E2F transcription factor 1 is involved in the phenotypic modulation of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells via microRNA-375

Biological roles of SLC16A1-AS1 lncRNA and its clinical impacts in tumors

Recent studies have increasingly highlighted the aberrant expression of SLC16A1-AS1 in a variety of tumor types, where it functions as either an oncogene or a tumor suppressor in the pathogenesis of different cancers. The expression levels of SLC16A1-AS1 have been found to significantly correlate with clinical features and the prognosis of cancer patients. Furthermore, SLC16A1-AS1 modulates a range of cellular functions, including proliferation, migration, and invasion, through its interactions with diverse molecules and signaling pathways. This review examines the latest evidence regarding the role of SLC16A1-AS1 in the progression of various tumors and explores its potential clinical applications as a novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarker. Our comprehensive review aims to deepen the understanding of SLC16A1-AS1's multifaceted role in oncology, underscoring its potential as a significant biomarker and therapeutic target.

A bioinformatics analysis for diagnostic roles of the E2F family in esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer (EC) is the eighth most commonly occurring cancer worldwide and the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The therapeutic effect of EC patients is not ideal, and new biomarkers are needed to guide diagnosis and prognosis of EC patients. E2F family transcription factors are among the most important links in the cell cycle regulatory network. E2Fs dysregulation not only promotes the early stages of tumor development but also the progression of benign tumors to malignant tumors. E2F is expected to be a new biomarker. The prognostic significance of the E2F family in EC requires further research.

METHODS

We analyzed The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and GeneMANIA databases to obtain RNA-sequencing data and clinical data. The clinical data included age, gender, race, stage, type, status, etc. The prognosis outcome included overall survival (OS) and progression-free interval (PFI). Subsequently, we conducted further research on gene expressions, enrichment analysis, interaction network, and prognostic values by R software, containing ggplot2, ComplexHeatmap, DESeq2, pROC R package, based on t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, Spearman rank correlation analysis, log-rank test and COX model.

RESULTS

We found that mRNA transcription levels of E2F1, E2F3-8 were more highly expressed in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) tissues than in normal tissues. E2F8 expression was correlated with tumor stage [Pr(>F)=0.00856]. E2F-related genes played a role in development and differentiation, and were prevalent in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen, Golgi lumen, and lipoprotein particle, catalyzing translation activities and lipid metabolism. Each gene was found to be related to each other to some degree. The GeneMANIA network analysis revealed links between E2Fs and other genes. We compared the correlations between 24 kinds of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and E2Fs. E2F1 (AUC =0.945, CI: 0.890-1.000) and E2F7 (AUC =0.958, CI: 0.920-0.996) exhibited higher predictive power accuracy. However, only E2F7 was closely related to OS [HR =1.91 (1.16-3.16), P=0.011].

CONCLUSIONS

We discover that E2F7 is a prognostic biomarker. E2F family may take part in the development of EC through lipid metabolism pathways, which is helpful to predict the prognosis of EC patients and guide accurate diagnosis and treatment.

MALAT1-miRNAs network regulate thymidylate synthase and affect 5FU-based chemotherapy

Background

The active metabolite of 5-Fluorouracil (5FU), used in the treatment of several types of cancer, acts by inhibiting the thymidylate synthase encoded by the TYMS gene, which catalyzes the rate-limiting step in DNA replication. The major failure of 5FU-based cancer therapy is the development of drug resistance. High levels of TYMS-encoded protein in cancerous tissues are predictive of poor response to 5FU treatment. Expression of TYMS is regulated by various mechanisms, including involving non-coding RNAs, both miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs).

Aim

To delineate the miRNAs and lncRNAs network regulating the level of TYMS-encoded protein.

Main body

Several miRNAs targeting TYMS mRNA have been identified in colon cancers, the levels of which can be regulated to varying degrees by lncRNAs. Due to their regulation by the MALAT1 lncRNA, these miRNAs can be divided into three groups: (1) miR-197-3p, miR-203a-3p, miR-375-3p which are downregulated by MALAT1 as confirmed experimentally and the levels of these miRNAs are actually reduced in colon and gastric cancers; (2) miR-140-3p, miR-330-3p that could potentially interact with MALAT1, but not yet supported by experimental results; (3) miR-192-5p, miR-215-5p whose seed sequences do not recognize complementary response elements within MALAT1. Considering the putative MALAT1-miRNAs interaction network, attention is drawn to the potential positive feedback loop causing increased expression of MALAT1 in colon cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, where YAP1 acts as a transcriptional co-factor which, by binding to the TCF4 transcription factor/ β-catenin complex, may increase the activation of the MALAT1 gene whereas the MALAT1 lncRNA can inhibit miR-375-3p which in turn targets YAP1 mRNA.

Conclusion

The network of non-coding RNAs may reduce the sensitivity of cancer cells to 5FU treatment by upregulating the level of thymidylate synthase.

MicroRNA-148a-3p suppresses cell proliferation and migration of esophageal carcinoma by targeting CEP55

This study evaluated microRNA-148a-3p in esophageal carcinoma cells. The prediction of bioinformatics analysis revealed that microRNA-148a-3p may target CEP55. qRT-PCR and western blot showed that CEP55 level in esophageal carcinoma cells and tissue was dramatically higher than that of normal cells and tissue, while microRNA-148a-3p was the opposite. Forced expression of microRNA-148a-3p restrained cell malignant behaviors of esophageal carcinoma, and repression of microRNA-148a-3p resulted in the converse results in terms of cell function. Dual-luciferase assay confirmed that microRNA-148a-3p targeted CEP55. CEP55 attenuated the suppressive effect of microRNA-148a-3p on proliferation and migration of esophageal carcinoma cells, demonstrating that microRNA-148a-3p regulated function of esophageal carcinoma cells via decreasing CEP55 level. Microscopy observation indicated that cell morphology was also affected by the microRNA-148a-3p/CEP55 axis. Furthermore, western blot analysis revealed that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway could be suppressed by activating the microRNA-148a-3p/CEP55 axis. Finally, in vivo experiments confirmed the effects of microRNA-148a-3p on tumorigenesis. Thus, microRNA-148a-3p could act as a repressor in esophageal carcinoma via binding to CEP55.