Knockdown of CXCR4 Inhibits CXCL12-Induced Angiogenesis in HUVECs through Downregulation of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT and the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathways

Knockdown of MON1B Exerts Anti-Tumor Effects in Colon Cancer In Vitro

Background

Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. We performed the present study to determine the molecular mechanism of MON1B in colon cancer cells.

Material/Methods

Colon cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected from 34 colon cancer patients. MON1B-silenced LoVo colon cancer cells were constructed. RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect mRNA and protein levels, respectively, of colon cancer tissues and cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), wound healing, and Transwell assays were used to detect viability, migration, and invasion, respectively, of colon cancer cells.

Results

The mRNA and protein levels of MON1B were higher in colon cancer tissues and human colon cancer cell lines (HT-29, SW480, COLO205, LoVo). Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities were all inhibited when MON1B was silenced in LoVo colon cancer cells. Both the mRNA and protein levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 and iκB were increased, while that of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2, MMP-9, metastasis-associated genes (MTA)-1, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and chemokine receptor type (CXCR)-4 was decreased when MON1B was silenced.

Conclusions

MON1B interference exerted anti-tumor effect in colon cancer in vitro.

Construction and analysis of mRNA, miRNA, lncRNA, and TF regulatory networks reveal the key genes associated with prostate cancer

Purpose

Prostate cancer (PCa) causes a common male urinary system malignant tumour, and the molecular mechanisms of PCa are related to the abnormal regulation of various signalling pathways. An increasing number of studies have suggested that mRNAs, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and TFs could play important roles in various biological processes that are associated with cancer pathogenesis. This study aims to reveal functional genes and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of PCa with bioinformatics.

Methods

Original gene expression profiles were obtained from the GSE64318 and GSE46602 datasets in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). We conducted differential screens of the expression of genes (DEGs) between two groups using the online tool GEO2R based on the R software limma package. Interactions between differentially expressed miRNAs, mRNAs and lncRNAs were predicted and merged with the target genes. Co-expression of miRNAs, lncRNAs and mRNAs was selected to construct mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA interaction networks. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed for the DEGs. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed, and transcription factors were annotated. Expression of hub genes in the TCGA datasets was verified to improve the reliability of our analysis.

Results

The results demonstrate that 60 miRNAs, 1578 mRNAs and 61 lncRNAs were differentially expressed in PCa. The mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA networks were composed of 5 miRNA nodes, 13 lncRNA nodes, and 45 mRNA nodes. The DEGs were mainly enriched in the nuclei and cytoplasm and were involved in the regulation of transcription, related to sequence-specific DNA binding, and participated in the regulation of the PI3K-Akt signalling pathway. These pathways are related to cancer and focal adhesion signalling pathways. Furthermore, we found that 5 miRNAs, 6 lncRNAs, 6 mRNAs and 2 TFs play important regulatory roles in the interaction network. The expression levels of EGFR, VEGFA, PIK3R1, DLG4, TGFBR1 and KIT were significantly different between PCa and normal prostate tissue.

Conclusion

Based on the current study, large-scale effects of interrelated mRNAs, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and TFs established a new prostate cancer network. In addition, we conducted functional module analysis within the network. In conclusion, this study provides new insight for exploration of the molecular mechanisms of PCa and valuable clues for further research into the process of tumourigenesis and its development in PCa.

The role of lncRNA XIST/miR-211 axis in modulating the proliferation and apoptosis of osteoarthritis chondrocytes through CXCR4 and MAPK signaling

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in multiple diverse diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). Here, we explored the role of lncRNA XIST in OA and identified the potential molecular mechanisms. The expression of XIST in cartilage samples in patients with OA was significantly upregulated. XIST knockdown remarkably suppressed IL-1β-suppressed OA chondrocyte proliferation while promoted IL-1β-induced cell apoptosis. By employing online tools, miRNAs related to CXCR4, a major contributor to chondrocyte apoptosis, and XIST were selected. miR-211 expression could be significantly inhibited by IL-1β stimulation, and miR-211 negatively regulated XIST expression and CXCR4 protein levels. Through direct binding, XIST served as a ceRNA for miR-211 to counteract miR-211-mediated CXCR4 repression, thereby modulating chondrocyte proliferation and apoptosis through downstream MAPK signaling. In OA tissues, miR-211 expression was significantly downregulated while CXCR4 mRNA expression was upregulated. miR-211 was negatively correlated with XIST and CXCR4, respectively, while XIST and CXCR4 was positively correlated in tissue samples. In conclusion, the study revealed that lncRNA XIST can promote the proliferation of OA chondrocytes and promote apoptosis through the miR-211/CXCR4 axis. Thus, lncRNA XIST might be considered as a potential therapeutic target for OA treatment.

Synergistic anti-hepatoma effect of bufalin combined with sorafenib via mediating the tumor vascular microenvironment by targeting mTOR/VEGF signaling

Sorafenib inhibits tumor growth primarily by inhibiting vessel formation, however, its efficacy requires improvement, therefore, the development of strategies which augment its antiangiogenic effect are of primary concern. Bufalin inhibits tumor cell proliferation and metastasis, and induces apoptosis. In our previous study, it was demonstrated that the antiangiogenic effect of sorafenib was improved by bufalin in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). However, whether bufalin synergizes with sorafenib by affecting the tumor vascular microenvironment remains to be elucidated. In the present study, it was found that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation was inhibited by either bufalin or sorafenib following incubation for 24 h, and the inhibition was enhanced upon treatment with a combination of the two. Conditioned medium (CM), comprising supernatant from HCC cells was collected from each of the treatment groups. The migration and tubule formation were suppressed the most in the combination-CM treated HUVECs. The secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was decreased in HCC cells treated with the combination-CM, as determined by an angiogenesis array, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot analysis. The inhibition of tube formation in HUVECs treated with the combination-CM was reversed by incubation with VEGF. The in vivo experiments demonstrated that subcutaneous HCC cell tumors from mice treated with the combination treatment expressed the lowest levels of VEGF, as evidenced by immunohistochemistry and ELISA. Additionally, the level of phosphorylated mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) was reduced in HUVECs pretreated with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor PI103. Furthermore, the migration of HCC cells and HUVEC tube formation were attenuated by PI103 pretreatment. In conclusion, the results revealed a synergistic anti-hepatoma effect of bufalin combined with sorafenib via affecting the tumor vascular microenvironment by targeting mTOR/VEGF signaling.