MicroRNA-133b suppresses bladder cancer malignancy by targeting TAGLN2-mediated cell cycle

Circular STAG2 RNA Modulates Bladder Cancer Progression via miR-145-5p/TAGLN2 and Is Considered as a Biomarker for Recurrence

The current study aimed to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of the circRNA hsa_circ_0139697 (circSTAG2(16-25)) in BCa and to consider the opportunity of using circSTAG2(16-25) isolated from BCa patient urine as a marker for disease development prediction. The selection of this circRNA was determined by the special role of its parental gene STAG2 in BCa biology. The circRNA hsa_circ_0139697 was chosen from 25 STAG2 circRNAs due to its differential expression in the urine of BCa patients and healthy volunteers. Higher levels of circSTAG2(16-25) were detected in urine samples obtained from patients with recurrent tumors. A higher expression of circSTAG2(16-25) was also detected in more tumorigenic BCa cell lines. The overexpression of circSTAG2(16-25) in BCa cells induced the elevation of proliferation, motility, and invasion. To study the mechanisms of circSTAG2(16-25) activity, we confirmed that circSTAG2(16-25) can bind miR-145-5p in vitro as was predicted by bioinformatic search. miR-145-5p was shown to suppress some genes that promoted BCa progression. One of these genes, TAGLN2, encodes the protein Transgelin 2, which plays a role in BCa cell motility and invasion. Therefore, the possible mechanism of action of circSTAG2(16-25) could be sponging the tumor suppressor miR-145-5p, which results in activation of TAGLN2. In addition, circSTAG2(16-25) might be considered as a potential biomarker for recurrence prediction.

MicroRNA-30c-5p arrests bladder cancer G2/M phase and suppresses its progression by targeting PRC1-mediated blocking of CDK1/Cyclin B1 axis

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in cancer development and progression, the dis-regulation of miR-30c-5p has been observed in various malignant tumors but no research was done in bladder cancer (BCa). This study aims to investigate the downregulation of miR-30c-5p in BCa, and examine its mechanism and prognostic significance.

METHODS

Bioinformatics analyses and clinical specimens were employed to investigate the relationship between miR-30c-5p and clinical information in BCa patients. The expression levels of miR-30c-5p and its target gene were assessed by real-time PCR and western blot. Cell viability was evaluated through clonogenic capacity, CCK-8, and EdU assays. Cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis were determined by flow cytometry. The anti-tumor effect of miR-30c-5p was also validated in animal models.

RESULTS

The expression levels of miR-30c-5p were significantly decreased in both bladder tumor tissue and BCa cell lines. Low miR-30c-5p expression was found to be correlated with unfavorable TNM stages and poor prognosis. Over-expressing miR-30c-5p was observed to hinder BCa cell growth, migration, and invasion abilities and causing cell cycle arrest. Mechanistically, miR-30c-5p directly binds and suppresses PRC1, thereby blocking the CDK1/Cyclin B1 axis in BCa, thus impairing BCa cell viability and inducing cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase.

CONCLUSION

Down-regulated miR-30c-5p promotes BCa through its target gene PRC1, miR-30c-5p is a favorable biomarker for predicting clinical outcomes in BCa patients and has the potential to be a therapeutic target.

The relationship between microRNAs and bladder cancer: are microRNAs useful to predict bladder cancer in suspicious patients?

PURPOSE

Recent studies indicate that circulating micro RNAs (miRNAs) are novel class of non-invasive biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic information. We evaluated the miRNA expressions in bladder cancer (BC) and their associations with disease diagnosis.

METHODS

We profiled the expressions of 379 miRNAs in the plasma samples from patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) (n = 34) and non-malignant urological diseases as a control group (n = 32). Patients were evaluated regarding with age, miRNA expressions, by using descriptive statistics. miRNA expression in extracted RNA was quantified using the NanoString nCounter Digital Analyzer.

RESULTS

The analysis of plasma miRNA levels in the marker identification cohort indicated that plasma (miR-1260a, let-7a-3p miR-196b-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-99a-5p, miR-615-5p, miR-4301, miR-28-3p, miR-4538, miR-1233-3p, miR-4732-5p, miR-1913, miR-1280) levels were increased in NMIBC patients compared to control subjects. There were no significant differences other parameters studied between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of serum plasma miRNA (miR-1260a, let-7a-3p miR-196b-5p, miR-196a-5p, miR-99a-5p, miR-615-5p, miR-4301, miR-28-3p, miR-4538, miR-1233-3p, miR-4732-5p, miR-1913, miR-1280) levels could be useful plasma biomarkers for BC.

STAT3 as a newly emerging target in colorectal cancer therapy: Tumorigenesis, therapy response, and pharmacological/nanoplatform strategies

Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks as the third most aggressive tumor globally, and it can be categorized into two forms: colitis-mediated CRC and sporadic CRC. The therapeutic approaches for CRC encompass surgical intervention, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. However, even with the implementation of these techniques, the 5-year survival rate for metastatic CRC remains at a mere 12-14%. In the realm of CRC treatment, gene therapy has emerged as a novel therapeutic approach. Among the crucial molecular pathways that govern tumorigenesis, STAT3 plays a significant role. This pathway is subject to regulation by cytokines and growth factors. Once translocated into the nucleus, STAT3 influences the expression levels of factors associated with cell proliferation and metastasis. Literature suggests that the upregulation of STAT3 expression is observed as CRC cells progress towards metastatic stages. Consequently, elevated STAT3 levels serve as a significant determinant of poor prognosis and can be utilized as a diagnostic factor for cancer patients. The biological and malignant characteristics of CRC cells contribute to low survival rates in patients, as the upregulation of STAT3 prevents apoptosis and promotes pro-survival autophagy, thereby accelerating tumorigenesis. Furthermore, STAT3 plays a role in facilitating the proliferation of CRC cells through the stimulation of glycolysis and promoting metastasis via the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Notably, an intriguing observation is that the upregulation of STAT3 can mediate resistance to 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and other anti-cancer drugs. Moreover, the radio-sensitivity of CRC diminishes with increased STAT3 expression. Compounds such as curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, and other anti-tumor agents exhibit the ability to suppress STAT3 and its associated pathways, thereby impeding tumorigenesis in CRC. Furthermore, it is worth noting that nanostructures have demonstrated anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic properties in CRC.

Salvianolic acid A (Sal A) suppresses malignant progression of glioma and enhances temozolomide (TMZ) sensitivity via repressing transgelin-2 (TAGLN2) mediated phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) / protein kinase B (Akt) pathway

Glioma originated from excessively proliferative and highly invaded glial cells is a common intracranial malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Resistance to temozolomide (TMZ) is a clinical challenge in glioma treatment due to the fact that chemoresistance remains a main obstacle in the improvement of drug efficacy. Salvianolic acid A (Sal A), originated from traditional Chinese herbal medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza, possesses anti-tumor effects and could facilitate the delivery of drugs to brain tumor tissues. In the present work, effects of Sal A on the viability, proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of human glioma cell line U87 cells as well as influence of Sal A on TMZ resistance were measured, so as to identify the biological function of Sal A in the malignant behaviors and chemoresistance of glioma cells. Additionally, activation of TAGLN2/PI3K/Akt pathway in glioma cells was also detected to investigate whether Sal A could regulate TAGLN2/PI3K/Akt to manipulate the progression of glioma and TMZ resistance. Results discovered that Sal A treatment reduced the viability, repressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells as well as promoted the apoptosis of glioma cells. Besides, Sal A treatment suppressed TAGLN2/PI3K/Akt pathway in glioma cells. Sal A treatment strengthened the suppressing effect of TMZ on glioma cell proliferation and reinforced the promoting effect of TMZ on glioma cell apoptosis, which were abolished by upregulation of TAGLN2. To conclude, Sal A treatment could suppress the malignant behaviors of glioma cells and improve TMZ sensitivity through inactivating TAGLN2/PI3K/Akt pathway.

miR-133b targets tagln2 and functions in tilapia oogenesis

microRNAs (miRNAs) are important components of non-coding RNAs that participate in diverse life activities by regulating gene expression at the post transcriptional level through base complementary pairing with 3'UTRs of target mRNAs. miR-133b is a member of the miR-133 family, which play important roles in muscle differentiation and tumorigenesis. Recently, miR-133b was reported to affect estrogen synthesis by targeting foxl2 in mouse, while its role in fish reproduction remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we isolated the complete sequence of miR-133b, which was highly expressed in tilapia ovary at 30 and 90 dah (days after hatching) and subsequently decreased at 120 to 150 dah by qPCR. Interestingly, only a few oogonia were remained in the antagomir-133b treated tilapia ovary, while phase I and II oocytes were observed in the ovaries of the control group. Unexpectedly, the expression of foxl2 and cyp19a1a, as well as estradiol levels in serum were increased in the treated group. Furthermore, tagln2, an important factor for oogenesis, was predicted as the target gene of miR-133b, which was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter vector experiments. miR-133b and tagln2 were co-expressed in tilapia ovaries. Taken together, miR-133b may be involved in the early oogenesis of tilapia by regulating tagln2 expression. This study enriches the understanding of miR-133b function during oogenesis and lays a foundation for further study of the regulatory network during oogenesis.

An Essential NRP1-Mediated Role for Tagln2 in Gastric Cancer Angiogenesis

Knowledge about the precise biological role and underlying mechanism of Tagln2 in tumor progression is relatively limited, especially in angiogenesis focused on tumor derived endothelial cells (ECs) has rarely been reported. Here, the function, molecular mechanism and potential clinical value of Tagln2 in gastric cancer (GC) angiogenesis were investigated. GC tissue microarrays were used to assess the expression of Tagln2 in ECs. The relationships between expression and clinicopathological features were analyzed to evaluate the clinical value of Tagln2. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches were performed in ECs to investigate the functions of Tagln2 in angiogenesis. A combination of angiogenesis antibody array, RNA-Seq analyses and a series of in vitro experiments were performed to reveal the proangiogenic mechanism mediated by NRP1. Immunohistochemistry performed on an independent tissue chip (n=75) revealed significant upregulation of Tagln2 in tumor-derived ECs which were specifically immunolabeled with CD34. Additionally, high Tagln2 levels correlated significantly with the presence of lymph node as well as distant metastases. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches highlighted the function of Tagln2 in promoting EC proliferation, motility, and capillary-like tube formation and in reducing apoptosis. Tagln2 upregulation led to significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of NRP1 and subsequently activated the NRP1/VEGFR2 and downstream MAPK signaling pathways. These data indicate the importance of Tagln2 in angiogenesis, as a potential therapeutic target, and as a candidate prognostic marker in GC.

MicroRNA‑133b alleviates doxorubicin‑induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac fibrosis by targeting PTBP1 and TAGLN2

Doxorubicin is one of the most important chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of malignant tumors, but the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin severely limits its clinical application. Increasing numbers of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) have been found to be dysregulated in doxorubicin-treated cardiomyocytes or animal hearts. The current study aimed to investigate the role of miR-133b in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte injury. Doxorubicin was used to treat HL-1 cardiomyocytes to mimic cardiomyocyte injury in vitro. A mouse model of cardiac injury was generated by chronic intraperitoneal injections of doxorubicin. Masson's trichrome staining was performed on cardiac tissues to reveal cardiac fibrosis. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays were applied to explore the downstream targets of miR-133b. Flow cytometry and western blotting were conducted to detect cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Protein expression levels of collagen I, III and IV, and fibronectin were detected to reveal extracellular matrix deposition. The results revealed that doxorubicin decreased miR-133b expression in the treated HL-1 cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts. Overexpression of miR-133b restrained cardiomyocyte apoptosis, inhibited collagen accumulation and alleviated cardiac fibrosis in vivo. Mechanistically, polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1) and transgelin 2 (TAGLN2) were confirmed to bind to miR-133b after prediction and screening. Moreover, miR-133b negatively regulated the protein expression levels of PTBP1 and TAGLN2. Finally, overexpression of PTBP1 or TAGLN2 reversed the effects of miR-133b on apoptosis and collagen accumulation. Thus, the current results indicated that miR-133b alleviated doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac fibrosis by targeting PTBP1 and TAGLN2, implying that miR-133b may be a potential biomarker for doxorubicin-induced cardiac injury.

Emerging Biomarkers for Predicting Bladder Cancer Lymph Node Metastasis

Bladder cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Early detection of lymph node metastasis of bladder cancer is essential to improve patients' prognosis and overall survival. Current diagnostic methods are limited, so there is an urgent need for new specific biomarkers. Non-coding RNA and m6A have recently been reported to be abnormally expressed in bladder cancer related to lymph node metastasis. In this review, we tried to summarize the latest knowledge about biomarkers, which predict lymph node metastasis in bladder cancer and their mechanisms. In particular, we paid attention to the impact of non-coding RNA on lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer and its specific molecular mechanisms, as well as some prediction models based on imaging, pathology, and biomolecules, in an effort to find more accurate diagnostic methods for future clinical application.

Prognosis Analysis and Validation of m6A Signature and Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Glioma

Glioma is one of the most typical intracranial tumors, comprising about 80% of all brain malignancies. Several key molecular signatures have emerged as prognostic biomarkers, which indicate room for improvement in the current approach to glioma classification. In order to construct a more veracious prediction model and identify the potential prognosis-biomarker, we explore the differential expressed m⁶A RNA methylation regulators in 665 gliomas from TCGA-GBM and TCGA-LGG. Consensus clustering was applied to the m6A RNA methylation regulators, and two glioma subgroups were identified with a poorer prognosis and a higher grade of WHO classification in cluster 1. The further chi-squared test indicated that the immune infiltration was significantly enriched in cluster 1, indicating a close relation between m⁶A regulators and immune infiltration. In order to explore the potential biomarkers, the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), along with Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), between high/low immune infiltration and m⁶A cluster 1/2 groups were utilized for the hub genes, and four genes (TAGLN2, PDPN, TIMP1, EMP3) were identified as prognostic biomarkers. Besides, a prognostic model was constructed based on the four genes with a good prediction and applicability for the overall survival (OS) of glioma patients (the area under the curve of ROC achieved 0.80 (0.76-0.83) and 0.72 (0.68-0.76) in TCGA and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA), respectively). Moreover, we also found PDPN and TIMP1 were highly expressed in high-grade glioma from The Human Protein Atlas database and both of them were correlated with m6A and immune cell marker in glioma tissue samples. In conclusion, we construct a novel prognostic model which provides new insights into glioma prognosis. The PDPN and TIMP1 may serve as potential biomarkers for prognosis of glioma.

Exosome-transmitted microRNA-133b inhibited bladder cancer proliferation by upregulating dual-specificity protein phosphatase 1

Bladder Cancer (BC) is the ninth most common tumor in the world and one of the most common malignant tumors of the urinary system. Some studies reported that miR‐133b expression is reduced in BC, but whether it plays a role in the development of BC and its mechanism is unclear. microRNAs can be packaged into exosomes to mediate communication between tumor cells, affecting their proliferation and apoptosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of exosomal miR‐133b on BC proliferation and its molecular mechanism. Firstly, the expression of miR‐133b was evaluated in BC and adjacent normal tissues, as well as in serum exosomes of BC patients and healthy controls. Then the delivery and internalization of exosomes in cells was observed through fluorescence localization. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed in BC cells transfected with mimics and incubated with exosomes. The role of exosomal miR‐133b was also analyzed in nude mice transplant tumors. Furthermore, the target gene of miR‐133b was predicted through bioinformatics. The level of miR‐133b was significantly decreased in BC tissues and in exosomes from serum of patients, which was correlated with poor overall survival in TCGA. Exosomal miR‐133b could be obtained using BC cells after transfection with miR‐133b mimics. The miR‐133b expression increased after incubation with exosomal miR‐133b, which lead to the inhibition of viability and increase of apoptosis in BC cells. Exosomal miR‐133b could suppress tumor growth in vivo. In addition, we found that exosomal miR‐133b may play a role in suppressing BC proliferation by upregulating dual‐specificity protein phosphatase 1 (DUSP1). These findings may offer promise for new therapeutic directions of BC.

circRNA-14723 promotes hepatocytes proliferation in rat liver regeneration by sponging rno-miR-16-5p

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a subclass of noncoding RNA (ncRNA) detected within mammalian tissues and cells. However, its regulatory role during the proliferation phase of rat liver regeneration (LR) remains unreported. This study was designed to explore their regulatory mechanisms in cell proliferation of LR. The circRNA expression profile was detected by high-throughput sequencing. It was indicated that 260 circRNAs were differentially expressed during the proliferation phase of rat LR. Among them, circ-14723 displayed a significantly differential expression. We further explored its regulatory mechanism in rat hepatocytes (BRL-3A cells). First, EdU, flow cytometry and western blot (WB) indicated that knocking down circ-14723 inhibited BRL-3A cells proliferation. Second, RNA-Pulldown and dual-luciferase report assay showed that circ-14723 could sponge rno-miR-16-5p. At last, WB showed that the reported target genes of rno-miR-16-5p, CCND1, and CCNE1 were downregulated after knocking down circ-14723. In conclusion, we found that circ-14723 exerted a critical role in G1/S arrest to promote cell proliferation via rno-miR-16-5p/CCND1 and CCNE1 axis in rat LR. This finding further revealed the regulatory mechanisms of circRNA on cell proliferation of LR, and might provide a potential target for clinical problems.

Slow skeletal muscle troponin T, titin and myosin light chain 3 are candidate prognostic biomarkers for Ewing's sarcoma

Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a common malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. Although great efforts have been made to understand the pathogenesis and development of ES, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. The present study aimed to identify new key genes as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis, targeted therapy or prognosis of ES. mRNA expression profile chip data sets GSE17674, GSE17679 and GSE45544 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using the R software limma package, and functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed using the enrichplot package and GSEA software. The NetworkAnalyst online tool, as well as Cytoscape and its plug-ins cytoHubba and NetworkAnalyzer, were used to construct a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) and conduct module analysis to screen key (hub) genes. LABSO COX regression and overall survival (OS) analysis of the Hub genes were performed. A total of 211 DEGs were obtained by integrating and analyzing the three data sets. The functions and pathways of the DEGs were mainly associated with the regulation of small-molecule metabolic processes, cofactor-binding, amino acid, proteasome and ribosome biosynthesis in eukaryotes, as well as the Rac1, cell cycle and P53 signaling pathways. A total of one important module and 20 hub genes were screened from the PPI network using the Maximum Correlation Criteria algorithm of cytoHubba. LASSO COX regression results revealed that titin (TTN), fast skeletal muscle troponin T, skeletal muscle actin α-actin, nebulin, troponin C type 2 (fast), myosin light-chain 3 (MYL3), slow skeletal muscle troponin T (TNNT1), myosin-binding protein C1 slow-type, tropomyosin 3 and myosin heavy-chain 7 were associated with prognosis in patients with ES. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that high mRNA expression levels of TNNT1 (P<0.001), TTN (P=0.049), titin-cap (P=0.04), tropomodulin 1 (P=0.011), troponin I2 fast skeletal type (P=0.021) and MYL3 (P=0.017) were associated with poor OS in patients with ES. In conclusion, the DEGs identified in the present study may be key genes in the pathogenesis of ES, three of which, namely TNNT1, TTN and MYL3, may be potential prognostic biomarkers for ES.

MTA2 as a Potential Biomarker and Its Involvement in Metastatic Progression of Human Renal Cancer by miR-133b Targeting MMP-9

Metastasis-associated protein 2 (MTA2) was previously known as a requirement to maintain malignant potentials in several human cancers. However, the role of MTA2 in the progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not yet been delineated. In this study, MTA2 expression was significantly increased in RCC tissues and cell lines. Increased MTA2 expression was significantly associated with tumour grade (p = 0.002) and was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival with a high RCC tumour grade. MTA2 knockdown inhibited the migration, invasion, and in vivo metastasis of RCC cells without effects on cell proliferation. Regarding molecular mechanisms, MTA2 knockdown reduced the activity, protein level, and mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in RCC cells. Further analyses demonstrated that patients with lower miR-133b expression had poorer survival rates than those with higher expression from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Moreover, miR-133b modulated the 3′untranslated region (UTR) of MMP-9 promoter activities and subsequently the migratory and invasive abilities of these dysregulated expressions of MTA2 in RCC cells. The inhibition of MTA2 could contribute to human RCC metastasis by regulating the expression of miR-133b targeting MMP-9 expression.

Transgelin-2: Biochemical and Clinical Implications in Cancer and Asthma

Transgelin-2 has been regarded as an actin-binding protein that induces actin gelation and regulates actin cytoskeleton. However, transgelin-2 has recently been shown to relax the myosin cytoskeleton of the airway smooth muscle cells by acting as a receptor for extracellular metallothionein-2. From a clinical perspective, these results support transgelin-2 as a promising therapeutic target for diseases such as cancer and asthma. The inhibition of transgelin-2 prevents actin gelation and thereby cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Conversely, the activation of transgelin-2 with specific agonists relaxes airway smooth muscles and reduces pulmonary resistance in asthma. Here, we review new studies on the biochemical properties of transgelin-2 and discuss their clinical implications for the treatment of immune, oncogenic, and respiratory disorders.