MicroRNA-101 inhibits the migration and invasion of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cells via direct suppression of vascular endothelial growth factor-C

Current status of and progress in the treatment of malignant pleural effusion of lung cancer

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common complication in the late stage of malignant tumors. The appearance of MPE indicates that the primary tumor has spread to the pleura or progressed to an advanced stage. The survival time of the patients will be significantly shortened, with a median survival of only a few months. There are a variety of traditional treatments, and their advantages and disadvantages are relatively clear. There are still many problems that cannot be solved by traditional methods in clinical work. The most common one is intrapleural perfusion therapy with chemotherapy drugs, but it has a large side effect of chemotherapy. At present, with the development of medical technology, there are a variety of treatment methods, and many innovative, significant and valuable treatment methods have emerged, which also bring hope for the treatment of refractory and recurrent MPE patients. Several clinical trials had confirmed that drug-carrying microparticles has less adverse reactions and obvious curative effect. However, there is still a long way to go to completely control and cure MPE, and the organic combination of clinical work and scientific research results is needed to bring dawn to refractory MPE patients.

Melatonin inhibits triple-negative breast cancer progression through the Lnc049808-FUNDC1 pathway

Melatonin has been reported to have tumor-suppressive effects via comprehensive molecular mechanisms, and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may participate in this process. However, the mechanism by which melatonin affects the function of lncRNAs in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer, is still unknown. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in melatonin-treated TNBC cells and the interaction mechanisms. Microarray analyses were performed to identify differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in TNBC cell lines after melatonin treatment. To explore the functions and underlying mechanisms of the mRNAs and lncRNAs candidates, a series of in vitro experiments were conducted, including CCK-8, Transwell, colony formation, luciferase reporter gene, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays, and mouse xenograft models were established. We found that after melatonin treatment, FUNDC1 and lnc049808 downregulated in TNBC cell lines. Knockdown of FUNDC1 and lnc049808 inhibited TNBC cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Moreover, lnc049808 and FUNDC1 acted as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) for binding to miR-101. These findings indicated that melatonin inhibited TNBC progression through the lnc049808-FUNDC1 pathway and melatonin could be used as a potential therapeutic agent for TNBC.

Aspirin inhibits cholangiocarcinoma cell proliferation via cell cycle arrest in vitro and in vivo

Cholangiocarcinoma is the most common biliary duct malignancy and the second most common primary liver cancer, accounting for 10-20% of hepatic malignancies. With high mortality and poor prognosis, the 5-year survival rate of cholangiocarcinoma is only 10%. A previous study demonstrated a significant association between aspirin use and a decreased risk of cholangiocarcinoma. However, the effect of aspirin on cholangiocarcinoma remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of aspirin on cholangiocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo. Three cholangiocarcinoma cell lines were used to analyze the effect of aspirin on cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and the regulation of microRNAs. MicroRNAs are known to regulate the development and progression of various types of cancer. An HuCCT-1 xenograft model was used for the in vivo study. It was determined that aspirin inhibited the proliferation of human cholangiocarcinoma cells (except TKKK cells). Aspirin induced cell cycle arrest in the G₀/G₁ phase and regulated cell-cycle related proteins in cholangiocarcinoma cells (HuCCT-1 cells) but did not induce apoptosis. The expression of miR-340-5p was significantly upregulated after treatment, and overexpression of miR-340-5p inhibited the proliferation of HuCCT-1 cells and decreased the levels of cyclin D1. TKKK cells had low miR-340-5p expression, which may explain why aspirin had no effect on their proliferation. In vivo, aspirin reduced the growth of xenografted tumors. In conclusion, the present study indicated that aspirin partially inhibited cholangiocarcinoma cell proliferation and tumor growth by inducing G₀/G₁ phase cell cycle arrest, potentially through the miR-340-5p/cyclin D1 axis.

Downregulation of extracellular vesicle microRNA-101 derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells in myelodysplastic syndrome with disease progression

To evaluate the mechanism underlying the communication between myeloid malignant and bone marrow (BM) microenvironment cells in disease progression, the current study established BM mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and assessed extracellular vesicle (EV) microRNA (miR) expression in 22 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 7 patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplasia-related changes (AML/MRC). Patients with MDS were separated into two categories based on the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R), and EV-miR expression in BM-MSCs was evaluated using a TaqMan low-density array. The selected miRs were evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The current study demonstrated that the expression of BM-MSC-derived EV-miR was heterogenous and based on MDS severity, the expression of EV-miR-101 was lower in high-risk group and patients with AML/MRC compared with the control and low-risk groups. This reversibly correlated with BM blast percentage, with which the cellular miR-101 from BM-MSCs or serum EV-miR-101 expression exhibited no association. Database analyses indicated that miR-101 negatively regulated cell proliferation and epigenetic gene expression. The downregulation of BM-MSC-derived EV-miR-101 may be associated with cell-to-cell communication and may accelerate the malignant process in MDS cells.

Molecular therapies delaying cardiovascular aging: disease- or health-oriented approaches

Regenerative medicine is a new therapeutic modality that aims to mend tissue damage by encouraging the reconstitution of physiological integrity. It represents an advancement over conventional therapies that allow reducing the damage but result in disease chronicization. Age-related decline in spontaneous capacity of repair, especially in organs like the heart that have very limited proliferative capacity, contributes in reducing the benefit of conventional therapy. ncRNAs are emerging as key epigenetic regulators of cardiovascular regeneration. Inhibition or replacement of miRNAs may offer reparative solutions to cardiovascular disease. The first part of this review article is devoted to illustrating novel therapies emerging from research on miRNAs. In the second part, we develop new therapeutic concepts emerging from genetics of longevity. Prolonged survival, as in supercentenarians, denotes an exceptional capacity to repair and cope with risk factors and diseases. These characteristics are shared with offspring, suggesting that the regenerative phenotype is heritable. New evidence indicates that genetic traits responsible for prolongation of health span in humans can be passed to and benefit the outcomes of animal models of cardiovascular disease. Genetic studies have also focused on determinants of accelerated senescence and related druggable targets. Evolutionary genetics assessing the genetic basis of adaptation and comparing successful and unsuccessful genetic changes in response to selection within populations represent a powerful basis to develop novel therapies aiming to prolong cardiovascular and whole organism health.

MiR-101 inhibits cell proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer through targeting STMN1

MiRNAs regulated most genes expression, which were proved important in various tumors. In this study, we want to investigate miR-101 effect and molecular mechanism on pancreatic cancer (PC), the research about this was blank now. RT-PCR analysis showed that miR-101 expression was declined in PC. MTT assay found that miR-101 mimic suppressed cell viability, while suppressing miR-101 facilitated cell proliferation. Transwell assay showed that miR-101 mimic inhibited cell invasion, but promoted cell invasion by miR-101 inhibitor. With TargetScanHuman's help, we verified STMN1 as a specific target of miR-101 and luciferase reporter assay was carried out to further confirm this discovery. STMN1 expression was reduced by miR-101 mimic and increased by miR-101 inhibitor. We next found that STMN1 was elevated in PC and its expression was negatively correlated with miR-101 expression. Furthermore, STMN1 siRNA curbed cell proliferation and invasion, which was opposite to miR-101 inhibitor effect on PC progression and STMN1 siRNA attenuated miR-101 inhibitor effect on cell proliferation and invasion. In conclusion, miR-101 inhibited PC cell proliferation and invasion via regulating STMN1, which provided a potential therapeutic for PC patients.

Non-coding RNAs in Various Stages of Liver Disease Leading to Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Differential Expression of miRNAs, piRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and sno/mt-RNAs

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was the fifth leading cause of cancer death in men and eighth leading cause of death in women in the United States in 2017. In our study, we sought to identify sncRNAs in various stages of development of HCC. We obtained publicly available small RNA-seq data derived from patients with cirrhosis (n = 14), low-grade dysplastic nodules (LGDN, n = 9), high grade dysplastic nodules (HGDN, n = 6), early hepatocellular carcinoma (eHCC, n = 6), and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, n = 20), along with healthy liver tissue samples (n = 9). All samples were analyzed for various types of non-coding RNAs using PartekFlow software. We remapped small RNA-seq to miRBase to obtain differential expressions of miRNAs and found 87 in cirrhosis, 106 in LGDN, 59 in HGDN, 80 in eHCC, and 133 in HCC. Pathway analysis of miRNAs obtained from diseased samples compared to normal samples showed signaling pathways in the microRNA dependent EMT, CD44, and others. Additionally, we analyzed the data sets for piRNAs, lncRNAs, circRNAs, and sno/mt-RNAs. We validated the in silico data using human HCC samples with NanoString miRNA global expression. Our results suggest that publically available data is a valuable resource for sncRNA identification in HCC progression (FDR set to <0.05 for all samples) and that a data mining approach is useful for biomarker development.

Role of cantharidin in the activation of IKKα/IκBα/NF‑κB pathway by inhibiting PP2A activity in cholangiocarcinoma cell lines

Cantharidin (CAN), a potent inhibitor of serine/threonine‑protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), is widely used in clinical practice, particularly in the treatment of advanced cancer due to its specific action on these types of cancer. In the present study, the inhibitory effect of CAN was examined in two cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (QBC939 and Hucc‑t1). Following treatment with CAN, cell viability was effectively reduced in QBC939 and Hucc‑t1 cells and normal human intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells. However, a slight increase in reactive oxygen species levels in QBC939 cells treated with CAN was observed post‑treatment. CAN significantly inhibited cell migration and invasion in a dose‑dependent manner. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) pathway was stimulated by CAN, which was confirmed by the upregulated phosphorylation levels of inhibitor of NF‑κB kinase subunit α (IKKα) and NF‑κB inhibitor α (IκBα) in cells, and an increased NF‑κB p65 subunit level in the nucleus. The expression levels of 72 kDa type IV collagenase (MMP2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) were downregulated by CAN. Notably, there was a negative association between MMP2 and MMP9 expression levels, and NF‑κB p65, although NF‑κB p65 regulates the expression of MMP2 and MMP9 and has a positive association with these proteins in various types of cancer. Notably, it was observed that CAN exerted specific inhibition on PP2A activity and thereby resulted in the activation of the IKKα/IκBα/NF‑κB pathway. Therefore, CAN‑induced cell inhibition maybe partially dependent on the activation of the IKKα/IκBα/NF‑κB pathway. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that CAN selectively and effectively inhibited cholangiocarcinoma cell migration and invasion. The present study may provide a novel insight into the use of CAN as a therapeutic candidate in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma.

miR-365 Suppresses Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis by Targeting E2F2

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the most malignant adenocarcinomas arising from bile duct epithelial cells. However, the molecular mechanism regulating CCA development and progression still needs to be investigated. Here we found that miR-365 was downregulated in CCA tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. By functional experiments, we found that overexpression of miR-365 significantly inhibited CCA cell proliferation and promoted cellular apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, administration with miR-365 markedly suppressed the growth of tumor tissues in vivo. Mechanistically, we identified E2F2 as the target gene of miR-365 in CCA cells. We found that overexpression significantly inhibited the expression of E2F2 in CCA cells, and there was an inverse correlation between the expression levels of E2F2 and miR-365 in CCA tissues. We also found that E2F2 was highly expressed in CCA tissues and cell lines. Restoration of E2F2 in miR-365-overexpressing CCA cells promoted cell viability and reduced cellular apoptosis in CCA. Collectively, our study demonstrated the essential role of miR-365 and its functional mechanism in CCA cells, which provided a new insight on the design of therapeutic targets for CCA treatment.

CCL5 promotes VEGF-C production and induces lymphangiogenesis by suppressing miR-507 in human chondrosarcoma cells

Chondrosarcoma is the second most frequently occurring type of bone malignancy that is characterized by the distant metastasis propensity. Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is the major lymphangiogenic factor, and makes crucial contributions to tumor lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis. Chemokine CCL5 has been reported to facilitate angiogenesis and metastasis in chondrosarcoma. However, the effect of chemokine CCL5 on VEGF-C regulation and lymphangiogenesis in chondrosarcoma has largely remained a mystery. In this study, we showed a clinical correlation between CCL5 and VEGF-C as well as tumor stage in human chondrosarcoma tissues. We further demonstrated that CCL5 promoted VEGF-C expression and secretion in human chondrosarcoma cells. The conditioned medium (CM) from CCL5-overexpressed cells significantly induced tube formation of human lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). Mechanistic investigations showed that CCL5 activated VEGF-C-dependent lymphangiogenesis by down-regulating miR-507. Moreover, inhibiting CCL5 dramatically reduced VEGF-C and lymphangiogenesis in the chondrosarcoma xenograft animal model. Collectively, we document for the first time that CCL5 induces tumor lymphangiogenesis by the induction of VEGF-C in human cancer cells. Our present study reveals miR-507/VEGF-C signaling as a novel mechanism in CCL5-mediated tumor lymphangiogenesis. Targeting both CCL5 and VEGF-C pathways might serve as the potential therapeutic strategy to block cancer progression and metastasis in chondrosarcoma.

1,25D3 differentially suppresses bladder cancer cell migration and invasion through the induction of miR-101-3p

Metastasis is the major cause of bladder cancer death. 1,25D3, the active metabolite of vitamin D, has shown anti-metastasis activity in several cancer model systems. However, the role of 1,25D3 in migration and invasion in bladder cancer is unknown. To investigate whether 1,25D3 affects migration and invasion, four human bladder cell lines with different reported invasiveness were selected: low-invasive T24 and 253J cells and highly invasive 253J-BV and TCCSUP cells. All of the four bladder cancer cells express endogenous and inducible vitamin D receptor (VDR) as examined by immunoblot analysis. 1,25D3 had no effect on the proliferation of bladder cancer cells as assessed by MTT assay. In contrast, 1,25D3 suppressed migration and invasion in the more invasive 253J-BV and TCCSUP cells, but not in the low-invasive 253J and T24 cells using "wound" healing, chemotactic migration and Matrigel-based invasion assays. 1,25D3 promoted the expression of miR-101-3p and miR-126-3p in 253J-BV cells as examined by qRT-PCR. miR-101-3p inhibitor partially abrogated and pre-miR-101-3p further suppressed the inhibition of 1,25D3 on migration and invasion in 253J-BV cells. Further, 1,25D3 enhanced VDR recruitment to the promoter region of miR-101-3p using ChIP-qPCR assay. 1,25D3 enhanced the promoter activity of miR-101-3p as evaluated by luciferase reporter assay. Taken together, 1,25D3 suppresses bladder cancer cell migration and invasion in two invasive/migration competent lines but not in two less invasive/motile lines, which is partially through the induction of miR-101-3p expression at the transcriptional level.

Diagnostic and therapeutic potentials of microRNAs in cholangiopathies

Cholangiopathies are a group of rare, devastating diseases that arise from damaged cholangiocytes, the cells that line the intra- and extra-hepatic bile ducts of the biliary epithelium. Cholangiopathies result in significant morbidity and mortality and are a major cause of liver transplantation. A better understanding of the underlying pathogenesis that influences cholangiocyte dysregulation and cholangiopathy progression is necessary, considering the dismal prognosis associated with these diseases. MicroRNAs are a class of small, non-coding RNAs that regulate post-transcriptional mRNA expression of specific genes. The role of microRNAs has expanded to include the initiation and development of many diseases, including cholangiopathies. Understanding microRNA regulation of cholangiopathies may provide diagnostic and therapeutic benefit for these diseases. In this review, the authors primarily focus on studies published within the last five years that help determine the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of microRNAs in cholangiopathies.

Identification of biomarkers of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma via integrated analysis of mRNA and miRNA microarray data

The present study aimed to identify potential therapeutic targets of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) via integrated analysis of gene (transcript version) and microRNA (miRNA/miR) expression. The miRNA microarray dataset GSE32957 contained miRNA expression data from 16 ICC, 7 mixed type of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC), 2 hepatic adenoma, 3 focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and 5 healthy liver tissue samples, and 2 cholangiocarcinoma cell lines. In addition, the mRNA microarray dataset GSE32879 contained mRNA expression data from 16 ICC, 7 CHC, 2 hepatic adenoma, 5 FNH and 7 healthy liver tissue samples. The datasets were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs (DEMs) in ICC samples compared with healthy liver tissues were identified via the limma package, following data preprocessing. Genes that exhibited alternative splicing (AS) in ICC samples were identified via AltAnalyze software. Functional enrichment analysis of DEGs was performed using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Analysis. Target genes of DEMs were identified using the TargetScan database. The regulatory association between DEMs and any overlaps among DEGs, alternative splicing genes (ASGs) and target genes of DEMs were retrieved, and a network was visualized using the Cytoscape software. A total of 2,327 DEGs, 70 DEMs and 623 ASGs were obtained. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs were primarily enriched in biological processes and pathways associated with cell activity or the immune system. A total of 63 overlaps were obtained among DEGs, ASGs and target genes of DEMs, and a regulation network that contained 243 miRNA-gene regulation pairs was constructed between these overlaps and DEMs. The overlapped genes, including sprouty-related EVH1 domain containing 1, protein phosphate 1 regulatory subunit 12A, chromosome 20 open reading frame 194, and DEMs, including hsa-miR-96, hsa-miR-1 and hsa-miR-25, may be potential therapeutic targets for the future treatment of ICC.

Leptin promotes VEGF-C production and induces lymphangiogenesis by suppressing miR-27b in human chondrosarcoma cells

Chondrosarcoma is the second most frequently occurring type of bone malignancy that is characterized by the distant metastasis propensity. Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is the chief lymphangiogenic mediator, and makes crucial contributions to tumor lymphangiogenesis. Leptin is an adipocytokine and has been indicated to facilitate tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and metastasis. However, the effect of leptin on VEGF-C regulation and lymphangiogenesis in human chondrosarcoma has hugely remained a mystery. Our results showed a clinical correlation between leptin and VEGF-C as well as tumor stage in human chondrosarcoma tissues. We further demonstrated that leptin promoted VEGF-C production and secretion in human chondrosarcoma cells. The conditioned medium from leptin-treated chondrosarcoma cells induced lymphangiogenesis of human lymphatic endothelial cells. We also found that leptin-induced VEGF-C is mediated by the FAK, PI3K and Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, the expression of microRNA-27b was negatively regulated by leptin via the FAK, PI3K and Akt cascade. Our study is the first to describe the mechanism of leptin-promoted lymphangiogenesis by upregulating VEGF-C expression in chondrosarcomas. Thus, leptin could serve as a therapeutic target in chondrosarcoma metastasis and lymphangiogenesis.

Adiponectin promotes VEGF-C-dependent lymphangiogenesis by inhibiting miR-27b through a CaMKII/AMPK/p38 signaling pathway in human chondrosarcoma cells

Chondrosarcoma is the second most frequently occurring type of bone malignancy characterized by distant metastatic propensity. Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is the major lymphangiogenic factor, and makes crucial contributions to tumour lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis. Adiponectin is a protein hormone secreted predominantly by differentiated adipocytes. In recent years, adiponectin has also been indicated as facilitating tumorigenesis, angiogenesis and metastasis. However, the effect of adiponectin on VEGF-C regulation and lymphangiogenesis in chondrosarcoma has remained largely a mystery. In the present study, we have shown a clinical correlation between adiponectin and VEGF-C, as well as tumour stage, in human chondrosarcoma tissues. We further demonstrated that adiponectin promoted VEGF-C expression and secretion in human chondrosarcoma cells. The conditioned medium from adiponectin-treated cells significantly induced tube formation and migration of human lymphatic endothelial cells. In addition, adiponectin knock down inhibited lymphangiogenesis in vitro and in vivo We also found that adiponectin-induced VEGF-C is mediated by the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and p38 signaling pathway. Furthermore, the expression of miR-27b was negatively regulated by adiponectin via the CaMKII, AMPK and p38 cascade. The present study is the first to describe the mechanism of adiponectin-promoted lymphangiogenesis by up-regulating VEGF-C expression in chondrosarcomas. Thus, adiponectin could serve as a therapeutic target in chondrosarcoma metastasis and lymphangiogenesis.