miR-339-5p inhibits lung adenocarcinoma invasion and migration by directly targeting BCL6

Sex differences in the tumor promoting effects of tobacco smoke in a cRaf transgenic lung cancer disease model

Tobacco smoke (TS) is the leading cause for lung cancer (LC), and female smokers are at a greater risk for LC. Yet, the underlying causes are unknown. We performed whole genome scans in TS exposed wild type and histologically characterized tumor lesions of cRaf transgenic mice. We constructed miRNA-gene and transcription factor-miRNA/gene regulatory networks and determined sex-specific gene regulations by evaluating hormone receptor activities. We validated the findings from TS exposed cRaf mice in a large cohort of smoking and never-smoking LC patients. When compared to males, TS prompted a sevenfold increase in tumor multiplicity in cRaf females. Genome-wide scans of tumor lesions identified 161 and 53 genes and miRNAs, which code for EGFR/MAPK signaling, cell proliferation, oncomirs and oncogenes, and 50% of DEGs code for immune response and tumor evasion. Outstandingly, in transgenic males, TS elicited upregulation of 20 tumor suppressors, some of which are the targets of the androgen and estrogen receptor. Conversely, in females, 18 tumor suppressors were downregulated, and five were specifically repressed by the estrogen receptor. We found TS to perturb the circadian clock in a sex-specific manner and identified a female-specific regulatory loop that consisted of the estrogen receptor, miR-22-3p and circadian genes to support LC growth. Finally, we confirmed sex-dependent tumor promoting effects of TS in a large cohort of LC patients. Our study highlights the sex-dependent genomic responses to TS and the interplay of circadian clock genes and hormone receptors in the regulation of oncogenes and oncomirs in LC growth.

miR-346 regulates the development of ARDS by regulating the function of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells

In recent years, many studies have reported that microRNAs play an important role in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases, and the aim of this paper is to explore the role and mechanism of miR-346 in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A mouse model of ARDS was constructed by LPS induction, and RT-qPCR assay was used to verify that the expression level of miR-346 in lung tissue was significantly increased, and was negatively correlated with oxygenation index. Inhibiting the expression of miR-346 in mice and HPMECs by miR-346 inhibitor confirmed that decreased miR-346 expression could lead to increased oxygenation index, decreased lung index, lung water content and NO content to reduce lung injury in mice, while lung inflammation was alleviated and apoptosis was reduced in mice. The same results were obtained in cells. BCL6 was predicted to be a target of miR-346 by targetscan and miRDB; when miR-346 was inhibited, BCL6 expression was increased, and if miR-346 and BCL6 expression were inhibited at the same time, it could aggravate lung injury and reduce the proliferation of HPMECs and increase their apoptosis and inflammation in mice. This shows that miR-346 inhibits the migration of HPMECs by regulating BCL6 expression, which in turn promotes the apoptosis of HPMECs, leading to inflammation and inducing ARDS.

Identification of differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs associated with the regulation of breast cancer via in silico and in vitro methods

miRNA expressions are altered during development of breast cancer (BC). The aim of this study is to identify novel cancer-related miRNAs and pathways to understand the mechanisms of BC subtypes. GSE59247 dataset was downloaded from gene expression omnibus (GEO) database and analyzed with GEO2R software. The differential miRNA expressions in BC cells were evaluated by miRNome PCR array. Venn diagram was used to reveal co-differentially expressed miRNAs between GSE59247 dataset and miRNome array. Clinical prognostic significance of selected miRNAs was evaluated via Kaplan Meier curve. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to find miRNA targets and results were validated by TNM plot analysis and q-RT-PCR. TargetScan database was used to predict the association of miRNAs and 3'-untranslated regions of target genes and their expressions were visualized by human protein atlas database. Venn diagram analysis showed overlap of 11 miRNAs from in silico and in vitro analysis. KEGG analysis revealed 'Lysine Degradation Pathway' as the most significantly enriched targeted pathway. q-RT-PCR results confirmed that Lysine degradation pathway related genes SETD7, SETDB2, EHHADH, SETMAR, KMT2A and SUV39H2 were differentially expressed in BC cells. Target prediction analysis identified binding sites between miR-1323-5p and 3'-UTR of SETD7, miR-129-5p and 3'-UTR of EHHADH and miR-628-5p and 3'-UTR of SETDB2 mRNA. Notably, miR-1323-5p, miR-129-5p, and miR-628-5p are differentially expressed in BC and they bind to 3'UTR of critical genes of Lysine degradation pathway, namely SETD7, SETDB2 and EHHADH. These miRNAs might serve as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for progression.

Prognostic significance of SH2D5 expression in lung adenocarcinoma and its relation to immune cell infiltration

Objective

Through analyzing the SH2D5 expression profiles, clinical features, and immune infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the study was intended to discuss the correlations of SH2D5 with prognosis and immune infiltration in LUAD.

Methods

We downloaded transcriptome and clinical data of LUAD patients from TCGA, GEO, and CCLE databases. Sangerbox, R language, GEPIA, UALCAN, and Kaplan-Meier Plotter were adopted to analyze the SH2D5 expression patterns, prognosis, and clinical features. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine the association between SH2D5 expression and immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint genes. The miRNA-SH2D5 relations were predicted by miRDB and starbase. Lastly, quantitative PCR, IHC and Western blot were implemented for validation.

Results

A prominent up-regulation of SH2D5 was noted in the LUAD group relative to the normal group, which was validated by quantitative PCR, IHC and Western blot. SH2D5 expression was inversely related to overall survival (OS) of LUAD patients as well as B cell immune infiltration. Additionally, SH2D5 expression was negatively correlated with dendritic cells resting (p < 0.001), plasma cells (p < 0.001), mast cells resting (p = 0.031) and T cells CD4 memory resting (p = 0.036) in LUAD patients with abundant SH2D5 expression correlated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, enrichment analysis suggested that SH2D5 was associated with lung cancer and immunity. Lastly, we investigated the relationship between the expression of SH2D5 and the use of antitumor drugs.

Conclusion

High SH2D5 expression shares an association with unfavorable prognosis in LUAD, and SH2D5 may also provide new ideas for immunotherapy as a potential therapeutic target.

B-cell Lymphoma 6 Inhibitors: Current Advances and Prospects of Drug Development for Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphomas

B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) is a transcriptional repressor that regulates the differentiation of B lymphocytes and mediates the formation of germinal centers (GCs) by recruiting corepressors through the BTB domain of BCL6. Physiological processes regulated by BCL6 involve cell activation, differentiation, DNA damage, and apoptosis. BCL6 is highly expressed when the gene is mutated, leading to the malignant proliferation of cells and drives tumorigenesis. BCL6 overexpression is closely correlated with tumorigenesis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and other lymphomas, and BCL6 inhibitors can effectively inhibit some lymphomas and overcome resistance. Therefore, targeting BCL6 might be a promising therapeutic strategy for treating lymphomas. Herein, we comprehensively review the latest development of BCL6 inhibitors in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and discuss the overview of the pharmacophores of BCL6 inhibitors and their efficacies in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, the current advances in BCL6 degraders are provided.

Prognostic value of miR-339-5p in patients with prostate cancer and its effects on tumor progression

Prostate cancer places a serious health burden on males. The present study aimed to explore the potential prognostic significance and biological function of microRNA (miR)-339-5p in patients with prostate cancer. The expression of miR-339-5p was detected in prostate cancer tissues and cell lines by using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression analyses were used to investigate the prognostic significance of miR-339-5p in prostate cancer. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to determine the effect of miR-339-5p on prostate cancer cell proliferation. Transwell assays were used to assess the effect of miR-339-5p on cell migration and invasion. The results indicated that the expression of miR-339-5p was downregulated in prostate cancer tissues and cell lines. Downregulation of miR-339-5p was significantly associated with the Gleason score, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. Patients with high miR-339-5p expression levels had a longer survival time than those with low expression levels. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that miR-339-5p may be an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival of patients with prostate cancer. Overexpression of miR-339-5p inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells. Taken together, these results indicated that miR-339-5p functions as a suppressor gene in prostate cancer and acts by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells. miR-339-5p may serve as an independent prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of prostate cancer.

LncRNA SNHG17 aggravated prostate cancer progression through regulating its homolog SNORA71B via a positive feedback loop

Prostate cancer (PC) is a prevalent male malignancy with high occurrence rate. Recent studies have showed that small nucleolar host genes (SNHGs) and their homolog small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) elicit regulatory functions in carcinogenesis. Present study aimed to investigate the role of SNHG17 and its homolog SNORA71B in PC. Function of SNHG17 and SNORA71B in PC is detected by CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry analysis of apoptosis, and transwell migration assay. The mechanism whereby SNHG17 regulated SNORA71B was detected by RIP, pulldown, ChIP, and luciferase reporter assays. Results depicted that transcript 6 of SNHG17 and SNORA71B were upregulated in PC. Knockdown of SNHG17 or SNORA71B weakened proliferation, invasion, migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and strengthened apoptosis. Mechanistically, SNHG17 and SNORA71B were transcriptionally activated by signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A). SNHG17 positively regulated SNORA71B in PC cell lines and other cell lines. SNHG17 sponged miR-339-5p to upregulate STAT5A and therefore to cause transactivation of SNORA71B. Rescue experiments delineated that SNORA71B was required for the regulation of SNHG17 on PC. Moreover, SNHG17 silence hindered tumorigenesis of PC in vivo. In conclusion, current study first revealed that lncRNA SNHG17 aggravated prostate cancer progression through regulating its homolog SNORA71B via a positive feedback loop, which might do help to the pursuit of better PC treatment.

Identification of key microRNAs and target genes for the diagnosis of bone nonunion

A number of recent studies have highlighted the causes of bone nonunion (BN), however, the rate of BN incidence continues to rise and available therapeutic options to treat this condition remain limited. Thus, to prevent disease progression and improve patient prognosis, it is vital that BN, or the risk thereof, be accurately identified in a timely manner. In the present study, bioinformatics analyses were used to screen for the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) between patients with BN and those with bone union, using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Furthermore, clinical samples were collected and analyzed by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting. In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to confirm the relationship between BN and the DEGs of interest, in addition to being used to explore the underlying molecular mechanism of BN. Functional enrichment analysis of the downregulated DEGs revealed them to be enriched for genes associated with 'ECM‑receptor interactions', 'focal adhesion', 'and the calcium signaling pathway'. When comparing DEM target genes with these DEGs, nine DEGs were identified as putative DEM targets, where hsa‑microRNA (miR)‑1225‑5p‑CCNL2, hsa‑miR‑339‑5p‑PRCP, and hsa‑miR‑193a‑3p‑mitogen‑activated protein kinase 10 (MAPK10) were the only three pairs which were associated with decreased gene expression levels. Furthermore, hsa‑miR‑193a‑3p was demonstrated to induce BN by targeting MAPK10. Collectively, the results of the present study suggest that hsa‑miR‑193a‑3p may be a viable biomarker of BN.

MicroRNA-339 inhibits human hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation and invasion via targeting ZNF689

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, however, the prognosis for HCC remains unsatisfactory. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-339-5p in HCC.

Methods

We first used quantitative real-time PCR to examine the level of miR-339-5p in HCC tissues. Then we further adopted Western blotting assay, CCK8, cell invasion assays, apoptosis detection assay, and luciferase assay to analyze how it mediate the development of HCC.

Results

We found that miR-339 is significantly decreased in primary HCC tissues. Overexpression of miR-339 in HCC cells remarkably suppressed proliferation and invasion and induced apoptosis. However, silencing miR-339 in HCC cells promoted proliferation and invasion, and reduced apoptosis. Moreover, we demonstrated that ZNF689 is a target of miR-339 and there is a negative correlation between miR-339 and ZNF689 expression in the HCC tissues. Overexpression of ZNF689 in miR-339-overexpressing HCC cells partially antagonized the inhibitory effects of miR-339.

Conclusion

Our study revealed that miR-339 inhibits HCC growth through targeting oncoprotein ZNF689 and restoration of miR-339 might be feasible therapeutic strategy for HCC treatment.