Nrf2-regulated miR-380-3p Blocks the Translation of Sp3 Protein and Its Mediation of Paraquat-Induced Toxicity in Mouse Neuroblastoma N2a Cells

LncRNA NR_030777 promotes mitophagy by targeting CDK1-related mitochondrial fission and ATG12 to attenuate paraquat-induced Parkinson's disease

With the evidence emerging that abnormal expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in onset of Parkinson's disease (PD), the role of NR_030777 contributing to this disease is of great interest. We recently found that a novel lncRNA "NR_030777" demonstrates protective effects on PQ-induced neurodegeneration. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of NR_030777 in the regulation of mitochondrial fission and mitophagy involved in PQ-induced neuronal damage remain to be explored. NR_030777 brain conditional overexpressing mice as well as in vitro primary neuronal cells from cerebral cortex and Neuro2a cells were adopted. Immunofluorescence, Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to evaluate the expression levels of RNA and proteins. RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pulldown experiment were used to evaluate the interaction of NR_030777 with its target proteins. NR_030777 and mitophagy were increased, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels recovered after NR_030777 overexpression upon PQ treatment. The overexpression and knockdown of NR_030777 unveiled that NR_030777 positively regulated mitophagy such as the upregulation of LC3B-II:I, ATG12-ATG5, p62 and NBR1. Moreover, the application of mdivi-1, a DRP-1 inhibitor, in combination with NR_030777 genetic modified cells unveiled that NR_030777 promoted DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission and mitophagy. Furthermore, NR_030777 were directly bound to CDK1 to increase p-DRP1 levels at the Ser616 site, leading to mitochondrial fission and mitophagy. On the other hand, NR_030777 acted directly on ATG12 within the ATG12-ATG5 complex in the 800-1400 nt region to modulate the membrane formation. Accordingly, NR_030777 deficiency in neuron cells compromised cell mitophagy. Finally, the above findings were confirmed using NR_030777-overexpressing mice. NR_030777 exerted a protective effect on PQ-exposed mice by enhancing mitophagy. Our data provide the first scientific evidence for the precise invention of PQ-induced PD. Our findings further propose a breakthrough for understanding the regulatory relationship between NR_030777, CDK1, ATG12 and mitophagy in PQ-induced PD.

miR-380-3p promotes β-casein expression by targeting αS1-casein in goat mammary epithelial cells

OBJECTIVE

αS1-Casein is more closely associated with milk allergic reaction than other milk protein components. microRNA (miRNA) is a class of small non-coding RNAs that modulate multiple biological progresses by the target gene. However, the post-transcriptional regulation of αS1-casein expression by miRNA in ruminants remains unclear. This study aims to explore the regulatory roles of miR-380-3p on αS1-casein synthesis in goat mammary epithelial cells (GMEC).

METHODS

αS1-Casein gene and miR-380-3p expression was measured in dairy goat mammary gland by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). miR-380-3p overexpression and knockdown were performed by miR-380-3p mimic or inhibitor in GMEC. The effect of miR-380-3p on αS1-casein synthesis was detected by qRT-PCR, western blot, luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in GMEC.

RESULTS

Compared with middle-lactation period, αS1-casein gene expression is increased, while miR-380-3p expression is decreased during peak-lactation of dairy goats. miR-380-3p reduces αS1-casein abundance by targeting the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of αS1-casein mRNA in GMEC. miR-380-3p enhances β-casein expression and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5a (STAT5a) activity. Moreover, miR-380-3p promotes β-casein abundance through target gene αS1-casein, and activates β-casein transcription by enhancing the binding of STAT5 to β-casein gene promoter region.

CONCLUSION

miR-380-3p decreases αS1-casein expression and increases β-casein expression by targeting αS1-casein in GMEC, which supplies a novel strategy for reducing milk allergic potential and building up milk quality in ruminants.

Role of non-coding RNAs in neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is known as the most prevalent extracranial malignancy in childhood with a neural crest origin. It has been widely accepted that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play important roles in many types of cancer, including glioma and gastrointestinal cancers. They may regulate the cancer gene network. According to recent sequencing and profiling studies, ncRNAs genes are deregulated in human cancers via deletion, amplification, abnormal epigenetic, or transcriptional regulation. Disturbances in the expression of ncRNAs may act either as oncogenes or as anti-tumor suppressor genes, and can lead to the induction of cancer hallmarks. ncRNAs can be secreted from tumor cells inside exosomes, where they can be transferred to other cells to affect their function. However, these topics still need more study to clarify their exact roles, so the present review addresses different roles and functions of ncRNAs in neuroblastoma.

Specificity Proteins (Sp) and Cancer

The specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors (TFs) Sp1, Sp2, Sp3 and Sp4 exhibit structural and functional similarities in cancer cells and extensive studies of Sp1 show that it is a negative prognostic factor for patients with multiple tumor types. In this review, the role of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 in the development of cancer and their regulation of pro-oncogenic factors and pathways is reviewed. In addition, interactions with non-coding RNAs and the development of agents that target Sp transcription factors are also discussed. Studies on normal cell transformation into cancer cell lines show that this transformation process is accompanied by increased levels of Sp1 in most cell models, and in the transformation of muscle cells into rhabdomyosarcoma, both Sp1 and Sp3, but not Sp4, are increased. The pro-oncogenic functions of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 in cancer cell lines were studied in knockdown studies where silencing of each individual Sp TF decreased cancer growth, invasion and induced apoptosis. Silencing of an individual Sp TF was not compensated for by the other two and it was concluded that Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 are examples of non-oncogene addicted genes. This conclusion was strengthened by the results of Sp TF interactions with non-coding microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs where Sp1 contributed to pro-oncogenic functions of Sp/non-coding RNAs. There are now many examples of anticancer agents and pharmaceuticals that induce downregulation/degradation of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4, yet clinical applications of drugs specifically targeting Sp TFs are not being used. The application of agents targeting Sp TFs in combination therapies should be considered for their potential to enhance treatment efficacy and decrease toxic side effects.

The Role of Non-Coding RNAs in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s Disease: Recent Advancement

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative aging disorder that manifests as motor and non-motor symptoms, and its etiopathogenesis is influenced by non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Signal pathway and gene sequence studies have proposed that alteration of ncRNAs is relevant to the occurrence and development of PD. Furthermore, many studies on brain tissues and body fluids from patients with PD indicate that variations in ncRNAs and their target genes could trigger or exacerbate neurodegenerative pathogenesis and serve as potential non-invasive biomarkers of PD. Numerous ncRNAs have been considered regulators of apoptosis, α-syn misfolding and aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, autophagy, and neuroinflammation in PD etiology, and evidence is mounting for the determination of the role of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanisms in disease development. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the regulation and function of ncRNAs as well as ceRNA networks in PD pathogenesis, focusing on microRNAs, long ncRNAs, and circular RNAs to increase the understanding of the disease and propose potential target identification and treatment in the early stages of PD.

Paraquat-induced oxidative stress regulates N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of long noncoding RNAs in Neuro-2a cells

Paraquat (PQ) is a ubiquitously applied herbicide. Long-term PQ exposure with low dose has been reported to induce abnormal expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in brain nerve cells, which could further lead to Parkinson's disease (PD). N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification has recently been identified as having an important role in regulating the function of lncRNAs. However, how m⁶A modification regulates lncRNAs following PQ exposure remains largely unknown. Herein, this study reported m⁶A modification of lncRNAs in mouse neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a) following PQ induced reactive oxide species (ROS). M⁶A sequencing was performed to explore the m⁶A modificated pattern of lncRNAs in Neuro-2a cells which were treated with 200 μM PQ for 3 h. It was found that PQ hypermethylated total RNA and changed the expression of m⁶A methyltransferase and demethylase proteins, which leading to the alteration of m⁶A modification of lncRNAs. Furthermore, the functional analysis further revealed that N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)，a ROS scavengers, partly reversed PQ-induced distinct m⁶A modificated pattern of lncRNAs. In addition, tow specific m⁶A modified lncRNAs were identified: cell division cycle 5-like (lncRNA CDC5L) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (lncRNA STAT3), which could influence downstream autophagy related biological function. In summary, this work could potentially contribute to the new insight of lncRNAs m⁶A modification mechanism in the field of environmental toxicology.

N(6)-methyladenosine-mediated miR-380-3p maturation and upregulation promotes cancer aggressiveness in pancreatic cancer

N(6)-methyladenosine (m6A)-modified microRNAs (miRNAs) are relevant to cancer progression. Also, although the involvement of miR-380-3p in regulating cancer progression in bladder cancer and neuroblastoma has been preliminarily explored, its role in other types of cancer, such as pancreatic cancer (PC), has not been studied. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of miR-380-3p in regulating PC progression. Here, through performing Real-Time qPCR, we evidenced that miR-380-3p was significantly upregulated in the clinical pancreatic cancer tissues and cells compared to their normal counterparts. Interestingly, miR-380-3p was enriched with m6A modifications, and elimination of m6A modifications by deleting METTL3 and METTL14 synergistically suppressed miR-380-3p expressions in PC cells. Next, the gain and loss-of-function experiments verified that knockdown of miR-380-3p suppressed cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and tumorigenesis in PC cells in vitro and in vivo, whereas miR-380-3p overexpression had opposite effects. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms were uncovered, and our data suggested that miR-380-3p targeted the 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of PTEN for its inhibition and degradation, resulting in the activation of the downstream Akt signal pathway. Moreover, the rescuing experiments validated that both PTEN overexpression and Akt pathway inhibitor LY294002 abrogated the promoting effects of miR-380-3p overexpression on cancer aggressiveness in PC cells. Collectively, this study firstly investigated the role of the m6A-associated miR-380-3p/PTEN/Akt pathway in regulating PC progression, which provided novel therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers for this cancer.

Non-coding RNAs in ferroptotic cancer cell death pathway: meet the new masters

Despite the recent advances in cancer therapy, cancer chemoresistance looms large along with radioresistance, a major challenge in dire need of thorough and minute investigation. Not long ago, cancer cells were reported to have proven refractory to the ferroptotic cell death, a newly discovered form of regulated cell death (RCD), conspicuous enough to draw attention from scholars in terms of targeting ferroptosis as a prospective therapeutic strategy. However, our knowledge concerning the underlying molecular mechanisms through which cancer cells gain immunity against ferroptosis is still in its infancy. Of late, the implication of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including circular RNAs (circRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in ferroptosis has been disclosed. Nevertheless, precisely explaining the molecular mechanisms behind the contribution of ncRNAs to cancer radio/chemotherapy resistance remains a challenge, requiring further clarification. In this review, we have presented the latest available information on the ways and means of regulating ferroptosis by ncRNAs. Moreover, we have provided important insights about targeting ncRNAs implicated in ferroptosis with the hope of opening up new horizons for overcoming cancer treatment modalities. Though a long path awaits until we make this ambitious dream come true, recent progress in gene therapy, including gene-editing technology will aid us to be optimistic that ncRNAs-based ferroptosis targeting would soon be on stream as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating cancer.

miR-99b-5p, miR-380-3p, and miR-485-3p are novel chemosensitizing miRNAs in high-risk neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a deadly childhood cancer arising in the developing sympathetic nervous system. High-risk patients are currently treated with intensive chemotherapy, which is curative in only 50% of children and leaves some surviving patients with life-long side effects. microRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators of neural crest development and are deregulated during neuroblastoma tumorigenesis, making miRNA-based drugs an attractive therapeutic avenue. A functional screen of >1,200 miRNA mimics was conducted in neuroblastoma cell lines to discover miRNAs that sensitized cells to low doses (30% inhibitory concentration [IC30]) of doxorubicin and vincristine chemotherapy used in the treatment of the disease. Three miRNAs, miR-99b-5p, miR-380-3p, and miR-485-3p, had potent chemosensitizing activity with doxorubicin in multiple models of high-risk neuroblastoma. These miRNAs underwent genomic loss in a subset of neuroblastoma patients, and low expression predicted poor survival outcome. In vitro functional assays revealed each of these miRNAs enhanced the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of doxorubicin. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to show that miR-99b-5p represses neuroblastoma dependency genes LIN28B and PHOX2B both in vitro and in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors. Luciferase reporter assays demonstrate that PHOX2B is a direct target of miR-99b-5p. We anticipate that restoring the function of the tumor-suppressive miRNAs discovered here may be a valuable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of neuroblastoma patients.

Influence of age and sex on microRNA response and recovery in the hippocampus following sepsis

Sepsis, defined as a dysregulated host immune response to infection, is a common and dangerous clinical syndrome. The excessive host inflammatory response can induce immediate and persistent cognitive decline, which can be worse in older individuals. Sex-specific differences in the outcome of infectious diseases and sepsis appear to favor females. We employed a murine model to examine the influence of age and sex on the brain's microRNA (miR) response following sepsis. Young and old mice of both sexes underwent cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) with daily restraint stress. Expression of hippocampal miR was examined in age- and sex-matched controls at 1 and 4 days post-CLP. Few miR were modified in a similar manner across age or sex and these few miR were generally associated with neuroprotection against inflammation. Similar to previous work examining transcription, young females exhibited a better recovery of the miR profile from day 1 to day 4, relative to young males and old females. For young males and all female groups, the initial response mainly involved a decrease in miR expression. In contrast, old males exhibited only upregulated miR on day 1 and day 4 and many of the miR upregulated on day 1 and day 4 were linked to neurodegeneration, increased neuroinflammation, and cognitive impairment. The results emphasize age and sex differences in epigenetic mechanisms that likely contribute to susceptibility or resilience to cognitive impairment due to sepsis.

Epigenetics in neurodegenerative disorders induced by pesticides

Neurodegenerative diseases are becoming major socio-economic burdens. However, most of them still have no effective treatment. Growing evidence indicates excess exposure to pesticides are involved in the development of various forms of neurodegenerative and neurological diseases through trigger epigenetic changes and inducing disruption of the epigenome. This review summaries studies on epigenetics alterations in nervous systems in relation to different kinds of pesticides, highlighting potential mechanism in the etiology, precision prevention and target therapy of various neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, the current gaps in research and future areas for study were also discussed.

Paraquat-induced oxidative stress regulates N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of circular RNAs

Paraquat (PQ), a widely used herbicide and well-known oxidative stress inducer, has been linked to numerous neurodegenerative diseases, but the underlying mechanism(s) remains unknown. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently been reported to be associated with oxidative stress in Parkinson's disease. Herein, we performed methylated RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA sequencing assays for mouse neuroblastoma (Neuro-2a) cells and successfully established a positive link between the alteration of circRNAs driven by m⁶A modification and PQ-induced oxidative stress. We observed oxidative stress and antioxidative stress present distinct m⁶A modification pattern of circRNAs as well as biological effect. Gene ontology and pathway analysis predicted that differentially m⁶A-methylated and expressed circRNAs are highly clustered in pathways associated with function and development of nervous system, including axon cargo transport, nervous system development, long-term potentiation, and neurotrophic signaling pathways. Moreover, we demonstrated that the alteration of m⁶A-methylated circRNAs upon PQ exposure could be partially reversed by N-acetylcysteine pretreatment. The mechanistic analysis further demonstrated that N-acetylcysteine pretreatment attenuated the decreased expression of target genes (UBC and PPP2CA) induced by PQ. These findings revealed distinct patterns of differentially m⁶A-modified circRNAs, indicating that m⁶A could participate in a specific regulatory network of circRNAs to modulate the expression of downstream genes in response to PQ-induced oxidative stress. In conclusion, our work established a link between m⁶A modification of circRNAs and PQ-induced oxidative stress, and further studies are required to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms associated with PQ-induced neurotoxicity.

Tenascin-C Participates Pulmonary Injury Induced by Paraquat Through Regulating TLR4 and TGF-β Signaling Pathways

This study was conducted to investigate the role of Tenascin-C (TNC) in paraquat (PQ)-induced lung injury in vivo and in vitro and explore its related mechanism during this process. Six- to eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were injected with 30 mg/kg PQ by intraperitoneal injection and sacrificed on 2 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days after PQ administration. In vivo, we detected the expression of TNC at all time points of lung tissues in mice by reverse transcription-quantitative-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Expression of TLR4, NF-κB p65, TGF-β1, and α-SMA in lung tissues have also been tested. In vitro, siRNA was used to knock down TNC expression in A549 cells and TLR4, NF-κB p65, and TGF-β1 expressions were examined after PQ exposure. TNC expression increased in both lung tissues of mice model and A549 cells after PQ administration. In vivo, TNC mostly located at the extracellular matrix of thickened alveolar septum, especially at sites of injury, together with the increasing of TLR4, NF-κB p65, TGF-β1, and α-SMA. In vitro, PQ exposure also increased the expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, and TGF-β1 in A549 cells, but knocking down TNC gene expression obviously down-regulated the expressions of TLR4, NF-κB p65, NF-κB Pp65, and TGF-β1. The results of this study demonstrate, for the first time, that TNC participates in the development of lung injury induced by PQ poisoning. The role of TNC in this process is closely related to TLR4 and TGF-β signaling pathways.

MicroRNAs Involved in Oxidative Stress Processes Regulating Physiological and Pathological Responses

Oxidative stress influences several physiological and pathological cellular events, including cell differentiation, excessive growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and the inflammatory response. Therefore, oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including pulmonary fibrosis, epilepsy, hypertension, atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Recent studies have shown that several microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in developing various diseases caused by oxidative stress and that miRNAs may be helpful to determine the inflammatory characteristics of immune responses during infection and disease. This review describes the known effects of miRNAs on reactive oxygen species to induce oxidative stress and the miRNA regulatory mechanisms involved in the uncoupling of Keap1-Nrf2 complexes. Finally, we summarized the functions of miRNAs in several antioxidant genes. Understanding the crosstalk between miRNAs and oxidative stress-inducing factors during physiological and pathological cellular events may have implications for designing more effective treatments for immune diseases.

CRISPR/Cas9 uPAR Gene Knockout Results in Tumor Growth Inhibition, EGFR Downregulation and Induction of Stemness Markers in Melanoma and Colon Carcinoma Cell Lines

uPAR is a globular protein, tethered to the cell membrane by a GPI-anchor involved in several cancer-related properties and its overexpression commonly correlates with poor prognosis and metastasis. We investigated the consequences of uPAR irreversible loss in human melanoma and colon cancer cell lines, knocking out its expression by CRISPR/Cas9. We analyzed through flow cytometry, western blotting and qPCR, the modulation of the most known cancer stem cells-associated genes and the EGFR while we observed the proliferation rate exploiting 2D and 3D cellular models. We also generated uPAR “rescue” expression cell lines as well as we promoted the expression of only its 3’UTR to demonstrate the involvement of uPAR mRNA in tumor progression. Knocking out PLAUR, uPAR-encoding gene, we observed an inhibited growth ratio unexpectedly coupled with a significant percentage of cells acquiring a stem-like phenotype. In vivo experiments demonstrated that uPAR loss completely abrogates tumorigenesis despite the gained stem-like profile. Nonetheless, we proved that the reintroduction of the 3’UTR of PLAUR gene was sufficient to restore the wild-type status validating the hypothesis that such a region may act as a “molecular sponge”. In particular miR146a, by binding PLAUR 3’ UTR region might be responsible for uPAR-dependent inhibition of EGFR expression.

Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission contributes to mitophagy in paraquat-induced neuronal cell damage

Paraquat (PQ) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world due to its excellent weed control effects. Accumulating evidence has revealed that long-term exposure to PQ can significantly increase the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are yet to be fully understood. Hence, we investigated the potential role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) in PQ-induced mitophagy, aiming to elaborate on possible molecular mechanisms involved in PQ-triggered neurotoxicity. Our results showed that ROS were increased, mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased at 100, 200, and 300 μM PQ concentrations, and autophagy pathways were activated at a concentration of 100 μM in neuronal cells. In addition, excessive mitophagy was observed in neurons exposed to 300 μM PQ for 24 h. Then, ROS-mediated mitochondrial fission was found to contribute to PQ-induced excessive mitophagy. Moreover, all aforementioned changes were significantly ameliorated by mdivi-1. Thus, our findings provide a novel neurotoxic mechanism and reveal the DRP1-mitochondrial fission pathway as a potential target for treatments of PQ-induced excessive mitophagy, serving as an alternative target for the prevention and treatment of Parkinson's disease. Because harmful substances are transmitted and enriched in the food chain, the toxic effect of environmental paraquat is nonnegligible, and more investigations are needed.

Cytotoxic and estrogenic activity of chlorpyrifos and its metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol. Study of marine yeasts as potential toxicity indicators

Chlorpyrifos (CP) is one of the organophosphate insecticides most used worldwide today. Although the main target organ for CP is the nervous system triggering predominantly neurotoxic effects, it has suggested other mechanisms of action as cytotoxicity and endocrine disruption. The risk posed by the pesticide metabolites on non-target organisms is increasingly recognized by regulatory agencies and natural resource managers. In the present study, cytotoxicity and estrogenic activity of CP, and its principal metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP) have been evaluated by in vitro assays, using two mammalian cell lines (HEK293 and N2a), and a recombinant yeast. Results indicate that TCP is more toxic than CP for the two cell lines assayed, being N2a cells more sensitive to both compounds. Both compounds show a similar estrogenic activity being between 2500 and 3000 times less estrogenic than 17β-estradiol. In order to find new toxicity measurement models, yeasts isolated from marine sediments containing CP residues have been tested against CP and TCP by cell viability assay. Of the 12 yeast strains tested, 6 of them showed certain sensitivity, and a concentration-dependent response to the tested compounds, so they could be considered as future models for toxicity tests, although further investigations and proves are necessary.

Long non-coding RNA LRRC75A-AS1 facilitates triple negative breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion via functioning as a ceRNA to modulate BAALC

As a common female malignancy, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most serious subtype in breast cancer (BC). BAALC binder of MAP3K1 and KLF4 (BAALC) is a common oncogene in acute myelocytic leukemia (AML). We sought to explore the role of BAALC in TNBC. In this study, BAALC was significantly upregulated in TNBC tissues and cells. Then, the results of functional assays disclosed that BAALC facilitated cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes, but repressed cell apoptosis in TNBC. Next, miR-380–3p was identified as the upstream of BAALC in TNBC cells. Moreover, LRRC75A-AS1 (also named small nucleolar RNA host gene 29: SNHG29) was verified to act as the sponge of miR-380–3p to elevate BAALC expression in TNBC. Besides, LRRC75A-AS1 could negatively regulate miR-380–3p but positively regulate BAALC expression. Finally, rescue assays elucidated that LRRC75A-AS1 facilitated cell proliferation, invasion, and EMT processes in TNBC by targeting miR-380–3p/BAALC pathway. Taken together, our study revealed a novel ceRNA network of LRRC75A-AS1/miR-380–3p/BAALC in accelerating TNBC development, indicating new promising targets for TNBC treatment.

Crosstalk between noncoding RNAs and ferroptosis: new dawn for overcoming cancer progression

Cancer progression including proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance has become a serious hindrance to cancer therapy. This phenomenon mainly derives from the innate insensitive or acquired resistance of cancer cells to apoptosis. Ferroptosis is a newly discovered mechanism of programmed cell death characterized by peroxidation of the lipid membrane induced by reactive oxygen species. Ferroptosis has been confirmed to eliminate cancer cells in an apoptosis-independent manner, however, the specific regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis is still unknown. The use of ferroptosis for overcoming cancer progression is limited. Noncoding RNAs have been found to play an important roles in cancer. They regulate gene expression to affect biological processes of cancer cells such as proliferation, cell cycle, and cell death. Thus far, the functions of ncRNAs in ferroptosis of cancer cells have been examined, and the specific mechanisms by which noncoding RNAs regulate ferroptosis have been partially discovered. However, there is no summary of ferroptosis associated noncoding RNAs and their functions in different cancer types. In this review, we discuss the roles of ferroptosis-associated noncoding RNAs in detail. Moreover, future work regarding the interaction between noncoding RNAs and ferroptosis is proposed, the possible obstacles are predicted and associated solutions are put forward. This review will deepen our understanding of the relationship between noncoding RNAs and ferroptosis, and provide new insights in targeting noncoding RNAs in ferroptosis associated therapeutic strategies.

Redox toxicology of environmental chemicals causing oxidative stress

Living organisms are surrounded with heavy metals such as methylmercury, manganese, cobalt, cadmium, arsenic, as well as pesticides such as deltamethrin and paraquat, or atmospheric pollutants such as quinone. Extensive studies have demonstrated a strong link between environmental pollutants and human health. Redox toxicity is proposed as one of the main mechanisms of chemical-induced pathology in humans. Acting as both a sensor of oxidative stress and a positive regulator of antioxidants, the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) has attracted recent attention. However, the role NRF2 plays in environmental pollutant-induced toxicity has not been systematically addressed. Here, we characterize NRF2 function in response to various pollutants, such as metals, pesticides and atmospheric quinones. NRF2 related signaling pathways and epigenetic regulations are also reviewed.

MicroRNA-mediated regulation of Nrf2 signaling pathway: Implications in disease therapy and protection against oxidative stress

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding pieces of RNA that are involved in a variety of physiologic processes such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, cell cycle and cell survival. These multifunctional nucleotides are also capable of preventing oxidative damages by modulating antioxidant defense systems in a variety of milieu, such as in diabetes. Although the exact molecular mechanisms by which miRs modulate the antioxidant defense elements are unclear, some evidence suggests that they may exert these effects via nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway. This intracellular mechanism is crucial in the maintenance of the physiologic redox balance by regulating the expression and activity of various cellular antioxidative defense elements and thereby plays a pivotal role in the development of oxidative stress. Any impairment in the Nrf2 signaling pathway may result in oxidative damage-dependent complications such as various diabetic complications, neurological disorders and cancer. In the current review, we discuss the modulatory effects of miRs on the Nrf2 signaling pathway, which can potentially be novel therapeutic targets.