WASF3 expression correlates with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients

High Expression of miR-218-5p in the Peripheral Blood Stream and Tumor Tissues of Pediatric Patients with Sarcomas

Sarcomas are malignant tumors that may metastasize and the course of the disease is highly aggressive in children and young adults. Because of the rare incidence of sarcomas and the heterogeneity of tumors, there is a need for non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in sarcomas. The aim of the study was to investigate the level of miR-218-5p in peripheral blood and tumor tissue samples of Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, spindle cell sarcoma patients, and healthy controls, and assessed whether the corresponding molecule was a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. The study was performed patients (n = 22) diagnosed and treated with Ewing's sarcoma and osteosarcoma and in a control group of 22 healthy children who were matched for age, gender, and ethnicity with the patient group. The expression level of miR-218-5p in RNA samples from peripheral blood and tissue samples were analyzed using the RT-PCR and the expression level of miR-218-5p was evaluated by comparison with the levels in patients and healthy controls. The expression level of miR-218-5p was found to be statistically higher (3.33-fold, p = 0.006) in pediatric patients with sarcomas and when the target genes of miR-218-5p were investigated using the bioinformatics tools, the miR-218-5p was found as an important miRNA in cancer. In this study, the miR-218-5p was shown for the first time to have been highly expressed in the peripheral blood and tumor tissue of sarcoma patients. The results suggest that miR-218-5p can be used as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in sarcomas and will be evaluated as an important therapeutic target.

WASF3 overexpression affects the expression of circular RNA hsa-circ-0100153, which promotes breast cancer progression by sponging hsa-miR-31, hsa-miR-767-3p, and hsa-miR-935

Background

The WASF3 gene has been linked to promoting metastasis in breast cancer (BC) cells, and low expression reduces invasion potential. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) function as microRNA (miRNA) modulators and are involved in cancer progression, but the relationship between these factors remains unclear.

Methods

This study used bioinformatics methods and a computational approach to investigate the role of circRNAs and miRNAs in the context of WASF3 overexpression. Differentially expressed mRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs were identified using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. A competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed based on circRNA-miRNA pairs and miRNA-mRNA pairs. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses were predicted using a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network.

Results

RNA expression patterns were significantly different between normal and tumor samples. A total of 190 circRNAs, 76 miRNAs, and 678 mRNAs were differentially expressed. The analysis of the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network revealed interactions between hsa-circ-0100153, hsa-miR-31, hsa-miR-767-3p, and hsa-miR-935 with WASF3 in cancer. These interactions primarily function in DNA replication and the cell cycle.

Conclusions

This study reveals a mechanism by which WASF3 overexpression affects the expression of circRNAs hsa-circ-0100153, promoting BC progression by sponging hsa-miR-31/hsa-miR-767-3p /hsa-miR-935. This mechanism may increase the invasive potential of cancers, in addition to other reported molecular mechanisms involving the WASF3 gene.

Identification of Key Circulating Exosomal microRNAs in Gastric Cancer

Exosomal miRNAs (EmiRs) can be used for prediction of gastric cancer (GC) development. Supposedly, both plasma and urinary microRNAs can also be potential biomarkers for screening, but the diagnostic values of EmiRs in blood and urine are not fully studied. We here collected both types of samples from GC patients and healthy individuals and conducted miRNA sequencing to identify key members of EmiRs in GC. The exosomes samples derived from blood and urine were collected from 3 healthy individuals and 7 GC patients. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were acquired, ontology enrichment analysis and Protein-protein Interaction (PPI) enrichment analysis were performed. There were 8 DEmiRNAs in the serum and 3 DEmiRNAs in the urine. For GC patients, there were three up-regulated DEmiRNAs (hsa-miR-130b-3p, hsa-miR-151a-3p and hsa-miR-15b-3p) in the serum exosomes, and one up-regulated DEmiRNA (hsa-miR-1246) in the urinary exosomes. Using miRNA target prediction databases, we found 418 common targets of hsa-miR-15b-3p, 35 common targets of hsa-miR-151a-3p, 117 common targets of hsa-miR-130b-3p, and 357 common targets of hsa-miR-1246. Some commonly enriched ontology terms were found, including GO BP terms like cell surface receptor signaling pathway involved in cell-cell signaling, positive regulation of catabolic process, morphogenesis of an epithelium, and GO CC terms perinuclear region of cytoplasm. The PPI network show some key nodes, including TAOK1, CMTM6, SCN3A, WASF3, IGF1, CNOT7, GABRG1, PRKD1. Together, this study provided an integrative analysis of expression profile of key circulating exosomal microRNAs. Four key exosomal miRNAs (hsa-miR-130b-3p, hsa-miR-151a-3p and hsa-miR-15b-3p) and the interaction network or enrichments based on their targets (TAOK1, CMTM6, SCN3A, WASF3, IGF1, CNOT7, GABRG1, PRKD1) may provide a reference of the molecular mechanisms in the GC development.

Targeting WASF3 Signaling in Metastatic Cancer

Increasing evidence indicates that cancer metastasis is regulated by specific genetic pathways independent of those controlling tumorigenesis and cancer growth. WASF3, a Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein family member, appears to play a major role not only in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton dynamics but also in cancer cell invasion/metastasis. Recent studies have highlighted that WASF3 is a master regulator and acts as a pivotal scaffolding protein, bringing the various components of metastatic signaling complexes together both spatially and temporally. Herein, targeting WASF3 at the levels of transcription, protein stability, and phosphorylation holds great promise for metastasis suppression, regardless of the diverse genetic backgrounds associated with tumor development. This review focuses on the critical and distinct contributions of WASF3 in the regulation of signal pathways promoting cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

WASF3 Knockdown Sensitizes Gastric Cancer Cells to Oxaliplatin by Inhibiting ATG12-Mediated Autophagy

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer is one of the most aggressive tumors, usually resulting in metastasis, and therapies for advanced gastric cancer remain limited. Drug resistance is the main reason for chemotherapeutic failure in gastric cancer. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein family member 3 (WASF3) is required for invasion and metastasis of different cancers. However, there has been little study of WASF3 expression involvement in gastric cancer. In this study, we explored the role of WASF3 in the sensitivity of gastric cancer to oxaliplatin, and the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

We silenced WASF3 using WASF3-siRNA in MGC803 cells. Then, CCK-8, flow cytometry and transwell assay were performed to study the effect of WASF3 silencing on proliferation, migration, invasiveness and apoptosis of MGC803 cells. Moreover, we evaluated the potential mechanism in vitro to determine the sensitization to oxaliplatin induced by WASF3.

RESULTS

WASF3 silencing by small interfering RNA inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of gastric cancer cells. We also observed that WASF3 knockdown promoted cell apoptosis and enhanced oxaliplatin sensitivity. Furthermore, the sensitization to oxaliplatin induced by WASF3 knockdown depended on the inhibition of Atg12-mediated autophagy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis demonstrates WASF3 targeting is a new potential therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.