miR-486-5p expression pattern in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, gastric cancer and its prognostic value

Diagnostic and prognostic significance of miR-486-5p in patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical value of microRNA miR-486-5p in diagnosing lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patients and predicting the clinical outcomes after minimally invasive spinal surgery (MISS) in LSS patients, and the correlation of miR-486-5p with inflammatory responses in LSS patients.

METHODS

This study included 52 LSS patients, 46 patients with lumbar intervertebral disk herniation (LDH) and 42 healthy controls. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR was used to detect miR-486-5p expression. The ability of miR-486-5p to discriminate between different groups was evaluated by receiver-operating characteristic analysis. The visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores at 6 months postoperatively were used to reflect the clinical outcomes of LSS patients. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the levels of inflammatory factor [interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)]. The correlation of miR-486-5p with continuous variables in LSS patients was evaluated by the Pearson correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

Expression of serum miR-486-5p was upregulated in LSS patients and had high diagnostic value to screen LSS patients. In addition, serum miR-486-5p could predict the 6-month clinical outcomes after MISS therapy in LSS patients. Moreover, serum miR-486-5p was found to be positively correlated with the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in patients with LSS.

CONCLUSION

miR-486-5p, increased in LSS patients, can function as an indicator to diagnose LSS and a predictive indicator for the clinical outcomes after MISS therapy in LSS patients. In addition, miR-486-5p may regulate LSS progression by modulating inflammatory responses.

Promising Biomarkers in Head and Neck Cancer: The Most Clinically Important miRNAs

Head and neck cancers (HNCs) comprise a heterogeneous group of tumors that extend from the oral cavity to the upper gastrointestinal tract. The principal etiologic factors for oral tumors include tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, while human papillomavirus (HPV) infections have been accused of a high incidence of pharyngeal tumors. Accordingly, HPV detection has been extensively used to categorize carcinomas of the head and neck. The diverse nature of HNC highlights the necessity for novel, sensitive, and precise biomarkers for the prompt diagnosis of the disease, its successful monitoring, and the timely prognosis of patient clinical outcomes. In this context, the identification of certain microRNAs (miRNAs) and/or the detection of alterations in their expression patterns, in a variety of somatic fluids and tissues, could serve as valuable biomarkers for precision oncology. In the present review, we summarize some of the most frequently studied miRNAs (including miR-21, -375, -99, -34a, -200, -31, -125a/b, -196a/b, -9, -181a, -155, -146a, -23a, -16, -29, and let-7), their role as biomarkers, and their implication in HNC pathogenesis. Moreover, we designate the potential of given miRNAs and miRNA signatures as novel diagnostic and prognostic tools for successful patient stratification. Finally, we discuss the currently ongoing clinical trials that aim to identify the diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic utility of miRNAs in HNC.

Regulation of follistatin-like 3 expression by miR-486-5p modulates gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and tumor progression

Cancer development and progression can be regulated by the levels of endogenous factors. Gastric cancer is an aggressive disease state with poor patient prognosis, needing the development of new diagnostics and therapeutic strategies. We investigated the close association between follistatin-like 3 (FSTL3) and different cancers, and focused on its role in gastric cancer cell function. Using cancer bioinformatics, we found that FSTL3 expression is elevated in a large majority of the 33 cancers we analyzed in publicly available cancer databases. Elevated levels of FSTL3 is associated with poor patient prognosis in gastric cancer. In a comparison of normal gastric epithelial cells and gastric cancer cell lines, FSTL3 expression was consistently elevated in gastric cancer cells. Overexpression of FSTL3 promoted gastric cancer cell viability, proliferation and migration. Conversely, FSTL3 knockdown inhibits these cellular processes. Using bioinformatics, we found that the FSTL3 mRNA has a potential binding site in the 3'-UTR for a small microRNA, miR-486-5p. Further bioinformatics revealed significant negative correlation between FSTL3 and miR-486-5p levels. Using luciferase reporter constructs, we provide evidence that the 3'UTR from the FSTL3 mRNA can confer downregulation in the presence of miR-486-5p. These studies lead us to conclude that FSTL3 has oncogenic properties and increased expression of this gene product promotes gastric cancer development and progression.

MicroRNA-486 promotes a more catabolic phenotype in chondrocyte-like cells by targeting SIRT6 : possible involvement in cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis

AIMS

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by persistent destruction of articular cartilage. It has been found that microRNAs (miRNAs) are closely related to the occurrence and development of OA. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of miR-486 in the development and progression of OA.

METHODS

The expression levels of miR-486 in cartilage were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The expression of collagen, type II, alpha 1 (COL2A1), aggrecan (ACAN), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13, and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-4 (ADAMTS4) in SW1353 cells at both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels was determined by qRT-PCR, western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Double luciferase reporter gene assay, qRT-PCR, and western blot assay were used to determine whether silencing information regulator 6 (SIRT6) was involved in miR-486 induction of chondrocyte-like cells to a more catabolic phenotype.

RESULTS

Compared with osteonecrosis, the expression of miR-486 was significantly upregulated in cartilage from subjects with severe OA. In addition, overexpressed miR-486 promoted a catabolic phenotype in SW1353 cells by upregulating the expressions of ADAMTS4 and MMP-13 and down-regulating the expressions of COL2A1 and ACAN. Conversely, inhibition of miR-486 had the opposite effect. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-486 significantly inhibited the expression of SIRT6, confirming that SIRT6 is a direct target of miR-486. Moreover, SW1353 cells were transfected with small interfering RNA (si)-SIRT6 and it was found that SIRT6 was involved in and inhibited miR-486-induced changes to SW1353 gene expression.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that miR-486 promotes a catabolic phenotype in SW1353 cells in OA by targeting SIRT6. Our findings might provide a potential therapeutic target and theoretical basis for OA. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2021;10(7):459-466.

Transcriptomic and microRNA Expression Profiles Identify Biomarkers for Predicting Neo-Chemoradiotherapy Response in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinomas (ESCC)

Neo-chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) before surgery is a standard treatment for locally advanced esophageal cancers. However, the treatment outcome of nCRT varied with different patients. This study aimed to identify potential biomarkers for prediction of nCRT-response in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Microarray datasets of nCRT responder and non-responder samples (access number GSE45670 and GSE59974) of patients with ESCC were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The mRNA expression profiles of cancer biopsies from four ESCC patients were analyzed before and after nCRT. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and miRNAs were screened between nCRT responder and non-responder ESCC samples. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted for these DEGs followed by construction of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and miRNA-mRNA regulatory network. Finally, univariate survival analysis was performed to identify candidate biomarkers with prognostic values in ESCC. We identified numerous DEGs and differentially expressed miRNAs from nCRT responder group. GO and KEGG analysis showed that the dysregulated genes were mainly involved in biological processes and pathways, including "response to stimulus", "cellular response to organic substance", "regulation of signal transduction", "AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications", and "steroid hormone biosynthesis". After integration of PPI network and miRNA-mRNA network analysis, we found eight genes, TNF, AKR1C1, AKR1C2, ICAM1, GPR68, GNB4, SERPINE1 and MMP12, could be candidate genes associated with disease progression. Univariate cox regression analysis showed that there was no significant correlation between dysregulated miRNAs (such as hsa-miR-34b-3p, hsa-miR-127-5p, hsa-miR-144-3p, and hsa-miR-486-5p, et al.) and overall survival of ESCC patients. Moreover, abnormal expression of MMP12 was significantly correlated with pathological degree, TNM stage, lymph nodes metastasis, and overall survival of ESCC patients (p < 0.05). Taken together, our study identified that MMP12 might be a useful tumor biomarker and therapeutic target for ESCC.

miR-486-5p: A Prognostic Biomarker for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

MicroRNA miR-486-5p has been reported as a potential biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis, and as a therapeutic target in various cancers. In this study, we analyzed alterations in the expression of miR-486-5p in chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients. Initially, the expression of miR-486-5p was studied in the BCR-ABL1+ve CML K562 cell line by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The results indicated that the miR-486-5p expression was significantly upregulated in K562 cells after imatinib exposure, as compared to untreated K562 cells (p-value = 0.047). These observations were corroborated by a hospital-based study of the miR-486-5p expression in peripheral blood leucocytes of 36 CML patients in the chronic phase (CP) and compared with age and sex-matched healthy volunteers as control subjects. qRT-PCR-based quantification revealed significant downregulation of the miR-486-5p expression in newly diagnosed untreated CP-CML patients' samples (2^-ΔCt = 13.19 ± 14.41) as compared to control samples (2^-ΔCt = 254.5 ± 274.8) (p-value < 0.0001). Levels of miR-486-5p were found to be distinctly elevated in the post-imatinib treatment samples of CML patients (2^-ΔCt = 469.7 ± 312.9) as compared to pre-treatment samples (p-value < 0.0001). CML patients' clinical and hematological responses to imatinib therapy (oral dose of 400 mg OD) were monitored for 12 months. The correlation of pre-treatment miR-486-5p levels with Sokal score indicated that patients with a higher expression of miR-486-5p had better prognoses. Patients with higher pre-imatinib miR-486-5p levels also showed a major hematologic response to imatinib in a shorter time and vice versa. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of alterations in the miR-486-5p expression in peripheral blood leucocytes of CML patients. Our observations support a tumor suppressor role of miR-486-5p in CML. The downregulation of the miR-486-5p expression may be critically important in the disease progression of CML patients. The upregulation of the miR-486-5p expression in post-imatinib exposure K562 cells and CML patients after 12 months of imatinib treatment suggests an onco-suppressor effector role of miR-486-5p in the BCR-ABL downstream signaling pathway. miR-486-5p can be explored as a novel biomarker for the early detection of CML.

MiR-365a-3p-Mediated Regulation of HELLS/GLUT1 Axis Suppresses Aerobic Glycolysis and Gastric Cancer Growth

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common and invasive malignancy, which lacks effective treatment and is the third main reason of cancer death. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the main reasons that GC is difficult to treat in various environments. Particularly, abnormal glycolytic activity is the most common way of metabolism reprogramming in cancer cells. Numerous studies have shown that microRNAs play important roles in reprogramming glucose metabolism. Here, we found a microRNA-miR-365a-3p, was significantly downregulated in GC according to bioinformatics analysis. Low expression of miR-365a-3p correlated with poor prognosis of GC patients. Overexpression of miR-365a-3p in GC cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Notably, miR-365a-3p induced downregulation of HELLS through binding to its 3′ untranslated region (UTR). Additionally, we found that miR-365a-3p suppressed aerobic glycolysis by inhibiting HELLS/GLUT1 axis. Lastly, we shown that overexpression of miR-365a-3p significantly inhibited tumor growth in nude mice. Conversely, Reconstituted the expression of HELLS rescued the suppressive effects of miR-365a-3p. Our data collectively indicated that miR-365a-3p functioned as a tumor suppressor in GC through downregulating HELLS. Therefore, targeting of the novel miR-365a-3p/HELLS axis could be a potentially effective therapeutic approach for GC.

MicroRNAs Associated With Colon Cancer: New Potential Prognostic Markers and Targets for Therapy

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a kind of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) that regulate the expression of target genes and play a role in the occurrence and development of cancers. Colon cancer (COAD) is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality. However, the prognostic value of miRNAs in COAD is still confusing. In this study, we obtain miRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) expression profiles of COAD from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. After preliminary data screening and preprocessing, we acquire the expression data of 894 miRNAs and 17,019 mRNAs. Then, compared with the normal samples, 39 upregulated miRNAs and 54 downregulated miRNAs are identified by differential expression analysis. Furthermore, we obtain 1,487 upregulated mRNAs and 2,847 downregulated mRNAs. We confirm nine key miRNAs related to the survival rate of COAD patients. Moreover, by using bioinformatics methods, we get 461 common genes from both the target genes of these nine key miRNAs and differentially expressed mRNAs. Through analyzing the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of these 461 common genes and survival analysis, we confirm five hub genes as promising biomarkers for COAD prognosis. It is worth mentioning that no previous reports have found that PGR and KCNB1 are related to COAD. We expect these key miRNAs and hub genes will provide a new way for the study of COAD.

miR‑486 acts as an oncogene and potential prognostic biomarker in renal cell carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are well established key players in tumorigenesis. Their emergence as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancer has demonstrated the importance of miRNAs in cancer biology. Although miR‑486 is implicated in many types of cancer, its role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains undetermined. In the present study, real‑time quantitative PCR (qPCR), wound scratch assay, cell proliferation assay, Transwell migration assay and flow cytometry were utilized to detect the miR‑486 transcript and its role in proliferation, migration and apoptosis in RCC. The relationship between miR‑486 expression and clinicopathological variables or overall survival was analyzed using 96 formalin‑fixed paraffin‑embedded (FFPE) RCC samples. The results of the present study revealed significant upregulation of miR‑486 in RCC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, ectopic expression of miR‑486 promoted cell proliferation, mobility and inhibited apoptosis in 786‑O and ACHN cell lines. In addition, the Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that patients with low expression of miR‑486 exhibited a markedly longer overall survival in the univariate and multivariate analyses. In conclusion, our findings indicate that miR‑486 may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker but may also be applied as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of RCC.

Suppression of non-small cell lung cancer migration and invasion by hsa-miR-486-5p via the TGF-β/SMAD2 signaling pathway

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. SMAD family member 2 (SMAD2) is a key element downstream of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway that regulates cancer metastasis by promoting the epithelial-mesenchyme transition (EMT). MicroRNA miR-486-5p is a tumor suppressor in NSCLC progression. However, it remains unclear whether miR-486-5p is implicated in TGF-β signaling and EMT in NSCLC. In the present study, high expression of SMAD2 mRNA was detected in NSCLC tissues and cell lines, and was associated with poor survival of patients with NSCLC. By contrast, miR-486-5p was downregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. In silico prediction showed that SMAD2 was a potential target of miR-486-5p. The prediction was verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Transwell assays showed that knockdown of SMAD2 inhibited TGF-β-induced EMT and migration and invasion in NSCLC cells. Similarly, miR-486-5p overexpression suppressed TGF-β-induced EMT and migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. The present study provides a new insight into the role of miR-486-5p in regulating TGF-β-mediated EMT and invasion in NSCLC.

MiR-486-5p inhibits IL-22-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition of breast cancer cell by repressing Dock1

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of important steps that lead to cancer metastasis. Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is a T helper 17 (Th17) cells-secreted cytokine, it can promote invasion and metastasis of many cancers. MiR-486-5p is a microRNA that known to function as a tumor suppressor, and bioinformatics analysis predicts that Dock-1 has a binding site of miR-486-5p. In current research, we examined the relative expression levels of miR-486-5p and Dock-1 in 80 pairs of breast cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues, also the effects of modifying their levels in cultured cells. We illustrated that IL-22 and Dock1 promote the invasion, metastasis, and EMT of breast cancer using Transwell invasion assay, western blot and immunofluorescence. MiR-486-5p directly bound the Dock1 mRNA 3' untranslated region and inhibited IL-22-induced EMT of breast cancer cells via the Dock1/NF-κB/Snail signaling pathway. Dock1 overexpression reversed the effect caused by the overexpression of miR-486-5p. Overexpression of miR-486-5p or downregulation of Dock1 reduced pulmonary metastasis in mice. This study provided insight into a potential mechanism where miRNAs regulate breast cancer metastasis and provided a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Prognostic Value of MicroRNAs in Esophageal Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Numerous articles have reported that abnormal expression levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) are related to the survival times of esophageal carcinoma (EC) patients, which contains esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Nevertheless, there has not been a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess the accurate prognostic value of miRNAs in EC.

Methods

Studies published in English up to April 12, 2018 that evaluated the correlation of the expression levels of miRNAs with overall survival (OS) in EC were identified by online searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews performed by two independent authors. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the correlation between OS and miRNA expression. HR ≥ 2 was considered cutoff for considering the miRNA as prognostic candidate.

Results

Forty-four pertinent articles with 22 miRNAs and 4310 EC patients were ultimately included. EC patients with tissue expression levels of high miR-21 or low miR-133a (HR = 2.48, 95% CI = 1.50–4.12), miR-133b (HR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.27–3.62), miR-138 (HR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.68–3.08), miR-203 (HR = 2.83, 95% CI = 1.35–5.95), miR-375 and miR-655 (HR = 2.66, 95% CI = 1.16–6.12) had significantly poorer OS (P < 0.05). In addition, EC patients with blood expression levels of high miR-21 (HR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.31–3.68) and miR-223 had significantly shorter OS (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

In conclusion, tissue expression levels of miR-21, miR-133a, miR-133b, miR-138, miR-203, miR-375, and miR-655 and blood expression levels of miR-21 and miR-223 demonstrate significant prognostic value. Among them, the expression levels of miR-133a, miR-133b, miR-138, miR-203, and miR-655 in tissue and the expression level of miR-21 in blood are potential prognostic candidates for predicting OS in EC.

MiR-486-5p Downregulation Marks an Early Event in Colorectal Carcinogenesis

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs are dysregulated in colorectal cancer and subsets correlated with advanced tumor stage and metastasis. Data are lacking on microRNA dysregulation from early to late-stage disease.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to identify a microRNA signature associated with the primary tumor and metastatic site in stage IV disease and to examine whether the signature is evident in earlier stages.

DESIGN

A microRNA profile was generated and then explored in normal colon tissue (n = 5), early stage (stage I and II; n = 10), and late-stage (stage III and IV; n = 14) colorectal primary tumors via polymerase chain reaction to delineate molecular events that may promote colorectal carcinogenesis.

SETTING

Genome-wide microRNA expression profiling was performed.

PATIENTS

A total of 14 patient-matched stage IV primary colorectal cancer tumors and corresponding liver metastases were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

MicroRNA array technology was used to identify microRNA expression-predictive metastatic potential in the primary tumor.

RESULTS

A distinct 9-member signature group of microRNAs was concurrent in stage IV primary colorectal cancer and their corresponding liver metastases, when compared with surrounding unaffected colon and liver tissue (microRNA-18b, microRNA-93, microRNA-182, microRNA-183, microRNA21, microRNA-486-5p, microRNA-500a, microRNA-552, and microRNA-941). Of the microRNA panel, only microRNA486-5p was differentially expressed in early stage colorectal cancer samples compared with normal tissue (p = 0.001) and additionally differentially expressed between late-stage colorectal cancer samples and normal tissue (p < 0.01).

LIMITATIONS

Our microRNA profile was generated in a small subset of patients and will require validation in more samples.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified a distinct microRNA signature in primary colon and matched metastatic disease. On additional investigation, 1 microRNA was differentially expressed in both early and late-stage cancer patient samples, and it may herald an early event in colorectal carcinogenesis. This study warrants additional investigation with a larger patient cohort to better understand the effect of microRNAs in carcinogenesis. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A723.

Downregulation of miR‑486‑5p in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue: A study based on microarray and miRNA sequencing

Abnormal expression of microRNA (miR) is associated with the occurrence and progression of various types of cancers, including papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). In the present study, the aim was to explore miR‑486‑5p expression and its role in PTC, as well as to investigate the biological function of its potential target genes. The expression levels of miR‑486‑5p and its clinicopathological significance were examined in 507 PTC and 59 normal thyroid samples via The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Subsequently, the results were validated using data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress. Receiver operating characteristic and summary receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the ability of miR‑486‑5p in distinguishing PTC from normal tissue. Furthermore, potential miR‑486‑5p mRNA targets were identified using 12 prediction tools and enrichment analysis was performed on the encoding genes using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. The expression levels of miR‑486‑5p were consistently downregulated in PTC compared with in normal tissue across datasets from TCGA, GEO (GSE40807, GSE62054 and GSE73182) and ArrayExpress (E‑MTAB‑736). The results also demonstrated that miR‑486‑5p expression was associated with cancer stage (P=0.003), pathologic lymph node (P=0.047), metastasis (P=0.042), neoplasm (P=0.012) and recurrence (P=0.016) in patients with PTC. In addition, low expression of miR‑486‑5p in patients with PTC was associated with a worse overall survival. A total of 80 miR‑486‑5p‑related genes were observed from at least 9 of 12 prediction platforms, and these were involved in 'hsa05200: Pathways in cancer' and 'hsa05206: MicroRNAs in cancer'. Finally, three hub genes, CRK like proto‑oncogene, phosphatase and tensin homolog and tropomyosin 3, were identified as important candidates in tumorigenesis and progression of PTC. In conclusion, it may be hypothesized that miR‑486‑5p contributes towards PTC onset and progression, and may act as a clinical target. However, in vitro and in vivo experiments are required to validate the findings of the present study.

A six-microRNA signature in plasma was identified as a potential biomarker in diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in plasma of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients may serve as a diagnostic biomarker. A four-stage study was conducted to identify plasma miRNAs with potential in detecting ESCC. Exiqon panels (2 ESCC pools vs. 1 normal control (NC) pool) were applied in the screening phase to obtain miRNA profiles. The identified miRNAs were further evaluated through training (36 ESCC VS. 42 NCs) and testing stages (101 ESCC VS. 113 NCs) with qRT-PCR assays. A six-miRNA signature including up-regulated miR-106a, miR-18a, miR-20b, miR-486-5p, miR-584 and down-regulated miR-223-3p in ESCC was identified. The signature could accurately discriminate ESCC patients from NCs with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.935, 0.959 and 0.966 for the training, testing and the additional validation stage (41 ESCC VS. 50 NCs), respectively. MiR-106a and miR-584 were significantly up-regulated in tumor tissues with qRT-PCR assays. And miR-584 was also up-regulated in ESCC tissues from TCGA database. In addition, exosomal miR-223-3p and miR-584 were consistently dysregulated with those in plasma and could also act as biomarkers in diagnosis of ESCC. In conclusion, we identified a six-miRNA signature in plasma which could act as a non-invasive biomarker in detection of ESCC.

The correlation analysis of miRNAs and target genes in metastasis of cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: This study was intended to identify the metastasis-related miRNAs and target genes in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Materials & methods: The mRNA and miRNA next-generation sequencing data were downloaded. Differential expression analysis was carried out, followed by target gene prediction of differentially expressed miRNAs. The biological function of differentially expressed genes was performed. Validation was carried out by survival analysis and qRT-PCR. Results: N4BP3 were associated with the survival time of patients. Hsa-mir-451 and hsa-mir-486 were related to tumor differentiation stage. Validated expression of hsa-mir-24–2, hsa-mir-582, NOTCH1, PIP4K2B, DIP2B and IGFBP5 was consistent with the bioinformatics analysis. Conclusion: Alterations of miRNAs and target genes may be useful in understanding the metastasis mechanisms of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

MiR-486 as an effective biomarker in cancer diagnosis and prognosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

MiR-486 was found to be associated with cancer’s diagnosis and prognosis. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the potential effect of miR-486 on cancer detection and prognosis.

Materials and Methods

We searched PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang databases to find all correlated articles. The STATA 11.0 was applied to estimate the pooled effects, heterogeneity and publication bias.

Results

The pooled sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE) and Area under the curve (AUC) were 82% (95% CI: 78–85%), 88% (95% CI: 83–92%) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.88–0.93). Subgroup analysis indicated miR-486 from circulating samples exhibited higher diagnostic accuracy with the AUC was 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87–0.92) than miR-486 from other specimen with the AUC of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.75–0.82) and miR-486 obtained a better diagnostic value in the Asian population with the AUC of 0.94 (95% CI: 0.91–0.95) than the Caucasian and Caucasian/African population with the AUC of 0.80 (95% CI: 0.76–0.83) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.86–0.91) respectively. MiR-486 obtained high value for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer with SEN, SPE and AUC were 0.82 (95% CI: 0.0.77–0.87), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.84–0.94) as well as 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89–0.94) respectively. For the 7 prognostic tests, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) was 0.48 (95% CI: –0.13–1.08) for low versus high miR-486 expression.

Conclusions

This meta-analysis indicated that miR-486 can be used as ideal biomarkers in the cancer’s diagnosis. However, Low miR-486 expression did not increase the risk of poor outcome.

Differential microRNA expression profiles in tamoxifen-resistant human breast cancer cell lines induced by two methods

Tamoxifen (TAM) resistance has become a severe problem for endocrine therapy of breast cancer. The present study investigated the association between microRNA (miRNA) expression and TAM resistance in breast cancer. The TAM-resistant breast cancer MCF-7C and MCF-7T cell lines were established using the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 as the parental cell line and 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT) as the screening drug in vitro. The MCF-7C cell line was established by dose stepwise induction beginning with a low concentration of OHT; the MCF-7T cell line was established by temporal stepwise induction beginning with a high concentration of OHT. Differential miRNA expression profiles between TAM-sensitive (MCF-7) and TAM-resistant (MCF-7C and MCF-7T) breast cancer cell lines were detected and analyzed using RNA sequencing technology. The results of western blot analysis indicated that the level of ERα protein expression in drug-resistant cells was significantly increased. A total of 1,646 miRNAs were detected in all samples, including 1,376 known miRNAs and 270 predicted miRNAs. There were 118 miRNAs expressed at significantly different levels between MCF-7C and MCF-7 cells (P<0.05); among them, 67 miRNAs were upregulated (P<0.05) and 51 miRNA were downregulated (P<0.05). There were 42 miRNAs expressed at significantly different levels between MCF-7T and MCF-7 (P<0.05); among them, 23 miRNAs were upregulated (P<0.05) and 19 miRNAs were downregulated (P<0.05). There were 126 miRNAs with significant differences between MCF-7C and MCF-7T (P<0.05); among them, 76 miRNAs were upregulated (P<0.05) and 50 miRNAs were downregulated. On the basis of the results of the present study, we hypothesize that miR-21, miR-146a, miR-148a, miR-34a and miR-27a may serve important roles in mediating TAM resistance in breast cancer, and have potential as therapeutic targets for TAM-resistant breast cancer.

Expression of uc.189 and its clinicopathologic significance in gynecological cancers

In recent decades, emerging evidence demonstrates that ultraconserved elements (UCEs) encoding noncoding RNAs serve as regulators of gene expression. Until now, the role of uc.189 in human cancers remains undefined and the clinical significance of uc.189 in gynecological cancers remains unknown. This study was to identify the prognostic value of uc.189 expression in gynecological cancers. Tissue microarrays were constructed with 243 samples including 116 cervical squamous cell carcinomas (CSCCs), 98 endometrial adenocarcinomas (EACs), 29 ovarian cystoadenocarcinomas(OCAs), and corresponding normal tissues. In CSCC, uc.189 expression was increased in 78.5% of cases (91/116), decreased in 4.3% (5/116), and unchanged in 17.2% (20/116). In EAC its expression was increased in 74.5% (73/98), decreased in 3.1% (3/98), and unchanged in 22.4% (22/98). Expression of uc.189 was increased in 23, and unchanged/decreased in 6, of 29 cases of ovarian cystoadenocarcinomas. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that over-expression of uc.189 predicted poor prognosis in CSCC and EAC. Thus, these findings suggested uc.189 might be an evaluating prognosis marker of gynecological tumors.

The anti-apoptotic and prognostic value of fibroblast growth factor 9 in gastric cancer

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 9 is a member of the FGF family, which promotes carcinogenesis in some solid tumours. However, its biological and prognostic significance in gastric cancer (GC) is unclear. We examined FGF9 expression in 180 GC and corresponding non-tumorous gastric tissue samples by immunohistochemistry and evaluated its role in predicting tumour prognosis. Knockdown of FGF9 by siRNA inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in GC cell lines. Fifty of the 180 GC specimens (27.8%) had high FGF9 protein expression, whereas decreased or unchanged expression was observed in 130 cases (72.2%). High FGF9 expression was a significant predictor of poor survival (28.1 vs. 55.8 months, P < 0.001). After stratification according to AJCC stage, FGF9 remained a significant predictor of shorter survival in stage II (30.6 vs. 64.9 months, P < 0.001) and stage III GC (29.7 vs. 58.9 months, P < 0.001). Multivariate and univariate analysis showed that higher expression of FGF9 can be used as a predictor for poor prognosis (HR, 2.95; 95% CI, 1.97–4.41; P < 0.001; and HR, 2.94; 95% CI, 2.01–4.31; P < 0.001, respectively). FGF9 may provide the anti-apoptotic function and be useful as a novel independent marker for evaluating GC prognosis

miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21 as Biomarkers for the Detection of Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is a complex disease with extensive genetic and epigenetic defects, including microRNA deregulation. The aims of the present study were to test the feasibility of performing the microRNA profiling analysis on archived TSCC specimens and to assess the potential diagnostic utility of the identified microRNA biomarkers for the detection of TSCC. TaqMan array-based microRNA profiling analysis was performed on 10 archived TSCC samples and their matching normal tissues. A panel of 12 differentially expressed microRNAs was identified. Eight of these differentially expressed microRNAs were validated in an independent sample set. A random forest (RF) classification model was built with miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21, and it was able to detect TSCC with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 86.7% (overall error rate = 6.7%). As such, this study demonstrated the utility of the archived clinical specimens for microRNA biomarker discovery. The feasibility of using microRNA biomarkers (miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21) for the detection of TSCC was confirmed.

PTTG1 cooperated with GLI1 leads to epithelial-mesenchymal transition in esophageal squamous cell cancer

Pituitary tumor-transforming gene-1 (PTTG1) could acquire its metastasis-promoting effects via inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, its role and mechanism in EMT in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) had not been clearly elucidated. Here, we demonstrated that PTTG1 was overexpressed in ESCC cell lines and tissues especially those with lymph node metastasis. Down regulation of PTTG1 levels dampened the ESCC cells invasion, migration, proliferation ability and colony formation in vitro and inhibited the growth of mouse xenograft model of ESCC cells in vivo. In addition, our in vitro and in vivo experiments consistently showed that decreased PTTG1 led to the inhibition of EMT process. Glioma-associated oncogene homolog1 (GLI1), a key factor in HH-GLI signaling pathway, was also overexpressed in ESCC cells and tissues. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that decreased PTTG1 mitigated the expression levels of GLI1 in vitro and in vivo and ChIP assay also indicated that PTTG1 cooperated with GLI1 by binding to its promoter. Furthermore, overexpression of GLI1 rescued the EMT inhibited by down regulation of PTTG1 in vitro. Together, these data suggested that PTTG1 promoted the invasion ability of ESCC cells via EMT, more important, PTTG1 participated in EMT via activating the expression of GLI1 in ESCC. PTTG1 could be a candidate biomarker for defining ESCC metastasis and useful target for therapy.

Prognostic value of microRNAs in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Previous articles have reported that expression levels of microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with survival time of patients with gastric cancer (GC). A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to study the outcome of it.

DESIGN

Meta-analysis.

METHODS

English studies estimating expression levels of miRNAs with any of survival curves in GC were identified up till March 19, 2017 through performing online searches in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews by two authors independently. The pooled hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate the correlation between miRNA expression and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Sixty-nine relevant articles about 26 miRNAs with 6148 patients were ultimately included. GC patients with high expression of miR-20b (HR=2.38, 95%CI=1.16-4.87), 21 (HR=1.77, 95%CI=1.01-3.08), 106b (HR=1.84, 95%CI=1.15-2.94), 196a (HR=2.66, 95%CI=1.94-3.63), 196b (HR=1.67, 95%CI=1.38-2.02), 214 (HR=1.84, 95%CI=1.27-2.67) or low expression of miR-125a (HR=2.06, 95%CI=1.26-3.37), 137 (HR=3.21, 95%CI=1.68-6.13), 141 (HR=2.47, 95%CI=1.34-4.56), 145 (HR=1.62, 95%CI=1.07-2.46), 146a (HR=2.60, 95%CI=1.63-4.13), 206 (HR=2.85, 95%CI=1.73-4.70), 218 (HR=2.61, 95%CI=1.74-3.92), 451 (HR=1.73, 95%CI=1.19-2.52), 486-5p (HR=2.45, 95%CI=1.65-3.65), 506 (HR=2.07, 95%CI=1.33-3.23) have significantly poor OS (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, miR-20b, 21, 106b, 125a, 137, 141, 145, 146a, 196a, 196b, 206, 214, 218, 451, 486-5p and 506 demonstrate significantly prognostic value. Among them, miR-20b, 125a, 137, 141, 146a, 196a, 206, 218, 486-5p and 506 are strong biomarkers of prognosis in GC.

MicroRNA Expression in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma and Asbestosis: A Pilot Study

Background

The identification of diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers for asbestos-related diseases is relevant for early diagnosis and patient survival and may contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease development and progression.

Aims

To identify a pattern of miRNAs as possible diagnostic biomarkers for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and asbestosis (ASB) and as prognostic biomarkers for MPM patients.

Methods

miRNA-16, miRNA-17, miRNA-126, and miRNA-486 were quantified in plasma and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples to evaluate their diagnostic and prognostic roles compared to patients with other noncancerous pulmonary diseases (controls). Results. The expression of all the miRNAs was significantly lower in patients with MPM and ASB than that in controls. miRNA-16, miRNA-17, and miRNA-486 in plasma and tissue of MPM patients were significantly correlated. Furthermore, the expression of miRNA-16 in plasma and tissue, and miRNA-486 only in tissue, was positively related with cumulative survival in MPM patients.

Conclusions

All the miRNA levels were decreased in patients with MPM or ASB, supporting the role of circulating miRNAs as a potential tool for diseases associated with exposure to asbestos fibers. miRNA-16 was directly related to MPM patient prognosis, suggesting its possible use as a prognostic marker in MPM patients.

miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21 as Biomarkers for the Detection of Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is a complex disease with extensive genetic and epigenetic defects, including microRNA deregulation. The aims of the present study were to test the feasibility of performing the microRNA profiling analysis on archived TSCC specimens and to assess the potential diagnostic utility of the identified microRNA biomarkers for the detection of TSCC. TaqMan array-based microRNA profiling analysis was performed on 10 archived TSCC samples and their matching normal tissues. A panel of 12 differentially expressed microRNAs was identified. Eight of these differentially expressed microRNAs were validated in an independent sample set. A random forest (RF) classification model was built with miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21, and it was able to detect TSCC with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 86.7% (overall error rate = 6.7%). As such, this study demonstrated the utility of the archived clinical specimens for microRNA biomarker discovery. The feasibility of using microRNA biomarkers (miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21) for the detection of TSCC was confirmed.