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Ge L, Jin T, Zhang W, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Hu X, Zhang W, Song F, Huang P. Identification of potential pseudogenes for predicting the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:14255-14269. [PMID: 37553422 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05241-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a highly deadly malignant tumor with high recurrence and metastasis rates. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in tumor metastasis, recurrence, and resistance to drugs, which have attracted widespread attention in recent years. Research has shown that pseudogenes may regulate stemness to promote the progression of HCC, but its specific mechanisms and impact on prognosis remain unclear. METHODS In this study, clinical prognosis information of HCC was first downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then we calculated the mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) of HCC. We also screened the differentially expressed pseudogene (DEPs) and conducted univariate Cox regression analysis to investigate their effect on the prognosis of HCC. Further, genomic mutation frequency analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) were performed to compare the role of pseudogenes and stemness in promoting the progression of HCC. Finally, we conducted the correlation analysis to examine the potential mechanism of pseudogenes regulating stemness to promote the progression of HCC and detected the possible pathways through the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. RESULTS Herein, we revealed that the high stemness of HCC correlated with an unfavorable prognosis. We obtained 31 up-regulated and 8 down-regulated DEPs in HCC and screened CTB-63M22.1, a poor prognostic indicator of HCC. In addition, CTB-63M22.1 had a mutation frequency similar to mRNAsi and acted in a module similar to that of mRNAsi on HCC. We then screened two RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) LIN28B and NOP56 with the highest correlation with stemness. We also discovered that they were primarily enriched in the biological process as examples of mitotic nuclear division and cell cycle. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these results revealed that pseudogenes CTB-63M22.1 may regulate cancer stemness by regulating RBPs, suggesting that CTB-63M22.1 may serve as an innovative therapeutic target and a reliable prognostic marker for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luqi Ge
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Tiefeng Jin
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wanli Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhentao Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiwen Zhang
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Feifeng Song
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Ping Huang
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
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Song F, Zhang Q, Lu X, Xu T, Hu Q, Hu X, Fan W, Zhang Y, Huang P. Rab11-FIP4 interacts with ARF5 to promote cancer stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Physiol Biochem 2023; 79:757-770. [PMID: 37458957 DOI: 10.1007/s13105-023-00972-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that Rab11-family interacting proteins (Rab11-FIPs) play an important role in tumorigenesis and progression. Among the Rab11-FIPs, Rab11-FIP4 has been reported to be significantly upregulated in various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the possible effect on HCC stemness and the underlying mechanism has never been characterized. Here, we found that Rab11-FIP4 was dramatically increased in HCC cell lines and tissues, and had a positive correlation with cancer stemness. Functional studies revealed that elevated expression of Rab11-FIP4 in HCC cells significantly promoted sphere formation, and enhanced the mRNA and protein levels of stemness-associated markers, ALDH1A1, CD133, NANOG, and OCT4. Conversely, the knockdown of Rab11-FIP4 suppressed the cancer stem cell (CSC)-like characteristics of HCC cells. Moreover, silencing of Rab11-FIP4 obviously increased the sensitivity of HCC cells to sorafenib. Mechanistically, Rab11-FIP4 was shown to interact with ADP-ribosylation factor 5 (ARF5) to influence cell cycle-related proteins, CDK1/cyclin B, thereby promoting HCC stemness. Taken together, our results uncovered an essential role for Rab11-FIP4 in regulating CSC-like features of HCC cells and identified Rab11-FIP4 as a potential target for HCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifeng Song
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xixuan Lu
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tong Xu
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qing Hu
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Weijiao Fan
- Cancer Center, Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yiwen Zhang
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Ping Huang
- Center for Clinical Pharmacy, Cancer Center, Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
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Zou X, Liu T, Huang Z, Zhou W, Yuan M, Zhao H, Pan Z, Chen P, Shao Y, Hu X, Zhang S, Zheng S, Zhang Y, Huang P. SOX17 is a Critical Factor in Maintaining Endothelial Function in Pulmonary Hypertension by an Exosome-Mediated Autocrine Manner. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2023; 10:e2206139. [PMID: 36919784 PMCID: PMC10190640 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202206139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Endothelial dysfunction is considered a predominant driver for pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hypertension (PH). SOX17, a key regulator of vascular homoeostasis, has been found to harbor mutations in PH patients, which are associated with PH susceptibility. Here, this study explores whether SOX17 mediates the autocrine activity of pulmonary artery ECs to maintain endothelial function and vascular homeostasis in PH and its underlying mechanism. It is found that SOX17 expression is downregulated in the endothelium of remodeled pulmonary arteries in IPH patients and SU5416/hypoxia (Su/hypo)-induced PH mice as well as dysfunctional HPAECs. Endothelial knockdown of SOX17 accelerates the progression of Su/hypo-induced PH in mice. SOX17 overexpression in the pulmonary endothelium of mice attenuates Su/hypo-induced PH. SOX17-associated exosomes block the proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation of HPAECs, preventing pulmonary arterial remodeling and Su/hypo-induced PH. Mechanistic analyses demonstrates that overexpressing SOX17 promotes the exosome-mediated release of miR-224-5p and miR-361-3p, which are internalized by injured HPAECs in an autocrine manner, ultimately repressing the upregulation of NR4A3 and PCSK9 genes and improving endothelial function. These results suggest that SOX17 is a key gene in maintaining endothelial function and vascular homeostasis in PH through regulating exosomal miRNAs in an autocrine manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhou Zou
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Ting Liu
- Department of PharmacyAffiliated Hangzhou First People's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou310006P. R. China
- Department of Clinical PharmacyKey Laboratory of Clinical Cancer Pharmacology and Toxicology Research of Zhejiang ProvinceAffiliated Hangzhou First People's HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou310006P. R. China
| | - Zhongjie Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical SciencesZhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan UniversityInstitute of Hepatobiliary Diseases of Wuhan UniversityTransplant Center of Wuhan UniversityHubei Key Laboratory of Medical Technology on TransplantationWuhan430000P. R. China
| | - Mengnan Yuan
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Hongying Zhao
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Zongfu Pan
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Pengcheng Chen
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Yanfei Shao
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Xiaoping Hu
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Su Zhang
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Shuilian Zheng
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Yiwen Zhang
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
| | - Ping Huang
- Center for Clinical PharmacyCancer CenterDepartment of PharmacyZhejiang Provincial People's HospitalAffiliated People's HospitalHangzhou Medical CollegeHangzhou310014P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang ProvinceHangzhou310014P. R. China
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