MRPL27 contributes to unfavorable overall survival and disease-free survival from cholangiocarcinoma patients

Repair mechanism of Yishen Tongluo formula on mouse sperm DNA fragmentation caused by polystyrene microplastics

CONTEXT

Plastics can break down into millions of microplastic (MPs, < 5 mm) particles in the soil and ocean. These MPs can then affect the function of the reproductive system. There is currently no effective solution to this problem aside from traditional Chinese medicine. We have previously used Yishen Tongluo formula (YSTL) to treat sperm DNA damage caused by some toxic substances.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the mechanism underlying the repair of mouse sperm DNA fragmentation caused by polystyrene microplastics by YSTL.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An animal model of polystyrene microplastic (PS-MP)-induced sperm DNA damage was replicated by gavage of SPF ICR (CD1) mice PS-MPs at 1 mg/d and treated with YSTL at 11.89, 23.78 and 47.56 g/kg, respectively, for 60 days. The Sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) of each group was detected and compared. The target genes of YSTL identified by transcriptomic and proteomic analyses were validated by qRT-PCR and western blotting.

RESULTS

The DFI of the PS group (20.66%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (4.23%). The medium and high doses of the YSTL group (12.8% and 11.31%) exhibited a significant repairing effect. The most enriched pathway was PI3K/Akt. TBL1X, SPARC, hnRNP0, Map7D1, Eps8 and Mrpl27 were screened and SPARC was validated.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The precise mechanism by which YSTL inhibits PD-MPs DNA damage may be associated with the PI3K/Akt pathway and SPARC. It provides a new direction for using traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and repair reproductive system injury caused by MPs.

Potential of Mitochondrial Ribosomal Genes as Cancer Biomarkers Demonstrated by Bioinformatics Results

Next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analyses have clearly revealed the roles of mitochondrial ribosomal genes in cancer development. Mitochondrial ribosomes are composed of three RNA components encoded by mitochondrial DNA and 82 specific protein components encoded by nuclear DNA. They synthesize mitochondrial inner membrane oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-related proteins and participate in various biological activities via the regulation of energy metabolism and apoptosis. Mitochondrial ribosomal genes are strongly associated with clinical features such as prognosis and foci metastasis in patients with cancer. Accordingly, mitochondrial ribosomes have become an important focus of cancer research. We review recent advances in bioinformatics research that have explored the link between mitochondrial ribosomes and cancer, with a focus on the potential of mitochondrial ribosomal genes as biomarkers in cancer.

Identification of the Upregulation of MRPL13 as a Novel Prognostic Marker Associated with Overall Survival Time and Immunotherapy Response in Breast Cancer

Mitochondrial ribosomal protein (MRPL) genes have been reported to participate in many cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle. Meanwhile, the occurrence rate of breast cancer (BRCA) in China steadily increased. Exploring the prognostic value of MRPL genes in BRCA could provide novel biomarkers for BRCA. In this study, to identify prognosis-related genes in breast cancer, the P value and the hazard ratio (HR) of all genes are analyzed with TCGA database. We revealed higher expression level of CEL, PGK1, WNT3A, USP41, LINC02037, PCMT1, LRP11, MCTS1, TCP1, TMEM31, STK4-AS1, STXBP5, LOC100287036, SLC16A2, MRPL13, DERL1, and TARS was correlated to shorter OS time in BRCA. However, higher expression level of JCHAIN, KLRB1, and TNFRSF14 was correlated to longer OS time in BRCA. The further analysis demonstrated MRPL13 was overexpressed in BRCA. Subtype analysis showed that MRPL13 was overexpressed in luminal, HER2-positive BRCA, and TNBC samples and was highest in TNBC samples. Moreover, we revealed higher expression of MRPL13 was significantly correlated to shorter OS time and higher TMB levels in BRCA. Pan-cancer analysis further revealed the prognostic value of MRPL13 in human cancers. MRPL13 expression was significantly increased in multiple human cancers, such as bladder cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, and prostate cancer. Pan-cancer TMB and overall survival time showed dysregulation of MRPL13 is significantly related to the OS and TMB levels in various cancers. These results further proved that MRPL13 may be a pan-cancer biomarker for predicting prognosis and the response to immunotherapy.