miR-590 accelerates lung adenocarcinoma migration and invasion through directly suppressing functional target OLFM4

Meta-Analytic Comparison of Global RNA Transcriptomes of Acute and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells Reveals Novel Gene Candidates Governing Myeloid Malignancies

Simple Summary

Despite advances in the understanding of genetic risk factors and molecular mechanisms underlying acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), clinical outcomes of current therapies in terms of disease relapse and mortality rate pose a great economic and social burden. To overcome this, the identification of new molecular prognostic biomarkers and pharmacological targets is crucial. Recent studies have suggested that AML and CML may share common pathogenic mechanisms and cellular substrates. To this end, in the present study, global transcriptome profiles of AML and CML at the molecular and cellular level were directly compared using a combination of meta-analysis and modern statistics, and novel candidate genes and specific biological processes associated with the pathogenesis of AML and CML were characterized. Our study significantly improves our current understanding of myeloid leukemia and will help develop new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for disease progression, management and treatment response.

Abstract

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represent a group of hematological malignancies characterized by the pathogenic clonal expansion of leukemic myeloid cells. The diagnosis and clinical outcome of AML and CML are complicated by genetic heterogeneity of disease; therefore, the identification of novel molecular biomarkers and pharmacological targets is of paramount importance. Methods: RNA-seq-based transcriptome data from a total of five studies were extracted from NCBI GEO repository and subjected to an in-depth bioinformatics analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between AML and CML. A systemic literature survey and functional gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis were performed for the top 100 DEGs to identify novel candidate genes and biological processes associated with AML and CML. Results: LINC01554, PTMAP12, LOC644936, RPS27AP20 and FAM133CP were identified as novel risk genes for AML and CML. GO enrichment analysis showed that DEGs were significantly associated with pre-RNA splicing, reactive oxygen species and glycoprotein metabolism, the cellular endomembrane system, neutrophil migration and antimicrobial immune response. Conclusions: Our study revealed novel biomarkers and specific biological processes associated with AML and CML. Further studies are required to evaluate their value as molecular targets for managing and treating the myeloid malignancies.

Narrative review: molecular and genetic profiling of oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer

Objective

The objectives of this review are to discuss: the definition, clinical and biologic features of oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as the concept of treating oligoprogression in oligometastatic NSCLC.

Background

A substantial proportion of patients diagnosed with lung cancer present with metastatic disease, and a large portion of patients who present with localized disease later develop metastases. Oligometastatic NSCLC is defined as an intermediate state between localized and widespread metastatic disease, where there may be a role for curative localized therapy approach by treating the primary tumor and all metastases with radiotherapy or surgery. Despite the increasing application of this approach in patients with lung cancer, the identification of patients who might benefit from this approach is yet to be well characterized.

Methods

After a systematic review of the literature, a PubMed search was performed using the English language and the key terms: oligometastatic, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), localized consolidative treatment (LCT), biomarkers, biologic features, clinical features. Over 500 articles were retrieved between 1889–2021. A total of 178 papers discussing the definition, clinical and biologic factors leading to oligometastatic NSCLC were reviewed and included in the discussion of this paper.

Conclusions

Oligometastatic NSCLC is a unique entity. Identifying patients who have oligometastatic NSCLC accurately using a combination of clinical and biologic features and treating them with localized consolidative approach appropriately results in improvement of outcome. Further understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the formation of oligometastatic NSCLC is an important area of focus for future studies.

Circulating miRNAs in Serum as Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Background

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of lung cancers. This study aimed to discover the potential miRNA biomarkers for early detection of NSCLC.

Methods

Total circulating miRNAs were extracted from six patients and six volunteers and run on the miRNA chip. The differentially expressed miRNAs acquired by data mining were intersected with chip results, and qRT-PCR were carried out. Then the differentially miRNAs were validated by using a validation cohort (120 participants). ROC curves were established to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the differentially circulating miRNAs. The target genes of the differential miRNAs were identified using the miRTarBase database, and follow-up GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were conducted.

Results

We identified 577 miRNA which screened according to the criteria (fold change > 2 and p value < 0.05). Among them, seven circulating miRNAs passed additional filtering based on data mining. These miRNAs were further validated in the training and validation cohort. miR-492, miR-590-3p, and miR-631 were differentially expressed in the patients’ serum, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of these miRNAs were 0.789, 0.792, and 0.711, respectively. When using them as a combination to discriminate healthy volunteers from patients, the AUC reached 0.828 (95% CI, 0.750–0.905, p = 0.000) with a sensitivity of 86.7% and specificity of 71.7%. The follow-up enrichment analysis showed that target genes of three miRNA were associated with tumorigenesis and progression, such as cell cycle and P53 signaling pathway.

Conclusions

The combination of miR-492, miR-590-3p, and miR-631 can be utilized to distinguish healthy individuals and early-stage NSCLC patients.

Impact

The combination of miR-492, miR-590-3p, and miR-631 might be a promising serum biomarker in patients for the early diagnosis of NSCLC.

miRNA-425-5p enhances lung cancer growth via the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling axis

Background

miRNAs regulate a multitude of cellular processes and their aberrant regulation is linked to human cancer. However, the role of miR-425-5p in lung cancer (LCa) is still largely unclear. Here, we explored the role of miR-425-5p during LCa tumorigenesis.

Methods

Cell proliferation was evaluated by cell counting Kit-8 and colony formation assay. Western blot and real-time PCR were accordingly used to detect the relevant proteins, miRNA and gene expression. Luciferase reporter assays were used to illustrate the interaction between miR-425-5p and PTEN.

Results

We demonstrate that miR-425-5p is overexpressed in LCa tissue and enhances the proliferative and colony formation capacity of the LCa cell lines A549 and NCI-H1299. Through predictive binding assays, PTEN was identified as a direct gene target and its exogenous expression inhibited the pro-cancer effects of miR-425-5p. Through its ability to down-regulate PTEN, miR-425-5p activated the PI3K/AKT axis.

Conclusion

We conclude that miR-425-5p promotes LCa tumorigenesis through PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling.

Hsa-let-7c exerts an anti-tumor function by negatively regulating ANP32E in lung adenocarcinoma

We attempted to investigate the relationship between hsa-let-7c and ANP32E, as well as their influence on the cells phenotype of lung adenocarcinoma. Expression of hsa-let-7c and prognostic values were assessed by bioinformatics analysis based on TCGA database. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot was employed to measure relative expression of hsa-let-7c or ANP32E. The targeting relationship between let-7c and ANP32E was predicted by biological software and validated by dual luciferase reporter assay. With gene transfection technology, cell proliferation, invasion and migration were appraised by cell counting Kit-8, clone formation and Transwell assays. The results showed that hsa-let-7c was downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma. Downregulation of hsa-let-7c notably led to a poor survival. ANP32E was forecasted and confirmed as a directly target of hsa-let-7c, and was upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, upregulation of ANP32E had a significant correlation with unsatisfactory survival. Meanwhile, the levels of ANP32E were negatively regulated by hsa-let-7c. Upregulation of hsa-let-7c remarkably suppressed the Calu-3 cell proliferation, invasion and migration, while ANP32E overexpression plasmids rescued the downtrend. Inversely, hsa-let-7c silencing in NCI-H209 cells presented the opposite outcomes. Collectively, hsa-let-7c shows an anti-tumor effect in lung adenocarcinoma by targeting ANP32E and is expected to be a potential therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma.

MiR-200b-3p Functions as an Oncogene by Targeting ABCA1 in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Objective:

The aim of this study was to investigate the microRNA-200b-3p expression in lung adenocarcinoma and the possible functional associations of microRNA-200b-3p with cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Methods:

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of microRNA-200b-3p in lung adenocarcinoma samples and in the human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and H1299. A549 and H1299 cells were transfected with either a microRNA-200b-3p mimic or a negative control microRNA or either an empty vector or an adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A-1 overexpression vector. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was employed to assess the ability of cell proliferation. Transwell assays and transwell-Matrigel invasion assay were, respectively, utilized to assess the capacity of migration and invasion in A549 and H1299 cells.

Results:

The results showed that microRNA-200b-3p expression was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues compared with that in adjacent normal tissues. Overexpression of microRNA-200b-3p promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis. Furthermore, adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A-1 was a direct target of microRNA-200b-3p, and this binding was verified by luciferase reporter analysis. Overexpression of adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A-1 obviously suppressed lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Lung adenocarcinoma cell phenotypes induced by microRNA-200b-3p overexpression could be partially remitted by the co-overexpression of microRNA-200b-3p and adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A-1.

Conclusion:

This study first identified that microRNA-200b-3p is upregulated in lung adenocarcinoma cells and associated with cell proliferation and metastasis. MicroRNA-200b-3p promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis by suppressing adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter A-1. MicroRNA-200b-3p may function as a novel molecular marker and therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma treatment.

The regulatory mechanism and biological significance of the Snail-miR590-VEGFR-NRP1 axis in the angiogenesis, growth and metastasis of gastric cancer

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and neuropilins (NRPs), a co-receptor of VEGF, play a key role in the formation and development of blood vessels and in tumour growth and metastasis. However, whether VEGFR1/2 and NRP1 are regulated by the same upstream mechanism is unclear, especially in gastric cancer. We used prediction tools to detect miRNAs that may simultaneously regulate VEGFR1/2 and NRP1, and we finally determined that miR-590 can simultaneously regulate VEGFR1/2 and NRP1 in gastric cancer. We discovered that miR-590 was downregulated in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines, and this was related to the dysregulation of the transcription factor SNAIL. In addition, the overexpression of miR-590 inhibits the migration, invasion, proliferation and D-MVA levels of gastric cancer cells in vivo and in vitro by targeting VEGFR1/2 and NRP1. We also demonstrated that miR-590 may be a useful marker for the prognosis of gastric cancer with Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Since the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important mechanism of tumour invasion and metastasis and VEGFR1/2 and NRP1 can promote the occurrence of EMT, we speculated that miR-590 can regulate the occurrence of EMT. Immunoblot and immunofluorescence analyses confirmed that the overexpression of miR-590 can inhibit the EMT in gastric cancer cells. Since SNAIL is also a mesenchymal marker, our results revealed a new, positive feedback loop. As a transcription factor, SNAIL inhibits the expression of miR-590, thereby upregulating the expression levels of NRP1 and VEGFR1/2; this leads to the development of EMT in gastric cancer and the upregulation of SNAIL.

Blocking OLFM4/HIF-1α axis alleviates hypoxia-induced invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and chemotherapy resistance in non-small-cell lung cancer

Hypoxia is a common biological hallmark of solid cancers, which has been proposed to be associated with oncogenesis and chemotherapy resistance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of olfactomedin 4 (OLFM4) in the hypoxia-induced invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and chemotherapy resistance of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We observed dramatically upregulated expression of OLFM4 in several NSCLC cell lines, and this effect was more pronounced in A549 and H1299 cells. In addition, our data revealed that OLFM4 expression was remarkably increased in both A549 and H1299 cells under hypoxic microenvironment, accompanied by enhanced levels of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α protein. The HIF-1α level was elevated in response to hypoxia, resulting in the regulation of OLFM4. Interestingly, OLFM4 was a positive regulator of hypoxia-driven HIF-1α production. Moreover, depletion of OLFM4 modulated multiple EMT-associated proteins, as evidenced by the enhanced E-cadherin levels along with the diminished expression of N-cadherin and vimentin in response to hypoxia, and thus blocked invasion ability of A549 and H1299 cells following exposure to hypoxia. Furthermore, ablation of OLFM4 accelerated the sensitivity of A549 cells to cisplatin under hypoxic conditions, implying that OLFM4 serves as a key regulator in chemotherapeutic resistance under hypoxia. In conclusion, OLFM4/HIF-1α axis might be a potential therapeutic strategy for NSCLC.

MicroRNA-195 suppresses the progression of lung adenocarcinoma by directly targeting apelin

Background

Apelin plays an important role in many types of tumors. We aimed to identify the effects of miR‐195 on inhibiting apelin and clarify the regulating mechanism of miR‐195‐apelin in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Methods

We detected the expression levels of apelin and miR‐195 in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and lung cancer cell lines using Western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the target gene of miR‐195. The effects of miR‐195 and apelin on the proliferation and cell cycle of lung adenocarcinoma cells were assessed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium and colony formation assays, and flow cytometry. Wound‐healing and transwell invasion experiments were employed to examine cellular migration and invasion. A tumor xenograft model was then used to investigate the role of miR‐195 on tumor growth in vivo.

Results

The expression level of apelin and miR‐195 showed an inverse correlation in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cell lines. Luciferase reporter assay suggested that miR‐195 directly targets apelin messenger RNA. Overexpression of miR‐195 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Further analysis revealed that apelin is one of the functional target genes of miR‐195, and the overexpression of apelin efficiently inhibits the promotion of cell proliferation and invasion mediated by miR‐195 mimics in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Conclusions

Our data constitute evidence that miR‐195 inhibits lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and invasion though targeting apelin and provides novel insight into the mechanism underlying the development of lung adenocarcinoma.

miR-186-5p promotes cell growth, migration and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma by targeting PTEN

OBJECTIVE

To explore the expression of miR-186-5p in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and its possible function associated with cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

METHODS

MiR-186-5p expression levels in LUAD samples, human LUAD cell lines H1299 and NCI-H1975, and normal human lung epithelial cell line BEAS-IB were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). H1299 and NCI-H1975 cells were transfected with miR-186-5p mimic or miRNA negative control. CCK-8 assay was performed to evaluate the cell proliferation. Transwell assay and transwell-matrigel™ invasion assay were applied to assess the migration and invasion abilities of H1299 and NCI-H1975 cells.

RESULTS

miR-186-5p expression was significantly up-regulated in LUAD tumor tissues and LUAD cell lines as compared with tumor-adjacent tissues and normal human lung epithelial cells, respectively. MiR-186-5p overexpression remarkably promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of LUAD cells. Furthermore, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) was a direct target of miR-186-5p verified by luciferase reporter assay. Overexpression of PTEN significantly suppressed LUAD cells to proliferate, migrate and invade. MiR-186-5p overexpression-induced LUAD cell phenotype could be partially rescued by co-overexpression of miR-186-5p and PTEN.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that miR-186-5p is up-regulated in LUAD, and functionally associated with cell proliferation, migration and invasion. MiR-186-5p promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of LUAD cells by targeting PTEN. MiR-186-5p may be utilized as a novel molecular marker and therapeutic target of LUAD.

MicroRNA in Lung Cancer Metastasis

Tumor metastasis is a hallmark of cancer, with distant metastasis frequently developing in lung cancer, even at initial diagnosis, resulting in poor prognosis and high mortality. However, available biomarkers cannot reliably predict cancer spreading sites. The metastatic cascade involves highly complicated processes including invasion, migration, angiogenesis, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition that are tightly controlled by various genetic expression modalities along with interaction between cancer cells and the extracellular matrix. In particular, microRNAs (miRNAs), a group of small non-coding RNAs, can influence the transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes, with dysregulation of miRNA expression contributing to the regulation of cancer metastasis. Nevertheless, although miRNA-targeted therapy is widely studied in vitro and in vivo, this strategy currently affords limited feasibility and a few miRNA-targeted therapies for lung cancer have entered into clinical trials to date. Advances in understanding the molecular mechanism of metastasis will thus provide additional potential targets for lung cancer treatment. This review discusses the current research related to the role of miRNAs in lung cancer invasion and metastasis, with a particular focus on the different metastatic lesions and potential miRNA-targeted treatments for lung cancer with the expectation that further exploration of miRNA-targeted therapy may establish a new spectrum of lung cancer treatments.

FGF18, a prominent player in FGF signaling, promotes gastric tumorigenesis through autocrine manner and is negatively regulated by miR-590-5p

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors are significant components during fundamental cellular processes. FGF18 plays a distinctive role in modulating the activity of both tumor cells and tumor microenvironment. This study aims to comprehensively investigate the expression and functional role of FGF18 in gastric cancer (GC) and elucidate its regulatory mechanisms. The upregulation of FGF18 was detected in seven out of eleven (63.6%) GC cell lines. In primary GC samples, FGF18 was overexpressed in genomically stable and chromosomal instability subtypes of GC and its overexpression was associated with poor survival. Knocking down FGF18 inhibited tumor formation abilities, induced G1 phase cell cycle arrest and enhanced anti-cancer drug sensitivity. Expression microarray profiling revealed that silencing of FGF18 activated ATM pathway but quenched TGF-β pathway. The key factors that altered in the related signaling were validated by western blot and immunofluorescence. Meanwhile, treating GC cells with human recombinant FGF18 or FGF18-conditioned medium accelerated tumor growth through activation of ERK-MAPK signaling. FGF18 was further confirmed to be a direct target of tumor suppressor, miR-590-5p. Their expressions showed a negative correlation in primary GC samples and more importantly, re-overexpression of FGF18 partly abolished the tumor-suppressive effect of miR-590-5p. Our study not only identified that FGF18 serves as a novel prognostic marker and a therapeutic target in GC but also enriched the knowledge of FGF-FGFR signaling during gastric tumorigenesis.

MicroRNA-30c functions as a tumor suppressor via targeting SNAI1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Aberrant expression of miRNAs was involved in tumor initiation, progression and metastasis in multiple cancers. Many kinds of microRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have been researched, whereas miR-30c has not been included.

METHODS

Firstly, we explored the expression of miR-30c in ESCC tissue and serum samples and its relations to the survival. To further investigate its effects on ESCC cells, we completed a series of experiments. We detected the effects of ectopic miR-30c expression on the proliferation, migration and invasion of ESCC cells in vitro. We identified the target role of SNAI1 in ESCC using Dual-luciferase reporter assay and western blot assay.

RESULTS

The results showed miR-30c was significant down-regulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Clinically, we found lower miR-30c expression was significantly correlated with worse ESCC progression and survival. Also we clarified that miR-30c suppressed cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of ESCC cell lines. What's more, we figured out that miR-30c inhibits ESCC biological behaviors and EMT progress by directly binding to the 3'-UTR of SNAI1.

CONCLUSION

This study provides new insight into the mechanism responsible for the development of human ESCC. Therefore, miR-30c could be a promising biomarker and a therapeutic target for ESCC in the future.

The miR-875-5p inhibits SATB2 to promote the invasion of lung cancer cells

The pathogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is regulated by various miRNAs. In this study, we identified that miR-875-5pis up-regulated in NSCLC patients, and inhibited SATB Homeobox 2(SATB2) to promote proliferation and invasion of NSCLCcells.CCK-8assay revealed thatmiR-875-5p mimics promoted proliferation of NSCLC cells. Transwell assay showed that miR-875-5pmimicspromoted the invasion and migration of NSCLC cells. Luciferase assays confirmed that miR-875-5pdirectly binds to the 3'untranslated region of SATB2, and western blotting showed that miR-875-5psuppresses the expression of SATB2 at the protein level. Moreover, the inhibitors of miR-875-5pinhibit proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cell lines. The miR-875-5pwouldbe a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC treatment in the future.

Diagnostic MicroRNA Biomarker Discovery for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Adenocarcinoma by Integrative Bioinformatics Analysis

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and its incidence is ranked high in men and women worldwide. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adenocarcinoma is one of the most frequent histological subtypes of lung cancer. The aberration profile and the molecular mechanism driving its progression are the key for precision therapy of lung cancer, while the screening of biomarkers is essential to the precision early diagnosis and treatment of the cancer. In this work, we applied a bioinformatics method to analyze the dysregulated interaction network of microRNA-mRNA in NSCLC, based on both the gene expression data and the microRNA-gene regulation network. Considering the properties of the substructure and their biological functions, we identified the putative diagnostic biomarker microRNAs, some of which have been reported on the PubMed citations while the rest, that is, miR-204-5p, miR-567, miR-454-3p, miR-338-3p, and miR-139-5p, were predicted as the putative novel microRNA biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLC adenocarcinoma. They were further validated by functional enrichment analysis of their target genes. These findings deserve further experimental validations for future clinical application.