Katanin P60 and P80 in papillary thyroid carcinoma patients: Indicators for exacerbated tumor features and worse disease-free survival

Exploring purine analogues as inhibitors against Katanin, a microtubule severing enzyme using molecular modeling approach

Katanin, a key protein in cellular architecture, plays a crucial role in severing microtubules, which are vital components of the cytoskeleton. Given its central involvement in cell division and proliferation, katanin represents a promising target for therapeutic intervention, particularly in cancer treatment. Inhibiting katanin's function could potentially hinder the uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells, making it an attractive target for novel anti-cancer therapies. Previous studies have shown that purine-based compounds exhibit a strong affinity for microtubule-severing enzymes. In this study, we aim to identify potential purine-type inhibitors of katanin using molecular modeling techniques. A total of 276,280 purine-type compounds from the PubChem database were subjected to structure-based high-throughput virtual screening, followed by ADME prediction, PASS analysis, and molecular docking studies. These efforts led to the identification of two potent compounds: PubChem CID 122589735 and 123629569, which demonstrated strong binding interactions with katanin. Molecular dynamics simulations further revealed that these compounds effectively altered katanin's conformation when compared to ATP. Additionally, binding energy calculations indicated that PubChem CID 122589735 exhibited the strongest binding affinity for katanin, with the binding free energy ranking as follows: 122589735 > 123629569 > ATP. Our findings suggest that the screened compounds, particularly PubChem CID 122589735, hold promise as potential katanin inhibitor. These compounds could play a significant role in the development of new anti-cancer therapies targeting a variety of carcinoma. Future research, including in vitro and in vivo studies, is essential to assess the efficacy and safety of these inhibitors, paving the way for innovative cancer treatments.

Discovery of Novel Diaryl-Substituted Fused Heterocycles Targeting Katanin and Tubulin with Potent Antitumor and Antimultidrug Resistance Efficacy

Disrupting microtubule dynamics has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, drug resistance remains a challenge hindering the development of microtubule-targeting agents. In this work, a novel class of diaryl substituted fused heterocycles were designed, synthesized, and evaluated, which were demonstrated as effective dual katanin and tubulin regulators with antitumor activity. Following three rounds of stepwise optimization, compound 21b, featuring a 3H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine core, displayed excellent targeting capabilities on katanin and tubulin, along with notable antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects. Mechanistic studies revealed that 21b disrupts the microtubule network in tumor cells, leading to G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction. Importantly, 21b exhibited significant inhibition of tumor growth in MDA-MB-231 and A549/T xenograft tumor models without evident toxicity and side effects. In conclusion, compound 21b presents a novel mechanism for disrupting microtubule dynamics, warranting further investigation as a dual-targeted antitumor agent with potential antimultidrug resistance properties.

Katanin subunits p60 and p80, potential biomarkers for papillary thyroid carcinoma to distinguish nodular goiter: STROBE

Katanin subunits p60 and p80 are involved in microtubule-mediated cytoskeletal organization during cell division. Their aberrant expression has been found in prostate, breast, and non-small cell lung (NSCLC) cancers. It has recently been reported that compared with adjacent papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tissues, both are highly expressed in tumor tissues. Here, we investigated whether katanin subunits p60 and p80 can be used as potential biomarkers for PTC to distinguish nodular goiter (NG).Immunohistochemistry was performed to investigate the expression of katanin subunits p60 and p80 in the tissues of 97 cases of PTC and NG. This cohort included 87 cases with PTC (74 classical or conventional (CPTC) and 13 follicular (FVPTC) variants) and 10 cases with NG.We found that katanin subunits p60 and p80 were expressed in PTC, but not in NG. The cutoff values of katanin p60 and p80 for PTC were 22.43% and 0.83%, respectively. The katanin subunit p60 was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis. Katanin subunit p80 was more highly expressed in CPTC than in FVPTC. The expression of the katanin subunit p60 was positively correlated with the expression of katanin p80 in PTC. Importantly, we found that overexpression of katanin p60 increased the expression of katanin p80 in a human papillary thyroid carcinoma KTC-1 cell line, which further supports the existence of katanin p60 and p80 feedback loops.Our results indicate that katanin subunits p60 and p80 may be used as potential PTC biomarkers to distinguish NG and may be novel therapeutic targets for PTC.

Effect of Coptis chinensis franch and Magnolia officinalis on intestinal flora and intestinal barrier in a TNBS-induced ulcerative colitis rats model

BACKGROUND

In folk medicine Coptis chinensis Franch (Huanglian in Chinese, HL) and Magnoliae officinalis (Houpo, HP) have been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders over hundreds of years, such as ulcers and inflammation.

PURPOSE

To investigate the therapeutic effects of HL and HP on 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) rats, and investigated its effect on the intestinal flora of UC rats.

METHOD

TNBS 40 mg/kg was utilized to establish UC model. Rats were sacrificed after gavage for 7 days. Body weight loss, disease activity index (DAI), colonic mucosal damage index (CMDI) and histopathology were measured. Intestinal content samples were collected, and analyzed by 16 S rRNA sequencing. Western blot, immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to evaluate the regulation mechanism of HL+HP in UC model rats.

RESULTS

The results showed that the DAI score, CMDI score and histological score were significantly decreased in each group. The symptoms of diarrhea, hematochezia, colonic mucosal injury and congestion and edema were improved. Sequencing results of intestinal flora showed that the abundance of probiotics such as Akkermansia and Blautia was increased in HL group and HL+HP group, while probiotics such as Allobaculum and Alloprevotella were increased in HP group. The intestinal pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia-Shigella and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 were decreased. In addition, HL+HP could also inhibit the inflammatory response and protect the integrity of the tight junction to play an anti-UC effect.

CONCLUSION

Coptis chinensis Franch and Magnolia officinalis might prevent intestinal barrier damage by regulating intestinal flora imbalance and inhibit the inflammatory response.

The Mammalian Family of Katanin Microtubule-Severing Enzymes

The katanin family of microtubule-severing enzymes is critical for cytoskeletal rearrangements that affect key cellular processes like division, migration, signaling, and homeostasis. In humans, aberrant expression, or dysfunction of the katanins, is linked to developmental, proliferative, and neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review current knowledge on the mammalian family of katanins, including an overview of evolutionary conservation, functional domain organization, and the mechanisms that regulate katanin activity. We assess the function of katanins in dividing and non-dividing cells and how their dysregulation promotes impaired ciliary signaling and defects in developmental programs (corticogenesis, gametogenesis, and neurodevelopment) and contributes to neurodegeneration and cancer. We conclude with perspectives on future katanin research that will advance our understanding of this exciting and dynamic class of disease-associated enzymes.