MiR‐326 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of endometrial cancer by targeting Bcl‐2

Plasma-derived exosomal miR-326, a prognostic biomarker and novel candidate for treatment of drug resistant pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer with high incidence rate in pediatrics and drug resistance is a major clinical concern for ALL treatment. The current study was designed to evaluate the role of exosomal miR-326 in diagnosis and treatment of children with B-ALL. Exosomes were isolated from plasma samples of 30 patients and B-ALL cell lines followed by characterization, using nanoparticle tracking analysis, immunoblotting assay and electron microscopy. qPCR showed significantly increased levels of miR-326 in patients exosomes compared with non-cancer controls (P < 0.05, AUC = 0.7500). Moreover, a comparison between the sensitive and drug resistant patients revealed a prognostic value for the exosomal miR326 (P < 0.05, AUC = 0.7755). Co-culture studies on drug resistant patient primary cells and B-ALL cell lines suggested that exosomes with high miR-326 level act as vehicles for reducing cells viability. B-ALL cell line transfection with naked miR-326 mimic confirmed the results, and fluorescence microscopy validated uptake and internalization of exosomes by target cells. The novel introduced features of the exosomal miR-326 address a non-invasive way of diagnosing primary drug resistance in pediatric ALL and advocates a novel therapeutic strategy for this cancer.

The Role of Long Noncoding RNAs in Progression of Leukemia: Based on Chromosomal Location

Long non-coding RNA [LncRNA] dysregulation has been seen in many human cancers, including several kinds of leukemia, which is still a fatal disease with a poor prognosis. LncRNAs have been demonstrated to function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes in leukemia. This study covers current research findings on the role of lncRNAs in the prognosis and diagnosis of leukemia. Based on recent results, several lncRNAs are emerging as biomarkers for the prognosis, diagnosis, and even treatment outcome prediction of leukemia and have been shown to play critical roles in controlling leukemia cell activities, such as proliferation, cell death, metastasis, and drug resistance. As a result, lncRNA profiles may have superior predictive and diagnostic potential in leukemia. Accordingly, this review concentrates on the significance of lncRNAs in leukemia progression based on their chromosomal position.

Therapeutic advancements in targeting BCL-2 family proteins by epigenetic regulators, natural, and synthetic agents in cancer

Cancer is amongst the deadliest and most disruptive disorders, having a much higher death rate than other diseases worldwide. Human cancer rates continue to rise, thereby posing the most significant concerns for medical health professionals. In the last two decades, researchers have gone past several milestones in tackling cancer while gaining insight into the role of apoptosis in cancer or targeting various biomarker tools for prognosis and diagnosis. Apoptosis which is still a topic full of complexities, can be controlled considerably by B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) and its family members. Therefore, targeting proteins of this family to prevent tumorigenesis, is essential to focus on the pharmacological features of the anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic members, which will help to develop and manage this disorder. This review deals with the advancements of various epigenetic regulators to target BCL-2 family proteins, including the mechanism of several microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Similarly, a rise in natural and synthetic molecules' research over the last two decades has allowed us to acquire insights into understanding and managing the transcriptional alterations that have led to apoptosis and treating various neoplastic diseases. Furthermore, several inhibitors targeting anti-apoptotic proteins and inducers or activators targeting pro-apoptotic proteins in preclinical and clinical stages have been summarized. Overall, agonistic and antagonistic mechanisms of BCL-2 family proteins conciliated by epigenetic regulators, natural and synthetic agents have proven to be an excellent choice in developing cancer therapeutics.

The role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis and therapeutic resistance of endometrial cancer: a spotlight on the convergence of signaling pathways

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the 2nd common cancer in females after breast cancer. Besides, it's the most common among gynecological cancers. Several epigenetic factors such as miRNAs have been reported to affect EC aspects including initiation, progression, angiogenesis, and resistance to therapy. miRNAs could regulate the expression of various genes involved in EC pathogenesis. This effect is attributed to miRNAs' effects in proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. miRNAs also influence crucial EC-related mechanistic pathways such as JAK/STAT axis, EGFR, TGF-β signaling, and P53. Beside pathogenesis, miRNAs also have the potential to affect EC response to treatments including radio and chemotherapy. Thus, this review aims to illustrate the link between miRNAs and EC; focusing on the effects of miRNAs on EC signaling pathways.

The interplay of sex steroid hormones and microRNAs in endometrial cancer: current understanding and future directions

Introduction

Endometrial cancer is a hormone-dependent malignancy, and sex steroid hormones play a crucial role in its pathogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate the expression of sex steroid hormone receptors and modulate hormone signaling pathways. Our aim is to provide an overview of the current understanding of the role of miRNAs in endometrial cancer regulated by sex steroid hormone pathways.

Methods

A thorough literature search was carried out in the PubMed database. The articles published from 2018 to the present were included. Keywords related to miRNAs, endometrial cancer, and sex steroid hormones were used in the search.

Results

Dysregulation of miRNAs has been linked to abnormal sex steroid hormone signaling and the development of endometrial cancer. Various miRNAs have been identified as modulators of estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, and the miRNA expression profile has been shown to be a predictor of response to hormone therapy. Additionally, specific miRNAs have been implicated in the regulation of genes involved in hormone-related signaling pathways, such as the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK/ERK pathways.

Conclusion

The regulation of sex steroid hormones by miRNAs is a promising area of research in endometrial cancer. Future studies should focus on elucidating the functional roles of specific miRNAs in sex steroid hormone signaling and identifying novel miRNA targets for hormone therapy in endometrial cancer management.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) Enhance the In Vitro Activities of Endometrial Cells via Strengthening the Phosphorylation and Activation of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K)

Mancozeb (ethylene bis-dithiocarbamate) is an organometallic fungicide and is widely used in agriculture and is related to women’s spontaneous abortion and menstrual abnormalities. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can impede endometrial fibrosis via suppressing PI3K pathway, but its effect on the activity of endometrial cells induced by mancozeb/EDU is unclear. This study intends to explore the protective effects of co-culture with BMSCs on endometrial cells after mancozeb/EDU treatment. Endometrial cells were randomized into control group, mancozeb/EDU group (mancozeb/EDU treatment), BMSCs group (cells were co-cultured with BMSCs after mancozeb/EDU treatment), and inhibitor group (treated with PI3K-Akt-mTOR inhibitor) followed by analysis of the expression of PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway-related proteins, cell viability by MTT and cell invasion and migration by Transwell and scratch test. Mancozeb/EDU treatment significantly inhibited PI3K-Akt-mTOR signals and cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and decreased cell invasion and migration, which were all reversed by co-culture with BMSCs. Additionally, the co-culture with BMSCs modulated the In Vitro viability of endometrial cells by influencing PI3K-Akt-mTOR signal transduction pathway, which can be inverted by PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway-specific antagonists. In conclusion, BMSCs exerted a protective effect on the In Vitro viability of endometrial cells by manipulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal transduction, which helped to protect endometrial cells from damage caused by mancozeb/ETU treatment.

LncRNA LINC01270 aggravates the progression of gastric cancer through modulation of miR-326/EFNA3 axis

Gastric cancer (GC) is lethal malignancy, which is associated with high mortality. Long noncoding RNA LINC01270 has been identified to act as a potential oncogene in several cancers. However, its role and related regulatory mechanism in GC are yet to be illustrated. The levels of lncRNA LINC01270, miR-326, and EphrinA3 (EFNA3) were assessed by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays were applied for analyzing cell proliferation. Transwell assay was used for measuring cellular migration and invasion. Western blot analysis was employed for evaluating the protein levels. Luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays were utilized to verify the binding ability between LINC01270 (or EFNA3) and miR-326. Our findings indicated that LINC01270 expression was significantly up-regulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Additionally, LINC01270 knockdown attenuated GC progression through inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Functional experiments identified that lncRNA LINC01270 could positively regulate EFNA3 expression by serving as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-326. Through rescue assays, inhibition of GC progression caused by LINC01270 suppression was found to be reversed by the application of miR-326 inhibitor or EFNA3 overexpression. Overall, our work demonstrated that lncRNA LINC01270 can accelerate cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via modulating miR-326/EFNA3 axis. These findings might implicate the potential role of lncRNA LINC01270 in GC treatment.

hsa_circ_0139402 Promotes Bladder Cancer Progression by Regulating hsa-miR-326/PAX8 Signaling

Background

Bladder cancer (BC) is a malignant and common malignant tumors. However, the prognosis of most patients with bladder cancer is still poor, and it is particularly important to identify early tumor diagnostic and treatment targets.

Materials and Methods

High-throughput sequencing was used to evaluate the expression level of circRNA in bladder cancer tissue. MTT assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assay were used to detect the cancer cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion affected by hsa_circ_0139402. The possible miRNA targets of hsa_circ_0139402 and downstream genes were detected by bioinformatics methods and dual-luciferase reporting experiment. FISH was used to observe their interaction.

Results

High-throughput sequencing result showed that the expression of hsa_circ_0139402 was highest in BC tissues and increased in metastatic tissues compared to that of nonmetastatic tissues. MTT assay, wound healing assay, and transwell assay revealed that sh-hsa_circ_0139402 could suppress BC cells' proliferation, invasion, and migration. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter, and RIP assay showed that hsa_circ_0139402 can bind to hsa-miR-326, and PAX8 is a direct target of hsa-miR-326 in BC cell. Further, cytological studies found that hsa_circ_0139402 enhances BC cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting PAX8 via hsa-miR-326.

Conclusion

hsa_circ_0139402 plays a oncogene in BC and that can effectively promote cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT by targeting Paired Box Protein Pax-8 (PAX8) via hsa-miR-326 and provides a potential therapeutic target for BC patients.

Identification of Key Prognostic-Related miRNA-mRNA Pairs in the Progression of Endometrial Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is one of the leading causes of death from gynecological cancer due to the high recurrence rate. However, the molecular mechanisms of EC progression are not well understood. This study aimed to identify critical genes and miRNAs associated with the progression and prognosis of EC and find the potential mRNA-miRNA regulatory relationship.

DESIGN

The mRNA and miRNA data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Next, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Subsequently, prognosis-related genes and miRNAs were identified, followed by co-expression analysis of these mRNAs and miRNAs. Materials, Setting, and Methods: Samples in the mRNA microarray were divided into normal (n = 35), early stage (n = 385), and advanced stage (n = 153). Next, DEGs in normal versus early stage and early stage versus advanced stage were, respectively, identified, followed by Venn analysis to screen overlapping DEGs in 2 comparison groups. Based on the expression level of these DEGs, univariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier method were performed to obtain prognosis-related genes. Moreover, genes-related miRNAs were predicted, and miRNA-mRNA co-expressed pairs were identified. Then, survival analysis of co-expressed miRNA was performed. Finally, co-expressed genes of key genes were identified, and then functional enrichment analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

After integrating analysis, 326 overlapping (309 upregulated and 17 downregulated) DEGs were obtained. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that 44 mRNAs and 8 miRNAs were associated with the prognosis of EC. Combined with the co-expressed analysis, only one prognosis-related hsa-miR-326/ELFN2 axis was obtained. In addition, functional enrichment analysis showed that co-expressed genes of ELFN2 were mainly involved in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

LIMITATIONS

These findings were obtained via bioinformatics analysis, and thus further experimental studies are urgently demanded to validate our results.

CONCLUSIONS

One key miRNA-mRNA regulatory pair (hsa-miR-326-ELFN2) was screened. This study provided a bioinformatics basis for the molecular mechanism of EC progression and might contribute to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.

Baohuoside I Inhibits the Proliferation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells via Apoptosis Signaling and NF-kB Pathway

Baohuoside I is a flavonoid isolated from Epimedium koreanum Nakai and has many pharmacological activities. However, its role in liver cancer remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Baohuoside I on the Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) cell lines QGY7703, and underlying mechanisms. QGY7703 cells were used as the model to assess the function of Baohuoside I in vitro. The effects of Baohuoside I on QGY7703 cells' growth, proliferation, and invasiveness were confirmed by CCK-8, lactate dehydrogenase release, and invasion assays. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry, and the levels of cleaved Caspase-3, Bax, and Bcl-2 were quantified by western blot. Western blot analysis, nuclear translocation of NF-κB, and Q-PCR were used to measure the expression of affected molecules. In QGY7703 cells, Baohuoside I induced the expression of molecules related to NF-κB pathway. The toxicity of Baohuoside I on QGY7703 cells was also confirmed in vivo, in a tumor model. Baohuoside I had a significant toxic effect on QGY7703 cells from a concentration of 10 μM. This compound significantly inhibited the proliferation of QGY7703 cells by inducing apoptosis and downregulating NF-κB signaling pathway. Thus, Baohuoside I is a novel candidate drug and opens new possibilities of clinical strategies for HCC treatment.

Increased level of long non coding RNA H19 is correlated with the downregulation of miR-326 and BCL-2 genes in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a possible hallmark for leukemogenesis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and their role in competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks have emerged as fundamental debates in the biological processes of initiation and progression of cancer. This study aimed to identify and measure the expression levels of relevant ceRNA regulatory genes contributing to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). lncRNA H19 and BCL-2 mRNA were chosen based on in silico studies and their interactions with miR-326. Subsequently, the aforementioned coding/non-coding gene expression profiles were measured using qRT-PCR in 50 bone marrow samples, including 33 cases with pediatric ALL and 17 controls with no evidence of malignancy. lncRNA H19 was identified as an oncogenic factor which was noticeably increased in the newly diagnosed patients (P = 0.0019, AUC = 0.84) and negatively associated with miR-326 (r = -0.6, P = 0.02). Furthermore, a negative correlation was introduced between the transcriptional levels of miR-326 and the anti-apoptotic BCL-2 gene (r = -0.6, P = 0.028). The novel experimental and bioinformatic results achieved in this study may provide new insights into the molecular leukemogenesis of pediatric ALL.