Dissection of an impact of VDR and RXRA on the genomic activity of 1,25(OH)2D3 in A431 squamous cell carcinoma

The impact of genetic variations in retinoid X receptor alpha on the risk and prognosis of HPV-negative oral carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is characterized by a high recurrence rate and poor survival. The retinoid X receptor (RXR) is a nuclear receptor that modulates a variety of biological processes related to cancer, including apoptosis, cellular adhesion, and immune function. A number of cancers exhibit aberrant expression and altered function of the RXR isoform alpha (RXRA), but the polymorphisms in the RXRA gene have not been investigated previously in patients with oral cancer. The current study examined the RXRA rs7864987 and rs3118523 genetic variants, assessed by the real-time PCR Taq-Man method, in 95 HPV-negative OSCC patients and 101 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that RXRA rs7864987 was significantly associated with worse overall survival and showed a tendency toward lower recurrence-free survival when compared with the wild-type allele carriers (combined TC+TT genotypes) to the mutant genotype CC. RXRA rs7864987, however, did not independently predict overall survival. The C allele of the RXRA rs3118523 genetic variant was associated with a reduced risk of OSCC. Our study indicates that polymorphisms of the RXRA gene may be prognostic and disease-predisposing genetic factors for OSCC. Additionally, RXRA polymorphisms might influence a potential genetic profile-based approach for retinoid therapy in OSCC.

Promising roles of vitamin D receptor and APRO family proteins for the development of cancer stem cells targeted malignant tumor therapy

Malignant tumors are heterogeneous diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and/or recurrence of their malignancies. In particular, cancer stem cells (CSCs) within these tumors might be responsible for the property of invasiveness and/or therapies-resistance. CSCs are a self-renewing, awfully tumorigenic subpopulation of cancer cells, which are notorious for strong chemoresistance and are frequently responsible the aggravated invasion, metastasis, and/or recurrence. Developing targeting therapies against CSCs, therefore, may be deliberated a more encouraging mission for the greater cancer therapy. Innovation for a more potent anti-CSC treatment has been required as soon as possible. Interestingly, vitamin D could modulate the inflammatory condition of the tumor microenvironment (TME) by successfully affecting CSCs, which has an imperative role in determining the malignant phenotype of CSCs. In addition, vitamin D may also contribute to the regulation of the malignant behaviors of CSCs. Consistently, vitamin D could have potential applications for the significant inhibition of several tumor growths within various cancer therapies. The biological significance of vitamin D for CSCs regulation may be involved in the function of APRO family proteins. Therefore, vitamin D could be one of the innovative therapeutic modalities for the development of novel CSCs related tumor therapies.

ICAT mediates the inhibition of stemness and tumorigenesis in acute myeloid leukemia cells induced by 1,25-(OH)2D3

Background

The role of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) in cancer prevention and treatment is an emerging topic of interest. However, its effects on the stemness of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells are poorly understood.

Methods

The proliferation and differentiation of AML cells (HL60 and NB4) were investigated by the CCK-8 assay, immunocytochemical staining, and flow cytometry. The abilities of HL60 and NB4 cells to form spheres were examined by the cell sphere formation assay. In addition, the levels of stemness-associated markers (SOX2, Nanog, OCT4, and c-Myc) in HL60 and NB4 cells were measured by western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, we obtained β-catenin-interacting protein 1 (ICAT)-knockout and ICAT-overexpressing HL-60 cells using gene editing and lentiviral infection techniques and investigated the role of ICAT in modulating the stemness-inhibiting effects of 1,25-(OH)2D3 using the aforementioned experimental methods. Finally, we validated our findings in vivo using NOD/SCID mice.

Results

1,25-(OH)2D3 inhibited the proliferation and stemness of AML cells (HL60 and NB4) and induced their differentiation into monocytes. Additionally, the knockdown of ICAT in HL60 cells attenuated the inhibitory effects of 1,25-(OH)2D3 on proliferation and stemness and suppressed the expression of stemness markers. Conversely, overexpression of ICAT enhanced the aforementioned inhibitory effects of 1,25-(OH)2D3. Consistently, in NOD/SCID mice, 1,25-(OH)2D3 suppressed tumor formation by HL-60 cells, and the effects of ICAT knockdown or overexpression on 1,25-(OH)2D3 aligned with the in vitro findings.

Conclusion

1,25-(OH)2D3 inhibits AML cell stemness, possibly through modulation of the ICAT-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Unraveling disulfidptosis for prognostic modeling and personalized treatment strategies in lung adenocarcinoma

AIM

To construct and identify a prognostic and therapeutic signature based on disulfidptosis-related genes in lung adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

Bioinformatic analysis was performed to assess the differential expression of disulfidptosis-related genes between cancerous and control samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas-Lung Adenocarcinoma (TCGA-LUAD) database. Survival analysis, immune cell infiltration assessment, and examination of oncogenic pathways were performed to uncover potential clinical implications of disulfidptosis gene expression. Differential gene expression analysis between subtypes facilitated the development of a prognostic model using a combination of genes associated with survival. A nomogram was further created using independent clinical and molecular factors.

RESULTS

We identified the significant upregulation of ten disulfidptosis-related genes and delineated two distinct subtypes, C1 and C2. Subtype C2 was associated with prolonged survival. Then, prognostic modeling utilizing six genes (TXNRD1, CPS1, S100P, SCGB3A1, CYP24A1, NAPSA) demonstrated predictive power in both training and validation datasets. The nomogram, incorporating the risk model with clinical features, provided a reliable tool for predicting one-year (AUC 0.77), three-year (AUC 0.75), and five-year (AUC 0.78) survival rates. Additionally, chemotherapy sensitivity analysis highlighted significant resistance in the high-risk group, primarily associated with subtype C1.

CONCLUSION

Our study reveals distinct LUAD subtypes, offers a robust prognostic model, and underscores clinical implications for personalized therapy based on disulfidptosis-related genes expression profiles.

Biological Effects of CYP11A1-Derived Vitamin D and Lumisterol Metabolites in the Skin

Novel pathways of vitamin D3, lumisterol 3 (L3), and tachysterol 3 (T3) activation have been discovered, initiated by CYP11A1 and/or CYP27A1 in the case of L3 and T3. The resulting hydroxymetabolites enhance protection of skin against DNA damage and oxidative stress; stimulate keratinocyte differentiation; exert anti-inflammatory, antifibrogenic, and anticancer activities; and inhibit cell proliferation in a structure-dependent manner. They act on nuclear receptors, including vitamin D receptor, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, LXRα/β, RAR-related orphan receptor α/γ, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, with selectivity defined by their core structure and distribution of hydroxyl groups. They can activate NRF2 and p53 and inhibit NF-κB, IL-17, Shh, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Thus, they protect skin integrity and physiology.

Genomic and non-genomic action of vitamin D on ion channels - Targeting mitochondria

Recent studies revealed that mitochondria are not only a place of vitamin D3 metabolism but also direct or indirect targets of its activities. This review summarizes current knowledge on the regulation of ion channels from plasma and mitochondrial membranes by the active form of vitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3). 1,25(OH)2D3, is a naturally occurring hormone with pleiotropic activities; implicated in the modulation of cell differentiation, and proliferation and in the prevention of various diseases, including cancer. Many experimental data indicate that 1,25(OH)2D3 deficiency induces ionic remodeling and 1,25(OH)2D3 regulates the activity of multiple ion channels. There are two main theories on how 1,25(OH)2D3 can modify the function of ion channels. First, describes the involvement of genomic pathways of response to 1,25(OH)2D3 in the regulation of the expression of the genes encoding channels, their auxiliary subunits, or additional regulators. Interestingly, intracellular ion channels, like mitochondrial, are encoded by the same genes as plasma membrane channels. Therefore, the comprehensive genomic regulation of the channels from these two different cellular compartments we analyzed using a bioinformatic approach. The second theory explores non-genomic pathways of vitamin D3 activities. It was shown, that 1,25(OH)2D3 indirectly regulates enzymes that impact ion channels, change membrane physical properties, or directly bind to channel proteins. In this article, the involvement of genomic and non-genomic pathways regulated by 1,25(OH)2D3 in the modulation of the levels and activity of plasma membrane and mitochondrial ion channels was investigated by an extensive review of the literature and analysis of the transcriptomic data using bioinformatics.

Malignant Melanoma: An Overview, New Perspectives, and Vitamin D Signaling

Melanoma, originating through malignant transformation of melanin-producing melanocytes, is a formidable malignancy, characterized by local invasiveness, recurrence, early metastasis, resistance to therapy, and a high mortality rate. This review discusses etiologic and risk factors for melanoma, diagnostic and prognostic tools, including recent advances in molecular biology, omics, and bioinformatics, and provides an overview of its therapy. Since the incidence of melanoma is rising and mortality remains unacceptably high, we discuss its inherent properties, including melanogenesis, that make this disease resilient to treatment and propose to use AI to solve the above complex and multidimensional problems. We provide an overview on vitamin D and its anticancerogenic properties, and report recent advances in this field that can provide solutions for the prevention and/or therapy of melanoma. Experimental papers and clinicopathological studies on the role of vitamin D status and signaling pathways initiated by its active metabolites in melanoma prognosis and therapy are reviewed. We conclude that vitamin D signaling, defined by specific nuclear receptors and selective activation by specific vitamin D hydroxyderivatives, can provide a benefit for new or existing therapeutic approaches. We propose to target vitamin D signaling with the use of computational biology and AI tools to provide a solution to the melanoma problem.

Cellular responses to silencing of PDIA3 (protein disulphide-isomerase A3): Effects on proliferation, migration, and genes in control of active vitamin D

The active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, is known to act via VDR (vitamin D receptor), affecting several physiological processes. In addition, PDIA3 (protein disulphide-isomerase A3) has been associated with some of the functions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. In the present study we used siRNA-mediated silencing of PDIA3 in osteosarcoma and prostate carcinoma cell lines to examine the role(s) of PDIA3 for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-dependent responses. PDIA3 silencing affected VDR target genes and significantly altered the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-dependent induction of CYP24A1, essential for elimination of excess 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Also, PDIA3 silencing significantly altered migration and proliferation in prostate PC3 cells, independently of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 increased thermostability of PDIA3 in cellular thermal shift assay, supporting functional interaction between PDIA3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-dependent pathways. In summary, our data link PDIA3 to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-mediated signalling, underline and extend its role in proliferation and reveal a novel function in maintenance of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 levels.