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Biomedicines Jun 2024We explored differences in the DNA methylation statuses of , , , and gene promoter regions in patients with type 1 diabetes and different diabetic retinopathy (DR)...
We explored differences in the DNA methylation statuses of , , , and gene promoter regions in patients with type 1 diabetes and different diabetic retinopathy (DR) stages. Study subjects included individuals with no DR (NDR, = 41), those with non-proliferative DR (NPDR, = 27), and individuals with proliferative DR or those who underwent laser photocoagulation (PDR/LPC, = 46). DNA methylation was determined by Zymo OneStep qMethyl technique. The methylation of (NDR 5.9 (3.9-8.7) %, NPDR 4.5 (3.8-5.7) %, PDR/LPC 6.6 (4.7-10.7) %, = 0.003) and (NDR 2.2 (1.9-3.7) %, NPDR 2.2 (1.9-3.0) %, PDR/LPC 3.2 (2.5-7.1) %, < 0.01) differed across the groups. Consistent correlations were observed between the methylation levels of and in all study groups. DNA methylation levels of , , and genes were positively correlated with the duration of diabetes, HbA1c, and albuminuria in certain study groups. Univariate regression models revealed a significant association between the methylation level z-scores of , , and and severe DR (: OR = 1.96 (1.15; 3.33), = 0.013; : OR = 1.90 (1.14; 3.16), = 0.013; : OR = 3.19 (1.26; 8.06), = 0.014). remained significantly associated with DR in multivariate analysis. Our findings suggest significant associations between the severity of DR and the DNA methylation levels of the genes , , and , but not gene.
PubMed: 38927561
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061354 -
Biomolecules May 2024The p53 protein is the master regulator of cellular integrity, primarily due to its tumor-suppressing functions. Approximately half of all human cancers carry mutations... (Review)
Review
The p53 protein is the master regulator of cellular integrity, primarily due to its tumor-suppressing functions. Approximately half of all human cancers carry mutations in the TP53 gene, which not only abrogate the tumor-suppressive functions but also confer p53 mutant proteins with oncogenic potential. The latter is achieved through so-called gain-of-function (GOF) mutations that promote cancer progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance by deregulating transcriptional networks, signaling pathways, metabolism, immune surveillance, and cellular compositions of the microenvironment. Despite recent progress in understanding the complexity of mutp53 in neoplastic development, the exact mechanisms of how mutp53 contributes to cancer development and how they escape proteasomal and lysosomal degradation remain only partially understood. In this review, we address recent findings in the field of oncogenic functions of mutp53 specifically regarding, but not limited to, its implications in metabolic pathways, the secretome of cancer cells, the cancer microenvironment, and the regulating scenarios of the aberrant proteasomal degradation. By analyzing proteasomal and lysosomal protein degradation, as well as its connection with autophagy, we propose new therapeutical approaches that aim to destabilize mutp53 proteins and deactivate its oncogenic functions, thereby providing a fundamental basis for further investigation and rational treatment approaches for TP53-mutated cancers.
Topics: Humans; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; Neoplasms; Tumor Microenvironment; Proteolysis; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; Autophagy; Animals; Mutation; Lysosomes; Carcinogenesis
PubMed: 38927053
DOI: 10.3390/biom14060649 -
Zhongguo Shi Yan Xue Ye Xue Za Zhi Jun 2024Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable malignant plasma cell diseases, the incidence of which is increasing year by year. The application of immunomodulators drugs,... (Review)
Review
Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable malignant plasma cell diseases, the incidence of which is increasing year by year. The application of immunomodulators drugs, proteasome inhibitors, anti-CD38 antibodies, CAR-T, and HSCT have significantly improved the prognosis of patients with MM, however new therapeutic tools need to be developed to improve the prognosis of patients with relapsed/refractory after conventional regimens treatment. Bispecific antibodies are a novel immunotherapeutic approach that generates immune synapses by binding to targets on malignant plasma cells and cytotoxic immune effector cells (T cells/natural killer cells), leading to T/NK cells activation and malignant plasma cell lysis. Several preclinical and phase I clinical studies have shown good efficacy, bringing new possibilities for patients with relapsed/refractory MM to improve their prognosis in the future in combination with the rest of the treatment options. This article summarizes the classification of bispecific antibodies developed in recent years, and the results of preclinical and clinical trials, which will provide some reference for treating MM.
Topics: Humans; Antibodies, Bispecific; Multiple Myeloma; Immunotherapy; Killer Cells, Natural; Prognosis; T-Lymphocytes
PubMed: 38926994
DOI: 10.19746/j.cnki.issn.1009-2137.2024.03.046 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Excess amounts of histones in the cell induce mitotic chromosome loss and genomic instability, and are therefore detrimental to cell survival. In yeast, excess histones...
Excess amounts of histones in the cell induce mitotic chromosome loss and genomic instability, and are therefore detrimental to cell survival. In yeast, excess histones are degraded by the proteasome mediated via the DNA damage response factor Rad53. Histone expression, therefore, is tightly regulated at the protein level. Our understanding of the transcriptional regulation of histone genes is far from complete. In this study, we found that calcineurin inhibitor treatment increased histone protein levels, and that the transcription factor NFATc1 (nuclear factor of activated T cells 1) repressed histone transcription and acts downstream of the calcineurin. We further revealed that NFATc1 binds to the promoter regions of many histone genes and that histone transcription is downregulated in a manner dependent on intracellular calcium levels. Indeed, overexpression of histone H3 markedly inhibited cell proliferation. Taken together, these findings suggest that NFATc1 prevents the detrimental effects of histone H3 accumulation by inhibiting expression of histone at the transcriptional level.
Topics: NFATC Transcription Factors; Histones; Calcineurin; Humans; Cell Proliferation; Gene Expression Regulation; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Signal Transduction; Transcription, Genetic; Calcium
PubMed: 38926604
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65769-9 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024The oxygen-labile transcription factor called hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is responsible for the cellular and organismal adaptive response to reduced oxygen...
The oxygen-labile transcription factor called hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is responsible for the cellular and organismal adaptive response to reduced oxygen availability. Deregulation of HIF is associated with the pathogenesis of major human diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Under normoxia, the HIFα subunit is hydroxylated on conserved proline residues within the oxygen-dependent degradation domain (ODD) that labels HIFα for proteasome-mediated degradation. Despite similar oxygen-dependent degradation machinery acting on HIF1α and HIF2α, these two paralogs have been shown to exhibit unique kinetics under hypoxia, which suggests that other regulatory processes may be at play. Here, we characterize the protease activity found in rabbit reticulocytes that specifically cleaves the ODD of HIF1α but not HIF2α. Notably, the cleavage product is observed irrespective of the oxygen-dependent prolyl-hydroxylation potential of HIF1α, suggesting independence from oxygen. HIF1α M561T substitution, which mimics an evolutionary substitution that occurred during the duplication and divergence of HIF1α and HIF2α, diminished the cleavage of HIF1α. Protease inhibitor screening suggests that cysteine proteases cathepsins L and B preferentially cleave HIF1αODD, thereby revealing an additional layer of differential HIF regulation.
Topics: Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Animals; Cathepsin L; Proteolysis; Rabbits; Oxygen; Humans; Reticulocytes; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors; Hydroxylation
PubMed: 38926538
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65537-9 -
Nature Communications Jun 2024Targeted protein degradation (TPD) relies on small molecules to recruit proteins to E3 ligases to induce their ubiquitylation and degradation by the proteasome. Only a...
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) relies on small molecules to recruit proteins to E3 ligases to induce their ubiquitylation and degradation by the proteasome. Only a few of the approximately 600 human E3 ligases are currently amenable to this strategy. This limits the actionable target space and clinical opportunities and thus establishes the necessity to expand to additional ligases. Here we identify and characterize SP3N, a specific degrader of the prolyl isomerase FKBP12. SP3N features a minimal design, where a known FKBP12 ligand is appended with a flexible alkylamine tail that conveys degradation properties. We found that SP3N is a precursor and that the alkylamine is metabolized to an active aldehyde species that recruits the SCF ligase for FKBP12 degradation. Target engagement occurs via covalent adduction of Cys326 in the FBXO22 C-terminal domain, which is critical for ternary complex formation, ubiquitylation and degradation. This mechanism is conserved for two recently reported alkylamine-based degraders of NSD2 and XIAP, thus establishing alkylamine tethering and covalent hijacking of FBXO22 as a generalizable TPD strategy.
Topics: Humans; Proteolysis; Ubiquitination; F-Box Proteins; HEK293 Cells; Tacrolimus Binding Protein 1A; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Amines; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; Ligands; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear
PubMed: 38926334
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49739-3 -
Journal of Immunological Methods Jun 2024MHC class I pathway consists of four main steps: proteasomal cleavage in the cytosol in which precursor proteins are cleaved into smaller peptides, which are then...
MHC class I pathway consists of four main steps: proteasomal cleavage in the cytosol in which precursor proteins are cleaved into smaller peptides, which are then transported into the endoplasmic reticulum by the transporter associated with antigen processing, TAP, for further processing (trimming) from the N-terminal region by an ER resident aminopeptidases 1 (ERAP1) enzyme, to generate optimal peptides (8-10 amino acids in length) to produce a stable MHCI-peptide complex, that get transited via the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface for presentation to the cellular immune system. Several studies reported specificities related to the ERAP1 trimming process, yet there is no in silico tool for the prediction of the trimming process of the ERAP1 enzyme. In this paper, we provide and implement a prediction model for the trimming process of the ERAP1 enzyme.
PubMed: 38925438
DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2024.113713 -
International Journal of Biological... Jun 2024Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a type of major defect that occurs during embryonic development. Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of CHD,...
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a type of major defect that occurs during embryonic development. Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of CHD, its etiology and molecular mechanism remain unclear. To identify the critical role of SUMOylation in cardiac development, we generated SENP3 knockout mice and showed that SENP3 knockout mice die on embryonic day 8.5 with an open neural tube and reversed left-right cardiac asymmetry. Moreover, SENP3 knockout promoted apoptosis and senescence of H9C2 cells. Further studies showed that Nodal, a critical gene that forms left-right asymmetry, is regulated by SENP3 and that SENP3 regulates cell apoptosis and senescence in a Nodal-dependent manner. Furthermore, Nodal was hyper-SUMOylated after SENP3 knockout, and SUMOylation of Nodal inhibited its ubiquitination and ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway. Nodal overexpression enhanced cell apoptosis and senescence; however, the mutation at the SUMOylation site of Nodal reversed its effect on the apoptosis and senescence of H9C2 cells. More importantly, the SENP3-Nodal axis regulates cell senescence by inducing cell autophagy. These results suggest that the SENP3-Nodal signaling axis regulates cardiac senescence-autophagy homeostasis, which in turn affects cardiac development and results in the occurrence of CHD.
PubMed: 38925188
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133294 -
Cell Biology International Jun 2024BAG3 is a multifaceted protein characterised by having WW domain, PXXP motif and BAG domain. This protein gets upregulated during malignant transformation of cells and... (Review)
Review
BAG3 is a multifaceted protein characterised by having WW domain, PXXP motif and BAG domain. This protein gets upregulated during malignant transformation of cells and has been associated with poorer survival of patients. Procancerous activity of BAG domain of BAG3 is well documented. BAG domain interacts with ATPase domain of Hsp-70 preventing protein delivery to proteasome. This impediment results in enhanced cell survival, proliferation, resistance to apoptosis and chemoresistance. Besides BAG domain other two domains/motifs of BAG3 are under research vigilance to explore its further oncogenic role. This review summarises the role of different structural determinants of BAG3 in elevating oncogenesis. Based on the already existing findings, more interacting partners of BAG3 are anticipated. The anticipated partners of BAG3 can shed a wealth of information into the mechanistic insights of its proproliferative role. Proper insights into the mechanistic details adopted by BAG3 to curtail/elaborate activity of anticipated interacting partners can serve as a potent target for development of therapeutic interventions.
PubMed: 38924608
DOI: 10.1002/cbin.12199 -
Science Translational Medicine Jun 2024Targeting ferroptosis for cancer therapy has slowed because of an incomplete understanding of ferroptosis mechanisms under specific pathological contexts such as...
Targeting ferroptosis for cancer therapy has slowed because of an incomplete understanding of ferroptosis mechanisms under specific pathological contexts such as tumorigenesis and cancer treatment. Here, we identify TRPML1-mediated lysosomal exocytosis as a potential anti-ferroptotic process through genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 activation and kinase inhibitor library screening. AKT directly phosphorylated TRPML1 at Ser and inhibited K552 ubiquitination and proteasome degradation of TRPML1, thereby promoting TRPML1 binding to ARL8B to trigger lysosomal exocytosis. This boosted ferroptosis defense of AKT-hyperactivated cancer cells by reducing intracellular ferrous iron and enhancing membrane repair. Correlation analysis and functional analysis revealed that TRPML1-mediated ferroptosis resistance is a previously unrecognized feature of AKT-hyperactivated cancers and is necessary for AKT-driven tumorigenesis and cancer therapeutic resistance. TRPML1 inactivation or blockade of the interaction between TRPML1 and ARL8B inhibited AKT-driven tumorigenesis and cancer therapeutic resistance in vitro and in vivo by promoting ferroptosis. A synthetic peptide targeting TRPML1 inhibited AKT-driven tumorigenesis and enhanced the sensitivity of AKT-hyperactivated tumors to ferroptosis inducers, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy by boosting ferroptosis in vivo. Together, our findings identified TRPML1 as a therapeutic target in AKT-hyperactivated cancer.
Topics: Ferroptosis; Humans; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Animals; Cell Line, Tumor; Neoplasms; Phosphorylation; Lysosomes; Mice; Carcinogenesis; Ubiquitination; ADP-Ribosylation Factors
PubMed: 38924427
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adk0330