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Alsakhen N, Radwan ES, Zafer I, Abed Alfattah H, Shamkh IM, Rehman MT, Shahwan M, Khan KA, Ahmed SA. Computational analysis of bevacizumab binding with protein receptors for its potential anticancer activity. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-21. [PMID: 38281913 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2307445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer poses a significant global challenge, prompting researchers to explore novel approaches for potential treatments. In this study, we investigated the binding free energy (ΔG) of bevacizumab, an anti-cancer therapy targeting angiogenesis through the inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), with various proto-oncogenes including CDK4, EGFR, frizzled, IGFR, OmoMYC, and KIT. Our in-silico investigation revealed that hydrogen bonding is pivotal in inducing conformational changes within the DNA structure, impeding its replication and preventing cell death. Molecular docking results revealed the presence of crucial hydrogen bonds and supported the formation of stable bevacizumab complexes. The molecular docking scores for the tested complexes were CDK4 (Score = -7.2 kcal/mol), EGFR (Score = -8.5 kcal/mol), frizzled (Score = -6.9 kcal/mol), IGFR (Score = -7.8 kcal/mol), KIT (Score = -6.5 kcal/mol), and MYC (Score = -8.3 kcal/mol). The binding mode demonstrated vital hydrogen bonds correlated with the observed energy gap. Notably, the calculated binding free energies of the tested compounds are as follows: CDK4 (ΔG = 24275.195 ± 6411.293 kJ/mol), EGFR (ΔG = 363273.625 ± 8731.466 kJ/mol), frizzled (ΔG = 181751.990 ± 28438.515 kJ/mol), IGFR (ΔG = 162414.725 ± 10728.367 kJ/mol), KIT (ΔG = 40162.585 ± 4331.017 kJ/mol), and MYC (ΔG = 434783.463 ± 53989.676 kJ/mol). Furthermore, through extensive 100 ns MD simulations, we observed the formation of a stable bevacizumab complex structure. The simulations confirmed the stability of the bevacizumab complex with the proto-oncogenes. The results of this study highlight the potential of bevacizumab complex as a promising candidate for anticancer treatment. The identification of hydrogen bonding, along with the calculated binding free energies and molecular docking scores, provides valuable insights into the molecular interactions and stability of the bevacizumab complexes. These findings and the extensive MD simulations open new avenues for future research and development of bevacizumab as a targeted therapy for breast cancer and other related malignancies.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nada Alsakhen
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan
| | | | - Imran Zafer
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Virtual University, Lahore, Pakistan
| | | | - Israa M Shamkh
- Botany and Microbiology department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Md Tabish Rehman
- College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Center for Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - Moayad Shahwan
- Center for Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - Khalid Ali Khan
- Applied College, Center of Bee Research and its Products, Unit of Bee Research and Honey Production, and Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shimaa A Ahmed
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni Suef, Egypt
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Samidurai A, Olex AL, Ockaili R, Kraskauskas D, Roh SK, Kukreja RC, Das A. Integrated Analysis of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Network in Rapamycin-Induced Cardioprotection against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Diabetic Rabbits. Cells 2023; 12:2820. [PMID: 38132140 PMCID: PMC10742118 DOI: 10.3390/cells12242820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) with rapamycin (RAPA) provides protection against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in diabetes. Since interactions between transcripts, including long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), microRNA(miRNA) and mRNA, regulate the pathophysiology of disease, we performed unbiased miRarray profiling in the heart of diabetic rabbits following I/R injury with/without RAPA treatment to identify differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and their predicted targets of lncRNAs/mRNAs. Results showed that among the total of 806 unique miRNAs targets, 194 miRNAs were DE after I/R in diabetic rabbits. Specifically, eight miRNAs, including miR-199a-5p, miR-154-5p, miR-543-3p, miR-379-3p, miR-379-5p, miR-299-5p, miR-140-3p, and miR-497-5p, were upregulated and 10 miRNAs, including miR-1-3p, miR-1b, miR-29b-3p, miR-29c-3p, miR-30e-3p, miR-133c, miR-196c-3p, miR-322-5p, miR-499-5p, and miR-672-5p, were significantly downregulated after I/R injury. Interestingly, RAPA treatment significantly reversed these changes in miRNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated the participation of miRNAs in the regulation of several signaling pathways related to I/R injury, including MAPK signaling and apoptosis. Furthermore, in diabetic hearts, the expression of lncRNAs, HOTAIR, and GAS5 were induced after I/R injury, but RAPA suppressed these lncRNAs. In contrast, MALAT1 was significantly reduced following I/R injury, with the increased expression of miR-199a-5p and suppression of its target, the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. RAPA recovered MALAT1 expression with its sponging effect on miR-199-5p and restoration of Bcl-2 expression. The identification of novel targets from the transcriptome analysis in RAPA-treated diabetic hearts could potentially lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for diabetic patients with myocardial infarction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Samidurai
- Division of Cardiology, Pauley Heart Center, Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (A.S.); (R.O.); (D.K.); (S.K.R.)
| | - Amy L. Olex
- Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
| | - Ramzi Ockaili
- Division of Cardiology, Pauley Heart Center, Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (A.S.); (R.O.); (D.K.); (S.K.R.)
| | - Donatas Kraskauskas
- Division of Cardiology, Pauley Heart Center, Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (A.S.); (R.O.); (D.K.); (S.K.R.)
| | - Sean K. Roh
- Division of Cardiology, Pauley Heart Center, Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (A.S.); (R.O.); (D.K.); (S.K.R.)
| | - Rakesh C. Kukreja
- Division of Cardiology, Pauley Heart Center, Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (A.S.); (R.O.); (D.K.); (S.K.R.)
| | - Anindita Das
- Division of Cardiology, Pauley Heart Center, Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (A.S.); (R.O.); (D.K.); (S.K.R.)
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Tulalamba W, Ngernsombat C, Larbcharoensub N, Janvilisri T. Transcriptomic profiling revealed FZD10 as a novel biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma recurrence. Front Oncol 2023; 12:1084713. [PMID: 36776376 PMCID: PMC9909960 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1084713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of cancers that develops in the nasopharynx, the very upper part of the throat behind the nose. NPC is typically diagnosed in later stages of the disease and has a high rate of recurrence due to the location of the tumor growth site. In this study, we compared the gene expression profiles of NPC tissues from patients with and without recurrence to identify potential molecular biomarkers of NPC recurrence. Methods Microarrays were used to analyze the expression of genes in 15 NPC tissues taken at the time of diagnosis and at the site of recurrence following therapeutic treatment. Pathway enrichment analysis was used to examine the biological interactions between the major differentially expressed genes. The target identified was then validated using immunohistochemistry on 86 NPC tissue samples. Results Our data showed that the Wnt signaling pathway was enhanced in NPC tissues with recurrence. FZD10, a component of the Wnt signaling pathway, was significantly expressed in NPC tissues, and was significantly associated with NPC recurrence. Conclusion Our study provides new insights into the pathogenesis of NPC and identifies FZD10 as a potential molecular biomarker for NPC recurrence. FZD10 may be a promising candidate for NPC recurrence and a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warut Tulalamba
- Siriraj Center of Research Excellence in Advanced Gene and Cell Therapy (Si-CORE-AGCT) and Thalassemia Center, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand,Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chawalit Ngernsombat
- Division of Biochemistry, Department of Preclinical Science, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Noppadol Larbcharoensub
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tavan Janvilisri
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand,*Correspondence: Tavan Janvilisri,
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Mondal A, Paul D, Dastidar SG, Saha T, Goswami AM. In silico analyses of Wnt1 nsSNPs reveal structurally destabilizing variants, altered interactions with Frizzled receptors and its deregulation in tumorigenesis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14934. [PMID: 36056132 PMCID: PMC9440047 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19299-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Wnt1 is the first mammalian Wnt gene, which is discovered as proto-oncogene and in human the gene is located on the chromosome 12q13. Mutations in Wnt1 are reported to be associated with various cancers and other human diseases. The structural and functional consequences of most of the non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs), present in the human Wnt1 gene, are not known. In the present work, extensive bioinformatics analyses are used to screen 292 nsSNPs of Wnt1 for predicting pathogenic and harmless polymorphisms. We have identified 10 highly deleterious nsSNPs among which 7 are located within the highly conserved areas. These 10 nsSNPs are also predicted to affect the post-translational modifications of Wnt1. Further, structure based stability analyses of these 10 highly deleterious nsSNPs revealed 8 variants as highly destabilizing. These 8 highly destabilizing variants were shown to have high BC score and high RMSIP score from normal mode analyses. Based on the deformation energies, obtained from the normal mode analyses, variants like G169A, G169S, G331R and G331S were found to be unstable. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations revealed structural stability and fluctuation of WT Wnt1 and its prioritized variants. RMSD remained fluctuating mostly between 4 and 5 Å and occasionally between 3.5 and 5.5 Å ranges. RMSF in the CTD region (residues 330–360) of the binding pocket were lower compared to that of WT. Studying the impacts of nsSNPs on the binding interface of Wnt1 and seven Frizzled receptors have predicted substitutions which can stabilize or destabilize the binding interface. We have found that Wnt1 and FZD8-CRD is the best docked complex in our study. MD simulation based analyses of wild type Wnt1-FZD8-CRD complex and the 8 prioritized variants revealed that RMSF was higher in the unstructured regions and RMSD remained fluctuating in the region of 5 Å ± 1 Å. We have also observed differential Wnt1 gene expression pattern in normal, tumor and metastatic conditions across different tissues. Wnt1 gene expression was significantly higher in metastatic tissues of lungs, colon and skin; and was significantly lower in metastatic tissues of breast, esophagus and kidney. We have also found that Wnt1 deregulation is associated with survival outcome in patients with gastric and breast cancer. Furthermore, these computationally screened highly deleterious nsSNPs of Wnt1 can be analyzed in population based genetic studies and may help understand the Wnt1 associated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalesh Mondal
- Department of Physiology, Katwa College, Purba Bardhaman, Katwa, West Bengal, 713130, India.,Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Nadia, Kalyani, India
| | - Debarati Paul
- Division of Bioinformatics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Shubhra Ghosh Dastidar
- Division of Bioinformatics, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700054, India
| | - Tanima Saha
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Kalyani, Nadia, Kalyani, India.
| | - Achintya Mohan Goswami
- Department of Physiology, Krishnagar Govt. College, Nadia, Krishnagar, West Bengal, 741101, India.
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Sompel K, Dwyer-Nield LD, Smith AJ, Elango AP, Vanderlinden LA, Kopf K, Keith RL, Tennis MA. Loss of Frizzled 9 in Lung Cells Alters Epithelial Phenotype and Promotes Premalignant Lesion Development. Front Oncol 2022; 12:815737. [PMID: 35924166 PMCID: PMC9343062 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.815737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The transmembrane receptor Frizzled 9 (FZD9) is important for fetal neurologic and bone development through both canonical and non-canonical WNT/FZD signaling. In the adult lung, however, Fzd9 helps to maintain a normal epithelium by signaling through peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPARγ). The effect of FZD9 loss on normal lung epithelial cells and regulators of its expression in the lung are unknown. We knocked down FZD9 in human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) lines and found that downstream EMT targets and PPARγ activity are altered. We used a FZD9-/- mouse in the urethane lung adenocarcinoma model and found FZD9-/- adenomas had more proliferation, increased EMT signaling, decreased activation of PPARγ, increased expression of lung cancer associated genes, increased transformed growth, and increased potential for invasive behavior. We identified PPARγ as a transcriptional regulator of FZD9. We also demonstrated that extended cigarette smoke exposure in HBEC leads to decreased FZD9 expression, decreased activation of PPARγ, and increased transformed growth, and found that higher exposure to cigarette smoke in human lungs leads to decreased FZD9 expression. These results provide evidence for the role of FZD9 in lung epithelial maintenance and in smoking related malignant transformation. We identified the first transcriptional regulator of FZD9 in the lung and found FZD9 negative lesions are more dangerous. Loss of FZD9 creates a permissive environment for development of premalignant lung lesions, making it a potential target for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Sompel
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Lori D Dwyer-Nield
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Alex J Smith
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Alamelu P Elango
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Lauren A Vanderlinden
- School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Katrina Kopf
- Office of Academic Affairs, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Robert L Keith
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Meredith A Tennis
- School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
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6
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Sompel K, Dwyer-Nield LD, Smith AJ, Elango A, Backos DS, Zhang B, Gross J, Ternyak K, Matsuda JL, Kopf K, Keith RL, Tennis MA. Iloprost requires the Frizzled-9 receptor to prevent lung cancer. iScience 2022; 25:104442. [PMID: 35707728 PMCID: PMC9189122 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Prevention of premalignant lesion progression is a promising approach to reducing lung cancer burden in high-risk populations. Substantial preclinical and clinical evidence has demonstrated efficacy of the prostacyclin analogue iloprost for lung cancer chemoprevention. Iloprost activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) to initiate chemopreventive signaling and in vitro, which requires the transmembrane receptor Frizzled9 (FZD9). We hypothesized a Fzd 9 -/- mouse would not be protected by iloprost in a lung cancer model. Fzd 9 -/- mice were treated with inhaled iloprost in a urethane model of lung adenoma. We found that Fzd 9 -/- mice treated with iloprost were not protected from adenoma development compared to wild-type mice nor did they demonstrate increased activation of iloprost signaling pathways. Our results established that iloprost requires FZD9 in vivo for lung cancer chemoprevention. This work represents a critical advancement in defining iloprost's chemopreventive mechanisms and identifies a potential response marker for future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Sompel
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Lori D. Dwyer-Nield
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Alex J. Smith
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Alamelu Elango
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Don S. Backos
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Robert L. Keith
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
- Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Meredith A. Tennis
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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Meng Q, Li Y, Sun Z, Yang X. CircRNA hsa_circ_0070659 predicts poor prognosis and promotes non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression via microRNA-377 (miR-377) / Ras-Associated Binding Protein 3C (RAB3C) pathway. Bioengineered 2022; 13:14578-14594. [PMID: 36694911 PMCID: PMC9995125 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2091572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A large number of circular RNAs (circRNAs) are dysregulated in lung cancer and affect the progression and prognosis of lung disease. Herein, this study selected specific circular RNA (circ_0070659) by bioinformatics analysis and aimed to investigate the role of circ_0070659 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The differentially expressed circRNA (hsa_circ_0070659) in NSCLC was screened from public databases (GEO), and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was carried out to identify the circ_0070659 levels in cancer tissues and cells. NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities after circ_0070659 silencing was detected by colony formation assay, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay. Targeted binding between microRNA-377 (miR-377) and circ_0070659 or Ras-Associated Binding Protein 3C (RAB3C) was verified by western blot, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and RNA pull-down assay. Our experimental results showed that circ_0070659 levels were largely increased in tumor tissues and cells. Biologically, knockdown of circ_0070659 obviously inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, circ_0070659 promoted RAB3C-mediated proliferation and invasion through sponging miR-377. Furthermore, miR-377 inhibitor reversed the inhibitory ability of circ_0070659 silencing on malignant biological behavior of NSCLC cells. Our study revealed a novel signaling pathway that circ_0070659/miR-377/RAB3C axis regulates tumor progression, and it may become a new therapeutic target for NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingjun Meng
- Thoracic Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Yanguang Li
- Thoracic Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Zhen Sun
- Thoracic Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Xue Yang
- CT Diagnosis Department, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou, Hebei, China
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Bae SJ, Jo Y, Cho MK, Jin JS, Kim JY, Shim J, Kim YH, Park JK, Ryu D, Lee HJ, Joo J, Ha KT. Identification and analysis of novel endometriosis biomarkers via integrative bioinformatics. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:942368. [PMID: 36339397 PMCID: PMC9630743 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.942368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Endometriosis is a gynecological disease prevalent in women of reproductive age, and it is characterized by the ectopic presence and growth of the eutopic endometrium. The pathophysiology and diagnostic biomarkers of endometriosis have not yet been comprehensively determined. To discover molecular markers and pathways underlying the pathogenesis of endometriosis, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in three Gene Expression Omnibus microarray datasets (GSE11691, GSE23339, and GSE7305) and performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses. We also validated the identified genes via immunohistochemical analysis of tissues obtained from patients with endometriosis or healthy volunteers. A total of 118 DEGs (79 upregulated and 39 downregulated) were detected in each dataset with a lower (fold change) FC cutoff (log2|FC| > 1), and 17 DEGs (11 upregulated and six downregulated) with a higher FC cutoff (log2|FC| > 2). KEGG and GO functional analyses revealed enrichment of signaling pathways associated with inflammation, complement activation, cell adhesion, and extracellular matrix in endometriotic tissues. Upregulation of seven genes (C7, CFH, FZD7, LY96, PDLIM3, PTGIS, and WISP2) out of 17 was validated via comparison with external gene sets, and protein expression of four genes (LY96, PDLIM3, PTGIS, and WISP2) was further analyzed by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. Based on these results, we suggest that TLR4/NF-κB and Wnt/frizzled signaling pathways, as well as estrogen receptors, regulate the progression of endometriosis. These pathways may be therapeutic and diagnostic targets for endometriosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Jin Bae
- Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea
| | - Yunju Jo
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Min Kyoung Cho
- Korean Medical Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jung-Sook Jin
- Korean Medical Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jin-Young Kim
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jaewon Shim
- Department of Biochemistry, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, South Korea
| | - Yun Hak Kim
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Jang-Kyung Park
- Department of Korean Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea
| | - Dongryeol Ryu
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Hyun Joo Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea
| | - Jongkil Joo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Jongkil Joo, ; Ki-Tae Ha,
| | - Ki-Tae Ha
- Korean Medical Research Center for Healthy Aging, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
- Department of Korean Medical Science, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Jongkil Joo, ; Ki-Tae Ha,
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