lncRNA-PRLB Confers Paclitaxel Resistance of Ovarian Cancer Cells by Regulating RSF1/NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Novel players in the development of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer: ovarian cancer stem cells, non-coding RNA and nuclear receptors

Ovarian cancer (OC) ranks as the fifth leading factor for female mortality globally, with a substantial burden of new cases and mortality recorded annually. Survival rates vary significantly based on the stage of diagnosis, with advanced stages posing significant challenges to treatment. OC is primarily categorized as epithelial, constituting approximately 90% of cases, and correct staging is essential for tailored treatment. The debulking followed by chemotherapy is the prevailing treatment, involving platinum-based drugs in combination with taxanes. However, the efficacy of chemotherapy is hindered by the development of chemoresistance, both acquired during treatment (acquired chemoresistance) and intrinsic to the patient (intrinsic chemoresistance). The emergence of chemoresistance leads to increased mortality rates, with many advanced patients experiencing disease relapse shortly after initial treatment. This review delves into the multifactorial nature of chemoresistance in OC, addressing mechanisms involving transport systems, apoptosis, DNA repair, and ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs). While previous research has identified genes associated with these mechanisms, the regulatory roles of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) and nuclear receptors in modulating gene expression to confer chemoresistance have remained poorly understood and underexplored. This comprehensive review aims to shed light on the genes linked to different chemoresistance mechanisms in OC and their intricate regulation by ncRNA and nuclear receptors. Specifically, we examine how these molecular players influence the chemoresistance mechanism. By exploring the interplay between these factors and gene expression regulation, this review seeks to provide a comprehensive mechanism driving chemoresistance in OC.

The potential roles of lncRNA TINCR in triple negative breast cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive intrinsic breast cancer subtype characterized by the lack of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and low levels of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). The complex nature of TNBC has resulted in little therapeutic progress for the past several decades. The standard of care remains the FEC cocktail (5-fluorouracil (5-FU), epirubicin and cyclophosphamide). However, early relapse and metastasis in TNBC patients persists in causing dismal clinical outcomes. Due to complex heterogeneity features of TNBC, identifying the biomarker associated to the chemoresistance remains a challenge. The emergence of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) as a potential signature may have proven to be a new deterrent to diagnostic and treatment options. Previous studies unveiled the associations of lncRNA in the development of TNBCs whereby the aggressiveness and response to therapies may be associated by the abrogation of the molecular mechanism lncRNA. Terminal differentiation induced ncRNA (TINCR) is a lncRNA which have been linked with many cancers including TNBC. The expression and behavior of TINCR may exert unfavorable outcome in TNBCs. Nevertheless, the underlying molecular mechanism of TINCR in driving chemoresistance in TNBC is not well understood. This review will highlight the potential molecular mechanisms of TINCR in TNBC chemoresistance and how it can serve as a future potential prognostic and therapeutic target for a better treatment intervention.

LINC02489 with m6a modification increase paclitaxel sensitivity by inhibiting migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells

The long non-coding RNA LINC02489 has been shown to be significantly downregulated in advanced ovarian cancer (OC). However, the function of LINC02489 remains unknown. This study aims to explain the role and mechanism of LINC02489 in OC. The expression of LINC02489 was examined by qRT-PCR in primary OC tissues. Additionally, MTT, wound healing, transwell, and flow cytometry assays were used to analyze the function of LINC02489. The mechanism of LINC02489 in OC was investigated by high-throughput RNA-sequencing, qRT-PCR, western blot, and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) meRIP. A total of 1101 and 827 genes are significantly down-regulated and up-regulated in metastatic and chemoresistant OC tissues. The expression of LINC02489 is decreased in metastatic and chemoresistant OC tissues compared with the primary OC tissues (p < 0.05). Overexpression of LINC02489 inhibits proliferation, invasion, and migration of drug-resistant OC cells. In the LINC02489 overexpressed chemoresistant SKOV3 cells, the m6A modified LINC02489 is significantly up-regulated. Furthermore, the expression of PKNOX2 is increased during overexpression of LINC02489, while the expression of PTEN and mTOR plummets. This study demonstrates that LINC02489 can inhibit the invasion and migration of chemoresistant OC cells by increasing its m6A modification and up-regulating PKNOX2 expression. In addition, LINC02489 regulates the invasion ability of OC cells through the PTEN/mTOR signaling pathway, thereby regulating the sensitivity of SKOV3 cells to paclitaxel. This result provides a potential therapeutic target for chemoresistant OC.

Non-coding RNA in cancer drug resistance: Underlying mechanisms and clinical applications

Cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignant diseases worldwide, posing a serious, long-term threat to patients’ health and life. Systemic chemotherapy remains the first-line therapeutic approach for recurrent or metastatic cancer patients after surgery, with the potential to effectively extend patient survival. However, the development of drug resistance seriously limits the clinical efficiency of chemotherapy and ultimately results in treatment failure and patient death. A large number of studies have shown that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs, are widely involved in the regulation of cancer drug resistance. Their dysregulation contributes to the development of cancer drug resistance by modulating the expression of specific target genes involved in cellular apoptosis, autophagy, drug efflux, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cancer stem cells (CSCs). Moreover, some ncRNAs also possess great potential as efficient, specific biomarkers in diagnosis and prognosis as well as therapeutic targets in cancer patients. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on the emerging role and underlying mechanisms of ncRNAs involved in cancer drug resistance and focus on their clinical applications as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer treatment. This information will be of great benefit to early diagnosis and prognostic assessments of cancer as well as the development of ncRNA-based therapeutic strategies for cancer patients.

Long noncoding RNAs as therapeutic targets to overcome chemoresistance in ovarian cancer

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been characterized to play an essential role in ovarian tumorigenesis via controlling a variety of cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, invasion, apoptotic death, metastasis, cell cycle, migration, metabolism, immune evasion, and chemoresistance. The one obstacle for the therapeutic efficacy is due to the development of drug resistance in ovarian cancer patients. Therefore, in this review article, we describe the role of lncRNAs in chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. Moreover, we discuss the molecular mechanism of lncRNAs-involved drug resistance in ovarian cancer. We conclude that lncRNAs could be useful targets to overcome chemoresistance and improve therapeutic outcome in ovarian cancer patients.

Long non‑coding RNA PART1: dual role in cancer

Increasing evidence has shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are non-coding endogenous single-stranded RNAs, play an essential role in various physiological and pathological processes through transcriptional interference, post-transcriptional regulation, and epigenetic modification. Moreover, lncRNAs, as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, play an important role in the occurrence and development of human cancers. Prostate androgen-regulated transcript 1 (PART1) was initially identified as a carcinogenic lncRNA in prostate adenomas. The upregulated expression of PART1 plays a tumor-promoting role in liver, prostate, lung cancers, and other tumors. In contrast, the expression of PART1 is downregulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, glioma, and other tumors, which may inhibit the tumor. PART1 plays a dual role in cancer and regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis through a variety of potential mechanisms. These findings suggest that PART1 is a promising tumor biomarker and therapeutic target. This article reviews the biological functions, related mechanisms, and potential clinical significance of PART1 in a variety of human cancers.

Noncoding RNAs and their therapeutics in paclitaxel chemotherapy: Mechanisms of initiation, progression, and drug sensitivity

The identification of agents that can reverse drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy, and enhance the overall efficacy is of great interest. Paclitaxel (PTX) belongs to taxane family that exerts an antitumor effect by stabilizing microtubules and inhibiting cell cycle progression. However, PTX resistance often develops in tumors due to the overexpression of drug transporters and tumor-promoting pathways. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are modulators of many processes in cancer cells, such as apoptosis, migration, differentiation, and angiogenesis. In the present study, we summarize the effects of ncRNAs on PTX chemotherapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can have opposite effects on PTX resistance (stimulation or inhibition) via influencing YES1, SK2, MRP1, and STAT3. Moreover, miRNAs modulate the growth and migration rates of tumor cells in regulating PTX efficacy. PIWI-interacting RNAs, small interfering RNAs, and short-hairpin RNAs are other members of ncRNAs regulating PTX sensitivity of cancer cells. Long noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) are similar to miRNAs and can modulate PTX resistance/sensitivity by their influence on miRNAs and drug efflux transport. The cytotoxicity of PTX against tumor cells can also be affected by circular RNAs (circRNAs) and limitation is that oncogenic circRNAs have been emphasized and experiments should also focus on onco-suppressor circRNAs.

Knockdown of lncRNA ACTA2-AS1 reverses cisplatin resistance of ovarian cancer cells via inhibition of miR-378a-3p-regulated Wnt5a

Cisplatin (DDP) resistance is a principal cause leading to poor prognosis in females suffering from ovarian cancer (OC). Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been shown to have an involvement in regulating cellular processes; chemoresistance being one of them the precise object of this work was to probe into the role of lncRNA ACTA2-AS1 in OC cells that have developed DDP resistance. We developed DDP-resistant OC cell lines (A2780/DDP and SKOV3/DDP). The influence of the ACTA2-AS1/miR-378a-3p/Wnt5a axis on DDP chemoresistance of DDP-resistant OC cells was ascertained using real-time PCR, Elisa, and CCK-8, and dual-luciferase reporter assay. In DDP-resistant cells and tissues, ACTA2-AS1 was increased, while a substantial downregulation in miR-378a-3p was noticed. In cells manifesting DDP-resistance, knocking down ACTA2-AS1 boosted the expression of miR-378a-3p. Further research into the mechanism of ACTA2-AS1 revealed that it acted as a 'sponge' by getting involved in a competition against miR-378a-3p binding to modify its target Wnt5a. The suppression of DDP-resistance in OC cells caused by ACTA2-AS1 downregulation was reversed by silencing miR-378a-3p. Furthermore, via inhibition of Wnt5a, miR-378a-3p alleviated DDP resistance in OC cells. These findings show that for miR-378a-3p, ACTA2-AS1 works like a sponge thus preventing it from binding to Wnt5a and boosting OC cell DDP resistance. Our research will aid the expansion of plausible therapeutic options for treating OC.

Long Noncoding RNA RMRP Contributes to Paclitaxel Sensitivity of Ovarian Cancer by Regulating miR-580-3p/MICU1 Signaling

Ovarian cancer is a prevalent female malignancy affecting the health and life of an increasing population of women around the world. Paclitaxel (PTX) resistance is a significant clinical problem in the treatment of ovarian cancer. However, the regulation mechanism of PTX resistance remains unclear. In this investigation, we reported an innovative function of the long noncoding RNA RMRP in promoting PTX resistance and glycolysis of ovarian cancer cells. We observed that RMRP was highly expressed in the ovarian cancer samples, in which the expression of RMRP was elevated in the PTX-resistant patients compared with the PTX-sensitive patients. Meanwhile, RMRP was upregulated in PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines. Functionally, we found that the silencing of RMRP by siRNA significantly enhanced the PTX sensitivity of PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cells, in which the IC50 of PTX was reduced by RMRP depletion. The RMRP knockdown reduced cell viabilities and enhanced cell apoptosis of PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, we observed that glucose uptake was enhanced in PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cells. The depletion of RMRP decreased glucose uptake, lactate product, and ATP production in PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cells. About the mechanism, we identified that RMRP was able to sponge miR-580-3p to enhance mitochondrial calcium uptake 1 (MICU1) expression in PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cells. MICU1 overexpression and miR-580-3p repression could reverse the RMRP-inhibited proliferation of PTX-resistant ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Thus, we concluded that RMRP contributes to PTX resistance and glycolysis of ovarian cancer by enhancing MICU1 expression through sponging miR-580-3p. Targeting RMRP may serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PTX-resistant ovarian cancer patients.

Noncoding RNAs Interplay in Ovarian Cancer Therapy and Drug Resistance

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are several types of RNA that do not encode proteins, but are essential for cell regulation. Ovarian cancer (OC) is a type of gynecological cancer with a high mortality rate and a 5-year prognosis. OC is becoming more common with each passing year, and the symptoms of early-stage OC are sometimes undetectable. Meanwhile, early-stage OC has no symptoms and is difficult to diagnose. Because ncRNA has been shown to affect the development of OC and is widely distributed, it could be employed as a new biomarker for early OC. Furthermore, ncRNA has the potential to promote or inhibit drug resistance in OC, potentially giving a solution to multiple drug resistance. Various prior studies have found that different ncRNAs perform differently in OC. This article examines how mainstream ncRNAs have been expressed in OC in recent years, as well as their function in tumor growth.

Maternally expressed 3 inhibits the biological activity of oral squamous cell carcinoma SCC25 and CAL27 cell lines

The abnormal expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed 3 (MEG3) is closely related to several tumor diagnosis and progression, such as endometrial carcinoma and ovarian cancer. However, the role of MEG3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is rarely reported. The current study aimed to evaluate the expression of lncRNA MEG3 in OSCC tissues and cell lines and its effect on the biological behavior of OSCC cell lines. The expression of lncRNA MEG3 in the OSCC tissues and cell lines was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q) PCR. The relationship between MEG3 expression and the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of patients with OSCC was analyzed. The lncRNA MEG3 overexpression plasmid and control plasmid were transfected into SCC25 and CAL27 cell lines using the lipofectin method. MTT assay was performed to detect the growth and proliferation of the cell lines. Transwell chamber test was used to detect changes in cell migration and invasion. Flow cytometry was employed to detect changes in apoptosis. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were conducted to detect the expression of the p53 gene. The expression of lncRNA MEG3 in the OSCC tissues and cell lines was significantly compared with normal tissues and cell lines, respectively. The expression level of MEG3 was related to clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and survival status. Overexpression of lncRNA MEG3 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of SCC25 and CAL27 cell lines, induced apoptosis and promoted the expression of p53 gene. lncRNA MEG3 played the role of a tumor inhibitor gene and significantly inhibited the biological activity of OSCC cell lines, which may provide a novel idea for molecular targeted therapy of OSCC.

The Emerging Role of Non-coding RNAs in Drug Resistance of Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies with highest mortality rate among all gynecological malignant tumors. Advanced ovarian cancer patients can obtain a survival benefit from chemotherapy, including platinum drugs and paclitaxel. In more recent years, the administration of poly-ADP ribose polymerase inhibitor to patients with BRCA mutations has significantly improved the progression-free survival of ovarian cancer patients. Nevertheless, primary drug resistance or the acquisition of drug resistance eventually leads to treatment failure and poor outcomes for ovarian cancer patients. The mechanism underlying drug resistance in ovarian cancer is complex and has not been fully elucidated. Interestingly, different non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as circular RNAs, long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs, play a critical role in the development of ovarian cancer. Accumulating evidence has indicated that ncRNAs have important regulatory roles in ovarian cancer resistance to chemotherapy reagents and targeted therapy drugs. In this review, we systematically highlight the emerging roles and the regulatory mechanisms by which ncRNAs affect ovarian cancer chemoresistance. Additionally, we suggest that ncRNAs can be considered as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as novel therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer.

GATA1-induced upregulation of LINC01503 promotes carboplatin resistance in ovarian carcinoma by upregulating PD-L1 via sponging miR-766-5p

Background

Ovarian Carcinoma (OCa) is a high-mortality malignancy derived from female reproductive system. Increasing evidence has identified long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as important regulators in OCa chemoresistance. In this study, we intended to explore the role of LINC01503 in OCa resistance to carboplatin (CBP).

Methods

Gene expression was measured by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in OCa cells. Western blot was adopted to detect protein levels of GATA1, PD-L1, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-3. To assess the effects of LINC01503 on the resistance of OCa cells to CBP, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, Transwell, and flow cytometry experiments were performed to evaluate half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀), cell viability, migrative and invasive ability, as well as cell apoptosis. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to assess the associations between the genes.

Results

LINC01503 was upregulated in CBP-resistant OCa cells. LINC01503 knockdown reduced CBP resistance in OCa cells. Besides, GATA-binding protein 1 (GATA1) activated LINC01503 transcription in CBP-resistant OCa cells. MiR-766-5p was lowly expressed in CBP-resistant cells and confirmed as a target for LINC01503. In addition, miR-766-5p overexpression increased CBP sensitivity in OCa cells. PD-L1 was verified as the target of miR-766-5p. Besides, LINC01503 upregulated PD-L1 level by regulating miR-766-5p. Furthermore, rescue experiments showed that PD-L1 overexpression abrogated the inhibited impacts of blocking LINC01503 on CBP resistance in OCa cells.

Conclusion

GATA1-induced LINC01503 expedited CBP resistance in OCa cells via the miR-766-5p/PD-L1 axis, providing a new target for improving the efficacy of OCa chemotherapy.

Graphical Abstract

Keep your eyes peeled for long noncoding RNAs: Explaining their boundless role in cancer metastasis, drug resistance, and clinical application

Cancer metastasis and drug resistance are two major obstacles in the treatment of cancer and therefore, the leading cause of cancer-associated mortalities worldwide. Hence, an in-depth understanding of these processes and identification of the underlying key players could help design a better therapeutic regimen to treat cancer. Earlier thought to be merely transcriptional junk and having passive or secondary function, recent advances in the genomic research have unravelled that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in diverse physiological as well as pathological processes including cancer metastasis and drug resistance. LncRNAs can regulate various steps of the complex metastatic cascade such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, migration and metastatic colonization, and also affect the sensitivity of cancer cells to various chemotherapeutic drugs. A substantial body of literature for more than a decade of research evince that lncRNAs can regulate gene expression at different levels such as epigenetic, transcriptional, posttranscriptional, translational and posttranslational levels, depending on their subcellular localization and through their ability to interact with DNA, RNA and proteins. In this review, we mainly focus on how lncRNAs affect cancer metastasis by modulating expression of key metastasis-associated genes at various levels of gene regulation. We also discuss how lncRNAs confer cancer cells either sensitivity or resistance to various chemo-therapeutic drugs via different mechanisms. Finally, we highlight the immense potential of lncRNAs as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets in cancer.

RSF1 in cancer: interactions and functions

RSF1, remodelling and spacing factor 1, is an important interphase centromere protein and is overexpressed in many types of cancers and correlated with poor overall survival. RSF1 has functions mainly in maintaining chromosome stability, facilitating DNA repair, maintaining the protein homeostasis of RSF1 and suppressing the transcription of some oncogenes when RSF1 protein is expressed at an optimal level; however, RSF1 overexpression facilitates drug resistance and cell cycle checkpoint inhibition to prompt cancer proliferation and survival. The RSF1 expression level and gene background are crucial for RSF1 functions, which may explain why RSF1 has different functions in different cancer types. This review summarizes the functional domains of RSF1, the overexpression status of RSF1 and SNF2H in cancer based on the TCGA and GTE_X databases, the cancer-related functions of RSF1 in interacting with H2Aub, HDAC1, CENP-A, PLK1, ATM, CENP-S, SNF2H, HB_X, BubR1, cyclin E1, CBP and NF-κB and the potential clinical value of RSF1, which will lay a theoretical foundation for the structural biology study of RSF1 and application of RSF1 inhibitors, truncated RSF1 proteins and SNF2H inhibitors in the treatment of RSF1-overexpressing tumours.

YY1-Induced lncRNA PART1 Enhanced Resistance of Ovarian Cancer Cells to Cisplatin by Regulating miR-512-3p/CHRAC1 Axis

Chemoresistance is one of the major obstacles encountered in ovarian cancer (OC) therapy. Long noncoding RNA PART1 has been reported to be involved in the tumorigenesis of several types of cancers. However, the biological role of PART1 in the chemoresistance of OC is still unclear. In this study, it was found that the expression levels of PART1 and CHRAC1 were increased and miR-512-3p expression was decreased in cisplatin (DDP)-resistant OC cell lines. The depletion of PART1 enhanced the DDP sensitivity of DDP-resistant OC cells, as indicated by the inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promotion of cell apoptosis. In the upstream mechanism exploration, we discovered that PART1 was induced by YY1 transcription factor. Moreover, it was identified that miR-512-3p was a target of PART1, and PART1 regulated the DDP resistance of OC through miR-512-3p. In addition, we screened the candidate genes of miR-512-3p., and confirmed that CHRAC1 was the downstream gene of miR-512-3p. Furthermore, the knockdown of CHRAC1 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion, and accelerated apoptosis of DDP-resistant OC cells, which was counteracted after the inhibition of miR-512-3p. Finally, we observed that PART1 regulated the expression of CHRAC1 through miR-512-3p. In conclusion, we demonstrated that YY1-induced PART1 accelerated DDP resistance of OC through miR-512-3p/CHRAC1 axis, suggesting PART1 may be a promising therapeutic target for DDP-resistant OC patients.