Iron-Dependent Autophagic Cell Death Induced by Radiation in MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells.

In radiation oncology, ionizing radiation is used to kill cancer cells, in other words, the induction of different types of cell death. To investigate this cellular death and the associated iron accumulation, the transfer, release, and participation of iron after radiation treatment was analyzed. We found that radiation-induced cell death varied in different breast cancer cells and autophagy was induced in MDA-MB-231 and BT549 cells (triple negative breast cancer cell line) rather than in MCF-7 and zr-75 cells. Iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO), the autophagy inhibitor 3MA, silencing of the autophagy-related genes ATG5, and Beclin 1 could decrease radiation induced cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells, while inhibitors of apoptosis such as Z-VAD-FMK, ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), and necroptosis inhibitor Necrostatin-1 showed no change. This suggests the occurrence of autophagic cell death. Furthermore, we found that iron accumulation and iron regulatory proteins, including transferrin (Tf), transferrin receptor (CD71), and Ferritin (FTH), increased after radiation treatment, and the silencing of transferrin decreased radiation-induced cell death. In addition, radiation increased lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and the release of lysosomal iron and cathepsins, while cathepsins silencing failed to change cell viability. Radiation-induced iron accumulation increased Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation via the Fenton reaction and increased autophagy in a time-dependent manner. DFO, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and overexpression of superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) decreased ROS generation, autophagy, and cell death. To summarize, for the first time, we found that radiation-induced autophagic cell death was iron-dependent in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. These results provide new insights into the cell death process of cancers and might conduce to the development and application of novel therapeutic strategies for patients with apoptosis-resistant breast cancer.

Clinicopathological and Prognostic Significance of PRMT5 in Cancers: A System Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: Since protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is abnormally expressed in various tumors, in this study we aim to assess the association between PRMT5 and clinicopathological and prognostic features. METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and the Cochrane Library were searched until July 25, 2021. The critical appraisal of the eligible studies was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated to assess the effect. Engauge Digitizer version 12.1, STATA version 15.1, and R version 4.0.5 were used to obtain and analysis the data. RESULTS: A total of 32 original studies covering 15,583 patients were included. In our data, it indicated that high level of PRMT5 was significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage (OR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.22-3.70, P =.008; I2 = 80.7%) and positively correlated with poor overall survival (HR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.46-1.73, P < .001; I2 = 50%) and progression-free survival (HR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.24-1.88, P < .001; I2 = 0%). In addition, sub-group analysis showed that high level of PRMT5 was associated with poor overall survival for such 5 kinds of cancers as hepatocellular carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer, and lung cancer. CONCLUSION: For the first time we found PRMT5 was pan-cancerous as a prognostic biomarker and high level of PRMT5 was associated with poor prognosis for certain cancers.

Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 Functions via Interacting Proteins.

The protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are involved in such biological processes as transcription regulation, DNA repair, RNA splicing, and signal transduction, etc. In this study, we mainly focused on PRMT5, a member of the type II PRMTs, which functions mainly alongside other interacting proteins. PRMT5 has been shown to be overexpressed in a wide variety of cancers and other diseases, and is involved in the regulation of Epstein-Barr virus infection, viral carcinogenesis, spliceosome, hepatitis B, cell cycles, and various signaling pathways. We analyzed the regulatory roles of PRMT5 and interacting proteins in various biological processes above-mentioned, to elucidate for the first time the interaction between PRMT5 and its interacting proteins. This systemic analysis will enrich the biological theory and contribute to the development of novel therapies.

Post-translational modifications of protein in response to ionizing radiation.

Based on central dogma of genetics, protein is the embodiment and executor of genetic function, post-translational modifications (PTMs) of protein are particularly important and involved in almost all aspects of cell biology and pathogenesis. Studies have shown that ionizing radiation (IR) alters gene expression much more profoundly and a broad variety of cell-process pathways, lots of proteins are modified and activated. Our understanding of the protein in response to ionizing radiation is steadily increasing. Among the various biological processes known to induce radioresistance, PTMs have attracted marked attention in recent years. The present review summarizes the latest knowledge about how PTMs response to ionizing radiation and pathway analysis were conducted. The data provided insights into biological effects of IR and contributing to the development of novel IR-based strategies.