TMED2 promotes glioma tumorigenesis by being involved in EGFR recycling transport

Study on the role and mechanism of TMED2 in oral squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

This study investigated TMED2 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its effects on SCC9 cell behaviors, including proliferation, migration, invasion, and autophagy, to support OSCC diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

TMED2 expression was analyzed in TCGA and GEO databases, and protein levels in OSCC tissues were examined via HE staining and tissue microarrays. SCC9 cells, with high TMED2 expression, were used to assess TMED2's effects on cell proliferation, invasion, and cell cycle. TMED2 knockdown was performed with lentiviral vectors, and RT-PCR and Western blotting explored the autophagy and AKT/mTOR pathways. Tumor growth was tested in TMED2 knockdown and control cells in nude mice.

RESULTS

TMED2 was highly expressed in OSCC, correlating with poor prognosis. Knockdown of TMED2 significantly reduced SCC9 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, reduced AKT/mTOR pathway activity, and increased autophagy, prolonging survival in tumor-bearing mice.

CONCLUSION

TMED2 is upregulated in OSCC, correlates with poor prognosis, and regulates cell proliferation, invasion, and autophagy, indicating it as a potential therapeutic target.

ESF1 positively regulates MDM2 and promotes tumorigenesis

Eighteen S rRNA factor 1 (ESF1) is a predominantly nucleolar protein essential for embryogenesis. Our previous studies have suggested that Esf1 is a negative regulator of the tumor suppressor protein p53. However, it remains unclear whether ESF1 contributes to tumorigenesis. In this current research, we find that increased ESF1 expression correlates with poor survival in multiple tumors including pancreatic cancer. ESF1 is able to regulate cell proliferation, migration, DNA damage-induced apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, ESF1 physically interacts with MDM2 and is essential for maintaining the stability of MDM2 protein by inhibiting its ubiquitination. Additionally, ESF1 also prevented stress-induced stabilization of p53 in multiple cancer cells. Hence, our findings suggest that ESF1 is a potent regulator of the MDM2-p53 pathway and promotes tumor progression.

A systematic computational analysis of the endosomal recycling pathway in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain cancer in adults. The standard treatment is brutal and has changed little in 20 years, and more than 85% of patients will die within two years of their diagnosis. There is thus an urgent need to identify new drug targets and develop novel therapeutic strategies to increase survival and improve quality of life. Using publicly available genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics datasets, we compared the expression of endosomal recycling pathway regulators in non-tumour brain tissue with their expression in GBM. We found that key regulators of this pathway are dysregulated in GBM and their expression levels can be linked to survival outcomes. Further analysis of the differentially expressed endosomal recycling regulators allowed us to generate an 8-gene prognostic signature that can distinguish low-risk from high-risk GBM and potentially identify tumours that may benefit from treatment with endosomal recycling inhibitors. This study presents the first systematic analysis of the endosomal recycling pathway in glioblastoma and suggests it could be a promising target for the development of novel therapies and therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes for patients.