SOD1 Phosphorylation by mTORC1 Couples Nutrient Sensing and Redox Regulation.

Nutrients are not only organic compounds fueling bioenergetics and biosynthesis, but also key chemical signals controlling growth and metabolism. Nutrients enormously impact the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which play essential roles in normal physiology and diseases. How nutrient signaling is integrated with redox regulation is an interesting, but not fully understood, question. Herein, we report that superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) is a conserved component of the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) nutrient signaling. mTORC1 regulates SOD1 activity through reversible phosphorylation at S39 in yeast and T40 in humans in response to nutrients, which moderates ROS level and prevents oxidative DNA damage. We further show that SOD1 activation enhances cancer cell survival and tumor formation in the ischemic tumor microenvironment and protects against the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin. Collectively, these findings identify a conserved mechanism by which eukaryotes dynamically regulate redox homeostasis in response to changing nutrient conditions.

Phosphorylation of androgen receptor by mTORC1 promotes liver steatosis and tumorigenesis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Androgen receptor (AR) has been reported to play an important role in the development and progression of man's prostate cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is also male-dominant, but the role of AR in HCC remains poorly understood. Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) also has been reported to be highly activated in HCC. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of AR phosphorylation and its relationship with mTORC1 in hepatocarcinogenesis. APPROACH AND RESULTS: In vitro experiment, we observed that mTORC1 interacts with hepatic AR and phosphorylates it at S96 in response to nutrient and mitogenic stimuli in HCC cells. S96 phosphorylation promotes the stability, nuclear localization, and transcriptional activity of AR, which enhances de novo lipogenesis and proliferation in hepatocytes and induces liver steatosis and hepatocarcinogenesis in mice independently and cooperatively with androgen. Furthermore, high ARS96 phosphorylation is observed in human liver steatotic and HCC tissues and is associated with overall survival and disease-free survival, which has been proven as an independent survival predictor for patients with HCC. CONCLUSIONS: AR S96 phosphorylation by mTORC1 drives liver steatosis and HCC development and progression independently and cooperatively with androgen, which not only explains why HCC is man-biased but also provides a target molecule for prevention and treatment of HCC and a potential survival predictor in patients with HCC.

Human neutrophil peptide 1 promotes immune sterilization in vivo by reducing the virulence of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and increasing the ability of macrophages.

By studying the expression in patients and cell modeling in vitro, antimicrobial peptides for Klebsiella were screened. Killing curve and membrane permeability experiments are used to study the antibacterial effect of antimicrobial peptides in vitro. Cytotoxicity-related indicators including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), capsule polysaccharide (CPS), and outer membrane protein expression were measured. Intranasal inoculation of pneumoconiosis was used to construct a mouse infection model, and the survival rate and cytokine expression level were tested. Human neutrophil peptide 1 (HNP-1) showed a significant antibacterial effect, which improved the permeability of the outer membrane of K. pneumoniae. Moreover, HNP-1 decreased LPS, CPS content, and outer membrane proteins. K. pneumoniae infection decreased antimicrobial peptide, oxidative stress, and autophagy-related genes, while HNP-1 increased these genes. After coculture with macrophages, the endocytosis of macrophages is enhanced and the bacterial load is greater in the K. pneumoniae + peptide group. Besides, higher levels of pp38 and pp65 in the K. pneumoniae + peptide group. HNP-1 rescued the cytotoxicity induced by K. pneumoniae. The survival rate is significantly improved after K. pneumoniae is treated by HNP-1. All cytokines in the peptide group were significantly higher. HNP-1 promotes immune sterilization by reducing the virulence of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae and increasing the ability of macrophages.

The prognostic value of a seven-lncRNA signature in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a lncRNA expression analysis.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be prognostic biomarkers in many types of cancer. We aimed to identify a lncRNA signature that can predict the prognosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). METHODS: Using a custom microarray, we retrospectively analyzed lncRNA expression profiles in 141 samples of ESCC and 81 paired non-cancer specimens from Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China), which were used as a training cohort to identify a signature associated with clinical outcomes. Then we conducted quantitative RT-PCR in another 103 samples of ESCC from the same cancer center as an independent cohort to verify the signature. RESULTS: Microarray analysis showed that there were 338 lncRNAs significantly differentially expressed between ESCC and non-cancer esophagus tissues in the training cohort. From these differentially expressed lncRNAs, we found 16 lncRNAs associated with overall survival (OS) of ESCC patients using Cox regression analysis. Then a 7-lncRNA signature for predicting survival was identified from the 16 lncRNAs, which classified ESCC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. Patients with high-risk have shorter OS (HR: 3.555, 95% CI 2.195-5.757, p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 2.537, 95% CI 1.646-3.909, p < 0.001) when compared with patients with low-risk in the training cohort. In the independent cohort, the 7 lncRNAs were detected by qRT-PCR and used to compute risk score for the patients. The result indicates that patients with high risk also have significantly worse OS (HR = 2.662, 95% CI 1.588-4.464, p < 0.001) and DFS (HR 2.389, 95% CI 1.447-3.946, p < 0.001). The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicate that the signature is an independent factor for predicting survival of patients with ESCC. Combination of the signature and TNM staging was more powerful in predicting OS than TNM staging alone in both the training (AUC: 0.772 vs 0.681, p = 0.002) and independent cohorts (AUC: 0.772 vs 0.660, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The 7-lncRNA signature is a potential prognostic biomarker in patients with ESCC and may help in treatment decision when combined with the TNM staging system.

Identification of a 4-lncRNA signature predicting prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter study in China.

BACKGROUND: Previous findings have indicated that the tumor, nodes, and metastases (TNM) staging system is not sufficient to accurately predict survival outcomes in patients with non-small lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Thus, this study aims to identify a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) signature for predicting survival in patients with NSCLC and to provide additional prognostic information to TNM staging system. METHODS: Patients with NSCLC were recruited from a hospital and divided into a discovery cohort (n = 194) and validation cohort (n = 172), and detected using a custom lncRNA microarray. Another 73 NSCLC cases obtained from a different hospital (an independent validation cohort) were examined with qRT-PCR. Differentially expressed lncRNAs were determined with the Significance Analysis of Microarrays program, from which lncRNAs associated with survival were identified using Cox regression in the discovery cohort. These prognostic lncRNAs were employed to construct a prognostic signature with a risk-score method. Then, the utility of the prognostic signature was confirmed using the validation cohort and the independent cohort. RESULTS: In the discovery cohort, we identified 305 lncRNAs that were differentially expressed between the NSCLC tissues and matched, adjacent normal lung tissues, of which 15 are associated with survival; a 4-lncRNA prognostic signature was identified from the 15 survival lncRNAs, which was significantly correlated with survivals of NSCLC patients. This signature was further validated in the validation cohort and independent validation cohort. Moreover, multivariate Cox analysis demonstrates that the 4-lncRNA signature is an independent survival predictor. Then we established a new risk-score model by combining 4-lncRNA signature and TNM staging stage. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve indicates that the prognostic value of the combined model is significantly higher than that of the TNM stage alone, in all the cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we identified a 4-lncRNA signature that may be a powerful prognosis biomarker and can provide additional survival information to the TNM staging system.

Identification of two microRNA signatures in whole blood as novel biomarkers for diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis is critical to reduce the mortality caused by nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated and play important roles in carcinogenesis. Therefore, this study aimed to identify diagnostically relevant circulating miRNA signatures in patients with NPC. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from whole blood samples obtained from 120 patients with NPC, 30 patients with head-neck tumors (HNT), and 30 healthy subjects (HSs), and examined by using a custom microarray. The expression levels of four miRNAs identified by using the microarray were validated with quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The 120 patients with NPC and 30 HSs were randomly assigned to training group-1 and validation group-1, respectively. By using significance analysis of microarray (SAM), the specific miRNA expression profiles in whole blood from patients with NPC are obtained. By using lasso regression and adaptive boosting, a diagnostic signature was identified in training group-1, and its accuracy was verified in validation group-1. By using the same methods, another signature to distinguish patients with NPC from those with HNT and HSs was identified in training group-2 and confirmed in validation group-2. RESULTS: There were 117 differentially expressed miRNAs (upregulated and downregulated fold change ≥ 1.5) between the patients with NPC and HSs, among which an 8-miRNA signature was identified with 96.43% sensitivity and 100% specificity [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.995] to diagnose NPC in training group-1 and 86.11% sensitivity and 88.89% specificity (AUC = 0.941) in validation group-1. Compared with traditional Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) seromarkers, this signature was more specific for NPC. Furthermore, a 16-miRNA signature to differentiate NPC from HNT and HS (HNT-HS) was established from 164 differentially expressed miRNAs, which diagnosed NPC and HNT-HS with 100% accuracy (AUC = 1.000) in training group-2 and 87.04% (AUC = 0.924) in validation group-2. CONCLUSIONS: The present study identified two miRNA signatures for the highly accurate diagnosis and differential diagnosis of patients with NPC from HSs and patients with HNT. The identified miRNAs might represent novel serological biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for NPC.

Significance and mechanism of androgen receptor overexpression and androgen receptor/mechanistic target of rapamycin cross-talk in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a male-dominant cancer, and androgen receptor (AR) has been linked to the pathogenesis of HCC. However, AR expression and its precise role in HCC remain controversial. Moreover, previous antiandrogen and anti-AR clinical trials in HCC failed to demonstrate clinical benefits. In this study, we found that AR is overexpressed in the nucleus of approximately 37% of HCC tumors, which is significantly associated with advanced disease stage and poor survival. AR overexpression in HCC cells markedly alters AR-dependent transcriptome, stimulates oncogenic growth, and determines therapeutic response to enzalutamide, a second generation of AR antagonist. However, AR inhibition evokes feedback activation of AKT-mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) signaling, a central regulator for cell growth and survival. On the other hand, mTOR promotes nuclear AR protein expression by restraining ubiquitin-dependent AR degradation and enhancing AR nuclear localization, providing a mechanistic explanation for nuclear AR overexpression in HCC. Finally, cotargeting AR and mTOR shows significant synergistic anti-HCC activity and decreases tumor burden by inducing apoptosis in vivo. CONCLUSION: Nuclear AR overexpression is associated with the progression and prognosis of HCC. However, enzalutamide alone has limited therapeutic utility attributed to feedback activation of the AKT-mTOR pathway. Moreover, mTOR drives nuclear AR overexpression. Cotargeting AR and mTOR is a promising therapeutic strategy for HCC. (Hepatology 2018;67:2271-2286).

Serine and one-carbon metabolism, a bridge that links mTOR signaling and DNA methylation in cancer.

Mammalian / mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a critical sensor of environmental cues that regulates cellular macromolecule synthesis and metabolism in eukaryotes. DNA methylation is the most well-studied epigenetic modification that is capable of regulating gene transcription and affecting genome stability. Both dysregulation of mTOR signaling and DNA methylation patterns have been shown to be closely linked to tumor progression and serve as promising targets for cancer therapy. Although their respective roles in tumorigenesis have been extensively studied, whether molecular interplay exists between them is still largely unknown. In this review, we provide a brief overview of mTOR signaling, DNA methylation as well as related serine and one-carbon metabolism, one of the most critical aspects of metabolic reprogramming in cancer. Based on the latest understanding regarding the regulation of metabolic processes by mTOR signaling as well as interaction between metabolism and epigenetics, we further discuss how serine and one-carbon metabolism may serve as a bridge that links mTOR signaling and DNA methylation to promote tumor growth. Elucidating their relationship may provide novel insight for cancer therapy in the future.

Emerging Role of MicroRNAs in mTOR Signaling.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a conserved serine/threonine kinase that plays a critical role in the control of cellular growth and metabolism. Hyperactivation of mTOR pathway is common in human cancers, driving uncontrolled proliferation. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a class of short noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of a wide variety of genes. Deregulation of miRNAs is a hallmark of cancer. Recent studies have revealed interplays between miRNAs and the mTOR pathway during cancer development. Such interactions appear to provide a fine-tuning of various cellular functions and contribute qualitatively to the behavior of cancer. Here we provide an overview of current knowledge regarding the reciprocal relationship between miRNAs and mTOR pathway: regulation of mTOR signaling by miRNAs and control of miRNA biogenesis by mTOR. Further research in this area may prove important for the diagnosis and therapy of human cancer.

MAF1 suppresses AKT-mTOR signaling and liver cancer through activation of PTEN transcription.

UNLABELLED: The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate 3-phosphatase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K-PTEN-AKT-mTOR) pathway is a central controller of cell growth and a key driver for human cancer. MAF1 is an mTOR downstream effector and transcriptional repressor of ribosomal and transfer RNA genes. MAF1 expression is markedly reduced in hepatocellular carcinomas, which is correlated with disease progression and poor prognosis. Consistently, MAF1 displays tumor-suppressor activity toward in vitro and in vivo cancer models. Surprisingly, blocking the synthesis of ribosomal and transfer RNAs is insufficient to account for MAF1's tumor-suppressor function. Instead, MAF1 down-regulation paradoxically leads to activation of AKT-mTOR signaling, which is mediated by decreased PTEN expression. MAF1 binds to the PTEN promoter, enhancing PTEN promoter acetylation and activity. CONCLUSION: In contrast to its canonical function as a transcriptional repressor, MAF1 can also act as a transcriptional activator for PTEN, which is important for MAF1's tumor-suppressor function. These results have implications in disease staging, prognostic prediction, and AKT-mTOR-targeted therapy in liver cancer. (Hepatology 2016;63:1928-1942).

Association of IL-6 Gene (-174 and -572 G/C) Polymorphisms with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy of Type 2 Diabetes in a Chinese Population.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association of interleukin (IL)-6 with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a Chinese population. METHODS: Two subtypes of the IL-6 promoter (-174 and -572 G/C) were genotyped in 215 T2D patients with PDR and 207 T2D patients with a normal retinal function (controls) using the PCR-RFLP method. The mRNA and protein expression of IL-6 was examined by real-time PCR. RESULTS: T2D patients with PDR had a significantly higher frequency of IL-6 -174 GC (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.34-0.99; p = 0.011) and IL-6 -572 GG (OR 0.53; 95% CI 0.24-1.14; p = 0.016) than T2D controls. The mRNA expressions of the rs1800795 GC and rs1800796 GG genotype were significantly increased compared to other cases (Fsig = 0.002, p = 0.001, respectively), followed by a relative increase in IL-6 in protein. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 genotypes of rs1800795 GC and rs1800796 GG might point to a relatively high risk for T2D patients suffering from PDR in a Chinese population and they were associated with elevation of IL-6 expression in both mRNA and protein.

Chemical identification and quality evaluation of Lycopus lucidus Turcz by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS and HPLC-MS/MS and hierarchical clustering analysis.

Lycopus lucidus Turcz has been used as a traditional phytomedicine for menstrual disorder, amenorrhea, menstrual cramps, inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. However, there is not enough information about identification and quantification for the chemical constituents of L. lucidus Turcz. In this work, a simple, rapid and sensitive UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS method was developed for characterization and identification of the phytochemical compositions in L. lucidus Turcz in negative ion mode. A total of 37 compounds, including 15 phenolic acids, 12 flavonoids, three triterpenoids and seven organic acids were tentatively characterized and identified by means of the retention time, accurate mass and characteristic fragment ions. Thirteen compounds were reported for the first time in L. lucidus Turcz. Among of them, 11 compounds were further quantified by multiple reactions monitoring. The results showed good performance with respect to linearity (r > 0.9959), repeatability (RSD < 2.6%), intra- and inter-day precision (RSD < 3.2%), recovery (93.1-104.9%), and lower limit of quantification (5-50 ng/mL). Subsequently, the results were analyzed and classified by hierarchical cluster analysis. The research could be applied for identification and quality evaluation for L. lucidus Turcz.

Identification of a novel microRNA signature associated with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) patient prognosis.

BACKGROUND: The clinical significance of microRNAs (miRNAs) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is unclear. The objective of this study is to examine the miRNA expression profiles and identify a miRNA signature for the prognosis of ICC. METHODS: Using a custom microarray containing 1,094 probes, the miRNA expression profiles of 63 human ICCs and nine normal intrahepatic bile ducts (NIBD) were assessed. The miRNA signatures were established and their clinical significances in ICC were analyzed. The expression levels of some miRNAs were verified by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: Expression profile analysis showed 158 differentially expressed miRNAs between ICC and NIBD, with 77 up-regulated and 81 down-regulated miRNAs. From the 158 differentially expressed miRNAs, a 30-miRNA signature consisting of 10 up-regulated and 20 down-regulated miRNAs in ICC was established for distinguishing ICC from NIBD with 100% accuracy. A separate 3-miRNA signature was identified for predicting prognosis in ICC. Based on the 3-miRNA signature, a formula was constructed to compute a risk score for each patient. The patients with high-risk had significantly lower overall survival and disease-free survival than those with low-risk. The expression level of these three miRNAs detected by microarray was verified by qRT-PCR. Multivariate analysis indicated that the 3-miRNA signature was an independent prognostic predictor. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, a 30-miRNA signature for distinguishing ICC from NIBD, and a 3-miRNA signature for evaluating prognosis of ICC were established, which might be able to serve as biomarkers for prognosis of ICC. Further studies focusing on these miRNAs may shed light on the mechanisms associated with ICC pathogenesis and progression.

Negative modulation of NO for diaphragmatic contractile reduction induced by sepsis and restraint position.

In practice of forensic medicine, potential disease can be associated with fatal asphyxia in restraint position. Research has demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) are plentifully distributed in skeletal muscle, contributing to the regulation of contractile and relaxation. In the current study, respiratory functions, indices of diaphragmatic biomechanical functions ex vivo, as well as NO levels in serum, the expressions of diaphragmatic inducible NOS (iNOS) mRNA, and the effects of L-NNA on contractility of the diaphragm were observed in sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) under the condition of restraint position. The results showed that in the CLP12-18h rats, respiratory dysfunctions; indices of diaphragmatic biomechanical functions (Pt, +dT/dt(max), -dT/dt(max), CT, Po, force over the full range of the force-frequency relationship and fatigue resistance) declined progressively; the NO level in serum, and iNOS mRNA expression in the diaphragm increased progressively; force increased significantly at all stimulation frequencies after L-NNA pre-incubation. Restraint position 1 h in CLP12 h rats resulted in severe respiratory dysfunctions after relative stable respiratory functions, almost all the indices of diaphragmatic biomechanical functions declined further, whereas little change took place in NO level in serum and diaphragmatic iNOS mRNA expression; and the effects of L-NNA were lack of statistical significance compared with those of CLP12 h, but differed from CLP18 h group. These results suggest that restraint position and sepsis act together in a synergistic manner to aggravate the great reduction of diaphragmatic contractility via, at least in part, the negative modulation of NO, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of positional asphyxia.

Prognostic and predictive value of a microRNA signature in stage II colon cancer: a microRNA expression analysis.

BACKGROUND: Current staging methods do not accurately predict the risk of disease recurrence and benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy for patients who have had surgery for stage II colon cancer. We postulated that expression patterns of multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) could, if combined into a single model, improve postoperative risk stratification and prediction of chemotherapy benefit for these patients. METHOD: Using miRNA microarrays, we analysed 40 paired stage II colon cancer tumours and adjacent normal mucosa tissues, and identified 35 miRNAs that were differentially expressed between tumours and normal tissue. Using paraffin-embedded specimens from a further 138 patients with stage II colon cancer, we confirmed differential expression of these miRNAs using qRT-PCR. We then built a six-miRNA-based classifier using the LASSO Cox regression model, based on the association between the expression of every miRNA and the duration of individual patients' disease-free survival. We validated the prognostic and predictive accuracy of this classifier in both the internal testing group of 138 patients, and an external independent group of 460 patients. FINDINGS: Using the LASSO model, we built a classifier based on the six miRNAs: miR-21-5p, miR-20a-5p, miR-103a-3p, miR-106b-5p, miR-143-5p, and miR-215. Using this tool, we were able to classify patients between those at high risk of disease progression (high-risk group), and those at low risk of disease progression (low-risk group). Disease-free survival was significantly different between these groups in every set of patients. In the initial training group of patients, 5-year disease-free survival was 89% (95% CI 77·3-94·4) for the low-risk group, and 60% (46·3-71·0) for the high-risk group (hazard ratio [HR] 4·24, 95% CI 2·13-8·47; p<0·0001). In the internal testing set of patients, 5-year disease-free survival was 85% (95% CI 74·3-91·8) for the low-risk group, and 57% (42·8-68·5) for the high-risk group (HR 3·63, 1·86-7·01; p<0·0001), and in the independent validation set of patients, was 85% (79·6-89·0) for the low-risk group and 54% (46·4-61·1) for the high-risk group (HR 3·70, 2·56-5·35; p<0·0001). The six-miRNA-based classifier was an independent prognostic factor for, and had better prognostic value than, clinicopathological risk factors and mismatch repair status. In an ad-hoc analysis, the patients in the high-risk group were found to have a favourable response to adjuvant chemotherapy (HR 1·69, 1·17-2·45; p=0·0054). We developed two nomograms for clinical use that integrated the six-miRNA-based classifier and four clinicopathological risk factors to predict which patients might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery for stage II colon cancer. CONCLUSION: Our six-miRNA-based classifier is a reliable prognostic and predictive tool for disease recurrence in patients with stage II colon cancer, and might be able to predict which patients benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. It might facilitate patient counselling and individualise management of patients with this disease. FUNDING: Natural Science Foundation of China.

TRIM29 modulates proteins involved in PTEN/AKT/mTOR and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and suppresses the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Tripartite motif-containing 29 (TRIM29), also known as the ataxia telangiectasia group D-complementing (ATDC) gene, has been reported to play an oncogenic or tumor suppressive role in developing different tumors. So far, its expression and biological functions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. We investigated TRIM29 expression pattern in human HCC samples using quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Relationships between TRIM29 expression level, clinical prognostic indicators, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model. A series of in vitro experiments and a xenograft tumor model were conducted to detect the functions of TRIM29 in HCC cells. RNA sequencing, western blotting, and immunochemical staining were performed to assess the molecular regulation of TRIM29 in HCC. We found that the mRNA and protein levels of TRIM29 were significantly reduced in HCC samples, compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues, and were negatively correlated with poor differentiation of HCC tissues. Survival analysis confirmed that lower TRIM29 expression significantly correlated with shorter OS and DFS of HCC patients. TRIM29 overexpression remarkably inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and EMT in HCC cells, whereas knockdown of TRIM29 reversed these effects. Moreover, deactivation of the PTEN/AKT/mTOR and JAK2/STAT3 pathways might be involved in the tumor suppressive role of TRIM29 in HCC. Our findings indicate that TRIM29 in HCC exerts its tumor suppressive effects through inhibition of the PTEN/AKT/mTOR and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways and may be used as a potential biomarker for survival in patients with HCC.

Two somatic mutations in the androgen receptor N-terminal domain are oncogenic drivers in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The androgen receptor (AR) plays an important role in male-dominant hepatocellular carcinoma, and specific acquired somatic mutations of AR have been observed in HCC patients. Our previous research have established the role of AR wild type as one of the key oncogenes in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the role of hepatic acquired somatic mutations of AR remains unknown. In this study, we identify two crucial acquired somatic mutations, Q62L and E81Q, situated close to the N-terminal activation function domain-1 of AR. These mutations lead to constitutive activation of AR, both independently and synergistically with androgens, making them potent driver oncogene mutations. Mechanistically, these N-terminal AR somatic mutations enhance de novo lipogenesis by activating sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and promote glycogen accumulation through glycogen phosphorylase, brain form, thereby disrupting the AMPK pathway and contributing to tumorigenesis. Moreover, the AR mutations show sensitivity to the AMPK activator A769662. Overall, this study establishes the role of these N- terminal hepatic mutations of AR as highly malignant oncogenic drivers in hepatocarcinogenesis and highlights their potential as therapeutic targets for patients harboring these somatic mutations.

LDHA contributes to nicotine induced cardiac fibrosis through autophagy flux impairment.

Cardiac fibrosis is a typical feature of cardiac pathological remodeling, which is associated with adverse clinical outcomes and has no effective therapy. Nicotine is an important risk factor for cardiac fibrosis, yet its underlying molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify its potential molecular mechanism in nicotine-induced cardiac fibrosis. Our results showed nicotine exposure led to the proliferation and transformation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) into myofibroblasts (MFs) by impairing autophagy flux. Through the use of drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) assay, cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, it was discovered that nicotine directly increased the stability and protein levels of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) by binding to it. Nicotine treatment impaired autophagy flux by regulating the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway, impeding the nuclear translocation of transcription factor EB (TFEB), and reducing the activity of cathepsin B (CTSB). In vivo, nicotine treatment exacerbated cardiac fibrosis induced in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and worsened cardiac function. Interestingly, the absence of LDHA reversed these effects both in vitro and in vivo. Our study identified LDHA as a novel nicotine-binding protein that plays a crucial role in mediating cardiac fibrosis by blocking autophagy flux. The findings suggest that LDHA could potentially serve as a promising target for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.

Dynamic antibody responses to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome.

Considerable effort has been directed toward controlling tuberculosis, which kills almost two million people yearly. High on the research agenda is the discovery of biomarkers of active tuberculosis (TB) for diagnosis and for monitoring treatment outcome. Rational biomarker discovery requires understanding host-pathogen interactions leading to biomarker expression. Here we report a systems immunology approach integrating clinical data and bacterial metabolic and regulatory information with high-throughput detection in human serum of antibodies to the entire Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome. Sera from worldwide TB suspects recognized approximately 10% of the bacterial proteome. This result defines the M. tuberculosis immunoproteome, which is rich in membrane-associated and extracellular proteins. Additional analyses revealed that during active tuberculosis (i) antibody responses focused on an approximately 0.5% of the proteome enriched for extracellular proteins, (ii) relative target preference varied among patients, and (iii) responses correlated with bacillary burden. These results indicate that the B cell response tracks the evolution of infection and the pathogen burden and replicative state and suggest functions associated with B cell-rich foci seen in tuberculous lung granulomas. Our integrated proteome-scale approach is applicable to other chronic infections characterized by diverse antibody target recognition.

Genome-wide scan for familial nasopharyngeal carcinoma reveals evidence of linkage to chromosome 4.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) occurs with high frequency in Asian populations, especially among people of Cantonese ancestry. In areas with high incidence, NPC clusters in families, which suggests that both geography and genetics may influence disease risk. Although the HLA-Bw46 locus is associated with increased risk of NPC, no predisposing genes have been identified so far. Here we report the results of a genome-wide search carried out in families at high risk of NPC from Guangdong Province, China. Parametric analyses provide evidence of linkage to the D4S405 marker on chromosome 4 with a logarithm of odds for linkage (lod) score of 3.06 and a heterogeneity-adjusted lod (hlod) score of 3.21. Fine mapping with additional markers flanking D4S405 resulted in a lod score of 3.54 and hlod score of 3.67 for the region 4p15.1-q12. Multipoint nonparametric linkage analysis gives lod scores of 3.54 at D4S405 (P = 5.4 x 10(-5)) and 4.2 at D4S3002 (P = 1.1 x 10(-5)), which is positioned 4.5 cM away from D4S405. When Epstein Barr virus antibody titer was included as a covariate, the lod scores reached 4.70 (P = 2.0 x 10(-5)) and 5.36 (P = 4.36 x 10(-6)) for D4S405 and D4S3002, respectively. Our findings provide evidence of a major susceptibility locus for NPC on chromosome 4 in a subset of families.