Research on correlations of miR-585 expression with progression and prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer

Bioinformatics analysis and clinical significance of NRP-1 in triple-negative breast cancer

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic values of neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and analyze its immune function in the tumor microenvironment.

Methods

Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus, Genotype Tissue Expression, Immune Cell Abundance Identifier (ImmuCellAI), Reactome, and Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer databases, the cancer tissues from 50 patients with TNBC and corresponding adjacent noncancerous tissues from 10 patients (tissue microarrays were purchased from Shanghai Xinchao Biotechnology Co., Ltd.) were collected for validation. Bioinformatics combined with immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the relationship among NRP-1 expression, prognosis, tumor immune cell infiltration, immune genes, and drug resistance so as to investigate the role of NRP-1 in the development of TNBC.

Results

A significant difference in NRP-1 gene expression was found between the cancerous and noncancerous tissues (p-value < 0.05); NRP-1 expression was high in carcinoma. No significant correlation was found between NRP-1 protein expression levels and each stage in the TCGA database. Prognostic expression survival analysis showed that the survival probability of patients with high NRP-1 expression was significantly lower than that of patients with low NRP-1 expression (p-value < 0.05), suggesting that the gene might be a pro-oncogene. The data from 50 clinical samples also confirmed that the NRP-1 expression was significantly higher in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues than in adjacent noncancerous tissues. The NRP-1 expression significantly correlated with the tumor diameter and pathological grade (p-value < 0.05), but not with age, stage, and ki67 (p-value > 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves suggested that the median overall survival was significantly shorter in patients with high NRP-1 expression than in those with low NRP-1 expression (13.6 months vs 15.2 months, p-value < 0.05). The 300 genes most significantly positively associated with this gene were selected for Gene Ontology (including Biological Process, Molecular Function, and Cellular Component groups) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomics enrichment analysis. The findings showed that NRP-1 was involved in immune regulation in TNBC. In addition, the NRP-1 expression in TNBC positively correlated with a variety of immune cells and checkpoints.

Conclusion

NRP-1 can be used as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in TNBC.

ER Negative Breast Cancer and miRNA: There Is More to Decipher Than What the Pathologist Can See!

Breast cancer (BC), the most prevalent cancer in women, is a heterogenous disease. Despite advancements in BC diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics, survival rates have drastically decreased in the metastatic setting. Therefore, BC still remains a medical challenge. The evolution of high-throughput technology has highlighted gaps in the classification system of BCs. Of particular interest is the notorious triple negative BC, which was recounted as being heterogenous itself and it overlaps with distinct subtypes, namely molecular apocrine (MA) and luminal androgen (LAR) BCs. These subtypes are, even today, still misdiagnosed and poorly treated. As such, researchers and clinicians have been looking for ways through which to refine BC classification in order to properly understand the initiation, development, progression, and the responses to the treatment of BCs. One tool is biomarkers and, specifically, microRNA (miRNA), which are highly reported as associated with BC carcinogenesis. In this review, the diverse roles of miRNA in estrogen receptor negative (ER-) and androgen receptor positive (AR+) BC are depicted. While highlighting their oncogenic and tumor suppressor functions in tumor progression, we will discuss their diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarker potentials, as well as their drug sensitivity/resistance activity. The association of several miRNAs in the KEGG-reported pathways that are related to ER-BC carcinogenesis is presented. The identification and verification of accurate miRNA panels is a cornerstone for tackling BC classification setbacks, as is also the deciphering of the carcinogenesis regulators of ER - AR + BC.

Comparison of Oncogenes, Tumor Suppressors, and MicroRNAs Between Schizophrenia and Glioma: The Balance of Power

The risk of cancer in schizophrenia has been controversial. Confounders of the issue are cigarette smoking in schizophrenia, and antiproliferative effects of antipsychotic medications. The author has previously suggested comparison of a specific cancer like glioma to schizophrenia might help determine a more accurate relationship between cancer and schizophrenia. To accomplish this goal, the author performed three comparisons of data; the first a comparison of conventional tumor suppressors and oncogenes between schizophrenia and cancer including glioma. This comparison determined schizophrenia has both tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting characteristics. A second, larger comparison between brain-expressed microRNAs in schizophrenia with their expression in glioma was then performed. This identified a core carcinogenic group of miRNAs in schizophrenia offset by a larger group of tumor-suppressive miRNAs. This proposed "balance of power" between oncogenes and tumor suppressors could cause neuroinflammation. This was assessed by a third comparison between schizophrenia, glioma and inflammation in asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma (ALRCM). This revealed that schizophrenia shares more oncogenic similarity to ALRCM than glioma.

MiR-585-5p impedes gastric cancer proliferation and metastasis by orchestrating the interactions among CREB1, MAPK1 and MITF

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most malignant and lethal cancers worldwide. Multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as key regulators in the progression of GC. However, the underlying pathogenesis that miRNAs govern GC malignancy remains uncertain. Here, we identified a novel miR-585-5p as a key regulator in GC development.

Methods

The expression of miR-585-5p in the context of GC tissue was detected by in situ hybridization for GC tissue microarray and assessed by H-scoring. The gain- and loss-of-function analyses comprised of Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and Transwell invasion and migration assay. The expression of downstream microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein 1 (CREB1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) were examined by Immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time PCR and western blot. The direct regulation between miR-585-5p and MITF/CREB1/MAPK1 were predicted by bioinformatic analysis and screened by luciferase reporter assay. The direct transcriptional activation of CREB1 on MITF was verified by luciferase reporter assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs). The interaction between MAPK1 and MITF was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and immunofluorescent double-labelled staining.

Results

MiR-585-5p is progressively downregulated in GC tissues and low miR-585-5p levels were strongly associated with poor clinical outcomes. Further gain- and loss-of-function analyses showed that miR-585-5p possesses strong anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic capacities in GC. Follow-up studies indicated that miR-585-5p targets the downstream molecules CREB1 and MAPK1 to regulate the transcriptional and post-translational regulation of MITF, respectively, thus controlling its expression and cancer-promoting activity. MiR-585-5p directly and negatively regulates MITF together with CREB1 and MAPK1. According to bioinformatic analysis, promotor reporter gene assays, ChIP and EMSAs, CREB1 binds to the promotor region to enhance transcriptional expression of MITF. Co-IP and immunofluorescent double-labelled staining confirmed interaction between MAPK1 and MITF. Protein immunoprecipitation revealed that MAPK1 enhances MITF activity via phosphorylation (Ser73). MiR-585-5p can not only inhibit MITF expression directly, but also hinder MITF expression and pro-cancerous activity in a CREB1-/MAPK1-dependent manner indirectly.

Conclusions

In conclusion, this study uncovered miR-585-5p impedes gastric cancer proliferation and metastasis by orchestrating the interactions among CREB1, MAPK1 and MITF.

The functional significance and cross-talk of non-coding RNAs in triple negative and quadruple negative breast cancer

One of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide is breast cancer, among which triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most malignant and lethal subtype. This cancer accounts for 10-20% of all breast cancer deaths. Proliferation, tumorigenesis, and prognosis of TNBC are affected when the androgen receptor (AR) is not expressed, and it is classified as quadruple negative breast cancer (QNBC). Non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play a significant role in tumorigenesis by virtue of their oncogenic and tumor-suppressive properties. To regulate tumorigenesis, miRNAs interact with their target mRNAs and modulate their expression, whereas lncRNAs can either act alone or interact with miRNAs or other molecules through various signaling pathways. Conversely, circRNAs regulate tumorigenesis by acting as miRNA sponges predominantly. Recently, non-coding RNAs were studied comprehensively for their roles in tumor proliferation, progression, and metastasis. As a result of existing studies and research progress, non-coding RNAs have been implicated in TNBC, necessitating their use as biomarkers for future diagnostic applications. In this review, the non-coding RNAs are explicitly implicated in the regulation of breast cancer, and their cross-talk between TNBC and QNBC is also discussed.