The TUSC2 Tumour Suppressor Inhibits the Malignant Phenotype of Human Thyroid Cancer Cells via SMAC/DIABLO Protein

The HDAC inhibitor HFY-4A improves TUSC2 transcription to induce immunogenic cell death in breast cancer

We managed to explore the function of HFY-4A, a novel histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibitor, on breast cancer as well as its potential mechanisms. MCF7 and T47D cells were treated with 0.8, 1.6 or 3.2 μM HFY-4A for 0-72 h, following of which CCK-8, colony formation, EdU staining, flow cytometry, Transwell, and wound healing assays were carried out. Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA were conducted for assaying the expression of immunogenic cell death (ICD)-related proteins. The interaction between HFY-4A, HDAC1, and tumor suppressor candidate 2 (TUSC2) was evaluated by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Further, the function of HFY-4A in breast cancer progression in vivo was evaluated using xenograft mouse models. HFY-4A inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. HFY-4A dose-dependently caused the ICD of breast cancer cells, as evidenced by the significant high levels of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), calreticulin (CRT), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and HSP90. Interestingly, HFY-4A could facilitate TUSC2 transcription by promoting acetylation of histones on the TUSC2 promoter. The results of rescue assays revealed that HFY-4A repressed proliferation and mobility, but enhanced apoptosis and ICD through facilitating TUSC2 transcription in breast cancer. In breast cancer xenograft mouse models, HFY-4A was verified to inhibit tumor growth via upregulating TUSC2. HFY-4A could inhibit breast cancer cell proliferation and mobility, and enhanced apoptosis and ICD through facilitating TUSC2 transcription.

Genetic alterations in juvenile cervical clear cell adenocarcinoma unrelated to human papillomavirus

Clear cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix (CCAC) is a special type of HPV-independent cervical cancer. It has a low incidence rate, can be difficult to diagnose early, has a poor prognosis. Its peak incidence is in adolescence, which poses a great threat to women's health. Therefore, it is very important to explore the pathogenesis of cervical clear cell adenocarcinoma to guide subsequent treatment and prevention. This study analyzed 3 juvenile patients with CCAC diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Using next-generation sequencing methods, we analyzed the pathogenesis of the patients and their close relatives by analyzing the genetic alterations of patients. CMTM5 was identified as the only shared mutated gene. Using published literature and comparative analyses of related disease-causing genes, 6 of the 19 genes (ALKBH7, MYCBP, MZF1, RNF207, RRS1, and TUSC2) were screened as genes with mutations in patients and had higher mutation rates in reproductive cancers. Pathway analysis showed that downregulated genes in non-HPV cervical cancer were mainly related to the immune system response, suggesting that non-HPV cervical cancer differs from HPV-infected cervical cancer in that the immune response is weaker, which is consistent with the weak correlation with viral infection.

Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2 (TUSC2): Discovery, Functions, and Cancer Therapy

Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2 (TUSC2) was first discovered as a potential tumor suppressor gene residing in the frequently deleted 3p21.3 chromosomal region. Since its discovery, TUSC2 has been found to play vital roles in normal immune function, and TUSC2 loss is associated with the development of autoimmune diseases as well as impaired responses within the innate immune system. TUSC2 also plays a vital role in regulating normal cellular mitochondrial calcium movement and homeostasis. Moreover, TUSC2 serves as an important factor in premature aging. In addition to TUSC2's normal cellular functions, TUSC2 has been studied as a tumor suppressor gene that is frequently deleted or lost in a multitude of cancers, including glioma, sarcoma, and cancers of the lung, breast, ovaries, and thyroid. TUSC2 is frequently lost in cancer due to somatic deletion within the 3p21.3 region, transcriptional inactivation via TUSC2 promoter methylation, post-transcriptional regulation via microRNAs, and post-translational regulation via polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Additionally, restoration of TUSC2 expression promotes tumor suppression, eventuating in decreased cell proliferation, stemness, and tumor growth, as well as increased apoptosis. Consequently, TUSC2 gene therapy has been tested in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. This review will focus on the current understanding of TUSC2 functions in both normal and cancerous tissues, mechanisms of TUSC2 loss, TUSC2 cancer therapeutics, open questions, and future directions.

HIF1A overexpression predicts the high lymph node metastasis risk and indicates a poor prognosis in papillary thyroid cancer

Objective

To investigate the value of Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 A (HIF1A) in predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) stage and clinical outcomes of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients.

Materials and methods

The HIF1A gene expression analysis in PTC was performed by bioinformatics approaches followed by evaluating its protein level using immunohistochemistry analysis. The role of HIF1A in predicting the LNM stage was evaluated by logistic regression analysis, nomogram construction, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. We performed survival analyses to determine its prognostic value. Enrichment analysis was conducted, and immune cell infiltration and stromal content were evaluated to examine the underlying mechanism of HIF1A in PTC.

Results

HIF1A transcription and protein levels were significantly high in PTC tissue (P < 0.05). Its overexpression predicted high LNM risk and unfavorable prognosis for PTC patients (P < 0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed HIF1A as an independent prognostic biomarker for the disease-free interval (DFI) (P < 0.01). In addition, HIF1A was positively related to tumor-suppressive immunity but was negatively correlated with anti-tumor immunity. HIF1A upregulation was also associated with increased stromal content.

Conclusions

HIF1A overexpression is an independent predictor for worse DFI in PTC. The HIF1A expression may affect the prognosis of PTC patients through immune- and stroma-related pathways. Our study provides new insight into the role of HIF1A in PTC biology and clinical management.

A metabolism-related gene signature for predicting the prognosis in thyroid carcinoma

Metabolic reprogramming is one of the cancer hallmarks, important for the survival of malignant cells. We investigated the prognostic value of genes associated with metabolism in thyroid carcinoma (THCA). A prognostic risk model of metabolism-related genes (MRGs) was built and tested based on datasets in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), with univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analysis. We used Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC), a nomogram, concordance index (C-index) and restricted mean survival (RMS) to assess the performance of the risk model, indicating the splendid predictive performance. We established a three-gene risk model related to metabolism, consisting of PAPSS2, ITPKA, and CYP1A1. The correlation analysis in patients with different risk statuses involved immune infiltration, mutation and therapeutic reaction. We also performed pan-cancer analyses of model genes to predict the mutational value in various cancers. Our metabolism-related risk model had a powerful predictive capability in the prognosis of THCA. This research will provide the fundamental data for further development of prognostic markers and individualized therapy in THCA.

Mitochondrial Fus1/Tusc2 and cellular Ca2+ homeostasis: tumor suppressor, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging implications

FUS1/TUSC2 (FUSion1/TUmor Suppressor Candidate 2) is a tumor suppressor gene (TSG) originally described as a member of the TSG cluster from human 3p21.3 chromosomal region frequently deleted in lung cancer. Its role as a TSG in lung, breast, bone, and other cancers was demonstrated by several groups, but molecular mechanisms of its activities are starting to unveil lately. They suggest that Fus1-dependent mechanisms are relevant in etiologies of diseases beyond cancer, such as chronic inflammation, bacterial and viral infections, premature aging, and geriatric diseases. Here, we revisit the discovery of FUS1 gene in the context of tumor initiation and progression, and review 20 years of research into FUS1 functions and its molecular, structural, and biological aspects that have led to its use in clinical trials and gene therapy. We present a data-driven view on how interactions of Fus1 with the mitochondrial Ca2+ (mitoCa2+) transport machinery maintain cellular Ca2+ homeostasis and control cell apoptosis and senescence. This Fus1-mediated cellular homeostasis is at the crux of tumor suppressor, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging activities.

Engineering a HEK-293T exosome-based delivery platform for efficient tumor-targeting chemotherapy/internal irradiation combination therapy

Exosomes are nanoscale monolayer membrane vesicles that are actively endogenously secreted by mammalian cells. Currently, multifunctional exosomes with tumor-targeted imaging and therapeutic potential have aroused widespread interest in cancer research. Herein, we developed a multifunctional HEK-293T exosome-based targeted delivery platform by engineering HEK-293T cells to express a well-characterized exosomal membrane protein (Lamp2b) fused to the αv integrin-specific iRGD peptide and tyrosine fragments. This platform was loaded with doxorubicin (Dox) and labeled with radioiodine-131 (¹³¹I) using the chloramine-T method. iRGD exosomes showed highly efficient targeting and Dox delivery to integrin αvβ3-positive anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) cells as demonstrated by confocal imaging and flow cytometry in vitro and an excellent tumor-targeting capacity confirmed by single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography after labeling with ¹³¹I in vivo. In addition, intravenous injection of this vehicle delivered Dox and ¹³¹I specifically to tumor tissues, leading to significant tumor growth inhibition in an 8505C xenograft mouse model, while showing biosafety and no side effects. These as-developed multifunctional exosomes (denoted as Dox@iRGD-Exos-¹³¹I) provide novel insight into the current treatment of ATC and hold great potential for improving therapeutic efficacy against a wide range of integrin αvβ3-overexpressing tumors.

Circ-EGFR Functions as an Inhibitory Factor in the Malignant Progression of Glioma by Regulating the miR-183-5p/TUSC2 Axis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have pivotal functions in regulating diverse biological processes of human tumors, including glioma. Herein, a novel circRNA epidermal growth factor receptor (circ-EGFR, hsa_circ_0080223) was researched in glioma. The molecular expression levels were analyzed via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were conducted to assess cell proliferation. Apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were examined via transwell assay. Interaction relations between targets were verified using dual-luciferase reporter assay. Tumor Suppressor Candidate 2 (TUSC2) protein expression was examined by Western blot. In vivo experiment was performed by establishing xenograft model in mice. The qRT-PCR showed the downregulation of circ-EGFR and TUSC2 but the upregulation of microRNA-183-5p (miR-183-5p) in glioma samples. In vitro assays revealed that circ-EGFR overexpression induced the repression of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but the promotion of apoptosis. Circ-EGFR was identified as a sponge of miR-183-5p and circ-EGFR-mediated glioma progression inhibition was abolished by miR-183-5p downregulation. Additionally, miR-183-5p targeted TUSC2 and miR-183-5p inhibitor impeded the development of glioma by upregulating the expression of TUSC2. Furthermore, circ-EGFR could regulate the TUSC2 level by sponging miR-183-5p. Glioma growth in vivo was also reduced by circ-EGFR via targeting the miR-183-5p/TUSC2 axis. Altogether, our results suggested that circ-EGFR inhibited the malignant progression of glioma by regulating the levels of miR-183-5p and TUSC2. Circ-EGFR may be a useful therapeutic target to antagonize the glioma progression.

Identification of a novel resistance mechanism in venetoclax treatment and its prediction in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

BACKGROUND

The Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax has been recently introduced into the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Venetoclax is a highly effective drug, however acquired resistance may make long-term treatment challenging. In our study, we present potential novel resistance mechanisms and prognostic markers that are potentially able to predict the early appearance of the resistance.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Repeated complete blood counts, flow cytometric measurements, and physical examinations were performed during the patient follow-up. Clinical and laboratory parameters showed that the patient developed clinical resistance to venetoclax on day 450 of therapy. Resistance mutation analysis (D103Y) and apoptosis arrays from samples at the time of resistance were done.

RESULTS

We were able to identify the resistance mutations just a very low variant allele frequency level from the resistant samples. Furthermore we detected increased Bcl-2 expression in peripheral blood (PB), and XIAP overexpression in bone marrow (BM) that could lead to venetoclax resistance. We examined the immunophenotype of CLL cells and recognized that while the expression of CD86 did not change until day 270 of the treatment, since then its expression steadily increased. Moreover, we compared the expression of CD86 in the resistant PB and BM samples and did not find a notable difference between the compartments.

CONCLUSION

Our results imply that CLL cells may try to avoid the apoptotic effect of venetoclax through increased CD86 expression by activating antiapoptotic mechanisms. Confirmatory experiments are still required to unequivocally prove that CD86 is a prognostic marker, however, its predictive property during the venetoclax treatment is promising.

Identification and Characterization of Long Non-coding RNAs in the Intestine of Olive Flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) During Edwardsiella tarda Infection

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play widespread roles in fundamental biological processes, including immune responses. The olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), an important economical flatfish widely cultured in Japan, Korea, and China, is threatened by infectious pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. However, the role of lncRNAs in the immune responses of this species against pathogen infections is not well-understood. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify lncRNAs in the intestine of olive flounder and evaluate their differential expression profiles during Edwardsiella tarda infection, which is an important zoonotic and intestinal pathogen. A total of 4,445 putative lncRNAs were identified, including 3,975 novel lncRNAs and 470 annotated lncRNAs. These lncRNAs had shorter lengths and fewer exons compared with mRNAs. In total, 115 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) were identified during E. tarda infection. To validate the expression pattern of lncRNAs, six DE-lncRNAs were randomly selected for quantitative real-time PCR. The co-located and co-expressed mRNAs of DE-lncRNAs were predicted, which were used to conduct the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. The target genes of DE-lncRNAs enriched numerous immune-related processes and exhibited a strong correlation with immune-related signaling pathways. To better understand the extensive regulatory functions of lncRNAs, the lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA regulatory networks were constructed, and two potential competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks, LNC_001979-novel_171-Potusc2 and LNC_001979-novel_171-Podad1, were preliminarily identified from the intestine of olive flounders for the first time. In conclusion, this study provides an invaluable annotation and expression profile of lncRNAs in the intestine of olive flounder infected with E. tarda; this forms a basis for further studies on the regulatory function of lncRNAs in the intestinal mucosal immune responses of olive flounder.

CENPF promotes papillary thyroid cancer progression by mediating cell proliferation and apoptosis

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTHCA) accounts for ~85% cases of thyroid cancer and exhibits high incidence. Targeted therapy is an effective method to combat this disease; however, novel therapeutic targets are required. Centromere protein F (CENPF), a member of centromere proteins and a transient kinetochore protein, regulates various cellular processes such as cell migration and mitosis, and its upregulation has been observed in multiple types of cancer, including breast cancer and gastric cancer. However, the potential role of CENPF in PTHCA progression is remains unclear. The results of the current study demonstrated that CENPF expression was enhanced in human PTHCA tissues through IHC assays. Furthermore, the expression of CENPF was correlated with the prognosis and the clinicopathological features, including T stage (P=0.021) and intraglandular dissemination (P=0.042) in patients with PTHCA. CENPF regulated the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of PTHCA cells in vitro, which was confirmed through colony formation, MTT and flow cytometry assays, and affected tumor growth in vivo in mice. In conclusion, the current study reported the involvement of CENPF in PTHCA progression and provided a promising therapeutic target for PTHCA treatment.

Cell and Molecular Biology of Thyroid Disorders 2.0

This issue is the second volume of the previous Special Issue, "Cell and Molecular Biology of Thyroid Disorders" [...].