An Overview: The Diversified Role of Mitochondria in Cancer Metabolism

Mitochondria are intracellular organelles involved in energy production, cell metabolism and cell signaling. They are essential not only in the process of ATP synthesis, lipid metabolism and nucleic acid metabolism, but also in tumor development and metastasis. Mutations in mtDNA are commonly found in cancer cells to promote the rewiring of bioenergetics and biosynthesis, various metabolites especially oncometabolites in mitochondria regulate tumor metabolism and progression. And mutation of enzymes in the TCA cycle leads to the unusual accumulation of certain metabolites and oncometabolites. Mitochondria have been demonstrated as the target for cancer treatment. Cancer cells rely on two main energy resources: oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis. By manipulating OXPHOS genes or adjusting the metabolites production in mitochondria, tumor growth can be restrained. For example, enhanced complex I activity increases NAD⁺/NADH to prevent metastasis and progression of cancers. In this review, we discussed mitochondrial function in cancer cell metabolism and specially explored the unique role of mitochondria in cancer stem cells and the tumor microenvironment. Targeting the OXPHOS pathway and mitochondria-related metabolism emerging as a potential therapeutic strategy for various cancers.     

Heterogeneous impact of cytomegalovirus reactivation on nonrelapse mortality in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

This study aims to retrospectively analyze the efficacy of penciclovir in the prevention of viral infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Ninety-six patients with allo-HSCT were enrolled, who were treated at the Medical Center of Hematology of Xinqiao Hospital from June 2020 to September 2021. The experimental and control groups were treated with penciclovir and acyclovir, respectively, to prevent viral infection. By February 2022, the infection rates of cytomegalovirus, BK virus, JC virus, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the experimental group and the control group were 18.8% and 39.06% (P<0.05), 28.1% and 25% (P>0.05), 6.2% and 7.81% (P>0.05), 21.8% and 23.43% (P>0.05), respectively. The infection-related urinary system symptoms of the experimental group and the control group occurred in 4 and 9 patients, respectively, of which 3 and 9 patients died, respectively. Penciclovir can significantly reduce the cytomegalovirus infection rate after allo-HSCT and has better preventive effects than acyclovir without obvious side effects. The effectiveness and safety of penciclovir will be further verified in the future.     

Stabilization of IGF2BP1 by USP10 promotes breast cancer metastasis via CPT1A in an m6A-dependent manner

Metastasis leads to the vast majority of breast cancer mortality. Increasing evidence has shown that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification and its associated regulators play a pivotal role in breast cancer metastasis. Here, we showed that overexpression of the m6A reader IGF2BP1 was clinically correlated with metastasis in breast cancer patients. Moreover, IGF2BP1 promoted distant metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we first identified USP10 as the IGF2BP1 deubiquitinase. USP10 can bind to, deubiquitinate, and stabilize IGF2BP1, resulting in its higher expression level in breast cancer. Furthermore, by MeRIP-seq and experimental verification, we found that IGF2BP1 directly recognized and bound to the m6A sites on CPT1A mRNA and enhanced its stability, which ultimately mediated IGF2BP1-induced breast cancer metastasis. In clinical samples, USP10 levels correlated with IGF2BP1 and CPT1A levels, and breast cancer patients with high levels of USP10, IGF2BP1, and CPT1A had the worst outcome. Therefore, these findings suggest that the USP10/IGF2BP1/CPT1A axis facilitates breast cancer metastasis, and this axis may be a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.     

东方田鼠家群个体体重、攻击性及胆量对其扩散的影响

扩散作为动物适应生存环境的重要特征之一,受到自身生物学特征及环境等方面的制约。以家群形式生活和子代雄鼠扩散为主的东方田鼠,其成员个体是否因领地食物和空间资源竞争导致体重小、攻击性弱及胆小个体先行扩散。以新鲜马唐叶片构建三块密集均质的食物斑块,在食物斑块周边以透明玻璃设置观测箱,采用透明塑胶管连接三块食物斑块作为动物扩散的通道,构建东方田鼠扩散行为观测装置。将东方田鼠家群子代成员投放至带有自身家群气味的食物斑块,测定成员个体在食物斑块上的觅食行为序列过程和参数,以及向其他食物斑块扩散的行为过程和参数以及家群中先行扩散个体体重、攻击性及胆量占所有家群数的比率,检验成员个体的体重、攻击性及胆量对扩散的影响。结果发现,体重小、攻击性弱和胆小个体的觅食启动时间极显著地大于体重大、攻击性强和胆大个体的,但其先行扩散的比率却显著地大于体重大、攻击性强和胆大个体的;然而体重小、攻击性弱及胆小个体的扩散开始时间显著或极显著地大于体重大、攻击性强及胆大个体的。结果揭示,东方田鼠家群成员随着年龄的增长和对食物及空间资源竞争的加剧,体重大、攻击性强及胆大个体会迫使体重小、攻击性弱及胆小个体先行扩散。     

Transplantation of adult spinal cord grafts into spinal cord transected rats improves their locomotor function

Grafted embryonic central neural tissue pieces can recover function of hemisected spinal cord in neonatal rats and promote axonal growth in adults. However, spinal cord segments from adults have not been used as donor segments for allogeneic transplantation. Here, we utilized adult spinal cord tissue grafts(aSCGs) as donor constructs for repairing complete spinal cord injury(SCI). Moreover, to provide a favourable microenvironment for SCI treatment, a growth factor cocktail containing three growth factors(brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3 and vascular endothelial growth factor), was applied to the aSCG transplants. We found that the locomotor function was significantly improved 12 weeks after transplantation of aSCGs into the spinal cord lesion site in adult rats. Transplantation of aSCGs combined with these growth factors enhanced neuron and oligodendrocyte survival and functional restoration. These encouraging results indicate that treatment of complete SCI by transplanting aSCGs, especially in the presence of growth factors, has a positive effect on motor functional recovery, and therefore could be considered as a possible therapeutic strategy for SCI.     

Glycosylated modification of MUC1 maybe a new target to promote drug sensitivity and efficacy for breast cancer chemotherapy

Breast cancer, the most common cancer in women, usually exhibits intrinsic insensitivity to drugs, even without drug resistance. MUC1 is a highly glycosylated transmembrane protein, overexpressed in breast cancer, contributing to tumorigenesis and worse prognosis. However, the molecular mechanism between MUC1 and drug sensitivity still remains unclear. Here, natural flavonoid apigenin was used as objective due to the antitumor activity and wide availability. MUC1 knockout (KO) markedly sensitized breast cancer cells to apigenin cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo. Both genetical and pharmacological inhibition significantly enhanced the chemosensitivity to apigenin and clinical drugs whereas MUC1 overexpression conversely aggravated such drug resistance. Constitutively re-expressing wild type MUC1 in KO cells restored the drug resistance; however, the transmembrane domain deletant could not rescue the phenotype. Notably, further investigation discovered that membrane-dependent drug resistance relied on the extracellular glycosylated modification since removing O-glycosylation via inhibitor, enzyme digestion, or GCNT3 (MUC1 related O-glycosyltransferase) knockout markedly reinvigorated the chemosensitivity in WT cells, but had no effect on KO cells. Conversely, inserting O-glycosylated sites to MUC1-N increased the drug tolerance whereas the O-glycosylated deletant (Ser/Thr to Ala) maintained high susceptibility to drugs. Importantly, the intracellular concentration of apigenin measured by UPLC and fluorescence distribution firmly revealed the increased drug permeation in MUC1 KO and BAG-pretreated cells. Multiple clinical chemotherapeutics with small molecular were tested and obtained the similar conclusion. Our findings uncover a critical role of the extracellular O-glycosylation of MUC1-N in weakening drug sensitivity through acting as a barrier, highlighting a new perspective that targeting MUC1 O-glycosylation has great potential to promote drug sensitivity and efficacy.Subject terms: Breast cancer     

ATF4在内质网应激调控成骨分化中的作用

为避免内质网中未折叠蛋白质的过度累积,真核细胞能激活一系列信号通路来维持内质网稳态,这个过程称为内质网应激。在骨生长发育中,适宜的内质网应激有助于成骨细胞、破骨细胞和软骨细胞的生长,可以促进骨髓间充质干细胞向成骨细胞分化。而过度的内质网应激会抑制成骨分化,严重的甚至导致骨质疏松、成骨不全等相关骨病的发生。内质网应激时可激活未折叠蛋白质反应,其主要是通过PERK/eIF2α/ATF4信号通路,上调转录激活因子4(ATF4)的表达。ATF4位于许多成骨分化调节因子的下游,是促进成骨分化的关键因子,在内质网应激对成骨分化的调节中发挥重要作用。在成骨分化过程中,适宜的内质网应激能通过激活PERK信号通路,诱导ATF4表达增加,进而上调骨钙素、骨涎蛋白等成骨所必需基因的表达,促进成骨分化。过度的内质网应激会激活ATF4/CHOP促凋亡途径,并导致Bax、胱天蛋白酶等凋亡信号分子的大量产生,进而导致细胞凋亡,抑制成骨分化。由于ATF4在ERS和成骨分化中的重要作用,ATF4在骨质疏松、成骨不全等骨相关疾病的治疗中具有重要意义。本文通过综述ATF4在内质网应激调控成骨分化中的作用机制,为相关骨性疾病治疗提供理论依据。