MicroRNA-192 promotes the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through targeting RB1 and activating PI3K/AKT pathway

Regulatory role of miRNAs in nasopharyngeal cancer involving PTEN/PI3K/AKT, TGFβ/SMAD, RAS/MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin and pRB-E2F signaling pathways: A review

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small and conserved noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. These groups of RNAs are crucial in various cellular processes, especially in mediating disease pathogenesis, particularly cancer. The dysregulation of miRNAs was reported in many cancer types, including nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), which is a malignant tumor of the nasopharynx. In this review, miRNAs involvement in crucial signaling pathways associated with NPC such as PTEN/PI3K/AKT, TGFβ/SMAD, RAS/MAPK, Wnt/β-catenin and pRB-E2F was investigated. miRNAs could function as tumor suppressor-miR or onco-miR in NPC profoundly influenced cell cycle, apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and metastasis. This comprehensive review of current literature provided a thorough profile of miRNAs and their interplay with the aforementioned signaling pathways in NPC. Understanding these molecular interactions could remarkably impact the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic strategies for NPC.

Serum exosomal miR-192 serves as a potential detective biomarker for early pregnancy screening in sows

OBJECTIVE

The study was conducted to screen differentially expressed miRNAs in sows at early pregnancy by high-throughput sequencing and explore its mechanism of action on embryo implantation.

METHODS

The blood serum of pregnant and non-pregnant Landrace×Yorkshire sows were collected 14 days after artificial insemination, and exosomal miRNAs were purified for high throughput miRNA sequencing. The expression patterns of 10 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR quantified the abundance of serum exosomal miR-192 in pregnant and control sows, and the diagnostic power was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The target genes of DE miRNAs were predicted with bioinformatics software, and the functional and pathway enrichment analysis was performed on gene ontology and the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes terms. Furthermore, a luciferase reporter system was used to identify the target relation between miR-192 and integrin alpha 4 (ITGA4), a gene influencing embryo implantation in pigs. Finally, the expression levels of miRNAs and the target gene ITGA4 were analyzed by qRT-PCR, and western blot, with the proliferation of BeWo cells detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8).

RESULTS

A total of 221 known miRNAs were detected in the libraries of the pregnant and non-pregnant sows, of which 55 were up-regulated and 67 were down-regulated in the pregnant individuals compared with the non-pregnant controls. From these, the expression patterns of 10 DE miRNAs were validated. The qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed a significantly higher expression of miR-192 in the serum exosomes extracted from pregnant sows, when compared to controls. The ROC analysis revealed that miR-192 provided excellent diagnostic accuracy for pregnancy (area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.843; p>0.001). The dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-192 directly targeted ITGA4. The protein expression of ITGA4 was reduced in cells that overexpressed miR-192. Overexpression of miR-192 resulted in the decreased proliferation of BeWo cells and regulated the expression of cell cycle-related genes.

CONCLUSION

Serum exosomal miR-192 could serve as a potential biomarker for early pregnancy in pigs. miR-192 targeted ITGA4 gene directly, and miR-192 can regulate cellular proliferation.

MiR-192-5p/RB1/NF-κBp65 signaling axis promotes IL-10 secretion during gastric cancer EMT to induce Treg cell differentiation in the tumour microenvironment

BACKGROUND

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are important components of the tumour microenvironment (TME) that play roles in gastric cancer (GC) metastasis. Although tumour cells that undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulate Treg cell function, their regulatory mechanism in GC remains unclear.

METHODS

The miR-192-5p was identified by examining three Gene Expression Omnibus GC miRNA expression datasets. RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays were conducted to identify interactions between miR-192-5p and RB1. The role of miR-192-5p/RB1 in GC progression was evaluated based on EdU incorporation, wound healing and Transwell assays. An in vitro co-culture assay was performed to measure the effect of miR-192-5p/RB1 on Treg cell differentiation. In vivo experiments were conducted to explore the role of miR-192-5p in GC progression and Treg cell differentiation.

RESULTS

MiR-192-5p was overexpressed in tumour and was associated with poor prognosis in GC. MiR-192-5p bound to the RB1 3'-untranslated region, resulting in GC EMT, proliferation, migration and invasion. MiR-192-5p/RB1 mediated interleukin-10 (IL-10) secretion by regulating nuclear factor-kappaBp65 (NF-κBp65), affecting Treg cell differentiation. NF-κBp65, in turn, promoted miR-192-5p expression and formed a positive feedback loop. Furthermore, in vivo experiments confirmed that miR-192-5p/RB1 promotes GC growth and Treg cell differentiation.

CONCLUSION

Collectively, our studies indicate that miR-192-5p/RB1 promotes EMT of tumour cells, and the miR-192-5p/RB1/NF-κBp65 signaling axis induces Treg cell differentiation by regulating IL-10 secretion in GC. Our results suggest that targeting miR-192-5p/RB1/NF-κBp65 /IL-10 may pave the way for the development of new immune treatments for GC.

Small biomarkers with massive impacts: PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling and microRNA crosstalk regulate nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumours of the head and neck in Southeast Asia and southern China. The Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway is involved in processes related to tumour initiation/progression, such as proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and drug resistance, and is closely related to the clinicopathological features of NPC. In addition, key genes involved in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway undergo many changes in NPC. More interestingly, a growing body of evidence suggests an interaction between this signalling pathway and microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs. Therefore, in this review, we discuss the interactions between key components of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway and various miRNAs and their importance in NPC pathology and explore potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

RacGAP1 promotes the malignant progression of cervical cancer by regulating AP-1 via miR-192 and p-JNK

Cervical cancer (CC) is the most frequently diagnosed genital tract cancer in females worldwide. Rac GTPase-activating protein 1 (RacGAP1) is one of the specific GTPase-activating proteins. As a novel tumor protooncogene, overexpression of RacGAP1 was related to the occurrence of various tumors, but its function in CC is still unclear. In this study, bioinformatics analyses showed that RacGAP1 might be a key candidate gene in the progression of CC. RacGAP1 was significantly overexpressed in CC tissues. High RacGAP1 expression was positively associated with poor prognosis. Downregulating RacGAP1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CC cells, while overexpressing RacGAP1 had the opposite effects. Further research showed that miR-192, which plays as a tumor suppressor in CC, was identified as a downstream target of RacGAP1 in CC cells. miR-192 inhibition could partially rescue the decrease in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion caused by RacGAP1 downregulation. In opposite, miR-192 overexpression could decrease the promotion of malignant progression caused by RacGAP1 upregulation. Mechanism studies revealed that RacGAP1 could regulate the expression and phosphorylation of c-Jun, which was the component of AP-1, via miR-192 and p-JNK separately. These findings suggested that RacGAP1 promoted tumorigenicity, migration, and invasion of CC. Therefore, it represented a potential novel prognostic marker in CC and may probably be a therapeutic target.

A Clinical Update on the Prognostic Effect of microRNA Biomarkers for Survival Outcome in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Simple Summary

Current estimates by GLOBOCAN now incorporate NPC as a malignancy discrete from other head and neck malignancies among the 36 disease locales assessed. Based on the latest report, the global cancer burden is estimated to have risen to 19.3 million new cases, and 9.6 million malignancies were recorded in 2020 throughout the world. The study has clinical implications and could improve treatment decision-making and post-treatment care. The study could also motivate future clinical research and development in the arena of NPC prognostic biomarkers.ve men and one in every six women develops cancer during their lifetime, and one out of eight men and one in every 11 women progresses to chronic stage. The study has clinical implications and could improve treatment decision-making and post-treatment care. The study could also motivate future clinical research and development in the arena of NPC prognostic biomarkers.

Abstract

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), a relatively uncommon malignancy in the Western world, is highly prevalent in Southeast Asia where the treatment outcomes are poor. Despite recent improvements in diagnosis and treatment locoregional control, distant metastasis and chemoresistance continue to be a significant cause of mortality. Identification of a reliable and comprehensive prognostic biomarker is highly desirable. The potential relevance of microRNAs (miRNAs) as prognostic markers in NPC is assessed in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic review was performed using the PubMed and Science Direct databases. The search was limited to search results between 2018 and 2020 with the keywords and search strings developed as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The recovered articles were carefully screened based on the selection criteria. In the meta-analysis study, high and low expression levels of miRNAs were measured using the hazard ratio (HR) and 95 percent confidence interval (CI) for patients’ survival outcomes. Egger’s bias indicator test and funnel plot symmetry were used to assess the risk of bias. Results: Amongst the 25 studies, 13 fulfilled the conditions of inclusion in this meta-analysis. The researchers further delved into the 21 miRNA expression levels from 3015 NPC patients to ascertain a link between miRNA’s predictive role and survival outcomes. The majority of the articles retrieved during this study were from China, with two studies from Canada and Malaysia. The overall pooled effect size estimation (HR) for dysregulated miRNAs was 1.590 (95% CI: 1.253–2.017), displaying that miRNA marker expression increased the risk of mortality in NPC patients by 59%. Conclusions: This meta-analysis is novel and looks at the prognostic significance of miRNAs as biomarkers in NPC patients using a continuous version pooled meta-analysis. Although our findings are ambiguous, they do show that greater miRNA expression in NPC may be associated with a lower overall survival rate. To acquire clear conclusions, more prospective studies with large cohorts are required to determine the clinical utility of miRNAs as prognostic biomarkers.

Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis-Related Genes Affect the Development of Human Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Through PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the common malignant tumors in China, which occurs on the top and sidewalls of the nasopharyngeal cavity. The incidence of malignant tumors of the ear, nose and throat is the highest. However, little is known about the growth of the cells. Therefore, this study constructed a multi-regulator-driven NPC cell growth-related module, aiming to explore the mechanism of functional pathways regulating the proliferation of NPC cells in an all-round way. Firstly, differential expression analysis, co-expression analysis, enrichment analysis and connectivity analysis were synthesized to identify the intrinsic genes of expression disorder module. Subsequently, we analyzed the module by crosstalk, and observed the interaction between modules intuitively. Finally, based on hypergeometric test, the significance of multi-regulators on the regulation of potential modules is calculated. We obtained 17 cell growth-related expression disorder modules by 2148 gene modules focusing. These modules are mainly involved in the growth cycle of NPC cells, including cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. At the same time, they mainly affect the proliferation and apoptosis of NPC cells through PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway and Wnt signaling pathway. Based on the growth-related modules of NPC cells, we have obtained a series of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including microRNA-92a-3p, microRNA-19a-3p and microRNA-130a-3p, play an important role in regulating the growth of NPC cells. Similarly, we also predicted transcription factors (involving E2F1, NFKB1, SP1, etc.) that may play a key role in cell growth-related modules. This study is based on cell growth-related expression disorder module to explore the regulatory role of its functional pathway on cell proliferation mechanism, which will help researchers to have a deeper understanding of the potential pathogenesis of NPC.

S100P acts as a target of miR-495 in pancreatic cancer through bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification

S100 calcium binding protein P (S100P) and miR-495 are aberrantly expressed and exert essential roles in cancers. However, the mechanisms of miR-495-S100P in pancreatic cancer are yet to be illustrated. Thus, we explored the regulatory functions of miR-495-S100P axis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells growth and invasion. In this study, we identified that S100P was upregulated in pancreatic adenocarcinoma by bioinformatics analysis of the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus database) microarray dataset (GSE16515). Western blotting and luciferase reporter gene analysis exhibited that miR-495 negatively determined the level of S100P via binging to its 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs). A series of functional experiments indicated that upregulation of miR-495 or S100P knockdown suppressed pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells proliferation, invasion, and promoted apoptosis. Furthermore, the expression of S100P was negatively associated with the level of miR-495 in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pancreatic adenocarcinoma case-cohort. Besides, reintroduction of S100P debilitated the anti-cancer action of miR-495 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Our data indicated that miR-495 performed suppressive roles in pancreatic adenocarcinoma through targeting S100P.

Identification of potential plasma biomarkers in early-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma-derived exosomes based on RNA sequencing

BACKGROUND

Early diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is vital to improve the prognosis of these patients. However, early diagnosis of NPC is typically challenging. Therefore, we explored the pathogenetic roles and associated mechanisms of exosomes in plasma of patients with early-stage NPC.

METHODS

Exosomes in plasma were extracted by ultra-high-speed centrifugation. Western blot and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to verify the purity of exosomes. The sequencing data (6 plasma samples from healthy volunteers vs. 6 NPC plasma samples) were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), DESeq2, gene ontology (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), and TargetScan. The differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were obtained from the dataset (GSE118720) downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repository. Additionally, the datasets downloaded from the GEO database (GSE12452, GSE13597, GSE53819, GSE64634) were used to predict the target genes and functions of hsa-miR-1301-3p. qPCR was applied to verify the differences in the expressions of hsa-miR-1301-3p between 10 normal plasma and 10 NPC plasma samples.

RESULTS

Western blot, TEM, and Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis showed adequate purity of the extracted exosomes. RNA-seq analysis revealed 21 upregulated miRNAs, and 10 downregulated miRNAs in plasma exosomes of early-stage NPC patients. GO analysis showed that the target genes of DEmiRNAs were mainly enriched in DNA synthesis and transcription regulation. KEGG analysis revealed that DEmiRNAs were mainly enriched in PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathways. Moreover, the expression of hsa-mir-1301-3p was verified to be significantly upregulated in enlarged samples of plasma exosomes.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified several DEmiRNAs extracted from tumor-derived exosomes between normal plasma and early-stage NPC plasma. Bioinformatics analyses indicated that these DEmiRNAs may be related to NPC development. Our study may provide novel insights into underlying biomarkers and mechanisms of plasma exosomes in early-stage NPC.

Oncogenic miRNA-1908 targets HDAC10 and promotes the aggressive phenotype of cervical cancer cell

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have vital functions in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The significance of miR-1908 in cervical cancer has not been determined. We revealed that miR-1908 was notably upregulated in cervical cancer. Upregulation of miR-1908 increased cervical carcinoma cell growth and invasion. Downregulation of miR-1908 caused the opposite effects. We confirmed that histone deacetylase 10 (HDAC10) was a potential target of miR-1908 using bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter gene assays. Western blot analysis showed that miR-1908 regulated the expression of HDAC10 by binding its 3'-UTR. In addition, ectopic expression of HDAC10 partially reversed the promoting effects of miR-1908. In conclusion, our findings indicated that miR-1908 targets HDAC10 in cervical cancer and regulates aggressive cervical cancer cell phenotypes.

TMPO-AS1 Regulates the Aggressiveness-Associated Traits of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells Through Sponging miR-320a

Background

Previous evidence demonstrates that the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) TMPO antisense RNA 1 (TMPO-AS1) is involved in the aggressiveness of several cancers. Nevertheless, its functions in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are unclear.

Methods

qRT-PCR was used to evaluate the levels of TMPO-AS1 and miR-320a in NPC tissues. Furthermore, the growth and invasiveness of NPC cells were evaluated by colony formation and Transwell assays. The protein expression ofSRY-Box Transcription Factor 4 (SOX4) was observed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Bioinformatic prediction and luciferase reporter assays were used to explore the interaction between miR-320a and TMPO-AS1. The transplanted model was employed to disclose the interference of TMPO-AS1 in the tumor growth of NPC cells in vivo.

Results

We found that TMPO-AS1 was distinctly upregulated in NPC. Downregulation of TMPO-AS1 restrained aggressiveness-associated traits in NPC cells. Nevertheless, upregulation of TMPO-AS1 yielded the opposite results. Further studies revealed that lncRNA TMPO-AS1 acts as a “sponge” for miR-320a, resulting in increased levels of SOX4 in NPC cells. Finally, TMPO-AS1 silencing suppressed tumor growth of NPC cells in vivo.

Conclusion

Collectively, these results reveal the presence of a novel TMPO-AS1/miR-320a/SOX4 pathway associated with NPC progression, suggesting that lncRNA TMPO-AS1 may be a potential therapeutic target for NPC.

MiR-10a-5p restrains the aggressive phenotypes of ovarian cancer cells by inhibiting HOXA1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are dysregulated in human ovarian carcinoma (OC). But the mechanism underlying miR-10a-5p in regulating the progression of OC need deeply explored. In the current study, we observed that miR-10a-5p was down-expressed in OC samples and OC cell lines. In addition, miR-10a-5p restrained the viability, colony formation, migration ability and invasiveness of OC cells. We further ascertained Homeobox A1 (HOXA1) was a downstream gene of miR-10a-5p. Furthermore, HOXA1 was distinctly upregulated in OC samples. Finally, upregulation of HOXA1 abolished the suppressive effects of miR-10a-5p on OC cells. These observations suggested that miR-10a-5p suppressed the aggressive phenotypes of OC cells via regulating HOXA1.

Tumor-Suppressive miR-192-5p Has Prognostic Value in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by fast tumor progression and diagnosis at advanced, inoperable stages. Previous studies could demonstrate an involvement of miR-192-5p in epigenetic regulation of visceral carcinomas. Due to contradictory results, however, the clinical utility of miR-192-5p in PDAC has yet to be determined. MiR-192-5p expression was analyzed by RT-qRT-PCR in human PDAC and benign tissue (n = 78), blood serum (n = 81) and serum exosomes (n = 74), as well as in PDAC cell lines (n = 5), chemoresistant cell clones (n = 2), and pancreatic duct cell line H6c7. Analysis of EMT-associated (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition) proteins was performed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. MiR-192-5p was deregulated in PDAC as compared to healthy controls (HCs), with downregulation in macrodissected tissue (p < 0.001) and upregulation in blood serum of PDAC UICC (Union for International Cancer Control) stage IV (p = 0.016) and serum exosomes of PDAC UICC stages II to IV (p < 0.001). MiR-192-5p expression in tumor tissue was significantly lower as compared to corresponding peritumoral tissue (PDAC UICC stage II: p < 0.001; PDAC UICC stage III: p = 0.024), while EMT markers ZEB1 and ZEB2 were more frequently expressed in tumor tissue as compared to peritumoral tissue, HCs, and chronic pancreatitis. Tissue-derived (AUC of 0.86; p < 0.0001) and exosomal (AUC of 0.83; p = 0.0004) miR-192-5p could differentiate between PDAC and HCs with good accuracy. Furthermore, high expression of miR-192-5p in PDAC tissue of curatively resected PDAC patients correlated with prolonged overall and recurrence-free survival in multivariate analysis. In vitro, miR-192-5p was downregulated in gemcitabine-resistant cell clones of AsPC-1 (p = 0.029). Transient transfection of MIA PaCa-2 cells with miR-192-5p mimic resulted in downregulation of ZEB2. MiR-192-5p seems to possess a tumor-suppressive role and high potential as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in PDAC.