Identification of ERBB Pathway-Activated Cells in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Intratumor heterogeneity within a single tumor mass is one of the hallmarks of malignancy and has been reported in various tumor types. The molecular characterization of intratumor heterogeneity in breast cancer is a significant challenge for effective treatment. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from a public resource, an ERBB pathway activated triple-negative cell population was identified. The differential expression of three subtyping marker genes (ERBB2, ESR1, and PGR) was not changed in the bulk RNA-seq data, but the single-cell transcriptomes showed intratumor heterogeneity. This result shows that ERBB signaling is activated using an indirect route and that the molecular subtype is changed on a single-cell level. Our data propose a different view on breast cancer subtypes, clarifying much confusion in this field and contributing to precision medicine.

Mechanism of Smilax glabra in treatment of gout based on network pharmacology / 中草药

Objective: To predict the targets and pathways for the main active components of Smilax glabra in the treatment of gout based on network pharmacology. Methods The active components and targets of the S. glabra were obtained by TCMSP database and Drugbank database. Furthemore, the interaction network among the targets was established by Cytoscape software. Meanwhile, crosslink analysis was performed to screen out the active components and potential targets. Finally, the information was obtained from the MAS 3.0 biomolecular function system, and then the target pathway network model was established. Results In this study, a total of 11 effective components and 39 effective targets were predicted, which related to adipocytokine signaling pathway, ERbB signaling pathway, and Toll like receptor signaling pathway. Among these pathways, MAPK1, RELA, PTGS2 genes may play a crucial role. Conclusion This study investigated the characteristics on multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway of S. glabra, which provided a new idea and method for further study on anti-gout mechanism of S. glabra.