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Mishra T, Bhardwaj V, Ahuja N, Gadgil P, Ramdas P, Shukla S, Chande A. Improved loss-of-function CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in human cells concomitant with inhibition of TGF-β signaling. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2022; 28:202-218. [PMID: 35402072 PMCID: PMC8961078 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Strategies to modulate cellular DNA repair pathways hold immense potential to enhance the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing platform. In the absence of a repair template, CRISPR-Cas9-induced DNA double-strand breaks are repaired by the endogenous cellular DNA repair pathways to generate loss-of-function edits. Here, we describe a reporter-based assay for expeditious measurement of loss-of-function editing by CRISPR-Cas9. An unbiased chemical screen performed using this assay enabled the identification of small molecules that promote loss-of-function editing. Iterative rounds of screens reveal Repsox, a TGF-β signaling inhibitor, as a CRISPR-Cas9 editing efficiency enhancer. Repsox invariably increased CRISPR-Cas9 editing in a panel of commonly used cell lines in biomedical research and primary cells. Furthermore, Repsox-mediated editing enhancement in primary human CD4+ T cells enabled the generation of HIV-1-resistant cells with high efficiency. This study demonstrates the potential of transiently targeting cellular pathways by small molecules to improve genome editing for research applications and is expected to benefit gene therapy efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarun Mishra
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Vipin Bhardwaj
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Neha Ahuja
- Epigenetics and RNA Processing Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Pallavi Gadgil
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Pavitra Ramdas
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Sanjeev Shukla
- Epigenetics and RNA Processing Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
| | - Ajit Chande
- Molecular Virology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal 462066, India
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He D, Gao J, Zheng L, Liu S, Ye L, Lai H, Pan B, Pan W, Lou C, Chen Z, Fan S. TGF‑β inhibitor RepSox suppresses osteosarcoma via the JNK/Smad3 signaling pathway. Int J Oncol 2021; 59:84. [PMID: 34533199 PMCID: PMC8460063 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2021.5264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor and the long-term survival rates remain unsatisfactory. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has been revealed to play a crucial role in OS progression, and RepSox is an effective TGF-β inhibitor. In the present study, the effect of RepSox on the proliferation of the OS cell lines (HOS and 143B) was detected. The results revealed that RepSox effectively inhibited the proliferation of OS cells by inducing S-phase arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of RepSox on cell migration and invasion was confirmed by wound-healing and Transwell assays. Furthermore, western blotting revealed that the protein levels of molecules associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, were reduced by RepSox treatment. Concurrently, it was also revealed that the JNK and Smad3 signaling pathway was inhibited. Our in vivo findings using a xenograft model also revealed that RepSox markedly inhibited the growth of tumors. In general, our data demonstrated that RepSox suppressed OS proliferation, EMT and promoted apoptosis by inhibiting the JNK/Smad3 signaling pathway. Thus, RepSox may be a potential anti-OS drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengwei He
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Jiawei Gao
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Lin Zheng
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Shijie Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Lin Ye
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Hehuan Lai
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Bin Pan
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Wenzheng Pan
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Chao Lou
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Zhenzhong Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Shunwu Fan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
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Guo Y, Zhu H, Li X, Ma C, Li Y, Sun T, Wang Y, Wang C, Guan W, Liu C. RepSox effectively promotes the induced differentiation of sheep fibroblasts into adipocytes via the inhibition of the TGF‑β1/Smad pathway. Int J Mol Med 2021; 48:148. [PMID: 34132357 PMCID: PMC8208630 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2021.4981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous reports have demonstrated that RepSox can function as a replacement for cMyc and Sox2 in the reprogramming of cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), as well as increasing the levels of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-3 and inducing the phosphorylation of Smad1 in mouse embryonic stem cells. In the present study, it was demonstrated that RepSox caused the visible morphological transformation of sheep fibroblasts; however, no significant alterations in cell proliferation, apoptosis or chromosome aberrations were observed. Moreover, RepSox increased the plasticity of long-term cryopreserved sheep fibroblasts, and further promoted differentiation into adipocytes. RepSox treatment led to a notable decrease in the expression of components of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling pathway, particularly Smad2/3 phosphorylation. RepSox also activated the BMP pathway, promoted the reprogramming of cells from fibroblasts into adipocytes and induced mesenchymal-epithelial transition. It is worth noting that RepSox notably increased the expression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 and L-Myc, whereas Sox2 and Nanog expression were not detected. The results of high-throughput RNA sequencing revealed that the levels of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in various metabolic processes were markedly upregulated in the RepSox-treated fibroblasts, while the DEGs in the majority of signaling pathways were markedly downregulated. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that RepSox can promote the plasticity of sheep fibroblasts and facilitates the differentiation of adipocytes via increasing BMP expression and inhibiting the activation of the TGF-β signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Guo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
| | - Huan Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
| | - Xiangchen Li
- Institute of Beijing Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, P.R. China
| | - Caiyun Ma
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
| | - Yanan Li
- Institute of Beijing Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, P.R. China
| | - Tingting Sun
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
| | - Chunjing Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
| | - Weijun Guan
- Institute of Beijing Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, P.R. China
| | - Changqing Liu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui 233000, P.R. China
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Liu F, Liu Y, Chen Z. Tim-3 expression and its role in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Hematol Oncol 2018; 11:126. [PMID: 30309387 PMCID: PMC6182863 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-018-0667-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common tumors in the world, and its mortality is still on the rise. Limited treatments and low chemotherapy sensitivity of HCC make new therapeutic strategies urgently needed. With the rise of immune checkpoint blockade, anti-CTLA-4 antibodies and anti-PD-1 antibodies have shown therapeutic effects in various tumors. T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3), a newly discovered immune checkpoint molecule, plays a major role in the development of HCC. Tim-3 can be used to evaluate the prognosis and therapeutic effects in HCC, and Tim-3 intervention has shown anti-tumor effects in preclinical experiments. This review summarizes findings regarding Tim-3 and HCC in recent years and discusses the rationale of Tim-3 as a therapeutic target for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, 79# Qingchun Road, 6A-17, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Yanning Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, 79# Qingchun Road, 6A-17, Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Zhi Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, 79# Qingchun Road, 6A-17, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
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Mei L, Sang W, Chen Z, Zheng L, Jin K, Lou C, Huang W, He D. Small molecule inhibitor RepSox prevented ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis by suppressing osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. J Cell Physiol 2018; 233:9724-9738. [PMID: 30059597 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.26914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Osteoporosis (OP) is a serious metabolic disease that, due to the increased number or function of osteoclasts, results in increased bone brittleness and, therefore, fragile fracture. Some recent studies report the importance of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathway in bone homeostasis. RepSox is a small molecule inhibitor of TGFβRI that has a wide range of potential application in clinical medicine, except OP. The aim of our study is to evaluate the effects of RepSox on the differentiation and bone resorption of osteoclasts in vitro and in vivo in an ovariectomy (OVX)-induced OP model. An initial analysis showed TGFβRI messenger RNA expression in both bone samples and bone cells. In the in vitro study, RepSox inhibited the receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption activity. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis showed that RepSox suppressed osteoclastic marker gene expression in both dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. In addition, RepSox did not affect osteoblast differentiation, migration or osteoblastic-specific gene expression in vitro. Furthermore, western blot analysis indicated the underlying mechanisms of the RepSox suppression of osteoclastogenesis via the Smad3 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase/activator protein-1 (JNK/AP-1) signaling pathways. Finally, our animal experiments revealed that RepSox prevented OVX-induced bone loss in vivo. Together, our data suggest that RepSox regulates osteoclast differentiation, bone resorption, and OVX-induced OP via the suppression of the Smad3 and JNK/AP-1 pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangwei Mei
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui Municipal Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenhua Sang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhenzhong Chen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui Municipal Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lin Zheng
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui Municipal Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kangtao Jin
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui Municipal Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chao Lou
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui Municipal Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenjun Huang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui Municipal Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, China
| | - Dengwei He
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui Municipal Central Hospital, Lishui, Zhejiang, China
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Abstract
Both Tim-3 and Tim-4 belong to the T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain (Tim) gene family, which plays a critical role in immunoregulation. Tim-3 has been suggested as a negative regulator of anti-tumor immunity due to its function on inducing T cells exhaustion in cancer. In addition to its expression on exhausted T cells, Tim-3 also has been reported to up-regulate on nature killer (NK) cells and promote NK cells functionally exhausted in cancer. While Tim-3 selectively expression on most types of leukemia stem cells, it promotes the progression of acute myeloid leukemia. Recently, data from experimental models of tumor discovered that Tim-3 and Tim-4 up-regulation on tumor associated dendritic cells and macrophages attenuated the anti-tumor effects of cancer vaccines and chemotherapy. Moreover, co-blockage of Tim-3 and PD-1, Tim-3 and CD137, Tim-3 and carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) could enhance cell-mediated immunity in advanced tumor, and combined treatment with anti-Tim-3 and anti-Tim-4 mAbs further increase the efficacy of cancer vaccines. The therapeutic manipulation of TIM-3 and TIM-4 may provide a novel strategy to improve the clinical efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Cheng
- a Institute of Burn Research; Southwest Hospital; Third Military Medical University ; Chongqing , China
| | - Zhihua Ruan
- b Department of Oncology; Southwest Hospital ; Third Military Medical University ; Chongqing , China
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