miRNA-223-3p regulates ECT2 to promote proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of gastric cancer through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

MiR-223-3p Promotes Osteoporosis Progression by Repressing Osteogenic Differentiation via Targeting FHL1/Wnt/β-catenin Signaling

The aim of this research was to unveil the potential along with potential mechanism of miR-223-3p in osteoporosis. RT-qPCR together with western blot was implemented to examine miR-223-3p, FHL1, along with osteogenic markers levels during bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) differentiation. The ALP activity staining along with alizarin red staining (ARS) were implemented to assess ALP activity as well as the mineralization ability of BMSCs. Binding sequences for miR-223-3p and FHL1 from starBase website were validated through dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. MiR-223-3p was down-regulated in BMSCs during osteoblasts differentiation, and miR-223-3p elevation hindered BMSCs' osteogenic differentiation. FHL1 belonged to the target mRNA of miR-223-3p. FHL1 presented up-regulation in BMSCs during osteoblasts differentiation. More importantly, FHL1 expression was negative modulated by miR-223-3p in BMSCs during osteoblasts differentiation, and FHL1 elevation could inverse the inhibited BMSCs' osteogenic differentiation modulated by miR-223-3p elevation. Furthermore, miR-223-3p elevation repressed the Wnt/β-catenin pathway activity in lithium chloride-treated BMSCs, and FHL1 overexpression counteracted the inhibitory effect of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway caused by miR-223-3p up-regulation. Collectively, miR-223-3p accelerates osteoporosis progression by repressing osteogenic differentiation through targeting FHL1/Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Highly Sensitive Multiplexed Sensing of miRNAs in a Gastric Cancer Patient's Liquid Biopsy

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in the world. Most patients are in the advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis because the symptoms of early gastric cancer patients are not obvious. Early diagnosis of gastric cancer is still challenging due to the high cost, invasiveness, and low accuracy of traditional diagnostic methods such as endoscopy and biopsy. Herein, we develop clinically accurate and highly sensitive detection of multiple GC miRNA biomarkers in human serum using an isothermal nucleic acid primer exchange reaction (PER). The isothermal nucleic acid primer exchange reaction demonstrates high sensitivity and robustness, exemplified by a one-pot reaction achieving a detection limit of 28.71 fM. By quantifying the levels of three miRNA biomarkers selected through bioinformatics analysis in gastric cancer serum samples, the diagnostic approach effectively distinguished between clinical gastric cancer patients (n = 25) and noncancer controls (n = 10). The performance of our three-miRNA signature in discriminating between GC and controls was as follows: area under the curve (AUC): 0.808, sensitivity: 89%, specificity: 88%, positive predictive value (PPV): 96%, and negative predictive value (NPV): 70%.

Expression of Salivary miRNAs, Clinical, and Demographic Features in the Early Detection of Gastric Cancer: A Statistical and Machine Learning Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Gastric cancer ranks as one of the top five deadliest cancers worldwide and is often diagnosed at late stages. Analysis of saliva may provide a non-invasive approach for detection of malignancies in organs associated with the oral cavity. This research aims to analyze salivary microRNA expression together with clinical and demographic features with the aim of diagnosing gastric cancer.

MATERIALS

The study included 19 patients with early-stage gastric cancer and 19 healthy controls. Saliva samples were collected and processed for RNA isolation. Salivary expression of miR-223-3p and miR-21-5p were measured using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated to evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic models. Machine learning algorithms, multiple logistic regression, and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to assess the predictive power of miRNAs in conjunction with clinical-demographic features.

RESULTS

Significant upregulation of miR-223-3p and downregulation of miR-21-5p in saliva were observed in patients with gastric cancer. The area under ROC curve (AUC) values for salivary miR-21-5p, salivary miR-223-3p, and their multiple logistic regression were determined to be 0.723, 0.791, and 0.850, respectively. The AUC for multiple logistic regression model was 0.919. The PCA model led to the highest diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 134.33 (sensitivity = 0.785, specificity = 1.00, AUC = 903). Application of machine learning methods, and in particular a random forest algorithm, showed high accuracy in diagnosing patients with gastric cancer (sensitivity = 1.00, specificity = 0.857, AUC = 0.93).

CONCLUSION

The application of validated salivary diagnostics in clinical practice could help facilitate earlier diagnosis of gastric cancer and improve medical outcome. Expression of miR-21 and miR-223-3p in saliva together with clinical and demographic features, appears promising in screening for GC.

The hidden messengers: cancer associated fibroblasts-derived exosomal miRNAs as key regulators of cancer malignancy

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a class of stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), play a key role in controlling cancer cell invasion and metastasis, immune evasion, angiogenesis, and resistance to chemotherapy. CAFs mediate their activities by secreting soluble chemicals, releasing exosomes, and altering the extracellular matrix (ECM). Exosomes contain various biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins. microRNA (miRNA), a 22-26 nucleotide non-coding RNA, can regulate the cellular transcription processes. Studies have shown that miRNA-loaded exosomes secreted by CAFs engage in various regulatory communication networks with other TME constituents. This study focused on the roles of CAF-derived exosomal miRNAs in generating cancer malignant characteristics, including immune modulation, tumor growth, migration and invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and treatment resistance. This study thoroughly examines miRNA's dual regulatory roles in promoting and suppressing cancer. Thus, changes in the CAF-derived exosomal miRNAs can be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients, and their specificity can be used to develop newer therapies. This review also discusses the pressing problems that require immediate attention, aiming to inspire researchers to explore more novel avenues in this field.

The roles and molecular mechanisms of non-coding RNA in cancer metabolic reprogramming

One of the key features of cancer is energy metabolic reprogramming which is tightly related to cancer proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. NcRNAs are a class of RNAs having no protein-coding potential and mainly include microRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs. Accumulated evidence has suggested that ncRNAs play an essential role in regulating cancer metabolic reprogramming, and the altered metabolic networks mediated by ncRNAs primarily drive carcinogenesis by regulating the expression of metabolic enzymes and transporter proteins. Importantly, accumulated research has revealed that dysregulated ncRNAs mediate metabolic reprogramming contributing to the generation of therapeutic tolerance. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of ncRNAs in cancer metabolic reprogramming can provide promising metabolism-related therapeutic targets for treatment as well as overcome therapeutic tolerance. In conclusion, this review updates the latest molecular mechanisms of ncRNAs related to cancer metabolic reprogramming.

Transcriptome and Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis for Feather Follicle Density in a Chinese Indigenous Breed

Feather follicle density plays an important role in appealing to consumers' first impressions when making purchasing decisions. However, the molecular network that contributes to this trait remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to perform transcriptome and weighted gene co-expression network analyses to determine the candidate genes relating to feather follicle density in Wannan male chickens. In total, five hundred one-day-old Wannan male chickens were kept in a conventional cage system. Feather follicle density was recorded for each bird at 12 weeks of age. At 12 weeks, fifteen skin tissue samples were selected for weighted gene co-expression network analysis, of which six skin tissue samples (three birds in the H group and three birds in the L group) were selected for transcriptome analysis. The results showed that, in total, 95 DEGs were identified, and 56 genes were upregulated and 39 genes were downregulated in the high-feather-follicle-density group when compared with the low-feather-follicle-density group. Thirteen co-expression gene modules were identified. The red module was highly significantly negatively correlated with feather follicle density (p < 0.01), with a significant negative correlation coefficient of -0.72. In total, 103 hub genes from the red module were screened. Upon comparing the 103 hub genes with differentially expressed genes (DEGs), it was observed that 13 genes were common to both sets, including MELK, GTSE1, CDK1, HMMR, and CENPE. From the red module, FOXM1, GTSE1, MELK, CDK1, ECT2, and NEK2 were selected as the most important genes. These genes were enriched in the DNA binding pathway, the heterocyclic compound binding pathway, the cell cycle pathway, and the oocyte meiosis pathway. This study suggests that FOXM1, GTSE1, MELK, CDK1, ECT2, and NEK2 may be involved in regulating the development of feather follicle density in Wannan male chickens. The results of this study reveal the genetic structure and molecular regulatory network of feather follicle density in Wannan male chickens, and provide a basis for further elucidating the genetic regulatory mechanism and identifying molecular markers with breeding value.

Exosomal miRNA-223-3p derived from tumor associated macrophages promotes pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer 4T1 cells

Research about the effect of exosomes derived from tumor associated macrophages (TAM-exos) in the distant organ metastasis of breast cancer is limited. In this study, we found that TAM-exos could promote the migration of 4T1 cells. Through comparing the expression of microRNAs in 4T1 cells, TAM-exos, and exosomes from bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDM-exos) by sequencing, miR-223-3p and miR-379-5p were screened out as two noteworthy differentially expressed microRNAs. Furthermore, miR-223-3p was confirmed to be the reason for the improved migration and metastasis of 4T1 cells. The expression of miR-223-3p was also increased in 4T1 cells isolated from the lung of tumor-bearing mice. Cbx5, which has been reported to be closely related with metastasis of breast cancer, was identified to be the target of miR-223-3p. Based on the information of breast cancer patients from online databases, miR-223-3p had a negative correlation with the overall survival rate of breast cancer patients within a three-year follow-up, while Cbx5 showed an opposite relationship. Taken together, miR-223-3p in TAM-exos can be delivered into 4T1 cells and exosomal miR-223-3p promotes pulmonary metastasis of 4T1 cells by targeting Cbx5.