ABSTRACT
Background: Abnormal coagulation is a common feature of glioma. There is a strong correlation between coagulation and the complement system, named complement and coagulation cascades (CCC). However, the role of CCC genes in lower-grade glioma (LGG) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of CCC genes in LGG. Methods: In total, 5,628 differential expressed genes were identified between 498 LGG tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and 207 normal brain tissues from Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx). Among them, 20 overlapped CCC genes were identified as differentially expressed CCC genes. Then, comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was used to investigate the role of CCC genes in LGG; 271 LGG tissues from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) were used as the validation dataset. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) proliferation assay, colony formation assay, and wound healing assay were conducted to explore the anti-glioma effect of the sensitive drugs we predicted. Results: We constructed a risk signature consisting of six CCC genes, including F2R, SERPINA1, TFPI, C1QC, C2, and C3AR1. The CCC gene-based risk signature could accurately predict the prognosis of patients with LGG. In addition, we found that the JAK-STAT, NOD-like receptor, Notch, PI3K-Akt, and Rap1 signaling pathways might be activated and had crosstalk with CCC in the high-risk group. Our findings analyses demonstrated that samples in high- and low-risk groups had different immune landscapes. Moreover, patients in the high-risk group might have greater resistance to immunotherapy. We validated the accuracy of the risk signature in predicting immunotherapy response in two public immunotherapy cohorts, GSE135222 and GSE78220. By means of oncoPredict, MG-132, BMS-536924, PLX-4720, and AZD6482 were identified as potential sensitive drugs for high-risk patients, of which MG-132 was particularly recommended for high-risk patients. We performed in vitro experiments to explore the anti-glioma effect of MG-132, and the results demonstrated MG-132 could inhibit the proliferation and migration of glioma cells. Conclusions: Our findings show that CCC genes are associated with the prognosis and immune infiltration of LGG and provide possible immunotherapeutic and novel chemotherapeutic strategies for patients with LGG based on the risk signature.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of shikonin on esophageal cancer (EC) cells and explore the underlying molecular mechanism by identifying dysregulation in shikonin-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) expression. The 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and EDU assay were performed for cell viability determination. The reactive oxygen species level and mitochondrial membrane potential were evaluated using flow cytometry. The protein expression was detected using Western blot. In addition, cell migration and invasion were estimated. These results demonstrated that shikonin inhibited EC cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner and induced apoptosis through activation of the intracellular apoptotic signaling pathway. Moreover, TRAP1 downregulation promoted shikonin-induced reactive oxygen species release, whereas TRAP1 upregulation blocked it. Meanwhile, shikonin significantly promoted mitochondrial depolarization, accompanied by a large release of cytochrome C. Conversely, shikonin significantly decreased adenosine 5'-triphosphate release, demonstrating a significant intervention in the process of the glucose metabolism. In addition, not only shikonin but also short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-TRAP1 inhibited EC cell migration and invasion. shRNA-TRAP1 enhanced the inhibitory effect of shikonin on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9 expression. More interestingly, we demonstrated that shRNA-TRAP1 played a synergistic role in shikonin-mediated regulation of protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. Collectively, shikonin promoted apoptosis and attenuated migration and invasion of EC cells by inhibiting TRAP1 expression and AKT/mTOR signaling, indicating that shikonin may be a new drug for treating EC.
ABSTRACT
@#[Abstract] Objective: To observe the effects of shikonin on the proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of human esophageal carcinoma TE-1 cells, and to explore its mechanism. Methods: TE-1 cells were treated with different concentrations of shikonin (0, 1, 5, 10 µmol/L). MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation at different time points (24, 48 and 72 h). After treatment with shikonin for 48 h, cell apoptosis in TE-1 cells of each group was observed with Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis and cell cycle. The changes in expression of TRAP1/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway related proteins were detected by Western blotting. Results: Shikonin inhibited the proliferation of TE-1 cells in a time-dose-dependent manner (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the control group, shikonin significantly promoted the apoptosis of TE-1 cells (P<0.01), induced the G0/G1 phase block of TE-1 cells (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and reduced the expression levels of TRAP1, p-Akt and p-MTOR (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The above effects were all dose-dependent. Conclusion: Shikonin can significantly inhibit the proliferation of TE-1 cells in vitro, induce G0/G1 phase arrest and promote apoptosis, which may be closely related to the inhibition of TRAP1/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
