Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the predominant form of the disease. Most lung cancer is caused by the accumulation of genomic alterations due to tobacco exposure. To uncover its mutational landscape, we performed whole-exome sequencing in 31 NSCLCs and their matched normal tissue samples. We identified both common and unique mutation spectra and pathway activation in lung adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, two major histologies in NSCLC. In addition to identifying previously known lung cancer genes (TP53, KRAS, EGFR, CDKN2A and RB1), the analysis revealed many genes not previously implicated in this malignancy. Notably, a novel gene CSMD3 was identified as the second most frequently mutated gene (next to TP53) in lung cancer. We further demonstrated that loss of CSMD3 results in increased proliferation of airway epithelial cells. The study provides unprecedented insights into mutational processes, cellular pathways and gene networks associated with lung cancer. Of potential immediate clinical relevance, several highly mutated genes identified in our study are promising druggable targets in cancer therapy including ALK, CTNNA3, DCC, MLL3, PCDHIIX, PIK3C2B, PIK3CG and ROCK2.
The cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a promising novel anti-cancer method. Our previous study showed that the cold plasma-stimulated medium (PSM) exerted remarkable anti-cancer effect as effectively as the direct CAP treatment did. H 2 O 2 has been identified as a key anticancer substance in PSM. However, the mechanisms underlying intracellular H 2 O 2 regulation by cancer cells is largely unknown. Aquaporins (AQPs) are the confirmed membrane channels of H 2 O 2 . In this study, we first demonstrated that the anti-glioblastoma capacity of PSM could be inhibited by silencing the expression of AQP8 in glioblastoma cells (U87MG) or using the aquaporins-blocker silver atoms. This discovery illustrates the key intermediate role of AQPs in the toxicity of PSM on cancer cells. Because the expression of AQPs varies significantly among different cancer cell lines, this study may facilitate the understanding on the diverse responses of cancer cells to PSM or the direct CAP treatment.
A bacteriocin-producing strain was isolated from raw milk and named Streptococcus bovis HJ50. Like most bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria, bovicin HJ50 showed a narrow range of inhibiting activity. It was sensitive to trypsin, subtilisin and proteinase K. Bovicin HJ50 was extracted by n-propanol and purified by SP Sepharose Fast Flow, followed by Phenyl Superose and Sephadex G-50. Treatment of Micrococcus flavus NCIB8166 with bovicin HJ50 revealed potassium efflux from inside the cell in a concentration-dependent manner. The molecular mass of bovicin HJ50 was determined to be 3428?3 Da. MS analysis of DTT-treated bovicin HJ50 suggested that bovicin HJ50 contains a disulfide bridge. The structural gene of bovicin HJ50 was cloned by nested PCR based on its N-terminal amino acid sequence. Sequence analysis showed that it encodes a 58 aa prepeptide consisting of an N-terminal leader sequence of 25 aa and a C-terminal propeptide domain of 33 aa. Bovicin HJ50 shows similarity to type AII lantibiotics. Chemical modification using an ethanethiol-containing reaction mixture showed that two Thr residues are modified.
Fpr4, a FK506-binding protein (FKBP), is a recently identified novel histone chaperone. How it interacts with histones and facilitates their deposition onto DNA, however, are not understood. Here, we report a functional analysis that shows Fpr4 forms complexes with histones and facilitates nucleosome assembly like previously characterized acidic histone chaperones. We also show that the chaperone activity of Fpr4 resides solely in an acidic domain, while the peptidylprolyl isomerase domain conserved among all FKBPs inhibits the chaperone activity. These observations argue that Fpr4, while unique structurally, deposits histones onto DNA for nucleosome assembly through the well-established mechanism shared by other chaperones.
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