The Role of Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Cell Cycle Control and Its Implications in Cancer

Chaperonin containing TCP1 subunit 6A may activate Notch and Wnt pathways to facilitate the malignant behaviors and cancer stemness in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Chaperonin containing TCP1 subunit 6A (CCT6A) was recently discovered to be involved in cancer pathogenesis and stemness; however, its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has not been reported. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of CCT6A on OSCC cell malignant behaviors and stemness and to explore its potentially interreacted pathways. SCC-15 and HSC-3 cells were transfected with the plasmid loading control overexpression, CCT6A overexpression, control knockout, or CCT6A knockout. Wnt4 overexpression or Notch1 overexpression plasmids were transfected into CCT6A-knockout SCC-15 cells. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, stemness, Notch, and Wnt pathways were detected in both cell lines, whereas RNA sequencing was only performed in SCC-15 cells. CCT6A was upregulated in five OSCC cell lines, including SCC-15, HSC-3, SAT, SCC-9, and KON, compared to that in the control cell line. In SCC-15 and HSC-3 cells, CCT6A overexpression increased cell proliferation, invasion, sphere formation, CD133, and Sox2 expression, but decreased cell apoptosis; on the contrary, CCT6A knockout exhibited an opposite effect on the above indexes. RNA-sequencing data revealed that the Wnt and Notch pathways were involved in the CCT6A'effect on SCC-15 cell functions. CCT6A positively regulates the Wnt and Notch pathways in SCC-15 and HSC-3 cells. Importantly, it was shown that activation of the Wnt or Notch pathways attenuated the effect of CCT6A knockout on SCC-15 cell survival, invasion, and stemness. CCT6A may promote OSCC malignant behavior and stemness by activating the Wnt and Notch pathways.

Pectinose induces cell cycle arrest in luminal A and triple-negative breast cancer cells by promoting autophagy through activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway

Breast cancer patients often have a poor prognosis largely due to lack of effective targeted therapy. It is now well established that monosaccharide enhances growth retardation and chemotherapy sensitivity in tumor cells. However, Pectinose whether has capability to restrict the proliferation of tumor cells remain unclear. Here, we report that Pectinose induced cytotoxicity is modulated by autophagy and p38 MAPK signaling pathway in breast cancer cell lines. The proliferation of cells was dramatically inhibited by Pectinose exposure in a dose-dependent manner, which was relevant to cell cycle arrest, as demonstrated by G2/M cell cycle restriction and ectopic expression of Cyclin A, Cyclin B, p21and p27. Mechanistically, we further identified that Pectinose is positively associated with autophagy and the activation of the p38 MAPK signaling in breast cancer. In contrast, 3-Ma or SB203580, the inhibitor of autophagy or p38 MAPK, reversed the efficacy of Pectinose suppressing on breast cancer cell lines proliferation and cell cycle process. Additionally, Pectinose in vivo treatment could significantly inhibit xenograft growth of breast cancer cells. Taken together, our findings were the first to reveal that Pectinose triggered cell cycle arrest by inducing autophagy through the activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway in breast cancer cells,especially in luminal A and triple-negative breast cancer.

D-arabinose induces cell cycle arrest by promoting autophagy via p38 MAPK signaling pathway in breast cancer

Breast cancer patients often have a poor prognosis largely due to lack of effective targeted therapy. It is now well established that monosaccharide enhances growth retardation and chemotherapy sensitivity in tumor cells. We investigated whether D-arabinose has capability to restrict the proliferation of tumor cells and its mechanism. Here, we report that D-arabinose induced cytotoxicity is modulated by autophagy and p38 MAPK signaling pathway in breast cancer cell lines. The proliferation of cells was evaluated by CCK-8 and Colony formation assay. The distribution of cells in cell cycle phases was analyzed by flow cytometry. Cell cycle, autophagy and MAPK signaling related proteins were detected by western blotting. Mouse xenograft model was used to evaluate the efficacy of D-arabinose in vivo. The proliferation of cells was dramatically inhibited by D-arabinose exposure in a dose-dependent manner, which was relevant to cell cycle arrest, as demonstrated by G2/M cell cycle restriction and ectopic expression of cell cycle related proteins. Mechanistically, we further identified that D-arabinose is positively associated with autophagy and the activation of the p38 MAPK signaling in breast cancer. In contrast, 3-Ma or SB203580, the inhibitor of autophagy or p38 MAPK, reversed the efficacy of D-arabinose. Additionally, D-arabinose in vivo treatment could significantly inhibit xenograft growth of breast cancer cells. Our findings were the first to reveal that D-arabinose triggered cell cycle arrest by inducing autophagy through the activation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway in breast cancer cells.

Long non-coding RNA PWRN1 affects ovarian follicular development by regulating the function of granulosa cells

RESEARCH QUESTION

What is the role of Prader-Willi region non-protein coding RNA 1 (PWRN1) in ovarian follicular development and its molecular mechanism?

DESIGN

The expression and localization of PWRN1 were detected in granulosa cells from patients with different ovarian functions, and the effect of interfering with PWRN1 expression on cell function was detected by culturing granulosa cells in vitro. Furthermore, the effects of interfering with PWRN1 expression on ovarian function of female mice were explored through in-vitro and in-vivo experiments.

RESULTS

The expression of PWRN1 was significantly lower in granulosa cells derived from patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) compared with patients with normal ovarian function. By in-vitro culturing of primary granulosa cells or the KGN cell line, the results showed that the downregulation of PWRN1 promoted granulosa cell apoptosis, caused cell cycle arrested in S-phase, generated high levels of autophagy and led to significant decrease in steroidogenic capacity, including inhibition of oestradiol and progesterone production. In addition, SIRT1 overexpression could partially reverse the inhibitory effect of PWRN1 downregulation on cell proliferation. The results of in-vitro culturing of newborn mouse ovary showed that the downregulation of PWRN1 could slow down the early follicular development. Further, by injecting AAV-sh-PWRN1 in mouse ovarian bursa, the oestrous cycle of mouse was affected, and the number of oocytes retrieved after ovulation induction and embryos implanted after mating was significantly reduced.

CONCLUSION

This study systematically elucidated the novel mechanism by which lncRNA PWRN1 participates in the regulation of granulosa cell function and follicular development.

DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 prevents glioblastoma cells proliferation by regulating lysosomal function and autophagic flux stability

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and life-threatening brain tumor, characterized by its highly malignant and recurrent nature. DNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 (DRAM-1) is a p53 target gene encoding a lysosomal protein that induces macro-autophagy and damage-induced programmed cell death in tumor growth. However, the precise mechanisms underlying how DRAM-1 affects tumor cell proliferation through regulation of lysosomal function and autophagic flux stability remain incompletely understood. We found that DRAM-1 expressions were evidently down-regulated in high-grade glioma and recurrent GBM tissues. The upregulation of DRAM-1 could increase mortality of primary cultured GBM cells. TEM analysis revealed an augmented accumulation of aberrant lysosomes in DRAM-1-overexpressing GBM cells. The assay for lysosomal pH and stability also demonstrated decreasing lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and impaired lysosomal acidity. Further research revealed the detrimental impact of lysosomal dysfunction, which impaired the autophagic flux stability and ultimately led to GBM cell death. Moreover, downregulation of mTOR phosphorylation was observed in GBM cells following upregulation of DRAM-1. In vivo and in vitro experiments additionally illustrated that the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin increased GBM cell mortality and exhibited an enhanced antitumor effect.

Accumulation of neutral lipids in dystrophic neurites surrounding amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the formation β-amyloid (Aβ) deposited neuritic plaques. Recent evidence suggests that abnormal lipid metabolism and accumulation could serve as biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, including AD. Tubular endoplasmic reticulum protein, reticulon 3 (RTN3), plays a crucial role in the development of neuritic plaque and lipid metabolism in AD brains. In present study, we sought to investigate a potential association between neutral lipid accumulation and AD pathology. BODIPY 500/510 dye was used to label neutral lipid surrounding Aβ plaques in APPNL-G-F mouse and AD postmortem brains samples. Immunofluorescent images were captured using confocal microscope and co-localization between lipid metabolism proteins and neutral lipids were evaluated. Lipid accumulation in Aβ plaque surrounding dystrophic neurites (DNs) was observed in the cortical region of AD mouse models and human AD brain samples. The neutral lipid staining was not co-localized with IBA1-labeled microglia or GFAP-labeled astrocytes, but it was co-labeled with VAMP2 and neurofilament. We further showed that neutral lipids were accumulated in RTN3 immunoreactive DNs. Both the neutral lipids accumulation and RIDNs formation showed age-dependent patterns in surrounding amyloid plaques. Mechanistic studies revealed that RTN3 likely contributes to the enrichment of neutral lipids near plaques by interacting with heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70) and diminishing its function in chaperone-mediated lipophagy. Our study provides immunohistochemical evidence of neutral lipids being enriched in DNs near amyloid plaques. Our findings shed light on RTN3-mediaed lipid accumulation in AD neuropathology and provide fresh insights into the role of RTN3 in neurodegenerative diseases.

ALKBH1 promotes HIF-1α-mediated glycolysis by inhibiting N-glycosylation of LAMP2A

ALKBH1 is a typical demethylase of nucleic acids, which is correlated with multiple types of biological processes and human diseases. Recent studies are focused on the demethylation of ALKBH1, but little is known about its non-demethylase function. Here, we demonstrate that ALKBH1 regulates the glycolysis process through HIF-1α signaling in a demethylase-independent manner. We observed that depletion of ALKBH1 inhibits glycolysis flux and extracellular acidification, which is attributable to reduced HIF-1α protein levels, and it can be rescued by reintroducing HIF-1α. Mechanistically, ALKBH1 knockdown enhances chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA)-mediated HIF-1α degradation by facilitating the interaction between HIF-1α and LAMP2A. Furthermore, we identify that ALKBH1 competitively binds to the OST48, resulting in compromised structural integrity of oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) complex and subsequent defective N-glycosylation of LAMPs, particularly LAMP2A. Abnormal glycosylation of LAMP2A disrupts lysosomal homeostasis and hinders the efficient degradation of HIF-1α through CMA. Moreover, NGI-1, a small-molecule inhibitor that selectively targets the OST complex, could inhibit the glycosylation of LAMPs caused by ALKBH1 silencing, leading to impaired CMA activity and disruption of lysosomal homeostasis. In conclusion, we have revealed a non-demethylation role of ALKBH1 in regulating N-glycosylation of LAMPs by interacting with OST subunits and CMA-mediated degradation of HIF-1α.

The role of mitophagy in metabolic diseases and its exercise intervention

Mitochondria are energy factories that sustain life activities in the body, and their dysfunction can cause various metabolic diseases that threaten human health. Mitophagy, an essential intracellular mitochondrial quality control mechanism, can maintain cellular and metabolic homeostasis by removing damaged mitochondria and participating in developing metabolic diseases. Research has confirmed that exercise can regulate mitophagy levels, thereby exerting protective metabolic effects in metabolic diseases. This article reviews the role of mitophagy in metabolic diseases, the effects of exercise on mitophagy, and the potential mechanisms of exercise-regulated mitophagy intervention in metabolic diseases, providing new insights for future basic and clinical research on exercise interventions to prevent and treat metabolic diseases.

Role of Autophagy and Mitophagy in Neurodegenerative Disorders

Autophagy is a self-destructive cellular process that removes essential metabolites and waste from inside the cell to maintain cellular health. Mitophagy is the process by which autophagy causes disruption inside mitochondria and the total removal of damaged or stressed mitochondria, hence enhancing cellular health. The mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, performing essential functions such as ATP (adenosine triphosphate) generation, metabolism, Ca2+ buffering, and signal transduction. Many different mechanisms, including endosomal and autophagosomal transport, bring these substrates to lysosomes for processing. Autophagy and endocytic processes each have distinct compartments, and they interact dynamically with one another to complete digestion. Since mitophagy is essential for maintaining cellular health and using genetics, cell biology, and proteomics techniques, it is necessary to understand its beginning, particularly in ubiquitin and receptor-dependent signalling in injured mitochondria. Despite their similar symptoms and emerging genetic foundations, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have all been linked to abnormalities in autophagy and endolysosomal pathways associated with neuronal dysfunction. Mitophagy is responsible for normal mitochondrial turnover and, under certain physiological or pathological situations, may drive the elimination of faulty mitochondria. Due to their high energy requirements and post-mitotic origin, neurons are especially susceptible to autophagic and mitochondrial malfunction. This article focused on the importance of autophagy and mitophagy in neurodegenerative illnesses and how they might be used to create novel therapeutic approaches for treating a wide range of neurological disorders.

Exogenous H2S alleviates senescence of glomerular mesangial cells through up-regulating mitophagy by activation of AMPK-ULK1-PINK1-parkin pathway in mice

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the third gas signaling molecule that has been shown to be involved in the regulating vital activities in the body, including inhibition of aging. However, it is unknown whether H2S alleviates aging in the kidney and glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) by modulating their mitophagy. Here, results of experiments in vivo and in vitro showed that compared with control group, the renal function of mice and GMCs viability were decreased in D-gal (D-galactose) group, while the activity of SA-β-gal and p21 expression were increased, Cyclin D1 and Klotho expressions were decreased; H2S content and CSE expression were lower; ROS and MDA contents and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening were risedose; ATP production and mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) were reduced; Apoptotic rate, the expression of Cleaved caspase-9 and -3, Cyt c, p62 and Drp1 were enhanced and the expression of Bcl-2, Mfn2, Beclin-1, LC3 II/I, PINK1 and parkin were decreased. In addition, phospho-AMPK/AMPK and phospho-ULK1/ULK1 were also decreased significantly. Compared with the D-gal group, the changes of above indexes were reversed in the D-gal + NaHS (Sodium hydrosulfide, an exogenous H2S donor) group. The reverse effects of NaHS were similar to that of AICAR (an AMPK agonist) and kinetin (a PINK1 agonist), respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that exogenous H2S increases mitophagy and inhibits apoptosis as well as oxidative stress through up-regulation of AMPK-ULK1-PINK1-parkin pathway, which delays kidney senescence in mice.

Types of Cell Death from a Molecular Perspective

The former conventional belief was that cell death resulted from either apoptosis or necrosis; however, in recent years, different pathways through which a cell can undergo cell death have been discovered. Various types of cell death are distinguished by specific morphological alterations in the cell's structure, coupled with numerous biological activation processes. Various diseases, such as cancers, can occur due to the accumulation of damaged cells in the body caused by the dysregulation and failure of cell death. Thus, comprehending these cell death pathways is crucial for formulating effective therapeutic strategies. We focused on providing a comprehensive overview of the existing literature pertaining to various forms of cell death, encompassing apoptosis, anoikis, pyroptosis, NETosis, ferroptosis, autophagy, entosis, methuosis, paraptosis, mitoptosis, parthanatos, necroptosis, and necrosis.

Autophagy Modulation and Its Implications on Glioblastoma Treatment

Autophagy is a vital cellular process that functions to degrade and recycle damaged organelles into basic metabolites. This allows a cell to adapt to a diverse range of challenging conditions. Autophagy assists in maintaining homeostasis, and it is tightly regulated by the cell. The disruption of autophagy has been associated with many diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. This review will center its discussion on providing an in-depth analysis of the current molecular understanding of autophagy and its relevance to brain tumors. We will delve into the current literature regarding the role of autophagy in glioma pathogenesis by exploring the major pathways of JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR and summarizing the current therapeutic interventions and strategies for glioma treatment. These treatments will be evaluated on their potential for autophagy induction and the challenges associated with their utilization. By understanding the mechanism of autophagy, clinical applications for future therapeutics in treating gliomas can be better targeted.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases: mechanisms and therapy

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is the selective degradation process of intracellular components by lysosomes, which is required for the degradation of aggregate-prone proteins and contributes to proteostasis maintenance. Proteostasis is essential for normal cell function and survival, and it is determined by the balance of protein synthesis and degradation. Because postmitotic neurons are highly susceptible to proteostasis disruption, CMA is vital for the nervous system. Since Parkinson's disease (PD) was first linked to CMA dysfunction, an increasing number of studies have shown that CMA loss, as seen during aging, occurs in the pathogenetic process of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we review the molecular mechanisms of CMA, as well as the physiological function and regulation of this autophagy pathway. Following, we highlight its potential role in neurodegenerative diseases, and the latest advances and challenges in targeting CMA in therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.

Chaperone-mediated autophagy: Molecular mechanisms, biological functions, and diseases

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is a lysosomal degradation pathway that eliminates substrate proteins through heat-shock cognate protein 70 recognition and lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A-assisted translocation. It is distinct from macroautophagy and microautophagy. In recent years, the regulatory mechanisms of CMA have been gradually enriched, including the newly discovered NRF2 and p38-TFEB signaling, as positive and negative regulatory pathways of CMA, respectively. Normal CMA activity is involved in the regulation of metabolism, aging, immunity, cell cycle, and other physiological processes, while CMA dysfunction may be involved in the occurrence of neurodegenerative disorders, tumors, intestinal disorders, atherosclerosis, and so on, which provides potential targets for the treatment and prediction of related diseases. This article describes the general process of CMA and its role in physiological activities and summarizes the connection between CMA and macroautophagy. In addition, human diseases that concern the dysfunction or protective role of CMA are discussed. Our review deepens the understanding of the mechanisms and physiological functions of CMA and provides a summary of past CMA research and a vision of future directions.

COTE1 Facilitates Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Progression via Beclin1-Dependent Autophagy Inhibition

COTE1 was recently described as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma and gastric cancer. However, the roles of COTE1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are little known. Our study is aimed at clarifying novel functions of COTE1 in ICC progression, including proliferation, invasion, and autophagy. By using quantitative real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry staining, and western blotting, we found that COTE1 expression was frequently upregulated in ICC tissues, compared to paracarcinoma tissues. High COTE1 expression was significantly correlated with aggressive clinical features and predicted poor prognosis of ICC patients. Functional experiments revealed that ectopic COTE1 expression promoted ICC cell proliferation, colony formation, cellular invasion, migration, and in vivo tumorigenicity; in contrast, COTE1 knockdown resulted in the opposite effects. At molecular mechanism in vitro and vivo, our study revealed that COTE1 overexpression suppressed autophagy via Beclin1 transcription inhibition; conversely, COTE1 silencing facilitated autophagy through promoting Beclin1 expression. Furthermore, the suppression of COTE1 knockdown on cellular growth and invasion was rescued/aggravated by Beclin1 inhibition/accumulation. Our data, for the first time, illustrate that COTE1 is an oncogene in ICC pathogenesis, and the ectopic COTE1 expression promotes ICC proliferation and invasion via Beclin1-dependent autophagy inhibition.

DNAJA2 deficiency activates cGAS-STING pathway via the induction of aberrant mitosis and chromosome instability

Molecular chaperone HSP70s are attractive targets for cancer therapy, but their substrate broadness and functional non-specificity have limited their role in therapeutical success. Functioning as HSP70's cochaperones, HSP40s determine the client specificity of HSP70s, and could be better targets for cancer therapy. Here we show that tumors defective in HSP40 member DNAJA2 are benefitted from immune-checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Mechanistically, DNAJA2 maintains centrosome homeostasis by timely degrading key centriolar satellite proteins PCM1 and CEP290 via HSC70 chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). Tumor cells depleted of DNAJA2 or CMA factor LAMP2A exhibit elevated levels of centriolar satellite proteins, which causes aberrant mitosis characterized by abnormal spindles, chromosome missegregation and micronuclei formation. This activates the cGAS-STING pathway to enhance ICB therapy response in tumors derived from DNAJA2-deficient cells. Our study reveals a role for DNAJA2 to regulate mitotic division and chromosome stability and suggests DNAJA2 as a potential target to enhance cancer immunotherapy, thereby providing strategies to advance HSPs-based cancer therapy.

The Complex Role of Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Cancer Diseases

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is a process that rapidly degrades proteins labeled with KFERQ-like motifs within cells via lysosomes to terminate their cellular functioning. Meanwhile, CMA plays an essential role in various biological processes correlated with cell proliferation and apoptosis. Previous studies have shown that CMA was initially found to be procancer in cancer cells, while some theories suggest that it may have an inhibitory effect on the progression of cancer in untransformed cells. Therefore, the complex relationship between CMA and cancer has aroused great interest in the application of CMA activity regulation in cancer therapy. Here, we describe the basic information related to CMA and introduce the physiological functions of CMA, the dual role of CMA in different cancer contexts, and its related research progress. Further study on the mechanism of CMA in tumor development may provide novel insights for tumor therapy targeting CMA. This review aims to summarize and discuss the complex mechanisms of CMA in cancer and related potential strategies for cancer therapy.

Atg4b Overexpression Extends Lifespan and Healthspan in Drosophila melanogaster

Autophagy plays important but complex roles in aging, affecting health and longevity. We found that, in the general population, the levels of ATG4B and ATG4D decreased during aging, yet they are upregulated in centenarians, suggesting that overexpression of ATG4 members could be positive for healthspan and lifespan. We therefore analyzed the effect of overexpressing Atg4b (a homolog of human ATG4D) in Drosophila, and found that, indeed, Atg4b overexpression increased resistance to oxidative stress, desiccation stress and fitness as measured by climbing ability. The overexpression induced since mid-life increased lifespan. Transcriptome analysis of Drosophila subjected to desiccation stress revealed that Atg4b overexpression increased stress response pathways. In addition, overexpression of ATG4B delayed cellular senescence, and improved cell proliferation. These results suggest that ATG4B have contributed to a slowdown in cellular senescence, and in Drosophila, Atg4b overexpression may have led to improved healthspan and lifespan by promoting a stronger stress response. Overall, our study suggests that ATG4D and ATG4B have the potential to become targets for health and lifespan interventions.

Regulation of self-renewal in ovarian cancer stem cells by fructose via chaperone-mediated autophagy

The chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) pathway is deregulated in different types of cancers; however, its role in cancer stem cells (CSCs) is unknown yet. Development of ovarian cancer, the most lethal gynecological type of cancer, involves the metastasis of CSCs to the abdominal cavity. This study aims to determine the role of CMA in ovarian CSCs. We found that the transcription factor EB (TFEB) and trehalose, a disaccharide that induces TFEB activation, enhance the expression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) stem cell and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2A (LAMP2A) CMA markers. However, trehalose did not increase the level of the LC3II macroautophagy marker in ovarian CSCs. In A2780 and SKOV3 ovarian CSCs, LAMP2A and heat shock protein 70 (HSC70) exhibited higher expression levels than in normal adherent cells. Our results showed that the silencing of the LAMP2A gene resulted in reduced sphere formation and enhanced GLUT5 expression in ovarian CSCs. Moreover, the treatment with fructose reduced sphere formation and enhanced the expression levels of LAMP2A, SOX2, and OCT4 in ovarian CSCs. The KEGG functional analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in the ferroptosis pathway in A2780-spheroid (SP) cells after treatment with fructose. In A2780-SP and SKOV3-SP cells, the level of SLC7A11 decreased whereas FTH increased after treatment with fructose. Taken together, our results suggest that CMA is mediated in CSCs via fructose metabolism.

Lysosomes as a Target of Anticancer Therapy

Lysosomes are organelles containing acidic hydrolases that are responsible for lysosomal degradation and the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. They play an important role in autophagy, as well as in various cell death pathways, such as lysosomal and apoptotic death. Various agents, including drugs, can induce lysosomal membrane permeability, resulting in the translocation of acidic hydrolases into the cytoplasm, which promotes lysosomal-mediated death. This type of death may be of great importance in anti-cancer therapy, as both cancer cells with disturbed pathways leading to apoptosis and drug-resistant cells can undergo it. Important compounds that damage the lysosomal membrane include lysosomotropic compounds, antihistamines, immunosuppressants, DNA-damaging drugs, chemotherapeutics, photosensitizers and various plant compounds. An interesting approach in the treatment of cancer and the search for ways to overcome the chemoresistance of cancer cells may also be combining lysosomotropic compounds with targeted modulators of autophagy to induce cell death. These compounds may be an alternative in oncological treatment, and lysosomes may become a promising therapeutic target for many diseases, including cancer. Understanding the functional relationships between autophagy and apoptosis and the possibilities of their regulation, both in relation to normal and cancer cells, can be used to develop new and more effective anticancer therapies.

Upregulated Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy May Perform a Key Role in Reduced Cancer Incidence in Huntington's Disease

Incidence of cancer is markedly reduced in patients with the hereditary neurodegenerative polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases. We have very poor knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanisms, but the expanded polyQ sequence is assumed to play a central role, because it is common to the respective disease related proteins. The inhibition seems to take place in all kinds of cells, because the lower cancer frequency applies to nearly all types of tumors and is not related with the characteristic pathological changes in specific brain tissues. Further, the cancer repressing mechanisms appear to be active early in life including in pre-symptomatic and early phase polyQ patients. Autophagy plays a central role in clearing proteins with expanded polyQ tracts, and autophagy modulation has been demonstrated and particularly investigated in Huntington's disease (HD). Macroautophagy may be dysfunctional due to defects in several steps of the process, whereas increased chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) has been shown in HD patients, cell and animal models. Recently, CMA is assumed to play a key role in prevention of cellular transformation of normal cells into cancer cells. Investigations of normal cells from HD and other polyQ carriers could therefore add further insight into the protective mechanisms of CMA in tumorigenesis, and be important for development of autophagy based strategies to prevent malignant processes leading to cancer and neurodegeneration.

Establishment and validation of individualized clinical prognostic markers for LUAD patients based on autophagy-related genes

There is considerable heterogeneity in the genomic drivers of lung adenocarcinoma, which has a dismal prognosis. Bioinformatics analysis was performed on lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) datasets to establish a multi-autophagy gene model to predict patient prognosis. LUAD data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database as a training set to construct a LUAD prognostic model. According to the risk score, a Kaplan-Meier cumulative curve was plotted to evaluate the prognostic value. Furthermore, a nomogram was established to predict the three-year and five-year survival of patients with LUAD based on their prognostic characteristics. Two genes (ITGB1 and EIF2AK3) were identified in the autophagy-related prognostic model, and the multivariate Cox proportional risk model showed that risk score was an independent predictor of prognosis in LUAD patients (HR=3.3, 95%CI= 2.3 to 4.6, P< 0.0001). The Kaplan-Meier cumulative curve showed that low-risk patients had significantly better overall (P<0.0001). The validation dataset GSE68465 further confirmed the nomogram’s robust ability to assess the prognosis of LUAD patients. A prognosis model of autophagy-related genes based on a LUAD dataset was constructed and exhibited diagnostic value in the prognosis of LUAD patients. Moreover, real-time qPCR confirmed the expression patterns of EIF2AK3 and ITGB1 in LUAD cell lines. Two key autophagy-related genes have been suggested as prognostic markers for lung adenocarcinoma.

Preclinical investigation of artesunate as a therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma via impairment of glucosylceramidase-mediated autophagic degradation

Artesunate (ART) has been indicated as a candidate drug for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Glucosylceramidase (GBA) is required for autophagic degradation. Whether ART regulates autophagic flux by targeting GBA in HCC remains to be defined. Herein, our data demonstrated that the dramatic overexpression of GBA was significantly associated with aggressive progression and short overall survival times in HCC. Subsequent experiments revealed an association between autophagic activity and GBA expression in clinical HCC samples, tumor tissues from a rat model of inflammation-induced HCC and an orthotopic mouse model, and human HCC cell lines. Interestingly, probe labeling identified GBA as an ART target, which was further verified by both a glutathione-S-transferase pulldown assay and surface plasmon resonance analysis. The elevated protein expression of LC3B, the increased numbers of GFP-LC3B puncta and double-membrane vacuoles, and the enhanced expression of SQSTM1/p62 indicated that the degradation of autophagosomes in HCC cells was inhibited by ART treatment. Both the in vitro and in vivo data revealed that autophagosome accumulation through targeting of GBA was responsible for the anti-HCC effects of ART. In summary, this preclinical study identified GBA as one of the direct targets of ART, which may have promising potential to inhibit lysosomal autophagy for HCC therapy.

Confirmation that the malaria drug artesunate targets a key enzyme overexpressed in aggressive liver cancer suggests it may be a novel therapeutic option for the disease. High levels of an enzyme called glucosylceramidase (GBA) are associated with poor prognosis in liver cancer, according to research conducted by Yanqiong Zhang and Na Lin at the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, and co-workers. In experiments on rat and mouse models and human cell lines, the team demonstrated that high GBA levels over activated autophagic flux, accelerated the rate at which cellular material may be degraded and recycled in balanced, healthy cells. This disturbance enables liver cancer to progress. The researchers found that artesunate can suppress GBA expression levels and restore normal autophagic flux, boosting the drug’s anticancer activity.

Clinical significance for diagnosis and prognosis of POP1 and its potential role in breast cancer: a comprehensive analysis based on multiple databases

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in women. The discovery of available biomarkers is crucial for early diagnosis and improving prognosis. The effect of POP1 in BC remains unrevealed. Our study aims to explore the expression of POP1 in BC and demonstrate its clinical significance and potential molecular mechanisms.

Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) BC cohort transcriptome data and corresponding clinical information were downloaded. GSE42568 cohort, GSE162228 cohort, GSE7904 cohort, and GSE161533 cohort in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used as verification groups. R software and several web tools were used for statistical analysis. Moreover, the proliferation, transwell, wound healing experiments, and flow cytometry were used for in vitro investigation.

Results: Compared with normal breast tissue, POP1 expression was up-regulated in BC tissue with a higher mutation rate. POP1 had good diagnostic value for BC and could be utilized as a new marker. POP1 was significantly correlated with multiple pathways in BC and played an important role in the immune infiltration of BC. High-POP1 expression patients were more prone to be responded to immunotherapy and had a significantly higher percentage of immunotherapy response rate. Moreover, POP1 promoted proliferation and migration and inhibited apoptosis in BC cells.

Conclusions: POP1 expression was up-regulated in BC and was associated with a poor prognosis. Patients with high-POP1 expression were more likely to be responded to immunotherapy. Our study can provide a potential marker POP1 for BC, which is beneficial in the diagnosis and treatment of BC.

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Pericytes: A Key Target for the Development of New Treatments against Glioblastoma Progression

Glioblastoma (GB) cells physically interact with peritumoral pericytes (PCs) present in the brain microvasculature. These interactions facilitate tumor cells to aberrantly increase and benefit from chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) in the PC. GB-induced CMA leads to major changes in PC immunomodulatory phenotypes, which, in turn, support cancer progression. In this review, we focus on the consequences of the GB-induced up-regulation of CMA activity in PCs and evaluate how manipulation of this process could offer new strategies to fight glioblastoma, increasing the availability of treatments for this cancer that escapes conventional therapies. We finally discuss the use of modified PCs unable to increase CMA in response to GB as a cell therapy alternative to minimize undesired off-target effects associated with a generalized CMA inhibition.

Targeting Protein Degradation Pathways in Tumors: Focusing on their Role in Hematological Malignancies

Cells must maintain their proteome homeostasis by balancing protein synthesis and degradation. This is facilitated by evolutionarily-conserved processes, including the unfolded protein response and the proteasome-based system of protein clearance, autophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy. In some hematological malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia, misfolding or aggregation of the wild-type p53 tumor-suppressor renders cells unable to undergo apoptosis, even with an intact p53 DNA sequence. Moreover, blocking the proteasome pathway triggers lymphoma cell apoptosis. Extensive studies have led to the development of proteasome inhibitors, which have advanced into drugs (such as bortezomib) used in the treatment of certain hematological tumors, including multiple myeloma. New therapeutic options have been studied making use of the so-called proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), that bind desired proteins with a linker that connects them to an E3 ubiquitin ligase, resulting in proteasomal-targeted degradation. This review examines the mechanisms of protein degradation in the cells of the hematopoietic system, explains the role of dysfunctional protein degradation in the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies, and discusses the current and future advances of therapies targeting these pathways, based on an extensive search of the articles and conference proceedings from 2005 to April 2022.

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Molecular Mechanisms and Pharmacological Opportunities

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is a protein degradation mechanism through lysosomes. By targeting the KFERQ motif of the substrate, CMA is responsible for the degradation of about 30% of cytosolic proteins, including a series of proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). The fact that decreased activity of CMA is observed in NDs, and ND-associated mutant proteins, including alpha-synuclein and Tau, directly impair CMA activity reveals a possible vicious cycle of CMA impairment and pathogenic protein accumulation in ND development. Given the intrinsic connection between CMA dysfunction and ND, enhancement of CMA has been regarded as a strategy to counteract ND. Indeed, genetic and pharmacological approaches to modulate CMA have been shown to promote the degradation of ND-associated proteins and alleviate ND phenotypes in multiple ND models. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the mechanism of CMA with a focus on its relationship with NDs and discusses the therapeutic potential of CMA modulation for ND.

The Role of Heat Shock Protein 70 Subfamily in the Hyperplastic Prostate: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common causes of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men, which is characterized by a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate. BPH troubles the vast majority of aging men worldwide; however, the pathogenetic factors of BPH have not been completely identified. The heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) subfamily, which mainly includes HSP70, glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and GRP75, plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. HSP70s are overexpressed in the course of BPH and involved in a variety of biological processes, such as cell survival and proliferation, cell apoptosis, epithelial/mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibrosis, contributing to the development and progress of prostate diseases. These chaperone proteins also participate in oxidative stress, a cellular stress response that takes place under stress conditions. In addition, HSP70s can bind to the androgen receptor (AR) and act as a regulator of AR activity. This interaction of HSP70s with AR provides insight into the importance of the HSP70 chaperone family in BPH pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss the function of the HSP70 family in prostate glands and the role of HSP70s in the course of BPH. We also review the potential applications of HSP70s as biomarkers of prostate diseases for targeted therapies.

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy and Its Implications for Neurodegeneration and Cancer

Proteostasis, also known as protein homeostasis, is critical for cell survival. Autophagy is a cellular process that degrades and recycles damaged or long-lived proteins, misfolded proteins, and damaged or abnormal organelles in order to preserve homeostasis. Among the three forms of autophagy, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is distinct from macroautophagy and microautophagy; it does not require the formation of vacuoles and only degrades selected individual proteins. CMA helps to maintain cellular homeostasis by regulating protein quality, bioenergetics, and substrate-associated cellular processes at the right moment. This pathway's dysfunction has been linked to several diseases and disorders. Neurodegenerative diseases and cancer have received the most attention. In various neurodegenerative disorders, especially in their later stages, CMA activity declines. CMA has been shown to act as a tumor suppressor in cancer by destroying specific tumor promoters. Once a tumor has grown, it also helps tumor survival and the metastatic cascade. The presence of changes in CMA in these diseases disorders raises the idea of targeting CMA to restore cellular homeostasis as a potential therapeutic method. Manipulation of CMA activity may be effective therapeutic strategies for treating these diseases. Therefore, in this paper; we introduce the basic processes, regulatory mechanisms, and physiological functions of CMA; evidences supporting the role of impaired CMA function in neurodegeneration and cancer; and the potential of how targeting CMA could be a promising therapeutic method for the two diseases.

Autophagy reprogramming stem cell pluripotency and multiple-lineage differentiation

The cellular process responsible for the degradation of cytosolic proteins and subcellular organelles in lysosomes was termed "autophagy." This process occurs at a basal level in most tissues as part of tissue homeostasis that redounds to the regular turnover of components inside cytoplasm. The breakthrough in the autophagy field is the identification of key players in the autophagy pathway, compounded under the name "autophagy-related genes" (ATG) encoding for autophagy effector proteins. Generally, the function of autophagy can be classified into two divisions: intracellular clearance of defective macromolecules and organelles and generation of degradation products. Therapeutic strategies using stem cell-based approach come as a promising therapy and develop rapidly recently as stem cells have high self-renewability and differentiation capability as known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). They are defined as adherent fibroblast-like population with the abilities to self-renew and multi-lineage differentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic lineage cells. To date, they are the most extensively applied adult stem cells in clinical trials. The properties of MSCs, such as immunomodulation, neuroprotection, and tissue repair pertaining to cell differentiation, processes to replace lost, or damaged cells, for aiding cell repair and revival. Autophagy has been viewed as a remarkable mechanism for maintaining homeostasis, ensuring the adequate function and survival of long-lived stem cells. In addition, authophagy also plays a remarkable role in protecting stem cells against cellular stress when the stem cell regenerative capacity is harmed in aging and cellular degeneration. Understanding the under-explored mechanisms of MSC actions and expanding the spectrum of their clinical applications may improve the utility of the MSC-based therapeutic approach in the future.

Cancer Cell Inhibiting Sea Cucumber (Holothuria leucospilota) Protein as a Novel Anti-Cancer Drug

Cancer remains the primary cause of death worldwide. To develop less toxic anti-cancer drugs to relieve the suffering and improve the survival of cancer patients is the major focus in the anti-cancer field. To this end, marine creatures are being extensively studied for their anti-cancer effects, since extracts from at least 10% of the marine organisms have been shown to possess anti-tumor activities. As a classic Chinese traditional medicine, sea cucumbers and compounds extracted from the sea cucumbers, such as polysaccharides and saponins, have recently been shown to exhibit anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant effects. Holothuria leucospilota (H. leucospilota) is a tropical edible sea cucumber species that has been successfully cultivated and farmed in large scales, providing a readily available source of raw materials to support the development of novel marine anti-cancer drugs. However, very few studies have so far been performed on the biological activities of H. leucospilota. In this study, we first investigated the anti-cancer effect of H. leucospilota protein on three cancer cell lines (i.e., HepG2, A549, Panc02) and three normal cell lines (NIH-3T3, HaCaT, 16HBE). Our data showed that H. leucospilota protein decreased the cell viabilities of HepG2, A549, HaCaT, 16HBE in a concentration-dependent manner, while Panc02 and NIH-3T3 in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. We also found that the inhibitory effect of H. leucospilota protein (≥10 μg/mL) on cell viability is near or even superior to EPI, a clinical chemotherapeutic agent. In addition, our data also demonstrated that H. leucospilota protein significantly affected the cell cycle and induced apoptosis in the three cancer cell lines investigated; in comparison, it showed no effects on the normal cell lines (i.e., NIH-3T3, HaCaT and 16HBE). Finally, our results also showed that H. leucospilota protein exhibited the excellent performance in inhibiting cell immigrations. In conclusion, H. leucospilota protein targeted the cancer cell cycles and induced cancer cell apoptosis; its superiority to inhibit cancer cell migration compared with EPI, shows the potential as a promising anti-cancer drug.

Streptococcus lutetiensis Induces Autophagy via Oxidative Stress in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells

Streptococcus lutetiensis, an emerging pathogen causing bovine mastitis, has not been well characterized. We reported that S. lutetiensis was pathogenic both in vivo and in vitro and caused inflammatory reactions in the mammary gland. However, roles of autophagy and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of S. lutetiensis-induced mastitis are unclear. In this study, an autophagy model of S. lutetiensis-infected bovine mammary epithelial cells (bMECs) was used to assess oxidative stress and autophagy flux. Expressions of Beclin1, light chain 3II, and Sequestosome 1/p62 were elevated in bMECs after S. lutetiensis infection. In addition, autophagosome and lysosome formation confirmed autophagy occurred. Based on LysoTracker Red and acridine orange, lysosome degradation was blocked, and lower expressions of lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2, cathepsins D, and cathepsins L confirmed lysosomal damage. Concurrently, the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), heme oxygenase 1 (HO1), and NAD (P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), and basilic proteins associated with the Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway, were detected. Decreased keap1 and increased Nrf2, HO1, NQO1, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) indicated increased oxidative stress. Treatment with N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), an ROS inhibitor, decreased both oxidative stress and autophagy. Therefore, we concluded that S. lutetiensis caused intracellular oxidative stress and autophagy in bMECs. In addition, crosstalk between autophagy and oxidative stress affected the autophagic flux and blocked downstream autophagy. The Nrf2-keap1-p62 pathway participated in this process, with ROS acting upstream of these effects, interfering with normal cell functions.

Jatrorrhizine: A Review of Sources, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics and Toxicity

Jatrorrhizine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, is a bioactive metabolite in common medicinal plants, such as Berberis vernae Schneid., Tinospora sagittata (Oliv.) Gagnep. and Coptis chinensis Franch. These plants have been used for centuries in traditional medicine for their wide-ranging pharmacological properties. This review emphasizes the latest and comprehensive information on the sources, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and toxicity of jatrorrhizine. Studies on this alkaloid were collected from scientific internet databases, including the Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley Online Library and Europe PMC and CNKI, using a combination of keywords involving “jatrorrhizine”, “sources”, “pharmacology,” “pharmacokinetics,” and “toxicology”. Jatrorrhizine exhibits anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, anticancer, anti-obesity and hypolipidemic properties, along with central nervous system activities and other beneficial activity. Studies of jatrorrhizine have laid the foundation for its application to the treatment of various diseases, but some issues still exist. Further investigations might emphasize 1) specific curative mechanisms of jatrorrhizine and clinical utility, 2) application prospect in the treatment of metabolic disorders, 3) comprehensive investigations of the toxicity mechanisms and 4) interactions of jatrorrhizine with other pharmaceuticals and development of derivatives.

CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing to Generate Isoform-Specific LAMP-2A Knockout in Human Cancer Cells

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is a highly specific lysosomal-dependent protein degradation pathway. A critical molecular component of CMA is the lysosome-associated membrane protein (LAMP) type 2A, which is required for substrate uptake by the lysosome. Defects in the CMA pathway have been associated with various human pathologies, including malignancies, increasing the overall interest in methods to monitor this selective autophagy process. Yet isogenic LAMP-2A knockout cancer cell models are still lacking. This is likely to depend on challenges related to that human LAMP-2 gene undergoes alternative splicing of its pre-mRNA, generating three isoform variants, LAMP-2A, LAMP-2B, and LAMP-2C. However, without assessment of the impact of LAMP-2A loss of function specifically in human cells, the involvement of CMA in human pathologies, including carcinogenesis remains speculative. Here, we describe the generation of isoform-specific CRISPR-Cas9 genomic editing of LAMP-2A in human cancer cells, without affecting the other two isoforms, allowing for experimental evaluation of LAMP-2A, thus CMA in human cancer models.

Targeting Programmed Cell Death to Improve Stem Cell Therapy: Implications for Treating Diabetes and Diabetes-Related Diseases

Stem cell therapies have shown promising therapeutic effects in restoring damaged tissue and promoting functional repair in a wide range of human diseases. Generations of insulin-producing cells and pancreatic progenitors from stem cells are potential therapeutic methods for treating diabetes and diabetes-related diseases. However, accumulated evidence has demonstrated that multiple types of programmed cell death (PCD) existed in stem cells post-transplantation and compromise their therapeutic efficiency, including apoptosis, autophagy, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. Understanding the molecular mechanisms in PCD during stem cell transplantation and targeting cell death signaling pathways are vital to successful stem cell therapies. In this review, we highlight the research advances in PCD mechanisms that guide the development of multiple strategies to prevent the loss of stem cells and discuss promising implications for improving stem cell therapy in diabetes and diabetes-related diseases.

The Implication of Autophagy in Gastric Cancer Progression

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The three entirely variable entities have distinct epidemiology, molecular characteristics, prognosis, and strategies for clinical management. However, many gastric tumors appear to be resistant to current chemotherapeutic agents. Moreover, a significant number of gastric cancer patients, with a lack of optimal treatment strategies, have reduced survival. In recent years, multiple research data have highlighted the importance of autophagy, an essential catabolic process of cytoplasmic component digestion, in cancer. The role of autophagy as a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter mechanism remains controversial. The multistep nature of the autophagy process offers a wide array of targetable points for designing novel chemotherapeutic strategies. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge regarding the interplay between gastric cancer development and the autophagy process and decipher the role of autophagy in this kind of cancer. A plethora of different agents that direct or indirect target autophagy may be a novel therapeutic approach for gastric cancer patients.

Over Fifty Years of Life, Death, and Cannibalism: A Historical Recollection of Apoptosis and Autophagy

Research in biomedical sciences has changed dramatically over the past fifty years. There is no doubt that the discovery of apoptosis and autophagy as two highly synchronized and regulated mechanisms in cellular homeostasis are among the most important discoveries in these decades. Along with the advancement in molecular biology, identifying the genetic players in apoptosis and autophagy has shed light on our understanding of their function in physiological and pathological conditions. In this review, we first describe the history of key discoveries in apoptosis with a molecular insight and continue with apoptosis pathways and their regulation. We touch upon the role of apoptosis in human health and its malfunction in several diseases. We discuss the path to the morphological and molecular discovery of autophagy. Moreover, we dive deep into the precise regulation of autophagy and recent findings from basic research to clinical applications of autophagy modulation in human health and illnesses and the available therapies for many diseases caused by impaired autophagy. We conclude with the exciting crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy, from the early discoveries to recent findings.

Similarities and Differences of Hsp70, hsc70, Grp78 and Mortalin as Cancer Biomarkers and Drug Targets

Background: Upregulation of Heath Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) chaperones supports cancer cell survival. Their high homology causes a challenge to differentiate them in experimental or prevention and treatment strategies. The objective of this investigation was to determine similarities and differences of Hsp70, hsc70, Grp78 and Mortalin members of the HSP70 family encoded by HSPA1, HSPA8, HSPA5 and HSPA9 genes, respectively. Methods: Literature reviews were conducted using HSPA1, HSPA5, HSPA8 and HSPA9 gene or protein names or synonyms combined with biological or cancer-relevant terms. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis was used to identify and compare profiles of proteins that directly bind individual chaperones and their associated pathways. TCGA data was probed to identify associations of hsc70 with cancer patient survival. ClinicalTrials.gov was used to identify HSP70 family studies. Results: The chaperones have similar protein folding functions. Their different cellular effects are determined by co-chaperones and client proteins combined with their intra- and extra-cellular localizations. Their upregulation is associated with worse patient prognosis in multiple cancers and can stimulate tumor immune responses or drug resistance. Their inhibition selectively kills cancer over healthy cells. Conclusions: Differences in Hsp70, hsc70, Grp78 and mortalin provide opportunities to calibrate HSP70 inhibitors for individual cancers and combination therapies.

The Protective Role of E-64d in Hippocampal Excitotoxic Neuronal Injury Induced by Glutamate in HT22 Hippocampal Neuronal Cells

Epilepsy is the most common childhood neurologic disorder. Status epilepticus (SE), which refers to continuous epileptic seizures, occurs more frequently in children than in adults, and approximately 40–50% of all cases occur in children under 2 years of age. Conventional antiepileptic drugs currently used in clinical practice have a number of adverse side effects. Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) can progressively develop in children with persistent SE, necessitating the development of novel therapeutic drugs. During SE, the persistent activation of neurons leads to decreased glutamate clearance with corresponding glutamate accumulation in the synaptic extracellular space, increasing the chance of neuronal excitotoxicity. Our previous study demonstrated that after developmental seizures in rats, E-64d exerts a neuroprotective effect on the seizure-induced brain damage by modulating lipid metabolism enzymes, especially ApoE and ApoJ/clusterin. In this study, we investigated the impact and mechanisms of E-64d administration on neuronal excitotoxicity. To test our hypothesis that E-64d confers neuroprotective effects by regulating autophagy and mitochondrial pathway activity, we simulated neuronal excitotoxicity in vitro using an immortalized hippocampal neuron cell line (HT22). We found that E-64d improved cell viability while reducing oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis. In addition, E-64d treatment regulated mitochondrial pathway activity and inhibited chaperone-mediated autophagy in HT22 cells. Our findings indicate that E-64d may alleviate glutamate-induced damage via regulation of mitochondrial fission and apoptosis, as well as inhibition of chaperone-mediated autophagy. Thus, E-64d may be a promising therapeutic treatment for hippocampal injury associated with SE.

Role of chaperone-mediated autophagy in the pathophysiology including pulmonary disorders

Autophagy is a highly conserved mechanism of delivering cytoplasmic components for lysosomal degradation. Among the three major autophagic pathways, chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) is primarily characterized by its selective nature of protein degradation, which is mediated by heat shock cognate 71 kDa protein (HSC70: also known as HSPA8) recognition of the KFERQ peptide motif in target proteins. Lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A (LAMP2A) is responsible for substrate binding and internalization to lysosomes, and thus, the lysosomal expression level of LAMP2A is a rate-limiting factor for CMA. Recent advances have uncovered not only physiological but also pathological role of CMA in multiple organs, including neurodegenerative disorders, kidney diseases, liver diseases, heart diseases, and cancers through the accumulation of unwanted proteins or increased degradation of target proteins with concomitant metabolic alterations resulting from CMA malfunction. With respect to pulmonary disorders, the involvement of CMA has been demonstrated in lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathogenesis through regulating apoptosis. Further understanding of CMA machinery may shed light on the molecular mechanisms of refractory disorders and lead to novel treatment modalities through CMA modulation.

Progress on the study of the anticancer effects of artesunate

Artesunate (ART) is a derivative of artemisinin that is extracted from the wormwood plant Artemisia annua. ART is an antimalarial drug that has been shown to be safe and effective for clinical use. In addition to its antimalarial properties, ART has been attracting attention over recent years due to its reported inhibitory effects on cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration. Therefore, ART has a wider range of potential clinical applications than first hypothesized. The aim of the present review was to summarize the latest research progress on the possible anticancer effects of ART, in order to lay a theoretical foundation for the further development of ART as a therapeutic option for cancer.

Exploration of retinoblastoma pathogenesis with bioinformatics

BACKGROUND

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from retinoblastoma (RB) tissues play key roles in the progression of RB. However, the role of DEGs in different subtypes and stages of RB has not yet been systematically analyzed.

METHODS

In this study, the DEGs for tumor and adjacent from 3 RB data sets GSE24673, GSE97508, and GSE110811 were analyzed with regard to the different subtypes and stages of the disease.

RESULTS

Through comparison with adjacent tissues, a total of 78 upregulated genes and 155 downregulated genes from the RB tissues were identified across the 3 data sets. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed that the 3 representative genes CDK1, CDC20, and BUB1, which were all upregulated, could promote the cell cycle in RB. Compared with adjacent tissues in GSE97508, a total of 19 gigantol-targeted genes were predicted to be upregulated in invasive RB tissues. On the other hand, DEGs for tumor and adjacent from 3 RB data sets GSE24673, GSE97508, and GSE110811 were integrated with regard to invasiveness and stages of the disease, and another 19 DEGs were subsequently identified. Among these genes, UHRF1 was the only identified upregulated gene, while the other 18 were all downregulated genes. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) experiment and GSEA results showed that UHRF1 can promote the proliferation and invasion of RB. Conversely, the downregulated representative gene CADM1 is a tumor suppressor gene, which can inhibit the progression of RB.

CONCLUSIONS

This study indicated that the verified DEGs are continuously and consistently expressed in different subtypes and stages of RB. These DEGs may be the key to understanding the development and invasion of RB.

The role of non-apoptotic cell death in the treatment and drug-resistance of digestive tumors

Tumor cell apoptosis evasion is one of the main reasons for easy metastasis occurrence, chemotherapy resistance, and the low five-year survival rate of digestive system tumors. Current research has shown that non-apoptotic cell death plays an important role in tumors of the digestive system. Therefore, increasing the proportion of non-apoptotic tumor cells is one of the effective methods of improving therapeutic efficacies for digestive system tumors. Non-apoptotic cell death modes mainly include autophagic cell death, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, in addition to other cell death modes. This review covers a systematic review relating to the research progress made into autophagic cell death, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and other cell death modes in the treatment of digestive system tumors. It also highlights how treatment is a reasonable prospect based on clinical experience and provides reliable guidance for the further development of digestive system tumor treatments.

Functional interplay between long non-coding RNAs and the Wnt signaling cascade in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a common and highly malignant bone tumor among children, adolescents and young adults. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. LncRNAs are transcripts with no or limited protein-coding capacity in human genomes, and have been demonstrated to play crucial functions in initiation, progression, therapeutic resistance, recurrence and metastasis of tumor. Considerable studies revealed a dysregulated lncRNA expression pattern in osteosarcoma, which may act as oncogenes or suppressors to regulate osteosarcoma progression. Wnt signaling pathway is an important cascade in tumorigenesis by modulation of pleiotropic biological functions including cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, stemness, genetic stability and chemoresistance. Hyperactivation or deficiency of key effectors in Wnt cascade is a common event in many osteosarcoma patients. Recently, increasing evidences have suggested that lncRNAs could interplay with component of Wnt pathway, and thereby contribute to osteosarcoma onset, progression and dissemination. In this review, we briefly summarize Wnt signaling-related lncRNAs in osteosarcoma progression, aiming to gain insights into their underlying crosstalk as well as clinical application in osteosarcoma therapeutic modalities.

A Key Pathway to Cancer Resilience: The Role of Autophagy in Glioblastomas

There are no effective strategies for the successful treatment of glioblastomas (GBM). Current therapeutic modalities effectively target bulk tumor cells but leave behind marginal GBM cells that escape from the surgical margins and radiotherapy field, exhibiting high migratory phenotype and resistance to all available anti-glioma therapies. Drug resistance is mostly driven by tumor cell plasticity: a concept associated with reactivating transcriptional programs in response to adverse and dynamic conditions from the tumor microenvironment. Autophagy, or “self-eating”, pathway is an emerging target for cancer therapy and has been regarded as one of the key drivers of cell plasticity in response to energy demanding stress conditions. Many studies shed light on the importance of autophagy as an adaptive mechanism, protecting GBM cells from unfavorable conditions, while others recognize that autophagy can kill those cells by triggering a non-apoptotic cell death program, called ‘autophagy cell death’ (ACD). In this review, we carefully analyzed literature data and conclude that there is no clear evidence indicating the presence of ACD under pathophysiological settings in GBM disease. It seems to be exclusively induced by excessive (supra-physiological) stress signals, mostly from in vitro cell culture studies. Instead, pre-clinical and clinical data indicate that autophagy is an emblematic example of the ‘dark-side’ of a rescue pathway that contributes profoundly to a pro-tumoral adaptive response. From a standpoint of treating the real human disease, only combinatorial therapy targeting autophagy with cytotoxic drugs in the adjuvant setting for GBM patients, associated with the development of less toxic and more specific autophagy inhibitors, may inhibit adaptive response and enhance the sensibility of glioma cells to conventional therapies.

EVA1A Plays an Important Role by Regulating Autophagy in Physiological and Pathological Processes

Eva-1 homolog A (EVA1A) is regarded as TMEM166 (transmembrane protein 166) or FAM176A (family with sequence similarity 176) and a lysosome and endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein involved in regulating autophagy and apoptosis. EVA1A regulates embryonic neurogenesis, cardiac remodeling, islet alpha-cell functions, acute liver failure, and hepatitis B virus replication. However, the related mechanisms are not fully clear. Autophagy is a process in which cells transfer pathogens, abnormal proteins and organelles to lysosomes for degradation. It plays an important role in various physiological and pathological processes, including cancer, aging, neurodegeneration, infection, heart disease, development, cell differentiation and nutritional starvation. Recently, there are many studies on the important role of EVA1A in many physiological and pathological processes by regulating autophagy. However, the related molecular mechanisms need further study. Therefore, we summarize the above-mentioned researches about the role of EVA1A in physiological and pathological processes through regulating autophagy in order to provide theoretical basis for future researches.

Autophagy Modulators in Cancer Therapy

Autophagy is a process of self-degradation that plays an important role in removing damaged proteins, organelles or cellular fragments from the cell. Under stressful conditions such as hypoxia, nutrient deficiency or chemotherapy, this process can also become the strategy for cell survival. Autophagy can be nonselective or selective in removing specific organelles, ribosomes, and protein aggregates, although the complete mechanisms that regulate aspects of selective autophagy are not fully understood. This review summarizes the most recent research into understanding the different types and mechanisms of autophagy. The relationship between apoptosis and autophagy on the level of molecular regulation of the expression of selected proteins such as p53, Bcl-2/Beclin 1, p62, Atg proteins, and caspases was discussed. Intensive studies have revealed a whole range of novel compounds with an anticancer activity that inhibit or activate regulatory pathways involved in autophagy. We focused on the presentation of compounds strongly affecting the autophagy process, with particular emphasis on those that are undergoing clinical and preclinical cancer research. Moreover, the target points, adverse effects and therapeutic schemes of autophagy inhibitors and activators are presented.

Beyond Self-Recycling: Cell-Specific Role of Autophagy in Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial vessel wall and underlies the development of cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. As such, atherosclerosis stands as the leading cause of death and disability worldwide and intensive scientific efforts are made to investigate its complex pathophysiology, which involves the deregulation of crucial intracellular pathways and intricate interactions between diverse cell types. A growing body of evidence, including in vitro and in vivo studies involving cell-specific deletion of autophagy-related genes (ATGs), has unveiled the mechanistic relevance of cell-specific (endothelial, smooth-muscle, and myeloid cells) defective autophagy in the processes of atherogenesis. In this review, we underscore the recent insights on autophagy's cell-type-dependent role in atherosclerosis development and progression, featuring the relevance of canonical catabolic functions and emerging noncanonical mechanisms, and highlighting the potential therapeutic implications for prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and its complications.