Micro RNA-148a Targets Bcl-2 in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

The microRNA-mediated apoptotic signaling axis in male reproduction: a possible and targetable culprit in male infertility

Recently, infertility has emerged as a significant and prevalent public health concern warranting considerable attention. Apoptosis, recognized as programmed cell death, constitutes a crucial process essential for the maintenance of normal spermatogenesis. Multiple investigations have illustrated that the dysregulated apoptosis of reproductive cells, encompassing spermatogonial stem cells, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells, serves as a causative factor in male infertility. MicroRNAs represent a class of small RNA molecules that exert negative regulatory control over gene expression using direct interaction with messenger RNA transcripts. Previous studies have established that aberrant expression of miRNAs induces apoptosis in reproductive tissues, correlating with reproductive dysfunctions and infertility. In this review, we offer a comprehensive overview of miRNAs and their respective target genes implicated in the apoptotic process. As well, miRNAs are involved in multiple apoptotic signaling pathways, namely the PI3K/AKT, NOTCH, Wnt/β-catenin, and mTOR signaling cascades, exerting both negative and positive effects. We additionally elucidate the significant functions played by lncRNAs and circular RNAs as competing endogenous RNAs in the process of apoptosis within reproductive cells. We further illustrate that external factors, including silica nanoparticles, Cyclosporine A, and smoking, induce dysregulation of miRNAs, resulting in apoptosis within reproductive cells and subsequent male reproductive toxicity. Further, we discuss the implication of heat stress, hypoxia, and diabetes in reproductive cell apoptosis induced by miRNA dysregulation in male infertility. Finally, we demonstrate that the modulation of miRNAs via traditional and novel medicine could protect reproductive cells from apoptosis and be implemented as a therapeutic approach in male infertility.

The Role of lncRNA-miR-26a-mRNA Network in Cancer Progression and Treatment

The role of non-coding RNAs in regulating biological processes associated with cancer progression, such as proliferation, migration, and apoptosis, has been extensively studied. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a role in regulating these processes through various mechanisms, including transcriptional and post-transcriptional modifications. In post-transcriptional regulation, lncRNAs can bind to specific miRNAs and affect their function, which can either promote or inhibit cancer development. The interaction between lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs forms a network known as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA), which is involved in cancer progression or inhibition. One specific miRNA called miR-26a-5p has been identified as having tumor-suppressive properties. However, when lncRNAs bind to and inhibit miR-26a-5p, it can lead to cancer progression. Therefore, targeting this ceRNA network could be a promising strategy for preventing cancer development. This review will first discuss the anticancer effects of miR-26a-5p and then explore the involvement of the lncRNA-miR26a-5p-mRNA axis in cancer progression and potential targeted therapies.

Tumor Suppressor MicroRNAs in Clinical and Preclinical Trials for Neurological Disorders

Cancers and neurological disorders are two major types of diseases in humans. We developed the concept called the "Aberrant Cell Cycle Disease (ACCD)" due to the accumulating evidence that shows that two different diseases share the common mechanism of aberrant cell cycle re-entry. The aberrant cell cycle re-entry is manifested as kinase/oncoprotein activation and tumor suppressor (TS) inactivation, which are associated with both tumor growth in cancers and neuronal death in neurological disorders. Therefore, some cancer therapies (e.g., kinase/oncogene inhibition and TS elevation) can be leveraged for neurological treatments. MicroRNA (miR/miRNA) provides a new style of drug-target binding. For example, a single tumor suppressor miRNA (TS-miR/miRNA) can bind to and decrease tens of target kinases/oncogenes, producing much more robust efficacy to block cell cycle re-entry than inhibiting a single kinase/oncogene. In this review, we summarize the miRNAs that are altered in both cancers and neurological disorders, with an emphasis on miRNA drugs that have entered into clinical trials for neurological treatment.

Exosomal microRNAs as novel diagnostic biomarkers in breast cancer: A systematic evaluation and meta-analysis

Circulating tumor-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in the development of cancer. We aimed to assess the diagnostic value of circulating exosomal miRNAs in breast cancer (BC). A computer search was conducted for clinical studies on exosomal miRNA diagnosis of breast cancer published in Wanfang, CNKI, China Biology Medicine disc, VIP, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase built up to August 16, 2022. True/false positive (TP/FP) and true/false negative (TN/FN) rates were extracted from each eligible study to obtain pooled sensitivities, specificities, positive/negative likelihood ratios (PLR/NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The meta-analysis included 7 articles including 348 Asian patients and 260 controls. All miRNAs were quantified using qRT-PCR assays. The sensitivity and specificity of the combination were 0.67 (95% CI = 0.64-0.71) and 0.81 (95% CI = 0.77-0.86), respectively. The combined DOR was 10.2 (95% CI = 6.00-16.74). The combined AUC(area under the subject operating characteristic curve) was 0.83 (0.91-0.96). In conclusion, exosomal-derived miRNA can be a good indicator to improve the diagnosis of breast cancer.

MicroRNA-Mediated Regulation of Histone-Modifying Enzymes in Cancer: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications

In the past decade, significant advances in molecular research have provided a deeper understanding of the intricate regulatory mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis. MicroRNAs, short non-coding RNA sequences, exert substantial influence on gene expression by repressing translation or inducing mRNA degradation. In the context of cancer, miRNA dysregulation is prevalent and closely associated with various stages of carcinogenesis, including initiation, progression, and metastasis. One crucial aspect of the cancer phenotype is the activity of histone-modifying enzymes that govern chromatin accessibility for transcription factors, thus impacting gene expression. Recent studies have revealed that miRNAs play a significant role in modulating these histone-modifying enzymes, leading to significant implications for genes related to proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis in cancer cells. This article provides an overview of current research on the mechanisms by which miRNAs regulate the activity of histone-modifying enzymes in the context of cancer. Both direct and indirect mechanisms through which miRNAs influence enzyme expression are discussed. Additionally, potential therapeutic implications arising from miRNA manipulation to selectively impact histone-modifying enzyme activity are presented. The insights from this analysis hold significant therapeutic promise, suggesting the utility of miRNAs as tools for the precise regulation of chromatin-related processes and gene expression. A contemporary focus on molecular regulatory mechanisms opens therapeutic pathways that can effectively influence the control of tumor cell growth and dissemination.

Tumor Suppressor miRNA in Cancer Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment: Mechanism of Deregulation and Clinical Implications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that have been identified as important posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression. miRNAs production is controlled at multiple levels, including transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation. Extensive profiling studies have shown that the regulation of mature miRNAs expression plays a causal role in cancer development and progression. miRNAs have been identified to act as tumor suppressors (TS) or as oncogenes based on their modulating effect on the expression of their target genes. Upregulation of oncogenic miRNAs blocks TS genes and leads to tumor formation. In contrast, downregulation of miRNAs with TS function increases the translation of oncogenes. Several miRNAs exhibiting TS properties have been studied. In this review we focus on recent studies on the role of TS miRNAs in cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, we discuss how TS miRNA impacts the aggressiveness of cancer cells, with focus of the mechanism that regulate its expression. The study of the mechanisms of miRNA regulation in cancer cells and the TME may paved the way to understand its critical role in the development and progression of cancer and is likely to have important clinical implications in a near future. Finally, the potential roles of miRNAs as specific biomarkers for the diagnosis and the prognosis of cancer and the replacement of tumor suppressive miRNAs using miRNA mimics could be promising approaches for cancer therapy.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Liquid Biopsy-Derived Exosomal MicroRNAs in Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Circulatory tumor-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in cancer development/progression. We aimed to assess the diagnostic/prognostic value of circulating exosomal miRNA in thyroid cancer (TC). A search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct up to 22 May 2021 was performed. The true/false positive (TP/FP) and true/false negative (TN/FN) rates were extracted from each eligible study to obtain the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative likelihood ratios (PLR/NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). The meta-analysis included 12 articles consisting of 1164 Asian patients and 540 controls. All miRNAs were quantified using qRT-PCR assays. The pooled sensitivity was 82% (95%CI = 77-86%), pooled specificity was 76% (95%CI = 71-80%), and pooled DOR was 13.6 (95%CI = 8.8-21.8). The best biomarkers with high sensitivity were miR-16-2-3p (94%), miR-223-5p (91%), miR-130a-3p (90%), and miR182-5p (94%). Similarly, they showed high specificity, in addition to miR-34c-5p. Six panels of two to four exosomal miRNAs showed higher diagnostic values with an area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.906 to 0.981. The best discriminative ability to differentiate between cancer and non-cancer individuals was observed for miR-146b-5p + miR-223-5p + miR-182-5p (AUC = 0.981, sensitivity = 93.8% (84.9-98.3), specificity = 92.9% (76.5-99.1)). In conclusion, the expression levels of exosomal miRNAs could predict TC.