The biology, function, and applications of exosomes in cancer

Exosomes are cell-derived nanovesicles with diameters from 30 to 150 nm, released upon fusion of multivesicular bodies with the cell surface. They can transport nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids for intercellular communication and activate signaling pathways in target cells. In cancers, exosomes may participate in growth and metastasis of tumors by regulating the immune response, blocking the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and promoting angiogenesis. They are also involved in the development of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Exosomes in liquid biopsies can be used as non-invasive biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis of cancers. Because of their amphipathic structure, exosomes are natural drug delivery vehicles for cancer therapy.

Long non-coding RNAs: From disease code to drug role

Enormous studies have corroborated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) extensively participate in crucial physiological processes such as metabolism and immunity, and are closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors, cardiovascular diseases, nervous system disorders, nephropathy, and other diseases. The application of lncRNAs as biomarkers or intervention targets can provide new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This paper has focused on the emerging research into lncRNAs as pharmacological targets and has reviewed the transition of lncRNAs from the role of disease coding to acting as drug candidates, including the current status and progress in preclinical research. Cutting-edge strategies for lncRNA modulation have been summarized, including the sources of lncRNA-related drugs, such as genetic technology and small-molecule compounds, and related delivery methods. The current progress of clinical trials of lncRNA-targeting drugs is also discussed. This information will form a latest updated reference for research and development of lncRNA-based drugs.

Long non-coding RNA BLACAT1 expedites osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion via up-regulating SOX12 through miR-608

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BLACAT1 promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and dampens cell apoptosis in OS.

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BLACAT1 sponges miR-608 in OS.

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SOX12 is the target of miR-608.

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BLACA1 promotes OS cell growth and migration via targeting miR-608/SOX12 axis.

Background

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone malignancy. Increasing evidence indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) possess multiple functions in the development of cancer and can be used as indicators of prognosis and diagnosis. LncRNA BLACAT1 has been found to promote the proliferation of breast cancer cells. However, the role of BLACAT1 in osteosarcoma remains largely unknown.

Methods

QRT-PCR analysis was employed to evaluate mRNA expressions. Western blot was performed to measure relevant protein level. Colony formation and EdU assays were conducted to certify proliferative ability. TUNEL assay was finalized to assess apoptotic cells. Wound-healing and transwell assays were utilized for the exploration of migrating and invasive abilities. The subcellular distribution of BLACAT1 was studied by nucleus-cytoplasm separation assay. Relevant mechanical experiments were combined to elucidate molecular relationship between molecules.

Results

BLACAT1 was highly expressed in osteosarcoma. BLACAT1 promoted the proliferation and migration of osteosarcoma cells. BLACAT1 acted as a sponge for miR-608 to augment the expression of Sex determining region Y-box protein 12 (SOX12), the direct target of miR-608. Further, inhibiting miR-608 recovered the repressive effect of silenced BLACAT1 on the malignant behaviors of osteosarcoma cells.

Conclusion

This study highlighted the contribution of BLACAT1/miR-608/SOX12 axis to the progression of osteosarcoma, suggesting novel targets for osteosarcoma therapy.

CirRNAPL: A web server for the identification of circRNA based on extreme learning machine

Circular RNA (circRNA) plays an important role in the development of diseases, and it provides a novel idea for drug development. Accurate identification of circRNAs is important for a deeper understanding of their functions. In this study, we developed a new classifier, CirRNAPL, which extracts the features of nucleic acid composition and structure of the circRNA sequence and optimizes the extreme learning machine based on the particle swarm optimization algorithm. We compared CirRNAPL with existing methods, including blast, on three datasets and found CirRNAPL significantly improved the identification accuracy for the three datasets, with accuracies of 0.815, 0.802, and 0.782, respectively. Additionally, we performed sequence alignment on 564 sequences of the independent detection set of the third data set and analyzed the expression level of circRNAs. Results showed the expression level of the sequence is positively correlated with the abundance. A user-friendly CirRNAPL web server is freely available at http://server.malab.cn/CirRNAPL/.

Progress in understanding the relationship between long noncoding RNA and endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease. However, the etiology of endometriosis is still unclear, and current theories cannot fully elaborate its specific pathogenesis. Recently, some research has suggested that the occurrence and development of endometriosis may be related to genetics. Long-chain non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) is a kind of non-protein-coding RNA molecule with a length of 200-100,000 bp. With complex biological functions, lncRNAs play an important role in the normal development of individuals and the progression of various diseases, and lncRNAs have become an important field of medical research in recent years. This paper mainly illustrates the research progress on lncRNAs as they relate to endometriosis. We also provide some ideas for exploring the pathogenesis of endometriosis.

Upregulation of the long non-coding RNA CBR3-AS1 predicts tumor prognosis and contributes to breast cancer progression

Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy and the major cause of cancer-related death in women. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), as oncogenic or tumor suppressor factor, involved in the development and progression of various cancers. In this study, we sought to investigate the function of lncRNA CBR3-AS1 in breast cancer. We evaluated the expression pattern of CBR3-AS1 in breast cancer tissues and cell lines, explored the correlation between CBR3-AS1 expression and the survival time of breast cancer patients, and probed the effect of CBR3-AS1 on tumor progression of breast cancer through loss-of-function and gain-of-function strategies. Our results showed that CBR3-AS1 was overexpressed in breast cancer tissues and cell lines and predicted the prognosis of breast cancer patients. And CBR3-AS1 exerted biological function as an oncogenic lncRNA, involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis and tumor growth in breast cancer. Taken together, CBR3-AS1 was up-regulated in breast cancer and promoted the risk of breast cancer. It may be a novel therapeutic target and potential prognostic marker for breast cancer.

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lncRNA CBR3-AS1 is up-regulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines.

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High CBR3-AS1 expression predicted poor prognosis in breast cancer patients.

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CBR3-AS1 promote breast cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

Circular RNAs in the cardiovascular system

Until recently considered as rare, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as important regulators of gene expression. They are ubiquitously expressed and represent a novel branch of the family of non-coding RNAs. Recent investigations showed that circRNAs are regulated in the cardiovascular system and participate in its physiological and pathological development. In this review article, we will provide an overview of the role of circRNAs in cardiovascular health and disease. After a description of the biogenesis of circRNAs, we will summarize what is known of the expression, regulation and function of circRNAs in the cardiovascular system. We will then address some technical aspects of circRNAs research, discussing how artificial intelligence may aid in circRNAs research. Finally, the potential of circRNAs as biomarkers of cardiovascular disease will be addressed and directions for future research will be proposed.

Specific long non-coding RNAs response to occupational PAHs exposure in coke oven workers

To explore whether the alteration of lncRNA expression is correlated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure and DNA damage, we examined PAHs external and internal exposure, DNA damage and lncRNAs (HOTAIR, MALAT1, TUG1 and GAS5) expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLCs) of 150 male coke oven workers and 60 non-PAHs exposure workers. We found the expression of HOTAIR, MALAT1, and TUG1 were enhanced in PBLCs of coke oven workers and positively correlated with the levels of external PAHs exposure (adjusted Ptrend < 0.001 for HOTAIR and MALAT1, adjusted Ptrend = 0.006 for TUG1). However, only HOTAIR and MALAT1 were significantly associated with the level of internal PAHs exposure (urinary 1-hydroxypyrene) with adjusted β = 0.298, P = 0.024 for HOTAIR and β = 0.090, P = 0.034 for MALAT1. In addition, the degree of DNA damage was positively associated with MALAT1 and HOTAIR expression in PBLCs of all subjects (adjusted β = 0.024, P = 0.002 for HOTAIR and β = 0.007, P = 0.003 for MALAT1). Moreover, we revealed that the global histone 3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) modification was positively associated with the degree of genetic damage (β = 0.061, P < 0.001) and the increase of HOTAIR expression (β = 0.385, P = 0.018). Taken together, our findings suggest that altered HOTAIR and MALAT1 expression might be involved in response to PAHs-induced DNA damage.

Epigenetic regulation of drug metabolism and transport

The drug metabolism is a biochemical process on modification of pharmaceutical substances through specialized enzymatic systems. Changes in the expression of drug-metabolizing enzyme genes can affect drug metabolism. Recently, epigenetic regulation of drug-metabolizing enzyme genes has emerged as an important mechanism. Epigenetic regulation refers to heritable factors of genomic modifications that do not involve changes in DNA sequence. Examples of such modifications include DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. This review examines the widespread effect of epigenetic regulations on genes involved in drug metabolism, and also suggests a network perspective of epigenetic regulation. The epigenetic mechanisms have important clinical implications and may provide insights into effective drug development and improve safety of drug therapy.

Long non-coding RNAs as emerging regulators of differentiation, development, and disease

A significant portion of the mammalian genome encodes numerous transcripts that are not translated into proteins, termed long non-coding RNAs. Initial studies identifying long non-coding RNAs inferred these RNA sequences were a consequence of transcriptional noise or promiscuous RNA polymerase II activity. However, the last decade has seen a revolution in the understanding of regulation and function of long non-coding RNAs. Now it has become apparent that long non-coding RNAs play critical roles in a wide variety of biological processes. In this review, we describe the current understanding of long non-coding RNA-mediated regulation of cellular processes: differentiation, development, and disease.