Tissue-specific transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal candidate genes for lignan biosynthesis in the medicinal plant Schisandra sphenanthera.

Schisandra sphenanthera is an extremely important medicinal plant, and its main medicinal component is bioactive lignans. The S. sphenanthera fruit is preferred by the majority of consumers, and the root, stem, and leaf are not fully used. To better understand the lignan metabolic pathway, transcriptome and metabolome analyses were performed on the four major tissues of S. sphenanthera. A total of 167,972,229 transcripts and 91,215,760 unigenes with an average length of 752 bp were identified. Tissue-specific gene analysis revealed that the root had the highest abundance of unique unigenes (9703), and the leaves had the lowest (189). Transcription factor analysis showed that MYB-, bHLH- and ERF-transcription factors, which played important roles in the regulation of secondary metabolism, showed rich expression patterns and may be involved in the regulation of processes involved in lignan metabolism. In different tissues, lignans were preferentially enriched in fruit and roots by gene expression profiles related to lignan metabolism and relative lignan compound content. Furthermore, schisandrin B is an important compound in S. sphenanthera. According to weighted gene co-expression network analysis, PAL1, C4H-2, CAD1, CYB8, OMT27, OMT57, MYB18, bHLH3, and bHLH5 can be related to the accumulation of lignans in S. sphenanthera fruit, CCR5, SDH4, CYP8, CYP20, and ERF7 can be related to the accumulation of lignans in S. sphenanthera roots. In this study, transcriptome sequencing and targeted metabolic analysis of lignans will lay a foundation for the further study of their biosynthetic genes.

Glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) promotes lactylation modifications by regulating lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) in gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) plays a major role in glycolysis and glucose metabolism in cancer cells. We aimed to investigate the correlation between GLUT3 and histone lactylation modification in the occurrence and progression of gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We initially used single-cell sequencing data to determine the expression levels of GLUT3 and lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) in primary tumor, tumor-adjacent normal, and metastasis tumor tissues. Immunohistochemistry analysis was conducted to measure GLUT3, LDHA, and L-lactyl levels in gastric normal and cancer tissues. Transwell and scratch assays were performed to evaluate the metastatic and invasive capacity of gastric cancer cell lines. Western blotting was used to measure L-lactyl and histone lactylation levels in gastric cancer cell lines. RESULTS: Single-cell sequencing data showed that GLUT3 expression was significantly increased in primary tumor and metastasis tumor tissues. In addition, GLUT3 expression was positively correlated with that of LDHA expression and lactylation-related pathways. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses revealed that GLUT3 was highly expressed in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. GLUT3 knockdown in gastric cancer cell lines inhibited their metastatic and invasive capacity to various degrees. Additionally, the levels of LDHA, L-lactyl, H3K9, H3K18, and H3K56 significantly decreased after GLUT3 knockdown, indicating that GLUT3 affects lactylation in gastric cancer cells. Moreover, LDHA overexpression in a GLUT3 knockdown cell line reversed the levels of lactylation and EMT-related markers, and the EMT functional phenotype induced by GLUT3 knockdown. The in vivo results were consistent with the in vitro results. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the important role of histone lactylation in the occurrence and progression of gastric cancer, and GLUT3 may be a new diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for gastric cancer.

Neutrophil extracellular traps promote angiogenesis in gastric cancer.

Although antiangiogenic therapy has been used in gastric cancer, disease progression due to drug resistance remains common. Neutrophils play an important role in the occurrence and progression of cancer via neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). However, few studies have investigated angiogenic regulation in gastric cancer. We aimed to determine the role of NETs in promoting angiogenesis in gastric cancer. Multiple immunohistochemical staining was used to analyze the spatial distribution of NETs and microvessels in patient tissue samples. A mouse subcutaneous tumor model was established to determine the effect of NETs on tumor growth, and changes in microvessel density were observed via immunohistochemical staining. We screened differentially expressed proteins in HUVECs stimulated by NETs via proteomics. Cell Counting Kit-8, EdU labeling, and tubule formation assays were used to verify the effect of NETs on HUVEC proliferation, migration, and tubule formation. Blocking NETs, which was related to decreased microvessel density, significantly inhibited tumor growth in the murine subcutaneous tumor model. Compared with those of the control group, tumor volume and mass among mice in the inhibition group decreased by 61.3% and 77.9%, respectively. The NET-DNA receptor CCDC25 was expressed in HUVECs, providing a platform for NETs to promote HUVEC proliferation, migration, and tubulation. In an in vitro rat aortic explant model, NETs induced HUVEC proliferation, survival, and chemotaxis, which were not significantly different from those observed in the VEGF stimulation group. Our results confirm that NETs promote angiogenesis in gastric cancer, providing a theoretical basis for identifying new anti-vascular therapeutic targets. Video Abstract.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid and Perfluorooctanoic Acid Promote Migration of Three-Dimensional Colorectal Cancer Spheroids.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are persistent environmental contaminants that are of increasing public concern worldwide. However, their relationship with colorectal cancer (CRC) is poorly understood. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the effect of PFOS and PFOA on the development and progression of CRC in vitro using a series of biological techniques and metabolic profiling. Herein, the migration of three-dimensional (3D) spheroids of two CRC cell lines, SW48 KRAS wide-type (WT) and SW48 KRAS G12A, were observed after exposure to PFOS and PFOA at 2 µM and 10 µM for 7 days. The time and dose-dependent migration phenotype induced by 10 µM PFOS and PFOA was further confirmed by wound healing and trans-well migration assays. To investigate the mechanism of action, derivatization-mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiles were examined from 3D spheroids of SW48 cell lines exposed to PFOS and PFOA (2 µM and 10 µM). Our findings revealed this exposure altered epithelial-mesenchymal transition related metabolic pathways, including fatty acid ß-oxidation and synthesis of proteins, nucleotides, and lipids. Furthermore, this phenotype was confirmed by the downregulation of E-cadherin and upregulation of N-cadherin and vimentin. These findings show novel insight into the relationship between PFOS, PFOA, and CRC.

Endogenous tRNA-derived small RNA (tRF3-Thr-AGT) inhibits ZBP1/NLRP3 pathway-mediated cell pyroptosis to attenuate acute pancreatitis (AP).

Endogenous transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are newly identified RNAs that are closely associated with the pathogenesis of multiple diseases, but the involvement of tsRNAs in regulating acute pancreatitis (AP) development has not been reported. In this study, we screened out a novel tsRNA, tRF3-Thr-AGT, that was aberrantly downregulated in the acinar cell line AR42J treated with sodium taurocholate (STC) and the pancreatic tissues of STC-induced AP rat models. In addition, STC treatment suppressed cell viability, induced pyroptotic cell death and cellular inflammation in AP models in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of tRF3-Thr-AGT partially reversed STC-induced detrimental effects on the AR42J cells. Next, Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1) was identified as the downstream target of tRF3-Thr-AGT. Interestingly, upregulation of tRF3-Thr-AGT suppressed NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)-mediated pyroptotic cell death in STC-treated AR42J cells via degrading ZBP1. Moreover, the effects of tRF3-Thr-AGT overexpression on cell viability and inflammation in AR42J cells were abrogated by upregulating ZBP1 and NLRP3. Collectively, our data indicated that tRF3-Thr-AGT suppressed ZBP1 expressions to restrain NLRP3-mediated pyroptotic cell death and inflammation in AP models. This study, for the first time, identified the role and potential underlying mechanisms by which tRF3-Thr-AGT regulated AP pathogenesis.

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 inhibits human cholangiocarcinoma progression and is regulated by leukemia inhibitory factor/MicroRNA-181c negative feedback pathway.

Increasing evidence supports a role for N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) deregulation in tumorigenesis. We investigated the roles and mechanisms of NDRG2 in human cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) progression. In the present study, expression of NDRG2, microRNA (miR)-181c and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in human CCA and adjacent nontumor tissues were examined. The effects of NDRG2 on CCA tumor growth and metastasis were determined both in vivo and in vitro. The role of the NDRG2/LIF/miR-181c signaling pathway in cholangiocarcinogenesis and metastasis were investigated both in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that human CCA tissues exhibited decreased levels of NDRG2 and increased levels of miR-181c and LIF compared with nontumor tissues. NDRG2 could inhibit CCA cell proliferation, chemoresistance, and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. We found that NDRG2 is a target gene of miR-181c, and the down-regulation of NDRG2 was attributed to miR-181c overexpression in CCA. Furthermore, miR-181c can be activated by LIF treatment, whereas NDRG2 could inhibit LIF transcription through disrupting the binding between Smad, small mothers against decapentaplegic complex and LIF promoter. Down-regulation of NDRG2 and overexpression of miR-181c or LIF are significantly associated with a poorer overall survival (OS) in CCA patients. Finally, we found that a combination of NDRG2, miR-181c, and LIF expression is a strong predictor of prognosis in CCA patients. CONCLUSION: These results establish the counteraction between NDRG2 and LIF/miR-181c as a key mechanism that regulates cholangiocarcinogenesis and metastasis. Our results elucidated a novel pathway in NDRG2-mediated inhibition of cholangiocarcinogenesis and metastasis and suggest new therapeutic targets, including NDRG2, LIF, miR-181c, and transforming growth factor beta, in CCA prevention and treatment. (Hepatology 2016;64:1606-1622).

Gankyrin promotes tumor growth and metastasis through activation of IL-6/STAT3 signaling in human cholangiocarcinoma.

UNLABELLED: Although gankyrin is involved in the tumorigenicity and metastasis of some malignancies, the role of gankyrin in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is unclear. In this study we investigated the expression of gankyrin in human CCA tissues and cell lines. The effects of gankyrin on CCA tumor growth and metastasis were determined both in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that gankyrin was overexpressed in CCA tissues and cell lines. Gankyrin expression was associated with CCA histological differentiation, TNM stage, and metastasis. The multivariate Cox analysis revealed that gankyrin was an independent prognostic indicator for overall survival. Gankyrin overexpression promoted CCA cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while gankyrin knockdown inhibited CCA tumor growth, metastasis, and induced Rb-dependent senescence and G1 phase cell cycle arrest. Gankyrin increased the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and promoted the nuclear translocation of p-STAT3. Suppression of STAT3 signaling by small interfering RNA (siRNA) or STAT3 inhibitor interfered with gankyrin-mediated carcinogenesis and metastasis, while interleukin (IL)-6, a known upstream activator of STAT3, could restore the proliferation and migration of gankyrin-silenced CCA cells. The IL-6 level was decreased by gankyrin knockdown, while increased by gankyrin overexpression. Gankyrin regulated IL-6 expression by way of facilitating the phosphorylation of Rb; meanwhile, rIL-6 treatment increased the expression of gankyrin, suggesting that IL-6 was regulated by a positive feedback loop involving gankyrin in CCA. In the xenograft experiments, gankyrin overexpression accelerated tumor formation and increased tumor weight, whereas gankyrin knockdown showed the opposite effects. The in vivo spontaneous metastasis assay revealed that gankyrin promoted CCA metastasis through IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Gankyrin is crucial for CCA carcinogenesis and metastasis by activating IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway through down-regulating Rb protein.

Reciprocal activation between ATPase inhibitory factor 1 and NF-κB drives hepatocellular carcinoma angiogenesis and metastasis.

UNLABELLED: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascularized tumor with frequent extrahepatic metastasis. Active angiogenesis and metastasis are responsible for rapid recurrence and poor survival of HCC. However, the mechanisms that contribute to tumor metastasis remain unclear. Here we evaluate the effects of ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF1), an inhibitor of the mitochondrial H(+)-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase, on HCC angiogenesis and metastasis. We found that increased expression of IF1 in human HCC predicts poor survival and disease recurrence after surgery. Patients with HCC who have large tumors, with vascular invasion and metastasis, expressed high levels of IF1. Invasive tumors overexpressing IF1 were featured by active epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and increased angiogenesis, whereas silencing IF1 expression attenuated EMT and invasion of HCC cells. Mechanistically, IF1 promoted Snai1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression by way of activating nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling, which depended on the binding of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 1 (TRAF1) to NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) and the disruption of NIK association with the TRAF2-cIAP2 complex. Suppression of the NF-κB pathway interfered with IF1-mediated EMT and invasion. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed that NF-κB can bind to the Snai1 promoter and trigger its transcription. IF1 was directly transcribed by NF-κB, thus forming a positive feedback signaling loop. There was a significant correlation between IF1 expression and pp65 levels in a cohort of HCC biopsies, and the combination of these two parameters was a more powerful predictor of poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: IF1 promotes HCC angiogenesis and metastasis by up-regulation of Snai1 and VEGF transcription, thereby providing new insight into HCC progression and IF1 function. (Hepatology 2014;60:1659-1673).

Nutlin-3 overcomes arsenic trioxide resistance and tumor metastasis mediated by mutant p53 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide has been demonstrated as an effective anti-cancer drug against leukemia and solid tumors both in vitro and in vivo. However, recent phase II trials demonstrated that single agent arsenic trioxide was poorly effective against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which might be due to drug resistance. METHODS: Mutation detection of p53 gene in arsenic trioxide resistant HCC cell lines was performed. The therapeutic effects of arsenic trioxide and Nutlin-3 on HCC were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. A series of experiments including MTT, apoptosis assays, co-Immunoprecipitation, siRNA transfection, lentiviral infection, cell migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchy-mal transition (EMT) assays were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: The acquisition of p53 mutation contributed to arsenic trioxide resistance and enhanced metastatic potential of HCC cells. Mutant p53 (Mutp53) silence could re-sensitize HCC resistant cells to arsenic trioxide and inhibit the metastatic activities, while mutp53 overexpression showed the opposite effects. Neither arsenic trioxide nor Nutlin-3 could exhibit obvious effects against arsenic trioxide resistant HCC cells, while combination of them showed significant effects. Nutlin-3 can not only increase the intracellular arsenicals through inhibition of p-gp but also promote the p73 activation and mutp53 degradation mediated by arsenic trioxide. In vivo experiments indicated that Nutlin-3 can potentiate the antitumor activities of arsenic trioxide in an orthotopic hepatic tumor model and inhibit the metastasis to lung. CONCLUSIONS: Acquisitions of p53 mutations contributed to the resistance of HCC to arsenic trioxide. Nutlin-3 could overcome arsenic trioxide resistance and inhibit tumor metastasis through p73 activation and promoting mutant p53 degradation mediated by arsenic trioxide.

Dissecting the Mechanisms of Intestinal Immune Homeostasis by Analyzing T-Cell Immune Response in Crohn's Disease and Colorectal Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Crohn's disease (CD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) represent a group of intestinal disorders characterized by intricate pathogenic mechanisms linked to the disruption of intestinal immune homeostasis. Therefore, comprehending the immune response mechanisms in both categories of intestinal disorders is of paramount significance in the prevention and treatment of these debilitating intestinal ailments. METHOD: IIn this study, we conducted single-cell analysis on paired samples obtained from primary colorectal tumors and individuals with Crohn's disease, which was aimed at deciphering the factors influencing the composition of the intestinal immune microenvironment. By aligning T cells across different tissues, we identified various T cell subtypes, such as γδ T cell, NK T cell, and regulatory T (Treg) cell, which maintained immune system homeostasis and were confirmed in enrichment analyses. Subsequently, we generated pseudo-time trajectories for subclusters of T cells in both syndromes to delineate their differentiation patterns and identify key driver genes Result: Furthermore, cellular communication and transcription factor regulatory networks are all essential components of the intricate web of mechanisms that regulate intestinal immune homeostasis. The identified complex cellular interaction suggested potential T-lineage immunotherapeutic targets against epithelial cells with high copy number variation (CNV) levels in CD and CRC. CONCLUSION: Finally, the analysis of regulon networks revealed several promising candidates for cell-specific transcription factors (TFs). This study focused on the immune molecular mechanism under intestinal diseases. It contributed to the novel insight of depicting a detailed immune landscape and revealing T-cell responding mechanisms in CD and CRC.

LC-MS and MALDI-MSI-based metabolomic approaches provide insights into the spatial-temporal metabolite profiles of Tartary buckwheat achene development.

Tartary buckwheat, celebrated as the "king of grains" for its flavonoid and phenolic acid richness, has health-promoting properties. Despite significant morphological and metabolic variations in mature achenes, research on their developmental process is limited. Utilizing Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging, we conducted spatial-temporal metabolomics on two cultivars during achene development. Metabolic profiles including 17 phenolic acids and 83 flavonoids are influenced by both varietal distinctions and developmental intricacies. Notably, flavonols, as major flavonoids, accumulated with achene ripening and showed a tissue-specific distribution. Specifically, flavonol glycosides and aglycones concentrated in the embryo, while methylated flavonols and procyanidins in the hull. Black achenes at the green achene stage have higher bioactive compounds and enhanced antioxidant capacity. These findings provide insights into spatial and temporal characteristics of metabolites in Tartary buckwheat achenes and serve as a theoretical guide for selecting optimal resources for food production.

Germplasm Resources and Metabolite Marker Screening of High-Flavonoid Tartary Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum).

Tartary buckwheat is an annual minor cereal crop with a variety of secondary metabolites, endowing it with a high nutritional and medicinal value. Flavonoids constitute the primary compounds of Tartary buckwheat. Recently, metabolomics, as an adjunct breeding method, has been increasingly employed in crop research. This study explores the correlation between the total flavonoid content (TFC) and antioxidant capacity in 167 Tartary buckwheat varieties. Ten Tartary buckwheat varieties with significant differences in flavonoid content and antioxidant capacity were selected by cluster analysis. With the use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, 58 flavonoid compounds were identified, namely, 42 flavonols, 10 flavanols, 3 flavanones, 1 isoflavone, 1 anthocyanidin, and 1 proanthocyanidin. Different samples were clearly separated by employing principal component analysis and partial least-squares discriminant analysis. Eight differential flavonoid compounds were further selected through volcano plots and variable importance in projection. Differential metabolites were highly correlated with TFC and antioxidant capacity. Finally, metabolic markers of kaempferol-3-O-hexoside, kaempferol-7-O-glucoside, and naringenin-O-hexoside were determined by the random forest model. The findings provide a basis for the selection and identification of Tartary buckwheat varieties with high flavonoid content and strong antioxidant activity.

Multi-omic analysis reveals metabolic pathways that characterize right-sided colon cancer liver metastasis.

There are well demonstrated differences in tumor cell metabolism between right sided (RCC) and left sided (LCC) colon cancer, which could underlie the robust differences observed in their clinical behavior, particularly in metastatic disease. As such, we utilized liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to perform an untargeted metabolomics analysis comparing frozen liver metastasis (LM) biobank samples derived from patients with RCC (N = 32) and LCC (N = 58) to further elucidate the unique biology of each. We also performed an untargeted RNA-seq and subsequent network analysis on samples derived from an overlapping subset of patients (RCC: N = 10; LCC: N = 18). Our biobank redemonstrates the inferior survival of patients with RCC-derived LM (P = 0.04), a well-established finding. Our metabolomic results demonstrate increased reactive oxygen species associated metabolites and bile acids in RCC. Conversely, carnitines, indicators of fatty acid oxidation, are relatively increased in LCC. The transcriptomic analysis implicates increased MEK-ERK, PI3K-AKT and Transcription Growth Factor Beta signaling in RCC LM. Our multi-omic analysis reveals several key differences in cellular physiology which taken together may be relevant to clinical differences in tumor behavior between RCC and LCC liver metastasis.

Fatty acid metabolism is related to the immune microenvironment changes of gastric cancer and RGS2 is a new tumor biomarker.

Background: Alterations in lipid metabolism promote tumor progression. However, the role of lipid metabolism in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer have not been fully clarified. Method: Here, genes that are related to fatty acid metabolism and differentially-expressed between normal and gastric cancer tissues were identified in the TCGA-STAD cohort. The intersection of identified differentially-expressed genes with Geneset was determined to obtain 78 fatty acid metabolism-related genes. The ConsensusClusterPlus R package was used to perform differentially-expressed genes, which yielded divided two gastric cancer subtypes termed cluster 1 and cluster 2. Results: Patients in cluster 2 was found to display poorer prognosis than patients in cluster 1. Using machine learning method to select 8 differentially expressed genes among subtypes to construct fatty acid prognostic risk score model (FARS), which was found to display good prognostic efficacy. We also identified that certain anticancer drugs, such as bortezomib, elesclomol, GW843682X, and nilotinib, showed significant sensitivity in the high FARS score group. RGS2 was selected as the core gene upon an analysis of the gastric cancer single-cell, and Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining results revealed high level of expression of this gene in gastric cancer cells. The results of immunohistochemical staining showed that a large amount of RGS2 was deposited in the stroma in gastric cancer. A pan-cancer analysis also revealed a significant association of RGS2 with TMB, TIDE, and CD8+ T-cell infiltration in other cancer types as well. RGS2 may thus be studied further as a new target for immunotherapy in future studies on gastric cancer. Conclusion: In summary, the FARS model developed here enhances our understanding of lipid metabolism in the TME in gastric cancer, and provides a theoretical basis for predicting tumor prognosis and clinical treatment.

RETRACTED: Methyltransferase-like 1 (METTL1) served as a tumor suppressor in colon cancer by activating 7-methyguanosine (m7G) regulated let-7e miRNA/HMGA2 axis.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. Concern was raised by a reader that the pictures of different cell lines in Fig. 3A and Fig. 4D were from the same cell line, suggesting repeated use of the same picture. The editor contacted the corresponding author for explanation, but there was no reply. Apologies are offered to readers of the journal that this was not detected during the submission process.

Overexpressed methyltransferase-like 1 (METTL1) increased chemosensitivity of colon cancer cells to cisplatin by regulating miR-149-3p/S100A4/p53 axis.

Methyltransferase-like 1 (METTL1) mediated 7-methylguanosine (m7G) is crucial for the regulation of chemoresistance in cancer treatment. However, the role of METTL1 in regulating chemoresistance of colon cancer (CC) cells to cisplatin is still unclear. This study established the cisplatin-resistant CC (CR-CC) cells and found that METTL1 was low-expressed in CR-CC cells compared to their paired cisplatin-sensitive CC (CS-CC) cells. Besides, overexpressed METTL1 enhanced the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin on CR-CC cells. In addition, miR-149-3p was the downstream target of METTL1, which could be positively regulated by METTL1. Further results validated that miR-149-3p was low-expressed in CR-CC cells comparing to the CS-CC cells. In addition, the promoting effects of overexpressed METTL1 on cisplatin induced CR-CC cell death were abrogated by synergistically knocking down miR-149-3p. Furthermore, S100A4/p53 axis was the downstream target of METTL1 and miR-149-3p, and either overexpressed METTL1 or miR-149-3p increased p53 protein levels in CR-CC cells, which were reversed by upregulating S100A4. Similarly, the promoting effects of overexpressed METTL1 on cisplatin-induced CR-CC cell death were abrogated by overexpressing S100A4. Taken together, overexpression of METTL1 sensitized CR-CC cells to cisplatin by modulating miR-149-3p/S100A4/p53 axis.

Gankyrin drives metabolic reprogramming to promote tumorigenesis, metastasis and drug resistance through activating ß-catenin/c-Myc signaling in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Gankyrin plays important roles in tumorigenicity and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We have for the first time investigated the effects of Gankyrin on glycolysis and glutaminolysis both in vitro and in vivo, including in patient-derived xenografts. We reported Gankyrin increases glucose consumption, lactate production, glutamine consumption and glutamate production in HCC through upregulating the expression of the transporters and enzymes involved in glycolysis and glutaminolysis, including HK2, GLUT1, LDHA, PKM2, ASCT2 and GLS1. We further demonstrated that Gankyrin drives glycolysis and glutaminolysis through upregulating c-Myc via activating ß-catenin signaling. Importantly, we found c-Myc mediated metabolic reprogramming might contribute to the tumorigenicity, metastasis and drug resistance induced by Gankyrin. c-Myc inhibitor synergizes with Sorafenib or Regorafenib to suppress HCC PDX tumors with high Gankyrin levels. We detected a significant correlation between Gankyrin and ß-catenin expression levels in a cohort of HCC biopsies, and combination of these two parameters is a more powerful predictor of poor prognosis. Collectively, our results uncovered that Gankyrin functions as an essential regulator in glycolysis and glutaminolysis via activation of ß-catenin/c-Myc to promotes tumorigenesis, metastasis and drug resistance in human HCC.

A multidimensional integration analysis reveals potential bridging targets in the process of colorectal cancer liver metastasis.

Approximately 9% of cancer-related deaths are caused by colorectal cancer. Liver metastasis is a major factor for the high colorectal cancer mortality rate. However, the molecular mechanism underlying colorectal cancer liver metastasis remains unclear. Using a global and multidimensional integration approach, we studied sequencing data, protein-protein interactions, and regulation of transcription factor and non-coding RNAs in primary tumor samples and liver metastasis samples to unveil the potential bridging molecules and the regulators that functionally link different stages of colorectal cancer liver metastasis. Primary tumor samples and liver metastasis samples had modules with significant overlap and crosstalk from which we identified several bridging genes (e.g. KNG1 and COX5B), transcription factors (e.g. E2F4 and CDX2), microRNAs (e.g. miR-590-3p and miR-203) and lncRNAs (e.g. lincIRX5 and lincFOXF1) that may play an important role in the process of colorectal cancer liver metastasis. This study enhances our understanding of the genetic alterations and transcriptional regulation that drive the metastatic process, but also provides the methodology to guide the studies on other metastatic cancers.