TRIM33 Overexpression Inhibits the Progression of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma In Vivo and In Vitro

Tripartite motif containing 33 demonstrated anticancer effect by degrading c‑Myc: Limitation of glutamine metabolism and proliferation in endometrial carcinoma cells

Tripartite motif containing 33 (TRIM33) has been reported to be involved in various tumor progression. However, its role in endometrial carcinoma (EC) remains to be elucidated. By mining the publicly available databases UALCAN and TIMER, low expression of TRIM33 was found in tumor tissues of EC patients. Clinically, downregulation of TRIM33 in EC tissues was positively correlated with the extensive muscle invasion and poor differentiation grade. In vitro, experiments performed on human HEC‑1‑A and AN3CA cells showed that overexpression of TRIM33 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of EC cells, whereas TRIM33 knockdown resulted in the opposite results. Furthermore, upregulation of TRIM33 significantly inhibited the glutamine uptake and decreased the intracellular glutamate in EC cells, which is evidenced by the reduction of solute carrier family 1 member 5 and glutaminase. In vivo, TRIM33 also dramatically inhibited tumor growth and glutamine metabolism. Additionally, co‑immunoprecipitation assay confirmed the interaction between TRIM33 and c‑Myc. Overexpression of TRIM33 could reduce the protein stability of c‑Myc by promoting its degradation. In addition, upregulation of c‑Myc could reverse the effects of TRIM33 on EC cells. Together, the present study demonstrated that TRIM33 acted as a tumor suppressor in EC, which is manifested in its inhibition of glutamine metabolism and cell growth via promoting c‑Myc protein degradation.

KLF9 positively regulates TRIM33 to inhibit abnormal synovial fibroblast proliferation, migration as well as inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause irreversible joint injury and serious disability. This study aimed to investigate how TRIM33 regulated by KLF9 affects the aggressive behaviors of synovial fibroblasts induced by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

TNF-α-induced MH7A cells were used to simulate the in vitro model of RA. TRIM33 and KLF9 expression in TNF-α-challenged MH7A cells and transfection efficiency were analyzed via real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction together with western blot. The viability, proliferation, invasion, and migration of TNF-α-induced MH7A cells after transfection was respectively detected by CCK-8, EdU staining, transwell, and wound-healing assays. The expression of invasion and migration-related proteins and inflammation-related proteins was determined by western blot and the levels of inflammatory factors were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The combination between TRIM33 and KLF9 was substantiated through dual-luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation.

RESULTS

TRIM33 and KLF9 expression in TNF-α-challenged MH7A cells was downregulated. TRIM33 elevation inhibited TNF-α-elicited proliferation, metastasis as well as inflammation of MH7A cells. Moreover, KLF9 was combined with TRIM33 and KLF9 promoted transcription of TRIM33. The inhibitory effect of TRIM33 overexpression on proliferation, invasion and migration and inflammation of MH7A cells induced by TNF-α was alleviated by the downregulation of KLF9.

CONCLUSION

KLF9 positively regulates TRIM33 to suppress the abnormal MH7A cell proliferation, migration, and reduce inflammation upon exposure to TNF-α, which was reversed by inhibiting KLF9.

Phosphorylation-Dependent Regulation of WNT/Beta-Catenin Signaling

WNT/β-catenin signaling is a highly complex pathway that plays diverse roles in various cellular processes. While WNT ligands usually signal through their dedicated Frizzled receptors, the decision to signal in a β-catenin-dependent or -independent manner rests upon the type of co-receptors used. Canonical WNT signaling is β-catenin-dependent, whereas non-canonical WNT signaling is β-catenin-independent according to the classical definition. This still holds true, albeit with some added complexity, as both the pathways seem to cross-talk with intertwined networks that involve the use of different ligands, receptors, and co-receptors. β-catenin can be directly phosphorylated by various kinases governing its participation in either canonical or non-canonical pathways. Moreover, the co-activators that associate with β-catenin determine the output of the pathway in terms of induction of genes promoting proliferation or differentiation. In this review, we provide an overview of how protein phosphorylation controls WNT/β-catenin signaling, particularly in human cancer.

Downregulation of miR-335 exhibited an oncogenic effect via promoting KDM3A/YAP1 networks in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common type of renal cancer affecting many people worldwide. Although the 5-year survival rate is 65% in localized disease, after metastasis, the survival rate is <10%. Emerging evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial regulatory role in the progression of ccRCC. Here, we show that miR-335, an anti-onco-miRNA, is downregulation in tumor tissue and inhibited ccRCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Our studies further identify the H3K9me1/2 histone demethylase KDM3A as a new miR-335-regulated gene. We show that KDM3A is overexpressed in ccRCC, and its upregulation contributes to the carcinogenesis and metastasis of ccRCC. Moreover, with the overexpression of KDM3A, YAP1 was increased and identified as a direct downstream target of KDM3A. Enrichment of KDM3A demethylase on YAP1 promoter was confirmed by CHIP-qPCR and YAP1 was also found involved in the cell growth and metastasis inhibitory of miR-335. Together, our study establishes a new miR-335/KDM3A/YAP1 regulation axis, which provided new insight and potential targeting of the metastasized ccRCC.

A New Survival Model Based on ADAMTSs for Prognostic Prediction in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

The main purpose of this study was to explore the genetic variation, gene expression, and clinical significance of ADAMTSs (a disintegrin and metalloprotease domains with thrombospondin motifs) across cancer types. Analysis of data from the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database showed that the ADAMTSs have extensive CNV (copy number variation) and SNV (single nucleotide variation) across cancer types. Compared with normal tissues, the methylation of ADAMTSs in cancer tissues is also significantly different, which affects the expression of ADAMTS gene and the prognosis of cancer patients. Through gene expression analysis, we found that ADAMTS family has significant changes in gene expression across cancer types and is closely related to the prognosis of carcinoma, especially in ccRCC (clear cell renal cell carcinoma). LASSO regression analysis was used to establish a prognostic model based on the ADAMTSs to judge the prognosis of patients with ccRCC. Multiple Cox regression analysis suggested that age, grade, stage, and risk score of the prognostic model of ccRCC were independent prognostic factors in patients with renal clear cell carcinoma. These findings indicate that the ADAMTSs-based survival model can accurately predict the prognosis of patients with ccRCC and suggest that ADAMTSs are a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in ccRCC.

Glycolysis-Related Genes Serve as Potential Prognostic Biomarkers in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Metabolic rearrangement is a marker of cancer that has been widely studied in recent years. One of the major metabolic characteristics of tumor cells is the high levels of glycolysis, even under aerobic conditions, a phenomenon that is called the "Warburg effect." We investigated the expression and copy number variation (CNV) frequency of all glycolysis-related genes in multiple cancer types and found many differentially expressed genes, particularly in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Single nucleotide variants (SNVs) showed that the overall average mutation frequency for all genes was low. The purpose of this study was to establish a predictive model by studying glycolysis-related genes in ccRCC. We compared the expression of glycolysis-related genes in 539 ccRCC tissues and 72 normal renal tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset and identified 17 upregulated and 26 downregulated genes. Pathway analysis revealed that PSAT1 and SDHB could activate the cell cycle, RPIA could activate the DNA damage response, and HK3 could activate apoptosis and EMT signaling, while PDK2 could inhibit apoptosis. The results of the drug sensitivity analysis suggested that some of these differentially expressed genes were positively correlated with drug sensitivity. Thirteen genes were selected from the gene coexpression network and the LASSO regression analysis. The Kaplan-Meier overall survival curves showed that the expression of upregulated genes in ccRCC patients was associated with lower overall survival. We established a predictive model consisting of 13 genes (RPIA, G6PD, PSAT1, ENO2, HK3, IDH1, PDK4, PGM2, PGK1, FBP1, OGDH, SUCLA2, and SUCLG2). This predictive model correlated well with the development and progression of ccRCC. Thus, it is of great value in the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of ccRCC and may aid the identification of potential prognostic biomarkers and drug targets.