MiR-384 Inhibits Malignant Biological Behavior Such as Proliferation and Invasion of Osteosarcoma by Regulating IGFBP3

Expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin in Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition of Osteosarcoma: A Systematic Review

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a debilitating cancer of the bone that commonly afflicts the young and old. This may be de novo or associated with tumorigenic syndromes. However, many molecular mechanisms are still being uncovered and may offer greater avenues for screening and therapy. Cadherins, including E-cadherin and N-cadherin/vimentin, are involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transmission (EMT), which is key for tumor invasion. A study reviewing the relationship between OS and cadherins might elucidate a potential target for therapy and screening. A robust literature review was conducted by searching PubMed with the keywords "osteosarcoma", "cadherin", "e-cadherin" and "n-cadherin". Of a preliminary 266 papers, 25 were included in the final review. Review articles and those without primary data were excluded. Loss of E-cadherin is noted in metastatic cell lines of osteosarcoma. Overexpression of E-cadherin or knockout of N-cadherin/vimentin results in loss of metastatic potential. There are several methods of gene knockout, including CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, viral vector insertion with micro RNA complementary to long noncoding RNA within gene segments, or proteomic editing. Screening for EMT and genetic treatment of EMT is a possible avenue for the treatment of refractory osteosarcoma. Several studies were conducted ex vivo. Further testing involving in vitro therapy is necessary to validate these methods. Limitations of this study involve a lack of in vivo trials to validate methods.

Regulation of the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Osteosarcoma

The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cellular process that has been linked to the promotion of aggressive cellular features in many cancer types. It is characterized by the loss of the epithelial cell phenotype and a shift to a more mesenchymal phenotype and is accompanied by an associated change in cell markers. EMT is highly complex and regulated via multiple signaling pathways. While the importance of EMT is classically described for carcinomas-cancers of epithelial origin-it has also been clearly demonstrated in non-epithelial cancers, including osteosarcoma (OS), a primary bone cancer predominantly affecting children and young adults. Recent studies examining EMT in OS have highlighted regulatory roles for multiple proteins, non-coding nucleic acids, and components of the tumor micro-environment. This review serves to summarize these experimental findings, identify key families of regulatory molecules, and identify potential therapeutic targets specific to the EMT process in OS.

Noncoding RNA actions through IGFs and IGF binding proteins in cancer

The insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their regulatory proteins—IGF receptors and binding proteins—are strongly implicated in cancer progression and modulate cell survival and proliferation, migration, angiogenesis and metastasis. By regulating the bioavailability of the type-1 IGF receptor (IGF1R) ligands, IGF-1 and IGF-2, the IGF binding proteins (IGFBP-1 to -6) play essential roles in cancer progression. IGFBPs also influence cell communications through pathways that are independent of IGF1R activation. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), which encompass a variety of RNA types including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long-noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), have roles in multiple oncogenic pathways, but their many points of intersection with IGF axis functions remain to be fully explored. This review examines the functional interactions of miRNAs and lncRNAs with IGFs and their binding proteins in cancer, and reveals how the IGF axis may mediate ncRNA actions that promote or suppress cancer. A better understanding of the links between ncRNA and IGF pathways may suggest new avenues for prognosis and therapeutic intervention in cancer. Further, by exploring examples of intersecting ncRNA-IGF pathways in non-cancer conditions, it is proposed that new opportunities for future discovery in cancer control may be generated.

Luteolin attenuates the chemoresistance of osteosarcoma through inhibiting the PTN/β-catenin/MDR1 signaling axis by upregulating miR-384

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Our research confirmed that luteolin could attenuate the chemoresistance of osteosarcoma through inhibiting the PTN/β-catenin/MDR1 signaling axis by upregulating miR-384.

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Our study demonstrated that doxorubicin resistance could be inhibited by the transfer of exosomal miR-384 into recipient chemoresistant osteosarcoma cells.

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The in vivo experiment showed combination therapy with both doxorubicin and luteolin resulted in higher survival rates compared with other single–agent therapies.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) remains a critical bottleneck in successful treatment of osteosarcoma (OS). Luteolin is a flavonoid compound that has been verified to increase the sensitivity to antineoplastic drugs in many tumors. However, its roles in reversing MDR of OS and the potential underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that luteolin enhances cellular chemosensitivity to doxorubicin and cisplatin both in OS cells and xenograft models, and it could increase the miR-384 level and downregulate the PTN expression. Additionally, target analysis confirmed that miR-384 directly modulates PTN expression, and subsequent mechanistic analysis verified that miR-384 could inhibit the MDR of OS cells through suppressing the PTN/β-catenin/MDR1 signaling axis. Further analysis revealed treatment of sensitive MG63 cells with luteolin effectively packaged miR-384 into secreted exosomes and the exosomes could improve doxorubicin response in doxorubicin-resistant MG63/DOX cells. Our study confirmed that luteolin exerts MDR reversal effect against OS cells by regulating PTN expression via miR-384 and it may be a promising therapeutic agent for chemoresistant OS via its targeting of the PTN/β-catenin/MDR1 axis.

Knowledge atlas and emerging trends on ncRNAs of osteosarcoma: A bibliometric analysis

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcoma is a common bone sarcoma that occurs in childhood and adolescence. Although research on non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) of osteosarcoma has been developed rapidly in recent years, a specific bibliometric analysis on this topic has not yet been performed. The bibliometric analysis aims to summarize knowledge atlas, research hotspots, and emerging trends and to provide researchers with new perspectives in further studies.

METHODS

All publications regarding ncRNAs of osteosarcoma published from 2000 to 2021 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Quantitative indicators including the number of publications and citations, H-index, and journal citation reports were analyzed by using Excel 2019 and R software. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were used to analyze the cooperation among countries/institutions/journals/authors and the co-occurrence of keywords, keywords bursts, and references.

RESULTS

A total of 3206 publications were extracted. A significant growth trend in the annual number of publications over the past 22 years is revealed (R ² = 0.999). The most prolific country and institution were China (2260) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (134), respectively. Professors Wang W and Liu W contributed the most to this field. The keywords were stratified into six clusters: Cluster 1 (apoptosis and growth), Cluster 2 (cancer and progression), Cluster 3 (microRNAs and downregulation), Cluster 4 (genes and differentiation), Cluster 5 (expression and biological functions), and Cluster 6 (metastasis). The long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs have been considered as an important research hotspot in the near future.

CONCLUSION

This study offers a scientific perspective on ncRNAs of osteosarcoma and provides researchers with valuable information to understand the knowledge structure and to identify emerging trends in this field.

Gene and protein expression profiles of olfactory ensheathing cells from olfactory bulb versus olfactory mucosa

Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) from the olfactory bulb (OB) and the olfactory mucosa (OM) have the capacity to repair nerve injury. However, the difference in the therapeutic effect between OB-derived OECs and OM-derived OECs remains unclear. In this study, we extracted OECs from OB and OM and compared the gene and protein expression profiles of the cells using transcriptomics and non-quantitative proteomics techniques. The results revealed that both OB-derived OECs and OM-derived OECs highly expressed genes and proteins that regulate cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis and vascular endothelial cell regeneration. The differentially expressed genes and proteins of OB-derived OECs play a key role in regulation of nerve regeneration and axon regeneration and extension, transmission of nerve impulses and response to axon injury. The differentially expressed genes and proteins of OM-derived OECs mainly participate in the positive regulation of inflammatory response, defense response, cytokine binding, cell migration and wound healing. These findings suggest that differentially expressed genes and proteins may explain why OB-derived OECs and OM-derived OECs exhibit different therapeutic roles. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University (approval No. 2017-073) on February 13, 2017.

MicroRNA-384 inhibits nasopharyngeal carcinoma growth and metastasis via binding to Smad5 and suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin axis

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a major otorhinolaryngological disease with limited effective therapeutic options. This work focused on the function of microRNA-384 (miR-384) on the NPC pathogenesis and the molecules involved. miR-384 expression in cancer tissues and cells was detected. Gain- and loss-of-functions of miR-384 were performed to identify its role in NPC progression. The target mRNA of miR-384 was predicted on an online system and validated through a luciferase reporter assay. The activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling was detected. Consequently, miR-384 was found to be poorly expressed in NPC tissues and cell lines and was linked to unfavorable survival rates in patients. Overexpression of miR-384 in 6-10B cells suppressed growth, migration, invasion and resistance to apoptosis of cells, but inverse trends were presented in C6661 cells where miR-384 was downregulated. miR-384 targeted Smad5 mRNA. Upregulation of Smad5 counteracted the roles of miR-384 mimic in cells. The NPC-inhibiting effects of miR-384 mimic were also blocked by Wnt/β-catenin activation. To conclude, miR-384 targets Smad5 and inactivates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which exerts a suppressing role in NPC cell behaviors as well as tumor growth in vivo. The findings may offer novel thoughts into NPC therapy.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10616-021-00458-3.

Long non-coding RNA SNHG8 promotes prostate cancer progression through repressing miR-384 and up-regulating HOXB7

BACKGROUND

Multiple long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to function as vital regulators in the progression of prostate cancer (PCa). In the present study, we aimed to probe the function of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 8 (SNHG8) in PCa progression.

METHODS

A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were utilized to measure SNHG8, microRNA-384 (miR-384) and homeobox B7 (HOXB7) expression. Call-couting kit-8 and bromodeoxyuridine experiments were employed to evaluate PCa cell proliferation. Transwell experiments were performed to detect PCa cell migration and invasion. Dual-luciferase reporter experiments and RNA immunoprecipitation experiments were conducted to determine the targeting relationships among miR-384, SNHG8 and HOXB7.

RESULTS

SNHG8 was up-regulated in PCa tissues and cells. Silencing of SNHG8 suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of PCa cells. SNHG8 functioned as a molecular sponge to repress miR-384. The effects of SNHG8 knockdown on PCa cell proliferation, migration and invasion were counteracted by miR-384 inhibition. HOXB7 was confirmed to be a target gene of miR-384. SNHG8 knockdown repressed HOXB7 expression via targeting miR-384.

CONCLUSIONS

SNHG8 promotes PCa cell proliferation, migration and invasion via decoying miR-384 and up-regulating HOXB7.

Function of Deptor and its roles in hematological malignancies

Deptor is a protein that interacts with mTOR and that belongs to the mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes. Deptor is capable of inhibiting the kinase activity of mTOR. It is well known that the mTOR pathway is involved in various signaling pathways that are involved with various biological processes such as cell growth, apoptosis, autophagy, and the ER stress response. Therefore, Deptor, being a natural inhibitor of mTOR, has become very important in its study. Because of this, it is important to research its role regarding the development and progression of human malignancies, especially in hematologic malignancies. Due to its variation in expression in cancer, it has been suggested that Deptor can act as an oncogene or tumor suppressor depending on the cellular or tissue context. This review discusses recent advances in its transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of Deptor. As well as the advances regarding the activities of Deptor in hematological malignancies, its possible role as a biomarker, and its possible clinical relevance in these malignancies.

MicroRNA-208a-3p promotes osteosarcoma progression via targeting PTEN

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a malignant bone tumor with a poor prognosis. Accumulated evidence has suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) may function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors, which are associated with tumorigenesis and the progression of different types of cancer. In the present study, the role of miR-208a-3p in OS was investigated. The expression levels of miR-208a-3p in OS tissues and cell lines were determined via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). MTT and colony formation assays were performed to verify the proliferation rate of OS cells. In addition, the effects of miR-208a-3p on the migration and invasion of OS cells were revealed using wound-healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Furthermore, the association between miR-208a-3p and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) 3'-untranslated region was determined via luciferase reporter assays, western blot and RT-qPCR analysis. The results indicated that miR-208a-3p was upregulated in OS tissues and cell lines compared with adjacent normal tissues and human osteoblastic cells, respectively. miR-208a-3p overexpression promoted and miR-208a-3p knockdown inhibited OS cells proliferation and metastatic potential. Additionally, PTEN was validated as a direct target of miR-208a-3p and its expression was negatively associate with that of miR-208a-3p in OS cells. Taken together, these results may suggest that miR-208a-3p promoted OS cells proliferation and metastatic potential via targeting PTEN. Therefore, miR-208a-3p may be considered as a diagnostic biomarker for OS.

Circ_0000285 regulates proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of osteosarcoma by miR-409-3p/IGFBP3 axis

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important regulators in the pathogenesis of diseases and affects the occurrence and development of diseases. However, the role of circRNAs in osteosarcoma (OS) has not been fully elucidated.

Methods

The expression of circ_0000285, miR-409-3p and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) was detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The protein level of IGFBP3 was measured using western blot. CCK-8 and colony formation assays were used to determine cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was applied to measure cell cycle and cell apoptosis. Transwell assay was used to assess cell invasion and migration. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA Binding Protein Immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were performed to determine the relationship among circ_0000285, miR-409-3p and IGFBP3. The animal experiments were performed to determine the function of circ_0000285 in vivo.

Results

In this study, we found that the expression of circ_0000285 was significantly increased in OS tissues and cells and was enriched in the cytoplasm. Knockdown of circ_0000285 inhibited OS growth in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, miR-409-3p was a target miRNA of circ_0000285 and miR-409-3p targets to IGFBP3 in OS. Besides, circ_0000285 could promote proliferation, migration, invasion and inhibit apoptosis of osteosarcoma by miR-409-3p/IGFBP3 axis.

Conclusion

In this study, circ_0000285 regulated proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of OS cells by miR-409-3p/IGFBP3 axis, implying that circ_0000285 was a potential target for OS therapy.