LINC00942 Promotes Tumor Proliferation and Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma via FZD1 Upregulation

Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the development and therapeutic resistance of non-small cell lung cancer

Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a critical pathway that influences development and therapeutic response of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In recent years, many Wnt regulators, including proteins, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, have been found to promote or inhibit signaling by acting on Wnt proteins, receptors, signal transducers and transcriptional effectors. The identification of these regulators and their underlying molecular mechanisms provides important implications for how to target this pathway therapeutically. In this review, we summarize recent studies of Wnt regulators in the development and therapeutic response of NSCLC.

A pyroptosis-related lncRNA-based prognostic index for hepatocellular carcinoma by relative expression orderings

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an invasive malignant tumor, and pyroptosis makes an important contribution to the pathology and progression of liver cancer. Many prognostic models have been proposed for HCC based on the quantitative expression level of candidate genes, which are unsuitable for clinical application due to their vulnerability against experimental batch effects. The aim of this study was to develop a novel pyroptosis-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-based prognostic index (PLPI) for HCC based on relative expression orderings (REOs).

Methods

Firstly, the pyroptosis-related lncRNAs were identified through the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and gene co-expression analyses. Then, the novel prognostic model PLPI was constructed by pyroptosis-related lncRNA pairs, which were identified by multiple machine learning algorithms. Gene set enrichment, somatic mutation, and drug sensitivity analyses were conducted to measure the differences between high- and low-risk patients. Multiple immune analyses were used to explore the association between PLPI and the immunological microenvironment.

Results

In this study, a novel prognostic model PLPI based on 10 pyroptosis-related lncRNA pairs was constructed, which was proven to be an independent prognostic risk factor. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the model had a good prognostic ability in the training, testing, and external set, respectively [5-year area under the curve (AUC) =0.73, 5-year AUC =0.81, 4-year AUC =0.79]. The results of survival, somatic mutation, and immune analyses showed that the patients in the low-risk group had a better prognosis, lower rates of somatic mutation, and better immune cell infiltration. Personalized chemotherapeutic drugs were also identified for the patients with HCC.

Conclusions

The novel PLPI not only greatly predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC but could also offer novel ideas and approaches for the therapeutic management of HCC.

Prognostic Signature Constructed of Seven Ferroptosis-Related lncRNAs Predicts the Prognosis of HBV-Related HCC

BACKGROUND

Ferroptosis and lncRNAs both play crucial roles in cancers. But the roles of ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (FRLncs) in HBV-related HCC (HBV-HCC) remain ambiguous.

METHODS

The gene expression profile and clinical data were originated from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The risk signature was constructed by FRLncs based on the Cox regression analysis. The survival curve, Cox regression analysis, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were adopted to verify the independence and reliability of the signature. A nomogram was established. Immune-infiltrating cells, immune functions, and checkpoints were analyzed.

RESULTS

A risk signature composed of 7 FRLncs (LINC00942, AC131009.1, POLH-AS1, AC090772.3, MKLN1-AS, AC009403.1, AL031985.3) was constructed and divided HBV-HCC patients into high- and low-risk groups. Patients in the high-risk group showed a poor prognosis. The area under curves (AUC) of the signature for 1-, 3-, and 5-year was satisfactory. A nomogram composed of gender, stage, age, grade, and risk signature was established. The risk signature and nomogram displayed appreciable independence and reliability in HBV-HCC patients. The T-cell CD8 + , monocyte, and macrophage M1 were expressed differently significantly in HCC patients, while macrophage M2 showed an obvious difference in the HBV-HCC patients between the different risk groups. PDCD1 and CTL4 were expressed higher in the high-risk group of HCC patients.

CONCLUSION

A 7-lncRNA signature was identified as a potential prognostic predictor for HBV-HCC patients. Immune therapy may be a promising strategy for HCC patients, especially HBV-HCC patients.

LINC00942 inhibits ferroptosis and induces the immunosuppression of regulatory T cells by recruiting IGF2BP3/SLC7A11 in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high recurrence rate and a poor prognosis. Long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 942 (LINC00942) is reported to be related to ferroptosis and the immune response in HCC and serves as an oncogene in various cancers. This research aimed to explore the contribution of LINC00942 in HCC progression. Functional assays were used to evaluate the functional role of LINC00942 in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic assays were conducted to assess the association of LINC00942 with insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) and the regulatory pattern of LINC00942 in HCC cells. LINC00942 was found to exhibit upregulation in HCC tissue and cells. LINC00942 facilitated HCC cell proliferation, suppressed ferroptosis, and converted naive CD4+ T cells to inducible Treg (iTreg) cells by regulating SLC7A11. Furthermore, SLC7A11 expression was positively modulated by LINC00942 in HCC cells. IGF2BP3 was a shared RNA-binding protein (RBP) for LINC00942 and SLC7A11. The binding between the SLC7A11 3' untranslated region and IGF2BP3 was verified, and LINC00942 was found to recruit IGF2BP3 to promote SLC7A11 mRNA stability in an m6A-dependent manner. Moreover, mouse tumor growth and proliferation were inhibited, and the number of FOXP3+CD25+ T cells was increased, while ferroptosis was enhanced after LINC00942 knockdown in vivo. LINC00942 suppresses ferroptosis and induces Treg immunosuppression in HCC by recruiting IGF2BP3 to enhance SLC7A11 mRNA stability, which may provide novel therapeutic targets for HCC.

Ferroptosis-Related lncRNA for the Establishment of Novel Prognostic Signature and Therapeutic Response Prediction to Endometrial Carcinoma

Background

Ferroptosis is a recently described form of intentional cellular damage that is iron-dependent and separate from apoptosis, cellular necrosis, and autophagy. It has been demonstrated to be adequately regulated by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in various cancers. However, the predictive profile of ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (FRLs) in endometrial carcinoma (EC) is unknown. Herein, FRLs associated with uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) prognosis were screened to predict treatment response in EC.

Methods

Samples of EC and adjacent normal tissues were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset repository. Limma and survival packages in R software were used to screen FRLs associated with the prognosis of EC. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) chord and circle plots of FRLs were also plotted. Next, FRLs screened by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method were applied to construct and validate a multivariate Cox proportional risk regression model. Nomogram plots were created to forecast the outcome of UCEC patients, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), principal component analysis (PCA), and immunoassays were performed on the prognostic models. Finally, limma, ggpubr, pRRophetic, and ggplot2 programs were used for drug sensitivity analysis of the prognostic models.

Results

A signature based on nine FRLs (CFAP58-DT, LINC00443, EMSLR, HYI-AS1, ADIRF-AS1, LINC02474, CDKN2B-AS1, LINC01629, and LINC00942) was constructed. The developed FRL prognostic model effectively discriminated UCEC patients into low-risk and high-risk groups. Immunological checkpoints CD80 and CD40 were strongly expressed in the high-risk group. In addition, the nine FRLs were all more expressed in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group.

Conclusion

These findings significantly contribute to the understanding of the function of FRLs in UCEC and provide promising therapeutic strategies for UCEC.

Ferroptosis-related long non-coding RNA signature predicts the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous malignant tumor, and its prognostic prediction is extremely challenging. Ferroptosis is a cell mechanism dependent on iron, which is very significant for HCC development. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is also linked to HCC progression. This work aimed to establish a prognosis risk model for HCC and to discover a possible biomarker and therapeutic target.

Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to obtain RNA-seq transcriptome data and clinic information of HCC patients. Firstly, univariate Cox was utilized to identify 66 prognostic ferroptosis-related lncRNAs. Then, the identified lncRNAs were further included in the multivariate Cox analysis to construct the prognostic model. Eventually, we performed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) to validate the risk model.

Results: We established a prognostic seventeen-ferroptosis-related lncRNA signature model. The signature could categorize patients into two risk subgroups, with the low-risk subgroup associated with a better prognosis. Additionally, the area under the curve (AUC) of the lncRNAs signature was 0.801, indicating their reliability in forecasting HCC prognosis. Risk score was an independent prognostic factor by regression analyses. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analyses demonstrated a remarkable enrichment of cancer-related and immune-related pathways in the high-risk group. Besides, the immune status was decreased in the high-risk group. Eventually, three prognostic lncRNAs were validated in human HCCLM3 cell lines.

Conclusions: The risk model based on seventeen-ferroptosis-related lncRNA has significant prognostic value for HCC and may be therapeutic targets associated with ferroptosis in clinical ways.

LncRNA NEAT1-miR-101-3p/miR-335-5p/miR-374a-3p/miR-628-5p-TRIM6 axis identified as the prognostic biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma via bioinformatics and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Overexpression of the tripartite motif containing 6 (TRIM6) is associated with dismal prognosis in cancer patients, but its exact roles in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) have not been reported.

METHODS

The roles of TRIM6 are identified by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), TIMER2, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), etc., and the regulatory networks and related-prognostic biomarkers of TRIM6 are identified via the ENCORI and LNCAR databases in the LUAD progression.

RESULTS

TRIM6 expression level in LUAD tissues was significantly increased. TRIM6 over-expression level in LUAD patients was associated with smoking, clinical stage, histological type, lymph node metastasis, TP53 mutation and dismal prognosis, and related to prognosis-related age, race, sex, clinical stage and tumor purity of LUAD patients. TRIM6 overexpression was associated with the levels of CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils and myeloid dendritic cells, and correlated with the levels of LUAD immune cell markers CD8A, IRF5, CD163, VSIG4, MS4A4A, ITGAM, HLA-DPA1, NRP1, ITGAX, etc. TRIM6 might influence the progression of LUAD by regulating homologous recombination, oocyte meiosis, and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. LUAD patients with overexpression of miR-101-3p, miR-335-5p, miR-374a-3p, miR-628-5p, and NEAT1 had a poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

NEAT1-miR-101-3p/335-5p/374a-3p/628-5p-TRIM6 network, which we constructed from our results, might be an important factor in the dismal prognosis of LUAD patients.