Increased lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 represses the malignant phenotypes of bladder cancer

Regulation of the Cell Cycle by ncRNAs Affects the Efficiency of CDK4/6 Inhibition

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) regulate cell division at multiple levels. Aberrant proliferation induced by abnormal cell cycle is a hallmark of cancer. Over the past few decades, several drugs that inhibit CDK activity have been created to stop the development of cancer cells. The third generation of selective CDK4/6 inhibition has proceeded into clinical trials for a range of cancers and is quickly becoming the backbone of contemporary cancer therapy. Non-coding RNAs, or ncRNAs, do not encode proteins. Many studies have demonstrated the involvement of ncRNAs in the regulation of the cell cycle and their abnormal expression in cancer. By interacting with important cell cycle regulators, preclinical studies have demonstrated that ncRNAs may decrease or increase the treatment outcome of CDK4/6 inhibition. As a result, cell cycle-associated ncRNAs may act as predictors of CDK4/6 inhibition efficacy and perhaps present novel candidates for tumor therapy and diagnosis.

The lncRNA CRNDE is regulated by E2F6 and sensitizes gastric cancer cells to chemotherapy by inhibiting autophagy

Chemotherapy is an important treatment for gastric cancer (GC), but the primary and secondary drug resistance of tumours to chemotherapy seriously affects its curative effect. In recent years, the relationship between long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and malignant tumours has received increasing attention. Based on accumulating evidence, lncRNAs are involved in the chemoresistance of GC, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we identified the lncRNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed (CRNDE) as an important regulator of autophagy-associated chemoresistance in GC. Mechanistically, overexpression of CRNDE inhibits autophagy and induces apoptosis, thereby sensitizing GC cells to chemotherapy drugs. Moreover, E2F6, a classical transcriptional inhibitor, is confirmed to be upregulated in GC and represses the expression of CRNDE. The E2F6-CRNDE axis is clinically related to chemoresistant GC and poor outcomes in patients with advanced GC. Our findings suggest that the E2F6-CRNDE axis is a viable therapeutic target to protect against chemoresistance in GC.

LncRNA ABHD11-AS1 promotes tumor progression in papillary thyroid carcinoma by regulating EPS15L1/EGFR signaling pathway

OBJECTIVES

lncRNA ABHD11 antisense RNA 1 (ABHD11-AS1) acts as an oncogene involved in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) occurrence and progression. ABHD11-AS1 exerts biologic functions by some miRNAs and proteins to regulate multiple targets. Identification of novel mechanism of ABHD11-AS1 could be helpful in therapeutic targeting for PTC treatment.

METHODS

Differentially expressed lncRNAs were selected from TCGA database. qRT-PCR analysis was applied to examine the expression of ABHD11-AS1 in PTC cell lines and tissues. The relationship of ABHD11-AS1 expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Two PTC cell lines (TPC-1 and KTC-1) were transfected with pcDNA 3.1, pcDNA3.1-ABHD11-AS1, si-NC and si-ABHD11-AS1, respectively, to verify the ABHD11-AS1 oncogene-regulating capacity to promote tumor progression. The cell metastasis and proliferation had been evaluated both in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

High expression of ABHD11-AS1 was found in PTC tissues (P < 0.01), which was significantly correlated with lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). ABHD11-AS1 overexpression noticeably promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities, which were obviously decreased upon ABHD11-AS1 knockdown. ABHD11-AS1 positively regulated EGFR/EPS15L1 pathway, as EGFR, EPS15L1, STAT3, and p-STAT3 were activated.

CONCLUSION

ABHD11-AS1 promotes tumor progression in PTC by regulating EPS15L1/EGFR pathway.

Bupivacaine modulates the apoptosis and ferroptosis in bladder cancer via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway

The study aimed to explore the effects of local anesthetic bupivacaine on bladder cancer cells in vivo and in vitro. The cytotoxicity was detected by MTT assay. Apoptosis was measured by Hoechst 33342 staining and TUNEL. The contents of Fe²⁺, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were evaluated by the corresponding kit. Mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed by JC-1 kit. HE staining, TUNEL and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the xenografted tumors. Protein expression was estimated by Western blot. Bupivacaine significantly inhibited the activity of T24 cells and 5637 cells at 0.25-16 mM. Bupivacaine promoted cell apoptosis with increased concentration. bupivacaine inhibited the expression of Bcl-2 and increased the expression of Bax and cytochrome C. Moreover, bupivacaine amplified the level of Fe²⁺ and ROS, and restrained the expression of cystine/glutamic acid reverse transporter (xCT) and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Further results showed that bupivacaine decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, reduced GSH, and increased MDA levels. Besides, bupivacaine attenuated the phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt, and mTOR. In addition, bupivacaine suppressed the growth of xenografted tumors, induced apoptosis and ferroptosis, and inhibited the activity of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in xenografted tumors. Bupivacaine could induce apoptosis and ferroptosis by inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in bladder cancer cells.

ABHD11-AS1: An Emerging Long Non-Coding RNA (lncRNA) with Clinical Significance in Human Malignancies

The aberrant expression of lncRNAs has been linked to the development and progression of different cancers. One such lncRNA is ABHD11 antisense RNA 1 (ABHD11-AS1), which has recently gained attention for its significant role in human malignancies. ABHD11-AS1 is highly expressed in gastric, lung, breast, colorectal, thyroid, pancreas, ovary, endometrium, cervix, and bladder cancers. Several reports highlighted the clinical significance of ABHD11-AS1 in prognosis, diagnosis, prediction of cancer progression stage, and treatment response. Significantly, the levels of ABHD11-AS1 in gastric juice had been exhibited as a clinical biomarker for the assessment of gastric cancer, while its serum levels have prognostic potential in thyroid cancers. The ABHD11-AS1 has been reported to exert oncogenic effects by sponging different microRNAs (miRNAs), altering signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt, epigenetic mechanisms, and N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) RNA modification. In contrast, the mouse homolog of AHD11-AS1 (Abhd11os) overexpression had exhibited neuroprotective effects against mutant huntingtin-induced toxicity. Considering the emerging research reports, the authors attempted in this first review on ABHD11-AS1 to summarize and highlight its oncogenic potential and clinical significance in different human cancers. Lastly, we underlined the necessity for future mechanistic studies to unravel the role of ABHD11-AS1 in tumor development, prognosis, progression, and targeted therapeutic approaches.

MiR-20a-5p Negatively Regulates NR4A3 to Promote Metastasis in Bladder Cancer

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Therefore, the prediction and treatment of metastasis are critical in improving the survival of patients with bladder cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-20a-5p and NR4A3 in bladder cancer and the regulatory relationship between them. The high expression of miR-20a-5p in the bladder cancer (BCa) tissues and cells was determined by qRT-PCR. Exogenous miR-20a-5p overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of BCa cells. MiR-20a-5p inhibition inhibited the BCa cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. NR4A3 was proved to be the target gene of miR-20a-5p by the double luciferase reporter assay. In addition, the reduction of NR4A3 could promote the proliferation, invasion, and clonal formation of the bladder cancer cells 5637 and T24. NR4A3 overexpression could reverse the carcinogenic effect of miR-20a. We further confirmed that the oncogenic effect of miR-20a was achieved by promoting EMT in tumor cells. MiR-20a-5p promoted the growth and metastasis of the bladder cancer cells by inhibiting the expression of the tumor suppressor gene NR4A3 and played a carcinogenic role in BCa. Thus, miR-20a-5p may become a potential therapeutic target for BCa treatment.

Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms Promote Dysregulation Activation by Essential Gene Mediated Bio-Molecular Interaction in Breast Cancer

Background

Breast cancer (BRCA) is a malignant tumor with a high mortality rate and poor prognosis in patients. However, understanding the molecular mechanism of breast cancer is still a challenge.

Materials and Methods

In this study, we constructed co-expression networks by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Gene-expression profiles and clinical data were integrated to detect breast cancer survival modules and the leading genes related to prognostic risk. Finally, we introduced machine learning algorithms to build a predictive model aiming to discover potential key biomarkers.

Results

A total of 42 prognostic modules for breast cancer were identified. The nomogram analysis showed that 42 modules had good risk assessment performance. Compared to clinical characteristics, the risk values carried by genes in these modules could be used to classify the high-risk and low-risk groups of patients. Further, we found that 16 genes with significant differential expressions and obvious bridging effects might be considered biological markers related to breast cancer. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms on the CYP24A1 transcript induced RNA structural heterogeneity, which affects the molecular regulation of BRCA. In addition, we found for the first time that ABHD11-AS1 was significantly highly expressed in breast cancer.

Conclusion

We integrated clinical prognosis information, RNA sequencing data, and drug targets to construct a breast cancer–related risk module. Through bridging effect measurement and machine learning modeling, we evaluated the risk values of the genes in the modules and identified potential biomarkers for breast cancer. The protocol provides new insight into deciphering the molecular mechanism and theoretical basis of BRCA.

Silencing circ‑BIRC6 inhibits the proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of bladder cancer cells by targeting the miR‑495‑3p/XBP1 signaling axis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) regulate gene expression by acting as a 'sponge' for microRNAs (miRs) and play crucial roles in tumorigenesis, including in bladder cancer (BC). circRNA‑baculoviral IAP repeat‑containing 6 (circ‑BIRC6) has been reported to participate in the pathogenesis of several cancer types. The present study aimed to elucidate the roles and potential mechanisms of circ‑BIRC6 in the progression of BC. circ‑BIRC6 expression levels in BC cell lines were determined using reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR. Following circ‑BIRC6 knockdown, cell proliferation, invasion and migration were detected using Cell Counting Kit‑8, colony formation, Transwell and wound healing assays, respectively. Western blotting was also conducted to evaluate the expression levels of X‑box binding protein 1 (XBP1) and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT)‑associated proteins. In addition, rescue experiments were performed using by transfecting a miR‑495‑3p inhibitor into T24 cells following circ‑BIRC6 knockdown. The interactions between circ‑BIRC6, miR‑495‑3p and XBP1 was verified using dual luciferase reporter assays. Moreover, T24 cells with circ‑BIRC6 knockdown and miR‑495‑3p inhibitor transfection were used for the tumor‑bearing experiment. Tumor growth was observed and Ki‑67 expression was determined using immunohistochemistry. The results demonstrated that circ‑BIRC6 expression was upregulated in BC cell lines. Moreover, circ‑BIRC6 knockdown notably attenuated the proliferation, invasion, migration and EMT of BC cells, which was blocked by the miR‑495‑3p inhibitor. It was also identified that circ‑BIRC6 sponged miR‑495‑3p to regulate XBP1 expression. In addition, results from the xenograft experiments indicated that the knockdown of circ‑BIRC6 and miR‑495‑3p expression significantly inhibited tumor growth. It was also found that the expression levels of XBP1, Ki‑67 and EMT‑associated proteins in tumor tissues of the co‑transfection group were markedly restored compared with the circ‑BIRC6 knockdown group. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that circ‑BIRC6 knockdown suppressed BC tumorigenesis and progression via regulation of the miR‑495‑3p/XBP1 signaling axis, offering a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of BC.

LINC01410 leads the migration, invasion and EMT of bladder cancer cells by modulating miR-4319 / Snail1

Background

Several previous studies have implied the significance of lncRNA1410 (LINC01410) in gastric cancer, rectal cancer, and cervical cancer. Nevertheless, the potential of LINC01410 in bladder cancer (BC) development has not been addressed.

Methods

The related mechanisms were explored by qRT-PCR analysis, CCK-8 assay, cell transfection assay, Transwell assay, Western Blot analysis, Luciferase reporter assay and RNA pull-down assay.

Results

In the following study, LINC01410, characterized as an oncogene, exhibited high levels of expression in BC tissues as compared to normal tissues and its expression leads to a reduced prognosis of BC. Functional characterization of LINC01410 showed that knocking down LINC01410 could markedly reduce the invasion and proliferation capacity of T24 and 5637 cells. Mechanistically, LINC01410 served as a sponge for miR-4319 and the findings were further attested through luciferase reporter assay. Analysis of miR-4319 demonstrated its low expression in BC tissues as compared to normal tissues and knocking down LINC01410 significantly increased miR-4319. Data obtained from rescue assay discovered that silencing of miR-4319 in T24 and 5637 cells restored the proliferation and invasion capacity of LINC01410.

Conclusions

Taken together, this study is the first report on the oncogenic potential of LINC01410 in BC development by upregulating Snail1 protein and downregulating miR-4319.

Trial registration Retrospectively registered.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02119-z.

Long non-coding RNA ABHD11-AS1 promotes colorectal cancer progression and invasion through targeting the integrin subunit alpha 5/focal adhesion kinase/phosphoinositide 3 kinase/Akt signaling pathway

Long non-coding (lnc)RNA ABHD11-AS1 participates in the development and progress of various cancers, but its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains poorly known. In the present study, public database analysis and quantitative reverse transcription PCR of CRC and normal tissues showed that ABHD11-AS1 was overexpressed in CRC and associated with poor prognosis in CRC patients. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that loss-of-function of ABHD11-AS1 attenuated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells and induced their apoptosis. Transcriptome sequencing and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis indicated that the phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway is a potential target of ABHD11-AS1. Additionally, we noted that ABHD11-AS1 deficiency reduced integrin subunit alpha (ITGA)5 expression, and impaired the phosphorylation of P85, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and Akt1 in CRC cell lines and tumor tissues of nude mice. Furthermore, we observed that ITGA5 overexpression abrogated the effect of ABHD11-AS1 knockdown on the proliferation and invasion abilities of CRC cells. Taken together, our studies suggest that lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion in CRC by activating the ITGA5/Fak/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and that the ITGA5/Fak/PI3K/Akt axis is a promising target for CRC therapy.

Suppressing ERK Pathway Impairs Glycochenodeoxycholate-Mediated Survival and Drug-Resistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

Glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDA), a toxic component in bile salts, is involved in carcinogenesis of gastrointestinal tumors. The objective of this research was to study the function of ERK1/2 in the GCDA-mediated survival and drug-resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCCs). Firstly, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) was detected extensively expressed in liver cancer cells, and silencing ERK1/2 by RNA interference could suppress GCDA-stimulated survival and promote apoptosis. Furthermore, phosphorylation of endogenous ERK1/2 could be potently stimulated by GCDA in combination with enhanced chemoresistance in QGY-7703 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The GCDA-mediated proliferation and chemoresistance could be impaired by PD98059, which acted as an inhibitor to block the phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Mechanistically, PD98059 was able to potently suppress GCDA-stimulated nuclear aggregation of ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2, upregulate pro-survival protein Mcl-1 and downregulate pro-apoptotic protein Bim. The results of this study indicated that disruption of ERK1/2 by blocking phosphorylation or nuclear translocation may put forward new methods for solving the problem of GCDA-related proliferation and drug-resistance in liver cancer treatment.

The Anti-Tumor Activity of Afatinib in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common form of pancreatic cancer and leading causes of pancreatic cancer death because of most PDAC patients with advanced unresectable disease at that time, which is remarkably resistant to all forms of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

PDAC increases the social and patient's family burden. However, the PDAC pathogenesis is not identified. We are trying to uncover the underlying mechanism in the future.

METHODS

In our research, the drug-resistant cell line was successfully induced in the vitro by progressive concentrations of Afatinib, which we named it as BxPC3-AR.

RESULTS

It has been observed that the effect of autophagy was on the resistance of BxPC3-AR to Afatinib.

CONCLUSION

It has been confirmed that autophagy plays a certain role in BxPC3-AR resistance to Afatinib. Our findings provide a new perspective on the role of autophagy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

LncRNA HIF1A-AS2 accelerates malignant phenotypes of renal carcinoma by modulating miR-30a-5p/SOX4 axis as a ceRNA

OBJECTIVE

Several reports have proposed that lncRNAs, as potential biomarkers, participate in the progression and growth of malignant tumors. HIF1A-AS2 is a novel lncRNA and potential biomarker, involved in the genesis and development of carcinomas. However, the molecular mechanism of HIF1A-AS2 in renal carcinoma is unclear.

METHODS

The relative expression levels of HIF1A-AS2 and miR-30a-5p were detected using RT-qPCR in renal carcinoma tissues and cell lines. Using loss-of-function and overexpression, the biological effects of HIF1A-AS2 and miR-30a-5p in kidney carcinoma progression were characterized. Dual luciferase reporter gene analysis and Western blot were used to detect the potential mechanism of HIF1A-AS2 in renal carcinomas.

RESULTS

HIF1A-AS2 was upregulated in kidney carcinoma tissues when compared with para-carcinoma tissues (P < 0.05). In addition, tumor size, tumor node mestastasis stage and differentiation were identified as being closely associated with HIF1A-AS2 expression (P < 0.05). Knockdown or overexpression of HIF1A-AS2 either restrained or promoted the malignant phenotype and WNT/β-catenin signaling in renal carcinoma cells (P < 0.05). MiR-30a-5p was downregulated in renal cancers and partially reversed HIF1A-AS2 functions in malignant renal tumor cells. HIF1A-AS2 acted as a microRNA sponge that actively regulated the relative expression of SOX4 in sponging miR-30a-5p and subsequently increased the malignant phenotypes of renal carcinomas. HIF1A-AS2 showed a carcinogenic effect and miR-30a-5p acted as an antagonist of the anti-oncogene effects in the pathogenesis of renal carcinomas.

CONCLUSIONS

The HIF1A-AS2-miR-30a-5p-SOX4 axis was associated with the malignant progression and development of renal carcinoma. The relative expression of HIF1A-AS2 was negatively correlated with the expression of miR-30a-5p, and was closely correlated with SOX4 mRNA levels in renal cancers.

LINC00649 promotes bladder cancer malignant progression by regulating the miR‑15a‑5p/HMGA1 axis

The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of LINC00649 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer (BC) and identify possible mechanisms. Through TCGA database analysis of LINC00649 expression in bladder cancer and the association of LINC00649 with the BC patient prognosis, RT‑qPCR was employed for detecting LINC00649 expression in 60 clinical tissue specimens and cell lines of bladder cancer. The lentivirus stable transfection or small interfering RNA was used to increase or decrease the LINC00649 expression level in T24 and UM‑UC‑3 cells. CCK8 and clone formation assay were utilized to observe the effects of LINC00649 on the proliferation and colony formation of BC cells. Transwell experiment was performed to detect the effects of LINC00649 on the migration and invasion of bladder cancer. Bioinformatics database was used to identify the possible downstream targets of LINC00649 while RT‑qPCR, western blot analysis and dual luciferase reporter gene experiments were carried out to verify the possible molecular mechanism. The TCGA database analysis revealed a significantly high expression of LINC00649 in bladder cancer and an association of LINC00649 expression with overall survival rate of BC patients. As shown by RT‑qPCR detection, LINC00649 expression was notably upregulated in BC tissues and BC cell lines. In addition, statistical analyses unveiled that highly expressed LINC00649 was clearly associated with poor overall survival of bladder cancer. Based on the in vitro cell experiment, upregulated LINC00649 considerately enhanced the proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells, as opposed to those in T24 and UM‑UC‑3 cells by suppressing LINC00649. Mechanically, LINC00649 may promote the malignant progression of bladder cancer by regulating miR‑15a‑5p to promote the HMGA1 expression axis. Overall, LINC00649 upregulates HMGA1 expression by binding to miR‑15a‑5p to enhance the proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells. Thus, LINC00649 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

The role of EMT-related lncRNA in the process of triple-negative breast cancer metastasis

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most malignant and fatal subtype of breast cancer, which has characterized by negativity expression of ER, PR, and HER2. Metastasis is the main factor affecting the prognosis of TNBC, and the process of metastasis is related to abnormal activation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) plays an important role in regulating the metastasis and invasion of TNBC. Therefore, based on the metastasis-related EMT signaling pathway, great efforts have confirmed that LncRNA is involved in the molecular mechanism of TNBC metastasis, which will provide new strategies to improve the treatment and prognosis of TNBC. In this review, we summarized many signal pathways related to EMT involved in the transfer process. The advances from the most recent studies of lncRNAs in the EMT-related signal pathways of TNBC metastasis. We also discussed the clinical research, application, and challenges of LncRNA in TNBC.

Benzidine promotes the stemness of bladder cancer stem cells via activation of the Sonic hedgehog pathway

Substantial evidence suggests that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the main cause of the initiation, progression and recurrence of tumors. Benzidine has been identified as a risk factor for bladder cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of benzidine on bladder CSCs (BCSCs) and the possible mechanism underlying its action. The bladder cancer cell lines UM-UC-3 and EJ were maintained in serum-free medium and cells forming three-dimensional spheres were characterized as BCSCs. The sphere-forming cells were exposed to different concentrations of benzidine and vismodegib, and western blotting was performed to evaluate the expression of markers associated with CSCs and the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway. Flow cytometry was used to detect the distribution of cells in different phases of the cell cycle, and immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the protein expression of CD44. The results revealed that the levels of BCSC markers, namely CD133, CD44, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1-A1, Nanog and octamer-binding transcription factor-4, in the cell spheres were markedly elevated compared with those in cells cultured in serum-supplemented medium. Furthermore, benzidine increased the expression of BCSC markers and promoted the sphere-forming ability of the cells. In addition, it was observed that benzidine activated the SHH pathway, while inhibition of the Shh pathway using vismodegib diminished the promoting effects of benzidine on BCSCs. The findings of the present study indicate that benzidine promoted the stemness of BCSCs via activation of the SHH pathway, which may support further exploration of the molecular basis of the association between benzidine exposure and bladder oncogenesis.

Apolipoprotein C1 (APOC1): A Novel Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Cervical Cancer

BACKGROUND

Previous reports showed that APOC1 was associated with several cancers but the function of APOC1 in cervical cancer was unknown. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effect and function of APOC1 in cervical cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, the relative expression of APOC1 in cervical cancer was detected by RT-qPCR. In order to determine the cell proliferation and migration and invading ability and apoptosis more accurately, we used CCK8 assay, Edu assay, wound healing assay, migration and invasion assay, flow cytometry assay, co-immunoprecipitation, proteomics and Western blot by silencing and overexpressing APOC1, respectively. The role of APOC1 on tumor progression was explored in vitro and vivo.

RESULTS

The relative expression of APOC1 in cervical cancer tissues was up-regulated (P<0.05). In cervical cancer cell lines, silencing of APOC1 restrained cell progression and EMT, while over-expression of APOC1 accelerated cell progression and EMT in vivo and vitro (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

APOC1 acts as an oncogene in cervical cancers and knockdown of APOC1 inhibited cervical cancer cells growth in vitro and in vivo. There is a close relationship between the relative expression of APOC1 and clinical outcome in cervical cancer patients.

CircAMOTL1 Promotes Tumorigenesis Through miR-526b/SIK2 Axis in Cervical Cancer

Background

Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women, leading to major health problems for its high morbidity and mortality. Numerous studies have demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) could be participated in the progression of multifarious diseases, especially plentiful carcinomas. CircAMOTL1 (angiomotin-like1, ID: hsa_circ_0004214), which is located on human chromosome 11:9 4532555-94533477, is involved in the occurrence of breast cancer, etc. However, the intrinsic and concrete molecular mechanism of circAMOTL1 in cervical carcinomas remained thoroughly unclear, which was also the bottleneck of circRNAs studies in cancer.

Methods

The relative expression levels of circAMOTL1 and miR-526b in cervical carcinoma patients’ specimens and cervical carcinoma cell lines were detected by RT-qPCR. Through experiments including loss-function and overexpression, the biological effects of circAMOTL1 and miR-526b on the proliferation, migration, apoptosis, and tumorigenicity were explored in cervical carcinomas. Dual luciferase reporter gene analysis, western blot, and other methods were adopted to explore the circAMOTL1 potential mechanism in cervical carcinomas.

Results

In our experiments, our researches displayed that circAMOTL1 was significantly higher expression in cervical carcinomas specimens and cell lines. Further experiments illustrated that the knockdown of circAMOTL1 could restrain the malignant phenotype, AKT signaling, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of in cervical carcinomas cells. Meanwhile miR-526b was downregulated in cervical carcinomas and even miR-526b could partially reverse circAMOTL1 function in malignant cervical tumor cells. CircAMOTL1 acts as a microRNA (miRNA) sponge that actively regulates the expression of salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) to sponge miR-526b and subsequently increases malignant phenotypes of cervical carcinomas cells. In a word, circAMOTL1 acts a carcinogenic role and miR-526b serves as the opposite function of antioncogene in the cervical carcinoma pathogenesis.

Conclusion

CircAMOTL1-miR-526b-SIK2 axis referred to the malignant progression and development of cervical carcinomas. CircAMOTL1 expression was inversely correlated with miR-526b and positively correlated with SIK2 mRNA in cervical cancer tissues. Thus, circAMOTL1 exerted an oncogenic role in cervical cancer progression through sponging miR-526b. Taken together, our study revealed that circAMOTL1 acted as an oncogene and probably was a potential therapeutic target for the cervical cancer.

LncRNA PVT1 accelerates malignant phenotypes of bladder cancer cells by modulating miR-194-5p/BCLAF1 axis as a ceRNA

Background: Numerous studies proved that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is involved in the progression of multifarious diseases, especially in some carcinomas. As a potential tumor biomarker, plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 gene (PVT1) is involved in the development and progression of multifarious cancers. Nevertheless, the intrinsic and concrete molecular mechanism of PVT1 in bladder cancer still remained unclear, which is also the dilemma faced in many non-coding RNA studies.

Results: Our research revealed that PVT1 was significantly higher expression in bladder carcinoma specimens and cell lines. Further experiments indicated that knockdown or overexpression of PVT1 restrained or promoted the malignant phenotype and WNT/β-catenin signaling in bladder cancer cells. Meanwhile miR-194-5p was in contrast and miR-194-5p could partially reverse the function of PVT1 in malignant bladder tumor cells. As a microRNA sponge, PVT1 actively promotes the expression of b-cells lymphoma-2-associated transcription factor 1 (BCLAF1) to sponge miR-194-5p and subsequently increases malignant phenotypes of bladder cancer cells. Therefore, it performs a carcinogenic effect and miR-194-5p as the opposite function, and serves as an antioncogene in the bladder carcinomas pathogenesis.

Conclusion: PVT1-miR-194-5p-BCLAF1 axis is involved in the malignant progression and development of bladder carcinomas. Experiments revealed that PVT1 has a significant regulatory effect on bladder cancer (BC) and can be used as a clinical diagnostic marker and a therapeutic molecular marker for patients suffering from BC.

Methods: In urothelial bladder carcinoma specimens and cell lines, the relative expression levels of PVT1 and miR-194-5p were detected by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR). Through experiments such as loss-function and over-expression, the biological effects of PVT1 and miR-194-5p on the proliferation, migration, apoptosis and tumorigenicity were explored in bladder cancer cells. Co-immunoprecipitation, proteomics experiments, dual luciferase reporter gene analysis, western blot and other methods were adopted to investigate the PVT1 potential mechanism in bladder carcinomas.

Metabolomic and lipidomic approaches to identify biomarkers for bladder cancer and interstitial cystitis (Review)

The discovery, introduction and clinical use of prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers has significantly improved outcomes for patients with various illnesses, including bladder cancer (BC) and other bladder-related diseases, such as benign bladder dysfunction and interstitial cystitis (IC). Several sensitive and noninvasive clinically relevant biomarkers for BC and IC have been identified. Metabolomic- and lipidomic-based biomarkers have notable clinical potential in improving treatment outcomes for patients with cancer; however, there are also some noted limitations. This review article provides a short and concise summary of the literature on metabolomic and lipidomic biomarkers for BC and IC, focusing on the possible clinical utility of profiling metabolic alterations in BC and IC.

LINC00963 Functions as an Oncogene in Bladder Cancer by Regulating the miR-766-3p/MTA1 Axis

Purpose

Long non-coding RNAs have been found to be involved in bladder cancer development. This article studied LINC00963 effects on bladder cancer progression to provide a novel treatment target.

Patients and Methods

Totally 56 bladder cancer patients participated in this research. Bladder cancer cells were transfected. Cell counting kit 8 assay and clone formation experiment were used for cell viability and colony formation detection. Cell migration and invasion were determined by Transwell experiment. LINC00963 distribution was explored by cytoplasmic and nuclear extract isolation and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Luciferase reporter experiment and RNA pulldown experiment were performed to detect the relationship between these two genes. The cancer genome atlas analysis was used for the detection of metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) expression in bladder cancer.

Results

LINC00963 was seriously up-regulated in bladder cancer patients. High LINC00963 expression indicated high histological grade and low survival. LINC00963 was obviously up-regulated in bladder cancer cells. Knockdown of LINC00963 significantly reduced bladder cancer cells viability, colony formation, migration and invasion. Luciferase reporter experiment and RNA pulldown experiment revealed that LINC00963 promoted MTA1 expression via directly inhibiting miR-766-3p. MTA1 was up-regulated in bladder cancer patients. MTA1 up-regulation reversed the inhibitory effect of LINC00963 knockdown on bladder cancer cell viability, migration and invasion.

Conclusion

LINC00963 functions as an oncogene in bladder cancer by regulating the miR-766-3p/MTA1 axis.

Long non-coding RNA UCA1 promotes malignant phenotypes of renal cancer cells by modulating the miR-182-5p/DLL4 axis as a ceRNA

Background

Accumulating literatures have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential biomarkers that play key roles in tumor development and progression. Urothelial cancer associated 1 (UCA1) is a novel lncRNA that acts as a potential biomarker and is involved in the development of cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of UCA1 in renal cancer is still needed to further explore.

Methods

The relative expression level of UCA1 was determined by Real-Time qPCR in a total of 88 patients with urothelial renal cancer and in different renal cancer cell lines. Loss-of-function experiments were performed to investigate the biological roles of UCA1 and miR-182-5p on renal cancer cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis and tumorigenicity. Comprehensive transcriptional analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay and western blot etc. were performed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of UCA1.

Results

In this study, we found that UCA1 was significantly up-regulated in renal cancer. Moreover, increased UCA1 expression was positively correlated with differentiation and advanced TNM stage. Further experiments demonstrated that knockdown of UCA1 inhibited malignant phenotypes and Notch signal path of renal cancer cells, and miR-182-5p was reverse function as UCA1. UCA1 functioned as a miRNA sponge to positively regulate the expression of Delta-like ligand 4(DLL4) through sponging miR-182-5p and subsequently promoted malignant phenotypes of renal cancer cells, thus UCA1 playing an oncogenic role and miR-182-5p as an antioncogenic one in renal cancer pathogenesis.

Conclusion

UCA1-miR-182-5p-DLL4 axis is involved in proliferation and progression of renal cancer. Thus, this study demonstrated that UCA1 plays a critical regulatory role in renal cancer cell and UCA1 may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target of renal cancer.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12943-020-1132-x.

A Panel of Urinary Long Non-coding RNAs Differentiate Bladder Cancer from Urocystitis

Liquid biopsy is becoming a promising method for non-invasive cancer detection. In several proof-of-concept studies, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were found to be potential biomarkers for bladder cancer detection. The objective of this study was to discover a panel of cell-free, urinary lncRNAs as liquid biopsy biomarkers to non-invasively differentiate bladder cancer from chronic urocystitis. To this end, we collected urine samples from both bladder cancer patients and urocystitis patients. These samples were divided into discovery group and validation group. In the discovery group, the expression levels of 16 cell-free urinary lncRNAs were measured by qPCR to discover candidate biomarkers. The diagnostic performance of the candidate lncRNA biomarkers was then evaluated, which led to a panel of lncRNA biomarkers for bladder cancer detection. The performance of this panel of biomarkers was further evaluated in the validation group to see if these lncRNA biomarkers could discriminate the bladder cancer patients from urocystitis patients. We found that all of the 16 lncRNAs evaluated in this study demonstrated significant difference (p<0.05) of expression between bladder cancer patients and urocystitis patients. Nine lncRNAs provided decent diagnostic performance with area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) reaching 0.70 or higher. We then selected the top four lncRNAs, namely UCA1-201, HOTAIR, HYMA1 and MALAT1, to form a panel of urinary biomarkers. Using this panel, bladder cancer patients could be discriminated from urocystitis patients, with sensitivity and specificity reaching 95.7% and 94.3%, respectively. Finally, we confirmed the applicability of the four-lncRNA panel in an independent validation study that included 60 bladder cancer patients and 60 urocystitis patients. Our study paves the way for further studies aimed at large-scale clinical tests of developing lncRNA biomarkers in urine for bladder cancer diagnostics.

LncRNAs act as prognostic biomarkers in bladder carcinoma: A meta-analysis

Background and purpose

Increasing studies have shown that different kinds of lncRNAs play key role in the development of multiple carcinomas. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate an association between the expression level of lncRNAs and the prognosis of bladder cancer (death or other clinical outcomes).

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed by using PubMed. Twenty-four studies were included in the meta-analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In total, there are 1652 independent participants.

Results

The result showed that high expression levels of lncRNAs were demonstrated to be associated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.33, 95%CI: 1.51–2.39, p < 0.01) in bladder carcinoma, but there was no significant correlation between lncRNAs level and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (pooled HR = 1.57, 95%CI 0.69–3.56, p = 0.284), and progression-free survival (PFS) (pooled HR = 1.37, 95%CI 0.79–2.38, p = 0.269). Additionally, increased lncRNAs expression was found to be moderately correlated with tumor stage and progression (II/III/IV vs. I, OR = 3.20, 95%CI: 1.72–5.98, p < 0.001). In addition, elevated lncRNAs expression predicted lymph node metastasis (LNM) significantly (pooled OR = 2.29, 95 % CI 1.33–3.95, p < 0.01). No significant heterogeneity was observed among studies except lymph node metastasis.

Conclusion

In conclusion, high expression levels of lncRNAs were demonstrated to be associated with poor OS and positive LNM, and lncRNAs might be potential prognostic markers in bladder cancer.

Decreased Expression of Long Non-Coding RNA GMDS Divergent Transcript (GMDS-DT) is a Potential Biomarker for Poor Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Increasing evidence suggests that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is closely related to the development of cancer. The present study investigated the potential predictive value of lncRNA GMDS divergent transcript (GMDS-DT) in the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy.

Material/Methods

GMDS-DT was acquired by microarray data in 3 pairs of M1 and M2 macrophage duplicate samples. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to evaluate expression levels of GMDS-DT in liver cancer relative to normal tissue of 198 patients. The significance of GMDS-DT in prognosis after hepatectomy was examined via Kaplan-Meier test and Cox regression analysis.

Results

The expression of GMDS-DT in liver cancer tissue was significantly lower than that in adjacent normal liver tissue (P<0.001), and was significantly associated with drinking history and metastasis (both P<0.05). The Kaplan-Meier test suggested that patients with lower expression levels of GMDS-DT in liver cancer tissue had significantly shorter disease-free survival and overall survival times after hepatectomy (P=0.028 and P=0.003, respectively). Cox regression analysis further indicated that GMDS-DT was an independent risk factor for disease-free survival and overall survival times of patients after hepatectomy (P=0.015 and P=0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

LncRNA GMDS-DT might be a potential biomarker for the prognosis of patients with liver cancer after hepatectomy.

Long noncoding RNAs in bladder cancer prognosis: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Numerous studies have demonstrated the involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the tumorigenesis of bladder cancer (BC). The aim of this study was to investigate the possible correlations between the specific lncRNAs and the clinical outcomes in bladder cancer patients.

METHODS

We systematically searched the PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases for studies published up to October 15, 2018, and retrieved the suitable articles. Pooled odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were obtained by using fixed-effect or random-effect model.

RESULTS

Up-regulation of lncRNAs predicted unfavorable overall survival (OS) (HR: 2.01, 95%CI: 1.66-2.44, P < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR: 2.05, 95%CI: 1.43-2.94, P < 0.001) in BC patients, and the high expression of lncRNAs was significantly associated with distant metastasis (DM) (OR: 8.16, 95%CI: 4.45-14.99, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Abnormal expression of relevant lncRNAs are potential novel markers for predicting the clinical outcomes of BC.

A Panel of 12-lncRNA Signature Predicts Survival of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Background: Recent studies have highlighted the important roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PCa) prognosis. However, most studies explored a limited number of lncRNAs based on small sample size.

Methods: Systematic and comprehensive analysis of the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was performed to identify a panel of lncRNA signature for predicting prognosis in PCa.

Results: A total of 160 PCa patients with complete clinical data were included in our study. Twelve lncRNAs were identified to be significantly associated with overall survival (OS) in PCa patients using Cox regression analysis. A risk score formula was constructed to assess the prognostic value of the lncRNA signature in PCa. Patients with high risk score had worse OS than those with low risk score. The multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that the lncRNA signature was an independent prognostic factor. Additionally, the signature might act as an indicator to predict treatment outcome. Functional enrichment analyses showed that the lncRNAs might involve in several molecular pathways closely related with PCa such as DNA replication, pancreatic cancer and regulation of tor signaling.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a lncRNA signature including 12 lncRNAs with the potential to be served as an independent prognostic biomarker of PCa.

Long non-coding RNA ABHD11-AS1 promotes colorectal cancer development through regulation of miR-133a/SOX4 axis

Recently, lncRNA has been verified to regulate the development and progression of tumor. LncRNA ABHD11-AS1 has been proven to serve as an oncogene in several cancers. However, the role of ABHD11-AS1 in colorectal cancer remains totally unknown. In the present study, qRT-PCR assay revealed that ABHD11-AS1 expression was markedly higher in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines. In addition, patients who displayed overexpression of ABHD11-AS1 showed a significantly poorer progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) by Kaplan–Meier analysis. Loss-of-function experiments suggested that silencing of ABHD11-AS1 expression could significantly reduce the proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells, and increase cell apoptosis. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis, biotin pull-down assay, luciferase reporter assay, and RIP assay disclosed that ABHD11-AS1 straightly interacted with miR-133a. We also found that SOX4 was a downstream target of miR-133a and ABHD11-AS1 subsequently exerted its biological effects via modulating the expression of SOX4 in colorectal cancer cells. Collectively, these findings manifested that the ABHD11-AS1/miR-133a/SOX4 axis may be a cogitable and promising therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.

Long noncoding RNA ABHD11-AS1 promote cells proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer via regulating the miR-1254-WNT11 pathway

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ABHD11-AS1 on colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and further explore its possible underlying mechanisms. In the study, we found that ABHD11-AS1 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines. High ABHD11-AS1 expression was correlated with poor overall survival of patients with CRC. ABHD11-AS1 knockdown reduced CRC cell proliferation, in vitro invasion, and in vivo tumor growth. Investigation of the underlying mechanism showed that ABHD11-AS1 could act as a molecular sponge of miR-1254, and WNT11 was a downstream target of miR-1254 in CRC. Moreover, there was a negative association between ABHD11-AS1 expression (or WNT11) and miR-1254 in CRC tissues. The rescue assays showed that WNT11 overexpression partially rescued the effects of ABHD11-AS1 inhibition on CRC progression. Thus, we demonstrated that ABHD11-AS1 promotes CRC progression through the miR-1254-WNT11 pathway, which provides a new insight into the therapeutic strategies for CRC.

LncRNA as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Bladder cancer is one of the most common urinary malignancies, and has a high recurrence rate and poor outcomes. In order to identify novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for bladder cancer, we conducted a meta-analysis to analyze the association between long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression and survival in bladder cancer.

Materials and methods

We searched literature from databases using our inclusion and exclusion criteria. STATA 14.0 software was used to analyze the data from collected studies and to construct the forest plots. A different effect size was selected for each meta-analysis.

Results

After selection, 30 articles were found to be eligible. The present meta-analysis contains data from 13 articles about clinicopathological characteristics, six articles about diagnosis, and 16 articles about prognosis. In the present study, we found that many lncRNAs could function as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers in bladder cancer. Among these findings, UCA1 was expected to be a diagnostic biomarker for bladder cancer, while the aberrant expression of HOTAIR and GAS5 was associated with poor disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival/disease-specific survival.

Conclusion

Overall, the present study is the first meta-analysis to assess the association between expression of lncRNAs and clinical value in patients with bladder cancer. LncRNAs hold promise as novel diagnostic and prognostic markers in bladder cancer.

Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers in Bladder Cancer: A Current Need for Patient Diagnosis and Monitoring

Bladder Cancer (BC) represents a clinical and social challenge due to its high incidence and recurrence rates, as well as the limited advances in effective disease management. Currently, a combination of cytology and cystoscopy is the routinely used methodology for diagnosis, prognosis and disease surveillance. However, both the poor sensitivity of cytology tests as well as the high invasiveness and big variation in tumour stage and grade interpretation using cystoscopy, emphasizes the urgent need for improvements in BC clinical guidance. Liquid biopsy represents a new non-invasive approach that has been extensively studied over the last decade and holds great promise. Even though its clinical use is still compromised, multiple studies have recently focused on the potential application of biomarkers in liquid biopsies for BC, including circulating tumour cells and DNA, RNAs, proteins and peptides, metabolites and extracellular vesicles. In this review, we summarize the present knowledge on the different types of biomarkers, their potential use in liquid biopsy and clinical applications in BC.

Clinical Values of Long Non-coding RNAs in Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review

Background: Increasing evidence shows that dysregulated expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can serve as diagnostic or prognostic markers in bladder cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical values of dysregulated lncRNAs in bladder cancer.

Methods: Eligible studies were systematically searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from inception to December 2017. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated to investigate the correlation between lncRNAs and clinicopathological parameters. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to explore the prognostic value of lncRNAs in bladder cancer. Pooled diagnostic parameters were also calculated to estimate the performance of lncRNAs in diagnosing bladder cancer. All statistical analyses were performed by using STATA 13.1 program.

Results: A total of 37 relevant studies were included to the present systematic review according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, including 26 on clinicopathological parameters, 19 on prognosis, and 7 on diagnosis. For clinicopathological parameters, MALAT1 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.731; 95% CI: 1.409–5.292; p = 0.003), and high-level expression of XIST was related to larger tumor size (OR = 2.473; 95% CI: 1.159–5.276; p = 0.019) and higher TNM stage (OR = 0.400; 95% CI, 0.184–0.868; p = 0.020). For the prognostic values, the most significant association was observed between increased expressions of SPRY4-IT1 and poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 3.716; 95% CI: 2.084–6.719; p < 0.001); high MALAT1 expression was significantly associated with poor OS (HR = 1.611; 95% CI: 1.076–2.412; p = 0.020). For the diagnostic values, UCA1 expression profile achieved a combined AUC of 0.92, with sensitivity of 0.84 and specificity of 0.89 in distinguishing patients with bladder cancer from non-cancerous controls.

Conclusions: In summary, systematic review elaborated that abnormal lncRNAs expression can serve as potential markers for prognostic evaluation in bladder cancer patients. In addition, the diagnostic meta-analysis concluded that abnormally expressed UCA1 can function as potential diagnostic markers for bladder cancer.

LncRNA ABHD11-AS1 promotes the development of endometrial carcinoma by targeting cyclin D1

To investigate the expression, role and mechanism of action of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ABHD11-AS1 in endometrial carcinoma. The expression of lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 was quantified by qRT-PCR in human endometrial carcinoma (n = 89) and normal endometrial tissues (n = 27). LncRNA ABHD11-AS1 was stably overexpressed or knocked-down in endometrial carcinoma cell lines to examine the cellular phenotype and expression of related molecules. Compared to normal endometrial tissue, lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 was significantly overexpressed in endometrial carcinoma. Overexpression of lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 promoted the proliferation, G1-S progression, invasion and migration of endometrial cancer cells; inhibited apoptosis; up-regulated cyclin D1, CDK1, CDK2, CDK4, Bcl-xl and VEGFA; and down-regulated p16, while ABHD11-AS1 down-regulation has the opposite effect. RNA pull down demonstrated that lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 binds directly to cyclin D1. Knockdown of cyclin D1 can reverse the effect of ABHD11-AS1. Overexpression of lncRNA ABHD11-AS1 increased the tumorigenicity and up-regulated cyclin D1 in an in vivo model of endometrial cancer in nude mice. LncRNA ABHD11-AS1 functions as an oncogene to promote cell proliferation and invasion in endometrial carcinoma by positively targeting cyclin D1.

Three-lncRNA signature is a potential prognostic biomarker for pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is a highly aggressive and metastatic cancer characterized by poor survival rates. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in various biological processes, including cancer and PAAD. To identify the specific lncRNAs associated with PAAD and analyze their function, we constructed a global triple network based on the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) theory and RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Using 182 PAAD cases, we established a lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA co-expression network, which was composed of 43 lncRNA nodes, 253 mRNA nodes, 11 miRNA nodes, and 475 edges. Six lncRNAs in the ceRNA network were closely related to overall survival, and a three-lncRNA signature predicted survival of PAAD patients. Protein–protein interaction network data revealed that five genes were associated with overall survival. These results provide novel insight into the function of a lncRNA-associated ceRNA network in the pathogenesis of PAAD, and indicate that the identified three-lncRNA signature may serve as an independent prognostic marker in PAAD.

Long non-coding RNA cartilage injury-related promotes malignancy in bladder cancer

Recent advances have highlighted the important roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a number of biological processes, including oncogenesis. However, the function of lncRNA cartilage injury-related (lncRNA-CIR) in bladder cancer progression remains elusive. A novel function for lncRNA-CIR in bladder cancer was identified in the present study. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, viability, invasion assay and in vivo implantation were used to evaluate the role of lncRNA-CIR. It was identified that the expression of lncRNA-CIR was frequently upregulated in 52 cancerous tissues and selected bladder cancer cell lines. Additionally, upregulating lncRNA-CIR was demonstrated to promote viability and invasion in T24 and SW780 cells, whereas siRNA-mediated lncRNA-CIR-knockdown consistently exhibited the opposite effects. High lncRNA-CIR levels also dictated poor overall survival among patients with bladder cancer. Furthermore, in vivo implantation experiments also supported a tumorigenic function for lncRNA-CIR, as decreasing lncRNA-CIR levels markedly attenuated Ki-67 staining and xenograft tumor growth. Overall, the present study identified a novel function of lncRNA-CIR and indicates that lncRNA-CIR may serve as a potential biomarker for bladder cancer treatment.

mRNA, microRNA and lncRNA as novel bladder tumor markers

Early detection of bladder cancer (BC) is essential for improvement of the patient's prognosis and general survival rates. Current diagnostic methods are still limited, so new specific and cost-effective biomarkers are emerging as the noninvasive tools in treatment decisions in recurrent BC. Gene expression and epigenetic profile can be analysed using quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR) method in urine, blood and tissue. This review provides an update of recent findings on BC molecular profile as novel markers in diagnosis and prognosis of bladder tumors. We describe mRNA-, microRNA- and lncRNA-based biomarkers involved in the BC detection, diagnosis, prediction of recurrence and monitoring after treatment.