Targeting LYPLAL1-mediated cGAS depalmitoylation enhances the response to anti-tumor immunotherapy.

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) binds pathogenic and other cytoplasmic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) to catalyze the synthesis of cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), which serves as the secondary messenger to activate the STING pathway and innate immune responses. Emerging evidence suggests that activation of the cGAS pathway is crucial for anti-tumor immunity; however, no effective intervention method targeting cGAS is currently available. Here we report that cGAS is palmitoylated by ZDHHC9 at cysteines 404/405, which promotes the dimerization and activation of cGAS. We further identified that lysophospholipase-like 1 (LYPLAL1) depalmitoylates cGAS to compromise its normal function. As such, inhibition of LYPLAL1 significantly enhances cGAS-mediated innate immune response, elevates PD-L1 expression, and enhances anti-tumor response to PD-1 blockade. Our results therefore reveal that targeting LYPLAL1-mediated cGAS depalmitoylation contributes to cGAS activation, providing a potential strategy to augment the efficacy of anti-tumor immunotherapy.

ß-Ionone represses renal cell carcinoma progression through activating LKB1/AMPK-triggered autophagy.

ß-Ionone, the end ring analog of ß-carotenoids, has been proven to have an antitumor effect in a variety of cancers. In this study, we investigated the impact of ß-ionone on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines (786-O and ACHN) using colony formation assays, flow cytometry analysis, and western blot analysis. We found that ß-ionone effectively inhibited the proliferation of RCC cells in vitro, which was also confirmed in a xenograft model. Moreover, we found that ß-ionone could induce autophagy, as indicated by LC3 puncta in 786-O and ACHN cell lines and the expression of LC3 in ß-ionone-treated RCC cells. To further explore the underlying mechanism, we assessed liver kinase B1/AMP-activated protein kinase (LKB1/AMPK) signaling pathway activity, and the results showed that ß-ionone inhibited the proliferation of RCC cells by inducing autophagy via the LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway. In summary, our findings provide a new therapeutic strategy of ß-ionone-induced autophagy in RCC.

Capsaicin inhibits the migration, invasion and EMT of renal cancer cells by inducing AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy.

Capsaicin (CAP), extracted from Capsicum fruits, has been reported to exhibit antitumor effects in various lines of cancer cells. However, the mechanism underlying its antitumor efficiency is not fully understood. Autophagy is a fundamental self-degradation process of cells that maintains homeostasis and plays a controversial role in tumor initiation and progression. The EMT is defined as a system regulating cells transformed from an epithelial-like phenotype into a mesenchymal phenotype by several internal and external factors, following the metastatic performance of the cells developed. The present study aimed to investigate the potential role of autophagy in CAP-induced antitumor effects in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) 786-O and CAKI-1 cell lines. The results revealed that CAP remarkably inhibited the migration and invasion of RCC cells in vitro and metastasis in vivo. Moreover, we found that the CAP treatment increased the formation of autophagolysosome vacuoles and LC3 yellow and red fluorescent puncta in RCC cells and upregulated the expression of LC3, suggesting that autophagy was induced by CAP in 786-O and CAKI-1 cell lines. Our further results demonstrated that CAP-induced autophagy was mediated by the AMPK/mTOR pathway. In conclusion, our study provides new knowledge of the potential relationship between autophagy and metastasis inhibition induced by CAP, which might be a promising therapeutic strategy in RCC.

ß-ionone Inhibits Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in Prostate Cancer Cells by Negatively Regulating the Wnt/ß-Catenin Pathway.

BACKGROUND: ß-ionone is a terminal cyclic analog of beta-carotenoids widely found in plants. In recent years, accumulating evidence has shown that ß-ionone exerts antitumor effects on various malignant tumors. However, limited studies have revealed the role of ß-ionone in regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of prostate cancer (PCa) cells. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ß-ionone on the EMT process of PCa, focusing on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. METHODS: After exposure to ß-ionone, cell viability was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the Brdu proliferation assay. The Transwell and wounding healing were used to investigate the migration and invasion abilities of PCa cells. Expression of proteins involved in the EMT process (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin) and proteins in the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway (ß-catenin, GSK3-ß, and p-GSK3-ß) were explored by western blotting. The effects of ß-ionone on ß-catenin degradation were explored by cycloheximide tracking assay and in vitro ubiquitination assay. Nude mouse xenograft model was served as the model system in vivo. RESULTS: The migration, invasion, and EMT process of PCa Human PC-3 prostate adenocarcinoma cells (PC3) and Human 22RV1 prostate adenocarcinoma cells (22RV1) cells were significantly inhibited after ß-ionone treatment. In addition, ß-ionone also inhibited the growth and EMT process of subcutaneous xenograft tumors in nude mice. The study also found that ß-catenin, which promotes EMT, was downregulated after ß-ionone treatment. Further mechanistic studies revealed that ß-ionone inhibited the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway by accelerating the ubiquitination and degradation of ß-catenin in PCa, thus inhibiting the downstream migration, invasion, and EMT processes. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that ß-ionone may be a potential natural compound targeting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway for the treatment of PCa.

Silibinin inhibits the migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of prostate cancer by activating the autophagic degradation of YAP.

Silibinin (SB), a flavonoid extracted from milk thistle seeds, has been found to exert antitumor effects in numerous tumor types. Our previous study reported that SB had anti-metastatic effects in prostate cancer (PCa). However, the exact underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be determined. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of SB on the migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) cells using wound healing, Transwell assays, and western blotting. The results revealed that SB treatment significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of CRPC cell lines. Moreover, SB was confirmed to activate autophagy, as determined using LC3 conversion, LC3 turnover and LC3 puncta assays. Further mechanistic studies indicated that the expression levels of Yes-associated protein (YAP) were downregulated in an autophagy-dependent manner after SB treatment. In addition, the SB-induced autophagic degradation of YAP was associated with the anti-metastatic effects of SB in CRPC. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that SB might inhibit the migration, invasion and EMT of PCa cells by regulating the autophagic degradation of YAP, thus representing a potential novel treatment strategy for metastatic CRPC.

Deubiquitinase OTUD5 modulates mTORC1 signaling to promote bladder cancer progression.

The mechanistic (formally "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. In 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 the mTOR signaling pathway. Together, we provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of bladder cancer and first prove that OTUD5 can promote bladder cancer progression through the OTUD5-RNF186-sestrin2-mTOR axis, which may be exploited in the future for the diagnosis and treatment of this malignancy.

MUC15 inhibits cancer metastasis via PI3K/AKT signaling in renal cell carcinoma.

Patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) often develop distant metastasis and the specific molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. In our study, we demonstrated that MUC15, a subtype of mucins family, could suppress the progression of RCC by inhibiting PI3K/AKT signaling. Firstly, we observed that MUC15 was notably decreased in RCC compared to normal tissue. Furthermore, we showed that MUC15 could negatively modulate the migration and invasion of RCC in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that knocking-down of MUC15 could active the PI3K/AKT signaling by increasing the AKT phosphorylation and subsequently increase the mRNA and protein expression of MMP2 and MMP9. Interruption of the AKT pathway with the specific inhibitor LY294002 could reverse the expression of MMPs. Therefore, our study clarify the novel function of MUC15 in RCC, which may provide a new sight to diagnose and prevent RCC metastasis.