{"title":"Deciphering the role of post-translational modifications in fanconi anemia proteins and their influence on tumorigenesis","authors":"Rui Ma, Xinlin Xu","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00797-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00797-1","url":null,"abstract":"Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal or X-linked human disease, characterized by bone marrow failure, cancer susceptibility and various developmental abnormalities. So far, at least 22 FA genes (FANCA-W) have been identified. Germline inactivation of any one of these FA genes causes FA symptoms. Proteins encoded by FA genes are involved in the Fanconi anemia pathway, which is known for its roles in DNA inter-strand crosslinks (ICLs) repair. Besides, its roles in genome maintenance upon replication stress has also been reported. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of FA proteins, particularly phosphorylation and ubiquitination, emerge as critical determinants in the activation of the FA pathway during ICL repair or replication stress response. Consequent inactivation of the FA pathway engenders heightened chromosomal instability, thereby constituting a genetic susceptibility conducive to cancer predisposition and the exacerbation of tumorigenesis. In this review, we have combined recent structural analysis of FA proteins and summarized knowledge on the functions of different PTMs in regulating FA pathways, and discuss potential contributions stemming from mutations at PTMs to the genesis and progression of tumorigenesis.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 8","pages":"1113-1123"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141327267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ScRNA-seq revealed the tumor microenvironment heterogeneity related to the occurrence and metastasis in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma","authors":"Shiyong Xin, Yanwei Zhang, Zhenhua Zhang, Ziyao Li, Xianchao Sun, Xiang Liu, Liang Jin, Weiyi Li, Chaozhi Tang, Wangli Mei, Qiong Cao, Haojie Wang, Zhihao Wei, Zhen Zhou, Rongbing Li, Xiaofei Wen, Guosheng Yang, Weihua Chen, Junhua Zheng, Lin Ye","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00779-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00779-3","url":null,"abstract":"Metastasis is the greatest clinical challenge for UTUCs, which may have distinct molecular and cellular characteristics from earlier cancers. Herein, we provide single-cell transcriptome profiles of UTUC para cancer normal tissue, primary tumor lesions, and lymphatic metastases to explore possible mechanisms associated with UTUC occurrence and metastasis. From 28,315 cells obtained from normal and tumor tissues of 3 high-grade UTUC patients, we revealed the origin of UTUC tumor cells and the homology between metastatic and primary tumor cells. Unlike the immunomicroenvironment suppression of other tumors, we found no immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment of UTUC. Moreover, it is imperative to note that stromal cells are pivotal in the advancement of UTUC. This comprehensive single-cell exploration enhances our comprehension of the molecular and cellular dynamics of metastatic UTUCs and discloses promising diagnostic and therapeutic targets in cancer-microenvironment interactions.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 8","pages":"1201-1220"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141320642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaoyu Ruan, Yundong Xiong, Xiaoman Li, Ence Yang, Jiadong Wang
{"title":"Lower ratio of IMPDH1 to IMPDH2 sensitizes gliomas to chemotherapy","authors":"Xiaoyu Ruan, Yundong Xiong, Xiaoman Li, Ence Yang, Jiadong Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00793-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00793-5","url":null,"abstract":"Gliomas are the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system, with approximately half of patients presenting with the most aggressive form of glioblastoma. Although several molecular markers for glioma have been identified, they are not sufficient to predict the prognosis due to the extensive genetic heterogeneity within glioma. Our study reveals that the ratio of IMPDH1 to IMPDH2 expression levels serves as a molecular indicator for glioma treatment prognosis. Patients with a higher IMPDH1/IMPDH2 ratio exhibit a worse prognosis, while those with a lower ratio display a more favorable prognosis. We further demonstrate that IMPDH1 plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular GTP/GDP levels following DNA damage compared to IMPDH2. In the absence of IMPDH1, cells experience an imbalance in the GTP/GDP ratio, impairing DNA damage repair capabilities and rendering them more sensitive to TMZ. This study not only introduces a novel prognostic indicator for glioma clinical diagnosis but also offers innovative insights for precise and stratified glioma treatment.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 7","pages":"1081-1089"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141316798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Human adipose-derived stem cells genetically programmed to induce necroptosis for cancer immunotherapy","authors":"Soyeon Bak, Kyoung Sub Kim, Kun Na","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00794-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00794-4","url":null,"abstract":"Herein, we present human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) inserted with the receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIP3) gene (RP@ADSCs), which induces cell necroptosis, for tumor immunotherapy. Necroptosis has characteristics of both apoptosis, such as programmed cell death, and necrosis, such as swelling and plasma membrane rupture, during which damage-related molecular patterns are released, triggering an immune response. Therefore, necroptosis has the potential to be used as an effective anticancer immunotherapy. RP@ADSCs were programmed to necroptosis after a particular time after being injected in vivo, and various pro-inflammatory cytokines secreted during the stem cell death process stimulated the immune system, showing local and sustained anticancer effects. It was confirmed that RIP3 protein expression increased in ADSCs after RP transfection. RP@ADSCs continued to induce ADSCs death for 7 days, and various pro-inflammatory cytokines were secreted through ADSCs death. The efficacy of RP@ADSCs-mediated immunotherapy was evaluated in mouse models bearing GL-26 (glioblastoma) and K1735 (melanoma), and it was found that RP resulted in an increase in the population of long-term cytotoxic T cells and a decrease in the population of regulatory T cells. This shows that RP@ADSCs have potential and applicability as an excellent anticancer immunotherapy agent in clinical practice.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 7","pages":"995-1006"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141300084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jinze Shen, Xinming Su, Shana Wang, Zehua Wang, Chenming Zhong, Yi Huang, Shiwei Duan
{"title":"RhoJ: an emerging biomarker and target in cancer research and treatment","authors":"Jinze Shen, Xinming Su, Shana Wang, Zehua Wang, Chenming Zhong, Yi Huang, Shiwei Duan","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00792-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00792-6","url":null,"abstract":"RhoJ is a Rho GTPase that belongs to the Cdc42 subfamily and has a molecular weight of approximately 21 kDa. It can activate the p21-activated kinase family either directly or indirectly, influencing the activity of various downstream effectors and playing a role in regulating the cytoskeleton, cell movement, and cell cycle. RhoJ’s expression and activity are controlled by multiple upstream factors at different levels, including expression, subcellular localization, and activation. High RhoJ expression is generally associated with a poor prognosis for cancer patients and is mainly due to an increased number of tumor blood vessels and abnormal expression in malignant cells. RhoJ promotes tumor progression through several pathways, particularly in tumor angiogenesis and drug resistance. Clinical data also indicates that high RhoJ expression is closely linked to the pathological features of tumor malignancy. There are various cancer treatment methods that target RhoJ signaling, such as direct binding to inhibit the RhoJ effector pocket, inhibiting RhoJ expression, blocking RhoJ upstream and downstream signals, and indirectly inhibiting RhoJ’s effect. RhoJ is an emerging cancer biomarker and a significant target for future cancer clinical research and drug development.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 10","pages":"1454-1464"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141300085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liliana H. Mochmann, Denise Treue, Michael Bockmayr, Patricia Silva, Christin Zasada, Guido Mastrobuoni, Safak Bayram, Martin Forbes, Philipp Jurmeister, Sven Liebig, Olga Blau, Konstanze Schleich, Bianca Splettstoesser, Thierry M. Nordmann, Eva K. von der Heide, Konstandina Isaakidis, Veronika Schulze, Caroline Busch, Hafsa Siddiq, Cornelia Schlee, Svenja Hester, Lars Fransecky, Martin Neumann, Stefan Kempa, Frederick Klauschen, Claudia D. Baldus
{"title":"Proteomic profiling reveals ACSS2 facilitating metabolic support in acute myeloid leukemia","authors":"Liliana H. Mochmann, Denise Treue, Michael Bockmayr, Patricia Silva, Christin Zasada, Guido Mastrobuoni, Safak Bayram, Martin Forbes, Philipp Jurmeister, Sven Liebig, Olga Blau, Konstanze Schleich, Bianca Splettstoesser, Thierry M. Nordmann, Eva K. von der Heide, Konstandina Isaakidis, Veronika Schulze, Caroline Busch, Hafsa Siddiq, Cornelia Schlee, Svenja Hester, Lars Fransecky, Martin Neumann, Stefan Kempa, Frederick Klauschen, Claudia D. Baldus","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00785-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00785-5","url":null,"abstract":"Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by genomic aberrations in oncogenes, cytogenetic abnormalities, and an aberrant epigenetic landscape. Nearly 50% of AML cases will relapse with current treatment. A major source of therapy resistance is the interaction of mesenchymal stroma with leukemic cells resulting in therapeutic protection. We aimed to determine pro-survival/anti-apoptotic protein networks involved in the stroma protection of leukemic cells. Proteomic profiling of cultured primary AML (n = 14) with Hs5 stroma cell line uncovered an up-regulation of energy-favorable metabolic proteins. Next, we modulated stroma-induced drug resistance with an epigenetic drug library, resulting in reduced apoptosis with histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) treatment versus other epigenetic modifying compounds. Quantitative phosphoproteomic probing of this effect further revealed a metabolic-enriched phosphoproteome including significant up-regulation of acetyl-coenzyme A synthetase (ACSS2, S30) in leukemia-stroma HDACi treated cocultures compared with untreated monocultures. Validating these findings, we show ACSS2 substrate, acetate, promotes leukemic proliferation, ACSS2 knockout in leukemia cells inhibits leukemic proliferation and ACSS2 knockout in the stroma impairs leukemic metabolic fitness. Finally, we identify ACSS1/ACSS2-high expression AML subtype correlating with poor overall survival. Collectively, this study uncovers the leukemia-stroma phosphoproteome emphasizing a role for ACSS2 in mediating AML growth and drug resistance.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 9","pages":"1344-1356"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00785-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141293135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Finizio, P. Pagano, A. Napolano, G. Froechlich, L. Infante, A. De Chiara, S. Amiranda, E. Vitiello, S. Totaro, C. Capasso, M. Raia, A. M. D’Alise, P. de Candia, N. Zambrano, E. Sasso
{"title":"Integrating system biology and intratumor gene therapy by trans-complementing the appropriate co-stimulatory molecule as payload in oncolytic herpes virus","authors":"A. Finizio, P. Pagano, A. Napolano, G. Froechlich, L. Infante, A. De Chiara, S. Amiranda, E. Vitiello, S. Totaro, C. Capasso, M. Raia, A. M. D’Alise, P. de Candia, N. Zambrano, E. Sasso","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00790-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00790-8","url":null,"abstract":"Systems biology has been applied at the multi-scale level within the cancer field, improving cancer prevention, diagnosis and enabling precision medicine approaches. While systems biology can expand the knowledge and skills for oncological treatment, it also represents a challenging expedition due to cancer complexity, heterogeneity and diversity not only between different cancer indications, but also in its evolution process through space and time. Here, by characterizing the transcriptional perturbations of the tumor microenvironment induced by oncolytic, we aimed to rationally design a novel armed oncolytic herpes virus. We found that intratumor oncovirotherapy with HSV-1 induces T-cell activation signatures and transcriptionally activates several costimulatory molecules. We identified differentially expressed costimulatory receptors and binding partners, where inducible co-stimulators (ICOS) resulted in the potentially most beneficial targeted therapy. Through an ex-vivo transcriptomic analysis, we explored the potential of arming an oncolytic virus as a combination therapy strategy; in particular, we engineered a targeted herpes virus encoding ICOSL (THV_ICOSL), which resulted in a significant improvement in tumor size control compared to unarmed parental virus. Also, combination with a PD-1 inhibitor enhanced antitumor efficacy as predictable by upregulation of PD-1 and ligands pair (PD-L1/PD-L2) upon oncolytic virus injection. Generation of the human version of this virus encoding hICOSL orthologue effectively and specifically activated human T cells by triggering the ICOS pathway. Our data support the data-driven generation of armed oncolytic viruses as combination immunotherapeutic with checkpoint inhibitors.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 9","pages":"1335-1343"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00790-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141257602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Retraction Note: miR-182 regulates trastuzumab resistance by targeting MET in breast cancer cells","authors":"Dan Yue, Xiaosong Qin","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00787-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00787-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 7","pages":"1103-1103"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00787-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141261209","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Faiz Ali Khan, Bernard Nsengimana, Usman Ayub Awan, Xin-Ying Ji, Shaoping Ji, Jingcheng Dong
{"title":"Regulatory roles of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation in RNA processing and non-communicable diseases","authors":"Faiz Ali Khan, Bernard Nsengimana, Usman Ayub Awan, Xin-Ying Ji, Shaoping Ji, Jingcheng Dong","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00789-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00789-1","url":null,"abstract":"Post-transcriptional RNA modification is an emerging epigenetic control mechanism in cells that is important in many different cellular and organismal processes. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most prevalent, prolific, and ubiquitous internal transcriptional alterations in eukaryotic mRNAs, making it an important topic in the field of Epigenetics. m6A methylation acts as a dynamical regulatory process that regulates the activity of genes and participates in multiple physiological processes, by supporting multiple aspects of essential mRNA metabolic processes, including pre-mRNA splicing, nuclear export, translation, miRNA synthesis, and stability. Extensive research has linked aberrations in m6A modification and m6A-associated proteins to a wide range of human diseases. However, the impact of m6A on mRNA metabolism and its pathological connection between m6A and other non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, liver diseases, and cancer remains in fragmentation. Here, we review the existing understanding of the overall role of mechanisms by which m6A exerts its activities and address new discoveries that highlight m6A’s diverse involvement in gene expression regulation. We discuss m6A deposition on mRNA and its consequences on degradation, translation, and transcription, as well as m6A methylation of non-coding chromosomal-associated RNA species. This study could give new information about the molecular process, early detection, tailored treatment, and predictive evaluation of human non-communicable diseases like cancer. We also explore more about new data that suggests targeting m6A regulators in diseases may have therapeutic advantages.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 10","pages":"1439-1453"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41417-024-00789-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141257788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xinyu Sun, Huirong Wang, Xi Pu, Yuting Wu, Xiao Yuan, Xu Wang, Hanqiang Lu
{"title":"Manipulating the tumour immune microenvironment by N6-methyladenosine RNA modification","authors":"Xinyu Sun, Huirong Wang, Xi Pu, Yuting Wu, Xiao Yuan, Xu Wang, Hanqiang Lu","doi":"10.1038/s41417-024-00791-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41417-024-00791-7","url":null,"abstract":"N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism, is the most common epigenetic modification in mammalian mRNA. M6A modifications play a crucial role in the developmental network of immune cells. The expression of m6A-related regulators often affects carcinogenesis and tumour suppression networks. In the tumour microenvironment, m6A-modified enzymes can affect the occurrence and progression of tumours by regulating the activation and invasion of tumour-associated immune cells. Immunotherapy, which utilises immune cells, has been demonstrated to be a powerful weapon in tumour treatment and is increasingly being used in the clinic. Here, we provide an updated and comprehensive overview of how m6A modifications affect invasive immune cells and their potential role in immune regulation. In addition, we summarise the regulation of epigenetic regulators associated with m6A modifications in tumour cells on the antitumour response of immune cells in the tumour immune microenvironment. These findings provide new insights into the role of m6A modifications in the immune response and tumour development, leading to the development of novel immunotherapies for cancer treatment.","PeriodicalId":9577,"journal":{"name":"Cancer gene therapy","volume":"31 9","pages":"1315-1322"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141247553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}