miR-1-3p suppresses the epithelial-mesenchymal transition property in renal cell cancer by downregulating Fibronectin 1

miR-1-3p Inhibits Osteosarcoma Cell Proliferation and Cell Cycle Progression While Promoting Cell Apoptosis by Targeting CDK14 to Inactivate Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a common bone malignancy and is diagnosed frequently in children and young adults. According to previous RNA sequencing, miR-1-3p is downregulated in OS clinical samples. Nevertheless, the functions of miR-1-3p in OS cell process and the related mechanism have not been revealed yet. In the current study, miR-1-3p expression in OS tissues and cells were evaluated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. CCK-8 assays were conducted to measure OS cell viability in response to miR-1-3p overexpression. Colony forming assays and EdU staining were conducted for measurement of cell proliferation, and flow cytometry analysis was performed to determine cell apoptosis and cell cycle progression. Protein levels of apoptotic markers, beta-catenin, and Wnt downstream targets were quantified using western blotting. The binding relation between miR-1-3p and cyclin dependent kinase 14 (CDK14) was validated utilizing luciferase reporter assays. Experimental results revealed that miR-1-3p expression was decreased in OS tissues and cells. Additionally, miR-1-3p inhibited cell proliferation and cell cycle progression while enhancing OS cell apoptosis. Moreover, miR-1-3p directly targeted CDK14 and inversely regulated CDK14 expression in OS cells. Furthermore, miR-1-3p inactivated the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. CDK14 overexpression partially rescued the inhibitory impact of miR-1-3p on OS cell growth. Overall, miR-1-3p inhibits OS cell proliferation and cell cycle progression while promoting cell apoptosis by targeting CDK14 and inactivating the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.

Interplay of miR-542, miR-126, miR-143 and miR-26b with PI3K-Akt is a Diagnostic Signal and Putative Regulatory Target in HPV-Positive Cervical Cancer

Human papillomavirus accounts for 99.7% of all cervical cancer cases worldwide. The viral oncoproteins alter normal cell signaling and gene expression, resulting in loss of cell cycle control and cancer development. Also, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play a critical role in cervical carcinogenesis. Especially these are not only appropriate targets for therapeutic intervention in cervical cancer but also early diagnostic signals. The given study tries to improve the sparse knowledge on miRNAs and their role in this physiological context. Deregulated miRNAs were identified by analyzing the raw data of the well-founded GSE20592 dataset including 16 tumor/normal pairs of human cervical tissue samples. The dataset was quantified by a conservative strategy based on HTSeq and Salmon, followed by target prediction via TargetScan and miRDB. The comprehensive pathway analysis of all factors was performed using DAVID. The theoretical results were subject of a stringent experimental validation in a well-characterized clinical cohort of 30 tumor/normal pairs of cervical samples. The top 31 miRNAs and their 140 primary target genes were closely intertwined with the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. MiR-21-3p and miR-1-3p showed a prominent regulatory role while miR-542, miR-126, miR-143, and miR-26b are directly targeting both PI3K and AKT. This study provides insights into the regulation of PI3K-Akt signaling as an important inducer of cervical cancer and identified miR-542, miR-126, miR-143, and miR-26b as promising inhibitors of the PI3K-Akt action.

Long Non-coding RNA COX10-AS1 Promotes Glioma Progression by Competitively Binding miR-1-3p to Regulate ORC6 Expression

Glioma is one of the most common and difficult to cure malignant primary tumors of the central nervous system. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been reported to play important functions in biological processes of many tumors, including glioma. In our study, we aimed to reveal the role and molecular mechanisms of lncRNA COX10-AS1 in regulating the progression of glioma. First of all, we showed that lncRNA COX10-AS1 was significantly increased in glioma tissues and cell lines, and high-expressed COX10-AS1 was associated with a poor prognosis in glioma patients. Moreover, through performing the functional experiments, including CCK-8, colony formation and Transwell assays, we confirmed that COX10-AS1 ablation curbed cell proliferation, migration and invasion in glioblastoma (GBM) cells. In addition, we uncovered that there existed a regulatory relationship that COX10-AS1 upregulated OCR6 by sponging miR-1-3p in GBM cells, and the following rescue assays demonstrated that both miR-1-3p downregulation and origin recognition complex subunit 6 (ORC6) overexpression rescued cell viability, migration and invasion in the COX10-AS1-deficient GBM cells. Consistently, we also verified that COX10-AS1 promoted tumorigenesis of the GBM cells in vivo through modulating the miR-1-3p/ORC6 axis. On the whole, our findings indicated a novel ceRNA pattern in which COX10-AS1 elevated OCR6 expression via sponging miR-1-3p, therefore boosting tumorigenesis in glioma, and we firstly discussed the underlying mechanisms by which the COX10-AS1/miR-1-3p/ORC6 axis affected the progression of glioma.

The important role of miR-1-3p in cancers

Cancer is a malignant tumor that seriously threatens human life and health. At present, the main treatment methods include surgical resection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. However, the mechanism of tumor occurrence and development is complex, and it produces resistance to some traditional treatment methods, leading to treatment failure and a high mortality rate for patients. Therefore, exploring the molecular mechanisms of tumor occurrence, development, and drug resistance is a very important task. MiRNAs are a type of non-coding small RNA that regulate a series of biological effects by binding to the 3'-UTR of the target mRNA, degrading the mRNA, or inhibiting its translation. MiR-1-3p is an important member of them, which is abnormally expressed in various tumors and closely related to the occurrence and development of tumors. This article introduces miR-1-3p from multiple aspects, including its production and regulation, role in tumor occurrence and development, clinical significance, role in drug resistance, and approaches for targeting miR-1-3p. Intended to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of the important role of miR-1-3p in tumors.

Renal cancer secretome induces migration of mesenchymal stromal cells

BACKGROUND

Advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is therapeutically challenging. RCC progression is facilitated by mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) that exert remarkable tumor tropism. The specific mechanisms mediating MSCs' migration to RCC remain unknown. Here, we aimed to comprehensively analyze RCC secretome to identify MSCs attractants.

METHODS

Conditioned media (CM) were collected from five RCC-derived cell lines (Caki-1, 786-O, A498, KIJ265T and KIJ308T) and non-tumorous control cell line (RPTEC/TERT1) and analyzed using cytokine arrays targeting 274 cytokines in addition to global CM proteomics. MSCs were isolated from bone marrow of patients undergoing standard orthopedic surgeries. RCC CM and the selected recombinant cytokines were used to analyze their influence on MSCs migration and microarray-targeted gene expression. The expression of genes encoding cytokines was evaluated in 100 matched-paired control-RCC tumor samples.

RESULTS

When compared with normal cells, CM from advanced RCC cell lines (Caki-1 and KIJ265T) were the strongest stimulators of MSCs migration. Targeted analysis of 274 cytokines and global proteomics of RCC CM revealed decreased DPP4 and EGF, as well as increased AREG, FN1 and MMP1, with consistently altered gene expression in RCC cell lines and tumors. AREG and FN1 stimulated, while DPP4 attenuated MSCs migration. RCC CM induced MSCs' transcriptional reprogramming, stimulating the expression of CD44, PTX3 and RAB27B. RCC cells secreted hyaluronic acid (HA), a CD44 ligand mediating MSCs' homing to the kidney. AREG emerged as an upregulator of MSCs' transcription.

CONCLUSIONS

Advanced RCC cells secrete AREG, FN1 and HA to induce MSCs migration, while DPP4 loss prevents its inhibitory effect on MSCs homing. RCC secretome induces MSCs' transcriptional reprograming to facilitate their migration. The identified components of RCC secretome represent potential therapeutic targets.

Expression Patterns of microRNAs and Associated Target Genes in Ulcerated Primary Cutaneous Melanoma

Ulcerated cutaneous melanoma carries a poor prognosis, and the underlying biology driving its aggressive behavior is largely unexplored. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small, noncoding RNAs that inhibit the expression of specific genes and exhibit dysregulated expression patterns in cancer. We hypothesized that a unique miR profile exists in ulcerated relative to nonulcerated melanoma and that miR expression inversely correlates with target genes of biologic importance. Expression of miRs and mRNAs was assessed in ulcerated and nonulcerated cutaneous melanomas using the NanoString Human miRNA and Tumor Signaling 360 mRNA assays and validated in an independent cohort. Pathway enrichment and functional annotations for differentially expressed miRs and mRNAs were determined using publicly available databases. Pearson correlations were employed to predict potential miR‒mRNA binding pairs. Ulcerated melanoma tissue showed at least 1.5-fold change in relative expression of 24 miRs, including miR-206, miR-1-3p, and miR-4286 (>2.25-fold decrease, P < 0.048) and miR-146a-5p, miR-196b-5p, and miR-363-3p (>2.5-fold increase, P < 0.014). Ulcerated melanomas also had 21 differentially expressed mRNAs relative to nonulcerated tumors (P < 0.01), among which two had an inverse correlation in expression with regulatory miRs (SOCS3 and miR-218-5p and IL7R and miR-376c-5p). This miR expression profile adds to the molecular characterization of the poorly understood histopathologic phenotype of ulcerated melanoma.

MiR-1-3p enhances the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to ferroptosis by targeting FZD7

OBJECTIVES

Frizzled 7 (FZD7) is abnormally expressed and activated in a variety of cancers. In ovarian cancer, overexpression of FZD7 reduces the sensitivity of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cells to ferroptosis, thereby allowing cancer cells to survive. However, whether FZD7 inhibits ferroptosis in ovarian cancer cells and its mechanisms are remain unclear. This study aims to explore the effects of FZD7 and its upstream regulator miR-1-3p on ferroptosis in ovarian cancer cells are evaluated to clarify the molecular mechanism for miR-1-3p and FZD7's involvement in ferroptosis in ovarian cancer cells.

METHODS

Human ovarian cancer cell lines HO8910 and SKOV3 were used as the research subjects. In the first part of the experiment, human ovarian cancer cells were transfected with blank plasmid and FZD7 overexpression plasmid, respectively; in the second and third parts, human ovarian cancer cells were transfected with miR-1-3p mimics negative control, miR-1-3p mimics, miR-1-3p inhibitors negative control, and miR-1-3p inhibitors, respectively; in the fourth part of the experiment, human ovarian cancer cells were transfected with miR-1-3p mimics and miR-1-3p mimics+FZD7 overexpression plasmid, respectively, and normal cultured cells were set as the control group. The human ovarian cancer cell ferroptosis model was established by incubating human ovarian cancer cells with different treatments with ferroptosis inducer Erastin or RSL3. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of FZD7 and miR-1-3p; Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of FZD7; CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell viability; lipid peroxidation colorimetric assay kit was used to detect the level of intracellular MDA; and iron assay kit was used to detect the level of intracellular Fe2+. Dual-luciferase assay was used to detect the targeting relationship between miR-1-3p and FZD7.

RESULTS

Overexpression of FZD7 increased the cell viability of human ovarian cancer cell lines HO8910 or SKOV3 (P<0.05, P<0.01, or P<0.001) and decreased the intracellular MDA levels (P<0.01) in Erastin-treated or RSL3-treated ovarian cancer cells. FZD7 was a direct target of miR-1-3p, which inhibited the expression of FZD7 (P<0.01) by binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) site of FZD7. MiR-1-3p mimics decreased the cell viability of human ovarian cancer cell lines HO8910 or SKOV3 (P<0.05, P<0.01, or P<0.001) and increased the intracellular MDA levels (P<0.01) in Erastin-treated or RSL3-treated ovarian cancer cells; while miR-1-3p inhibitors significantly increased the cell viability of human ovarian cancer cell lines HO8910 or SKOV3 (P<0.05, P<0.01, or P<0.001) and decreased the intracellular MDA levels (P<0.01) in Erastin-treated or RSL3-treated ovarian cancer cells. The effect of miR-1-3p mimics on enhancing the sensitivity of human ovarian cancer cells to Erastin-induced or RSL3-induced ferroptosis was abrogated by overexpression of FZD7(P<0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

MiR-1-3p enhances the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to ferroptosis by targeting FZD7.

MicroRNA-1-3p affects lung adenocarcinoma progression through E2F8 and regulating NF-кB pathway

E2F8 can modulate development and progression of various cancers including cervical cancer, breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. But its mechanism in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains underexplored. In this study, we conducted a series of experiments including qRT-PCR, western blot, CCK-8, scratch healing assay, Transwell, and flow cytometry. Through these assays, we confirmed the notable overexpression of E2F8 in LUAD and its promoting effects on LUAD cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Subsequently, microRNA-1-3p that was negatively associated with E2F8 expression was identified through bioinformatics analysis. qRT-PCR was then carried out for quantification of microRNA-1-3p expression, which displayed low microRNA-1-3p expression in LUAD cells. In addition, dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was utilized for validating the targeted relationship between microRNA-1-3p and E2F8. The results denoted that microRNA-1-3p could bind to the promoter region of E2F8. Finally, the results of rescue experiment revealed that microRNA-1-3p negatively modulated E2F8 level. It regulated NF-κB pathway to repress LUAD cell proliferative, migratory, and invasive properties, lead to cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, and enhance cell apoptosis level. This study unraveled that microRNA-1-3p/E2F8 constrained LUAD malignant progression through NF-κB pathway, which may provide possible targets for LUAD diagnosis and treatment.

MiR-1-3p targets CENPF to repress tumor-relevant functions of gastric cancer cells

Here we noted significantly downregulated miR-1-3p in gastric cancer (GC) tissue compared with adjacent normal tissue through qRT-PCR. Lowly expressed miR-1-3p correlated GC progression. Overexpressing miR-1-3p could restrain tumor-relevant cell behaviors in GC, while miR-1-3p inhibitor treatment triggered the opposite results. Moreover, dual-luciferase reporter gene detection identified specific binding sites of miR-1-3p in CENPF 3’untranslated region. Upregulating miR-1-3p constrained cell progression of GC via CENPF downregulation. Western blot, qRT-PCR and dual-luciferase detections manifested that miR-1-3p negatively mediated CENPF expression in GC cells. Thus, we demonstrated that miR-1-3p negatively mediated CENPF to hamper GC progression. CENPF may be an underlying target for GC therapy.

A four-microRNA panel in serum may serve as potential biomarker for renal cell carcinoma diagnosis

BACKGROUND

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one out of the most universal malignant tumors globally, and its incidence is increasing annually. MicroRNA (miRNA) in serum could be considered as a non-invasive detecting biomarker for RCC diagnosis.

METHOD

A total of 224 participants (112 RCC patients (RCCs) and 112 normal controls (NCs)) were enrolled in the three-phrase study. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was applied to reveal the miRNA expression levels in RCCs and NCs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) were utilized to predict the diagnostic ability of serum miRNAs for RCC. Bioinformatic analysis and survival analysis were also included in our study.

RESULTS

Compared to NCs, the expression degree of miR-155-5p, miR-224-5p in serum was significantly upregulated in RCC patients, and miR-1-3p, miR-124-3p, miR-129-5p, and miR-200b-3p were downregulated. A four-miRNA panel was construed, and the AUC of the panel was 0.903 (95% CI: 0.847-0.944; p < 0.001; sensitivity = 75.61%, specificity = 93.67%). Results from GEPIA database indicated that CHL1, MPP5, and SORT1 could be seen as promising target genes of the four-miRNA panel. Survival analysis of candidate miRNAs manifested that miR-155-5p was associated with the survival rate of RCC significantly.

CONCLUSIONS

The four-miRNA panel in serum has a great potential to be non-invasive biomarkers for RCC sift to check.

Hexokinases 2 promoted cell motility and distant metastasis by elevating fibronectin through Akt1/p-Akt1 in cervical cancer cells

Background

Hexokinases 2 (HK2) is a member of the hexokinases, linking with malignant tumor growth and distant metastasis. However, evidence regarding the potential role of HK2 in regulating cell motility and tumor metastasis during the cervical cancer malignant progression remains limited.

Methods

In vitro migration and invasion assay, in vivo metastasis experiments were performed to detect the effective of HK2 on regulating cell motility and tumor metastasis in cervical cancer cells. RNA-Seq was performed to explore the potential molecules that participate in HK2-mediated cell motility and tumor metastasis in cervical cancer cells. The correlation between HK2 and Akt1, p-Akt1, FN1 expression in cervical cancer cells and human squamous cervical carcinoma (SCC) samples was verified in this study.

Results

In this study, cervical cancer cells with exogenous HK2 expression exhibited enhanced cell motility and distant metastasis. Transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that fibronectin (FN1) was significantly increased in HK2-overexpressing HeLa cells, and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway was identified by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Further studies demonstrated that this promotion of cell motility by HK2 was probably a result of it inducing FN1, MMP2 and MMP9 expression by activating Akt1 in cervical cancer cells. Additionally, HK2 expression was altered with the changing of Akt1/p-Akt1 expression, implying that HK2 expression is also modulated by Akt1/p-Akt1. Moreover, the positive correlation between HK2 and Akt1, p-Akt1, FN1 expression in human squamous cervical carcinoma (SCC) samples was verified by using Pearson correlation analysis.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that HK2 could activate Akt1 in cervical cancer cells, subsequently enhancing cell motility and tumor metastasis by inducing FN1, MMP2 and MMP9 expression. There likely exists an interactive regulatory mechanism between HK2 and Akt1 during the malignant process of cervical cancer.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02312-0.

Elevating microRNA-1-3p shuttled by cancer-associated fibroblasts-derived extracellular vesicles suppresses breast cancer progression and metastasis by inhibiting GLIS1

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play supporting roles in tumor progression by releasing microvesicles that transmit oncogenic cargoes. Indeed, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important vehicles to deliver proteins, messenger RNAs (mRNAs), and microRNAs (miRs) between cells. In this study, we aimed to outline the role and function of CAFs-derived EVs carrying miR-1-3p in breast cancer. We first experimentally determined downregulated miR-1-3p in breast cancer tissues. EVs were isolated from CAFs extracted from breast cancer tissues, which showed downregulated miR-1-3p expression relative to EVs derived from normal fibroblasts (NFs). In a co-culture system, miR-1-3p cargo was transported into breast cancer cells via CAF-derived EVs. In gain-of-function experiments, the elevation of miR-1-3p in breast cancer cells inhibited cell viability, invasion, migration, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and suppressed tumor formation and metastasis. Furthermore, EVs derived from CAFs transfected with miR-1-3p mimic were more effective in transferring miR-1-3p to suppress cancer progression and metastasis. Krüppel-like zinc-finger protein Gli-similar 1 (GLIS1) was predicted to be a putative target of miR-1-3p, which was subsequently confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. We then demonstrated that overexpression of GLIS1 neutralized the effects of miR-1-3 on the development of breast cancer in vitro. These findings shed light on the underlying mechanism by which CAFs-derived EVs carrying miR-1-3p mediate the progression and metastasis of breast cancer, and highlight the potential of miR-1-3p shuttled by CAFs-derived EVs serving as a therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Interplay between SOX9 transcription factor and microRNAs in cancer

SOX transcription factors are critical regulators of development, homeostasis and disease progression and their dysregulation is a common finding in various cancers. SOX9 belongs to SOXE family located on chromosome 17. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) possess the capacity of regulating different transcription factors in cancer cells by binding to 3'-UTR. Since miRNAs can affect differentiation, migration, proliferation and other physiological mechanisms, disturbances in their expression have been associated with cancer development. In this review, we evaluate the relationship between miRNAs and SOX9 in different cancers to reveal how this interaction can affect proliferation, metastasis and therapy response of cancer cells. The tumor-suppressor miRNAs can decrease the expression of SOX9 by binding to the 3'-UTR of mRNAs. Furthermore, the expression of downstream targets of SOX9, such as c-Myc, Wnt, PI3K/Akt can be affected by miRNAs. It is noteworthy that other non-coding RNAs including lncRNAs and circRNAs regulate miRNA/SOX9 expression to promote/inhibit cancer progression and malignancy. The pre-clinical findings can be applied as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of cancer patients.

miR-224-5p Contained in Urinary Extracellular Vesicles Regulates PD-L1 Expression by Inhibiting Cyclin D1 in Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells

The abundant miRNAs in urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent ideal reservoirs for biomarker discovery, especially in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the content and biological functions of microRNAs contained in urinary EVs in RCC remain ambiguous. In this study, urinary EVs were isolated and characterized from RCC patients and healthy volunteers. Differentially expressed microRNAs in urinary EVs were screened by small RNA sequencing. The target gene and biological functions of selected microRNAs were investigated through multifaceted methods. Results indicated that miR-224-5p was significantly upregulated in urinary EVs of RCC patients compared to healthy volunteers. The overexpression of miR-224-5p inhibited RCC cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest. The gene CCND1 encoding cyclin D1 was identified as a direct target of miR-224-5p via prediction and validation. Moreover, the invasive and metastatic abilities of RCC cells were enhanced by miR-224-5p. Interestingly, miR-224-5p also increased the stability of PD-L1 protein by inhibiting CCND1. This effect could be transmitted via EVs and further promoted the resistance of RCC cells to T cell-dependent toxicity. In summary, urinary EVs containing miR-224-5p were identified as a potential biomarker in RCC. Regulation of PD-L1 protein expression by miR-224-5p through suppressing CCND1 elucidates new roles of miR-224-5p in RCC progression.

miR-1: A comprehensive review of its role in normal development and diverse disorders

MicroRNA-1 (miR-1) is a conserved miRNA with high expression in the muscle tissues. In humans, two discrete genes, MIRN1-1 and MIRN1-2 residing on a genomic region on 18q11.2 produce a single mature miRNA which has 21 nucleotides. miR-1 has a regulatory role on a number of genes including heat shock protein 60 (HSP60), Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) and Heart And Neural Crest Derivatives Expressed 2 (HAND2). miR-1 has critical roles in the physiological processes in the smooth and skeletal muscles as well as other tissues, thus being involved in the pathogenesis of a wide range of disorders. Moreover, dysregulation of miR-1 has been noted in diverse types of cancers including gastric, colorectal, breast, prostate and lung cancer. In the current review, we provide the summary of the data regarding the role of this miRNA in the normal development and the pathogenic processes.

MiR-1-3p regulates the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells to prevent osteoporosis by targeting secreted frizzled-related protein 1

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disorder with the characteristics of bone mass reduction and microarchitecture deterioration, resulting in bone fragility and increased fracture risk. A reduction in the osteoblast-differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) is considered as a basic pathogenesis of osteoporosis. miRNAs play a substantial role in the development and differentiation of BMSCs. In the present study, we found that miR-1-3p was significantly downregulated in the bones of Chinese osteoporotic patients (n = 29). Secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1) was predicted as a target gene of miR-1-3p via the TargetScan and PicTar softwares and validated by dual-luciferase reporter assays. The findings revealed that the expression of SFRP1 was inversely correlated with miR-1-3p in osteoporotic patients. We induced mouse MSCs (mMSCs) to osteogenesis or adipogenesis and found that miR-1-3p was upregulated during osteogenesis but downregulated during adipogenesis. The overexpression of miR-1-3p stimulated osteogenesis and inhibited adipogenesis of mMSCs. In addition, ovariectomized (OVX) mice were tested and the function of miR-1-3p in vivo was explored. Immunohistochemistry and histomorphometric assays showed that in vivo inhibition of miR-1-3p increased the expression level of SFRP1 and reduced bone formation and bone mass. Furthermore, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining indicated that the in vivo suppression of miR-1-3p promoted osteoclast activity, suggesting that miR-1-3p may influence bone mass by regulating bone resorption. It can be concluded that miR-1-3p plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis via targeting SFRP1 and may be a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis.

Mechanism of miR-98 inhibiting tumor proliferation and invasion by targeting IGF1R in diabetic patients combined with colon cancer

Expression level of miR-98 in diabetic colon cancer (CRC) tissues and the regulation mechanism of colon cancer cell proliferation and invasion ability were studied. Forty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with colon cancer, 40 colon cancer patients, and 40 patients with diabetic colonoscopy were enrolled between January 2017 and January 2018. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression level of miR-98. After SW480 cells were transfected with miR-98 mimics or control simulants, the proliferation of cancer cells was detected by MTT assay, and the invasion ability of cancer cells was detected by Transwell cell invasion assay. The dual luciferase assay was used to detect the binding relationship between miR-98 and IGF1R. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of IGF1R protein in tumor tissues of patients with diabetes mellitus and colon cancer. Compared with diabetic patients, the expression level of miR-98 was decreased in colon cancer patients. Compared with tumor tissues of colon cancer patients, the expression level of miR-98 was significantly decreased in diabetic colon cancer tissues. Compared with the commonly cultured colon cancer SW480 cells, the expression level of miR-98 was significantly decreased in SW480 cells cultured under high glucose conditions. Increased expression of miR-98 inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and invasion. miR-98 can target and bind to IGF1R and inhibit its expression level. IGF1R is upregulated in diabetic colon cancer tissue. miR-98 inhibits proliferation and invasion of diabetic colon cancer by targeting IGF1R. The expression level of miR-98 in diabetic colon cancer tissues is lower than that in colon cancer tissues. miR-98 can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of colon cancer cells by targeting the target gene IGF1R. miR-98 may be a potential biological target for the treatment of patients with diabetes and colon cancer.

MicroRNA-1-3p enhances osteoblast differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells by interacting with hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α inhibitor (HIF1AN)

Studies have proved that miRNAs participate in the regulation of osteoblast differentiation (OD), and abnormal expression of miRNAs is related with various states of OD. In this study, we investigated the role of miRNA-1-3p in OD using MC3T3-E1 cells. BMP2 is used to induce OD of MC3T3-E1 cells. MiRNA-1-3p mimics or miRNA-1-3p inhibitor was transfected to MC3T3-E1 cells with BMP2. The expression levels of miRNA-1-3p were determined by qRT-PCR. The expression of Runx2, OSX, OPN, and OCN was detected by Western blotting. ALP assay was performed to measure alkaline phosphatase activity. Calcium nodules were evaluated by alizarin red staining. Over-expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha inhibitor (HIF1AN) was performed and miRNA-1-3p rescue experiments were carried out. Over-expression of miRNA-1-3p promoted osteogenic differentiations and calcifications, as demonstrated by increased ALP, calcification and osteogenic markers. Knock-down of miRNA-1-3p generated the opposite results. HIF1AN was identified to be directly targeted by miRNA-1-3p. Over-expression of HIF1AN suppressed OD and calcifications, and miRNA-1-3p reversed the effect. Our results demonstrated that miRNA-1-3p could enhance OD of MC3T3-E1 cells through interacting with HIF1AN, which might be employed as therapeutic applications for bone formation and regeneration.

TM4SF1 involves in miR-1-3p/miR-214-5p-mediated inhibition of the migration and proliferation in keloid by regulating AKT/ERK signaling

AIMS

Transmembrane 4 L six family member 1 (TM4SF1) is a small plasma membrane glycoprotein that is highly expressed in cancers. However, the role of TM4SF1 that plays in keloids remains unknown. We investigated the expression, function and the microRNA (miRNA) regulatory network of TM4SF1 in keloids.

MAIN METHODS

Small interfering RNAs and lentivirus were used to alter the expression of TM4SF1 in fibroblasts. Dual-luciferase reporter assays were applied to determine the miRNA targets. Immunohistochemistry, western blotting, qRT-PCR, wound healing assays, Transwell assays, cell count kit-8 assays and flow cytometry were also employed in this study.

KEY FINDINGS

TM4SF1 was frequently upregulated in human keloid fibroblasts (HKFs) compared with human normal skin fibroblasts (HSFs). The downregulation of TM4SF1 significantly inhibited proliferation and migration, and induced apoptosis in HKFs. Furthermore, si-TM4SF1 inhibited the AKT/ERK signaling. Meanwhile, the upregulation of TM4SF1 promoted proliferation, migration and the activation of AKT/ERK signaling in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF-1). Moreover, TM4SF1 can be regulated by miRNAs, which have been validated to play important roles in keloids by posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. After screening, we found miR-1-3p and miR-214-5p targeted TM4SF1, inhibited TM4SF1 expression, cell proliferation, migration, and induced apoptosis in HKFs. And the level of miR-1-3p and miR-214-5p were found lower in HKFs than in HSFs.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our study demonstrates a novel regulatory mechanism by which miR-1-3p, miR-214-5p, and TM4SF1 are involved in proliferation, cell motility, and apoptosis, suggesting that they may be potential targets in therapies for keloids.