Non-coding RNAs: The recently accentuated molecules in the regulation of cell autophagy for ovarian cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic response

RNA-binding proteins and autophagy in lung cancer: mechanistic insights and therapeutic perspectives

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Its progression is intricately associated with the dynamic regulation of autophagy and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which play crucial roles in mRNA stability, alternative splicing, and cellular stress responses.

OBJECTIVES

This review aims to systematically analyze the mechanisms through which RBPs and autophagy contribute to lung cancer progression and explore potential therapeutic strategies targeting these pathways.

METHODS

We reviewed recent studies on the molecular mechanisms by which RBPs regulate tumor proliferation, metabolic adaptation, and their interaction with autophagy. The review also examines the dual roles of autophagy in lung cancer, highlighting its context-dependent effects on cell survival and death.

RESULTS

The interactions and regulatory networks between RBPs and autophagy involve multiple levels of regulation. RBPs can directly influence autophagy processes and act as microRNA (miRNA) sponges to regulate mRNA stability. The modulation of RBPs affects the expression of autophagy-related genes (ATGs) and autophagosome formation. Additionally, RBPs participate in complex regulatory interactions with non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and other proteins.

CONCLUSIONS

This review proposes innovative therapeutic strategies that combine RBP-targeting approaches (e.g., small molecule inhibitors, CRISPR gene editing) with autophagy modulators (e.g., mTOR inhibitors, chloroquine) to enhance treatment efficacy. Nanoparticle drug delivery systems and epigenetic regulation offer further opportunities for targeted interventions. This review lays a theoretical foundation for advancing lung cancer research and provides novel insights into synergistic therapies that target both RBPs and autophagy to improve treatment outcomes for lung cancer.

The emerging role of glycolysis and immune evasion in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the three most common malignant tumors of the female reproductive system, with the highest mortality rate among gynecologic malignancies. Like other tumors, OC cells undergo metabolic reprogramming phenomenon and convert glucose metabolism into "aerobic glycolysis" and generate a high concentration of lactate, i.e., the "Warburg effect", which provides a large amount of energy and corresponding intermediary metabolites for their survival, reproduction and metastasis. Numerous studies have shown that targeted inhibition of aerobic glycolysis and lactate metabolism is a promising strategy to enhance the sensitivity of cancer cells to immunotherapy. Therefore, this review summarizes the metabolic features of glycolysis in OC cells and highlights how abnormal lactate concentration affects the differentiation, metabolism, and function of infiltrating immune cells, which contributes to immunosuppression, and how targeted inhibition of this phenomenon may be a potential strategy to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of OC.

Ovarian cancer: Diagnosis and treatment strategies (Review)

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor that seriously endangers health. Early ovarian cancer symptoms are frequently challenging to detect, resulting in a large proportion of patients reaching an advanced stage when diagnosed. Conventional diagnosis relies heavily on serum biomarkers and pathological examination, but their sensitivity and specificity require improvement. Targeted therapy inhibits tumor growth by targeting certain characteristics of tumor cells, such as signaling pathways and gene mutations. However, the effectiveness of targeted therapy varies among individuals due to differences in their unique biological characteristics and requires individualized strategies. Immunotherapy is a promising treatment for ovarian cancer due to its long-lasting antitumor effect. Nevertheless, issues such as variable efficacy, immune-associated adverse effects and drug resistance remain to be resolved. The present review discusses the diagnostic strategies, rationale, treatment strategies and prospects of targeted therapy and immunotherapy for ovarian cancer.

Autophagy-associated non-coding RNAs: Unraveling their impact on Parkinson's disease pathogenesis

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative neurological condition marked by the gradual loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The precise etiology of PD remains unclear, but emerging evidence suggests a significant role for disrupted autophagy-a crucial cellular process for maintaining protein and organelle integrity.

METHODS

This review focuses on the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in modulating autophagy in PD. We conducted a comprehensive review of recent studies to explore how ncRNAs influence autophagy and contribute to PD pathophysiology. Special attention was given to the examination of ncRNAs' regulatory impacts in various PD models and patient samples.

RESULTS

Findings reveal that ncRNAs are pivotal in regulating key processes associated with PD progression, including autophagy, α-synuclein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation. Dysregulation of specific ncRNAs appears to be closely linked to these pathogenic processes.

CONCLUSION

ncRNAs hold significant therapeutic potential for addressing autophagy-related mechanisms in PD. The review highlights innovative therapeutic strategies targeting autophagy-related ncRNAs and discusses the challenges and prospective directions for developing ncRNA-based therapies in clinical practice. The insights from this study underline the importance of ncRNAs in the molecular landscape of PD and their potential in novel treatment approaches.

The role and function of autophagy through signaling and pathogenetic pathways and lncRNAs in ovarian cancer

Lysosomal-driven autophagy is a tightly controlled cellular catabolic process that breaks down and recycles broken or superfluous cell parts. It is involved in several illnesses, including cancer, and is essential in preserving cellular homeostasis. Autophagy prevents DNA mutation and cancer development by actively eliminating pro-oxidative mitochondria and protein aggregates from healthy cells. Oncosuppressor and oncogene gene mutations cause dysregulation of autophagy. Increased autophagy may offer cancer cells a pro-survival advantage when oxygen and nutrients are scarce and resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. This finding justifies the use of autophagy inhibitors in addition to anti-neoplastic treatments. Excessive autophagy levels can potentially kill cells. The diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer present many difficulties due to its complexity and heterogeneity. Understanding the role of autophagy, a cellular process involved in the breakdown and recycling of cellular components, in ovarian cancer has garnered increasing attention in recent years. Of particular note is the increasing amount of data indicating a close relationship between autophagy and ovarian cancer. Autophagy either promotes or restricts tumor growth in ovarian cancer. Dysregulation of autophagy signaling pathways in ovarian cancers can affect the development, metastasis, and response to tumor treatment. The precise mechanism underlying autophagy concerning ovarian cancer remains unclear, as does the role autophagy plays in ovarian carcinoma. In this review, we tried to encapsulate and evaluate current findings in investigating autophagy in ovarian cancer.

Comprehensive Analysis of Disulfidptosis-Related LncRNAs in Molecular Classification, Immune Microenvironment Characterization and Prognosis of Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

Disulfidptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death that unveils promising avenues for the exploration of tumor treatment modalities. Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignant tumor characterized by high incidence and mortality rate. However, there has been no systematic study of disulfidptosis-related long noncoding RNAs (DRLs) signature in GC patients.

METHODS

The lncRNA expression profiles containing 412 GC samples were acquired from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Differential expression analysis was performed alongside Pearson correlation analysis to identify DRLs. Prognostically significant DRLs were further screened using univariate COX regression analysis. Subsequently, LASSO regression and multifactorial COX regression analyses were employed to establish a risk signature composed of DRLs that exhibit independent prognostic significance. The predictive value of this risk signature was further validated in a test cohort. The ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT and ssGSEA methodologies were utilized to investigate the tumor immune microenvironment of GC populations with different DRLs profiles. Finally, the correlation between DRLs and various GC drug responses was explored.

RESULTS

We established a prognostic signature comprising 12 disulfidptosis-related lncRNAs (AC110491.1, AL355574.1, RHPN1-AS1, AOAH-IT1, AP001065.3, MEF2C-AS1, AC016394.2, LINC00705, LINC01952, PART1, TNFRSF10A-AS1, LINC01537). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients in the high-risk group exhibited a poor prognosis. Both univariate and multivariate COX regression models demonstrated that the DRLs signature was an independent prognostic indicator in GC patients. Furthermore, the signature exhibited accurate predictions of survival at 1-, 3- and 5- years with the area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.708, 0.689 and 0.854, respectively. In addition, we also observed significant associations between the DRLs signature and various clinical variables, distinct immune landscape and drug sensitivity profiles in GC patients. The low-risk group patients may be more likely to benefit from immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study investigated the role and potential clinical implications of DRLs in GC. The risk model constructed by DRLs demonstrated high accuracy in predicting the survival outcomes of GC and improving the treatment efficacy for GC patients.

Cuproptosis-related lncRNA SNHG16 as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background

We aim to investigate the potential value of cuproptosis-related lncRNA signaling in predicting clinical prognosis and immunotherapy and its relationship with drug sensitivity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Methods

We first identified the lncRNAs associated with cuproptosis genes in HNSCC and then conducted a series of analytical studies to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of these lncRNAs. Finally, we used RT-qPCR to validate our findings in a laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line and 12 pairs of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and adjacent normal tissues.

Results

We identified 11 differentially expressed lncRNAs that were associated with cuproptosis genes in HNSCC and also served as prognostic markers for this cancer. Enrichment analysis revealed that these lncRNAs were related to immune-related functions that were suppressed in patients with oncogene mutations in the high-risk group. The patients with a high tumor mutation burden exhibited poor overall survival (OS). We used the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion model to show that the patients in the high-risk group had great potential for immune evasion and less effective immunotherapy. We also identified several drugs that could be effective in treating HNSCC. Experimental validation showed that AC090587.1 and AC012184.3 exhibited differential expression between the TU686 and HBE cell lines, and SNHG16 showed differential expression among the TU686, TU212, and control HBE cells. Among the 12 pairs of cancer and adjacent tissues collected in the clinic, only SNHG16 showed differential expression. Targeted therapy against SNHG16 holds promise as a prospective novel strategy for the clinical management of HNSCC.