MiR-431 suppresses proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer via down-regulating DDX5

Jaceosidin inhibits the progression and metastasis of NSCLC by regulating miR-34c-3p/Integrin α2β1 axis

Non-coding RNAs are crucial for cancer progression, among which miR-34c-3p has been demonstrated to be a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we attempt to identify flavonoids that can up-regulate miR-34c-3p expression, evaluate the anticancer activity of the flavonoids and explore its underlying mechanism in NSCLC cells. Six flavonoids were screened by RT-qPCR and we found that jaceosidin significantly increased miR-34c-3p expression in A549 cells. We found that jaceosidin inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 and H1975 cells in a dose-relevant manner, indicated by cell counting kit (CCK-8) assay, wound healing assay, transwell assay and EdU assay, we observed that jaceosidin inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 and H1975 cells in a dose-relevant manner. Further research suggested that miR-34c-3p bound to the transcriptome of integrin α2β1 and then inhibited its expression, leading to the inhibitory effect on the migration and invasion of NSCLC. Our study sheds some light on anti-tumor of jaceosidin and provides a potential lead compound for NSCLC therapy.

LINC01342 silencing upregulates microRNA-508-5p to inhibit progression of lung cancer by reducing cysteine-rich secretory protein 3

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical players during cancer progression. Nevertheless, the effect of most lncRNAs in lung cancer (LC) remains unclear. We aimed to explore the role of LINC01342 in LC development through the microRNA-508-5p (miR-508-5p)/cysteine-rich secretory protein 3 (CRISP3) axis. LINC01342, miR-508-5p, and CRISP3 expression in clinical samples and cell lines were determined, and their correlations in LC were analyzed. The prognostic role of LINC01342 in LC patients was evaluated. LC cells were screened and, respectively, transfected to alter the expression of LINC01342, miR-508-5p, and CRISP3. Then, proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of transfected LC cells were determined, and the in vivo tumor growth was observed as well. Binding relationships between LINC01342 and miR-508-5p, and between miR-508-5p and CRISP3 were identified. LINC01342 and CRISP3 were upregulated and miR-508-5p was downregulated in LC tissues and cells. High LINC01342 expression indicated a poor prognosis of LC patients. The LINC01342/CRISP3 silencing or miR-508-5p elevation inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of LC cells and promoted LC cell apoptosis, and also suppressed the in vivo tumor growth. LINC01342 bound to miR-508-5p and miR-508-5p targeted CRISP3. LINC01342 plays a prognostic role in LC and LINC01342 silencing upregulates miR-508-5p to inhibit the progression of LC by reducing CRISP3.

Circular RNA circEGFR regulates tumor progression via the miR-106a-5p/DDX5 axis in colorectal cancer

Recently, an increasing number of studies have reported that dysregulation of circular RNA (circRNA) expression plays critical roles in the progression of several cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of circRNAs involvement in CRC remain largely unknown. Here, we confirmed that the level of circEGFR was significantly increased in CRC tissues compared to matched adjacent non-tumor tissues, and a high level of circEGFR was correlated with poor clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Moreover, increased circEGFR expression promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Mechanistically, circEGFR acted as a ceRNA for miR-106a-5p to relieve the repressive effect of miR-106a-5p on DDX5 mRNA. Moreover, circEGFR enhanced DDX5 expression, thereby upregulating p-AKT levels. Together, these findings showed that circEGFR promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through the miR-106a-5p/DDX5/AKT axis, and may serve as a promising diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for CRC patients.

TUG1 promotes retinoblastoma progression by sponging miR-516b-5p to upregulate H6PD expression

Background

Retinoblastoma (RB), depicted as an aggressive eye cancer, mainly occurs in infancy and childhood and is followed by high mortality and poor prognosis. Increasing evidence has revealed that long noncoding RNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) is closely linked to the progression of diverse cancers. Nonetheless, the specific function and molecular regulatory mechanism of TUG1 in RB still need to be explored.

Methods

To explore the specific role of TUG1 in RB. TUG1 expression was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (EdU), caspase-3, terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) and western blot assays were utilized to study the role of TUG1 in RB. The binding relation between miR-516b-5p and TUG1 or hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase/glucose 1-dehydrogenase (H6PD) was analyzed by luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays.

Results

The expression of TUG1 was upregulated in RB cells. TUG1 knockdown repressed proliferation ability and promoted apoptosis ability of RB cells. Moreover, TUG1 could bind with miR-516b-5p, which targeted H6PD in RB. In addition, the expression of H6PD was negatively and positively regulated by miR-516b-5p and TUG1 in RB, respectively. Finally, H6PD overexpression could partially offset the effects of TUG1 deficiency on cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Conclusions

TUG1 promoted the development of RB by sponging miR-516b-5p to upregulate H6PD expression, which might provide a new thought for researching RB-related molecular mechanism.

Hypoxia-induced circular RNA hsa_circ_0008450 accelerates hepatocellular cancer progression via the miR-431/AKAP1 axis

Hypoxia facilitates the progression of numerous cancers. Circular RNAs (circRNA) have been revealed to be involved in the process of tumors mediated by hypoxia. However, the role and molecular mechanism of circular RNA hsa_circ_0008450 (circ_0008450) in hepatocellular cancer (HCC) under hypoxic conditions has been rarely reported. Expression levels of circ_0008450, microRNA(miR)-431 and A-kinase anchor protein 1 (AKAP1) were examined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Cell viability, apoptosis and glycolysis were assessed via Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometry and glycolysis assays, respectively. The association between circ_0008450 or AKAP1 and miR-431 was verified via dual-luciferase reporter assays. Protein levels of AKAP1 were detected by western blotting. Effect of hsa_circ_0008450 on tumor growth in vivo was confirmed by xenograft assays. Circ_0008450 was upregulated in HCC tissues and hypoxia-disposed HCC cells. Depletion of circ_0008450 suppressed tumor growth in vivo and reversed the repression of apoptosis and the acceleration of viability and glycolysis of HCC cells induced by hypoxia treatment in vitro. Notably, circ_0008450 regulated AKAP1 expression by sponging miR-431. Furthermore, miR-431 inhibition reversed the circ_0008450 silencing-mediated effects on viability, apoptosis and glycolysis in hypoxia-treated HCC cells. Additionally, AKAP1 enhancement abolished the effects of miR-431 upregulation on the viability, apoptosis and glycolysis in hypoxia-treated HCC cells. In conclusion, circ_0008450 repression mitigated the progression of HCC under hypoxia by downregulating AKAP1 via miR-431, providing a potential target for HCC treatment.

MicroRNA-431 serves as a tumor inhibitor in breast cancer through targeting FGF9

Breast cancer has become an important public health problem. Moreover, the functions of microRNA-431 (miR-431) have been detected in human cancers other than breast cancer. Hence, we investigated the role of miR-431 in progression of breast cancer. RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were performed to assess expression of miR-431 and genes. The regulatory mechanism of miR-431 was investigated using MTT, Transwell and luciferase reporter assay. Decreased miR-431 expression was identified in breast cancer, which was related to aggressive behavior. Furthermore, miR-431 restrained cell proliferation, metastasis and EMT in breast cancer. miR-431 induced apoptosis through enhancing Bax expression. In addition, miR-431 was found to directly target FGF9. Moreover, upregulation of FGF9 impaired the anti-tumor effect of miR-431 in breast cancer. miR-431 restrained cell viability and metastasis in breast cancer through targeting FGF9, indicating that miR-431 serves as a tumor inhibitor in breast cancer.