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Liu S, Guan C, Sha X, Gao X, Zou X, Yang C, Zhang X, Zhong X, Jiang X. Circ_0007534 promotes cholangiocarcinoma stemness and resistance to anoikis through DDX3X-mediated positive feedback regulation of parental gene DDX42. Cell Signal 2024; 118:111141. [PMID: 38492624 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2024.111141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignancy with an extremely poor prognosis, and much remains unknown about its pathogenesis and treatment modalities. Circular RNA (circRNA) has been proven to play regulatory roles in various tumorigenesis, yet its potential function and mechanism in cholangiocarcinoma require further investigation. This study is the first to identify the aberrant expression and functional role of a novel circRNA, circ_0007534, derived from the DDX42 gene, in cholangiocarcinoma. Compared to the normal control group, the expression of circ_0007534 was significantly elevated in the tissues and cells with CCA and that high expression correlated with lymph node invasion and poor prognosis. Functional experiments indicated that downregulating circ_0007534 markedly inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, stemness, and anti-anoikis ability of CCA cells, as well as the tumor growth and liver and lung metastasis in nude mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that DDX42, as the parent gene of circ_0007534, can mutually regulate each other's expression. Predominantly located in the cytoplasm, circ_0007534 can form a complex with the RNA-binding protein DDX3X, which enhances the stability of DDX42 mRNA, thereby upregulating the expression of DDX42. This creates a positive feedback loop among the three, collectively promoting the progression of cholangiocarcinoma. In conclusion, this study sheds light on the pivotal role and molecular mechanism of circ_0007534 in the development of CCA, offering potential new targets for early diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidi Liu
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Canghai Guan
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xiangjun Sha
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xin Gao
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xinlei Zou
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Chengru Yang
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xinmiao Zhang
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xiangyu Zhong
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China.
| | - Xingming Jiang
- General Surgery Department, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 148 Baojian Street, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang Province, China.
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Zhu S, Xuan J, Shentu Y, Kida K, Kobayashi M, Wang W, Ono M, Chang D. Effect of chitin-architected spatiotemporal three-dimensional culture microenvironments on human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Bioact Mater 2024; 35:291-305. [PMID: 38370866 PMCID: PMC10869358 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2024.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation has been explored for the clinical treatment of various diseases. However, the current two-dimensional (2D) culture method lacks a natural spatial microenvironment in vitro. This limitation restricts the stable establishment and adaptive maintenance of MSC stemness. Using natural polymers with biocompatibility for constructing stereoscopic MSC microenvironments may have significant application potential. This study used chitin-based nanoscaffolds to establish a novel MSC three-dimensional (3D) culture. We compared 2D and 3D cultured human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UCMSCs), including differentiation assays, cell markers, proliferation, and angiogenesis. When UCMSCs are in 3D culture, they can differentiate into bone, cartilage, and fat. In 3D culture condition, cell proliferation is enhanced, accompanied by an elevation in the secretion of paracrine factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Interleukin-8 (IL-8) by UCMSCs. Additionally, a 3D culture environment promotes angiogenesis and duct formation with HUVECs (Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells), showing greater luminal area, total length, and branching points of tubule formation than a 2D culture. MSCs cultured in a 3D environment exhibit enhanced undifferentiated, as well as higher cell activity, making them a promising candidate for regenerative medicine and therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuoji Zhu
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | - Junfeng Xuan
- Department of Cell Therapy in Regenerative Medicine, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | - Yunchao Shentu
- Department of Cell Therapy in Regenerative Medicine, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | | | | | - Wei Wang
- Winhealth Pharma, 999077, Hong Kong
| | - Minoru Ono
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
| | - Dehua Chang
- Department of Cell Therapy in Regenerative Medicine, University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
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Shi Y, Kang Q, Zhou H, Yue X, Bi Y, Luo Q. Aberrant LETM1 elevation dysregulates mitochondrial functions and energy metabolism and promotes lung metastasis in osteosarcoma. Genes Dis 2024; 11:100988. [PMID: 38292199 PMCID: PMC10825238 DOI: 10.1016/j.gendis.2023.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is a differentiation-deficient disease, and despite the unique advantages and great potential of differentiation therapy, there are only a few known differentiation inducers, and little research has been done on their targets. Cell differentiation is associated with an increase in mitochondrial content and activity. The metabolism of some tumor cells is characterized by impaired oxidative phosphorylation, as well as up-regulation of aerobic glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways. Leucine-containing zipper and EF-hand transmembrane protein 1 (LETM1) is involved in the maintenance of mitochondrial morphology and is closely associated with tumorigenesis and progression, as well as cancer cell stemness. We found that MG63 and 143B osteosarcoma cells overexpress LETM1 and exhibit abnormalities in mitochondrial structure and function. Knockdown of LETM1 partially restored the mitochondrial structure and function, inhibited the pentose phosphate pathway, promoted oxidative phosphorylation, and led to osteogenic differentiation. It also inhibited spheroid cell formation, proliferation, migration, and invasion in an in vitro model. When LETM1 was knocked down in vivo, there was reduced tumor formation and lung metastasis. These data suggest that mitochondria are aberrant in LETM1-overexpressing osteosarcoma cells, and knockdown of LETM1 partially restores the mitochondrial structure and function, inhibits the pentose phosphate pathway, promotes oxidative phosphorylation, and increases osteogenic differentiation, thereby reducing malignant biological behavior of the cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulu Shi
- Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Laboratory, The Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - Quan Kang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, The Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - Hong Zhou
- Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Laboratory, The Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - Xiaohan Yue
- Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Laboratory, The Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - Yang Bi
- Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Laboratory, The Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing 400014, China
| | - Qing Luo
- Stem Cell Biology and Therapy Laboratory, The Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing 400014, China
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Jin JS, Chou JM, Tsai WC, Chen YC, Chen Y, Ong JR, Tsai YL. Effectively α-Terpineol Suppresses Glioblastoma Aggressive Behavior and Downregulates KDELC2 Expression. Phytomedicine 2024; 127:155471. [PMID: 38452695 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2024.155471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glioblastoma (GBM) is notorious for the aggressive behaviors and easily results in chemo-resistance. Studies have shown that the use of herbal medicines as treatments for GBM as limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and glioma stem cells. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between GBM suppression and α-terpineol, the monoterpenoid alcohol derived from Eucalyptus glubulus and Pinus merkusii. STUDY DESIGN Using serial in-vitro and in-vivo studies to confirm the mechanism of α-terpineol on down-regulating GBM development. METHODS The 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed to evaluate IC50 of α-terpineol to inhibit GBM cell survival. In order to evaluate the impact of GBM aggressive behaviors by α-terpineol, the analysis of cell migration, invasion and colony formation were implemented. In addition, the ability of tumor spheres and WB of CD44 and OCT3/4 were evaluated under the impression of α-terpineol decreased GBM stemness. The regulation of neoangiogenesis by α-terpineol via the WB of angiogenic factors and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) tube assay. To survey the decided factors of α-terpineol downregulating GBM chemoresistance depended on the impact of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) expression and autophagy-related factors activation. Additionally, WB and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT/PCR) of KDEL (Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu) containing 2 (KDELC2), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3k), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade signaling factors were examined to explore the mechanism of α-terpineol inhibiting GBM viability. Finally, the orthotopic GBM mouse model was applied to prove the efficacy and toxicity of α-terpineol on regulating GBM survival. RESULTS α-terpineol significantly suppressed GBM growth, migration, invasion, angiogenesis and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance. Furthermore, α-terpineol specifically targeted KDELC2 to downregulate Notch and PI3k/mTOR/MAPK signaling pathway. Finally, we also demonstrated that α-terpineol could penetrate the BBB to inhibit GBM proliferation, which resulted in reduced cytotoxicity to vital organs. CONCLUSION Compared to published literatures, we firstly proved α-terpineol possessed the capability to inhibit GBM through various mechanisms and potentially decreased the occurrence of chemoresistance, making it a promising alternative therapeutic option for GBM in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong-Shiaw Jin
- Department of Pathology, Tungs' Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital, Taichung, 40435, Taiwan
| | - Jung-Mao Chou
- Department of Pathology, Taipei City Hospital Renai Branch, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chiuan Tsai
- Department of Pathology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 114, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Chuan Chen
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 114, Taiwan
| | - Ying Chen
- Department of Biology and Anatomy, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 114, Taiwan
| | - Jiann-Ruey Ong
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei City, 235, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110, Taiwan; Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 110, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ling Tsai
- Department of Pathology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 114, Taiwan.
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Fan Y, Yu Y. Cancer-associated fibroblasts-derived exosomal METTL3 promotes the proliferation, invasion, stemness and glutaminolysis in non-small cell lung cancer cells by eliciting SLC7A5 m6A modification. Hum Cell 2024:10.1007/s13577-024-01056-z. [PMID: 38625505 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-024-01056-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) can promote the crosstalk between cancer cells and tumor microenvironment by exosomes. METTL3-mediated N6-methyladenine (m6A) modification has been proved to promote the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we focused on the impacts of CAFs-derived exosomes and METTL3-mediated m6A modification on NSCLC progression. Functional analyses were conducted using Cell Counting Kit-8, EdU, colony formation, sphere formation and transwell assays, respectively. Glutamine metabolism was evaluated by detecting glutamate consumption, and the production of intercellular glutamate and α-ketoglutarate (α-KG). qRT-PCR and western blotting analyses were utilized to measure the levels of genes and proteins. Exosomes were isolated by kits. The methylated RNA immunoprecipitation assay detected the m6A modification profile of Amino acid transporter LAT1 (SLC7A5) mRNA. The NSCLC mouse model was established to conduct in vivo experiments. We found that CAFs promoted the proliferation, invasion, stemness and glutaminolysis in NSCLC cells. METTL3 was enriched in CAFs and was packaged into exosomes. After knockdown of METTL3 in CAF exosomes, it was found the oncogenic effects of CAFs on NSCLC cells were suppressed. CAFs elevated m6A levels in NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, exosomal METTL3-induced m6A modification in SLC7A5 mRNA and stabilized its expression in NSCLC cells. Moreover, SLC7A5 overexpression abolished the inhibitory effects of exosomal METTL3-decreased CAFs on NSCLC cells. In addition, METTL3 inhibition in CAF exosomes impeded NSCLC growth in vivo. In all, CAFs-derived exosomal METTL3 promoted the proliferation, invasion, stemness and glutaminolysis in NSCLC cells by inducing SLC7A5 m6A modification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafeng Fan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, No. 3, Zhigongxin Street, Xinghualing District, Taiyuan, 030000, China
| | - Yanling Yu
- Biotherapy department, Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital/Shanxi Hospital Affiliated to Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030000, China.
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Lin YC, Wuputra K, Kato K, Ku CC, Saito S, Noguchi M, Nakamura Y, Hsiao M, Lin CS, Wu DC, Kawaguchi A, Yu HS, Yokoyama KK. Di-n-butyl phthalate promotes the neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells through neurogenic differentiation 1. Environ Pollut 2024; 347:123722. [PMID: 38460589 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
An understanding of the risk of gene deletion and mutation posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is necessary for the identification of etiological reagents for many human diseases. Therefore, the characterization of the genetic traits caused by developmental exposure to EDCs is an important research subject. A new regenerative approach using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) holds promise for the development of stem-cell-based therapies and the identification of novel therapeutic agents against human diseases. Here, we focused on the characterization of the genetic traits and alterations in pluripotency/stemness triggered by phthalate ester derivatives. Regarding their in vitro effects, we reported the abilities of ESCs regarding proliferation, cell-cycle control, and neural ectoderm differentiation. The expression of their stemness-related genes and their genetic changes toward neural differentiation were examined, which led to the observation that the tumor suppressor gene product p53/retinoblastoma protein 1 and its related cascades play critical functions in cell-cycle progression, cell death, and neural differentiation. In addition, the expression of neurogenic differentiation 1 was affected by exposure to di-n-butyl phthalate in the context of cell differentiation into neural lineages. The nervous system is one of the most sensitive tissues to exposure to phthalate ester derivatives. The present screening system provides a good tool for studying the mechanisms underlying the effects of EDCs on the developmental regulation of humans and rodents, especially on the neuronal development of ESCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Chu Lin
- School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan
| | - Kenly Wuputra
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 807, Taiwan; Regenerative Medicine and Cell Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan; Cell Therapy and Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan
| | - Kohsuke Kato
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Chia-Chen Ku
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 807, Taiwan; Regenerative Medicine and Cell Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan; Cell Therapy and Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan
| | - Shigeo Saito
- Saito Laboratory of Cell Technology, Yaita, Tochigi, 329-1571, Japan
| | - Michiya Noguchi
- Cell Engineering Division, BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0074, Japan
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, BioResource Research Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0074, Japan
| | - Michael Hsiao
- Genome Research Center, Academia Sinica, Nangan, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Shen Lin
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 807, Taiwan; Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yan-Sen University, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan
| | - Deng-Chyang Wu
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 807, Taiwan; Regenerative Medicine and Cell Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan; Cell Therapy and Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan; Department of Gastroenterology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan
| | - Atsushi Kawaguchi
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Hsin-Su Yu
- Emeritus Professor in College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan
| | - Kazunari K Yokoyama
- School of Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, 807, Taiwan; Regenerative Medicine and Cell Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan.
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Zheng H, Cao Z, Lv Y, Cai X. WTAP-mediated N6-methyladenine Modification of circEEF2 Promotes Lung Adenocarcinoma Tumorigenesis by Stabilizing CANT1 in an IGF2BP2-dependent Manner. Mol Biotechnol 2024:10.1007/s12033-024-01134-5. [PMID: 38619801 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-024-01134-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is a common posttranscriptional RNA modification and plays an important role in cancer biology. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are also reported to participate in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression. Here, we aimed to investigate the functions of Wilms tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP) methyltransferase and circEEF2 in LUAD cell tumorigenesis, and probe whether circEEF2 functioned through WTAP-induced m6A modification and its potential mechanisms. Functional analyses were conducted by tube formation, sphere formation, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), flow cytometry, and transwell assays in vitro as well as tumor formation experiments in mice, respectively. The N6-methyladenine (m6A) modification in circEEF2 mRNA was determined by RNA immunoprecipitation (Me-RIP) assay. The interaction between IGF2BP2 (Insulin Like Growth Factor 2 MRNA-Binding Protein 2) and circEEF2 or Calcium-activated nucleotidase 1 (CANT1) mRNA was confirmed using RIP assay. LUAD tissues and cells showed high circEEF2 expression, and the deficiency of circEEF2 suppressed LUAD cell angiogenesis, stemness, proliferation, migration, and invasion. WTAP induced circEEF2 m6A modification. WTAP silencing repressed the oncogenic phenotypes of LUAD cells via stabilizing circEEF2 in an m6A-dependent manner. IGF2BP2 interacted with circEEF2 and CANT1, and WTAP and circEEF2 could regulate CANT1 expression through IGF2BP2. The inhibition of LUAD cell oncogenic phenotypes caused by circEEF2 deficiency was abolished by CANT1 overexpression. In addition, WTAP silencing impeded LUAD growth via modulating circEEF2 and CANT1 in vivo. WTAP-mediated m6A modification of circEEF2 promotes lung adenocarcinoma growth and tumorigenesis by stabilizing CANT1 through IGF2BP2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zheng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Lishui People's Hospital, 15, Dazhong Street, Liandu District 323000, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Zhuo Cao
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Lishui People's Hospital, 15, Dazhong Street, Liandu District 323000, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yuankai Lv
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Lishui People's Hospital, 15, Dazhong Street, Liandu District 323000, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiaoping Cai
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Lishui People's Hospital, 15, Dazhong Street, Liandu District 323000, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, China.
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Wang L, Mao X, Yu X, Su J, Li Z, Chen Z, Ren Y, Huang H, Wang W, Zhao C, Hu Y. FPR3 reprograms glycolytic metabolism and stemness in gastric cancer via calcium-NFATc1 pathway. Cancer Lett 2024:216841. [PMID: 38614385 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Aerobic glycolysis accelerates tumor proliferation and progression, and inhibitors or drugs targeting abnormal cancer metabolism have been developing. Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) significantly contribute to tumor initiation, metastasis, therapy resistance, and recurrence. Formyl peptide receptor 3 (FPR3), a member of FPR family, involves in inflammation, tissue repair, and angiogenesis. However, studies in exploring the regulatory mechanisms of aerobic glycolysis and CSCs by FPR3 in gastric cancer (GC) remain unknown. Here, we demonstrated that overexpressed FPR3 suppressed glycolytic capacity and stemness of tumor cells, then inhibited GC cells proliferation. Mechanistically, FPR3 impeded cytoplasmic calcium ion flux and hindered nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) nuclear translocation, leading to the transcriptional inactivation of NFATc1-binding neurogenic locus notch homolog protein 3 (NOTCH3) promoter, subsequently obstructing NOTCH3 expression and the AKT/mTORC1 signaling pathway, and ultimately downregulating glycolysis. Additionally, NFATc1 directly binds to the sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) promoter and modifies stemness in GC. In conclusion, our work illustrated that FPR3 played a negative role in GC progression by modulating NFATc1-mediated glycolysis and stemness in a calcium-dependent manner, providing potential insights into cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzhi Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Xinyuan Mao
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Xiang Yu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Jin Su
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Department of General Surgery, Zhuzhou Hospital affiliated to Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Zhuzhou, 412000, China
| | - Zhenyuan Li
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Zhian Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yingxin Ren
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Huilin Huang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Weisheng Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Cuiyin Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yanfeng Hu
- Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Tumor, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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Ci Y, Zhang Y, Zhang X. Methylated lncRNAs suppress apoptosis of gastric cancer stem cells via the lncRNA-miRNA/protein axis. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2024; 29:51. [PMID: 38600465 PMCID: PMC11005211 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-024-00568-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer. However, the influence of lncRNA methylation on gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) remains unclear. METHODS The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) levels of lncRNAs in gastric cancer stem cells were detected by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq), and the results were validated by MeRIP-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Specific sites of m6A modification on lncRNAs were detected by single-base elongation- and ligation-based qPCR amplification (SELECT). By constructing and transfecting the plasmid expressing methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) fused with catalytically inactivated Cas13 (dCas13b) and guide RNA targeting specific methylation sites of lncRNAs, we obtained gastric cancer stem cells with site-specific methylation of lncRNAs. Reverse transcription (RT)-qPCR and Western blot were used for detecting the stemness of treated gastric cancer stem cells. RESULTS The site-specific methylation of PSMA3-AS1 and MIR22HG suppressed apoptosis and promoted stemness of GCSCs. LncRNA methylation enhanced the stability of PSMA3-AS1 and MIR22HG to suppress apoptosis of GCSCs via the PSMA3-AS1-miR-411-3p- or MIR22HG-miR-24-3p-SERTAD1 axis. Simultaneously, the methylated lncRNAs promoted the interaction between PSMA3-AS1 and the EEF1A1 protein or MIR22HG and the LRPPRC protein, stabilizing the proteins and leading to the suppression of apoptosis. The in vivo data revealed that the methylated PSMA3-AS1 and MIR22HG triggered tumorigenesis of GCSCs. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed the requirement for site-specific methylation of lncRNAs in the tumorigenesis of GCSCs, contributing novel insights into cancer development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Ci
- College of Life Sciences, Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology of Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology of Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaobo Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology of Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, People's Republic of China.
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10
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Routila E, Mahran R, Salminen S, Irjala H, Haapio E, Kytö E, Ventelä S, Petterson K, Routila J, Gidwani K, Leivo J. Identification of stemness-related glycosylation changes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:443. [PMID: 38600440 PMCID: PMC11005150 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12161-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Altered glycosylation is a hallmark of cancer associated with therapy resistance and tumor behavior. In this study, we investigated the glycosylation profile of stemness-related proteins OCT4, CIP2A, MET, and LIMA1 in HNSCC tumors. METHODS Tumor, adjacent normal tissue, and blood samples of 25 patients were collected together with clinical details. After tissue processing, lectin-based glycovariant screens were performed. RESULTS Strong correlation between glycosylation profiles of all four stemness-related proteins was observed in tumor tissue, whereas glycosylation in tumor tissue, adjacent normal tissue, and serum was differential. CONCLUSIONS A mannose- and galactose-rich glycosylation niche associated with stemness-related proteins was identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Routila
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland.
- InFLAMES Research Flagship, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
- FICAN West Cancer Centre, Turku, Finland.
| | - R Mahran
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- FICAN West Cancer Centre, Turku, Finland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Turku, Henrikinkatu 2, 20500, Turku, Finland
| | - S Salminen
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- FICAN West Cancer Centre, Turku, Finland
| | - H Irjala
- Department for Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck surgery, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 5, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - E Haapio
- Department for Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck surgery, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 5, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - E Kytö
- Department for Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck surgery, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 5, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - S Ventelä
- FICAN West Cancer Centre, Turku, Finland
- Department for Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck surgery, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 5, 20520, Turku, Finland
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - K Petterson
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - J Routila
- FICAN West Cancer Centre, Turku, Finland
- Department for Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck surgery, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 5, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - K Gidwani
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
| | - J Leivo
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, 20520, Turku, Finland
- InFLAMES Research Flagship, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland
- FICAN West Cancer Centre, Turku, Finland
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11
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Liu Y, Han T, Xu Z, Wu J, Zhou J, Guo J, Miao R, Xing Y, Ge D, Bai Y, Hu D. CDC45 promotes the stemness and metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma by affecting the cell cycle. J Transl Med 2024; 22:335. [PMID: 38589907 PMCID: PMC11000299 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05038-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess the functions of cell division cycle protein 45 (CDC45) in Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cancer and its effects on stemness and metastasis. METHODS Firstly, differentially expressed genes related to lung cancer metastasis and stemness were screened by differential analysis and lasso regression. Then, in vitro, experiments such as colony formation assay, scratch assay, and transwell assay were conducted to evaluate the impact of CDC45 knockdown on the proliferation and migration abilities of lung cancer cells. Western blotting was used to measure the expression levels of related proteins and investigate the regulation of CDC45 on the cell cycle. Finally, in vivo model with subcutaneous injection of lung cancer cells was performed to verify the effect of CDC45 on tumor growth. RESULTS This study identified CDC45 as a key gene potentially influencing tumor stemness and lymph node metastasis. Knockdown of CDC45 not only suppressed the proliferation and migration abilities of lung cancer cells but also caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. Further analysis revealed a negative correlation between CDC45 and cell cycle-related proteins, stemness-related markers, and tumor mutations. Mouse experiments confirmed that CDC45 knockdown inhibited tumor growth. CONCLUSION As a novel regulator of stemness, CDC45 plays a role in regulating lung cancer cell proliferation, migration, and cell cycle. Therefore, CDC45 may serve as a potential target for lung cancer treatment and provide a reference for further mechanistic research and therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafeng Liu
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China
| | - Tao Han
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi Xu
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wu
- Joint Research Center for Occupational Medicine and Health of IHM, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jiawei Zhou
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianqiang Guo
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Miao
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingru Xing
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Anhui Zhongke Gengjiu Hospital, Hefei, People's Republic of China
| | - Deyong Ge
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Bai
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China.
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Dong Hu
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Chongren Building, No 168, Taifeng St, Huainan, 232001, People's Republic of China.
- Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory of Occupational Health and Safety, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China.
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Prevention and Control & Occupational Safety and Health of the Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, People's Republic of China.
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12
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Shome R, Sen P, Sarkar S, Ghosh SS. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and SQSTM1/P62 and Wnt/β-catenin mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition and stemness of triple-negative breast cancer. Exp Cell Res 2024; 438:114032. [PMID: 38583856 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.114032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by the complex tumor microenvironment (TME) consisting of an abundance of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which is known to facilitate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The development of single-cell genomics is a powerful method for defining the intricate genetic landscapes of malignancies. In this study, we have employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to dissect the intra-tumoral heterogeneity and analyze the single-cell transcriptomic landscape to detect rare consequential cell subpopulations of significance. The scRNA-seq analysis of TNBC and Normal patient derived samples revealed that EMT markers and transcription factors were most upregulated in MSC population. Further, exploration of gene expression analysis among TNBC and Normal patient-derived MSCs ascertained the role of SQSTM1/P62 and Wnt/β-catenin in TNBC progression. Wnt/β-catenin and Wnt/PCP signaling pathways are prominent contributors of EMT, stemness, and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties of TNBC. SQSTM1/P62 cooperates with the components of the Wnt/PCP signaling pathway and is critically involved at the interface of autophagy and EMT. Moreover, siRNA targeting SQSTM1/P62 and inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin (FH535) in conjunction was used to explore molecular modification of EMT and stemness markers. Although SQSTM1/P62 is not crucial for cell survival, cytotoxicity assay revealed synergistic interaction between the siRNA/inhibitor. Modulation of these important pathways helped in reduction of expression of genes and proteins contributing to CSC properties. Gene and protein expression analysis revealed the induction of EMT to MET. Moreover, co-treatment resulted in inactivation of non-canonical Wnt VANGL2-JNK signaling axis. The synergistic impact of inhibition of SQSTM1/P62 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling facilitates the development of a potential therapeutic regimen for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajib Shome
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India
| | - Plaboni Sen
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India
| | - Shilpi Sarkar
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India
| | - Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India; Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 39, Assam, India.
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13
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Ghasemi N, Azizi H. Exploring Myc puzzle: Insights into cancer, stem cell biology, and PPI networks. Gene 2024; 916:148447. [PMID: 38583818 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
"The grand orchestrator," "Universal Amplifier," "double-edged sword," and "Undruggable" are just some of the Myc oncogene so-called names. It has been around 40 years since the discovery of the Myc, and it remains in the mainstream of cancer treatment drugs. Myc is part of basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (bHLH-LZ) superfamily proteins, and its dysregulation can be seen in many malignant human tumors. It dysregulates critical pathways in cells that are connected to each other, such as proliferation, growth, cell cycle, and cell adhesion, impacts miRNAs action, intercellular metabolism, DNA replication, differentiation, microenvironment regulation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Myc, surprisingly, is used in stem cell research too. Its family includes three members, MYC, MYCN, and MYCL, and each dysfunction was observed in different cancer types. This review aims to introduce Myc and its function in the body. Besides, Myc deregulatory mechanisms in cancer cells, their intricate aspects will be discussed. We will look at promising drugs and Myc-based therapies. Finally, Myc and its role in stemness, Myc pathways based on PPI network analysis, and future insights will be explained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nima Ghasemi
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran
| | - Hossein Azizi
- Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
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Patra S, Naik PP, Mahapatra KK, Alotaibi MR, Patil S, Patro BS, Sethi G, Efferth T, Bhutia SK. Recent advancement of autophagy in polyploid giant cancer cells and its interconnection with senescence and stemness for therapeutic opportunities. Cancer Lett 2024; 590:216843. [PMID: 38579893 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Recurrent chemotherapy-induced senescence and resistance are attributed to the polyploidization of cancer cells that involve genomic instability and poor prognosis due to their unique form of cellular plasticity. Autophagy, a pre-dominant cell survival mechanism, is crucial during carcinogenesis and chemotherapeutic stress, favouring polyploidization. The selective autophagic degradation of essential proteins associated with cell cycle progression checkpoints deregulate mitosis fidelity and genomic integrity, imparting polyploidization of cancer cells. In connection with cytokinesis failure and endoreduplication, autophagy promotes the formation, maintenance, and generation of the progeny of polyploid giant cancer cells. The polyploid cancer cells embark on autophagy-guarded elevation in the expression of stem cell markers, along with triggered epithelial and mesenchymal transition and senescence. The senescent polyploid escapers represent a high autophagic index than the polyploid progeny, suggesting regaining autophagy induction and subsequent autophagic degradation, which is essential for escaping from senescence/polyploidy, leading to a higher proliferative phenotypic progeny. This review documents the various causes of polyploidy and its consequences in cancer with relevance to autophagy modulation and its targeting for therapeutic intervention as a novel therapeutic strategy for personalized and precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srimanta Patra
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Prajna Paramita Naik
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India; Department of Zoology Panchayat College, Bargarh, 768028, Odisha, India
| | - Kewal Kumar Mahapatra
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India; Department of Agriculture and Allied Sciences (Zoology), C. V. Raman Global University, Bhubaneswar, 752054, Odisha, India
| | - Moureq Rashed Alotaibi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shankargouda Patil
- College of Dental Medicine, Roseman University of Health Sciences, South Jordan, UT, 84095, USA
| | - Birija Sankar Patro
- Chemical Biology Section, Bio-Organic Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India
| | - Gautam Sethi
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 117600, Singapore
| | - Thomas Efferth
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sujit Kumar Bhutia
- Cancer and Cell Death Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India.
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Cai X, Wang Z, Lin S, Chen H, Bu H. Ginsenoside Rg3 suppresses vasculogenic mimicry by impairing DVL3-maintained stemness via PAAD cell-derived exosomal miR-204 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Phytomedicine 2024; 126:155402. [PMID: 38350242 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2024.155402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is an angiogenesis-independent process that potentially contributes to the poor clinical outcome of anti-angiogenesis therapy in multiple malignant cancers, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). Several studies have shown that ginsenoside Rg3, a bioactive component of ginseng, holds considerable potential for cancer treatment. Our previous work has proved that Rg3 can inhibit VM formation in PAAD. However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. PURPOSE To explore the underlying mechanism by which Rg3 affects VM formation in PAAD. METHODS We first investigated the effects of Rg3 on the cellular phenotypes of two PAAD cell lines (SW-1990 and PCI-35), and the expression of EMT- and stemness-related proteins. SW-1990 cells were adopted to construct xenograft models, and the anti-tumor effects of Rg3 in vivo were validated. Subsequently, we isolated the exosomes from the two PAAD cell lines with Rg3 treatment or not, and explored whether Rg3 regulated VM via PAAD cell-derived exosomes. MiRNA sequencing, clinical analysis, and rescue experiments were performed to investigate whether and which miRNA was involved. Subsequently, the target gene of miRNA was predicted using the miRDB website (https://mirdb.org/), and rescue experiments were further conducted to validate those in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS Rg3 indeed exhibited excellent anti-tumor effects both in vitro and in vivo, with inhibitory effects on EMT and stemness of PAAD cells. More interestingly, Rg3-treated PAAD cell-derived exosomes suppressed the tube-forming ability of HUVEC and PAAD cells, with a decrease in stemness-related protein expression, indicating that Rg3 inhibited both angiogenesis and VM processes. Subsequently, we found that Rg3 induced the up-regulation of miR-204 in PAAD cell-derived exosomes, and miR-204 alone inhibited tube and sphere formation abilities of PAAD cells like exosomes. Specifically, miR-204 down-regulated DVL3 expression, which was involved in regulating cancer cell stemness, and ultimately affected VM. The in vivo experiments further indicated that Rg3-treated SW-1990 cell-derived exosome-inhibited tumor growth, VM formation, and stemness-related protein expression can be abrogated by DVL3 overexpression. CONCLUSION Ginsenoside Rg3 increased the PAAD cell-derived exosomal miR-204 levels, which subsequently inhibited its target genes DVL3 expression in the receptor PAAD cells, and the down-regulated DVL3 broke stemness maintenance, ultimately suppressing VM formation of PAAD. Our findings revealed a novel mechanism by which Rg3 exerted its anti-tumor activity in PAAD via inhibiting VM, and provided a promising strategy to make up for the deficiency of anti-angiogenesis therapy in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xufan Cai
- Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310053, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaohong Wang
- Department of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, People's Republic of China
| | - Shengzhang Lin
- Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Hangzhou City University, #51 Huzhou Street, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310015, People's Republic of China.
| | - Hui Chen
- Department of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, People's Republic of China
| | - Heqi Bu
- Department of Surgery, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, People's Republic of China
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Kim DY, Kim H, Ko EJ, Koh SB, Kim H, Lee JY, Lee CM, Eo WK, Kim KH, Cha HJ. Correlation analysis of cancer stem cell marker CD133 and human endogenous retrovirus (HERV)-K env in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. Genes Genomics 2024; 46:511-518. [PMID: 38457096 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-024-01499-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV)-K is a type of retrovirus that is present in the human genome, and its expression is usually silenced in healthy tissues. The precise mechanism by which HERV-K env influences cancer stemness is not fully understood, but it has been suggested that HERV-K env may activate various signaling pathways that promote stemness traits in cancer cells. OBJECTIVE To establish the connection between HERV-K env expression and cancer stemness in ovarian cancer cells, we carried out correlation analyses between HERV-K env and the cancer stem cell (CSC) marker known as the cluster of differentiation 133 (CD133) gene in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. METHOD To perform correlation analysis between HERV-K env and CSCs, ovarian cancer cells were cultured in a medium designed for cancer stem cell induction. The expression of HERV-K env and CD133 genes was verified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analyses. Additionally, the expression of stemness-related markers, such as OCT-4 and Nanog, was also confirmed using RT-qPCR. RESULTS In the stem cell induction medium, the number of tumorsphere-type SKOV3 cells increased, and the expression of CD133 and HERV-K env genes was up-regulated. Additionally, other stemness-related markers like OCT-4 and Nanog also exhibited increased expression when cultured in the cancer stem cell induction medium. However, when HERV-K env knockout (KO) SKOV3 cells were cultured in the same cancer stem cell induction medium, there was a significant decrease in the number of tumorsphere-type cells compared to mock SKOV3 cells subjected to the same conditions. Furthermore, the expression of CD133, Nanog, and OCT-4 did not show a significant increase in HERV-K env KO SKOV3 cells compared to mock SKOV3 cells cultured in the same cancer stem cell induction medium. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that the expression of HERV-K env increased in SKOV3 cells when cultured in cancer stem cell induction media, and cancer stem cell induction was inhibited by KO of HERV-K env in SKOV3 cells. These results suggest a strong association between HERV-K env and stemness in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Do-Ye Kim
- Departments of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Heungyeol Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hannah Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Ji Ko
- Departments of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Suk Bong Koh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Daegu Catholic University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Hongbae Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University Medical Center, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Young Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul Min Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ilsan Medical Center School of Medicine, Cha University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Wan Kyu Eo
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki Hyung Kim
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Biomedical Research Institute and Pusan Cancer Center, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea.
- Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hee-Jae Cha
- Departments of Parasitology and Genetics, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea.
- Institute for Medical Science, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Republic of Korea.
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17
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Wang XY, Li HM, Xia R, Li X, Zhang X, Jin TZ, Zhang HS. KDM4B down-regulation facilitated breast cancer cell stemness via PHGDH upregulation in H3K36me3-dependent manner. Mol Cell Biochem 2024; 479:915-928. [PMID: 37249813 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-023-04777-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent advances have been made in clinical treatments of breast cancer, the general prognosis of patients remains poor. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a more effective therapeutic strategy. Lysine demethylase 4B (KDM4B) has been reported to participate in breast cancer development recently, but its exact biological role in breast cancer remains unclear. Here, we observed that KDM4B was down-regulated in human primary BRCA tissues and the low levels of KDM4B expression were correlated with poor survival. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments showed that KDM4B inhibited the proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells. Besides, knockdown of KDM4B promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell stemness in breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, KDM4B down-regulates PHGDH by decreasing the enrichment of H3K36me3 on the promoter region of PHGDH. Knockdown of PHGDH could significantly reversed proliferation, migration, EMT, and cell stemness induced by KDM4B silencing in breast cancer cells. Collectively, we propose a model for a KDM4B/PHGDH axis that provides novel insight into breast cancer development, which may serve as a potential factor for predicting prognosis and a therapeutic target for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Yu Wang
- Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Pingleyuan 100#, District of Chaoyang, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Hong-Ming Li
- Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Pingleyuan 100#, District of Chaoyang, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Ran Xia
- Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Pingleyuan 100#, District of Chaoyang, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Pingleyuan 100#, District of Chaoyang, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Xing Zhang
- Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Pingleyuan 100#, District of Chaoyang, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Tong-Zhao Jin
- Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Pingleyuan 100#, District of Chaoyang, Beijing, 100124, China
| | - Hong-Sheng Zhang
- Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Pingleyuan 100#, District of Chaoyang, Beijing, 100124, China.
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Liu J, Dong X, Xie R, Tang Y, Thomas AM, Li S, Liu S, Yu M, Qin H. N-linked α2,6-sialylation of integrin β1 by the sialyltransferase ST6Gal1 promotes cell proliferation and stemness in gestational trophoblastic disease. Placenta 2024; 149:18-28. [PMID: 38490094 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2024.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) encompasses a spectrum of rare pre-malignant and malignant entities originating from trophoblastic tissue, including partial hydatidiform mole, complete hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma. β-galactoside α2,6 sialyltransferase 1 (ST6Gal1), the primary sialyltransferase responsible for the addition of α2,6 sialic acids, is strongly associated with the occurrence and development of several tumor types. However, the role of ST6Gal1/α2,6 -sialylation of trophoblast cells in GTD is still not well understood. METHODS The expression of ST6Gal1 was investigated in GTD and human immortalized trophoblastic HTR-8/SVneo cells and human gestational choriocarcinoma JAR cells. We evaluated the effect of ST6Gal1 on proliferation and stemness of trophoblastic cells. We also examined the effect of internal miR-199a-5p on ST6Gal1 expression. The role of ST6Gal1 in regulating α2,6-sialylated integrin β1 and its significance in the activation of integrin β1/focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signaling pathway were also explored. RESULTS ST6Gal1 was observed to be highly expressed in GTD. Overexpression of ST6Gal1 promoted the proliferation and stemness of HTR-8/SVneo cells, whereas knockdown of ST6Gal1 suppressed the viability and stemness of JAR cells. MiR-199a-5p targeted and inhibited the expression of ST6Gal1 in trophoblastic cells. In addition, we revealed integrin β1 was highly α2,6-sialylated in JAR cells. Inhibition of ST6Gal1 reduced α2,6-sialylation on integrin β1 and suppressed the integrin β1/FAK pathway in JAR cells, thereby affecting its biological functions. DISCUSSION This study demonstrated that ST6Gal1 plays important roles in promoting proliferation and stemness through the integrin β1 signaling pathway in GTD. Therefore, ST6Gal1 may have a potential role in the occurrence and development of GTD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwei Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Core Lab of Glycobiology and Glycoengineering, Dalian, China
| | - Xinyue Dong
- College of Life Science, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China; Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ru Xie
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Ying Tang
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Aline M Thomas
- The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shen Li
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Core Lab of Glycobiology and Glycoengineering, Dalian, China
| | - Ming Yu
- Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Huamin Qin
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
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Dehghanian F, Bovio PP, Gather F, Probst S, Naghsh-Nilchi A, Vogel T. ZFP982 confers mouse embryonic stem cell characteristics by regulating expression of Nanog, Zfp42, and Dppa3. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res 2024; 1871:119686. [PMID: 38342310 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2024.119686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the genetic underpinnings of protein networks conferring stemness is of broad interest for basic and translational research. METHODS We used multi-omics analyses to identify and characterize stemness genes, and focused on the zinc finger protein 982 (Zfp982) that regulates stemness through the expression of Nanog, Zfp42, and Dppa3 in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC). RESULTS Zfp982 was expressed in stem cells, and bound to chromatin through a GCAGAGKC motif, for example near the stemness genes Nanog, Zfp42, and Dppa3. Nanog and Zfp42 were direct targets of ZFP982 that decreased in expression upon knockdown and increased upon overexpression of Zfp982. We show that ZFP982 expression strongly correlated with stem cell characteristics, both on the transcriptional and morphological levels. Zfp982 expression decreased with progressive differentiation into ecto-, endo- and mesodermal cell lineages, and knockdown of Zfp982 correlated with morphological and transcriptional features of differentiated cells. Zfp982 showed transcriptional overlap with members of the Hippo signaling pathway, one of which was Yap1, the major co-activator of Hippo signaling. Despite the observation that ZFP982 and YAP1 interacted and localized predominantly to the cytoplasm upon differentiation, the localization of YAP1 was not influenced by ZFP982 localization. CONCLUSIONS Together, our study identified ZFP982 as a transcriptional regulator of early stemness genes, and since ZFP982 is under the control of the Hippo pathway, underscored the importance of the context-dependent Hippo signals for stem cell characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fariba Dehghanian
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, HezarJarib Street, Isfahan 81746-73441, Iran; Department of Molecular Embryology, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Patrick Piero Bovio
- Department of Molecular Embryology, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Gather
- Department of Molecular Embryology, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simone Probst
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Amirhosein Naghsh-Nilchi
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, HezarJarib Street, Isfahan 81746-73441, Iran
| | - Tanja Vogel
- Department of Molecular Embryology, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Centre for Basics in Neuromodulation (Neuromodul Basics), Freiburg, Germany.
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20
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Tian L, Wang W, Li X, Chen Y, Song Q, Yuan L, Hao T, Gu J, Dong J. Whole transcriptome scanning and validation of negatively related genes in UC-MSCs. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27996. [PMID: 38510024 PMCID: PMC10951646 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) are one of the most extensively researched stem cell types due to their potential for multi-lineage differentiation, secretion of regenerative factors, modulations of immunological activities, and the release of regenerative substances and influence immunological processes. Since UC-MSCs must be cultivated on a large scale for clinical use, selecting the appropriate storing passage, such as the usage-based passage of UC-MSCs, is critical for long-term autologous or allogeneic usage. Long-term cultivation of stem cells, on the other hand, causes them to lose their pluripotent differentiation capacity. As a result, distinguishing between high and low passages of UC-MSCs and identifying the particular variations associated with stem cells and their modes of action is essential for regenerative medicine. Therefore, we investigated the biological features and transcriptional changes of UC-MSCs over passages. Methods UC-MSCs were isolated from the tissues of the human umbilical cord, and UC-MSCs from five passages (P1, P3, P5, P10 and P15) with three repetitions were compared and identified based on morphology, cell markers, differentiation capacity, and aging-related characteristics. It was previously assumed that the phenotype of cells before the P10 passage was stable, defined as early passage, and that culture could be continued until the 15th passage, defined as late passage. Next, the five passages of UC-MSCs were sequenced using high-throughput complete transcriptome sequencing. Fuzzy C-Means Clustering (FCM) and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) were used to find hub genes, and gene silencing was performed to investigate the impact of missing genes on the stemness of UC-MSC cells. Results UC-MSCs of different passages displayed similar surface markers, including CD73, CD105, CD90, CD34, CD45 and HLA-DR. However, the proliferation time of late-phase UC-MSCs was longer than that of early-phase UC-MSCs, and the expression of the senescence-associated (SA)-β-gal staining marker was higher. At the same time, pluripotency markers (NANOG, OCT4, SOX2 and KIF4A) were down-regulated, and the multi-differentiation potential was reduced. Meanwhile, KIFC1 and UBE2C were down-regulated in late-phase UC-MSCs, which were involved in the maintenance of stemness. Conclusions KIFC1 and UBE2C were highly expressed in early-UC-MSCs and showed a downward gradient trend with cell expansion in vitro. They regulated UC-MSC proliferation, colony sphere formation, multiple differentiation, stemness maintenance, and other biological manifestations. Therefore, they are anticipated to be new biomarkers for UC-MSCs quality identification in regenerative medicine applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linghan Tian
- Department of Yunnan Tumor Research Institute, Kunming, 650118, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, China
- Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Weibin Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China
- Yunnan Research Institute for Local Plateau Agriculture and Industry, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Xuzhen Li
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China
- Yunnan Research Institute for Local Plateau Agriculture and Industry, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Yunnan Tumor Research Institute, Kunming, 650118, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, China
- Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Qian Song
- Department of Yunnan Tumor Research Institute, Kunming, 650118, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, China
- Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Lu Yuan
- Department of Yunnan Tumor Research Institute, Kunming, 650118, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, China
- Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Tingting Hao
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, 650201, China
- Yunnan Research Institute for Local Plateau Agriculture and Industry, Kunming, 650201, China
| | - Jiaming Gu
- Department of Yunnan Tumor Research Institute, Kunming, 650118, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, China
- Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Jian Dong
- Department of Yunnan Tumor Research Institute, Kunming, 650118, China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, 650118, China
- Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Kunming, 650118, China
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Zhang Y, Li Y. β-hydroxybutyrate inhibits malignant phenotypes of prostate cancer cells through β-hydroxybutyrylation of indoleacetamide-N-methyltransferase. Cancer Cell Int 2024; 24:121. [PMID: 38555451 PMCID: PMC10981303 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03277-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most prevalent cancers in men and is associated with high mortality and disability rates. β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a ketone body, has received increasing attention for its role in cancer. However, its role in PCa remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the mechanism and feasibility of BHB as a treatment alternative for PCa. METHODS Colony formation assay, flow cytometry, western blot assay, and transwell assays were performed to determine the effect of BHB on the proliferation and metastasis of PCa cells. Tumor sphere formation and aldehyde dehydrogenase assays were used to identify the impact of BHB or indoleacetamide-N-methyltransferase (INMT) on the stemness of PCa cells. N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-meRIP real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and dual luciferase assays were conducted to confirm INMT upregulation via the METTL3-m6A pathway. Co-IP assay was used to detect the epigenetic modification of INMT by BHB-mediated β-hydroxybutyrylation (kbhb) and screen enzymes that regulate INMT kbhb. Mouse xenograft experiments demonstrated the antitumor effects of BHB in vivo. RESULTS BHB can inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PCa cells by suppressing their stemness. Mechanistically, INMT, whose expression is upregulated by the METTL3-m6A pathway, was demonstrated to be an oncogenic gene that promotes the stem-like characteristics of PCa cells. BHB can suppress the malignant phenotypes of PCa by kbhb of INMT, which in turn inhibits INMT expression. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate a role of BHB in PCa metabolic therapy, thereby suggesting an epigenetic therapeutic strategy to target INMT in aggressive PCa. TRIAL REGISTRATION Not applicable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zhang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshe East Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou, Henan, Henan, 450000, China.
| | - Yunlong Li
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No. 1 Jianshe East Road, Erqi District, Zhengzhou, Henan, Henan, 450000, China
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Chi F, Griffiths JI, Nath A, Bild AH. Paradoxical cancer cell proliferation after FGFR inhibition through decreased p21 signaling in FGFR1-amplified breast cancer cells. Breast Cancer Res 2024; 26:54. [PMID: 38553760 PMCID: PMC10979625 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-024-01808-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) control various cellular functions through fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) activation, including proliferation, differentiation, migration, and survival. FGFR amplification in ER + breast cancer patients correlate with poor prognosis, and FGFR inhibitors are currently being tested in clinical trials. By comparing three-dimensional spheroid growth of ER + breast cancer cells with and without FGFR1 amplification, our research discovered that FGF2 treatment can paradoxically decrease proliferation in cells with FGFR1 amplification or overexpression. In contrast, FGF2 treatment in cells without FGFR1 amplification promotes classical FGFR proliferative signaling through the MAPK cascade. The growth inhibitory effect of FGF2 in FGFR1 amplified cells aligned with an increase in p21, a cell cycle inhibitor that hinders the G1 to S phase transition in the cell cycle. Additionally, FGF2 addition in FGFR1 amplified cells activated JAK-STAT signaling and promoted a stem cell-like state. FGF2-induced paradoxical effects were reversed by inhibiting p21 or the JAK-STAT pathway and with pan-FGFR inhibitors. Analysis of patient ER + breast tumor transcriptomes from the TCGA and METABRIC datasets demonstrated a strong positive association between expression of FGF2 and stemness signatures, which was further enhanced in tumors with high FGFR1 expression. Overall, our findings reveal a divergence in FGFR signaling, transitioning from a proliferative to stemness state driven by activation of JAK-STAT signaling and modulation of p21 levels. Activation of these divergent signaling pathways in FGFR amplified cancer cells and paradoxical growth effects highlight a challenge in the use of FGFR inhibitors in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Chi
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Institute, 1218 S Fifth Ave, Monrovia, CA, 91016, USA
| | - Jason I Griffiths
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Institute, 1218 S Fifth Ave, Monrovia, CA, 91016, USA
| | - Aritro Nath
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Institute, 1218 S Fifth Ave, Monrovia, CA, 91016, USA
| | - Andrea H Bild
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Institute, 1218 S Fifth Ave, Monrovia, CA, 91016, USA.
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23
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Peng Z, Wang S, Wen D, Mei Z, Zhang H, Liao S, Lv L, Li C. FEN1 upregulation mediated by SUMO2 via antagonizing proteasomal degradation promotes hepatocellular carcinoma stemness. Transl Oncol 2024; 44:101916. [PMID: 38513457 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.101916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) critically impacts the survival prognosis of patients, with the pivotal role of hepatocellular carcinoma stem cells in initiating invasive metastatic behaviors. The Flap Endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is delineated as a metallonuclease, quintessential for myriad cellular processes including DNA replication, DNA synthesis, DNA damage rectification, Okazaki fragment maturation, baseexcision repair, and the preservation of genomic stability. Furthermore, it has been recognized as an oncogene in a diverse range of malignancies. Our antecedent research has highlighted a pronounced overexpression of protein FEN1 in hepatocellular carcinoma, where it amplifies the invasiveness and metastatic potential of liver cancer cells. However, its precise role in liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) remains an enigma and requires further investigation. METHODS To rigorously evaluate the stemness attributes of LCSCs, we employed sphere formation assays and flow cytometric evaluations. Both CD133+ and CD133- cell populations were discerningly isolated utilizing immunomagnetic bead separation techniques. The expression levels of pertinent genes were assayed via real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot analyses, while the expression profiles in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues were gauged using immunohistochemistry. Subsequent immunoprecipitation, in conjunction with mass spectrometry, ascertained the concurrent binding of proteins FEN1 and Small ubiquitin-related modifier 2 (SUMO2) in HCC cells. Lastly, the impact of SUMO2 on proteasomal degradation pathway of FEN1 was validated by supplementing MG132. RESULTS Our empirical findings substantiate that protein FEN1 is profusely expressed in spheroids and CD133+ cells. In vitro investigations demonstrate that the upregulation of protein FEN1 unequivocally augments the stemness of LCSCs. In a congruent in vivo context, elevation of FEN1 noticeably enhances the tumorigenic potential of LCSCs. Conversely, inhibiting protein FEN1 resulted in a marked reduction in LCSC stemness. From a mechanistic perspective, there exists a salient positive correlation between the protein expression of FEN1 and SUMO2 in liver cancer tissues. Furthermore, the level of SUMO2-mediated modification of FEN1 is pronouncedly elevated in LCSCs. Interestingly, SUMO2 has the ability to bind to FEN1, leading to a inhibition in the proteasomal degradation pathway of FEN1 and an enhancement in its protein expression. However, it is noteworthy that this interaction does not affect the mRNA level of FEN1. CONCLUSION In summation, our research elucidates that protein FEN1 is an effector in augmenting the stemness of LCSCs. Consequently, strategic attenuation of protein FEN1 might proffer a pioneering approach for the efficacious elimination of LCSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenxiang Peng
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China
| | - Shuling Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China
| | - Diguang Wen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China
| | - Zhechuan Mei
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China.
| | - Hao Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China.
| | - Shengtao Liao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China.
| | - Lin Lv
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China.
| | - Chuanfei Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, PR China.
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Hu R, Cao Y, Wang Y, Zhao T, Yang K, Fan M, Guan M, Hou Y, Ying J, Ma X, Deng N, Sun X, Zhang Y, Zhang X. TMEM120B strengthens breast cancer cell stemness and accelerates chemotherapy resistance via β1-integrin/FAK-TAZ-mTOR signaling axis by binding to MYH9. Breast Cancer Res 2024; 26:48. [PMID: 38504374 PMCID: PMC10949598 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-024-01802-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer stem cell (CSC) expansion results in tumor progression and chemoresistance; however, the modulation of CSC pluripotency remains unexplored. Transmembrane protein 120B (TMEM120B) is a newly discovered protein expressed in human tissues, especially in malignant tissues; however, its role in CSC expansion has not been studied. This study aimed to determine the role of TMEM120B in transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ)-mediated CSC expansion and chemotherapy resistance. METHODS Both bioinformatics analysis and immunohistochemistry assays were performed to examine expression patterns of TMEM120B in lung, breast, gastric, colon, and ovarian cancers. Clinicopathological factors and overall survival were also evaluated. Next, colony formation assay, MTT assay, EdU assay, transwell assay, wound healing assay, flow cytometric analysis, sphere formation assay, western blotting analysis, mouse xenograft model analysis, RNA-sequencing assay, immunofluorescence assay, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction were performed to investigate the effect of TMEM120B interaction on proliferation, invasion, stemness, chemotherapy sensitivity, and integrin/FAK/TAZ/mTOR activation. Further, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis, GST pull-down assay, and immunoprecipitation assays were performed to evaluate the interactions between TMEM120B, myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9), and CUL9. RESULTS TMEM120B expression was elevated in lung, breast, gastric, colon, and ovarian cancers. TMEM120B expression positively correlated with advanced TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. Overexpression of TMEM120B promoted breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and stemness by activating TAZ-mTOR signaling. TMEM120B directly bound to the coil-coil domain of MYH9, which accelerated the assembly of focal adhesions (FAs) and facilitated the translocation of TAZ. Furthermore, TMEM120B stabilized MYH9 by preventing its degradation by CUL9 in a ubiquitin-dependent manner. Overexpression of TMEM120B enhanced resistance to docetaxel and doxorubicin. Conversely, overexpression of TMEM120B-∆CCD delayed the formation of FAs, suppressed TAZ-mTOR signaling, and abrogated chemotherapy resistance. TMEM120B expression was elevated in breast cancer patients with poor treatment outcomes (Miller/Payne grades 1-2) than in those with better outcomes (Miller/Payne grades 3-5). CONCLUSIONS Our study reveals that TMEM120B bound to and stabilized MYH9 by preventing its degradation. This interaction activated the β1-integrin/FAK-TAZ-mTOR signaling axis, maintaining stemness and accelerating chemotherapy resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Hu
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, 110122, China
- Department of Pathology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yu Cao
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Tingting Zhao
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Breast Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Kaibo Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Mingwei Fan
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, 110122, China
| | - Mengyao Guan
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, 110122, China
| | - Yuekang Hou
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, 110122, China
| | - Jiao Ying
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, 110122, China
| | - Xiaowen Ma
- Second Department of Clinical Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ning Deng
- Department of Breast Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, China
| | - Xun Sun
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang, China.
| | - Xiupeng Zhang
- Department of Pathology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, No.77 Puhe Road, Shenyang North New Area, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, 110122, China.
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Zheng C, Yao H, Lu L, Li H, Zhou L, He X, Xu X, Xia H, Ding S, Yang Y, Wang X, Wu M, Xue L, Chen S, Peng X, Cheng Z, Wang Y, He G, Fu S, Keller ET, Liu S, Jiang YZ, Deng X. Dysregulated Ribosome Biogenesis Is a Targetable Vulnerability in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: MRPS27 as a Key Mediator of the Stemness-inhibitory Effect of Lovastatin. Int J Biol Sci 2024; 20:2130-2148. [PMID: 38617541 PMCID: PMC11008279 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.94058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited effective therapeutic options readily available. We have previously demonstrated that lovastatin, an FDA-approved lipid-lowering drug, selectively inhibits the stemness properties of TNBC. However, the intracellular targets of lovastatin in TNBC remain largely unknown. Here, we unexpectedly uncovered ribosome biogenesis as the predominant pathway targeted by lovastatin in TNBC. Lovastatin induced the translocation of ribosome biogenesis-related proteins including nucleophosmin (NPM), nucleolar and coiled-body phosphoprotein 1 (NOLC1), and the ribosomal protein RPL3. Lovastatin also suppressed the transcript levels of rRNAs and increased the nuclear protein level and transcriptional activity of p53, a master mediator of nucleolar stress. A prognostic model generated from 10 ribosome biogenesis-related genes showed outstanding performance in predicting the survival of TNBC patients. Mitochondrial ribosomal protein S27 (MRPS27), the top-ranked risky model gene, was highly expressed and correlated with tumor stage and lymph node involvement in TNBC. Mechanistically, MRPS27 knockdown inhibited the stemness properties and the malignant phenotypes of TNBC. Overexpression of MRPS27 attenuated the stemness-inhibitory effect of lovastatin in TNBC cells. Our findings reveal that dysregulated ribosome biogenesis is a targetable vulnerability and targeting MRPS27 could be a novel therapeutic strategy for TNBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanjuan Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Hui Yao
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Lu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Hongqi Li
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Zhou
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xueyan He
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Hongzhuo Xia
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Siyu Ding
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yiyuan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xinyu Wang
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Muyao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Lian Xue
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Sisi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaojun Peng
- Jingjie PTM BioLab Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Area, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhongyi Cheng
- Jingjie PTM BioLab Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Area, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Guangchun He
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Shujun Fu
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Evan T. Keller
- Department of Urology and Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Suling Liu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi-zhou Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Precision Cancer Medicine Center, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiyun Deng
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Department of Pathophysiology, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
- Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Stem Cell Research, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
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Parambil ST, Antony GR, Littleflower AB, Subhadradevi L. The molecular crosstalk of the hippo cascade in breast cancer: A potential central susceptibility. Biochimie 2024; 222:132-150. [PMID: 38494109 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The incidence of breast cancer is perpetually growing globally, and it remains a major public health problem and the leading cause of mortality in women. Though the aberrant activities of the Hippo pathway have been reported to be associated with cancer, constructive knowledge of the pathway connecting the various elements of breast cancer remains to be elucidated. The Hippo transducers, yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional co-activator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ), are reported to be either tumor suppressors, oncogenes, or independent prognostic markers in breast cancer. Thus, there is further need for an explicative evaluation of the dilemma with this molecular contribution of Hippo transducers in modulating breast malignancy. In this review, we summarize the intricate crosstalk of the Hippo pathway in different aspects of breast malignancy, including stem-likeness, cellular signaling, metabolic adaptations, tumor microenvironment, and immune responses. The collective data shows that Hippo transducers play an indispensable role in mammary tumor formation, progression, and dissemination. However, the cellular functions of YAP/TAZ in tumorigenesis might be largely dependent on the mechanical and biophysical cues they interact with, as well as on the cell phenotype. This review provides a glimpse into the plausible biological contributions of the cascade to the inward progression of breast carcinoma and suggests potential therapeutic prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sulfath Thottungal Parambil
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Division of Cancer Research, Regional Cancer Centre (Research Centre, University of Kerala), Thiruvananthapuram, 695011, Kerala, India
| | - Gisha Rose Antony
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Division of Cancer Research, Regional Cancer Centre (Research Centre, University of Kerala), Thiruvananthapuram, 695011, Kerala, India
| | - Ajeesh Babu Littleflower
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Division of Cancer Research, Regional Cancer Centre (Research Centre, University of Kerala), Thiruvananthapuram, 695011, Kerala, India
| | - Lakshmi Subhadradevi
- Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Division of Cancer Research, Regional Cancer Centre (Research Centre, University of Kerala), Thiruvananthapuram, 695011, Kerala, India.
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Wan R, Chen Y, Feng X, Luo Z, Peng Z, Qi B, Qin H, Lin J, Chen S, Xu L, Tang J, Zhang T. Exercise potentially prevents colorectal cancer liver metastases by suppressing tumor epithelial cell stemness via RPS4X downregulation. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26604. [PMID: 38439884 PMCID: PMC10909670 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent tumor globally. The liver is the most common site for CRC metastasis, and the involvement of the liver is a common cause of death in patients with late-stage CRC. Consequently, mitigating CRC liver metastasis (CRLM) is key to improving CRC prognosis and increasing survival. Exercise has been shown to be an effective method of improving the prognosis of many tumor types. However, the ability of exercise to inhibit CRLM is yet to be thoroughly investigated. Methods The GSE157600 and GSE97084 datasets were used for analysis. A pan-cancer dataset which was uniformly normalized was downloaded and analyzed from the UCSC database: TCGA, TARGET, GTEx (PANCAN, n = 19,131, G = 60,499). Several advanced bioinformatics analyses were conducted, including single-cell sequencing analysis, correlation algorithm, and prognostic screen. CRC tumor microarray (TMA) as well as cell/animal experiments are used to further validate the results of the analysis. Results The greatest variability was found in epithelial cells from the tumor group. RPS4X was generally upregulated in all types of CRC, while exercise downregulated RPS4X expression. A lowered expression of RPS4X may prolong tumor survival and reduce CRC metastasis. RPS4X and tumor stemness marker-CD44 were highly positively correlated and knockdown of RPS4X expression reduced tumor stemness both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion RPS4X upregulation may enhance CRC stemness and increase the odds of metastasis. Exercise may reduce CRC metastasis through the regulation of RPS4X.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renwen Wan
- Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Yisheng Chen
- Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Xinting Feng
- Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Zhiwen Luo
- Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Zhen Peng
- Department of Sports Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Beijie Qi
- Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Affiliated Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai 201399, China
| | - Haocheng Qin
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Jinrong Lin
- Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Shiyi Chen
- Department of Sports Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Liangfeng Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Sheyang County People's Hospital, Yancheng 224300, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiayin Tang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Renji Hospital, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Department of Integrative Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Lin JJ, Lu YC. Ubiquitin-specific protease 21 promotes tumorigenicity and stemness of colorectal cancer by deubiquitinating and stabilizing ZEB1. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2024; 16:1006-1018. [PMID: 38577450 PMCID: PMC10989364 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i3.1006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one very usual tumor together with higher death rate. Ubiquitin-specific protease 21 (USP21) has been confirmed to take part into the regulation of CRC progression through serving as a facilitator. Interestingly, the promotive function of USP21 has also discovered in the progression of CRC. ZEB1 has illustrated to be modulated by USP7, USP22 and USP51 in cancers. However, the regulatory functions of USP21 on ZEB1 in CRC progression need more investigations. AIM To investigate the relationship between USP21 and ZEB1 in CRC progression. METHODS The mRNA and protein expressions were assessed through RT-qPCR, western blot and IHC assay. The interaction between USP21 and ZEB1 was evaluated through Co-IP and GST pull down assays. The cell proliferation was detected through colony formation assay. The cell migration and invasion abilities were determined through Transwell assay. The stemness was tested through sphere formation assay. The tumor growth was evaluated through in vivo mice assay. RESULTS In this work, USP21 and ZEB1 exhibited higher expression in CRC, and resulted into poor prognosis. Moreover, the interaction between USP21 and ZEB1 was further investigated. It was demonstrated that USP21 contributed to the stability of ZEB1 through modulating ubiquitination level. In addition, USP21 strengthened cell proliferation, migration and stemness through regulating ZEB1. At last, through in vivo assays, it was illustrated that USP21/ZEB1 axis aggravated tumor growth. CONCLUSION For the first time, these above findings manifested that USP21 promoted tumorigenicity and stemness of CRC by deubiquitinating and stabilizing ZEB1. This discovery suggested that USP21/ZEB1 axis may provide novel sights for the treatment of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Jun Lin
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Chaohu 238000, Anhui Province, China
| | - Ye-Cai Lu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Chaohu Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Chaohu 238000, Anhui Province, China
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Xavier PL, Marção M, Simões RL, Job MEG, de Francisco Strefezzi R, Fukumasu H, Malta TM. Machine learning determines stemness associated with simple and basal-like canine mammary carcinomas. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26714. [PMID: 38439848 PMCID: PMC10909659 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Simple and complex carcinomas are the most common type of malignant Canine Mammary Tumors (CMTs), with simple carcinomas exhibiting aggressive behavior and poorer prognostic. Stemness is an ability associated with cancer initiation, malignancy, and therapeutic resistance, but is still few elucidated in canine mammary tumor subtypes. Here, we first validated, using CMT samples, a previously published canine one-class logistic regression machine learning algorithm (OCLR) to predict stemness (mRNAsi) in canine cancer cells. Then, using the canine mRNAsi, we observed that simple carcinomas exhibit higher stemness than complex carcinomas and other histological subtypes. Also, we confirmed that stemness is higher and associated with basal-like CMTs and with NMF2 metagene signature, a tumor-specific DNA-repair metagene signature. Using correlation analysis, we selected the top 50 genes correlated with higher stemness, and the top 50 genes correlated with lower stemness and further performed a gene set enrichment analysis to observe the biological processes enriched for these genes. Finally, we suggested two promise stemness-associated targets in CMTs, POLA2 and APEX1, especially in simple carcinomas. Thus, our work elucidates stemness as a potential mechanism behind the aggressiveness and development of canine mammary tumors, especially in simple carcinomas, describing evidence of a promising strategy to target this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro L.P. Xavier
- Laboratory of Comparative and Translational Oncology (LOCT), Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade de São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maycon Marção
- Cancer Epigenomics Laboratory, Department of Clinical Analysis, Toxicology and Food Sciences, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renan L.S. Simões
- Cancer Epigenomics Laboratory, Department of Clinical Analysis, Toxicology and Food Sciences, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Eduarda G. Job
- Laboratory of Comparative and Translational Oncology (LOCT), Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade de São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo de Francisco Strefezzi
- Laboratory of Comparative and Translational Oncology (LOCT), Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade de São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Heidge Fukumasu
- Laboratory of Comparative and Translational Oncology (LOCT), Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade de São Paulo, Pirassununga, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Tathiane M. Malta
- Cancer Epigenomics Laboratory, Department of Clinical Analysis, Toxicology and Food Sciences, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Ke C, Zhou H, Xia T, Xie X, Jiang B. GTP binding protein 2 maintains the quiescence, self-renewal, and chemoresistance of mouse colorectal cancer stem cells via promoting Wnt signaling activation. Heliyon 2024; 10:e27159. [PMID: 38468952 PMCID: PMC10926081 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers and the second most deadly cancer across the globe. Colorectal cancer stem cells (CCSCs) fuel CRC growth, metastasis, relapse, and chemoresistance. A complete understanding of the modulatory mechanisms of CCSC biology is essential for developing efficacious CRC treatment. In the current study, we characterized the expression and function of GTP binding protein 2 (GTPBP2) in a chemical-induced mouse CRC model. We found that GTPBP2 was expressed at a higher level in CD133+CD44+ CCSCs compared with other CRC cells. Using a lentivirus-based Cas9/sgRNA system, GTPBP2 expression was ablated in CRC cells in vitro. GTPBP2 deficiency caused the following effects on CCSCs: 1) Significantly accelerating proliferation and increasing the proportions of cells at G1, S, and G2/M phase; 2) Impairing resistance to 5-Fluorouracil; 3) Weakening self-renewal but not impacting cell migration. In addition, GTPBP2 deficiency remarkably decreased β-catenin expression while increasing β-catenin phosphorylation in CCSCs. These effects of GTPBP2 were present in CCSCs but not in other CRC cell populations. The Wnt agonist SKL2001 completely abolished these changes in GTPBP2-deficient CCSCs. When GTPBP2-deficient CCSCs were implanted in nude mice, they exhibited consistent changes compared with GTPBP2-expressing CCSCs. Collectively, this study indicates that GTPBP2 positively modulates Wnt signaling to reinforce the quiescence, self-renewal, and chemoresistance of mouse CCSCs. Therefore, we disclose a novel mechanism underlying CCSC biology and GTPBP2 could be a therapeutic target in future CRC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Ke
- The Department of Gastrointestinal, Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, Wuhan Third Hospital (Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University), 241 Pengliuyang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430060, China
| | - Hongjian Zhou
- The Department of Gastrointestinal, Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, Wuhan Third Hospital (Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University), 241 Pengliuyang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430060, China
| | - Tian Xia
- The Department of Gastrointestinal, Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, Wuhan Third Hospital (Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University), 241 Pengliuyang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430060, China
| | - Xingwang Xie
- The Department of Gastrointestinal, Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, Wuhan Third Hospital (Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University), 241 Pengliuyang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430060, China
| | - Bin Jiang
- The Department of Gastrointestinal, Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery, Wuhan Third Hospital (Tongren Hospital of Wuhan University), 241 Pengliuyang Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, 430060, China
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31
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Zhou HM, Chen DH, Diao WJ, Wu YF, Zhang JG, Zhong L, Jiang ZY, Zhang X, Liu GL, Li Q. Inhibition of RhoGEF/RhoA alleviates regorafenib resistance and cancer stemness via Hippo signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma. Exp Cell Res 2024; 436:113956. [PMID: 38341081 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2024.113956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are vulnerable to drug resistance. Although drug resistance has been taken much attention to HCC therapy, little is known of regorafenib and regorafenib resistance (RR). This study aimed to determine the drug resistance pattern and the role of RhoA in RR. Two regorafenib-resistant cell lines were constructed based on Huh7 and Hep3B cell lines. In vitro and in vivo assays were conducted to study RhoA expression, the activity of Hippo signaling pathway and cancer stem cell (CSC) traits. The data showed that RhoA was highly expressed, Hippo signaling was hypoactivated and CSC traits were more prominent in RR cells. Inhibiting RhoA could reverse RR, and the alliance of RhoA inhibition and regorafenib synergistically attenuated CSC phenotype. Furthermore, inhibiting LARG/RhoA increased Kibra/NF2 complex formation, prevented YAP from shuttling into the nucleus and repressed CD44 mRNA expression. Clinically, the high expression of RhoA correlated with poor prognosis. LARG, RhoA, YAP1 and CD44 show positive correlation with each other. Thus, inhibition of RhoGEF/RhoA has the potential to reverse RR and repress CSC phenotype in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- He-Ming Zhou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China
| | - Da-Hong Chen
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China
| | - Wen-Jing Diao
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China
| | - Ya-Fei Wu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China
| | - Ji-Gang Zhang
- Clinical Research Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China
| | - Lin Zhong
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China
| | - Zhong-Yi Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China
| | - Xue Zhang
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China; Shanghai Eye Diseases Prevention & Treatment Center / Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai, 200040, PR China
| | - Gao-Lin Liu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China; Shanghai Eye Diseases Prevention & Treatment Center / Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai, 200040, PR China
| | - Qin Li
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, PR China; Shanghai Eye Diseases Prevention & Treatment Center / Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai, 200040, PR China.
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Li J, Jiang H, Zhu Y, Ma Z, Li B, Dong J, Xiao C, Hu A. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) induces the stem cell-like properties of hepatocellular carcinoma by activating ROS/Nrf2/Keap1-mediated autophagy. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2024; 272:116052. [PMID: 38325274 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to an increased incidence and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the impact of PM2.5 exposure on HCC progression and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PM2.5 exposure on the stem cell-like properties of HCC cells. Our findings indicate that PM2.5 exposure significantly enhances the stemness of HCC cells (p < 0.01). Subsequently, male nude mice were divided into two groups (n = 8/group for tumor-bearing assay, n = 5/group for metastasis assay) for control and PM2.5 exposure. In vivo assays revealed that exposure to PM2.5 promoted the growth, metastasis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells (p < 0.01). Further exploration demonstrated that PM2.5 enhances the stemness of HCC cells by inducing cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation (p < 0.05). Mechanistic investigation indicated that elevated intracellular ROS inhibited kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) levels, promoting the upregulation and nucleus translocation of NFE2-like bZIP transcription factor 2 (Nrf2). This, in turn, induced autophagy activation, thereby promoting the stemness of HCC cells (p < 0.01). Our present study demonstrates the adverse effects of PM2.5 exposure on HCC development and highlights the mechanism of ROS/Nrf2/Keap1-mediated autophagy. For the first time, we reveal the impact of PM2.5 exposure on the poor prognosis-associated cellular phenotype of HCC and its underlying mechanism, which is expected to provide new theoretical basis for the improvement of public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiujiu Li
- Hefei Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Haoqi Jiang
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yu Zhu
- Hefei Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Zijian Ma
- Hefei Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Bin Li
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Jun Dong
- Hefei Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Changchun Xiao
- Hefei Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Anla Hu
- School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
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Uddin MH, Zhang D, Muqbil I, El-Rayes BF, Chen H, Philip PA, Azmi AS. Deciphering cellular plasticity in pancreatic cancer for effective treatments. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2024; 43:393-408. [PMID: 38194153 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10164-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Cellular plasticity and therapy resistance are critical features of pancreatic cancer, a highly aggressive and fatal disease. The pancreas, a vital organ that produces digestive enzymes and hormones, is often affected by two main types of cancer: the pre-dominant ductal adenocarcinoma and the less common neuroendocrine tumors. These cancers are difficult to treat due to their complex biology characterized by cellular plasticity leading to therapy resistance. Cellular plasticity refers to the capability of cancer cells to change and adapt to different microenvironments within the body which includes acinar-ductal metaplasia, epithelial to mesenchymal/epigenetic/metabolic plasticity, as well as stemness. This plasticity allows heterogeneity of cancer cells, metastasis, and evasion of host's immune system and develops resistance to radiation, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. To overcome this resistance, extensive research is ongoing exploring the intrinsic and extrinsic factors through cellular reprogramming, chemosensitization, targeting metabolic, key survival pathways, etc. In this review, we discussed the mechanisms of cellular plasticity involving cellular adaptation and tumor microenvironment and provided a comprehensive understanding of its role in therapy resistance and ways to overcome it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Hafiz Uddin
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, HWCRC 740, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
| | - Dingqiang Zhang
- Department of Natural Sciences, Lawrence Technological University, 21000 W 10 Mile Rd, Southfield, MI, 48075, USA
| | - Irfana Muqbil
- Department of Natural Sciences, Lawrence Technological University, 21000 W 10 Mile Rd, Southfield, MI, 48075, USA
| | - Bassel F El-Rayes
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
| | - Herbert Chen
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - Philip A Philip
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, HWCRC 740, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
- Henry Ford Health Systems, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Asfar S Azmi
- Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 4100 John R, HWCRC 740, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA.
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Xu P, Liu K, Huang S, Lv J, Yan Z, Ge H, Cheng Q, Chen Z, Ji P, Qian Y, Li B, Xu H, Yang L, Xu Z, Zhang D. N 6-methyladenosine-modified MIB1 promotes stemness properties and peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer cells by ubiquitinating DDX3X. Gastric Cancer 2024; 27:275-291. [PMID: 38252226 DOI: 10.1007/s10120-023-01463-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peritoneal metastasis (PM), one of the most typical forms of metastasis in advanced gastric cancer (GC), indicates a poor prognosis. Exploring the potential molecular mechanism of PM is urgently necessary, as it has not been well studied. E3 ubiquitin ligase has been widely established to exert a biological function in various cancers, but its mechanism of action in GC with PM remains unknown. METHODS The effect of MIB1 on PM of GC was confirmed in vitro and in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and mass spectrometry demonstrated the association between MIB1 and DDX3X. Western blot, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence determined that DDX3X was ubiquitylated by MIB1 and promoted stemness. We further confirmed that METTL3 promoted the up-regulation of MIB1 by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), luciferase reporter assay and other experiments. RESULTS We observed that the E3 ubiquitin ligase Mind bomb 1 (MIB1) was highly expressed in PMs, and patients with PM with high MIB1 expression showed a worse prognosis than those with low MIB1 expression. Mechanistically, our study demonstrated that the E3 ubiquitin ligase MIB1 promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression and stemness in GC cells by degrading DDX3X. In addition, METTL3 mediated m6A modification to stabilize MIB1, which required the m6A reader IGF2BP2. CONCLUSIONS Our study elucidated the specific molecular mechanism by which MIB1 promotes PM of GC, and suggested that targeting the METTL3-MIB1-DDX3X axis may be a promising therapeutic strategy for GC with PM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Xu
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Kanghui Liu
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Shansong Huang
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jialun Lv
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhengyuan Yan
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
- Department of Surgery, Nanjing Lishui People's Hospital, Nanjing, 211200, China
| | - Han Ge
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Quan Cheng
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zetian Chen
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Peicheng Ji
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yawei Qian
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Bowen Li
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Li Yang
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zekuan Xu
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Diancai Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
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Peng H, Feng K, Jia W, Li Y, Lv Q, Zhang Y. An integrated investigation of sulfotransferases (SULTs) in hepatocellular carcinoma and identification of the role of SULT2A1 on stemness. Apoptosis 2024:10.1007/s10495-024-01938-5. [PMID: 38411862 DOI: 10.1007/s10495-024-01938-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
The cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) are phase II conjugating enzymes, which are widely expressed in the liver and mainly mediate the sulfation of numerous xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. However, the role of various SULTs genes has not been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aims to analyze the expression and potential functional roles of SULTs genes in HCC and to identify the role of SULT2A1 in HCC stemness as well as the possible mechanism. We found that all of the 12 SULTs genes were differentially expressed in HCC. Moreover, clinicopathological features and survival rates were also investigated. Multivariate regression analysis showed that SULT2A1 and SULT1C2 could be used as independent prognostic factors in HCC. SULT1C4, SULT1E1, and SULT2A1 were significantly associated with immune infiltration. SULT2A1 deficiency in HCC promoted chemotherapy resistance and stemness maintenance. Mechanistically, silencing of SULT2A1 activated the AKT signaling pathway, on the one hand, promoted the expression of downstream stemness gene c-Myc, on the other hand, facilitated the NRF2 expression to reduce the accumulation of ROS, and jointly increased HCC stemness. Moreover, knockdown NR1I3 was involved in the transcriptional regulation of SULT2A1 in stemness maintenance. In addition, SULT2A1 knockdown HCC cells promoted the proliferation and activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), thereby exerting a potential stroma remodeling effect. Our study revealed the expression and role of SULTs genes in HCC and identified the contribution of SULT2A1 to the initiation and progression of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Peng
- Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Kun Feng
- Hepatopancreatobiliary Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Weilu Jia
- Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Yunxin Li
- Hepatopancreatobiliary Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Qingpeng Lv
- Hepatopancreatobiliary Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Yewei Zhang
- Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
- Hepatopancreatobiliary Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210009, China.
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Yuan Y, Zhang XF, Li YC, Chen HQ, Wen T, Zheng JL, Zhao ZY, Hu QY. VX-509 attenuates the stemness characteristics of colorectal cancer stem-like cells by regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition through Nodal/Smad2/3 signaling. World J Stem Cells 2024; 16:207-227. [PMID: 38455101 PMCID: PMC10915959 DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v16.i2.207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer stem cells (CCSCs) are heterogeneous cells that can self-renew and undergo multidirectional differentiation in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. CCSCs are generally accepted to be important sources of CRC and are responsible for the progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance of CRC. Therefore, targeting this specific subpopulation has been recognized as a promising strategy for overcoming CRC. AIM To investigate the effect of VX-509 on CCSCs and elucidate the underlying mechanism. METHODS CCSCs were enriched from CRC cell lines by in conditioned serum-free medium. Western blot, Aldefluor, transwell and tumorigenesis assays were performed to verify the phenotypic characteristics of the CCSCs. The anticancer efficacy of VX-509 was assessed in HCT116 CCSCs and HT29 CCSCs by performing cell viability analysis, colony formation, sphere formation, flow cytometry, and western blotting assessments in vitro and tumor growth, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assessments in vivo. RESULTS Compared with parental cells, sphere cells derived from HCT116 and HT29 cells presented increased expression of stem cell transcription factors and stem cell markers and were more potent at promoting migration and tumorigenesis, demonstrating that the CRC sphere cells displayed CSC features. VX-509 inhibited the tumor malignant biological behavior of CRC-stem-like cells, as indicated by their proliferation, migration and clonality in vitro, and suppressed the tumor of CCSC-derived xenograft tumors in vivo. Besides, VX-509 suppressed the CSC characteristics of CRC-stem-like cells and inhibited the progression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling in vitro. Nodal was identified as the regulatory factor of VX-509 on CRC stem-like cells through analyses of differentially expressed genes and CSC-related database information. VX-509 markedly downregulated the expression of Nodal and its downstream phosphorylated Smad2/3 to inhibit EMT progression. Moreover, VX-509 reversed the dedifferentiation of CCSCs and inhibited the progression of EMT induced by Nodal overexpression. CONCLUSION VX-509 prevents the EMT process in CCSCs by inhibiting the transcription and protein expression of Nodal, and inhibits the dedifferentiated self-renewal of CCSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Yuan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xu-Fan Zhang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yu-Chen Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Hong-Qing Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Tian Wen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Jia-Lian Zheng
- Department of Hepatology, Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenyang 110032, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Zi-Yi Zhao
- Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Qiong-Ying Hu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan Province, China.
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Muñoz-Galván S, Verdugo-Sivianes EM, Santos-Pereira JM, Estevez-García P, Carnero A. Essential role of PLD2 in hypoxia-induced stemness and therapy resistance in ovarian tumors. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:57. [PMID: 38403587 PMCID: PMC10895852 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-02988-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypoxia in solid tumors is an important source of chemoresistance that can determine poor patient prognosis. Such chemoresistance relies on the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), and hypoxia promotes their generation through transcriptional activation by HIF transcription factors. METHODS We used ovarian cancer (OC) cell lines, xenograft models, OC patient samples, transcriptional databases, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq). RESULTS Here, we show that hypoxia induces CSC formation and chemoresistance in ovarian cancer through transcriptional activation of the PLD2 gene. Mechanistically, HIF-1α activates PLD2 transcription through hypoxia response elements, and both hypoxia and PLD2 overexpression lead to increased accessibility around stemness genes, detected by ATAC-seq, at sites bound by AP-1 transcription factors. This in turn provokes a rewiring of stemness genes, including the overexpression of SOX2, SOX9 or NOTCH1. PLD2 overexpression also leads to decreased patient survival, enhanced tumor growth and CSC formation, and increased iPSCs reprograming, confirming its role in dedifferentiation to a stem-like phenotype. Importantly, hypoxia-induced stemness is dependent on PLD2 expression, demonstrating that PLD2 is a major determinant of de-differentiation of ovarian cancer cells to stem-like cells in hypoxic conditions. Finally, we demonstrate that high PLD2 expression increases chemoresistance to cisplatin and carboplatin treatments, both in vitro and in vivo, while its pharmacological inhibition restores sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, our work highlights the importance of the HIF-1α-PLD2 axis for CSC generation and chemoresistance in OC and proposes an alternative treatment for patients with high PLD2 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Muñoz-Galván
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBIS, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avda. Manuel Siurot s/n 41013, Seville, Spain.
- CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Eva M Verdugo-Sivianes
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBIS, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avda. Manuel Siurot s/n 41013, Seville, Spain
- CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - José M Santos-Pereira
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, 41013, Spain
| | - Purificación Estevez-García
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBIS, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avda. Manuel Siurot s/n 41013, Seville, Spain
- CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Amancio Carnero
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, IBIS, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío, Universidad de Sevilla, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Avda. Manuel Siurot s/n 41013, Seville, Spain.
- CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
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Pangjantuk A, Kaokaen P, Kunhorm P, Chaicharoenaudomrung N, Noisa P. 3D culture of alginate-hyaluronic acid hydrogel supports the stemness of human mesenchymal stem cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4436. [PMID: 38396088 PMCID: PMC10891100 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54912-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The three-dimensional (3D) cell culture system is being employed more frequently to investigate cell engineering and tissue repair due to its close mimicry of in vivo microenvironments. In this study, we developed natural biomaterials, including hyaluronic acid, alginate, and gelatin, to mimic the creation of a 3D human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) extracellular environment and selected hydrogels with high proliferation capacity for 3D MSC culture. Human mesenchymal stem cells were encapsulated within hydrogels, and an investigation was conducted into the effects on cell viability and proliferation, stemness properties, and telomere activity compared to the 2D monolayer culture. Hydrogel characterization, cell proliferation, Live/Dead cell viability assay, gene expression, telomere relative length, and MSC stemness-related proteins by immunofluorescence staining were examined. The results showed that 3D alginate-hyaluronic acid (AL-HA) hydrogels increased cell proliferation, and the cells were grown as cellular spheroids within hydrogels and presented a high survival rate of 77.36% during the culture period of 14 days. Furthermore, the 3D alginate-hyaluronic acid (AL-HA) hydrogels increased the expression of stemness-related genes (OCT-4, NANOG, SOX2, and SIRT1), tissue growth and development genes (YAP and TAZ), and cell proliferation gene (Ki67) after culture for 14 days. Moreover, the telomere activity of the 3D MSCs was enhanced, as indicated by the upregulation of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT) and the relative telomere length (T/S ratio) compared to the 2D monolayer culture. Altogether, these data suggest that the 3D alginate-hyaluronic acid (AL-HA) hydrogels could serve as a promising material for maintaining stem cell properties and might be a suitable carrier for tissue engineering proposals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amorn Pangjantuk
- Laboratory of Cell-Based Assays and Innovations, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Palakorn Kaokaen
- Laboratory of Cell-Based Assays and Innovations, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Phongsakorn Kunhorm
- Laboratory of Cell-Based Assays and Innovations, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Nipha Chaicharoenaudomrung
- Laboratory of Cell-Based Assays and Innovations, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand
| | - Parinya Noisa
- Laboratory of Cell-Based Assays and Innovations, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
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Liu W, Du L, Cui Y, He C, He Z. WNT5A regulates the proliferation, apoptosis and stemness of human stem Leydig cells via the β-catenin signaling pathway. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:93. [PMID: 38367191 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05077-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Stem Leydig cells (SLCs) are essential for maintaining normal spermatogenesis as the significant component of testis microenvironment and gonadal aging. Although progress has been achieved in the regulation of male germ cells in mammals and humans, it remains unknown about the genes and signaling pathways of human SLCs. Here we have demonstrated, for the first time, that WNT5A (Wnt family member 5a) mediates the proliferation, apoptosis, and stemness of human SLCs, namely NGFR+ Leydig cells. We revealed that NGFR+ Leydig cells expressed NGFR, PDGFRA, NES, NR2F2, and THY1, hallmarks for SLCs. RNA-sequencing showed that WNT5A was expressed at a higher level in human SLCs than non-SLCs, while immunohistochemistry and Western blots further illustrated that WNT5A was predominantly expressed in human SLCs. Notably, CCK-8, EdU and Western blots displayed that WNT5A enhanced the proliferation and DNA synthesis and retained stemness of human SLCs, whereas flow cytometry and TUNEL analyses demonstrated that WNT5A inhibited the apoptosis of these cells. WNT5A knockdown caused an increase in LC lineage differentiation of human SLCs and reversed the effect of WNT5A overexpression on fate decisions of human SLCs. In addition, WNT5A silencing resulted in the decreases in nuclear translocation of β-catenin and expression levels of c-Myc, CD44, and Cyclin D1. Collectively, these results implicate that WNT5A regulates the proliferation, apoptosis and stemness of human SLCs through the activation of the β-catenin signaling pathway. This study thus provides a novel molecular mechanism underlying the fate determinations of human SLCs, and it offers a new insight into the niche regulation of human testis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, China
| | - Li Du
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Yinghong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Caimei He
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Zuping He
- Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, Changsha, 410013, Hunan, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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He T, Wang Y, Lv W, Wang Y, Li X, Zhang Q, Shen HM, Hu J. FBP1 inhibits NSCLC stemness by promoting ubiquitination of Notch1 intracellular domain and accelerating degradation. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:87. [PMID: 38349431 PMCID: PMC10864425 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05138-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
The existence of cancer stem cells is widely acknowledged as the underlying cause for the challenging curability and high relapse rates observed in various tumor types, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite extensive research on numerous therapeutic targets for NSCLC treatment, the strategies to effectively combat NSCLC stemness and achieve a definitive cure are still not well defined. The primary objective of this study was to examine the underlying mechanism through which Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1), a gluconeogenic enzyme, functions as a tumor suppressor to regulate the stemness of NSCLC. Herein, we showed that overexpression of FBP1 led to a decrease in the proportion of CD133-positive cells, weakened tumorigenicity, and decreased expression of stemness factors. FBP1 inhibited the activation of Notch signaling, while it had no impact on the transcription level of Notch 1 intracellular domain (NICD1). Instead, FBP1 interacted with NICD1 and the E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXW7 to facilitate the degradation of NICD1 through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, which is independent of the metabolic enzymatic activity of FBP1. The aforementioned studies suggest that targeting the FBP1-FBXW7-NICD1 axis holds promise as a therapeutic approach for addressing the challenges of NSCLC recurrence and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyu He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanye Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wang Lv
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yiqing Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xinye Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qingyi Zhang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Han-Ming Shen
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China.
| | - Jian Hu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Evaluation Technology for Medical Device of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
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Hu M, Dai C, Sun X, Chen Y, Xu N, Lin Z, Xu S, Cheng C, Tan Z, Bian S, Zheng W. Ubiquitination-specific protease 7 enhances stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma by stabilizing basic transcription factor 3. Funct Integr Genomics 2024; 24:28. [PMID: 38340226 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-024-01310-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
This study aims to explore the molecular regulation mechanism of ubiquitination-specific protease 7 (USP7) in facilitating the stemness properties of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays were conducted in SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells transfected with USP7 overexpression/knockdown plasmids and USP7 inhibitor P22077. The proliferation, migration, invasion, and self-renewal capacity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were detected by CCK-8, colony formation, Transwell, scratch, and tumor sphere formation, respectively. MS was performed to identify the potential substrate of USP7 following P22077 treatment. Co-IP assay was used to verify the interaction between USP7 and basic transcription factor 3 (BTF3) in HCC cells. The overexpression of USP7 could promote the proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation capacity of SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells. Additionally, ectopic UPS7 enhanced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem-like characteristics of the HCC cells. In contrast, USP7 depletion by knockdown of USP7 or administrating inhibitor P22077 significantly inhibited these malignant phenotypes of SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells. Following MS analysis, BTF3 was identified as a potential substrate for USP7. USP7 could interact with BTF3 and upregulate its protein level, while USP7 depletion significantly upregulated the ubiquitination levels. Overexpression of BTF3 partially rescue the inhibitory effects of USP7 depletion on the malignant phenotypes and stemness properties of SK-Hep1 and HepG2 cells. USP7 can promote the stemness and malignant phenotype of HCC by stabilizing BTF3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingchao Hu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Chengchen Dai
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Xieyin Sun
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yinqi Chen
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Nuo Xu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhaoyi Lin
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shiyu Xu
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chun Cheng
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Zhonghua Tan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
| | - Saiyan Bian
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China.
| | - Wenjie Zheng
- Research Center of Clinical Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, 20 Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, Jiangsu, China.
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
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Zhou X, Li Z, Li M. LncRNA WWTR1-AS1 upregulates Notch3 through miR-136 to increase cancer cell stemness in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. BMC Womens Health 2024; 24:104. [PMID: 38331752 PMCID: PMC10851613 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-024-02905-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND This Study investigated the role of WWTR1-AS1 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). RESULTS WWTR1-AS1 expression was upregulated in CSCC tissues. WWTR1-AS1 was predicted to interact with miR-136, whereas correlation analysis revealed that there was no close correlation between WWTR1-AS1 and miR-136 across CSCC samples. Moreover, WWTR1-AS1 and miR-136 did not regulate the expression of each other. In addition, overexpression of WWTR1-AS1 increased the expression levels of Notch3, which could be targeted by miR-136. Cell stemness analysis indicated that the overexpression of WWTR1-AS1 and Notch3 increased CSCC cell stemness and the capacity of CSCC cell to grow as spheroids. Overexpression of miR-136 decreased CSCC cell stemness and reversed the effects of overexpression of WWTR1-AS1 on Notch3 in CSCC cells. CONCLUSION Therefore, WWTR1-AS1 may upregulate Notch3 through miR-136 to increase cancer cell stemness in CSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bishan hospital of Chongqing medical university, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, No. 9 Shuangxing Avenue, Biquan Street, Bishan District, 402760, Chongqing City, P. R. China
| | - Zhizun Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bishan hospital of Chongqing medical university, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, No. 9 Shuangxing Avenue, Biquan Street, Bishan District, 402760, Chongqing City, P. R. China
| | - Moyu Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bishan hospital of Chongqing medical university, Bishan Hospital of Chongqing, No. 9 Shuangxing Avenue, Biquan Street, Bishan District, 402760, Chongqing City, P. R. China.
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Yang C, Li Y, Hu Y, Li Q, Lan Y, Li Y. Per-cell histone acetylation is associated with terminal differentiation in human T cells. Clin Epigenetics 2024; 16:21. [PMID: 38321550 PMCID: PMC10845582 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-024-01634-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epigenetic remodeling at effector gene loci has been reported to be critical in regulating T cell differentiation and function. However, efforts to investigate underlying epigenetic mechanisms that control T cell behaviors have been largely hindered by very limited experimental tools, especially in humans. RESULTS In this study, we employed a flow cytometric assay to analyze histone acetylation at single-cell level in human T cells. The data showed that histone acetylation was increased during T cell activation. Among T cell subsets, terminally differentiated effector memory T (TEMRA) cells robustly producing effector cytokines were hyper-acetylated. Conversely, these TEMRA cells had lower expression levels of TCF-1, a key transcription factor for maintaining stem cell features. Pharmaceutical inhibition of histone acetylation using a small molecule C646 restrained the production of effector molecules, but retained stem cell-like properties in T cells after expansion. CONCLUSIONS Per-cell histone acetylation is associated with terminal differentiation and poor stemness in human T cells. These observations suggest a new approach to enhance the stem cell-like properties of T cells and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - You Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yaqiu Hu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Qian Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China
| | - Yinghua Lan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, China.
| | - Yongguo Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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Jiang N, Tian X, Wang Q, Hao J, Jiang J, Wang H. Regulation Mechanisms and Maintenance Strategies of Stemness in Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2024; 20:455-483. [PMID: 38010581 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-023-10658-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Stemness pertains to the intrinsic ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to undergo self-renewal and differentiate into multiple lineages, while simultaneously impeding their differentiation and preserving crucial differentiating genes in a state of quiescence and equilibrium. Owing to their favorable attributes, including uncomplicated isolation protocols, ethical compliance, and ease of procurement, MSCs have become a focal point of inquiry in the domains of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. As age increases or ex vivo cultivation is prolonged, the functionality of MSCs decreases and their stemness gradually diminishes, thereby limiting their potential therapeutic applications. Despite the existence of several uncertainties surrounding the comprehension of MSC stemness, considerable advancements have been achieved in the clarification of the potential mechanisms that lead to stemness loss, as well as the associated strategies for stemness maintenance. This comprehensive review provides a systematic overview of the factors influencing the preservation of MSC stemness, the molecular mechanisms governing it, the strategies for its maintenance, and the therapeutic potential associated with stemness. Finally, we underscore the obstacles and prospective avenues in present investigations, providing innovative perspectives and opportunities for the preservation and therapeutic utilization of MSC stemness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nizhou Jiang
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xiliang Tian
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Quanxiang Wang
- Hongqi Hospital Affiliated to Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China
| | - Jiayu Hao
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China
| | - Jian Jiang
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China.
| | - Hong Wang
- Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology Department of Spine Surgery, Dalian, China.
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Shin HC, Kim J, Park SR, Choi BH. mTOR Plays an Important Role in the Stemness of Human Fetal Cartilage Progenitor Cells (hFCPCs). Tissue Eng Regen Med 2024; 21:309-318. [PMID: 37812329 PMCID: PMC10825109 DOI: 10.1007/s13770-023-00598-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is known to regulate self-renewal ability and potency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and adult stem cells in opposite manners. However, its effects vary even among adult stem cells and are not reported in fetal stem/progenitor cells. This study investigated the role of mTOR in the function of human fetal cartilage-derived progenitor cells (hFCPCs). METHODS mTOR activity in hFCPCs was first examined via the level of phosphor-mTOR until passage 19, together with doubling time of cells and senescence-associated b-galactosidase (SA-bGal). Then, the effect of 100 nM rapamycin, the inhibitor of mTOR, was investigated on self-renewal ability, proliferation rate and osteogenic/adipogenic potential of hFCPCs in vitro. Expression of stemness genes (Oct-4, Sox2 and Nanog) and cell cycle regulators (CDK4 and Cyclin D1) was measured at mRNA or protein levels. RESULTS mTOR activity was maintained constantly at high levels in hFCPCs until passage 19, while their proliferation rate was decreasing from 48 h at passage 13 to 70 h at passage 9 and senescent cells were observed at passage 18 (8.3 ± 1.2%) and 19 (15.6 ± 1.9%). Inhibition of mTOR in hFCPCs impaired their colony forming frequency (CFU-F) by 4 folds, while showing no change in their doubling time and expression of CDK4 and Cyclin D1. Upon mTOR inhibition, Oct4 expression decreased by 2 folds and 4 folds at the mRNA and protein levels, respectively, while that of Sox2 and Nanog did not change significantly. Finally, mTOR inhibition reduced osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of hFCPCs in vitro. CONCLUSION This study has shown that mTOR plays an important role in the self-renewal ability of hFCPCS but not in their proliferation, The effect of mTOR appears to be associated with Oct-4 expression and important in the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation ability of hFCPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Him-Cha Shin
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea
| | - Jiyoung Kim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea
| | - So Ra Park
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea
| | - Byung Hyune Choi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Inha University College of Medicine, 100 Inha-ro, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, 22212, South Korea.
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Tripathi SK, Sahoo RK, Biswal BK. Exposure of piperlongumine attenuates stemness and epithelial to mesenchymal transition phenotype with more potent anti-metastatic activity in SOX9 deficient human lung cancer cells. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2024:10.1007/s00210-024-02965-4. [PMID: 38280008 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-02965-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Phytocompounds have shown hopeful results in cancer therapy. Piperlongumine (PIP), a naturally derived bioactive alkaloid found in our dietary spice, exhibits promising pharmacological relevance including anticancer activity. This study reconnoitred the anti-lung cancer effect of PIP and the allied mechanisms, in vitro and ex vivo. The cytotoxic, anti-proliferative, and apoptotic effects of PIP on lung cancer cells (LCC) were checked via cell viability, colony formation, cell migration, invasion, comet assay, and various staining techniques. Further, multicellular spheroids assay explored the anti-lung cancer potential of PIP, ex vivo. Preliminary results explored that PIP exerts selective cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects on LCC by DNA damage and cell cycle arrest. PIP remarkably escalated the cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and promoted dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), which triggers activation of caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway in LCC. Mechanistically, PIP showed F-actin deformation mediated significant anti-migratory and anti-invasive activity against LCC. Herein, we also found that F-actin dis-organization modulates the expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and inhibits the expression of stemness marker proteins, like SOX9, CD-133, and CD-44. Moreover, PIP effectively reduced the size of spheroids with strong apoptotic and cytotoxic effects, ex vivo. This has been the first study to discover the high expression of SOX9 supporting the survival of LCC, whereas its inhibition induces higher sensitivity to PIP treatment. This study concludes a newer therapeutic agent (PIP) with promising anticancer activity against LCC by escalating ROS and attenuating MMP, stemness, and EMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Kant Tripathi
- Cancer Drug Resistance Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centre, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27514, NC, USA
| | - Rajeev Kumar Sahoo
- Cancer Drug Resistance Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India
| | - Bijesh Kumar Biswal
- Cancer Drug Resistance Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, 769008, Odisha, India.
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Xiao G, Lu W, Yuan J, Liu Z, Wang P, Fan H. Fbxw7 suppresses carcinogenesis and stemness in triple-negative breast cancer through CHD4 degradation and Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibition. J Transl Med 2024; 22:99. [PMID: 38268032 PMCID: PMC10809768 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-04897-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small population of cells in tumor tissues that can drive tumor initiation and promote tumor progression. A small number of previous studies indirectly mentioned the role of F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBXW7) as a tumor suppressor in Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, few studies have focused on the function of FBXW7 in cancer stemness in TNBC and the related mechanism. METHODS We detected FBXW7 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 80 TNBC patients. FBXW7 knockdown and overexpression in MD-MBA-231 and HCC1937 cell models were constructed. The effect of FBXW7 on malignant phenotype and stemness was assessed by colony assays, flow cytometry, transwell assays, western blot, and sphere formation assays. Immunoprecipitation-Mass Spectrometry (IP-MS) and ubiquitination experiments were used to find and verify potential downstream substrate proteins of FBXW7. Animal experiments were constructed to examine the effect of FBXW7 on tumorigenic potential and cancer stemness of TNBC cells in vivo. RESULTS The results showed that FBXW7 was expressed at low levels in TNBC tissues and positively correlated with prognosis of TNBC patients. In vitro, FBXW7 significantly inhibited colony formation, cell cycle progression, cell migration, EMT process, cancer stemness and promotes apoptosis. Further experiments confirmed that chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4) is a novel downstream target of FBXW7 and is downregulated by FBXW7 via proteasomal degradation. Moreover, CHD4 could promote the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and reverse the inhibitory effect of FBXW7 on β-catenin, and ultimately activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Rescue experiments confirmed that the FBXW7-CHD4-Wnt/β-catenin axis was involved in regulating the maintenance of CSC in TNBC cells. In animal experiments, FBXW7 reduced CSC marker expression and suppressed TNBC cell tumorigenesis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results highlight that FBXW7 degrades CHD4 protein through ubiquitination, thereby blocking the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to inhibit the stemness of TNBC cells. Thus, targeting FBXW7 may be a promising strategy for therapeutic intervention against TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guodong Xiao
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Weiping Lu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Jing Yuan
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Zuyue Liu
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Peili Wang
- Breast Cancer Center, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital, No 127 Dongming Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China
| | - Huijie Fan
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, No.1 Jianshe Dong Road, ErQi District, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
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Sengupta P, Dutta A, Suseela YV, Roychowdhury T, Banerjee N, Dutta A, Halder S, Jana K, Mukherjee G, Chattopadhyay S, Govindaraju T, Chatterjee S. G-quadruplex structural dynamics at MAPK12 promoter dictates transcriptional switch to determine stemness in breast cancer. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:33. [PMID: 38214819 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-05046-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
P38γ (MAPK12) is predominantly expressed in triple negative breast cancer cells (TNBC) and induces stem cell (CSC) expansion resulting in decreased survival of the patients due to metastasis. Abundance of G-rich sequences at MAPK12 promoter implied the functional probability to reverse tumorigenesis, though the formation of G-Quadruplex (G4) structures at MAPK12 promoter is elusive. Here, we identified two evolutionary consensus adjacent G4 motifs upstream of the MAPK12 promoter, forming parallel G4 structures. They exist in an equilibria between G4 and duplex, regulated by the binding turnover of Sp1 and Nucleolin that bind to these G4 motifs and regulate MAPK12 transcriptional homeostasis. To underscore the gene-regulatory functions of G4 motifs, we employed CRISPR-Cas9 system to eliminate G4s from TNBC cells and synthesized a naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivative (TGS24) which shows high-affinity binding to MAPK12-G4 and inhibits MAPK12 transcription. Deletion of G4 motifs and NDI compound interfere with the recruitment of the transcription factors, inhibiting MAPK12 expression in cancer cells. The molecular basis of NDI-induced G4 transcriptional regulation was analysed by RNA-seq analyses, which revealed that MAPK12-G4 inhibits oncogenic RAS transformation and trans-activation of NANOG. MAPK12-G4 also reduces CD44High/CD24Low population in TNBC cells and downregulates internal stem cell markers, arresting the stemness properties of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallabi Sengupta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Anindya Dutta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Y V Suseela
- Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory, New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India
| | - Tanaya Roychowdhury
- Department of Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder, IICB, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Nilanjan Banerjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Ananya Dutta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Satyajit Halder
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Kuladip Jana
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India
| | - Gopeswar Mukherjee
- Barasat Cancer Research and Welfare Centre, Barasat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Samit Chattopadhyay
- Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, K. K. Birla Goa Campus, Goa, 403726, India
| | - Thimmaiah Govindaraju
- Bioorganic Chemistry Laboratory, New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India.
| | - Subhrangsu Chatterjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Unified Academic Campus, Bose Institute, EN-80, Sector V, Salt Lake, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700091, India.
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Deng Z, Xu M, Ding Z, Kong J, Liu J, Zhang Z, Cao P. ID2 promotes tumor progression and metastasis in thyroid cancer. Endocrine 2024:10.1007/s12020-023-03674-3. [PMID: 38195969 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-023-03674-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhibitor of DNA Binding 2 (ID2) plays a crucial role in tumor cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and stemness. Aberrant ID2 expression is associated with poor prognosis in various cancers. However, the specific function of ID2 in thyroid cancer remain unclear. METHOD The TCGA database were utilized to explore the clinical relevance of ID2 in cancer. GO, KEGG, and TIMER were employed to predict the potential roles of ID2 in cancer. Functional analysis, including CCK-8, colony formation, transwell, wound healing, and sphere formation experiments, were conducted to determine the biological functions of ID2 in human cancers. Western blot (WB), RT-qPCR, and immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses were used to investigate the relationship between ID2 and downstream targets. RESULTS Our study revealed significant overexpression of ID2 in various malignant tumor cells. Knocking ID2 significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation and invasion, while overexpressing ID2 enhanced these capabilities. Additionally, ID2 mediates resistance of cancer cells to protein kinase B (or Akt) inhibitions. Further WB and IHC experiments indicated that ID2 promotes the phosphorylation activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway, thereby upregulating the expression of downstream proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and stemness-related markers. CONCLUSION We found that ID2 significantly promotes thyroid cancer cell proliferation, migration, EMT, and stemness through the PI3K/Akt pathway. Moreover, ID2 plays a crucial role in regulating cancer immune responses. It may serve as a potential biomarker for enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongming Deng
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Min Xu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Zhenghua Ding
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Jianqiao Kong
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Juanjuan Liu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China
| | - Zelin Zhang
- Department of Oncology Department, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China.
| | - Ping Cao
- Department of Oncology Department, Xiangyang No.1 People's Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Xiangyang, 441000, China.
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Qiao Z, Li Y, Li S, Liu S, Cheng Y. Hypoxia-induced SHMT2 protein lactylation facilitates glycolysis and stemness of esophageal cancer cells. Mol Cell Biochem 2024:10.1007/s11010-023-04913-x. [PMID: 38175377 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-023-04913-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a familiar digestive tract tumor with highly lethal. The hypoxic environment has been demonstrated to be a significant factor in modulating malignant tumor progression and is strongly associated with the abnormal energy metabolism of tumor cells. Serine hydroxymethyl transferase 2 (SHMT2) is one of the most frequently expressed metabolic enzymes in human malignancies. The study was designed to investigate the biological functions and regulation mechanisms of SHMT2 in EC under hypoxia. We conducted RT-qPCR to assess SHMT2 levels in EC tissues and cells (TE-1 and EC109). EC cells were incubated under normoxia and hypoxia, respectively, and altered SHMT2 expression was evaluated through RT-qPCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence. The biological functions of SHMT2 on EC cells were monitored by performing CCK-8, EdU, transwell, sphere formation, glucose uptake, and lactate production assays. The SHMT2 protein lactylation was measured by immunoprecipitation and western blot. In addition, SHMT2-interacting proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics and validated by rescue experiments. SHMT2 was notably upregulated in EC tissues and cells. Hypoxia elevated SHMT2 protein expression, augmenting EC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, stemness, and glycolysis. In addition, hypoxia triggered lactylation of the SHMT2 protein and enhanced its stability. SHMT2 knockdown impeded the malignant phenotype of EC cells. Further mechanistic studies disclosed that SHMT2 is involved in EC progression by interacting with MTHFD1L. Hypoxia-induced SHMT2 protein lactylation and upregulated its protein level, which in turn enhanced MTHFD1L expression and accelerated the malignant progression of EC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Qiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shaomin Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shiyuan Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yao Cheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 157, West 5th Road, Xi'an, 710004, Shaanxi, China.
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