Role of miR-16-5p in the proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Circulating exosomal miR-16-5p and let-7e-5p are associated with bladder fibrosis of diabetic cystopathy

Diabetic cystopathy (DCP) is a prevalent etiology of bladder dysfunction in individuals with longstanding diabetes, frequently leading to bladder interstitial fibrosis. Research investigating the initial pathological alterations of DCP is notably scarce. To comprehend the development of fibrosis and find effective biomarkers for its diagnosis, we prepared streptozotocin-induced long-term diabetic SD rats exhibiting a type 1 diabetes phenotype and bladder fibrosis in histology detection. After observing myofibroblast differentiation from rats' primary bladder fibroblasts with immunofluorescence, we isolated fibroblasts derived exosomes and performed exosomal miRNA sequencing. The co-differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMis) (miR-16-5p and let-7e-5p) were screened through a joint analysis of diabetic rats and long-term patients' plasma data (GES97123) downloaded from the GEO database. Then two co-DEMis were validated by quantitative PCR on exosomes derived from diabetic rats' plasma. Following with a series of analysis, including target mRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) prediction, hubgenes identification, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and gene enrichment analysis, a miRNA-mediated genetic regulatory network consisting of two miRNAs, nine TFs, and thirty target mRNAs were identified in relation to fibrotic processes. Thus, circulating exosomal miR-16-5p and let-7e-5p are associated with bladder fibrosis of DCP, and the crucial genes in regulatory network might hold immense significance in studying the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of fibrosis, which deserves further exploration.

Comprehensive analysis of UBE2C expression and its potential roles and mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks one of the most common and lethal cancers all over the world. Previous studies suggest that ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C) serves as an oncogene in human cancers. However, its expression, diagnosis, prognosis and potential mechanisms in HCC remain largely unknown. In this study, the expression of UBE2C in HCC was first analyzed by comprehensive bioinformatic analysis. ROC curve analysis and survival analysis were employed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic roles of UBE2C in HCC. UBE2C promoter methylation level and upstream regulatory miRNAs of UBE2C in HCC were explored. The present work demonstrated that UBE2C was significantly upregulated in HCC compared with normal controls. We also found significant diagnostic and prognostic values of UBE2C in HCC. Promoter methylation of UBE2C was obviously decreased in HCC and was negatively correlated with UBE2C mRNA expression. 10 miRNAs were predicted to potentially bind to UBE2C. In vitro assay and bioinformatic correlation analysis together revealed that hsa-miR-193b-3p might be another key upstream regulatory mechanism of UBE2C in HCC. In conclusion, UBE2C is overexpressed in HCC and may serve as a key diagnostic/prognostic biomarker for patients with HCC.

Single-cell multi-omics of human preimplantation embryos shows susceptibility to glucocorticoids

The preconceptual, intrauterine, and early life environments can have a profound and long-lasting impact on the developmental trajectories and health outcomes of the offspring. Given the relatively low success rates of assisted reproductive technologies (ART; ∼25%), additives and adjuvants, such as glucocorticoids, are used to improve the success rate. Considering the dynamic developmental events that occur during this window, these exposures may alter blastocyst formation at a molecular level, and as such, affect not only the viability of the embryo and the ability of the blastocyst to implant, but also the developmental trajectory of the first three cell lineages, ultimately influencing the physiology of the embryo. In this study, we present a comprehensive single-cell transcriptome, methylome, and small RNA atlas in the day 7 human embryo. We show that, despite no change in morphology and developmental features, preimplantation glucocorticoid exposure reprograms the molecular profile of the trophectoderm (TE) lineage, and these changes are associated with an altered metabolic and inflammatory response. Our data also suggest that glucocorticoids can precociously mature the TE sublineages, supported by the presence of extravillous trophoblast markers in the polar sublineage and presence of X Chromosome dosage compensation. Further, we have elucidated that epigenetic regulation-DNA methylation and microRNAs (miRNAs)-likely underlies the transcriptional changes observed. This study suggests that exposures to exogenous compounds during preimplantation may unintentionally reprogram the human embryo, possibly leading to suboptimal development and longer-term health outcomes.

Effect and Mechanism of lncRNA CERS6-AS1 on the Biological Behavior of Prostate Cancer Cell

Objective

To investigate the effect of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) CERS6 antisense RNA1 (CERS6-AS1) on the biological behavior of prostate cancer cells DU145 and its mechanism.

Methods

RT-PCR was used to detect the relative level of CERS6-AS1 and miR-16-5p in prostate cancer tissues, adjacent tissues, prostate cancer cells DU145, and human normal prostate epithelial cells RWPE-1. DU145 cells were divided into control group, si-CERS6-AS1 group, si-NC group, miR-16-5p mimic group, miR-NC group, and si-CERS6-AS1+miR-16-5p inhibitor group. And CCK-8 method and colony formation test was applied to detect cell proliferation ability, flow cytometry was selected to calculate cell apoptosis, and scratch healing test was employed to assess cell migration ability. Western blot was determined to detect high mobility protein A2 (HMGA2) expression. RT-PCR and dual-luciferase reporter experiments were used to analyze the targeting relationship among CERS6-AS1, miR-16-5p, and HMGA2.

Results

Compared with the adjacent tissues, the relative level of CERS6-AS1 in prostate cancer tissue was increased (P < 0.05), and the relative level of miR-16-5p was decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with RWPE-1 cells, the relative level of CERS6-AS1 in DU145 cells was increased (P < 0.05), and the relative level of miR-16-5p was decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group and the si-NC group, the HMGA2 protein expression, the colony formation number, and the scratch healing rate of DU145 cells in the si-CERS6-AS1 group and the miR-16-5p mimic group were reduced (P < 0.05), and the relative level of miR-16-5p and the proliferation inhibition rate and apoptosis were increased (P < 0.05). miR-16-5p is specifically bound to CERS6-AS1 and HMGA2, respectively. Compared with the si-CERS6-AS1 group, the HMGA2 protein expression, the colony formation number, and the scratch healing rate of DU145 cells in the si-CERS6-AS1+miR-16-5p inhibitor group were increased (P < 0.05), and the cell proliferation inhibition rate and apoptosis rate were reduced (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Silencing CERS6-AS1 can inhibit the proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cell DU145 and induce cell apoptosis, the mechanism is related to the regulation of the miR-16-5p/HMGA2 axis.

Exosomal MicroRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Hepatic Injury and Kidney Disease in Glycogen Storage Disease Type Ia Patients

Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSDIa) is an inherited metabolic disorder caused by mutations in the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase-α (G6Pase-α). Affected individuals develop renal and liver complications, including the development of hepatocellular adenoma/carcinoma and kidney failure. The purpose of this study was to identify potential biomarkers of the evolution of the disease in GSDIa patients. To this end, we analyzed the expression of exosomal microRNAs (Exo-miRs) in the plasma exosomes of 45 patients aged 6 to 63 years. Plasma from age-matched normal individuals were used as controls. We found that the altered expression of several Exo-miRs correlates with the pathologic state of the patients and might help to monitor the progression of the disease and the development of late GSDIa-associated complications.

TNF-α-stimulated nucleus pulposus cells induce cell apoptosis through the release of exosomal miR-16 targeting IGF-1 and IGF-1R in rats

Background

Exosomes may contain excess cellular components released by cells in response to harmful external stimuli to maintain cellular homeostasis. Inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), can induce cell apoptosis, alter cellular component expression levels, and stimulate exosome release. In this study, we examined whether exosomes released from nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) under inflammatory conditions could induce normal NP cell apoptosis in rats and its underlining mechanism.

Methods

Exosomes were isolated from TNF-α‐treated NPCs and used to treat normal NPCs. The effects were assessed by flow cytometry and western blot analysis. Anti-apoptotic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) expression in NPCs was assessed by western blot analysis. Given the exosomal miRNAs might be the key factors of exosomes, bioinformatics approaches and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to identify IGF-1-regulating micro RNAs (miRNAs), including miR-16. Luciferase reporter assay assessed miR-16 regulation of IGF-1 and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R). NPCs were transfected with miR-16 mimic, and exosomes were applied to normal NPCs. NPCs were pretreated with 10 ng/mL TNF-α, transfected with miR-16 inhibitors, and the exosomes were isolated. Cell and exosome miR-16 levels were detected by qRT-PCR. Western blot analysis determined IGF-1, IGF-1R, and apoptotic marker levels in exosome-treated NPCs.

Results

Exosomes from TNF-α-treated NPCs induced apoptosis in normal NPCs and repressed IGF-1 expression. Exosomal miR-16 regulated IGF-1 and induced NPC apoptosis. The dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-16 binds the 3' untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) of IGF-1 and IGF-1R. Exosomal miR-16 repressed IGF-1 and the IGF-1R/phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway which therefore induced NPC apoptosis. Rescue experiments using miR-16 inhibitors further validated these findings.

Conclusions

The inflammatory factor TNF-α stimulated exosome release from NPCs, which induced the apoptosis of normal NPCs through the actions of exosomal miR-16. Exosomal miR-16 directly repressed the anti-apoptotic IGF-1/IGF-1R pathway, increasing the apoptosis of NPCs.

LncRNA LINC00662 Exerts an Oncogenic Effect on Osteosarcoma by the miR-16-5p/ITPR1 Axis

Background

Osteosarcoma (OS) is one of the most malignant bone tumors and has a high metastatic rate. Increasing research has demonstrated the vital roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human cancers, including OS. LncRNA LINC00662 has been revealed to act as an oncogene involved in multiple tumor progression. This study aimed to investigate the expression pattern, function, and regulatory mechanism of LINC00662 in OS.

Methods

Patients who underwent OS surgery were involved in this study. Experiments including RT-qPCR, MTT, western blot, FISH, RNA pull-down, luciferase reporter, colony formation, transwell invasion and migration, and sphere formation assay were performed to investigate the regulatory role of LINC00662 in OS.

Results

In the present study, our findings demonstrated the upregulation of LINC00662 expression in OS tissues and cells, and high expression of LINC00662 predicted a poor clinical prognosis of patients' iNOS. Through a series of in vivo assays, LINC00662 knockdown suppressed OS cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and stemness property maintenance. Further mechanistical investigations indicated that LINC00662 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for sponging microRNA-16-5p (miR-16-5p) to upregulate the expression of IP receptor type 1 (ITPR1) in OS cells. Restoration assays validated the involvement of ITPR1 in LINC00662-mediated regulation of cell functions in OS.

Conclusion

LINC00662 exerts oncogenic functions in OS by targeting the miR-16-5p/ITPR1 axis.

MicroRNAs as Modulators of Tumor Metabolism, Microenvironment, and Immune Response in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Molecular heterogeneity and absence of biomarkers helping patient allocation to the best therapeutic option contribute to poor prognosis in advanced stages. MicroRNAs’ (miRNAs) deregulated expression contributes to tumor development and progression and influences drug resistance in HCC. Accordingly, miRNAs have been extensively investigated as both biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The diagnostic and prognostic roles of circulating miRNAs have been ascertained, though with some inconsistencies across studies. From a therapeutic perspective, miRNA-based approaches demonstrated safety profiles and antitumor efficacy in HCC animal models. Nevertheless, caution should be used when transferring preclinical findings to the clinic, due to possible molecular inconsistency between animal models and the heterogeneous patterns of human diseases. A wealth of information is offered by preclinical studies exploring the mechanisms driving miRNAs’ aberrant expression, the molecular cascades triggered by miRNAs and the corresponding phenotypic changes. Ex-vivo analyses confirmed these results, further shedding light on the intricacy of the human disease often overcoming pre-clinical models. This complexity seems to be ascribed to the intrinsic heterogeneity of HCC, to different risk factors driving its development, as well as to changes across stages and previous treatments. Preliminary findings suggest that miRNAs associated with specific risk factors might be more informative in defined patients’ subgroups. The first issue to be considered when trying to envisage a possible translational perspective is the molecular context that often drives different miRNA functions, as clearly evidenced by “dual” miRNAs. Concerning the possible roles of miRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets, we will focus on miRNAs’ involvement in metabolic pathways and in the modulation of tumor microenvironment, to support their exploitation in defined contexts.

LINC00649 Facilitates the Cellular Process of Bladder Cancer Cells via Signaling Axis miR-16-5p/JARID2

Bladder cancer (BC), as one of the most common cancers around the world, begins in the inner side of the bladder and is inclined to spread to the remaining parts of the body. Extensive documents have shown that long noncoding RNAs function as stimuli in various cancer types. With regard to LINC00649, there is limited investigation on its role previously. In our research, we discovered that LINC00649 was considerably highly expressed in BC cells and the lack of LINC00649 would cause inactivity in cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion. miR-16-5p turned out to be competitively incorporated by LINC00649 in the upstream or JARID2 downstream. In BC cells, LINC00649 was found to bind with miR-16-5p to increase the expression of JARID2. Overly expressed JARID2 was found to reverse the LINC00649 shortage-mediated suppressive impacts on the cellular process of BC cells. Concisely, it was the first study on the molecular mechanism of LINC00649 in BC. This work detected that LINC00649 enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells by acting as a sponge of miR-16-5p and upregulating JARID2, providing novel insight into understating BC.

Prognostic and Therapeutic Potentials of OncomiRs Modulating mTOR Pathways in Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Dysregulated oncomiRs are attributed to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through targeting mTOR signaling pathway responsible for cell growth and proliferation. The potential of these oncomiRs as biomarker for tumor response or as target for therapy needs to be evaluated.

AIM

Tumor response assessment by OncomiR changes following locoregional therapy (LRT) and targeting of these oncomiRs modulating pathway

Methods

All consecutive viral-HCC patients of BCLC stage-A/B undergoing LRT were included. OncomiRs (miR-21, -221, and -16) change in circulation and AFP-ratio at 1-month post-LRT to baseline was estimated to differentiate various categories of response as per mRECIST criteria. OncomiR modulating mTOR pathway was studied by generating miR-21 and miR-221 overexpressing Huh7 stable cell lines.

Results

Post-LRT tumor response was assessed in 90 viral-HCC patients (CR, 40%; PR, 31%, and PD, 29%). Significant increase of miRNA-21 and -221 expression was observed in PD (p = 0.040, 0.047) and PR patients (miR-21, p = 0.045). Fold changes of miR-21 can differentiate response in group (CR from PR+PD) at AUROC 0.718 (95% CI, 0.572–0.799) and CR from PD at AUROC 0.734 (95% CI, 0.595–0.873). Overexpression of miR-21 in hepatoma cell line had shown increased phosphorylation p70S6K, the downstream regulator of cell proliferation in mTOR pathway. Upregulation of AKT, mTOR, and RPS6KB1 genes were found significant (P < 0.005) and anti-miR-21 specifically reduced mTOR gene (P = 0.02) expression.

Conclusions

The miR-21 fold change correlates well with imaging in predicting tumor response. Overexpression of miR-21 has a role in HCC through mTOR pathway activation and can be targeted.

microRNAs Mediated Regulation of the Ribosomal Proteins and its Consequences on the Global Translation of Proteins

Ribosomal proteins (RPs) are mostly derived from the energy-consuming enzyme families such as ATP-dependent RNA helicases, AAA-ATPases, GTPases and kinases, and are important structural components of the ribosome, which is a supramolecular ribonucleoprotein complex, composed of Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and RPs, coordinates the translation and synthesis of proteins with the help of transfer RNA (tRNA) and other factors. Not all RPs are indispensable; in other words, the ribosome could be functional and could continue the translation of proteins instead of lacking in some of the RPs. However, the lack of many RPs could result in severe defects in the biogenesis of ribosomes, which could directly influence the overall translation processes and global expression of the proteins leading to the emergence of different diseases including cancer. While microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs and one of the potent regulators of the post-transcriptional gene expression, miRNAs regulate gene expression by targeting the 3' untranslated region and/or coding region of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs), and by interacting with the 5' untranslated region, and eventually finetune the expression of approximately one-third of all mammalian genes. Herein, we highlighted the significance of miRNAs mediated regulation of RPs coding mRNAs in the global protein translation.

Participation of MicroRNAs in the Treatment of Cancer with Phytochemicals

Cancer is a global health concern and one of the main causes of disease-related death. Even with considerable progress in investigations on cancer therapy, effective anti-cancer agents and regimens have thus far been insufficient. There has been compelling evidence that natural phytochemicals and their derivatives have potent anti-cancer activities. Plant-based anti-cancer agents, such as etoposide, irinotecan, paclitaxel, and vincristine, are currently being applied in medical treatments for patients with cancer. Further, the efficacy of plenty of phytochemicals has been evaluated to discover a promising candidate for cancer therapy. For developing more effective cancer therapy, it is required to apprehend the molecular mechanism deployed by natural compounds. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been realized to play a pivotal role in regulating cellular signaling pathways, affecting the efficacy of therapeutic agents in cancer. This review presents a feature of phytochemicals with anti-cancer activity, focusing mainly on the relationship between phytochemicals and miRNAs, with insights into the role of miRNAs as the mediators and the regulators of anti-cancer effects of phytochemicals.

The expression of miRNA-146a-5p and its mechanism of treating dry eye syndrome

Objective

Dry eye syndrome in which tear fluid quality or abnormality, or kinetic abnormality is caused by various reasons, resulting in decreased tear film stability. In recent years, more and more results from the studies indicate that miRNA alterations are involved in dry eye syndrome. And miRNA‐146a‐5p is a key regulator to regulate the inflammatory response. In this paper, we demonstrated whether miRNA‐146a‐5p could cure dry eye syndrome by regulating target genes based on network analysis.

Methods

In current study, we collected the blood of patients with dry eye disease served as a model group; the blood of healthy people was served as control group. The expression of miRNA‐146a‐5p in the patients was detected by RT‐PCR, the genes controlled by miRNA‐146a‐5p were predicted by TargetScan, miRDB, miRWalk, and PicTar databases, and the genes regulated by miRNA‐146a‐5p which relative with dry eye disease were selected by drawing Venn diagram.

Results

The comparison of the general information between patients and healthy people was no significant difference, and it indicated that the two groups were comparable. The results of databases showed that IRAK1 was one of the target genes regulated by miRNA‐146a‐5p, and it is related to dry eye disease. The expression of miRNA‐146a‐5p was negatively related to IRAK1 mRNA and protein, while IRAK1 had a positive correlation with IL‐6, TNF‐α, and CBP proteins.

Conclusion

These results emphasized that miRNA‐146a‐5p could inhibit the expression of IRAK1, IL‐6, TNF‐α, and CBP to help reduce the inflammatory response in dry eye syndrome.