Long non-coding RNA UCA1 regulated cell cycle distribution via CREB through PI3-K dependent pathway in bladder carcinoma cells

Hepatitis B virus X protein promotes tumor glycolysis by downregulating lncRNA OIP5-AS1/HKDC1 in HCC

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection being the leading cause. This study aims to investigate the role of HBV in HCC pathogenesis involving glucose metabolism. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) OIP5-AS1 was significantly downregulated in HBV-positive HCC patients, and its low expression indicated a poor prognosis. This lncRNA was primarily localized in the cytoplasm, acting as a tumor suppressor. HBV protein X (HBx) repressed OIP5-AS1 expression by inhibiting a ligand-activated transcriptional factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα). Furthermore, mechanistic studies revealed that OIP5-AS1 inhibited tumor growth by suppressing Hexokinase domain component 1 (HKDC1)-mediated glycolysis. The expression of HKDC1 could be enhanced by transcriptional factor sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1). OIP5-AS1 facilitated the ubiquitination and degradation of SREBP1 to suppress HKDC1 transcription, which inhibited glycolysis. The results suggest that lncRNA OIP5-AS1 plays an anti-oncogenic role in HBV-positive HCC via the HBx/OIP5-AS1/HKDC1 axis, providing a promising diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for HBV-positive HCC patients.

Bladder Cancer in Exosomal Perspective: Unraveling New Regulatory Mechanisms

Bladder cancer, a prevalent malignant neoplasm of the urinary tract, exhibits escalating morbidity and mortality rates. Current diagnosis standards rely on invasive and costly cystoscopy and histopathology, underscoring the urgency for non-invasive, high-throughput, and cost-effective novel diagnostic techniques to ensure timely detection and standardized treatment. Recent years have witnessed the rise of exosome research in bladder cancer studies. Exosomes contain abundant bioactive molecules that can help elucidate the intricate mechanisms underlying bladder cancer pathogenesis and metastasis. Exosomes hold potential as biomarkers for early bladder cancer diagnosis while also serving as targeted drug delivery vehicles to enhance treatment efficacy and mitigate adverse effects. Furthermore, exosome analyses offer insights into the complex molecular signaling networks implicated in bladder cancer progression, revealing novel therapeutic targets. This review provides a comprehensive overview of prevalent exosome isolation techniques and highlights the promising clinical utility of exosomes in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications in bladder cancer management.

New Perspectives on the Role of Liquid Biopsy in Bladder Cancer: Applicability to Precision Medicine

Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common tumors in the world. Cystoscopy and tissue biopsy are the standard methods in screening and early diagnosis of suspicious bladder lesions. However, they are invasive procedures that may cause pain and infectious complications. Considering the limitations of both procedures, and the recurrence and resistance to BC treatment, it is necessary to develop a new non-invasive methodology for early diagnosis and multiple evaluations in patients under follow-up for bladder cancer. In recent years, liquid biopsy has proven to be a very useful diagnostic tool for the detection of tumor biomarkers. This non-invasive technique makes it possible to analyze single tumor components released into the peripheral circulation and to monitor tumor progression. Numerous biomarkers are being studied and interesting clinical applications for these in BC are being presented, with promising results in early diagnosis, detection of microscopic disease, and prediction of recurrence and response to treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis: Roles of miRNA, lcnRNA, and circRNA and Their Implications in Cellular Pathways

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative condition characterized by axonal damage and demyelination induced by autoreactive immune cells that occur in the Central Nervous System (CNS). The interaction between epigenetic changes and genetic factors can be widely involved in the onset, development, and progression of the disease. Although numerous efforts were made to discover new therapies able to prevent and improve the course of MS, definitive curative treatments have not been found yet. However, in recent years, it has been reported that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), acting as gene expression regulators, could be used as potential therapeutic targets or biomarkers to diagnose and fight MS. In this review, we discussed the role of miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, as well as their expression level changes and signaling pathways that are related to preclinical and human MS studies. Hence, the investigation of ncRNAs could be important to provide additional information regarding MS pathogenesis as well as promote the discovery of new therapeutic strategies or biomarkers.

Macrophage lncRNAs in cancer development: Long-awaited therapeutic targets

In the tumor microenvironment, the interplay among macrophages, cancer cells, and endothelial cells is multifaceted. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which often exhibit an M2 phenotype, contribute to tumor growth and angiogenesis, while cancer cells and endothelial cells reciprocally influence macrophage behavior. This complex interrelationship highlights the importance of targeting these interactions for the development of novel cancer therapies aimed at disrupting tumor progression and angiogenesis. Accumulating evidence underscores the indispensable involvement of lncRNAs in shaping macrophage functionality and contributing to the development of cancer. Animal studies have further validated the therapeutic potential of manipulating macrophage lncRNA activity to ameliorate disease severity and reduce morbidity rates. This review provides a survey of our current understanding of macrophage-associated lncRNAs, with a specific emphasis on their molecular targets and their regulatory impact on cancer progression. These lncRNAs predominantly govern macrophage polarization, favoring the dominance of M2 macrophages or TAMs. Exosomes or extracellular vesicles mediate lncRNA transfer between macrophages and cancer cells, affecting cellular functions of each other. Moreover, this review presents therapeutic strategies targeting cancer-associated lncRNAs. The insights and findings presented in this review pertaining to macrophage lncRNAs can offer valuable information for the development of treatments against cancer.

Molecular landscape of LncRNAs in bladder cancer: From drug resistance to novel LncRNA-based therapeutic strategies

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common and serious type of cancer that ranks among the top ten most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Due to the high occurrence rate of BC, the aggressive nature of cancer cells, and their resistance to medication, managing this disease has become a growing challenge in clinical care. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a group of RNA transcripts that do not code for proteins and are more than 200 nucleotides in length. They play a significant role in controlling cellular pathways and molecular interactions during the onset, development and progression of different types of cancers. Recent advancements in high-throughput gene sequencing technology have led to the identification of various differentially expressed lncRNAs in BC, which indicate abnormal expression. In this review, we summarize that these lncRNAs have been found to impact several functions related to the development of BC, including proliferation, cell growth, migration, metastasis, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and chemo- and radio-resistance. Additionally, lncRNAs may improve prognosis prediction for BC patients, indicating a future use for them as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for BC patients. This review highlights that genetic tools and anti-tumor agents, such as CRISPR/Cas systems, siRNA, shRNA, antisense oligonucleotides, and vectors, have been created for use in preclinical cancer models. This has led to a growing interest in using lncRNAs based on positive research findings.

lncRNA-mediated ceRNA network in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is a common disease associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Although immunotherapy approaches such as adoptive T-cell therapy and immune checkpoint blockade have been investigated for the treatment of bladder cancer, their off-target effects and ability to affect only single targets have led to clinical outcomes that are far from satisfactory. Therefore, it is important to identify novel targets that can effectively control tumor growth and metastasis. It is well known that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are powerful regulators of gene expression. Increasing evidence has shown that dysregulated lncRNAs in bladder cancer are involved in cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this review, we focus on the roles and underlying mechanisms of lncRNA-mediated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks in the regulation of bladder cancer progression. In addition, we discuss the potential of targeting lncRNA-mediated ceRNA networks to overcome cancer treatment resistance and its association with clinicopathological features and outcomes in bladder cancer patients. We hope this review will stimulate research to develop more effective therapeutic approaches for bladder cancer treatment.

Transcriptional and reverse transcriptional regulation of host genes by human endogenous retroviruses in cancers

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) originated from ancient retroviral infections of germline cells millions of years ago and have evolved as part of the host genome. HERVs not only retain the capacity as retroelements but also regulate host genes. The expansion of HERVs involves transcription by RNA polymerase II, reverse transcription, and re-integration into the host genome. Fast progress in deep sequencing and functional analysis has revealed the importance of domesticated copies of HERVs, including their regulatory sequences, transcripts, and proteins in normal cells. However, evidence also suggests the involvement of HERVs in the development and progression of many types of cancer. Here we summarize the current state of knowledge about the expression of HERVs, transcriptional regulation of host genes by HERVs, and the functions of HERVs in reverse transcription and gene editing with their reverse transcriptase.

Research advances on circulating Long noncoding RNAs as biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, heart failure, atherosclerosis, hypertension, arrhythmia, and their complications diseases are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, it is necessary to develop new diagnostic markers for CVD. LncRNAs have become a new class of biomarkers in CVD with good development prospects. Numerous studies have confirmed lncRNAs feasibility as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive tools for different types of CVD. In this review, we summarized the available knowledge regarding the clinical application value and pathophysiological mechanism of circulating lncRNA as potential biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. We reviewed the scope of application and changes of circulating lncRNAs such as ZFAS1, CDR1AS, CHAST, UCA1, HOTAIR, MIAT, NEAT1, LIPCAR, H19, NRF, NRON, MHRT, PVT1, Heat2, CASC7, GAS5, MALAT1, APPAT, HIF1A-AS1, KCNQ1OT1, NEXN in different kinds of CVD and discussed their clinical application potential as biomarker, which can help us better understand the mechanism of CVD.

Genetic and molecular biology of gastric cancer among Iranian patients: an update

Background

There is a declining trend of gastric cancer (GC) incidence in the world during recent years that is related to the development of novel diagnostic methods. However, there is still a high ratio of GC mortality among the Iranian population that can be associated with late diagnosis. Despite various reports about the novel diagnostic markers, there is not any general and standard diagnostic panel marker for Iranian GC patients. Therefore, it is required to determine an efficient and general panel of molecular markers for early detection.

Main body of the abstract

In the present review, we summarized all of the reported markers until now among Iranian GC patients to pave the way for the determination of a population-based diagnostic panel of markers. In this regard, we categorized these markers in different groups based on their involved processes to know which molecular process is more frequent during the GC progression among Iranians.

Conclusion

We observed that the non-coding RNAs are the main factors involved in GC tumorigenesis in this population.

Long-chain non-coding RNA UCA1 inhibits renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis by targeting microRNA-206 in diabetic nephropathy

In this study, the inhibitory effect of long-chain non-coding RNA urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) on renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis by targeting microRNA (miRNA)-206 in diabetic nephropathy (DN) was investigated through DN rat model. The results showed that UCA1 expression was significantly reduced in diabetic renal tubular epithelial tissues and HG-induced HK-2 cells. UCA1 significantly inhibited HG-induced apoptosis and inflammation of renal tubular epithelial cells in HK-2 cells. In addition, UCA1 can directly act as an anti-pro-cytokine by inhibiting the expression of miR-206, and finally inhibit the apoptosis and inflammation of renal tubular epithelial cells. We conclude that UCA1 inhibits renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis by targeting miRNA-206 in DN and can be used as a potential therapeutic target for DN.

Long Non-Coding RNAs, Novel Offenders or Guardians in Multiple Sclerosis: A Scoping Review

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases worldwide. MS results in serious neurological dysfunctions and disability. Disturbances in coding and non-coding genes are key components leading to neurodegeneration along with environmental factors. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are long molecules in cells that take part in the regulation of gene expression. Several studies have confirmed the role of lncRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases such as MS. In the current study, we performed a systematic analysis of the role of lncRNAs in this disorder. In total, 53 studies were recognized as eligible for this systematic review. Of the listed lncRNAs, 52 lncRNAs were upregulated, 37 lncRNAs were downregulated, and 11 lncRNAs had no significant expression difference in MS patients compared with controls. We also summarized some of the mechanisms of lncRNA functions in MS. The emerging role of lncRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases suggests that their dysregulation could trigger neuronal death via still unexplored RNA-based regulatory mechanisms. Evaluation of their diagnostic significance and therapeutic potential could help in the design of novel treatments for MS.

Autophagy and gastrointestinal cancers: the behind the scenes role of long non-coding RNAs in initiation, progression, and treatment resistance

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers comprise a heterogeneous group of complex disorders that affect different organs, including esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, liver, biliary tract, pancreas, small intestine, colon, rectum, and anus. Recently, an explosion in nucleic acid-based technologies has led to the discovery of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that have been found to possess unique regulatory functions. This class of RNAs is >200 nucleotides in length, and is characterized by their lack of protein coding. LncRNAs exert regulatory effects in GI cancer development by affecting different functions such as the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells, apoptosis, glycolysis and angiogenesis. Over the past few decades, considerable evidence has revealed the important role of autophagy in both GI cancer progression and suppression. In addition, recent studies have confirmed a significant correlation between lncRNAs and the regulation of autophagy. In this review, we summarize how lncRNAs play a behind the scenes role in the pathogenesis of GI cancers through regulation of autophagy.

SNHG17, as an EMT-related lncRNA, promotes the expression of c-Myc by binding to c-Jun in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Dysregulation of long noncoding RNA SNHG17 is associated with the occurrence of several tumors; however, its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains obscure. The present study demonstrated that SNHG17 was upregulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines, induced by TGF‐β1, and associated with poor survival. It is also involved in the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. The mechanism underlying SNHG17‐regulated c‐Myc was detected by RNA immunoprecipitation, RNA pull‐down, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter assays. SNHG17 was found to directly regulate c‐Myc transcription by binding to c‐Jun protein and recruiting the complex to specific sequences of the c‐Myc promoter region, thereby increasing its expression. Moreover, SNHG17 hyperactivation induced by TGF‐β1 results in PI3K/AKT pathway activation, promoting cells EMT, forming a positive feedback loop. Furthermore, SNHG17 facilitated ESCC tumor growth in vivo. Overall, this study demonstrated that the SNHG17/c‐Jun/c‐Myc axis aggravates ESCC progression and EMT induction by TGF‐β1 and may serve as a new therapeutic target for ESCC.

Biological functions and clinical significance of long noncoding RNAs in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the 10 most common cancers with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a large class of noncoding RNA transcripts, consist of more than 200 nucleotides and play a significant role in the regulation of molecular interactions and cellular pathways during the occurrence and development of various cancers. In recent years, with the rapid advancement of high-throughput gene sequencing technology, several differentially expressed lncRNAs have been discovered in BCa, and their functions have been proven to have an impact on BCa development, such as cell growth and proliferation, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and drug-resistance. Furthermore, evidence suggests that lncRNAs are significantly associated with BCa patients' clinicopathological characteristics, especially tumor grade, TNM stage, and clinical progression stage. In addition, lncRNAs have the potential to more accurately predict BCa patient prognosis, suggesting their potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for BCa patients in the future. In this review, we briefly summarize and discuss recent research progress on BCa-associated lncRNAs, while focusing on their biological functions and mechanisms, clinical significance, and targeted therapy in BCa oncogenesis and malignant progression.

Long non-coding RNAs as new players in bladder cancer: Lessons from pre-clinical and clinical studies

The clinical management of bladder cancer (BC) has become an increasing challenge due to high incidence rate of BC, malignant behavior of cancer cells and drug resistance. The non-coding RNAs are considered as key factors involved in BC progression. The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules and do not encode proteins. They have more than 200 nucleotides in length and affect gene expression at epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional phases. The lncRNAs demonstrate abnormal expression in BC cells and tissues. The present aims to identifying lncRNAs with tumor-suppressor and tumor-promoting roles, and evaluating their roles as regulatory of growth and migration. Apoptosis, glycolysis and EMT are tightly regulated by lncRNAs in BC. Response of BC cells to cisplatin, doxorubicin and gemcitabine chemotherapy is modulated by lncRNAs. LncRNAs regulate immune cell infiltration in tumor microenvironment and affect response of BC cells to immunotherapy. Besides, lncRNAs are able to regulate microRNAs, STAT3, Wnt, PTEN and PI3K/Akt pathways in affecting both proliferation and migration of BC cells. Noteworthy, anti-tumor compounds and genetic tools such as siRNA, shRNA and CRISPR/Cas systems can regulate lncRNA expression in BC. Finally, lncRNAs and exosomal lncRNAs can be considered as potential diagnostic and prognostic tools in BC.

Role of Long Non-coding RNAs on Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in the urinary system, and its early diagnosis is conducive to improving clinical prognosis and prolonging overall survival time. However, few biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity are used as diagnostic markers for BC. Multiple long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in BC, and play key roles in tumorigenesis, progression and prognosis of BC. In this review, we summarize the expression, function, molecular mechanisms and the clinical significance of lncRNAs on bladder cancer. There are more than 100 dysregulated lncRNAs in BC, which are involved in the regulation of proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, invasion, metabolism and drug resistance of BC. Meanwhile, the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in BC was explored, including lncRNAs interacting with DNA, RNA and proteins. Additionally, the abnormal expression of thirty-six lncRNAs is closely associated with multiple clinical characteristics of BC, including tumor size, metastasis, invasion, and drug sensitivity or resistance of BC. Furthermore, we summarize some potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of lncRNA for BC. This review provides promising novel biomarkers in early diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of BC based on lncRNAs.

Long noncoding RNAs in the regulation of p53-mediated apoptosis in human cancers

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely known for their regulatory function in transcriptional and posttranscriptional processes. The involvement of such non-protein-coding RNAs in nuclear organization and chromatin remodeling is often associated with an increased risk of human malignancies. In cancer, lncRNAs either promote cell survival or may act as a growth suppressor, thus conferring a key regulatory function other than their established role in fundamental cellular processes. Interestingly, lncRNAs interfere with the stages of apoptosis and related pathways involving p53. Many of these molecules either regulate or are regulated by p53 while mounting oncogenic events. Consequently, they may confer both prosurvival or proapoptotic functions depending upon the tissue type. Since the mechanism of cell death is bypassed in many human cancers, it has emerged that the lncRNAs are either overexpressed or knocked down to sensitize cells to apoptotic stimuli. Nonetheless, the abundant expression of lncRNAs in tumor cells renders them suitable targets for anticancer therapies. Although the role of lncRNAs in the p53 network and apoptosis has been independently defined, their interplay in activating p53-target genes during cell cycle arrest remains unexplored. Thus, we have specifically reviewed the possible involvement of lncRNAs in the p53-mediated apoptosis of human cancer cells. In particular, we summarize the growing evidence from individual studies and analyze whether lncRNAs are essential to facilitate apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner. This may lead to the identification of p53-associated lncRNAs that are suitable therapeutic targets or diagnostic/prognostic markers.

Long non-coding RNAs regulating multiple proliferative pathways in cancer cell

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) belong to an extremely heterogeneous class of non-coding RNAs with a length ranging from 200 to 100,000 bp. They modulate a series of cellular pathways in both physiological and pathological context. It is no coincidence that they are expressed in an aberrant way in pathologies such as cancer, so as to deserve to be subclassified as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. These molecules are also involved in the regulation of cancer cell proliferation. Several lncRNAs are able to modulate cell growth both positively and negatively, and in this review we have focused on a small group of them, characterized by the simultaneous action on different pathways regulating cell proliferation. They have been considered in the light of their behavior in three different subtypes of proliferative pathways that we can define as (I) tumor suppressor, (II) oncogenic and (III) transcriptionally-driven. More specifically, we have characterized some lncRNAs considered oncogenes (such as H19, linc-ROR, MALAT1, HULC, HOTAIR and ANRIL), tumor suppressors (such as MEG3 and lincRNA-p21), and both oncogenes/tumor suppressors (UCA1 and TUG1) in a little more detail. As can be understood from the review, the interactions between lncRNAs and their molecular targets, only in the context of controlling cell proliferation, give rise to an intricate molecular network, the understanding of which, in the future, will certainly be of help for the treatment of molecular diseases such as cancer.

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica host-pathogen interactions and their implications in gallbladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Several studies have linked chronic typhoid infection with gallbladder carcinoma without completely understood mechanism. This study was performed in order to understand role of Salmonella in gallbladder cancer etiology.

METHODS

Known Salmonella host-pathogen interactions were screened from database in addition to known gallbladder carcinoma targets. Host-pathogen interaction map of S. enterica was prepared and screened for interactions with gallbladder carcinoma targets. Further functional overrepresentation analysis was performed to understand the role of human targets involved in Salmonella host-pathogen interactions in gallbladder carcinoma.

RESULTS

Salmonella interact with several human proteins involved in gallbladder carcinoma. MAPK and RAC1 are the most important human proteins based on node degree value among all GBC associated interactors identified in current data search. Functional over-representation analysis reveals that Salmonella can induce adenocarcinoma which constitutes 85% of gallbladder cancer.

CONCLUSION

Though, the role of MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is already suggested for Salmonella mediated gallbladder cancer, but current data based approach indicate several new insight for exploration of the role of Salmonella in gallbladder cancer etiology. The results indicate about several other processes including CREB/SP-1 and BSG(CD147) signaling, that must be given consideration for understanding the role of Salmonella in gallbladder cancer.

Role of LncRNAs in regulating cancer amino acid metabolism

The metabolic change of tumor cells is an extremely complicated process that involves the intersection and integration of various signal pathways. Compared with normal tissues, cancer cells show distinguished metabolic characteristics called metabolic reprogramming, which has been considered as a sign of cancer occurrence. With the deepening of tumor research in recent years, people gradually found that amino acid metabolism played crucial roles in cancer progression. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are implicated in many important biological processes, were firstly discovered dysregulating in cancer tissues and participating in extensive regulation of tumorigenesis. This review focuses on the reprogramming of amino acid metabolism in cancers and how lncRNAs participate in the regulatory network by interacting with other macromolecular substances. Understanding the functions of lncRNA in amino acid reprogramming in tumors might provide a new vision on the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and the development of new approaches for cancer therapy.

Expressional and Prognostic Value of S100A16 in Pancreatic Cancer Via Integrated Bioinformatics Analyses

Studies have shown that the calcium-binding protein family S100 may play a role in the development of pancreatic cancer (PC), but the role of S100A16 in PC is still unknown. In this study, Oncomine was first used to detect the expression level and prognosis of S100A16 in PC and other tumors. The results showed that S100A16 was highly expressed in PC tissues compared with a normal pancreas, and the increased expression level may be related to poor prognosis in PC patients. The TCGA and ICGC RNA-seq data of PC patients were downloaded, and the S100A16-related differentially expressed genome (DEGs) was defined by taking the intersection of two gene sets. The GO and KEGG pathways were then analyzed. For clinical analysis, boxplots were depicted for the correlation between clinical characteristics and S100A16 expression. Then Cox regression was applied for exploring the prognostic value of S100A16 for PDAC patients. Based on the Cox regression model, we further estabished a S100A16-related risk score system to strengthen the ability to predict patients' prognosis. After integrating the risk score model and multiple clinicopathological factors, we finally established a nomogram that could predict the survival time of patients. Moreover, Gene set enrichment the effect of S100A16 expression differences on downstream biological processes. At last, using TIMER, ImmuneCellAI and GSEA we analyzed the correlation between S100A16 and pancreatic cancer immune infiltration and predicted the response of patients to checkpoint Blocker (ICB). In summary, S100A16 is involved in the occurrence and development of PC, affecting the prognosis of patients, and may have potential reference values for the immunotherapy of PC.

The Functional Role of Long Non-coding RNA UCA1 in Human Multiple Cancers: a Review Study

In various cancers, high-grade tumor and poor survival rate in patients with upregulated lncRNAs UCA1 have been confirmed. Urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) is an oncogenic non-coding RNA with a length of more than 200 nucleotides. The UCA1 regulate critical biological processes that are involved in cancer progression, including cancer cell growth, invasion, migration, metastasis, and angiogenesis. So It should not surprise that UCA1 overexpresses in variety of cancers type, including pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, bladder cancer, adrenal cancer, hypopharyngeal cancer, oral cancer, gallbladder cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, osteosarcoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, leukemia, glioma, thyroid cancer, medulloblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and multiple myeloma. In this article, we review the biological function and regulatory mechanism of UCA1 in several cancers and also, we will discuss the potential of its as cancer biomarker and cancer treatment.

Regulatory role of long non-coding RNA UCA1 in signaling pathways and its clinical applications

Long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) plays a pivotal role in various human diseases. Its gene expression is regulated by several factors, including transcription factors, chromatin remodeling and epigenetic modification. UCA1 is involved in the regulation of the PI3K/AKT, Wnt/β-catenin, MAPK, NF-κB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways, affecting a series of cellular biological functions, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and tumor drug resistance. Furthermore, UCA1 is used as a novel potential biomarker for disease diagnosis and prognosis, as well as a target for clinical gene therapy. The present review systematically summarizes and elucidates the mechanisms of upstream transcriptional regulation of UCA1, the regulatory role of UCA1 in multiple signaling pathways in the occurrence and development of several diseases, and its potential applications in clinical treatment.

Long Noncoding RNAs as Innovative Urinary Diagnostic Biomarkers

The characterization of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is now widely studied as a promising source of cancer-derived biomarkers because of their role in tumor formation and progression. However, CTCs analysis presents some limitations and no standardized method for CTCs isolation from urine has been defined so far. In fact, besides blood, urine represents an ideal source of noninvasive biomarkers, especially for the early detection of genitourinary tumors. Besides CTCs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have also been proposed as potential noninvasive biomarkers, and the evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of urinary lncRNAs has dramatically increased over the last years, with many studies being published. Therefore, this review provides an update on the clinical utility of urinary lncRNAs as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of bladder and prostate cancers.

Visualization and bibliometric analysis of cAMP signaling system research trends and hotspots in cancer

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is an essential second messenger that widely distributed among prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. cAMP can regulate various biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and immune functions. Any dysregulation or alteration of cAMP signaling may cause cell metabolic disorder, immune dysfunction and lead to disease or cancer. This study aimed to conduct a scientometric analysis of cAMP signaling system in cancer field, and explored the research trend, hotspots and frontiers from the past decade. Relevant literatures published from 2009 to 2019 were collected in the Web of Science Core Collection database. EndNote X9 was used to remove duplicate articles, and irrelevant articles were manually filtered. Bibliometric analyses were completed by CiteSpace V. A total of 4306 articles were included in this study. The number of related literatures published each year is gradually increasing. Most of them belong to “Biochemistry & Molecular Biology”, “Oncology”, “Cell Biology”, “Pharmacology & Pharmacy” and “Endocrinology & Metabolism” areas. In the past decade, USA, China, and Japan contributed the most to the research of cAMP signaling system in cancer. The frontiers and hotspots of cAMP signaling pathway system related to cancer fields mainly focused on cancer cell apoptosis, metastasis, and multiple tumors occurrence in patients with Carney complex. Intervention of the cAMP metabolic pathway may be a potential and promising therapeutic strategy for controlling clinical cancer and tumor diseases.

A Competing Endogenous RNA Network and an 8-lncRNA Prognostic Signature Identify MYO16-AS1 as an Oncogenic lncRNA in Bladder Cancer

Recently, growing evidence has shed light on the competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) activity of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. To better elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), we identified aberrantly expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs in tumor tissues by using RNA sequence profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The MIBC-specific ceRNA network, including 58 lncRNAs, 22 miRNAs, and 52 mRNAs, was constructed and visualized in Cytoscape. Further, using the univariate and multivariate Cox regression model, we screened 8 lncRNAs (AC078778.1, LINC00525, AC008676.1, AP000553.1, SACS-AS1, AC009065.1, AC127496.3, and MYO16-AS1) to construct an lncRNA signature for predicting the overall survival of MIBC patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis and a receiver operating characteristic curve were applied to evaluate the performance of the signature. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis was carried out to test expression levels of the 8 lncRNAs in MIBC patient tissues. Transwell assays demonstrated that overexpressing MYO16-AS1 can enhance UMUC2 migration and invasion. Our study offers a novel lncRNA-correlated ceRNA model to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in MIBC. In addition, we developed an independent 8-lncRNAs biomarker for prognostic prediction and identified MYO16-AS1 as an oncogenic lncRNA in bladder cancer.

LncRNA MAGI2-AS3 inhibits bladder cancer progression by targeting the miR-31-5p/TNS1 axis

In this study, we performed bioinformatics analysis to identify the competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) that regulate bladder cancer (BCa) progression. RNA-sequencing data analysis identified 2451 differentially expressed mRNAs, 174 differentially expressed lncRNAs, and 186 microRNAs (miRNAs) in BCa tissues (n=414) compared to the normal urothelial tissues (n=19) from the TGCA database. CeRNA network analysis of the differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs showed strong positive correlation between lncRNA MAGI2-AS3 and Tensin 1 (TNS1) mRNA in BCa tissues. Bioinformatics analysis also showed that both MAGI2-AS3 and TNS1 mRNA sequences contain miR-31-5p binding sites. Furthermore, we observed significantly lower MAGI2-AS3 and TNS1 mRNA expression and higher miR-31-5p expression in the BCa tissues and cell lines (T24 and J82) compared with their corresponding controls. Functional and biochemical experiments in BCa cell lines including luciferase reporter assays showed that MAGI2-AS3 upregulated TNS1 by sponging miR-31-5p. Transwell assays showed that the MAGI2-AS3/miR-31-5p/TNS1 axis regulated migration and invasion ability of BCa cell lines. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining of paired BCa and normal urothelial tissues showed that low expression of TNS1 correlated with advanced tumor (T) stages and lymph node metastasis in BCa. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that the MAGI2-AS3/miR-31-5p/TNS1 axis regulates BCa progression.

Identification and verification of an immune-related lncRNA signature for predicting the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have revealed the significant roles of immune-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer development and progression. The identification of biomarkers that contribute to early detection and risk stratification provides significant benefits for bladder cancer (BC) patients. The current study aimed to determine an immune-related lncRNA signature for predicting the prognosis of BC patients.

METHODS

Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we identified seven immune-related lncRNAs with prognostic value. The predictive value of the prognostic signature developed from immune-related lncRNAs was assessed by survival and nomogram analyses. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to visualize gene expression patterns in the groups defined by the risk score, and the immune composition and purity of the tumor were evaluated by the ESTIMATE algorithm.

RESULTS

Based on the Pearson correlation analysis results, 765 immune-related lncRNAs were filtered (|R| > 0.4, P < 0.001), and seven immune-related lncRNAs (Z84484.1, AC009120.2, AL450384.2, AC024060.1, TNFRSF14-AS1, AL354919.2, OCIAD1-AS1) with prognostic value were finally identified. Patients in the low-risk group had a better prognosis than those in the high-risk group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the signature was an independent prognostic factor. A prognostic nomogram with clinical features and the signature of seven immune-related lncRNAs was also constructed. According to the PCA and ESTIMATE algorithm results, we found different immune statuses in the low-and high-risk groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that the signature of seven immune-related lncRNAs can be used as a prognostic marker for BC.

LncRNA UCA1 maintains the low-tumorigenic and nonmetastatic status by stabilizing E-cadherin in primary prostate cancer cells

Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) have emerged as important players in cancer biology. Increasing evidence suggests that LncRNAs are frequently dysregulated in cancer and may function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1), a LncRNA, firstly identified in bladder transitional cell carcinoma, seems to act as an oncogene in many different types of human cancers by promoting cell proliferation and migration. In this study, we revealed a novel biological function of UCA1, which was different from that reported by previous studies, was responsible for maintaining the low-tumorigenic, nonmetastatic phenotypes in primary prostate epithelial cells. UCA1 could stabilize E-cadherin protein by preventing the interaction between E-cadherin and its E3 ligase MDM2, which suppressed MDM2-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of E-cadherin. In addition, we also found that UCA1 acted as a sponge of miR-296-3p, which targeted E-cadherin gene CDH1 messenger RNA at the posttranscription level. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that UCA1 had a new important role in effectively keeping E-cadherin at a high level through a dual mechanism, which maintained primary prostate cancer cells at the low-tumorigenic and nonmetastatic status.

An integrative network-driven pipeline for systematic identification of lncRNA-associated regulatory network motifs in metastatic melanoma

BACKGROUND

Melanoma phenotype and the dynamics underlying its progression are determined by a complex interplay between different types of regulatory molecules. In particular, transcription factors (TFs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) interact in layers that coalesce into large molecular interaction networks. Our goal here is to study molecules associated with the cross-talk between various network layers, and their impact on tumor progression.

RESULTS

To elucidate their contribution to disease, we developed an integrative computational pipeline to construct and analyze a melanoma network focusing on lncRNAs, their miRNA and protein targets, miRNA target genes, and TFs regulating miRNAs. In the network, we identified three-node regulatory loops each composed of lncRNA, miRNA, and TF. To prioritize these motifs for their role in melanoma progression, we integrated patient-derived RNAseq dataset from TCGA (SKCM) melanoma cohort, using a weighted multi-objective function. We investigated the expression profile of the top-ranked motifs and used them to classify patients into metastatic and non-metastatic phenotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study showed that network motif UCA1/AKT1/hsa-miR-125b-1 has the highest prediction accuracy (ACC = 0.88) for discriminating metastatic and non-metastatic melanoma phenotypes. The observation is also confirmed by the progression-free survival analysis where the patient group characterized by the metastatic-type expression profile of the motif suffers a significant reduction in survival. The finding suggests a prognostic value of network motifs for the classification and treatment of melanoma.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0075828 promotes bladder cancer cell proliferation through activation of CREB1

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), one kind of non-coding RNA, have been reported as critical regulators for modulating gene expression in cancer. In this study, microarray analysis was used to screen circRNA expression profiles of bladder cancer (BC) 5637 cells, T24 cells and normal control SV-HUC-1 cells. The data from the microarray showed that hsa_circ_0075828 (named circCASC15) was most highly expressed in 5637 and T24 cells. circCASC15 was highly expressed in BC tissues and cells. Overexpression of circCASC15 was closely associated with BC tumor stage and promoted cell proliferation significantly in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circCASC15 could act as miR-1224-5p sponge to activate the expression of CREB1 to promote cell proliferation in BC. In short, circCASC15 promotes cell proliferation in BC, which might be a new molecular target for BC diagnosis and therapy.

Role of PI3K/AKT pathway in cancer: the framework of malignant behavior

Given that the PI3K/AKT pathway has manifested its compelling influence on multiple cellular process, we further review the roles of hyperactivation of PI3K/AKT pathway in various human cancers. We state the abnormalities of PI3K/AKT pathway in different cancers, which are closely related with tumorigenesis, proliferation, growth, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, stem-like phenotype, immune microenvironment and drug resistance of cancer cells. In addition, we investigated the current clinical trials of inhibitors against PI3K/AKT pathway in cancers and found that the clinical efficacy of these inhibitors as monotherapy has so far been limited despite of the promising preclinical activity, which means combinations of targeted therapy may achieve better efficacies in cancers. In short, we hope to feature PI3K/AKT pathway in cancers to the clinic and bring the new promising to patients for targeted therapies.

Metformin Suppresses the Proliferation and Promotes the Apoptosis of Colon Cancer Cells Through Inhibiting the Expression of Long Noncoding RNA-UCA1

PURPOSE

LncRNA-UCA1 has been proven to facilitate the proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer. Whether metformin inhibits the progression of colon cancer by suppressing lncRNA-UCA1 remains unknown. In this research, we aimed to explore the role of Metformin playing in pathogenesis of colon cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using qRT-PCR, we measured the expression of five tumor-promoting lncRNAs in SW480 and SW620 colon cancer cells. Then, we conducted Western blotting and immunohistochemistry to evaluate the effects of MET or UCA1 knockdown or the combined MET+ UCA1 knockdown on the activities of the PI3K/AKT and ERK pathways in vitro and in tumor tissues obtained from tumor-bearing nude mice.

RESULTS

The results from CCK-8 assays showed that MET dose-dependently and time-dependently inhibited the viability of the colon cancer cells in vitro. Flow cytometry revealed that MET promoted the apoptosis of the SW480 and SW620 cells. qRT-PCR showed that lncRNA-UCA1 had the highest expression among the five lncRNAs. Suppressing UCA1 expression by siRNA or shRNA could further enhance the metformin-mediated anticancer effects against colon cancer in vitro and in vivo. Metformin decreased the UCA1 expression and further inhibited the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of the colon cancer cells, which were associated with inactivation of the PI3K/AKT and ERK signaling pathways in vitro and in the tumor tissues obtained from the mice.

CONCLUSION

These results indicated that metformin has potential anticancer properties and revealed the anticancer mechanisms of metformin against colon cancer via regulating lncRNA-UCA1.

Non-coding RNA in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is the tenth most common cancer worldwide and has been associated with high mortality and morbidity. Although the treatment of bladder cancer is based on well-defined tumor classifications and gradings, patients still experience different clinical response. The heterogeneity of this disease calls for substantial research with more in-depth molecular characterization, with the hope of identifying new diagnostic and treatment options. In recent years, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly, microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) were found to be associated with bladder cancer occurrence and development. This review highlights the recent findings concerning ncRNAs and their relevance to the pathogenesis of bladder cancer. This may provide a foundation for developing highly specific diagnostic tools and more robust therapeutic strategies in the future.

Unraveling UCA1 lncRNA prognostic utility in urothelial bladder cancer

In the era of precision oncology, bladder cancer (BlCa) is characterized by generic patient management and lack of personalized prognosis and surveillance. Herein, we have studied the clinical significance of urothelial cancer associated 1 (UCA1) lncRNA in improving patients' risk stratification and prognosis. A screening cohort of 176 BlCa patients was used for UCA1 quantification. The Hedegaard et al. (n = 476) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) provisional (n = 413) were analyzed as validation cohorts for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), respectively. Patients' survival outcome was assessed using recurrence and progression for NMIBC or death for MIBC as clinical endpoint events. Bootstrap analysis was performed for internal validation of Cox regression analysis, whereas the clinical benefit of disease prognosis was assessed by decision curve analysis. UCA1 was significantly overexpressed in bladder tumors compared with normal urothelium, which was confirmed only in the case of NMIBC. Interestingly, reduced expression of UCA1 was correlated with muscle-invasive disease as well as with tumors of higher stage and grade. UCA1 loss was strongly associated with higher risk of short-term relapse [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.974; P = 0.032] and progression to invasive stages (HR = 3.476; P = 0.023) in NMIBC. In this regard, Hedegaard et al. and TCGA validation cohorts confirmed the unfavorable prognostic nature of UCA1 loss in BlCa. Finally, prognosis prediction models integrating UCA1 underexpression and established clinical disease markers contributed to improved stratification specificity and superior clinical benefit for NMIBC prognosis. Underexpression of UCA1 correlates with worse disease outcome in NMIBC and contributes to superior prediction of disease early relapse and progression as well as improved patient stratification specificity.

Bioinformatics Analysis of the Expression of Key Long Intergenic Non-Protein Coding RNA Genes in Bladder Cancer

Background

Evidence indicates that there is an important role for long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) in numerous cellular processes and that lncRNAs dysregulation contributes to tumor progression. Improved insight into the molecular characteristics of bladder cancer is required to predict outcomes and to develop a new rationale for targeted therapeutic strategies. Bioinformatics methods, including functional enrichment and network analysis combined with survival analysis, are required to process a large volume of data to obtain further information about differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in bladder cancer. This study aimed to explore the role of lncRNAs and their regulation network in bladder cancer.

Material/Methods

We analyzed bladder cancer data by The Cancer Genome Atlas profiling to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs in bladder cancer. The genes involved in the circlncRNAnet database were evaluated using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene Ontology (GO), evolutionary relationship analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks.

Results

Two new lncRNAs, ADAMTS9-AS1 and LINC00460, were shown to be differentially expressed in bladder cancer. Patients were divided into 2 groups (high expression and low expression) according to their median expression values. The overall survival and disease-free survival of patients with high ADAMTS9-AS1 bladder cancer were significantly shorter; the expression of LINC00460 had no significant correlation with survival. GO and KEGG analysis of the 2 lncRNA-related genes revealed that these lncRNAs played a vital role in tumorigenesis. Bioinformatics analysis showed that key genes related to LINC00460, including CXCL, CCL, and CSF2, may be related to the development of bladder cancer. The low expression of ADAMTS9-AS1 may influence the survival rate of bladder cancer with the hub gene as a target.

Conclusions

LncRNA, including LINC00460 and ADAMTS9-AS1, might play a crucial role in the biosynthesis network of bladder cancer. Differential expression results of ADAMTS9-AS1 suggests it may be correlated with a worse prognosis and a shorter survival time. We outlined the biosynthesis network that regulates lncRNAs in bladder cancer. Further experimental data is needed to validate our results.

Long non-coding RNAs in genitourinary malignancies: a whole new world

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulators of cellular machinery that are commonly dysregulated in genitourinary malignancies. Accordingly, the investigation of lncRNAs is improving our understanding of genitourinary cancers, from development to progression and dissemination. lncRNAs are involved in major oncogenic events in genitourinary malignancies, including androgen receptor (AR) signalling in prostate cancer, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway activation in renal cell carcinoma and invasiveness in bladder cancer, as well as multiple other proliferation and survival mechanisms. In line with their putative oncogenic roles, new lncRNA-based classifications are emerging as potent predictors of prognosis. In clinical practice, detection of oncogenic lncRNAs in serum or urine might enable early cancer detection, and lncRNAs might also be promising therapeutic targets for patients with genitourinary cancer. Furthermore, as predictors of sensitivity to anticancer treatments, lncRNAs could be integrated into future precision medicine strategies. Overall, lncRNAs are promising new candidates for molecular studies and for discovery of innovative biomarkers and are putative therapeutic targets in genitourinary oncology.

LncRNA NRON promotes the proliferation, metastasis and EMT process in bladder cancer

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignancies world-wide with high morbidity and mortality. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are thought to play a critical role in cancer development. LncRNA NRON, a repressor of activated T-cell nuclear factor (NFAT), has been shown to be dysregulated in many cancer types. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of NRON in bladder cancer is still unknown.

Methods: The expression levels of NRON in BC tissues and cell lines were tested by RT-qPCR. Survival analysis was performed to detect the correlation between NRON expression and clinical outcomes in patients with BC. The biological role of NRON in BC cells proliferation and metastasis was examined in vitro and in vivo.

Results: The expression of NRON was significantly upregulated in BC specimens and cell lines compared with paired adjacent normal tissues and normal cell lines. The upregulation of NRON in bladder cancer patients was significantly associated with the depth of bladder tumor invasion and poor prognosis. Knockdown of NRON inhibited BC cells proliferation, migration, invasion and tumorigenicity. Furthermore, NRON promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression, and NRON-induced EZH2 expression contributed to this process.

Conclusion: In conclusion, our results suggested that NRON acted as an oncogene and tumor biomarker for BC.

Lnc-MUC20-9 binds to ROCK1 and functions as a tumor suppressor in bladder cancer

The study aimed to investigate the expression and function of bladder cancer (BC) long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) using a high-throughput platform. High-throughput sequencing was used to compare the expression profiles of lncRNA in BC and adjacent normal tissues. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), in situ hybridization, gene ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis were performed to verify differential expression of lncRNA. The effect of lncRNA overexpression on cellular proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion was analyzed following the transfection of lncRNA overexpressing lentivirus into 5637 and T24 cell lines. The overexpressing cells were subcutaneously injected into nude mice to evaluate their effects on tumor growth. Tumor-associated RNA-binding proteins of lncRNA were analyzed by RNA pull-down combined with mass spectrometry. A total of 93 lncRNA genes were upregulated and 352 lncRNA genes were downregulated in the tissues of patients with BC. Of which, we investigated the function of downregulated lnc-MUC20-9. Overexpression of lnc-MUC20-9 in 5637 and T24 cells resulted in decreased tumor cell viability and cell clones, decreased migration and invasion, and increased apoptosis. Similarly, nude mice bearing lnc-MUC20-9 overexpressing tumor cells exhibited smaller tumor size and volume than that of mice bearing control cells. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that lnc-MUC20-9 binds to ROCK1, an oncogene whose expression was decreased in lnc-MUC20-9 overexpressing cells. The study revealed that lnc-MUC20-9 has the function of inhibiting tumor growth, migration, and invasion. In BC cells, lnc-MUC20-9 binds to ROCK1 and may be involved in lnc-MUC20-9-mediated tumor suppressor function, which might be potential therapeutic targets for BC.

Regulation of Glucose and Lipid Metabolism by Long Non-coding RNAs: Facts and Research Progress

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNA with a length that exceeds 200 nucleotides. Previous studies have shown that lncRNAs play an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Research in both animal models and humans has begun to unravel the profound complexity of lncRNAs and demonstrated that lncRNAs exert direct effects on glucose and lipid metabolism both in vivo and in vitro. Such research has elucidated the regulatory role of lncRNAs in glucose and lipid metabolism in human disease. lncRNAs mediate glucose and lipid metabolism under physiological and pathological conditions and contribute to various metabolism disorders. This review provides an update on our understanding of the regulatory role of lncRNAs in glucose and lipid metabolism in various diseases. As our understanding of the function of lncRNAs improves, the future is promising for the development of new diagnostic biomarkers that utilize lncRNAs and treatments that target lncRNAs to improve clinical outcomes.

UCA1 long non-coding RNA: An update on its roles in malignant behavior of cancers

The lncRNA urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) is a 1.4 kb long transcript which has been firstly recognized in human bladder cancer cell line. Subsequent studies revealed its over-expression in a wide array of human cancer cell lines and patients' samples. In addition to conferring malignant phenotype to cells, it enhances resistance to conventional anti-cancer drugs. Moreover, transcript levels of this lncRNA have been regarded as diagnostic markers in several cancer types including gastric, bladder and liver cancers. The underlying mechanism of its participation in carcinogenesis has been identified in some cancer types. Sponging tumor suppressor miRNAs, interacting with cancer-promoting signaling pathways and enhancing cell cycle progression are among these mechanisms. Although few studies have shown anti-carcinogenic properties for this lncRNA, the bulk of evidence supports its oncogenic roles. In the current study, we have reviewed the current literature on the role of UCA1 in the carcinogenic process based on the results of in vitro studies, investigations in animal models and assessment of UCA1 expression in clinical samples.

Urothelial carcinoma associated 1 promotes trophoblast invasion by regulating MMP9

BACKGROUND

The long non-coding RNA UCA1 is reportedly increased in several human tumors and critical for the cell migration, invasion, or proliferation of several cancer cells. However, the potential roles of UCA1 in trophoblasts at early pregnancy still poorly understood. Here, we sought to unravel the roles of UCA1 in the occurrence of the recurrent miscarriage (RM) disorders.

RESULTS

The knockdown of UCA1 in human HTR-8 trophoblast cell line reduced their cell proliferative and invasive ability. Conversely, the UCA1 overexpression promoted the cell proliferation and invasion of HTR-8 cells. Quantitative RT-PCR screening revealed that UCA1 overexpression significantly enhanced MMP9, but not MMP2, mRNA expression in trophoblast cells. The overexpression of UCA1 also promoted trophoblast invasion by upregulating MMP9 expression and activity both in vitro and ex vivo. Consistently, UCA1 and MMP9 mRNA expression level was notably reduced in placental villi derived from patients with RM diseases.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that UCA1 is critical for the regulation of invasive ability in trophoblasts. The abnormal UCA1/MMP9 pathway might result in the impaired trophoblast activities and lead to the development of RM. Our data may also provide a novel angle for the treatment in RM patients.

Long noncoding RNAs in the mTOR signaling network: biomarkers and therapeutic targets

As an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) related kinase family, the mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays vital roles in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, participating in different cellular processes including cell survival, metabolism and proliferation. Aberrant activity of this signaling pathway may lead to oncogenesis. Over the last two decades, great progress has been made in the understanding of mTOR activation and how its response is counteracted for maintaining tissue homeostasis. Besides regulatory proteins and microRNAs, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is another emerging critical layer of the intricate modulatory architecture for the control of the mTOR signaling circuit. Also, the production of numerous lncRNAs is induced by mTOR treatment. These findings offer new perspectives for designing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. In this review, we summarize the interactions between the mTOR signaling pathway and lncRNAs in the development and progression of various types of tumors, focusing on the mechanisms of these interactions, and also discuss the potential use of lncRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for malignancies.

WITHDRAWN: Long non-coding RNA UCA1 regulates tumor growth by impairing let-7e-dependent HMGA2 repression in bladder cancer

Ahead of Print article withdrawn by publisher.

The Long Noncoding RNA UCA1 Negatively Regulates Melanogenesis in Melanocytes

The long noncoding RNA UCA1 was first discovered in bladder cancer and is known to regulate the proliferation and migration of melanoma. However, its role in melanogenesis is unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the role and mechanism of UCA1 in melanogenesis. Our findings showed that the expression of UCA1 was negatively correlated with melanin content in melanocytes and pigmented nevus. Overexpression of UCA1 in melanocytes decreased melanin content and the expression of melanogenesis-related genes, whereas knockdown of UCA1 in melanocytes had the opposite effect. High-throughput sequencing revealed that microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), an important transcription factor affecting melanogenesis, was also negatively correlated with the expression of UCA1. Furthermore, the transcription factor CRE-binding protein (CREB), which promotes MITF expression, was negatively regulated by UCA1. The cAMP/protein kinase A (PKA), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways, which are upstream of the CREB/MITF/melanogenesis axis, were activated or inhibited in response to silencing or enhancing UCA1 expression, respectively. In addition, enhanced UCA1 expression downregulates the expression of melanogenesis-related genes induced by UVB in melanocytes. In conclusion, UCA1 may negatively regulate the CREB/MITF/melanogenesis axis through inhibiting the cAMP/PKA, ERK, and JNK signaling pathways in melanocytes. UCA1 may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of pigmented skin diseases.

Overexpression of lncRNA Gm15621 alleviates apoptosis and inflammation response resulting from sevoflurane treatment through inhibiting miR-133a/Sox4

Sevoflurane is the most widely used anesthetic administered by inhalation. Exposure to sevoflurane can elicit learning deficits and abnormal cognitive disorder. In this study, we investigated the function of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Gm15621. Primary hippocampal neuron cells were used to analyze the function of lncRNA Gm15621 in vitro. The tunel, inflammation markers, and cell survival rates were detected to evaluate the function of lncRNA Gm15621. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to identify the interaction between microRNA 133a and Gm15621. We found that lncRNA Gm15621 located in the cytoplasm. The expression of lncRNA Gm15621 was decreased with the development of sevoflurane exposure. Overexpression of lncRNA Gm15621 significantly reduced the apoptosis and cell survival rates. The inflammation response was also attenuated in lncRNA Gm15621 overexpressed group. The dual-luciferase assay revealed that miR-133a was the direct target of lncRNA Gm15621. In addition, we also found that Sox4 was a downstream target of miR-133a and lncRNA Gm15621 exerted its biological functions by regulating the expression of Sox4. In summary, our findings revealed that lncRNA Gm15621 ameliorated the sevoflurane-induced neurotoxicity and the important role of Gm15621/miR-133a/Sox4 axis in cognitive disorder.

Long Non-coding Ribonucleic Acid as a Novel Diagnosis and Prognosis Biomarker of Bladder Cancer

Long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) are the largest group of non-coding RNAs and supposedly have a broad spectrum of diverse functions in normal cellular processes. This study was carried out to review the biological functions of candidate lncRNAs (i.e., H19, MALAT-1, TUG1, UCA-1, MEG-3, HOTAIR, CCAT2, AATBC, and the like) with aberrant expressions that play critical roles in bladder cancer (BC) initiation, progression, and metastasis. A formal narrative review was performed by searching the PubMed database for English articles using a combination of keywords such as "long non-coding RNA", "lncRNA", "cancer", "bladder cancer", "screening", "prognosis", "diagnosis", and "response to therapy". In addition, the existing literature was studied on biological function, aberrant expression, and the clinical applications of candidate lncRNAs in BC. By a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs, they can be used as biomarkers for tumor signatures in urologic malignancies, which can improve screening, prognosis, diagnosis, and the treatment of BC.