Silence of FOXD2-AS1 inhibited the proliferation and invasion of esophagus cells by regulating miR-145-5p/CDK6 axis

Long non-coding RNAs in cancer: multifaceted roles and potential targets for immunotherapy

Cancer remains a major global health concern with high mortality rates mainly due to late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key regulators of gene expression in human cancer, functioning through various mechanisms including as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and indirectly regulating miRNA expression. LncRNAs have been found to have both oncogenic and tumor-suppressive roles in cancer, with the former promoting cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and poor prognosis. Recent research has shown that lncRNAs are expressed in various immune cells and are involved in cancer cell immune escape and the modulation of the tumor microenvironment, thus highlighting their potential as targets for cancer immunotherapy. Targeting lncRNAs in cancer or immune cells could enhance the anti-tumor immune response and improve cancer immunotherapy outcomes. However, further research is required to fully understand the functional roles of lncRNAs in cancer and the immune system and their potential as targets for cancer immunotherapy. This review offers a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted roles of lncRNAs in human cancers, with a focus on their potential as targets for cancer immunotherapy. By exploring the intricate mechanisms underlying lncRNA-mediated regulation of cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and immune evasion, we provide insights into the diverse therapeutic applications of these molecules.

FOXD2-AS1 acts an oncogene in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through sponging miR-204-3p

PURPOSE

A growing number of evidences has revealed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have vital effect in the pathogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In our work, we found that lncRNA FOXD2 adjacent opposite strand RNA 1 (FOXD2-AS1) was significantly increased in clinical ESCC samples and cell lines.

METHODS

The biological effect of FOXD2-AS1 on EC109 and KYSE150 cells showed that the low expression of FOXD2-AS1 inhibited the proliferation through CCK8 and colony formation assays, invasion by transwell chamber test, migration abilities by wound healing assay, and enhance apoptosis rates by flow cytometry assay.

RESULTS

Through bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays, microRNA (miR)-204-3p was proved to be a target of FOXD2-AS1. We further confirmed that FOXD2-AS1 was the upstream inhibitor of miR-204-3p and the down-regulation of miR-204-3p reversed the repressive effects of low expression of FOXD2-AS1 on ESCC progression. In addition, inhibition of FOXD2-AS1 effectively suppressed the tumor growth.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, our results suggested that FOXD2-AS1 may be of vital therapeutic importance for the treatment of ESCC patients.

Status of diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer and non-coding RNA correlation research: a narrative review

OBJECTIVE

To describe and discuss the progression of the non-coding RNA as biomarkers in early esophageal cancer.

BACKGROUND

Esophageal cancer without obvious symptoms during early stages is one of the most common cancers, the current clinical treatments offer possibilities of a cure, but the survival rates and the prognoses remain poor, it is a serious threat to human life and health. Most patients are usually diagnosed during terminal stages due to low sensitivity of esophageal cancer's early detection techniques. With the development of molecular biology, an increasing number of non-coding RNAs are found to be associated with the occurrence, development, and prognosis of esophageal cancer. Some of these have begun to be used in clinics and laboratories for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, with the goal of reducing mortality.

METHODS

The information for this paper was collected from a variety of sources, including a search of the keynote's references, a search for texts in college libraries, and discussions with experts in the field of esophageal cancer clinical treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-coding RNA does play a regulatory role in the development of esophageal cancer, which can predict the occurrence or prognosis of tumors, and become a new class of tumor markers and therapeutic targets in clinical applications. In this review, we survey the recent developments in the incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of esophageal cancer, especially with new research progresses on non-coding RNA biomarkers in detail, and discuss its potential clinical applications.

m6A methyltransferase METTL3-mediated lncRNA FOXD2-AS1 promotes the tumorigenesis of cervical cancer

Recent studies have indicated that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) methylation modification play critical roles in human cancers; however, their regulation on cervical cancer is largely unclear. Here, our study tries to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which lncRNA FOXD2 adjacent opposite strand RNA 1 (FOXD2-AS1) modulates cervical cancer tumorigenesis. Results illuminated that FOXD2-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer cells and tissue, which was closely correlated to the unfavorable prognosis. Functionally, gain and loss-of-function assays showed that FOXD2-AS1 promoted the migration and proliferation of cervical cancer cells. Besides, FOXD2-AS1 silencing repressed the tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, m⁶A methyltransferase methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) enhanced the stability of FOXD2-AS1 and maintained its expression. Moreover, FOXD2-AS1 recruited lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) to the promoter region of p21 to silence its transcription abundance. In conclusion, these findings support that METTL3/FOXD2-AS1 accelerates cervical cancer progression via a m⁶A-dependent modality, which may serve as a potential therapeutic target for cervical cancer.

Comprehensive Analysis and Identification of Key Driver Genes for Distinguishing Between Esophageal Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the deadliest cancers in the world. However, the mechanism that drives the evolution of EC is still unclear. On this basis, we identified the key genes and molecular pathways that may be related to the progression of esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma to find potential markers or therapeutic targets. Methods: GSE26886 were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among normal samples, EA, and squamous cell carcinoma were determined using R software. Then, potential functions of DEGs were determined using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). The STRING software was used to identify the most important modules in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The expression levels of hub genes were confirmed using UALCAN database. Kaplan-Meier plotters were used to confirm the correlation between hub genes and outcomes in EC. Results: In this study, we identified 1,098 genes induced in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and 669 genes were reduced in EA and ESCC, suggesting that these genes may play an important role in the occurrence and development of EC tumors. Bioinformatics analysis showed that these genes were involved in cell cycle regulation and p53 and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway. In addition, we identified 147 induced genes and 130 reduced genes differentially expressed in EA and ESCC. The expression of ESCC in the EA group was different from that in the control group. By PPI network analysis, we identified 10 hub genes, including GNAQ, RGS5, MAPK1, ATP1B1, HADHA, HSDL2, SLC25A20, ACOX1, SCP2, and NLN. TCGA validation showed that these genes were present in the dysfunctional samples between EC and normal samples and between EA and ESCC. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that MAPK1, ACOX1, SCP2, and NLN were associated with overall survival in patients with ESCC and EA. Conclusions: In this study, we identified a series of DEGs between EC and normal samples and between EA and ESCC samples. We also identified 10 key genes involved in the EC process. We believe that this study may provide a new biomarker for the prognosis of EA and ESCC.

The role of FOXD2-AS1 in cancer: a comprehensive study based on data mining and published articles

Background and aims: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) FOXD2 adjacent opposite strand RNA 1 (FOXD2-AS1) is aberrantly expressed in various cancers and associated with cancer progression. A comprehensive meta-analysis was performed based on published literature and data in the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and then the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was used to assess the clinicopathological and prognostic value of FOXD2-AS1 in cancer patients.

Methods: Gene Expression Omnibus databases of microarray data and published articles were used for meta-analysis, and TCGA dataset was also explored using the GEPIA analysis program. Hazard ratios (HRs) and pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the role of FOXD2-AS1 in cancers.

Results: This meta-analysis included 21 studies with 2391 patients and 25 GEO datasets with 3311 patients. The pooled HRs suggested that highly expressed FOXD2-AS1 expression was correlated with poor overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Similar results were obtained by analysis of TCGA data for 9502 patients. The pooled results also indicated that FOXD2-AS1 expression was associated with bigger tumor size and advanced TNM stage, but was not related to age, gender, differentiation and lymph node metastasis.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that FOXD2-AS1 is closely related to tumor size and TNM stage. Additionally, increased FOXD2-AS1 was a risk factor of OS and DFS in cancer patients, suggesting FOXD2-AS1 may be a potential biomarker in human cancers.