MiR-125b suppresses the carcinogenesis of osteosarcoma cells via the MAPK-STAT3 pathway

MiR-125b targeted regulation of MKNK2 inhibits multiple myeloma proliferation and invasion

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of studies demonstrate that abnormal miRNA expression contributes to the advancement of many tumors. Nonetheless, the potential role of miR-125b in multiple myeloma (MM) remains unknown.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the potential effects and mechanism of miR-125b in MM.

METHODS

Real-time quantitative PCR was used to measure the expression levels of miR-125b and MKNK2 in a variety of MM samples. Colony formation and cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays were used to assess cell proliferation, the transwell assay was used to evaluate the cell invasion capability, and dual luciferase reporter gene assay and Western blot were used to examine the interaction between miR-125b and MKNK2.

RESULTS

The levels of miR-125b were higher in MM tissue samples, alongside increased expression of MKNK2. There was a negative correlation between MKNK2 and miR-125b expression in MM tissues. MKNK2 was identified as a direct target gene of miR-125b in MM cells. Overexpression of miR-125b suppressed MM cell growth, colony formation, and invasion. In addition, MKNK2 was found to mediate the effects of miR-125b on cell proliferation, colony formation, and invasion in MM.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-125b acts as a suppressive factor in multiple myeloma and can affect the malignant behavior of MM by regulating the expression of MKNK2.

LncRNA PCED1B-AS1 mediates miR-3681-3p/MAP2K7 axis to promote metastasis, invasion and EMT in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

LncRNA PCED1B-AS1 is abnormally expressed in multiple cancers and has been confirmed as an oncogene. Our study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA PCED1B-AS1 in gastric cancer.

METHODS

TCGA database was used to analyze the abnormal expression of lncRNA PCED1B-AS1 in gastric cancer. By database prediction and mass spectrometric analysis, miR-3681-3p and MAP2K7 are potential downstream target molecules of lncRNA PCED1B-AS1 and verified by dual-luciferase report assay. RT-qPCR analysis and western blot were performed to detect the expressions of PCED1B-AS1 and MAP2K7 in gastric cancer cell lines and tissues. CCK-8 kit was applied to measure the cell viability. Wound healing and Transwell experiment were used to detect the migration and invasion. Western blot and immunohistochemical staining were performed to detect the expressions of EMT-related proteins in tissues. The changes of tumor proliferation were detected by xenograft experiment in nude mice.

RESULTS

PCED1B-AS1 expression was higher but miR-3681-3 expression was lower in gastric cancer cell lines or tissues, compared to normal group. Function analysis verified PCED1B-AS1 promoted cell proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis in gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. LncRNA PCED1B-AS1 could bind directly to miR-3681-3p, and MAP2K7 was found to be a downstream target of miR-3681-3p. MiR-3681-3p mimics or si-MAP2K7 could partly reverse the effect of PCED1B-AS1 on gastric cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

PCED1B-AS1 accelerated cell proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis through sponging miR-3681-3p to upregulate MAP2K7 expression in gastric cancer, which indicated PCED1B-AS1/miR-3681-3p/MAP2K7 axis may serve as a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.

Targeting signaling pathways in osteosarcoma: Mechanisms and clinical studies

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a highly prevalent bone malignancy among adolescents, accounting for 40% of all primary malignant bone tumors. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with limb-preserving surgery has effectively reduced patient disability and mortality, but pulmonary metastases and OS cells' resistance to chemotherapeutic agents are pressing challenges in the clinical management of OS. There has been an urgent need to identify new biomarkers for OS to develop specific targeted therapies. Recently, the continued advancements in genomic analysis have contributed to the identification of clinically significant molecular biomarkers for diagnosing OS, acting as therapeutic targets, and predicting prognosis. Additionally, the contemporary molecular classifications have revealed that the signaling pathways, including Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, JAK/STAT3, Hippo, Notch, PD-1/PD-L1, MAPK, and NF-κB, have an integral role in OS onset, progression, metastasis, and treatment response. These molecular classifications and biological markers have created new avenues for more accurate OS diagnosis and relevant treatment. We herein present a review of the recent findings for the modulatory role of signaling pathways as possible biological markers and treatment targets for OS. This review also discusses current OS therapeutic approaches, including signaling pathway-based therapies developed over the past decade. Additionally, the review covers the signaling targets involved in the curative effects of traditional Chinese medicines in the context of expression regulation of relevant genes and proteins through the signaling pathways to inhibit OS cell growth. These findings are expected to provide directions for integrating genomic, molecular, and clinical profiles to enhance OS diagnosis and treatment.

MALAT1 regulates PCT expression in sepsis patients through the miR‐125b/STAT3 axis

Background

Procalcitonin (PCT) is an important marker in diagnosing sepsis. However, some other diseases can also cause an increase in PCT. PCT still has some limitations in the clinical application of diagnosing sepsis. Therefore, it is of great significance to clarify the regulatory mechanism of PCT expression in sepsis and provide new therapeutic targets for sepsis.

Methods

Blood samples from clinical patients were collected, and peripheral blood monocytes were isolated. Bioinformatics was performed to find the ceRNA regulatory network of STAT3/PCT. MALAT1 and miR‐125b were detected by qRT‐PCR. MALAT1 was located by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in U937 cells, and the regulatory relationship between MALAT1, miR‐125b, and STAT3 was verified by double luciferase activity report and RNA pull‐down assay. U937 cells were transfected with miR‐125b, and the effects of the MALAT1/miR‐125b/STAT3 pathway on gene and protein secretion levels of PCT were verified by qRT‐PCR, western blot, and ELISA.

Results

In the serum of sepsis patients and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)‐induced U937 cells, MALAT1, STAT3, and PCT gene expression levels were significantly increased, while miR‐125b expression level was decreased. FISH results showed that the MALAT1 transcript was mainly located in the nucleus. The double luciferase activity report and RNA pull‐down assay results suggested a targeted regulatory relationship between MALAT1, miR‐125b, and STAT3. LPS‐induced U937 cells transfection with MALAT1 siRNA decreased STAT3 protein expression and phosphorylation level and the expression of PCT. Co‐transfection with miR‐125b inhibitor effectively reversed this phenomenon.

Conclusions

MALAT1 could upregulate the expressions of STAT3 and PCT by targeted adsorption of miR‐125b.

Tanshinone IIA attenuates the stemness of breast cancer cells via targeting the miR-125b/STARD13 axis

BACKGROUND

Tanshinone II A is an effective component extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza and the roles of Tanshinone IIA in regulating the stemness of tumor cells remain unclear. This work aims to explore the roles and underlying mechanisms of Tanshinone IIA in breast cancer stemness.

METHODS

In vitro mammary spheroid formation, flow cytometry assay on CD24^-/CD44⁺ sub-population, ALDH activity detection, cell viability assay and western blot analysis, and in vivo tumor-initiating analysis were performed to examine the effects of Tanshinone IIA on the stemness of breast cancer cells. MiRNAs-based transcriptome sequencing and data analysis, online dataset analysis, luciferase reporter assay combined with rescuing experiments were constructed to explore the underlying mechanisms.

RESULTS

Tanshinone IIA attenuated the stemness of breast cancer cells, evident by downregulating the expression of stemness markers, hindering the capacity of spheroid formation, decreasing the CD24^-/CD44⁺ sub-population in a concentration-dependent manner and reducing the tumor-initiating ability of breast cancer cells. Additionally, Tanshinone IIA enhanced adriamycin sensitivity and attenuated adriamycin resistance of breast cancer cells. Combined with miRNAs-based transcriptome sequencing assay, it was found that Tanshinone IIA downregulated miR-125b level and upregulated its target gene STARD13 (StAR-related lipid transfer protein 13) level, thus inactivating the miR-125b/STARD13 axis, which had been previously confirmed to promote breast cancer progression. Notably, miR-125b overexpression enhanced the stemness of breast cancer cells, and miR-125b overexpression or STARD13 knockdown impaired the inhibitory effects of Tanshinone IIA on the stemness of breast cancer cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Tanshinone IIA could attenuate the stemness of breast cancer cells via targeting the miR-125b/STARD13 axis.

LncRNA MALAT1 Promote Cell Proliferation and Invasion by Sponging miR-125b to Modulate HMGA1 Expression in Laryngocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Laryngocarcinoma is the most frequent head and neck malignant tumor. MALAT1 have a role in promoting cell proliferation and metastasis in several tumors. This research aimed to investigate the great roles of MALAT1in laryngocarcinoma.

METHODS

Overall, 54 cases of laryngocarcinoma tissues pathological specimens and paracancerous tissues were collected by surgical resection from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, China from Jan 2012 to Oct 2015. The microRNA and protein levels of genes were evaluated by RT-qPCR and western blot. The proliferative and invasive ability were calculated usingCCK8 and transwell assays. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the survival of laryngocarcinoma patients.

RESULTS

In laryngocarcinoma tissues and cells, lncRNA MALAT1 expression was significantly increased compared to normal tissues and cells. LncRNA MALAT1 promotes proliferation and migration of laryngocarcinoma cells. LncRNA MALAT1 upregulates HMGA1 expression by acting as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-125b. Rescue experiments showed that microRNA-125b inhibitor reversed the change in cell viability and invasion induced by sh-MALAT1. Down regulation of lncRNA MALAT1 inhibits laryngocarcinoma proliferation and invasion by modulating miR-125b/HMGA1.

CONCLUSION

LncRNA MALAT1 promotes the development of laryngocarcinoma by regulating the expression level of HMGA1 by acting as a miR-125b ceRNA and may be considered as a new strategy for the development of laryngocarcinoma.

Essential functions of miR-125b in cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and highly conserved non-coding RNAs that silence target mRNAs, and compelling evidence suggests that they play an essential role in the pathogenesis of human diseases, especially cancer. miR-125b, which is the mammalian orthologue of the first discovered miRNA lin-4 in Caenorhabditis elegans, is one of the most important miRNAs that regulate various physiological and pathological processes. The role of miR-125b in many types of cancer has been well established, and so here we review the current knowledge of how miR-125b is deregulated in different types of cancer; its oncogenic and/or tumour-suppressive roles in tumourigenesis and cancer progression; and its regulation with regard to treatment response, all of which are underlined in multiple studies. The emerging information that elucidates the essential functions of miR-125b might help support its potentiality as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker as well as an effective therapeutic tool against cancer.

Astragaloside IV protects human cardiomyocytes from hypoxia/reoxygenation injury by regulating miR-101a

Astragaloside IV (AS/IV) is one of the extracted components from the traditional Chinese medicine Astragalus which has been demonstrated to have potential capacity for anti-inflammation activity and for treating cardiovascular disease. Our purpose was to determine the function and underlying molecular mechanism of AS/IV in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injured in cardiomyocytes. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using bioinformatic analysis, and the molecular targeting relationship was verified by the dual-luciferase report system. H/R injured cardiomyocytes were employed to explore the effect of AS/IV. QRT-PCR and Western blot analysis were applied to detect the expression of mRNA and proteins, respectively. Additionally, superoxide dismutase (SOD), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) and MDA (malondialdehyde) levels were detected to determine the oxidative damage. Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8, and flow cytometry was used to evaluate cell apoptosis ratio. TGFBR1 and TLR2 were selected as DEGs. Additionally, AS/IV could enhance cell proliferation and upregulated miR-101a expression, which suppressed TGFBR1 and TLR2 expression in H/R injured cardiomyocytes. Moreover, the results of Western blot exhibited that the downstream genes (p-ERK and p-p38) in the MAPK signaling pathway were suppressed, which meant AS/IV could inhibit this pathway in H/R injured cardiomyocytes. Overall, this study demonstrated AS/IV could attenuate H/R injury in human cardiomyocytes via the miR-101a/TGFBR1/TLR2/MAPK signaling pathway axis, which means that it could serve as a possible alternate for H/R treatment.

Knockdown of PYCR1 inhibits proliferation, drug resistance and EMT in colorectal cancer cells by regulating STAT3-Mediated p38 MAPK and NF-κB signalling pathway

PYCR1 exerts an important role in various cancers, but its effect on colorectal cancer (CRC) and the potential mechanism remain to be clarified. In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of PYCR1 on CRC and further explore the special molecular mechanism. The expression of PYCR1 in CRC tissues and cells was analysed by RT-PCR assay. Cell proliferation was explored using an MTT assay. A CoIP assay was performed to determine the binding activity of PYCR1 and STAT3. Western blot was used to measure the protein expression of P-gp, MRP1, E-cadherin and vimentin. The results revealed that PYCR1 is highly expressed in CRC tissues and cells. PYCR1-siRNA inhibited the proliferation, drug resistance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of CRC cells. The CoIP assay result demonstrated that PYCR1 interacts directly with STAT3, and STAT3 overexpression partly reverses the effect of PYCR1 on proliferation, drug resistance and EMT of CRC cells. What is more, si-PYCR1 inhibited STAT3-mediated p38 MAPK and NF-κB signalling pathways. Collectively, it suggests that knockdown of PYCR1 inhibits proliferation, drug resistance and EMT potentially by regulating STAT3-mediated p38 MAPK and NF-κB signalling pathways in CRC cells.

Non-Coding RNAs in Pediatric Solid Tumors

Pediatric solid tumors are a diverse group of extracranial solid tumors representing approximately 40% of childhood cancers. Pediatric solid tumors are believed to arise as a result of disruptions in the developmental process of precursor cells which lead them to accumulate cancerous phenotypes. In contrast to many adult tumors, pediatric tumors typically feature a low number of genetic mutations in protein-coding genes which could explain the emergence of these phenotypes. It is likely that oncogenesis occurs after a failure at many different levels of regulation. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) comprise a group of functional RNA molecules that lack protein coding potential but are essential in the regulation and maintenance of many epigenetic and post-translational mechanisms. Indeed, research has accumulated a large body of evidence implicating many ncRNAs in the regulation of well-established oncogenic networks. In this review we cover a range of extracranial solid tumors which represent some of the rarer and enigmatic childhood cancers known. We focus on two major classes of ncRNAs, microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, which are likely to play a key role in the development of these cancers and emphasize their functional contributions and molecular interactions during tumor formation.

miR-328-3p mediates the anti-tumor effect in osteosarcoma via directly targeting MMP-16

Background

Increasing reports demonstrated that dysregulated expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) leads to the progression of various tumors. Previous studies revealed that miR-328-3p exhibited dysregulated expression in various types of tumors. However, its function and underlying mechanism in osteosarcoma (OS) are still unexplored.

Methods

The expression of miR-328-3p in the tissues and OS cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR analysis. The effects of miR-328-3p in the proliferation were analyzed by MTT assay. The proliferation and apoptosis of OS cells were examined by colony formation assay and TUNEL staining respectively. The migration and tumor formation ability of OS cells were measured by wound healing assay and xenograft in vivo mice assay. Furthermore, the regulatory roles of miR-328-3p/MMP16 were determined by western blot and luciferase reporter assay.

Results

The expression of miR-328-3p was significantly decreased in OS tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-328-3p inhibited the cell proliferation and migration, but promoted the apoptosis of OS cells in vitro. Moreover, the analysis in vivo showed that miR-328-3p effectively suppressed the formation of tumors. According to the results of western blot analysis and luciferase reporter assay, we identified matrix metalloproteinase-16 (MMP-16) acted as a direct target of miR-328-3p. Moreover, the expression level of MMP-16, which participates in the occurrence and development of many cancers, was negatively correlated with the miR-328-3p expression in OS cells.

Conclusion

miR-328-3p inhibited the proliferation, migration but accelerated the apoptosis of OS by directly inhibiting MMP-16. And miR-328-3p/MMP-16 axis may be one of the mechanisms of OS development and a novel potential method for the treatment of OS in clinic.

An Insight into the Roles of MicroRNAs and Exosomes in Sarcoma

Sarcomas are rare solid tumors, but at least one-third of patients with sarcoma die from tumor-related disease. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a noncoding RNA that regulates gene expression in all cells and plays a key role in the progression of cancers. Recently, it was identified that miRNAs are transferred between cells by enclosure in extracellular vesicles, especially exosomes. The exosome is a 100 nm-sized membraned vesicle that is secreted by many kinds of cells and contains miRNA, mRNA, DNA, and proteins. Cancer uses exosomes to influence not only the tumor microenvironment but also the distant organ to create a premetastatic niche. The progression of sarcoma is also regulated by miRNAs and exosomes. These miRNAs and exosomes can be targeted as biomarkers and treatments. In this review, we summarize the studies of miRNA and exosomes in sarcoma.