miR-93 regulates liver tumor initiating cells expansion and predicts chemotherapeutic response of patients

Oncogenic miR-93-5p/Gal-9 axis drives CD8 (+) T-cell inactivation and is a therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy

Evading immune destruction is an emerging hallmark of cancer and a potential key step in tumorigenesis. Immune checkpoint blocker (ICB)-based combination therapies revolutionize the landscape of systemic therapy for HCC. However, the molecular underpinnings governing immune evasion and responses remain unclear. Our study aims to find new regulatory molecules that drive HCC immune escape and tumorigenesis and find new promising immunotherapeutic approaches for HCC. In our study, laser capture microdissection (LCM) and miRNA sequencing combined with in vitro and in vivo experiments identified miR-93-5p as a crucial initiating oncogene during liver progenitor cell (LPC) malignant transformation and immune escape. Mechanistically, miR-93-5p could directly target canonical tumour suppressors such as APC to promote LPC malignant transformation and hepatocarcinogenesis. More importantly, miR-93-5p could induce deviant GAL-9 augmentation to inactivate infiltrated CD8(+) T cells and induce immune evasion by targeting several epigenetic regulators, such as AEBP2, and then regulating H3K4me3/H3K27me3 bivalency. Experiments in C57BL/6 mice demonstrated that blockade of Gal-9 abrogated miR-93-5p-induced HCC progression and improved their prognosis. Clinically, we identified a unique subtype of HCC closely associated with high GAL-9 expression and anti-PD1 treatment resistance. Our study highlights the pivotal role of the miR-93-5p/Gal-9 axis in driving HCC immune escape and tumorigenesis. Blocking GAL-9 is an effective and promising immunotherapeutic approach for HCC.

MiRNA-93: a novel signature in human disorders and drug resistance

miRNA-93 is a member of the miR-106b-25 family and is encoded by a gene on chromosome 7q22.1. They play a role in the etiology of various diseases, including cancer, Parkinson's disease, hepatic injury, osteoarthritis, acute myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic kidney disease. Different studies have found that this miRNA has opposing roles in the context of cancer. Recently, miRNA-93 has been downregulated in breast cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, and renal cancer. However, miRNA-93 is up-regulated in a wide variety of malignancies, such as lung, colorectal, glioma, prostate, osteosarcoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of the current review is to provide an overview of miRNA-93's function in cancer disorder progression and non-cancer disorders, with a focus on dysregulated signaling pathways. We also give an overview of this miRNA's function as a biomarker of prognosis in cancer and emphasize how it contributes to drug resistance based on in vivo, in vitro, and human studies. Video Abstract.

Useful genes for predicting the efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is generally used to treat patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a common and deadly cancer; however, its efficacy varies according to factors such as tumor volume, stage, serum alpha-fetoprotein level, and chosen feeding artery. In addition, gene-related factors have been recently suggested to be involved in the regulation and prediction of TACE outcomes. Accordingly, genes could serve as effective biomarkers to select patients who can benefit from TACE. These gene-related factors can activate signaling pathways affecting cancer cell survival while regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, and the tumor microenvironment, all directly associated with tumor progression, thereby affecting TACE efficacy. Moreover, this disordered gene expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC, including TACE resistance, postoperative recurrence, and metastasis. To identify the exact relationship between various genes and TACE efficacy, this review summarizes the involvement of protein-coding and non-coding genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms in TACE efficacy for predicting the efficacy of TACE; the present findings may help improve the efficacy of TACE in clinical settings.

Non-coding RNAs and macrophage interaction in tumor progression

The macrophages are abundantly found in TME and their M2 polarization is in favor of tumor malignancy. On the other hand, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) can modulate macrophage polarization in TME to affect cancer progression. The miRNAs can dually induce/suppress M2 polarization of macrophages and by affecting various molecular pathways, they modulate tumor progression and therapy response. The lncRNAs can affect miRNAs via sponging and other molecular pathways to modulate macrophage polarization. A few experiments have also examined role of circRNAs in targeting signaling networks and affecting macrophages. The therapeutic targeting of these ncRNAs can mediate TME remodeling and affect macrophage polarization. Furthermore, exosomal ncRNAs derived from tumor cells or macrophages can modulate polarization and TME remodeling. Suppressing biogenesis and secretion of exosomes can inhibit ncRNA-mediated M2 polarization of macrophages and prevent tumor progression. The ncRNAs, especially exosomal ncRNAs can be considered as non-invasive biomarkers for tumor diagnosis.

Mechanisms of Pharmacoresistance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: New Drugs but Old Problems

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with poor prognosis when diagnosed at advanced stages in which curative treatments are no longer applicable. A small group of these patients may still benefit from transarterial chemoembolization. The only therapeutic option for most patients with advanced HCC is systemic pharmacological treatments based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immunotherapy. Available drugs only slightly increase survival, as tumor cells possess additive and synergistic mechanisms of pharmacoresistance (MPRs) prior to or enhanced during treatment. Understanding the molecular basis of MPRs is crucial to elucidate the genetic signature underlying HCC resistome. This will permit the selection of biomarkers to predict drug treatment response and identify tumor weaknesses in a personalized and dynamic way. In this article, we have reviewed the role of MPRs in current first-line drugs and the combinations of immunotherapeutic agents with novel TKIs being tested in the treatment of advanced HCC.

MicroRNA-138-1-3p sensitizes sorafenib to hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting PAK5 mediated β-catenin/ABCB1 signaling pathway

Background

Sorafenib is a kinase inhibitor that is used as a first-line therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the existence of sorafenib resistance has limited its therapeutic effect. Through RNA sequencing, we demonstrated that miR-138-1-3p was downregulated in sorafenib resistant HCC cell lines. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR-138-1-3p in sorafenib resistance of HCC.

Methods

In this study, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western Blot were utilized to detect the levels of PAK5 in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells and parental cells. The biological functions of miR-138-1-3p and PAK5 in sorafenib-resistant cells and their parental cells were explored by cell viability assays and flow cytometric analyses. The mechanisms for the involvement of PAK5 were examined via co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), immunofluorescence, dual luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). The effects of miR-138-1-3p and PAK5 on HCC sorafenib resistant characteristics were investigated by a xenotransplantation model.

Results

We detected significant down-regulation of miR-138-1-3p and up-regulation of PAK5 in sorafenib-resistance HCC cell lines. Mechanistic studies revealed that miR-138-1-3p reduced the protein expression of PAK5 by directly targeting the 3′-UTR of PAK5 mRNA. In addition, we verified that PAK5 enhanced the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of β-catenin that increased the transcriptional activity of a multidrug resistance protein ABCB1.

Conclusions

PAK5 contributed to the sorafenib resistant characteristics of HCC via β-catenin/ABCB1 signaling pathway. Our findings identified the correlation between miR-138-1-3p and PAK5 and the molecular mechanisms of PAK5-mediated sorafenib resistance in HCC, which provided a potential therapeutic target in advanced HCC patients.