MicroRNA-197-3p Inhibits the Osteogenic Differentiation in Osteoporosis by Down-Regulating KLF 10

Heterotopic mineralization (ossification or calcification) in aged musculoskeletal soft tissues: A new candidate marker for aging

Aging can lead to various disorders in organisms and with the escalating impact of population aging, the incidence of age-related diseases is steadily increasing. As a major risk factor for chronic illnesses in humans, the prevention and postponement of aging have become focal points of research among numerous scientists. Aging biomarkers, which mirror molecular alterations at diverse levels in organs, tissues, and cells, can be used to monitor and evaluate biological changes associated with aging. Currently, aging biomarkers are primarily categorized into physiological traits, imaging characteristics, histological features, cellular-level alterations, and molecular-level changes that encompass the secretion of aging-related factors. However, in the context of the musculoskeletal soft tissue system, aging-related biological indicators primarily involve microscopic parameters at the cellular and molecular levels, resulting in inconvenience and uncertainty in the assessment of musculoskeletal soft tissue aging. To identify convenient and effective indicators, we conducted a comprehensive literature review to investigate the correlation between ectopic mineralization and age-related changes in the musculoskeletal soft tissue system. Here, we introduce the concept of ectopic mineralization as a macroscopic, reliable, and convenient biomarker for musculoskeletal soft tissue aging and present novel targets and strategies for the future management of age-related musculoskeletal soft tissue disorders.

Osteomyelitis and non-coding RNAS: A new dimension in disease understanding

Osteomyelitis, a debilitating bone infection, presents considerable clinical challenges due to its intricate etiology and limited treatment options. Despite strides in surgical and chemotherapeutic interventions, the treatment landscape for osteomyelitis remains unsatisfactory. Recent attention has focused on the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in the pathogenesis and progression of osteomyelitis. This review consolidates current knowledge on the involvement of distinct classes of ncRNAs, including microRNAs, long ncRNAs, and circular RNAs, in the context of osteomyelitis. Emerging evidence from various studies underscores the potential of ncRNAs in orchestrating gene expression and influencing the differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, pivotal processes in bone formation. The review initiates by elucidating the regulatory functions of ncRNAs in fundamental cellular processes such as inflammation, immune response, and bone remodeling, pivotal in osteomyelitis pathology. It delves into the intricate network of interactions between ncRNAs and their target genes, illuminating how dysregulation contributes to the establishment and persistence of osteomyelitic infections. Understanding their regulatory roles may pave the way for targeted diagnostic tools and innovative therapeutic interventions, promising a paradigm shift in the clinical approach to this challenging condition. Additionally, we delve into the promising therapeutic applications of these molecules, envisioning novel diagnostic and treatment approaches to enhance the management of this challenging bone infection.

Klf10 is involved in extracellular matrix calcification of chondrocytes alleviating chondrocyte senescence

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease resulting joint disability and pain. Accumulating evidences suggest that chondrocyte extracellular matrix calcification plays an important role in the development of OA. Here, we showed that Krüppel-like factor 10 (Klf10) was involved in the regulation of chondrocyte extracellular matrix calcification by regulating the expression of Frizzled9. Knockdown of Klf10 attenuated TBHP induced calcification and reduced calcium content in chondrocytes. Restoring extracellular matrix calcification of chondrocytes could aggravate chondrocyte senescence. Destabilization of a medial meniscus (DMM) mouse model of OA, in vivo experiments revealed that knockdown Klf10 improved the calcification of articular cartilage and ameliorated articular cartilage degeneration. These findings suggested that knockdown Klf10 inhibited extracellular matrix calcification-related changes in chondrocytes and alleviated chondrocyte senescence.

FZD1/KLF10-hsa-miR-4762-5p/miR-224-3p-circular RNAs axis as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for glioblastoma: a comprehensive report

BACKGROUND

The circular RNA (circRNA) plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of tumors as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA). Given the high aggressiveness and fatality rate of glioblastoma (GBM) as well as poor prognosis, it is necessary to construct a circRNA-related ceRNA network for further studies on the mechanism of GBM and identify possible biomarkers as well as therapeutic drugs.

METHODS

Three datasets from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database were downloaded to distinguish differential circRNAs, microRNAs, and messenger RNAs respectively in GBM. With the help of GEPIA2, circBank, CSCD, TargetScan, miRDB, and miRTarBase databases, we established a circRNAs-related ceRNA network in GBM. Functional enrichments were employed to profile the most relevant mRNAs to indirectly clarify the mechanisms of the ceRNA network. Based on the expression profile data and survival information of GBM patients from the GEO and the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) databases, we performed survival analysis to select prognostic mRNAs and constructed a novel circRNA-miRNA-mRNA central regulatory subnetwork. The DGIdb database was used to find potential drug-gene interactions.

RESULTS

The datasets obtained from the GEO and TCGA databases were analyzed, and 504 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs), 71 differentially expressed microRNAs (DEmiRNAs), and 270 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) were screened out. The novel ceRNA regulatory network included 22 circRNAs, 11 miRNAs, and 15 mRNAs. FZD1 and KLF10 were significantly correlated with the overall survival rate of patients with GBM (P < 0.05). The final survival subnetwork contained six circRNAs, two miRNAs, and two mRNAs. Two small-molecule compounds and one antibody could be used as therapeutic drugs for GBM. Interestingly, the Wnt signaling pathway appeared in both KEGG and GO functional terms.

CONCLUSIONS

Results of this study demonstrate that FZD1 and KLF10 may exert regulatory functions in GBM, and the ceRNA-mediated network could be a therapeutic strategy for GBM.

Kruppel-like Factors in Skeletal Physiology and Pathologies

Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) belong to a large group of zinc finger-containing transcription factors with amino acid sequences resembling the Drosophila gap gene Krüppel. Since the first report of molecular cloning of the KLF family gene, the number of KLFs has increased rapidly. Currently, 17 murine and human KLFs are known to play crucial roles in the regulation of transcription, cell proliferation, cellular differentiation, stem cell maintenance, and tissue and organ pathogenesis. Recent evidence has shown that many KLF family molecules affect skeletal cells and regulate their differentiation and function. This review summarizes the current understanding of the unique roles of each KLF in skeletal cells during normal development and skeletal pathologies.

Krüppel-like factors in bone biology

The krüppel-like factor (KLF) family is a group of zinc finger transcription factors and contributes to different cellular processes such as differentiation, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. While different studies show the roles of this family in skeletal development-specifically in chondrocyte and osteocyte development and bone homeostasis-there are few reviews summarizing their importance. To fill this gap, this review discusses current knowledge on different functions of the KLF family during skeletal development, including their roles in stem cell maintenance and differentiation, cell apoptosis, and cell cycle. To understand the importance of the KLF family, we also review genotype-phenotype correlations in different animal models. We also discuss how KLF proteins function through different signaling pathways and display their paramount importance in skeletal development. To highlight their roles in cartilage- or bone-related cells, we also use single-cell RNA sequencing publicly available data on mouse hindlimb. We also challenge our knowledge of how the KLF family is epigenetically regulated-e.g., using DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs-during chondrocyte and osteocyte development.

Identification of Potential Hub Genes and miRNA-mRNA Pairs Related to the Progression and Prognosis of Cervical Cancer Through Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis

In recent years, the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer have increased worldwide. At the same time, increasing data have confirmed that miRNA-mRNA plays a positive or negative regulatory role in many cancers. This study attempted to screen effective miRNA-mRNA in the progression of cervical cancer, and to study the mechanism of miRNA-mRNA in the progression of cervical cancer. The expression profile data of GSE7410, GSE 63514, GSE 86100 and TCGA-CESC were downloaded, and 34 overlapping differentially expressed genes (22 up-regulated and 12 down-regulated) and 166 miRNAs (74 down-regulated and 92 up-regulated) were screened through limma package. Then, miR-197-3p/TYMS pairs were obtained by PPI, functional enrichment, Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis, Cox univariate and multivariate analysis, risk modeling, WGCNA, qPCR and dual-luciferase experiments. The results showed that TYMS was an independent prognostic factor of cervical cancer, and its expression level was negatively correlated with cervical cancer tissue grade (TMN), tumor grade, age, microsatellite stability and tumor mutation load, and positively correlated with methyl expression in DNMT1, DNMT2, DNMT3A and DNMT3B. Functional experiments showed that TYMS knockout could promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of HeLa cells and reduce apoptosis. Overexpression of TYMS showed the opposite trend, miR-197-3p was negatively correlated with the expression of TYMS. MiR-197-3p inhibitor reversed the effect of si-TYMS on the proliferation of HeLa cells. In conclusion, these results reveal that TYMS plays a very important role in the prognosis and progression of cervical cancer, and has the potential to be thought of as cervical cancer biomarkers. At the same time, miR-197-3p/TYMS axis can regulate the deterioration of cervical cancer cells, which lays a foundation for the molecular diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer.

Effects of miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs on osteoporosis as regulatory factors of bone homeostasis (Review)

Osteoporosis is a common metabolic bone disorder typically characterized by decreased bone mass and an increased risk of fracture. At present, the detailed molecular mechanism underlying the development of osteoporosis remains to be elucidated. Accumulating evidence shows that non-coding (nc)RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long ncRNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play significant roles in osteoporosis through the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression as regulatory factors. Previous studies have demonstrated that ncRNAs participate in maintaining bone homeostasis by regulating physiological and developmental processes in osteoblasts, osteoclasts and bone marrow stromal cells. In the present review, the latest research investigating the involvement of miRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs in regulating the differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy of cells that maintain the bone microenvironment in osteoporosis is summarized. Deeper insight into the aspects of osteoporosis pathogenesis involving the deregulation of ncRNAs could facilitate the development of therapeutic approaches for osteoporosis.

LncRNA LINC00963 promotes osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs and alleviates osteoporosis progression by targeting miRNA-760/ETS1 axis

Although long non-coding RNA LINC00963 has been reported to play a crucial regulatory role in osteoporosis (OP), its specific mechanism has not been well studied. Cell viability of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) transfected with short hairpin RNA targeting LINC00963 (sh-LINC00963) and negative control (sh-NC) was analysed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in hBMSCs transfected with sh-LINC00963 and sh-NC after induction by osteogenic medium (OM) on day 7 was detected. The protein expression levels of osteocalcin (OCN) and osteopontin (OPN) in hBMSCs transfected with sh-LINC00963 and sh-NC during OM induction on day 3 were detected by western blot. The relationship among LINC00963, miR-760, and E26 transformation specific-1 (ETS1) was determined by bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. A rat model with OP was established to confirm the role of LINC00963 in vivo. The expression level of LINC00963 was much lower in hBMSCs isolated from the discarded femoral head tissues of OP patients compared with that in health patients. Meanwhile, the expression level of LINC00963 was significantly increased and the expression level of miR-760 was decreased in hBMSCs during osteogenic induction. LINC00963 could bind to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of miR-760 and negatively regulate the expression of miR-760, then promote the osteogenic differentiation in hBMSCs. ETS1 was identified as a target of miR-760. Moreover, overexpression of LINC00963 obviously reduced bone mineral density (BMD) of the left femur in OP rats and alleviated OP progression in vivo. Our results demonstrated that LINC00963 positively regulated the expression of ETS1 by directly targeting miR-760, and then promoted osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs in vitro, and also attenuated OP progression in vivo, suggesting that LINC00963 might be a potential therapeutic target for OP.