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Autophagy is the main degradation pathway to eliminate long-lived and aggregated proteins, aged or malfunctioning organelles, which is essential for the intracellular homeostasis and prevention of malignant transformation. Although the processes of autophagosome biogenesis have been well illuminated, the mechanism of autophagosome transport remains largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that the ninein-like protein (Nlp), a well-characterized centrosomal associated protein, was able to modulate autophagosome transport and facilitate autophagy. During autophagy, Nlp colocalized with autophagosomes and physically interacted with autophagosome marker LC3, autophagosome sorting protein Rab7 and its downstream effector FYCO1. Interestingly, Nlp enhanced the interaction between Rab7 and FYCO1, thus accelerated autophagic flux and the formation of autophagolysosomes. Furthermore, compared to the wild-type mice, NLP deficient mice treated with chemical agent DMBA were prone to increased incidence of hepatomegaly and liver cancer, which were tight associated with the hepatic autophagic defect. Taken together, our findings provide a new insight for the first time that the well-known centrosomal protein Nlp is also a new regulator of autophagy, which promotes the interaction of Rab7 and FYCO1 and facilitates the formation of autophagolysosome. © 2021, The Author(s).

Autophagy is the main degradation pathway to eliminate long-lived and aggregated proteins, aged or malfunctioning organelles, which is essential for the intracellular homeostasis and prevention of malignant transformation. Although the processes of autophagosome biogenesis have been well illuminated, the mechanism of autophagosome transport remains largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that the ninein-like protein (Nlp), a well-characterized centrosomal associated protein, was able to modulate autophagosome transport and facilitate autophagy. During autophagy, Nlp colocalized with autophagosomes and physically interacted with autophagosome marker LC3, autophagosome sorting protein Rab7 and its downstream effector FYCO1. Interestingly, Nlp enhanced the interaction between Rab7 and FYCO1, thus accelerated autophagic flux and the formation of autophagolysosomes. Furthermore, compared to the wild-type mice, NLP deficient mice treated with chemical agent DMBA were prone to increased incidence of hepatomegaly and liver cancer, which were tight associated with the hepatic autophagic defect. Taken together, our findings provide a new insight for the first time that the well-known centrosomal protein Nlp is also a new regulator of autophagy, which promotes the interaction of Rab7 and FYCO1 and facilitates the formation of autophagolysosome. © 2021, The Author(s).

Autophagy is the main degradation pathway to eliminate long-lived and aggregated proteins, aged or malfunctioning organelles, which is essential for the intracellular homeostasis and prevention of malignant transformation. Although the processes of autophagosome biogenesis have been well illuminated, the mechanism of autophagosome transport remains largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that the ninein-like protein (Nlp), a well-characterized centrosomal associated protein, was able to modulate autophagosome transport and facilitate autophagy. During autophagy, Nlp colocalized with autophagosomes and physically interacted with autophagosome marker LC3, autophagosome sorting protein Rab7 and its downstream effector FYCO1. Interestingly, Nlp enhanced the interaction between Rab7 and FYCO1, thus accelerated autophagic flux and the formation of autophagolysosomes. Furthermore, compared to the wild-type mice, NLP deficient mice treated with chemical agent DMBA were prone to increased incidence of hepatomegaly and liver cancer, which were tight associated with the hepatic autophagic defect. Taken together, our findings provide a new insight for the first time that the well-known centrosomal protein Nlp is also a new regulator of autophagy, which promotes the interaction of Rab7 and FYCO1 and facilitates the formation of autophagolysosome. © 2021, The Author(s).

Wei Liu,1 Yi Chai,1 Libo Hu,1 Junhua Wang,2 Xin Pan,2 Hongyu Yuan,3 Zitong Zhao,3 Yongmei Song,3 Yuqi Zhang1 1School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neurosurgery, Yuquan Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100040, People’s Republic of China; 3State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuqi ZhangSchool of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, No. 1, Tsinghua Yuan, Haidian District, Beijing 10084, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail doctorzyq@126.comYongmei SongState Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology,National Cancer Center, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 17 Panjiayuannanli, Chaoyang, Beijing 100021, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail symlh2006@163.comBackground: Polyphyllin VI (PPVI), a bioactive component derived from a traditional Chinese herb Paris polyphylla, exhibits potential antitumor activity against hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as breast and lung cancers. However, its effect on glioma remains unknown.Methods: Five glioma cell lines (U251, U343, LN229, U87 and HEB) and an animal model were employed in the study. Anti-proliferation effects of PPVI were first determined using CCK-8 cell proliferation and clone formation assays, then reactive oxygen species (ROS), cell cycle progression and apoptosis effects measured by flow cytometry. The effect of PPVI on protein expression was quantified by Western blot analysis.Results: Data showed that PPVI inhibited the proliferation of glioma cell lines by modulating the G2/M phase. Additionally, incubation of cells with PPVI promoted apoptosis, autophagy, increased accumulation of ROS and activated ROS-modulated JNK and p38 pathways. On the other ha

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the development and progression of human cancers. The lncRNA prostate cancer-associated transcript 1 (PCAT1) has been reported to be involved in multiple human cancers, including oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the detailed biological functions, underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of PCAT1 in ESCC remain unclear. Here, we confirmed that PCAT1 was highly expressed in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of PCAT1 inhibited the growth of ESCC cells, whereas overexpression of PCAT1 showed the opposite effect both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, knockdown of PCAT1 arrested the cell cycle at G2/M phase, reduced the expression of cyclin B1 and CDC2, and caused cells to be more sensitive to paclitaxel. Furthermore, PCAT1 could bind to miR-326, a tumour suppressor in diverse human cancers. Rescue experiments revealed that enforced expression of miR-326 attenuated the promotive effect of PCAT1 on ESCC cell growth. In addition, we discovered that PCAT1 was present in ESCC cell-derived exosomes, was higher in the serum of ESCC patients than those of healthy volunteer donors, and promoted cell growth through exosomes. Thus, our data indicate that PCAT1 promotes ESCC cell proliferation by sponging miR-326 and may serve as a non-invasive biomarker for ESCC.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the development and progression of human cancers. The lncRNA prostate cancer-associated transcript 1 (PCAT1) has been reported to be involved in multiple human cancers, including oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the detailed biological functions, underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of PCAT1 in ESCC remain unclear. Here, we confirmed that PCAT1 was highly expressed in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of PCAT1 inhibited the growth of ESCC cells, whereas overexpression of PCAT1 showed the opposite effect both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, knockdown of PCAT1 arrested the cell cycle at G2/M phase, reduced the expression of cyclin B1 and CDC2, and caused cells to be more sensitive to paclitaxel. Furthermore, PCAT1 could bind to miR-326, a tumour suppressor in diverse human cancers. Rescue experiments revealed that enforced expression of miR-326 attenuated the promotive effect of PCAT1 on ESCC cell growth. In addition, we discovered that PCAT1 was present in ESCC cell-derived exosomes, was higher in the serum of ESCC patients than those of healthy volunteer donors, and promoted cell growth through exosomes. Thus, our data indicate that PCAT1 promotes ESCC cell proliferation by sponging miR-326 and may serve as a non-invasive biomarker for ESCC.

Oesophageal carcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in China, and more than 90% of these tumours are oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Although several ESCC genomic sequencing studies have identified mutated somatic genes, the number of samples in each study was relatively small, and the molecular basis of ESCC has not been fully elucidated. Here, we performed an integrated analysis of 490 tumours by combining the genomic data from 7 previous ESCC projects. We identified 18 significantly mutated genes (SMGs). PTEN, DCDC1 and CUL3 were first reported as SMGs in ESCC. Notably, the AJUBA mutations and mutational signature4 were significantly correlated with a poorer survival in patients with ESCC. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the copy number alteration (CNA) of cancer gene census (CGC) genes in ESCC patients revealed three subtypes, and subtype3 exhibited more CNAs and marked for worse prognosis compared with subtype2. Moreover, database annotation suggested that two significantly differential CNA genes (PIK3CA and FBXW7) between subtype3 and subtype2 may serve as therapeutic drug targets. This study has extended our knowledge of the genetic basis of ESCC and shed some light into the clinical relevance, which would help improve the therapy and prognosis of ESCC patients.

Oesophageal carcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in China, and more than 90% of these tumours are oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Although several ESCC genomic sequencing studies have identified mutated somatic genes, the number of samples in each study was relatively small, and the molecular basis of ESCC has not been fully elucidated. Here, we performed an integrated analysis of 490 tumours by combining the genomic data from 7 previous ESCC projects. We identified 18 significantly mutated genes (SMGs). PTEN, DCDC1 and CUL3 were first reported as SMGs in ESCC. Notably, the AJUBA mutations and mutational signature4 were significantly correlated with a poorer survival in patients with ESCC. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the copy number alteration (CNA) of cancer gene census (CGC) genes in ESCC patients revealed three subtypes, and subtype3 exhibited more CNAs and marked for worse prognosis compared with subtype2. Moreover, database annotation suggested that two significantly differential CNA genes (PIK3CA and FBXW7) between subtype3 and subtype2 may serve as therapeutic drug targets. This study has extended our knowledge of the genetic basis of ESCC and shed some light into the clinical relevance, which would help improve the therapy and prognosis of ESCC patients.

CPDR is a program of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Visit CPDR online www.cpdr.org MATERIALS & METHODS ABSTRACT RERSEUSLUTLST S Background: Identification of prognostic indicators of disease progression is one of the highest priorities in prostate cancer (CaP) research. The majority of CaP tissue specimens available for biomarker discovery and validation are formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) specimens. We systematically evaluated and optimized the NanoString platform for CaP gene expression analysis in FFPE whole mounted prostate specimens with up to 18 years follow up. A CaP gene panel (N=151) was designed and evaluated for prognostic association with biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: NanoString analysis was performed using our optimized protocol with 151-gene probe set (biologically significant genes frequently associated with CaP and other cancers) on 63 archived whole mounted FFPE prostate samples (21 with BCR within an average of 2.5 years, and 42 with no BCR after 5-10 years of follow-up time). Both groups of patients had low grade disease (Gleason 3+3 or 3+4) with no clinical or pathological indicators of progression at the time of RP (no positive margin, no ECE, no SVI). ERG protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using CPDR ERG-MAb (9FY). Results: ERG positive tumors had strong expression of both TMPRSS2-ERG fusion probes and probes for several ERG splice forms (ERG 1,2,3 and 8), with no signals in the matched benign samples. Absence of ERG (< 20 copies) showed the strongest association with BCR (p = 0.0028, sensitivity 71%, specificity 74%). Addition of VEGFA to ERG increased the sensitivity to 81%, without a change in the specificity. The ERG gene expression status was consistent with blinded ERG IHC results. Decreased ARFI readout of AR regulated gene expression identified a subset of ca, Background: Identification of prognostic indicators of disease progression is one of the highest priorities in prostate cancer (CaP) research. The majority of CaP tissue specimens available for biomarker discovery and validation are formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE)specimens. We systematically evaluated and optimized the NanoString platform for CaP gene expression analysis in FFPE whole mounted prostate specimens with up to 18 years follow up. A CaP gene panel (N=151) was designed and evaluated for prognostic association with biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: NanoString analysis was performed using our optimized protocol with 151-gene probe set (biologically significant genes frequently associated with CaP and other cancers) on 63 archived wholemounted FFPE prostate samples (21 with BCR within an average of 2.5 years, and 42 with no BCR after 5-10 years of follow-up time). Both groups of patients had low grade disease (Gleason 3+3 or 3+4) with no clinical or pathological indicators of progression at the time of RP (no positive margin, no ECE, no SVI). ERG protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using CPDR ERG-MAb (9FY). Results: ERG positive tumors had strong expression of both TMPRSS2-ERG fusion probes and probes for several ERG splice forms (ERG 1,2,3 and 8), with no signals in the matched benign samples. Absence of ERG (< 20 copies) showed the strongest association with BCR (p = 0.0028, sensitivity 71%, specificity 74%). Addition of VEGFA to ERG increased the sensitivity to 81%, without a change in the specificity. The ERG gene expression status was consistent with blinded ERG IHC results. Decreased ARFI readout of AR regulated gene expression identified a subset of cases (37%) exclusively in patients who developed BCR. Conclusion: This proof of principle study using a medium throughput Nanostring platform based assay suggests for the promising prognostic marker potential of ERG fusion or ARFI sta