Exploring the effect of Weifuchun capsule on the toll-like receptor pathway mediated HES6 and immune regulation against chronic atrophic gastritis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Weifuchun capsule (WFC) is a traditional Chinese patent medicine for chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) in clinic. However, the mechanism of action of WFC for CAG still remains unclear due to its complex composition.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The study was projected to uncover the mechanism of action of WFC and the corresponding pharmacodynamic substance of WFC against CAG as well as providing a standard example for the research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) from the perspective of the network and the system.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified the compounds of WFC through LC-MS/MS analysis and performed a systematic network targets analysis for WFC in the treatment of CAG which thoroughly described the mechanism of action of WFC for CAG. Based on analysis integrating omics data and algorithms, we focused on the specific immune regulatory role of WFC in the treatment of CAG, especially on a hub pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and thus deciphered the role of WFC in immune regulation, anti-inflammation and mediation of HES6. In experiments part, MNNG-GES-1-cell line and rat models were used to validate our findings.

RESULTS

In this study, compounds of WFC are identified through LC‒MS/MS and network target analysis is performed to dissect the specific immunoregulatory effect as well as mediation of HES6, a newly discovered biomolecule related to gastritis carcinoma progression, of WFC on CAG through the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. Based on cell line and rat models, we verify the mechanism of action of WFC for CAG in inhibiting inflammatory cytokines, regulating immune cells like T cells and macrophages, related genes including TLR2 and CD14. It is also validated that WFC inhibits the expression of HES6 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Based on the combination of computational strategy and experiments, our study offers a comprehensive analysis to reveal the role of WFC in regulating immune response, inhibiting inflammation in the treatment of CAG, and provides a standard example for the research of TCM from the perspective of the network and the system.

ERCC5, HES6 and RORA are potential diagnostic markers of coronary artery disease

The mortality rate of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) increases year by year, and the age of onset is decreasing, primarily because of the lack of an efficient and convenient diagnostic method for CAD. In the present study, we aimed to detect CAD-correlated biomarkers and the regulatory pathways involved through weighted co-expression network analysis. The microarray data originated from 93 CAD patients and 48 controls within the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The gene network was implemented by weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and the genes were observed to fall into a range of modules. We took the intersection of genes in the modules most correlated with CAD with the differentially expressed genes of CAD, which were identified by applying the limma package. Lasso regression and support vector machine recursive feature elimination algorithms were used to determine CAD candidate signature genes. The biomarkers for diagnosing CAD were detected by validating candidate signature gene diagnostic capabilities (receiver operating characteristic curves) based on data sets from GEO. Three modules were selected, and 26 vital genes were identified. Eight of these genes were reported as the optimal candidate features in terms of CAD diagnosis. Through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, we identified three genes (ERCC5, HES6 and RORA; area under the curve > 0.8) capable of distinguishing CAD from the control, and observed that these genes are correlated with the immune response. In summary, ERCC5, HES6 and RORA may have potential for diagnosis of CAD.

[Corrigendum] Overexpression of HES6 has prognostic value and promotes metastasis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in colorectal cancer

Subsequently to the publication of the above article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that Fig. 2 on p. 1266 and Fig. 5 on p. 1269 contained some apparent errors in terms of the assembly of the various data panels. Specifically, Fig. 2D appeared to contain a pair of overlapping images, and Figs. 5D and 8A also appeared to include overlapping images. However, the authors were able to consult their original data, and assess where the errors had been made during the compilation of these figures. The corrected versions of Figs. 2 (showing the correct data for the '5T' panel in Fig. 2D) and 5 (showing alternative data) are shown on the subsequent pages. The authors regret the errors that were made during the preparation of the published figures, and confirm that these errors did not grossly affect the conclusions reported in the study. The authors are grateful to the Editor of Oncology Reports for allowing them the opportunity to publish a Corrigendum, and all the authors agree to this Corrigendum. Furthermore, they apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Oncology Reports 40: 1261‑1274, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6539].

Recent advances in understanding the role of HES6 in cancers

The NOTCH signaling system regulates a variety of cellular processes during embryonic development and homeostasis maintenance in different tissues and contexts. Hence, dysregulation of NOTCH signaling is associated with a plethora of human cancers, and there have been multiple efforts to target key components of this pathway. In this review, we briefly highlight the latest research advances in understanding HES6, a poorly studied component of the NOTCH pathway. We summarize the role of HES6 in cancers with a focus on uveal melanoma. Finally, we discuss the ongoing efforts to target the NOTCH-HES6 axis in cancers.

CCMAlnc Promotes the Malignance of Colorectal Cancer by Modulating the Interaction Between miR-5001-5p and Its Target mRNA

Objective

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is highly malignant and cancer metastasis remains the predominant cause of CRC death. The potential molecular mechanism of long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) in CRC malignance is still poorly elucidated.

Methods

CCMAlnc expression was analyzed by using the Sequence ReadArchive (SRA) database. Target gene expression was examined by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The biological function of CCMAlnc and miR-5001-5p was detected by cell invasion, CCK8 proliferation, and colony formation assays in loss of function and gain of function experiments in vitro. A luciferase assay was performed to validate the target site of miR-5001-5p on the 3′-UTR of HES6 mRNA.

Results

CCMAlnc was identified as a novel functional lncRNA in CRC. Elevated CCMAlnc was detected in CRC cells as well as in clinical CRC tissue samples, and the expression of this lncRNA positively correlated with the poor prognosis of CRC patients. Functional validation assays revealed that downregulation of CCMAlnc impaired CRC cell proliferation and invasion in vitro, but upregulation of CCMAlnc reversed this effect. Moreover, CCMAlnc was validated to act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that stabilizes the expression of HES6 by downregulating miR-5001-5p.

Conclusion

CCMAlnc/miR-5001-5p/HES6 signaling is strongly activated to promote CRC malignance. CCMAlnc is defined as a potential candidate biomarker for metastasis prediction in CRC patients and as a potential therapeutic target for CRC treatment.

Unbiased data mining identifies cell cycle transcripts that predict non-indolent Gleason score 7 prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients with newly diagnosed non-metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma are typically classified as at low, intermediate, or high risk of disease progression using blood prostate-specific antigen concentration, tumour T category, and tumour pathological Gleason score. Classification is used to both predict clinical outcome and to inform initial management. However, significant heterogeneity is observed in outcome, particularly within the intermediate risk group, and there is an urgent need for additional markers to more accurately hone risk prediction. Recently developed web-based visualization and analysis tools have facilitated rapid interrogation of large transcriptome datasets, and querying broadly across multiple large datasets should identify predictors that are widely applicable.

METHODS

We used camcAPP, cBioPortal, CRN, and NIH NCI GDC Data Portal to data mine publicly available large prostate cancer datasets. A test set of biomarkers was developed by identifying transcripts that had: 1) altered abundance in prostate cancer, 2) altered expression in patients with Gleason score 7 tumours and biochemical recurrence, 3) correlation of expression with time until biochemical recurrence across three datasets (Cambridge, Stockholm, MSKCC). Transcripts that met these criteria were then examined in a validation dataset (TCGA-PRAD) using univariate and multivariable models to predict biochemical recurrence in patients with Gleason score 7 tumours.

RESULTS

Twenty transcripts met the test criteria, and 12 were validated in TCGA-PRAD Gleason score 7 patients. Ten of these transcripts remained prognostic in Gleason score 3 + 4 = 7, a sub-group of Gleason score 7 patients typically considered at a lower risk for poor outcome and often not targeted for aggressive management. All transcripts positively associated with recurrence encode or regulate mitosis and cell cycle-related proteins. The top performer was BUB1, one of four key MIR145-3P microRNA targets upregulated in hormone-sensitive as well as castration-resistant PCa. SRD5A2 converts testosterone to its more active form and was negatively associated with biochemical recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Unbiased mining of large patient datasets identified 12 transcripts that independently predicted disease recurrence risk in Gleason score 7 prostate cancer. The mitosis and cell cycle proteins identified are also implicated in progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer, revealing a pivotal role for loss of cell cycle control in the latter.

LncSHRG promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by activating HES6

Hepatocellular carcinoma, one of the most common cancers, leads to mass mortality worldwide currently. However, the underlying mechanism of its oncogenesis remains to be elucidated. Here we identified that a long noncoding RNA, lncSHRG, was greatly upregulated in human hepatocellular carcinoma samples. We found that lncSHRG was essential for liver cancer cell proliferation and tumor propagation in mice. In mechanism, lncSHRG recruits SATB1 to bind to HES6 promoter and initiates HES6 expression. HES6, which is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, promotes tumor cell proliferation. High expression level of HES6 is positively correlated with clinical severity and poor prognosis of people with hepatocellular carcinoma. Altogether, our research provides a new insight on the mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

HES6 promotes prostate cancer aggressiveness independently of Notch signalling

Notch signalling is implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of cancers, but its role in prostate cancer is poorly understood. However, selected Notch pathway members are overrepresented in high-grade prostate cancers. We comprehensively profiled Notch pathway components in prostate cells and found prostate cancer-specific up-regulation of NOTCH3 and HES6. Their expression was particularly high in androgen responsive lines. Up- and down-regulating Notch in these cells modulated expression of canonical Notch targets, HES1 and HEY1, which could also be induced by androgen. Surprisingly, androgen treatment also suppressed Notch receptor expression, suggesting that androgens can activate Notch target genes in a receptor-independent manner. Using a Notch-sensitive Recombination signal binding protein for immunoglobulin kappa J region (RBPJ) reporter assay, we found that basal levels of Notch signalling were significantly lower in prostate cancer cells compared to benign cells. Accordingly pharmacological Notch pathway blockade did not inhibit cancer cell growth or viability. In contrast to canonical Notch targets, HES6, a HES family member known to antagonize Notch signalling, was not regulated by Notch signalling, but relied instead on androgen levels, both in cultured cells and in human cancer tissues. When engineered into prostate cancer cells, reduced levels of HES6 resulted in reduced cancer cell invasion and clonogenic growth. By molecular profiling, we identified potential roles for HES6 in regulating hedgehog signalling, apoptosis and cell migration. Our results did not reveal any cell-autonomous roles for canonical Notch signalling in prostate cancer. However, the results do implicate HES6 as a promoter of prostate cancer progression.

HES5 silencing is an early and recurrent change in prostate tumourigenesis

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, resulting in over 10 000 deaths/year in the UK. Sequencing and copy number analysis of primary tumours has revealed heterogeneity within tumours and an absence of recurrent founder mutations, consistent with non-genetic disease initiating events. Using methylation profiling in a series of multi-focal prostate tumours, we identify promoter methylation of the transcription factor HES5 as an early event in prostate tumourigenesis. We confirm that this epigenetic alteration occurs in 86-97% of cases in two independent prostate cancer cohorts (n=49 and n=39 tumour-normal pairs). Treatment of prostate cancer cells with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine increased HES5 expression and downregulated its transcriptional target HES6, consistent with functional silencing of the HES5 gene in prostate cancer. Finally, we identify and test a transcriptional module involving the AR, ERG, HES1 and HES6 and propose a model for the impact of HES5 silencing on tumourigenesis as a starting point for future functional studies.