Investigation of miRNA dysregulation and association with immune cell profile during malignant transformation of colorectal cells

Biological disturbance of MiR-425 and its application prospects in cardiovascular diseases

MiR-425 is a biological molecule that has potential applications in cardiovascular diseases. It can regulate biological functions by combining with LncRNAs, binding with proteins, and changing the differentiation of immune cells. MiR-425 also has a role as a biomarker of disease. In cardiovascular diseases, it has clinical significance in reducing inflammation and heart repair, inducing angiogenesis, improving the prediction of atherosclerosis, reducing cardiac fibrosis, and regulating atrial natriuretic peptide to affect cardiovascular function. Target gene prediction and KEGG enrichment analysis are also mentioned.

Circulating Exosomal microRNA Profiles Associated with Risk of Postoperative Recurrence in Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps

Background

Exosomes carry various types of transcripts and serve as promising biomarkers for inflammatory diseases. However, the role of serum exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is poorly clarified.

Methods

A prospective exploratory cohort of 10 CRSwNP patients was conducted, and the serum exosome samples were subjected to miRNA sequencing. Two independent prospective cohorts, consisting of 40 and 54 patients respectively, were recruited from different medical centers for validation. These cohorts were monitored for over two years, with postoperative recurrence serving as the primary outcome measure. The top 3 differentially exosomal miRNAs were validated in the serum samples, and their predictive values for recurrence were assessed.

Results

Eight CRSwNP patients completed the follow-up, comprising 4 non-recurrent cases and 4 recurrent cases. Distinctive profiles of serum exosomal miRNAs were identified between the two groups. In the first validation cohort, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results indicated elevated serum exosomal miR-3174 and miR-6750-5p expressions, along with reduced miR-192-3p levels in the recurrence group compared to the non-recurrence group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated significant correlations between expressions of exosomal miR-3174 and miR-192-3p and the risk of postoperative recurrence. These findings were further validated in the second cohort, confirming the elevation of both miRNAs in the recurrence group and their associations with recurrence risk. Additionally, serum exosomal miR-3174 levels increased in recurrent cases compared to their baseline levels.

Conclusion

Circulating exosomal microRNA signatures may influence the risk of postoperative recurrence in CRSwNP patients. Serum exosomal elevated exosomal miR-3174 and decreased miR-192-3p were correlated with CRSwNP recurrence risk.

CircVMP1 promotes glycolysis and disease progression by upregulating HKDC1 in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to play important roles in cancers. Here, we characterized circVMP1 (hsa_circ_0006508), an important circRNA which promoted glycolysis and disease progression in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we aimed to explore the mechanism by which circVMP1 regulated tumor glycolysis and its related pathways in promoting CRC cell proliferation and metastasis.

METHODS

The expression level of circVMP1 in CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues was detected using quantitative PCR. In vitro and in vivo functional experiments were used to evaluate the effects of circVMP1 in the regulation of CRC cell proliferation and migration. Mitochondrial stress tests and glycolysis stress tests were conducted to detect the effect of circVMP1 on oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to evaluate the interaction between circVMP1, miR-3167, and HKDC1.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that the level of circVMP1 was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues compared with normal tissues. In HCT116 and SW480 cells, overexpression of circVMP1 promoted proliferation, metastasis, and glycolysis. In vivo analysis indicated that circVMP1 accelerated the proliferation of xenograft tumors. As for the mechanism, overexpression of circVMP1 increased the levels of hexokinase domain component 1 (HKDC1) through competitive binding with miR-3167.

CONCLUSION

Our study reported that circVMP1 was one of the tumor driver genes that promoted CRC malignant progression and glycolysis by upregulating HKDC1. CircVMP1/miR-3167/HKDC1 was a signaling axis that might be a target for CRC therapy.

High Levels of Tumor miR-187-3p—A Potential Tumor-Suppressor microRNA—Are Correlated with Poor Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer

Background: The microRNA miR-187-3p plays antitumor roles in a variety of cancers. We and others have previously identified miR-187-3p as a potential tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer (CRC), but there are also reports revealing that high miR-187-3p levels are associated with poor prognosis among CRC patients. This study further investigated the clinicopathological significance of miR-187-3p in CRC. Methods: MiR-187-3p levels in paired polyp/CRC/normal specimens or primary CRC/liver metastasis specimens were determined by qPCR, and correlated with the patient’s clinicopathological and postoperative survival data. The clinical findings were validated using our validation cohort and data obtained from the TCGA or GEO databases. The functional effects of miR-187-3p were investigated through its overexpression in CRC cell lines. Results: MiR-187-3p was significantly repressed in colorectal polyps and CRC when compared to adjacent normal tissue. Overexpression of miR-187-3p in CRC cell lines impaired colony formation, cell migration, and invasion, and induced chemosensitivity. Clinical analysis revealed that despite miR-187-3p being repressed in CRC, high tumor miR-187-3p levels were positively correlated with tumor stage and disease recurrence. Further analysis showed that miR-187-3p levels were lower in metastatic specimens when compared to paired primary CRC, suggesting that high tumor miR-187-3p levels resulted from the dissemination of metastatic tumor cells. Tumor miR-187-3p levels were positively correlated with peripheral inflammation-related blood markers. Finally, SPRY1 was identified as a novel target gene of miR-187-3p, and was involved in miR-187-3p-impaired CRC metastasis. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that in spite of its repression and role as a tumor suppressor in CRC, high levels of miR-187-3p in tumors were correlated with poor prognosis and higher levels of peripheral inflammation-related blood markers.