Effects of ebv-miR-BART7 on tumorigenicity, metastasis, and TRAIL sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer

The Mechanism Underlying the Regulation of Long Non-coding RNA MEG3 in Cerebral Ischemic Stroke

Cerebral ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and rapidly increasing annually with no more effective therapeutic measures. Thus, the novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are urgent to be identified for prevention and therapy of ischemic stroke. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a major family of noncoding RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides, have been considered as new targets for modulating pathological process of ischemic stroke. In this review, we summarized that the lncRNA-maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) played a critical role in promotion of neuronal cell death and inhibition of angiogenesis in response to hypoxia or ischemia condition, and further described the challenge of overcrossing blood-brain barrier (BBB) and determination of optimal carrier for delivering lncRNA' drugs into the specific brain regions. In brief, MEG3 will be a potential diagnostic biomarker and drug target in treatment and therapy of ischemic stroke in the future.

miR-129-5p Ameliorates Ischemic Brain Injury by Binding to SIAH1 and Activating the mTOR Signaling Pathway

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been linked with ischemic brain injury (IBI), but the mechanistic actions behind the associated miRNAs remain to be determined. Of note, miR-129-5p was revealed to be downregulated in the serum of patients with IBI. In silico prediction identified a putative target gene, siah E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (SIAH1), of miR-129-5p. Accordingly, this study plans to clarify the functional relevance of the interplay of miR-129-5p and SIAH1 in IBI. IBI was modeled by exposing human hippocampal neuronal cells to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro and by occluding the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) in a mouse model in vivo. Apoptosis of hippocampal neuronal cells was assessed by annexin V-FITC/PI staining and TUNEL staining. The area of cerebral infarction was measured using TTC staining, along with neurological scoring on modeled mice. Loss of hippocampal neuronal cells in the peri-infarct area was monitored using Nissl staining. Downregulated miR-129-5p expression was found in OGD-induced hippocampal neuronal cells and MCAO-treated mice. Mechanistically, miR-129-5p was validated to target and inhibit SIAH1 through the application of dual-luciferase reporter assay. Additionally, enforced miR-129-5p inhibited the apoptosis of OGD-induced cells and decreased the cerebral infarct area, neurological scores and apoptosis of hippocampal neuronal cells by downregulating SIAH1 and activating the mTOR signaling pathway. Taken together, the results of this study reveal the important role and underlying mechanism of miR-129-5p in IBI, providing a promising biomarker for preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Association of COVID-19 and other viral infections with interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension: A narrative review

Background

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) include a broad range of diffuse parenchymal lung disorders and are characterized by diffuse parenchymal lung abnormalities leading to irreversible fibrosis. ILDs are correlated with the occurrence of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), which generally also results in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Interferons, secreted in larger amounts during viral infections, are an important possible risk factor contributing to this outcome.

Aims

In this narrative review, the role of 10 different viral infections on the generation/development of ILDs and their outcomes are described in detail. The aim of this review is to determine the probable risk that COVID-19 and other viral infections pose in the post-infection development of ILDs, PF, and PH.

Methods

Searches in PubMed (Medline), Google Scholar, Web of Science (ISI, Researcher ID, Publons), ResearchGate, Scopus, and secondary sources yielded 134 studies. After exclusion criteria, 92 studies containing the terms “Coronavirus” (COVID-19), “Interstitial Lung Diseases,” “Pulmonary Fibrosis,” “Pulmonary Hypertension” and “viral infections” were selected for inclusion. Selected articles were read with a focus on the roles of the 10 commonly studied viral infections on generation/intensification of ILDs and classified according to their dominant effect on the respiratory system, with a focus on each infection’s effects on parenchyma of the lungs and generation and/or intensification of ILDs.

Results

This review found that ILDs, PF, and PH can occur after a COVID-19 viral infection. Similar results are also seen in post-infection cases of other viral infections, including Epstein–Barr virus, Cytomegalovirus, Human herpesvirus-8, adenovirus, Hepatitis C, Torque-Teno (Transfusion-Transmitted) Virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

Conclusion

Results of current studies show probable possibility for generation and/or intensification of ILDs in COVID-19 infected patients like other studied viruses. Studies on determination of the actual prevalence of ILD, PF and PH in post-COVID-19 infected patients, follow-up studies on the prevention of ILDs in recovered COVID-19 patients, and meta-analyzed studies on pulmonary outcomes of pandemic corona viruses are strongly recommended as topics for future studies.

Epstein-Barr Virus miR-BART17-5p Promotes Migration and Anchorage-Independent Growth by Targeting Kruppel-Like Factor 2 in Gastric Cancer

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects more than 90% of the global population and is associated with a variety of tumors including nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, natural killer/T lymphoma, and gastric carcinoma. In EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC), highly expressed EBV BamHI A rightward transcripts (BART) miRNAs may contribute to tumorigenesis with limited viral antigens. Despite previous studies on the targets of BART miRNAs, the functions of all 44 BART miRNAs have not been fully clarified. Here, we used RNA sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas to find genes with decreased expression in EBVaGC. Furthermore, we used AGS cells infected with EBV to determine whether expression was reduced by BART miRNA. We showed that the expression of Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) is lower in AGS-EBV cells than in the AGS control. Using bioinformatics analysis, four BART miRNAs were selected to check whether they suppress KLF2 expression. We found that only miR-BART17-5p directly down-regulated KLF2 and promoted gastric carcinoma cell migration and anchorage-independent growth. Our data suggest that KLF2 functions as a tumor suppressor in EBVaGC and that miR-BART17-5p may be a valuable target for effective EBVaGC treatment.

Acetylshikonin Sensitizes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells to Apoptosis through ROS-Mediated Caspase Activation

The tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has shown strong and explicit cancer cell-selectivity, which results in little toxicity toward normal tissues, and has been recognized as a potential, relatively safe anticancer agent. However, several cancers are resistant to the apoptosis induced by TRAIL. A recent study found that shikonin b (alkannin, 5,8-dihydroxy-2-[(1S)-1-hydroxy-4-methylpent-3-en-1-yl]naphthalene-1,4-dione) might induce apoptosis in TRAIL-resistant cholangiocarcinoma cells through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated caspases activation. However, the strong cytotoxic activity has limited its potential as an anticancer drug. Thus, the current study intends to discover novel shikonin derivatives which can sensitize the liver cancer cell to TRAIL-induced apoptosis while exhibiting little toxicity toward the normal hepatic cell. The trypan blue exclusion assay, western blot assay, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay as well as the ‘comet’ assay, were used to study the underlying mechanisms of cell death and to search for any mechanisms of an enhancement of TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in the presence of ASH. Herein, we demonstrated that non-cytotoxic doses of acetylshikonin (ASH), one of the shikonin derivatives, in combination with TRAIL, could promote apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Further studies showed that application of ASH in a non-cytotoxic dose (2.5 μM) could increase intracellular ROS production and induce DNA damage, which might trigger a cell intrinsic apoptosis pathway in the TRAIL-resistant HepG2 cell. Combination treatment with a non-cytotoxic dose of ASH and TRAIL activated caspase and increased the cleavage of PARP-1 in the HepG2 cell. However, when intracellular ROS production was suppressed by N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), the synergistic effects of ASH and TRAIL on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell apoptosis was abolished. Furthermore, NAC could alleviate p53 and the p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) expression induced by TRAIL and ASH. Small (or short) interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting PUMA or p53 significantly reversed ASH-mediated sensitization to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. In addition, Bax gene deficiency also abolished ASH-induced TRAIL sensitization. An orthotopical HCC implantation mice model further confirmed that co-treated ASH overcomes TRAIL resistance in HCC cells without exhibiting potent toxicity in vivo. In conclusion, the above data suggested that ROS could induce DNA damage and activating p53/PUMA/Bax signaling, and thus, this resulted in the permeabilization of mitochondrial outer membrane and activating caspases as well as sensitizing the HCC cell to apoptosis induced by TRAIL and ASH treatment.

Ipatasertib sensitizes colon cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis through ROS-mediated caspase activation

Due to TRAIL's explicit cancer cell-selectivity, the current study aimed to explore novel agents that sensitized cancer cell for TRAIL-induced apoptosis while sparing normal cell. In this study, we found that TRAIL could induce PARP-1 cleavage and apoptosis in colon cancer HCT116 cell, but HT-29 cell was not sensitive to TRAIL. However, non-cytotoxic doses of ipatasertib in conjunction with TRAIL could induce apoptosis in HT-29 cell. Mechanism studies showed that intracellular ROS level was significant increased during ipatasertib treatment. Excessive cellular levels of ROS further induced DNA damage and subsequently activated apoptotic signaling pathways in TRAIL-resistant HT-29 cells. Combined treatment with sub-toxic doses of ipatasertib and TRAIL leads to caspase activation and PARP-1 cleavage in HT-29 cells. Pretreated with NAC, an antioxidant, could inhibit ROS production and PARP-1 cleavage as well as prevent cell apoptotic death induced by combination therapy with TRAIL and ipatasertib. In addition, NAC can block the up-regulation of p53/PUMA induced by combined treatment with ipatasertib and TRAIL. Transfection with p53 or Puma siRNA for 48 h can reverse ipatasertib-mediated TRAIL sensitization. In conclusion, p53 and PUMA may play a pivotal role in sensitizing colon cancer cell to TRAIL-induced apoptosis by sub-toxic doses of ipatasertib treatment.