Cellular recognition of microbial DNA is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism by which the innate immune system detects pathogens. Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and its downstream effector, stimulator of interferon genes (STING), are involved in mediating fundamental innate antimicrobial immunity by promoting the release of type I interferons (IFNs) and other inflammatory cytokines. Accumulating evidence suggests that the activation of the cGAS-STING axis is critical for antitumor immunity. The downstream cytokines regulated by cGAS-STING, especially type I IFNs, serve as bridges connecting innate immunity with adaptive immunity. Accordingly, a growing number of studies have focused on the synthesis and screening of STING pathway agonists. However, chronic STING activation may lead to a protumor phenotype in certain malignancies. Hence, the cGAS-STING signaling pathway must be orchestrated properly when STING agonists are used alone or in combination. In this review, we discuss the dichotomous roles of the cGAS-STING pathway in tumor development and the latest advances in the use of STING agonists.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a major cause of tumor treatment resistance, relapse and metastasis. Cancer cells exhibit reprogrammed metabolism characterized by aerobic glycolysis, which is also critical for sustaining cancer stemness. However, regulation of cancer cell metabolism rewiring and stemness is not completely understood. Here, we report that ETV4 is a key transcription factor in regulating glycolytic gene expression. ETV4 loss significantly inhibits the expression of HK2, LDHA as well as other glycolytic enzymes, reduces glucose uptake and lactate release in breast cancer cells. In human breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, ETV4 expression is positively correlated with glycolytic signaling. Moreover, we confirm that breast CSCs (BCSCs) are glycolysis-dependent and show that ETV4 is required for BCSC maintenance. ETV4 is enriched in BCSCs, its knockdown and overexpression suppresses and promotes breast cancer cell stem-like traits, respectively. Mechanistically, on the one hand, we find that ETV4 may enhance glycolysis activity to facilitate breast cancer stemness; on the other, ETV4 activates Sonic Hedgehog signaling by transcriptionally promoting CXCR4 expression. A xenograft assay validates the tumor growth-impeding effect and inhibition of CXCR4/SHH/GLI1 signaling cascade after ETV4 depletion. Together, our study highlights the potential roles of ETV4 in promoting cancer cell glycolytic shift and BCSC maintenance and reveals the molecular basis.

No abstract

No abstract

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. In recent years, the studies find that inflammation is a critical component of tumor progression, and the ideal therapeutic methods should be aimed at the inflammation reaction triggers. (1β,3β,5β,25S)-spirostan-1,3-diol1-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-β-D-xylopyranoside] (RCE-4) was the main active composition of Reineckia carnea (Andr.) Kunth. It significantly induced apoptosis in cervical cancer Caski cells through the mitochondrial pathway in our previous studies; however, its underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. This study aimed to further evaluate the effect of RCE-4 on human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Based on this observation, we investigated the anti-cervical cancer effect of RCE-4 by modulating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase-B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation, and inflammation-related key factors in HeLa cells. The results indicated that the HeLa cell was the most sensitive with an IC50 of 7.01 μM; RCE-4 significantly promoted the release of cellular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH); increased DNA fragmentation and apoptosis; reduced PI3K, Akt, mTOR, and NF-κBp65 phosphorylation levels; increased the Bax and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) protein levels; suppressed Bcl-2 protein expression; elevated the Bax/Bcl-2 expression ratio; and decreased the interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA expressions in HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that RCE-4 exerted beneficially anti-cervical cancer effect on HeLa cells, mainly inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway phosphorylation and NF-κB activation, promoting HeLa cell apoptosis. Graphical abstract Anti-tumor effect of RCE-4 on HeLa cells.

No abstract

No abstract

Soil moisture and its spatial pattern are important for understanding various hydrological, pedological, ecological and agricultural processes. In this study, data of rainfall and soil moisture contents at different depths (10 cm, 20 cm, 40 cm and 60 cm) in forestland and vegetable plot in the Taihu Lake Basin, China were monitored and analyzed for characteristics of soil moisture variation and its response to several typical rainfall events. The following results were observed. First, great temporal variation of soil moisture was observed in the surface layer than in deeper layer in vegetable plot. In contrast, in forestland, soil moisture had similar variation pattern at different depths. Second, initial soil moisture was an important factor influencing the vertical movement of soil water during rainfall events. In vegetable plot, simultaneous response of soil moisture to rainfall was observed at 10-and 20-cm depths due to fast infiltration when initial soil was relatively dry. However, traditional downward response order occurred when initial soil was relatively wet. Third, critical soil horizon interface was an active zone of soil water accumulation and lateral movement. A less permeable W-B soil horizon interface (40-cm depth) in vegetable plot can create perched water table above it and elevate the soil water content at the corresponding depth. Fourth, the land cover was an effective control factor of soil moisture during small and moderate rainfall events. In the forestland, moderate and small rainfall events had tiny influences on soil moisture due to canopy and surface O horizon interception. Fifth, preferential flow and lateral subsurface interflow were important paths of soil water movement. During large and long duration rainfall events, lateral subsurface flow and preferential flow through surface crack or soil pipe occurred, which recharged the deep soil. However, in more concentrated large storm, surface crack or soil pipe connected by soil macropores was the main contributor to the occurrence of preferential flow. Findings of this study provide a theoretical foundation for sustainable water and fertilizer management and land use planning in the Taihu Lake Basin.