METTL1/FOXM1 promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression and gefitinib resistance by inhibiting PTPN13 expression.

INTRODUCTION: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common malignant tumor in respiratory system. Methyltransferase-like 1 (METTL1) is a driver of m7G modification in mRNA. This study aimed to demonstrate the role of METTL1 in the proliferation, invasion and Gefitinib-resistance of LUAD. METHODS: Public datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and GSE31210 datasets. Malignant tumor phenotypes were tested in vitro and in vivo through biological function assays and nude mouse with xenograft tumors. RNA immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to determine the interaction between METTL1 protein and FOXM1 mRNA. Public transcriptional database, Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase report assays were conducted to detect the downstream target of a transcriptional factor FOXM1. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated to evaluate the sensitivity to Gefitinib in LUAD cells. RESULTS: The results showed that METTL1 was upregulated in LUAD, and the high expression of METTL1 was associated with unfavorable prognosis. Through the m7G-dependent manner, METTL1 improved the RNA stability of FOXM1, leading to the up-regulation of FOXM1. FOXM1 transcriptionally suppressed PTPN13 expression. The METTL1/FOXM1/PTPN13 axis reduced the sensitivity of LUAD cells to Gefitinib. Taken together, our data suggested that METTL1 plays oncogenic role in LUAD through inducing the m7G modification of FOXM1, therefore METTL1 probably is a new potential therapeutic target to counteract Gefitinib resistance in LUAD.

CDCA5 accelerates progression of breast cancer by promoting the binding of E2F1 and FOXM1.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. Cell division cycle associated 5 (CDCA5), a master regulator of sister chromatid cohesion, was reported to be upregulated in several types of cancer. Here, the function and regulation mechanism of CDCA5 in breast cancer were explored. METHODS: CDCA5 expression was identified through immunohistochemistry staining in breast cancer specimens. The correlation between CDCA5 expression with clinicopathological features and prognosis of breast cancer patients was analyzed using a tissue microarray. CDCA5 function in breast cancer was explored in CDCA5-overexpressed/knockdown cells and mice models. Co-IP, ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assay assays were performed to clarify underlying molecular mechanisms. RESULTS: We found that CDCA5 was expressed at a higher level in breast cancer tissues and cell lines, and overexpression of CDCA5 was significantly associated with poor prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Moreover, CDCA5 knockdown significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration, while promoted apoptosis in vitro. Mechanistically, we revealed that CDCA5 played an important role in promoting the binding of E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) to the forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) promoter. Furthermore, the data of in vitro and in vivo revealed that depletion of FOXM1 alleviated the effect of CDCA5 overexpression on breast cancer. Additionally, we revealed that the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway was required for CDCA5 induced progression of breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We suggested that CDCA5 promoted progression of breast cancer via CDCA5/FOXM1/Wnt axis, CDCA5 might serve as a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Biochemical role of FOXM1-dependent histone linker H1B in human epidermal stem cells.

Epidermal stem cells orchestrate epidermal renewal and timely wound repair through a tight regulation of self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation. In culture, human epidermal stem cells generate a clonal type referred to as holoclone, which give rise to transient amplifying progenitors (meroclone and paraclone-forming cells) eventually generating terminally differentiated cells. Leveraging single-cell transcriptomic data, we explored the FOXM1-dependent biochemical signals controlling self-renewal and differentiation in epidermal stem cells aimed at improving regenerative medicine applications. We report that the expression of H1 linker histone subtypes decrease during serial cultivation. At clonal level we observed that H1B is the most expressed isoform, particularly in epidermal stem cells, as compared to transient amplifying progenitors. Indeed, its expression decreases in primary epithelial culture where stem cells are exhausted due to FOXM1 downregulation. Conversely, H1B expression increases when the stem cells compartment is sustained by enforced FOXM1 expression, both in primary epithelial cultures derived from healthy donors and JEB patient. Moreover, we demonstrated that FOXM1 binds the promotorial region of H1B, hence regulates its expression. We also show that H1B is bound to the promotorial region of differentiation-related genes and negatively regulates their expression in epidermal stem cells. We propose a novel mechanism wherein the H1B acts downstream of FOXM1, contributing to the fine interplay between self-renewal and differentiation in human epidermal stem cells. These findings further define the networks that sustain self-renewal along the previously identified YAP-FOXM1 axis.

LncRNA SH3PXD2A-AS1 facilitates cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer by regulating FOXM1 succinylation.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play vital regulatory functions in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Cisplatin (DDP) resistance has significantly decreased the effectiveness of DDP-based chemotherapy in NSCLC patients. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SH3PXD2A antisense RNA 1 (SH3PXD2A-AS1) on DDP resistance in NSCLC. METHODS: Proliferation and apoptosis of DDP-resistant NSCLC cells were detected using cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assays. The interaction between SH3PXD2A-AS1 and sirtuin 7 (SIRT7) was assessed using co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization, and immunofluorescence assays, while succinylation (SUCC) of Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) was analyzed by IP and Western blot assays. The role of SH3PXD2A-AS1 in vivo was explored using a xenografted tumor model. RESULTS: Expression of SH3PXD2A-AS1 was found elevated in DDP-resistant NSCLC cells, while it's knocking down translated into suppression of cell viability and promotion of apoptosis. Moreover, silencing of SH3PXD2A-AS1 resulted in decreased FOXM1 protein level and enhanced FOXM1-SUCC protein level. The SIRT7 was found to interact with FOXM1, translating into inhibition of FOXM1 SUCC at the K259 site in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293T cells. Overexpressing of SIRT7 reversed the increase of FOXM1-SUCC protein level and apoptosis, and the decrease of cell viability induced by silencing of SH3PXD2A-AS1. In tumor-bearing mice, SH3PXD2A-AS1 inhibition suppressed tumor growth and the protein levels of Ki67, SIRT7, and FOXM1. CONCLUSION: SH3PXD2A-AS1 promoted DDP resistance in NSCLC cells by regulating FOXM1 SUCC via SIRT7, offering a promising therapeutic approach for NSCLC.

m6A modification of lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 promotes colorectal cancer progression and inhibits ferroptosis through TRIM21/IGF2BP2/ FOXM1 positive feedback loop.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is closely related to a variety of human cancers, which may provide huge potential biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, the aberrant expression of most lncRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains elusive. This study aims to explore the clinical significance and potential mechanism of lncRNA ABHD11 antisense RNA 1 (ABHD11-AS1) in the colorectal cancer. Here, we demonstrated that lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 is high-expressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, and strongly related with poor prognosis. Functionally, ABHD11-AS1 suppresses ferroptosis and promotes proliferation and migration in CRC both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 interacted with insulin-like growing factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) to enhance FOXM1 stability, forming an ABHD11-AS1/FOXM1 positive feedback loop. E3 ligase tripartite motif containing 21 (TRIM21) promotes the degradation of IGF2BP2 via the K48-ubiquitin-lysosome pathway and ABHD11-AS1 promotes the interaction between IGF2BP2 and TRIM21 as scaffold platform. Furthermore, N6 -adenosine-methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) upregulated the stabilization of ABHD11-AS1 through the m6A reader IGF2BP2. Our study highlights ABHD11-AS1 as a significant regulator in CRC and it may become a potential target in future CRC treatment.

Clinicopathological Impact of FOXM1 and MMP-9 Immunohistochemical Expression in Different Grades of Intracranial Meningioma.

OBJECTIVES: To find predictive biomarkers for recurrence and progression of meningioma. BACKGROUND: Despite great advances in meningioma treatment, the prognosis remained unfavorable due to the high recurrence rate. METHODS: In this study, we evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of FOXM1, MMP-9, and Ki67 in 50 cases of intracranial meningioma to detect its potential role in meningioma progression, recurrence, and patients' survival. RESULTS: Strong FOXM1 expression was detected in 20% of the cases and was significantly associated with meningioma grade ( P = 0.002) and peritumoral brain edema (PTBE; P <0.001). Strong MMP-9 expression was noted in 32% of the cases and was significantly associated with meningioma grade and PTBE ( P <0.001, P <0.001, respectively). High Ki67 was noted in 50% and significantly associated with tumor grade and PTBE ( P <0.001, P = 0.002, respectively). The follow-up period revealed that meningiomas with strong FOXM1, strong MMP-9, and high Ki67 expression were associated with tumor recurrence, shorter OS, and recurrence-free survival. Furthermore, up-regulation of FOXM1 and MMP-9 expression had a significant relation with poor clinical response to the therapy ( P = 0.010, P = 0. 001, respectively). However, high Ki67 cases were more sensitive to clinical therapy ( P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Strong FOXM1, strong MMP-9, and high Ki67 in meningiomas indicate highly aggressive tumors with a shortened survival rate, dismal outcome, and high risk of recurrence after the standard protocol of therapy.

A drug repurposing study identifies novel FOXM1 inhibitors with in vitro activity against breast cancer cells.

FOXM1, a proto-oncogenic transcription factor, plays a critical role in cancer development and treatment resistance in cancers, particularly in breast cancer. Thus, this study aimed to identify potential FOXM1 inhibitors through computational screening of drug databases, followed by in vitro validation of their inhibitory activity against breast cancer cells. In silico studies involved pharmacophore modeling using the FOXM1 inhibitor, FDI-6, followed by virtual screening of DrugBank and Selleckchem databases. The selected drugs were prepared for molecular docking, and the crystal structure of FOXM1 was pre-processed for docking simulations. In vitro studies included MTT assays to assess cytotoxicity, and Western blot analysis to evaluate protein expression levels. Our study identified Pantoprazole and Rabeprazole as potential FOXM1 inhibitors through in silico screening and molecular docking. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed stable interactions of these drugs with FOXM1. In vitro experiments showed both Pantoprazole and Rabeprazole exhibited strong FOXM1 inhibition at effective concentrations and that showed inhibition of cell proliferation. Rabeprazole showed the inhibitor activity at 10 µM in BT-20 and MCF-7 cell lines. Pantoprazole exhibited FOXM1 inhibition at 30 µM and in BT-20 cells and at 70 µM in MCF-7 cells, respectively. Our current study provides the first evidence that Rabeprazole and Pantoprazole can bind to FOXM1 and inhibit its activity and downstream signaling, including eEF2K and pEF2, in breast cancer cells. These findings indicate that rabeprazole and pantoprazole inhibit FOXM1 and breast cancer cell proliferation, and they can be used for FOXM1-targeted therapy in breast or other cancers driven by FOXM1.

P53 Activation Promotes Maturational Characteristics of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes in 3-Dimensional Suspension Culture Via FOXO-FOXM1 Regulation.

BACKGROUND: Current protocols generate highly pure human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in vitro that recapitulate characteristics of mature in vivo cardiomyocytes. Yet, a risk of arrhythmias exists when hiPSC-CMs are injected into large animal models. Thus, understanding hiPSC-CM maturational mechanisms is crucial for clinical translation. Forkhead box (FOX) transcription factors regulate postnatal cardiomyocyte maturation through a balance between FOXO and FOXM1. We also previously demonstrated that p53 activation enhances hiPSC-CM maturation. Here, we investigate whether p53 activation modulates the FOXO/FOXM1 balance to promote hiPSC-CM maturation in 3-dimensional suspension culture. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three-dimensional cultures of hiPSC-CMs were treated with Nutlin-3a (p53 activator, 10 µM), LOM612 (FOXO relocator, 5 µM), AS1842856 (FOXO inhibitor, 1 µM), or RCM-1 (FOXM1 inhibitor, 1 µM), starting 2 days after onset of beating, with dimethyl sulfoxide (0.2% vehicle) as control. P53 activation promoted hiPSC-CM metabolic and electrophysiological maturation alongside FOXO upregulation and FOXM1 downregulation, in n=3 to 6 per group for all assays. FOXO inhibition significantly decreased expression of cardiac-specific markers such as TNNT2. In contrast, FOXO activation or FOXM1 inhibition promoted maturational characteristics such as increased contractility, oxygen consumption, and voltage peak maximum upstroke velocity, in n=3 to 6 per group for all assays. Further, by single-cell RNA sequencing of n=2 LOM612-treated cells compared with dimethyl sulfoxide, LOM612-mediated FOXO activation promoted expression of cardiac maturational pathways. CONCLUSIONS: We show that p53 activation promotes FOXO and suppresses FOXM1 during 3-dimensional hiPSC-CM maturation. These results expand our understanding of hiPSC-CM maturational mechanisms in a clinically-relevant 3-dimensional culture system.

Contribution of CENP-F to FOXM1-Mediated Discordant Centromere and Kinetochore Transcriptional Regulation.

Proper chromosome segregation is required to ensure chromosomal stability. The centromere (CEN) is a unique chromatin domain defined by CENP-A and is responsible for recruiting the kinetochore (KT) during mitosis, ultimately regulating microtubule spindle attachment and mitotic checkpoint function. Upregulation of many CEN/KT genes is commonly observed in cancer. Here, we show that although FOXM1 occupies promoters of many CEN/KT genes with MYBL2, FOXM1 overexpression alone is insufficient to drive the FOXM1-correlated transcriptional program. CENP-F is canonically an outer kinetochore component; however, it functions with FOXM1 to coregulate G2/M transcription and proper chromosome segregation. Loss of CENP-F results in altered chromatin accessibility at G2/M genes and reduced FOXM1-MBB complex formation. We show that coordinated CENP-FFOXM1 transcriptional regulation is a cancer-specific function. We observe a small subset of CEN/KT genes including CENP-C, that are not regulated by FOXM1. Upregulation of CENP-C in the context of CENP-A overexpression leads to increased chromosome missegregation and cell death suggesting that escape of CENP-C from FOXM1 regulation is a cancer survival mechanism. Together, we show that FOXM1 and CENP-F coordinately regulate G2/M genes, and this coordination is specific to a subset of genes to allow for maintenance of chromosome instability levels and subsequent cell survival.

Long non-coding RNA (CMR) involved in autoprotection in S. aureus mastitis in dairy cows by regulating miR-877/FOXM1.

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are dysregulated in a variety of human diseases and are highly involved in the development and progression of tumors. Studies on lncRNAs associated with cow mastitis have been lagging behind compared to humans or model animals, therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the mechanism of LncRNAs (CMR) involved in autoprotection against S. aureus mastitis in Bovine Mammary Epithelial Cells (BMECs). First, qRT-PCR was used to examine the relative expression of CMR in a S. aureus mastitis model of BMECs. Then, cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by EdU and apoptosis assay. Finally, the targeting relationship between miRNAs and mRNA/LncRNAs was determined by dual luciferase reporter gene, qRT-PCR and western blotting techniques. The results showed that CMR was upregulated in the S. aureus mastitis model of BMECs and promoted the expression of inflammatory factors, and SiRNA-mediated CMR inhibited the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells and induced apoptosis. Mechanistically, CMR acts as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) sponge miR-877, leading to upregulation of FOXM1, a target of miR-877. Importantly, either miR-877 overexpression or FOXM1 inhibition abrogated CMR knockdown-induced apoptosis promoting cell proliferation and reducing inflammatory factor expression levels. In summary, CMR is involved in the regulation of autoprotection against S. aureus mastitis through the miR-877/FOXM1 axis in BMECs and induces immune responses in mammary tissues and cells of dairy cows, providing an important reference for subsequent prevention and control of cow mastitis and the development of targeted drugs.

Huaier enhances the tumor-killing effect and reverses gemcitabine-induced stemness by suppressing FoxM1.

BACKGROUND: Gemcitabine is the first-line chemotherapy drug that can easily cause chemotherapy resistance. Huaier is a traditional Chinese medicine and shows an antitumor effect in pancreatic cancer, but whether it can enhance the gemcitabine chemotherapeutic response and the potential mechanism remain unknown. PURPOSE: This study was performed to explore the effect of Huaier in promoting the tumor-killing effect of gemcitabine and elucidate the possible mechanism in pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and colony formation assays were used to detect proliferation after different treatments. Protein coimmunoprecipitation was applied to demonstrate protein interactions. Nuclear protein extraction and immunofluorescence were used to confirm the intracellular localization of the proteins. Western blotting was performed to detect cell proliferation-related protein expression or cancer stem cell-associated protein expression. Sphere formation assays and flow cytometry were used to assess the stemness of pancreatic cancer cells. The in vivo xenograft model was used to confirm the inhibitory effect under physiological conditions, and immunohistochemistry was used to detect protein expression. RESULTS: Huaier suppressed the proliferation and stem cell-like properties of pancreatic cancer cells. We found that Huaier suppressed the expression of forkhead box protein M1 (FoxM1). In addition, Huaier inhibited FoxM1 function by blocking its nuclear translocation. Treatment with Huaier reversed the stemness induced by gemcitabine in a FoxM1-dependent manner. Furthermore, we verified the above results by an in vivo study, which reached the same conclusion as those in vitro. CONCLUSION: Overall, this study illustrates that Huaier augments the tumor-killing effect of gemcitabine through suppressing the stemness induced by gemcitabine in a FoxM1-dependent way. These results indicate that Huaier can be applied to overcome gemcitabine resistance.

NB compounds are potent and efficacious FOXM1 inhibitors in high-grade serous ovarian cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Genetic studies implicate the oncogenic transcription factor Forkhead Box M1 (FOXM1) as a potential therapeutic target in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). We evaluated the activity of different FOXM1 inhibitors in HGSOC cell models. RESULTS: We treated HGSOC and fallopian tube epithelial (FTE) cells with a panel of previously reported FOXM1 inhibitors. Based on drug potency, efficacy, and selectivity, determined through cell viability assays, we focused on two compounds, NB-73 and NB-115 (NB compounds), for further investigation. NB compounds potently and selectively inhibited FOXM1 with lesser effects on other FOX family members. NB compounds decreased FOXM1 expression via targeting the FOXM1 protein by promoting its proteasome-mediated degradation, and effectively suppressed FOXM1 gene targets at both the protein and mRNA level. At the cellular level, NB compounds promoted apoptotic cell death. Importantly, while inhibition of apoptosis using a pan-caspase inhibitor rescued HGSOC cells from NB compound-induced cell death, it did not rescue FOXM1 protein degradation, supporting that FOXM1 protein loss from NB compound treatment is specific and not a general consequence of cytotoxicity. Drug washout studies indicated that FOXM1 reduction was retained for at least 72 h post-treatment, suggesting that NB compounds exhibit long-lasting effects in HGSOC cells. NB compounds effectively suppressed both two-dimensional and three-dimensional HGSOC cell colony formation at sub-micromolar concentrations. Finally, NB compounds exhibited synergistic activity with carboplatin in HGSOC cells. CONCLUSIONS: NB compounds are potent, selective, and efficacious inhibitors of FOXM1 in HGSOC cells and are worthy of further investigation as HGSOC therapeutics.

Tumor microenvironment-induced FOXM1 regulates ovarian cancer stemness.

In ovarian tumors, the omental microenvironment profoundly influences the behavior of cancer cells and sustains the acquisition of stem-like traits, with major impacts on tumor aggressiveness and relapse. Here, we leverage a patient-derived platform of organotypic cultures to study the crosstalk between the tumor microenvironment and ovarian cancer stem cells. We discovered that the pro-tumorigenic transcription factor FOXM1 is specifically induced by the microenvironment in ovarian cancer stem cells, through activation of FAK/YAP signaling. The microenvironment-induced FOXM1 sustains stemness, and its inactivation reduces cancer stem cells survival in the omental niche and enhances their response to the PARP inhibitor Olaparib. By unveiling the novel role of FOXM1 in ovarian cancer stemness, our findings highlight patient-derived organotypic co-cultures as a powerful tool to capture clinically relevant mechanisms of the microenvironment/cancer stem cells crosstalk, contributing to the identification of tumor vulnerabilities.

Knockdown of miR-361-5p promotes the induced activation of SHF-stem cells through FOXM1 mediated Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in cashmere goats.

The inducing activation event of secondary hair follicle (SHF)-stem cells is considered a key biological process in the SHF regeneration, and the morphogenesis of cashmere fiber in cashmere goats. The miR-361-5p was essentially implicated in the induced activation of SHF-stem cells of cashmere goats, but its functional mechanisms are unclear. Here, we confirmed miR-361-5p was significantly downregulated in anagen SHF bugle of cashmere goats compared with that at telogen, and miR-361-5p expression was significantly lower in SHF-stem cells after activation than its counterpart before activation. Further, we found that miR-361-5p could negatively regulate the induced activation event of SHF-stem cells in cashmere goats. Mechanistically, through dual-luciferase reporter assays, miR-361-5p specifically bound with FOXM1 mRNA in SHF-stem cells of cashmere goats and negatively regulated the expression of FOXM1 gene. Also, through overexpression/knockdown analysis of FOXM1 gene, our results indicated that FOXM1 upregulated the expression of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway related genes in SHF-stem cells. Moreover, based on TOP/FOP-flash Wnt report assays, the knockdown of miR-361-5p promotes the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway activation through upregulating the FOXM1 expression in SHF-stem cells. Finally, we demonstrated that miR-361-5p negatively regulated the induced activation of SHF-stem cells through FOXM1 mediated Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in cashmere goats.

FOXM1 and CHD4 expression is associated with chemoresistance in hepatoblastoma.

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common malignant liver tumor in childhood. Although pre-operative cisplatin (CDDP)-based chemotherapy is often used in cases of HB, about 20％ of HB patients exhibit resistance to CDDP. Forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) and chromo-domain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4) have been associated with CDDP resistance in various tumors. We here analyzed the immunohistochemical expression of FOXM1 and CHD4 in HB specimens of 33 patients (mean age: 20 months) post-chemotherapy. The differentiation of specimens was assessed using the digital pathology software QuPath®, and then the relation between the FOXM1 or CHD4 expression and the differentiation and various other clinicopathological parameters was investigated. The histological type was epithelial in 19 cases (57.6%) and mixed epithelial and mesenchymal in 14 cases (42.4%). Nine cases had only a fetal component, 1 case had only an embryonal component, 22 cases had both fetal and embryonal components, and 1 case had no viable tumor. Both the FOXM1 and CHD4 immunoexpressions were found significantly more frequently in the embryonal than fetal components (p<0.0001 and p<0.0001, respectively). Regarding chemotherapy efficacy, the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level after chemotherapy was correlated with both the imaging shrinkage rate (R=-0.52) and histological residual rate (the percentage of the viable tumors of HB after chemotherapy)(R=0.62). High FOXM1 score was correlated with a high-postoperative AFP value (p<0.01) and a low AFP attenuation rate (p<0.05), but the FOXM1 score was not correlated with the imaging shrinkage rate (p=0.4418) or histological residual rate (p=0.4418). High CHD4 score showed a nonsignificant trend toward correlation with high postoperative AFP value (p=0.0849) and was not significantly correlated with the other parameters. Collectively, our results showed that FOXM1 expression may be useful in evaluating the response to CDDP-based chemotherapeutic regimens. Accurate measurement of FOXM1 expression by our scoring system using QuPath® is important in cases with mixed HB components of various differentiation levels.

YTHDC1-dependent m6A modification modulated FOXM1 promotes glycolysis and tumor progression through CENPA in triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits heightened aggressiveness compared with other breast cancer (BC) subtypes, with earlier relapse, a higher risk of distant metastasis, and a worse prognosis. Transcription factors play a pivotal role in various cancers. Here, we found that factor forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) expression was significantly higher in TNBC than in other BC subtypes and normal tissues. Combining the findings of Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and a series of experiments, we found that knockdown of the FOXM1 gene attenuated the ability of TNBC cells to proliferate and metastasize both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, Spearman's test showed that FOXM1 significantly correlated with glycolysis-related genes, especially centromere protein A (CENPA) in datasets (GSE76250, GSE76124, GSE206912, and GSE103091). The effect of silencing FOXM1 on the inhibition of CENPA expression, TNBC proliferation, migration, and glycolysis could be recovered by overexpression of CENPA. According to MeRIP, the level of m6A modification on FOMX1 decreased in cells treated with cycloleucine (a m6A inhibitor) compared with that in the control group. The increase in FOXM1 expression caused by YTHDC1 overexpression could be reversed by the m6A inhibitor, which indicated that YTHDC1 enhanced FOXM1 expression depending on m6A modification. Therefore, we concluded that the YTHDC1-m6A modification/FOXM1/CENPA axis plays an important role in TNBC progression and glycolysis.

A new tandem repeat-enriched lncRNA XLOC_008672 promotes gastric carcinogenesis by regulating G3BP1 expression.

Aberrant expression of forkhead box transcription factor 1 (FOXM1) plays critical roles in a variety of human malignancies and predicts poor prognosis. However, little is known about the crosstalk between FOXM1 and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis. The present study identifies a previously uncharacterized lncRNA XLOC_008672 in gastric cancer (GC), which is regulated by FOXM1 and possesses multiple copies of tandem repetitive sequences. LncRNA microarrays are used to screen differentially expressed lncRNAs in FOXM1 knockdown GC cells, and then the highest fold downregulation lncRNA XLOC_008672 is screened out. Sequence analysis reveals that the new lncRNA contains 62 copies of 37-bp tandem repeats. It is transcriptionally activated by FOXM1 and functions as a downstream effector of FOXM1 in GC cells through in vitro and in vivo functional assays. Elevated expression of XLOC_008672 is found in GC tissues and indicates worse prognosis. Mechanistically, XLOC_008672 can bind to small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide A (SNRPA), thereby enhancing mRNA stability of Ras-GTPase-activating protein SH3 domain-binding protein 1 (G3BP1) and, consequently, facilitating GC cell proliferation and migration. Our study discovers a new uncharacterized lncRNA XLOC_008672 involved in GC carcinogenesis and progression. Targeting FOXM1/XLOC_008672/SNRPA/G3BP1 signaling axis might be a promising therapeutic strategy for GC.

The splicing factor WBP11 mediates MCM7 intron retention to promote the malignant progression of ovarian cancer.

Accumulating studies suggest that splicing factors play important roles in many diseases including human cancers. Our study revealed that WBP11, a core splicing factor, is highly expressed in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues and associated with a poor prognosis. WBP11 inhibition significantly impaired the proliferation and mobility of ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, FOXM1 transcriptionally activated WBP11 expression by directly binding to its promoter in OC cells. Importantly, RNA-seq and alternative splicing event analysis revealed that WBP11 silencing decreased the expression of MCM7 by regulating intron 4 retention. MCM7 inhibition attenuated the increase in malignant behaviors of WBP11-overexpressing OC cells. Overall, WBP11 was identified as an oncogenic splicing factor that contributes to malignant progression by repressing intron 4 retention of MCM7 in OC cells. Thus, WBP11 is an oncogenic splicing factor with potential therapeutic and prognostic implications in OC.

Meningioma achieves malignancy and erastin-induced ferroptosis resistance through FOXM1-AURKA-NRF2 axis.

The oncogene Aurora kinase A (AURKA) has been implicated in various tumor, yet its role in meningioma remains unexplored. Recent studies have suggested a potential link between AURKA and ferroptosis, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. This study presented evidence of AURKA upregulation in high grade meningioma and its ability to enhance malignant characteristics. We identified AURKA as a suppressor of erastin-induced ferroptosis in meningioma. Mechanistically, AURKA directly interacted with and phosphorylated kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), thereby activating nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2 (NFE2L2/NRF2) and target genes transcription. Additionally, forkhead box protein M1 (FOXM1) facilitated the transcription of AURKA. Suppression of AURKA, in conjunction with erastin, yields significant enhancements in the prognosis of a murine model of meningioma. Our study elucidates an unidentified mechanism by which AURKA governs ferroptosis, and strongly suggests that the combination of AURKA inhibition and ferroptosis-inducing agents could potentially provide therapeutic benefits for meningioma treatment.