosis-related prognosis signature is a useful biomarker that can reflect the prognosis, TME characteristics, immunotherapeutic response and chemotherapeutic drug susceptibility in BCa patients.

LINC00958 Inhibits Autophagy of Bladder Cancer Cells via Sponge Adsorption of miR-625-5p to Promote Tumor Angiogenesis and Oxidative Stress

Objective

This study further explored LINC00958's role in promoting tumor angiogenesis (AG) and oxidative stress (OS) development by inhibiting BC cell autophagy through sponge adsorption of miR-625-5p.

Methods

BC patients and healthy controls who visited our hospital between June 2017 and February 2019 were selected as the research group (RG) and the control group (CG), respectively, with a total of 133 study subjects. Peripheral blood LINC00958 and miR-625-5p in both cohorts of participants were detected. Additionally, human bladder transitional cell carcinoma cells (T24 and J82) and human normal urothelial cells (SV-HUC-1) were purchased. Alterations in cell biological behavior were observed after transfecting miR-625-5p-mimics, miR-625-5p-inhibition, and miR-625-5p-NC sequences into these cells, respectively. Besides, ELISA was performed to quantify inflammatory factors (IFs), AG indicators, and OS indexes in cells. Subsequently, a double luciferase reporter (DLR) assay was performed to verify the targeting relationship between LINC00958 and miR-625-5p. Finally, BALB/c-nu nude mice were purchased, and T24 cells transfected with silenced LINC00958 and miR-625-5p expression sequences were used to establish subcutaneous tumors to observe tumor growth and pathological changes.

Results

RG exhibited higher LINC00958 and lower miR-625-5p than CG. LINC00958 and miR-625-5p were strongly linked to myometrial invasion (MI), lymph node metastasis (LNM), distant metastasis (DM), and histology in BC patients, and the increase of LINC00958 and the decrease of miR-625-5p predicted an increased risk of prognostic death in such patients. After miR-625-5p inhibition, the capacity of BC cells to proliferate, invade, and migrate enhanced and the AG, inflammatory response, and OS injury increased, while the apoptosis rate and autophagy ability decreased. The DLR assay revealed inhibited LINC00958WT fluorescence activity by miR-625-5p-mimics, while the biological behavior of BC cells cotransfected with sh-LINC00958 and miR-625-5p-inhibition had no difference with the functions of sh-control and miR-625-5p-NC cotransfected cells. Finally, the nude mouse tumorigenesis experiment showed that the tumor mass, volume, and histopathological features of the sh-LINC00958 group were decreased compared with the sh-control group, while those of the miR-625-5p-inhibition group were increased versus miR-625-5p-NC.

Conclusions

In BC, LINC00958 is highly expressed while miR-625-5p is underexpressed. LINC00958 can inhibit cell autophagy to enhance cell activity; promote OS, inflammation, and AG; and regulate tumor immunity by targeting miR-625-5p, thus participating in the development of BC.

The tumor microenvironment and prognostic role of autophagy- and immune-related genes in bladder cancer

BACKGROUND: Autophagy-related genes and immune-related genes contribute significantly to the initiation and prognosis of bladder cancer (BLCA). OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore differentially expressed autophagy-related genes (DEARGs) and immune-related genes (DEIRGs) in BLCA to create a prognostic risk assessment model and gain some insights into BLCA’s molecular underpinnings. METHODS: The prognostic DEARGs and DEIRGs were evaluated for BLCA through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (n= 399) and GSE13507 dataset (n= 165). The BLCA risk model was constructed and verified. The immune score, stromal score, and estimate score in different risk groups were calculated by the ESTIMATE algorithm. Immune infiltration levels were assessed by a single sample gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) algorithm. RESULTS: In the risk model, AURKA, ACTC1, MYLK, PDGFD, PDGFRA and TNC were significantly associated with the overall survival. The pathways in cancer, T cell receptor signaling pathway and B cell receptor signaling pathway were significantly gathered in the high-risk group. Moreover, the risk score was significantly correlated with infiltrating immune cells, expression of critical immune checkpoints and mismatch repair genes including MSH6, MLH1, and MSH2. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, three DEARGs (AURKA, ACTC1, MYLK) and three DEIRGs (PDGFD, PDGFRA, TNC) were demonstrated to be potential prognostic biomarkers for BLCA patients through bioinformatics methods, which might be novel therapeutic targets and prognostic markers for BLCA, in follow up studies, we will combine experiments to verify this.

RAC3 Inhibition Induces Autophagy to Impair Metastasis in Bladder Cancer Cells via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway

Background

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the most frequent malignant tumors globally, with a significant morbidity and mortality rate. Gene expression dysregulation has been proven to play a critical role in tumorigenesis. Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate3 (RAC3), which is overexpressed in several malignancies and promotes tumor progression, has been identified as an oncogene. However, RAC3 has important but not fully understood biological functions in cancer. Our research aims to reveal the new functions and potential mechanisms of RAC3 involved in BCa progression.

Methods

We explored the expression level of RAC3 and its relationship with prognosis by publicly accessible BCa datasets, while the correlation of RAC3 expression with clinicopathological variables of patients was analyzed. In vitro and in vivo proliferation, migration, autophagy, and other phenotypic changes were examined by constructing knockdown(KD)/overexpression(OE) RAC3 cells and their association with PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was explored by adding autophagy-related compounds.

Results

Compared with non-tumor samples, RAC3 was highly expressed in BCa and negatively correlated with prognosis. KD/OE RAC3 inhibited/promoted the proliferation and migration of BCa cells. Knockdown RAC3 caused cell cycle arrest and decreased adhesion without affecting apoptosis. Inhibition of RAC3 activates PI3K/AKT/mTOR mediated autophagy and inhibits proliferation and migration of BCa cells in vivo and in vitro. Autophagy inhibitor 3MA can partially rescue the metastasis and proliferation inhibition effect caused by RAC3 inhibition. Inhibit/activate mTOR enhanced/impaired autophagy, resulting in shRAC3-mediated migration defect exacerbated/rescued.

Conclusion

RAC3 is highly expressed in BCa. It is associated with advanced clinicopathological variables and poor prognosis. Knockdown RAC3 exerts an antitumor effect by enhancing PI3K/AKT/mTOR mediated autophagy. Targeting RAC3 and autophagy simultaneously is a potential therapeutic strategy for inhibiting BCa progression and prolonging survival.

The Potential Role of Mitochondrial Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 in Urological Cancers From the Perspective of Ferroptosis and Cellular Senescence

Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superlative lipid peroxidation promote tumorigenesis, and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is associated with the detoxification of ROS-mediated lipid peroxidation-generated reactive aldehydes such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), malondialdehyde, and acrolein due to tobacco smoking. ALDH2 has been demonstrated to be highly associated with the prognosis and chemoradiotherapy sensitivity of many types of cancer, including leukemia, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, hepatocellular cancer, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian cancer. In this study, we explored the possible relationship between ALDH2 and urological cancers from the aspects of ferroptosis, epigenetic alterations, proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular senescence.

Probiotics counteract the expression of hepatic profibrotic genes via the attenuation of TGF-β/SMAD signaling and autophagy in hepatic stellate cells

Hepatic fibrosis is caused by the increased accumulation and improper degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the liver. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation is a key process in initiating hepatic fibrosis and can be ameliorated by the administration of probiotic strains. This study hypothesized that LAB strains (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, and Weissella cibaria) might attenuate pro-fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β mediated HSCs activation and induce collagen deposition, expression of other fibrogenic/inflammatory markers, autophagy, and apoptotic processes in vitro. Few studies have evaluated the probiotic effects against fibrogenesis in vitro. In this study, TGF-β exposure increased collagen deposition in LX-2 cells, but this increase was diminished when the cells were pretreated with LAB strains before TGF-β stimulation. TGF-β not only increased collagen deposition, but it also significantly upregulated the mRNA levels of Col1A1, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), IL-6, CXCL-8, CCL2, and IL-1β in LX-2 cells. Pretreatment of the cells with LAB strains counteracted the TGF-β-induced pro-fibrogenic and inflammatory markers by modulating SMAD-dependent and SMAD-independent TGF-β signaling. In addition, LX-2 cells exposed to TGF-β induced the autophagic and apoptotic associated proteins that were also positively regulated by the LAB strains. These findings suggest that LAB can attenuate TGF-β signaling that is associated with liver fibrogenesis.

Fatty Acid Binding Protein 6 Inhibition Decreases Cell Cycle Progression, Migration and Autophagy in Bladder Cancers

Bladder cancer (BC) has a high recurrence rate worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of fatty acid binding protein 6 (FABP6) in proliferation and migration in human bladder cancer cells. Cell growth was confirmed by MTT and colony formation assay. Western blotting was used to explore protein expressions. Wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the migration ability. A xenograft animal model with subcutaneous implantation of BC cells was generated to confirm the tumor progression. Knockdown of FABP6 reduced cell growth in low-grade TSGH-8301 and high-grade T24 cells. Cell cycle blockade was observed with the decrease of CDK2, CDK4, and Ki67 levels in FABP6-knockdown BC cells. Interestingly, knockdown of FBAP6 led to downregulation of autophagic markers and activation of AKT-mTOR signaling. The application of PI3K/AKT inhibitor decreased cell viability mediated by FABP6-knockdown additionally. Moreover, FABP6-knockdown reduced peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and retinoid X receptor α levels but increased p-p65 expression. Knockdown of FABP6 also inhibited BC cell motility with focal adhesive complex reduction. Finally, shFABP6 combined with cisplatin suppressed tumor growth in vivo. These results provide evidence that FABP6 may be a potential target in BC cells progression.

The new horizon of biomarker in melanoma patients: A study based on autophagy-related long non-coding RNA

Autophagy-related long non-coding RNAs (arlncRNAs) play a crucial role in the pathogenesis and development of the tumor. However, there is a lack of systematic analysis of arlncRNAs in melanoma patients.Melanoma data for analysis were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. By establishing a co-expression network of autophagy-related mRNAs-lncRNAs, we identified arlncRNAs in melanoma patients. We evaluated the prognostic value of arlncRNAs by univariate and multivariate Cox analysis and constructed an arlncRNAs risk model. Patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups based on the arlncRNAs risk score. This model was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis, univariate-multivariate Cox regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Characteristics of autophagy genes and co-expressive tendency were analyzed by principal component analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) functional annotation.Nine arlncRNAs (USP30-AS1, LINC00665, PCED1B-AS1, LINC00324, LINC01871, ZEB1-AS1, LINC01527, AC018553.1, and HLA-DQB1-AS1) were identified to be related to the prognosis of melanoma patients. Otherwise, the 9 arlncRNAs constituted an arlncRNAs prognostic risk model. K-M analysis and ROC curve analysis showed that the arlncRNAs risk model has good discrimination. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that arlncRNAs risk model was an independent prognostic factor in melanoma patients. Principal component analysis and GSEA functional annotation showed different autophagy and carcinogenic status in the high- and low-risk groups.This novel arlncRNAs risk model plays an essential role in predicting of the prognosis of melanoma patients. The model reveals new prognosis-related biomarkers for autophagy, promotes precision medicine, and provides a lurking target for melanoma's autophagy-related treatment.

Identification of Survival and Therapeutic Response-Related Ferroptosis Regulators in Bladder Cancer through Data Mining and Experimental Validation

Simple Summary

Based on machine learning methods, we constructed a prognostic signature to calculate the survival probability of BLCA and to further investigate the underlying mechanism of the ferroptosis-related signature. We found that the signature was not only correlated with the prognostic value but was also associated with the tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor mutation burden (TMB) and the curative outcomes of both immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Furthermore, we proved the reliability of the signature in some external datasets and built a risk score evaluation nomogram for clinical use.

Abstract

Ferroptosis has been reported to regulate tumorigenesis, metastasis, drug resistance and the immune response. However, the potential roles of ferroptosis regulators in the advancement of bladder cancer remain to be explored. We systematically evaluated the multidimensional alteration landscape of ferroptosis regulators in bladder cancer and checked if their expression correlated with the ferroptosis index. We used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to form a signature consisting of seven ferroptosis regulator. We confirmed the signature’s prognostic and predictive accuracy with five independent datasets. A nomogram was built to predict the overall survival and risk of death of patients. The relative expression of the genes involved in the signature was also clarified by real-time quantitative PCR. We found the risk score was related to tumor progression and antitumor immunity-related pathways. Moreover, there existed negative association between the relative antitumor immune cell infiltration level and the risk score, and higher tumor mutation burden was found in the group of lower risk score. We used The Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion database and IMvigor210 cohort having immunotherapy efficacy results to confirm the prediction function of the risk score. Furthermore, the ferroptosis regulator signature could also reflect the chemotherapy sensitivity of bladder cancer.

The Secrets of Alternative Autophagy

For many years, it was thought that ATG5 and ATG7 played a pivotal role in autophagy, and that the knockdown of one of these genes would result in its inhibition. However, cells with ATG5 or ATG7 depletion still generate autophagic vacuoles with mainly trans-Golgi-originated isolation membranes and do not die. This indicates that autophagy can occur via ATG5/ATG7-independent alternative autophagy. Its molecular mechanism differs from that of the canonical pathway, including inter alia the phosphorylation of ULK1, and lack of LC3 modifications. As the alternative autophagy pathway has only recently been described, little is known of its precise role; however, a considerable body of evidence suggests that alternative autophagy participates in mitochondrion removal. This review summarizes the latest progress made in research on alternative autophagy and describes its possible molecular mechanism, roles and methods of detection, and possible modulators. There is a need for further research focused on types of autophagy, as this can elucidate the functioning of various cell types and the pathogenesis of human and animal diseases.

Shikonin suppresses the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by downregulating NHE1 in bladder cancer cells

Shikonin (SK) is the major bioactive component extracted from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon with anticancer activity. SK could inhibit the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanism is elusive. In the present study, the inhibitory activities of SK on proliferation, invasion and migration were examined in bladder cancer (BC) cells. SK potently decreased the viabilities of BC cells but showed less cytotoxicity to normal bladder epithelial cells. Moreover, SK reversed the EMT, suppressed the migration and invasion of BC cells. Intriguingly, NHE1, the major proton efflux pump, was dramatically down-regulated by SK. The EMT-inhibitory effect of SK was mediated by NHE1 down-regulation, as NHE1-overexpress alleviated while Cariporide (NHE1 inhibitor) enhanced this effect. Further, enforced alkalinization of intracellular pH (pHi) reversed the EMT-inhibitory effect of SK, indicating a key role of acidic pHi in this process. Finally, elevated NHE1 expression was observed in human bladder cancer tissues. Collectively, this research reveals a supportive effect of NHE1 and alkaline pHi on EMT. SK can suppress EMT through inhibiting NHE1 and hence inducing an acidic pHi.

Early type 1 diabetes aggravates renal ischemia/reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury

The present study aimed to investigate the interaction between early diabetes and renal IR-induced AKI and to clarify the mechanisms involved. C57BL/6J mice were assigned to the following groups: (1) sham-operated; (2) renal IR; (3) streptozotocin (STZ-55 mg/kg/day) and sham operation; and (4) STZ and renal IR. On the 12th day after treatments, the animals were subjected to bilateral IR for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 48 h, at which time the animals were euthanized. Renal function was assessed by plasma creatinine and urea levels, as well urinary protein contents. Kidney morphology and gene and protein expression were also evaluated. Compared to the sham group, renal IR increased plasma creatinine, urea and albuminuria levels and decreased Nphs1 mRNA expression and nephrin and WT1 protein staining. Tubular injury was observed with increased Havcr1 and Mki67 mRNA expression accompanied by reduced megalin staining. Renal IR also resulted in increased SQSTM1 protein expression and increased proinflammatory and profibrotic factors mRNA expression. Although STZ treatment resulted in hyperglycemia, it did not induce significant changes in renal function. On the other hand, STZ treatment aggravated renal IR-induced AKI by exacerbating renal dysfunction, glomerular and tubular injury, inflammation, and profibrotic responses. Thus, early diabetes constitutes a relevant risk factor for renal IR-induced AKI.

Bladder Cancer-related microRNAs With In Vivo Efficacy in Preclinical Models

Progressive and metastatic bladder cancer remain difficult to treat. In this review, we critique seven up-regulated and 25 down-regulated microRNAs in order to identify new therapeutic entities and corresponding targets. These microRNAs were selected with respect to their efficacy in bladder cancer-related preclinical in vivo models. MicroRNAs and related targets interfering with chemoresistance, cell-cycle, signaling, apoptosis, autophagy, transcription factor modulation, epigenetic modification and metabolism are described. In addition, we highlight microRNAs targeting transmembrane receptors and secreted factors. We discuss druggability issues for the identified targets.

Autophagy in Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma: from bench to bedside

Xp11 translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) characterized by the rearrangement of the TFE3 is recently identified as a unique subtype of RCC that urgently requires effective prevention and treatment strategies. Therefore, determining suitable therapeutic targets and fully understanding the biological significance of tRCC is essential. The importance of autophagy is increasingly acknowledged because it shows carcinogenic activity or suppressor effect. Autophagy is a physiological cellular process critical to maintaining cell homeostasis, which is involved in the lysosomal degradation of cytoplasmic organelles and macromolecules via the lysosomal pathway, suggesting that targeting autophagy is a potential therapeutic approach for cancer therapies. However, the underlying mechanism of autophagy in tRCC is still ambiguous. In this review, we summarize the autophagy-related signaling pathways associated with tRCC. Moreover, we examine the roles of autophagy and the immune response in tumorigenesis and investigate how these factors interact to facilitate or prevent tumorigenesis. Besides, we review the findings regarding the treatment of tRCC via induction or inhibition of autophagy. Hopefully, this study will shed some light on the functions and implications of autophagy and emphasize its role as a potential molecular target for therapeutic intervention in tRCC.

Construction and Validation of an Autophagy-Related Prognostic Signature and a Nomogram for Bladder Cancer

Objective

Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the top ten cancers endangering human health but we still lack accurate tools for BC patients’ risk stratification. This study aimed to develop an autophagy-related signature that could predict the prognosis of BC. In order to provide clinical doctors with a visual tool that could precisely predict the survival probability of BC patients, we also attempted to establish a nomogram based on the risk signature.

Methods

We screened out autophagy-related genes (ARGs) combining weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differentially expressed gene (DEG) in BC. Based on the screened ARGs, we performed survival analysis and Cox regression analysis to identify potential prognostic biomarkers. A risk signature based on the prognostic ARGs by multivariate Cox regression analysis was established, which was validated by using seven datasets. To provide clinical doctors with a useful tool for survival possibility prediction, a nomogram assessed by the ARG-based signature and clinicopathological features was constructed, verified using four independent datasets.

Results

Three prognostic biomarkers including BOC (P = 0.008, HR = 1.104), FGF7(P = 0.030, HR = 1.066), and MAP1A (P = 0.001, HR = 1.173) were identified and validated. An autophagy-related risk signature was established and validated. This signature could act as an independent prognostic feature in patients with BC (P = 0.047, HR = 1.419). We then constructed two nomograms with and without ARG-based signature and subsequent analysis indicated that the nomogram with ARG signature showed high accuracy for overall survival probability prediction of patients with BC (C-index = 0.732, AUC = 0.816). These results proved that the ARG signature improved the clinical net benefit of the standard model based on clinicopathological features (age, pathologic stage).

Conclusions

Three ARGs were identified as prognosis biomarkers in BC. An ARG-based signature was established for the first time, showing strong potential for prognosis prediction in BC. This signature was proven to improve the clinical net benefit of the standard model. A nomogram was established using this signature, which could lead to more effective prognosis prediction for BC patients.

The Therapeutic Potential of Targeting Autophagy in The Treatment of Cancer

Autophagy is a mechanism by which unwanted cellular components are degraded through a pathway that involves the lysosomes and contributes to several pathological conditions such as cancer. Gastrointestinal cancers affect the digestive organs from the esophagus to the anus and are among the most commonly diagnosed cancers globally. The modulation of autophagy using pharmacologic agents potentially offers a great potential for cancer therapy. In this review, some commonly used compounds, together with their molecular target and the mechanism through which they stimulate or block the autophagy pathway as well as their therapeutic benefit in treating patients with gastrointestinal cancers, are summarized.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Adaptation and Autophagic Competence Shape Response to Fluid Shear Stress in T24 Bladder Cancer Cells

Accumulation of xenobiotics and waste metabolites in the urinary bladder is constantly accompanied by shear stress originating from the movement of the luminal fluids. Hence, both chemical and physical cues constantly modulate the cellular response in health and disease. In line, bladder cells have to maintain elevated mechanosensory competence together with chemical stress response adaptation potential. However, much of the molecular mechanisms sustaining this plasticity is currently unknown. Taking this as a starting point, we investigated the response of T24 urinary bladder cancer cells to shear stress comparing morphology to functional performance. T24 cells responded to the shear stress protocol (flow speed of 0.03 ml/min, 3 h) by significantly increasing their surface area. When exposed to deoxynivalenol-3-sulfate (DON-3-Sulf), bladder cells increased this response in a concentration-dependent manner (0.1-1 µM). DON-3-Sulf is a urinary metabolite of a very common food contaminant mycotoxin (deoxynivalenol, DON) and was already described to enhance proliferation of cancer cells. Incubation with DON-3-Sulf also caused the enlargement of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), decreased the lysosomal movement, and increased the formation of actin stress fibers. Similar remodeling of the endoplasmic reticulum and area spread after shear stress were observed upon incubation with the autophagy activator rapamycin (1-100 nM). Performance of experiments in the presence of chloroquine (chloroquine, 30 μM) further contributed to shed light on the mechanistic link between adaptation to the biomechanical stimulation and ER stress response. At the molecular level, we observed that ER reshaping was linked to actin organization, with the two components mutually regulating each other. Indeed, we identified in the ER stress-cytoskeletal rearrangement an important axis defining the physical/chemical response potential of bladder cells and created a workflow for further investigation of urinary metabolites, food constituents, and contaminants, as well as for pharmacological profiling.

Identification of an 11-Autophagy-Related-Gene Signature as Promising Prognostic Biomarker for Bladder Cancer Patients

Simple Summary

Human bladder cancer, one of the most common cancers worldwide, is a molecularly heterogenous and complex disease. Identifying novel prognostic biomarkers and establishing new predictive signatures are important for personalized medicine and effective treatment of bladder cancer patients. Autophagy, a cell self-maintenance process that removes damaged organelles and misfolded proteins, displays both tumor promotion and suppression activities. The aim of our study is to investigate the function of autophagy-related genes in bladder cancer with the main focus on their contribution to prognostic outcome. By analyzing data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we identified 32 autophagy-related genes that were highly associated with overall survival of bladder cancer patients. Further statistical assessment established an 11-autophagy-related-gene signature as an effective prognostic biomarker to predict the survival outcomes of bladder cancer patients.

Abstract

Background: Survival rates for highly invasive bladder cancer (BC) patients have been very low, with a 5-year survival rate of 6%. Accurate prediction of tumor progression and survival is important for diagnosis and therapeutic decisions for BC patients. Our study aims to develop an autophagy-related-gene (ARG) signature that helps to predict the survival of BC patients. Methods: RNA-seq data of 403 BC patients were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma (TCGA-BLCA) database. Univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify overall survival (OS)-related ARGs. The Lasso Cox regression model was applied to establish an ARG signature in the TCGA training cohort (N = 203). The performance of the 11-gene ARG signature was further evaluated in a training cohort and an independent validation cohort (N = 200) using Kaplan-Meier OS curve analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, as well as univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results: Our study identified an 11-gene ARG signature that is significantly associated with OS, including APOL1, ATG4B, BAG1, CASP3, DRAM1, ITGA3, KLHL24, P4HB, PRKCD, ULK2, and WDR45. The ARGs-derived high-risk bladder cancer patients exhibited significantly poor OS in both training and validation cohorts. The prognostic model showed good predictive efficacy, with the area under the ROC curve (AUCs) for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival of 0.702 (0.695), 0.744 (0.640), and 0.794 (0.658) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. A prognostic nomogram, which included the ARGs-derived risk factor, age and stage for eventual clinical translation, was established. Conclusion: We identified a novel ARG signature for risk-stratification and robust prediction of overall survival for BC patients.

Anaplasmataceae: Dichotomous Autophagic Interplay for Infection

Autophagy is a vital conserved degradative process that maintains cellular homeostasis by recycling or eliminating dysfunctional cellular organelles and proteins. More recently, autophagy has become a well-recognized host defense mechanism against intracellular pathogens through a process known as xenophagy. On the host-microbe battlefield many intracellular bacterial pathogens have developed the ability to subvert xenophagy to establish infection. Obligately intracellular bacterial pathogens of the Anaplasmataceae family, including Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Anaplasma phaogocytophilium and Orientia tsutsugamushi have developed a dichotomous strategy to exploit the host autophagic pathway to obtain nutrients while escaping lysosomal destruction for intracellular survival within the host cell. In this review, the recent findings regarding how these master manipulators engage and inhibit autophagy for infection are explored. Future investigation to understand mechanisms used by Anaplasmataceae to exploit autophagy may advance novel antimicrobial therapies and provide new insights into how intracellular microbes exploit autophagy to survive.

An autophagy-related long non-coding RNA prognostic signature accurately predicts survival outcomes in bladder urothelial carcinoma patients

In this study, we analyzed the prediction accuracy of an autophagy-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) prognostic signature using bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed significant correlations between five autophagy-related lncRNAs, LINC02178, AC108449.2, Z83843.1, FAM13A-AS1 and USP30-AS1, and overall survival (OS) among BCLA patients. The risk scores based on the autophagy-related lncRNA prognostic signature accurately distinguished high- and low-risk BCLA patients that were stratified according to age; gender; grade; and AJCC, T, and N stages. The autophagy-related lncRNA signature was an independent prognostic predictor with an AUC value of 0.710. The clinical nomogram with the autophagy-related lncRNA prognostic signature showed a high concordance index of 0.73 and accurately predicted 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival times among BCLA patients in the high- and low-risk groups. The lncRNA-mRNA co-expression network contained 77 lncRNA-mRNA links among 5 lncRNAs and 49 related mRNAs. Gene set enrichment analysis showed that cancer- and autophagy-related pathways were significantly enriched in the high-risk group, and immunoregulatory pathways were enriched in the low-risk group. These findings demonstrate that an autophagy-related lncRNA signature accurately predicts the prognosis of BCLA patients.

Regulation of autophagy by microRNAs in human breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common solid cancer that affects female population globally. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that can regulate post-transcriptional modification of multiple downstream genes. Autophagy is a conserved cellular catabolic activity that aims to provide nutrients and degrade un-usable macromolecules in mammalian cells. A number of in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies have reported that some miRNAs could modulate autophagy activity in human breast cancer cells, and these would influence human breast cancer progression and treatment response. Therefore, this review was aimed to discuss the roles of autophagy-regulating miRNAs in influencing breast cancer development and treatment response. The review would first introduce autophagy types and process, followed by the discussion of the roles of different miRNAs in modulating autophagy in human breast cancer, and to explore how would this miRNA-autophagy regulatory process affect the disease progression or treatment response. Lastly, the potential applications and challenges of utilizing autophagy-regulating miRNAs as breast cancer biomarkers and novel therapeutic agents would be discussed.

WW and C2 domain-containing protein-3 promoted EBSS-induced apoptosis through inhibiting autophagy in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Background

WW and C2 domain-containing protein-3 (WWC3) was identified in our previous studies as a tumor suppressor gene, which inhibits the proliferation and invasiveness of lung cancer cells. However, the relationship between WWC3 and autophagy and apoptosis in lung cancer cells is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential role of WWC3 in starvation-induced autophagy and apoptosis in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells.

Methods

The immunoblotting assay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used for observing the change of WWC3 protein and mRNA level under starvation condition. The immunoblotting assay and immunofluorescence assay were performed to detect the impact of WWC3 expression on autophagy process induced by Earle's balanced salt solution (EBSS) in lung cancer cells; APC/propidium iodide (PI) apoptosis assay, caspase-3/7 activity assay and MTT assay were used for the apoptosis and proliferation detection of lung cancer cells.

Results

After starvation had been induced with EBSS, WWC3 expression was significantly decreased in the NSCLC cells. Ectopic WWC3 expression weakened the autophagy process in a Beclin1-independent manner and promoted non-small cell lung cancer cell apoptosis via EBSS starvation. Moreover, the inhibition of WWC3 gene knockout was weakened by 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an autophagy inhibitor.

Conclusions

These results indicate that WWC3 promotes apoptosis and death of starved lung cancer cells, at least partly through autophagy.