BAG5 promotes invasion of papillary thyroid cancer cells via upregulation of fibronectin 1 at the translational level

Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP)+ cancer-associated fibroblasts induce macrophage M2-like polarization via the Fibronectin 1-Integrin α5β1 axis in breast cancer

Cancer-associated fibroblasts expressing fibroblast activation protein (FAP+ CAFs) are critical modulators of the breast cancer microenvironment, yet their immunoregulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. Through integrated analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data, clinical specimens, and in vivo and in vitro experiments, we identified FAP+ CAFs as the predominant stromal population associated with poor clinical outcomes and immunosuppressive features. Mechanistically, FAP+ CAFs secrete high levels of fibronectin 1 (FN1), which engages integrin α5β1 on macrophages to trigger FAK-AKT-STAT3 signaling, driving their polarization toward an immunosuppressive M2-like phenotype. Importantly, pharmacological disruption of FN1-integrin α5β1 signaling using Cilengitide effectively reprogrammed the tumor immune landscape and suppressed tumor growth in mice models. These findings establish FAP+ CAF-derived FN1 as a critical orchestrator of tumor immunosuppression and identify the FN1-integrin α5β1 axis as a promising therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Network Pharmacology to Unveil the Mechanism of Berberine in the Treatment of Streptococcus suis Meningitis in Humans and Pigs

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is a major swine pathogen throughout the world as well as an emerging zoonotic agent. Among the symptoms caused by S. suis, including septicemia, pneumonia, endo-carditis, arthritis, and meningitis, the latter is the most overlooked. In the present study, we explored the mechanism of action of berberine against S. suis meningitis by obtaining berberine-related action targets, porcine S. suis meningitis targets, and human S. suis meningitis targets from open databases. We constructed a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network by using the STRING database and employed Cytoscape 3.8.0 to screen for core targets. We performed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses through DAVID. We identified 31 potential targets of berberine, of which Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), fibronectin 1 (FN1), superoxide dismutase (SOD1), and catalase (CAT) were the four most critical targets. GO analysis revealed the enrichment of terms related to the response to oxidative stress and the inflammatory response. KEGG analysis revealed the enrichment of the interleukin 17 (IL-17), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt, TLR, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways. In addition, the admetSAR results showed that berberine can cross the blood-brain barrier. The molecular docking results indicated key binding activity between TLR4-berberine and FN1-berberine. In summary, berberine protects against Streptococcus suis meningitis by regulating inflammatory response and oxidative stress in humans and pigs. Our study updates the current knowledge of the targets of S. suis meningitis to exploit new drugs in humans and pigs, to develop environmentally friendly and antibiotic-free animal-derived food products, and to improve the farming industry and economic development.

Protein Quality Control in Glioblastoma: A Review of the Current Literature with New Perspectives on Therapeutic Targets

Protein quality control allows eukaryotes to maintain proteostasis under the stress of constantly changing conditions. In this review, we discuss the current literature on PQC, highlighting flaws that must exist for malignancy to occur. At the nidus of PQC, the expression of BAG1-6 reflects the cell environment; each isoform directs proteins toward different, parallel branches of the quality control cascade. The sum of these branches creates a net shift toward either homeostasis or apoptosis. With an established role in ALP, Bag3 is necessary for cell survival in stress conditions including those of the cancerous niche (i.e., hypoxia, hypermutation). Evidence suggests that excessive Bag3–HSP70 activity not only sustains, but also propagates cancers. Its role is anti-apoptotic—which allows malignant cells to persist—and intercellular—with the production of infectious ‘oncosomes’ enabling cancer expansion and recurrence. While Bag3 has been identified as a key prognostic indicator in several cancer types, its investigation is limited regarding glioblastoma. The cochaperone HSP70 has been strongly linked with GBM, while ALP inhibitors have been shown to improve GBM susceptibility to chemotherapeutics. Given the highly resilient, frequently recurrent nature of GBM, the targeting of Bag3 is a necessary consideration for the successful and definitive treatment of GBM.

MicroRNA-144-3p Represses the Growth and EMT of Thyroid Cancer via the E2F2/TNIK Axis in Cells and Male BALB/c Nude Mice

CONTEXT

microRNA (miR/miRNA)-144-3p has been implicated in thyroid cancer (TC) progression with poorly identified mechanisms. Furthermore, E2F2 has been documented to assume a role in the development of various cancers.

OBJECTIVE

This research sought to ascertain the role of miR-144-3p in growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in TC in cells and male BALB/c nude mice.

METHODS

In the obtained TC cells, miR-144-3p expression was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and E2F2 and TNIK expression by Western blot analysis. After gain- and loss-of-function assays, cell viability, clone formation, migration, and invasion were assessed by cell counting kit-8, clone formation, scratch, and Transwell assays. The expression of EMT-related proteins (Snail, Vimentin, N-cadherin, and E-cadherin) was tested by Western blot analysis. The targeting relationship between miR-144-3p and E2F2 was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter and radioimmunoprecipitation assays, and the binding relationship between E2F2 and TNIK by dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. TC cell growth in vivo was determined by subcutaneous tumorigenesis assays in nude mice.

RESULTS

miR-144-3p was downregulated, whereas E2F2 and TNIK were upregulated in TC cells. Mechanistically, miR-144-3p inversely targeted E2F2, which increased TNIK expression by binding to TNIK promoter in TC cells. Overexpression of miR-144-3p reduced proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT of FRO and KTC3 cells, which was nullified by overexpressing E2F2 or TNIK expression. Upregulation of miR-144-3p diminished FRO cell growth and EMT in nude mice, which was abrogated by overexpressing TNIK.

CONCLUSION

miR-144-3p inhibits cell growth and EMT in TC through E2F2/TNIK axis inactivation in cells and male BALB/c nude mice.

Circulating Exosomal miR-144-3p from Crohn’s Disease Patients Inhibits Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell Function by Targeting FN1

Background

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic nonspecific inflammatory disease with unknown pathogenesis and vascular changes associated with the progression of CD. Many studies have shown that miRNAs participate in the development of CD. However, the effect of miRNAs in circulating exosomes on vascular endothelial cells in CD has not been investigated. Our study is aimed at identifying the differential miRNAs in circulating exosomes in CD and exploring their potential roles in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Methods

In our study, exosomes were extracted from circulating blood to identify differential miRNAs. After in vitro transfection of HUVECs with miR-144-3p mimics and inhibitors and the corresponding controls, cell counting kit-8, wound healing, Transwell migration, and tube formation assays were performed to study the viability, migration, and angiogenesis of HUVECs. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis was used to predict miRNA targets. Western blotting was used to determine protein expression. In addition, exogenous supplementation with the fibronectin 1 (FN1) protein rescued the effects of miR-144-3p on changes in cell function in vitro.

Results

miR-144-3p was significantly increased in circulating exosomes of patients with CD compared with those in the control group. The promotion or inhibition of miR-144-3p correspondingly abolished or accelerated cell viability, migration, and angiogenesis. FN1 is a significant target of miR-144-3p, and exogenous FN1 administration improved the function of HUVECs in vitro.

Conclusions

Circulating exosomal miR-144-3p from patients with active CD contributes to vascular endothelial dysfunction by affecting the gene expression of FN1. These findings suggested that circulating exosomal miR-144-3p could be a potential biological marker for CD.

Genome editing and cancer: How far has research moved forward on CRISPR/Cas9?

Cancer accounted for almost ten million deaths worldwide in 2020. Metastasis, characterized by cancer cell invasion to other parts of the body, is the main cause of cancer morbidity and mortality. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of tumor formation and discovery of potential drug targets are of great importance. Gene editing techniques can be used to find novel drug targets and study molecular mechanisms. In this review, we describe how popular gene-editing methods such as CRISPR/Cas9, TALEN and ZFNs work, and, by comparing them, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9 has superior efficiency and precision. We further provide an overview of the recent applications of CRISPR/Cas9 to cancer research, focusing on the most common cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer. We describe how these applications will shape future research and treatment of cancer, and propose new ways to overcome current challenges.

Apoptosis-related genes-based prognostic signature for osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a common malignant primary tumor of skeleton, especially in children and adolescents, characterized by high lung metastasis rate. Apoptosis has been studied in various tumors, while the prognostic role of apoptosis-related genes in OS has been seldom studied. Three OS related datasets were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Univariate Cox and LASSO Cox regression analysis identified optimal genes, which were used for building prognostic Risk score. Subsequent multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis determined the independent prognostic factors for OS. The immune cell infiltration was analyzed in CIBERSORT. Basing on 680 apoptosis-related genes, the OS patients could be divided into 2 clusters with significantly different overall survival. Among which, 6 optimal genes were identified to construct Risk score. In both training set (GSE21257) and validation set (meta-GEO dataset), high risk OS patients had significantly worse overall survival compared with the low risk patients. Besides, high Risk score was an independent poor prognostic factor for OS with various ages or genders. Three immune cells were differentially infiltrated between high and low risk OS patients. In conclusion, a six-gene (TERT, TRAP1, DNM1L, BAG5, PLEKHF1 and PPP3CB) based prognostic Risk score signature is probably conducive to distinguish different prognosis of OS patients.

BAG family proteins contributes to autophagy-mediated multidrug resistance of tumor

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a significant cause of tumor treatment failure. Accumulating evidence suggests that autophagy plays a significant role in the development of MDR. Autophagy is a conserved mechanism that maintains tumor homeostasis by removing damaged mitochondria. However, the specific regulatory mechanism is unclear. Here, we summarize recent studies on the role of autophagy in the development of MDR and the initiation of mitophagy by Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) family proteins. Additionally, this mini-review emphasizes the regulatory role of BAG family proteins, which maintain mitochondrial homeostasis by regulating the PINK1/Parkin pathway. Elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms of mitophagy may foster the development of clinical therapeutic strategies for MDR tumors.

The Autoantibodies against Tumor-Associated Antigens as Potential Blood-Based Biomarkers in Thyroid Neoplasia: Rationales, Opportunities and Challenges

The Autoantibodies targeting Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAA-AAbs) emerge as a result of a variety of tumor-related immunogenic stimuli and may be regarded as the eyewitnesses to the anti-tumor immune response. TAA-AAbs may be readily detected in peripheral blood to unveil the presence of a particular TAA-expressing tumor, and a fair number of TAAs eliciting the tumor-associated autoantibody response have been identified. The potential of TAA-AAbs as tumor biomarkers has been extensively studied in many human malignancies with a major influence on public health; however, tumors of the endocrine system, and, in particular, the well-differentiated follicular cell-derived thyroid neoplasms, remain understudied in this context. This review provides a detailed perspective on and legitimate rationales for the potential use of TAA-AAbs in thyroid neoplasia, with particular reference to the already established diagnostic implications of the TAA-AAbs in human cancer, to the windows for improvement and diagnostic niches in the current workup strategies in nodular thyroid disease and differentiated thyroid cancer that TAA-AAbs may successfully occupy, as well as to the proof-of-concept studies demonstrating the usefulness of TAA-AAbs in thyroid oncology, particularly for the pre-surgical discrimination between tumors of different malignant potential in the context of the indeterminate results of the fine-needle aspiration cytology.

Gene Editing with CRISPR/Cas Methodology and Thyroid Cancer: Where Are We?

Simple Summary

The advent of genomic editing with CRISPR/Cas9 has transformed the way we manipulate the genome, and has facilitated the investigation of tumor cell biology in vitro and in vivo. Not only we can modify genome sequence to blunt an overactivated gene or correct a mutation, but also we may modulate gene expression using CRISPR/Cas system. In this review, we present the basics of CRISPR/Cas methodology, its components and how to start a CRISPR/Cas experiment; Moreover, we present how CRISPR/Cas methodology has been applied to study the function of coding and noncoding genes in thyroid cancer and provided insights into cancer biology.

Abstract

Important advances on the role of genetic alterations in thyroid cancer have been achieved in the last two decades. One key reason is linked to the development of technical approaches that allowed for the mimicking of genetic alterations in vitro and in vivo and, more recently, the gene editing methodology. The CRISPR/Cas methodology has emerged as a tangible tool for editing virtually any DNA sequence in the genome. To induce a double-strand break and programmable gene editing, Cas9 endonuclease is guided by a single-guide RNA (sgRNA) that is complementary to the target sequence in DNA. The gene editing per se occurs as the cells repair the broken DNA and may erroneously change the original DNA sequence. In this review, we explore the principles of the CRISPR/Cas system to facilitate an understanding of the mainstream technique and its applications in gene editing. Furthermore, we explored new applications of CRISPR/Cas for gene modulation without changing the DNA sequence and provided a Dry Lab experience for those who are interested in starting “CRISPRing” any given gene. In the last section, we will discuss the progress in the knowledge of thyroid cancer biology fostered by the CRISPR/Cas gene editing tools.

MicroRNAs in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: What Is New in Diagnosis and Treatment

Introduction

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) accounts for up to 80% of thyroid malignancies. New diagnostic and therapeutic options are suggested including innovative molecular methods. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are nonprotein coding single-stranded RNAs that regulate many cell processes. The aim of the present study is to review the deregulated miRNAs associated with PTCs.

Methods

A bibliographic research was conducted, resulting in 272 articles referred to miRNAs and PTC. Regarding our exclusion criteria, 183 articles were finally included in our review.

Results

A remarkably large number of miRNAs have been found to be deregulated during PTC manifestation in the literature. The deregulated miRNAs are detected in tissue samples, serum/plasma, and FNA samples of patients with PTC. These miRNAs are related to several molecular pathways, involving genes and proteins responsible for important biological processes. MiRNA deregulation is associated with tumor aggressiveness, including larger tumor size, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node and distant metastasis, and advanced tumor node metastasis stage.

Conclusion

MiRNAs are proposed as new diagnostic and therapeutic tools regarding PTC. They could be essential biomarkers for PTC diagnosis applied in serum and FNA samples, while their contribution to prognosis is of great importance.

Over-Expression and Prognostic Significance of FN1, Correlating With Immune Infiltrates in Thyroid Cancer

Background

Thyroid cancer (THCA) is a malignancy affecting the endocrine system, which currently has no effective treatment due to a limited number of suitable drugs and prognostic markers.

Methods

Three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets were selected to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between THCA and normal thyroid samples using GEO2R tools of National Center for Biotechnology Information. We identified hub gene FN1 using functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction network analyses. Subsequently, we evaluated the importance of gene expression on clinical prognosis using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and GEO datasets. MEXPRESS was used to investigate the correlation between gene expression and DNA methylation; the correlations between FN1 and cancer immune infiltrates were investigated using CIBERSORT. In addition, we assessed the effect of silencing FN1 expression, using an in vitro cellular model of THCA. Immunohistochemical(IHC) was used to elevate the correlation between CD276 and FN1.

Results

FN1 expression was highly correlated with progression-free survival and moderately to strongly correlated with the infiltration levels of M2 macrophages and resting memory CD4+ T cells, as well as with CD276 expression. We suggest promoter hypermethylation as the mechanism underlying the observed changes in FN1 expression, as 20 CpG sites in 507 THCA cases in TCGA database showed a negative correlation with FN1 expression. In addition, silencing FN1 expression suppressed clonogenicity, motility, invasiveness, and the expression of CD276 in vitro. The correlation between FN1 and CD276 was further confirmed by immunohistochemical.

Conclusion

Our findings show that FN1 expression levels correlate with prognosis and immune infiltration levels in THCA, suggesting that FN1 expression be used as an immunity-related biomarker and therapeutic target in THCA.

Implication of BAG5 downregulation in metabolic reprogramming of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells via mTORC2 signaling pathway

Ovarian cancer is the most frequent cause of gynecologic malignancies associated death. Primary or acquired cisplatin resistance is frequently occurred during ovarian cancer therapy. Cancer stem cells (CSC) tend to form minimal residual disease after chemotherapy and are implicated in relapse. The ability of cancer cells to reprogram their metabolism has recently been related with maintenance of CSC and resistance to chemotherapies. The current study found that BAG5 expression was decreased in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells and clinical tissues. Our data demonstrated that BAG5 knockdown was implicated in metabolic reprogramming and maintenance of cancer stem cell (CSC)-like features of ovarian cancer cells via regulation of Rictor and subsequent mTORC2 signaling pathway. In addition, the current study demonstrated that Bcl6 upregulation was responsible for repression of BAG5 transactivation via recruitment on the BAG5 promoter in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer. The current study also demonstrated reverse correlations between BAG5 and Bcl6, BAG5 and Rictor in ovarian serous adenocarcinoma tissues. Collectively, the current study identified the implication of Bcl6/BAG5/Rictor-mTORC2 signaling pathway in metabolic reprograming and maintenance of CSC-like features in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Therefore, further studies on the mechanism underlying regulation of metabolic reprogramming and CSC-like characteristics of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells may contribute to the establishment of novel therapeutic strategy for cisplatin-resistance.

Identification of BAG5 from orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) involved in viral infection

Bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (BAG5) is a kind of molecular chaperone that can bind to the Bcl-2 and modulate cell survival. However, little is known about the functions of fish BAG5. In this study, we characterized a BAG5 homolog from orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) gene (Ec-BAG5) and investigated its roles during viral infection. The Ec-BAG5 protein encoded 468 amino acids with four BAG domains, which shared high identities with reported BAG5. The highest transcriptional level of Ec-BAG5 was found in the peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL). And the Ec-BAG5 expression were significantly up-regulated after red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) or Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in vitro. Furthermore, Ec-BAG5 overexpression could inhibited viral replication and the expression of viral genes (coat protein (CP) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp)). Also, overexpression of Ec-BAG5 significantly increased the expression of interferon pathway-related factors including interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3), interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15), interferon-induced protein 35 (IFP35), myxovirus resistance gene 1 (Mx1) and inflammatory-related factors including tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), as well as the activities of NF-κB, ISRE and IFN-1. These data indicate that Ec-BAG5 can affect viral infection through regulating the expression of IFN- and inflammation-related factors, which provide useful information to better understand the immune response against viral infection.

Screening and bioinformatical analysis of differentially expressed genes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Objective: To identify differentially expressed genes via bioinformatical analysis for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and explore potential biomarkers for NPC.

Methods: We downloaded the NPC gene expression datasets (GSE40290, GSE53819) and obtained differentially expressed genes (DEGs) via GEO2R. Functional analysis of DEGs was performed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. In order to explore the interaction of DEGs and screen the core genes, we established protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Then the expression level, prognostic and diagnostic analysis of the core genes in NPC were performed to reveal their potential effects on NPC. Furthermore, we obtained the transcription factors (TF) and microRNAs of core genes to construct the coregulatory network.

Results: We obtained 124 up-regulated genes and 190 down-regulated genes in total. These genes were found to be related to signal transduction, extracellular matrix organization and cell adhesion based on GO analysis. KEGG analysis revealed that the NF-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, pathways in cancer were mainly enriched signaling pathways. 25 core genes were obtained by constructing PPI network. Then the high expression of 10 core genes in NPC were verified via GEPIA, Oncomine databases and laboratory experiments. The TF-microRNA coregulatory network of the 10 core genes was built. Survival and diagnostic analysis indicated that SPP1 had negative influence on the prognosis of NPC patients based on two datasets and nine up-regulated core genes (FN1, MMP1, MMP3, PLAU, PLAUR, SERPINE1, SPP1, COL8A1, COL10A1) might be diagnostic markers for NPC.

Conclusions: Core genes of NPC were screened out by bioinformatical analysis in the present study and these genes may serve as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for NPC.

Circ_0008305-mediated miR-660/BAG5 axis contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis

Increasing circRNAs have attracted a lot of attention because of their significant biological effects in many diseases. It has been reported that circ_0008305 can modulate lung cancer progression. However, the association between circ_0008305 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) needs to be well explored. In this current research, we studied the molecular function and potential mechanism of circ_0008305 in HCC progression. First, it was demonstrated that circ_0008305 was greatly increased in HCC tissues and cells. Moreover, we observed silencing circ_0008305 markedly repressed HCC cells in vitro growth and reduced tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, it was identified that circ_0008305 can act as a sponge of miR‐660 while miR‐660 targeted Bcl‐2‐associated athanogene 5 (BAG5). BAG5 belongs to a member of BAG family and it is involved in multiple diseases. We reported that circ_0008305 contributed to the inhibition of miR‐660, which resulted in an upregulated expression of BAG5 in HCC. Subsequently, rescue assays were conducted and it was indicated that loss of BAG5 reversed the effects of miR‐660 inhibitors on HCC partially. To sum up, it was illustrated by our study that circ_0008305‐mediated miR‐660‐5p/BAG5 axis triggered HCC progression, which could provide a novel insight on the underlying mechanism of HCC progression.