Leptin, Leptin Receptor, KHDRBS1 (KH RNA Binding Domain Containing, Signal Transduction Associated 1), and Adiponectin in Bone Metastasis from Breast Carcinoma: An Immunohistochemical Study

Bioinformatics Analysis of Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets Related to Necroptosis in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Necroptosis is a critical process in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). This research is aimed at identifying key genes regulating necroptosis in IDD to provide a theoretical basis for early diagnosis and treatment. Transcriptome data from patients with IDD and normal samples were obtained from the GSE34095 and GSE124272 datasets of the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) public database. Necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) were sourced from the GeneCards database and literature. Differentially expressed necroptosis-related genes (DE-NRGs) in IDD were identified by intersecting these sources. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were used for gene annotation analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and nomogram analyses assessed the diagnostic efficiency of DE-NRGs. The miRWalk and starBase databases helped construct the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network of DE-NRGs. We identified 517 differential genes in tissue and 2974 in blood, with 62 genes in common. DE-NRGs (AIFM1, CCT8, HNRNPA1, KHDRBS1, SERBP1) were identified by intersecting NRGs with these 62 common genes. The ROC curve showed an area under the curve (AUC) > 0.70 for DE-NRGs, and the nomogram indicated that a higher DE-NRG score correlates with a higher risk of IDD. CCT8, KHDRBS1, and AIFM1 emerged as potential therapeutic targets for IDD through target drug prediction. qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry confirmed the expression of AIFM1, CCT8, HNRNPA1, KHDRBS1, and SERBP1 in patients' nucleus pulposus tissue, suggesting these genes as key targets for IDD risk assessment and drug therapy.

KHDRBS1 regulates the pentose phosphate pathway and malignancy of GBM through SNORD51-mediated polyadenylation of ZBED6 pre-mRNA

Glioblastoma is one of the most common and aggressive primary brain tumors. The aberration of metabolism is the important character of GBM cells and is tightly related to the malignancy of GBM. We mainly verified the regulatory effects of KHDRBS1, SNORD51 and ZBED6 on pentose phosphate pathway and malignant biological behavior in glioblastoma cells, such as proliferation, migration and invasion. KHDRBS1 and SNORD51 were upregulated in GBM tissues and cells. But ZBED6 had opposite tendency in GBM tissues and cells. KHDRBS1 may improve the stability of SNORD51 by binding to SNORD51, thus elevating the expression of SNORD51. More importantly, SNORD51 can competitively bind to WDR33 with 3'UTR of ZBED6 pre-mRNA which can inhibit the 3' end processing of ZBED6 pre-mRNA, thereby inhibiting the expression of ZBED6 mRNA. ZBED6 inhibited the transcription of G6PD by binding to the promoter region of G6PD. Therefore, the KHDRBS1/SNORD51/ZBED6 pathway performs an important part in regulating the pentose phosphate pathway to influence malignant biological behavior of GBM cells, providing new insights and potential targets for the treatment of GBM.

Bone marrow adipocytes and lung cancer bone metastasis: unraveling the role of adipokines in the tumor microenvironment

Bone is a common site of metastasis for lung cancer. The "seed and soil" hypothesis suggests that the bone marrow microenvironment ("soil") may provide a conducive survival environment for metastasizing tumor cells ("seeds"). The bone marrow microenvironment, comprising a complex array of cells, includes bone marrow adipocytes (BMAs), which constitute about 70% of the adult bone marrow volume and may play a significant role in tumor bone metastasis. BMAs can directly provide energy for tumor cells, promoting their proliferation and migration. Furthermore, BMAs participate in the tumor microenvironment's osteogenesis regulation, osteoclast(OC) regulation, and immune response through the secretion of adipokines, cytokines, and inflammatory factors. However, the precise mechanisms of BMAs in lung cancer bone metastasis remain largely unclear. This review primarily explores the role of BMAs and their secreted adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, Nesfatin-1, Resistin, chemerin, visfatin) in lung cancer bone metastasis, aiming to provide new insights into the mechanisms and clinical treatment of lung cancer bone metastasis.

m6A reading protein RBMX as a biomarker for prognosis and tumor progression in esophageal cancer

Background

As a member of m6A methylated binding protein, RNA binding motif protein X-linked (RBMX) has been reported to be associated with tumor invasion, metastasis and prognosis. However, the prognostic significance of RBMX expression in esophageal cancer (ESCA) remains unclear.

Methods

Based on the TIMER database, GEPIA database, cBioPortal database, CIBERSORT deconvolution algorithm, String-DB database, LinkedOmics database, etc., the RBMX expression level, mRNA expression level, prognostic relationship, genetic mutation, immune cell infiltration level, protein interaction network, differential co-expression genes and functional enrichment in esophageal carcinoma were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of RBMX in 53 cases of esophageal carcinoma and adjacent esophageal tissues.

Results

The RBMX expression in ESCA tissue was significantly higher than that in the normal tissues. The overall survival (OS) of patients with high RBMX expression was significantly lower than that of patients with low expression (P=0.04). The protein encoded by the RBMX gene appeared to copy number amplification, mutation and deep deletion. The expression level of RBMX was positively correlated with the levels of follicular helper T cells, eosinophils and initial B cells (P<0.05). Genes significantly and positively correlated with RBMX expression included HNRNPA1L2, SFRS13A, HNRNPA1, etc., which were mainly enriched in biological processes (BPs) such as cell division, mRNA splicing, RNA binding and mRNA 3'-UTR binding.

Conclusions

RBMX may be as a biomarker of poor prognosis of ESCA. RBMX is closely related to the survival and prognosis, genetic mutation and immune cell infiltration of patients with ESCA.

Comparative Shotgun Proteomics Reveals the Characteristic Protein Signature of Osteosarcoma Subtypes

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant bone tumor affecting adolescents and young adults. This study aimed to identify proteomic signatures that distinguish between different osteosarcoma subtypes, providing insights into their molecular heterogeneity and potential implications for personalized treatment approaches. Using advanced proteomic techniques, we analyzed FFPE tumor samples from a cohort of pediatric osteosarcoma patients representing four various subtypes. Differential expression analysis revealed a significant proteomic signature that discriminated between these subtypes, highlighting distinct molecular profiles associated with different tumor characteristics. In contrast, clinical determinants did not correlate with the proteome signature of pediatric osteosarcoma. The identified proteomics signature encompassed a diverse array of proteins involved in focal adhesion, ECM-receptor interaction, PI3K-Akt signaling pathways, and proteoglycans in cancer, among the top enriched pathways. These findings underscore the importance of considering the molecular heterogeneity of osteosarcoma during diagnosis or even when developing personalized treatment strategies. By identifying subtype-specific proteomics signatures, clinicians may be able to tailor therapy regimens to individual patients, optimizing treatment efficacy and minimizing adverse effects.

Leptin and Cancer: Updated Functional Roles in Carcinogenesis, Therapeutic Niches, and Developments

Leptin is an obesity-associated adipokine that is known to regulate energy metabolism and reproduction and to control appetite via the leptin receptor. Recent work has identified specific cell types other than adipocytes that harbor leptin and leptin receptor expression, particularly in cancers and tumor microenvironments, and characterized the role of this signaling axis in cancer progression. Furthermore, the prognostic significance of leptin in various types of cancer and the ability to noninvasively detect leptin levels in serum samples have attracted attention for potential clinical applications. Emerging findings have demonstrated the direct and indirect biological effects of leptin in regulating cancer proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis and chemoresistance, warranting the exploration of the underlying molecular mechanisms to develop a novel therapeutic strategy. In this review article, we summarize and integrate transcriptome and clinical data from cancer patients together with the recent findings related to the leptin signaling axis in the aforementioned malignant phenotypes. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of leptin and leptin receptor distribution in a pancancer panel and in individual cell types of specific organs at the single-cell level is presented, identifying those sites that are prone to leptin-mediated tumorigenesis. Our results shed light on the role of leptin in cancer and provide guidance and potential directions for further research for scientists in this field.