Biomarker MicroRNAs for Diagnosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Identified Based on Gene Expression Data and MicroRNA-mRNA Network Analysis

Integrated Analysis of miRNA and mRNA Regulation Network in Hypertension

Hypertension is the most common chronic disease. Early diagnosis is helpful for early medical intervention. The miRNAs and the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) network may be valuable disease diagnosis markers. We aimed to explore the diagnostic value of the miRNA-mRNA network for hypertension patients. Data of miRNAs and mRNAs expression were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to screen hypertension-related gene modules, and these genes undergone functional enrichment analysis using "clusterProfiler" package. Differential expression analysis was applied on miRNAs expression profiles using "limma" package. TargetScanHuman and miRDB databases were used to select target mRNAs. Cytoscape software was used to visualize the miRNA-mRNA regulation network. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant after t test. There were 123 screened mRNAs which were enriched in 161 Gene ontology (GO) terms and 14 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Thirty-five differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) are found in the GSE75670. Totally 36 miRNA-mRNA pairs were obtained after the integrated analysis, and three mRNAs and the hsa-miRNA-5589-5p were identified as key joints. Hub genes, KIAA0513, ARID3A and LRPAP1, and key hsa-miRNA-5589-5p are potential diagnostic biomarkers for hypertension. Our findings are promising in the clinical application, conducive to early detection and prompt intervention of hypertension.

Liquid Biopsy in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus and of the Head and Neck

Squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus (ESCC) and of the head and neck (HNSCC) are two neoplasms that share common risk factors and have the same embryological origin, but a very different prognosis, the 5-year survival of HNSCC being almost double (40–50%) compared to the 5-year survival of ESCC (20%). Current guidelines emphasize the importance of screening for ESCC in patients diagnosed with head and neck cancers. A liquid biopsy is a novel tool for diagnosis, prognostic stratification, and personalized therapy. Liquid biopsy biomarkers for these two malignancies could help both their early detection, facilitate residual disease identification, and provide prognosis information. The present systematic review of the literature was aimed at describing the liquid biopsy biomarkers present in these two malignancies, with an emphasis on potential clinical applications.

ET-1 Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells via the microRNA-489-3p /TWIST Axis

OBJECTIVE

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) constitutes almost 90% of head and neck malignancies and has a poor prognosis. To improve the efficacy of OSCC therapy, it is of great significance to explore other therapy for OSCC. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor peptide, is implicated in cancer pathogenesis. Moreover, ET-1 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) during the development of human cancers. We further to found that ET-1 exposure induced EMT in human squamous cell carcinoma cell lines SCC4 and SAS, by enhancing the expression of EMT biomarkers N-cadherin and vimentin and reducing E-cadherin expression via upregulation of the transcription factor TWIST.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cell motility was examined by migration, invasion and wound-healing assays. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR), and promoter assays confirmed the inhibitory effects of ET-1 on miRNAs expression in oral cancer cells. We demonstrate an intravenous injection model of lung metastasis followed by an advanced method for quantifying metastatic tumor using image analysis software.

RESULTS

In addition, ET-1/ETAR reduced levels of microRNA-489-3p (miR-489-3p), a transcriptional repressor of TWIST. We have identified a novel bypass mechanism through which ET-1/ETAR are involved in TWIST signaling and downregulate miR-489-3p expression, enabling OSCC cells to acquire the EMT phenotype. Notably, ET-1 knockdown dramatically decreased levels of EMT markers and cell migration potential.

CONCLUSION

The role of ET-1 in OSCC progression is supported by our findings from an in vivo murine model of OSCC. ET-1 may therefore represent a novel molecular therapeutic target in OSCC metastasis.

Systemic Investigation Identifying Salivary miR-196b as a Promising Biomarker for Early Detection of Head-Neck Cancer and Oral Precancer Lesions

Background: Liquid biopsy is a rapidly growing field, for it may provide a minimally invasive way to acquire pathological data for personalized medicine. This study developed a systemic strategy to discover an effective salivary biomarker for early detection of patients with head-neck squamous carcinoma (HNSC) and oral precancer lesion (OPC). Methods: A total of 10 miRNAs were examined in parallel with multiple independent cohorts. These included a training set of salivary samples from HNSC patients, the TCGA-HNSC and GSE31277 cohorts to differentiate miRNAs between tumor and normal tissues, and groups of salivary samples from healthy individuals, patients with HNSC and OPC. Results: The combined results from the salivary training set and the TCGA-HNSC cohort showed that four miRNAs (miR-148b, miR-155, miR-196b, and miR-31) consistently increased in HNSC patients. Further integration with the GSE31277 cohort, two miRNAs (miR-31 and miR-196b) maintained at high significances. Further assessment showed that salivary miR-196b was a prominent diagnostic biomarker, as it remarkably discriminated between healthy individuals and patients with HNSC (p < 0.0001, AUC = 0.767, OR = 5.64) or OPC (p < 0.0001, AUC = 0.979, OR = 459). Conclusion: Salivary miR-196b could be an excellent biomarker for diagnosing OPC and early detection of HNSC. This molecule may be used for early screening high-risk groups of HNSC.

MicroRNAs as Modulators of Oral Tumorigenesis-A Focused Review

Oral cancers constitute the majority of head and neck tumors, with a relatively high incidence and poor survival rate in developing countries. While the five-year survival rates of the oral cancer patients have increased to 65%, the overall survival for advanced stages has been at 27% for the past ten years, emphasizing the necessity for further understanding the etiology of the disease, diagnosis, and formulating possible novel treatment regimens. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a family of small non-coding RNA, have emerged as master modulators of gene expression in various cellular and biological process. Aberrant expression of these dynamic molecules has been associated with many human diseases, including oral cancers. The deregulated miRNAs have been shown to control various oncogenic processes, including sustaining proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressors, resisting cell death activating invasion and metastasis, and inducing angiogenesis. Hence, the aberrant expression of miRNAs associated with oral cancers, makes them potential candidates for the investigation of functional markers, which will aid in the differential diagnosis, prognosis, and development of novel therapeutic regimens. This review presents a holistic insight into our understanding of the role of miRNAs in regulating various hallmarks of oral tumorigenesis.

The relevance of miRNAs as promising biomarkers in lip cancer

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to analyze the expression of miR-181b, miR-21, miR-31, and miR-345 in actinic cheilitis with and without epithelial dysplasia and lower lip squamous cell carcinomas, and to verify if the deregulated expression of these miRNAs would be indicative of malignant transformation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The sample was selected from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of 19 actinic cheilitis without epithelial dysplasia, 32 actinic cheilitis with epithelial dysplasia, 42 lower lip squamous cell carcinomas, and 10 nonaltered oral mucosa of the lip. The microRNA (miR, miRNA) expression was quantified by real-time RT-PCR and the expression of the selected miRNAs among the groups of actinic cheilitis and lower lip cancer was compared by chi-square.

RESULTS

A higher expression of miR-181b, miR-31, and miR-345 was found in actinic cheilitis without epithelial dysplasia in comparison to that in actinic cheilitis with epithelial dysplasia and with lower lip cancer. There were no differences in miR-21 expression between actinic cheilitis and lower lip cancer. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed a tendency for a downregulation of miR-181b, miR-21, miR-31, and miR-345 in most patients with lower lip cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

The upregulation of miR-181b, miR-31, and miR-345 expression in actinic cheilitis without epithelial dysplasia and the decrease in the expression of these miRNAs in actinic cheilitis with epithelial dysplasia and in lower lip cancer are potential biomarkers of malignant progression.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This miRNA signature can help to identify actinic cheilitis with potential to progress to lip cancer.

Droplet Digital PCR Analysis of Liquid Biopsy Samples Unveils the Diagnostic Role of hsa-miR-133a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p in Oral Cancer

Simple Summary

Despite the availability of screening programs, oral cancer is often diagnosed due to the lack of effective biomarkers. Therefore, the identification of new effective diagnostic and late prognostic biomarkers is of fundamental importance for the management of this tumor type. In our previous computational study, we have identified a set of microRNAs (miRNAs) significantly dysregulated in oral cancer and with a potential diagnostic and prognostic significance for oral cancer patients. Starting from our preliminary bioinformatics results, the aim of the present study was to validate the diagnostic potential of four selected miRNAs, hsa-miR-133a-3p, hsa-miR-375-3p, hsa-miR-503-5p and hsa-miR-196a-5p, in liquid biopsy samples obtained from oral cancer patients and healthy donors. For this purpose, the expression levels of the selected miRNAs were determined in plasma samples by using specific miRNA probes and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). The ddPCR results showed that the hsa-miR-133a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p were significantly down-regulated in oral cancer and their evaluation in liquid biopsy samples can predict the risk of oral cancer development with high sensitivity and specificity. Finally, the computational analysis of miRNA expression and clinical-pathological features of patients allowed us to establish the functional role and prognostic significance of the two validated miRNAs.

Abstract

Despite the availability of screening programs, oral cancer deaths are increasing due to the lack of diagnostic biomarkers leading to late diagnosis and a poor prognosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover novel effective biomarkers for this tumor. On these bases, the aim of this study was to validate the diagnostic potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) through the analysis of liquid biopsy samples obtained from ten oral cancer patients and ten healthy controls. The expression of four selected miRNAs was evaluated by using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) in a pilot cohort of ten oral cancer patients and ten healthy donors. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to assess the functional role of these miRNAs. The expression levels of the predicted down-regulated hsa-miR-133a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p were significantly reduced in oral cancer patients compared to normal individuals while no significant results were obtained for the up-regulated hsa-miR-503-5p and hsa-miR-196a-5p. ROC analysis confirmed the high sensitivity and specificity of hsa-miR-375-3p and hsa-miR-133a-3p. Therefore, both miRNAs are significantly down-regulated in cancer patients and can be used as biomarkers for the early diagnosis of oral cancer. The analysis of circulating miRNAs in a larger series of patients is mandatory to confirm the results obtained in this pilot study.

Long Non-Coding RNA NKILA Reduces Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development Through the NF-KappaB Signaling Pathway

Objective:

Emerging studies have identified that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in cancer development. This study aims to explore the mechanism of NF-KappaB (NF-κB) interacting lncRNA (NKILA) in the pathological process of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Methods:

NKILA expression in OSCC tissues, paracancerous tissues, and normal human oral keratinocytes and OSCC cell lines was detected using RT-qPCR. KB cells were selected for the follow-up experiments. The role of NKILA in cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and NF-κB signaling pathway was identified using the gain- and loss-of function of NKILA in OSCC cells. Additionally, the role of NKILA in vitro was determined by inducing xenograft tumors in nude mice.

Results:

NKILA was poorly expressed in OSCC tissues and cells. Cell proliferation, invasion and migration, tumor volume and weight were significantly suppressed in cells with overexpressed NKILA, while silencing NKILA led to opposite trends. Moreover, the protein levels of p-IκBα and nuclear-p65 were markedly decreased, while the levels of IκBα and cytoplasm-p65 were enhanced in cells with overexpressed NKILA.

Conclusion:

This study provided evidence that NKILA could reduce proliferation, invasion and migration of OSCC cells through inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. The findings may offer new insights for OSCC prevention and treatment.

Inhibition of microRNA-15b-5p Attenuates the Progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma via Modulating the PTPN4/STAT3 Axis

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence has demonstrated the important functions of microRNAs (miRNAs) in human malignancies. This study focuses on the function of miR-15b-5p on the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) progression and the molecules involved.

METHODS

Tumor and the paracancerous tissues were obtained from OSCC patients. Differentially expressed miRNAs between the tumor and normal tissues were screened out. miR-15b-5p expression in tumors and acquired cells was determined, and its correlation with patient survival was analyzed. Knockdown of miR-15b-5p was introduced in SCC-4 and CAL-27 cells to explore its role in cell growth and metastasis. Binding relationship between miR-15b-5p and PTPN4 was validated, and altered expression of PTPN4 was introduced in cells to explore its function in OSCC development. Xenograft tumors were induced in nude mice for in vivo experiments.

RESULTS

miR-15b-5p was abundantly expressed in OSCC tumors and cells and linked to poor survival in patients. Silencing of miR-15b-5p suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion and triggered apoptosis in SCC-4 and CAL-27 cells. miR-15b-5p targeted PTPN4. Further silencing of PTPN4 blocked the inhibiting functions of miR-15b-5p inhibitor in OSCC cell growth. The in vitro results were reproduced in vivo, where inhibition of miR-15b-5p led to a decline in tumor growth and metastasis in nude mice. PTPN4 was found as a negative mediator of the STAT3 pathway.

CONCLUSION

This study evidenced that miR-15b-5p possibly promotes OSCC development through binding to PTPN4 and the following STAT3 signaling activation. miR-15b-5p may be a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

Involvement of Differentially Expressed microRNAs in the PEGylated Liposome Encapsulated 188Rhenium-Mediated Suppression of Orthotopic Hypopharyngeal Tumor

Hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) accounts for the lowest survival rate among all types of head and neck cancers (HNSCC). However, the therapeutic approach for HPC still needs to be investigated. In this study, a theranostic ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome was prepared to treat orthotopic HPC tumors and analyze the deregulated microRNA expressive profiles. The therapeutic efficacy of ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome on HPC tumors was evaluated using bioluminescent imaging followed by next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, in order to address the deregulated microRNAs and associated signaling pathways. The differentially expressed microRNAs were also confirmed using clinical HNSCC samples and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Repeated doses of ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome were administrated to tumor-bearing mice, and the tumor growth was apparently suppressed after treatment. For NGS analysis, 13 and 9 microRNAs were respectively up-regulated and down-regulated when the cutoffs of fold change were set to 5. Additionally, miR-206-3p and miR-142-5p represented the highest fold of up-regulation and down-regulation by ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome, respectively. According to Differentially Expressed MiRNAs in human Cancers (dbDEMC) analysis, most of ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome up-regulated microRNAs were categorized as tumor suppressors, while down-regulated microRNAs were oncogenic. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that cancer-related pathways and olfactory and taste transduction accounted for the top pathways affected by ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome. ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome down-regulated microRNAs, including miR-143, miR-6723, miR-944, and miR-136 were associated with lower survival rates at a high expressive level. ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome could suppress the HPC tumors in vivo, and the therapeutic efficacy was associated with the deregulation of microRNAs that could be considered as a prognostic factor.

miRNA-22 as a Candidate Diagnostic Biomarker for Coronary Slow Flow

Background

Coronary slow flow (CSF) refers to the phenomenon of delayed distal flow in the absence of lesions detected on coronary angiography. Although the detection rate of CSF has been increasing in clinical practice, early diagnosis is difficult and the factors contributing to this condition remain unclear. Given the increasing demonstration of the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in disease and as diagnostic biomarkers, the aim of this study was to analyze the expression of serum miRNA-22 in patients with CSF detected using coronary angiography and its diagnostic efficacy.

Methods and Results

A retrospective analysis including 44 patients with CSF and 42 patients with normal coronary flow (control group) was conducted. Additionally, all included patients either did not have visually estimated coronary artery stenosis or had <50% stenosis. Plasma samples were collected from patients in these two groups, and the levels of miRNA-22 were detected. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of serum miRNA-22 in the context of CSF.

Results

The expression of serum miRNA-22 was significantly higher in the CSF patients than in the control subjects (P < 0.0001). The area under the ROC curve for miRNA-22 in diagnosing CSF was 0.8293 (95% confidence interval: 0.7313–0.9272), with a sensitivity of 75.0% and specificity of 88.1%.

Conclusions

The expression of serum miRNA-22 in CSF is upregulated compared to that in subjects with normal coronary flow and shows relatively high clinical diagnostic efficiency, suggesting a new potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of CSF.

DANCR-mediated microRNA-665 regulates proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer through the ERK/SMAD pathway

Emerging evidence has indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in cervical cancer (CC). However, the role of miRNA (miR)‐665 in cervical cancer remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential functions of miR‐665 in CC and to identify the underlying mechanisms of action. Herein, we show that miR‐665 was downregulated in CC tissues and cell lines, which is negatively correlated with tumor size, distant metastasis, advanced TNM stage and poor prognosis. Functionally, miR‐665 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion and resistance of cisplatin for CC cells, as well as tumor growth. We validated that transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1) was a direct target of miR‐665 and mediated the ERK/SMAD pathway. In addition, we identified miR‐665 as the competing endogenous RNA for long noncoding (lnc)‐DANCR. These observations suggested that lnc‐DANCR‐mediated miR‐665 downregulation regulates the malignant phenotype of CC cells by targeting TGFBR1 through the ERK/SMAD pathway, which may present a pathway for novel therapeutic stratagems for CC therapy.

Corrigendum to "Biomarker MicroRNAs for Diagnosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Identified Based on Gene Expression Data and MicroRNA-mRNA Network Analysis"

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2017/9803018.].

MicroRNA-21-5p induces the metastatic phenotype of human cervical carcinoma cells in vitro by targeting the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor

Numerous studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRs), a group of small non-coding RNAs, are determining regulatory elements involved in the pathogenesis of various types of cancer, including cervical cancer (CC). Although miR-21-5p upregulation has been demonstrated to associate with tumorigenesis by controlling the expression of oncogenic and tumor suppressor genes, only a small number of studies have investigated the expression of miR-21-5p and its functional role in CC. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of miR-21-5p on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion of CC cells, and the potential underlying molecular mechanism of these effects. The measurement of miR-21-5p levels using quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that miR-21-5p was markedly increased in CC cell lines compared with normal cells. Upon silencing of miR-21-5p, a marked suppression of the proliferation, migration and invasion of CaSki cells was observed, with induction of cell apoptosis. These effects were reversed with miR-21-5p overexpression. A database search followed by a luciferase reporter assay ascertained that the 3'-untranslated region of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor (VHL) mRNA sequence was a direct target of miR-21-5p. Furthermore, silencing of VHL neutralized the effects of miR-21-5p inhibition. These observations suggested that miR-21-5p is an oncogene that is able to promote the metastatic phenotype of CC cells through downregulation of VHL expression, which may present a path to novel therapeutic stratagems for the CC therapy.