SOX-17 is involved in invasion and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells through regulating miR-302b-3p expression

Relationship between expression of lncRNA HOTAIR and miR-302b-3p and circulating tumor cells in colon cancer and their value for prognostic prediction

BACKGROUND

In recent years, studies have reported that the abnormal expression of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOTAIR and microRNA (miRNA)-302b-3p is associated with the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. However, there is limited research on their relationship with circulating tumor cells and their prognostic value, which warrants further investigation.

AIM

To investigate the relationship between the expression of HOTAIR and miR-302b-3p and circulating tumour cells in colon cancer, and to explore their value for prognostic prediction.

METHODS

A total of 160 patients with colon cancer who underwent radical resection at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Linhai City from May 2019 to May 2023 were selected as an observation group, and another 160 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examination at the same hospital's physical examination center during the same period were selected as a control group. The expression of HOTAIR and miR-302b-3p in the two groups was compared. The relationship between the expression of HOTAIR and miR-302b-3p and pathological characteristics was analyzed. The recurrence and metastasis of colon cancer patients were recorded, and the predictive value of HOTAIR and miR-302b-3p expression for the recurrence and metastasis of colon cancer was evaluated.

RESULTS

The expression of serum HOTAIR in the observation group was higher than that of the control group, while the expression of miR-302b-3p was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and circulating tumor cells were all factors affecting the expression of serum HOTAIR and miR-302b-3p in colon cancer patients (P < 0.05). Among the 160 patients with colon cancer, 2 were lost to follow-up, and 28 experienced recurrence or metastasis. The expression of serum HOTAIR in patients with recurrence or metastasis was higher than that of patients without recurrence or metastasis, while the expression of miR-302b-3p was lower than that of patients without recurrence or metastasis (P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of serum HOTAIR and miR-302b-3p for predicting the risk of postoperative recurrence and metastasis in patients with colon cancer was 0.747 (0.672-0.813) and 0.785 (0.713-0.846), respectively. The optimal cutoff values were 3.14 and 0.48, respectively. The AUC of the combination of the two for predicting the risk of postoperative recurrence and metastasis was 0.880 (0.919-0.926), with a sensitivity and specificity of 85.71% and 75.38%, respectively. The predictive efficacy was superior to that of each indicator alone.

CONCLUSION

The expression of serum HOTAIR is up-regulated and the expression of miR-302b-3p is down-regulated in patients with colon cancer, which is related to clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and positive circulating tumor cells. Detecting the levels of both can help predict patient prognosis.

Expression of long noncoding RNA MEG3 and microRNA-302b-3p in colon cancer: Correlation with clinical stage and value in predicing prognosis after surgical treatment

BACKGROUND

More and more long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs have been found to have significant changes in expression levels during the occurrence and development of tumors, which can affect the expression of tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes and play an important role in the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells.

AIM

To investigate the correlation between the expression of long non-coding RNA maternal imprinted gene 3 (LncRNA MEG3) and microRNA (miR)-302b-3p in colon cancer and clinical stage and analyze their value in predicting the prognosis after surgical treatment.

METHODS

A total of 97 patients with colon cancer treated at Jinhua Hospital of TCM from January 2017 to March 2022 were selected to compare the expression of LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p in different tissues, analyze the correlation between the expression of LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p and clinical pathological characteristics, compare the recurrence in patients with different LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p expression, analyze the factors affecting the recurrence of colon cancer after surgery, and analyze the impact of the interaction between LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p on the recurrence of colon cancer. The predictive value of LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p expression for the recurrence of colon cancer after surgery was evaluated.

RESULTS

The expression of LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p in colon cancer tissues was lower than that in tumor-adjacent tissues (P < 0.05). The expression of LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p in colon cancer tissues was not correlated with sex, age, or tumor size (P > 0.05), but was correlated with tumor differentiation, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). In colon cancer tissues, the recurrence rate in patients with high LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p expression was lower than that of patients with lower LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p expression (P < 0.05). Tumor differentiation degree, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis were all identified to be risk factors for colon cancer recurrence, and LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p expression were protective factors for colon cancer recurrence (P < 0.05). The interaction analysis showed that the synergistic effect of simultaneous exposure to LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p was 15.888 times greater than the effect of exposure to either LncRNA MEG3 or miR-302b-3p alone, and when simultaneously exposing to both, 56.98% of the risk of colon cancer recurrence was attributed to their synergistic effect. The area under the curve (AUC) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p in predicting the prognosis of colon cancer patients was 0.720 (0.620-0.807) and 0.767 (0.670-0.847), respectively, and that of the combined prediction was 0.892 (0.813-0.946), with a sensitivity and specificity of 92.31% and 83.33%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of either LncRNA MEG3 or miR-302b-3p alone.

CONCLUSION

The down-regulated expression of LncRNA MEG3 and miR-302b-3p in colon cancer is related to clinical stage. Clinical detection of their expression can be used to determine the malignant degree of tumor and predict the prognosis of surgical treatment, thus providing reference for adjustment of clinical treatment plan.

The miR-302/367 cluster: Aging, inflammation, and cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that occupy a significant role in biological processes as important regulators of intracellular homeostasis. First, we will discuss the biological genesis and functions of the miR-302/367 cluster, including miR-302a, miR-302b, miR-302c, miR-302d, and miR-367, as well as their roles in physiologically healthy tissues. The second section of this study reviews the progress of the miR-302/367 cluster in the treatment of cancer, inflammation, and diseases associated with aging. This cluster's aberrant expression in cells and/or tissues exhibits similar or different effects in various diseases through molecular mechanisms such as proliferation, apoptosis, cycling, drug resistance, and invasion. This article also discusses the upstream and downstream regulatory networks of miR-302/367 clusters and their related mechanisms. Particularly because studies on the upstream regulatory molecules of miR-302/367 clusters, which include age-related macular degeneration, myocardial infarction, and cancer, have become more prevalent in recent years. MiR-302/367 cluster can be an important therapeutic target and the use of miRNAs in combination with other molecular markers may improve diagnostic or therapeutic capabilities, providing unique insights and a more dynamic view of various diseases. It is noted that miRNAs can be an important bio-diagnostic target and offer a promising method for illness diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

Study of Neuronal Apoptosis ceRNA Network in Hippocampal Sclerosis of Human Temporal Lobe Epilepsy by RNA-Seq

Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is one of the most common pathological type of intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), often characterized by hippocampal atrophy, neuronal apoptosis, and gliogenesis. However, the molecular mechanisms of neuronal apoptosis in patients with HS are still not fully understood. We therefore conducted a pilot study focusing on the neuronal apoptosis ceRNA network in the sclerotic hippocampus of intractable TLE patients. In this research, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was utilized to quantify the expression levels of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in TLE patients with HS (HS-TLE) and without HS (non-HS-TLE), and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). The interactions of differential expression (DE) lncRNAs-miRNAs or DEmiRNAs-mRNAs were integrated by StarBase v3.0, and visualized using Cytoscape. Subsequently, we annotate the functions of lncRNA-associated competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network through analysis of their interactions with mRNAs. RNA-seq analyses showed 381 lncRNAs, 42 miRNAs, and 457 mRNAs were dysregulated expression in HS-TLE compared to non-HS-TLE. According to the ceRNA hypothesis, 5 HS-specific ceRNA network were constructed. Among them, the core ceRNA regulatory network involved in neuronal apoptosis was constituted by 10 DElncRNAs (CDKN2B-AS1, MEG3, UBA6-AS1, etc.), 7 DEmiRNAs (hsa-miR-155-5p, hsa-miR-195-5p, hsa-miR-200c-3p, etc.), and 3 DEmRNAs (SCN2A, DYRK2, and MAPK8), which belonging to apoptotic and epileptic terms. Our findings established the first ceRNA network of lncRNA-mediated neuronal apoptosis in HS-TLE based on transcriptome sequencing, which provide a new perspective on the disease pathogenesis and precise treatments of HS.