MicroRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma: carcinogenesis, progression, and therapeutic target. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:486407. [PMID: 24800233 PMCID: PMC3996893 DOI: 10.1155/2014/486407]

Potential plasma biomarkers: miRNA-29c, miRNA-21, and miRNA-155 in clinical progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma patients

This study evaluated differences in the clinical appearance of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on plasma level and regulation of microRNAs (miRNA-29c, miRNA-21, and miRNA-155). The observational-analytical study with a cross-sectional design was conducted on 36 HCC patients and 36 healthy controls. The blood samples were collected from 2 Province Hospitals (Dr. Sardjito Hospital and Prof. Dr. Margono Soekarjo Hospital) for HCC and the Blood Bank Donor of the Indonesian Red Cross for 36 healthy controls. These blood samples were treated as follows: plasma isolation, RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, quantification by qRT-PCR using a sequence-specific forward primer, and normalization of miRNA using housekeeping-stably miRNA-16. There were only 27 HCC patients with complete clinical variables (neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), platelet count, albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and cholinesterase (ChE)) that were able to analyses for regulation miRNAs based on its fold change expression miRNA target. All 27 HCC subjects were follow-up until 3-years of monitoring for their overall survival. The miRNA plasma expression was analyzed by Bio-Rad CFX 96 Manager software to determine the cycle of quantification, followed by the calculation of expression levels using Livak’s methods. Data were analyzed using STATA 11.0, with a significant value of p<0.05. The miRNAs expression of HCC subjects were lower than that healthy control subjects in miRNA-29c (down-regulation 1.83-fold), higher than that healthy control subjects in miRNA 21 and miRNA-155 (up-regulation, 1.74-fold; 1.55-fold) respectively. NLR, CRP, ChE, and platelet count showed a significant difference in miRNA-29c regulation, though neutrophil count showed a significant difference in miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 regulation (p<0.05). Conclusion: Plasma biomarkers: miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 might be potential biomarkers as onco-miR in HCC subjects, while miRNA-29c might act as a tumor suppressor. Significant evidence was identified with clinical progression based on the regulation of miRNAs, which was consistent with miRNA -29c.

Non-coding RNA-associated competitive endogenous RNA regulatory networks: Novel diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as the most prevalent liver malignancy, is annually diagnosed in more than half a million people worldwide. HCC is strongly associated with hepatitis B and C viral infections as well as alcohol abuse. Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) also significantly enhance the risk of liver cancer. Despite recent improvements in therapeutic approaches, patients diagnosed in advanced stages show poor prognosis. Accumulating evidence provides support for the regulatory role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in cancer. There are a variety of reports indicating the regulatory role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in different stages of HCC. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) exert their effects by sponging miRNAs and controlling the expression of miRNA-targeted genes. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) perform their biological functions by acting as transcriptional regulators, miRNA sponges and protein templates. Diverse studies have illustrated that dysregulation of competing endogenous RNA networks (ceRNETs) is remarkably correlated with HCC-causing diseases such as chronic viral infections, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. The aim of the current article was to provide an overview of the role and molecular mechanisms underlying the function of ceRNETs that modulate the characteristics of HCC such as uncontrolled cell proliferation, resistance to cell death, metabolic reprogramming, immune escape, angiogenesis and metastasis. The current knowledge highlights the potential of these regulatory RNA molecules as novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in HCC.

miR-30d-5p represses the proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung squamous cell carcinoma via targeting DBF4

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the mechanism of miR-30d-5p in regulating the development of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) via targeting DBF4.

METHODS

Bioinformatics methods were employed to analyze the differentially expressed genes in LUSC tissue microarray. qRT-PCR was employed to detect the expression of miR-30d-5p and DBF4 mRNA in normal human bronchial epithelial cells and LUSC cells. CCK-8 was used to detect LUSC cell activity. Wound healing assay was employed to detect the migratory ability of LUSC cells. Transwell was employed to detect invasive ability. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the targeting relationship between miR-30d-5p and DBF4. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of marker molecules associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).

RESULTS

In this study, the expression of miR-30d-5p in LUSC cell lines was found to be obviously low compared with that in normal human bronchial epithelial cell line, which was opposite to the expression of DBF4. Dual-luciferase reporter assay verified that miR-30d-5p could target DBF4 and the overexpression of miR-30d-5p downregulated the expression of DBF4. Overexpression of DBF4 promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT of LUSC, whereas over-expression of miR-30d-5p could weaken the promotion of DBF4 on cancer cells.

CONCLUSION

miR-30d-5p downregulates the expression of DBF4 to regulate the development of LUSC.

Epigenomics in Hurthle Cell Neoplasms: Filling in the Gaps Towards Clinical Application

It has been widely described that cancer genomes have frequent alterations to the epigenome, including epigenetic silencing of various tumor suppressor genes with functions in almost all cancer-relevant signalling pathways, such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell migration and DNA repair. Epigenetic alterations comprise DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNAs dysregulated expression and they play a significant role in the differentiation and proliferation properties of TC. In this review, our group assessed the published evidence on the tumorigenic role of epigenomics in Hurthle cell neoplasms (HCN), highlighting the yet limited, heteregeneous and non-validated data preventing its current use in clinical practice, despite the well developed assessment techniques available. The identified evidence gaps call for a joint endeavour by the medical community towards a deeper and more systematic study of HCN, aiming at defining epigenetic markers in early diagnose, allowing for accurate stratification of maligancy and disease risk and for effective systemic treatment.

Development of a novel panel based on micro-RNAs (21, 29a, 200 and 335) and alpha-fetoprotein as diagnostic biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis C infection

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in cancer biology; they are used as potential tools in cancer diagnosis. This study investigated the microRNA expression profile of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Serum microRNA expression profiles (miRNA-29a, miRNA-200, miRNA-335 and miRNA-21) were analysed in 137 patients with HCC and liver cirrhosis and 49 healthy subjects (used as negative controls) using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), as a routine tumour marker, was also assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

The expression levels of miRNA-21, miRNA-335 and miRNA-200 were significantly up-regulated, whereas those of miRNA-29a were remarkably down-regulated in patients with HCC compared with those in healthy subjects. miRNA-200 had the most elevated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) among single miRNAs used to predict HCC occurrence (AUC = 0.72). The highest discriminatory power was recorded using a panel based on the combination of four miRNAs, miRNA-200, miRNA-29a, miRNA-21 and miRNA-355, and AFP levels (AUC = 0.92). The four-miRNA panel combined with AFP levels exhibited high accuracy in predicting HCC with small tumour sizes of <2 cm (AUC = 0.90) and ≥2 cm (AUC = 0.93). The combination of the four-miRNA panel and AFP resulted in an AUC value of 0.83 for single lesions, which was lesser than that recorded for ≥2 lesions (AUC = 0.94, 0.95, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The combination of the four-miRNA panel and AFP levels can be used as a sensitive and specific biomarker for HCC.

MicroRNA-587 Functions as a Tumor Suppressor in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Targeting Ribosomal Protein SA

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most highly aggressive cancer worldwide with an extremely poor prognosis. Evidence has revealed that microRNA-587 (miR-587) is abnormally expressed in a series of cancers. However, its expressions and functions in HCC have not been clearly acknowledged.

Methods

We detected the expression level of miR-587 both in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and 86 paired clinical HCC tissues together with paired adjacent normal tissues by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Afterwards, the transfected HCC cell line SMMC-7721 cells were collected for the cell proliferation assay, cell-cycle arrest, cell migration, and invasion assays to explore the roles of miR-587 in regulating cellular function. In addition, bioinformatics analysis, combined with qRT-PCR and dual-luciferase reporter assays, were performed to confirm whether ribosomal protein SA (RPSA) mRNA was the direct target gene of miR-587. Moreover, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GEO databases as well as 86 paired clinical HCC tissues were used to verify the negative regulation between miR-587 and RPSA.

Results

In the present study, both the GEO database (GSE36915 and GSE74618) analysis and qRT-PCR analysis of 86 paired clinical tissues showed that miR-587 was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues. The overexpression of miR-587 inhibited proliferation, cell cycle, migration, and invasion in SMMC-7721 cells. In addition, miR-587 directly interacted with the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of RPSA. Moreover, miR-587 overexpression directly suppressed RPSA expression, and the two genes were inversely expressed in HCC based on the analyses in TCGA and GEO (GSE36376) databases and qPCR analysis of 86 paired clinical tissues.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that miR-587 is downexpressed in HCC and regulates the cellular function by targeting RPSA.

Role of microRNA-210-3p in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocarcinogenesis is not necessarily associated with the liver fibrotic stage and is occasionally seen at early fibrotic stages. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are essentially 18- to 22-nucleotide-long endogenous noncoding RNAs. Aberrant miRNA expression is a common feature of various human cancers. The aberrant expression of specific miRNAs has been shown in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue compared with nontumor tissue. Thus, we examined targetable miRNAs as a potential new biomarker related to the high risk of HBV-related hepatocarcinogenesis, toward the prevention of cancer-related deaths. HCC tissue samples from 29 patients who underwent hepatectomy at our hospital in 2002-2013 were obtained. We extracted the total RNA and analyzed it by microRNA array, real-time RT-PCR, and three comparisons: 1) HBV-related HCC and adjacent nontumor tissue, 2) HCV-related HCC and adjacent nontumor tissue, and 3) non-HBV-, non-HCV-related HCC and adjacent nontumor tissue. We also performed a functional analysis of miRNAs specific for HBV-related HCC by using HBV-positive HCC cell lines. MiR-210-3p expression was significantly increased only in the HBV-related HCC tissue samples. MiR-210-3p expression was upregulated, and the levels of its target genes were reduced in the HBV-positive HCC cells. The inhibition of miR-210-3p enhanced its target gene expression in the HBV-positive HCC cells. In addition, miR-210-3p regulated the HBx expression in HBV-infected Huh7/NTCP cells. The enhanced expression of miR-210-3p was detected specifically in HBV-related HCC and regulated various target genes, including HBx in the HBV-positive HCC cells. MiR-210-3p might, thus, be a new biomarker for the risk of HBV-related HCC.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our present study demonstrated that miR-210-3p is the only microRNA with enhanced expression in HBV-related HCC, and the enhanced expression of miR-210-3p upregulates HBx expression. Therefore, miR-210-3p might be a pivotal biomarker of HBV-related hepatocarcinogenesis, and the inhibition of miR-210-3p could prevent inducing hepatocarcinogenesis related to HBV infection.

Artificial Neural Network with Composite Architectures for Prediction of Local Control in Radiotherapy

In this study, we investigated the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) with composite architectures into the prediction of local control (LC) of lung cancer patients after radiotherapy. The motivation of this study was to take advantage of the temporal associations among longitudinal (sequential) data to improve the predictive performance of outcome models under the circumstance of limited sample sizes. Two composite architectures: (1) a one dimension (1D) convolutional + fully connected and (2) a locally-connected+ fully connected architectures were implemented for this purpose. Compared with the fully-connected architecture (multi-layer perceptron [MLP]), our composite architectures yielded better predictive performance of LC in lung cancer patients who received radiotherapy. Specifically, in a cohort of 98 patients (29 patients failed locally), the composite architecture of 1D convolutional layers and fully-connected layers achieved an AUC (area under receiver operating characteristic curve) of 0.83 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.807~0.841) with 18 features (14 features are longitudinal data). Whereas, the composite architecture of locally- connected layers and fully-connected layers achieved an AUC of 0.80 (95%CI: 0.775~0.811). Both outperformed an MLP in the prediction performance with the same set of features, which achieved an AUC of 0.78 (95%CI: 0.751~0.790); (P-values for differences in AUC using the DeLong tests were 1.609 × 10^-14and 1.407 × 10^-4, respectively).

Prognostic role of miR-760 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNA (miR)-760 serves an important role in various cancer types. However, to the best of our knowledge, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been fully elucidated. The current study investigated the prognostic role of miR-760 in HCC by using the Kaplan-Meier plotter database. The current data indicated that low expression of miR-760 was associated with higher overall survival (OS) for all patients with HCC from both the RNA-seq [hazard ratio (HR)=2.04; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.44–2.89; P=4.9×10⁻⁵] and the non-commercial spotted microarray (HR=1.71; CI=1.05–2.76; P=0.028). In the RNA-seq platform, a lower expression of miR-760 was strongly associated with improved OS in male patients with HCC, but not in female patients with HCC. Additionally, low expression of miR-760 was associated with improved OS in patients with stage I, II and III HCC, and was associated with improved OS in Asian and Caucasian patients. The current results indicated that miR-760 serves as an oncogene for HCC and high expression of miR-760 is significantly associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in patients with HCC.

circFBLIM1 act as a ceRNA to promote hepatocellular cancer progression by sponging miR-346

BACKGROUD

Accumulating evidences indicate that circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of non-coding RNAs, play important roles in tumorigenesis. However, the function of circRNAs in hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is largely unknown.

METHODS

We performed circRNA microarrays to identify circRNAs that are aberrantly expressed in HCC tissues. Expression levels of a significantly upregulated circRNA, circFBLIM1, was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in HCC cell lines and tissues. Then, we examined the functions of circFBLIM1 in HCC by cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and mouse xenograft assay. In addition, luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were used to explore the miRNA sponge function of circFBLIM1 in HCC.

RESULTS

Microarray analysis and qRT-PCR verified a circRNA termed circFBLIM1 that was upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. Knockdown of circFBLIM1 inhibited proliferation, invasion and promoted apoptosis in HCC. Via luciferase reporter assays, circFBLIM1 and FBLIM1 were observed to directly bind to miR-346. Subsequent experiments showed that circFBLIM1 and FBLIM1 regulated the expression of each other by sponging miR-346.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, we conclude that circFBLIM1 may function as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to regulate FBLIM1 expression through sponging miR-346 to exert regulatory functions in HCC. circFBLIM1 may be a diagnostic biomarker and potential target for HCC therapy.

Tissue miRNA 483-3p expression predicts tumor recurrence after surgical resection in histologically advanced hepatocellular carcinomas

The choice of surgical treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) depends on several prognostic variables, among which histological features, like microvascular invasion and tumor grade, are well established. This study aims to identify the tissue miRNAs predictive of recurrence after liver resection in "histologically advanced" HCC. We selected 54 patients: 15 retrospective resected patients without recurrence (group A), 19 retrospective resected patients with HCC recurrence (group B), and 20 prospective patients (group C), with 4 recurrence cases. All selected HCC were "histologically advanced" (high Edmondson grade and/or presence of microvascular invasion). A wide spectrum of miRNAs was studied with TaqMan Human microRNA Arrays; qRT-PCR assays were used to validate results on selected miRNAs; immunohistochemistry for IGF2 was applied to study the mechanism of miR-483-3p. As a result, a significant differential expression between group A and B was found for 255 miRNAs. Among them we selected miR-483-3p and miR-548e (P<0.001). As a single variable (group C), HCC with miR-483-3p downregulation (mean fold increase 0.21) had 44.4% of recurrence cases; HCC with miR-483-3p upregulation (mean fold increase 5.94) showed no recurrence cases (P=0.011). At immunohistochemistry (group C), the HCC with loss of cytoplasmic IGF2 expression showed a down-regulation of miR-483-3p (fold increase 0.57). In conclusion, in patients with "histologically advanced" HCC, the analysis of specific tissue miRNAs (particularly miR-483-3p) could help identify the recurrence risk and choose which treatment algorithm to implement (follow-up, resection or transplantation). This could have an important impact on patient survival and transplantation outcome, improving organ allocation.

Targeted delivery of microRNA-199a-3p using self-assembled dipeptide nanoparticles efficiently reduces hepatocellular carcinoma in mice

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive tumor with limited systemic and locoregional modalities of treatment. Although microRNA (miRNA) based therapies have significant potential, their targeted delivery remains a major challenge. miR-199a-3p functions as an important tumor suppressor in HCC, which regulates various cellular processes. Recently, peptide-based nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed to deliver oligonucleotides including miRNA. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of arginine α,β-dehydrophenylalanine (RΔF) nanoparticles for the selective delivery of miR-199a-3p to restore dysregulated gene expression in HCC. Targeted delivery was achieved by conjugating lactobionic acid (LA) with RΔF NPs (RΔF-LA NPs), a ligand for the asialoglycoprotein receptor known to be overexpressed in HCC cell lines. RΔF-LA NPs condensed miR-199a-3p had an average size of ∼60nm and a zeta potential of ∼+2.54 mV. RΔF-LA/miR NPs were found to be stable in serum as well as against RNase attack. RΔF-LA/miR NPs showed an enhanced cellular uptake and an efficient delivery of miR-199a-3p leading to a significant increase in miR-199a-3p levels (over 500 fold). The increased miR-199a-3p levels remarkably suppressed cell proliferation and migration as well as induced cellular apoptosis and downregulation of the specific target gene (mTOR) in vitro. RΔF-LA/miR NPs showed high tumor/ low organ ratios after intravenous injection into HCC tumor bearing nude mice. RΔF-LA/miR NPs treated mice demonstrated>50% decline in tumor growth, which also corresponded well with suppression of mTOR protein expression, tumor cell proliferation and increased survival rate (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

RΔF-LA/miR NPs showed significantly enhanced delivery of the miRNA which underscores their potential for further development as a therapeutic approach for HCC. (Hepatology 2018;67:1392-1407).

MicroRNA31-NDRG3 regulation axes are essential for hepatocellular carcinoma survival and drug resistance

BACKGROUNDS

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an epithelial cancer that originates from hepatocytes and it is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Till now the prognosis of HCC patients is generally poor. The molecular mechanism giving rise to HCC development and recurrence is still largely unknown. MicroRNA-31 (miR-31) is among the most commonly altered microRNAs in human cancers, and alternations of miR-31 expression were reported to play pivotal roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression.

METHODS

In this work, the primary biological function of miR-31 in HCC tumorigenesis was investigated.

RESULTS

Our data showed that overexpression of miR-31 induced markedly inhibition of HCC cell proliferation, migration in vitro and inhibited xenograft tumor growth in vivo. One target gene of miR-31, NDRG3, was also demonstrated indispensable for HCC cell survival. Furthermore, miR-31 and NDRG3 were both essential for HCC cell drug resistance in adriamycin.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that miR-31 is a crucial regulator in hepatocellular carcinoma, miR-31 and its target gene NDRG3 may be potential therapeutic targets for HCC treatment in the future.

MicroRNA profile in HBV-induced infection and hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) exhibit essential regulatory functions related to cell growth, apoptosis, development and differentiation. Dysregulated expression of miRNAs is associated with a wide variety of human diseases. As such miRNA signatures are valuable as biomarkers for disease and for making treatment decisions. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we screened for miRNAs in chronic HBV associated HCC.

Methods

To determine the miRNAs in HCC occurrence associated with HBV infection, we analyzed global miRNA expression profiles in 12 pairs of HCC and adjacent matched non-HCC tissues from HBV-positive and HBV-negative patients using microarray analyses. The microarray result was validated by real-time PCR in 32 HBV-positive and 24 HBV-negative patient HCC samples. The potential candidate target genes of the miRNAs were predicted by miRWalk software. Genes simultaneously predicted as targets by two or more miRNAs were subjected to GO and KEGG pathway analysis. The miRNA regulatory network analysis was performed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software.

Results

Eight miRNAs (miR-223, miR-98, miR-15b, miR-199a-5p, miR-19b, miR-22, miR-451, and miR-101) were involved in HBV-unrelated HCC, 5 miRNAs (miR-98, miR-375, miR-335, miR-199a-5p, and miR-22) were involved in HBV infection, and 7 miRNAs (miR-150, miR-342-3p, miR-663, miR-20b, miR-92a-3p, miR-376c-3p and miR-92b) were specifically altered in HBV-related HCC. Gene Ontology and KEGG analyses predict that these HBV-related HCC miRNAs are involved in the regulation of: transcription, RNA polymerase II promoter, phosphorylation of proteins through MAPK signaling pathway, focal adhesion, and actin cytoskeleton. IPA analysis also suggest that these miRNAs act on AGO2, TP53, CCND1, and 11 other genes that significantly influence HCC occurrence and HBV infection.

Conclusion

Our data indicates that the unique 7 miRNAs expression signature could be involved in the development HBV- related HCC.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-017-3816-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

MicroRNA-133a Inhibits Proliferation of Gastric Cancer Cells by Downregulating ERBB2 Expression

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer and the second highest leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It has already been established that miR-133a is involved in gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which miR-133a inhibits the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. We analyzed the proliferative capacity of human gastric cancer cells SNU-1 using an MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry. The expression levels of ERBB2, p-ERK1/2, and p-AKT in SNU-1 cells were determined using Western blot analysis. To confirm that ERBB2 is a direct target of miR-133a, a luciferase reporter assay was performed. Results showed that miR-133a overexpression inhibited SNU-1 cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. ERBB2 was a direct target of miR-133a, and it was negatively regulated by miR-133a. Interestingly, ERBB2 silencing has a similar impact to miR-133a overexpression, in that it significantly induced apoptosis and inhibited ERK and AKT activation. Our study showed that miR-133a inhibits the proliferation of gastric cancer cells by downregulating the expression of ERBB2 and its downstream signaling molecules p-ERK1/2 and p-AKT. Therefore, miR-133a might be used as a therapeutic target for treating gastric cancer.

miR-663 promotes NPC cell proliferation by directly targeting CDKN2A

MicroRNAs (miRs) act as important regulators during the development and progression of human cancer; however, the regulatory mechanism of miR-663 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that serum miR‑663 levels were significantly increased in patients with NPC compared with healthy controls. In addition, the serum levels of miR‑663 were associated with the grade, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage of NPC. The expression of miR‑663 was increased in NPC C666‑1 cells, compared with normal nasopharyngeal epithelial NP69 cells. The knockdown of miR‑663 markedly decreased the proliferation of C666‑1 cells through the induction of cell cycle arrest at the G1 stage. Cyclin‑dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) was hypothesized to be a putative target of miR‑663. Further investigation confirmed that miR‑663 was able to directly bind to the 3' untranslated region of CDKN2A mRNA, and to negatively regulate CDKN2A protein expression in C666‑1 cells. Inhibition of CDKN2A expression attenuated the suppressive effects of miR‑663 knockdown on the proliferation and cell cycle progression of C666‑1 cells. In addition, it was observed that the mRNA and protein levels of CDKN2A were decreased in C666‑1 cells compared with NP69 cells. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR‑663 promoted the proliferation and cell cycle progression of NPC cells by directly targeting CDKN2A, suggesting that miR‑663 may become a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NPC.

The noncoding RNA HOXD-AS1 is a critical regulator of the metastasis and apoptosis phenotype in human hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Despite accumulating evidence that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with cancer development in multiple types of cancer, the biological roles of many lncRNAs in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis have not been well characterized.

METHODS

A lncRNA+ mRNA human gene expression microarray analysis was used to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs in metastatic HCC tissues compared to non-metastatic tissue.

RESULTS

We observed remarkable overexpression of HOXD-AS1 in metastatic cancer tissues. In vitro and in vivo gain- or loss-of-function studies re-affirmed that HOXD-AS1 is able to facilitate cancer metastasis and inhibit apoptosis. Moreover, we identified that HOXD-AS1 upregulated the Rho GTPase activating protein 11A (ARHGAP11A) by competitively binding to microRNA-19a (miR19a), resulting in induced metastasis. Interestingly, the regulator of G-protein signaling 3 (RGS3), a potential inhibitor of the MEK-ERK1/2 signaling axis, was also found to be downregulated by ectopic HOXD-AS1 overexpression, leading to a remarkably reduced apoptotic effect.

CONCLUSIONS

The present investigation strongly indicates that HOXD-AS1 is an oncogenic lncRNA that promotes HCC metastasis and that its pro-metastatic phenotype can partially be attributed to the HOXD-AS1/miR19a/ARHGAP11A signaling axis.

miR-133a acts as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer by targeting eIF4A1

Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs play critical roles in carcinogenesis and cancer progression. In this study, miR-133a was found to be significantly downregulated in colon tumor tissues. We aimed to determine its biological function, molecular mechanisms, and direct target genes in colorectal cancer. From these results, we found that miR-133a was significantly downregulated in primary tumor tissues and colon cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-133a in colon cancer cell lines significantly suppressed cell growth, as evidenced by cell viability and colony formation assays, as well as reduced xenograft tumor growth in nude mice. However, the effect of miR-133a was abolished by the overexpression of eIF4A1. Moreover, miR-133a inhibited cellular migration and invasiveness. A luciferase activity assay revealed oncogene eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A1 as a direct target gene of miR-133a, whose expression was inversely correlated with that of miR-133a. Our results demonstrate that miR-133a plays a pivotal role in colorectal cancer by inhibiting cell proliferation, invasion, and migration by targeting oncogenic eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A1, which acts as a tumor suppressor and may provide a new potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.

Prognostic microRNAs in upper tract urothelial carcinoma: multicenter and international validation study

Objective

To validate previously discovered miRNAs (miR-31-5p and miR-149-5p) as prognostic factors for UTUC in an independent cohort of UTUC patients.

Patients and Methods

Multicenter, international and retrospective study of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 103 UTUC patients (45 progressing and 58 non-progressing) who underwent radical nephroureterectomy. Total RNA was isolated and reverse transcribed. The expression of target miRNAs (miR-31-5p and miR-149-5p) and the endogenous control miR-218-5p was evaluated in all samples by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Normalized miRNA expression values were evaluated by multivariate forward stepwise Cox regression analysis. Kaplan Meier curves were used to discriminate between two groups of patients with a different probability of tumour progression.

Results

The mean age (range) of the series was 67 (33-94) years. Overall, 45 patients (43.7%) developed tumour progression and 32 patients (31.2%) died, 20 of these (62.5%) due to their UTUC, after a median follow-up of 36 months. The mean time for tumour progression and cancer-specific survival were 15 and 20 months, respectively. Five year tumour progression free survival and cancer-specific survival were 58% for ≤ pT2, 36% for pT3 and 0% for pT4 and 67.8% for ≤ pT2, 50.6% for pT3 and 0% for pT4, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, expression of miR-31-5p was found to be an independent prognostic factor of tumour progression (HR 1.1; 95% CI 1.039-1.273; p=0.02). Kaplan Meier curve shows that miR-31-5p expression values are able to discriminate between two groups of UTUC patients with a different probability of tumour progression (p=0.007).

Conclusions

We have been able to validate our previous results in an independent multicentre international cohort of UTUC patients, suggesting that miRNA-31-5p could be a useful prognostic marker of UTUC progression. The application of miRNA expression values to clinical practice could refine the currently used clinicopathological-based approach for predicting UTUC patients’ outcome.

miR-493-5p suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation through targeting GP73

Aberrant expression of miRNAs has been documented to play critical roles in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the expression pattern, functional roles and regulatory mechanism of miR-493-5p in HCC have not been addressed. Herein, we found that miR-493-5p was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues and was tightly associated with tumor size, tumor differentiation grade and TNM stage of HCC patients. Overexpression of miR-493-5p inhibited HCC cell proliferation, arrested cell cycle in G0/G1 phase and induced cell apoptosis. Bioinformatical analysis and luciferase reporter assay further proved that Golgiprotein73 (GP73), an oncogene which was generally overexpressed in HCC, acted as a novel target of miR-493-5p. MiR-493-5p could inhibit GP73 both mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, overexpression of GP73 could reverse the inhibitory effects of miR-493-5p mediated HCC cell proliferation. In addition, upregulated GP73 in HCC tissues was inversely correlated with the miR-493-5p expression levels in the HCC tissues. Collectively, our present study demonstrates that miR-493-5p is downregulated in HCC and it can suppress the proliferation of HCC cells, partly at least, via directly targeting GP73. Besides, this study provides a novel insight into the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis and a promising blueprint for miR-493-5p-GP73 axis-oriented treatment of HCC.

Anti-microRNA-21/221 and microRNA-199a transfected by ultrasound microbubbles induces the apoptosis of human hepatoma HepG2 cells

Gene therapy, particularly microRNA (miRNA), is a promising candidate in the treatment of cancer; however, it is challenging to develop gene delivery systems. Ultrasound microbubbles have been used for gene delivery with excellent results. The present study aimed to investigate the transfection efficiency of HepG2 cells using ultrasound microbubbles. The effects of three miRNAs (miR-21, miR-221 and miR-199a) on HepG2 cells were also determined by performing ultrasound microbubble-mediated gene transfection. Three recombinant plasmids containing anti-miR-21, anti-miR-221 and miR-199a were fused with enhanced green fluorescent protein. For the transfection of genes, the type of contrast agent, the concentration of microbubble contrast agent and the exposure intensity of ultrasound were optimized. The expression of miRNAs was detected using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. To determine the effect of anti-miR-21, anti-miR-221 and miR-199a on HepG2 cells, MTT, cell cycle analysis and Annexin V-PE/7-ADD apoptosis assays were performed. The optimal condition was 10% sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles at an ultrasound frequency of 2.0 MHz and mechanical index of 0.28. When cells were transfected with three recombinant plasmids using ultrasound microbubbles, there was significant downregulation of miR-21 and miR-221 and upregulation of miR-199a (P<0.05). All three treatments inhibited cell proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of cells. The present data indicated that the delivery of anti-miR-21, anti-miR-221 and miR-199a may be mediated by ultrasound microbubble contrast agents. With this approach, cell proliferation may be effectively inhibited and cell apoptosis may be induced. These are novel cancer therapy targets.

miR-195 inhibits cell proliferation via targeting AEG-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Emerging evidence has indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are frequently dysregulated and are fundamental in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the roles of miR-195 in HCC have not been well elucidated. In the present study, the expression of miR-195 was determined to be markedly downregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, as compared with normal liver cells. Restoration of miR-195 expression resulted in significant inhibition of the proliferation and tumorigenicity of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Gene expression data and luciferase reporter assays revealed that miR-195 is able to directly inhibit the expression of astrocyte elevated gene 1 (AEG-1) through interaction with its 3′ untranslated region. Consistently, an inverse correlation between miR-195 and AEG-1 expression was observed in HCC tissues. Furthermore, the overexpression of AEG-1 was able to partially attenuate the miR-195-induced inhibition of cell growth and promotion of apoptosis. Taken together, these findings indicate that miR-195 functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting AEG-1. This pathway may provide new insights into the potential molecular mechanisms of HCC.

High expression of micro RNA-135A in hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with recurrence within 12 months after resection

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma has a dismal prognosis due to recurrence rates of up to 70% after curative resection. Early recurrence is driven by synchronous microscopic intrahepatic metastases. The predictive value of histological parameters is discussed controversially and adjuvant therapy is not established. The aim of this study was to identify patients at high risk for early intrahepatic recurrence by expression profiling of selected micro RNAs.

METHODS

In 52 patients undergoing HCC resection between 2011 and 2014, liver and tumor tissue was collected during surgery. Twelve patients with incomplete data regarding HCC recurrence, secondary liver transplantation, or perioperative death were excluded, leaving 40 patients with early recurrence <12 months (R+) or without recurrence for >24 months (R-) to compare grading, T, L, V, and R status. If tissue quality permitted, micro RNAs were measured in HCC and liver tissue.

RESULTS

Ten women and 30 men (64.0 ± 10.2 years) were analyzed. R+ occurred in 29 patients 6.2 ± 4.5 months after resection. Surveillance of R- was 26.2 ± 5.2 months. High intratumoral expression of miR-135a was associated with high risk of recurrence (HR = 4.2, p = 0.024, time to recurrence 8.8 ± 2.0 vs. 24.8 ± 4.4 months in patients with low miR-135a expression). As expected, T3 status was correlated with early recurrence, while other histological parameters and expression of miR-21, miR-122, and miR-125a did not.

CONCLUSIONS

We show a significant association between high expression of miR-135a and early HCC recurrence. Therefore, high intratumoral miR-135a expression might serve as a novel biomarker to identify patients urgently requiring adjuvant therapy post resection.

Biomarker MicroRNAs for Diagnosis, Prognosis and Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Functional Survey and Comparison

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with high incidence and mortality rate. Precision and effective biomarkers are therefore urgently needed for the early diagnosis and prognostic estimation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators which play functions in various cellular processes and biological activities. Accumulating evidence indicated that the abnormal expression of miRNAs are closely associated with HCC initiation and progression. Recently, many biomarker miRNAs for HCC have been identified from blood or tissues samples, however, the universality and specificity on clinicopathological features of them are less investigated. In this review, we comprehensively surveyed and compared the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic roles of HCC biomarker miRNAs in blood and tissues based on the cancer hallmarks, etiological factors as well as ethnic groups, which will be helpful to the understanding of the pathogenesis of biomarker miRNAs in HCC development and further provide accurate clinical decisions for HCC diagnosis and treatment.

Pigmy MicroRNA: surveillance cops in Therapies kingdom

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are well preserved in every animal. These pigmy sized non-coding RNAs (21-23 nt), scattered in genome, are responsible for micromanaging the versatile gene regulations. Involvement of miRNAs was surveillance cops in all human diseases including cardiovascular defects, tumor formation, reproductive pathways, and neurological and autoimmune disorders. The effective functional role of miRNA can be reduced by chemical entities of antisense oligonucleotides and versatile small molecules that support the views of novel therapy of different human diseases. In this study, we have updated our current understanding for designing and synthesizing miRNA-controlling therapeutic chemicals. We have also proposed various in-vivo delivery strategies and their ongoing challenges to combat the incorporation hurdles in live cells and animals. Lastly, we have demonstrated the current progress of miRNA modulation in the treatment of different human diseases that provides an alternative approach of gene therapy.

Short-term and long-term efficacy of 7 targeted therapies for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a network meta-analysis: Efficacy of 7 targeted therapies for AHCC

BACKGROUND

A variety of targeted drug therapies in clinical trials have been proven to be effective for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our study aims to compare the short-term and long-term efficacies of different targeted drugs in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (AHCC) treatment using a network meta-analysis approach.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Ovid, EBSCO, and Cochrane central register of controlled trials were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of different targeted therapies implemented to patients with AHCC. And the retrieval resulted in 7 targeted drugs, namely, sorafenib, ramucirumab, everolimus, brivanib, tivantinib, sunitinib, and sorafenib+erlotinib. Direct and indirect evidence were combined to evaluate stable disease (SD), progressive disease (PD), complete response (CR), partial response (PR), disease control rate (DCR), overall response ratio (ORR), overall survival (OS), and surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of patients with AHCC.

RESULTS

A total of 11 RCTs were incorporated into our analysis, including 6594 patients with AHCC, among which 1619 patients received placebo treatment and 4975 cases had targeted therapies. The results revealed that in comparison with placebo, sorafenib, and ramucirumab displayed better short-term efficacy in terms of PR and ORR, and brivanib was better in ORR. Regarding long-term efficacy, sorafenib and sorafenib+erlotinib treatments exhibited longer OS. The data of cluster analysis showed that ramucirumab or sorafenib+erlotinib presented relatively better short-term efficacy for the treatment of AHCC.

CONCLUSION

This network meta-analysis shows that ramucirumab and sorafenib+erlotinib may be the better targeted drugs for AHCC patients, and sorafenib+erlotinib achieved a better long-term efficacy.

miR-1297 promotes cell proliferation by inhibiting RB1 in liver cancer

Liver cancer is the one of the most common causes of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) are important in various types of cancer, including liver cancer. In the present study, with miRNA expression profile data obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, three independent methods were used to investigate the miRNAs that are involved in liver carcinogenesis, including Fisher's exact test, t-test and Wilcoxon test. Five differentially expressed miRNAs were identified. Among them, miR-1297 drew specific attention. Target gene analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed its potential impact on cell death and cell cycle. Cell Counting Kit-8 proliferation assay indicated that the HepG2 cell proliferation was promoted by miR-1297, while miR-1297 inhibitor could significantly inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Luciferase assays confirmed that miR-1297 directly bound to the 3'-untranslated region of retinoblastoma (RB)1, and western blotting demonstrated that miR-1297 suppressed the expression of RB1 at the protein level. RB1 is involved in the regulation of the human cell cycle pathway. It is possible that miR-1297 contributes to the carcinogenesis of liver cancer via downregulation of the tumor-suppressor gene RB1. Our results suggest that miR-1297 may serve as a potential therapeutic target of liver cancer.

MicroRNA-26b Enhances the Radiosensitivity of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells by Targeting EphA2

Sensitizing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to irradiation is important to achieve satisfactory therapeutic effect with low-dose radiotherapy. Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma A2 (EphA2) is a member of the Eph receptor family that constitutes the largest family of tyrosine kinase receptors. EphA2 overexpression is one of the poor prognostic factors in many progressive cancers. Importantly, EphA2 is a potential target of microRNA-26b (miR-26b), and miR-26b expression is down-regulated in several types of cancer. In this study, we measured the expression levels of miR-26b and EphA2 protein in seven human HCC cell lines by quantitative PCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Overall, lower miR-26b expression levels tended to be associated with higher EphA2 levels in HCC cell lines. Among the cell lines examined, 97H HCC cells expressed the lowest level of miR-26b and highest level of EphA2 protein. Thus, using 97H HCC cells, EphA2 mRNA was verified as the target of miR-26b by the luciferase reporter assay. Accordingly, a synthetic miR-26b, miR-26b mimics, was used to mimic the function of endogenous miR-26b. In 97H HCC cells transfected with miR-26b mimics or short-hairpin RNA targeting EphA2 mRNA, expression of EphA2 protein was reduced, which was associated with significantly lower proliferation rate and invasion ability and with higher apoptosis rate in response to low-dose irradiation, compared to control cells. In contrast, 97H HCC cells over-expressing EphA2 showed higher proliferation rate and invasion ability and lower apoptosis rate upon irradiation. These data suggest that miR-26b enhances the radiosensitivity of 97H HCC cells by targeting EphA2 protein.

Potential of alpha-fetoprotein as a prognostic marker after curative radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM

Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is observed frequently, even after curative treatments. The aim of this study is to elucidate the risk factors for recurrence of HCC after radiofrequency ablation (RFA), focusing on the carcinogenic potential of the liver assessed by α-fetoprotein (AFP).

METHODS

We enrolled 357 consecutive patients who underwent complete ablation by RFA for primary HCC (≤3 cm, ≤3 tumors) and analyzed the correlation between 17 critical parameters, including AFP and HCC recurrence.

RESULTS

Recurrence was observed in 236 patients during a mean observation period of 54.3 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that multiple tumors (risk ratio [RR] = 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27-2.26, P < 0.001), high AFP (>10 ng/mL, RR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.09-1.94, P < 0.001) and high des-γ-carboxyprothrombin (>40 mAU/mL, RR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.13-2.02, P < 0.005) were significantly correlated with recurrence. AFP was selected as a significant factor even when the cut-off level was set lower (≤5 ng/mL). The risk of recurrence increased linearly according to the increase of the lowest AFP level after RFA and the adjusted ratios relative to AFP less than 5 ng/mL were 1.56, 2.14, 2.57 and 3.13 in AFP 5-10 ng/mL, 10-20 ng/mL, 20-50 ng/mL and over 50 ng/mL, respectively. In addition, the recurrence rate was predicted by the AFP level after RFA, regardless of the level before the treatment.

CONCLUSION

AFP less than 5 ng/mL after curative RFA was an important predictor of a better prognosis and was considered to indicate the low carcinogenic potential of the non-cancerous liver.

MiR-503 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth via inhibition of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor

MicroRNAs (miRs) have been demonstrated to play key roles in the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the regulatory mechanism of miR-503 in HCC has not been fully uncovered. In this study, we found that miR-503 was significantly downregulated in HCC tissues compared to nontumorous liver tissues. Moreover, lower miR-503 levels were associated with the malignant progression of HCC, and the expression of miR-503 was also decreased in several common HCC cell lines compared to normal human liver cell line THLE-3. Overexpression of miR-503 inhibited proliferation but induced apoptosis of LM3 and HepG2 cells. Bioinformatical analysis and luciferase reporter assay further identified insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) as a novel target of miR-503 in 293T cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-503 led to a significant decrease in the protein levels of IGF-1R, while knockdown of miR-503 enhanced its protein levels in LM3 and HepG2 cells. Besides, overexpression of IGF-1R reversed the effects of miR-503-mediated HCC cell proliferation and apoptosis, indicating that IGF-1R acts as a downstream effector of miR-503 in HCC cells. Furthermore, IGF-1R was found to be significantly upregulated in HCC tissues compared to nontumorous liver tissues. In addition, the mRNA levels of IGF-1R were inversely correlated to the miR-503 levels in the HCC tissues. Thus, we demonstrate that miR-503 inhibits the proliferation and induces the apoptosis of HCC cells, partly at least, by directly targeting IGF-1R, and suggest that IGF-1R may serve as a promising target for the treatment of HCC.

The altered microRNA profile in andrographolide-induced inhibition of hepatoma tumor growth

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play critical roles in regulating gene expression in tumor development. Natural compound andrographolide (Andro), isolated from medicinal herb Andrographis paniculata, was reported to inhibit hepatoma tumor growth in our previous studies. The present study aims to observe the altered miRNAs profile and related signaling pathways involved in Andro-induced inhibition on hepatoma tumor growth.

RESULTS

The inhibition on hepatoma tumor growth induced by Andro (10mg/kg) was found in a xenograft mouse tumor model in vivo. The results of miRNAs chip analysis showed that the expression of 22 miRNAs was increased, whereas the expression of other 10 miRNAs was decreased after Andro treatment. Further, the increased expression of miR-222-3p, miR-106b-5p, miR-30b-5p, and miR-23a-5p was confirmed in hepatoma Hep3B and SMCC7721 cells in vitro after cells were treated with Andro (50μM) for the indicated time. Functional annotation of the target genes based on the differentially expressed miRNAs demonstrated that the majority of the genes were involved in a variety of signaling pathways, including miRNAs in cancer, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MPAKs), focal adhesion. Furthermore, the expression of 24 target genes (total 31) involved in above signaling pathways based on miRNAs analysis was found to be consistent with the alteration of miRNAs.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that Andro alters the expression of miRNAs profile and downstream signals, which may contribute to its inhibition on hepatoma tumor growth.

Regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic targeting of liver cancer stem cells

As cancer stem cells have been confirmed in many human solid tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma has been considered a stem cell disease. The existence of liver cancer stem cells in liver cancer has been a research hotspot recently. Cancer stem cell theory believes that tumorigenesis, development, metastasis, recurrence and drug resistance are closely associated with cancer stem cells. Therefore, the isolation and identification of liver cancer stem cells play a very important role in early prevention, early diagnosis, effective therapy and improving prognosis of liver cancer. This paper summarizes the origin, surface molecular markers, signal transduction and regulation of liver cancer stem cells, and discusses the therapies targeting liver cancer stem cells.

Upregulation of PREX2 promotes the proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via PTEN-AKT signaling

Phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate Rac exchanger 2 (PREX2), a regulator of the small guanosine triphosphatase Rac, demonstrates an inhibitory effect on the activity of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Previously, PREX2 was implicated in the regulation of cell invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the exact role of PREX2 in the regulation of HCC cell proliferation and migration, as well as the underlying mechanisms, remains unclear. In the present study, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that PREX2 was upregulated in HCC tissue compared with matched adjacent non-tumorous tissue. In addition, the present study demonstrated that the messenger RNA and protein levels of PREX2 increased in human HCC HepG2, LH86, LMH and PLHC-1 cell lines compared with normal human liver THLE-3 cells. Overexpression of PREX2 significantly enhanced the proliferation and migration of HCC cells, and knockdown of PREX2 expression significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration of HCC cells. Additional investigation revealed that overexpression of PREX2 suppressed the activity of PTEN, leading to an enhancement in the activity of protein kinase B (AKT). By contrast, knockdown of PREX2 expression upregulated the activity of PTEN and suppressed the activity of AKT. Overall, the present study suggests that PREX2 promotes the proliferation and migration of HCC cells by inhibiting PTEN-AKT signaling.

Advances in computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer. Imaging is important for establishing a diagnosis of HCC and early diagnosis is imperative as several potentially curative treatments are available when HCC is small. Hepatocarcinogenesis occurs in a stepwise manner on a background of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis wherein multiple genes are altered resulting in a range of cirrhosis-associated nodules. This progression is related to increased cellularity, neovascularity and size of the nodule. An understanding of the stepwise progression may aid in early diagnosis. Dynamic and multiphase contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging still form the cornerstone in the diagnosis of HCC. An overview of the current diagnostic standards of HCC in accordance to the more common practicing guidelines and their differences will be reviewed. Ancillary features contribute to diagnostic confidence and has been incorporated into the more recent Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System. The use of hepatocyte-specific contrast agents is increasing and gradually changing the standard of diagnosis of HCC; the most significant benefit being the lack of uptake in the hepatocyte phase in the earlier stages of HCC progression. An outline of supplementary techniques in the imaging of HCC will also be reviewed.

MicroRNA expression analysis in high fat diet-induced NAFLD-NASH-HCC progression: study on C57BL/6J mice

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the liver. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a frequent chronic liver disorder in developed countries. NAFLD can progress through the more severe non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and, lastly, HCC. Genetic and epigenetic alterations of coding genes as well as deregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) activity play a role in HCC development. In this study, the C57BL/6J mouse model was long term high-fat (HF) or low-fat (LF) diet fed, in order to analyze molecular mechanisms responsible for the hepatic damage progression.

Methods

Mice were HF or LF diet fed for different time points, then plasma and hepatic tissues were collected. Histological and clinical chemistry assays were performed to assess the progression of liver disease. MicroRNAs’ differential expression was evaluated on pooled RNAs from tissues, and some miRNAs showing dysregulation were further analyzed at the individual level.

Results

Cholesterol, low and high density lipoproteins, triglycerides and alanine aminotransferase increase was detected in HF mice. Gross anatomical examination revealed hepatomegaly in HF livers, and histological analysis highlighted different degrees and levels of steatosis, inflammatory infiltrate and fibrosis in HF and LF animals, demonstrating the progression from NAFLD through NASH. Macroscopic nodules, showing typical neoplastic features, were observed in 20 % of HF diet fed mice. Fifteen miRNAs differentially expressed in HF with respect to LF hepatic tissues during the progression of liver damage, and in tumors with respect to HF non tumor liver specimens were identified. Among them, miR-340-5p, miR-484, miR-574-3p, miR-720, whose expression was never described in NAFLD, NASH and HCC tissues, and miR-125a-5p and miR-182, which showed early and significant dysregulation in the sequential hepatic damage process.

Conclusions

In this study, fifteen microRNAs which were modulated in hepatic tissues and in tumors during the transition NAFLD-NASH-HCC are reported. Besides some already described, new and early dysregulated miRNAs were identified. Functional analyses are needed to validate the results here obtained, and to better define the role of these molecules in the progression of the hepatic disease.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-2007-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Fascin1 in carcinomas: Its regulation and prognostic value

Previous cell biological studies demonstrate that the actin bundling protein fascin1 regulates cell motility, migration and invasion. Human studies demonstrate that fascin1 is upregulated in many epithelial cancers. This review gives a brief overview of the role of fascin1 in cell migration and invasion, but focuses mainly on the regulation and clinical relevance of fascin1 in epithelial cancers. Here, we propose fascin1 as a potent prognostic biomarker for breast, colorectal, esophageal cancers and head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Fascin1 may also be an attractive drug target against these carcinomas in the future, but more studies are needed.

Roles of microRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules consisting of 22 nucleotides, regulating the expression of target genes at the post-transcriptional or translational level. miRNAs play important roles in several physiological and physiopathological processes such as individual development, cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and tumorigenesis. miRNAs may promote the development of malignant tumors by participating in the regulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, or they may function as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes themselves. Studies have indicated that miRNAs are closely associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation and progression. In this review, we summarize the recent knowledge about the roles of miRNAs in the occurrence and development of HCC, as well as the value of miRNAs in the diagnosis and therapy of HCC.

Shikonin inhibits adipogenic differentiation via regulation of mir-34a-FKBP1B

Shikonin is a naturally occurring naphthoquinone pigment and a major constituent present in Lithospermum erythrorhizon. Since microRNAs (miRNAs) are one of the key post-transcriptional regulators of adipogenesis, their manipulation represents a potential new strategy to inhibit adipogenesis. Our aim was to investigate shikonin-dependent inhibition of adipogenesis with an emphasis on miRNA-related processes. Mir-34a increased during induced adipogenesis, and this was suppressed in the presence of shikonin. mRNA expression of FKBP1B, a suggested target of mir-34a according to bioinformatics studies, decreased during adipogenesis, but was recovered by shikonin treatment, which reversely correlated with mir-34a expression. A mir-34a inhibitor suppressed MDI-induced adipogenesis by blocking PPARγ and C/EBPα expression, while suppression of mir-34a recovered MDI-induced down-regulation of FKBP1B expression. A mir-34a mimic decreased FKBP1B mRNA expression in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. We also observed that mir-34a bound directly to the 3'-untranslated region of FKBP1B. Finally, FKBP1B overexpression attenuated MDI-induced adipogenesis, PPARγ, and C/EBPα expression. These results suggest that mir-34a regulates adipogenesis by targeting FKBP1B expression. Our findings reveal that shikonin prevents adipogenesis by blocking the mir-34a-FKBP1B pathway which represents a promising potential target for preventing obesity.

Genetic and epigenetic aspects of initiation and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary cancer of the liver that is predominant in developing countries and is responsible for nearly 600000 deaths each year worldwide. Similar to many other tumors, the development of HCC must be understood as a multistep process involving the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations in regulatory genes, leading to the activation of oncogenes and the inactivation or loss of tumor suppressor genes. Extensive research over the past decade has identified a number of molecular biomarkers, including aberrant expression of HCC-related genes and microRNAs. The challenge facing HCC research and clinical care at this time is to address the heterogeneity and complexity of these genetic and epigenetic alterations and to use this information to direct rational diagnosis and treatment strategies. The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib was the first molecularly targeted drug for HCC to show some extent of survival benefits in patients with advanced tumors. Although the results obtained using sorafenib support the importance of molecular therapies in the treatment of HCC, there is still room for improvement. In addition, no molecular markers for drug sensitivity, recurrence and prognosis are currently clinically available. In this review, we provide an overview of recently published articles addressing HCC-related genes and microRNAs to update what is currently known regarding genetic and epigenetic aspects of the pathogenesis of HCC and propose novel promising candidates for use as diagnostic and therapeutic targets in HCC.

Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis of early hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus

Hepatocarcinogenesis is a multistep process that evolves from cirrhosis or dysplastic nodule (DN), and eventually leads to overt hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Differentiation between early HCC and DN is an important issue in the clinical setting. This study aims to investigate the potential of circulating microRNA (miRNA) levels in the diagnosis of early HCC. RNA was extracted from sera of 30 chronic hepatitis B patients with pathologically proven DN and 120 age- and sex-matched patients with early HCC. Paired samples were collected from ten patients with DN who developed overt HCC in the follow-up. A panel of ten cancer-associated miRNAs was analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Serum levels of miR-16, miR-122, miR-221, let-7b and miR-15b were significantly lower in patients with DN than in the HCC group. When DN progressed to overt HCC, serum miR-122, miR-let-7b and miR-15b levels increased significantly (p = 0.046, 0.043 and 0.044, respectively). As a single marker, α-fetoprotein (AFP) and miR-122 as well as let-7b had the similar performance for differentiate HCC from DN. As limited to subjects with normal AFP, let-7b resulted in a sensitivity of 84.8% and a specificity of 50% in separating HCC and DN with a cutoff value of 3.5 (p = 0.001). In conclusion, miR-122 and let-7b, which are upregulated in the serum of early-HCC patients, can be useful markers for differentiating early HCC from DN in chronic hepatitis B patients.

The potential role of miRNAs 21 and 199-a in early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is regarded as one of the most common malignancies and among the leading causes of cancer death among the whole world. The most urgent needs are to find sensitive markers for early diagnosis for HCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are reported as a group of small non-coding RNAs that can function as endogenous RNA interference to regulate expression of the targeted genes. This study was conducted to detect the serum and tissue expression of miR 21 and miR 199-a to be applied as early detectors for HCC.

METHODS

A total of 40 serum and tissue samples (17 samples from chronic hepatitis and 23 samples from HCC patients) were collected. The levels of the two mature miRNAs (miR-21 and miR-199-a) were detected by real time quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR) in sera and tissues of chronic hepatitis and HCC patients. Besides, miR-21 and miR-199-a levels in relation to clinical and pathological factors were explored.

RESULTS

We found that the expression of serum miR-21 was distinctly increased in HCC compared with chronic hepatitis (P<0.001). miR 199-a was distinctly decreased in HCC compared with chronic hepatitis (P<0.001). In addition, median of miR 21 was increased in malignant when compared to adjacent non-malignant tissues without significant differences (P=0.191) while miR 199-a was significantly decreased in malignant when compared to adjacent nonmalignant tissues (P<0.001). ROC analysis showed that miR-21 and miR-199-a might be potential biomarkers for HCC.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the expression of miR-21 was significantly up-regulated and miR-199-a was significantly down regulated in serum of patients with HCC. Due to their reasonable sensitivity and specificity for disease progression, miR-21 and miR-199-a could be used as potential circulating biomarkers for HCC.

The "Macro" World of microRNAs in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatotropic viruses such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are the major etiological agents associated with development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Progression of HCC is a multistep process that requires sequential or parallel deregulation of oncogenic and tumor suppressive pathways leading to chromosomal instability and neoplastic phenotype. In the recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have carved their own niche alongside oncogenes and tumor suppressors, owing to their innate ability to receive and relay multiple signals. Not surprisingly, miRNAs are fast emerging as central player in myriads of malignancies including HCC. miRNAs are reported to participate in initiation and progression of HCC, and have also been clinically correlated with risk assessment, disease grade, aggressiveness, and prognosis. Despite extensive data available on the role of miRNAs in HCC, there is a pressing need to integrate and evaluate these datasets to find its correlation, if any, with causal agents in order to devise novel interventional modalities. Through this review, we attempt to bridge the gap by consolidating the current knowledge and concepts in the field of HCC-related miRNAs with special emphasis on HBV and HCV. Further, we assess the potential of common as well as unique signatures that may be useful in developing novel biomarkers and therapeutics.

MicroRNA-133a inhibits proliferation and invasion, and induces apoptosis in gastric carcinoma cells via targeting fascin actin-bundling protein 1

Fascin actin-bundling protein 1 (FSCN1) is associated with tumor progression. In addition, deregulation of the expression of FSCN1 has been observed in certain types of cancer. However, the detailed role of FSCN1 in gastric cancer remains to be elucidated. In the present study, downregulation of microRNA (miR)-133a and upregulation of FSCN1 were both observed in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. Functional studies have revealed that miR-133a is able to bind to the 3'-untranslated region of FSCN1 mRNA, and overexpression of miR-133a causes downregulation of FSCN1 expression, while downregulation of miR-133a leads to an increased FSCN1 expression in gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-133a inhibited proliferation and invasion, but promoted apoptosis of gastric cancer cells, which may be reversed by upregulation of FSCN1. By contrast, downregulation of miR-133a enhanced proliferation and invasion, but suppressed apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. In conclusion, the anti-oncogenic activity of miR-133a may involve the inhibition of the target gene FSCN1. The present study suggested that miR-133a may be a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of gastric cancer.