The novel microRNA hsa-miR-CHA1 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis in human lung cancer by targeting XIAP

hsa-miR-CHA2, a novel microRNA, exhibits anticancer effects by suppressing cyclin E1 in human non-small cell lung cancer cells

Despite considerable therapeutic advancements, the global survival rate for lung cancer patients remains poor, posing challenges in developing an effective treatment strategy. In many cases, microRNAs (miRNAs) exhibit abnormal expression levels in cancers, including lung cancer. Dysregulated miRNAs often play a crucial role in the development and progression of cancer. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying aberrant miRNA expression during carcinogenesis may provide crucial clues to develop novel therapeutics. In this study, we identified and cloned a novel miRNA, hsa-miR-CHA2, which is abnormally downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)-derived cell lines and tissues of patients with NSCLC. Furthermore, we found that hsa-miR-CHA2 regulates the post-transcriptional levels of Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) by binding to the 3'-UTR of CCNE1 mRNA. CCNE1, a cell cycle regulator involved in the G1/S transition, is often amplified in various cancers. Notably, hsa-miR-CHA2 overexpression led to the alteration of the Rb-E2F pathway, a significant signaling pathway in the cell cycle, by targeting CCNE1 in A549 and SK-LU-1 cells. Subsequently, we confirmed that hsa-miR-CHA2 induced G1-phase arrest and exhibited an anti-proliferative effect by targeting CCNE1. Moreover, in subcutaneous xenograft mouse models, intra-tumoral injection of polyplexed hsa-miR-CHA2 mimic suppressed tumor growth and development. In conclusion, hsa-miR-CHA2 exhibited an anticancer effect by targeting CCNE1 both in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest the potential role of hsa-miR-CHA2 as an important regulator of cell proliferation in molecular-targeted therapy for NSCLC.

MicroRNA as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in brain gliomas: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

Brain neoplasms and central nervous system (CNS) disorders, particularly gliomas, have shown a notable increase in incidence over the last three decades, posing significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising biomarkers due to their regulatory role in gene expression, offering potential enhancements in glioma diagnosis and prognosis.

Methods

This systematic review and meta-analysis, adhering to PRISMA guidelines, included 25 studies for diagnostic accuracy and 99 for prognostic analysis, published until August 27th, 2023. Studies were identified through comprehensive searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Inclusion criteria encompassed peer-reviewed original research providing sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) for miRNAs in glioma diagnosis, as well as survival outcomes with hazard ratios (HRs) or mean survival.

Results and discussion

Meta-analysis demonstrated miRNAs' high diagnostic accuracy, with a pooled sensitivity of 0.821 (95% CI: 0.781-0.855) and specificity of 0.831 (95% CI: 0.792-0.865), yielding an AUC of 0.893. Subgroup analysis by specimen type revealed consistent accuracy across blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and tissue samples. Our results also showed miRNAs can be potential prognostic biomarkers. miRNAs showed significant associations with overall survival (OS) (pooled HR: 2.0221; 95% CI: 1.8497-2.2105), progression-free survival (PFS) (pooled HR: 2.4248; 95% CI: 1.8888-3.1128), and disease-free survival (DFS) (pooled HR: 1.8973; 95% CI: 1.1637-3.0933) in tissue specimens. These findings underscore miRNAs' potential as valuable biomarkers for improving glioma diagnosis and prognosis, offering insights for enhancing clinical decision-making and patient outcomes.

The role of selected non-coding RNAs in the biology of non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) represents 85% of all cases. Accumulating evidence highlights the outstanding role of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) in regulating the tumorigenesis process by modulating crucial signaling pathways. Micro RNA (miRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA) are either up- or downregulated in lung cancer patients and can promote or suppress the progression of the disease. These molecules interact with messenger RNA (mRNA) and with each other to regulate gene expression and stimulate proto-oncogenes or silence tumor suppressors. NcRNAs provide a new strategy to diagnose or treat lung cancer patients and multiple molecules have already been identified as potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence on the roles of miRNA, lncRNA and circRNA in NSCLC biology and present their clinical potential.

Hydrogen gas promotes apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells through X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis and baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis protein repeat-containing 3

Objective

Lung cancer is currently the cancer with the highest incidence and death toll worldwide. Hydrogen gas has been found to affect a variety of diseases; however, the effect of hydrogen gas on patients with lung cancer has not been reported. Therefore, we determined the effect of hydrogen gas on apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma in vivo and in vitro.

Materials and Methods

A549 cells in the logarithmic phase were treated with 20%, 40%, or 60% hydrogen gas. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. The A549 cell suspension was inoculated into 15 nude mice. The mice were randomly divided into control, hydrogenation (inhalation of 60% hydrogen gas), and cisplatin groups (intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin [4 mg/kg]). After 3 weeks, the tumor tissue was removed and measured. We identified differentially expressed genes by transcriptional profiling. The levels of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), baculoviral inhibitor of apoptosis protein repeat-containing 3 (BIRC3), and BCL2-associated X and apoptosis regulator (BAX) protein expression were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.

Results

Compared with the control group, the apoptosis rates in the 20%, 40%, and 60% hydrogen gas groups were significantly increased (P < 0.01). The levels of XIAP and BIRC3 protein expression were clearly decreased in the hydrogen gas group compared to the control group. Moreover, cisplatin and hydrogen gas reduced the tumor volume in nude mice (P < 0.01). Transcriptome sequencing showed that XIAP, BIRC2, BIRC3, BAX, PIK3CD, and ATM were related to apoptosis. Hydrogen gas further decreased the levels of XIAP and BIRC3 expression than in nude mice (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Hydrogen gas promoted apoptosis of A549 cells by reducing the expression of XIAP and BIRC3 protein.

Changes in gene expression in rat placenta at gestational day 16.5 in response to hyperglycemia

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a serious pregnancy complication. Hyperglycemia induces abnormal placental development and function. However, the mechanism is unclear. Previous research showed streptozocin (STZ) injection sustained hyperglycemia throughout pregnancy in rodents. Our current results showed that the placenta from hyperglycemic STZ-treated rats was about 20% heavier than that of controls. The relative thickness of each layer of the placenta was also significantly different on gestational day (GD) 16.5. Gene expression was analyzed by RNA sequencing to explore reasons for the abnormal placenta. In total, 2100 differential expressed genes (DEGs), including 1327 up-regulated and 773 down-regulated genes, were identified. Gene ontogeny (GO) analysis revealed DEGs involved in developmental process, growth, metabolic process, cell junction, molecular transducer activity and signaling. By KEGG analysis, DEGs were mainly related to the endocrine system, development, signal transduction and cell growth and death. The KEGG results were partly consistent with GO results, with DEGs mainly focused on biochemical signal pathways such as cell growth and death (e.g., Abl1, Bbc3 and Camk2d), and signal transduction (e.g., Abl1, Ceacam1 and Arnt). These genes may play a dominant role in abnormal cell proliferation and signaling disorders. These results suggest that DEGs play a role in diabetic-induced placental abnormalities. One or more of these DEGs may be involved in the etiology of placental weight increase caused by hyperglycemia.

Müller glia-derived exosomal miR-9-3p promotes angiogenesis by restricting sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor S1P1 in diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a heterogeneous retinal degenerative disease with the microvascular dysfunction being recognized as a hallmark of the advanced stage. In this study, we demonstrated that exosomes collected from the vitreous humor of proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients promoted proliferation, migration and tube formation ability of primary human retinal endothelial cells via its elevated miR-9-3p expression level. Müller glia cells were further recognized as the sole source of the aberrantly expressed miR-9-3p, and both in vitro and in vivo experiments validated that Müller glia-derived exosomes aggravate vascular dysfunction under high glucose. Mechanistically, exosomal miRNA-9-3p was transferred to retinal endothelial cells and bound to the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor S1P₁ coding sequence, which subsequently activated VEGFR2 phosphorylation and internalization in the presence or absence of exogenous VEGF-A. We successfully orchestrated the dynamic crosstalk between retinal Müller glia cells and endothelial cells in pathological condition, which may provide a novel biomarker or promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

Footprints of microRNAs in Cancer Biology

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Over the past years, various studies have demonstrated the role of aberrant miRNA expression in the onset of cancer. The mechanisms by which miRNA exerts its cancer-promoting or inhibitory effects are apparent through the various cancer hallmarks, which include selective proliferative advantage, altered stress response, vascularization, invasion and metastasis, metabolic rewiring, the tumor microenvironment and immune modulation; therefore, this review aims to highlight the association between miRNAs and the various cancer hallmarks by dissecting the mechanisms of miRNA regulation in each hallmark separately. It is hoped that the information presented herein will provide further insights regarding the role of cancer and serve as a guideline to evaluate the potential of microRNAs to be utilized as biomarkers and therapeutic targets on a larger scale in cancer research.

MicroRNA-5100 Modulates Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis via Inhibiting X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP) Expression

This study assesses the miR-5100 expression and its function in human lung cancer. The expression of miR-5100 was analyzed by miScript miRNA method. Cancer cells were transfected with miR-5100 mimics (miR-5100), miR-5100 inhibitors (ASO-miR-5100), XIAP inhibitors (si-XIAP), negative controls (NC) followed by analysis of cell proliferation by MTT and apoptosis by flow cytometry, the expression of XIAP related proteins by Western blot. miR-5100’ target was predicted by bioinformatics website and verified by dual luciferase assay. Finally, a xenogeneic tumor inhibition model was established to detect tumor progression after treatments. Lung cancer cells and tissues exhibited significantly reduced miR-5100 level. Dual luciferase assay showed that miR-5100 bound XIAP 3′-UTR and reduced XIAP mRNA and protein level. Further, miR-5100 inhibited cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and the expression of cleaved-capsase-3 and cleaved-capsase-9, the XIAP downstream factor. Finally, miR-5100 inhibited tumor growth, decreased cellular proliferation and promoted apoptosis, accompanied by reduced XIAP expression in vivo. miR-5100 inhibits lung cancer cell proliferation and enhances apoptosis through inhibiting XIAP expression in vitro and in vivo.

Long non-coding RNA TUG1 accelerates abnormal growth of airway smooth muscle cells in asthma by targeting the miR-138-5p/E2F3 axis

Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease. The present study aimed to explore the effect of the long non-coding RNA taurine-upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) on the viability and migration of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) in asthma. Rat asthma models were constructed with ovalbumin sensitization and challenge and the level of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and the rates of inspiratory and expiratory resistance were measured. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was also performed to determine the expression levels of TUG1. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)-treated ASMCs were then used as a cell model of asthma. The viability and migratory abilities of ASMCs were analysed with the MTT and Transwell assays. Additionally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the relationship between TUG1 and microRNA (miR)-138-5p and between transcription factor E2F3 and miR-138-5p. The expression of TUG1, level of serum IgE, inspiratory resistance and expiratory resistance were clearly increased in the rat asthma model in comparison with controls. Knockdown of TUG1 the viability and migration of PDGF-BB-induced ASMCs and reduced the inspiratory and expiratory resistances. In addition, TUG1 functioned as a bait of miR-138-5p, and miR-138-5p modulated E2F3 expression. Knockdown of E2F3 hindered the abnormal growth of ASMCs. Moreover, miR-138-5p inhibition or E2F3 overexpression reversed the inhibitory effects of TUG1 knockdown on viability and migration of PDGF-BB-induced ASMCs. The TUG1/miR-138-5p/E2F3 regulatory axis appeared to play a critical role in accelerating the viability and migration of ASMCs and may therefore have a role in asthma.

MicroRNA-183-5p contributes to malignant progression through targeting PDCD4 in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate the biological role of microRNA-183-5p (miR-183-5p), a novel tumor-related microRNA (miRNA), in HCC and illuminate the possible molecular mechanisms. The expression patterns of miR-183-5p in clinical samples were characterized using qPCR analysis. Kaplan–Meier survival curve was applied to evaluate the correlation between miR-183-5p expression and overall survival of HCC patients. Effects of miR-183-5p knockdown on HCC cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion capabilities were determined via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assays, flow cytometry, scratch wound healing assays and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. Mouse neoplasm transplantation models were established to assess the effects of miR-183-5p knockdown on tumor growth in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis, dual-luciferase reporter assays and rescue assays were performed for mechanistic researches. Results showed that miR-183-5p was highly expressed in tumorous tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Elevated miR-183-5p expression correlated with shorter overall survival of HCC patients. Moreover, miR-183-5p knockdown significantly suppressed proliferation, survival, migration and invasion of HCC cells compared with negative control treatment. Consistently, miR-183-5p knockdown restrained tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4) was identified as a direct target of miR-183-5p. Additionally, PDCD4 down-regulation was observed to abrogate the inhibitory effects of miR-183-5p knockdown on malignant phenotypes of HCC cells. Collectively, our data suggest that miR-183-5p may exert an oncogenic role in HCC through directly targeting PDCD4. The current study may offer some new insights into understanding the role of miR-183-5p in HCC.

MiR-96 promotes myocardial infarction-induced apoptosis by targeting XIAP

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has becoming a common leading cause of sudden death worldwide. MiR-96 has been identified that can target anti-apoptotic related genes in various human diseases. However, its role in AMI remains unclear. In this study, we found that miR-96 was significantly upregulated in the ischemic heart of MI mice (mice with myocardial infarction) and also in the H₂O₂-treated neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (CMs). In response H₂O₂, miR-96 inhibitor could significantly promote cell viability and reduce cell apoptosis of CMs, and inhibit the expression of Cleaved caspase-3 and Bax, while promote Bcl-2 expression. In addition, downregulation of miR-96 remarkedly reduced the infarct size and the percentages of apoptotic cells in the heart tissues of MI mice, and then protected against the damaged cardiac function. Moreover, we identified that XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis) acted as a direct target gene of miR-96, meanwhile si-XIAP could obviously reverse miR-96 inhibitor induced protective effect in H₂O₂-treated CMs Taken together, our study demonstrated that miR-96 promoted AMI progression by directly targeting XIAP, and inhibiting the anti-apoptotic function of XIAP (Graphical abstract), which provided a novel therapeutic target for AMI treatment.

miRNA-21 may serve as a promising noninvasive marker of glioma with a high diagnostic performance: a pooled analysis of 997 patients

Background:

Although various serum and tissue biomarkers have been investigated for glioma diagnosis, no gold standard has been identified. miRNA-21 was demonstrated to be a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of various brain tumors, whereas there remains uncertainty concerning whether miRNA-21 could be used as a good clinical diagnostic biomarker for glioma. The current meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of miRNA-21 as a potent biomarker in adults with suspected glioma.

Methods:

The Pubmed and Embase databases were searched systematically from inception to January 2020 to identify relevant research reports. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated. Summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were used to evaluate the overall diagnostic performance. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses were conducted to determine the source of heterogeneity and test the robustness of the results.

Results:

From 5394 citations with 997 subjects that met the inclusion criteria, 11 studies were selected. Summary estimates of the diagnostic performance of miRNA-21 were as follows: sensitivity, 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73–0.89]; specificity, 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85–0.96); PLR, 10.20 (95% CI: 5.10–20.30); NLR, 0.19 (95% CI: 0.12–0.31); and DOR, 54 (95% CI: 19–155). The area under the SROC curve was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.92–0.96). Deeks’s funnel plot revealed no evidence of publication bias (p = 0.59). Meta-regression analysis suggested that study publication year could attribute to the heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis found miRNA-21 had a constant high diagnostic accuracy across different ethnicity, glioma grade, sample source, and study region.

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis demonstrated that miRNA-21 has high diagnostic performance and could serve as a promising noninvasive diagnostic marker for glioma. Further large prospective studies are needed to validate its diagnostic value and its prognostic significance and therapeutic effects.

Plasma exosome-derived B-cell translation gene 1: a predictive marker for the prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: In this study, we wanted to investigate the plasma exosome-derived B-cell translocation gene 1 (BTG-1) level as a predictive marker for the prognosis in patients with Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients and Methods: The expression of BTG-1 protein and BTG-1 mRNA in NSCLC tissues and adjacent tissues of 98 enrolled patients were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and RT-PCR. Exosome-rich fractions were isolated from the plasma of 262 NSCLC patients. ELISA was used to detect plasma exosome-derived BTG-1 levels to evaluate the predictive value for the prognosis in patients with NSCLC.

Results: IHC staining showed that the positive expression rate of BTG-1 protein in NSCLC tissues was 58.16%, whereas that in adjacent tissues was 91.84%. RT-PCR showed that BTG-1 mRNA expression was significantly lower in NSCLC tissues than in adjacent tissues (52.04% vs 87.76%, P < 0.05). Moreover, low plasma exosome-derived BTG-1 levels were related to tumor diameter, stage, metastasis, the degree of tumor differentiation, and abnormal carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that both the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were shorter in patients with low plasma exosome-derived BTG-1 level compared with patients with high plasma exosome-derived BTG-1 level.

The AUROC of plasma exosome-derived BTG-1 for 3-year DFS and 3-year OS were 0.94(95% CI; 0.91-0.98) and 0.94(95% CI: 0.90-0.98), respectively. For 3-year DFS, plasma exosome-derived BTG-1 had a sensitivity 91.0% and a specificity 82.3% for 3-year DFS, and a sensitivity 81.7% and a specificity 93.0% for 3-year OS, respectively.

Conclusions: Plasma exosome-derived BTG-1 may be a potential biomarker for the prognosis in patients with NSCLC.

XIAP's Profile in Human Cancer

XIAP, the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein, regulates cell death signaling pathways through binding and inhibiting caspases. Mounting experimental research associated with XIAP has shown it to be a master regulator of cell death not only in apoptosis, but also in autophagy and necroptosis. As a vital decider on cell survival, XIAP is involved in the regulation of cancer initiation, promotion and progression. XIAP up-regulation occurs in many human diseases, resulting in a series of undesired effects such as raising the cellular tolerance to genetic lesions, inflammation and cytotoxicity. Hence, anti-tumor drugs targeting XIAP have become an important focus for cancer therapy research. RNA-XIAP interaction is a focus, which has enriched the general profile of XIAP regulation in human cancer. In this review, the basic functions of XIAP, its regulatory role in cancer, anti-XIAP drugs and recent findings about RNA-XIAP interactions are discussed.

A novel derivative of valepotriate inhibits the PI3K/AKT pathway and causes Noxa-dependent apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells

Natural compound valepotriate exhibits inhibitory activity against a number of cancers, but the effect of valepotriate against pancreatic cancer is unclear, and the structure–activity relationship of valepotriate has not been characterized. In this study, we performed a structure-based similarity search and found 16 hit compounds. Among the 16 hits, (1S,6S,7R)-6-(acetyloxy)-1-[(3-methylbutanoyl)oxy]-4a,5,6,7a-tetrahydro-1H-spiro[cyclopenta[c]pyran-7,2’-oxiran]-4-ylmethyl 3-methylbutanoate (denoted as Amcp) exhibited superior anticancer activity against human pancreatic cancer BxPC-3 and SW1990 cells. The anti-proliferation activity of Amcp was validated in human pancreatic cancer BxPC-3 and SW1990 cells in vitro. Amcp more effectively induced apoptosis in BxPC-3 and SW1990 cells than gemcitabine. At a concentration of 15 μM, Amcp significantly suppressed the PI3K/AKT pathway and disrupted the mitochondrial membrane equilibrium through modulation of Noxa and Mcl-1 balance in both cell lines. Meanwhile, knockdown of Noxa substantially attenuated Amcp-induced reduction of cell viability and anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 level in BxPC-3 cells. In addition, Amcp showed synergistic anticancer effects when combined with gemcitabine in BxPC-3 cells. To conclude, this work not only suggests that Amcp possesses a dual-inhibitory activity towards PI3K/AKT pathway and Mcl-1, but also enlightens further development of bioactive valepotriate derivatives.

Circular RNA (circ-0075804) promotes the proliferation of retinoblastoma via combining heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (HNRNPK) to improve the stability of E2F transcription factor 3 E2F3

It is growingly recognized that messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are important regulators of various cancers. However, there are few reporters about the function of E2F3 in retinoblastoma (RB), which needs more exploration. In addition, the circRNA circ-0075804 was derived from the E2F3 host gene. The purpose of the study is to figure out the role and molecular regulation mechanism of E2F3 and circ-0075804 in RB. The role of E2F3 in RB was determined through E2F3 silencing and loss of expression was evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blot, CCK-8, colony formation, and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assays. The interactions between E2F3 and circ-0075804 were validated through loss and gain function of circ-0075804. Besides, the role of circ-0075804 in RB was determined by several functional assays. And the binding ability between heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K and circ-0075804 was verified by RNA pull-down, Western blot, and RT-qPCR assays. The expression of E2F3 was upregulated in RB cell lines. Furthermore, knockdown of E2F3 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in RB. And circ-0075804 positively regulated the expression of E2F3. Moreover, circ-0075804 facilitated cell proliferation and suppressed cell apoptosis. Besides, HNRNPK could bind with circ-0075804 in RB. Finally, knockdown of E2F3 partly rescued the promoting role of circ-0075804 overexpression in RB. Overall, circ-0075804 promotes the proliferation of RB via combining HNRNPK to improve the stability of E2F3, which brings new light for treating RB.

Current Landscape of Epigenetics in Lung Cancer: Focus on the Mechanism and Application

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Tumorigenesis involves a multistep process resulting from the interactions of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Genome-wide association studies and sequencing studies have identified many epigenetic alterations associated with the development of lung cancer. Epigenetic mechanisms, mainly including DNA methylation, histone modification, and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), are heritable and reversible modifications that are involved in some important biological processes and affect cancer hallmarks. We summarize the major epigenetic modifications in lung cancer, focusing on DNA methylation and ncRNAs, their roles in tumorigenesis, and their effects on key signaling pathways. In addition, we describe the clinical application of epigenetic biomarkers in the early diagnosis, prognosis prediction, and oncotherapy of lung cancer. Understanding the epigenetic regulation mechanism of lung cancer can provide a new explanation for tumorigenesis and a new target for the precise treatment of lung cancer.

NNT-AS1 enhances bladder cancer cell growth by targeting miR-1301-3p/PODXL axis and activating Wnt pathway

As a tumor involved in the urinary system, bladder cancer (BC) seriously threatens human health. Emerging as crucial biomarkers, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the regulation of many cancers. lncRNA NNT-AS1 has been studied in a series of cancers, whereas its role and potential molecular mechanism was poorly understood in BC. Here, we found that NNT-AS1 was upregulated in BC cells. Functionally, the silencing of NNT-AS1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and endothelial-mesenchymal transition. Furthermore, the apoptosis of BC cells was induced upon NNT-AS1 knockdown. Later, miR-1301-3p, the downstream gene of NNT-AS1, was found at a low level in BC cells. In addition, we found that miR-1301-3p targeted to PODXL. PODXL expression downregulated in NNT-AS1-silenced cells was restored by miR-1301-3p inhibition. Importantly, NNT-AS1 was discovered to activate Wnt pathway, and the treatment of LiCl recovered the repressive role of NNT-AS1 silencing in BC cell growth. Through restoration assays, we observed that PODXL overexpressing countervailed NNT-AS1 depletion-mediated suppression on BC cell growth and Wnt pathway. These data suggested that NNT-AS1 enhances BC cell growth and activates Wnt pathway by targeting miR-1301-3p/PODXL axis.