Overexpression of long non-coding RNA MCM3AP-AS1 in breast cancer tissues compared to adjacent non-tumour tissues

LncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 promotes chemoresistance in triple-negative breast cancer through the miR-524-5p/RBM39 axis

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most lethal subtype of BC, with unfavorable treatment outcomes. Evidence suggests the engagement of lncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 in BC development. This study investigated the action of MCM3AP-AS1 in chemoresistance of TNBC cells. Drug-resistant TNBC cell lines SUM159PTR and MDA-MB-231R were constructed by exposure to increasing concentrations of doxorubicin/docetaxel (DOX/DXL). MCM3AP-AS1 and miR-524-5p expression levels were determined by RT-qPCR. RNA binding motif 39 (RBM39) level was measured using Western blot. Cell viability and apoptosis were assessed by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. The targeted binding of miR-524-5p with MCM3AP-AS1 or RBM39 was predicted by ECORI database and validated by dual-luciferase assays. The gain-and-loss of function assays were conducted in cells to investigate the interactions among MCM3AP-AS1, miR-524-5p, and RBM39. TNBC xenograft mouse models were established through subcutaneous injection of MCM3AP-AS1-silencing MDA-MB-231R cells and intraperitoneally administrated with DOX/DXL to verify the role of MCM3AP-AS1 in vivo. MCM3AP-AS1 was upregulated in drug-resistant TNBC cells, and MCM3AP-AS1 silencing could sensitize drug-resistant TNBC cells to chemotherapeutic drugs by promoting apoptosis. MCM3AP-AS1 targeted miR-524-5p. After DOX/DXL treatment, miR-524-5p inhibition partially reversed the effect of MCM3AP-AS1 silencing on inhibiting chemoresistance and promoting apoptosis of drug-resistant TNBC cells. miR-524-5p targeted RBM39. Silencing MCM3AP-AS1 promoted apoptosis via the miR-524-5p/RBM39 axis, thereby enhancing chemosensitivity of drug-resistant TNBC cells. MCM3AP-AS1 knockdown upregulated miR-524-5p, downregulated RBM39, and restrained tumor development in vivo. MCM3AP-AS1 silencing potentiates apoptosis of drug-resistant TNBC cells by upregulating miR-524-5p and downregulating RBM39, thereby suppressing chemoresistance in TNBC.

The role of LncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 in human cancer

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) play pivotal roles in every level of gene and genome regulation. MCM3AP-AS1 is a lncRNA that has an oncogenic role in several kinds of cancers. Aberrant expression of MCM3AP-AS1 has been reported to be involved in the progression of diverse malignancies, including colorectal, cervical, prostate, lymphoma, lung, ovary, liver, bone, and breast cancers. It is generally believed that MCM3AP-AS1 expression is associated with cancer cell growth, proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. MCM3AP-AS1 by targeting various signaling pathways and microRNAs (miRNAs) presents an important role in cancer pathogenesis. MCM3AP-AS1 as a competitive endogenous RNA has the ability to sponge miRNA, inhibit their expressions, and bind to different target mRNAs related to cancer development. Therefore, MCM3AP-AS1 by targeting several signaling pathways, including the FOX family, Wnt, EGF, and VEGF can be a potent target for cancer prediction and diagnosis. In this review, we will summarize the role of MCM3AP-AS1 in various human cancers.

Alterations in the expression levels of long intergenic non-coding RNA APOC1P1-3 in cervical cancer tissue samples

lncRNAs play a crucial role in the carcinogenesis process. Thus, they have been recognized as the potential therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers of cancers. This study assessed the alteration in the expression of APOC1P1-3 lncRNA in cancerous tissues compared to their adjacent non-tumorous tissues sampled from cervical cancer patients. one hundred fifteen pairs of cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous biopsy of cervical cancer specimens were collected. RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis were carried out. The qRT-PCR was used to assess the changes in the expression of APOC1P1-3 lncRNA. Moreover, the biomarker function of the lncRNA and the correlations between APOC1P1-3 and clinicopathological parameters were measured. The APOC1P1-3 expression was significantly increased in cervical cancer specimens as compared to adjacent non-tumorous specimens (p < 0.0001). A significant association was also observed between APOC1P1-3 expression and lymph node involvement (p = 0.031). Additionally, APOC1P1-3 expression demonstrated a significant association with the depth of tumor invasion (p = 0.035), and squamous type of cervical cancer (p = 0.019). The overexpression of APOC1P1-3 was significantly observed in patients younger than 50 years old as compared to another age group (p = 0.033). The results of ROC curve exhibited that APOC1P1-3 with area under the curve (AUC), specificity, and sensitivity of 0.96, 93.91%, and 78.26%, respectively can be considered as a potential biomarker. Regarding overexpression of APOC1P1-3 in human cervical cancer samples, this lncRNA may be considered as an oncogenic factor in cervical cancer patients. Besides, APOC1P1-3 may be a possible biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer patients.

A review on the role of MCM3AP-AS1 in the carcinogenesis and tumor progression

Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 3 Associated Protein Antisense 1 (MCM3AP-AS1) is an RNA gene located on 21q22.3. The sense transcript from this locus has dual roles in the pathogenesis of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. MCM3AP-AS1 has been shown to sequester miR-194-5p, miR-876-5p, miR-543-3p, miR-28-5p, miR-93, miR-545, miR-599, miR‐193a‐5p, miR-363-5p, miR-204-5p, miR-211-5p, miR-15a, miR-708-5p, miR-138, miR-138-5p, miR-34a, miR-211, miR‐340‐5p, miR-148a, miR-195-5p and miR-126. Some cancer-related signaling pathway, namely PTEN/AKT, PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 are influenced by this lncRNA. Cell line studies, animal studies and clinical studies have consistently reported oncogenic role of MCM3AP-AS1 in different tissues except for cervical cancer in which this lncRNA has tumor suppressor role. In the current manuscript, we collected evidence from these three sources of evidence to review the impact of MCM3AP-AS1 in the carcinogenesis.

Long Non-Coding RNA MCM3AP-AS1: A Crucial Role in Human Malignancies

The incidence of cancer continues to grow and is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) is a group of RNA transcripts greater than 200 nucleotides in length, and although it cannot encode proteins, it can regulate different biological functions by controlling gene expression, transcription factors, etc. LncRNA micro-chromosome maintenance protein 3-associated protein antisense RNA 1 (MCM3AP-AS1) is involved in RNA processing and cell cycle-related functions, and MCM3AP-AS1 is dysregulated in expression in various types of cancers. This biomarker is involved in many processes related to carcinogens, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and migration. In this review, we summarize the roles of MCM3AP-AS1 in different human cancers and its biological functions with a view to providing ideas for future research.

Expression of lncRNAs AK058003 and APOC1P1 in breast cancer patients

In the current study, the expression levels of two important lncRNAs, i.e., AK058003 and APOC1P1, in breast tumors were compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues to evaluate their diagnostic potential in a panel of 121 patients. Total RNA was extracted, cDNA was synthesized and expression of AK058003 and APOC1P1 was assessed using qRT-PCR. A significant overexpression and positive correlation between these two lncRNAs were observed in tumor tissues compared to marginal healthy tissues. In conclusion, the examined lncRNAs were overexpressed in tumor tissues, suggesting their significant diagnostic value in breast cancer.

Changes in the Expression of Long Non-Coding RNA SDMGC and Its Target Gene, TRIM16, in Patients with Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE

Gastric cancer (GC) has been identified worldwide as one of the most common cancer types with a high mortality rate. LncRNA SDMGC has been recognized as an oncogene with regulatory effects on its target gene, TRIM16, which is believed to play a tumor-suppressing role in various cancers. Both these genes are involved in GC development, tumorigenesis, invasion, and metastasis. The current study is aimed to investigate the association of SDMGC and TRIM16 with GC susceptibility and GC patients' clinicopathological characteristics.

METHODS

A total of 100 GC tissues and their corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues were sampled. Total RNA was then isolated to measure SDMGC and TRIM16 expression levels using quantitative reverse transcriptase (qRT)-PCR. Statistical analyses including the Mann-Whitney U test and correlation tests were carried out using R v4.5. GraphPad Prism was also used to plot the receiver operating curve (ROC).

RESULTS

The results demonstrated the significant overexpression of lncRNAs SDMGC and downregulation of TRIM16 in GC tissues as compared to their corresponding marginal normal tissue samples (P = 0.005 and P = 0.009, respectively). No association with clinicopathological variables was observed for either SDMGC or TRIM16. Moreover, the results demonstrated a small positive correlation between SDMGC and TRIM16. Evaluation of the diagnostic value of SDMGC and TRIM16 showed poor biomarker potency for these genes.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the results indicated an increase in the expression of SDMGC and a decline in the expression pattern of TRIM16 among the Iranian population. The results indicated a key tumor-accelerative function of SDMGC and a pivotal tumor-suppressing role of TRIM16 in GC patients.

Prognostic Value of LncRNA KRT18P55 in Patients with Intestinal Type of Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE

Gastric cancer (GC) is a heterogeneous disease, and this heterogeneity significantly affects survival and treatment outcomes. Identification of molecular biomarkers specific for early-stage GC can help clinicians to choose more precise and effective treatment approaches. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have the potential to be used as biomarkers because of their tissue specificity, stability, and availability in body fluids. In this study, we aimed to investigate changes in the expression levels of lncRNA KRT18P55 and to assess its biomarker potentials in patients with GC.

METHODS

Tumor and non-tumor marginal tissues were collected from 102 patients at Noor-Nejat Hospital (Tabriz, Iran). RNA was isolated, and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to assess KRT18P55 expression levels in tumor and non-tumor tissue samples. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate potentials of KRT18P55 as a prognostic biomarker in GC. SPSS and GraphPad Prism software were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

We found that KRT18P55 is significantly overexpressed in tumor as compared to non-tumor tissues (p < 0.0001). We found a significant association between KRT18P55 overexpression and intestinal GC subtype (p < 0.0001), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.013), and Helicobacter pylori infection (p = 0.033). Based on the ROC analysis, KRT18P55 showed a sensitivity and specificity of 53.92% and 77.45%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Overexpression of KRT18P55 in gastric tumors is suggestive of its oncogenic role in GC. In addition, KRT18P55 may be used as a potential prognosis biomarker and therapeutic target in intestinal GC subtype.

MCM3AP-AS1: An Indispensable Cancer-Related LncRNA

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules with transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that have no protein-coding ability. MCM3AP-AS1, a novel lncRNA, is aberrantly expressed in human cancers. It is significantly associated with many clinical characteristics, such as tumor size, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and pathological grade. Additionally, it considerably promotes or suppresses tumor progression by controlling the biological functions of cells. MCM3AP-AS1 is a promising biomarker for cancer diagnosis, prognosis evaluation, and treatment. In this review, we briefly summarized the published studies on the expression, biological function, and regulatory mechanisms of MCM3AP-AS1. We also discussed the clinical applications of MCM3AP-AS1 as a biomarker.

Long noncoding RNA MCM3AP-AS1 enhances cell proliferation and metastasis in colorectal cancer by regulating miR-193a-5p/SENP1

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidences have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key roles in many diseases, including cancer. Several studies reported that MCM3AP antisense RNA 1 (MCM3AP-AS1) was associated with the tumorigenesis and progression. However, the specific function and mechanism of MCM3AP-AS1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been fully understood.

METHODS

The expression of MCM3AP-AS1 was detected by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) in CRC tissues and matched noncancerous tissues (NCTs). CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, xenograft and lung metastasis mouse models were used to examine the tumor-promoting function of MCM3AP-AS1 in vitro and in vivo. The binding relationship between MCM3AP-AS1, miR-193a-5p and sentrin-specific peptidase 1 (SENP1) were screened and identified by databases, RT-qPCR, dual luciferase reporter assay and western blot.

RESULTS

In the present study, we got that the expression of MCM3AP-AS1 was higher in CRC tissues than in paired NCTs, and increased MCM3AP-AS1 expression was associated with adverse outcomes in CRC patients. Functional experiments in vitro revealed that silencing of MCM3AP-AS1 could inhibit the proliferation, colony formation, migratory, and invasive abilities of CRC cells. The mouse models of xenograft and lung metastasis further confirmed that in vivo silencing MCM3AP-AS1 could significantly inhibit the growth and metastasis of CRC. Further mechanism studies indicated that MCM3AP-AS1 could sponge miR-193a-5p and inhibit the activity of it. What is more, SENP1 was proved to be a novel target of miR-193a-5p and could be upregulated by MCM3AP-AS1. At last, we observed that SENP1 overexpression in CRC tissues was closely related to unfavorable prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, we identified in CRC the MCM3AP-AS1/miR-193a-5p/SENP1 regulatory axis, which affords a therapeutic possibility for CRC.

Overexpression of HOXA-AS2 LncRNA in Patients with Gastric Cancer and Its Association with Helicobacter pylori Infection

PURPOSE

LncRNAs are regulatory factors that play a prominent role in the carcinogenesis processes and cancer cell ability to invade and metastasize. Hence, lncRNAs are considered as the potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in diverse malignancies. The present study was designed to assess the difference of HOXA-AS2 gene expression levels in cancerous tissues as compared to marginal noncancerous tissues of gastric cancer patients.

METHODS

Fifty pairs of cancerous and marginal noncancerous tissue of gastric cancer patients were collected in the present study. Then, RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were performed for all specimens. The qRT-PCR was carried out to examine the difference of HOXA-AS2 gene expression. Furthermore, the association between HOXA-AS2 expression and the clinicopathological features as well as the function of HOXA-AS2 biomarkers was evaluated.

RESULTS

The HOXA-AS2 expression was significantly elevated in cancerous tissues as compared to marginal noncancerous tissues in gastric cancer patients (p < 0.0001). Analysis of gene expression data revealed that there was a significant association between an increased HOXA-AS2 gene expression and clinicopathological features such as tumor size ˃ 5 cm (p = 0.009), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.028), and H. pylori infection (p = 0.011). The results of ROC analysis indicated that HOXA-AS2 with AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.816, 92%, and 70%, respectively, can act as a potential biomarker (CI 95% = 0.7297-0.9023).

CONCLUSION

With regard to the overexpression of HOXA-AS2 in gastric cancer tissues, the mentioned gene may serve as an oncogenic lncRNA in gastric cancer patients. Moreover, HOXA-AS2 can act as a potential biomarker in molecular targeted therapies to recognize and treat gastric cancer patients.

Identification of NUF2 and FAM83D as potential biomarkers in triple-negative breast cancer

Background

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Compared with other subtypes of breast cancer, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is easy to metastasize and has a short survival time, less choice of treatment options. Here, we aimed to identify the potential biomarkers to TNBC diagnosis and prognosis.

Material/Methods

Three independent data sets (GSE45827, GSE38959, GSE65194) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The R software packages were used to integrate the gene profiles and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). A variety of bioinformatics tools were used to explore the hub genes, including the DAVID database, STRING database and Cytoscape software. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to verify the hub genes in 14 pairs of TNBC paired tissues.

Results

In this study, we screened out 161 DEGs between 222 non-TNBC and 126 TNBC samples, of which 105 genes were up-regulated and 56 were down-regulated. These DEGs were enriched for 27 GO terms and two pathways. GO analysis enriched mainly in “cell division”, “chromosome, centromeric region” and “microtubule motor activity”. KEGG pathway analysis enriched mostly in “Cell cycle” and “Oocyte meiosis”. PPI network was constructed and then 10 top hub genes were screened. According to the analysis results of the Kaplan-Meier survival curve, the expression levels of only NUF2, FAM83D and CENPH were associated with the recurrence-free survival in TNBC samples (P < 0.05). RT-qPCR confirmed that the expression levels of NUF2 and FAM83D in TNBC tissues were indeed up-regulated significantly.

Conclusions

The comprehensive analysis showed that NUF2 and FAM83D could be used as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of TNBC.