The importance of hsa-miR-28 in human malignancies

Differential microRNA expression in adolescent anxiety proneness

Biological mechanisms underlying anxiety proneness (AP), the tendency to react fearfully to stressors due to the belief that experiencing anxiety has harmful consequences, remain unclear. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as microRNAs (small, non-coding RNAs 19-20 nucleotides long), may be contributory. This study investigated AP-associated differences in microRNA expression among South African adolescents with variable exposure to childhood trauma (CT). AP was assessed using a composite score reflecting trait anxiety and anxiety sensitivity, while CT exposure was assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. High-quality total RNA (n = 88) extracted from whole blood underwent microRNA-sequencing. Differential microRNA expression analysis was conducted with DESeq2 in R, messenger RNA target prediction analysis was performed using TargetScan and DIANA-microT, and the DIANA mirPATH tool was used for KEGG pathway analysis. The majority of participants were female (75.86%) with an average age of 15 (±1.19) years. MicroRNA expression analysis identified upregulation of hsa-miR-28-5p and downregulation of hsa-miR-502-3p and hsa-miR-500a-3p in high-AP individuals, irrespective of CT. Four KEGG pathways, each with ≥10% of their constituent genes predicted to be targets of the differentially expressed microRNAs, were identified and were enriched for genes involved in calcineurin and glutamate signalling. These findings suggest that epigenetically mediated effects on neuronal function contribute to the molecular aetiology of AP.

Identification of circulating miRNA biomarkers in leptospirosis for early detection: A promising diagnostic approach

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global significance, contributing to morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is endemic to tropical regions, with outbreaks during monsoons. The disease manifestations are similar to that of other febrile illness such as dengue, malaria hence often misdiagnosed and underreported. The zoonoses if undetected, progresses to cause severe life-threatening complications also known as Weil's disease. Routine diagnostic tests are based on the detection of antibodies in patient serum and are not accurate during the initial phase of the infection. Therefore, it is necessary to detect novel biomarkers that can be used in early detection of leptospirosis. Circulating miRNAs are known to be promising biomarkers for various diseases including cancer, tuberculosis, influenza; hence in this study the potential of miRNAs as biomarkers for leptospirosis was evaluated. A total of 30 leptospirosis cases were screened for the differential expression of 10 miRNA by RT-qPCR assay. The differential expression was calculated by relative quantification using healthy individuals as controls. Among the 10 miRNA,3 miRNA, miR-28-5p, miR-302c-3p and miR-302a-3p were reported to exhibit a significant trend of upregulation. Further their role in immune pathways and biological processes was investigated by KEGG analysis and Gene Ontology. The 3 miRNAs were observed to target various immune response pathways, thus confirming their role in host immune response. Based on the results obtained in this study, miR-28-5p, miR-302c-3p and miR-302a-3p can be considered as potential biomarkers for the detection of leptospirosis.

Pan-cancer integrated analysis of ANKRD1 expression, prognostic value, and potential implications in cancer

There is substantial evidence demonstrating the crucial role of inflammation in oncogenesis. ANKRD1 has been identified as an anti-inflammatory factor and is related to tumor drug resistance. However, there have been no studies investigating the prognostic value and molecular function of ANKRD1 in pan-cancer. In this study, we utilized the TCGA, GTEx, GSCALite, ENCORI, CTRP, DAVID, AmiGO 2, and KEGG databases as well as R language, to explore and visualize the role of ANKRD1 in tumors. We employed the ROC curve to explore its diagnostic significance, while the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox regression analysis were used to investigate its prognostic value. Additionally, we performed Pearson correlation analysis to evaluate the association between ANKRD1 expression and DNA methylation, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, TMB, MSI, MMR, and GSVA. Our findings indicate that ANKRD1 expression is dysregulated in pan-cancer. The ROC curve revealed that ANKRD1 expression is highly sensitive and specific in diagnosing CHOL, LUAD, LUSC, PAAD, SKCM, and UCS (AUC > 85.0%, P < 0.001). Higher ANKRD1 expression was related to higher overall survival (OS) in LGG, but with lower OS in COAD and STAD (P < 0.001). Moreover, Cox regression and nomogram analyzes suggested that ANKRD1 is an independent factor for COAD, GBM, HNSC, and LUSC. Dysregulation of ANKRD1 expression in pan-cancer involves DNA methylation and microRNA regulation. Using the CTRP database, we discovered that ANKRD1 may influence the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of several anti-tumor drugs. ANKRD1 expression showed significant correlations with immune cell infiltration (including cancer-associated fibroblast and M2 macrophages), immune checkpoints, TMB, MSI, and MMR. Furthermore, ANKRD1 is involved in various inflammatory and immune pathways in COAD, GBM, and LUSC, as well as cardiac functions in HNSC. In vitro experiments demonstrated that ANKRD1 promotes migration, and invasion activity, while inhibiting apoptosis in colorectal cancer cell lines (Caco2, SW480). In summary, ANKRD1 represents a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in human cancers, particularly in COAD.

Circulating microRNA Biomarker for Detecting Breast Cancer in High-Risk Benign Breast Tumors

High-risk benign breast tumors are known to develop breast cancer at high rates. However, it is still controversial whether they should be removed during diagnosis or followed up until cancer development becomes evident. Therefore, this study sought to identify circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) that could serve as detection markers of cancers arising from high-risk benign tumors. Small RNA-seq was performed using plasma samples collected from patients with early-stage breast cancer (CA) and high-risk (HB), moderate-risk (MB), and no-risk (Be) benign breast tumors. Proteomic profiling of CA and HB plasma was performed to investigate the underlying functions of the identified miRNAs. Our findings revealed that four miRNAs, hsa-mir-128-3p, hsa-mir-421, hsa-mir-130b-5p, and hsa-mir-28-5p, were differentially expressed in CA vs. HB and had diagnostic power to discriminate CA from HB with AUC scores greater than 0.7. Enriched pathways based on the target genes of these miRNAs indicated their association with IGF-1. Furthermore, the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis performed on the proteomic data revealed that the IGF-1 signaling pathway was significantly enriched in CA vs. HB. In conclusion, these findings suggest that these miRNAs could potentially serve as biomarkers for detecting early-stage breast cancer from high-risk benign tumors by monitoring IGF signaling-induced malignant transformation.