MiR-1268b confers chemosensitivity in breast cancer by targeting ERBB2-mediated PI3K-AKT pathway

Recent Advances in Extracellular Vesicles in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Emergent Perspectives

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severe and incurable neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive death of motor neurons, leading to paralysis and death. It is a rare disease characterized by high patient-to-patient heterogeneity, which makes its study arduous and complex. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important players in the development of ALS. Thus, ALS phenotype-expressing cells can spread their abnormal bioactive cargo through the secretion of EVs, even in distant tissues. Importantly, owing to their nature and composition, EVs' formation and cargo can be exploited for better comprehension of this elusive disease and identification of novel biomarkers, as well as for potential therapeutic applications, such as those based on stem cell-derived exosomes. This review highlights recent advances in the identification of the role of EVs in ALS etiopathology and how EVs can be promising new therapeutic strategies.

Exosomal-microRNA transcriptome profiling of Parental and CSC-like MDA-MB-231 cells in response to cisplatin treatment

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype with higher risk of metastasis and cancer reoccurrence. Cisplatin is one of the potential anticancer drugs for treating TNBC, where its effectiveness remains challenged by frequent occurrence of cisplatin resistance. Since acquirement of drug resistance often being associated with presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), investigation has been conducted, suggesting CSC-like subpopulation to be more resistant to cisplatin than their parental counterpart. On the other hand, plethora evidences showed the transmission of exosomal-miRNAs are capable of promoting drug resistance in breast cancers. In this study, we aim to elucidate the differential expression of exosomal-microRNAs profile and reveal the potential target genes in correlation to cisplatin resistance associated with CSC-like subpopulation by using TNBC cell line (MDA-MB-231). Utilizing next generation sequencing and Nanostring techniques, cisplatin-induced dysregulation of exosomal-miRNAs were evaluated in maximal for CSC-like subpopulation as compared to parental cells. Intriguingly, more oncogenic exosomal-miRNAs profile was detected from treated CSC-like subpopulation, which may correlate to enhancement of drug resistance and maintenance of CSCs. In treated CSC-like subpopulation, unique clusters of exosomal-miRNAs namely miR-221-3p, miR-196a-5p, miR-17-5p and miR-126-3p were predicted to target on six genes (ATXN1, LATS1, GSK3β, ITGA6, JAG1 and MYC), aligned with previous finding which demonstrated dysregulation of these genes in treated CSC-like subpopulation. Our results highlight the potential correlation of exosomal-miRNAs and their target genes as well as novel perspectives of the corresponding pathways that may be essential to contribute to the attenuated cytotoxicity of cisplatin in CSC-like subpopulation.

Connecting the Missing Dots: ncRNAs as Critical Regulators of Therapeutic Susceptibility in Breast Cancer

Whether acquired or de novo, drug resistance remains a significant hurdle in achieving therapeutic success in breast cancer (BC). Thus, there is an urge to find reliable biomarkers that will help in predicting the therapeutic response. Stable and easily accessible molecules such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regarded as valuable prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets since they act as crucial regulators of the various mechanisms involved in BC drug resistance. Here, we reviewed the current literature on ncRNAs as mediators of resistance to systemic therapies in BC. Interestingly, upon integrating data results from individual studies, we concluded that miR-221, miR-222, miR-451, Urothelial Carcinoma Associated 1 (UCA1), and Growth arrest-specific 5 (GAS5) are strong candidates as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets since they are regulating multiple drug resistance phenotypes in BC. However, further research around their clinical implications is needed to validate and integrate them into therapeutic applications. Therefore, we believe that our review may provide relevant evidence for the selection of novel therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for BC and will serve as a foundation for future translational research in the field.

Involvement of Differentially Expressed microRNAs in the PEGylated Liposome Encapsulated 188Rhenium-Mediated Suppression of Orthotopic Hypopharyngeal Tumor

Hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) accounts for the lowest survival rate among all types of head and neck cancers (HNSCC). However, the therapeutic approach for HPC still needs to be investigated. In this study, a theranostic ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome was prepared to treat orthotopic HPC tumors and analyze the deregulated microRNA expressive profiles. The therapeutic efficacy of ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome on HPC tumors was evaluated using bioluminescent imaging followed by next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, in order to address the deregulated microRNAs and associated signaling pathways. The differentially expressed microRNAs were also confirmed using clinical HNSCC samples and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Repeated doses of ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome were administrated to tumor-bearing mice, and the tumor growth was apparently suppressed after treatment. For NGS analysis, 13 and 9 microRNAs were respectively up-regulated and down-regulated when the cutoffs of fold change were set to 5. Additionally, miR-206-3p and miR-142-5p represented the highest fold of up-regulation and down-regulation by ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome, respectively. According to Differentially Expressed MiRNAs in human Cancers (dbDEMC) analysis, most of ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome up-regulated microRNAs were categorized as tumor suppressors, while down-regulated microRNAs were oncogenic. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that cancer-related pathways and olfactory and taste transduction accounted for the top pathways affected by ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome. ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome down-regulated microRNAs, including miR-143, miR-6723, miR-944, and miR-136 were associated with lower survival rates at a high expressive level. ¹⁸⁸Re-liposome could suppress the HPC tumors in vivo, and the therapeutic efficacy was associated with the deregulation of microRNAs that could be considered as a prognostic factor.

A miRNA-based diagnostic model predicts resectable lung cancer in humans with high accuracy

Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, is most frequently detected through imaging tests. In this study, we investigated serum microRNAs (miRNAs) as a possible early screening tool for resectable lung cancer. First, we used serum samples from participants with and without lung cancer to comprehensively create 2588 miRNAs profiles; next, we established a diagnostic model based on the combined expression levels of two miRNAs (miR-1268b and miR-6075) in the discovery set (208 lung cancer patients and 208 non-cancer participants). The model displayed a sensitivity of 99% and specificity of 99% in the validation set (1358 patients and 1970 non-cancer participants) and exhibited high sensitivity regardless of histological type and pathological TNM stage of the cancer. Moreover, the diagnostic index markedly decreased after lung cancer resection. Thus, the model we developed has the potential to markedly improve screening for resectable lung cancer.

Asakura, Kadota et al. demonstrate the diagnostic potential of serum microRNAs for resectable lung cancer. Their diagnostic model based on the combined expression levels of two miRNAs predicts resectable lung cancer with 99% sensitivity, regardless of histological types and pathological stages of cancer, suggesting its promising, diagnostic utility.

A panel of serum exosomal microRNAs as predictive markers for chemoresistance in advanced colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Chemoresistance is a common problem for cancer treatment worldwide. Circulating exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) have been considered as promising biomarkers of cancers. However, few studies have assessed the relationship between serum/plasma exosomal microRNAs and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

Based on previous microarray analysis, we selected 30 miRNAs which are aberrantly expressed during CRC progression and then detected their expression levels in three pairs of oxaliplatin/5-fluorouracil-resistant CRC cell lines and the corresponding secreted exosomes. Six candidate exosomal miRNAs were identified for further evaluating potential value in predicting chemotherapeutic effect in advanced CRC patients. Finally, the molecular mechanisms of these miRNAs in drug resistance were explored by bioinformatics preliminarily.

RESULTS

We observed that the expression of 14 miRNAs was significantly higher in three drug-resistant CRC cells comparing with their parental cells. Among these miRNAs, miR-21-5p, miR-1246, miR-1229-5p, miR-135b, miR-425 and miR-96-5p are also up-regulated in exosomes from culture media of resistant cells. Clinical sample analysis confirmed that the expression levels of miR-21-5p, miR-1246, miR-1229-5p and miR-96-5p in serum exosomes were significantly higher in chemoresistant patients in contrast with chemosensitive controls. ROC curve showed that the combination of the four miRNAs had an area of under the curve (AUC) of 0.804 (P < 0.05). In addition, GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that these miRNAs were enriched in PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway and autophagy pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that a panel of serum exosomal miRNAs containing miR-21-5p, miR-1246, miR-1229-5p and miR-96-5p could significantly distinguish the chemotherapy-resistant group from advanced colorectal cancer patients. Targeting these miRNAs may promote chemosensitivity to oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil, and might be promising strategy for CRC treatment.

LGR5 acts as a target of miR-340-5p in the suppression of cell progression and drug resistance in breast cancer via Wnt/β-catenin pathway

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors among females. Recent studies demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) played an important role in the regulation of tumor progression. In our present study, we firstly detected miR-340-5p expression in breast cancer cell lines and found lower expression of miR-340-5p in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, BT-549, ZR-75-1) through qRT-PCR. Overexpressed miR-340-5p inhibited cell proliferation and drug resistance to docetaxel with enhanced cell apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Through bioinformatic prediction, we found that LGR5 was a potential target of miR-340-5p. LGR5 was highly expressed in breast cancer cells. Relative expression of LGR5 was negatively regulated by miR-340-5p. Knockdown of LGR5 also inhibited cell proliferation and drug resistance to docetaxel with enhanced cell apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Moreover, knockdown of LGR5 decreased the expression of β-catenin, c-myc, Survivin. The activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway contracted the effects of LGR5 siRNA, indicating that LGR5 siRNA inhibited cell proliferation and drug resistance with induced apoptosis via suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer. Taken together, our study demonstrated that overexpressed miR-340-5p inhibited cell proliferation and drug resistance with increased apoptosis of breast cancer cells through down-regulating LGR5 expression via Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The miR-340-5p/LGR5 axis may provide a new perspective for treatment for breast cancer.

Transcriptional Profiling of Host Cell Responses to Virulent Haemophilus parasuis: New Insights into Pathogenesis

Haemophilus parasuis is the causative agent of Glässer’s disease in pigs. H. parasuis can cause vascular damage, although the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the host cell responses involved in the molecular pathway interactions in porcine aortic vascular endothelial cells (PAVECs) induced by H. parasuis using RNA-Seq. The transcriptome results showed that when PAVECs were infected with H. parasuis for 24 h, 281 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified; of which, 236 were upregulated and 45 downregulated. The 281 DEGs were involved in 136 KEGG signaling pathways that were organismal systems, environmental information processing, metabolism, cellular processes, and genetic information processing. The main pathways were the Rap1, FoxO, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, and the overexpressed genes were determined and verified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. In addition, 252 genes were clustered into biological processes, molecular processes, and cellular components. Our study provides new insights for understanding the interaction between bacterial and host cells, and analyzed, in detail, the possible mechanisms that lead to vascular damage induced by H. parasuis. This may lead to development of novel therapeutic targets to control H. parasuis infection.

Baicalin modulates NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling in porcine aortic vascular endothelial cells Infected by Haemophilus parasuis Causing Glässer's disease

Haemophilus parasuis (H. parasuis) can cause vascular inflammatory injury, but the molecular basis of this effect remains unclear. In this study,we investigated the effect of the anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-oxidant agent, baicalin, on the nuclear factor (NF)-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway in pig primary aortic vascular endothelial cells. Activation of the NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway was induced in H. parasuis-infected cells. However, baicalin reduced the production of reactive oxygen species, apoptosis, and activation of the NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway in infected cells. These results revealed that baicalin can inhibit H. parasuis-induced inflammatory responses in porcine aortic vascular endothelial cells, and may thus offer a novel strategy for controlling and treating H. parasuis infection. Furthermore, the results suggest that piglet primary aortic vascular endothelial cells may provide an experimental model for future studies of H. parasuis infection.