Aldolase A Enhances Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Proliferation and Invasion through Promoting Glycolysis

Phosphorylation of FOXK2 at Thr13 and Ser30 by PDK2 sustains glycolysis through a positive feedback manner in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignant tumors with insidious onset, strong invasiveness, and poor prognosis. Metabolic alteration, particularly aerobic glycolysis, which is tightly regulated by transcription factors, is associated with the malignant behavior of OC. We screened FOXK2 in this study as a key transcription factor that regulates glycolysis in OC. FOXK2 is overly expressed in OC, and poor prognosis is predicted by overexpression. FOXK2 promotes OC cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo and cell migration in vitro. Further studies showed that PDK2 directly binds to the forkhead-associated (FHA) domain of FOXK2 to phosphorylate FOXK2 at Thr13 and Ser30, thereby enhancing the transcriptional activity of FOXK2. FOXK2 transcriptionally regulates the expression of PDK2, thus forming positive feedback to sustain glycolysis in OC cells.

Turn-on Coumarin Precursor: From Hydrazine Sensor to Covalent Inhibition and Fluorescence Detection of Rabbit Muscle Aldolase

Hydrazine, a highly toxic compound, demands sensitive and selective detection methods. Building upon our previous studies with pre-coumarin OFF-ON sensors for fluoride anions, we extended our strategy to hydrazine sensing by adapting phenol protecting groups (propionate, levulinate, and γ-bromobutanoate) to our pre-coumarin scaffold. These probes reacted with hydrazine, yielding a fluorescent signal with low micromolar limits of detection. Mechanistic studies revealed that hydrazine deprotection may be outperformed by a retro-Knoevenagel reaction, where hydrazine acts as a nucleophile and a base yielding a fluorescent diimide compound (6,6'-((1E,1'E)-hydrazine-1,2diylidenebis(methaneylylidene))bis(3(diethylamino)phenol, 7). Additionally, our pre-coumarins unexpectedly reacted with primary amines, generating a fluorescent signal corresponding to phenol deprotection followed by cyclization and coumarin formation. The potential of compound 3 as a theranostic Turn-On coumarin precursor was also explored. We propose that its reaction with ALDOA produced a γ-lactam, blocking the catalytic nucleophilic amine in the enzyme's binding site. The cleavage of the ester group in compound 3 induced the formation of fluorescent coumarin 4. This fluorescent signal was proportional to ALDOA concentration, demonstrating the potential of compound 3 for future theranostic studies in vivo.

Machine learning developed an intratumor heterogeneity signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy benefits in cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Cholangiocarcinoma is a kind of epithelial cell malignancy with high mortality. Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) is involved in tumor progression, aggressiveness, treatment resistance, and disease recurrence.

METHODS

Integrative machine learning procedure including 10 methods (random survival forest, elastic network, Lasso, Ridge, stepwise Cox, CoxBoost, partial least squares regression for Cox, supervised principal components, generalized boosted regression modeling, and survival support vector machine) was performed to construct an ITH-related signature (IRS) for cholangiocarcinoma. Single cell analysis was performed to clarify the communication between immune cell subtypes. Cellular experiment was used to verify the biological function of hub gene.

RESULTS

The optimal prognostic IRS developed by Lasso method served as an independent risk factor and had a stable and powerful performance in predicting the overall survival rate in cholangiocarcinoma, with the AUC of 2-, 3-, and 4-year ROC curve being 0.955, 0.950 and 1.000 in TCGA cohort. low IRS score indicated with a lower tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion score, lower tumor microsatellite instability, lower immune escape score, lower MATH score, and higher mutation burden score in cholangiocarcinoma. Single cell analysis revealed a strong communication between fibroblasts, microphage and epithelial cells by specific ligand-receptor pairs, including COL4A1-(ITGAV+ITGB8) and COL1A2-(ITGAV+ITGB8). Down-regulation of BET1L inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion as well as promoted apoptosis of cholangiocarcinoma cell.

CONCLUSION

Integrative machine learning analysis was performed to construct a novel IRS in cholangiocarcinoma. This IRS acted as an indicator for predicting the prognosis and immunotherapy benefits of cholangiocarcinoma patients.

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.

Serum exosomes from hepatitis B virus-infected patients inhibit glycolysis in Sertoli cells via miR-122-5p/ALDOA axis

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with male infertility. The mechanism includes an increase in chromosomal instability in sperm, which has an adverse effect on sperm viability and function. Sertoli cells (SCs) are vital in spermatogenesis because they use glycolysis to provide energy to germ cells and themselves. HBV infection impairs sperm function. However, whether HBV infection disrupts energy metabolism in SCs remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the role of serum exosomes of HBV-infected patients in SC viability and glycolysis. Serum exosomes were obtained from 30 patients with (HBV+_exo) or without (HBV-_exo) HBV infection using high-speed centrifugation and identified by transmission electron microscopy and western blot analysis. Cell viability is determined by CCK-8 assay. Glycolysis is determined by detecting extracellular acidification rate and ATP levels. miR-122-5p expression levels are detected by quantitative RT-PCR, and a dual-luciferase gene reporter assay confirms the downstream target gene of miR-122-5p. Protein expression is determined by western blot analysis. The results show that HBV+ _exo inhibited cell viability, extracellular acidification rate, and ATP production of SCs. miR-122-5p is highly expressed in HBV+ _exo compared with that in HBV-_exo. Furthermore, HBV+ _exo is efficiently taken up by SCs, whereas miR-122-5p is efficiently transported to SCs. miR-122-5p overexpression downregulates ALDOA expression and inhibits SC viability and glycolysis. However, ALDOA overexpression reverses the effects of miR-122-5p and HBV+ _exo on SC viability and glycolysis. HBV+ _exo may deliver miR-122-5p to target ALDOA and inhibit SC viability and glycolysis, thus providing new therapeutic ideas for treating HBV-associated male infertility.

Prognostic significance of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography parameters in patients with biliary tract cancers: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Numerous previous studies have assessed the prognostic role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (18F FDG PET) in patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC), but those results were inconsistent. The present study aims to determine the predictive value of 18F FDG PET in BTC patients via a meta-analysis.

METHODS

The underlying studies related to 18F FDG PET and BTC patients` outcomes were searched and identified in the online databases. The interested parameters include total lesion glycolysis (TLG), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), primary tumor and metastatic lymph node (LN) maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), as well as change of SUVmax (ΔSUVmax) during treatment. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were considered as the primary endpoints. Hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were defined as the effective measure and calculated by a pooled analysis. Publication bias was assessed by funnel plot, Bagg's and Egger's tests.

RESULTS

Totally, 23 studies involving 1478 patients were included in the present meta-analysis. After a pooled analysis, it revealed that a high SUVmax was significantly associated with a poor OS (HR:2.07, 95%CI: 1.74-2.46, P = 0.000) and DFS (HR: 2.28, 95%CI: 1.53-3.41, P = 0.000). In addition, an increased TLG level contributed to a shorter OS (HR:1.91, 95%CI: 1.26-2.90, P = 0.002) and DFS (HR: 4.34, 95%CI: 1.42-13.27, P = 0.01). Moreover, we confirmed that an elevated MTV was significantly associated with increased mortality (HR:2.04, 95%CI:1.26-3.31, P = 0.004) and disease relapse (HR: 3.88, 95%CI:1.25-12.09, P = 0.019) risks. Besides, the present study uncovered that increased ΔSUVmax could predict poor OS (HR:1.26, 95%CI:1.06-1.50, P = 0.008) instead of PFS (HR: 1.96, 95%CI: 0.82-4.72, P = 0.280). Lastly, we found that LN SUVmax did not link to OS (HR: 1.49, 95%CI: 0.83-2.68, P = 0.178). No obvious publication bias was detected in the present study.

CONCLUSION

18F FDG PET parameters, including SUVmax, TLG, MTV, and ΔSUVmax, could be applied as convenient and reliable factors for predicting BTC patients` outcomes.

Aldolase A Accelerates Cancer Progression by Modulating mRNA Translation and Protein Biosynthesis via Noncanonical Mechanisms

Aldolase A (ALDOA), a crucial glycolytic enzyme, is often aberrantly expressed in various types of cancer. Although ALDOA has been reported to play additional roles beyond its conventional enzymatic role, its nonmetabolic function and underlying mechanism in cancer progression remain elusive. Here, it is shown that ALDOA promotes liver cancer growth and metastasis by accelerating mRNA translation independent of its catalytic activity. Mechanistically, ALDOA interacted with insulin- like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) to facilitate its binding to m6 A-modified eIF4G mRNA, thereby increasing eIF4G protein levels and subsequently enhancing overall protein biosynthesis in cells. Importantly, administration of GalNAc-conjugated siRNA targeting ALDOA effectively slows the tumor growth of orthotopic xenografts. Collectively, these findings uncover a previously unappreciated nonmetabolic function of ALDOA in modulating mRNA translation and highlight the potential of specifically targeting ALDOA as a prospective therapeutic strategy in liver cancer.

Long noncoding RNA PSMA3-AS1 functions as a competing endogenous RNA to promote gastric cancer progression by regulating the miR-329-3p/ALDOA axis

LncRNA PSMA3-AS1 functions as an oncogene in several cancers, including ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. However, its role in gastric cancer (GC) progression remains unclear. In this study, the levels of PSMA3-AS1, miR-329-3p, and aldolase A (ALDOA) in 20 paired human GC tissues and adjacent nontumorous tissues were measured by real-time PCR. GC cells were transfected with recombinant plasmid carrying full-length PSMA3-AS1 or shRNA targeting PSMA3-AS1. The stable transfectants were selected by G418. Then, the effects of PSMA3-AS1 knockdown or overexpression on GC progression in vitro and in vivo were evaluated. The results showed that PSMA3-AS1 was highly expressed in human GC tissues. Stable knockdown of PSMA3-AS1 significantly restrained proliferation/migration/invasion, enhanced cell apoptosis, and induced oxidative stress in vitro. Tumor growth and matrix metalloproteinase expression in tumor tissues were markedly inhibited, while oxidative stress was enhanced in nude mice after stable PSMA3-AS1 knockdown. Additionally, PSMA3-AS1 negatively regulated miR-329-3p while positively regulated ALDOA expression. MiR-329-3p directly targeted ALDOA-3'UTR. Interestingly, miR-329-3p knockdown or ALDOA overexpression partially attenuated the tumor-suppressive effects of PSMA3-AS1 knockdown. Conversely, PSMA3-AS1 overexpression exhibited the opposite effects. PSMA3-AS1 promoted GC progression by regulating the miR-329-3p/ALDOA axis. PSMA3-AS1 might serve as a promising and effective target for GC treatment.

Triptolide inhibits intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma growth by suppressing glycolysis via the AKT/mTOR pathway

BACKGROUND

High levels of glycolysis supply large quantities of energy and biological macromolecular raw materials for cell proliferation. Triptolide (TP) is a kind of epoxy diterpene lactone extracted from the roots, flowers, leaves, or grains of the Celastraceae plant, Tripterygium wilfordii. TP has multiple biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, immunologic suppression, and anti-cancer effects. Nevertheless, it is little known regarding its anti-intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) growth, and the mechanism still require exploration.

PURPOSE

This research explored the effect of TP on ICC growth and investigated whether TP inhibits glycolysis via the AKT/mTOR pathway.

METHODS

Cell proliferation was analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), clonogenic assay, and flow cytometry. The underlying molecular mechanism was identified by determining glucose consumption, ATP production, lactate production, hexokinase (HK) and pyruvate kinase (PK) activity, and Western blot analysis. A rapid ICC model of AKT/YapS127A oncogene coactivation in mice was used to clarify the effect of TP treatment on tumor growth and glycolysis.

RESULTS

The results showed that TP treatment significantly inhibited ICC cell proliferation and glycolysis in a dose- and time-dependent manner(P < 0.05). Further analysis suggested that TP suppressed ICC cell glycolysis by targeting AKT/mTOR signaling. Additionally, we found that TP inhibits tumor growth and glycolysis in AKT/YapS127A mice(P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Taken together, we revealed that TP suppressed ICC growth by suppressing glycolysis via the AKT/mTOR pathway and may provide a potential therapeutic target for ICC treatment.

Targeting metabolic reprogramming in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Metabolic reprogramming, fundamentally pivotal in carcinogenesis and progression of cancer, is considered as a promising therapeutic target against tumors. In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, metabolic abnormalities mediate alternations in proliferation and survival compared with normal B cells. However, the role of metabolic reprogramming is still under investigation in CLL. In this review, the critical metabolic processes of CLL were summarized, particularly glycolysis, lipid metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation. The effects of T cells and stromal cells in the microenvironment on metabolism of CLL were also elucidated. Besides, the metabolic alternation is regulated by some oncogenes and tumor suppressor regulators, especially TP53, MYC and ATM. Thus, the agents targeting metabolic enzymes or signal pathways may impede the progression of CLL. Both the inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) statins and the lipoprotein lipase inhibitor orlistat induce the apoptosis of CLL cells. In addition, a series of oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors play important roles in decreasing the proliferation of CLL cells. We epitomized recent advancements in metabolic reprogramming in CLL and discussed their clinical potentiality for innovative therapy options. Metabolic reprogramming plays a vital role in the initiation and progression of CLL. Therapeutic approaches targeting metabolism have their advantages in improving the survival of CLL patients. This review may shed novel light on the metabolism of CLL, leading to the development of targeted agents based on the reshaping metabolism of CLL cells.

Essential role of aerobic glycolysis in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition during carcinogenesis

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) confers the most lethal characteristics to cancer cells i.e., metastasis and resistance to chemo-and-radio-therapy, and therefore exhibit an appealing target in the field of oncology. Research in the past decade has demonstrated the crucial role of aerobic glycolysis in EMT, which is generally credited as the glucose metabolism for the creation of biomass such as fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleotides thereby providing building blocks for limitless proliferation. In the present review, apart from discussing EMT's evident role in the metastatic process and cancer stemness, we also talked about the vital role of glycolytic enzymes viz. GLUTs, HKs, PGI, PFK-1, aldolase, enolase, PK, LDHA, etc. in the induction of the EMT process in cancerous cells.