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Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a significant health issue closely associated with multiple extrahepatic cancers. The association between MAFLD and clinical outcomes of endometrial cancer (EC) remains unknown. Methods: We retrospectively included 725 EC patients between January 2012 and December 2020. The odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression analyses. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were used for survival analysis. Results: Among EC patients, the prevalence of MAFLD was 27.7% (201/725, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 0.245–0.311). MAFLD was significantly associated with cervical stromal involvement (CSI) (OR = 1.974, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 1.065–3.659, p = 0.031). There was a significant correlation between overall survival (OS) and CSI (HR = 0.31; 95%CI: 0.12–0.83; p = 0.020), while patients with MAFLD had a similar OS to those without MAFLD (p = 0.952). Moreover, MAFLD was significantly associated with CSI in the type I EC subgroup (OR = 2.092, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 1.060–4.129, p = 0.033), but not in the type II EC subgroup (p = 0.838). Further logistic regression analysis suggested that the hepatic steatosis index (HSI) was significantly associated with CSI among type I EC patients without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (OR = 1.079, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 1.020–1.139, p = 0.012). Conclusions: About one-quarter of our cohort had MAFLD. MAFLD was associated with the risk of CSI in EC patients, and this association existed in type I EC patients but not in type II EC patients. Furthermore, the HSI can help predict CSI in type I EC patients without T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) plays an important role in endometrial cancer (EC) progression. However, the biological roles of ERRα in EC invasion and metastasis are not clear. This study aimed to investigate the role of ERRα and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 1 (HMGCS1) in regulating intracellular cholesterol metabolism to promote EC progression. ERRα and HMGCS1 interactions were detected by co-immunoprecipitation, and the effects of ERRα/HMGCS1 on the metastasis of EC were investigated by wound-healing and transwell chamber invasion assays. Cellular cholesterol content was measured to verify the relationship between ERRα and cellular cholesterol metabolism. Additionally, immunohistochemistry was performed to confirm that ERRα and HMGCS1 were related to EC progression. Furthermore, the mechanism was investigated using loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays or treatment with simvastatin. High expression levels of ERRα and HMGCS1 promoted intracellular cholesterol metabolism for invadopodia formation. Moreover, inhibiting ERRα and HMGCS1 expression significantly weakened the malignant progression of EC in vitro and in vivo. Our functional analysis showed that ERRα promoted EC invasion and metastasis through the HMGCS1-mediated intracellular cholesterol metabolism pathway, which was dependent on the epithelial–mesenchymal transition pathway. Our findings suggest that ERRα and HMGCS1 are potential targets to suppress EC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) is of great economic significance in South China for its unique taste and nutritional properties. However, longan breeding is mainly based on seedling selection, which generally results in small fruits, low flesh recovery, and few seedless germplasm. Triploid breeding is a central way to improve these problems. In this study, microspore chromosomes were doubled by colchicine and high-temperature treatment to create triploids in longans. The relationship between the development process of male gametophyte of longans and the morphological changes of male flower buds was established. Cytological observation showed that when the male flower buds were in stage I (when the diameter of the flower bud is 1.4–2.0 mm), most of the microspores were at the pachytene to diakinesis stage of meiosis, and the chromosome doubling induction effect was the best at this stage. The results showed that the 2n pollen rate induced by a high temperature of about 38 °C was higher than that induced by colchicine treatment. The highest 2n pollen rate was 5.7% and 5.5% based on the microscopic measurement method and the abnormal separation in tetrad stage estimation method, respectively. Four triploids were successfully obtained from artificial pollination with 2n pollen, with a triploid induction rate of 0.6%. This study will promote ploidy breeding in longan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]