LncRNA KCNQ1OT1-mediated cervical cancer progression by sponging miR-1270 as a ceRNA of LOXL2 through PI3k/Akt pathway

Hsa_circ_0000069 Accelerates Cervical Cancer Progression by Sponging miR-1270 to Facilitate CPEB4 Expression

The critical importance of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in human cancers, including cervical cancer (CC), has been discovered in recent years. However, the function and mechanism of hsa_circ_0000069 (circ_0000069) in CC have been fully understood. The expression levels of circ_0000069, microRNAs (miR-1270, miR-1276 and miR-620) and cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein 4 (CPEB4) mRNA were detected by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), flow cytometry, wound healing, transwell and tube formation assays were used to clarify the effects of circ_0000069 on the functional behaviors of CC cells. The binding relationships among miR-1270, circ_0000069 and CPEB4 were detected by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. A xenograft tumor model was established to explore the effect of circ_0000069 on tumor growth in vivo. Circ_0000069 was upregulated in CC clinical samples and cell lines, and its expression was associated with the clinical stage of CC patients. Circ_0000069 knockdown significantly decreased cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and tube formation and increased cell apoptosis in vitro. Moreover, miR-1270 was a direct target of circ_0000069, and CPEB4 was the downstream target of miR-1270. Knockdown of miR-1270 reversed the inhibitory effect of circ_0000069 knockdown on CC progression, and CPEB4 overexpression overturned the effect of miR-1270 on CC progression. In xenograft experiments, the oncogenic effect of circ_0000069 on tumor growth was verified. Altogether, circ_0000069 adsorbed miR-1270 to upregulate CPEB4 expression, thereby promoting the malignant phenotypes of CC cells. Circ_0000069 might be a potential target for treatment of CC.

AMPFLDAP: Adaptive Message Passing and Feature Fusion on Heterogeneous Network for LncRNA-Disease Associations Prediction

Exploration of the intricate connections between long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and diseases, referred to as lncRNA-disease associations (LDAs), plays a pivotal and indispensable role in unraveling the underlying molecular mechanisms of diseases and devising practical treatment approaches. It is imperative to employ computational methods for predicting lncRNA-disease associations to circumvent the need for superfluous experimental endeavors. Graph-based learning models have gained substantial popularity in predicting these associations, primarily because of their capacity to leverage node attributes and relationships within the network. Nevertheless, there remains much room for enhancing the performance of these techniques by incorporating and harmonizing the node attributes more effectively. In this context, we introduce a novel model, i.e., Adaptive Message Passing and Feature Fusion (AMPFLDAP), for forecasting lncRNA-disease associations within a heterogeneous network. Firstly, we constructed a heterogeneous network involving lncRNA, microRNA (miRNA), and diseases based on established associations and employing Gaussian interaction profile kernel similarity as a measure. Then, an adaptive topological message passing mechanism is suggested to address the information aggregation for heterogeneous networks. The topological features of nodes in the heterogeneous network were extracted based on the adaptive topological message passing mechanism. Moreover, an attention mechanism is applied to integrate both topological and semantic information to achieve the multimodal features of biomolecules, which are further used to predict potential LDAs. The experimental results demonstrated that the performance of the proposed AMPFLDAP is superior to seven state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, to validate its efficacy in practical scenarios, we conducted detailed case studies involving three distinct diseases, which conclusively demonstrated AMPFLDAP's effectiveness in the prediction of LDAs.

Biological role of long non-coding RNA KCNQ1OT1 in cancer progression

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a type of RNAs that are more than 200 nucleotides without protein-coding potential. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the role of lncRNAs in cancer pathogenesis. LncRNA KCNQ1 overlapping transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1) is located on chromosome 11p15.5 with a total length of 91 kb and is highly expressed in various malignancies, which is closely related to tumor growth, lymph node metastasis, survival cycle and recurrence rate. In addition, KCNQ1OT1 is involved in the regulation of PI3K/AKT and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways. In this review, the mechanism and related progress of KCNQ1OT1 in different cancers were reviewed. It was found that KCNQ1OT1 can stabilize mRNA expression through sponging miRNA, which not only induced tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, drug resistance, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and inhibited cell apoptosis in vitro, but also promoted tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Therefore, as a new biomarker and therapeutic target, KCNQ1OT1 has broad prospects for the diagnosis and treatment of different cancers.

LOXL2 in Cancer: A Two-Decade Perspective

Lysyl Oxidase Like 2 (LOXL2) belongs to the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family, which comprises five lysine tyrosylquinone (LTQ)-dependent copper amine oxidases in humans. In 2003, LOXL2 was first identified as a promoter of tumour progression and, over the course of two decades, numerous studies have firmly established its involvement in multiple cancers. Extensive research with large cohorts of human tumour samples has demonstrated that dysregulated LOXL2 expression is strongly associated with poor prognosis in patients. Moreover, investigations have revealed the association of LOXL2 with various targets affecting diverse aspects of tumour progression. Additionally, the discovery of a complex network of signalling factors acting at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational levels has provided insights into the mechanisms underlying the aberrant expression of LOXL2 in tumours. Furthermore, the development of genetically modified mouse models with silenced or overexpressed LOXL2 has enabled in-depth exploration of its in vivo role in various cancer models. Given the significant role of LOXL2 in numerous cancers, extensive efforts are underway to identify specific inhibitors that could potentially improve patient prognosis. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of two decades of research on the role of LOXL2 in cancer.

The mechanisms and diagnostic potential of lncRNAs, miRNAs, and their related signaling pathways in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer (CC), the fourth most prevalent type of cancer among women worldwide, is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Due to the long period of latency in CC, most patients are already in the middle to late stages when initially diagnosed, which greatly reduces the clinical cure rate and quality of survival, thus resulting in poor outcomes. In recent years, with continuous exploration in the fields of bioinformatics and molecules, it has been found that ncRNAs, including miRNAs and lncRNAs, without the ability to translate proteins are capable of activating or inhibiting certain signaling pathways by targeting and modulating the level of expression of proteins involved in these signaling pathways. ncRNAs play important roles in assisting with diagnosis, drug administration, and prediction of prognosis during CC progression. As an entry point, the mechanisms of interaction between miRNAs, lncRNAs, and signaling pathways have long been a focus in basic research relating to CC, and numerous experimental studies have confirmed the close relationship of miRNAs, lncRNAs, and signaling pathways with CC development. Against this background, we summarize the latest advances in the involvement of lncRNA- and miRNA-related signaling pathways in the development of CC to provide guidance for CC treatment.

Long non-coding RNAs as critical regulators and novel targets in cervical cancer: current status and future perspectives

Cervical cancer is among the leading causes of cancer-associated mortality in women. In spite of vaccine availability, improved screening procedures, and chemoradiation therapy, cervical cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in 23 countries and the leading cause of cancer deaths in 36 countries. There is, therefore, a need to come up with novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a remarkable role in genome regulation and contribute significantly to several developmental and disease pathways. The deregulation of lncRNAs is often observed in cancer patients, where they are shown to affect multiple cellular processes, including cell cycle, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and invasion. Many lncRNAs are found to be involved in the pathogenesis as well as progression of cervical cancer and have shown potency to track metastatic events. This review provides an overview of lncRNA mediated regulation of cervical carcinogenesis and highlights their potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets for cervical cancer. In addition, it also discusses the challenges associated with the clinical implication of lncRNAs in cervical cancer.

Phosphorylation of AKT by lysyl oxidase-like 2 activates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote proliferation, invasion and metastasis in esophageal squamous carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a common and aggressive malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract for which therapeutic options are scarce. This study screens for LOXL2, a key gene in ESCC, and explains the molecular mechanism by which it promotes the progression of ESCC.

METHODS

Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression level of LOXL2 in ESCC tissues and paraneoplastic tissues. CCK-8 and Transwell assays were performed to assess the effects of LOXL2 knockdown and overexpression on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion ability of ESCC cells. High-throughput sequencing analysis screens for molecular mechanisms of action by which LOXL2 promotes ESCC progression. Western blotting and qRT-PCR were used to determine the expression levels of relevant markers.

RESULTS

LOXL2 is positively expressed in ESCC and highly correlated with poor prognosis. Silencing LOXL2 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasive ability of ESCC cells, whereas overexpression showed the opposite phenotype. High-throughput sequencing suggested that LOXL2-associated differentially expressed genes were highly enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In vitro cellular assays confirmed that silencing LOXL2 significantly reduced PI3K, p-AKT^Thr308 and p-AKT^Ser473 gene and protein expression levels, while overexpression increased all three gene and protein levels, while AKT gene and protein expression levels were not significantly different.

CONCLUSION

This study found that LOXL2 may regulate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and exert protumor effects on ESCC cells through phosphorylation of AKT. LOXL2 may be a key clinical warning biomarker or therapeutic target for ESCC.

Long non-coding RNA MSTRG.5970.28 regulates proliferation and apoptosis of goose follicle granulosa cells via the miR-133a-3p/ANOS1 pathway

The development of follicles in the ovaries is a critical determinant of poultry egg production. There are existing studies on the follicular development patterns in poultry, but the specific regulatory mechanisms still need further study. In a previous study, we identified long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) MSTRG.5970.28, anosmin 1 (ANOS1), and its predicted target miR-133a-3p that may be associated with goose ovary development. However, the function of MSTRG.5970.28 in goose granulosa cells and its regulatory mechanisms affecting granulosa cell proliferation and apoptosis have not been reported. In the present study, MSTRG.5970.28 and miR-133a-3p overexpression and interference vectors were constructed. Combined with reverse-transcription real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), a dual luciferase activity assay, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and flow cytometric analysis, we investigated the role of the MSTRG.5970.28-miR-133a-3p-ANOS1 axis in goose follicular granulosa cells and the associated regulatory mechanisms. MSTRG.5970.28 was found to be localized in the cytoplasm and its expression was influenced by reproductive hormones. The targeting relationship among MSTRG.5970.28, ANOS1, and miR-133a-3p were verified by a dual luciferase activity assay. CCK-8 and apoptosis assays showed that MSTRG.5970.28 inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of goose granulosa cells. The regulatory role of miR-133a-3p on granulosa cell proliferation and apoptosis was opposite to MSTRG.5970.28. We found that the proliferative and apoptotic effects of granulosa cells caused by MSTRG.5970.28 overexpression were attenuated by miR-133a-3p. MSTRG.5970.28 functions as a competitive endogenous RNA that regulates ANOS1 expression by sponging miR-133a-3p and thus exerts regulatory functions in granulosa cells. In sum, the present study identified lncRNA MSTRG.5970.28 as associated with goose ovary development, which affects the expression of ANOS1 by targeting miR-133a-3p, thereby influencing the proliferation and apoptosis of goose granulosa cells.

LncRNA CARMN Affects Hepatocellular Carcinoma Prognosis by Regulating the miR-192-5p/LOXL2 Axis

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. It has been suggested that the aberrant expression of LOXL2 is associated with the development of HCC, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. This research is aimed at examining the expression level and prognostic value of LOXL2 in hepatocellular carcinoma and its relationship with immune infiltration and at predicting its upstream noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Method. The transcriptome data of HCC was first downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to investigate the expression and prognosis of LOXL2. Then, the starBase database was used to find the upstream ncRNAs of LOXL2, and correlation analysis and expression analysis were performed. Finally, the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) was used to explore the association between LOXL2 and immune cell infiltration. Result. CARMN was considered to be the potential upstream lncRNA for the hsa-miR-192-5p/LOXL2 axis in HCC. Furthermore, the level LOXL2 was markedly positively associated with tumor immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint expression in HCC. Conclusion. Higher expression of LOXL2 mediated by microRNA (miRNA) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) is associated with poor overall survival (OS), immune infiltration, and immune checkpoint expression in HCC.

Scutellaria barbata D. Don inhibits cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via miR-195-5p/LOXL2 axis

Background

Scutellaria barbata D. Don (SB) is a widely used herbal medicine in China, with various pharmacological effects such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-cancer. This work is aimed to investigate the tumor-suppressive effect of SB in cervical cancer (CC) and to identify its underlying mechanisms.

Methods and materials

CC cell lines (HeLa and HT-3) were treated with different concentrations of SB chloroform extract (ECSB) (0, 0.2, 0.5 mg/ml). MiR-195-5p and LOXL2 mRNA expression in CC cell lines and tissue samples was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell counting kit-8 experiment was utilized to examine cell viability; TUNEL assay and Transwell experiment was executed to examine cell apoptosis, migration, and invasion. Western blotting experiments were implemented to detect LOXL2 protein expression. Bioinformatics and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiment were executed to examine the binding relationship between miR-195-5p and LOXL2.

Results

ECSB repressed the viability, migration, and invasion of HeLa and HT-3 cells, and promoted cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. MiR-195-5p was remarkably under-expressed in CC tissues and cells, and ECSB up-regulated miR-195-5p expression. MiR-195-5p inhibitors partially counteracted the suppressive effects of ECSB on the malignant phenotypes of HeLa and HT-3 cells. LOXL2 was a downstream target of miR-195-5p, and ECSB up-modulated LOXL2 expression by specifically repressing miR-195-5p.

Conclusion

SB restrains CC cell proliferation and metastasis and promotes cell apoptosis via miR-195-5p/LOXL2, which may be a potential therapeutic agent for CC treatment.

The Regulatory Functions and the Mechanisms of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in gynecology cancer worldwide. High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the major etiological agents for cervical cancer. Still, other factors also contribute to cervical cancer development because these cancers commonly arise decades after initial exposure to HPV. So far, the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of cervical cancer are still quite limited, and a knowledge gap needs to be filled to help develop novel strategies that will ultimately facilitate the development of therapies and improve cervical cancer patient outcomes. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been increasingly shown to be involved in gene regulation, and the relevant role of lncRNAs in cervical cancer has recently been investigated. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in ascertaining the biological functions of lncRNAs in cervical cancer from the perspective of cervical cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. In addition, we provide the current state of knowledge by discussing the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation and emerging role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. Comprehensive and deeper insights into lncRNA-mediated alterations and interactions in cellular events will help develop novel strategies to treat patients with cervical cancer.