Association of HOTAIR gene polymorphisms and haplotypes with uterine leiomyoma susceptibility in southeast of Iran

The effects of ANRIL polymorphisms on colorectal cancer, tumor stage, and tumor grade among Iranian population

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a type of neoplasm, developing in the colon or rectum. The exact etiology of CRC is not well known, but the role of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors are established in its pathogenesis. Therefore, the aim of this research was to explore the effects of ANRIL polymorphisms on the CRC and its clinical findings.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The peripheral blood specimens were collected from 142 CRC patients and 225 controls referred to Milad Hospital, Tehran, Iran. PCR- RFLP method was used to analyze ANRIL rs1333040, rs10757274 rs4977574, and rs1333048 polymorphisms. The ANRIL rs1333040 polymorphism was related to a higher risk of CRC in the co-dominant, dominant, and log-additive models. ANRIL rs10757274, rs4977574, and rs1333048 polymorphisms showed no effect on CRC susceptibility. The CGAA and TGGA haplotypes of ANRIL rs1333040/ rs10757274/ rs4977574/rs1333048 polymorphisms were associated with the higher and the lower risk of CRC respectively. The rs1333040 polymorphism was associated with higher TNM stages (III and IV). The frequency of ANRIL rs10757274 polymorphism was lower in CRC patients over 50 years of age only in the dominant model. In addition, the rs10757274 was associated with well differentiation in CRC patients.

CONCLUSION

The ANRIL rs1333040 polymorphism was associated with a higher risk of CRC and higher TNM stages. ANRIL rs10757274 polymorphism was associated with the well-differentiated tumor in CRC.

A View on Uterine Leiomyoma Genesis through the Prism of Genetic, Epigenetic and Cellular Heterogeneity

Uterine leiomyomas (ULs), frequent benign tumours of the female reproductive tract, are associated with a range of symptoms and significant morbidity. Despite extensive research, there is no consensus on essential points of UL initiation and development. The main reason for this is a pronounced inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity resulting from diverse and complicated mechanisms underlying UL pathobiology. In this review, we comprehensively analyse risk and protective factors for UL development, UL cellular composition, hormonal and paracrine signalling, epigenetic regulation and genetic abnormalities. We conclude the need to carefully update the concept of UL genesis in light of the current data. Staying within the framework of the existing hypotheses, we introduce a possible timeline for UL development and the associated key events—from potential prerequisites to the beginning of UL formation and the onset of driver and passenger changes.

Genetic variants of HOTAIR are associated with susceptibility to recurrent spontaneous abortion: A preliminary case-control study

AIM

To investigate the association between Hox transcript antisenses RNA (HOTAIR) polymorphisms, rs12826786 C/T, rs920778 T/C, rs4759314 A/G, and rs1899663 G/T, with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) susceptibility in the Iranian women.

METHODS

We enrolled 161 patients diagnosed with RSA and 177 healthy women with at least one live birth without a history of abortion. Genotyping of HOTAIR polymorphisms was carried out using both restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction and amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction methods. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed to estimate the strength of association.

RESULTS

Different inheritance models of rs12826786 C/T, rs920778 T/C, and rs1899663 G/T polymorphisms significantly enhanced the risk of RSA (p < 0.05), whereas the rs4759314 A/G polymorphism was correlated with diminished risk of developing RSA under recessive AA versus GA + GG (OR 0.42 [95% CI = 0.19-0.91]), log-additive GG versus GA vs. GG (OR 0.67 [95% CI = 0.48-0.93]), and allelic A versus G (OR 0.65 [95% CI = 0.47-0.92]) models. Moreover, the TGTC, TTCT, TTTC, CGTC, CGTT, CTCC, CTCT, CTTC, and CTTT haplotypes of rs920778/rs1899663/rs12826786/ significantly increased the risk of RSA. The studied variants were not in strong linkage disequilibrium.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicated that variations in the HOTAIR gene might serve as beneficial biomarkers for determining susceptibility to RSA. To confirm these findings, replication studies with a larger population and different races are needed.

Emerging Roles of Long Non-coding RNAs in Uterine Leiomyoma Pathogenesis: a Review

Uterine leiomyoma (UL), as the most prevalent type of women's health disorders, is a benign tumor that originates from the smooth muscle cell layer of the uterus. A great number of associated complications are observed including infertility, miscarriage, bleeding, pain, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, and dyspareunia. Although the etiology of UL is largely undefined, environmental and genetic factors are witnessed to engage in the UL development. As long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various types of cellular functions, in recent years, a great deal of attention has been drawn to them and their possible roles in UL pathogenesis. Moreover, they have illustrated their potential to be promising candidates for UL treatment. In this review paper, firstly, an overview of UL pathogenesis is presented. Then, the regulation of lncRNAs in UL and their possible mechanisms in cancer development are reviewed. Eventually, therapeutic approaches targeting lncRNAs in various cancers and UL are explored.

Contributions of HOTAIR polymorphisms to the susceptibility of cancer

OBJECTIVE

Hox transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a lncRNA, functions as a critical regulator in cancer development. A plenty of case-control studies were conducted to assess the actual relationship of HOTAIR gene generic variants on cancer susceptibility, yet conflicting conclusions remain. Herein, we carried out this up-to-date meta-analysis to get a better understanding of such relationship by incorporating all eligible case-control studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Six widely investigated polymorphisms were included in this meta-analysis: rs920778, rs4759314, rs7958904, rs874945, rs1899663, and rs12826786. We retrieved relevant studies from databases PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, CNKI and Wanfang update to June 2020. We applied odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the relationship strengths.

RESULTS

Our findings indicate that rs920778, rs4759314, rs874945, rs12826786 polymorphism significantly increased with susceptibility to overall cancer. However, rs7958904, rs1899663 under any five genetic models could not impact susceptibility to overall cancer. Furthermore, altered cancer risk was detected when the data were stratified by cancer type, ethnicity, the source of controls, and HWE in all the SNPs.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings of the meta-analysis suggest that HOTAIR polymorphisms may predispose to cancer susceptibility.

Deoxyelephantopin, a novel naturally occurring phytochemical impairs growth, induces G2/M arrest, ROS-mediated apoptosis and modulates lncRNA expression against uterine leiomyoma

Deoxyelephantopin (DOE), a phytochemical, extracted and purified from Elephantopus scaber, has been shown to exhibit antitumor activities. Objective of the present study was to investigate anti-tumor and apoptosis-inducing properties of DOE against uterine leiomyoma (UL) and to explore their molecular mechanisms. Primary cell cultures from fresh UL tissue were established and maintained up to 12 passages. The cells exhibited continuous proliferation with 24 -h doubling time until 12 passages and was then subjected to molecular characterization. The growth inhibitory effect of DOE on UL cells was confirmed by colony formation, cellular senescence, AO/PI and DAPI staining. Fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS) assay for apoptosis and cell cycle arrest analysis revealed that DOE significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the UL cell proliferation via cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and induced apoptosis via ROS production by lowering mitochondrial membrane potential. Subsequently, the DOE induced ROS was markedly attenuated by co-treatment of N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC). Our quantitative RT-PCR and western blot results showed up-regulation of Bax, Caspase-3 and down-regulation of Bcl₂, P⁵³, αSMA, COL4A2, VEGF, PCNA, Cyclin B1 and oncogenic lncRNAs (H19, HOTAIR, BANCR and ROR) in DOE treated UL cells which further strengthen our findings. In conclusion, DOE inhibits growth of UL cells via cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase, induces ROS-dependent caspase-3-mediated mitochondrial intrinsic apoptotic pathway and down-regulation of oncogenic lncRNA in UL cells. Our findings suggest that DOE deserves for further systematic investigation in the uterine leiomyoma animal model as a novel apoptosis inducer for potential applications in the prevention or treatment of uterine leiomyoma.