MicroRNA 362-3p Reduces hERG-related Current and Inhibits Breast Cancer Cells Proliferation

In Silico Prioritization of STAT1 3' UTR SNPs Identifies rs190542524 as a miRNA-Linked Variant with Potential Oncogenic Impact

BACKGROUND

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with multiple disorders and various cancer types. In the context of cancer, alterations within non-coding regions, specifically 3' untranslated regions (3' UTR), have proven substantially important.

METHODS

In this study, we utilized various bioinformatics tools to examine the effect of SNPs in the 3' UTR. We retrieved the 3' UTR SNPs of the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (STAT1) gene from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. Next, we employed the Polymorphism in miRNAs and their corresponding target sites (PolymiRTS) database to predict the 3' UTR SNPs that create new microRNA (miRNA) binding sites and their respective miRNAs. The effect of the 3' UTR SNPs on the messenger RNA structure was studied using RNAfold server. We used Cscape tool to predict the oncogenic 3' UTR SNPs. Then, we submitted the miRNAs to the miRNet database to visualize the miRNA-miRNAs' target genes interaction, for which gene enrichment analysis was performed using ShinyGO. Protein-protein interactions were conducted using the STRING database. We conducted miRNA enrichment analysis utilizing miRPathDB, subsequently performing miRNA differential expression analysis through oncoMIR, and the StarBase database. The survival analysis of the upregulated miRNAs in cancer was investigated using the Kaplan-Meier Plotter.

RESULT

Twelve SNPs were predicted to create new miRNA binding sites. Two of them, rs188557905 and rs190542524, were predicted to destabilize the mRNA structures. We predicted rs190542524, rs11305, rs186033487, and rs188557905 to be oncogenic 3' UTR SNPs, with high-confidence predictions and scores > 0.5. Using miRNAs' target genes enrichment analysis, this study indicated that the miRNA target genes were more likely to be involved in cancer-related pathways. Our comprehensive analysis of miRNAs, their functional enrichment, their expression in various types of cancer, and the correlation between miRNA expression and survival outcome yielded these results. Our research shows that the oncogenic 3' UTR SNP rs190542524 creates a new binding site for the oncogenic miRNA hsa-miR-136-5p. This miRNA is significantly upregulated in BLCA, LUSC, and STAD and is linked to poor survival. Additionally, rs114360225 creates a new binding site for hsa-miR-362-3p, influencing LIHC.

CONCLUSIONS

These analyses suggest that these 3' UTR SNPs may have a functional impact on the STAT1 gene's regulation through their predicted effect on miRNA binding sites. Future experimental validation could establish their potential role in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, including cancer.

The Role of RAC2 and PTTG1 in Cancer Biology

Several molecular pathways are likely involved in the regulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) via Ras-associated C3 botulinum toxin substrate 2, RAC2, and pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1 product, PTTG1, given their roles in cellular signaling, survival, proliferation, and metastasis. RAC2 is a member of the Rho GTPase family and plays a crucial role in actin cytoskeleton dynamics, reactive oxygen species production, and cell migration, contributing to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), immune evasion, and therapy resistance. PTTG1, also known as human securin, regulates key processes such as cell cycle progression, apoptosis suppression, and EMT, promoting metastasis and enhancing cancer cell survival. This article aims to describe the molecular pathways involved in the proliferation, invasiveness, and drug response of cancer cells through RAC2 and PTTG1, aiming to clarify their respective roles in neoplastic process dependencies. Both proteins are involved in critical signaling pathways, including PI3K/AKT, TGF-β, and NF-κB, which facilitate tumor progression by modulating CSC properties, angiogenesis, and immune response. This review highlights the molecular mechanisms by which RAC2 and PTTG1 influence tumorigenesis and describes their potential and efficacy as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in managing various neoplasms.

Three possible diagnostic biomarkers for gastric cancer: miR-362-3p, miR-362-5p and miR-363-5p

Aim: MicroRNAs can be regarded as biomarkers for gastric cancer (GC) diagnosis in the early stages. This study assesses the expression levels of miR-362-3p, miR-362-5p and miR-363-5p as potential biomarkers for GC.Materials & methods: The expression levels of the miRNAs in 90 pairs of GC and adjacent normal tissue samples were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and some bioinformatics tools were utilized for analyzing the target genes and possible molecular pathways in which these miRNAs participate.Results & conclusion: There was a significant overexpression of the miRNAs in GC cells and an outstanding correlation between their overexpression with some clinicopathological features of the patients.

Exploring the Potential Role of Circulating microRNAs as Biomarkers for Predicting Clinical Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is increasingly being used to reduce tumor burden prior to surgical resection. However, current techniques for assessing tumor response have significant limitations. Additionally, drug resistance is commonly observed, raising a need to identify biomarkers that can predict treatment sensitivity and survival outcomes. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and have been shown to play a significant role in cancer progression as tumor inducers or suppressors. The expression of circulating miRNAs has been found to be significantly altered in breast cancer patients. Moreover, recent studies have suggested that circulating miRNAs can serve as non-invasive biomarkers for predicting response to NAT. Therefore, this review provides a brief overview of recent studies that have demonstrated the potential of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for predicting the clinical response to NAT in BC patients. The findings of this review will strengthen future research on developing miRNA-based biomarkers and their translation into medical practice, which could significantly improve the clinical management of BC patients undergoing NAT.

Potassium channels, tumorigenesis and targeted drugs

Potassium channels play an important role in human physiological function. Recently, various molecular mechanisms have implicated abnormal functioning of potassium channels in the proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and cancer stem cell phenotype formation. Potassium channels also mediate the association of tumor cells with the tumor microenvironment. Meanwhile, potassium channels are important targets for cancer chemotherapy. A variety of drugs exert anti-cancer effects by modulating potassium channels in tumor cells. Therefore, there is a need to understand how potassium channels participate in tumor development and progression, which could reveal new, novel targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review summarizes the roles of voltage-gated potassium channels, calcium-activated potassium channels, inwardly rectifying potassium channels, and two-pore domain potassium channels in tumorigenesis and the underlying mechanism of potassium channel-targeted drugs. Therefore, the study lays the foundation for rational and effective drug design and individualized clinical therapeutics.

HLGNN-MDA: Heuristic Learning Based on Graph Neural Networks for miRNA-Disease Association Prediction

Identifying disease-related miRNAs can improve the understanding of complex diseases. However, experimentally finding the association between miRNAs and diseases is expensive in terms of time and resources. The computational screening of reliable miRNA-disease associations has thus become a necessary tool to guide biological experiments. "Similar miRNAs will be associated with the same disease" is the assumption on which most current miRNA-disease association prediction methods rely; however, biased prior knowledge, and incomplete and inaccurate miRNA similarity data and disease similarity data limit the performance of the model. Here, we propose heuristic learning based on graph neural networks to predict microRNA-disease associations (HLGNN-MDA). We learn the local graph topology features of the predicted miRNA-disease node pairs using graph neural networks. In particular, our improvements to the graph convolution layer of the graph neural network enable it to learn information among homogeneous nodes and among heterogeneous nodes. We illustrate the performance of HLGNN-MDA by performing tenfold cross-validation against excellent baseline models. The results show that we have promising performance in multiple metrics. We also focus on the role of the improvements to the graph convolution layer in the model. The case studies are supported by evidence on breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma. Given the above, the experiments demonstrate that HLGNN-MDA can serve as a reliable method to identify novel miRNA-disease associations.

Mitochondrial miRNAs (MitomiRs): Their potential roles in breast and other cancers

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Although miRNAs mainly act in the cytoplasm, they can be found in the mitochondrial compartment of the cell. These miRNAs called "MitomiR", they can change mitochondrial functions by regulating proteins at the mitochondrial level and cause cancer. In this review, we have aimed to explain miRNA biogenesis, transport pathways to mitochondria, and summarize mitomiRs that have been shown to play an important role in mitochondrial function, especially in the initiation and progression of breast cancer.

LncRNA MALAT1 inhibits the proliferation and invasiveness of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma Hep-2 cells by modulating miR-362-3p

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the mechanism of lncRNA MALAT1 (MALAT1) inhibiting the proliferation and invasiveness of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) Hep-2 cells by modulating miR-362-3p.

METHODS

We collected the expression profile of lncRNAs and miRNAs in LSCC downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database as well as LSCC tissue samples and adjacent normal counterparts resected from LSCC patients in Lvliang People's Hospital and First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University between January 2018 and June 2020 for analysis. Human LSCC Hep-2 cells were selected for experiments. The expression of miR-362-3p and MALAT1 was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cells were subsequently transfected to knock out MALAT1, and the growth, metastasis and invasiveness of cells were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, plate clone formation, wound healing, and Transwell invasion assays respectively. The binding of MALAT1 to miR-362-3p was verified by RNA pull-down, RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP), and dual-luciferase reporter assays.

RESULTS

MALAT1 was highly expressed while miR-362-3p was lowly expressed in both LSCC tissues and cells compared with normal counterparts. MALAT1 knockdown inhibited the viability of Hep-2 cells, reducing the number of plate clone-forming cells as well as the number of migrated and invaded cells. Transfection of miR-362-3p inhibitor into Hep-2 cells treated by si-MALAT1 reversed the inhibition of si-MALAT1 on the proliferation of Hep-2 cells, and promoted cell invasiveness and migration. MALAT1 can sponge miR-362-3p and inhibit its expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Knockdown of MALAT can inhibit Hep-2 cell proliferation and reduce its invasiveness and migration by modulating miR-362-3p.

Circular RNA dehydrodolichyl diphosphate synthase facilitated triple-negative breast cancer progression via miR-362-3p/DDX5 axis

BACKGROUND

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a common hypotype of breast cancer. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are burgeoning serve as vital controllers in numerous tumors. Nevertheless, the expression and regulatory mode of circRNAs in TNBC are still indistinct. This paper aimed to reveal the function and molecular mechanism of circular RNA dehydrodolichyl diphosphate synthase (circDHDDS) in TNBC.

METHODS

The contents of circDHDDS, DHDDS mRNA, microRNA-362-3p (miR-362-3p) and DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 5 (DDX5) were indicated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot. The colony formation assay and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay were executed to assess cell proliferation. The flow cytometry assay was utilized to detect cell apoptosis. The transwell assay and tube formation assay were applied to measure cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis. The targeted relationships of miR-362-3p and circDHDDS or DDX5 were forecasted and detected by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The in vivo test was implemented to confirm the effect of circDHDDS.

RESULTS

The contents of circDHDDS and DDX5 were increased, and miR-362-3p level was decreased in TNBC. CircDHDDS deficiency reserved cell proliferation, migration, invasion and angiogenesis, while facilitated cell apoptosis in TNBC cells. Furthermore, miR-362-3p was validated to exert a tumor repressive effect in TNBC cells by suppressing DDX5. Moreover, DDX5 could regulate the development of TNBC. The experimental data exposed that levels of miR-362-3p presented noteworthy negative correlation with circDHDDS and DDX5, while circDHDDS and DDX5 exhibited significant positive correlation. In mechanism, circDHDDS bound to miR-362-3p to modulate DDX5 expression. In addition, circDHDDS knock-down also attenuated tumor growth.

CONCLUSION

CircDHDDS expedited TNBC by swelling DDX5 via adapting miR-362-3p.

The Effectiveness of Isoplumbagin and Plumbagin in Regulating Amplitude, Gating Kinetics, and Voltage-Dependent Hysteresis of erg-mediated K+ Currents

Isoplumbagin (isoPLB, 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone), a naturally occurring quinone, has been observed to exercise anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antineoplastic activities. Notably, whether and how isoPLB, plumbagin (PLB), or other related compounds impact transmembrane ionic currents is not entirely clear. In this study, during GH3-cell exposure to isoPLB, the peak and sustained components of an erg (ether-à-go-go related gene)-mediated K+ current (IK(erg)) evoked with long-lasting-step hyperpolarization were concentration-dependently decreased, with a concomitant increase in the decaying time constant of the deactivating current. The presence of isoPLB led to a differential reduction in the peak and sustained components of deactivating IK(erg) with effective IC50 values of 18.3 and 2.4 μM, respectively, while the KD value according to the minimum binding scheme was estimated to be 2.58 μM. Inhibition by isoPLB of IK(erg) was not reversed by diazoxide; however, further addition of isoPLB, during the continued exposure to 4,4'-dithiopyridine, did not suppress IK(erg) further. The recovery of IK(erg) by a two-step voltage pulse with a geometric progression was slowed in the presence of isoPLB, and the decaying rate of IK(erg) activated by the envelope-of-tail method was increased in its presence. The strength of the IK(erg) hysteresis in response to an inverted isosceles-triangular ramp pulse was diminished by adding isoPLB. A mild inhibition of the delayed-rectifier K+ current (IK(DR)) produced by the presence of isoPLB was seen in GH3 cells, while minimal changes in the magnitude of the voltage-gated Na+ current were demonstrated in its presence. Moreover, the IK(erg) identified in MA-10 Leydig tumor cells was blocked by adding isoPLB. Therefore, the effects of isoPLB or PLB on ionic currents (e.g., IK(erg) and IK(DR)) demonstrated herein would be upstream of our previously reported perturbations on mitochondrial morphogenesis or respiration. Taken together, the perturbations of ionic currents by isoPLB or PLB demonstrated herein are likely to contribute to the underlying mechanism through which they, or other structurally similar compounds, result in adjustments in the functional activities of different neoplastic cells (e.g., GH3 and MA-10 cells), presuming that similar in vivo observations occur.

Pathophysiological role of ion channels and transporters in HER2-positive breast cancer

The incidence of breast cancer (BC) has been increasing each year, and BC is now the most common malignant tumor in women. Among the numerous BC subtypes, HER2-positive BC can be treated with a variety of strategies based on targeting HER2. Although there has been great progress in the treatment of HER2-positive BC, recurrence, metastasis and drug resistance remain considerable challenges. The dysfunction of ion channels and transporters can affect the development and progression of HER2-positive BC, so these entities are expected to be new therapeutic targets. This review summarizes various ion channels and transporters associated with HER2-positive BC and suggests potential targets for the development of new and effective therapies.

Aberrant miR-362-3p is Associated with EBV-Infection and Prognosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Involved in Tumor Progression by Targeting JMJD2A

Background

Many microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to examine the expression and clinical significance of microRNA (miR)-362-3p in NPC, especially in Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-positive patients, and explore its potential mechanism in NPC progression.

Methods

miR-362-3p levels and Jumonji C domain 2A (JMJD2A) mRNA levels were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The diagnostic value of miR-362-3p to distinguish NPC patients and EBV-positive cases was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic analysis. The association of miR-362-3p with NPC survival was assessed by Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. NPC cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assays, respectively. A luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the interaction between miR-362-3p and JMJD2A.

Results

miR-362-3p expression was decreased in the serum and tissues of NPC patients and had diagnostic value for screening NPC. According to the survival follow-up, NPC survivors had significantly higher miR-362-3p, and miR-326-3p was demonstrated as an independent prognostic indicator of NPC. Interestingly, it is found that EBV-positive NPC patients and cells had significantly lower miR-362-3p compared with EBV-negative NPC patients and cells and had certain ability to distinguish EBV-positive patients. Moreover, miR-362-3p inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of both EBV-positive and -negative NPC cells, and these effects might be mediated by targeting JMJD2A.

Conclusion

Abnormal miR-362-3p expression is related to EBV-infection and prognosis in NPC patients and may be involved in NPC progression by targeting JMJD2A.

miR-362-3p suppresses ovarian cancer by inhibiting LRP8

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MiR-362-3p inhibited cell viability and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells.

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MiR-362-3p inhibited cell migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells.

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MiR-362-3p inhibited OV growth in vivo.

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LRP8 was a target of miR-362-3p.

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MiR-362-3p targeting LRP8 repressed cell viability and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells.

Background

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common female cancers, with a high incidence worldwide. Aberrant expression of low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor‐related protein 8 (LRP8) and microRNA (miR)-362-3p is involved in the pathogenesis of different cancers.

Methods

We aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the miR-362-3p-LRP8 axis in ovarian cancer. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to examine miR-362-3p and LRP8 expression in ovarian cancer tissues and cells. The luciferase assay was used to determine the relationship between miR-362-3p and LRP8. The function of overexpression of miR-362-3p and LRP8 was determined by assessing the cell viability using the cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay, proliferation using 5′‑bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) assay, migration using wound healing assay, invasion using transwell assay, and the protein expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP9, and integrin α5 or β1 using western blotting assays in ovarian cancer cells.

Results

miR-362-3p expression levels were decreased in ovarian cancer tissues and cells and negatively correlated with LRP8 levels. Overexpression of miR-362-3p dramatically repressed cell growth. Furthermore, overexpression of LRP8 significantly facilitated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ovarian cancer cells, which counteracted the inhibitory effect of miR-362-3p on ovarian cancer cell growth.

Conclusions

We reported that miR-362-3p hampered cell growth by repressing LRP8 expression in ovarian cancer cells. Our results provide new insights into ovarian cancer, involving both miR-362-3p and LRP8, which can be used as potential biomarkers for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Towards toxin PEGylation: The example of rCollinein-1, a snake venom thrombin-like enzyme, as a PEGylated biopharmaceutical prototype

PEGylation was firstly described around 50 years ago and has been used for more than 30 years as a strategy to improve the drugability of biopharmaceuticals. However, it remains poorly employed in toxinology, even though it may be a promising strategy to empower these compounds in therapeutics. This work reports the PEGylation of rCollinein-1, a recombinant snake venom serine protease (SVSP), able to degrade fibrinogen and inhibit the hEAG1 potassium channel. We compared the functional, structural, and immunogenic properties of the non-PEGylated (rCollinein-1) and PEGylated (PEG-rCollinein-1) forms. PEG-rCollinein-1 shares similar kinetic parameters with rCollinein-1, maintaining its capability of degrading fibrinogen, but with reduced activity on hEAG1 channel. CD analysis revealed the maintenance of protein conformation after PEGylation, and thermal shift assays demonstrated similar thermostability. Both forms of the enzyme showed to be non-toxic to peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In silico epitope prediction indicated three putative immunogenic peptides. However, immune response on mice showed PEG-rCollinein-1 was devoid of immunogenicity. PEGylation directed rCollinein-1 activity towards hemostasis control, broadening its possibilities to be employed as a defibrinogenant agent.

AC092127.1-miR-451a-AE binding protein 2 Signaling Facilitates Malignant Properties of Breast Cancer

Purpose

The purpose of the current study was to explore the functions and potential mechanism of miR-451a in breast cancer (BC).

Methods

Quantitative reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the expression of miR-451a in human normal mammary cells (MCF-10A) and BC cells. Colony formation assay, terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling assay and transwell assays were conducted to validate the effect of miR-451a on proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of BC cells, respectively. RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays were applied to investigate the upstream and downstream mechanisms of miR-451a in BC cells.

Results

MiR-451a was expressed at a low level in BC cells. Overexpression of miR-451a repressed BC cells proliferation, migration and invasion. Moreover, long non-coding RNA AC092127.1 acted as a sponge of miR-451a to enhance the expression level of AE binding protein 2 (AEBP2) that was demonstrated to be the target gene of miR-451a in BC cells. Finally, rescue experiments validated that miR-451a and AEBP2 involved in AC092127.1-mediated BC cell growth, migration and invasion.

Conclusion

In a word, AC092127.1/miR-451a/AEBP2 axis contributes to BC cell growth, migration and invasion. Our results may help to find novel potential targets for BC treatment.

Non-Coding RNAs in the Cardiac Action Potential and Their Impact on Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Diseases

Cardiac arrhythmias are prevalent among humans across all age ranges, affecting millions of people worldwide. While cardiac arrhythmias vary widely in their clinical presentation, they possess shared complex electrophysiologic properties at cellular level that have not been fully studied. Over the last decade, our current understanding of the functional roles of non-coding RNAs have progressively increased. microRNAs represent the most studied type of small ncRNAs and it has been demonstrated that miRNAs play essential roles in multiple biological contexts, including normal development and diseases. In this review, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the functional contribution of non-coding RNAs, primarily microRNAs, to the normal configuration of the cardiac action potential, as well as their association to distinct types of arrhythmogenic cardiac diseases.

Potassium Channel Protein KCNK6 Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women, and its incidence is increasing each year. To effectively treat breast cancer, it is important to identify genes involved in its occurrence and development and to exploit them as potential drug therapy targets. Here, we found that potassium channel subfamily K member 6 (KCNK6) is significantly overexpressed in breast cancer, however, its function in tumors has not been reported. We further verified that KCNK6 expression is upregulated in breast cancer biopsies. Moreover, overexpressed KCNK6 was found to enhance the proliferation, invasion, and migration ability of breast cancer cells. These effects may occur by weakening cell adhesion and reducing cell hardness, thus affecting the malignant phenotype of breast cancer cells. Our study confirmed, for the first time, that increased KCNK6 expression in breast cancer cells may promote their proliferation, invasion, and migration. Moreover, considering that ion channels serve as therapeutic targets for many small molecular drugs in clinical treatment, targeting KCNK6 may represent a novel strategy for breast cancer therapies. Hence, the results of this study provide a theoretical basis for KCNK6 to become a potential molecular target for breast cancer treatment in the future.

Pan-cancer characterization of metabolism-related biomarkers identifies potential therapeutic targets

Background

Generally, cancer cells undergo metabolic reprogramming to adapt to energetic and biosynthetic requirements that support their uncontrolled proliferation. However, the mutual relationship between two critical metabolic pathways, glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), remains poorly defined.

Methods

We developed a “double-score” system to quantify glycolysis and OXPHOS in 9668 patients across 33 tumor types from The Cancer Genome Atlas and classified them into four metabolic subtypes. Multi-omics bioinformatical analyses was conducted to detect metabolism-related molecular features.

Results

Compared with patients with low glycolysis and high OXPHOS (LGHO), those with high glycolysis and low OXPHOS (HGLO) were consistently associated with worse prognosis. We identified common dysregulated molecular features between different metabolic subgroups across multiple cancers, including gene, miRNA, transcription factor, methylation, and somatic alteration, as well as investigated their mutual interfering relationships.

Conclusion

Overall, this work provides a comprehensive atlas of metabolic heterogeneity on a pan-cancer scale and identified several potential drivers of metabolic rewiring, suggesting corresponding prognostic and therapeutic utility.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-021-02889-0.

Regulatory MicroRNAs in T2DM and Breast Cancer

MicroRNAs orchestrate the tight regulation of numerous cellular processes and the deregulation in their activities has been implicated in many diseases, including diabetes and cancer. There is an increasing amount of epidemiological evidence associating diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus, to an elevated risk of various cancer types, including breast cancer. However, little is yet known about the underlying molecular mechanisms and even less about the role miRNAs play in driving the tumorigenic potential of the cell signaling underlying diabetes pathogenesis. This article reviews the role of miRNA in bridging the diabetes–breast cancer association by discussing specific miRNAs that are implicated in diabetes and breast cancer and highlighting the overlap between the disease-specific regulatory miRNA networks to identify a 20-miRNA signature that is common to both diseases. Potential therapeutic targeting of these molecular players may help to alleviate the socioeconomic burden on public health that is imposed by the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)–breast cancer association.

miR-362-3p acts as a tumor suppressor by targeting SERBP1 in ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND

Ovarian cancer is the leading lethal gynecological cancer and is generally diagnosed during late-stage presentation. In addition, patients with ovarian cancer still face a low 5-year survival rate. Thus, innovative molecular targeting agents are required to overcome this disease. The present study aimed to explore the function of miR-362-3p and the underlying molecular mechanisms influencing ovarian cancer progression.

METHODS

The expression levels of miR-362-3p were determined using qRT-PCR. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function methods were used to detect the effects of miR-362-3p on cell proliferation, cell migration, and tumor metastasis in ovarian cancer. A luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the potential target of miR-362-3p, and a rescue experiment was employed to verify the effect of miR-362-3p on ovarian cancer by regulating its target gene.

RESULTS

miR-362-3p was significantly downregulated in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. In vitro, our data showed that miR-362-3p suppressed cell proliferation and migration. In vivo, miR-362-3p inhibited ovarian cancer growth and metastasis. Mechanistically, SERBP1 was identified as a direct target and functional effector of miR-362-3p in ovarian cancer. Moreover, SERBP1 overexpression rescued the biological function of miR-362-3p.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data reveal that miR-362-3p has an inhibitory effect on ovarian cancer. miR-362-3p inhibits the development and progression of ovarian cancer by directly binding its target gene SERBP1.

miR-362-3p Targets Orosomucoid 1 to Promote Cell Proliferation, Restrain Cell Apoptosis and Thereby Mitigate Hypoxia/Reoxygenation-Induced Cardiomyocytes Injury

This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of how miR-362-3p/orosomucoid 1 (ORM1) involved in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cardiomyocytes injury. Based on data obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we revealed that ORM1 was highly expressed and positively correlated with the expression of inflammatory factors (MAPK1, MAPK3, IL1B and CASP9). miR-362-3p was identified as an upstream regulatory miRNA of ORM1 and negatively modulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of ORM1 in H/R-injured cardiomyocytes. Moreover, we found that miR-362-3p was downregulated in cardiomyocytes injured by H/R. The promoting influence of miR-362-3p mimic on the proliferation and the inhibitory effect of miR-362-3p mimic on the apoptosis of H/R-stimulated cardiomyocytes were eliminated by overexpression of ORM1. Furthermore, miR-362-3p affected the expression of MAPK1, MAPK3, IL1B and CASP9 in H/R-injured cardiomyocytes through targeting ORM1. Our outcomes illustrated that miR-362-3p exhibited a protective influence on H/R-induced cardiomyocytes through targeting ORM1.

The molecular mechanisms of the long noncoding RNA SBF2-AS1 in regulating the proliferation of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The long noncoding RNASBF2-AS1 can promote the occurrence and development of many kinds of tumours, but its role in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is unknown. We found that SBF2-AS1 was up-regulated in ESCC, and its expression was positively correlated with tumor size (P = 0.0001), but was not related to gender, age, TNM stage, histological grade, and lymphnode metastasis (P > 0.05). It was further found that the higher the expression of SBF2-AS1, the lower the survival rate. COX multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SBF2-AS1 was an independent prognostic factor. Functional experiments show that inhibition of SBF2-AS1 can inhibit the proliferation of ESCC through in vivo and in vitro, and overexpression of SBF2-AS1 can promote the proliferation of ESCC and inhibit its apoptosis. In mechanism, SBF2-AS1/miR-338-3P, miR-362-3P/E2F1 axis are involved in the regulation of ESCC growth. In general, SBF2-AS1 may be used as ceRNA to combine with miR-338-3P and miR-362-3P to up-regulate the expression ofE2F1, and ultimately play a role in promoting cancer. It may be used as a therapeutic target and a biomarker for prognosis.

MiR-362 suppresses cervical cancer progression via directly targeting BAP31 and activating TGFβ/Smad pathway

BAP31 (B-cell receptor-associated protein 31) is an important regulator of intracellular signal transduction and highly expressed in several cancer tissues or testicular tissues. Our previous study had revealed that elevated BAP31 plays a crucial role in the progress and metastasis of cervical cancer. Even so, the precise mechanism of abnormal BAP31 elevation in cervical cancer has not been fully elucidated. We revealed that the expression of BAP31 was mainly regulated by microRNA-362 (miR-362), which was markedly downregulated in cervical cancer tissues and negatively correlated with clinical tumor staging. Overexpression of miR-362 inhibited cervical cancer cell proliferation and increased the proportion of apoptotic cells. Furthermore, miR-362 reduced the tumor sizes and prolonged mice survival time in xenograft nude mice model. Finally, we demonstrated that the BAP31/SPTBN1 complex regulated tumor progression through the Smad 2/3 pathway under the control of miR-362. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that miR-362 could work as an anti-oncomiR that inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in cervical cancer cells via BAP31 and TGFβ/Smad pathway. Overexpression of miR-362 might be a potential therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer.

miR-362-3p suppresses sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma progression via directly targeting pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1

BACKGROUND

Sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) is a main subtype of sinonasal malignancy with unclear pathogenesis. microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in SNSCC progression. Nevertheless, the role and mechanism of miR-362-3p in SNSCC development are unclear.

METHODS

The SNSCC tissues (n = 23) and normal sinonasal samples (n = 13) were harvested. SNSCC cell line RPMI-2650 cells were transfected using Lipofectamine 3000. miR-362-3p and pituitary tumor-transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) were determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot. Cell proliferation was analyzed via Cell Counting Kit-8 and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assays. Cell migration and invasion was assessed using wound healing assay and transwell assay. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated protein (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin) levels were measured via western blot. The binding relationship was analyzed via bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS

miR-362-3p abundance was decreased in SNSCC samples. miR-362-3p addition constrained cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT, but miR-362-3p knockdown played an opposite effect. PTTG1 was targeted and negatively modulated by miR-362-3p. PTTG1 abundance was elevated in SNSCC samples. PTTG1 overexpression mitigated miR-362-3p-modulated suppression of cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT in SNSCC cells.

CONCLUSION

miR-362-3p repressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT in SNSCC via targeting PTTG1.

miRNA-based biomarkers, therapies, and resistance in Cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) of about 22 nucleotides in size, play important roles in gene regulation, and their dysregulation is implicated in human diseases including cancer. A variety of miRNAs could take roles in the cancer progression, participate in the process of tumor immune, and function with miRNA sponges. During the last two decades, the connection between miRNAs and various cancers has been widely researched. Based on evidence about miRNA, numerous potential cancer biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis have been put forward, providing a new perspective on cancer screening. Besides, there are several miRNA-based therapies among different cancers being conducted, advanced treatments such as the combination of synergistic strategies and the use of complementary miRNAs provide significant clinical benefits to cancer patients potentially. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that many miRNAs are engaged in the resistance of cancer therapies with their complex underlying regulatory mechanisms, whose comprehensive cognition can help clinicians and improve patient prognosis. With the belief that studies about miRNAs in human cancer would have great clinical implications, we attempt to summarize the current situation and potential development prospects in this review.

Potential miRNAs for miRNA-Based Therapeutics in Breast Cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that can post-transcriptionally regulate the genes involved in critical cellular processes. The aberrant expressions of oncogenic or tumor suppressor miRNAs have been associated with cancer progression and malignancies. This resulted in the dysregulation of signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis and survival, metastasis, cancer recurrence and chemoresistance. In this review, we will first (i) provide an overview of the miRNA biogenesis pathways, and in vitro and in vivo models for research, (ii) summarize the most recent findings on the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) that could potentially be used for miRNA-based therapy in the treatment of breast cancer and (iii) discuss the various therapeutic applications.

MicroRNA-362-3p Inhibits Migration and Invasion via Targeting BCAP31 in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is the most common malignant tumor in gynecology, and metastasis is an important cause of patient death. MiRNAs (microRNAs) have been found to play key roles in cervical cancer metastasis, but the effect of miR-362-3p in CC is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-362-3p in cervical cancer migration and invasion. We compared the expression levels of miR-362-3p in cervical cancer tissues and adjacent normal cervical tissues. In CC tissues, miR-362-3p expression was significantly down-regulated, which is related to the cancer stage and patient survival. MiR-362-3p can effectively inhibit the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. The dual-luciferase reporter assay results showed that BCAP31 (B cell receptor associated protein 31) is a direct target protein of miR-362-3p. The results of the immunohistochemical examination of clinical tissue samples showed that BCAP31 was abnormally highly expressed in cervical cancer, which was positively correlated with the clinical stage. BCAP31 knockdown exerted similar effects as miR-362-3p overexpression. Further GSEA analysis showed that BCAP31 may participate in multiple biological processes, such as protein transport, metabolism, and organelle organization. Our results suggest that miR-362-3p inhibits migration and invasion via directly targeting BCAP31 in cervical cancer, and restoring miR-362-3p levels may be a new treatment strategy for cervical cancer in the future.

SP1/AKT/FOXO3 Signaling Is Involved in miR-362-3p-Mediated Inhibition of Cell-Cycle Pathway and EMT Progression in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Emerging evidence has indicated that dysregulation of miR-362-3p is involved in the initiation and progression of several types of human cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of miR-362-3p in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still not completely clear. In this study, we found that miR-362-3p was frequently down-regulated in human RCC tissues. Overexpression of miR-362-3p in RCC cells significantly suppressed the proliferation, cell cycle and motility in vitro and in vivo via regulating AKT/FOXO3 signaling. We further confirmed that SP1 was a direct target of miR-362-3p. Knockdown of SP1 expression by a small interfering RNA (siRNA) phenocopied the effect of miR-362-3p overexpression in RCC cells. In conclusion, the current results provide evidence for the role of miR-362-3p in the pathogenesis of RCC and thus miR-362-3p may serve as an attractive candidate for RCC therapy.