HDAC1: An Essential and Conserved Member of the Diverse Zn2+-Dependent HDAC Family Driven by Divergent Selection Pressure.

Zn2+-dependent histone deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes that regulate gene expression by removing acetyl groups from histone proteins. These enzymes are essential in all living systems, playing key roles in cancer treatment and as potential pesticide targets. Previous phylogenetic analyses of HDAC in certain species have been published. However, their classification and evolutionary origins across biological kingdoms remain unclear, which limits our understanding of them. In this study, we collected the HDAC sequences from 1451 organisms and performed analyses. The HDACs are found to diverge into three classes and seven subclasses under divergent selection pressure. Most subclasses show species specificity, indicating that HDACs have evolved with high plasticity and diversification to adapt to different environmental conditions in different species. In contrast, HDAC1 and HDAC3, belonging to the oldest class, are conserved and crucial in major kingdoms of life, especially HDAC1. These findings lay the groundwork for the future application of HDACs.

MiR-122-5p regulates the mevalonate pathway by targeting p53 in non-small cell lung cancer.

The 5-year survival rate of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is very low. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the occurrence of NSCLC. miR-122-5p interacts with wild-type p53 (wtp53), and wtp53 affects tumor growth by inhibiting the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the role of these factors in NSCLC. The role of miR-122-5p and p53 was established in samples from NSCLC patients, and human NSCLC cells A549 using the miR-122-5p inhibitor, miR-122-5p mimic, and si-p53. Our results showed that inhibiting miR-122-5p expression led to the activation of p53. This inhibited the progression of the MVA pathway in the NSCLC cells A549, hindered cell proliferation and migration, and promoted apoptosis. miR-122-5p was negatively correlated with p53 expression in p53 wild-type NSCLC patients. The expression of key genes in the MVA pathway in tumors of p53 wild-type NSCLC patients was not always higher than the corresponding normal tissues. The malignancy of NSCLC was positively correlated with the high expression of the key genes in the MVA pathway. Therefore, miR-122-5p regulated NSCLC by targeting p53, providing potential molecular targets for developing targeted drugs.

[Progress in the study of signal pathways for chronic inflammation-associated pancreatic carcinogenesis].

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal and intractable human malignancies with poor prognosis. Chronic pancreatitis is the independent risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Smoking, obesity and family history are the risk factors for chronic inflammation-associated pancreatic carcinogenesis. Recent studies of signal pathways have made a significant progress in our understanding of chronic pancreatitis in pancreatic cancer. This review summarizes recent development in the important signal pathways involved in pancreatic carcinogenesis from chronic pancreatitis.

Structure-based design, structure-activity relationship analysis, and antitumor activity of diaryl ether derivatives.

To identify novel therapeutic agents to treat cancer, we synthesized a series of diaryl ether derivatives. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed that the presence of a chlorine or hydroxyl at the para-position on the phenyl ring (5h or 5k) significantly enhanced antitumor activity. Compound 5h had stronger growth inhibitory activity in HepG2, A549, and HT-29 cells than compound 5k, with IC50 values of 2.57, 5.48, and 30.04 µM, respectively. Compound 5h also inhibited the growth of other cells lines, including Hep3B, PLC/PRF5, SMMC-7721, HeLa, and A375, with IC50 values of 2.76, 4.26, 29.66, 18.86, and 10.21 µM, respectively. The antitumor activity of compound 5h was confirmed by a colony forming assay. Further, our results indicated that the antitumor activity of compound 5h may be mediated by enhancing expression of p21 and cl-caspase3, and leading to apoptosis of cancer cells.

Evaluation of Novel N-(piperidine-4-yl)benzamide Derivatives as Potential Cell Cycle Inhibitors in HepG2 Cells.

In this study, a series of novel N-(piperidine-4-yl)benzamide derivatives was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for antitumor activity. Some compounds were found to have potent antitumor activity. In particular, compound 47 showed the most potent biological activity against HepG2 cells, with an IC50 value of 0.25 µm. Western blot analysis demonstrated that compound 47 inhibited the expression of cyclin B1 and p-Rb and enhanced the expression of p21, p53, Rb, and phospho-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK). Further, cell cycle arrest was observed by flow cytometry (FCM). In summary, compound 47 was screened to have potential activity for the treatment of hepatocarcinoma via the induction of cell cycle arrest by a p53/p21-dependent pathway.

Niches and interspecific competitive relationships of the parasitoids, Microplitis prodeniae and Campoletis chlorldeae, of the Oriental leafworm moth, Spodoptera litura, in tobacco.

Both Microplitis prodeniae Rao and Chandry (Hymenoptera: Bracondidae) and Campoletis chlorideae Uchida (Hymenoptera: Ichnumonidae) are major parasitoids of Spodoptera litura (Fabricious) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae) at Nanxiong, Guangdong Province, South China. The niches and interspecific competition relationships of the two species were studied. The results show that the competition between the two species for spatial and food resources was very intense, and C. chlorideae was always dominant when the two species compete for spatial and food resources in different periods. Thus C. chlorideae may drive M. prodeniae away when they occupy the same spatial or food resource. The adaptability of C. chlorideae to the environment in the tobacco fields may be greater than that of M. prodeniae, so C. chlorideae can maintain a higher population compared to that of M. prodeniae.