MicroRNA-30b Suppresses Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Metastasis of Hepatoma Cells

pPe Op inhibits HGC-27 cell proliferation, migration and invasion by upregulating miR-30b-5p and down-regulating the Rac1/Cdc42 pathway

Gastric cancer is the fifth most frequently occurring and the fourth most lethal malignant cancer worldwide. A bioactive protein (pPe Op) from Omphalia lapidescens exhibits significant inhibitory effects on gastric cancer cells. miRNA deep sequencing analysis shows that miR-30b-5p is significantly upregulated in HGC-27 cells treated with pPe Op. Verification results show that the expression level of miR-30b-5p is significantly increased in HGC-27 cells after pPe Op treatment. Additionally, miR-30b-5p is significantly downregulated in clinical gastric cancer tissues compared to that in adjacent normal tissues. Following pPe Op treatment and/or transfection with miR-30b-5p mimic, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HGC-27 cells are significantly impaired. Immunofluorescence microscopy shows that pPe Op and/or miR-30b-5p destroy(s) microfilaments and microstructures and inhibit(s) the formation of pseudopodia. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and western blot analysis confirm that miR-30b-5p downregulates Rac1/Cdc42 expression and activation by targeting RAB22A. Available data indicate that miR-30b-5p plays an anti-gastric cancer role in mediating pPe Op. pPe Op upregulates miR-30b-5p expression, which in turn inhibits RAB22A expression, resulting in a reduction in the expression and activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 and their downstream targets, thus destroying the cytoskeletal structure and inhibiting the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells.

Non-coding RNAs regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition: Research progress in liver disease

Chronic liver injury could gradually progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatic carcinoma without effective treatment. The massive production and activation of abnormal cell differentiation is vital to the procession of liver diseases. Epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) is a biological process in which differentiated epithelial cells lose their epithelial characteristics and acquire mesenchymal cell migration capacity. Emerging evidence suggests that EMT not only occurs in the process of hepatocellular carcinogenesis, but also appears in liver cells transforming to myofibroblasts, a core event of liver disease. Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) such as microRNA (miRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA) are important regulatory factors in EMT, which can regulate target gene expression by binding with RNA single-stranded. Various studies had shown that ncRNA regulation of EMT plays a key role in liver disease development, and many effective ncRNAs have been identified as promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease. In this review, we focus on the relationship between the different ncRNAs and EMT as well as the specific molecular mechanism in the liver diseases to enrich the pathological progress of liver diseases and provide reference for the treatment of liver diseases.

Anti-cancer function of microRNA-30e is mediated by negative regulation of HELLPAR, a noncoding macroRNA, and genes involved in ubiquitination and cell cycle progression in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) progression relies on androgen receptor (AR) function, making AR a top candidate for PCa therapy. However, development of drug resistance is common, which eventually leads to development of castration‐resistant PCa. This warrants a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PCa that facilitates the aberrant activation of key signaling pathways including AR. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as regulators of cancer progression as they modulate various cellular processes. Here, we demonstrate a multidimensional function of miR‐30e through the regulation of genes involved in various signaling pathways. We noted loss of miR‐30e expression in prostate tumors, which, when restored, led to cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis, improved drug sensitivity of PCa cells and reduced tumor progression in xenograft models. We show that experimental upregulation of miR‐30e reduces expression of mRNAs including AR, FBXO45, SRSF7 and MYBL2 and a novel long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HELLPAR, which are involved in cell cycle, apoptosis and ubiquitination, and the effects could be rescued by inhibition of miR‐30e expression. RNA immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed direct interactions between miR‐30e and its RNA targets. We noted a newly identified reciprocal relationship between miR‐30e and HELLPAR, as inhibition of HELLPAR improved stabilization of miR‐30e. Transcriptome profiling and quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) validation of miR‐30e‐expressing PCa cells showed differential expression of genes involved in cell cycle progression, apoptosis and ubiquitination, which supports our in vitro study. This study demonstrates an integrated function of miR‐30e on dysregulation of miRNA/lncRNA/mRNA axes that may have diagnostic and therapeutic significance in aggressive PCa.

Isolation of a Human Betaretrovirus from Patients with Primary Biliary Cholangitis

A human betaretrovirus (HBRV) has been linked with the autoimmune liver disease, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and various cancers, including breast cancer and lymphoma. HBRV is closely related to the mouse mammary tumor virus, and represents the only exogenous betaretrovirus characterized in humans to date. Evidence of infection in patients with PBC has been demonstrated through the identification of proviral integration sites in lymphoid tissue, the major reservoir of infection, as well as biliary epithelium, which is the site of the disease process. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that patients with PBC harbor a transmissible betaretrovirus by co-cultivation of PBC patients’ lymph node homogenates with the HS578T breast cancer line. Because of the low level of HBRV replication, betaretrovirus producing cells were subcloned to optimize viral isolation and production. Evidence of infection was provided by electron microscopy, RT-PCR, in situ hybridization, cloning of the HBRV proviral genome and demonstration of more than 3400 integration sites. Further evidence of viral transmissibility was demonstrated by infection of biliary epithelial cells. While HBRV did not show a preference for integration proximal to specific genomic features, analyses of common insertion sites revealed evidence of integration proximal to cancer associated genes. These studies demonstrate the isolation of HBRV with features similar to mouse mammary tumor virus and confirm that patients with PBC display evidence of a transmissible viral infection.

Brown adipose tissue transplantation ameliorates diabetic nephropathy through the miR-30b pathway by targeting Runx1

OBJECTIVE

Adipose tissue is a major source of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) that can regulate target genes in distant organs. However, the role of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is still unknown. We studied the original BAT miR-30b targeting two key fibrotic regulators, Runt-related transcription factor 1 (Runx1) and snail family zinc finger 1 (Snail1), to combat DKD.

METHODS

First, we transplanted healthy BAT from normal mouse donors into diabetic mice (induced by a high-fat diet and streptozotocin injection). In vitro, we observed extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from brown adipocytes. AgomiR-30b was directly administered to the BAT of diabetic mice twice weekly for 4 consecutive weeks. Next, the role of Runx1 in DKD was determined by using siRUNX1 or pCMV-RUNX1 in HK-2 cells and in diabetic mice treated with AAV9-U6-shRunx1 or AAV9-EF1a-Runx1.

RESULTS

BAT transplantation reactivated endogenous BAT activity in diabetic mice, increased circulating miR-30b levels and significantly ameliorated DKD. In TGFβ1-treated HK-2 cells, miR-30b expression was significantly suppressed. miR-30b overexpression markedly decreased fibronectin and downregulated Runx1 and Snail1 expression, while silencing of miR-30b had the opposite effects. Next, Runx1 knockdown and overexpression mimicked the above phenotype of miR-30b mimics and inhibitors, respectively, both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, Runx1 promoted TGFβ1-induced fibrosis by upregulating the PI3K pathway.

CONCLUSION

BAT-derived miRNAs might be a promising target for kidney protection in diabetes mellitus.

Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transition in Fibroblasts of Human Normal Lungs and Interstitial Lung Diseases

In passages above ten and growing very actively, we observed that some human lung fibroblasts cultured under standard conditions were transformed into a lineage of epithelial-like cells (ELC). To systematically evaluate the possible mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET) occurrence, fibroblasts were obtained from normal lungs and also from lungs affected by idiopathic interstitial diseases. When an unusual epithelial-like phenotypic change was observed, cultured cells were characterized by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoblotting, immunocytochemistry, cytofluorometry, gelatin zymography, RT-qPCR, and hybridization in a whole-transcript human microarray. Additionally, microvesicles fraction (MVs) from ELC and fibroblasts were used to induce MET, while the microRNAs (miRNAs) contained in the MVs were identified. Pattern-gene expression of the original fibroblasts and the derived ELC revealed profound changes, upregulating characteristic epithelial-cell genes and downregulating mesenchymal genes, with a marked increase of E-cadherin, cytokeratin, and ZO-1, and the loss of expression of α-SMA, collagen type I, and Thy-1 cell surface antigen (CD90). Fibroblasts, exposed to culture media or MVs from the ELC, acquired ELC phenotype. The miRNAs in MVs shown six expressed exclusively in fibroblasts, and three only in ELC; moreover, twelve miRNAs were differentially expressed between fibroblasts and ELC, all of them but one was overexpressed in fibroblasts. These findings suggest that the MET-like process can occur in human lung fibroblasts, either from normal or diseased lungs. However, the biological implication is unclear.

Roles and regulatory mechanisms of miR-30b in cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders (Review)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs 21-23 nucleotides in length that regulate gene expression, and thereby modulate signaling pathways and protein synthesis in both physiological and pathogenic processes. miR-30b inhibits cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation in multiple types of cancer. In addition to its role in several types of neoplasias, miR-30b has been shown to exhibit essential roles in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In the present review, an overview of the biological functions of miR-30b and its role in the pathogenesis of neoplastic, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases is provided. miR-30b is a potential candidate for clinical development as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, therapeutic agent and drug target. However, further research is required to elucidate its role in health and disease and to harness its potential clinical utility.

The mechanistic, diagnostic and therapeutic novel nucleic acids for hepatocellular carcinoma emerging in past score years

Despite The Central Dogma states the destiny of gene as 'DNA makes RNA and RNA makes protein', the nucleic acids not only store and transmit genetic information but also, surprisingly, join in intracellular vital movement as a regulator of gene expression. Bioinformatics has contributed to knowledge for a series of emerging novel nucleic acids molecules. For typical cases, microRNA (miRNA), long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA) exert crucial role in regulating vital biological processes, especially in malignant diseases. Due to extraordinarily heterogeneity among all malignancies, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has emerged enormous limitation in diagnosis and therapy. Mechanistic, diagnostic and therapeutic nucleic acids for HCC emerging in past score years have been systematically reviewed. Particularly, we have organized recent advances on nucleic acids of HCC into three facets: (i) summarizing diverse nucleic acids and their modification (miRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, circulating tumor DNA and DNA methylation) acting as potential biomarkers in HCC diagnosis; (ii) concluding different patterns of three key noncoding RNAs (miRNA, lncRNA and circRNA) in gene regulation and (iii) outlining the progress of these novel nucleic acids for HCC diagnosis and therapy in clinical trials, and discuss their possibility for clinical applications. All in all, this review takes a detailed look at the advances of novel nucleic acids from potential of biomarkers and elaboration of mechanism to early clinical application in past 20 years.

MicroRNA-30b-5p functions as a metastasis suppressor in colorectal cancer by targeting Rap1b

Colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) is the leading cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). MiR-30b-5p can function as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in cancers, but its role in CRLM is still unknown. Here, we found that miR-30b-5p overexpression suppressed the invasion, migration, adhesion, and motility of HCT116 and LoVo cells. The expression of EMT (Zeb1, Snail, and vimentin) and adhesion-related proteins (p-paxillin and p-Src) was decreased. We validated Rap1b, a Ras family small GTPase that regulates cell adhesion and mobility, as the direct and functional target of miR-30b-5p. Rap1b overexpression rescued the aggressive characteristics of CRC cells that were inhibited by miR-30b-5p. Rap1b knockdown suppressed invasion and migration and decreased CRC cell-matrix adhesion and spreading, which was consistent with the results of miR-30b-5p overexpression. Further in vivo experiments demonstrated that miR-30b-5p overexpression inhibited CRLM, but Rap1b rescue attenuated the inhibitory effect of miR-30b-5p. In addition, miR-30b-5p was downregulated in CRC specimens, and Rap1b showed a negative correlation with miR-30b-5p expression in primary CRC and LM tissues. These results indicate that miR-30b-5p functions as a metastasis suppressor by targeting Rap1b and may provide a new target for the treatment of CRLM.

Renoprotective effects of brown adipose tissue activation in diabetic mice

BACKGROUND

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) has been regarded as a potential target organ to combat obesity and related metabolic disorders. However, the effect of BAT activation on the development of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remains unclear.

METHODS

Diabetic mice were induced by streptozotocin (STZ) combined with a high-fat diet. To activate BAT, mice were administered 1 mg/kg per day, i.p., CL316,243, a β₃ -adrenergic receptor agonist, for 4 weeks. Blood glucose, serum lipids, adipokines, 24-hour urinary albumin, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and circulating microRNA (miRNA) levels were analyzed, in addition to renal pathology. Histological changes (fibrosis, inflammation) were evaluated in the kidneys, as was the expression of oxidative stress-related genes. Renal signaling pathways (fibroblast growth factor [Fgf]21/β-klotho/FGF receptor 1c and AMP-activated protein kinase[AMPK]/sirtuin 1 [Sirt1]/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α [Pgc1α]) were also evaluated.

RESULTS

Compared with untreated STZ-diabetic mice, CL316,243 treatment reduced blood glucose, albeit not significantly (20.58 ± 3.55 vs 23.60 ± 3.90 mM), and significantly decreased triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Simultaneously, BAT activation significantly decreased 24-hour urinary albumin (34.21 ± 6.28 vs 70.46 ± 15.81 μg/24 h; P < 0.05) and 8-OHdG, improved renal fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress, and ameliorated renal morphological abnormalities. In addition to enhancing BAT activity, CL316,243 significantly increased serum adiponectin concentrations and renal Fgf21 sensitivity, and reactivated the renal AMPK/Sirt1/Pgc1α signaling pathway. Furthermore, CL316,243 treatment increased levels of some circulating miRNAs and downregulated expression of their target genes in the kidney.

CONCLUSIONS

Activating BAT could improve kidney injury in diabetic mice via metabolic improvements and renal AMPK activation by beneficial adipokines and miRNAs.

Involvement of miR-30b in kynurenine-mediated lysyl oxidase expression

Microenvironment components profoundly influence the propensity of cancer metastasis through regulating key molecules controlling metastasis. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) contributes to extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, and finally promoting bone metastasis in breast cancer. Kynurenine (Kyn), a microenvironment component, is capable of regulating the biological behaviors of cancer cells, such as promoting node metastasis in vivo. However, it is still unclear whether Kyn controls the generation of LOX. In the current study, a significant increase of migration in the Kyn (30, 50, 100, 200, and 500 μM) group was detected compared with that in the control group in 95D cells in vitro. Subsequently, we demonstrated that 50 μM Kyn not only substantially upregulated the mRNA and secreted levels of LOX rather than cytoplasmic LOX, but also markedly reduced the level of miR-30b at the same time. Furthermore, the direct interaction between LOX mRNA and miR-30b was also confirmed by dual-luciferase assay system. Most importantly, not only was Kyn-induced increase of LOX mRNA significantly attenuated on miR-30b mimics treatment, but also Kyn-mediated the upregulation of the mRNA, and secreted levels of LOX were distinctly strengthened on miR-30b inhibitor treatment. These results suggest that miR-30b is involved in Kyn-mediated LOX expression.

MiR-552 promotes the proliferation, migration and EMT of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by inhibiting AJAP1 expression

Our goal was to explore the function of miR‐552 and its potential target AJAP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) oncogenesis and progression. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was performed to detect abnormally expressed miRNAs. The relationship between miR‐552 and AJAP1 was validated using luciferase reporter assays. RT‐qPCR and Western blot assays were applied to explore the expression level of miR‐552, AJAP1 and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. HCC cell proliferation was examined using CCK8 assays, while migration and invasion were investigated using Transwell assays. Nude mouse tumourigenesis models were established to facilitate observation of HCC progression in vivo. Finally, prognostic analysis was performed to discover how the prognosis of HCC patients correlated with miR‐552 and AJAP1 expression. MiR‐552 overexpression in HCC cells promoted HCC cell migration, invasion and EMT by targeting/suppressing AJAP1. Poorer prognosis appeared in HCC patients with higher miR‐552 expression or lower AJAP1 levels. Our findings suggested that miR‐552 promotes HCC oncogenesis and progression by inhibiting AJAP1 expression.

The Epigenetic Regulation of HCC Metastasis

Epigenetic alterations, such as histone modification, DNA methylation, and miRNA-mediated processes, are critically associated with various mechanisms of proliferation and metastasis in several types of cancer. To overcome the side effects and limited effectiveness of drugs for cancer treatment, there is a continuous need for the identification of more effective drug targets and the execution of mechanism of action (MOA) studies. Recently, epigenetic modifiers have been recognized as important therapeutic targets for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on their reported abilities to suppress HCC metastasis and proliferation in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Therefore, here, we introduce epigenetic modifiers and alterations related to HCC metastasis and proliferation, and their molecular mechanisms in HCC metastasis. The existing data suggest that the study of epigenetic modifiers is important for the development of specific inhibitors and diagnostic targets for HCC treatment.

miRNA-30 Family Members Inhibit Breast Cancer Invasion, Osteomimicry, and Bone Destruction by Directly Targeting Multiple Bone Metastasis-Associated Genes

miRNAs are master regulators of gene expression that play key roles in cancer metastasis. During bone metastasis, metastatic tumor cells must rewire their biology and express genes that are normally expressed by bone cells (a process called osteomimicry), which endow tumor cells with full competence for outgrowth in the bone marrow. Here, we establish miR-30 family members miR-30a, miR-30b, miR-30c, miR-30d, and miR-30e as suppressors of breast cancer bone metastasis that regulate multiple pathways, including osteomimicry. Low expression of miR-30 in primary tumors from patients with breast cancer were associated with poor relapse-free survival. In addition, estrogen receptor (ER)-negative/progesterone receptor (PR)-negative breast cancer cells expressed lower miR-30 levels than their ER/PR-positive counterparts. Overexpression of miR-30 in ER/PR-negative breast cancer cells resulted in the reduction of bone metastasis burden in vivoIn vitro, miR-30 did not affect tumor cell proliferation, but did inhibit tumor cell invasion. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-30 restored bone homeostasis by reversing the effects of tumor cell-conditioned medium on osteoclastogenesis and osteoblastogenesis. A number of genes associated with osteoclastogenesis stimulation (IL8, IL11), osteoblastogenesis inhibition (DKK-1), tumor cell osteomimicry (RUNX2, CDH11), and invasiveness (CTGF, ITGA5, ITGB3) were identified as targets for repression by miR-30. Among these genes, silencing CDH11 or ITGA5 in ER-/PR-negative breast cancer cells recapitulated inhibitory effects of miR-30 on skeletal tumor burden in vivo Overall, our findings provide evidence that miR-30 family members employ multiple mechanisms to impede breast cancer bone metastasis and may represent attractive targets for therapeutic intervention.Significance: These findings suggest miR-30 family members may serve as an effective means to therapeutically attenuate metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer. Cancer Res; 78(18); 5259-73. ©2018 AACR.