Combinatory RNA-Sequencing Analyses Reveal a Dual Mode of Gene Regulation by ADAR1 in Gastric Cancer

RNA epigenetic modifications in digestive tract cancers: Friends or foes

Digestive tract cancers are among the most common malignancies worldwide and have high incidence and mortality rates. Thus, the discovery of more effective diagnostic and therapeutic targets is urgently required. The development of technologies to accurately detect RNA modification has led to the identification of numerous RNA chemical modifications in humans (epitranscriptomics) that are involved in the occurrence and development of digestive tract cancers. RNA modifications can cooperatively regulate gene expression to facilitate normal physiological functions of the digestive system. However, the dysfunction of relevant RNA-modifying enzymes ("writers," "erasers," and "readers") can lead to the development of digestive tract cancers. Consequently, targeting dysregulated enzyme activity could represent a potent therapeutic strategy for the treatment of digestive tract cancers. In this review, we summarize the most widely studied roles and mechanisms of RNA modifications (m6A, m1A, m5C, m7G, A-to-I editing, pseudouridine [Ψ]) in relation to digestive tract cancers, highlight the crosstalk between RNA modifications, and discuss their roles in the interactions between the digestive system and microbiota during carcinogenesis. The clinical significance of novel therapeutic methods based on RNA-modifying enzymes is also discussed. This review will help guide future research into digestive tract cancers that are resistant to current therapeutics.

The role of ADAR1 through and beyond its editing activity in cancer

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing of RNA, catalyzed by adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes, is a prevalent RNA modification in mammals. It has been shown that A-to-I editing plays a critical role in multiple diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, neurological disorder, and particularly cancer. ADARs are the family of enzymes, including ADAR1, ADAR2, and ADAR3, that catalyze the occurrence of A-to-I editing. Notably, A-to-I editing is mainly catalyzed by ADAR1. Given the significance of A-to-I editing in disease development, it is important to unravel the complex roles of ADAR1 in cancer for the development of novel therapeutic interventions.In this review, we briefly describe the progress of research on A-to-I editing and ADARs in cancer, mainly focusing on the role of ADAR1 in cancer from both editing-dependent and independent perspectives. In addition, we also summarized the factors affecting the expression and editing activity of ADAR1 in cancer.

RNA Editing Enzyme ADAR1 Suppresses the Mobility of Cancer Cells via ARPIN

Deamination of adenine or cytosine in RNA, called RNA editing, is a constitutively active and common modification. The primary role of RNA editing is tagging RNA right after its synthesis so that the endogenous RNA is recognized as self and distinguished from exogenous RNA, such as viral RNA. In addition to this primary function, the direct or indirect effects on gene expression can be utilized in cancer where a high level of RNA editing activity persists. This report identified actin-related protein 2/3 complex inhibitor (ARPIN) as a target of ADAR1 in breast cancer cells. Our comparative RNA sequencing analysis in MCF7 cells revealed that the expression of ARPIN was decreased upon ADAR1 depletion with altered editing on its 3'UTR. However, the expression changes of ARPIN were not dependent on 3'UTR editing but relied on three microRNAs acting on ARPIN. As a result, we found that the migration and invasion of cancer cells were profoundly increased by ADAR1 depletion, and this cellular phenotype was reversed by the exogenous ARPIN expression. Altogether, our data suggest that ADAR1 suppresses breast cancer cell mobility via the upregulation of ARPIN.

Emerging role of the RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 in stem cell fate and function

Stem cells are critical for organism development and the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Recent studies focusing on RNA editing have indicated how this mark controls stem cell fate and function in both normal and malignant states. RNA editing is mainly mediated by adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1). The RNA editing enzyme ADAR1 converts adenosine in a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) substrate into inosine. ADAR1 is a multifunctional protein that regulate physiological processes including embryonic development, cell differentiation, and immune regulation, and even apply to the development of gene editing technologies. In this review, we summarize the structure and function of ADAR1 with a focus on how it can mediate distinct functions in stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Targeting ADAR1 has emerged as a potential novel therapeutic strategy in both normal and dysregulated stem cell contexts.

Epitranscriptomics: A New Layer of microRNA Regulation in Cancer

MicroRNAs are pervasive regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level in metazoan, playing key roles in several physiological and pathological processes. Accordingly, these small non-coding RNAs are also involved in cancer development and progression. Furthermore, miRNAs represent valuable diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in malignancies. In the last twenty years, the role of RNA modifications in fine-tuning gene expressions at several levels has been unraveled. All RNA species may undergo post-transcriptional modifications, collectively referred to as epitranscriptomic modifications, which, in many instances, affect RNA molecule properties. miRNAs are not an exception, in this respect, and they have been shown to undergo several post-transcriptional modifications. In this review, we will summarize the recent findings concerning miRNA epitranscriptomic modifications, focusing on their potential role in cancer development and progression.

"3G" Trial: An RNA Editing Signature to Guide Gastric Cancer Chemotherapy

Gastric cancer cases are often diagnosed at an advanced stage with poor prognosis. Platinum-based chemotherapy has been internationally accepted as first-line therapy for inoperable or metastatic gastric cancer. To achieve greater benefits, selection of patients eligible for this treatment is critical. Although gene expression profiling has been widely used as a genomic classifier to identify molecular subtypes of gastric cancer and to stratify patients for different chemotherapy regimens, its prediction accuracy can be improved. Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing has emerged as a new player contributing to gastric cancer development and progression, offering potential clinical utility for diagnosis and treatment. Using a systematic computational approach followed by both in vitro validations and in silico validations in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we conducted a transcriptome-wide RNA editing analysis of a cohort of 104 patients with advanced gastric cancer and identified an RNA editing (GCRE) signature to guide gastric cancer chemotherapy. RNA editing events stood as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in advanced gastric cancer. A GCRE score based on the GCRE signature consisted of 50 editing sites associated with 29 genes, predicting response to chemotherapy with a high accuracy (84%). Of note, patients demonstrating higher editing levels of this panel of sites presented a better overall response. Consistently, gastric cancer cell lines with higher editing levels showed higher chemosensitivity. Applying the GCRE score on TCGA dataset confirmed that responders had significantly higher levels of editing in advanced gastric cancer. Overall, this newly defined GCRE signature reliably stratifies patients with advanced gastric cancer and predicts response from chemotherapy. SIGNIFICANCE: This study describes a novel A-to-I RNA editing signature as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in advanced gastric cancer, providing a new tool to improve patient stratification and response to therapy.

ADAR1 Suppresses Interferon Signaling in Gastric Cancer Cells by MicroRNA-302a-Mediated IRF9/STAT1 Regulation

ADAR (adenosine deaminase acting on RNA) catalyzes the deamination of adenosine to generate inosine, through its binding to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a phenomenon known as RNA editing. One of the functions of ADAR1 is suppressing the type I interferon (IFN) response, but its mechanism in gastric cancer is not clearly understood. We analyzed changes in RNA editing and IFN signaling in ADAR1-depleted gastric cancer cells, to clarify how ADAR1 regulates IFN signaling. Interestingly, we observed a dramatic increase in the protein level of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9) upon ADAR1 knockdown, in the absence of type I or type II IFN treatment. However, there were no changes in protein expression or localization of the mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) and interferon alpha and beta-receptor subunit 2 (IFNAR2), the two known mediators of IFN production. Instead, we found that miR-302a-3p binds to the untranslated region (UTR) of IRF9 and regulate its expression. The treatment of ADAR1-depleted AGS cells with an miR-302a mimic successfully restored IRF9 as well as STAT1 protein level. Hence, our results suggest that ADAR1 regulates IFN signaling in gastric cancer through the suppression of STAT1 and IRF9 via miR-302a, which is independent from the RNA editing of known IFN production pathway.

Deciphering miRNAs' Action through miRNA Editing

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with the capability of modulating gene expression at the post-transcriptional level either by inhibiting messenger RNA (mRNA) translation or by promoting mRNA degradation. The outcome of a myriad of physiological processes and pathologies, including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, relies highly on miRNAs. However, deciphering the precise roles of specific miRNAs in these pathophysiological contexts is challenging due to the high levels of complexity of their actions. Indeed, regulation of mRNA expression by miRNAs is frequently cell/organ specific; highly dependent on the stress and metabolic status of the organism; and often poorly correlated with miRNA expression levels. Such biological features of miRNAs suggest that various regulatory mechanisms control not only their expression, but also their activity and/or bioavailability. Several mechanisms have been described to modulate miRNA action, including genetic polymorphisms, methylation of miRNA promoters, asymmetric miRNA strand selection, interactions with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) or other coding/non-coding RNAs. Moreover, nucleotide modifications (A-to-I or C-to-U) within the miRNA sequences at different stages of their maturation are also critical for their functionality. This regulatory mechanism called "RNA editing" involves specific enzymes of the adenosine/cytidine deaminase family, which trigger single nucleotide changes in primary miRNAs. These nucleotide modifications greatly influence a miRNA's stability, maturation and activity by changing its specificity towards target mRNAs. Understanding how editing events impact miRNA's ability to regulate stress responses in cells and organs, or the development of specific pathologies, e.g., metabolic diseases or cancer, should not only deepen our knowledge of molecular mechanisms underlying complex diseases, but can also facilitate the design of new therapeutic approaches based on miRNA targeting. Herein, we will discuss the current knowledge on miRNA editing and how this mechanism regulates miRNA biogenesis and activity.

Adaptive Elman Model of Gene Regulation Network Based on Time Series Data

Background:

Time series expression data of genes contain relations among different genes, which are difficult to model precisely. Slime-forming bacteria is one of the three major harmful bacteria types in industrial circulating cooling water systems.

Objective:

This study aimed at constructing gene regulation network(GRN) for slime-forming bacteria to understand the microbial fouling mechanism.

Methods:

For this purpose, an Adaptive Elman Neural Network (AENN) to reveal the relationships among genes using gene expression time series is proposed. The parameters of Elman neural network were optimized adaptively by a Genetic Algorithm (GA). And a Pearson correlation analysis is applied to discover the relationships among genes. In addition, the gene expression data of slime-forming bacteria by transcriptome gene sequencing was presented.

Results:

To evaluate our proposed method, we compared several alternative data-driven approaches, including a Neural Fuzzy Recurrent Network (NFRN), a basic Elman Neural Network (ENN), and an ensemble network. The experimental results of simulated and real datasets demonstrate that the proposed approach has a promising performance for modeling Gene Regulation Networks (GRNs). We also applied the proposed method for the GRN construction of slime-forming bacteria and at last a GRN for 6 genes was constructed.

Conclusion:

The proposed GRN construction method can effectively extract the regulations among genes. This is also the first report to construct the GRN for slime-forming bacteria.

The adaptive potential of RNA editing-mediated miRNA-retargeting in cancer

A-to-I RNA editing is a post-transcriptional mechanism that converts the genomically coded Adenosine (A) into Inosine (I) at the RNA level. This type of RNA editing is the most frequent in humans and is mediated by the ADAR enzymes. RNA editing can alter the genetic code of mRNAs, but also affect the functions of noncoding RNAs such as miRNAs. Recent studies have identified thousands of microRNA editing events in different cancer types. However, the important role played by miRNA-editing in cancer has been reported for just a few microRNAs. Herein, we recapitulate the current studies on cancer-related microRNA editing and discuss their importance in tumor growth and progression. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: mRNA modifications in gene expression control edited by Dr. Soller Matthias and Dr. Fray Rupert.