ZNF280A promotes lung adenocarcinoma development by regulating the expression of EIF3C

Knockdown of ZNF280A inhibits cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis of bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

ZNF280A is a member of the zinc finger protein family, whose role in human cancers is little known and rarely reported. This study aimed to investigate the role of ZNF280A in bladder cancer.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to detect the expression of ZNF280A in clinical samples. ZNF280A knockdown cell models were constructed by transfection of shRNA-expressing lentivirus. MTT assay and flow cytometry were performed for detecting cell proliferation, apoptosis and cycle. Wound healing and Transwell assays were operated to detect cell migration. Western blotting and Human Apoptosis Antibody Microarray were used to measure expression of related proteins. A mouse xenograft model was constructed for in vivo study.

RESULTS

Our study demonstrated that ZNF280A was up-regulated in bladder cancer tissues compared with normal tissues, whose high expression was significantly correlated with advanced malignant grade. Knockdown of ZNF280A inhibited cell proliferation and cell migration, promoted cell apoptosis and G1/G2 phase arrest. The tumor growth in vivo was also proved to be inhibited by ZNF280A. Moreover, ZNF280A may promote bladder cancer through regulation of MAPK9, Cyclin D1 and the Akt pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, ZNF280A was shown as a potential tumor promoter and prognosis indicator for bladder cancer. Targeting ZNF280A may be a promising strategy for the development of novel bladder cancer treatment.

An innovative gene expression modulating strategy by converting nucleic acids into HNC therapeutics using carrier-free nanoparticles

Background

Cell fate and microenvironmental changes resulting from aberrant expression of specific proteins in tumors are one of the major causes of inadequate anti-tumor immune response and poor prognosis in head and neck cancer (HNC). Eukaryotic initiation factor 3C (eIF3c) has emerged as a promising therapeutic target for HNC due to its ability to regulate protein expression levels in tumor cells, but its drug development is difficult to achieve by targeting traditional protein-protein interactions. siRNA has emerged as a highly promising modality for drug development targeting eIF3c, while its application is hindered by challenges pertaining to inadequate stability and insufficient concentration specifically within tumor sites.

Method

We employed a method to convert flexible siRNAs into stable and biologically active infinite Auric-sulfhydryl coordination supramolecular siRNAs (IacsRNAs). Through coordinated self-assembly, we successfully transformed eIF3C siRNAs into the carrier-free HNC nanotherapeutic agent Iacs-eif3c-RNA. The efficacy of this agent was evaluated in vivo using HNC xenograft models, demonstrating promising antitumor effects.

Results

Iacs-eif3c-RNA demonstrated the ability to overcome the pharmacological obstacle associated with targeting eIF3C, resulting in a significant reduction in eIF3C expression within tumor tissues, as well as effective tumor cell proliferating suppression and apoptosis promotion. In comparison to monotherapy utilizing the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin, Iacs-eif3c-RNA exhibited superior anti-tumor efficacy and favorable biosafety.

Conclusion

The utilization of Iacs-eif3c-RNA as a carrier-free nanotherapeutic agent presents a promising and innovative approach for addressing HNC treating challenges. Moreover, this strategy demonstrates potential for the translation of therapeutic siRNAs into clinical drugs, extending its applicability to the treatment of other cancers and various diseases.

GRB7 plays a promoting role in the progression of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is a clinically common tumor, showing an upward trend of both incidence and mortality. GRB7 has been identified as a vital regulator in tumor progression. This study aims to uncover the biological function of GRB7 in gastric cancer process.

METHODS

immunohistochemical (IHC) staining using a tissue microarray (TMA), quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression of genes. Furthermore, gastric cancer cell lines AGS and MGC-803 were transfected with short hairpin RNAs against GRB7. The biological function of GRB7 in gastric cancer cells were examined by CCK-8, flow cytometry, wound healing and Transwell assays. Then, in vivo tumor formation assay was conducted to explore the effects of GRB7 on tumor growth. Finally, expression levels of proteins related to cell functions were determined by Western blotting. Coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) assay was performed to assess the protein-protein interaction.

RESULTS

GRB7 was up-regulated in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines, and its expression was inversely proportional to survival of gastric cancer patients. Moreover, GRB7 knockdown inhibited proliferative, migratory abilities, as well as promoted cell apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. Further study suggested that GRB7 silencing could suppress gastric cancer tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, our study uncovered an important interaction between GRB7 and MyD88. Silencing MyD88 was observed to alleviate the malignant phenotypes promoted by GRB7 in gastric cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, this study provided evidence that GRB7 may be an effective molecular targets for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Complement factor H attenuates TNF-α-induced inflammation by upregulating EIF3C in rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To explore the role and underlying mechanism of Complement Factor H (CFH) in the peripheral and joint inflammation of RA patients.

METHODS

The levels of CFH in the serum and synovial fluid were determined by ELISA. The pyroptosis of monocytes was determined by western blotting and flow cytometry. The inflammation cytokine release was tested by ELISA. The cell migration and invasion ability of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) were tested by Wound healing Assay and transwell assay, respectively. The potential target of CFH was identified by RNA sequencing.

RESULTS

CFH levels were significantly elevated in the serum and synovial fluid from RA and associated with high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and disease activity score 28 (DAS28). TNF-α could inhibit CFH expression, and CFH combined with TNF-α significantly decreased cell death, cleaved-caspase 3, gasdermin E N-terminal (GSDME-N), and inflammatory cytokines release (IL-1β and IL-6) of RA-derived monocytes. Stimulated with TNF-α increased CFH levels in RA FLS and CFH inhibits the migration, invasion, and TNF-α-induced production of inflammatory mediators, including proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8) as well as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs, MMP1 and MMP3) of RA FLSs. The RNA-seq results showed that CFH treatment induced upregulation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (EIF3C) in both RA monocytes and FLS. The migration of RA FLSs was promoted and the expressions of IL-6, IL-8, and MMP-3 were enhanced upon EIF3C knockdown under the stimulation of CFH combined with TNF-α.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we have unfolded the anti-inflammatory roles of CFH in the peripheral and joints of RA, which might provide a potential therapeutic target for RA patients.

Oncogenic zinc finger protein ZNF687 accelerates lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and tumor progression by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

Zinc finger protein 687 (ZNF687) has previously been discovered as a potential oncogene in individuals with giant cell tumors of the bone, acute myeloid leukemia, and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, its role and mechanism in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remain unclear.

METHODS

In LUAD cells, tumor, and matched adjacent tissue specimens, quantitative real-time RT- polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blotting analyses, and immunohistochemistry staining (IHC) were conducted. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay, clonogenicity analysis, flow cytometry, and transwell assays were utilized to detect ZNF687 overexpression and knockdown impacts on cell growth, colony formation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion. Bioinformatic studies, qRT-PCR and western blotting studies were employed to validate the underlying mechanisms and signaling pathways implicated in the oncogenic effect of ZNF687.

RESULTS

This study demonstrated that ZNF687 expression was elevated in LUAD cells and tissues. Individuals with upregulated ZNF687 had a poorer prognosis than those with downregulatedZNF687 (p < 0.001). ZNF687 overexpression enhanced LUAD growth, migration, invasion and colony formation, and the cell cycle G1-S transition; additionally, it promoted the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In contrast, knocking down ZNF687 showed to have the opposite impact. Moreover, these effects were associated with the activity of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling mechanism.

CONCLUSION

ZNF687 was upregulated in LUAD, and high ZNF687 expression levels are associated with poor prognoses. The activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by upregulated ZNF687 increased the proliferation of LUAD cells and tumor progression. ZNF687 may be a beneficial predictive marker and a therapeutic target in LUAD.

circPDE5A regulates prostate cancer metastasis via controlling WTAP-dependent N6-methyladenisine methylation of EIF3C mRNA

Background

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a novel class noncoding RNA (ncRNA) that plays a critical role in various cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). However, the clinical significance, biological function, and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in prostate cancer remain to be elucidated.

Methods

A circRNA array was performed to identified the differentially expressed circRNAs. circPDE5A was identified as a novel circRNA which downregulated in clinical samples. Functionally, the in vitro and in vivo assays were applied to explore the role of circPDE5A in PCa metastasis. Mechanistically, the interaction between circPDE5A and WTAP was verified using RNA pulldown followed by mass spectrometry, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. m⁶A methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) was then used to identified the downstream target of circPDE5A. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assay were used to identified transcriptional factor which regulated circPDE5A expression.

Results

circPDE5A was identified downregulated in PCa tissues compared to adjacent normal tissue and was negatively correlated with gleason score of PCa patients. circPDE5A inhibits PCa cells migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. circPDE5A blocks the WTAP-dependent N6-methyladenisine (m⁶A) methylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3c (EIF3C) mRNA by forming the circPDE5A-WTAP complex, and finally disrupts the translation of EIF3C. Moreover, the circPDE5A-dependent decrease in EIF3C expression inactivates the MAPK pathway and then restrains PCa progression.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that FOXO4-mediated upregulation of circPDE5A controls PCa metastasis via the circPDE5A-WTAP-EIF3C-MAPK signaling pathway and could serve as a potential therapeutic targer for PCa.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-022-02391-5.

Effect of the m6ARNA gene on the prognosis of thyroid cancer, immune infiltration, and promising immunotherapy

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence suggests that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation plays an important role in tumor proliferation and growth. However, its effect on the clinical prognosis, immune infiltration, and immunotherapy response of thyroid cancer patients has not been investigated in detail.

METHODS

Clinical data and RNA expression profiles of thyroid cancer were extracted from the Cancer Genome Atlas-thyroid carcinoma (TCGA-THCA) and preprocessed for consensus clustering. The risk model was constructed based on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and Cox regression analyses. The associations between risk score and clinical traits, immune infiltration, Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), immune infiltration, and immunotherapy were assessed. Immunohistochemistry was used to substantiate the clinical traits of our samples.

RESULTS

Gene expression analysis showed that 17 genes, except YHTDF2, had significant differences (vs healthy control, P<0.001). Consensus clustering yielded 2 clusters according to their clinical features and estimated a poorer prognosis for Cluster 1 (P=0.03). The heatmap between the 2 clusters showed differences in T (P<0.01), N (P<0.001) and stage (P<0.01). Based on univariate Cox and LASSO regression, a risk model consisting of three high-risk genes (KIAA1429, RBM15, FTO) was established, and the expression difference between normal and tumor tissues of three genes was confirmed by immunohistochemical results of our clinical tissues. KEGG and GSEA analyses showed that the risk DEGs were related mainly to proteolysis, immune response, and cancer pathways. The levels of immune infiltration in the high- and low-risk groups were different mainly in iDCs (P<0.05), NK cells (P<0.05), and type-INF-II (P<0.001). Immunotherapy analysis yielded 30 drugs associated with the expression of each gene and 20 drugs associated with the risk score.

CONCLUSIONS

Our risk model can act as an independent marker for thyroid cancer and provides promising immunotherapy targets for its treatment.

The progress of protein synthesis factors eIFs, eEFs and eRFs in inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer pathogenesis

Colorectal diseases are threatening human health, especially inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). IBD is a group of chronic, recurrent and incurable disease, which may affect the entire gastrointestinal tract, increasing the risk of CRC. Eukaryotic gene expression is a complicated process, which is mainly regulated at the level of gene transcription and mRNA translation. Protein translation in tissue is associated with a sequence of steps, including initiation, elongation, termination and recycling. Abnormal regulation of gene expression is the key to the pathogenesis of CRC. In the early stages of cancer, it is vital to identify new diagnostic and therapeutic targets and biomarkers. This review presented current knowledge on aberrant expression of eIFs, eEFs and eRFs in colorectal diseases. The current findings of protein synthesis on colorectal pathogenesis showed that eIFs, eEFs and eRFs may be potential targets for CRC treatment.

EIF3C Promotes Lung Cancer Tumorigenesis by Regulating the APP/HSPA1A/LMNB1 Axis

Objective

This study was designed to explore the role and mechanism of eukaryotic initiation factor 3C (EIF3C) in the proliferation and apoptosis of lung cancer cells.

Methods

EIF3C expression in clinic lung cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry assay. Cell transfection with lentivirus EIF3C short hairpin RNA (shRNA) was performed with Lipofectamine 2000. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Celigo and MTT assays. Caspase-3/7 activity was assessed using caspase-3/7 assay kit for cell apoptosis detection. The apoptosis rate of lung cancer cells was assessed by flow cytometry. A transplanted tumor nude-mouse model was established to clarify the role of EIF3C in lung cancer. The potential mechanism of EIF3C was explored by mRNA microarray analysis. Among the top 30 up- and downregulated mRNAs selected for RT-qPCR, 5 were chosen for western blot analysis.

Results

EIF3C was abnormally overexpressed in lung cancer cell lines and tissues. Silencing EIF3C suppressed the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of lung cancer cells. In vivo experiments using transplanted tumor nude-mouse model suggested that EIF3C promoted lung cancer tumorigenesis. Further, mRNA microarray analyses identified 189 upregulated and 83 downregulated differentially expressed mRNA between the KD and negative control groups. After validation by RT-qPCR and western blot, three downstream genes (APP, HSPA1A, and LMNB1) were confirmed.

Conclusion

EIF3C overexpression may facilitate the proliferation and hamper the apoptosis of lung cancer cells by regulating the APP/HSPA1A/LMNB1 axis.

Effects of N6-Methyladenosine Regulators on LAG3 and Immune Infiltrates in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background. Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype of lung cancer, which is one of the most commonly diagnosed tumors and the leading causes of death from cancer around the world. Since RNA methylation is a posttranscriptional modification and affects so much biological progress, it is urged to explore the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation in LUAD. Methods. We explored the expression of 24 m6A methylation genes, as well as their correlations with LAG3 in 561 LUAD samples from TCGA. Consensus clustering was applied to m6A methylation genes, and two LUAD subgroups were identified. The expression of m6A genes was analyzed by the Wilcoxon test. KEGG and GO enrichment analyses were performed to indicate the pathway affected by differentially expressed genes in the two groups. A prognostic model based on LASSO regression using an eleven-m6A gene signature was constructed according to the expression of these genes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to confirm the accuracy of the model in the TCGA cohort, as well as in the test cohort from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Results. Compared to cluster 1, cluster 2 showed poorer overall survival (OS) and higher LAG3 expression. In addition, KEGG and GO enrichment analyses indicated that differentially expressed genes are enriched in the immune response. We also observed that the expression of LAG3 is positively correlated with IGF2BP2, CBLL1, and HNRNPA2B1 and negatively correlated with YTHDF2, YTHDF3, and FTO. For patients in the TCGA cohort, the AUC score is 0.7, and the AUC score for the GSE50081 cohort is 0.675. Patients with lower risk scores exhibited better overall survival and lower expression of LAG3 than patients with higher risk scores. Conclusions. In brief, our results indicated the important role of m6 methylation in affecting the tumor immune microenvironment and the survival of patients with LUAD. The m6A methylation gene signatures might serve as promising therapeutic targets and help the immunotherapy of LUAD in the future.

Downregulation of ZNF280A inhibits proliferation and tumorigenicity of colorectal cancer cells by promoting the ubiquitination and degradation of RPS14

Colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the cancers with highest mortality, involves complicated molecular mechanisms leading to the onset of malignant phenotypes. ZNF280A, a member of the zinc-finger protein family, was shown to be a promotor of oncogenesis in CRC in this study. ZNF280A was remarkably upregulated in CRC tissues, which was meaningfully associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Loss-of-function studies revealed that ZNF280A knockdown inhibited the development and progression of CRC as evident by the inhibition of cell proliferation, colony formation, cell apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and cell migration in vitro and the repressed tumorigenesis of CRC cells in vivo. Next, we showed that RPS14 was the downstream target of ZNF280A and ZNF280A knockdown promoted the ubiquitination as well as degradation of RPS14 in CRC. Additionally, we demonstrated that RPS14 regulated the development of CRC via PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings provide a novel clear insight into ZNF280A/RPS14/PI3K-Akt axis in CRC for the first time, offering a potential target for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of CRC in future clinical applications.

Development of a Prognostic Alternative Splicing Signature Associated With Tumor Microenvironment Immune Profiles in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background

Alternative splicing (AS), a pivotal post-transcriptional process across more than 95% of human transcripts, is involved in transcript structural variations and protein complexity. Clinical implications of AS events and their interaction with tumor immunity were systematically analyzed in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods

Transcriptome profiling as well as AS data of LUAD were retrospectively curated. Then, the network of the overall survival (OS)-relevant AS events with splicing factors was established. After screening OS-relevant AS events, a LASSO prognostic model was conducted and evaluated with ROC curves. A nomogram that integrated independent prognostic indicators was created. Immune response and immune cell infiltration were estimated with ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, and ssGSEA algorithms. Drug sensitivity was inferred with pRRophetic package.

Results

In total, 2415 OS-relevant AS events were identified across LUAD patients. The interaction network of splicing factors with OS-relevant AS events uncovered the underlying regulatory mechanisms of AS events in LUAD. Thereafter, a prognostic model containing 12 AS events was developed, which acted as a reliable and independent prognostic indicator following verification. A nomogram that constituted stage and risk score displayed great effectiveness in evaluating the survival likelihood. Moreover, the AS-based prognostic model was in relation to immune response and immune cell infiltration. Patients with a high-risk score displayed therapeutic superiority to cisplatin, erlotinib, gefitinib, and gemcitabine. Finally, three AS-relevant genes (CDKN2A, TTC39C, and PKIB) were identified as prognostic markers.

Conclusion

Collectively, our findings developed an AS event signature with powerful prognostic predictive efficacy in LUAD.

Zinc finger protein 280C contributes to colorectal tumorigenesis by maintaining epigenetic repression at H3K27me3-marked loci

This study uncovered the role of ZNF280C, a known DNA damage response protein, as a tumorigenic transcription regulator that contributes to colorectal tumorigenesis and metastasis through maintaining an epigenetic repression program at key cancer gene loci. These findings identified a contributor with potential prognostic value to colorectal pathogenesis and provide mechanistic insight to the essential function of transcription factor in fine-tuning the activity of chromatin regulators for proper transcription control.

Dysregulated epigenetic and transcriptional programming due to abnormalities of transcription factors (TFs) contributes to and sustains the oncogenicity of cancer cells. Here, we unveiled the role of zinc finger protein 280C (ZNF280C), a known DNA damage response protein, as a tumorigenic TF in colorectal cancer (CRC), required for colitis-associated carcinogenesis and Apc deficiency–driven intestinal tumorigenesis in mice. Consistently, ZNF280C silencing in human CRC cells inhibited proliferation, clonogenicity, migration, xenograft growth, and liver metastasis. As a C2H2 (Cys2-His2) zinc finger-containing TF, ZNF280C occupied genomic intervals with both transcriptionally active and repressive states and coincided with CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) and cohesin binding. Notably, ZNF280C was crucial for the repression program of trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3)-marked genes and the maintenance of both focal and broad H3K27me3 levels. Mechanistically, ZNF280C counteracted CTCF/cohesin activities and condensed the chromatin environment at the cis elements of certain tumor suppressor genes marked by H3K27me3, at least partially through recruiting the epigenetic repressor structural maintenance of chromosomes flexible hinge domain-containing 1 (SMCHD1). In clinical relevance, ZNF280C was highly expressed in primary CRCs and distant metastases, and a higher ZNF280C level independently predicted worse prognosis of CRC patients. Thus, our study uncovered a contributor with good prognostic value to CRC pathogenesis and also elucidated the essence of DNA-binding TFs in orchestrating the epigenetic programming of gene regulation.