miRNA-149* promotes cell proliferation and suppresses apoptosis by mediating JunB in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

miR‑149‑3p suppresses the proliferation and metastasis of glioma cells by targeting the CBX2/Wnt/β‑catenin pathway

The present study aimed to investigate the role of miR-149-3p/chromobox 2 (CBX2)/Wnt/β-catenin pathway in the proliferation and metastasis of glioma cells. The expression and clinical significance of miR-149-3p and CBX2 were analyzed using data from public databases. Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assays were performed to measure cell proliferation. Transwell assays were used to assess cell invasion. The results showed that miR-149-3p was downregulated and CBX2 was upregulated in glioma, and that the downregulated expression of miR-149-3p promoted the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells. In addition, downregulated expression of CBX2 suppressed the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells. Dual-luciferase assay indicated that CBX2 is a target gene of miR149-3p. The possible molecular mechanism of CBX2 was probed by western blotting, which showed that it may further affect the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These present findings demonstrated that miR-149-3p may function as a tumor suppressor miRNA by directly regulating CBX2 and serve important roles in the malignancy of glioma.

Association of noncoding RNAs with Kawasaki disease: A meta-analysis based on the current evidences

BACKGROUND

In recent years, many studies have focused on the relationship between noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and Kawasaki disease (KD). Studies have indicated that ncRNAs are associated with the occurrence and development of KD. Thus, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the diagnostic value of ncRNAs in KD patients.

METHODS

We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, China Biology Medicine disc databases, and Wanfang databases until August 25, 2023 and screened all eligible studies focusing on the diagnostic performance of ncRNAs in KD patients.

RESULTS

In total, 535 articles were found, and 28 articles were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The calculated area under the curve value was 0.880 (95% confidence intervals, 0.840-0.900). The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 0.790, 0.830, 4.610, and 0.260, respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 17.890 (95% confidence intervals, 13.110-24.420), indicating a relatively good diagnostic performance of the ncRNAs for detecting KD. In addition, the diagnostic value of micro RNAs in KD was better than that of long noncoding RNAs and circular noncoding RNAs. A subgroup analysis by specimen indicated a better diagnostic value of ncRNAs in plasma and platelet than serum. The diagnostic accuracy of ncRNAs was better in febrile controls than in healthy control groups, indicating a relatively good accuracy in distinguishing KD patients from febrile diseases.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that ncRNAs could be used as novel biomarkers for detecting KD. More studies should be conducted in the future to verify the diagnostic values of ncRNAs in KD.

PI3K/AKT pathway-related microRNA variants in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BACKGROUND

Dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting genes in the PI3K/Akt pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the impact of genetic variants in these miRNAs on ALL susceptibility has not been extensively explored in the Chinese population.

METHODS

To address this gap, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate the association between genetic variants in five PI3K/AKT pathway-related miRNAs (miR-149, miR-126, miR-492, miR-612, and miR-423) and childhood ALL susceptibility in the Chinese population. Additionally, we investigated the effects of the rs2292832 mutation on ALL cell proliferation and apoptosis.

RESULTS

Our analyses revealed that the miR-149 rs2292832 mutant heterozygous CT genotype was more frequent in the control group than in the ALL cases, indicating a protective effect against ALL (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.63-0.97, p = .024). Stratification analyses further revealed that the miR-149 rs2292832 CC genotype was associated with an increased risk of childhood ALL in subgroups of older children, females, those with parents who never smoked or drank alcohol, those living in painted houses, those with B-ALL, and those with high-risk ALL. Finally, we observed that the rs2292832 mutation inhibited ALL cell proliferation and induced apoptosis (p = .001), providing a potential mechanism by which this genetic variant may influence ALL susceptibility.

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights the significant association between the miR-149 rs2292832 genetic variant and childhood ALL susceptibility in the Chinese population. These findings expand our understanding of the complex genetic landscape underlying ALL and have implications for the development of personalized therapeutic strategies.

MiR-199a-5p Decreases Esophageal Cancer Cell Proliferation Partially through Repression of Jun-B

MicroRNA (miR)-199a-5p has been shown to function as a tumor suppressor in some malignancies but its role in esophageal cancer is poorly understood. To further explore its role in esophageal cancer, we sought to investigate the interaction between miR-199a-5p and Jun-B, an important component of the AP1 transcription factor, which contains a potential binding site for miR-199a-5p in its mRNA. We found that levels of miR-199a-5p are reduced in both human esophageal cancer specimens and in multiple esophageal cancer cell lines compared to esophageal epithelial cells. Jun-B expression is correspondingly elevated in these tumor specimens and in several cell lines compared to esophageal epithelial cells. Jun-B mRNA expression and stability, as well as protein expression, are markedly decreased following miR-199a-5p overexpression. A direct interaction between miR-199a-5p and Jun-B mRNA was confirmed by a biotinylated RNA-pull down assay and luciferase reporter constructs. Either forced expression of miR-199a-5p or Jun-B silencing led to a significant decrease in cellular proliferation as well as in AP-1 promoter activity. Our results provide evidence that miR-199a-5p functions as a tumor suppressor in esophageal cancer cells by regulating cellular proliferation, partially through repression of Jun B.

JunB: a paradigm for Jun family in immune response and cancer

Jun B proto-oncogene (JunB) is a crucial member of dimeric activator protein-1 (AP-1) complex, which plays a significant role in various physiological processes, such as placental formation, cardiovascular development, myelopoiesis, angiogenesis, endochondral ossification and epidermis tissue homeostasis. Additionally, it has been reported that JunB has great regulatory functions in innate and adaptive immune responses by regulating the differentiation and cytokine secretion of immune cells including T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages, while also facilitating the effector of neutrophils and natural killer cells. Furthermore, a growing body of studies have shown that JunB is involved in tumorigenesis through regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, senescence and metastasis, particularly affecting the tumor microenvironment through transcriptional promotion or suppression of oncogenes in tumor cells or immune cells. This review summarizes the physiological function of JunB, its immune regulatory function, and its contribution to tumorigenesis, especially focusing on its regulatory mechanisms within tumor-associated immune processes.

MiRNAs in Hematopoiesis and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common kind of pediatric cancer. Although the cure rates in ALL have significantly increased in developed countries, still 15–20% of patients relapse, with even higher rates in developing countries. The role of non-coding RNA genes as microRNAs (miRNAs) has gained interest from researchers in regard to improving our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying ALL development, as well as identifying biomarkers with clinical relevance. Despite the wide heterogeneity reveled in miRNA studies in ALL, consistent findings give us confidence that miRNAs could be useful to discriminate between leukemia linages, immunophenotypes, molecular groups, high-risk-for-relapse groups, and poor/good responders to chemotherapy. For instance, miR-125b has been associated with prognosis and chemoresistance in ALL, miR-21 has an oncogenic role in lymphoid malignancies, and the miR-181 family can act either as a oncomiR or tumor suppressor in several hematological malignancies. However, few of these studies have explored the molecular interplay between miRNAs and their targeted genes. This review aims to state the different ways in which miRNAs could be involved in ALL and their clinical implications.

Modulation of AKT Pathway-Targeting miRNAs for Cancer Cell Treatment with Natural Products

Many miRNAs are known to target the AKT serine-threonine kinase (AKT) pathway, which is critical for the regulation of several cell functions in cancer cell development. Many natural products exhibiting anticancer effects have been reported, but their connections to the AKT pathway (AKT and its effectors) and miRNAs have rarely been investigated. This review aimed to demarcate the relationship between miRNAs and the AKT pathway during the regulation of cancer cell functions by natural products. Identifying the connections between miRNAs and the AKT pathway and between miRNAs and natural products made it possible to establish an miRNA/AKT/natural product axis to facilitate a better understanding of their anticancer mechanisms. Moreover, the miRNA database (miRDB) was used to retrieve more AKT pathway-related target candidates for miRNAs. By evaluating the reported facts, the cell functions of these database-generated candidates were connected to natural products. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the natural product/miRNA/AKT pathway in the modulation of cancer cell development.

miR-146a, miR-196a2, miR-499, and miR-149 linked with susceptibility to acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A case-control study in Tunisia

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers of hematological malignancies, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). Recent studies revealed that miRNA single nucleotide polymorphisms (miR-SNP) modulate cancer risk by regulating various signaling pathways. However, their association with altered risk of ALL yielded inconsistent results.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the association of four miR-SNPs with altered risk of ALL risk in Tunisian, the first on North African population.

METHODS

A retrospective case-control study exploring the association of miR-146a, miR-196a2, miR-499, and miR-149 SNPs in 126 ALL patients and 126 healthy controls.

RESULTS

Of the tested variants, significantly lower minor allele frequencies (MAF) of miR-146a C-allele and higher MAF frequency of miR-149 T-allele (P = 0.006) were seen in ALL cases. The association of miR-149 rs2292832 (Pc = 0.02), but not miR-146a rs2910164 (Pc = 0.11) persisted after correcting for multiple comparisons. Significantly reduced prevalence of miR-146a G/C genotype and higher frequency of miR-149 C/T genotype were seen in ALL cases vs. control subjects, which translated into negative association of miR-146a (rs2910164) with ALL according to the codominant and dominant models. Similarly, miR-149 (rs2292832) was positively associated with ALL according to the codominant and dominant genetic models. Three combinations comprising miR-146a/miR-196a2 GG vs CT + TT genotype combination, miR-146a/miR-499 GG vs TC + CC genotype combination, and miR-146a/miR-149 GG vs CT + TT genotype combination, were less frequent in ALL patients than in controls, and were negatively associated with the presence of ALL.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that miR-146a and miR-149 polymorphisms constitute biomarkers for personalized diagnosis of ALL.

MicroRNA and Alternative mRNA Splicing Events in Cancer Drug Response/Resistance: Potent Therapeutic Targets

Cancer is a multifaceted disease that involves several molecular mechanisms including changes in gene expression. Two important processes altered in cancer that lead to changes in gene expression include altered microRNA (miRNA) expression and aberrant splicing events. MiRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that play a central role in regulating RNA silencing and gene expression. Alternative splicing increases the diversity of the proteome by producing several different spliced mRNAs from a single gene for translation. MiRNA expression and alternative splicing events are rigorously regulated processes. Dysregulation of miRNA and splicing events promote carcinogenesis and drug resistance in cancers including breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal, ovarian and leukemia. Alternative splicing may change the target mRNA 3'UTR binding site. This alteration can affect the produced protein and may ultimately affect the drug affinity of target proteins, eventually leading to drug resistance. Drug resistance can be caused by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The interplay between miRNA and alternative splicing is largely due to splicing resulting in altered 3'UTR targeted binding of miRNAs. This can result in the altered targeting of these isoforms and altered drug targets and drug resistance. Furthermore, the increasing prevalence of cancer drug resistance poses a substantial challenge in the management of the disease. Henceforth, molecular alterations have become highly attractive drug targets to reverse the aberrant effects of miRNAs and splicing events that promote malignancy and drug resistance. While the miRNA-mRNA splicing interplay in cancer drug resistance remains largely to be elucidated, this review focuses on miRNA and alternative mRNA splicing (AS) events in breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal and ovarian cancer, as well as leukemia, and the role these events play in drug resistance. MiRNA induced cancer drug resistance; alternative mRNA splicing (AS) in cancer drug resistance; the interplay between AS and miRNA in chemoresistance will be discussed. Despite this great potential, the interplay between aberrant splicing events and miRNA is understudied but holds great potential in deciphering miRNA-mediated drug resistance.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0001306 Functions as a Competing Endogenous RNA to Regulate FBXW7 Expression by Sponging miR-527 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to regulate many types of cancers, including HCC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential roles of hsa_circ_0001306 in HCC. Firstly, the downregulation of hsa_circ_0001306 was identified by high‑throughput RNA sequencing and further verified by qRT-PCR. Secondly, we evaluated the effects of hsa_circ_0001306 on HCC cell proliferation, invasion, cell cycle. Finally, we used an animal model to validate the in vitro experimental results. The expression of hsa_circ_0001306 was closely related to tumor size. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0001306 could downregulate F-box and WD repeat domain containing 7(FBXW7), a target of miR-527, thereby promoting HCC cell proliferation and invasion. Furthermore, hsa_circ_0001306 siRNA increased the multiplication rate of HCC tumors. Mechanistic studies indicated that hsa_circ_0001306 acts as a ceRNA for miR-527, which resulted in the reduction of its endogenous target, FBXW7. Hsa_circ_001306 is significantly downregulated in HCC, and the hsa_circ_0001306/miR-527/FBXW7 axis plays an important role in HCC progression.

MicroRNA-1246 by Targeting AXIN2 and GSK-3β Overcomes Drug Resistance and Induces Apoptosis in Chemo-resistant Leukemia Cells

Background and objective: Chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of leukemia. Multidrug resistance (MDR) induced by chemotherapy always leads to treatment failure and disease recurrence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been verified as crucial components in carcinogenesis, including chemo-resistance of tumor cells, which has not been fully understood. In this study, we aimed to identify the potential candidate miRNA, miR-1246, and reveal its regulatory role in chemo-resistance of leukemia cells.

Methods: Candidate miRNAs were selected by microarray analysis, screened by bioinformatics tools and verified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Chemo-resistant phenotypes, including cell viability, apoptosis, adriamycin (ADM) efflux and in vivo oncogenicity of leukemia cells following transfected with miR-1246 mimics or inhibitor were checked with or without ADM treatment to make clear the relationship between miR-1246 and chemo-resistance. RT-qPCR, western blot and dual luciferase reporter assay were performed to measure the expression of related genes and address the potential regulatory mechanism of miR-1246 in chemo-resistance.

Results: The expression of miR-1246 was significantly higher in chemo-resistant leukemia K562/ADM cells, HL-60/RS cells and recurrent primary leukemia cells. Loss of miR-1246 inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, altered cell cycle distribution, inhibited ADM efflux in chemo-resistant leukemia cells, while overexpression of miR-1246 showed the opposite role in chemo-sensitive leukemia cells. Both bioinformatics prediction and luciferase assay indicated that AXIN2 and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) were the direct targets of miR-1246 in leukemia cells. Inhibition of miR-1246 could up-regulate AXIN2 and GSK-3β and inactivate Wnt/β-catenin pathway, accompanied with inhibiting the expression of β-catenin and further influencing the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the chemo-resistant leukemia cells.

Conclusions: Chemo-resistant ability of MDR leukemia cells is attenuated by loss of miR-1246 via negatively regulating AXIN2 and GSK-3β to inactivate Wnt/β-catenin pathway and suppress P-gp expression, these mean that targeting miR-1246-AXIN2/GSK-3β-Wnt/β-catenin axis may be beneficial to overcome the chemo-resistance in relapse and refractory leukemia patients.

Mechanism of circADD2 as ceRNA in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background: Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignant tumor in children. Increasing evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical regulatory roles in tumor biology. However, the expression patterns and roles of circRNAs in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remain largely unknown.

Methods: circADD2 was selected by microarray assay and confirmed by qRT-PCR; in vitro effects of circADD2 were determined by CCK-8 and flow cytometry; while mice subcutaneous tumor model was designed for in vivo analysis. RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase assay were applied for mechanistic study. Protein levels were examined by Western blot assay.

Results: circADD2 was down-regulated in ALL tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of circADD2 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Briefly, circADD2 could directly sponge miR-149-5p, and the level of AKT2, a target gene of miR-149-5p, was downregulated by circADD2.

Conclusion: circADD2, as a tumor suppressor in ALL, can sponge miR-149-5p, and may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis or treatment of ALL.

Biological relevance and therapeutic potential of G-quadruplex structures in the human noncoding transcriptome

Noncoding RNAs are functional transcripts that are not translated into proteins. They represent the largest portion of the human transcriptome and have been shown to regulate gene expression networks in both physiological and pathological cell conditions. Research in this field has made remarkable progress in the comprehension of how aberrations in noncoding RNA drive relevant disease-associated phenotypes; however, the biological role and mechanism of action of several noncoding RNAs still need full understanding. Besides fulfilling its function through sequence-based mechanisms, RNA can form complex secondary and tertiary structures which allow non-canonical interactions with proteins and/or other nucleic acids. In this context, the presence of G-quadruplexes in microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs is increasingly being reported. This evidence suggests a role for RNA G-quadruplexes in controlling microRNA biogenesis and mediating noncoding RNA interaction with biological partners, thus ultimately regulating gene expression. Here, we review the state of the art of G-quadruplexes in the noncoding transcriptome, with their structural and functional characterization. In light of the existence and further possible development of G-quadruplex binders that modulate G-quadruplex conformation and protein interactions, we also discuss the therapeutic potential of G-quadruplexes as targets to interfere with disease-associated noncoding RNAs.

Hsa-miR-149-5p Suppresses Prostate Carcinoma Malignancy by Suppressing RGS17

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key players in the progression of human cancers. While several miRNAs have been reported to regulate the development of tumors, the molecular mechanisms and roles of miR-149-5p in prostate carcinoma (PCa) remain unclear. Our aim was to investigate the interaction and functions of miR-149-5p and RGS17 in PCa.

Methods

Microarray analysis was performed to identify the key miRNA and gene involved in PCa progression. The expression levels of miRNA and mRNA in PCa tissues and cells were verified by qRT-PCR. MTT assay, BrdU proliferation assay and wound-healing assay were applied to assess the effect of miR-149-5p and RGS17 on PCa cells’ viability, proliferation, and migration ability. The association between RGS17 and miR-149-5p was identify using dual-luciferase reporter assay and Western blot assay.

Results

Data analysis indicated the reduction of miR-149-5p expression in PCa tissues and cells. Experimental investigations also showed that this miRNA suppressed the viability, proliferation and migration ability of PCa cells. RGS17 was found to be the target of miR-149-5p, and the low expression of miR-149-5p upregulated RGS17 in PCa tissues and cells. The results of the cell-function assays showed that RGS17 acted as an oncogene in PCa even though its promotive effect could be reversed by miR-149-5p.

Conclusion

This research confirmed that by targeting and inhibiting RGS17, miR-149-5p could suppress PCa development.

MicroRNA-149: A review of its role in digestive system cancers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of highly conserved, short (18-25 nucleotide long) non-coding RNAs which play important functional roles in cellular differentiation, biological development, pathogenesis and disease susceptibility and have been linked to both tumorigenesis and the malignant progression of various cancers. miRNAs primarily exert their function through the negative regulation of their target gene's transcription via the specific recognition of their 3' untranslated region. A single miRNA can regulate multiple target genes and most miRNAs are controlled by several factors. Recent studies have shown that microRNA-149 (miR-149) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of digestive system cancers and may act as a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target. In this review, we summarize and discuss the most recent reports describing miR-149 in digestive system cancers, including its single nucleotide polymorphisms, expression levels, target genes, drug sensitivity and clinical significance.

Suppression of circular RNA circDHCR24 alleviates aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration by targeting miR-149-5p/MMP9 axis

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in many courses of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease (CHD). However, the role and effect of circRNAs in vascular restenosis after PCI remains unclear. Human aortic vascular smooth muscle cell (HA-VSMC) was cultured and stimulated with PDGF-BB. The expression profile of circRNAs in HA-VSMCs was screened using microarray analysis. A total 257 aberrantly expressed circRNAs were screened with 2 fold change. Has_circ_0113656 (also called circDHCR24) was validated by qRT-PCR to be significantly up-regulated in PDGF-BB induced HA-VSMCs. CircDHCR24 silencing obviously inhibited the proliferation, migration and phenotypic switch. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis predicted that miR-149-5p had complementary binding sites in 3'-UTR of circDHCR24. Luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay further verified the circDHCR24 acts as a spong for miR-149-5p in HA-VSMCs. Besides, bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay proved MMP9 was a directly target of miR-149-5p. Finally, cells were transfected with si-circDHCR24 with or without miR-149 inhibitor, and the results showed that co-transfection si-circDHCR24 and miR-149 inhibitor reversed the effect of si-circDHCR24 on cell proliferation, migration and phenotypic switch. Taken together, our study suggested for the first time that the knockdown of circDHCR24 alleviates HA-VSMCs proliferation, migration and phenotypic switching, thereby preventing vascular restenosis.

Role of microRNA dysregulation in childhood acute leukemias: Diagnostics, monitoring and therapeutics: A comprehensive review

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNAs that regulate the expression of genes by sequence-specific binding to mRNA to either promote or block its translation; they can also act as tumor suppressors (e.g., let-7b, miR-29a, miR-99, mir-100, miR-155, and miR-181) and/or oncogenes (e.g., miR-29a, miR-125b, miR-143-p3, mir-155, miR-181, miR-183, miR-196b, and miR-223) in childhood acute leukemia (AL). Differentially expressed miRNAs are important factors associated with the initiation and progression of AL. As shown in many studies, they can be used as noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, which are useful in monitoring early stages of AL development or during therapy (e.g., miR-125b, miR-146b, miR-181c, and miR-4786), accurate classification of different cellular or molecular AL subgroups (e.g., let-7b, miR-98, miR-100, miR-128b, and miR-223), and identification and development of new therapeutic agents (e.g., mir-10, miR-125b, miR-203, miR-210, miR-335). Specific miRNA patterns have also been described for commonly used AL therapy drugs (e.g., miR-125b and miR-223 for doxorubicin, miR-335 and miR-1208 for prednisolone, and miR-203 for imatinib), uncovering miRNAs that are associated with treatment response. In the current review, the role of miRNAs in the development, progression, and therapy monitoring of pediatric ALs will be presented and discussed.

ADAR1p150 regulates the biosynthesis and function of miRNA-149* in human melanoma

Melanoma is an aggressive malignant skin tumor. Study found that miR-149* was abnormally expressed in melanoma. Adenosine deaminases acting on the RNA1 (ADAR1) is an RNA editing enzyme. It can change the structure and function of miRNA. In this study, we investigate the role of ADAR1 in regulation of miRNA-149* in melanoma. Western-blot analysis was used to analyze the expression of ADAR1p150, ADAR1p110 and GSK3α at protein level. The expression of ADAR1p150, miR-149* and GSK3α at mRNA level were detected using qRT-PCR. Co-immunoprecipitation test was then performed to determine the interaction between ADAR1 and Dicer. Target verification of miRNA-149*/GSK3α was carried out using luciferase reporter assay. CCK-8 was used to detect cell proliferation. Cell apoptosis was tested using Tunel assays. The expression level of ADAR1p150 was found to be increased in human melanoma tissues, but not ADAR1p110. There was a direct interaction between ADAR1p150 and Dicer in melanoma cells. MiRNA-149* was significantly up-regulated in melanoma tissues and melanoma cells. Luciferase reporter assay suggested that GSK3α was a directly target of miR-149*. The expression level of miR-149* showed a positive correlation with ADAR1p150. At the same time, ADAR1p150 expression was negatively correlated with the expression of GSK3α. ADAR1p150 promoted proliferation of melanoma cells and inhibited cell apoptosis. ADAR1p150 can promote the biosynthesis and function of miRNA-149* in melanoma cells which makes it be considered as both a bio-marker and a therapeutic target for treatment of melanoma.

The role of microRNAs in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: From biology to applications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that are characterized by small, noncoding RNA have an essential role in the pathogenesis of human diseases, including cancer. Furthermore, miRNAs, as a new paradigm of epigenetic regulators, play an important role in normal development and cellular function. This literature review summarizes the recurrent mechanism of gene regulation through miRNAs and, consequently, the impact of regulated genes on different cellular processes, including proliferation, metastasis, prognosis, and apoptosis. Additionally, what is important to note is that the expression of miRNAs in various cancer cells is different, and miRNAs have various target genes in various cancers. Accordingly, a proper understanding of gene regulation by miRNAs contributes to new perspectives in miRNA-based therapeutic strategies. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: MiRNAs are considered as a crucial regulator of gene expression. The genes also play an important role in the expression of miRNAs; as a result, there is a relationship between them. In recent years, targeted therapy with miRNAs has been a significant challenge. Studying the mechanisms through which miRNAs regulate various cancer cell processes, including apoptosis, proliferation, and metastasis, is very critical in the treatment of cancer through miRNAs. Definitely, a proper understanding of the impacts of aberrant expression of miRNAs on cancer cell processes leads to new therapeutic strategies in the targeted therapy with miRNAs.

miR-149-5p Inhibits Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration by Targeting Histone Deacetylase 4 (HDAC4)

BACKGROUND Studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) have essential roles in biological functions of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, the function and related molecular mechanism of miR-149-5p in VSMCs remains unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used MTT assay, Transwell assay, and wound-healing assay to measure the proliferation, invasion, and migration of VSMCs transfected with miR-149-5p mimics or inhibitors, respectively. Bioinformatics tools and luciferase assay were used to validate the relationship between miR-149-5p and histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4). Rescue experiments were used to confirm the interaction of miR-149-5p and HDAC4 in regulating biological functions in VSMCs. RESULTS miR-149-5p was downregulated in PDGF-bb-induced VSMCs. It was also found that miR-149-5p overexpression suppressed proliferation, invasion, and migration of VSMCs, while miR-149-5p knockdown showed the opposite effects. Furthermore, HDAC4 was found to be a potential target of miR-149-5p, which rescued miR-149-5p-mediated proliferation, invasion, and migration in VSMCs. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that miR-149-5p can suppress biological functions of VSMCs by regulating HDAC4, which might provide a potent therapeutic target for VSMC growth-related diseases.

Regulatory network analysis reveals the oncogenesis roles of feed-forward loops and therapeutic target in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

BACKGROUND

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy. Aberrant expressed genes contribute to the development and progression of T-ALL. However, the regulation underlying their aberrant expression remains elusive. Dysregulated expression of transcription factors and miRNAs played important regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of T-ALL.

METHODS

In this study, we analyzed the alteration of transcriptome profiling and regulatory networks between T-ALL sample and normal T cell samples at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.

RESULTS

Our results demonstrated that genes related to cell cycle and cell proliferation processes were significantly upregulated in T-ALL comparing to normal samples. Meanwhile, regulatory network analyses revealed that FOXM1, MYB, SOX4 and miR-21/19b as core regulators played vital roles in the development of T-ALL. FOXM1-miR-21-5p-CDC25A and MYB/SOX4-miR-19b-3p-RBBP8 were identified as important feed-forward loops involved in the oncogenesis of T-ALL. Drug-specific analyses showed that GSK-J4 may be an effective drug, and CDC25A/CAPN2/MCM2 could serve as potential therapeutic targets for T-ALL.

CONCLUSIONS

This study may provide novel insights for the regulatory mechanisms underlying the development of T-ALL and potential therapeutic targets.

miR-149-5p inhibits cell growth by regulating TWEAK/Fn14/PI3K/AKT pathway and predicts favorable survival in human osteosarcoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as small non-coding RNAs act as either tumor suppressors or oncogenes in human cancers, of which miR-149-5p (miR-149) is involved in tumor growth and metastasis, but its role and molecular mechanisms underlying osteosarcoma growth are poorly understood. The correlation of miR-149 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with sarcoma was analyzed by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) RNA-sequencing data. Osteosarcoma cell growth affected by miR-149 was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and colony formation assays. As a result, we found that the expression level of miR-149 was markedly downregulated in human sarcoma samples and were negatively associated with tumor size, acting as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival of the sarcoma patients. Restoration of miR-149 expression suppressed osteosarcoma cell growth, while its knockdown reversed these effects. Furthermore, we identified TNFRSF12A (TNF receptor superfamily member 12A), also called fibroblast growth factor–inducible 14 (Fn14) as a direct target of miR-149, and TNFRSF12A and its ligand TNFSF12 (TNF superfamily member 12), also called tumor necrosis factor–related weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK), were both negatively correlated with miR-149 expression in sarcoma samples. Knockdown of TNFRSF12A suppressed cell growth, but its overexpression weakened the antiproliferative effects of miR-149 via the PI3K/AKT (AKT serine/threonine kinase) signaling pathway. Altogether, our findings show that miR-149 functions as a tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma via inhibition of the TWEAK–Fn14 axis and represents a potential therapeutic target in patients with osteosarcoma.

MicroRNA in leukemia: Tumor suppressors and oncogenes with prognostic potential

Leukemia is known as a progressive malignant disease, which destroys the blood-forming organs and results in adverse effects on the proliferation and development of leukocytes and their precursors in the blood and bone marrow. There are four main classes of leukemia including acute leukemia, chronic leukemia, myelogenous leukemia, and lymphocytic leukemia. Given that a variety of internal and external factors could be associated with the initiation and progression of different types of leukemia. One of the important factors is epigenetic regulators such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (ncRNA). MiRNAs are short ncRNAs which act as tumor suppressor (i.e., miR-15, miR-16, let-7, and miR-127) or oncogene (i.e., miR-155, miR-17-92, miR-21, miR-125b, miR-93, miR-143-p3, miR-196b, and miR-223) in leukemia. It has been shown that deregulation of these molecules are associated with the initiation and progression of leukemia. Hence, miRNAs could be used as potential therapeutic candidates in the treatment of patients with leukemia. Moreover, increasing evidence revealed that miRNAs could be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in monitoring patients in early stages of disease or after received chemotherapy regimen. It seems that identification and development of new miRNAs could pave to the way to the development new therapeutic platforms for patients with leukemia. Here, we summarized various miRNAs as tumor suppressor and oncogene which could be introduced as therapeutic targets in treatment of leukemia.

Dinitrosopiperazine-decreased PKP3 through upregulating miR-149 participates in nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has a high metastatic clinicopathological feature. As a carcinogen factor, N,N'-dinitrosopiperazine (DNP) is involved in NPC metastasis, but its precise mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Herein, we showed that DNP promotes NPC metastasis through upregulating miR-149. DNP was found to decrease Plakophilin3 (PKP3) expression, further DNP-decreased PKP3 was verified to be through upregulating miR-149. We also found that DNP induced proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion of NPC cell, which was inhibited by miR-149-inhibitor. DNP may promote NPC metastasis through miR-149-decreased PKP3 expression. Therefore, DNP-increased miR-149 expression may be an important factor of NPC high metastasis, and miR-149 may serve as a molecular target for anti-metastasis therapy of NPC.

miRNA-23a has effects to improve lung injury induced by sepsis in vitro and vivo study

AIM

The aim of this study is to explain the effects and mechanism of miRNA-23a in lung injury which were induced by sepsis in vitro and vivo.

METHODS

In the vitro study, The BEAS-2B cells were divided into 4 groups: NC, MC, miRNA and miRNA + PTEN agonist groups. The cell proliferation and apoptosis of difference groups were measured by MTT and flow cytometry, the relative proteins expression of difference groups were measured by WB assay. In the vivo study, the rats were also divided into 4 groups: NC, MC, miRNA and miRNA + PTEN agonist groups. The miRNA-23a expression of difference groups were evaluated by ISH in lung tissues of rats. The cell apoptosis of difference groups were evaluated by TUNEL assay in lung tissues; the relative proteins expression of difference groups were evaluated by IHC assay.

RESULTS

Compared with NC group, the cell apoptosis rate of MC groups were significantly increased in vitro and vivo studies (P ＜ 0.05, respectively). The relative proteins (PTEN, PI3K, AKT and P53) expressions of MC group were significantly differences (P ＜ 0.05, respectively) compared with those of NC groups in vitro and vivo studies. However, with miRNA-23a infection, the cell apoptosis of miRNA group were significantly suppressed compared with MC groups, and the relative proteins (PTEN, PI3K, AKT and P53) of miRNA group were also significantly differences compared with MC groups in vitro and vivo studies (P ＜ 0.05, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The miRNA-23a has improved lung injury induced by sepsis via PTEN/PI3K/AKT/P53 pathway in vitro and vivo studies.

Regulation and functions of MicroRNA-149 in human cancers

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in the regulatory mechanisms involving cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and tumorigenesis. Recent research efforts have been conducted to apply these discoveries into clinical functions, including the early diagnosis and therapeutic outcome of patients with cancer. Previous studies have shown that microRNA-149 (miR-149) is dysregulated in various human cancers and exerts its effects on tumorigenesis and tumour progression. In this review, we summarized the potential roles of miR-149 dysregulation and its target genes during tumorigenesis and clinical treatment of human cancers.

Cell-autonomous and cell non-autonomous downregulation of tumor suppressor DAB2IP by microRNA-149-3p promotes aggressiveness of cancer cells

The tumor suppressor DAB2IP contributes to modulate the network of information established between cancer cells and tumor microenvironment. Epigenetic and post-transcriptional inactivation of this protein is commonly observed in multiple human malignancies, and can potentially favor progression of tumors driven by a variety of genetic mutations. Performing a high-throughput screening of a large collection of human microRNA mimics, we identified miR-149-3p as a negative post-transcriptional modulator of DAB2IP. By efficiently downregulating DAB2IP, this miRNA enhances cancer cell motility and invasiveness, facilitating activation of NF-kB signaling and promoting expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic factors. In addition, we found that miR-149-3p secreted by prostate cancer cells induces DAB2IP downregulation in recipient vascular endothelial cells, stimulating their proliferation and motility, thus potentially remodeling the tumor microenvironment. Finally, we found that inhibition of endogenous miR-149-3p restores DAB2IP activity and efficiently reduces tumor growth and dissemination of malignant cells. These observations suggest that miR-149-3p can promote cancer progression via coordinated inhibition of DAB2IP in tumor cells and in stromal cells.

A Self-Training Subspace Clustering Algorithm under Low-Rank Representation for Cancer Classification on Gene Expression Data

Accurate identification of the cancer types is essential to cancer diagnoses and treatments. Since cancer tissue and normal tissue have different gene expression, gene expression data can be used as an efficient feature source for cancer classification. However, accurate cancer classification directly using original gene expression profiles remains challenging due to the intrinsic high-dimension feature and the small size of the data samples. We proposed a new self-training subspace clustering algorithm under low-rank representation, called SSC-LRR, for cancer classification on gene expression data. Low-rank representation (LRR) is first applied to extract discriminative features from the high-dimensional gene expression data; the self-training subspace clustering (SSC) method is then used to generate the cancer classification predictions. The SSC-LRR was tested on two separate benchmark datasets in control with four state-of-the-art classification methods. It generated cancer classification predictions with an overall accuracy 89.7 percent and a general correlation 0.920, which are 18.9 and 24.4 percent higher than that of the best control method respectively. In addition, several genes (RNF114, HLA-DRB5, USP9Y, and PTPN20) were identified by SSC-LRR as new cancer identifiers that deserve further clinical investigation. Overall, the study demonstrated a new sensitive avenue to recognize cancer classifications from large-scale gene expression data.

Cancer Characteristic Gene Selection via Sample Learning Based on Deep Sparse Filtering

Identification of characteristic genes associated with specific biological processes of different cancers could provide insights into the underlying cancer genetics and cancer prognostic assessment. It is of critical importance to select such characteristic genes effectively. In this paper, a novel unsupervised characteristic gene selection method based on sample learning and sparse filtering, Sample Learning based on Deep Sparse Filtering (SLDSF), is proposed. With sample learning, the proposed SLDSF can better represent the gene expression level by the transformed sample space. Most unsupervised characteristic gene selection methods did not consider deep structures, while a multilayer structure may learn more meaningful representations than a single layer, therefore deep sparse filtering is investigated here to implement sample learning in the proposed SLDSF. Experimental studies on several microarray and RNA-Seq datasets demonstrate that the proposed SLDSF is more effective than several representative characteristic gene selection methods (e.g., RGNMF, GNMF, RPCA and PMD) for selecting cancer characteristic genes.

Deep sequencing reveals two Jurkat subpopulations with distinct miRNA profiles during camptothecin-induced apoptosis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs of about 19-25 nt that regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally under various cellular conditions, including apoptosis. The miRNAs involved in modulation of apoptotic events in T cells are partially known. However, heterogeneity associated with cell lines makes it difficult to interpret gene expression signatures, especially in cancer-related cell lines. Treatment of the Jurkat T-cell leukemia cell line with the universal apoptotic drug, camptothecin, resulted in identification of two Jurkat subpopulations: one that is sensitive to camptothecin and another that is rather intrinsically resistant. We sorted apoptotic Jurkat cells from nonapoptotic ones prior to profiling miRNAs through deep sequencing. Our data showed that a total of 184 miRNAs were dysregulated. Interestingly, the apoptotic and nonapoptotic subpopulations exhibited distinct miRNA expression profiles. In particular, 6 miRNAs were inversely expressed in these two subpopulations. The pyrosequencing results were validated by real-time qPCR. Altogether, these results suggest that miRNAs modulate apoptotic events in T cells and that cellular heterogeneity requires careful interpretation of miRNA expression profiles obtained from drug-treated cell lines.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia from miRNA perspective: Basic concepts, experimental approaches, and potential biomarkers

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare, aggressive and heterogeneous malignancy originating from T-cell precursors. The mechanisms of T-ALL pathogenesis related to non-protein coding part of the genome are currently intensively studied. miRNAs are short, non-coding molecules acting as negative regulators of gene expression which shape phenotype of cells in a complex and context-specific manner. miRNAs may act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors; several miRNAs have been related to drug resistance and treatment response in various malignancies. Here we present the review of the state-of-the-art knowledge on the role of miRNAs in T-ALL pathogenesis, with detailed overview of the studies reporting on miRNAs with oncogenic and tumor suppressor potential. We discuss whether miRNAs might be considered candidate biomarkers of prognosis in T-ALL and leukemia subtype-specific markers. We also describe experimental approaches and a typical workflow applied in research on the involvement of miRNAs in oncogenesis.

MicroRNA-149 suppresses the proliferation and increases the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin by targeting X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis

Currently, ovarian cancer is identified as one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality in females. Despite numerous efforts that were made on developing novel treatments for ovarian cancer, the survival rate remains unsatisfactory. Considering the important regulatory role of miRNAs in different types of cancer, the present study aims to identify a novel therapeutic target for treatment of ovarian cancer. The expression of miR-149 was detected using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction in cancerous and normal cells. Furthermore, the effects of miR-149 on ovarian cancer cell activities were investigated using MTT assay, colony formation, flow cytometry and western blotting analysis. In the present study, it was revealed that microRNA (miR)-149 was significantly downregulated in ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines, and that the miR-149 expression was correlated with the patient prognosis. In addition, it was observed that forced expression of miR-149 increased the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cell to cisplatin. Based on bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assay, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) was identified as a direct target gene of miR-149 in ovarian cancer cells. It was also demonstrated that XIAP expression was upregulated in the ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines, while it was negatively correlated with miR-149 in these tissues and cells. Furthermore, results revealed that ectopic expression of XIAP was able to abolish the miR-149-enhanced cell sensitivity to cisplatin. In conclusion, the present study revealed that miR-149 functioned as a tumor suppressor in the progression of ovarian cancer, increasing the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin treatment.

miRNA-15a, miRNA-16, miRNA-126, miRNA-146a, and miRNA-223 expressions in autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and their impact on engraftment

OBJECTIVE

MicroRNAs engaged in angiogenesis and hematopoiesis can influence hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) homing after transplantation by targeting bone marrow niche microenvironment. This study aimed to examine the kinetics of miRNA-15a, miRNA-16, miRNA-126, miRNA-146a, and miRNA-223 in autologous HSC transplantation settings.

METHODS

The study comprised of 51 patients with hematological malignancies (42 multiple myeloma, 9 lymphoma). Samples were taken at four time points: before conditioning, after chemotherapy but prior to autologous HSC transplantation (day 0), on day +7, and +14 days after HSCT. The miRNA levels were evaluated by the real-time PCR method.

RESULTS

A significant, steady decline of all tested microRNAs in the course of transplantation, as compared to the baseline, was found. The study revealed that higher levels of miRNA-15a, miRNA-16, miRNA-126, and miRNA-146a on day 0 correlated with longer time to engraftment. Additionally, a positive correlation between the levels of miRNA-15a, miRNA-146a, and miRNA-223 assessed on day +7 and the time to engraftment was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, all investigated microRNAs changed significantly in the course of transplantation. Our results suggest that the miRNAs may participate in hematopoietic recovery in the early post-transplant period and influence engraftment efficiency after HSCT.

miR-149 in Human Cancer: A Systemic Review

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate post-transcriptional gene expression via binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of targeted mRNAs. They are reported to play important roles in tumorigenesis and progression of various cancers. Among them, miR-149 was confirmed to be aberrantly regulated in various tumors. In this review, we provide a complex overview of miR-149, particularly summarize the critical roles of it in cancers and expect to lay the foundation for future works on this important microRNA.

MicroRNA expression and activity in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a lymphoid malignancy caused by the oncogenic transformation of immature T-cell progenitors. Many biologically relevant genetic and epigenetic alterations have been identified as driving factors for this transformation. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to influence various leukemias, including T-ALL. Aberrant expression of miRNAs can function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors in T-ALL through the regulation of cell migration, invasion, proliferation, apoptosis, and chemoresistance. This occurs by targeting key signaling pathways or transcriptional factors that play a critical role in T-ALL pathology and progression. Different miRNA expression profiles have been linked to specific genetic subtypes of human T-ALL. Furthermore, miRNAs can also act as independent prognostic factors to predict clinical outcomes for T-ALL patients. In the current review, we will focus on the role of miRNAs in the development and progression of T-ALL.

miR-195-5p Suppresses the Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Targeting TRIM14

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in tumor biological processes through interacting with specific gene targets. The involvement of miR-195-5p in cell proliferation, invasion, and migration has been demonstrated in several cancer cell lines, while its function in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unclear. Here we find that miR-195-5p expression is lower in OSCC than in nontumor tissues, while its overexpression in cell lines can lead to the promotion of apoptosis and the reduction of cell growth, migration, and invasion. Moreover, we identify the tripartite motif-containing protein (TRIM14) as a target of miR-195-5p. Therefore, we reason that the tumor suppressor role of miR-195-5p in OSCC is dependent on the interaction with TRIM14.

MicroRNA-149* suppresses hepatic inflammatory response through antagonizing STAT3 signaling pathway

Chronic inflammation is increasingly recognized as an important component of tumorigenesis and metabolic diseases. The roles of microRNA149* (miRNA149*) in inflammation remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that miR-149* is a suppressor of STAT3-mediated inflammation. MiR-149*^−/− mice were generated with CRISPR/CAS9 technique. In a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation model, miR-149*^−/− mice show more severe liver injury and inflammation, compared with wild-type (WT) mice. MiR-149*^−/− mice also displayed elevated messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of interleukin (IL)-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), complement C3 (C3) and IL-4 in response to LPS. Then miR-149* agomir administration is largely able to alleviate the LPS-induced some inflammatory gene expression in WT mouse liver. In vitro, miR-149* mimics inhibited expression of STAT3-meidated inflammatory mediators induced by LPS and suppresses the phosphorylation of STAT3 and its transcription activity in HepG2 cells. These findings identify miR-149* as a negative mediator of inflammation that may serve as an attractive therapeutic tool for immune and inflammatory liver diseases.

A plasma mir-125a-5p as a novel biomarker for Kawasaki disease and induces apoptosis in HUVECs

Background

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a childhood systemic vasculitis that exhibits a specific preference for the coronary arteries. The aetiology remains unknown and there are no especially diagnostic tests. microRNAs (miRNAs) are 18 to 23 nucleotides non-coding RNAs that are negative regulator of gene expression and play a crucial role in the regulatory network of the genome. Recently, circulating miRNAs have been found presentation in human plasma and displayed some characteristics of the ideal biomarker. However, few researches explored differentially expressed miRNAs in the plasma of KD patients. Our study is to identify circulating miRNAs in KD plasma which can serve as potential biomarkers of KD diagnosis.

Materials and methods

The total of five pairs of acute KD and normal plasma samples were analyzed using ABI miRNAs TLDA Assay chip. Differentially expression of miR-125a-5p in plasma were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in independent cohort (acute KD = 30, convalescent KD = 30 and healthy control = 32). After bioinformatics prediction, miR-125a-5p vector and inhibitor were transfected into HUVECs respectively, to observe MKK7 expression as a potential target gene. Flow cytometry was used to analyze apoptosis. The mRNA and protein levels of desired genes including MKK7, Caspase-3, Bax and Bcl2 were detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting.

Results

Eighteen miRNAs were differentially expressed in acute KD’s plasma compared with healthy control. miR-125a-5p was significantly increased in plasma of KD patients (p = 0.000), but no variation between acute and convalescent KD (p = 0.357). Moreover, the results from the gain and loss functions of miR-125a-5p in HUVECs have shown that miR-125a-5p remarkably suppressed MKK7 expression, as a novel target gene. Importantly, miR-125a-5p also induced apoptosis in HUVECs through inhibition MKK7 levels to regulate Bax/Bcl2 pathway resulting to activate Caspase-3.

Conclusion

Our study indicated that the circulating miR-125a-5p levels in KD’s plasma have remarkably evaluated compared with healthy individuals. miR-125a-5p might play a role in the development of KD by regulating target gene MKK7 to induce apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells. Therefore, our findings have suggested that detected miR-125a-5p levels in plasma could be used as a potential biomarker in early KD diagnosis.

Regulation of PI3K signaling in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a novel PTEN/Ikaros/miR-26b mechanism reveals a critical targetable role for PIK3CD

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy, and T-ALL patients are prone to early disease relapse and suffer from poor outcomes. The PTEN, PI3K/AKT, and Notch pathways are frequently altered in T-ALL. PTEN is a tumor suppressor that inactivates the PI3K pathway. We profiled miRNAs in Pten-deficient mouse T-ALL and identified miR-26b as a potentially dysregulated gene. We validated decreased expression levels of miR-26b in mouse and human T-ALL cells. In addition, expression of exogenous miR-26b reduced proliferation and promoted apoptosis of T-ALL cells in vitro, and hindered progression of T-ALL in vivo. Furthermore, miR-26b inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway by directly targeting PIK3CD, the gene encoding PI3Kδ, in human T-ALL cell lines. ShRNA for PIK3CD and CAL-101, a PIK3CD inhibitor, reduced the growth and increased apoptosis of T-ALL cells. Finally, we showed that PTEN induced miR-26b expression by regulating the differential expression of Ikaros isoforms that are transcriptional regulators of miR-26b. These results suggest that miR-26b functions as a tumor suppressor in the development of T-ALL. Further characterization of targets and regulators of miR-26b may be promising for the development of novel therapies.

T-ALL and thymocytes: a message of noncoding RNAs

In the last decade, the role for noncoding RNAs in disease was clearly established, starting with microRNAs and later expanded towards long noncoding RNAs. This was also the case for T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is a malignant blood disorder arising from oncogenic events during normal T cell development in the thymus. By studying the transcriptomic profile of protein-coding genes, several oncogenic events leading to T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) could be identified. In recent years, it became apparent that several of these oncogenes function via microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs. In this review, we give a detailed overview of the studies that describe the noncoding RNAome in T-ALL oncogenesis and normal T cell development.

Inhibition of MicroRNA-149-5p Induces Apoptosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Line THP-1 by Targeting Fas Ligand (FASLG)

Background

This study was aimed to reveal the role of miR-149-5p in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells apoptosis and the possible mechanism involved.

Material/Methods

The expression of miR-149-5p in leukemia cell lines, as well as the blood and bone marrow (BM) samples from leukemia patients, were monitored by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). AML cell line THP-1 was transfected with miR-149-5p mimic or inhibitor, and then cell apoptosis was determined using the APO Percentage assay kit. The target of miR-149-5p was predicted by using the microRNA.org database, and verified by RT-PCR, Western blot, and Dual-Luciferase reporter assays. Further, small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the target gene was co-transfected with miR-149-5p inhibitor, and then the cell apoptosis and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins were assessed.

Results

MiR-149-5p was significantly up-regulated in leukemia cell lines and samples from leukemia patients (P<0.01 or P<0.001), especially in THP-1 cells and samples from AML patients. Cell apoptosis was significantly decreased by miR-149-5p overexpression (P<0.01) and increased by miR-149-5p suppression (P<0.05). Fas Ligand (FASLG) was a direct target of miR-149-5p, and was negatively regulated by miR-149-5p. More importantly, the inductive effects of miR-149-5p suppression on cell apoptosis were abrogated by si-FASLG (P<0.01). Furthermore, the up-regulative effects of miR-149-5p suppression on the phosphorylated form of Fas-associated via death domain (p-FADD), caspase-8, caspase-2, caspase-3, and the cleaved forms of these caspases were abrogated by si-FASLG.

Conclusions

Inhibition of miR-149-5p can induce apoptosis in THP-1 cells. These inductive effects might be via targeting FASLG and activating FADD and caspases.

A Comprehensive Analysis of miRNA/isomiR Expression with Gender Difference

Although microRNAs (miRNAs) have been widely studied as epigenetic regulation molecules, fewer studies focus on the gender difference at the miRNA and isomiR expression levels. In this study, we aim to understand the potential relationships between gender difference and miRNA/isomiR expression through a comprehensive analysis of small RNA-sequencing datasets based on different human diseases and tissues. Based on specific samples from males and females, we determined that some miRNAs may be diversely expressed between different tissues and genders. Thus, these miRNAs may exhibit inconsistent and even opposite expression between males and females. According to deregulated miRNA expression profiles, some dominantly expressed miRNA loci were selected to analyze isomiR expression patterns using rates of dominant isomiRs. In some miRNA loci, isomiRs showed statistical significance between tumor and normal samples and between males and females samples, suggesting that isomiR expression patterns are not always invariable but may vary between males and females, as well as among different tissues, tumors, and normal samples. The divergence implicates the fluctuation in the expression of miRNA and its detailed expression at the isomiR levels. The divergence also indicates that gender difference may be an important factor that affects the screening of disease-associated miRNAs and isomiRs. This study suggests that miRNA/isomiR expression and gender difference may be more complex than previously assumed and should be further studied according to specific samples from males or females.