MicroRNA-224 inhibition prevents progression of cervical carcinoma by targeting PTX3

Insights into the Relationship between Pentraxin-3 and Cancer

Although cancer can be cured if detected early and treated effectively, it is still a leading cause of death worldwide. Tumor development can be limited by an appropiate immune response, but it can be promoted by chronic extensive inflammation through metabolic dysregulation and angiogenesis. In the past decade, numerous efforts have been made in order to identify novel candidates with predictive values in cancer diagnostics. In line with this, researchers have investigated the involvement of pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) in cellular proliferation and immune escape in various types of cancers, although it has not been clearly elucidated. PTX-3 is a member of the long pentraxin subfamily which plays an important role in regulating inflammation, innate immunity response, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. Increased synthesis of inflammatory biomarkers and activation of different cellular mechanisms can induce PTX-3 expression in various types of cells (neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, myeloid dendritic cells, fibroblasts, and epithelial cells). PTX-3 has both pro- and anti-tumor functions, thus dual functions in oncogenesis. This review elucidates the potential usefulness of PTX-3 as a serum biomarker in cancer. While future investigations are needed, PTX-3 is emerging as a promising tool for cancer's diagnosis and prognosis, and also treatment monitoring.

Integration of TE Induces Cancer Specific Alternative Splicing Events

Alternative splicing of messenger RNA (mRNA) precursors contributes to genetic diversity by generating structurally and functionally distinct transcripts. In a disease state, alternative splicing promotes incidence and development of several cancer types through regulation of cancer-related biological processes. Transposable elements (TEs), having the genetic ability to jump to other regions of the genome, can bring about alternative splicing events in cancer. TEs can integrate into the genome, mostly in the intronic regions, and induce cancer-specific alternative splicing by adjusting various mechanisms, such as exonization, providing splicing donor/acceptor sites, alternative regulatory sequences or stop codons, and driving exon disruption or epigenetic regulation. Moreover, TEs can produce microRNAs (miRNAs) that control the proportion of transcripts by repressing translation or stimulating the degradation of transcripts at the post-transcriptional level. Notably, TE insertion creates a cancer-friendly environment by controlling the overall process of gene expression before and after transcription in cancer cells. This review emphasizes the correlative interaction between alternative splicing by TE integration and cancer-associated biological processes, suggesting a macroscopic mechanism controlling alternative splicing by TE insertion in cancer.

Genomic Analyses of Non-Coding RNAs Overlapping Transposable Elements and Its Implication to Human Diseases

It is estimated that up to 80% of the human genome is transcribed into RNA molecules but less than 2% of the genome encodes the proteins, and the rest of the RNA transcripts that are not translated into protein are called non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Many studies have revealed that ncRNAs have biochemical activities as epigenetic regulators at the post-transcriptional level. Growing evidence has demonstrated that transposable elements (TEs) contribute to a large percentage of ncRNAs’ transcription. The TEs inserted into certain parts of the genome can act as alternative promoters, enhancers, and insulators, and the accumulation of TEs increases genetic diversity in the human genome. The TEs can also generate microRNAs, so-called miRNA-derived from transposable elements (MDTEs), and are also implicated in disease progression, such as infectious diseases and cancer. Here, we analyzed the origin of ncRNAs and reviewed the published literature on MDTEs related to disease progression.

Pentraxin 3 regulated by miR-224-5p modulates macrophage reprogramming and exacerbates osteoarthritis associated synovitis by targeting CD32

Emerging evidence has shown an imbalance in M1/M2 macrophage polarization to play an essential role in osteoarthritis (OA) progression. However, the underlying mechanistic basis for this polarization is unknown. RNA sequencing of OA M1-polarized macrophages found highly expressed levels of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), suggesting a role for PTX3 in OA occurrence and development. Herein, PTX3 was found to be increased in the synovium and articular cartilage of OA patients and OA mice. Intra-articular injection of PTX3 aggravated, while PTX3 neutralization reversed synovitis and cartilage degeneration. No metabolic disorder or proteoglycan loss were observed in cartilage explants when treated with PTX3 alone. However, cartilage explants exhibited an OA phenotype when treated with culture supernatants of macrophages stimulated with PTX3, suggesting that PTX3 did not have a direct effect on chondrocytes. Therefore, the OA anti-chondrogenic effects of PTX3 are primarily mediated through macrophages. Mechanistically, PTX3 was upregulated by miR-224-5p deficiency, which activated the p65/NF-κB pathway to promote M1 macrophage polarization by targeting CD32. CD32 was expressed by macrophages, that when stimulated with PTX3, secreted abundant pro-inflammation cytokines that induced severe articular cartilage damage. The paracrine interaction between macrophages and chondrocytes produced a feedback loop that enhanced synovitis and cartilage damage. The findings of this study identified a functional pathway important to OA development. Blockade of this pathway and PTX3 may prevent and treat OA.

Application Value of Real-Time Ultrasonic Elastograph with Serum Human Epididymis Protein 4, Interleukin-33, and Carbohydrate Antigen 153 in Diagnosis of Early Cervical Cancer

Objective

To explore the application value of real-time ultrasonic elastograph (USE) with serum human epididymis protein 4 HE4, interleukin-33 (IL-33), and carbohydrate antigen 153 (CA153) in the diagnosis of early cervical cancer.

Methods

A total of 120 cervical cancer patients treated in our hospital (06, 2019-06, 2021) and meeting the study criteria were screened and divided into the benign group (BG, n = 70) and malignant group (MG, n = 50) according to their final diagnostic results, and healthy females who received physical examination in our hospital in the same period were selected as the control group (CG, n = 60). Patients in the three groups received real-time USE and detection of serum HE4, IL-33, and CA153 so as to analyze the diagnostic value of single examination and combined examination in diagnosing early cervical cancer.

Results

The patients' real-time USE score, E _max, E _mean, and elastic fibers were significantly higher in the MG than those in the BG (P < 0.05), and the patients' real-time USE E _min, stroma ratio and collagen fibers were significantly lower in the MG than those in the BG (P < 0.05); the HE4, IL-33, and CA153 levels were obviously higher in the MG than those in the BG (P < 0.05) and were significantly higher in the BG than those in the CG (P < 0.05); the positive detection rate of combining real-time USE with serum HE4, IL-33, and CA153 was higher than that of single examination, and the diagnostic accuracy rate, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the combined examination were significantly higher than those of single examination (P < 0.05); according to the diagnostic efficacy of single examination and combined examination in diagnosing early cervical cancer by ROC curve, it was combined diagnosis > real-time USE > HE4 > CA153 > IL-33.

Conclusion

Combined examination of real-time USE and serum HE4, IL-33, and CA153 has higher diagnostic value in diagnosing early cervical cancer, which can obviously improve the diagnostic accuracy rate of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer development, chemoresistance, and therapy: a snapshot of involvement of microRNA

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the leading causes of death in women due to cancer and a major concern in the developing world. Persistent human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is the major causative agent for CC. Besides HPV infection, genetic and epigenetic factors including microRNA (miRNA) also contribute to the malignant transformation. Earlier studies have revealed that miRNAs participate in cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis, and chemoresistance processes by binding and inversely regulating the target oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. Based on functions and mechanistic insights, miRNAs have been identified as cellular modulators that have an enormous role in diagnosis, prognosis, and cancer therapy. Signatures of miRNA could be used as diagnostic markers which are necessary for early diagnosis and management of CC. The therapeutic potential of miRNAs has been shown in CC; however, more comprehensive clinical trials are required for the clinical translation of miRNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics. Understanding the molecular mechanism of miRNAs and their target genes has been useful to develop miRNA-based therapeutic strategies for CC and overcome chemoresistance. In this review, we summarize the role of miRNAs in the development, progression, and metastasis of CC as well as chemoresistance. Further, we discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of miRNAs to overcome chemoresistance and treatment of CC.

Pentraxin 3 is a diagnostic and prognostic marker for ovarian epithelial cancer patients based on comprehensive bioinformatics and experiments

BACKGROUND

Ovarian epithelial cancer is one of the leading malignant tumors in gynecology and lacks effective diagnostic and prognostic markers. Our study aims to screen and verify ovarian epithelial cancer biomarkers.

METHODS

GSE18520 and GSE26712 were downloaded from the GEO database. The "limma" and "WGCNA" packages were used to explore hub genes. The Kaplan-Meier Plotter database was used for survival analysis of the hub genes. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to identify the expression level of Pentraxin 3 in ovarian epithelial cancer samples.

RESULTS

In this study, we integrated and analyzed two datasets, GSE18520 and GSE26712, and a total of 238 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out. Enrichment analysis showed that these DEGs were related to collagen-containing extracellular matrix and other pathways. Further application of WGCNA (weighted gene coexpression network analysis) identified 15 gene modules, with the purple module showing the highest correlation with ovarian epithelial cancer. Twenty-five genes were shared between the purple module and DEGs, 13 genes were related to the prognosis of ovarian epithelial cancer patients, and the PTX3 gene had the highest hazardous risk (HR) value. We performed immunohistochemical analyses on the 255 Pentraxin-3 (PTX3)-based clinical samples. PTX3 was found to be overexpressed in ovarian epithelial cancer and related to the degree of differentiation. The Cox proportional hazard model indicates that high PTX3 expression is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of ovarian epithelial cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, through WGCNA and a series of comprehensive bioinformatics analyses, PTX3 was first identified as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for ovarian epithelial cancer.

Role of microRNAs in Predicting the Prognosis of Cervical Cancer Cases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aim:

There is growing evidence for the possible use of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancers as diagnostic as well as prognostic biomarkers in the present era of Personalized Medicine. The objective of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the prognostic role of microRNAs in uterine cervical cancers.

Methods:

A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out searching electronic databases for published articles between January 2009 and August 2020 based on standard systematic review guidelines. Meta-analysis was performed by pooling the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the prognostic value of deregulated miRNAs by the random-effects model.

Results:

In the present meta-analysis, the aberrant expression of 14 microRNAs in 1,526 uterine cervical cancer cases before definitive therapy from 14 case-control studies were assessed. The pooled HR of two miRNAs, miRNA-155 and miRNA-224 which were upregulated in cervical cancer tissues was 1.76 (95% CI 1.27-2.45) revealing significant association with overall poor survival. Meanwhile, the pooled HR was 1.53 (95% CI 0.94-2.94) when all the deregulated miRNAs in cervical cancer tissues were evaluated. The pooled HR of downregulated miRNAs was 1.46 (95% CI 0.81, 2.64). Meanwhile, the pooled HR of three upregulated miRNAs-425-5p, 196a, 205 in the serum sample was 1.37 (95% CI 0.45 -4.20).

Conclusion:

The downregulation of aberrant miRNAs was not associated with poor overall survival rates.

Assessment of the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and apoptotic potential of flurbiprofen in HeLa and HepG2 cell lines

In the literature, the anticancer potential of flurbiprofen isn't fully understood. In this study, the cytotoxic, genotoxic, and apoptotic effects of flurbiprofen were evaluated in human cervical and liver cancer cells. Cytotoxicity was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and it was observed that cytotoxicity increased in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Genotoxicity was determined using alkaline Comet assay. DNA damage increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Early apoptosis was evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction, and it was found that apoptotic gene levels increased while antiapoptotic gene levels decreased. Late apoptosis and cell cycle analyzes were determined using flow cytometry. No evidence of late apoptosis was observed, and no significant arrest was found in the cell cycle. In conclusion, it seems that flurbiprofen has a cytotoxic, genotoxic, and apoptotic effects in both human cancer cell lines. Moreover, the findings indicate that flurbiprofen is effective at the gene level and induces apoptosis with an intracellular pathway.

miR‑34c‑5p targets Notch1 and suppresses the metastasis and invasion of cervical cancer

Micro (mi)RNAs are crucial participants in the progression of cervical cancer (CC). Growing evidence indicates that miRNA (miR)-34c-5p is a pivotal tumor suppressor in numerous types of cancer and its functions in CC require further investigating. The present study demonstrated that there was a decreased level of miR-34c-5p in CC-associated cell lines compared with healthy control samples. It also demonstrated that miR-34c-5p targeted Notch1 and suppressed CC progression. Dual-Luciferase reporter assays verified the targeted relationship of miR-34c-5p and Notch1. The expression of Notch1 in HeLa cells was markedly reduced following miR-34c-5p overexpression and the proliferation, migration and invasion of HeLa cells were reduced although apoptosis was accelerated. However, overexpression of miR-34c-5p was reversed following the addition of Notch1, which supported the finding of the targeted relationship between miR-34c-5p and Notch1. Flow cytometry demonstrated that miR-34c-5p inhibited the proliferation of HeLa cells while accelerating apoptosis. The present study concluded that miR-34c-5p was a tumor suppressor in CC and may be a novel measure for the future treatment of CC.

miR-224 targets BTRC and promotes cell migration and invasion in colorectal cancer

Our study aims to investigate the impact of miR-224 on cell migration and invasion in colorectal cancer (CRC) as well as its molecular mechanisms. The results showed that miR-224 was significantly upregulated in CRC compared to normal tissues via the TCGA database. Overexpression of miR-224 promoted CRC cell migration and invasion, while inhibition of miR-224 demonstrated the opposite result via transwell assays. In addition, we found that BTRC was a target gene of miR-224 through the miRecords database and dual-luciferase assay, while western blot together with RT-qPCR showed that inhibition of miR-224 led to elevated BTRC expression in protein level but not in mRNA level, and also decreased the expression of β-catenin. In reference to the Human Protein Atlas, BTRC protein expression was higher in normal tissues than in CRC tissues. In conclusion, miR-224 regulates its target BTRC protein expression and its related Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Its impact on cell migration and invasion in CRC cells suggested that miR-224 could be a prospective therapeutic target for early-stage non-metastatic CRC.

MicroRNA-877 is downregulated in cervical cancer and directly targets MACC1 to inhibit cell proliferation and invasion

Previously, a number of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be dysregulated in cervical cancer, and dysregulated miRNAs may play crucial roles in the development and progression of cervical cancer. Hence, investigating the detailed roles of miRNAs that are aberrantly expressed in cervical cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms is essential for early diagnosis and effective therapeutic approaches. miRNA-877 (miR-877) was found to be downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma, and function as a tumor-suppressive miRNA. However, how miR-877 exerts an effect in cervical cancer progression and its underlying molecular mechanisms remains to be elucidated. In the current study, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was performed to determine miR-877 expression in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. The effects of miR-877 overexpression on cervical cancer cell proliferation and invasion were evaluated using MTT and Transwell cell invasion assays. In the present study, miR-877 was significantly downregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines, and the decreased expression levels of miR-877 were significantly associated with increased International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetric stage as well as increased lymph node metastasis in patients with cervical cancer. Upregulation of miR-877 using miR-877 mimics resulted in the decreased proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) was assessed using bioinformatics analyses to determine whether it could be a potential target gene of miR-877, and the results were confirmed using a luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, MACC1 was markedly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues, and its level was negatively correlated with the miR-877 level. Overexpression of miR-877 resulted in decreased expression levels of MACC1 in cervical cancer cells at both the mRNA and protein levels. In addition, the functional effects of MACC1 knockdown were similar to those induced by upregulated miR-877 in cervical cancer cells. MACC1 restored miR-877 overexpression-mediated suppression of cervical cancer cell proliferation and invasion. In conclusion, miR-877 may play an antitumor role in cervical cancer by directly targeting MACC1, which suggests that this miRNA may be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with such an aggressive gynecological cancer.

MicroRNA-432 is downregulated in cervical cancer and directly targets FN1 to inhibit cell proliferation and invasion

Numerous studies have identified the dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cervical cancer, and dysregulated miRNAs are involved in regulating a number of tumour- associated biological behaviours. Therefore, investigating the roles of cervical cancer-associated miRNAs and the underlying molecular mechanisms is essential for the development of novel diagnostic biomarkers and effective therapeutic targets. MicroRNA-432 (miR-432) dysregulation has been revealed to be implicated in the carcinogenesis and progression of a number of types of human cancer. However, the effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-432 in cervical cancer have yet to be elucidated. In the present study, miR-432 expression was determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that miR-432 was expressed at low levels in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Decreased miR-432 expression was significantly associated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, myometrium invasion and lymph node metastasis of patients with cervical cancer. Following transfection with miR-432 mimic, the expression of miR-432 was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer cells. Upregulation of miR-432 expression restricted the proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells. Bioinformatics analysis followed by luciferase reporter assays revealed that fibronectin 1 (FN1) was a direct target gene of miR-432 in cervical cancer cells. In addition, FN1 was upregulated in cervical cancer tissues and was inversely correlated with miR-432 levels. Furthermore, miR-432 upregulation decreased the expression levels of FN1 in cervical cancer cells at the mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, silencing of FN1 could stimulate the tumour suppressor effects of miR-432 upregulation in cervical cancer cells. In addition, restored FN1 expression neutralized the effects of miR-432 overexpression in cervical cancer cells. The results of the present study indicate that miR-432 is a tumour suppressor that can restrain the aggressive phenotype of cervical cancer cells by directly targeting FN1, suggesting that this miRNA may be developed as an effective therapeutic strategy for patients with cervical cancer.

Mechanism of exosomal microRNA-224 in development of hepatocellular carcinoma and its diagnostic and prognostic value

BACKGROUND

Exosomes contain proteins, lipids, and biological molecules such as DNA and RNA. Nucleic acids in exosomes are a group of molecules that can act as biomarkers. Currently, there are many reports on exosomal microRNAs, which are ideal biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cancer. However, there are few reports on the role of exosomal microRNAs in the diagnosis and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

AIM

To understand the mechanism of exosomal microRNA-224 (miR-224) in the development of HCC and evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic value.

METHODS

Cell culture and transfection of exosomal miRNA-224, real-time quantitative PCR, luciferase reporter assay, and other methods were used to find new biomarkers related to the development of HCC that can be used to diagnose HCC and predict HCC prognosis.

RESULTS

By targeting glycine N-methyltransferase, incubating exosomes with miR-224 mimic resulted in a significant increase in cell proliferation compared to that of the control group, while incubation with the miR-224 inhibitor significantly reduced cell proliferation. The same results were obtained for the cell invasion assay. Serum exosomal miR-224 did have some ability to differentiate patients with HCC from healthy controls, with an area under the curve of 0.910, and HCC patients with higher serum exosomal miR-224 expression had lower overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Exosomal miR-224 is a tumor promotor and can be a marker of diagnosis and prognosis of HCC patients, however, its ability to distinguish liver diseases needs further verification.