Nicotine-upregulated miR-30a arrests cell cycle in G1 phase by directly targeting CCNE2 in human periodontal ligament cells

Emerging Role of miRNAs in the Pathogenesis of Periodontitis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to participate in the pathogenesis of several immune-related conditions through the modulation of the expression of cytokine coding genes and other molecules that affect the activity of the immune system. Periodontitis is an example of these conditions associated with the dysregulation of several miRNAs. Several miRNAs such as let-7 family, miR-125, miR-378, miR-543, miR-302, miR-214, miR-200, miR-146, miR-142, miR-30 and miR-21 have been shown to be dysregulated in patients with periodontitis. miR-146 is the most assessed miRNA in these patients, which is up-regulated in most studies in patients with periodontitis. In the present review, we describe the impact of miRNAs dysregulation on the pathoetiology of periodontitis.

Modulating Effects of Cancer-Derived Exosomal miRNAs and Exosomal Processing by Natural Products

Cancer-derived exosomes exhibit sophisticated functions, such as proliferation, apoptosis, migration, resistance, and tumor microenvironment changes. Several clinical drugs modulate these exosome functions, but the impacts of natural products are not well understood. Exosome functions are regulated by exosome processing, such as secretion and assembly. The modulation of these exosome-processing genes can exert the anticancer and precancer effects of cancer-derived exosomes. This review focuses on the cancer-derived exosomal miRNAs that regulate exosome processing, acting on the natural-product-modulating cell functions of cancer cells. However, the role of exosomal processing has been overlooked in several studies of exosomal miRNAs and natural products. In this study, utilizing the bioinformatics database (miRDB), the exosome-processing genes of natural-product-modulated exosomal miRNAs were predicted. Consequently, several natural drugs that modulate exosome processing and exosomal miRNAs and regulate cancer cell functions are described here. This review sheds light on and improves our understanding of the modulating effects of exosomal miRNAs and their potential exosomal processing targets on anticancer treatments based on the use of natural products.

Nicotine regulates autophagy of human periodontal ligament cells through α7 nAchR that promotes secretion of inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-8

Background

Nicotine is an important risk factor and the main toxic component associated with periodontitis. However, the mechanism of nicotine induced periodontitis is not clear. To investigated the mechanism through which nicotine regulates autophagy of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) through the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) and how autophagy further regulates the release of IL-1β and IL-8 secretion in hPDLCs.

Methods

HPDLCs were obtained from root of extracted teeth and pre-incubated in alpha-bungarotoxin (α-BTX) or 3-Methyladenine (3-MA), followed by culturing in nicotine. We used a variety of experimental detection techniques including western blotting, immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and RT-qPCR to assess the expression of the LC3 protein, autolysosome, and release of IL-1β and IL-8 from hPDLCs.

Results

Western blots, immunofluorescence and TEM results found that the nicotine significantly increased the autophagy expression in hPDLCs that was time and concentration dependent and reversed by α-BTX treatment (p < 0.05). RT-qPCR and ELISA results revealed a noticeable rise in the release of inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-8 from hPDLCs in response to nicotine. RT-qPCR and ELISA results showed that nicotine can significantly up-regulate the release of inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-8 in hPDLCs, and this effect can be inhibited by 3-MA (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Nicotine regulated autophagy of hPDLCs through α7 nAChR and in turn the regulation of the release of inflammatory factors 1L-1β and 1L-8 by hPDLCs.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-021-01894-5.

[MicroRNA-200c-3p inhibits proliferation of nephroblastoma cells by targeting CCNE2]

OBJECTIVE

To predict and verify the target gene of miR-200c-3p and evaluate the inhibitory effect of miR-200c-3p on the proliferation of nephroblastoma cells.

METHODS

The putative target genes of miR-200c-3p were predicted by bioinformatics approach. Nephroblastoma cell models with miR-200c-3p overexpression or knockdown were established in SK-NEP-1 and G401 cells with corresponding control groups. The expressions of CCNE2 in SK-NEP-1 and G401 cells in different groups were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. A luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the targeting relationship between miR-200c-3p and CCNE2. The effects of miR-200c-3p overexpression or knockdown on cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and soft agarose assay.

RESULTS

CCNE2 was one of the target genes of miR-200c-3p as predicted by bioinformatics methods. Transfection of the two nephroblastoma cell lines with miR-200c-3p mimic resulted in significantly lowered CCNE2 mRNA and protein expressions (P < 0.05). The results of dual-luciferase assay confirmed that miR-200c-3p bound to the 3'UTR of CCNE2. CCK-8 assay and soft agarose assay demonstrated that overexpression of miR-200c-3p significantly inhibited the proliferation of the nephroblastoma cells (P < 0.01), and knocking down miR-200c-3p in the cells produced the opposite effects.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-200c-3p overexpression inhibits the proliferation of nephroblastoma cells by down-regulating its target gene CCNE2.