Long non-coding RNA NORAD contributes to the proliferation, invasion and EMT progression of prostate cancer via the miR-30a-5p/RAB11A/WNT/β-catenin pathway

Research on the mechanism of exosomes from different sources influencing the progression of lung cancer

As a key regulator of intercellular communication, exosomes are essential for tumor cells. In our study, we will explore the mechanisms of exosomes from different sources on lung cancer. We isolated CD8+T cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) from venous blood and tumor tissues of lung cancer patients, and isolated exosomes. MiR-2682 was high expression in CD8+T-derived exosomes, and lncRNA-FOXD3-AS1 was upregulated in CAF-derived exosomes. Online bioinformatics database analysis showed that RNA Binding Motif Protein 39 (RBM39) was identified as the target of miR-2682, and eukaryotic translation initiation factors 3B (EIF3B) was identified as the RNA binding protein of FOXD3-AS1. CD8+T-derived exosomes inhibited the growth of A549 cells and promoted apoptosis, while miR-2682 inhibits reversed these effects of CD8+T-derived exosomes. CAF-derived exosomes promoted the growth of A549 cells and inhibited apoptosis, while FOXD3-AS1 siRNA reversed the effect of CAF-derived exosomes. Mechanism studies have found that miR-2682 inhibits the growth of lung cancer cells by inhibiting the expression of RBM39. FOXD3-AS1 promoted the growth of lung cancer cells by binding to EIF3B. In vivo experiments showed that CD8+T cell-derived exosome miR-2682 inhibited lung cancer tumor formation, while CAF-derived exosome FOXD3-AS1 promoted lung cancer tumor formation. This study provides mechanistic insights into the role of miR-2682 and FOXD3-AS1 in lung cancer progression and provides new strategies for lung cancer treatment.

Functional enrichment analysis reveals the involvement of DARS2 in multiple biological pathways and its potential as a therapeutic target in esophageal carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The enzyme Aspartyl tRNA synthetase 2 (DARS2) is a crucial enzyme in the mitochondrial tRNA synthesis pathway, playing a critical role in maintaining normal mitochondrial function and protein synthesis. However, the role of DARS2 in ESCA is unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Transcriptional data of pan-cancer and ESCA were downloaded from UCSC XENA, TCGA, and GEO databases to analyze the differential expression of DARS2 between tumor samples and normal samples, and its correlation with clinicopathological features of ESCA patients. R was used for GO, KEGG, and GSEA functional enrichment analysis of DARS2 co-expression and to analyze the connection of DARS2 with glycolysis and m6A-related genes. In vitro experiments were performed to assess the effects of interfering with DARS2 expression on ESCA cells. TarBase v.8, mirDIP, miRTarBase, ENCORI, and miRNet databases were used to analyze and construct a ceRNA network containing DARS2.

RESULTS

DARS2 was overexpressed in various types of tumors. In vitro experiments confirmed that interfering with DARS2 expression significantly affected the proliferation, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle, and glycolysis of ESCA cells. DARS2 may be involved in multiple biological pathways related to tumor development. Furthermore, correlation and differential analysis revealed that DARS2 may regulate ESCA m6A modification through its interaction with METTL3 and YTHDF1. A ceRNA network containing DARS2, DLEU2/has-miR-30a-5p/DARS2, was successfully predicted and constructed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal the upregulation of DARS2 in ESCA and its association with clinical features, glycolysis pathway, m6A modification, and ceRNA network. These discoveries provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying ESCA.

Wnt/β-catenin-driven EMT regulation in human cancers

Metastasis accounts for 90% of cancer-related deaths among the patients. The transformation of epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells with molecular alterations can occur during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The EMT mechanism accelerates the cancer metastasis and drug resistance ability in human cancers. Among the different regulators of EMT, Wnt/β-catenin axis has been emerged as a versatile modulator. Wnt is in active form in physiological condition due to the function of GSK-3β that destructs β-catenin, while ligand-receptor interaction impairs GSK-3β function to increase β-catenin stability and promote its nuclear transfer. Regarding the oncogenic function of Wnt/β-catenin, its upregulation occurs in human cancers and it can accelerate EMT-mediated metastasis and drug resistance. The stimulation of Wnt by binding Wnt ligands into Frizzled receptors can enhance β-catenin accumulation in cytoplasm that stimulates EMT and related genes upon nuclear translocation. Wnt/β-catenin/EMT axis has been implicated in augmenting metastasis of both solid and hematological tumors. The Wnt/EMT-mediated cancer metastasis promotes the malignant behavior of tumor cells, causing therapy resistance. The Wnt/β-catenin/EMT axis can be modulated by upstream mediators in which non-coding RNAs are main regulators. Moreover, pharmacological intervention, mainly using phytochemicals, suppresses Wnt/EMT axis in metastasis suppression.

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) knockdown alleviates airway remodeling in asthma via regulating miR-410-3p/RCC2 and inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Background

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder with high prevalence in childhood. Airway remodeling, an important structural change of the airways, is resulted from epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Long non-coding RNA non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) has been found to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition in multiple cancers. This study aimed to analyze the role of NORAD in asthma, mainly focusing on epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated airway remodeling, and further explored the NORAD-miRNA-mRNA network.

Methods

NORAD expression was analyzed in transforming growth factor-β1-induced BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cells and ovalbumin-challenged asthmatic mice. The influences of NORAD on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition characteristics and Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation were analyzed in vitro. The interactions between NORAD and miR-410-3p as well as miR-410-3p and regulator of chromosome condensation 2 were detected by dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay. Rescue experiments using miR-410-3p antagonist and chromosome condensation 2 overexpression were used to confirm the mechanism of NORAD. Additionally, the role and mechanism of NORAD were further evaluated in asthmatic mice.

Results

NORAD expression was elevated in both asthmatic models. Knockdown of NORAD impeded spindle-like morphology changes, elevated E-cadherin expression, decreased N-cadherin expression, suppressed cell migration, and inactivated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in transforming growth factor-β1-stimulated BEAS-2B cells. NORAD acted as a sponge of miR-410-3p to regulate chromosome condensation 2 expression. Rescue assays demonstrated that silencing of NORAD ameliorated transforming growth factor-β1-induced EMT via miR-410-3p/chromosome condensation 2/Wnt/β-catenin axis. In vivo, knockdown of NORAD led to the reduction of inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen deposition, suppression of IL-4, IL-13, transforming growth factor-β1 and immunoglobulin E production, decreasing of N-cadherin, chromosome condensation 2, β-catenin and c-Myc expression, but increasing of E-cadherin and miR-410-3p expression.

Conclusions

Silencing of NORAD alleviated epithelial-mesenchymal transition-mediated airway remodeling in asthma via mediating miR-410-3p/chromosome condensation 2/Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Emerging role of miRNA in prostate cancer: A future era of diagnostic and therapeutics

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in men (20%) and is responsible for 6.8% (1/5) of all cancer-related deaths in men around the world. The development and spread of prostate cancer are driven by a wide variety of genomic changes and extensive epigenetic events. Because of this, the MicroRNA (miRNA) and associated molecular mechanisms involved in PCa genesis and aggressive were only partially identified until today. The miRNAs are a newly discovered category of regulatorsthat have recently been recognized to have a significant role in regulating numerous elements of cancer mechanisms, such as proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, and apoptosis. The miRNAs are a type of small (22-24 nucleotides), non-coding, endogenous, single-stranded RNA and work as potent gene regulators. Various types of cancer, including PCa, have found evidence that miRNA genes, which are often located in cancer-related genetic regions or fragile locations, have a role in the primary steps of tumorigenesis, either as oncogenes or tumorsuppressors. To explain the link between miRNAs and their function in the initiation and advancement of PCa, we conducted a preliminary assessment. The purpose of this research was to enhance our understanding of the connection between miRNA expression profiles and PCa by elucidating the fundamental processes of miRNA expression and the target genes.

MiRNA-30a-5p/VCAN Arrests Tumor Metastasis via Modulating the Adhesion of Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

Previous research indicated that the dysregulation of miRNA-30a-5p has a correlation with cell metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). But the study about the molecular regulatory mechanism of miRNA-30a-5p in LUAD cell metastasis is limited. Thus, we discussed the mechanism of miRNA-30a-5p and its biological function in LUAD cells. By utilizing bioinformatics analysis, how miRNA-30a-5p was expressed in LUAD tissue was determined and its downstream target genes were predicted. The signaling pathways where these target genes enriched were analyzed. Several in vitro experiments were applied for cell function detection: dual-luciferase assay for validating the targeting relationship between miRNA-30a-5p and its target gene; quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for testing the expression of miRNA-30a-5p and its target gene in LUAD cells; MTT, transwell, cell adhesion, flow cytometry and immunofluorescence assays for examining the capabilities of LUAD cells to proliferate, migrate, invade, adhere, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) effect; Western blot for determining the expression of adhesion-related proteins and EMT-related proteins. Down-regulated miRNA-30a-5p was discovered in LUAD cells, but on the contrary, VCAN was upregulated. MiRNA-30a-5p overexpression notably repressed the virulent progression of LUAD cells. Besides, dual-luciferase assay validated the targeting relationship between miRNA-30a-5p and VCAN. MiRNA-30a-5p, by negatively regulating VCAN, was capable of hindering LUAD cell proliferation, migration, invasion, adhesion, viability and EMT. It was illustrated that miRNA-30a-5p could downregulate VCAN to retard the malignant progression of LUAD cells, which provides novel insights into LUAD pathogenesis, suggesting that miRNA-30a-5p/VCAN axis can be a promising anti-cancer target for LUAD.

Multiple functions and dual characteristics of RAB11A in cancers

Vesicle trafficking is an unceasing and elaborate cellular process that functions in material transport and information delivery. Recent studies have identified the small GTPase, Ras-related protein in brain 11A (RAB11A), as a key regulator in this process. Aberrant RAB11A expression has been reported in several types of cancers, suggesting the important functions and characteristics of RAB11A in cancer. These discoveries are of great significance because therapeutic strategies based on the physiological and pathological status of RAB11A might make cancer treatment more effective, as the molecular mechanisms of cancer development have not been completely revealed. However, these studies on RAB11A have not been reviewed and discussed specifically. Therefore, we summarize and discuss the recent findings of RAB11A involvement in different biological processes, including endocytic recycling regulation, receptors and adhesion molecules recycling, exosome secretion, phagophore formation and cytokinesis, as well as regulatory mechanisms in several tumor types. Moreover, contradictory effects of RAB11A have also been observed in different types of cancers, implying the dual characteristics of RAB11A in cancer, which are either oncogenic or tumor-suppressive. This review on the functions and characteristics of RAB11A highlights the value of RAB11A in inducing multiple important phenotypes based on vesicle trafficking and therefore will offer insights for future studies to reveal the molecular mechanisms, clinical significance, and therapeutic targeting of RAB11A in different cancers.

Unlocking the role of non-coding RNAs in prostate cancer progression: exploring the interplay with the Wnt signaling pathway

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in males, exhibiting a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations that pose challenges in its diagnosis and treatment. The Wnt signaling pathway, a conserved and complex pathway, is crucial for embryonic development, tissue homeostasis, and various physiological processes. Apart from the classical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, there exist multiple non-classical Wnt signaling pathways, including the Wnt/PCP and Wnt/Ca2+ pathways. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are involved in the occurrence and development of PCa and the response to PCa treatment. ncRNAs are known to execute diverse regulatory roles in cellular processes, despite their inability to encode proteins. Among them, microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs play key roles in the regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway in PCa. Aberrant expression of these ncRNAs and dysregulation of the Wnt signaling pathway are one of the causes of cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis in PCa. Moreover, these ncRNAs affect the characteristics of PCa cells and hold promise as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Herein, we summarize the role of ncRNAs in the regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway during the development of PCa. Additionally, we present an overview of the current progress in research on the correlation between these molecules and clinical features of the disease to provide novel insights and strategies for the treatment of PCa.

Expression of NORAD correlates with breast cancer aggressiveness and protects breast cancer cells from chemotherapy

The recently discovered human lncRNA NORAD is induced after DNA damage in a p53-dependent manner. It plays a critical role in the maintenance of genomic stability through interaction with Pumilio proteins, limiting the repression of their target mRNAs. Therefore, NORAD inactivation causes chromosomal instability and aneuploidy, which contributes to the accumulation of genetic abnormalities and tumorigenesis. NORAD has been detected in several types of cancer, including breast cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed and the second-leading cause of cancer death in women. In the present study, we confirmed upregulated NORAD expression levels in a set of human epithelial breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-436, and MDA-MB-468), which belong to the most aggressive subtypes (triple-negative breast cancer). These results are in line with previous data showing that high NORAD expression levels in basal-like tumors were associated with poor prognosis. Here, we demonstrate that NORAD downregulation sensitizes triple-negative breast cancer cells to chemotherapy, through a potential accumulation of genomic aberrations and an impaired capacity to signal DNA damage. These results show that NORAD may represent an unexploited neoadjuvant therapeutic target for chemotherapy-unresponsive breast cancer.

LINC00482 sponged miR-2467-3p to promote bone metastasis of prostate cancer through activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

This study was designed to investigate the biological functions of LINC00482 in prostate cancer (PCa) with bone metastasis. TCGA dataset of PCa was applied for LINC00482 expression analysis and real time PCR was used to verify the expression level of LINC00482 in PCa tissues as well as PCa bone metastatic tissues. To detect the biological functions of LINC00482 in vitro, various assays were used including CCK-8, EdU, colony formation and transwell assays. The biological functions of LINC00482 were also identified in vivo by inoculating PCa cells into the left cardiac ventricle of mice, followed by evaluating the osteolytic lesions and osteolytic score. In addition, Starbase and Lncbase databases were applied for predicting the potential target miRNA of LINC00482, while TargetScan and Starbase databases were used for predicting the potential target of miRNA. The luciferase reporter assay was utilized to determine the interactions among these molecules and western blotting was employed to verified the targeted proteins. Results showed that high expression level of LINC00482 was observed in bone metastatic PCa tissues and associated with PCa progression. Silencing of LINC00482 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in PCa. Furthermore, LINC00482 was proved to act as a competing endogenous RNA by sponging miR-2467-3p to activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which may be a promising therapeutic target for PCa with bone metastasis.

Deregulation of All-Trans Retinoic Acid Signaling and Development in Cancer

Cancer stem cells are the root cause of cancer, which, in essence, is a developmental disorder. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) signaling via ligand-activation of the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) plays a crucial role in tissue patterning and development during mammalian embryogenesis. In adults, active RARγ maintains the pool of hematopoietic stem cells, whereas active RARα drives myeloid cell differentiation. Various findings have revealed that ATRA signaling is deregulated in many cancers. The enzymes for ATRA synthesis are downregulated in colorectal, gastric, lung, and oropharyngeal cancers. ATRA levels within breast, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and renal cancer cells were lower than within their normal counterpart cells. The importance is that 0.24 nM ATRA activates RARγ (for stem cell stemness), whereas 100 times more is required to activate RARα (for differentiation). Moreover, RARγ is an oncogene regarding overexpression within colorectal, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatocellular, ovarian, pancreatic, and renal cancer cells. The microRNA (miR) 30a-5p downregulates expression of RARγ, and miR-30a/miR-30a-5p is a tumor suppressor for breast, colorectal, gastric, hepatocellular, lung, oropharyngeal, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and renal cancer. These complementary findings support the view that perturbations to ATRA signaling play a role in driving the abnormal behavior of cancer stem cells. Targeting ATRA synthesis and RARγ has provided promising approaches to eliminating cancer stem cells because such agents have been shown to drive cell death.

Non-coding RNA-based therapeutics in cancer therapy: An emphasis on Wnt/β-catenin control

Non-coding RNA transcripts are RNA molecules that have mainly regulatory functions and they do not encode proteins. microRNAs (miRNAs), lncRNAs and circRNAs are major types of this family and these epigenetic factors participate in disease pathogenesis, especially cancer that their abnormal expression may lead to cancer progression. miRNAs and lncRNAs possess a linear structure, whereas circRNAs possess ring structures and high stability. Wnt/β-catenin is an important factor in cancer with oncogenic function and it can increase growth, invasion and therapy resistance in tumors. Wnt upregulation occurs upon transfer of β-catenin to nucleus. Interaction of ncRNAs with Wnt/β-catenin signaling can determine tumorigenesis. Wnt upregulation is observed in cancers and miRNAs are able to bind to 3'-UTR of Wnt to reduce its level. LncRNAs can directly/indirectly regulate Wnt and in indirect manner, lncRNAs sponge miRNAs. CircRNAs are new emerging regulators of Wnt and by its stimulation, they increase tumor progression. CircRNA/miRNA axis can affect Wnt and carcinogenesis. Overall, interaction of ncRNAs with Wnt can determine proliferation rate, migration ability and therapy response of cancers. Furthermore, ncRNA/Wnt/β-catenin axis can be utilized as biomarker in cancer and for prognostic applications in patients.

Importance of long non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of prostate cancer

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulatory transcripts with essential roles in the pathogenesis of almost all types of cancers, including prostate cancer. They can act as either oncogenic lncRNAs or tumor suppressor ones in prostate cancer. Small nucleolar RNA host genes are among the mostly assessed oncogenic lncRNAs in this cancer. PCA3 is an example of oncogenic lncRNAs that has been approved as a diagnostic marker in prostate cancer. A number of well-known oncogenic lncRNAs in other cancers such as DANCR, MALAT1, CCAT1, PVT1, TUG1 and NEAT1 have also been shown to act as oncogenes in prostate cancer. On the other hand, LINC00893, LINC01679, MIR22HG, RP1-59D14.5, MAGI2-AS3, NXTAR, FGF14-AS2 and ADAMTS9-AS1 are among lncRNAs that act as tumor suppressors in prostate cancer. LncRNAs can contribute to the pathogenesis of prostate cancer via modulation of androgen receptor (AR) signaling, ubiquitin-proteasome degradation process of AR or other important signaling pathways. The current review summarizes the role of lncRNAs in the evolution of prostate cancer with an especial focus on their importance in design of novel biomarker panels and therapeutic targets.

LncRNA TUG1 Exacerbates Myocardial Fibrosis in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Modulating the microRNA-145a-5p/Cfl2 Axis

ABSTRACT

Nowadays, there is limited prevention and treatment for myocardial fibrosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Our study aimed to depict the mechanism of the lncRNA TUG1/miR-145a-5p/Cfl2 axis in DCM and to provide a molecular basis for the study of this disease. Male C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin to establish DCM mouse models. The expression levels of lncRNA TUG1, miR-145a-5p, and Cfl2 in myocardial tissues of mice were tested by RT-qPCR or Western blot. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography. The contents of Ang-II, TNF-α, and IL-1β were measured using ELISA. The histopathological observation was performed by HE staining and Masson staining. The expression levels of myocardial fibrosis-related genes COL1A1, MMP2, and FN1 were determined by RT-qPCR. In addition, bioinformatics website, RIP assay, pull-down assay, and luciferase activity assay were conducted to verify the relationships of lncRNA TUG1, miR-145a-5p, and Cfl2. In the DCM mouse model, lncRNA TUG1 and Cfl2 expression levels were upregulated and miR-145a-5p expression was downregulated. Downregulation of lncRNA TUG1 improved cardiac function and myocardial fibrosis; decreased COL1A1, MMP2, and FN1 expression levels; as well as TNF-α, IL-1β, and Ang-II contents in myocardial tissues of DCM mice. Upregulation of miR-145a-5p showed the same trend as downregulation of lncRNA TUG1. In addition, upregulating miR-145a-5p reversed the promotion roles of lncRNA TUG1 on myocardial fibrosis in DCM mice, and upregulating Cfl2 compromised the improvement effect of downregulated lncRNA TUG1 on myocardial fibrosis in DCM mice. Mechanistically, there was a binding site between lncRNA TUG1 and miR-145a-5p, and miR-145a-5p had a targeting relationship with Cfl2. This study highlights that lncRNA TUG1 sponges miR-145a-5p to aggravate myocardial fibrosis in DCM mice by promoting Cfl2.

Absence of Scaffold Protein Tks4 Disrupts Several Signaling Pathways in Colon Cancer Cells

Tks4 is a large scaffold protein in the EGFR signal transduction pathway that is involved in several cellular processes, such as cellular motility, reactive oxygen species-dependent processes, and embryonic development. It is also implicated in a rare developmental disorder, Frank-ter Haar syndrome. Loss of Tks4 resulted in the induction of an EMT-like process, with increased motility and overexpression of EMT markers in colorectal carcinoma cells. In this work, we explored the broader effects of deletion of Tks4 on the gene expression pattern of HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells by transcriptome sequencing of wild-type and Tks4 knockout (KO) cells. We identified several protein coding genes with altered mRNA levels in the Tks4 KO cell line, as well as a set of long non-coding RNAs, and confirmed these changes with quantitative PCR on a selected set of genes. Our results show a significant perturbation of gene expression upon the deletion of Tks4, suggesting the involvement of different signal transduction pathways over the well-known EGFR signaling.

Prognostic values of long noncoding RNA in bone metastasis of prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs are closely related to the occurrence and development of prostate cancer bone metastasis, and can be used as biomarkers to predict the prognosis of patients. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically evaluate the relationship between the expression levels of long non-coding RNAs and the prognosis of patients.

Methods

The studies of lncRNA in prostate cancer bone metastasis from Pubmed, Cochrane library, Embase, Ebsco, Web of science, Scopus, Ovid databases were analyzed, and Stata 15 was used for meta-analysis. Associations between lncRNA expression and patients' overall survival (OS) and bone metastasis-free survival (BMFS) were assessed by correlation analysis with pooled hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Furthermore, the results were validated using GEPIA2 and UALCAN, online database based on TCGA. Subsequently, the molecular mechanisms of the included lncRNAs were predicted based on the LncACTdb 3.0 database and the lnCAR database. Finally, we used clinical samples to validate lncRNAs that were significantly different in both databases.

Results

A total of 5 published studies involving 474 patients were included in this meta-analysis. The results showed that lncRNA overexpression was significantly associated with lower OS (HR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.69 - 3.99, p < 0.05) and lower BMFS (OR = 3.16, 95% CI: 1.90 - 5.27, p < 0.05) in patients with prostate cancer bone metastasis. Based on validation from the GEPIA2 and UALCAN online databases, SNHG3 and NEAT1 were significantly up-regulated in prostate cancer. Further functional prediction showed that the lncRNAs included in the study were involved in regulating the occurrence and development of prostate cancer through the ceRNA axis. The result of clinical samples showed that SNHG3 and NEAT1 were expressed in prostate cancer bone metastasis at higher levels than in primary tumors.

Conclusions

LncRNA can be used as a novel predictive biomarker for predicting poor prognosis in patients with prostate cancer bone metastasis, which is worthy of clinical validation.

NORAD promotes multiple myeloma cell progression via BMP6/P-ERK1/2 axis

Multiple myeloma (MM) is one of the most common tumors of the hematological system and remains incurable. Recent studies have shown that long noncoding RNA NORAD is a potential oncogene in a variety of tumors. However, the general biological role and clinical value of NORAD in MM remains unknown. In this study, we measured NORAD expression in bone marrow of 60 newly diagnosed MM, 30 post treatment MM and 17 healthy donors by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The NORAD gene was knockdown by lentiviral transfection in MM cell lines, and the effects of NORAD on apoptosis, cell cycle and cell proliferation in MM cells were examined by flow cytometry, CCK8 assay, EDU assay and Western blot, and the differential genes after knockdown of NORAD were screened by mRNA sequencing, followed by in vivo experiments and immunohistochemical assays. We found that knockdown of NORAD promoted MM cell apoptosis, induced cell cycle G1 phase arrest, and inhibited MM cell apoptosis in in vivo and in vitro experiments. Mechanistically, NORAD plays these roles through the BMP6/P-ERK1/2 axis. We discuss a novel mechanism by which NORAD acts pro-tumorigenically in MM via the BMP6/P-ERK1/2 axis.

Identification of Key Genes and miRNAs Affecting Osteosarcoma Based on Bioinformatics

Object. Osteosarcoma is an intractable malignant disease, and few therapeutic methods can thoroughly eradicate its focuses. This study attempted to investigate the related mechanism of osteosarcoma by bioinformatics methods. Methods. GSE70367 and GSE69470 were obtained from the GEO database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs were analyzed using the GEO2R tool and then visualized with R software. Moreover, the targets of the miRNAs in the DEGs were screened and then used for enrichment analysis. Besides, the STRING database and Cytoscape were applied to illustrate the protein-protein interaction network. RT-qPCR was performed to measure the expression of key genes and miRNAs. Western blot was applied to detect the signaling pathway. Results. 9 upregulated genes and 39 downregulated genes in GSE69470 were identified as the DEGs, and 31 upregulated genes and 56 downregulated genes in GSE70367 were identified as the DEGs. Moreover, 21 common genes were found in the DEGs of GSE70367 and GSE69470. The enrichment analysis showed that the common DEGs of GSE70367 and GSE69470 were related with cell development, covalent chromatin modification, and histone modification and involve in the regulation of MAPK, mTOR, and AMPK pathways. Besides, the miRNAs including miR-543, miR-495-3p, miR-433-3p, miR-381-3p, miR-301a-3p, miR-199b-5p, and miR-125b-5p were identified as the biomarkers of osteosarcoma. In addition, the target genes including HSPA5, PPARG, MAPK14, RAB11A, RAB5A, MAPK8, LEF1, HIF1A, CAV1, GS3KB, FOXO3, IGF1, and NFKBIA were identified as hub nodes. It was found that miR-301a-3p expression was decreased and mRNA expression of RAB5A and NFKBIA was increased in the pathological tissues. The AKT-PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway was activated in pathological tissues. Conclusion. In this study, 7 miRNAs and 13 hub genes were identified, which might be candidate markers. miR-301a-3p, RAB5A, and NFKBIA were abnormally expressed in osteosarcoma tissues.

GPX2 predicts recurrence-free survival and triggers the Wnt/β-catenin/EMT pathway in prostate cancer

Objective

This study aimed to establish a prognostic model related to prostate cancer (PCa) recurrence-free survival (RFS) and identify biomarkers.

Methods

The RFS prognostic model and key genes associated with PCa were established using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and Cox regression from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-PRAD and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) GSE46602 datasets. The weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA) was used to analyze the obtained key modules and genes, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed. The phenotype and mechanism were verified in vitro.

Results

A total of 18 genes were obtained by LASSO regression, and an RFS model was established and verified (TCGA, AUC: 0.774; GSE70768, AUC: 0.759). Three key genes were obtained using multivariate Cox regression. WGCNA analysis obtained the blue module closely related to the Gleason score (cor = -0.22, P = 3.3e - 05) and the unique gene glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPX2). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression of GPX2 was significantly higher in patients with PCa than in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (P < 0.05), but there was no significant correlation with the Gleason score (GSE46602 and GSE6919 verified), which was also verified in the GSE46602 and GSE6919 datasets. The GSEA results showed that GPX2 expression was mainly related to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Wnt pathways. Additionally, GPX2 expression significantly correlated with eight kinds of immune cells. In human PCa cell lines LNCaP and 22RV1, si-GPX2 inhibited proliferation and invasion, and induced apoptosis when compared with si-NC. The protein expression of Wnt3a, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), phosphorylated (p)-GSK3β, β-catenin, p-β-catenin, c-myc, cyclin D1, and vimentin decreased; the expression of E-cadherin increased; and the results for over-GPX2 were opposite to those for over-NC. The protein expression of GPX2 decreased, and β-catenin was unchanged in the si-GPX2+ SKL2001 group compared with the si-NC group.

Conclusion

We successfully constructed the PCa RFS prognostic model, obtained RFS-related biomarker GPX2, and found that GPX2 regulated PCa progression and triggered Wnt/β-catenin/EMT pathway molecular changes.

The interplay between non-coding RNAs and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in urinary tract cancers: from tumorigenesis to metastasis

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging as important regulators in various pathological conditions including tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance in human cancers. Oncogenic or tumor suppressor ncRNAs exert prominent effects on cell proliferation, migration and invasion in cancer cells through modulating various signaling pathways including Wnt/β-catenin. Upregulation of the oncogenic Wnt/β-catenin pathway was reported to be implicated in multiple human cancers including breast, liver, colorectal, and urothelial cancers. Therefore, identifying interactions between ncRNAs and canonical Wnt signaling components may represent novel therapeutic targets for better treatment and management of cancer. In this review, we summarized the recent findings about miRNA/lncRNA-dependent mechanisms that regulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis of urinary tract cancers.

Rab11a promotes the malignant progression of ovarian cancer by inducing autophagy

BACKGROUND

Rab11a is a novel identified tumorigenic factor involved in different cancers.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the biological function of Rab11a in ovarian cancer (OC).

METHODS

GEPIA database and real-time PCR were used to determine Rab11a expression in OC tissues and normal ovarian tissues. CCK-8, cell cycle, wound healing, transwell, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect the effects of Rab11a knockdown or overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OC cells. Western blot analysis of autophagy-related markers and immunofluorescence staining of LC3 were performed to determine autophagy induction in Rab11a-silenced or overexpressed OC cells. Moreover, autophagy inhibitor 3-MA was employed to clarify the effects of Rab11a-regulated autophagy on the malignant phenotypes of OC cells.

RESULTS

The mRNA level of Rab11a was increased in tumor tissues from OC patients as compared to the normal ovarian tissues. Knockdown of Rab11a in OVCAR-3 cells inhibited the growth of OC cells and led to cell cycle arrest, accompanied by reduced expression of PCNA and Cyclin D1. Rab11a deficiency suppressed migration and invasion of OC cells, accompanied by decreased secretion of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Silence of Rab11a impeded autophagy induction, as evidenced by decreased LC3 puncta formation, reduced abundance of LC3II and Beclin1, and increased p62 protein expression. In contrast, the ectopic expression of Rab11a in A2780 cells exerted opposite effects. Interestingly, autophagy inhibitor 3-MA abolished the effects of Rab11a overexpression on autophagy, proliferation, migration, and invasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Rab11a promotes the malignant phenotypes of OC cells by inducing autophagy.

Molecular Landscape of LncRNAs in Prostate Cancer: A focus on pathways and therapeutic targets for intervention

Background

One of the most malignant tumors in men is prostate cancer that is still incurable due to its heterogenous and progressive natures. Genetic and epigenetic changes play significant roles in its development. The RNA molecules with more than 200 nucleotides in length are known as lncRNAs and these epigenetic factors do not encode protein. They regulate gene expression at transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic levels. LncRNAs play vital biological functions in cells and in pathological events, hence their expression undergoes dysregulation.

Aim of review

The role of epigenetic alterations in prostate cancer development are emphasized here. Therefore, lncRNAs were chosen for this purpose and their expression level and interaction with other signaling networks in prostate cancer progression were examined.

Key scientific concepts of review

The aberrant expression of lncRNAs in prostate cancer has been well-documented and progression rate of tumor cells are regulated via affecting STAT3, NF-κB, Wnt, PI3K/Akt and PTEN, among other molecular pathways. Furthermore, lncRNAs regulate radio-resistance and chemo-resistance features of prostate tumor cells. Overexpression of tumor-promoting lncRNAs such as HOXD-AS1 and CCAT1 can result in drug resistance. Besides, lncRNAs can induce immune evasion of prostate cancer via upregulating PD-1. Pharmacological compounds such as quercetin and curcumin have been applied for targeting lncRNAs. Furthermore, siRNA tool can reduce expression of lncRNAs thereby suppressing prostate cancer progression. Prognosis and diagnosis of prostate tumor at clinical course can be evaluated by lncRNAs. The expression level of exosomal lncRNAs such as lncRNA-p21 can be investigated in serum of prostate cancer patients as a reliable biomarker.

Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancer: Role of Non-coding RNAs

High oxidative stress, Th1/Th17 immune response, M1 macrophage inflammation, and cell death are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Controlled oxidative stress, Th2/Treg anti-tumor immune response, M2 macrophage inflammation, and survival are associated with cancer. MiR-21 protects against cardiovascular diseases but may induce tumor growth by retaining the anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage and Treg phenotypes and inhibiting apoptosis. Down-regulation of let-7, miR-1, miR-9, miR-16, miR-20a, miR-22a, miR-23a, miR-24a, miR-26a, miR-29, miR-30a, miR-34a, miR-124, miR-128, miR-130a, miR-133, miR-140, miR-143-145, miR-150, miR-153, miR-181a, miR-378, and miR-383 may aid cancer cells to escape from stresses. Upregulation of miR-146 and miR-223 may reduce anti-tumor immune response together with miR-21 that also protects against apoptosis. MiR-155 and silencing of let-7e, miR-125, and miR-126 increase anti-tumor immune response. MiR expression depends on oxidative stress, cytokines, MYC, and TGF-β, and expression of silencing lncRNAs and circ-RNAs. However, one lncRNA or circ-RNA may have opposite effects by targeting several miRs. For example, PVT1 induces apoptosis by targeting miR-16a and miR-30a but inhibits apoptosis by silencing miR-17. In addition, levels of a non-coding RNA in a cell type depend not only on expression in that cell type but also on an exchange of microvesicles between cell types and tumors. Although we got more insight into the function of a growing number of individual non-coding RNAs, overall, we do not know enough how several of them interact in functional networks and how their expression changes at different stages of disease progression.

Suppression of lncRNA NORAD may affect cell migration and apoptosis in gastric cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is a major malignancy that threatens people's lives worldwide. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) is known to be a potential oncogene in many cancers and may promote cell migration and metastasis, and decrease apoptosis rate.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

NORAD expression was measured in 70 pairs of GC tissues and their adjacent normal tissues (ANTs) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Si-NORAD gene knockdown study and cellular assays were conducted to assess the correlation between NORAD expression and cell viability, apoptosis, migration, and metastasis.

RESULTS

NORAD was significantly overexpressed in GC tissues compared to ANTs (P value < 0.0001). The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated the AUC of 0.721 with the sensitivity and specificity of 78.57 and 61.43, respectively (P value < 0.0001). NORAD downregulation leads to decreased cell viability (P value < 0.001) and migration (P value < 0.01), increased apoptosis rate (P value < 0.0001), and increased protein level for PTEN, E-cadherin, and Bax, but decreased protein level for Bcl-2.

CONCLUSION

Generally, NORAD may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker in GC.

LncRNA HOX transcript antisense RNA mitigates cardiac function injury in chronic heart failure via regulating microRNA-30a-5p to target KDM3A

Long noncoding RNA HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) has been studied in multiple diseases, but the role of HOTAIR on chronic heart failure (CHF) through the regulation of microRNA (miR)‐30a‐5p and lysine‐specific demethylase 3A (KDM3A) remains unexplored. This research aims to probe the effects of HOTAIR on CHF progression via modulating miR‐30a‐5p to target KDM3A. CHF mouse model was established by intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin. The CHF mice were then injected with high‐expressed HOTAIR, miR‐30a‐5p or KDM3A adenovirus vectors to determine the cardiac function, oxidative stress, inflammatory response, pathological change and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. HOTAIR, miR‐30a‐5p, KDM3A and Bcl‐2/adenovirus E1B 19kDa interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) expression in CHF mice was detected. The binding relations among HOTAIR, miR‐30a‐5p and KDM3A were validated. HOTAIR and KDM3A were depleted, while miR‐30a‐5p was augmented in CHF mice. The elevated HOTAIR or KDM3A or could improve cardiac function, mitigate oxidative stress and pathological change, reduce inflammatory factor levels and cardiomyocyte apoptosis, while the increased miR‐30a‐5p exerted opposite effects. The miR‐30a‐5p elevation could reverse the effects of enriched HOTAIR, while BNIP3 reduction abrogated the effects of KDM3A on CHF. HOTAIR sponged miR‐30a‐5p that targeted KDM3A. HOTAIR improves cardiac injury in CHF via modulating miR‐30a‐5p to target KDM3A. This study provides novel therapeutic strategies for CHF treatment.

Integrative Analysis of MALT1 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Prostate Cancer and its Immunological Role in Pan-Cancer

Background: Mucosa-associated lymphoma antigen 1 (MALT1) is an oncogene in subsets of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (MALT) lymphoma. However, the role of MALT1 across cancers, especially in prostate cancer is still poorly understood.

Methods: Here, we used several public datasets to evaluate MALT1 expression. Then, PCa cell lines and nude mice were used to investigate the cellular functions in vitro and in vivo. Microarray data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas and MALT1 was subjected to gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis to identify the biological functions and relevant pathways. Additionally, the correlations between MALT1 expression and mismatch repair (MMR) gene mutation, immune checkpoint gene expression, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI) were investigated by Pearson correlation analysis. Moreover, the correlation between MALT1 expression and tumor immune infiltration was analyzed by the Tumor Immune Evaluation Resource (TIMER) database.

Results: MALT1 overexpression was significantly correlated with MMR gene mutation levels and crucially promoted proliferation and colony genesis while reducing PCa cell apoptosis levels in vivo and in vitro. MALT1 expression showed strong correlations with immune checkpoint genes, TMB, and MSI in most cancers. The GO analysis indicated that MALT1-coexpressed genes were involved in heterotypic cell-cell adhesion, actin filament-based movement regulation, and action potential regulation. GSEA revealed that MALT1 expression was associated with several signaling pathways, including the NF-κB signaling, Wnt/β-catenin and TGF-β signaling pathways, in PCa. Additionally, MALT1 expression was significantly correlated with the infiltration of immune cells, including B cells, CD8⁺ T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages, and negatively correlated with CD4⁺ cell infiltration in PCa.

Conclusion: MALT1 expression is higher in pancancer samples than in normal tissues. MALT1 promoted proliferation and colony genesis while reducing PCa cell apoptosis levels, and MALT1 suppression could inhibit xenograft tumor establishment in nude mice. Furthermore, MALT1 expression is closely related to the occurrence and development of multiple tumors in multiple ways. Therefore, MALT1 may be an emerging therapeutic target for a variety of cancers especially PCa.

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Signaling and Prostate Cancer Stem Cells: Emerging Biomarkers and Opportunities for Precision Therapeutics

Prostate cancers may reactivate a latent embryonic program called the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) during the development of metastatic disease. Through EMT, tumors can develop a mesenchymal phenotype similar to cancer stem cell traits that contributes to metastasis and variation in therapeutic responses. Some of the recurrent somatic mutations of prostate cancer affect EMT driver genes and effector transcription factors that induce the chromatin- and androgen-dependent epigenetic alterations that characterize castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). EMT regulators in prostate cancer comprise transcription factors (SNAI1/2, ZEB1, TWIST1, and ETS), tumor suppressor genes (RB1, PTEN, and TP53), and post-transcriptional regulators (miRNAs) that under the selective pressures of antiandrogen therapy can develop an androgen-independent metastatic phenotype. In prostate cancer mouse models of EMT, Slug expression, as well as WNT/β-Catenin and notch signaling pathways, have been shown to increase stemness potential. Recent single-cell transcriptomic studies also suggest that the stemness phenotype of advanced prostate cancer may be related to EMT. Other evidence correlates EMT and stemness with immune evasion, for example, activation of the polycomb repressor complex I, promoting EMT and stemness and cytokine secretion through RB1, TP53, and PRC1. These findings are helping clinical trials in CRPC that seek to understand how drugs and biomarkers related to the acquisition of EMT can improve drug response.

Non-coding RNA Activated by DNA Damage: Review of Its Roles in the Carcinogenesis

Long intergenic non-coding RNA 00657 (LINC00657) or "non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage" (NORAD) is an extremely conserved and copious long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). This transcript has pivotal role in the preservation of genome integrity. Several researches have appraised the role of NORAD in the evolution of human cancers with most of them indicating an oncogenic role for this lncRNA. Several miRNAs such as miR-199a-3p, miR-608, miR-155-5p, miR-590-3p, miR-495-3p, miR-608, miR-202-5p, miR-125a-3p, miR-144-3p, miR-202-5p, and miR-30a-5p have been recognized as targets of NORAD in different cancer cell lines. In addition, NORAD has interactions with cancer-related pathways, particularly STAT, TGF-β, Akt/mTOR, and PI3K/AKT pathway. Over-expression of NORAD has been related with poor clinical outcome of patients with diverse types of neoplasms. Collectively, NORAD is a prospective marker and target for combating cancer.