Publications by authors named "Mien Chie Hung"

Canonically PD-L1 functions as the inhibitory immune checkpoint on cell surface. Recent studies have observed PD-L1 expression in the nucleus of cancer cells. But the biological function of nuclear PD-L1 (nPD-L1) in tumor growth and antitumor immunity is unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are therapeutically effective for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but are individually selective. This study examined the role of specific common fragile sites (CFSs) related gene in HCC immunotherapy.

Methods: We analyzed HCC tissues using next-generation sequencing and flow cytometry via time-of-flight technology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A variety of cell death pathways play critical roles in the onset and progression of multiple diseases. Paraptosis, a unique form of programmed cell death, has gained significant attention in recent years. Unlike apoptosis and necrosis, paraptosis is characterized by cytoplasmic vacuolization, swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, and the absence of caspase activation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Anti-PD-L1 combination immunotherapy is the first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its effectiveness is limited, with less than 40% of patients responding.
  • Research found that nonresponders had higher activation of the renin-angiotensin system and lower ACE2 expression, which is linked to HCC progression and resistance to treatment.
  • Targeting the ACE2 axis may improve responses to anti-PD-L1 therapy by reducing immunosuppressive factors in the tumor environment, positioning it as both a potential therapeutic target and a biomarker for predicting treatment success.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As a double-stranded RNA-editing enzyme and an interferon-stimulated gene, double-stranded RNA-specific adenosine deaminase (ADAR1) suppresses interferon signaling and contributes to immunotherapy resistance. Suppression of ADAR1 overcomes immunotherapy resistance in preclinical models, but has not yet been translated to clinical settings. By conducting a screening of a subset of the FDA-approved drugs, we found that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA, also known as tretinoin) caused ADAR1 protein degradation through ubiquitin-proteasome pathways and concomitantly increased PD-L1 expression in pancreatic and breast cancers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) have a poor response to all existing therapies, making effective treatment a significant challenge for patients with late-stage disease.
  • Researchers discovered a new chemo-induced signaling network that contributes to chemoresistance in PDAC, highlighting Yap1 in cancer cells and Cox2 in stromal fibroblasts as critical components.
  • Co-targeting both Yap1 and Cox2 markedly increased the effectiveness of Gemcitabine treatment in mice, and patient data suggested that combining statins and Cox2 inhibitors with Gemcitabine could enhance survival rates for PDAC patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The comorbidity of obesity and depression has major public health impacts, highlighting the need to understand their shared mechanisms. This study explored the connection between obesity and depression through the transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) signaling pathway, using obese/depressed murine models and clinical data. Mice fed a high-fat diet showed altered TRPV1 pathway expression in brain regions of the mice: downregulated in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus, and upregulated in the hypothalamus and amygdala, influencing depression-like behaviors and inflammation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Brain metastases (BrMs) evade the immune system by overexpressing Cdk5, which helps them grow in the brain while reducing MHC-I expression and function, important for T cell recognition.
  • * By inhibiting Cdk5, researchers can restore MHC-I levels and improve immune response against these tumors, as shown through various studies including RNA sequencing.
  • * Treatment with the Cdk5 inhibitor roscovitine, especially when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, reduces BrM growth and enhances the presence of functional CD8 T cells in mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play a crucial role in the biological processes of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase H (PPIH), an RBP, possesses prolyl isomerase activity and functions as a protein chaperone. The relationship between PPIH and LIHC has not yet been fully elucidated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Impaired tissue regeneration negatively impacts on left ventricular (LV) function and remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Little is known about the intrinsic regulatory machinery of ischemia-induced endogenous cardiac stem cells (eCSCs) self-renewing divisions after AMI. The interleukin 22 (IL-22)/IL-22 receptor 1 (IL-22R1) pathway has emerged as an important regulator of several cellular processes, including the self-renewal and proliferation of stem cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

α9-nAChR, a subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, is significantly overexpressed in female breast cancer tumor tissues compared to normal tissues. Previous studies have proposed that specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CHRNA9 (α9-nAChR) gene are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in interaction with smoking. The study conducted a breast cancer risk assessment of the α9-nAChR SNP rs10009228 (NM_017581.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a persistent challenge, with continued breakthrough infections despite vaccination efforts. This has spurred interest in alternative preventive measures, including dietary and herbal interventions. Previous research has demonstrated that herbal medicines can not only inhibit cancer progression but also combat viral infections, including COVID-19 by targeting SARS-CoV-2, indicating a multifaceted potential to address both viruses and cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Functional roles of SIGLEC15 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were not clear, which was recently found to be an immune inhibitor with similar structure of inhibitory B7 family members. SIGLEC15 expression in HCC was explored in public databases and further examined by PCR analysis. SIGLEC15 and PD-L1 expression patterns were examined in HCC samples through immunohistochemistry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - RNF168, an enzyme responsible for tagging proteins to aid DNA repair, was found to condense into clusters at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) through a process called liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), particularly when triggered by a specific type of polyubiquitin chain.
  • - The study identified a specific region within RNF168 that is crucial for its condensation and showed that this process enhances its ability to mark H2A.X, a protein involved in DNA repair, indicating a cycle that boosts RNF168's activity and accumulation at DSBs.
  • - When RNF168's ability to undergo LLPS is impaired, the recruitment of other important repair proteins like 53BP1 and BRCA
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) help treat cancer by blocking certain proteins (like PD-1 and CTLA-4) that limit T cell activity, which is necessary for attacking cancer cells.
  • While ICIs can lead to lasting responses in some patients, they have drawbacks such as low efficacy, serious side effects, and high costs, making it crucial to identify which patients will benefit most from the treatment.
  • The review highlights established biomarkers, like PD-L1 expression and microsatellite instability, as well as newer potential biomarkers (e.g., gut microbiome and immune cell profiles) that could help improve patient selection and treatment outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused hundreds million cases and millions death as well as continues to infect human life in the world since late of 2019. The breakthrough infection caused from mutation of SARS-CoV-2 is rising even the vaccinated population has been increasing. Currently, the severe threat posed by SARS-CoV-2 has been alleviated worldwide, and the situation has transitioned to coexisting with the virus.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19 pandemic is predominantly caused by SARS-CoV-2, with its main protease, Mpro, playing a pivotal role in viral replication and serving as a potential target for inhibiting different variants. In this study, potent Mpro inhibitors were identified from glycyrrhizic acid (GL) derivatives with amino acid methyl/ethyl esters. Out of the 17 derivatives semisynthesized, Compounds 2, 6, 9, and 15, with methionine methyl esters, D-tyrosine methyl esters, glutamic acid methyl esters, and methionines in the carbohydrate moiety, respectively, significantly inhibited wild-type SARS-CoV-2 Mpro-mediated proteolysis, with IC50 values ranging from 0.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein lipoylation, a crucial post-translational modification (PTM), plays a pivotal role in mitochondrial function and emerges as a key player in cell death through cuproptosis. This novel copper-driven cell death pathway is activated by excessive copper ions binding to lipoylated mitochondrial proteins, disrupting energy production and causing lethal protein aggregation and cell death. The intricate relationship among protein lipoylation, cellular energy metabolism, and cuproptosis offers a promising avenue for regulating essential cellular functions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the field of lipidomics, where the complexity of lipid structures and functions presents significant analytical challenges, LipidSig stands out as the first web-based platform providing integrated, comprehensive analysis for efficient data mining of lipidomic datasets. The upgraded LipidSig 2.0 (https://lipidsig.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) develops through step-wise genetic and molecular alterations including Kras mutation and inactivation of various apoptotic pathways. Here, we find that development of apoptotic resistance and metastasis of Kras-driven PDAC in mice is accelerated by deleting Plk3, explaining the often-reduced Plk3 expression in human PDAC. Importantly, a 41-kDa Plk3 (p41Plk3) that contains the entire kinase domain at the N-terminus (1-353 aa) is activated by scission of the precursor p72Plk3 at Arg354 by metalloendopeptidase nardilysin (NRDC), and the resulting p32Plk3 C-terminal Polo-box domain (PBD) is removed by proteasome degradation, preventing the inhibition of p41Plk3 by PBD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Resistance to poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) limits the therapeutic efficacy of PARP inhibition in treating breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1)-deficient cancers. Here we reveal that BRCA1 has a dual role in regulating ferroptosis. BRCA1 promotes the transcription of voltage-dependent anion channel 3 (VDAC3) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4); consequently, BRCA1 deficiency promotes cellular resistance to erastin-induced ferroptosis but sensitizes cancer cells to ferroptosis induced by GPX4 inhibitors (GPX4i).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Programmed death-1 (PD-1)/PD ligand-1 (PD-L1)-mediated immune escape contributes to cancer development and has been targeted as an anti-cancer strategy. Here, we show that inhibition of the RNA helicase DDX3 increased CD8 T cell infiltration in syngeneic oral squamous cell carcinoma tumors. DDX3 knockdown compromised interferon-γ-induced PD-L1 expression and, in particular, reduced the level of cell-surface PD-L1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women, posing a formidable health challenge worldwide. In this complex landscape, the c-MET (cellular-mesenchymal epithelial transition factor) receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), also recognized as the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor (HGFR), emerges as a prominent protagonist, displaying overexpression in nearly 50% of breast cancer cases. Activation of c-MET by its ligand, HGF, secreted by neighboring mesenchymal cells, contributes to a cascade of tumorigenic processes, including cell proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background & Aims: The effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is limited by treatment resistance. However, the mechanisms underlying immunotherapy resistance remain elusive. We aimed to identify the role of CT10 regulator of kinase-like (CRKL) in resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy in HCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tumor-secreted factors contribute to the development of a microenvironment that facilitates the escape of cancer cells from immunotherapy. In this study, we conduct a retrospective comparison of the proteins secreted by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in responders and non-responders among a cohort of ten patients who received Nivolumab (anti-PD-1 antibody). Our findings indicate that non-responders have a high abundance of secreted RNase1, which is associated with a poor prognosis in various cancer types.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF