MicroRNA-10b promotes migration and invasion through Hoxd10 in human gastric cancer

HOXD10 regulates intestinal permeability and inhibits inflammation of dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis through the inactivation of the Rho/ROCK/MMPs axis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) has been identified as a severe inflammatory disease with significantly increased incidence across the world. The detailed role and mechanism of HOXD10 in UC remain unclear. In present study, we found that HOXD10 was lowly expressed in UC samples and was notably decreased by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) administration. Overexpression of HOXD10 dramatically ameliorated DSS-induced UC symptoms, including the loss of weight, increased disease activity index values, and the shortened colon length. Additionally, terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling and immunohistochemistry staining assays showed that HOXD10 overexpression suppressed cell apoptosis and facilitated proliferation of colon tissues after DSS treatment. Moreover, HOXD10 overexpression obviously suppressed DSS-triggered inflammatory response by decreasing the expression level of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. Furthermore, overexpression of HOXD10 effectively restored the intestinal permeability, thereby alleviating DSS-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction. Mechanistic study demonstrated that HOXD10 significantly reduced the activities of Rho/ROCK/MMPs axis in colon tissues of mice with UC. In conclusion, this study revealed that HOXD10 might effectively improve DSS-induced UC symptoms by suppressing the activation of Rho/ROCK/MMPs pathway.

Role of homeobox d10 gene targeted signaling pathways in cancers

Homeobox D10 (HOXD10) is a transcription factor from the homeobox gene family that controls cell differentiation and morphogenesis throughout development.Due to their functional interaction, changes in HOXD10 gene expression might induce tumors. This narrative review focuses on how and why the dysregulation in the signaling pathways linked with HOXD10 contributes to the metastatic development of cancer. Organ development and tissue homeostasis need highly conserved homeotic transcription factors from homeobox (HOX) genes. Their dysregulation disrupts regulatory molecule action, causing tumors. The HOXD10 gene is upregulated in breast, gastric, hepatocellular, colorectal, bladder, cholangiocellular carcinoma and prostate cancer. Tumor signaling pathways are affected by HOXD10 gene expression changes. This study examines HOXD10-associated signaling pathway dysregulation, which may alter metastatic cancer signaling. In addition, the theoretical foundations that alter HOXD10-mediated therapeutic resistance in malignancies has been presented. New cancer therapy methods will be simpler to develop with the newly discovered knowledge. This review showed that HOXD10 may be a tumor suppressor gene and a new cancer treatment target signaling pathway.

Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling in Gastrointestinal Cancer: Role of miRNAs as Biomarkers of Tumor Invasion

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are the most frequent neoplasm, responsible for half of all cancer-related deaths. Metastasis is the leading cause of death from GI cancer; thus, studying the processes that regulate cancer cell migration is of paramount importance for the development of new therapeutic strategies. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms adopted by cancer cells to promote cell migration and the subsequent metastasis formation by highlighting the key role that tumor microenvironment components play in deregulating cellular pathways involved in these processes. We, therefore, provide an overview of the role of different microRNAs in promoting tumor metastasis and their role as potential biomarkers for the prognosis, monitoring, and diagnosis of GI cancer patients. Finally, we relate the possible use of nutraceuticals as a new strategy for targeting numerous microRNAs and different pathways involved in GI tumor invasiveness.

MicroRNAs in cancer metastasis: biological and therapeutic implications

Cancer metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths. The seeding of primary tumours at a secondary site is a highly inefficient process requiring substantial alterations in the genetic architecture of cancer cells. These alterations include significant changes in global gene expression patterns. MicroRNAs are small, non-protein coding RNAs which play a central role in regulating gene expression. Here, we focus on microRNA determinants of cancer metastasis and examine microRNA dysregulation in metastatic cancer cells. We dissect the metastatic process in a step-wise manner and summarise the involvement of microRNAs at each step. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of different microRNA-based strategies that have been used to target metastasis in pre-clinical models. Finally, we highlight current clinical trials that use microRNA-based therapies to target advanced or metastatic tumours.

Significance of HOXD transcription factors family in progression, migration and angiogenesis of cancer

The transcription factors (TFs) of the HOX family play significant roles during early embryonic development and cellular processes. They also play a key role in tumorigenesis as tumor oncogenes or suppressors. Furthermore, TFs of the HOXD geFIne cluster affect proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumors. Consequently, dysregulated activity of HOXD TFs has been linked to clinicopathological characteristics of cancer. HOXD TFs are regulated by non-coding RNAs and methylation of DNA on promoter and enhancer regions. In addition, HOXD genes modulate the biological function of cancer cells via the MEK and AKT signaling pathways, thus, making HOXD TFs, a suitable molecular marker for cancer prognosis and therapy. In this review, we summarized the roles of HOXD TFs in different cancers and highlighted its potential as a diagnostic and therapeutic target.

Integrated computational analysis reveals HOX genes cluster as oncogenic drivers in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Alterations in homeobox (HOX) gene expression are involved in the progression of several cancer types including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, regulation of the entire HOX cluster in the pathophysiology of HNSCC is still elusive. By using different comprehensive databases, we have identified the significance of differentially expressed HOX genes (DEHGs) in stage stratification and HPV status in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA)-HNSCC datasets. The genetic and epigenetic alterations, druggable genes, their associated functional pathways and their possible association with cancer hallmarks were identified. We have performed extensive analysis to identify the target genes of DEHGs driving HNSCC. The differentially expressed HOX cluster-embedded microRNAs (DEHMs) in HNSCC and their association with HOX-target genes were evaluated to construct a regulatory network of the HOX cluster in HNSCC. Our analysis identified sixteen DEHGs in HNSCC and determined their importance in stage stratification and HPV infection. We found a total of 55 HNSCC driver genes that were identified as targets of DEHGs. The involvement of DEHGs and their targets in cancer-associated signaling mechanisms have confirmed their role in pathophysiology. Further, we found that their oncogenic nature could be targeted by using the novel and approved anti-neoplastic drugs in HNSCC. Construction of the regulatory network depicted the interaction between DEHGs, DEHMs and their targets genes in HNSCC. Hence, aberrantly expressed HOX cluster genes function in a coordinated manner to drive HNSCC. It could provide a broad perspective to carry out the experimental investigation, to understand the underlying oncogenic mechanism and allow the discovery of new clinical biomarkers for HNSCC.

MiR-10b-5p inhibits tumorigenesis in gastric cancer xenograft mice model through down-regulating Tiam1

The miR-10b-5p plays an important role in gastric cancer development but its exact effect on gastric cancer development in vivo has not been fully studied. We showed that miR-10b-5p inhibited the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells by down-regulating Tiam1 which was up-regulated in both gastric cancer cells and tissues. Gastric cancer xenograft experiment showed that lenti-miR-10b-5p treatment and agomir-10b-5p injection could significantly retard tumor growth and reduce tumor size and induced apoptosis. Therefore, our results elucidate the tumor suppressor role of miR-10b-5p in gastric cancer in which it acts as a negative regulator of Tiam1 and also provide a molecular mechanism for agomir-10b-5p to treat gastric cancer.

The emerging role of miR-10 family in gastric cancer

Evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs play an irreplaceable role in tumorigenesis and progression of a broad range of cancers, including gastric cancer. Among these miRNAs, miR-10a and miR-10b have been identified to critically participate in gastric carcinogenesis and malignant progression. In this review, we briefly describe the role of miR-10a and miR-10b in gastric cancer, especially in the regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, migration, invasion and metastasis, drug resistance, and cancer stem cells. Furthermore, we highlight several compounds that target the miR-10 family and exhibit antitumor activity in cancer cells. Moreover, we conclude that targeting the miR-10 family might be a promising approach for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Circ_0000317/microRNA-520g/HOXD10 axis affects the biological characteristics of colorectal cancer

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs that are widely expressed in cancer tissues and play a pro- or anticancer role in modulating cancer progression. This work is aimed to probe the biological role of circ_0000317 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its underlying mechanism. Circ_0000317 was selected from the circRNA microarray datasets (GSE121895). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was utilized to examine circ_0000317, microRNA (miR)-520g, and homeobox D10 (HOXD10) mRNA expression in CRC. Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell experiments were conducted to examine the effects of circ_0000317 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of CRC cells. Bioinformatic analysis and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments were implemented to predict and validate the targeting relationship between circ_0000317 and miR-520g, miR-520g, and HOXD10. Western blot was employed to examine HOXD10 expression at protein level in CRC cells. Circ_0000317 and HOXD10 mRNA expression were unveiled to be down-modulated and miR-520g expression was up-modulated in CRC. Functionally, circ_0000317 overexpression repressed CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, miR-520g was a direct target of circ_0000317 and miR-520g specifically modulated HOXD10 expression. Furthermore, miR-520g mimics partially counteracted the suppressing effect of circ_0000317 on malignant phenotype of CRC cells. Circ_0000317 represses CRC progression by targeting miR-520g and modulating HOXD10 expression. Hence, circ_0000317 may be a promising diagnostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for CRC.

Potential value of circulatory microRNA10b gene expression and its target E-cadherin as a prognostic and metastatic prediction marker for breast cancer

Background

Breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Most BC studies on candidate microRNAs were tissue specimen based. Recently, there has been a focus on the study of cell‐free circulating miRNAs as promising biomarkers in (BC) diagnosis and prognosis. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the circulating levels of miR‐10b and its target soluble E‐ cadherin as potentially easily accessible biomarkers for breast cancer.

Methods

Sixty‐one breast cancer patients and forty‐eight age‐ and sex‐matched healthy volunteers serving as a control group were enrolled in the present study. Serum samples were used to assess miRNA10b expression by TaqMan miRNA assay technique. In addition, soluble E‐cadherin expression level in serum was determined using ELISA technique.

Result

Circulating miR‐10b expression level and serum sE‐cadherin was significantly upregulated in patients with BC compared to controls. Moreover, serum miR‐10b displayed progressive up‐regulation in advanced stages with higher level in metastatic compared to non‐metastatic BC. Additionally, the combined use of both serum miR‐10b and sE‐cadherin revealed the highest sensitivity and specificity for detection of BC metastasis (92.9% and 97.9% respectively) with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.98, 95% CI (0.958–1.00).

Conclusion

Our data suggest that circulating miR‐10b could be utilized as a potential non‐invasive serum biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer with better performance to predict BC metastasis achieved on measuring it simultaneously with serum sE‐cadherin. Further studies with a large cohort of patients are warranted to validate the serum biomarker for breast cancer management.

The Role of Cancer Stem Cells in Drug Resistance in Gastroesophageal Junction Adenocarcinoma

Gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinomas (GEJA) have dramatically increased in incidence in the western world since the mid-20^th century. Their prognosis is poor, and conventional anti-cancer therapies do not significantly improve survival outcomes. These tumours are comprised of a heterogenous population of both cancer stem cells (CSC) and non-CSCs, with the former playing a crucial role in tumorigenesis, metastasis and importantly drug resistance. Due to the ability of CSCs to self-replicate indefinitely, their resistance to anti-cancer therapies poses a significant barrier to effective treatment of GEJA. Ongoing drug development programmes aim to target and eradicate CSCs, however their characterisation and thus identification is difficult. CSC regulation is complex, involving an array of signalling pathways, which are in turn influenced by a number of entities including epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), microRNAs (miRNAs), the tumour microenvironment and epigenetic modifications. Identification of CSCs commonly relies on the expression of specific cell surface markers, yet these markers vary between different malignancies and indeed are often co-expressed in non-neoplastic tissues. Development of targeted drug therapies against CSCs thus requires an understanding of disease-specific CSC markers and regulatory mechanisms. This review details the current knowledge regarding CSCs in GEJA, with particular emphasis on their role in drug resistance.

Homeobox proteins are potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of studies have described the aberrant expression of homeobox (HOX) proteins in gastric cancer (GC), which is critically associated with the prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics of GC. This study was conducted to investigate the clinical value and action mechanisms of HOX proteins in GC.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and the pooled odds ratio (OR) with its 95% CI were used to assess the effect of HOX protein expression on the prognosis and clinicopathological features of GC, respectively.

RESULTS

Nineteen studies containing 3775 patients were selected for this study. Heterogeneity among HRs of overall survival (OS) was markedly high (I2 = 90.5%, p = 0.000). According to the subgroup analysis, increased expression of HOX protein in the downregulated subgroup was associated with a good prognosis for patients with GC (pooled HR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.36-0.59, I2 = 3.1%, p = 0.377), while overexpression of HOX protein in the upregulated subgroup was correlated with a reduced OS (pooled HR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.79-3.74, I2 = 73.5%, p = 0.000). The aberrant expression of HOX protein was crucially related to the TNM stage, depth of tumour invasion, tumour size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, vascular invasion, histological differentiation and Lauren classification in patients with GC. In addition, the molecular mechanisms by which HOX proteins regulate tumorigenesis and development of GC were also explored.

CONCLUSIONS

HOX proteins play vital roles in GC progression, which might serve as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for GC.

Lidocaine alleviates cisplatin resistance and inhibits migration of MGC-803/DDP cells through decreasing miR-10b

Although chemotherapy is one of the effective means of treating gastric cancer, the resistance of chemotherapeutic drugs has followed. And the mechanisms of resistance are not completely clear. The main aim of this article was to develop a kind of drug that could reduce the resistance of cisplatin on gastric cancer cells. The MGC-803 and MGC-803/DDP cells were treated by cisplatin for 48 h and Lidocaine (Lido) for 24 h. Cell viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion were tested by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, apoptosis assay, western blot, migration and invasion assay. After MGC-803/DDP cells were transfected for 48 h, the expression of microRNA-10b (miR-10b) were detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Activation of AKT/mTOR and β-catenin pathways was tested by western blot. Cisplatin caused MGC-803 and MGC-803/DDP cell apoptosis, and MGC-803/DDP cells possessed higher cisplatin resistance than MGC-803 cells. Lido reduced the cisplatin resistance of MGC-803/DDP cells. Besides, Lido inhibited MGC-803/DDP cell migration and invasion. In addition, Lido declined cisplatin resistance by down-regulating miR-10b. Lido also repressed AKT/mTOR and β-catenin pathway by down-regulating miR-10b. This article explained the role of Lido in cisplatin resistance in MGC-803/DDP cells. Furthermore, Lido weakened the cisplatin resistance in MGC-803/DDP cells at least in part through decreasing the expression of miR-10b.

Down-regulation of miR-10b represses cell vitality in osteosarcoma and is inversely associated with prognosis via interacting with FAM46C: Running title: MiR-10b/FAM46C axis modulates OS progression

The purpose of this exploration was to detect the biological effects of miR-10b/FAM46C pair on osteosarcoma (OS) development. By accessing to the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we achieved expressional profiles of miR-10b and FAM46C. Kaplan-Meier method was applied to determine the overall survival rates of OS patients. MiR-10b mimic/inhibitor were utilized to alter miR-10b expression. Overexpression of FAM46C was induced by pcDNA3.1-FAM46C. QRT-PCR and western blot were conducted to assess the expression levels. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assays were employed to evaluate the proliferative, invasive and migratory properties of OS cells. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to confirm the association between miR-10b and FAM46C. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to determine the target of miR-10b. The overall survival of OS patients was inversely correlated with miR-10b expression. MiR-10b was increased in OS compared with normal controls. Depletion of miR-10b attenuated the proliferation, invasion and migration of MG-63 cells. FAM46C was considered as a target gene of miR-10b and inversely related with miR-10b. Overexpression of FAM46C could inhibit cell growth, invasion and migration in OS; furthermore, it also can enforced the miR-10b inhibitor-induced effects on cell behaviors of OS cells. Down-regulation of miR-10b played a suppressive effect on the cell activity in OS cells, which provides a novel insight into the advance of OS therapeutic therapies.

High serum extracellular vesicle miR-10b expression predicts poor prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence have demonstrated that serum extracellular vesicle microRNAs (EV-miRNAs) are promising noninvasive biomarkers for various cancer types.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to investigate and evaluate the potential clinical significance of serum EV-miR-10b for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

METHODS

Blood samples were collected from a cohort of 95 de novo AML patients and 80 healthy individuals. Of all AML patients, 51 patients were considered as cytogenetic normal AML (CN-AML). Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure the expression levels of serum EV-miR-10b.

RESULTS

The extracellular vesicles we extracted from the serum samples were positive for EV/exosome markers including TSG101, CD63, Flotillin-1 and CD9. The expression levels of serum EV-miR-10b were significantly higher in AML/CN-AML patients than healthy controls. In addition, serum EV-miR-10b expression was strongly correlated with aggressive clinical characteristics. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed serum EV-miR-10b yielded an area under the curve of 0.875, with 77.89% specificity and 82.50% sensitivity in identifying AML patients from normal controls. Furthermore, AML patients with higher serum EV-miR-10b expression had significantly shorter survival and serum EV-miR-10b was demonstrated to be an independent prognostic marker for overall survival in AML.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, serum EV-miR-10b might serve as a promising biomarker for predicting the prognosis of AML.

LNC00673 suppresses proliferation and metastasis of pancreatic cancer via target miR-504/ HNF1A

Pancreatic cancer is a highly invasive malignant tumor of the digestive system. To explore the mechanism of pancreatic cancer development, development, invasion and metastasis, in this study we focused on long non-coding RNA (LncRNA), which has been reported to be involved in tumorigenesis. We identified a LINC00673, which is highly correlated with the pancreatic cancer risk. LINC00673 Overexpression is associated with good survival in pancreatic cancer patients, Effects of LINC00673 on pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis, viability, migration. LINC00673 negatively correlated with miR-504 and MiR-504 overexpression promoted cancer progression in Pancreatic cancer. MiR-504 negatively correlated with HNF1A, which was highly expressed Pancreatic cancer. HNF1A inhibited cell progression in pancreatic cancer cells. LINC00673 overexpression inhibited caner progression in nude mice. Taken together, LINC00673 can through suppress miR-504/ HNF1A regulating invasion and migration in pancreatic cancer. Also, we identified miR-504 as a target of LINC00673 in pancreatic cancer and LINC00673 can be used as a novel therapeutic target for the pancreatic cancer.

Propofol exhibits a tumor-suppressive effect and regulates cell viability, migration and invasion in bladder carcinoma by targeting the microRNA-10b/HOXD10 signaling pathway

2,6-diisopropylphenol (propofol) is a commonly used intravenous anesthetic drug, which has been reported to serve an antitumor role in human cancers. The current study aimed to assess the effects of propofol on the biological behaviors of human bladder cancer cells and to elucidate its potential molecular mechanism. The results of MTT, wound healing and Matrigel invasion assays demonstrated that propofol significantly inhibited the viability, migration and invasion of bladder cancer T24 cells in vitro. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting revealed that propofol decreased the expression levels of microRNA (miR)-10b and increased the expression levels of homeobox D10 (HOXD10) in T24 cells. Luciferase reporter assay revealed that HOXD10 was a direct target of miR-10b in T24 cells. T24 cells transfected with a miR-10b mimic significantly reduced the mRNA and protein expression levels of HOXD10. In addition, overexpression of miR-10b partly reversed the inhibitory effect of propofol on T24 cell viability, migration and invasion induced by upregulation of HOXD10. In summary, the present study focused on the role of propofol in the treatment of bladder cancer and demonstrated that propofol may serve a tumor-suppressive role and control cell viability, migration and invasion of T24 cells by targeting the miR-10b/HOXD10 signaling pathway, which indicated that propofol may be used as an effective therapeutic drug for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Increased expression of miR-146a, miR-10b, and miR-21 in cancer stem-like gastro-spheres

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-associated mortalities globally. Accumulating evidence support the presence of gastric cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their role in the pathogenesis and therapeutic challenges of gastric cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) may be influenced by the cellular differentiative state and as critical regulators of the cellular fate in development and cancer, can modulate the behavior of CSCs too. Here, we aimed to investigate the expression relevance of three prognostic miRNAs (miR-21, miR-10b, and miR-146a) in CSCs of AGS and MKN-45 gastric cancer cell lines.

METHODS

Serial sphere-forming assay in serum-free culture medium was used to enrich the cellular population with stem-like properties. Gastro-spheres were characterized by evaluating the stemness gene expression, clonogenicity, and resistance to docetaxel and cisplatin in comparison with their parental cells. The expression level of miRNAs in gastro-spheres and their parental cells was measured using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

Gastro-spheres from both cell lines exhibit stem-like properties: upregulated stemness associated genes (P < 0.05), more colonogenicity and more resistance to docetaxel (P < 0.05). MKN-45 gastro-spheres exhibited upregulated expression of miR-21 (1.8-folds), miR-10b (1.34-folds) and miR-146a (4.8-folds; P < 0.05) compared with the parental cells. AGS-derived gastro-spheres showed upregulation of miR-21 (4.7-folds; P < 0.01), miR-10b (15.2-folds; P < 0.001) and miR-146a (39.3-folds; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our data exhibited upregulation of miR-21, miR-10b, and miR-146a in the stem-like gastro-spheres; however; their function in gastric CSCs remains to be verified by further experiments.

miR-501 promotes hemangioma progression by targeting HOXD10

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are often abnormally expressed in human cancers to act as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. MiRNA-501 (miR-501) has been found to be abnormally expressed in certain types of cancer, but its expression and biological role in hemangioma remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, the expression of miR-501 in hemangioma cell lines was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The TargetScan algorithm, luciferase activity reporter assay, and Western blot analysis were conducted to validate homeobox D10 (HOXD10) as a direct target of miR-501. The results revealed that miR-501 expression was upregulated in hemangioma cell lines. Downregulation of miR-501 inhibited hemangioma cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, colony formation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that HOXD10 was a putative target of miR-501. In addition, in a luciferase reporter system, it was confirmed that HOXD10 is a direct target of miR-501. It was also demonstrated HOXD10 downregulation reversed the effects of the miR-501 inhibitor on hemangioma cell activities. These findings indicated that miR-501 targeted HOXD10 to promote hemangioma cell processes, suggesting that miR-501 has an oncogenic role in the pathogenesis of hemangioma.

The potential role of miR-126, miR-21 and miR-10b as prognostic biomarkers in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most commonly diagnosed renal tumor, consisting of ~3% of all malignancies worldwide. The prognosis of RCC can vary widely, and detecting patients at risk of recurrence at an early stage of disease may improve patient outcome. The factors presently used in a clinical setting cannot reliably predict the natural history of the disease. Therefore, there is a requirement to identify novel biomarkers that can aid in predicting patient outcome. Previous studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are potential candidates as prognostic biomarkers for patients suffering from RCC. Consequently, the aims of the present study were to validate the potential of 3 of these miRNAs to predict the prognosis of patients with RCC, and to investigate the stability of endogenous control genes for miRNA studies in RCC tissues. The expression of 7 endogenous controls was measured using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor and benign tissues from patients suffering from clear cell RCC (ccRCC). The analyses identified RNU48 and U47 as the most stable endogenous controls. The expression of miR-126, miR-21 and miR-10b was analyzed using RT-qPCR in renal tissues from 116 patients diagnosed with ccRCC. All three investigated miRNAs were differentially expressed between malignant and benign tissues. miR-126 and miR-10b were also differentially expressed between grades and stages of ccRCC. In a univariate, but not in a multivariate model, low expression of miR-126 was associated with shorter time to recurrence of the disease. The results of the present study indicate that of the 3 miRNAs investigated, the expression of miR-126 has the strongest potential as a prognostic biomarker for patients suffering from ccRCC.

Epigenetic inactivation of HOXD10 is associated with human colon cancer via inhibiting the RHOC/AKT/MAPK signaling pathway

BACKGROUND

To examine the influence of HOXD10 on the metabolism and growth of colon carcinoma cells by suppressing the RHOC/AKT/MAPK pathway.

METHODS

Thirty-seven paired colon cancer and its adjacent samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. Chip Analysis Methylation Pipeline (ChAMP) analysis was employed for differential methylated points (DMPs) and the differential methylation regions (DMRs) screening. The HOXD10 mRNA expression and DNA methylation levels were detected by RT-PCR. The Cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were respectively measured by MTT assay, transwell assay, wound healing assay and flow cytometry assay in carcinoma cell lines after treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-dC) or transfected with HOXD10-expressing plasmid. The expression of HOXD10 and RHOC was revealed by immunohistochemistry in disparate differentiation colon carcinoma tissues, and the dephosphorylation of AKT and MAPK pathways were detected by RT-PCR and western blot.

RESULTS

The bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that HOXD10 was hypermethylated and low-expressed in colorectal cancer tissues. The detection of RT-PCR indicated the similar results in colorectal cancer cell lines and tissues. The induction of demethylation was recovered by treatment with 5-Aza-dC and the HOXD10 in colorectal cancer cell lines was re-expressed by transfection with a HOXD10 expression vector. The demethylation or overexpression of HOXD10 suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion and promoted apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. HXOD10 suppressed the tumor growth and detected an opposite trend of protein RHOC. AKT and MAPK pathways were notably inactivated after the dephosphorylation due to the overexpression of HOXD10.

CONCLUSIONS

HOXD10 was suppressed in colon adenocarcinoma cells, which down-regulated RHOC/AKT/MAPK pathway to enhance colon cancer cells apoptosis and constrain the proliferation, migration and invasion.

Correlation of Expression Levels of Micro Ribonucleic Ccid-10b (miR-10b) and Micro Ribonucleic Acid-181b (miR-181b) with Gastric Cancer and Its Diagnostic Significance

Background

The aim of this study was to explore the expression levels of micro ribonucleic acid-10b (miR-10b) and micro ribonucleic acid-181b (miR-181b) in gastric cancer tissues, as well as their application value in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Material/Methods

A total of 120 patients with gastric cancer who were diagnosed and treated in the Department of Gastroenterology of our hospital were enrolled in this study. The gastric cancer tissues and paracancerous tissues were collected for measuring the expression of miR-10b and miR-181b by in situ hybridization and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The 5-year survival rate was also analyzed.

Results

The expressions of miR-10b and miR-181b in gastric cancer tissues were both upregulated and were significantly higher than those in the paracancerous tissues (p<0.05). In addition, the expressions of miR-10b and miR-181b in gastric cancer tissues were correlated with tumor size, degree of pathological differentiation, depth of infiltration, tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging, and lymph node metastasis, as well as local lymph node and distant metastasis (p<0.05). For patients in stage II and III, the expressions of miR-10b and miR-181b were significantly correlated with the 5-year survival rate.

Conclusions

The high expressions of miR-10b and miR-181b are significantly correlated with poor prognosis in stage II and III patients with gastric cancer, suggesting that their expressions might be criteria for evaluating the prognosis of gastric cancer.

The fundamental role of miR-10b in metastatic cancer

Small, non-coding strands of RNA have been identified as a significant player in the pathology of cancer. One of the first miRNAs to be shown as having aberrant expression in cancer was miR-10b. Since the inaugural study on miR-10b, its role as a metastasis promoting factor has been extensively validated. To date, more than 100 studies have been completed on miR-10b and metastasis across 18 cancer types. This immense set of information holds possibilities for novel methods to improve the lives of many. This review outlines what is currently understood of miR-10b's clinical significance, its molecular regulation, and the possible diagnostic and therapeutic methods leveraging miR-10b as a fundamental target in metastatic cancer. Such methods would move us closer to developing a truly individualized therapeutic strategy against cancer and will likely provide unique information about cancer staging, disease outcome, metastatic potential, and ultimately survival.

HOXD10 silencing suppresses human fibroblast-like synoviocyte migration in rheumatoid arthritis via downregulation of the p38/JNK pathway

Homeobox D10 (HOXD10) belongs to the human homeobox (HOX) gene family, and the homologous protein encoded by HOX primarily controls cell differentiation and morphogenesis during embryonic development. The current study aimed to explore the roles and mechanisms of HOXD10 in the migration of human fibroblast-like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis (RAFLS). Cell counting kit-8, cell migration and wound healing assays were performed to examine the cell viability and migration, respectively. Western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were used to evaluate the association between mRNA and protein expression levels. The results revealed HOXD10 expression was upregulated in tissues from patients with RA. HOXD10 silencing inhibited the viability of RAFLS. In addition, HOXD10 silencing suppressed the migration of RAFLS through modulating the expression of cadherin-11, N-cadherin, E-cadherin, vimentin, zonula occludens-1, integrinβ1 and paxillin. In conclusion, HOXD10 silencing downregulates the p38/c-Jun N-terminal kinase signaling pathway, which in turn may suppress the migration of RAFLS.

STARD13-correlated ceRNA network inhibits EMT and metastasis of breast cancer

Competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) network has been correlated with the initiation and development of cancer. Here, we identify CDH5, HOXD1, and HOXD10 as putative STARD13 ceRNAs and they display concordant patterns with STARD13 in different metastatic potential breast cancer cell lines and tissues. Notably, 3’UTRs of these genes suppress breast cancer metastasis via inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro and in vivo, which are activated through the crosstalk between STARD13 and its ceRNAs in 3’UTR- and miRNA-dependent manners. In addition, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis reveals that mRNA level of STARD13 and its ceRNAs is remarkably associated with survival of breast cancer patients. These results suggest that 3’UTRs of CDH5, HOXD1, and HOXD10 inhibit breast cancer metastasis via serving as STARD13 ceRNAs.

MicroRNA-144 functions as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer by targeting cyclooxygenase-2

Gastric cancer (GC) poses a serious public health threat and the 5-year survival rate of patients with GC is low. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) may serve oncogenic or tumor suppressor functions during tumorigenesis by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion and it has been demonstrated that they may be dysregulated in various types of cancer. The present study demonstrated that miR-144 and GATA4 were downregulated in GC tissues and cell lines and suggested that this may be due to hypermethylation. Additionally, miR-144 and GATA4 had synergistic effects on GC cells by repressing cell proliferation and inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The results of bioinformatics and a luciferase reporter assay indicated that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a direct target of miR-144 and that miR-144 negatively regulated the expression of COX-2, which inhibits the viability of GC cells. GATA4 also induced a similar effect on COX-2. Taken together, the results of the present study may improve understanding of the underlying mechanism of miR-144 and GATA4 in GC.

The PI3K/Akt pathway: a critical player in intervertebral disc degeneration

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is thought to be the primary cause of low back pain, a severe public health problem worldwide. Current therapy for IDD aims to alleviate the symptoms and does not target the underlying pathological alternations within the disc. Activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway protects against IDD, which is attributed to increase of ECM content, prevention of cell apoptosis, facilitation of cell proliferation, induction or prevention of cell autophagy, alleviation of oxidative damage, and adaptation of hypoxic microenvironment. In the current review, we summarize recent progression on activation and negative regulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and highlight its impact on IDD. Targeting this pathway could become an attractive therapeutic strategy for IDD in the near future.

MicroRNA-10b inhibits proliferation, migration and invasion in cervical cancer cells via direct targeting of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor

MicroRNAs are deregulated in numerous types of human cancers and have crucial roles in the carcinogenesis and progression of human cancers. MicroRNA-10b (miR-10b) has been studied in several types of human cancer. However, the expression and roles of miR-10b in cervical cancer remain unknown. In the present study, the expression, functions and molecular mechanisms of miR-10b were explored in cervical cancer. The present data revealed that miR-10b was significantly downregulated in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. In addition, miR-10b overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells, while miR-10b under-expression had the opposite effect. Based on bioinformatics analysis, a luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis, insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was identified as a direct target of miR-10b in cervical cancer. In addition, IGF-1R small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of IGF-1R also inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of the cervical cancer cells. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that miR-10b serves an important role in cervical cancer progression by targeting IGF-1R.

Overexpression of miR-10b in colorectal cancer patients: Correlation with TWIST-1 and E-cadherin expression

MicroRNAs are emergent players of epigenetics that function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors and that have been implicated in regulating diverse cellular pathways. MiR-10b is an oncogenic microRNA involved in tumor invasion and metastasis in various cancers. Our data have shown that miR-10b is overexpressed in colorectal cancer samples in comparison with non-tumorous adjacent mucosa (p = 0.0025) and that it is associated with severe features such as tumor size >5 cm (p = 0.023), distant metastasis (p = 0.0022), non-differentiated tumors (p = 0.016), and vascular invasion (p = 0.01). Regarding the regulation of its expression, positive correlation between the loss of miR-10b and aberrant DNA methylation (p = 0.02) as well as a loss of TWIST-1 messenger RNA (p = 0.018) have been observed. Furthermore, expression analysis of the downstream miR-10b targets has shown that there are associations between low HOXD10 messenger RNA and E-cadherin protein levels (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0008, respectively) and overexpression of miR-10b. Our data suggests that overexpression of miR-10b results from high levels of TWIST-1 and may induce a decrease of E-cadherin membranous protein levels, thus contributing to the acquisition of metastatic phenotypes in colorectal cancer.

miR-10b is a prognostic marker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

AIMS

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common adult kidney cancer. It is an aggressive tumour with unpredictable outcome. The currently used clinical parameters are not always accurate for predicting disease behaviour. miR-10b is dysregulated in different malignancies including RCC.

METHODS

We assessed the clinical utility of miR-10b as a prognostic marker in 250 patients with primary ccRCC. We examined the correlation between miR-10b and clinicopathological parameters. We compared miR-10b expression among different RCC subtypes and normal kidney tissue.

RESULTS

We observed a stepwise decrease of miR-10b expression from normal kidney to primary ccRCC and a further decrease from primary to metastatic RCC. miR-10b expression was significantly lower in stages III/IV compared with stages I/II (p=0.038). Using a binary cut-off, miR-10b-positive patients had significantly longer disease-free survival (HR=0.47, CI 0.28 to 0.79, p=0.004). In the subgroup of patients with tumour size >4 cm, higher miR-10b expression was associated with significant longer disease-free and overall survival (p=0.001 and p=0.036, respectively). miR-10b was significantly downregulated in ccRCC compared with normal kidney (p<0.0001), and oncocytoma (p=0.031). It was also downregulated in chromophobe RCC. In addition, we identified a number of miR-10b-predicted targets and pathways that are involved in tumourigenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data point to miR-10b as a promising prognostic marker in ccRCC with potential therapeutic applications.

Potential Diagnostic, Prognostic and Therapeutic Targets of MicroRNAs in Human Gastric Cancer

Human gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by a high incidence and mortality rate, largely because it is normally not identified until a relatively advanced stage owing to a lack of early diagnostic biomarkers. Gastroscopy with biopsy is the routine method for screening, and gastrectomy is the major therapeutic strategy for GC. However, in more than 30% of GC surgical patients, cancer has progressed too far for effective medical resection. Thus, useful biomarkers for early screening or detection of GC are essential for improving patients’ survival rate. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in tumorigenesis. They contribute to gastric carcinogenesis by altering the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Because of their stability in tissues, serum/plasma and other body fluids, miRNAs have been suggested as novel tumor biomarkers with suitable clinical potential. Recently, aberrantly expressed miRNAs have been identified and tested for clinical application in the management of GC. Aberrant miRNA expression profiles determined with miRNA microarrays, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing approaches could be used to establish sample specificity and to identify tumor type. Here, we provide an up-to-date summary of tissue-based GC-associated miRNAs, describing their involvement and that of their downstream targets in tumorigenic and biological processes. We examine correlations among significant clinical parameters and prognostic indicators, and discuss recurrence monitoring and therapeutic options in GC. We also review plasma/serum-based, GC-associated, circulating miRNAs and their clinical applications, focusing especially on early diagnosis. By providing insights into the mechanisms of miRNA-related tumor progression, this review will hopefully aid in the identification of novel potential therapeutic targets.

MicroRNA-145-5p inhibits gastric cancer invasiveness through targeting N-cadherin and ZEB2 to suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition

MicroRNA (miR)-145-5p has been reported to function as a suppressor of cancer and plays an important role in cancer invasiveness. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process in cancer invasion and migration. However, the involvement of miR-145-5p in EMT in human gastric cancer (GC) remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which miR-145-5p regulates EMT in GC invasiveness. We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to investigate the miR-145-5p expression level in GC and matched normal tissues. The effects of miR-145-5p on GC cell invasion and migration abilities were evaluated using Transwell models. The relationships among miR-145-5p and zinc-finger E-box binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2), E-cadherin, and N-cadherin were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses. miR-145-5p levels in primary GC tissues obtained from 60 patients were significantly downregulated, compared to those in paired normal tissues. Lauren classification, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, and tumor-node-metastasis stage were associated with miR-145-5p expression. miR-145-5p inhibits the expression of the candidate target gene ZEB2 to delay the invasion and migration of GC cells. ZEB2 acts as transcriptional repressor of E-cadherin, while miR-145-5p is known to suppress N-cadherin directly to regulate EMT. Therefore, we concluded that miR-145-5p may target N-cadherin and ZEB2 directly to influence EMT.