Long Noncoding RNA MNX1 antisense RNA 1 Exerts Oncogenic Functions in Bladder Cancer by Regulating miR-218-5p/RAB1A Axis

Deubiquitinating enzyme PSMD7 promotes bladder cancer development: Involvement of RAB1A stabilization

BACKGROUND

Proteasome 26S subunit, non-ATPase 7 (PSMD7) is a deubiquitinating enzyme that is involved in the stability of ubiquitinated proteins and participates in the development of multiple types of cancer. The roles of PSMD7 and its potential mechanisms in bladder cancer (BC) remain elusive.

METHODS

In this study, we identified that PSMD7 was overexpressed in BC tissues based on gene expression omnibus (GEO) database and TNMplot web. To investigate the functional role of PSMD7, two BC cell lines, T24 and 5637, were selected. The cells were transfected with vectors containing short hairpin RNAs against PSMD7 or plasmids containing full-length PSMD7 to knockdown or overexpress PSMD7.

RESULTS

Our results revealed that silencing PSMD7 inhibited cell proliferation, cycle progression, migration, invasion, and promoted cell apoptosis, whereas PSMD7 overexpression led to the opposite effects in the BC cells. Mechanically, PSMD7 influenced the protein expression but not the mRNA expression of the Ras-related protein Rab-1 A (RAB1A). PSMD7 combined with RAB1A and negatively regulated its ubiquitination, indicating that PSMD7 enhanced the stability of RAB1A through post-transcriptional modification. Moreover, the rescue experiment demonstrated that RAB1A was an important downstream effector molecule of PSMD7. Besides, the negative regulation of silencing PSMD7 on tumor growth was confirmed in mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study substantiated a novel mechanism by which PSMD7 stabilized RAB1A to accelerate the progression of BC.

Biological and therapeutic viewpoints towards role of miR-218 in human cancers: Revisiting molecular interactions and future clinical translations

Understanding the exact pathogenesis of cancer is difficult due to heterogenous nature of tumor cells and multiple factors that cause its initiation and development. Treatment of cancer is mainly based on surgical resection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and their combination, while gene therapy has been emerged as a new kind of therapy for cancer. Post-transcriptional regulation of genes has been of interest in recent years and among various types of epigenetic factors that can modulate gene expression, short non-coding RNAs known as microRNAs (miRNAs) have obtained much attention. The stability of mRNA decreases by miRNAs to repress gene expression. miRNAs can regulate tumor malignancy and biological behavior of cancer cells and understanding their function in tumorigenesis can pave the way towards developing new therapeutics in future. One of the new emerging miRNAs in cancer therapy is miR-218 that increasing evidence highlights its anti-cancer activity, while a few studies demonstrate its oncogenic function. The miR-218 transfection is promising in reducing progression of tumor cells. miR-218 shows interactions with molecular mechanisms including apoptosis, autophagy, glycolysis and EMT, and the interaction is different. miR-218 induces apoptosis, while it suppresses glycolysis, cytoprotective autophagy and EMT. Low expression of miR-218 can result in development of chemoresistance and radio-resistance in tumor cells and direct targeting of miR-218 as a key player is promising in cancer therapy. LncRNAs and circRNAs are nonprotein coding transcripts that can regulate miR-218 expression in human cancers. Moreover, low expression level of miR-218 can be observed in human cancers such as brain, gastrointestinal and urological cancers that mediate poor prognosis and low survival rate.

Activation of MYO1G by lncRNA MNX1-AS1 Drives the Progression in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer represents the most prevalent cancer worldwide and causes the death of many patients. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a subpopulation of cancer cells, have the capacities of self-renewal, unlimited proliferation, and multiple differentiation potential. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) MNX1-AS1 on maintaining the stemness of CSC in lung cancer. CSCs were firstly sorted by flow cytometry. After the determination of the target of the present study using Gene Expression Omnibus dataset, MNX1-AS1was found to be highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and cells. Deletion of MNX1-AS1 inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion and sphere-forming abilities of CSC. Furthermore, subcellular fractionation, fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA immunoprecipitation, and dual-luciferase experiments demonstrated that MNX1-AS1 recruited the transcription factor POU domain class 2 transcription factor 2 (POU2F2) to the nucleus and activated the myosin IG (MYO1G) expression. MYO1G overexpression partially reversed the si-MNX1-AS1-decreased stemness of CSCs. Finally, MNX1-AS1 suppression significantly repressed the growth of xenografts in vivo. Our study highlights the importance of the MNX1-AS1/POU2F2/MYO1G axis in stem cell-like properties of lung cancer cells.

Regulation of Ferroptosis by Non-Coding RNAs: Mechanistic Insights

The discovery of ferroptosis has paradigmatically shifted our about different types of cell death. The wealth of information gathered over decades of pioneering research has empowered researchers to develop a better comprehension of the versatile regulators of ferroptosis. In this comprehensive review, we have attempted to put a spotlight on the indispensable involvement of non-coding RNAs in the regulation of ferroptosis. We have analyzed the functional role of microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs in the regulation of ferroptosis and how inhibition of ferroptosis promotes carcinogenesis and metastasis. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The manuscript provides a systematic mechanistic and conceptual comprehension of the recently emerging dynamics of non-coding RNAs and ferroptosis. We also analyze how this interplay shapes the complex process of carcinogenesis and metastasis.

lncRNA-mediated ceRNA network in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is a common disease associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Although immunotherapy approaches such as adoptive T-cell therapy and immune checkpoint blockade have been investigated for the treatment of bladder cancer, their off-target effects and ability to affect only single targets have led to clinical outcomes that are far from satisfactory. Therefore, it is important to identify novel targets that can effectively control tumor growth and metastasis. It is well known that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are powerful regulators of gene expression. Increasing evidence has shown that dysregulated lncRNAs in bladder cancer are involved in cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this review, we focus on the roles and underlying mechanisms of lncRNA-mediated competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks in the regulation of bladder cancer progression. In addition, we discuss the potential of targeting lncRNA-mediated ceRNA networks to overcome cancer treatment resistance and its association with clinicopathological features and outcomes in bladder cancer patients. We hope this review will stimulate research to develop more effective therapeutic approaches for bladder cancer treatment.

lncRNA MNX1‑AS1 promotes prostate cancer progression through regulating miR‑2113/MDM2 axis

A growing number of dysregulated long non-coding (lnc)RNAs have been verified to serve an essential role in human prostate cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of lncRNA MNX1 Antisense RNA 1 (MNX1-AS1) in prostate cancer has not been explored. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the function of MNX1-AS1 in prostate cancer tumorigenesis and investigate the in-depth mechanism. The expression of MNX1-AS1, microRNA (miR)-2113 and murine double min 2 (MDM2) in prostate cancer tissues and corresponding normal tissues were assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The protein expression levels of MDM2 were detected by western blotting. LNCaP and PC-3 cells were transfected with short hairpin (sh)-MNX1-AS1, miR-2113 mimics, miR-2113 inhibitor and pCDH-MDM2 vector using Lipofectamine^® 3000. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities were assessed by CCK-8 assay, colony formation and Transwell assay, respectively. Dual luciferase reporter assay was carried out to confirm the putative targets of MNX1-AS1 and miR-2113. Tumor formation experiment in nude mice was applied to evaluate the tumor growth effect of MNX1-AS1 in vivo. The expression of MNX1-AS1 was significantly upregulated in the prostate cancer tissues and cell lines. MNX1-AS1 knockdown suppressed the abilities of cell viability and migration and invasion in vitro and inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, luciferase reporter assay revealed that MNX1-AS1 could target miR-2113 and negatively interacted with miR-2113 in prostate cancer cells. miR-2113 directly targeted to MDM2 and negatively modulated the expression of MDM2. Rescue assays suggested that the viability, migration and invasion of impaired cells triggered by transfection with sh-MNX1-AS1 alone could be recovered by co-transfection with sh-MNX1-AS1 + miR-2113 inhibitor or sh-MNX1-AS1 + pCDH- MDM2 vector. The present study demonstrated that MNX1-AS1 promoted prostate cancer progression through regulating miR-2113/ MDM2 axis.

LncRNA MNX1-AS1: A novel oncogenic propellant in cancers

To date, recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key players in gene regulation processes involved in cancer pathogenesis. In general, Motor neuron and pancreas homeobox 1-antisense RNA1 (MNX1-AS1) is highly expressed in all cancers as reported so far and exerts oncogenic effects through different mechanisms. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the detailed mechanisms of potential functions of MNX1-AS1 in different cancer types as well as the latest knowledge highlighting the potential of MNX1-AS1 as a therapeutic target for cancer. Aberrant expression of MNX1-AS1 closely correlates with clinicopathological parameters. such as lymphatic metastasis, tumor size, tumor stage, OS and DFS. Thus, MNX1-AS1 can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker or even a therapeutic prognostic target. This article reviews its function, molecular mechanism and clinical prognosis in various malignancies.

Actinidia chinensis Planch Root extract suppresses the growth and metastasis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma by inhibiting E2F Transcription Factor 1-mediated MNX1 antisense RNA 1

Increasing evidence has shown that traditional Chinese medicines and their bioactive components exert an anti-tumor effect, representing a novel treatment strategy. Actinidia chinensis Planch Root extracts (acRoots) have been reported to repress cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. The effect of acRoots on hypopharyngeal carcinoma progression was explored in this study. Firstly, data from MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and colony formation assays showed that incubation with accRoots reduced cell proliferation of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Moreover, acRoots promoted the cell apoptosis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma. Secondly, cell migration and invasion of hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells were suppressed by acRoots. Thirdly, E2F1 (E2F Transcription Factor 1) and lncRNA MNX1-AS1 (MNX1 antisense RNA 1) were up-regulated in hypopharyngeal carcinoma tissues, and reduced in hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells post acRoots incubation. Overexpression of E2F1 attenuated acRoots-induced decrease in MNX1-AS1 in hypopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Lastly, administration with acRoots retarded in vivo hypopharyngeal carcinoma growth through down-regulation of E2F1-mediated MNX1-AS1. In conclusion, acRoots exerted tumor-suppressive role in hypopharyngeal carcinoma through inhibition of E2F1-mediated MNX1-AS1.

Screening Differential CircRNAs Expression Profiles Reveals the Regulatory Role of the has_circTPT1_003-has-miR-218-5p-CCNE2/SMC4 Signaling Axis in Bladder Carcinoma Progression

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs closely related to the development and progression of various human cancers. However, it is unclear whether circRNAs play an important role in the development of bladder cancer. We utilized human circRNA array V2 microarrays to screen circRNA expression profiles in bladder cancer tissues. Bioinformatic tools including circBank, dbDEMC 2.0, miRCancer, TarBase v7.0, miRtarbase, TCGA-BLCA, Cytoscape-MCODE, String, ENCORI, and Venny 2.1 were then employed to construct the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks. In total, 105 upregulated circRNAs and 167 downregulated circRNAs (fold change >2 and p < 0.001) were filtered out. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis of filtered dysregulated circRNAs disclosed that the circRNAs regulatory network was closely related with mRNA processing and cell cycle, etc. Further excavation analysis showed that seven differentially overexpressed circRNAs including hsa_circ_0000133, hsa_circ_0023610, hsa_circ_0005615, hsa_circ_0030162, hsa_circ_0077007, hsa_circ_0001140, and hsa_circ_0107031 were associated with bladder cancer invasiveness, and the cell cycle signal axis. has_circTPT1_003-has-miR-218-5p-CCNE2/SMC4 was finally clarified as a possible mechanism for bladder cancer progression. Based on results derived from multiple approaches, we identified that has_circTPT1_003-has-miR-218-5p-CCNE2/SMC4 signal axis may be involved in the invasion process of bladder cancer.

hsa_circ_0023305 Enhances Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression and Modulates TRPM7 via miR-218-5p Sponging

Recently, circular RNAs have been shown to function as critical regulators of many human cancers. However, the circRNA mechanism in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains elusive. Recent investigations using bioinformatics analysis revealed high expression of hsa_circ_0023305 in LSCC tissues compared to normal tissues. Furthermore, we discovered that hsa_circ_0023305 expression level was positively correlated to tumor/node/metastasis (TNM) stage as well as lymph node metastasis in LSCC. Moreover, higher hsa_circ_0023305 levels were correlated to poorer LSCC patient outcomes. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0023305 significantly inhibited LSCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration abilities. Our team validated that hsa_circ_0023305 functioned as a miR-218-5p sponge from a mechanistic perspective, targeting the melastatin-related transient receptor potential 7 (TRPM7) in LSCC cells. TRPM7 regulates a nonselective cation channel and promotes cancer proliferation and metastasis. Our data demonstrated that miR-218-5p was downregulated in LSCC and that miR-218-5p upregulation repressed LSCC proliferation and invasion both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, we found that hsa_circ_0023305-mediated upregulation of TRPM7 inhibited miR-218-5p and contributed to LSCC migration, proliferation, and invasion. In summary, these data propose a new mechanism by which the hsa_circ_0023305/miR-218-5p/TRPM7 network enhances LSCC progression.

Clinical significance of long noncoding RNA MNX1-AS1 in human cancers: a meta-analysis of cohort studies and bioinformatics analysis based on TCGA datasets

MNX1-AS1 expression has been proposed to be abnormally upregulated in multiple human malignancies and be linked with the survival outcome of patients. However, relevant conclusions were yielded based on the limited samples. Therefore, we herein implemented a meta-analysis of the published cohort studies to further decipher the relationship of MNX1-AS1 level to prognosis and clinicopathological features in various cancers. Additionally, using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets we carried out a bioinformatics analysis to make a further evaluation on the prognostic value of MNX1-AS1 expression. The results of meta-analysis indicated elevated MNX1-AS1 level closely correlated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.97, 95% CI, 1.73-2.24; P < 0.00001), and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 2.24, 95% CI, 1.48-3.38; P = 0.0001) in cancers, which was confirmed by the bioinformatics analysis. Besides, it was observed the upregulated MNX1-AS1 level was significantly related to invasion depth, disease stage, tumor metastasis, and differentiation. Collectively, high MNX1-AS1 level correlated with poor survival outcome and aggressive clinicopathological characteristics in various cancers, suggesting that MNX1-AS1 may be applied as a prognostic marker and even a therapeutic target. Nevertheless, more high-quality studies designed with a large sample size should be conducted to further determine the clinical role of MNX1-AS1 in specific cancer types.

Biological functions and clinical significance of long noncoding RNAs in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BCa) is one of the 10 most common cancers with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a large class of noncoding RNA transcripts, consist of more than 200 nucleotides and play a significant role in the regulation of molecular interactions and cellular pathways during the occurrence and development of various cancers. In recent years, with the rapid advancement of high-throughput gene sequencing technology, several differentially expressed lncRNAs have been discovered in BCa, and their functions have been proven to have an impact on BCa development, such as cell growth and proliferation, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and drug-resistance. Furthermore, evidence suggests that lncRNAs are significantly associated with BCa patients' clinicopathological characteristics, especially tumor grade, TNM stage, and clinical progression stage. In addition, lncRNAs have the potential to more accurately predict BCa patient prognosis, suggesting their potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for BCa patients in the future. In this review, we briefly summarize and discuss recent research progress on BCa-associated lncRNAs, while focusing on their biological functions and mechanisms, clinical significance, and targeted therapy in BCa oncogenesis and malignant progression.

Identification of a Novel Glycolysis-Related LncRNA Signature for Predicting Overall Survival in Patients With Bladder Cancer

Background

Both lncRNAs and glycolysis are considered to be key influencing factors in the progression of bladder cancer (BCa). Studies have shown that glycolysis-related lncRNAs are an important factor affecting the overall survival and prognosis of patients with bladder cancer. In this study, a prognostic model of BCa patients was constructed based on glycolysis-related lncRNAs to provide a point of reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Methods

The transcriptome, clinical data, and glycolysis-related pathway gene sets of BCa patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) official website. Next, differentially expressed glycolysis-related lncRNAs were screened out, glycolysis-related lncRNAs with prognostic significance were identified through LASSO regression analysis, and a risk scoring model was constructed through multivariate Cox regression analysis. Then, based on the median of the risk scores, all BCa patients were divided into either a high-risk or low-risk group. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival analysis and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to evaluate the predictive power of the model. A nomogram prognostic model was then constructed based on clinical indicators and risk scores. A calibration chart, clinical decision curve, and ROC curve analysis were used to evaluate the predictive performance of the model, and the risk score of the prognostic model was verified using the TCGA data set. Finally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed on glycolysis-related lncRNAs.

Results

A total of 59 differentially expressed glycolysis-related lncRNAs were obtained from 411 bladder tumor tissues and 19 pericarcinomatous tissues, and 9 of those glycolysis-related lncRNAs (AC099850.3, AL589843.1, MAFG-DT, AC011503.2, NR2F1-AS1, AC078778.1, ZNF667-AS1, MNX1-AS1, and AC105942.1) were found to have prognostic significance. A signature was then constructed for predicting survival in BCa based on those 9 glycolysis-related lncRNAs. ROC curve analysis and a nomogram verified the accuracy of the signature.

Conclusion

Through this study, a novel prognostic prediction model for BCa was established based on 9 glycolysis-related lncRNAs that could effectively distinguish high-risk and low-risk BCa patients, and also provide a new point of reference for clinicians to make individualized treatment and review plans for patients with different levels of risk.

Role of Long Non-coding RNAs on Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in the urinary system, and its early diagnosis is conducive to improving clinical prognosis and prolonging overall survival time. However, few biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity are used as diagnostic markers for BC. Multiple long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in BC, and play key roles in tumorigenesis, progression and prognosis of BC. In this review, we summarize the expression, function, molecular mechanisms and the clinical significance of lncRNAs on bladder cancer. There are more than 100 dysregulated lncRNAs in BC, which are involved in the regulation of proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration, invasion, metabolism and drug resistance of BC. Meanwhile, the molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in BC was explored, including lncRNAs interacting with DNA, RNA and proteins. Additionally, the abnormal expression of thirty-six lncRNAs is closely associated with multiple clinical characteristics of BC, including tumor size, metastasis, invasion, and drug sensitivity or resistance of BC. Furthermore, we summarize some potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of lncRNA for BC. This review provides promising novel biomarkers in early diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of BC based on lncRNAs.

Long noncoding RNA MNX1-AS1 functions as a competing endogenous RNA to regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition by sponging MiR-744-5p in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most deadly cancer globally. Long noncoding RNA MNX1-AS1 has been proven to play a regulatory role in various human cancers. The present research aimed to explore the MNX1-AS1 function in CRC and the corresponding mechanism. A series of experiments were conducted to detect the effects of MNX1-AS1 and miR-744-5p on the biological function of CRC cells, including quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, CCK-8, transwell, wound healing assay, Western blot, and dual-luciferase report assay. MNX1-AS1 was elevated in CRC tissues and cell lines. Si-MNX1-AS1 inhibited cell viability, invasion, migration, and the protein expressions of N-cadherin and Vimentin but promoted the protein expression of E-cadherin. MiR-744-5p bound to MNX1-AS1. MiR-744-5p inhibitor had the opposite effect of si-MNX1-AS1. Cotransfection of miR-744-5p inhibitor and si-MNX1-AS1 recovered the effects mentioned above. In conclusion, MNX1-AS1/miR-744-5p axis plays a pivotal role in the viability, invasion, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of colorectal cancer cells.

LncRNA FGD5-AS1 promotes the malignant phenotypes of ovarian cancer cells via targeting miR-142-5p

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to participate in regulating gene expression and are related to tumor progression. FGD5 antisense RNA 1 (FGD5-AS1) facilitates the progression of various tumors. However, the expression and function of FGD5-AS1 in ovarian cancer (OC) and its mechanism of action are not yet clear. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed to explore the expression levels of FGD5-AS1 and miR-142-5p in OC. The relationship between the expression of FGD5-AS1 and clinicopathological indicators of OC patients was analyzed by χ² test. CCK-8 assay, BrdU assay, and Transwell assay were carried out to detect cell proliferation, migration, as well as invasion, respectively. Subcutaneous tumorigenesis experiment and lung metastasis model were used to examine the biological effects of FGD5-AS1 in OC in vivo. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay or RIP experiment was employed to explore the targeting relationship between FGD5-AS1 and miR-142-5p, as well as miR-142-5p and PD-L1 3'UTR. First, we found that FGD5-AS1 was markedly up-regulated in OC. Moreover, its high expression level was associated with positive local lymph node metastasis and higher T stage in OC patients. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays demonstrated that FGD5-AS1 facilitated the proliferation, migration, as well as invasion of OC cells. Mechanistically, it was revealed that FGD5-AS1 targeted miR-142-5p to repress its expression and function. Furthermore, miR-142-5p has a binding site for 3' UTR of PD-L1, and FGD5-AS1 could positively regulate PD-L1 expression via repressing miR-142-5p. The present study reports that FGD5-AS1/miR-142-5p/PD-L1 axis is involved in regulating OC progression.

LncRNA MNX1-AS1 Contributes to Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Growth and Migration by Regulating mir-744-5p/bcl9/β-Catenin Axis

Increasing evidence has indicated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Here, we aimed to disclose the role of MNX1-AS1 in LSCC progression, and explore whether MNX1-AS1 participates in LSCC progression via targeting miR-744-5p to active BCL9/β-catenin signaling. Sixty-five human LSCC tissues and the paracancerous normal tissues were recruited to determine the levels of MNX1-AS1, miR-744-5p and BCL9 using qRT-PCR. The interaction of miR-744-5p and MNX1-AS1/BCL9 was determined by using the RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay and/or luciferase gene reporter assay. Cell viability, in vivo tumor formation, invasion and migration abilities were detected by MTT, Xenograft models and Transwell assays. MNX1-AS1 level was increased significantly in human LSCC tissues as compared with the normal tissues, which showed a positive correlation with BCL9 level while a negative correlation with miR-744-5p level. High level of MNX1-AS1 predicted a poor prognosis and an advanced clinical process in LSCC patients. miR-744-5p targeted upregulation weakened the luciferase activity of MNX1-AS1 and /BCL9, and downregulated their expression levels-wt, while showed no effect when the binding sites were mutated. Knockdown of MNX1-AS1 markedly weakened cell viability, migration, and invasion abilities, while BCL9 overexpression abolished these tendencies. In addition, MNX1-AS1 downregulation induced decreases in tumor volumes and weights in vivo, accompanied by reductions in BCL9, Ki-67 and β-catenin expression and an increase in miR-744-5p expression. Collectively, this study reveals that MNX1-AS1 contributes to cell growth and migration by regulating miR-744-5p/BCL9/β-catenin axis in LSCC.

LncRNA MNX1-AS1 drives aggressive laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma progression and serves as a ceRNA to target FoxM1 by sponging microRNA-370

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) MNX1 antisense RNA 1(MNX1-AS1) is associated with the pathology of numerous cancers. But, the role and underlying pathways of MNX1-AS1 in the regulation of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is not known. We demonstrated remarkably elevated levels of MNX1-AS1 in the LSCC tissues, which was correlated with poor disease prognosis. Moreover, MNX1-AS1-silencing strongly suppressed LSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. We also demonstrated that MNX1-AS1 sequesters that activity of miR-370, thereby releasing Forkhead Box ml (FoxM1) from the inhibitory actions of MNX1-AS1. Furthermore, the positive correlation of MNX1-AS1 and FoxM1 as well as the converse correlation between miR-370 and MNX1-AS1 (or FoxM1) were revealed in LSCC tissues using experiments. Based on rescue assays, FoxM1 overexpression or miR-370 downregulation partially recovered the inhibitory effect of MNX1-AS1 silencing on LSCC cells. Moreover, knockdown of MNX1-AS1 retarded tumor growth in nude mice model. In summary, these findings verified that MNX1-AS1 modulated LSCC progression by competitively binding with miR-370 to regulate FoxM1.

Analysis of differentially expressed genes in oral epithelial cells infected with Fusobacterium nucleatum for revealing genes associated with oral cancer

Accumulating evidence links Fusobacterium nucleatum with tumorigenesis. Our previous study demonstrated that F. nucleatum infection can induce epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in oral epithelial cells and elaborated a probable signal pathway involved in the induction of EMT. However, the comprehensive profiling and pathways of other candidate genes involved in F. nucleatum promoting malignant transformation remain largely elusive. Here, we analysed the transcriptome profile of HIOECs exposed to F. nucleatum infection. Totally, 3307 mRNAs (ǀLog2FCǀ >1.5) and 522 lncRNAs (ǀLog2FCǀ >1) were identified to be differentially expressed in F. nucleatum‐infected HIOECs compared with non‐infected HIOECs. GO and KEGG pathway analyses were performed to investigate the potential functions of the dysregulated genes. Tumour‐associated genes were integrated, and top 10 hub genes (FYN, RAF1, ATM, FOS, CREB, NCOA3, VEGFA, JAK2, CREM and ATF3) were identified by protein‐protein interaction (PPI) network, and Oncomine was used to validate hub genes' expression. LncRNA‐hub genes co‐expression network comprising 67 dysregulated lncRNAs were generated. Together, our study revealed the alteration of lncRNA and potential hub genes in oral epithelial cells in response to F. nucleatum infection, which may provide new insights into the shift of normal to malignant transformation initiated by oral bacterial infection.

LncRNA MNX1-AS1 promotes progression of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma through the MNX1/Hippo axis

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have extremely complex roles in the progression of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and remain to be elucidated. By cytological and animal model experiments, this study demonstrated that the expression of lncRNA MNX1-AS1 was remarkably elevated in ICC cell lines and tissues, and was highly and positively correlated with motor neuron and pancreas homeobox protein 1 (MNX1) expression. MNX1-AS1 significantly facilitated the proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis in ICC cells in vitro, and remarkably promoted tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Further study revealed that MNX1-AS1 promoted the expression of MNX1 via recruiting transcription factors c-Myc and myc-associated zinc finger protein (MAZ). Furthermore, MNX1 upregulated the expression of Ajuba protein via binding to its promoter region, and subsequently, Ajuba protein suppressed the Hippo signaling pathway. Taken together, our results uncovered that MNX1-AS1 can facilitate ICC progression via MNX1-AS1/c-Myc and MAZ/MNX1/Ajuba/Hippo pathway, suggesting that MNX1-AS1 may be able to serve as a potential target for ICC treatment.

CircRNA circUGGT2 Contributes to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development via Regulation of the miR-526b-5p/RAB1A Axis

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor in the world. Circular RNA hsa_circ_0008274 (circUGGT2) is reported to be upregulated in HCC tissues. Notwithstanding, the role and regulatory mechanism of circUGGT2 in HCC are indistinct.

Methods

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was implemented to examine the levels of circUGGT2, microRNA (miR)-526b-5p, and ras-related protein Rab-1A (RAB1A) mRNA in HCC tissues and cells. Cell proliferation and colony formation were assessed with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) or colony formation assays. The levels of cyclin D1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and RAB1A were detected with Western blotting. Cell cycle progression, migration, and invasion were evaluated by using flow cytometry or transwell assays. The relationship between circUGGT2 or RAB1A and miR-526b-5p was verified via dual-luciferase reporter and/or RNA pull-down assays. Xenograft assay was executed to confirm the role of circUGGT2 in vivo.

Results

We observed that circUGGT2 and RAB1A were upregulated while miR-526b-5p was downregulated in HCC tissues and cells. CircUGGT2 silencing suppressed tumor growth in vivo and curbed proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle progression, migration, and invasion of HCC cells in vitro. Mechanically, circUGGT2 regulated RAB1A expression via competitively binding to miR-526b-5p. Also, the inhibitory influence of circUGGT2 silencing on the malignancy of HCC cells was overturned by miR-526b-5p inhibitor. Furthermore, RAB1A overexpression reversed the suppressive influence of miR-526b-5p mimic on the malignancy of HCC cells.

Conclusion

CircUGGT2 silencing inhibited HCC development via modulating the miR-526b-5p/RAB1A axis, providing a possible target for HCC treatment.