This study explores the role of the long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) CRNDE in cisplatin (CDDP) resistance of gastric cancer (GC) cells. Here, we show that LncRNA CRNDE is upregulated in carcinoma tissues ...and tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) of GC patients. In vitro experiments show that CRNDE is enriched in M2‐polarized macrophage‐derived exosomes (M2‐exo) and is transferred from M2 macrophages to GC cells via exosomes. Silencing CRNDE in M2‐exo reverses the promotional effect of M2‐exo on cell proliferation in CDDP‐treated GC cells and homograft tumor growth in CDDP‐treated nude mice. Mechanistically, CRNDE facilitates neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 4‐1 (NEDD4‐1)‐mediated phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) ubiquitination. Silencing CRNDE in M2‐exo enhances the CDDP sensitivity of GC cells treated with M2‐exo, which is reduced by PTEN knockdown. Collectively, these data reveal a vital role for CRNDE in CDDP resistance of GC cells and suggest that the upregulation of CRNDE in GC cells may be attributed to the transfer of TAM‐derived exosomes.
SYNOPSIS
LncRNA CRNDE is transferred from M2‐polarized macrophages to GC cells via exosomes, suppressing PTEN expression in GC cells. The latter leads to a reduced sensitivity of GC cells to cisplatin.
LncRNA CRNDE is enriched in TAMs of GC patients.
LncRNA CRNDE is transferred from M2‐polarized macrophages to GC cells via exosomes in vitro.
CRNDE facilitates NEDD4‐1‐mediated PTEN ubiquitination in GC cells.
Exosomal transfer of LncRNA CRNDE is linked to cisplatin resistance in GC cells caused by reduced PTEN levels.
LncRNA CRNDE is transferred from M2‐polarized macrophages to GC cells via exosomes, suppressing PTEN expression in GC cells. The latter leads to a reduced sensitivity of GC cells to cisplatin.
Objectives
Tanshinone I (Tan‐I) is one of the vital fatsoluble monomer components, which extracted from Chinese medicinal herb Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. It has been shown that Tan‐I exhibited ...anti‐tumour activities on different types of cancers. However, the underlying mechanisms by which Tan‐Ⅰ regulates apoptosis and autophagy in ovarian cancer remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to access the therapy effect of Tan‐Ⅰ and the underlying mechanisms.
Methods
Ovarian cancer cells A2780 and ID‐8 were treated with different concentrations of Tan‐Ⅰ (0, 1.2, 2.4, 4.8 and 9.6 μg/mL) for 24 hours. The cell proliferation was analysed by CCK8 assay, EdU staining and clone formation assay. Apoptosis was assessed by the TUNEL assay and flow cytometry. The protein levels of apoptosis protein (Caspase‐3), autophagy protein (Beclin1, ATG7, p62 and LC3II/LC3I) and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were determined by Western blot. Autophagic vacuoles in cells were observed with LC3 dyeing using confocal fluorescent microscopy. Anti‐tumour activity of Tan‐Ⅰ was accessed by subcutaneous xeno‐transplanted tumour model of human ovarian cancer in nude mice. The Ki67, Caspase‐3 level and apoptosis level were analysed by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining.
Results
Tan‐Ⅰ inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells A2780 and ID‐8 in a dose‐dependent manner, based on CCK8 assay, EdU staining and clone formation assay. In additional, Tan‐Ⅰ induced cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy in a dose‐dependent manner in ovarian cancer cells by TUNEL assay, flow cytometry and Western blot. Tan‐Ⅰ significantly inhibited tumour growth by inducing cell apoptosis and autophagy. Mechanistically, Tan‐Ⅰ activated apoptosis‐associated protein Caspase‐3 cleavage to promote cell apoptosis and inhibited PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to induce autophagy.
Conclusions
This is the first evidence that Tan‐Ⅰ induced apoptosis and promoted autophagy via the inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway on ovarian cancer and further inhibited tumour growth, which might be considered as effective strategy.
Although clinical studies have shown promise for targeting programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and ligand (PD-L1) signaling in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the factors that predict which ...subtype patients will be responsive to checkpoint blockade are not fully understood.
We performed an integrated analysis on the multiple-dimensional data types including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and clinical data from cohorts of lung adenocarcinoma public (discovery set) and internal (validation set) database and immunotherapeutic patients. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to determine potentially relevant gene expression signatures between specific subgroups.
We observed that
mutation significantly increased expression of immune checkpoints and activated T-effector and interferon-γ signature. More importantly, the
comutated subgroup manifested exclusive increased expression of PD-L1 and a highest proportion of
Meanwhile,
or
-mutated tumors showed prominently increased mutation burden and specifically enriched in the transversion-high (TH) cohort. Further analysis focused on the potential molecular mechanism revealed that
or
mutation altered a group of genes involved in cell-cycle regulating, DNA replication and damage repair. Finally, immunotherapeutic analysis from public clinical trial and prospective observation in our center were further confirmed that
or
mutation patients, especially those with co-occurring
mutations, showed remarkable clinical benefit to PD-1 inhibitors.
This work provides evidence that
and
mutation in lung adenocarcinoma may be served as a pair of potential predictive factors in guiding anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy.
.
In the global KEYNOTE‐042 study (Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02220894), pembrolizumab significantly improved overall survival (OS) vs chemotherapy in patients with previously untreated programmed death ...ligand 1 (PD‐L1)‐positive locally advanced/metastatic non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without EGFR/ALK alterations. We present results from patients in KEYNOTE‐042 enrolled from China in the global or extension study (NCT03850444; protocol identical to global study). Patients were randomized 1:1 (stratified by ECOG performance status 0 vs 1, squamous vs nonsquamous histology and PD‐L1 tumor proportion score TPS ≥50% vs 1%‐49%) to 35 cycles of pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks (Q3W) or investigator's choice of 4 to 6 cycles of carboplatin plus paclitaxel or pemetrexed Q3W with optional pemetrexed maintenance for nonsquamous tumors. Primary endpoints were OS in patients with PD‐L1 TPS ≥50%, ≥20% or ≥1%. Two hundred sixty‐two patients (pembrolizumab, n = 128; chemotherapy, n = 134) were enrolled from China. At data cutoff (February 21, 2020; median follow‐up, 33.0 range, 25.6‐41.9 months), pembrolizumab was shown to improve OS vs chemotherapy in patients with PD‐L1 TPS ≥50% (hazard ratio 95% CI, 0.63 0.43‐0.94), TPS ≥20% (0.66 0.47‐0.92) and TPS ≥1% (0.67 0.50‐0.89). Grade 3 to 5 treatment‐related adverse events occurred less frequently with pembrolizumab vs chemotherapy (19.5% vs 68.8%). In 22 patients who completed 35 cycles of pembrolizumab, objective response rate was 77.3% and median duration of response was 27.6 months. Consistent with the global KEYNOTE‐042 study, pembrolizumab improved OS vs chemotherapy in this study of Chinese patients with locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC and PD‐L1 TPS ≥1%, supporting first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy for PD‐L1‐positive advanced/metastatic NSCLC in China.
What's new?
The global KEYNOTE‐042 clinical study helped establish single‐agent pembrolizumab, an anti‐PD‐1 monoclonal antibody, as a standard first‐line treatment option in patients with previously untreated PD‐L1‐positive locally advanced/metastatic non–small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without EGFR/ALK aberrations. Because disease characteristics and responses to anticancer therapy may differ between Asian and other populations, there is a need to evaluate these treatments specifically in Asian patients. Here, the authors show that pembrolizumab also improved overall survival and was better tolerated than chemotherapy among Chinese patients with PD‐L1 TPS ≥1% in the KEYNOTE‐042 study. These data support first‐line pembrolizumab monotherapy for PD‐L1‐positive advanced/metastatic NSCLC in China.
COVID-19 has spread worldwide since 2019 and is now a severe threat to public health. We previously identified the causative agent as a novel SARS-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that uses human ...angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) as the entry receptor. Here, we successfully developed a SARS-CoV-2 hACE2 transgenic mouse (HFH4-hACE2 in C3B6 mice) infection model. The infected mice generated typical interstitial pneumonia and pathology that were similar to those of COVID-19 patients. Viral quantification revealed the lungs as the major site of infection, although viral RNA could also be found in the eye, heart, and brain in some mice. Virus identical to SARS-CoV-2 in full-genome sequences was isolated from the infected lung and brain tissues. Last, we showed that pre-exposure to SARS-CoV-2 could protect mice from severe pneumonia. Our results show that the hACE2 mouse would be a valuable tool for testing potential vaccines and therapeutics.
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•SARS-CoV-2 could infect HFH4-hACE2 mice and cause death•SARS-CoV-2 infection localizes to lungs of mice and causes typical interstitial pneumonia•Pre-exposure to SARS-CoV-2 protects mice from lethal challenge
A SARS-CoV-2 hACE2 transgenic mouse infection model recapitulates a number of infection symptoms and pathology in COVID-19 patients. Pre-exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was able to protect mice from severe pneumonia.
Introduction: The actual rate of conversion surgery and its prognostic advantages remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of salvage surgery after conversion therapy with triple ...therapy (transcatheter arterial chemoembolization TACE combined with lenvatinib plus anti-PD-1 antibodies) in patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). Methods: Patients with initially uHCC who received at least one cycle of first-line triple therapy and salvage surgery at five major cancer centers in China were included. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates after salvage surgery. The secondary endpoints were perioperative complications, 90-day mortality, and pathological tumor response. Results: Between June 2018 and December 2021, 70 patients diagnosed with uHCC who underwent triple therapy and salvage surgery were analyzed: 39 with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C, 22 with BCLC stage B, and 9 with BCLC stage A disease. The median interval between the start of triple therapy and salvage surgery was 4.3 months (range, 1.7–14.2 months). Pathological complete response and major pathological response were observed in 29 (41.4%) and 59 (84.3%) patients, respectively. There were 2 cases of perioperative mortality (4.3%) and 5 cases of severe perioperative complications (7.1%). With a median follow-up of 12.9 months after surgery (range, 0.3–36.8 months), the median OS and RFS were not reached. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 97.1% and 94.4%, respectively, and the corresponding RFS rates were 68.9% and 54.4%, respectively. Conclusion: First-line combination of TACE, lenvatinib, and anti-PD-1 antibodies provides a better chance of conversion therapy in patients with initially uHCC. Furthermore, salvage surgery after conversion therapy is effective and safe and has the potential to provide excellent long-term survival benefits.
Defects have been found to enhance the electrocatalytic performance of NiFe‐LDH for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Nevertheless, their specific configuration and the role played in regulating the ...surface reconstruction of electrocatalysts remain ambiguous. Herein, cationic vacancy defects are generated via aprotic‐solvent‐solvation‐induced leaking of metal cations from NiFe‐LDH nanosheets. DFT calculation and in situ Raman spectroscopic observation both reveal that the as‐generated cationic vacancy defects tend to exist as VM (M=Ni/Fe); under increasing applied voltage, they tend to assume the configuration VMOH, and eventually transform into VMOH‐H which is the most active yet most difficult to form thermodynamically. Meanwhile, with increasing voltage the surface crystalline Ni(OH)x in the NiFe‐LDH is gradually converted into disordered status; under sufficiently high voltage when oxygen bubbles start to evolve, local NiOOH species become appearing, which is the residual product from the formation of vacancy VMOH‐H. Thus, we demonstrate that the cationic defects evolve along with increasing applied voltage (VM → VMOH → VMOH‐H), and reveal the essential motif for the surface restructuration process of NiFe‐LDH (crystalline Ni(OH)x → disordered Ni(OH)x → NiOOH). Our work provides insight into defect‐induced surface restructuration behaviors of NiFe‐LDH as a typical precatalyst for efficient OER electrocatalysis.
Along with increasing voltage during the OER process, the structural evolution of cationic defects within NiFe‐LDH, where the simple vacancy VM changes to VMOH and then to the most reactive VMOH‐H, and the surface restructuration, where surface crystalline Ni(OH)x is converted to disordered Ni(OH)x and then to the surface local NiOOH species, are voltage‐regulated concurrent events defining the eventual catalytic performance of the precatalyst.
The 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak is a major challenge for public health. SARS-CoV-2 infection in human has a broad clinical spectrum ranging from mild to severe cases, with a ...mortality rate of ~6.4% worldwide (based on World Health Organization daily situation report). However, the dynamics of viral infection, replication and shedding are poorly understood. Here, we show that Rhesus macaques are susceptible to the infection by SARS-CoV-2. After intratracheal inoculation, the first peak of viral RNA was observed in oropharyngeal swabs one day post infection (1 d.p.i.), mainly from the input of the inoculation, while the second peak occurred at 5 d.p.i., which reflected on-site replication in the respiratory tract. Histopathological observation shows that SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause interstitial pneumonia in animals, characterized by hyperemia and edema, and infiltration of monocytes and lymphocytes in alveoli. We also identified SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory tract tissues, including trachea, bronchus and lung; and viruses were also re-isolated from oropharyngeal swabs, bronchus and lung, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrated that neutralizing antibodies generated from the primary infection could protect the Rhesus macaques from a second-round challenge by SARS-CoV-2. The non-human primate model that we established here provides a valuable platform to study SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and to evaluate candidate vaccines and therapeutics.
Cancer stem cells are undifferentiated cancer cells that have self‐renewal ability, a high tumorigenic activity, and a multilineage differentiation potential. MicroRNAs play a critical role in ...regulating gene expression during carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated the role of miR‐7 and the mechanism by which it is dysregulated in gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs). The stem cell marker, CD44, was used to sort GCSCs by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting. We found that CD44 (+) cells have higher invasiveness and form more number of sphere colonies than CD44 (−) cells. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed that the miR‐7‐5p expression was remarkably downregulated in GCSCs but was significantly increased in the methionine‐deprived medium. The downregulation of miR‐7‐5p results from the increased DNA methylation in the promoter region using the methylation‐specific PCR. Overexpression of miR‐7‐5p reduced the formation of colony and decreased the invasion of GCSCs through targeting Smo and Hes1 and subsequent repressing Notch and Hedgehog signaling pathways in vitro. Notably, upregulating miR‐7‐5p inhibited the growth of tumor in the xenograft model. Hence, these data demonstrated that miR‐7‐5p represses GCSC invasion through inhibition of Smo and Hes1, which provides a potential therapeutic target of gastric cancer treatment.
Stable isotope chemical labeling methods have been widely used for high‐throughput mass spectrometry (MS)‐based quantitative proteomics in biological and clinical applications. However, the existing ...methods are far from meeting the requirements for high sensitivity detection. In the present study, a novel isobaric stable isotope N‐phosphorylation labeling (iSIPL) strategy was developed for quantitative proteome analysis. The tryptic peptides were selectively labeled with iSIPL tag to generate the novel reporter ions containing phosphoramidate P−N bond with high intensities under lower collision energies. iSIPL strategy are suitable for peptide sequencing and quantitative analysis with high sensitivity and accuracy even for samples of limited quantity. Furthermore, iSIPL coupled with affinity purification and mass spectrometry was applied to measure the dynamics of cyclin dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) interactomes during transactivation of the HIV‐1 provirus. The interaction of CDK9 with PARP13 was found to significantly decrease during Tat‐induced activation of HIV‐1 gene transcription, suggesting the effectiveness of iSIPL strategy in dynamic analysis of protein‐protein interaction in vivo. More than that, the proposed iSIPL strategy would facilitate large‐scale accurate quantitative proteomics by increasing multiplexing capability.
A novel isobaric phosphorus reagent enables the accurate quantitative proteome analysis and peptide sequencing with high sensitivity. The reporter ion clusters with characteristic P−N bonds were efficiently generated with very high intensities for protein quantification.