MiR-1 Suppresses Proliferation of Osteosarcoma Cells by Up-regulating p21 via PAX3

Downregulation of the paired box gene 3 inhibits the progression of skin cutaneous melanoma by inhibiting c-MET tyrosine kinase : PAX3 downregulation inhibits melanoma progression

BACKGROUND

The PAX3 (paired box gene 3) gene is highly expressed in several cancer types. However, its underlying mechanism of action in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) remains unknown.

METHODS

In this study, we used the GEPIA database and western blotting to analyze the expression of PAX3. We performed the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of PAX3 in SKCM. Next, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was performed to evaluate the function of PAX3-related co-expressed genes. Additionally, the function and potential mechanism of action of PAX3 in SKCM were studied through functional experiments. Western blotting was used to detect the changes in the levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related and MET (c-MET tyrosine kinase) proteins following PAX3 knockdown. Finally, we assessed the correlation between PAX3 expression and the infiltration of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cells using the TISIDB database.

RESULTS

We found that PAX3 was overexpressed in the SKCM tissues and that these levels were indicative of a poor prognosis of SKCM. The KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that PAX3-related co-expressed genes were mainly associated with the oncogenic pathways. Knocking down PAX3 significantly inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of SK-MEL-28 cells. The PAX3 expression was related significantly to the immune infiltration level of CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrated that PAX3 knockdown could reverse the EMT of tumor cells, inhibit the growth, and progression of SKCM cells. Therefore, PAX3 may have implications as a potential therapeutic target and promising prognostic biomarker for SKCM.

Molecular mechanism of microRNAs regulating apoptosis in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant bone tumor with no effective treatment. Apoptosis, one of the programmed cell death, is any pathological form of cell death mediated by intracellular processes. Under the pathological state, the de-regulated regulation of apoptosis can disrupt the balance between cell proliferation and death, causing osteosarcoma proliferation and metastasis. As carcinogenic or tumor suppressor factors, microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells by regulating apoptosis-related genes and apoptosis-related signaling pathways, such as mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, death receptor pathway, and endoplasmic reticulum pathway. Meanwhile as these abnormal miRNAs can be stored and transported by exosomes, detecting exosomes can be seen an effective method to diagnose osteosarcoma in the early stage. This review provides the current knowledge of miRNAs and their target genes related to the apoptosis of osteosarcoma, summarizes abnormal expression and regulation of miRNAs and signaling pathways in osteosarcoma and prospects the detection of exosome as a method for early diagnosis of osteosarcoma.

Downregulation of MicroRNA-1 and Its Potential Molecular Mechanism in Nasopharyngeal Cancer: An Investigation Combined with In Silico and In-House Immunohistochemistry Validation

Background

This study was aimed at elucidating the molecular biological mechanisms of microRNA-1 (miR-1) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Method

In this study, we performed a pooled analysis of miR-1 expression data derived from public databases, such as GEO, ArrayExpress, TCGA, and GTEx. The miRWalk 2.0 database, combined with the mRNA microarray datasets, was used to screen the target genes, and the genes were then subjected to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis using the DAVID 6.8 database. We then used the STRING 11.0 database and Cytoscape 3.80 software to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network for screening hub genes. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was further used to validate the expression of hub genes. Finally, potential therapeutic agents for NPC were screened by the Connectivity Map (cMap) database.

Results

Pooled analysis showed that miR-1 expression was significantly decreased in NPC (SMD = −0.57; P < 0.05). The summary receiver operating characteristic curve suggested that miR-1 had a good ability to distinguish cancerous tissues from noncancerous tissues (AUC = 0.78). The results of GO analysis focused on mitotic nuclear division, DNA replication, cell division, cell adhesion, extracellular space, kinesin complex, and extracellular matrix (ECM) structural constituent. The KEGG analysis suggested that the target genes played a role in key signaling pathways, such as cell cycle, focal adhesion, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, ECM-receptor interaction, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The PPI network suggested that cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) was the hub gene, and the CDK1 protein was subsequently confirmed to be significantly upregulated in NPC tissues by IHC. Finally, potential therapeutic drugs, such as masitinib, were obtained by the cMap database.

Conclusion

miR-1 may play a vital part in NPC tumorigenesis and progression by regulating focal adhesion kinase to participate in cell mitosis, regulating ECM degradation, and affecting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. miR-1 has the potential to be a therapeutic target for NPC.

The effect of dexmedetomidine on biological behavior of osteosarcoma cells through miR-1307 expression

OBJECTIVES

This study analyzed the effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on biological behavior of osteosarcoma cells through expression of miR-1307.

METHODS

We performed routine culture of human osteosarcoma cells MG-63 and randomly divided into control group, low-dose DEX group (25 ng/ml), medium-dose DEX group (50 ng/ml) and high-dose DEX group (100 ng/ml). Subsequently, we detected the cell proliferation (by CCK8 method), cell apoptosis (flow cytometry), mir-1307 expression (qRT-PCR), cell invasion (Transwell), and cell migration (scratch test) respectively.

RESULTS

The growth rate of osteosarcoma cells MG-63 slowed down with the increase of DEX concentration. Compared with the control group, the cellular absorbance in groups with different DEX dose decreased remarkably after 72 hours of culture (P<0.05). The proportion of apoptotic cells increased as well with the uplifting of DEX concentration, and the apoptotic rate in medium and high dosed DEX groups were remarkably higher than which in control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the invasive ability of MG-63 cells after DEX treatment decreased significantly, and with the increase of DEX concentration, the number of invasive cells declined more obviously (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the mobility rate of MG-63 cells after DEX treatment decreased significantly, and with the increase of DEX concentration, the cell mobility rate decreased more remarkably (P<0.05). In addition, the relative expression of miR-1307 in MG-63 cells after DEX treatment decreased significantly comparing to the control group, and the decline was more noteworthy with the increase of DEX concentration (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

DEX can effectively inhibit the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells in a dose-dependent manner, and its efficacy may be related to its regulation of miR-1307 expression.

Role of MicroRNAs in Human Osteosarcoma: Future Perspectives

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare form of cancer with high death rate but is one of the most frequent forms of bone cancer in children and adolescents. MiRNAs are small endogenous RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. The discovery of miRNAs could allow us to obtain an earlier diagnosis, predict prognosis and chemoresistance, and lead to the discovery of new treatments in different types of tumors, including OS. Despite the fact that there is currently only one clinical trial being carried out on a single miRNA for solid tumors, it is very probable that the number of clinical trials including miRNAs as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, as well as potential therapeutic targets, will increase in the near future. This review summarizes the different miRNAs related to OS and their possible therapeutic application.

miR-140 inhibits osteosarcoma progression by impairing USP22-mediated LSD1 stabilization and promoting p21 expression

Osteosarcoma is a bone tumor frequently diagnosed in children and young adults. Despite advances in chemotherapy and surgical resection, tumors metastasize in 30% of osteosarcoma patients. In addition, side effects caused by chemotherapeutic drugs, as well as the development of chemoresistance, highlight the need to identify the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma. We compared 65 osteosarcoma samples to their adjacent normal tissues, as well as commercially obtained osteosarcoma cell lines with normal osteoblast cell lines, and identified a role for the microRNA (miR)-140/ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22)/lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1)/p21 axis in the development of osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma tissues and cells exhibited poor miR-140 and p21 expression, whereas the expression of USP22 and LSD1 was increased. Overexpression of miR-140 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted cell apoptosis by directly targeting USP22, resulting in its decreased expression. Overexpression of USP22 reversed the effects of miR-140 overexpression in osteosarcoma cells. Overexpression of miR-140 or USP22 knockdown led to the ubiquitination and degradation of LSD1. miR-140 overexpression also suppressed tumorigenesis in vivo. This study revealed a role for miR-140 in the restriction of osteosarcoma development and identified miR-140 as a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Analysis of a Preliminary microRNA Expression Signature in a Human Telangiectatic Osteogenic Sarcoma Cancer Cell Line

Telangiectatic osteosarcoma (TOS) is an aggressive variant of osteosarcoma (OS) with distinctive radiographic, gross, microscopic features, and prognostic implications. Despite several studies on OS, we are still far from understanding the molecular mechanisms of TOS. In recent years, many studies have demonstrated not only that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in OS tumorigenesis, development, and metastasis, but also that the presence in high-grade types of OS of cancer stem cells (CSCs) plays an important role in tumor progression. Despite these findings, nothing has been described previously about the expression of miRNAs and the presence of CSCs in human TOS. Therefore, we have isolated/characterized a putative CSC cell line from human TOS (TOS-CSCs) and evaluated the expression levels of several miRNAs in TOS-CSCs using real-time quantitative assays. We show, for the first time, the existence of CSCs in human TOS, highlighting the in vitro establishment of this unique stabilized cell line and an identification of a preliminary expression of the miRNA profile, characteristic of TOS-CSCs. These findings represent an important step in the study of the biology of one of the most aggressive variants of OS and the role of miRNAs in TOS-CSC behavior.

Circular RNA circANKIB1 promotes the progression of osteosarcoma by regulating miR-217/PAX3 axis

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been discovered to exert essential roles in human cancers, including osteosarcoma (OS). The aim of this study was to investigate the exact roles and regulatory mechanism of circRNA ankyrin repeat and IBR domain containing 1 (circANKIB1) in OS.

Methods

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to measure the expression levels of circANKIB1, microRNA-217 (miR-217) and paired box 3 (PAX3). Cell proliferation was assessed by colony formation assay. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis rate were determined by flow cytometry analysis. Wound healing assay and transwell assay were employed to evaluate cell migration and invasion abilities. Western blot assay was used to analyze the protein levels of PAX3, E-cadherin and Vimentin. Targeting relationship between miR-217 and circANKIB1 or PAX3 was predicted by Circular RNA Interactome or TargetScan and demonstrated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The mice xenograft model was established to confirm the role of circANKIB1 in vivo.

Results

CircANKIB1 and PAX3 were high-expressed, whereas miR-217 was low-expressed in OS tissues and cells. Knockdown of circANKIB1 inhibited the progression of OS by reducing cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth (in vivo), and inducing apoptosis. MiR-217 was a direct target of circANKIB1, and its inhibition reversed the inhibitory effect of circANKIB1 knockdown on the progression of OS cells. Moreover, PAX3 was a direct target of miR-217, and miR-217 exerted the anti-tumor role in OS cells by targeting PAX3. Furthermore, circANKIB1 positively regulated PAX3 expression by sponging miR-217.

Conclusion

Knockdown of circANKIB1 suppressed OS progression by upregulating miR-217 and downregulating PAX3, which might provide a novel insight into the pathogenesis of OS.

Study on Targeting Relationship Between miR-320b and FGD5-AS1 and Its Effect on Biological Function of Osteosarcoma Cells

Objective

To probe into the expression of FGD5-AS1 in osteosarcoma and its relationship with miR-320b.

Methods

The tissue and serum samples of 97 patients with osteosarcoma were collected, and the serum samples of 100 healthy subjects who concurrently underwent physical examination were selected as the control. FGD5-AS1 expression in tissues and serum was detected, and osteosarcoma cells were transfected to measure cell behaviors such as proliferation, invasion and apoptosis.

Results

FGD5-AS1 was highly expressed in osteosarcoma, and its elevated expression indicated poor survival of patients. Serum FGD5-AS1 was related to tumor size and clinical stage and could be used for the diagnosis of osteosarcoma. The study of osteosarcoma cell lines U2OS and SaOS-2 showed that after inhibiting FGD5-AS1, the viability and invasion capacity of osteosarcoma cells decreased statistically compared with the control group (CG), while the apoptosis ability could be improved by further regulating apoptotic proteins (P<0.05). Detection of EMT-related proteins identified that E-cadherin increased while N-cadherin decreased significantly after FGD5-AS1 inhibition (P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between miR-320b and FGD5-AS1 (r = −0.410, P<0.001). Overexpression of miR-320b significantly inhibited cell viability, invasion and EMT ability, and increased the apoptosis rate, while inhibiting miR-320b expression produced the opposite results. The targeting relationship between miR-320b and FGD5-AS1 was confirmed through the biological prediction website, luciferase assay and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. Inhibition of miR-320b could reverse the regulatory effect of FGD5-AS1 knockdown on osteosarcoma cells.

Conclusion

FGD5-AS1 is highly expressed in osteosarcoma and is involved in the biological procession of osteosarcoma by targeting miR-320b.

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.

The Role of Cell Cycle Regulators in Cell Survival-Dual Functions of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 20 and p21Cip1/Waf1

The mammalian cell cycle is important in controlling normal cell proliferation and the development of various diseases. Cell cycle checkpoints are well regulated by both activators and inhibitors to avoid cell growth disorder and cancerogenesis. Cyclin dependent kinase 20 (CDK20) and p21^Cip1/Waf1 are widely recognized as key regulators of cell cycle checkpoints controlling cell proliferation/growth and involving in developing multiple cancers. Emerging evidence demonstrates that these two cell cycle regulators also play an essential role in promoting cell survival independent of the cell cycle, particularly in those cells with a limited capability of proliferation, such as cardiomyocytes. These findings bring new insights into understanding cytoprotection in these tissues. Here, we summarize the new progress of the studies on these two molecules in regulating cell cycle/growth, and their new roles in cell survival by inhibiting various cell death mechanisms. We also outline their potential implications in cancerogenesis and protection in heart diseases. This information renews the knowledge in molecular natures and cellular functions of these regulators, leading to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the associated diseases and the discovery of new therapeutic strategies.

SLC25A10 performs an oncogenic role in human osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is one of the most common primary malignant bone tumors in adolescents. It is associated with high risk of relapse and the outcomes of patients with high-grade osteosarcoma remain poor. Therefore, additional studies investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in tumor initiation, growth, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma are necessary. In the present study, the protein levels of solute carrier family 25 member 10 (SLC25A10) were increased in osteosarcoma tissue, compared with normal bone tissue. In patients with osteosarcoma, high expression levels of SLC25A10 were associated with poor clinicopathological parameters, including metastasis, clinical Enneking stage, relapse-free survival and overall survival rates. Short hairpin RNA knockdown of SLC25A10 significantly suppressed cell proliferation as determined by cell counting, MTT assay and cell colony formation assays. In addition, SLC25A10 knockdown caused an increase in apoptosis and a decrease in mitosis in osteosarcoma cells. Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) was positively regulated by SLC25A10, while P21 and P27 were negatively regulated by SLC25A10. Therefore, SLC25A10 may play an oncogenic role in human osteosarcoma, which could be mediated by CCNE1, P21 and P27.

Effects of Intestinal Microbial⁻Elaborated Butyrate on Oncogenic Signaling Pathways

The intestinal microbiota is well known to have multiple benefits on human health, including cancer prevention and treatment. The effects are partially mediated by microbiota-produced short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, propionate and acetate. The anti-cancer effect of butyrate has been demonstrated in cancer cell cultures and animal models of cancer. Butyrate, as a signaling molecule, has effects on multiple signaling pathways. The most studied effect is its inhibition on histone deacetylase (HDAC), which leads to alterations of several important oncogenic signaling pathways such as JAK2/STAT3, VEGF. Butyrate can interfere with both mitochondrial apoptotic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. In addition, butyrate also reduces gut inflammation by promoting T-regulatory cell differentiation with decreased activities of the NF-κB and STAT3 pathways. Through PKC and Wnt pathways, butyrate increases cancer cell differentiation. Furthermore, butyrate regulates oncogenic signaling molecules through microRNAs and methylation. Therefore, butyrate has the potential to be incorporated into cancer prevention and treatment regimens. In this review we summarize recent progress in butyrate research and discuss the future development of butyrate as an anti-cancer agent with emphasis on its effects on oncogenic signaling pathways. The low bioavailability of butyrate is a problem, which precludes clinical application. The disadvantage of butyrate for medicinal applications may be overcome by several approaches including nano-delivery, analogue development and combination use with other anti-cancer agents or phytochemicals.