miR-183 regulates biological behavior in papillary thyroid carcinoma by targeting the programmed cell death 4

Investigating the Role of Hub Calcification Proteins in Atherosclerosis via Integrated Transcriptomics and Network-Based Approach

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the arteries, characterized by plaque formation that can restrict blood flow and lead to potentially fatal cardiovascular events. Given that AS is responsible for a quarter of global deaths, this study aimed to develop a systematic bioinformatics approach to identify biomarkers and regulatory targets involved in plaque development, with the goal of reducing cardiovascular disease risk. AS-specific mRNA expression profiles were retrieved from a publicly accessible database, followed by differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identification and AS-specific weighted gene co-expression network (WGCN) construction. Thereafter, calcification and atherosclerosis-specific (CASS) DEGs were utilized for protein-protein interaction network (PPIN) formation, followed by gene ontology (GO) term and pathway enrichment analyses. Lastly, AS-specific 3-node miRNA feed-forward loop (FFL) construction and analysis was performed. Microarray datasets GSE43292 and GSE28829 were obtained from gene expression omnibus (GEO). A total of 3785 and 6176 DEGs were obtained in case of GSE28829 and GSE43292; 3256 and 5962 module DEGs corresponding to GSE28829 and GSE43292 were obtained from WGCN. From a total of 54 vascular calcification (VC) genes, 20 and 29 CASS-DEGs corresponding to GSE28829 and GSE43292 were overlapped. As observed from FFL centrality measures, the highest-order subnetwork motif comprised one TF (SOX7), one miRNA (miR-484), and one mRNA (SPARC) in the case of GSE28829. Also, in the case of GSE43292, the highest-order subnetwork motif comprised one TF (ESR2), one miRNA (miR-214-3p), and one mRNA (MEF2C). These findings have important implications for developing new therapeutic strategies for AS. The identified TFs and miRNAs may serve as potential therapeutic targets for treating atherosclerotic plaques, offering insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and highlighting new avenues for research and treatment.

LncRNA PFAR facilitates the proliferation and migration of papillary thyroid carcinoma by competitively binding to miR-15a

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is type of aggressive tumor, with a markedly declined survival rate when distant metastasis occurs. It is of great significance to develop potential biomarkers to evaluate the progression of PTC. LncRNAs are recently widely claimed with biomarker value in malignant tumors. Herein, the role of LncRNA PFAR in PTC was investigated to explore potential prognostic marker for PTC. Compared to NTHY-ORI 3-1 cells, LncRNA PFAR was found markedly upregulated in PTC cell lines. In LncRNA PFAR knockdown TPC-1 cells, markedly declined cell viability, increased apoptotic rate, enhancive number of migrated cells, and elevated migration distance were observed, accompanied by a suppressed activity of the RET/AKT/mTOR signaling. In LncRNA PFAR overexpressed BCPAP cells, signally increased cell viability, declined apoptotic rate, reduced number of migrated cells, decreased migration distance, and increased tumor volume and tumor weight in nude mice xenograft model were observed, accompanied by an activation of the RET/AKT/mTOR signaling. The binding site between LncRNA PFAR and miR-15a, as well as miR-15a and RET, was confirmed by the dual luciferase reporter assay. The FISH study revealed that LncRNA PFAR was mainly located in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, the impact of the siRNA targeting LncRNA PFAR against the growth and migration of PTC cells was abolished by the inhibitor of miR-15a or SC79, an activator of AKT/mTOR signaling. Collectively, LncRNA PFAR facilitated the proliferation and migration of PTC cells by mediating the miR-15a/RET axis.

Dysregulated Expression Patterns of Circular RNAs in Cancer: Uncovering Molecular Mechanisms and Biomarker Potential

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable, enclosed, non-coding RNA molecules with dynamic regulatory propensity. Their biogenesis involves a back-splicing process, forming a highly stable and operational RNA molecule. Dysregulated circRNA expression can drive carcinogenic and tumorigenic transformation through the orchestration of epigenetic modifications via extensive RNA and protein-binding domains. These multi-ranged functional capabilities have unveiled extensive identification of previously unknown molecular and cellular patterns of cancer cells. Reliable circRNA expression patterns can aid in early disease detection and provide criteria for genome-specific personalized medicine. Studies described in this review have revealed the novelty of circRNAs and their biological ss as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers.

Interplay Between Non-Coding RNAs and Programmed Cell Death Proteins

Programmed cell death (PDCD) family of proteins includes at least 12 members, function of seven of them being more investigated. These members are PDCD1, PDCD2, PDCD4, PDCD5, PDCD6, PDCD7 and PDCD10. Consistent with the important roles of these proteins in the regulation of apoptosis, dysregulation of PDCDs is associated with diverse disorders ranging from intervertebral disc degeneration, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, immune thrombocytopenia, type 1 diabetes, congenital hypothyroidism, Alzheimer’s disease to different types of cancers. More recently, the interaction between non-coding RNAs and different members of PDCD family is being discovered. In the current study, we described the functional interactions between PDCDs and two classes of non-coding RNAs, namely microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). miR-21 and miR-183 are two miRNAs whose interactions with PDCDs have been assessed in different contexts. The lncRNAs interaction with PDCDs is mainly assessed in the context of neoplasia indicating the role of MALAT1, MEG3, SNHG14 and LINC00473 in this process.

Circular RNA_0057209 Acts as ceRNA to Inhibit Thyroid Cancer Progression by Promoting the STK4-Mediated Hippo Pathway via Sponging MicroRNA-183

Thyroid cancer is the most common malignancy of the endocrine system, and its outcome remains unsatisfactory. In recent years, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators in cancers. In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether and how circRNA_0057209 functioned in thyroid cancer. Initial results revealed that circRNA_0057209 and STK4 were both reduced, while miR-183 was up-regulated in thyroid cancer tissues and cells. Experiments including RNA pull-down and RIP assays further identified that upregulation of circRNA_0057209 augmented the expression of STK4, a target gene of miR-183, by competitively-binding to miR-183. Furthermore, functional experiments provided evidence that overexpression of circRNA_0057209 not only inhibited the proliferative, migratory, and invasive properties of thyroid cancer cells while facilitating their apoptosis but also delayed tumor growth. Conversely, upregulation of miR-183 or silencing of STK4 reversed the changes induced by circRNA_0057209. Meanwhile, mechanistic experimentation demonstrated that circRNA_0057209 promoted STK4 expression by sponging miR-183, while STK4 enhanced YAP phosphorylation to mediate the Hippo pathway, thereby suppressing tumor progression. Altogether, our findings indicated that circRNA_0057209 may serve as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-183 to increase STK4 expression, thus inhibiting the development of thyroid cancer.

MicroRNAs in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: What Is New in Diagnosis and Treatment

Introduction

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) accounts for up to 80% of thyroid malignancies. New diagnostic and therapeutic options are suggested including innovative molecular methods. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are nonprotein coding single-stranded RNAs that regulate many cell processes. The aim of the present study is to review the deregulated miRNAs associated with PTCs.

Methods

A bibliographic research was conducted, resulting in 272 articles referred to miRNAs and PTC. Regarding our exclusion criteria, 183 articles were finally included in our review.

Results

A remarkably large number of miRNAs have been found to be deregulated during PTC manifestation in the literature. The deregulated miRNAs are detected in tissue samples, serum/plasma, and FNA samples of patients with PTC. These miRNAs are related to several molecular pathways, involving genes and proteins responsible for important biological processes. MiRNA deregulation is associated with tumor aggressiveness, including larger tumor size, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node and distant metastasis, and advanced tumor node metastasis stage.

Conclusion

MiRNAs are proposed as new diagnostic and therapeutic tools regarding PTC. They could be essential biomarkers for PTC diagnosis applied in serum and FNA samples, while their contribution to prognosis is of great importance.

DNA methylation mediated down-regulation of ANGPTL4 promotes colorectal cancer metastasis by activating the ERK pathway

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) imposes significant health burden and is increasing in incidence. NGPTL4 has been implicated in the development of CRC. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which ANGPTL4 expression might regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the tumor microenvironment in CRC.

Methods: CRC and para-carcinoma tissues were collected from 67 CRC patients. ANGPTL4 expression levels and DNA methylation of ANGPTL4 promoter region were determined. Next, the migration and invasion capacities of CRC cells were assessed. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were used to identify the signaling pathways by which ANGPTL4 mediated tumor metastasis. A tumorigenesis mice model with transplanted fibroblast cells and ANGPTL4 overexpressed CRC cells was established to investigate the effects of ANGPTL4 on the metastasis of cancer cells in vivo.

Results: ANGPTL4 was significantly decreased in CRC tissues and DNA hypermethylation was involved in the regulation of ANGPTL4. Mechanistically, ANGPTL4 induced activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment and promoted EMT in CRC cells through the ERK signaling pathway. In vivo, the overexpression of ANGPTL4 was found to inhibit the metastasis of tumor cells in lung tissues.

Conclusion: DNA hypermethylation induced ANGPTL4 downregulation promoted the activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts and epithelial mesenchymal transformation of CRC cells via the ERK signaling pathway, thereby promoting invasion and metastasis in CRC.

Circ_0137287 suppresses cell tumroigenesis and aerobic glycolysis in papillary thyroid carcinoma through miR-183-5p/PPP2R2A axis

Circ_0137287 was found to be decreased in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) tissues and related to aggressive clinicopathologic characteristics. However, the role and mechanism of circ_0137287 in PTC remain vague. Circ_0137287 expression was decreased in PTC and its low expression predicted poor survival. The ROC analysis suggested circ_0137287 might be a marker for PTC diagnosis. Circ_0137287 overexpression in PTC cells impaired cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and aerobic glycolysis, but induced apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Circ_0137287 specifically bound to miR-183-5p, and miR-183-5p reversed the inhibitory effects of circ_0137287 on PTC tumor growth, motility and aerobic glycolysis. MiR-183-5p directly targeted PPP2R2A, and promoted PTC progression through regulating PPP2R2A. Mechanistically, circ_0137287 could indirectly modulate PPP2R2A expression through targeting miR-183-5p. Circ_0137287 suppressed PTC tumorigenesis and aerobic glycolysis through up-regulating PPP2R2A via miR-183-5p absorption, indicating a promising prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic target.

Epigenetic signature associated with thyroid cancer progression and metastasis

Thyroid cancer is not among the top cancers in terms of diagnosis or mortality but it still ranks fifth among the cancers diagnosed in women. Infact, women are more likely to be diagnosed with thyroid cancer than the males. The burden of thyroid cancer has dramatically increased in last two decades in China and, in the United States, it is the most diagnosed cancer in young adults under the age of twenty-nine. All these factors make it worthwhile to fully understand the pathogenesis of thyroid cancer. Towards this end, microRNAs (miRNAs) have constantly emerged as the non-coding RNAs of interest in various thyroid cancer subtypes on which there have been numerous investigations over the last decade and half. This comprehensive review takes a look at the current knowledge on the topic with cataloging of miRNAs known so far, particularly related to their utility as epigenetic signatures of thyroid cancer progression and metastasis. Such information could be of immense use for the eventual development of miRNAs as therapeutic targets or even therapeutic agents for thyroid cancer therapy.

Attenuated macrophage activation mediated by microRNA-183 knockdown through targeting NR4A2

Atherosclerosis is considered a chronic inflammatory disease, and macrophages function as important mediators in the development of atherogenesis. MicroRNA (miR)-183 is a small non-coding RNA that acts as a novel tumor suppressor and has recently been proposed to affect cardiac hypertrophy. However, the exact role and underlying mechanism of miR-183 in macrophage activation remain unknown. In the present study, miR-183 showed upregulated expression in atheromatous plaques and in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) subjected to stimulation with oxidized low-density lipoproteins. Using a miR-183 loss-of-function strategy, it was demonstrated that miR-183 knockdown significantly increased resolving M2 macrophage marker expression but decreased proinflammatory M1 macrophage marker expression, as well as attenuated NF-κB activation. Moreover, decreased foam-cell formation accompanied by upregulation of genes involved in cholesterol efflux and downregulation of genes implicated in cholesterol influx was found in BMDMs transfected with a miR-183 inhibitor. Mechanistically, macrophage activation mediated by miR-183 silencing was partially attributed to direct upregulation of NR4A2 expression in BMDMs. Thus, the present study suggests that neutralizing miR-183 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Upregulation of miR-421 predicts poor prognosis and promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion of papillary thyroid cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) represents the most frequent subtype of thyroid cancer (TC) with poor prognosis mainly due to the severe invasion and metastasis. As an oncogene, microRNA-421 (miR-421) is involved in the development of various cancers. This study was to investigate the clinical significance of miR-421 in PTC and its effects on the biological function of PTC cells.

METHODS

The expression level of miR-421 in all tissues and PTC cell lines was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Subsequently, the relationship between miR-421 expression and the clinicopathological feature was detected by chi-square analysis in 106 patients with PTC. In addition, Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to detect the survival time and the prognostic value of miR-421. Finally, the regulatory effect of miR-421 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of PTC cells was detected by Cell Counting Kit (CCK-8) and Transwell assay.

RESULTS

Compared with all control groups, the expression of miR-421 was significantly increased in 106 patients tissues and PTC cell lines (p < 0.001). In addition, patients with miR-421 upregulated in PTC showed more positive lymph node metastasis (p = 0.011), positive tumor infiltration (p = 0.031), and TNM stage III/IV (p = 0.019), and when miR-421 expression level was elevated, the survival rate of PTC patients was poor (log-rank test, p = 0.023). Furthermore, miR-421 might be an independent prognostic biomarker for PTC (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.172, 95% CI = 1.071-9.393, p = 0.037). Finally, increased levels of miR-421 can significantly promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

miR-421 is a novel oncogene of PTC and is a valuable prognostic biomarker. Moreover, the upregulation of miR-421 enhances the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PTC cells.

The Human Novel Gene LNC-HC Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Proliferation by Sequestering hsa-miR-183-5p

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality. Several lines of evidence have demonstrated the aberrant expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in carcinogenesis and their universal regulatory properties. A thorough understanding of lncRNA regulatory roles in HCC pathology would contribute to HCC prevention and treatment. In this study, we identified a novel human lncRNA, LNC-HC, with significantly reduced levels in hepatic tumors from patients with HCC. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-dimethyltetrazolium bromide) assays as well as colony formation and wound healing experiments showed that LNC-HC significantly inhibited the proliferation of the HCC cell line Huh7. Xenograft transplantation of LNC-HC-overexpressing Huh7 cells in nude mice resulted in the production of smaller tumors. Mechanistically, LNC-HC inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells by directly interacting with hsa-miR-183-5p. LNC-HC rescued the expression of five tumor suppressors, including AKAP12, DYRK2, FOXN3, FOXO1, and LATS2, that were verified as target genes of hsa-miR-183-5p. Overall, human LNC-HC was identified as a novel tumor suppressor that could inhibit HCC cell proliferation in vitro and suppress tumor growth in vivo by competitively binding hsa-miR-183-5p as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA). These findings suggest that LNC-HC could be a biomarker of HCC and provide a novel therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

Circ_0026344 restrains metastasis of human colorectal cancer cells via miR-183

Background: CircRNA circ_0026344 was previously revealed as a tumour-suppressive gene in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of circ_0026344 in CRC cells metastasis induced by chemokines. Methods: Two human CRC cell lines SW480 and Caco-2 were treated by CCL20 and CXCL8. Cell proliferation, migration/invasion, expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inducers and the expression of circ_0026344 were measured using sulforhodamine B assay, Transwell chamber, western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. The effects of circ_0026344 on CRC cells migration/invasion and the expression of EMT inducers were evaluated. Moreover, the downstream miRNA and signalling pathways of circ_0026344 were studied. Results: CCL20 and CXCL8 synergized to facilitate the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells. At the meantime, E-cadherin was downregulated, whereas N-cadherin, Vimentin and Snail were up-regulated by CCL20 and CXCL8 co-stimulation, which was accompanied by the mobilization of PI3K/AKT/ERK signalling. More interestingly, the expression of circ_0026344 was down-regulated by CCL20 and CXCL8 co-stimulation. Silence of circ_0026344 increased the migratory and invasive capacities of CRC cells and increased EMT process as well. Overexpression of circ_0026344 led to a contrary impact. miR-183 was negatively regulated by circ_0026344, and the inhibitory effects of circ_0026344 overexpression on Wnt/β-catenin pathway were reversed when miR-183 was overexpressed. Conclusion: Overexpression of circ_0026344 restrained CRC metastasis and EMT induced by CCL20 and CXCL8 synergistical treatment. miR-183 was a downstream effector of circ_0026344, and the anti-tumour function of circ_0026344 might be involved in the repressed Wnt/β-catenin signalling. Highlights CCL20 and CXCL8 synergize to decrease the expression of circ_0026344; Silence of circ_0026344 promotes CRC cells migration, invasion and EMT process; miR-183 is a downstream effector of circ_0026344.

Overexpression of mir-129-1, miR-146b, mir-183, and mir-197 in follicular thyroid carcinoma and adenoma tissues

Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is responsible for approximately 10% of thyroid malignancies. Since this type of malignancy indicates no capsular and vascular invasions, adenoma and follicular carcinoma of thyroid are not distinguishable. It has been proved that microRNAs, which regulate approximately 30% of coding proteins, have an association with follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA) and carcinoma of the thyroid. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the expression of some miRNAs for detecting the most appropriate miRNA as potential biomarker in the diagnosis of FTA and FTC patients. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was applied to determine the expression levels of miR-129-1, miR-146b,-183 and miR-197 in 48 cases (16 FTC, 16 FTA and 16 hyperplasia/multinodular goiter (MNG) cases). The significance of miRNA differential expression levels among groups were assessed using Multivariate test by Statistical Package for Science Software (SPSS v.20) and Graph Pad Prism v.8. Results indicated that all of the miRNAs had significant overexpression in FTC and FTA versus MNG cases, and also increased expression level in FTC in comparison with FTA, however it was not significant. The results of ROC curve analysis determined the significant overexpression and prognostic value of miR-129-1 in FTA cases and miR-146b in both FTA and FTC cases compared to MNG group. Although all of the earlier mentioned microRNAs were overexpressed in FTC and FTA cases, the ROC curve results demonstrated that miR-129-1 had agreeable AUC for FTA cases. Therefore, it seems that it's cut-off point could be helpful in distinguishing between FTA and multinodular goiter cases. On the other hand, although miR-146b has excellent diagnostic value in both FTA and FTC groups, it seems that this microRNA is unable to act as a specific biomarker to discriminate between FTA and FTC cases. This data need to be confirmed in a large cohort study and other biological samples such as plasma.

OTUD6B-AS1 Inhibits Viability, Migration, and Invasion of Thyroid Carcinoma by Targeting miR-183-5p and miR-21

Background: The long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) functions as a regulator of initiation, progression, and metastasis of thyroid carcinomas. lncRNA OTUD6B antisense RNA 1 (OTUD6B-AS1) is a tumor-suppressive noncoding RNA in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. The role of OTUD6B-AS1 in thyroid carcinomas has not been reported yet. We aim to investigate the expression and biological functions of OTUD6B-AS1 in thyroid carcinomas. Methods: The expression level of OTUD6B-AS1 was measured in 60 paired human thyroid carcinoma tissues and corresponding adjacent normal thyroid tissues. The correlations between the OTUD6B-AS1 expression levels and clinicopathological features were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney test. The effects of OTUD6B-AS1 on thyroid carcinoma cells were determined via the MTT and transwell assays. The potential targets of OTUD6B-AS1 were screened using the online programs OncomiR and StarBase 3.0, and the LncBase Predicted v.2. Luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the interactions between OTUD6B-AS1 and its potential targets. Results: OTUD6B-AS1 was downregulated in thyroid carcinoma tissue samples. The expression of OTUD6B-AS1 correlated with tumor size, clinical stage, and lymphatic metastasis of thyroid carcinoma. Overexpression of OTUD6B-AS1 significantly decreased the viability, migration, and invasion of thyroid carcinoma cells. Online programs predicted miR-183-5p and miR-21 as potential targets of OTUD6B-AS1. Luciferase reporter assays showed miR-183-5p and miR-21 bound to OTUD6B-AS1. Moreover, overexpression of miR-183-5p and miR-21 compromised the inhibitory effects of OTUD6B-AS1 on viability, migration, and invasion of thyroid carcinoma cells. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings present in vitro evidence of lncRNA OTUD6B-AS1 as a tumor suppressor in thyroid carcinomas. OTUD6B-AS1 inhibits viability, migration, and invasion of thyroid carcinoma by targeting miR-183-5p and miR-21.

MicroRNA-183 in Cancer Progression

MicroRNA-183(miR-183) is abnormally expressed in many kinds of tumors. It participates in the initiation and development of tumors. There are many pathways regulate the expression of miR-183. The action mechanism of miR-183 in cancer is very extensive, and contradictory conclusions are often drawn. It was upregulated in 18 kinds of cancer, downregulated in 6 kinds of cancer. In addition, there are seven types of cancer, both upregulated and downregulated reports can be found. Evidence showed that miR-183 can not only directly play the role of oncogene or antioncogene, but also regulate the expression of other oncogene or antioncogene in different cancer types. In this review, we discuss the regulator of miR-183 and summarized the expression of miR-183 in different cancers. We also counted the target genes of miR-183 and the functional roles they play. Furthermore, we focused on the roles of miR-183 in cell migration, cell invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and microangiogenesis, which play the most important roles in cancer processes. It sheds light on the likely reasons why miR-183 plays different roles in various cancers. In addition, miR-183 and its downstream effectors have the potential to be promising prognostic markers and therapeutic targets in cancer.

Programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) as a novel prognostic marker for papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background

The primary goal of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) management was to stratify patients at pre- and post-surgical level to identify the small proportion of cases with potentially aggressive disease.

Purpose

The aim of our study is to evaluate the possible role of programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) and BRAF status as prognostic markers in PTC.

Patients and methods

We investigate programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) immunohistochemical expression in 125 consecutive PTCs with median follow-up of 75.3 months (range, 15–98 months) to verify the possible correlation between BRAF status and correlate the classical clinicopathological prognostic factors and PTC outcome with PDCD4 expression. To further support the data, miR-21 expression was tested (by quantitative real-time PCR and in situ hybridization) in a different series of 30 cases (15 PTCs BRAFwt and 15 PTCs BRAFV600E). Moreover, we validated our results using TGCA thyroid carcinoma dataset.

Results

We found that 59.8% of the patients showed low-grade PDCD4 nuclear expression and low-grade expression correlated with BRAF V600E. Compared with BRAF 15 wild-type tissue samples, a significant miR-21 up-regulation was associated with BRAF V600E mutations. Low-grade PDCD4 resulted, and was associated with aggressive histological variants, higher cancer size, extra-thyroidal extension, multifocality, lymph-node metastasis and lymph nodal ratio at the diagnosis. Concerning the outcome, the low-grade PDCD4 expression correlated at univariate and multivariate analysis, with lower levels of recurrence-free survival rate (RFS) and with poor outcome. Moreover, there was significant association between BRAF V600E patients with PDCD4 nuclear loss and lower RFS, whilet here was significant association between BRAF wild-type patients with PDCD4 nuclear expression and better outcome.

Conclusion

These results showed that PDCD4 could predict PTC outcome and that the sum of PDCD4 and BRAF alterations increases the prognostic power of BRAF mutation alone.

miR-29a-3p inhibits growth, proliferation, and invasion of papillary thyroid carcinoma by suppressing NF-κB signaling via direct targeting of OTUB2

Background

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is closely involved in cancer development. Downregulation of miR-29a-3p and its tumor suppressive roles in cancer have been revealed by multiple reporters. However, study of its expression pattern and function in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is rare.

Materials and methods

The expression of miR-29a-3p in PTC tissues and cells was detected by qPCR. CCK-8, plate clone formation, transwell invasion, Western blot, immunohistochem-istry, and luciferase reporter assays were carried out to identify the target of miR-29a-3p and explore its roles and mechanisms in PTC.

Results

Deregulated miR-29a-3p in PTC tissues and cell lines were revealed by qPCR. Restoring miR-29a-3p expression significantly inhibited growth, proliferation, and invasion of PTC cells demonstrated by CCK-8, plate clone formation, and transwell assays. Luciferase reporter assays showed miR-29a-3p can directly target OTUB2 in PTC cells. Ectopic expression of OTUB2 can antagonize the effects of miR-29a-3p on cell growth, proliferation, and invasion of PTC. Mechanistically, OTUB2 overexpression can activate NF-κB signaling mostly by stabilizing TRAF6. Upregulated OTUB2 expression was observed in PTC tissues via immunohistochemistry analysis. Moreover, OTUB2 showed a positive correlation to metastatic status and showed a negative correlation to the overall survival rate in PTC patients.

Conclusion

Deregulated miR-29a-3p can promote cell growth, proliferation, and invasion in PTC. OTUB2 is a direct downstream target of miR-29a-3p in PTC, and it mediates the effects of deregulated miR-29a-3p by activating TRAF6-associated NF-κB signaling in PTC.

miRNA expression and function in thyroid carcinomas: a comparative and critical analysis and a model for other cancers

As in many cancer types, miRNA expression profiles and functions have become an important field of research on non-medullary thyroid carcinomas, the most common endocrine cancers. This could lead to the establishment of new diagnostic tests and new cancer therapies. However, different studies showed important variations in their research strategies and results. In addition, the action of miRNAs is poorly considered as a whole because of the use of underlying dogmatic truncated concepts. These lead to discrepancies and limits rarely considered. Recently, this field has been enlarged by new miRNA functional and expression studies. Moreover, studies using next generation sequencing give a new view of general miRNA differential expression profiles of papillary thyroid carcinoma. We analyzed in detail this literature from both physiological and differential expression points of view. Based on explicit examples, we reviewed the progresses but also the discrepancies and limits trying to provide a critical approach of where this literature may lead. We also provide recommendations for future studies. The conclusions of this systematic analysis could be extended to other cancer types.

Role of microRNAs in endocrine cancer metastasis

The deregulation of transcription and processing of microRNAs (miRNAs), as well as their function, has been involved in the pathogenesis of several human diseases, including cancer. Despite advances in therapeutic approaches, cancer still represents one of the major health problems worldwide. Cancer metastasis is an aggravating factor in tumor progression, related to increased treatment complexity and a worse prognosis. After more than one decade of extensive studies of miRNAs, the fundamental role of these molecules in cancer progression and metastasis is beginning to be elucidated. Recent evidences have demonstrated a significant role of miRNAs on the metastatic cascade, acting either as pro-metastatic or anti-metastatic. They are involved in distinct steps of metastasis including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, migration/invasion, anoikis survival, and distant organ colonization. Studies on the roles of miRNAs in cancer have focused mainly on two fronts: the establishment of a miRNA signature for different tumors, which may aid in early diagnosis using these miRNAs as markers, and functional studies of specific miRNAs, determining their targets, function and regulation. Functional miRNA studies on endocrine cancers are still scarce and represent an important area of research, since some tumors, although not frequent, present a high mortality rate. Among the endocrine tumors, thyroid cancer is the most common and best studied. Several miRNAs show lowered expression in endocrine cancers (i.e. miR-200s, miR-126, miR-7, miR-29a, miR-30a, miR-137, miR-206, miR-101, miR-613, miR-539, miR-205, miR-9, miR-195), while others are commonly overexpressed (i.e. miR-21, miR-183, miR-31, miR-let7b, miR-584, miR-146b, miR-221, miR-222, miR-25, miR-595). Additionally, some miRNAs were found in serum exosomes (miR-151, miR-145, miR-31), potentially serving as diagnostic tools. In this review, we summarize studies concerning the discovery and functions of miRNAs and their regulatory roles in endocrine cancer metastasis, which may contribute for the finding of novel therapeutic targets. The review focus on miRNAs with at least some identified targets, with established functions and, if possible, upstream regulation.

miR-183 and miR-21 expression as biomarkers of progression and survival in tongue carcinoma patients

OBJECTIVES

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) have a major role in human cancerogenesis.The current study investigated the prognostic significance of miR-183 and miR-21 expression in tongue carcinoma patients.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

For qPCR of miR-183 and miR-21 expression, total RNA isolated from 60 fresh-frozen tissue of tongue carcinomas was converted into cDNA by TaqMan MicroRNA Reverse Transcription Kit and quantified by TaqMan MicroRNAs Expression Assays. Fold changes in the miRNAs expression, normalized to RNU6B, were determined using 2^-ΔΔCt method, and dichotomized into high and low according to cut-off values derived from ROC curve analysis.

RESULTS

miR-183 emerged as promising discriminatory biomarker of poor outcome. Tissue over-expression of miR-183, observed in 68.3% of tongue carcinomas, was associated with clinical stage (p = 0.037), tumor size (p = 0.036), and high alcohol intake (p = 0.034).The patients with miR-183 over-expression had significantly shorter overall survival (p = 0.006) and a 5.666 times higher risk of poor outcome (p = 0.005), while miR-21 over-expression carried a tendency towards poorer survival (p = 0.073). However, multivariate analysis revealed that the recurrences were independent adverse prognostic factors, while miR-183 over-expression lost its significance.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggests that over-expression of miR-183 in tumor tissue could be a potential marker of clinical stage and a poor survival of tongue carcinoma patients and may be associated with high alcohol consumption.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Oncogenic miRNAs, such as the investigated miR-183 and miR-21, could be novel prognostic biomarkers of tumor progression and adverse clinical outcome in oral cancer, as well as novel therapeutic targets in cancer.

miRNA dysregulation and the risk of metastasis and invasion in papillary thyroid cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, with an incidence continuing to grow every year. Although thyroid cancer as a whole is generally indolent and relatively easy to treat, some subtypes carry a higher rate of metastasis and cancer-related mortality. A growing number of studies have focused on the dysregulation of miRNAs in TC. However, differences in methods make comparison of gene profiling data difficult. A meta-analysis of published studies comparing miRNA expression data of invasive thyroid carcinoma with paired non-invasive tumors or normal tissues was performed by searching the literature for “invasion”, “thyroid cancer”, and “miRNA”. This revealed 29 dysregulated miRNAs associated with TC in 16 articles; the presence of invasion was confirmed in each respective article by laboratory research or patient follow-up. Among these miRNAs, miRNA-146b, miRNA-221, and miRNA-222 were analyzed further due to their higher frequencies across multiple studies. Of these studies, 6 were included in the meta-analysis, as they compared invasive PTC with paired normal tissues or non-invasive PTC.

Effect of MicroRNA-30e on the Behavior of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells via Targeting Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme E2I

BACKGROUND

Many microRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been shown to demonstrate critical roles in differentiation, proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, a certain amount of miRNA expression in VSMCs was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and it was found that microRNA-30e (miR-30e) was expressed more strongly than other common vascular well-expressed miRNAs in vitro. Subsequently, both a gain and loss of function study was performed in vitro and in vivo. It was found that miR-30e in VSMCs was strongly downregulated concomitantly with stimulation, and miR-30e inhibited VSMCs proliferation and migration both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2I (Ube2i) was identified as the target gene of endogenous miR-30e by luciferase reporter assay, and it was confirmed that overexpression of miR-30e significantly reduced Ube2i and inhibited the phenotypic switch of VSMCs. Knockdown of Ube2i had an influence over the proliferation and migration of cultured VSMCs, as same as the miR-30e mimic did. Overexpression of miR-30e induced the apoptosis of VSMCs and deregulated the protein expression of IkBα, which is crucial for the NFκB signal pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicated that miR-30e in VSMCs exerted an anti-atherosclerosis effect via inhibiting proliferation and migration, and promoting apoptosis of VSMCs. More specifically, it was demonstrated that miR-30e exhibited these effects on VSMCs partially through targeting Ube2i and downregulating the IκBα/NFκB signaling pathway.

Up-Regulation of microRNA-183 Promotes Cell Proliferation and Invasion in Glioma By Directly Targeting NEFL

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal type of primary malignant brain tumor. In recent years, increasing reports suggest that discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) might provide a novel therapeutical target for human cancers, including GBM. The expression and roles of microRNA-183 (miR-183) has been explored in several types of human cancers, including in GBM, and plays important roles in tumor initiation and progression. However, its biological functions in GBM remain largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that miR-183 was significantly up-regulated in astrocytoma tissues and glioblastoma cell lines. Introduction of miR-183 mimics into U251 cells could promoted, while its antisense oligos inhibited cell proliferation and invasion. Moreover, we identified neurofilament light polypeptide (NEFL) as a novel target gene of miR-183. The expression levels of NEFL are inversely correlated with that of miR-183 in human astrocytoma clinical specimens. In addition, NEFL-siRNA could significantly attenuate the inhibitory effects of knockdown miR-183 on the proliferation and invasion of U251 cells via mTOR signaling pathway. Overall, This study revealed that miR-183 promotes glioma cell proliferation by targeting NEFL, and also demonstrated that miR-183 could be a potential target for GBM treatment.

MiRNA-183-5p promotes cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in human breast cancer by targeting the PDCD4

MicroRNAs are often aberrantly expressed in breast cancer and postulated to play a causal role in the onset and maintenance of breast cancer by binding to its target mRNA. Here, we evaluated the effects of miRNA-183-5p on cell proliferation and apoptosis which attempted to elucidate the potential role of miR-183-5p/PDCD4 axis in human breast cancer. We found that the miR-183-5p expression level was extremely promoted in breast cancer in comparison with the adjacent normal tissues. Overexpression of miR-183-5p significantly enhanced the cell proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, PDCD4 was predicted as a putative target of miR-183-5p by bioinformatic approaches, and miR-183-5p negatively regulated the expression of PDCD4. Furthermore, knockdown of PDCD4 suppressed expression of p21 and p27, which was consistent with the result of the attachment of miR-183-5p. These data collectively demonstrate that miR-183-5p exerts oncomiRs effects in breast cancer, and may have broad impacts on the field of using antimiRs as anti-cancer drugs for breast cancer.

Upregulation of miR-183 expression and its clinical significance in human brain glioma

Glioma is the most common type of primary malignant tumor in the central nervous system (CNS) with a high incidence and a high mortality rate, as well as an extremely low 5-year survival rate. As a class of small non-coding RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs) may be closely involved in carcinogenesis and might also be connected with glioma diagnosis and prognosis. In this study, we aimed at investigating the expression level of microRNA-183 (miR-183) in 105 cases of glioma tissues of four World Health Organization (WHO) grades and 10 cases of normal brain tissues and its potential predictive and prognostic values in glioma. We found that the expression levels of miR-183 were significantly higher in glioma tissues than that in normal brain tissues, and also higher in high-grade gliomas (WHO grade III and IV) compared with low-grade gliomas (WHO grade I and II). The miR-183 expression level was classified as low or high according to the median value. High expression of miR-183 was found to significantly correlate with larger tumor size, higher WHO grade, and worse Karnofsky performance score (KPS). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with high miR-183 expression had worse overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) than patients with low miR-183 expression. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that miR-183 expression level was an independent prognostic parameter of a patient's OS and PFS. In conclusion, our study indicated that miR-183 was upregulated in glioma, and that it may be used as a potential biomarker of poor prognosis in patients with glioma.

Roles of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit alpha, activator protein-1, and programmed cell death 4 in diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma

This study evaluated the diagnostic values of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit alpha (P85α), activator protein-1 (AP-1), and programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). P85α, AP-1, and PDCD4 expressions were detected in PTC tissues (n = 116) and thyroid papillary hyperplasia (PTH) tissues (n = 90) by immunohistochemistry, western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Associations of P85α, AP-1, and PDCD4 expressions with clinicopathological features in PTC were analyzed. Diagnostic values of P85α, AP-1, and PDCD4 in PTC were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. P85α, AP-1, and PDCD4 expression levels in PTC tissues were statistically different from those in PTH tissues (all P < 0.05). In PTC tissues, AP-1 expression was positively associated with P85α expression (r = 0.841, P < 0.01), while negatively associated with PDCD4 expression (r = -0.755, P < 0.01). P85α expression was associated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) and the degree of differentiation (both P < 0.05); AP-1 and PDCD4 expressions were associated with the degree of differentiation (both P < 0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of P85α were 92.2 and 91.1 %, respectively, with a cutoff value of 2.100 and an area under curve (AUC) of 0.966. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of AP-1 reached 94.4 and 93.3 % with a cutoff value of 1.655 and an AUC of 0.987. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of PDCD4 were 54.4 and 85.6 % with a cutoff value of 2.025 and an AUC of 0.754. P85α, AP-1, and PDCD4 proteins may be related to the tumorigenesis and progression of PTC. Moreover, P85α, AP-1, and PDCD4 proteins may serve as potential diagnostic markers to the biological behavior of PTC.

Inhibition of FOXO1 by small interfering RNA enhances proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma cells via Akt/FOXO1/Bim pathway

Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) is a multifunctional transcription factor of the forkhead family. It may function as a tumor suppressor through its ability to regulate cellular events, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle control. As reported, FOXO1 is downregulated in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the function of FOXO1 in human PTC remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the function and underlying regulatory mechanisms of FOXO1 in PTC cells. PTC cell lines K1 and TPC1 were transiently transfected with FOXO1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and negative control RNA. Successful transfection was confirmed by RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cell proliferation assays, colony formation assays, apoptosis, and cell cycle assays were used to explore the potential function of FOXO1 in the PTC cell lines. We found that downregulation of FOXO1 promoted cellular proliferation, enhanced clonogenesis, and inhibited cellular apoptosis. However, the cell cycle was not markedly affected by FOXO1 siRNA. Furthermore, Bim, a downstream target of the Akt/FOXO1 signaling pathway, was downregulated at both mRNA and protein levels in cells transfected with FOXO1 siRNA. Collectively, these results indicate that FOXO1 may play an important role in inhibiting PTC development by regulating cellular proliferation, growth, and apoptosis. FOXO1 expression is a potentially useful biomarker for human PTC. Moreover, tumorigenesis of PTC may be associated with repression of the Akt/FOXO1/Bim signaling pathway.