Overexpression of members of the microRNA-183 family is a risk factor for lung cancer: a case control study

IDH1 mutation produces R-2-hydroxyglutarate (R-2HG) and induces mir-182-5p expression to regulate cell cycle and tumor formation in glioma

BACKGROUND

Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2), are present in most gliomas. IDH1 mutation is an important prognostic marker in glioma. However, its regulatory mechanism in glioma remains incompletely understood.

RESULTS

miR-182-5p expression was increased within IDH1-mutant glioma specimens according to TCGA, CGGA, and online dataset GSE119740, as well as collected clinical samples. (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate ((R)-2HG) treatment up-regulated the expression of miR-182-5p, enhanced glioma cell proliferation, and suppressed apoptosis; miR-182-5p inhibition partially eliminated the oncogenic effects of R-2HG upon glioma cells. By direct binding to Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 2 C (CDKN2C) 3'UTR, miR-182-5p inhibited CDKN2C expression. Regarding cellular functions, CDKN2C knockdown promoted R-2HG-treated glioma cell viability, suppressed apoptosis, and relieved cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, CDKN2C knockdown partially attenuated the effects of miR-182-5p inhibition on cell phenotypes. Moreover, CDKN2C knockdown exerted opposite effects on cell cycle check point and apoptosis markers to those of miR-182-5p inhibition; also, CDKN2C knockdown partially attenuated the functions of miR-182-5p inhibition in cell cycle check point and apoptosis markers. The engineered CS-NPs (antagomir-182-5p) effectively encapsulated and delivered antagomir-182-5p, enhancing anti-tumor efficacy in vivo, indicating the therapeutic potential of CS-NPs(antagomir-182-5p) in targeting the miR-182-5p/CDKN2C axis against R-2HG-driven oncogenesis in mice models.

CONCLUSIONS

These insights highlight the potential of CS-NPs(antagomir-182-5p) to target the miR-182-5p/CDKN2C axis, offering a promising therapeutic avenue against R-2HG's oncogenic influence to glioma.

Mechanism of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix (Kushen) in treating NSCLC: Insights from miRNA-mRNA network analysis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Sophorae Flavescentis Radix (Kushen) is the primary herb component of Compound Kushen Injection (CKI), an approved clinical treatment for tumors. Despite CKI's widespread use, the underlying mechanisms of Kushen regarding microRNA-target and pathway remain unclear in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to elucidate the crucial miRNAs-targets and pathways responsible for the Kushen's impact on NSCLC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CCK8, colony formation, and apoptosis assays were performed to assess the effects of Kushen on NSCLC cells. Subsequently, we treated the A549 cell line with varying concentrations of Kushen to obtain mRNA and miRNA expression profiles. A DE (differentially expressed) miRNAs-DEGs network was then constructed to identify the critical miRNA-mRNA interaction influenced by Kushen. Furthermore, we performed clinical significance and prognosis analyses of hub genes to narrow down key genes and their corresponding miRNAs. Finally, the effects of Kushen on critical miRNA-mRNA interaction and related pathway were verified by in vitro and in vivo experiments.

RESULTS

In this study, we initially demonstrated that Kushen significantly inhibited cell proliferation, suppressed colony formation, and induced apoptosis in the A549 cells, PC9 cells, and the A549 zebrafish xenograft model. Through expression profile analysis, a DE miRs-DEGs network was constructed with 16 DE miRs and 68 DEGs. Through the network analysis and expression validation, we found Kushen could significantly down-regulate miR-183-5p expression and up-regulate EGR1 expression. Additionally, Kushen affected the PTEN/Akt pathway, increasing PTEN expression and decreasing pAkt expression. Finally, matrine, the essential active compound of Kushen, also inhibited cell growth, induced apoptosis, and regulated miR-183-5p/EGR1 and PTEN/AKT pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether, these findings supported the critical role of miR-183-5p/EGR1 and the PTEN/AKT pathway in the beneficial effects of Kushen on NSCLC, highlighting the therapeutic potential of Kushen in NSCLC treatment.

MicroRNA-183 cluster: a promising biomarker and therapeutic target in gastrointestinal malignancies

Small non-coding RNAs (microRNA, miR), powerful epigenetic regulators, were found involved in the regulation of most biological functions via post-translational inhibition of protein expression. Increased expression of pro-oncogenic miRs (known as miR cancer biomarkers) and inhibition of pro-apoptotic miR expression have been demonstrated in different tumors. The recently identified miR-183 was found implicated in gastrointestinal tumor metabolism regulation. Elevated miR-183 expression and cancer-promoting effects were reported in esophageal and colorectal cancers, which was partially contradicted by controversial data observed in gastric cancers. Anti-cancer effect of miR-183 in gastric cancer cells was associated with the Bim-1 and Ezrin genes regulation. Many studies indicated that miR-183 can inhibit tumor suppressor genes in most cell lines, promoting tumor cell proliferation and migration. Increased miR-183 level results in the downregulation of FOXO1, PDCD4, and other tumor suppressor genes in gastrointestinal tumor cells. MiR-183 also influences the signaling of PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Wnt/β-catenin, and Bcl-2/p53 signaling pathways. Mir-183 inhibits apoptosis and autophagy, and promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cancer cell proliferation, and migration. Accordingly, gastrointestinal cancer occurrence, development of chemoradiotherapy resistance, recurrence/metastasis, and prognosis were associated with miR-183 expression. The current study assessed reported miR-183 functions and signaling, providing new insights for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies.

Next Generation Sequencing for miRNA Detection on the Exhaled Breath Condensate: A Pilot Study

Introduction:

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) sampling has been suggested as a less-invasive and cost-effective method to detect biological macromolecules, including miRNA. To explore the feasibility of its use as a biomarker of early effects of asbestos exposure, we conducted a preliminary test on male volunteers by comparing the miRNA profile in the EBC and the plasma using 2 different sequencing platforms.

Methods:

Six male volunteers, all retired and unexposed to dust or fumes, participated in the test. RNA was extracted from 200 μL EBC samples and same-size plasma samples. Sample aliquots were processed in 2 laboratories using 2 different sequencing platforms: a MiSeq Illumina^® platform and a more performing HiSeq Illumina^® platform.

Results:

The HiSeq3000^® sequencing platform identified twice as many unique molecular indexes (UMI)-validated miRNA as the MiSeq^® platform. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient between EBC counts and plasma counts was significant in 5/6 subjects with either platform (MiSeq^® = 0.128-0.508, P = .026-<.001; HiSeq^® = 0.156-0.412, P = .001-<.001). The intraclass correlation coefficient confirmed the consistency of the miRNA profile over the 6 participants with both biospecimens. Exploring the agreement between the EBC and plasma samples with Bland-Altman plots showed that using the HiSeq3000^® platform substantially improved the EBC miRNA detection rate.

Conclusion:

Our preliminary study confirms that, when using the HiSeq^® sequencing platform, EBC sampling is a suitable, non-invasive method to detect the miRNA profile in healthy subjects.

Noncoding RNome as Enabling Biomarkers for Precision Health

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), in the form of structural, catalytic or regulatory RNAs, have emerged to be critical effectors of many biological processes. With the advent of new technologies, we have begun to appreciate how intracellular and circulatory ncRNAs elegantly choreograph the regulation of gene expression and protein function(s) in the cell. Armed with this knowledge, the clinical utility of ncRNAs as biomarkers has been recently tested in a wide range of human diseases. In this review, we examine how critical factors govern the success of interrogating ncRNA biomarker expression in liquid biopsies and tissues to enhance our current clinical management of human diseases, particularly in the context of cancer. We also discuss strategies to overcome key challenges that preclude ncRNAs from becoming standard-of-care clinical biomarkers, including sample pre-analytics standardization, data cross-validation with closer attention to discordant findings, as well as correlation with clinical outcomes. Although harnessing multi-modal information from disease-associated noncoding RNome (ncRNome) in biofluids or in tissues using artificial intelligence or machine learning is at the nascent stage, it will undoubtedly fuel the community adoption of precision population health.

Contributions of Circulating microRNAs for Early Detection of Lung Cancer

There is unmet need to develop circulating biomarkers that would enable earlier interception of lung cancer when more effective treatment options are available. Here, a set of 30 miRNAs, selected from a review of the published literature were assessed for their predictive performance in identifying lung cancer cases in the pre-diagnostic setting. The 30 miRNAs were assayed using sera collected from 102 individuals diagnosed with lung cancer within one year following blood draw and 212 controls matched for age, sex, and smoking status. The additive performance of top-performing miRNA candidates in combination with a previously validated four-protein marker panel (4MP) consisting of the precursor form of surfactant protein B (Pro-SFTPB), cancer antigen 125 (CA125), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin-19 fragment (CYFRA21-1) was additionally assessed. Of the 30 miRNAs evaluated, five (miR-320a-3p, miR-210-3p, miR-92a-3p, miR-21-5p, and miR-140-3p) were statistically significantly (Wilcoxon rank sum test p < 0.05) elevated in case sera compared to controls, with individual AUCs ranging from 0.57−0.62. Compared to the 4MP alone, the combination of 3-miRNAs + 4MP improved sensitivity at 95% specificity by 19.1% ((95% CI of difference 0.0−28.6); two-sided p: 0.006). Our findings demonstrate utility for miRNAs for early detection of lung cancer in combination with a four-protein marker panel.

Spectrum of microRNAs and their target genes in cancer: intervention in diagnosis and therapy

Till date, several groups have studied the mechanism of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, processing, stability, silencing, and their dysregulation in cancer. The miRNA coding genes recurrently go through abnormal amplification, deletion, transcription, and epigenetic regulation in cancer. Some miRNAs function as tumor promoters while few others are tumor suppressors based on the transcriptional regulation of target genes. A review of miRNAs and their target genes in a wide range of cancers is attempted in this article, which may help in the development of new diagnostic tools and intervention therapies. The contribution of miRNAs for drug sensitivity or resistance in cancer therapy and opportunities of miRNAs in cancer prognosis or diagnosis and therapy is also presented in detail.

Correlation between mechanism of oxidized-low density lipoprotein-induced macrophage apoptosis and inhibition of target gene platelet derived growth factor receptor-β expression by microRNA-9

This study was to explore the effects of oxidized-low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) on the proliferation and apoptosis of macrophages, and the role of miRNA-9 in the targeted regulation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFR-β) expression. Macrophage RAW264.7 cells were cultured and foamed with 100 mg/L ox-LDL to detect the cell proliferation and apoptosis and target protein expression levels. Subsequently, the miRNA-9 mimics and inhibitors were transfected to detect the expression level of PDGFR-β. The dual-luciferase reporter gene was predicted and applied to detect the target-binding effect of miRNA-9 and PDGFR-β in the cells. The results showed that ox-LDL could induce the foaming of macrophages RAW264.7, inhibit the cell proliferation, and promote the cell apoptosis. After ox-LDL induction, expression of Caspase-3 in macrophages RAW264.7 was up-regulated, and that of glucose regulated protein 78 was down-regulated. The transfection of miRNA-9 mimics could greatly inhibit the expression of PDGFR-β mRNA and proteins in the cells. In addition, the results of the dual-luciferase reporter gene showed that the ratio of luciferase activity was significantly reduced after the miRNA-9 mimic and the wild-type PDGFR-β plasmid were co-transfected. In summary, ox-LDL could induce foaming of macrophages and promote cell apoptosis, and miRNA-9 could target and bind to the 3ʹUTR region of PDGFR-β, thereby inhibiting the gene expression.

Analysis of microRNA Expression in Liquid-Based Cytology Samples May Be Useful for Primary Lung Cancer Diagnosis

OBJECTIVES

Bronchoscopy is frequently performed for patients suspected of having lung cancer; however, we sometimes fail to make a definitive diagnosis, resulting in additional invasive testing. Many studies indicate that microRNAs (miRs) are abnormally expressed in cancers. We examined the diagnostic value of 4 miRs (miR-21, miR-31, miR-182, and miR-183) extracted from liquid-based cytology (LBC) samples and validated whether they were diagnostically useful.

METHODS

We collected 18 surgically resected tissue samples and 136 LBC specimens obtained during bronchoscopic examination at Hiroshima University Hospital. We extracted RNA from these samples and compared the expression of 4 miRs by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

We confirmed that expression of the 4 miRs was significantly higher in cancer tissues than in tumor-adjacent normal tissues. We examined the expression of these miRs in 125 (cancer cases, 83; noncancer cases, 42) of 136 cytologic samples. Expression of all 4 miRs was significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in those without lung cancer. Among samples judged as benign or indeterminate, levels of these miRs were also significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in those without lung cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis of miR expression in LBC samples might be helpful for primary lung cancer diagnosis.

Clinical Significance of miR-183-3p and miR-182-5p in NSCLC and Their Correlation

Purpose

Accumulating evidence has indicated that dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in cancer progression. In this study, we evaluated the clinicopathologic significance of miR-183-3p and miR-182-5p, and the role of miR-183-3p in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) progression.

Patients and Methods

Seventy-six NSCLC patients from Beijing Chest Hospital were included. The expression of miR-183-3p and miR-182-5p was evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Then, cell growth curve assays and colony formation assays were performed. Bioinformatics analysis of TCGA database was performed to explore the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value.

Results

miR-183-3p and miR-182-5p were significantly increased in NSCLC tumor tissues (both P < 0.0001) and were positively correlated (r = 0.8519, P < 0.0001). miR-183-3p (P = 0.0444) and miR-182-5p (P = 0.0132) were correlated with tumor size. In addition, miR-183-3p (P = 0.0135) and miR-182-5p (P = 0.0009) were upregulated in normal lung tissues from smokers. In vitro, miR-183-3p was correlated with cell proliferation. In addition, bioinformatics analysis indicated that miR-183-3p was correlated with poor prognosis (P = 0.0466) and tumor size (P = 0.0017). In addition, miR-183-3p was higher in lung squamous carcinoma (LUSC) tissue (P < 0.0001) than in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissue, and miR-183-3p was higher in the tumor tissue of smokers (P = 0.0053) than in that of nonsmokers.

Conclusion

Upregulation of miR-183-3p and miR-182-5p may play an oncogenic role in NSCLC. miR-183-3p could be used as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target to manage lung cancer.

miRNAs in lung cancer. A systematic review identifies predictive and prognostic miRNA candidates for precision medicine in lung cancer

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and miRNAs play a key role in LC development. To better diagnose LC and to predict drug treatment responses we evaluated 228 articles encompassing 16,697 patients and 12,582 healthy controls. Based on the criteria of ≥3 independent studies and a sensitivity and specificity of >0.8 we found blood-borne miR-20a, miR-10b, miR-150, and miR-223 to be excellent diagnostic biomarkers for non-small cell LC whereas miR-205 is specific for squamous cell carcinoma. The systematic review also revealed 38 commonly regulated miRNAs in tumor tissue and the circulation, thus enabling the prediction of histological subtypes of LC. Moreover, theranostic biomarker candidates with proven responsiveness to checkpoint inhibitor treatments were identified, notably miR-34a, miR-93, miR-106b, miR-181a, miR-193a-3p, and miR-375. Conversely, miR-103a-3p, miR-152, miR-152-3p, miR-15b, miR-16, miR-194, miR-34b, and miR-506 influence programmed cell death-ligand 1 and programmed cell death-1 receptor expression, therefore providing a rationale for the development of molecularly targeted therapies. Furthermore, miR-21, miR-25, miR-27b, miR-19b, miR-125b, miR-146a, and miR-210 predicted response to platinum-based treatments. We also highlight controversial reports on specific miRNAs. In conclusion, we report diagnostic miRNA biomarkers for in-depth clinical evaluation. Furthermore, in an effort to avoid unnecessary toxicity we propose predictive biomarkers. The biomarker candidates support personalized treatment decisions of LC patients and await their confirmation in randomized clinical trials.

Evaluation of microRNAs as potential biomarkers in circulating HPV-DNA-positive non-small cell lung cancer patients

The aim of the present study was to identify the potential risk of circulating-HPV-DNA in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to analyze abnormally expressed miRNAs in circulating HPV-DNA-positive NSCLC. HPV universal primers were used to detect the presence of HPV-DNA in the peripheral blood of 100 patients with NSCLC. The relationship between circulating-HPV-DNA and NSCLC patients characteristics was analyzed. Then, eight differentially expressed miRNAs in NSCLC were screened based on the TCGA database. The levels of miRNAs in circulating HPV-DNA-positive NSCLC patients were detected by real-time quantitative PCR. ROC curves were generated to evaluate the diagnostic performance. Circulating-HPV-DNA was found in 16 patients. The proportion of HPV-DNA-positive patients with poorly differentiated NSCLC, advanced lung cancer and lymph node metastasis was higher than that of HPV-DNA-negative patients. The levels of miR-183, miR-210 and miR-182 were significantly higher and miR-144 was significantly lower in HPV-DNA-positive NSCLC than those in HPV-DNA-negative NSCLC patients. When using a single miRNA to identify circulating HPV-DNA-positive NSCLC patients, miR-210 had a higher area under the ROC curve (AUC) than other miRNAs, and its sensitivity and specificity were also higher. In addition, the combination of two miRNAs was more effective than a single miRNA. Among them, miR-210+ miR-144 had the highest AUC value and showed the best prediction performance. Circulating-HPV-DNA may serve as a risk factor in NSCLC. Plasma miR-183, miR-210, miR-182 and miR-144 can be used as reliable biomarkers to identify circulating HPV-DNA-positive NSCLC.

Evaluation of the mir-126, mir-182, and mir-486-5p Expression Signature of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas and Lung Squamous Cell Carcinomas

OBJECTIVE

Although squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) originating from different anatomic localizations display a similar histological appearance under light microscopy, they may differ in terms of epigenetic and genetic features. The aim of this study was to analyze mir-126, mir-182, and mir-486-5p expression levels in head and neck SCCs and lung SCCs, and to identify localization-specific miRNA expression profiles.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The expression levels of mir-126, mir-182, and mir-486-5p were analyzed in lung, oral cavity, laryngeal, and hypopharyngeal SCCs in 40 patients, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

The findings showed that lung, oral cavity, laryngeal, and hypopharyngeal SCCs have distinct mir-126 and mir-486-5p expression profiles. It was also observed that mir-126 and mir-486-5p expression levels were highly specific to the tumor localization.

CONCLUSION

These findings highlighted that SCCs originating from different anatomic localizations have different miRNA expression profiles. miRNA expression analysis can be used to predict the primary localizations of those SCCs.

Extracellular heat shock proteins and cancer: New perspectives

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High expression of extracellular heat shock proteins (HSPs) indicates highly aggressive tumors.

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HSP profiling of extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from various biological fluids and released by immune cells may open new perspectives for an identification of diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers of cancer.

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Identification of specific microRNAs targeting HSPs in EVs may be a promising strategy for the discovery of novel biomarkers of cancer.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a large family of molecular chaperones aberrantly expressed in cancer. The expression of HSPs in tumor cells has been shown to be implicated in the regulation of apoptosis, immune responses, angiogenesis and metastasis. Given that extracellular vesicles (EVs) can serve as potential source for the discovery of clinically useful biomarkers and therapeutic targets, it is of particular interest to study proteomic profiling of HSPs in EVs derived from various biological fluids of cancer patients. Furthermore, a divergent expression of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in patient samples has opened new opportunities in exploiting miRNAs as diagnostic tools. Herein, we address the current literature on the expression of extracellular HSPs with particular interest in HSPs in EVs derived from various biological fluids of cancer patients and different types of immune cells as promising targets for identification of clinical biomarkers of cancer. We also discuss the emerging role of miRNAs in HSP regulation for the discovery of blood-based biomarkers of cancer. We outline the importance of understanding relationships between various HSP networks and co-chaperones and propose the model for identification of HSP signatures in cancer. Elucidating the role of HSPs in EVs from the proteomic and miRNAs perspectives may provide new opportunities for the discovery of novel biomarkers of cancer.

Early diagnosis and screening in lung cancer

Lung cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer, but the first cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. This rather high death rate is due mainly to the fact that most patients are diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer, for which the conventional treatment does not work. The most used screening method for lung cancer is a low-dose CT scan, but it is recommended for specific age populations and it also started different debates on its advantages for lung cancer diagnosis. Over the year, several new techniques have been developed that are less invasive, have lower side effect, and can be implemented at all types of populations. This article aimed to present the advantages and disadvantages of using several methods for lung cancer diagnosis, including analysis of volatile organic compounds, exhaled breath condensate analysis and specific genomic approaches.

MiRNA-96-5p impacts the progression of breast cancer through targeting FOXO3

Background

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women worldwide, with a high mortality rate. MicroRNAs are small non‐coding RNAs that negatively regulate the expression of target genes by interacting with the target gene 3'‐UTR, and participate in cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and metabolism. The function of miRNA‐96‐5p in the progression of breast cancer has not been reported.

Methods

We used the StarBase database to investigate the expression of miRNA‐96‐5p in breast cancer and adjacent normal tissues. FOXO3 3'‐UTR construct and luciferase reporter assays was performed for the target gene. Expression levels of miRNAs including its target were analyzed by qRT‐PCR and western blot. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 and colony formation, EdU assay.

Results

Luciferase reporter assays showed miRNA‐96‐5p directly targeted FOXO3. Abrogation of miRNA‐96‐5p by transfection with its inhibitors in breast cancer cells significantly suppressed miRNA‐96‐5p expression and breast cancer cells proliferation. Western blot revealed that overexpression of miRNA‐96‐5p substantially reduced FOXO3 protein expression. We used the GEPIA, UALCAN and KM‐plotter databases to investigate the expression of FOXO3 in human breast cancer and adjacent normal tissues, and its correlation with survival. In addition, we found that FOXO3 spoiled miR‐96‐5p induced breast cancer cell proliferation block effecting.

Conclusions

miRNA‐96‐5p may exert a tumor promotion role through negatively regulating tumor suppressor gene FOXO3 and promoting cell proliferation.

The Current Understanding Of Asbestos-Induced Epigenetic Changes Associated With Lung Cancer

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral consisting of extremely fine fibres that can become trapped in the lungs after inhalation. Occupational and environmental exposures to asbestos are linked to development of lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining surrounding the lung. This review discusses the factors that are making asbestos-induced lung cancer a continuing problem, including the extensive historic use of asbestos and decades long latency between exposure and disease development. Genomic mutations of DNA nucleotides and gene rearrangements driving lung cancer are well-studied, with biomarkers and targeted therapies already in clinical use for some of these mutations. The genes involved in these mutation biomarkers and targeted therapies are also involved in epigenetic mechanisms and are discussed in this review as it is hoped that identification of epigenetic aberrations in these genes will enable the same gene biomarkers and targeted therapies to be used. Currently, understanding of how asbestos fibres trapped in the lungs leads to epigenetic changes and lung cancer is incomplete. It has been shown that oxidoreduction reactions on fibre surfaces generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which in turn damage DNA, leading to genetic and epigenetic alterations that reduce the activity of tumour suppressor genes. Epigenetic DNA methylation changes associated with lung cancer are summarised in this review, and some of these changes will be due to asbestos exposure. So far, little research has been carried out to separate the asbestos driven epigenetic changes from those due to non-asbestos causes of lung cancer. Asbestos-associated lung cancers exhibit less methylation variability than lung cancers in general, and in a large proportion of samples variability has been found to be restricted to promoter regions. Epigenetic aberrations in cancer are proving to be promising biomarkers for diagnosing cancers. It is hoped that further understanding of epigenetic changes in lung cancer can result in useful asbestos-associated lung cancer biomarkers to guide treatment. Research is ongoing into the detection of lung cancer epigenetic alterations using non-invasive samples of blood and sputum. These efforts hold the promise of non-invasive cancer diagnosis in the future. Efforts to reverse epigenetic aberrations in lung cancer by epigenetic therapies are ongoing but have not yet yielded success.

Circulating miRNAs as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers in Common Solid Tumors: Focus on Lung, Breast, Prostate Cancers, and Osteosarcoma

An early cancer diagnosis is essential to treat and manage patients, but it is difficult to achieve this goal due to the still too low specificity and sensitivity of classical methods (imaging, actual biomarkers), together with the high invasiveness of tissue biopsies. The discovery of novel, reliable, and easily collectable cancer markers is a topic of interest, with human biofluids, especially blood, as important sources of minimal invasive biomarkers such as circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), the most promising. MiRNAs are small non-coding RNAs and known epigenetic modulators of gene expression, with specific roles in cancer development/progression, which are next to be implemented in the clinical routine as biomarkers for early diagnosis and the efficient monitoring of tumor progression and treatment response. Unfortunately, several issues regarding their validation process are still to be resolved. In this review, updated findings specifically focused on the clinical relevance of circulating miRNAs as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for the most prevalent cancer types (breast, lung, and prostate cancers in adults, and osteosarcoma in children) are described. In addition, deep analysis of pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical issues still affecting the circulation of miRNAs' validation process and routine implementation is included.

Deregulated miRNAs in osteoporosis: effects in bone metastasis

Starting from their role exerted on osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation and activity pathways, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been recently identified as regulators of different processes in bone homeostasis. For this purpose, in a recent review, we highlighted, as deregulated miRNAs could be involved in different bone diseases such as osteoporosis. In addition, recent studies supported the concept that osteoporosis-induced bone alterations might offer a receptive site for cancer cells to form bone metastases, However, to date, no data on specific-shared miRNAs between osteoporosis and bone metastases have been considered and described to clarify the evidence of this link. The main goal of this review is to underline as deregulated miRNAs in osteoporosis may have specific roles in the development of bone metastases. The review showed that several circulating osteoporotic miRNAs could facilitate tumor progression and bone-metastasis formation in several tumor types, i.e., breast cancer, prostate cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and multiple myeloma. In detail, serum up-regulation of pro-osteoporotic miRNAs, as well as serum down-regulation of anti-osteoporotic miRNAs are common features of all these tumors and are able to promote bone metastasis. These results are of key importance and could help researcher and clinicians to establish new therapeutic strategies connected with deregulation of circulating miRNAs and able to interfere with pathogenic processes of osteoporosis, tumor progressions, and bone-metastasis formation.

Early Epigenetic Markers for Precision Medicine

Over the last years, epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation and histone modifications detected in early tumorigenesis and cancer progression, have been proposed as biomarkers for cancer detection, tumor prognosis, and prediction to treatment response. Importantly for the clinical use of DNA methylation biomarkers, specific methylation signatures can be detected in many body fluids including serum/plasma samples. Several of these potential epigenetic biomarkers detected in women's cancers, colorectal cancers, prostate, pancreatic, gastric, and lung cancers are discussed. Studies conducted in breast cancer, for example, found that aberrant methylation detection of several genes in serum DNA and genome-wide epigenetic change could be used for early breast cancer diagnosis and prediction of breast cancer risk. In colorectal cancers, numerous studies have been conducted to identify specific methylation markers important for CRC detection and in fact clinical assays evaluating the methylation status of SEPT19 gene and vimentin, became commercially available. Furthermore, some epigenetic changes detected in gastric washes have been suggested as potential circulating noninvasive biomarkers for the early detection of gastric cancers. For the early detection of prostate cancer, few epigenetic markers have shown a better sensitivity and specificity than serum PSA, indicating that the inclusion of these markers together with current screening tools, could improve early diagnosis and may reduce unnecessary repeat biopsies. Similarly, in pancreatic cancers, abnormal DNA methylation of several genes including NPTX2, have been suggested as a diagnostic biomarker. Epigenetic dysregulation was also observed in several tumor suppressor genes and miRNAs in lung cancer patients, suggesting the important role of these changes in cancer initiation and progression. In conclusion, epigenetic changes detected in biological fluids could play an essential role in the early detection of several cancer types and this may have a great impact for the cancer precision medicine field.

A novel label-free strategy for the ultrasensitive miRNA-182 detection based on MoS2/Ti3C2 nanohybrids

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regarded as a large variety of cancer-related biomarkers, and they have attracted wide attentions in recent years. In this work, a novel label-free strategy for the ultrasensitive detection of miRNA-182 (a typical biomarker for lung cancer) based on MoS₂/Ti₃C₂ nanohybrids was suggested. Firstly, modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with massive active sites and good electronic conductivity was prepared for biosensing. Then, based on this platform a descent signal in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) peak current could be observed with the addition of probe RNA with negative charge. Thereafter, with the hybridization of target miRNA-182 with immobilized probe RNA and the swelling-induced breakage of Au-S bonds between RNA and the electrode surface, the characteristic DPV signals increase were found. In particular, this biosensing platform for special miRNAs possessed a good linear detection window in a range from 1 fM to 0.1 nM with a detection limit of 0.43 fM.

Immune evasion by TGFβ-induced miR-183 repression of MICA/B expression in human lung tumor cells

Immune escape is a hallmark of cancer. In human lung cancer, we have identified a unique microRNA (miR)-based pathway employed by tumor cells to repress detection by immune cells via the NKG2D-MICA/B receptor-ligand system. MICA/B is readily induced by cell transformation and serves as a danger signal and ligand to alert NK and activated CD8+ T cells. However, immunohistochemical analysis indicated that human lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma specimens express little MICA/B while high levels of miR-183 were detected in both tumor types in a TCGA database. Human lung tumor cell lines confirmed the reverse relationship in expression of MICA/B and miR-183. Importantly, a miR-183 binding site was identified on the 3'untranslated region (UTR) of both MICA and MICB, suggesting its role in MICA/B regulation. Luciferase reporter constructs bearing the 3'UTR of MICA or MICB in 293 cells supported the function of miR-183 in repressing MICA/B expression. Additionally, anti-sense miR-183 transfection into H1355 or H1299 tumor cells caused the upregulation of MICA/B. Abundant miR-183 expression in tumor cells was traced to transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ), as evidenced by antisense TGFβ transfection into H1355 or H1299 tumor cells which subsequently lost miR-183 expression accompanied by MICA/B upregulation. Most significantly, anti-sense miR-183 transfected tumor cells became more sensitive to lysis by activated CD8+ T cells that express high levels of NKG2D. Thus, high miR-183 triggered by TGFβ expressed in lung tumor cells can target MICA/B expression to circumvent detection by NKG2D on immune cells.

Single nucleotide polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region of LPP is a risk factor for lung cancer: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of genes related with cell-matrix adhesions and migration might affect miRNA binding and potentially affect the risk of cancer. The present study aimed to screen SNPs in 3' UTR of cancer-related genes and investigate their contribution to the susceptibility of lung cancer.

METHODS

Seven SNPs were selected and genotyped in a case-control study (322 lung cancer patients and 384 controls) among Chinese Han population. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by logistic regression adjusted for age and gender in multiple genetic models.

RESULTS

In stratified analyses by gender, three (rs1064607, rs3796283 and rs2378456) of LPP gene were associated with a significantly increased susceptibility for lung cancer among male population. Besides, LPP rs2378456 weakened lung cancer risk in female. LPP rs1064607 polymorphism was significantly correlated with increased risk of lung adenocarcinoma. Furthermore, AA genotype of TNS3 rs9876 polymorphism was associated with lymphatic metastasis.

CONCLUSION

Our results provides evidence for the impact of LPP polymorphisms on the susceptibility to lung cancer in Chinese population.

Identifying and Exploiting Potential miRNA-Disease Associations With Neighborhood Regularized Logistic Matrix Factorization

With the rapid development of biological research, microRNAs (miRNA) have become an attractive topic because lots of experimental studies have revealed the significant associations between miRNAs and diseases. However, considering that experiments are expensive and time-consuming, computational methods for predicting associations between miRNAs and diseases have become increasingly crucial. In this study, we proposed a neighborhood regularized logistic matrix factorization method for miRNA-disease association prediction (NRLMFMDA) by integrating miRNA functional similarity, disease semantic similarity, Gaussian interaction profile kernel similarity, and experimentally validation of disease-miRNA association. We used Gaussian interaction profile kernel similarity to cover the shortage of the traditional similarity to make it more reasonable and complete. Furthermore, NRLMFMDA also considered the important influences of the neighborhood information and took full advantage of them to improve the accuracy of the miRNA-disease association prediction. We also improved the accuracy by giving higher weights to the known association data in the process of calculating the potential association probabilities. In the global and the local leave-one-out cross validation, NRLMFMDA got the AUCs of 0.9068 and 0.8239, respectively. Moreover, the average AUC of NRLMFMDA in 5-fold cross validation was 0.8976 ± 0.0034. All the three kinds of cross validations have shown significant advantages to a number of previous models. In the case studies of breast neoplasms, esophageal neoplasms and lymphoma according to known miRNA-disease associations in the recent version of HMDD database, there were 78, 80, and 74% of top 50 predicted related miRNAs verified to have associations with these three diseases, respectively. In the further case studies for new disease without any known related miRNAs and the previous version of HMDD database, there were also high proportions of the predicted miRNAs verified by experimental reports. All the validation experiment results have demonstrated the effectiveness and practicability of NRLFMDA to predict the potential miRNA-disease associations.

Deciphering splenic marginal zone lymphoma pathogenesis: the proposed role of microRNA

Splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL) is a malignancy of mature B-cells that primarily involves the spleen, but can affect peripheral organs as well. Even though SMZL is overall considered an indolent malignancy, the majority of cases will eventually progress to be more aggressive. In recent years, the gene expression profile of SMZL has been characterized in an effort to identify: 1) the etiology of SMZL, 2) biological consequences of SMZL, and 3) putative therapeutic targets. However, due to the vast heterogeneity of the malignancy, no conclusive target(s) have been deciphered. However, the role of miRNA in SMZL, much as it has in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, may serve as a guiding light. As a result, we review the comprehensive expression profiling in SMZL to-date, as well as describe the miRNA (and potential mechanistic roles) that may play a role in SMZL transformation, particularly within the 7q region.

MiR-182 promotes glucose metabolism by upregulating hypoxia-inducible factor 1α in NSCLC cells

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to demonstrate the role of miR-182 in the glucose metabolism of NSCLC cells and the potential mechanism.

METHODS

MTT Cytotoxicity Assay was used to measure the function of differentially expressed miR-182 on two NSCLC cell lines proliferation. Metabolite analysis was introduced to monitor the glucose consumption, lactate release and glycolytic intermediate metabolites. The mRNA level of critical genes involved in glycolysis was detected by qRT-PCR. The 3'UTRs of predicted gene with a miR-182 binding site and their seed-sequence-mutated version were cloned downstream to the ORF of a Renilla luciferase reporter gene and the ability of miR-182 to downregulate luciferase expression was assessed.

RESULTS

MiR-182 had significantly improved proliferation of NSCLC cell lines. Metabolite analysis of the cells with strengthened miR-182 revealed significantly increased glucose consumption and lactate release, as well as glycolytic intermediate metabolites, or conversely. Among a panel of genes controlling glucose metabolism, miR-182 exhibited significantly influence on ENO1, GLUT1, HIF-1α, HK1, HK2, LDHA and PDK1, especially HIF-1α. For the predicted target gene HIF1AN, the wild-type but not mutated 3'UTR, responded to miR-182  b y directing ∼45% reduction of reporter gene expression.

CONCLUSION

MiR-182 promotes glucose metabolism by upregulating HIF-1α in NSCLC cells.

The prognostic value of microRNA-183 in human cancers: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Several studies have been conducted to explore the prognostic value of miR-183 in different types of cancer; however, their results were controversial. Therefore, the present meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the prognostic value of miR-183 expression level in cancer.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was carried out by searching PubMed and EMBASE database between January 1966 and April 2017. Fixed effect and random effect models were used to evaluate the pooled hazard risk (HR) and the relevant 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis were also carried out.

RESULTS

A total of 12 studies published between 2011 and 2017 were included in the present meta-analysis. The meta-analysis result indicated that there was a significant association between miR-183 expression level and overall survival (HR = 2.642; 95%CI: 2.152-3.245), and there was a significant association between miR-183 expression level and tumor progression (HR = 2.403; 95%CI: 1.267-4.559). In subgroup analysis, we found that high expression level was significantly associated with poor prognosis in most cancers (HR = 2.824, 95%CI: 2.092-3.813); however, low miR-183 level was significantly associated with poor prognosis in melanoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (HR = 2.322, 95%CI: 1.337-4.031).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of our meta-analysis indicated that the highly expressed miR-183 might predict poor survival of patients with most cancer types, whereas the downregulated miR-183 level might be associated with poor prognosis in patients with melanoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Clinical value of miR-182-5p in lung squamous cell carcinoma: a study combining data from TCGA, GEO, and RT-qPCR validation

BACKGROUND

MiR-182-5p, as a member of miRNA family, can be detected in lung cancer and plays an important role in lung cancer. To explore the clinical value of miR-182-5p in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and to unveil the molecular mechanism of LUSC.

METHODS

The clinical value of miR-182-5p in LUSC was investigated by collecting and calculating data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Twelve prediction platforms were used to predict the target genes of miR-182-5p. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and gene ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were used to explore the molecular mechanism of LUSC.

RESULTS

The expression of miR-182-5p was significantly over-expressed in LUSC than in non-cancerous tissues, as evidenced by various approaches, including the TCGA database, GEO microarrays, RT-qPCR, and a comprehensive meta-analysis of 501 LUSC cases and 148 non-cancerous cases. Furthermore, a total of 81 potential target genes were chosen from the union of predicted genes and the TCGA database. GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated that the target genes are involved in pathways related to biological processes. PPIs revealed the relationships between these genes, with EPAS1, PRKCE, NR3C1, and RHOB being located in the center of the PPI network.

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-182-5p upregulation greatly contributes to LUSC and may serve as a biomarker in LUSC.

Integrated Analysis Reveals That miR-193b, miR-671, and TREM-1 Correlate With a Good Response to Treatment of Human Localized Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania braziliensis

Localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is a chronic disease characterized by ulcerated skin lesion(s) and uncontrolled inflammation. The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of LCL are not completely understood, and little is known about posttranscriptional regulation during LCL. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding small RNAs that regulate gene expression and can be implicated in the pathogenesis of LCL. We investigated the involvement of miRNAs and their targets genes in human LCL using publicly available transcriptome data sets followed by ex vivo validation. Initial analysis highlighted that miRNA expression is altered during LCL, as patients clustered separately from controls. Joint analysis identified eight high confidence miRNAs that had altered expression (−1.5 ≤ fold change ≥ 1.5; p < 0.05) between cutaneous ulcers and uninfected skin. We found that the expression of miR-193b and miR-671 are greatly associated with their target genes, CD40 and TNFR, indicating the important role of these miRNAs in the expression of genes related to the inflammatory response observed in LCL. In addition, network analysis revealed that miR-193b, miR-671, and TREM1 correlate only in patients who show faster wound healing (up to 59 days) and not in patients who require longer cure times (more than 60 days). Given that these miRNAs are associated with control of inflammation and healing time, our findings reveal that they might influence the pathogenesis and prognosis of LCL.

Genetic variants in regulatory regions of microRNAs are associated with lung cancer risk

Genetic variants in regulatory regions of some miRNAs might be associated with lung cancer risk and survival. We performed a case-control study including 1341 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases and 1982 controls to evaluate the associations of 7 potentially functional polymorphisms in several differently expressed miRNAs with NSCLC risk. Each SNP was also tested for the association with overall survival of 1001 NSCLC patients. We identified that rs9660710 in miR-200b/200a/429 cluster and rs763354 in miR-30a were significantly associated with NSCLC risk [odds ratio (OR) = 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06–1.30, P = 0.002; OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.80–0.98, P = 0.017; respectively]. However, no significant association between variants and NSCLC death risk was observed in survival analysis. Functional annotation showed that both rs9660710 and rs763354 were located in regulatory elements in lung cancer cells. Compared to normal tissues, miR-200a-3p, miR-200a-5p, miR-200b-3p, miR-200b-5p and miR-429 were significantly increased in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Lung Adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tumors, whereas miR-30a-3p and miR-30a-5p were significantly decreased in tumors (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, we observed that rs9660710 is an expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) or methylation eQTL for miR-429 expression in TCGA normal tissues. Our results indicated that rs9660710 in miR-200b/200a/429 cluster and rs763354 in miR-30a might modify the susceptibility to NSCLC.

Dysregulation and functional roles of miR-183-96-182 cluster in cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis

Previous studies have reported aberrant expression of the miR-183-96-182 cluster in a variety of tumors, which indicates its' diagnostic or prognostic value. However, a key characteristic of the miR-183-96-182 cluster is its varied expression levels, and pleomorphic functional roles in different tumors or under different conditions. In most tumor types, the cluster is highly expressed and promotes tumorigenesis, cancer progression and metastasis; yet tumor suppressive effects have also been reported in some tumors. In the present study, we discuss the upstream regulators and the downstream target genes of miR-183-96-182 cluster, and highlight the dysregulation and functional roles of this cluster in various tumor cells. Newer insights summarized in this review will help readers understand the different facets of the miR-183-96-182 cluster in cancer development and progression.

A meta-analysis: microRNAs' prognostic function in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer

Accumulating papers have demonstrated that microRNAs play an important role in the progression of lung cancer, mainly as oncogenic and tumor suppressive. Therefore, microRNAs may influence the survival of lung cancer patients. In this meta‐analysis, we evaluated the role of microRNAs in affecting the overall survival in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, which may provide valuable information for the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer. We used keywords to retrieve literatures from online databases PUBMED,EMBASE and Web of Science and included 12 studies into our investigation according to pre‐set criteria. Then, we analyzed the data with stata13.1 to evaluate the microRNAs role on the prognosis of NSCLC patients. NSCLC patients with higher microRNAs expression levels tend to show lower overall survival. HR (hazard ratio): 2.49, 95% CI (confidence interval): 1.84–3.37. Besides, both oncogenic and tumor suppressive microRNAs have an evident influence on prognosis with HR values of 2.60 (95% CI: 2.12–3.19) and 0.41 (95% CI: 0.05–0.34), respectively. microRNAs, especially from tissue, have an influence on overall survival of NSCLC patients, which indicates that microRNAs could serve as potential prognostic markers for NSCLC and may provide a treatment strategy for advanced NSCLC patients.

Non-coding RNAs Enabling Prognostic Stratification and Prediction of Therapeutic Response in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease and current treatment options for patients are associated with a wide range of outcomes and tumor responses. Although the traditional TNM staging system continues to serve as a crucial tool for estimating CRC prognosis and for stratification of treatment choices and long-term survival, it remains limited as it relies on macroscopic features and cases of surgical resection, fails to incorporate new molecular data and information, and cannot perfectly predict the variety of outcomes and responses to treatment associated with tumors of the same stage. Although additional histopathologic features have recently been applied in order to better classify individual tumors, the future might incorporate the use of novel molecular and genetic markers in order to maximize therapeutic outcome and to provide accurate prognosis. Such novel biomarkers, in addition to individual patient tumor phenotyping and other validated genetic markers, could facilitate the prediction of risk of progression in CRC patients and help assess overall survival. Recent findings point to the emerging role of non-protein-coding regions of the genome in their contribution to the progression of cancer and tumor formation. Two major subclasses of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, are often dysregulated in CRC and have demonstrated their diagnostic and prognostic potential as biomarkers. These ncRNAs are promising molecular classifiers and could assist in the stratification of patients into appropriate risk groups to guide therapeutic decisions and their expression patterns could help determine prognosis and predict therapeutic options in CRC.

Identification and characterization of miR-96, a potential biomarker of NSCLC, through bioinformatic analysis

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The poor prognosis is partly due to lack of efficient methods for early diagnosis. MicroRNAs play roles in almost all aspects of cancer biology, and can be secreted into the circulation and serve as molecular biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cancer. In the present study, we determined the expression of miR-96 and the function of its target genes in lung cancer through bioinformatic analysis. Four microRNA expression profiles of lung cancer were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus and the data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software. Compared to the control group, expression of miR-96 was significantly increased in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (GSE51855), lung adenocarcinoma (GSE48414), stage I adenocarcinoma tissues (GSE63805) and the plasma of lung cancer patients (GSE68951). miR-96 was also elevated in six different NSCLC cell lines. However, the expression level of miR-96 was not related to the age, gender, clinical stage and histological subtype of the NSCLC patients. GO analysis of 78 predicted target genes of miR-96 showed that 42 of the obtained GO terms are highly associated with specific cellular processes including response to stimulus, signaling pathway, cell division, cell communication, cell migration and calcium signaling. KEGG results indicated that the miR-96 targets are mainly involved in the GnRH signaling pathway, long-term potentiation and insulin signaling pathway. In conclusion, miR-96, functioning as an oncogene, may play an important role in the development and progression of lung cancer. miR-96 may have the potential to serve as a molecular biomarker for the early diagnosis of NSCLC.

MicroRNA 183 family profiles in pheochromocytomas are related to clinical parameters and SDHB expression

This study aims to examine the expression profiles of the miR-183 cluster (miR-96/182/183) in pheochromocytoma. Pheochromocytoma tissues were prospectively collected from 50 patients with pheochromocytoma. Expression of miR-183 cluster members and SDHB protein expression were analyzed in these tissues by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The expression of miR-183 cluster members in pheochromocytomas was correlated with the clinical and pathological parameters of these patients. The expression levels of miR-183 cluster members were predominantly downregulated or deleted in pheochromocytoma. Low expression or deletion of miR-96 was predominantly noted in younger patients with pheochromocytoma (<50 years, P=.01). Female patients in the study group showed marked deletion of miR-182 (P=.05). Deletion of the cluster was also associated with SDHB protein expression in pheochromocytoma. Moreover, patients with low miR-183 cluster expression had a slightly better survival rate when compared with patients with high expression. To conclude, the findings indicate a role for miR-183 cluster members in the pathogenesis and clinical progression of pheochromocytoma.

Overexpression of microRNA-96-5p inhibits autophagy and apoptosis and enhances the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of human breast cancer cells

MicroRNAs (miRNA/miR) are short non-coding RNAs that function in the endogenous regulation of genes. miRNAs serve important roles in cellular events such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, migration, invasion, autophagy and the cell cycle. They also control the genesis and progression of tumors. Autophagy is a self-digestive process that occurs as a response to stress, and serves two opposite roles in tumor promotion or inhibition that may result in resistance to therapy. A number of studies have revealed that miRNAs control autophagic activity by targeting autophagy-associated genes, particularly in cancer. These previous studies demonstrated that miR-96-5p is upregulated in several types of malignant tumors. However, other functions of miR-96-5p in breast cancer, particularly those that are associated with autophagy, remain unknown. miR-96-5p expression was demonstrated to be upregulated in breast cancer cells compared with in normal breast epithelial cells. The overexpression of miR-96-5p inhibited autophagy, particularly starvation-induced autophagy, in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, this inhibitory effect may have resulted in the suppression of Forkhead box O1. Additionally, the overexpression of miR-96-5p may promote cell proliferation, migration and invasion and inhibit apoptosis in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. These data indicate that miR-96-5p is involved in the progression of breast cancer cells and may represent a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer.

A Comprehensive NGS Data Analysis of Differentially Regulated miRNAs, piRNAs, lncRNAs and sn/snoRNAs in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and is a major public health concern worldwide. Basic, clinical and epidemiological research is leading to improved cancer detection, prevention, and outcomes. Recent technological advances have allowed unbiased and comprehensive screening of genome-wide gene expression. Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) have been shown to play an important role in biological processes and could serve as a diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for specific diseases. Recent findings have begun to reveal and enhance our understanding of the complex architecture of sncRNA expression including miRNAs, piRNAs, lncRNAs, sn/snoRNAs and their relationships with biological systems. We used publicly available small RNA sequencing data that was derived from 24 triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) and 14 adjacent normal tissue samples to remap various types of sncRNAs. We found a total of 55 miRNAs were aberrantly expressed (p<0.005) in TNBC samples (8 miRNAs upregulated; 47 downregulated) compared to adjacent normal tissues whereas the original study reported only 25 novel miRs. In this study, we used pathway analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs which revealed TGF-beta signaling pathways to be profoundly affected in the TNBC samples. Furthermore, our comprehensive re-mapping strategy allowed us to discover a number of other differentially expressed sncRNAs including piRNAs, lncRNAs, sn/snoRNAs, rRNAs, miscRNAs and nonsense-mediated decay RNAs. We believe that our sncRNA analysis workflow is extremely comprehensive and suitable for discovery of novel sncRNAs changes, which may lead to the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic tools for TNBC.

Identification of Factors for the Preoperative Prediction of Tumour Subtype and Prognosis in Patients with T1 Lung Adenocarcinoma

Aims. Identification of factors that can predict the subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma preoperatively is important for selecting the appropriate surgical procedure and for predicting postoperative survival. Methods. We retrospectively evaluated 87 patients with lung adenocarcinomas ≤30 mm. Results. Preoperative radiological findings, serum CEA level, serum microRNA-183 (miR-183) level, and tumour size differed significantly between patients with adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) or minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) and those with invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC). Receiver operating characteristic curves and univariate analysis revealed that patients who were older than 57 years or had a pure solid nodule or a tumour with mixed ground-glass opacity (mGGO), a tumour >11 mm, a serum CEA level >2.12 ng/mL, or a serum miR-183 level >1.233 (2^-ΔΔCt) were more likely to be diagnosed with IAC than with AIS or MIA. The combination of all five factors had an area under the curve of 0.946, with a sensitivity of 89.13% and a specificity of 95.12%. Moreover, patients with a cut-off value >0.499 for the five-factor combination had poor overall survival. Conclusions. The five-factor combination enables clinicians to distinguish AIS or MIA from IAC, thereby aiding in selecting the appropriate treatment, and to predict the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma patients.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-dependent regulation of pulmonary miRNA by chronic cigarette smoke exposure

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor historically known for its toxic responses to man-made pollutants such as dioxin. More recently, the AhR has emerged as a suppressor of inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis from cigarette smoke by mechanisms that may involve the regulation of microRNA. However, little is known about the AhR regulation of miRNA expression in the lung in response to inhaled toxicants. Therefore, we exposed Ahr^−/− and Ahr^+/− mice to cigarette smoke for 4 weeks and evaluated lung miRNA expression by PCR array. There was a dramatic regulation of lung miRNA by the AhR in the absence of exogenous ligand. In response to cigarette smoke, there were more up-regulated miRNA in Ahr^−/− mice compared to Ahr^+/− mice, including the cancer-associated miRNA miR-96. There was no significant change in the expression of the AhR regulated proteins HuR and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). There were significant increases in the anti-oxidant gene sulfiredoxin 1 (Srxn1) and FOXO3a- predicted targets of miR-96. Collectively, these data support a prominent role for the AhR in regulating lung miRNA expression. Further studies to elucidate a role for these miRNA may further uncover novel biological function for the AhR in respiratory health and disease.

miR-183 Modulates Cell Apoptosis and Proliferation in Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma SCC25 Cell Line

This study was designed to investigate the role of miR-183 in modulating cell growth and apoptosis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma SCC25 cell line. Human squamous epithelial cell and squamous cell carcinoma cell line SCC25 was used, and miR-183 was inhibited. Cell growth, colony formation, and apoptotic rate, as well as the expression of caspase 3 and BCL-xL, were detected. Results showed that miR-183 was significantly overexpressed in the SCC25 cell line when compared with normal control. The miR-183 inhibitor reduced cell growth and colony formation, while the apoptosis percentage was significantly increased. The expression of activated caspase 3 and BCL-xL was obviously up- and downregulated in siRNA-transfected cells, respectively. In conclusion, miR-183 contributed to cell growth and proliferation, and suppressed cell apoptosis in SCC25 cells. Therefore, miR-183 might serve as a therapeutic target in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC).

Method for discriminating synchronous multiple lung cancers of the same histological type: miRNA expression analysis

With the development of imaging technology, an increasing number of synchronous multiple lung cancers (SMLCs) have been diagnosed in recent years. Patients with >1 tumor are diagnosed with either synchronous multiple primary lung cancers (SMPLCs) or other primary tumors and metastases. Clinical guidelines, histological characteristics, and molecular diagnostics have been used to discriminate SMPLCs from other multiple lung cancers. However, there is still ambiguity in the diagnosis of SMPLCs of the same histological type. We enrolled 24 patients with the same histological type of SMLCs and assessed their status using established clinical guidelines, comprehensive histological subtyping, and molecular analysis. The sum value of the differential microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles (ΔΔCt) with matched tumors was evaluated to discriminate SMPLCs of the same histological type from metastases. Twelve patients with lymph node metastases were included for comparison, and the sum value of the ΔΔCt of 5 miRNAs between primary tumors and lymph node metastases was <9. Patients definitively diagnosed with SMPLCs by integrated analysis were also classified as SMPLCs by miRNA analysis; 6 patients showed conflicting diagnoses by integrated and miRNA analysis and 14 were given the same classification. Analysis of miRNA expression profiles is considered to be a useful tool for discriminating SMPLCs from intrapulmonary metastases.

miR-182-5p Induced by STAT3 Activation Promotes Glioma Tumorigenesis

Malignant glioma is an often fatal type of cancer. Aberrant activation of STAT3 leads to glioma tumorigenesis. STAT3-induced transcription of protein-coding genes has been extensively studied; however, little is known about STAT3-regulated miRNA gene transcription in glioma tumorigenesis. In this study, we found that abnormal activation or decreased expression of STAT3 promotes or inhibits the expression of miR-182-5p, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses determined that tumor suppressor protocadherin-8 (PCDH8) is a candidate target gene of miR-182-5p. miR-182-5p negatively regulated PCDH8 expression by directly targeting its 3'-untranslated region. PCDH8 knockdown induced the proliferative and invasive capacities of glioma cells. Silencing of PCDH8 or miR-182-5p mimics could reverse the inhibitory effect of WP1066, a STAT3 inhibitor, or STAT3 knockdown in vitro and in vivo on glioma progression. Clinically, expression levels of PCDH8 were inversely correlated with those of p-STAT3 or miR-182-5p in glioblastoma tissues. These findings reveal that the STAT3/miR-182-5p/PCDH8 axis has a critical role in glioma tumorigenesis and that targeting the axis may provide a new therapeutic approach for human glioma. Cancer Res; 76(14); 4293-304. ©2016 AACR.

Diagnostic Value of Serum miR-182, miR-183, miR-210, and miR-126 Levels in Patients with Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Blood-circulating miRNAs could be useful as a biomarker to detect lung cancer early. We investigated the serum levels of four different miRNAs in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and assessed their diagnostic value for NSCLC. Serum samples from 112 NSCLC patients and 104 controls (20 current smokers without lung cancer, 23 pneumonia patients, 21 gastric cancer patients, and 40 healthy controls) were subjected to Taqman probe-based quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The data showed that the serum levels of miR-182, miR-183, and miR-210 were significantly upregulated and that the miR-126 level was significantly downregulated in NSCLC patients, compared with the healthy controls. Further receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that the serum miR-182, miR-183, miR-210, or miR-126 level could serve as a diagnostic biomarker for NSCLC early detection, with a high sensitivity and specificity. The combination of these four miRNAs with carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) further increased the diagnostic value, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.965 (sensitivity, 81.3%; specificity, 100.0%; and accuracy, 90.8%) using logistic regression model analysis. In addition, the relative levels of serum miR-182, miR-183, miR-210, and miR-126 could distinguish NSCLC or early-stage NSCLC from current tobacco smokers without lung cancer and pneumonia or gastric cancer patients with a high sensitivity and specificity. Data from the current study validated that the four serum miRNAs could serve as a tumor biomarker for NSCLC early diagnosis.