Overexpression of miR-200b-3p in Menstrual Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Endometriosis Women

Identification and analysis of oxidative stress-related genes in endometriosis

Background

Early diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis (EM) remain challenging because of the lack of knowledge about EM development. While oxidative stress (OS) has been associated with EM, the link is unclear. We explored OS-related genes (OSRGs) and their role in EM pathogenesis.

Material and methods

We combined two ectopic endometrium (EC) and eutopic endometrium (EU) datasets (GSE11691 and GSE25628) into a dataset for analysis. Bioinformatic analyses were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs), OS-related genes (OSRGs), enriched pathways, competitive endogenous RNA network, and immune cell infiltration. Finally, real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blot (WB) were used to validate the expression of key OSRGs in clinical patient samples.

Results

Bioinformatic analysis identified 459 DEGs between EC and EU samples, including 67 OSRGs. A ceRNA network was established, encompassing 28 DE-OSRGs, 32 miRNAs, and 53 lncRNAs. Four key OSRGs (CYP17A1, NR3C1, ENO2, and NGF) were selected from protein-protein interaction network analysis. The RT-qPCR and WB analysis showed that these genes' abnormal changes in RNA and protein levels were consistent with data in public databases. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified three immune-related OSRGs (CYP17A1, NR3C1, and NGF) and 20 lncRNAs that may regulate NR3C1 through 10 miRNAs.

Conclusion

The key OSRGs may function via multilayered networks in EM. We provide insights into EM and underscore the potential significance of OSRGs and the immune environment for diagnostic and prognosis evaluation.

Expression of E-CADHERIN and miR-200b in Different Forms of Endometriosis

Background/Objectives: Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is the process by which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal properties, which helps endometriotic cells migrate and invade. This study looks at the expression of E-CADHERIN, a critical epithelial marker, and miR-200b, an EMT regulator, in several types of endometriosis, including endometriomas and deep infiltrating endometriotic (DIE) nodules. Methods: We examined 19 individuals with endometriosis (9 with just endometriotic cysts and 10 with both DIE and endometriotic cysts) and 8 controls with benign gynecological abnormalities. Tissue samples were taken during laparoscopic surgery, and E-CADHERIN and miR-200b expression were measured using Real-Time PCR, with G6PD and U6 as controls. Results:E-CADHERIN expression was maintained in the eutopic endometrium of both ovarian and DIE types, but it was considerably reduced in endometriotic cysts, indicating heightened mesenchymal features. miR-200b was downregulated in the eutopic endometrium of ovarian endometriosis but upregulated in DIE. Endometriotic cysts in both groups had greater miR-200b expression than their corresponding eutopic endometrium. E-CADHERIN and miR-200b expression in DIE lesions was similar to that found in matched eutopic endometrium. Conclusions: The regulation of E-CADHERIN and miR-200b varies across ovarian and DIE lesions. The miR-200b-ZEB1 feedback loop is increased in DIE eutopic endometrium but downregulated in ovarian endometriosis. E-CADHERIN downregulation in endometriotic cysts indicates heightened mesenchymal dynamics, whereas DIE nodules have gene expression patterns similar to eutopic endometrium. These findings emphasize the distinct regulatory processes that govern endometriotic lesions.

Selection of reference miRNAs for RT-qPCR assays in endometriosis menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Choosing appropriate reference genes or internal controls to normalize RT-qPCR data is mandatory for the interexperimental reproducibility of gene expression data obtained by RT-qPCR in most studies, including those on endometriosis. Particularly for miRNAs, the choice for reference genes is challenging because of their physicochemical and biological characteristics. Moreover, the retrograde menstruation theory, mesenchymal stem cells in menstrual blood (MenSCs), and changes in post-transcriptional regulatory processes through miRNAs have gained prominence in the scientific community as important players in endometriosis. Therefore, we originally explored the stability of 10 miRNAs expressions as internal control candidates in conditions involving the two-dimensional culture of MenSCs from healthy women and patients with endometriosis. Here, we applied multiple algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, Bestkeeper, and delta Ct) to screen reference genes and assessed the comprehensive stability classification of miRNAs using RefFinder. Pairwise variation calculated using geNorm identified three miRNAs as a sufficient number of reference genes for accurate normalization. MiR-191-5p, miR-24-3p, and miR-103a-3p were the best combination for suitable gene expression normalization. This study will benefit similar research, but is also attractive for regenerative medicine and clinics that use MenSCs, miRNA expression, and RT-qPCR.

Regeneration and anti-inflammatory effects of stem cells and their extracellular vesicles in gynecological diseases

There are many gynecological diseases, among which breast cancer (BC), cervical cancer (CC), endometriosis (EMs), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are common and difficult to cure. Stem cells (SCs) are a focus of regenerative medicine. They are commonly used to treat organ damage and difficult diseases because of their potential for self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation. SCs are also commonly used for difficult-to-treat gynecological diseases because of their strong directional differentiation ability with unlimited possibilities, their tendency to adhere to the diseased tissue site, and their use as carriers for drug delivery. SCs can produce exosomes in a paracrine manner. Exosomes can be produced in large quantities and have the advantage of easy storage. Their safety and efficacy are superior to those of SCs, which have considerable potential in gynecological treatment, such as inhibiting endometrial senescence, promoting vascular reconstruction, and improving anti-inflammatory and immune functions. In this paper, we review the mechanisms of the regenerative and anti-inflammatory capacity of SCs and exosomes in incurable gynecological diseases and the current progress in their application in genetic engineering to provide a foundation for further research.

Downregulation of DROSHA: Could It Affect miRNA Biogenesis in Endometriotic Menstrual Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells?

Menstrual blood mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) have gained prominence in the endometriosis scientific community, given their multifunctional roles in regenerative medicine as a noninvasive source for future clinical applications. In addition, changes in post-transcriptional regulation via miRNAs have been explored in endometriotic MenSCs with a role in modulating proliferation, angiogenesis, differentiation, stemness, self-renewal, and the mesenchymal-epithelial transition process. In this sense, homeostasis of the miRNA biosynthesis pathway is essential for several cellular processes and is related to the self-renewal and differentiation of progenitor cells. However, no studies have investigated the miRNA biogenesis pathway in endometriotic MenSCs. In this study, we profiled the expression of eight central genes for the miRNA biosynthesis pathway under experimental conditions involving a two-dimensional culture of MenSCs obtained from healthy women (n = 10) and women with endometriosis (n = 10) using RT-qPCR and reported a two-fold decrease in DROSHA expression in the disease. In addition, miR-128-3p, miR-27a-3p, miR-27b-3p, miR-181a-5p, miR-181b-5p, miR-452-3p, miR-216a-5p, miR-216b-5p, and miR-93-5p, which have been associated with endometriosis, were identified through in silico analyses as negative regulators of DROSHA. Because DROSHA is essential for miRNA maturation, our findings may justify the identification of different profiles of miRNAs with DROSHA-dependent biogenesis in endometriosis.

In silico analysis revealed the potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulative network of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

BACKGROUND

The primary source of death in the world is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, NSCLCs pathophysiology is still not completely understood. The current work sought to study the differential expression of mRNAs involved in NSCLC and their interactions with miRNAs and circRNAs.

METHODS

We utilized three microarray datasets (GSE21933, GSE27262, and GSE33532) from the GEO NCBI database to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in NSCLC. We employed DAVID Functional annotation tool to investigate the underlying GO biological process, molecular functions, and KEGG pathways involved in NSCLC. We performed the Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, MCODE, and CytoHubba analysis from Cytoscape software to identify the significant DEGs in NSCLC. We utilized miRnet to anticipate and build interaction between miRNAs and mRNAs in NSCLC and ENCORI to predict the miRNA-circRNA relationships and build the ceRNA regulatory network. Finally, we executed the gene expression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to validate the significant DEGs in the ceRNA network utilizing TCGA NSCLC and GEPIA data.

RESULTS

We revealed a total of 156 overlapped DEGs (47 upregulated and 109 downregulated genes) in NSCLC. The PPI network, MCODE, and CytoHubba analysis revealed 12 hub genes (cdkn3, rrm2, ccnb1, aurka, nuf2, tyms, kif11, hmmr, ccnb2, nek2, anln, and birc5) that are associated with NSCLC. We identified that these 12 genes encode 12 mRNAs that are strongly linked with 8 miRNAs, and further, we revealed that 1 circRNA was associated with this 5 miRNA. We constructed the ceRNAs network that contained 1circRNA-5miRNAs-7mRNAs. The expression of these seven significant genes in LUAD & LUSC (NSCLC) was considerably higher in the TCGA database than in normal tissues. Kaplan-Meier survival plot reveals that increased expression of these hub genes was related to a poor survival rate in LUAD.

CONCLUSION

Overall, we developed a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulation network to study the probable mechanism of NSCLC.

The Emerging Role of Menstrual-Blood-Derived Stem Cells in Endometriosis

The human endometrium has a complex cellular composition that is capable of promoting cyclic regeneration, where endometrial stem cells play a critical role. Menstrual blood-derived stem cells (MenSC) were first discovered in 2007 and described as exhibiting mesenchymal stem cell properties, setting them in the spotlight for endometriosis research. The stem cell theory for endometriosis pathogenesis, supported by the consensual mechanism of retrograde menstruation, highlights the recognized importance that MenSC have gained by potentially being directly related to the genesis, development and maintenance of ectopic endometriotic lesions. Meanwhile, the differences observed between MenSC in patients with endometriosis and in healthy women underlines the applicability of these cells as a putative biomarker for the early diagnosis of endometriosis, as well as for the development of targeted therapies. It is expected that in the near future MenSC will have the potential to change the way we manage this complex disease, once their long-term safety and effectiveness are assessed.

Effect of miR-143-3p from Extracellular Vesicles of Porcine Uterine Luminal Fluid on Porcine Trophoblast Cells

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in uterine luminal fluid (ULF) can reportedly affect the proliferation and migration function of porcine trophoblast cells (PTr2 cells) by mediating the maternal-fetal exchange of information. miR-143-3p is considered a crucial miRNA in early pregnancy in mammals; however, little is currently known about how it regulates the function of PTr2 cells. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ssc-miR-143-3p in ULF-EVs on the function of PTr2 cells during porcine embryo implantation. The uptake of ULF-EVs by PTr2 cells was confirmed, which significantly increased the expression of ssc-miR-143-3p. Ssc-miR-143-3p was found to facilitate the proliferation and migration of PTr2 cells in the CCK-8, EdU and wound-closure assays, while the opposite findings were observed after the knockdown of ssc-miR-143-3p. Bioinformatics analysis and the luciferase reporter assay showed that glycerol-3 phosphate dehydrogenase 2 (GDP2) was directly targeted by miR-143-3p. Inhibition of miR-143-3p was validated in mice to inhibit embryo implantation. In summary, ssc-miR-143-3p in ULF-EVs affects the proliferation and migration of PTr2 cells by mediating GPD2, thereby affecting embryo implantation.

What Do the Transcriptome and Proteome of Menstrual Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Tell Us about Endometriosis?

Given the importance of menstrual blood in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and the multifunctional roles of menstrual mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) in regenerative medicine, this issue has gained prominence in the scientific community. Moreover, recent reviews highlight how robust the integrated assessment of omics data are for endometriosis. To our knowledge, no study has applied the multi-omics approaches to endometriosis MenSCs. This is a case-control study at a university-affiliated hospital. MenSCs transcriptome and proteome data were obtained by RNA-seq and UHPLC-MS/MS detection. Among the differentially expressed proteins and genes, we emphasize ATF3, ID1, ID3, FOSB, SNAI1, NR4A1, EGR1, LAMC3, and ZFP36 genes and MT2A, TYMP, COL1A1, COL6A2, and NID2 proteins that were already reported in the endometriosis. Our functional enrichment analysis reveals integrated modulating signaling pathways such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (↑) and PI3K signaling via AKT to mTORC1 (↓ in proteome), mTORC1 signaling, TGF beta signaling, TNFA signaling via NFkB, IL6 STAT3 signaling, and response to hypoxia via HIF1A targets (↑ in transcriptome). Our findings highlight primary changes in the endometriosis MenSCs, suggesting that the chronic inflammatory endometrial microenvironment can modulate these cells, providing opportunities for endometriosis etiopathogenesis. Moreover, they identify challenges for future research leveraging knowledge for regenerative and precision medicine in endometriosis.

miR 31-3p Has the Highest Expression in Cesarean Scar Endometriosis

Micro-RNAs expression can vary between different forms of endometriosis, but data on miRNA expression in cesarean scar endometriosis is lacking. The present study is comprised of 30 patients with endometriosis in the cesarean scar (scar endometriosis, SE), 14 patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE), 47 patients with endometrioma (ovarian endometrial cyst, OE), and 33 patients with healthy ovarian tissue as the control group (CG). In the initial experiment to identify possible dysregulated miRNAs, the levels of 754 miRNAs in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue (FFPE) samples from OE, high-grade ovarian cancer, endometrioid ovarian cancer, and CG were measured. We identified seven potentially dysregulated miRNAs: miR-1-3p, miR-31-3p, miR-125b-1-3p, miR-200b-3p, miR-548d, miR-502, and miR-503. We then examined the expression profiles of each of these miRNAs individually in the SE, DIE, OE, and CG FFPE samples using RT-qPCR. miR-31-3p had significantly higher levels of expression and miR-125b-1-3p had significantly lower levels of expression in SE compared to the controls. Overall, the higher expression levels of miR-31-3p and the lower expression levels of miR-125b-1-3p are consistent with the benign nature of SE. Importantly, the results of the present study demonstrate the possibility of using miRNA to monitor the risk of malignant transformation of endometriosis tissue.