CACYBP knockdown inhibits progression of prostate cancer via p53

Integrative bioinformatics and experimental analyses identify U2SURP as a novel lactylation-related prognostic signature in esophageal carcinoma

The lactylation modification has been implicated in several cancer types; however, the role of lactylation modification-related genes in esophageal carcinoma (EC) remains underexplored. Utilizing a set of 16 lactylation modification-related genes, cohorts of patients with EC were stratified into two distinct clusters, characterized by significant disparities in both survival outcomes and the immune microenvironment. An extensive bioinformatics analysis unveiled 382 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between these two clusters. A subsequent univariate Cox regression analysis identified 24 DEGs specifically associated with lactylation, forming the basis of a constructed lactylation-related score. The resultant lactylation-related score exhibited notable predictive efficacy for survival and other clinicopathological traits, which was validated through calibration curves, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the Wilcoxon test. Moreover, the lactylation-related score displayed a close correlation with immune cell infiltration in EC. Notable differential expressions of immune checkpoints and regulators were observed between groups stratified by low and high lactylation scores, with the latter exhibiting a more favorable response to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Furthermore, the expression profile of U2 snRNP associated SURP domain containing (U2SURP), a constituent of the lactylation-related score, underwent both ex vivo and in vitro validation. The expression of U2SURP was significantly associated with lactylation levels, histological grade and tumor stage. Notably, knockdown of U2SURP expression inhibited the lactylation levels, immune genes IL-1A and IL-1B, proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells. In conclusion, the lactylation-related score developed in the present study showed promise in predicting the prognosis and immunotherapeutic responses among patients with EC. Moreover, the identification of U2SUPR as a novel oncogene in EC suggests its potential as a prospective therapeutic target for EC treatment.

From actinic keratosis to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: the key pathogenesis and treatments

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common non-melanoma skin cancer, among which 82% arise from actinic keratosis (AK) characterized by lesions of epidermal keratinocyte dysplasia. It is of great significance to uncover the progression mechanisms from AK to cSCC, which will facilitate the early therapeutic intervention of AK before malignant transformation. Thus, more and more studies are trying to ascertain the potential transformation mechanisms through multi-omics, including genetics, transcriptomics, and epigenetics. In this review, we gave an overview of the specific biomarkers and signaling pathways that may be involved in the pathogenesis from AK to cSCC, pointing out future possible molecular therapies for the early intervention of AK and cSCC. We also discussed current interventions on AK and cSCC, together with future perspectives.

Pan-analysis reveals CACYBP to be a novel prognostic and predictive marker for multiple cancers

OBJECTIVES

Cancer has emerged as a global issue in terms of public health care and treatment. The significance of calcyclin binding protein (CACYBP) in various neoplasms suggests that it may serve as a novel biomarker for numerous types of human tumors.

METHODS

Our research investigated the differences in CACYBP expression between cancer tissues and normal tissues using a total of 18,787 samples from multiple centers. To explore the prognostic factor of CACYBP in cancers, we utilized Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves. We also conducted Spearman's rank correlation analyses to determine the associations of CACYBP expression with the immune microenvironment, etc. Additionally, we applied gene set enrichment analysis to explore the underlying mechanisms of CACYBP in cancers. A partial validation of CacyBP expression in cancer tissues was performed through lung adenocarcinoma samples using Western blotting and paired t-test.

RESULTS

Compared to normal tissues, CACYBP exhibited high expression levels in 14 cancer types, including breast invasive carcinoma, and low expression levels in six cancers, including glioblastoma multiforme (P < 0.05). CACYBP expression was found to be significantly associated with the prognosis of 13 cancers, including adrenocortical carcinoma (P < 0.05). CACYBP demonstrated a robust ability to distinguish 15 cancers, including cholangiocarcinoma, from their control samples (area under the curve > 0.8). Furthermore, CACYBP expression was correlated with tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, and immune infiltration levels, indicating its potential as an exciting target for cancer treatment. CACYBP may exert its effects on several signaling pathways, including cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, in various cancers. Compared with paired adjacent specimens, the expression level of CacyBP protein was up-regulated in lung adenocarcinoma specimens (P < 0.05), partially validating the increased expression of CACYBP in cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

CACYBP has the potential to serve as a novel prognostic and predictive marker for multiple human cancers.

Blockage of CacyBP inhibits macrophage recruitment and improves anti-PD-1 therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Despite remarkable advancements in cancer immunotherapy, the overall response rate to anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains low. Our previous study has demonstrated the critical role of CacyBP/SIP (Calcyclin-Binding Protein and Siah-1 Interacting Protein) as a regulator of HCC development and progression. However, the possible impact of CacyBP on the tumor immune microenvironment has not yet been clarified.

METHODS

The expressions of CacyBP and Myd88 in HCC cell lines and tissues was detected by bioinformatics analysis, real-time quantitative PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The interaction between CacyBP and Myd88 was measured using co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. In vitro and in vivo assays were used to investigate the regulation of CacyBP on tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs).

RESULTS

We identified that CacyBP was positively correlated with Myd88, a master regulator of innate immunity, and Myd88 was a novel binding substrate downstream of CacyBP in HCC. Additionally, CacyBP protected Myd88 from Siah-1-mediated proteasome-dependent degradation by competitively binding to its Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain. Inhibition of CacyBP-Myd88 signaling subsequently diminished HDAC1-mediated H3K9ac and H3K27ac modifications on the CX3CL1 promoter and reduced its transcription and secretion in HCC cells. Moreover, by using in vitro and in vivo strategies, we demonstrated that depletion of CacyBP impaired the infiltration of TAMs and the immunosuppressive state of the tumor microenvironment, further sensitizing HCC-bearing anti-PD-1 therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that targeting CacyBP may be a novel treatment strategy for improving the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in HCC.