LINC01956 Promotes Metastasis and M2 Polarization of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Glioblastoma Via The FUS/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

Author(s):  
fengfei lu ◽  
fa jin

Abstract Background:Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can drive cancer progression. Here, we studied the role of a novel lncRNA, LINC01956, in glioblastoma (GBM). Methods:RT-PCR assay was used to examine LINC01956 expression levels. Colony-formation, MTT, cell-cycle and in-vivo tumorigenesis assays were used to examine the role of LINC01956 in cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Boyden assay was used to examine cell invasion ability in vitro. RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA-protein pull-down assays were used to examine the interaction between LINC01956 and FUS protein.ChIP assay was used to examine HIF1-binding sites in the LINC01956 promoter.Results:The level of LINC01956 was elevated in GBM cell lines and tissues. LINC01956 downregulation suppressed the migration and proliferation of GBM cells. M2 polarization of macrophages induced by exosomes derived from glioma cells overexpressing LINC01956 further accelerated GBM progression. Mechanistically, we found that FUS interacted with both LINC01956 and β-catenin. LINC01956 bound to FUS and reduced its ubiquitination. LINC01956 evoked nuclear translocation of phosphorylated (p)-β-catenin by recruiting FUS. Furthermore, under hypoxic conditions, LINC01956 was regulated by HIF-1α. Conclusion:Taken together, our data revealed for the first time that LINC01956 exerts protumor effects via FUS-dependent activation of the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Liu ◽  
Ping Lin ◽  
Jiabin Zhao ◽  
Hui Xie ◽  
Tianhu Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among men globally. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to the progression have not been fully elucidated. Methods The expression and location of AC245100.4 were examined by RT-qPCR and nuclear-cytoplasmic separation assay. RNA-seq analysis was performed to identify the downstream of AC245100.4. RNA immunoprecipitation was performed to identify the proteins those bind to AC245100.4. Western blotting was performed to quantify the expression of proteins. Finally, a series of gain- or loss-functional assays were done to prove the precise role of AC245100.4 and NR4A3 in PCa. Results We identify a critical lncRNA AC245100.4, which is significantly up-regulated in prostate cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of AC21500.4 can significantly inhibit prostate cancer progression in vitro and in vivo. Further RNA-seq analysis shows that NR4A3 may be the potential target of AC245100.4. Mechanistically, AC245100.4 de-regulates NR4A3 transcriptionally via increasing p-STAT3, which is a transcriptional repressor of NR4A3. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that AC245100.4 was a critically oncogenic lncRNA in PCa via inhibiting NR4A3 and paved a promising avenue to combat PCa progression by targeting AC245100.4 or NR4A3.


Oncogenesis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Chen ◽  
Meng-huan Wang ◽  
Jian-yun Zhu ◽  
Chun-feng Xie ◽  
Xiao-ting Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have an established role in cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. The p63 proteins are important transcription factors which belong to the p53 family, but their function and mechanism in CSCs remain elusive. Here, we investigated the role of TAp63α in colorectal CSCs and the effects of sulforaphane on TAp63α. We found that TAp63α was upregulated in spheres with stem cell properties compared to the parental cells. Overexpression of TAp63α promoted self-renewal capacity and enhanced CSC markers expression in colorectal sphere-forming cells. Furthermore, we showed that TAp63α directly bound to the promoter region of Lgr5 to enhance its expression and activate its downstream β-catenin pathway. Functional experiments revealed that sulforaphane suppressed the stemness of colorectal CSCs both in vitro and in vivo. Upregulation of TAp63α attenuated the inhibitory effect of sulforaphane on colorectal CSCs, indicating the role of TAp63α in sulforaphane suppression of the stemness in colorectal cancer. The present study elucidated for the first time that TAp63α promoted CSCs through targeting Lgr5/β-catenin axis and participated in sulforaphane inhibition of the stem cell properties in colorectal cancer.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Hou ◽  
Weichao Dan ◽  
Tianjie Liu ◽  
Bo Liu ◽  
Yi Wei ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThe mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR) pathway serves as a crucial regulator of various biological processes such as cell growth and cancer progression. In bladder cancer, recent discoveries showing the cancer-promoting role of mTOR complex 1 have attracted wide attention. However, the regulation of mTOR signaling in bladder cancer is complicated and the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report that the deubiquitinating enzyme, ovarian tumor domain-containing protein 5 (OTUD5), can activate the mTOR signaling pathway, promote cancer progression, and show its oncogenic potential in bladder cancer.MethodsThe expression of OTUD5 in bladder cancer was analyzed using bladder cancer tissue microarrays and Western blotting analysis. Meanwhile, to demonstrate the role of OTUD5-RNF186-Sestrin2-mTOR axis in bladder cancer, we have adopted a series of biochemical and molecular biological methods to verify in vivo and in vitro. The methods used included quantitative real time PCR assay; western blot assay; Immunofluorescence staining assay; MTT assay; colony formation assay; Co-immunoprecipitation assay; In vivo ubiquitination assay; Immunohistochemical assay and Bladder Cancer xenograft animal model.ResultsIn our study, we found that OTUD5 deubiquitinated a RING-type E3 ligase, RNF186, and stabilized its function. In addition, the stabilization of RNF186 further led to the degradation of Sestrin2, which is an inhibitor of mTOR signaling pathway. ConclusionTogether, we first proved that OTUD5 can promote bladder cancer progression through the OTUD5-RNF186-Sestrin2-mTOR axis and provided novel insights into the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 160 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 650-658
Author(s):  
Yichen Le ◽  
Yi He ◽  
Meirong Bai ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Jiaxue Wu ◽  
...  

Ajuba has been found to be mutated or aberrantly regulated in several human cancers and plays important roles in cancer progression via different signaling pathways. However, little is known about the role of Ajuba in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we found an upregulation of Ajuba expression in HCC tissues compared with normal liver tissues, while a poor prognosis was observed in HCC patients with high Ajuba expression. Knockout of Ajuba in HCC cells inhibited cell growth in vitro and in vivo, suppressed cell migration, and enhanced the cell apoptosis under stress. Moreover, re-expression of Ajuba in Ajuba-deficient cells could restore the phenotype of Ajuba-deficient cells. In conclusion, these results indicate that Ajuba is upregulated in HCC and promotes cell growth and migration of HCC cells, suggesting that Ajuba could possibly be a new target for HCC diagnosis and treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao-Miao Zhao ◽  
Wei-Li Yang ◽  
Fang-Yuan Yang ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Wei-Jin Huang ◽  
...  

AbstractTo discover new drugs to combat COVID-19, an understanding of the molecular basis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is urgently needed. Here, for the first time, we report the crucial role of cathepsin L (CTSL) in patients with COVID-19. The circulating level of CTSL was elevated after SARS-CoV-2 infection and was positively correlated with disease course and severity. Correspondingly, SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection increased CTSL expression in human cells in vitro and human ACE2 transgenic mice in vivo, while CTSL overexpression, in turn, enhanced pseudovirus infection in human cells. CTSL functionally cleaved the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and enhanced virus entry, as evidenced by CTSL overexpression and knockdown in vitro and application of CTSL inhibitor drugs in vivo. Furthermore, amantadine, a licensed anti-influenza drug, significantly inhibited CTSL activity after SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection and prevented infection both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, CTSL is a promising target for new anti-COVID-19 drug development.


Author(s):  
Jun-Xian Du ◽  
Yi-Hong Luo ◽  
Si-Jia Zhang ◽  
Biao Wang ◽  
Cong Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Intensive evidence has highlighted the effect of aberrant alternative splicing (AS) events on cancer progression when triggered by dysregulation of the SR protein family. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism in breast cancer (BRCA) remains elusive. Here we sought to explore the molecular function of SRSF1 and identify the key AS events regulated by SRSF1 in BRCA. Methods We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the expression and clinical correlation of SRSF1 in BRCA based on the TCGA dataset, Metabric database and clinical tissue samples. Functional analysis of SRSF1 in BRCA was conducted in vitro and in vivo. SRSF1-mediated AS events and their binding motifs were identified by RNA-seq, RNA immunoprecipitation-PCR (RIP-PCR) and in vivo crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation (CLIP), which was further validated by the minigene reporter assay. PTPMT1 exon 3 (E3) AS was identified to partially mediate the oncogenic role of SRSF1 by the P-AKT/C-MYC axis. Finally, the expression and clinical significance of these AS events were validated in clinical samples and using the TCGA database. Results SRSF1 expression was consistently upregulated in BRCA samples, positively associated with tumor grade and the Ki-67 index, and correlated with poor prognosis in a hormone receptor-positive (HR+) cohort, which facilitated proliferation, cell migration and inhibited apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. We identified SRSF1-mediated AS events and discovered the SRSF1 binding motif in the regulation of splice switching of PTPMT1. Furthermore, PTPMT1 splice switching was regulated by SRSF1 by binding directly to its motif in E3 which partially mediated the oncogenic role of SRSF1 by the AKT/C-MYC axis. Additionally, PTPMT1 splice switching was validated in tissue samples of BRCA patients and using the TCGA database. The high-risk group, identified by AS of PTPMT1 and expression of SRSF1, possessed poorer prognosis in the stage I/II TCGA BRCA cohort. Conclusions SRSF1 exerts oncogenic roles in BRCA partially by regulating the AS of PTPMT1, which could be a therapeutic target candidate in BRCA and a prognostic factor in HR+ BRCA patient.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Guoyu Yin ◽  
Heping Zhao ◽  
Hanzhi Ling ◽  
Zhen Xie ◽  
...  

AbstractIn inflamed joints, enhanced hyaluronic acid (HA) degradation is closely related to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). KIAA1199 has been identified as a hyaladherin that mediates the intracellular degradation of HA, but its extracellular function remains unclear. In this study, we found that the serum and synovial levels of secreted KIAA1199 (sKIAA1199) and low-molecular-weight HA (LMW-HA, MW < 100 kDa) in RA patients were significantly increased, and the positive correlation between them was shown for the first time. Of note, treatment with anti-KIAA1199 mAb effectively alleviated the severity of arthritis and reduced serum LMW-HA levels and cytokine secretion in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. In vitro, sKIAA1199 was shown to mediate exogenous HA degradation by attaching to the cell membrane of RA fibroblast-like synoviosytes (RA FLS). Furthermore, the HA-degrading activity of sKIAA1199 depended largely on its adhesion to the membrane, which was achieved by its G8 domain binding to ANXA1. In vivo, kiaa1199-KO mice exhibited greater resistance to collagen-induced arthritis. Interestingly, this resistance could be partially reversed by intra-articular injection of vectors encoding full-length KIAA1199 instead of G8-deleted KIAA119 mutant, which further confirmed the indispensable role of G8 domain in KIAA1199 involvement in RA pathological processes. Mechanically, the activation of NF-κB by interleukin-6 (IL-6) through PI3K/Akt signaling is suggested to be the main pathway to induce KIAA1199 expression in RA FLS. In conclusion, our study supported the contribution of sKIAA1199 to RA pathogenesis, providing a new therapeutic target for RA by blocking sKIAA1199-mediated HA degradation.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 420
Author(s):  
Su-Jung Hwang ◽  
Ye-Seul Song ◽  
Hyo-Jong Lee

Kushen (Radix Sophorae flavescentis) is used to treat ulcerative colitis, tumors, and pruritus. Recently, phaseolin, formononetin, matrine, luteolin, and quercetin, through a network pharmacology approach, were tentatively identified as five bioactive constituents responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of S. flavescentis. However, the role of phaseolin (one of the primary components of S. flavescentis) in the direct regulation of inflammation and inflammatory processes is not well known. In this study, the beneficial role of phaseolin against inflammation was explored in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation models of RAW 264.7 macrophages and zebrafish larvae. Phaseolin inhibited LPS-mediated production of nitric oxide (NO) and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), without affecting cell viability. In addition, phaseolin suppressed pro-inflammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, phaseolin reduced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity as well as macrophage adhesion in vitro and the recruitment of leukocytes in vivo by downregulating Ninjurin 1 (Ninj1), an adhesion molecule. Finally, phaseolin inhibited the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). In view of the above, our results suggest that phaseolin could be a potential therapeutic candidate for the management of inflammation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3687
Author(s):  
Joanna Homa ◽  
Alina Klosowska ◽  
Magdalena Chadzinska

Arginase is the manganese metalloenzyme catalyzing the conversion of l-arginine to l-ornithine and urea. In vertebrates, arginase is involved in the immune response, tissue regeneration, and wound healing and is an important marker of alternative anti-inflammatory polarization of macrophages. In invertebrates, data concerning the role of arginase in these processes are very limited. Therefore, in the present study, we focused on the changes in arginase activity in the coelomocytes of Eisenia andrei. We studied the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), heavy metals ions (e.g., Mn2+), parasite infection, wound healing, and short-term fasting (5 days) on arginase activity. For the first time in earthworms, we described arginase activity in the coelomocytes and found that it can be up-regulated upon in vitro stimulation with LPS and H2O2 and in the presence of Mn2+ ions. Moreover, arginase activity was also up-regulated in animals in vivo infected with nematodes or experiencing segment amputation, but not in fasting earthworms. Furthermore, we confirmed that the activity of coelomocyte arginase can be suppressed by l-norvaline. Our studies strongly suggest that similarly to the vertebrates, also in the earthworms, coelomocyte arginase is an important element of the immune response and wound healing processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Hang ◽  
Shanojie Zhao ◽  
Tiejun Wang ◽  
Yan Zhang

Abstract Background Breast cancer (BrCa) is the most common female malignancy worldwide and has the highest morbidity among all cancers in females. Unfortunately, the mechanisms of BrCa growth and metastasis, which lead to a poor prognosis in BrCa patients, have not been well characterized. Methods Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on a BrCa tissue microarray (TMA) containing 80 samples to evaluate ubiquitin protein ligase E3C (UBE3C) expression. In addition, a series of cellular experiments were conducted to reveal the role of UBE3C in BrCa. Results In this research, we identified UBE3C as an oncogenic factor in BrCa growth and metastasis for the first time. UBE3C expression was upregulated in BrCa tissues compared with adjacent breast tissues. BrCa patients with high nuclear UBE3C expression in tumors showed remarkably worse overall survival (OS) than those with low nuclear expression. Knockdown of UBE3C expression in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453 BrCa cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, while overexpression of UBE3C in these cells exerted the opposite effects. Moreover, UBE3C promoted β-catenin nuclear accumulation, leading to the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in BrCa cells. Conclusion Collectively, these results imply that UBE3C plays crucial roles in BrCa development and progression and that UBE3C may be a novel target for the prevention and treatment of BrCa.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document