miR-140-5p suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion of gastric cancer by regulating YES1

Atorvastatin regulates pericardial patch healing via the microRNA140-ADAM10-ephrinB2 pathway

Background: Pericardial patches are frequently used in vascular surgery to close arteriotomies. The early healing of these patches is mediated by attraction of CD34 and ephrinB2-positive cells. Atorvastatin is a commonly used statin drug that promotes healing of cardiovascular injury. We hypothesized that atorvastatin attracts ephrinB2-positive cells by regulating the microRNA140-ADAM10-ephrinB2 pathway during patch healing in the arterial environment. Methods: Pericardial patches were used to close an infra-renal aortic arteriotomy in Wistar rats (male, 200-400 g). Atorvastatin was given to rats at a daily dose of 0 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg or 10 mg. Patches were harvested at 1 or 4 weeks and analyzed by histology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blot and qPCR. Result: Animals treated with atorvastatin showed a higher number of infiltrating cells and a thicker patch neointima than the control animals. Furthermore, ADAM10 protein expression decreased (P<0.01) and ephrinB2 expression increased (P<0.01) in time- and atorvastatin dose-dependent manner. Similarly, ADAM10 mRNA expression decreased (P<0.01), while the expression of ephrinB2 mRNA and miR-140 mRNA expression increased (P<0.01; P<0.01) in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: Atorvastatin regulates neointimal growth after pericardial patch angioplasty; atorvastatin is associated with infiltration of ephrinB2-positive cells, diminished ADAM10 expression, and increased ephrinB2 and miR-140 expression. These results suggest new mechanisms for regulating neointimal formation after vascular procedures. Clinical relevance: This study may help physicians to know more healing mechanism after pericardial patch angioplasty. Further, it may reveal some mechanism that how atorvastatin play roles in endothelium repair of the cardiovascular system.

MiR-140-5p suppresses retinoblastoma cell growth via inhibiting c-Met/AKT/mTOR pathway

MiR-140-5p is low expression and acts as a tumor suppressor in various types of human cancers. However, the potential role of miR-140-5p in retinoblastoma (RB) remains unknown. In the present study, we performed the miRNA microarray analysis to investigate whether miRNAs expression are associated with RB tumorigenesis in RB tissues. We found that a large set of miRNAs were ectopic expressions and miR-140-5p is most significantly down-regulated in human RB tissues compared with normal retinas. In addition, low miR-140-5p expression is associated with clinicopathological features (differentiation, invasion, T classification, N classification, cTNM stage, and largest tumor base) and poor survival in RB patients. Furthermore, our results showed that overexpression of miR-140-5p suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in RB cell. Meanwhile, we confirmed that c-Met is the functional target of miR-140-5p in RB cell, and miR-140-5p expression is negatively correlated with c-Met in RB tissues. We also found that inhibition of c-Met also suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in RB cell. Interestingly, c-Met can rescue the suppressive effects of miR-140-5p on RB cell growth and cell cycle arrest. More importantly, our findings indicated that miR-140-5p may inhibit cell growth via blocking c-Met/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Collectively, these results suggested that miR-140-5p might be a potential biomarker and target in the diagnosis and treatment of RB.

Dysregulation of KCNQ1OT1 promotes cholangiocarcinoma progression via miR-140-5p/SOX4 axis

It is commonly recognized that aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is an important cause of cancer progression. The oncogenic property of KCNQ1OT1 has been identified in several malignant tumors. Here, we decided to explore the biological function and molecular mechanism of KCNQ1OT1 in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). The expression conditions of KCNQ1OT1 in different tissues and cell lines were examined with qRT-PCR analysis. As expected, KCNQ1OT1 was highly expressed in CCA tissues and cell lines. Results of functional assays revealed the oncogenic function of KCNQ1OT in cholangiocarcinoma progression. The positive effect of KCNQ1OT1 on cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition was identified by performing MTT assay, colony formation assay, transwell invasion assay and western blotting. Whereas, the negative effect of KCNQ1OT1 on the cell apoptosis was tested with flow cytometry analysis. Mechanism investigation revealed that KCNQ1OT1 can act as a ceRNA to improve CCA progression by regulating miR-140-5p/SOX4 axis. Recue assays were conducted to demonstrate the actual effects of KCNQ1OT1-miR-140-5p-SOX4 pathway on CCA progression.

MicroRNA-140-5p suppresses cell proliferation and invasion in gastric cancer by targeting WNT1 in the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway

MicroRNAs have been suggested as potential regulators in gastric cancer (GC) development through affecting the expression of their target genes. Previous studies have demonstrated that miR-140-5p is downregulated in GC. However, the underlying functional role of miR-140-5p in GC remains largely unknown. The present study revealed that miR-140-5p expression was significantly decreased in 60 GC tissues, compared with corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues. A lower miR-140-5p expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and an advanced Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage in patients with GC. Furthermore, patients with a lower miR-140-5p expression exhibited shorter disease-free survival and overall survival times. Gain- and loss-of-function assays revealed that increased miR-140-5p expression significantly inhibited GC cell proliferation and invasion ability, as well as the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by decreasing WNT1 and β-catenin expression. However, decreasing miR-140-5p expression had the opposite effects. Bioinformatics methods and dual-luciferase reporter assays revealed that WNT1 was a direct target of miR-140-5p. miR-140-5p suppressed cell proliferation and invasion by regulating WNT1 expression. Therefore, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR-140-5p may serve as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target in patients with GC.

Prognostic value of miR-17-5 p in gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

There are accumulating studies investigating the aberrant expression of microRNAs in tumor patients. As an important member of miR-17/92 cluster, miR-17-5 p has been identified as a potential prognostic factor for survival in tumor patients. We conducted this meta-analysis aimed to assess the effect of miR-17-5 p as a prognostic biomarker for gastrointestinal tumor patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eligible studies were enrolled by searching the online databases of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and WanFang Data until September 2017. We calculated pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CI of miR-17-5 p for overall survival and disease-free survival.

RESULTS

In the categorical variable analysis, we identified 11 studies with 1,279 patients. The pooled analyses suggested that overexpression of miR-17-5 p may predict poor overall survival (HR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.55-2.25, P<0.001) and disease-free survival (HR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.01-2.03, P=0.046) in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. Subgroup analysis showed the pooled HR of overall survival was more significant in tissue specimen, Asian patients, and digestive tract tumors. But there was no correlation between the outcomes and European patients.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis suggested that miR-17-5 p has predictive effects on overall survival and disease-free survival of patients with gastrointestinal tumors.

Reduced peripheral blood miR-140 may be a biomarker for acute lung injury by targeting Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common complication of sepsis to which patients often succumb due to poor effective pharmacological interventions. Recent studies have focused on the potential application of circulating microRNAs (miRs or miRNAs) as novel prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers. The present study focuses mainly on miR-140, the role of which is poorly understood in the progression of ALI. The results of the present study revealed that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression was upregulated the lungs of rats with ALI. Meanwhile, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β were significantly increased in rats with ALI compared with normal control rats. These data indicated the successful establishment of LPS-induced ALI. Furthermore, miR-140 was decreased in the peripheral blood of patients with ALI compared with control subjects. Receiver operator characteristic analysis indicated that miR-140 could be used to screen ALI patients and distinguish them from healthy controls. MiR-140 was demonstrated to be downregulated in the plasma and lungs of rats with ALI compared with the normal control group. A dual luciferase reporter assay indicated that TLR4 was a target gene of miR-140. To investigate whether miR-140 exerted its role via TLR4, a specific TLR4-targeting small interfering RNA was selected. It was revealed that TLR4 silencing was able to suppress the phosphorylation of NF-κB even in cells transfected with miR-140 inhibitor. In summary, reduced miR-140 expression and increased TLR4 signaling activation may serve a key role in the progression of ALI.

Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 regulates HDAC4-mediated proliferation and apoptosis via decoying of miR-140-5p in osteosarcoma cells

Noncoding RNAs regulate the initiation and progression of osteosarcoma (OS). The role of long noncoding RNA metastasis‐associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) playing in OS and whether the function it working out was achieved through HDAC4 pathway remain uncovered. In this study, we illustrated that MALAT1 was upregulated and was correlated with poor prognosis in OS patients. Meanwhile, we demonstrated that a depression of MALAT1 suppressed proliferation and promoted apoptosis in OS cell line HOS and 143B. Further, we verified that MALAT1 exerting its function via upregulating of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4). Through an online prediction, a series of luciferase assays and RNA pull‐down assays, we demonstrated that both MALAT1 and HDAC4 were the targets of microRNA‐140‐5p (miR‐140‐5p) via sharing a similar microRNA responding elements. Even further, we revealed that MALAT1 served as a ceRNA of HDAC4 via decoying of miR‐140‐5p. Finally, we proved that MALAT1 promoted OS tumor growth in an in vivo animal study. In summary, the outcomes of this study demonstrated the complex ceRNA network among MALAT, miR‐140‐5p, and HDAC4‐mediated proliferation and apoptosis in OS. This study might provide a new axial in molecular treatment of OS.

miR-140-5p inhibits the proliferation and enhances the efficacy of doxorubicin to breast cancer stem cells by targeting Wnt1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non-coding single-stranded RNAs molecules, the dysregulation of which plays a critical role in the initiation and biological progression of malignancies. The current study demonstrated that miR-140-5p was frequently downregulated in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), and miR-140-5p mimics could inhibit the proliferation of BCSCs. Moreover, Wnt1 was a direct target of miR-140-5p, as was proved by luciferase reporter assays. miR-140-5p mimics could downregulate the wnt1 mRNA and protein levels in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, miR-140 mimics could enhance the sensitivity of BCSCs to doxorubicin (Dox) through the Wnt1/ABCB1 pathway both in vitro and vivo. Our findings have presented a novel miRNA-mediated regulatory network for BCSCs, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer.

miR‑140‑5p regulates cell migration and invasion of non‑small cell lung cancer cells through targeting VEGFA

Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide, the most prevalent form of which is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MicroRNAs (miRs) are involved in the progression of NSCLC; however, the specific function of miR-140-5p in NSCLC remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that miR-140-5p was downregulated in the tumor tissues of patients with NSCLC, and it was associated with a poor prognosis. Furthermore, miR-140-5p significantly suppressed cell migration and invasion of the NSCLC cell line A549. In addition, the direct regulatory effect of miR-140-5p on vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGFA) was predicted by TargetScan and verified using a luciferase reporter gene assay. The present study also hypothesized that miR-140-5p may inhibit the expression of phosphorylated-protein kinase B by targeting VEGFA. In conclusion, miR-140-5p may be a potential target for the development of anti-neoplastic therapies in lung cancer.

Circular RNAs: clinical relevance in cancer

Circular RNAs, as recently discovered new endogenous non-coding RNAs, are important gene modulators with critical roles in tumor initiation and malignant progression. With the development of RNA sequencing and microarray technologies, numerous of functional circRNAs have been identified in cancerous tissues and cell lines. Mechanistically, circRNAs function as miRNA sponges, miRNA reservoirs or parental gene expression regulators. In this review, we discuss the properties and functions of circRNAs and their clinical implication as promising biomarkers for cancer research. Moreover, some emerging fields, such as exosome-loaded and immune response-associated circRNAs, are also discussed, suggesting novel insights into the carcinogenesis and therapy associated with these molecules.