Overexpression of microRNA-30b improves adenovirus-mediated p53 cancer gene therapy for laryngeal carcinoma

Unveiling the role of miRNA in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma progression: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). This study investigates the expression patterns of specific cancer-associated miRNAs in early and advanced stage LSCC to evaluate their potential role in disease progression.

METHODS

The expression levels of miRNA-21, miRNA-802, miRNA-29 and miRNA-9 were analysed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from 44 LSCC patients (20 early stage, 24 advanced stage) using quantitative multiplex RT-PCR. Tissue samples were analysed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The expression level of hsa-miR-9a expression was significantly upregulated (5.2-fold) in advanced stage patients compared to the early stage group (p = 0.0088). Similarly, hsa-miR-802a showed significantly higher expression (9.2-fold) in advanced stage patients compared to early stage patients (p = 0.005). No significant differences in miRNA-21 and miRNA-29 expression levels were observed between the groups.

CONCLUSION

As a result of the study, elevated miRNA levels in advanced stage patients can be used in targeted therapy and evaluated as a treatment option in LSCC patients.

MicroRNA as an Important Target for Anticancer Drug Development

Cancer has become the second greatest cause of death worldwide. Although there are several different classes of anticancer drugs that are available in clinic, some tough issues like side-effects and low efficacy still need to dissolve. Therefore, there remains an urgent need to discover and develop more effective anticancer drugs. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small endogenous non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by inhibiting mRNA translation or reducing the stability of mRNA. An abnormal miRNA expression profile was found to exist widely in cancer cell, which induces limitless replicative potential and evading apoptosis. MiRNAs function as oncogenes (oncomiRs) or tumor suppressors during tumor development and progression. It was shown that regulation of specific miRNA alterations using miRNA mimics or antagomirs can normalize the gene regulatory network and signaling pathways, and reverse the phenotypes in cancer cells. The miRNA hence provides an attractive target for anticancer drug development. In this review, we will summarize the latest publications on the role of miRNA in anticancer therapeutics and briefly describe the relationship between abnormal miRNAs and tumorigenesis. The potential of miRNA-based therapeutics for anticancer treatment has been critically discussed. And the current strategies in designing miRNA targeting therapeutics are described in detail. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives of miRNA-based therapy are conferred.

Roles and regulatory mechanisms of miR-30b in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders (Review)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs 21-23 nucleotides in length that regulate gene expression, and thereby modulate signaling pathways and protein synthesis in both physiological and pathogenic processes. miR-30b inhibits cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation in multiple types of cancer. In addition to its role in several types of neoplasias, miR-30b has been shown to exhibit essential roles in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In the present review, an overview of the biological functions of miR-30b and its role in the pathogenesis of neoplastic, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases is provided. miR-30b is a potential candidate for clinical development as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, therapeutic agent and drug target. However, further research is required to elucidate its role in health and disease and to harness its potential clinical utility.

Hyper expression of MTBP may be an adverse signal for the survival of some malignant tumors: A data-based analysis and clinical observation

To explore the relationship between mouse double minute 2 binding protein (MTBP) and the prognosis of cancer patients, a databank-based reanalysis was conducted and a clinical observation about lung adenocarcinoma was taken to verify the result of data analysis.We reanalyzed all the downloaded data in order to make a conclusion about the relationship between MTBP and the prognosis of cancer patients. At last, we collected 112 lung cancer patients with MTBP information to verify the results of data analysis (GSE30219).The overall Kaplan-Meier curve results of 6 eligible data groups were shown in Fig. 1. The Kaplan-Meier curve result of GSE16011 was shown in Fig. 1A (concordance index = 59.48, Log-Rank Equal Curves [P = 5.942e-05], R = 0.045/1, risk groups hazard ratio = 1.69 [conf. int. 1.3-2.9], P = 7.344e-05), while the stratification results were displayed independently in Figs. 2 and 3. The similar results could be seen in other 5 data groups. The tissue sections of 112 patients with lung adenocarcinoma were collected and immunohistochemically stained. The hyper expression rate of MTBP in adenocarcinoma was 23.21% (26/112). The results showed that patients with hyper expression of MTBP had significantly worse prognosis than the control group, and the survival curves were clearly separated from each other (Fig. 4B, P = .000).Hyper expression of MTBP maybe an adverse event for the survival of some cancer patients, especially in glioblastoma, kidney cancer, and lung cancer patients, which has been verified in 112 lung cancer patients with MTBP status.

Wild-type and mutant p53 differentially modulate miR-124/iASPP feedback following pohotodynamic therapy in human colon cancer cell line

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a most common digestive system malignant tumor. p53 mutation has essential role in cancers and is frequently observed in CRC and presents a huge challenge. p53 mutation has been reported to attenuate the inhibitory effect of photofrin-based photodynamic therapy (PDT). p53 mutation-induced gain of function brings up the dysfunction of carcinogenic factors, including miRNAs. Our research found that PDT suppressed CRC cell viability, reduced the tumor size and prolonged the survival time, all of which could be attenuated by p53 mutation or deletion. After p53 mutation or deletion, several miRNA expression levels were downregulated, among which miR-124 was the most strongly downregulated, whereas iASPP expression was upregulated. p53 binds to the promoter of miR-124 to promote its expression and then inhibited iASPP expression, so as to amplify the inhibitory effect of PDT on wild-type p53 cells. In p53-mutant or -deleted cells, this binding no longer worked to promote miR-124 expression, and iASPP expression increased, finally resulted in promoted CRC cell viability upon PDT. The interactive modulation among miR and iASPP in p53-mutant or -deleted cells may serve as a crucial pathway, which mediates therapy resistance when p53 is mutated or deleted, in the process of PDT treatment of CRC.

The miR-30 family: Versatile players in breast cancer

The microRNA family, miR-30, plays diverse roles in regulating key aspects of neoplastic transformation, metastasis, and clinical outcomes in different types of tumors. Accumulating evidence proves that miR-30 family is pivotal in the breast cancer development by controlling critical signaling pathways and relevant oncogenes. Here, we review the roles of miR-30 family members in the tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance of breast cancer, and their application to predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients. We think miR-30 family members would be promising biomarkers for breast cancer and may bring a novel insight in molecular targeted therapy of breast cancer.

Identification of miR‑30b as an oncogene in renal cell carcinoma

microRNAs (miRs) have been investigated as a novel class of regulators of cellular processes, including proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism. In particular, miR‑30b has been demonstrated to be deregulated in certain types of cancer, including lung, colorectal and gastric cancer. Previous studies of miR‑30b in renal clear cell carcinoma demonstrated that the expression level of miR‑30b was associated with distant metastasis. However, the function of miR‑30b in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remained to be elucidated. In the present study, the expression of miR‑30b in 31 paired RCC tissues from four cell lines (786‑O, 769‑P, ACHN and 293T) was detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, the effect of miR‑30b on cell proliferation in RCC cells was also determined using MTT and Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay analyses. Furthermore, the function of miR‑30b in cell migration and invasion was determined by wound scratch and Transwell assays. Flow cytometry was also performed to quantify the effect of miR‑30b on cell apoptosis. The results of the current study indicated that miR‑30b was upregulated in RCC tissues from affected cell lines when compared with adjacent normal tissues and a normal kidney cell line, which is different to the downregulation of miR‑30b as observed in other types of cancer. miR‑30b is associated with RCC cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis, which indicated that miR‑30b acts as an oncogene in RCC. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to demonstrate the upregulation of miR‑30b in RCC tissues and describe miR‑30b as an oncogene in RCC in the regulation of cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Further studies will define the target gene of miR‑30b in RCC and investigate the potential role of miR‑30b as a biomarker for RCC.

MicroRNAs in laryngeal cancer: implications for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy

Laryngeal cancer is the most common head and neck cancer (skin excluded) with the increasing rates of morbidity and mortality in the world. The emerging roles of microRNAs (miRs) in laryngeal cancer have been deeply investigated in recent years. Deregulated miRs are frequently detected in tissues and cells of laryngeal cancer, which work as oncogenes or tumor supressors to regulate cancer cell proliferation, metastasis and invasion, etc. Here we reviewed the recognized roles of miRs in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of laryngeal cancer. Although there are lots of challenges in miRs including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and safety, the growing improvements of miRs in laryngeal cancer remain encouraging and promising.

Targeting oncomiRNAs and mimicking tumor suppressor miRNAs: Νew trends in the development of miRNA therapeutic strategies in oncology (Review)

MicroRNA (miRNA or miR) therapeutics in cancer are based on targeting or mimicking miRNAs involved in cancer onset, progression, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis. Several studies conclusively have demonstrated that miRNAs are deeply involved in tumor onset and progression, either behaving as tumor-promoting miRNAs (oncomiRNAs and metastamiRNAs) or as tumor suppressor miRNAs. This review focuses on the most promising examples potentially leading to the development of anticancer, miRNA-based therapeutic protocols. The inhibition of miRNA activity can be readily achieved by the use of miRNA inhibitors and oligomers, including RNA, DNA and DNA analogues (miRNA antisense therapy), small molecule inhibitors, miRNA sponges or through miRNA masking. On the contrary, the enhancement of miRNA function (miRNA replacement therapy) can be achieved by the use of modified miRNA mimetics, such as plasmid or lentiviral vectors carrying miRNA sequences. Combination strategies have been recently developed based on the observation that i) the combined administration of different antagomiR molecules induces greater antitumor effects and ii) some anti-miR molecules can sensitize drug-resistant tumor cell lines to therapeutic drugs. In this review, we discuss two additional issues: i) the combination of miRNA replacement therapy with drug administration and ii) the combination of antagomiR and miRNA replacement therapy. One of the solid results emerging from different independent studies is that miRNA replacement therapy can enhance the antitumor effects of the antitumor drugs. The second important conclusion of the reviewed studies is that the combination of anti-miRNA and miRNA replacement strategies may lead to excellent results, in terms of antitumor effects.

Correlation between miR-21 expression and laryngeal carcinoma risks: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the expression and clinical significance of miR-21 in the tissues of laryngeal carcinoma using meta-analysis.

METHODS

Literature databases including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the British Library. Two reviewers independently identified the literature according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the included studies. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 and RevMan 5.0 software.

RESULTS

A total of four studies involving 160 cases were included. No significant heterogeneity was found between studies. The results of meta-analysis showed high miR-21 expression was found in Laryngeal cancer than non-neoplasm tissue (odds ratio = 4.47, 95%CI 2.59 to 7.73, P = 0.02). Only one study reported the expression of miR-21 between TMN (tumor, metastasis, node) I to II and TMN III to IV.

CONCLUSION

miR-21expression is notably correlated to laryngeal carcinoma and its clinically pathologic features. It suggests that higher miR-21 expression may be a risk factor of laryngeal carcinoma and a potential molecular biomarker. For the quantity and quality limitation of the included studies, the conclusion still needs to be further proved by performing more high-quality studies.

miR-144 suppresses the growth and metastasis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting IRS1

Increasing evidence has been suggested that microRNA-144 (miR-144) involved in tumor initiation, development and metastasis in various cancers. However, the biological roles and potential mechanisms of miR-144 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remain unclear. In the present study, we discovered that miR-144 expression levels in LSCC tissues were significantly lower than those of adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-144 in LSCC cells inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Consistently, stable overexpression of miR-144 suppressed the growth of LSCC cell xenografts in vivo. Bioinformatic algorithms and luciferase reporter assays confirmed that insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) is a direct target of miR-144. Overexpreesion of miR-144 obviously decreased IRS1 expression thereby suppressing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway activation. Further functional studies suggested that downregulation of IRS1 had similar effects as that of miR-144 overexpression, and upregulation of IRS1 partially reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-144. These findings suggested that miR-144 functioned as a tumor suppressor in LSCC by targeting IRS1, and that miR-144 might serve as a potential target for LSCC treatment.

The role of microRNAs expression in laryngeal cancer

MicroRNAs (miRs, miRs) is a class of small non-coding RNAs, which posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression. Deregulated miRs are frequently obseved in patients with laryngeal cancer. In addition, numerous studies have showed miRs play significant roles in the pathogenesis of laryngeal cancer through regulating tumor cell proliferation, metastasis, invasion and apoptosis. miR can play either an oncogenic or tumor suppressive role in laryngeal cancer. In our review, we summarize the recent researches on laryngeal cancer-associated miRs, focusing on their role in the pathogenesis of laryngeal cancer. As changes in the levels of specific miRs in tissues or serum associate with diagnosis and prognosis of patients, we will also discuss the potential use of miRs in laryngeal cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Furthermore, supplementation of oncomiRs or inhibition of tumor suppressive miRs in vivo may be future therapeutic strategy for laryngeal cancer.

Laryngeal Cancer: 12-Year Experience of a Single Center

Laryngeal cancer is about the twentieth most common cancer in the world and more than 150,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. The aim of the study was to evaluate the history, diagnostics, treatment outcomes, and prognosis in patients with laryngeal cancer in Northern Slovakia. We analyzed retrospectively 227 patients (207 males, 20 females) with laryngeal carcinoma treated in the period 2003-2014 at the Clinic of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery of the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine and Martin University Hospital in Martin, Slovakia. The majority of patients were in the sixth (38.0 %) and seventh decade of life (30.8 %). Two hundred and seventeen patients (95.6 %) were smokers or ex-smokers. Sixty-six percent of patients were diagnosed with glottic or transglottic carcinoma, related probably to the anatomical structure of the larynx and exposure to inhalation pollutants. It is alarming that the majority of patients with malignant laryngeal disease were admitted to the hospital in advanced stages. In 151 (66.5 %) of patients, the extent of infiltration was T3 or T4, and 156 (68 %) patients were in disease stage III and IV. The incidence and mortality of laryngeal cancer suggest the need to intensify the prevention and to search for an early clinical stage of laryngeal cancer using a targeted screening.