Identification of mitochondria-related action targets of quercetin in melanoma cells

Qing Xi; Li Li; Yongjie Yang; Liubing Li; Rongxin Zhang

doi:10.1080/23802359.2023.2268775

Identification of mitochondria-related action targets of quercetin in melanoma cells

Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2023 Oct 18;8(10):1114-1118. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2023.2268775. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Qing Xi^{1

2}, Li Li³, Yongjie Yang³, Liubing Li⁴, Rongxin Zhang³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
² School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
³ Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Laboratory of Immunology and Inflammation, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Melanoma is a complex and genetically heterogeneous malignant tumor with high rates of mortality. Although current therapies provide a short-term clinical benefit, they are unable to cure the majority of patients with metastatic melanoma. Therefore, the investigation of pathological mechanisms and the development of new therapy strategies for melanoma are of great significance. Quercetin can effectively inhibit tumor growth in various tumors. However, the exact action mechanisms of quercetin against melanoma have not been comprehensively clarified, which limits its application. Accumulating evidence has suggested that the dysfunction of mitochondria is closely linked to carcinogenesis, and a better understanding of the regulation of mitochondria-related genes will shed light on providing new therapies for melanoma. In this study, we performed RNA-seq from melanoma B16-F1 cells treated with quercetin versus controls and screened for differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed. Combining the results of RNA-seq, molecular docking, and bioinformatics analysis, we found six mitochondria-related genes, BTG2, CP, LRIG1, CYP1A1, GBP2, and MBNL1, which might be targets of quercetin in melanoma and provide an available targeting therapy strategy for melanoma.

Keywords: Melanoma; RNA-seq; mitochondrial dysfunction; quercetin.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China through [Grant Nos. 82173087, 82203533]; Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province through [Grant No. 2021A0505110014]; Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation through [Grant Nos. 2021A1515110556 and 2020A1515110173]; the project funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation through [Grant No. 2021M700909]; The Foundation of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University through [Grant No. KYQDJF202022].