Secondary metabolites of mulberry leaves exert anti-lung cancer activity through regulating the PD-L1/PD-1 signaling pathway.

Lung cancer ranks the top of malignancies that cause cancer-related deaths worldwide. The leaves of Morus alba L are traditional Chinese medicine widely applied in respiratory diseases. Our previous work has demonstrated the anti-lung cancer effect of secondary metabolites of mulberry leaf, but their mechanism of action has still not fully elucidated. We synthesized Moracin N (MAN)-Probe conjugated with alkyne to label lung cancer cells and identified protein targets by chemical proteomic analysis. MAN and its probe exerted similar growth-inhibitory effect on human lung cancer cells. Chemical proteomic results showed that MAN targeted the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) checkpoint pathway and T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway, indicating its immune-regulatory function. Cell-free surface plasmon resonance (SPR) results showed the direct interaction of MAN with PD-L1 protein. Molecular docking analysis demonstrated that MAN bound to E158 residue of PD-L1 protein. MAN downregulated the expression levels of PD-L1 in a time- and dose-dependent manner and disrupted the PD-L1/programmed death 1 (PD-1) binding, including other secondary metabolites of mulberry leaves Guangsangon E (GSE) and Chalcomoracin (CMR). Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) co-cultured with MAN-treated A549 cells, resulting in the increase of CD8+ GZMB+ T cells and the decrease of CD8+ PD-1+ T cells. It suggested that MAN exerts anti-cancer effect through blocking the PD-L1/PD-1 signaling. In vivo, MAN combined with anti-PD-1 antibody significantly inhibited lung cancer development and metastasis, indicating their synergistic effect. Taken together, secondary metabolites of mulberry leaves target the PD-L1/PD-1 signaling, enhance T cell-mediated immunity and inhibit the tumorigenesis of lung cancer. Their modulatory effect on tumor microenvironment makes them able to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer.

Parkin regulates IGF2BP3 through ubiquitination in the tumourigenesis of cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Insulin-like growth Factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) is a highly conserved RNA-binding protein and plays a critical role in regulating posttranscriptional modifications. METHODS: Immunoprecipitation was used to examine the interaction of Parkin and IGF2BP3. Mass spectrometry was performed to identify the ubiquitination sites of IGF2BP3. RNA-immunoprecipitation was conducted to examine the target genes of IGF2BP3. Xenograft mouse model was constructed to determine the tumorigenesis of IGF2BP3. RESULTS: IGF2BP3 expression is negatively correlated with Parkin expression in human cervical cancer cells and tissues. Parkin directly interacts with IGF2BP3, and overexpression of Parkin causes the proteasomal degradation of IGF2BP3, while knockdown of PARK2 increases the protein levels of IGF2BP3. Mechanistically, in vivo and in vitro ubiquitination assays demonstrated that Parkin is able to ubiquitinate IGF2BP3. Moreover, the ubiquitination site of IGF2BP3 was identified at K213 in the first KH domain of IGF2BP3. IGF2BP3 mutation results in the loss of its oncogenic function as an m6A reader, resulting in the inactivation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathways. In addition, IGF2BP3 mutation results in the attenuation of Parkin-mediated mitophagy, indicating its inverse role in regulating Parkin. Consequently, the tumourigenesis of cervical cancer is also inhibited by IGF2BP3 mutation. CONCLUSION: IGF2BP3 is ubiquitinated and regulated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin in human cervical cancer and ubiquitination modification plays an important role in modulating IGF2BP3 function. Thus, understanding the role of IGF2BP3 in tumourigenesis could provide new insights into cervical cancer therapy.

Parkin exerts the tumor-suppressive effect through targeting mitochondria.

The role of PARKIN in Parkinson's disease is well established but its role in cancer has recently emerged. PARKIN serves as a tumor suppressor in many cancers and loses the tumor-suppressive function due to loss of heterozygosity and DNA copy number. But how PARKIN protects against cancer is poorly understood. Through the analysis of PARKIN substrates and their association with mitochondria, this viewpoint discussed that PARKIN exerts its anti-cancer activity through targeting mitochondria. Mitochondria function as a convergence point for many signaling pathways and biological processes, including apoptosis, cell cycle, mitophagy, energy metabolism, oxidative stress, calcium homeostasis, inflammation, and so forth. PARKIN participates in these processes through regulating its mitochondrial targets. Conversely, these mitochondrial substrates also influence the function of PARKIN under different cellular circumstances. We believe that future studies in this area may lead to novel therapeutic targets and strategies for cancer therapy.

A Quassinoid Diterpenoid Eurycomanone from Eurycoma longifolia Jack Exerts Anti-Cancer Effect through Autophagy Inhibition.

Eurycomanone (EN) is one of the representative quassinoid diterpenoids from roots of Eurycoma longifolia Jack, a natural medicine that is widely distributed in Southeast Asia. Previous studies showed that EN induces cancer cell apoptosis and exhibits anti-cancer activity, but the molecular mechanism of EN against cancer has still not been elucidated. In this study, we examined the regulatory effect of EN on autophagy to reveal the mechanism of EN-mediated colon cancer growth inhibition. First, we found that EN is able to inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and colony formation. The angiogenesis level in cancer cells was inhibited as well. Next, the treatment of EN led to the suppression of autophagy, which was characterized by the downregulation of the LC3-II level and the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta under EN treatment in colon cancer. Moreover, we revealed that the mTOR signaling pathway was activated by EN in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Finally, autophagy induction protected colon cancer cells from EN treatment, suggesting that autophagy improves cell survival. Taken together, our findings revealed the mechanism of EN against colon cancer through inhibiting autophagy and angiogenesis in colon cancer, supporting that the autophagy inhibitor EN could be developed to be a novel anti-cancer agent.

The involvement of Parkin-dependent mitophagy in the anti-cancer activity of Ginsenoside.

Colon cancer, the third most frequent occurred cancer, has high mortality and extremely poor prognosis. Ginsenoside, the active components of traditional Chinese herbal medicine Panax ginseng, exerts antitumor effect in various cancers, including colon cancer. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of Ginsenoside in the tumor suppression have not been fully elucidated. Here, we chose the representative ginsenoside Rg3 and reported for the first time that Rg3 induces mitophagy in human colon cancer cells, which is responsible for its anticancer effect. Rg3 treatment leads to mitochondria damage and the formation of mitophagosome; when autophagy is inhibited, the clearance of damaged mitochondria can be reversed. Next, our results showed that Rg3 treatment activates the PINK1-Parkin signaling pathway and recruits Parkin and ubiquitin proteins to mitochondria to induce mitophagy. GO analysis of Parkin targets showed that Parkin interacts with a large number of mitochondrial proteins and regulates the molecular function of mitochondria. The cellular energy metabolism enzyme GAPDH is validated as a novel substrate of Parkin, which is ubiquitinated by Parkin. Moreover, GAPDH participates in the Rg3-induced mitophagy and regulates the translocation of Parkin to mitochondria. Functionally, Rg3 exerts the inhibitory effect through regulating the nonglycolytic activity of GAPDH, which could be associated with the cellular oxidative stress. Thus, our results revealed GAPDH ubiquitination by Parkin as a crucial mechanism for mitophagy induction that contributes to the tumor-suppressive function of ginsenoside, which could be a novel treatment strategy for colon cancer.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors inhibit cervical cancer growth through Parkin acetylation-mediated mitophagy.

Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, plays a role in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis through targeting damaged mitochondria for mitophagy. Accumulating evidence suggests that the acetylation modification of the key mitophagy machinery influences mitophagy level, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, our study demonstrated that inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) by treatment of HDACis activates mitophagy through mediating Parkin acetylation, leading to inhibition of cervical cancer cell proliferation. Bioinformatics analysis shows that Parkin expression is inversely correlated with HDAC2 expression in human cervical cancer, indicating the low acetylation level of Parkin. Using mass spectrometry, Parkin is identified to interact with two upstream molecules, acetylase acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) and deacetylase HDAC2. Under treatment of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), Parkin is acetylated at lysine residues 129, 220 and 349, located in different domains of Parkin protein. In in vitro experiments, combined mutation of Parkin largely attenuate the interaction of Parkin with PTEN induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1) and the function of Parkin in mitophagy induction and tumor suppression. In tumor xenografts, the expression of mutant Parkin impairs the tumor suppressive effect of Parkin and decreases the anticancer activity of SAHA. Our results reveal an acetylation-dependent regulatory mechanism governing Parkin in mitophagy and cervical carcinogenesis, which offers a new mitophagy modulation strategy for cancer therapy.

DHOK Exerts Anti-Cancer Effect Through Autophagy Inhibition in Colorectal Cancer.

DHOK (14,15ß-dihydroxyklaineanone) is a novel diterpene isolated from roots of Eurycoma longifolia Jack, a traditional herb widely applied in Southeast Asia. It is reported that DHOK has cytotoxic effect on cancer cells, but its anti-cancer mechanism has still been not clear. In our study, we first observed that DHOK inhibits cell proliferation of colorectal cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Next, we performed transcriptome sequencing to identify the targets of DHOK and found that autophagy-related signaling pathways are involved under DHOK treatment. Indeed, in DHOK-treated cells, the level of autophagosome marker LC3 and the formation of GFP-LC3 puncta were decreased, indicating the reduction of autophagy. Moreover, confocal microscopy results revealed the lysosomal activity and the formation of autolysosomes are also inhibited. Our western blotting results demonstrated the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway by DHOK, which may be attributed to the enhancement of ERK and AKT activity. Functionally, activation of autophagy attenuated DHOK-caused cell death, indicating that autophagy serves as cell survival. In xenograft mouse model, our results also showed that DHOK activates the mTOR signaling pathway, decreases autophagy level and inhibits the tumorigenesis of colon cancer. Taken together, we revealed the molecular mechanism of DHOK against cancer and our results also demonstrate great potential of DHOK in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Postsynthetic functionalization of water stable zirconium metal organic frameworks for high performance copper removal.

In this work, a water stable zirconium metal-organic framework functionalized with thiol groups was synthesized by a solvent-assisted ligand incorporation technique. The composites were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, specific surface area measurement and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The prepared material was then used as a novel adsorbent for Cu(ii) removal from water. The experimental parameters associated with adsorption capability, such as the initial solution pH, contact time, and the presence of competing cations were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the adsorption follows a pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the equilibration time for the adsorption is 15 min. The Langmuir adsorption model was in better correlation with the isothermal adsorption data than the Freundlich model. The maximum Cu(ii) adsorption capacity reached up to 42.70 mg g-1. Quantitative recovery of Cu(ii) was achieved by using 0.1 mol L-1 HCl. The prepared adsorbent has fast adsorption efficiency, high adsorption capacity, and exceptional stability up to 50 adsorption/desorption cycles. It can be used as a promising candidate material for heavy metal ion removal and water treatment.

Preparation of magnetic metal organic frameworks adsorbent modified with mercapto groups for the extraction and analysis of lead in food samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

A novel magnetic metal organic frameworks adsorbent modified with mercapto groups was synthesized and developed for extraction and spectrophotometric determination of trace lead. The adsorbent was characterized by Fourier transforms infrared spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The results indicated the adsorbents exhibited high adsorption capacities for lead due to the chelation mechanism between metal cations and mercapto groups. Meanwhile, the lead sorption onto the adsorbents could be easily separated from aqueous solution using a magnetic separation method. Under the optimal conditions, a linear calibration curve in the range from 1 to 20 µg L(-1) was achieved with an enrichment factor of 100. The limits of detection and quantitation for lead were found to be 0.29 and 0.97 µg L(-1), respectively. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of trace amounts of lead in food samples and certified reference material with satisfactory results.

Carbon functionalized metal organic framework/Nafion composites as novel electrode materials for ultrasensitive determination of dopamine.

Carbon functionalized metal organic frameworks (C/Al-MIL-53-(OH)2) were successfully prepared for the first time by a solvothermal technique and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy. This composite was coated with a Nafion film so as to form a Nafion/C/Al-MIL-53-(OH)2 modified glassy carbon electrode. The modified electrode was then used as a novel electrocatalyst for dopamine (DA) oxidation in phosphate buffer solution. Due to the synergistic effects of the different materials, including the high conductivity of carbon, the large surface area of Al-MIL-53-(OH)2, and the film-forming ability of a cation-exchange polymer, the modified electrode exhibited a remarkable enhancement effect on voltammetric response of DA. Under the optimal conditions, the response peak currents had a linear relationship with the DA concentration in the range from 3.0 × 10-8 to 1.0 × 10-5 mol L-1. The limits of detection and quantitation for DA were found to be 0.8 × 10-8 mol L-1 and 2.6 × 10-8 mol L-1, respectively. The analytical utilities of the proposed biosensor were achieved by analyzing the content of DA in biological fluids.

Metal-organic frameworks and ß-cyclodextrin-based composite electrode for simultaneous quantification of guanine and adenine in a lab-on-valve manifold.

In this work, a novel chemically modified electrode is constructed based on metal-organic frameworks and ß-cyclodextrin (Cu3(BTC)2/ß-CD, BTC = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) composite material. The electrode was used for simultaneous determination of guanine and adenine in a sequential injection lab-on-valve format and exhibited sensitive responses to guanine and adenine oxidation due to the π-π stacking interaction of Cu3(BTC)2 and the inclusion behavior of ß-CD. The analytical performance was assessed with respect to the supporting electrolyte and its pH, accumulation time and accumulation potential, and the fluid flow rates. Under optimal conditions, linear calibration ranges for both guanine and adenine were from 1.0 × 10(-7) to 1.0 × 10(-5) mol L(-1), and detection limits (S/N = 3) were found to be 5.2 × 10(-8) and 2.8 × 10(-8) mol L(-1), respectively. The proposed sensor showed advantages of high sensitivity, simple sample preparation protocol, enhanced throughput and good reproducibility. Finally, the practical application of the proposed sensor has been performed for the determination of guanine and adenine in real samples with satisfactory results.

Construction of an electrochemical sensor based on amino-functionalized metal-organic frameworks for differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric determination of lead.

Metal-organic frameworks composite materials have received tremendous attention because of their versatile structures and tunable porosity for various applications. Herein, amino-functionalized metal-organic frameworks (NH2-Cu3(BTC)2; BTC=benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) was prepared and used as a novel electrode modifier for the determination of trace levels of lead. NH2-Cu3(BTC)2 shows quite a good capability for the efficient adsorption of lead from aqueous solutions. The parameters affecting the electrochemical process, such as electrolyte solution pH, the amount of NH2-Cu3(BTC)2 suspension, accumulation potential and accumulation time, were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the electrochemical sensor exhibited a linear response to the concentration of lead in the range of 1.0×10(-8)-5.0×10(-7) mol L(-1) (R(2)=0.9951) with a detection limit of 5.0×10(-9) mol L(-1). The relative standard deviation of 11 successive scans was 3.10% for 1.0×10(-8) mol L(-1) lead. The method was validated with certified reference material (stream sediment and milk powder) and the analytical results coincided well with the certified values. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied to the determination of target analytes in tap and lake water samples and good recoveries were obtained from different spiked values.

Fabrication of metal-organic frameworks and graphite oxide hybrid composites for solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of luteolin.

A novel solid-phase extraction sorbent, metal-organic frameworks and graphite oxide hybrid composite, was prepared by a solvothermal technique. The morphology and properties of the resultant material were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. To evaluate the extraction performance of the resultant sorbent, luteolin was chosen as a model analyte. The extraction conditions were optimized. Based on these, a convenient and efficient solid-phase extraction procedure for the determination of luteolin was established and the subsequent quantification step was performed by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. Under the optimal conditions, the oxidation current increased linearly with increasing the concentration of luteolin in the range of 5.0 × 10(-9)-5.0 × 10(-7)molL(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9983 and a detection limit of 7.9 × 10(-10)molL(-1). The relative standard deviation of seven successive scans was 4.20% for 5.0 × 10(-8)molL(-1) luteolin. This work not only proposes a useful method for sample pretreatment, but also reveals the great potential of metal-organic frameworks based hybrid materials as an excellent sorbent in solid-phase extraction.