LINC01287 facilitates proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of colon cancer cells via miR-4500/MAP3K13 pathway

The functions and mechanisms of long non-coding RNA in colorectal cancer

CRC poses a significant challenge in the global health domain, with a high number of deaths attributed to this disease annually. If CRC is detected only in its advanced stages, the difficulty of treatment increases significantly. Therefore, biomarkers for the early detection of CRC play a crucial role in improving patient outcomes and increasing survival rates. The development of a reliable biomarker for early detection of CRC is particularly important for timely diagnosis and treatment. However, current methods for CRC detection, such as endoscopic examination, blood, and stool tests, have certain limitations and often only detect cases in the late stages. To overcome these constraints, researchers have turned their attention to molecular biomarkers, which are considered a promising approach to improving CRC detection. Non-invasive methods using biomarkers such as mRNA, circulating cell-free DNA, microRNA, LncRNA, and proteins can provide more reliable diagnostic information. These biomarkers can be found in blood, tissue, stool, and volatile organic compounds. Identifying molecular biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for the early and safe, economic, and easily measurable detection of CRC remains a significant challenge for researchers.

Crosstalk between long non-coding RNAs and p53 signaling pathway in colorectal cancer: A review study

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related fatalities. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators of diverse physiological processes and are dysregulated in a wide range of pathophysiological circumstances such as CRC. Studies revealed that aberrant expressions of lncRNAs clearly modulate the expression level of p53 gene in CRC, thereby transactivating multiple downstream pathways. P53 is regarded as a crucial tumor suppressor gene which promotes cell-cycle arrest, DNA repair, senescence or apoptosis in response to cellular stresses. P53 is also mutated in CRC as well as various types of human malignancies. Therefore, lncRNAs interact with the p53 signaling pathway in numerus ways and significantly influence CRC-related processes. The current findings in the investigation of the crosstalk between lncRNAs and the P53 pathway in controlling CRC carcinogenesis, tumor progression, and therapeutic resistance are summarized in the this review. A deeper knowledge of CRC carcinogenesis may also have implications in CRC prevention and treatment through more research.

Unveiling the connection: Long-chain non-coding RNAs and critical signaling pathways in breast cancer

Breast cancer is a complex and diverse condition that disrupts multiple signaling pathways essential for cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. Recently, the significant involvement of long-chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in controlling key signaling pathways associated with breast cancer development has been discovered. This review aims to explore the interaction between lncRNAs and various pathways, including the AKT/PI3K/mTOR, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, DNA damage response, TGF-β, Hedgehog, and NF-κB signaling pathways, to gain a comprehensive understanding of their roles in breast cancer. The AKT/PI3K/mTOR pathway regulates cell growth, survival, and metabolic function. Recent data suggests that specific lncRNAs can influence the functioning of this pathway, acting as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Dysregulation of this pathway is commonly observed in breast cancer cases. Moreover, breast cancer development has been associated with other pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, TGF-β, Hedgehog, and NF-κB. Emerging studies have identified lncRNAs that modulate breast cancer's growth, progression, and metastasis by interacting with these pathways. To advance the development of innovative diagnostic tools and targeted treatment options, it is crucial to comprehend the intricate relationship between lncRNAs and vital signaling pathways in breast cancer. By fully harnessing the therapeutic potential of lncRNAs, there is a possibility of developing more effective and personalized therapy choices for breast cancer patients. Further investigation is necessary to comprehensively understand the role of lncRNAs within breast cancer signaling pathways and fully exploit their therapeutic potential.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Long Non-Coding RNA-Growth Arrest Specific 5 (LncRNA-GAS5) Modification Impede the Migration and Invasion Activities of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells

The impact of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on the behaviors of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells and LncRNAs remains poorly understood. This study mainly explores the mechanism of LncRNA-GAS5-modified BMSCs on the behaviors of PTC cells, aiming to further elucidate PTC carcinogenesis and provide evidence for drug development. PTC cell lines were assigned into blank group, BMSCs group (co-culture with BMSCs), GAS5 group (co-culture with LncRNA-GAS5-modified BMSCs) and positive control group (cultured in the presence of 60 μg/mL β-elemene) followed by analysis of LncRNA-GAS5 expression, the number of migrating and invading PTC cells, the quantity of EMT-related markers, MMP-9 and MMP-2. LncRNA-GAS5 level was lowest in the blank group, while highest in the GAS5 group (P <0.05), followed by positive control group and BMSCs group. Moreover, the number of migrated and invaded cells was highest in the blank group, while lowest in GAS5 group (P < 0.05), followed by positive control group and BMSCs group. PTC cells exhibited the highest expression of EMT-related markers (N-cadherin and Vimentin) and MMPs but lowest E-cadherin level in blank group and positive control group. These proteins showed an opposite trend in GAS5 group and BMSCs group. Additionally, a more remarkable difference was recorded in the GAS5 group (P <0.05). LncRNA-GAS5-modified BMSCs can down-regulate Vimentin and N-cadherin while up-regulate E-cadherin, thereby restraining the expression of MMP-9 and MMP-2. In this way, the EMT process can be manipulated, leading to inhibition of PTC cells behaviors by LncRNA-GAS5-modified BMSCs, indicating that LncRNA-GAS5 might be applied as a therapeutic target for PTC.

Long intergenic noncoding RNA LINC01287 drives the progression of cervical cancer via regulating miR-513a-5p/SERP1

Cervical cancer is one of the most frequent types of cancer in women, which is characterized by high invasion and metastatic tendency in its advanced stage. Emerging evidence indicated that long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. LINC01287 has been reported to play crucial regulatory roles in the pathogenesis and progression of multiple cancers. However, up until now, whether LINC01287 is associated with the initiation and development of cervical cancer remains largely unknown. In the present study, expression levels of LINC01287, miR-513a-5p and stress-associated endoplasmic reticulum protein 1 (SERP1) mRNA were quantified utilizing qRT-PCR. A series of functional experiments including CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, flow cytometry, and tumor xenograft growth of cervical cancer cells were performed for studying the effects of LINC01287. The luciferase reporter assay, pull-down assay, and western blot were used to confirm the downstream targets of LINC01287 and miR-513a-5p. The results demonstrate that LINC01287 was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissue samples and cell lines. High LINC01287 predicts a poor prognosis for cervical cancer patients. Additional gain- and loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that silencing LINC01287 inhibited cervical cancer cells proliferation, colony formation, migration, apoptosis in vitro and retarded tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Furthermore, the dual-luciferase reporter gene system and RNA pulldown assay validated that LINC01287 positively regulated SERP1 expressions by sponging miR-513a-5p, and LINC01287 inhibited cervical cancer progression by regulating miR-513a-5p/SERP1 axis. In conclusion, the current study first identified that LINC01287/miR-513a-5p/SERP1 axis played an important role in cervical cancer progression. LINC01287 might be a prognostic biomarker and a target for new therapies in patients with cervical cancer.

LINC01315 accelerates the growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of colorectal cancer cells via activating the Wnt/β-catenin signal

The pathological roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) have been corroborated. To date, the pathological contributions of LINC01315 in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) property of CRC are still ambiguous. By silencing LINC01315, we disclosed that LINC01315 promoted the growth, metastatic characteristics, and the EMT of CRC cells in vitro. Mechanistically, LINC01315 activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling. LINC01315 bound to the β-catenin promoter and activated its transcription. In rescue experiments, ectopic overexpression of β-catenin counteracted the inhibiting effector-triggered by LINC01315 deletion. In summary, this preliminary study brings new insights to the pathological significance of the LINC01315/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in CRC.

Integrative Analysis of Epigenome and Transcriptome Data Reveals Aberrantly Methylated Promoters and Enhancers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

DNA methylation is a key transcription regulator, whose aberration was ubiquitous and important in most cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was conducted for comparison of DNA methylation in tumor and adjacent tissues from 33 HCC patients, accompanying RNA-seq to determine differentially methylated region-associated, differentially expressed genes (DMR-DEGs), which were independently replicated in the TCGA-LIHC cohort and experimentally validated via 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine (5-azadC) demethylation. A total of 9,867,700 CpG sites showed significantly differential methylation in HCC. Integrations of mRNA-seq, histone ChIP-seq, and WGBS data identified 611 high-confidence DMR-DEGs. Enrichment analysis demonstrated activation of multiple molecular pathways related to cell cycle and DNA repair, accompanying repression of several critical metabolism pathways such as tyrosine and monocarboxylic acid metabolism. In TCGA-LIHC, we replicated about 53% of identified DMR-DEGs and highlighted the prognostic significance of combinations of methylation and expression of nine DMR-DEGs, which were more efficient prognostic biomarkers than considering either type of data alone. Finally, we validated 22/23 (95.7%) DMR-DEGs in 5-azadC-treated LO2 and/or HepG2 cells. In conclusion, integration of epigenome and transcriptome data depicted activation of multiple pivotal cell cycle-related pathways and repression of several metabolic pathways triggered by aberrant DNA methylation of promoters and enhancers in HCC.