Myocardial ischemic preconditioning upregulated protein 1(Mipu1):zinc finger protein 667 - a multifunctional KRAB/C2H2 zinc finger protein

Genetic alterations in the neuronal development genes are associated with changes of the tumor immune microenvironment in pancreatic cancer

Background

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis and is highly metastatic. Our prior studies have demonstrated the critical role of axon guidance pathway genes in PDAC and the connection between neuronal development and the tumor microenvironment. A recent study newly identified 20 neuronal development genes [disks large homolog 2 (DLG2), neuron-glial-related cell adhesion molecule (NRCAM), neurexin3 (NRXN3), mitogen-activated protein kinase 10 (MAPK10), platelet-derived growth factor D (PDGFD), protein kinase C epsilon (PRKCE), potassium calcium-activated channel subfamily M alpha 1 (KCNMA1), polycystic kidney and hepatic disease 1 (PKHD1), neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1), neuregulin-1 (NRG1), zinc finger protein 667 (ZNF667), cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), acyl-CoA medium-chain synthetase-3 (ACSM3), complement 6 (C6), protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type M (PTPRM), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A), adenylyl cyclase 5 (ADCY5), adherens junctions-associated protein 1 (AJAP1), neurobeachin (NBEA), sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 9 (SCN9A)] that are associated with perineural invasion and poor prognosis of PDAC. The relationship between genetic alterations in these 20 genes and tumor immune microenvironment (TME) has not previously been investigated.

Methods

We hence applied the sequential multiplex immunohistochemistry results of biopsy specimens from 63 PDAC patients to investigate this relationship.

Results

We found that, except for PTPRM and NBEA, genetic alterations involving these 20 genes are associated with significant changes in the densities of major immune cell subtypes. Except for AJAP1, the copy number loss involving this panel of neuronal development genes is significantly associated with changes in immune cell infiltrates. In contrast, the copy number gain in fewer genes, including NRXN3, ZNF667, ACSM3, C6, ADCY5, SCN9A, and PRKCE, is significantly associated with changes in immune cell infiltrates.

Conclusions

Our study suggested that neuronal development genes play a role in modulating TME in a pancreatic cancer setting.

Taurine Increases Zinc Preconditioning-Induced Prevention of Nitrosative Stress, Metabolic Alterations, and Motor Deficits in Young Rats following Intrauterine Ischemia

Oxygen deprivation in newborns leads to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, whose hallmarks are oxidative/nitrosative stress, energetic metabolism alterations, nutrient deficiency, and motor behavior disability. Zinc and taurine are known to protect against hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in adults and neonates. However, the combined effect of prophylactic zinc administration and therapeutic taurine treatment on intrauterine ischemia- (IUI-) induced cerebral damage remains unknown. The present work evaluated this issue in male pups subjected to transient IUI (10 min) at E17 and whose mothers received zinc from E1 to E16 and taurine from E17 to postnatal day 15 (PND15) via drinking water. We assessed motor alterations, nitrosative stress, lipid peroxidation, and the antioxidant system comprised of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Enzymes of neuronal energetic pathways, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), were also evaluated. The hierarchization score of the protective effect of pharmacological strategies (HSPEPS) was used to select the most effective treatment. Compared with the IUI group, zinc, alone or combined with taurine, improved motor behavior and reduced nitrosative stress by increasing SOD, CAT, and GPx activities and decreasing the GSSG/GSH ratio in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Taurine alone increased the AST/ALT, LDH/ALT, and AST/LDH ratios in the cerebral cortex, showing improvement of the neural bioenergetics system. This result suggests that taurine improves pyruvate, lactate, and glutamate metabolism, thus decreasing IUI-caused cerebral damage and relieving motor behavior impairment. Our results showed that taurine alone or in combination with zinc provides neuroprotection in the IUI rat model.