miR-194 suppresses metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer through regulating expression of BMP1 and p27kip1

Targeting BMP-1 enhances anti-tumoral effects of doxorubicin in metastatic mammary cancer: common and distinct features of TGF-β inhibition

PURPOSE

Mammary carcinoma is comprised heterogeneous groups of cells with different metastatic potential. 4T1 mammary carcinoma cells metastasized to heart (4THM), liver (4TLM) and brain (4TBM) and demonstrate cancer-stem cell phenotype. Using these cancer cells we found thatTGF-β is the top upstream regulator of metastatic process. In addition, secretion of bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP-1), which is crucial for the proteolytic release of TGF-β, was markedly high in metastatic mammary cancer cells compared to non-metastatic cells. Although TGF-β inhibitors are in clinical trials, systemic inhibition of TGF-β may produce heavy side effects. We here hypothesize that inhibition of BMP-1 proteolytic activity inhibits TGF-β activity and induces anti-tumoral effects.

METHOD AND RESULTS

Effects of specific BMP-1 inhibitor on liver and brain metastatic murine mammary cancer cells (4TLM and 4TBM), as well as on human mammary cancer MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells, were examined and compared with the results of TGF-β inhibition. Inhibition of BMP-1 activity markedly suppressed proliferation of cancer cells and enhanced anti-tumoral effects of doxorubicin. Inhibition of BMP-1 activity but not of TGF-β activity decreased colony and spheroid formation. Differential effects of BMP-1 and TGF-β inhibitors on TGF-β secretion was also observed.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrated for the first time that the inhibition of BMP-1 activity has therapeutic potential for treatment of metastatic mammary cancer and enhances the anti-tumoral effects of doxorubicin.

MicroRNAs in lung cancer: their role in tumor progression, biomarkers, diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic relevance

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs which are associated with post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Dysfunction or aberrant expression of miRNAs is predominant in various malignancies including lung cancer. Lung cancer is one of the commonest causes of cancer-related death worldwide, with a five-year survival of only 10-20%. The present review summarizes the current understanding of the role of miRNAs in the development and progression of human lung cancer and their therapeutic potential. Also, we briefly discuss the canonical biogenetic pathway of miRNAs followed by a detailed illustration on how miRNAs regulate human lung cancer progression in various ways. Furthermore, we focus on how miRNAs contribute to the crosstalk between cancer cells and different cells in the tumor microenvironment in the context of lung cancer. Finally, we illustrate how different miRNAs are used as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for lung cancer and the ongoing miRNA-associated clinical trials. In conclusion, we discuss how targeting miRNAs can be a potential therapeutic means in the treatment of human lung cancer.

Integrated analysis of M2 macrophage-related gene prognostic model and single-cell sequence to predict immunotherapy response in lung adenocarcinoma

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients have high heterogeneity. The significance and clinical value of M2 macrophage-related genes in LUAD require further exploration. We aimed to construct a prognostic signature to predict the immunotherapy efficacy and prognosis in LUAD.

Methods

GSE26939 and GSE19188 chips were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis were used to screen M2 macrophage-related prognostic genes. A signature based on M2 macrophage-related prognostic genes was established and used to predict the prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in LUAD.

Results

Twenty-two M2 macrophage-related genes associated with the prognosis of LUAD were confirmed using WGCNA, and then two molecular subtypes were identified with significantly different survival, gene expressions, and clinic characteristics were classified. LASSO analysis identified nine M2 macrophage-related prognostic genes to establish a risk signature, classifying patients into low- and high-risk groups. Data indicated that low-risk patients had better survival. Moreover, the signature was an independent prognostic factor for LUAD and a potential biomarker for patients receiving immunotherapy. Single-cell transcriptome analysis may provide important information on molecular subtypes and heterogeneity.

Conclusion

Risk signature based on M2 macrophage-related genes is a valuable tool for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in patients with LUAD.

PCPE-2 (procollagen C-proteinase enhancer-2): The non-identical twin of PCPE-1

PCPE-2 was discovered at the beginning of this century, and was soon identified as a close homolog of PCPE-1 (procollagen C-proteinase enhancer 1). After the demonstration that it could also stimulate the proteolytic maturation of fibrillar procollagens by BMP-1/tolloid-like proteinases (BTPs), PCPE-2 did not attract much attention as it was thought to fulfill the same functions as PCPE-1 which was already well-described. However, the tissue distribution of PCPE-2 shows both common points and significant differences with PCPE-1, suggesting that their activities are not fully overlapping. Also, the recently established connections between PCPE-2 (gene name PCOLCE2) and several important diseases such as atherosclerosis, inflammatory diseases and cancer have highlighted the need for a thorough reappraisal of the in vivo roles of this regulatory protein. In this context, the recent finding that, while retaining the ability to bind fibrillar procollagens and to activate their C-terminal maturation, PCPE-2 can also bind BTPs and inhibit their activity has substantially extended its potential functions. In this review, we describe the current knowledge about PCPE-2 with a focus on collagen fibrillogenesis, lipid metabolism and inflammation, and discuss how we could further advance our understanding of PCPE-2-dependent biological processes.

A new method for network bioinformatics identifies novel drug targets for mucinous ovarian carcinoma

Mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) is a subtype of ovarian cancer that is distinct from all other ovarian cancer subtypes and currently has no targeted therapies. To identify novel therapeutic targets, we developed and applied a new method of differential network analysis comparing MOC to benign mucinous tumours (in the absence of a known normal tissue of origin). This method mapped the protein-protein network in MOC and then utilised structural bioinformatics to prioritise the proteins identified as upregulated in the MOC network for their likelihood of being successfully drugged. Using this protein-protein interaction modelling, we identified the strongest 5 candidates, CDK1, CDC20, PRC1, CCNA2 and TRIP13, as structurally tractable to therapeutic targeting by small molecules. siRNA knockdown of these candidates performed in MOC and control normal fibroblast cell lines identified CDK1, CCNA2, PRC1 and CDC20, as potential drug targets in MOC. Three targets (TRIP13, CDC20, CDK1) were validated using known small molecule inhibitors. Our findings demonstrate the utility of our pipeline for identifying new targets and highlight potential new therapeutic options for MOC patients.

Upregulation of BMP1 through ncRNAs correlates with adverse outcomes and immune infiltration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for approximately 2-3% of all adult malignancies. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), which comprises 70-80% of all RCC cases, is the most common histological subtype.

METHODS

ccRCC transcriptome data and clinical information were downloaded from the TCGA database. We used the TCGA and GEPIA databases to analyze relative expression of BMP1 in various types of human cancer. GEPIA was used to perform survival analysis for BMP1 in various cancer types. Upstream binding miRNAs of BMP1 were obtained through several important target gene prediction tools. StarBase was used to predict candidate miRNAs that may bind to BMP1 and candidate lncRNAs that may bind to hsa-miR-532-3p. We analyzed the association between expression of BMP1 and immune cell infiltration levels in ccRCC using the TIMER website. The relationship between BMP1 expression levels and immune checkpoint expression levels was also investigated.

RESULTS

BMP1 was upregulated in GBM, HNSC, KIRC, KIRP and STAD and downregulated in KICH and PRAD. Combined with OS and DFS, BMP1 can be used as a biomarker for poor prognosis among patients with KIRC. Through expression analysis, survival analysis and correlation analysis, LINC00685, SLC16A1-AS1, PVT1, VPS9D1-AS1, SNHG15 and the CCDC18-AS1/hsa-miR-532-3p/BMP1 axis were established as the most potential upstream ncRNA-related pathways of BMP1 in ccRCC. Furthermore, we found that BMP1 levels correlated significantly positively with tumor immune cell infiltration, biomarkers of immune cells, and immune checkpoint expression.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that ncRNA-mediated high expression of BMP1 is associated with poor prognosis and tumor immune infiltration in ccRCC.

Visual analytics identifies key miRNAs for differentiating peripancreatic paraganglioma and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Introduction

Paragangliomas (PGL), a type of neuroendocrine tumor, pose a significant diagnostic challenge due to their potential for unpredictable locations and asymptomatic presentation. Misdiagnosis of peripancreatic PGLs, particularly as pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PANNETs), is a pressing issue as it can negatively impact both pre- and post-treatment decision-making. The aim of our study was to identify microRNA markers for the reliable differential diagnosis of peripancreatic PGLs and PANNETs, addressing a crucial unmet need in the field and advancing the standard of care for these patients.

Methods

Morphing projections tool was used to analyze miRNA data from PGL and PANNET tumors present in the TCGA database. The findings were validated using two additional databases: GSE29742 and GSE73367.

Results

Our research uncovered substantial differences in the miRNA expression profiles of PGL and PANNET, leading to the identification of 6 key miRNAs (miR-10b-3p, miR-10b-5p, and the miRNA families miR-200c/141 and miR-194/192) that can effectively differentiate between the two types of tumors.

Discussion

These miRNA levels hold potential as biomarkers for improved diagnosis, offering a solution to the diagnostic challenge posed by these tumors and potentially improving the standard of care for patients.

An Analysis of BMP1 Associated with m6A Modification and Immune Infiltration in Pancancer

Background. This research explores the underlying link between diagnosis and therapy between bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP1) and various cancers. Methods. Three immunotherapeutic cohorts, by the composition of IMvigor210, GSE35640, and GSE78220 were obtained from previously published articles and the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The different expressions of BMP1 in various clinical parameters were conducted, and prognostic analysis was executed utilizing Cox proportional hazard regression and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis. Moreover, the correlation between BMP1 and tumor microenvironment was analyzed using ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms. Tumor mutational burden and microsatellite instability were also included. The correlation between m6A modification and the gene expression level was analyzed using Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer data analysis portal. Gene Set Cancer Analysis analyzed the correlation of BMP1 expression level with copy number variations and methylation. Furthermore, the correlation between BMP1 and therapeutic response after antineoplastic drug use was illustrated for further discussion. Results. BMP1 expression had significant differences in 14 cancers. It presented an intimate relationship with immune-relevant biomarkers. A variation analysis indicated that BMP1 had a significant association with immunotherapeutic response. The expression level of BMP1 was closely associated with insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3, an m6A modification relative gene. Except for a few cancer types, methylation negatively correlated with BMP1, and copy number variations positively correlated with BMP1. Notably, low BMP1 expression was connected with immunotherapeutic response in the cohorts, and its expression was related to increased sectional sensitivity of drugs. Conclusion. BMP1 may serve as a potential biomarker for prognostic prediction and immunologic infiltration in diversified cancers, providing a new thought approach for oncotherapy.

Construction of Prognostic Risk Model for Small Cell Lung Cancer Based on Immune-Related Genes

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly invasive and fatal malignancy. Research at the present stage implied that the expression of immune-related genes is associated with the prognosis in SCLC. Accordingly, it is essential to explore effective immune-related molecular markers to judge prognosis and treat SCLC. Our research obtained SCLC dataset from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and subjected mRNAs in it to differential expression analysis. Differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) were intersected with immune-related genes to yield immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The functions of these DEGs were revealed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. Thereafter, we categorized 3 subtypes of immune-related DEGs via K-means clustering. Kaplan-Meier curves analyzed the effects of 3 subtypes on SCLC patients' survival. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and ESTIMATE validated that the activation of different immune gene subtypes differed significantly. Finally, an immune-related-7-gene assessment model was constructed by univariate-Lasso-multiple Cox regression analyses. Riskscores, Kaplan-Meier curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and independent prognostic analyses validated the prognostic value of the immune-related-7-gene assessment model. As suggested by GSEA, there was a prominent difference in cytokine-related pathways between high- and low-risk groups. As the analysis went further, we discovered a statistically significant difference in the expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins and costimulatory molecules expressed on the surface of CD274, CD152, and T lymphocytes in different groups. In a word, we started with immune-related genes to construct the prognostic model for SCLC, which could effectively evaluate the clinical outcomes and offer guidance for the treatment and prognosis of SCLC patients.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 interacts with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and negatively regulates its transcriptional activity

p27^Kip1 functions to coordinate cell cycle progression through the inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) complexes. p27^Kip1 also exerts distinct activities beyond CDK-inhibition, including functioning as a transcriptional regulator. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor with diverse biological roles. The regulatory inputs that control AhR-mediated transcriptional responses are an active area of investigation. AhR was previously established as a direct regulator of p27^Kip1 transcription. Here, we report the physical interaction of AhR and p27^Kip1 and show that p27^Kip1 expression negatively regulates AhR-mediated transcription. p27^Kip1 knockout cells display increased AhR nuclear localisation and significantly higher expression of AhR target genes. This work thus identifies new regulatory cross-talk between p27^Kip1 and AhR.

Identification and validation of an immune-related gene prognostic signature for clear cell renal carcinoma

Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma (ccRCC) accounts for nearly 80% of renal carcinoma cases, and immunotherapy plays an important role in ccRCC therapy. However, the responses to immunotherapy and overall survival for ccRCC patients are still hard to predict. Here, we constructed an immune-related predictive signature using 19 genes based on TCGA datasets. We also analyzed its relationships between disease prognosis, infiltrating immune cells, immune subtypes, mutation load, immune dysfunction, immune escape, etc. We found that our signature can distinguish immune characteristics and predict immunotherapeutic response for ccRCC patients with better prognostic prediction value than other immune scores. The expression levels of prognostic genes were determined by RT-qPCR assay. This signature may help to predict overall survival and guide the treatment for patients with ccRCC.

A Novel Risk Score Model Based on Eleven Extracellular Matrix-Related Genes for Predicting Overall Survival of Glioma Patients

Gliomas are the most common lethal primary brain tumors with variable survival outcomes for patients. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is linked with clinical prognosis of glioma patients, but it is not commonly used as a clinical indicator. Herein, we investigated changes in ECM-related genes (ECMRGs) via analyzing the transcriptional data of 938 gliomas from TCGA and CGGA datasets. Based on least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analysis, a 11-ECMRG signature that is strongly linked with overall survival (OS) in glioma patients was identified. This signature was characterized by high-risk and low-risk score patterns. We found that the patients in the high-risk group are significantly linked with malignant molecular features and worse outcomes. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses suggested that the signature is an independent indicator for glioma prognosis. The prediction accuracy of the signature was verified through time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration plots. Further bioinformatics analyses implied that the ECMRG signature is strongly associated with the activation of multiple oncogenic and metabolic pathways and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in gliomas. In addition, we confirmed that the high-risk score is an indicator for a therapy-resistant phenotype. In addition to bioinformatics analyses, we functionally verified the oncogenic role of bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP1) in gliomas in vitro.

Identification of Ferroptosis-Related Genes Signature Predicting the Efficiency of Invasion and Metastasis Ability in Colon Adenocarcinoma

Background: Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide and has become a leading cause of cancer death. Although many potential biomarkers of COAD have been screened with the bioinformatics method, it is necessary to explore novel markers for the diagnosis and appropriate individual treatments for COAD patients due to the high heterogeneity of this disease. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-mediated tumor metastasis suggests poor prognosis of cancers. Ferroptosis is involved in tumor development. EMT signaling can increase the cellular sensitivity to ferroptosis in tumors. The aim of our study is finding novel prognostic biomarkers to determine COAD patients for predicting efficiency of metastasis status and targeting precise ferroptosis-related therapy.

Methods: A novel gene signature related to metastasis and ferroptosis was identified combing with risk model and WGCNA analysis with R software. The biological functions and predictive ability of the signature in COAD were explored through bioinformatics analysis.

Results: We established a four-gene prognostic signature (MMP7, YAP1, PCOLCE, and HOXC11) based on EMT and ferroptosis related genes and validated the reliability and effectiveness of this model in COAD. This four-gene prognostic signature was closely connected with metastasis and ferroptosis sensitivity of COAD. Moreover, WGCNA analysis further confirmed the correlation between PCOLCE, HOXC11, and liver and lymphatic invasion of COAD.

Conclusion: The four genes may become potential prognostic biomarkers to identify COAD patients with metastasis. Moreover, this four-gene signature may be able to determine the COAD suitable with ferroptosis induction therapy. Finally, PCOLCE2 and HOXC11 were selected individually because of their novelties and precise prediction ability. Overall, this signature provided novel possibilities for better prognostic evaluation of COAD patients and may be of great guiding significance for individualized treatment and clinical decision.

Identification of Serum miRNA Signature and Establishment of a Nomogram for Risk Stratification in Patients With Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to perform mRNA-miRNA regulatory network analyses to identify a miRNA panel for molecular subtype identification and stratification of high-risk patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

BACKGROUND

Recent transcriptional profiling effort in PDAC has led to the identification of molecular subtypes that associate with poor survival; however, their clinical significance for risk stratification in patients with PDAC has been challenging.

METHODS

By performing a systematic analysis in The Cancer Genome Atlas and International Cancer Genome Consortium cohorts, we discovered a panel of miRNAs that associated with squamous and other poor molecular subtypes in PDAC. Subsequently, we used logistic regression analysis to develop models for risk stratification and Cox proportional hazard analysis to determine survival prediction probability of this signature in multiple cohorts of 433 patients with PDAC, including a tissue cohort (n = 199) and a preoperative serum cohort (n = 51).

RESULTS

We identified a panel of 9 miRNAs that were significantly upregulated (miR-205-5p and -934) or downregulated (miR-192-5p, 194-5p, 194-3p, 215-5p, 375-3p, 552-3p, and 1251-5p) in PDAC molecular subtypes with poor survival [squamous, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.90; basal, AUC = 0.89; and quasimesenchymal, AUC = 0.83]. The validation of this miRNA panel in a tissue clinical cohort was a significant predictor of overall survival (hazard ratio = 2.48, P < 0.0001), and this predictive accuracy improved further in a risk nomogram which included key clinicopathological factors. Finally, we were able to successfully translate this miRNA predictive signature into a liquid biopsy-based assay in preoperative serum specimens from PDAC patients (hazard ratio: 2.85, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

We report a novel miRNA risk-stratification signature that can be used as a noninvasive assay for the identification of high-risk patients and potential disease monitoring in patients with PDAC.

The Regulation of Collagen Processing by miRNAs in Disease and Possible Implications for Bone Turnover

This article describes several recent examples of miRNA governing the regulation of the gene expression involved in bone matrix construction. We present the impact of miRNA on the subsequent steps in the formation of collagen type I. Collagen type I is a main factor of mechanical bone stiffness because it constitutes 90-95% of the organic components of the bone. Therefore, the precise epigenetic regulation of collagen formation may have a significant influence on bone structure. We also describe miRNA involvement in the expression of genes, the protein products of which participate in collagen maturation in various tissues and cancer cells. We show how non-collagenous proteins in the extracellular matrix are epigenetically regulated by miRNA in bone and other tissues. We also delineate collagen mineralisation in bones by factors that depend on miRNA molecules. This review reveals the tissue variability of miRNA regulation at different levels of collagen maturation and mineralisation. The functionality of collagen mRNA regulation by miRNA, as proven in other tissues, has not yet been shown in osteoblasts. Several collagen-regulating miRNAs are co-expressed with collagen in bone. We suggest that collagen mRNA regulation by miRNA could also be potentially important in bone metabolism.

N6-methyladenosine demethylase ALKBH5 suppresses malignancy of esophageal cancer by regulating microRNA biogenesis and RAI1 expression

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent epigenetic RNA modification and is vital in regulating malignancies. The roles of m6A modifiers on noncoding RNAs have not been fully investigated in esophageal cancer. By screening all m6A modifiers, ALKBH5 was the most potent member related to patient outcomes and suppressing esophageal cancer malignancy in cell and animal models. It demethylated pri-miR-194-2 and inhibited miR-194-2 biogenesis through an m6A/DGCR8-dependent manner. RAI1, previously considered as a circadian clock transcriptional regulator, was the main target of miR-194-2. It enhanced transcription of Hippo pathway upstream genes by binding to their 3'UTR and suppressed YAP/TAZ nuclear translocation. The ALKBH5/miR-194-2/RAI1 axis was also validated in clinical samples. In addition, the increased malignancy by low ALKBH5 was abolished by the YAP inhibitor verteporfin. Our findings uncover a critical role of ALKBH5 in miRNAs biogenesis and provide novel insight for developing treatment strategies in esophageal cancer.

MicroRNA-629 promotes the tumorigenesis of non-small-cell lung cancer by targeting FOXO1 and activating PI3K/AKT pathway

OBJECTIVE

MicroRNA-629 (miR-629) has been found to play an important role in the pathogenesis of human cancers. However, the function of miR-629 is still unknown in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this study is to preliminarily elucidate the regulatory mechanism of miR-629 in NSCLC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The mRNA and protein expression was measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. The function of miR-629 was investigated by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) and Transwell assays. The relationship between miR-629 and FOXO1 was confirmed by dual luciferase assay.

RESULTS

MiR-629 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cells. High expression of miR-629 predicted poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. Moreover, miR-629 promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion in NSCLC cells. In addition, FOXO1 was confirmed as a direct target of miR-629 in NSCLC. Furthermore, knockdown of FOXO1 also promoted proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. More importantly, overexpression of FOXO1 weakened the carcinogenesis of miR-629 in NSCLC. Besides that, miR-629 promoted EMT and activated the PI3K/AKT pathway in NSCLC.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-629 promotes the progression of NSCLC by targeting FOXO1 and regulating EMT/PI3K/AKT pathway.

microRNA Prognostic Signature for Postoperative Success of Metastatic Orthopedic Cancers: Implications for Precision Microsurgery

The importance of miRNA prognostic signature in cancer, particular cancer metastasis is increasingly being realized. Bone metastasis from several primary human cancers can be managed in clinics by surgical intervention but the prognostic impact of miRNA signature on post-surgery outcome of patients is unknown. This study evaluated a miRNA signature for post-operative outcome of patients with bone metastatic disease. First, the miRNAs, miR-135, miR-203, miR-10b, miR-194, miR-886, and miR-124 were evaluated in bone metastatic tissues, relative to adjacent control tissue. The cohorts of samples (n = 44) consisted of bone metastatic cancer patients with primary lung (n = 18) or breast cancer (n = 26). miR-203 was significantly down-regulated while miR-10b was significantly up-regulated in bone metastasis. Additionally, miR-135 was significantly differentially expressed in the primary lung cancer patients while miR-194 in primary breast cancer patients. The low miR-203- high miR-10b expression was designated high risk group and, compared to the low risk group (high miR-203-low miR-10b expression). Patients with the signature high risk fared significantly better with surgical intervention, in terms of survival at 12 months time point (40% survival with surgery vs. 10% survival without surgery), as revealed by retrospective analysis of patient data. This work reveals potential utilization of miRNA expression levels in not only the general prognosis of cancer metastasis but also the prognosis of surgical intervention with implication for better stratification of patients.

The matrix in cancer

The extracellular matrix is a fundamental, core component of all tissues and organs, and is essential for the existence of multicellular organisms. From the earliest stages of organism development until death, it regulates and fine-tunes every cellular process in the body. In cancer, the extracellular matrix is altered at the biochemical, biomechanical, architectural and topographical levels, and recent years have seen an exponential increase in the study and recognition of the importance of the matrix in solid tumours. Coupled with the advancement of new technologies to study various elements of the matrix and cell-matrix interactions, we are also beginning to see the deployment of matrix-centric, stromal targeting cancer therapies. This Review touches on many of the facets of matrix biology in solid cancers, including breast, pancreatic and lung cancer, with the aim of highlighting some of the emerging interactions of the matrix and influences that the matrix has on tumour onset, progression and metastatic dissemination, before summarizing the ongoing work in the field aimed at developing therapies to co-target the matrix in cancer and cancer metastasis.

Dysregulation of exosomal miR-192 and miR-194 expression in lung adenocarcinoma patients

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main reason of cancer linked mortality and around 80% of cases diagnosed in advanced stage. Therefore current study designed to evaluate the deregulation of miRNA-194 and miRNA-192 in different body fluid of Non small cell lung cancer participants. Present study recruited newly diagnosed histopathologically confirmed. It was observed that the 40% NSCLC participants showed elevated miR-194 expression and 60% NSCLC participants showed reduced miR-194 expression in serum sample while in Bronchial wash, only 20% NSCLC participants showed elevated miR-194 expression while 80% showed reduced miR-194 expression (p = 0.003). It was found that the 54% NSCLC participants showed elevated miR-192 expression and 55% NSCLC participants showed reduced miR-192 expression in serum sample while In Bronchial wash sample, only 25% NSCLC participants showed high miR-192 expression while 75% showed low miR-192 expression (P = 0.0004). Expression of miR-194 was significantly associated with TNM stages (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001), distant organ metastases (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001), pathological grade (p = 0.0009, p = 0.0005) among serum sample and bronchial wash sample. Same observation was found with expression of miR-192 and it was significantly associated with TNM stages (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001), distant organ metastases (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001), pathological grade (p = 0.006, p = 0.001) among serum sample and bronchial wash sample. It was observed that the NSCLC participants who had high serum based miR-194 expression showed 22 months of overall median survival while low expression of serum based miR-194 expression showed 18 months of overall median survival. Present study suggests that decreased expression of miR-194 and miR-192 was significantly associated with different clinical features of NSCLC cases. However, significantly higher number of NSCLC cases showed low expression of miR-194 and miR-192 in bronchial lavage sample. Decreased poor overall survival was found to be associated with bronchial wash sample with respect to low miR-194 and miR-192 expression while NSCLC participants showed better overall survival with high miR-194 and miR-192 expression. This suggested decreased expression of miR-192 and miR-194 expression could be the potential prognostic marker among NSCLC participants.

Knockdown of lincRNA PADNA promotes bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity by miR-194/FBXW7 axis

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to explore the function and mechanism of lincRNA PADNA in bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity.

METHODS

Mouse DRG neurons were cultured in vitro and treated with bupivacaine to establish a neurotoxicity model. Caspase3 activity, cell viability, and TUNEL assays were analyzed to assess the role of lincRNA PADNA. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the binding target of lincRNA PANDA.

RESULTS

The expression of lincRNA PADNA was significantly increased with increasing concentrations of bupivacaine. Functional analysis revealed that knockdown of lincRNA PADNA increased caspase3 activity and inhibited cell viability. Western blot analysis showed that knockdown of lincRNA PADNA promoted cleaved caspase3 levels. We also revealed that lincRNA PADNA may bind with miR-194. Knockdown of miR-194 rescued the function of lincRNA PADNA, suggesting that lincRNA PADNA may sponge miR-194. In addition, we provided new evidence that the lincRNA PADNA/miR-194/FBXW7 axis plays an important role in the neurotoxicity process.

CONCLUSION

We performed comprehensive experiments to verify the function and mechanism of lincRNA PADNA in bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity. Our study provides new evidence and clues for the prevention of neurotoxicity.

Advances of exosome isolation techniques in lung cancer

Lung cancer (LC) is among the leading causes of death all over the world and it is often diagnosed at advanced or metastatic stages. Exosomes, derived from circulating vesicles that are released from the multivesicular body, can be utilized for diagnosis and also the prognosis of LC at early stages. Exosomal proteins, RNAs, and DNAs can help to better discern the prognostic and diagnostic features of LC. To our knowledge, there are various reviews on LC and the contribution of exosomes, but none of them are about the exome techniques and also their efficiency in LC. To fill this gap, in this review, we summarize the recent investigations regarding isolation and also the characterization of exosomes of LC cells. Furthermore, we discuss the noncoding RNAs as biomarkers and their applications in the diagnosis and prognosis of LC. Finally, we compare the efficacy of exosome isolation methods to better fi + 6 + guring out feasible techniques.

Functional mechanisms of miR-192 family in cancer

By growing research on the mechanisms and functions of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs), the role of these noncoding RNAs gained more attention in healthcare. Due to the remarkable regulatory role of miRNAs, any dysregulation in their expression causes cellular functional impairment. In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that these small molecules contribute to development, cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and tumor growth. In many studies, the miR-192 family has been suggested as a potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarker and even as a possible therapeutic target for several cancers. However, the mechanistic effects of the miR-192 family on cancer cells are still controversial. Here, we have reviewed each family member of the miR-192 including miR-192, miR-194, and miR-215, and discussed their mechanistic roles in various cancers.

BMP-1 disrupts cell adhesion and enhances TGF-β activation through cleavage of the matricellular protein thrombospondin-1

Bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP-1) is an important metalloproteinase that synchronizes growth factor activation with extracellular matrix assembly during morphogenesis and tissue repair. The mechanisms by which BMP-1 exerts these effects are highly context dependent. Because BMP-1 overexpression induces marked phenotypic changes in two human cell lines (HT1080 and 293-EBNA cells), we investigated how BMP-1 simultaneously affects cell-matrix interactions and growth factor activity in these cells. Increasing BMP-1 led to a loss of cell adhesion that depended on the matricellular glycoprotein thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). BMP-1 cleaved TSP-1 between the VWFC/procollagen-like domain and the type 1 repeats that mediate several key TSP-1 functions. This cleavage induced the release of TSP-1 C-terminal domains from the extracellular matrix and abolished its previously described multisite cooperative interactions with heparan sulfate proteoglycans and CD36 on HT1080 cells. In addition, BMP-1-dependent proteolysis potentiated the TSP-1-mediated activation of latent transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), leading to increased signaling through the canonical SMAD pathway. In primary human corneal stromal cells (keratocytes), endogenous BMP-1 cleaved TSP-1, and the addition of exogenous BMP-1 enhanced cleavage, but this had no substantial effect on cell adhesion. Instead, processed TSP-1 promoted the differentiation of keratocytes into myofibroblasts and stimulated production of the myofibroblast marker α-SMA, consistent with the presence of processed TSP-1 in human corneal scars. Our results indicate that BMP-1 can both trigger the disruption of cell adhesion and stimulate TGF-β signaling in TSP-1-rich microenvironments, which has important potential consequences for wound healing and tumor progression.

Radon Biomonitoring and microRNA in Lung Cancer

Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. microRNA expression in human bronchial epithelium cells is altered by radon, with particular reference to upregulation of miR-16, miR-15, miR-23, miR-19, miR-125, and downregulation of let-7, miR-194, miR-373, miR-124, miR-146, miR-369, and miR-652. These alterations alter cell cycle, oxidative stress, inflammation, oncogene suppression, and malignant transformation. Also DNA methylation is altered as a consequence of miR-29 modification induced by radon. Indeed miR-29 targets DNA methyltransferases causing inhibition of CpG sites methylation. Massive microRNA dysregulation occurs in the lung due to radon expose and is functionally related with the resulting lung damage. However, in humans this massive lung microRNA alterations only barely reflect onto blood microRNAs. Indeed, blood miR-19 was not found altered in radon-exposed subjects. Thus, microRNAs are massively dysregulated in experimental models of radon lung carcinogenesis. In humans these events are initially adaptive being aimed at inhibiting neoplastic transformation. Only in case of long-term exposure to radon, microRNA alterations lead towards cancer development. Accordingly, it is difficult in human to establish a microRNA signature reflecting radon exposure. Additional studies are required to understand the role of microRNAs in pathogenesis of radon-induced lung cancer.

miR-96 enhances the proliferation of cervical cancer cells by targeting FOXO1

MiRNAs affect various biological pathways associated with the development, progression, clinical outcome and treatment response improvement in cervical cancer. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of miRNA 96 on cervical cancer and to clarify the mechanism. Vivo and vitro experiments were conducted in our trial. MiR-96 is upregulated in cervical cancer cell lines and cervical cancer tissues and is correlated with clinical features in cervical cancer patients. Overexpression of miR-96 enhances proliferation of cervical cancer cells, while inhibiting miR-96 reduces the proliferation of cervical cancer cells. Inhibition of miR-96 significantly decreased the percentage of cells in the S phase and increased the percentage of cells in G1/G0 peak in both SiHa and CaSki cells compared with NC cells and decreased the expressions of p21, p27 and cyclin D1. FOXO1 3'-UTR was sub cloned into a luciferase reporter vector and the putative miR-96 binding site in the FOXO1 3'-UTR was mutated. Treated with miR-96 inhibitor consistently enhanced the luciferase activity of the FOXO1 3'-UTR luciferase reporter plasmids in both SiHa and CaSki cells, whereas mutations in the miR-96-binding site abolished the effect. Vivo experiment also support these results. Therefore, inhibition of miR-96 might suppress growth, proliferation of CC cells and promote apoptosis of CC cells both in vitro and in vivo.

miR-194 Inhibits the Proliferation of SW620 Colon Cancer Stem Cells Through Downregulation of SSH2 Expression

Purpose

Colorectal cancer (CRC) stem cells are tumorigenic, capable of self-renewal, and resistant to therapy. Although the expression pattern and functions of micro RNA (miR)-194 in CRC cells have been widely investigated, little is known about its role in CRC stem cells. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of miR-194 in CRC stem cells.

Materials and methods

CRC stem cells were isolated from the SW620 colon cancer cell line using microbeads. The expression levels of miR-194 and slingshot 2 (SSH2) in CRC stem cells were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. A luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm that miR-194 directly targets SSH2. Proliferation of CRC stem cells was examined by colony formation and MTT assays. Apoptosis in CRC stem cells was detected by cell cycle and apoptosis assays. The role of miR-194 in tumor growth was determined in vivo.

Results

Cells positive for CD44 and CD133 accounted for approximately 88.7% of the isolated population after microbead isolation. We reveal for the first time that miR-194 expression is decreased in CRC stem cells. Specifically, miR-194 is involved in inhibiting the proliferation of CRC stem cells and promoting CRC stem cell apoptosis by directly targeting SSH2. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-194 resulted in blocking the G1/S transition, the induction of cellular apoptotic process, thereby suppressing the malignant behaviors of CRC stem cells.

Conclusion

This study represents a novel characterization of miR-194 function in CRC stem cells, which may aid in the development of promising therapeutic strategies targeting CRC.

A panel of miRNAs derived from plasma extracellular vesicles as novel diagnostic biomarkers of lung adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related morbidity and mortality worldwide, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) being the most common histological subtype (approximately 40%). In the absence of reliable screening biomarkers for early diagnosis, most patients with LUAD are inevitably diagnosed at an advanced stage. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) encapsulated within plasma‐derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) may be suitable for use as noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers for aggressive malignancies, including LUAD. In this study, we first investigated the miRNA profiles of plasma‐derived EVs from LUAD patients and healthy donors, and then systematically evaluated the expression patterns of selected plasma‐derived EV miRNAs in a large cohort of patients with LUAD and healthy controls. Notably, we observed that miR‐451a, miR‐194‐5p, and miR‐486‐5p were significantly increased in EVs from LUAD patients, compared to healthy controls. The area under the curve values for the three miRNAs were 0.9040 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8633–0.9447) for miR‐451a, 0.7492 (95% CI, 0.6992–0.7992) for miR‐194‐5p, and 0.9574 (95% CI, 0.9378–0.9769) for miR‐486‐5p, while the AUC of the combination of these three miRNAs was 0.9650. Thus, these results suggest that these EV miRNAs may be promising candidates for the development of highly effective, noninvasive biomarkers for early LUAD diagnosis.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related morbidity and mortality worldwide, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) being the most common histological subtype (approximately 40%). In this study, we observed that miR‐451a, miR‐194‐5p, and miR‐486‐5p in extracellular vesicles derived from plasma may be suitable as highly effective and noninvasive biomarkers for early LUAD diagnosis.

miR-25 Promotes Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Targeting the LATS2/YAP Signaling Pathway

Metastasis is the leading cause of high mortality in lung cancer patients, and metastatic lung cancer is difficult to treat. miRNAs are involved in various biological processes of cancer, including metastasis. Our previous studies revealed that miR-25 promoted non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell proliferation and suppressed cell apoptosis by directly targeting TP53 and MOAP1. In this work, we further explored the miR-25 expression in NSCLC patients in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and measured the miR-25 expression levels in the tissues of NSCLC patients and cell lines. miR-25 was overexpressed in both NSCLC tissues and cell lines. NSCLC patients who expressed a higher level of miR-25 exhibited worse overall survival than those with a lower level of miR-25. Overexpression of miR-25 enhanced NSCLC cell migration and invasion, while the inhibition of miR-25 exhibited the opposite effects. We identified the large tumor suppressor homology 2 (LATS2) as a new target gene of miR-25 in lung cancer. The effects of miR-25 on promoting NSCLC cell migration and invasion were at least partially due to activation of the Hippo signaling pathway. Additionally, miR-25 antagomir inhibited xenograft tumor growth and metastasis by the upregulation of LATS2. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that miR-25 contribute to lung cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by targeting the LATS2/YAP signaling pathway, which implicate miR-25 as a promising therapeutic target for lung cancer metastasis. Given that oxidative stress induces the overexpression of miR-25 and plays a critical role in cancer progression, this study establishes miR-25 as an intermediate between oxidative stress and lung cancer metastasis.

Up-regulation of PCOLCE by TWIST1 promotes metastasis in Osteosarcoma

Procollagen C-proteinase enhancer protein (PCOLCE) was originally identified as an enhancer to facilitate the catalysis of procollagens by BMP1. PCOLCE participates in the reconstitution of extracellular and corneal repair. The elevation of PCOLCE in blood indicates that breast cancer has metastasized into the bones. However, direct research on PCOLCE has not been reported.

Methods: ECM candidates were identified by RNA-seq analysis from 4 normal and 16 osteosarcoma tissues. The in vitro migration and invasion abilities of osteosarcoma cells were determined by a Transwell assay. A spontaneous metastatic osteosarcoma model was established to assess osteosarcoma metastasis in vivo. The N-linked glycosylated amino acids were identified by PNGase F treatment combined with Western blotting. The mechanism of TWIST1 regulating PCOLCE transcription was elucidated by luciferase, qPCR and ChIP assays.

Results: PCOLCE was markedly up-regulated in human osteosarcoma tissues compared to its expression in noncancerous adjacent tissues; high PCOLCE expression in tissues correlated with a poor patient prognosis, and the knockdown of PCOLCE by shRNAs impaired the migration, invasion and lung metastasis of osteosarcoma cells. The overexpression of wild-type PCOLCE, but not its N29Q mutant, promoted migration, invasion and metastasis, indicating that the glycosylation of PCOLCE at Asn29 is necessary for its functions in osteosarcoma. TWIST1, a key transcription factor in metastasis, was also overexpressed in osteosarcoma tissues and positively correlated with either PCOLCE or its potential procollagen substrates, such as COL1A1, COL1A2, COL5A1, COL8A2 and COL10A1.

Conclusion: Our findings are the first to provide evidence that PCOLCE plays a critical role in promoting the lung metastasis of osteosarcoma, and this up-regulation of PCOLCE by TWIST1 may lead to a new therapeutic strategy to treat patients with metastatic osteosarcoma.

Overexpression of BMP1 reflects poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the highest mortality, invasion, and metastasis subtype of renal cell carcinoma. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family has recently emerged as a group of cancer-related proteins in multiple pathogenesis of cancers. Currently, little is known about the prediction role of BMPs in ccRCC. Therefore, we screened The Cancer Genome Atlas Kidney Clear Cell Carcinoma (TCGA-KIRC) database for ccRCC patients with complete clinical information and BMP family expression data. Multivariate analysis showed that high expression of BMP1 was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001), and shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.018). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed BMP1 was associated with epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), G2M checkpoint, angiogenesis, hypoxia pathway, and Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS) signaling. Knockdown BMP1 suppressed malignancy of ccRCC in vitro and in vivo. Our results indicated that high expressions of BMP1 were poor prognostic factors and gene therapy could be an effective treatment for ccRCC.

Identification of Crucial Candidate Genes and Pathways in Glioblastoma Multiform by Bioinformatics Analysis

The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying glioblastoma multiform (GBM) and its biomarkers. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were diagnosed using the limma software package. The ToppGene (ToppFun) was used to perform pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of the DEGs. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks, extracted modules, miRNA-target genes regulatory network and TF-target genes regulatory network were used to obtain insight into the actions of DEGs. Survival analysis for DEGs was carried out. A total of 590 DEGs, including 243 up regulated and 347 down regulated genes, were diagnosed between scrambled shRNA expression and Lin7A knock down. The up-regulated genes were enriched in ribosome, mitochondrial translation termination, translation, and peptide biosynthetic process. The down-regulated genes were enriched in focal adhesion, VEGFR3 signaling in lymphatic endothelium, extracellular matrix organization, and extracellular matrix. The current study screened the genes in the PPI network, extracted modules, miRNA-target genes regulatory network, and TF-target genes regulatory network with higher degrees as hub genes, which included NPM1, CUL4A, YIPF1, SHC1, AKT1, VLDLR, RPL14, P3H2, DTNA, FAM126B, RPL34, and MYL5. Survival analysis indicated that the high expression of RPL36A and MRPL35 were predicting longer survival of GBM, while high expression of AP1S1 and AKAP12 were predicting shorter survival of GBM. High expression of RPL36A and AP1S1 were associated with pathogenesis of GBM, while low expression of ALPL was associated with pathogenesis of GBM. In conclusion, the current study diagnosed DEGs between scrambled shRNA expression and Lin7A knock down samples, which could improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms in the progression of GBM, and these crucial as well as new diagnostic markers might be used as therapeutic targets for GBM.

LncRNA HOXA-AS3 Sponges miR-29c to Facilitate Cell Proliferation, Metastasis, and EMT Process and Activate the MEK/ERK Signaling Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality across the world. Recent findings have suggested that long noncoding (lnc)RNA HOXA-AS3 plays an important role in tumorigenesis and metastasis in a variety of cancers. However, the role of lncRNA HOXA-AS3 in the initiation and progression of HCC remains largely unclear. In the present study, HOXA-AS3 was highly expressed in HCC tumor tissues and cell lines. High HOXA-AS3 expression was correlated with low survival of HCC patients. Loss-of-function experiments showed that knockdown of HOXA-AS3 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, and the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinase (MEK/ERK) signaling pathway in HCC. Molecular mechanism exploration uncovered that HOXA-AS3 could directly interact with and negatively regulate miR-29c. BMP1 is a downstream target gene of miR-29c, and HOXA-AS3 could regulate BMP1 expression by targeting miR-29c. miR-29c negatively regulated and BMP1 promoted the progression of HCC. Rescue experiments revealed that miR-29c inhibitor could partially counteract the impact induced by HOXA-AS3 knockdown in HCC. Taken together, our study is the first to show the interaction of HOXA-AS3 with miR-29c in facilitating cell proliferation, metastasis, EMT process, and MEK/ERK signaling pathway in HCC.

KLF5 regulated lncRNA RP1 promotes the growth and metastasis of breast cancer via repressing p27kip1 translation

Increasing evidence suggest that lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) play important roles in human cancer. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease and the potential involvement of lncRNAs in breast cancer remains unexplored. In this study, we characterized a novel lncRNA, RP1-5O6.5 (termed as RP1). We found that RP1 was highly expressed in breast cancer and predicted poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays showed that RP1 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, RP1 maintained the EMT and stemness states of breast cancer cells via repressing p27kip1 protein expression. RP1 combined with the complex p-4E-BP1/eIF4E to prevent eIF4E from interacting with eIF4G, therefore attenuating the translational efficiency of p27kip1 mRNA. Furthermore, we found that p27kip1 evidently downregulated Snail1 but not ZEB1 to inhibit invasion of breast cancer cells. Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) was positively correlated with RP1 in breast cancer tissues. Moreover, we demonstrated that KLF5 recruited p300 to the RP1 promoter to enhance RP1 expression. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that KLF5-regulated RP1 plays an oncogenic role in breast cancer by suppressing p27kip1, providing support for the clinical investigation of therapeutic approaches focusing on RP1.

A three microRNA-based prognostic signature for small cell lung cancer overall survival

BACKGROUND

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most aggressive cancers with mechanisms far from understood.

OBJECTIVE

We proposed to identify valuable prognostic signature for SCLC prognosis prediction.

METHODS

microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles of 42 SCLC patients were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus. miRNAs that significantly associated with SCLC overall survival (OS-relevant) were identified through univariate Cox regression analysis followed by random survival forest analysis for identification of more reliable miRNA signature.

RESULTS

Eleven OS-relevant miRNAs were obtained, and hsa-miR-194, hsa-miR-608, and hsa-miR-9 were further refined through RFS. A formula composed of the three miRNAs' expression values weighted by their multivariate Cox regression coefficients was constructed, and based on which, SCLC patients with longer OS could be well distinguished from those with shorter OS.

CONCLUSIONS

This study should provide a valuable clue for SCLC prognosis evaluation.

Downregulation of miR-194-5p induces paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer cells by altering MDM2 expression

Paclitaxel is a first-line drug for treating epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, prognosis for patients with advanced stage cancer remains poor due to primary or acquired drug resistance. Therefore, overcoming chemoresistance is one of the greatest challenges in treating EOC. In this study, we identified microRNAs (miRNA) that regulate paclitaxel resistance and tested their potential utility as therapeutic targets. Paclitaxel-resistant cell lines were established using two EOC cell lines: SKVO3ip1 and HeyA8. miRNA PCR arrays showed that miR-194-5p was downregulated in paclitaxel-resistant cells. Forced expression of miR-194-5p resensitized resistant cells to paclitaxel. Conversely, miR-194-5p inhibition induced paclitaxel resistance in parental cells. In silico analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that MDM2 is a direct target of miR-194-5p. MDM2 was upregulated in paclitaxel resistant cells compared with parental cells. MDM2 inhibition also resensitized resistant cells to paclitaxel and forced MDM2 induced paclitaxel resistance in parental cells. miR-194-5p induced p21 upregulation and G1 phase arrest in resistant cells by downregulating MDM2. Furthermore, a public database showed that high MDM2 expression was associated with a shorter progression-free survival in EOC patients treated with paclitaxel. Collectively, our results show that restoring miR-194-5p expression resensitizes EOCs to paclitaxel, and this may be exploited as a therapeutic option.

RAB27A promotes melanoma cell invasion and metastasis via regulation of pro-invasive exosomes

Despite recent advances in targeted and immune-based therapies, advanced stage melanoma remains a clinical challenge with a poor prognosis. Understanding the genes and cellular processes that drive progression and metastasis is critical for identifying new therapeutic strategies. Here, we found that the GTPase RAB27A was overexpressed in a subset of melanomas, which correlated with poor patient survival. Loss of RAB27A expression in melanoma cell lines inhibited 3D spheroid invasion and cell motility in vitro, and spontaneous metastasis in vivo. The reduced invasion phenotype was rescued by RAB27A-replete exosomes, but not RAB27A-knockdown exosomes, indicating that RAB27A is responsible for the generation of pro-invasive exosomes. Furthermore, while RAB27A loss did not alter the number of exosomes secreted, it did change exosome size and altered the composition and abundance of exosomal proteins, some of which are known to regulate cancer cell movement. Our data suggest that RAB27A promotes the biogenesis of a distinct pro-invasive exosome population. These findings support RAB27A as a key cancer regulator, as well as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target in melanoma.

MiR-194 regulates nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression by modulating MAP3K3 expression

Despite the recent development of treatment strategies for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the effective management of this disease remains a challenging clinical problem. A better understanding of the regulatory roles of miR‐194 and mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase kinase 3 (MAP3K3) in the nasopharyngeal‐carcinoma‐related gene network is required to address this issue. Here, we measured relative expression of miR‐194 in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and normal epithelial tissues by quantitative real time PCR. We transfected cultured CNE‐1 and C666‐1 cells with miR‐194 mimics, and then examined the effects on cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion. Luciferase reporter assay was used to validate the putative binding between miR‐194 and MAP3K3. We then examined the effect of knockdown and overexpression of MAP3K3 on cell tumorigenesis. Expression of miR‐194 is significantly down‐regulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma specimens and tumor cell lines when compared with normal controls. In addition, miR‐194 suppressed tumor cell proliferation and viability, as well as migration and invasion of carcinoma cells. We found that miR‐194 binds the 3′ untranslated region of MAP3K3, and knockdown of miR‐194 inhibited nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In accordance, overexpression of MAP3K3 reversed the inhibitory effects of miR‐194 in carcinoma cells. This study suggests that expression of miR‐194 is down‐regulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and that miR‐194 can directly target MAP3K3 to regulate tumor progression. Given the pivotal involvement of MAP3K3 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma development, targeting miR‐194 may be a novel strategy for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

MicroRNA-194 protects against chronic hepatitis B-related liver damage by promoting hepatocyte growth via ACVR2B

Persistent infection with the hepatitis B virus leads to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in a variety of biological processes; however, the role of miRNAs in chronic hepatitis B (CHB)-induced liver damage remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of miRNAs in CHB-related liver damage. Microarray analysis of the expression of miRNAs in 22 CHB patients and 33 healthy individuals identified miR-194 as one of six differentially expressed miRNAs. miR-194 was up-regulated in correlation with increased liver damage in the plasma or liver tissues of CHB patients. In mice subjected to 2/3 partial hepatectomy, miR-194 was up-regulated in liver tissues in correlation with hepatocyte growth and in parallel with the down-regulation of the activin receptor ACVR2B. Overexpression of miR-194 in human liver HL7702 cells down-regulated ACVR2B mRNA and protein expression, promoted cell proliferation, acceleratedG1 to S cell cycle transition, and inhibited apoptosis, whereas knockdown of miR-194 had the opposite effects. Luciferase reporter assays confirmed that ACVR2B is a direct target of miR-194, and overexpression of ACVR2B significantly repressed cell proliferation and G1 to S phase transition and induced cell apoptosis. ACVR2B overexpression abolished the effect of miR-194, indicating that miR-194 promotes hepatocyte proliferation and inhibits apoptosis by down-regulating ACVR2B. Taken together, these results indicate that miR-194 plays a crucial role in hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration by targeting ACVR2B and may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of CHB-related liver damage.

Role of miRNAs in lung cancer

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths all over the world, among both men and women, with an incidence of over 200,000 new cases per year coupled with a very high mortality rate. LC comprises of two major clinicopathological categories: small-cell (SCLC) and nonsmall-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). The microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, usually 18-25 nucleotides long, which repress protein translation through binding to complementary target mRNAs. The miRNAs regulate many biological processes including cell cycle regulation, cellular growth, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, metabolism, neuronal patterning, and aging. This review summarizes the role of miRNAs expression in LC. It also provides information about the miRNAs as biomarker and therapeutic target for lung cancer. Understanding the role of miRNAs in LC may provide insights into the diagnosis and treatment strategy for LC.

Secretomes reveal several novel proteins as well as TGF-β1 as the top upstream regulator of metastatic process in breast cancer

PURPOSE

Metastatic breast cancer is resistant to many conventional treatments and novel therapeutic targets are needed. We previously isolated subsets of 4T1 murine breast cancer cells which metastasized to liver (4TLM), brain (4TBM), and heart (4THM). Among these cells, 4TLM is the most aggressive one, demonstrating mesenchymal phenotype. Here we compared secreted proteins from 4TLM, 4TBM, and 4THM cells and compared with that of hardly metastatic 67NR cells to detect differentially secreted factors involved in organ-specific metastasis.

METHOD AND RESULTS

Label-free LC-MS/MS proteomic technique was used to detect the differentially secreted proteins. Eighty-five of over 500 secreted proteins were significantly altered in metastatic breast cancer cells. Differential expression of several proteins such as fibulin-4, Bone Morphogenetic Protein 1, TGF-β1 MMP-3, MMP-9, and Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin were further verified using ELISA or Western blotting. Many of these identified proteins were also present in human metastatic breast carcinomas. Annexin A1 and A5, laminin beta 1, Neutral alpha-glucosidase AB were commonly found at least in three out of six studies examined here. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis showed that proteins differentially secreted from metastatic cells are involved primarily in carcinogenesis and TGF-β1 is the top upstream regulator in all metastatic cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Cells metastasized to different organs displayed significant differences in several of secreted proteins. Proteins differentially altered were fibronectin, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7, and Procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 1. On the other hand, many exosomal proteins were also common to all metastatic cells, demonstrating involvement of key universal factors in distant metastatic process.

miR-195 targets cyclin D3 and survivin to modulate the tumorigenesis of non-small cell lung cancer

miR-195 has recently been reported to function as a tumor suppressor in various cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the mechanisms by which miR-195 represses the tumorigenesis of NSCLC cells are not fully understood. We performed a high-throughput screen using an miRNA mimic library and confirmed the identification of miR-195 as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC. We demonstrated that overexpression or induced expression of miR-195 in lung tumors slows tumor growth and that repression of miR-195 accelerates tumor growth. In addition, we found that knockout of miR-195 promotes cancer cell growth. We demonstrated that miR-195 targets cyclin D3 to cause cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and that miR-195 targets survivin to induce apoptosis and senescence in NSCLC cells. Overexpression of cyclin D3 or survivin reverses the effects of miR-195 in NSCLC cells. Through the analysis of data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we confirmed that the expression of miR-195 is lower in tumors than in adjacent normal tissues and that low expression of miR-195 is associated with poor survival in both lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma patients. Specifically, we found that BIRC5, which codes for survivin, is upregulated in both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma tissues and that high expression of BIRC5 is associated with poor survival in adenocarcinoma, but not squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, the ratio of miR-195 level to BIRC5 level is associated with both recurrence-free and overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma. Our results suggest that the miR-195/BIRC5 axis is a potential target for treatment of lung adenocarcinoma specifically, and NSCLC in general.

A slow-cycling subpopulation of melanoma cells with highly invasive properties

Melanoma is a heterogeneous tumor with different subpopulations showing different proliferation rates. Slow-cycling cells were previously identified in melanoma, but not fully biologically characterized. Using the label-retention method, we identified a subpopulation of slow-cycling cells, defined as label-retaining cells (LRC), with strong invasive properties. We demonstrate through live imaging that LRC are leaving the primary tumor mass at a very early stage and disseminate to peripheral organs. Through global proteome analyses, we identified the secreted protein SerpinE2/protease nexin-1 as causative for the highly invasive potential of LRC in melanomas.

miR-194 inhibits the proliferation, invasion, migration, and enhances the chemosensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting forkhead box A1 protein

Recent studies have implied that miRNAs may play a crucial role in tumor progression and may be involved in the modulation of some drug resistance in cancer cells. Earlier studies have demonstrated that miR-194 was involved in tumor metastasis and drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whereas their expression and roles on NSCLC still need further elucidation. In the current study, we found that miR-194 is decreased in NSCLC samples compared with adjacent non-cancerous lung samples, and low expression of miR-194 predicts poor patient survival. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that ectopic stable expression miR-194 suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion and metastasis and induced apoptosis in NSCLC cells and that this suppression could be reversed by reintroducing forkhead box A1 (FOXA1), a functional target of miR-194. In addition, miR-194 was downregulated in in cisplatin-resisted human NSCLC cell line-A549/DDP and overexpression of miR-194 increases cisplatin sensitivity. These findings suggested that miR-194 inhibits proliferation and metastasis and reverses cisplatin-resistance of NSCLC cells and may be useful as a new potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Knockdown of Long Non-Coding RNA NEAT1 Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion and Induces Apoptosis of Osteosarcoma by Inhibiting miR-194 Expression

PURPOSE

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) has been implicated as an oncogene in the development and progression of osteosarcoma. This study aims to explore the mechanism of NEAT1 in osteosarcoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Expressions of NEAT1 and miR-194 in osteosarcoma tissues and cells were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The effects of NEAT1 knockdown or miR-194 overexpression on cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis were determined by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, transwell invasive assay, and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to observe the possible interaction between NEAT1 and miR-194.

RESULTS

NEAT1 was upregulated and miR-194 was downregulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cells. Knockdown of NEAT1 or overexpression of miR-194 suppressed proliferation and invasion and induced apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells in vitro. Luciferase reporter assay validated that NEAT1 could interact with miR-194 and negatively modulated its expression. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-194 reversed the suppression of proliferation and invasion and the promotion of apoptosis induced by NEAT1 depletion in osteosarcoma cells.

CONCLUSION

Knockdown of NEAT1 suppressed proliferation and invasion and induced apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells by inhibiting miR-194 expression.

Unique circulating microRNAs in relation to EGFR mutation status in Japanese smoker male with lung adenocarcinoma

The incidence of lung adenocarcinoma has been increasing recently in smokers. The molecular target therapy has been developed for lung adenocarcinoma patients harboring EGFR gene mutation. However, the treatment modalities for patients without mutation are currently limited. Thus, analysis of EGFR gene mutation status at early stage is important strategy to classify the patients for improving treatments and prognosis efficiently. This study aimed to identify microRNA (miRNA) signature in relation to mutation status in EGFR gene in early stage of lung adenocarcinoma male patients with smoking history. MiRNA profiles were assessed by microarray in paired plasma and tissue pooled from 10 EGFR wild type (EGFR-wt) and 10 EGFR mutated (EGFR-mut) patients. Expressions of selected miRNAs were verified further by real-time qRT-PCR in 83 plasma samples consisting of 55 EGFR-wt patients and 28 EGFR-mut patients and their correlation with clinicopathological parameters and EGFR gene mutation status were evaluated. We found that seven miRNAs (miR-16-5p, miR-23a-3p, miR-103a-3p, miR122-5p, miR-223-3p, miR-346 and miR-451a) were differentially expressed in stage I and stage I+II. Especially, miR-23a-3p was only miRNA shown higher expression in EGFR-wt patients than EGFR-mut patients. Thus, our findings could be useful non-invasive biomarkers to differentiate mutation status in EGFR gene in smoker lung adenocarcinoma male patients.

Telmisartan inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation in vitro by inducing cell cycle arrest

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the liver and the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Telmisartan, a widely used antihypertensive drug, is an angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blocker (ARB) that might inhibit cancer cell proliferation, but the mechanisms through which telmisartan affects various cancers remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of telmisartan on human HCC and to assess the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs). We studied the effects of telmisartan on HCC cells using the HLF, HLE, HepG2, HuH-7 and PLC/PRF/5 cell lines. In our experiments, telmisartan inhibited the proliferation of HLF, HLE and HepG2 cells, which represent poorly differentiated types of HCC cells. However, HuH-7 and PLC/PRF/5 cells, which represent well-differentiated types of HCC cells, were not sensitive to telmisartan. Telmisartan induced G₀/G₁ cell cycle arrest of HLF cells by inhibiting the G₀-to-G₁ cell cycle transition. This blockade was accompanied by a marked decrease in the levels of cyclin D1, cyclin E and other cell cycle-related proteins. Notably, the activity of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway was increased, and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway was inhibited by telmisartan treatment. Additionally, telmisartan increased the level of caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18 (cCK18), partially contributed to the induction of apoptosis in HLF cells and reduced the phosphorylation of ErbB3 in HLF cells. Furthermore, miRNA expression was markedly altered by telmisartan in vitro. In conclusion, telmisartan inhibits human HCC cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest.