Early signs of neurodegenerative diseases: Possible mechanisms and targets for Golgi stress

The Golgi apparatus plays a crucial role in mediating the modification, transport, and sorting of intracellular proteins and lipids. The morphological changes occurring in the Golgi apparatus are exceptionally important for maintaining its function. When exposed to external pressure or environmental stimulation, the Golgi apparatus undergoes adaptive changes in both structure and function, which are known as Golgi stress. Although certain signal pathway responses or post-translational modifications have been observed following Golgi stress, further research is needed to comprehensively summarize and understand the related mechanisms. Currently, there is evidence linking Golgi stress to neurodegenerative diseases; however, the role of Golgi stress in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease remains largely unexplored. This review focuses on the structural and functional alterations of the Golgi apparatus during stress, elucidating potential mechanisms underlying the involvement of Golgi stress in regulating immunity, autophagy, and metabolic processes. Additionally, it highlights the pivotal role of Golgi stress as an early signaling event implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, this study summarizes prospective targets that can be therapeutically exploited to mitigate neurodegenerative diseases by targeting Golgi stress. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for identifying novel breakthroughs in preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Characterization of chemoresistant human non-small cell lung cancer cells by metabolic and lipidomic profiling

INTRODUCTION

Lung cancer is one of the most malignant cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, while acquired chemoresistance would represent a major problem in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) because of the reduced treatment effect and increased rates of recurrence.

METHODS

To establish the chemoresistant NSCLC cells, doxorubicin was treated to A549 cells over 3 months at gradually increasing concentrations from 0.03 to 0.5 µM. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were employed for investigating mRNA and protein expression of the glutathione peroxidase (GPX) protein family and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) in A549 and A549/CR cells. We also employed gas chromatography mass-spectrometry and nano electrospray ionization mass-spectrometry coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to characterize the unique metabolic and lipidomic profiles of chemoresistant NSCLC cells in order to identify potential therapeutic targets.

RESULTS

Reactive oxygen species levels were decreased, and mRNA and protein levels of GPX2 and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) were increased in A549/CR. We identified 87 metabolites and intact lipid species in A549 and A549/CR. Among these metabolites, lactic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, aspartic acid, succinic acid, and ceramide, alongside the PC to PE ratio, and arachidonic acid-containing phospholipids were suggested as characteristic features of chemoresistant NSCLC cells (A549/CR).

CONCLUSIONS

This study reveals characteristic feature differences between drug-resistance NSCLC cells and their parental cells. We suggest potential therapeutic targets in chemoresistant NSCLC. Our results provide new insight into metabolic and lipidomic alterations in chemoresistant NSCLC. This could be used as fundamental information to develop therapeutic strategies for the treatment of chemoresistant NSCLC patients.

Comprehensive RNA sequencing in primary murine keratinocytes and fibroblasts identifies novel biomarkers and provides potential therapeutic targets for skin-related diseases

BACKGROUND

Keratinocytes and fibroblasts represent the major cell types in the epidermis and dermis of the skin and play a significant role in maintenance of skin homeostasis. However, the biological characteristics of keratinocytes and fibroblasts remain to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to compare the gene expression pattern between keratinocytes and fibroblasts and to explore novel biomarker genes so as to provide potential therapeutic targets for skin-related diseases such as burns, wounds, and aging.

METHODS

Skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts were isolated from newborn mice. To fully understand the heterogeneity of gene expression between keratinocytes and fibroblasts, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two cell types were detected by RNA-seq technology. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the known genes of keratinocytes and fibroblasts and verify the RNA-seq results.

RESULTS

Transcriptomic data showed a total of 4309 DEGs (fold-change > 1.5 and q-value < 0.05). Among them, 2197 genes were highly expressed in fibroblasts and included 10 genes encoding collagen, 16 genes encoding transcription factors, and 14 genes encoding growth factors. Simultaneously, 2112 genes were highly expressed in keratinocytes and included 7 genes encoding collagen, 14 genes encoding transcription factors, and 8 genes encoding growth factors. Furthermore, we summarized 279 genes specifically expressed in keratinocytes and 33 genes specifically expressed in fibroblasts, which may represent distinct molecular signatures of each cell type. Additionally, we observed some novel specific biomarkers for fibroblasts such as Plac8 (placenta-specific 8), Agtr2 (angiotensin II receptor, type 2), Serping1 (serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1), Ly6c1 (lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus C1), Dpt (dermatopontin), and some novel specific biomarkers for keratinocytes such as Ly6a (lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus A) and Lce3c (late cornified envelope 3C), Ccer2 (coiled-coil glutamate-rich protein 2), Col18a1 (collagen, type XVIII, alpha 1) and Col17a1 (collagen type XVII, alpha 1). In summary, these data provided novel identifying biomarkers for two cell types, which can provide a resource of DEGs for further investigations.

Investigation of brain damage mechanism in middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion rats based on i-TRAQ quantitative proteomics

The objective of this study is to analyze the differential protein expression profile in cerebral cortex of rats with middle cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (MCAO/R), explore the brain damage mechanism of MCAO/R at protein level, and provide experimental foundation for searching specific marker proteins of MCAO/R. Rat model of MCAO/R was established by modified suture-occluded method, and the model was evaluated by the results of brain 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Cerebral cortex of rats from sham-operated group (Sham) and MCAO/R groups was used for FASP enzymatic hydrolysis, i-TRAQ quantitative labeling, and reverse-phase liquid chromatography purification and separation. Orbitrap Q Exactive mass spectrometry was used for qualitative and quantitative analyses of total differential protein expression profiles. MCAO/R rats had obvious cerebral infarction lesions, and the relative surface area of cerebral infarction was significantly different compared with sham rats, suggesting that MCAO/R rat model was successfully prepared. There were 199 significant difference proteins (MCAO/R vs Sham, p < 0.05, |fold change|> 1.2), including 104 up-regulated proteins and 95 down-regulated proteins. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that the up-regulated proteins were mainly concentrated in the biological processes of positive regulation of NF-κB transcription and I-κB kinase-NF-κB, etc. Down-regulated proteins were mainly concentrated in long-term synaptic potentiation, cellular response to DNA damage stimulus, etc. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the pathway involved in differential proteins includes oxidative phosphorylation, metabolic pathway, and Ras signaling pathway. Network analysis of differential proteins showed that Alb, ndufb5, ndufs7, ApoB, Cdc42, Ndufa3, Igf1r, P4hb, Mbp, Gc, Nme1, Akt2, and other proteins may play an important role in regulating oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammatory response in MCAO/R. Quantitative proteomics based on i-TRAQ labeling reveals the effect of inflammation and apoptosis in brain damage mechanism of MCAO/R. Besides, this research provide some experimental foundation for search and determination of potential therapeutic targets of MCAO/R.

Therapeutic mechanism of Toujie Quwen granules in COVID-19 based on network pharmacology

Background

Chinese medicine Toujie Quwen granule (TJQW) has proven to be effective in the treatment of mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases by relieving symptoms, slowing the progression of the disease, and boosting the recovery of patients. But the bioactive compounds and potential mechanisms of TJQW for COVID-19 prevention and treatment are unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential therapeutic mechanism of TJQW in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on an integrated network pharmacology approach.

Methods

TCMSP were used to search and screen the active ingredients in TJQW. The Swiss TargetPrediction was used to predict the potential targets of active ingredients. Genes co-expressed with ACE2 were considered potential therapeutic targets on COVID-19. Venn diagram was created to show correlative targets of TJQW against COVID-19. Cytoscape was used to construct a “drug-active ingredient-potential target” network, STRING were used to construct protein-protein interaction network, and cytoHubba performed network topology analysis. Enrichment of biological functions and signaling pathways of core targets was performed by using the clusterProfiler package in R software and ClueGO with CluePedia plugins in Cytoscape.

Results

A total of 156 active ingredients were obtained through oral bioavailability and drug-likeness screenings. Two hundred twenty-seven potential targets of TJQW were related to COVID-19. The top ten core targets are EGFR, CASP3, STAT3, ESR1, FPR2, F2, BCL2L1, BDKRB2, MPO, and ACE. Based on that, we obtained 19 key active ingredients: umbelliprenin, quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, praeruptorin E, stigmasterol, and oroxylin A. And the enrichment analysis obtained multiple related gene ontology functions and signaling pathways. Lastly, we constructed a key network of “drug-component-target-biological process-signaling pathway”. Our findings suggested that TJQW treatment for COVID-19 was associated with elevation of immunity and suppression of inflammatory stress, including regulation of inflammatory response, viral process, neutrophil mediated immunity, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, Complement and coagulation cascades, and HIF-1 signaling pathway.

Conclusions

Our study uncovered the pharmacological mechanism underlying TJQW treatment for COVID-19. These results should benefit efforts for people around the world to gain more knowledge about Chinese medicine TJQW in the treatment of this vicious epidemic COVID-19, and help to address this pressing problem currently facing the world.

Translational potential of astrocytes in brain disorders

Fundamentally, all brain disorders can be broadly defined as the homeostatic failure of this organ. As the brain is composed of many different cells types, including but not limited to neurons and glia, it is only logical that all the cell types/constituents could play a role in health and disease. Yet, for a long time the sole conceptualization of brain pathology was focused on the well-being of neurons. Here, we challenge this neuron-centric view and present neuroglia as a key element in neuropathology, a process that has a toll on astrocytes, which undergo complex morpho-functional changes that can in turn affect the course of the disorder. Such changes can be grossly identified as reactivity, atrophy with loss of function and pathological remodeling. We outline the pathogenic potential of astrocytes in variety of disorders, ranging from neurotrauma, infection, toxic damage, stroke, epilepsy, neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, Alexander disease to neoplastic changes seen in gliomas. We hope that in near future we would witness glial-based translational medicine with generation of deliverables for the containment and cure of disorders. We point out that such as a task will require a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach that will take in consideration the concerted operation of all the cell types in the brain.

Deciphering and Targeting Oncogenic Mutations and Pathways in Breast Cancer

: Advances in DNA and RNA sequencing revealed substantially greater genomic complexity in breast cancer than simple models of a few driver mutations would suggest. Only very few, recurrent mutations or copy-number variations in cancer-causing genes have been identified. The two most common alterations in breast cancer are TP53 (affecting the majority of triple-negative breast cancers) and PIK3CA (affecting almost half of estrogen receptor-positive cancers) mutations, followed by a long tail of individually rare mutations affecting <1%-20% of cases. Each cancer harbors from a few dozen to a few hundred potentially high-functional impact somatic variants, along with a much larger number of potentially high-functional impact germline variants. It is likely that it is the combined effect of all genomic variations that drives the clinical behavior of a given cancer. Furthermore, entirely new classes of oncogenic events are being discovered in the noncoding areas of the genome and in noncoding RNA species driven by errors in RNA editing. In light of this complexity, it is not unexpected that, with the exception of HER2 amplification, no robust molecular predictors of benefit from targeted therapies have been identified. In this review, we summarize the current genomic portrait of breast cancer, focusing on genetic aberrations that are actively being targeted with investigational drugs.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Next-generation sequencing is now widely available in the clinic, but interpretation of the results is challenging, and its impact on treatment selection is often limited. This work provides an overview of frequently encountered molecular abnormalities in breast cancer and discusses their potential therapeutic implications. This review emphasizes the importance of administering investigational targeted therapies, or off-label use of approved targeted drugs, in the context of a formal clinical trial or registry programs to facilitate learning about the clinical utility of tumor target profiling.