Urinary microRNA-1913 to microRNA-3659 expression ratio as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer

Single‑center, retrospective, evaluator‑blinded, pilot and pivotal clinical trials: Assessing the mirCaP Kit (hsv2‑miR‑H9/hsa‑miR‑3659) as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer in patients with PSA levels in the gray zone

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) remains a key biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer (PCa). For patients within the 'PSA gray zone', the positive predictive value (PPV) of PSA for PCa detection by biopsy is estimated to be between 30 and 42%. In the present study, a single-center, retrospective, evaluator-blinded, pilot and pivotal clinical trial was performed to assess the clinical performance of the mirCaP kit (Urotech, Inc.), which measures the herpes simplex virus 2-microRNA (miR)-H9/hsa-miR-3659 ratio, with respect to helping physicians make appropriate decisions regarding further assessment of patients with PSA levels within this gray zone. For the patients in the initial clinical trial group who were in the PSA gray zone, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV and negative predictive value (NPV) of the mirCaP kit were 94.29, 77.50, 85.33, 78.57 and 93.94%, respectively. For those in the pivotal clinical trial, these values were 94.50, 82.73, 87.90, 81.10 and 95.04%, respectively. These results suggest that the mirCaP kit may be an effective non-invasive diagnostic marker for PCa in patients with PSA levels in the gray zone. Thus, the mirCaP kit is a promising tool that can help physicians make a decision regarding the need for prostate biopsy in these patients. Of note, the NPV of >90% indicates that the mirCaP kit could prevent unnecessary prostate biopsies in >90% of these cases.

MicroRNAs as promising diagnostic and prognostic markers for the human genitourinary cancer

Genitourinary cancer (GUC) represents more than one fifth of all human cancers. This makes the development of approaches to its early diagnosis an important task of modern biomedicine. Circulating microRNAs, short (17-25 nucleotides) non-coding RNA molecules found in human biological fluids and performing a regulatory role in the cell, are considered as promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of cancers, including GUC. In this review we have considered the current state of research aimed at assessing microRNAs as biomarkers of such human GUC types as malignant tumors of the bladder, kidney, prostate, testicles, ovaries, and cervix. A special attention has been paid to studies devoted to the identification of microRNAs in urine as a surrogate "liquid biopsy" that may provide the simplest and cheapest approach to mass non-invasive screening of human GUC. The use of microRNA panels instead of single types of microRNA generally leads to higher sensitivity and specificity of the developed diagnostic tests. However, to date, work on the microRNAs assessment as biomarkers of human GUC is still of a research nature, and the further introduction of diagnostic tests based on microRNAs into practice requires successful clinical trials.

Applications of Urinary Extracellular Vesicles in the Diagnosis and Active Surveillance of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer among men in the UK, causing significant health and economic burdens. Diagnosis and risk prognostication can be challenging due to the genetic and clinical heterogeneity of prostate cancer as well as uncertainties in our knowledge of the underlying biology and natural history of disease development. Urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) are microscopic, lipid bilayer defined particles released by cells that carry a variety of molecular cargoes including nucleic acids, proteins and other molecules. Urine is a plentiful source of prostate-derived EVs. In this narrative review, we summarise the evidence on the function of urinary EVs and their applications in the evolving field of prostate cancer diagnostics and active surveillance. EVs are implicated in the development of all hallmarks of prostate cancer, and this knowledge has been applied to the development of multiple diagnostic tests, which are largely based on RNA and miRNA. Common gene probes included in multi-probe tests include PCA3 and ERG, and the miRNAs miR-21 and miR-141. The next decade will likely bring further improvements in the diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers as well as insights into molecular biological mechanisms of action that can be translated into opportunities in precision uro-oncology.

Human Metapneumovirus-Induced Host microRNA Expression Impairs the Interferon Response in Macrophages and Epithelial Cells

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a nonsegmented, single-stranded negative RNA virus and a member of the Pneumoviridae family. During HMPV infection, macrophages play a critical role in defending the respiratory epithelium by secreting large amounts of type I interferon (IFN). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding, single-stranded RNAs that play an essential role in regulating gene expression during normal cellular homeostasis and disease by binding to specific mRNAs, thereby regulating at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels with a direct impact on the immune response and other cellular processes. However, the role of miRNAs in macrophages and respiratory viral infections remains largely unknown. Here, we characterized the susceptibility of THP-1-derived macrophages to HMPV infection and the effect of hsa-miR-4634 on these cells. Transfection of an miRNA mimic and inhibitor demonstrated that hsa-miR-4634 regulates the IFN response in HMPV-infected macrophages, suggesting that HMPV induces the expression of the miRNA as a subversion mechanism of the antiviral response. This effect was not limited to macrophages, as a similar effect was also observed in epithelial cells. Overall, our results demonstrate that hsa-miR-4634 is an important factor in regulating the IFN response in macrophages and epithelial cells during HMPV infection.

The relationship between microRNAs and bladder cancer: are microRNAs useful to predict bladder cancer in suspicious patients?

PURPOSE

Recent studies indicate that circulating micro RNAs (miRNAs) are novel class of non-invasive biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic information. We evaluated the miRNA expressions in bladder cancer (BC) and their associations with disease diagnosis.

METHODS

We profiled the expressions of 379 miRNAs in the plasma samples from patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) (n = 34) and non-malignant urological diseases as a control group (n = 32). Patients were evaluated regarding with age, miRNA expressions, by using descriptive statistics. miRNA expression in extracted RNA was quantified using the NanoString nCounter Digital Analyzer.

RESULTS

The analysis of plasma miRNA levels in the marker identification cohort indicated that plasma (miR-1260a, let-7a-3p miR-196b-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-99a-5p, miR-615-5p, miR-4301, miR-28-3p, miR-4538, miR-1233-3p, miR-4732-5p, miR-1913, miR-1280) levels were increased in NMIBC patients compared to control subjects. There were no significant differences other parameters studied between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of serum plasma miRNA (miR-1260a, let-7a-3p miR-196b-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-99a-5p, miR-615-5p, miR-4301, miR-28-3p, miR-4538, miR-1233-3p, miR-4732-5p, miR-1913, miR-1280) levels could be useful plasma biomarkers for BC.

Recent Advances in Extracellular Vesicles in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Emergent Perspectives

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe and incurable neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive death of motor neurons, leading to paralysis and death. It is a rare disease characterized by high patient-to-patient heterogeneity, which makes its study arduous and complex. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important players in the development of ALS. Thus, ALS phenotype-expressing cells can spread their abnormal bioactive cargo through the secretion of EVs, even in distant tissues. Importantly, owing to their nature and composition, EVs' formation and cargo can be exploited for better comprehension of this elusive disease and identification of novel biomarkers, as well as for potential therapeutic applications, such as those based on stem cell-derived exosomes. This review highlights recent advances in the identification of the role of EVs in ALS etiopathology and how EVs can be promising new therapeutic strategies.

miR-26a-5p restoration via EZH2 silencing blocks the IL-6/STAT3 axis to repress the growth of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in the activation of several oncogenic pathways in prostate cancer. However, its upstream trans-signaling pathway remains largely unknown. This work proposes a mechanistic explanation of IL-6's upstream effectors in prostate carcinogenesis.

RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODS

Samples were harvested to validate the expression of EZH2, miR-26a-5p, and IL-6. Moreover, the protein and its phosphorylation of STAT3 (signal transducer and transcription activator 3) were assessed in prostate cancer cells. We explored the effects of these effectors on malignant phenotypes in vitro and tumor growth in vivo using functional assays. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter gene assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used to determine their binding relationships.

RESULTS

Overexpression of EZH2 and IL-6, and under expression of miR-26a-5p was observed in prostate cancer. Silencing IL-6 repressed STAT3 to suppress the malignant phenotypes of prostate cancer cells. Mechanistically, EZH2 inhibited miR-26a-5p expression by promoting H3K27 histone methylation, and miR-26a-5p restricted the malignant phenotypes of prostate cancer by targeting IL-6. Ectopic EZH2 expression reduced xenograft growth by inhibiting miR-26a-5p and activating the IL-6/STAT3 axis.

CONCLUSION

EZH2 May potentially be involved in regulating its expression by recruiting H3K27me3 to the miR-26a-5p promoter region, which could further impact the IL6/STAT3 pathway.

Urinary MicroRNAs as Biomarkers of Urological Cancers: A Systematic Review

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as biomarkers for the detection and prognosis of cancers due to their inherent stability and resilience. To summarize the evidence regarding the role of urinary miRNAs (umiRNAs) in the detection, prognosis, and therapy of genitourinary cancers, we performed a systematic review of the most important scientific databases using the following keywords: (urinary miRNA) AND (prostate cancer); (urinary miRNA) AND (bladder cancer); (urinary miRNA) AND (renal cancer); (urinary miRNA) AND (testicular cancer); (urinary miRNA) AND (urothelial cancer). Of all, 1364 articles were screened. Only original studies in the English language on human specimens were considered for inclusion in our systematic review. Thus, a convenient sample of 60 original articles was identified. UmiRNAs are up- or downregulated in prostate cancer and may serve as potential non-invasive molecular biomarkers. Several umiRNAs have been identified as diagnostic biomarkers of urothelial carcinoma and bladder cancer (BC), allowing us to discriminate malignant from nonmalignant forms of hematuria. UmiRNAs could serve as therapeutic targets or recurrence markers of non-muscle-invasive BC and could predict the aggressivity and prognosis of muscle-invasive BC. In renal cell carcinoma, miRNAs have been identified as predictors of tumor detection, aggressiveness, and progression to metastasis. UmiRNAs could play an important role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of urological cancers.

Common Genetic Factors and Pathways in Alzheimer's Disease and Ischemic Stroke: Evidences from GWAS

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and ischemic stroke (IS) are common neurological disorders, and the comorbidity of these two brain diseases is often seen. Although AD and IS were regarded as two distinct disease entities, in terms of different etiologies and clinical presentation, recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) revealed that there were common risk genes between AD and IS, indicating common molecular pathways and their common pathophysiology. In this review, we summarize AD and IS risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their representative genes from the GWAS Catalog database, and find thirteen common risk genes, but no common risk SNPs. Furthermore, the common molecular pathways associated with these risk gene products are summarized from the GeneCards database and clustered into inflammation and immunity, G protein-coupled receptor, and signal transduction. At least seven of these thirteen genes can be regulated by 23 microRNAs identified from the TargetScan database. Taken together, the imbalance of these molecular pathways may give rise to these two common brain disorders. This review sheds light on the pathogenesis of comorbidity of AD and IS, and provides molecular targets for disease prevention, manipulation, and brain health maintenance.

Overview of MicroRNAs as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers for High-Incidence Cancers in 2021

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) about 22 nucleotides in size, which play an important role in gene regulation and are involved in almost all major cellular physiological processes. In recent years, the abnormal expression of miRNAs has been shown to be associated with human diseases including cancer. In the past ten years, the link between miRNAs and various cancers has been extensively studied, and the abnormal expression of miRNAs has been reported in various malignant tumors, such as lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Due to the high malignancy grade of these cancers, it is more necessary to develop the related diagnostic and prognostic methods. According to the study of miRNAs, many potential cancer biomarkers have been proposed for the diagnosis and prognosis of diseases, especially cancer, thus providing a new theoretical basis and perspective for cancer screening. The use of miRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis or prognosis of cancer has the advantages of being less invasive to patients, with better accuracy and lower price. In view of the important clinical significance of miRNAs in human cancer research, this article reviewed the research status of miRNAs in the above-mentioned cancers in 2021, especially in terms of diagnosis and prognosis, and provided some new perspectives and theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.

A novel prognostic model based on three clinic-related miRNAs for prostate cancer

Background

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common malignant tumor in men worldwide. MiRNAs have been reported to play significant roles in prognosis prediction for patients with malignant tumors.

Methods

The survival-related miRNAs (sDMIRs) were identified by Cox regression analysis. A risk score model (RSM) was established based on three sDMIRs. The expression levels of sDMIRs in cell lines and clinical samples were detected via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The correlations between sDMIRs and clinicopathological characteristics of PCa patients were evaluated using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact probability method.

Results

Four sDMIRs were remarkably related to the prognosis of PCa patients based on univariate Cox analysis, of which miR-10a-5p, miR-20a-5p, and miR-508-3p were used to establish the RSM. The OS in the low-risk group was better than that in the high-risk group. In the verification of various prostate cell lines and clinical samples from 162 PCa patients, the prominently higher expression of miR-10a-5p and miR-20a-5p and lower expression of miR-508-3p were detected in PCa cell lines and tumor tissues, especially the more advanced T-stage. Besides, the higher expression of miR-20a-5p and miR-10a-5p was significantly correlated to the higher level of PSA, Gleason score, more advanced T-stage, and distant metastasis status.

Conclusion

We identify and validate the clinical significance of three sDMIRs and establish a verified RSM to evaluate the prognosis for PCa patients. The findings not only provide a reliable tool for clinical decision-makers to evaluate patients' prognosis but also offer a novel perspective into the field of biomarker identification.

Urinary microRNAs and Their Significance in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: A 5-Year Update

Simple Summary

Current diagnostics of prostate cancer often show unsatisfactory results, leading to delayed detection or overtreatment. Urinary microRNAs are a class of promising non-invasive biomarkers. Although many studies have been conducted on this topic in the last five years, there is little agreement on the data obtained. This review aims to discuss new knowledge but also focuses on technical aspects affecting urinary miRNA analysis.

Abstract

Current routine screening methods for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) have significantly increased early detection of the disease but often show unsatisfactory analytical parameters. A class of promising markers represents urinary microRNAs (miRNAs). In the last five years, there has been an extensive increase in the number of studies on this topic. Thus, this review aims to update knowledge and point out technical aspects affecting urinary miRNA analysis. The review of relevant literature was carried out by searching the PubMed database for the keywords: microRNA, miRNA, urine, urinary, prostate cancer, and diagnosis. Papers discussed in this review were retrieved using PubMed, and the search strategy was as follows: (urine OR urinary) WITH (microRNA OR miRNA) AND prostate cancer. The search was limited to the last 5 years, January 2017 to December 2021. Based on the defined search strategy, 31 original publications corresponding to the research topic were identified, read and reviewed to present the latest findings and to assess possible translation of urinary miRNAs into clinical practice. Reviews or older publications were read and cited if they valuably extended the context and contributed to a better understanding. Urinary miRNAs are potentially valuable markers for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Despite promising results, there is still a need for independent validation of exploratory data, which follows a strict widely accepted methodology taking into account the shortcomings and factors influencing the analysis.

Expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9 as a field defect marker for detecting prostate cancer

Background

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a marker of prostate cancer (PCa), although its efficacy as a diagnostic marker remains controversial. A high false-positive rate leads to repeat biopsy in approximately 70% of patients, which may not be necessary. Epigenetic biomarkers of field cancerization have been investigated widely as promising tools for the diagnosis of patients with suspected tumors. In the current study, we examined the diagnostic value of two microRNA (miRNA) candidates, hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9, using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from patients with PCa or benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) (as controls) to determine the usefulness of these markers for detecting the presence of cancer.

Methods

Expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9 in 201 FFPE tissues, including 52 primary tumors, 73 surrounding noncancerous tissues, and 90 BPH nontumor controls was examined by real-time PCR.

Results

Expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9 was significantly higher in primary tumors from PCa patients than in BPH controls (P < 0.0001). In patients within the PSA gray zone, the two viral miRNAs could distinguish PCa from controls with appropriate sensitivity and specificity. Expression of the two miRNAs did not differ between primary tumors and noncancerous surrounding tissues.

Conclusions

The viral miRNAs hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9 may be associated with field cancerization of PCa and could be promising supplemental biomarkers to the PSA assay to decrease the rate of unnecessary biopsy, particularly in patients within the PSA gray zone.

Urinary hsv2-miR-H9 to hsa-miR-3659 ratio is an effective marker for discriminating prostate cancer from benign prostate hyperplasia in patients within the prostate-specific antigen grey zone

PURPOSE

Tumor microRNAs (miRNAs) are released to biofluids directly or indirectly. Although urinary miRNAs are promising non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa), their clinical application is challenging for technical reasons. We examined the efficacy of urinary hsv2-miR-H9 to hsa-miR-3659 ratio as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of PCa.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The expression of urinary miRNAs was quantified by real-time PCR in 116 samples from 53 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 63 patients with PCa. The miRNA expression ratio was calculated using an upregulated miRNA (hsv2-miR-H9) as the numerator and a downregulated miRNA (hsa-miR-3659) as the denominator.

RESULTS

The urinary miR-H9 to miR-3659 ratio was significantly higher in PCa than in BPH controls (p<0.001). The diagnostic accuracy of the urinary miRNA expression ratio was comparable with that of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve comparison, p=0.287). The area under the curve for urinary miRNA expression ratio was 0.862 and that for PSA was 0.642 in the "PSA gray zone" (3-10 ng/mL) (ROC curve comparison, p=0.034). The use of the urinary miRNA expression ratio would have prevented 70.6% of unnecessary prostate biopsies; however, 28.6% of PCa cases could be missed in patients within the PSA gray zone.

CONCLUSIONS

The expression ratio of urinary miR-H9 to miR-3659 could be a relevant non-invasive biomarker for PCa diagnosis, particularly for patients within the PSA gray zone.

The exosomal transfer of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived miR-1913 inhibits osteosarcoma progression by targeting NRSN2

OBJECTIVE

Osteosarcoma is a malignant bone tumor consisting of mesenchymal cells. This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effects of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (hBMSC)-derived miR-1913 on osteosarcoma.

METHODS

Cell viability was determined using CCK8 and colony formation assays. The cell migration and invasion abilities were assessed using wound healing and transwell assays. RT-qPCR and western blot were used to measure the miR-1913, Neurensin-2 (NRSN2), N-cadherin, and E-cadherin expression levels. Dual luciferase reporter assays were conducted to identify the target relationship between miR-1913 and NRSN2. The exosomes were extracted and identified using TEM and NTA assays.

RESULTS

In the osteosarcoma tumor tissues and cell lines, the NRSN2 expressions were up-regulated, which correlated with a poor osteosarcoma prognosis. MiR-1913 inhibited the cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion by negatively targeting NRSN2. Furthermore, the hBMSC-derived exosomes delivered miR-1913 to inhibit the NRSN2 expression in the osteosarcoma cells.

CONCLUSION

The inhibitory role of hBMSC-derived miR-1913 on osteosarcoma progression was achieved by targeting NRSN2, indicating the potential therapeutic value of hBMSC-derived miR-1913.