Long non-coding RNA DLEUI promotes papillary thyroid carcinoma progression by sponging miR-421 and increasing ROCK1 expression

Insight into the Role of the miR-584 Family in Human Cancers

Among the non-coding RNAs, the aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) is well described in the oncology field. It is clear that the altered expression of miRNAs is crucial for a variety of processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, motility, angiogenesis and metastasis insurgence. Considering these aspects, RNA-based therapies and the use of miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis are underlined as promising opportunities against cancer death. In the era of precision medicine, significant progress in next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques has broadened knowledge regarding the miRNAs expression profile in cancer tissues and in the blood of cancer patients. In this scenario, pre-clinical and clinical studies suggested that the members of the miR-584 family, i.e., miR-584-5p and -3p, are prominent players in cancer development and progression. Under some conditions, these miRNAs are under-expressed in cancer tissues acting as tumor suppressors, while in other conditions, they are overexpressed, acting as oncogenes increasing the aggressive behavior of cancer cells. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview on the expression, upstream genes, molecular targets and signaling pathways influenced by the miR-584 family (i.e., miR-584-3p and -5p) in various human solid and hematological cancers. To achieve this goal, 64 articles on this topic are discussed. Among these articles, 55 are focused on miR-584-5p, and it is outlined how this miRNA could be used in future applications as a potential new therapeutic strategy and diagnostic tool.

Identification of Six N7-Methylguanosine-Related miRNA Signatures to Predict the Overall Survival and Immune Landscape of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer through In Silico Analysis

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a widely prevalent breast cancer, with a mortality rate of up to 25%. TNBC has a lower survival rate, and the significance of N7-methylguanosine (m7G) modification in TNBC remains unclear. Thus, this study is aimed at investigating m7G-related miRNAs in TNBC patients through in silico analysis. In our research, RNA sequencing and clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The miRNAs targeting typical m7G modification regulators Methyltransferase-like 1 (METTL1) and WD repeat domain 4 (WDR4) were predicted on the TargetScan website. A miRNA risk model was built, and its prognostic value was evaluated by R soft packages. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis was used to assess immune infiltration, and further expression of immune checkpoints was investigated. As a result, miR-421, miR-5001-3p, miR-4326, miR-1915-3p, miR-3177-5p, and miR-4505 were identified to create the risk model. A nomogram consisting of the stage N and risk model predicted overall survival effectively among TNBC patients. Treg and TIL were shown to be strongly linked to the risk model, and the high-risk group had higher levels of four immune checkpoints expression (CD28, CTLA-4, ICOS, and TNFRSF9). A risk model consisting of m7G-related miRNAs was constructed. The findings of the current study could be used as a prognostic biomarker and can provide a novel immunotherapy insight for TNBC patients.

A-Kinase Interacting Protein 1 Knockdown Restores Chemosensitivity via Inactivating PI3K/AKT and β-Catenin Pathways in Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma

Background

A-kinase interacting protein 1 (AKIP1) promotes tumor progression and chemoresistance in several malignancies; meanwhile, it is related to higher tumor size and recurrence risk of papillary thyroid carcinoma, while the role of AKIP1 in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of AKIP1 knockdown on cell malignant behaviors and doxorubicin resistance in ATC.

Methods

AKIP1 knockdown was conducted in ATC cell lines (8505C and CAL-62 cells) by siRNA; then, cell viability, apoptosis, invasion, PI3K/AKT and β-catenin pathways, and doxorubicin sensitivity were detected. Subsequently, doxorubicin-resistant 8505C cells (8505C/Dox) were established. Additionally, AKIP1 was modified in 8505C and 8505C/Dox cells that underwent doxorubicin treatment by siRNA or overexpression plasmid, followed by cellular function and pathway detection.

Results

AKIP1 was elevated in FRO, 8505C, CAL-62, and KHM-5M cells compared to control cells (all p < 0.05). Subsequently, AKIP1 knockdown elevated apoptosis, inhibited viability and invasion, and inactivated PI3K/AKT and β-catenin pathways in 8505C and CAL-62 cells (all p < 0.05). AKIP1 knockdown decreased relative cell viability in doxorubicin-treated 8505C and CAL-62 cells; then, AKIP1 was elevated in 8505C/Dox cells compared to 8505C cells (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, AKIP1 knockdown restored doxorubicin sensitivity (reflected by decreased cell viability and invasion, and increased apoptosis), but inactivated PI3K/AKT and β-catenin pathways in doxorubicin-treated 8505C/Dox cells. However, AKIP1 overexpression presented an opposite effect on these functions and pathways in doxorubicin-treated 8505C cells.

Conclusion

AKIP1 knockdown decreases cell survival and invasion while promoting sensitivity to doxorubicin via inactivating PI3K/AKT and β-catenin pathways in ATC.

DLEU1 promotes cell survival by preventing DYNLL1 degradation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence has highlighted the critical roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor development and progression. However, the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of DLEU1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unclear.

METHODS

LncRNA expression in ESCC tissues was explored using lncRNA microarray datasets. The functional roles of DLEU1 in ESCC were demonstrated by a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments. RNA pull-down and immunoprecipitation assays were performed to demonstrate the potential mechanisms of DLEU1.

RESULTS

In a screen for differentially expressed lncRNAs in ESCC, we determined that DLEU1 was one of the most overexpressed lncRNAs in ESCC tissues and that upregulated DLEU1 expression was associated with a worse prognosis. Functional assays showed that DLEU1 promoted tumor growth by inhibiting cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, DLEU1 could bind and stabilize DYNLL1 by interfering with RNF114-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. The DLEU1/DYNLL1 axis subsequently upregulated antiapoptotic BCL2 and promoted cell survival. Furthermore, DLEU1 upregulation was at least partly facilitated by promoter hypomethylation. Notably, targeting DLEU1 sensitized ESCC cells to cisplatin-induced death.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that DLEU1-mediated stabilization of DYNLL1 is critical for cell survival and that the DLEU1/DYNLL1 axis may be a promising therapeutic target for ESCC.

Profiling and Integrated Analysis of Differentially Expressed MicroRNAs as Novel Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous disease that has multiple etiologies. It is the most common primary liver cancer, the sixth highest cause of cancer incidences, and the fourth highest cause of cancer-related deaths. The discovery of new biomarkers for the early detection, treatment, and prognosis of HCC would therefore be extremely useful. This study investigated differentially expressed ribonucleic acid (RNA) profiles by constructing a genome-wide profile of clinical samples. Differential expression analysis identified 1,280 differentially expressed messenger RNAs (dif-mRNAs), 99 differentially expressed microRNAs (dif-miRNAs), 181 differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (dif-lncRNAs), and 31 differentially expressed circular RNAs (dif-circRNAs). Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) path analysis were then conducted on these differentially expressed RNAs, revealing that they were clearly related to cell division, foreign body metabolism, and ribosome assembly. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was then constructed based on the regulatory dif-miRNA-dif-mRNA and dif-miRNA-dif-lncRNA relationships. These results were also verified using HCC data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA); seven dif-miRNAs were verified in clinical samples by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the expression levels of Hsa-miR-1269a, Hsa-miR-421, and Hsa-miR-190b were correlated with overall survival. (P <0.05). Survival analysis of clinical samples showed that hsa-mir-1269a, hsa-mir-421 were associated with prognosis (p<0.05).This study revealed the general expression characteristics of specific differentially expressed miRNAs using a ceRNA network constructed from HCC samples. Hsa-mir-1269a, hsa-mir-421 may be promising candidates.

Downregulation of long noncoding RNA DLEU1 attenuates hypersensitivity in chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain in rats by targeting miR-133a-3p/SRPK1 axis

Background

Neuropathic pain belongs to chronic pain and is caused by the primary dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to regulate neuronal functions and play significant roles in neuropathic pain. DLEU1 has been indicated to have close relationship with neuropathic pain. Therefore, our study focused on the significant role of DLEU1 in neuropathic pain rat models.

Methods

We first constructed a chronic constrictive injury (CCI) rat model. Paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) were employed to evaluate hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain. RT-qPCR was performed to analyze the expression of target genes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to detect the concentrations of interleukin‐6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF-α) and IL-1β. The underlying mechanisms of DLEU1 were investigated using western blot and luciferase reporter assays.

Results

Our findings showed that DLEU1 was upregulated in CCI rats. DLEU1 knockdown reduced the concentrations of IL‐6, IL‐1β and TNF‐α in CCI rats, suggesting that neuroinflammation was inhibited by DLEU1 knockdown. Besides, knockdown of DLEU1 inhibited neuropathic pain behaviors. Moreover, it was confirmed that DLEU1 bound with miR-133a-3p and negatively regulated its expression. SRPK1 was the downstream target of miR-133a-3p. DLEU1 competitively bound with miR-133a-3p to upregulate SRPK1. Finally, rescue assays revealed that SRPK1 overexpression rescued the suppressive effects of silenced DLEU1 on hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain and inflammation of spinal cord in CCI rats.

Conclusion

DLEU1 regulated inflammation of the spinal cord and mediated hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain in CCI rats by binding with miR-133a-3p to upregulate SRPK1 expression.