Annexin A3 depletion overcomes resistance to oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer via the MAPK signaling pathway

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common disease with high mortality and morbidity. Annexin A3 (ANXA3) belongs to the structurally homologous family of Ca²⁺ and phospholipid-binding proteins. This study aimed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of ANXA3 on oxaliplatin (Ox) resistance in CRC. We generated two human CRC cell lines (HCT116/Ox and SW480/Ox) with acquired Ox resistance and determined their resistance properties. ANXA3 expression and cell apoptosis, migration and invasion also were evaluated. We found that cell viability of HCT116/Ox and SW480/Ox was higher than that in parental cells in the presence of Ox. ANXA3 was highly expressed in HCT116/Ox and SW480/Ox cells. ANXA3 downregulation diminished cell survival, migration and invasion, while increased the apoptosis of HCT116 and SW480 with or without Ox. Moreover, depletion of ANXA3 reduced cell viability and BrdU incorporation, increased cell apoptosis and c-caspase 3 expression in HCT116/Ox with or without Ox. A transwell assay determined that knockdown of ANXA3 impeded the migration and invasion of HCT116/Ox and SW480/Ox cells. Additionally, phosphorylation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) decreased upon ANXA3 depletion in HCT116/Ox cells, and ANXA3 silencing suppressed Ox-induced activation of ERK and JNK signaling pathway. ANXA3 downregulation reduced Ox resistance in CRC, and treatment with the ERK inhibitor PD098059 or JNK inhibitor SP600125 contributed to this process. These results indicate that silencing ANXA3 could overcome Ox resistance in CRC via the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway.     

非共生发光杆菌毒力基因簇激活NF-kB和MAPK信号通路促进细菌对巨噬细胞的侵染

发光杆菌是一种来自肠杆菌科的革兰氏阴性细菌,一般情况下与昆虫或线虫共生。除了作为昆虫病原体的角色,一种名为非共生发光杆菌 (Photorhabdus asymbiotica,Pa) 的物种在世界各地能引起人体组织的感染。然而,这种跨界感染的分子机制目前尚未有深入研究。本论文通过探究非共生发光杆菌毒力装置 (PVC) 对于真核细胞的影响,对其感染机制进行阐释。首先,RNA测序和qPCR等研究数据表明,在PVC处理的哺乳动物巨噬细胞中,NF-kB和MAPK通路被强烈激活。进而本研究在细胞水平通过Western blotting等方法对PVC处理引起的MAPK信号通路激活的现象进行多重验证。NF-kB活性的检测以及p65蛋白核移位的实验结果证实了巨噬细胞经PVC处理后产生的NF-kB活化作用。此外,PVC处理早期也能促进巨噬细胞对细菌的吞噬作用,而细胞骨架聚合抑制剂能抑制这种吞噬作用。结果表明,PVC通过激活NF-kB和MAPK信号通路参与细菌对巨噬细胞的侵染作用,这将为分析Pa在人类感染中的致病性提供新的思路。     

ACVR1-knockout promotes osteogenic differentiation by activating the Wnt signaling pathway in mice

Osteogenic differentiation refers to the process of bone formation and remodeling, which is controlled by complex molecular mechanisms. Activin A receptor type I (ACVR1) is reported to be associated with osteogenic differentiation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains elusive. Therefore, this study evaluates the function of ACVR1 in osteogenic differentiation through the Wnt signaling pathway. The expression of osteocalcin (Oc) and osterix together with osteogenic differentiation and mineralization was examined in ACVR1-knockout (KO) mouse. Furthermore, the Wnt signaling pathway was inhibited in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) of mice to explore the role of the Wnt signaling pathway in osteogenic differentiation by means of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity detection and evaluation of mineralized nodules and calcium content. Subsequently, the effect of ACVR1 on the Wnt signaling pathway was assessed by determining the expression of ACVR1, β-catenin, glycogen synthase kinase 3 β (GSK3β), dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), and frizzled class receptor 1 (FZD1). Both their effects on osteogenic differentiation were further evaluated by determination of Oc, osterix, and Runx2 expression. AVCR1 KO mice exhibited increased Oc and osterix expression and promoted bone resorption and formation. ACVR1-knockout was observed to activate the Wnt signaling pathway with an increase of β-catenin and reductions in GSK3β, DKK1, and FZD1. With the inhibited Wnt signaling pathway expression of Oc, osterix, and Runx2 was decreased, and ALP activity, mineralized nodule, and calcium content in cellular matrix were decreased as well, indicating that inactivation of the Wnt signaling pathway reduced the differentiation of BMSCs into osteoclasts. These findings indicate that ACVR1-knockout promotes osteogenic differentiation by activating the Wnt signaling pathway in mice.     

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat induces B7-H1 expression via ERK/MAPK signaling pathway

In HIV-infected subjects, B7-H1 synthesis and expression are up-regulated, and the degree of dysregulation correlates with the severity of disease. HIV-1 Tat protein, the viral transactivating factor, represents a key target for the host immune response. However, the relationship between B7-H1 and Tat protein has not been addressed. Here, we chose human endothelial cells which provide costimulatory signals sufficiently to influence T cells. We used recombinant pcDNA3.1(+)–Tat plasmid to transfect human endothelial cells ECV304 to establish stable Tat-expressed cell strain, and found that HIV-1 Tat was able to induce B7-H1 expression in ECV304 cells by Real-time PCR and flow cytometry analysis, and inhibited lymphocyte proliferation in co-culture system. Moreover, by using pharmacological inhibitor of ERK pathway, HIV-1 Tat induces B7-H1 expression via ERK/MAPK signaling pathway was corroborated. In summary, our results indicate that HIV-1 Tat could induce B7-H1 synthesis in ECV304 cells through ERK/MAPK signaling pathway.     

Down-regulated LAMA4 inhibits oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells through the MAPK signaling pathway in rats with glaucoma

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disorder that is generally accepted as the main cause of vision loss. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that laminin α4 (LAMA4) is implicated in glaucoma development by controlling apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Expression profiles and genes associated with glaucoma were searched to determine the objective gene. Intraocular pressure (IOP) rats model were established and IOP was measured. The mRNA and protein expression of LAMA4, JNK, p38 MAPK, ERK, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-9, and p53 was determined in concert with the treatment of H₂O₂, si-NC, or si-LAMA4 in cultured RGCs. Viability of RGCs, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell apoptosis was also measured. LAMA4 was selected as the study object because of its significant difference in two expression profiles. IOP of rats with glaucoma increased significantly after model establishment, and the LAMA4 protein expression in retinal tissue of rats with glaucoma was elevated. Down-regulation of LAMA4 could inhibit the mRNA and protein expression of LAMA4, JNK, p38 MAPK, ERK, Bax, Caspase-9, and p53, as well as restrain the apoptosis and ROS of RGCs, but improve Bcl-2 expression and viability of RGCs. Collectively, the obtained data supported that downregulated LAMA4 might reduce the oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of glaucoma RGCs by inhibiting the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway.     

Retracted: CCR5 silencing reduces inflammatory response,inhibits viability,and promotes apoptosis of synovial cells in rat models of rheumatoid arthritis through the MAPK signaling pathway

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can, in severe cases, lead to disability. CC chemokine receptor (CCR), an integral membrane protein, has been suggested to play a key role in the RA developmentThis study is to explore the role of CCR5 silencing in inflammatory response, viability, and apoptosis of synovial cells in RA rats by inactivating the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Microarray analysis was conducted to screen out differentially expressed genes from RA-related chips. The rat model was established by injection of siRNA-CCR5 and PD98059 (inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1) to evaluate the role of CCR5 silencing in RA, with the involvement of inflammatory response, synovial cell viability, apoptosis, and cycle. CCR5 was predicted to participate in RA by regulating the MARK pathway. In animal experiments, reduction was identified in arthritis index (AI), CCR5 positive expression rate, levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, and MMP-3 in serum of RA rats after CCR5 siRNA and PD98059 injections. RA rats treated with CCR5 siRNA, and PD98059 presented with inhibition in cell viability, promotion of apoptosis, increase in cell proportion in G0/G1 phase, and shortened the S phase. In addition, the treatment of CCR5 siRNA, and PD98059 resulted in downregulated JNK1, ERK1, p38, Cyclin D1, Cyclin E1, Cyclin B1, and Bcl-2 and upregulated Bax and Cas3. These findings reveal that CCR5 silencing suppresses inflammatory response, inhibits viability, and promotes apoptosis of synovial cells in RA rats by inhibiting MAPK pathway. Therefore, CCR5 silencing may provide a novel therapeutic target for RA.     

PLS3 predicts poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer and promotes cancer cell proliferation via PI3K/AKT signaling

Plastin-3 plays a key role in cancer cell proliferation and invasion, but its prognostic value in pancreatic cancer (PACA) remains poorly defined. In this study, we show that PLS3 messenger RNA is overexpressed in PACA tissue compared with normal tissue. We accumulated 207 cases of PACA specimens to perform immunohistochemical analysis and demonstrated that PLS3 levels correlate with T-classification (p < .001) and pathology (p < .001). Furthermore, overall survival rates (p < .001) in tumors with high PLS3 expression were poor, as assessed through Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. PLS3 was found to be an independent prognostic factor for PACA through multivariate Cox regression analysis. Moreover, we found that PLS3 enhances the proliferation and invasion of tumor cells as assessed through Cell Counting Kit-8, wounding healing assays, and Transwell assays. The upregulation of PLS3 also led to enhanced phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase B signaling in PACA cells. These data suggest that PLS3 is a biomarker to estimate PACA progression and represents a molecular target for PACA therapy.     

Toll-like receptor 4 mediates lipopolysaccharide-induced collagen secretion by phosphoinositide3-kinase-akt pathway in fibroblasts during acute lung injury

Gram-negative bacillus infection is an important risk factor of acute lung injury (ALI). Previous experiments have revealed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a primary component of endotoxin of gram-negative bacilli, stimulated the inflammatory reactions that contribute to ALI and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, but the mechanisms were not well understood. We reported that LPS was able to directly induce secretion of collagen in mouse lung fibroblasts via activation of phosphoinositide3-kinase-Akt (PI3K-Akt) pathway through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in vitro. We found that overexpression of TLR4, type I procollagen, alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), and p-AKT in primary cultured mouse lung fibroblast stimulated by LPS were detected by real-time PCR or Western blots, and the contents of C-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) in cell culture supernatants were increased simultaneously. The activation of TLR4 stimulated by LPS could also up-regulate the expression of integrin beta1 and TLR4 in mouse lung fibroblast, which could accelerate ALI and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis processes. All these changes could be inhabited by transfection of Lentivirus-TLR4-siRNA or application of PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Therefore, we infer that besides pulmonary macrophage, lung fibroblasts are also important target cells directly influenced by LPS, which may play an important role in ALI and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis.     

MiR-200c-3p increased HDMEC proliferation through the notch signaling pathway

Excessive proliferation of vascular endothelial cells can cause hemangioma. Although typically benign, hemangiomas can become life-threatening. The microRNA miR-200c-3p is abnormally expressed in some types of tumors, but its expression, biological role, and mechanism of action in infantile hemangioma remain to be fully elucidated. The expression levels of miR-200c-3p in hemangioma tissue were compared with those in adjacent healthy tissue by using bioinformatics analyses and TargetScan. Western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Cell Counting Kit 8 analyses were used to determine the biological function and site of action of miR-200c-3p in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs). MiR-200c-3p was one of the top 10 differentially expressed genes between healthy tissue, and hemangiomas tissues, having markedly decreased expression in hemangioma tissue. Reduction of miR-200c-3p expression in HDMECs through the transfection of a miR-200c-3p inhibitor significantly increased HDMEC proliferation. The addition of the Notch signaling pathway inhibitor DAPT to HDMECs transfected with the miR-200c-3p inhibitor eliminated the inhibitor-induced enhancement of proliferation in HDMECs. These findings indicate that miR-200c-3p targets the Notch signaling pathway to promote the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells, suggesting that miR-200c-3p plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hemangioma.     

Sirt3 modulate renal ischemia-reperfusion injury through enhancing mitochondrial fusion and activating the ERK-OPA1 signaling pathway

Mitochondrial fusion is linked to heart and liver ischemia-reperfusion (IR) insult. Unfortunately, there is no report to elucidate the detailed influence of mitochondrial fusion in renal IR injury. This study principally investigated the mechanism by which mitochondrial fusion protected kidney against IR injury. Our results indicated that sirtuin 3 (Sirt3) was inhibited after renal IR injury in vivo and in vitro. Overexpression of Sirt3 improved kidney function, modulated oxidative injury, repressed inflammatory damage, and reduced tubular epithelial cell apoptosis. The molecular investigation found that Sirt3 overexpression attenuated IR-induced mitochondrial damage in renal tubular epithelial cells, as evidenced by decreased reactive oxygen species production, increased antioxidants sustained mitochondrial membrane potential, and inactivated mitochondria-initiated death signaling. In addition, our information also illuminated that Sirt3 maintained mitochondrial homeostasis against IR injury by enhancing optic atrophy 1 (OPA1)-triggered fusion of mitochondrion. Inhibition of OPA1-induced fusion repressed Sirt3 overexpression-induced kidney protection, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Further, our study illustrated that OPA1-induced fusion could be affected through ERK; inhibition of ERK abolished the regulatory impacts of Sirt3 on OPA1 expression and mitochondrial fusion, leading to mitochondrial damage and tubular epithelial cell apoptosis. Altogether, our results suggest that renal IR injury is closely associated with Sirt3 downregulation and mitochondrial fusion inhibition. Regaining Sirt3 and/or activating mitochondrial fission by modifying the ERK-OPA1 cascade may represent new therapeutic modalities for renal IR injury.     

High glucose induces alternative activation of macrophages via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Objective: It has been proved that lactate-4.25% dialysate could result in peritoneal fibrosis by inducing alternative activation of macrophages in our previous study, but the mechanism of high glucose-induced alternative activation has not been elucidated. This study was, therefore, to investigate the mechanism by high glucose stimuli.

Methods: In this study, Raw264.7 (murine macrophage cell line) cells were cultured and stimulated by 4.25% glucose medium, and mannitol medium was used as osmotic pressure control. Cells were harvested at 0?h, 4?h, 8?h, and 12?h to examine the expression of Arg-1, CD206, and p-Akt. After blocking PI3K by LY294002, the expression of Arg-1, CD206, and p-Akt was examined again.

Results: The expression of Arg-1 and CD206 was increased in a time-dependent manner induced by high glucose medium. On the contrary, there was mainly no Agr-1 or CD206 expressed in cells cultured in the mannitol medium with the same osmotic pressure. What’s more, Akt was phosphorylated at the eighth hour stimulated by high glucose medium, and LY294002 inhibited the expression of Arg-1 and CD206 by blocking the phosphorylation of Akt.

Conclusions: Our study indicated that high glucose rather than high osmotic pressure induced M2 phenotype via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.     

hSef co-localizes and interacts with Ras in the inhibition of Ras/MAPK signaling pathway

To study the mechanism of the inhibitory effects of Sef (similar expression to fgf genes) on Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, we observed cellular localization of this protein. Immunofluorescent staining results show that Sef locates in the vesicles of the cytoplasm without bFGF treatment but co-localizes with Ras on the plasma membrane (PM) in response to bFGF stimulation. The coimmunoprecipitation assay demonstrates that Sef interacts with Ras or RasG12V, respectively. We observed that Sef inhibited FGF induced, but not RasG12V mediated, signal transduction. We propose that Sef interacted with Ras in the inhibition of Ras/MAPK signaling pathway.     

CRKL promotes hepatocarcinoma through enhancing glucose metabolism of cancer cells via activating PI3K/Akt

Abnormal glucose metabolism may contribute to cancer progression. As a member of the CRK (v-crk sarcoma virus CT10 oncogene homologue) adapter protein family, CRKL (CRK-like) associated with the development and progression of various tumours. However, the exact role and underlying mechanism of CRKL on energy metabolism remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of CRKL on glucose metabolism of hepatocarcinoma cells. CRKL and PI3K were found to be overexpressed in both hepatocarcinoma cells and tissues; meanwhile, CRKL up-regulation was positively correlated with PI3K up-regulation. Functional investigations revealed that CRKL overexpression promoted glucose uptake, lactate production and glycogen synthesis of hepatocarcinoma cells by up-regulating glucose transporters 1 (GLUT1), hexokinase II (HKII) expression and down-regulating glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) expression. Mechanistically, CRKL promoted glucose metabolism of hepatocarcinoma cells via enhancing the CRKL-PI3K/Akt-GLUT1/HKII-glucose uptake, CRKL-PI3K/Akt-HKII-glucose-lactate production and CRKL-PI3K/Akt-Gsk3β-glycogen synthesis. We demonstrate CRKL facilitates HCC malignancy via enhancing glucose uptake, lactate production and glycogen synthesis through PI3K/Akt pathway. It provides interesting fundamental clues to CRKL-related carcinogenesis through glucose metabolism and offers novel therapeutic strategies for hepatocarcinoma.     

Wip1 phosphatase positively modulates dendritic spine morphology and memory processes through the p38MAPK signaling pathway

Dendritic spine morphology is modulated by protein kinase p38, a mitogen-activated protein (MAPK), in the hippocampus. Protein p38MAPK is a substrate of wip1, a protein phosphatase. The role of wip1 in the central nervous system (CNS) has never been explored. Here, we report a novel function of wip1 in dendritic spine morphology and memory processes. Wip1 deficiency decreases dendritic spine size and density in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampal CA1 region. Simultaneously, impairments in object recognition tasks and contextual memory occur in wip1 deficient mice, but are reversed in wip1/p38 double mutant mice. Thus, our findings demonstrate that wip1 modulates dendritic morphology and memory processes through the p38MAPK signaling pathway. In addition to the well-characterized role of the wip1/p38MAPK in cell death and differentiation, we revealed the novel contribution of wip1 to cognition and dendritic spine morphology, which may suggest new approaches to treating neurodegenerative disorders.     

Wip1 phosphatase positively modulates dendritic spine morphology and memory processes through the p38MAPK signaling pathway

Dendritic spine morphology is modulated by protein kinase p38, a mitogen-activated protein (MAPK), in the hippocampus. Protein p38MAPK is a substrate of wip1, a protein phosphatase. The role of wip1 in the central nervous system (CNS) has never been explored. Here, we report a novel function of wip1 in dendritic spine morphology and memory processes. Wip1 deficiency decreases dendritic spine size and density in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampal CA1 region. Simultaneously, impairments in object recognition tasks and contextual memory occur in wip1 deficient mice, but are reversed in wip1/p38 double mutant mice. Thus, our findings demonstrate that wip1 modulates dendritic morphology and memory processes through the p38MAPK signaling pathway. In addition to the well-characterized role of the wip1/p38MAPK in cell death and differentiation, we revealed the novel contribution of wip1 to cognition and dendritic spine morphology, which may suggest new approaches to treating neurodegenerative disorders.