Boric Acid Affects Cell Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Oxidative Stress in ALL Cells

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia from early T-cell progenitors. Interest grows in creating less toxic agents and therapies for chemo-resistant T-ALL cancer. Recently, elemental boron has special properties useful in the creation of new drugs. Studies have revealed the cytotoxic properties of boric acid (BA) on cancer, but not fully understood. We aimed to investigate the effect of BA on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress in the Jurkat cells. The effects of BA on cell viability were determined by 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay for 24-48-72 h. The impact of BA on apoptosis was analyzed by acridine orange/ethidium bromide. Expression of apoptosis regulatory genes (Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3-8-9) and apoptotic miRNA (miR-21) was used by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and the oxidative stress index (OSI) value were calculated for oxidative stress. We determined the cytotoxic activity of BA on Jurkat cells by using XTT and defined the IC50 concentration (802.7 μg/mL) of BA. The findings clearly show that BA inhibited Jurkat cell proliferation dose-dependently. BA induced apoptosis through downregulated anti-apoptotic genes, and upregulated pro-apoptotic genes. Additionally, we found that BA significantly reduced the expression of miR-21 (p<0.001). Our findings demonstrated that different doses of BA increased TAS levels while decreasing TOS levels in Jurkat cells. Our study suggests that BA might be potential anti-cancer agent candidate in ALL via inhibition of cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and reducing the amounts of anti-oxidants in cells.

Advancements in Personalized CAR-T Therapy: Comprehensive Overview of Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Hematological Malignancies

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a novel anticancer therapy using autologous or allogeneic T-cells. To date, six CAR-T therapies for specific B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), and multiple myeloma (MM) have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Significant barriers to the effectiveness of CAR-T therapy include cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurotoxicity in the case of Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (Allo-SCT) graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), antigen escape, modest antitumor activity, restricted trafficking, limited persistence, the immunosuppressive microenvironment, and senescence and exhaustion of CAR-Ts. Furthermore, cancer drug resistance remains a major problem in clinical practice. CAR-T therapy, in combination with checkpoint blockades and bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) or other drugs, appears to be an appealing anticancer strategy. Many of these agents have shown impressive results, combining efficacy with tolerability. Biomarkers like extracellular vesicles (EVs), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), circulating tumor (ctDNA) and miRNAs may play an important role in toxicity, relapse assessment, and efficacy prediction, and can be implicated in clinical applications of CAR-T therapy and in establishing safe and efficacious personalized medicine. However, further research is required to fully comprehend the particular side effects of immunomodulation, to ascertain the best order and combination of this medication with conventional chemotherapy and targeted therapies, and to find reliable predictive biomarkers.

The Role of miRNAs in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Relapse and the Associated Molecular Mechanisms

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children worldwide. Although ALL patients' overall survival rates in wealthy countries currently surpass 80%, 15-20% of patients still experience relapse. The underlying mechanisms of relapse are still not fully understood, and little progress has been made in treating refractory or relapsed disease. Disease relapse and treatment failure are common causes of leukemia-related death. In ALL relapse, several gene signatures have been identified, but it is also important to study miRNAs involved in ALL relapse in an effort to avoid relapse and to achieve better survival rates since miRNAs regulate target genes that participate in signaling pathways involved in relapse, such as those related to drug resistance, survival signals, and antiapoptotic mechanisms. Several miRNAs, such as miR-24, miR-27a, miR-99/100, miR-124, miR-1225b, miR-128b, miR-142-3p, miR-155 and miR-335-3p, are valuable biomarkers for prognosis and treatment response in ALL patients. Thus, this review aimed to analyze the primary miRNAs involved in pediatric ALL relapse and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms in an effort to identify miRNAs that may be potential candidates for anti-ALL therapy soon.

MiRNAs in Hematopoiesis and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common kind of pediatric cancer. Although the cure rates in ALL have significantly increased in developed countries, still 15–20% of patients relapse, with even higher rates in developing countries. The role of non-coding RNA genes as microRNAs (miRNAs) has gained interest from researchers in regard to improving our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying ALL development, as well as identifying biomarkers with clinical relevance. Despite the wide heterogeneity reveled in miRNA studies in ALL, consistent findings give us confidence that miRNAs could be useful to discriminate between leukemia linages, immunophenotypes, molecular groups, high-risk-for-relapse groups, and poor/good responders to chemotherapy. For instance, miR-125b has been associated with prognosis and chemoresistance in ALL, miR-21 has an oncogenic role in lymphoid malignancies, and the miR-181 family can act either as a oncomiR or tumor suppressor in several hematological malignancies. However, few of these studies have explored the molecular interplay between miRNAs and their targeted genes. This review aims to state the different ways in which miRNAs could be involved in ALL and their clinical implications.

Putting the "mi" in omics: discovering miRNA biomarkers for pediatric precision care

In the past decade, growing interest in micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) has catapulted these small, non-coding nucleic acids to the forefront of biomarker research. Advances in scientific knowledge have made it clear that miRNAs play a vital role in regulating cellular physiology throughout the human body. Perturbations in miRNA signaling have also been described in a variety of pediatric conditions-from cancer, to renal failure, to traumatic brain injury. Likewise, the number of studies across pediatric disciplines that pair patient miRNA-omics with longitudinal clinical data are growing. Analyses of these voluminous, multivariate data sets require understanding of pediatric phenotypic data, data science, and genomics. Use of machine learning techniques to aid in biomarker detection have helped decipher background noise from biologically meaningful changes in the data. Further, emerging research suggests that miRNAs may have potential as therapeutic targets for pediatric precision care. Here, we review current miRNA biomarkers of pediatric diseases and studies that have combined machine learning techniques, miRNA-omics, and patient health data to identify novel biomarkers and potential therapeutics for pediatric diseases. IMPACT: In the following review article, we summarized how recent developments in microRNA research may be coupled with machine learning techniques to advance pediatric precision care.

Synthetic flavagline derivative 1-chloroacetylrocaglaol promotes apoptosis in K562 erythroleukemia cells through miR-17-92 cluster genes

Chronic myeloid leukemia accounts for human deaths worldwide and could enhance sevenfold by 2050. Thus, the treatment regimen for this disorder is highly crucial at this time. Flavaglines are a natural class of cyclopentane benzofurans exhibiting various bioactivities like anticancer action. Despite the antiproliferative activity of flavaglines against diverse cancer cells, their roles and mechanism of action in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) remain poorly understood. Thus, this study examines the antiproliferative effect of a newly synthesized flavagline derivative, 1-chloracetylrocaglaol (A2074), on erythroleukemia K562 cells and the zebrafish xenograft model. The study revealed that A2074 could inhibit proliferation, promote apoptosis, and boost megakaryocyte differentiation of K562 cells. This flavagline downregulated c-MYC and miR-17-92 cluster genes, targeting upregulation of the apoptotic protein Bcl-2-like protein 11 (BIM). The work uncovered a critical role of the c-MYC-miR-17-92-BIM axis in the growth and survival of CML cells.

MicroRNAs in Leukemias: A Clinically Annotated Compendium

Leukemias are a group of malignancies of the blood and bone marrow. Multiple types of leukemia are known, however reliable treatments have not been developed for most leukemia types. Furthermore, even relatively reliable treatments can result in relapses. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short, noncoding RNAs responsible for epigenetic regulation of gene expression and have been proposed as a source of potential novel therapeutic targets for leukemias. In order to identify central miRNAs for leukemia, we conducted data synthesis using two databases: miRTarBase and DISNOR. A total of 137 unique miRNAs associated with 16 types of leukemia were retrieved from miRTarBase and 86 protein-coding genes associated with leukemia were retrieved from the DISNOR database. Based on these data, we formed a visual network of 248 miRNA-target interactions (MTI) between leukemia-associated genes and miRNAs associated with ≥4 leukemia types. We then manually reviewed the literature describing these 248 MTIs for interactions identified in leukemia studies. This manually curated data was then used to visualize a network of 64 MTIs identified in leukemia patients, cell lines and animal models. We also formed a visual network of miRNA-leukemia associations. Finally, we compiled leukemia clinical trials from the ClinicalTrials database. miRNAs with the highest number of MTIs were miR-125b-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-181a-5p and miR-19a-3p, while target genes with the highest number of MTIs were TP53, BCL2, KIT, ATM, RUNX1 and ABL1. The analysis of 248 MTIs revealed a large, highly interconnected network. Additionally, a large MTI subnetwork was present in the network visualized from manually reviewed data. The interconnectedness of the MTI subnetwork suggests that certain miRNAs represent central disease molecules for multiple leukemia types. Additional studies on miRNAs, their target genes and associated biological pathways are required to elucidate the therapeutic potential of miRNAs in leukemia.

The role of miRNAs as a big master regulator of signaling pathways involved in lymphoblastic leukemia

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) belong to small noncoding RNAs, which have long attracted researchers' attention because of their potency in acting either as oncogenes or tumor-suppressors in cancers. acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are two known types of leukemia with high mortality rates in adults and children. On a molecular basis, various signaling pathways are active in both types, making researchers consider the potential role of miRNAs in activating or suppressing these pathways to further hinder cancer development. In this review, we summarized the potential miRNAs, especially circulating ones, involved in essential signaling pathways in the ALL and CLL patients which serve as biomarkers and valuable targets in the treatment fields.

MicroRNAs and exosomes: promising new biomarkers in acute myeloid leukemias?

Despite advances in understanding of carcinogenesis and of treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, this neoplasm still has a lethality of at least 30%. The search for biomarkers that can predict the response to treatment in the early stages of the disease is still necessary. In recent years, a new form of cellular communication between tumor and non-neoplastic cells has been discovered: the exchange of information through extracellular vesicles. These are small vesicles released by membrane-coated cells that carry proteins, lipids, messenger RNAs, microRNA and DNA, which can be internalized and promote biological changes in target cells. Exosomes are qualified as a type of extracellular vesicle and, in tumors, carry immunoinhibitory signals that promote the escape of immune control. Recent studies have showed their involvement in communication with the cells of the tumor microenvironment and with chemoresistance in several tumors. To date, there is no information about immunoregulatory microRNAs transported by exosomes and their correlation with clinical evolution during chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. Knowledge about immunomodulatory microRNAs obtained by leukemic cells and transported by exosomes can direct us towards the design of new diagnostic and treatment tools in this type of leukemia.

Emerging roles of microRNAs in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and their clinical prospects

INTRODUCTION

Targeted therapy with microRNAs (miRNAs) has been a significant challenge in recent years. Studying the role and mechanism through which miRNAs regulate various cancer processes is very critical in cancer treatment, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

AREAS COVERED

This review summarizes the diverse roles of miRNAs in ALL and provides new perspectives in miRNA-based therapeutic strategies.

EXPERT OPINION

MiRNAs belong to a kind of endogenous non-coding small RNA with the length of 19 ~ 25 nucleotides. They inhibit the expression of target genes and participate in almost all essential physiological processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and inflammatory responses. Many miRNAs are abnormally expressed in tumor cells, suggesting that they might be related to the occurrence and development of tumor. ALL is a common hematological malignancy in children. Its clinical manifestation, morphology, immunophenotype, and genetic characteristics are highly heterogeneous. A number of miRNAs have been found to be abnormally expressed in ALL and related to the biological characteristics, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment in ALL patients. The understanding of miRNAs could help reveal ALL pathogenesis and identify accurate molecular markers for ALL diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic targets.

Value of serum miR-922 and miR-506 expression levels in the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

OBJECTIVES

To study the value of serum miR-922 and miR-506 expression levels in the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

METHODS

A total of 132 children with ALL (ALL group) and 80 healthy children (healthy control group) were prospectively selected in this study. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression levels of serum miR-922 and miR-506 in both groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to analyze the diagnostic value of miR-922 and miR-506 for childhood ALL. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and multivariate COX regression models were used to analyze the risk factors for poor prognosis in children with ALL.

RESULTS

The ALL group had significantly higher expression levels of serum miR-922 and miR-506 than the control group (P<0.001). The ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off values of miR-922 and miR-506 for the diagnosis of childhood ALL were 1.46 and 2.17, respectively. The high miR-922 expression (≥1.46) group and high miR-506 expression (≥2.17) group had significantly higher incidence rates of lymph node enlargement, leukocyte count ≥50×10⁹/L, medium-high risk stratification, mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) gene rearrangement, and karyotype abnormality than the low miR-922 expression group and low miR-506 expression group (P<0.05). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high expression of miR-922 and miR-506 was associated with short survival time in children with ALL (P<0.05). The multivariate COX regression analysis showed that leukocyte count ≥50×10⁹/L, medium-high risk stratification, MLL gene rearrangement, miR-922≥1.46, and miR-506≥2.17 could indicate poor prognosis in children with ALL (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The expression levels of miR-922 and miR-506 are of good value in the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of childhood ALL.

miR-324-3p and miR-508-5p expression levels could serve as potential diagnostic and multidrug-resistant biomarkers in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the most frequent hematological malignancies in children, representing approximately 25 % of all pediatric cancers. Despite striking advances in ALL treatments, a small population of patients does not still respond to chemotherapy, raising the number of deaths in children. ABC transporters are one of the major causes of multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancers and overexpression of ABCA3 is directly associated with increased chemo-resistance in pediatric ALL. Here, we aimed to identify the microRNAs (miRNAs) which may regulate the expression of ABCA3 in childhood ALL. Bone marrow samples from a total of 50 ALLs and 59 controls were collected and after in silico and literature search, miR-324-3p and miR-508-5p were nominated from a list of putative miRNAs targeting ABCA3. Our qPCR analysis showed a low expression profile of selected miRNAs in pediatric ALL patients compared with non-cancer controls. Furthermore, we found that both miR-324-3p and miR-508-5p were significantly differentially expressed between patients with positive and negative minimal residual disease (MRD + vs MRD-) after one year of chemotherapy while only miR-508-5p was underexpressed in relapsed ALL patients. Additionally, a negative correlation was identified between the expression of these two miRNAs and ABCA3, supporting the regulatory effect of them on drug resistance through interacting with ABCA3. Overall, we suggested miR-324-3p and miR-508-5p as potential diagnostic and drug-resistant biomarkers in pediatric ALL. Moreover, our findings presented miR-508-5p to behave as a promising relapsed indicator in childhood ALL which can be applied in the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Oncogenesis and Tumor Inhibition by MicroRNAs and its Potential Therapeutic Applications: A Systematic Review

MicroRNAs appear as small molecule modifiers, which improve many new findings and mechanical illustrations for critically important biological phenomena and pathologic events. The best-characterized non-coding RNA family consists of about 2600 human microRNAs. Rich evidence has revealed their crucial importance in maintaining normal development, differentiation, growth control, aging, modulation of cell survival or apoptosis, as well as migration and metastasis as microRNAs dysregulation leads to cancer incidence and progression. By far, microRNAs have recently emerged as attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. The rationale for developing microRNA therapeutics is based on the premise that aberrantly expressed microRNAs play a significant role in the emergence of a variety of human diseases ranging from cardiovascular defects to cancer, and that repairing these microRNA deficiencies by either antagonizing or restoring microRNA function may yield a therapeutic benefit. Although microRNA antagonists are conceptually similar to other inhibitory therapies, improving the performance of microRNAs by microRNA replacement or inhibition that is a less well- described attitude. In this assay, we have condensed the last global knowledge and concepts regarding the involvement of microRNAs in cancer emergence, which has been achieved from the previous studies, consisting of the regulation of key cancer-related pathways, such as cell cycle control and the DNA damage response and the disruption of profile expression in human cancer. Here, we have reviewed the special characteristics of microRNA replacement and inhibition therapies and discussed explorations linked with the delivery of microRNA mimics in turmeric cells. Besides, the achievement of biomarkers based on microRNAs in clinics is considered as novel non-invasive biomarkers in diagnostic and prognostic assessments.

Up-regulated miR-155 is associated with poor prognosis in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and promotes cell proliferation targeting ZNF238

OBJECTIVES

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the most common malignancies in children. Our aim was to identify a novel miRNA that can predict prognosis of childhood ALL patients and explore its potential mechanism.

METHODS

The miRNA expression profiles of childhood ALL were analyzed using GEO database and HiSeq instruments. The expression of miR-155 was examined by RT-PCR in 42 ALL patients. To investigate the role of miR-155 in ALL, four ALL cell lines (CEM-C1, Jurkat, MOLT-3 and MOLT-4) were transfected with miR-155 mimics, miR-155 inhibitors or corresponding controls. Dual-luciferase reporter system was applied to confirm the miR-155 target ZNF238. Moreover, proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Dataset GSE56489 and GSE23024 demonstrated that miR-155 was up-regulated and ZNF238 was down-regulated at diagnosis status of ALL. High miR-155 expression was associated with poor outcome. Overexpressed miR-155 promoted ALL cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. Dual-luciferase reporter result showed that miR-155 directly regulated ZNF238. Silencing ZNF238 promoted cell proliferation in ALL cells.

DISCUSSION

Our research indicating that miR-155 might possess potential value as a biomarker for predicting the prognosis of individuals. However, the role of ZNF238 in childhood ALL remain unknown. In the present study, we found the possible role of ZNF238 as a new tumor suppressor in ALL, which might be necessary for the antiproliferative functions of normal cells to counteract ALL formation.

CONCLUSION

Our results propose that miR-155 is in association with poor prognosis of childhood ALL. Furthermore, miR-155 could promote cell proliferation targeting ZNF238.

Decitabine inhibits the proliferation of human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia molt4 cells and promotes apoptosis partly by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a highly aggressive hematological cancer; however, there is a lack of effective chemotherapeutic or targeted drugs for the treatment of T-ALL. Decitabine is a DNA demethylation agent but it has not been used for T-ALL treatment. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the inhibitory effect of decitabine on T-ALL molt4 cells and determine its regulatory role in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Molt4 cells were stimulated with decitabine in vitro, after which cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle analyses were performed to assess cell viability. Subcellular morphology was observed using transmission electron microscopy. Expression levels of phosphate and tension homology (PTEN), genes involved in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and the corresponding downstream genes were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. The results showed that decitabine induced apoptosis, inhibited proliferation and arrested molt4 cells in the G₂ phase. Following decitabine intervention, an increase in the number of lipid droplets, autophagosomes and mitochondrial damage was observed. At concentrations of 1 and 10 µM, decitabine downregulated the expression of PI3K, AKT, mTOR, P70S6 and eukaryotic initiating factor 4E-binding protein 1, which in turn upregulated PTEN expression; however, 50 µM decitabine downregulated PTEN levels. Overall, these results demonstrated that decitabine reduced the viability of molt4 cells partly by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway via PTEN, especially at low decitabine concentrations.

Diagnostic, prognostic and predictive values of miR-100 and miR-210 in pediatric acute lymphoblastic Leukemia

BACKGROUND

: microRNAs are playing important roles in the diagnosis and prognosis of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

METHODS

Expression levels of miR-100 and miR-210 were assessed in bone marrow aspirate of 85 pediatric ALL patients compared to 12 healthy control using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Data were correlated with relevant clinico-pathological features of the patients, response to treatment, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

miR-100 was significantly downregulated in ALL patients [median: 1.21, range: 0-434.3] compared to the control group [median: 8.41, range; 0-840.3, P = 0.035]. miR-210 was significantly upregulated in ALL patients [median: 6.34, range: 1.16-1088.7] compared to the control group [median: 2.57, range: 0.11-709.2, P  = 0.025]. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve of miR-100 were (64.7%, 62.5%, and 0.642; respectively, P = 0.035) at a cut-off 2.6 and that of miR-210 were (60%, 58.3% and 0.650; respectively, P = 0.025) at a cut-off 3.5. miR-100 overexpression associated with shorter DFS and OS (P = 0.033 and 0.046; respectively). Patients with miR-100 lowexpression showed a significant incidence of late death ( P = 0.024). There was no significant association between miR-210 expression and DFS, OS, incidence of early or late death.

CONCLUSION

: miR-100 and miR-210 could be used as potential diagnostic markers for pediatric ALL. miR-100 is a useful prognostic and predictive biomarker for childhood ALL.

Profiling 25 Bone Marrow microRNAs in Acute Leukemias and Secondary Nonleukemic Hematopoietic Conditions

Introduction: The standard treatment of acute leukemias (AL) is becoming more efficacious and more selective toward the mechanisms via which to suppress hematologic cancers. This tendency in hematology imposes additional requirements on the identification of molecular-genetic features of tumor clones. MicroRNA (miRNA, miR) expression levels correlate with cytogenetic and molecular subtypes of acute leukemias recognized by classification systems. The aim of this work is analyzing the miRNA expression profiles in acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and hematopoietic conditions induced by non-tumor pathologies (NTP). Methods: A total of 114 cytological samples obtained by sternal puncture and aspiration biopsy of bone marrow (22 ALLs, 44 AMLs, and 48 NTPs) were analyzed by real-time PCR regarding preselected 25 miRNAs. For the classification of the samples, logistic regression was used with balancing of comparison group weights. Results: Our results indicated potential feasibility of (i) differentiating ALL+AML from a nontumor hematopoietic pathology with 93% sensitivity and 92% specificity using miR-150:miR-21, miR-20a:miR-221, and miR-24:nf3 (where nf3 is a normalization factor calculated from threshold cycle values of miR-103a, miR-191, and miR-378); (ii) diagnosing ALL with 81% sensitivity and 81% specificity using miR-181b:miR-100, miR-223:miR-124, and miR-24:nf3; and (iii) diagnosing AML with 81% sensitivity and 84% specificity using miR-150:miR-221, miR-100:miR-24, and miR-181a:miR-191. Conclusion: The results presented herein allow the miRNA expression profile to de used for differentiation between AL and NTP, no matter what AL subtype.

MicroRNA-223 decreases cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and enhances cell apoptosis in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia via targeting Forkhead box O 1

OBJECTIVE

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a frequent malignancy in childhood. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of miR-223 in ALL and its underlying molecular mechanisms.

METHODS

The mRNA expression of miR-223 and FOXO1 was detected by qRT-RCR in ALL children. The correlation between miR-223 and clinical indexes of ALL was determined. CCRF-CEM and NALM-6 cells were transfected with miR-223 mimic and miR-223 inhibitor, respectively. The proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration of CCRF-CEM and NALM-6 cells were measured by MTT, flow cytometry and transwell assay. The protein expression of FOXO1 was detected by Western blot. Additionally, dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assay were performed to investigate the target gene of miR-223 and validate their targeting relationship.

RESULTS

The mRNA expression of miR-223 was markedly down-regulated in ALL, but FOXO1 was up-regulated. The protein expression of FOXO1 was highly expressed in CCRF-CEM and NALM-6 cells. The expression of miR-223 was related to WBC, PLT, RBC and risk stratification. Overexpression of miR-223 not only inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but also induced cell apoptosis. Importantly, FOXO1 was a target gene of miR-223 in ALL cells. Silencing of FOXO1 reversed the effects of miR-223 inhibitor on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis in ALL.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-223 could inhibit cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promote apoptosis by targeting FOXO1 in ALL.

Simultaneous changes in expression levels of BAALC and miR-326: a novel prognostic biomarker for childhood ALL

OBJECTIVE

Multidrug resistance and consequent relapse are two major obstacles for treating children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most frequent childhood malignancy. MicroRNAs have potential regulatory roles in response to chemotherapy. The goal of this study was to determine the microRNA that may have effects on the expression level of brain and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BAALC) and to investigate the in vitro and ex vivo association between their expression levels.

METHODS

In silico tools were utilized to determine a putative miRNA targeting BALLC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate expression levels of BAALC and its predicted microRNA, miR-326, in bone marrow samples of 30 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 13 controls, in addition to the resistant and parental CCRF-CEM cell lines. To assess the status of response to therapy, minimal residual disease was measured using single-strand conformation polymorphism.

RESULTS

MiR-326 was selected due to the strong possibility of its interaction with BAALC according to the obtained in silico results. Statistical analysis showed a significant downregulation of miR-326 and overexpression of BALLC in drug-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line and patients compared with the parental cell line and drug-sensitive patients, respectively (P = 0.015, 0.005, 0.0484 and 0.0005, respectively). The expression profiles of miR-326 and BAALC were inversely correlated (P = 0.028).

CONCLUSIONS

The results introduced the inversely combined expression levels of miR-326 and BAALC as a novel, independent prognostic biomarker for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (P = 0.007). Moreover, bioinformatics data showed a possible regulatory role for miR-326 on BAALC mRNA, which may possibly contribute to the development of drug resistance in patients with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Regulation of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ cells in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL): Implication of cytokines and miRNAs

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) is one of the immunosuppressive subsets of CD4⁺ T cells characterized by transcription factor forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3) expression which are involved in tumor development and progression. Identification of the factors that influence Treg cell function is extremely important. Our current study aimed to evaluate the frequency of Treg cells, cytokine secretion and the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. The frequency of CD3⁺, CD4⁺ and CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺ Treg was assessed by flow cytometry in 43 ALL patients versus 42 controls. Plasma levels of IL-10, transcription factor β (TGF-β), IL-6, IL-17, IL-23 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) were measured by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). miR-21, miR-24, miR-26a, miR133b, miR-148a and miR-155 expression were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). A slight insignificant increase in Treg cells in ALL patients compared to controls was observed. There was a significant elevation in IL-10 (p < 0.05), IL-6 (p < 0.01), IL-23 (p < 0.05) and TNF-α (p < 0.01) in ALL patients compared with controls. Meanwhile, a significant reduction in TGF-β (p < 0.001) was recorded. A slight insignificant decrease in IL-17 in ALL patients was observed.ALL patients showed a significant increase in miR-21 (p < 0.05), miR-148a (p < 0.01), miR-24 (p < 0.05) and a significant reduction in miR-155 (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the slight change in Treg cells frequency and alteration in related cytokines could possibly involve in the pathogenesis of ALL. Dysregulated miRNAs, as a regulatory mechanism of epigenetics, might contribute to these observed results. Further researches are required to confirm our interesting findings.

MiR-144: A New Possible Therapeutic Target and Diagnostic/Prognostic Tool in Cancers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and non-coding RNAs that display aberrant expression in the tissue and plasma of cancer patients when tested in comparison to healthy individuals. In past decades, research data proposed that miRNAs could be diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in cancer patients. It has been confirmed that miRNAs can act either as oncogenes by silencing tumor inhibitors or as tumor suppressors by targeting oncoproteins. MiR-144s are located in the chromosomal region 17q11.2, which is subject to significant damage in many types of cancers. In this review, we assess the involvement of miR-144s in several cancer types by illustrating the possible target genes that are related to each cancer, and we also briefly describe the clinical applications of miR-144s as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in cancers.

miR-101, miR-548b, miR-554, and miR-1202 are reliable prognosis predictors of the miRNAs associated with cancer immunity in primary central nervous system lymphoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) inhibit protein function by silencing the translation of target mRNAs. However, in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), the expression and functions of miRNAs are inadequately known. Here, we examined the expression of 847 miRNAs in 40 PCNSL patients with a microarray and investigated for the miRNA predictors associated with cancer immunity-related genes such as T helper cell type 1/2 (Th-1/Th-2) and regulatory T cell (T-reg) status, and stimulatory and inhibitory checkpoint genes, for prognosis prediction in PCNSL. The aim of this study is to find promising prognosis markers based on the miRNA expression in PCNSL. We detected 334 miRNAs related to 66 cancer immunity-related genes in the microarray profiling. Variable importance measured by the random survival forest analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression model elucidated that 11 miRNAs successfully constitute the survival formulae dividing the Kaplan-Meier curve of the respective PCNSL subgroups. On the other hand, univariate analysis shortlisted 23 miRNAs for overall survival times, with four miRNAs clearly dividing the survival curves-miR-101/548b/554/1202. These miRNAs regulated Th-1/Th-2 status, T-reg cell status, and immune checkpoints. The miRNAs were also associated with gene ontology terms as Ras/MAP-kinase, ubiquitin ligase, PRC2 and acetylation, CDK, and phosphorylation, and several diseases including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, glioma, and those related to blood and hippocampus with statistical significance. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that the four miRNAs comprising miR-101/548b/554/1202 associated with cancer immunity can be a useful prognostic marker in PCNSL and would help us understand target pathways for PCNSL treatments.

MiR-132-3p serves as a tumor suppressor in mantle cell lymphoma via directly targeting SOX11

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an uncommon type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), comprising about 6% of NHL cases. SOX11 is a member of the group C of Sry-related high-mobility group (HMG) box (Sox) transcription factors, which is ubiquitously expressed in approximate 90% MCL cases. However, the underlying mechanisms of the SOX11 expression aberration are not fully unveiled. In the present study, we firstly observed that miR-132-3p was dramatically down-regulated in CD19⁺ lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of MCL patients. Subsequently, we found miR-132-3p exhibited potentials in clinical application, indicated by its negative association with high-risk clinical features. In terms of function, ectopic miR-132-3p aggravated cell apoptosis and arrested cell cycle in G0/G1, and then inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. Also, we identified miR-132-3p's direct target, SOX11, in MCL cell lines, and loss-function of SOX11 blocked its inhibitory effect on cell proliferation in vitro. Collectively, our observations bring about a novel mechanism to explain the aberrant expression of SOX11 in MCL. Therefore, miR-132-3p may be a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of MCL.

Drug Resistance Biomarkers and Their Clinical Applications in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Biomarkers are biological molecules found in body fluids or tissues, which can be considered as indications of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease. There are various types of biomarkers based on their application and molecular alterations. Treatment-sensitivity or drug resistance biomarkers include prognostic and predictive molecules with utmost importance in selecting appropriate treatment protocols and improving survival rates. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most prevalent hematological malignancy diagnosed in children with nearly 80% cure rate. Despite the favorable survival rates of childhood ALL (chALL), resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and, as a consequence, a dismal prognosis develops in a significant number of patients. Therefore, there are urgent needs to have robust, sensitive, and disease-specific molecular prognostic and predictive biomarkers, which could allow better risk classification and then better clinical results. In this article, we review the currently known drug resistance biomarkers, including somatic or germ line nucleic acids, epigenetic alterations, protein expressions and metabolic variations. Moreover, biomarkers with potential clinical applications are discussed.

miRNAs as Influencers of Cell-Cell Communication in Tumor Microenvironment

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, inducing the degradation of the target mRNA or translational repression. MiRNAs are involved in the control of a multiplicity of biological processes, and their absence or altered expression has been associated with a variety of human diseases, including cancer. Recently, extracellular miRNAs (ECmiRNAs) have been described as mediators of intercellular communication in multiple contexts, including tumor microenvironment. Cancer cells cooperate with stromal cells and elements of the extracellular matrix (ECM) to establish a comfortable niche to grow, to evade the immune system, and to expand. Within the tumor microenvironment, cells release ECmiRNAs and other factors in order to influence and hijack the physiological processes of surrounding cells, fostering tumor progression. Here, we discuss the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of multicomplex diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, and cancer, focusing on the contribution of both intracellular miRNAs, and of released ECmiRNAs in the establishment and development of cancer niche. We also review growing evidence suggesting the use of miRNAs as novel targets or potential tools for therapeutic applications.

miRNA deregulation in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a systematic review

Despite remarkable improvements in survival of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), nonresponding or relapsing patients still represent one of the most frequent causes of death by disease in children. Accurate patient risk stratification based on genetic markers could increases survival rates. miRNAs can represent novel candidates with diagnostic, predictive and prognostic potential; however, many groups investigated their involvement with contradictory results. Aim: To clarify the role of miRNAs as biomarkers through a systematic review. Results: From a revision of 45 manuscripts, we found that miR-128 and miR-181 overexpression could represent markers for ALL diagnosis and underexpression of miR-708 and miR-99a could be markers for bad prognosis. Conclusion: These signatures could refine classification and risk stratification of patients and improve ALL outcome.

Long Non-coding RNAs in Myeloid Malignancies

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) represents 80% of adult leukemias and 15-20% of childhood leukemias. AML are characterized by the presence of 20% blasts or more in the bone marrow, or defining cytogenetic abnormalities. Laboratory diagnoses of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) depend on morphological changes based on dysplasia in peripheral blood and bone marrow, including peripheral blood smears, bone marrow aspirate smears, and bone marrow biopsies. As leukemic cells are not functional, the patient develops anemia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia, leading to fatigue, recurrent infections, and hemorrhage. The genetic background and associated mutations in AML blasts determine the clinical course of the disease. Over the last decade, non-coding RNAs transcripts that do not codify for proteins but play a role in regulation of functions have been shown to have multiple applications in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic approach of various types of cancers, including myeloid malignancies. After a comprehensive review of current literature, we found reports of multiple long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that can differentiate between AML types and how their exogenous modulation can dramatically change the behavior of AML cells. These lncRNAs include: H19, LINC00877, RP11-84C10, CRINDE, RP11848P1.3, ZNF667-AS1, AC111000.4-202, SFMBT2, LINC02082-201, MEG3, AC009495.2, PVT1, HOTTIP, SNHG5, and CCAT1. In addition, by performing an analysis on available AML data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we found 10 lncRNAs with significantly differential expression between patients in favorable, intermediate/normal, or poor cytogenetic risk categories. These are: DANCR, PRDM16-DT, SNHG6, OIP5-AS1, SNHG16, JPX, FTX, KCNQ1OT1, TP73-AS1, and GAS5. The identification of a molecular signature based on lncRNAs has the potential for have deep clinical significance, as it could potentially help better define the evolution from low-grade MDS to high-grade MDS to AML, changing the course of therapy. This would allow clinicians to provide a more personalized, patient-tailored therapeutic approach, moving from transfusion-based therapy, as is the case for low-grade MDS, to the introduction of azacytidine-based chemotherapy or allogeneic stem cell transplantation, which is the current treatment for high-grade MDS.

MicroRNA‑4712‑5p promotes proliferation of the vulvar squamous cell carcinoma cell line A431 by targeting PTEN through the AKT/cyclin D1 signaling pathways

The aim of the present study was to screen differentially expressed miRNAs in vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC), observe the role of microRNA-4712-5p in VSCC and investigate its targets and regulatory mechanism. Differentially expressed miRNAs in human VSCC tissues were screened. microRNA-4712-5p was selected and its expression level was verified in clinical tissue samples and the VSCC cell line A431 by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. The overexpression vector of microRNA-4712-5p was prepared and transfected into A431 cells; subsequently, cell invasion and metastasis were examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell migration assays. Furthermore, the target gene of miRNA-4712-5p was predicted by bioinformatics and verified by The Dual-Luciferase^® Reporter (DLR™) Assay System. The expression of phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) and its downstream proteins, such as protein kinase B (PKB; AKT), glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β and cyclin D1, were detected by western blot assays. The expression level of microRNA-4712-5p in VSCC tissues and the A431 cell line was found to be significantly increased, promoting proliferation and invasion of VSCC. The DLR™ assay indicated that PTEN was a target of miR-4712-5p. RT-qPCR revealed that PTEN expression was markedly lower in VSCC tissues compared with that in adjacent tissues. After A431 cells were transfected with the miRNA-4712-5p overexpression vector, phospho-AKT (p-AKT) and cyclin D1 expression were notably increased, but miRNA-4712-5p-targeted PTEN and phospho-GSK3β (p-GSK3β) protein markedly decreased. Therefore, microRNA-4712-5p can reduce the expression of PTEN, further affecting its downstream p-AKT, p-GSK3β and cyclin D1 signaling pathways, promoting the proliferation and invasion of VSCC.

The Hedgehog signal transducer Smoothened and microRNA-326: pathogenesis and regulation of drug resistance in pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Purpose

Multidrug resistance (MDR) and the subsequent disease relapse are the major causes of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) related death. The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway can contribute to cancer MDR. In the current study, Smoothened (Smo) was selected as the experimental target due to its importance in the Hh pathway in order to evaluate its probable role in pediatric B-ALL drug resistance.

Patients and methods

The study included 27 pediatric B-ALL and 16 control bone marrow samples. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to investigate the expression levels of Smo and miR-326 as the key players of the Hh pathway. Western blot analysis was performed. The presence of minimal residual disease was studied using PCR-SSCP. The association between Smo expression and drug resistance was analyzed statistically.

Results

Results showed a significant increase in the Smo expression levels in drug-resistant patients in comparison with drug-sensitive children with B-ALL (P=0.0128, AUC=0.82). A considerable negative association between miR-326 and Smo expression levels was identified (r=-0.624, P=0.002). A binomial test confirmed the regulatory role of miR-326 on the translational repression of Smo (P=0.031). Statistics showed no association between Smo and ABCA2 expression levels. However, a significant positive correlation was observed between the Smo and ABCA3 transcripts in the resistant ALL children (r=0.607, P=0.016).

Conclusion

Data revealed the possible oncogenic impact of Smo on leukemogenesis and drug resistance in pediatric B-ALL. Upregulation of Smo was introduced, for the first time, as a prognostic factor for drug resistance in childhood B-ALL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that shows a positive correlation between Smo and ABCA3 expression levels in pediatric B-ALL, explaining a possible mechanism for the development of drug resistance in this cancer. Moreover, the current project revealed a negative modulatory effect of miR-326 on the expression levels of Smo.

MicroRNA-150-5p and SRC kinase signaling inhibitor 1 involvement in the pathological development of gastric cancer

The current study aimed to assess the regulatory mechanism of microRNA-150-5p (miR-150-5p) in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to verify the expression of miR-150-5p in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines, which was revealed to be highly expressed in each. In addition, the expression of miR-150-5p was associated with advanced gastric cancer and lymph node metastasis. The current study then hypothesized that SRC kinase signaling inhibitor 1 (SRCIN1) was the target gene of miR-150-5p, a theory that was confirmed via a dual luciferase reporter gene assay. RT-qPCR and western blotting were then performed to verify the expression of SRCIN1 in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. The results demonstrated that SRCIN1 was lowly expressed in gastric cancer tissues and cells. To assess the effect of miR-150-5p on gastric cancer cells, experiments were conducted with BGC-823 cells transfected with a miR-150-5p inhibitor or a miR-150-5p inhibitor+SRCIN1-small interfering (si)RNA respectively. A cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry were also used to assess cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were further used to measure the expression of specific markers of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), including epithelial cell markers (E-cadherin and zona occluding-1) and interstitial cell markers (vimentin, N-cadherin and β-catenin). The results revealed that the miR-150-5p inhibitor attenuated cell viability, induced apoptosis, decreased the expression of interstitial cell markers and increased epithelial cell marker expression. However, all effects of the miR-150-5p inhibitor were reversed following SRCIN1-siRNA treatment. In summary, the current study indicated that the miR-150-5p inhibitor attenuated cell viability, induced apoptosis and inhibited gastric cancer cell EMT by targeting SRCIN1.

A genetic variant in miR-100 is a protective factor of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BACKGROUND

In the past decade, miR-100, miR-146a, and miR-210 were reported to be dysregulated in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, effects of genetic variants in these three microRNAs have not been investigated in Chinese population.

METHODS

In this study, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate the relationship between genetic variants in miR-100, miR-146a, and miR-210 and the risk of childhood ALL in Chinese population. Subsequently, plasma expression level of miR-100 was also detected.

RESULT

We found that subjects carrying mutant homozygous TT genotype of miR-100 rs543412 had a statistically significantly decreased risk of childhood ALL (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.55-0.97, P = 0.029). This protective effect was also observed among subjects whose parents were ever drinkers (adjusted OR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.29-0.94), or whose living house were ever painted (adjusted OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.34-0.94). Besides, rs543412 variant homozygous TT had a significantly protective role in patients with childhood B-ALL. Finally, we found that expression level of miR-100 in plasma of childhood ALL cases was significantly higher than that of noncancer controls.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggested that there was significant association between the polymorphisms in miR-100 (rs543412) and decreased susceptibility to childhood ALL.

MicroRNA signature constituted of miR-30d, miR-93, and miR-181b is a promising prognostic marker in primary central nervous system lymphoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that inhibit gene function by suppressing translation of target genes. However, in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), the biological significance of miRNAs is largely unknown, although some miRNAs are known to be prognosis markers. Here, we analyzed 847 miRNAs expressed in 27 PCNSL specimens using microarray profiling and surveyed miRNA signature for prognostic prediction. Of these, 16 miRNAs were expressed in 27 PCNSL specimens at a frequency of 48%. Their variable importance measured by Random forest model revealed miR-192, miR-486, miR-28, miR-52, miR-181b, miR-194, miR-197, miR-93, miR-708, and let-7g as having positive effects; miR-29b-2*, miR-126, and miR-182 as having negative effects; and miR-18a*, miR-425, and miR-30d as neutral. After principal component analysis, the prediction formula for prognosis, consisting of the expression values of the above-mentioned miRNAs, clearly divided Kaplan-Meier survival curves by the calculated Z-score (HR = 6.4566, P = 0.0067). The 16 miRNAs were enriched by gene ontology terms including angiogenesis, cell migration and proliferation, and apoptosis, in addition to signaling pathways including TGF-β/SMAD, Notch, TNF, and MAPKinase. Their target genes included BCL2-related genes, HMGA2 oncogene, and LIN28B cancer stem cell marker. Furthermore, three miRNAs including miR-181b, miR-30d, and miR-93, selected from the 16 miRNAs, also showed comparable results for survival (HR = 8.9342, P = 0.0007), suggestive of a miRNA signature for prognostic prediction in PCNSL. These results indicate that this miRNA signature is useful for prognostic prediction in PCNSL and would help us understand target pathways for therapies in PCNSL.