MicroRNA as a Novel Modulator in Head and Neck Squamous Carcinoma

Comprehensive Analysis of the Role of SLC2A3 on Prognosis and Immune Infiltration in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background. SLC2A3 is upregulated in various cancer types and promotes proliferation, invasion, and metabolism. However, its role in the prognosis and immune regulation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is still obscure. This study is aimed at exploring the prognostic and immunotherapeutic potential of SLC2A3 in HNSCC. Methods. All data were downloaded from TCGA database and integrated via R software. SLC2A3 expression was evaluated using R software, TIMER, CPTAC, and HPA databases. The association between SLC2A3 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics was assessed by R software. The effect of SLC2A3 on survival was analyzed by R software and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. Genomic alterations in SLC2A3 were investigated using the cBioPortal database. Coexpression of SLC2A3 was studied using LinkedOmics and STRING, and enrichment analyses were performed with R software. The relationship between SLC2A3 expression and immune infiltration was determined using TIMER and TISIDB databases. Immune checkpoints and ESTIMATE score were analyzed via the SangerBox database. Results. SLC2A3 expression was upregulated in HNSCC tissues compared to normal tissues. It was significantly related to TNM stage, histological grade, and alcohol history. High SLC2A3 expression was associated with poor prognosis in HNSCC. Coexpression analysis indicated that SLC2A3 mostly participated in the HIF-1 signaling pathway and glycolysis. Furthermore, SLC2A3 expression strongly correlated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in HNSCC. Conclusion. SLC2A3 could serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for tumor immune infiltration in HNSCC.

microRNA-Mediated Encoding and Decoding of Time-Dependent Signals in Tumorigenesis

microRNAs, pivotal post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, in the past decades have caught the attention of researchers for their involvement in different biological processes, ranging from cell development to cancer. Although lots of effort has been devoted to elucidate the topological features and the equilibrium properties of microRNA-mediated motifs, little is known about how the information encoded in frequency, amplitude, duration, and other features of their regulatory signals can affect the resulting gene expression patterns. Here, we review the current knowledge about microRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks characterized by time-dependent input signals, such as pulses, transient inputs, and oscillations. First, we identify the general characteristic of the main motifs underlying temporal patterns. Then, we analyze their impact on two commonly studied oncogenic networks, showing how their dysfunction can lead to tumorigenesis.

miR-192/215-5p act as tumor suppressors and link Crohn's disease and colorectal cancer by targeting common metabolic pathways: An integrated informatics analysis and experimental study

MicroRNAs have emerged as key regulators involved in a variety of biological processes. Previous studies have demonstrated that miR-192/215 participated in progression of Crohn's disease and colorectal cancer. However, their concrete relationships and regulation networks in diseases remain unclear. Here, we used bioinformatics methods to expound miR-192/215-5p macrocontrol regulatory networks shared by two diseases. For data mining and figure generation, several miRNA prediction tools, Human miRNA tissue atlas, FunRich, miRcancer, MalaCards, STRING, GEPIA, cBioPortal, GEO databases, Pathvisio, Graphpad Prism 6 software, etc . are extensively applied. miR-192/215-5p were specially distributed in colon tissues and enriched biological pathways were closely associated with human cancers. Emerging role of miR-192/215-5p and their common pathways in Crohn's disease and colorectal cancer was also analyzed. Based on results derived from multiple approaches, we identified the biological functions of miR-192/215-5p as a tumor suppressor and link Crohn's disease and colorectal cancer by targeting triglyceride synthesis and extracellular matrix remodeling pathways.

Salivary biomarkers and their efficacies as diagnostic tools for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

More than 90% of malignant tumors of the head and neck are oral squamous cell carcinomas. Early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma using salivary biomarkers could prevent malignant transformations and enhance patient survival.

METHODS

A systematic search in MEDLINE and the Central Register of Controlled Trials and meta-analysis were undertaken to identify the screening potential of six salivary biomarkers for early oral squamous cell carcinoma detection: interleukins IL-8 and IL1-β, DUSP-1 and S100P messenger RNAs, and miR125a and miR200a microRNAs.

RESULTS

The sensitivities of IL-8 (0.41; 95%CI 0.19-0.99), IL1-β (0.26; 95%CI 0.19-0.99), DUSP-1 (0.61; 95%CI 0.01-0.98), and S100P (0.67; 95%CI 0.32-0.99) were calculated. Specificities of the biomarkers analyzed were found to be IL-8 (0.69; 95%CI 0.66-0.99), IL1-β (0.47; 95%CI 0.46-0.90), DUSP-1 (0.75; 95%CI 0.33-1), and S100P (0.73; 95%CI 0.18-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS

Early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma was best achieved by screening for salivary messenger RNA DUSP-1 and S100P. Further investigation is required into miRNAs as novel biomarkers.

Comprehensive transcriptional landscape of porcine cardiac and skeletal muscles reveals differences of aging

Aging significantly affects the cardiac muscle (CM) and skeletal muscles (SM). Since the aging process of CM and SM may be different, high throughput RNA sequencing was performed using CM and SM in different age conditions to evaluate the expression profiles of messenger RNA (mRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), micro RNA (miRNA), and circular (circRNA). Several mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were highly expressed and consistently appeared in both ages in one of the two muscle tissues. Gene ontology (GO) annotation described that these genes were required for maintaining normal biological functions of CM and SM tissues. Furthermore, 26 mRNAs, 4 lncRNAs, 22 miRNAs, and 26 circRNAs were differentially expressed during cardiac muscle aging. Moreover, 81 mRNAs, 5 lncRNAs, 79 miRNAs, and 62 circRNAs were differentially expressed during aging of skeletal muscle. When comparing the expression profiles of CM and SM during aging, the senescence process in CM and SM was found to be fundamentally different. In addition, we assessed multi-group cooperative control relationships and constructed circRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-expression networks in muscular aging. In conclusion, our findings will contribute to the understanding of muscular aging and provide a foundation for future studies on the molecular mechanisms underlying muscular aging.

miRNAs Signature in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasis: A Literature Review

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Head and neck cancers include epithelial tumors arising in the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, paranasal sinuses, and nasal cavity. Metastasis is a hallmark of cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNAs involved in cell proliferation, development, differentiation and metastasis. It is believed that miRNA alterations correlate with initiation and progression of cancer cell proliferation or inhibition of tumorigenesis. Moreover, miRNAs have different roles in development, progression, and metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Altered expression of miRNAs could be novel molecular biomarkers for the definite diagnosis of cancer, metastatic site, cancer stage, and its progression.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this review was to provide a comprehensive literature review of the role of miRNAs in head and neck cancer metastasis.

SEARCH STRATEGY

A relevant English literature search in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar was performed. The keywords 'miRNA', 'head and neck', and 'cancer' were searched in title and abstract of publications; limited from 1990 to 2015. The inclusion criterion was the role of miRNAs in cancer metastasis. The exclusion criterion was the other functions of miRNAs in cancers. Out of 15221 articles, the full texts of 442 articles were retrieved and only 133 articles met the inclusion criteria.

CONCLUSION

Despite the advances in cancer treatment, the mortality rate of HNSCC is still high. The potential application of miRNAs for cancer therapy has been demonstrated in many studies; miRNAs function as either tumor suppressor or oncogene. The recognition of metastamir and their targets may lead to better understanding of HNSCC oncogenesis, and consequently, development of new therapeutic strategies which is a necessity in cancer treatment. Development of therapeutic agents based on miRNAs is a promising target.

MicroRNA‑34a induces apoptosis in PC12 cells by reducing B‑cell lymphoma 2 and sirtuin‑1 expression

MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a) is a direct target of p53 and was reported to induce cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and senescence. Inhibition of the NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) by miR-34a leads to an increase in acetylated p53, which promotes cell apoptosis. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) is also involved in apoptosis, and was originally characterized with respect to its role in controlling outer mitochondrial membrane integrity. The effect of miR-34a in PC12 cells has not yet been reported. In the present study, it was hypothesized that Bcl-2 and SIRT1 may be critical downstream targets of miR-34a that participate in apoptosis induction. miR-34a mimics and inhibitors were transfected into PC12 cells, and the apoptosis and proliferation rates were compared between groups. It was demonstrated that induction of miR-34a promotes apoptosis and senescence, inhibits proliferation, and leads to marked alterations in SIRT1, Bcl-12 and acetyl (ac)-p53 expression. These data indicate that miR-34a may be important in neuropathy.

MicroRNAs - Biology and clinical applications

MicroRNAs are a highly conserved group of small, non-coding RNA molecules, which are 19-25 nucleotides in size. Previously thought to be evolutionary debris with no evident function, these small RNAs have been found to control gene expression primarily by silencing the gene. MicroRNAs are critical to cell physiology and development. They are also implicated in pathological processes such as autoimmune diseases, viral infections and carcinogenesis.

A Decade of Global mRNA and miRNA Profiling of HPV-Positive Cell Lines and Clinical Specimens

For more than a decade, global gene expression profiling has been extensively used to elucidate the biology of human papillomaviruses (HPV) and their role in cervical- and head-and-neck cancers. Since 2008, the expression profiling of miRNAs has been reported in multiple HPV studies. Two major strategies have been employed in the gene and miRNA profiling studies: In the first approach, HPV positive tumors were compared to normal tissues or to HPV negative tumors. The second strategy relied on analysis of cell cultures transfected with single HPV oncogenes or with HPV genomes compared to untransfected cells considered as models for the development of premalignant and malignant transformations.In this review, we summarize what we have learned from a decade of global expression profiling studies. We performed comprehensive analysis of the overlap of the lists of differentially expressed genes and microRNAs, in both tissue samples and cell culture based studies. The review focuses mainly on HPV16, however reports from other HPV species are used as references. We discuss the low degree of consensus among different studies and the limitation of differential expression analysis as well as the fragmented miRNA-mRNA target correlation evidence. Furthermore, we propose an approach for future research to include more comprehensive miRNA-mRNA target correlation analysis and to apply systems biology/gene networks methodology.

miR-27b-regulated TCTP as a novel plasma biomarker for oral cancer: from quantitative proteomics to post-transcriptional study

We combined an iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis and the miRNA determination to profile potentially novel biomarker from oral cancer. There are 757 and 674 unique proteins identified from proteomic analysis, and 13 proteins displayed consistent underexpression (<0.67 fold) in normal tissues in comparison with the corresponding tumor tissues. After preliminary screening, EGFR, OAT, TPT1, ITGA6, G3BP1 and CB39L were the six genes validated in the 37 oral cancer patients (T1, n=10; T2, n=10; T3, n=10 and T4, n=7). The TPT1, ITGA6 and CAB39L genes were displayed the higher transcriptions level in the tumor tissues and the TPT1, ITGA6 and CAB39L proteins were also shown overexpression in the tumor tissues from the same patients. The miR-19a, 19b, 27a, 27b, 186, 203 and 377 transcripts were predicted and the miR-27b level was shown to significantly reduce in the tumor tissues and the plasma of OSCC patients. In the in vitro study, the overexpression of miR-27b only significantly decreased TCTP protein and gene levels in both HSC-3 and Cal-27 cell lines. Our results demonstrate that human miR-27b regulates the expression of the TCTP tumor protein, and circulating miR-27b may be useful as a biomarker for oral cancer research.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition transcription factor ZEB1/ZEB2 co-expression predicts poor prognosis and maintains tumor-initiating properties in head and neck cancer

OBJECTIVES

Both epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell (CSC) properties may be involved in metastasis, which contributes to the high mortality rate of patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs). However, the mechanisms through which the EMT transcription factors ZEB1 and ZEB2 regulate HNC are still unclear.

METHODS

Tumor initiating capability of HNC-CH133(+) cells with ZEB1/2 knockdown or co-overexpression was presented in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

In the present study, we demonstrated that ZEB1/ZEB2 expression was significantly increased in HNC-CD133(+) CSC-like cells compared with HNC-CD133(-) cells. The small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated co-knockdown of ZEB1 and ZEB2 (siZEB1/2) in HNC-CH133(+) cells suppressed their CSC-like properties, including self-renewal ability, the expression of stemness markers, and drug resistance. In contrast, the co-overexpression of ZEB1/ZEB2 in HNC-CD133(-) cells enhanced their sphere-forming ability and increased the percentage of CD44-positive cells and side population cells. In vivo studies showed that the delivery of siZEB1/2 to xenograft tumors in nude mice reduced tumor growth and the rate of distant metastasis. In clinical samples, the levels of ZEB1/ZEB2 expression were low in local lesions but high in metastatic lymph nodes in HNC tissues. Patients with tumors that co-expressed ZEB1(high) and ZEB2(high) had especially poor survival rates.

CONCLUSION

Therapies targeting ZEB1/ZEB2 in HNC-CD133(+) cells may provide a new approach for HNC therapy in the future.

Differential expression of microRNAs miR-21, miR-31, miR-203, miR-125a-5p and miR-125b and proteins PTEN and p63 in verrucous carcinoma of the head and neck

AIMS

To investigate the expression of microRNAs miR-21, miR-31, miR-203, miR-125a-5p and miR-125b and proteins phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) and p63 in verrucous carcinoma (VC) of the head and neck.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Thirty cases of VC, 50 cases of conventional squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 30 samples of normal epithelium of the head and neck were included. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were used to analyse the expression of microRNAs and proteins, respectively. In comparison to normal epithelium, miR-21 was overexpressed in both VC and SCC and miR-31 was overexpressed in VC and in well- and moderately differentiated SCC. Levels of miR-203 were elevated in VC but unaltered or reduced in SCC, and levels of miR-125a-5p and miR-125b were reduced in VC but unaltered in SCC. PTEN was down-regulated in both VC and SCC, whereas p63 was down-regulated in VC but up-regulated in SCC. Differential expression of p63 in VC correlated inversely with the expression of miR-21 and miR-203.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences between VC, SCC and normal epithelium in expression profiles of investigated molecules indicate their association with the pathogenesis and clinicopathological characteristics of VC. Our results suggest that some microRNAs and proteins, particularly miR-125b, miR-203 and p63, might be useful in the diagnosis of VC.

Loss of microRNA-143/145 disturbs cellular growth and apoptosis of human epithelial cancers by impairing the MDM2-p53 feedback loop

Dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) have an important role in many malignant tumors. However, elucidating the roles of miRNAs in cancer biology, especially in epithelial cancers, remains an ongoing process. In this study, we show that both miR-143 and miR-145, which belong to the same miRNA cluster, can negatively modulate expression of their target gene, MDM2. The miR-143 and miR-145 is posttranscriptionally activated by upregulated p53, thereby generating a short miRNAs-MDM2-p53 feedback loop. Re-expression of these miRNAs suppresses cellular growth and triggers the apoptosis of epithelial cancer, in vitro and in vivo, by enhancing p53 activity via MDM2 turnover. Moreover, the miRNA-dependent MDM2 turnover contributes to the equilibrium of repeated p53 pulses in response to DNA damage stress. These findings suggest that MDM2 dysregulation caused by downregulation of miR-143 and miR-145 contributes to epithelial cancer development and has a key role in regulating cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Re-expression of miR-143 and miR-145 may be a reasonable strategy for treatment of epithelial cancers.

Current trends in miRNAs and their relationship with oral squamous cell carcinoma

A micro RNA (miRNA) is a single-stranded endogenous, non-coding RNA, with length ranging between 18 and 24 nucleotides and the ability of regulating the expression of other genes on a post-transcriptional level by means of various processes, degradation or repression of target mRNA. miRNAs play a crucial role in regulating fundamental processes such as cell cycle, differentiation and apoptosis; thus, their deregulation can affect normal cell growth and development, and even participate in carcinogenesis. The goals of this paper are: to outline the formation and functions of miRNAs; to determine their role in oral squamous cell carcinoma; to analyze the different miRNAs described and their roles as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, depending on their overexpression or subexpression; to describe the different polymorphisms and epigenetic alterations identified; and to determine their role in multidrug resistance.