XB130 Knockdown Inhibits the Proliferation, Invasiveness, and Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells and Sensitizes them to TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis

Regulation of bone homeostasis: signaling pathways and therapeutic targets

As a highly dynamic tissue, bone is continuously rebuilt throughout life. Both bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts constitute bone reconstruction homeostasis. The equilibrium of bone homeostasis is governed by many complicated signaling pathways that weave together to form an intricate network. These pathways coordinate the meticulous processes of bone formation and resorption, ensuring the structural integrity and dynamic vitality of the skeletal system. Dysregulation of the bone homeostatic regulatory signaling network contributes to the development and progression of many skeletal diseases. Significantly, imbalanced bone homeostasis further disrupts the signaling network and triggers a cascade reaction that exacerbates disease progression and engenders a deleterious cycle. Here, we summarize the influence of signaling pathways on bone homeostasis, elucidating the interplay and crosstalk among them. Additionally, we review the mechanisms underpinning bone homeostatic imbalances across diverse disease landscapes, highlighting current and prospective therapeutic targets and clinical drugs. We hope that this review will contribute to a holistic understanding of the signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms sustaining bone homeostasis, which are promising to contribute to further research on bone homeostasis and shed light on the development of targeted drugs.

XB130 inhibits healing of diabetic skin ulcers through the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway

BACKGROUND

Diabetic skin ulcers, a significant global healthcare burden, are mainly caused by the inhibition of cell proliferation and impaired angiogenesis. XB130 is an adaptor protein that regulates cell proliferation and migration. However, the role of XB130 in the development of diabetic skin ulcers remains unclear.

AIM

To investigate whether XB130 can regulate the inhibition of proliferation and vascular damage induced by high glucose. Additionally, we aim to determine whether XB130 is involved in the healing process of diabetic skin ulcers, along with its molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

We conducted RNA-sequencing analysis to identify the key genes involved in diabetic skin ulcers. We investigated the effects of XB130 on wound healing using histological analyses. In addition, we used reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling staining, immunofluorescence, wound healing, and tubule formation experiments to investigate their effects on cellular processes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) stimulated with high glucose. Finally, we performed functional analysis to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic skin ulcers.

RESULTS

RNA-sequencing analysis showed that the expression of XB130 was up-regulated in the tissues of diabetic skin ulcers. Knockdown of XB130 promoted the healing of skin wounds in mice, leading to an accelerated wound healing process and shortened wound healing time. At the cellular level, knockdown of XB130 alleviated high glucose-induced inhibition of cell proliferation and angiogenic impairment in HUVECs. Inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway removed the proliferative effects and endothelial protection mediated by XB130.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study indicated that the expression of XB130 is up-regulated in high glucose-stimulated diabetic skin ulcers and HUVECs. Knockdown of XB130 promotes cell proliferation and angiogenesis via the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway, which accelerates the healing of diabetic skin ulcers.

Value of biomarkers in epithelial-mesenchymal transition models of liver cancer under different interventions: a meta-analysis

Aim: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of crucial biomarkers in HepG2 cells during epithelial-mesenchymal transformation induced by multiple interventions. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Wan Fang Data and VIP databases were systematically searched from inception to 14 June 2020, by two independent reviewers. Results: A total of 58 studies were included in the meta-analysis. E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin performed well under medicinal interventions. E-cadherin worked well under genetic interventions. E-cadherin and N-cadherin also performed significantly well under tumor microenvironment interventions. Under ncRNA interventions, the expression of E-cadherin significantly changed. Conclusion: Different sets of biomarkers should be selected under various interventions based on their performance.

Downregulation of HBx Restrains Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of HepG2 Cells

Liver cancer is a major contributor to cancer-related death with poor survival for sufferers. Meanwhile, Hepatic B virus X protein (HBx) and XB130 are likely to participate in the pathogenesis of liver cancer. However, the detailed mechanism of HBx/XB130 in liver cancer remains to be further investigated. Our study explored the effects of HBx/XB130 on liver cancer progression. HBx and XB130 expression was detected by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot. Overexpression of HBx and XB130 was found in liver cancer tissues and cells. Mechanistic study revealed that HBx could bind to and positively regulate XB130 in HepG2 cells. Subsequently, HBx expression was knocked down, while XB130 was overexpressed in HepG2 cells in order to observe the specific role of HBx/XB130 in liver cancer in vitro. Results of CCK-8, Transwell, wound healing, and colony formation assays suggested that HBx could mediate biological function of HepG2 cells by activating the XB130-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway. In summary, our data illustrate that inhibition of HBx effectively suppressed proliferation and metastasis and induced apoptosis of liver cancer cells, which might be partially reversed by XB130. HBx and XB130 may be potential targets for liver cancer pathogenesis.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells modulate autophagy in RAW264.7 macrophages via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/heme oxygenase-1 signaling pathway under oxygen-glucose deprivation/restoration conditions

Background

Autophagy of alveolar macrophages is a crucial process in ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are multipotent cells with the potential for repairing injured sites and regulating autophagy. This study was to investigate the influence of BM-MSCs on autophagy of macrophages in the oxygen-glucose deprivation/restoration (OGD/R) microenvironment and to explore the potential mechanism.

Methods

We established a co-culture system of macrophages (RAW264.7) with BM-MSCs under OGD/R conditions in vitro. RAW264.7 cells were transfected with recombinant adenovirus (Ad-mCherry-GFP-LC3B) and autophagic status of RAW264.7 cells was observed under a fluorescence microscope. Autophagy-related proteins light chain 3 (LC3)-I, LC3-II, and p62 in RAW264.7 cells were detected by Western blotting. We used microarray expression analysis to identify the differently expressed genes between OGD/R treated macrophages and macrophages co-culture with BM-MSCs. We investigated the gene heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which is downstream of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway.

Results

The ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I of OGD/R treated RAW264.7 cells was increased (1.27 ± 0.20 vs. 0.44 ± 0.08, t = 6.67, P < 0.05), while the expression of p62 was decreased (0.77 ± 0.04 vs. 0.95 ± 0.10, t = 2.90, P < 0.05), and PI3K (0.40 ± 0.06 vs. 0.63 ± 0.10, t = 3.42, P < 0.05) and p-Akt/Akt ratio was also decreased (0.39 ± 0.02 vs. 0.58 ± 0.03, t = 9.13, P < 0.05). BM-MSCs reduced the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio of OGD/R treated RAW264.7 cells (0.68 ± 0.14 vs. 1.27 ± 0.20, t = 4.12, P < 0.05), up-regulated p62 expression (1.10 ± 0.20 vs. 0.77 ± 0.04, t = 2.80, P < 0.05), and up-regulated PI3K (0.54 ± 0.05 vs. 0.40 ± 0.06, t = 3.11, P < 0.05) and p-Akt/Akt ratios (0.52 ± 0.05 vs. 0.39 ± 0.02, t = 9.13, P < 0.05). A whole-genome microarray assay screened the differentially expressed gene HO-1, which is downstream of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and the alteration of HO-1 mRNA and protein expression was consistent with the data on PI3K/Akt pathway.

Conclusions

Our results suggest the existence of the PI3K/Akt/HO-1 signaling pathway in RAW264.7 cells under OGD/R circumstances in vitro, revealing the mechanism underlying BM-MSC-mediated regulation of autophagy and enriching the understanding of potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of ALI.

Members of the miR-30 family inhibit the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of non-small-cell lung cancer cells by suppressing XB130 expression levels

MicroRNAs (miRs) are associated with cancer metastasis. Aberrant expression levels of members of the miR-30 family have been observed in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the effects of miR-30 family members on the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of NSCLC cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. The present study investigated the effects of miR-30 family members on EMT, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells and found that overexpression of these miRs inhibited EMT via decreasing the expression levels of N-cadherin, β-catenin and SNAI1, along with weakened migration and invasion abilities. Then, XB130 was identified as a downstream target of the miR-30 family members. XB130-knockdown also inhibited EMT of NSCLC cells, whereas ectopic overexpression of XB130 partly rescued the suppressive effects of miR-30c and miR-30d on EMT. In conclusion, miR-30 family members inhibited EMT of NSCLC cells, partially via suppressing XB130 expression levels.

XB130, regulated by miR-203, miR-219, and miR-4782-3p, mediates the proliferation and metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer cells

XB130 is a novel adapter protein that behaves as a tumor promoter or suppressor mediating cell proliferation and metastasis in the development of different human tumors. Altered expression of XB130 has been verified in human non-small cell-lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the exact effect of XB130 on NSCLC is not well-understood. In this study, we investigated the biological function and posttranscriptional regulation of XB130 in NSCLC. First, the effects of XB130 silence on NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were examined. Then the targeting relationship between XB130 and miR-203, miR-219, or miR-4782-3p was demonstrated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Finally, the effects of miR-203, miR-219, and miR-4782-3p on NSCLC cell function were studied, respectively. We found that XB130 silence significantly inhibited cell growth, migration and invasion, and reversed EMT. Furthermore, XB130 was posttranscriptionally regulated by miR-203, miR-219, and miR-4782-3p. Overexpression of miR-203, miR-219, or miR-4782-3p inhibited cell growth, migration and invasion, and reversed EMT, just like the role of XB130 in NSCLC cells, whereas the suppressive effects of microRNA (miRNA) overexpression were weakened by miRNA inhibitors or ectopic expression of XB130 in NSCLC cells. These data demonstrate that XB130 is posttranscriptionally regulated by miR-203, miR-219, and miR-4782-3p and mediates the proliferation and metastasis of NSCLC cells.