Antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapy has become one of the most promising approaches in cancer immunotherapy. Bispecific targeting could enhance the efficacy and safety of ADC by improving its specificity, affinity and internalization. In this study we constructed a HER2/HER3-targeting bispecific ADC (BsADC) and characterized its physiochemical properties, target specificity and internalization in vitro, and assessed its anti-tumor activities in breast cancer cell lines and in animal models. The HER2/HER3-targeting BsADC had a drug to antibody ratio (DAR) of 2.89, displayed a high selectivity against the target JIMT-1 breast cancer cells in vitro, as well as a slightly higher level of internalization than HER2- or HER3-monospecific ADCs. More importantly, the bispecific ADC potently inhibited the viability of MCF7, JIMT-1, BT474, BxPC-3 and SKOV-3 cancer cells in vitro. In JIMT-1 breast cancer xenograft mice, a single injection of bispecific ADC (3 mg/kg, i.v.) significantly inhibited the tumor growth with an efficacy comparable to that caused by combined injection of HER2 and HER3-monospecific ADCs (3 mg/kg for each). Our study demonstrates that the bispecific ADC concept can be applied to development of more potent new cancer therapeutics than the monospecific ADCs.
BACKGROUND:Ovarian cancer (OC) is a malignancy among female globally. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a family of circular endogenous RNAs generated from selective splicing, which take part in many traits. Former investigation suggested that circ-TFRC was abnormally expressed in breast cancer (BC). Further, the role of circ-TFRC to the progress of OC remains unclear. So, the aim of this study was to reveal the regulatory mechanism of circ-TFRC.METHODS:Our team made the luciferase reporter assay to validate circ-TFRC downstream target. Transwell migration assay, 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine, and cell counting kit-8 were applied to investigate both proliferation and migration. In vivo tumorigenesis and metastasis assays were performed to investigate the circ-TFRC role in OC.RESULTS:The outputs elucidated that circ-TFRC expression incremented in OC cells and tissues. circ-TFRC downregulation inhibited OC cell proliferation as well as migration in in vivo and in vitro experiments. The luciferase results validated that miR-615-3p and IGF2 were circ-TFRC downstream targets. IGF2 overexpression or miR-615-3p inhibition reversed OC cell migration after circ-TFRC silencing. Also, IGF2 overexpression reversed OC cell migration and proliferation post miR-615-3p upregulation.CONCLUSION:Results demonstrate that circ-TFRC downregulation inhibits OC progression and metastasis via IGF2 expression regulation and miR-615-3psponging.
Amyloidosis involves the deposition of misfolded proteins. Even though it is caused by different pathogenic mechanisms, in aggregate, it shares similar features. Here, we tested and confirmed a hypothesis that an amyloid antibody can be engineered by a few mutations to target a different species. Amyloid light chain (AL) and β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) are two therapeutic targets that are implicated in amyloid light chain amyloidosis and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Though crenezumab, an anti-Aβ antibody, is currently unsuccessful, we chose it as a model to computationally design and prepare crenezumab variants, aiming to discover a novel antibody with high affinity to AL fibrils and to establish a technology platform for repurposing amyloid monoclonal antibodies. We successfully re-engineered crenezumab to bind both Aβ42 oligomers and AL fibrils with high binding affinities. It is capable of reversing Aβ42-oligomers-induced cytotoxicity, decreasing the formation of AL fibrils, and alleviating AL-fibrils-induced cytotoxicity in vitro. Our research demonstrated that an amyloid antibody could be engineered by a few mutations to bind new amyloid sequences, providing an efficient way to reposition a therapeutic antibody to target different amyloid diseases.
Thermal ablation for renal cell carcinoma in nephron-sparing surgery has been extensively investigated. However, data regarding renal pelvic tumors with refractory hematuria are scarce. Herein, we report a case of recurrent hematuria in an 87-year-old woman with. a 3.5 × 4.1 cm mass in the right renal pelvis on imaging examinations, which was clinically diagnosed as renal pelvic carcinoma. After ineffective renal artery embolization, minimally invasive percutaneous thermal ablation was recommended after a multidisciplinary consultation. Although hematuria was successfully relieved after ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation initially, recurrence of hematuria was reported due to tumor progression after one year. CT-guided microwave ablation resolved hematuria and controlled tumor growth without complications. Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) was confirmed by biopsy. Postoperative CT imaging, urine cytology, and renal function tests were continuously monitored during the follow-up. The patient remained stable during the 1-year follow-up period, highlighting the potential of thermal ablation for refractory hematuria in renal pelvis urothelial carcinoma while preserving nephrons.
Objective. Recent molecular profiling revealed that cancer- associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are essential for matrix remodeling and tumor progression. Our study aimed to investigate the role of flavin-containing monooxygenase 2 (FMO2) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) as a novel CAF-derived prognostic biomarker. Methods. Primary fibroblasts were isolated from EOC samples. Microdissection and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets (including TCGA, GSE9891, GSE63885, GSE118828 and GSE178913) were retrieved to determine the expression profiles. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the correlation between FMO2 and stromal activation as well as immune infiltration. The predictive value of FMO2 and combined macrophage infiltration level was verified in an independent EOC cohort (n= 113). Results. We demonstrated that FMO2 was upregulated in tumor stroma and correlated with fibroblast activation. Besides, FMO2 had the predictive power forworse clinical outcome of EOC patients. In the mesenchymal subtype of EOC, the FMO2-defined signature revealed that FMO2 contributed to infiltration of tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes. Moreover, we confirmed the positive correlation between FMO2 and CD163+ cell infiltration level in EOC tissues, and showed that combination of FMO2 expression with CD163+ cell infiltration level in the tumor stroma could predict poor overall survival (HR = 3.63, 95% CI = 1.93-6.84, p = 0.0008). Additionally, FMO2 also predicted the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer based on the expression of immune checkpoints (such as PD-L1 and PD1). Conclusion. Our results address the tumor-supporting role of FMO2 in EOC and its association with immune components, and it might be a prospective target for stroma-oriented therapies against EOC. (c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Cervical cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in the female reproductive system. Conventional stratification of patients based on clinicopathological characters has gradually been outpaced by a molecular profiling strategy. Our study aimed to identify a reliable metabolism-related predictive signature for the prognosis and anti-tumor immunity in cervical cancer. In this study, we extracted five metabolism-related hub genes, including ALOX12B, CA9, FAR2, F5 and TDO2, for the establishment of the risk score model. The Kaplan-Meier curve suggested that patients with a high-risk score apparently had a worse prognosis in the cervical cancer training cohort (TCGA, n = 304, p < 0.0001), validation cohort (GSE44001, n = 300, p = 0.0059) and pan-cancer cohorts (including nine TCGA tumors). Using a gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), we observed that the model was correlated with various immune-regulation-related pathways. Furthermore, pan-cancer cohorts and immunohistochemical analysis showed that the infiltration of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) was lower in the high-score group. Additionally, the model could also predict the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer based on the expression of immune checkpoints (ICPs) in both the discovery and validation cohorts. Our study established and validated a metabolism-related prognostic model, which might improve the accuracy of predicting the clinical outcome of patients with cervical cancer and provide guidance for personalized treatment.
The search for highly selective sensitizers with a novel mechanism for tumor targeting therapy is of considerable interest. In this work, we have developed a series of new biotin-targeted Au(I) complexes. Through systematic biological evaluation and comparison, biotinylated Au(I) complex 3a containing a triphenylphosphine ligand was screened, as it realized both prominent efficient inhibition and selective cytotoxicity to cancer cells, and the effect was better than that of popularly used auranofin. Meanwhile, complex 3a, as a potent radiosensitizer, enhances anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo and has sensitization selectivity. From the action mechanism study, we provide evidence that complex 3a could intervene in redox homeostasis through targeted binding and strong suppression of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and induce the ferroptosis death process, enabling it to sensitize tumor cells to radiotherapy. Thus, complex 3a has enormous potential as an efficient and specific radiosensitizing agent in cancer therapy.
Background: Radiosensitizers that can effectively consume glutathione provide broad prospects for enhancing the efficacy and reducing the side effects of radiotherapy. Aim: To explore the potential role of CuS@mSiO2@MnO2 nanocomposites in synergetic chemoradiotherapy. Methods: Nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectrometry and dynamic light scattering and were loaded with doxorubicin (DOX). The uptake and biodistribution of nanocomposites were observed by CCK8 assay, MRI and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The radiosensitization effect of nanocomposites and nanocomposites/DOX was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. Results:In vitro application of nanocomposites, with an average diameter of 30 nm and ζ-potential of 13.2 ± 0.4 mV, in combination with radiotherapy, depleted glutathione and induced ferroptosis and apoptosis. Nanocomposites/DOX exhibited tumor cell damage in vivo. Conclusion: We propose that this glutathione-depleting nanosystem could be a radiosensitizer as well as a drug transporter.
Peptidase domain containing associated with muscle regeneration 1 (PAMR1) is frequently lost in breast cancer samples and is considered as a tumor suppressor. The roles and mechanisms of PAMR1 in other types of cancers are still unclear. In our present study, we identified PAMR1 as an invasion-related regulator in cervical cancer. Public database and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis showed that the expression level of PAMR1 in cervical cancer tissues was lower than that in normal cervix tissues and was negatively related to clinicopathologic features. The high expression of PAMR1 also predicted a better prognosis of cervical cancer patients. CCK8, Transwell, and wound-healing assays demonstrated that knockdown of PAMR1 facilitated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed a variety of cancer-related pathways potentially activated or suppressed by PAMR1. Moreover, we verified that PAMR1 inhibited MYC target and mTORC1 signaling pathways. In conclusion, our study revealed the suppressor role of PAMR1 in cervical cancer, providing a new insight into the molecular mechanism of cervical cancer progression.
Predictive models could indicate the clinical outcome of patients with carcinoma. Cervical cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed female malignancies. Herein, we proposed an immune infiltration-related gene signature that predicts prognosis of patients with cervical cancer and depicts the immune landscape as well. We utilized the transcriptome data of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and estimated the infiltration level of 28 immune cell types. We screened out four immune cell types conducive to patient survival and recognized their shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Four core genes (CHIT1, GTSF1L, PLA2G2D, and GNG8) that composed the ultimate signature were identified via univariate and multivariate Cox regression. The optimal model we built up could distinguish patients with cervical cancer into high-score and low-score subgroups. These two subgroups showed disparity in aspects of patient survival, immune infiltration landscape, and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Additionally, we found that GTSF1L was decreased gradually along with the severity of cervical lesions, and its potential role in immune contexture and clinical practice were also demonstrated. Our results suggested that the Immunoscore based on four immune-related genes could serve as a supplementary criterion to effectively foresee the survival outcome, tumor infiltration status, and immunotherapy efficacy of cervical cancer patients.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and seriously threatens the health of humans. The current clinical treatments for cancer are not efficient and always lead to significant side effects. Herein, a bio-compatible and powerful theranostic agent (Bi@mSiO(2)@MnO2/DOX) is fabricated using a facile stepwise reaction method. The Bi nanoparticles (NPs) are coated by mesoporous silica to protect the Bi NPs from oxidation, which guarantees the stable photothermal effect of the Bi NPs. When the Bi@mSiO(2)@MnO2/DOX nanocomposites (NCs) accumulate in the tumour site, hyperthermia is generated by Bi NPs under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation for photothermal therapy (PTT), and the generated heat triggers the release of DOX for chemotherapy in the tumour. In addition, the MnO2 of the NCs responsively catalyses endogenous H2O2 to generate O-2, raising the oxygen level to enhance the effect of chemother-apy in the tumour microenvironment (TME), and consumes glutathione (GSH) to produce Mn2+ for mag-netic resonance (MR) imaging. Under acidic TME conditions, H2O2 and Mn2+ also produce toxic hydroxyl radical (center dot OH) for chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Furthermore, the Bi NPs can also be used as excellent con-trast agents for X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging of tumours with a high CT value (6.865 HU mM(-1)). The Bi@mSiO(2)@MnO2/DOX NCs exhibit a powerful theranostic performance for CT/MR imaging-guided enhanced PTT/CDT/chemotherapy, which opens a new prospect to rationally design ther-anostic agents for tumour imaging. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Aim: To uncover a novel lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network associated with high-grade serous ovarian cancer metastasis. Material & methods: The candidate differentially expressed lncRNAs were obtained from RNA-sequencing data and determined by functional experiments. The downstream miRNAs and mRNAs were identified by bioinformatic prediction and subjected to functional enrichment analysis. Results: The expression levels of lncRNA ENTPD1-AS1/PRANCR/NR2F2-AS1 were reduced in omental metastatic tissues. Similar differential expression patterns of these lncRNAs were also found in lnCAR database and we verified their tumor suppressive roles by performing functional experiments. Furthermore, we predicted miRNAs and mRNAs via bioinformatic tools and validated their alteration in expression levels in presence of lncRNA interference. Conclusion: We proposed a potential ceRNA regulatory mechanism in high-grade serous ovarian cancer omental metastasis
N6-Methyladenosine (m6A), a pervasive posttranscriptional modification which is reversible, has been among hotspot issues in the past several years. The balance of intracellular m6A levels is dynamically maintained by methyltransferase complex and demethylases. Meanwhile, m6A reader proteins specifically recognize modified residues and convey messages so as to set up an efficient and orderly network of m6A regulation. The m6A mark has proved to affect every step of RNA life cycle, from processing in nucleus to translation or degradation in cytoplasm. Subsequently, disorders in m6A methylation are directly related to aberrant RNA metabolism, which results in tumorigenesis and altered drug response. Therefore, uncovering the underlying mechanism of m6A in oncogenic transformation and tumor progression seeks opportunities for novel targets in cancer therapy. In this review, we conclude the extensive impact of m6A on RNA metabolism and highlight its relevance with human cancer, implicating the far-reaching value in clinical application.
Cisplatin (CDDP) is the most commonly used chemotherapeutic drug and has an irreplaceable role in cancer treatment. However, CDDP-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) greatly limits its use. Abundant evidence has confirmed that apoptosis contributes to AM caused by CDDP administration. The nanoparticle form of selenium, also known as Se@SiO2 nanocomposites (NPs), has been proven to be a potential agent to prevent apoptotic cell death. In this article, we established acute kidney injury models in vivo via a single injection of CDDP and used human kidney 2 (HK-2) cells for experiments in vitro. We demonstrated that NPs can improve CDDP-induced renal dysfunction. In addition, therapy with NPs attenuated apoptosis in cells and kidney tissues treated with CDDP. In terms of mechanism, we discovered that Sirt1, a deacetylase with an important role in CDDP-induced acute kidney injury, was remarkedly increased after NPs pretreatment, and the anti-apoptotic effect of the NPs was markedly abrogated after the inhibition of Sirt1. The results linked the protective effect of NPs on nephrotoxicity with Sirt1, suggesting the potential clinical importance of nanomaterials in alleviating the side effects of chemotherapy.
CHO cells are often used to produce monoclonal antibodies in mammalian cell expression systems. In the process of large-scale cell culture, apoptosis is related to cell survival and product quality. Over-expressing an anti-apoptotic gene to delay apoptosis and improve cell growth is one of the strategies for improving productivity of monoclonal antibodies. Autophagy inducer rapamycin can extend the culture duration of CHO cells and affect the yield of antibodies. A method was developed for transient co-transfection of anti-apoptotic genes and genes of interest combined with rapamycin to increase the transient expression of the anti-PD1 antibody. Under the optimal transfection conditions, the combination of Bcl-xL and rapamycin can significantly delay cell apoptosis, inhibit cell proliferation, and prolong cell life-time. As a result, anti-PD1 monoclonal antibody expression levels are increased by more than 2 times.
Exosomes are nanosized membrane-bound vesicles containing abundant proteins, DNA, mRNA, and non-coding RNAs. Exosomes are now considered as an additional mechanism for intercellular communication, allowing cells to exchange proteins, lipids and genetic material. Increasing studies have shown that exosomes play an important role in tumour initiation, growth, progression, metastasis, drug resistance and immune escape. In this article, we review recent advances in the biology of exosomes. We elaborate the specific mechanism by which exosomes affect the communication between tumours and the microenvironment. Finally, we report that exosomes may provide promising biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and represent new targets for cancer therapy.
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a highly lethal gynecological malignancy, and cisplatin resistance is usually correlated with the poor prognosis of EOC. Increasing evidence indicates that the dysregulation of miRNAs is related to chemotherapy sensitivity. In this study, we revealed that miR-98-5p, a member of the let-7 family, was enriched in cisplatin-resistant EOC cells compared with cisplatin-sensitive cells, and could promote cisplatin resistance in EOC cells. Further studies showed that miR-98-5p could directly target the 3'-UTR of Dicer1 and suppress its expression, causing global miRNA downregulation. By miRNA array and qRT-PCR verification, we identified miR-152 as the vital downstream target of the miR-98-5p/Dicer1 axis in EOC cells. Moreover, we demonstrated that the ectopic expression of miR-152 reversed cisplatin resistance both in vitro and in vivo by targeting RAD51, a central member in homologous recombination. Importantly, miR-98-5p expression, as determined by in situ hybridization in tumor tissues, was associated with poor outcome of EOC patients. Together, these findings suggest the essential role of the miR-98-5p/Dicer1/miR-152 pathway in regulating cisplatin resistance of EOC cells and provide a potential target for EOC therapy.
With Shell method,specification method,AASHTO method,the life of asphalt pavement with ATB base is predicted.The results show that the life of compound base asphalt pavement have large difference with three methods,the sequence is Shell methodspecification methodAASHTO method,so we recommend three methods to predict the life expectancy of asphalt pavement which uses the compound base,and the three methods are that the flexure and the stress hold back the fatigue cracking in the asphalt layers,and stress hold back the fatigue cracking of the inorganic binder.