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Qin Z, Yang J, Zhang K, Gao X, Ran Q, Xu Y, Wang Z, Lou D, Huang C, Zellmer L, Meng G, Chen N, Ma H, Wang Z, Liao DJ. Updating mRNA variants of the human RSK4 gene and their expression in different stressed situations. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27475. [PMID: 38560189 PMCID: PMC10980951 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
We determined RNA spectrum of the human RSK4 (hRSK4) gene (also called RPS6KA6) and identified 29 novel mRNA variants derived from alternative splicing, which, plus the NCBI-documented ones and the five we reported previously, totaled 50 hRSK4 RNAs that, by our bioinformatics analyses, encode 35 hRSK4 protein isoforms of 35-762 amino acids. Many of the mRNAs are bicistronic or tricistronic for hRSK4. The NCBI-normalized NM_014496.5 and the protein it encodes are designated herein as the Wt-1 mRNA and protein, respectively, whereas the NM_001330512.1 and the long protein it encodes are designated as the Wt-2 mRNA and protein, respectively. Many of the mRNA variants responded differently to different situations of stress, including serum starvation, a febrile temperature, treatment with ethanol or ethanol-extracted clove buds (an herbal medicine), whereas the same stressed situation often caused quite different alterations among different mRNA variants in different cell lines. Mosifloxacin, an antibiotics and also a functional inhibitor of hRSK4, could inhibit the expression of certain hRSK4 mRNA variants. The hRSK4 gene likely uses alternative splicing as a handy tool to adapt to different stressed situations, and the mRNA and protein multiplicities may partly explain the incongruous literature on its expression and comports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenwei Qin
- Section of Forensic Science and Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dong-Qing-Nan Road, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Jianglin Yang
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 4 Beijing Rd, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Keyin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 4 Beijing Road, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Xia Gao
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 4 Beijing Road, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Qianchuan Ran
- Section of Forensic Science and Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dong-Qing-Nan Road, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Yuanhong Xu
- Section of Forensic Science and Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dong-Qing-Nan Road, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Zhi Wang
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 4 Beijing Road, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Didong Lou
- Section of Forensic Science and Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dong-Qing-Nan Road, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Chunhua Huang
- Section of Forensic Science and Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dong-Qing-Nan Road, Guiyang, 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center, 730 South 8th St., Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA
| | - Guangxue Meng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Guizhou Medical University, 9 Beijing Road, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Na Chen
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Guizhou Medical University, 9 Beijing Road, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Hong Ma
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Guizhou Medical University, 9 Beijing Road, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Pathology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 169 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 4 Beijing Rd, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, Guizhou Province, China
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Teixeira da Silva JA. Issues and challenges to reproducibility of cancer research: a commentary. Future Oncol 2022; 18:1417-1422. [DOI: 10.2217/fon-2021-1378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Zhang K, Zhang J, Ding N, Zellmer L, Zhao Y, Liu S, Liao DJ. ACTB and GAPDH appear at multiple SDS-PAGE positions, thus not suitable as reference genes for determining protein loading in techniques like Western blotting. Open Life Sci 2021; 16:1278-1292. [PMID: 34966852 PMCID: PMC8669867 DOI: 10.1515/biol-2021-0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We performed polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of human proteins with sodium dodecyl sulfate, isolated proteins at multiple positions, and then used liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine the protein identities. Although beta-actin (ACTB) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) are 41.7 and 36 kDa proteins, respectively, LC-MS/MS identified their peptides at all the positions studied. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (USA) database lists only one ACTB mRNA but five GAPDH mRNAs and one noncoding RNA. The five GAPDH mRNAs encode three protein isoforms, while our bioinformatics analysis identified a 17.6 kDa isoform encoded by the noncoding RNA. All LC-MS/MS-identified GAPDH peptides at all positions studied are unique, but some of the identified ACTB peptides are shared by ACTC1, ACTBL2, POTEF, POTEE, POTEI, and POTEJ. ACTC1 and ACTBL2 belong to the ACT family with significant similarities to ACTB in protein sequence, whereas the four POTEs are ACTB-containing chimeric genes with the C-terminus of their proteins highly similar to the ACTB. These data lead us to conclude that GAPDH and ACTB are poor reference genes for determining the protein loading in such techniques as Western blotting, a leading role these two genes have been playing for decades in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
| | - Ju Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing 100015 , People’s Republic of China
| | - Nan Ding
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University , Beijing 100015 , People’s Republic of China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Department of Medicine, Hennepin County Medical Center , 730 South 8th St. , Minneapolis , MN 55415 , United States of America
| | - Yan Zhao
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
| | - Siqi Liu
- Beijing Genomic Institute, Building 11 of Beishan Industrial Zone, Tantian District , Shengzhen 518083 , Guangdong Province , People’s Republic of China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Guizhou Medical University Hospital , Guiyang 550004 , Guizhou Province , People’s Republic of China
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Gao X, Zhang K, Zhou H, Zellmer L, Yuan C, Huang H, Liao DJ. At elevated temperatures, heat shock protein genes show altered ratios of different RNAs and expression of new RNAs, including several novel HSPB1 mRNAs encoding HSP27 protein isoforms. Exp Ther Med 2021; 22:900. [PMID: 34257713 PMCID: PMC8243336 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2021.10332] [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: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Heat shock proteins (HSP) serve as chaperones to maintain the physiological conformation and function of numerous cellular proteins when the ambient temperature is increased. To determine how accurate the general assumption that HSP gene expression is increased in febrile situations is, the RNA levels of the HSF1 (heat shock transcription factor 1) gene and certain HSP genes were determined in three cell lines cultured at 37˚C or 39˚C for three days. At 39˚C, the expression of HSF1, HSPB1, HSP90AA1 and HSP70A1L genes demonstrated complex changes in the ratios of expression levels between different RNA variants of the same gene. Several older versions of the RNAs of certain HSP genes that have been replaced by a newer version in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database were also detected, indicating that the older versions are actually RNA variants of these genes. The present study cloned four new RNA variants of the HSP27-encoding HSPB1 gene, which together encode three short HSP27 peptides. Reanalysis of the proteomics data from our previous studies also demonstrated that proteins from certain HSP genes could be detected simultaneously at multiple positions using SDS-PAGE, suggesting that these genes may engender multiple protein isoforms. These results collectively suggested that, besides increasing their expression, certain HSP and associated genes also use alternative transcription start sites to produce multiple RNA transcripts and use alternative splicing of a transcript to produce multiple mature RNAs, as important mechanisms for responding to an increased ambient temperature in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Gao
- Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.,Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of The Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China
| | - Keyin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.,Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of The Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China
| | - Haiyan Zhou
- Clinical Research Center, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Chengfu Yuan
- Department of Biochemistry, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei 443002, P.R. China
| | - Hai Huang
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of The Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China.,Center for Clinical Laboratories, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China
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Dou X, Tong P, Huang H, Zellmer L, He Y, Jia Q, Zhang D, Peng J, Wang C, Xu N, Liao DJ. Evidence for immortality and autonomy in animal cancer models is often not provided, which causes confusion on key issues of cancer biology. J Cancer 2020; 11:2887-2920. [PMID: 32226506 PMCID: PMC7086263 DOI: 10.7150/jca.41324] [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: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern research into carcinogenesis has undergone three phases. Surgeons and pathologists started the first phase roughly 250 years ago, establishing morphological traits of tumors for pathologic diagnosis, and setting immortality and autonomy as indispensable criteria for neoplasms. A century ago, medical doctors, biologists and chemists started to enhance "experimental cancer research" by establishing many animal models of chemical-induced carcinogenesis for studies of cellular mechanisms. In this second phase, the two-hit theory and stepwise carcinogenesis of "initiation-promotion" or "initiation-promotion-progression" were established, with an illustrious finding that outgrowths induced in animals depend on the inducers, and thus are not authentically neoplastic, until late stages. The last 40 years are the third incarnation, molecular biologists have gradually dominated the carcinogenesis research fraternity and have established numerous genetically-modified animal models of carcinogenesis. However, evidence has not been provided for immortality and autonomy of the lesions from most of these models. Probably, many lesions had already been collected from animals for analyses of molecular mechanisms of "cancer" before the lesions became autonomous. We herein review the monumental work of many predecessors to reinforce that evidence for immortality and autonomy is essential for confirming a neoplastic nature. We extrapolate that immortality and autonomy are established early during sporadic human carcinogenesis, unlike the late establishment in most animal models. It is imperative to resume many forerunners' work by determining the genetic bases for initiation, promotion and progression, the genetic bases for immortality and autonomy, and which animal models are, in fact, good for identifying such genetic bases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xixi Dou
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Transmucosal and Transdermal Drug Delivery, Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Jinan 250101, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Pingzhen Tong
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou Province, P.R. China
| | - Hai Huang
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, P.R. China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 435 E. River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yan He
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of The Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province 550004, P. R. China
| | - Qingwen Jia
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Transmucosal and Transdermal Drug Delivery, Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Jinan 250101, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Daizhou Zhang
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Transmucosal and Transdermal Drug Delivery, Shandong Freda Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Jinan 250101, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Jiang Peng
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Chenguang Wang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250021, Shandong Province, P.R. China
| | - Ningzhi Xu
- Tianjin LIPOGEN Gene Technology Ltd., #238 Baidi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin 300192, P.R. China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550001, Guizhou Province, P.R. China
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Qu J, Zhang J, Zellmer L, He Y, Liu S, Wang C, Yuan C, Xu N, Huang H, Liao DJ. About three-fourths of mouse proteins unexpectedly appear at a low position of SDS-PAGE, often as additional isoforms, questioning whether all protein isoforms have been eliminated in gene-knockout cells or organisms. Protein Sci 2020; 29:978-990. [PMID: 31930537 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Most genes in evolutionarily complex genomes are expressed to multiple protein isoforms, but there is not yet any simple high-throughput approach to identify these isoforms. Using an oversimplified top-down LC-MS/MS strategy, we detected, around the 26-kD position of SDS-PAGE, proteins produced from 782 genes in a Cdk4-/- mouse embryonic fibroblast cell line. Interestingly, only 213 (27.24%, about one-fourth) of these 782 genes have their proteins with a theoretical molecular mass (TMM) 10% smaller or larger than 26 kD, that is, between 23 and 29 kD, the range set as allowed variation in SDS-PAGE. These 213 proteins are considered as the wild type (WT). The remaining three-fourths includes proteins from 66 (9.44%) genes with a TMM smaller than 23 kD and proteins from 503 (64.32%, nearly two-thirds) genes with a TMM larger than 29 kD; these proteins are categorized into a larger-group or a smaller-group, respectively, for their appearance at a higher or lower position of SDS-PAGE. For instance, at this 26-kD position we detected proteins from the Rps27a, Snrpf, Hist1h4a, and Rps25 genes whose proteins' TMM is 8.6, 9.7, 11.4, and 13.7 kD, respectively, and detected proteins from the Plelc1 and Prkdc genes, whose largest isoform is 533.9 and 471.1 kD, respectively. We extrapolate that many of those proteins migrating unexpectedly in SDS-PAGE may be isoforms besides the WT protein. Moreover, we also detected a Cdk4 protein in this Cdk4-/- cell line, thus wondering whether some of other gene-knockout cells or organisms show similar incompleteness of the knockout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayuan Qu
- Department of Biochemistry, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei Province, China
| | - Ju Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Yan He
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of The Ministry of Education of China in Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, P. R., China
| | - Siqi Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Genome Sciences and Information, Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Chengfu Yuan
- Department of Biochemistry, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei Province, China
| | - Ningzhi Xu
- National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hai Huang
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Dezhong J Liao
- Laboratory for Core Facilities, The Second Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
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Brommage R, Ohlsson C. High Fidelity of Mouse Models Mimicking Human Genetic Skeletal Disorders. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:934. [PMID: 32117046 PMCID: PMC7010808 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The 2019 International Skeletal Dysplasia Society nosology update lists 441 genes for which mutations result in rare human skeletal disorders. These genes code for enzymes (33%), scaffolding proteins (18%), signal transduction proteins (16%), transcription factors (14%), cilia proteins (8%), extracellular matrix proteins (5%), and membrane transporters (4%). Skeletal disorders include aggrecanopathies, channelopathies, ciliopathies, cohesinopathies, laminopathies, linkeropathies, lysosomal storage diseases, protein-folding and RNA splicing defects, and ribosomopathies. With the goal of evaluating the ability of mouse models to mimic these human genetic skeletal disorders, a PubMed literature search identified 260 genes for which mutant mice were examined for skeletal phenotypes. These mouse models included spontaneous and ENU-induced mutants, global and conditional gene knockouts, and transgenic mice with gene over-expression or specific base-pair substitutions. The human X-linked gene ARSE and small nuclear RNA U4ATAC, a component of the minor spliceosome, do not have mouse homologs. Mouse skeletal phenotypes mimicking human skeletal disorders were observed in 249 of the 260 genes (96%) for which comparisons are possible. A supplemental table in spreadsheet format provides PubMed weblinks to representative publications of mutant mouse skeletal phenotypes. Mutations in 11 mouse genes (Ccn6, Cyp2r1, Flna, Galns, Gna13, Lemd3, Manba, Mnx1, Nsd1, Plod1, Smarcal1) do not result in similar skeletal phenotypes observed with mutations of the homologous human genes. These discrepancies can result from failure of mouse models to mimic the exact human gene mutations. There are no obvious commonalities among these 11 genes. Body BMD and/or radiologic dysmorphology phenotypes were successfully identified for 28 genes by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC). Forward genetics using ENU mouse mutagenesis successfully identified 37 nosology gene phenotypes. Since many human genetic disorders involve hypomorphic, gain-of-function, dominant-negative and intronic mutations, future studies will undoubtedly utilize CRISPR/Cas9 technology to examine transgenic mice having genes modified to exactly mimic variant human sequences. Mutant mice will increasingly be employed for drug development studies designed to treat human genetic skeletal disorders. SIGNIFICANCE Great progress is being made identifying mutant genes responsible for human rare genetic skeletal disorders and mouse models for genes affecting bone mass, architecture, mineralization and strength. This review organizes data for 441 human genetic bone disorders with regard to heredity, gene function, molecular pathways, and fidelity of relevant mouse models to mimic the human skeletal disorders. PubMed weblinks to citations of 249 successful mouse models are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Brommage
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, Institute of Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Robert Brommage
| | - Claes Ohlsson
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Centre for Bone and Arthritis Research, Institute of Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Drug Treatment, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Shi M, Zhou H, Lei M, Chen L, Zellmer L, He Y, Yang W, Xu N, Liao DJ. Spontaneous Cancers, But Not Many Induced Ones in Animals, Resemble Semi-New Organisms that Possess a Unique Programmed Cell Death Mode Different from Apoptosis, Senescent Death, Necrosis and Stress-Induced Cell Death. J Cancer 2018; 9:4726-4735. [PMID: 30588258 PMCID: PMC6299389 DOI: 10.7150/jca.26502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
There are four basic cell death modes in animals, i.e. physiological senescent death (SD) and apoptosis as well as pathological necrosis and stress-induced cell death (SICD). There have been numerous publications describing “apoptosis” in cancer, mostly focused on killing cancer cells using radio- or chemo-therapy, with few on exploring how cancer cells die naturally without such treatments. Spontaneous benign or malignant neoplasms are immortal and autonomous, but they still retain some allegiance to their parental tissue or organ and thus are still somewhat controlled by the patient's body. Because of these properties of immortality, semi-autonomy, and semi-allegiance to the patient's body, spontaneous tumors have no redundant cells and resemble “semi-new organisms” parasitizing the patients, becoming a unique tissue type possessing a hitherto unannotated cell death mode besides SD, apoptosis, necrosis and SICD. Particularly, apoptosis aims to expunge redundant cells, whereas this new mode does not. In contrast to spontaneous tumors, many histologically malignant tumors induced in experimental animals, before they reach an advanced stage, regress after withdrawal of the inducer. This mortal and non-autonomous nature disqualifies these animal lesions as authentic neoplasms and as semi-new organisms but makes them a good tissue type for apoptosis studies. Ruminating over cell death in spontaneous cancers and many inauthentic tumors induced in animals from these new slants makes us realize that “whether cancer cells undergo apoptosis” is not an easy question with a simple answer. Our answer is that cancer cells have an uncharacterized programmed cell death mode, which is not apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjun Shi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Haiyan Zhou
- Clinical Research Center, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Mingjuan Lei
- Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Lichan Chen
- Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, 435 E. River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yan He
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China at Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Wenxiu Yang
- Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou province, China
| | - Ningzhi Xu
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology & State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Key Lab of Endemic and Ethnic Diseases of the Ministry of Education of China at Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou Province, China.,Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guiyang 550004, Guizhou province, China
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