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Background/aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a main type of liver cancer with high metastatic potential, and its incidence is steadily increasing worldwide. However, the development of new drugs for the treatment of HCC is still insufficient. This study aimed to determine the anticancer effect of NSC-38270, a natural product, on HCC., Materials and Methods: After treating HCC Huh7 cells with NSC-38270, cell growth, wound healing, migration, and invasion assays were conducted. We investigated the effects of NSC-38270 on Twist1, a crucial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related transcription factor. In addition, apoptosis, histone H2A.X activation, and cell morphology assays were performed in Huh7 and immortalized normal liver cells following treatment with NSC-38270., Results: NSC-38270 reduced the migration and invasion ability of Huh7 cells, accompanied by a decrease in Twist1. Furthermore, NSC-38270 induced apoptosis in Huh7 cells, whereas apoptosis was not observed in immortalized normal liver cells (THLE-2 cells and Chang liver cells)., Conclusion: NSC-38270 exhibited significant inhibitory effects on the migration and invasion of Huh7 cells by repressing Twist1. Importantly, it induced cancer cell-specific apoptotic effects. These findings suggest that NSC-38270 holds promising potential as a therapeutic candidate for cancer treatment., (Copyright © 2024 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate and compare the expression of E-cadherin, Snail1 and Twist1 in pleomorphic adenomas (PAs), adenoid cystic carcinomas (AdCCa) and carcinoma ex-pleomorphic adenomas (CaexPA) of salivary glands, as well as investigate possible associations with clinicopathological parameters., Study Design: E-cadherin, Snail1 and Twist1 antibody immunostaining were analyzed semiquantitatively in 20 PAs, 20 AdCCas and 10 CaexPAs. Cases were classified as low and high expression for analysis of the association with clinicopathological parameters., Results: Compared to PAs, AdCCas and CaexPAs exhibited higher nuclear expression of Snail1 (p = 0.021 and p = 0.028, respectively) and Twist1 (p = 0.009 and p = 0.001). Membranous and cytoplasmic expression of E-cadherin were positively correlated in PAs, AdCCas and CaexPAs (r = 0.645, p = 0.002; r = 0.824, p < 0.001; r = 0.677, p = 0.031). In PAs, positive correlation was found between nuclear expression of Snail1 and membrane expression of E-cadherin (r = 0.634; p = 0.003), as well as between nuclear expression of Snail1 and Twist1 (r = 0.580; p = 0.007). Negative correlations were detected between membrane expression of E-cadherin and cytoplasmic expression of Snail1 in AdCCas (r = - 0.489; p = 0.029)., Conclusions: E-cadherin, Twist1, and Snail1 may participate in modulating events related to cell differentiation and adhesion in PAs and to biological behavior in AdCCas and CaexPAs, which indicates the involvement of EMT in these processes. Furthermore, the expression of these proteins in these carcinomas may reflect the plasticity feature of EMT., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The regeneration of peripheral nerves after injury is often slow and impaired, which may be associated with weakened and denervated muscles subsequently leading to atrophy. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are often regarded as cell-based therapeutic candidate due to their regenerative potential. The study aims to assess the therapeutic efficacy of gene-modified ADSCs on sciatic nerve injury. We lentivirally transduced ADSCs with shRNA-TWIST1 and transplanted modified cells to rats undergoing sciatic nerve transection and repair. Results showed that TWIST1 knockdown accelerated functional recovery of rats with sciatic nerve injury as faster nerve conduction velocity and higher wire hang scores obtained by rats transplanted with TWIST1-silenced ADSCs than scramble ADSCs. Although the rats experienced degenerated axons and decreased myelin sheath thickness after sciatic nerve injury 8 weeks after operation, those transplanted with TWIST1-silenced ADSCs exhibited more signs of regenerated nerve fibers surrounded by newly formed myelin sheaths than those with scramble ADSCs. The rats transplanted with TWIST1-silenced ADSCs presented increased expressions of neurotrophic factors including neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the sciatic nerves than those with scramble ADSCs. These results suggest that genetically modifying TWIST1 in ADSCs could facilitate peripheral nerve repair after injury in a more efficient way than that with ADSCs alone., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Cyanidin has a protective effect on the nervous system and has been reported to treat tumor effectively. However, its impact on glioma stem cells (GSC) is unknown., Methods: Using seven GSC lines, the anti-tumor effect of cyanidin is tested. The effect of cyanidin on the cell viability in each cell line is evaluated. Wnt signaling pathway-related genes are checked after treatment of cyanidin. Cytoplasmic/nuclear β-catenin protein levels post cyanidin treatment is detected. Protein levels of c-Myc after cyanidin treatment are determined. Twist1 and Snail1 protein levels after cyanidin treatment are checked as well., Results: Cyanidin significantly reduces the cell viability of all GSCs, and exhibited the most substantial effect in GBM2 but no apparent effect in 293T cells. It can regulate the Wnt signaling pathway of all GSC lines. In the GBM2, GBM7, G166, and G179 cell lines, there is upregulation of WNT1 and MYC genes, while in the G144 and GliNS2 cell line, these two genes are down-regulated after cyanidin treatment. Cytoplasmic and nuclear protein levels of β-catenin in all cell lines are down-regulated. Cyanidin treatment significantly decreases the protein level for c-Myc in the GBM2 cell line compared with untreated cells, not in G144 or GliNS2 cells. Furthermore, cyanidin strongly reduces the expression of Twist1 and Snail1 in GBM2, G179, and G144 cell lines, while the GliNS2 cells show an opposite change in the cytoplasm and no change in nuclear., Conclusion: Cyanidin exerts an anti-tumor effect in glioma stem cell lines, probably through the Wnt signaling pathway.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of many cancers. Partial EMT (pEMT) could represent a critical step in tumor migration and dissemination. Sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) is an aggressive form of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) composed of a carcinomatous (sRCC-Ca) and sarcomatous (sRCC-Sa) component. The role of (p)EMT in the progression of RCC to sRCC remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of (p)EMT in RCC and sRCC. Tissue samples from 10 patients with clear cell RCC (ccRCC) and 10 patients with sRCC were selected. The expression of main EMT markers (miR-200 family, miR-205, SNAI1/2, TWIST1/2, ZEB1/2, CDH1/2, VIM) was analyzed by qPCR in ccRCC, sRCC-Ca, and sRCC-Sa and compared to non-neoplastic tissue and between both groups. Expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin and ZEB2 was analyzed using immunohistochemistry. miR-200c was downregulated in sRCC-Ca compared to ccRCC, while miR-200a was downregulated in sRCC-Sa compared to ccRCC. CDH1 was downregulated in sRCC-Sa when compared to any other group. ZEB2 was downregulated in ccRCC and sRCC compared to corresponding non-neoplastic kidney. A positive correlation was observed between CDH1 expression and miR-200a/b/c. Our results suggest that full EMT is not present in sRCC. Instead, discreet molecular differences exist between ccRCC, sRCC-Ca, and sRCC-Sa, possibly representing distinct intermediary states undergoing pEMT., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lysine methyltransferase 5A (KMT5A) is the sole mammalian enzyme known to catalyse the mono‑methylation of histone H4 lysine 20 and non‑histone proteins such as p53, which are involved in the occurrence and progression of numerous cancers. The present study aimed to determine the function of KMT5A in inducing docetaxel (DTX) resistance in patients with breast carcinoma by evaluating glucose metabolism and the underlying mechanism involved. The upregulation or downregulation of KMT5A‑related proteins was examined after KMT5A knockdown in breast cancer (BRCA) cells by Tandem Mass Tag proteomics. Through differential protein expression and pathway enrichment analysis, the upregulated key gluconeogenic enzyme fructose‑1,6‑bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1) was discovered. Loss of FBP1 expression is closely related to the development and prognosis of cancers. A dual‑luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that KMT5A inhibited the expression of FBP1 and that overexpression of FBP1 could enhance the chemotherapeutic sensitivity to DTX through the suppression of KMT5A expression. The KMT5A inhibitor UNC0379 was used to verify that DTX resistance induced by KMT5A through the inhibition of FBP1 depended on the methylase activity of KMT5A. According to previous literature and interaction network structure, it was revealed that KMT5A acts on the transcription factor twist family BHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1). Then, it was verified that TWSIT1 promoted the expression of FBP1 by using a dual‑luciferase reporter gene experiment. KMT5A induces chemotherapy resistance in BRCA cells by promoting cell proliferation and glycolysis. After the knockdown of the KMT5A gene, the FBP1 related to glucose metabolism in BRCA was upregulated. KMT5A knockdown expression and FBP1 overexpression synergistically inhibit cell proliferation and block cells in the G2/M phase. KMT5A inhibits the expression of FBP1 by methylating TWIST1 and weakening its promotion of FBP1 transcription. In conclusion, KMT5A was shown to affect chemotherapy resistance by regulating the cell cycle and positively regulate glycolysis‑mediated chemotherapy resistance by inhibiting the transcription of FBP1 in collaboration with TWIST1. KMT5A may be a potential therapeutic target for chemotherapy resistance in BRCA.

Background: Although Huaier granules can be used as prospective anti-cholangiocarcinoma drugs, the mechanism of action of Huaier granules in cholangiocarcinoma is not clear. The anti-cholangiocarcinoma effect of Huaier granules was validated in cell line research. In vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the signalling pathways affected by Huaier in CCA cells., Methods and Results: Real-time quantitative PCR (RT‒qPCR) and Western blot analysis were performed to analyse gene expression in CCA cells. MTT assays, scratch tests, and Transwell assays were used to explore the effects on the proliferation and metastasis of CCA cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed to reveal the potential underlying mechanisms involved. Twist1 was upregulated in human CCA tissues. In addition, its expression levels were negatively related to FBP1 expression levels. Mechanistically, Twist1 can bind to the region of the FBP1 promoter to reduce its expression. Huaier plays an indispensable role in suppressing Twist1 expression to inhibit the Twist1/FBP1/Wnt/β-catenin axis. Then, we verified the effect of Huaier in vitro., Conclusions: These findings suggested that Huaier granules were capable of inhibiting CCA development through regulating the Twist1/FBP1/Wnt/β-catenin signalling axis and provided a novel orientation for the development of novel anti-CCA drugs., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Crohn's disease (CD) is marked by recurring intestinal inflammation and tissue injury, often resulting in fibrostenosis and bowel obstruction, necessitating surgical intervention with high recurrence rates. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying fibrostenosis in CD, we analyzed the transcriptome of cells isolated from the transmural ileum of patients with CD, including a trio of lesions from each patient: non-affected, inflamed, and stenotic ileum samples, and compared them with samples from patients without CD. Our computational analysis revealed that profibrotic signals from a subset of monocyte-derived cells expressing CD150 induced a disease-specific fibroblast population, resulting in chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis. The transcription factor TWIST1 was identified as a key modulator of fibroblast activation and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of TWIST1 prevents fibroblast activation, reducing ECM production and collagen deposition. Our findings suggest that the myeloid-stromal axis may offer a promising therapeutic target to prevent fibrostenosis in CD.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is notable for its high mortality and high metastatic characteristics. The shear force generated by bloodstream provides mechanical signals regulating multiple responses of cells, including metastatic cancer cells, dispersing in blood vessels. We, therefore, studied the effect of shear flow on circulating CRC cells in the present study. The CRC cell line SW620 was subjected to shear flow of 12.5 dynes/cm 2 for 1 and 2 h separately. Resulting elevated caspase-9 and -3 indicated that shear flow initiated the apoptosis of SW620. Enlarged cell size associated with a higher level of cyclin D1 was coincident with the flow cytometric results indicating that the cell cycle was arrested at the G 1 phase. An elevated phosphor-eNOS S1177 increased the production of nitric oxide and led to reactive oxygen species-mediated oxidative stress. Shear flow also regulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by increasing E-cadherin and ZO-1 while decreasing Snail and Twist1. The migration and invasion of sheared SW620 were also substantially decreased. Further investigations showed that mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly decreased, whereas mitochondrial mass and ATP production were not changed. In addition to the shear flow of 12.5 dynes/cm 2 , the expressions of EMT were compared at lower (6.25 dynes/cm 2 ) and at higher (25 dynes/cm 2 ) shear flow. The results showed that lower shear flow increased mesenchymal characteristics and higher shear flow increased epithelial characteristics. Shear flow reduces the malignancy of CRC in their metastatic dispersal that opens up new ways to improve cancer therapies by applying a mechanical shear flow device., (© 2024 The Authors. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Kaohsiung Medical University.)

Synovial chondromatosis (SC) is a disorder of the synovium characterized by the formation of osteochondral nodules within the synovium. This study aimed to identify the abnormally differentiated progenitor cells and possible pathogenic signaling pathways. Loose bodies and synovium were obtained from patients with SC during knee arthroplasty. Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to identify cell subsets and their gene signatures in SC synovium. Cells derived from osteoarthritis (OA) synovium were used as controls. Multi-differentiation and colony-forming assays were used to identify progenitor cells. The roles of transcription factors and signaling pathways were investigated through computational analysis and experimental verification. We identified an increased proportion of CD34+ sublining fibroblasts in SC synovium. CD34+CD31- cells and CD34-CD31- cells were sorted from SC synovium. Compared with CD34- cells, CD34+ cells had larger alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-stained area and calcified area after osteogenic induction. In addition, CD34+ cells exhibited a stronger tube formation ability than CD34- cells. Our bioinformatic analysis suggested the expression of TWIST1, a negative regulator of osteogenesis, in CD34- sublining fibroblasts and was regulated by the TGF-β signaling pathway. The experiment showed that CD34+ cells acquired the TWIST1 expression during culture and the combination of TGF-β1 and harmine, an inhibitor of Twist1, could further stimulate the osteogenesis of CD34+ cells. Overall, CD34+ synovial fibroblasts in SC synovium have multiple differentiation potentials, especially osteogenic differentiation potential, and might be responsible for the pathogenesis of SC., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Cancer-associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) exert a tumor-promoting effect in various cancers, including breast cancer. CAFs secrete exosomes containing miRNA and proteins, influencing the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we identified CAF-derived exosomes that transport functional miR-92a from CAFs to tumor cells, thereby intensifying the aggressiveness of breast cancer. CAFs downregulate the expression of G3BP2 in breast cancer cells, and a significant elevation in miR-92a levels in CAF-derived exosomes was observed. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that miR-92a enhances breast cancer cell migration and invasion by directly targeting G3BP2, functioning as a tumor-promoting miRNA. We validated that the RNA-binding proteins SNRPA facilitate the transfer of CAF-derived exosomal miR-92a to breast cancer cells. The reduction of G3BP2 protein by CAF-derived exosomes releases TWIST1 into the nucleus, promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and further exacerbating breast cancer progression. Moreover, CAF-derived exosomal miR-92a induces tumor invasion and metastasis in mice. Overall, our study reveals that CAF-derived exosomal miR-92a serves as a promoter in the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells by reducing G3BP2 and may represent a potential novel tumor marker for breast cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Robinow syndrome is a rare disease caused by variants of seven WNT pathway genes. Craniofacial features include widening of the nasal bridge and jaw hypoplasia. We used the chicken embryo to test whether two missense human FZD2 variants (1301G>T, p.Gly434Val; 425C>T, p.Pro142Lys) were sufficient to change frontonasal mass development. In vivo, the overexpression of retroviruses with wild-type or variant human FZD2 inhibited upper beak ossification. In primary cultures, wild-type and variant human FZD2 significantly inhibited chondrogenesis, with the 425C>T variant significantly decreasing activity of a SOX9 luciferase reporter compared to that for the wild type or 1301G>T. Both variants also increased nuclear shuttling of β-catenin (CTNNB1) and increased the expression of TWIST1, which are inhibitory to chondrogenesis. In canonical WNT luciferase assays using frontonasal mass cells, the variants had dominant-negative effects on wild-type FZD2. In non-canonical assays, the 425C>T variant failed to activate the reporter above control levels and was unresponsive to exogenous WNT5A. This is the first single amino acid change to selectively alter ligand binding in a FZD receptor. Therefore, FZD2 missense variants are pathogenic and could lead to the altered craniofacial morphogenesis seen in Robinow syndrome., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2024. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)

Breast cancer is the most common invasive neoplasm and the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. The main cause of mortality in cancer patients is invasion and metastasis, where the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial player in these processes. Pharmacological therapy has plants as its primary source, including isoflavonoids. Brazilin is an isoflavonoid isolated from Haematoxilum brasiletto that has shown antiproliferative activity in several cancer cell lines. In this study, we evaluated the effect of Brazilin on canonical markers of EMT such as E-cadherin, vimentin, Twist, and matrix metalloproteases (MMPs). By Western blot, we evaluated E-cadherin, vimentin, and Twist expression and the subcellular localization by immunofluorescence. Using gelatin zymography, we determined the levels of secretion of MMPs. We used Transwell chambers coated with matrigel to determine the in vitro invasion of breast cancer cells treated with Brazilin. Interestingly, our results show that Brazilin increases 50% in E-cadherin expression and decreases 50% in vimentin and Twist expression, MMPs, and cell invasion in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) MDA-MB-231 and to a lesser extend in MCF7 ER+ breast cancer cells. Together, these findings position Brazilin as a new molecule with great potential for use as complementary or alternative treatment in breast cancer therapy in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024 Cayetano-Salazar et al.)

Introduction: Radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) is a chronic, progressive, irreversible lung interstitial disease that develops after radiotherapy. Although several previous studies have focused on the mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung epithelial cells, the essential factors involved in this process remain poorly understood. The DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) exhibits strong repair capacity when cells undergo radiation-induced damage; whether DNA-PKcs regulates EMT during RIPF remains unclear., Objectives: To investigate the role and molecular mechanism of DNA-PKcs in RIPF and provide an important theoretical basis for utilising DNA-PKcs-targeted drugs for preventing RIPF., Methods: DNA-PKcs knockout (DPK -/- ) mice were generated via the Cas9/sgRNA technique and subjected to whole chest ionizing radiation (IR) at a 20 Gy dose. Before whole chest IR, the mice were intragastrically administered the DNA-PKcs-targeted drug VND3207. Lung tissues were collected at 1 and 5 months after IR., Results: The expression of DNA-PKcs is low in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patients. DNA-PKcs deficiency significantly exacerbated RIPF by promoting EMT in lung epithelial cells. Mechanistically, DNA-PKcs deletion by shRNA or inhibitor NU7441 maintained the protein stability of Twist1. Furthermore, AKT1 mediated the interaction between DNA-PKcs and Twist1. High Twist1 expression and EMT-associated changes caused by DNA-PKcs deletion were blocked by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), an AKT1 agonist. The radioprotective drug VND3207 prevented IR-induced EMT and alleviated RIPF in mice by stimulating the kinase activity of DNA-PKcs., Conclusion: Our study clarified the critical role and mechanism of DNA-PKcs in RIPF and showed that it could be a potential target for preventing RIPF., (© 2024 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Shanghai Institute of Clinical Bioinformatics.)

MET amplification/mutations are important targetable oncogenic drivers in NSCLC, however, acquired resistance is inevitable and the majority of patients with targetable MET alterations fail to respond to MET tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Furthermore, MET amplification is among the most common mediators of TKI resistance. As such, novel therapies to target MET pathway and overcome MET TKI resistance are clearly needed. Here we show that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transcription factor, TWIST1 is a key downstream mediator of HGF/MET induced resistance through suppression of p27 and targeting TWIST1 can overcome resistance. We found that TWIST1 is overexpressed at the time of TKI resistance in multiple MET-dependent TKI acquired resistance PDX models. We have shown for the first time that MET directly stabilized the TWIST protein leading to TKI resistance and that TWIST1 was required for MET-driven lung tumorigenesis as well as could induce MET TKI resistance when overexpressed. TWIST1 mediated MET TKI resistance through suppression of p27 expression and genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of TWIST1 overcame TKI resistance in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that targeting TWIST1 may be an effective therapeutic strategy to overcome resistance in MET-driven NSCLC as well as in other oncogene driven subtypes in which MET amplification is the resistance mechanism., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that have a significant role in translational repression and gene silencing through binding to downstream target mRNAs. MiR-762 can stimulate the proliferation and metastasis of various types of cancer. Hippo pathway is one of the pathways that regulate tissue development and carcinogenesis. Dysregulation of this pathway plays a vital role in the progression of cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the possible correlation between miR-762, the Hippo signaling pathway, TWIST1, and SMAD3 in patients with lung cancer, as well as patients with chronic inflammatory diseases. The relative expression of miR-762, MST1, LATS2, YAP, TWIST1, and SMAD3 was determined in 50 lung cancer patients, 30 patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, and 20 healthy volunteers by real-time PCR. The levels of YAP protein and neuron-specific enolase were estimated by ELISA and electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively. Compared to the control group, miR-762, YAP, TWIST1, and SMAD3 expression were significantly upregulated in lung cancer patients and chronic inflammatory patients, except SMAD3 was significantly downregulated in chronic inflammatory patients. MST1, LATS2, and YAP protein were significantly downregulated in all patients. MiR-762 has a significant negative correlation with MST1, LATS2, and YAP protein in lung cancer patients and with MST1 and LATS2 in chronic inflammatory patients. MiR-762 may be involved in the induction of malignant behaviors in lung cancer through suppression of the Hippo pathway. MiR-762, MST1, LATS2, YAP mRNA and protein, TWIST1, and SMAD3 may be effective diagnostic biomarkers in both lung cancer patients and chronic inflammatory patients. High YAP, TWIST1, SMA3 expression, and NSE level are associated with a favorable prognosis for lung cancer., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Diagnosis of early mycosis fungoides (eMF) is challenging and often delayed as many of its clinical and histopathologic features may mimic various benign inflammatory dermatoses (BIDs). The products of the thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box (TOX), twist family BHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1), signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4), and special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 1 (SATB1) genes function as transcription factors and are involved in the pathogenesis of MF., Objectives: We aim to determine the diagnostic value of TOX, TWIST1, STAT4, and SATB1 protein expressions in eMF., Methods: This non-randomized, controlled, prospective analytic study was conducted by performing immunohistochemistry staining with TOX, TWIST1, STAT4, and SATB1 polyclonal antibodies in lesional skin biopsies of eMF and BID patients. Nuclear staining of lymphocytes was compared between eMF and BIDs, and the capacity of these antibodies to predict eMF was determined., Results: Immunostainings with anti-TWIST1 showed an increase in protein expression (p = 0.003) and showed a decrease with anti-SATB1 antibodies in eMF compared to BIDs (p = 0.005) while anti-TOX and anti-STAT4 antibodies did not exhibit significant differences (p = 0.384; p = 0.150). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that immunohistochemical evaluations of TWIST1 and SATB1 protein expressions can differentiate eMF (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.728, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.605-0.851, p = 0.002; AUC: 0.686, 95% CI: 0.565-0.807, p = 0.013)., Conclusions: TWIST1 and SATB1 are potential diagnostic markers for the histologic diagnosis of eMF., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Luteolin, a common dietary flavonoid found in plants, has been shown to have anti-cancer properties. However, its exact mechanisms of action in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still not fully understood, particularly its role in regulating broader genomic networks and specific gene targets. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in NSCLC treated with luteolin, using A549 cells as a model system., Materials and Methods: miRNA profiling was conducted on luteolin-treated A549 cells using Exiqon microarrays, with validation of selected miRNAs by qRT-PCR. Bioinformatic analysis identified the regulatory roles of miRNAs in biological processes and pathways following luteolin treatment. Computational algorithms were employed to identify potential target genes. A549 cells were transfected with miR-106a-5p mimic and inhibitor or their corresponding controls. The expression levels of 2 genes, twist basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor 1 (TWIST1) and matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP2), and cell migration were assessed., Results: miRNA profiling identified 341 miRNAs, with 18 exhibiting significantly altered expression ( P  < 0.05). Subsequent qRT-PCR analysis confirmed altered expression of 6 selected miRNAs. KEGG and GO analyses revealed significant alterations in pathways and biological processes crucial for tumor biology. TWIST1 and MMP2, which both contain conserved miR-106a-5p binding sites, exhibited an inverse correlation with the expression levels of miR-106a-5p. Dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed TWIST1 and MMP2 as direct targets of miR-106a-5p. Luteolin treatment led to a reduction in A549 cell migration, and this reduction was further amplified by the overexpression of miR-106a-5p., Conclusion: Luteolin inhibits A549 cell migration by modulating the miRNA landscape, shedding light on its mechanisms and laying the foundation for miRNA-based therapeutic approaches for NSCLC., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Tumor metastasis is the major cause of breast cancer morbidity and mortality. It has been reported that the F-box protein FBXO3 functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase in regulating various biological processes, including host autoimmune, antiviral innate immunity, and inflammatory response. However, the role of FBXO3 in tumor metastasis remains elusive. We have previously shown that ΔNp63α is a common inhibitory target in oncogene-induced cell motility and tumor metastasis. In this study, we show that FBXO3 plays a vital role in PI3K-mediated breast cancer metastasis independent of its E3 ligase activity and ΔNp63α in breast cancer cells and in mouse. FBXO3 can bind to and stabilize USP4, leading to Twist1 protein stabilization and increased breast cancer cell migration and tumor metastasis. Mechanistically, FBXO3 disrupts the interaction between USP4 and aspartyl aminopeptidase (DNPEP), thereby protecting USP4 from DNPEP-mediated degradation. Furthermore, p110αH1047R facilitates the phosphorylation and stabilization of FBXO3 in an ERK1-dependent manner. Knockdown of either FBXO3 or USP4 leads to significant inhibition of PI3K-induced breast cancer metastasis. Clinically, elevated expression of p110α/FBXO3/USP4/Twist1 is associated with poor overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of breast cancer patients. Taken together, this study reveals that the FBXO3-USP4-Twist1 axis is pivotal in PI3K-mediated breast tumor metastasis and that FBXO3/USP4 may be potential therapeutic targets for breast cancer treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Xu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Despite extensive clinical testing, mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-based therapies continue to underperform with respect to efficacy, which reflects the paucity of biomarkers that predict potency prior to patient administration. Previously, we reported that TWIST1 predicts inter-donor differences in MSC quality attributes that confer potency. To define the full spectrum of TWIST1 activity in MSCs, the present work employed integrated omics-based profiling to identify a high-confidence set of TWIST1 targets, which mapped to cellular processes related to ECM structure/organization, skeletal and circulatory system development, interferon gamma signaling, and inflammation. These targets are implicated in contributing to both stem/progenitor and paracrine activities of MSCs indicating these processes are linked mechanistically in a TWIST1-dependent manner. Targets implicated in extracellular matrix dynamics further implicate TWIST1 in modulating cellular responses to niche remodeling. Novel TWIST1-regulated genes identified herein may be prioritized for future mechanistic and functional studies., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Jagged1 (JAG1) is a Notch ligand that correlates with tumor progression. Not limited to its function as a ligand, JAG1 can be cleaved, and its intracellular domain translocates to the nucleus, where it functions as a transcriptional cofactor. Previously, we showed that JAG1 intracellular domain (JICD1) forms a protein complex with DDX17/SMAD3/TGIF2. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying JICD1-mediated tumor aggressiveness remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that JICD1 enhances the invasive phenotypes of glioblastoma cells by transcriptionally activating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes, especially TWIST1. The inhibition of TWIST1 reduced JICD1-driven tumor aggressiveness. Although SMAD3 is an important component of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling, the JICD1/SMAD3 transcriptional complex was shown to govern brain tumor invasion independent of TGF-β signaling. Moreover, JICD1-TWIST1-MMP2 and MMP9 axes were significantly correlated with clinical outcome of glioblastoma patients. Collectively, we identified the JICD1/SMAD3-TWIST1 axis as a novel inducer of invasive phenotypes in cancer cells., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The metastasis is a major reason for the poor prognosis of the patients with prostate cancer (PC). Currently, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the basic method for the treatment of PC regardless of surgery or drug treatments. However, ADT therapy is generally not recommended for patients with advanced/metastatic PC. Herein, we report for the first time a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-PCMF1 which promotes the progression of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in PC cells. Our data demonstrated that PCMF1 in metastatic PC tissues increased significantly compared to non-metastatic specimens. Mechanism research showed that PCMF1 could competitively bind to hsa-miR-137 instead of the 3' -Untranslated Region (UTR) of Twist Family BHLH Transcription Factor 1 (Twist1) by acting as an endogenous miRNA sponge. Furthermore, we found that silence of PCMF1 effectively blocked the EMT in PC cells by indirectly suppressing Twist1 protein mediated by hsa-miR-137 at post-transcriptional level. In summary, our research shows that PCMF1 promotes the EMT of PC cells by causing the functional inactivation of hsa-miR-137 on Twist1 protein, which is an independent risk factor of PC. PCMF1 knockdown combined with hsa-miR-137 expression is a promising PC-targeted therapy. Furthermore, PCMF1 is also expected to act as a useful marker for predicting malignant changes and assessing the prognosis of PC patients., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors have significantly improved progression-free survival in hormone-receptor-positive (HR+), human-epidermal-growth-factor-receptor-type-2-negative (HER2-) metastatic luminal breast cancer (mLBC). Several studies have shown that in patients with endocrine-sensitive or endocrine-resistant LBC, the addition of CDK4/6 inhibitors to endocrine therapy significantly prolongs progression-free survival. However, the percentage of patients who are unresponsive or refractory to these therapies is as high as 40%, and no reliable and reproducible biomarkers have been validated to select a priori responders or refractory patients. The selection of mutant clones in the target oncoprotein is the main cause of resistance. Other mechanisms such as oncogene amplification/overexpression or mutations in other pathways have been described in several models. In this study, we focused on palbociclib, a selective CDK4/6 inhibitor. We generated a human MCF-7 luminal breast cancer cell line that was able to survive and proliferate at different concentrations of palbociclib and also showed cross-resistance to abemaciclib. The resistant cell line was characterized via RNA sequencing and was found to strongly activate the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Among the top deregulated genes, we found a dramatic downregulation of the CDK4 inhibitor CDKN2B and an upregulation of the TWIST1 transcription factor. TWIST1 was further validated as a target for the reversal of palbociclib resistance. This study provides new relevant information about the mechanisms of resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors and suggests potential new markers for patients' follow-up care during treatment.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have been evaluated in >1500 clinical trials, but outcomes remain suboptimal because of knowledge gaps in quality attributes that confer potency. We show that TWIST1 directly represses TSG6 expression that TWIST1 and TSG6 are inversely correlated across bone marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC) donor cohorts and predict interdonor differences in their proangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, and immune suppressive activity in vitro and in sterile inflammation and autoimmune type 1 diabetes preclinical models. Transcript profiling of TWIST1 Hi TSG6 Low versus TWIST Low TSG6 Hi BM-MSCs revealed previously unidentified roles for TWIST1/TSG6 in regulating cellular oxidative stress and TGF-β2 in modulating TSG6 expression and anti-inflammatory activity. TWIST1 and TSG6 levels also correlate to donor stature and predict differences in iPSC-derived MSC quality attributes. These results validate TWIST1 and TSG6 as biomarkers that predict interdonor differences in potency across laboratories and assay platforms, thereby providing a means to manufacture MSC products tailored to specific diseases.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) derived from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients often show a shift in the balance between osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis. It was suggested that BMMSCs can potentially undergo reprogramming or educational processes. However, the results of reprogrammed differentiation have been inconclusive. In this study, clinical samples, co-culture models and mouse models were employed to explore the association of MDS/AML clonal cells and BMMSCs differentiation. We found that clonal MDS/AML cells promoted adipogenic differentiation and inhibited osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs, which in turn promoted MDS expansion. Mass spectrometry and cytokine array were used to identify the molecules to drive the BMMSCs differentiation in MDS/AML. Mechanistically, highly expressed transcription factor TWIST1 in clonal MDS/AML cells induces MDS/AML cells to secrete more IFN-γ, which can induce oxidative stress through STAT1-dependent manner, ultimately causing enhanced adipogenic differentiation and inhibited osteogenic differentiation in BMMSCs. Overall, our findings suggest that targeting the driving oncogenes in malignant clonal cells, such as TWIST1, may offer new therapeutic strategies by remodeling the surrounding bone marrow microenvironment in the treatment of MDS/AML and other hematopoietic malignancies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

TWIST1 is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor in humans that functions in mesoderm differentiation. TWIST1 primarily regulates genes as a transcriptional repressor often through TWIST-Box domain-mediated protein-protein interactions. The TWIST-Box also can function as an activation domain requiring 3 conserved, equidistant amino acids (LXXXFXXXR). Autosomal dominant mutations in TWIST1, including 2 reported in these conserved amino acids (F187L and R191M), lead to craniofacial defects in Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (SCS). Caenorhabditis elegans has a single TWIST1 homolog, HLH-8, that functions in the differentiation of the muscles responsible for egg laying and defecation. Null alleles in hlh-8 lead to severely egg-laying defective and constipated animals due to defects in the corresponding muscles. TWIST1 and HLH-8 share sequence identity in their bHLH regions; however, the domain responsible for the transcriptional activity of HLH-8 is unknown. Sequence alignment suggests that HLH-8 has a TWIST-Box LXXXFXXXR motif; however, its function also is unknown. CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing was utilized to generate a domain deletion and several missense mutations, including those analogous to SCS patients, in the 3 conserved HLH-8 amino acids to investigate their functional role. The TWIST-Box alleles did not phenocopy hlh-8 null mutants. The strongest phenotype detected was a retentive (Ret) phenotype with late-stage embryos in the hermaphrodite uterus. Further, GFP reporters of HLH-8 downstream target genes (arg-1::gfp and egl-15::gfp) revealed tissue-specific, target-specific, and allele-specific defects. Overall, the TWIST-Box in HLH-8 is partially required for the protein's transcriptional activity, and the conserved amino acids contribute unequally to the domain's function., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The author(s) declare no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Genetics Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: USP51 is a deubiquitinase (DUB), that is involved in diverse cellular processes. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that USP51 contributes to cancer development. However, its impact on non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell malignancy is largely unknown., Methods: In this study, we performed bioinformatics analysis on a dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas to determine the association between USP51 and cell stemness marker expression in NSCLC patients. RT‒qPCR, Western blotting, and flow cytometry were performed to examine the effects of USP51 depletion on stemness marker expression. Colony formation and tumor sphere formation assays were used to assess the stemness of NSCLC cells. A cycloheximide chase time-course assay and a polyubiquitination assay were carried out to analyze the effects of USP51 on the TWIST1 protein level. TWIST1 was overexpressed in USP51 knockdown NSCLC cells to determine whether TWIST1 is required. The effect of USP51 on the in vivo growth of NSCLC cells was tested through subcutaneous injections in mice., Results: We found that USP51 deubiquitinates TWIST1, which is significantly upregulated in the tissues of patients with NSCLC and is closely associated with poor prognosis. USP51 expression was positively correlated with the expression of stemness marker CD44, SOX2, NANOG, and OCT4 in NSCLC patients. USP51 depletion attenuated mRNA, protein, and cell surface expression of stemness markers and the stemness of NSCLC cells. Ectopic USP51 expression potentiated the stability of the TWIST1 protein by attenuating its polyubiquitination. In addition, TWIST1 re-expression in NSCLC cells reversed the inhibitory effect of USP51 knockdown on cell stemness. Furthermore, the in vivo results confirmed the suppressive effect of USP51 depletion on NSCLC cell growth., Conclusions: Our results show that USP51 maintains the stemness of NSCLC cells by deubiquitinating TWIST1. Knocking it down reduces both cell stemness and growth of NSCLC cells., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), myofibroblasts are key effectors of fibrosis and architectural distortion by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix and their acquired contractile capacity. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) has precisely defined the IPF myofibroblast transcriptome, but identifying critical transcription factor activity by this approach is imprecise., Methods: We performed single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing on explanted lungs from patients with IPF (n=3) and donor controls (n=2) and integrated this with a larger scRNA-seq dataset (10 IPF, eight controls) to identify differentially accessible chromatin regions and enriched transcription factor motifs within lung cell populations. We performed RNA-sequencing on pulmonary fibroblasts of bleomycin-injured Twist1- overexpressing COL1A2 Cre-ER mice to examine alterations in fibrosis-relevant pathways following Twist1 overexpression in collagen-producing cells., Results: TWIST1, and other E-box transcription factor motifs, were significantly enriched in open chromatin of IPF myofibroblasts compared to both IPF nonmyogenic (log 2 fold change (FC) 8.909, adjusted p-value 1.82×10 -35 ) and control fibroblasts (log 2 FC 8.975, adjusted p-value 3.72×10 -28 ). TWIST1 expression was selectively upregulated in IPF myofibroblasts (log 2 FC 3.136, adjusted p-value 1.41×10 - 24 ), with two regions of TWIST1 having significantly increased accessibility in IPF myofibroblasts. Overexpression of Twist1 in COL1A2-expressing fibroblasts of bleomycin-injured mice resulted in increased collagen synthesis and upregulation of genes with enriched chromatin accessibility in IPF myofibroblasts., Conclusions: Our studies utilising human multiomic single-cell analyses combined with in vivo murine disease models confirm a critical regulatory function for TWIST1 in IPF myofibroblast activity in the fibrotic lung. Understanding the global process of opening TWIST1 and other E-box transcription factor motifs that govern myofibroblast differentiation may identify new therapeutic interventions for fibrotic pulmonary diseases., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: R. Lafyatis reports the following conflicts of interest outside the scope of work of this manuscript: R. Lafyatis has served as a consultant for Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Formation, Sanofi, Boehringer-Mannheim, Merck and Genentech/Roche, and holds or recently had research grants from Corbus, Formation, Moderna, Regeneron, Pfizer and Kiniksa, and holds equity in Thirona. All other authors report no relevant conflicts of interest., (Copyright ©The authors 2023. For reproduction rights and permissions contact permissions@ersnet.org.)

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is a fatal disease and ranks as the third most prevalent cancer globally. Stemness and drug resistance are the main causes of tumor recurrence in CRC. This study attempted to probe the impact of TWIST1 on CRC stemness and resistance to oxaliplatin and to uncover the underlying regulatory mechanism of TWIST1. mRNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas-CRC were subjected to differential analysis. The target gene in the study was determined according to literature citation. ChIPBase was utilized to predict likely targets downstream of the target gene. Pearson was employed for correlation analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to assess TWIST1 and microfibrillar-associated protein 2 (MFAP2) levels in CRC and normal cells. The cell viability was assayed through cell counting kit-8 and IC 50 value was calculated. Flow cytometry was applied to assay the cell apoptosis. Apoptosis assays were applied to evaluate cell apoptosis. CD44, CD133, SOX-2, ERCC1, GST-π, MRP, and P-gp protein expression levels were assayed by Western blot. The targeting relationship between TWIST1 and MFAP2 was ascertained through dual-luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). TWIST1 possessed high expression in CRC tissue and cells. TWIST1 knockdown strikingly promoted cell apoptosis and reduced cell stemness and cell resistance to oxaliplatin. Bioinformatics prediction suggested that MFAP2, which was overexpressed in CRC tissue and cells, was the target gene downstream of TWIST1. Dual-luciferase and ChIP assays validated that there was a targeting relationship between TWIST1 and MFAP2. The results of the rescue assay demonstrated that TWIST1 fostered CRC stemness and oxaliplatin resistance by activating MFAP2 expression. These outcomes implied that TWIST1 enhanced CRC stemness and oxaliplatin resistance by activating the transcription of MFAP2. Therefore, TWIST1/MFAP2 axis possibly indicated a mechanism for regulating tumor progression.

Metabolic dysregulation has been identified as one of the hallmarks of cancer biology. Based on metabolic heterogeneity between bladder cancer tissues and adjacent tissues, we discovered several potential driving factors for the bladder cancer occurrence and development. Metabolic genomics showed purine metabolism pathway was mainly accumulated in bladder cancer. Long noncoding RNA urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (LncRNA UCA1) is a potential tumor biomarker for bladder cancer diagnosis and prognosis, and it increases bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the glycolysis pathway. However, whether UCA1 plays a role in purine metabolism in bladder cancer is unknown. Our findings showed that UCA1 could increase the transcription activity of guanine nucleotide de novo synthesis rate limiting enzyme inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase 1 (IMPDH1) and inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2), triggering in guanine nucleotide metabolic reprogramming. This process was achieved by UCA1 recruiting the transcription factor TWIST1 which binds to the IMPDH1and IMPDH2 promoter region. Increased guanine nucleotide synthesis pathway products stimulate RNA polymerase-dependent production of pre-ribosomal RNA and GTPase activity in bladder cancer cells, hence increasing bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. We have demonstrated that UCA1 regulates IMPDH1/2-mediated guanine nucleotide production via TWIST1, providing additional evidence of metabolic reprogramming., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a common soft tissue sarcoma in children that resembles developing skeletal muscle. Unlike normal muscle cells, RMS cells fail to differentiate despite expression of the myogenic determination protein MYOD. The TWIST2 transcription factor is frequently overexpressed in fusion-negative RMS (FN-RMS). TWIST2 blocks differentiation by inhibiting MYOD activity in myoblasts, but its role in FN-RMS pathogenesis is incompletely understood. Here, we show that knockdown of TWIST2 enables FN-RMS cells to exit the cell cycle and undergo terminal myogenesis. TWIST2 knockdown also substantially reduces tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model of FN-RMS. Mechanistically, TWIST2 controls H3K27 acetylation at distal enhancers by interacting with the chromatin remodelers SMARCA4 and CHD3 to activate growth-related target genes and repress myogenesis-related target genes. These findings provide insights into the role of TWIST2 in maintaining an undifferentiated and tumorigenic state of FN-RMS and highlight the potential of suppressing TWIST2-regulated pathways to treat FN-RMS.

Twist (TWIST1) is a gene required for cell fate specification in embryos and its expression in mammary epithelium can initiate tumorigenesis through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. To identify downstream target genes of Twist in breast cancer, we performed microarray analysis on the transgenic breast cancer cell line, MCF-7/Twist. One of the targets identified was choline kinase whose upregulation resulted in increased cellular phosphocholine and total choline containing compounds-a characteristic observed in highly aggressive metastatic cancers. To study the interactions between Twist, choline kinase, and their effect on the microenvironment, we used 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy and found significantly higher phosphocholine and total choline, as well as increased phosphocholine/glycerophosphocholine ratio in MCF-7/Twist cells. We also observed significant increases in extracellular glucose, lactate, and [H +] ion concentrations in the MCF-7/Twist cells. Magnetic resonance imaging of MCF-7/Twist orthotopic breast tumors showed a significant increase in vascular volume and permeability surface area product compared to control tumors. In addition, by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, we discovered that Twist upregulated choline kinase expression in estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cell lines through FOXA1 downregulation. Moreover, using The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we observed a significant inverse relationship between FOXA1 and choline kinase expression and propose that it could act as a modulator of the Twist/choline kinase axis. The data presented indicate that Twist is a driver of choline kinase expression in breast cancer cells via FOXA1 resulting in the generation of an aggressive breast cancer phenotype., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly lethal malignancy with limited therapy options. TWIST1, a key transcriptional factor of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), contributes to self-renewal of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), chemo-resistance, metastasis, and TNBC-related death. However, the mechanism by which TWIST1 is deregulated in TNBC remains elusive. Here, USP29 is identified as a bona fide deubiquitinase of TWIST1. The deubiquitination of TWIST1 catalyzed by USP29 is required for its stabilization and subsequent EMT and CSC functions in TNBC, thereby conferring chemotherapeutic resistance and metastasis. Furthermore, the results unexpectedly reveal that CDK1 functions as the direct USP29 activator. Mechanistically, CDK1-mediated phosphorylation of USP29 is essential for its deubiquitinase activity toward TWIST1 and TWIST1 driven-malignant phenotypes in TNBC, which could be markedly mitigated by the genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of CDK1. Moreover, the histological analyses show that CDK1 and USP29 are highly upregulated in TNBC samples, which positively correlate with the expression of TWIST1. Taken together, the findings reveal a previously unrecognized tumor-promoting function and clinical significance of the CDK1-USP29 axis through stabilizing TWIST1 and provide the preclinical evidence that targeting this axis is an appealing therapeutic strategy to conquer chemo-resistance and metastasis in TNBC., (© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Complete and partial moles (PM) are the most common gestational trophoblastic diseases. Due to some overlapping morphological findings, ancillary studies may be necessary., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 47 cases of complete mole (CM) and 40 cases of PM were randomly selected based on histopathological criteria. Only those cases that were agreed upon by two expert gynecological pathologists and confirmed by the P57 IHC study were included. The expression level of the Twist-1 marker in villi stromal cells, as well as syncytiotrophoblasts, was evaluated quantitatively (percentage of positive cells), qualitatively (staining intensity) and as a total comprehensive score., Results: Expression of Twist-1 is higher and more intense in villous stromal cells of CMs (p < 0.001). Moderate to strong staining intensity in more than 50% of villous stromal cells, can differentiate CM and PM with 89.5% sensitivity and 75% specificity. In syncytiotrophoblasts of CM, Twist-1 expression was significantly lower than PM (p < 0.001). Negative or weak staining intensity in less than 10% of syncytiotrophoblasts, can distinguish CM and PM with 82.9% sensitivity and 60% specificity., Conclusion: A higher expression of Twist-1 in villous stromal cells of hydatidiform moles is a sensitive and specific marker for the diagnosis of CMs. An elevated expression of this marker in villous stromal cells suggests another pathogenic mechanism for more aggressiveness of CMs in addition to the characteristics of trophoblast cells. The opposite result was obtained in the expression of Twist-1 in the syncytiotrophoblasts, compatible with defects in the process of formation of these supportive cells in CMs., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Adipocytes contribute to metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. Prior characterizations of the transcriptional network driving adipogenesis have overlooked transiently acting transcription factors (TFs), genes, and regulatory elements that are essential for proper differentiation. Moreover, traditional gene regulatory networks provide neither mechanistic details about individual regulatory element-gene relationships nor temporal information needed to define a regulatory hierarchy that prioritizes key regulatory factors. To address these shortcomings, we integrate kinetic chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq) and nascent transcription (PRO-seq) data to generate temporally resolved networks that describe TF binding events and resultant effects on target gene expression. Our data indicate which TF families cooperate with and antagonize each other to regulate adipogenesis. Compartment modeling of RNA polymerase density quantifies how individual TFs mechanistically contribute to distinct steps in transcription. The glucocorticoid receptor activates transcription by inducing RNA polymerase pause release, whereas SP and AP-1 factors affect RNA polymerase initiation. We identify Twist2 as a previously unappreciated effector of adipocyte differentiation. We find that TWIST2 acts as a negative regulator of 3T3-L1 and primary preadipocyte differentiation. We confirm that Twist2 knockout mice have compromised lipid storage within subcutaneous and brown adipose tissue. Previous phenotyping of Twist2 knockout mice and Setleis syndrome Twist2 - / - patients noted deficiencies in subcutaneous adipose tissue. This network inference framework is a powerful and general approach for interpreting complex biological phenomena and can be applied to a wide range of cellular processes., (© 2023 Dutta et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.)

Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death globally. Metastasis and drug resistance are two major causes of failures in current chemotherapy. Here, we found that the expression of Ras-related protein 31 (Rab31) is upregulated in human STAD tissues and high expression of Rab31 is closely associated with poor survival time. Furthermore, we revealed that Rab31 promotes cisplatin resistance and metastasis in human STAD cells. Reduced Rab31 expression induces tumor cell apoptosis and increases cisplatin sensitivity in STAD cells; Rab31 overexpression yielded the opposite result. Rab31 silencing prevented STAD cell migration, whereas the overexpression of Rab31 increased the metastatic potential. Further work showed that Rab31 mediates cisplatin resistance and metastasis via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway. In addition, we found that both Rab31 overexpression and cisplatin treatment results in increased Twist1 expression. Depletion of Twist1 enhances sensitivity to cisplatin in STAD cells, which cannot be fully reversed by Rab31 overexpression. Rab31 could activate Twist1 by activating Stat3 and inhibiting Mucin 1 (MUC-1). The present study also demonstrates that Rab31 knockdown inhibited tumor growth in mice STAD models. These findings indicate that Rab31 is a novel and promising biomarker and potential therapeutic target for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis prediction in STAD patients. Our data not only identifies a novel Rab31/Stat3/MUC-1/Twist1/EMT pathway in STAD metastasis and drug resistance, but it also provides direction for the exploration of novel strategies to predict and treat STAD in the future., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is one of the main mechanisms for tumor progression and metastasis. Transcription factors such as TWIST1 are key regulators of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and are regarded as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine TWIST1 as a possible epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related prognostic biomarker in oral epithelial dysplasia and oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas, as well as the biological behavior of TWIST1-silencing in oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas cell lines., Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of TWIST1, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin was carried out in 47 samples representing oral epithelial dysplasia and 41 oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas. The suppression of TWIST1 expression was performed using shRNA-expression vectors in HSC-3 and SCC-9 cells to investigate in vitro the impact of TWIST1 on proliferation, apoptosis, viability, migration, and invasion of SCC-9 and HSC-3 cells., Results: The expression of nuclear TWIST1 was significantly higher in oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas than in oral epithelial dysplasis (p < 0.0001), whereas TWIST1 in the cytoplasm was more expressed in oral epithelial dysplasis (p = 0.012). The high cytoplasmic expression of TWIST1 was significantly associated with shortened overall survival (p < 0.05), and increased nuclear TWIST1 expression was significantly related to high risk of recurrence (p = 0.03). Knockdown of TWIST1 in oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas cells induced the expression of E-cadherin and inhibited N-cadherin, which were followed by decreased proliferation, migration, and invasion., Conclusions: Our research suggests that TWIST1 is linked to the development of oral tongue carcinogenesis and may be used as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target for oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas patients., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of death, which deserves further study to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms. Studies have shown that miR-9 in associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. However, the mechanisms of transcriptional activation regulation of miR-9 and its role in the malignant progression of HCC have been rarely investigated. Some transcriptional coactivators can form phase-separated condensates at super-enhancers that compartmentalize and concentrate the transcription apparatus to drive robust gene expression. Here, we demonstrate that Twist1 and YY1 could form a transcriptional complex with p300, creating local high-concentration phase-separated interaction hubs at the super-enhancers of miR-9 and activate its expression to promote the malignant progression of HCC by stimulating the migration and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Twist1-YY1-p300 phase-separated condensates were disrupted by metformin (Met) and thus reduce miR-9 expression, thereby inhibiting the malignant progression of HCC. Our study demonstrates that the Twist1 transcriptional factor complex involved in the malignant progression of HCC can form phase separation condensates at super-enhancers of miR-9 to promote the expression of oncogenes in HCC cells. It provides a potential target for the therapy of HCC and offers insights into the mechanism of Met in HCC inhibition., Competing Interests: Competing interests There are no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Splicing factor 3B subunit 4 (SF3B4) plays important functional roles not only in pre-mRNA splicing, but also in the regulation of transcription, translation, and cell signaling, and its dysregulation contributes to various diseases including Nager syndrome and tumorigenesis. However, the role of SF3B4 and underlying mechanisms in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain obscure. In the present study, we found that the expression of SF3B4 was significantly elevated in ccRCC tissues and negatively correlated with the overall survival of ccRCC patients. Upregulation of SF3B4 promotes migration and invasion of ccRCC cells in vitro and in vivo. The promoting effect of SF3B4 on cell migration and invasion is mediated by Twist1, a key transcription factor to mediate EMT. Interestingly, SF3B4, a component of the pre-mRNA spliceosome, is able to promote KLF16 expression by facilitating the transport of KLF16 mRNA into the cytoplasm. Mechanistically, SF3B4 promotes the export of KLF16 mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and thus enhances KLF16 expression, and in turn elevated KLF16 directly binds to the Twist1 promoter to activate its transcription, leading to EMT and ccRCC progression. Our findings provide evidence that the SF3B4-KLF16-Twist1 axis plays important functional roles in the development and progression of ccRCC, and manipulating this pathway may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ccRCC., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Glioma cells are characterized by high migration ability, resulting in the aggressive growth of the tumors and poor prognosis of patients. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of the most important steps for tumor migration and metastasis and be elevated during glioma progression and recurrence. Twist1 is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor and a key transcription factor involved in the process of EMT. Twist1 is related to glioma mesenchymal change, invasion, heterogeneity, self-renewal of tumor stem cells, angiogenesis, etc., and may be used as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target for glioma patients. This paper mainly reviews the structural characteristics, regulatory mechanisms, and apparent regulation of Twist1, as well as the roles of Twist1 during glioma progression and recurrence, providing new revelations for its use as a potential drug target and glioma treatment research., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) represents an important clinical problem requiring novel approaches for both prevention and treatment. The transcription factor, Twist-related protein 1 (Twist1), has been identified as having a key mechanistic role in the development and progression of cSCC. Studies in relevant mouse models of cSCC have shown that Twist1 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness driving progression and metastasis of cSCC. In addition, further research has shown that Twist1 regulates the balance between keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation and therefore impacts earlier stages of cSCC development. Through use of keratinocyte specific Twist1 knockout models, a role for this gene in keratinocyte stem cell homeostasis has been revealed. As a transcription factor, Twist1 regulates a large number of genes both in a positive, as well as a negative manner across several interdependent pathways. Studies in keratinocyte specific knockout models have shown that Twist1 upregulates the expression of genes involved in proliferation, stemness, and EMT while downregulating the expression of genes associated with differentiation. Furthermore, a number of compounds, including naturally occurring compounds, have been identified that target Twist1 and can block its effects in cancer cells and in keratinocytes in vivo. Collectively, the current understanding of Twist1 function in cSCC development and progression suggests that it represents a potential target for prevention and treatment of cSCC., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to represent one of the major causes of cancer-related mortality and morbidity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are confirmed to be involved in modulating substential biological processes by affecting the expression of targeted genes, including carcinogenesis. In the present study, the expression pattern and functional roles of microRNA-15a-5p (miR-15a-5p) in CRC cells were investigated. The data from TCGA database indicated that miR-15a-5p is highly expressed in CRC tissues. Moreover, ectopic expression of miR-15a-5p facilitated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells. Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis combinating with dual-luciferase assay revealed that SIRT4 acts as a crucial target of miR-15a-5p. Accordingly, overexpression of SIRT4 suppresses the miR-15a-5p-mediated enhancement in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells, while the opposite phenotypes were observed after inhibition of SIRT4. Moreover, we further revealed that miR-15a-5p restrained the expression of SIRT4 to exacerbate the malignant phenotypes by modulating STAT3/TWIST1 and PETN/AKT signaling in CRC cells. Alternatively, inhibition of the miR-15a-5p/SIRT4 axis enhanced the chemosensitivity of 5-fluorouracil- and oxaliplatin-resistant HCT116 cells. Altogether, our evidence suggests that miR-15a-5p plays an essential role in promoting the proliferation, migration, and chemoresistance of CRC cells via targeting SIRT4 to modulate STAT3/TWIST1 and PETN/AKT signaling, which may serve as a promising therapeutic target for CRC therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All the authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor with a high incidence and mortality worldwide. Currently, the underlying molecular mechanisms of CRC are still unclear. Zinc finger protein 3 (ZNF3) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that has been reported as a candidate for breast cancer prognosis, suggesting its involvement in the regulation of tumorigenesis. However, the association between ZNF3 and CRC remains unknown. To investigate the role of ZNF3 in CRC, we first analyze the correlation between ZNF3 expression and CRC, and the results demonstrate that ZNF3 is highly expressed in CRC tissue and cells, which is associated with the age of CRC patients. In vitro studies show that ZNF3 overexpression promotes CRC cell migration. Compared to control cells, knockdown of ZNF3 markedly suppresses CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion and promotes G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest. The expressions of the EMT-related markers TWIST and MMP1 are significantly decreased when ZNF3 is silenced. Additionally, overexpression of MMP1 and TWIST exacerbates CRC cell proliferation, accelerates the S phase cell cycle in ZNF3 -knockdown SW480 cells, and increases cell migration and invasion through Transwell chambers. These data suggest that ZNF3 is involved in cellular proliferation, migration and invasion by regulating MMP1 and TWIST in CRC cells.

Despite favorable responses to platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer (OC), chemoresistance is still a major cause of treatment failure. Hence, we develop a novel synthetic agent, COM33, to relieve the chemoresistance caused by carboplatin. The anti-cancerous effects of the combination of COM33 and carboplatin on OC are evaluated by cell viability, wound healing, and transwell invasion assays. A mechanistic investigation is carried out by using RNA-Seq analysis and then verified by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy. The safety and efficacy in vivo are evaluated using SKOV3 tumor-bearing nude mice. Results show that the co-administration of COM33 enhances the inhibitory effects of carboplatin on cancer cell viability, migration, and invasion in vitro and tumor growth in vivo . Furthermore, COM33 suppresses the carboplatin-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting the ERK signaling pathway. Additionally, we show that Twist1, the effector of the ERK signaling pathway, participates in carboplatin-induced EMT and is also inhibited by COM33. Our data show that the combination of carboplatin with COM33 is beneficial for chemotherapy against OC, which may be a potential novel anti-tumor strategy.

Background: Stemness markers play critical roles in the maintenance of key properties of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), including the pluripotency, stemness state, and self-renewal capacities, as well as cell fate decision. Some of these features are present in cancer stem cells (CSCs). TWIST1, as a bHLH transcription factor oncogene, is involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in both embryonic and cancer development. Our aim in this study was to investigate the functional correlation between TWIST1 and the involved genes in the process of CSCs self-renewal in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) line KYSE-30., Methods: TWIST1 overexpression was enforced in the ESCC KYSE-30 cells using retroviral vector containing the specific pruf-IRES-GFP-hTWIST1 sequence. Following RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis, the mRNA expression profile of TWIST1 and the stem cell markers, including BMI1 , CRIPTO1 , DPPA2 , KLF4 , SOX2 , NANOG, and MSI1, were assessed using relative comparative real-time PCR., Results: Ectopic expression of TWIST1 in KYSE-30 cells resulted in an increased expression of TWIST1 compared to control GFP cells by nearly 9-fold. Transduction of TWIST1 -retroviral particles caused a significant enhancement in BMI1 , CRIPTO1 , DPPA2 , KLF4, and SOX2 mRNA expression, approximately 4.5-, 3.2-, 5.5-, 3.5-, and 3.7-folds, respectively, whereas this increased TWIST1 expression caused no change in the mRNA expression of NANOG and MSI1 genes., Conclusions: TWIST1 gene ectopic expression in KYSE-30 cells enhanced the level of cancer stem cell markers' mRNA expression. These results may emphasize the role of TWIST1 in the self-renewal process and may corroborate the involvement of TWIST1 in the stemness state capacity of ESCC cell line KYSE-30, as well as its potential as a therapeutic target.

The pro-inflammatory factor interleukin-8 (IL-8) is related to poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Interleukin-8 enhanced HCC invasion by upregulating Snail and Twist1, whether this modulation relies on microRNAs (miR) is unclear. In this study, hsa-miR-370-3p was screened as candidate miRNA targeting Snail and Twist1, and its expression was downregulated by IL-8. Luciferase assays and RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to evaluate the interaction between miR-370-3p and targeted mRNAs. Coimmunoprecipitation, luciferase, and ChIP assays were undertaken to investigate the mechanisms underlying IL-8-mediated modification of miR-370-3p. Gain- and loss-of-function studies, Transwell assays, and a xenograft nude mouse model were used to investigate pro- and antitumor activities. Interleukin-8 and miR-370-3p levels were analyzed for clinical relevance in HCC patients. Our results showed that HCC patients with high levels of IL-8 experienced more metastasis and shorter survival. Interleukin-8 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promoted liver cancer cell migration, invasion, and metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. MicroRNA-370-3p interacted with its cognate mRNA within the 3'-UTR regions of Twist1 and Snail mRNA directly and specifically and attenuated IL-8 protumoral effects on liver cancer cells. Interleukin-8 negatively modulated miR-370-3p through signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation by recruiting histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) to miR-370-3p promoter. The STAT3 and HDAC antagonists inhibited liver cancer cell migration and invasion. Patients with high miR-370-3p and low IL-8 levels had longer overall survival. In conclusion, our study elucidated a novel axis IL-8/STAT3/miR-370-3p/Twist1 and Snail relying on HDAC1 recruitment, which showed both diagnostic and therapeutic potentials of miR-370-3p in HCC metastasis., (© 2022 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Skeletal muscle is maintained and repaired by sub-laminar, Pax7-expressing satellite cells. However, recent mouse investigations have described a second myogenic progenitor population that resides within the myofiber interstitium and expresses the transcription factor Twist2. Twist2-expressing cells exclusively repair and maintain type IIx/b muscle fibers. Currently, it is unknown if Twist2-expressing cells are present in human skeletal muscle and if they function as myogenic progenitors. Here, we perform a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing analysis and immunofluorescence staining to demonstrate the identity and localization of Twist2-expressing cells in human skeletal muscle. Twist2-expressing cells were identified to be anatomically and transcriptionally comparable to fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) and lack expression of typical satellite cell markers such as Pax7. Comparative analysis revealed that human and mouse Twist2-expressing cells were highly transcriptionally analogous and resided within the same anatomical structures in vivo. Examination of young and aged skeletal muscle biopsy samples revealed that Twist2-positive cells are more prevalent in aged muscle and increase following 12-weeks of resistance exercise training (RET) in humans. However, the quantity of Twist2-positive cells was not correlated with indices of muscle mass or muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA) in young or older muscle, and their abundance was surprisingly, negatively correlated with CSA and myonuclear domain size following RET. Taken together, we have identified cells expressing Twist2 in human skeletal muscle which are responsive to aging and exercise. Further examination of their myogenic potential is warranted., (© 2022 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant cancer with leading mortality worldwide. Circ&#95;0067835 is a circRNA which plays an important role in various kinds of tumor, while the potential functions of circ&#95;0067835 in HCC remains unclear. In this study, our results of microarray and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) showed that it was obviously elevated in human HCC tumor tissues and HCC cell lines. Inhibition of circ&#95;0067835 restrained cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Furthermore, miR-1236-3p was decreased in tumor samples, and it was indicated to be a target of circ&#95;0067835. Moreover, Twist2 was established to be elevated in HCC tissues, and we identified it as the direct target of miR-1236-3p. Finally, we found that knockdown of miR-1236-3p could reverse the circ&#95;0067835 inhibition effects in HCC cells. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that circ&#95;0067835 contributed to promoting hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis through downregulating miR-1236-3p expression and then elevating Twist2 expression, which might provide a new vision for HCC patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Jianghong Chen and Zihan Qi.)

Background: Aging leads to vascular endothelial cell senescence. Decreased expression of VEGFA and VEGFR2 plays a crucial role in impairing angiogenesis in senescent endothelial cells. Noncoding RNAs, including circular RNAs (circRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), regulate endothelial cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and migration and participate in the occurrence and development of vascular diseases. However, the mechanism of noncoding RNAs in age-related vascular endothelial dysfunction remains unclear. Here, we aimed to identify the circRNA that is associated with VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling pathway activation in angiogenesis., Methods: Immunoblotting, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), in vitro and in vivo experiments, luciferase assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by qRT-PCR (ChIP-qPCR) assays were performed to clarify the roles played by circCRIM1 in mouse aortic endothelial cell (MAEC) angiogenesis., Results: CircCRIM1 expression was downregulated in both an aging mouse model of lower limb ischemia in vivo and aging MAECs in vitro . Overexpressing circCRIM1 mediated through a plasmid or adeno-associated virus (AAV) reversed the downregulation of angiogenesis-related phenotype acquisition during aging. MiR-455-3p was confirmed to be a potential target of circCRIM1 through luciferase assays followed by RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), which revealed the colocalization of circCRIM1 and miR-455-3p. CircCRIM1 was found to be a competitive endogenous RNA that sponged miR-455-3p and regulated angiogenesis-related phenotypes in MAECs. Furthermore, Twist1 was found to be downstream of miR-455-3p. A ChIP-qPCR assay showed that Twist1 promoted VEGFR2 expression by binding to the promoter region, playing a vital role in angiogenesis., Conclusions: Decreased expression of circCRIM1 impaired angiogenesis in aging via the miR-455-3p/Twist1/VEGFR2 axis. Our findings suggest that overexpression of circCRIM1 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for promoting ischemic lower limb blood flow recovery., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Lei Zhao et al.)