scholarly journals The Impact of Transcription Factor Prospero Homeobox 1 on the Regulation of Thyroid Cancer Malignancy

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Rudzińska ◽  
Barbara Czarnocka

Transcription factor Prospero homeobox 1 (PROX1) is continuously expressed in the lymphatic endothelial cells, playing an essential role in their differentiation. Many reports have shown that PROX1 is implicated in cancer development and acts as an oncoprotein or suppressor in a tissue-dependent manner. Additionally, the PROX1 expression in many types of tumors has prognostic significance and is associated with patient outcomes. In our previous experimental studies, we showed that PROX1 is present in the thyroid cancer (THC) cells of different origins and has a high impact on follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) phenotypes, regulating migration, invasion, focal adhesion, cytoskeleton reorganization, and angiogenesis. Herein, we discuss the PROX1 transcript and protein structures, the expression pattern of PROX1 in THC specimens, and its epigenetic regulation. Next, we emphasize the biological processes and genes regulated by PROX1 in CGTH-W-1 cells, derived from squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Finally, we discuss the interaction of PROX1 with other lymphatic factors. In our review, we aimed to highlight the importance of vascular molecules in cancer development and provide an update on the functionality of PROX1 in THC biology regulation.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254447
Author(s):  
Marcos Francia ◽  
Martin Stortz ◽  
Camila Vazquez Echegaray ◽  
Camila Oses ◽  
Paula Verneri ◽  
...  

Akt/PKB is a kinase involved in the regulation of a wide variety of cell processes. Its activity is modulated by diverse post-translational modifications (PTMs). Particularly, conjugation of the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) to this kinase impacts on multiple cellular functions, such as proliferation and splicing. In embryonic stem (ES) cells, this kinase is key for pluripotency maintenance. Among other functions, Akt is known to promote the expression of Nanog, a central pluripotency transcription factor (TF). However, the relevance of this specific PTM of Akt has not been previously analyzed in this context. In this work, we study the effect of Akt1 variants with differential SUMOylation susceptibility on the expression of Nanog. Our results demonstrate that both, the Akt1 capability of being modified by SUMO conjugation and a functional SUMO conjugase activity are required to induce Nanog gene expression. Likewise, we found that the common oncogenic E17K Akt1 mutant affected Nanog expression in ES cells also in a SUMOylatability dependent manner. Interestingly, this outcome takes places in ES cells but not in a non-pluripotent heterologous system, suggesting the presence of a crucial factor for this induction in ES cells. Remarkably, the two major candidate factors to mediate this induction, GSK3-β and Tbx3, are non-essential players of this effect, suggesting a complex mechanism probably involving non-canonical pathways. Furthermore, we found that Akt1 subcellular distribution does not depend on its SUMOylatability, indicating that Akt localization has no influence on the effect on Nanog, and that besides the membrane localization of E17K Akt mutant, SUMOylation is also required for its hyperactivity. Our results highlight the impact of SUMO conjugation in the function of a kinase relevant for a plethora of cellular processes, including the control of a key pluripotency TF.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou-Tong Dai ◽  
Yuan Xiang ◽  
Xing-Hua Liao

Abstract Background Uterine Corpus Endometrial Cancer (UCEC) is one of the three common malignant tumors of the female reproductive tract. According to reports, the cure rate of early UCEC can reach 95%. Therefore, the development of prognostic markers will help UCEC patients to find the disease earlier and develop treatment earlier. The ALDH family was first discovered to be the essential gene of the ethanol metabolism pathway in the body. Recent studies have shown that ALDH can participate in the regulation of cancer. Methods We used the gene profile data of 33 cancers in the TCGA database to analyze the expression and survival of the ALDH family. GO, KEGG, PPI multiple functional analysis was used to predict the regulatory role of ALDH family in cancer. In addition, using CCK-8, colony formation, nude mouse tumor formation and other methods, the in vitro function of UCEC cancer cell lines was tested to further confirm the key role of ALDH2 expression in the proliferation of UCEC cell lines. Finally, Lasso and Cox regression methods were used to establish an overall survival prognosis model based on ALDH2 expression. Result In our research, we explored the expression of ALDH family in 33 cancers. It was found that ALDH2 was abnormally expressed in UCEC. Besides, in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to explore the effect of ALDH2 expression on the proliferation of UCEC cell lines. Meanwhile, the change of its expression is not due to gene mutations, but is regulated by miR-135-3p. At the same time, the impact of ALDH2 changes on the survival of UCEC patients is deeply discussed. Finally, a nomogram for predicting survival was constructed, with a C-index of 0.798 and AUC of 0.764. Conclusion This study suggests that ALDH2 may play a crucial role in UCEC progression and has the potential as a prognostic biomarker of UCEC.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Reitz ◽  
A Makowska ◽  
J Ellrich

Tension-type headache is associated with noxious input from neck muscles. Due to the importance of purinergic mechanisms in muscle nociception, experimental studies typically inject α,β-methyleneadenosine 5′-triphosphate (α,β-meATP). In contrast to native adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), α,β-meATP has a narrow receptor profile and remains stable in tissue. The present study administered α,β-meATP or ATP in semi-spinal neck muscles in anaesthetized mice (n = 65) in order to address different effects in neck muscle nociception. The jaw-opening reflex monitored the impact of neck muscle noxious input on brainstem processing. Injection of α,β-meATP induced reflex facilitation in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, only the lowest ATP dosage evoked facilitation. Preceding P2Y1 receptor blockade revealed facilitation even under high-dosage ATP. Ongoing facilitation after α,β-meATP injection neutralized under subsequent activation of P2Y1 receptors. Results demonstrate opposing excitatory P2X and inhibitory P2Y effects of ATP in neck muscle nociception. These mechanisms may be involved in the pathophysiology of neck muscle pain in man.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 1955-1955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurelia Meloni-Ehrig ◽  
Jeanne Meck ◽  
Nicole Christacos ◽  
JoAnn Kelly ◽  
Ludmila Matyakhina ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 1955 Poster Board I-978 The detection of chromosome abnormalities in mature B-cell neoplasms by conventional cytogenetics remains difficult, mainly due to the low proliferative rate of mature lymphoid cells. The current FISH panel for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is designed to detect some of the more common abnormalities of prognostic significance in CLL [i.e., del(6q), del(11q), +12, del(13q), del(17p)]. This CLL FISH panel has improved the detection rate of these markers by making it possible to obtain cytogenetic information from interphase cells; however, as it is limited to only these 5 markers, it cannot detect all abnormalities associated with CLL. More importantly, the impact of other chromosome abnormalities on prognosis and disease progression, with and without the presence of these 5 prognostic markers, is not known. CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) such as DSP30 activate cells of the immune system in a sequence-dependent manner and promote proliferation of CLL cells in vitro [Decker et al. Blood 2000;95:999-1006]. They also upregulate costimulatory molecules and potential target antigens during immunotherapy. The use of DSP30 in combination with interleukin 2 (IL2) has proven effective in increasing the detection of chromosome abnormalities in CLL [Dicker et al. Blood 2006;108:3152-60] and other mature B-cell lymphoid malignancies by conventional cytogenetics [Struski et al. Leukemia 2009;23:617-9], when compared to the well-established B-cell mitogens. In our extensive clinical experience of incorporating DSP30/IL2 into our culture media, this cocktail has significantly increased the detection of chromosome abnormalities in CLL by conventional cytogenetics, from 55% to greater than 80%. We thus decided to investigate if various other lymphoid malignancies would respond to the mitogen activity of DSP30/IL2 as well as or better than CLL. Specifically, we evaluated 812 cases of mature B-cell lymphoid malignancies that were abnormal by flow cytometry, morphology, or cytogenetic analysis. All samples (bone marrow or blood) were cultured for approximately 72 hours using the DSP30/IL2 mitogen cocktail. Of these 812 cases, 746 (91%) provided sufficient mitotic index and quality for a complete cytogenetic analysis and interpretation. Of the CLL cases (n=509), 79 were initially interpreted as normal by conventional cytogenetic analysis, but were later interpreted as abnormal by FISH for deletion 13q only. In view of the known cryptic nature of this deletion in CLL, these cases were not included in the study, leaving a total of 430 CLL cases, and thus bringing the total number of cytogenetically successful study cases to 667. In addition to the 430 CLL cases, there were 14 variant CLLs; 36 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs); 35 follicular lymphomas; 34 non-Hodgkin lymphomas (not further specified); 29 marginal zone B-cell lymphomas of splenic type (sMZBCL); 27 mantle cell lymphomas (MCLs), of which 8 were blastoid; 16 MZBCL of MALT type; 13 hairy cell leukemias (HCLs); 12 lymphoproliferative disorders (not further specified); 10 lymphoplasmacytic lymphomas (LPLs); 6 Burkitt lymphomas; 3 Hodgkin lymphomas; and 2 B-cell prolymphocytic leukemias (PLLs). Of particular interest is the fact that we detected clonal abnormalities in 100% of HCLs, blastoid MCLs, variant CLLs, and B-cell PLL, as well as in 97% of sMZBCLs, 89% of DLBCLs, and 80% of LPLs This is of great importance since HCLs and LPLs are rarely abnormal by conventional cytogenetics using the more traditional combinations of mitogens making it difficult to identify markers of prognostic significance. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the DSP30/IL2 cocktail induces proliferation of various B-cell mature lymphoid disorders and that its mitogenic action is not limited to CLL. We are continuing to develop our understanding of the considerable response of specific lymphoid malignancies to the DSP30/IL2 cocktail by correlating additional clinical data, and hope that the end result will open new avenues in regards to prognostic outcome and therapeutic approaches. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5545-5545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Lightbody ◽  
Mairead Reidy ◽  
Michael P. Agius ◽  
Salma El-Behaedi ◽  
Romanos Sklavenitis-Pistofidis ◽  
...  

Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological malignancy characterized by the clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells (PCs) within the bone marrow. MM is genetically heterogeneous with aberrations including hyperdiploidy and chromosomal translocations commonly involving the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) region. Many transcription factors can revoke their normal processes and act as oncogenes when they are brought under the control of IgH regulatory regions by a chromosomal translocation. Interferon Regulatory Factor 4 (IRF4) is a transcription factor which controls plasma cell differentiation and possesses many regulatory roles including interferon response, immune cell response, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metabolism. IRF4 has proven to be a genetic vulnerability in MM as silencing studies in a large panel of MM cell lines with various genetic etiologies have demonstrated IRF4 expression is essential for MM cell survival. Standard of care treatments that indirectly suppress IRF4 including Proteasome inhibitors and Cereblon modulators have provided the greatest clinical outcomes for patients. However, like many other transcription factors, IRF4 has been notoriously difficult to target due to the protein's lack of amenable binding pockets favored for small molecule inhibitor development. Thus, identifying novel mechanisms and compounds to target IRF4 (directly or indirectly) can provide significant clinical impacts for MM patients. Methods To discover compounds capable of depleting IRF4 levels, we performed a high-throughput drug screen utilizing the Selleckchem Drug Repurposing Library on a widely accepted IRF4-dependent cell line. This library consists of over 2,000 diverse compounds that have well validated mechanisms of actions and have additionally passed clinical phase 1 safety trials for accelerated translational use. MM.1S cells were treated for 48 hours in duplicate (n = 2) with 10 μM compound. Following treatment, the cells were fixed, permeabilized, and stained for viability and IRF4 levels. IRF4 expression and viability was acquired by using flow cytometry, with high dose lenalidomide and shRNA for IRF4 as positive controls. Compounds that reduced IRF4 levels and cell viability across both experimental runs were ranked and selected with a cutoff of 40% as promising candidate compounds for further validation. Results Our drug screen results revealed 20 compounds (undisclosed) which met our cutoff of a decrease of IRF4 levels by 40% or greater. Ten hits were selected as having greater or equal to IRF4 depleting properties of lenalidomide and moved forward to be validated by western blot. Six drugs were shown to deplete IRF4 by western blot in MM.1S and KMS-18 cells at 10 μM doses. Interestingly, 4 out of the 10 hits all belong to same compound class that selectively bind to the same target receptor (undisclosed). Additional experiments confirmed these class of compounds deplete IRF4 levels in a dose dependent manner (EC50 = 1 μM). A time course revealed that IRF4 levels decrease shortly after the binding of these drugs to their widely reported target receptor, suggesting this is a selective drug/target receptor-mediated mechanism directly altering levels of IRF4. In vitro studies demonstrated the ability to both halt cell growth and decrease the viability of a panel of 8 MM cell lines, with IC50's ranging from 1.6 - 8.5 μM. Synergy studies with Lenolidomide and Bortezomib are underway to determine any synergistic combinations with standard of care therapies. In vivo studies and RNA-sequencing are also currently underway to determine the impact of these compounds on MM tumor growth and overall survival, as well as better define the mechanism of action driving this novel class of IRF4 targeting compounds. Conclusions Despite knowledge that IRF4 is a biologically potent target in MM there have been no extensive studies highlighting drugs capable of targeting this transcription factor and its oncogenic signaling network. This screen has revealed novel compounds, some of which are clinically used, that are capable of depleting a highly dependent gene in MM. Notably, these compounds are able to deplete IRF4 in a novel mechanism which is capable of affecting survival of MM cell lines that represent the heterogeneity of myeloma, and thus holds potential for significant clinical impact. Disclosures Ghobrial: Amgen: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Schwersensky ◽  
Marianne Rooman ◽  
Fabrizio Pucci

AbstractThe question of how natural evolution acts on DNA and protein sequences to ensure mutational robustness and evolvability has been asked for decades without definitive answer. We tackled this issue through a structurome-scale computational investigation, in which we estimated the change in folding free energy upon all possible single-site mutations introduced in more than 20,000 protein structures. The validity of our results are supported by a very good agreement with experimental mutagenesis data. At the amino acid level, we found the protein surface to be more robust to mutations than the core, in a protein length-dependent manner. About 4% of all mutations were shown to be stabilizing, and a majority of mutations on the surface and in the core to be neutral and destabilizing, respectively. At the nucleobase level, single base substitutions were shown to yield on average less destabilizing amino acid mutations than multiple base substitutions. More precisely, the smallest average destabilization occurs for substitutions of base III in the codon, followed by base I, bases I+III, and base II. This ranking highly anticorrelates with the frequency of codon-anticodon mispairing, and suggests that the standard genetic code is optimized more to limit translation errors than the impact of random mutations. Moreover, the codon usage also appears to be optimized for minimizing the errors at the protein level, especially for surface residues that evolve faster and have therefore been under stronger selection, and for biased codons, suggesting that the codon usage bias also partly aims to optimize protein mutational robustness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 149 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Grainger ◽  
Nancy E Moran ◽  
David M Francis ◽  
Steven J Schwartz ◽  
Lei Wan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background Tomato and soy intake is associated with reduced prostate cancer risk or severity in epidemiologic and experimental studies. Objective On the basis of the principle that multiple bioactives in tomato and soy may act on diverse anticancer pathways, we developed and characterized a tomato-soy juice for clinical trials. In this phase 2 dose-escalating study, we examined plasma, prostate, and urine biomarkers of carotenoid and isoflavone exposure. Methods Men scheduled for prostatectomy were recruited to consume 0, 1, or 2 cans of tomato-soy juice/d before surgery (mean ± SD duration: 24 ± 4.6 d). The juice provided 20.6 mg lycopene and 66 mg isoflavone aglycone equivalents/177-mL can. Plasma carotenoids and urinary isoflavone metabolites were quantified by HPLC–photometric diode array and prostate carotenoids and isoflavones by HPLC–tandem mass spectrometry. Results We documented significant dose-response increases (P < 0.05) in plasma concentrations of tomato carotenoids. Plasma concentrations were 1.86-, 1.69-, 1.73-, and 1.69-fold higher for lycopene, β-carotene, phytoene, and phytofluene, respectively, for the 1-can/d group and 2.34-, 3.43-, 2.54-, and 2.29-fold higher, respectively, for the 2-cans/d group compared with 0 cans/d. Urinary isoflavones daidzein, genistein, and glycitein increased in a dose-dependent manner. Prostate carotenoid and isoflavone concentrations were not dose-dependent in this short intervention; yet, correlations between plasma carotenoid and urinary isoflavones with respective prostate concentrations were documented (R2 = 0.78 for lycopene, P < 0.001; R2 = 0.59 for dihydrodaidzein, P < 0.001). Secondary clustering analyses showed urinary isoflavone metabolite phenotypes. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the phytoene and phytofluene in prostate tissue after a dietary intervention. Secondary analysis showed that the 2-cans/d group experienced a nonsignificant decrease in prostate-specific antigen slope compared with 0 cans/d (P = 0.078). Conclusion These findings provide the foundation for evaluating a well-characterized tomato-soy juice in human clinical trials to define the impact on human prostate carcinogenesis. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01009736.


2014 ◽  
Vol 122 (03) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Zwanziger ◽  
S Rehn ◽  
J Badziong ◽  
A Jaeger ◽  
S Ting ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
P. Vikulin ◽  
K. Khlopov ◽  
M. Cherkashin

Enhancing water purification processes is provided by various methods including physical ones, in particular, exposure to ultrasonic vibrations. The change in the dynamic viscosity of water affects the rate of deposition of particles in the aquatic environment which can be used in natural and wastewater treatment. At the Department Water Supply and Wastewater Disposal of the National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering experimental studies were conducted under laboratory conditions to study the effect of ultrasound on the change in the dynamic viscosity of water. A laboratory setup has been designed consisting of an ultrasonic frequency generator of the relative intensity, a transducer (concentrator) that transmits ultrasonic vibrations to the source water, and sonic treatment tanks. Experimental studies on the impact of the ultrasonic field in the cavitation mode on the dynamic viscosity of the aqueous medium were carried out the exposure time was obtained to achieve the maximum effect.Интенсификация процессов очистки воды осуществляется с помощью различных методов, в том числе и физических, в частности воздействием ультразвуковых колебаний. Изменение динамической вязкости воды влияет на скорость осаждения частиц в водной среде, что может быть использовано в процессах очистки природных и сточных вод. На кафедре Водоснабжение и водоотведение Национального исследовательского Московского государственного строительного университета в лабораторных условиях проведены экспериментальные исследования по изучению влияния ультразвука на изменение динамической вязкости воды. Разработана схема лабораторной установки, состоящая из генератора ультразвуковых частот с соответствующей интенсивностью, преобразователя (концентратора), передающего ультразвуковые колебания в исходную воду, и емкости для озвучивания. Выполнены экспериментальные исследования по влиянию ультразвукового поля в режиме кавитации на динамическую вязкость водной среды, получено время экспозиции для достижения максимального эффекта.


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