Receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIP3 or RIPK3) is an essential part of the cellular machinery that executes "programmed" or "regulated" necrosis. Here we show that programmed necrosis is ...activated in response to many chemotherapeutic agents and contributes to chemotherapy-induced cell death. However, we show that RIP3 expres- sion is often silenced in cancer cells due to genomic methylation near its transcriptional start site, thus RIP3-depen- dent activation of MLKL and downstream programmed necrosis during chemotherapeutic death is largely repressed. Nevertheless, treatment with hypomethylating agents restores RIP3 expression, and thereby promotes sensitivity to chemotherapeutics in a RIP3-dependent manner. RIP3 expression is reduced in tumors compared to normal tissue in 85% of breast cancer patients, suggesting that RIP3 deficiency is positively selected during tumor growth/develop- ment. Since hypomethylating agents are reasonably well-tolerated in patients, we propose that RIP3-deficient cancer patients may benefit from receiving hypomethylating agents to induce RIP3 expression prior to treatment with con- ventional chemotherapeutics.
Necroptosis is emerging as a new target for cancer immunotherapy as it is now recognized as a form of cell death that increases tumor immunogenicity, which would be especially helpful in treating ...immune-desert tumors. De novo synthesis of inflammatory proteins during necroptosis appears especially important in facilitating increased anti-tumor immune responses. While late-stage transcription mediated by NF-κB during cell death is believed to play a role in this process, it is otherwise unclear what cell signaling events initiate this transactivation of inflammatory genes.
We employed tandem-affinity purification linked to mass spectrometry (TAP-MS), in combination with the analysis of RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) datasets to identify the Tripartite Motif Protein 28 (TRIM28) as a candidate co-repressor. Comprehensive biochemical and molecular biology techniques were used to characterize the role of TRIM28 in RIPK3 activation-induced transcriptional and immunomodulatory events. The cell composition estimation module was used to evaluate the correlation between RIPK3/TRIM28 levels and CD8
T cells or dendritic cells (DC) in all TCGA tumors.
We identified TRIM28 as a co-repressor that regulates transcriptional activity during necroptosis. Activated RIPK3 phosphorylates TRIM28 on serine 473, inhibiting its chromatin binding activity, thereby contributing to the transactivation of NF-κB and other transcription factors, such as SOX9. This leads to elevated cytokine expression, which then potentiates immunoregulatory processes, such as DC maturation. The expression of RIPK3 has a significant positive association with the tumor-infiltrating immune cells populations in various tumor type, thereby activating anti-cancer responses.
Our data suggest that RIPK3 activation-dependent derepression of TRIM28 in cancer cells leads to increased immunostimulatory cytokine production in the tumor microenvironment, which then contributes to robust cytotoxic anti-tumor immunity.
Background:
Therapeutic targets for ulcerative colitis (UC) and prediction models of antitumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy outcomes have not been fully reported.
Objective:
Investigate the ...characteristic metabolite and lipid profiles of fecal samples of UC patients before and after adalimumab treatment and develop a prediction model of clinical remission following adalimumab treatment.
Design:
Prospective, observational, multicenter study was conducted on moderate-to-severe UC patients (n = 116).
Methods:
Fecal samples were collected from UC patients at 8 and 56 weeks of adalimumab treatment and from healthy controls (HC, n = 37). Clinical remission was assessed using the Mayo score. Metabolomic and lipidomic analyses were performed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry and nano electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, respectively. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis was performed to establish a remission prediction model.
Results:
Fecal metabolites in UC patients markedly differed from those in HC at baseline and were changed similarly to those in HC during treatment; however, lipid profiles did not show these patterns. After treatment, the fecal characteristics of remitters (RM) were closer to those of HC than to those of non-remitters (NRM). At 8 and 56 weeks, amino acid levels in RM were lower than those in NRM and similar to those in HC. After 56 weeks, levels of 3-hydroxybutyrate, lysine, and phenethylamine decreased, and dodecanoate level increased in RM similarly to those in HC. The prediction model of long-term remission in male patients based on lipid biomarkers showed a higher performance than clinical markers.
Conclusion:
Fecal metabolites in UC patients markedly differ from those in HC, and the levels in RM are changed similarly to those in HC after anti-TNF therapy. Moreover, 3-hydroxybutyrate, lysine, phenethylamine, and dodecanoate are suggested as potential therapeutic targets for UC. A prediction model of long-term remission based on lipid biomarkers may help implement personalized treatment.
Recent studies have reported that sarcopenia influences morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. However, few studies have investigated the associations of sarcopenia with short‐term and ...long‐term graft failure in recipients after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). In this study, we investigated the associations between sarcopenia and graft failure/mortality in patients undergoing LDLT. We retrospectively examined 2816 recipients who underwent LDLT between January 2008 and January 2018. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between sarcopenia and graft failure/mortality in recipients at 60 days, 180 days, and 1 year and overall. Sarcopenia in the recipient was significantly associated with 60‐day graft failure (adjusted hazard ratio HR, 1.98; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.09–3.61; p = 0.03), 180‐day graft failure (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.19–2.88; p = 0.01), 1‐year graft failure (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01–2.17; p = 0.05), and overall graft failure (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.08–1.87; p = 0.01). In addition, recipient sarcopenia was associated with 180‐day mortality (HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.17–3.01; p = 0.01), 1‐year mortality (HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.01–2.29; p = 0.04), and overall mortality (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.08–1.90; p = 0.01). Preoperative sarcopenia was associated with high rates of graft failure and mortality in LDLT recipients. Therefore, preoperative sarcopenia may be a strong predictor of the surgical prognosis in LDLT recipients.
The dissemination of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) requires the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal transition (EMT), in which cells lose their epithelial characteristics and acquire more mesenchymal-like ...phenotypes. Current isolation of CTCs relies on affinity-based approaches reliant on the expression of Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM). Here we show EMT-induced breast cancer cells maintained in prolonged mammosphere culture conditions possess increased EMT markers and cancer stem cell markers, as well as reduced cell mass and size by quantitative phase microscopy; however, EpCAM expression is dramatically decreased in these cells. Moreover, CTCs isolated from breast cancer patients using a label-free microfluidic flow fractionation device had differing expression patterns of EpCAM, indicating that affinity approaches reliant on EpCAM expression may underestimate CTC number and potentially miss critical subpopulations. Further characterization of CTCs, including low-EpCAM populations, using this technology may improve detection techniques and cancer diagnosis, ultimately improving cancer treatment.
ISG15 is an interferon-stimulated ubiquitin-like protein (UBL) with multifaceted roles as a posttranslational modifier in ISG15 conjugation (ISGylation). However, the mechanistic consequences of ...ISGylation in cancer have not been fully elucidated, largely due to a lack of knowledge on the ISG15 target repertoire. Here, we identified SIRT1, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD
)-dependent protein deacetylase, as a new target for ISGylation. SIRT1 ISGylation impairs the association of SIRT1 with its negative regulator, deleted in breast cancer 1 (DBC1), which unleashes SIRT1 from its inactive state and leads to an increase in its deacetylase activity. Importantly, SIRT1 ISGylation promoted lung cancer progression and limited lung cancer cell sensitivity to DNA damage-based therapeutics in vivo and in vitro models. The levels of ISG15 mRNA and protein were significantly higher in lung cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Accordingly, elevated expression of SIRT1 and ISG15 was associated with poor prognosis in lung cancer patients, a finding that could be translated for lung cancer patient stratification and disease outcome evaluation. Taken together, our findings provide a mechanistic understanding of the regulatory effect of SIRT1 ISGylation on tumor progression and therapeutic efficacy in lung cancer.
Recently, necroptosis has attracted increasing attention in arthritis research; however, it remains unclear whether its regulation is involved in osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. Since ...receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIP3) plays a pivotal role in necroptosis and its dysregulation is involved in various pathological processes, we investigated the role of the RIP3 axis in OA pathogenesis.
Experimental OA was induced in wild-type or
knockout mice by surgery to destabilise the medial meniscus (DMM) or the intra-articular injection of adenovirus carrying a target gene (Ad-Rip3 and Ad-Trim24 shRNA). RIP3 expression was examined in OA cartilage from human patients; Trim24, a negative regulator of RIP3, was identified by microarray and in silico analysis. Connectivity map (CMap) and in silico binding approaches were used to identify RIP3 inhibitors and to examine their direct regulation of RIP3 activation in OA pathogenesis.
RIP3 expression was markedly higher in damaged cartilage from patients with OA than in undamaged cartilage. In the mouse model, adenoviral RIP3 overexpression accelerated cartilage disruption, whereas
depletion reduced DMM-induced OA pathogenesis. Additionally, TRIM24 knockdown upregulated RIP3 expression; its downregulation promoted OA pathogenesis in knee joint tissues. The CMap approach and in silico binding assay identified AZ-628 as a potent RIP3 inhibitor and demonstrated that it abolished RIP3-mediated OA pathogenesis by inhibiting RIP3 kinase activity.
TRIM24-RIP3 axis perturbation promotes OA chronicity by activating RIP3 kinase, suggesting that the therapeutic manipulation of this pathway could provide new avenues for treating OA.
Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a severe adverse drug reaction involving extensive keratinocyte death in the epidermis. Histologically, the skin from TEN patients exhibits separation at the ...dermo–epidermal junction and accompanying necrosis of epidermal keratinocytes. Receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIP3 or RIPK3) is an essential part of the cellular machinery that executes “programmed”, or “regulated”, necrosis and has a key role in spontaneous cell death and inflammation in keratinocytes under certain conditions. Here we show that RIP3 expression is highly upregulated in skin sections from TEN patients and may therefore contribute to the pathological damage in TEN through activation of programmed necrotic cell death. The expression level of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), a key downstream component of RIP3, was not significantly different in skin lesions of TEN. However, elevated MLKL phosphorylation was observed in the skin from TEN patients, indicating the presence of RIP3-dependent programmed necrosis. Importantly, in an in vitro model of TEN, dabrafenib, an inhibitor of RIP3, prevented RIP3-mediated MLKL phosphorylation and decreased cell death. Results from this study suggest that the high expression of RIP3 in keratinocytes from TEN patients potentiates MLKL phosphorylation/activation and necrotic cell death. Thus, RIP3 represents a potential target for treatment of TEN.