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Gil-Martín E, Ramos E, López-Muñoz F, Egea J, Romero A. Potential of melatonin to reverse epigenetic aberrations in oral cancer: new findings. EXCLI JOURNAL 2023; 22:1280-1310. [PMID: 38234969 PMCID: PMC10792176 DOI: 10.17179/excli2023-6624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
It is now an accepted principle that epigenetic alterations cause cellular dyshomeostasis and functional changes, both of which are essential for the initiation and completion of the tumor cycle. Oral carcinogenesis is no exception in this regard, as most of the tumors in the different subsites of the oral cavity arise from the cross-reaction between (epi)genetic inheritance and the huge challenge of environmental stressors. Currently, the biochemical machinery is put at the service of the tumor program, halting the cell cycle, triggering uncontrolled proliferation, driving angiogenesis and resistance to apoptosis, until the archetypes of the tumor phenotype are reached. Melatonin has the ability to dynamically affect the epigenetic code. It has become accepted that melatonin can reverse (epi)genetic aberrations present in oral and other cancers, suggesting the possibility of enhancing the oncostatic capacity of standard multimodal treatments by incorporating this indolamine as an adjuvant. First steps in this direction confirm the potential of melatonin as a countermeasure to mitigate the detrimental side effects of conventional first-line radiochemotherapy. This single effect could produce synergies of extraordinary clinical importance, allowing doses to be increased and treatments not to be interrupted, ultimately improving patients' quality of life and prognosis. Motivated by the urgency of improving the medical management of oral cancer, many authors advocate moving from in vitro and preclinical research, where the bulk of melatonin cancer research is concentrated, to systematic randomized clinical trials on large cohorts. Recognizing the challenge to improve the clinical management of cancer, our motivation is to encourage comprehensive and robust research to reveal the clinical potential of melatonin in oral cancer control. To improve the outcome and quality of life of patients with oral cancer, here we provide the latest evidence of the oncolytic activity that melatonin can achieve by manipulating epigenetic patterns in oronasopharyngeal tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Gil-Martín
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Immunology, Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
| | - Eva Ramos
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco López-Muñoz
- Faculty of Health, Camilo José Cela University of Madrid (UCJC), 28692 Madrid, Spain
- Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Hospital 12 de Octubre Research Institute, 28041 Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Egea
- Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Santa Cristina, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS-IP), 28006 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandro Romero
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Chatterjee D, Rahman MM, Saha AK, Siam MKS, Sharif Shohan MU. Transcriptomic analysis of esophageal cancer reveals hub genes and networks involved in cancer progression. Comput Biol Med 2023; 159:106944. [PMID: 37075603 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) has a 5-year survival rate of fewer than 20%. The study aimed to identify new predictive biomarkers for ESCA through transcriptomics meta-analysis to address the problems of ineffective cancer therapy, lack of efficient diagnostic tools, and costly screening and contribute to developing more efficient cancer screening and treatments by identifying new marker genes. Nine GEO datasets of three kinds of esophageal carcinoma were analyzed, and 20 differentially expressed genes were detected in carcinogenic pathways. Network analysis revealed four hub genes, namely RAR Related Orphan Receptor A (RORA), lysine acetyltransferase 2B (KAT2B), Cell Division Cycle 25B (CDC25B), and Epithelial Cell Transforming 2 (ECT2). Overexpression of RORA, KAT2B, and ECT2 was identified with a bad prognosis. These hub genes modulate immune cell infiltration. These hub genes modulate immune cell infiltration. Although this research needs lab confirmation, we found interesting biomarkers in ESCA that may aid in diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipankor Chatterjee
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Mostafijur Rahman
- Department of Microbiology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
| | - Anik Kumar Saha
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Zhang C, Cheng M, Dong N, Sun D, Ma H. General Transcription Factor IIF Polypeptide 2: A Novel Therapeutic Target for Depression Identified Using an Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:918217. [PMID: 35711908 PMCID: PMC9197343 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.918217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression currently affects 4% of the world’s population; it is associated with disability in 11% of the global population. Moreover, there are limited resources to treat depression effectively. Therefore, we aimed to identify a promising novel therapeutic target for depression using bioinformatic analysis. The GSE54568, GSE54570, GSE87610, and GSE92538 gene expression data profiles were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We prepared the four GEO profiles for differential analysis, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Gene Ontology functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes metabolic pathway analyses were conducted to determine the key functions of the corresponding genes. Additionally, we performed correlation analyses of the hub genes with transcription factors, immune genes, and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) genes to reveal the functional landscape of the core genes associated with depression. Compared with the control samples, the depression samples contained 110 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which comprised 56 downregulated and 54 upregulated DEGs. Moreover, using the WGCNA and PPI clustering analysis, the blue module and cluster 1 were found to be significantly correlated with depression. GTF2F2 was the only common gene identified using the differential analysis and WGCNA; thus, it was used as the hub gene. According to the enrichment analyses, GTF2F2 was predominantly involved in the cell cycle and JAK-STAT, PI3K-Akt, and p53 signaling pathways. Furthermore, differential and correlation analyses revealed that 9 transcription factors, 12 immune genes, and 2 m6A genes were associated with GTF2F2 in depression samples. GTF2F2 may serve as a promising diagnostic biomarker and treatment target of depression, and this study provides a novel perspective and valuable information to explore the molecular mechanism of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Min Cheng
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Naifu Dong
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Dongjie Sun
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Dongjie Sun,
| | - Haichun Ma
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Haichun Ma,
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Lee SM, Kim HU. Development of computational models using omics data for the identification of effective cancer metabolic biomarkers. Mol Omics 2021; 17:881-893. [PMID: 34608924 DOI: 10.1039/d1mo00337b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Identification of novel biomarkers has been an active area of study for the effective diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cancers. Among various types of cancer biomarkers, metabolic biomarkers, including enzymes, metabolites and metabolic genes, deserve attention as they can serve as a reliable source for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cancers. In particular, efforts to identify novel biomarkers have been greatly facilitated by a rapid increase in the volume of multiple omics data generated for a range of cancer cells. These omics data in turn serve as ingredients for developing computational models that can help derive deeper insights into the biology of cancer cells, and identify metabolic biomarkers. In this review, we provide an overview of omics data generated for cancer cells, and discuss recent studies on computational models that were developed using omics data in order to identify effective cancer metabolic biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang Mi Lee
- Systems Biology and Medicine Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyun Uk Kim
- Systems Biology and Medicine Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 four), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea. .,KAIST Institute for Artificial Intelligence, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.,BioProcess Engineering Research Center and BioInformatics Research Center, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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Ma X, Chen H, Li L, Yang F, Wu C, Tao K. CircGSK3B promotes RORA expression and suppresses gastric cancer progression through the prevention of EZH2 trans-inhibition. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2021; 40:330. [PMID: 34666800 PMCID: PMC8524915 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-02136-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNA that play critical roles in the development and pathogenesis of various cancers. The circRNA circGSK3B (hsa_circ_0003763) has been shown to enhance cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the specific functions and underlying mechanistic involvement of circGSK3B in gastric cancer (GC) have not yet been explored. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of circGSK3B on the progression of GC and to identify any potential mechanisms underlying this process. METHODS CircRNA datasets associated with GC were obtained from the PubMed, GEO, and ArrayExpress databases, and circRNAs were validated via RT-qPCR and Sanger sequencing. Biotin-labeled RNA pull-down, mass spectrometry, RNA immunoprecipitation, and in vitro binding assays were employed to determine proteins demonstrating interactions with circGSK3B. Gene expression regulation was assessed through RT-qPCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and western blot assays. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were used to analyze any effects of circGSK3B and its partner regulatory molecule (EZH2) on the proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS CircGSK3B was mainly identified in the nucleus. This circRNA was present at a reduced concentration in GC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of circGSK3B was shown to inhibit the growth, invasion, and metastasis of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circGSK3B directly interacted with EZH2, acting to suppress the binding of EZH2 and H3K27me3 to the RORA promoter, and leading to an elevation in RORA expression and ultimately the suppression of GC progression. CONCLUSIONS CircGSK3B acts as a tumor suppressor, reducing EZH2 trans-inhibition and GC progression. This demonstrates the potential use of this RNA as a therapeutic target for GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianxiong Ma
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Hengyu Chen
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, 570102, China
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China
| | - Feng Yang
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China
| | - Chuanqing Wu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
| | - Kaixiong Tao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
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