The cancer exosomes: Clinical implications, applications and challenges

Clinical and Prognostic Pan-Cancer Analysis of N6-Methyladenosine Regulators in Two Types of Hematological Malignancies: A Retrospective Study Based on TCGA and GTEx Databases

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most active modification factors of mRNA, which is closely related to cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumor development. Here, we explored the relationship between the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies and the clinicopathologic parameters. The datasets of hematological malignancies and controls were obtained from the TCGA [AML (n = 200), DLBCL (n = 48)] and GTEx [whole blood (n = 337), blood vascular artery (n = 606)]. We analyzed the m6A factor expression differences in normal tissue and tumor tissue and their correlations, clustered the express obvious clinical tumor subtypes, determined the tumor risk score, established Cox regression model, performed univariate and multivariate analysis on all datasets. We found that the AML patients with high expression of IGF2BP3, ALKBH5, and IGF2BP2 had poor survival, while the DLBCL patients with high expression of METTL14 had poor survival. In addition, "Total" datasets analysis revealed that IGF2BP1, ALKBH5, IGF2BP2, RBM15, METTL3, and ZNF217 were potential oncogenes for hematologic system tumors. Collectively, the expressions of some m6A regulators are closely related to the occurrence and development of hematologic system tumors, and the intervention of specific regulatory factors may lead to a breakthrough in the treatment in the future.

The metastasizing mechanisms of lung cancer: Recent advances and therapeutic challenges

Lung cancer is one of the common malignant tumors that threaten human life with serious incidence and high mortality. According to the histopathological characteristics, lung cancer is mainly divided into non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 80-85% of lung cancers. In fact, lung cancer metastasis is a major cause of treatment failure in clinical patients. The underlying reason is that the mechanisms of lung cancer metastasis are still not fully understood. The metastasis of lung cancer cells is controlled by many factors, including the interaction of various components in the lung cancer microenvironment, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transformation, and metastasis of cancer cells through blood vessels and lymphatics. The molecular relationships are even more intricate. Further study on the mechanisms of lung cancer metastasis and in search of effective therapeutic targets can bring more reference directions for clinical drug research and development. This paper focuses on the factors affecting lung cancer metastasis and connects with related molecular mechanisms of the lung cancer metastasis and mechanisms of lung cancer to specific organs, which mainly reviews the latest research progress of NSCLC metastasis. Besides, in this paper, experimental models of lung cancer and metastasis, mechanisms in SCLC transfer and the challenges about clinical management of lung cancer are also discussed. The review is intended to provide reference value for the future research in this field and promising treatment clues for clinical patients.

The role of gut microbiota in tumorigenesis and treatment

A large number of microbial communities exist in normal human intestinal tracts, which maintain a relatively stable dynamic balance under certain conditions. Gut microbiota are closely connected with human health and the occurrence of tumors. The colonization of certain intestinal bacteria on specific sites, gut microbiota disturbance and intestinal immune disorders can induce the occurrence of tumors. Meanwhile, gut microbiota can also play a role in tumor therapy by participating in immune regulation, influencing the efficacy of anti-tumor drugs, targeted therapy of engineered probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation. This article reviews the role of gut microbiota in the occurrence, development, diagnosis and treatment of tumors. A better understanding of how gut microbiota affect tumors will help us find more therapies to treat the disease.

Emerging role of exosomes and exosomal microRNA in cancer: pathophysiology and clinical potential

BACKGROUND

Exosomes are extracellular nanometric vesicles used by cells to communicate with each other. They are responsible for many pathological conditions, including tumors by transferring regulatory biomolecules that impact target cell activity. Because of their high concentration in exosomes compared with parental cells and the rest of exosomal content, specificity to the cell of origin, and their well-organized sorting mechanism, microRNAs (miRNAs) are thought to be the most potent exosomes cargo and used by scientists to track exosomes and to detect cell activity changes and prognosis in cancer early.

PURPOSE

In this review, the results of studies examining the role of exosomes in cancer pathophysiology and their clinical potential are discussed in detail. Tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) mediate the dynamic changes of cancer growth and invasion, including local microenvironment remodeling, distance metastasis, angiogenesis, and tumor-associated immunosuppression. They also contribute to hypoxia-induced tumor progression and cancer cell drug resistance. As a result of exosomes being present in all body fluids, it is possible to have early accessible and less-invasive diagnostic and prognostic measures by forming a table for each cancer type and its matched specific miRNAs. Under testing, available therapeutic uses of exosomes include interference of exosomes biogenesis, secretion, or uptake, and recruitment of exosomes as target-specific drug delivery vehicles, and immunostimulatory agents for both cancer patients and healthy population to avoid cancer development from the start.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that exosomes and exosomal microRNA are directly related to cancer progression mechanisms, and could be used in cancer early diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.

Trends in Research on Exosomes in Cancer Progression and Anticancer Therapy

Simple Summary

Intensive research in the field of cancer biology has discovered a unique mode of interplay between cells via extracellular bioactive vesicles called exosomes. Exosomes serve as intermediators among cells via their cargoes that, in turn, contribute in the progression of cancer. They are ubiquitously present in all body fluids as they are secreted from both normal and tumor cells. These minuscules exhibit multiple unique properties that facilitate their migration to distant locations and modulate the microenvironment for progression of cancer. This review summarizes the multifarious role of exosomes in various aspects of cancer research with its pros and cons. It discusses biogenesis of exosomes, their functional role in cancer metastasis, both protumorigenic and antitumorigenic, and also their applications in anticancer therapy.

Abstract

Exosomes, the endosome-derived bilayered extracellular nanovesicles with their contribution in many aspects of cancer biology, have become one of the prime foci of research. Exosomes derived from various cells carry cargoes similar to their originator cells and their mode of generation is different compared to other extracellular vesicles. This review has tried to cover all aspects of exosome biogenesis, including cargo, Rab-dependent and Rab-independent secretion of endosomes and exosomal internalization. The bioactive molecules of the tumor-derived exosomes, by virtue of their ubiquitous presence and small size, can migrate to distal parts and propagate oncogenic signaling and epigenetic regulation, modulate tumor microenvironment and facilitate immune escape, tumor progression and drug resistance responsible for cancer progression. Strategies improvised against tumor-derived exosomes include suppression of exosome uptake, modulation of exosomal cargo and removal of exosomes. Apart from the protumorigenic role, exosomal cargoes have been selectively manipulated for diagnosis, immune therapy, vaccine development, RNA therapy, stem cell therapy, drug delivery and reversal of chemoresistance against cancer. However, several challenges, including in-depth knowledge of exosome biogenesis and protein sorting, perfect and pure isolation of exosomes, large-scale production, better loading efficiency, and targeted delivery of exosomes, have to be confronted before the successful implementation of exosomes becomes possible for the diagnosis and therapy of cancer.

Liquid Biopsy-Based Exo-oncomiRNAs Can Predict Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness

Liquid biopsy-based biomarkers, including microRNAs packaged within extracellular vesicles, are promising tools for patient management. The cytokine tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is related to PCa progression and is found in the semen of patients with PCa. TWEAK can induce the transfer of exo-oncomiRNAs from tumor cells to body fluids, and this process might have utility in non-invasive PCa prognosis. We investigated TWEAK-regulated exo-microRNAs in semen and in post-digital rectal examination urine from patients with different degrees of PCa aggressiveness. We first identified 14 exo-oncomiRNAs regulated by TWEAK in PCa cells in vitro, and subsequently validated those using liquid biopsies from 97 patients with PCa. Exo-oncomiR-221-3p, -222-3p and -31-5p were significantly higher in the semen of high-risk patients than in low-risk peers, whereas exo-oncomiR-193-3p and -423-5p were significantly lower in paired samples of post-digital rectal examination urine. A panel of semen biomarkers comprising exo-oncomiR-221-3p, -222-3p and TWEAK was designed that could correctly classify 87.5% of patients with aggressive PCa, with 85.7% specificity and 76.9% sensitivity with an area under the curve of 0.857. We additionally found that TWEAK modulated two exo-oncomiR-221-3p targets, TCF12 and NLK. Overall, we show that liquid biopsy detection of TWEAK-regulated exo-oncomiRNAs can improve PCa prognosis prediction.

Imaging genomics for accurate diagnosis and treatment of tumors: A cutting edge overview

Imaging genomics refers to the establishment of the connection between invasive gene expression features and non-invasive imaging features. Tumor imaging genomics can not only understand the macroscopic phenotype of tumor, but also can deeply analyze the cellular and molecular characteristics of tumor tissue. In recent years, tumor imaging genomics has been a key in the field of medicine. The incidence of cancer in China has increased significantly, which is the main reason of disease death of urban residents. With the rapid development of imaging medicine, depending on imaging genomics, many experts have made remarkable achievements in tumor screening and diagnosis, prognosis evaluation, new treatment targets and understanding of tumor biological mechanism. This review analyzes the relationship between tumor radiology and gene expression, which provides a favorable direction for clinical staging, prognosis evaluation and accurate treatment of tumors.

Nanomedicines: Redefining traditional medicine

Nanomedicines offer nanoscale drug delivery system. They offer ways of promising drug transportation, and address the issues of lack of targeting and permeability of traditional drugs. The physical and chemical properties in the domain of nanomedicine applications in vivo have not been sufficiently delivered. What's more, the metabolic of nanomedicines is not clear enough. Those factors which mentioned above determine that many nanomedicines have not yet realized clinical application due to their safety problems and in vivo efficacy. For example, they may cause immune response and cytotoxicity, as well as the ability to clear organs in vivo, the penetration ability of them and the lack of targeting ability may also cause poor efficacy of drugs in vivo. In this review, the new progresses of different kinds of nanomedicines (including gold nanoparticles, nanorobots, black phosphorus nanoparticles, brain diseases, gene editing and immunotherapy etc.) in anti-tumor, antibacterial, ocular diseases and arteriosclerosis in recent years were summarized. Their shortcomings were pointed out, and the new methods to improve the biosafety and efficacy were summarized.

How wide is the application of genetic big data in biomedicine

In the era of big data, massive genetic data, as a new industry, has quickly swept almost all industries, especially the pharmaceutical industry. As countries around the world start to build their own gene banks, scientists study the data to explore the origins and migration of humans. Moreover, big data encourage the development of cancer therapy and bring good news to cancer patients. Big datum has been involved in the study of many diseases, and it has been found that analyzing diseases at the gene level can lead to more beneficial treatment options than ordinary treatments. This review will introduce the development of extensive data in medical research from the perspective of big data and tumor, neurological and psychiatric diseases, cardiovascular diseases, other applications and the development direction of big data in medicine.

Cancer evolution: A means by which tumors evade treatment

Although various methods have been tried to study and treat cancer, the cancer remains a major challenge for human medicine today. One important reason for this is the presence of cancer evolution. Cancer evolution is a process in which tumor cells adapt to the external environment, which can suppress the human immune system's ability to recognize and attack tumors, and also reduce the reproducibility of cancer research. Among them, heterogeneity of the tumor provides intrinsic motivation for this process. Recently, with the development of related technologies such as liquid biopsy, more and more knowledge about cancer evolution has been gained and interest in this topic has also increased. Therefore, starting from the causes of tumorigenesis, this paper introduces several tumorigenesis processes and pathways, as well as treatment options for different targets.

CRISPR technology: The engine that drives cancer therapy

CRISPR gene editing technology belongs to the third generation of gene editing technology. Since its discovery, it has attracted the attention of a large number of researchers. Investigators have published a series of academic articles and obtained breakthrough research results through in-depth research. In recent years, this technology has developed rapidly and been widely applied in many fields, especially in medicine. This review focuses on concepts of CRISPR gene editing technology, its application in cancer treatments, its existing limitations, and the new progress in recent years for detailed analysis and sharing.

Electromagnetic Piezoelectric Acoustic Sensor Detection of Extracellular Vesicles through Interaction with Detached Vesicle Proteins

An electromagnetic piezoelectric acoustic sensor (EMPAS) was used to study the non-specific adsorption of human red blood cell-derived extracellular vesicle preparations. Vesicle storage history (temperature and duration) highly affected the obtained results: The signal change, namely the frequency decrease of the crystal measured at 20 °C, was negligibly small (<1 s⁻²) when the vesicle solutions had previously been stored at 4 °C, and was in the order of 10 s⁻² when the vesicle solutions had been stored at −30 °C. Moreover, the rate of frequency decrease increased exponentially with the storage time at −30 °C. Upon a 4 °C storage period following the −30 °C storage period of the same sample, the measured frequency decrease dropped, suggesting a partial relaxation of the system. The results are explained by the disintegration of the vesicles triggered by the freeze–thaw cycle, likely due to the detachment of proteins from the vesicle surface as was proved by size-exclusion chromatography. Surface modification of the sensor crystal provided the possibility of signal enhancement, as the maximum rate of the frequency change for the same vesicle concentrations was higher on hydrophobic, octadecyl trichlorosilane–modified quartz than on hydrophilic, bare quartz. The EMPAS signal has been associated with the amount of detached proteins, which in turn is proportional to the originating vesicle concentration.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes: Warriors fight against tumors powerfully

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are infiltrating lymphocytes in tumor tissues. After isolation, screening and amplification in vitro, they will be implanted into patients and play a specific killing effect on tumors. Since TILs have not been genetically modified and come from the body of patients, there will be relatively few adverse reactions. This is also the advantage of TIL treatment. In recent years, its curative effect on solid tumors began to show its sharpness. However, due to the limitations of the immune microenvironment and the mutation of antigens, TIL's development was slowed down. This article reviews the research progress, biological characteristics, preparation and methods of enhancing the therapeutic effect of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, their roles in different tumors and prognosis, and emphasizes the important value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in anti-tumor.

The potential roles of exosomal noncoding RNAs in osteosarcoma

Clinically, it is difficult to efficaciously screen and diagnose osteosarcoma (OS) in advance due to the low sensitivity and poor specificity of the existing tumor markers. Exosomes (Exos) are nanoscale vesicles containing RNAs, lipids, and proteins with a diameter of 30-100 nm. They are multivesicular bodies formed during the invagination of lysosomal particles in cells and released extracellularly after fusing with cell membranes. Besides, Exos are important carriers of cell-to-cell communication signals and genetic materials in the tumor microenvironment. During tumorigenesis, the tumor cells interplay with immune cells, endothelial cells, and related fibroblasts through Exos and boost cancer development. After altering the surrounding microenvironment, the Exos drive tumor cells to proliferate, speed up angiogenesis, and boost cancers to develop along with body fluid transportation. Currently, Exos are becoming novel noninvasive tumor diagnostic markers with high sensitivity, exerting pivotal impacts in fundamental research and clinical applications. Here, we review the existing literature on the roles of exosomal noncoding RNAs in OS progression and their potential clinical applications as novel biomarkers and therapeutics.

Liquid biopsy for lung cancer screening: Usefulness of circulating tumor cells and other circulating blood biomarkers

Screening for lung cancer has become a reality in certain countries, most notably the United States, but its implementation currently is under discussion and not established in many nations, including France. Screening for lung cancer currently is proposed using a low-dose computed tomography scanner. However, this approach lacks sensitivity and specificity, and could be improved when combined with a blood test (so-called "liquid biopsy"). Such tests attempt to detect biomarker (s) of early cancer development. Thus, numerous studies performed within the last few years have examined different blood components including circulating tumor cells and free DNA and other circulating elements such as microRNAs, exosomes, antibodies, and proteins. Recent studies have highlighted the value of seeking a signature for the methylation of circulating free DNA, which can be specific for certain solid tumors, including lung carcinoma. The current study describes some recent developments in the use of liquid biopsies for the detection of early-stage lung cancers, even those that are not yet visible using a low-dose computed tomography scanner.

Gut microecology: Why our microbes could be key to our health

The human body contains a large number of microorganisms, and the gut microecology environment contains the largest number and types of microorganisms. The structure and function of gut microbiota are closely related to the health of the human body. In a cascade of studies, the diversity of gut microbiota and its metabolite often found changed in patients or mice model. What kind of gut microbiota that associated with the occurrence or treatment of diseases were also found in many studies. Gut microbiota and its products can affect the function of the human body. Short-chain fatty acids, bile acid, indoles and so on were found can regulate the inflammation, immune response to affect the process of diseases. Immune cells like natural killer T cells, CD3 + T cells were also found had a link to gut microbiota which associated with diseases. Changes in gut microbiota are associated with changes in the body's major systems, such as the digestive system, the endocrine system, the cardiovascular system, the endocrine and metabolic system, the urinary system diseases, the respiratory system and so on. It is of great significance to study gut microecology for the prevention and treatment of various human diseases.

Principles of RNA methylation and their implications for biology and medicine

RNA methylation is a post-transcriptional level of regulation. At present, more than 150 kinds of RNA modifications have been identified. They are widely distributed in messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), noncoding small RNA (sncRNA) and long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNA). In recent years, with the discovery of RNA methylation related proteins and the development of high-throughput sequencing technology, the mystery of RNA methylation has been gradually revealed, and its biological function and application value have gradually emerged. In this review, a large number of research results of RNA methylation in recent years are collected. Through systematic summary and refinement, this review introduced RNA methylation modification-related proteins and RNA methylation sequencing technologies, as well as the biological functions of RNA methylation, expressions and applications of RNA methylation-related genes in physiological or pathological states such as cancer, immunity and virus infection, and discussed the potential therapeutic strategies.

Cancer neoantigen: Boosting immunotherapy

Tumor neoantigen has a high degree of immunogenicity. As one of the emerging methods of tumor immunotherapy, the vaccine developed against it has served to clinical trials of various solid tumors, especially in the treatment of melanoma. Currently, a variety of immunotherapy methods have been applied to the treatment of the tumor. However, other therapeutic methods have the disadvantages of low specificity and prominent side effects. Treatments require tumor antigen with higher immunogenicity as the target of immune attack. This review will recommend the identification of neoantigen, the influencing factors of neoantigen, and the application of personalized vaccines for neoantigen in metastatic tumors such as malignant melanoma.

How to overcome the side effects of tumor immunotherapy

The incidence of cancer is increasing year by year. Cancer has become one of the health threats of modern people. Simply relying on the surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, not only the survival rate is not high, but also the quality of life of patients is not much better. Fortunately, the emergence and rapid development of cancer immunotherapy have brought more and more exciting results. However, when scientists think it is possible to overcome cancer, they find that not all cancer patients can benefit from immunotherapy, that is to say, the overall efficiency of immunotherapy is not high. Drug resistance and side effects of immunotherapy cannot be ignored. In order to overcome these difficulties, scientists continue to improve the strategy of immunotherapy and find that combination therapy can effectively reduce the incidence of drug resistance. They also found that by reprogramming tumor blood vessels, activating ferroptosis, utilizing thioredoxin, FATP2 and other substances, the therapeutic effect can be improved and side effects can be alleviated. This article reviews the principles of immunotherapy, new strategies to overcome drug resistance of cancer immunotherapy, and how to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy and reduce side effects.

Exosome-mediated miR-9-5p promotes proliferation and migration of renal cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo by targeting SOCS4

Exosomes secreted by cancer cells play important roles in tumor progression by interacting with cell receptors. Renal cancer derived exosomes contain miRNAs which are associated with cell proliferation and invasion. Micro RNA 9-5 (miR-9-5) is highly expressed in the serum of renal cancer patients with advanced (tumor size - node - metastasis) TNM stage and Fuhrman grade. miR-9-5p is extensively expressed in exosomes derived from renal cancer cells. Overexpression of miR-9-5p promotes proliferation and invasion of A-704 (a cancer cell line of human kidney) cells via targeting and deregulating SOCS4 mRNA. Inhibition of the Janus kinase (JAK)/signaling transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway by SOCS4 will be reduced, which leads to phosphorylation of STAT3 and JAK. Activated cytokine signaling promotes cell proliferation and invasion, and inhibits apoptosis. Moreover, overexpression of SOCS4 reduces miR-9-5p levels and plays an opposite role in cell. To conclude, exosomal miR-9-5p plays important roles in renal cancer both in vivo and in vitro, indicating it may be used as biomarker for diagnosis and for monitoring the efficacy if therapy.

Targeting the GRP78 Pathway for Cancer Therapy

The 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78) plays an important part in maintaining protein stability, regulating protein folding, and inducing apoptosis autophagy, which is considered as a powerful protein. Meanwhile, it also plays a role in ensuring the normal function of organs. In recent years, more and more researches have been carried out on the targeted therapy of GRP78, mainly focusing on its relevant role in tumor and its role as a major modulator and modulator of subordinate pathways. The ability of GRP78 to respond to endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) determines whether tumor cells survive and whether the changes in expression level of GRP78 regulated by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) caused by various factors will directly or indirectly affect cell proliferation, apoptosis, and injury, or reduce the body's defense ability, or have protective effects on various organs.

Bone metabolism regulation: Implications for the treatment of bone diseases

Bone cells in the human body are continuously engaged in cellular metabolism, including the interaction between bone cells, the interaction between the erythropoietic cells of the bone marrow and stromal cells, for the remodeling and reconstruction of bone. Osteoclasts and osteoblasts play an important role in bone metabolism. Diseases occur when bone metabolism is abnormal, but little is known about the signaling pathways that affect bone metabolism. The study of these signaling pathways will help us to use the relevant techniques to intervene, so as to improve the condition. The study of these signaling pathways will help us to use the relevant techniques to intervene, so as to improve the condition. I believe they will shine in the diagnosis and treatment of future clinical bone diseases.

A Network Pharmacology Approach to Explore the Potential Mechanisms of Huangqin-Baishao Herb Pair in Treatment of Cancer

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to identify the bioactive ingredients of Huangqin-Baishao herb pair and to reveal its anti-cancer mechanisms through a pharmacology approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS Detailed information on compounds in the HQ-BS herb pair was obtained from the Traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology (TCMSP) and screened by the criteria of OB ≥30% and DL ≥0.18. A systematic drug targeting model (SysDT) was used for compound targets prediction, and then the targets were analyzed for Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of HQ-BS targets was constructed, after identifying core networks through Cytoscape plugins. RESULTS We found 47 bioactive compounds of HQ-BS and 107 human-derived targets. A compound target network and a target signal pathway network were constructed and used for topological analysis. Kaempferol, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, wogonin, and oroxylin-a were identified as core compounds and pathways in cancer. The calcium signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, chemical carcinogenesis, estrogen signaling pathway, proteoglycans in cancer, HIF-1 signaling pathway, thyroid hormone signaling pathway, VEGF signaling pathway, small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and T cell receptor signaling pathway were found to be potential signals of HQ-BS in treating cancer. Through PPI network analysis, TNF signaling pathway, tryptophan metabolism, proteoglycans in cancer, cell cycle, and chemical carcinogenesis sub-networks were obtained. CONCLUSIONS HQ-BS contains various bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, phytosterols, and other compounds, and these compounds can inhibit or activate multiple targets and pathways against cancer.

Big data-driven precision medicine: Starting the custom-made era of iatrology

Precision medicine is a new therapeutic concept and method emerging in recent years. The rapid development of precision medicine is driven by the development of omics related technology, biological information and big data science. Precision medicine is provided to implement precise and personalized treatment for diseases and specific patients. Precision medicine is commonly used in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of various diseases. This review introduces the application of precision medicine in eight systematic diseases of the human body, and systematically presenting the current situation of precision medicine. At the same time, the shortcomings and limitations of precision medicine are pointed out. Finally, we prospect the development of precision medicine.

The associations of hub gene polymorphisms in PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and Schistosomiasis Japonica infection and hepatic fibrosis

INTRODUCTION

Increasing evidence shows that the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway can be activated by a variety of stimulus in immune cells. Schistosomiasis Japonica is a serious threat to human health in some lakes of China.

METHODS

We analyzed the potential associations between the hub gene (PTEN, mTOR, AKT1 and AKT2) polymorphisms of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and S. japonica risk, including infection risk, as well as immunological hepatic fibrosis risk. An immune database named Database of Immune Cell Expression, Expression quantitative trait loci and Epigenomics (DICE) was used to analyze the expression profiles of the hub genes in 15 types of immune cells.

RESULTS

Of them, two SNPs rs2295080 (mTOR) and rs7254617 (AKT2) were found associated with the risk of infection and fibrosis. We also performed a multivariant Cox regression analysis and found that HBV infection may increase hepatic fibrosis in chronic schistosomiasis patients, instead of genetic polymorphisms on PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway or any other factors. We also found the expressions of mTOR (RICTOR) and AKT2 in T cells were higher than those in monocyte cells. And, the expressions of PTEN, mTOR (RICTOR) and AKT1 reduced both in activated CD4 T cells and activated CD8 T cells.

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that rs2295080 may be an important marker in the diagnosis of susceptibility to schistosomiasis infection. But HBV infection not rs2295080 could promote immunological liver damage with fibrosis in patients with chronic schistosomiasis infection.

Extracellular Vesicles in Renal Cell Carcinoma: Multifaceted Roles and Potential Applications Identified by Experimental and Computational Methods

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common type of kidney cancer. Increasingly evidences indicate that extracellular vesicles (EVs) orchestrate multiple processes in tumorigenesis, metastasis, immune evasion, and drug response of RCC. EVs are lipid membrane-bound vesicles in nanometer size and secreted by almost all cell types into the extracellular milieu. A myriad of bioactive molecules such as RNA, DNA, protein, and lipid are able to be delivered via EVs for the intercellular communication. Hence, the abundant content of EVs is appealing reservoir for biomarker identification through computational analysis and experimental validation. EVs with excellent biocompatibility and biodistribution are natural platforms that can be engineered to offer achievable drug delivery strategies for RCC therapies. Moreover, the multifaceted roles of EVs in RCC progression also provide substantial targets and facilitate EVs-based drug discovery, which will be accelerated by using artificial intelligence approaches. In this review, we summarized the vital roles of EVs in occurrence, metastasis, immune evasion, and drug resistance of RCC. Furthermore, we also recapitulated and prospected the EVs-based potential applications in RCC, including biomarker identification, drug vehicle development as well as drug target discovery.

mTOR signaling pathway and mTOR inhibitors in cancer: progress and challenges

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates cell proliferation, autophagy, and apoptosis by participating in multiple signaling pathways in the body. Studies have shown that the mTOR signaling pathway is also associated with cancer, arthritis, insulin resistance, osteoporosis, and other diseases. The mTOR signaling pathway, which is often activated in tumors, not only regulates gene transcription and protein synthesis to regulate cell proliferation and immune cell differentiation but also plays an important role in tumor metabolism. Therefore, the mTOR signaling pathway is a hot target in anti-tumor therapy research. In recent years, a variety of newly discovered mTOR inhibitors have entered clinical studies, and a variety of drugs have been proven to have high activity in combination with mTOR inhibitors. The purpose of this review is to introduce the role of mTOR signaling pathway on apoptosis, autophagy, growth, and metabolism of tumor cells, and to introduce the research progress of mTOR inhibitors in the tumor field.

Three-dimensional genome: developmental technologies and applications in precision medicine

In the 20th century, our familiar structure of DNA was the double helix. Due to technical limitations, we do not have a good way to understand the finer structure of the genome, let alone its transcriptional regulation. Until the advent of 3C technologies, we were no longer blind to this one. Three-dimensional (3D) genomics is a new subject, which mainly studies the 3D structure and transcriptional regulation of eukaryotic genomes. Now, this field mainly has Hi-C series and CHIA-PET series technologies. Through 3D genomics, we can understand the basic structure of DNA, understand the growth and development of organisms and the occurrence of diseases, so as to promote human medical and health undertakings. The review introduces the main research techniques of 3D genomics and their characteristics, the latest development of 3D genome structure, the relationship between diseases and 3D genome structure, the applications of 3D genome in precision medicine, and the development of the 4D nucleome project.

GWAS in cancer: progress and challenges

The genome-wide association study (GWAS) is an effective method to detect single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of multiple individual genes based on linkage disequilibrium (LD). GWAS examines genotypes and distinguishing gene characteristics that are exhibited in diseases. In the past few decades, more and more literature has reported the results of applying GWAS to study tumors. Although many pleiotropic loci associated with complex phenotypes have been identified by GWAS, the biological functions of many genetic variation loci remain unclear, and the genetic mechanisms of most complex phenotypes cannot be systematically explained. In this article, we will review the new findings of several tumor types, and categorize the new sites and mechanisms that have recently been discovered. We linked the mechanisms of action of various tumors and searched for links to related gene expression pathways. We found that susceptible sites can be divided into hub genes and peripheral genes; the two interact to link gene expression in a variety of diseases.

Microsatellite instability: a review of what the oncologist should know

The patients with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H)/mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) tumors recently have been reported that can benefit from immunotherapy, and MSI can be used as a genetic instability of a tumor detection index. However, many studies have shown that there are many heterogeneous phenomena in patients with MSI tumors in terms of immunotherapy, prognosis and chemotherapy sensitivity. Here we mainly review the research results of MSI detection methods, the mechanisms of MSI occurrence and its relationship with related tumors, aiming to make a brief analysis of the current research status of MSI and provide comparable reference and guidance value for further research in this field.