miR-16 regulates proliferation and apoptosis of pituitary adenoma cells by inhibiting HMGA2

Therapeutic potential of synthetic microRNA mimics based on the miR-15/107 consensus sequence

MicroRNA expression is frequently suppressed in cancer, and previously we demonstrated coordinate downregulation of multiple related microRNAs of the miR-15/107 group in malignant pleural mesothelioma (PM). From an alignment of the miR-15 family and the related miR-103/107, we derived a consensus sequence and used this to generate synthetic mimics. The synthetic mimics displayed tumour suppressor activity in PM cells in vitro, which was greater than that of a mimic based on the native miR-16 sequence. These mimics were also growth inhibitory in cells from non-small cell lung (NSCLC), prostate, breast and colorectal cancer, and sensitised all cell lines to the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine. The increased activity corresponded to enhanced inhibition of the expression of target genes and was associated with an increase in predicted binding to target sites, and proteomic analysis revealed a strong effect on proteins involved in RNA and DNA processes. Applying the novel consensus mimics to xenograft models of PM and NSCLC in vivo using EGFR-targeted nanocells loaded with mimic led to tumour growth inhibition. These results suggest that mimics based on the consensus sequence of the miR-15/107 group have therapeutic potential in a range of cancer types.

The emerging role and mechanism of HMGA2 in breast cancer

High mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is a member of the non-histone chromosomal high mobility group (HMG) protein family, which participate in embryonic development and other biological processes. HMGA2 overexpression is associated with breast cancer (BC) cell growth, proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Furthermore, HMGA2 expression is positively associated with poor prognosis of patients with BC, and inhibiting HMGA2 signaling can stimulate BC cell progression and metastasis. In this review, we focus on HMGA2 expression changes in BC tissues and multiple BC cell lines. Wnt/β-catenin, STAT3, CNN6, and TRAIL-R2 proteins are upstream mediators of HMGA2 that can induce BC invasion and metastasis. Moreover, microRNAs (miRNAs) can suppress BC cell growth, invasion, and metastasis by inhibiting HMGA2 expression. Furthermore, long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) and circular RNAs (CircRNAs) mainly regulate HMGA2 mRNA and protein expression levels by sponging miRNAs, thereby promoting BC development. Additionally, certain small molecule inhibitors can suppress BC drug resistance by reducing HMGA2 expression. Finally, we summarize findings demonstrating that HMGA2 siRNA and HMGA2 siRNA-loaded nanoliposomes can suppress BC progression and metastasis.

HMGA2 Promotes Brain Injury in Rats with Cerebral Infarction by Activating TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Cerebral infarction is a common disease with a higher disability and fatality rates. The incidence rates of cerebral infarction or cerebral ischemic stroke gradually increase with aging and cerebrovascular disease progression. This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of HMGA2 on cerebral infarction-induced brain tissue damage and its underlying mechanisms. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were pretreated with sh-HMGA2 before cerebral infarction operation. The effect of HMGA2 on the arrangement, distribution, and morphological structure of neurons and the cell apoptosis ratio in brain tissue were detected via hematoxylin and eosin staining, brain-water content, TTC staining, and TUNEL staining. The results from ELISA assay, qPCR, and western blot indicated that downregulation of HMGA2 mitigated inflammatory stress via regulating the expression of TLR4/NF-κB. In addition, results showed that suppressed HMGA2 attenuated the neurological dysfunction of brain injury rats and markedly reduced infarct volume. HMGA2 might be able to alleviate the damage associated with cerebral infarction-induced inflammatory response and cell apoptosis. Moreover, downregulation of HMGA2 had a protective effect on the brain damage derived from cerebral infarction by mediating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that downregulation of HMGB2 decreased the infarct size, inflammatory responses, and apoptosis in cerebral injury and further had neuroprotective effects against cerebral infarction-induced brain damage. Finally, these results indicated that the downregulation of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway after ischemia by HMGB2 inhibition is a potential mechanism of the neuroprotective effect of cerebral injury.

Novel Insights into Pituitary Tumorigenesis: Genetic and Epigenetic Mechanisms

Substantial advances have been made recently in the pathobiology of pituitary tumors. Similar to many other endocrine tumors, over the last few years we have recognized the role of germline and somatic mutations in a number of syndromic or nonsyndromic conditions with pituitary tumor predisposition. These include the identification of novel germline variants in patients with familial or simplex pituitary tumors and establishment of novel somatic variants identified through next generation sequencing. Advanced techniques have allowed the exploration of epigenetic mechanisms mediated through DNA methylation, histone modifications and noncoding RNAs, such as microRNA, long noncoding RNAs and circular RNAs. These mechanisms can influence tumor formation, growth, and invasion. While genetic and epigenetic mechanisms often disrupt similar pathways, such as cell cycle regulation, in pituitary tumors there is little overlap between genes altered by germline, somatic, and epigenetic mechanisms. The interplay between these complex mechanisms driving tumorigenesis are best studied in the emerging multiomics studies. Here, we summarize insights from the recent developments in the regulation of pituitary tumorigenesis.

MiR-448 targets BLC2 and inhibits the growth of pituitary adenoma cells

There is an increasing body of evidence indicating the important roles of miRNAs in the progression of pituitary adenoma. Recent studies have shown decreased expression and tumor suppressive function of miR-448 in cancers; however, the clinical significance of miR-448 in pituitary adenoma has remained largely unknown. In our study, we found that miR-448 was down-regulated in pituitary adenoma tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-448 significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of pituitary adenoma cells. Increased cell apoptosis was also observed with overexpression of miR-448. To further understand the mechanisms behind the regulation of pituitary adenoma by miR-448 in, the targets of miR-448 were predicted using the bioinformatics tools. B cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) was identified as a target of miR-448. MiR-448 bound the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of BCL2 and inhibited the expression of BCL2 in pituitary adenoma cells. There was a consistent and significantly negative correlation between the level of miR-448 and BCL2 in pituitary adenoma tissues. When BCL2 was highly expressed, the inhibitory impact of miR-448 on the proliferation and apoptosis of pituitary adenoma cells was significantly inhibited. Collectively, our findings emphasize the significance of the miR-448-BCL2 axis in the development of pituitary adenoma, highlighting the potential therapeutic significance of miR-448 in pituitary adenoma.

High Mobility Group A (HMGA): Chromatin Nodes Controlled by a Knotty miRNA Network

High mobility group A (HMGA) proteins are oncofoetal chromatin architectural factors that are widely involved in regulating gene expression. These proteins are unique, because they are highly expressed in embryonic and cancer cells, where they play a relevant role in cell proliferation, stemness, and the acquisition of aggressive tumour traits, i.e., motility, invasiveness, and metastatic properties. The HMGA protein expression levels and activities are controlled by a connected set of events at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational levels. In fact, microRNA (miRNA)-mediated RNA stability is the most-studied mechanism of HMGA protein expression modulation. In this review, we contribute to a comprehensive overview of HMGA-targeting miRNAs; we provide detailed information regarding HMGA gene structural organization and a comprehensive evaluation and description of HMGA-targeting miRNAs, while focusing on those that are widely involved in HMGA regulation; and, we aim to offer insights into HMGA-miRNA mutual cross-talk from a functional and cancer-related perspective, highlighting possible clinical implications.

Analysis of whole genome-wide microRNA transcriptome profiling in invasive pituitary adenomas and non-invasive pituitary adenomas

Background

Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays a critical role during the occurrence and progress of pituitary adenomas (PAs). However, the roles of miRNAs in the invasiveness of PA are poorly understood. This study aims to more comprehensively and specific define the relationship between altered miRNA and PA invasion.

Methods

The differential expression of miRNAs (DEMs) between invasive PAs (IPAs) and non-invasive PAs (NPAs) was explored by RNA sequencing and which functions were analyzed by gene ontology (GO) as well as Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The miRNA-mRNA network was predicted with bioinformatics.

Results

We identified 31 upregulated miRNAs and 24 downregulated miRNAs in IPAs compared with NPAs. GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed the DEMs were mainly associated with cell proliferation and cell cycle pathway. In addition, on the count of predicted miRNA-mRNA network, two hub miRNAs were identified.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate the miRNA-mRNA network in detail, which suggest that miRNA may be a promising target in diagnosis and therapy for IPAs.

Prediction of clusters of miRNA binding sites in mRNA candidate genes of breast cancer subtypes

The development of breast cancer (BC) subtypes is controlled by distinct sets of candidate genes, and the expression of these genes is regulated by the binding of their mRNAs with miRNAs. Predicting miRNA associations and target genes is thus essential when studying breast cancer. The MirTarget program identifies the initiation of miRNA binding to mRNA, the localization of miRNA binding sites in mRNA regions, and the free energy from the binding of all miRNA nucleotides with mRNA. Candidate gene mRNAs have clusters (miRNA binding sites with overlapping nucleotide sequences). mRNAs of EPOR, MAZ and NISCH candidate genes of the HER2 subtype have clusters, and there are four clusters in mRNAs of MAZ, BRCA2 and CDK6 genes. Candidate genes of the triple-negative subtype are targets for multiple miRNAs. There are 11 sites in CBL mRNA, five sites in MMP2 mRNA, and RAB5A mRNA contains two clusters in each of the three sites. In SFN mRNA, there are two clusters in three sites, and one cluster in 21 sites. Candidate genes of luminal A and B subtypes are targets for miRNAs: there are 21 sites in FOXA1 mRNA and 15 sites in HMGA2 mRNA. There are clusters of five sites in mRNAs of ITGB1 and SOX4 genes. Clusters of eight sites and 10 sites are identified in mRNAs of SMAD3 and TGFB1 genes, respectively. Organizing miRNA binding sites into clusters reduces the proportion of nucleotide binding sites in mRNAs. This overlapping of miRNA binding sites creates a competition among miRNAs for a binding site. From 6,272 miRNAs studied, only 29 miRNAs from miRBase and 88 novel miRNAs had binding sites in clusters of target gene mRNA in breast cancer. We propose using associations of miRNAs and their target genes as markers in breast cancer subtype diagnosis.