Peptide KN-17-Loaded Supramolecular Hydrogel Induces the Regeneration of the Pulp-Dentin Complex.

Regenerating the pulp-dentin complex remains a decisive factor during apexification for immature permanent teeth. Peptide KN-17, which was modified based on the structure of cecropin B, could effectively interfere with bacterial growth and induce the migration of human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs). This study aimed to investigate the effect of KN-17 on the tissue regeneration. To our surprise, KN-17 can significantly stimulate angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo, which may provide a guarantee for apical closure. Herein, a novel peptide/KN-17 coassembled hydrogel is developed via a heating-cooling process. Npx-FFEY/KN-17 supramolecular hydrogel can induce vessel development, stimulate odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs), and exert an antibacterial effect on Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). Furthermore, coronal pulp excised rat molars are supplied with KN-17 or KN-17-loaded hydrogel and transplanted subcutaneously in BALB/c-nu mice. After 4 weeks, the hydrogel Npx-FFEY/KN-17 stimulates the formation of multiple odontoblast-like cells and dentin-like structures. Our findings demonstrate that the KN-17-loaded hydrogel can promote the regeneration of the pulp-dentin complex for continued root development.

Supramolecular nanodrug targeting CDK4/6 overcomes BAG1 mediated cisplatin resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Chemoresistance to cisplatin remains a significant challenge affecting the prognosis of advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the specific biomarkers and underlying mechanisms responsible for cisplatin resistance remain elusive. Through comprehensive bioinformatic analyses, we identified a potential biomarker, BCL2 associated athanogene-1 (BAG1), showing elevated expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Since OSCC represents the primary pathological type of HNSCC, we investigated BAG1 expression in human tumor tissues and cisplatin resistant OSCC cell lines, revealing that silencing BAG1 induced apoptosis in cisplatin-resistant cells both in vitro and in vivo. This effect led to impaired cell viability of cisplatin resistant OSCC cells and indicated a positive correlation between BAG1 expression and the G1/S transition during cell proliferation. Based on these insights, the administration of a CDK4/6 inhibitor in combination with cisplatin effectively overcame cisplatin resistance in OSCC through the CDK4/6-BAG1 axis. Additionally, to enable simultaneous drug delivery and enhance synergistic antitumor efficacy, we developed a novel supramolecular nanodrug LEE011-FFERGD/CDDP, which was validated in an OSCC orthotopic mouse model. In summary, our study highlights the potential of a combined administration of CDK4/6 inhibitor and cisplatin as a promising therapeutic regimen for treating advanced or cisplatin resistant OSCC.

Moving beyond cisplatin resistance: mechanisms, challenges, and prospects for overcoming recurrence in clinical cancer therapy.

Cisplatin, a classical platinum-based chemotherapy agent, has been a frontline treatment for various cancers for decades. However, its effectiveness has been hindered by the development of resistance, leading to cancer relapse. Addressing this challenge is crucial for both clinical practice and research. Hence, the imperative to unravel the intricate mechanisms underpinning cisplatin resistance and to uncover novel strategies to overcome this barrier holds immense significance. Within this review, we summarized the classification of platinum agents, highlighting their roles in therapeutic landscapes. We discussed the diverse mechanisms behind cisplatin resistance, including diminished intracellular cisplatin accumulation, intracellular detoxification, DNA repair, autophagy responses, heat shock proteins, tumor microenvironment, cancer stem cells, epigenetic regulation, ferroptosis resistance, and metabolic reprogramming. Drawing from this comprehensive understanding, we offered a series of prospective solutions to surmount cisplatin resistance and consequently mitigate the specter of disease recurrence within the realm of clinical cancer therapy.

Ferroptosis-related factors in the substantia nigra are associated with Parkinson's disease.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent, lipid peroxidation-driven cell death pathway, while Parkinson's disease (PD) patients exhibit iron deposition and lipid peroxidation in the brain. Thus, the features of ferroptosis highly overlap with the pathophysiological features of PD. Despite this superficial connection, the possible role(s) of ferroptosis-related (Fr) proteins in dopaminergic neurons and/or glial cells in the substantia nigra (SN) in PD have not been examined in depth. To explore the correlations between the different SN cell types and ferroptosis at the single-cell level in PD patients, and to explore genes that may affect the sensitivity of dopaminergic neurons to ferroptosis, we performed in silico analysis of a single cell RNA sequence (RNA-seq) set (GSE178265) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the different cell types in the human SN, and proceeded to perform enrichment analysis, constructing a protein-protein interaction network from the DEGs of dopaminergic neurons with the Metascape database. We examined the intersection of Fr genes present in the FerrDb database with DEGs from the GSE178265 set to identify Fr-DEGs in the different brain cells. Further, we identified Fr-DEGs encoding secreted proteins to implicate cell-cell interactions in the potential stimulation of ferroptosis in PD. The Fr-DEGs we identified were verified using the bulk RNA-seq sets (GSE49036 and GSE20164). The number of dopaminergic neurons decreased in the SN of PD patients. Interestingly, non-dopaminergic neurons possessed the fewest DEGs. Enrichment analysis of dopaminergic neurons' DEGs revealed changes in transmission across chemical synapses and ATP metabolic process in PD. The secreted Fr-DEGs identified were ceruloplasmin (CP), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and transferrin (TF). The bulk RNA-seq set from the GEO database demonstrates that CP expression is increased in the PD brain. In conclusion, our results identify CP as a potential therapeutic target to protect dopaminergic neurons by reducing neurons' sensitivity to ferroptosis.

Elevated pre-mRNA 3' end processing activity in cancer cells renders vulnerability to inhibition of cleavage and polyadenylation.

Cleavage and polyadenylation (CPA) is responsible for 3' end processing of eukaryotic poly(A)+ RNAs and preludes transcriptional termination. JTE-607, which targets CPSF-73, is the first known CPA inhibitor (CPAi) in mammalian cells. Here we show that JTE-607 perturbs gene expression through both transcriptional readthrough and alternative polyadenylation (APA). Sensitive genes are associated with features similar to those previously identified for PCF11 knockdown, underscoring a unified transcriptomic signature of CPAi. The degree of inhibition of an APA site by JTE-607 correlates with its usage level and, consistently, cells with elevated CPA activities, such as those with induced overexpression of FIP1, display greater transcriptomic disturbances when treated with JTE-607. Moreover, JTE-607 causes S phase crisis and is hence synergistic with inhibitors of DNA damage repair pathways. Together, our data reveal CPA activity and proliferation rate as determinants of CPAi-mediated cell death, raising the possibility of using CPAi as an adjunct therapy to suppress certain cancers.

Integrative Functional Genomics Identifies Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Causal Genetic Variant in the IRF5 Risk Locus.

OBJECTIVE: IRF5 plays a crucial role in the development of lupus. Genome-wide association studies have identified several systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) enriched in the IRF5 locus. However, no comprehensive genome editing-based functional analysis exists to establish a direct link between these variants and altered IRF5 expression, particularly for enhancer variants. This study was undertaken to dissect the regulatory function and mechanisms of SLE IRF5 enhancer risk variants and to explore the utilization of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat interference (CRISPRi) to regulate the expression of disease risk gene to intervene in the disease. METHODS: Epigenomic profiles and expression quantitative trait locus analysis were applied to prioritize putative functional variants in the IRF5 locus. CRISPR-mediated deletion, activation, and interference were performed to investigate the genetic function of rs4728142. Allele-specific chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and allele-specific formaldehyde-assisted isolation of regulatory element-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were used to decipher the mechanism of alleles differentially regulating IRF5 expression. The CRISPRi approach was used to evaluate the intervention effect in monocytes from SLE patients. RESULTS: SLE risk SNP rs4728142 was located in an enhancer region, indicating a disease-related regulatory function, and risk allele rs4728142-A was closely associated with increased IRF5 expression. We demonstrated that an rs4728142-containing region could act as an enhancer to regulate the expression of IRF5. Moreover, rs4728142 affected the binding affinity of zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 3 (ZBTB3), a transcription factor involved in regulation. Furthermore, in monocytes from SLE patients, CRISPR-based interference with the regulation of this enhancer attenuated the production of disease-associated cytokines. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the rs4728142-A allele increases the SLE risk by affecting ZBTB3 binding, chromatin status, and regulating IRF5 expression, establishing a biologic link between genetic variation and lupus pathogenesis.

The divergent effects of astrocyte ceruloplasmin on learning and memory function in young and old mice.

Ceruloplasmin (CP) plays an important role in maintaining iron homeostasis. Cp gene knockout (Cp-/-) mice develop a neurodegenerative disease with aging and show iron accumulation in the brain. However, iron deficiency has also been observed in 3 M Cp-/- mice. The use of systemic Cp gene knockout is insufficient to reveal specific functions for CP in the central nervous system. Considering recent discoveries that astrocytes synthetize the majority of brain CP, we generated astrocyte conditional Cp knockout (CpGfapcKO) mice, and found that iron contents decreased in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of young (6 M) and old (18 M) CpGfapcKO mice. Further experiments revealed that 6 M CpGfapcKO mice exhibited impaired learning and memory function, while 18 M CpGfapcKO mice exhibited improved learning and memory function. Our study demonstrates that astrocytic Cp deletion blocks brain iron influx through the blood-brain-barrier, with concomitantly increased iron levels in brain microvascular endothelial cells, resulting in brain iron deficiency and down-regulation of ferritin levels in neurons, astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes. At the young age, the synapse density, synapse-related protein levels, 5-hydroxytryptamine and norepinephrine, hippocampal neurogenesis and myelin formation were all decreased in CpGfapcKO mice. These changes affected learning and memory impairment in young CpGfapcKO mice. In old CpGfapcKO mice, iron accumulation with aging was attenuated, and was accompanied by the alleviation of the ROS-MAPK-apoptosis pathway, Tau phosphorylation and ß-amyloid aggregation, thus delaying age-related memory decline. Overall, our results demonstrate that astrocytic Cp deletion has divergent effects on learning and memory function via different regulatory mechanisms induced by decreased iron contents in the brain of mice, which may present strategies for the prevention and treatment of dementia.

CRISPRpas: programmable regulation of alternative polyadenylation by dCas9.

Most human protein-coding genes produce alternative polyadenylation (APA) isoforms that differ in 3' UTR size or, when coupled with splicing, have variable coding sequences. APA is an important layer of gene expression program critical for defining cell identity. Here, by using a catalytically dead Cas9 and coupling its target site with polyadenylation site (PAS), we develop a method, named CRISPRpas, to alter APA isoform abundance. CRISPRpas functions by enhancing proximal PAS usage, whose efficiency is influenced by several factors, including targeting strand of DNA, distance between PAS and target sequence and strength of the PAS. For intronic polyadenylation (IPA), splicing features, such as strengths of 5' splice site and 3' splice site, also affect CRISPRpas efficiency. We show modulation of APA of multiple endogenous genes, including IPA of PCF11, a master regulator of APA and gene expression. In sum, CRISPRpas offers a programmable tool for APA regulation that impacts gene expression.

Inhibition of Glycolysis in Pathogenic TH17 Cells through Targeting a miR -21-Peli1-c-Rel Pathway Prevents Autoimmunity.

It is well known that some pathogenic cells have enhanced glycolysis; the regulatory network leading to increased glycolysis are not well characterized. In this study, we show that CNS-infiltrated pathogenic TH17 cells from diseased mice specifically upregulate glycolytic pathway genes compared with homeostatic intestinal TH17 cells. Bioenergetic assay and metabolomics analyses indicate that in vitro-derived pathogenic TH17 cells are highly glycolytic compared with nonpathogenic TH17 cells. Chromatin landscape analyses demonstrate TH17 cells in vivo that show distinct chromatin states, and pathogenic TH17 cells show enhanced chromatin accessibility at glycolytic genes with NF-κB binding sites. Mechanistic studies reveal that miR-21 targets the E3 ubiquitin ligase Peli1-c-Rel pathway to promote glucose metabolism of pathogenic TH17 cells. Therapeutic targeting c-Rel-mediated glycolysis in pathogenic TH17 cells represses autoimmune diseases. These findings extend our understanding of the regulation TH17 cell glycolysis in vivo and provide insights for future therapeutic intervention to TH17 cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.

Structure and Degradation of Circular RNAs Regulate PKR Activation in Innate Immunity.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) produced from back-splicing of exons of pre-mRNAs are widely expressed, but current understanding of their functions is limited. These RNAs are stable in general and are thought to have unique structural conformations distinct from their linear RNA cognates. Here, we show that endogenous circRNAs tend to form 16-26 bp imperfect RNA duplexes and act as inhibitors of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase (PKR) related to innate immunity. Upon poly(I:C) stimulation or viral infection, circRNAs are globally degraded by RNase L, a process required for PKR activation in early cellular innate immune responses. Augmented PKR phosphorylation and circRNA reduction are found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from patients with autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Importantly, overexpression of the dsRNA-containing circRNA in PBMCs or T cells derived from SLE can alleviate the aberrant PKR activation cascade, thus providing a connection between circRNAs and SLE.

Association of Abnormal Elevations in IFIT3 With Overactive Cyclic GMP-AMP Synthase/Stimulator of Interferon Genes Signaling in Human Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Monocytes.

OBJECTIVE: Increasing evidence indicates that the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase/stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS/STING) signaling pathway has a critical pathogenic role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Expression levels of the interferon (IFN)-inducible gene IFIT3 are elevated in SLE patients. However, it is still not clear how IFIT3 contributes to the pathogenesis of SLE. This study was undertaken to investigate the activation of the cGAS/STING signaling pathway in human SLE monocytes, and to determine how elevated expression of IFIT3 could contribute to overactive cGAS/STING signaling in patients with SLE. METHODS: Monocytes from SLE patients or healthy controls were examined for activity of the cGAS/STING signaling pathway and expression levels of IFIT3. Correlations between cGAS/STING signaling activity and SLE clinical features were analyzed. Gain- or loss-of-function experiments were used to determine the role of IFIT3 in cGAS/STING signaling. Coimmunoprecipitation assays were used to identify the interaction between IFIT3 and other proteins. RESULTS: The cGAS/STING signaling pathway was found to have enhanced activity in monocytes from SLE patients compared to healthy controls, as indicated by the higher expression of IFNß downstream. Levels of IFIT3 were significantly elevated in human SLE monocytes, and this was positively correlated with the activity of the cGAS/STING signaling pathway. In vitro, the expression of VACV70-induced IFNß was reduced by knockdown of IFIT3, whereas overexpression of IFIT3 produced an opposite effect. Finally, IFIT3 was found to interact with both STING and TANK-binding kinase 1. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that IFIT3 is one of the genes that contributes to the overactive cGAS/STING signaling pathway in human SLE monocytes. IFIT3 may therefore serve as a novel therapeutic target for blocking the production of type I IFN and other proinflammatory cytokines by the cGAS/STING signaling pathway in patients with SLE.

STAT3 Undergoes Acetylation-dependent Mitochondrial Translocation to Regulate Pyruvate Metabolism.

Cytoplasmic STAT3, after activation by growth factors, translocates to different subcellular compartments, including nuclei and mitochondria, where it carries out different biological functions. However, the precise mechanism by which STAT3 undergoes mitochondrial translocation and subsequently regulates the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle-electron transport chain (ETC) remains poorly understood. Here, we clarify this process by visualizing STAT3 acetylation in starved cells after serum reintroduction or insulin stimulation. CBP-acetylated STAT3 undergoes mitochondrial translocation in response to serum introduction or insulin stimulation. In mitochondria, STAT3 associates with the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E1 (PDC-E1) and subsequently accelerates the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, elevates the mitochondrial membrane potential, and promotes ATP synthesis. SIRT5 deacetylates STAT3, thereby inhibiting its function in mitochondrial pyruvate metabolism. In the A549 lung cancer cell line, constitutively acetylated STAT3 localizes to mitochondria, where it maintains the mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP synthesis in an active state.