SNHG16 contributes to breast cancer cell migration by competitively binding miR-98 with E2F5

The crosstalk between non-coding RNAs and cell-cycle events: A new frontier in cancer therapy

The cell cycle comprises sequential events during which a cell duplicates its genome and divides it into two daughter cells. This process is tightly regulated to ensure that the daughter cell receives identical copied chromosomal DNA and that any errors in the DNA during replication are correctly repaired. Cyclins and their enzyme partners, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), are critical regulators of G- to M-phase transitions during the cell cycle. Mitogenic signals induce the formation of the cyclin/CDK complexes, resulting in phosphorylation and activation of the CDKs. Once activated, cyclin/CDK complexes phosphorylate specific substrates that drive the cell cycle forward. The sequential activation and inactivation of cyclin-CDK complexes are tightly controlled by activating and inactivating phosphorylation events induced by cell-cycle proteins. The non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which do not code for proteins, regulate cell-cycle proteins at the transcriptional and translational levels, thereby controlling their expression at different cell-cycle phases. Deregulation of ncRNAs can cause abnormal expression patterns of cell-cycle-regulating proteins, resulting in abnormalities in cell-cycle regulation and cancer development. This review explores how ncRNA dysregulation can disrupt cell division balance and discusses potential therapeutic approaches targeting these ncRNAs to control cell-cycle events in cancer treatment.

The biological role of lncRNAs in the acute lymphocytic leukemia: An updated review

The cause of leukemia, a common malignancy of the hematological system, is unknown. The structure of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is similar to mRNA but no ability to encode proteins. Numerous malignancies, including different forms of leukemia, are linked to Lnc-RNAs. It is verified that the carcinogenesis and growth of a variety of human malignancies are significantly influenced by aberrant lncRNA expression. The body of evidence linking various types of lncRNAs to the etiology of leukemia has dramatically increased during the past ten years. Some lncRNAs are therefore anticipated to function as novel therapeutic targets, diagnostic biomarkers, and clinical outcome predictions. Additionally, these lncRNAs may provide new therapeutic options and insight into the pathophysiology of diseases, particularly leukemia. Thus, this review outlines the present comprehension of leukemia-associated lncRNAs.

Long non-coding RNA and the tumor microenvironment: Prospects for clinical applications in breast cancer

Breast cancer has surpassed lung cancer as the number one cancer worldwide, and invasion and metastasis are still the main causes of death in breast cancer patients. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is an important site for the growth of tumor cells nourished by vascular networks, and various components of the TME interact strongly with cancer cells and are one of the important mechanisms of tumor progression and metastasis. In recent years, many studies have reported that long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are involved in the formation of TME and influence the process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. This paper reviews the basic characteristics and functional roles of LncRNA in breast cancer TME and introduces the various mechanisms of LncRNA in breast cancer microenvironment that induce breast cancer development and metastasis in three directions: immune cells, non-immune cells, and extracellular matrix in TME, providing potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets for clinical practice.

A comprehensive insight into the role of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and SNHGs in human cancers

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which comprise most non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), have recently become a focus of cancer research. How many functional ncRNAs exist is still a matter of debate. Although insufficient evidence supports that most lncRNAs function as transcriptional by-products, it is widely known that an increasing number of lncRNAs play essential roles in cells. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), 60-300 nucleotides in length, have been better studied than long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and are predominantly present in the nucleolus. Most snoRNAs are encoded in introns of protein- and non-protein-coding genes called small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs). In this article, we explore the biology and characteristics of SNHGs and their role in developing human malignancies. In addition, we provide an update on the ability of these snoRNAs to serve as prognostic and diagnostic variables in various forms of cancer.

In vitro Anti-malignant Property of PCMT1 Silencing and Identification of the SNHG16/miR-195/PCMT1 Regulatory Axis in Breast Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND

Protein L-isoaspartate (D-aspartate) O-methyltransferase (PCMT1) is a highly conserved protein repair enzyme that participates in regulating the progression of human cancers. We therefore studied the function and the related mechanisms of PCMT1 in breast cancer cells.

METHODS

Expression profile and prognostic analysis of PCMT1 in breast cancer patients were analyzed using online databases. PCMT1 expression in breast cancer cells was detected by western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was determined by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. Apoptosis was evaluated using flow cytometry analysis and caspase-3/7 activity assay. Cell invasion was assessed by Transwell invasion assay. The small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16)/miR-195/PCMT1 regulatory axis was identified using bioinformatics analysis.

RESULTS

PCMT1 expression was increased in breast cancer tissues and cells. High PCMT1 expression was correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. PCMT1 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation ability in breast cancer cells. Moreover, PCMT1 knockdown induced apoptosis and restrained the invasive ability in breast cancer cells. PCMT1 overexpression increased the proliferative and invasive abilities of breast cancer cells. miR-195 was identified as the unique upstream miRNA of PCMT1. SNHG16 was identified as the unique upstream lncRNA of miR-195. SNHG16 knockdown downregulated PCMT1 by increasing miR-195 expression. Breast cancer cell proliferation was regulated by the SNHG16/miR-195/PCMT1 axis.

CONCLUSION

PCMT1 silencing inhibited cell proliferation and invasion and induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells and the SNHG16/miR-195/PCMT1 regulatory axis might serve as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Development and validation of cuproptosis-related lncRNA signatures for prognosis prediction in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Cuproptosis, a novel form of programmed cell death, plays an essential role in various cancers. However, studies of the function of cuproptosis lncRNAs (CRLs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain limited. Thus, this study aims to identify the cuprotosis-related lncRNAs (CRLs) in CRC and to construct the potential prognostic CRLs signature model in CRC.

METHODS

First, we downloaded RNA-Seq data and clinical information of CRC patients from TCGA database and obtained the prognostic CRLs based on typical expression analysis of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) and univariate Cox regression. Then, we constructed a prognostic model using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator algorithm combined with multiple Cox regression methods (Lasso-Cox). Next, we generated Kaplan-Meier survival and receiver operating characteristic curves to estimate the performance of the prognostic model. In addition, we also analysed the relationships between risk signatures and immune infiltration, mutation, and drug sensitivity. Finally, we performed quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT -PCR) to verify the prognostic model.

RESULT

Lasso-Cox analysis revealed that four CRLs, SNHG16, LENG8-AS1, LINC0225, and RPARP-AS1, were related to CRC prognosis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and Kaplan-Meier analysis curves indicated that this model performs well in prognostic predictions of CRC patients. The DCA results also showed that the model included four gene signatures was better than the traditional model. In addition, GO and KEGG analyses revealed that DE-CRLs are enriched in critical signalling pathway, such as chemical carcinogenesis-DNA adducts and basal cell carcinoma. Immune infiltration analysis revealed significant differences in immune infiltration cells between the high-risk and low-risk groups. Furthermore, significant differences in somatic mutations were noted between the high-risk and low-risk groups. Finally, we also validated the expression of four CRLs in FHCs cell lines and CRC cell lines using qRT-PCR.

CONCLUSION

The signature composed of SNHG16, LENG8-AS1, LINC0225, and RPARP-AS1, which has better performance in predicting colorectal cancer prognosis and are promising biomarkers for prognosis prediction of CRC.

Potential predictive value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) mutations for the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced triple-negative breast cancer

Background: In recent years, tumor immunotherapy has become a viable treatment option for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Among these, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have demonstrated good efficacy in advanced TNBC patients with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) positive expression. However, only 63% of PD-L1-positive individuals showed any benefit from ICIs. Therefore, finding new predictive biomarkers will aid in identifying patients who are likely to benefit from ICIs. In this study, we used liquid biopsies and next-generation sequencing (NGS) to dynamically detect changes in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood of patients with advanced TNBC treated with ICIs and focused on its potential predictive value.

Methods: From May 2018 to October 2020, patients with advanced TNBC treated with ICIs at Shandong Cancer Hospital were included prospectively. Patient blood samples were obtained at the pretreatment baseline, first response evaluation, and disease progression timepoints. Furthermore, 457 cancer-related genes were evaluated by NGS, and patients’ ctDNA mutations, gene mutation rates, and other indicators were determined and coupled with clinical data for statistical analysis.

Results: A total of 11 TNBC patients were included in this study. The overall objective response rate (ORR) was 27.3%, with a 6.1-month median progression-free survival (PFS) (95% confidence interval: 3.877–8.323 months). Of the 11 baseline blood samples, 48 mutations were found, with the most common mutation types being frame shift indels, synonymous single-nucleotide variations (SNVs), frame indel missenses, splicing, and stop gains. Additionally, univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that advanced TNBC patients with one of 12 mutant genes (CYP2D6 deletion and GNAS, BCL2L1, H3F3C, LAG3, FGF23, CCND2, SESN1, SNHG16, MYC, HLA-E, and MCL1 gain) had a shorter PFS with ICI treatment (p < 0.05). To some extent, dynamic changes of ctDNA might indicate the efficacy of ICIs.

Conclusion: Our data indicate that ICI efficacy in patients with advanced TNBC may be predicted by 12 mutant ctDNA genes. Additionally, dynamic alterations in peripheral blood ctDNA might be used to track the effectiveness of ICI therapy in those with advanced TNBC.

Predicting latent lncRNA and cancer metastatic event associations via variational graph auto-encoder

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) are shown to be closely associated with cancer metastatic events (CME, e.g., cancer cell invasion, intravasation, extravasation, proliferation) that collaboratively accelerate malignant cancer spread and cause high mortality rate in patients. Clinical trials may accurately uncover the relationships between lncRNAs and CMEs; however, it is time-consuming and expensive. With the accumulation of data, there is an urgent need to find efficient ways to identify these relationships. Herein, a graph embedding representation-based predictor (VGEA-LCME) for exploring latent lncRNA-CME associations is introduced. In VGEA-LCME, a heterogeneous combined network is constructed by integrating similarity and linkage matrix that can maintain internal and external characteristics of networks, and a variational graph auto-encoder serves as a feature generator to represent arbitrary lncRNA and CME pair. The final robustness predicted result is obtained by ensemble classifier strategy via cross-validation. Experimental comparisons and literature verification show better remarkable performance of VGEA-LCME, although the similarities between CMEs are challenging to calculate. In addition, VGEA-LCME can further identify organ-specific CMEs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first computational attempt to discover the potential relationships between lncRNAs and CMEs. It may provide support and new insight for guiding experimental research of metastatic cancers. The source code and data are available at https://github.com/zhuyuan-cug/VGAE-LCME.

LncRNA SNHG16 promotes development of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma by interacting with EIF4A3 and modulating RhoU mRNA stability

Background

Numerous studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely related to the development of many diseases and carcinogenesis. However, their specific biological function and molecular mechanism in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear.

Methods

RNA-Seq was performed to determine the differential expressions of lncRNAs in ESCC, and the level of SNHG16 expression was detected in ESCC and intraepithelial neoplasia (IEN) samples. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to explore the role of SNHG16 and the interaction of EIF4A3 and Ras homologue family member U (RhoU) signalling.

Results

One hundred and seventy-five upregulated and 134 downregulated lncRNAs were identified by RNA-Seq. SNHG16 was highly expressed in ESCC and intraepithelial neoplasia (IEN) samples, and its expression level was correlated with tumour differentiation and T stage. Overexpression of SNHG16 can facilitate ESCC cell proliferation and metastasis. Mechanistically, we noticed that SNHG16 could bind RNA binding protein (RBP)-eukaryotic translation initiation factor (EIF4A3) and interact with it to form a complex. Importantly, the coalition of SNHG16 and EIF4A3 ultimately regulated Ras homologue family member U (RhoU). SNHG16 modulated RhoU expression by recruiting EIF4A3 to regulate the stability of RhoU mRNA. Knockdown of RhoU further alleviated the effect of the SNHG16 oncogene in ESCC cells.

Conclusions

The newly identified SNHG16–EIF4A3–RhoU signalling pathway directly coordinates the response in ESCC pathogenesis and suggests that SNHG16 is a promising target for potential ESCC treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s11658-022-00386-w.

LincRNAs and snoRNAs in Breast Cancer Cell Metastasis: The Unknown Players

Recent advances in research have led to earlier diagnosis and targeted therapies against breast cancer, which has resulted in reduced breast cancer-related mortality. However, the majority of breast cancer-related deaths are due to metastasis of cancer cells to other organs, a process that has not been fully elucidated. Among the factors and genes implicated in the metastatic process regulation, non-coding RNAs have emerged as crucial players. This review focuses on the role of long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) and small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) in breast cancer cell metastasis. LincRNAs are transcribed between two protein-coding genes and are longer than 200 nucleotides, they do not code for a specific protein but function as regulatory molecules in processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, migration, and invasion while most of them are highly elevated in breast cancer tissues and seem to function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) inhibiting relevant miRNAs that specifically target vital metastasis-related genes. Similarly, snoRNAs are 60-300 nucleotides long and are found in the nucleolus being responsible for the post-transcriptional modification of ribosomal and spliceosomal RNAs. Most snoRNAs are hosted inside intron sequences of protein-coding and non-protein-coding genes, and they also regulate metastasis-related genes affecting related cellular properties.

Glycopolymer Engineering of the Cell Surface Changes the Single Cell Migratory Direction and Inhibits the Collective Migration of Cancer Cells

Cancer cell migration is one of the most important processes in cancer metastasis. Metastasis is the major cause of death from most solid tumors; therefore, suppressing cancer cell migration is an important means of reducing cancer mortality. Cell surface engineering can alter the interactions between cells and their microenvironment, thereby offering an effective method of controlling the migration of the cells. This paper reports that modification of the mouse melanoma (B16) cancer cell surface with glycopolymers affects the migration of the cells. Changes in cell morphology, migratory trajectories, and velocity were investigated by time-lapse cell tracking. The data showed that the migration direction is altered and diffusion slows down for modified B16 cells compared to unmodified B16 cells. When modified and unmodified B16 cells were mixed, wound-healing experiments and particle image velocimetry (PIV) analysis showed that the collective migration of unmodified B16 cells was suppressed because of vortexlike motions induced by the modified cells. The work demonstrates the important role of surface properties/modification in cancer cell migration, thereby providing new insights relative to the treatment of cancer metastasis.

LncRNA NORAD facilitates oral squamous cell carcinoma progression by sponging miR-577 to enhance TPM4

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be vital factors to affect the expression of genes and proteins. Also, it has been proved that the abnormal expression or mutation of lncRNAs stands as a signal of metastasis and proliferation of cancer. Nevertheless, the majority of lncRNAs still need to be explored in abundant cancers especially in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

METHODS

RT-qPCR assays were applied to test the expression of RNAs. Mechanism assays were performed to verify the combination among NORAD, TPM4 and miR-577. Also, functional assays were conducted to verify the function of RNAs on OSCC cells.

RESULTS

LncRNA NORAD was highly expressed in OSCC tissues and cells. NORAD silencing repressed the biological behaviors of OSCC cells. MiR-577 was found in OSCC with low expression, and RIP assays illustrated that NORAD, miR-577 and TPM4 coexisted in RNA-induced silencing complexes. Rescue assays proved that the overexpression of TPM4 could recover the effect of NORAD silencing on OSCC progression.

CONCLUSIONS

It was revealed that NORAD functioned as a tumor promoter to sponge miR-577 thus elevating TPM4 in OSCC, which indicated that NORAD was worthy to be studied as a target for the treatment of OSCC.

LncRNA <i>SNHG16</i> promotes colorectal cancer proliferation by regulating ABCB1 expression through sponging miR-214-3p

Mounting evidence indicates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have critical roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, providing many potential diagnostic biomarkers, prognostic biomarkers, and treatment targets. Here, we sought to investigate the role and underlying regulatory mechanism of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) in CRC. The expressions of SNHG16 in CRC were identified by RNA-sequencing and quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The functions of SNHG16 were explored by a series of in vitro and in vivo assays (colony formation assay, flow cytometry assay, and xenograft model). Bioinformatics analysis, RNA fluorescencein situ hybridization and luciferase reporter assay were used to investigate the regulatory mechanism of effects of SNHG16. SNHG16 was found to be significantly elevated in human CRC tissues and cell lines. Functional studies suggested that SNHG16 promoted CRC cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we identified that SNHG16 is expressed predominantly in the cytoplasm. SNHG16 could interact with miR-214-3p and up-regulated its target ABCB1. This study indicated that SNHG16 plays an oncogenic role in CRC, suggesting it could be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target in CRC.

lncRNA HLA Complex Group 18 (HCG18) Facilitated Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration of Prostate Cancer Through Modulating miR-370-3p/DDX3X Axis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to exert critical functions in the malignant development of many cancers. lncRNA HLA complex group 18 (HCG18) has been confirmed to have a promoting effect on various cancers. However, whether HCG18 functions in PC is still unclear. Therefore, the current study aimed at unveiling the role of HCG18 in PC progression and its regulatory mechanism on the biological behaviors of PC. Here, RT-qPCR was utilized to detect HCG18 expression, and then, functional experiments were conducted to verify the effects of HCG18 on PC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. According to the results, HCG18 was significantly up-regulated in PC cells and it facilitated cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in PC. Furthermore, a series of mechanism experiments were carried out to verify the relationship among HCG18, miR-370-3p, and DEAD-box helicase 3 X-linked(DDX3X) in PC cells. Final rescue assays showed that DDX3X overexpression could reverse the inhibitory function of silencing HCG18 on PC progression. In summary, our study showed that lncRNA HCG18 accelerated cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of PC via up-regulating DDX3X through sponging miR-370-3p, providing a novel finding about PC-related regulatory mechanism.

LncRNA SNHG16 promotes proliferation and migration in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma via the miR-140-5p/NFAT5/Wnt/β-catenin pathway axis

BACKGROUND

Recent studies demonstrate that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the development of various cancers. Many lncRNAs were reported to abnormally express in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and play pivotal roles in its development. LncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) was previously validated as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma. Nevertheless, the biological role of SNHG16 in LSCC still needs more explorations. The goal of this assay is to explore the function and molecular mechanism of lncRNA SNHG16 in the development of LSCC.

METHODS AND RESULTS

First, RT-qPCR demonstrated the upregulation of SNHG16 in LSCC cells and tissues. Loss-of-function assays determined the inhibitive influence of SNHG16 downregulation on cell viability, growth, and migration in LSCC. Furthermore, SNHG16 bound with miR-140-5p in LSCC. MiR-140-5p overexpression suppressed LSCC cell proliferation and migration. NFAT5 was identified as a direct target of miR-140-5p. Through rescue experiments, overexpression of NFAT5 reversed SNHG16 knockdown-mediated suppression on cell viability, growth, and migration in LSCC. Additionally, NFAT5 overexpression activated while NFAT5 downregulation inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

LncRNA SNHG16 is upregulated in LSCC and contributes to the development of LSCC via regulating the miR-140-5p/NFAT5/Wnt/β-catenin pathway axis. The SNHG16/miR-140-5p/NFAT5/Wnt/β-catenin pathway axis might provide a novel strategy for LSCC treatment.

Transcription factor KLF15 inhibits the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells via regulating the TFAP2A-AS1/NISCH axis

BACKGROUND

Recently, overwhelming evidence supports that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in the occurrence and progression of tumors. However, the role and mechanism of lncRNA TFAP2A-AS1 in human gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. Thus, the biological role and regulatory mechanisms of TFAP2A-AS1 in GC were explored.

METHODS

Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was applied to detect gene expression. Western blot was used to measure protein expression. Cell proliferation and migration were determined by functional assays. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays were performed to determine the subcellular distribution of TFAP2A-AS1 in GC. Mechanism investigations were conducted to explore the downstream genes of TFAP2A-AS1 and the upstream transcription factor of TFAP2A-AS1 in GC cells.

RESULTS

TFAP2A-AS1 inhibits the proliferation and migration of GC cells. In the downstream regulation mechanism, miR-3657 was verified as the downstream gene of TFAP2A-AS1 and NISCH as the target of miR-3657. NISCH also suppresses cell proliferation and migration in GC. In the upstream regulation mechanism, transcription factor KLF15 positively mediates TFAP2A-AS1 to suppress GC cell proliferation and migration.

CONCLUSION

KLF15-mediated TFAP2A-AS1 hampers cell proliferation and migration in GC via miR-3657/NISCH axis.

A Review on the Role of Small Nucleolar RNA Host Gene 6 Long Non-coding RNAs in the Carcinogenic Processes

Being located on 17q25.1, small nucleolar RNA host gene 6 (SNHG16) is a member of SNHG family of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) with 4 exons and 13 splice variants. This lncRNA serves as a sponge for a variety of miRNAs, namely miR-520a-3p, miR-4500, miR-146a miR-16–5p, miR-98, let-7a-5p, hsa-miR-93, miR-17-5p, miR-186, miR-302a-3p, miR-605-3p, miR-140-5p, miR-195, let-7b-5p, miR-16, miR-340, miR-1301, miR-205, miR-488, miR-1285-3p, miR-146a-5p, and miR-124-3p. This lncRNA can affect activity of TGF-β1/SMAD5, mTOR, NF-κB, Wnt, RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways. Almost all studies have reported oncogenic effect of SNHG16 in diverse cell types. Here, we explain the results of studies about the oncogenic role of SNHG16 according to three distinct sets of evidence, i.e., in vitro, animal, and clinical evidence.

Heterogeneous graph attention network based on meta-paths for lncRNA-disease association prediction

MOTIVATION

Discovering long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-disease associations is a fundamental and critical part in understanding disease etiology and pathogenesis. However, only a few lncRNA-disease associations have been identified because of the time-consuming and expensive biological experiments. As a result, an efficient computational method is of great importance and urgently needed for identifying potential lncRNA-disease associations. With the ability of exploiting node features and relationships in network, graph-based learning models have been commonly utilized by these biomolecular association predictions. However, the capability of these methods in comprehensively fusing node features, heterogeneous topological structures and semantic information is distant from optimal or even satisfactory. Moreover, there are still limitations in modeling complex associations between lncRNAs and diseases.

RESULTS

In this paper, we develop a novel heterogeneous graph attention network framework based on meta-paths for predicting lncRNA-disease associations, denoted as HGATLDA. At first, we conduct a heterogeneous network by incorporating lncRNA and disease feature structural graphs, and lncRNA-disease topological structural graph. Then, for the heterogeneous graph, we conduct multiple metapath-based subgraphs and then utilize graph attention network to learn node embeddings from neighbors of these homogeneous and heterogeneous subgraphs. Next, we implement attention mechanism to adaptively assign weights to multiple metapath-based subgraphs and get more semantic information. In addition, we combine neural inductive matrix completion to reconstruct lncRNA-disease associations, which is applied for capturing complicated associations between lncRNAs and diseases. Moreover, we incorporate cost-sensitive neural network into the loss function to tackle the commonly imbalance problem in lncRNA-disease association prediction. Finally, extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework.

LncRNA SNHG16 promotes Schwann cell proliferation and migration to repair sciatic nerve injury

Background

To investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Snorna hostgene16 (SNHG16) in sciatic nerve injury tissues and cells. The molecular mechanism of SNHG16 regulating signal activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) expression through “sponge” adsorption of miR-93-5p was also studied.

Methods

A rat model of sciatic nerve injury was established, and primary Schwann cells (SCs) were extracted. The expression of SNHG16 in animal tissues with sciatic nerve injury and SCs treated with ischemia and hypoxia was detected by qPCR, and CCK-8 assay, cell scratch assay, and Transwell chamber assay were used to detect cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. The targeted binding of SNHG16 to miR-93-5p was verified by double luciferase reporter gene assay and miRNA immunoprecipitation assay. MiR-93-5p mimic, SNHG16 overexpression vector, and sh-STAT3 plasmid were transfected into cells, respectively, and the mRNA expressions of SNHG16, miR-93-5p, and STAT3 in the cells were detected by qPCR.

Results

The expression of lncRNA SNHG16 was decreased after sciatic nerve injury, while overexpression of SNHG16 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SCs. The results of dual luciferase reporter gene assay and miRNA immunoprecipitation reaction showed miR-93-5p interacted with SNHG16, and the overexpression of miR-93-5p reversed the promoting effects of SNHG16 on the proliferation and invasion of SCs. At the same time, the knockdown of STAT3, which is the target gene of miR-93-5p, reversed the proliferation and invasion promotion effect of SNHG16 on SCs. SNHG16 affected the expression of its downstream target gene STAT3 by adsorbing miR-93-5p via endogenous competitive sponge.

Conclusions

SNHG16 can regulate STAT3 expression by sponge adsorption of miR-93-5p in SCs, and SNHG16 and miR-93-5p can be used as potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of sciatic nerve injury.

Exosome-derived SNHG16 sponging miR-4500 activates HUVEC angiogenesis by targeting GALNT1 via PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma

Accumulating evidence suggests cancer-derived exosomes play an important role in promoting angiogenesis. Long noncoding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) is known to aggravate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. However, the function of exosomal SNHG16 in HCC angiogenesis remains unclear. In this study, the expression of SNHG16 was significantly upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. The proliferative, migratory, and angiogenic abilities of HUVECs were enhanced after exposure to exosomes derived from HCC cells by transmitting SNHG16. In addition, SNHG16 was validated to promote the biological function of HUVECs directly. Exosomal SNHG16 increased GALNT1 expression to promote angiogenesis via sponging miR-4500. SNHG16/miR-4500/GALNT1 axis played an important role in exosome-mediated angiogenesis and tumor growth in vitro and vivo. Furthermore, SNHG16 activated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway via competing endogenous miR-4500 and GALNT1. Meanwhile, the expression of plasma exosomal SNHG16 upregulated in the plasma of HCC patients. These data elucidated the essential role of exosomal SNHG16 in communication between HCC cells and endothelial cells. Exosomal SNHG16 could be utilized as a therapeutic target for anti-angiogenesis in HCC progression.

Long non-coding RNA SNHG16, binding with miR-106b-5p, promoted cell apoptosis and inflammation in allergic rhinitis by up-regulating leukemia inhibitory factor to activate the JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a type I hypersensitive disease. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG16 acts as an oncogene in a variety of tumors and promotes the occurrence of inflammation in many inflammatory diseases. The study aims to investigate the expression of SNHG16 and its potential biological functions in AR. RT-qPCR results showed that the expression of SNHG16 in AR was up-regulated. The AR cell model was constructed by stimulating primary nasal mucosal epithelial cells from AR patients with IL-13. After knocking down the expression of lncRNA SNHG16, cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, and the expression of inflammatory factors was detected by ELISA. The results showed that SNHG16 promoted cell apoptosis and inflammation. Then, bioinformatics analysis was used to screen miRNAs bound with SNHG16. Luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA pull-down experiment were used to verify the relationship. We found that the expression of miR-106b-5p was down-regulated and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) expression was up-regulated in the AR cell model. The expression of phospho-Janus kinase 1 and p-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were detected by Western blotting. Silencing the expression of LIF could inhibit the activity of JAK1/STAT3 pathway and further inhibit cell apoptosis and the occurrence of inflammation. Then transfected SNHG16 shRNA alone or together with miR-106b-5p antagomir into the AR cell model, we found that silencing the expression of SNHG16 down-regulated the expression of LIF and inhibited the activity of the JAK1/STAT3 pathway, cell apoptosis, and inflammation. However, miR-106b-5p antagomir weakened its inhibitory effects. The role of SNHG16 in AR was further verified by the ovalbumin-induced AR mouse model in vivo. In conclusion, SNHG16 up-regulates LIF expression by binding with miR-106b-5p, thus promoting the activity of JAK1/STAT3 pathway, and promoting the development of AR. These results provide new targets for the treatment of AR and may help reduce the damage caused by AR.

CircFAM13B promotes the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma by sponging miR-212, upregulating E2F5 expression and activating the P53 pathway

Background

Most of the biological functions of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and the potential underlying mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have not yet been discovered.

Methods

In this study, using circRNA expression data from HCC tumor tissues and adjacent tissues from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, we identified out differentially expressed circRNAs and verified them by qRT-PCT. Functional experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of circFAM13B in HCC in vitro and in vivo.

Results

We found that circFAM13B was the most significantly differentially expressed circRNA in HCC tissue. Subsequently, in vitro and in vivo studies also demonstrated that circFAM13B promoted the proliferation of HCC. Further studies revealed that circFAM13B, a sponge of miR-212, is involved in the regulation of E2F5 gene expression by competitively binding to miR-212, inhibits the activation of the P53 signalling pathway, and promotes the proliferation of HCC cells.

Conclusions

Our findings revealed the mechanism underlying the regulatory role played by circFAM13B, miR-212 and E2F5 in HCC. This study provides a new theoretical basis and novel target for the clinical prevention and treatment of HCC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02120-6.

Extracellular Vesicles Carry lncRNA SNHG16 to Promote Metastasis of Breast Cancer Cells via the miR-892b/PPAPDC1A Axis

Breast cancer (BC) represents the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among women. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can be transferred by extracellular vesicles (EVs) to participate in BC progression. This study demonstrated that SNHG16 expression was significantly increased in BC tissues and cells. Overexpression of SNHG16 promoted the migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BC cells. SNHG16 was carried by EVs. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that SNHG16 regulated PPAPDC1A expression by sponging miR-892b, which was confirmed by RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), RT-qPCR, dual-luciferase gene reporter assay, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP). MDA-MB-157 and HS578T cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1-SNHG16, miR-892b-mimic, or si-PPAPDC1A for functional rescue experiments in vitro, and the cells were treated with MDA-MB-231 cell-derived EVs. The results confirmed that enhanced miR-892b expression partially eliminated the increase of migration, invasion, and EMT of BC cells mediated by SNHG16 or EVs. The lung metastasis model in nude mice was established by injecting HS578T cells via tail vein. The results showed that si-SNHG16 reduced the metastatic nodules and decreased the vimentin expression. In conclusion, EVs derived from BC cells transferred SNHG16 via the miR-892b/PPAPDC1A axis, thus promoting EMT, migration, and invasion of BC.

DSCMF: prediction of LncRNA-disease associations based on dual sparse collaborative matrix factorization

BACKGROUND

In the development of science and technology, there are increasing evidences that there are some associations between lncRNAs and human diseases. Therefore, finding these associations between them will have a huge impact on our treatment and prevention of some diseases. However, the process of finding the associations between them is very difficult and requires a lot of time and effort. Therefore, it is particularly important to find some good methods for predicting lncRNA-disease associations (LDAs).

RESULTS

In this paper, we propose a method based on dual sparse collaborative matrix factorization (DSCMF) to predict LDAs. The DSCMF method is improved on the traditional collaborative matrix factorization method. To increase the sparsity, the L2,1-norm is added in our method. At the same time, Gaussian interaction profile kernel is added to our method, which increase the network similarity between lncRNA and disease. Finally, the AUC value obtained by the experiment is used to evaluate the quality of our method, and the AUC value is obtained by the ten-fold cross-validation method.

CONCLUSIONS

The AUC value obtained by the DSCMF method is 0.8523. At the end of the paper, simulation experiment is carried out, and the experimental results of prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer are analyzed in detail. The DSCMF method is expected to bring some help to lncRNA-disease associations research. The code can access the https://github.com/Ming-0113/DSCMF website.

HOXA11-AS induces cisplatin resistance by modulating the microRNA-98/PBX3 axis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Long non-coding RNA homeobox A11-antisense RNA (HOXA11-AS) has been implicated in cisplatin (DDP) resistance in multiple types of cancer. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of HOXA11-AS in DDP-resistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. The expression levels of HOXA11-AS were examined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Cell viability was measured using a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and a TUNEL assay was utilized to assess cell apoptosis. The expression levels of apoptosis-related factors (Bax and Bcl-2) were detected by western blot analysis. The interaction between microRNA-98 (miR-98) and HOXA11-AS or pre-B-cell leukemia homeobox 3 (PBX3) was demonstrated using bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assays and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. HOXA11-AS and PBX3 expressions levels were upregulated, whereas miR-98 levels were downregulated in DDP-resistant NPC tissues. Patients with NPC with high HOXA11-AS expression had a low survival rate. Knockdown of HOXA11-AS enhanced the DDP sensitivity of DDP-resistant NPC (5-8F/DDP and SUNE1/DDP) cells, which was demonstrated by the accelerated apoptosis. In addition, HOXA11-AS inhibited the expression levels of miR-98 through direct interaction. Furthermore, miR-98 inhibition counteracted the inductive effect of HOXA11-AS-knockdown on the DDP sensitivity of NPC cells. PBX3 was a target of miR-98 and was positively modulated by HOXA11-AS. Overexpression of PBX3 reversed the suppressive effect of HOXA11-AS silencing on the DDP resistance of NPC cells. The data demonstrated that HOXA11-AS enhanced DDP resistance in NPC via the miR-98/PBX3 axis, providing a potential therapeutic target for patients with DDP-resistant NPC.

An Overview of Long Non-Coding (lnc)RNAs in Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a heterogeneous developmental tumor occurring in childhood, which arises from the embryonic sympathoadrenal cells of the neural crest. Although the recent progress that has been done on this tumor, the mechanisms involved in NB are still partially unknown. Despite some genetic aberrations having been identified, the sporadic cases represent the majority. Due to its wide heterogeneity in clinical behavior and etiology, NB represents a challenge in terms of prevention and treatment. Since a definitive therapy is lacking so far, there is an urgent necessity to unveil the molecular mechanisms behind NB onset and progression to develop new therapeutic approaches. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of RNAs longer than 200 nucleotides. Whether lncRNAs are destined to become a protein or not, they exert multiple biological functions such as regulating gene expression and functions. In recent decades, different research has highlighted the possible role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer. Moreover, lncRNAs may represent potential markers or targets for diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This mini-review aimed to briefly summarize the most recent findings on the involvement of some lncRNAs in NB disease by focusing on their mechanisms of action and possible role in unveiling NB onset and progression.

Molecular interactions of miR-338 during tumor progression and metastasis

Background

Cancer, as one of the main causes of human deaths, is currently a significant global health challenge. Since the majority of cancer-related deaths are associated with late diagnosis, it is necessary to develop minimally invasive early detection markers to manage and reduce mortality rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as highly conserved non-coding RNAs, target the specific mRNAs which are involved in regulation of various fundamental cellular processes such as cell proliferation, death, and signaling pathways. MiRNAs can also be regulated by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs). They are highly stable in body fluids and have tumor-specific expression profiles, which suggest their suitability as efficient non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic tumor markers. Aberrant expression of miR-338 has been widely reported in different cancers. It regulates cell proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and apoptosis in tumor cells.

Main body

In the present review, we have summarized all miR-338 interactions with other non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and associated signaling pathways to clarify the role of miR-338 during tumor progression.

Conclusions

It was concluded that miR-338 mainly functions as a tumor suppressor in different cancers. There were also significant associations between miR-338 and other ncRNAs in tumor cells. Moreover, miR-338 has a pivotal role during tumor progression using the regulation of WNT, MAPK, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. This review highlights miR-338 as a pivotal ncRNA in biology of tumor cells.

lncRNA SNHG16 Mediates Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis in Cholangiocarcinoma by Directly Targeting miR-146a-5p/GATA6 Axis

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumour with high recurrence and mortality rates and poor prognosis. However, the pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the roles and regulatory mechanism of SNHG16 in the occurrence and development of CCA. Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was used to predict the expressions of SNHG16 and GATA6 in CCA samples from TCGA database. The levels of SNHG16, miR-146a-5p and GATA6 were evaluated using qRT-PCR. CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays were conducted to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Western blotting was applied to analyse the protein levels of GATA6 and apoptosis-related proteins. SNHG16 was significantly elevated in CCA tissues from TCGA database and CCA cell lines. Moreover, downregulation of SNHG16 restricted cell proliferation and increased apoptotic rate of RBE and HuCCT1 cells. miR-146a-5p, a downstream target of SNHG16, was shown to be an intermediate mediator of GATA6 expression regulated by SNHG16. In addition, either the miR-146a-5p inhibitor or overexpression of GATA6 obviously impaired the regulatory effects of SNHG16 downregulation in RBE and HuCCT1 cells. These data demonstrated that SNHG16 promoted cell proliferation and repressed apoptosis by regulating the miR-146a-5p/GATA6 axis, which provides some helpful insights for the diagnosis and treatment of CCA.

LINC00511 exacerbated T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia via miR-195-5p/LRRK1 axis

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a malignant disease arising from the abnormal proliferation of T lymphocyte in marrow. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are one kind of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), which were reported to modulate the initiation or progression of diverse cancers. However, the role of LINC00511 in T-ALL was unknown. To figure out the function and mechanism of LINC00511 in T-ALL, a series of experiments were carried out. Based on the experimental results, we discovered that LINC00511 boosted cell proliferation and invasion, but hindered cell apoptosis in T-ALL cells. Besides, based on bio-informatics tool, miR-195-5p was selected for further exploration. Then, miR-195-5p was validated to bind with LINC00511. Hereafter, LRRK1 was testified to serve as a target gene of miR-195-5p. At last, rescue assays suggested that LRRK1 overexpression restored sh-LINC00511#1-mediated effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis. All in all, LINC00511 exacerbated T-ALL progression via miR-195-5p/LRRK1 axis, implying a potential therapeutic clue for the patients with T-ALL.

Long non-coding RNA SNHG16 regulates cell behaviors through miR-542-3p/HNF4α axis via RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway in pediatric neuroblastoma cells

Neuroblastoma (NB) is an extracranial solid tumor in children with complex mechanism. Increasing reports indicated that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) account for the pathogenesis of NB. Nevertheless, the precise functions of SNHG16 needed to be further exposed in NB progression. Our data revealed that SNHG16 and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 α (HNF4α) were up-regulated, but miR-542-3p was down-regulated in NB. Knockdown of SNHG16 or HNF4α could impede cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Interestingly, the role of SNHG16 detetion in cell behaviors was rescued by HNF4α overexpression in NB cells. Mechanically, SNHG16 modulated the progression of tumor growth via miR-542-3p/HNF4α axis in NB. Also, SNHG16 knockdown inactivated rat sarcoma/effector of RAS/mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinases (RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK) signaling pathway through HNF4α. Therefore, SNHG16/miR-542-3p/HNF4α axis modified NB progression via RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, might highlight a novel therapeutic approach for NB.

Assessing the Regulatory Functions of LncRNA SNHG11 in Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration

The aim of this study was to assess the regulatory functions of SNHG11 in gastric cancer (GC) cell proliferation and migration. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and bioinformatics prediction [starBase (http://starbase.sysu.edu.cn/) and TargetScan (http://www.targetscan.org)] indicated that SNHG11 functions as a miR-184 sponge that can directly act on CDC25A. Compared with normal healthy gastric tissue and mucosal epithelial cell GES-1, SNHG11 and CDC25A expressions were dramatically increased in GC samples and cell lines, whereas microRNA-184 (miR-184) levels were reduced. SNHG11 silencing led to increased miR-184 and reduced CDC25A, whereas miR-184 downregulation recovered the expression of CDC25A. Additionally, miR-184 upregulation also played a role in regulating CDC25A ablation. Then, SNHG11 was silenced or miR-184 was upregulated in two GC cells (SGC-7901 and MKN-28). SNHG11 silencing and miR-184 upregulation caused a notable decrease in GC cell growth and proliferation and increased the apoptotic level of GC cells. Furthermore, SNHG11 silencing and miR-184 upregulation contributed to a decreased migration capacity of GC cells. Downregulated miR-184 expression in SNHG11 silenced GC cells showed that miR-184 inhibition reversed the effect of SNHG11 silencing on the growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of GC cells. Moreover, in vivo xenograft experiments demonstrated that SNHG11 knockdown can inhibit tumor growth. These observations confirmed that SNHG11 acts as an oncogene, whereas miR-194 served as a tumor suppressor in GC development. SNHG11 may provide a new biomarker for GC diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Downregulation of long non-coding RNA UCA1 represses tumorigenesis and metastasis of osteosarcoma via miR-513b-5p/E2F5 axis

Long non-coding RNAs have the regulatory roles in different kinds of human cancers. The key point of this study was to research the functional mechanisms of urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) in the development of osteosarcoma. Quantitative real-time PCR was adopted for the expression detection of UCA1, microRNA-513b-5p (miR-513b-5p) and E2F transcription factor 5 (E2F5). The target relation was verified via dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. Cell proliferation was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assays. Transwell assay was applied to assess cell migration and invasion. Western blot was performed for protein examination. Xenograft experiment was used to explore the effect of UCA1 on osteosarcoma in vivo. UCA1 expression was enhanced while miR-513b-5p was refrained in osteosarcoma tissues and cells. MiR-513b-5p was a target of UCA1. Inhibition of UCA1 or overexpression of miR-513b-5p suppressed osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion. E2F5 was identified as a downstream gene of miR-513b-5p. MiR-513b-5p inhibitor or E2F5 overexpression rescued the progression inhibition of osteosarcoma by UCA1 knockdown, and UCA1 regulated E2F5 and Cyclin E expression by targeting miR-513b-5p. Downregulation of UCA1 restrained the tumorigenesis of osteosarcoma in vivo through the miR-513b-5p/E2F5 axis. Collectively, knockdown of UCA1 inhibited tumorigenesis and metastasis of osteosarcoma via regulating the miR-513b-5p/E2F5 axis. UCA1 might be a biological indicator in the progression and treatment of osteosarcoma.

Upregulation of long non-coding RNA SNHG16 promotes diabetes-related RMEC dysfunction via activating NF-κB and PI3K/AKT pathways

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a severe diabetes-induced eye disease, in which its pathological phenomena basically include abnormal proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of microvascular endothelial cells in the retina. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to be important regulators in various biological processes, but their participation in DR remains largely undiscovered. In the present study, we aimed to unveil the role of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) in regulating the functions of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hRMECs) under a high-glucose (HG) condition. We found that SNHG16 expression was significantly upregulated in hRMECs treated with HG. Functionally, SNHG16 could facilitate hRMEC proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. Moreover, SNHG16 was associated with nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways. Mechanistically, SNHG16 could promote hRMEC dysfunction by sequestering microRNA (miR)-146a-5p and miR-7-5p to act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) with interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1) and insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1). In conclusion, our results illustrated the potential role of SNHG16 in facilitating hRMEC dysfunction under HG treatment, providing a novel approach for DR therapy.

LncRNA SNHG16 contributes to tumor progression via the miR-302b-3p/SLC2A4 axis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Background

It has been reported that the lncRNA SNHG16 has significantly increased expression in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC). However, the functions and mechanisms of SNHG16 are not clear. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of SNHG16 on PC.

Methods

qRT-PCR analysis was applied to detect the expression levels of SNHG16, miR-302b-3p and SLC2A4 in PC tissues and cells. CCK8 and EdU assays were used to evaluate the proliferation of PC cells. Transwell assays were used to assess PC cell migration and invasion. Apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins (including Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9) was tested by western blotting. The interactions between miR-302b-3p and SNHG16 or miR-302b-3p and the 3’UTR of SLC2A4 mRNA were clarified by a dual luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation.

Results

SNHG16 expression was significantly elevated in PC tissues and cell lines and was associated with poor prognosis of PC patients. Knockdown of SNHG16 reduced PC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. SNHG16 acted as a sponge to regulate miR-302b-3p expression in PC cells. In addition, miR-302b-3p targeted SLC2A4 directly.

Conclusions

SNHG16 promoted the progression of PC via the miR-302b-3p/SLC2A4 axis and was expected to be a potential target for the early diagnosis and treatment of PC.

LncRNA PCAT7 promotes the malignant progression of breast cancer by regulating ErbB/PI3K/Akt pathway

Aim: This study aimed to explore the mechanism of lncRNA PCAT7 underlying the progression of breast cancer, which will provide a basis for accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment. Methods: Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas data associated with breast cancer were used to identify the target lncRNA. In vitro experiments were conducted to detect gene expression and the effect of the lncRNA on cancer cell activities. Results: PCAT7 was found to be highly expressed in breast cancer tissue and cells, which activated the ErbB/PI3K/Akt pathway to potentiate cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion and suppress apoptosis. Conclusion: PCAT7 is likely to promote tumor cell activities by activating ErbB/PI3K/Akt pathway, in turn potentiating tumor malignant progression.

Small nucleolar RNA and its potential role in breast cancer - A comprehensive review

Small Nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are known for their canonical functions, including ribosome biogenesis and RNA modification. snoRNAs act as endogenous sponges that regulate miRNA expression. Thus, precise snoRNA expression is critical for fine-tuning miRNA expression. snoRNAs processed into miRNA-like sequences play a crucial role in regulating the expression of protein-coding genes similar to that of miRNAs. Recent studies have linked snoRNA deregulation to breast cancer (BC). Inappropriate snoRNA expression contributes to BC pathology by facilitating breast cells to acquire cancer hallmarks. Since snoRNAs show significant differential expression in normal and cancer conditions, measuring snoRNA levels could be useful for BC prognosis and diagnosis. The present article provides a comprehensive overview of the role of snoRNAs in breast cancer pathology. More specifically, we have discussed the regulation, biological function, signaling pathways, and clinical utility of abnormally expressed snoRNAs in BC. Besides, we have also discussed the role of snoRNA host genes in breast tumorigenesis and emerging and future research directions in the field of snoRNA and cancer.

Knockdown of LINC00504 Inhibits the Proliferation and Invasion of Breast Cancer via the Downregulation of miR-140-5p

INTRODUCTION

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Long noncoding RNA 00504 (LINC00504) was reported to be a functional gene in some tumours but not breast. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to study the function of LINC00504 in breast cancer.

METHODS

qPCR assay was used to detect the expression of LINC00504 in tissue and cell lines. The online database and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) were employed to confirm the transcription factor of LINC00504. Cell function assays including cell proliferation, migration and invasion were designed to detect the function of LINC00504 in vitro and in vivo. Luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were used to confirm the relationship between LINC00504 and miR-140-5p. And Western blot assay was employed for testing the key protein.

RESULTS

We found that LINC00504 is upregulated in breast cancer. In addition, we found that the transcription factor regulatory factor X5 (RFX5) can strongly bind to the LINC00504 promoter region and subsequently increase its transcriptional activity. We also found that the manipulation of RFX5 expression can significantly affect LINC00504 expression, which suggested that RFX5 can transcriptionally activate LINC00504 in breast cancer (BC). Knockdown of LINC00504 inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. We further found that LINCOO504 inhibits miR-140-5p, which decreases the levels of VEGFA. The further results showed that miR-140-5p was one of the target gene of LINC00504. The WB assay demonstrated that the E-cadherin was increased and Vimentin was decreased when knocking down of LINC00504 and they can be rescued while adding the inhibitors of miR-140-5p.

DISCUSSION

Our results demonstrated the mechanism by which the LINC00504-miR-140-5p-VEGFA axis participates in breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion and may lead to new lncRNA-based diagnostic or therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.

Ropivacaine inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion while inducing apoptosis of glioma cells by regulating the SNHG16/miR-424-5p axis

BACKGROUND

Regional anesthesia has anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in various cancers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ropivacaine on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of glioma cells in vitro.

METHODS

Under ropivacaine stimulation conditions, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of glioma cells were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazol-3-ium bromide (MTT), flow cytometry, and transwell assays, respectively. Western blot assay was employed to measure the protein expression levels in glioma cells. The expression levels of small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) and miR-424-5p were assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The interaction relationship between SNHG16 and miR-424-5p was predicted and confirmed using a bioinformatics database and dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assays.

RESULTS

After treatment with ropivacaine, proliferation, migration, and invasion were repressed while apoptosis was enhanced in glioma cells in a dose-depended manner. In addition, ropivacaine impeded SNHG16 expression in glioma cells. Importantly, overexpression of SNHG16 abolished the ropivacaine-induced effects on glioma cells. Analogously, knockdown of miR-424-5p counteracted the function of ropivacaine in glioma cells. We also found that SNHG16 bound to miR-424-5p and negatively regulated miR-424-5p expression in glioma cells. The rescue experiments indicated that ropivacaine might regulate glioma progression by targeting the SNHG16/miR-424-5p axis.

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed the anti-tumor effects of ropivacaine in glioma by targeting the SNHG16/miR-424-5p axis. These data might extend the understanding of regulatory mechanisms by which ropivacaine could suppress glioma development.

Correlation between lncRNA SNHG16 gene polymorphism and its interaction with environmental factors and susceptibility to colorectal cancer

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationship between long-chain non-coding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (lncRNA SNHG16) polymorphisms and its interaction with environmental factors and susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

Sanger sequencing was used to analyze genotypes of lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, and rs15278 sites. Multifactor dimensionality reduction was used to analyze interactions between lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, rs15278 sites, and environmental factors. Haploview 4.1 software was used to analyze linkage disequilibrium of lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, and rs15278 sites. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze plasma lncRNA SNHG16 levels of CRC patients and control subjects.

RESULTS

Variation of the lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353 site A>G variation was associated with decreased CRC susceptibility (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.40-0.62, P < .01). The rs8038 site G>A and rs15278 site A>G variation were associated with increased CRC susceptibility (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.47-2.36, P < .01). The rs15278 site G>A variation was associated with increased CRC susceptibility (OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.61-3.11, P < .01). Interaction combinations featuring age, rs7353, rs8038, and rs15278 single nucleotide polymorphism are 13.53 times more susceptible to CRC than other interactions (95% CI: 9.43-19.41, P < .01). The rs15278, rs8038, and rs7353 site AGA haplotypes were significantly associated with a decreased CRC risk (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.48-0.88, P = .01), AAG haplotypes were significantly associated with an increased CRC risk (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.27-3.17, P < .01). High lncRNA SNHG16 expression was associated with tumor progression in CRC patients (χ = 8.85, P = .03). The rs7353 site A>G variation caused a significant decrease in plasma lncRNA SNHG16 level (P < .01), while the rs8038 site G>A variation and rs15278 site A>G variation resulted in increased plasma lncRNA SNHG16 levels.

CONCLUSION

Polymorphisms of lncRNA SNHG16 gene rs7353, rs8038, rs15278 loci and their interaction with age are significantly associated with CRC susceptibility.

Long non-coding RNA ATB is associated with metastases and promotes cell invasion in colorectal cancer via sponging miR-141-3p

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serve crucial roles in cancer development and progression. lncRNA-activated by transforming growth factor-β (lncRNA-ATB) mediates cell proliferation. However, the association between lncRNA-ATB and human colorectal cancer (CRC) is not completely understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA-ATB in CRC, as well as the underlying mechanism. 50 pairs of tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues from patients with primary CRC were collected. The expression of lncRNA-ATB and microRNA (miR)-141-3p in CRC tissues, adjacent normal tissues and cell lines was detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. CCK-8, colony formation, Transwell, western blot, dual luciferase reporter gene, RNA immunoprecipitation and immunohistochemistry staining assays were conducted to assess the biological function of lncRNA-ATB and miR-141-3p in CRC progression. lncRNA-ATB was upregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines compared with healthy tissues and cells, respectively. Moreover, high expression of lncRNA-ATB was significantly associated with advanced TNM stage and metastasis in CRC. In addition, the results indicated that lncRNA-ATB expression predicted the prognosis and overall survival of patients with CRC. Compared with small interfering RNA-negative control, lncRNA-ATB knockdown inhibited CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas, compared with vector, lncRNA-ATB overexpression promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, the in vivo experiment suggested that lncRNA-ATB knockdown inhibited tumor growth. The results also indicated that lncRNA-ATB may contribute to CRC progression via binding to tumor suppressor microRNA-141-3p. Collectively, the present study suggested a crucial role of lncRNA-ATB in CRC tumorigenesis, suggesting that lncRNA-ATB may serve as an important marker for the diagnosis and development of CRC.

LncRNA SNHG16 as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in human cancers

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent an important class of RNAs comprising more than 200 nucleotides, which are produced by RNA polymerase II. Although lacking an open reading framework and protein-encoding activity, lncRNAs can mediate endogenous gene expression by serving as chromatin remodeler, transcriptional or post-transcriptional modulator, and splicing regulator during gene modification. In recent years, increasing evidence shows the significance of lncRNAs in many malignancies, with vital roles in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Moreover, lncRNAs were also considered potential diagnostic and prognostic markers in cancer. The lncRNA small nuclear RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16), found on chromosome 17q25.1, represents a novel tumor-associated lncRNA. SNHG16 was recently found to exhibit dysregulated expression in a variety of malignancies. There are growing evidence of SNHG16's involvement in characteristics of cancer, including proliferation, apoptosis, together with its involvement in chemoresistance. In addition, SNHG16 has been described as a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in cancer patients. The current review briefly summarizes recently reported findings about SNHG16 and discuss its expression, roles, mechanisms, and diagnostic and prognostic values in human cancers.

lncRNA PART1 Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Progression by Directly Targeting miR-4516

Introduction

Breast cancer is a serious threat to human health. It is meaningful to study the pathogenesis of breast cancer. lncRNAs have been found to play vital roles in numerous biological processes including development, immunology and cancer.

Methods

qRT-PCR was performed to examine the expressions of PART1 and miR-4516. CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay and transwell assay were used to examine the progression of breast cancer cells.

Results

In this study, we showed that lncRNA PART1 was highly expressed in breast cancer cells. Knockdown of PART1 induced decreased proliferation, invasion and migration of breast cancer cells. Moreover, we found that PART1 can bind to miR-4516 directly. We also found that inhibition of miR-4516 could rescue the decreased proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells induced by knockdown of PART1.

Discussion

lncRNA PART1 and miR-4516 were proven to be involved in the progression of many cancers. However, the roles of lncRNA PART1 and miR-4516 in the regulation of breast cancer remain unknown. Here, we demonstrated that PART1 can bind to miR-4516 to decrease the expression of miR-4516 and promote the development of breast cancer.

Long Non-Coding Small Nucleolar RNA Host Genes (SNHGs) in Endocrine-Related Cancers

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging regulators of a diverse range of biological processes through various mechanisms. Genome-wide association studies of tumor samples have identified several lncRNAs, which act as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors in various types of cancers. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are predominantly found in the nucleolus and function as guide RNAs for the processing of transcription. As the host genes of snoRNAs, lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) have been shown to be abnormally expressed in multiple cancers and can participate in cell proliferation, tumor progression, metastasis, and chemoresistance. Here, we review the biological functions and emerging mechanisms of SNHGs involved in the development and progression of endocrine-related cancers including thyroid cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.

SNHG16 accelerates the proliferation of primary cardiomyocytes by targeting miRNA-770-5p

The present study aimed to clarify the influence of long non-coding RNA small nuclear host gene 16 (lncRNA SNHG16) on cardiomyocyte proliferation following ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) and the potential mechanism. An IRI model in mice was established by performing ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). Primary cardiomyocytes were isolated from newborn mice and subjected to H₂O₂ treatment to mimic in vitro IRI. Relative levels of SNHG16 and miRNA-770-5p in both in vivo and in vitro IRI models were examined. The regulatory effects of SNHG16 and miRNA-770-5p on the proliferative ability of H₂O₂-treated cardiomyocytes were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay. The binding relationship between SNHG16 and miRNA-770-5p was verified through dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. It is found that SNHG16 was time-dependently downregulated in the IRI models. Overexpression of SNHG16 enhanced the proliferative ability of the cardiomyocytes. miRNA-770-5p was found to be a direct target of SNHG16. Moreover, SNHG16 was able to negatively regulate the miRNA-770-5p level. Overexpression of miRNA-770-5p partially reversed the role of SNHG16 on accelerating cardiomyocyte proliferation. Collectively, SNHG16 accelerates the proliferative ability of cardiomyocytes following IRI by negatively regulating miRNA-770-5p.

Long non‑coding RNA SNHG16 inhibits the oxygen‑glucose deprivation and reoxygenation‑induced apoptosis in human brain microvascular endothelial cells by regulating miR‑15a‑5p/bcl‑2

MicroRNA (miR) 15a-5p can promote ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced apoptosis of cerebral vascular endothelial cells, which is inhibited by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). The present study investigated the potential of lncRNAs targeting miR-15a-5p to regulate oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD-R)-induced apoptosis of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs). hBMECs were transfected with or without miR-15a-5p or its mutant, together with p-small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) or its mutant. Following OGD-R, proliferation, apoptosis and miR-15a-5p, SNHG16 and Bcl-2 expression levels were determined using MTT, flow cytometry, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR or western blotting. The potential interaction of SNHG16 with miR-15a-5p was analyzed by pull-down, luciferase and immunoprecipitation assays. OGD-R induced apoptosis of hBMECs and increased miR-15a-5p expression levels in a time-dependent manner. miR-15a-5p overexpression decreased the proliferation of hBMECs and promoted apoptosis by decreasing Bcl-2 expression levels. SNHG16 was pulled-down by miR-15a-5p and anti-Ago2. miR-15a-5p overexpression significantly decreased SNHG16-regulated luciferase activity and hBMEC survival by increasing apoptosis. SNHG16 overexpression decreased miR-15a-5p expression levels in hBMECs. SNHG16 gradually decreased following OGD-R and its overexpression decreased miR-15a-5p expression levels and promoted the proliferation of hBMECs by decreasing apoptosis. SNHG16 enhanced Bcl-2 expression levels in hBMECs, which was abrogated by miR-15a-5p. Bioinformatics suggest that SNHG16 may antagonize the binding of miR-15a-5p to the 3′UTR of Bcl-2 mRNA. These findings suggest that SNHG16 may protect hBMECs from OGD-R-induced apoptosis by antagonizing the miR-15a-5p/bcl-2 axis. Thus, targeting SNHG16-based mechanisms may provide novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of ischemic stroke.

Knockdown of SNHG16 suppresses the proliferation and induces the apoptosis of leukemia cells via miR‑193a‑5p/CDK8

Although small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) is known to exhibit auxo-action in certain types of tumor, its role in leukemia remains unclear. The present study analyzed the role and mechanisms of action of SNHG16 in leukemia cells in order to identify therapeutic targets for this disease. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to determine SNHG16 expression in human leukemia cell lines. Using TargetScan 7.2 and dual-luciferase reporter assay, the target genes of SNHG16 were verified. Following the downregulation of the expression of SNHG16 or its target genes, Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was performed to examine the viability of the leukemia cells. In addition, flow cytometry was performed to analyze the cell apoptotic rates, and colony formation assays were used to determine the cell proliferative ability. RT-qPCR and western blot analysis were used to determine the association between SNHG16 and its target genes. SNHG16 was found to be abnormally highly expressed in acute myeloblastic leukemia cell lines, the knockdown of which weakened the viability of the leukemia cells, suppressed cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. miR-193a-5p could bind to SNHG16, and its target gene was CDK8. Moreover, the expression of miR-193a-5p increased with the decrease in SNHG16 expression, while the inhibition of miR-193a-5p promoted the expression of CDK8. The downregulation of miR-193a-5p enhanced the viability of the leukemia cells, accelerated cell cloning and reduced cell apoptosis, which was completely opposite to the effects observed with the silencing of CDK8. The knockdown of SNHG16 suppressed the viability of the leukemia cells, suppressed cell proliferation, and induced cell apoptosis by regulating miR-193a-5p/CDK8. Thus, SNHG16 may prove to be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of leukemia.