A lot of previous studies have recently reported that the gut microbiota influences the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Western countries, but the role of the gut microbiota in Chinese population must be investigated fully. The goal of this study was to determine the role of the gut microbiome in the initiation and development of CRC. We collected fecal samples of 206 Chinese individuals: 59 with polyp (group P), 54 with adenoma (group A), 51 with colorectal cancer (group CC), and 42 healthy controls (group HC).16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was used to compare the microbiota community structures among healthy controls, patients with polyp, and those with adenoma or colorectal cancer. Our study proved that intestinal flora, as a specific indicator, showed significant differences in its diversity and composition. Sobs, Chao, and Ace indexes of group CC were significantly lower than those of the healthy control group (CC group: Sobs, Chao, and Ace indexes were 217.3 ± 69, 4265.1 ± 80.7, and 268.6 ± 78.1, respectively; HC group: Sobs, Chao, and Ace indexes were 228.8 ± 44.4, 272.9 ± 58.6, and 271.9 ± 57.2, respectively). When compared with the healthy individuals, the species richness and diversity of intestinal flora in patients with colorectal cancer were significantly reduced: PCA and PCoA both revealed that a significant separation in bacterial community composition between the CC group and HC group (with PCA using the first two principal component scores of PC1 14.73% and PC2 10.34% of the explained variance, respectively; PCoA : PC1 = 14%, PC2 = 9%, PC3 = 6%). Wilcox tests was used to analyze differences between the two groups, it reveals that Firmicutes (P=0.000356), Fusobacteria (P=0.000001), Proteobacteria (P=0.000796), Spirochaetes (P=0.013421), Synergistetes (P=0.005642) were phyla with significantly different distributions between cases and controls. The proportion of microorganism composition is varying at different stages of colon cancer development: Bacteroidetes (52.14%) and Firmicutes (35.88%) were enriched in the healthy individuals; on the phylum level, the abundance of Bacteroidetes (52.14%-53.92%-52.46%–47.06%) and Firmicutes (35.88%-29.73%-24.27%–25.36%) is decreasing with the development of health-polyp-adenomas-CRC, and the abundance of Proteobacteria (9.33%-12.31%-16.51%–22.37%) is increasing. PCA and PCOA analysis showed there was no significant (P<0.05) difference in species similarity between precancerous and carcinogenic states. However, the composition of the microflora in patients with precancerous lesions (including patients with adenoma and polyp) was proved to have no significant disparity (P<0.05). Our study provides insights into new angles to dig out potential biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer and to provide scientific advice for a healthy lifestyle for the sake of gut microbiota.

As a physiological regulator of bile acid homeostasis, FGF19 is also a potent insulin sensitizer capable of normalizing plasma glucose concentration, improving lipid profile, ameliorating fatty liver disease, and causing weight loss in both diabetic and diet-induced obesity mice. There is therefore a major interest in developing FGF19 as a therapeutic agent for treating type 2 diabetes and cholestatic liver disease. However, the known tumorigenic risk associated with prolonged FGF19 administration is a major hurdle in realizing its clinical potential. Here, we show that nonmitogenic FGF19 variants that retain the full beneficial glucose-lowering and bile acid regulatory activities of WT FGF19 (FGF19WT) can be engineered by diminishing FGF19’s ability to induce dimerization of its cognate FGF receptors (FGFR). As proof of principle, we generated three such variants, each with a partial defect in binding affinity to FGFR (FGF19ΔFGFR) and its coreceptors, i.e., βklotho (FGF19ΔKLB) or heparan sulfate (FGF19ΔHBS). Pharmacological assays in WT and db/db mice confirmed that these variants incur a dramatic loss in mitogenic activity, yet are indistinguishable from FGF19WT in eliciting glycemic control and regulating bile acid synthesis. This approach provides a robust framework for the development of safer and more efficacious FGF19 analogs.

The prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing globally. It is rarely noticed that the incidence of CRC is higher in patients with T2DM. What needs to be mentioned is that metformin, a commonly used clinical drug for T2DM, attracts scholars’ attention because of its benefits in lowering the risk of developing CRC. Hence, we try to find the common grounds of initiation of T2DM and CRC and the reason why metformin reduces the risk of CRC in patients with T2DM. We noticed consistent changes of gut microbiota, such as elevated Bacteroides, Prevotella and Bifidobacterium and depressed Firmicutes and Lactobacillus . Furthermore, many studies in recent years have proved that the efficacy of metformin, such as improving blood glucose, depends on the gut microbiota. Coincidentally, the progression of CRC is inseparable from the contributions of gut microbiota. Therefore, we first proposed the concept of the metformin-gut microbiota–CRC (in T2DM) axis to explain the effect of metformin in reducing CRC in patients with T2DM . In this review, we elaborated the new concept and its potential clinical application value.

Endocrine fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19 has been shown to be capable of maintaining bile acid (BA) homeostasis and thus hold promise to be a potential therapeutic agent for cholestasis liver disease. However, whether paracrine FGFs possess this BA regulatory activity remains to be determined. In our study, we identified that paracrine fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) was selectively downregulated in the liver of alpha naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced intrahepatic cholestasis mice, suggesting a pathological relevance of this paracrine FGF with abnormal BA metabolism. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of engineered FGF1 mutant-FGF1 DHBS on the metabolism of hepatic BA and found that this protein showed a more potent inhibitory effect of BA biosynthesis than FGF19 without any hepatic mitogenic activity. Moreover, the chronic administration of FGF1 DHBS protected liver against ANIT-induced injury by reducing hepatic BA accumulation. Taken together, these data suggest that FGF1 DHBS may function as a potent therapeutic agent for intrahepatic cholestasis liver disease.

Chemoresistance is a major clinical obstacle for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new type of non-coding RNA that participated in the development of chemoresistance. However, the profiles and effects of circRNAs in 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) and cisplatin resistance of CRC are still unclear and need to be elucidated. In the present study, the profiles of circRNAs in CRC chemoresistant (HCT8/5-Fu and HCT8/DDP) and chemosensitive (HCT8) cell lines were identified via RNA-sequencing. In total, 48 and 90 differentially expressed (DE)-circRNAs were detected in HCT8/5-Fu and HCT8/DDP cell lines, respectively. Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis were conducted on the host genes of DE-circRNAs; the results showed that the most significant enrichment pathways in HCT8/5-Fu and HCT8/DDP cell lines were base excision repair and Hippo signaling pathway, respectively. In addition, 11 common DE-circRNAs in the two drug-resistant cell lines (two are upregulated and nine are downregulated) were screened and verified by quantitative real-time PCR; hsacirc_023607 and hsacirc_007420 were found to be the circRNAs with the highest upregulation and downregulation fold changes. However, functional studies showed hsacirc_023607 has no effect on CRC chemoresistance. Therefore, the regulatory networks of targeted miRNAs related to 5-Fu or cisplatin resistance were predicted and constructed, in which hsacirc_002482 was identified as a hub gene, and its overexpression could suppress HCT8/5-Fu and HCT8/DDP cell proliferation and promote cell apoptosis, and enhance cell chemosensitivity. Taken together, these results of the study suggested that hsacirc_002482 may play important roles in chemoresistance of CRC.

Polyethylene glycol modification (PEGylation) can enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of therapeutic proteins by the attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the surface of a protein to shield the protein surface from proteolytic degradation and limit aggregation. However, current PEGylation strategies often reduce biological activity, potentially as a result of steric hindrance of PEG. Overall, there are no structure-based guidelines for selection of conjugate sites that retain optimal biological activity with improved pharmacokinetic properties. In this study, site-specific PEGylation based on the FGF2-FGFR1-heparin complex structure is performed. The effects of the conjugate sites on protein function are investigated by measuring the receptor/heparin binding affinities of the modified proteins and performing assays to measure cell-based bio-activity and in vivo stability. Comprehensive analysis of these data demonstrates that PEGylation of FGF2 that avoids the binding sites for fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) and heparin provides optimal pharmacokinetic enhancement with minimal losses to biological activity. Animal experiments demonstrate that PEGylated FGF2 exhibits greater efficacy in protecting against traumatic brain injury-induced brain damage and neurological functions than the non-modified FGF2. This rational structure-based PEGylation strategy for protein modification is expected to have a major impact in the area of protein-based therapeutics.

Abstract Background: Chemo-resistance is a major clinical obstacle to the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), mRNAs and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been reported to modulate the development of chemo-resistance. However, the profiles of mRNAs and ncRNAs as well as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks in CRC chemo-resistance are still unclear, and whether different drug resistance of CRC have the same mechanisms also needs to be explored. This study aims to uncover the expression of mRNAs and ncRNAs in parental cell lines and different chemo-resistant cell lines, and construct ceRNA regulatory networks by whole-transcriptome sequencing.Methods: The expression of mRNAs and ncRNAs in parental cell lines and drug-resistant cell lines were identified by whole-transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics methods.Results: A total of 1779 mRNAs, 64 miRNAs, 11 circRNAs and 295 lncRNAs were common differentially expressed in two different chemo-resistant cell lines when compared with the control. In addition, 5,767 lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA relationship pairs and 47 circRNA-miRNA-mRNA pathways were constructed according to ceRNA regulatory rules, in which AC109322.2-hsa-miR-371a-5p-BTNL3 and hsacirc_027876-hsa-miR-582-3p-FREM1 were identified as the most potential ceRNA networks involved in drug resistance to CRC. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of two ceRNA regulatory networks showed that the TNF signaling pathway may be crucial in the process of CRC drug resistance.Conclusions: A large number of mRNAs and ncRNAs in chemo-resistant cell lines were different expressed, which may play pivotal roles in development of drug resistance through the ceRNA regulatory network. This study may improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and provide a promising therapeutic strategy for CRC chemo-resistance.