Crosstalk Between β-CATENIN-Mediated Cell Adhesion and the WNT Signaling Pathway

Unraveling the Role of the Wnt Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Implications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the deadliest malignant tumors in the world, and its incidence and mortality have increased year by year. HCC research has increasingly focused on understanding its pathogenesis and developing treatments.The Wnt signaling pathway, a complex and evolutionarily conserved signal transduction system, has been extensively studied in the genesis and treatment of several malignant tumors. Recent investigations suggest that the pathogenesis of HCC may be significantly influenced by dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin signaling. This article aimed to examine the pathway that controls Wnt signaling in HCC and its mechanisms. In addition, we highlighted the role of this pathway in HCC etiology and targeted treatment.

Analysis of key pathways and genes in nodal structure on rat skin surface using gene ontology and KEGG pathway

BACKGROUND

We have previously reported anatomical, histological, and gene expression characteristics of the nodal structure of rat skin surface and suggested its potential as an acupuncture point. However, the specific characteristics of the interactions among the genes expressed in this structure remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to determine gene expression changes by analyzing interaction networks of genes up-regulated in nodal structures and to explore relationships with acupuncture points.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between the nodal structures and acupuncture points by analyzing the interactions of up-regulated genes, their Gene Ontology biological functions, and the characteristics of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. RNA-seq and STRING analysis provided comprehensive information on these gene groups.

RESULTS

Interactions between up-regulated genes in nodal structures were classified into three groups. The first group, which includes Wnt7b, Wnt3, and Wnt16, showed significant interactions in pathways such as Wnt signaling, Alzheimer's disease, and regulation of stem cell pluripotency. The second group, composed of Fos, Dusp1, Pla2g4e, Pla2g4f, and Fgfr3, demonstrated a notable association with the MAPK signaling pathway. Lastly, the third group, consisting of Adcy1, Pla2g4e, Pla2g4f, and Dusp1 exhibited effective interactions with the inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels and serotonergic synapse.

CONCLUSION

Continued research on nodal structures where these genes are expressed is needed to improve our understanding of skin anatomy and physiology as well as their potential clinical utility as acupuncture points.

Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the development and therapeutic resistance of non-small cell lung cancer

Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a critical pathway that influences development and therapeutic response of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In recent years, many Wnt regulators, including proteins, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, have been found to promote or inhibit signaling by acting on Wnt proteins, receptors, signal transducers and transcriptional effectors. The identification of these regulators and their underlying molecular mechanisms provides important implications for how to target this pathway therapeutically. In this review, we summarize recent studies of Wnt regulators in the development and therapeutic response of NSCLC.

ATP7A-dependent copper sequestration contributes to termination of β-CATENIN signaling during early adipogenesis

OBJECTIVES

Adipocyte fate determination is tightly regulated by extrinsic signaling pathways and intrinsic metabolic and morphologic changes that maintain adipose tissue function. Copper (Cu) homeostasis is required for the normal metabolism of mature adipocytes, whereas the role of Cu in adipogenesis is unclear.

METHODS

To determine the role of Cu is adipocytes differentiation, we used 3T3-L1 adipocytes, immunocytochemistry, X-ray fluorescence, mass-spectrometry, pharmacological treatments, and manipulations of copper levels.

RESULTS

In differentiating 3T3-L1 cells, adipogenic stimuli trigger the upregulation and trafficking of the Cu transporter Atp7a, thus causing Cu redistribution from the cytosol to vesicles. Disrupting Cu homeostasis by the deletion of Atp7a results in Cu elevation and inhibition of adipogenesis. The upregulation of C/EBPβ, an initial step of adipogenesis, is not affected in Atp7a-/- cells, whereas the subsequent upregulation of PPARγ is inhibited. Comparison of changes in the Atp7a-/- and wild type cells proteomes during early adipogenesis revealed stabilization of β-catenin, a negative regulator of adipogenesis. Cu chelation, or overexpression of the Cu transporter ATP7B in Atp7a-/- cells, restored β-catenin down-regulation and intracellular targeting.

CONCLUSIONS

Cu buffering during early adipogenesis contributes to termination of β-catenin signaling. Abnormal upregulation of β-catenin was also observed in vivo in the livers of Atp7b-/- mice, which accumulate Cu, suggesting a tissue-independent crosstalk between Cu homeostasis and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These results point to a new regulatory role of Cu in adipocytes and contribute to better understanding of human disorders of Cu misbalance.

HOTAIR: A key regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade in cancer progression and treatment

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOTAIR occupies a central position in the complex domain of cancer biology, particularly concerning its intricate interplay with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. This comprehensive review explores the multifaceted interactions between HOTAIR and the Wnt/β-catenin cascade, elucidating their profound function in cancer growth, progression, and therapeutic strategies. The study commences by underscoring the pivotal role of the Wnt/β-catenin cascade in governing essential cellular activities, emphasizing its dysregulation as a linchpin in cancer initiation and advancement. It introduces HOTAIR as a crucial regulatory entity, influencing gene expression in both healthy and diseased. The core of this review plunges into the intricacies of HOTAIR's engagement with Wnt/β-catenin signaling. It unravels how HOTAIR, through epigenetic modifications and transcriptional control, exerts its influence over key pathway constituents, including β-catenin, Wnt ligands, and target genes. This influence drives unchecked cancer cell growth, invasion, and metastasis. Furthermore, the review underscores the clinical significance of the HOTAIR-Wnt/β-catenin interplay, elucidating its associations with diverse cancer subtypes, patient prognoses, and prospects as a therapy. It provides insights into ongoing research endeavors to develop HOTAIR-targeted treatments and initiatives to facilitate aberrant Wnt/β-catenin activation. Concluding on a forward-looking note, the article accentuates the broader implications of HOTAIR's involvement in cancer biology, including its contributions to therapy resistance and metastatic dissemination. It underscores the importance of delving deeper into these intricate molecular relationships to pave the way for groundbreaking cancer treatment.

Natural compounds: Wnt pathway inhibitors with therapeutic potential in lung cancer

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is abnormally activated in most lung cancer tissues and considered to be an accelerator of carcinogenesis and lung cancer progression, which is closely related to increased morbidity rates, malignant progression, and treatment resistance. Although targeting the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway shows significant potential for lung cancer therapy, it still faces challenges owing to its complexity, tumor heterogeneity and wide physiological activity. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the role of the abnormal activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in lung cancer progression. Moreover, Wnt inhibitors used in lung cancer clinical trials are expected to break existing therapeutic patterns, although their adverse effects limit the treatment window. This is the first study to summarize the research progress on various compounds, including natural products and derivatives, that target the canonical Wnt pathway in lung cancer to develop safer and more targeted drugs or alternatives. Various natural products have been found to inhibit Wnt/β-catenin in various ways, such as through upstream and downstream intervention pathways, and have shown encouraging preclinical anti-tumor efficacy. Their diversity and low toxicity make them a popular research topic, laying the foundation for further combination therapies and drug development.

Es-β-CATENIN affects the hemolymph-testes barrier in Eriocheir sinensis by disrupting cell junctions and cytoskeleton

β-CATENIN is an evolutionarily conserved multifunctional molecule that maintains cell adhesion as a cell junction protein to safeguard the integrity of the mammalian blood-testes barrier, and also regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis as a key signaling molecule in the WNT/β-CATENIN signaling pathway. In the crustacean Eriocheir sinensis, Es-β-CATENIN has been shown to be involved in spermatogenesis, but the testes of E. sinensis have large and well-defined structural differences from those of mammals, and the impact of Es-β-CATENIN in them is still unknown. In the present study, we found that Es-β-CATENIN, Es-α-CATENIN and Es-ZO-1 interact differently in the testes of the crab compared to mammals. In addition, defective Es-β-CATENIN resulted in increased Es-α-CATENIN protein expression levels, distorted and deformed F-ACTIN, and disturbed localization of Es-α-CATENIN and Es-ZO-1, leading to loss of hemolymph-testes barrier integrity and impaired sperm release. In addition to this, we also performed the first molecular cloning and bioinformatics analysis of Es-AXIN in the WNT/β-CATENIN pathway to exclude the effect of the WNT/β-CATENIN pathway on the cytoskeleton. In conclusion, Es-β-CATENIN participates in maintaining the hemolymph-testes barrier in the spermatogenesis of E. sinensis.

Wnt Signaling Inhibitors and Their Promising Role in Tumor Treatment

In a continuous search for the improvement of antitumor therapies, the inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway has been recognized as a promising target. The altered functioning of the Wnt signaling in human tumors points to the strategy of the inhibition of its activity that would impact the clinical outcomes and survival of patients. Because the Wnt pathway is often mutated or epigenetically altered in tumors, which promotes its activation, inhibitors of Wnt signaling are being intensively investigated. It has been shown that knocking down specific components of the Wnt pathway has inhibitory effects on tumor growth in vivo and in vitro. Thus, similar effects are expected from the application of Wnt inhibitors. In the last decades, molecules acting as inhibitors on the pathway’s specific molecular levels have been identified and characterized. This review will discuss the inhibitors of the canonical Wnt pathway, summarize knowledge on their effectiveness as therapeutics, and debate their side effects. The role of the components frequently mutated in various tumors that are principal targets for Wnt inhibitors is also going to be brought to the reader’s attention. Some of the molecules identified as Wnt pathway inhibitors have reached early stages of clinical trials, and some have only just been discovered. All things considered, inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway shows potential for the development of future therapies.