Long non-coding RNA BLACAT1 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by miR-150-5p/CCR2

Cis- and trans-eQTL TWASs of breast and ovarian cancer identify more than 100 susceptibility genes in the BCAC and OCAC consortia

Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWASs) have investigated the role of genetically regulated transcriptional activity in the etiologies of breast and ovarian cancer. However, methods performed to date have focused on the regulatory effects of risk-associated SNPs thought to act in cis on a nearby target gene. With growing evidence for distal (trans) regulatory effects of variants on gene expression, we performed TWASs of breast and ovarian cancer using a Bayesian genome-wide TWAS method (BGW-TWAS) that considers effects of both cis- and trans-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). We applied BGW-TWAS to whole-genome and RNA sequencing data in breast and ovarian tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project to train expression imputation models. We applied these models to large-scale GWAS summary statistic data from the Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer Association Consortia to identify genes associated with risk of overall breast cancer, non-mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer, and 10 cancer subtypes. We identified 101 genes significantly associated with risk with breast cancer phenotypes and 8 with ovarian phenotypes. These loci include established risk genes and several novel candidate risk loci, such as ACAP3, whose associations are predominantly driven by trans-eQTLs. We replicated several associations using summary statistics from an independent GWAS of these cancer phenotypes. We further used genotype and expression data in normal and tumor breast tissue from the Cancer Genome Atlas to examine the performance of our trained expression imputation models. This work represents an in-depth look into the role of trans eQTLs in the complex molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases.

The prognostic significance of LncRNA BLACAT1 overexpression in various tumors: a meta-analysis

Objective

Recent studies have revealed increasing evidence that the long non-coding RNA bladder cancer associated transcript 1 (LncRNA BLACAT1) plays an essential role in the emergence of different malignancies. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of LncRNA BLACAT1 in various cancers.

Methods

Six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Medline, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Chinese WanFang database) were comprehensively searched for relevant studies. The analysis of overall survival (OS) and clinicopathological characteristics was conducted.

Results

Nineteen studies with 1,559 patients were eventually eligible to be included in this meta-analysis. High expression level of LncRNA BLACAT1 was identified to be linked with shorter OS (HR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.66-2.46, p < 0.001) and PFS (HR: 2.424, 95% CI: 1.827-3.020, p < 0.001) in cancer patients as opposed to low expression levels. Subgroup analysis showed that analysis model (multivariate or univariate), cut-off value (mean or median), sample size (more or fewer than 100), and cancer type had little effect on OS in multiple tumors. Moreover, high LncRNA BLACAT1 expression was associated with positive lymph node metastasis (HR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.66-3.16, p < 0.00001), advanced clinical stage (HR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.65-3.19, p < 0.00001) and worse differentiation status (HR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.37-0.92, p = 0.02), compared to low LncRNA BLACAT1 expression.

Conclusion

The findings highlight that high LncRNA BLACAT1 expression might be detrimental and induce a worse prognosis for cancer patients.

Biological landscape and nanostructural view in development and reversal of oxaliplatin resistance in colorectal cancer

The treatment of cancer patients has been mainly followed using chemotherapy and it is a gold standard in improving prognosis and survival rate of patients. Oxaliplatin (OXA) is a third-platinum anti-cancer agent that reduces DNA synthesis in cancer cells to interfere with their growth and cell cycle progression. In spite of promising results of using OXA in cancer chemotherapy, the process of drug resistance has made some challenges. OXA is commonly applied in treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) as a malignancy of gastrointestinal tract and when CRC cells increase their proliferation and metastasis, they can obtain resistance to OXA chemotherapy. A number of molecular factors such as CHK2, SIRT1, c-Myc, LATS2 and FOXC1 have been considered as regulators of OXA response in CRC cells. The non-coding RNAs are able to function as master regulator of other molecular pathways in modulating OXA resistance. There is a close association between molecular mechanisms such as apoptosis, autophagy, glycolysis and EMT with OXA resistance, so that apoptosis inhibition, pro-survival autophagy induction and stimulation of EMT and glycolysis can induce OXA resistance in CRC cells. A number of anti-tumor compounds including astragaloside IV, resveratrol and nobiletin are able to enhance OXA sensitivity in CRC cells. Nanoparticles for increasing potential of OXA in CRC suppression and reversing OXA resistance have been employed in cancer chemotherapy. These subjects are covered in this review article to shed light on molecular factors resulting in OXA resistance.

Cis- and trans-eQTL TWAS of breast and ovarian cancer identify more than 100 risk associated genes in the BCAC and OCAC consortia

Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) have investigated the role of genetically regulated transcriptional activity in the etiologies of breast and ovarian cancer. However, methods performed to date have only considered regulatory effects of risk associated SNPs thought to act in cis on a nearby target gene. With growing evidence for distal (trans) regulatory effects of variants on gene expression, we performed TWAS of breast and ovarian cancer using a Bayesian genome-wide TWAS method (BGW-TWAS) that considers effects of both cis- and trans-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). We applied BGW-TWAS to whole genome and RNA sequencing data in breast and ovarian tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project to train expression imputation models. We applied these models to large-scale GWAS summary statistic data from the Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer Association Consortia to identify genes associated with risk of overall breast cancer, non-mucinous epithelial ovarian cancer, and 10 cancer subtypes. We identified 101 genes significantly associated with risk with breast cancer phenotypes and 8 with ovarian phenotypes. These loci include established risk genes and several novel candidate risk loci, such as ACAP3, whose associations are predominantly driven by trans-eQTLs. We replicated several associations using summary statistics from an independent GWAS of these cancer phenotypes. We further used genotype and expression data in normal and tumor breast tissue from the Cancer Genome Atlas to examine the performance of our trained expression imputation models. This work represents a first look into the role of trans-eQTLs in the complex molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases.

Non-Coding RNAs in Human Cancer and Other Diseases: Overview of the Diagnostic Potential

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are abundant single-stranded RNA molecules in human cells, involved in various cellular processes ranging from DNA replication and mRNA translation regulation to genome stability defense. MicroRNAs are multifunctional ncRNA molecules of 18-24 nt in length, involved in gene silencing through base-pair complementary binding to target mRNA transcripts. piwi-interacting RNAs are an animal-specific class of small ncRNAs sized 26-31 nt, responsible for the defense of genome stability via the epigenetic and post-transcriptional silencing of transposable elements. Long non-coding RNAs are ncRNA molecules defined as transcripts of more than 200 nucleotides, their function depending on localization, and varying from the regulation of cell differentiation and development to the regulation of telomere-specific heterochromatin modifications. The current review provides recent data on the several forms of small and long non-coding RNA's potential to act as diagnostic, prognostic or therapeutic target for various human diseases.

The RNA interactome in the Hallmarks of Cancer

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules are indispensable for cellular homeostasis in healthy and malignant cells. However, the functions of RNA extend well beyond that of a protein-coding template. Rather, both coding and non-coding RNA molecules function through critical interactions with a plethora of cellular molecules, including other RNAs, DNA, and proteins. Deconvoluting this RNA interactome, including the interacting partners, the nature of the interaction, and dynamic changes of these interactions in malignancies has yielded fundamental advances in knowledge and are emerging as a novel therapeutic strategy in cancer. Here, we present an RNA-centric review of recent advances in the field of RNA-RNA, RNA-protein, and RNA-DNA interactomic network analysis and their impact across the Hallmarks of Cancer. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA-Protein Complexes.

A lncRNA-disease association prediction model based on the two-step PU learning and fully connected neural networks

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play a regulatory role in various processes of human diseases. However, lncRNA experiments are inefficient, time-consuming and highly subjective, so that the number of experimentally verified associations between lncRNA and diseases is limited. In the era of big data, numerous machine learning methods have been proposed to predict the potential association between lncRNA and diseases, but the characteristics of the associated data were seldom explored. In these methods, negative samples are randomly selected for model training and the model is prone to learn the potential positive association error, thus affecting the prediction accuracy. In this paper, we proposed a cyclic optimization model of predicting lncRNA-disease associations (COPTLDA in short). In COPTLDA, the two-step training strategy is adopted to search for the samples with the greater probability of being negative examples from unlabeled samples and the determined samples are treated as negative samples, which are combined together with known positive samples to train the model. The searching and training steps are repeated until the best model is obtained as the final prediction model. In order to evaluate the performance of the model, 30% of the known positive samples are used to calculate the model accuracy and 10% of positive samples are used to calculate the recall rate of the model. The sampling strategy used in this paper can improve the accuracy and the AUC value reaches 0.9348. The results of case studies showed that the model could predict the potential associations between lncRNA and malignant tumors such as colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and breast cancer. The predicted top 20 associated lncRNAs included 10 colorectal cancer lncRNAs, 2 gastric cancer lncRNAs, and 8 breast cancer lncRNAs.

Pathogenesis of psoriasis via miR-149-5p/AKT1axis by long noncoding RNA BLACAT1

BACKGROUND

Psoriasis is a chronic, complicated, and recurrent inflammatory skin disease, whose precise molecular mechanisms need to be further explored. The lncRNA bladder cancer-associated transcript 1 (BLACAT1) is aberrantly expressed in many cancers and associated with cellular hyperproliferation and may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Thus, this study aimed at identifying the primary mechanism associated with BLACAT1 in psoriasis pathogenesis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of BLACAT1 in psoriasis tissues. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed using cell counting kit-8 and apoptosis assays, respectively. In vivo experiments and histopathological examinations were performed to investigate the effects of BLACAT1 on psoriasis. Dual-luciferase Reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to evaluate the relationship among BLACAT1 and miR-149-5p and AKT1.

RESULTS

BLACAT1 was upregulated in psoriasis tissues. Overexpression exacerbated the clinical manifestation of psoriasis and increased the epidermal thickness in imiquimod-induced mice. BLACAT1 could promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of keratinocytes. Further studies demonstrated that BLACAT1 positively regulated AKT1 expression, functioning as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR-149-5p.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of lncRNA BLACAT1 and miR-149-5p regulates AKT1 expression and promotes psoriasis formation thus may provide a new direction for psoriasis treatment.

Urinary BLACAT1 as a non-invasive biomarker for bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer (BC) is recorded as the fifth most common cancer worldwide with high morbidity and mortality. The most urgent problem in BCs is the high recurrence rate as two-thirds of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) will develop into muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), which retains a feature of rapid progress and metastasis. In addition, only a limited number of biomarkers are available for diagnosing BC compared to other cancers. Hence, finding sensitive and specific biomarkers for predicting the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with BC is critically needed. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the expression and clinical significance of urinary lncRNA BLACAT1 as a non-invasively diagnostic and prognostic biomarker to detect and differentiate BCs stages.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The expression levels of urinary BLACAT1 were detected by qRT-PCR assay in seventy (70) BC patients with different TNM grades (T0-T3) and twelve (12) healthy subjects as control. BLACAT1 was downregulated in superficial stages (T0 = 0.09 ± 0.02 and T1 = 0.5 ± 0.1) compared to healthy control. Furthermore, in the invasive stages, its levels started to elevate in the T2 stage (1.2 ± 0. 2), and higher levels were detected in the T3 stage with a mean value of (5.2 ± 0.6). This elevation was positively correlated with disease progression. Therefore, BLACAT1 can differentiate between metastatic and non-metastatic stages of BCs. Furthermore, its predictive values are not like to be influenced by schistosomal infection.

CONCLUSIONS

Upregulation of BLACAT1 in invasive stages predicted an unfavorable prognosis for patients with BCs, as it contributes to the migration and metastasis of BCs. Therefore, we can conclude that urinary BLACAT1 may be considered a non-invasive promising metastatic biomarker for BCs.

MicroRNA-150-5p inhibits the proliferation and invasion of human larynx epidermiod cancer cells though regulating peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of miR-150-5p regulating the malignant biological behavior of Human Epidermoid cancer cell (HEp-2) by targeting peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase NIMA-Interacting-1 (PIN1).

METHODS

Firstly, qRT-PCR and Western blot were adopted to detect the expression levels of miR-150-5p and PIN1 in cancer tissue and paracancerous tissues of patients with LSCC, and those in human bronchial epithelial cells (16 HBE) and HEp-2. Next, the targeted relationship between miR-150-5p and PIN1 was assessed by bioinformatics website and dual-luciferase reporter assay, followed by their correlation analysis. Besides, after interfering with miR-150-5p or PIN1 expression in HEp-2 cells, CCK-8, cell colony formation assay, and transwell assay were utilized to detect the proliferation, viability, and invasion of cells, respectively. Subsequently, the protein levels of MMP-2, MMP-9, and EMT-related proteins in HEp-2 cells were checked by Western blot.

RESULTS

Expression of miR-150-5p was down-regulated in LSCC tissues and HEp-2 cells. Moreover, miR-150-5p suppressed proliferation and invasion of HEp-2 cells, affected protein expression related to MMP and EMT, thereby inhibiting development of cancer. The expression of PIN1 was significantly increased in cancer tissues and HEp-2 cells, and there was a targeted relationship and negative correlation between miR-150-5p and PIN1 in cancer tissue. However, overexpression of PIN1 could reverse the effect of miR-150-5p on the proliferation and invasion of HEp-2 cells.

CONCLUSION

In a nutshell, there is a targeted relationship between PIN1 and miR-150-5p. Besides, miR-150-5p can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of HEp-2 cells by regulating the expression of PIN1.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3

Metformin and long non-coding RNAs in breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer and cause of death in women. In recent years many studies investigated the association of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), as novel genetic factors, on BC risk, survival, clinical and pathological features. Recent studies also investigated the roles of metformin treatment as the firstline treatment for type 2 diabetes (T2D) played in lncRNAs expression/regulation or BC incidence, outcome, mortality and survival, separately. This comprehensive study aimed to review lncRNAs associated with BC features and identify metformin-regulated lncRNAs and their mechanisms of action on BC or other types of cancers. Finally, metformin affects BC by regulating five BC-associated lncRNAs including GAS5, HOTAIR, MALAT1, and H19, by several molecular mechanisms have been described in this review. In addition, metformin action on other types of cancers by regulating ten lncRNAs including AC006160.1, Loc100506691, lncRNA-AF085935, SNHG7, HULC, UCA1, H19, MALAT1, AFAP1-AS1, AC026904.1 is described.

Coding roles of long non-coding RNAs in breast cancer: Emerging molecular diagnostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets with special reference to chemotherapy resistance

Dysregulation of epigenetic mechanisms have been depicted in several pathological consequence such as cancer. Different modes of epigenetic regulation (DNA methylation (hypomethylation or hypermethylation of promotor), histone modifications, abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs, and small nucleolar RNAs), are discovered. Particularly, lncRNAs are known to exert pivot roles in different types of cancer including breast cancer. LncRNAs with oncogenic and tumour suppressive potential are reported. Differentially expressed lncRNAs contribute a remarkable role in the development of primary and acquired resistance for radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. A wide range of molecular subtype specific lncRNAs have been assessed in breast cancer research. A number of studies have also shown that lncRNAs may be clinically used as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of breast cancer. Such molecular biomarkers have also been found in cancer stem cells of breast tumours. The objectives of the present review are to summarize the important roles of oncogenic and tumour suppressive lncRNAs for the early diagnosis of breast cancer, metastatic potential, and chemotherapy resistance across the molecular subtypes.

Hypermethylation of tumor suppressor lncRNA MEF2C-AS1 frequently happened in patients at all stages of colorectal carcinogenesis

Background

The novel long noncoding RNA MEF2C-AS1 has been identified to play suppressor roles during tumorigenesis. DNA methylation has a regulatory effect on gene expression in cancer initiation and progression. However, the methylation status of MEF2C-AS1 and its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) development remain unclear.

Methods

The expression and methylation levels of MEF2C-AS1 were systematically analyzed among 31 cancers with available qualified data in GEPIA and UCSC Xena databases. Then, the MEF2C-AS1 methylation status was firstly examined among 12 CRCs by Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip in in-house step 1 and further quantified among 48 CRCs by the MassARRAY method in in-house step 2. Subsequently, its methylation and expression levels were quantified among 81 non-advanced adenomas (NAAs), 81 advanced adenomas (AAs), and 286 CRCs using the MassARRAY method, and among 34 NAAs, 45 AAs, and 75 CRCs by qRT-PCR, in in-house step 3, respectively. The effect of MEF2C-AS1 methylation on CRC survival was analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier method. Additionally, in vitro cell proliferation, migration and invasion assays, and bioinformatics analysis were performed to explore the role of MEF2C-AS1 in colorectal carcinogenesis.

Results

Lower expression and higher methylation of MEF2C-AS1 were found in CRC by online databases. In the comparisons of lesion tissues with adjacent normal tissues, MEF2C-AS1 hypermethylation of each individual site and mean level was found among CRC patients in in-house step 1 and step 2, more meaningfully, among NAA patients, AA patients, and CRC patients at all stages during colorectal carcinogenesis in in-house step 3 (all p < 0.05). Further comparisons demonstrated significant differences between CRC and NAA (p = 0.025), AA and NAA (p = 0.020). Moreover, MEF2C-AS1 hypermethylation was associated with poorer disease-specific survival of CRC patients (p = 0.044). In addition, hypermethylation and lower expression of MEF2C-AS1 were verified in RKO cells, and the MEF2C-AS1 overexpression significantly suppressed RKO cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Conclusions

The findings reveal that MEF2C-AS1 hypermethylation might be an early driven event during colorectal carcinogenesis. It might serve as a promising prognostic biomarker for CRC survival. Our study also indicates the potential tumor-suppressing role of MEF2C-AS1 in CRC.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13148-022-01328-1.

MicroRNAs miR-142-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-320a-3p, and miR-4433b-5p in Serum and Tissue: Potential Biomarkers in Sporadic Breast Cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease, and establishing biomarkers is essential to patient management. We previously described that extracellular vesicle–derived miRNAs (EV-miRNAs) miR-142-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-320a, and miR-4433b-5p in serum discriminated BC from control samples, either alone or combined in a panel. Using these previously described markers, we intend to evaluate whether the same markers identified in EVs are also potential biomarkers in tissue and serum. Expression analysis using RT-qPCR was performed using serum of 67 breast cancer patients (BC-S), 19 serum controls (CT), 83 fresh tumor tissues (BC-T), and 29 adjacent nontumor tissue samples (NT). In addition, analysis from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data (832 BC-T and 136 NT) was performed. In all comparisons, we found concordant high expression levels of miR-320a and miR-4433b-5p in BC-S compared to CT in both EVs and cell-free miRNAs (cf-miRNAs). Although miR-150-5p and miR-142-5p were not found to be differentially expressed in serum, panels including these miRNAs improved sensitivity and specificity, supporting our previous findings in EVs. Fresh tissue and data from the TCGA database had, in most comparisons, an opposite behavior when compared to serum and EVs: lower levels of all miRNAs in BC-T than those in NT samples. TCGA analyses revealed reduced expression levels of miR-150-5p and miR-320a-3p in BC-T than those in NT samples and the overexpression of miR-142-5p in BC-T, unlike our RT-qPCR results from tissue in the Brazilian cohort. The fresh tissue analysis showed that all miRNAs individually could discriminate between BC-T and NT in the Brazilian cohort, with high sensitivity and sensibility. Furthermore, combining panels showed higher AUC values and improved sensitivity and specificity. In addition, lower levels of miR-320a-3p in serum were associated with poor overall survival in BC Brazilian patients. In summary, we observed that miR-320a and miR-4433b-5p distinguished BC from controls with high specificity and sensibility, regardless of the sample source. In addition, lower levels of miR-150-5p and higher levels of miR-142-5p were statistically significant biomarkers in tissue, according to TCGA. When combined in panels, all combinations could distinguish BC patients from controls. These results highlight a potential application of these miRNAs as BC biomarkers.

MiR-150-5p Overexpression in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Contributes to the In Vitro Aggressiveness of This Breast Cancer Subtype

Simple Summary

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a clinically aggressive type of breast cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small molecules that regulate the expression of genes involved in tumor cell signaling. The miR-150-5p is frequently deregulated in cancer, with expression and mode of action varying according to the cancer type. In this study, we investigated the expression levels of miR-150-5p in TNBC, its association with clinical and pathological features of patients, and its role in modulating TNBC cell proliferation, migration, and drug resistance. Our results suggest that miR-150-5p is highly expressed in TNBC and that miR-150-5p expression levels are associated with tumor grade, patient survival, and ethnicity. Our findings also indicate that miR-150-5p contributes to the aggressive phenotypes of TNBC cells in vitro.

Abstract

MiR-150-5p is frequently deregulated in cancer, with expression and mode of action varying according to the tumor type. Here, we investigated the expression levels and role of miR-150-5p in the aggressive breast cancer subtype triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). MiR-150-5p expression levels were analyzed in tissue samples from 113 patients with invasive breast cancer (56 TNBC and 57 non-TNBC) and 41 adjacent non-tumor tissues (ANT). Overexpression of miR-150-5p was observed in tumor tissues compared with ANT tissues and in TNBC compared with non-TNBC tissues. MiR-150-5p expression levels were significantly associated with high tumor grades and the Caucasian ethnicity. Interestingly, high miR-150-5p levels were associated with prolonged overall survival. Manipulation of miR-150-5p expression in TNBC cells modulated cell proliferation, clonogenicity, migration, and drug resistance. Manipulation of miR-150-5p expression also resulted in altered expression of its mRNA targets, including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition markers, MYB, and members of the SRC pathway. These findings suggest that miR-150-5p is overexpressed in TNBC and contributes to the aggressiveness of TNBC cells in vitro.

Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancer: Role of Non-coding RNAs

High oxidative stress, Th1/Th17 immune response, M1 macrophage inflammation, and cell death are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Controlled oxidative stress, Th2/Treg anti-tumor immune response, M2 macrophage inflammation, and survival are associated with cancer. MiR-21 protects against cardiovascular diseases but may induce tumor growth by retaining the anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage and Treg phenotypes and inhibiting apoptosis. Down-regulation of let-7, miR-1, miR-9, miR-16, miR-20a, miR-22a, miR-23a, miR-24a, miR-26a, miR-29, miR-30a, miR-34a, miR-124, miR-128, miR-130a, miR-133, miR-140, miR-143-145, miR-150, miR-153, miR-181a, miR-378, and miR-383 may aid cancer cells to escape from stresses. Upregulation of miR-146 and miR-223 may reduce anti-tumor immune response together with miR-21 that also protects against apoptosis. MiR-155 and silencing of let-7e, miR-125, and miR-126 increase anti-tumor immune response. MiR expression depends on oxidative stress, cytokines, MYC, and TGF-β, and expression of silencing lncRNAs and circ-RNAs. However, one lncRNA or circ-RNA may have opposite effects by targeting several miRs. For example, PVT1 induces apoptosis by targeting miR-16a and miR-30a but inhibits apoptosis by silencing miR-17. In addition, levels of a non-coding RNA in a cell type depend not only on expression in that cell type but also on an exchange of microvesicles between cell types and tumors. Although we got more insight into the function of a growing number of individual non-coding RNAs, overall, we do not know enough how several of them interact in functional networks and how their expression changes at different stages of disease progression.

Long non-coding RNA PVT1 facilitates cell migration and invasion by regulating miR-148a-3p and ROCK1 in breast cancer

PURPOSE

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common malignant tumors for women. The role and potential mechanisms of long non-coding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (lncRNA PVT1) were explored in BC cell migration and invasion.

METHODS

PVT1, miR-148a-3p and Rho‑associated, coiled‑coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) mRNA expressions were detected using real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The ROCK1 protein expression was detected by Western blotting. The relationship of PVT1, miR-148a-3p and ROCK1 was analyzed by Dual Luciferase activity, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and Spearman correlation analysis. Cell invasion and migration were detected by Transwell assay.

RESULTS

Upregulation of PVT1 and ROCK1, and downregulation of miR-148a-3p were observed in BC tissues and cell lines. According to the analysis of Dual Luciferase activity, RIP and Spearman correlation analysis, miR-148a-3p directly binds to PVT1, and ROCK1 is a target of miR-148a-3p. In addition, PVT1 regulated the cells migration and invasion by regulating miR-148a-3p and ROCK1 expression.

CONCLUSION

These data demonstrated that PVT1 was upregulated and facilitated to the cell migration and invasion of BC by the regulation of miR-148a-3p and ROCK1, indicating that PVT1 may be a potential biomarker of BC diagnosis and treatment.

Bladder cancer-associated transcript 1 promotes melanoma cell proliferation and invasion via the miR-374b-5p/U2-associated factor homology motif kinase 1 axis

Melanoma is a malignancy derived from melanocytes and is associated with high mortality rates worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to be pivotal regulators in multiple types of cancer. Many lncRNAs are aberrantly expressed in tumors and perform vital functions in cancer progression. Nevertheless, the biological role of lncRNA bladder cancer-associated transcript 1 (BLACAT1) in melanoma progression remains unexplored. In this study, the collected data showed that BLACAT1 was highly expressed in melanoma. Mechanistically, miR-374b-5p bound to BLACAT1, and U2-associated factor homology motif kinase 1 (UHMK1) was a downstream target of miR-374b-5p. BLACAT1 upregulated UHMK1 expression by acting as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-374-5b. BLACAT1 deficiency resulted in the upregulation of miR-374b-5p expression and the downregulation of UHMK1 expression in melanoma cells. Moreover, BLACAT1 activated PI3K and AKT signaling by upregulating UHMK1 expression, as shown by western blotting analyses. Functionally, UHMK1 overexpression or miR-374b-5p knockdown reversed the suppressive effect of BLACAT1 depletion on melanoma cell proliferation and invasion. In conclusion, BLACAT1 promotes melanoma cell proliferation and invasion by upregulating UHMK1 expression via miR-374b-5p to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway. These results might provide promising insight into the investigation of prognostic biomarkers of melanoma.

Circulating non-coding RNAs as a diagnostic and management biomarker for breast cancer: current insights

Cancer biomarkers can be used to determine the molecular status of a tumor or its metastases, which either release them directly into body fluids or indirectly through disruption of tumor/metastatic tissue. New minimally invasive and repeatable sample collection methods, such as liquid biopsy, have been developed in the last decade to apply cancer knowledge and track its progression. Circulating non-coding RNAs, which include microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and PIWI-interacting RNAs, are increasingly being recognized as potential cancer biomarkers. The growing understanding of cancer's molecular pathogenesis, combined with the rapid development of new molecular techniques, encourages the study of early molecular alterations associated with cancer development in body fluids. Specific genetic and epigenetic changes in circulating free RNA (cf-RNA) in plasma, serum, and urine could be used as diagnostic biomarkers for a variety of cancers. Only a subset of these cf-RNAs have been studied in breast cancer, with the most extensive research focusing on cf-miRNA in plasma. These findings pave the way for immediate use of selected cf-RNAs as biomarkers in breast cancer liquid biopsy, as well as additional research into other cf-RNAs to advance.

FOXD3-AS1 suppresses the progression of non-small cell lung cancer by regulating miR-150/SRCIN1axis

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNA (lncNRA) forkhead box D3 antisense RNA 1 (FOXD3-AS1) has been proved to promote or suppress the occurrence and development of multiple types of human tumors. However, the function and mechanism of FOXD3-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are scarcely understood.

METHODS

qRT-PCR was used for detecting FOXD3-AS1, miR-150 and SRC kinase signaling inhibitor 1 (SRCIN1) mRNA expression in NSCLC tissues, and the relationship between pathological characteristics of NSCLC patients and FOXD3-AS1 expression level was analyzed. With human NSCLC cell lines H1299 and A549 as cell models, CCK-8 and BrdU assays were employed for detecting cancer cell proliferation, and Transwell assay was employed for detecting cell invasion ability. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were used for the verification of the targeting relationshipe between FOXD3-AS1 and miR-150, and Western blot was employed for detecting SRCIN1 protein expression.

RESULTS

FOXD3-AS1 expression was significantly reduced in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and low expression of FOXD3-AS1 was closely related to positive lymph node metastasis and relatively high tumor grade. FOXD3-AS1 over-expression inhibited the proliferation and invasion of H1299 cell lines, while its knockdown promoted the proliferation and invasion of A549 cells. Additionally, it was confirmed that FOXD3-AS1 suppressed the expression of miR-150 by targeting it, and up-regulated the expression of SRCIN1.

CONCLUSIONS

FOXD3-AS1 indirectly enhances the expression of SRCIN1 by targeting miR-150, thereby inhibiting NSCLC progression.

A ten N6-methyladenosine-related long non-coding RNAs signature predicts prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer

Background

Patients with triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) face a major challenge of the poor prognosis, and N6‐methyladenosine‐(m6A) mediated regulation in cancer has been proposed. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the prognostic roles of m6A‐related long non‐coding RNAs (LncRNAs) in TNBC.

Methods

Clinical information and expression data of TNBC samples were collected from TCGA and GEO databases. Pearson correlation, univariate, and multivariate Cox regression analysis were employed to identify independent prognostic m6A‐related LncRNAs to construct the prognostic score (PS) risk model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the performance of PS risk model. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was established for the functional analysis on targeted mRNAs.

Results

We identified 10 independent prognostic m6A‐related LncRNAs (SAMD12‐AS1, BVES‐AS1, LINC00593, MIR205HG, LINC00571, ANKRD10‐IT1, CIRBP‐AS1, SUCLG2‐AS1, BLACAT1, and HOXB‐AS1) and established a PS risk model accordingly. Relevant results suggested that TNBC patients with lower PS had better overall survival status, and ROC curves proved that the PS model had better prognostic abilities with the AUC of 0.997 and 0.864 in TCGA and GSE76250 datasets, respectively. Recurrence and PS model status were defined as independent prognostic factors of TNBC. These ten LncRNAs were all differentially expressed in high‐risk TNBC compared with controls. The ceRNA network revealed the regulatory axes for nine key LncRNAs, and mRNAs in the network were identified to function in pathways of cell communication, signaling transduction and cancer.

Conclusion

Our findings proposed a ten‐m6A‐related LncRNAs as potential biomarkers to predict the prognostic risk of TNBC.

Up-regulation of long non-coding RNA BLACAT1 predicts aggressive clinicopathologic characteristics and poor prognosis of glioma

ABSTRACT

Bladder cancer-associated transcript 1 (BLACAT1) is one of the most common cancer-associated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which has been reported as a tumor promotor in several malignancies. Previously, BLACAT1 was found to be overexpressed in glioma tissues and cell lines. Functional assays determined that BLACAT1 promoted glioma cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, suggesting that BLACAT1 might serve as an oncogene in glioma. In the present study, we aimed to investigate its clinical significance and prognostic value in glioma patients.A total of 137 paired glioma tissue samples and adjacent normal brain tissue samples were collected from 137 glioma patients who underwent surgery from May 2014 to February 2019. The Student t test was applied to determine the statistical significance of the observed differences between 2 groups. Survival curves were constructed and differences among groups were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.The relative expression of BLACAT1 in glioma samples was significantly higher than that of matched normal tissues (P < .001). The expression level of tissue BLACAT1 was statistically correlated with tumor size (P = .04), Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) (P = .006), and WHO grade (P = .017). Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test revealed that BLACAT1 up-regulation was correlated with shorter overall survival time of patients with glioma (Log Rank test, P = .012). In multivariate Cox analysis, BLACAT1 expression was found to be an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in patients with glioma (HR = 2.739; 95% CI: 1.785-8.229; P = .035). Our study demonstrates that up-regulation of BLACAT1 is able to predict aggressive clinicopathologic characteristics and poor prognosis of glioma patients. These findings may have significant implications for potential treatment options and prognosis for patients with glioma.

Long non-coding RNAs and cancer metastasis: Molecular basis and therapeutic implications

Cancer metastasis, defined by the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of tumor cells, disseminates from the primary site to progressively colonize in distant tissues, and accounts for most cancer-associated deaths. However, studies on the molecular basis of cancer metastasis are still in their infancy. Besides genetic mutations, accumulating evidence indicates that epigenetic alterations also contribute in a major way to the refractory nature of cancer metastasis. Considered as one of the essential epigenetic regulators, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as signaling regulators, decoys, guides and scaffolds, modulating key molecules in every step of cancer metastasis including dissemination of carcinoma cells, intravascular transit, and metastatic colonization. Although still having limited clinical application, it is encouraging to witness that several lncRNAs, including CCAT1 and HOTAIR, are under clinical evaluation as potential biomarkers for cancer staging and assessment of metastatic potential. In this review, we focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying lncRNAs in the regulation of cancer metastasis and discuss their clinical potential as novel therapeutic targets as well as their diagnostic and prognostic significance for cancer treatment. Gaining clear insights into the detailed molecular basis underlying lncRNA-modulated cancer metastasis may provide previously unrecognized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for metastatic patients.

Oncogenic roles of lncRNA BLACAT1 and its related mechanisms in human cancers

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play indispensable roles in mediating regulation of epigenetics, and their dysregulation is strongly associated with the initiation and progression of human cancers. Recently, lncRNA bladder cancer-associated transcript 1 (BLACAT1) has been observed to exert oncogenic effects on cancers, including glioma, breast cancer, lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer and osteosarcoma. Additional mechanical analyses have uncovered that lncRNA BLACAT1 is positively correlated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis of primary tumors via involvement with various cellular activities, thus leading to poor overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS). In this review, we generalize the oncogenic roles of BLACAT1 in multiple human cancers through correlation with clinical implications and cellular activities. Moreover, we forecast its potential clinical application as a novel biomarker and a promising therapeutic target for cancers.

The roles of long noncoding RNAs in breast cancer metastasis

Breast cancer is the most significant threat to female health. Breast cancer metastasis is the major cause of mortality in breast cancer patients. To fully unravel the molecular mechanisms that underlie the breast cancer cell metastasis is critical for developing strategies to improve survival and prognosis in breast cancer patients. Recent studies have revealed that the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in breast cancer metastasis through a variety of molecule mechanisms, though the precise functional details of these lncRNAs are yet to be clarified. In the present review, we focus on the functions of lncRNAs in breast cancer invasion and metastasis, with particular emphasis on the functional properties, the regulatory factors, the therapeutic promise, as well as the future challenges in studying these lncRNA.

Long Non-Coding RNA BLACAT1 in Human Cancers

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a cluster of RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides in length, which lack protein-coding capacity. They are important regulators of numerous cellular processes, including gene transcription, translation, and posttranslational modification, especially in tumor initiation and progression. Aberrant expression of lncRNA bladder cancer-associated transcript 1 (BLACAT1) has been reported in various human cancers and was usually associated with unfavorable prognosis. Previous studies have revealed that dysregulation of BLACAT1 could promote the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. In this review, we summarize the present understanding of the functions and underlying mechanisms of BLACAT1 in the occurrence and development of various human cancers and discuss the roles of this lncRNA in cancers, including its promising application as a prognostic biomarker or a novel therapeutic target for malignancies.

Long non-coding RNA BLACAT1 expedites osteosarcoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion via up-regulating SOX12 through miR-608

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BLACAT1 promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and dampens cell apoptosis in OS.

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BLACAT1 sponges miR-608 in OS.

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SOX12 is the target of miR-608.

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BLACA1 promotes OS cell growth and migration via targeting miR-608/SOX12 axis.

Background

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone malignancy. Increasing evidence indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) possess multiple functions in the development of cancer and can be used as indicators of prognosis and diagnosis. LncRNA BLACAT1 has been found to promote the proliferation of breast cancer cells. However, the role of BLACAT1 in osteosarcoma remains largely unknown.

Methods

QRT-PCR analysis was employed to evaluate mRNA expressions. Western blot was performed to measure relevant protein level. Colony formation and EdU assays were conducted to certify proliferative ability. TUNEL assay was finalized to assess apoptotic cells. Wound-healing and transwell assays were utilized for the exploration of migrating and invasive abilities. The subcellular distribution of BLACAT1 was studied by nucleus-cytoplasm separation assay. Relevant mechanical experiments were combined to elucidate molecular relationship between molecules.

Results

BLACAT1 was highly expressed in osteosarcoma. BLACAT1 promoted the proliferation and migration of osteosarcoma cells. BLACAT1 acted as a sponge for miR-608 to augment the expression of Sex determining region Y-box protein 12 (SOX12), the direct target of miR-608. Further, inhibiting miR-608 recovered the repressive effect of silenced BLACAT1 on the malignant behaviors of osteosarcoma cells.

Conclusion

This study highlighted the contribution of BLACAT1/miR-608/SOX12 axis to the progression of osteosarcoma, suggesting novel targets for osteosarcoma therapy.

Knockdown of lncRNA ZFAS1-suppressed non-small cell lung cancer progression via targeting the miR-150-5p/HMGA2 signaling

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the main type of lung malignancy. Early diagnosis and treatments for NSCLC are far from satisfactory due to the limited knowledge of the molecular mechanisms regarding NSCLC progression. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ZNFX1 antisense RNA1 (ZFAS1) has been implicated for its functional role in the progression of malignant tumors. This study aimed to determine the ZFAS1 expression from lung cancer clinical samples and to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying ZFAS1-modulated NSCLC progression. Experimental assays revealed that clinical samples and cell lines of lung malignant tumors showed an upregulation of ZFSA1. ZFAS1 expression was markedly upregulated in the lung tissues from patients with advanced stage of this malignancy. The loss-of-function assays showed that knockdown of ZFAS1-suppressed NSCLC cell proliferative, as well as invasive potentials, increased NSCLC cell apoptotic rates in vitro and also attenuated tumor growth of NSCLC cells in the nude mice. Further experimental evidence showed that ZFAS1 inversely affected miR-150-5p expression and positively affected high-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) expression in NSCLC cell lines. MiR-150-5p inhibition or HMGA2 overexpression counteracted the effects of ZFAS1 knockdown on NSCLC cell proliferative, invasive potentials and apoptotic rates. In light of examining the clinical lung cancer samples, miR-150-5p expression was downregulated and the HMGA2 expression was highly expressed in the lung cancer tissues compared with normal ones; the ZFAS1 expression showed a negative correlation with miR-150-5p expression but a positive correlation with HMGA2 expression in lung cancer tissues. To summarize, we, for the first time, demonstrated the inhibitory effects of ZFAS1 knockdown on NSCLC cell progression, and the results from mechanistic studies indicated that ZFAS1-mediated NSCLC progression cells via targeting miR-150-5p/HMGA2 signaling.

Long Non-Coding RNA BLACAT1 Promotes the Tumorigenesis of Gastric Cancer by Sponging microRNA-149-5p and Targeting KIF2A

Objective

Gastric cancer (GC) is a gastrointestinal tumor. This study is aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of long non-coding RNA BLACAT1 (BLACAT1)/microRNA-149-5p (miR-149-5p)/KIF2A cascade on GC.

Methods

The expression of BLACAT1, miR-149-5p and KIF2A in GC was detected by qRT-PCR. The proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells in vitro were analyzed by MTT, wound-healing and transwell assay, respectively. The xenograft tumor model was constructed in nude mice to confirm the inhibition effect of BLACAT1 knockdown on GC in vivo. Then, dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the interactions among BLACAT1, miR-149-5p and KIF2A. Western blot assay was performed to determine the protein expression of KIF2A.

Results

The expression of BLACAT1 and KIF2A was up-regulated in GC, but miR-149-5p expression was down-regulated. Silencing of BLACAT1 retarded the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells in vitro and the growth of tumor xenograft in vivo. Moreover, BLACAT1 acted as the molecular sponge of miR-149-5p to up-regulate KIF2A expression. At last, feedback experiments suggested that BLACAT1 accelerated the proliferation, migration and invasion of GC cells by regulating miR-149-5p/KIF2A axis.

Conclusion

BLACAT1 facilitated the tumorigenesis of GC through regulating miR-149-5p/KIF2A axis, which indicated BLACAT1/miR-149-5p/KIF2A cascade may be a new therapeutic target.

Construction and Analysis of a Long Non-Coding RNA-Associated Competing Endogenous RNA Network Identified Potential Prognostic Biomarkers in Luminal Breast Cancer

Purpose

To construct a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) topology network of RNA-seq data and micro RNA-seq (miRNA-seq) data to identify key prognostic long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) in luminal breast cancer, and validate the results by human luminal breast cancer samples.

Materials and Methods

The RNA-seq data and miRNA-seq data of luminal A breast cancer in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were downloaded and compared with those in the miRcode database to obtain lncRNA–miRNA relationship pairs. Final target genes were predicted by all three databases (miRDB, miRTarBase, and TargetScan), thereby obtaining the miRNA-messenger RNA (miRNA-mRNA) relationship pairs and a ceRNA topology network was constructed, then mRNA enrichment analysis, ceRNA topological and stability analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed. Overall survival (OS) was evaluated and the key prognostic RNAs were identified. The expression difference between normal and tumor, as well as the correlation of high expression in tumor with pathological parameters (Ki-67, Grade, tumor diameter) were validated by human breast cancer specimens.

Results

A ceRNA topology network was constructed and six lncRNAs were finally identified (The higher expression of PART1, IGF2.AS, WT1.AS, OIP5.AS1, and SLC25A5.AS1 was associated with poor prognosis while AL035706.1 was adverse) and the poor prognostic ones were higher expressed in tumor tissue and correlated with a higher Ki-67 (>10%), tumor grades (II, III) and tumor diameters (>1.5 cm). Using six lncRNAs, we constructed a prognostic model, which performed well for the classification of prognosis in the module.

Conclusion

We identified and verified six biomarkers (OS-predicting) in luminal breast cancer, which significantly enriched the prediction and potential targets of this subtype.

Long Non-coding RNA BLACAT1 Induces Tamoxifen Resistance in Human Breast Cancer by Regulating miR-503/Bcl-2 Axis

Introduction

At present, drug resistance remains a major obstacle for breast cancer (BCa) patients who receive tamoxifen (TAM) chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the functional role of long non-coding RNA BLACAT1 in the acquisition of TAM resistance in BCa.

Methods

TAM-resistant BCa cells were derived by exposure to 1 μM of TAM for 6 months. The expression levels of BLACAT1 and miR-503 were detected by RT-qPCR analysis. Chemosensitivity of BCa cells to TAM was measured by MTT assay. Apoptosis of BCa cells was detected by flow cytometric analysis, and the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western blot analysis. The direct binding relation between BLACAT1 and miR-503 was predicted by bioinformatics analysis and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Results

Our findings showed that BLACAT1 was significantly upregulated in TAM-resistant BCa cells (MCF-7/TR and T47D/TR), and BLACAT1 knockdown markedly reduced the TAM resistance in these cells. Importantly, we observed that BLACAT1 might function as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-503 in MCF-7/TR and T47D/TR cells, thereby increasing the expression of oncogenic Bcl-2 protein. Rescue experiments showed that miR-503 inhibition partly blocked the inhibitory effect of BLACAT1 knockdown on TAM resistance of MCF-7/TR and T47D/TR cells.

Conclusion

To conclude, this study revealed that overexpressed BLACAT1 induces TAM resistance in human BCa partly by regulating miR-503/Bcl-2 axis, potentially benefiting BCa treatment in the future.

Down-regulation of lncRNA BLACAT1 inhibits ovarian cancer progression by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via regulating miR-519d-3p

Ovarian cancer has the highest mortality in gynecologic malignancies. LncRNA BLACAT1 serves crucial functions in various cancers, but its role in ovarian cancer has not been investigated. In this article, our team explored the role and the potential regulatory mechanism of BLACAT1 in ovarian cancer. Quantitative RT-PCR showed that BLACAT1 was aberrantly up-regulated in ovarian cancer tissues compared with normal tissues. In vitro, BLACAT1 knockdown induced cell cycle arrest and inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells using flow cytometry, MTT and EdU assays, wound healing assay and transwell assay, respectively. Luciferase assay verified the binding relationship between microRNA-519d-3p and lncRNA BLACAT1, and BLACAT1 negatively regulated the expression of miR-519d-3p. We also found that miR-519d-3p overexpression could inhibit ovarian cancer cells proliferation, migration and invasion. Further, Western blot demonstrated that the expression of RPS15A and nuclear β-catenin expression was markedly reduced by BLACAT1 knockdown, and cytoplasmic β-catenin level was not obviously affected. In vivo, BLACAT1 knockdown inhibited the tumor growth, and immunohistochemistry showed that ki67 expression was decreased by BLACAT1 suppression. Inhibition of BLACAT1 was sufficient to down-regulate the expression of RPS15A and nuclear β-catenin but did not cause an obvious change in cytoplasmic β-catenin expression. Taken together, BLACAT1 knockdown inhibited the progression of ovarian cancer by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via regulating miR-519d-3p. Our work provided a proper understanding of the critical roles of BLACAT1 in ovarian cancer.

Long Intergenic Non-Coding RNA 01121 Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion via the miR-150-5p/HMGA2 Axis

Purpose

Long intergenic noncoding RNA 01121 (LINC01121) has been reported to be aberrantly expressed and acts as an oncogene in pancreatic cancer. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of LINC01121 in breast cancer remains largely unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression and biological function of LINC01121 in breast cancer.

Methods

LINC01121 and miR-150-5p expression were measured in breast cancer cell lines using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. MTS and flow cytometry assays were performed to determine cell proliferation, the cell cycle, and apoptosis. Cell migration and invasion were assessed by transwell assay. The protein expression of HMGA2 in breast cancer cell lines was measured by Western blotting. A luciferase reporter assay was used to assess the binding of LINC01121 and miR-150-5p.

Results

We found that LINC01121 was markedly up-regulated in breast cancer cell lines compared with normal breast epithelial cells. LINC01121 down-regulation markedly suppressed cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Further investigation showed that LINC01121 could serve as a molecular sponge for miR-150-5p and indirectly modulate the expression of its target, HMGA2. Moreover, miR-150-5p knockdown rescued the effects of LINC01121 down-regulation on HMGA2 protein expression, cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, migration, and invasion in breast cancer cells.

Conclusion

Knockdown LINC01121 inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the miR-150-5p/HMGA2 axis.

Downregulation of LINC01140 is associated with adverse features of breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most dangerous malignant diseases among women. A growing amount of evidence has suggested that long non-coding RNAs participate in the development and progression of BC and may potentially serve as therapeutic targets or prognostic markers for the disease. A previous study demonstrated that long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 01140 (LINC01140) was prominently correlated with overall survival in patients with gastric cancer. However, the function of LINC01140 in BC has not yet been elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the roles and molecular mechanisms underlying LINC01140 in BC. LINC01140 expression in 1,085 breast cancer patients and 291 healthy subjects was analyzed from the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis website. The association between LINC01140 expression and T stages, LINC01140-related biological pathways, and the correlation between LINC01140 expression genes were also analyzed in 825 patients with BC through the cBioPortal database. The present study demonstrated that LINC01140 expression was significantly decreased in the tumor samples compared with normal samples in patients with BC (P<0.05). The present study revealed that LINC01140 expression was significantly decreased in the T4 stage compared with T1, T2 or T3 stage (P<0.01). In addition, high expression levels of LINC01140 predicts longer relapse-free survival probability in patients with BC. It was also observed that LINC01140 participates in a variety of biological pathways, particularly in the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The co-expression relationship between the LINC01140 and an abundance of genes in samples from the BC study was investigated. These genes, such as chordin like 1 and bone morphogenic protein 6, participate in the development and progression of tumor growth and bone metastasis. Finally, the present study observed the interaction between microRNA (miR)-200b and miR-200c with LINC011440. The results from the present study indicated that higher expression of LINC01140 was beneficial for patients with BC. LINC01140 may be a potential biomarker for the prognosis of patients with BC. The role of LINC01140 in BC needs to be further evaluated.

The long noncoding RNA ZFAS1 promotes the progression of glioma by regulating the miR-150-5p/PLP2 axis

Numerous studies have reported that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) dysregulation is involved in the progression of many malignant tumors, including glioma. The lncRNA ZNFX1 antisense RNA 1 (ZFAS1) plays an oncogenic role in various malignant tumors, such as gastric cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of ZFAS1 in glioma has not been fully clarified. In this study, we found that the expression of ZFAS1 was upregulated in both glioma tissues and cell lines. Functional experiments revealed that ZFAS1 promoted glioma proliferation, migration and invasion, and increased resistance to temozolomide in vitro. By using online databases, RNA pull-down assays and luciferase reporter assays, ZFAS1 was demonstrated to act as a sponge of miR-150-5p. Furthermore, proteolipid protein 2 (PLP2) was shown to be the functional target of miR-150-5p. Rescue experiments revealed that ZFAS1 regulated the expression of PLP2 by sponging miR-150-5p. Finally, a xenograft tumor assay demonstrated that ZFAS1 promoted glioma growth in vivo. Our results showed that ZFAS1 promoted glioma malignant progression by regulating the miR-150-5p/PLP2 axis, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of glioma.

LncRNA TNK2-AS1 regulated ox-LDL-stimulated HASMC proliferation and migration via modulating VEGFA and FGF1 expression by sponging miR-150-5p

Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been indicated for the regulatory roles in cardiovascular diseases. This study determined the expression of lncRNA TNK2 antisense RNA 1 (TNK2‐AS1) in oxidized low‐density lipoprotein (ox‐LDL)‐stimulated human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) and examined the mechanistic role of TNK2‐AS1 in the proliferation and migration of HASMCs. Our results demonstrated that ox‐LDL promoted HASMC proliferation and migration, and the enhanced proliferation and migration in ox‐LDL‐treated HASMCs were accompanied by the up‐regulation of TNK2‐AS1. In vitro functional studies showed that TNK2‐AS1 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation and migration of ox‐LDL‐stimulated HASMCs, while TNK2‐AS1 overexpression enhanced HASMC proliferation and migration. Additionally, TNK2‐AS1 inversely regulated miR‐150‐5p expression via acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), and the enhanced effects of TNK2‐AS1 overexpression on HASMC proliferation and migration were attenuated by miR‐150‐5p overexpression. Moreover, miR‐150‐5p could target the 3’ untranslated regions of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) to regulate FGF1 and VEGFA expression in HASMCs, and the inhibitory effects of miR‐150‐5p overexpression in ox‐LDL‐stimulated HASMCs were attenuated by enforced expression of VEGFA and FGF1. Enforced expression of VEGFA and FGF1 also partially restored the suppressed cell proliferation and migration induced by TNK2‐AS1 knockdown in ox‐LDL‐stimulated HASMCs, while the enhanced effects of TNK2‐AS1 overexpression on HASMC proliferation and migration were attenuated by the knockdown of VEGFA and FGF1. Collectively, our findings showed that TNK2‐AS1 exerted its action in ox‐LDL‐stimulated HASMCs via regulating VEGFA and FGF1 expression by acting as a ceRNA for miR‐150‐5p.