Non-coding RNAs: the riddle of the transcriptome and their perspectives in cancer

Recent advances in the investigation of fusion RNAs and their role in molecular pathology of cancer

Gene fusions have had a significant role in the development of various types of cancer, oftentimes involved in oncogenic activities through dysregulation of gene expression or signalling pathways. Some cancer-associated chromosomal translocations can undergo backsplicing, resulting in fusion-circular RNAs, a more stable isoform immune to RNase degradation. This stability makes fusion circular RNAs a promising diagnostic biomarker for cancer. While the detection of linear fusion RNAs and their function in certain cancers have been described in literature, fusion circular RNAs lag behind due to their low abundance in cancer cells. This review highlights current literature on the role of linear and circular fusion transcripts in cancer, tools currently available for detecting of these chimeric RNAs and their function and how they play a role in tumorigenesis.

Utilizing non-coding RNA-mediated regulation of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters to overcome multidrug resistance to cancer chemotherapy

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the primary factors that produces treatment failure in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. MDR is a complex multifactorial phenomenon, characterized by a decrease or abrogation of the efficacy of a wide spectrum of anticancer drugs that are structurally and mechanistically distinct. The overexpression of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, notably ABCG2 and ABCB1, are one of the primary mediators of MDR in cancer cells, which promotes the efflux of certain chemotherapeutic drugs from cancer cells, thereby decreasing or abolishing their therapeutic efficacy. A number of studies have suggested that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play a pivotal role in mediating the upregulation of ABC transporters in certain MDR cancer cells. This review will provide updated information about the induction of ABC transporters due to the aberrant regulation of ncRNAs in cancer cells. We will also discuss the measurement and biological profile of circulating ncRNAs in various body fluids as potential biomarkers for predicting the response of cancer patients to chemotherapy. Sequence variations, such as alternative polyadenylation of mRNA and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) at miRNA target sites, which may indicate the interaction of miRNA-mediated gene regulation with genetic variations to modulate the MDR phenotype, will be reviewed. Finally, we will highlight novel strategies that could be used to modulate ncRNAs and circumvent ABC transporter-mediated MDR.

NORAD-Regulated Signaling Pathways in Breast Cancer Progression

Long non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) has recently been associated with pathologic mechanisms underlying cancer progression. Due to NORAD's extended range of interacting partners, there has been contradictory data on its oncogenic or tumor suppressor roles in BC. This review will summarize the function of NORAD in different BC subtypes and how NORAD impacts crucial signaling pathways in this pathology. Through the preferential binding to pumilio (PUM) proteins PUM1 and PUM2, NORAD has been shown to be involved in the control of cell cycle, angiogenesis, mitosis, DNA replication and transcription and protein translation. More recently, NORAD has been associated with PUM-independent roles, accomplished by interacting with other ncRNAs, mRNAs and proteins. The intricate network of NORAD-mediated signaling pathways may provide insights into the potential design of novel unexplored strategies to overcome chemotherapy resistance in BC treatment.

Novel lncRNA regulatory elements in milk somatic cells of Holstein dairy cows associated with mastitis

Despite regulatory elements such as long non - coding RNAs representing most of the transcriptome, the functional understanding of long non - coding RNAs in relation to major health conditions including bovine mastitis is limited. This study examined the milk somatic cell transcriptome from udder quarters of 6 Holstein dairy cows to identify differentially expressed long non - coding RNAs using RNA - Sequencing. Ninety - four differentially expressed long non - coding RNAs are identified, 5 of which are previously annotated for gene name and length, 11 are annotated for gene name and 78 are novel, having no gene name or length previously annotated. Significant inflammatory response and regulation of immune response pathways (false discovery rate < 0.05) are associated with the differentially expressed long non - coding RNAs. QTL annotation analysis revealed 31 QTL previously annotated in the genomic regions of the 94 differentially expressed long non - coding RNAs, and the majority are associated with milk traits. This research provides a better understanding of long non - coding RNAs regulatory elements in milk somatic cells, which may enhance current breeding strategies for more adaptable or high mastitis resistant cattle.

miR-142: A Master Regulator in Hematological Malignancies and Therapeutic Opportunities

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNA whose dysregulation is frequently associated with the onset and progression of human cancers. miR-142, an ultra-conserved miRNA with both active -3p and -5p mature strands and wide-ranging physiological targets, has been the subject of countless studies over the years. Due to its preferential expression in hematopoietic cells, miR-142 has been found to be associated with numerous types of lymphomas and leukemias. This review elucidates the multifaceted role of miR-142 in human physiology, its influence on hematopoiesis and hematopoietic cells, and its intriguing involvement in exosome-mediated miR-142 transport. Moreover, we offer a comprehensive exploration of the genetic and molecular landscape of the miR-142 genomic locus, highlighting its mutations and dysregulation within hematological malignancies. Finally, we discuss potential avenues for harnessing the therapeutic potential of miR-142 in the context of hematological malignancies.

28S rRNA-Derived Fragments Represent an Independent Molecular Predictor of Short-Term Relapse in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a global health concern, being a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among males. Early detection and accurate prognosis are crucial for effective management. This study delves into the diagnostic and prognostic potential of 28S rRNA-derived fragments (rRFs) in PCa. Total RNA extracted from 89 PCa and 53 benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) tissue specimens. After 3'-end polyadenylation, we performed reverse transcription to create first-strand cDNA. Using an in-house quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay, we quantified 28S rRF levels. Post-treatment biochemical relapse served as the clinical endpoint event for survival analysis, which we validated internally through bootstrap analysis. Our results revealed downregulated 28S rRF levels in PCa compared to BPH patients. Additionally, we observed a significant positive correlation between 28S rRF levels and higher Gleason scores and tumor stages. Furthermore, PCa patients with elevated 28S rRF expression had a significantly higher risk of post-treatment disease relapse independently of clinicopathological data. In conclusion, our study demonstrates, for the first time, the prognostic value of 28S rRF in prostate adenocarcinoma. Elevated 28S rRF levels independently predict short-term PCa relapse and enhance risk stratification. This establishes 28S rRF as a potential novel molecular marker for PCa prognosis.

Somatic Copy Number Alterations in Colorectal Cancer Lead to a Differentially Expressed ceRNA Network (ceRNet)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents the second deadliest malignancy worldwide. Around 75% of CRC patients exhibit high levels of chromosome instability that result in the accumulation of somatic copy number alterations. These alterations are associated with the amplification of oncogenes and deletion of tumor-ppressor genes and contribute to the tumoral phenotype in different malignancies. Even though this relationship is well known, much remains to be investigated regarding the effect of said alterations in long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and, in turn, the impact these alterations have on the tumor phenotype. The present study aimed to evaluate the role of differentially expressed lncRNAs coded in regions with copy number alterations in colorectal cancer patient samples. We downloaded RNA-seq files of the Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Project from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) repository (285 sequenced tumor tissues and 41 non-tumor tissues), evaluated differential expression, and mapped them over genome sequencing data with regions presenting copy number alterations. We obtained 78 differentially expressed (LFC > 1|< -1, padj < 0.05) lncRNAs, 410 miRNAs, and 5028 mRNAs and constructed a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network, predicting significant lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions. Said network consisted of 30 lncRNAs, 19 miRNAs, and 77 mRNAs. To understand the role that our ceRNA network played, we performed KEGG and GO analysis and found several oncogenic and anti-oncogenic processes enriched by the molecular players in our network. Finally, to evaluate the clinical relevance of the lncRNA expression, we performed survival analysis and found that C5orf64, HOTAIR, and RRN3P3 correlated with overall patient survival. Our results showed that lncRNAs coded in regions affected by SCNAs form a complex gene regulatory network in CCR.

Construction of a molecular regulatory network related to fat deposition by multi-tissue transcriptome sequencing of Jiaxian red cattle

Intramuscular fat (IMF) refers to the fat that accumulates between muscle bundles or within muscle cells, whose content significantly impacts the taste, tenderness, and flavor of meat products, making it a crucial economic characteristic in livestock production. However, the intricate mechanisms governing IMF deposition, involving non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), genes, and complex regulatory networks, remain largely enigmatic. Identifying adipose tissue-specific genes and ncRNAs is paramount to unravel these molecular mysteries. This study, conducted on Jiaxian red cattle, harnessed whole transcriptome sequencing to unearth the nuances of circRNAs and miRNAs across seven distinct tissues. The interplay of these ncRNAs was assessed through differential expression analysis and network analysis. These findings are not only pivotal in unveiling the intricacies of fat deposition mechanisms but also lay a robust foundation for future research, setting the stage for enhancing IMF content in Jiaxian red cattle breeding.

Noncoding RNAs as an emerging resistance mechanism to immunotherapies in cancer: basic evidence and therapeutic implications

The increasing knowledge in the field of oncoimmunology has led to extensive research into tumor immune landscape and a plethora of clinical immunotherapy trials in cancer patients. Immunotherapy has become a clinically beneficial alternative to traditional treatments by enhancing the power of the host immune system against cancer. However, it only works for a minority of cancers. Drug resistance continues to be a major obstacle to the success of immunotherapy in cancer. A fundamental understanding of the detailed mechanisms underlying immunotherapy resistance in cancer patients will provide new potential directions for further investigations of cancer treatment. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are tightly linked with cancer initiation and development due to their critical roles in gene expression and epigenetic modulation. The clear appreciation of the role of ncRNAs in tumor immunity has opened new frontiers in cancer research and therapy. Furthermore, ncRNAs are increasingly acknowledged as a key factor influencing immunotherapeutic treatment outcomes. Here, we review the available evidence on the roles of ncRNAs in immunotherapy resistance, with an emphasis on the associated mechanisms behind ncRNA-mediated immune resistance. The clinical implications of immune-related ncRNAs are also discussed, shedding light on the potential ncRNA-based therapies to overcome the resistance to immunotherapy.

Epigenetic drugs as new emerging therapeutics: What is the scale's orientation of application and challenges?

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or function without altering the DNA sequence. Important factors are part of epigenetic events, such as methylation, DNA histone rearrangements, nucleosome transposition, and non-coding RNAs. Dysregulated epigenetic mechanics are associated with various cancers' initiation, development, and metastasis. It is known that the occurrence and development of cancer can be controlled by regulating unexpected epigenetic events. Epi-drugs are used singly or in combination with chemotherapy and enhance antitumor activity, reduce drug resistance, and stimulate the host immune response. Despite these benefits, epigenetic therapy as a single therapy or in combination with other drugs leads to adverse effects. This review article introduces and compares the advantages, disadvantages, and side effects of using these drugs for the first time since their introduction. Also, this article describes the mechanism of action of various epigenetic drugs. Recommendations for future use of epigenetic drugs as cancer therapeutics are suggested as an overall conclusion.

Epi-miRNAs: Modern mediators of methylation status in human cancers

Methylation of the fundamental macromolecules, DNA/RNA, and proteins, is remarkably abundant, evolutionarily conserved, and functionally significant in cellular homeostasis and normal tissue/organism development. Disrupted methylation imprinting is strongly linked to loss of the physiological equilibrium and numerous human pathologies, and most importantly to carcinogenesis, tumor heterogeneity, and cancer progression. Mounting recent evidence has documented the active implication of miRNAs in the orchestration of the multicomponent cellular methylation machineries and the deregulation of methylation profile in the epigenetic, epitranscriptomic, and epiproteomic levels during cancer onset and progression. The elucidation of such regulatory networks between the miRNome and the cellular methylation machineries has led to the emergence of a novel subclass of miRNAs, namely "epi-miRNAs" or "epi-miRs." Herein, we have summarized the existing knowledge on the functional role of epi-miRs in the methylation dynamic landscape of human cancers and their clinical utility in modern cancer diagnostics and tailored therapeutics. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease.

The Acinetobacter baumannii model can explain the role of small non-coding RNAs as potential mediators of host-pathogen interactions

Bacterial small RNAs (sRNAs) research has accelerated over the past decade, boosted by advances in RNA-seq technologies and methodologies for capturing both protein-RNA and RNA-RNA interactions. The emerging picture is that these regulatory sRNAs play important roles in controlling complex physiological processes and are required to survive the antimicrobial challenge. In recent years, the RNA content of OMVs/EVs has also gained increasing attention, particularly in the context of infection. Secreted RNAs from several bacterial pathogens have been characterized but the exact mechanisms promoting pathogenicity remain elusive. In this review, we briefly discuss how secreted sRNAs interact with targets in infected cells, thus representing a novel perspective of host cell manipulation during bacterial infection. During the last decade, Acinetobacter baumannii became clinically relevant emerging pathogens responsible for nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Therefore, we also summarize recent findings of regulation by sRNAs in A. baumannii and discuss how this emerging bacterium utilizes many of these sRNAs to adapt to its niche and become successful human pathogen.

Non-coding RNAs in Alzheimer's disease: perspectives from omics studies

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) are characterized by the progressive loss of neurons in the brain and the spinal cord. The pathophysiology of AD is multifactorial with heterogeneous molecular manifestations. The lack of efficacious therapies for AD reinforces the importance of exploring in depth multifaceted disease mechanisms. Recent progresses on AD have generated a large amount of RNA-sequencing data at both bulk and single cell levels and revealed thousands of genes with expression changes in AD. However, the upstream regulators of such gene expression changes are largely unknown. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent the majority of the human transcriptome, and regulatory ncRNAs have been found to play an important role in regulating gene expression. A single miRNA usually targets a number of mRNAs and thus such ncRNAs are particular important for understanding disease mechanisms and developing novel therapeutics. This review aims to summarize the recent findings on the roles of ncRNAs in AD from ncRNA-omics studies with a focus on ncRNA signatures, interactions between ncRNAs and mRNAs, and ncRNA-regulated pathways in AD. We also review the potential of specific ncRNAs to serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for AD. In the end, we point out future directions for studying ncRNAs in AD.

Regulation of transforming growth factor-β signaling as a therapeutic approach to treating colorectal cancer

According to data from 2020, Slovakia has long been among the top five countries with the highest incidence rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) worldwide, and the rate is continuing to rise every year. In approximately 80% of CRC cases, allelic loss (loss of heterozygosity, LOH) occurs in the long arm of chromosome 18q. The most important genes that can be silenced by 18q LOH or mutations are small mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (SMAD) 2 and SMAD4, which are intracellular mediators of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily signals. TGF-β plays an important role in the pro-oncogenic processes, including such properties as invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (commonly known as EMT), promotion of angiogenesis, and immunomodulatory effects. Several recent studies have reported that activation of TGF-β signaling is related to drug resistance in CRC. Because the mechanisms of drug resistance are different between patients in different stages of CRC, personalized treatment is more effective. Therefore, knowledge of the activation and inhibition of factors that affect the TGF-β signaling pathway is very important.

Regulation of transforming growth factor-β signaling as a therapeutic approach to treating colorectal cancer

According to data from 2020, Slovakia has long been among the top five countries with the highest incidence rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) worldwide, and the rate is continuing to rise every year. In approximately 80% of CRC cases, allelic loss (loss of heterozygosity, LOH) occurs in the long arm of chromosome 18q. The most important genes that can be silenced by 18q LOH or mutations are small mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (SMAD) 2 and SMAD4, which are intracellular mediators of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily signals. TGF-β plays an important role in the pro-oncogenic processes, including such properties as invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (commonly known as EMT), promotion of angiogenesis, and immunomodulatory effects. Several recent studies have reported that activation of TGF-β signaling is related to drug resistance in CRC. Because the mechanisms of drug resistance are different between patients in different stages of CRC, personalized treatment is more effective. Therefore, knowledge of the activation and inhibition of factors that affect the TGF-β signaling pathway is very important.

Clinical Perspectives of Non-Coding RNA in Oral Inflammatory Diseases and Neuropathic Pain: A Narrative Review

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent a research hotspot by playing a key role in epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of diverse biological functions and due to their involvement in different diseases, including oral inflammatory diseases. Based on ncRNAs’ suitability for salivary biomarkers and their involvement in neuropathic pain and tissue regeneration signaling pathways, the present narrative review aims to highlight the potential clinical applications of ncRNAs in oral inflammatory diseases, with an emphasis on salivary diagnostics, regenerative dentistry, and precision medicine for neuropathic orofacial pain.

Emerging Roles and Potential Applications of Non-Coding RNAs in Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is a preventable disease using proven interventions, specifically prophylactic vaccination, pervasive disease screening, and treatment, but it is still the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. Patients with advanced or metastatic CC have a very dismal prognosis and current therapeutic options are very limited. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of metastasis and discovering new therapeutic targets are crucial. New sequencing tools have given a full visualization of the human transcriptome's composition. Non-coding RNAs (NcRNAs) perform various functions in transcriptional, translational, and post-translational processes through their interactions with proteins, RNA, and even DNA. It has been suggested that ncRNAs act as key regulators of a variety of biological processes, with their expression being tightly controlled under physiological settings. In recent years, and notably in the past decade, significant effort has been made to examine the role of ncRNAs in a variety of human diseases, including cancer. Therefore, shedding light on the functions of ncRNA will aid in our better understanding of CC. In this review, we summarize the emerging roles of ncRNAs in progression, metastasis, therapeutics, chemo-resistance, human papillomavirus (HPV) regulation, metabolic reprogramming, diagnosis, and as a prognostic biomarker of CC. We also discussed the role of ncRNA in the tumor microenvironment and tumor immunology, including cancer stem cells (CSCs) in CC. We also address contemporary technologies such as antisense oligonucleotides, CRISPR-Cas9, and exosomes, as well as their potential applications in targeting ncRNAs to manage CC.

Integrated SMRT and Illumina Sequencing Provide New Insights into Crocin Biosynthesis of Gardenia jasminoides

Crocins are valuable bioactive components of gardenia fruit, and their biosynthesis and accumulation have attracted widespread interest. Studies have investigated the biosynthesis and accumulation of crocin based on Illumina sequencing, but there is a lack of reports based on full-length transcriptome sequencing. Utilising SMRT sequencing and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), we explored crocin biosynthesis and accumulation in the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides. HPLC analysis showed that crocins specifically exist in fruit and that the content of crocins increases gradually during fruit development. SMRT sequencing generated 46,715 high-quality full-length isoforms, including 5230 novel isoforms that are not present in the G. jasminoides genome. Furthermore, a total of 46 genes and 91 lncRNAs were involved in the biosynthesis and accumulation of crocin. The qRT-PCR indicated that genes involved in crocin biosynthesis reached a peak in the NOV stage. These findings contributed to our understanding of crocin biosynthesis and accumulation.

Small but Powerful: The Human Vault RNAs as Multifaceted Modulators of Pro-Survival Characteristics and Tumorigenesis

Simple Summary

Small non-protein-coding RNAs have been recognized as valuable regulators of gene expression in all three domains of life. Particularly in multicellular organisms, ncRNAs-mediated gene expression control has evolved as a central principle of cellular homeostasis. Thus, it is not surprising that non-coding RNA misregulation has been linked to various diseases. Here, we review the contributions of the four human vault RNAs to cellular proliferation, apoptosis and cancer biology.

Abstract

The importance of non-coding RNAs for regulating gene expression has been uncovered in model systems spanning all three domains of life. More recently, their involvement in modulating signal transduction, cell proliferation, tumorigenesis and cancer progression has also made them promising tools and targets for oncotherapy. Recent studies revealed a class of highly conserved small ncRNAs, namely vault RNAs, as regulators of several cellular homeostasis mechanisms. The human genome encodes four vault RNA paralogs that share significant sequence and structural similarities, yet they seem to possess distinct roles in mammalian cells. The alteration of vault RNA expression levels has frequently been observed in cancer tissues, thus hinting at a putative role in orchestrating pro-survival characteristics. Over the last decade, significant advances have been achieved in clarifying the relationship between vault RNA and cellular mechanisms involved in cancer development. It became increasingly clear that vault RNAs are involved in controlling apoptosis, lysosome biogenesis and function, as well as autophagy in several malignant cell lines, most likely by modulating signaling pathways (e.g., the pro-survival MAPK cascade). In this review, we discuss the identified and known functions of the human vault RNAs in the context of cell proliferation, tumorigenesis and chemotherapy resistance.

Review: RNA-based diagnostic markers discovery and therapeutic targets development in cancer

The present review aimed to outline different types of RNAs in cancer diagnostics and treatment, and to provide novel insights into their clinical applications. RNAs, including mRNA, long non-coding (lnc)RNA, circular (circ)RNA and micro (mi)RNA, are now increasingly utilized in the diagnosis and treatment of various cancers. Each aforementioned type of RNA possess their own unique characteristics and could be aberrantly expressed as diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets in different cancers. In addition to mRNAs, which have become a promising alternative in cancer diagnostics and therapy, the uses of lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA in predictive tumor diagnostics and therapy has rapidly increased in recent years. In the present review, the mechanisms of mRNA, lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA in regulating and participating in the development of different cancers were determined, and their potential capacity in cancer diagnostics and therapy were investigated. In addition, the present review analyzed the assoaciations between different RNAs and their subsequent potential in cancer prediction and treatment.

Tumor Suppressive Effects of GAS5 in Cancer Cells

In recent years, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play important regulatory roles in cellular processes. Growth arrests specific transcript 5 (GAS5) is a lncRNA that is highly expressed during the cell cycle arrest phase but is downregulated in actively growing cells. Growth arrests specific transcript 5 was discovered to be downregulated in several cancers, primarily solid tumors, and it is known as a tumor suppressor gene that regulates cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis via multiple molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, GAS5 polymorphism was found to affect GAS5 expression and functionality in a cell-specific manner. This review article focuses on GAS5’s tumor-suppressive effects in regulating oncogenic signaling pathways, cell cycle, apoptosis, tumor-associated genes, and treatment-resistant cells. We also discussed genetic polymorphisms of GAS5 and their association with cancer susceptibility.

High Expression of a tRNAPro Derivative Associates with Poor Survival and Independently Predicts Colorectal Cancer Recurrence

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most lethal cause of cancer-related deaths in Europe. Fragments of tRNA^Pro are conserved among vertebrates, characterized by pleiotropic regulatory functions and have been found to discriminate colorectal tumors from normal colorectal mucosa. In the current study, we investigated the prognostic utility of 5′-tiRNA-Pro^TGG levels in CRC. For this purpose, total RNA was extracted from 155 malignant colorectal tumors and 74 adjacent non-cancerous tissue specimens, polyadenylated and reverse-transcribed using an oligo-dT adapter as primer. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to assess the levels of 5′-tiRNA-Pro^TGG. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that high 5′-tiRNA-Pro^TGG levels predict both poor disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of CRC patients. Of note, high 5′-tiRNA-Pro^TGG levels retain their unfavorable prognostic value in patients with rectal cancer and/or moderately differentiated CRC (grade II). More importantly, multivariate cox regression analysis highlighted that the overexpression of 5′-tiRNA-Pro^TGG constitutes an adverse prognostic factor predicting short-term relapse of CRC patients independently of the established prognosticators in CRC. Finally, bioinformatics analysis unveiled a potentially critical role of 5′-tiRNA-Pro^TGG regarding the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, signaling, cell communication, and cellular motility.

The Landscape of lncRNAs in Multiple Myeloma: Implications in the "Hallmarks of Cancer", Clinical Perspectives and Therapeutic Opportunities

Simple Summary

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an aggressive hematological neoplasia caused by the uncontrolled proliferation of aberrant plasmacells. Neoplastic transformation and progression are driven by a number of biological processes, called ‘hallmarks of cancer’, which are regulated by different molecules, including long non-coding RNAs. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms that regulate MM development and progression will help to improve patients stratification and management, and promote the identification of new therapeutic targets.

Abstract

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that are not translated into proteins. Nowadays, lncRNAs are gaining importance as key regulators of gene expression and, consequently, of several biological functions in physiological and pathological conditions, including cancer. Here, we point out the role of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM). We focus on their ability to regulate the biological processes identified as “hallmarks of cancer” that enable malignant cell transformation, early tumor onset and progression. The aberrant expression of lncRNAs in MM suggests their potential use as clinical biomarkers for diagnosis, patient stratification, and clinical management. Moreover, they represent ideal candidates for therapeutic targeting.

The pleiotropic roles of circular and long noncoding RNAs in cutaneous melanoma

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a very aggressive disease, often characterized by unresponsiveness to conventional therapies and high mortality rates worldwide. The identification of the activating BRAFV600 mutations in approximately 50% of CM patients has recently fueled the development of novel small-molecule inhibitors that specifically target BRAFV600 -mutant CM. In addition, a major progress in CM treatment has been made by monoclonal antibodies that regulate the immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, although target-based therapies and immunotherapeutic strategies have yielded promising results, CM treatment remains a major challenge. In the last decade, accumulating evidence points to the aberrant expression of different types of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in CM. While studies on microRNAs have grown exponentially leading to significant insights on CM biology, the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in this tumor is less understood, and much remains to be discovered. Here, we summarize and critically review the available evidence on the molecular functions of circRNAs and lncRNAs in BRAFV600 -mutant CM and CM immunogenicity, providing recent updates on their functional role in targeted therapy and immunotherapy resistance. In addition, we also include an evaluation of several algorithms and databases for prediction and validation of circRNA and lncRNA functional interactions.

Identification and expression analysis of ten novel small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) in cancer cells using a high-throughput sequencing approach

Non-coding RNAs are characterized as RNA molecules, which lack the capacity to encode protein structures and appear to include a level of internal signals. Moreover, they control various stages of gene expression, thus controlling the cell physiology and development. In this study, we implemented a high-throughput sequencing approach based on the primary semi-conductor technology and computational tools, in order to identity novel small non-coding RNAs. Fourteen human cancer cell lines were cultured, and RNA samples were enriched for small RNAs following semi-conductor next generation sequencing (NGS). Bioinformatics analysis of NGS data revealed the existence of several classes of ncRNAs using the miRDeep* and CPSS 2.0 software. To investigate the existence of the predicted non-coding RNA sequences in cDNA pools of cell lines, a developed qPCR-based assay was implemented. The structure of each novel small ncRNA was visualized, using the RNAfold algorithm. Our results support the existence of twenty (20) putative new small ncRNAs, ten (10) of which have had their expression experimentally validated and presented differential profiles in cancerous and normal cells. A deeper comprehension of the ncRNAs interactive network and its role in cancer can therefore be translated into a wide range of clinical applications. Despite this progress, further scientific research from different perspectives and in different fields is needed, so that the riddle of the human transcriptome can be solved.

miRNA-seq and clinical evaluation in multiple myeloma: miR-181a overexpression predicts short-term disease progression and poor post-treatment outcome

BACKGROUND

Despite significant advances in multiple myeloma (MM) therapy, disease relapse and treatment resistance remain major obstacles in clinical management. Herein, we have studied the clinical utility of miRNAs in improving patients' risk-stratification and prognosis.

METHODS

miRNA-seq was performed in CD138+ plasma cells of MM, smoldering multiple myeloma (sMM) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) patients. The screening MM cohort consisted of 138 patients. miRNA levels of CD138+ plasma cells were quantified by RT-qPCR following 3'-end RNA polyadenylation. Disease progression and patients' death were used as clinical end-point events. Internal validation was conducted by bootstrap analysis. Clinical net benefit on disease prognosis was assessed by decision curve analysis. Kruykov et al. 2016 served as validation cohort (n = 151).

RESULTS

miRNA-seq highlighted miR-181a to be upregulated in MM vs. sMM/MGUS, and R-ISS III vs. I patients. Screening and validation cohorts confirmed the significantly higher risk for short-term progression and worse survival of the patients overexpressing miR-181a. Multivariate models integrating miR-181a with disease established markers led to superior risk-stratification and clinical benefit for MM prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

CD138+ overexpression of miR-181a was strongly correlated with inferior disease outcome and contributed to superior prediction of MM patients early progression, supporting personalised prognosis and treatment decisions.

In Silico Identification and Clinical Validation of a Novel Long Non-Coding RNA/mRNA/miRNA Molecular Network for Potential Biomarkers for Discriminating SARS CoV-2 Infection Severity

(1) Background: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is still a major global health problem, despite the development of several vaccines and diagnostic assays. Moreover, the broad symptoms, from none to severe pneumonia, and the various responses to vaccines and the assays, make infection control challenging. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop non-invasive biomarkers to quickly determine the infection severity. Circulating RNAs have been proven to be potential biomarkers for a variety of diseases, including infectious ones. This study aimed to develop a genetic network related to cytokines, with clinical validation for early infection severity prediction. (2) Methods: Extensive analyses of in silico data have established a novel IL11RA molecular network (IL11RNA mRNA, LncRNAs RP11-773H22.4 and hsa-miR-4257). We used different databases to confirm its validity. The differential expression within the retrieved network was clinically validated using quantitative RT-PCR, along with routine assessment diagnostic markers (CRP, LDH, D-dimmer, procalcitonin, Ferritin), in100 infected subjects (mild and severe cases) and 100 healthy volunteers. (3) Results: IL11RNA mRNA and LncRNA RP11-773H22.4, and the IL11RA protein, were significantly upregulated, and there was concomitant downregulation of hsa-miR-4257, in infected patients, compared to the healthy controls, in concordance with the infection severity. (4) Conclusion: The in-silico data and clinical validation led to the identification of a potential RNA/protein signature network for novel predictive biomarkers, which is in agreement with ferritin and procalcitonin for determination of COVID-19 severity.

Genetic polymorphisms in the miR-372 (rs12983273) and LncRNA HULC (rs7763881) genes and susceptibility to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are two major types of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with regulatory roles. The initiation and progression of numerous diseases have been linked to genetic variation in miRNAs and lncRNAs. Many diseases, including hepatitis infection, are thought to be regulated by miRNA-LncRNA interactions. In this study, Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miR-372 (rs28461391 C/T) and HULC (rs7763881 A/C) were believed to play a role in HBV infection risk.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Using the Polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primer technique (PCR-SSP), 100 HBV patients and 100 healthy controls were genotyped for SNPs rs28461391 in miR-372 and rs7763881 in HULC. There was no significant difference in miR-372 rs12983273 genotype distribution between controls and HBV patients, according to our findings. On the other hand, there was a significant increase in HULC rs7763881 CC genotype (P < 0.05) coincides with a significant decrease in AC genotype distribution (P < 0.05) in HBV patients as compared to controls. Our results showed that the AA genotype is protective for HBV infection (OR 0.3; CI 0.13-9.07) while the CC genotype is associated with an increased risk of HBV infection (OR 3.43; CI 1.3-9.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that HULC rs7763881 A/C might be a biomarker for HBV susceptibility. Larger sample studies are needed to confirm our preliminary data. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to investigate the relevance of miR-372 (rs28461391 C/T) and HULC (rs7763881 A/C) gene polymorphisms to the risk of HBV infection in the Egyptian population.

Prospects and challenges of cancer systems medicine: from genes to disease networks

It is becoming evident that holistic perspectives toward cancer are crucial in deciphering the overwhelming complexity of tumors. Single-layer analysis of genome-wide data has greatly contributed to our understanding of cellular systems and their perturbations. However, fundamental gaps in our knowledge persist and hamper the design of effective interventions. It is becoming more apparent than ever, that cancer should not only be viewed as a disease of the genome but as a disease of the cellular system. Integrative multilayer approaches are emerging as vigorous assets in our endeavors to achieve systemic views on cancer biology. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the approaches, methods and technologies that can serve to achieve systemic perspectives of cancer. We start with genome-wide single-layer approaches of omics analyses of cellular systems and move on to multilayer integrative approaches in which in-depth descriptions of proteogenomics and network-based data analysis are provided. Proteogenomics is a remarkable example of how the integration of multiple levels of information can reduce our blind spots and increase the accuracy and reliability of our interpretations and network-based data analysis is a major approach for data interpretation and a robust scaffold for data integration and modeling. Overall, this review aims to increase cross-field awareness of the approaches and challenges regarding the omics-based study of cancer and to facilitate the necessary shift toward holistic approaches.

Non-coding Natural Antisense Transcripts: Analysis and Application

Non-coding natural antisense transcripts (ncNATs) are regulatory RNA sequences that are transcribed in the opposite direction to protein-coding or non-coding transcripts. These transcripts are implicated in a broad variety of biological and pathological processes, including tumorigenesis and oncogenic progression. With this complex field still in its infancy, annotations, expression profiling and functional characterisations of ncNATs are far less comprehensive than those for protein-coding genes, pointing out substantial gaps in the analysis and characterisation of these regulatory transcripts. In this review, we discuss ncNATs from an analysis perspective, in particular regarding the use of high-throughput sequencing strategies, such as RNA-sequencing, and summarize the unique challenges of investigating the antisense transcriptome. Finally, we elaborate on their potential as biomarkers and future targets for treatment, focusing on cancer.

In silico interaction of HOX cluster-embedded microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in oral cancer

The essential role HOX-associated non-coding RNAs play in chromatin dynamics and gene regulation has been well documented. The potential roles of these microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs in oral cancer development, with their attendant involvement in various cellular processes including proliferation, invasion, migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis is gaining credence. An interaction network of HOX-embedded non-coding RNAs was constructed to identify the RNA interaction landscape using the arena-Idb platform and visualized using Cytoscape. The miR-10a was shown to interact with HOXA1, miR-10b with HOXD10, miR-196a1 with HOXA5, HOXA7, HOXB8, HOXC8, HOXD8, and miR-196a2 with HOXA5. The lncRNAs, HOTAIR interacted with HOXC11, HOTAIRM1 with HOXA1 and HOXA4, HOTTIP with HOXA13, HOXA-AS2 with HOXA3, HOXA11-AS with HOXA11 and HOXD-AS1 with HOXB8. Changes in the HOX cluster-embedded non-coding RNAs have implications for prognosis and overall disease survival. Our review aims to analyze the functional significance and clinical relevance of non-coding RNAs within the HOX cluster in the context of oral carcinogenesis. Elucidating these interactions between the non-coding RNAs and HOX genes in oral cancer development and progression could pave the way for the identification of reliable biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.

LncRNA HOTAIR promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis by sponging miR-214-3p in HPV16 positive cervical cancer cells

Background

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common gynaecological malignancies all around the world. The mechanisms of cervical carcinoma formation remain under close scrutiny. The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) and microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in controlling gene expression and promoting the development and progression of cervical cancer by acting as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA). However, the roles of lncRNA associated with ceRNAs in cervical carcinogenesis remains unknown. In this study, the expression of long non-coding RNA HOTAIR was investigated in HPV16 positive cervical cancer cells, the candidate miRNAs and target genes were identified to clarify putative ceRNAs of HOTAIR/miRNA in cervical cancer cells.

Methods

The proliferation ability of cells was measured by CCK8 and EdU incorporation assays and cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression of HOTAIR, miR-214-3p, HPV16 E7 mRNA were detected by qRT-PCR. As for searching for the interaction between miR-214-3p and HOTAIR, the binding sites for miR-214-3p on HOTAIR was predicted by starbase v2.0 database, then dual-luciferase assay was used to verify the binding sites. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO) and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis of target genes of miR-214-3p were performed with bioinformatics analysis. The potential signal pathway regulated by HOTAIR/miR-214-3p was predicted by KEGG enrichment analysis and confirmed by qPCR and WB analysis in cervical cancer cells.

Results

Our results showed that expression of HOTAIR was up-regulated, while that of miR-214-3p was down-regulated in HPV16-positive cervical cancer cells. The expression status of HPV16 E7 played an important role in regulating expression of HOTAIR or miR-214-3p in cervical cancer cells. HOTAIR knockdown could significantly inhibited cell proliferate ability and promote cellular apoptosis, whereas the inhibition of miR-214-3p expression partially reversed such results. Bioinformatics analysis identified 1451 genes as target genes of miR-214-3p. The Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG Pathway enrichment analysis showed that these target genes were mainly related to regulation of cell communication, protein binding, enzyme binding and transferase activity, and Wnt ligand biogenesis. Pathway enrichment analysis results showed that the predicted target genes were significantly enriched in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Finally, our results confirmed that miR-214-3p could significantly inhibit β-catenin expression in HPV16 positive cancer cells by qPCR and WB analysis.

Conclusion

HOTAIR could act as a ceRNA through binding to miR-214-3p, promote cell proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of HPV16 positive cervical cancer. HOTAIR/miR-214-3p/Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway might played important regulated roles in HPV16 positive cervical cancer. Our results provided new insight into defining novel biomarkers for cervical cancer.

Study of HOTAIR LncRNA in AML patients in context to FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations status

Background

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have recently been considered promising biomarkers for oncogenesis due to their epigenetic regulatory effects. HOTAIR is one of the oncogenic LncRNAs that was previously studied in different non-hematological malignancies. The current study set out to detect the expression level of HOTAIR LncRNA in AML patients concerning their clinical characteristics, laboratory data, FLT3-ITD, and NPM1 mutations, as well as treatment outcome. This study included quantitative detection of HOTAIR gene expression in 47 cases of AML using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, as well as NPM1 and FLT3-ITD genotyping.

Results

The HOTAIR expression was significantly higher in AML patients 6.87 (0.001) than in normal controls 1.66 (0.004–6.82) (p 0.007). The HOTAIR expression level was affected by chemotherapy, and it was correlated to hemoglobin level (p 0.001), age, total leukocytic count (p 0.022), and NPM1 mutation (p 0.017). HOTAIR gene expression level showed a correlation to relapse-free survival in the study group (p 0.04).

Conclusion

HOTAIR is overexpressed in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). HOTAIR pre-treatment and post-chemotherapy gene expression levels can predict chemosensitivity and relapse.

miR-145-5p as a predictive biomarker for breast cancer stemness by computational clinical investigation

BACKGROUND

Breast tumors enriched with breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), play a crucial role in metastasis and tumor relapse. Hence, targeting BCSCs may lead to efficacious breast cancer therapy. BCSCs have a unique expression of stemness markers, including Nanog, POU5F1, SOX2, and CD44, which play a vital role in cancer stem cell properties. However, the regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs)-mediated cancer stem cell marker expressions is largely unclear.

METHODS

MIENTURNET was used to predict miRNA-target interactions. miR-TV, UALCAN and GEPIA databases were used to analyze the expression of miR-145-5p and SOX2. Survival analysis was obtained by cBioportal, KM plotter and Breast Cancer Gene-Expression Miner. RNAComposer was used to perform miRNA-mRNA duplex prediction. In vitro mRNA and miRNA analysis was performed by qRT-PCR.

RESULTS

It was observed that miR-145-5p was the common miRNA targeting stemness markers. miR-145-5p expression was found to be lower in breast cancer patients compared to healthy subjects. Based on survival analysis, low expression of miR-145-5p and high expression of SOX2 led to a poor overall survival rate in breast cancer patients. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that SOX2 was highly enriched with transcription factors. Moreover, SOX2 expression level was also upregulated in axillary metastatic lymph nodules. Further, in vitro ectopic expression of miR-145-5p by its mimic downregulated the SOX2 expression compared to the control mimic. Overall, SOX2 was a direct target for miR-145-5p as per the binding and minimal-free energy.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, miR-145-5p targeting SOX2 was identified as a potential predictive biomarker for breast cancer stemness.

Lantern: an integrative repository of functional annotations for lncRNAs in the human genome

BACKGROUND

With advancements in omics technologies, the range of biological processes where long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved, is expanding extensively, thereby generating the need to develop lncRNA annotation resources. Although, there are a plethora of resources for annotating genes, despite the extensive corpus of lncRNA literature, the available resources with lncRNA ontology annotations are rare.

RESULTS

We present a lncRNA annotation extractor and repository (Lantern), developed using PubMed's abstract retrieval engine and NCBO's recommender annotation system. Lantern's annotations were benchmarked against lncRNAdb's manually curated free text. Benchmarking analysis suggested that Lantern has a recall of 0.62 against lncRNAdb for 182 lncRNAs and precision of 0.8. Additionally, we also annotated lncRNAs with multiple omics annotations, including predicted cis-regulatory TFs, interactions with RBPs, tissue-specific expression profiles, protein co-expression networks, coding potential, sub-cellular localization, and SNPs for ~ 11,000 lncRNAs in the human genome, providing a one-stop dynamic visualization platform.

CONCLUSIONS

Lantern integrates a novel, accurate semi-automatic ontology annotation engine derived annotations combined with a variety of multi-omics annotations for lncRNAs, to provide a central web resource for dissecting the functional dynamics of long non-coding RNAs and to facilitate future hypothesis-driven experiments. The annotation pipeline and a web resource with current annotations for human lncRNAs are freely available on sysbio.lab.iupui.edu/lantern.

Harnessing the epigenome to boost immunotherapy response in non-small cell lung cancer patients

The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapy for non-oncogene addicted non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has significantly transformed the treatment landscape of the disease. Inhibitors of the programmed cell death protein 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune checkpoint axis, which were initially considered as a late-line treatment option, gradually became the standard of care as first-line treatment for subgroups of NSCLC patients. However, a significant fraction of patients either fails to respond or progresses after a partial response to ICI treatment. Thus, the identification of mechanisms responsible for innate and acquired resistance to immunotherapy within a rapidly evolving tumor microenvironment (TME) is urgently required, as is the identification of reliable predictive biomarkers beyond PD-L1 expression. The deregulation of the epigenome is a key driver of cancer initiation and progression, and it has also been shown to drive therapeutic resistance. Tumor education of infiltrating myeloid cells towards an immuno-suppressive phenotype as well as induction of T-cell dysfunction in the TME is also driven by epigenome reprogramming. As it stands and, given their dynamic nature, epigenetic changes in cancer and non-cancer cells represent an attractive target to increase immunotherapy activity in NSCLC. Accordingly, clinical trials of combinatorial immuno-epigenetic drug regimens have been associated with tumor response in previously immunotherapy-resistant NSCLC patients irrespective of their PD-L1 status. Moreover, epigenetic signatures might represent valuable theragnostic biomarkers as they can be assayed easily in liquid biopsy and provide multiple layers of information. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge regarding the dysregulated epigenetic mechanisms contributing to immunotherapy resistance in NSCLC. Although the clinical data are still maturing, we highlight the attractive perspective that the synergistic model of immuno-epigenetic strategies might overcome the current limitations of immunotherapy alone and will be translated into durable clinical benefit for a broader NSCLC population.

Small nucleolar RNA host genes promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition lead cancer progression and metastasis

The small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) belong to the long non-coding RNAs and are reported to be able to influence all three levels of cellular information-bearing molecules, that is, DNA, RNA, and proteins, resulting in the generation of complex phenomena. As the host genes of the small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), they are commonly localized in the nucleolus, where they exert multiple regulatory functions orchestrating cellular homeostasis and differentiation as well as metastasis and chemoresistance. Indeed, worldwide literature has reported their involvement in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of different histotypes of cancer, being able to exploit peculiar features, for example, the possibility to act both in the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Moreover, SNHGs regulation is a fundamental topic to better understand their role in tumor progression albeit such mechanism is still debated. Here, we reviewed the biological functions of SNHGs in particular in the EMT process and discussed the perspectives for new cancer therapies.

Biological relevance and therapeutic potential of G-quadruplex structures in the human noncoding transcriptome

Noncoding RNAs are functional transcripts that are not translated into proteins. They represent the largest portion of the human transcriptome and have been shown to regulate gene expression networks in both physiological and pathological cell conditions. Research in this field has made remarkable progress in the comprehension of how aberrations in noncoding RNA drive relevant disease-associated phenotypes; however, the biological role and mechanism of action of several noncoding RNAs still need full understanding. Besides fulfilling its function through sequence-based mechanisms, RNA can form complex secondary and tertiary structures which allow non-canonical interactions with proteins and/or other nucleic acids. In this context, the presence of G-quadruplexes in microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs is increasingly being reported. This evidence suggests a role for RNA G-quadruplexes in controlling microRNA biogenesis and mediating noncoding RNA interaction with biological partners, thus ultimately regulating gene expression. Here, we review the state of the art of G-quadruplexes in the noncoding transcriptome, with their structural and functional characterization. In light of the existence and further possible development of G-quadruplex binders that modulate G-quadruplex conformation and protein interactions, we also discuss the therapeutic potential of G-quadruplexes as targets to interfere with disease-associated noncoding RNAs.

LINC01816 promotes the migration, invasion and epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of thyroid carcinoma cells by sponging miR‑34c‑5p and regulating CRABP2 expression levels

Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is a common type of endocrine system cancer and its current clinical treatment method is surgical resection. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been revealed to serve important roles in a variety of complex human diseases. Therefore, determining the association between lncRNAs and diseases may provide novel insight into disease-related lncRNAs, with the aim of improving disease treatments and diagnoses. Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1816 (LINC01816) was identified to be associated with the survival of patients with colorectal cancer using the IDHI-MIRW method. The present study aimed to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of LINC01816 in THCA. Analysis of datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that the upregulation of LINC01816 expression levels was associated with a variety of cancer types. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that compared with the normal thyroid tissues, the expression levels of LINC01816 were upregulated in THCA tissues. The results of wound healing and Transwell assays, and western blotting demonstrated that the overexpression of LINC01816 could strengthen the invasive and migratory abilities of THCA cells and enhance epithelial-mesenchymal transition progression. Analysis using the starBase website and dual-luciferase reporter assays identified that microRNA (miR)-34c-5p was a target of LINC01816. The overexpression of miR-34c-5p could inhibit the invasive and migratory abilities of THCA cells, in addition to inhibiting the cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 (CRABP2) overexpression-induced effects on invasion, migration and EMT processes. In conclusion, the findings of the present study indicated that LINC01816 may be capable of sponging miR-34c-5p to upregulate CRABP2 expression levels, which subsequently promoted the invasion, migration and EMT of THCA cells. Therefore, targeting the LINC01816/miR-34c-5p/CRABP2 pathway may be an effective therapeutic approach for patients with THCA.

The Mechanistic Roles of ncRNAs in Promoting and Supporting Chemoresistance of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignancies which has quite a high mortality rate. Despite the advances made in CRC treatment, effective therapy is still quite challenging, particularly due to resistance arising throughout the treatment regimen. Several studies have been carried out to identify CRC chemoresistance mechanisms, with research showing different signalling pathways, certain ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), among others to be responsible for the failure of CRC chemotherapies. In the last decade, it has become increasingly evident that certain non-coding RNA (ncRNA) families are involved in chemoresistance. Research investigations have demonstrated that dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) contribute towards promoting resistance in CRC via different mechanisms. Considering the currently available data on this phenomenon, a better understanding of how these ncRNAs participate in chemoresistance can lead to suitable solutions to overcome this problem in CRC. This review will first focus on discussing the different mechanisms of CRC resistance identified so far. The focus will then shift onto the roles of miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in promoting 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin (OXA), cisplatin and doxorubicin (DOX) resistance in CRC, specifically using ncRNAs which have been recently identified and validated under in vivo or in vitro conditions.

Role of miRNAs and lncRNAs in hematopoietic stem cell differentiation

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have diverse roles in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells. Among these transcripts, long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have especial contribution in this regard particularly by affecting levels of transcription factors that define differentiation of each linage. miR-222, miR-10a, miR-126, miR-106, miR-10b, miR-17, miR-20, miR-146, miR-155, miR-223, miR-221, miR-92, miR-150, miR-126 and miR-142 are among miRNAs that partake in the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. Meanwhile, this process is controlled by a number of lncRNAs such as PU.1-AS, AlncRNA-EC7, EGO, HOTAIRM1, Fas-AS1, LincRNA-EPS and lncRNA-CSR. Manipulation of expression of these transcripts has functional significance in the treatment of cancers and in cell therapy. In this paper, we have provided a brief summary of the role of miRNAs and lncRNAs in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells.

Aster spathulifolius Maxim. a leaf transcriptome provides an overall functional characterization, discovery of SSR marker and phylogeny analysis

Aster spathulifolius Maxim. is belongs to the Asteraceae family, which is distributed only in Korea and Japan. The species is traditionally a medicinal plant and is economically valuable in the ornamental field. On the other hand, the Aster genus, among the Asteraceae family, lacks genomic resources and its molecular functions. Therefore, in our study the high-throughput RNA-sequencing transcriptome data of A. spathulifolius were obtained to identify the molecular functions and its characterization. The de novo assembly produced 98660 uniqueness with an N50 value of 1126bp. Total unigenes were procure to analyze the functional annotation against databases like non-redundant protein, Pfam, Uniprot, KEGG and Gene ontology. The overall percentage of functional annotation to the nr database (43.71%), uniprotein database (49.97%), Pfam (39.94%), KEGG (42.3%) and to GO (30.34%) were observed. Besides, 377 unigenes were found to be involved in the terpenoids pathway and 666 unigenes were actively engaged in other secondary metabolites synthesis, given that 261 unigenes were within phenylpropanoid pathway and 81 unigenes to flavonoid pathway. A further prediction of stress resistance (9,513) unigenes and transcriptional factor (3,027) unigenes in 53 types were vastly regulated in abiotic stress respectively in salt, heat, MAPK and hormone signal transduction pathway. This study discovered 29,692 SSR markers that assist the genotyping approaches and the genetic diversity perspectives. In addition, eight Asteraceae species as in-group together with one out-group were used to construct the phylogenetic relationship by employing their plastid genome and single-copy orthologs genes. Among 50 plastid protein-coding regions, A. spathulifolius is been closely related to A. annua and by 118 single copy orthologs genes, O. taihangensis is more neighboring species to A. spathulifolius. Apart from this, A. spathulifolius and O. taihangensis, genera have recently diverged from other species. Overall, this research gains new insights into transcriptome data by revealing and exposing the secondary metabolite compounds for drug development, the stress-related genes for producing resilient crops and an ortholog gene of A. spathulifolius for the robustness of phylogeny reconstruction among Asteraceae genera.

Biomarkers for suicidal behavior: miRNAs and their potential for diagnostics through liquid biopsy - a systematic review

Background: Given that approximately 70% of miRNAs in the body are neuronal, we critically assessed current studies on miRNAs and suicidal behavior. Materials & Methods: To further define the role of miRNAs in suicide, we searched for studies on extracellular vesicles (exosomes) because miRNAs are particularly enriched in exosomes. miRNAs also have important physiological roles, and they can cross the blood-brain barrier and participate in cell-to-cell communication with both nearby and distant cells. Results & Conclusion: This critical assessment suggests that several miRNAs can be closely related to neurophysiology, suicidal behavior, and psychiatric disorders. However, clear overlap is poor due to either different methodologies applied or to molecular differences between suicidal behaviors and studied psychiatric disorders.

Oxidative Stress and Cancer Development: Are Noncoding RNAs the Missing Links?

Significance: It is now clear that genetic changes underlie the basis of cancer, and alterations in functions of multiple genes are responsible for the process of tumorigenesis. Besides the classical genes that are usually implicated in cancer, the role of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) as independent entitites has also been investigated. Recent Advances: The microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), two main classes of ncRNAs, are known to regulate many aspects of tumor development. ROS, generated during oxidative stress and pathological conditions, are known to regulate every step of tumor development. Conversely, oxidative stress and ROS producing agents can suppress tumor development. The malignant cells normally produce high levels of ROS compared with normal cells. The interaction between ROS and ncRNAs regulates the expression of multiple genes and pathways implicated in cancer, suggesting a unique mechanistic relationship among ncRNA-ROS-cancer. The mechanistic relationship has been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma, glioma, and malignancies of blood, breast, colorectum, esophagus, kidney, lung, mouth, ovary, pancreas, prostate, and stomach. The ncRNA-ROS regulate several cancer-related cell signaling pathways, namely, protein kinase B (AKT), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), forkhead box O3 (FOXO3), kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), p53, phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN), and wingless-related integration site (Wnt)/glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β). Critical Issues: To date, most of the reports about ncRNA-oxidative stress-carcinogenesis relationships are based on cell lines. The mechanistic basis for this relationship has not been completely elucidated. Future Directions: Attempts should be made to explore the association of lncRNAs with ROS. The significance of the ncRNA-oxidative stress-carcinogenesis interplay should also be explored through studies in animal models.

tRNA-Derived Fragments (tRFs) in Bladder Cancer: Increased 5'-tRF-LysCTT Results in Disease Early Progression and Patients' Poor Treatment Outcome

Simple Summary

Bladder cancer (BlCa) management relies on lifelong surveillance strategies with invasive interventions that adversely affect patients’ quality-of-life and lead to a high economic burden for healthcare systems. Exploitation of bladder tumors’ molecular background could lead to modern precision medicine. tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs), rather than degradation debris, are novel functional small ncRNAs that have emerged as key regulators of cellular homeostasis. This is the first study of the clinical utility of tRFs in BlCa. Using in silico analysis of the TCGA-BLCA project, we identified 5′-tRF-LysCTT (5′-tRF of tRNA^LysCTT) to be significantly deregulated in BlCa, and we have studied its clinical value in our cohort of 230 BlCa patients. Elevated 5′-tRF-LysCTT levels were significantly associated with aggressive tumor phenotype as well as early disease progression and poor treatment outcome. Integration of 5′-tRF-LysCTT with established disease markers resulted in superior prediction of patients’ prognosis, supporting personalized treatment and monitoring decisions.

Abstract

The heterogeneity of bladder cancer (BlCa) prognosis and treatment outcome requires the elucidation of tumors’ molecular background towards personalized patients’ management. tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs), although originally considered as degradation debris, represent a novel class of powerful regulatory non-coding RNAs. In silico analysis of the TCGA-BLCA project highlighted 5′-tRF-LysCTT to be significantly deregulated in bladder tumors, and 5′-tRF-LysCTT levels were further quantified in our screening cohort of 230 BlCa patients. Recurrence and progression for non-muscle invasive (NMIBC) patients, as well as progression and patient’s death for muscle-invasive (MIBC) patients, were used as clinical endpoint events. TCGA-BLCA were used as validation cohort. Bootstrap analysis was performed for internal validation and the clinical net benefit of 5′-tRF-LysCTT on disease prognosis was assessed by decision curve analysis. Elevated 5′-tRF-LysCTT was associated with unfavorable disease features, and significant higher risk for early progression (multivariate Cox: HR = 2.368; p = 0.033) and poor survival (multivariate Cox: HR = 2.151; p = 0.032) of NMIBC and MIBC patients, respectively. Multivariate models integrating 5′-tRF-LysCTT with disease established markers resulted in superior risk-stratification specificity and positive prediction of patients’ progression. In conclusion, increased 5′-tRF-LysCTT levels were strongly associated with adverse disease outcome and improved BlCa patients’ prognostication.

Molecular mechanisms governing offspring metabolic programming in rodent models of in utero stress

The results of different human epidemiological datasets provided the impetus to introduce the now commonly accepted theory coined as 'developmental programming', whereby the presence of a stressor during gestation predisposes the growing fetus to develop diseases, such as metabolic dysfunction in later postnatal life. However, in a clinical setting, human lifespan and inaccessibility to tissue for analysis are major limitations to study the molecular mechanisms governing developmental programming. Subsequently, studies using animal models have proved indispensable to the identification of key molecular pathways and epigenetic mechanisms that are dysregulated in metabolic organs of the fetus and adult programmed due to an adverse gestational environment. Rodents such as mice and rats are the most used experimental animals in the study of developmental programming. This review summarises the molecular pathways and epigenetic mechanisms influencing alterations in metabolic tissues of rodent offspring exposed to in utero stress and subsequently programmed for metabolic dysfunction. By comparing molecular mechanisms in a variety of rodent models of in utero stress, we hope to summarise common themes and pathways governing later metabolic dysfunction in the offspring whilst identifying reasons for incongruencies between models so to inform future work. With the continued use and refinement of such models of developmental programming, the scientific community may gain the knowledge required for the targeted treatment of metabolic diseases that have intrauterine origins.

Clinical effects and molecular mechanisms of lncRNA MNX1-AS1 in malignant tumors

With continuous disclosure of the significance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in gene expression, the role of lncRNAs in malignant tumors has attracted extensive attention of scholars. Many types of studies found that lncRNA MNX1-AS1 is an over-expressed lncRNA in various malignant tumors. Results also indicate that MNX1-AS1 participates in the biological processes of cancers. Recent studies found that lncRNA MNX1-AS1 has high sensitivities and specificities in tumor tissues and plasma and may be a potential diagnostic biomarker and prognostic predictor. The biological functions of lncRNA MNX1-AS1 and its mechanisms of function in tumors were comprehensively reviewed in this article to lay a molecular foundation for future clinical applications of MNX1-AS1.

miR-203 is an independent molecular predictor of prognosis and treatment outcome in ovarian cancer: a multi-institutional study

Ovarian cancer (OC) accounts for the most gynecological cancer-related deaths in developed countries. Unfortunately, the lack of both evident early symptoms and effective asymptomatic population screening results in late diagnosis and inevitably poor prognosis. Hence, it is urgent to identify novel molecular markers to support personalized prognosis. In the present study, we have analyzed the clinical significance of miR-203 in OC using two institutionally independent cohorts. miR-203 levels were quantified in a screening (n = 125) and a validation cohort (n = 100, OVCAD multicenter study). Survival analysis was performed using progression and death as clinical endpoint events. Internal validation was conducted by bootstrap analysis, and decision curve analysis was used to evaluate the clinical benefit. Increased miR-203 levels in OC patients were correlated with unfavorable prognosis and higher risk for disease progression, independently of FIGO stage, tumor grade, residual tumor after surgery, chemotherapy response and age. The analysis of the institutionally independent validation cohort (OVCAD study) clearly confirmed the shorter survival outcome of the patients overexpressing miR-203. Additionally, integration of miR-203 levels with the established disease prognostic markers led to a superior stratification of OC patients that can ameliorate prognosis and benefit patient clinical management. In this regard, miR-203 expression constitutes a novel independent molecular marker to improve patients' prognosis in OC.

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E elevates steady-state m7G capping of coding and noncoding transcripts

Methyl-7-guanosine (m7G) "capping" of coding and some noncoding RNAs is critical for their maturation and subsequent activity. Here, we discovered that eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), itself a cap-binding protein, drives the expression of the capping machinery and increased capping efficiency of ∼100 coding and noncoding RNAs. To quantify this, we developed enzymatic (cap quantification; CapQ) and quantitative cap immunoprecipitation (CapIP) methods. The CapQ method has the further advantage that it captures information about capping status independent of the type of 5' cap, i.e., it is not restricted to informing on m7G caps. These methodological advances led to unanticipated revelations: 1) Many RNA populations are inefficiently capped at steady state (∼30 to 50%), and eIF4E overexpression increased this to ∼60 to 100%, depending on the RNA; 2) eIF4E physically associates with noncoding RNAs in the nucleus; and 3) approximately half of eIF4E-capping targets identified are noncoding RNAs. eIF4E's association with noncoding RNAs strongly positions it to act beyond translation. Coding and noncoding capping targets have activities that influence survival, cell morphology, and cell-to-cell interaction. Given that RNA export and translation machineries typically utilize capped RNA substrates, capping regulation provides means to titrate the protein-coding capacity of the transcriptome and, for noncoding RNAs, to regulate their activities. We also discovered a cap sensitivity element (CapSE) which conferred eIF4E-dependent capping sensitivity. Finally, we observed elevated capping for specific RNAs in high-eIF4E leukemia specimens, supporting a role for cap dysregulation in malignancy. In all, levels of capping RNAs can be regulated by eIF4E.