MicroRNA signatures discriminate between uterine and ovarian serous carcinomas

The interplay of sex steroid hormones and microRNAs in endometrial cancer: current understanding and future directions

Introduction

Endometrial cancer is a hormone-dependent malignancy, and sex steroid hormones play a crucial role in its pathogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate the expression of sex steroid hormone receptors and modulate hormone signaling pathways. Our aim is to provide an overview of the current understanding of the role of miRNAs in endometrial cancer regulated by sex steroid hormone pathways.

Methods

A thorough literature search was carried out in the PubMed database. The articles published from 2018 to the present were included. Keywords related to miRNAs, endometrial cancer, and sex steroid hormones were used in the search.

Results

Dysregulation of miRNAs has been linked to abnormal sex steroid hormone signaling and the development of endometrial cancer. Various miRNAs have been identified as modulators of estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, and the miRNA expression profile has been shown to be a predictor of response to hormone therapy. Additionally, specific miRNAs have been implicated in the regulation of genes involved in hormone-related signaling pathways, such as the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK/ERK pathways.

Conclusion

The regulation of sex steroid hormones by miRNAs is a promising area of research in endometrial cancer. Future studies should focus on elucidating the functional roles of specific miRNAs in sex steroid hormone signaling and identifying novel miRNA targets for hormone therapy in endometrial cancer management.

The Potential of MicroRNAs as Clinical Biomarkers to Aid Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Ovarian cancer is a commonly diagnosed malignancy in women. When diagnosed at an early stage, survival outcomes are favourable for the vast majority, with up to 90% of ovarian cancer patients being free of disease at 5 years follow-up. Unfortunately, ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at an advanced stage due to the majority of patients remaining asymptomatic until the cancer has metastasised, resulting in poor outcomes for the majority. While the molecular era has facilitated the subclassification of the disease into distinct clinical subtypes, ovarian cancer remains managed and treated as a single disease entity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (19-25 nucleotides), endogenous molecules which are integral to regulating gene expression. Aberrant miRNA expression profiles have been described in several cancers, and have been implicated to be useful biomarkers which may aid cancer diagnostics and treatment. Several preliminary studies have identified candidate tumour suppressor and oncogenic miRNAs which may be involved in the development and progression of ovarian cancer, highlighting their candidacy as oncological biomarkers; understanding the mechanisms by which these miRNAs regulate the key processes involved in oncogenesis can improve our overall understanding of cancer development and identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This review highlights the potential role of miRNAs which may be utilised to aid diagnosis, estimate prognosis and enhance therapeutic strategies in the management of primary ovarian cancer.

Epigenetic Regulation in Exposome-Induced Tumorigenesis: Emerging Roles of ncRNAs

Environmental factors, including pollutants and lifestyle, constitute a significant role in severe, chronic pathologies with an essential societal, economic burden. The measurement of all environmental exposures and assessing their correlation with effects on individual health is defined as the exposome, which interacts with our unique characteristics such as genetics, physiology, and epigenetics. Epigenetics investigates modifications in the expression of genes that do not depend on the underlying DNA sequence. Some studies have confirmed that environmental factors may promote disease in individuals or subsequent progeny through epigenetic alterations. Variations in the epigenetic machinery cause a spectrum of different disorders since these mechanisms are more sensitive to the environment than the genome, due to the inherent reversible nature of the epigenetic landscape. Several epigenetic mechanisms, including modifications in DNA (e.g., methylation), histones, and noncoding RNAs can change genome expression under the exogenous influence. Notably, the role of long noncoding RNAs in epigenetic processes has not been well explored in the context of exposome-induced tumorigenesis. In the present review, our scope is to provide relevant evidence indicating that epigenetic alterations mediate those detrimental effects caused by exposure to environmental toxicants, focusing mainly on a multi-step regulation by diverse noncoding RNAs subtypes.

MicroRNA profiling in a case-control study of African American women with uterine serous carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive subtype of endometrial cancer associated with worse survival outcomes in African American (AA) patients. This study evaluated tumor miRNA expression by race, clinical and tumor characteristics, and survival outcomes.

METHODS

FFPE tumor tissue from hysterectomy specimens was identified for 29 AA cases. Case matching was performed by computer-based random assignment in a 1:1 ratio with Caucasian controls based on age, stage and histologic subtype (pure vs. mixed). RNA was extracted from 77 specimens (54 tumors and 23 matched normal endometrium). MicroRNA array profiling was performed by microRNA Hi-Power Labeling (Hy3/Hy5) and hybridization to miRCURY LNA microRNA Array 7th Gen.

RESULTS

Clinical and treatment characteristics were similar for cases and controls, although use of adjuvant radiation was less common in African Americans (p = 0.03). Of 968 miRNAs analyzed, 649 were differentially expressed in normal endometrium vs. tumor. When compared by race, histologic subtype, stage or presence of LVI, no differentially expressed miRNAs were identified. In patients with disease recurrence at 3 years, the three most upregulated miRNAs were miR-1, miR-21-5p and miR-223. Of these, increased miR-223 expression (>median) was associated with worse OS (p = 0.0496) in an independent dataset (TCGA dataset) comprising of 140 patients with USC (mixed or pure serous). After adjusting for age, ethnicity and BMI, upregulation of miR-223 remained risk factor for death (adjusted HR 2.87, 95% CI 1.00-8.27).

CONCLUSIONS

MiRNA profiling did not identify biological differences between AA and Caucasian patients with USC. Upregulation of miR-223 may be a prognostic factor in USC.

miRNA-301b-3p accelerates migration and invasion of high-grade ovarian serous tumor via targeting CPEB3/EGFR axis

High-grade ovarian serous carcinoma (HGS-OvCa), a type of ovarian cancer with poor prognosis due to distant metastasis, is urgently in need of new therapeutic targets. microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs, perform significant roles in tumor progression. Mounting evidence has revealed the aberrant expression of miRNA in various cancers, one of which is HGS-OvCa. Present study planned to investigate that miRNA-301b-3p accelerates migration and invasion of high-grade ovarian serous tumor via targeting CPEB3/EGFR axis. Upregulation of miR-301b-3p was uncovered in HGS-OvCa tissues and cell lines, and was identified to be associated with metastasis. The Kaplan-Meier analysis confirmed the association of miR-301b-3p with poor prognosis of HGS-OvCa patients. Transwell assay validated the oncogenic effect of miR-301b-3p on migration and invasion of HGS-OvCa cells. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 3 (CPEB3) was then identified as a target of miR-301b-3p. It was also discovered that CPEB3 was downregulated in HGS-OvCa tissues and cell lines. The Spearman correlation curve presented the negative correlation of CPEB3 expression with miR-301b-3p. Furthermore, rescue assays proved that miRNA-301b-3p regulated the invasion and migration through CPEB3. Western blot and qRT-PCR analysis showed that miRNA-301b-3p induced epidermal growth factor receptor and downstream metastasis-related proteins, p38, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), through CPEB3. To be concluded, these results indicated that miRNA-301b-3p accelerated migration and invasion of high-grade ovarian serous tumor via targeting CPEB3/EGFR axis.

Mortalin is a distinct bio-marker and prognostic factor in serous ovarian carcinoma

This study focused on mortalin expression and its relevance to the prognosis in serous ovarian carcinoma, mortalin modulated cell malignant proliferation and EMT progression via Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway. In this study, data obtained from Oncomine database, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) analysis and Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was used to assess the expression of mortalin in serous ovarian carcinoma. The prognostic value of mortalin was analyzed using Meier plotter database and Kaplan-Meier. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay, immunofluorescence (IF) staining, and colony formation assay were used to detect cell reproductive capacity. SK-OV-3 cell motility and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were measured by wound-healing, migration and western-blot assays. Data from Oncomine showed that mortalin was highly expressed in serous ovarian carcinomas compared with corresponding normal controls. Similar results were found in CCLE analysis and in clinical specimens. High mortalin expression was associated with high histological grade and worse overall survival (OS) rate. The results of MTT analyses, IF staining, and colony formation assay indicated that MKT-077 (1-Ethyl-2-[[3-ethyl-5-(3-methyl-2(3H)-benzothiazolylidene)-4-oxo-2-thiazolidinylidene] methyl]-pyridinium chloride) suppressed the viability of SK-OV-3 cells. Besides, mortalin suppression restrained cell EMT progression by Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway. Taken together, mortalin is over-expressed in serous ovarian carcinoma. High mortalin expression could be a candidate for the prognostic indicator and a biomarker in serous ovarian carcinoma.

Integrated microarray meta-analysis identifies miRNA-27a as an oncogene in ovarian cancer by inhibiting FOXO1

AIMS

Survival of ovarian cancer patients is generally poor, partly because most of them are already at an advanced stage when diagnosed. The purpose of this study was to screen prognostic miRNAs for ovarian cancer, and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

MAIN METHODS

Integrated meta-analysis of miRNA microarrays retrieved from public repositories was employed to identify clinically significant miRNAs involved in ovarian cancer. Targets of candidate miRNA were predicted using four online databases, and validated with dual luciferase assay. Loss and gain of function were performed to investigate the role of miR27a in the growth of ovarian cancer cell lines.

KEY FINDINGS

Based on cross-validation results in multiple datasets, we recognized hsa-miR-27a as an oncogenic molecular and a prognostic factor for ovarian cancer patients. Dual luciferase assay indicated tumor suppressor FOXO1 was a direct target of miR-27a. In addition, hsa-miR-27a could stimulate SKOV3 and A2780 cell proliferation and migration by regulating the expression of FOXO1.

SIGNIFICANCE

In summary, our results indicate that miR-27a can promote progression of ovarian cancer by mediating FOXO1. To our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on the role of miR-27a/FOXO1 axis using the microarray meta-analysis in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, inhibiting miR-27a expression may be a new strategy for the treatment of ovarian cancer.