[MicroRNA-152 and microRNA-448 inhibit proliferation of colorectal cancer cells in vitro by targeting Rictor]

Expression of miR-152 in cervical cancer and its influence on cisplatin resistance

Background

Cervical cancer has a high mortality rate.

Aim

We aimed to study the expression of micro ribonucleic acid 152 (miR-152) in cervical cancer and its influence on cisplatin (DDP) resistance.

Methodology

Cervical cancer Hela cells were divided into control, DDP, DDP + mimic nc and DDP + miR-152 mimic groups.

Results

DDP, DDP + mimic nc and DDP + miR-152 mimic groups had lower cell survival rate, smaller number of single clones and cells penetrating the membrane, and higher apoptosis rate and miR-152 expression than those of the control group (P<0.05). Compared with DDP and DDP + mimic nc groups, the cell survival rate, number of single clones and number of cells penetrating the membrane significantly decreased, while the apoptosis rate and miR-152 expression increased in the DDP + miR-152 mimic group (P<0.05). ERBB3 was a downstream target gene of miR-152. Hela cells transfected with miR-152 mimic had lower protein expressions of Snail, ERBB3, Akt2, p-Akt and c-myc than those of NC cells (P<0.05).

Conclusion

MiR-152 suppresses the proliferation, migration and infiltration of cervical cancer cells and reduces their resistance to DDP chemotherapy by inhibiting the expressions of proteins in the ERBB3/Akt/c-myc and ERBB3/Akt/Snail pathways.

Potential and functional prediction of six circular RNAs as diagnostic markers for colorectal cancer

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been discovered in colorectal cancer (CRC), but there are few reports on the expression distribution and functional mining analysis of circRNAs.

Methods

Differentially expressed circRNAs in CRC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were screened and identified by microarray and qRT-PCR. ROC curves of the six circRNAs were analyzed. A series of bioinformatics analyses on differentially expressed circRNAs were performed.

Results

A total of 207 up-regulated and 357 down-regulated circRNAs in CRC were screened, and three top up-regulated and down-regulated circRNAs were chosen to be verified in 33 pairs of CRCs by qRT-PCR. 6 circRNAs showed high diagnostic values (AUC = 0.6860, AUC = 0.8127, AUC = 0.7502, AUC = 0.9945, AUC = 0.9642, AUC = 0.9486 for hsa_circRNA_100833, hsa_circRNA_103828, hsa_circRNA_103831 and hsa_circRNA_103752, hsa_circRNA_071106, hsa_circRNA_102293). A circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network (cirReNET) including six candidate circRNAs, 19 miRNAs and 210 mRNA was constructed, and the functions of the cirReNET were predicted and displayed via Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses on these mRNAs and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the hub genes acquired by string and CytoHubba.

Conclusion

A cirReNET containing potential diagnostic and predictive indicators of CRCs and several critical circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory axes (cirReAXEs) in CRC were mined, and may provide a novel route to study the mechanism and clinical targets of CRC.

MicroRNA-145-5p regulates the proliferation of epithelial ovarian cancer cells via targeting SMAD4

BACKGROUND

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies affecting females worldwide; however, its etiology mechanism remains unclear. In various malignancies, miR-145-5p is a widely accepted and versatile miRNA. Therefore, our research focused on exploring the activity and etiology of miR-145-5p in the modulation of metastasis, migration, and proliferation of EOC cells. The direct reactions between the 3'UTRs of SMAD4 mRNA and miR-145-5p were verified using dual luciferase reporter test. SKOV-3 cells were subsequently transfected using miR-145-5p mimics. Cell migration, death, and proliferation were evaluated using MTT, flow cytometry, and Transwell test. In addition, SMAD4 transcription and translation were evaluated using qRT-PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

We found that miR-145-5p expression was repressed prevalently in EOC tissues, apart from SMAD4 upregulation. Excessive miR-145-5p expression remarkably reinforced EOC cell death and repressed EOC cell proliferation. Furthermore, upregulated miR-145-5p expression noticeably repressed migration via MMP-2 and MMP-9 downregulation. Moreover, SMAD4 was downregulated via miR-145-5p transfection. The dual luciferase test revealed that miR-145-5p directly targeted SMAD4.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research suggests that miR-145-5p serves as a malignancy repressor and exerts an essential impact on inhibiting malignancy generation and reinforcing EOC death via targeting SMAD4. MiR-145-5p application could serve as a promising strategy to treat EOC.