Upregulation of lncRNA ZFAS1 promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression by sponging miR-1271-5p and upregulating FRS2

An update on the molecular mechanisms of ZFAS1 as a prognostic, diagnostic, or therapeutic biomarker in cancers

Zinc finger antisense 1 (ZFAS1), a newly discovered long noncoding RNA, is expressed in various tissues and organs and has been introduced an oncogenic gene in human malignancies. In various cancers, ZFAS1 regulates apoptosis, cell proliferation, the cell cycle, migration, translation, rRNA processing, and spliceosomal snRNP assembly; targets signaling cascades; and interacts with transcription factors via binding to key proteins and miRNAs, with conflicting findings on its effect on these processes. ZFAS1 is elevated in different types of cancer, like colorectal, colon, osteosarcoma, and gastric cancer. Considering the ZFAS1 expression pattern, it also has the potential to be a diagnostic or prognostic marker in various cancers. The current review discusses the mode of action of ZFAS1 in various human cancers and its regulation function related to chemoresistance comprehensively, as well as the potential role of ZFAS1 as an effective and noninvasive cancer-specific biomarker in tumor diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. We expected that the current review could fill the current scientific gaps in the ZFAS1-related cancer causative mechanisms and improve available biomarkers.

Tephrosin Suppresses the Chemoresistance of Paclitaxel-Resistant Ovarian Cancer via Inhibition of FGFR1 Signaling Pathway

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among gynecologic cancers. Paclitaxel is used as a standard first-line therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer. However, chemotherapeutic resistance and high recurrence rates are major obstacles to treating ovarian cancer. We have found that tephrosin, a natural rotenoid isoflavonoid, can resensitize paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells to paclitaxel. Cell viability, immunoblotting, and a flow cytometric analysis showed that a combination treatment made up of paclitaxel and tephrosin induced apoptotic death. Tephrosin inhibited the phosphorylation of AKT, STAT3, ERK, and p38 MAPK, all of which simultaneously play important roles in survival signaling pathways. Notably, tephrosin downregulated the phosphorylation of FGFR1 and its specific adapter protein FRS2, but it had no effect on the phosphorylation of the EGFR. Immunoblotting and a fluo-3 acetoxymethyl assay showed that tephrosin did not affect the expression or function of P-glycoprotein. Additionally, treatment with N-acetylcysteine did not restore cell cytotoxicity caused by a treatment combination made up of paclitaxel and tephrosin, showing that tephrosin did not affect the reactive oxygen species scavenging pathway. Interestingly, tephrosin reduced the expression of the anti-apoptotic factor XIAP. This study demonstrates that tephrosin is a potent antitumor agent that can be used in the treatment of paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer via the inhibition of the FGFR1 signaling pathway.

Metastasis-related long non-coding RNAs AL359220.1, SH3BP5-AS1 and ZF-AS1 are significant for prognostic assessment of lung adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) severely worsens prognosis. Genetic alteration in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is closely associated with metastasis and other malignant biological properties of LUAD. In this study, we establish a metastasis-related risk model to accurately predict LUAD prognosis.

METHODS

RNA-sequencing profiles and clinical data of LUAD patients including 503 tumor tissues and 54 adjacent normal tissues were collected in TCGA database. Additionally, the paired specimens from 156 LUAD patients were obtained in a single center. The metastatic relevance and clinical significance of metastasis-related long non-coding RNA (MRLNRs) was validated by series of in vitro experiments including western blotting, qPCR and transwell assays.

RESULTS

Six MRLNRs were significantly correlated to prognoses of LUAD patients, of which AL359220.1, SH3BP5-AS1 and ZF-AS1 were further used to establish a metastasis-related risk scoring model (MRRS) due to the close associations with overall survival of LUAD patients. According to the MRRS, patients with higher scores in the high-risk group obtained poorer prognoses and survival outcomes. ZFAS1 expressed highly in tumor tissues and showed the inverse results compared to SH3BP5-AS1 and AL359220.1. In addition, the high expression of ZFAS1 was prominently correlated to the more advanced T-stage and distant metastasis. The reduction of ZFAS1 induced by siRNAs dramatically diminished the migration and invasion abilities of LUAD cells.

CONCLUSIONS

In the present research, we elucidate the metastatic relevance and clinical significance of AL359220.1, SH3BP5-AS1 and ZF-AS1 in LUAD. Moreover, MRRS provide a promising assessing model for clinical decision making and prognosis of LUAD.

The long non-coding RNA ZFAS1 promotes colorectal cancer progression via miR200b/ZEB1 axis

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common tumor worldwide. CRC is influenced by several types of miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs. This study aims to evaluate the correlation of lncRNA ZFAS1/ miR200b/ ZEB1 protein with presence of CRC.

METHODS

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure serum expression of lncRNA ZFAS1 and microRNA-200b in 60 CRC patients and 28 control subjects. ZEB1 protein in serum was measured by ELISA.

RESULTS

Lnc ZFAS1 and ZEB1 were up-regulated in CRC patients in compare to control subjects while miR-200b was down-regulated. There was a linear correlation between ZAFS1 expression and miR-200b and ZEB1 in CRC.

CONCLUSION

ZFAS1 is a key player of CRC progression and could be a potential therapeutic target by sponging miR-200b. In-addition the association between ZFAS1, miR-200b and ZEB1 highlights their potential value as a novel diagnostic biomarker in human CRC.

In silico analysis to identify miR-1271-5p/PLCB4 (phospholipase C Beta 4) axis mediated oxaliplatin resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer

Oxaliplatin (OXA) is the first-line chemotherapy drug for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and the emergence of drug resistance is a major clinical challenge. Although there have been numerous studies on OXA resistance, but its underlying molecular mechanisms are still unclear. This study aims to identify key regulatory genes and pathways associated with OXA resistance. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) GSE42387 dataset containing gene expression profiles of parental and OXA-resistant LoVo cells was applied to explore potential targets. GEO2R, STRING, CytoNCA (a plug-in of Cytoscape), and DAVID were used to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs), protein-protein interactions (PPIs), hub genes in PPIs, and gene ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. R2 online platform was used to run a survival analysis of validated hub genes enriched in KEGG pathways. The ENCORI database predicted microRNAs for candidate genes. A survival analysis of those genes was performed, and validated using the OncoLnc database. In addition, the 'clusterProfiler' package in R was used to perform gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). We identified 395 DEGs, among which 155 were upregulated and 240 were downregulated. In total, 95 DEGs were screened as hub genes after constructing the PPI networks. Twelve GO terms and three KEGG pathways (steroid hormone biosynthesis, malaria, and pathways in cancer) were identified as being significant in the enrichment analysis of hub genes. Twenty-one hub genes enriched in KEGG pathways were defined as key genes. Among them AKT3, phospholipase C Beta 4 (PLCB4), and TGFB1 were identified as OXA-resistance genes through the survival analysis. High expressions of AKT3 and TGFB1 were each associated with a poor prognosis, and lower expression of PLCB4 was correlated with worse survival. Further, high levels of hsa-miR-1271-5p, which potentially targets PLCB4, were associated with poor overall survival in patients with CRC. Finally, we found that PLCB4 low expression was associated with MAPK signaling pathway and VEGF signaling pathway in CRC. Our results demonstrated that hsa-miR-1271-5p/PLCB4 in the pathway in cancer could be a new potential therapeutic target for mCRC with OXA resistance.

TRIM44 Promotes Endometrial Carcinoma Progression by Activating the FRS2 Signalling Pathway

The Tripartite Motif Containing 44 (TRIM44) is highly expressed in a variety of tumours. However, the TRIM44's role in endometrial carcinoma (EC) progression remains unknown. To investigate the TRIM44's role in the development and metastasis of EC, we detected TRIM44 expression in EC cell lines and surgical specimens from patients with EC using immunohistochemistry, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting analysis. The biological functions of TRIM44 by loss-of-function analysis in RL95-2 and Ishikawa cells were studied. The effect of TRIM44 on the progression of EC in terms of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion was examined and revealed its underlying mechanism in vitro using EC cell lines and in vivo using mouse xenograft models. The TRIM44's expression was positively correlated with EC progression and poor prognosis. The TRIM44 knockdown reduced the EC cell proliferation and invasion while promoting cell apoptosis. Mechanism experiments showed that the TRIM44 interacts with Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor Substrate 2 (FRS2) and negatively regulates the expression of Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4(BMP4), β-catenin, and Transforming Growth Factor Beta Receptor 1(TGF-βR1). Moreover, the effect of TRIM44 overexpression on EC cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis is reversed by the FRS2 knockdown. Our study may provide a new perspective on targeting the TRIM44/FRS2 signaling pathway in treating EC, which deserves further investigation.

Cellular plasticity and immune microenvironment of malignant pleural effusion are associated with EGFR-TKI resistance in non–small-cell lung carcinoma

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a complication of lung cancer that can be used as an alternative method for tissue sampling because it is generally simple and minimally invasive. Our study evaluated the diagnostic potential of non–small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC)-associated MPE in terms of understanding tumor heterogeneity and identifying response factors for EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. We performed a single-cell RNA sequencing analysis of 31,743 cells isolated from the MPEs of 9 patients with NSCLC (5 resistant and 4 sensitive to EGFR TKI) with EGFR mutations. Interestingly, lung epithelial precursor-like cells with upregulated GNB2L1 and CAV1 expression were enriched in the EGFR TKI-resistant group. Moreover, GZMK upregulated transitional effector T cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells were significantly enriched in the EGFR TKI-resistant patients. Our results suggest that cellular plasticity and immunosuppressive microenvironment in MPEs are potentially associated with the TKI response of patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

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ScRNA-seq reveals associations between cellular plasticity and EGFR-TKI response

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Lung epithelial progenitor-like cells are abundant in the TKI-resistant group

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HLA-II gene expression are upregulated in the epithelial cells of TKI-sensitive group

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Immunosuppressive TME was associated with the TKI resistance in NSCLC

FAM201A Promotes Cervical Cancer Progression and Metastasis through miR-1271-5p/Flotillin-1 Axis Targeting-Induced Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway

This study investigated the role of the family with sequence similarity 201-member A (FAM201A), as previously reported oncogenic, in cervical cancer (CC). FAM201A expression in CC was analyzed through bioinformatics analyses, and its distribution in CC tissues/cells was determined by in situ hybridization. CC cells were transfected/cotransfected with FAM201A/flotillin-1 (FLOT1) overexpression plasmids and miR-1271-5p mimics, followed by functional analysis on viability, migration and invasion. Pearson's correlation tests were performed to analyze the correlation between FAM201A and miR-1271-5p in CC tissues. The targeting relationship between miR-1271-5p and FLOT1 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The expressions of FAM201A, miR-1271-5p, FLOT1, matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9, MMP-2, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related molecules (Wnt1, β-catenin and p-β-catenin) in CC cells or tissues were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and/or western blot. The results showed that FAM201A was abundantly expressed and miR-1271-5p expression was downregulated in CC. FAM201A was enriched in CC cell cytoplasm and negatively correlated with miR-1271-5p in CC tissues. FAM201A overexpression enhanced the cell viability, migration, invasion, and tumorigenesis of CC in vivo and increased FLOT1 expression. These trends were all reversed by upregulating miR-1271-5p, which induced opposite effects to FAM201A overexpression. MiR-1271-5p upregulation depleted the levels of MMP-9, MMP-2, N-cadherin, and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related molecules and upregulated E-cadherin expression. FLOT1 was a direct target of miR-1271-5p. FLOT1 overexpression induced effects contrary to the upregulation of miR-1271-5p and abolished miR-1271-5p upregulation-induced effects in CC cells. Overall, this study showed that FAM201A promoted cervical cancer progression and metastasis by targeting the miR-1271-5p/FLOT1 axis-induced Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Identification of LncRNA CARD8-AS1 as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker Associated With Progression of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Introduction: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) exhibit crucial roles in human tumors. However, the role of lncRNA CARD8-AS1 in lung adenocarcinoma remains elusive. This study investigated the role of CARD8-AS1 in lung adenocarcinoma.

Materials and Methods: The expression of CARD8-AS1 was detected by RT-qPCR analysis and confirmed using an online database. The clinical value of CARD8-AS1 was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier curve and multivariate Cox regression analyses. The effects of CARD8-AS1 on cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion potential were assessed through several cellular experiments. Western blot assay was used to measure Bcl-2 and Bax protein levels. The interaction among CARD8-AS1, miR-650, and Bax, was assessed using a dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Results: The expression of CARD8-AS1 was decreased in lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cell lines (p < 0.001). Low expression of CARD8-AS1 was related to tumor size (p = 0.042), TNM stage (p = 0.021), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.025), and poor overall survival (p < 0.05). Elevated expression of CARD8-AS1 could suppress cellular viability, migration potential, and invasion ability (p < 0.05). The Bcl-2 protein levels were decreased while Bax levels were increased by overexpression of CARD8-AS1 (p < 0.001). miR-650 may thus be a direct target of CARD8-AS1 and Bax may be a direct target of miR-650.

Discussion: CARD8-AS1 expression was downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma and associated with several clinical parameters. CARD8-AS1 exerted tumor-suppressive effects by targeting the miR-650 and then regulating Bax expression. CARD8-AS1/miR-650 may serve as novel prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

Clinical significance and biological effect of ZFAS1 in Hirschsprung's disease and preliminary exploration of its underlying mechanisms using integrated bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

The pathogenesis of Hirschprung's disease (HSCR) remains largely unknown. The lncRNA ZNFX1 antisense RNA 1 (ZFAS1) has been found to have vital regulatory roles in a number of diseases. However, the association between ZFAS1 and HSCR has not been reported.

AIMS

The present study was aimed at investigating the expression pattern and biological function and underlying mechanisms of ZFAS1 in HSCR.

METHODS

The expression of ZFAS1 was detected in surgical excision samples of 30 children diagnosed with HSCR and 30 control cases. Functional experiments were conducted after over-expression or knockdown of ZFAS1 in human neuronal cell line SH-SY-5Y. Multiple bioinformatics databases and tools were used to explore the potential regulatory mechanisms of ZFAS1 in HSCR.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the HSCR group has a significantly higher level of ZFAS1(P = 0.0012). The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.7133 (P = 0.0045), which indicated good biomarker potency of ZFAS1 in HSCR. Functionally, over-expression of ZFAS1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, whereas knockdown of ZFAS1 promoted cell proliferation and colony formation of SH-SY-5Y cells. Using multiple databases, a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, containing ZFAS1,13 candidate miRNAs, and 110 potential gene targets, was established. Further enrichment analysis suggested that ZFAS1 may regulate a number of genes and signaling pathways that were crucial for neuron development.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings revealed that ZFAS1 may participate in the pathogenesis of HSCR through regulating neuron functions. Bioinformatics analysis highlighted an important perspective for the following mechanical researches.

lncRNA-ZFAS1 promotes the progression of endometrial carcinoma by targeting miR-34b to regulate VEGFA expression

Zinc finger nuclear transcription factor, X-box binding 1-type containing 1 antisense RNA 1 (ZFAS1) functions as an oncogenic long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) to promote proliferation and metastasis of endometrial carcinoma cell; however, the underlying mechanism has not been fully understood. First, RT-qPCR analysis of endometrial carcinoma tissues and cells showed that ZFAS1 was enriched in endometrial carcinoma tissues and cells. miR-34b was reduced in endometrial carcinoma and suggested negative correlation with ZFAS1 in endometrial carcinoma. Second, functional assays demonstrated that siRNA-mediated silence of ZFAS1 suppressed endometrial carcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis. Third, ZFAS1 bind to miR-34b and negatively regulate expression of miR-34b in endometrial carcinoma cells. miR-34b also bind to and negatively regulate expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in endometrial carcinoma cells. Lastly, knockdown of miR-34b counteracted with the suppressive effects of ZFAS1 silence on endometrial carcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis. In conclusion, lncRNA ZFAS1 functioned as an oncogene to promote endometrial carcinoma cell proliferation and metastasis through miR-34b/VEGFA axis.

Constructing the ceRNA Regulatory Network and Combining Immune Cells to Evaluate Prognosis of Colon Cancer Patients

Objective: This study was conducted in order to construct a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network to screen RNA that plays an important role in colon cancer and to construct a model to predict the prognosis of patients.

Methods: The gene expression data of colon cancer were downloaded from the TCGA database. The difference was analyzed by the R software and the ceRNA network was constructed. The survival-related RNA was screened out by combining with clinical information, and the prognosis model was established by lasso regression. CIBERSORT was used to analyze the infiltration of immune cells in colon cancer, and the differential expression of immune cells related to survival was screened out by combining clinical information. The correlation between RNA and immune cells was analyzed by lasso regression. PCR was used to verify the expression of seven RNAs in colon cancer patients with different prognoses.

Results: Two hundred and fifteen lncRNAs, 357 miRNAs, and 2,955 mRNAs were differentially expressed in colon cancer. The constructed ceRNA network contains 18 lncRNAs, 42 miRNAs, and 168 mRNAs, of which 18 RNAs are significantly related to survival. Through lasso analysis, we selected seven optimal RNA construction models. The AUC value of the model was greater than 0.7, and there was a significant difference in the survival rate between the high- and low-risk groups. Two kinds of immune cells related to the prognosis of patients were screened out. The results showed that the expression of seven RNA markers in colon cancer patients with different prognoses was basically consistent with the model analysis.

Conclusion: We have established the regulatory network of ceRNA in colon cancer, screened out seven core RNAs and two kinds of immune cells, and constructed a comprehensive prognosis model of colon cancer patients.

LncRNA ZFAS1: Role in tumorigenesis and other diseases

Residing on chromosome 20q13.13, Zinc Finger NFX1-Type Containing 1 (ZNFX1) antisense RNA 1 (ZFAS1) is a transcript which has been primarily recognized as a modulator of differentiation of alveolar and epithelial cell in the mammary gland. This long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) partakes in the molecular cascades leading to several non-neoplastic conditions such as osteoarthritis, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, myocardial infarction, and cardiac dysfunction. More importantly, ZFAS1 is considered as an oncogene in almost all types of cancers. Using expression amounts of ZFAS1, it is possible to forecast the clinical outcome of patients with different neoplasms such as colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, hepatoblastoma, and other types of cancer. We describe the role of ZFAS1 in the development of neoplastic and non-neoplastic disorders.

Long non-coding RNA NCK1-AS1 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer cells by acting as a ceRNA of miR-137

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in carcinogenesis and progression. In this study, we mainly investigate the potential influence of lncRNA NCK1 antisense RNA 1 (NCK1-AS1) on the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). RT-PCR was performed to determine the expression of NCK1-AS1 and miR-137 in NSCLC specimens and cell lines. The clinical significance of NCK1-AS1 in 148 patients was analyzed statistically. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to estimate the diagnostic value of NCK1-AS1 and miR-137. Regulatory effects of NCK1-AS1 on proliferative, colony formation abilities, metastasis and apoptosis of SK-MES-1 and H1299 cells were assessed through a series of functional experiments. RNA-pull down and Dual-Luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the sponge effect of NCK1-AS1 on miR-137. We observed that NCK1-AS1 expression was upregulated, while miR-137 expression was down-regulated in NSCLC specimens and cell lines. Increased NCK1-AS1 expression was positively correlated with TNM stage and lymph node metastasis and poor clinical outcome. The diagnostic value of NCK1-AS1 and miR-137 expression was also confirmed. Functionally, knockdown of NCK1-AS1 suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells, and promoted apoptosis. Moreover, NCK1-AS1 was able to adsorb miR-137 via a sponge effect. Overall, our findings suggested that NCK1-AS1 may be a candidate biomarker and a target for new therapies in NSCLC patients.