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Ahmadi SM, Amirkhanloo S, Yazdian-Robati R, Ebrahimi H, Pirhayati FH, Almalki WH, Ebrahimnejad P, Kesharwani P. Recent advances in novel miRNA mediated approaches for targeting breast cancer. J Drug Target 2023; 31:777-793. [PMID: 37480323 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2023.2240979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is considered one of the most frequent cancers among woman worldwide. While conventional therapy has been successful in treating many cases of breast cancer, drug resistance, heterogenicity, tumour features and recurrence, invasion, metastasis and the presence of breast cancer stem cells can hinder the effect of treatments, and can reduce the quality of life of patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in the development and progression of breast cancer. Several studies have reported that aberrant expression of specific miRNAs is associated with the pathogenesis of breast cancer. However, miRNAs are emerging as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Understanding their role in breast cancer biology could help develop more effective treatments for this disease. The present study discusses the biogenesis and function of miRNAs, as well as miRNA therapy approaches for targeting and treating breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyedeh Melika Ahmadi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Shervin Amirkhanloo
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Rezvan Yazdian-Robati
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Hemoglobinopathy Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Hossein Ebrahimi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | | | - Waleed H Almalki
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Pedram Ebrahimnejad
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Hemoglobinopathy Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Prashant Kesharwani
- Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
- Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India
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Arabkari V, Sultana A, Barua D, Webber M, Smith T, Gupta A, Gupta S. UPR-Induced miR-616 Inhibits Human Breast Cancer Cell Growth and Migration by Targeting c-MYC. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13034. [PMID: 37685841 PMCID: PMC10487498 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), also known as growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 153 (GADD153), belongs to the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family. CHOP expression is induced by unfolded protein response (UPR), and sustained CHOP activation acts as a pivotal trigger for ER stress-induced apoptosis. MicroRNA-616 is located within an intron of the CHOP gene. However, the regulation of miR-616 expression during UPR and its function in breast cancer is not clearly understood. Here we show that the expression of miR-616 and CHOP (host gene of miR-616) is downregulated in human breast cancer. Both miR-5p/-3p arms of miR-616 are expressed with levels of the 5p arm higher than the 3p arm. During conditions of ER stress, the expression of miR-616-5p and miR-616-3p arms was concordantly increased primarily through the PERK pathway. Our results show that ectopic expression of miR-616 significantly suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation, whereas knockout of miR-616 increased it. We found that miR-616 represses c-MYC expression via binding sites located in its protein coding region. Furthermore, we show that miR-616 exerted growth inhibitory effects on cells by suppressing c-MYC expression. Our results establish a new role for the CHOP locus by providing evidence that miR-616 can inhibit cell proliferation by targeting c-MYC. In summary, our results suggest a dual function for the CHOP locus, where CHOP protein and miR-616 can cooperate to inhibit cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Arabkari
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (V.A.); (A.S.); (D.B.); (M.W.)
- Krefting Research Centre, Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Afrin Sultana
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (V.A.); (A.S.); (D.B.); (M.W.)
| | - David Barua
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (V.A.); (A.S.); (D.B.); (M.W.)
| | - Mark Webber
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (V.A.); (A.S.); (D.B.); (M.W.)
| | - Terry Smith
- Molecular Diagnostic Research Group, College of Science, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland;
| | - Ananya Gupta
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland;
| | - Sanjeev Gupta
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (V.A.); (A.S.); (D.B.); (M.W.)
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Barua D, Sultana A, Islam MN, Cox F, Gupta A, Gupta S. RRM2 and CDC6 are novel effectors of XBP1-mediated endocrine resistance and predictive markers of tamoxifen sensitivity. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:288. [PMID: 36997866 PMCID: PMC10061897 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-10745-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endocrine-resistant breast cancers have elevated expression of XBP1, where it drives endocrine resistance by controlling the expression of its target genes. Despite the in-depth understanding of the biological functions of XBP1 in ER-positive breast cancer, effectors of endocrine resistance downstream of XBP1 are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify the XBP1-regulated genes contributing to endocrine resistance in breast cancer. METHODS XBP1 deficient sub-clones in MCF7 cells were generated using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene knockout strategy and were validated using western blot and RT-PCR. Cell viability and cell proliferation were evaluated using the MTS assay and colony formation assay, respectively. Cell death and cell cycle analysis were determined using flow cytometry. Transcriptomic data was analysed to identify XBP1-regulated targets and differential expression of target genes was evaluated using western blot and qRT-PCR. Lentivirus and retrovirus transfection were used to generate RRM2 and CDC6 overexpressing clones, respectively. The prognostic value of the XBP1-gene signature was analysed using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS Deletion of XBP1 compromised the upregulation of UPR-target genes during conditions of endoplasmic reticulum (EnR) stress and sensitized cells to EnR stress-induced cell death. Loss of XBP1 in MCF7 cells decreased cell growth, attenuated the induction of estrogen-responsive genes and sensitized them to anti-estrogen agents. The expression of cell cycle associated genes RRM2, CDC6, and TOP2A was significantly reduced upon XBP1 deletion/inhibition in several ER-positive breast cancer cells. Expression of RRM2, CDC6, and TOP2A was increased upon estrogen stimulation and in cells harbouring point-mutants (Y537S, D538G) of ESR1 in steroid free conditions. Ectopic expression of RRM2 and CDC6 increased cell growth and reversed the hypersensitivity of XBP1 KO cells towards tamoxifen conferring endocrine resistance. Importantly, increased expression of XBP1-gene signature was associated with poor outcome and reduced efficacy of tamoxifen treatment in ER-positive breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that RRM2 and CDC6 downstream of XBP1 contribute to endocrine resistance in ER-positive breast cancer. XBP1-gene signature is associated with poor outcome and response to tamoxifen in ER-positive breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Barua
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Afrin Sultana
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Md Nahidul Islam
- Discipline of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Fergus Cox
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Ananya Gupta
- Discipline of Physiology, Human Biology Building, School of Medicine, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Sanjeev Gupta
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
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Otmani K, Rouas R, Lewalle P. OncomiRs as noncoding RNAs having functions in cancer: Their role in immune suppression and clinical implications. Front Immunol 2022; 13:913951. [PMID: 36189271 PMCID: PMC9523483 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.913951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Currently, microRNAs have been established as central players in tumorigenesis, but above all, they have opened an important door for our understanding of immune and tumor cell communication. This dialog is largely due to onco-miR transfer from tumor cells to cells of the tumor microenvironment by exosome. This review outlines recent advances regarding the role of oncomiRs in enhancing cancer and how they modulate the cancer-related immune response in the tumor immune microenvironment.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of noncoding RNA that are important posttranscriptional regulators of messenger RNA (mRNA) translation into proteins. By regulating gene expression, miRNAs enhance or inhibit cancer development and participate in several cancer biological processes, including proliferation, invasion metastasis, angiogenesis, chemoresistance and immune escape. Consistent with their widespread effects, miRNAs have been categorized as oncogenes (oncomiRs) or tumor suppressor (TS) miRNAs. MiRNAs that promote tumor growth, called oncomiRs, inhibit messenger RNAs of TS genes and are therefore overexpressed in cancer. In contrast, TS miRNAs inhibit oncogene messenger RNAs and are therefore underexpressed in cancer. Endogenous miRNAs regulate different cellular pathways in all cell types. Therefore, they are not only key modulators in cancer cells but also in the cells constituting their microenvironments. Recently, it was shown that miRNAs are also involved in intercellular communication. Indeed, miRNAs can be transferred from one cell type to another where they regulate targeted gene expression. The primary carriers for the transfer of miRNAs from one cell to another are exosomes. Exosomes are currently considered the primary carriers for communication between the tumor and its surrounding stromal cells to support cancer progression and drive immune suppression. Exosome and miRNAs are seen by many as a hope for developing a new class of targeted therapy. This review outlines recent advances in understanding the role of oncomiRs in enhancing cancer and how they promote its aggressive characteristics and deeply discusses the role of oncomiRs in suppressing the anticancer immune response in its microenvironment. Additionally, further understanding the mechanism of oncomiR-related immune suppression will facilitate the use of miRNAs as biomarkers for impaired antitumor immune function, making them ideal immunotherapy targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalid Otmani
- Experimental Hematology Laboratory, Hematology Department, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium
- Hematology Department, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Khalid Otmani,
| | - Redouane Rouas
- Hematology Department, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Hematological Cell Therapy Unit, Hematology Department, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Philippe Lewalle
- Experimental Hematology Laboratory, Hematology Department, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium
- Hematology Department, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Hematological Cell Therapy Unit, Hematology Department, Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium
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Wang YS, Guo R, Yang DC, Xu Y, Hui YX, Li DD, Tang SC, Tang YY. The Interaction of NTN4 and miR-17-92 Polymorphisms on Breast Cancer Susceptibility in a Chinese Population. Clin Breast Cancer 2021; 22:e544-e551. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clbc.2021.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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CRISPR/Cas13-Based Approaches for Ultrasensitive and Specific Detection of microRNAs. Cells 2021; 10:cells10071655. [PMID: 34359825 PMCID: PMC8307730 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a prominent role in virtually every aspect of cell biology. Due to the small size of mature miRNAs, the high degree of similarity between miRNA family members, and the low abundance of miRNAs in body fluids, miRNA expression profiling is technically challenging. Biosensors based on electrochemical detection for nucleic acids are a novel category of inexpensive and very sensitive diagnostic tools. On the other hand, after recognizing the target sequence, specific CRISPR-associated proteins, including orthologues of Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14, exhibit collateral nonspecific catalytic activities that can be employed for specific and ultrasensitive nucleic acid detection from clinically relevant samples. Recently, several platforms have been developed, connecting the benefits of enzyme-assisted signal amplification and enzyme-free amplification biosensing technologies with CRISPR-based approaches for miRNA detection. Together, they provide high sensitivity, precision, and fewer limitations in diagnosis through efficient sensors at a low cost and a simple miniaturized readout. This review provides an overview of several CRISPR-based biosensing platforms that have been developed and successfully applied for ultrasensitive and specific miRNA detection.
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Read DE, Gupta A, Cawley K, Fontana L, Agostinis P, Samali A, Gupta S. Downregulation of miR-17-92 Cluster by PERK Fine-Tunes Unfolded Protein Response Mediated Apoptosis. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11010030. [PMID: 33418948 PMCID: PMC7825066 DOI: 10.3390/life11010030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
An important event in the unfolded protein response (UPR) is activation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) kinase PERK. The PERK signalling branch initially mediates a prosurvival response, which progresses to a proapoptotic response upon prolonged ER stress. However, the molecular mechanisms of PERK-mediated cell death are not well understood. Here we show that expression of the primary miR-17-92 transcript and mature miRNAs belonging to the miR-17-92 cluster are decreased during UPR. We found that miR-17-92 promoter reporter activity was reduced during UPR in a PERK-dependent manner. Furthermore, we show that activity of the miR-17-92 promoter is repressed by ectopic expression of ATF4 and NRF2. Promoter deletion analysis mapped the region responding to UPR-mediated repression to a site in the proximal region of the miR-17-92 promoter. Hypericin-mediated photo-oxidative ER damage reduced the expression of miRNAs belonging to the miR-17-92 cluster in wild-type but not in PERK-deficient cells. Importantly, ER stress-induced apoptosis was inhibited upon miR-17-92 overexpression in SH-SY5Y and H9c2 cells. Our results reveal a novel function for ATF4 and NRF2, where repression of the miR-17-92 cluster plays an important role in ER stress-mediated apoptosis. Mechanistic details are provided for the potentiation of cell death via sustained PERK signalling mediated repression of the miR-17-92 cluster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle E. Read
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland-Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland;
| | - Ananya Gupta
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland-Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland;
| | - Karen Cawley
- Apoptosis Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (K.C.); (A.S.)
| | - Laura Fontana
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, 02138 MA, USA;
| | - Patrizia Agostinis
- Cell Death Research and Therapy Group, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
- VIB Center for Cancer Biology Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Afshin Samali
- Apoptosis Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland; (K.C.); (A.S.)
| | - Sanjeev Gupta
- Discipline of Pathology, Cancer Progression and Treatment Research Group, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland-Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland;
- Correspondence:
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The Therapeutic Potential of MicroRNAs in Cancer: Illusion or Opportunity? Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2020; 13:ph13120438. [PMID: 33271894 PMCID: PMC7761241 DOI: 10.3390/ph13120438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The functional involvement of microRNAs in human neoplasia has raised in the last years an increasing interest in the scientific community toward the potential application in clinics as therapeutic tools. Indeed, the possibility to modulate their expression to re-establish a lost equilibrium and counteract tumor growth and dissemination, and/or to improve responsiveness to standard therapies, is promising and fascinating. However, several issues need to be taken into account such as factors related to miRNA stability in the blood, tissue penetration and potential off-target effects, which might affect safety, tolerability and efficacy of an miRNA-based therapy. Here we describe the most relevant challenges related to miRNA-based therapy, review the delivery strategies exploited to date and the on-going clinical trials.
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