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Acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSs) are responsible for acyl-CoA synthesis from nonpolar hydrophilic fatty acids and play a vital role in many metabolic processes. As a category of ACS isozymes, members of ACS family (AACS, ACSF2-3, AASDH) participate in lipid metabolism; however, their expression patterns, regulatory mechanisms and effects in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are poorly understood. Here, through evaluating the expression profiles of ACSF gene family, we found that upregulated AACS might be more significant and valuable in development and progression of HCC. Consequently, the mRNA expression levels of AACS and ACSF2 was accordantly increased in HCC. Kaplan-Meier plotter revealed that HCC patients with high level of AACS were highly related to a shorter overall survival time and relapse-free survival. Genetic alterations using cBioPortal revealed that the alteration rate of AACS were 5%. We also found that the functions of ACSF gene family were linked to several cancer-associated pathways, including long-term potentiation, phospholipase D signaling pathway and purine metabolism. TIMER database indicated that the AACS and ACSF2 had a strong relationship with the infiltration of six types of immune cells (macrophages, neutrophils, CD8+ T-cells, B-cells, CD4+ T-cells and dendritic cells). Next, Diseasemeth database revealed that the global methylation levels of ACSF2 was higher in HCC patients. In conclusion, this study firstly demonstrated that Acyl-CoA synthesis gene family, in particular, AACS, could be associated with immune microenvironment, thereby influencing the development and prognosis of patients with HCC.

この博士論文全文の閲覧方法については、以下のサイトをご参照ください。, https://www.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dissertations/copy-guides/, (主査) 教授 橋本 直幸, 教授 三浦 誠司, 教授 林 重成, 准教授 礒部 繁人, 工学院（材料科学専攻）

(主査) 教授 橋本 直幸, 教授 三浦 誠司, 教授 林 重成, 准教授 礒部 繁人, 工学院（材料科学専攻）

Zeyu Zhang,1 Xiangyuan Qiu,1 Yuanliang Yan,2 Qiujiu Liang,2 Yuan Cai,3 Bi Peng,3 Zhijie Xu,3,4 Fada Xia1 1Department of Thyroid Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of China; 4National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhijie XuDepartment of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail xzj1322007@csu.edu.cnFada XiaDepartment of Thyroid Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail xiafada@csu.edu.cnBackground: Ferroptosis is the latest-discovered, iron-dependent form of regulated cell death. It has been increasingly recognized that ferroptosis-related genes participate in oncogenesis and development of cancers, including breast cancer (BRCA). Thus, It is important to explore the biofunctions of ferroptosis-related genes in BRCA.Methods: Transcriptome microarray datasets (GSE22358, GSE9014 and GSE8977, GSE2990 and GSE2034) and TCGA-BRCA were retrieved for analyses. And a variety of computational tools were used to identify the roles and associated biological functions in BRCA.Results: Two ferroptosis-related genes (AKR1C1 and AKR1C3) were significantly expressed in GSE22358, GSE9014 and GSE8977. Higher expression of AKR1C1 was related with favorable prognosis. TCGA-BRCA further confirmed the expression of AKR1C1 and the prognostic value of AKR1C1. Co-expression analyses showed the most enriched GO term and KEGG pathways were termination of DNA-templated transcription and Fanconi anemia pathway. Subsequently, immunological analyses showed AKR1C1 was significantly associated with various immune infiltration cells; among these, dendritic cells, neutrophils, macrophages were the top three infiltrating cells. Furthermore, AKR1C1 was also associated with multiple immunostimulatory molecules and chemokines, including PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA4, B7-H3, VSIR, IL-6, BTLA, CXCL2, and CCR7. These results indicated the potential roles of AKR1C1 in the immune reaction during the pathogenesis of breast cancer.Conclusion: This study firstly demonstrated that ferroptosis-related gene, AKR1C1, could be associated with immune microenvironment, thereby influencing the development and prognosis of patient with breast cancer.Keywords: breast cancer, AKR1C1, ferroptosis, immune microenvironment, immune infiltration

The mechanism underlying platinum resistance in ovarian cancer (OC) remains unclear. We used bioinformatic analyses to screen differentially expressed genes responsible for platinum resistance and explore NR2F1′s correlation with prognostic implication and OC staging. Moreover, Gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses were used for pathway analysis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) properties, invasion, and migration capacities were analyzed by biochemical methods. The association between NR2F1 and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) infiltration and immunotherapeutic responses were also researched. A total of 13 co-upregulated genes and one co-downregulated gene were obtained. Among them, NR2F1 revealed the highest correlation with a poor prognosis and positively correlated with OC staging. GSEA and GO analysis suggested the induction of EMT via TGFβ-1 might be a possible mechanism that NR2F1 participates in resistance. In vitro experiments showed that NR2F1 knockdown did not affect cell proliferation, but suppressed cell invasion and migration with or without cisplatin treatment through the EMT pathway. We also found that NR2F1 could regulate TGF-β1 signaling, and treating with TGF-β1 could reverse these effects. Additionally, NR2F1 was predominantly associated with immunosuppressive CAF infiltration, which might cause a poor response to immune check blockades. In conclusion, NR2F1 regulates TGF-β1-mediated EMT affecting platinum sensitivity and immune response in OC patients.

Lipoic acid synthetase (LIAS) has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in the progression of cancer. Exploring the underlying mechanisms and biological functions of LIAS could have potential therapeutic guidance for cancer treatment. Our study has explored the expression levels and prognostic values of LIAS in pan-cancer through several bioinformatics platforms, including TIMER2.0, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, version 2 (GEPIA2.0), and Human Protein Atlas (HPA). We found that a high LIAS expression was related to the good prognosis in patients with kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), rectum adenocarcinoma (READ), breast cancer, and ovarian cancer. Inversely, a high LIAS expression showed unfavorable prognosis in lung cancer patients. In addition, the genetic alteration, methylation levels, and immune analysis of LIAS in pan-cancer have been evaluated. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism of LIAS, we conduct the single-cell sequencing to implicate that LIAS expression was related to hypoxia, angiogenesis, and DNA repair. Thus, these comprehensive pan-cancer analyses have conveyed that LIAS could be potentially significant in the progression of various cancers. Moreover, the LIAS expression could predict the efficacy of immunotherapy in cancer patients.

As the main substance in some traditional Chinese medicines, cucurbitacins have been used to treat hepatitis for decades in China. Currently, the use of cucurbitacins against cancer and other diseases has achieved towering popularity among researchers worldwide, as detailed in this review with summarized tables. Numerous studies have reported the potential tumor-killing activities of cucurbitacins in multiple aspects of human malignancies. Continuous research on its anticancer activity mechanisms also brings a glimmer of light to the treatment of patients with lung cancer. In line with the promising roles of cucurbitacins against cancer, through various molecular signaling pathways, it is justifiable to propose the use of cucurbitacins as a potential mainline chemotherapy before the onset and after the diagnosis of lung cancers. Here, this article mainly summarized the findings about the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of cucurbitacins on lung cancer pathogenesis and treatment. In addition, we also discussed the safety and efficacy of their application for further research and even clinical practice.