5’tiRNA-Pro-TGG,a novel tRNA halve,promotes oncogenesis in sessile serrated lesions and serrated pathway of colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Transfer RNA(tRNA)-derived small RNAs(tsRNAs)are small fragments that form when tRNAs severe.tRNA halves(tiRNAs),a subcategory of tsRNA,are involved in the oncogenic processes of many tumors.However,their specific role in sessile serrated lesions(SSLs),a precancerous lesion often observed in the colon,has not yet been elucidated.AIM To identify SSL-related tiRNAs and their potential role in the development of SSLs and serrated pathway of colorectal cancer(CRC).METHODS Small-RNA sequencing was conducted in paired SSLs and their adjacent normal control(NC)tissues.The expression levels of five SSL-related tiRNAs were validated by q-polymerase chain reaction.Cell counting kit-8 and wound healing assays were performed to detect cell proliferation and migration.The target genes and sites of tiRNA-1:33-Pro-TGG-1(5′tiRNA-Pro-TGG)were predicted by TargetScan and miRanda algorithms.Metabolism-associated and immune-related pathways were analyzed by single-sample gene set enrichment analysis.Functional analyses were performed to establish the roles of 5′tiRNA-Pro-TGG based on the target genes.RESULTS In total,we found 52 upregulated tsRNAs and 28 downregulated tsRNAs in SSLs compared to NC.The expression levels of tiRNA-1:33-Gly-CCC-2,tiRNA-1:33-Pro-TGG-1,and tiRNA-1:34-Thr-TGT-4-M25′tiRNAs were higher in SSLs than those in NC,while that of 5′tiRNA-Pro-TGG was associated with the size of SSLs.It was demonstrated that 5′tiRNAPro-TGG promoted cell proliferation and migration of RKO cell in vitro.Then,heparanase 2(HPSE2)was identified as a potential target gene of 5′tiRNA-Pro-TGG.Its lower expression was associated with a worse prognosis in CRC.Further,lower expression of HPSE2 was observed in SSLs compared to normal controls or conventional adenomas and in BRAF-mutant CRC compared to BRAF-wild CRC.Bioinformatics analyses revealed that its low expression was associated with a low interferonγresponse and also with many metabolic pathways such as riboflavin,retinol,and cytochrome p450 drug metabolism pathways.CONCLUSION tiRNAs may profoundly impact the development of SSLs.5′tiRNA-Pro-TGG potentially promotes the progression of serrated pathway CRC through metabolic and immune pathways by interacting with HPSE2 and regulating its expression in SSLs and BRAF-mutant CRC.In the future,it may be possible to use tiRNAs as novel biomarkers for early diagnosis of SSLs and as potential therapeutic targets in serrated pathway of CRC.

Integrated network analysis of transcriptomic and protein-protein interaction data in taurine-treated hepatic stellate cells

BACKGROUND Studies show that the antifibrotic mechanism of taurine may involve its inhibition of the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells(HSCs). Since the molecular mechanism of taurine-mediated antifibrotic activity has not been fully unveiled and is little studied, it is imperative to use "omics" methods to systematically investigate the molecular mechanism by which taurine inhibits liver fibrosis.AIM To establish a network including transcriptomic and protein-protein interaction data to elucidate the molecular mechanism of taurine-induced HSC apoptosis.METHODS We used microarrays, bioinformatics, protein-protein interaction(PPI) network,and sub-modules to investigate taurine-induced changes in gene expression in human HSCs(LX-2). Subsequently, all of the differentially expressed genes(DEGs) were subjected to gene ontology function and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analysis. Furthermore, the interactions of DEGs were explored in a human PPI network, and sub-modules of the DEGs interaction network were analyzed using Cytoscape software.RESULTS A total of 635 DEGs were identified in taurine-treated HSCs when compared with the controls. Of these, 304 genes were statistically significantly up-regulated, and 331 down-regulated. Most of these DEGs were mainly located on the membrane and extracellular region, and are involved in the biological processes of signal transduction, cell proliferation, positive regulation of extracellular regulated protein kinases 1(ERK1) and ERK2 cascade, extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway and so on. Fifteen significantly enriched pathways with DEGs were identified, including mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor signaling pathway,estrogen signaling pathway, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, cyclic adenosine monophosphate signaling pathway and so on. By integrating the transcriptomics and human PPI data, nine critical genes, including MMP2, MMP9, MMP21,TIMP3, KLF10, CX3CR1, TGFB1, VEGFB, and EGF, were identified in the PPI network analysis.CONCLUSION Taurine promotes the apoptosis of HSCs via up-regulating TGFB1 and then activating the p38 MAPK-JNK-Caspase9/8/3 pathway. These findings enhance the understanding of the molecular mechanism of taurine-induced HSC apoptosis and provide references for liver disorder therapy.

Enhancing zinc storage performance of Mn_(3)O_(4)cathode through Ag-doping and-crosslinking dual-modification strategy

Octahedral Mn_(3)O_(4)nanoparticles with an Ag-doping and nanoporous Ag(NPS)framework was simply fabricated through an alloying-etching engineering.The dual-modified Mn_(3)O_(4)(denoted as Ag−Mn_(3)O_(4)/NPS)consists of Ag-doped Mn_(3)O_(4)nanoparticles crosslinked with three dimensional nanoporous Ag framework.The incorporated Ag dopant is effective in improving the intrinsic ionic and electronic conductivities of Mn_(3)O_(4),while the NPS framework is introduced to improve the electron/mass transfer across the entire electrode.Profiting from the dual-modification strategy,the Ag−Mn_(3)O_(4)/NPS exhibits admirable rate capability and cycling stability.A high reversible capacity of 88.7 mA·h/g can still be retained for over 1000 cycles at a current density of 1 A/g.Moreover,a series of ex-situ experimental techniques indicate that for Ag−Mn_(3)O_(4)/NPS electrode during the zinc ion storage,Mn_(3)O_(4)is electrochemically oxidized into various MnOx(e.g.,Mn_(2)O_(3),MnO2)species in the initial charging,and the subsequent battery reaction is actually the intercalation/deintercalation of H+and Zn2+into MnOx.