Epigenetic modifications inhibit the expression of MARVELD1 and in turn tumorigenesis by regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in pan-cancer

NR3C2 affects the proliferation and invasiveness of colon cancer cells through the Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to explore the potential correlation between the nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 (NR3C2) and outcomes of colon cancer, along with the mechanisms underlying this association.

METHOD

mRNA (messenger RNA) data and clinical records pertaining to colon cancer were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The analysis of NR3C2 expression discrepancies between normal colon and tumor tissues was conducted using R software. In addition, we also studied the relationship between NR3C2 expression and prognosis, pathological parameters. The relative role of NR3C2 were further predicted through bioinformatics methods and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of NR3C2 in colon cancer. Single-cell data from colon cancer samples in the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) database further investigated the mechanism of the lower survival associated with NR3C2 dysregulation. NR3C2 expression in three fresh colon cancer samples and their respective paracancer samples was determined. Furthermore, colon cancer cell models overexpressing NR3C2 and with knockdown NR3C2 were constructed by lentiviral vector transfection. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, transplantation of tumors in nude mice and transwell assays were used to examine the proliferation, migration and invasion of colon cancer cells. The effect on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, activities of cellular autophagy and cell apoptosis were examined by assessing the expression levels of several key proteins, including Bcl-2, Bax, and LC3.

RESULTS

We found that NR3C2 was found a significantly lower level in colon cancer tissues than in adjacent tissues, which was associated with distant and lymphatic metastases, clinical stage, and poor clinical outcome, and it was an independent prognostic factor and potential marker of colon cancer. Single-cell transcriptome data identified the subset of circulating T and B cells with high expression of NR3C2, which is involved in TNF signaling pathway. Functional experiments show that downregulation of NR3C2 resultsed in the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and promotesd the proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cells while suppressing cell autophagy and apoptosis.

CONCLUSION

NR3C2 may regulate Wnt/β-catenin to affect the proliferation, invasion apoptosis and autophagy of colon cancer, and this axis is a potential target for the treatment of colon cancer.

Digital-scRRBS: A Cost-Effective, Highly Sensitive, and Automated Single-Cell Methylome Analysis Platform via Digital Microfluidics

Single-cell DNA methylation sequencing is highly effective for identifying cell subpopulations and constructing epigenetic regulatory networks. Existing methylome analyses require extensive starting materials and are costly, complex, and susceptible to contamination, thereby impeding the development of single-cell methylome technology. In this work, we report digital microfluidics-based single-cell reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (digital-scRRBS), the first microfluidics-based single-cell methylome library construction platform, which is an automatic, effective, reproducible, and reagent-efficient technique to dissect the single-cell methylome. Using our digital microfluidic chip, we isolated single cells in 15 s and successfully constructed single-cell methylation sequencing libraries with a unique genome mapping rate of up to 53.6%, covering up to 2.26 million CpG sites. Digital-scRRBS demonstrates a high capacity for distinguishing cell identity and tracking DNA methylation during drug administration. Digital-scRRBS expands the applicability of single-cell methylation methods as a versatile tool for epigenetic analysis of rare cells and populations with high levels of heterogeneity.

Animal models of the placenta accreta spectrum: current status and further perspectives

Placenta accreta spectrum disorder (PAS) is a kind of disease of placentation defined as abnormal trophoblast invasion of part or all of the placenta into the myometrium, even penetrating the uterus. Decidual deficiency, abnormal vascular remodeling in the maternal-fetal interface, and excessive invasion by extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cells contribute to its onset. However, the mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying such phenotypes are not fully understood, partly due to the lack of suitable experimental animal models. Appropriate animal models will facilitate the comprehensive and systematic elucidation of the pathogenesis of PAS. Due to the remarkably similar functional placental villous units and hemochorial placentation to humans, the current animal models of PAS are based on mice. There are various mouse models induced by uterine surgery to simulate different phenotypes of PAS, such as excessive invasion of EVT or immune disturbance at the maternal-fetal interface, which could define the pathological mechanism of PAS from the perspective of the "soil." Additionally, genetically modified mouse models could be used to study PAS, which is helpful to exploring the pathogenesis of PAS from the perspectives of both "soil" and "seed," respectively. This review details early placental development in mice, with a focus on the approaches of PAS modeling. Additionally, the strengths, limitations and the applicability of each strategy and further perspectives are summarized to provide the theoretical foundation for researchers to select appropriate animal models for various research purposes. This will help better determine the pathogenesis of PAS and even promote possible therapy.

Epigenetics of Thymic Epithelial Tumors

Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) arise from the epithelial cells of the thymus and consist in the 1% of all adult malignancies, despite the fact that they are the most common lesions of the anterior mediastinum. TETs can be divided mainly into thymomas, thymic carcinomas, and the rarest ad aggressive neuroendocrine forms. Despite the surgical resection is quite resolving, the diagnosis of TETs is complicated by the absence of symptoms and the clinical presentation aggravated by several paraneoplastic disorders, including myasthenia gravis. Thus, the heterogeneity of TETs prompts the search for molecular biomarkers that could be helpful for tumor characterization and clinical outcomes prediction. With these aims, several researchers investigated the epigenetic profiles of TETs. In this manuscript, we narratively review the works investigating the deregulation of epigenetic mechanisms in TETs, highlighting the need for further studies combining genetic, epigenetic, and expression data to better characterize the different molecular subtypes and identify, for each of them, the most relevant epigenetic biomarkers of clinical utility.

Wnt signaling in colorectal cancer: pathogenic role and therapeutic target

Background

The Wnt signaling pathway is a complex network of protein interactions that functions most commonly in embryonic development and cancer, but is also involved in normal physiological processes in adults. The canonical Wnt signaling pathway regulates cell pluripotency and determines the differentiation fate of cells during development. The canonical Wnt signaling pathway (also known as the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway) is a recognized driver of colon cancer and one of the most representative signaling pathways. As a functional effector molecule of Wnt signaling, the modification and degradation of β-catenin are key events in the Wnt signaling pathway and the development and progression of colon cancer. Therefore, the Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diseases, especially the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Objective

Inhibit the Wnt signaling pathway to explore the therapeutic targets of colorectal cancer.

Methods

Based on studying the Wnt pathway, master the biochemical processes related to the Wnt pathway, and analyze the relevant targets when drugs or inhibitors act on the Wnt pathway, to clarify the medication ideas of drugs or inhibitors for the treatment of diseases, especially colorectal cancer.

Results

Wnt signaling pathways include: Wnt/β-catenin or canonical Wnt signaling pathway, planar cell polarity (Wnt-PCP) pathway and Wnt-Ca²⁺ signaling pathway. The Wnt signaling pathway is closely related to cancer cell proliferation, stemness, apoptosis, autophagy, metabolism, inflammation and immunization, microenvironment, resistance, ion channel, heterogeneity, EMT/migration/invasion/metastasis. Drugs/phytochemicals and molecular preparations for the Wnt pathway of CRC treatment have now been developed. Wnt inhibitors are also commonly used clinically for the treatment of CRC.

Conclusion

The development of drugs/phytochemicals and molecular inhibitors targeting the Wnt pathway can effectively treat colorectal cancer clinically.