C1632 inhibits ovarian cancer cell growth and migration by inhibiting LIN28 B/let-7/FAK signaling pathway and FAK phosphorylation

The role of RNA binding proteins in cancer biology: A focus on FMRP

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) act as crucial regulators of gene expression within cells, exerting precise control over processes such as RNA splicing, transport, localization, stability, and translation through their specific binding to RNA molecules. The diversity and complexity of RBPs are particularly significant in cancer biology, as they directly impact a multitude of RNA metabolic events closely associated with tumor initiation and progression. The fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), as a member of the RBP family, is central to the neurodevelopmental disorder fragile X syndrome and increasingly recognized in the modulation of cancer biology through its influence on RNA metabolism. The protein's versatility, stemming from its diverse RNA-binding domains, enables it to govern a wide array of transcript processing events. Modifications in FMRP's expression or localization have been associated with the regulation of mRNAs linked to various processes pertinent to cancer, including tumor proliferation, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cellular senescence, chemotherapy/radiotherapy resistance, and immunotherapy evasion. In this review, we emphasize recent findings and analyses that suggest contrasting functions of this protein family in tumorigenesis. Our knowledge of the proteins that are regulated by FMRP is rapidly growing, and this has led to the identification of multiple targets for therapeutic intervention of cancer, some of which have already moved into clinical trials or clinical practice.

UBE2N modulates osteoclast differentiation via BTK-PLCγ2-Ca2+ signaling pathway to promote osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a prevalent public health issue and the underlying mechanism is an imbalance in bone remodeling. Excessive bone resorption caused by upregulation of osteoclast activity is a key factor in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Studies have shown that RNA binding protein (RBP) may play an important role in mechanism of OP through interaction with RNA. It has been reported that ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 2 N (UBE2N), as an RBP, is highly expressed in the clinical samples of osteoporotic patients. However, the role and mechanism of action of UBE2N in the regulation of osteoclast differentiation remain unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of UBE2N in promoting osteoclastogenesis. In this study, we demonstrated that UBE2N is notably elevated in patients with osteoporosis. Furthermore, our findings revealed that the interference of UBE2N significantly improves osteoporosis of mice, and impedes osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption both in vitro and in vivo. To investigate the molecular mechanisms by which UBE2N influences osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption, we employed RNA sequencing to investigate its downstream related molecules and established that UBE2N regulated the expression of bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK). More importantly, we found that UBE2N may affect osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption by enhancing the expression of the p-BTK gene, which activates the phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCγ2)-Ca2+ signaling pathway. Based on these findings, our study highlights the potential of UBE2N as a promising therapeutic target for osteoporosis.

c-Myc-dependent LAMP3 regulates the proliferation, metastasis and metabolic reprogramming of tongue squamous cell carcinoma

To delve into the role and molecular mechanism of lysosome-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3) in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Differential expression of LAMP3 in TSCC from GEO microarray was analyzed, and pathway enrichment analysis of LAMP3 was performed utilizing GSEA. LAMP3 expression was detected by western blot, immumohistochemical staining and qRT-PCR. LAMP3 knockdown plasmid was constructed for a variety of biological function assays to verify the involvement of LAMP3 in TSCC. The upstream transcription factors and binding sites of LAMP3 were bioinformatically predicted. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was applied to check the presence of c-Myc binding to the promoter region of LAMP3 and the regulation of its transcription. Further, a xenograft tumor model was developed to corroborate the impact of LAMP3 on tumor growth in vivo. LAMP3 expression was enhanced in TSCC tissues and cells. LAMP3 knockdown attenuated TSCC cell proliferation, DNA replication and metastatic capacity while induced glucose metabolism reprogramming in vitro. Meanwhile, LAMP3 depletion contributed to the delay of tumor progression in vivo. c-Myc was found bind to the LAMP3 promoter region to positively modulate LAMP3 transcriptional expression. LAMP3 regulated by c-Myc enhanced TSCC cell proliferation, DNA replication capacity while induced glucose metabolism reprogramming, suggesting a potential target for clinical trials in TSCC.

Development of a molecular glue-based Lin28 degrader to regulate cellular proliferation and stemness

Let-7 microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate cellular processes including stemness and proliferation. Lin28, an RNA-binding protein, controls let-7 miRNA biogenesis and is a key factor in maintaining stem cell properties. We developed SB1349, a novel molecular glue-based degrader targeting Lin28. SB1349 induces Lin28 degradation through a proteasome-dependent pathway, enhances let-7 miRNA levels, and downregulates oncogenes c-Myc and IMP1. SB1349 also promotes the differentiation in neuroblastoma cells, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent for various diseases.

Multifunctional targeting of docetaxel plus bakuchiol micelles in the treatment of invasion and metastasis of ovarian cancer

The invasion and metastasis of tumors pose significant challenges in the treatment of ovarian cancer (OC), making it difficult to cure. One potential treatment approach that has gained attention is the use of matrix metalloproteinase reactive controlled release micelle preparations. In this study, we developed a novel PEG5000-PVGLIG-hyaluronic acid docetaxel/bakuchiol (PP-HA-DTX/BAK) micelles formulation with desirable characteristics such as particle size, narrow polydispersity index, and a ZETA potential of approximately -5 mV. The surface modification with HA facilitates tumor penetration into the tumor interior, while the incorporation of DSPE-PEG2000-PVGLIG-PEG5000helps conceal DSPE-PEG2000-HA, reducing off-target effects and prolonging drug circulation timein vivo. Bothin vitroandin vivoexperiments demonstrated that these micelles effectively inhibit proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of OC cells while promoting apoptosis. Therefore, our findings suggest that PP-HA-DTX/BAK micelles represent a safe and effective therapeutic strategy for treating OC.

Identification of small molecule inhibitors against Lin28/let-7 to suppress tumor progression and its alleviation role in LIN28-dependent glucose metabolism

The reciprocal suppression of an RNA-binding protein LIN28 (human abnormal cell lineage 28) and miRNA Let-7 (Lethal 7) is considered to have a prime role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Though targeting this inhibition interaction is effective for therapeutics, it causes other unfavorable effects on glucose metabolism and increased insulin resistance. Hence, this study aims to identify small molecules targeting Lin28/let-7 interaction along with additional potency to improve insulin sensitivity. Of 22,14,996 small molecules screened by high throughput virtual screening, 6 molecules, namely 41354, 1558, 12437, 23837, 15710, and 8319 were able to block the LIN28 interaction with let-7 and increase the insulin sensitivity via interacting with PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors γ). MM-GBSA (Molecular Mechanics-Generalized Born Surface Area) analysis is used to re-score the binding affinity of docked complexes. Upon further analysis, it is also seen that these molecules have superior ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion) properties and form stable complexes with the targets for a significant period in a biologically simulated environment (Molecular Dynamics simulation) for 100 ns. From our results, we hypothesize that these identified 6 small molecules can be potential candidates for HCC treatment and the glucose metabolic disorder caused by the HCC treatment.

Aberrant stem cell and developmental programs in pediatric leukemia

Hematopoiesis is a finely orchestrated process, whereby hematopoietic stem cells give rise to all mature blood cells. Crucially, they maintain the ability to self-renew and/or differentiate to replenish downstream progeny. This process starts at an embryonic stage and continues throughout the human lifespan. Blood cancers such as leukemia occur when normal hematopoiesis is disrupted, leading to uncontrolled proliferation and a block in differentiation of progenitors of a particular lineage (myeloid or lymphoid). Although normal stem cell programs are crucial for tissue homeostasis, these can be co-opted in many cancers, including leukemia. Myeloid or lymphoid leukemias often display stem cell-like properties that not only allow proliferation and survival of leukemic blasts but also enable them to escape treatments currently employed to treat patients. In addition, some leukemias, especially in children, have a fetal stem cell profile, which may reflect the developmental origins of the disease. Aberrant fetal stem cell programs necessary for leukemia maintenance are particularly attractive therapeutic targets. Understanding how hijacked stem cell programs lead to aberrant gene expression in place and time, and drive the biology of leukemia, will help us develop the best treatment strategies for patients.