MicroRNA-552 promotes migration and invasion of osteosarcoma through targeting TIMP2

miR-552 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma by targeting FOXO1

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a relatively rare but highly malignant cancer. Few effective systemic targeted therapies are available for patients with unresectable ICC, but there exists an urgent need to explore mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of ICC. MicroRNA (miRNA) plays vital roles in the initiation, progression, and drug resistance of different cancers. Recently, the biological function of a novel miRNA, miR-552, has been widely analyzed in hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal, cervical, gastric, and other cancers. However, its role in ICC has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we found that miR-552 expression was upregulated in ICC and that miR-552 predicted poor prognosis. Using functional studies, we found that miR-552 enhanced the proliferation and invasion ability of ICC cells. Mechanistic research identified that forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) is the target of miR-552 in ICC. Moreover, the combined panels of miR-552 and FOXO1 exhibited a better prognostic value for ICC patients than did miR-552 alone. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that the miR-552/FOXO1 axis drove ICC progression, further suggesting that targeting this axis could be a novel therapeutic strategy for ICC.

Upregulated NORAD is implicated in apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in ulcerative colitis through the nuclear factor-κappaB signaling

BACKGROUND

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the colon. It has been discovered that long non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) is upregulated in UC patient-derived serums, but its functional mechanism in UC has not been disclosed.

METHODS

Relative levels of NORAD in colonic mucosal tissues and TNF-α-stimulated human normal colonic mucosal cells (FHCs) were detected. Functional experiments were executed to evaluate the effects of NORAD silencing on TNF-α-induced FHC proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. The molecular mechanism related to NORAD was predicted by starBase and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter and RIP assays.

RESULTS

Our data exhibited higher levels of NORAD in UC patient-derived colonic mucosal tissues and TNF-α-stimulated FHCs. Functional experiments presented that NORAD inhibition impaired TNF-α-induced FHC apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. NORAD acted as a miR-552-3p sponge, and miR-552-3p silencing weakened NORAD inhibition-mediated effects on TNF-α-induced FHC apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MYD88) was verified as a miR-552-3p target, and MYD88 overexpression whittled miR-552-3p mimic-mediated inhibition on TNF-α-induced FHC apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Notably, TNF-α-induced NORAD regulated the nuclear factor-κappaB (NF-κB) signaling via the miR-552-3p/MYD88 axis.

CONCLUSION

NORAD participates in TNF-α-induced FHC apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress via the NF-κB signaling via the miR-552-3p/MYD88 axis, offering new insights into the pathogenesis of UC.

Secretory defects in pediatric osteosarcoma result from downregulation of selective COPII coatomer proteins

Pediatric osteosarcomas (OS) exhibit extensive genomic instability that has complicated the identification of new targeted therapies. We found the vast majority of 108 patient tumor samples and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), which display an unusually dilated endoplasmic reticulum (ER), have reduced expression of four COPII vesicle components that trigger aberrant accumulation of procollagen-I protein within the ER. CRISPR activation technology was used to increase the expression of two of these, SAR1A and SEC24D, to physiological levels. This was sufficient to resolve the dilated ER morphology, restore collagen-I secretion, and enhance secretion of some extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. However, orthotopic xenograft growth was not adversely affected by restoration of only SAR1A and SEC24D. Our studies reveal the mechanism responsible for the dilated ER that is a hallmark characteristic of OS and identify a highly conserved molecular signature for this genetically unstable tumor. Possible relationships of this phenotype to tumorigenesis are discussed.

Acer mono Extract Inhibits Invasive Activities and G1/S Transition of HT1080 Fibrosarcoma Cells

Acer mono is known to contain bioactive substances that exhibit beneficial effects in osteoporosis, gastric ulcers, hepatic damage, and pathologic angiogenesis. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of Acer mono extract on the invasive activities and cell-cycle progression of human fibrosarcoma cells. Cytotoxicity of Acer mono extract was assessed by MTT assay, in-vitro invasiveness of HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells was measured using matrigel assay, expression of invasion- and cell-cycle-related proteins was analyzed by western blot analysis, and that of E2F target genes was quantified using qRT-PCR. Acer mono extract did not show distinct cytotoxicity in the experimental concentrations used. Invasiveness of HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells and expression of cyclin D1 and CDK4 in them were significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner after treatment with Acer mono extract. Acer mono extract showed inhibitory effects on the G1/S transition during cell-cycle progression; the active phosphorylated Rb protein level was decreased, and expression of E2F target genes was downregulated by the Acer mono extract. Our data collectively demonstrated that Acer mono extract exerts inhibitory effects on the invasiveness and cell-cycle progression of HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells.

Knockdown of lncRNA C5orf66-AS1 inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion via miR-149-5p upregulation

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in the pediatric age group. Despite the various potential treatments for OS, the cure rate of patients with OS remains very low. An increasing number of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as key regulators of the progression of malignant human tumors. However, the biological functions of the lncRNA C5orf66-antisense 1 (C5orf66-AS1) in OS are yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the functions and underlying mechanisms of C5orf66-AS1 in OS tissues and cell lines. Expression levels of C5orf66-AS1 and microRNA (miRNA/miR)-149-5p in tissues from patients with OS and OS cells lines were evaluated using reverse transcription quantitative (RT-q)PCR. The miRNA target interaction between C5orf66-AS1 and miR-149-5p was predicted and verified using StarBase and dual-luciferase reporter assays. Cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis were analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell assays and flow cytometry, respectively. In addition, the expression levels of migration- and apoptosis-associated proteins [matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), Bcl-2 and Bax] were determined using western blotting and RT-qPCR. The results demonstrated that C5orf66-AS1 was significantly upregulated and miR-149-5p was significantly downregulated in OS tissues and cells (MG63 and U2OS). Bioinformatics analysis further confirmed that miR-149-5p could directly bind to C5orf66-AS1. Furthermore, it was revealed that C5orf66-AS1 negatively regulated the expression of miR-149-5p in OS cells, as confirmed by the inhibition of C5orf66-AS1 expression and miR-149-5p upregulation in cells transfected with small interfering (si RNA targeting C5orf66-AS1. In addition, C5orf66-AS1 silencing significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of U2OS cells, and stimulated cell apoptosis. These findings were reversed using miR-149-5p inhibitor. Increased Bax expression and decreased Bcl-2 and MMP-9 expression were also observed in C5orf66-AS1-siRNA transfected U2OS cells, compared with the control group. In summary, the results from the present study indicated that C5orf66-AS1 knockdown inhibits OS cell proliferation and invasion via the upregulation of miR-149-5p. This findings may provide a promising novel target for the treatment of OS.

MicroRNA-552 Accelerates the Progression of Gastric Cancer by Targeting FOXO1 and Regulating PI3K/AKT Pathway

The specific function of microRNA-552 (miR-552) has been investigated in several malignancies, except gastric cancer (GC). Therefore, this study was performed to determine the role of miR-552 in GC.GC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues were collected to determine the expressions of miR-552. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analysis were carried out to measure expression levels. The regulatory mechanism of miR-552 was explored by (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) MTT Assay, and Transwell assays. The binding site between miR-552 and FOXO1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assays. Upregulation of miR-552 expression was detected and associated with worse clinical outcomes in GC. Furthermore, high miR-552 expression predicted poor prognosis in GC patients. Functionally, upregulation of miR-552 promoted cell viability, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway in GC. In addition, miR-552 was confirmed to target forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) directly and inversely regulate its expression in GC. Upregulation of FOXO1 reversed the carcinogenesis of miR-552 in GC. In conclusion, miR-552 serves as a tumor promoter in GC through targeting FOXO1 and regulating EMT and PI3K/AKT pathway.

DNA damage response and repair in osteosarcoma: Defects, regulation and therapeutic implications

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone malignancy in children and adolescents which has the survival rate of 20% in its advanced stages. Osteosarcomas are mostly resistance to our common treatments. DNA damage response (DDR) is a specialized multistep process containing abundant proteins which are necessary for the survival of any cell and organism. DDR machinery detects a diversity of DNA lesions and inhibits the cell cycle progression if these lesions are not repairable. DDR is involved in aging, age-related diseases, and cancer. In recent years, DDR inhibitors have gained the attention of researches due to their potentials in offering novel therapeutic targets and improving the response of many cancers to either chemo- or radio-therapy. In this regard, we tried to gather a great body of evidence about the role of DDR ingredients in osteosarcoma's initiation/progression, prognosis, and treatment.

FOXM1-induced miR-552 expression contributes to pancreatic cancer progression by targeting multiple tumor suppressor genes

Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays important roles during carcinogenesis. Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1), a well-known oncogenic transcription factor, has been implicated in the progression of multiple cancer types. To find out FOXM1-induced abnormal miRNAs in pancreatic cancer, we analyzed TCGA database and figured out miR-552 as the most relevant miRNA with FOXM1. Molecular experimental results demonstrated that FOXM1 transcriptionally activated miR-552 expression by directly binding to the promoter region of miR-552. In a pancreatic cancer tissue microarray, miR-552 expression was positively correlated with FOXM1 and high expression of miR-552 could predict poor patient outcome. Functionally, overexpression of miR-552 promoted pancreatic cancer cell migration and inhibition of miR-552 attenuated this phenotype. The inhibitory effect on cell migration caused by FOXM1 knockdown could be restored by exogenous expression of miR-552. By informatics analysis, we identified three tumor suppressor genes: DACH1, PCDH10 and SMAD4, all of which were negatively associated with FOXM1 and validated as functionally relevant targets of miR-552. Taken together, our findings provide a new FOXM1-miR-552-DACH1/PCDH10/SMAD4 axis to regulate pancreatic cancer cell progression and new opportunities for therapeutic intervention against this disease.

miR-552: an important post-transcriptional regulator that affects human cancer

MiR-552 is a small non-coding RNA located on chromosome 1p34.3, and its expression level is significantly up-regulated in tissues or cells of various tumors. miR-552 can target multiple genes. These targeted genes play important regulatory roles in biological processes such as gene transcription and translation, cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell migration, and invasion. Besides, miR-552 may affect the efficacy of various anticancer drugs by targeting genes such as TP53 and RUNX3. This review summarizes the biological functions and clinical expressions of miR-552 in human cancer. Our goal is to explore the potential value of miR-552 in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of human cancer.

Upregulation of miR-552 Predicts Unfavorable Prognosis of Gastric Cancer and Promotes the Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Gastric Cancer Cells

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence indicates that micro-RNAs play a key role in tumor progression and prognosis. However, the overall biological role and clinical significance of microRNA-552 (miR-552) in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear.

METHODS

miR-552 expression was measured in 122 pairs of cancerous and noncancerous tissues and cell lines by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The relationship between miR-552 and the clinical parameters of patients was analyzed by the χ2 test; Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to predict the overall survival time and prognosis of patients with different expression of miR-552. Finally, CCK-8 and Transwell were used to detect the changes in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability.

RESULTS

miR-552 was expressed at markedly high levels in GC tissues compared to normal tissues and in some GC cell lines (p < 0.001). The upregulation of miR-552 was significantly associated with tumors with advanced TNM stage (p = 0.026), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.018), intestinal metaplasia (p = 0.044), and genomically stable subtype (p = 0.035). Moreover, GC patients with high miR-552 expression showed shorter overall survival (log-rank test, p = 0.011) than those with low expression. Meanwhile, miR-552 was an independent prognostic factor for GC patients (HR 5.657, 95% CI 1.619-19.761, p = 0.007). Finally, miR-552 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Taken together, our results indicate that miR-552, as an oncogene of GC, can promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and miR-552 may be a novel prognostic biomarker for GC.

miR-552 Regulates Liver Tumor-Initiating Cell Expansion and Sorafenib Resistance

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in tumorigenesis, progression, recurrence, and drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, few miRNAs have been identified and entered clinical practice. Herein, we report that microRNA (miR)-552 is upregulated in HCC tissues and has an important function in liver tumor-initiating cells (T-ICs). Functional studies revealed that a forced expression of miR-552 promotes liver T-IC self-renewal and tumorigenesis. Conversely, miR-552 knockdown inhibits liver T-IC self-renewal and tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, miR-552 downregulates phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) via its mRNA 3' UTR and activates protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation. Our clinical investigations elucidated the prognostic value of miR-552 in HCC patients. Furthermore, miR-552 expression determines the responses of hepatoma cells to sorafenib treatment. The analysis of patient cohorts and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) further demonstrated that miR-552 may predict sorafenib benefits in HCC patients. In conclusion, our findings revealed the crucial role of the miR-552 in liver T-IC expansion and sorafenib response, rendering miR-552 an optimal target for the prevention and intervention in HCC.

MicroRNA-1296-5p suppresses the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human osteosarcoma cells by targeting NOTCH2

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a highly aggressive bone tumor with a poor prognosis. MicroRNAs are revealed to exerts essential roles in the carcinogenesis and tumor invasion of OS. But, the function of miR-1296-5p and its related mechanism in OS progression have not yet been studied. This study discovered the levels of miR-1296-5p in OS and corresponding noncancerous tissues, and we demonstrated that miR-1296-5p level was markedly downregulated in tumor specimens as compared with nontumor tissues. In addition, we discovered that miR-1296-5p was also underexpressed in OS cells compared with the hFOB1.19 osteoblast cells. Interestingly, the reduced expression of miR-1296-5p was confirmed to associated with large tumor size, advanced tumor stages, and distance metastasis, respectively. Patients with OS low-expressing miR-1296-5p showed a prominent shorter survival. In addition, gain-of-function assays verified that miR-1296-5p overexpression remarkably repressed OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conversely, depletion of miR-1296-5p facilitated the growth and mobility of OS cells. Notably, miR-1296-5p inversely modulated notch receptor 2 (NOTCH2) in OS cells. The level of NOTCH2 messenger RNA was negatively correlated with miR-1296-5p level in OS samples. NOTCH2 knockdown markedly suppressed the abilities of MG-63 cell proliferation and mobility. More importantly, the restoration of NOTCH2 prominently rescued miR-1296-5p-induced tumor-suppressive effects on MG-63 cells. In conclusion, our study identified the reduced expression of miR-1296-5p, which contributed to OS progression. miR-1296-5p might be a promising prognostic marker and therapeutic target in OS.

MicroRNA let-7a inhibits proliferation of breast cancer cell by downregulating USP32 expression

Background

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of microRNA (miR) let-7a on ubiquitin specific protease 32 (USP32) expression and its potential function in MCF-7 breast cancer (BCa) cell line.

Methods

BCa MCF-7 cells were transfected with hsa-miR let-7a mimics or inhibitors, then the USP32 expression was evaluated using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis in the transfected cells. USP32 as a target regulated by miR let-7a was confirmed via Dual-luciferase reporter assay. The effects of miR let-7a on the viability were determined using MTT assay and colony formation analysis.

Results

Western blot analysis revealed that miR let-7a mimics dramatically decreased the USP32 protein expression, whereas miR let-7a inhibitors increased the protein expression of USP32 compared with their controls in the MCF-7 cells. Dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that miR let-7a mimics could directly target the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of USP32. Further, MTT assay and colony formation analysis showed that miR let-7a significantly inhibited cell proliferation of MCF-7 cells. However, overexpression of USP32 could reverse the effect of miR let-7a on MCF-7 cells proliferation.

Conclusions

Collectively, the results suggested that miR let-7a functions as a tumor suppressor to reduce proliferation by targeting USP32 in BCa cells.

miR-616 promotes breast cancer migration and invasion by targeting TIMP2 and regulating MMP signaling

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancer types in females worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression levels, functional role and molecular mechanism of microRNA-616 (miR-616) in the progression of breast cancer cells. The relative expression levels of miR-616 in breast cancer cell lines and tumor tissues of 30 patients with breast cancer were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Cell transfection was used to upregulate and downregulate the expression of miR-616 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. The regulatory effect of miR-616 on tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2) expression was also analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assay, western blot analysis and RT-qPCR. The results of RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated significantly higher expression levels of miR-616 in tumor tissues and cancer cell lines compared with normal tissues and a normal epithelial cell line. In addition, overexpression of miR-616 significantly promoted MCF-7 cell proliferation, migration and invasion. By contrast, miR-616 silencing was associated with the opposite effects in MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, the present study demonstrated that miR-616 could positively regulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)2 and MMP9, both at the mRNA and protein level. TIMP2 was further confirmed as a direct target of miR-616. Finally, the current study demonstrated that TIMP2 silencing rescued the proliferation and invasion capabilities and the expression levels of MMP2 and MMP9 in cells that were treated with the miR-616 inhibitor. In conclusion, the present data suggested that the miR-616/TIMP2/MMPs axis may serve an important role in the progression of breast cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target for this disease.