The tumor microenvironment is a highly complex ecosystem of diverse cell types, which shape cancer biology and impact the responsiveness to therapy. Here, we analyze the microenvironment of ...esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) using single-cell transcriptome sequencing in 62,161 cells from blood, adjacent nonmalignant and matched tumor samples from 11 ESCC patients. We uncover heterogeneity in most cell types of the ESCC stroma, particularly in the fibroblast and immune cell compartments. We identify a tumor-specific subset of CST1
myofibroblasts with prognostic values and potential biological significance. CST1
myofibroblasts are also highly tumor-specific in other cancer types. Additionally, a subset of antigen-presenting fibroblasts is revealed and validated. Analyses of myeloid and T lymphoid lineages highlight the immunosuppressive nature of the ESCC microenvironment, and identify cancer-specific expression of immune checkpoint inhibitors. This work establishes a rich resource of stromal cell types of the ESCC microenvironment for further understanding of ESCC biology.
Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are aggressive malignancies. Previous report demonstrated that master transcription factors (TFs) TP63 and SOX2 exhibited overlapping genomic occupancy in SCCs. ...However, functional consequence of their frequent co-localization at super-enhancers remains incompletely understood. Here, epigenomic profilings of different types of SCCs reveal that TP63 and SOX2 cooperatively and lineage-specifically regulate long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) CCAT1 expression, through activation of its super-enhancers and promoter. Silencing of CCAT1 substantially reduces cellular growth both in vitro and in vivo, phenotyping the effect of inhibiting either TP63 or SOX2. ChIRP analysis shows that CCAT1 forms a complex with TP63 and SOX2, which regulates EGFR expression by binding to the super-enhancers of EGFR, thereby activating both MEK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. These results together identify a SCC-specific DNA/RNA/protein complex which activates TP63/SOX2-CCAT1-EGFR cascade and promotes SCC tumorigenesis, advancing our understanding of transcription dysregulation in cancer biology mediated by master TFs and super-enhancers.
Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) is a copper and lysine tyrosyl-quinone (LTQ)-dependent amine oxidase belonging to the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family, the canonical function of which is to catalyze the ...crosslinking of elastin and collagen in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Many studies have revealed that the aberrant expression of LOXL2 in multiple cancers is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), metastasis, poor prognosis, chemoradiotherapy resistance, and tumor progression. LOXL2 is regulated in many ways, such as transcriptional regulation, alternative splicing, microRNA regulation, posttranslational modification, and cleavage. Beyond affecting the extracellular environment, various intracellular roles, such as oxidation and deacetylation activities in the nucleus, have been reported for LOXL2. Additionally, LOXL2 contributes to tumor cell invasion by promoting cytoskeletal reorganization. Targeting LOXL2 has become a potential therapeutic strategy to combat many types of cancers. Here, we provide an overview of the regulation and downstream effectors of LOXL2 and discuss the intracellular role of LOXL2 in cancer.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a type of aggressive cancer without clinically relevant molecular subtypes, hindering the development of effective strategies for treatment. To define molecular subtypes of ...EC, we perform mass spectrometry-based proteomic and phosphoproteomics profiling of EC tumors and adjacent non-tumor tissues, revealing a catalog of proteins and phosphosites that are dysregulated in ECs. The EC cohort is stratified into two molecular subtypes-S1 and S2-based on proteomic analysis, with the S2 subtype characterized by the upregulation of spliceosomal and ribosomal proteins, and being more aggressive. Moreover, we identify a subtype signature composed of ELOA and SCAF4, and construct a subtype diagnostic and prognostic model. Potential drugs are predicted for treating patients of S2 subtype, and three candidate drugs are validated to inhibit EC. Taken together, our proteomic analysis define molecular subtypes of EC, thus providing a potential therapeutic outlook for improving disease outcomes in patients with EC.
Phase separation is the basis for the formation of membrane-less organelles in cells and is involved in many biological processes. Many biological macromolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids, ...exert their biological functions by forming phase-separated condensates, and phase separation is closely related to various human diseases. Gene transcriptional regulation is an indispensable part of gene expression and normal function in cells. Its abnormal regulation often causes the occurrence of different diseases. In recent years, the occurrence of phase separation during transcriptional regulation has become an area of intense research. This review summarizes the process of phase separation involved in heterochromatin formation and chromatin remodeling, transcriptional regulation and post-transcriptional regulation. It provides a reference for understanding gene regulation during cell identity and disease development.
•Overview of phase separation and chromatin structure•Overview of phase separation and transcriptional regulation•Overview of phase separation and post-transcriptional regulation
Abstract
Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) comprise one of the most common histologic types of human cancer. Transcriptional dysregulation of SCC cells is orchestrated by
tumor protein p63 (TP63)
, a ...master transcription factor (TF) and a well-researched SCC-specific oncogene. In the present study, both Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) of SCC patient samples and in vitro loss-of-function assays establish fatty-acid metabolism as a key pathway downstream of TP63. Further studies identify
sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1)
as a central mediator linking TP63 with fatty-acid metabolism, which regulates the biosynthesis of fatty-acids, sphingolipids (SL), and glycerophospholipids (GPL), as revealed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based lipidomics. Moreover, a feedback co-regulatory loop consisting of SREBF1/TP63/
Kruppel like factor 5 (KLF5)
is identified, which promotes overexpression of all three TFs in SCCs. Downstream of SREBF1, a non-canonical, SCC-specific function is elucidated: SREBF1 cooperates with TP63/KLF5 to regulate hundreds of cis-regulatory elements across the SCC epigenome, which converge on activating cancer-promoting pathways. Indeed, SREBF1 is essential for SCC viability and migration, and its overexpression is associated with poor survival in SCC patients. Taken together, these data shed light on mechanisms of transcriptional dysregulation in cancer, identify specific epigenetic regulators of lipid metabolism, and uncover SREBF1 as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker in SCC.
Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and adenocarcinoma (OAC) are distinct cancers in terms of a number of clinical and epidemiological characteristics, complicating the design of clinical ...trials and biomarker developments. We analysed 1048 oesophageal tumour-germline pairs from both subtypes, to characterise their genomic features, and biological and clinical significance.
Previously exome-sequenced samples were re-analysed to identify significantly mutated genes (SMGs) and mutational signatures. The biological functions of novel SMGs were investigated using cell line and xenograft models. We further performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq to characterise epigenetic alterations.
OSCC and OAC displayed nearly mutually exclusive sets of driver genes, indicating that they follow independent developmental paths. The combined sample size allowed the statistical identification of a number of novel subtype-specific SMGs, mutational signatures and prognostic biomarkers. Particularly, we identified a novel mutational signature similar to Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer (COSMIC)signature 16, which has prognostic value in OSCC. Two newly discovered SMGs,
and
, were validated as important tumour-suppressors specific to the OSCC subtype. We further identified their additional loss-of-function mechanisms.
was homozygously deleted specifically in OSCC and other squamous cell cancers (SCCs). Notably,
is associated with super-enhancer in healthy oesophageal mucosa; DNA hypermethylation in its super-enhancer reduced active histone markers in squamous cancer cells, suggesting an epigenetic inactivation of a super-enhancer-associated SCC suppressor.
These data comprehensively contrast differences between OSCC and OAC at both genomic and epigenomic levels, and reveal novel molecular features for further delineating the pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment strategies for these cancers.
Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation has been widely used in the field of biomedicine to study the conformational transition of proteins caused by mutation or ligand binding/unbinding. It provides some ...perspectives those are difficult to find in traditional biochemical or pathological experiments, for example, detailed effects of mutations on protein structure and protein–protein/ligand interaction at the atomic level. In this review, a broad overview on conformation changes and drug discovery by MD simulation is given. We first discuss the preparation of protein structure for MD simulation, which is a key step that determines the accuracy of the simulation. Then, we summarize the applications of commonly used force fields and MD simulations in scientific research. Finally, enhanced sampling methods and common applications of these methods are introduced. In brief, MD simulation is a powerful tool and it can be used to guide experimental study. The combination of MD simulation and experimental techniques is an a priori means to solve the biomedical problems and give a deep understanding on the relationship between protein structure and function.
Molecular dynamics simulation can be used to study the protein interactions at atomic level. It is a powerful tool to study protein conformational changes, drug binding/dissociation, mutation effect, protein‐protein interaction, etc.
Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the world. Although traditional treatment methods such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy have good effects, their side effects and drug ...resistance remain problematic. The repositioning of drug function provides new ideas for the research and development of anticancer drugs. We previously showed that the Food and Drug Administration–approved drug sulconazole can effectively inhibit the growth of esophageal cancer cells, but its molecular mechanism is not clear. Here, our study demonstrated that sulconazole had a broad spectrum of anticancer effects. It can not only inhibit the proliferation but also inhibit the migration of esophageal cancer cells. Both transcriptomic sequencing and proteomic sequencing showed that sulconazole could promote various types of programmed cell death and inhibit glycolysis and its related pathways. Experimentally, we found that sulconazole induced apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis. Mechanistically, sulconazole triggered mitochondrial oxidative stress and inhibited glycolysis. Finally, we showed that low-dose sulconazole can increase radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer cells. Taken together, these new findings provide strong laboratory evidence for the clinical application of sulconazole in esophageal cancer.
Display omitted
•Sulconazole has a broad spectrum of anticancer effects.•Sulconazole induces PANoptosis of esophageal cancer cells.•Sulconazole triggers mitochondrial oxidative stress and inhibits glycolysis.•Sulconazole increase the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer cells.
This article reports that sulconazole induces PANoptosis, which is a combination of cell apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis, in esophageal cancer cells. Mechanistically, sulconazole triggers oxidative stress and inhibits glycolysis via downregulating HKs and inhibiting the PI3K/AKT, MEK/ERK, STAT3 pathways. Finally, sulconazole increases radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer cells. This study provides experimental evidence for the clinical application of sulconazole.
The importance of intratumoral heterogeneity has been highlighted by the identification and characterization of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Based on the differential responsiveness to a Sox2 reporter, ...SRR2, we had found a novel dichotomy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells, with reporter-responsive (RR) cells showing more CSC-like features than reporter-unresponsive (RU) cells. Specifically, RR cells exhibited significantly higher tumorsphere formation capacity, proportions of CD44(High) cells, chemoresistance to cisplatin, and tumorigenic potential in vivo. H2 O2 , a potent inducer of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species, was found to induce a conversion from RU to RR cells; importantly, converted RR cells acquired CSC-like features. The PI3K/AKT/c-MYC signalling axis is important in this context, since pharmacologic blockade of PI3K-AKT or siRNA knockdown of c-MYC effectively inhibited the RR phenotype and its associated CSC-like features, as well as the H2 O2 -induced RU/RR conversion. In a cohort of 188 ESCC patient samples, we found a significant correlation between strong c-MYC expression and a short overall survival (p = .009). In conclusion, we have described a novel intratumoral heterogeneity in ESCC. The identification of the PI3K/AKT/c-MYC axis as a driver of CSC-like features carries therapeutic implications. Stem Cells 2016;34:2040-2051.
PDF
