LncRNA PSMB8-AS1 contributes to pancreatic cancer progression via modulating miR-382-3p/STAT1/PD-L1 axis

Interplay between JAK/STAT pathway and non-coding RNAs in different cancers

Progress in the identification of core multi-protein modules within JAK/STAT pathway has enabled researchers to develop a better understanding of the linchpin role of deregulated signaling cascade in carcinogenesis and metastasis. More excitingly, complex interplay between JAK/STAT pathway and non-coding RNAs has been shown to reprogramme the outcome of signaling cascade and modulate immunological responses within tumor microenvironment. Wealth of information has comprehensively illustrated that most of this complexity regulates the re-shaping of the immunological responses. Increasingly sophisticated mechanistic insights have illuminated fundamental role of STAT-signaling in polarization of macrophages to M2 phenotype that promotes disease aggressiveness. Overall, JAK/STAT signaling drives different stages of cancer ranging from cancer metastasis to the reshaping of the tumor microenvironment. JAK/STAT signaling has also been found to play role in the regulation of infiltration and activity of natural killer cells and CD4/CD8 cells by PD-L1/PD-1 signaling. In this review, we have attempted to set spotlight on regulation of JAK/STAT pathway by microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs in primary tumors and metastasizing tumors. Therefore, existing knowledge gaps need to be addressed to propel this fledgling field of research to the forefront and bring lncRNAs and circRNAs to the frontline of clinical practice. Leveraging the growing momentum will enable interdisciplinary researchers to gain transition from segmented view to a fairly detailed conceptual continuum.

LncRNA SLC9A3-AS1 knockdown increases the sensitivity of liver cancer cell to triptolide by regulating miR-449b-5p-mediated glycolysis

Triptolide (TP) is involved in the progression of liver cancer. However, the detailed molecular network regulated through TP is still unclear. Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) SLC9A3 exerts roles in various pathological progresses. Nevertheless, whether SLC9A3 affects the sensitivity of liver cancer cells to TP have not been uncovered. The content of SLC9A3-AS1 and miR-449b-5p was estimated by utilizing quantitative real-time polymerase-chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay was introduced to assess cell viability. Additionally, cell viability as well as invasion was tested via transwell assay. The direct binding between miR-449b-5p and SLC9A3-AS1 or LDHA was confirmed through luciferase reporter gene assay. Moreover, glycolysis rate was tested by calculating the uptake of glucose in addition to the production of lactate in Huh7 cells. LncRNA SLC9A3-AS1 was up-regulated in liver cancer tissue samples and cells. Knockdown of SLC9A3-AS1 notably further inhibited viability, migration as well as invasion in Huh7 cells. MiR-449b-5p was the direct downstream miRNA of SLC9A3-AS1 and was down-regulated by SLC9A3-AS1 in Huh7 cells. In addition, miR-449b-5p was reduced in liver cancer tissues and cells. Overexpressed miR-449b-5p increased the sensitivity of Huh7 cells to TP remarkably. Moreover, miR-449b-5p negatively regulated LDHA expression in Huh7 cells. This work proved that SLC9A3-AS1 increased the sensitivity of liver cancer cells to TP by regulating glycolysis rate mediated via miR-449b-5p/LDHA axis. These findings implied that TP is likely to be a potent agent for treating patients diagnosed with liver cancer.

MicroRNA-382 as a tumor suppressor during tumor progression

Despite the recent progresses in therapeutic and diagnostic methods, there is still a significantly high rate of mortality among cancer patients. One of the main reasons for the high mortality rate in cancer patients is late diagnosis, which leads to the failure of therapeutic strategies. Therefore, investigation of cancer biology can lead to the introduction of early diagnostic markers in these patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulation of cellular processes associated with tumor progression. Due to the high stability of miRNAs in body fluids, these factors can be considered as the non-invasive tumor markers. Deregulation of miR-382 has been widely reported in different cancers. Therefore, in this review, we investigated the role of miR-382 during tumor development. It has shown that miR-382 has mainly a tumor suppressive, which inhibits the growth of tumor cells through the regulation of signaling pathways, RNA-binding proteins, and transcription factors. Therefore, miR-382 can be suggested as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker in cancer patients.

Noncoding Ribonucleic Acids (RNAs) May Improve Response to Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the seventh most common cause of cancer-related mortality. Despite different methods of treatment, nearly more than 90% of patients with PDAC die shortly after diagnosis. Contrary to promising results in other cancers, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) showed limited success in PDAC. Recent studies have shown that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are extensively involved in PDAC cell-immune cell interaction and mediate immune evasion in this vicious cancer. PDAC cells recruit numerous ncRNAs to widely affect the phenotype and function of immune cells through various mechanisms. For instance, PDAC cells upregulate miR-301a and downregulate miR-340 to induce M2 polarization of macrophages or overexpress miR-203, miR-146a, and miR-212-3p to downregulate toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), CD80, CD86, CD1a, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II, and CD83, thereby evading recognition by dendritic cells. By downregulating miR-4299 and miR-153, PDAC cells can decrease the expression of NK group 2D (NKG2D) and MHC class I chain-related molecules A and B (MICA/B) to blunt the natural killer (NK) cell response. PDAC cells also highly express lncRNA AL137789.1, hsa_circ_0046523, lncRNA LINC00460, and miR-155-5p to upregulate immune checkpoint proteins and escape T cell cytotoxicity. On the other hand, ncRNAs derived from suppressive immune cells promote proliferation, invasion, and drug resistance in PDAC cells. ncRNAs can be applied to overcome resistance to ICIs, monitor the immune microenvironment of PDAC, and predict response to ICIs. This Review article comprehensively discusses recent findings regarding the roles of ncRNAs in the immune evasion of PDAC.

Wee1 inhibitor PD0166285 sensitized TP53 mutant lung squamous cell carcinoma to cisplatin via STAT1

BACKGROUND

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSCs) is associated with high mortality (20-30%) and lacks of effective treatments. Almost all LUSC exhibit somatic mutations in TP53. Wee1, a tyrosine kinase, regulates the cell cycle at the G2/M checkpoint. In TP53-deficient cells, the dependence on G2/M checkpoints increases. PD0166285 is the first reported drug with inhibitory activity against both Wee1 and PKMYT1.

METHODS

Protein expression was determined by Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was assessed using cell colony formation and CCK-8 assays. Cell cycle was performed by PI staining with flow cytometry. Apoptosis was evaluated using Annexin V-Phycoerythrin double staining and flow cytometry. DNA damage was detected through comet assay and immunofluorescence assay. In vivo, apoptosis and anti-tumor effects were assessed using the TUNEL assay, a nude mouse model, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Co-immunoprecipitation assay was used to detect protein-protein interactions. We analyzed Wee1, PKMYT1, and Stat1 expression in pan-cancer studies using the Ualcan public database and assessed their prognostic implications with Kaplan-Meier curves.

RESULT

PD0166285, a Wee1 inhibitor, effectively inhibits Wee1 activity, promoting cell entry into a mitotic crisis. Moreover, PD0166285 sensitizes cells to cisplatin, enhancing clinical outcomes. Our study demonstrated that PD016628 regulates the cell cycle through Rad51 and results in cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. We observed increased apoptosis in tumor cells treated with PD0166285, particularly when combined with cisplatin, indicating an enhanced apoptotic response. The upregulation of γ-H2AX serves as an indicator of mitotic catastrophe. Co-immunoprecipitation and data analysis revealed that apoptosis in LUSC is mediated through the Stat1 pathway, accompanied by decreased levels of Socs3. Furthermore, IHC staining confirmed significant differences in the expression of Phospho-CDK1 and γ-H2AX in LUSCs, suggesting involvement in DNA damage.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, our study suggests that PD0166285, an inhibitor of Wee1, sensitizes LUSC cells to cisplatin and modulates DNA damage and apoptosis pathways through Rad51 and Stat1, respectively. These findings highlight the combination of PD0166285 and cisplatin as a promising therapeutic approach for treating LUSC.

Association of exosomes in patients with compromised myocardial perfusion on functional imaging

BACKGROUND

Exosomes are membrane vesicles that are actively secreted in response to microenvironmental stimuli. In this study, we quantified the amount of exosomes in patients with significant coronary artery disease (CAD) and evaluated its relationship with myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) results.

METHODS

Patients who underwent both MPI and coronary angiography were recruited. Plasma was collected during angiography, and exosomes were extracted via the precipitation method. The summed stress scores (SSS), summed difference scores, and ventricular functional parameters were calculated from the MPI and compared with the amounts of exosomes and extracted miRNAs.

RESULTS

In total, 115 patients were enrolled (males: 78 %; mean age: 66.6 ± 10.6 years). Those with abnormal SSS according to the MPI had significantly fewer exosomes (p = 0.032). After multivariate analysis, the SSS remained significantly related to the amount of exosomes (p = 0.035). In forty randomly selected samples, miRNA-432-5p and miRNA-382-3p were upregulated in patients with abnormal SSS.

CONCLUSION

Patients with compromised poststress myocardial perfusion on MPI tended to have fewer exosomes in association with CAD-related miRNAs. This is the first study to clarify the fundamental and pathophysiological causes of CAD using radiographic examinations.

PAK1 inhibition increases TRIM21-induced PD-L1 degradation and enhances responses to anti-PD-1 therapy in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a common malignancy with a 5-year survival <10 %. Immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a critical role in the progression of PDA. In recent years, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)/programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockade has emerged as a potent anti-tumor immunotherapy, while is yet to achieve significant clinical benefits for PDA patients. P21-Activated kinase 1 (PAK1) is highly upregulated in PDA and has been reported to be involved in the regulation of anti-tumor immunity. This study aims to investigate the combined effect of PAK1 inhibition and anti-PD-1 therapy on PDA and the underlying mechanisms. We have shown that PAK1 expression positively correlated with PD-L1 in PDA patients, and that inhibition of PAK1 downregulated PD-L1 expression of PDA cells. More importantly, we have demonstrated that PAK1 competed with PD-L1 in binding to tripartite motif-containing protein 21 (TRIM21), a ubiquitin E3 ligase, resulting in less ubiquitination and degradation of PD-L1. Moreover, PAK1 inhibition promoted CD8+ T cells activation and infiltration. In a murine PDA model, the combination of PAK1 inhibition and anti-PD-1 therapy showed significant anti-tumor effects compared with the control or monotherapy. Our results indicated that the combination of PAK1 inhibition and anti-PD-1 therapy would be a more effective treatment for PDA patients.

Long Noncoding RNA PSMB8-AS1 Mediates the Tobacco-Carcinogen-Induced Transformation of a Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell Line by Regulating Cell Cycle

Lung cancer is the main cause of cancer deaths around the world. Nitrosamine 4-(methyl nitrosamine)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is a tobacco-specific carcinogen of lung cancer. Abundant evidence implicates long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis. Yet, the effects and mechanisms of lncRNAs in NNK-induced carcinogenesis are still unclear. In this study, we discovered that NNK-induced transformed Beas-2B cells (Beas-2B-NNK) showed increased cell migration and proliferation while decreasing rates of apoptosis. RNA sequencing and differentially expressed lncRNAs analyses showed that lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 was obviously upregulated. Interestingly, silencing the lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 in Beas-2B-NNK cells reduced cell proliferation and migration and produced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase along with a decrease in CDK1 expression. Conclusively, our results demonstrate that lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 could promote the malignant characteristics of Beas-2B-NNK cells by regulating CDK1 and affecting the cell cycle, suggesting that it may supply a new prospective epigenetic mechanism for lung cancer.

Hsa_circ_0004872 mitigates proliferation, metastasis and immune escape of meningioma cells by suppressing PD-L1

Meningioma is a prevalent intracranial malignancy known for its aggressive growth. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial role in the development of various cancers. However, their involvement in meningioma remains understudied. This study aimed to investigate the function and underlying mechanism of hsa_circ_0004872 in meningioma. The molecular expression of hsa_circ_0004872, PD-L1 and EIF4A3 was identified by RT-qPCR and/or western blot assays. Cell viability, migration, and invasion were assessed through CCK-8 and Transwell assays, respectively. Cytotoxicity was determined using an LDH assay, and cell apoptosis was monitored by flow cytometry. The RNA and protein interactions were assessed through RNA-protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull down analyses. Our findings revealed that hsa_circ_0004872 expression was significantly downregulated in both meningioma tissue samples and cells. Overexpression of hsa_circ_0004872 inhibited the proliferation, metastasis, and immune escape of meningioma cells, as well as enhanced the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells by suppressing PD-L1. Furthermore, hsa_circ_0004872 directly interacted with EIF4A3, leading to the degradation of PD-L1 mRNA. Finally, inhibiting EIF4A3 improved the proliferation, metastasis, and immune escape of meningioma cells, as well as the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells. Our study demonstrated that hsa_circ_0004872 mitigated the proliferation, metastasis,and immune escape of meningioma cells by targeting the EIF4A3/PD-L1 axis. These findings suggested that hsa_circ_0004872 and EIF4A3 might serve as promising biological markers and therapeutic targets for meningioma treatment.

Synergistic Immunoregulation: harnessing CircRNAs and PiRNAs to Amplify PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibition Therapy

The utilization of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors marks a significant advancement in cancer therapy. However, the efficacy of monotherapy is still disappointing in a substantial subset of patients, necessitating the exploration of combinational strategies. Emerging from the promising results of the KEYNOTE-942 trial, RNA-based therapies, particularly circRNAs and piRNAs, have distinguished themselves as innovative sensitizers to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). These non-coding RNAs, notable for their stability and specificity, were once underrecognized but are now known for their crucial roles in regulating PD-L1 expression and bolstering anti-cancer immunity. Our manuscript offers a comprehensive analysis of selected circRNAs and piRNAs, elucidating their immunomodulatory effects and mechanisms, thus underscoring their potential as ICIs enhancers. In conjunction with the recent Nobel Prize-awarded advancements in mRNA vaccine technology, our review highlights the transformative implications of these findings for cancer treatment. We also discuss the prospects of circRNAs and piRNAs in future therapeutic applications and research. This study pioneers the synergistic application of circRNAs and piRNAs as novel sensitizers to augment PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition therapy, demonstrating their unique roles in regulating PD-L1 expression and modulating immune responses. Our findings offer a groundbreaking approach for enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, opening new avenues for treatment strategies. This abstract aims to encapsulate the essence of our research and the burgeoning role of these non-coding RNAs in enhancing PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition therapy, encouraging further investigation into this promising field.

NUP43 promotes PD-L1/nPD-L1/PD-L1 feedback loop via TM4SF1/JAK/STAT3 pathway in colorectal cancer progression and metastatsis

Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) has a significant role in tumor progression and metastasis, facilitating tumor cell evasion from immune surveillance. PD-L1 can be detected in the tumor cell nucleus and exert an oncogenic effect by nuclear translocation. Colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and liver metastasis (CCLM) are among the most lethal diseases worldwide, but the mechanism of PD-L1 nuclear translocation in CRC and CCLM remains to be fully understood. In this study, using CRISPR-Cas9-based genome-wide screening combined with RNA-seq, we found that the oncogenic factor NUP43 impacted the process of PD-L1 nuclear translocation by regulating the expression level of the PD-L1 chaperone protein IPO5. Subsequent investigation revealed that this process could stimulate the expression of tumor-promoting factor TM4SF1 and further activate the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway, which ultimately enhanced the transcription of PD-L1, thus establishing a PD-L1-nPD-L1-PD-L1 feedback loop that ultimately promoted CRC progression and CCLM. In conclusion, our study reveals a novel role for nPD-L1 in CRC, identifies the PD-L1-nPD-L1-PD-L1 feedback loop in CRC, and provides a therapeutic strategy for CRC patients.

CRTAC1 identified as a promising diagnosis and prognostic biomarker in lung adenocarcinoma

CRTAC1, one of the pyroptosis-related genes, has been identified as a protective factor in certain kinds of cancer, such as gastric adenocarcinoma and bladder cancer. The study aimed to investigate the role of CRTAC1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). LUAD datasets were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), pyroptosis-related genes from GeneCard. Limma package used to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and weighted genes co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify CRTAC1 as hub gene. CRTAC1 expression was confirmed in a real-world cohort using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western Blot (WB) analyses. Cellular experiments were conducted to investigate CRTAC1's potential oncogenic mechanisms. CRTAC1 mRNA expression was significantly lower in LUAD tissues (p < 0.05) and showed high accuracy in diagnosing LUAD. Reduced CRTAC1 expression was associated with a poor prognosis. Higher CRTAC1 expression correlated with increased immune cell infiltration. Individuals with high CRTAC1 expression showed increased drug sensitivity. Additionally, qPCR and WB analyses showed that CRTAC1 expression was lower in tumor tissue compared to adjacent normal tissue at both the RNA and protein levels. Upregulation of CRTAC1 significantly inhibited LUAD cell proliferation, invasion, and migration in cellular experiments. CRTAC1 has the potential to serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in LUAD.

CCT6A facilitates lung adenocarcinoma progression and glycolysis via STAT1/HK2 axis

BACKGROUND

Chaperonin Containing TCP1 Subunit 6 A (CCT6A) is a prominent protein involved in the folding and stabilization of newly synthesized proteins. However, its roles and underlying mechanisms in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), one of the most aggressive cancers, remain elusive.

METHODS

Our study utilized in vitro cell phenotype experiments to assess CCT6A's impact on the proliferation and invasion capabilities of LUAD cell lines. To delve into CCT6A's intrinsic mechanisms affecting glycolysis and proliferation in lung adenocarcinoma, we employed transcriptomic sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (CHIP) assays were also conducted to substantiate the mechanism.

RESULTS

CCT6A was found to be significantly overexpressed in LUAD and associated with a poorer prognosis. The silencing of CCT6A inhibited the proliferation and migration of LUAD cells and elevated apoptosis rates. Mechanistically, CCT6A interacted with STAT1 protein, forming a complex that enhances the stability of STAT1 by protecting it from ubiquitin-mediated degradation. This, in turn, facilitated the transcription of hexokinase 2 (HK2), a critical enzyme in aerobic glycolysis, thereby stimulating LUAD's aerobic glycolysis and progression.

CONCLUSION

Our findings reveal that the CCT6A/STAT1/HK2 axis orchestrated a reprogramming of glucose metabolism and thus promoted LUAD progression. These insights position CCT6A as a promising candidate for therapeutic intervention in LUAD treatment.

MicroRNAs as the critical regulators of epithelial mesenchymal transition in pancreatic tumor cells

Pancreatic cancer (PC), as one of the main endocrine and digestive systems malignancies has the highest cancer related mortality in the world. Lack of the evident clinical symptoms and appropriate diagnostic markers in the early stages of tumor progression are the main reasons of the high mortality rate among PC patients. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the molecular pathways involved in the PC progression, in order to introduce novel early diagnostic methods. Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a critical cellular process associated with pancreatic tumor cells invasion and distant metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are also important regulators of EMT process. In the present review, we discussed the role of miRNAs in regulation of EMT process during PC progression. It has been reported that the miRNAs mainly regulate the EMT process in pancreatic tumor cells through the regulation of EMT-specific transcription factors and several signaling pathways such as WNT, NOTCH, TGF-β, JAK/STAT, and PI3K/AKT. Considering the high stability of miRNAs in body fluids and their role in regulation of EMT process, they can be introduced as the non-invasive diagnostic markers in the early stages of malignant pancreatic tumors. This review paves the way to introduce a non-invasive EMT based panel marker for the early tumor detection among PC patients.

Fundamental insights and molecular interactions in pancreatic cancer: Pathways to therapeutic approaches

The gastrointestinal tract can be affected by a number of diseases that pancreatic cancer (PC) is a malignant manifestation of them. The prognosis of PC patients is unfavorable and because of their diagnosis at advanced stage, the treatment of this tumor is problematic. Owing to low survival rate, there is much interest towards understanding the molecular profile of PC in an attempt in developing more effective therapeutics. The conventional therapeutics for PC include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as emerging immunotherapy. However, PC is still incurable and more effort should be performed. The molecular landscape of PC is an underlying factor involved in increase in progression of tumor cells. In the presence review, the newest advances in understanding the molecular and biological events in PC are discussed. The dysregulation of molecular pathways including AMPK, MAPK, STAT3, Wnt/β-catenin and non-coding RNA transcripts has been suggested as a factor in development of tumorigenesis in PC. Moreover, cell death mechanisms such as apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis and necroptosis demonstrate abnormal levels. The EMT and glycolysis in PC cells enhance to ensure their metastasis and proliferation. Furthermore, such abnormal changes have been used to develop corresponding pharmacological and nanotechnological therapeutics for PC.

Inference of Developmental Hierarchy and Functional States of Exhausted T Cells from Epigenetic Profiles with Deep Learning

Exhausted T cells are a key component of immune cells that play a crucial role in the immune response against cancer and influence the efficacy of immunotherapy. Accurate assessment and measurement of T-cell exhaustion (TEX) are critical for understanding the heterogeneity of TEX in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and tailoring individualized immunotherapeutic strategies. In this study, we introduced DeepEpiTEX, a novel computational framework based on deep neural networks, for inferring the developmental hierarchy and functional states of exhausted T cells in the TME from epigenetic profiles. DeepEpiTEX was trained using various modalities of epigenetic data, including DNA methylation data, microRNA expression data, and long non-coding RNA expression data from 30 bulk solid cancer types in the TCGA pan-cancer cohort, and identified five optimal TEX subsets with significant survival differences across the majority of cancer types. The performance of DeepEpiTEX was further evaluated and validated in external multi-center and multi-type cancer cohorts, consistently demonstrating its generalizability and applicability in different experimental settings. In addition, we discovered the potential relationship between TEX subsets identified by DeepEpiTEX and the response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy, indicating that individuals with immune-favorable TEX subsets may experience the greatest benefits. In conclusion, our study sheds light on the role of epigenetic regulation in TEX and provides a powerful and promising tool for categorizing TEX in different disease settings.

Targeting Grancalcin Accelerates Wound Healing by Improving Angiogenesis in Diabetes

Chronic diabetic wounds are a serious complication of diabetes and often result in limb amputations and confer high mortality rates. The proinflammatory secretome in the wound perpetuates defective neovascularization and contributes to dysregulated tissue repair. This study aims to design a gelatin methacrylamide (GelMA) hydrogel to sustained the release of grancalcin-neutralizing antibody (GCA-NAb) and evaluate it as a potential scaffold to promote diabetic wound healing. Results show that the expression of grancalcin(GCA), a protein secreted by bone marrow-derived immune cells, is elevated in the wound sites of individuals and animals with diabetic ulcers. Genetic inhibition of grancalcin expression accelerates vascularization and healing in an animal model. Mechanistic studies show that grancalcin binds to transient receptor potential melastatin 8(TRPM8) and partially inactivates its downstream signaling pathways, thereby impairing angiogenesis in vitro and ex vivo. Systemic or topical administration of a GCA-NAb accelerate wound repair in mice with diabetes. The data suggest that GCA is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetic ulcers.

The landscape of immune checkpoint-related long non-coding RNAs core regulatory circuitry reveals implications for immunoregulation and immunotherapy responses

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) could modulate expression of immune checkpoints (ICPs) by cooperating with immunity genes in tumor immunization. However, precise functions in immunity and potential for predicting ICP inhibitors (ICI) response have been described for only a few lncRNAs. Here we present an integrated framework that leverages network-based analyses and Bayesian network inference to identify the regulated relationships including lncRNA, ICP and immunity genes as ICP-related LncRNAs mediated Core Regulatory Circuitry Triplets (ICP-LncCRCTs) that can make robust predictions. Hub ICP-related lncRNAs such as MIR155HG and ADAMTS9-AS2 were highlighted to play central roles in immune regulation. Specific ICP-related lncRNAs could distinguish cancer subtypes. Moreover, the ICP-related lncRNAs are likely to significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration, MHC, CYT. Some ICP-LncCRCTs such as CXCL10-MIR155HG-ICOS could better predict one-, three- and five-year prognosis compared to single molecule in melanoma. We also validated that some ICP-LncCRCTs could effectively predict ICI-response using three kinds of machine learning algorithms follow five independent datasets. Specially, combining ICP-LncCRCTs with the tumor mutation burden (TMB) improves the prediction of ICI-treated melanoma patients. Altogether, this study will improve our grasp of lncRNA functions and accelerating discovery of lncRNA-based biomarkers in ICI treatment.

Identification of RNA methylation-related lncRNAs for prognostic assessment and immunotherapy in bladder cancer-based on single cell/Bulk RNA sequencing data

Bladder cancer is a malignancy characterized by significant heterogeneity. RNA methylation has received an increasing amount of attention in recent years. RNA data were collected from the GEO database, and cell subsets were classified according to specific cell markers. Epithelial, immunological, and fibroblast cells were clustered individually to explore the tumor heterogeneity. To distinguish between malignant and benign cells, the InferCNV R package was employed. The monocle2 R package was used for pseudotime analysis. The Decouple R package was used for transcription factor analysis of each cell subgroup, and PROGENy was used to predict the activity of pathways related to tumors. The target lncRNA was screened for model construction. In addition, the qPCR experiment was used to detect the transcription level of lncRNA. Epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and T cells significantly differ in tumor and normal tissues. The lncRNAs related to m6A/m5C/m1A were intersected to construct the model. Finally, six model lncRNAs (PSMB8-AS1, THUMPD3-AS1, U47924.27, XXbac-B135H6.15, MIR99AHG, and C14orf132) were screened. High-risk individuals were shown to have a better prognosis. qPCR experiments showed that the model lncRNA was differentially expressed between normal and tumor cells. Immunotherapy will be more effective in treating individuals with lower risk than those with higher risk using 4 candidate drugs. The prognostic m6A/m5C/m1A-related lncRNA model was constructed for evaluating the clinical outcomes of bladder cancer patients and guiding clinical medication.

MicroRNAs as regulators of immune checkpoints in cancer immunotherapy: targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 pathways

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by harnessing the power of the immune system to eliminate tumors. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) block negative regulatory signals that prevent T cells from attacking cancer cells. Two key ICIs target the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, which includes programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and its receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1). Another ICI targets cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4). While ICIs have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in various malignancies, only a subset of patients respond favorably. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression, play a crucial role in modulating immune checkpoints, including PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. This review summarizes the latest advancements in immunotherapy, highlighting the therapeutic potential of targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 immune checkpoints and the regulatory role of miRNAs in modulating these pathways. Consequently, understanding the complex interplay between miRNAs and immune checkpoints is essential for developing more effective and personalized immunotherapy strategies for cancer treatment.

LINC02086 inhibits ferroptosis and promotes malignant phenotypes of pancreatic cancer via miR-342-3p/CA9 axis

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in modulating the tumorigenesis and progression of malignant tumors. LINC02086 is a newly identified oncogene associated with tumorigenesis, but its role in pancreatic cancer (PC) has not been fully elucidated. In this study we examined the expression levels of LINC02086, miR-342-3p, and CA9 in PC. The relationship of ferroptosis with these factors was analyzed by detecting the expression levels of Fe2+, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ferroptosis marker proteins. The expression of these genes was altered to observe their effects on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. Bioinformatics was used to predict target genes, and the binding relationship was verified luciferase reporter assay. Finally, the function of LINC02086 was evaluated in vivo. The findings suggest that LINC02086 is highly expressed in PC tissues and cell lines and is correlated with a poor prognosis. In vitro experiments demonstrated that LINC02086 knockdown promoted ferroptosis in PC cells to suppress their malignant phenotype. LINC02086 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA that adsorbed miR-342-3p. miR-342-3p hinders the malignant progression of PC by promoting ferroptosis. In addition, miR-342-3p targets CA9 and affects its function. Further mechanistic studies revealed that LINC02086 inhibits ferroptosis and promotes PC progression by acting as a sponge for miR-342-3p to upregulate CA9 expression. In vivo experiments further confirmed this mechanism. Taken together, LINC02086 upregulates CA9 expression by competitively binding with miR-342-3p, thereby inhibiting ferroptosis in PC cells and promoting their malignant phenotype. The results of our study provide new insights into how LINC02086 contributes to the progression of PC.

A novel sphingolipid metabolism-related long noncoding RNA signature predicts the prognosis, immune landscape and therapeutic response in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Sphingolipid metabolism affects prognosis and resistance to immunotherapy in patients with cancer and is an emerging target in cancer therapy with promising diagnostic and prognostic value. Long noncoding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) broadly regulate tumour-associated metabolic reprogramming. However, the potential of sphingolipid metabolism-related lncRNAs in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is poorly understood. In this study, coexpression algorithms were employed to identify sphingolipid metabolism-related lncRNAs. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was used to develop a sphingolipid metabolism-related lncRNA signature (SMLs). The prognostic predictive stability of the SMLs was validated using Kaplan-Meier. Univariate and multivariate Cox, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and clinical stratification analyses were used to comprehensively assess the SMLs. Gene set variation analysis (GSVE), gene ontology (GO) and tumor mutation burden (TMB) analysis explored the potential mechanisms. Additionally, single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), ESTIMATE, immune checkpoints and drug sensitivity analysis were used to investigate the potential predictive function of the SMLs. Finally, an SMLs-based consensus clustering algorithm was utilized to differentiate patients and determine the suitable population for immunotherapy. The results showed that the SMLs consists of seven sphingolipid metabolism-related lncRNAs, which can well determine the clinical outcome of individuals with PAAD, with high stability and general applicability. In addition, the SMLs-based consensus clustering algorithm divided the TCGA-PAAD cohort into two clusters, with Cluster 1 showing better survival than Cluster 2. Additionally, Cluster 1 had a higher level of immune cell infiltration than Cluster 2, which combined with the higher levels of immune checkpoints in Cluster 1 suggests that Cluster 1 is more consistent with an immune 'hot tumor' profile and may respond better to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). This study offers new insights regarding the potential role of sphingolipid metabolism-related lncRNAs as biomarkers in PAAD. The constructed SMLs and the SMLs-based clustering are valuable tools for predicting clinical outcomes in PAAD and provide a basis for clinical selection of individualized treatments.

LncRNA PSMB8-AS1 Instigates Vascular Inflammation to Aggravate Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs play significant roles in vascular biology and disease development. One such long noncoding RNA, PSMB8-AS1, has been implicated in the development of tumors. Nevertheless, the precise role of PSMB8-AS1 in cardiovascular diseases, particularly atherosclerosis, has not been thoroughly elucidated. Thus, the primary aim of this investigation is to assess the influence of PSMB8-AS1 on vascular inflammation and the initiation of atherosclerosis.

METHODS

We generated PSMB8-AS1 knockin and Apoe (Apolipoprotein E) knockout mice (Apoe-/-PSMB8-AS1KI) and global Apoe and proteasome subunit-β type-9 (Psmb9) double knockout mice (Apoe-/-Psmb9-/-). To explore the roles of PSMB8-AS1 and Psmb9 in atherosclerosis, we fed the mice with a Western diet for 12 weeks.

RESULTS

Long noncoding RNA PSMB8-AS1 is significantly elevated in human atherosclerotic plaques. Strikingly, Apoe-/-PSMB8-AS1KI mice exhibited increased atherosclerosis development, plaque vulnerability, and vascular inflammation compared with Apoe-/- mice. Moreover, the levels of VCAM1 (vascular adhesion molecule 1) and ICAM1 (intracellular adhesion molecule 1) were significantly upregulated in atherosclerotic lesions and serum of Apoe-/-PSMB8-AS1KI mice. Consistently, in vitro gain- and loss-of-function studies demonstrated that PSMB8-AS1 induced monocyte/macrophage adhesion to endothelial cells and increased VCAM1 and ICAM1 levels in a PSMB9-dependent manner. Mechanistic studies revealed that PSMB8-AS1 induced PSMB9 transcription by recruiting the transcription factor NONO (non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein) and binding to the PSMB9 promoter. PSMB9 (proteasome subunit-β type-9) elevated VCAM1 and ICAM1 expression via the upregulation of ZEB1 (zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1). Psmb9 deficiency decreased atherosclerotic lesion size, plaque vulnerability, and vascular inflammation in Apoe-/- mice in vivo. Importantly, endothelial overexpression of PSMB8-AS1-increased atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation were attenuated by Psmb9 knockout.

CONCLUSIONS

PSMB8-AS1 promotes vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis via the NONO/PSMB9/ZEB1 axis. Our findings support the development of new long noncoding RNA-based strategies to counteract atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

LncRNA PSMB8-AS1 increases glioma malignancy via the miR-382-3p/BCAT1 axis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the specific roles of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) proteasome 20S subunit beta 8 (PSMB8)-antisense RNA 1 (AS1)/microRNA (miR)-382-3p/branched-chain amino acid transaminase 1 (BCAT1) interaction network in gliomas.

METHODS

Western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were performed to assess the expression levels of lncRNA PSMB8-AS1, BCAT1, and miR-382-3p. Moreover, the cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were assessed using the cell counting kit-8, Transwell, and caspase-3 activity assays, respectively. The biological role of lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 in glioma was investigated in vivo using a xenograft mouse model. Additionally, the associations among lncRNA PSMB8-AS1, miR-382-3p, and BCAT1 were analyzed using dual-luciferase and RNA immunoprecipitation assays and bioinformatics analyses.

RESULTS

Glioma cell lines and tissues exhibited overexpression of lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 and BCAT1 and low expression of miR-382-3p. Knockdown of PSMB8-AS1 remarkably repressed the tumor growth in vivo and the migration and proliferation of glioma cells in vitro. In contrast, knockdown of lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 increased the cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, PSMB8-AS1 directly targeted miR-382-3p. By sponging miR-382-3p, lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 stimulated the migration and proliferation of glioma cells and suppressed their apoptosis. Additionally, miR-382-3p directly targeted BCAT1. Inhibition of miR-382-3p reversed the antitumor effects of BCAT1 silencing on glioma progression.

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed that lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 aggravated glioma malignancy by enhancing BCAT1 expression after competitively binding to miR-382-3p. Therefore, lncRNA PSMB8-AS1 may be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for glioma treatment.

Circular RNAs in pancreatic cancer progression

Pancreatic cancer (PC), typically diagnosed at relatively advanced stages with poor prognosis, is a dominant cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are abnormally expressed in diverse tumors and affect tumorigenesis and progression. In this article, we examine the roles of circRNAs in regulation of PC progression. Additionally, circRNAs enriched in exosomes could be transferred among PC cells to modulate malignancy. Characterization of regulatory mechanisms involving circRNAs in general and PC specifically will enable earlier detection and potential development of therapeutic strategies.

Silencing long noncoding RNA LINC01133 suppresses pancreatic cancer through regulation of microRNA-1299-dependent IGF2BP3

The deregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) holds great potential in the treatment of multiple cancers, including pancreatic cancer (PC). However, the specific molecular mechanisms by which LINC01133 contributes to pancreatic cancer remain unknown. Subsequent to bioinformatics analysis, we predicted and analyzed differentially expressed lncRNAs, microRNAs, and genes in pancreatic cancer. We determined the expression patterns of LINC01133, miR-1299, and insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) in pancreatic cancer cells, and validated their interactions through luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. We implemented loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments for LINC01133, miR-1299, and IGF2BP3 to assay their potential effects on pancreatic cancer cell functions. We observed high expression of LINC01133 and IGF2BP3, but low expression of miR-1299, in pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, we found that LINC01133 enhances IGF2BP3 through binding with miR-1299. Silencing LINC01133 or IGF2BP3 and/or overexpressing miR-1299 limited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and suppressed tumorigenic abilities in mice lacking T cells (nude mice). Overall, our findings identified that silencing LINC01133 downregulates IGF2BP3 by upregulating miR-1299 expression, ultimately leading to the prevention of pancreatic cancer.

miR-1180 Targets FXYD5 to Regulate Pancreatic Cancer Cells Migration and Invasion

Pancreatic cancer is a fatal malignancy typically diagnosed in older males and has an aggressive progression. The function of the miR-1180/FXYD5 axis in pancreatic cancer malignant behaviors was investigated. 20 pairs of pancreatic cancer and adjacent normal tissue samples were harvested from pancreatic cancer patients, and qRT-PCR, IHC, and western blot assays were performed, respectively, to detect the mRNA expression and protein levels of miR-1180 or FXYD5. Transwell and scratch assays were conducted to detect the migratory and invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells; a Dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to validate miR-1180 targeting FXYD5. miR-1180 targeting FXYD5 to regulate the migratory and invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells was validated in mouse xenograft tumor models. FXYD5 expression was increased in pancreatic cancer tissue samples than in adjacent normal tissue samples (P < 0.01), and FXYD5 expression exhibited a positive correlation with the migratory and invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells. miR-1180 targeted FXYD5 and negatively regulated FXYD5. Restoring miR-1180 expression could inhibit the migratory and invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells (P < 0.01), and this effect could potentially be alleviated by FXYD5 overexpression. The miR-1180/FXYD5 axis positively regulated E-cadherin and negatively regulated MMP2 and MMP9 expression levels. In vivo findings demonstrated that miR-1180 overexpression inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis (P < 0.05), while FXYD5 overexpression promoted tumor growth and lung metastasis (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the miR-1180 /FXYD5 axis could be involved in pancreatic cancer metastasis through the regulation of EMT and extracellular matrix degradation.

TMPOP2 Inhibition Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cell Migration and Development by Repressing The JNK/STAT3 Pathway

Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy with a poor prognosis and high mortality. The lincRNA TMPOP2 is highly expressed in gynecological cancers and may exhibit tumor-promoting functions. However, the function of TMPOP2 in pancreatic cancer is limited. TMPOP2 expression in pancreatic cancer and adjacent tissues is analyzed from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GTEx database. It shows the high expression of TMPOP2 in pancreatic cancer tissues. Similar results are observed in resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma tumors and adjacent tissues from 20 patients and the relative cell lines. When the pancreatic cell lines are transfected with si-TMPOP2, it shows that TMPOP2 downregulation inhibits the cells migration and EMT. Furthermore, the potential mechanism is explored by detecting the expression of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), phosphorylated JNK, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and phosphorylated STAT3. It suggests that TMPOP2 knockdown inactivates JNK and STAT3 phosphorylation. When a JNK activator (anisomycin) is added to the cells with si-NC or si-TMPOP2, it can partially reverse the migration and EMT inhibition of the cells with inhibited TMPOP2. TMPOP2 inhibition suppresses the migration and EMT of pancreatic cancer by repressing the JNK/STAT3 pathway. Thus, this may be a novel target for pancreatic cancer therapy.

miR-186-5p targets TGFβR2 to inhibit RAW264.7 cell migration and proliferation during mouse skin wound healing

BACKGROUND

Active peptides play a vital role in the development of new drugs and the identification and discovery of drug targets. As the first reported native peptide homodimer with pro-regenerative potency, OA-GP11d could potentially be used as a novel molecular probe to help elucidate the molecular mechanism of skin wound repair and provide new drug targets.

METHODS

Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assay were adopted to determine microRNAs (miRNAs) and its target. The prohealing potency of the miRNA was determined by MTS and a Transwell experiment against mouse macrophages. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, realtime polymerase chain reaction, and western blotting were performed to explore the molecular mechanisms.

RESULTS

In this study, OA-GP11d was shown to induce Mus musculus microRNA-186-5p (mmu-miR-186-5p) down-regulation. Results showed that miR-186-5p had a negative effect on macrophage migration and proliferation as well as a targeted and negative effect on TGF-β type II receptor (TGFβR2) expression and an inhibitory effect on activation of the downstream SMAD family member 2 (Smad2) and protein-p38 kinase signaling pathways. Importantly, delivery of a miR-186-5p mimic delayed skin wound healing in mice.

CONCLUSION

miR-186-5p regulated macrophage migration and proliferation to delay wound healing through the TGFβR2/Smad2/p38 molecular axes, thus providing a promising new pro-repair drug target.

Cuproptosis-related lncRNA scoring system to predict the clinical outcome and immune landscape in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Cuproptosis is a recently discovered novel programmed cell death pathway that differs from traditional programmed cell death and has an important role in cancer and immune regulation. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is considered new potential prognostic biomarkers in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). However, the prognostic role and immune landscape of cuproptosis-related lncRNA in PAAD remain unclear. The transcriptome and clinical data of PAAD were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Cuproptosis-related lncRNA was identified using Pearson correlation analysis. The optimal lncRNA was screened by Cox and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression mode, and for the construction of risk scoring system. PAAD patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups according to the risk score. Clinicopathological parameter correlation analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and nomogram were performed to evaluate the model. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were used to explore differences in biological function between different risk groups. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm were used to analyze the differences in tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in different risk groups of PAAD. Additionally, the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm was used to predict immunotherapy response and identify potential immune beneficiaries. Immune checkpoints and tumor mutation burden (TMB) were also systematically analyzed. Finally, drug sensitivity analysis was used to explore the reactivity of different drugs in high- and low-risk groups to provide a reference for the selection of precise therapeutic drugs. Six cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (AL117335.1, AC044849.1, AL358944.1, ZNF236-DT, Z97832.2, and CASC8) were used to construct risk model. Survival analysis showed that overall survival and progression-free survival in the low-risk group were better than those in the high-risk group, and it is suitable for PAAD patients with different clinical characteristics. Univariate and multifactorial Cox regression analysis showed that risk score was an independent prognostic factor in PAAD patients. ROC analysis showed that the AUC values of the risk score in 1 year, 3 years and 5 years were 0.707,0.762 and 0.880, respectively. Nomogram showed that the total points of PAAD patients at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years were 0.914,0.648, and 0.543. GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the differential genes in the high- and low-risk groups were associated with tumor proliferation and metastasis and immune regulatory pathway. Immune correlation analysis showed that the amount of pro-inflammatory cells, including CD8+ T cells, was significantly higher in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group, and the expression of immune checkpoint genes, including PD-1 and CTLA-4, was increased in the low-risk group. TIDE analysis suggests that patients in the low-risk group may benefit from immunotherapy. Finally, there was significant variability in multiple chemotherapeutic and targeted drugs across the risk groups, which informs our clinical drug selection. Our cuproptosis-related lncRNA scoring system (CRLss) could predict the clinical outcome and immune landscape of PAAD patients, identify the potential beneficiaries of immunotherapy, and provide a reference for precise therapeutic drug selection.

Hypoxia promotes immune escape of pancreatic cancer cells by lncRNA NNT-AS1/METTL3-HuR-mediated ITGB1 m6A modification

Pancreatic cancer (PC) cell immune escape is a crucial element in PC malignant development. Some previous studies have reported that LncRNA NNT-AS1 played a carcinogenic role in various tumors. However, the effect of lncRNA NNT-AS1 in PC cell immune escape remains unclear. To evaluate PC cell immune escape, PC cells were co-cultured with CD8+ T cells under a hypoxic condition. PC cell proliferation and migration were evaluated using the colony formation assay and transwell assay. CD8+ T cell proliferation and aoptosis were measured using the carboxy fluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE) assay and flow cytometry. The secretion of antitumor cytokines was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The molecular interactions were analyzed using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), or dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. A tumor xenograft model was established to evaluate the effects of lncRNA NNT-AS1 on PC in vivo. It was found that lncRNA NNT-AS1 was highly expressed in PC, and its silencing inhibited hypoxia-induced PC cell growth and immune escape in vivo and in vitro. Mechanically, HIF-1α transcriptionally activated NNT-AS1 expression and NNT-AS1 increased ITGB1 stability and expression in a METTL3-HuR dependent manner. ITGB1 overexpression reversed the inhibitory effects of NNT-AS1 knockdown on hypoxia-induced PC cell immune escape. In conclusion, Hypoxia promoted PC cell immune escape through lncRNA NNT-AS1/METTL3-HuR-mediated m6A modification to increase ITGB1 expression, which provided a theoretical foundation and a potential therapeutic target for PC.

Long non-coding RNAs and pancreatic cancer: A multifaceted view

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly malignant disease with a 5-year survival rate of only 10%. Families with PC are at greater risk, as are type 2 diabetes, pancreatitis, and other factors. Insufficient early detection methods make this cancer have a poor prognosis. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms underlying PC development remain unclear. Increasing evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) contribute to PC pathology,which may control gene expression by recruiting histone modification complexes to chromatin and interacting with proteins and RNAs. In recent studies, abnormal regulation of lncRNAs has been implicated in PC proliferation, metastasis, invasion, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and chemotherapy resistance suggesting potential clinical implications. The paper reviews the progress of lncRNA research in PC about diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, cancer metastasis, tumor microenvironment regulation, and chemoresistance. Furthermore, lncRNAs may serve as potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers for PC diagnosis and prognosis. This will help improve PC patients' survival rate from a lncRNA perspective.

A benzochalcone derivative synchronously induces apoptosis and ferroptosis in pancreatic cancer cells

Background

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and lethal disease with limited treatment options. In this study, we investigated the potential therapeutic effects of compound KL-6 on pancreatic cancer cells.

Methods

The study involved assessing the inhibitory effects of KL-6 on cell proliferation, clonogenic potential, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. Additionally, we examined the action mechanism of KL-6 by RNA-seq and bioinformatic analysis and validated by qRT-PCR and western blot in pancreatic cancer cells.

Results

Our results demonstrated that KL-6 effectively inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. It induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, disrupting the cell cycle progression and promoting cell death. KL-6 also exhibited inhibitory effects on cell migration and invasion, suggesting its potential to suppress the metastatic properties of pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, KL-6 modulated the expression of genes involved in various cancer-related pathways including apoptosis and ferroptosis.

Conclusion

These findings collectively support the potential of KL-6 as a promising therapeutic option for pancreatic cancer treatment. Further research is needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms and evaluate the clinical efficacy of KL-6 in pancreatic cancer patients.

Astragaloside IV Attenuates Programmed Death-Ligand 1-Mediated Immunosuppression during Liver Cancer Development via the miR-135b-5p/CNDP1 Axis

BACKGROUND

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is a pivotal contributor to anti-tumour effects and has garnered extensive attention in research. Tumour cell immune suppression is closely related to the increase in Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumour originating from hepatic epithelial tissue, and the role of AS-IV in regulating PD-L1 in anti-HCC activity remains unclear.

METHODS

Various concentrations of AS-IV were administered to both human liver immortalised cells (THEL2) and HCC (Huh-7 and SMMC-7721), and cell growth was assessed using the CCK-8 assay. HCC levels and cell apoptosis were examined using flow cytometry. Mice were orally administered AS-IV at different concentrations to study its effects on HCC in vivo. Immunohistochemistry was employed to evaluate PD-L1 levels. Western blotting was employed to determine PD-L1 and CNDP1 protein levels. We carried out a qRT-PCR to quantify the levels of miR-135b-3p and CNDP1. Finally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to validate the direct interaction between miR-135b-3p and the 3'UTR of CNDP1.

RESULTS

AS-IV exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation in Huh-7 and SMMC-7721 while inhibiting PD-L1 expression induced by interferon-γ (IFN-γ), thus attenuating PD-L1-mediated immune suppression. MiR-135b-5p showed significant amplification in HCC tissues and cells. AS-IV mitigated PD-L1-mediated immune suppression through miR-135b-5p. MiR-135b-5p targeted CNDP1, and AS-IV mitigated PD-L1-induced immunosuppression by modulating the miR-135b-5p/CNDP1 pathway.

CONCLUSION

AS-IV decreases cell surface PD-L1 levels and alleviates PD-L1-associated immune suppression via the miR-135b-5p/CNDP1 pathway. AS-IV may be a novel component for treating HCC.

H19 encourages aerobic glycolysis and cell growth in gastric cancer cells through the axis of microRNA-19a-3p and phosphoglycerate kinase 1

Numerous studies have been conducted on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human tumors like gastric cancer (GC). Our research uncovers how aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation in gastric cancer cells are related to H19. We discovered that H19 was highly expressed in tumor tissues and that patients with higher H19 expression have a poorer prognosis. Intriguingly, we applied the subcellular isolation, luciferase reporter, western blot analysis, MTT, colony formation experiments, and CDX Model in Mice to verify that H19 regulates aerobic glycolysis towards GC cell growth by H19/microRNA (miR)-19a-3p/phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) axis. Together, our research offers proof that the H19/miR-19a-3p/PGK1 pathway aids in the regulation of aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation in GC. This may offer an opportunity for novel therapeutic approaches to the treatment of GC.

microRNA-382 as a tumor suppressor? Roles in tumorigenesis and clinical significance

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small single-stranded RNAs belonging to a class of non-coding RNAs with an average length of 18-22 nucleotides. Although not able to encode any protein, miRNAs are vastly studied and found to play role in various human physiologic as well as pathological conditions. A huge number of miRNAs have been identified in human cells whose expression is straightly regulated with crucial biological functions, while this number is constantly increasing. miRNAs are particularly studied in cancers, where they either can act with oncogenic function (oncomiRs) or tumor-suppressors role (referred as tumor-suppressor/oncorepressor miRNAs). miR-382 is a well-studied miRNA, which is revealed to play regulatory roles in physiological processes like osteogenic differentiation, hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and normal hematopoiesis, and liver progenitor cell differentiation. Notably, miR-382 deregulation is reported in pathologic conditions, such as renal fibrosis, muscular dystrophies, Rett syndrome, epidural fibrosis, atrial fibrillation, amelogenesis imperfecta, oxidative stress, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication, and various types of cancers. The majority of oncogenesis studies have claimed miR-382 downregulation in cancers and suppressor impact on malignant phenotype of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, while a few studies suggest opposite findings. Given the putative role of this miRNA in regulation of oncogenesis, assessment of miR-382 expression is suggested in a several clinical investigations as a prognostic/diagnostic biomarker for cancer patients. In this review, we have an overview to recent studies evaluated the role of miR-382 in oncogenesis as well as its clinical potential.

BHLHE40, a potential immune therapy target, regulated by FGD5-AS1/miR-15a-5p in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer, as one of the neoplasms with the highest degree of malignancy, has become a main disease of concerns in recent years. BHLHE40, a critical transcription factor for remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment, has been described to be substantially increased in a variety of tumor-associated immune cells. Nevertheless, the pro-cancer biological functions and underlying molecular mechanisms of BHLHE40 for pancreatic cancer and its unique microenvironment are unclear. Hereby, we investigated the pro-oncogenic role of BHLHE40 in the pancreatic cancer microenvironment by bioinformatics analysis and cell biology experiments and determined that the expression of BHLHE40 was obviously elevated in pancreatic cancer tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. In parallel, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis unveiled that lower expression of BHLHE40 was strongly associated with better prognosis of patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis confirmed the accuracy of the BHLHE40-related prediction model. Subsequent, spearman correlation analysis observed that higher expression of BHLHE40 might be involved in immunosuppression of pancreatic cancer. Silencing of BHLHE40 could inhibit proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo, implying that BHLHE40 is expected to be a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer. In addition, we explored and validated the FGD5-AS1/miR-15a-5p axis as a potential upstream regulatory mode for high expression of BHLHE40 in pancreatic cancer. In summary, our data showed that ceRNA involved in the regulation of BHLHE40 contributes to the promotion of immunosuppressive response in pancreatic and is expected to be a diagnostic marker and potential immunotherapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.

DDX18 drives tumor immune escape through transcription-activated STAT1 expression in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) resists to current treatments due to its inherent tumor heterogeneity, therapy-resistant cancer stem/initiating cells survival, and immune evasion in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, the results show that clinical PDAC and adjacent tissues undergo distinct chromatin remodeling. Multiple omics analysis revealed DEAD-box RNA helicase 18 (DDX18), a carcinogenic gene with similar H3K4me3 profile, is up-regulated and correlates with poor survival in PDAC patients. We validated that DDX18 deposits on the STAT1 promoter region and counteracts H3K27me3 deposition on the STAT1 promoter sequence by modulating the formation of the PRC2 complex to up-regulate the expression of STAT1, which results in the up-regulation of PD-L1 expression, T lymphocyte accumulation and overactivation in the highly desmoplastic and immunosuppressive pancreatic TME. DDX18-STAT1 axis inhibition also affects stemness of cancer cells, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and disrupts the immunosuppressive TME simultaneously, producing sustained remissions of aggressive PDAC by synergizing with anti-PD-L1 therapy. Combining DDX18 inhibition with anti-PD-L1 immunochemotherapy to treat PDAC patients will pave a new way for clinical treatment of patients with PDAC. This study found that clinical PDAC and adjacent pancreatic tissues undergo distinct chromatin remodeling featured by the upregulation of DEAD-box RNA helicase 18 (DDX18). We further validated that DDX18 deposits on the STAT1 promoter region and counteracts H3K27me3 deposition on the STAT1 promoter by modulating the formation of the PRC2 complex to up-regulate the expression of STAT1. DDX18-STAT1 axis enhances the stemness of cancer cells, the upregulation of PD-L1 expression, T lymphocyte accumulation and overactivation in the highly desmoplastic and immunosuppressive pancreatic TME.

Establishment of a novel signature to predict prognosis and immune characteristics of pancreatic cancer based on necroptosis-related long non-coding RNA

BACKGROUND

Necroptosis plays an important role in tumorigenesis and tumour progression. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to be regulatory factors of necroptosis in various tumours. However, the real role of necroptosis-related lncRNAs (NRLs) and their potential to predict the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC) remain largely unclear. The goal of this study was to identify NRLs and create a predictive risk signature in PC, explore its prognostic predictive performance, and further assess immunotherapy and chemotherapy responses.

METHODS

RNA sequencing data, tumour mutation burden (TMB) data, and clinical profiles of 178 PC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. NRLs were identified using Pearson correlation analysis. Then, patients were divided into the training set and the validation set at a 1:1 ratio. Subsequently, Cox and LASSO regression analyses were conducted to establish a prognostic NRL signature in the training set and validation set. The predictive efficacy of the 5-NRL signature was assessed by survival analysis, nomogram, Cox regression, clinicopathological feature correlation analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Furthermore, correlations between the risk score (RS) and immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint molecules, somatic gene mutations, and anticancer drug sensitivity were analysed. Finally, we used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to validate the 5-NRLs.

RESULTS

A 5-NRL signature was established to predict the prognosis of PC, including LINC00857, AL672291.1, PTPRN2-AS1, AC141930.2, and MEG9. The 5-NRL signature demonstrated a high degree of predictive power according to ROC and Kaplan‒Meier curves and was revealed to be an independent prognostic risk factor via stratified survival analysis. Nomogram and calibration curves indicated the clinical adaptability of the signature. Immune-related pathways were linked to the 5-NRL signature according to enrichment analysis. Additionally, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint molecules, somatic gene mutations and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of chemotherapeutic agents were significantly different between the two risk subgroups. These results suggested that our model can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of immunotherapy and chemotherapy, providing a potential new strategy for treating PC.

CONCLUSIONS

The novel 5-NRL signature is helpful for assessing the prognosis of PC patients and improving therapy options, so it can be further applied clinically.

ZNF655 promotes the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through PSMB8

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of liver cancer that is associated with high mortality rates. This study aims to investigate the role of ZNF655, a member of the zinc finger protein family, in the development of HCC. Immunohistochemical staining analysis was conducted to evaluate the expression of ZNF655 in HCC patient samples. Lentivirus-mediated ZNF655 knockdown was established in HCC cell lines (BEL-7402 and HCCLM3). The effects of ZNF655 on different aspects of HCC cell behavior such as proliferation, apoptosis, cycle, migration and tumor formation were examined. Downstream targets of ZNF655 in HCC were identified and verified through loss/gain-of-function experiments. Clinically, ZNF655 expression was elevated in HCC and increased with the severity of the disease. Functionally, inhibition of ZNF655 expression reduced the progression of HCC cells by decreasing proliferation, causing apoptosis, arresting cell cycle retention in G2, suppressing migration, and attenuating tumor formation in mice. Mechanistically, the proteasome subunit beta type-8 (PSMB8) was found to be co-expressed with ZNF655 in HCC, and PSMB8 knockdown weakened the promotion of ZNF655 overexpression on HCC. In summary, these findings suggest that ZNF655 promotes the progression of HCC through PSMB8, and inhibition of its expression may be a promising therapeutic target for HCC.

LncRNA LZTS1-AS1 induces proliferation, metastasis and inhibits autophagy of pancreatic cancer cells through the miR-532 /TWIST1 signaling pathway

The 5 year survival rate after diagnosis of pancreatic cancer (PANC) is less than 5%, and it is one of the malignant tumors with the worst prognosis. Identification of novel oncogenes involved in the occurrence of pancreatic cancer is of great significance to improve the overall survival of PANC patients. Our previous study found that miR-532 is a key factor in PANC occurrence and development, and this study further explored its mechanism. We found that the expression of lncRNA LZTS1-AS1 was elevated in PANC tumor tissues and cells, and correlated with poor prognosis. In vitro experiments confirmed that LZTS1-AS1 could promote proliferation, oncogenicity, migration, and invasion of PANC cells, and inhibit apoptosis and autophagy. However, miR-532 had the completely opposite effect, and inhibition of miR-532 counteracted the effect of LZTS1-AS1 on PANC cells. Dual luciferase gene reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay confirmed the targeting relationship between LZTS1-AS1 and miR-532, and their expression levels were negatively correlated in PANC tissues. Overexpression of TWIST1 could counteract the effect of miR-532 in PANC cells, and the expression levels of both were negatively changed in PANC tissues and cells. Our results suggest that lncRNA LZTS1-AS1 acts as an oncogene to promote the metastasis of PANC and inhibit autophagy, and its mechanism may be to regulate TWIST1 through sponge miR-532. This study provides novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for PANC.

LncRNA FAM83A-AS1 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition of pancreatic cancer cells via Hippo pathway

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proved to play a vital role in pancreatic cancer (PC). However, the role of lncRNA FAM83A-AS1 in PC remains unclear. In this study, we explored the biological function and underlying mechanism of FAM83A-AS1 in PC cells.

METHODS

The FAM83A-AS1 expression was assessed via public databases and validated by qRT-PCR. The biofunction and immune cell infiltration of FAM83A-AS1 were analyzed through GO, KEGG, GESA and ssGSEA. The migration, invasion and proliferation abilities of PC cells were examined by Transwell, wound healing, CCK8 and colony formation. The EMT and Hippo pathway markers were evaluated by western blot.

RESULTS

FAM83A-AS1 expression was higher in PC tissues and cells than normal. Additionally, FAM83A-AS1 was associated with poor prognosis of PC and involved in cadherin binding and immune infiltration. Subsequently, we proved FAM83A-AS1 overexpression enhanced the migration, invasion and proliferation abilities of PC cells, whereas FAM83A-AS1 downregulation inhibited those. Moreover, western blot results showed that FAM83A-AS1 knockdown increased the E-cadherin expression and decreased the expression of N-cadherin, β-catenin, Vimentin, Snail and Slug. On the contrary, FAM83A-AS1 upregulation results in the opposite effects. Besides, FAM83A-AS1 overexpression inhibited the expression of p-YAP, p-MOB1, p-Lats1, SAV1, MST1 and MST2 as well as the results of FAM83A-AS1 knockdown were opposite.

CONCLUSION

FAM83A-AS1 promoted EMT of PC cells via Hippo signaling inactivation and may be a potential diagnosis and prognosis target.

LncRNA NORAD regulates the mechanism of the miR-532-3p/Nectin-4 axis in pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and angiogenesis

Backgound

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, and cell proliferation and angiogenesis play an important role in its occurrence and development. High levels of lncRNANORAD have been detected in many tumors, including PC, yet the effect and mechanism of lncRNA NORAD on PC cell angiogenesis are unexplored.

Methods

qRT.PCR was applied to quantify lncRNA NORAD and miR-532-3p expression in PC cells, and a dual luciferase reporter gene was used to verify the targeting effects of NORAD, miR-532-3p and Nectin-4. Then, we regulated NORAD and miR-532-3p expression in PC cells and detected their effects on PC cell proliferation and angiogenesis using cloning experiments and HUVEC tube formation experiments.

Results

LncRNA NORAD was upregulated and miR-532-3p was downregulated in PC cells compared with normal cells. Knockdown of NORAD inhibited PC cell proliferation and angiogenesis. LncRNA NORAD and miR-532-3p competitively bound to promote the expression of the miR-532-3p target gene Nectin-4, thereby promoting proliferation and angiogenesis of PC cells in vitro.

Conclusion

LncRNA NORAD promotes the proliferation and angiogenesis of PC cells by regulating the miR-532-3p/Nectin-4 axis, which may be a potential biological target in the diagnosis and treatment of clinical PC.

MiRNA-Based Therapies for Lung Cancer: Opportunities and Challenges?

Lung cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, posing a serious health risk. Despite new advances in immune checkpoint and targeted therapies in recent years, the prognosis for lung cancer patients, especially those in advanced stages, remains poor. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to modulate tumor development at multiple levels, and as such, miRNA mimics and molecules aimed at regulating miRNAs have shown promise in preclinical development. More importantly, miRNA-based therapies can also complement conventional chemoradiotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies to reverse drug resistance and increase the sensitivity of lung cancer cells. Furthermore, small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miRNA-based therapies have entered clinical trials and have shown favorable development prospects. Therefore, in this paper, we review recent advances in miRNA-based therapies in lung cancer treatment as well as adjuvant therapy and present the current state of clinical lung cancer treatment. We also discuss the challenges facing miRNA-based therapies in the clinical application of lung cancer treatment to provide new ideas for the development of novel lung cancer therapies.

Systemic Analyses of Cuproptosis-Related lncRNAs in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, with a Focus on the Molecular Mechanism of LINC00853

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a deadly malignant digestive tumor with poor prognoses and a lack of effective treatment options. Cuproptosis, a recently identified copper-dependent programmed cell death type, has been implicated in multiple cancers. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are also linked to the progression of PC. However, the role and prognostic values of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) remain unclear. In this study, we systemically analyzed the differential expressions and prognostic values of 672 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in PAAD. Based on this, a prognostic signature including four lncRNAs (LINC00853, AC099850.3, AC010719.1, and AC006504.7) was constructed and was able to divide PAAD patients into high- and low-risk groups with significantly different prognoses. Next, we focused on lncRNA LINC00853. The differential expressions of LINC00853 between normal tissue and PAAD samples were validated by qRT-PCR. LINC00853 was knocked down by siRNA in PC cell lines BxPC-3 and PANC-1 and the oncogenic role of LINC00853 was validated by CCK8, colony formation, and EdU assays. Subsequently, LINC00853 knockdown cells were subjected to tumor xenograft tests and exhibited decreased tumor growth in nude mice. Mechanistically, knockdown of LINC00853 significantly reduced cellular glycolysis and enhanced cellular mitochondrial respiration levels in PC cells. Moreover, knockdown of LINC00853 decreased the protein level of a glycolytic kinase PFKFB3. Finally, glycolysis tests and functional tests using LINC00853 and HA-PFKFB3 indicated that the effects of LINC00853 on glycolysis and cell proliferation were mediated by PFKFB3. In conclusion, our systemic analyses have highlighted the important roles of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in PAAD while the prognostic signature based on them showed excellent performance in PAAD patients and is expected to provide clinical guidance for individualized treatment. In addition, our findings provide a novel mechanism by which the LINC00853-PFKFB3 axis critically regulates aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation in PC cells.

Role of long non-coding RNAs in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis and treatment resistance- A review

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest cancers associated with poor prognosis. The lack of reliable means of early cancer detection contributes to this disease's dismal prognosis. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are protein-free RNAs produced by genome transcription; they play critical roles in gene expression regulation, epigenetic modification, cell proliferation, differentiation, and reproduction. Recent research has shown that lncRNAs play important regulatory roles in PC behaviors, in addition to their recently found functions. Several in-depth investigations have shown that lncRNAs are strongly linked to PC development and progression. Here, we discuss how lncRNAs, which are often overlooked, play many roles as regulators in the molecular mechanism underlying PC. This review also discusses the involved LncRNAs in PC pathogenesis and treatment resistance.

Large-scale integration of the non-coding RNAs with DNA methylation in human cancers

Characterizing influences of DNA methylation (DNAm) on non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is important to understand the mechanisms of gene regulation and cancer outcome. In our study, we describe the results of ncRNA quantitative trait methylation sites (ncQTM) analyses on 8,545 samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), 763 samples from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), and 516 samples from Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) to identify the significant associations between DNAm sites and ncRNAs (miRNA, long non-coding RNA [lncRNA], small nuclear RNA [snRNA], small nucleolar RNA [snoRNA], and rRNA) across 32 cancer types. With more than 22 billion tests, we identify 302,764 cis-ncQTMs (6.28% of all tested) and 79,841,728 trans-ncQTMs (1.15% of all tested). Most DNAm sites (70.6% on average) are in trans association, while only 25.2% DNAm sites are in cis association. Further, we develop a subtype named ncm_cluster based on cancer-specific ncRNAs thatis associated with tumor microenvironment, clinical outcome, and biological pathways. To comprehensively describe the ncQTM patterns, we developed a database named Pancan-ncQTM (http://bigdata.njmu.edu.cn/Pancan-ncQTM/).

Integrative analysis to screen novel pyroptosis-related LncRNAs for predicting clinical outcome of glioma and validation in tumor tissue

BACKGROUND

Pyroptosis, also known as inflammatory necrosis, is a programmed cell death that manifests itself as a continuous swelling of cells until the cell membrane breaks, leading to the liberation of cellular contents, which triggers an intense inflammatory response. Pyroptosis might be a panacea for a variety of cancers, which include immunotherapy and chemotherapy-insensitive tumors such as glioma. Several findings have observed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) modulate the bio-behavior of tumor cells by binding to RNA, DNA and protein. Nevertheless, there are few studies reporting the effect of lncRNAs in pyroptosis processes in glioma.

METHODS

The principal goal of this study was to identify pyroptosis-related lncRNAs (PRLs) utilizing bioinformatic algorithm and to apply PCR techniques for validation in human glioma tissues. The second goal was to establish a prognostic model for predicting the overall survival patients with glioma. Predict algorithm was used to construct prognosis model with good diagnostic precision for potential clinical translation.

RESULTS

Noticeably, molecular subtypes categorized by the PRLs were not distinct from any previously published subtypes of glioma. The immune and mutation landscapes were obviously different from previous subtypes of glioma. Analysis of the sensitivity (IC50) of patients to 30 chemotherapeutic agents identified 22 agents as potential therapeutic agents for patients with low riskscores.

CONCLUSIONS

We established an exact prognostic model according to the expression profile of PRLs, which may facilitate the assessment of patient prognosis and treatment patterns and could be further applied to clinical.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomal microRNA-382 promotes osteogenesis in osteoblast via regulation of SLIT2

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disorder with increased bone fragility. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) have multi-lineage differentiation ability, which may play important roles in osteoporosis. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of hBMSC-derived miR-382 in osteogenic differentiation.

METHODS

The miRNA and mRNA expressions in peripheral blood monocytes between persons with high or low bone mineral density (BMD) were compared. Then we collected the hBMSC-secreted sEV and examined the dominant components. The over-expression of the miR-382 in MG63 cell and its progression of osteogenic differentiation were investigated by qRT-PCR, western blot and alizarin red staining. The interaction between miR-382 and SLIT2 was confirmed by dual-luciferase assay. The role of SLIT2 was also confirmed through up-regulation in MG63 cell, and the osteogenic differentiation-associated gene and protein were tested.

RESULTS

According to bioinformatic analysis, a series of differential expressed genes between persons with high or low BMD were compared. After internalization of hBMSC-sEV in MG63 cells, we observed that the ability of osteogenic differentiation was significantly enhanced. Similarly, after up-regulation of miR-382 in MG63 cells, osteogenic differentiation was also promoted. According to the dual-luciferase assay, the targeting function of miR-382 in SLIT2 was demonstrated. Moreover, the benefits of hBMSC-sEV in osteogenesis were abrogated through up-regulation of SLIT2.

CONCLUSION

Our study provided evidence that miR-382-contained hBMSC-sEV held great promise in osteogenic differentiation in MG63 cells after internalization by targeting SLIT2, which can be served as molecular targets to develop effective therapy.

OASL knockdown inhibits the progression of stomach adenocarcinoma by regulating the mTORC1 signaling pathway

The present study investigated the effects of 2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase-like (OASL) on the biological functions of stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) cells and tumor formation in nude mice. The differential expression levels of OASL in the different cancer types from TCGA dataset were analyzed using gene expression profiling interactive analysis. Overall survival and the receiver operating characteristic were analyzed using the KM plotter and R, respectively. Furthermore, OASL expression and its effects on the biological functions of STAD cells were detected. The possible upstream transcription factors of OASL were predicted using JASPAR. The downstream signaling pathways of OASL were analyzed using GSEA. Tumor formation experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of OASL on tumor formation in nude mice. The results showed that OASL was highly expressed in STAD tissues and cell lines. OASL knockdown markedly inhibited cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion and accelerated STAD cell apoptosis. Conversely, OASL overexpression had the opposite effect on STAD cells. JASPAR analysis revealed that STAT1 is an upstream transcription factor of OASL. Furthermore, GSEA showed that OASL activated the mTORC1 signaling pathway in STAD. The protein expression levels of p-mTOR and p-RPS6KB1 were suppressed by OASL knockdown and promoted by OASL overexpression. The mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, markedly reversed the effect of OASL overexpression on STAD cells. Additionally, OASL promoted tumor formation and increased tumor weight and volume in vivo. In conclusion, OASL knockdown suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor formation of STAD cells by inhibiting the mTOR signaling pathway.