Estrogen receptor-α-miR-1271-SNAI2 feedback loop regulates transforming growth factor-β-induced breast cancer progression

Suppression of breast cancer metastatic behavior by microRNAs targeting EMT transcription factors. A relevant participation of miR-196a-5p and miR-22-3p in ZEB1 expression

PURPOSE

Metastasis, the leading cause of cancer-associated deaths, is promoted by transcription factors SNAIL, SLUG, ZEB1 and TWIST through the activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). MicroRNAs can suppress EMT, emerging as candidate molecular biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets. Herein, we evaluated microRNAs downregulated in breast cancer (BC) tissues expressing EMT transcription factors, to find new potential regulators of EMT.

METHODS

Candidate microRNAs were selected from microarray data by their inversely correlated expression with SNAIL, SLUG, ZEB1 and TWIST, evaluated in BC tissues through immunohistochemistry. We selected eight microRNAs predicted in silico as probable modulators of SNAIL, SLUG, ZEB1 and TWIST, and validate their interaction through the 3'UTR region in luciferase reporter gene assays. MDA-MB-231 cells were transfected with selected microRNAs to perform migration, invasion and cell proliferation assays, and western blot was used to evaluate protein levels.

RESULTS

MiR-30a-5p, miR-1271-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-202-3p, miR-210-3p, miR-22-3p and miR-331-3p decreased luciferase activity through SNAIL, SLUG, ZEB1 and/or TWIST 3'UTR. These microRNAs, including miR-34b-3p, decreased migration, invasion and cell proliferation in MDA-MB-231 cells. MiR-30a-5p, miR-202-3p and miR-22-3p decreased vimentin expression, whereas miR-196a-5p and miR-22-3p decreased endogenous ZEB1 levels. MiR-196a-5p, miR-202-3p and miR-30a-5p also decreased CCR7 expression, a chemokine receptor involved in lymph node metastasis.

CONCLUSION

microRNAs selected in this work can regulate gene expression trough 3'UTR region of EMT-transcription factors. In BC cells, miR-196a-5p and miR-22-3p decrease ZEB1 levels, being novel modulators of EMT. Also, the eight evaluated microRNAs, reduced the metastatic hallmarks in BC cells.

The Interplay Between Obesity and Aging in Breast Cancer and Regulatory Function of MicroRNAs in This Pathway

Breast cancer (BC) is a significant contributor to cancer-related deaths in women, and it has complex connections with obesity and aging. This review explores the interaction between obesity and aging in relation to the development and progression of BC, focusing on the controlling role of microRNAs (miRNAs). Obesity, characterized by excess adipose tissue, contributes to a proinflammatory environment and metabolic dysregulation, which are important in tumor development. Aging, associated with cellular senescence and systemic changes, further exacerbates these conditions. miRNAs, small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression, play key roles in these processes, impacting pathways involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cancer metastasis, either as tumor suppressors or oncogenes. Importantly, specific miRNAs are implicated in mediating the impact of obesity and aging on BC. Exploring the regulatory networks controlled by miRNAs provides valuable information on new targets for therapy and predictive markers, demonstrating the potential for using miRNA-based interventions to treat BC in obese and elderly individuals. This review emphasizes the importance of integrated research strategies to understand the complex connections between obesity, aging, and miRNA regulation in BC.

Identification of miR-1 and miR-499 in chronic atrial fibrillation by bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most prevalent arrhythmias and is characterized by a high risk of heart failure and embolic stroke, yet its underlying mechanism is unclear. The primary goal of this study was to establish a miRNA-mRNA network and identify the miRNAs associated with chronic AF by bioinformatics and experimental validation.

Methods

The GSE79768 dataset was collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO) database to extract data from patients with or without persistent AF. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in left atrial appendages (LAAs). The STRING platform was utilized for protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. The target miRNAs for the top 20 hub genes were predicted by using the miRTarBase Web tool. The miRNA-mRNA network was established and visualized using Cytoscape software. The key miRNAs selected for verification in the animal experiment were confirmed by miRwalk Web tool. We used a classic animal model of rapid ventricular pacing for chronic AF. Two groups of animals were included in the experiment, namely, the ventricular pacing group (VP group), where ventricular pacing was maintained at 240-280 bpm for 2 weeks, and the control group was the sham-operated group (SO group). Finally, we performed reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to validate the expression of miR-1 and miR-499 in LAA tissues of the VP group and the SO group. Left atrial fibrosis and apoptosis were evaluated by Masson staining and caspase-3 activity assays, respectively.

Results

The networks showed 48 miRNAs in LAA tissues. MiR-1 and miR-499 were validated using an animal model of chronic AF. The expression level of miR-1 was increased, and miR-499 was decreased in VP group tissues compared to SO group tissues in LAAs (P < 0.05), which were correlated with left atrial fibrosis and apoptosis in AF.

Conclusion

This study provides a better understanding of the alterations in miRNA-1 and miR-499 in chronic AF from the perspective of the miRNA-mRNA network and corroborates findings through experimental validation. These findings may offer novel potential therapeutic targets for AF in the future.

Obesity as a Risk Factor for Breast Cancer-The Role of miRNA

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the world, with an ever-increasing incidence rate. Due to the dynamic increase in the occurrence of risk factors, including obesity and related metabolic disorders, the search for new regulatory mechanisms is necessary. This will help a complete understanding of the pathogenesis of breast cancer. The review presents the mechanisms of obesity as a factor that increases the risk of developing breast cancer and that even initiates the cancer process in the female population. The mechanisms presented in the paper relate to the inflammatory process resulting from current or progressive obesity leading to cell metabolism disorders and disturbed hormonal metabolism. All these processes are widely regulated by the action of microRNAs (miRNAs), which may constitute potential biomarkers influencing the pathogenesis of breast cancer and may be a promising target of anti-cancer therapies.

miR-92a-3p promotes breast cancer proliferation by regulating the KLF2/BIRC5 axis

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy in females around the world. Recently, a growing number of studies have focused on gene dysregulation. In our previous study, Krüppel-like factors (KLFs) were found to play essential roles in breast cancer development, among which KLF2 could function as a tumor suppressor. Nevertheless, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear.

METHODS

miR-92a-3p was identified as the upstream regulator of KLF2 by starBase v.3.0. The regulation of KLF2 by miR-92a-3p was verified by a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. Further exploration revealed that Baculoviral IAP Repeat Containing 5 (BIRC5) was the target of KLF2. ChIP assay, dual-luciferase reporter analysis, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blot were performed for verification.

RESULTS

miR-92a-3p functioned as a tumor promoter by inhibiting KLF2 by binding to its 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). In addition, KLF2 could transcriptionally suppress the expression of BIRC5.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, our results uncovered the miR-92a-3p/KLF2/BIRC5 axis in breast cancer and provided a potential mechanism for breast cancer development, which may serve as promising strategies for breast cancer therapy.

Cooperative interaction between ERα and the EMT-inducer ZEB1 reprograms breast cancer cells for bone metastasis

The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been proposed to contribute to the metastatic spread of breast cancer cells. EMT-promoting transcription factors determine a continuum of different EMT states. In contrast, estrogen receptor α (ERα) helps to maintain the epithelial phenotype of breast cancer cells and its expression is crucial for effective endocrine therapies. Determining whether and how EMT-associated transcription factors such as ZEB1 modulate ERα signaling during early stages of EMT could promote the discovery of therapeutic approaches to suppress metastasis. Here we show that, shortly after induction of EMT and while cells are still epithelial, ZEB1 modulates ERα-mediated transcription induced by estrogen or cAMP signaling in breast cancer cells. Based on these findings and our ex vivo and xenograft results, we suggest that the functional interaction between ZEB1 and ERα may alter the tissue tropism of metastatic breast cancer cells towards bone.

The epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is important in the metastatic spread of cancer cells. Here, the authors show that the EMT transcription factor, ZEB1, can modify estrogen receptor α during EMT and facilitate the migration of breast cancer cells to the bone

Exosomal-microRNA transcriptome profiling of Parental and CSC-like MDA-MB-231 cells in response to cisplatin treatment

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype with higher risk of metastasis and cancer reoccurrence. Cisplatin is one of the potential anticancer drugs for treating TNBC, where its effectiveness remains challenged by frequent occurrence of cisplatin resistance. Since acquirement of drug resistance often being associated with presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), investigation has been conducted, suggesting CSC-like subpopulation to be more resistant to cisplatin than their parental counterpart. On the other hand, plethora evidences showed the transmission of exosomal-miRNAs are capable of promoting drug resistance in breast cancers. In this study, we aim to elucidate the differential expression of exosomal-microRNAs profile and reveal the potential target genes in correlation to cisplatin resistance associated with CSC-like subpopulation by using TNBC cell line (MDA-MB-231). Utilizing next generation sequencing and Nanostring techniques, cisplatin-induced dysregulation of exosomal-miRNAs were evaluated in maximal for CSC-like subpopulation as compared to parental cells. Intriguingly, more oncogenic exosomal-miRNAs profile was detected from treated CSC-like subpopulation, which may correlate to enhancement of drug resistance and maintenance of CSCs. In treated CSC-like subpopulation, unique clusters of exosomal-miRNAs namely miR-221-3p, miR-196a-5p, miR-17-5p and miR-126-3p were predicted to target on six genes (ATXN1, LATS1, GSK3β, ITGA6, JAG1 and MYC), aligned with previous finding which demonstrated dysregulation of these genes in treated CSC-like subpopulation. Our results highlight the potential correlation of exosomal-miRNAs and their target genes as well as novel perspectives of the corresponding pathways that may be essential to contribute to the attenuated cytotoxicity of cisplatin in CSC-like subpopulation.

Bile acids increase intestinal marker expression via the FXR/SNAI2/miR-1 axis in the stomach

Purpose

Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is a precancerous lesion that increases the risk of subsequent gastric cancer (GC) development. Previously, miR-1 has been shown to play an essential role in the initiation of bile acid (BA)-induced IM. The objective of the present study was to investigate the mechanism underlying miR-1 inhibition by BA in gastric cells.

Methods

Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) was used to identify molecules acting upstream of miR-1. The effects of deoxycholic acid (DCA), FXR and SNAI2 on the expression of intestinal markers were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. The expression level of major molecules was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in tissue microarrays. The transcriptional regulation of miR-1 was verified using luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays.

Results

We found that BA treatment caused aberrant expression of FXR and intestinal markers in gastric cells. Augmented FXR led to transcriptional activation of SNAI2, which in turn suppressed the miR-1 promoter. Moreover, we found that compared with normal tissues, the expression levels of both FXR and SNAI2 were increased and positively correlated with each other in IM tissues. Additionally, their expression showed an inverse correlation with that of miR-1 in IM tissues.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that FXR may be responsible for a series of molecular changes in gastric cells after BA treatment, and that the FXR/SNAI2/miR-1 axis exhibits a crucial role in BA-induced progression of IM. Blocking the FXR-oriented axis may provide a promising approach for IM or even GC treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13402-021-00622-z.

Estrogen/ER in anti-tumor immunity regulation to tumor cell and tumor microenvironment

As the essential sexual hormone, estrogen and its receptor has been proved to participate in the regulation of autoimmunity diseases and anti-tumor immunity. The adjustment of tumor immunity is related to the interaction between cancer cells, immune cells and tumor microenvironment, all of which is considered as the potential target in estrogen-induced immune system regulation. However, the specific mechanism of estrogen-induced immunity is poorly understood. Typically, estrogen causes the nuclear localization of estrogen/estrogen receptor complex and alternates the transcription pattern of target genes, leading to the reprogramming of tumor cells and differentiation of immune cells. However, the estrogen-induced non-canonical signal pathway activation is also crucial to the rapid function of estrogen, such as NF-κB, MAPK-ERK, and β-catenin pathway activation, which has not been totally illuminated. So, the investigation of estrogen modulatory mechanisms in these two manners is vital for the tumor immunity and can provide the potential for endocrine hormone targeted cancer immunotherapy. Here, this review summarized the estrogen-induced canonical and non-canonical signal transduction pathway and aimed to focus on the relationship among estrogen and cancer immunity as well as immune-related tumor microenvironment regulation. Results from these preclinical researches elucidated that the estrogen-target therapy has the application prospect of cancer immunotherapy, which requires the further translational research of these treatment strategies.

Molecular Mechanisms of miR-1271 Dysregulation in Human Cancer

MicroRNA is a small noncoding RNA that plays a role in regulating gene expression. miR-1271 is a tumor suppressor microRNA, which is related to the biological changes of many cancers. miR-1271 is considered a biomarker with a potential prognosis and high therapeutic value in tumors. Besides, the expression of miR-1271 is also regulated by many factors. In this study, we summarize the role of miR-1271 in tumors, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of the target genes of miR-1271. Our review will provide a comprehensive understanding of miR-1271 in tumors, as well as ideas for subsequent tumor research related to miR-1271.

MicroRNA-1271-5p inhibits cell proliferation and enhances radiosensitivity by targeting CDK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma

This study aims to determine whether miR-1271-5p inhibits cell proliferation and enhances the radiosensitivity by targeting cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Its expression levels in the HCC cell lines were significantly lower than those in normal human liver cell line. Bioinformatics analysis indicated CDK1 was a potential target of miR-1271-5p. Dual-Luciferase Reporter Assay confirmed that CDK1 is a direct target gene of miR-1271-5p. With overexpression of miR-1271-5p in SMMC-7721 and HuH-7 cells, cell proliferation was decreased, radiosensitivity was enhanced, cell cycle distribution was altered and the growth of transplanted tumours in nude mice was significantly reduced. miR-1271-5p overexpression enhanced radiosensitivity, which could be reduced by CDK1 overexpression. Overall, our findings suggested that miR-1271-5p inhibits cell proliferation and enhances the radiosensitivity of HCC cell lines by targeting CDK1.

Ginkgoic acid impedes gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and EMT through inhibiting the SUMOylation of IGF-1R

The imbalance of SUMOylation is related to different cancers, including gastric cancer (GC). Ginkgolic acid (GA) inhibits the growth and invasion of many cancer cells, and it has been reported to restrain SUMOylation. However, the role of GA in GC and whether it functions through SUMOylation remains to be clarified. Our research revealed that GA (15:1) inhibited cell proliferation, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and overall protein SUMOylation in BGC823 and HGC27 cells. In addition, knockdown of SUMO1 (small ubiquitin-like modifier) instead of SUMO2/3 played a similar role to GA in cell behaviors. Besides, nuclear IGF-1R (insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor) expression was markedly upregulated in GC cells compared to normal gastric epithelial cells. GA prevented IGF-1R from binding to SUMO1, thereby suppressing its nuclear accumulation. Further research found that IGF-1R directly bound to SNAI2 (snail family zinc finger 2) promoter. The interference of IGF-1R downregulated the mRNA and protein levels of SNAI2, while the overexpression of SUMO1, IGF-1R and UBC9 (SUMO-conjugating enzyme) played the opposite role. Furthermore, the co-transfection of SUMO1, UBC9 and IGF-1R vectors or the overexpression of SNAI2 reversed the inhibitory effects of GA on cell proliferation, migration and EMT. Finally, GA impeded the growth of GC xenografts and decreased the expression of nuclear IGF-1R and SNAI2 in vivo. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that GA hindered the progression of GC by inhibiting the SUMOylation of IGF-1R. Thus, GA might be a promising therapeutic for GC.

Akt regulates RSK2 to alter phosphorylation level of H2A.X in breast cancer

Histone H2AX (H2A.X) is a variant of the histone H2A family. Phosphorylation of H2A.X is a marker of DNA strand breaks and the presence or absence of H2A.X is closely related to tumor susceptibility and drug resistance. The present study found that the activity of the serine/threonine kinase Akt was negatively associated with H2A.X phosphorylated at the Ser16 site (H2A.X S16ph), but the mechanism of the inverse relationship remains elusive. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism of action between Akt and H2A.X S16ph and the exact role of this mechanism. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the regulatory association between p-Akt and H2A.X S16ph/p-RSK2, and immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation were performed to prove that Akt, RSK2 and H2A.X combine and interact in human breast cancer cells. The changes of cellular proliferation and migration induced by the interaction of Akt, RSK2 and H2A.X was determined by MTT, soft agar colony formation and cell migration experiments. The effect of interaction of Akt, RSK2 and H2A.X on cancer-promoting genes, such as PSAT-1 was determined via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis. The current study indicated that the serine/threonine kinase ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2) as a kinase of H2A.X could be phosphorylated by Akt at Ser19 site. Moreover, Akt positively regulated the phosphorylation of RSK2 to inhibit phosphorylation of H2A.X, thereby affecting the affinity between RSK2 and substrate histone, promoting the survival and migration of breast cancer cells. In conclusion, Akt-mediated phosphorylation of RSK2 regulated the phosphorylation of H2A.X, thereby promoting oncogenic activity. This finding provides new insights to understand the pathogenesis and treatment mechanisms of breast cancer.

Perspectives on the Role of Non-Coding RNAs in the Regulation of Expression and Function of the Estrogen Receptor

Estrogen receptors (ERs) comprise several nuclear and membrane-bound receptors with different tissue-specific functions. ERα and ERβ are two nuclear members of this family, whereas G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), ER-X, and Gq-coupled membrane estrogen receptor (Gq-mER) are membrane-bound G protein-coupled proteins. ERα participates in the development and function of several body organs such as the reproductive system, brain, heart and musculoskeletal systems. ERβ has a highly tissue-specific expression pattern, particularly in the female reproductive system, and exerts tumor-suppressive roles in some tissues. Recent studies have revealed functional links between both nuclear and membrane-bound ERs and non-coding RNAs. Several oncogenic lncRNAs and miRNAs have been shown to exert their effects through the modulation of the expression of ERs. Moreover, treatment with estradiol has been shown to alter the malignant behavior of cancer cells through functional axes composed of non-coding RNAs and ERs. The interaction between ERs and non-coding RNAs has functional relevance in several human pathologies associated with estrogen regulation, such as cancers, intervertebral disc degeneration, coronary heart disease and diabetes. In the current review, we summarize scientific literature on the role of miRNAs and lncRNAs on ER-associated signaling and related disorders.

Slug and E-Cadherin: Stealth Accomplices?

During physiological epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is important for embryogenesis and wound healing, epithelial cells activate a program to remodel their structure and achieve a mesenchymal fate. In cancer cells, EMT confers increased invasiveness and tumor-initiating capacity, which contribute to metastasis and resistance to therapeutics. However, cellular plasticity that navigates between epithelial and mesenchymal states and maintenance of a hybrid or partial E/M phenotype appears to be even more important for cancer progression. Besides other core EMT transcription factors, the well-characterized Snail-family proteins Snail (SNAI1) and Slug (SNAI2) play important roles in both physiological and pathological EMT. Often mentioned in unison, they do, however, differ in their functions in many scenarios. Indeed, Slug expression does not always correlate with complete EMT or loss of E-cadherin (CDH1). For example, Slug plays important roles in mammary epithelial cell progenitor cell lineage commitment and differentiation, DNA damage responses, hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal, and in pathologies such as pulmonary fibrosis and atherosclerosis. In this Perspective, we highlight Slug functions in mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer as a “non-EMT factor” in basal epithelial cells and stem cells with focus reports that demonstrate co-expression of Slug and E-cadherin. We speculate that Slug and E-cadherin may cooperate in normal mammary gland and breast cancer/stem cells and advocate for functional assessment of such Slug⁺/E-cadherin^low/+ (SNAI2⁺/CDH1^low/+) “basal-like epithelial” cells. Thus, Slug may be regarded as less of an EMT factor than driver of the basal epithelial cell phenotype.

Circular RNA circMBOAT2 promotes prostate cancer progression via a miR-1271-5p/mTOR axis

Patients with advanced prostate cancer (PCa) have poor prognosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate biological processes in a variety of cancers, but the precise roles of circRNAs in PCa are poorly understood. Herein, we identified a novel circRNA, termed circMBOAT2 (has_circ_0007334), which was significantly overexpressed in PCa tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of circMBOAT2 was associated with high Gleason score, advanced pathological T stage, and poor prognosis. Overexpression of circMBOAT2 promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion of PCa cells in vitro, and enhanced tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, circMBOAT2 overexpression upregulated the expression of mTOR by acting as a decoy for miR-1271-5p, resulting in the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, ultimately promoting the progression of PCa. Importantly, application of an inhibitor of mTOR significantly antagonized circMBOAT2-mediated PCa tumorigenesis in vivo. circMBOAT2 promotes proliferation and metastasis of PCa through miR-1271-5p/mTOR axis-mediated activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. In summary, our findings uncover a molecular mechanism in the progression of PCa and indicate that circMBOAT2 may be a useful prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in PCa.

ZNF281-miR-543 Feedback Loop Regulates Transforming Growth Factor-β-Induced Breast Cancer Metastasis

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy, and metastasis is the main cause of cancer-associated mortality in women worldwide. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling, an inducer of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), plays an important role in breast cancer metastasis. Abnormal expression of miR-543 is associated with tumorigenesis and progression of various human cancers; however, the knowledge about the role of miR-543 in breast cancer metastasis is still unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-543 inhibits the EMT-like phenotype and TGF-β-induced breast cancer metastasis both in vitro and in vivo by targeting ZNF281. ZNF281 transactivates the EMT-related transcription factor ZEB1 and Snail. Furthermore, both ZEB1 and Snail can transcriptionally suppress miR-543 expression. Taken together, our data uncover the ZNF281-miR-543 feedback loop and provide a mechanism to extend the understanding of TGF-β network complexity.

Interplay among SNAIL Transcription Factor, MicroRNAs, Long Non-Coding RNAs, and Circular RNAs in the Regulation of Tumor Growth and Metastasis

SNAIL (SNAI1) is a zinc finger transcription factor that binds to E-box sequences and regulates the expression of genes. It usually acts as a gene repressor, but it may also activate the expression of genes. SNAIL plays a key role in the regulation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition, which is the main mechanism responsible for the progression and metastasis of epithelial tumors. Nevertheless, it also regulates different processes that are responsible for tumor growth, such as the activity of cancer stem cells, the control of cell metabolism, and the regulation of differentiation. Different proteins and microRNAs may regulate the SNAIL level, and SNAIL may be an important regulator of microRNA expression as well. The interplay among SNAIL, microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs is a key event in the regulation of tumor growth and metastasis. This review for the first time discusses different types of regulation between SNAIL and non-coding RNAs with a focus on feedback loops and the role of competitive RNA. Understanding these mechanisms may help develop novel therapeutic strategies against cancer based on microRNAs.