MicroRNAs: A novel signature in the metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The Potential Role of Egg-Derived Xeno-miRs in Chemotherapy Response: An In Silico Approach

Exogenous microRNAs (Xeno-miRs), primarily derived from dietary sources, are detectable in host biofluids and influence gene expression through cross-kingdom regulation. Despite growing interest, their impact on human diseases, especially cancer, remains controversial and requires further investigation. However, the specific implications of diet-derived Xeno-miRs in chemotherapy response remain largely unexplored. This study assesses the potential functions and possible implications of egg-derived miRNAs in chemotherapy response with an in silico approach. This study presents the first evaluation of the contribution of diet-derived miRNAs in modulating chemotherapy outcomes. Egg-derived miRNAs were retrieved from the Dietary MicroRNA Database, and their human homologs were identified. Target genes and transcription factors were predicted using mirDIP and TransmiR databases, respectively. Pathway enrichment analysis was conducted with DIANA-miRPath. Expression patterns of Xeno-miRs were analyzed using the CancerMIRNome database, and differentially expressed target genes were identified using TCGA and GTEx data via GEPIA2. The chemotherapy response of Xeno-miRs was assessed using ncRNADrug. Fifty-five egg-derived Xeno-miRs were initially retrieved, among which 17 human homologs were further analyzed. Notably, the downregulation of hsa-miR-30a-5p and hsa-miR-146a-5p was associated with increased sensitivity to fluorouracil and oxaliplatin, whereas the overexpression of hsa-miR-22-3p and hsa-miR-200a-3p was linked to resistance against testosterone and bortezomib (p < 0.0001, logFC ≥ 2 or ≤ -2). This study provides in silico evidence for the role of dietary miRNAs in chemotherapy response, paving the way for their translational application in nutrition-based cancer management strategies. Further experimental studies are required to quantify their bioavailability post-digestion and to characterize their cellular uptake mechanisms.

Construction of a multigenic diagnostic, prognostic, and immune infiltration model with methylation-associated regulators in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Methylation-related regulators may be involved in the prognostic prediction of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Our study aimed to apply bioinformatics to screen methylation-related regulators for the construction of a prognostic model for patients with ESCC and to assess their diagnostic value and correlation with immune infiltration.

Methods

Prognosis-related genes were identified from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Methylation-associated genes were filtered using the GeneCards database. We used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox proportional hazards regression to identify the prognostic indicators. We applied the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) to clarify the relationship between prognostic indicators and immune infiltration in patients with ESCC (n=82).

Results

We constructed a prognostic model using methylation-related regulators homocysteine-inducible ER protein with ubiquitin-like domain 1 (HERPUD1), trans-2,3-enoyl-CoA reductase (TECR), melanoma antigen gene A11 (MAGEA11), and NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase 6 (NSUN6) to evaluate the prognosis of patients with ESCC. A higher prognostic risk score was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in patients with ESCC [hazard ratio (HR) =5.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.13-15.58; P<0.001]. Time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) analysis revealed that HERPUD1, TECR, MAGEA11, and NSUN6 had high prognostic predictive value at different time points. Furthermore, we found that the combined diagnostic model based on HERPUD1, TECR, MAGEA11, and NSUN6 had excellent diagnostic efficacy for ESCC (AUC =0.911; 95% CI: 0.888-0.935). Finally, the ssGSEA algorithm showed that HERPUD1 was significantly positively correlated with immune infiltration at both the cellular and genetic levels, while TECR showed a significant negative correlation with immune infiltration levels.

Conclusions

Our prognostic model, built with the methylation-related regulators HERPUD1, TECR, MAGEA11, and NSUN6, could effectively predict prognosis in patients with ESCC, enhance diagnostic efficacy, and reflect immune cell infiltration in their microenvironment. Our findings are hypothesis generating and larger confirmatory studies are needed to validate our results.

Downregulation of SMAD2 and SMAD4 is associated with poor prognosis and shorter survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) presents a serious global health challenge, ranking among the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Small mothers against decapentaplegic 2 (SMAD2) and SMAD4 play a significant role in various types of cancer.

METHODS

This study performed relative mRNA expression level profiling of SMAD2 and SMAD4 using Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in tissue and blood of ESCC patients and analyzed their associations with numerous clinical and lifestyle parameters for evaluating prognostic significance along with survival and hazard outcomes.

RESULTS

SMAD2 and SMAD4 relative expression level showed downregulation in both tissue (85% and 87% respectively) and blood samples (80% and 79% respectively), and a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between their relative expression level was observed in both tissue and blood levels. Various clinicopathological parameters and food habits revealed significant association (p < 0.05) with SMAD2 and SMAD4 relative expression level. While analyzing survival and hazard in ESCC patients, various parameters revealed significant association (p < 0.05) in univariate model and histopathology grade, node stage, stage of metastasis, betel nut consumption, smoked food consumption and altered SMAD2 and SMAD4 relative expression level in tissue samples revealed significant association (p < 0.05) in the multivariate model, indicating their direct association with ESCC patients' survival and this makes them reliable predictors for ESCC prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

This study's results revealed that downregulation of SMAD2 and SMAD4 is associated with poor prognosis and ESCC progression emphasizing their potential as potent prognostic factors for survival prediction as well as reliable biomarkers for screening.

Unfolded protein responses: Dynamic machinery in wound healing

Skin wound healing is a dynamic process consisting of multiple cellular and molecular events that must be tightly coordinated to repair the injured tissue efficiently. The healing pace is decided by the type of injuries, the depth and size of the wounds, and whether wound infections occur. However, aging, comorbidities, genetic factors, hormones, and nutrition also impact healing outcomes. During wound healing, cells undergo robust processes of synthesizing new proteins and degrading multifunctional proteins. This imposes an increasing burden on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), causing ER stress. Unfolded protein response (UPR) represents a collection of highly conserved stress signaling pathways originated from the ER to maintain protein homeostasis and modulate cell physiology. UPR is known to be beneficial for tissue healing. However, when excessive ER stress exceeds ER's folding potential, UPR pathways trigger cell apoptosis, interrupting tissue regeneration. Understanding how UPR pathways modulate the skin's response to injuries is critical for new interventions toward the control of acute and chronic wounds. Herein, in this review, we focus on the participation of the canonical and noncanonical UPR pathways during different stages of wound healing, summarize the available evidence demonstrating UPR's unique position in balancing homeostasis and pathophysiology of healing tissues, and highlight the understudied areas where therapeutic opportunities may arise.

A-to-I-Edited miR-1304-3p Inhibits Glycolysis and Tumor Growth of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Inactivating Wnt5a/ROR2 Signaling

A-to-I RNA editing is a pervasive mechanism in the human genome that affects the regulation of gene expression and is closely associated with the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. This study elucidates the regulatory mechanism of A-to-I edited miR-1304-3p in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and RT-qPCR assays were employed to quantify protein and mRNA expression. Colony formation, Edu, wound healing, and Transwell assays were applied to determine miRNA function. Glycolysis was assessed using glucose uptake and lactate production assay. A dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the downstream targets of miRNA, and a xenograft assay demonstrated the efficacy of the miRNA. The A-to-I RNA editing level of miR-1304-3p was observed to increase in KYSE180 and KYSE140 ESCC cells following ADAR1 treatment. Following A-to-I editing, the function of miR-1304-3p in ESCC progression underwent a reversal, shifting from carcinogenic to inhibitory. Wild-type (WT) miR-1304-3p targets IRS1, whereas the edited version targets ROR2. The WT miR-1304-3p, but not the edited version, suppressed the expression and tumor-suppressive effect of IRS1 in ESCC. Conversely, ROR2, a specific downstream target of the edited miR-1304-3p, acted as a tumor promoter in ESCC. Furthermore, A-to-I editing of miR-1304-3p can inhibit glycolysis and inactivate the Wnt5a/ROR2 signaling pathway in ESCC. A-to-I RNA editing alters the function of miR-1304-3p in ESCC by changing its target gene. The edited miR-1304-3p hinders the development of ESCC by inhibiting glycolysis and inactivating the Wnt5a/ROR2 signaling pathway.