Delivery of microRNA-21-sponge and pre-microRNA-122 by MS2 virus-like particles to therapeutically target hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Role of miRNA‑122 in cancer (Review)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non‑coding RNAs that serve key roles in cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis by regulating gene expression. In malignant tumors, miRNA‑122 serves either as a tumor suppressor or oncogene, influencing tumor progression via downstream gene targeting. However, the precise role of miRNA‑122 in cancer remains unclear. miRNA‑122 is a potential biomarker and modulator of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The present review aimed to summarize the roles of miRNA‑122 in cancer, its potential as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis and its implications in cancer therapy, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, alongside strategies for systemic delivery.

A comprehensive review of miR-21 in liver disease: Big impact of little things

microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of non-coding RNA with 20-24 nucleotides, are defined as the powerful regulators for gene expression. miR-21 is a multifunctional miRNA enriched in the circulatory system and multiple organs, which not only serves as a non-invasive biomarker in disease diagnosis, but also participates in many cellular activities. In various chronic liver diseases, the increase of miR-21 affects glycolipid metabolism, viral infection, inflammatory and immune cell activation, hepatic stellate cells activation and tissue fibrosis, and autophagy. Moreover, miR-21 is also a liaison in the deterioration of chronic liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and it impacts on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, immune escape, and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation by regulating target genes expression in different signaling pathways. In current research on miRNA therapy, some natural products can exert the hepatoprotective effects depending on the inhibition of miR-21 expression. In addition, miR-21-based therapeutic also play a role in regulating intracellular miR-21 levels and enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs. Herein, we systemically summarized the recent progress of miR-21 on biosynthesis, biomarker function, molecular mechanism and miRNA therapy in chronic liver disease and HCC, and looked forward to outputting some information to enable it from bench to bedside.

Virus-like particles derived from bacteriophage MS2 as antigen scaffolds and RNA protective shells

The versatile potential of bacteriophage MS2-derived virus-like particles (VLPs) in medical biotechnology has been extensively studied during the last 30 years. Since the first reports showing that MS2 VLPs can be produced at high yield and relatively easily engineered, numerous applications have been proposed. Particular effort has been spent in developing MS2 VLPs as protective capsules and delivery platforms for diverse molecules, such as chemical compounds, proteins and nucleic acids. Among these, two are particularly noteworthy: as scaffolds displaying heterologous epitopes for vaccine development and as capsids for encapsulation of foreign RNA. In this review, we summarize the progress in developing MS2 VLPs for these two areas.

Recent Progress in Phage-Based Nanoplatforms for Tumor Therapy

Nanodrug delivery systems have demonstrated a great potential for tumor therapy with the development of nanotechnology. Nonetheless, traditional drug delivery systems are faced with issues such as complex synthetic procedures, low reproducibility, nonspecific distribution, impenetrability of biological barrier, systemic toxicity, etc. In recent years, phage-based nanoplatforms have attracted increasing attention in tumor treatment for their regular structure, fantastic carrying property, high transduction efficiency and biosafety. Notably, therapeutic or targeting peptides can be expressed on the surface of the phages through phage display technology, enabling the phage vectors to possess multifunctions. As a result, the drug delivery efficiency on tumor will be vastly improved, thereby enhancing the therapeutic efficacy while reducing the side effects on normal tissues. Moreover, phages can overcome the hindrance of biofilm barrier to elicit antitumor effects, which exhibit great advantages compared with traditional synthetic drug delivery systems. Herein, this review not only summarizes the structure and biology of the phages, but also presents their potential as prominent nanoplatforms against tumor in different pathways to inspire the development of effective nanomedicine.

MS2 Virus-like Particles as a Versatile Peptide Presentation Platform: Insights into the Deterministic Abilities for Accommodating Heterologous Peptide Lengths

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are nanostructures with the potential to present heterologous peptides at high density, thereby triggering heightened immunogenicity. RNA bacteriophage MS2 VLPs are a compelling delivery platform among them. However, a notable hurdle arises from the immune response toward MS2 coat protein, swiftly eliminating subsequent vaccinations via the same vector. Although larger inserts effectively mask carrier epitopes, current research predominantly focuses on displaying short conserved peptides (<30 aa). A systematic evaluation regarding the deterministic ability of MS2 VLPs as a platform for presenting heterologous peptides remains a gap. In light of this, we employed the "single-chain dimer" paradigm to scrutinize the tolerance of MS2 VLPs for peptide/protein insertions. The results unveiled functional MS2 VLP assembly solely for inserts smaller than 91 aa. Particularly noteworthy is the largest insertion achieved on the MS2 VLPs to date: the RNA helicase A (RHA) dsRNA-binding domains (dsRBD1). Attempts to introduce additional linkers or empty coat subunits fail to augment the expression level or assembly of the MS2 VLPs displaying dsRBD1, affirming 91 aa as the upper threshold for exogenous protein presentation. By illuminating the precise confines of MS2 VLPs in accommodating distinct peptide lengths, our study informs the selection of appropriate peptide and protein dimensions. This revelation not only underscores the scope of MS2 VLPs but also establishes a pivotal reference point, facilitating the strategic manipulation of MS2 VLPs to design next-generation epitope/antibody-based therapeutics.

MiRNAs in Alcohol-Related Liver Diseases and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Step toward New Therapeutic Approaches?

Alcohol-related Liver Disease (ALD) is the primary cause of chronic liver disorders and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in developed countries and thus represents a major public health concern. Unfortunately, few therapeutic options are available for ALD and HCC, except liver transplantation or tumor resection for HCC. Deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of these diseases is therefore of major importance to identify early biomarkers and to design efficient therapeutic options. Increasing evidence indicate that epigenetic alterations play a central role in the development of ALD and HCC. Among them, microRNA importantly contribute to the development of this disease by controlling the expression of several genes involved in hepatic metabolism, inflammation, fibrosis, and carcinogenesis at the post-transcriptional level. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge about miRNAs' functions in the different stages of ALD and their role in the progression toward carcinogenesis. We highlight that each stage of ALD is associated with deregulated miRNAs involved in hepatic carcinogenesis, and thus represent HCC-priming miRNAs. By using in silico approaches, we have uncovered new miRNAs potentially involved in HCC. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting miRNAs for the treatment of these diseases.

MicroRNAs as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Narrative Review

PURPOSE

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world. However, biomarkers for NAFLD diagnosis and liver-specific drugs for treatment are lacking. This article reviews the possibility of circulating miRNAs in the diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD diseases and focuses on several well-studied miRNAs to provide preclinical data for subsequent related studies.

METHODS

Related articles were identified through searches of the PubMed database for literature published from 2010 to December 2022. Search terms included NAFLD, microRNA, biomarker, diagnosis, and therapy.

FINDINGS

Current research data indicate that some key circulating miRNAs may be used as diagnostic biomarkers of NAFLD and the combination of several miRNAs improves diagnostic performance. In addition, some preclinical trials using cell and mouse models provide a basis for some miRNAs as potential therapeutic targets.

IMPLICATIONS

Current evidence suggests that circulating miRNAs are potential noninvasive biomarkers for clinical diagnosis of NAFLD, which needs to be validated in more heterogeneous and larger cohorts. In addition, several miRNAs regulate multiple downstream pathways related to the pathophysiology of NAFLD in a cell- and tissue-specific manner, making them attractive drug therapeutic targets for NAFLD. However, more preclinical and clinical trials are needed for these miRNAs to become therapeutic targets of NAFLD.

Bacterial RNA virus MS2 exposure increases the expression of cancer progression genes in the LNCaP prostate cancer cell line

Bacteriophages effectively counteract diverse bacterial infections, and their ability to treat most types of cancer has been explored using phage engineering or phage-virus hybrid platforms. In the present study, it was demonstrated that the bacteriophage MS2 can affect the expression of genes associated with the proliferation and survival of LNCaP prostate epithelial cells. LNCaP cells were exposed to bacteriophage MS2 at a concentration of 1×10⁷ plaque forming units/ml for 24-48 h. After exposure, various cellular parameters, including cell viability, morphology, and changes in gene expression, were examined. MS2 affected cell viability adversely, reducing viability by 25% in the first 4 h of treatment; however, cell viability recovered within 24-48 h. Similarly, the AKT, androgen receptor, integrin α5, integrin β1, MAPK1, MAPK3, STAT3, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α genes, which are involved in various normal cellular processes and tumor progression, were significantly upregulated, whereas the expression levels of HSP90, ITGB5, ITGB3, HSP27, ITGAV, and PI3K genes were unchanged. Therefore, based on viability and gene expression changes, bacteriophage MS2 severely impaired LNCaP cells by reducing anchorage-dependent survival and androgen signaling. A caveolin-mediated endocytosis mechanism for MS2-mediated signaling in prostate cancer cells was proposed based on reports involving bacteriophages T4, M13, and MS2, and their interactions with LNCaP and PC3 cell lines.

Bacteriophage-Mediated Cancer Gene Therapy

Bacteriophages have long been considered only as infectious agents that affect bacterial hosts. However, recent studies provide compelling evidence that these viruses are able to successfully interact with eukaryotic cells at the levels of the binding, entry and expression of their own genes. Currently, bacteriophages are widely used in various areas of biotechnology and medicine, but the most intriguing of them is cancer therapy. There are increasing studies confirming the efficacy and safety of using phage-based vectors as a systemic delivery vehicle of therapeutic genes and drugs in cancer therapy. Engineered bacteriophages, as well as eukaryotic viruses, demonstrate a much greater efficiency of transgene delivery and expression in cancer cells compared to non-viral gene transfer methods. At the same time, phage-based vectors, in contrast to eukaryotic viruses-based vectors, have no natural tropism to mammalian cells and, as a result, provide more selective delivery of therapeutic cargos to target cells. Moreover, numerous data indicate the presence of more complex molecular mechanisms of interaction between bacteriophages and eukaryotic cells, the further study of which is necessary both for the development of gene therapy methods and for understanding the cancer nature. In this review, we summarize the key results of research into aspects of phage-eukaryotic cell interaction and, in particular, the use of phage-based vectors for highly selective and effective systemic cancer gene therapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatitis C virus infection and miRNA involvement: Perspectives for new therapeutic approaches

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the principal etiology of cirrhosis and, ultimately, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). At present, approximately 71 million people are chronically infected with HCV, and 10%–20% of these are expected to develop severe liver complications throughout their lifetime. Scientific evidence has clearly shown the causal association between miRNAs, HCV infection and HCC. Although it is not completely clear whether miRNA dysregulation in HCC is the cause or the consequence of its development, variations in miRNA patterns have been described in different liver diseases, including HCC. Many studies have analyzed the importance of circulating miRNAs and their effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis. In this Review, we aim to summarize current knowledge on the association between miRNA, HCV and HCC from a diagnostic point of view, and also the potential implications for therapeutic approaches.

Bioinformatics Methods Reveal the Biomarkers and the miRNA-mRNA Network in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has threatened the health of humans, and few therapeutic strategies can completely uproot this illness. Bioinformatics methods have been widely used for investigating the pathological mechanisms of disease. In this study, datasets including GSE20077 and GSE108724, obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, were used for investigating the biomarker and molecular mechanism of HCC. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the datasets were identified, and the targets of the miRNAs were searched in the miRDIP and miRNET databases. Enrichment analysis was performed for delving the molecular mechanism of DEGs, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and miRNA-mRNA networks were used to reveal the hub nodes and the related interaction relationships. Moreover, the expression and diagnostic values of hub nodes were analyzed with the GEPIA2 database. The results showed that 53 upregulated miRNAs and 48 downregulated miRNAs were found in GSE20077, and 55 upregulated miRNAs and 69 downregulated miRNAs were found in GSE108724. Moreover, seven common miRNAs including miR-146b-5p, miR-338-3p, miR-375, miR-502-3p, miR-532-3p, miR-532-5p, and miR-557 were found in the datasets. The targets of the common miRNAs were related with the P53, HIF1, Wnt, and NF-κB pathways. Besides, YWHAZ and CDC42 were identified as the hub nodes and served as the downstream targets of miR-375-3p. The GEPIA2 database showed that YWHAZ and CDC42 were related with the survival rate of the patients. In conclusion, this study suggests that miR-375-3p functions as a tumor suppressor which could inhibit the progression of HCC via targeting YWHAZ and CDC42.