Journal: bioRxiv
Article Title: Pan-cancer circular genomics identifies intratumoral Staphylococcus lugdunensis as a metabolic driver in bladder cancer
doi: 10.64898/2026.04.14.717102
Figure Lengend Snippet: (A) Schematic representation of the chemical proteomics workflow utilizing a bifunctional photo-crosslinking probe (*LPC14:0) for target protein capture, visualization, and identification in T24 cells. (B) In situ fluorescence imaging of T24 cells following incubation with *LPC14:0 and bioorthogonal conjugation with Azide 594 (red). Specific binding is demonstrated by competitive binding of the probe signal with 10-fold excess native LPC14:0 (100 µM). Nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue). Scale bars, 20 µm. (C) Venn diagram showing the intersection of MS-identified LPC14:0-interacting proteins with the PPAR signaling pathway, pinpointing PPARδ as a primary candidate. (D, E) GSEA pathway enrichment analysis in tumor tissues from mice treated with S. lugdunensis (D) or LPC14:0 (E). Significant enrichment of pathways is ranked by Normalized Enrichment Scores (NES). (F, G) Volcano plots representing differentially expressed genes in S. lugdunensis -treated (F) and LPC14:0-treated (G) tumors. (H) Molecular docking model illustrating the binding configuration of LPC14:0 (green sticks) within the active pocket of PPARδ (gray ribbons) (Vina score=-6.5; Cavity volume= 408 Å). The inset provides a detailed view of stable hydrogen bonds formed with amino acid residues Thr292 and Thr289 (yellow dashed lines; distances <3.5 Å). Atoms are color coded as follows: red, oxygen; orange, phosphorus; blue, nitrogen. (I, J) Kaplan-Meier curves of overall survival in bladder cancer patients (TCGA cohort, via GEPIA2) stratified by CD36 (I) or ACOX2 (J) expression levels. Statistical significance was determined by the log-rank test. (K) A proposed working model: S. lugdunensis secretes LPC14:0 into the tumor tissue, where it directly engages and activates host PPARδ. This activation triggers the transcriptional upregulation of fatty acid transporters and oxidases, fueling malignant progression through enhanced lipid uptake and bioenergetic demand. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001; See also Figure S5 and Table S7.
Article Snippet: FAO capacity was assessed using a Fatty Acid Oxidation (FAO) Colorimetric Assay Kit (Elabscience, Cat# E-BC-K784-M) in T24 cells (treated similarly to those in the fatty acid uptake assay) and in subcutaneous tumors harvested from the in vivo models.
Techniques: In Situ, Fluorescence, Imaging, Incubation, Conjugation Assay, Binding Assay, Expressing, Activation Assay