BASP1 promotes high glucose-induced endothelial apoptosis in diabetes via activation of EGFR signaling

WTAP-mediated m6A modification on BASP1 mRNA contributes to ferroptosis in AAA

BACKGROUND

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a common aneurysm that is often associated with atherosclerosis and can lead to artery rupture and death. Brain abundant membrane attached signal protein 1 (BASP1) is related to a variety of pathophysiological processes, but its role in AAA has not been reported.

METHODS

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot were used to detect the expressions of BASP1 and Wilms' tumor 1-associated protein (WTAP). Angiotensin-II (Ang-II) was employed for inducing AAA models in vitro to explore the effects and mechanism of BASP1 in AAA. Cell viability, apoptosis, oxidative stress level, and Fe2+ level were measured by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT), flow cytometry, and various kits, respectively. In terms of mechanism, the methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP)-qPCR, the dual luciferase reporter assay, and the cytochrome experiments were utilized to evaluate the relationship between BASP1 and WTAP.

RESULTS

A highly expressed level of BASP1 was observed in aortic tissues of AAA patients and Ang-II could induce AAA models by treating vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In cellular function, BASP1 knockdown impaired AAA and ferroptosis resulted from Ang-II. Mechanically, WTAP mediated the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification and mRNA stability of BASP1. Meanwhile, WTAP was highly expressed in AAA tissues of patients and the effects of WTAP silence in AAA and ferroptosis were diminished by up-regulated BASP1.

CONCLUSION

WTAP promotes cell viability and inhibits apoptosis and ferroptosis resulted from Ang-II in VSMCs by mediating the m6A level of BASP1.

Paeoniflorin alleviates high glucose-induced endothelial cell apoptosis in diabetes mellitus by inhibiting HRAS-activated RAS pathway

Paeoniflorin (Pae) can improve diabetes mellitus (DM), especially endothelial dysfunction induced by high glucose (HG). Molecularly, the mechanism pertinent to Pae and DM lacks further in-depth research. Hence, this study determined the molecular mechanism of Pae in treating DM through network pharmacology. The target of Pae was analyzed by TCMSP database, and DM-related genes were dissected by Genecards database and Omim database. PPI network was constructed for cross targets through Cytoscape 3.9.1 and STRING platform. GO and KEGG analyses were carried out on the cross targets. Protein molecular docking verification was completed by AutoDockTools and Pymol programs. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were separately treated with HG, Pae (5, 10, 20 μM) and/or HRAS overexpression plasmids (oe-HRAS). The cell viability, apoptosis and the protein expressions of HRAS and Ras-GTP were evaluated. There were 50 cross targets between Pae and DM, and VEGFA, EGFR, HRAS, SRC and HSP90AA1 were the key genes identified by PPI network analysis. GO and KEGG analyses revealed signal paths such as Rap1 and Ras. Molecular docking results confirmed that Pae had a good binding ability with key genes. In HG-treated HUVECs, Pae dose-dependently facilitated cell viability, attenuated cell apoptosis, and dwindled the expressions of HRAS and Ras-GTP, but these effects of Pae were reversed by oe-HRAS. In conclusion, Pae regulates the viability and apoptosis of HG-treated HUVECs by inhibiting the expression of HRAS.

The research progress of crosstalk mechanism of autophagy and apoptosis in diabetic vascular endothelial injury

In recent years, the widespread prevalence of diabetes has become a major killer that threatens the health of people worldwide. Of particular concern is hyperglycemia-induced vascular endothelial injury, which is one of the factors that aggravate diabetic vascular disease. During the process of diabetic vascular endothelial injury, apoptosis is an important pathological manifestation and autophagy is a key regulatory mechanism. Autophagy and apoptosis interact with each other. Hence, the crosstalk mechanism between the two processes is an important means of regulating diabetic vascular endothelial injury. This article reviews the research progress in apoptosis in the context of diabetic vascular endothelial injury and discusses the crosstalk mechanism of autophagy and apoptosis and its role in this injury. The purpose is to guide the prevention and treatment of diabetic vascular endothelial injury in the future.

Glucose dysregulation promotes oncogenesis in human bladder cancer by regulating autophagy and YAP1/TAZ expression

Glucose dysregulation is strongly correlated with cancer development, and cancer is prevalent in patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to elucidate the mechanism underlying autophagy in response to glucose dysregulation in human bladder cancer (BC). 220 BC patients were included in this retrospective study. The expression of YAP1, TAZ and AMPK, EMT-associated markers, and autophagy marker proteins was analysed by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Further, T24 and UMUC-3 BC cells were cultured in media with different glucose concentrations, and the expression of YAP1, TAZ, AMPK and EMT-associated markers, and autophagy marker proteins was analysed by western blotting and qPCR. Autophagy was observed by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. BC cell viability was tested using MTT assays. A xenograft nude mouse model of diabetes was used to evaluate tumour growth, metastasis and survival. A poorer pathologic grade and tumour-node-metastasis stage were observed in patients with BC with comorbid T2D than in others with BC. YAP1 and TAZ were upregulated in BC samples from patients with T2D. Mechanistically, high glucose (HG) promoted BC progression both in vitro and in vivo and inhibited autophagy. Specifically, various autophagy marker proteins and AMPK were negatively regulated under HG conditions and correlated with YAP1 and TAZ expression. These results demonstrate that HG inhibits autophagy and promotes cancer development in BC. YAP1/TAZ/AMPK signalling plays a crucial role in regulating glucose dysregulation during autophagy. Targeting these effectors exhibits therapeutic significance and can serve as prognostic markers in BC patients with T2D.