Establishment of an Immunocompetent Metastasis Rat Model with Hepatocyte Cancer Stem Cells

Transcriptomics analysis reveals distinct mechanism of breast cancer stem cells regulation in mammospheres from MCF-7 and T47D cells

Luminal A breast cancer, constituting 70 % of breast cancer cases, presents a challenge due to the development of resistance and recurrence caused by breast cancer stem cells (BCSC). Luminal breast tumors are characterized by TP53 expression, a tumor suppressor gene involved in maintaining stem cell attributes in cancer. Although a previous study successfully developed mammospheres (MS) from MCF-7 (with wild-type TP53) and T47D (with mutant TP53) luminal breast cancer cells for BCSC enrichment, their transcriptomic profiles remain unclear. We aimed to elucidate the transcriptomic disparities between MS of MCF-7 and T47D cells using bioinformatics analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including the KEGG pathway, Gene Ontology (GO), drug-gene association, disease-gene association, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), DNA methylation analysis, correlation analysis of DEGs with immune cell infiltration, and association analysis of genes and small-molecule compounds via the Connectivity Map (CMap). Upregulated DEGs were enriched in metabolism-related KEGG pathways, whereas downregulated DEGs were enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway. Drug-gene association analysis revealed that both upregulated and downregulated DEGs were associated with fostamatinib. The KEGG pathway GSEA results indicated that the DEGs were enriched for oxidative phosphorylation, whereas the downregulated DEGs were negatively enriched for the p53 signaling pathway. Examination of DNA methylation revealed a noticeable disparity in the expression patterns of the PKM2, ERO1L, SLC6A6, EPAS1, APLP2, RPL10L, and NEDD4 genes when comparing cohorts with low- and high-risk breast cancer. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was identified between SLC6A6 expression and macrophage presence, as well as MSN, and AKR1B1 expression and neutrophil and dentritic cell infiltration. CMap analysis unveiled SA-83851 as a potential candidate to counteract the effects of DEGs, specifically in cells harbouring mutant TP53. Further research, including in vitro and in vivo validations, is warranted to develop drugs targeting BCSCs.

CircACTR2 in macrophages promotes renal fibrosis by activating macrophage inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of renal tubular epithelial cells

The crosstalk between macrophages and tubular epithelial cells (TECs) actively regulates the progression of renal fibrosis. In the present study, we revealed the significance of circular RNA ACTR2 (circACTR2) in regulating macrophage inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of TECs, and the development of renal fibrosis. Our results showed UUO-induced renal fibrosis was associated with increased inflammation and EMT, hypertrophy of contralateral kidney, up-regulations of circACTR2 and NLRP3, and the down-regulation of miR-561. CircACTR2 sufficiently and essentially promoted the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, pyroptosis, and inflammation in macrophages, and through paracrine effect, stimulated EMT and fibrosis of TECs. Mechanistically, circACTR2 sponged miR-561 and up-regulated NLRP3 expression level to induce the secretion of IL-1β. In TECs, IL-1β induced renal fibrosis via up-regulating fascin-1. Knocking down circACTR2 or elevating miR-561 potently alleviated renal fibrosis in vivo. In summary, circACTR2, by sponging miR-561, activated NLRP3 inflammasome, promoted macrophage inflammation, and stimulated macrophage-induced EMT and fibrosis of TECs. Knocking down circACTR2 and overexpressing miR-561 may, thus, benefit the treatment of renal fibrosis.

Role of the Inflammatory Response of RAW 264.7 Cells in the Metastasis of Novel Cancer Stem-Like Cells

Background and objectives: Tumor progression and the immune response are intricately linked. Additionally, the presence of macrophages in the microenvironment is essential for carcinogenesis, but regulation of the polarization of M1- and M2-like macrophages and their role in metastasis remain unclear. Based on previous studies, both reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are emerging as key players in macrophage polarization. While it is known that cancers alter macrophage inflammatory responses to promote tumor progression, there is limited knowledge regarding how they affect the macrophage-dependent innate host defense. Materials and methods: We detected the levels of ROS, the ability of chemotaxis, the expressions of markers of M1-/M2-like macrophages in RAW264.7 in presence of T2- and T2C-conditioned medium. Results: The results of this study indicated that ROS levels were decreased in RAW 264.7 cells when cultured with T2C-conditioned medium, while there was an improvement in chemotaxis abilities. We also found that the M2-like macrophages were characterized by an elongated shape in RAW 264.7 cells cultured in T2C-conditioned medium, which had increased CD206 expression but decreased expression of CD86 and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Suppression of ER stress shifted polarized M1-like macrophages toward an M2-like phenotype in RAW 264.7 cells cultured in T2C-conditioned medium. Conclusions: Taken together, we conclude that the polarization of macrophages is associated with the alteration of cell shape, ROS accumulation, and ER stress.