LncRNA ADAMTS9-AS1, as prognostic marker, promotes cell proliferation and EMT in colorectal cancer

Decoding the regulatory landscape of lncRNAs as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for gastric and colorectal cancers

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and gastric cancer (GC) are major contributors to cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite advancements in understanding molecular mechanisms and improved drug treatments, the overall survival rate for patients remains unsatisfactory. Metastasis and drug resistance are major challenges contributing to the high mortality rate in both CRC and GC. Recent research has shed light on the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development and progression of these cancers. LncRNAs regulate gene expression through various mechanisms, including epigenetic modifications and interactions with microRNAs (miRNAs) and proteins. They can serve as miRNA precursors or pseudogenes, modulating gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Additionally, circulating lncRNAs have emerged as non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of drug therapy response in CRC and GC. This review explores the intricate relationship between lncRNAs and CRC/GC, encompassing their roles in cancer development, progression, and chemoresistance. Furthermore, it discusses the potential of lncRNAs as therapeutic targets in these malignancies. The interplay between lncRNAs, miRNAs, and tumor microenvironment is also highlighted, emphasizing their impact on the complexity of cancer biology. Understanding the regulatory landscape and molecular mechanisms governed by lncRNAs in CRC and GC is crucial for the development of effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as novel therapeutic strategies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and paves the way for further exploration of lncRNAs as key players in the management of CRC and GC.

Role of non-coding RNAs as new therapeutic targets in regulating the EMT and apoptosis in metastatic gastric and colorectal cancers

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and gastric cancer (GC), are the two most common cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, and are serious health concerns worldwide. The discovery of more effective biomarkers for early diagnosis, and improved patient prognosis is important. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), can regulate cellular processes such as apoptosis and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) leading to progression and resistance of GC and CRC tumors. Moreover these pathways (apoptosis and EMT) may serve as therapeutic targets, to prevent metastasis, and to overcome drug resistance. A subgroup of ncRNAs is common to both GC and CRC tumors, suggesting that they might be used as biomarkers or therapeutic targets. In this review, we highlight some ncRNAs that can regulate EMT and apoptosis as two opposite mechanisms in cancer progression and metastasis in GC and CRC. A better understanding of the biological role of ncRNAs could open up new avenues for the development of personalized treatment plans for GC and CRC patients.

Unraveling the function of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in colorectal cancer: Metastasis, therapy response, and revisiting molecular pathways

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a dangerous form of cancer that affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is a major global health concern, and the aggressive behavior of tumor cells makes it difficult to treat, leading to poor survival rates for patients. One major challenge in treating CRC is the metastasis, or spread, of the cancer, which is a major cause of death. In order to improve the prognosis for patients with CRC, it is necessary to focus on ways to inhibit the cancer's ability to invade and spread. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process that is linked to the spread of cancer cells, also known as metastasis. The process transforms epithelial cells into mesenchymal ones, increasing their mobility and ability to invade other tissues. This has been shown to be a key mechanism in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC), a particularly aggressive form of gastrointestinal cancer. The activation of EMT leads to increases in the spread of CRC cells, and during this process, levels of the protein E-cadherin decrease while levels of N-cadherin and vimentin increase. EMT also contributes to the development of resistance to chemotherapy and radiation therapy in CRC. Non-coding RNAs, such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play a role in regulating EMT in CRC, often through their ability to "sponge" microRNAs. Anti-cancer agents have been shown to suppress EMT and reduce the progression and spread of CRC cells. These findings suggest that targeting EMT or related mechanisms may be a promising approach for treating CRC patients in the clinic.

LncRNAs in colorectal cancer: Biomarkers to therapeutic targets

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in men and women worldwide. As early detection is associated with lower mortality, novel biomarkers are urgently needed for timely diagnosis and appropriate management of patients to achieve the best therapeutic response. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play essential roles in CRC progression. Accordingly, the regulatory roles of lncRNAs should be better understood in general and for identifying diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers in CRC specifically. In this review, the latest advances on the potential diagnostic and prognostic lncRNAs as biomarkers in CRC samples were highlighted, Current knowledge on dysregulated lncRNAs and their potential molecular mechanisms were summarized. The potential therapeutic implications and challenges for future and ongoing research in the field were also discussed. Finally, novel insights on the underlying mechanisms of lncRNAs were examined as to their potential role as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in CRC. This review may be used to design future studies and advanced investigations on lncRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy in CRC.

ADAMTS9-AS1 Long Non‑coding RNA Sponges miR‑128 and miR-150 to Regulate Ras/MAPK Signaling Pathway in Glioma

Glioma is a malignancy of the central nervous system with a poor prognosis. Therefore, the elaboration of its molecular features creates therapeutic opportunities. Looking for the regulatory non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs and miRNAs) that are involved in glioma incidence/progression, RNA-seq analysis introduced upregulated ADAMTS9-AS1 as a bona fide candidate that sponges miR-128 and miR-150 and shows the negative correlation of expression with them. Then, RT-qPCR verified the upregulation of ADAMTS9-AS1 in glioma tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, dual-luciferase assay supported that cytoplasmic ADAMTS9-AS1 is capable of sponging miR-128 and miR-150, which are known as regulators of Ras/MAPK, PI3K, and Wnt pathways. Following the overexpression of ADAMTS9-AS1 in 1321N1 and U87 glioma cells, tyrosine kinase receptors (IGF1R and TrkC), as well as Wnt receptors (Lrp6 and Fzd) were upregulated, detected by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, downstream genes of both Ras/MAPK and Wnt pathways were upregulated. Finally following the ADAMTS9-AS1 overexpression, upregulation of Ras/MAPK and Wnt signaling pathways was verified through western blotting and Top/Fop flash assay, respectively. At the cellular level, ADAMTS9-AS1 overexpression brought about reduced sub-G1 cell population, increased proliferation rate, reduced apoptosis level, increased migration rate, shortened Bax/Bcl2 ratio, induced EMT, and stemness characteristics of transfected cells, detected by flow cytometry, MTT assay, scratch test, and RT-qPCR. Overall, these results introduced ADAMTS9-AS1 as an oncogene that upregulates Ras/MAPK and Wnt pathways through sponging of the miR-128 and miR-150 in glioma cells. The outcome of ADAMTS9-AS1 expression is more aggression of the glioma cells through increased EMT and stemness characteristics. These features candidate ADAMTS9-AS1 locus for glioma therapy. As a result, we discovered the oncogenic properties of ADAMTS9-AS1 in glioma cancer. It sponges miR-128 and miR-150 and subsequently overstimulates RAS/MAPK and Wnt signaling pathways, particularly at the receptors level. Thus, ADAMTS9-AS1 increases proliferation, migration, and stemness in glioma cell lines. A schematic representation showing the functional effect of ADAMTS9-AS1.

Promoter methylation-regulated miR-148a-3p inhibits lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression by targeting MAP3K9

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) characterized by high metastasis and mortality is the leading subtype of non-small cell lung cancer. Evidence shows that some microRNAs (miRNAs) may act as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, leading to malignant tumor occurrence and progression. To better understand the molecular mechanism associated with miRNA methylation in LUAD progression and clinical outcomes, we investigated the correlation between miR-148a-3p methylation and the clinical features of LUAD. In the LUAD cell lines and tumor tissues from patients, miR-148a-3p was found to be significantly downregulated, while the methylation of miR-148a-3p promoter was notably increased. Importantly, miR-148a-3p hypermethylation was closely associated with lymph node metastasis. We demonstrated that mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase 9 (MAP3K9) was the target of miR-148a-3p and that MAP3K9 levels were significantly increased in both LUAD cell lines and clinical tumor tissues. In A549 and NCI-H1299 cells, overexpression of miR-148a-3p or silencing MAP3K9 significantly inhibited cell growth, migration, invasion and cytoskeleton reorganization accompanied by suppressing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In a nude mouse xenograft assay we found that tumor growth was effectively inhibited by miR-148a-3p overexpression. Taken together, the promoter methylation-associated decrease in miR-148a-3p could lead to lung cancer metastasis by targeting MAP3K9. This study suggests that miR-148a-3p and MAP3K9 may act as novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of LUAD and have potential clinical applications.

The reversion of DNA methylation-induced miRNA silence via biomimetic nanoparticles-mediated gene delivery for efficient lung adenocarcinoma therapy

Background

Lung cancer is one of the fatal cancers worldwide, and over 60% of patients are lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Our clinical data demonstrated that DNA methylation of the promoter region of miR-126-3p was upregulated, which led to the decreased expression of miR-126-3p in 67 cases of lung cancer tissues, implying that miR-126-3p acted as a tumor suppressor. Transduction of miR-126-3p is a potential therapeutic strategy for treating LUAD, yet the physiological environment and properties of miRNA challenge current transduction approaches.

Methods

We evaluated the expression of miR-126-3p in 67 pairs of lung cancer tissues and the corresponding adjacent non-tumorous tissues by Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The relationship between the overall survival of lung cancer patients and miR-126-3p was analyzed by the Cancer Genome Atlas cohort database (Oncolnc, http://www.oncolnc.org). We analyzed DNA methylation Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) analysis. To determine whether ADAM9 is the direct target of miR-126-3p, we performed the 3′-UTR luciferase reporter assay. The protein levels in the cells or tissues were evaluated with western blotting (WB) analysis. The biodistribution of nanoparticles were monitored by in vivo tracking system.

Results

We describe the development of novel stealth and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2)-activated biomimetic nanoparticles, which are constructed using MMP2-responsive peptides to bind the miR-126-3p (known as MAIN), and further camouflaged with red blood cell (RBC) membranes (hence named REMAIN). REMAIN was able to effectively transduce miRNA into lung cancer cells and release them via MMP2 responsiveness. Additionally, REMAIN possessed the advantages of the natural RBC membrane, including extended circulation time, lower toxicity, better biocompatibility, and immune escape. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that REMAIN effectively induced apoptosis of lung cancer cells and inhibited LUAD development and progression by targeting ADAM9.

Conclusion

The novel style of stealth and MMP2-activated biomimetic nanoparticles show great potential in miRNA delivery.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12943-022-01651-4.

Identification and validation of a novel cellular senescence-related lncRNA prognostic signature for predicting immunotherapy response in stomach adenocarcinoma

Background: Cellular senescence is a novel hallmark of cancer associated with patient outcomes and tumor immunotherapy. However, the value of cellular senescence-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response for stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) patients needs further investigation.

Methods: The transcriptome and corresponding clinical information of STAD and cellular senescence-related genes were, respectively, downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and CellAge databases. Differential expression analysis and coexpression analysis were performed to obtain cellular senescence-related lncRNAs. Univariate regression analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox analysis were conducted to establish the cellular senescence-related lncRNA prognostic signature (CSLPS). Next, the survival curve, ROC curve, and nomogram were developed to assess the capacity of predictive models. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score analysis were performed between high- and low-risk groups.

Results: A novel CSLPS involving fifteen lncRNAs (REPIN1-AS1, AL355574.1, AC104695.3, AL033527.2, AC083902.1, TYMSOS, LINC00460, AC005165.1, AL136115.1, AC007405.2, AL391152.1, SCAT1, AC129507.1, AL121748.1, and ADAMTS9-AS1) was developed. According to the nomogram, the risk model based on the CSLPS was an independent prognostic factor and could predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival for STAD patients. GSEA suggested that the high-risk group was mainly associated with Toll-like receptor, JAK/STAT, NOD-like receptor, and chemokine signaling pathways. Further analysis revealed that STAD patients in the low-risk group with better clinical outcomes had a higher TMB, higher proportion of high microsatellite instability (MSI-H), better immune infiltration, and lower TIDE scores.

Conclusion: A fifteen-CSlncRNA prognostic signature could predict survival outcomes, and patients in the low-risk group may be more sensitive to immunotherapy.

Potentials of long non-coding RNAs as biomarkers of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant tumor worldwide and the fourth major cause of cancer-related death, with high morbidity and increased mortality year by year. Although significant progress has been made in the therapy strategies for CRC, the great difficulty in early diagnosis, feeble susceptibility to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and high recurrence rates have reduced therapeutic efficacy resulting in poor prognosis. Therefore, it is urgent to understand the pathogenesis of CRC and unravel novel biomarkers to improve the early diagnosis, treatment and prediction of CRC recurrence. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-coding RNAs with a length of more than 200 nucleotides, which are abnormally expressed in tumor tissues and cell lines, activating or inhibiting specific genes through multiple mechanisms including transcription and translation. A growing number of studies have shown that lncRNAs are important regulators of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) expression in CRC and may be promising biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in the research field of CRC. This review mainly summarizes the potential application value of lncRNAs as novel biomarkers in CRC diagnosis, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and prognosis. Additionally, the significance of lncRNA SNHGs family and lncRNA-miRNA networks in regulating the occurrence and development of CRC is mentioned, aiming to provide some insights for understanding the pathogenesis of CRC and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Development and Validation of Ferroptosis- and Immune-Related lncRNAs Signatures for Breast Infiltrating Duct and Lobular Carcinoma

Background

Heterogeneity of breast cancer (BRCA) is significantly correlated with its prognosis. Target therapy for ferroptosis and immunity is a new cancer treatment option discovered in recent years. In the present study, we aimed to identify ferroptosis- and immune-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to accurately predict the prognosis and diagnosis of patients with breast infiltrating duct and lobular carcinoma by integrated analyses.

Methods

The corresponding data for the patients with breast infiltrating duct and lobular carcinoma by integrated analyses were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Analyses of univariate and multivariate Cox regressions were used to identify the suitable candidate biomarkers.

Results

We found that seven ferroptosis- and immune-related differentially expressed lncRNAs (FI-DELs) (AC007686.3, AC078883.1, ADAMTS9-AS1, AL035661.1, CBR3-AS1, FTX, and TMEM105) were correlated with the overall survival of patients with breast infiltrating duct and lobular carcinoma. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (AUCs) value of the prognosis model were all over 0.6 in training, validation, and entire groups. The sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis model was 87.84% and 97.06%, respectively.

Conclusions

Through a series of bioinformatics analyses, we found that the seven FI-DELs could serve as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for patients with breast infiltrating duct and lobular carcinoma. However, whether these seven biomarkers could be really applied to the clinic requires further investigations.

Long non-coding RNA ADAMTS9-AS1 attenuates ferroptosis by Targeting microRNA-587/solute carrier family 7 member 11 axis in epithelial ovarian cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) accounts for approximately 90% of all ovarian cancer cases and is the most common cause of gynecological cancer death. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of EOC will help develop better diagnostics and more effective treatments. This study aimed to investigate whether long non-coding RNA ADAMTS9-AS1 (ADAMTS9-AS1) could regulate solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) expression and inhibit ferroptosis by sponging micoRNA-587 in EOC progression. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting results showed that ADAMTS9-AS1 expression was elevated in EOC cells; microRNA-587 expression was up-regulated and SLC7A11 expression was down-regulated after knocking down ADAMTS9-AS1 by transfection with siRNAs; however, microRNA-587 inhibitor reversed SLC7A11 expression in ADAMTS9-AS1 knocking down cells. Ferroptosis related marker detection and cell function assay confirmed that knocking down ADAMTS9-AS1 inhibited EOC cells proliferation and migration by promoting ferroptosis. Overexpression of micoRNA-587 also promoted ferroptosis while inhibited cells proliferation and migration in EOC cells. Additionally, micoRNA-587 inhibitor reversed the effect of ADAMTS9-AS1 silence on the ferroptosis and cell function. Moreover, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay confirmed that miR-587 was as a sponge for ADAMTS9-AS1 and SLC7A11. In conclusion, our study found that ADAMTS9-AS1 attenuated ferroptosis by targeting miR-587/SLC7A11 axis in EOC. Our study provides a new therapeutic target for EOC.

Long noncoding RNA ADAMTS9-AS1 represses ferroptosis of endometrial stromal cells by regulating the miR-6516-5p/GPX4 axis in endometriosis

Endometriosis (EMs) is one of the most frequent diseases of reproductive-age women and is characterized by the growth of endometrial tissues beyond the uterus. The enhanced proliferative and migratory potential of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) plays an important role in the progression of EMs. Mounting studies have demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) exert an important role in regulating the development and progression of EMs. Given the aberrant expression of lncRNA ADAMTS9-AS1 in ectopic endometrium (ecEM), we investigated the biological effect of ADAMTS9-AS1 on ESC proliferation and migration and explored the underlying mechanism. The current data showed that ADAMTS9-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in ecEM compared with eutopic endometrium (euEM) in patients with EMs and in a murine model of EMs. Functionally, ADAMTS9-AS1 knockdown in ectopic ESCs (EESCs) decreased cell viability and migration, whereas ADAMTS9-AS1 overexpression in normal ESCs (NESCs) enhanced cell viability and migration. More importantly, the effect of ADAMTS9-AS1 inhibition on decreasing ESC viability was significantly blocked by ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1, a ferroptosis inhibitor), and ADAMTS9-AS1 overexpression repressed erastin (a ferroptosis activator)-induced cell death. Furthermore, the regulatory role of ADAMTS9-AS1 in ferroptosis was defined and evidenced by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and malonyl dialdehyde (MDA) content and decreased expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) after ADAMTS9-AS1 inhibition. Mechanistically, ADAMTS9-AS1 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR-6516-5p to derepress the expression of GPX4, the critical repressor of ferroptosis. Taken together, these results demonstrate that upregulated ADAMTS9-AS1 accelerates ESC proliferation and migration by regulating miR-6516-5p/GPX4-dependent ferroptosis and may be a potential target for the treatment of EMs.

Long non-coding RNAs as the critical regulators of epithelial mesenchymal transition in colorectal tumor cells: an overview

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer mortality and a major health challenge worldwide. Despite advances in therapeutic and diagnostic methods, there is still a poor prognosis in CRC patients. Tumor recurrence and metastasis are the main causes of high mortality rate in these patients, which are due to late diagnosis in advanced tumor stages. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is known to be the most important cause of CRC metastasis, during which tumor cells obtain metastasis ability by losing epithelial features and gaining mesenchymal features. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are pivotal regulators of EMT process. Regarding the higher stability of lncRNAs compared with coding RNAs in body fluids, they can be used as non-invasive diagnostic markers for EMT process. In the present review, we summarized all of the lncRNAs involved in regulation of EMT process during CRC progression and metastasis. It was observed that lncRNAs mainly induced the EMT process in CRC cells by regulation of EMT-related transcription factors, Poly comb repressive complex (PRC), and also signaling pathways such as WNT, NOTCH, MAPK, and Hippo.

A Novel Ferroptosis-Related lncRNA Signature for Prognosis Prediction in Patients with Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose

Papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) is a common renal cell carcinoma. Recent studies have reported that ferroptosis is involved in the occurrence and development of tumors. Long non-coding RNAs can be used as independent biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of a variety of tumors.

Methods

Gene expression profile and clinical information of patients with PRCC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Lasso penalized Cox regression and univariate Cox regression analysis were utilized for model construction. The Kaplan–Meier (K-M) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted to validate the predictive effect of the prognostic signature. Immune cell infiltration and immune function were compared between the high-risk and low-risk groups. Chemotherapy sensitivity analysis was also performed.

Results

We constructed a prognostic signature consisting of 15 ferroptosis-related lncRNAs. The K-M curves validated the fine predictive accuracy of the prognostic signature (p < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of the lncRNA signature was 0.930, exhibiting robust prognostic capacity. The high-risk group had a greater degree of immune cell infiltration than the low-risk group. Significant differences in inflammation promotion, parainflammation, and type I IFN response were noted between the low-risk and high-risk groups (p < 0.01). The expression levels of immune checkpoints including CD80, IDO1, and LAG3 were significantly higher in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (p < 0.05). Chemotherapy sensitivity analysis showed that MNX1-AS1, ZFAS1, MIR4435-2HG, and ADAMTS9-AS1 were significantly correlated with the sensitivity of some chemotherapy drugs (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

We demonstrated that a ferroptosis-related lncRNA prognostic signature could be a novel biomarker for PRCC.

ADAMTS9-AS1 Constrains Breast Cancer Cell Invasion and Proliferation via Sequestering miR-301b-3p

Objective: For determination of how ADAMTS9-AS1/miR-301b-3p/TGFBR2/JAK STAT signaling axis modulates progression of breast cancer cells.

Methods: Target lncRNA was determined by differential analysis of breast cancer expression data and survival analysis. Differentially expressed miRNAs and target mRNAs that had binding sites with target lncRNA were predicted. GSEA software was used to carry out pathway enrichment analysis for mRNAs. Binding of the researched genes were tested with RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP). How miR-301b-3p bound TGFBR2 mRNA was tested by dual-luciferase method. Transwell, colony formation, EdU approaches were employed for verification of invasion and proliferation of breast cancer cells in each treatment group.

Results: Markedly inactivated ADAMTS9-AS1 in breast cancer pertained to patient’s prognosis. MiR-301b-3p was capable of binding TGFBR2/ADAMTS9-AS1. However, overexpression of ADAMTS9-AS1 stimulated miR-301b-3p binding ADAMTS9-AS1 and repressed miR-301b-3p binding TGFBR2 mRNA. ADAMTS9-AS1 interference enhanced cancer proliferation and invasion, facilitated levels of KI67, PCNA, MMP-9 and MMP-2, and activated the JAK STAT signaling pathway. While silencing miR-301b-3p reversed the effect of ADAMTS9-AS1 interference. In addition, TGFBR2 interference or restraining JAK STAT signaling counteracted the effect of ADAMTS9-AS1.

Conclusion: ADAMTS9-AS1 could sequester miR-301b-3p to inhibit progression of breast cancer via TGFBR2/JAK STAT pathway. This study supplies a rationale for incremental apprehension of ADAMTS9-AS1 in breast cancer progression.

Long non-coding RNA LINC00997 silencing inhibits the progression and metastasis of colorectal cancer by sponging miR-512-3p

We aimed to study the role of LINC00997 in the metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC). LINC00997 and miR-512-3p expression in the primary colorectal cancer (NCRC) tissues and metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) tissues were detected using RT-qPCR. The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to evaluate LINC00997 levels in the NCRC and MCRC tissues, and the correlations of LINC00997 expression with distant metastasis (M), regional lymph node metastasis (N), age and tumor stage were analyzed. Subsequently, RT-qPCR was performed to determine the expression of metastasis-related genes in MCRC tissues and analyze the correlation of LINC00997 or miR-512-3p level with the protein expression of metastasis-related genes. In vitro, LINC00997 expression in several CRC cell lines was examined. After LINC00997 silencing, cell invasion and migration were evaluated with Transwell and wound healing assays, respectively. The expression of metastasis- and EMT-related proteins was measured. Additionally, the potential interaction between LINC00997 and miR-512-3p was verified using a luciferase reporter assay. Rescue assays were conducted to clarify the regulatory effects of LINC00997 and miR-512-3p on CRC development. Results revealed that LINC00997 was frequently overexpressed in MCRC tissues, which was positively related to the tumor metastasis and stage. Additionally, LINC00997 was significantly elevated in CRC cells and LINC00997 silencing inhibited the invasion, migration and EMT of CRC cells, which was restored by miR-512-3p inhibitor. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that LINC00997 could target miR-512-3p. In conclusion, LINC00997 regulated the metastasis of CRC by targeting miR-512-3p, providing some insights into the regulatory mechanism of CRC.

A panel of platelet-associated circulating long non-coding RNAs as potential biomarkers for colorectal cancer

Evidence has suggested the potential of tumor-educated platelets as a biomarker trove for cancer diagnostics, but the difficulty in isolation limits its application. Since most of the circulating RNAs are derived from platelets, the change of RNA profile in platelets may lead to altered RNA expression in serum. Here, we identified a panel of platelet-associated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and evaluated its diagnostic capacity in serum of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Four lncRNAs, LNCAROD, SNHG20, LINC00534, and TSPOAP-AS1, were upregulated in both platelets and serum of CRC patients. A binary logistic model derived from them has validated area under roc curve of 0.78 indicating great performance. Furthermore, the expression levels of LNCAROD and TSPOAP-AS1 were correlated with cancer staging and tumor location. Together, our results add novel lncRNA biomarkers to the list of blood tests for CRC diagnostics and provide molecular evidence for the cross-talk between CRC platelets and serum.

A Novel Autophagy-Related Long Non-Coding RNA Signature to Predict Prognosis and Therapeutic Response in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background

Considering the significance of autophagy and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the biology of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the present study aimed to identify a new autophagy-related lncRNA signature to forecast the clinical outcomes of ESCC patients and to guide individualized treatment.

Methods

The expression profiles were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We extracted autophagy-related genes from the Human Autophagy Database and identified autophagy-related lncRNAs through Spearman correlation analysis. Univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed on GSE53625 to construct an autophagy-related lncRNAs prognostic signature. The model was subjected to bootstrap internal validation, and the expression levels of lncRNAs were verified by TCGA database. The potential molecular mechanism of the model was explored by gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Spearman correlation coefficient examined the correlation between risk score and ferroptosis-associated genes as well as the response to immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

Results

We identified and validated an autophagy-related lncRNAs prognostic signature in 179 patients with ESCC. The prognosis of patients in the low-risk group was significantly better than that in the high-risk group (p-value <0.001). The reliability of the model was verified by Brier score and ROC. GSEA results showed significant enrichment of cancer- and autophagy-related signaling pathways in the high-risk group and metabolism-related pathways in the low-risk group. Correlation analysis indicated that the model can effectively forecast the effect of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. About 35.41% (74/209) ferroptosis-related genes were significantly correlated with risk scores.

Conclusion

In brief, we constructed a novel autophagy-related lncRNAs signature (LINC02024, LINC01711, LINC01419, LCAL1, FENDRR, ADAMTS9-AS1, AC025244.1, AC015908.6 and AC011997.1), which could improve the prediction of clinical outcomes and guide individualized treatment of ESCC patients.

Identification of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Related lncRNAs that Associated With the Prognosis and Immune Microenvironment in Colorectal Cancer

Background: The expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumorigenicity, but the role of EMT-related lncRNA in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear.

Methods: The clinical data and gene expression profile of CRC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Differential expression analysis, Cox regression model, and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used to study the relationship between EMT-related lncRNAs and the prognosis of CRC. Functional analysis and unsupervised clustering analysis were performed to explore the influence of certain lncRNAs on CRC. Finally, Cytoscape was used to construct mRNA-lncRNA networks.

Results: Two signatures incorporating six and ten EMT-related lncRNAs were constructed for predicting the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that patients in the high-risk group had a poorer prognosis than those in the low-risk group. The results of the functional analysis suggested that the P53 and ECM-receptor pathways affect the prognosis of CRC, and AL591178.1 is a key prognostic EMT-related lncRNA, which is negatively related to immune cells, P53 pathway, and ECM-receptor pathway.

Conclusion: Six OS-related and ten DFS-related EMT-related lncRNAs were correlated with the prognosis of CRC by potentially affecting the immune microenvironment, and AL591178.1 plays a key role as a prognostic factor.