Mitochondria are multifunctional cellular organelles that are major producers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in eukaryotes; to maintain the redox balance, they are supplemented with different ROS scavengers, including mitochondrial peroxiredoxins (Prdxs). Mitochondrial Prdxs have physiological and pathological significance and are associated with the initiation and progression of various cancer types. In this review, we have focused on signaling involving ROS and mitochondrial Prdxs that is associated with cancer development and progression. An upregulated expression of Prdx3 and Prdx5 has been reported in different cancer types, such as breast, ovarian, endometrial, and lung cancers, as well as in Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. The expression of Prdx3 and Prdx5 in different types of malignancies involves their association with different factors, such as transcription factors, micro RNAs, tumor suppressors, response elements, and oncogenic genes. The microenvironment of mitochondrial Prdxs plays an important role in cancer development, as cancerous cells are equipped with a high level of antioxidants to overcome excessive ROS production. However, an increased production of Prdx3 and Prdx5 is associated with the development of chemoresistance in certain types of cancers and it leads to further complications in cancer treatment. Understanding the interplay between mitochondrial Prdxs and ROS in carcinogenesis can be useful in the development of anticancer drugs with better proficiency and decreased resistance. However, more targeted studies are required for exploring the tumor microenvironment in association with mitochondrial Prdxs to improve the existing cancer therapies and drug development.

The lysine-specific histone demethylase 1A (KDM1A) was the first demethylase to challenge the concept of the irreversible nature of methylation marks. KDM1A, containing a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent amine oxidase domain, demethylates histone 3 lysine 4 and histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K4me1/2 and H3K9me1/2). It has emerged as an epigenetic developmental regulator and was shown to be involved in carcinogenesis. The functional diversity of KDM1A originates from its complex structure and interactions with transcription factors, promoters, enhancers, oncoproteins, and tumor-associated genes (tumor suppressors and activators). In this review, we discuss the microenvironment of KDM1A in cancer progression that enables this protein to activate or repress target gene expression, thus making it an important epigenetic modifier that regulates the growth and differentiation potential of cells. A detailed analysis of the mechanisms underlying the interactions between KDM1A and the associated complexes will help to improve our understanding of epigenetic regulation, which may enable the discovery of more effective anticancer drugs.

BackgroundLysine-specific histone demethylase 5C (KDM5C) belongs to the jumonji family of demethylases and is specific for the di- and tri-demethylation of lysine 4 residues on histone 3 (H3K4 me2/3). KDM5C is expressed in the brain and skeletal muscles of humans and is associated with various biologically significant processes. KDM5C is known to be associated with X-linked mental retardation and is also involved in the development of cancer. However, the developmental significance of KDM5C has not been explored yet. In the present study, we investigated the physiological roles of KDM5C during Xenopus laevis embryonic development.ResultsLoss-of-function analysis using kdm5c antisense morpholino oligonucleotides indicated that kdm5c knockdown led to small-sized heads, reduced cartilage size, and malformed eyes (i.e., small-sized and deformed eyes). Molecular analyses of KDM5C functional roles using whole-mount in situ hybridization, β-galactosidase staining, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that loss of kdm5c resulted in reduced expression levels of neural crest specifiers and genes involved in eye development. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis indicated the significance of KDM5C in morphogenesis and organogenesis.ConclusionOur findings indicated that KDM5C is associated with embryonic development and provided additional information regarding the complex and dynamic gene network that regulates neural crest formation and eye development. This study emphasizes the functional significance of KDM5C in Xenopus embryogenesis; however, further analysis is needed to explore the interactions of KDM5C with specific developmental genes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13072-018-0241-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Chromatographic purification of ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the methanolic extract of the flowers of Aerva javanica yielded three new acylated flavone glycosides: kaempferol-3-O-β-d-[4‴-E-p-coumaroyl-α-l-rhamnosyl(1 → 6)]-galactoside (1), kaempferol-3-O-β-d-[4‴-E-p-coumaroyl-α-l-rhamnosyl(1 → 6)]-(3″-E-p-coumaroyl)galactoside (2), and kaempferol-3-O-β-d-[4‴-E-p-coumaroyl-α-l-rhamnosyl(1 → 6)]-(4″-E-p-coumaroyl)galactoside (3), along with p-coumaric acid (4), caffeic acid (5), gallic acid (6), eicosanyl-trans-p-coumarate (7), hexadecyl ferulate (8), and hexacosyl ferulate (9). The compounds 1-9 were characterized using 1D ((1)H, (13)C) and 2D NMR (HMQC, HMBC, and COSY) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (EI-MS, HR-EI-MS, FAB-MS, and HR-FAB-MS) and in comparison with the reported data in the literature. Compound 1 showed weak inhibitory activity against enzymes, such as acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and lipoxygenase with IC50 values 205.1, 304.1, and 212.3 μM, respectively, whereas compounds 2 and 3 were only weakly active against the enzyme acetylcholinesterase.

Peroxiredoxin1 (Prdx1) is an antioxidant enzyme belonging to the peroxiredoxin family of proteins. Prdx1 catalyzes the reduction of H2O2 and alkyl hydroperoxide and plays an important role in different biological processes. Prdx1 also participates in various age-related diseases and cancers. In this study, we investigated the role of Prdx1 in pronephros development during embryogenesis. Prdx1 knockdown markedly inhibited proximal tubule formation in the pronephros and significantly increased the cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which impaired primary cilia formation. Additionally, treatment with ROS (H2O2) severely disrupted proximal tubule formation, whereas Prdx1 overexpression reversed the ROS-mediated inhibition in proximal tubule formation. Epistatic analysis revealed that Prdx1 has a crucial role in retinoic acid and Wnt signaling pathways during pronephrogenesis. In conclusion, Prdx1 facilitates proximal tubule formation during pronephrogenesis by regulating ROS levels.

Cholinesterases (ChEs) play a vital role in the regulation of cholinergic transmission. The inhibition of ChEs is considered to be involved in increasing acetylcholine level in the brain and thus has been implicated in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. We have designed and synthesized a series of novel indole derivatives and screened them for inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Most of the tested compounds exhibited inhibitory activity against AChE and BChE. Among them 4f and 6e showed the highest AChE inhibitory activity with IC50 91.21±0.06 and 68.52±0.04 μM, respectively. However compound 5a exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against BChE (IC50 55.21±0.12 μM).

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Prdx5 plays protective roles in mitochondria and is critical for normal cilia development by regulating the levels of ROS. The loss of Prdx5 is associated with excessive production of ROS, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and aberrant ciliogenesis.