Expression of miR-29c, miR-93, and miR-429 as potential biomarkers for detection of early stage non-small lung cancer

Exploring the Potential of Non-Coding RNAs as Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers for Lung Cancer Screening: A Literature Review

Lung cancer represent the leading cause of cancer mortality, so several efforts have been focused on the development of a screening program. To address the issue of high overdiagnosis and false positive rates associated to LDCT-based screening, there is a need for new diagnostic biomarkers, with liquid biopsy ncRNAs detection emerging as a promising approach. In this scenario, this work provides an updated summary of the literature evidence about the role of non-coding RNAs in lung cancer screening. A literature search on PubMed was performed including studies which investigated liquid biopsy non-coding RNAs biomarker lung cancer patients and a control cohort. Micro RNAs were the most widely studied biomarkers in this setting but some preliminary evidence was found also for other non-coding RNAs, suggesting that a multi-biomarker based liquid biopsy approach could enhance their efficacy in the screening context. However, further studies are needed in order to optimize detection techniques as well as diagnostic accuracy before introducing novel biomarkers in the early diagnosis setting.

Cell cycle associated miRNAs as target and therapeutics in lung cancer treatment

Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer related deaths worldwide. Limited therapeutic options and resistance to existing drugs are the major hindrances to the clinical success of this cancer. In the past decade, several studies showed the role of microRNA (miRNA) driven cell cycle regulation in lung cancer progression. Therefore, these small nucleotide molecules could be utilized as promising tools in lung cancer therapy. In this review, we highlighted the recent advancements in lung cancer therapy using cell cycle linked miRNAs. By highlighting the roles of the specific cell cycle core regulators affiliated miRNAs in lung cancer, we further outlined how these miRNAs can be explored in early diagnosis and treatment strategies to prevent lung cancer. With the provided information from our review, more medical efforts can ensure a potential breakthrough in miRNA-based lung cancer therapy.

CircLIFR Inhibits Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Progression by Acting as a miR-429 Sponge to Enhance CELF2 Expression

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading reason for tumor-related mortality, while non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most usual type of lung cancer. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as vital regulators in the development of human cancers, including NSCLC. We aimed to explore the functions of circRNA leukemia inhibitory factor receptor (circLIFR) in NSCLC progression. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify the expression of circLIFR, microRNA-429 (miR-429), and Elav-like family member 2 (CELF2) in NSCLC tissues and cells. Cell proliferation capability of NSCLC cells was determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. The flow cytometry assay was performed to evaluate cell-cycle distribution and apoptosis of NSCLC cells. The abilities of migration and invasion were measured by transwell assay. In addition, the activities of caspase 3 and caspase 9 were measured by the assay kits. The interaction relationship between miR-429 and circLIFR or CELF2 was analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and RNA pull-down assays. The expression levels of related proteins were examined by Western Blot assay. The xenograft experiment was established to explore the role of circLIFR in vivo. CircLIFR, circular, and stable transcript in NSCLC cells, was decreased more than 2 folds in NSCLC tissues and cells than controls (P < 0.0001). Importantly, overexpression of circLIFR impeded cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and inactivated protein kinase B (AKT)/phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-signaling pathways while enhanced apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in NSCLC cells, which was overturned by upregulation of miR-429 or silencing of CELF2. Furthermore, the upregulation of circLIFR inhibited NSCLC tumor growth in vivo. Overexpression of circLIFR could suppress NSCLC progress by acting as a sponge of miR-429 to regulate the expression of CELF2 and PTEN/AKT-signaling pathways in NSCLC.

The role of miR-200 family in the regulation of hallmarks of cancer

MiRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally contributing to the development of different diseases including cancer. The miR-200 family consists of five members, miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-141, and miR-429. Their expression is dysregulated in cancer tissue and their level is altered in the body fluids of cancer patients. Moreover, the levels of miR-200 family members correlate with clinical parameters such as cancer patients' survival which makes them potentially useful as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. MiRNAs can act as either oncomiRs or tumor suppressor miRNAs depending on the target genes and their role in the regulation of key oncogenic signaling pathways. In most types of cancer, the miR-200 family acts as tumor suppressor miRNA and regulates all features of cancer. In this review, we summarized the expression pattern of the miR-200 family in different types of cancer and their potential utility as biomarkers. Moreover, we comprehensively described the role of miR-200 family members in the regulation of all hallmarks of cancer proposed by Hanahan and Weinberg with the focus on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasiveness, and metastasis of tumor cells.

Clinical assessment of the miR-34, miR-200, ZEB1 and SNAIL EMT regulation hub underlines the differential prognostic value of EMT miRs to drive mesenchymal transition and prognosis in resected NSCLC

BACKGROUND

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving curative surgery have a risk of relapse, and adjuvant treatments only translate into a 5% increase in 5-year survival. We assessed the clinical significance of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and explored its association with the [SNAIL/miR-34]:[ZEB/miR-200] regulation hub to refine prognostic information.

METHODS

We validated a 7-gene EMT score using a consecutive series of 176 resected NSCLC. We quantified EMT transcription factors, microRNAs (miRs) of the miR-200, miR-34 families and miR-200 promoter hypermethylation to identify outcome predictors.

RESULTS

Most tumours presented with an EMT-hybrid state and the EMT score was not predictive of outcome. Individually, all miR-200 were inversely associated with the EMT score, but only chromosome-1 miRs, miR-200a, b, 429, were associated with disease-free survival (p = 0.08, 0.05 and 0.025) and overall survival (p = 0.013, 0.003 and 0.006). We validated these associations on The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Tumour unsupervised clustering based on miR expression identified two good prognostic groups, unrelated to the EMT score, suggesting that miR profiling may have an important clinical value.

CONCLUSION

miR-200 family members do not have similar predictive value. Core EMT-miR, regulators and not EMT itself, identify NSCLC patients with a low risk of relapse after surgery.

Four plasma miRNAs act as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer

Previous studies have reported that the aberrant expression of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) can be used as diagnostic and prognostic markers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study aimed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic predictive values of four plasma miRNAs for NSCLC. A total of 12 candidate miRNAs were selected that have previously been reported to be aberrantly expressed in NSCLC, and their plasma levels in the training set were detected via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis. The screened out miRNAs were further validated in the testing set. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve was constructed to evaluate diagnostic performance. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to assess the association between the plasma miRNA levels and disease-free survival (DFS) time. The results demonstrated that 4/12 plasma miRNAs (miR-210, miR-1290, miR-150 and miR-21-5p) were highly expressed in patients with NSCLC compared with their expression levels in patients with benign lung disease (BLD) and healthy controls in the training and testing sets, respectively. The AUC values of the four-miRNA panel were 0.96 and 0.93 in the training and testing sets, respectively, for distinguishing patients with NSCLC from healthy controls, which were similar to the AUC values for distinguishing patients with NSCLC from patients with BLD (0.96 and 0.94). The AUC values of the four-miRNA panel in patients with stage I NSCLC were comparable to that of patients with stage II-III NSCLC (0.942 and 0.965). Patients with high plasma levels of miR-210 and miR-150 had worse DFS than those with low plasma levels of these miRNAs. In addition, patients whose plasma levels of the four miRNAs decreased by >50% after surgery exhibited a good DFS. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that these four miRNAs (miR-210, miR-1290, miR-150 and miR-21-5p) act as useful biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis of NSCLC.

Human prostate epithelial cells and prostate-derived stem cells malignantly transformed in vitro with sodium arsenite show impaired Toll like receptor -3 (TLR3)-associated anti-tumor pathway

A therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer (PCa) involves the use of 9-cis-retinoic acid (9cRA) to induce cancer stem cells (CSCs) differentiation and apoptosis. Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PIC) is a Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist that induces tumor cells apoptosis after activation. PIC+9cRA combination activates retinoic acid receptor β (RARβ) re-expression, leading to CSC differentiation and growth arrest. Since inorganic arsenic (iAs) targets prostatic stem cells (SCs), we hypothesized that arsenic-transformed SCs (As-CSCs) show an impaired TLR3-associated anti-tumor pathway and, therefore, are unresponsive to PIC activation. We evaluated TLR3-mediated activation of anti-tumor pathway based in RARβ expression, on As-CSC and iAs-transformed epithelial cells (CAsE-PE). As-CSCs and CAsE-PE showed lower TLR3 and RARβ basal expression compared to their respective isogenic controls WPE-Stem and RWPE-1. Also, iAs transformants showed reduced expression of mediators in TLR3 pathway. Importantly, As-CSCs were irresponsive to PIC+9cRA in terms of increased RARβ and decreased SC-markers expression, while CAsE-PE, a heterogeneous cell line having a small SC population, were partially responsive. These observations indicate that iAs can impair TLR3 expression and anti-tumor pathway activated by PIC+9cRA in SCs and prostatic epithelial cells. These findings suggest that TLR3-activation based therapy may be an ineffective therapeutic alternative for iAs-associated PCa.

Preliminary construction of a regulatory network of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of nucleus pulposus degeneration - a review based on data mining

In this study, we attempted to further collate existing transcriptome sequencing (mRNA-Seq) data by applying data mining and screening intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD)-related miRNAs. At the same time, combined with published articles, the miRNAs that have been screened out were further excluded, and only the miRNAs confirmed by the reported studies were retained and reviewed. We obtained 12 pro-IVDD miRNAs and ten anti-IVDD miRNAs using the above screening process, involving 33 literature sources. By reviewing and summarizing the above studies, we preliminarily constructed the regulatory network of miRNA in the pathogenesis of IVDD. This regulatory network comprises many gaps and potential miRNA interactions, and these points may be the breakthrough points for further IVDD-related research. This new review approach can also provide a reference for the mechanistic studies of other diseases.

Assessment of a panel of miRNAs in serum and pleural fluid for the differential diagnosis of malignant and benign pleural effusion

BACKGROUND

Differential diagnosis between malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and benign pleural effusion (BPE) remains a clinical challenge.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy of the serum and pleural fluid (PF) miRNA panels in distinguishing MPE from BPE.

METHODS

Fourteen candidate miRNAs which were shown aberrant expression in lung cancer based on previous studies were tested by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 20 MPE patients and 20 BPE patients. Significantly aberrantly expressed miRNAs were further assessed by qRT-PCR in all patients enrolled in this study. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluated the diagnostic performance of the miRNAs.

RESULTS

miR-21, miR-29c and miR-182 were found to be significantly aberrantly expressed in the serum and PF of MPE patients. The AUCs for the combination of miR-21, miR-29c and miR-182 in serum and PF were 0.832 and 0.89 respectively in distinguishing MPE from infection-associated PE including tuberculous pleurisy and parapneumonia PE, and 0.866 and 0.919 respectively for differentiating MPE from heart failure-associated PE, which were superior to AUC of each individual miRNAs.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-21, miR-29c and miR-182 in serum and PF could be useful biomarkers for MPE of diagnosis.

Knockdown of circ‑PVT1 inhibits the progression of lung adenocarcinoma and enhances the sensitivity to cisplatin via the miR‑429/FOXK1 signaling axis

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in China, and its incidence and morbidity remain high due to various independent factors. Lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) is the most common type of non‑small cell lung carcinoma. Circular RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (circ‑PVT1) plays an oncogenic role in various types of cancer, but the specific role of circ‑PVT1 in lung ADC has not yet been reported. In the present study, circ‑PVT1 was knocked down in A549 cells and the cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion were measured via MTT, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Then, the cell viability of A549 cells with circ‑PVT1‑knockdown or ‑overexpression was detected after exposure to cisplatin (DDP). After confirming the associations among circ‑PVT1, microRNA (miR)‑429 and forkhead box k1 (FOXK1) using various tools and assays, the cellular functions of A549 cells treated with combined short hairpin (sh)RNA‑circ‑PVT1 and miR‑429 inhibitor/pcDNA3.1‑FOXK1 were tested again. The expression of circ‑PVT1 was found to be increased in lung ADC cells, and shRNA‑circ‑PVT1 led to decreased cell viability, proliferation, migration and invasion. The expression of circ‑PVT1 was higher in A549/DDP cells than that in A549 cells, and the activity of caspase‑3 was also activated by DDP in A549/DDP cells transfected with shRNA‑circ‑PVT1, whereas it was inactivated by DDP in A549 cells transfected with circ‑PVT1 overexpression plasmid. Furthermore, the decreased cell viability, proliferation, invasion and migration induced by shRNA‑circ‑PVT1 could be abated by transfection with miR‑429 inhibitor and pcDNA3.1‑FOXK1. In conclusion, interference of circ‑PVT1 inhibits the progression of lung ADC and enhances its sensitivity to DDP via miR‑429/FOXK1, which may provide a theoretical basis for the use of novel targets in the treatment of lung ADC.

MicroRNA (miR)-429 Promotes Inflammatory Injury by Targeting Kruppel-like Factor 4 (KLF4) in Neonatal Pneumonia

BACKGROUND

Neonatal pneumonia is a common disease in the neonatal period with a high incidence and death. This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism and effect of microRNA (miR)-429 in neonatal pneumonia.

METHODS

The peripheral blood was collected from neonatal pneumonia and healthy patients, respectively. Human lung fibroblast WI-38 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish neonatal pneumonia cell model. Then, the miR-429 expression was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In addition, the relationship between miR- 429 and kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability, the level of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and apoptosis were measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry. Meanwhile, apoptosis and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway related proteins expression were analyzed by western blot.

RESULTS

MiR-429 expression level was increased in neonatal peripheral blood and LPS-stimulated WI-38 cells. Then, miR-429 overexpression increased apoptosis, the level of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, Bax and cleaved caspase-3, while reduced cell viability in LPS-stimulated WI-38 cells. Besides, KLF4 was identified as the target gene of miR-429, and reversed the changes caused by miR-429 overexpression. Finally, miR-429 suppressor down-regulated p-NF-κB level in LPS-stimulated cells and KLF4 knockdown reversed these reductions.

CONCLUSION

MiR-429 promotes inflammatory injury, apoptosis and activates the NF-κB signaling pathway by targeting KLF4 in neonatal pneumonia, and then these results provide evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment for neonatal pneumonia.

Expression and Function of C1orf132 Long-Noncoding RNA in Breast Cancer Cell Lines and Tissues

miR-29b2 and miR-29c play a suppressive role in breast cancer progression. C1orf132 (also named MIR29B2CHG) is the host gene for generating both microRNAs. However, the region also expresses longer transcripts with unknown functions. We employed bioinformatics and experimental approaches to decipher C1orf132 expression and function in breast cancer tissues. We also used the CRISPR/Cas9 technique to excise a predicted C1orf132 distal promoter and followed the behavior of the edited cells by real-time PCR, flow cytometry, migration assay, and RNA-seq techniques. We observed that C1orf132 long transcript is significantly downregulated in triple-negative breast cancer. We also identified a promoter for the longer transcripts of C1orf132 whose functionality was demonstrated by transfecting MCF7 cells with a C1orf132 promoter-GFP construct. Knocking-out the promoter by means of CRISPR/Cas9 revealed no alterations in the expression of the neighboring genes CD46 and CD34, while the expression of miR-29c was reduced by half. Furthermore, the promoter knockout elevated the migration ability of the edited cells. RNA sequencing revealed many up- and downregulated genes involved in various cellular pathways, including epithelial to mesenchymal transition and mammary gland development pathways. Altogether, we are reporting here the existence of an additional/distal promoter with an enhancer effect on miR-29 generation and an inhibitory effect on cell migration.

miRNAs in lung cancer. A systematic review identifies predictive and prognostic miRNA candidates for precision medicine in lung cancer

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and miRNAs play a key role in LC development. To better diagnose LC and to predict drug treatment responses we evaluated 228 articles encompassing 16,697 patients and 12,582 healthy controls. Based on the criteria of ≥3 independent studies and a sensitivity and specificity of >0.8 we found blood-borne miR-20a, miR-10b, miR-150, and miR-223 to be excellent diagnostic biomarkers for non-small cell LC whereas miR-205 is specific for squamous cell carcinoma. The systematic review also revealed 38 commonly regulated miRNAs in tumor tissue and the circulation, thus enabling the prediction of histological subtypes of LC. Moreover, theranostic biomarker candidates with proven responsiveness to checkpoint inhibitor treatments were identified, notably miR-34a, miR-93, miR-106b, miR-181a, miR-193a-3p, and miR-375. Conversely, miR-103a-3p, miR-152, miR-152-3p, miR-15b, miR-16, miR-194, miR-34b, and miR-506 influence programmed cell death-ligand 1 and programmed cell death-1 receptor expression, therefore providing a rationale for the development of molecularly targeted therapies. Furthermore, miR-21, miR-25, miR-27b, miR-19b, miR-125b, miR-146a, and miR-210 predicted response to platinum-based treatments. We also highlight controversial reports on specific miRNAs. In conclusion, we report diagnostic miRNA biomarkers for in-depth clinical evaluation. Furthermore, in an effort to avoid unnecessary toxicity we propose predictive biomarkers. The biomarker candidates support personalized treatment decisions of LC patients and await their confirmation in randomized clinical trials.

miR‑93‑5p regulates the occurrence and development of esophageal carcinoma epithelial cells by targeting TGFβR2

Emerging studies have indicated that the dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) plays a vital role in the development and metastasis of tumors. However, the role of miR-93-5p in esophageal carcinoma (EC) has not been extensively reported. The present study thus focused on the role of miR-93-5p and its downstream target in the occurrence and development of EC. Firstly, miRNA expression profiles associated with EC were accessed from the TCGA_ESCA dataset and analyzed. Subsequently, the expression patterns of miR-93-5p and TGFβR2 were characterized in the human esophageal cell line, Het-1A, and the human EC cell lines, TE-1, Eca-109 and EC9706, by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. WST-1 assay, flow cytometry, Transwell assay, wound healing assay and bioinformatics analysis were used to explore their functions in EC cells. Finally, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to determine the targeted association between miR-93-5p and TGFβR2. The results revealed that the expression of miR-93-5p was markedly higher in EC cell lines compared with that in the normal cell line. The overexpression of miR-93-5p facilitated cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis. Additionally, TGFβR2 was identified as a functional target of miR-93-5p in EC cells, as judged by a series of in vitro experiments. Furthermore, it was found that the simultaneous overexpression of miR-93-5p and TGFβR2 almost had no effect on the biological behaviors of EC cells. On the whole, the present study demonstrates that miR-93-5p promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion, and inhibits the apoptosis of EC cells by targeting TGFβR2.

Rola miRNA w rozwoju wybranych nowotworów – potencjalne zastosowanie w diagnostyce*

MikroRNA (miRNA) są małymi cząsteczkami kwasu rybonukleinowego, które mimo że nie podlegają procesowi translacji, pełnią ważną funkcję regulacyjną w komórkach eukariotycznych. Ich fizjologiczną funkcją jest utrzymywanie homeostazy komórek. Zaburzona ekspresja miRNA może spowodować rozwój wielu chorób, w tym chorób nowotworowych. Działanie miRNA polega na hamowaniu tworzenia się białek, w tym białek o właściwościach onkogennych i antyonkogennych. Mutacje w miejscach kodowania miRNA mogą prowadzić do nadmiernego lub zmniejszonego wytwarzania wspomnianych białek. Odkrycie miRNA i poznanie ich roli w komórce otworzyło nowe możliwości dla diagnostyki chorób nowotworowych. Zmiany poziomu odpowiednich miRNA, w krwiobiegu lub innych płynach ustrojowych, mogą być markerem diagnostycznym chorób. Diagnostyka onkologiczna mogłaby przebiegać na podstawie badań profilu miRNA pacjenta i porównania go z opracowanymi wcześniej profilami zmian miRNA powiązanymi z występowaniem danego rodzaju choroby nowotworowej. Informacja o zmianach profilu miRNA podstawowych w regulacji ekspresji genów związanych z procesami nowotworzenia, mogłaby się przyczynić do opracowania terapii eksperymentalnych opartych na przywróceniu pierwotnego poziomu miRNA w komórkach, a tym samym, na przywróceniu prawidłowej regulacji ekspresji genów. Coraz nowsze metody wyciszania i włączania ekspresji miRNA mogą w przyszłości zaowocować skutecznymi rozwiązaniami terapeutycznymi.

Molecular targeting of vulnerable RNA sequences in SARS CoV-2: identifying clinical feasibility

Covid-19 (SARS CoV-2) has become a deadly, world-wide pandemic. Although most who are infected survive, complications from the virus can be pronounced and long-lasting. To date, of all the respiratory viruses including influenza and coronaviruses, only influenza has had a drug (i.e., Tamiflu) specifically targeted to treat and prevent infection. As a result, additional agents that specifically target viral production and are clinically feasible are needed to alleviate respiratory viral infections. The idea of using a miRNA/siRNA molecular approach for treating various diseases was postulated over a decade ago; however, only within the past few years has it become feasible. One technological advancement has been the molecular linkage of lipophilic moieties to mi/siRNAs in order to bypass the need for enveloping these inhibitory RNAs in lipid-based transfection reagents, which could irritate the airway if inhaled. Here we show that siRNAs and miRNAs inhibit SARS CoV-2 spike protein production in a dose-dependent manner in both HEK293 cells and a primary human airway tracheal cell line. We also show that this inhibition is equally robust using a clinically relevant siRNA that does not need to be prepped with a transfection reagent.

MiR-429 suppresses proliferation and invasion of breast cancer via inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Background

microRNAs (miRNAs) have been verified as molecular targets for regulating tumor proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in tumor progression. However, the relationship between miRNAs and cellular energy metabolism in breast cancer still needs to be clarified. This study aimed to investigate the role of miR‐429 in breast cancer progression.

Methods

Bioinformatic analyses were employed to detect the relationship between miR‐429 and cancer‐related signaling pathways. We used a Kaplan‐Meier curve to analyze survival rate in patients with high or low expression of miR‐429. We used real‐time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) to detect the expression of miR‐429 in different cell lines. Sh‐con, over‐miR‐429, miR‐429 inhibitor, and sh‐inhibitor control were transfected. Colony formation and EDU assay were used to detect the proliferation of transfected cells. Wound healing and transwell assays were performed to detect the mobility and invasion ability of transfected cells. Western blot assay was used to detect relative protein expression in transfected cells and different tissues. Bioinformatic analyses were conducted to detect the target proteins expression in different breast cancer databases. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the binding site between miR‐429 and fibronectin 1 (FN1).

Results

The results of our study indicate that MiR‐429 and its target genes are associated with cancer‐related signaling pathways and that higher miR‐429 expression corresponds with a better prognosis. When miR‐429 was overexpressed, the proliferation, invasion of MDA‐MB‐231 were inhibited. MiR‐429 was able to suppress the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway, and FN1 overexpression could rescue the influence of over‐miR‐429.

Conclusions

The results of our study suggest that miR‐429 suppresses the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer via inhibiting the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway.

Downregulation of microRNA-126 is inversely correlated with insulin receptor substrate-1 protein expression in colorectal cancer and is associated with advanced stages of disease

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common human malignant tumor, and the fourth most common cause of cancer-associated mortality in China. However, the pathogenesis of CRC is not yet fully understood. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of microRNA (miR)-126 and insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), as well as the role of miR-126 in the prognosis of patients with CRC. A total of 86 colorectal tissue specimens, including 40 CRC and adjacent normal tissue, 26 colorectal adenoma tissue and 20 normal colorectal tissue samples, were collected for the present study. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis was performed to determine miR-126 and IRS-1 mRNA expression levels, while western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses were performed to determine IRS-1 protein expression levels. The correlation between miR-126 and IRS-1 expression, as well as the association between altered miR-126 and IRS-1 expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics, and the overall survival time of patients with CRC were assessed. The results demonstrated that miR-126 expression was significantly downregulated, while IRS-1 protein expression was upregulated in CRC tissues compared with that in adjacent normal tissues, colorectal adenoma tissues and normal colorectal tissues, respectively. IHC analysis exhibited strong positive staining of IRS-1 protein in CRC tissues, while absent or weak staining of IRS-1 protein was detected in adjacent normal tissues, colorectal adenoma tissues and normal colorectal tissues. miR-126 expression was inversely correlated with IRS-1 protein expression in CRC tissues (r=−0.420; P<0.05). Furthermore, downregulated miR-126 expression was associated with advanced clinicopathological characteristics of the disease and a shorter overall survival time in patients with CRC. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that miR-126 downregulation may be a candidate molecular marker predictive of poor prognosis of patients with CRC.

Flaming the fight against cancer cells: the role of microRNA-93

There have been attempts to develop novel anti-tumor drugs in cancer therapy. Although satisfying results have been observed at a consequence of application of chemotherapeutic agents, the cancer cells are capable of making resistance into these agents. This has forced scientists into genetic manipulation as genetic alterations are responsible for generation of a high number of cancer cells. MicroRNAs (miRs) are endogenous, short non-coding RNAs that affect target genes at the post-transcriptional level. Increasing evidence reveals the potential role of miRs in regulation of biological processes including angiogenesis, metabolism, cell proliferation, cell division, and cell differentiation. Abnormal expression of miRs is associated with development of a number of pathologic events, particularly cancer. MiR-93 plays a significant role in both physiological and pathological mechanisms. At the present review, we show how this miR dually affects the proliferation and invasion of cancer cells. Besides, we elucidate the oncogenesis or oncosuppressor function of miR-93.

Exosome-mediated transfer of miR-93-5p from cancer-associated fibroblasts confer radioresistance in colorectal cancer cells by downregulating FOXA1 and upregulating TGFB3

BACKGROUND

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been intensively studied in recent studies with aims of finding more concrete evidence on their mechanism of involvement in tumor progression, which is currently unknown. CAFs can secrete exosomes which are loaded with proteins, lipids and RNAs, all of which affect tumor microenvironment. The present study identified microRNA-93-5p (miR-93-5p) as a novel exosomal cargo responsible for the pro-tumorigenic effects of CAFs on colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

CAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs) were isolated from cancerous tissues and matched with paracancerous tissues that had been surgically resected from CRC patients. The interaction among miR-93-5p, forkhead box A1 (FOXA1) and TGFB3 was identified through ChIP and dual luciferase reporter assays. The proliferation and apoptosis of SW480 cells co-cultured with CAFs-derived exosomes under irradiation were evaluated by CCK-8, colony formation, and flow cytometric assays. Tumorigenesis of SW480 cells in nude mice was assessed under the irradiation.

RESULTS

FOXA1 was found to be associated with reduced radioresistance in CRC cells and was verified as a target of miR-93-5p. CAFs-derived exosomes contained higher miR-93-5p than those from NFs, which augmented SW480 cell proliferation and rescued them from radiation-induced apoptosis. miR-93-5p was identified as a mediator of the exosomal effects of CAFs on SW480 cells, possibly through downregulating FOXA1 and upregulating TGFB3. FOXA1 could bind to the promoter of TGFB3, thereby inhibiting nuclear accumulation of TGFB3. Also, CAFs-derived exosomes containing miR-93-5p increased the tumor growth of SW480 cells in irradiated nude mice.

CONCLUSION

The present study identifies miR-93-5p as a specific exosomal cargo that rescues CRC cells against radiation-induced apoptosis.

MiRNAs and LncRNAs: Dual Roles in TGF-β Signaling-Regulated Metastasis in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most malignant cancers around the world, with high morbidity and mortality. Metastasis is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths and treatment failure. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), two groups of small non-coding RNAs (nc-RNAs), are confirmed to be lung cancer oncogenes or suppressors. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) critically regulates lung cancer metastasis. In this review, we summarize the dual roles of miRNAs and lncRNAs in TGF-β signaling-regulated lung cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, migration, stemness, and metastasis. In addition, lncRNAs, competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) can act as miRNA sponges to suppress miRNAs, thereby mediating TGF-β signaling-regulated lung cancer invasion, migration, and metastasis. Through this review, we hope to cast light on the regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs and lncRNAs in TGF-β signaling-regulated lung cancer metastasis and provide new insights for lung cancer treatment.

Common and Unique microRNAs in Multiple Carcinomas Regulate Similar Network of Pathways to Mediate Cancer Progression

Cancer is a complex disease with a fatal outcome. Early detection of cancer, by monitoring appropriate molecular markers is very important for its therapeutic management. In this regard, the short non-coding RNA molecules, microRNAs (miRNAs) have shown great promise due to their availability in circulating fluids facilitating non-invasive detection of cancer. In this study, an in silico comparative analysis was performed to identify specific signature miRNAs dysregulated across multiple carcinomas and simultaneously identify unique miRNAs for each cancer type as well. The miRNA-seq data of cancer patient was obtained from GDC portal and their differential expressions along with the pathways regulated by both common and unique miRNAs were analyzed. Our studies show twelve miRNAs commonly dysregulated across seven different cancer types. Interestingly, four of those miRNAs (hsa-mir-210, hsa-mir-19a, hsa-mir-7 and hsa-mir-3662) are already reported as circulatory miRNAs (circRNAs); while, the miR-183 cluster along with hsa-mir-93 have been found to be incorporated in exosomes signifying the importance of the identified miRNAs for their use as prospective, non-invasive biomarkers. Further, the target mRNAs and pathways regulated by both common and unique miRNAs were analyzed, which interestingly had significant commonality. This suggests that miRNAs that are commonly de-regulated and specifically altered in multiple cancers might regulate similar pathways to promote cancer. Our data is of significance because we not only identify a set of common and unique miRNAs for multiple cancers but also highlight the pathways regulated by them, which might facilitate the development of future non-invasive biomarkers conducive for early detection of cancers.

Potential role for microRNA-16 (miR-16) and microRNA-93 (miR-93) in diagnosis and prediction of disease progression in mycosis fungoides in Egyptian patients

Mycosis Fungoides (MF) is the most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Early stage patients are treated with topical therapies and have normal life expectancy whereas patients with advanced disease encounter frequent relapses and have a five-year survival rate that does not exceed 15%. The aim of the present study was to characterize the expression of microRNA-16 (miR-16) and microRNA-93 (miR-93) in early and advanced cases of MF in relation to the clinicopathological parameters. Ten skin biopsies of early and advanced MF were investigated for the expression of miR-16 and miR-93 using RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical expression of apoptosis markers (BCL-2 and Survivin) were also investigated in the studied cases compared to normal skin and eczema biopsies. In the present study, BCL-2 and Survivin showed strong positive expression on neoplastic lymphocytes in all cases of MF regardless of their stage. We have also shown that miR-16 was significantly upregulated in advanced cases of MF compared to cases with early disease (p-value was less than 0.05). However, expression of miR-16 did not show any statistically significant correlation with age, gender, or expression of apoptotic markers. On the other hand, the expression of miR-93 showed significant downregulation in all lymphoma cases irrespective of their stage, compared to normal and eczema cases. Our results suggest that upregulation of miR-16 could be used to predict an aggressive course of the disease. We also suggest that miR-93 downregulation could serve as possible tool for establishing early diagnosis in early challenging cases. Our findings also provide consistent evidence that the anti-apoptotic molecules may play an important role in the pathogenesis of this type of cutaneous lymphomas and promote the idea that their inhibition could be an interesting novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of MF.

Circulating miRNAs as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers in Common Solid Tumors: Focus on Lung, Breast, Prostate Cancers, and Osteosarcoma

An early cancer diagnosis is essential to treat and manage patients, but it is difficult to achieve this goal due to the still too low specificity and sensitivity of classical methods (imaging, actual biomarkers), together with the high invasiveness of tissue biopsies. The discovery of novel, reliable, and easily collectable cancer markers is a topic of interest, with human biofluids, especially blood, as important sources of minimal invasive biomarkers such as circulating microRNAs (miRNAs), the most promising. MiRNAs are small non-coding RNAs and known epigenetic modulators of gene expression, with specific roles in cancer development/progression, which are next to be implemented in the clinical routine as biomarkers for early diagnosis and the efficient monitoring of tumor progression and treatment response. Unfortunately, several issues regarding their validation process are still to be resolved. In this review, updated findings specifically focused on the clinical relevance of circulating miRNAs as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for the most prevalent cancer types (breast, lung, and prostate cancers in adults, and osteosarcoma in children) are described. In addition, deep analysis of pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical issues still affecting the circulation of miRNAs' validation process and routine implementation is included.

Plasma miR-32 levels in non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy can predict the effectiveness and prognosis of chemotherapy

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown that microRNA-32 (miRNA-32) is an exosome microRNA that affects the proliferation and metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. In this study, our goal was to assess the expression of plasma microRNA-32 and its potential as a biomarker to predict the tumor response and survival of patients with NSCLC undergoing platinum-based chemotherapy.

METHODS

Plasma microRNA-32 levels before and after 1 cycle of platinum-based chemotherapy in 43 patients with NSCLC were measured using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay (qPCR). In addition, the demographic and survival data of the patients were collected for analysis.

RESULTS

A significant correlation was observed between the changes in microRNA-32 levels before and after 1 chemotherapy cycle and the treatment response (P = .035). In addition, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the level of microRNA-32 after 1 chemotherapy cycle was significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients. The median progression-free survival (P = .025) and overall survival (P = .015) of patients with high microRNA-32 levels (≥7.73) after 1 chemotherapy cycle was 9 and 21 months, respectively. In contrast, the median survival of patients with low microRNA-32 levels (<7.73) was 5 and 10 months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The plasma levels of microRNA-32 correlated with the efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy and survival, indicating that microRNA-32 may be useful for predicting the effectiveness of platinum-based chemotherapy and prognosis in NSCLC.

Serum miR-223: A Validated Biomarker for Detection of Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND

The published circulating miRNA signatures proposed for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) detection are inconsistent and difficult to replicate. Reproducibility and validation of an miRNA simple signature of NSCLC are prerequisites for translation to clinical application.

METHODS

The serum level of miR-223 and miR-29c, emerging from published studies, respectively, as a highly sensitive and a highly specific biomarker of early-stage NSCLC, was measured with droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technique in an Italian cohort of 75 patients with stage I-II NSCLC and 111 tumor-free controls. By ROC curve analysis we evaluated the miR-223 and miR-29c performance in discerning NSCLC cases from healthy controls.

RESULTS

Reproducibility and robust measurability of the two miRNAs using ddPCR were documented. In a training set (40 stage I-II NSCLCs and 56 controls), miR-223 and miR-29c, respectively, showed an AUC of 0.753 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.655-0.836] and 0.632 (95% CI, 0.527-0.729) in identifying NSCLC. Combination of miR-223 with miR-29c yielded an AUC of 0.750, not improved over that of miR-223 alone. Furthermore, in an independent blind set (35 stage I-II NSCLCs and 55 controls), we validated serum miR-223 as an effective biomarker of stage I-II NSCLC (AUC = 0.808; 95% CI, 0.712-0.884), confirming the miR-223 diagnostic performance reported by others in Chinese cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Using ddPCR technology, miR-223 was externally validated as a reproducible, effective serum biomarker of early-stage NSCLC in ethnically different subjects. Combination with miR-29c did not improve the miR-223 diagnostic performance.

IMPACT

Serum miR-223 determination may be proposed as a tool for refining NSCLC risk stratification, independent of smoking habit and age.

The effects of miR-429 on cell migration and invasion by targeting Slug in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Increasing evidence indicates that microRNAs may play important roles in tumor development and may take part in different processes in different cancers. miR-429 is known as a cancer suppressor or oncogene that is dysregulated in different malignancies, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the effect of miR-429 in ESCC has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to investigate the functions of miR-429 in ESCC. qRT-PCR assays were performed to detect miR-429 expression in ESCC tissues and cell lines. To assess the effects of miR-429 on ESCC cells, wound healing and transwell assays were used. Luciferase reporter and western blot assays were employed to determine whether Slug is a major target of miR-429.Our results showed that the expression levels of miR-429 in ESCC tissues and cells were lower than in normal esophageal epithelial tissues and cells. Furthermore, overexpression of endogenous miR-429 inhibited the migration and invasion of ESCC cell lines. In addition, Luciferase reporter and western blot assays provided evidence that miR-429 can bind to the 3' untranslated regions of Slug to regulate its expression and that of downstream epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. We found that Slug serves as a major target of miR-429. miR-429 plays a vital role in ESCC progression and represents a new therapeutic target for ESCC.

Down-regulation of miR-29c is a prognostic biomarker in acute myeloid leukemia and can reduce the sensitivity of leukemic cells to decitabine

Background

MicroRNA-29c (miR-29c) is abnormally expressed in several cancers and serves as an important predictor of tumor prognosis. Herein, we investigate the effects of abnormal miR-29c expression and analyze its clinical significance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. In addition, decitabine (DAC) has made great progress in the treatment of AML in recent years, but DAC resistance is still common phenomenon and the mechanism of resistance is still unclear. We further analyze the influences of miR-29c to leukemic cells treated with DAC.

Methods

Real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) was carried out to detect miR-29c transcript level in 102 de novo AML patients and 25 normal controls. miR-29c/shRNA-29c were respectively transfected into K562 cells and HEL cells. Cell viability after transfection was detected by cell counting Kit-8 assays. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis.

Results

MiR-29c was significantly down-regulated in AML (P < 0.001). Low miR-29c expression was frequently observed in patients with poor karyotype and high risk (P = 0.006 and 0.013, respectively). Patients with low miR-29c expression had a markedly shorter overall survival (OS) than those with high miR-29c expression (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed the independent prognostic value of low miR-29c expression in both the whole cohort as well as the cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML) subset. Over-expression of miR-29c in K562 treated with DAC inhibited growth, while silencing of miR-29c in HEL promoted growth and inhibited apoptosis. MiR-29c overexpression decreased the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of DAC in K562, while miR-29c silencing increased the IC₅₀ of DAC in HEL. The demethylation of the miR-29c promoter was associated with its up-regulated expression. Although miR-29c demethylation was also observed in DAC-resistant K562 (K562/DAC), miR-29c expression was down-regulated. MiR-29c transfection also promoted apoptosis and decreased the IC₅₀ of DAC in K562/DAC cells.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that miR-29c down-regulation may act as an independent prognostic biomarker in AML patients, and miR-29c over-expression can increase the sensitivity of both non-resistant and resistant of leukemic cells to DAC.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12935-019-0894-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BMP-2 and miR-29c in osteosarcoma tissues on proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma cells

Expression of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and microRNA (miR)-29c in osteosarcoma tissues and effects on proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma cells were investigated. A retrospective analysis of 75 patients with osteosarcoma who underwent surgery in Tianjin Baodi Hospital from May 2013 to June 2017 was conducted. A total of 75 osteosarcoma tissues and 51 normal paraneoplastic tissues were collected. RT-PCR was used to compare the expression difference of BMP-2 and miR-29c. miR-29c mimics (experimental group A) and BMP-2 siRNA plasmid (experimental group B) were transfected into human osteosarcoma cells MG-63, respectively. The transfected cells were divided into miRNA negative control (miR-NC) group (cells transfected with miR-negative control), siRNA negative control group (cells transfected with non-silent siRNA) and blank group (cells without any transfection). MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation in each group at different time periods. Transwell insert was used to detect invasion of cells in vitro. The relative expression of BMP-2 in osteosarcoma tissue was significantly higher than that in paraneoplastic tissue (P<0.05). Τhe relative expression of miR-29c in osteosarcoma tissue was significantly lower than that in paraneoplastic tissue (P<0.05). The cell survival rates in experimental groups A and B were significantly lower than those in the blank, miR-NC negative control and siRNA negative control groups on day 5 (P<0.05). The number of cell transmembranes in experimental groups A and B was significantly lower than those in the blank, miR-NC negative control and siRNA negative control groups (P<0.05). BMP-2 is over-expressed in osteosarcoma tissues, and miR-29c is under-expressed in osteosarcoma tissues. Interfering with the expression of BMP-2 and overexpression of miR-29c can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of osteosarcoma cells, indicating that BMP-2 and miR-29c may be involved in the regulation of proliferation and metastasis of osteosarcoma cells and could be used as new molecular target markers for the diagnosis and treatment of osteosarcoma.

Serum microRNA Signature Is Capable of Early Diagnosis for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Despite decades of efforts, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains the leading cause of cancer mortality globally primarily due to the challenge in early detection of the cancer. Being an important player in cancer development, the dysregulated miRNAs have been shown promising values as non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for NSCLC. The aim of our study is to access the efficacy and reliability of a potential circulating miRNA panel in early diagnosis of NSCLC. We first selected eight candidate miRNAs, miR-146b, miR-205, miR-29c, miR-31, miR-30b, miR-337, miR-411, and miR-708, which have been shown frequently aberrant in primary NSCLC patients based on our previous studies and other reports. The serum level of each of these miRNAs was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in training and testing sets. We found that 5 out of 8 miRNAs (miR-146b, miR-205, miR-29c, miR-30b, and miR-337) were significantly up-regulated in NSCLCs patients compared to healthy or cancer-free controls in both training and testing sets. Based on the logistic regression model, a 4-miRNAs set (miR-146b, miR-205, miR-29c and miR-30b) was picked out of the 5 miRNAs owing to its excellent diagnostic power for NSCLC patients in the training set (AUC=0.99, accuracy=95.00%), the testing set (AUC=0.93, accuracy=89.69%), and the training-testing combined set ( AUC=0.96, accuracy=92.00%). When pathological subtypes of NSCLC are compared, this 4-miRNA panel carried a relatively higher prediction power and higher sensitivity for adenocarcinoma (AC) (AUC=0.98, sensitivity=99.10%) than for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (AUC=0.93, sensitivity=90.32%). Additionally, this panel demonstrated a comparable diagnostic capacity for stage I (AUC=0.96) and stage II-III (AUC=0.95) of NSCLC, suggesting its role in reflecting the tumor load. Importantly, the high levels of miR-146b and miR-29c in serum were significantly associated with poor 5-year overall survival (OS) (both p=0.04). Further survival analysis showed that high level of miR-146b in serum is specifically correlated with poor survival rate in SCC patients (p=0.0035) but not in AC patients (p=0.83), consistent with our previous finding that the high tissue expression of miR-146b in lung cancer specimen is indicative of a poor prognosis for SCC patients. Altogether, our study demonstrated that the 4-miRNA panel is a novel, sensitive and non-invasive serum marker for the early diagnosis of NSCLC.

Gene regulation and prognostic indicators of lung squamous cell carcinoma: TCGA-derived miRNA/mRNA sequencing and DNA methylation data

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common cancer worldwide, and this study aimed to investigate the key regulatory networks and prognostic indicators of LSCC. MicroRNA (miRNA)/messenger RNA (mRNA) sequencing and DNA methylation data were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) and genes (DEGs) were identified by the limma package. Then, the transcription factors (TFs) of DEmiRNAs/DEGs, as well as the targets of miRNAs, were predicted by the TFmiR online tool. Using the t test, aberrant methylation was detected in TF binding sites (TFBSs) in promoters. Finally, integrated network and survival analyses were conducted using SPSS software. We obtained 104 DEmiRNAs and 4,491 DEGs, and validated 2,113 DEGs (VDEGs). Then, 103 TFs, 295 TFs, and 14 DEmiRNAs were predicted to target 95 DEmiRNAs, 821 DEGs and 283 DEGs, respectively. After TF-DEmiRNA/DEG and TF-DEmiRNA-DEG networks were constructed (e.g., E2F1-CDC25A, miR29a-RAN, miR326-TBL1XR1), five feedforward loops between ZEB1 and miR-141/200a/200b/200c/429 were found. Furthermore, VDEGs CDC25A, RAN, TBL1XR1 as well as miR-130b and miR-590 were negatively correlated with survival rates. E2F1-CDC25A, miR29a-RAN, miR326-TBL1XR1, and the feedforward loops between ZEB1/ZEB2 and miR-141/200a/200b/200c/429 might participate in LSCC development. Compared with BEAS-2B cells, the SK-MES-1 cells presented a higher expression level of miR-141, miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c but a lower expression level of ZEB1. Overexpressed miR-200c significantly attenuated the expression of ZEB1 and ZEB2 and inhibited the proliferation and migration of SK-MES-1 cells (all p < 0.05). In addition, CDC25A, miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-130b, and miR-590 are potential prognostic indicators of LSCC.

Circulating MicroRNA Biomarkers for Lung Cancer Detection in East Asian Populations

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Eastern Asia. The prognosis of LC highly depends on tumor stages and early detection could substantially reduce LC mortality. Accumulating evidence suggested that circulating miRNAs in plasma or serum may have applications in early LC detection. We thus conducted a systematic literature review on the diagnostic value of miRNAs markers for LC in East Asian populations.

METHODS

PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched to retrieve relevant articles published up to 17 September 2018. Information on study design, population characteristics, investigated miRNAs and diagnostic accuracy (including sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC)) were independently extracted by two reviewers.

RESULTS

Overall, 46 studies that evaluated a total of 88 miRNA markers for LC diagnosis in East Asian populations were identified. Sixteen of the 46 studies have incorporated individual miRNA markers as panels (with 2⁻20 markers). Three promising miRNA panels with ≥90% sensitivity and ≥90% specificity were discovered, two of which were externally validated. Diagnostic performance of circulating miRNAs in East Asian populations was comparable to previously summarized performance in Western populations. Forty-four miRNAs were reported in both populations. No major differences in diagnostic performance by ethnicity of the same miRNA was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Circulating miRNAs or miRNA panels, possibly in combination with other promising molecular markers including epigenetic and genetic markers, may be promising candidates for noninvasive LC early detection. However, large studies with samples collected prospectively in true screening settings are required to validate the promising markers or marker panels.

Identification of the targets of hematoporphyrin derivative in lung adenocarcinoma using integrated network analysis

BACKGROUND

Hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD) has a sensibilization effect in lung adenocarcinoma. This study was conducted to identify the target genes of HPD in lung adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

RNA sequencing was performed using the lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 after no treatment or treatment with X-ray or X-ray + HPD. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened using Mfuzz package by noise-robust soft clustering analysis. Enrichment analysis was carried out using "BioCloud" online tool. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and module analyses were performed using Cytoscape software. Using WebGestalt tool and integrated transcription factor platform (ITFP), microRNA target and transcription factor (TF) target pairs were separately predicted. An integrated regulatory network was visualized with Cytoscape software.

RESULTS

A total of 815 DEGs in the gene set G1 (continuously dysregulated genes along with changes in processing conditions [untreated-treated with X-ray-X-ray + treated with HPD]) and 464 DEGs in the gene set G2 (significantly dysregulated between X-ray + HPD-treated group and untreated/X-ray-treated group) were screened. The significant module identified from the PPI network for gene set G1 showed that ribosomal protein L3 (RPL3) gene could interact with heat shock protein 90 kDa alpha, class A member 1 (HSP90AA1). TFs AAA domain containing 2 (ATAD2) and protein inhibitor of activated STAT 1 (PIAS1) were separately predicted for the genes in gene set G1 and G2, respectively. In the integrated network for gene set G2, ubiquitin-specific peptidase 25 (USP25) was targeted by miR-200b, miR-200c, and miR-429.

CONCLUSION

RPL3, HSP90AA1, ATAD2, and PIAS1 as well as USP25, which is targeted by miR-200b, miR-200c, and miR-429, may be the potential targets of HPD in lung adenocarcinoma.

LncRNA PICART1 suppressed non-small cell lung cancer cells proliferation and invasion by targeting AKT1 signaling pathway

LncRNAs play significant roles in various cell biological processes. In the present study, we demonstrated that PICART1 expression was down-regulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues. Lower expression level of PICART1 was associated with advanced stage. In addition, PICART1 expression was down-regulated in NSCLC cell lines. Overexpression of PICART1 inhibited NSCLC cell growth and induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. Elevated expression of PICART1 suppressed NSCLC cell colony formation and cell invasion. Ectopic expression of PICART1 promoted the expression of epithelial marker E-cadherin while suppressed the mesenchymal marker expression such as N-cadherin and Snail and Vimentin. Furthermore, PICART1 overexpression suppressed AKT phosphorylation and c-Myc expression while inhibited the p21 expression in NSCLC cell. AKT phosphorylation was involved in PICART1 mediated suppression of cell growth and invasion. These results suggested that overexpression of PICART1 suppressed cell growth and invasion partly through regulating AKT signaling pathway in NSCLC.

Circulating immune biomarkers as predictors of the response to pembrolizumab and weekly low dose carboplatin and paclitaxel in NSCLC and poor PS: An interim analysis

The combination of standard-dose chemotherapy and immunotherapy has been shown to be beneficial for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with good performance status (PS). However, treatment options for patients with poor PS are limited. In the present study, the feasibility and immunological effects of low-dose chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel combined with immunotherapy with pembrolizumab were examined in patients with metastatic NSCLC and a poor PS. Patients with advanced NSCLC and a PS of 2 were randomized to single-agent pembrolizumab at 200 mg every 3 weeks or pembrolizumab combined with weekly carboplatin area under the curve 1 and paclitaxel 25 mg/m². Blood for circulating immune cell phenotyping, soluble program death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) and immune-modulatory microRNAs (miRNAs) was collected prior to treatment and at weeks 4 and 7. Ten patients were randomized to the combination arm and 10 to the single-agent arm. Therapy was well tolerated. Four patients discontinued carboplatin due to hypersensitivity reactions but continued pembrolizumab and paclitaxel treatments. Increases in activated CD4⁺ T cells and in immune-regulatory miRNA, and decreases in myeloid derived suppressor cells were observed in the blood of patients in the combination arm and not in the single-agent arm. Changes in circulating regulatory T cells and sPD-L1 were not observed. Seven patients in the combination arm manifested a partial response compared with only two in the single-agent arm. Weekly low-dose chemotherapy carboplatin and paclitaxel was well tolerated and immunologically active when combined with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced NSCLC and a PS of 2. This combination merits further study in this patient population.

Molecular mechanism and role of microRNA-93 in human cancers: A study based on bioinformatics analysis, meta-analysis, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction validation

INTRODUCTION

Currently, studies have shown that microRNA-93 (miR-93) can be an oncogene or a tumor suppressor in different kinds of cancers. The role of miR-93 in human cancers is inconsistent and the underlying mechanism on the aberrant expression of miR-93 is complicated.

METHODS

We first conducted gene enrichment analysis to give insight into the prospective mechanism of miR-93. Second, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical value of miR-93. Finally, a validation test based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to further investigate the role of miR-93 in pan-cancer.

RESULTS

Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis results showed that the target genes of miR-93 were closely related to transcription, and MAPK1, RBBP7 and Smad7 became the hub genes. In the diagnostic meta-analysis, the overall sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve were 0.76 (0.64-0.85), 0.82 (0.64-0.92), and 0.85 (0.82-0.88), respectively, which suggested that miR-93 had excellent performance on the diagnosis for human cancers. In the prognostic meta-analysis, dysregulated miR-93 was found to be associated with poor OS in cancer patients. In the qPCR validation test, the serum levels of miR-93 were upregulated in breast cancer, breast hyperplasia, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, nasopharyngeal cancer, hepatocellular cancer, gastric ulcer, endometrial cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, and prostate cancer compared with healthy controls.

CONCLUSIONS

miR-93 could act as an effective diagnostic and prognostic factor for cancer patients. Its clinical value for cancer early diagnosis and survival prediction is promising.

Roles of miR-200 family members in lung cancer: more than tumor suppressors

miRNAs are a class of single-stranded noncoding RNAs, which have no coding potential, but modulate many molecular mechanisms including cancer pathogenesis. miRNAs participate in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, as well as carcinogenesis or cancer progression, and their involvement in lung cancer has been recently shown. They are suggested to have bidirectional functions on important cancer-related genes so as to enhance or attenuate tumor genesis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process which contributes to integrity of organogenesis and tissue differentiation as well as tissue repair, organ fibrosis and the progression of carcinoma, and several miRNAs were suggested to form the network regulating EMT in lung cancer, among which, miR-200 family members (miR-200a, miR-200b, miR-200c, miR-429 and miR-141) play crucial roles in the suppression of EMT.

Lamins in Lung Cancer: Biomarkers and Key Factors for Disease Progression through miR-9 Regulation?

Lung cancer represents the primary cause of cancer death in the world. Malignant cells identification and characterization are crucial for the diagnosis and management of patients with primary or metastatic cancers. In this context, the identification of new biomarkers is essential to improve the differential diagnosis between cancer subtypes, to select the most appropriate therapy, and to establish prognostic correlations. Nuclear abnormalities are hallmarks of carcinoma cells and are used as cytological diagnostic criteria of malignancy. Lamins (divided into A- and B-types) are localized in the nuclear matrix comprising nuclear lamina, where they act as scaffolding protein, involved in many nuclear functions, with regulatory effects on the cell cycle and differentiation, senescence and apoptosis. Previous studies have suggested that lamins are involved in tumor development and progression with opposite results concerning their prognostic role. This review provides an overview of lamins expression in lung cancer and the relevance of these findings for disease diagnosis and prognosis. Furthermore, we discuss the link between A-type lamins expression in lung carcinoma cells and nuclear deformability, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and metastatic potential, and which mechanisms could regulate A-type lamins expression in lung cancer, such as the microRNA miR-9.

Correlation between miR-200 Family Overexpression and Cancer Prognosis

The correlation between miR-200 family overexpression and cancer prognosis remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine disc (CBM), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) to identify eligible studies. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the strength of the correlations. Additionally, different subgroup analyses and publication bias test were performed. Eventually, we analyzed 23 articles that included five tumor types and 3038 patients. Consequently, high expression of miR-200 family in various tumors was associated with unfavorable overall survival (OS) in both univariate (HR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.14-1.54, P < 0.001) and multivariate (HR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.16-1.49, P < 0.001) analyses. Likewise, a similar result was found in different subgroups of the patient source, cancer type, test method, sample source, miR-200 component, and sample size. However, no association of miR-200 family was detected with recurrence- or relapse-free survival (RFS) (univariate: HR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.96-1.09, P = 0.47; multivariate: HR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.00-1.14, P = 0.07), progression-free survival (PFS) (univariate: HR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.54-1.70, P = 0.88; multivariate: HR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.86-1.61, P = 0.32), and disease-free survival (DFS) (univariate: HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.74-1.09, P = 0.29; multivariate: HR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.68-1.41, P = 0.90). Our findings have provided convincing evidence that miR-200 family overexpression suggested poor prognosis of various cancer types, which efforts may raise the potential use of miR-200 family for cancer prognosis in clinical practice.

Clinically Correlated MicroRNAs in the Diagnosis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Background. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a high mortality rate. MiRNAs have been found to be diagnostic biomarkers for NSCLC. However, controversial results exist. We conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic value of miRNAs for NSCLC. (2) Methods. Databases and reference lists were searched. Pooled sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), and area under the curve (AUC) were applied to examine the general diagnostic efficacy, and subgroup analysis was also performed. (3) Results. Pooled SEN, SPE, and AUC were 85%, 88%, and 0.93, respectively, for 71 studies. Multiple miRNAs (AUC: 0.96) obtained higher diagnostic value than single miRNA (AUC: 0.86), and the same result was found for Caucasian population (AUC: 0.97) when compared with Asian (AUC: 0.91) and Caucasian/African population (AUC: 0.92). MiRNA had higher diagnostic efficacy when participants contained both smokers and nonsmokers (AUC is 0.95 for imbalanced group and 0.91 for balanced group) than when containing only smokers (AUC: 0.90). Meanwhile, AUC was 0.91 for both miR-21 and miR-210. (4) Conclusions. Multiple miRNAs such as miR-21 and miR-210 could be used as diagnostic tools for NSCLC, especially for the Caucasian and nonsmoking NSCLC.

Identification of four plasma microRNAs as potential biomarkers in the diagnosis of male lung squamous cell carcinoma patients in China

Dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in the plasma of patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) might serve as biomarkers for LSCC diagnosis. The expression of miRNAs was performed using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) on the basis of Exiqon panels in the initial screening phase including three male LSCC pool samples and one normal control (NC) pool sample (per 10 samples were pooled as one pool sample). After the training (32 LSCC vs. 31 NCs), the testing (55 LSCC vs. 55 NCs), and the external validation (15 LSCC vs. 15 NCs) stages via qRT-PCR, a four-miRNA signature (miR-181a-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-106a-5p, and miR-93-5p) was identified for LSCC detection. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of the four-miRNA panel for the training, the testing, and the external validation phases were 0.795, 0.827, and 0.914, respectively. Then, the four miRNAs were explored in LSCC tissue samples (23 LSCC vs. 23 NCs), and their expression was significantly up-regulated. However, none of the four miRNAs found significantly up-regulated in plasma exosomes expect miR-93-5p with borderline significance (16 LSCC vs. 16 NCs). In summary, our study established a four-miRNA peripheral plasma signature, which contributed to diagnosing male LSCC patients in China to a certain degree.

Clinical significance of blood-based miRNAs as biomarkers of non-small cell lung cancer

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85% of all cases of lung cancer. However, the predicted 5-year survival rate of patients with NSCLC is only 15.9%. microRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, noncoding RNA molecules that are easily detectable in blood in a non-invasive manner, with features of stability, reproducibility and consistency in blood. Therefore, miRNAs derived from blood are able to have a significant impact on NSCLC diagnosis, metastasis and targeted therapies. Compared with the clinical protein markers carcinoembryonic antigen, cytokeratin fragment 21-1 and cancer antigen-125, blood-based miRNAs also display a higher diagnostic efficacy in NSCLC. Exosomal miRNAs are identified to be easily measured and have the potential to be used as diagnostic biomarkers in NSCLC, therefore providing an alternative method of biopsy profiling. The miRNA profile in exosomes is similar to the profile in primary tumor, meaning that this feature may be a powerful tool for NSCLC clinical diagnosis and targeted therapies. The focus of the present review was the clinical significance of blood-based exosomal miRNAs in diagnosis, prognosis, metastasis and targeted therapies of NSCLC.

MicroRNA-29c inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting VEGFA

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a primary sub-type of lung cancer with a high incidence rate and poor prognosis. The primary therapeutic treatment for NSCLC is chemotherapy, which is considered to be ineffective and excessively toxic. Novel therapeutic methods, particularly molecular targeted therapy, have attracted considerable attention. MicroRNAs (miRs) are reported to be potential biomarkers and targeted agents with roles in various types of tumors. Herein, the present study presented the observation of aberrant low expression of miR‑29c and associated overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) in NSCLC tumor tissues. The effects of miR‑29c upon NSCLC tumor progression, including cell proliferation and cellular apoptosis, were investigated. The possible regulatory mechanism of action of miR‑29c on its direct target VEGFA and the phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase (PI3K)/RAC‑α serine/threonine‑protein kinase (Akt) signaling pathway was examined using multiple methods, including reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, dual luciferase assay and western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that miR‑29c expression was downregulated in NSCLC tumor tissues compared with normal tissues. A marked negative correlation in the expression of miR‑29c and VEGFA was observed in clinical NSCLC tissues and cultured NSCLC cells. Overexpression of miR‑29c may inhibit cell proliferation and accelerate the cellular apoptosis rate of NSCLC tumor cells. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR‑29c was demonstrated to be able to downregulate the expression levels of VEGFA and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway‑associated proteins. The results of the present study suggested that miR‑29c might regulate NSCLC tumor progression by targeting VEGFA.