METTL3-mediated m6A methylation of SLC38A1 stimulates cervical cancer growth.

The objective of this study was to better characterize the role of the glutamine transporter SLC38A1 in cervical cancer and explore the underlying mechanisms. Data from public databases and clinical cervical cancer tissue samples were used to assess the expression of SLC38A1 and its prognostic significance. Immunohistochemical staining, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting were used to evaluate the expression of relevant genes and proteins. Cell viability, cell cycle, apoptosis, and intracellular glutamine content were measured using CCK-8, flow cytometry, and biochemical assays. Additionally, the RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay was used to examine the impact of METTL3/IGF2BP3 on the m6A modification of the SLC38A1 3'UTR. Both cervical cancer specimens and cells showed significantly increased expression of SLC38A1 and its expression correlated with an unfavorable prognosis. Knockdown of SLC38A1 inhibited cell viability and cell cycle progression, induced apoptosis, and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Glutaminase-1 inhibitor CB-839 reversed the effects of SLC38A1 overexpression. METTL3 promoted m6A modification of SLC38A1 and enhanced its mRNA stability through IGF2BP3 recruitment. Moreover, METTL3 silencing inhibited cell viability, cell cycle progression, intracellular glutamine content, and induced apoptosis, but these effects were reversed by SLC38A1 overexpression. In conclusion, METTL3-mediated m6A methylation of SLC38A1 stimulates cervical cancer progression. SLC38A1 inhibition is a potential therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer.

Platelet membrane-camouflaged silver metal-organic framework drug system against infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

BACKGROUND: Due to the intelligent survival strategy and self-preservation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), many antibiotics are ineffective in treating MRSA infections. Nano-drug delivery systems have emerged as a new method to overcome this barrier. The aim of this study was to construct a novel nano-drug delivery system for the treatment of MRSA infection, and to evaluate the therapeutic effect and biotoxicity of this system. We prepared a nano silver metal-organic framework using 2-methylimidazole as ligand and silver nitrate as ion provider. Vancomycin (Vanc) was loaded with Ag-MOF, and nano-sized platelet vesicles were prepared to encapsulate Ag-MOF-Vanc, thus forming the novel platelet membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc. RESULTS: The synthesized Ag-MOF particles had uniform size and shape of radiating corona. The mean nanoparticle size and zeta potential of PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc were 148 nm and - 25.6 mV, respectively. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading efficiency (LE) of vancomycin were 81.0 and 64.7 %, respectively. PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc was shown to be a pH-responsive nano-drug delivery system with good biocompatibility. Ag-MOF had a good inhibitory effect on the growth of three common clinical strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and S. aureus). PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc showed better antibacterial activity against common clinical strains in vitro than free vancomycin. PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc killed MRSA through multiple approaches, including interfering with the metabolism of bacteria, catalyzing reactive oxygen species production, destroying the integrity of cell membrane, and inhibiting biofilm formation. Due to the encapsulation of the platelet membrane, PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc can bind to the surface of the MRSA bacteria and the sites of MRSA infection. PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc had a good anti-infective effect in mouse MRSA pneumonia model, which was significantly superior to free vancomycin, and has no obvious toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: PLT@Ag-MOF-Vanc is a novel effective targeted drug delivery system, which is expected to be used safely in anti-infective therapy of MRSA.

LncRNA-HNF1A-AS1 functions as a competing endogenous RNA to activate PI3K/AKT signalling pathway by sponging miR-30b-3p in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) played important regulatory roles in many cancer types. However, the role of lncRNAs in gastric cancer (GC) progression remains unclear. METHODS: RT-qPCR assay was performed to detect the expression of HNF1A-AS1 in gastric cancer tissues and the non-tumourous gastric mucosa. Overexpression and RNA interference approaches were used to investigate the effects of HNF1A-AS1 on GC cells. Insight into competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms was gained via bioinformatics analysis, luciferase assays and an RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay, RNA-FISH co-localisation analysis combined with microRNA (miRNA)-pulldown assay. RESULTS: This study displayed that revealed expression of HNF1A-AS1 was associated with positive lymph node metastasis in GC. Moreover, HNF1A-AS1 significantly promoted gastric cancer invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. In addition, HNF1A-AS1 was demonstrated to function as a ceRNA for miR-30b-3p. HNF1A-AS1 abolished the function of the miRNA-30b-3p and resulted in the derepression of its target, PIK3CD, which is a core oncogene involved in the progression of GC. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that HNF1A-AS1 worked as a ceRNA and promoted PI3K/AKT signalling pathway-mediated GC metastasis by sponging miR-30b-3p, offering novel insights of the metastasis mechanism in GC.

The roles of microRNAs related with progression and metastasis in human cancers.

Metastasis is an important factor in predicting the prognosis of the patients with cancers and contributes to high cancer-related mortality. Recent studies indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) played a functional role in the initiation and progression of human malignancies. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs of about 22 nucleotides in length that can induce messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation or repress mRNA translation by binding to the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of their target genes. Overwhelming reports indicated that miRNAs could regulate cancer invasion and metastasis via epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related and/or non-EMT-related mechanisms. In this review, we concentrate on the underlying mechanisms of miRNAs in regulating cancer progression and metastasis.

[The neuroprotective role of exogenous TERT gene in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) on cell apoptosis in neonatal rat brains after hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBD). METHODS: A total of 72 neonatal rats were divided into sham, vehicle, HIBD and TERT groups. HIBD was induced by Rice method in the later three groups. The neonatal rats in the vehicle and TERT groups were injected with plasmids containing mock or full length TERT by an intracerebroventricular injection 30 minutes after hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury. Pathological changes of brain tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of TERT, apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and cleaved caspase 3 (CC3). Apoptotic cells were detected by TUNEL staining. RESULTS: Western blot showed that TERT protein was dramatically increased in the vehicle, HIBD and TERT groups compared with the sham group. Compared with the vehicle and HIBD groups, TERT protein in the TERT group was significantly upregulated. Compared with the sham group, there was a significant increase in apoptotic index and expression of AIF and CC3 proteins in the vehicle and HIBD groups (p<0.01). The TERT group showed decreased expression of AIF and CC3 proteins and apoptotic index compared with the vehicle and HIBD groups (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: TERT can inhibit cell apoptosis induced by HI and might have a neuroprotective role in developing brain with HIBD.

[Role of long non-coding RNA BC088414 in hypoxic-ischemic injury of neural cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) BC088414 in hypoxic-ischemic injury of neural cells. METHODS: Rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were divided into four groups: normoxic, oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD), siRNA-normoxic (siRNA group) and siRNA-OGD (n=3 each). Cells were incubated in glucose-free and serum-free DMEM medium under the conditions of 37℃ and 1% O2+99% N2/CO2 for 6 hours to establish an in vitro hypoxic-ischemic model. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure mRNA expression of lncRNA BC088414, ß2-adrenoceptor (Adrb2), and caspase-6 (CASP6). siRNAs were used to inhibit BC088414 expression in PC12 cells. The TUNEL method was used to measure cell apoptosis. RESULTS: The OGD group had a significantly higher cell apoptotic index than the normoxic group (P<0.01). After inhibition of BC088414 expression, the OGD group had a significantly reduced apoptotic index (P<0.05). The OGD group had significantly higher mRNA expression levels of lncRNA BC088414, Adrb2, and CASP6 compared with the normoxic group (P<0.05). The siRNA -normoxic group had significantly lower mRNA expression levels of Adrb2 and CASP6 than the normoxic group (P<0.05), and the siRNA-OGD group also had significantly lower mRNA expression levels of Adrb2 and CASP6 than the OGD group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA BC088414 may promote apoptosis through Adrb2 and CASP6 and aggravate neural cell injury induced by hypoxia-ischemia.

[Inducible nitric oxide synthase and brain hypoxic-ischemic brain damage].

Brain hypoxia-ischemia has been considered as critical factors in many human central nervous system diseases, including stroke and neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. In brain hypoxia-ischemia processes, inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is induced to produce excessive nitric oxide (NO) which leads to cascade reactions of inflammation and neuronal death, deteriorating primary brain injury. Inhibiting iNOS expression has opened new perspectives in the treatment of brain hypoxia-ischemia because iNOS inhibitor has been shown as a potent therapeutic agent. This reviews focus on recent research achievements regarding the relationship between iNOS and ischemic-hypoxic brain damage and the perspective of using iNOS inhibitors as therapeutic strategies for brain ischemic-hypoxic brain damage.

LncRNA LY6E-DT and its encoded metastatic-related protein play oncogenic roles via different pathways and promote breast cancer progression.

Abnormal long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Here, we show that lncRNA LY6E divergent transcript (LY6E-DT) levels are increased in breast cancer (BC) tissues. Transcription factor SP3 binds directly to the LY6E-DT promoter, activating its transcription. Moreover, LY6E-DT N6-methyladenosine modification by methyltransferase-like protein 14 (METTL14) promotes its expression, dependent on the "reader" insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1(IGF2BP1)-dependent pathway. Notably, we discovered that the lncRNA LY6E-DT encodes a conserved 153-aa protein, "Metastatic-Related Protein" (MRP). Both LY6E-DT and MRP promote BC invasion and metastasis, and MRP expression could distinguish BC patients with lymph node metastasis from those without. Mechanistically, MRP binds heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins C1/C2 (HNRNPC), enhancing the interaction between HNRNPC and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mRNA, increasing EGFR mRNA stability and protein expression and subsequently activating the phosphatidylinositol 3­kinase/protein kinase B signaling (PI3K) pathway. LncRNA LY6E-DT promotes the interaction between Y box binding protein 1 (YBX1) and importin α1 and increases YBX1 protein entry into the nucleus, where it transcriptionally activates zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1(ZEB1). Our findings uncover a novel regulatory mechanism underlying BC invasion orchestrated by LY6E-DT and its encoded MRP.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promotes neurogenesis after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage in neonatal rats.

OBJECTIVE: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) endangers quality of life in children, and curative attempts are rarely effective. Neurogenesis plays an important role in neural repair following brain damage. This study aimed to investigate the role of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in neurogenesis after neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). METHODS: Neonatal HIBD models were established in vivo (Sprague-Dawley rats, 7 days old) and in vitro (cultured neural stem cells, NSCs). Lentivirus and adenovirus transfection was used to induce TERT overexpression. Expression of TERT was detected by quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining. NSCs apoptosis and proliferation were measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and cell counting assays, respectively. Migration and differentiation of NSCs were assessed by western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Morris water maze test and modified neurological severity scores were conducted to evaluate the neurological function of rats. RESULTS: Overexpression of TERT attenuated apoptosis of NSCs; promoted proliferation, migration, and differentiation of NSCs; and induced myelination in the brains of neonatal rats after HIBD. Moreover, it reduced the impairment of learning, memory, and neurological function after HIBD in neonatal rats. In vitro findings indicated that the expression of Gli1 was increased after OGD, and overexpression of TERT further increased the expression of Gli1 in NSCs after OGD. DISCUSSION: TERT promotes neurogenesis and decreases neurological function injury after HIBD in neonatal rats. This neuroprotective pathway may provide a basis for developing therapeutic strategies for neonatal HIE. Furthermore, TERT may represent a target during neural injury and repair in patients with various diseases affecting the nervous system.

Successful treatment of pulmonary hypertension in a neonate with bronchopulmonary dysplasia: A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe complication of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature neonates and is closely related to prognosis. However, there is no effective and safe treatment for PH due to BPD in infants. Successful treatment for cases of BPD-associated PH with Tadalafil combined with bosentan is rare. This case may make a significant contribution to the literature because PH is difficult to manage as a serious complication of BPD in preterm infants. Mortality is high, especially when it is complicated by heart failure. CASE SUMMARY: An extremely premature neonate with a gestational age of 26+5 wk and birth weight of 0.83 kg was diagnosed with BPD associated with PH; oral sildenafil did not improve the PH. The infant experienced sudden cardiac arrest and serious heart failure with severe PH. After a series of treatments, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, and inhaled nitric oxide (iNO), the respiratory and circulatory status improved but the pulmonary artery pressure remained high. Then oral sildenafil was replaced with oral tadalafil and bosentan; pulmonary artery pressure improved, and the infant recovered at our hospital. After 2 years of follow-up, she is in good condition, without any cardiovascular complications. CONCLUSION: INO can effectively improve the respiratory and circulatory status of infants with PH associated with premature BPD. B-type natriuretic peptide should be routinely measured during hospitalization to evaluate the risk and prognosis of BPD-associated PH in preterm infants. Tadalafil combined with bosentan for the treatment of PH associated with premature BPD was better than sildenafil in this case. Further studies are needed to explore the efficacy and safety of different vasodilators in the treatment of PH associated with premature BPD.

Combined Microbiome and Metabolome Analysis Reveals a Novel Interplay Between Intestinal Flora and Serum Metabolites in Lung Cancer.

As the leading cause of cancer death, lung cancer seriously endangers human health and quality of life. Although many studies have reported the intestinal microbial composition of lung cancer, little is known about the interplay between intestinal microbiome and metabolites and how they affect the development of lung cancer. Herein, we combined 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technology to analyze intestinal microbiota composition and serum metabolism profile in a cohort of 30 lung cancer patients with different stages and 15 healthy individuals. Compared with healthy people, we found that the structure of intestinal microbiota in lung cancer patients had changed significantly (Adonis, p = 0.021). In order to determine how intestinal flora affects the occurrence and development of lung cancer, the Spearman rank correlation test was used to find the connection between differential microorganisms and differential metabolites. It was found that as thez disease progressed, L-valine decreased. Correspondingly, the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006, the genus with the strongest association with L-valine, also decreased in lung cancer groups. Correlation analysis showed that the gut microbiome and serum metabolic profile had a strong synergy, and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006 was closely related to L-valine. In summary, this study described the characteristics of intestinal flora and serum metabolic profiles of lung cancer patients with different stages. It revealed that lung cancer may be the result of the mutual regulation of L-valine and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006 through the aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathway, and proposed that L-valine may be a potential marker for the diagnosis of lung cancer.

Aberrant promoter hypermethylation inhibits RGMA expression and contributes to tumor progression in breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women worldwide, and the exploration of aberrantly expressed genes might clarify tumorigenesis and help uncover new therapeutic strategies for BC. Although RGMA was recently recognized as a tumor suppressor gene, its detailed biological function and regulation in BC remain unclear. Herein, we found that RGMA was downregulated in BC tissues compared with non-tumorous breast tissues, particularly in metastatic BC samples, and that patients with low RGMA expression manifested a poorer prognosis. Furthermore, DNMT1 and DNMT3A were found to be recruited to the RGMA promoter and induced aberrant hypermethylation, resulting in downregulation of RGMA expression in BC. In contrast, RGMA overexpression suppressed BC cell proliferation and colony-formation capabilities and increased BC cell apoptosis. Furthermore, RGMA knockdown accelerated BC cell proliferation and suppressed cellular apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Reversal of RGMA promoter methylation with 5-Aza-CdR restored RGMA expression and blocked tumor growth. Overall, DNMT1- and DNMT3A-mediated RGMA promoter hypermethylation led to downregulation of RGMA expression, and low RGMA expression contributed to BC growth via activation of the FAK/Src/PI3K/AKT-signaling pathway. Our data thus suggested that RGMA might be a promising therapeutic target in BC.

lncRNA THAP7-AS1, transcriptionally activated by SP1 and post-transcriptionally stabilized by METTL3-mediated m6A modification, exerts oncogenic properties by improving CUL4B entry into the nucleus.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are dysregulated in different cancer types, and thus have emerged as important regulators of the initiation and progression of human cancers. However, the biological functions and the underlying mechanisms responsible for their functions in gastric cancer (GC) remain poorly understood. Here, by lncRNA microarray, we identified 1414 differentially expressed lncRNAs, among which THAP7-AS1 was significantly upregulated in GC tissues compared with non-tumorous gastric tissues. High expression of THAP7-AS1 was correlated with positive lymph node metastasis and poorer prognosis. SP1, a transcription factor, could bind directly to the THAP7-AS1 promoter region and activate its transcription. Moreover, the m6A modification of THAP7-AS1 by METTL3 enhanced its expression depending on the "reader" protein IGF2BP1-dependent pathway. THAP7-AS1 promoted GC cell progression. Mechanistically, THAP7-AS1 interacted with the 1-50 Amino Acid Region (nuclear localization signal) of CUL4B through its 1-442 nt Sequence, and it promoted interaction between nuclear localization signal (NLS) and importin α1, and improved the CUL4B protein entry into the nucleus, repressing miR-22-3p and miR-320a expression by CUL4B-catalyzed H2AK119ub1 and the EZH2-mediated H3K27me3, subsequently activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote GC progression. Moreover, LV-sh-THAP7-AS1 treatment could suppress GC growth, invasion and metastasis, indicating that THAP7-AS1 may act as a promising molecular target for GC therapies. Taken together, our results show that THAP7-AS1, transcriptionally activated by SP1 and then modified by METTL3-mediated m6A, exerts oncogenic functions, by promoting interaction between NLS and importin α1 and then improving the CUL4B protein entry into the nucleus to repress the transcription of miR-22-3p and miR-320a.

Long noncoding RNA lnc-LEMGC combines with DNA-PKcs to suppress gastric cancer metastasis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in cancer development and progression; however, their contributions to gastric cancer metastasis remain largely unknown. By lncRNA microarray screening, our study showed that 453 lncRNAs are dysregulated in gastric cancer tissues with or without lymph node metastasis, of which lnc-LEMGC ranks as one of the most significantly downregulated lncRNAs. Lnc-LEMGC inhibited cell migration and invasion both in vitro and in vivo, by combining with protein DNA-PKcs. Importantly, nucleotides 1300-1800 of lnc-LEMGC prevented DNA-PKcs phosphorylation of serine 2056 and partially abrogated the effects of downstream effectors, ErbB1, SRC and protein tyrosine kinase 2 (FAK), in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway. The results of this study extend our knowledge of lncRNA's molecular mechanisms, in which lnc-LEMGC functions by directly suppressing the phosphorylation of its combined protein DNA-PKcs and inactivating the DNA-PKcs downstream EGFR signaling.

CircKDM4B suppresses breast cancer progression via the miR-675/NEDD4L axis.

Increasing studies have indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play pivotal roles in various cancers. Here, we aimed to explore the roles of circRNAs in breast cancer. We identified a novel circRNA circKDM4B (hsa_circ_0002926) by whole-transcriptome sequencing and validated this by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Sanger sequencing. It was significantly decreased in breast cancer tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Furthermore, circKDM4B, which is mainly localized in the cytoplasm, was more resistant to actinomycin D or ribonuclease R than its linear transcript KDM4B. In addition, the overexpression of circKDM4B inhibited cell migration and invasion in vitro, while knockdown of circKDM4B induced the opposite effects. In vivo, circKDM4B suppressed tumor growth and metastasis. Additionally, circKDM4B inhibited migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo. Mechanically, circKDM4B sponged miR-675 to upregulate the expression of NEDD4-like E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (NEDD4L), which catalyzes ubiquitination of PI3KCA, thereby inhibiting PI3K/AKT and VEGFA secretion. Collectively, these findings uncovered the tumor-suppressor role of circKDM4B in breast cancer, especially in angiogenesis and tumor metastasis, indicating that circKDM4B could be a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer progression.

Identification of miRNA Signature in Breast Cancer to Predict Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response.

Background: Chemotherapy failure causes high breast cancer recurrence and poor patient prognosis. Thus, we studied a cohort of novel biomarkers to predict chemotherapeutic response in breast cancer. In this study, miRNA expression profiling was performed on 10 breast cancer punctured specimens sensitive to chemotherapy (MP grade 4, 5) and 10 chemotherapy resistant (MP grade 1). Differentially expressed miRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR in 60 initial samples, 59 validated samples and 71 independent samples. A miRNA signature was generated using a Logistic regression model. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) test was used to assess specificity and sensitivity of single miRNA and miRNA signature. Target genes regulated by miRNAs and their involved signaling pathways were analyzed using GO enrichment and KEGG software. MiRNAs expression were separately compared with ER, PR, HER2 immunohistochemical staining and different drugs. qRT-PCR showed that the high expression of miR-23a-3p, miR-200c-3p, miR-214-3p and the low expression of miR-451a and miR-638 were closely related to chemoresistance. According to the formula for calculating the drug resistance risk, patients in the high-risk group were more likely to develop chemotherapy resistance than the low-risk group. Bioinformatics analysis showed that 5 miRNAs and target genes are mainly involved in p53, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, mTOR, Wnt, cells skeletal protein regulation, cell adhesion and ErbB signaling pathways. miR-451a expression was associated with ER, HER-2 status and anthracyclines. A miRNA signature of chemotherapeutic response may be clinically valuable for improving current chemotherapy regimens of individual treatment for patients with breast cancer.

TIPRL, a Novel Tumor Suppressor, Suppresses Cell Migration, and Invasion Through Regulating AMPK/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Gastric Cancer.

Invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer after curative resection remain the most common lethal outcomes. However, our current understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying gastric cancer metastasis is far from complete. Herein, we identified TOR signaling pathway regulator (TIPRL) as a novel metastasis suppressor in gastric cancer through genome-wide gene expression profiling analysis using mRNA microarray. Decreased TIPRL expression was detected in clinical gastric cancer specimens, and low TIPRL expression was correlated with more-advanced TNM stage, distant metastasis, and poor clinical outcome. Moreover, TIPRL was identified as a direct target of miR-216a-5p and miR-383-5p. Functional study revealed that re-expression of TIPRL in gastric cancer cell lines suppressed their migratory and invasive capacities, whereas inverse effects were observed in TIPRL-deficient models. Mechanistically, TIPRL downstream effectors and signaling pathways were investigated using mRNA microarray. Gene expression profiling revealed that TIPRL could not modulate the downstream genes at transcriptional levels, thereby implying that the regulation might occur at the post-transcriptional levels. We further demonstrated that TIPRL induced phosphorylation/activation of AMPK, which in turn attenuated phosphorylation of mTOR, p70S6K, and 4E-BP1, thereby leading to inactivation of mTOR signaling and subsequent suppression of cell migration/invasion in gastric cancer. Taken together, TIPRL acts as a novel metastasis suppressor in gastric cancer, at least in part, through regulating AMPK/mTOR signaling, likely representing a promising target for new therapies in gastric cancer.

The sugar transporter system of strawberry: genome-wide identification and expression correlation with fruit soluble sugar-related traits in a Fragaria × ananassa germplasm collection.

Sugar from plant photosynthesis is a basic requirement for life activities. Sugar transporters are the proteins that mediate sugar allocation among or within source/sink organs. The transporters of the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) targeting carbohydrates represent the largest family of sugar transporters in many plants. Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duchesne) is an important crop appreciated worldwide for its unique fruit flavor. The involvement of MFS sugar transporters (STs) in cultivated strawberry fruit sugar accumulation is largely unknown. In this work, we characterized the genetic variation associated with fruit soluble sugars in a collection including 154 varieties. Then, a total of 67 ST genes were identified in the v4.0 genome integrated with the v4.0.a2 protein database of F. vesca, the dominant subgenome provider for modern cultivated strawberry. Phylogenetic analysis updated the nomenclature of strawberry ST homoeologs. Both the chromosomal distribution and structural characteristics of the ST family were improved. Semi-RT-PCR analysis in nine tissues from cv. Benihoppe screened 34 highly expressed ST genes in fruits. In three varieties with dramatically differing fruit sugar levels, qPCR integrated with correlation analysis between ST transcript abundance and sugar content identified 13 sugar-correlated genes. The correlations were re-evaluated across 19 varieties, including major commercial cultivars grown in China. Finally, a model of the contribution of the sugar transporter system to subcellular sugar allocation in strawberry fruits was proposed. Our work highlights the involvement of STs in controlling strawberry fruit soluble sugars and provides candidates for the future functional study of STs in strawberry development and responses and a new approach for strawberry genetic engineering and molecular breeding.

E2F1-activated SPIN1 promotes tumor growth via a MDM2-p21-E2F1 feedback loop in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common cancers around the world. Searching for specific gene expression changes during the development of GC could help identify potential therapy targets. We previously showed that the histone code reader SPIN1 may act as an oncogene in breast cancer. At present, the biological function and regulation of SPIN1 in GC remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that SPIN1 is upregulated in GC tissues, compared with nontumorous gastric tissues. Increased expression of SPIN1 is closely associated with poor prognosis for patients with GC. Increased SPIN1 expression enhances GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promotes cell cycle progression. Mechanically, SPIN1 sustains GC cell proliferation via activation of the MDM2-p21-E2F1 signaling pathway by binding to H3K4me3 of the MDM2 promoter region. Interestingly, E2F1 could directly bind to the SPIN1 promoter and activate its transcription, thus forming a positive feedback loop. Our data suggest that SPIN1 plays an important role in the development of GC and could be used as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for GC.