Cytokinin signaling is involved in root hair elongation in response to phosphate starvation

Root hair, single-celled tubular structures originating from the epidermis, plays a vital role in the uptake of nutrients from the soil by increasing the root surface area. Therefore, optimizing root hair growth is crucial for plants to survive in fluctuating environments. Root hair length is determined by the action of various plant hormones, among which the roles of auxin and ethylene have been extensively studied. However, evidence for the involvement of cytokinins has remained elusive. We recently reported that the cytokinin-activated B-type response regulators, ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATOR 1 (ARR1) and ARR12 directly upregulate the expression of ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE 6-LIKE 4 (RSL4), which encodes a key transcription factor that controls root hair elongation. However, depending on the nutrient availability, it is unknown whether the ARR1/12-RSL4 pathway controls root hair elongation. This study shows that phosphate deficiency induced the expression of RSL4 and increased the root hair length through ARR1/12, though the transcript and protein levels of ARR1/12 did not change. These results indicate that cytokinins, together with other hormones, regulate root hair growth under phosphate starvation conditions.

Linoleic acid exhibits anti-proliferative and anti-invasive activities in endometrial cancer cells and a transgenic model of endometrial cancer

Emerging evidence has provided considerable insights into the integral function of reprogramming fatty acid metabolism in the carcinogenesis and progression of endometrial cancer. Linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid with the highest consumption in the Western diet regimen, has shown pro-tumorigenic or anti-tumorigenic effects on tumor cell growth and invasion in multiple types of cancer. However, the biological role of linoleic acid in endometrial cancer remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the functional impact of linoleic acid on cell proliferation, invasion, and tumor growth in endometrial cancer cells and in a transgenic mouse model of endometrial cancer. The results showed that Linoleic acid significantly inhibited the proliferation of endometrial cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. The treatment of HEC-1A and KLE cells with linoleic acid effectively increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, caused cell cycle G1 arrest, and induced intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways. The anti-invasive ability of linoleic acid was found to be associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process in both cell lines, including the decreased expression of N-cadherin, snail, and vimentin. Furthermore, treatment of Lkb1fl/flp53fl/fl transgenic mice with linoleic acid for four weeks significantly reduced the growth of endometrial tumors and decreased the expression of VEGF, vimentin, Ki67, and cyclin D1 in tumor tissues. Our findings demonstrate that linoleic acid exhibits anti-proliferative and anti-invasive activities in endometrial cancer cell lines and the Lkb1fl/flp53fl/fl mouse model of endometrial cancer, thus providing a pre-clinical basis for future dietary interventions with linoleic acid in endometrial cancer.

SATB1 mediated tumor colonization and β-catenin nuclear localization are associated with colorectal cancer progression

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignancy with high incidence and poor prognosis. It is urgent to identify valuable biomarkers for early diagnosis and potent therapeutic targets. It has been reported that SATB1 is associated with the malignant progression in CRC. To explore the role of SATB1 in CRC progression and the underlying mechanism, we evaluated the expression of SATB1 in the paired CRC tissues with immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the expression of SATB1 in lymph node metastasis was higher than that in primary lesion, and that in distant organ metastasis was higher than that in primary lesion. The retrospective analysis showed that patients with high expression of SATB1 had a significantly worse prognosis than those with negative and moderate expression. In vitro experiments that employing SATB1 over-expressing and depleted CRC cell lines confirmed that SATB1 contributes to cell proliferation and colonization, while inhibiting cell motility. Furthermore, the tissue immunofluorescence assay, Co-IP and Western blot were conducted to reveal that SATB1 induced translocation of β-catenin and formed a protein complex with it in the nuclei. In conclusion, SATB1 mediated tumor colonization and β-catenin nuclear localization are associated with the malignant progression and poor prognosis of CRC.

Inhibition of DYRK1A attenuates vascular remodeling in pulmonary arterial hypertension via suppressing STAT3/Pim-1/NFAT pathway

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by progressive vascular remodeling caused by the excessive proliferation and survival of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Dual-specificity tyrosine regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) is a pleiotropic kinase involved in the regulation of multiple biological functions, including cell proliferation and survival. However, the role and underlying mechanisms of DYRK1A in PAH pathogenesis remain unclear. We found that DYRK1A was upregulated in PASMCs in response to hypoxia, both in vivo and in vitro. Inhibition of DYRK1A by harmine significantly attenuated hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary artery remodeling. Mechanistically, we found that DYRK1A promoted pulmonary arterial remodeling by enhancing the proliferation and survival of PASMCs through activating the STAT3/Pim-1/NFAT pathway, because STAT3 gain-of-function via adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) carrying the constitutively active form of STAT3 (STAT3C) nearly abolished the protective effect of harmine on PAH. Collectively, our results reveal a significant role for DYRK1A in pulmonary arterial remodeling and suggest it as a drug target with translational potential for the treatment of PAH.

The facilitating effects of KRT80 on chemoresistance, lipogenesis, and invasion of esophageal cancer

Keratin 80 (KRT80) is a filament protein that makes up one of the major structural fibers of epithelial cells, and involved in cell differentiation and epithelial barrier integrity. Here, KRT80 mRNA expression was found to be higher in esophageal cancer than normal epithelium by RT-PCR and bioinformatics analysis (p < .05), opposite to KRT80 methylation (p < .05). There was a negative relationship between promoter methylation and expression level of KRT80 gene in esophageal cancer (p < .05). KRT80 mRNA expression was positively correlated with the differentiation, infiltration of immune cells, and poor prognosis of esophageal cancer (p < .05). KRT80 mRNA expression was positively linked to no infiltration of immune cells, the short survival time of esophageal cancers (p < .05). The differential genes of KRT80 mRNA were involved in fat digestion and metabolism, peptidase inhibitor, and intermediate filament, desosome, keratinocyte differentiation, epidermis development, keratinization, ECM regulator, complement cascade, metabolism of vitamins and co-factor (p < .05). KRT-80-related genes were classified into endocytosis, cell adhesion molecule binding, cadherin binding, cell-cell junction, cell leading edge, epidermal cell differentiation and development, T cell differentiation and receptor complex, plasma membrane receptor complex, external side of plasma membrane, metabolism of amino acids and catabolism of small molecules, and so forth (p < .05). KRT80 knockdown suppressed anti-apoptosis, anti-pyroptosis, migration, invasion, chemoresistance, and lipogenesis in esophageal cancer cells (p < .05), while ACC1 and ACLY overexpression reversed the inhibitory effects of KRT80 on lipogenesis and chemoresistance. These findings indicated that up-regulated expression of KRT80 might be involved in esophageal carcinogenesis and subsequent progression, aggravate aggressive phenotypes, and induced chemoresistance by lipid droplet assembly and ACC1- and ACLY-mediated lipogenesis.

Serum from pregnant donors induces human beta cell proliferation

Pancreatic beta cells are among the slowest replicating cells in the human body and have not been observed to increase in number except during the fetal and neonatal period, in cases of obesity, during puberty, as well as during pregnancy. Pregnancy is associated with increased beta cell mass to meet heightened insulin demands. This phenomenon raises the intriguing possibility that factors present in the serum of pregnant individuals may stimulate beta cell proliferation and offer insights into expansion of the beta cell mass for treatment and prevention of diabetes. The primary objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that serum from pregnant donors contains bioactive factors capable of inducing human beta cell proliferation. An immortalized human beta cell line with protracted replication (EndoC-βH1) was cultured in media supplemented with serum from pregnant and non-pregnant female and male donors and assessed for differences in proliferation. This experiment was followed by assessment of proliferation of primary human beta cells. Sera from five out of six pregnant donors induced a significant increase in the proliferation rate of EndoC-βH1 cells. Pooled serum from the cohort of pregnant donors also increased the rate of proliferation in primary human beta cells. This study demonstrates that serum from pregnant donors stimulates human beta cell proliferation. These findings suggest the existence of pregnancy-associated factors that can offer novel avenues for beta cell regeneration and diabetes prevention strategies. Further research is warranted to elucidate the specific factors responsible for this effect.

Hypoxia promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell stemness, migration, and invasion via promoting glycolysis by lactylation of SOX9

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is the deadliest form of malignancy and the most common subtype is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hypoxia is a typical feature of solid tumor microenvironment. In the current study, we clarified the effects of hypoxia on stemness and metastasis and the molecular mechanism.

METHODS

The biological functions were assessed using the sphere formation assay, Transwell assay, and XF96 extracellular flux analyzer. The protein levels were detected by western blot. The lactylation modification was assessed by western blot and immunoprecipitation. The role of SOX9 in vivo was explored using a xenografted tumor model.

RESULTS

We observed that hypoxia promoted sphere formation, migration, invasion, glucose consumption, lactate production, glycolysis, and global lactylation. Inhibition of glycolysis suppressed cell stemness, migration, invasion, and lactylation. Moreover, hypoxia increased the levels of SOX9 and lactylation of SOX9, whereas inhibition of glycolysis reversed the increase. Additionally, knockdown of SOX9 abrogated the promotion of cell stemness, migration, and invasion. In tumor-bearing mice, overexpression of SOX9 promoted tumor growth, and inhibition of glycolysis suppressed tumor growth.

CONCLUSION

Hypoxia induced the lactylation of SOX9 to promote stemness, migration, and invasion via promoting glycolysis. The findings suggested that targeting hypoxia may be an effective way for NSCLC treatment and reveal a new mechanism of hypoxia in NSCLC.

TOP2A modulates signaling via the AKT/mTOR pathway to promote ovarian cancer cell proliferation

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a form of gynecological malignancy that is associated with worse patient outcomes than any other cancer of the female reproductive tract. Topoisomerase II α (TOP2A) is commonly regarded as an oncogene that is associated with malignant disease progression in a variety of cancers, its mechanistic functions in OC have yet to be firmly established. We explored the role of TOP2A in OC through online databases, clinical samples, in vitro and in vivo experiments. And initial analyses of public databases revealed high OC-related TOP2A expression in patient samples that was related to poorer prognosis. This was confirmed by clinical samples in which TOP2A expression was elevated in OC relative to healthy tissue. Kaplan-Meier analyses further suggested that higher TOP2A expression levels were correlated with worse prognosis in OC patients. In vitro, TOP2A knockdown resulted in the inhibition of OC cell proliferation, with cells entering G1 phase arrest and undergoing consequent apoptotic death. In rescue assays, TOP2A was confirmed to regulate cell proliferation and cell cycle through AKT/mTOR pathway activity. Mouse model experiments further affirmed the key role that TOP2A plays as a driver of OC cell proliferation. These data provide strong evidence supporting TOP2A as an oncogenic mediator and prognostic biomarker related to OC progression and poor outcomes. At the mechanistic level, TOP2A can control tumor cell growth via AKT/mTOR pathway modulation. These preliminary results provide a foundation for future research seeking to explore the utility of TOP2A inhibitor-based combination treatment regimens in platinum-resistant recurrent OC patients.

Role and mechanism of COL3A1 in regulating the growth, metastasis, and drug sensitivity in cisplatin-resistant non-small cell lung cancer cells

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is among the most difficult malignancies to treat. Type III collagen (COL3A1) can affect the progression and chemoresistance development of NSCLC. We herein explored the mechanism that drives COL3A1 dysregulation in NSCLC. Potential RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and transcription factors (TFs) that could bind to COL3A1 were searched by bioinformatics. mRNA expression was detected by quantitative PCR. Protein expression was evaluated using immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. The effects of the variables were assessed by gauging cell growth, invasiveness, migratory capacity, apoptosis, and cisplatin (DDP) sensitivity. The direct YY1/COL3A1 relationship was confirmed by ChIP and luciferase reporter experiments. Xenograft experiments were done to examine COL3A1's function in DDP efficacy. COL3A1 showed enhanced expression in DDP-resistant NSCLC. In H460/DDP and A549/DDP cells, downregulation of COL3A1 exerted inhibitory functions in cell growth, invasiveness, and migration, as well as promoting effects on cell DDP sensitivity and apoptosis. Mechanistically, ELAV-like RNA binding protein 1 (ELAVL1) enhanced the mRNA stability and expression of COL3A1, and Yin Yang 1 (YY1) promoted the transcription and expression of COL3A1. Furthermore, upregulation of COL3A1 reversed ELAVL1 inhibition- or YY1 deficiency-mediated functions in DDP-resistant NSCLC cells. Additionally, COL3A1 downregulation enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy of DDP in vivo. Our investigation demonstrates that COL3A1 upregulation, induced by both RBP ELAVL1 and TF YY1, exerts important functions in phenotypes of NSCLC cells with DDP resistance, offering an innovative opportunity in the treatment of drug-resistant NSCLC.

Salidroside inhibited the proliferation of gastric cancer cells through up-regulating tumor suppressor miR-1343-3p and down-regulating MAP3K6/MMP24 signal molecules

Salidroside inhibited the proliferation of cancer cell. Nevertheless, the mechanism has not been completely clarified. The purpose of the study is to explore the mechanisms of salidroside against gastric cancer. To analyze the changes of microRNA (miRNA) in gastric cancer cells under the treatment of salidroside, the miRNA expression was analyzed by using RNA-seq in cancer cells for 24 h after salidroside treatment. The differentially expressed miRNAs were clustered and their target genes were analyzed. Selected miRNA and target mRNA genes were further verified by q-PCR. The expressions of target genes in cancer cells were detected by immunohistochemistry. Cancer cell apoptotic index was significantly increased after salidroside treatment. The proliferation of gastric cancer cells were blocked at S-phase cell cycle. The expression of 44 miRNAs changed differentially after salidroside treatment in cancer cells. Bioinformatic analysis showed that there were 1384 target mRNAs corresponding to the differentially expressed miRNAs. Surprisingly, salidroside significantly up-regulated the expression of tumor suppressor miR-1343-3p, and down-regulated the expression of MAP3K6, STAT3 and MMP24-related genes. Salidroside suppressed the growth of gastric cancer by inducing the cancer cell apoptosis, arresting the cancer cell cycle and down-regulating the related signal transduction pathways. miRNAs are expressed differentially in gastric cancer cells after salidroside treatment, playing important roles in regulating proliferation and metastasis. Salidroside may suppress the growth of gastric cancer by up-regulating the expression of the tumor suppressor miR-1343-3p and down-regulating the expression of MAP3K6 and MMP24 signal molecules.

The antipsychotic drug pimozide promotes apoptosis through the RAF/ERK pathway and enhances autophagy in breast cancer cells

The antipsychotic drug pimozide has been demonstrated to inhibit cancer. However, the precise anti-cancer mechanism of pimozide remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pimozide on human MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, and the potential involvement in the RAF/ERK signaling. The effects of pimozide on cells were examined by 4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-3,5-diphenylformazan, wound healing, colony formation, transwell assays, and caspase activity assay. Flow cytometry and acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining were performed to assess changes in cells. Transmission electron microscopy and monodansylcadaverine staining were used to observe autophagosomes. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate was evaluated using the FRET system. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, RNA interference, and western blot investigated the expression of proteins. Mechanistically, we focus on the RAF1/ERK signaling. We detected pimozide was docked to RAF1 by Schrodinger software. Pimozide down-regulated the phosphorylation of RAF1, ERK 1/2, Bcl-2, and Bcl-xl, up-regulated Bax, and cleaved caspase-9 to induce apoptosis. Pimozide might promote autophagy by up-regulating cAMP. The enhancement of autophagy increased the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II and down-regulated p62 expression. But mTOR signaling was not involved in promoting autophagy. The knockdown of RAF1 expression induced autophagy and apoptosis in breast cancer cells, consistent with the results of pimozide or sorafenib alone. Blocked autophagy by chloroquine resulted in the impairment of pimozide-induced apoptosis. These data showed that pimozide inhibits breast cancer by regulating the RAF/ERK signaling pathway and might activate cAMP-induced autophagy to promote apoptosis and it may be a potential drug for breast cancer treatment.

MiR-378a-5p exerts a radiosensitizing effect on CRC through LRP8/β-catenin axis

BACKGROUND

MiRNAs are closely related to tumor radiosensitivity. MiR-378a-5p level is down-regulated in colorectal cancer (CRC). Therefore, this study intends to explore the role of miR-378a-5p in CRC, especially radiosensitivity.

METHODS

The expression of miR-378a-5p was analyzed in CRC samples. CRC cell lines were treated with different doses of X-rays. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expressions and binding relationship of miR-378a-5p and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 8 (LRP8). MiR-378a-5p inhibitor or/and siLRP8 were transfected into CRC cells with or without irradiation. Subsequently, clonogenic assay, flow cytometry and in vivo experiments including tumorigenesis assay, immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to clarify the role of miR-378a-5p/LRP8 axis in the radiosensitivity of CRC.

RESULTS

The down-regulated expression of miR-378a-5p in CRC is related to histological differentiation and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. After irradiation, the survival fraction of CRC cells was decreased, while the apoptotic rate and the level of miR-378a-5p were increased. Restrained miR-378a-5p repressed apoptosis and apoptosis-related protein expressions, yet promoted the proliferation and the radioresistance of cells by regulating β-catenin in CRC cells. LRP8 was highly expressed in CRC, and targeted by miR-378a-5p. SiLRP8 improved radiosensitivity and reversed the effect of miR-378a-5p down-regulation on CRC cells. Overexpressed miR-378a-5p and irradiation enhanced the level of miR-378a-5p, yet suppressed the expressions of Ki67 and LRP8 as well as tumorigenesis.

CONCLUSION

MiR-378a-5p may exert a radiosensitizing effect on CRC through the LRP8/β-catenin axis, which may be a new therapeutic target for CRC radioresistance.

Red ginseng polysaccharide promotes ferroptosis in gastric cancer cells by inhibiting PI3K/Akt pathway through down-regulation of AQP3

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the effect of red ginseng polysaccharide (RGP) on gastric cancer (GC) development and explore its mechanism.

METHODS

GC cell lines AGS were treated with varying concentrations of RGP (50, 100, and 200 μg/mL). AGS cells treated with 200 μg/mL RGP were transfected with aquaporin 3 (AQP3) overexpression vector. Cell proliferation, viability, and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry, respectively. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of AQP3. The levels of Fe2+, malondialdehyde, and lactate dehydrogenase were measured using their respective detection kits, and the reactive oxygen species levels was determined by probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. The expression of ferroptosis-related protein and PI3K/Akt pathway-related protein were assessed by western blot. In vivo experiments in nude mice were performed and the mice were divided into four groups (n = 5/group) which gavage administrated with 150 mg/kg normal saline, and 75, 150, 300 mg/kg RGP, respectively. Their tumor weight and volume were recorded.

RESULTS

RGP treatment effectively inhibited the proliferation and viability of AGS cells in a dosage-dependent manner and induced apoptosis. It induced ferroptosis in AGS cells, as well as inhibiting the expression of PI3K/Akt-related proteins. AQP3 overexpression could reversed the effect of RGP treatment on ferroptosis. Confirmatory in vivo experiments showed that RGP could reduce the growth of implanted tumor, with increased RGP concentration resulting in greater tumor inhibitory effects.

CONCLUSION

RGP might have therapeutic potential against GC, effectively inhibiting the proliferation and viability of AGS cells.

miR-10b-5p promotes tumor growth by regulating cell metabolism in liver cancer via targeting SLC38A2

Metabolic reprogramming plays a critical role in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the mechanisms regulating metabolic reprogramming in primary liver cancer (PLC) are unknown. Differentially expressed miRNAs between PLC and normal tissues were identified using bioinformatic analysis. RT-qPCR was used to determine miR-10b-5p and SCL38A2 expression levels. IHC, WB, and TUNEL assays were used to assess the proliferation and apoptosis of the tissues. The proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of PLC cells were determined using the CCK-8 assay, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry. The interaction between miR-10b-5p and SLC38A2 was determined using dual-luciferase reporter assay. A PLC xenograft model in BALB/c nude mice was established, and tumorigenicity and SLC38A2 expression were estimated. Finally, liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS) untargeted metabolomics was used to analyze the metabolic profiles of xenograft PLC tissues in nude mice. miR-10b-5p was a key molecule in the regulation of PLC. Compared with para-carcinoma tissues, miR-10b-5p expression was increased in tumor tissues. miR-10b-5p facilitated proliferation, migration, and invasion of PLC cells. Mechanistically, miR-10b-5p targeted SLC38A2 to promote PLC tumor growth. Additionally, miR-10b-5p altered the metabolic features of PLC in vivo. Overexpression of miR-10b-5p resulted in remarkably higher amounts of lumichrome, folic acid, octanoylcarnitine, and Beta-Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, but lower levels of 2-methylpropanal, glycyl-leucine, and 2-hydroxycaproic acid. miR-10b-5p facilitates the metabolic reprogramming of PLC by targeting SLC38A2, which ultimately boosts the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PLC cells. Therefore, miR-10b-5p and SLC38A2 are potential targets for PLC diagnosis and treatment.

A mathematical model for predicting the spatiotemporal response of breast cancer cells treated with doxorubicin

Tumor heterogeneity contributes significantly to chemoresistance, a leading cause of treatment failure. To better personalize therapies, it is essential to develop tools capable of identifying and predicting intra- and inter-tumor heterogeneities. Biology-inspired mathematical models are capable of attacking this problem, but tumor heterogeneity is often overlooked in in-vivo modeling studies, while phenotypic considerations capturing spatial dynamics are not typically included in in-vitro modeling studies. We present a data assimilation-prediction pipeline with a two-phenotype model that includes a spatiotemporal component to characterize and predict the evolution of in-vitro breast cancer cells and their heterogeneous response to chemotherapy. Our model assumes that the cells can be divided into two subpopulations: surviving cells unaffected by the treatment, and irreversibly damaged cells undergoing treatment-induced death. MCF7 breast cancer cells were previously cultivated in wells for up to 1000 hours, treated with various concentrations of doxorubicin and imaged with time-resolved microscopy to record spatiotemporally-resolved cell count data. Images were used to generate cell density maps. Treatment response predictions were initialized by a training set and updated by weekly measurements. Our mathematical model successfully calibrated the spatiotemporal cell growth dynamics, achieving median [range] concordance correlation coefficients of > .99 [.88, >.99] and .73 [.58, .85] across the whole well and individual pixels, respectively. Our proposed data assimilation-prediction approach achieved values of .97 [.44, >.99] and .69 [.35, .79] for the whole well and individual pixels, respectively. Thus, our model can capture and predict the spatiotemporal dynamics of MCF7 cells treated with doxorubicin in an in-vitro setting.

MDFI promotes the proliferation and tolerance to chemotherapy of colorectal cancer cells by binding ITGB4/LAMB3 to activate the AKT signaling pathway

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most lethal cancers. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) have enabled the systematic study of CRC. In our research, the activation of the AKT pathway in CRC was analyzed by KEGG using single-cell sequencing data from the GSE144735 dataset. The correlation and PPIs of MDFI and ITGB4/LAMB3 were examined. The results were verified in the TCGA and CCLE and further tested by coimmunoprecipitation experiments. The effect of MDFI on the AKT pathway via ITGB4/LAMB3 was validated by knockdown and lentiviral overexpression experiments. The effect of MDFI on oxaliplatin/fluorouracil sensitivity was probed by colony formation assay and CCK8 assay. We discovered that MDFI was positively associated with ITGB4/LAMB3. In addition, MDFI was negatively associated with oxaliplatin/fluorouracil sensitivity. MDFI upregulated the AKT pathway by directly interacting with LAMB3 and ITGB4 in CRC cells, and enhanced the proliferation of CRC cells via the AKT pathway. Finally, MDFI reduced the sensitivity of CRC cells to oxaliplatin and fluorouracil. In conclusion, MDFI promotes the proliferation and tolerance to chemotherapy of colorectal cancer cells, partially through the activation of the AKT signaling pathway by the binding to ITGB4/LAMB3. Our findings provide a possible molecular target for CRC therapy.

Imparting aromaticity to 2-pyridone derivatives by O-alkylation resulted in new competitive and non-competitive PIM-1 kinase inhibitors with caspase-activated apoptosis

New aromatic O-alkyl pyridine derivatives were designed and synthesised as Proviral Integration Moloney (PIM)-1 kinase inhibitors. 4c and 4f showed potent in vitro anticancer activity against NFS-60, HepG-2, PC-3, and Caco-2 cell lines and low toxicity against normal human lung fibroblast Wi-38 cell line. Moreover, 4c and 4f induced apoptosis in the four tested cancer cell lines with high percentage. In addition, 4c and 4f significantly induced caspase 3/7 activation in HepG-2 cell line. Furthermore, 4c and 4f showed potent PIM-1 kinase inhibitory activity with IC50 = 0.110, 0.095 µM, respectively. Kinetic studies indicated that 4c and 4f were both competitive and non-competitive inhibitors for PIM-1 kinase enzyme. In addition, in silico prediction of physiochemical properties, pharmacokinetic profile, ligand efficiency, ligand lipophilic efficiency, and induced fit docking studies were consistent with the biological and kinetic studies, and predicted that 4c and 4f could act as PIM-1 kinase competitive non-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) mimetics with drug like properties.

Discovery of LAH-1 as potent c-Met inhibitor for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

ABSTRCTDysregulated HGF/c-Met pathway has been implicated in multiple human cancers and has become an attractive target for cancer intervention. Herein, we report the discovery of N-(3-fluoro-4-((2-(3-hydroxyazetidine-1-carboxamido)pyridin-4-yl)oxy)phenyl)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-4-methyl-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridazine-3-carboxamide (LAH-1), which demonstrated nanomolar MET kinase activity as well as desirable antiproliferative activity, especially against EBC-1 cells. Mechanism studies confirmed the effects of LAH-1 on modulation of HGF/c-Met pathway, induction of cell apoptosis, inhibition on colony formation as well as cell migration and invasion. In addition, LAH-1 also showed desirable in vitro ADME properties as well as acceptable in vivo PK parameters. The design, synthesis, and characterisation of LAH-1 are described herein.

Design, synthesis, molecular modelling and biological evaluation of novel 6-amino-5-cyano-2-thiopyrimidine derivatives as potent anticancer agents against leukemia and apoptotic inducers

Herein, a novel series of 6-amino-5-cyano-2-thiopyrimidines and condensed pyrimidines analogues were prepared. All the synthesized compounds (1a-c, 2a-c, 3a-c, 4a-r and 5a-c) were evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity by the National Cancer Institute (NCI; MD, USA) against 60 cell lines. Compound 1c showed promising anticancer activity and was selected for the five-dose testing. Results demonstrated that compound 1c possessed broad spectrum anti-cancer activity against the nine cancerous subpanels tested with selectivity ratio ranging from 0.7 to 39 at the GI50 level with high selectivity towards leukaemia. Mechanistic studies showed that Compound 1c showed comparable activity to Duvelisib against PI3Kδ (IC50 = 0.0034 and 0.0025 μM, respectively) and arrested cell cycle at the S phase and displayed significant increase in the early and late apoptosis in HL60 and leukaemia SR cells. The necrosis percentage showed a significant increase from 1.13% to 3.41% in compound 1c treated HL60 cells as well as from 1.51% to 4.72% in compound 1c treated leukaemia SR cells. Also, compound 1c triggered apoptosis by activating caspase 3, Bax, P53 and suppressing Bcl2. Moreover, 1c revealed a good safety profile against human normal lung fibroblast cell line (WI-38 cells). Molecular analysis of Duvelisib and compound 1c in PI3K was performed. Finally, these results suggest that 2-thiopyrimidine derivative 1c might serve as a model for designing novel anticancer drugs in the future.

The effect of Jian Gan powder on the proliferation, migration and polarization of macrophages and relative mechanism

CONTEXT

Jian Gan powder (JGP) is a Chinese medicine compound comprised ginseng, Radix Paeoniae Alba, Radix Astragali, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Yujin, Rhizoma Cyperi, Fructus aurantii, Sophora flavescens, Yinchen, Bupleurum and licorice.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the inhibitory effects, polarization and potential mechanisms associated with JGP in macrophages.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RAW264.7 cells were randomly divided into six groups for 24 h: control, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), overexpression, 1% JGP, 2% JGP, 4% JGP, 8% JGP and 16% JGP. The effects of JGP on RAW264.7 cell proliferation were assessed using colony formation assays and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays. The Transwell assay was used to evaluate its impact on RAW264.7 cell migration. Moreover, we analysed the interleukin-6 (IL-6)/signal transducer and activator of the transcription 3 (IL-6/STAT3) signaling pathway using quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. Furthermore, we examined the M1/M2 polarization levels.

RESULTS

Unlike LPS stimulation, JGP serum treatment markedly suppressed macrophage proliferation and migration capacity, while STAT3 overexpression enhanced RAW264.7 cell proliferation and migration. JGP inhibited the proliferation and migration of RAW264.7 cells by attenuating the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. Furthermore, it inhibited macrophage M1 polarization, promoting M2 polarization.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

JGP effectively suppressed the cellular function of RAW264.7 cells by down-regulating the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway and modulating macrophage M1/M2 polarization. These findings provide valuable theoretical and experimental basis for considering the potential clinical application of JGP in the treatment of immune-mediated liver injury in clinical practice.

Inhibition of AHCY impedes proliferation and differentiation of mouse and human adipocyte progenitor cells

S-adenosyl-homocysteine-hydrolase (AHCY) plays an important role in the methionine cycle regulating cellular methylation levels. AHCY has been reported to influence proliferation and differentiation processes in different cell types, e.g. in cancer cells and mouse embryonic stem cells. In the development of adipose tissue, both the proliferation and differentiation of adipocyte progenitor cells (APCs) are important processes, which in the context of obesity are often dysregulated. To assess whether AHCY might also be involved in cell proliferation and differentiation of APCs, we investigated the effect of reduced AHCY activity on human and mouse APCs in vitro. We show that the inhibition of AHCY using adenosine dialdehyde (AdOx) and the knockdown of AHCY using gene-specific siRNAs reduced APC proliferation and number. Inhibition of AHCY further reduced APC differentiation into mature adipocytes and the expression of adipogenic differentiation markers. Global DNA methylation profiling in human APCs revealed that inhibition of AHCY is associated with alterations in CpG methylation levels of genes involved in fat cell differentiation and pathways related to cellular growth. Our findings suggest that AHCY is necessary for the maintenance of APC proliferation and differentiation and inhibition of AHCY alters DNA methylation processes leading to a dysregulation of the expression of genes involved in the regulation of these processes.

Metformin enhances epithelial cell growth inhibition via the protein kinase-insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 pathway

BACKGROUND

Abnormal stromal-epithelial cell communication is a pathogenic mechanism in endometriosis, and metformin can modulate it. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP1) plays a role in endometriosis, but the exact mechanism is unknown. IGFBP1 is reportedly a downstream target of metformin in some diseases. We aimed to investigate the role of IGFBP1 in endometriosis development, whether it is associated with abnormal communication, and whether metformin affects IGFBP1 expression.

METHODS

Patients who underwent surgical treatment for endometriosis or other diseases were enrolled. Ten patients with ovarian-type endometriosis and eight patients each who underwent surgical treatment for other lesions with or without endometriosis were selected, and their tissues taken for cell proliferation, western blotting, polymerase chain reaction, and knockdown experiments.

RESULTS

Ectopic and eutopic stromal cells (EcSCs and EuSCs) lost their ability to inhibit epithelial cell proliferation, and IGFBP1 expression was downregulated in both groups of stromal cells compared to that in normal stromal cells (NSCs; 1.09 vs. 0.25, p = .0002 1.09 vs. 0.57, p = .0029). In an EcSC IGFBP1 overexpression model, the ability of EcSCs to inhibit epithelial cell proliferation was enhanced (EdU positivity decreased from 38% to 25%, p = .0001). Furthermore, adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation was downregulated in EcSCs and EuSCs compared to that in NSCs (0.99 vs. 0.42, p = .0006/0.99 vs. 0.57, p = 0.0032). Treatment of EcSCs with metformin increased AMPK phosphorylation (0.47 vs. 1.04, p = .0107) while upregulating IGFBP1 expression (0.69 vs. 1.01, p = .0164), whereas pre-treatment with an AMPK phosphorylation inhibitor abrogated metformin-induced IGFBP1 upregulation.

CONCLUSIONS

IGFBP1 mediates aberrant stromal-epithelial communication in endometriosis. Metformin can upregulate IGFBP1 expression in EcSCs by activating AMPK, and upregulated IGFBP1 enhances the inhibition of epithelial cell proliferation. IGFBP1 is expected to be a therapeutic target for endometriosis.

Dihydroartemisinin enhances the anti-tumour effect of photodynamic therapy by targeting PKM2-mediated glycolysis in oesophageal cancer cell

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been demonstrated to provide immediate relief of oesophageal cancer patients' re-obstruction and extend their lifespan. However, tumour regrowth may occur after PDT due to enhanced aerobic glycolysis. Previous research has confirmed the inhibitory effect of Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on aerobic glycolysis. Therefore, the current study intends to investigate the function and molecular mechanism of DHA targeting tumour cell aerobic glycolysis in synergia PDT. The combined treatment significantly suppressed glycolysis in vitro and in vivo compared to either monotherapy. Exploration of the mechanism through corresponding experiments revealed that pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) was downregulated in treated cells, whereas overexpression of PKM2 nullified the inhibitory effects of DHA and PDT. This study proposes a novel therapeutic strategy for oesophageal cancer through DHA-synergized PDT treatment, targeting inhibit PKM2 to reduce tumour cell proliferation and metastasis.

3-aryl-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)pyridines inhibit tubulin polymerisation and act as anticancer agents

A series of cis-restricted 3-aryl-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)pyridines as novel tubulin polymerisation inhibitors was designed based on molecular docking. Compound 9p, exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against HeLa, MCF-7, and A549 cell lines. Mechanism studies indicated that 9p potently inhibited tubulin polymerisation and disrupted the microtubule dynamics of tubulin in HeLa cells. Moreover, 9p could cause G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in HeLa cells. In addition, the prediction of physicochemical properties disclosed that 9p conformed well to the Lipinski's rule of five. The initial results suggest that the 3-aryl-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)pyridines could serve as a promising scaffold for the development of novel anticancer drugs.

Discovery of novel anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) dual inhibitors exhibiting antiproliferative activity against non-small cell lung cancer

A series of novel benzimidazole derivatives were designed and synthesised based on the structures of reported oral available ALK inhibitor and HDAC inhibitor, pracinostat. In enzymatic assays, compound 3b, containing a 2-acyliminobenzimidazole moiety and hydroxamic acid side chain, could inhibit both ALK and HDAC6 (IC50 = 16 nM and 1.03 µM, respectively). Compound 3b also inhibited various ALK mutants known to be involved in crizotinib resistance, including mutant L1196M (IC50, 4.9 nM). Moreover, 3b inhibited the proliferation of several cancer cell lines, including ALK-addicted H2228 cells. To evaluate its potential for treating cancers in vivo, 3b was used in a human A549 xenograft model with BALB/c nude mice. At 20 mg/kg, 3b inhibited tumour growth by 85% yet had a negligible effect on mean body weight. These results suggest a attracting route for the further research and optimisation of dual ALK/HDAC inhibitors.

A cisplatin and disulphiram co-loaded inclusion complex overcomes drug resistance by inhibiting cancer cell stemness in non-small cell lung cancer

Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for about 80-85% of all lung cancer cases is one of the fastest-growing malignancies in terms of incidence and mortality worldwide and is commonly treated with cisplatin (DDP). Although treatment may initially be effective, the DDP therapy often leads to the development of chemoresistance and treatment failure. Disulphiram (DSF), an old alcohol-aversion drug, has been revealed to help reverse drug resistance in several cancers. In addition, several studies have shown a close relationship between drug resistance and cancer cell stemness.Methods: In this study, DDP and DSF were embedded in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (CD) to prepare a co-loaded inclusion complex of DDP and DSF (DDP-DSF/CD) with enhanced solubility and therapeutic effects. The effects and mechanism of DSF on the DDP resistance from the perspective of cancer cell stemness were determined.Results: Our data show that DDP-DSF/CD increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis of DDP-resistant A549 (A549/DDP) cells, inhibited stem cell transcriptional regulatory genes and drug resistance-associated proteins and reversed the DDP resistance in vitro and in vivo.Discussion: Overall, DDP-DSF/CD could be a promising formulation for the reversal of DDP resistance in NSCLC by inhibiting cancer cell stemness.

Studying the effects of secondary metabolites isolated from Cycas thouarsii R.Br. leaves on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells

The various therapeutic drugs that are currently utilized for the management of cancer, especially breast cancer, are greatly challenged by the augmented resistance that is either acquired or de novo by the cancer cells owing to the long treatment periods. So, this study aimed at elucidating the possible anticancer potential of four compounds 7, 4', 7'', 4'''-tetra-O-methyl amentoflavone, hesperidin, ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acid that are isolated from Cycas thouarsii leaves n-butanol fraction for the first time. The MTT assay evaluated the cytotoxic action of four isolated compounds against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and oral epithelial cells. Interestingly, ferulic acid revealed the lowest IC50 of 12.52 µg/mL against MDA-MB-231 cells and a high IC50 of 80.2 µg/mL against oral epithelial cells. Also, using an inverted microscope, the influence of ferulic acid was studied on the MDA-MB-231, which revealed the appearance of apoptosis characteristics like shrinkage of the cells and blebbing of the cell membrane. In addition, the flow cytometric analysis showed that the MDA-MB-231 cells stained with Annexin V/PI had a rise in the count of the cells in the early and late apoptosis stages. Moreover, gel electrophoresis detected DNA fragmentation in the ferulic acid-treated cells. Finally, the effect of the compound was tested at the molecular level by qRT-PCR. An upregulation of the pro-apoptotic genes (BAX and P53) and a downregulation of the anti-apoptotic gene (BCL-2) were observed. Consequently, our study demonstrated that these isolated compounds, especially ferulic acid, may be vital anticancer agents, particularly for breast cancer, through its induction of apoptosis through the P53-dependent pathway.

Jaceosidin induces apoptosis and inhibits migration in AGS gastric cancer cells by regulating ROS-mediated signaling pathways

Jaceosidin (JAC) is a natural flavonoid with anti-oxidant and other pharmacological activities; however, its anti-cancer mechanism remains unclear. We investigated the mechanism of action of JAC in gastric cancer cells. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays showed that JAC effectively killed multiple gastric cancer cells and induced apoptosis in human gastric adenocarcinoma AGS cells via the mitochondrial pathway. Network pharmacological analysis suggested that its activity was linked to reactive oxygen species (ROS), AKT, and MAPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, JAC accumulated ROS to up-regulate p-JNK, p-p38, and IκB-α protein expressions and down-regulate the p-ERK, p-STAT3, and NF-κB protein expressions. Cell cycle assay results showed that JAC accumulated ROS to up-regulate p21 and p27 protein expressions and down-regulate p-AKT, CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, Cyclin D1, and Cyclin E protein expressions to induce G0/G1 phase arrest. Cell migration assay results showed JAC accumulated ROS to down-regulate Wnt-3a, p-GSK-3β, N-cadherin, and β-catenin protein expressions and up-regulate E-cadherin protein expression to inhibit migration. Furthermore, N-acetyl cysteine pre-treatment prevented the change of these protein expressions. In summary, JAC induced apoptosis and G0/G1 phase arrest and inhibited migration through ROS-mediated signaling pathways in AGS cells.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel podophyllotoxin derivatives as tubulin-targeting anticancer agents

CONTEXT

Podophyllotoxin (PPT) derivatives, used in cancer therapy, require development toward enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity.

OBJECTIVE

This study synthesizes PPT derivatives to assess their anticancer activities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Compounds E1-E16 antiproliferative activity was tested against four human cancer cell lines (H446, MCF-7, HeLa, A549) and two normal cell lines (L02, BEAS-2B) using the CCK-8 assay. The effects of compound E5 on A549 cell growth were evaluated through molecular docking, in vitro assays (flow cytometry, wound healing, Transwell, colony formation, Western blot), and in vivo tests in female BALB/c nude mice treated with E5 (2 and 4 mg/kg). E5 (4 mg/kg) significantly reduced xenograft tumor growth compared to the DMSO control group.

RESULTS

Among the 16 PPT derivatives tested for cytotoxicity, E5 exhibited potent effects against A549 cells (IC50: 0.35 ± 0.13 µM) and exceeded the reference drugs PPT and etoposide to inhibit the growth of xenograft tumours. E5-induced cell cycle arrest in the S and G2/M phases accelerated tubulin depolymerization and triggered apoptosis and mitochondrial depolarization while regulating the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and effectively inhibited cell migration and invasion, suggesting a potential to limit metastasis. Molecular docking showed binding of E5 to tubulin at the colchicine site and to Akt, with a consequent down-regulation of PI3K/Akt pathway proteins.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

This research lays the groundwork for advancing cancer treatment through developing and using PPT derivatives. The encouraging results associated with E5 call for extended research and clinical validation, leading to novel and more effective cancer therapies.

CD5L induces inflammation and survival in RA-FLS through ERK1/2 MAPK pathway

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of CD5-like molecule (CD5L) on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) and the relative molecular mechanism of CD5L in it.

METHODS

Recombinant protein CD5L was used to stimulate the cultured RA-FLS cells. The inflammation-related cytokines were determined by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The signal molecules and apoptosis-related molecules were detected by western blot assay (WB), and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the proliferation.

RESULTS

CD5L can increase the production of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α and this effect can be inhibited by signal pathway inhibitor. At the same time, CD5L activated ERK1/2 MAPK signal, inhibitor treatment can weaken the intensity of phosphorylation. In addition, CD5L can enhance the proliferation ability of RA-FLS.

CONCLUSION

CD5L induces the production of inflammatory cytokines in RA-FLS through the ERK1/2 MAPK pathway and increases cell survival.

Homogeneous Polyporus polysaccharide exerts anti-bladder cancer effects via autophagy induction

CONTEXT

Polyporus polysaccharide (PPS), the leading bioactive ingredient extracted from Polyporus umbellatus (Pers.) Fr. (Polyporaceae), has been demonstrated to exert anti-bladder cancer and immunomodulatory functions in macrophages.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effects of homogeneous Polyporus polysaccharide (HPP) on the proliferation and autophagy of bladder cancer cells co-cultured with macrophages.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MB49 bladder cancer cells and RAW264.7 macrophages were co-cultured with or without HPP intervention (50, 100, or 200 μg/mL) for 24 h. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and 5-ethynyl-2″-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining evaluated MB49 cell proliferation. Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observed autophagosomes. Western blotting detected the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway proteins.

RESULTS

HPP inhibited the proliferation of MB49 cells co-cultured with RAW264.7 cells but not MB49 cells alone. HPP altered the expression of autophagy-related proteins and promoted the formation of autophagosomes in MB49 cells in the co-culture system. Autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and chloroquine (CQ) not only antagonized HPP-induced autophagy but also attenuated the inhibitory effects of HPP on MB49 cell proliferation in the co-culture system. HPP or RAW264.7 alone was not sufficient to induce autophagy in MB49 cells. In addition, HPP suppressed the protein expression of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in MB49 cells in the co-culture system.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

HPP induced bladder cancer cell autophagy by regulating macrophages in the co-culture system, resulting in the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was involved in HPP-induced autophagy in the co-culture system.

Design, synthesis, and bioevaluation of 1h-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridine derivatives as colchicine-binding site inhibitors with potent anticancer activities

A new series of 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]pyridine derivatives were designed and synthesised as colchicine-binding site inhibitors. Preliminary biological evaluations showed that most of the target compounds displayed moderate to excellent antitumor activities against three cancer cell lines (HeLa, SGC-7901, and MCF-7) in vitro. Among them, 10t exhibited the most potent activities against three cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 0.12 to 0.21 μM. Tubulin polymerisation experiments indicated that 10t potently inhibited tubulin polymerisation at concentrations of 3 μM and 5 μM, and immunostaining assays revealed that 10t remarkably disrupted tubulin microtubule dynamics at a concentration of 0.12 μM. Furthermore, cell cycle studies and cell apoptosis analyses demonstrated that 10t at concentrations of 0.12 μM, 0.24 μM, and 0.36 μM significantly caused G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The results of molecular modelling studies suggested that 10t interacts with tubulin by forming hydrogen bonds with colchicine sites Thrα179 and Asnβ349. In addition, the prediction of physicochemical properties disclosed that 10t conformed well to the Lipinski's rule of five.

Dry eye disease caused by viral infection: Past, present and future

Following viral infection, the innate immune system senses viral products, such as viral nucleic acids, to activate innate defence pathways, leading to inflammation and apoptosis, control of cell proliferation, and consequently, threat to the whole body. The ocular surface is exposed to the external environment and extremely vulnerable to viral infection. Several studies have revealed that viral infection can induce inflammation of the ocular surface and reduce tear secretion of the lacrimal gland (LG), consequently triggering ocular morphological and functional changes and resulting in dry eye disease (DED). Understanding the mechanisms of DED caused by viral infection and its potential therapeutic strategies are crucial for clinical interventional advances in DED. This review summarizes the roles of viral infection in the pathogenesis of DED, applicable diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and potential regions of future studies.

TET1 inhibits the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells by regulating autophagy

Methylation modifications play pertinent roles in regulating gene expression and various biological processes. The silencing of the demethylase enzyme TET1 can affect the expressions of key oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes, thus contributing to tumour formation. Nonetheless, how TET1 affects the progression of cervical cancer is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we found that the expression of TET1 was significantly downregulated in cervical cancer tissues. Functionally, TET1 knockdown in cervical cancer cells can promote cell proliferation, migration, invasion, cervical xenograft tumour formation and EMT. On the contrary, its overexpression can reverse the aforementioned processes. Moreover, the autophagy level of cervical cancer cells can be enhanced after TET1 knockdown. Mechanistically, methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP)-sequencing and MeDIP quantitative real-time PCR revealed that TET1 mediates the methylation of autophagy promoter regions. These findings suggest that TET1 affects the autophagy of cervical cancer cells by altering the methylation levels of NKRF or HIST1H2AK, but the specific mechanism needs to be investigated further.

Propyl gallate induces human pulmonary fibroblast cell death through the regulation of Bax and caspase-3

Propyl gallate (PG) has been found to exert an inhibitory effect on the growth of different cell types, including lung cancer cells. However, little is known about the cytotoxicological effects of PG specifically on normal primary lung cells. The current study examined the cellular effects and cell death resulting from PG treatment in human pulmonary fibroblast (HPF) cells. DNA flow cytometry results demonstrated that PG (100-1,600 μM) had a significant impact on the cell cycle, leading to G1 phase arrest. Notably, 1,600 μM PG slightly increased the number of sub-G1 cells. Additionally, PG (400-1,600 μM) resulted in the initiation of cell death, a process that coincided with a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP; ΔΨm). This loss of MMP (ΔΨm) was evaluated using a FACS cytometer. In PG-treated HPF cells, inhibitors targeting pan-caspase, caspase-3, caspase-8, and caspase-9 showed no significant impact on the quantity of annexin V-positive and MMP (ΔΨm) loss cells. The administration of siRNA targeting Bax or caspase-3 demonstrated a significant attenuation of PG-induced cell death in HPF cells. However, the use of siRNAs targeting p53, Bcl-2, or caspase-8 did not exhibit any notable effect on cell death. Furthermore, none of the tested MAPK inhibitors, including MEK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38, showed any impact on PG-induced cell death or the loss of MMP (ΔΨm) in HPF cells. In conclusion, PG induces G1 phase arrest of the cell cycle and cell death in HPF cells through apoptosis and/or necrosis. The observed HPF cell death is mediated by the modulation of Bax and caspase-3. These findings offer insights into the cytotoxic and molecular effects of PG on normal HPF cells.

9,10-Dioxoanthracenyldithiocarbamates effectively inhibit the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer by targeting multiple protein tyrosine kinases

Anthraquinones have attracted considerable interest in the realm of cancer treatment owing to their potent anticancer properties. This study evaluates the potential of a series of new anthraquinone derivatives as anticancer agents for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The compounds were subjected to a range of tests to assess their cytotoxic and apoptotic properties, ability to inhibit colony formation, pro-DNA damage functions, and capacity to inhibit the activity of tyrosine kinase proteins (PTKs). Based on the research findings, it has been discovered that most active derivatives (i84, i87, and i90) possess a substantial capability to impede the viability of NSCLC while having mostly a negligible effect on the human kidney cell line. Moreover, the anthraquinones displayed pro-apoptotic and genotoxic attributes while blocking the phosphorylation of multiple PTKs. Collectively, our findings indicate that these derivatives may demonstrate promising potential as effective anticancer agents for lung cancer treatment.

LSP1 promotes the progression of acute myelogenous leukemia by regulating KSR/ERK signaling pathway and cell migration

We aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of LSP1 in the progression of acute myelogenous leukemia. In this study, we established shLSP1 cell line to analyze the function of LSP1 in AML. We observed high expression of LSP1 in AML patients, whereas it showed no expression in normal adults. Furthermore, we found that LSP1 expression was associated with disease prognosis. Our results indicate that LSP1 plays a crucial role in mediating proliferation and survival of leukemia cells through the KSR/ERK signaling pathway. Additionally, LSP1 promotes cell chemotaxis and homing by enhancing cell adhesion and migration. We also discovered that LSP1 confers chemotactic ability to leukemia cells in vivo. Finally, our study identified 12 genes related to LSP1 in AML, which indicated poor survival outcome in AML patients and were enriched in Ras and cell adhesion signaling pathways. Our results revealed that the overexpression of LSP1 is related to the activation of the KSR/ERK signaling pathway, as well as cell adhesion and migration in AML patients. Reducing LSP1 expression impair AML progression, suggesting that LSP1 may serve as a potential drug therapy target for more effective treatment of AML.

Effects of total coumarins from Pileostegia tomentella on exosomal miRNA expression and angiogenesis in colorectal cancer cells

CONTEXT

Pileostegia tomentella Hand. Mazz (Saxifragaceae) total coumarins (TCPT) show antitumour activity in colorectal cancer (CRC) with unknown mechanism of action. Tumour angiogenesis mediated by exosomes-derived miRNA exhibits the vital regulation of endothelial cell function in metastasis of CRC.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of TCPT on exosomal miRNA expression and angiogenesis of CRC cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

HT-29-derived exosomes were generated from human CRC cells (HT-29) or either treated with TCPT (100 μg/mL) for 24 h, followed by identification by transmission electron microscope, nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and Western blot. Co-culture experiments for human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and exosomes were performed to detect the uptake of exosomes in HUVECs and its influence on HUVECs cells migration and lumen formation ability. Potential target miRNAs in exosomes were screened out by sequencing technology. Rescue assays of angiogenesis were performed by the transfecting mimics or inhibitors of targeted miRNA into HUVECs.

RESULTS

HT-29-derived exosomes, after TCPT treatment (Exo-TCPT), inhibited the migration and lumen formation of HUVECs, reduced the expression levels of vascular marker (FLT-1, VCAM-1 and VEGFR-2) in HUVECs. Furthermore, the level of miR-375-3p was significantly upregulated in Exo-TCPT. Rescue assays showed that high expression of miR-375-3p in HUVECs inhibited migration and lumen formation abilities, which was consistent with the effects of Exo-TCPT, whereas applying miR-375-3p inhibitors displayed opposite effects.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

TCPT exhibits anti-angiogenesis in CRC, possibly through upregulating exosomal miR-375-3p. Our findings will shed light on new target exosomes miRNA-mediated tumour microenvironment and the therapeutic application of Pileostegia tomentella in CRC.

Hub genes and associated drugs for multiple myeloma with 1q21+: identified by bioinformatic analysis

While 1q21+ was common genetic alteration and found to have adverse effect on prognosis, the underlying genes remain unclear. Identification of related genes may provide additional help for rational intervention. The microarray dataset GSE2658 associated with MM was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained, and Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to annotate their functions. The hub genes were derived from the combined results of up-regulated DEGs and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of hub genes were plotted to evaluate correlation with 1q21+. Survival analysis and drug-gene interaction of hub genes were performed separately to find the prognostic value and potential targeted drugs. A total of 55 DEGs were identified. GO and KEGG pathway analyses suggested that the DEGs were related to several pathways of cell proliferation. NVL, IL6R, DUSP23 were proven to be highly correlated with 1q21+ and have adverse effects on prognosis. IL6R, DUSP23 were matched to known interaction-drug. This study revealed potential roles of hub genes in the pathogenesis and progression of MM with 1q21+, further investigations are needed to elucidate the mechanisms.

Design, synthesis, and apoptotic antiproliferative action of new 1,2,3-triazole/1,2,4-oxadiazole hybrids as dual EGFR/VEGFR-2 inhibitors

A novel series of 1,2,3-triazole/1,2,4-oxadiazole hybrids (7a-o) was developed as dual inhibitors of EGFR/VEGFR-2. Compounds 7a-o were evaluated as antiproliferative agents with Erlotinib as the reference drug. Results demonstrated that most of the tested compounds showed significant antiproliferative action with GI50 values ranging from 28 to 104 nM, compared to Erlotinib (GI50 = 33 nM), and compounds 7i-m were the most potent. Compounds 7h, 7i, 7j, 7k, and 7l were evaluated as dual EGFR/VEGFR-2 inhibitors. These in vitro experiments demonstrated that compounds 7j, 7k, and 7l are potent antiproliferative agents that may operate as dual EGFR/VEGFR-2 inhibitors. Compounds 7j, 7k, and 7l were evaluated for their apoptotic potential activity, where findings indicated that compounds 7j, 7k, and 7l promote apoptosis by activating caspase-3, 8, and Bax and down-regulating the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. Molecular docking simulations show the binding mode of the most active antiproliferative compounds within EGFR and VEGFR-2 active sites.

KISS-1 knockdown inhibits cell growth, migration, and invasion in HTR-8/SVneo cells by regulating the GRP54-mediated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA) affect reproductive health and increase the risk of subsequent abortions. To investigate the role of KISS-1/GPR-54 signaling in RSA progression. Villus tissue was collected from RSA patients, and human trophoblastic HTR-8/SVneo cells were used. KISS-1 and GRP54 levels were detected using RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Western blotting was performed to analyze ZO-1 and ZEB1 levels. Cell proliferation was determined via CCK-8 and cell clone formation assays. Transwell assays were performed to assess cell migration and invasion abilities. KISS-1 was down-regulated in the villus tissues of RSA patients. KISS-1 overexpression dramatically inhibited trophoblast proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, ZEB1 expression was down-regulated, whereas ZO-1 expression was up-regulated, after KISS-1 overexpression. GPR54 silencing neutralized the effect of KISS-1 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. Additionally, KISS-1 overexpression inactivated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway through GRP54. The KISS-1/GPR-54 signaling axis regulates RSA progression by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Development of certain benzylidene coumarin derivatives as anti-prostate cancer agents targeting EGFR and PI3Kβ kinases

Novel coumarin derivatives were synthesised and tested for their cytotoxicity against human cancer cells (PC-3 and MDA-MB-231). Compounds 5, 4b, and 4a possessed potent cytotoxic activity against PC-3 cells with IC50 3.56, 8.99, and 10.22 µM, respectively. Compound 4c displayed cytotoxicity more than erlotinib in the MDA-MB-231 cells with IC50 8.5 µM. Moreover, compound 5 exhibited potent inhibitory activity on EFGR with IC50 0.1812 µM, as well as PI3Kβ inhibitory activity that was twofold higher than LY294002, suggesting that this compound has a dual EGFR and PI3Kβ inhibiting activity. Docking aligns with the in vitro results and sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying dual targeting. Furthermore, compound 5 decreased AKT and m-TOR expression in PC-3 cells, showing that it specifically targets these cells via the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/m-TOR signalling pathway. Simultaneously, compound 5 caused cell cycle arrest at S phase and induced activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways.

CircNRIP1 promotes proliferation, migration and phenotypic switch of Ang II-induced HA-VSMCs by increasing CXCL5 mRNA stability via recruiting IGF2BP1

Circular RNA (circRNA) has been found to be differentially expressed and involved in regulating the processes of human diseases, including thoracic aortic dissection (TAD). However, the role and mechanism of circNRIP1 in the TAD process are still unclear. GEO database was used to screen the differentially expressed circRNA and mRNA in type A TAD patients and age-matched normal donors. Angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs) were used to construct TAD cell models. The expression levels of circNRIP1, NRIP1, CXC-motif chemokine 5 (CXCL5) and IGF2BP1 were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Cell proliferation and migration were determined by EdU assay, transwell assay and wound healing assay. The protein levels of synthetic phenotype markers, contractile phenotype markers, CXCL5 and IGF2BP1 were tested by western blot analysis. The interaction between IGF2BP1 and circNRIP1/CXCL5 was confirmed by RIP assay, and CXCL5 mRNA stability was assessed by actinomycin D assay. CircNRIP1 was upregulated in TAD patients and Ang II-induced HA-VSMCs. Knockdown of circNRIP1 suppressed Ang II-induced proliferation, migration and phenotypic switch of HA-VSMCs. Also, high expression of CXCL5 was observed in TAD patients, and its knockdown could inhibit Ang II-induced HA-VSMCs proliferation, migration and phenotypic switch. Moreover, CXCL5 overexpression reversed the regulation of circNRIP1 knockdown on Ang II-induced HA-VSMCs functions. Mechanistically, circNRIP1 could competitively bind to IGF2BP1 and subsequently enhance CXCL5 mRNA stability. CircNRIP1 might contribute to TAD progression by promoting CXCL5 mRNA stability via recruiting IGF2BP1.

Ligand-based pharmacophore modelling, structure optimisation, and biological evaluation for the identification of 2-heteroarylthio-N-arylacetamides as novel HSP90 C-terminal inhibitors

Targeting Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) C-terminus is an important strategy to develop HSP90 inhibitors without inducing heat shock response. The development of C-terminal inhibitors, however, is hampered by a lack of understanding regarding the interaction between the HSP90 C-terminus and the present inhibitors. We collected seven classical and structurally diverse HSP90 C-terminal inhibitors and constructed a ligand-based pharmacophore model. The subsequent virtual screening and structural optimisation led to the identification of 2-heteroarylthio-N-arylacetamides as novel HSP90 C-terminal inhibitors. 9 and 27 exhibited strong antitumour activity in vitro by inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis in multiple cancer cell lines. These compounds disrupted the interaction between HSP90 C-terminus and peptidylprolyl isomerase D, exerting a stronger inhibitory effect than novobiocin. 27 significantly induced the degradation of HSP90 clients without triggering heat shock response. In an in vivo study using 4T1 mice breast cancer models, 9 showed a potent antitumour effect without obvious toxicity.

New imidazole-2-thiones linked to acenaphythylenone as dual DNA intercalators and topoisomerase II inhibitors: structural optimization, docking, and apoptosis studies

In this article, a new series of 2-((3,5-disubstituted-2-thioxo-imidazol-1-yl)imino)acenaphthylen-1(2H)-ones were synthesized. Imidazole-2-thione with acenaphthylen-one gave a hybrid scaffold that integrated key structural elements essential for DNA damage via direct DNA intercalation and inhibition of the topoisomerase II enzyme. All the synthesized compounds were screened to detect their DNA damage using a terbium fluorescent probe. Results demonstrated that 4-phenyl-imidazoles 5b and 5e in addition to 4-(4-chlorophenyl)imidazoles 5h and 5j would induce detectable potent damage in ctDNA. The four most potent compounds as DNA intercalators were further evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against HepG2, MCF-7 and HCT-116 utilizing the MTT assay. The highest anticancer activity was recorded with compounds 5b and 5h against the breast cancer cell line MCF-7 which were 1.5- and 3- folds more active than doxorubicin, respectively. Therefore, imidazole-2-thione tethered acenaphthylenone derivatives can be considered as promising scaffold for the development of effective dual DNA intercalators and topoisomerase II inhibitors.

Galectin-1 overexpression induces normal fibroblasts translate into cancer-associated fibroblasts and attenuates the sensitivity of anlotinib in lung cancer

We aimed to investigate galectin-1 overexpression induces normal fibroblasts (NFs) translates into cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Galectin-1 overexpression was conducted in Human embryonic lung fibroblasts (HFL1) cell. The motilities of H1299 and A549 cells were measured. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation and tube formation ability were assessed. Tumor volume and tumor weight was recorded. Cells motilities were increased, while apoptosis rates were decreased after CMs co-cultured. B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) expression level was increased, while Bcl2-associatedX (Bax) and cleaved-caspase3 decreased. CMs treatment enhanced HUVEC proliferation and tube formation. Tumor volume and weight in CMs treated mice were increased, and the sensitivity of anlotinib in co-cultured cells was decreased. Our results revealed that galectin-1 overexpression induced NFs translated into CAFs.

Targeting CAMK2N1/CAMK2 inhibits invasion, migration and angiogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer by promoting autophagy and apoptosis via AKT/mTOR signaling pathway

Deregulation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMK2) inhibitor 1 (CAMK2N1) has been reported to be associated with the development of several malignancies. To date, there have been few studies on the role of CAMK2N1 in lung cancer. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between CAMK2N1 and the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methodological quality was assessed using the ARRIVE guidelines. CAMK2N1 was expressed at low levels in NSCLC tissues. Overexpression of CAMK2N1 in NSCLC cell lines resulted in changes such as proliferation inhibition, metastasis inhibition, autophagy increase, and apoptosis. Mechanistic studies revealed the regulatory role of CAMK2N1/CAMK2 in AKT/mTOR signaling. Upregulation of CAMK2N1 decreased the expression levels of phosphorylated calmodulin kinase 2 (p-CaMK2), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), and phosphorylated-mTOR (p-mTOR). In contrast, CAMK2 overexpression increased p-AKT and p-mTOR levels. Inhibition of autophagy or activation of AKT signaling reduced CAMK2N1-mediated tumor suppression. The tumorigenic ability of CAMK2N1 overexpressing cells significantly diminished in nude mice. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the cancer suppressive function of CAMK2N1 in NSCLC and showed that CAMK2N1/CAMK2 exerted anti-cancer effects by inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway to promote autophagy.

Exosomal IGFBP2 derived from highly metastatic promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis by inducing epithelial mesenchymal transition

Liver cancer metastasis is the main cause of death in liver cancer patients. Exosomes, which are small vesicles released by cancer cells, play a crucial role in the metastasis of cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exosomes derived from high metastatic potential liver cancer cells acting as cell to cell communication on liver cancer metastasis. Bioinformatics analysis was used to obtain the differential expression of exosomal mRNAs from the plasma of both liver cancer patients and healthy volunteers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and protein blot were employed to characterize the exosomes. The molecular mechanisms and were explored by conducting CCK8, Transwell, Tunel, RTqPCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining. We examined IGFBP2 special expression in the plasma exosomes of both liver cancer patients and healthy volunteers, and its presence was associated with a poor prognosis in liver cancer patients. Furthermore, we observed that exosomes from highly metastatic liver cancer cells (MHCC97H) contained high levels of IGFBP2 and could enhance the metastatic potential of less aggressive liver cancer cells (Hep3B). Additionally, we discovered that IGFBP2 in MHCC97H-derived exosomes activated ERK signaling pathway, which triggered epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in Hep3B cells. Our study underscores the significance of exosomal IGFBP2 from highly metastatic liver cancer cells as a driver of metastasis in less invasive liver cancer cells. This suggests that targeting IGFBP2 in exosomes could be a promising strategy for the treatment and prognosis of liver cancer patients.

Network pharmacology-based investigation of the effects of Shenqi Fuzheng injection on glioma proliferation and migration via the SRC/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

In the clinic, Shenqi Fuzheng Injection (SFI) is used as an adjuvant for cancer chemotherapy. However, the molecular mechanism is unclear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

We screened potential targets of SFI action on gliomas by network pharmacology and performed experiments to validate possible molecular mechanisms against gliomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We consulted relevant reports on the SFI and glioma incidence from PubMed and Web of Science and focused on the mechanism through which the SFI inhibits glioma. According to the literature, two primary SFI components-Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. and Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge-have been found. All plant names have been sourced from "The Plant List" (www.theplantlist.org). The cell lines U87, T98G and GL261 were used in this study. The inhibitory effects of SFI on glioma cells U87 and T98G were detected by CCK-8 assay, EdU, plate cloning assay, scratch assay, Transwell assay, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and Western blot. A subcutaneous tumor model of C57BL/6 mice was constructed using GL261 cells, and the SFI was evaluated by HE staining and immunohistochemistry. The targets of glioma and the SFI were screened using network pharmacology.

RESULTS

A total of 110 targets were enriched, and a total of 26 major active components in the SFI were investigated. There were a total of 3,343 targets for gliomas, of which 79 targets were shared between the SFI and glioma tissues. SFI successfully prevented proliferation and caused cellular S-phase blockage in U87 and T98G cells, thus decreasing their growth. Furthermore, SFI suppressed cell migration by downregulating EMT marker expression. According to the results of the in vivo tests, the SFI dramatically decreased the development of tumors in a transplanted tumour model. Network pharmacological studies revealed that the SRC/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway may be the pathway through which SFI exerts its anti-glioma effects.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings revealed that the SRC/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway may be involved in the mechanism through which SFI inhibits the proliferation and migration of glioma cells.

Zishen Qingre Lishi Huayu recipe promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of GCs of PCOS via KLF4-C/EBPβ pathway

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Zishen Qingre Lishi Huayu recipe (ZQLHR) is a herbal recipe created on the basis on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine and clinical practice, and is mainly used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, the underlying mechanism for this fact has not been clearly elucidated.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To verify whether ZQLHR regulates granulosa cells (GCs) proliferation and apoptosis through the Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) - CCATT enhancer-binding proteinβ (C/EBPβ) pathway, and to provide in vitro molecular mechanism supporting for the effects of ZQLHR to enhance follicular development and treat patients with PCOS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Based on previous experiments, we performed the following experiments. Firstly, we treated KGN cells (a steroidogenic human granulosa-like tumor cell line) for 48 h using different concentrations of ZQLHR in order to observe apoptosis in each group. Secondly, the mRNA and protein expression levels of KLF4 and C/EBPβ in KGN cells after administrated with ZQLHR were examined by quantitative real-time PCR(q-PCR) and Western blot assay. Thirdly, after knocking down KLF4 and C/EBPβ using siRNAs, the relationship between KLF4 and C/EBPβ in KGN cells was detected. Further, cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation assay and flow cytometry were used to verify whether ZQLHR promotes proliferation and facilitates apoptosis in KGN cells through the KLF4-C/EBPβ pathway. Finally, q-PCR and Western blot were used to test whether ZQLHR mediated proliferation and apoptosis-related factors such as B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X (BAX), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cleaved caspase-3 to affect the proliferation and apoptosis of KGN cells through the KLF4-C/EBPβ pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

ZQLHR, containing 0.2% by volume, administered to KGN cells resulted in the lowest rate of apoptosis. The expression levels of KLF4 and C/EBPβ were increased in KGN cells following ZQLHR treatment. Additionally, ZQLHR promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of KGN cells by modulating proliferation and apoptosis-related factors via the KLF4-C/EBPβ pathway. Furthermore, we confirmed that KLF4 and C/EBPβ regulate each other in KGN cells. These findings indicate that ZQLHR enhances the proliferation of GCs and suppresses their apoptosis, which constitutes a therapeutic mechanism for treating patients with PCOS.