LncRNA-HAGLR motivates triple negative breast cancer progression by regulation of WNT2 via sponging miR-335-3p

HAGLR, stabilized by m6A modification, triggers PTEN-Akt signaling cascade-mediated RPE cell pyroptosis via sponging miR-106b-5p

Consistent hyperglycaemia on retinal microvascular tissues is recognized as a vital inducer of diabetic retinopathy (DR) pathogenesis. In view of the essential functionality of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in multiple human diseases, we aim to figure out the exact role and underlying mechanisms of lncRNA HOXD Cluster Antisense RNA 1 (HAGLR) in DR pathogenesis. Serum specimens from patients with proliferative DR and healthy volunteers were collected for measuring HAGLR levels. Human primary retinal pigment epithelium (HRPE) cells kept in high glucose (HG) condition were applied to simulating hyperglycaemia of DR pathology in vitro. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, either pyroptosis was assess using Cell Counting Kit-8 TUNEL, flow cytometry, and enzyme-linked immunoassay assays. Bioinformatics analysis was subjected to examine the interaction between HAGLR and N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-bind protein IGF2BP2, as determined using RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to assess the HAGLR-miR-106b-5p-PTEN axis. Levels of pyroptosis-associated biomarkers were detected using western blotting. Aberrantly overexpressed HAGLR was uncovered in the serum samples of DR patients and HG-induced HRPE cells, of which knockdown attenuated HG-induced cytotoxic impacts on cell apoptosis and pyroptosis. Whereas, reinforced HAGLR further aggravated these effects. IGF2BP2 positively regulated HAGLR in a m6A-dependent manner. HAGLR served as a sponge for miR-106b-5p to upregulate PTEN, thereby activating Akt signaling cascade. Rescue assays demonstrated that PTEN overexpression abolished the inhibition of silenced HAGLR on pyroptosis in HRPE cells. HAGLR, epigenetically modified by IGF2BP2 in an m6A-dependent manner, functioned as a sponge for miR-106b-5p, thereby activating PTEN/Akt signaling cascade to accelerate DR pathology.

LncRNA AP000695.2 promotes glycolysis of lung adenocarcinoma via the miR-335-3p/TEAD1 axis

AP000695.2 is a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA). Its aberrant high expression is remarkably associated with poor prognosis of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, its role and underlying mechanism in LUAD remains unclear. Previous bioinformatics analysis indicated that AP000695.2 may be closely related to the glycolysis of LUAD. This study aims to verify and explore the mechanism of AP000695.2 in glycolysis of LUAD. Overexpression plasmid and siRNA are used to construct cell models of upregulation and downregulation of AP000695.2, respectively. AP000695.2 is highly expressed in lung cancer cell lines as revealed by qPCR. Western blot analysis, FDG uptake, lactate production assay and ECAR determination results show that high expression of AP000695.2 facilitates glycolysis of LUAD cells. CCK-8, EdU staining, Transwell and wound healing assays show that high expression of AP000695.2 promotes cell growth and migration of LUAD. The relationship between AP000695.2 and miR-335-3p is confirmed by bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assays. Through the dual-luciferase reporter assay, TEA domain transcription factor 1 (TEAD1) is identified as a target gene of miR-335-3p. Rescue experiments are applied to verify the relationship among AP000695.2, miR-335-3p and TEAD1. Our study indicates that AP000695.2 is involved in the mechanism of LUAD through functioning as a ceRNA to competitively sponge miR-335-3p, thereby regulating the expression of TEAD1. In the in vivo models, AP000695.2 depletion restrains tumor growth and glycolysis. AP000695.2 promotes the glycolysis of LUAD by regulating the miR-335-3p/TEAD1 axis, and it may serve as a potential target of anti-tumor energy metabolism therapy.

WNT2-SOX4 positive feedback loop promotes chemoresistance and tumorigenesis by inducing stem-cell like properties in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by its vigorous chemoresistance to current therapies, which is attributed to the highly heterogeneous and immature phenotype of cancer stem cells (CSCs) during tumor initiation and progression. The secretory WNT2 ligand regulates multiple cancer pathways and has been demonstrated to be a potential therapeutic target for gastrointestinal tumors; however, its role involved in gastric CSCs (GCSCs) remains unclear. Here, we found that overexpression of WNT2 enhanced stemness properties to promote chemoresistance and tumorigenicity in GCSCs. Mechanistically, WNT2 was positively regulated by its transcription factor SOX4, and in turn, SOX4 was upregulated by the canonical WNT2/FZD8/β-catenin signaling pathway to form an auto-regulatory positive feedback loop, resulting in the maintenance of GCSCs self-renewal and tumorigenicity. Furthermore, simultaneous overexpression of both WNT2 and SOX4 was correlated with poor survival and reduced responsiveness to chemotherapy in clinical GC specimens. Blocking WNT2 using a specific monoclonal antibody significantly disrupted the WNT2-SOX4 positive feedback loop in GCSCs and enhanced the chemotherapeutic efficacy when synergized with the chemo-drugs 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin in a GCSC-derived mouse xenograft model. Overall, this study identified a novel WNT2-SOX4 positive feedback loop as a mechanism for GCSCs-induced chemo-drugs resistance and suggested that the WNT2-SOX4 axis may be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer treatment.

LncRNA HAGLR May Aggravate Melanoma Malignancy Via miR-4644/ASB11 Pathway

In this study, we aimed to assess the biological functions of HAGLR and its underlying mechanisms in melanoma. HAGLR and ASB11 were knocked down by transfection with the corresponding siRNAs. Meanwhile, miR-4644 was downregulated using the miR-4644 inhibitor treatment. The target interactions among the three molecules were demonstrated using dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. The levels of HAGLR, miR-4644, and ASB11 in melanoma cells and tissues were assessed using quantitative real‑time PCR and western blotting. The functions and mechanisms underlying HAGLR action in melanoma progression were examined using Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell, Caspase-3 activity, and xenograft tumor formation assays. HAGLR and ASB11 expression were elevated, whereas that of miR-4644 was downregulated in melanoma cells and tissues. The viability and migration of melanoma cells (A875 and A375) were markedly suppressed by the knockdown of HAGLR and ASB11 but promoted following miR-4644 inhibitor transfection. In contrast, apoptosis showed the opposite trend. In vivo, tumor weight declined considerably with downregulation of HAGLR. Mechanistically, HAGLR sponges miR-4644, increasing the levels of ASB11 and further aggravating melanoma. It latter negatively targets ASB11 in melanoma cells. Hence, the HAGLR-miR-4644-ASB11 axis may be a promising target for melanoma treatment.

Circular RNA ATP2C1 (has_circ_0005797) sponges miR-432/miR-335 to promote breast cancer progression through regulating CCND1 expression

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in the world. Accumulating evidence has indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play essential roles in BC. Here we investigated the biological functions of circATP2C as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in BC development. We found that circATP2C1 expression was upregulated in BC cells and tissues and was significantly associated with the poor overall survival in BC patients. CircATP2C1 is more resistant to RNase R exonuclease and Actinomycin D than is the linear mRNA of ATP2C1. CircATP2C1-knockdown inhibited the viability, colony proliferation and invasion abilities, while increasing the apoptosis rates of BC cells in vitro, as well as inhibiting tumor mass, size and weight in vivo. Upregulation of miR-432 and miR-335 inhibited CCND1 expression in BC cells. Both miR-432/miR-335 specifically bind to the 3'-UTR of circATP2C1 and CCND1 (CyclinD1). The inhibition of the aggression of BC cells by circATP2C1-knockdown was rescued by co-transfection of miR-432/miR-335 inhibitors. In conclusion, circATP2C1 promotes BC oncogenesis and metastasis by sponging miR-432/miR-335 to abolish the inhibition of the target gene, CCND1. This study suggests that circATP2C1 has implications for BC diagnosis and treatment.

Lycorine weakens tamoxifen resistance of breast cancer via abrogating HAGLR-mediated epigenetic suppression on VGLL4 by DNMT1

Much is known about the significance of lycorine, a natural alkaloid, in combating various types of cancer, including breast cancer (BC), but whether it participates in regulating tamoxifen (TAM) resistance and its underlying mechanism remain to be elucidated. Tamoxifen-resistant (TAMR) BC cells were first established by continuously exposed to increasing concentrations of TAM. Levels of targeted gene including HOXD antisense growth-associated lncRNA (HAGLR) and Vestigial like family member 4 (VGLL4) were analyzed by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Cell proliferation ability was assessed by MTT and EdU assays. Flow cytometry was carried out to evaluate the apoptosis. VGLL4 promoter methylation was examined using methylation specific PCR (MSP). The role of HAGLR acting on the expression of VGLL4 via DNA hypermethylation was confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP). Here, we reported that lycorine administration reduced the survival ratio of TAMR BC cells, decreased the IC₅₀ of TAM, and strengthened TAM-induced apoptosis. HAGLR, observed to be highly expressed in TAMR BC cells, was identified to be a downstream effector of lycorine, of which overexpression abolished lycorine-mediated TAMR inhibition. VGLL4 served as a target of HAGLR in regulating lycorine-mediated suppression on tamoxifen resistance of TAMR BC cells. Mechanistically, HAGLR epigenetically suppressed VGLL4 expression via DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1)-mediated DNA hypermethylation. Taken together, our data highlights the pivotal role of lycorine in TAM resistance of BC, which may provide a potential agent for improving the effectiveness and efficacy of BC resistance.

RUNX3 Meets the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in Cancer

RUNX3 is a transcription factor with regulatory roles in cell proliferation and development. While largely characterized as a tumor suppressor, RUNX3 can also be oncogenic in certain cancers. Many factors account for the tumor suppressor function of RUNX3, which is reflected by its ability to suppress cancer cell proliferation after expression-restoration, and its inactivation in cancer cells. Ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation represent a major mechanism for the inactivation of RUNX3 and the suppression of cancer cell proliferation. On the one hand, RUNX3 has been shown to facilitate the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of oncogenic proteins. On the other hand, RUNX3 can be inactivated through the ubiquitin-proteasome system. This review encapsulates two facets of RUNX3 in cancer: how RUNX3 suppresses cell proliferation by facilitating the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of oncogenic proteins, and how RUNX3 is degraded itself through interacting RNA-, protein-, and pathogen-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation.

Evaluation of altered miRNA expression pattern to predict COVID-19 severity

Outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019 affected millions of people globally. After substantial research, several biomarkers for COVID-19 have been validated however no specific and reliable biomarker for the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 infection exists. Present study was designed to identify specific biomarkers to predict COVID-19 severity and tool for formulating treatment. A small cohort of subjects (n = 43) were enrolled and categorized in four study groups; Dead (n = 16), Severe (n = 10) and Moderate (n = 7) patients and healthy controls (n = 10). Small RNA sequencing was done on Illumina platform after isolation of microRNA from peripheral blood. Differential expression (DE) of miRNA (patients groups compared to control) revealed 118 down-regulated and 103 up-regulated known miRNAs with fold change (FC) expression ≥2 folds and p ≤ 0.05. DE miRNAs were then subjected to functional enrichment and network analysis. Bioinformatic analysis resulted in 31 miRNAs (24 Down-regulated; 7 up-regulated) significantly associated with COVID-19 having AUC>0.8 obtained from ROC curve. Seventeen out of 31 DE miRNAs have been linked to COVID-19 in previous studies. Three miRNAs, hsa-miR-147b-5p and hsa-miR-107 (down-regulated) and hsa-miR-1299 (up-regulated) showed significant unique DE in Dead patients. Another set of 4 miRNAs, hsa-miR-224-5p (down-regulated) and hsa-miR-4659b-3p, hsa-miR-495-3p and hsa-miR-335-3p were differentially up-regulated uniquely in Severe patients. Members of three miRNA families, hsa-miR-20, hsa-miR-32 and hsa-miR-548 were significantly down-regulated in all patients group in comparison to healthy controls. Thus a distinct miRNA expression profile was observed in Dead, Severe and Moderate COVID-19 patients. Present study suggests a panel of miRNAs which identified in COVID-19 patients and could be utilized as potential diagnostic biomarkers for predicting COVID-19 severity.

Nanomaterial-assisted CRISPR gene-engineering - A hallmark for triple-negative breast cancer therapeutics advancement

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most violent class of tumor and accounts for 20–24% of total breast carcinoma, in which frequently rare mutation occurs in high frequency. The poor prognosis, recurrence, and metastasis in the brain, heart, liver and lungs decline the lifespan of patients by about 21 months, emphasizing the need for advanced treatment. Recently, the adaptive immunity mechanism of archaea and bacteria, called clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) combined with nanotechnology, has been utilized as a potent gene manipulating tool with an extensive clinical application in cancer genomics due to its easeful usage and cost-effectiveness. However, CRISPR/Cas are arguably the efficient technology that can be made efficient via organic material-assisted approaches. Despite the efficacy of the CRISPR/Cas@nano complex, problems regarding successful delivery, biodegradability, and toxicity remain to render its medical implications. Therefore, this review is different in focus from past reviews by (i) detailing all possible genetic mechanisms of TNBC occurrence; (ii) available treatments and gene therapies for TNBC; (iii) overview of the delivery system and utilization of CRISPR-nano complex in TNBC, and (iv) recent advances and related toxicity of CRISPR-nano complex towards clinical trials for TNBC.

The Value of m5C-Related lncRNAs in the Prognostic Assessment and Immunotherapy of Stomach Adenocarcinoma

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely associated with a variety of tumors, including stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD). However, the role of 5-methylcytosine- (m5C-) related lncRNAs in STAD is still uncertain. This study investigated the value of m5C-related lncRNAs in prognostic evaluation and immunotherapy of STAD. STAD transcriptome sequencing data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and m5C-related lncRNAs were screened by Pearson correlation analysis. A prognostic m5C-related lncRNA signature (m5CRLSig) associated with STAD was established using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. We constructed a prognostic risk model for STAD with six m5C-related lncRNAs. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to examine the predictive efficacy. Univariate and multifactorial Cox regression analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) validated m5CRLSig as an independent factor of STAD prognosis. The clinicopathological characteristics of the model showed higher risk scores for stages II-IV, grade 3, N1-3, and death status. The calibration curve of a nomogram revealed that the nomogram had an excellent predictive function for survival risk. Furthermore, the expression of six m5C-related lncRNAs in STAD and paracancerous tissues was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), which verified the feasibility of the m5CRLSig as a prognostic marker for STAD. m5C-related lncRNAs were linked to multiple immune-associated pathways, according to gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). CIBERSORT analysis indicated that m5CRLSig was involved in immune cell infiltration. Risk score was associated with immune checkpoint gene expression, immune function scores, and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity. Therefore, m5CRLSig can efficiently assess the prognosis of STAD patients and can be used as a biological marker for immunotherapy.

New Achievements for the Treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) constitutes a heterogeneous group of malignancies that are often aggressive and associated with a poor prognosis. The development of new TNBC treatment strategies has become an urgent clinical need. Diagnosis and subtyping of TNBC are essential to establish alternative treatments and targeted therapies for every TNBC patient. Chemotherapy, particularly with anthracycline and taxanes, remains the backbone for medical management for both early and metastatic TNBC. More recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapy have revolutionized cancer treatment. Included in the different strategies studied for TNBC treatment is drug repurposing. Despite the numerous medications available, numerous studies in medicinal chemistry are still aimed at the synthesis of new compounds in order to find new antiproliferative agents capable of treating TNBC. Additionally, some supplemental micronutrients, nutraceuticals and functional foods can potentially reduce the risk of developing cancer or can retard the rate of growth and metastases of established malignant diseases. Finally, nanotechnology in medicine, termed nanomedicines, introduces nanoparticles of variable chemistry and architecture for cancer treatment. This review highlights the most recent studies in search of new therapies for the treatment of TNBC, along with nutraceuticals and repositioning of drugs.

CCR5 is a prognostic biomarker and an immune regulator for triple negative breast cancer

This study aims to explore the clinical implications and potential mechanistic functions of CCR5 in triple negative breast cancer. Briefly, we demonstrated that CCR5 is overexpressed in TNBC and is associated with better prognosis of TNBC. CCR5 expression is positively correlated with tumor immune cell infiltration and tumor immune response related pathways. Multi-omics data analyses identified CCR5 associated genomic and proteomic changes. CCR5 overexpression was associated with better overall survival in TNBC patients with TP53 mutation. We also summarized the latest findings on ICB efficacy related genes and explored the association between CCR5 and those genes. These results indicated that CCR5 is a potential tumor suppressor gene and individualized therapeutic strategy could be established based on multi-omics background and expression pattern of ICB related genes. In conclusion, CCR5 is associated with better survival of TNBC patients with TP53 mutation, which may exert its roles through tumor immune environment.