Journal: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

Article Title: CDX2-UPK1B-PIK3IP1-PI3K/AKT signaling axis regulates gastric cancer cell invasion and migration and influences patient prognosis

doi: 10.3892/etm.2026.13179

Figure Lengend Snippet: UPK1B drives GC cell invasion and migration in a PI3K/AKT-dependent manner. (A) Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that genes upregulated in the UPK1B-high group were enriched in the PI3K/AKT pathway. (B) Protein levels of UPK1B in GC cell lines. (C) Knockdown of UPK1B reduced PI3K/AKT activation in MKN45 cells. Silencing UPK1B suppressed the (D) migration/invasion capacity and (E) wound closure rate of MKN45 cells. (F) Overexpression of UPK1B enhanced PI3K/AKT pathway activation in AGS cells, which was attenuated by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling reversed UPK1B-induced (G) migration/invasion capacity and (H) wound closure rate of AGS cells. UPK1B, uroplakin 1B; GC, gastric cancer; p-, phosphorylated; sh, short hairpin RNA; NC, negative control; OE, overexpression.

Article Snippet: Cells were also transfected with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting CDX2 or PIK3IP1 , with a universal non-targeting scrambled siRNA (si-NC) as the negative control , obtained from GeneChem, Inc. For UPK1B and CDX2 overexpression, the p-TSB-CMV-UPK1B and p-TSB-CMV-CDX2 expression vectors [Shanghai Genomeditech Co., Ltd.] and the corresponding empty p-TSB-CMV vector (negative control) were used.

Techniques: Migration, Knockdown, Activation Assay, Over Expression, Inhibition, shRNA, Negative Control

Journal: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

Article Title: CDX2-UPK1B-PIK3IP1-PI3K/AKT signaling axis regulates gastric cancer cell invasion and migration and influences patient prognosis

doi: 10.3892/etm.2026.13179

Figure Lengend Snippet: CDX2 acts as a transcriptional repressor of UPK1B and its high expression is associated with favorable prognosis of patients with GC. (A) Venn diagram showing overlapping predicted transcriptional regulators of UPK1B from ChEA and ChEA3 databases. (B) Knockdown of CDX2 in AGS cells resulted in increased UPK1B (C) mRNA and (D) protein expression. (E) Overexpression of CDX2 in MKN45 cells reduced UPK1B protein levels. Data from (F) The Cancer Genome Atlas Stomach Adenocarcinoma cohort and (G) the Kaplan-Meier plotter database indicated that high CDX2 expression was associated with improved prognosis of patients with GC. UPK1B, uroplakin 1B; GC, gastric cancer; si, small interfering RNA; NC, negative control; OE, overexpression; HR, hazard ratio; CDX2, caudal-related homeobox transcription factor 2; ChEA, ChIP-X Enrichment Analysis.

Article Snippet: Cells were also transfected with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting CDX2 or PIK3IP1 , with a universal non-targeting scrambled siRNA (si-NC) as the negative control , obtained from GeneChem, Inc. For UPK1B and CDX2 overexpression, the p-TSB-CMV-UPK1B and p-TSB-CMV-CDX2 expression vectors [Shanghai Genomeditech Co., Ltd.] and the corresponding empty p-TSB-CMV vector (negative control) were used.

Techniques: Expressing, Knockdown, Over Expression, Small Interfering RNA, Negative Control

Journal: Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

Article Title: CDX2-UPK1B-PIK3IP1-PI3K/AKT signaling axis regulates gastric cancer cell invasion and migration and influences patient prognosis

doi: 10.3892/etm.2026.13179

Figure Lengend Snippet: UPK1B activates PI3K/AKT signaling by antagonizing the inhibitory regulator PIK3IP1 in gastric cancer cells. (A) Venn diagram showing that PIK3IP1 was identified as a putative UPK1B-interacting partner based on BioGRID and HIPPIE protein-protein interaction databases. (B) UPK1B and PIK3IP1 co-localized in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of MKN45 cells. (C) Interaction between UPK1B and PIK3IP1 in MKN45 cells. (D) Knockdown of PIK3IP1 in MKN45 cells. (E) Silencing PIK3IP1 in UPK1B-knockdown MKN45 cells restored PI3K/AKT pathway activation. Knockdown of PIK3IP1 reversed the decrease in (F) migration/invasion and (G) wound-healing capacity in UPK1B-silenced MKN45 cells. UPK1B, uroplakin 1B; p-, phosphorylated; si, small interfering RNA; sh, short hairpin RNA; NC, negative control; PIK3IP1, PI3K inhibitor interacting protein 1; HIPPIE, Human Integrated Protein-Protein Interaction Reference; IP, immunoprecipitation.

Article Snippet: Cells were also transfected with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting CDX2 or PIK3IP1 , with a universal non-targeting scrambled siRNA (si-NC) as the negative control , obtained from GeneChem, Inc. For UPK1B and CDX2 overexpression, the p-TSB-CMV-UPK1B and p-TSB-CMV-CDX2 expression vectors [Shanghai Genomeditech Co., Ltd.] and the corresponding empty p-TSB-CMV vector (negative control) were used.

Techniques: Clinical Proteomics, Membrane, Knockdown, Activation Assay, Migration, Small Interfering RNA, shRNA, Negative Control, Immunoprecipitation

Journal: International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Article Title: Unfolding Immune Dysregulation in COPD: Identification of a Three-Gene Signature and Functional Validation of TCF7 in Human Lung Tissue and T Lymphocytes

doi: 10.3390/ijms27104231

Figure Lengend Snippet: TCF7 regulates pro−caspase−8 expression in T lymphocytes and is significantly reduced in COPD. ( A ) Immunofluorescence co−staining of control human lung tissue displaying separate channels for DAPI (blue), caspase−8 (green), TCF7 (red), and the merged image. Scale bar is 50 μm. ( B ) Immunofluorescence co−staining of COPD human lung tissue displaying separate channels for DAPI (blue), caspase−8 (green), TCF7 (red), and the merged image. Note the marked reduction in both TCF7 and caspase−8 signals compared to the control. Scale bar is 50 μm. ( C ) Representative Western blot images of TCF7 (50 kDa), pro−caspase−8 (55 kDa), and internal control β−tubulin (55 kDa) in wild type (WT) and TCF7 knockout (KO) Jurkat T cells. ( D ) Quantitative densitometric analysis of TCF7 protein levels comparing WT and KO groups. ( E ) Quantitative densitometric analysis of pro−caspase−8 protein levels comparing WT and KO groups. ( F ) Representative Western blot images of TCF7 and β−tubulin in primary T lymphocytes isolated from the peripheral blood of healthy donors (Control) and patients with COPD (Model). ( G ) Quantitative densitometric analysis of TCF7 protein levels in human primary T lymphocytes. ( H ) Representative Western blot images of TCF7 and β−tubulin protein levels in Jurkat T cells across four experimental conditions including Control, shRNA, shRNA plus TCF7 Rescue construct, and shRNA plus Empty Vector. ( I ) Quantitative densitometric analysis of TCF7 protein levels across the four experimental rescue groups. ( J ) Representative Western blot images of pro−caspase−8 and β−tubulin protein levels across the same four experimental conditions in Jurkat T cells. ( K ) Quantitative densitometric analysis of pro−caspase−8 protein levels across the four experimental rescue groups. Data in the bar charts are presented as mean ± SD ( n = 4 for primary human cells, n = 3 for cell line experiments). Statistical significance was assessed using Student’s t test with Welch’s correction where appropriate (* p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001, ns indicates not significant).

Article Snippet: Short hairpin RNA targeting human TCF7 (shRNA) and a scramble control shRNA were purchased from OriGene with Cat.No.TR30004.

Techniques: Expressing, Immunofluorescence, Staining, Control, Western Blot, Knock-Out, Isolation, shRNA, Construct, Plasmid Preparation