LncRNA ELF3-AS1 is involved in the regulation of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation by reprogramming glucose metabolism

Procaine induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and autophagy through the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT and ERK pathways in human tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Procaine (PCA), a local anesthetic commonly used in stomatology, exhibits antitumor activity in some human malignancies. However, the precise mechanism underlying PCA activity remains unknown, and its antitumor effect in human tongue squamous carcinoma cells has not been reported. Flow cytometry and western blotting were used to assess the effects of PCA on mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell cycle and apoptosis. The results suggested that PCA inhibits CAL27 and SCC-15 cell proliferation, and clone formation in a dose-dependent manner. CAL27 cells were more sensitive to PCA than SCC-15 cells. PCA also significantly inhibited cell migration, induced mitochondrial damage, reduced ΔΨm and increased intracellular ROS production. PCA causes G2/M cycle arrest and induces apoptosis. The possible mechanism for the inhibition of human tongue squamous carcinoma cell proliferation is through the regulation of ERK phosphorylation and PI3K/AKT-mediated signaling pathways. The results further suggested that autophagy occurs during PCA-induced apoptosis in CAL27 cells, and the addition of the autophagy inhibitor hydroxychloroquine sulfate further enhanced the sensitivity of PCA to inhibit cell proliferation, indicating that autophagy plays an important role in protecting cancer cells from apoptosis. PCA shows potential as an anticancer drug and its combination with autophagy inhibitors enhances its sensitivity.

Prognostic signature analysis and survival prediction of esophageal cancer based on N6-methyladenosine associated lncRNAs

Esophageal cancer (ESCA) has a bad prognosis. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) impacts on cell proliferation. However, the prognosis function of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-associated lncRNAs (m6A-lncRNAs) in ESCA remains unknown. Univariate Cox analysis was applied to investigate prognosis related m6A-lncRNAs, based on which the samples were clustered. Wilcoxon rank and Chi-square tests were adopted to compare the clinical traits, survival, pathway activity and immune infiltration in different clusters where overall survival, clinical traits (N stage), tumor-invasive immune cells and pathway activity were found significantly different. Through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and proportional hazard (Lasso-Cox) model, five m6A-lncRNAs were selected to construct the prognostic signature (m6A-lncSig) and risk score. To investigate the link between risk score and clinical traits or immunological microenvironments, Chi-square test and Spearman correlation analysis were utilized. Risk score was found connected with N stage, tumor stage, different clusters, macrophages M2, B cells naive and T cells CD4 memory resting. Risk score and tumor stage were found as independent prognostic variables. And the constructed nomogram model had high accuracy in predicting prognosis. The obtained m6A-lncSig could be taken as potential prognostic biomarker for ESCA patients. This study offers a theoretical foundation for clinical diagnosis and prognosis of ESCA.

Regulation of Ferroptosis by Non-Coding RNAs in Head and Neck Cancers

Ferroptosis is a newly identified mode of programmed cell death characterized by iron-associated accumulation of lipid peroxides. Emerging research on ferroptosis has suggested its implication in tumorigenesis and stemness of cancer. On the other hand, non-coding RNAs have been shown to play a pivotal role in the modulation of various genes that affect the progression of cancer cells and ferroptosis. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the theoretical modeling of ferroptosis and its relationship between non-coding RNAs and head and neck cancers. Aside from the significance of ferroptosis-related non-coding RNAs in prognostic relevance, we also review how these non-coding RNAs participate in the regulation of iron, lipid metabolism, and reactive oxygen species accumulation. We aim to provide a thorough grounding in the function of ferroptosis-related non-coding RNAs based on current knowledge in an effort to develop effective therapeutic strategies for head and neck cancers.

Assessing Long Non-coding RNAs in Tobacco-associated Oral Cancer

Cancer is one of the compelling and pegged diseases battled by clinicians and researchers worldwide. Among different types of cancer, oral cancer holds the sixth position globally. With an escalating prevalence in Asian countries, India, China, and Pakistan constitute a large proportion of total incidents of oral cancer patients in terms of new cases or deaths. This mounting prevalence is ascribed to poor oral hygiene and rampant use of substances earmarked as potential risk factors for the disease. Risk factors (dietary/lifestyle habits/occupational/environmental) trigger the activation of oncogenes, dysregulation of lncRNA and miRNA, and silence the tumor suppressor genes, which robustly contributes to the onset and progression of tumorigenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Evidence suggests that specific carcinogens identified in tobacco and related products alter many cellular pathways predisposing to advanced stages of oral cancer. Long non-coding RNAs represent a broad group of heterogenous transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides which do not translate to form functional proteins. They regulate various cellular pathways by specifically interacting with other RNAs, DNA, and proteins. Their role in the pathogenesis of OSCC and other cancer is still being debated. In this review, we discuss the molecular insights of significant lncRNAs involved in some crucial deregulated pathways of tobacco-associated OSCC. The implications and challenges to harnessing the potential of lncRNAs as biomarkers in early diagnosis and targeted treatment have also been analyzed.

Long Non-Coding RNA (lncRNA) in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Biological Function and Clinical Application

Simple Summary

Increasing evidence has revealed the regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the initiation and progress of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). As some novel lncRNA-targeted techniques combined with immune checkpoint therapies have emerged, they provide a new strategy for OSCC treatment. This review summarizes current knowledge regarding the involvement of lncRNAs in OSCC along with their possible use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and therapeutic targets.

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a type of malignancy with high mortality, leading to poor prognosis worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying OSCC carcinogenesis have not been fully understood. Recently, the discovery and characterization of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have revealed their regulatory importance in OSCC. Abnormal expression of lncRNAs has been broadly implicated in the initiation and progress of tumors. In this review, we summarize the functions and molecular mechanisms regarding these lncRNAs in OSCC. In addition, we highlight the crosstalk between lncRNA and tumor microenvironment (TME), and discuss the potential applications of lncRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic tools and therapeutic targets in OSCC. Notably, we also discuss lncRNA-targeted therapeutic techniques including CRISPR-Cas9 as well as immune checkpoint therapies to target lncRNA and the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. Therefore, this review presents the future perspectives of lncRNAs in OSCC therapy, but more research is needed to allow the applications of these findings to the clinic.

ELF3-AS1 contributes to gastric cancer progression by binding to hnRNPK and induces thrombocytosis in peripheral blood

Numerous studies have reported that a variety of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can promote the proliferation, invasion, and migration of different tumor cells. However, different lncRNAs regulate cell functions in various forms, and the exact mechanisms are not clear. Here, we investigated the effect of the lncRNA ELF3-AS1 on gastric cancer (GC) cell function and explored the exact mechanism. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of ELF3-AS1 in GC tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues. Knockdown and overexpression of ELF3-AS1 was used to detect the effect of ELF3-AS1 on cell function. Potential downstream target genes were identified using RNA transcriptome sequencing, while RNA immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and Western blotting were performed to explore the tumor promotion mechanisms of ELF3-AS1. We observed that ELF3-AS1 was highly expressed in GC tissues, and high ELF3-AS1 expression predicted poor prognosis. The knockdown of ELF3-AS1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition and promoted apoptosis. Mechanistic investigations revealed that ELF3-AS1 may regulate the downstream target gene, C-C motif chemokine 20, by binding with the RNA-binding protein hnRNPK. Additionally, we found that high ELF3-AS1 expression was associated with thrombocytosis. Interleukin-6 and thrombopoietin may be involved in ELF3-AS1-induced paraneoplastic thrombocytosis. Together, our results demonstrate that aberrantly expressed ELF3-AS1 in GC may play important roles in oncogenesis and progression and is expected to become a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of GC.

The Role of Glucose Transporters in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent malignancy associated with a poor prognosis. The Warburg effect can be observed in OSCCs, with tumours requiring a robust glucose supply. Glucose transporters (GLUTs) and sodium-glucose co-transporters (SGLTs) are overexpressed in multiple malignancies, and are correlated with treatment resistance, clinical factors, and poor overall survival (OS). We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the differences in GLUT/SGLT expression between OSCC and normal oral keratinocytes (NOK), as well as their role in the pathophysiology and prognosis of OSCC. A total of 85 studies were included after screening 781 papers. GLUT-1 is regularly expressed in OSCC and was found to be overexpressed in comparison to NOK, with high expression correlated to tumour stage, treatment resistance, and poor prognosis. No clear association was found between GLUT-1 and tumour grade, metastasis, and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. GLUT-3 was less thoroughly studied but could be detected in most samples and is generally overexpressed compared to NOK. GLUT-3 negatively correlated with overall survival (OS), but there was insufficient data for correlations with other clinical factors. Expression of GLUT-2/GLUT-4/GLUT-8/GLUT-13/SGLT-1/SGLT-2 was only evaluated in a small number of studies with no significant differences detected. GLUTs 7 and 14 have never been evaluated in OSCC. In conclusion, the data demonstrates that GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 have a role in the pathophysiology of OSCC and represent valuable biomarkers to aid OSCC diagnosis and prognostication. Other GLUTs are comparatively understudied and should be further analysed because they may hold promise to improve patient care.

LncRNA ELF3-AS1 is a Prognostic Biomarker and Correlated with Immune Infiltrates in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Expression of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ELF3 antisense RNA 1 (ELF3-AS1) is observed in some cancers, while its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between ELF3-AS1 and HCC based on database, bioinformatics, and statistical analysis.

METHODS

In this study, Kruskal-Wallis test, Wilcoxon sign-rank test, logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier method, Cox regression analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and immunoinfiltration analysis were used to assess the relationship between ELF3-AS1 expression and clinical characteristics of HCC patients, the relationship between ELF3-AS1 expression and prognosis of HCC patients, and the possible functions of ELF3-AS1 in HCC.

RESULTS

High expression of ELF3-AS1 in patients with HCC was related to T stage (P < 0.001), gender (P = 0.006), residual tumor (P = 0.008), histologic grade (P < 0.001), adjacent hepatic tissue inflammation (P = 0.011), AFP (P < 0.001), and vascular invasion (P = 0.028). High ELF3-AS1 expression was associated with poor overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001) and DSS (P = 0.047). ELF3-AS1 expression (P = 0.011) was independently correlated with OS in HCC patients. In the high ELF3-AS1 expression group, GPCR-radioligand binding, M phase, Class A/1 (rhodopsin-like receptors), cell cycle checkpoints, translation, mitotic metaphase and anaphase, signaling by robo receptors, keratinization, and rRNA processing were differentially enriched by GESA. ELF3-AS1 expression was associated with immune infiltrating cells.

CONCLUSIONS

ELF3-AS1 expression was associated with poor prognosis in HCC. ELF3-AS1 expression was significantly associated with immune infiltration. ELF3-AS1 is a promising biomarker that can be used for the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.

Long Non-Coding RNAs as Functional Codes for Oral Cancer: Translational Potential, Progress and Promises

Oral cancer is one of the leading malignant tumors worldwide. Despite the advent of multidisciplinary approaches, the overall prognosis of patients with oral cancer is poor, mainly due to late diagnosis. There is an urgent need to develop valid biomarkers for early detection and effective therapies. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are recognized as key elements of gene regulation, with pivotal roles in various physiological and pathological processes, including cancer. Over the past few years, an exponentially growing number of lncRNAs have been identified and linked to tumorigenesis and prognosis outcomes in oral cancer, illustrating their emerging roles in oral cancer progression and the associated signaling pathways. Herein, we aim to summarize the most recent advances made concerning oral cancer-associated lncRNA, and their expression, involvement, and potential clinical impact, reported to date, with a specific focus on the lncRNA-mediated molecular regulation in oncogenic signaling cascades and oral malignant progression, while exploring their potential, and challenges, for clinical applications as biomarkers or therapeutic targets for oral cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Diagnostic biomarkers, targeted therapies, and prognostic roles

At present, emerging evidence shows that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play crucial roles for development of multiple tumors. Amongst these ncRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play prominent roles in physiological and pathological processes. LncRNAs are RNA transcripts larger than 200 nucleotides and have been shown to serve important regulatory roles in different types of cancer via interactions with DNA, RNA and proteins. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most malignant tumors with low survival rates in advanced stages. Recently, lncRNAs have been demonstrated to be involved in a wide range of biological processes, including proliferation, metastasis, and prognosis of HNSCC. Therefore, this review describes molecular mechanisms of up- or down-regulation of lncRNAs and expounds their functions in pathology and clinical practices in HNSCC. It also highlights their potential clinical applications as biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of HNSCC. However, studies on lncRNAs are still not comprehensive, and more investigations are needed in the future.

Long non-coding RNA-based glycolysis-targeted cancer therapy: feasibility, progression and limitations

Metabolism reprogramming is one of the hallmarks of cancer cells, especially glucose metabolism, to promote their proliferation, metastasis and drug resistance. Cancer cells tend to depend on glycolysis for glucose utilization rather than oxidative phosphorylation, which is called the Warburg effect. Genome instability of oncogenes and tumor-inhibiting factors is the culprits for this anomalous glycolytic fueling, which results in dysregulating metabolism-related enzymes and metabolic signaling pathways. It has been extensively demonstrated that protein-coding genes are involved in this process; therefore, glycolysis-targeted therapy has been widely used in anti-tumor combined therapy via small molecular inhibitors of key enzymes and regulatory molecular. The long non-coding RNA, which is a large class of regulatory RNA with longer than 200 nucleotides, is the novel and significant regulator of various biological processes, including metabolic reprogramming. RNA interference and synthetic antisense oligonucleotide for RNA reduction have developed rapidly these years, which presents potent anti-tumor effects both in vitro and in vivo. However, lncRNA-based glycolysis-targeted cancer therapy, as the highly specific and less toxic approach, is still under the preclinical phase. In this review, we highlight the role of lncRNA in glucose metabolism and dissect the feasibility and limitations of this clinical development, which may provide potential targets for cancer therapy.

Ferroptosis-Related Long Non-Coding RNA signature predicts the prognosis of Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are head and neck cancers. On the other hand, ferroptosis is a novel iron-dependent and ROS reliant type of cell death observed various disease conditions.

Method: We constructed a prognostic multilncRNA signature based on ferroptosis-related differentially expressed lncRNAs in HNSCC.

Results: We identified 25 differently expressed lncRNAs associated with prognosis of HNSCC. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed the high-risk lncRNAs signature associated with poor prognosis of HNSCC. Moreover, the AUC of the lncRNAs signature was 0.782, underscoring their utility in prediction HNSCC prognosis. Indeed, our risk assessment model was superior to traditional clinicopathological features in predicting HNSCC prognosis. GSEA revealed the immune and tumor-related pathways in the low risk group individuals. Moreover, TCGA revealed T cell functions including cytolytic activity, HLA, regulation of inflammationp, co-stimulation, co-inhibition and coordination of type II INF response were significantly different between the low-risk and high-risk groups. Immune checkpoints such as PDCD-1 (PD-1), CTLA4 and LAG3, were also expressed differently between the two risk groups.

Conclusion: A novel ferroptosis-related lncRNAs signature impacts on the prognosis of HNSCC.

The Role of Long Non-coding RNAs in Cancer Metabolism: A Concise Review

Dysregulation of metabolic pathways in cancer cells is regarded as a hallmark of cancer. Identification of these abnormalities in cancer cells dates back to more than six decades, far before discovery of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Based on the importance of these pathways, several researchers have aimed at modulation of these functions to intervene with the pathogenic course of cancer. Numerous genes have been shown to participate in the regulation of metabolic pathways, thus aberrant expression of these genes can be involved in the pathogenesis of cancer. The recent decade has experienced a significant attention toward the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the biological functions. These transcripts regulate expression of genes at several levels, therefore influencing the activity of cancer-related pathways. Among the most affected pathways are those modulating glucose homeostasis, as well as amino acid and lipid metabolism. Moreover, critical roles of lncRNAs in regulation of mitochondrial function potentiate these transcripts as novel targets for cancer treatment. In the current review, we summarize the most recent literature regarding the role of lncRNAs in the cancer metabolism and their significance in the design of therapeutic modalities.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Potentials of Long Noncoding RNA ELF3-AS1 in Glioma Patients

Objective

Accumulating evidence implies that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in predicting survival for glioma patients. However, the potential function of lncRNA ELF3-antisense RNA 1 (ELF3-AS1) in tumors remained largely unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the expression of lncRNA ELF3-antisense RNA 1 (ELF3-AS1) and evaluate its functions in glioma patients. Patients and Methods. ELF3-AS1 expressions were examined by RT-PCR in 182 pairs of glioma specimens and adjacent normal tissues. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was performed to estimate the diagnostic value of ELF3-AS1. The chi-square tests were used to examine the associations between ELF3-AS1 expression and the clinicopathological characters. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed by log-rank test, and survival curves were plotted according to Kaplan-Meier. The prognostic value of the ELF3-AS1 expression in glioma patients was further analyzed using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Loss-of-function assays were performed to determine the potential function of ELF3-AS1 on the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells.

Results

The ELF3-AS1 expression level was significantly higher in glioma specimens compared with adjacent nontumor specimens (p < 0.01). A high expression of ELF3-AS1 was shown to be associated with the WHO grade (p = 0.023) and KPS score (p = 0.012). ROC assays revealed that high ELF3-AS1 expression had an AUC value of 0.8073 (95% CI: 0.7610 to 0.8535) for glioma. Using the Kaplan-Meier analysis, we found that patients with a high ELF3-AS1 expression had significantly poor OS (p = 0.006) and DFS (p = 0.0002). In a multivariate Cox model, we confirmed that ELF3-AS1 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for glioma patients. The functional assay revealed that knockdown of ELF3-AS1 suppressed the proliferation and invasion of glioma cells.

Conclusions

Our findings confirmed that ELF3-AS1 functions as an oncogene in glioma and indicated that ELF3-AS1 is not only an important prognostic marker but also a potential therapy target for glioma.

LncRNA ELF3-AS1 Promotes Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer Cell Invasion and Migration by Downregulating miR-212

LncRNA ELF3-AS1 has been characterized as an oncogenic lncRNA in bladder cancer and oral cancer, whereas its role in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. In this study, the authors observed that ELF3-AS1 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues in comparison with that in paired nontumor tissues collected from 68 NSCLC patients. High expression levels of ELF3-AS1 predicted the poor survival of NSCLC patients. Expression levels of miR-212 were inversely and significantly correlated with the expression levels of ELF3-AS1 across NSCLC tissue samples. In NSCLC cells, overexpression of ELF3-AS1 led to downregulated miR-212 and increased methylation of miR-212 gene. In addition, overexpression of ELF3-AS1 inhibited the role of miR-212 in suppressing cancer cell invasion and migration. Therefore, ELF3-AS1 is upregulated in NSCLC and promotes cancer cell invasion and migration by downregulating miR-212 through methylation.

Noncoding RNAs in oral premalignant disorders and oral squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has the highest mortality rate among all head and neck cancers and a relatively low five-year survival rate. Generally, the development of an oral mucosal malignancy represents a multistep process beginning with normal oral mucosa epithelium and culminating in OSCC after transitioning through intermediary oral premalignant disorders (OPMDs), during which dysplasia is often observed. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) are RNAs that are not translated into proteins, but still can participate in regulating neoplastic cell behavior. Recently, data have emerged on the role of ncRNAs in the progression of oral mucosal malignant diseases, but the exact mechanisms through which ncRNAs are involved remain to be elucidated.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge on ncRNAs has added an extra layer of complexity to our understanding of the malignant progression of oral mucosal diseases. The identification of ncRNAs in multiple body fluids as biomarkers may provide new diagnostic options that can be used for the diagnosis and prognosis of OPMDs and OSCC, respectively. Despite overall advances that have been made in cancer treatment, the treatment options for OPMDs and OSCC are still limited. Several studies have shown that ncRNA-based treatment regimens may hold promise as alternative methods for treating OPMDs and OSCC. The use of ncRNAs as therapeutic agents, including miR-155, miR-34 and lncRNA HOTAIR, appear promising.

Regulation of Glucose and Lipid Metabolism by Long Non-coding RNAs: Facts and Research Progress

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a type of non-coding RNA with a length that exceeds 200 nucleotides. Previous studies have shown that lncRNAs play an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases. Research in both animal models and humans has begun to unravel the profound complexity of lncRNAs and demonstrated that lncRNAs exert direct effects on glucose and lipid metabolism both in vivo and in vitro. Such research has elucidated the regulatory role of lncRNAs in glucose and lipid metabolism in human disease. lncRNAs mediate glucose and lipid metabolism under physiological and pathological conditions and contribute to various metabolism disorders. This review provides an update on our understanding of the regulatory role of lncRNAs in glucose and lipid metabolism in various diseases. As our understanding of the function of lncRNAs improves, the future is promising for the development of new diagnostic biomarkers that utilize lncRNAs and treatments that target lncRNAs to improve clinical outcomes.