Genome-wide enhancer RNA profiling adds molecular links between genetic variation and human cancers.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of enhancer transcription occurs in multiple cancers. Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are transcribed products from enhancers that play critical roles in transcriptional control. Characterizing the genetic basis of eRNA expression may elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cancers. METHODS: Initially, a comprehensive analysis of eRNA quantitative trait loci (eRNAQTLs) was performed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and functional features were characterized using multi-omics data. To establish the first eRNAQTL profiles for colorectal cancer (CRC) in China, epigenomic data were used to define active enhancers, which were subsequently integrated with transcription and genotyping data from 154 paired CRC samples. Finally, large-scale case-control studies (34,585 cases and 69,544 controls) were conducted along with multipronged experiments to investigate the potential mechanisms by which candidate eRNAQTLs affect CRC risk. RESULTS: A total of 300,112 eRNAQTLs were identified across 30 different cancer types, which exert their influence on eRNA transcription by modulating chromatin status, binding affinity to transcription factors and RNA-binding proteins. These eRNAQTLs were found to be significantly enriched in cancer risk loci, explaining a substantial proportion of cancer heritability. Additionally, tumor-specific eRNAQTLs exhibited high responsiveness to the development of cancer. Moreover, the target genes of these eRNAs were associated with dysregulated signaling pathways and immune cell infiltration in cancer, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets. Furthermore, multiple ethnic population studies have confirmed that an eRNAQTL rs3094296-T variant decreases the risk of CRC in populations from China (OR = 0.91, 95%CI 0.88-0.95, P = 2.92 × 10-7) and Europe (OR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.88-0.95, P = 4.61 × 10-6). Mechanistically, rs3094296 had an allele-specific effect on the transcription of the eRNA ENSR00000155786, which functioned as a transcriptional activator promoting the expression of its target gene SENP7. These two genes synergistically suppressed tumor cell proliferation. Our curated list of variants, genes, and drugs has been made available in CancereRNAQTL ( http://canernaqtl.whu.edu.cn/#/ ) to serve as an informative resource for advancing this field. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore the significance of eRNAQTLs in transcriptional regulation and disease heritability, pinpointing the potential of eRNA-based therapeutic strategies in cancers.

Mesoporous bioactive glass as a drug delivery system: fabrication, bactericidal properties and biocompatibility.

Implant-associated infection remains a difficult medical problem in orthopaedic surgery. Here, we report on the fabrication of gentamicin-loaded mesoporous bioactive glass (Gent-MBG) for use as a controlled antibiotic delivery system to achieve the sustained release of antibiotics in the local sites of bone defects. The high surface area and mesoporous structure of MBG enable higher drug loading efficiency (79-83 %) than non-mesoporous biological glass (NBG) (18-19 %). Gent-MBG exhibits sustained drug release for more than 6 days, and this controlled release of gentamicin significantly inhibits bacterial adhesion and prevents biofilm formation by S. aureus (ATCC25923) and S. epidermidis (ATCC35984). Biocompatibility tests with human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) indicate that MBG has better biocompatibility than NBG. Therefore, Gent-MBG can be used as a controlled drug delivery system to prevent and/or treat orthopedic peri-implant infections.

Drug delivery property, bactericidal property and cytocompatibility of magnetic mesoporous bioactive glass.

A multifunctional magnetic mesoporous bioactive glass (MMBG) has been widely used for a drug delivery system, but its biological properties have been rarely reported. Herein, the effects of mesopores and Fe3O4 nanoparticles on drug loading-release property, bactericidal property and biocompatibility have been investigated by using mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) and non-mesoporous bioactive glass (NBG) as control samples. Both MMBG and MBG have better drug loading efficiency than NBG because they possess ordered mesoporous channels, big specific surface areas and high pore volumes. As compared with MBG, the Fe3O4 nanoparticles in MMBG not only provide magnetic property, but also improve sustained drug release property. For gentamicin-loaded MMBG (Gent-MMBG), the sustained release of gentamicin and the Fe3O4 nanoparticles minimize bacterial adhesion significantly and prevent biofilm formation against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis). Moreover, the magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles in MMBG can promote crucial cell functions such as cell adhesion, spreading and proliferation. The excellent biocompatibility and drug delivery property of MMBG suggest that Gent-MMBG has great potentials for treatment of implant-associated infections.