Crotonylation of proteins is a newly found type of post-translational modifications (PTMs) which occurs leadingly on the lysine residue, namely, lysine crotonylation (Kcr). Kcr is conserved and is regulated by a series of enzymes and co-enzymes including lysine crotonyltransferase (writer), lysine decrotonylase (eraser), certain YEATS proteins (reader), and crotonyl-coenzyme A (donor). Histone Kcr has been substantially studied since 2011, but the Kcr of non-histone proteins is just an emerging field since its finding in 2017. Recent advances in the identification and quantification of non-histone protein Kcr by mass spectrometry have increased our understanding of Kcr. In this review, we summarized the main proteomic characteristics of non-histone protein Kcr and discussed its biological functions, including gene transcription, DNA damage response, enzymes regulation, metabolic pathways, cell cycle, and localization of heterochromatin in cells. We further proposed the performance of non-histone protein Kcr in diseases and the prospect of Kcr manipulators as potential therapeutic candidates in the diseases.

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BackgroundOAS gene family plays an important role in antiviral process, but its role in pancreatic cancer has not yet been studied.MethodsWe analyzed the expression, prognostic value and biological function of the OAS gene family in human pancreatic cancer through comprehensive bioinformatic analysis and cellular level validation.ResultsOAS family was highly expressed in pancreatic cancer, and this high expression significantly affected the clinical stage and prognosis of the tumor. OAS gene family was closely related to the immune infiltration of pancreatic cancer, especially neutrophils and dendritic cells, and many immune-related factors and pathways are enriched in the tumor, such as type I interferon signaling pathway and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway.ConclusionTaken together, high expression of OAS family is closely related to poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer. OAS gene family may serve as the biomarker and even therapeutic target of pancreatic cancer.

Non-coding RNAs have been excavated as important cardiac function modulators and linked to heart diseases. Significant advances have been obtained in illuminating the effects of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. Nevertheless, the characteristics of circular RNAs are rarely mined. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are widely believed to participate in cardiac pathologic processes, especially in myocardial infarction. In this review, we round up the biogenesis of circRNAs, briefly describe their biological functions, and summarize the latest literature on multifarious circRNAs related to new therapies and biomarkers for myocardial infarction.

Metastasis and recurrence are major causes of colorectal cancer (CRC) death, but their molecular mechanisms are unclear. In this study, genes associated with CRC metastasis and recurrence were identified by weighted gene coexpression network analysis, selecting the top 25% most variant genes in the dataset GSE33113. By average linkage hierarchical clustering, a total of 21 modules were generated. One key module was identified as the most relevant to the prognosis of CRC. Gene Ontology analysis indicated that genes associated with tumor metastasis and recurrence in this module were significantly enriched in inflammatory biological functions. Functional analysis was performed on the key module, and candidate hub genes (ADAM8, LYN, and S100A9) were screened out by expression and survival analysis. In summary, the three core genes identified in this study could greatly improve our understanding of CRC metastasis and recurrence. The results also provide a theoretical basis for the use of three core genes (ADAM8, LYN, and S100A9) as a combined marker for early diagnosis, which could benefit CRC patients.