miR-205 targets runt-related transcription factor 2 to inhibit human pancreatic cancer progression

Evaluation of Diagnostic Potential of Epigenetically Deregulated MiRNAs in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Background

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies among women worldwide. Early diagnosis of EOC could help in ovarian cancer management. MicroRNAs, a class of small non-coding RNA molecules, are known to be involved in post-transcriptional regulation of ~60% of human genes. Aberrantly expressed miRNAs associated with disease progression are confined in lipid or lipoprotein and secreted as extracellular miRNA in body fluid such as plasma, serum, and urine. MiRNAs are stably present in the circulation and recently have gained an importance to serve as a minimally invasive biomarker for early detection of epithelial ovarian cancer.

Methods

Genome-wide methylation pattern of six EOC and two normal ovarian tissue samples revealed differential methylation regions of miRNA gene promoter through MeDIP-NGS sequencing. Based on log2FC and p-value, three hypomethylated miRNAs (miR-205, miR-200c, and miR-141) known to have a potential role in ovarian cancer progression were selected for expression analysis through qRT-PCR. The expression of selected miRNAs was analyzed in 115 tissue (85 EOC, 30 normal) and 65 matched serum (51 EOC and 14 normal) samples.

Results

All three miRNAs (miR-205, miR-200c, and miR-141) showed significantly higher expression in both tissue and serum cohorts when compared with normal controls (p < 0.0001). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of miR-205, miR-200c, and miR-141 has area under the curve (AUC) values of 87.6 (p < 0.0001), 78.2 (p < 0.0001), and 86.0 (p < 0.0001), respectively; in advance-stage serum samples, however, ROC has AUC values of 88.1 (p < 0.0001), 78.9 (p < 0.0001), and 86.7 (p < 0.0001), respectively, in early-stage serum samples. The combined diagnostic potential of the three miRNAs in advance-stage serum samples and early-stage serum samples has AUC values of 95.9 (95% CI: 0.925-1.012; sensitivity = 96.6% and specificity = 80.0%) and 98.1 (95% CI: 0.941-1.021; sensitivity = 90.5% and specificity = 100%), respectively.

Conclusion

Our data correlate the epigenetic deregulation of the miRNA genes with their expression. In addition, the miRNA panel (miR-205 + miR-200c + miR-141) has a much higher AUC, sensitivity, and specificity to predict EOC at an early stage in both tissue and serum samples.

Wrong place, wrong time: Runt-related transcription factor 2/SATB2 pathway in bone development and carcinogenesis

Upregulation or aberrant expression of genes such as special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) is necessary for normal cell differentiation and tissue development and is often associated with carcinogenesis and metastatic progression. SATB2 is a critical transcription factor for biological development of various specialized cell lineages, such as osteoblasts and neurons. The dysregulation of SATB2 expression has recently been associated with various types of cancer, while the mechanisms and pathways by which it mediates tumorigenesis are not well elucidated. Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) is a master regulator for osteogenesis, and it shares common pathways with SATB2 to regulate bone development. Interestingly, these two transcription factors co-occur in several epithelial and mesenchymal cancers and are linked by multiple cancer-related proteins and microRNAs. This review examines the interactions between RUNX2 and SATB2 in a network necessary for normal bone development and the circumstances in which the expression of RUNX2 and SATB2 in the wrong place and time leads to carcinogenesis.

Identification of a novel six autophagy-related genes signature for the prognostic and a miRNA-related autophagy predictor for anti-PD-1 therapy responses in prostate cancer

Background

Autophagy is a highly conserved homeostatic process in the human body that is responsible for the elimination of aggregated proteins and damaged organelles. Several autophagy-related genes (ARGs) contribute to the process of tumorigenesis and metastasis of prostate cancer (PCa). Also, miRNAs have been proven to modulate autophagy by targeting some ARGs. However, their potential role in PCa still remains unclear.

Methods

An univariate Cox proportional regression model was used to identify 17 ARGs associated with the overall survival (OS) of PCa. Then, a multivariate Cox proportional regression model was used to construct a 6 autophagy-related prognostic genes signature. Patients were divided into low-risk group and high-risk group using the median risk score as a cutoff value. High-risk patients had shorter OS than low-risk patients. Furthermore, the signature was validated by ROC curves. Regarding mRNA and miRNA, 12 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and 1073 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected via the GEO database. We found that miR-205, one of the DEMs, was negatively regulated the expression of ARG (NKX2–3). Based on STRING analysis results, we found that the NKX2–3 was moderately related to the part of genes among the 6 autophagy-related genes prognostic signature. Further, NKX 2–3 was significantly correlated with OS and some clinical parameters of PCa by cBioProtal. By gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Lastly, we demonstrated that the association between NKX2–3 and tumor mutation burden (TMB) and PDCD1 (programmed cell death 1) of PCa.

Results

We identified that the six ARGs expression patterns are independent predictors of OS in PCa patients. Furthermore, our results suggest that ARGs and miRNAs are inter-related. MiR-205 was negatively regulated the expression of ARG (NKX2–3). Further analysis demonstrated that NKX2–3 may be a potential biomarker for predicting the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in PCa.

Conclusions

The current study may offer a novel autophagy-related prognostic signature and may identify a promising miRNA-ARG pathway for predicting the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in PCa.

Expression and Possible Molecular Mechanisms of microRNA-205-5p in Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most prevalent malignancy worldwide, with high incidence and poor survival rates. Increased expression of microRNA-205-5p (miR-205-5p) may influence the outcomes of HNSCC, but the identities of miR-205-5p target genes and the potential signaling pathways related to HNSCC remain unclear. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression levels of miR-205-5p in the plasma of patients with HNSCC. We also performed a meta-analysis using data from relevant literature, and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases to evaluate the expression level of miR-205-5p in HNSCC. Next, we predicted the potential miR-205-5p target genes in HNSCC. We also used Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) for enrichment analyses adapted to investigate the dynamics and possible mechanisms of miR-205-5p in HNSCC. Lastly, we predicted the potential miR-205-5p target genes by evaluating their expression level and using Spearman analysis. Expression of miR-205-5p was higher in HNSCC tissues compared to normal unafflicted tissue samples (P < 0.05), and the corresponding summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) was 0.82.The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and DOR values were 0.78 (95% CI: 0.75-0.81), 0.67 (95% CI: 0.60-0.73), 2.34 (95% CI: 1.45-3.76), 0.34 (95% CI: 0.19-0.60), and 8.16 (95% CI: 4.01-16.64), respectively. Based on GO and KEGG analyses, we found that miR-205-5p was correlated with the progression of HNSCC through association with signaling pathways, including the drug metabolism-cytochrome P450 pathway. Analysis of the target genes revealed that flavin-containing monooxygenase isoform 2 (FMO2) and alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) may be important targets of miR-205-5p. In summary, miR-205-5p may have a significant role in the prognosis of HNSCC and may serve as a potential biomarker in HNSCC.

miR-205: A Potential Biomedicine for Cancer Therapy

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of their target mRNAs post transcriptionally. miRNAs are known to regulate not just a gene but the whole gene network (signaling pathways). Accumulating evidence(s) suggests that miRNAs can work either as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, but some miRNAs have a dual nature since they can act as both. miRNA 205 (miR-205) is one such highly conserved miRNA that can act as both, oncomiRNA and tumor suppressor. However, most reports confirm its emerging role as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. This review focuses on the downregulated expression of miR-205 and discusses its dysregulation in breast, prostate, skin, liver, gliomas, pancreatic, colorectal and renal cancers. This review also confers its role in tumor initiation, progression, cell proliferation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and tumor metastasis. Restoration of miR-205 makes cells more sensitive to drug treatments and mitigates drug resistance. Additionally, the importance of miR-205 in chemosensitization and its utilization as potential biomedicine and nanotherapy is described. Together, this review research article sheds a light on its application as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker, and as a biomedicine in cancer.

Prognostic value of microRNAs in pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The prognostic impact of microRNA (miRNA) expression levels in pancreatic cancer (PC) has been estimated for years, but the outcomes are controversial and heterogeneous. Therefore, we comprehensively reviewed the evidence collected on miRNA expression in PC to determine this effect.

RESULTS

PC patients with high miR-21 (HR=2.61, 95%CI=1.68-4.04), miR-451a (HR=2.23, 95%CI=1.23-4.04) or miR-1290 (HR=1.43, 95%CI=1.04-1.95) levels in blood had significantly poorer OS (P<0.05). Furthermore, PC patients with high miR-10b (HR=1.73, 95%CI=1.09-2.76), miR-17-5p (HR=1.91, 95%CI=1.30-2.80), miR-21 (HR=1.90, 95%CI=1.61-2.25), miR-23a (HR=2.18, 95%CI=1.52-3.13), miR-155 (HR=2.22, 95%CI=1.27-3.88), miR-203 (HR=1.65, 95%CI=1.14-2.40), miR-221 (HR=1.72, 95%CI=1.08-2.74), miR-222 levels (HR=1.72, 95%CI=1.02-2.91) or low miR-29c (HR=1.39, 95%CI=1.08-1.79), miR-126 (HR=1.55, 95%CI=1.23-1.95), miR-218 (HR=2.62, 95%CI=1.41-4.88) levels in tissues had significantly shorter OS (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, blood miR-21, miR-451a, miR-1290 and tissue miR-10b, miR-17-5p, miR-21, miR-23a, miR-29c, miR-126, miR-155, miR-203, miR-218, miR-221, miR-222 had significant prognostic value.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to recognize eligible studies, and 57 studies comprising 5445 PC patients and 15 miRNAs were included to evaluate the associations between miRNA expression levels and overall survival (OS) up to June 1, 2019. Summary hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the effect.

miR‑205 suppresses cell migration, invasion and EMT of colon cancer by targeting mouse double minute 4

Colon cancer is one of the most frequent malignant tumors, and microRNA (miR)‑205 is involved in the tumor progression. The present study aimed to explore the effects of miR‑205 on human colon cancer and its targeting mechanism. The levels of miR‑205 and mouse double minute 4 (MDM4) were determined via reverse transcription‑quantitative (RT‑q)PCR and western blot analysis. A luciferase activity assay was performed to analyze the association between miR‑205 and MDM4. Cell viability, migration and invasion were determined via Cell Counting Kit‑8, wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. The levels of epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT)‑associated factors were determined by RT‑qPCR and western blot analysis. It was identified that MDM4 was overexpressed in colon cancer tissues and cells, and that there was a negative correlation between miR‑205 and MDM4 expression in colon cancer. Similarly, miR‑205 inhibited MDM4 expression by binding to its 3'untranslated region. in addition, miR‑205 directly targeted MDM4, accompanied by suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion of HCT116 cells. EMT processes were suppressed in miR‑205‑overexpressed cells; upregulation of E‑cadherin, and downregulation of N‑cadherin, vimentin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP9 were observed. Collectively, miR‑205 conspicuously depressed the viability, migration, invasion and EMT process of human colon cancer cells via targeting MDM4. miR‑205 could be potentially used in the treatment of human colon cancer.

Effect of miR-205 on proliferation and migration of thyroid cancer cells by targeting CCNB2 and the mechanism

This study explored the target of miR-205 and the effect of miR-205 on the proliferation and migration regulating its target in thyroid cancer cells (TC). Twenty-five pairs of TC and adjacent tissues were collected after surgical resection. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of miR-205 in TC tissues and cells (SW579, B-CPAP, TPC-1, WRO). SW579 cells were transfected with miR-205 mimic, and SW579 cells with overexpression of miR-205 were constructed. The effects of miR-205 overexpression on the proliferation and migration of SW579 cells were observed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell assays, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay was further used to look for the target of miR-205 and to study the mechanism of miR-205 in the proliferation and migration of TC cells. Compared with normal tissues and cells, the expression of miR-205 was significantly reduced in TC tissues (t=3.47, P=0.031) and cells (t=5.41, P=0.016). Overexpression of miR-205 inhibited the proliferation (t=4.12, P=0.035) and migration (t=4.47, P=0.027) of SW579 cells. Luciferase reporter assays found that CCNB2 was a target gene of miR-205 (t=4.63, P=0.024), qRT-PCR and western blot assays confirmed there was negatively correlation between CCNB2 and miR-205 (t=3.55, P=0.029; t=2.86, P=0.043). CCNB2 overexpression reversed the inhibition of miR-205 on the proliferation (t=3.70, P=0.031) and migration (t=4.12, P=0.022) of SW579 cells. In conclusion, miR-205 inhibits the proliferation and migration of TC cells by targeting CCNB2, which may be a potential target of TC therapy.