SNORA42 enhances prostate cancer cell viability, migration and EMT and is correlated with prostate cancer poor prognosis

Small Cajal Body-Specific RNA12 Promotes Carcinogenesis through Modulating Extracellular Matrix Signaling in Bladder Cancer

Background: Small Cajal body-specific RNAs (scaRNAs) are a specific subset of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) that have recently emerged as pivotal contributors in diverse physiological and pathological processes. However, their defined roles in carcinogenesis remain largely elusive. This study aims to explore the potential function and mechanism of SCARNA12 in bladder cancer (BLCA) and to provide a theoretical basis for further investigations into the biological functionalities of scaRNAs. Materials and Methods: TCGA, GEO and GTEx data sets were used to analyze the expression of SCARNA12 and its clinicopathological significance in BLCA. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and in situ hybridization were applied to validate the expression of SCARNA12 in both BLCA cell lines and tissues. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) combined with bioinformatics analyses were conducted to reveal the changes in gene expression patterns and functional pathways in BLCA patients with different expressions of SCARNA12 and T24 cell lines upon SCARNA12 knockdown. Single-cell mass cytometry (CyTOF) was then used to evaluate the tumor-related cell cluster affected by SCARNA12. Moreover, SCARNA12 was stably knocked down in T24 and UMUC3 cell lines by lentivirus-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 approach. The biological effects of SCARNA12 on the proliferation, clonogenic, migration, invasion, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and tumor growth were assessed by in vitro MTT, colony formation, wound healing, transwell, flow cytometry assays, and in vivo nude mice xenograft models, respectively. Finally, a chromatin isolation by RNA purification (ChIRP) experiment was further conducted to delineate the potential mechanisms of SCARNA12 in BLCA. Results: The expression of SCARNA12 was significantly up-regulated in both BLCA tissues and cell lines. RNA-seq data elucidated that SCARAN12 may play a potential role in cell adhesion and extracellular matrix (ECM) related signaling pathways. CyTOF results further showed that an ECM-related cell cluster with vimentin+, CD13+, CD44+, and CD47+ was enriched in BLCA patients with high SCARNA12 expression. Additionally, SCARNA12 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion abilities in T24 and UMUC3 cell lines. SCARNA12 knockdown prompted cell arrest in the G0/G1 and G2/M phase and promoted apoptosis in T24 and UMUC3 cell lines. Furthermore, SCARNA12 knockdown could suppress the in vivo tumor growth in nude mice. A ChIRP experiment further suggested that SCARNA12 may combine transcription factors H2AFZ to modulate the transcription program and then affect BLCA progression. Conclusions: Our study is the first to propose aberrant alteration of SCARNA12 and elucidate its potential oncogenic roles in BLCA via the modulation of ECM signaling. The interaction of SCARNA12 with the transcriptional factor H2AFZ emerges as a key contributor to the carcinogenesis and progression of BLCA. These findings suggest SCARNA12 may serve as a diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for the treatment of BLCA.

Small Nucleolar RNAs as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers in Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) form clusters within the genome, representing a mysterious category of small non-coding RNAs. Research has demonstrated that aberrant snoRNAs can contribute to the development of various types of cancers. Recent studies have identified snoRNAs as potentially valuable biomarkers for the diagnosis or/and prognosis of cancers. However, there has been a lack of comprehensive reviews on prognostic and diagnostic snoRNAs across different types of cancers.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic search of various databases including Google Scholar, Medline, Cochrane, Scopus, PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, Ovid-Medline, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, and SinoMed with a time frame reception to December 30, 2022. A total of 49 relevant articles were included in our analysis, consisting of 21 articles focusing on diagnostic aspects and 41 articles focusing on prognostic aspects. Pooled odds ratio, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and hazard ratio (HR) were utilized to evaluate clinical parameters and overall survival (OS), respectively.

RESULT

The findings indicated that area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.85, 75%, and 80% in cancer, respectively. There was a possibility that snoRNAs had a positive impact on the diagnosis (risk ratio, RR = 2.95, 95% CI: 2.75-3.16, P = 0.000) and OS (HR = 1) in cancer. Additionally, abnormally expressed snoRNAs were associated with a positive impact on OS time for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (HR: 0.88, 95%Cl: 0.69-1.11, P < 0.00001), colon adenocarcinoma (HR: 0.97, 95%Cl: 0.91-1.03, P < 0.0001), and ovarian cancer (HR: 0.98, 95%Cl: 0.98-0.99, P < 0.00001). However, dysregulated snoRNAs of colon cancer and colorectal cancer had a negative impact on OS time (HR = 3.01 and 1.01 respectively, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

The results strongly suggested that snoRNAs could serve as potential novel indicators for prognosis and diagnosis in cancers. This systematic review followed the guidelines of the Transparent Reporting of Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PROSPERO register: CRD42020209096).

Non-Coding RNAs in Human Cancer and Other Diseases: Overview of the Diagnostic Potential

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are abundant single-stranded RNA molecules in human cells, involved in various cellular processes ranging from DNA replication and mRNA translation regulation to genome stability defense. MicroRNAs are multifunctional ncRNA molecules of 18-24 nt in length, involved in gene silencing through base-pair complementary binding to target mRNA transcripts. piwi-interacting RNAs are an animal-specific class of small ncRNAs sized 26-31 nt, responsible for the defense of genome stability via the epigenetic and post-transcriptional silencing of transposable elements. Long non-coding RNAs are ncRNA molecules defined as transcripts of more than 200 nucleotides, their function depending on localization, and varying from the regulation of cell differentiation and development to the regulation of telomere-specific heterochromatin modifications. The current review provides recent data on the several forms of small and long non-coding RNA's potential to act as diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic target for various human diseases.

The Emerging Roles and Mechanisms of PAQR3 in Human Cancer: Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Implications

Cancer was one of the common causes of death in the world, and it was increasing year by year. At present, Progestin and AdipoQ receptor family member 3 (PAQR3) was widely studied in cancer. It has been found that PAQR3 was down regulated in various cancers, such as the gastric cancer, osteosarcoma, glioma, hepatocellular carcinoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. The decreased expression of PAQR3 was associated with short overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer. PAQR3 could inhibit cancer progression by using the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, PI3/AKT, EMT and other mechanisms, and was negatively regulated by the miR-543, miR-15b-5p and miR-15b. The roles and signaling mechanisms of PAQR3, and the relationship between the expression of PAQR3 and prognosis in cancer progression are reviewed in this article, and provides new tumor marker and idea to guide cancer treatment.

Lineage Plasticity and Stemness Phenotypes in Prostate Cancer: Harnessing the Power of Integrated "Omics" Approaches to Explore Measurable Metrics

Prostate cancer (PCa), the most frequent and second most lethal cancer type in men in developed countries, is a highly heterogeneous disease. PCa heterogeneity, therapy resistance, stemness, and lethal progression have been attributed to lineage plasticity, which refers to the ability of neoplastic cells to undergo phenotypic changes under microenvironmental pressures by switching between developmental cell states. What remains to be elucidated is how to identify measurements of lineage plasticity, how to implement them to inform preclinical and clinical research, and, further, how to classify patients and inform therapeutic strategies in the clinic. Recent research has highlighted the crucial role of next-generation sequencing technologies in identifying potential biomarkers associated with lineage plasticity. Here, we review the genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic events that have been described in PCa and highlight those with significance for lineage plasticity. We further focus on their relevance in PCa research and their benefits in PCa patient classification. Finally, we explore ways in which bioinformatic analyses can be used to determine lineage plasticity based on large omics analyses and algorithms that can shed light on upstream and downstream events. Most importantly, an integrated multiomics approach may soon allow for the identification of a lineage plasticity signature, which would revolutionize the molecular classification of PCa patients.

Non-coding RNAs in enzalutamide resistance of castration-resistant prostate cancer

Enzalutamide (Enz) is a next-generation androgen receptor (AR) antagonist used to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Unfortunately, the relapsing nature of CRPC results in the development of Enz resistance in many patients. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are RNA molecules that do not encode proteins, which include microRNAs (miRNA), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and other ncRNAs with known and unknown functions. Recently, dysregulation of ncRNAs in CRPC, particularly their regulatory function in drug resistance, has attracted more and more attention. Herein, we introduce the roles of dysregulation of different ncRNAs subclasses in the development of CRPC progression and Enz resistance. Recently determined mechanisms of Enz resistance are discussed, focusing mainly on the role of AR-splice variant-7 (AR-V7), mutations, circRNAs and lncRNAs that act as miRNA sponges. Also, the contributions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and glucose metabolism to Enz resistance are discussed. We summarize the different mechanisms of miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in the progression of CRPC and Enz resistance, and highlight the prospect of future therapeutic strategies against Enz resistance.

MiRNAs and snoRNAs in Bone Metastasis: Functional Roles and Clinical Potential

Bone is a frequent site of metastasis. Bone metastasis is associated with a short-term prognosis in cancer patients, and current treatments aim to slow its growth, but are rarely curative. Thus, revealing molecular mechanisms that explain why metastatic cells are attracted to the bone micro-environment, and how they successfully settle in the bone marrow-taking advantage over bone resident cells-and grow into macro-metastasis, is essential to propose new therapeutic approaches. MicroRNAs and snoRNAs are two classes of small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Recently, microRNAs and snoRNAs have been pointed out as important players in bone metastasis by (i) preparing the pre-metastatic niche, directly and indirectly affecting the activities of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, (ii) promoting metastatic properties within cancer cells, and (iii) acting as mediators within cells to support cancer cell growth in bone. This review aims to highlight the importance of microRNAs and snoRNAs in metastasis, specifically in bone, and how their roles can be linked together. We then discuss how microRNAs and snoRNAs are secreted by cancer cells and be found as extracellular vesicle cargo. Finally, we provide evidence of how microRNAs and snoRNAs can be potential therapeutic targets, at least in pre-clinical settings, and how their detection in liquid biopsies can be a useful diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarker to predict the risk of relapse in cancer patients.

Expression profiles of small non-coding RNAs in breast cancer tumors characterize clinicopathological features and show prognostic and predictive potential

Precision medicine approaches are required for more effective therapies for cancer. As small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) have recently been suggested as intriguing candidates for cancer biomarkers and have shown potential also as novel therapeutic targets, we aimed at profiling the non-miRNA sncRNAs in a large sample set to evaluate their role in invasive breast cancer (BC). We used small RNA sequencing and 195 fresh-frozen invasive BC and 22 benign breast tissue samples to identify significant associations of small nucleolar RNAs, small nuclear RNAs, and miscellaneous RNAs with the clinicopathological features and patient outcome of BC. Ninety-six and five sncRNAs significantly distinguished (Padj < 0.01) invasive local BC from benign breast tissue and metastasized BC from invasive local BC, respectively. Furthermore, 69 sncRNAs significantly associated (Padj < 0.01) with the tumor grade, hormone receptor status, subtype, and/or tumor histology. Additionally, 42 sncRNAs were observed as candidates for prognostic markers and 29 for predictive markers for radiotherapy and/or tamoxifen response (P < 0.05). We discovered the clinical relevance of sncRNAs from each studied RNA type. By introducing new sncRNA biomarker candidates for invasive BC and validating the potential of previously described ones, we have guided the way for further research that is warranted for providing novel insights into BC biology.

SNHG25 facilitates SNORA50C accumulation to stabilize HDAC1 in neuroblastoma cells

Increasing studies have pointed out that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and their host genes (SNHGs) have multi-functional roles in cancer progression. Bioinformatics analysis revealed the importance of snoRNA host gene 25 (SNHG25) in neuroblastoma (NB). Hence, we further explored the function and molecular mechanism of SNHG25 in NB. Our study revealed that SNHG25 expression was upregulated in NB cells. Through loss-of-function assays, we discovered that silencing of SNHG25 suppressed NB cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Moreover, we found that SNHG25 positively regulated snoRNA small nucleolar RNA, H/ACA box 50 C (SNORA50C) in NB cells, and SNORA50C depletion had the same function as SNHG25 silencing in NB cells. Moreover, we proved that SNHG25 recruited dyskerin pseudouridine synthase 1 (DKC1) to facilitate SNORA50C accumulation and associated small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein (snoRNP) assembly. In addition, it was manifested that SNHG25 relied on SNORA50C to inhibit ubiquitination of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), thereby elevating HDAC1 expression in NB cells. Further, HDAC1 was proven to be a tumor-facilitator in NB, and SNORA50C contributed to NB cell growth and migration through the HDAC1-mediated pathway. In vivo xenograft experiments further supported that SNHG25 promoted NB progression through SNORA50C/HDAC1 pathway. Our study might provide a novel sight for NB treatment.

The effect of chromosome abnormalities on expression of SnoRNA in radioresistant and radiosensitive cell lines after irradiation

In this paper, we have studied the role of chromosomal abnormalities in the expression of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) of radioresistant (K562) and radiosensitive (HL-60) leukemia cell line. Cells were exposed to an X-ray dose of 4 Gy. SnoRNA expression was investigated using NGS sequencing. The distribution of expressed snoRNAs on chromosomes has been found to be different for two cell lines. The most significant differences in the expression of snoRNAs were found in the K562 cell line based on the analysis of the dynamics of log2fc values. The type of clustering, the number and type of snoRNAs slightly differed in the chromosomes with trisomy and monosomy and had a pronounced difference in pairs with marker chromosomes in both cell lines. In this study, we have demonstrated that chromosomal abnormalities alter the expression of snoRNA after irradiation. Trisomies and monosomies do not have such a noticeable effect on the expression of snoRNAs as the presence of marker chromosomes.

Small nucleolar RNA 42 promotes the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma through the p53 signaling pathway

Recent studies show that small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play an important role in tumorigenesis. SNORA42 is a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for various cancers, and the aim of the present study was to investigate the function and clinical relevance of SNORA42 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We detected the expression levels of SNORA42 in HCC and normal liver tissue samples, as well as in tumor and hepatocyte-derived cell lines. SNORA42 was significantly upregulated in the HCC tissues and cells compared to the adjacent liver tissues and normal hepatocytes. Furthermore, overexpression of SNORA42 correlated with poor prognosis in the HCC patients. Knocking down SNORA42 in HCC cell lines decreased their proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. In contrast, ectopic expression of SNORA42 promoted HCC cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. Mechanistically, SNORA42 exerted its oncogenic effects by targeting the p53 signaling pathway and cell cycle transition. In conclusion, SNORA42 acted as an oncogene in HCC and was a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

SNORA42 promotes oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma development through triggering the DHX9/p65 axis

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are an important group of non-coding RNAs that have been reported to play a key role in the occurrence and development of various cancers. Here we demonstrate that Small nucleolar RNA 42 (SNORA42) enhanced the proliferation and migration of Oesophageal squamous carcinoma cells (ESCC) via the DHX9/p65 axis. Our results found that SNORA42 was significantly upregulated in ESCC cell lines, tissues and serum of ESCC patients. The high expression level of SNORA42 was positively correlated with malignant characteristics and over survival probability of patients with ESCC. Through in vitro and in vivo approaches, we demonstrated that knockdown of SNORA42 significantly impeded ESCC growth and metastasis whereas overexpression of SNORA42 got opposite effects. Mechanically, SNORA42 promoted DHX9 expression by attenuating DHX9 transports into the cytoplasm, to protect DHX9 from being ubiquitinated and degraded. From the KEGG analysis of Next-Generation Sequencing, the NF-κB pathway was one of the most regulated pathways by SNORA42. SNORA42 enhanced phosphorylation of p65 and this effect could be reversed by NF-κB inhibitor, BAY11-7082. Moreover, SNORA42 activated NF-κB signaling through promoting the transcriptional co-activator DHX9 interacted with p-p65, inducing NF-κB downstream gene expression. In summary, our study highlights the potential of SNORA42 is up-regulated in ESCC and promotes ESCC development partly via interacting with DHX9 and triggering the DHX9/p65 axis.

The Silence of PSMC6 Inhibits Cell Growth and Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma

The proteasome has been validated as an anticancer drug target, while the role of a subunit of proteasome, PSMC6, in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has not been fully unveiled. In this study, we observed that both the RNA and protein of PSMC6 were highly upregulated in LUAD compared with the adjacent normal tissues. Moreover, a high PSMC6 expression was associated with poor prognosis. In accordance with this finding, PSMC6 was associated with poor tumor differentiation. Furthermore, the silence of PSMC6 by small interference RNAs (siRNAs) could significantly inhibit cell growth, migration, and invasion in lung cancer cell lines, suggesting that PSMC6 might serve as a promising therapeutic target in LUAD. To further explore the molecular mechanism of PSMC6 in LUAD, we observed that the proteasome subunits, such as PSMD10, PSMD6, PSMD9, PSMD13, PSMB3, PSMB1, PSMA4, PSMC1, PSMC2, PSMD7, and PSMD14, were highly correlated with PSMC6 expression. Based on the gene set enrichment analysis, we observed that these proteasome subunits were involved in the degradation of AXIN protein. The correlation analysis revealed that the positively correlated genes with PSMC6 were highly enriched in WNT signaling-related pathways, demonstrating that the PSMC6 overexpression may activate WNT signaling via degrading the AXIN protein, thereby promoting tumor progression. In summary, we systematically evaluated the differential expression levels and prognostic values of PSMC6 and predicted its biological function in LUAD, which suggested that PSMC6 might act as a promising therapeutic target in LUAD.

Non-Coding RNAs Set a New Phenotypic Frontier in Prostate Cancer Metastasis and Resistance

Prostate cancer (PCa) mortality remains a significant public health problem, as advanced disease has poor survivability due to the development of resistance in response to both standard and novel therapeutic interventions. Therapeutic resistance is a multifaceted problem involving the interplay of a number of biological mechanisms including genetic, signaling, and phenotypic alterations, compounded by the contributions of a tumor microenvironment that supports tumor growth, invasiveness, and metastasis. The androgen receptor (AR) is a primary regulator of prostate cell growth, response and maintenance, and the target of most standard PCa therapies designed to inhibit AR from interacting with androgens, its native ligands. As such, AR remains the main driver of therapeutic response in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). While androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), in combination with microtubule-targeting taxane chemotherapy, offers survival benefits in patients with mCRPC, therapeutic resistance invariably develops, leading to lethal disease. Understanding the mechanisms underlying resistance is critical to improving therapeutic outcomes and also to the development of biomarker signatures of predictive value. The interconversions between epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) navigate the prostate tumor therapeutic response, and provide a novel targeting platform in overcoming therapeutic resistance. Both microRNA (miRNA)- and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-mediated mechanisms have been associated with epigenetic changes in prostate cancer. This review discusses the current evidence-based knowledge of the role of the phenotypic transitions and novel molecular determinants (non-coding RNAs) as contributors to the emergence of therapeutic resistance and metastasis and their integrated predictive value in prostate cancer progression to advanced disease.

Non-coding RNAs: Emerging from the discovery to therapeutic applications

The knowledge about non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is rapidly increasing with new data continuously emerging, regarding their diverse types, applications, and roles. Particular attention has been given to ncRNA with regulatory functions, which may have a critical role both in biological and pathological conditions. As a result of the diversity of ncRNAs and their ubiquitous involvement in several biologic processes, ncRNA started to be considered in the biomedical field, with immense potential to be exploited either as biomarkers or as therapeutic agents in certain pathologies. Indeed, ncRNA-based therapeutics have been proposed in many disorders and some even reached clinical trials. However, to prepare an RNA product suitable for pharmacological applications, certain criteria must be fulfilled, and it has to be guaranteed RNA purity, stability, and bioactivity. So, in this review, the different types of ncRNAs are identified and characterized, by describing their biogenesis, functions, and applications. A perspective on the main challenges and innovative approaches for the future and broad therapeutic application of RNA is also presented.

SNORD63 and SNORD96A as the non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that snoRNAs play crucial roles in tumorigenesis of various cancer types. However, researches on snoRNAs in ccRCC were very little. This study mainly aimed to validate the differential expression and the potential diagnostic value of SNORD63 and SNORD96A in ccRCC.

Methods

SnoRNAs expression was downloaded from the SNORic and TCGA database including 516 patients with ccRCC and 71 control cases. SNORD63 and SNORD96A expression were further detected in 54 tumor and adjacent FFPE ccRCC tissues, 55 plasma and 75 urinary sediment of ccRCC patients. Then, differential expression and diagnostic value of SNORD63 and SNORD96A were further calculated.

Results

SNORD63 and SNORD96A expression were significantly increased in ccRCC tissues compared with normal tissues from the TCGA database (both, P < 0.0001). In addition, we found that SNORD63 and SNORD96A localized in plasma and US stably after treating with RNase A. Meanwhile, SNORD63 and SNORD96A in FFPE and US were elevated in ccRCC patients (all, P < 0.0001). However, plasma SNORD63 expression had no significance while SNORD96A significantly increased in plasma of ccRCC patients. Notably, the AUC of SNORD63 in US was 0.7055, by comparison the AUC of plasma SNORD63 was only 0.5161. However, the AUC of plasma SNORD96A was up to 0.8909, by comparison the AUC of SNORD96A in US was 0.6788. Interestingly, the AUC of plasma SNORD96A in early stage ccRCC was highly up to 0.9359.

Conclusions

Our findings revealed that SNORD63 in US and SNORD96A in plasma could act as the promising non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for ccRCC patients.

SNORA72 Activates the Notch1/c-Myc Pathway to Promote Stemness Transformation of Ovarian Cancer Cells

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for the migration and recurrence of cancer progression. Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play important roles in tumor development. However, how snoRNAs contribute to the regulation of the stemness of ovarian CSCs (OCSCs) remains unclear. In the present study, we found that SNORA72 was significantly upregulated in OVCAR-3 spheroids (OS) and CAOV-3 spheroids (CS) with the OCSC characteristics attained by serum-free culture in a suspension of OVCAR-3 (OV) and CAOV-3 (CA) cells. The overexpression of SNORA72 increased self-renewal abilities and migration abilities in OV and CA cells and upregulated the expressions of the stemness markers Nanog, Oct4, and CD133. In addition, the ectopic expression of SNORA72 can elevate the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression levels of Notch1 and c-Myc in parental cells. The opposite results were observed in SNORA72-silenced OCSCs. Moreover, we found that Notch1 knockdown inversed the migration abilities and self-renewal abilities raised by overexpressing SNORA72. In summary, stemness transformation of ovarian cancer cells can be activated by SNORA72 through the Notch1/c-Myc pathway. This study introduces a novel therapeutic strategy for improving the treatment efficiency of ovarian cancer.

circFAT1(e2) Promotes Papillary Thyroid Cancer Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion via the miRNA-873/ZEB1 Axis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an extremely important regulatory role in the occurrence and development of various malignant tumors including papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). circFAT1(e2) is a new type of circRNA derived from exon 2 of the FAT1 gene, which is distributed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of PTC cells. However, so far, the role of circFAT1(e2) in PTC is still unclear. In this study, circFAT1(e2) was found to be highly expressed in PTC cell lines and tissues. circFAT1(e2) knockdown suppressed PTC cell growth, migration, and invasion. Also, circFAT1(e2) acted as a sponge for potential microRNAs (miRNAs) to modulate cancer progression. A potential miRNA target was discovered to be miR-873 which was targeted by circFAT1(e2) in PTC. The dual-luciferase assay conducted later also confirmed that there was indeed a direct interaction between circFAT1(e2) and miR-873. This study also confirmed that circFAT1(e2) inhibited the miR-873 expression and thus promoted the ZEB1 expression, thus affecting the proliferation, metastasis, and invasion of PTC cells. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that circFAT1(e2) played a carcinogenic role by targeting the miR-873/ZEB1 axis to promote PTC invasion and metastasis, which might become a potential novel target for therapy of PTC.

Molecular tracing of prostate cancer lethality

Prostate cancer is diagnosed mostly in men over the age of 50 years, and has favorable 5-year survival rates due to early cancer detection and availability of curative surgical management. However, progression to metastasis and emergence of therapeutic resistance are responsible for the majority of prostate cancer mortalities. Recent advancement in sequencing technologies and computational capabilities have improved the ability to organize and analyze large data, thus enabling the identification of novel biomarkers for survival, metastatic progression and patient prognosis. Large-scale sequencing studies have also uncovered genetic and epigenetic signatures associated with prostate cancer molecular subtypes, supporting the development of personalized targeted-therapies. However, the current state of mainstream prostate cancer management does not take full advantage of the personalized diagnostic and treatment modalities available. This review focuses on interrogating biomarkers of prostate cancer progression, including gene signatures that correspond to the acquisition of tumor lethality and those of predictive and prognostic value in progression to advanced disease, and suggest how we can use our knowledge of biomarkers and molecular subtypes to improve patient treatment and survival outcomes.

HAGLROS is overexpressed and promotes non-small cell lung cancer migration and invasion

INTRODUCTION

Non-small cell lung cancer was one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs had been implicated in multiple human cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer. In this study, we focused on a novel long non-coding RNA, HAGLROS, in non-small cell lung cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

In this study, we used GEPIA dataset to analyse the expression levels of HAGLROS in non-small cell lung cancer samples and normal tissues. Then, we analysed Kaplan-Meier Plotter database to reveal the association between HAGLROS expression and overall survival time in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Moreover, we used small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown to reduce HAGLROS expression in A549 and H1299 cells. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to detect the effect of HAGLROS on cell proliferation. Transwell assays were used to determine the effect of HAGLROS on cell migration and invasion. Co-expression analysis and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to predict the potential functions of HAGLROS in non-small cell lung cancer.

RESULTS

We identified HAGLROS was significantly overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer samples compared to normal tissues. Higher expression of HAGLROS was significantly associated with shorter overall survival time in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Moreover, we found knockdown of HAGLROS in non-small cell lung cancer cells remarkably suppressed tumour proliferation, migration and invasion. By conducting bioinformatics analysis, we found HAGLROS was involved in regulating multiple cancer-related pathways, including Spliceosome, DNA replication, cell cycle, chromosome segregation and sister chromatid segregation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results for the first time demonstrated HAGLROS may serve as a target for new therapies in non-small cell lung cancer.

Targeted Metabolomics Analyses Reveal Specific Metabolic Alterations in High-Grade Prostate Cancer Patients

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a hormone-dependent tumor characterized by an extremely heterogeneous prognosis. Despite recent advances in partially uncovering some of the biological processes involved in its progression, there is still an urgent need for identifying more accurate and specific prognostic procedures to differentiate between disease stages. In this context, targeted approaches, focused on mapping dysregulated metabolic pathways, could play a critical role in identifying the mechanisms driving tumorigenesis and metastasis. In this study, a targeted analysis of the nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic profile of PCa patients with different tumor grades, guided by transcriptomics profiles associated with their stages, was performed. Serum and urine samples were collected from 73 PCa patients. Samples were classified according to their Gleason score (GS) into low-GS (GS < 7) and high-GS PCa (GS ≥ 7) groups. A total of 36 metabolic pathways were found to be dysregulated in the comparison between different PCa grades. Particularly, the levels of glucose, glycine and 1-methlynicotinamide, metabolites involved in energy metabolism and nucleotide synthesis were significantly altered between both groups of patients. These results underscore the potential of targeted metabolomic profiling to characterize relevant metabolic changes involved in the progression of this neoplastic process.

Long Non-coding RNA MRUL Contributes to Osteosarcoma Progression Through the miR-125a-5p/FUT4 Axis

Osteosarcoma (OS) originates in the skeletal system and has a rising global incidence. Long Non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators of human cancers development and progression. However, their roles in the development of OS are not well understood. This research aimed to investigate the effect of a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), MRUL, on OS and revealed its potential molecular mechanisms. The bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that lncRNA MRUL was involved in regulating nucleic acid-templated transcription, cellular macromolecule biosynthetic process, immune response, and inflammatory response. In this work, the expression of lncRNA MRUL was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-RCR) in both cancer tissues and cell lines. We found that lncRNA MRUL was up-regulated in cancer tissues and cell lines. Functional experiments showed that knockdown of lncRNA MRUL inhibited OS cell proliferation, and metastasis. At the same time, we found that lncRNA MRUL interacted with miR-125a-5p to suppress FUT4 expression. Moreover, inhibition of miR-125a-5p abrogated the biological roles of lncRNA MRUL knockdown on OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that OS-upregulated lncRNA MRUL promoted cell proliferation, and metastasis via negatively regulating miR-125a-5p, and imply that lncRNA MRUL may be a potential biomarker for OS.

MiR-381-3p suppresses biological characteristics of cancer in head-neck squamous cell carcinoma cells by targeting nuclear autoantigenic sperm protein (NASP)

MiR-381-3p and nuclear autoantigenic sperm protein (NASP) have regulatory functions in tumors. Whether NASP is targeted by miR-381-3p to influence biological characteristics of cancer in head-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells was investigated. StarBase (version 3.0) found that the expression of NASP was increased with the down-regulation of miR-381-3p in laryngocarcinoma tissue, AMC-HN-3，FaDu，HNE-3，and Detroit 562 cell lines. MiR-381-3p could target NASP, reduce the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9, Vimentin, repress the cell viability, invasion, and migration, and promote the expression of E-cadherin in AMC-HN-3 cells. Overexpressed NASP could increase the viability, migration and invasion rates in AMC-HN-3 cells, which could be partially reversed by overexpressed miR-381-3p. Thus, miR-381-3p targeted and suppressed NASP gene, reduced the viability, migration, invasion, EMT of HNSCC cells, demonstrating that miR-381-3p has the potential to be a therapeutic target in inhibiting the progression of HNSCC.

Noncoding RNAs in gastric cancer: implications for drug resistance

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Advanced gastric cancer patients can notably benefit from chemotherapy including adriamycin, platinum drugs, 5-fluorouracil, vincristine, and paclitaxel as well as targeted therapy drugs. Nevertheless, primary drug resistance or acquisition drug resistance eventually lead to treatment failure and poor outcomes of the gastric cancer patients. The detailed mechanisms involved in gastric cancer drug resistance have been revealed. Interestingly, different noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are critically involved in gastric cancer development. Multiple lines of evidences demonstrated that ncRNAs play a vital role in gastric cancer resistance to chemotherapy reagents and targeted therapy drugs. In this review, we systematically summarized the emerging role and detailed molecular mechanisms of ncRNAs impact drug resistance of gastric cancer. Additionally, we propose the potential clinical implications of ncRNAs as novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for gastric cancer.

snoRNAs Offer Novel Insight and Promising Perspectives for Lung Cancer Understanding and Management

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are non-coding RNAs localized in the nucleolus, where they participate in the cleavage and chemical modification of ribosomal RNAs. Their biogenesis and molecular functions have been extensively studied since their identification in the 1960s. However, their role in cancer has only recently started to emerge. In lung cancer, efforts to profile snoRNA expression have enabled the definition of snoRNA-related signatures, not only in tissues but also in biological fluids, exposing these small RNAs as potential non-invasive biomarkers. Moreover, snoRNAs appear to be essential actors of lung cancer onset and dissemination. They affect diverse cellular functions, from regulation of the cell proliferation/death balance to promotion of cancer cell plasticity. snoRNAs display both oncogenic and tumor suppressive activities that are pivotal in lung cancer tumorigenesis and progression. Altogether, we review how further insight into snoRNAs may improve our understanding of basic lung cancer biology and the development of innovative diagnostic tools and therapies.

Can small nucleolar RNA be a novel molecular target for hepatocellular carcinoma?

BACKGROUND

Globally, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death. Recently, many studies have demonstrated that small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) was closely related to HCC.

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether snoRNA can be used as a molecular target for HCC.

METHODS

The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for the published literatures related to snoRNA and HCC until August 12, 2019. After identification, screening, and verification, this study finally included 26 studies correlating small nucleolar RNA host gene (SNHG) and HCC, and 8 studies correlating snoRNA and HCC. Based on the collation of the relevant literature, the correlation network diagram between snoRNAs and HCC was constructed.

RESULTS

The SNHGs, such as SNHG1, SNHG6, SNHG16, and SNHG20 can play varied roles in HCC through different regulatory mechanisms. These SNHGs can promote and inhibit tumorigenesis. SNORD76 can promote the proliferation of tumor tissues and cells in vitro through different pathways. SnoU2_19 and SNORD76 can function through the same pathway. SNHG3, SNHG20, SNHG6, SNORD76, and snoRA47 can modulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to regulate the development of HCC cell or tissue. SNHG16, SNORD76, and SnoU2_19 can regulate the development of HCC through Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

snoRNA can regulate the occurrence of HCC by modulating multiple molecular signaling pathways. Hence, snoRNA can be a potential molecular target for HCC.

Long non-coding RNA TUG1 promotes cell progression in hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating miR-216b-5p/DLX2 axis

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence indicates that the long noncoding RNA taurine upregulated gene 1(TUG1) plays a critical role in cancer progression and metastasis. However, the overall biological role and clinical significance of TUG1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unknown.

METHODS

The expressions of TUG1, microRNA-216b-5p and distal-less homeobox 2 (DLX2) were detected by Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The target relationships were predicted by StarBase v.2.0 or TargetScan and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The cell growth, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), Flow cytometry and Transwell assays, respectively. All protein expression levels were detected by western blot. Tumor xenografts were implemented to explore the role of TUG1 in vivo.

RESULTS

We found that there was a marked rise in TUG1 expression in HCC tissues and cells, and knockdown of TUG1 repressed the growth and metastasis and promoted apoptosis of HCC cells. In particular, TUG1 could act as a ceRNA, effectively becoming a sink for miR-216b-5p to fortify the expression of DLX2. Additionally, repression of TUG1 impared the progression of HCC cells by inhibiting DLX2 expression via sponging miR-216b-5p in vitro. More importantly, TUG1 knockdown inhibited HCC tumor growth in vivo through upregulating miR-216b-5p via inactivation of the DLX2.

CONCLUSION

TUG1 interacting with miR-216b-5p contributed to proliferation, metastasis, tumorigenesis and retarded apoptosis by activation of DLX2 in HCC.

The emerging role of microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs in drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the second most lethal human cancer. A portion of patients with advanced HCC can significantly benefit from treatments with sorafenib, adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil and platinum drugs. However, most HCC patients eventually develop drug resistance, resulting in a poor prognosis. The mechanisms involved in HCC drug resistance are complex and inconclusive. Human transcripts without protein-coding potential are known as noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNA (circRNA). Accumulated evidences demonstrate that several deregulated miRNAs and lncRNAs are important regulators in the development of HCC drug resistance which elucidates their potential clinical implications. In this review, we summarized the detailed mechanisms by which miRNAs and lncRNAs affect HCC drug resistance. Multiple tumor-specific miRNAs and lncRNAs may serve as novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for HCC.

TOB1-AS1 suppresses non-small cell lung cancer cell migration and invasion through a ceRNA network

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of lung cancer-associated mortality. Recent studies revealed that long non-coding (lnc)RNAs have crucial roles in human cancers. The present study was the first, to the best of our knowledge, to indicate that the lncRNA transducer of ERBB2, 1-antisense 1 (TOB1-AS1) acts as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC. Knockdown of TOB1-AS1 significantly induced NSCLC cell migration, invasion and proliferation. It was also demonstrated that the higher expression of TOB1-AS1 in NSCLC samples was associated with longer overall survival time. Furthermore, a TOB1-AS1-mediated competing endogenous RNA network in NSCLC was constructed, including Homo sapiens (hsa)-microRNA (miR)-27a-3p, hsa-miR-23a-3p, hsa-miR-23b-3p, hsa-miR-27b-3p, hsa-miR-23c, dynein cytoplasmic 2 light intermediate chain 1, E4F transcription factor 1, TSPY-like 4, component of oligomeric Golgi complex 7, inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 2 and deltex E3 ubiquitin ligase 3. Of note, dysregulation of targets of TOB1-AS1 was associated with the prognosis of NSCLC patients. The present study suggested that TOB1-AS1 may serve as a novel biomarker for NSCLC.

Small Nucleolar RNA 71A Promotes Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion via MAPK/ERK Pathway

Objective: Increasing evidence suggested that dysregulated small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) were involved in tumor development. The roles of snoRNA 71A (SNORA71A) in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remained unclear.

Methods: Dataset GSE19188 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was downloaded to detect the expression levels of SNORA71A in NSCLC tissues. The biological significance of SNORA71A was explored by loss-of-function analysis both in vitro and in vivo.

Results: SNORA71A was overexpressed in NSCLC tissues compared with normal tissues, and upregulated SNORA71A was significantly associated with worse survival of NSCLC patients. Knockdown of SNORA71A suppressed proliferation of both A549 and PC9 cells, and induced G0/G1 phase arrest. Knockdown of SNORA71A also suppressed xenograft tumor growth in mice. In addition, knockdown of SNORA71A inhibited cell invasion and migration and suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Furthermore, downregulated SNORA71A decreased the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK1/2 in the MAPK/ERK signal pathway.

Conclusion: SNORA71A functions as an oncogene in NSCLC and may serve as a therapeutic target and promising prognostic biomarker of NSCLC.

Integrative Analysis Reveals Key Circular RNA in Atrial Fibrillation

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are an emerging class of RNA species that may play a critical regulatory role in gene expression control, which can serve as diagnostic biomarkers for many diseases due to their abundant, stable, and cell- or tissue-specific expression. However, the association between circRNAs and atrial fibrillation (AF) is still not clear. In this study, we used RNA sequencing data to identify and quantify the circRNAs. Differential expression analysis of the circRNAs identified 250 up- and 126 down-regulated circRNAs in AF subjects compared with healthy donors, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of the parental genes of the dysregulated circRNAs indicated that the up-regulated parental genes may participate in the process of DNA damage under oxidative stress. Furthermore, to annotate the dysregulated circRNAs, we constructed and merged the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, respectively. In the merged network, 130 of 246 dysregulated circRNAs were successfully characterized by more than one pathway. Notably, the five circRNAs, including chr9:15474007-15490122, chr16:75445723-75448593, hsa_circ_0007256, chr12:56563313-56563992, and hsa_circ_0003533, showed the highest significance by the enrichment analysis, and four of them were enriched in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. These dysregulated circRNAs may mainly participate in biological processes of inflammatory response. In conclusion, the present study identified a set of dysregulated circRNAs, and characterized their potential functions, which may be associated with inflammatory responses in AF. To our knowledge, this is the first study to uncover the association between circRNAs and AF, which not only improves our understanding of the roles of circRNAs in AF, but also provides candidates of potentially functional circRNAs for AF researchers.