Prognostic value of long non-coding RNA GHET1 in cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

LncRNA HCP5 as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for various cancers: a meta‑analysis and bioinformatics analysis

BACKGROUND

Accumulating studies indicated that dysregulated long non-coding RNA human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) Complex P5 (HCP5) may functions as an potential prognostic predictor in multiple cancers. This meta-analysis was performed to systematically collect studies and conduct an evidence-based evaluation of the prognostic role of HCP5 in malignancies.

METHODS

Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane library) were comprehensively retrieved from their initiation date to November 9, 2021. Hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to assess the associations between the expression level of HCP5 and prognosis or clinical characteristics. Moreover, results were validated by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2) and the National Genomics Data Center (NGDC). Subsequently, the molecular mechanism of HCP5 was predicted based on MEM and StarBase databases. The study protocol was registered at PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021274208).

RESULTS

9 studies, containing 641 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. Our results revealed that HCP5 overexpression was associated with poor overall survival (OS), tumor type, histological differentiation, and lymph node metastasis in most cancers, but was not associated with age, gender and tumor size; down-regulation of HCP5 was associated with worse OS, advanced tumor stage, positive distal metastasis and lymph node metastasis in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). HCP5 was significantly up-regulated in four cancers and down-regulated in SKCM, which was validated by the GEPIA2 cohort. HCP5 expression in various types of cancer was also verified in NGDC. Further functional prediction revealed that HCP5 may participate in some cancer-related pathways.

CONCLUSION

There is a significantly association between dysregulation of HCP5 and both prognosis and clinicopathological features in various cancers. HCP5 may be functions as a novel potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in multiple human cancers.

lncRNA SNHG22 sponges miR‑128‑3p to promote the progression of colorectal cancer by upregulating E2F3

The long non‑coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 22 (SNHG22) has been reported as a crucial regulator in several types of human cancer. The present study evaluated the function and mechanism of SNHG22 in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression. SNHG22 expression was detected in colorectal adenoma, CRC tumor tissues (TTs) and adjacent non‑cancerous tissues (ANTs) using reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT‑qPCR). The biological behaviors of SNHG22 in CRC cell lines were explored in vitro using Cell Counting Kit‑8, flow cytometry, wound scratch assay and Transwell assay, and in vivo using a nude mouse xenograft model. The interaction between SNHG22 and microRNA‑128‑3p (miR‑128‑3p), and the target genes of miR‑128‑3p were explored using online tools, RT‑qPCR, western blotting and a dual‑luciferase reporter assay. The present study revealed that SNHG22 expression was most highly expressed in TTs followed by adenoma tissues and ANTs. In addition, high SNHG22 expression levels were significantly associated with advanced clinicopathological factors and worse survival in patients with CRC. SNHG22 knockdown markedly inhibited CRC cell proliferation, apoptosis resistance, migration and invasion in vitro, and hindered tumor growth in vivo. The mechanistic study revealed that SNHG22 bound to miR‑128‑3p and attenuated its inhibitory effects on E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) expression levels and activity. Rescue experiments demonstrated that inhibiting miR‑128‑3p or upregulating E2F3 offset the effects of SNHG22 knockdown on CRC cells. The present findings support the existence of an interactive regulatory network involving SNHG22, miR‑128‑3p and E2F3 in CRC cell lines, indicating that the SNHG22/miR‑128‑3p/E2F3 axis may be considered a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target in CRC.

Long non-coding RNA FTX predicts a poor prognosis of human cancers: a meta-analysis

Background: Several studies have assessed the relationship between long non-coding RNA five prime to Xist (FTX) expression, clinicopathological features, and survival outcomes in patients with cancer with conflicting results. This meta-analysis synthesized existing data to clarify the association between FTX with cancer prognosis.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, Chinese CNKI, and the Chinese WanFang databases were used to search for relevant studies. The role of FTX in cancers was evaluated by pooled odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Eleven studies comprising 1210 participants including colorectal cancer (CRC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gastric cancer (GC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), osteosarcoma (OSC), and glioma were enrolled in this analysis. The meta-analysis showed that high FTX expression was significantly associated with several clinicopathological characteristics, including lymph node metastasis in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, and RCC, distant metastasis in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, and OSC, larger tumor size in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, RCC, and OSC, and subsequently TNM/clinical stage in patients with CRC, GC, HCC, OSC, and glioma. The pooled results from the survival analysis revealed a significant correlation between high FTX expression and shorter OS in patients with HCC, CRC, GC, OSC, and glioma. Further, FTX overexpression could be an independent predictive marker for shorter OS in patients with CRC, HCC, OSC, and glioma.

Conclusions: FTX may be a potential oncogene, with high FTX expression being associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with CRC, HCC, OSC, and glioma.

The crosstalk between lncRNAs and the Hippo signalling pathway in cancer progression

LncRNAs play a pivotal role in the regulation of epigenetic modification, cell cycle, differentiation, proliferation, migration and other physiological activities. In particular, considerable studies have shown that the aberrant expression and dysregulation of lncRNAs are widely implicated in cancer initiation and progression by acting as tumour promoters or suppressors. Hippo signalling pathway has attracted researchers’ attention as one of the critical cancer‐related pathways in recent years. Increasing evidences have demonstrated that lncRNAs could interact with Hippo cascade and thereby contribute to acquisition of multiple malignant hallmarks, including proliferation, metastasis, relapse and resistance to anti‐cancer treatment. Specifically, Hippo signalling pathway is reported to modulate or be regulated by widespread lncRNAs. Intriguingly, certain lncRNAs could form a reciprocal feedback loop with Hippo signalling. More speculatively, lncRNAs related to Hippo pathway have been poised to become important putative biomarkers and therapeutic targets in human cancers. Herein, this review focuses on the crosstalk between lncRNAs and Hippo pathway in carcinogenesis, summarizes the comprehensive role of Hippo‐related lncRNAs in tumour progression and depicts their clinical diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic potentials in tumours.