Long noncoding RNA PVT1 promotes laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma development by acting as a molecular sponge to regulate miR-519d-3p

Upregulation of miR-519d-3p Inhibits Viability, Proliferation, and G1/S Cell Cycle Transition of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells Through Targeting CCND1

Background: MicroRNA (miR)-519d-3p suppresses tumor development, however, its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has yet to be determined. Materials and Methods: OSCC and adjacent tissues were collected (n = 45 for adjacent; n = 21 for Stage I-II OSCC; n = 24 for Stage III-IV OSCC). The cell viability, proliferation, and cell cycle of OSCC were, respectively, assessed by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation assay, and flow cytometry. Relative expressions of cell cycle-regulated proteins (Cyclin D1 [CCND1], CDK4, and CDK6) and miR-519d-3p were measured with Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction as needed. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the prediction of TargetScan that miR-519d-3p and CCND1 shared potential binding sites. Correlation analysis between miR-519d-3p and CCND1 was performed with Pearson's correlation test. Results: In OSCC tissues, downregulating miR-519d-3p expression correlated with a higher tumor grade. Upregulating miR-519d-3p expression inhibited OSCC cell viability and proliferation, increased cells in G0/G1 phase and reduced those in S/G2 phase, and downregulated the expressions of cell cycle-related protein (CDK4, CDK6). CCND1 was the target gene of miR-519d-3p, and overexpressed CCND1 reversed the effects of upregulation of miR-519d-3p on suppressing the viability, proliferation, and cell cycle of OSCC cells. Conclusions: miR-519d-3p upregulation suppressed the cell viability, proliferation, and G1/S cell cycle transition of OSCC through targeting CCND1. The current findings provide a possible clinical option for OSCC treatment.

Potentials of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks as biomarkers for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Chemoresistance, radioresistance, and facile spreading of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) make the practically clinical treatment invalid. Such dismal outcome mainly originates from the lack of effective biomarkers which are highly desirable to understand the pathogenesis of LSCC, and strives to find promising novel biomarkers to improve early screening, effective treatment, and prognosis evaluation in LSCC. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a kind of non-coding RNAs longer than 200 nucleotides, can participate in the process of tumorigenesis and progression through many regulatory modalities, such as epigenetic transcriptional regulation and post-transcriptional regulation. Meanwhile, microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs), essentially involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, are aberrantly expressed in cancer-related genomic regions or susceptible sites. An increasing number of studies have shown that lncRNAs are important regulators of miRNAs expression in LSCC, and that miRNAs can also target to regulate the expression of lncRNAs, and they can target to regulate downstream messenger RNAs (mRNAs) transcriptionally or post-transcriptionally, thereby affecting various physiopathological processes of LSCC. Complex cross-regulatory networks existing among lncRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs can regulate the tumorigenesis and development of LSCC. Such networks may become promising biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in the research field of LSCC. In this review, we mainly summarize the latest research progress on the regulatory relationships among lncRNAs, miRNAs, and downstream mRNAs, and highlight the potential applications of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks as biomarkers for the early diagnosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, chemoresistance, radioresistance, and prognosis of LSCC, aiming to provide important clues for understanding the pathogenesis of LSCC and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

A novel cuproptosis-related lncRNA prognostic signature for predicting treatment and immune environment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an urgent public health issue due to its poor prognosis and resistance to anti-cancer agents. However, the role of cuproptosis, a newly identified form cell death, in applications of HNSCC is still not a known. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing data was used to explore cuproptosis-related gene expression in the tumour microenvironment. A prognostic model was constructed based on the cuproptosis-related lncRNA. Various methods were performed to predict the overall survival (OS) of different risk score patients and explore difference in enrichment function and pathways between the risk score patients. Finally, a series of immunogenomic landscape analyses were performed and evaluated the immune function, immune infiltration and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. Cancer cell cluster expressed the essential cuproptosis-related gene. As the risk score increased of HNSCC patients, a significant decrease in survival status and time occurred for patients in the high-risk score patient. The AUC for predicting 1-, 3-, and 5-years OS were 0.679, 0.713 and 0.656, indicating that the model regarded as an independent prognostic signature in comparison with the clinical-pathological characteristics. As a results of GO, the immune function and immune infiltration of different risk score patients were assessed, revealing significant differences in T cell function and abundance of different types of T cells. Low-risk score patients are relatively insensitive to chemotherapy agents such as docetaxel and cisplatin, and easily resistant to immunotherapy. A cuproptosis-related lncRNA prognostic model was constructed to predict OS of HNSCC patients and provided the newly therapeutic strategies.

Long non-coding RNA PVT1: A promising chemotherapy and radiotherapy sensitizer

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) PVT1 was first found to activate variant translocations in the plasmacytoma of mice. Human lncPVT1 is located on chromosome 8q24.21, at the same locus as the well-known MYC oncogene. LncPVT1 has been found to promote the progression of various malignancies. Chemoresistance and radioresistance seriously affect tumor treatment efficacy and are associated with the dysregulation of physiological processes in cancer cells, including apoptosis, autophagy, stemness (for cancer stem cells, CSC), hypoxia, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), and DNA damage repair. Previous studies have also implicated lncPVT1 in the regulation of these physiological mechanisms. In recent years, lncPVT1 was found to modulate chemoresistance and radioresistance in some cancers. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of lncPVT1-mediated regulation of cellular chemoresistance and radioresistance. Due to its high expression in malignant tumors and sensitization effect in chemotherapy and radiotherapy, lncPVT1 is expected to become an effective antitumor target and chemotherapy and radiotherapy sensitizer, which requires further study.

PINTology: A short history of the lncRNA LINC-PINT in different diseases

LINC-PINT is a p53-induced long intergenic noncoding transcript that plays a crucial role in many diseases, especially cancer. This long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) gene produces in total 102 (LNCipedia) alternatively spliced variants (LINC-PINT:1 to LINC-PINT:102). The functions of known variants include RNA transcripts, host transcripts for circular RNA (circRNA) generation and as sources for the translation of short peptides. In most human tumors, LINC-PINT is down-regulated where it serves as a tumor suppressor. However, the diversity of its functions in other maladies signifies its general clinical importance. Current LINC-PINT molecular functions include RNA-protein interactions, miRNA sponging and epigenetic modulation with these mechanisms operating in different cellular contexts to exert effects on biological processes ranging from DNA damage responses, cell cycle and growth arrest, senescence, cell migration and invasion, and apoptosis. Genetic polymorphisms in LINC-PINT have also been functionally associated with cancer and other pathologies including the autoimmune diseases pemphigus foliaceus and arthritis. Hence, LINC-PINT shows great potential as a clinical biomarker, especially for the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. In this review, we explore the current knowledge highlighting the distinctive molecular functions of LINC-PINT in specific cancers and other disease states. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.

The Novel Competing Endogenous Long Noncoding RNA SM2 Regulates Gonadotropin Secretion in the Hu Sheep Anterior Pituitary by Targeting the Oar-miR-16b/TGF-β/SMAD2 Signaling Pathway

Pituitary gonadotropins play a pivotal role in reproduction. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as important regulators in the hypothalamic−pituitary−ovarian (HPO) axis associated with reproduction. However, the contributions of lncRNAs to pituitary gonadotropin secretion remain largely unknown. Therefore, this work was performed to uncover the functional mechanisms of the novel lncRNA TCONS_00083279 (lncRNA SM2) and its potential targeting pathway oar-miR-16b/TGF-beta/SMAD2, which is associated with gonadotropin secretion in sheep pituitary cells. In the present study, the lncRNA SM2 showed high expression levels in the sheep pituitary gland, and it was located in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm of pituitary cells. lncRNA SM2 knockdown inhibited pituitary cell proliferation and FSH and LH secretion. The function of the lncRNA SM2 was sponged by oar-miR-16b, and this regulated the growth and gonadotropin secretion of pituitary cells by modulating SMAD2, as shown by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. FSH and LH levels were both upregulated by SMAD2 overexpression. Moreover, the levels of the lncRNA SM2, SMAD2 and TGFR1, as well as FSH and LH, in sheep pituitary cells increased significantly under gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation (p < 0.05). This work illustrates that the lncRNA SM2 regulates gonadotropin secretion in the Hu sheep anterior pituitary by targeting the oar-miR-16b/TGF-β/SMAD2 signaling pathway, providing a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying sheep reproduction.

Prediction of lncRNA-Disease Associations via Closest Node Weight Graphs of the Spatial Neighborhood Based on the Edge Attention Graph Convolutional Network

Accumulated evidence of biological clinical trials has shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely related to the occurrence and development of various complex human diseases. Research works on lncRNA–disease relations will benefit to further understand the pathogenesis of human complex diseases at the molecular level, but only a small proportion of lncRNA–disease associations has been confirmed. Considering the high cost of biological experiments, exploring potential lncRNA–disease associations with computational approaches has become very urgent. In this study, a model based on closest node weight graph of the spatial neighborhood (CNWGSN) and edge attention graph convolutional network (EAGCN), LDA-EAGCN, was developed to uncover potential lncRNA–disease associations by integrating disease semantic similarity, lncRNA functional similarity, and known lncRNA–disease associations. Inspired by the great success of the EAGCN method on the chemical molecule property recognition problem, the prediction of lncRNA–disease associations could be regarded as a component recognition problem of lncRNA–disease characteristic graphs. The CNWGSN features of lncRNA–disease associations combined with known lncRNA–disease associations were introduced to train EAGCN, and correlation scores of input data were predicted with EAGCN for judging whether the input lncRNAs would be associated with the input diseases. LDA-EAGCN achieved a reliable AUC value of 0.9853 in the ten-fold cross-over experiments, which was the highest among five state-of-the-art models. Furthermore, case studies of renal cancer, laryngeal carcinoma, and liver cancer were implemented, and most of the top-ranking lncRNA–disease associations have been proven by recently published experimental literature works. It can be seen that LDA-EAGCN is an effective model for predicting potential lncRNA–disease associations. Its source code and experimental data are available at https://github.com/HGDKMF/LDA-EAGCN.

NFIB-Mediated lncRNA PVT1 Aggravates Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression via the miR-1301-3p/MBNL1 Axis

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of head and neck cancers. In the past decades, although the therapy strategies of LSCC have made considerable improvement, the terrible outcomes of LSCC still bring an enormous burden to the world health care system. Novel therapeutic targets for LSCC are urgently needed. lncRNAs exert important roles in various biological progressions, including LSCC. Here, we aimed to investigate the function of lncRNA PVT1 in LSCC progression and its underlying molecular mechanisms. By conducting multiple experiments, our results showed that lncRNA PVT1 was upregulated in LSCC cell lines and regulated LSCC cell proliferation, apoptosis, and its cell susceptibility to natural killer (NK) cells. Moreover, it was found that lncRNA PVT1 promotes MBNL1 expression to regulate LSCC cellular progression through sponging miR-1301-3p. Our study might provide novel targets for LSCC basic research or clinical management.

The LncRNA FGD5-AS1/miR-497-5p axis regulates septin 2 (SEPT2) to accelerate cancer progression and increase cisplatin-resistance in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Aberrant expression or mutation of the Septin gene family is closely associated with cancer progression, and septin 2 (SEPT2) exerts its tumor-promoting effects in multiple cancers, but its role in regulating laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) progression and drug resistance has not been investigated. Based on the published data, the present study identified that SEPT2 promoted cancer progression and increased cisplatin-resistance in LSCC, and a novel LncRNA FGD5-AS1/miR-497-5p axis was crucial for this process. Mechanistically, SEPT2 tended to be enriched in LSCC tissues and cells, and knock-down of SEPT2 inhibited cell proliferation, viability, migration, and tumorigenesis in LSCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Aside from that, SEPT2 overexpression increased cisplatin resistance in LSCC cells. Next, by conducting the dual-luciferase reporter gene system assay, we identified that the LncRNA FGD5-AS1/miR-497-5p axis regulated SEPT2 in LSCC. Specifically, LncRNA FGD5-AS1 sponged miR-497-5p to upregulate SEPT2 in LSCC cells in a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms-dependent manner. Interestingly, upregulated LncRNA FGD5-AS1 and downregulated miR-497-5p were observed in LSCC tissues and cells, and LncRNA FGD5-AS1 ablation inhibited cancer progression. Also, LncRNA FGD5-AS1 overexpression increased cisplatin-resistance in LSCC by modulating the miR-497-5p/SEPT2 axis. Collectively, we conclude that targeting the LncRNA FGD5-AS1/miR-497-5p/SEPT2 signaling cascade may be an alternative strategy to treat LSCC in the clinic.

TINCR inhibits the proliferation and invasion of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by regulating miR-210/BTG2

Background

Terminal differentiation-induced ncRNA (TINCR) plays an essential role in epidermal differentiation and is involved in the development of various cancers.

Methods

qPCR was used to detect the expression level of TINCR in tissues and cell lines of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). The potential targets of TINCR were predicted by the bioinformation website. The expression of miR-210 and BTG2 genes were detected by qPCR, and the protein levels of BTG2 and Ki-67 were evaluated by western blot. CCK-8 assay, scratch test, and transwell chamber were used to evaluate the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis ability of LSCC cells. The relationships among TINCR, miR-210, and BTG2 were investigated by bioinformatics software and luciferase reporter assay. The in vivo function of TINCR was accessed on survival rate and tumor growth in nude mice.

Results

We used qRT-PCR to detect the expression of TINCR in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues and cells and found significantly lower levels in cancer tissues compared with adjacent tissues. Additionally, patients with high TINCR expression had a better prognosis. TINCR overexpression was observed to inhibit the proliferation and invasion of LSCC cells. TINCR was shown to exert its antiproliferation and invasion effects by adsorbing miR-210, which significantly promoted the proliferation and invasion of laryngeal squamous cells. Overexpression of miR-210 was determined to reverse the tumour-suppressive effects of TINCR. BTG2 (anti-proliferation factor 2) was identified as the target gene of miR-210, and BTG2 overexpression inhibited the proliferation and invasion of LSCC cells. BTG2 knockdown relieved the inhibitory effects of TINCR on the proliferation and invasion of LSCC. Finally, TINCR upregulation slowed xenograft tumour growth in nude mice and significantly increased survival compared with control mice.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that TINCR inhibits the proliferation and invasion of LSCC by regulating the miR-210/BTG2 pathway, participates in cell cycle regulation, and may become a target for the treatment of LSCC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08513-0.

lncRNA PVT1 promotes cetuximab resistance of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells by inhibiting miR-124-3p

BACKGROUND

Cetuximab has been widely used in the clinical treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, whether long non-coding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (lncRNA PVT1) is correlated with cetuximab resistance remains unclear.

METHODS

Western blot and qRT-PCR were performed to quantify the levels of genes and proteins, respectively. Cell functions were measured using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and flow cytometry assays. The methylation level was tested using methylation-specific PCR (MSP).

RESULTS

PVT1 was upregulated and positively correlated with the poor prognosis of HNSCC. PVT1 overexpression markedly promoted the survival and weakened the cetuximab sensitivity of HNSCC cells, while miR-124-3p overexpression showed opposite effects. Mechanistically, the silence of PVT1 indirectly promoted miR-124-3p expression by reducing its promoter methylation. Importantly, miR-124-3p overexpression impeded the regulatory roles of PVT1 overexpression.

CONCLUSION

PVT1 decreased the sensitivity of HNSCC cells to cetuximab by enhancing methylation-mediated inhibition of miR-124-3p, which might provide a new insight for the cetuximab chemoresistance of HNSCC.

Long non-coding RNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Diagnostic biomarkers, targeted therapies, and prognostic roles

At present, emerging evidence shows that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play crucial roles for development of multiple tumors. Amongst these ncRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play prominent roles in physiological and pathological processes. LncRNAs are RNA transcripts larger than 200 nucleotides and have been shown to serve important regulatory roles in different types of cancer via interactions with DNA, RNA and proteins. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most malignant tumors with low survival rates in advanced stages. Recently, lncRNAs have been demonstrated to be involved in a wide range of biological processes, including proliferation, metastasis, and prognosis of HNSCC. Therefore, this review describes molecular mechanisms of up- or down-regulation of lncRNAs and expounds their functions in pathology and clinical practices in HNSCC. It also highlights their potential clinical applications as biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of HNSCC. However, studies on lncRNAs are still not comprehensive, and more investigations are needed in the future.

LncRNA LINC-PINT Inhibits Malignant Behaviors of Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells via Inhibiting ZEB1

Objective: Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) belongs to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with dismal prognosis. Here, this study aims to disclose the role of LINC-PINT in cancer development, which may contribute to improving the clinical outcomes of LSCC treatment.

Methods: LINC-PINT expression in LSCC tissues and in TU-177 and Hep-2 cells was quantified, and subsequently, the association between LINC-PINT and LSCC malignancies was analyzed. pcDNA3.1-LINC-PINT or pcDNA3.1-EZH2 was introduced into Hep-2 and TU-177 cells. qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses examined the levels of proteins related to the AKT/mTOR pathway and their phosphorylated proteins in Hep-2 and TU-177 cells. The viability as well as migration and invasion abilities of Hep-2 and TU-177 cells were determined. Also, the distribution of LINC-PINT in Hep-2 cells was investigated as well as the interplay between LINC-PINT and EZH2. The downstream genes that might interact with EZH2 were screened.

Results: LINC-PINT expression was inhibited in LSCC tissues and in Hep-2 and TU-177 cells, whose downregulation was associated with unsatisfactory prognosis. LINC-PINT overexpression suppressed the proliferative, migratory and invasive capacities of Hep-2 and TU-177 cells. LINC-PINT, mainly expressing in nuclei, could enrich EZH2 to silence ZEB1. In Hep-2 and TU-177 cells, the inhibition of LINC-PINT or overexpression of ZEB1 could enhance cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The phosphorylated levels of proteins related to the AKT/mTOR pathway were declined in cells with LINC-PINT overexpression, and the levels of these phosphorylated proteins were increased in cells with LINC-PINT inhibition.

Conclusion: LINC-PINT enriches EZH2 to silence ZEB1 and thus inhibits the proliferative, migratory, and invasive capacities of Hep-2 and TU-177 cells. In addition, LINC-PINT might exert its biological function through the AKT/mTOR pathway.

Long noncoding RNA LINC01638 contributes to laryngeal squamous cell cancer progression by modulating miR-523-5p/BATF3 axis

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. How lncRNA regulates laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) progression remains poorly understood. In the present study, we found that LINC01638 was highly expressed in LSCC tissues. And LINC01638 expression was positively correlated with clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. Patients with LINC01638 high expression displayed a low survival rate. Results from CCK8, colony formation, and transwell assays showed that LINC01638 knockdown suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of LSCC cells in vitro. Animal experiments indicated that LINC01638 silencing attenuated tumor growth in vivo. In terms of mechanism, LINC01638 was found to sponge miR-523-5p and promote BATF3 expression. In summary, our results demonstrated that LINC01638/miR-523-5p/BATF3 axis plays a crucial function in initiating LSCC development and may be a potential target for tumor therapy.

Long non-coding RNA MIAT promotes the proliferation and invasion of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells by sponging microRNA-613

Accumulating evidence indicates that the long non-coding RNA myocardial infarction associated transcript (lncRNA MIAT) serves an important role in the progression of a number of cancer types. However, the precise molecular mechanism of MIAT in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) progression remain elusive. The aim of the current study was to assess the effects and to clarify the molecular mechanism of MIAT on the proliferation and invasion of LSCC cells. The expression of MIAT was detected in LSCC tissues and cells using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. MTT and colony formation assays were performed to examine the effects of MIAT on the proliferation of LSCC cells. Additionally, wound healing and Transwell experiments were employed to examine cellular migration and invasion. Luciferase reporter gene assay was also used to confirm the direct binding between MIAT and microRNA (miR)-613 in LSCC cells. An RNA immunoprecipitation assay was performed to verify the interaction between MIAT and miR-613. In the present study, it was found that the expression of MIAT in LSCC tissues was markedly higher compared with that in adjacent non-tumor tissues. In addition, MIAT expression was also increased in the human LSCC cell lines TU686, TU-177 and AMC-HN-8 compared with that in normal human keratinocytes (HaCaT). Knocking down MIAT expression significantly reduced LSCC cell proliferation and inhibited colony formation, a shown by MTT and colony formation assays, respectively. MIAT knockdown also substantially inhibited the migratory and invasive abilities of LSCC cells, as shown by wound healing and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. Subsequently, luciferase reporter assays verified that MIAT could bind to miR-613, where a negative correlation was observed between the expression of MIAT and miR-613 in LSCC tissues. Suppression of miR-613 partially reversed the inhibitory effects of MIAT knockdown on the proliferation, migration and invasion of LSCC cells. Taken together, the present study identified that MIAT may function as an oncogenic lncRNA to promote LSCC progression, which provides a potential therapeutic target or as a novel diagnostic biomarker for LSCC.

Long non-coding RNA LINC00525 interacts with miR-31-5p and miR-125a-5p to act as an oncogenic molecule in spinal chordoma

LINC00525 is a new-researched long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in a few cancers. This study aims at researching the function of LINC00525 in spinal chordoma and the underlying mechanism of action. LINC00525, microRNA-31-5p (miR-31-5p) and microRNA-125a-5p (miR-125a-5p) detection was performed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We found the high expression of LINC00525 but the low levels of miR-31-5p and miR-125a-5p in spinal chordoma tissues. After LINC00525 was downregulated in spinal chordoma cells, there were inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT but a promoting effect on cell apoptosis. MiR-31-5p and miR-125a-5p were the downstream targets of LINC00525. The function of LINC00525 knockdown in spinal chordoma cells were achieved by upregulating miR-31-5p and miR-125a-5p. Tumorigenesis of spinal chordoma in vivo was also inhibited by knockdown of LINC00525 via the promotion of miR-31-5p and miR-125a-5p. All these results suggested that LINC00525 targeted miR-31-5p and miR-125a-5p to promote the tumorigenesis and progression of spinal chordoma. LINC00525 can be a novel molecular target in spinal chordoma.

Long-Noncoding RNA PCAT6 Aggravates Osteosarcoma Tumourigenesis via the MiR-143-3p/ZEB1 Axis

Introduction

The long-noncoding RNA PCAT6 plays an important regulatory role in the development of several cancers. However, the expression pattern and underlying mechanisms of PCAT6 in osteosarcoma (OS) are yet unknown.

Methods

We used real-time PCR to measure PCAT6 expression in 106 tumor pairs and corresponding non-tumor tissues from OS patients. Statistical analyses were applied to evaluate the prognostic value and associations of PCAT6 expression with clinical parameters. Furthermore, the PCAT6 was silenced with siRNA in OS cells. Moreover, phenotype of PCAT6 silenced OS cells was measured using colony formation, CCK-8, cell migration and invasion assay. Finally, the molecular mechanism of PCAT6/miR-143-3p/ZEB1 axis in OS progression was explored.

Results

The expression level of PCAT6 in OS tissues was significantly elevated as compared with that in the adjacent normal bone tissues and that high PCAT6 expression closely correlated with the malignant phenotype and poor survival among patients with OS. Multivariate analyses revealed PCAT6 overexpression as an independent prognostic factor for the poor outcome of patients with OS. Functional assay results demonstrated that the knockdown of PCAT6 expression notably suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells. An elevated PCAT6 level aggravated the malignant phenotype of OS cells via ZEB1 expression upregulation. Mechanistic studies revealed that PCAT6 could sponge endogenous miR-143-3p and inhibit its activity, resulting in an increase in ZEB1 level. Finally, we demonstrated that the tumour-promoting role of PCAT6 in OS was dependent on the regulation of the miR-143-3p/ZEB1 axis.

Conclusion

These findings highlight the potential role of PCAT6, which could serve as a valuable prognostic indicator for patients with OS.

Regulatory Mechanisms of lncRNAs and Their Target Gene Signaling Pathways in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common malignant tumor that occurs in the head and neck. People living in areas with serious air pollution and those who smoke and drink for a long time belong to high-risk groups. Although great progress has been made in chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and molecular targeted therapy in recent years, the prognosis of patients is still not good. The proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of LSCC are controlled by many factors, which are the key factors influencing the prognosis of patients. Previous researches have demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can be used as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in the occurrence and development of cancer and regulate cancer through various ways including epigenetic regulation and post-transcriptional regulation. The characteristics and roles of lncRNAs in LSCC, however, are not clear. In this review, we will discuss the role and function of lncRNAs in the proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of LSCC and analyze the relationship between lncRNAs and lncRNA-regulated signaling pathways in LSCC pathological process. The difficulties faced by the related research of LSCC are discussed. It provides reference ideas for the molecular mechanism research of LSCC targeting lncRNA and its signaling pathways, the development of clinical prevention and therapeutic drug and individualized treatment, thereby improving the quality of life of patients.

The Predicted Key Molecules, Functions, and Pathways That Bridge Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD)

To elucidate the key molecules, functions, and pathways that bridge mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), we investigated open gene expression data sets. Differential gene expression profiles were analyzed and combined with potential MCI- and AD-related gene expression profiles in public databases. Then, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify the gene co-expression modules. One module was significantly negatively associated with MCI samples, in which gene ontology function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis showed that these genes were related to cytosolic ribosome, ribosomal structure, oxidative phosphorylation, AD, and metabolic pathway. The other two modules correlated significantly with AD samples, in which functional and pathway enrichment analysis revealed strong relationships of these genes with cytoplasmic ribosome, protein binding, AD, cancer, and apoptosis. In addition, we regarded the core genes in the module network closely related to MCI and AD as bridge genes and submitted them to protein interaction network analysis to screen for major pathogenic genes according to the connectivity information. Among them, small nuclear ribonucleoprotein D2 polypeptide (SNRPD2), ribosomal protein S3a (RPS3A), S100 calcium binding protein A8 (S100A8), small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide G (SNRPG), U6 snRNA-associated Sm-like protein LSm3 (LSM3), ribosomal protein S27a (RPS27A), and ATP synthase F1 subunit gamma (ATP5C1) were not only major pathogenic genes of MCI, but also bridge genes. In addition, SNRPD2, RPS3A, S100A8, SNRPG, LSM3, thioredoxin (TXN), proteasome 20S subunit alpha 4 (PSMA4), annexin A1 (ANXA1), DnaJ heat shock protein family member A1 (DNAJA1), and prefoldin subunit 5 (PFDN5) were not only major pathogenic genes of AD, but also bridge genes. Next, we screened for differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) to predict the miRNAs and transcription factors related the MCI and AD modules, respectively. The significance score of miRNAs in each module was calculated using a hypergeometric test to obtain the miRNApivot-Module interaction pair. Thirty-four bridge regulators were analyzed, among which hsa-miR-519d-3p was recognized as the bridge regulator between MCI and AD. Our study contributed to a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of MCI and AD, and might lead to the development of a new strategy for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Upregulation of LncRNA PVT1 Facilitates Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cell Progression and Glycolysis by Regulating MiR-519d-3p and HIF-1A

The long, noncoding RNA (lncRNA) PVT1, as an important epigenetic regulator, has a critical role in carcinogenesis. However, its role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has not been fully investigated. Here, the up-regulated expression of lncRNA PVT1 is found in our PDAC tumor samples. Knockdown of it suppressed PDCA cells growth and glycolysis. An inverse association between miR-519d-3p and PVT1 was found. RIP, RNA pulldown and luciferase assay showed that PVT1 directly targets miR-519d-3p by binding with microRNA binding site. Bioinformatics analysis and study indicated that HIF-1A is a target of miR-519d-3p. Collectively, our findings suggested that PVT1 could act as an oncogenic lncRNA, and promote tumor progression by regulating HIF-1A via competing with miR-519d-3p.

Long Non-coding RNA PVT1 as a Prognostic and Therapeutic Target in Pediatric Cancer

In recent decades, biomedical research has focused on understanding the functionality of the human translated genome, which represents a minor part of all genetic information transcribed from the human genome. However, researchers have become aware of the importance of non-coding RNA species that constitute the vast majority of the transcriptome. In addition to their crucial role in tissue development and homeostasis, mounting evidence shows non-coding RNA to be deregulated and functionally contributing to the development and progression of different types of human disease including cancer both in adults and children. Small non-coding RNAs (i.e., microRNA) are in the vanguard of clinical research which revealed that RNA could be used as disease biomarkers or new therapeutic targets. Furthermore, many more expectations have been raised for long non-coding RNAs, by far the largest fraction of non-coding transcripts, and still fewer findings have been translated into clinical applications. In this review, we center on PVT1, a large and complex long non-coding RNA that usually confers oncogenic properties on different tumor types. We focus on the compilation of early advances in the field of pediatric tumors which often lags behind clinical improvements in adult tumors, and provide a rationale to continue studying PVT1 as a possible functional contributor to pediatric malignancies and as a potential prognostic marker or therapeutic target.

PVT1 Signaling Is a Mediator of Cancer Progression

There is increasing evidence that PVT1 has oncogenic properties and regulates proliferation and growth of many cancers. Themolecular mechanisms of action of PVT1 are mediated, in part, by microRNAs (miRNAs). However, some well-established transcription factors involved in cancer cell proliferation share a common thread of microRNA associations with PVT1. Furthermore, these microRNAs are also involved in mechanisms that lead to the development of drug resistance in cancer cells. While several microRNAs have been implicated directly in PVT1-mediated tumorigenesis, significant steps need to be taken to elucidate these important relationships. We synthesize the current knowledge of the miRNAs and associated genes by which PVT1 contributes to tumorigenesis. Overall, the trend suggests a negative correlation of microRNA expression with PVT1. It is clear that future studies involving PVT1 should be carried out in conjunction with microRNA analysis and should include large scale lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network analysis. Likewise, the relationship between established transcription factors such as p53 and MYC, and processes like epithelial-mesenchymal transition may offer valuable insight into the yet unknown mechanisms of PVTI-mediated cancer progression via microRNA-dependent signaling networks.