The expression level and prognostic value of HIPK3 among non-small-cell lung cancer patients in China

Overexpression of microRNA-205-5p promotes cholangiocarcinoma growth by reducing expression of homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3

The microRNA miR-205-5p has diverse effects in different malignancies, including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), but its effects on CCA progression is unclear. Here we investigated the role and function of miR-205-5p in CCA. Three CCA cell lines and human serum samples were found to have much higher expression levels of miR-205-5p than seen in typical cholangiocyte cell lines and healthy controls. Inhibition of miR-205-5p suppressed CCA cell motility, invasion and proliferation of KKU-213B whereby overexpression of miR-205-5p promoted cell proliferation and motility of KKU-100 cells. Bioinformatics tools (miRDB, TargetScan, miRWalk, and GEPIA) all predicted various miR-205-5p targets. Experiments using miR-205-5p inhibitor and mimic indicated that homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3 (HIPK3) was a potential direct target of miR-205-5p. Overexpression of HIPK3 using HIPK3 plasmid cloning DNA suppressed migration and proliferation of KKU-100 cells. Notably, HIPK3 expression was lower in human CCA tissues than in normal adjacent tissues. High HIPK3 expression was significantly associated with longer survival time of CCA patients. Multivariate regression analysis indicated tissue HIPK3 levels as an independent prognostic factor for CCA patients. These findings indicate that overexpression of miR-205-5p promotes CCA cells proliferation and migration partly via HIPK3-dependent way. Therefore, targeting miR-205-5p may be a potential treatment approach for CCA.

MiR-21 attenuates FAS-mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis by regulating HIPK3 expression

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) plays an anti-apoptotic role following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury (IRI) in vivo; however, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study explored the effects of miR-21 and homeodomain interacting protein kinase 3 (HIPK3) on cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in vitro. To this end, the rat cardiomyocyte H9C2 cell line was exposed to H/R and the roles of miR-21 and HIPK3 in regulating cell viability and apoptosis were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 assay, terminal-deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling, and flow cytometry. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression/phosphorylation of apoptosis-related proteins. miR-21 expression was measured with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The putative interaction between miR-21 and HIPK3 was evaluated using the luciferase reporter assay. Our results showed that (i) miR-21 overexpression or HIPK3 down-regulation significantly attenuated H9C2 cells apoptosis after H/R, (ii) suppression of miR-21 expression promoted apoptosis, (iii) miR-21 overexpression inhibited HIPK3 expression, (iv) HIPK3 was the direct and main target of miR-21, (v) miR-21/HIPK3 formed part of a reciprocal, negative feedback loop, and (vi) HIPK3 down-regulation decreased FAS-mediated apoptosis by inhibiting the phosphorylation of FADD, which subsequently inhibited the expression of BAX and cleaved caspase-3 and increased the expression of BCL2. Our study indicates that miR-21 attenuates FAS-mediated cardiomyocyte apoptosis by regulating HIPK3 expression, which could eventually have important clinical implications for patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Extracellular vesicle long RNA markers of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer screening by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can improve mortality rates among high-risk individuals, especially adenocarcinoma cases with characteristically poor prognosis, although high false-positive rates have limited its clinical application. The objective of our study was to identify biomarkers for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (ie, tumor diameter <2 cm) through extracellular vesicle long RNA (evlRNA) sequencing. High throughput evlRNA sequencing and support vector machine (SVM) identification of candidate diagnostic marker transcripts were performed using serum samples obtained before lung surgery. A total of 145 upregulated and 363 downregulated differential genes (P value <.05, fold change >1.5) were identified between lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients and benign controls. An SVM model based on a 23-gene signature could distinguish EV samples of LUAD patients from those of control subjects with 86.49% sensitivity, 95.00% specificity and 92.31% accuracy in the training set and 93.75% sensitivity, 85.71% specificity and 88.24% accuracy in the validation set. A 17-gene signature was then identified that could distinguish AIS patient samples from those of MIA/IAD patients with 93.33% sensitivity, 98.00% specificity, and 96.25% accuracy in the trainingset and 83.33% sensitivity, 96.55% specificity, and 94.29% accuracy in the validation set. EvlRNAs in serum show considerable diagnostic value for screening LUAD patients with tumor sizes <2 cm in conjunction with LDCT, potentially reducing false positive rates while improving mortality rates.

Exosomal miR-146b-5p derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma by downregulating HIPK3

OBJECTIVES

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are vital constituents of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and play a predominant role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) progression. We aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of exosomal miR-146b-5p derived from CAFs on the malignant biological behavior of OSCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Illumina small RNA (sRNA) sequencing was conducted to determine the differential expression patterns of microRNAs (miRNAs) in exosomes derived from CAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs). Transwell and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays and xenograft tumor models in nude mice were used to investigate the effect of CAF exosomes and miR-146b-p on the malignant biological behavior of OSCC. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), luciferase reporter, western blotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry assays were employed to investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in CAF exosomes that promote OSCC progression.

RESULTS

We demonstrated that CAF-derived exosomes were taken up by OSCC cells and enhanced the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of OSCC. Compared with NFs, the expression of miR-146b-5p was increased in exosomes and their parent CAFs. Further studies showed that the decreased expression of miR-146b-5p inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion ability of OSCC cells in vitro and the growth of OSCC cells in vivo. Mechanistically, miR-146b-5p overexpression led to the suppression of HIKP3 by directly targeting the 3'-UTR of HIPK3, as confirmed by luciferase assay. Reciprocally, HIPK3 knockdown partially reversed the inhibitory effect of the miR-146b-5p inhibitor on the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of OSCC cells and restored their malignant phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results revealed that CAF-derived exosomes contained higher levels of miR-146b-5p than NFs, and miR-146b-5p overexpression in exosomes promoted the malignant phenotype of OSCC by targeting HIPK3. Therefore, inhibiting exosomal miR-146b-5p secretion may be a promising therapeutic modality for OSCC.

DNA methylation change of HIPK3 in Chinese rheumatoid arthritis and its effect on inflammation

Introduction

Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 3 (HIPK3) plays an important role in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. Over-expression of HIPK3 in immune cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been reported. In this study, we investigated blood methylation levels and clinical characteristics of RA in a Chinese population.

Methods

A total of 235 patients with RA, 30 with osteoarthritis (OA), and 30 matched healthy controls were recruited. The methylation status of seven CpGs in the differentially methylated region of HIPK3 (cg05501357) was measured using targeted methylation-sequencing technology. The association between methylation haplotypes and the overall methylation status of HIPK3 with clinical characteristics was assessed using generalized linear regression.

Results

All seven CpGs showed hypomethylation status in RA blood compared with OA and normal individuals (overall p= 1.143×10^-8 and FDR= 2.799×10^-7), which is consistent with the previously reported high expression of HIPK3 in RA immune cells. Among all seven CpGs, 33286785 showed the highest predictive power with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.829; we received a higher AUC=0.864 when we combined HIPK3 with anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA -) and rheumatoid factor (RF +) in the prediction model, indicating that when a patient's ACPA is negative, HIPK3 can assist RF as a new clinical index for the diagnosis of RA. We also found that HIPK3 methylation levels were negatively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP; r= -0.16, p= 0.01). Methylation haplotypes were analyzed, and the full methylation haplotype (FMH; r= 0.16, p= 0.01) and full non-methylation haplotype (FNH; r= 0.18, p= 0.0061) were negatively correlated with CRP.

Conclusion

Circulating blood methylation levels in the protein region of HIPK3 can be utilized as a supportive diagnostic biomarker and CRP level indicator for RA.

CircHIPK3 Regulates Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Calcification Via the miR-106a-5p/MFN2 Axis

Atherosclerosis is the most common arterial disease and is closely related to vascular calcification. CircHIPK3 has been implicated in atherosclerosis development, but the possible downstream regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. The levels of circHIPK3, miR-106a and MFN2 in tissues and blood samples of patients with atherosclerosis were detected by RT-qPCR. The levels of circHIPK3, miR-106a and MFN2 were detected by RT-qPCR and the expression levels of MFN2, osteogenic and cartilage differentiation marker proteins were detected by western blot in vitro. ALP staining, Alizarin Red staining, and calcium content detection evaluated the degree of osteogenic differentiation of cells. Alcian blue staining detected the level of cell cartilage differentiation. Luciferase detected the targeting relationship between circHIPK3 and miR-106a-5p, as well as miR-106a-5p and MFN2. CircHIPK3 and MFN2 were low expressed and miR-106a-5p was highly expressed in tissues and blood samples of patients with atherosclerosis, as well as vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) with osteogenic and cartilage differentiation. Overexpression of circHIPK3 reduced the cell mineralization and calcium content. Overexpression of circHIPK3 inhibited osteogenic differentiation by decreasing ALP activity, RUNX2, and OPG expression, and increasing SM22α and SMA level. What's more, overexpression of circHIPK3 decreased the chondrogenic differentiation by inhibiting the protein level of SOX9, aggrecan, and collagen II. CircHIPK3 targeted miR-106a-5p and miR-106a-5p targeted MFN2. MiR-106a-5p overexpression or MFN2 depletion repressed the effect of circHIPK3 overexpression on VSMC calcification. CircHIPK3 regulated osteogenic and cartilage differentiation of VSMC via miR-106a-5p/MFN2 axis, indicating a target for treating vascular calcification.

Therapeutic Effects of Synthetic Triblock Amphiphilic Short Antimicrobial Peptides on Human Lung Adenocarcinoma

Because of their unique properties, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a potential reservoir of novel anticancer therapeutic agents. However, only a few AMPs can kill tumors with high efficiency, and obtaining inexpensive anticancer AMPs with strong activity is still a challenge. In our previous work, a series of original short amphiphilic triblock AMP (K_nF_mK_n) analogues were developed which were demonstrated to exert excellent effects on bacterial infection, both in vitro and in vivo. Herein, the overall objectives were to assess the potent tumoricidal capacities of these analogues against human lung cancer cell line A549 and the underlying mechanism. The results of the CCK-8 assay revealed that the precise modification of the peptides’ primary sequences could modulate their tumoricidal potency. In the tumoricidal progress, positive charge and hydrophobicity were the key driving forces. Among these peptides, K₄F₆K₄ displayed the most remarkable tumoricidal activity. Furthermore, the excellent anticancer capacity of K₄F₆K₄ was proven by the live/dead cell staining, colony formation assay, and tumor growth observations on xenografted mice, which indicated that K₄F₆K₄ might be a promising drug candidate for lung cancer, with no significant adverse effects in vitro or in vivo. In addition, the cell apoptosis assay using flow cytometry, the morphology observations using the optical microscope, confocal microscopy using CellMask™ Deep Red staining, and scanning electron microscope suggested that membrane disruption was the primary mechanism of its antitumor action. Through analyzing the structure–activity relationship, it was found that the amount of positive charge required for K_nF_mK_n to exert its optimal tumoricidal effect was more than that needed for the antimicrobial activity, while the optimal proportion of hydrophobicity was less. Our findings suggest that further analysis of the structure–activity relationship of AMPs’ primary sequence variations will be beneficial. Hopefully, this work can provide guiding principles in designing peptide-based therapeutics for lung cancer.

RNA-Associated Co-expression Network Identifies Novel Biomarkers for Digestive System Cancer

Cancers of the digestive system are malignant diseases. Our study focused on colon cancer, esophageal cancer (ESCC), rectal cancer, gastric cancer (GC), and rectosigmoid junction cancer to identify possible biomarkers for these diseases. The transcriptome data were downloaded from the TCGA database (The Cancer Genome Atlas Program), and a network was constructed using the WGCNA algorithm. Two significant modules were found, and coexpression networks were constructed. CytoHubba was used to identify hub genes of the two networks. GO analysis suggested that the network genes were involved in metabolic processes, biological regulation, and membrane and protein binding. KEGG analysis indicated that the significant pathways were the calcium signaling pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis, and pathways in cancer and insulin resistance. Some of the most significant hub genes were hsa-let-7b-3p, hsa-miR-378a-5p, hsa-miR-26a-5p, hsa-miR-382-5p, and hsa-miR-29b-2-5p and SECISBP2 L, NCOA1, HERC1, HIPK3, and MBNL1, respectively. These genes were predicted to be associated with the tumor prognostic reference for this patient population.

Identification of HIPK3 as a potential biomarker and an inhibitor of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Invasion and metastasis are the main causes of poor prognosis in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The homeodomain interacting protein kinases (HIPKs) can regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis. Little is known about the prognostic role of HIPKs in ccRCC. Here we use Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariate analysis to analyze the correlation of overall survival (OS) and disease–free survival (DFS). ROC curves analyzed the relationship between clinicopathological parameters and HIPK3 expression in ccRCC. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis confirmed that the expression of HIPK3 was associated with OS (HR, 0.701; P=0.041) and DFS (HR, 0.630; P=0.012). Low HIPK3 expression was a poor prognostic factor and HIPK3 expression was significantly down-regulated in ccRCC cancer tissues when compared with normal renal tissues. In vitro cell results also confirmed that HIPK3 over-expression could inhibit tumor growth and malignant characteristics. The results indicate that low expression of HIPK3 in ccRCC tissues is significantly associated with poor survival rates in tumor patients, and HIPK3 may be used as a valuable biomarker and inhibitor of ccRCC.

circFOXM1 promotes proliferation of non-small cell lung carcinoma cells by acting as a ceRNA to upregulate FAM83D

Background

Biological role and clinical significance of circular RNAs (circRNAs) remain largely unknown. Herein, we aimed to investigate biological function, molecular mechanism, and clinical significance of a circular RNA FOXM1 (circFOXM1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

Expression of circFOXM1 was measured in 48 paired samples of NSCLC by qRT-PCR. Functional roles of circFOXM1 on tumor cells were explored by in vitro and in vivo assays. Transcriptome sequencing was employed to screen the molecules involved in circFOXM1 regulatory network. RNA immunoprecipitation, luciferase analysis, RNA pull-down, and rescue assay were used to investigate potential mechanisms of circFOXM1.

Results

We found that circFOXM1 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues, and its upregulation was positively correlated with advanced clinical stage and poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Gain or loss-of-function assay showed that circFOXM1 promoted cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. In vivo assays showed that silencing circFOXM1 inhibited xenograft tumor growth. Mechanically, transcriptome sequencing data indicated that silencing circFOXM1 led to the downregulation of cell cycle-related mRNAs. RNA pull-down and dual-luciferase reporter assay suggested that circFOXM1 could bind to miR-614, and FAM83D was an essential gene involved in the circFOXM1/miR-614 regulatory network.

Conclusions

circFOXM1promotes NSCLC progression by interacting with miR-614 and thus inactivating the function of miR-614, which will further release the suppression of FAM83D. circFOXM1/miR-614/FAM83D regulatory network may serve as a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC patients.

Circular RNA-0001283 Suppresses Breast Cancer Proliferation and Invasion via MiR-187/HIPK3 Axis

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are key regulators that take part in the carcinogenesis and development of breast cancer. The current study aimed to identify the expression of and explored the function of circRNA-0001283 in breast cancer.

Material/Methods

Breast cancer tissue samples were tested using high-throughput sequencing to identify the levels of relative genes; and proteins were addressed by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western-blot. Cell ability and cell apoptosis were investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry. Invasion was detected by Transwell invasion assay. The identification of target genes was analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Result

Downregulation of circRNA-0001283 expression was observed in breast cancer tissue samples. Ectopic expression of circRNA-0001283 remarkably suppressed cell viability and invasion, and induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, circRNA-0001283 bound to miR-187 and decreased the expression of miR-187, which resulted in inhibition in cell growth and invasion. Finally, we showed that circRNA-0001283 positively regulated HIPK3 expression by sponging miR-187.

Conclusions

The results reveal a new functional circRNA-0001283 in breast cancer and may provide targets for developing novel therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.