Recently, team of Prof. Li Xinying from the Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University (CSU), published an original article entitled “Them5C methyltransferase NSUN2 promotes codon-dependent oncogenic translation by stabilising tRNA in anaplastic thyroid cancer” in the internationally renowned journalClinical and Translational Medicine(JCR Q1, IF=10.6). Prof. Li Xinying is the independent corresponding author of this paper. Doctoral candidate Li Peng (8-yearmedical education program) from Xiangya hospital and postdoctoral researcher Wang Wenlong of the Department of General Surgery are co-first authors. Xiangya Hospital is the affiliation of first authors and the corresponding author.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a special pathological type of thyroid cancer, highly aggressive, and currently lacks effective treatment methods, with a mortality rate approaching 100%. This study confirms that NSUN2 maintains the stability of tRNA and promotes oncogenic translation reprogramming in ATC by regulating m5C modification. Substantially high NSUN2 expression in ATC was associated with tumor dedifferentiation. NSUN2 depletion significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of ATC cells. Furthermore, tRNA m5C patterns mediated by NSUN2 on secondary tRNA structure were characterised.This stable tRNA has a substantially increased efficiency necessary to support a pro-cancer translation program including c-Myc, BCL2, RAB31, JUNB and TRAF2. Additionally, the NSUN2-mediated variations in m5C levels and different tRNA Leu iso-decoder families, partially contribute to a codon-dependent translation bias. This research revealed that a pro-tumour m5C methyltransferase, dynamic tRNA stability regulation and downstream oncogenes, c-Myc, elicits a codon-dependent oncogenic translation network that enhances ATC growth and formation. Furthermore, it provides new opportunities for targeting translation reprogramming, malignancy, and drug resistance in cancer cells.
Prof. Li Xinying has devoted extensive efforts to both basic and clinical research in the field of thyroid cancer. Currently, he holds key roles in several prestigious academic committees, including serving as an expert committee member of the Thyroid Surgery Expert Group of the Chinese College of Surgeonsfor Chinese Medical Doctor Association, member of theThyroid Cancer Professional Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, member of the Thyroid Cancer Quality Control Expert Committee of the National Quality Control for Cancer of National Cancer Center. Moreover, he serves as the Deputy Director of the Youth Committee of the Thyroid Branch of the Minimally Invasive Special Committee of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association.Prof. Li has led or participated in the formulation of multiple domestic and international guidelines and consensuses on thyroid diseases. As the first author or corresponding author, he has published more than 50 papers in SCI journals such as theInternational Journal of Surgery, Clinical and Translational Medicine,andJournal of Translational Medicine. Additionally, Professor Li has taken the led on more than 10 projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Link to the Article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ctm2.1466
