Up-regulated MiR-27-3p promotes the G1-S phase transition by targeting inhibitor of growth family member 5 in osteosarcoma

Biomarker potential of competing endogenous RNA networks in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common condition affecting women of reproductive age globally. PCOS continues to be the largest contributing factor to female infertility despite significant progress in our knowledge of the molecular underpinnings and treatment of the condition. The fact that PCOS is a very diverse condition makes it one of the key reasons why we haven't been able to overcome it. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are implicated in the development of PCOS, according to growing evidence. However, it is unclear how the complex regulatory relationships between the many ncRNA types contribute to the growth of this malignancy. Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), a recently identified mechanism in the RNA world, suggests regulatory interactions between various RNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), transcribed pseudogenes, and circular RNAs (circRNAs). Recent studies on PCOS have shown that dysregulation of multiple ceRNA networks (ceRNETs) between these ncRNAs plays crucial roles in developing the defining characteristics of PCOS development. And it is believed that such a finding may open a new door for a deeper comprehension of PCOS's unexplored facets. In addition, it may be able to provide fresh biomarkers and effective therapy targets for PCOS. This review will go over the body of information that exists about the primary roles of ceRNETs before highlighting the developing involvement of several newly found ceRNETs in a number of PCOS characteristics.

RNA-RNA interactions between respiratory syncytial virus and miR-26 and miR-27 are associated with regulation of cell cycle and antiviral immunity

microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate nearly all physiological processes but our understanding of exactly how they function remains incomplete, particularly in the context of viral infections. Here, we adapt a biochemical method (CLEAR-CLIP) and analysis pipeline to identify targets of miRNAs in lung cells infected with Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We show that RSV binds directly to miR-26 and miR-27 through seed pairing and demonstrate that these miRNAs target distinct gene networks associated with cell cycle and metabolism (miR-27) and antiviral immunity (miR-26). Many of the targets are de-repressed upon infection and we show that the miR-27 targets most sensitive to miRNA inhibition are those associated with cell cycle. Finally, we demonstrate that high confidence chimeras map to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and pseudogenes in transcriptional regulatory regions. We validate that a proportion of miR-27 and Argonaute 2 (AGO2) is nuclear and identify a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) as a miR-27 target that is linked to transcriptional regulation of nearby genes. This work expands the target networks of miR-26 and miR-27 to include direct interactions with RSV and lncRNAs and implicate these miRNAs in regulation of key genes that impact the viral life cycle associated with cell cycle, metabolism, and antiviral immunity.

The roles of ING5 in cancer: A tumor suppressor

As a Class II tumor suppressor, ING5 contains nuclear localization signal, plant homeodomain, novel conserved region, and leucine zipper-like domains. ING5 proteins form homodimer into a coil-coil structure, and heterodimers with ING4, histone H3K4me3, histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex, Tip60, Cyclin A1/CDK2, INCA1 and EBNA3C for the transcription of target genes. The acetylated proteins up-regulated by ING5 are preferentially located in nucleus and act as transcription cofactors, chromatin and DNA binding functions, while those down-regulated by ING5 mostly in cytoplasm and contribute to metabolism. ING5 promotes the autoacetylation of HAT p300, p53, histone H3 and H4 for the transcription of downstream genes (Bax, GADD45, p21, p27 and so forth). Transcriptionally, YY1 and SRF up-regulate ING5 mRNA expression by the interaction of YY1-SRF-p53-ING5 complex with ING5 promoter. Translationally, ING5 is targeted by miR-196, miR-196a, miR-196b-5p, miR-193a-3p, miR-27-3p, miR-200b/200a/429, miR-1307, miR-193, miR-222, miR-331-3p, miR-181b, miR-543 and miR-196-b. ING5 suppresses proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor growth of various cancer cells via the suppression of EGFR/PI3K/Akt, IL-6/STAT3, Akt/NF-κB/NF-κB/MMP-9 or IL-6/CXCL12 pathway. ING5-mediated chemoresistance is closely linked to anti-apoptosis, overexpression of chemoresistant genes, the activation of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB and Wnt/β-catenin signal pathways. Histologically, ING5 abrogation in gastric stem-like and pdx1-positive cells causes gastric dysplasia and cancer, and conditional ING5 knockout in pdx1-positive and gastric chief cells increases MNU-induced gastric carcinogenesis. Intestinal ING5 deletion increases AOM/DSS- induced colorectal carcinogenesis and decreases high-fat-diet weight. The overexpression and nucleocytoplasmic translocation of ING5 are seen during carcinogenesis, and ING5 expression was inversely associated with aggressive behaviors and poor prognosis in a variety of cancers. These findings indicated that ING5 might be used for a molecular marker for carcinogenesis and following progression, and as a target for gene therapy if its chemoresistant function might be ameliorated.

Autophagy Regulation by Crosstalk between miRNAs and Ubiquitination System

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding single-stranded RNA molecules encoded by endogenous genes with ~22 nucleotides which are involved in the regulation of post-transcriptional gene expression. Ubiquitination and deubiquitination are common post-translational modifications in eukaryotic cells and important pathways in regulating protein degradation and signal transduction, in which E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases (DUBs) play a decisive role. MiRNA and ubiquitination are involved in the regulation of most biological processes, including autophagy. Furthermore, in recent years, the direct interaction between miRNA and E3 ubiquitin ligases or deubiquitinases has attracted much attention, and the cross-talk between miRNA and ubiquitination system has been proved to play key regulatory roles in a variety of diseases. In this review, we summarized the advances in autophagy regulation by crosstalk between miRNA and E3 ubiquitin ligases or deubiquitinases.

Non-coding RNAs in Wilms' tumor: biological function, mechanism, and clinical implications

Non-coding RNAs are involved with maintenance and regulation of physiological mechanisms and are involved in pathological processes, such as cancer. Among the small ncRNAs, miRNAs are the most explored in tumorigenesis, metastasis development, and resistance to chemotherapy. These small molecules of ~ 22 nucleotides are modulated during early renal development, involved in the regulation of gene expression and Wilms' tumor progression. Wilms' tumors are embryonic tumors with few mutations and complex epigenetic dysregulation. In recent years, the small ncRNAs have been explored as potentially related both in physiological development and in the tumorigenesis of several types of cancer. Besides, genes regulated by miRNAs are related to biological pathways as PI3K, Wnt, TGF-β, and Hippo signaling pathways, among others, which may be involved with the underlying mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy, and in this way, it has emerged as potential targets for cancer therapies, including for Wilms' tumors.

The Role of Noncoding RNAs in the Regulation of Anoikis and Anchorage-Independent Growth in Cancer

Cancer is a global health concern, and the prognosis of patients with cancer is associated with metastasis. Multistep processes are involved in cancer metastasis. Accumulating evidence has shown that cancer cells acquire the capacity of anoikis resistance and anchorage-independent cell growth, which are critical prerequisite features of metastatic cancer cells. Multiple cellular factors and events, such as apoptosis, survival factors, cell cycle, EMT, stemness, autophagy, and integrins influence the anoikis resistance and anchorage-independent cell growth in cancer. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), are dysregulated in cancer. They regulate cellular signaling pathways and events, eventually contributing to cancer aggressiveness. This review presents the role of miRNAs and lncRNAs in modulating anoikis resistance and anchorage-independent cell growth. We also discuss the feasibility of ncRNA-based therapy and the natural features of ncRNAs that need to be contemplated for more beneficial therapeutic strategies against cancer.

LINC01089 Inhibits Tumorigenesis and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer via the miR-27a/SFRP1/Wnt/β-catenin Axis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as regulators of gene expression and play critical regulatory roles in diverse biological functions and diseases, including cancer. In this study, we report the downregulation of LINC01089 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples, relative to adjacent non-tumor tissues, and demonstrate its role in the inhibition of proliferation, migration, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of NSCLC cells. Mechanistic analysis indicates that LINC01089 acts as a sponge for miR-27a, regulating its expression in NSCLC. Interestingly, LINC01089 mediated the upregulation of SFRP1 expression by inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin–EMT pathway and inhibiting the epithelial–mesenchymal transition of NSCLC via sponging miR-27a. Overall, our findings highlight LINC01089’s tumorigenic role and regulatory mechanism in NSCLC, thereby suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for managing NSCLC.

MicroRNA-27 Inhibits Autophagy and Promotes Proliferation of Multiple Myeloma Cells by Targeting the NEDD4/Notch1 Axis

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant tumor disease that seriously affects the health of patients. Previous studies have shown the crucial role of autophagy in the development of MM. Therefore, the study aimed to study the effect of miR-27 on autophagy in MM via NEDD4/Notch1 axis. RT-qPCR or western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of miR-27, NEDD4, and Notch1 in bone marrow tissues and CD138+ plasma cells of patients and MM cells. After gain- and loss-of-function assays in MM cells, proliferation and invasion were assessed by clone formation and Transwell assays. Meanwhile, expression of autophagy-related proteins was measured by western blot analysis, followed by evaluation of autophagosomes and autophagic flow. The targeting relationship was evaluated by luciferase reporter assay, whereas the binding of NEDD4 to Notch1 protein was analyzed by co-immunoprecipitation. The ubiquitination level of Notch1 protein was detected. A nude mouse tumor model was established to determine the role of miR-27 in MM in vivo. miR-27 and Notch1 upregulation and NEDD4 downregulation were observed in bone marrow tissues and CD138+ plasma cells of patients and MM cells. miR-27 negatively targeted NEDD4, while NEDD4 could specifically bind to Notch1 protein to increase Notch1 ubiquitin degradation in MM cells. miR-27 or Notch1 overexpression or NEDD4 silencing diminished autophagy but enhanced proliferation and invasion of MM cells. miR-27 upregulation promoted the formation of subcutaneous tumor in nude mice. Collectively, miR-27 elevated Notch1 expression by targeting NEDD4 and promoted the development of MM by inhibiting cell autophagy, which provides a new idea and basis for MM treatment.

Advances in the role of miRNAs in the occurrence and development of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the skeletal system in the clinic. It mainly occurs in adolescent patients and the pathogenesis of the disease is very complicated. The distant metastasis may occur in the early stage, and the prognosis is poor. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs of about 18–25 nt in length that are involved in post-transcriptional regulation of genes. miRNAs can regulate target gene expression by promoting the degradation of target mRNAs or inhibiting the translation process, thereby the proliferation of OS cells can be inhibited and the apoptosis can be promoted; in this way, miRNAs can affect the metabolism of OS cells and can also participate in the occurrence, invasion, metastasis, and recurrence of OS. Some miRNAs have already been found to be closely related to the prognosis of patients with OS. Unlike other reviews, this review summarizes the miRNA molecules closely related to the development, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of OS in recent years. The expression and influence of miRNA molecule on OS were discussed in detail, and the related research progress was summarized to provide a new research direction for early diagnosis and treatment of OS.

Increased Expression of MiR-27a and MiR-24-2 in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the predominant types of esophageal cancer with poor prognosis which shows high prevalence in eastern countries. Studying microRNAs that were considered for their capabilities such as tissue-specific expression and involvement in different cell features may be informative in the field of diagnostic and prognostic tumor markers. The expression levels of miR-27a and miR-24-2 have been reported to be dysregulated in various cancers and contribute in tumorigenesis and progression; thus, evaluating their expressional behavior and its association with tumor states alteration in ESCC could potentially be helpful.

METHODS

The study was conducted on 30 fresh specimens including tumor and normal counterparts' tissues of ESCC. After the extraction of total RNA, complementary DNA synthesis was performed by the use of linear specific primers. Eventually, real-time polymerase chain reaction was carried out for the measurement of microRNAs expression level.

RESULTS

According to the obtained data, miR 27a and miR-24-2 were significantly upregulated (~2.5 fold, p < 0.05) in tumor specimens compared with their normal adjacent tissue; Moreover, upregulation of miR-27a and 24-2 showed cooperative relationship while analyzed. However, there was no correlation between clinicopathological features and microRNAs upregulation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study show that miR-27a and miR-24-2 cooperatively upregulate in ESCC and suggest that these microRNAs can be introduced as a candidate for further study in the field of screening and prognostic biomarkers.

Long non-coding RNA OIP5-AS1 suppresses multiple myeloma progression by sponging miR-27a-3p to activate TSC1 expression

BACKGROUND

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a prevalent hematological malignancy. Long noncoding RNAs are correlated with the development of MM. In this project, the function of lncRNA opa interacting protein 5-antisense 1 (OIP5-AS1) in MM and the potential mechanistic pathway were explored.

METHODS

The expression of OIP5-AS1, microRNA (miR)-27a-3p and tuberous sclerosis 1 (TSC1) was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. Cell proliferation was assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay and Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) staining. And cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry assay. Cell metastasis was assessed utilizing transwell assay. Western blot analysis was employed to detect protein level. The target relation between miR-27a-3p and OIP5-AS1 or TSC1 was confirmed via dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. Tumor xenograft assay was conducted to measure the function of OIP5-AS1 in vivo.

RESULTS

The expression levels of OIP5-AS1 and TSC1 were decreased in MM, whereas miR-27a-3p was upregulated. High level of OIP5-AS1 could predict favourable prognosis of MM patients. Overexpression of OIP5-AS1 inhibited cell viability, colony formation ability, migration and invasion, induced cell cycle arrest in G1 phase and apoptosis of MM cells in vitro as well as repressed tumorigenesis in vivo. MiR-27a-3p was a target of OIP5-AS1, and reversed the impact of OIP5-AS1 on MM cells. MiR-27a-3p directly targeted TSC1. Silencing of miR-27a-3p repressed MM progression by elevating TSC1 expression. OIP5-AS1 upregulated TSC1 by sponging miR-27a-3p.

CONCLUSION

OIP5-AS1 repressed multiple myeloma progression by regulating miR-27a-3p/TSC1 axis.

MicroRNA-196b-5p promotes malignant progression of colorectal cancer by targeting ING5

Background

miR-196b-5p expression is deregulated in many malignant tumors. Although miR-196b-5p has been implicated in the malignant transformation of colorectal cancer, its role in this specific type of cancer has not been fully explored. Thus, the present study was aimed to examine the cellular function of miR-196b-5p and its role in malignant biological behavior in colorectal cancer.

Methods

miR-196b-5p expression was measured in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines using quantitative real-time PCR. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Transwell assay were used to detect proliferation, migration, and invasion in cell lines, whereas flow cytometry was applied to study apoptosis. Western blot analysis was performed to measure the protein levels. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to investigate the interaction between miR-196b-5p and ING5. Tumor formation was evaluated in mice.

Results

MiR-196b-5p was abundantly expressed in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines, whereas ING5 was expressed at low levels. MiR-196b-5p was successfully overexpressed or knocked down in colorectal cancer cells. We found that miR-196b-5p overexpression significantly accelerated the proliferation, cell cycle, migration and invasion, while inhibited cell apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. However, miR-196b-5p inhibitor showed the opposite effects. Moreover, ING5 overexpression or knockdown was successfully performed in colorectal cancer cells. ING5 overexpression suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion, the phosphorylation of PI3K, Akt as well as MEK, and promoted cell apoptosis, which could be reversed by ING5 knockdown. Additionally, ING5 was identified as a target of miR-196b-5p through bioinformatics analysis and a luciferase activity assay. Furthermore, ING5 knockdown could attenuate the decrease in proliferation, migration, invasion, and the protein levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-MEK, which were induced by miRNA-196b-5p inhibitor. Besides, miR-196b-5p knockdown inhibited tumor growth, whereas ING5 knockdown elevated it in vivo.

Conclusions

In conclusion, miR-196b-5p promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and inhibits apoptosis in colorectal cancer by targeting ING5.

Low abundance of TFPI-2 by both promoter methylation and miR-27a-3p regulation is linked with poor clinical outcome in gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

The tumor suppressor role of tissue factor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI-2) has been reported in various tumors. The present study aimed to improve the understanding of the oncogenic properties of TFPI-2 in gastric cancer.

METHODS

Relative expression of TFPI-2 was determined by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting, respectively. Cell viability was measured via a cell counting kit-8 assay and proliferation was evaluated by a colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed with a caspase-3 activity kit and invasion was evaluated by a transwell chamber assay. The methylation level of TFPI-2 promoter was assayed by methylation-specific PCR. The regulatory effect of miR-27a-3p on TFPI-2 was analyzed with a luciferase reporter assay. The direct association between miR-27a-3p and TFPI-2 was shown by biotin-labelling pulldown.

RESULTS

TFPI-2 was down-regulated in gastric cancer, which associated with an unfavorable prognosis clinically. Ectopic introduction of TFPI-2 greatly compromised cell viability, colony formation and invasive capacity, and also induced cell apoptosis simultaneously. The promoter region of TFPI-2 was extensively methylated in gastric cancer tissues compared to normal tissues, suggesting the epigenetic inhibition of TFPI-2 expression. We further identified that TFPI-2 functioned as sponge RNA against miR-27a-3p. Most importantly, miR-27a-3p-specific inhibitor significantly exerted a tumor suppressor function akin to TFPI-2 itself, and the anti-tumoral activities were completely abolished by TFPI-2 knockdown.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that the epigenetically suppressed TFPI-2 compromised sponging effects with respect to miR-27a-3p in gastric cancer, which consequently and mechanistically contributed to the tumor biology of gastric cancer.

miR-27a Downregulation Promotes Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression via Targeting EGFR

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second common malignant cancer around the worldwide and is etiologically linked to ultraviolet radiation. miRNAs play an important role in the initiation and progression of cancers. However, the functions of miRNAs in cSCC remain to be elucidated. Here, we screened and identified miR-27a as a consistently downregulated miRNA after UVB irradiation in HaCaT cells. It was found that miR-27a expression was significantly decreased in cSCC cells and tissues. in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that miR-27a inhibited cell proliferation and invasion of cSCC cells. Mechanistically, EGFR was identified to be directly targeted by miR-27a and miR-27a suppressed the phosphorylation of EGFR and its downstream NF-κB signaling pathway. Overall, these findings suggest that downregulation of miR-27a promotes tumor growth and metastasis via targeting EGFR and its downstream NF-κB signaling pathway, reminding that miR-27a plays a vital role in the progression of cSCC and could be a new therapeutic target.

Vitamin D/VDR signaling induces miR-27a/b expression in oral lichen planus

MicroRNA-27a/b are small non-coding RNAs which are reported to regulate inflammatory response and cell proliferation. Although some studies have demonstrated that miR-27b is down-regulated in the oral specimens of patients suffering with oral lichen planus (OLP), the molecular mechanism of miR-27b decrease remains a large mystery, and the expression of miR-27a in OLP is not well explored. Here, we demonstrated both miR-27a and miR-27b, compared with healthy controls, were reduced in the oral biopsies, serum and saliva samples derived from OLP patients. The reductions of miR-27a/b were also confirmed in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or activated CD4⁺ T cell-treated human oral keratinocytes (HOKs). Furthermore, we found vitamin D receptor (VDR) binding sites in the promoters of miR-27a/b genes and verified this finding. We also tested miR-27a/b levels in the oral epithelium from paricalcitol-treated, vitamin D deficient or VDR knockout mice. In the rescue experiments, we confirmed vitamin D and VDR inhibited LPS- or activated CD4⁺ T cell-induced miR-27a/b reductions in HOKs. In sum, our results show that vitamin D/VDR signaling induces miR-27a/b in oral lichen planus.

miRNA signatures in childhood sarcomas and their clinical implications

Progresses in multimodal treatments have significantly improved the outcomes for childhood cancer. Nonetheless, for about one-third of patients with Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, or osteosarcoma steady remission has remained intangible. Thus, new biomarkers to improve early diagnosis and the development of precision-targeted medicine remain imperative. Over the last decade, remarkable progress has been made in the basic understanding of miRNAs function and in interpreting the contribution of their dysregulation to cancer development and progression. On this basis, this review focuses on what has been learned about the pivotal roles of miRNAs in the regulation of key genes implicated in childhood sarcomas.

Up-regulated ADP-Ribosylation factor 3 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation through the participation of FOXO1

ADP-ribosylation factor 3 (ARF3) is a member of the KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase(Ras) super-family of guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that mediates Golgi-related mitosis, but its role in malignant cells is unclear. In the present study, we found that mRNA and protein expression of ARF3 is up-regulated in breast cancer cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of 167 paraffin-embedded archived breast cancer tissues showed that ARF3 expression was localized primarily in the cytoplasm and was significantly up-regulated in malignant specimens compared to benign specimens. There were strong associations between ARF3 expression and clinicopathological characteristics in breast cancer. We also found that overexpressing ARF3 promoted, while silencing endogenous ARF3 inhibited, the proliferation of breast cancer cells by regulating cell cycle G1-S transition. Moreover, the pro-proliferative effect of ARF3 on breast cancer cells was associated with inactivation of the forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) transcription factor. ARF3 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation through the participation of FOXO1 and represents as a novel prognostic marker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Regulat-INGs in tumors and diseases: Focus on ncRNAs

ING family genes (Inhibitor of Growth) are tumor suppressor genes that play a vital role in cell homeostasis. It has been shown that their expression is lost or diminished in many cancers and other diseases. The main mechanisms by which they are regulated in oncogenesis have not yet been fully elucidated. The involvement of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and in particular microRNAs (miRNAs) in post-transcriptional gene regulation is well established. miRNAs are short sequences (18-25 nucleotides) that can bind to the 3 'UTR sequence of the targeted messenger RNA (mRNA), leading to its degradation or translational repression. Interactions between the ING family and miRNAs have been described in some cancers but also in other diseases. The involvement of miRNAs in ING family regulation opens up new fields of investigation, particularly for targeted therapies. In this review, we will summarize the regulatory mechanisms at the RNA and protein level of the ING family and focus on the interactions with ncRNAs.