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Yuan H, Hu J, Ge QQ, Liu WJ, Ma F, Zhang CY. Construction of a Spatial-Confined Self-Stacking Catalytic Circuit for Rapid and Sensitive Imaging of Piwi-Interacting RNA in Living Cells. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:8732-8740. [PMID: 38958407 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c02230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that repress transposable elements to maintain genome integrity. The canonical catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) circuit relies on random collisions of free-diffused reactant probes, which substantially slow down reaction efficiency and kinetics. Herein, we demonstrate the construction of a spatial-confined self-stacking catalytic circuit for rapid and sensitive imaging of piRNA in living cells based on intramolecular and intermolecular hybridization-accelerated CHA. We rationally design a 3WJ probe that not only accelerates the reaction kinetics by increasing the local concentration of reactant probes but also eliminates background signal leakage caused by cross-entanglement of preassembled probes. This strategy achieves high sensitivity and good specificity with shortened assay time. It can quantify intracellular piRNA expression at a single-cell level, discriminate piRNA expression in tissues of breast cancer patients and healthy persons, and in situ image piRNA in living cells, offering a new approach for early diagnosis and postoperative monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Yuan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Jinping Hu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Qi-Qin Ge
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Wen-Jing Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Fei Ma
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
| | - Chun-Yang Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
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Ahmadi Asouri S, Aghadavood E, Mirzaei H, Abaspour A, Esmaeil Shahaboddin M. PIWI-interacting RNAs (PiRNAs) as emerging biomarkers and therapeutic targets in biliary tract cancers: A comprehensive review. Heliyon 2024; 10:e33767. [PMID: 39040379 PMCID: PMC11261894 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancers affecting the biliary tract, such as gallbladder cancer and cholangiocarcinoma, make up a small percentage of adult gastrointestinal malignancies, but their incidence is on the rise. Due to the lack of dependable molecular biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, these cancers are often not detected until later stages and have limited treatment options. Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a type of small noncoding RNA that interacts with Piwi proteins and has been linked to various diseases, especially cancer. Manipulation of piRNA expression has the potential to serve as an important biomarker and target for therapy. This review uncovers the relationship between PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) and a variety of gastrointestinal cancers, including biliary tract cancer (BTC). It is evident that piRNAs have the ability to impact gene expression and regulate key genes and pathways related to the advancement of digestive cancers. Abnormal expression of piRNAs plays a significant role in the development and progression of digestive-related malignancies. The potential of piRNAs as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as therapeutic targets in BTC, is noteworthy. Nevertheless, there are obstacles and limitations that require further exploration to fully comprehend piRNAs' role in BTC and to devise effective diagnostic and therapeutic approaches using piRNAs. In summary, this review underscores the value of piRNAs as valuable biomarkers and promising targets for treating BTC, as we delve into the association between piRNAs and various gastrointestinal cancers, including BTC, and how piRNAs can impact gene expression and control essential pathways for digestive cancer advancement. The present research consists of a thorough evaluation presented in a storytelling style. The databases utilized to locate original sources were PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar, and the search was conducted using the designated keywords.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Ahmadi Asouri
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Esmat Aghadavood
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Hamed Mirzaei
- Institute for Basic Sciences, Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Alireza Abaspour
- Department of Pathobiology and Laboratory Sciences, School of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Mohammad Esmaeil Shahaboddin
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
- Institute for Basic Sciences, Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
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Kulaeva ED, Muzlaeva ES, Mashkina EV. mRNA-lncRNA gene expression signature in HPV-associated neoplasia and cervical cancer. Vavilovskii Zhurnal Genet Selektsii 2024; 28:342-350. [PMID: 38946889 PMCID: PMC11211991 DOI: 10.18699/vjgb-24-39] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer is one of the most frequent cancers in women and is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) in 70 % of cases. Cervical cancer occurs because of progression of low-differentiated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia through grade 2 and 3 lesions. Along with the protein-coding genes, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the development of malignant cell transformation. Although human papillomavirus is widespread, there is currently no well-characterized transcriptomic signature to predict whether this tumor will develop in the presence of HPV-associated neoplastic changes in the cervical epithelium. Changes in gene activity in tumors reflect the biological diversity of cellular phenotype and physiological functions and can be an important diagnostic marker. We performed comparative transcriptome analysis using open RNA sequencing data to assess differentially expressed genes between normal tissue, neoplastic epithelium, and cervical cancer. Raw data were preprocessed using the Galaxy platform. Batch effect correction, identification of differentially expressed genes, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed using R programming language packages. Subcellular localization of lncRNA was analyzed using Locate-R and iLoc-LncRNA 2.0 web services. 1,572 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were recorded in the "cancer vs. control" comparison, and 1,260 DEGs were recorded in the "cancer vs. neoplasia" comparison. Only two genes were observed to be differentially expressed in the "neoplasia vs. control" comparison. The search for common genes among the most strongly differentially expressed genes among all comparison groups resulted in the identification of an expression signature consisting of the CCL20, CDKN2A, CTCFL, piR-55219, TRH, SLC27A6 and EPHA5 genes. The transcription level of the CCL20 and CDKN2A genes becomes increased at the stage of neoplastic epithelial changes and stays so in cervical cancer. Validation on an independent microarray dataset showed that the differential expression patterns of the CDKN2A and SLC27A6 genes were conserved in the respective gene expression comparisons between groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- E D Kulaeva
- Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
| | - E S Muzlaeva
- Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
| | - E V Mashkina
- Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
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Kunnummal M, Raveendran PS, Basu B, Rani SV, Paul RA, Kuppusamy K, Angelin M, Issac J, James J, Das AV. HPV16 E6/E7-mediated regulation of PiwiL1 expression induces tumorigenesis in cervical cancer cells. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2024; 47:917-937. [PMID: 38036929 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00904-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE PiwiL1 has been reported to be over-expressed in many cancers. However, the molecular mechanism by which these proteins contribute to tumorigenesis and their regulation in cancer cells is still unclear. We intend to understand the role of PiwiL1 in tumorigenesis and also its regulation in cervical cells. METHODS We studied the effect of loss of PiwiL1 function on tumor properties of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Also we have looked into the effect of PiwiL1 overexpression in the malignant transformation of normal cells both in vitro and in vivo. Further RNA-seq and RIP-seq analyses were done to get insight of the direct and indirect targets of PiwiL1 in the cervical cancer cells. RESULTS Here, we report that PiwiL1 is not only over-expressed, but also play a major role in tumor induction and progression. Abolition of PiwiL1 in CaSki cells led to a decrease in the tumor-associated properties, whereas, its upregulation conferred malignant transformation of normal HaCaT cells. Our study delineates a new link between HPV oncogenes, E6 and E7 with PiwiL1. p53 and E2F1 directly bind and differentially regulate PiwiL1 promoter in a context-dependant manner. Further, RNA-seq together with RIP-RNA-seq suggested a strong and direct role for PiwiL1 in promoting metastasis in cervical cancer cells. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates that PiwiL1 act as an oncogene in cervical cancer by inducing tumor-associated properties and EMT pathway. The finding that HPV oncogenes, E6/E7 can positively regulate PiwiL1 suggests a possible mechanism behind HPV-mediated tumorigenesis in cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Midhunaraj Kunnummal
- Cancer Research Program-12, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thycaud. P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-14, Kerala, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Tiger Circle Road, Madhav Nagar, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Pooja Sherly Raveendran
- Cancer Research Program-12, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thycaud. P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-14, Kerala, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Tiger Circle Road, Madhav Nagar, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Budhaditya Basu
- Neuro Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Neurobiology Division, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695 014, India
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RCB), Faridabad, Haryana, 121001, India
| | - Sheri Vidya Rani
- Cancer Research Program-12, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thycaud. P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-14, Kerala, India
| | - Riya Ann Paul
- Neuro Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Neurobiology Division, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695 014, India
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, 695011, Kerala, India
| | - Krithiga Kuppusamy
- Bioscience Research and Training Centre, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University, Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram, 695317, Kerala, India
| | - Mary Angelin
- Cancer Research Program-12, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thycaud. P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-14, Kerala, India
| | - Joby Issac
- Cancer Research Program-12, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thycaud. P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-14, Kerala, India
| | - Jackson James
- Neuro Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Neurobiology Division, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695 014, India
| | - Ani V Das
- Cancer Research Program-12, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (DBT-RGCB), Thycaud. P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-14, Kerala, India.
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Hammad G, Mamdouh S, Seoudi DM, Seleem MI, Safwat G, Mohamed RH. Elevated expression patterns of P-element Induced Wimpy Testis (PIWI) transcripts are potential candidate markers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancer Biomark 2024; 39:95-111. [PMID: 38043006 PMCID: PMC11002723 DOI: 10.3233/cbm-230134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND P-Element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI) proteins, when in combination with PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA), are engaged in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in germline cells. Different types of tumour cells have been found to exhibit abnormal expression of piRNA, PIWIL-mRNAs, and proteins. We aimed to determine the mRNA expression profiles of PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3, & PIWIL4, in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and to associate their expression patterns with clinicopathological features. METHODS The expression patterns of PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3, PIWIL4 mRNA, was assessed via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR), on tissue and serum samples from HCC patients, their impact for diagnosis was evaluated by ROC curves, prognostic utility was determined, and In Silico analysis was conducted for predicted variant detection, association with HCC microRNAs and Network Analysis. RESULTS Expression levels were significantly higher in both HCC tissue and serum samples than in their respective controls (p< 0.001). Additionally, the diagnostic performance was assessed, Risk determination was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION PIWIL mRNAs are overexpressed in HCC tissue and serum samples, the expression patterns could be valuable molecular markers for HCC, due to their association with age, tumour grade and pattern. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to report the expression levels of all PIWIL mRNA and to suggest their remarkable values as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, in addition to their correlation to HCC development. Additionally, a therapeutic opportunity might be also suggested through in silico miRNA prediction for HCC and PIWIL genes through DDX4 and miR-124-3p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gehan Hammad
- Faculty of Biotechnology, October University for Modern Sciences & Arts (MSA), Giza, Egypt
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Samah Mamdouh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Dina Mohamed Seoudi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Ismail Seleem
- Department of Surgery, National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Gehan Safwat
- Faculty of Biotechnology, October University for Modern Sciences & Arts (MSA), Giza, Egypt
| | - Rania Hassan Mohamed
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
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Uppaluri KR, Challa HJ, Gaur A, Jain R, Krishna Vardhani K, Geddam A, Natya K, Aswini K, Palasamudram K, K SM. Unlocking the potential of non-coding RNAs in cancer research and therapy. Transl Oncol 2023; 35:101730. [PMID: 37406550 PMCID: PMC10366642 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of gene expression, with growing evidence implicating their involvement in cancer development and progression. The potential of ncRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancer is promising, with emphasis on their use in liquid biopsy and tissue-based diagnostics. In a nutshell, the review comprehensively summarizes the diverse classes of ncRNAs implicated in cancer, including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs, and their functions and mechanisms of action. Furthermore, we describe the potential therapeutic applications of ncRNAs, including anti-miRNA oligonucleotides, siRNAs, and other RNA-based therapeutics in cancer treatment. However, significant challenges remain in developing effective ncRNA-based diagnostics and therapeutics, including the lack of specificity, limited understanding of mechanisms, and delivery challenges. This review also covers the current state-of-the-art non-coding RNA research technologies and bioinformatic analysis tools. Lastly, we outline future research directions in non-coding RNA research in cancer, including developing novel biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and modalities. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive understanding of non-coding RNAs in cancer and their potential clinical applications, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges in this rapidly evolving field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalyan Ram Uppaluri
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India.
| | - Hima J Challa
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India
| | - Ashish Gaur
- Department of Biotechnology, GLA University, Mathura, India
| | - Rajul Jain
- Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra, India
| | - K Krishna Vardhani
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India
| | - Anusha Geddam
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India
| | - K Natya
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India
| | - K Aswini
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India
| | - Kalyani Palasamudram
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India
| | - Sri Manjari K
- GenepoweRx, Uppaluri K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic, Suit #2B, Plot No. 240, Nirvana, Road No. 36, Jawahar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500033, India.
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Wang X, Ramat A, Simonelig M, Liu MF. Emerging roles and functional mechanisms of PIWI-interacting RNAs. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:123-141. [PMID: 36104626 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00528-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that associate with proteins of the PIWI clade of the Argonaute family. First identified in animal germ line cells, piRNAs have essential roles in germ line development. The first function of PIWI-piRNA complexes to be described was the silencing of transposable elements, which is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the germ line genome. Later studies provided new insights into the functions of PIWI-piRNA complexes by demonstrating that they regulate protein-coding genes. Recent studies of piRNA biology, including in new model organisms such as golden hamsters, have deepened our understanding of both piRNA biogenesis and piRNA function. In this Review, we discuss the most recent advances in our understanding of piRNA biogenesis, the molecular mechanisms of piRNA function and the emerging roles of piRNAs in germ line development mainly in flies and mice, and in infertility, cancer and neurological diseases in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Anne Ramat
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Martine Simonelig
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
| | - Mo-Fang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. .,Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China. .,School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China.
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Wang Q, Chen P, Wang X, Wu Y, Xia K, Mu X, Xuan Q, Xiao J, He Y, Liu W, Song X, Sun F. piR-36249 and DHX36 together inhibit testicular cancer cells progression by upregulating OAS2. Noncoding RNA Res 2023; 8:174-186. [PMID: 36710986 PMCID: PMC9851840 DOI: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs originally reported in the reproductive system of mammals and later found to be aberrantly expressed in tumors. However, the function and mechanism of piRNAs in testicular cancer are not very clear. Methods The expression level and distribution of piR-36249 were detected by RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence staining assay. Testicular cancer cell (NT2) progression was measured by CCK8 assay, colony formation assay and wound healing assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry and western blot. RNA sequencing and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted to identify the potential targets of piR-36249. The relationship between piR-36249 and OAS2 or DHX36 was confirmed using overexpression assay, knockdown assay, pull-down assay and RIP assay. Results piR-36249 is significantly downregulated in testicular cancer tissues compared to tumor-adjacent tissues. Functional studies demonstrate that piR-36249 inhibits testicular cancer cell proliferation, migration and activates the cell apoptosis pathway. Mechanically, we identify that piR-36249 binds to the 3'UTR of 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 2 (OAS2) mRNA. OAS2 has been shown in the literature to be a tumor suppressor modulating the occurrence and development of some tumors. Here, we show that OAS2 knockdown also promotes testicular cancer cell proliferation and migration. Furthermore, piR-36249 interacts with DHX36, which has been reported to promote translation. DHX36 can also bind to OAS2 mRNA, and knockdown of DHX36 increases OAS2 mRNA but downregulates its protein, indicating the enhancing effect of DHX36 on OAS2 protein expression. Conclusion All these data suggest that piR-36249, together with DHX36, functions in inhibiting the malignant phenotype of testicular cancer cells by upregulating OAS2 protein and that piR-36249 may be used as a suppressor factor to regulate the development of testicular cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Wang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Peize Chen
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Xiaorong Wang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Affiliated Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, 226018, China
| | - Yueming Wu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
| | - Kaiguo Xia
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China
| | - Xiangyu Mu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Qiang Xuan
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Jun Xiao
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
| | - Yaohui He
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, China
| | - Wen Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Innovative Drug Target Research, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361102, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Song
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China
- Corresponding author. Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
| | - Fei Sun
- Department of Urology & Andrology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310016, China
- Corresponding author.
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Ray SK, Mukherjee S. Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) and Colorectal Carcinoma: Emerging Non-invasive diagnostic Biomarkers with Potential Therapeutic Target Based Clinical Implications. Curr Mol Med 2023; 23:300-311. [PMID: 35068393 DOI: 10.2174/1566524022666220124102616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) constitute new small non-coding RNA molecules of around 24-31 nucleotides in length, mostly performing regulatory roles for the piwi protein family members. In recent times, developing evidence proposes that piRNAs are expressed in a tissue-specific way in various human tissues and act as moderate vital signalling pathways at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level in addition to mammalian germline. Recent findings, however, show that the unusual expression of piRNAs is an exclusive and discrete feature in several diseases, including many human cancers. Recently, considerable evidence indicates that piRNAs could be dysregulated thus playing critical roles in tumorigenesis. The function and underlying mechanisms of piRNAs in cancer, particularly in colorectal carcinoma, are not fully understood to date. Abnormal expression of piRNAs is emerging as a critical player in cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration in vitro and in vivo. Functionally, piRNAs preserve genomic integrity and regulate the expression of downstream target genes through transcriptional or post-transcriptional mechanisms by repressing transposable elements' mobilization. However, little research has been done to check Piwi and piRNAs' potential role in cancer and preserve genome integrity by epigenetically silencing transposons via DNA methylation, especially in germline cancer stem cells. This review reveals emerging insights into piRNA functions in colorectal carcinoma, revealing novel findings behind various piRNA-mediated gene regulation mechanisms, biogenetic piRNA processes, and possible applications of piRNAs and piwi proteins in cancer diagnosis and their potential clinical significance in the treatment of colorectal carcinoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sukhes Mukherjee
- Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh-462020, India
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Unraveling mitochondrial piRNAs in mouse embryonic gonadal cells. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10730. [PMID: 35750721 PMCID: PMC9232517 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14414-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Although mitochondria are widely studied organelles, the recent interest in the role of mitochondrial small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs), miRNAs, and more recently, piRNAs, is providing new functional perspectives in germ cell development and differentiation. piRNAs (PIWI-interacting RNAs) are single-stranded sncRNAs of mostly about 20-35 nucleotides, generated from the processing of pre-piRNAs. We leverage next-generation sequencing data obtained from mouse primordial germ cells and somatic cells purified from early-differentiating embryonic ovaries and testis from 11.5 to 13.5 days postcoitum. Using bioinformatic tools, we elucidate (i) the origins of piRNAs as transcribed from mitochondrial DNA fragments inserted in the nucleus or from the mitochondrial genome; (ii) their levels of expression; and (iii) their potential roles, as well as their association with genomic regions encoding other sncRNAs (such as tRNAs and rRNAs) and the mitochondrial regulatory region (D-loop). Finally, our results suggest how nucleo-mitochondrial communication, both anterograde and retrograde signaling, may be mediated by mitochondria-associated piRNAs.
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11
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Ojha PS, Maste MM, Tubachi S, Patil VS. Human papillomavirus and cervical cancer: an insight highlighting pathogenesis and targeting strategies. Virusdisease 2022; 33:132-154. [DOI: 10.1007/s13337-022-00768-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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12
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Elevated P-Element-Induced Wimpy-Testis-Like Protein 1 Expression Predicts Unfavorable Prognosis for Patients with Various Cancers. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2021:9982192. [PMID: 35003260 PMCID: PMC8741353 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9982192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence has shown that overexpression of P-element-induced wimpy-testis (PIWI)-like protein 1 (PIWIL1) was associated with unfavorable prognosis of patients with various types of cancers. Herein, we conducted this meta-analysis to identify the clinicopathological and prognostic value of the PIWIL1 expression in cancers. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase) were comprehensively retrieved for relevant studies up to August 4th, 2019. RevMan 5.3 and STATA 12.0 statistical software programs were used to explore the relationships between PIWIL1 expression and the prognosis and clinicopathological features in cancer patients. A total of 13 studies recruiting 2179 patients with 9 types of solid tumors were finally included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that patients with high PIWIL1 expression tended to have a shorter survival, and additionally deeper tumor invasion, higher clinical stage, and more lymph node metastasis. PIWIL1 could serve as a biomarker for prognosis and clinicopathological characteristics in various cancers.
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13
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Mokarram P, Niknam M, Sadeghdoust M, Aligolighasemabadi F, Siri M, Dastghaib S, Brim H, Ashktorab H. PIWI interacting RNAs perspectives: a new avenues in future cancer investigations. Bioengineered 2021; 12:10401-10419. [PMID: 34723746 PMCID: PMC8809986 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1997078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As a currently identified small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) category, the PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are crucial mediators of cell biology. The human genome comprises over 30.000 piRNA genes. Although considered a new field in cancer research, the piRNA pathway is shown by the existing evidence as an active pathway in a variety of different types of cancers with critical impacts on main aspects of cancer progression. Among the regulatory molecules that contribute to maintaining the dynamics of cancer cells, the P-element Induced WImpy testis (PIWI) proteins and piRNAs, as new players, have not been broadly studied so far. Therefore, the identification of cancer-related piRNAs and the assessment of target genes of piRNAs may lead to better cancer prevention and therapy strategies. This review articleaimed to highlight the role and function of piRNAs based on existing data. Understanding the role of piRNA in cancer may provide perspectives on their applications as particular biomarker signature in diagnosis in early stage, prognosis and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooneh Mokarram
- Autophagy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran,Department of Biochemistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran,CONTACT Pooneh Mokarram Department of Biochemistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Maryam Niknam
- Department of Biochemistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammadamin Sadeghdoust
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mashhad Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Farnaz Aligolighasemabadi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mashhad Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Morvarid Siri
- Autophagy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Sanaz Dastghaib
- Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Hassan Brim
- Pathology and Cancer Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Hassan Ashktorab
- Department of Medicine, Gastroenterology Division and Cancer Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, Dc, USA
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14
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Huang S, Yoshitake K, Asakawa S. A Review of Discovery Profiling of PIWI-Interacting RNAs and Their Diverse Functions in Metazoans. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222011166. [PMID: 34681826 PMCID: PMC8538981 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222011166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) that perform crucial biological functions in metazoans and defend against transposable elements (TEs) in germ lines. Recently, ubiquitously expressed piRNAs were discovered in soma and germ lines using small RNA sequencing (sRNA-seq) in humans and animals, providing new insights into the diverse functions of piRNAs. However, the role of piRNAs has not yet been fully elucidated, and sRNA-seq studies continue to reveal different piRNA activities in the genome. In this review, we summarize a set of simplified processes for piRNA analysis in order to provide a useful guide for researchers to perform piRNA research suitable for their study objectives. These processes can help expand the functional research on piRNAs from previously reported sRNA-seq results in metazoans. Ubiquitously expressed piRNAs have been discovered in the soma and germ lines in Annelida, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Crustacea, Arthropoda, and Mollusca, but they are limited to germ lines in Chordata. The roles of piRNAs in TE silencing, gene expression regulation, epigenetic regulation, embryonic development, immune response, and associated diseases will continue to be discovered via sRNA-seq.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songqian Huang
- Correspondence: (S.H.); (S.A.); Tel.: +81-3-5841-5296 (S.A.); Fax: +81-3-5841-8166 (S.A.)
| | | | - Shuichi Asakawa
- Correspondence: (S.H.); (S.A.); Tel.: +81-3-5841-5296 (S.A.); Fax: +81-3-5841-8166 (S.A.)
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15
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Zivarpour P, Asemi Z, Jamilian H, Hallajzadeh J. PiRNAs and PIWI proteins as new biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. GENE REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.genrep.2021.101103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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16
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Kärkkäinen E, Heikkinen S, Tengström M, Kosma VM, Mannermaa A, Hartikainen JM. The debatable presence of PIWI-interacting RNAs in invasive breast cancer. Cancer Med 2021; 10:3593-3603. [PMID: 33960684 PMCID: PMC8178507 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.3915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous factors influence breast cancer (BC) prognosis, thus complicating the prediction of outcome. By identifying biomarkers that would distinguish the cases with poorer response to therapy already at the time of diagnosis, the rate of survival could be improved. Lately, Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have been introduced as potential cancer biomarkers, however, due to the recently raised challenges in piRNA annotations, further evaluation of piRNAs' involvement in cancer is required. We performed small RNA sequencing in 227 fresh-frozen breast tissue samples from the Eastern Finnish Kuopio Breast Cancer Project material to study the presence of piRNAs in BC and their associations with the clinicopathological features and outcome of BC patients. We observed the presence of three small RNAs annotated as piRNA database entries (DQ596932, DQ570994, and DQ571955) in our samples. The actual species of these RNAs however remain uncertain. All three small RNAs were upregulated in grade III tumors and DQ596932 additionally in estrogen receptor negative tumors. Furthermore, patients with estrogen receptor positive BC and higher DQ571955 had shorter relapse-free survival and poorer BC-specific survival, thus indicating DQ571955 as a candidate predictive marker for radiotherapy response in estrogen receptor positive BC. DQ596932 showed possible prognostic value in BC, whereas DQ570994 was identified as a candidate predictive marker for tamoxifen and chemotherapy response. These three small RNAs appear as candidate biomarkers for BC, which could after further investigation provide novel approaches for the treatment of therapy resistant BC. Overall, our results indicate that the prevalence of piRNAs in cancer is most likely not as comprehensive as has been previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmi Kärkkäinen
- School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, and Translational Cancer Research Area, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Sami Heikkinen
- School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,School of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Maria Tengström
- School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Oncology, and Cancer Center of Eastern Finland, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,Cancer Center, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Veli-Matti Kosma
- School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, and Translational Cancer Research Area, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,Department of Clinical Pathology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Arto Mannermaa
- School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, and Translational Cancer Research Area, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,Department of Clinical Pathology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jaana M Hartikainen
- School of Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Pathology and Forensic Medicine, and Translational Cancer Research Area, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
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17
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Le P, Romano G, Nana-Sinkam P, Acunzo M. Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy: Focus on Lung Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13061372. [PMID: 33803619 PMCID: PMC8003033 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last several decades, clinical evaluation and treatment of lung cancers have largely improved with the classification of genetic drivers of the disease, such as EGFR, ALK, and ROS1. There are numerous regulatory factors that exert cellular control over key oncogenic pathways involved in lung cancers. In particular, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have a diversity of regulatory roles in lung cancers such that they have been shown to be involved in inducing proliferation, suppressing apoptotic pathways, increasing metastatic potential of cancer cells, and acquiring drug resistance. The dysregulation of various ncRNAs in human cancers has prompted preclinical studies examining the therapeutic potential of restoring and/or inhibiting these ncRNAs. Furthermore, ncRNAs demonstrate tissue-specific expression in addition to high stability within biological fluids. This makes them excellent candidates as cancer biomarkers. This review aims to discuss the relevance of ncRNAs in cancer pathology, diagnosis, and therapy, with a focus on lung cancer.
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18
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19
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piRNAs as Modulators of Disease Pathogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22052373. [PMID: 33673453 PMCID: PMC7956838 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in understanding disease pathogenesis correlates to modifications in gene expression within different tissues and organ systems. In depth knowledge about the dysregulation of gene expression profiles is fundamental to fully uncover mechanisms in disease development and changes in host homeostasis. The body of knowledge surrounding mammalian regulatory elements, specifically regulators of chromatin structure, transcriptional and translational activation, has considerably surged within the past decade. A set of key regulators whose function still needs to be fully elucidated are small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs). Due to their broad range of unfolding functions in the regulation of gene expression during transcription and translation, sncRNAs are becoming vital to many cellular processes. Within the past decade, a novel class of sncRNAs called PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have been implicated in various diseases, and understanding their complete function is of vital importance. Historically, piRNAs have been shown to be indispensable in germline integrity and stem cell development. Accumulating research evidence continue to reveal the many arms of piRNA function. Although piRNA function and biogenesis has been extensively studied in Drosophila, it is thought that they play similar roles in vertebrate species, including humans. Compounding evidence suggests that piRNAs encompass a wider functional range than small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), which have been studied more in terms of cellular homeostasis and disease. This review aims to summarize contemporary knowledge regarding biogenesis, and homeostatic function of piRNAs and their emerging roles in the development of pathologies related to cardiomyopathies, cancer, and infectious diseases.
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20
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Dong P, Xiong Y, Konno Y, Ihira K, Xu D, Kobayashi N, Yue J, Watari H. Critical Roles of PIWIL1 in Human Tumors: Expression, Functions, Mechanisms, and Potential Clinical Implications. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:656993. [PMID: 33718392 PMCID: PMC7952444 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.656993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA molecules that are 24-31 nucleotides in length. PiRNAs are thought to bind to PIWI proteins (PIWL1-4, a subfamily of Argonaute proteins), forming piRNA/PIWI complexes that influence gene expression at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels. However, it has been recently reported that the interaction of PIWI proteins with piRNAs does not encompass the entire function of PIWI proteins in human tumor cells. PIWIL1 (also called HIWI) is specifically expressed in the testis but not in other normal tissues. In tumor tissues, PIWIL1 is frequently overexpressed in tumor tissues compared with normal tissues. Its high expression is closely correlated with adverse clinicopathological features and shorter patient survival. Upregulation of PIWIL1 drastically induces tumor cell proliferation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, cancer stem-like properties, tumorigenesis, metastasis and chemoresistance, probably via piRNA-independent mechanisms. In this article, we summarize the current existing literature on PIWIL1 in human tumors, including its expression, biological functions and regulatory mechanisms, providing new insights into how the dysregulation of PIWIL1 contributes to tumor initiation, development and chemoresistance through diverse signaling pathways. We also discuss the most recent findings on the potential clinical applications of PIWIL1 in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peixin Dong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Ying Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Department of Gynecology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yosuke Konno
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kei Ihira
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Daozhi Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Noriko Kobayashi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Junming Yue
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
- Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Hidemichi Watari
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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21
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Li XF, Ren P, Shen WZ, Jin X, Zhang J. The expression, modulation and use of cancer-testis antigens as potential biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:7002-7019. [PMID: 33312347 PMCID: PMC7724325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cancer-testis antigens (CTA) are tumor antigens, present in the germ cells of testes, ovaries and trophoblasts, which undergo deregulated expression in the tumor and malignant cells. CTA genes are either X-linked or autosomal, favourably expressed in spermatogonia and spermatocytes, respectively. CTAs trigger unprompted humoral immunity and immune responses in malignancies, altering tumor cell physiology and neoplastic behaviors. CTAs demonstrate varied expression profile, with increased abundance in malignant melanoma and prostate, lung, breast and epithelial cell cancers, and a relatively reduced prevalence in intestinal cancer, renal cell adenocarcinoma and malignancies of immune cells. A combination of epigenetic and non-epigenetic agents regulates CTA mRNA expression, with the key participation of CpG islands and CpG-rich promoters, histone methyltransferases, cytokines, tyrosine kinases and transcriptional activators and repressors. CTA triggers gametogenesis, in association with mutated tumorigenic genes and tumor repressors. The CTAs function as potential biomarkers, particularly for prostate, cervical, breast, colorectal, gastric, urinary bladder, liver and lung carcinomas, characterized by alternate splicing and phenotypic heterogeneity in the cells. Additionally, CTAs are prospective targets for vaccine therapy, with the MAGE-A3 and NYESO-1 undergoing clinical trials for tumor regression in malignant melanoma. They have been deemed important for adaptive immunotherapy, marked by limited expression in normal somatic tissues and recurrent up-regulation in epithelial carcinoma. Overall, the current review delineates an up-dated understanding of the intricate processes of CTA expression and regulation in cancer. It further portrays the role of CTAs as biomarkers and probable candidates for tumor immunotherapy, with a future prospect in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Feng Li
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun, P. R. China
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun, P. R. China
| | - Ping Ren
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun, P. R. China
| | - Wei-Zhang Shen
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun, P. R. China
| | - Xin Jin
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun, P. R. China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Hospital of Jilin UniversityChangchun, P. R. China
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Gebert M, Jaśkiewicz M, Moszyńska A, Collawn JF, Bartoszewski R. The Effects of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Cancer RNAi Therapies. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E3119. [PMID: 33113880 PMCID: PMC7694039 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tremendous progress in RNAi delivery methods and design has allowed for the effective development of siRNA-based therapeutics that are currently under clinical investigation for various cancer treatments. This approach has the potential to revolutionize cancer therapy by providing the ability to specifically downregulate or upregulate the mRNA of any protein of interest. This exquisite specificity, unfortunately, also has a downside. Genetic variations in the human population are common because of the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs lead to synonymous and non-synonymous changes and they occur once in every 300 base pairs in both coding and non-coding regions in the human genome. Much less common are the somatic mosaicism variations associated with genetically distinct populations of cells within an individual that is derived from postzygotic mutations. These heterogeneities in the population can affect the RNAi's efficacy or more problematically, which can lead to unpredictable and sometimes adverse side effects. From a more positive viewpoint, both SNPs and somatic mosaicisms have also been implicated in human diseases, including cancer, and these specific changes could offer the ability to effectively and, more importantly, selectively target the cancer cells. In this review, we discuss how SNPs in the human population can influence the development and success of novel anticancer RNAi therapies and the importance of why SNPs should be carefully considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Gebert
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (M.G.); (M.J.); (A.M.)
| | - Maciej Jaśkiewicz
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (M.G.); (M.J.); (A.M.)
| | - Adrianna Moszyńska
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (M.G.); (M.J.); (A.M.)
| | - James F. Collawn
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA;
| | - Rafał Bartoszewski
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdańsk, 80-416 Gdańsk, Poland; (M.G.); (M.J.); (A.M.)
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23
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Biopathological Significance of PIWI-piRNA Pathway Deregulation in Invasive Breast Carcinomas. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12102833. [PMID: 33008024 PMCID: PMC7600338 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The PIWI-piRNA ribonucleoproteic complexes are pivotal regulators of genome integrity, differentiation and homeostasis and their dysregulation has recently been implicated in carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to analyze the four PIWILs gene expression in invasive breast carcinomas (IBC) at RNA level using quantitative RT-PCR and protein level using immunohistochemistry. In normal breast tissue, PIWILs 2 and 4 were solely expressed, whereas an abnormal emergence of PIWIL1 and 3 was observed in respectively 30% and 6% of IBCs. Conversely, PIWIL2 was underexpressed in 48.3% and PIWIL4 downregulated in 43.3% of IBCs. Similar patterns of PIWIL deregulation were observed in a multitumoral panel, suggesting a generic mechanism in most cancers. PIWIL2 underexpression was significantly associated with DNA methylation and strong cytotoxic immune response. Characterization of the newly recognized PIWIL-piRNA pathway in IBCs opens interesting therapeutic perspectives using piRNAs, hypomethylating drugs, checkpoints immunotherapies and anti-PIWIL 1–3 antibodies. Abstract The PIWI proteins emerging in the development of human cancers, edify PIWI-piRNA ribonucleoproteic complexes acting as pivotal regulators of genome integrity, differentiation and homeostasis. The aim of this study is to analyze the four PIWILs gene expression in invasive breast carcinomas (IBCs): at RNA level using quantitative RT-PCR (n = 526) and protein level using immunohistochemistry (n = 150). In normal breast tissue, PIWILs 2 and 4 were solely expressed, whereas an abnormal emergence of PIWIL1 and 3 was observed in respectively 30% and 6% of IBCs. Conversely, PIWIL2 was underexpressed in 48.3% and PIWIL4 downregulated in 43.3% of IBCs. Significant positive associations were observed between PIWIL4 underexpression, HR+ status and HR+ ERBB2+ molecular subtype and PIWIL2 underexpression, PR- status, ERBB2- status and molecular subtype. Similar patterns of PIWIL deregulation were observed in a multitumoral panel, suggesting a generic mechanism in most cancers. PIWIL2-4 underexpression was mainly regulated at epigenetic or post-transcriptional levels. PIWIL2 underexpression was significantly associated with DNA methylation and strong cytotoxic immune response. PIWIL2-4 were mainly associated with genes implicated in cell proliferation. As a result of this study, characterization of the PIWIL-piRNA pathway in IBCs opens interesting therapeutic perspectives using piRNAs, hypomethylating drugs, checkpoints immunotherapies and anti-PIWIL 1–3 antibodies.
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24
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Erber R, Meyer J, Taubert H, Fasching PA, Wach S, Häberle L, Gaß P, Schulz-Wendtland R, Landgraf L, Olbricht S, Jung R, Beckmann MW, Hartmann A, Ruebner M. PIWI-Like 1 and PIWI-Like 2 Expression in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12102742. [PMID: 32987715 PMCID: PMC7598687 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary A family of proteins, the PIWI proteins, play a crucial role in the regulation of the development of germ cells and self-preservation of so-called stem cells. Former studies have shown that these proteins can be over- or underrepresented (over-/underexpressed) in some cancers and, in the case of abnormal expression, may be correlated with worse outcomes of tumor patients. In our study, we investigated the influence of the two PIWI proteins, PIWI-like 1 and PIWI-like 2, on the survival of breast cancer patients and their correlation with certain breast cancer subtypes. If a breast cancer showed a higher expression of PIWI-like 1 protein but less PIWI-like 2 protein than in non-tumorous tissue, the patient suffered from a more aggressive breast cancer subtype and had shorter survival. By analyzing these two proteins in breast cancer, we were able to predict tumor aggressiveness and prognosis. Abstract PIWI-like 1 and PIWI-like 2 play a role in stem cell self-renewal, and enhanced expression has been reported for several tumor entities. However, few studies have investigated PIWI-like 1 and PIWI-like 2 expressions in breast cancer subtypes regarding prognosis. Therefore, we examined protein expression in a large consecutive cohort of breast cancer patients and correlated it to breast cancer subtypes and survival outcome. PIWI-like 1 and PIWI-like 2 expressions were evaluated using immunohistochemistry in a cohort of 894 breast cancer patients, of whom 363 were eligible for further analysis. Percentage and intensity of stained tumor cells were analyzed and an immunoreactive score (IRS) was calculated. The interaction of PIWI-like 1 and PIWI-like 2 showed a prognostic effect on survival. For the combination of high PIWI-like 1 and low PIWI-like 2 expressions, adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were significantly higher with regard to overall survival (OS) (HR 2.92; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24, 6.90), disease-free survival (DFS) (HR 3.27; 95% CI 1.48, 7.20), and distant disease-free survival (DDFS) (HR 7.64; 95% CI 2.35, 24.82). Both proteins were significantly associated with molecular-like and PAM50 subgroups. Combining high PIWI-like 1 and low PIWI-like 2 expressions predicted poorer prognosis and both markers were associated with aggressive molecular subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Erber
- Institute of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen—Europäische Metropolregion Nürnberg(EMN), University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (L.L.); (S.O.); (R.J.); (A.H.)
- Correspondence: (R.E.); (M.R.); Tel.: +49-9131-85-43634 (R.E.)
| | - Julia Meyer
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (J.M.); (P.A.F.); (L.H.); (P.G.); (M.W.B.)
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Biostatistics Unit, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Helge Taubert
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (H.T.); (S.W.)
| | - Peter A. Fasching
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (J.M.); (P.A.F.); (L.H.); (P.G.); (M.W.B.)
| | - Sven Wach
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (H.T.); (S.W.)
| | - Lothar Häberle
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (J.M.); (P.A.F.); (L.H.); (P.G.); (M.W.B.)
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Biostatistics Unit, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Paul Gaß
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (J.M.); (P.A.F.); (L.H.); (P.G.); (M.W.B.)
| | - Rüdiger Schulz-Wendtland
- Institute of Diagnostic Radiology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Laura Landgraf
- Institute of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen—Europäische Metropolregion Nürnberg(EMN), University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (L.L.); (S.O.); (R.J.); (A.H.)
| | - Sabrina Olbricht
- Institute of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen—Europäische Metropolregion Nürnberg(EMN), University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (L.L.); (S.O.); (R.J.); (A.H.)
| | - Rudolf Jung
- Institute of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen—Europäische Metropolregion Nürnberg(EMN), University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (L.L.); (S.O.); (R.J.); (A.H.)
| | - Matthias W. Beckmann
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (J.M.); (P.A.F.); (L.H.); (P.G.); (M.W.B.)
| | - Arndt Hartmann
- Institute of Pathology, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen—Europäische Metropolregion Nürnberg(EMN), University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (L.L.); (S.O.); (R.J.); (A.H.)
| | - Matthias Ruebner
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU), 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (J.M.); (P.A.F.); (L.H.); (P.G.); (M.W.B.)
- Correspondence: (R.E.); (M.R.); Tel.: +49-9131-85-43634 (R.E.)
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Lin Y, Zheng J, Lin D. PIWI-interacting RNAs in human cancer. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 75:15-28. [PMID: 32877760 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
P-element-induced wimpy testis (PIWI) interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small regulatory RNAs mechanistically similar to but much less studied than microRNAs and small interfering RNAs. Today the best understood function of piRNAs is transposon control in animal germ cells, which has earned them the name 'guardians of the germline'. Several molecular/cellular characteristics of piRNAs, including high sequence diversity, lack of secondary structures, and target-oriented generation seem to serve this purpose. Recently, aberrant expressions of piRNAs and PIWI proteins have been implicated in a variety of malignant tumors and associated with cancer hallmarks such as cell proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, invasion, metastasis and increased stemness. Researchers have also demonstrated multiple mechanisms of piRNA-mediated target deregulation associated with cancer initiation, progression or dissemination. We review current research findings on the biogenesis, normal functions and cancer associations of piRNAs, highlighting their potentials as cancer diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic tools. Whenever applicable, we draw connections with other research fields to encourage intercommunity conversations. We also offer recommendations and cautions regarding the general process of cancer-related piRNA studies and the methods/tools used at each step. Finally, we call attention to some issues that, if left unsolved, might impede the future development of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lin
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics (ICG), Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center (BIOPIC), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Jian Zheng
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, 510060, China
| | - Dongxin Lin
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China and Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, 510060, China; Department of Etiology and Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
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Feng J, Yang M, Wei Q, Song F, Zhang Y, Wang X, Liu B, Li J. Novel evidence for oncogenic piRNA-823 as a promising prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer. J Cell Mol Med 2020; 24:9028-9040. [PMID: 32596991 PMCID: PMC7417729 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.15537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
piRNA‐823 as a member of the piRNA family is reported to promote tumour cell proliferation in multiple myeloma and hepatocellular cancer. However, few studies on the function of piRNA‐823 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Our present study data showed that piRNA‐823 plays an oncogene role in CRC cells. Inhibition of piRNA‐823 can significantly inhibit the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis resistance of CRC cells. Mechanism studies have shown that piRNA‐823 inhibits the ubiquitination of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1 alpha (HIF‐1α) by up‐regulating the expression of Glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and ultimately up‐regulates the glucose consumption of carcinoma cells and inhibits the content of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, we speculate piRNA‐823 promotes the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis resistance of CRC cells by regulating G6PD/HIF‐1α pathway. In this study, we set up the cancer‐promoting function recovery experiment of piRNA‐823 by silencing G6PD gene to confirm the dominance of the above‐mentioned pathways. Using clinical samples, we found that overexpression of piRNA‐823 correlated with poor overall survival and predicted a poor response to adjuvant chemotherapy of patients with CRC. In a word, our research has further enriched the theory of piRNA‐823 promoting the progression of CRC, and laid a solid foundation for the development of piRNA‐823‐based gene therapy for CRC and its use as a promising prognostic biomarker in CRC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junlan Feng
- Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Muqing Yang
- Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qing Wei
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Feifei Song
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Youhua Zhang
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaodong Wang
- Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiyu Li
- Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Chen Z, Yang HJ, Lin Q, Zhu MJ, Yu YY, He XY, Wan XP. Estrogen-ERα signaling and DNA hypomethylation co-regulate expression of stem cell protein PIWIL1 in ERα-positive endometrial cancer cells. Cell Commun Signal 2020; 18:84. [PMID: 32503542 PMCID: PMC7275358 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-020-00563-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background We previously identified PIWIL1 as an oncogene involved in endometrial carcinogenesis. However, the mechanism of Piwil1 mediated regulation of tumorigenesis remains poorly understood. Methods The expression levels of target genes in endometrial cancer cells were detected by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. Up- or down-regulation of ERα or PIWIL1 was achieved by transient transfection with expressing plasmids or short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Dual-luciferase reporter assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were used to demonstrate the ERα bound to the half estrogen response element (half-ERE) located in PIWIL1 promoter. The expression of PIWIL1 and ERα in endometrial carcinoma tissues were investigated using immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR. The proliferation ability of cancer cells were evaluated by MTT. Methylation status of the PIWIL1 promoter was detected by bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP). Results In the present study, we found that PIWIL1 mediated E2-stimulated cancer cell proliferation. In ERα-positive endometrial cancer cells, we demonstrated that estrogen-ERα signaling significantly up-regulated the expression of PIWIL1, which was mediated by binding of the ERα onto the PIWIL1 promoter. Furthermore, we found that a half-ERE in the PIWIL1 promoter was essential for ERα binding. The PIWIL1 promoter was hypomethylated in ERα-positive endometrial cancer cells. Treatment with 5-aza-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) could up-regulate PIWIL1 expression. Conclusions These findings uncover a novel molecular mechanism by which estrogen-ERα signaling and DNA hypomethylation co-regulate PIWIL1 expression. These findings provide novel insights into the hormonal regulation of PIWIL1 in endometrial cancer and the PIWIL1’s role in estrogen-stimulated endometrial carcinogenesis. Video Abstract. (MP4 41319 kb)
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Chen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.910, Hengshan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.,Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua-Jing Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.910, Hengshan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.,Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Qin Lin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.910, Hengshan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.,Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Min-Jiao Zhu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.910, Hengshan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.,Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying-Ying Yu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.910, Hengshan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China.,Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Ying He
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No.910, Hengshan Road, Shanghai, 200030, China. .,Shanghai Municipal Key Clinical Specialty, Shanghai, China. .,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xiao-Ping Wan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Tong Ji University School of Medicine, No. 536, Changle Road, Shanghai, 200080, China.
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Maleki Dana P, Mansournia MA, Mirhashemi SM. PIWI-interacting RNAs: new biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Cell Biosci 2020; 10:44. [PMID: 32211149 PMCID: PMC7092456 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-020-00403-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most important reasons of mortality in the world. However, there are several therapeutic platforms to treat patients who suffering from cancer common treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and etc. The current therapeutic approaches are related to some limitations. Hence, more understanding about molecular mechanisms that involved in cancer particularly in breast cancer pathogenesis, could contribute to provide better therapeutic platforms. Recently, non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs have attracted researchers' attention in the field of cancer due to their functions in gene expression's regulation and functional interactions with other molecules. Interestingly, great advances in next-generation sequencing lead to considering other roles for another non-coding RNAs subgroup called PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in addition to their functions in the germline. Novel studies investigated the role of piRNAs in several cancers including lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, multiple myeloma and colorectal cancer. Hopefully, based on new findings, piRNAs may be a potential biomarker which can be used as a tool to diagnose or treat breast cancer. Thus, this review aimed to discuss the role of piRNAs in breast cancer progression and metastasis as well as its molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Maleki Dana
- 1Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, I.R. of Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Mansournia
- 2Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyyed Mehdi Mirhashemi
- 3Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
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piRNA-independent function of PIWIL1 as a co-activator for anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome to drive pancreatic cancer metastasis. Nat Cell Biol 2020; 22:425-438. [PMID: 32203416 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-020-0486-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Piwi proteins are normally restricted in germ cells to suppress transposons through associations with Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), but they are also frequently activated in many types of human cancers. A great puzzle is the lack of significant induction of corresponding piRNAs in cancer cells, as we document here in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs), which implies that such germline-specific proteins are somehow hijacked to promote tumorigenesis through a different mode of action. Here, we show that in the absence of piRNAs, human PIWIL1 in PDAC functions as an oncoprotein by activating the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) E3 complex, which then targets a critical cell adhesion-related protein, Pinin, to enhance PDAC metastasis. This is in contrast to piRNA-dependent PIWIL1 ubiquitination and removal by APC/C during late spermiogenesis. These findings unveil a piRNA-dependent mechanism to switch PIWIL1 from a substrate in spermatids to a co-activator of APC/C in human cancer cells.
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Small RNA Profiling of piRNAs in Colorectal Cancer Identifies Consistent Overexpression of piR-24000 That Correlates Clinically with an Aggressive Disease Phenotype. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12010188. [PMID: 31940941 PMCID: PMC7016796 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12010188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) represent a novel class of small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that have been shown to have a deregulated expression in several cancers, although their clinical significance in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. With an aim of delineating the piRNA distribution in CRC, we conducted a systematic discovery and validation of piRNAs within two clinical cohorts. In the discovery phase, we profiled tumor and adjacent normal tissues from 18 CRC patients by deep sequencing and identified a global piRNA downregulation in CRC. Moreover, we identified piR-24000 as an unexplored piRNA that was significantly overexpressed in CRC. Using qPCR, we validated the overexpression of piR-24000 in 87 CRC patients. Additionally, we identified a significant association between a high expression of piR-24000 and an aggressive CRC phenotype including poor differentiation, presence of distant metastases, and a higher stage. Lastly, ROC analysis demonstrated a strong diagnostic power of piR-24000 in discriminating CRC patients from normal subjects. Taken together, this study provides one of the earliest large-scale reports of the global distribution of piRNAs in CRC. In addition, piR-24000 was identified as a likely oncogene in CRC that can serve as a biomarker or a therapeutic target.
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Fathizadeh H, Asemi Z. Epigenetic roles of PIWI proteins and piRNAs in lung cancer. Cell Biosci 2019; 9:102. [PMID: 31890151 PMCID: PMC6925842 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-019-0368-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is one of very important malignancies which are related to high mobility and mortality in the world. Despite several efforts for improving diagnosis and treatment strategies of lung cancer, finding and developing new and effective therapeutic and diagnostic are needed. A variety of internal and external factors could be involved in lung cancer pathogenesis. Among internal factors, epigenetic mechanisms have been emerged as very important players in the lung cancer. Non-coding RNAs is known as one of epigenetic regulators which exert their effects on a sequence of cellular and molecular mechanisms. P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs or piR) is one of small non-coding RNAs that the deregulation of these molecules is associated with initiation and progression of different cancers such as lung cancer. Several activities are related to PIWI/piRNA pathway such as suppression of transposons and mobile genetic elements. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated the upregulation or downregulation of PIWI proteins and piRNAs could lead to the increasing of cell proliferation, apoptosis reduction and promoting tumor growth in the lung cancer. Hence, PIWI proteins and piRNA could be introduced as new diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in the lung cancer therapy. Herein, we have focused on PIWI proteins and piRNA functions and their impact on the progression of lung cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadis Fathizadeh
- 1Department of Microbiology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran
| | - Zatollah Asemi
- 2Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran
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Bartoszewski R, Sikorski AF. Editorial focus: understanding off-target effects as the key to successful RNAi therapy. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2019; 24:69. [PMID: 31867046 PMCID: PMC6902517 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-019-0196-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
With the first RNA interference (RNAi) drug (ONPATTRO (patisiran)) on the market, we witness the RNAi therapy field reaching a critical turning point, when further improvements in drug candidate design and delivery pipelines should enable fast delivery of novel life changing treatments to patients. Nevertheless, ignoring parallel development of RNAi dedicated in vitro pharmacological profiling aiming to identify undesirable off-target activity may slow down or halt progress in the RNAi field. Since academic research is currently fueling the RNAi development pipeline with new therapeutic options, the objective of this article is to briefly summarize the basics of RNAi therapy, as well as to discuss how to translate basic research into better understanding of related drug candidate safety profiles early in the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafal Bartoszewski
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Aleksander F. Sikorski
- Department of Cytobiochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
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Hardigan AA, Roberts BS, Moore DE, Ramaker RC, Jones AL, Myers RM. CRISPR/Cas9-targeted removal of unwanted sequences from small-RNA sequencing libraries. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:e84. [PMID: 31165880 PMCID: PMC6698666 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In small RNA (smRNA) sequencing studies, highly abundant molecules such as adapter dimer products and tissue-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) inhibit accurate quantification of lowly expressed species. We previously developed a method to selectively deplete highly abundant miRNAs. However, this method does not deplete adapter dimer ligation products that, unless removed by gel-separation, comprise most of the library. Here, we have adapted and modified recently described methods for CRISPR/Cas9-based Depletion of Abundant Species by Hybridization ('DASH') to smRNA-seq, which we have termed miRNA and Adapter Dimer-DASH (MAD-DASH). In MAD-DASH, Cas9 is complexed with single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting adapter dimer ligation products, alongside highly expressed tissue-specific smRNAs, for cleavage in vitro. This process dramatically reduces adapter dimer and targeted smRNA sequences, can be multiplexed, shows minimal off-target effects, improves the quantification of lowly expressed miRNAs from human plasma and tissue derived RNA, and obviates the need for gel-separation, greatly increasing sample throughput. Additionally, the method is fully customizable to other smRNA-seq preparation methods. Like depletion of ribosomal RNA for mRNA-seq and mitochondrial DNA for ATAC-seq, our method allows for greater proportional read-depth of non-targeted sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew A Hardigan
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Brian S Roberts
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Dianna E Moore
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Ryne C Ramaker
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Angela L Jones
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
| | - Richard M Myers
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL 35806, USA
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Li W, Martinez-Useros J, Garcia-Carbonero N, Fernandez-Aceñero MJ, Ortega-Medina L, Garcia-Botella S, Perez-Aguirre E, Diez-Valladares L, Garcia-Foncillas J. The Prognosis Value of PIWIL1 and PIWIL2 Expression in Pancreatic Cancer. J Clin Med 2019; 8:E1275. [PMID: 31443431 PMCID: PMC6780139 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8091275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive manifestation of cancer, and currently presents poor clinical outcome due to its late diagnosis with metastasic disease. Surgery is the only approach with a curative intend; however, the survival rates seen in this type of patient are still low. After surgery, there is a lack of predictive prognosis biomarkers to predict treatment response and survival to establish a personalized medicine. Human P-element-induced wimpy testis 1 (PIWIL1) and P-element-induced wimpy testis 2 (PIWIL2) proteins act as protectors of germline, and their aberrant expression has been described in several types of tumors. In this study, we aimed to assess an association between PIWIL1 and PIWIL2 expression and the prognosis of biliopancreatic cancer patients. For this, we analyzed protein expression in complete resected tumor samples, and found a significant association between PIWIL2 expression and both progression-free and overall survival (p = 0.036 and p = 0.012, respectively). However, PIWIL2 expression was significantly associated with progression-free survival (p = 0.029), and overall survival (p = 0.025) of such tumors originated in the pancreas, but not in the bile duct or ampulla of Vater. Further analysis revealed that PIWIL1 and PIWIL2, at both mRNA and protein expression levels, correlated positively with factors associated to the progenitor molecular subtype of pancreatic cancer. Based on these findings, PIWIL1 and PIWIL2 expression may be considered a potential prognostic biomarker for resectable pancreatic cancer and may serve to guide subsequent adjuvant treatment decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiyao Li
- Translational Oncology Division, OncoHealth Institute, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital, Av. Reyes Católicos 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Martinez-Useros
- Translational Oncology Division, OncoHealth Institute, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital, Av. Reyes Católicos 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Nuria Garcia-Carbonero
- Translational Oncology Division, OncoHealth Institute, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital, Av. Reyes Católicos 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Maria J Fernandez-Aceñero
- Pathology Department, University Hospital Gregorio Marañon, C/del Dr. Esquerdo 46, 28007 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Ortega-Medina
- Pathology Department, Clinico San Carlos University Hospital, C/Profesor Martin Lagos, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sandra Garcia-Botella
- Surgery Department (Pancreatobiliary Unit), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, C/Profesor Martin Lagos, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Elia Perez-Aguirre
- Surgery Department (Pancreatobiliary Unit), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, C/Profesor Martin Lagos, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Diez-Valladares
- Surgery Department (Pancreatobiliary Unit), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, C/Profesor Martin Lagos, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesus Garcia-Foncillas
- Translational Oncology Division, OncoHealth Institute, Fundacion Jimenez Diaz University Hospital, Av. Reyes Católicos 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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Rigoutsos I, Londin E, Kirino Y. Short RNA regulators: the past, the present, the future, and implications for precision medicine and health disparities. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 58:202-210. [PMID: 31323485 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
We herein provide a brief review of the trajectory that the field of short RNA research followed in the last 25 years. We place emphasis on the unexpected discoveries and the ramifications of these discoveries for the field, as well as offer some thoughts about what the next 25 years may bring. Arguably, the uncovered dependence of different types of short RNAs on individual attributes such as a person's sex, population origin, race, and on tissue type, tissue state, and disease was most unexpected. This dependence has important ramifications in that it will provide a boost to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of health disparities as well as pave the way for novel approaches to designing improved and personalized diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isidore Rigoutsos
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States.
| | - Eric Londin
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States.
| | - Yohei Kirino
- Computational Medicine Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, United States.
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Tan H, Zhu Y, Zheng X, Lu Y, Tao D, Liu Y, Ma Y. PIWIL1 suppresses circadian rhythms through GSK3β-induced phosphorylation and degradation of CLOCK and BMAL1 in cancer cells. J Cell Mol Med 2019; 23:4689-4698. [PMID: 31099187 PMCID: PMC6584488 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.14377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms are maintained by series of circadian clock proteins, and post-translation modifications of clock proteins significantly contribute to regulating circadian clock. However, the underlying upstream mechanism of circadian genes that are responsible for circadian rhythms in cancer cells remains unknown. PIWIL1 participates in many physiological processes and current discoveries have shown that PIWIL1 is involved in tumorigenesis in various cancers. Here we report that PIWIL1 can suppress circadian rhythms in cancer cells. Mechanistically, by promoting SRC interacting with PI3K, PIWIL1 can activate PI3K-AKT signalling pathway to phosphorylate and inactivate GSK3β, repressing GSK3β-induced phosphorylation and ubiquitination of CLOCK and BMAL1. Simultaneously, together with CLOCK/BMAL1 complex, PIWIL1 can bind with E-BOX region to suppress transcriptional activities of clock-controlled genes promoters. Collectively, our findings first demonstrate that PIWIL1 negatively regulates circadian rhythms via two pathways, providing molecular connection between dysfunction of circadian rhythms and tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Tan
- Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation CenterChengduChina
| | - Yingchuan Zhu
- Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation CenterChengduChina
| | - Xulei Zheng
- Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation CenterChengduChina
| | - Yilu Lu
- Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation CenterChengduChina
| | - Dachang Tao
- Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation CenterChengduChina
| | - Yunqiang Liu
- Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation CenterChengduChina
| | - Yongxin Ma
- Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of BiotherapyWest China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation CenterChengduChina
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38
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Andries V, De Keuckelaere E, Staes K, Hochepied T, Taminau J, Lemeire K, Birembaut P, Berx G, van Roy F. A new mouse model to study the role of ectopic Nanos3 expression in cancer. BMC Cancer 2019; 19:598. [PMID: 31208373 PMCID: PMC6580527 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-019-5807-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND NANOS3 is a gene conserved throughout evolution. Despite the quite low conservation of Nanos sequences between different organisms and even between Nanos paralogs, their role in germ cell development is remarkably universal. Human Nanos3 expression is normally restricted to the gonads and the brain. However, ectopic activation of this gene has been detected in various human cancers. Until now, Nanos3 and other Nanos proteins have been studied almost exclusively in germ cell development. METHODS Transgenic mice were generated by targeted insertion of a human Nanos3 cDNA into the ROSA26 locus. The transgene could be spatiotemporally induced by Cre recombinase activity removing an upstream floxed STOP cassette. A lung tumor model with ectopic Nanos3 expression was based on the lung-specific activation of the reverse tetracycline transactivator gene, in combination with a tetO-CMV promoter controlling Cre expression. When doxycycline was provided to the mice, Cre was activated leading to deletion of TP53 alleles and activation of both oncogenic KRasG12D and Nanos3. Appropriate controls were foreseen. Tumors and tumor-derived cell cultures were analyzed in various ways. RESULTS We describe the successful generation of Nanos3LSL/- and Nanos3LSL/LSL mice in which an exogenous human NANOS3 gene can be activated in vivo upon Cre expression. These mice, in combination with different conditional and doxycycline-inducible Cre lines, allow the study of the role of ectopic Nanos3 expression in several cancer types. The Nanos3LSL mice were crossed with a non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) mouse model based on conditional expression of oncogenic KRas and homozygous loss of p53. This experiment demonstrated that ectopic expression of Nanos3 in the lungs has a significant negative effect on survival. Enhanced bronchiolar dysplasia was observed when Nanos3-expressing NSCLC mice were compared with control NSCLC mice. An allograft experiment, performed with cell cultures derived from primary lung tumors of control and Nanos3-expressing NSCLC mice, revealed lymph node metastasis in mice injected with Nanos3-expressing NSCLC cells. CONCLUSIONS A new mouse model was generated allowing examination of Nanos3-associated pathways and investigation of the influence of ectopic Nanos3 expression in various cancer types. This model might identify Nanos3 as an interesting target in cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Andries
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Evi De Keuckelaere
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Katrien Staes
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tino Hochepied
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Joachim Taminau
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kelly Lemeire
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Philippe Birembaut
- INSERM UMRS 1250, Department of Biopathology, CHU Maison-Blanche, University Hospital of Reims & University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, rue Cognacq-Jay 45, 51092, Reims, France
| | - Geert Berx
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frans van Roy
- VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium. .,Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 71, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
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Gan B, Chen S, Liu H, Min J, Liu K. Structure and function of eTudor domain containing TDRD proteins. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2019; 54:119-132. [DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2019.1603199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bing Gan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Sizhuo Chen
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Huan Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Jinrong Min
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, PR China
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ke Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, PR China
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40
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Perera BPU, Tsai ZTY, Colwell ML, Jones TR, Goodrich JM, Wang K, Sartor MA, Faulk C, Dolinoy DC. Somatic expression of piRNA and associated machinery in the mouse identifies short, tissue-specific piRNA. Epigenetics 2019; 14:504-521. [PMID: 30955436 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2019.1600389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that associate with PIWI proteins for transposon silencing via DNA methylation and are highly expressed and extensively studied in the germline. Mature germline piRNAs typically consist of 24-32 nucleotides, with a strong preference for a 5' uridine signature, an adenosine signature at position 10, and a 2'-O-methylation signature at the 3' end. piRNA presence in somatic tissues, however, is not well characterized and requires further systematic evaluation. In the current study, we identified piRNAs and associated machinery from mouse somatic tissues representing the three germ layers. piRNA specificity was improved by combining small RNA size selection, sodium periodate treatment enrichment for piRNA over other small RNA, and small RNA next-generation sequencing. We identify PIWIL1, PIWIL2, and PIWIL4 expression in brain, liver, kidney, and heart. Of note, somatic piRNAs are shorter in length and tissue-specific, with increased occurrence of unique piRNAs in hippocampus and liver, compared to the germline. Hippocampus contains 5,494 piRNA-like peaks, the highest expression among all tested somatic tissues, followed by cortex (1,963), kidney (580), and liver (406). The study identifies 26 piRNA sequence species and 40 piRNA locations exclusive to all examined somatic tissues. Although piRNA expression has long been considered exclusive to the germline, our results support that piRNAs are expressed in several somatic tissues that may influence piRNA functions in the soma. Once confirmed, the PIWI/piRNA system may serve as a potential tool for future research in epigenome editing to improve human health by manipulating DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bambarendage P U Perera
- a Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Zing Tsung-Yeh Tsai
- b Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics , University of Michigan Medical School , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Mathia L Colwell
- c Department of Animal Science , University of Minnesota , St. Paul , MN , USA
| | - Tamara R Jones
- a Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Jaclyn M Goodrich
- a Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Kai Wang
- b Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics , University of Michigan Medical School , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Maureen A Sartor
- b Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics , University of Michigan Medical School , Ann Arbor , MI , USA.,d Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Christopher Faulk
- c Department of Animal Science , University of Minnesota , St. Paul , MN , USA
| | - Dana C Dolinoy
- a Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA.,e Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Public Health , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
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41
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Stöhr CG, Steffens S, Polifka I, Jung R, Kahlmeyer A, Ivanyi P, Weber F, Hartmann A, Wullich B, Wach S, Taubert H. Piwi-like 1 protein expression is a prognostic factor for renal cell carcinoma patients. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1741. [PMID: 30741998 PMCID: PMC6370845 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38254-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Piwi-like genes belong to the Argonaute gene family and are conserved in plants, animals and humans. In addition to their essential role in the germ line and as stem cell-associated genes, Piwi-like proteins play a role in different cancer types but have yet to be studied in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We investigated tissue micro arrays (TMAs) with tumor samples of two independent cohorts of RCC patients (N = 265 and N = 345); we used immunohistochemistry to assess the protein expression of Piwi-like 1. Applying an immunoreactive score (IRS), we found Piwi-like 1 positivity (IRS > 0) in 28.3% and 14.8% of the tumors in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. Piwi-like 1 positivity was correlated with Fuhrman grade, tumor stage and the presence of distant metastasis (P < 0.005). Moreover, in univariate and multivariate analyses (adjusted to Fuhrman grade and tumor stage), Piwi-like 1 positivity was associated with a shorter cancer-specific survival in the patients in the second cohort. In addition, Piwi-like 1 expression allowed to further distinguish the RCC patients with high Fuhrman grade, high tumor stage, distant metastasis or high pre-operative levels of C-reactive protein, as Piwi-like 1 positivity was associated with a shorter cancer-specific survival in both cohorts. Our data encourage further investigations to enlighten the role of Piwi-like 1 and its function as a marker of poor prognosis in RCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine G Stöhr
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sandra Steffens
- Clinic for Urology, University Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany.,Department of Urology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Iris Polifka
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Jung
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Kahlmeyer
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Philipp Ivanyi
- Department of Hematology, Hemostasis, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Florian Weber
- Institute of Pathology, University Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Arndt Hartmann
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bernd Wullich
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Sven Wach
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Helge Taubert
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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42
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Eckstein M, Jung R, Weigelt K, Sikic D, Stöhr R, Geppert C, Agaimy A, Lieb V, Hartmann A, Wullich B, Wach S, Taubert H. Piwi-like 1 and -2 protein expression levels are prognostic factors for muscle invasive urothelial bladder cancer patients. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17693. [PMID: 30523270 PMCID: PMC6283838 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35637-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Piwi-like proteins are essential for stem-cell maintenance and self-renewal in multicellular organisms. We analyzed the expression of Piwi-like 1 and Piwi-like 2 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 95 muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) samples using tissue microarray. Application of an immunoreactive score (IRS) revealed 37 and 45 patients who were Piwi-like 1 and -2 positive (IRS > 2). IHC results were correlated with clinico-pathological and survival data. The expression of both proteins was positively correlated with each other, lymph node metastasis and expression of CK20 and GATA 3. A negative correlation for both proteins was detected for disease-specific survival (DSS), recurrence, Ki67/MIB1 proliferation index, and CK5 expression. Detection of Piwi-like 1 protein positivity was associated with poor DSS (P = 0.019; log rank test, Kaplan-Meier analysis), and in multivariate Cox’s analysis (adjusted to tumor stage and tumor grade), it was an independent prognostic factor for DSS (RR = 2.16; P = 0.011). Piwi-like 2 positivity was associated with DSS (P = 0.008) and recurrence-free survival (RFS; P = 0.040), and in multivariate Cox’s analysis, Piwi-like 2 positivity was an independent prognostic factor for DSS (RR = 2.46; P = 0.004) and RFS (RR = 3.0; P = 0.003). Most interestingly, in the basal type patient subgroup (CK5+/GATA3−), Piwi-like 2 positivity was associated with poorer DSS, OS and RFS (P < 0.001, P = 0.004 and P = 0.05; log rank test). In multivariate analysis, Piwi-like 2 positivity was an independent prognostic factor for DSS (RR = 12.70; P = 0.001), OS (RR = 6.62; = 0.008) and RFS (RR=13.0; P = 0.040). In summary, Piwi-like 1 and -2 positivity are associated with clinico-pathological factors and survival. Both Piwi-like proteins are suggested as biomarkers for MIBC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Eckstein
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Rudolf Jung
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Katrin Weigelt
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Danijel Sikic
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Robert Stöhr
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Carol Geppert
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Abbas Agaimy
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Verena Lieb
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Arndt Hartmann
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Bernd Wullich
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Sven Wach
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Helge Taubert
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
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43
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Zhao C, Tolkach Y, Schmidt D, Toma M, Muders MH, Kristiansen G, Müller SC, Ellinger J. Mitochondrial PIWI-interacting RNAs are novel biomarkers for clear cell renal cell carcinoma. World J Urol 2018; 37:1639-1647. [DOI: 10.1007/s00345-018-2575-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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44
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Das B, Roy J, Jain N, Mallick B. Tumor suppressive activity of PIWI-interacting RNA in human fibrosarcoma mediated through repression of RRM2. Mol Carcinog 2018; 58:344-357. [DOI: 10.1002/mc.22932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Basudeb Das
- RNAi and Functional Genomics Lab; Department of Life Science; National Institute of Technology; Rourkela Odisha India
| | - Jyoti Roy
- RNAi and Functional Genomics Lab; Department of Life Science; National Institute of Technology; Rourkela Odisha India
| | - Neha Jain
- RNAi and Functional Genomics Lab; Department of Life Science; National Institute of Technology; Rourkela Odisha India
| | - Bibekanand Mallick
- RNAi and Functional Genomics Lab; Department of Life Science; National Institute of Technology; Rourkela Odisha India
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45
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Abstract
Epigenetics can be explored at different levels and can be divided into two major areas: epigenetics of nuclear-encoded DNA and epigenetics of mitochondrial-encoded DNA. In epigenetics of nuclear-encoded DNA, the main roles are played by DNA methylation, changes in histone structure and several types of non-coding RNAs. Mitochondrial epigenetics seems to be similar in the aspect of DNA methylation and to some extent in the role of non-coding RNAs but differs significantly in changes in components coiling DNA. Nuclear DNA is coiled around histones, but mitochondrial DNA, together with associated proteins, is located in mitochondrial pseudocompartments called nucleoids. It has been shown that mitochondrial epigenetic mechanisms influence cell fate, transcription regulation, cell division, cell cycle, physiological homeostasis, bioenergetics and even pathologies, but not all of these mechanisms have been explored in stem cells. The main issue is that most of these mechanisms have only recently been discovered in mitochondria, while improvements in methodology, especially next-generation sequencing, have enabled in-depth studies. Because studies exploring mitochondria from other aspects show that mitochondria are crucial for the normal behavior of stem cells, it is suggested that precise mitochondrial epigenetics in stem cells should be studied more intensively.
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46
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Balaratnam S, West N, Basu S. A piRNA utilizes HILI and HIWI2 mediated pathway to down-regulate ferritin heavy chain 1 mRNA in human somatic cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:10635-10648. [PMID: 30102404 PMCID: PMC6237762 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The piwi interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that specifically bind to the PIWI proteins, a functional requirement. The piRNAs regulate germline development, transposons control, and gene expression. However, piRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation in human somatic cells is not well understood. We discovered a human piRNA (piR-FTH1) which has a complementary sequence in the ferritin heavy chain 1 (Fth1) mRNA. We demonstrated that expression of piR-FTH1 and Fth1 are inversely correlated in the tested tumor cell lines. We found that piR-FTH1 negatively regulates the Fth1 expression at post-transcriptional level in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Additionally, we confirmed that transfected piR-FTH1 knocks down the Fth1 mRNA via the HIWI2 and HILI mediated mechanism. piR-FTH1 mediated Fth1 repression also increased doxorubicin sensitivity by a remarkable 20-fold in TNBC cells. Since the current piRNA-mediated knockdowns of target mRNA are mostly reported in germ line cells, piRNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene regulation in somatic cells is rather unique in its application and mechanistically uses an alternative pathway to siRNA and miRNA. This work begins to lay the groundwork with a broader impact on treatment of various diseases that are linked to elevated levels of specific mRNAs which have a piRNA target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumirtha Balaratnam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Nicole West
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Soumitra Basu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
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47
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Gebert M, Bartoszewska S, Janaszak-Jasiecka A, Moszyńska A, Cabaj A, Króliczewski J, Madanecki P, Ochocka RJ, Crossman DK, Collawn JF, Bartoszewski R. PIWI proteins contribute to apoptosis during the UPR in human airway epithelial cells. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16431. [PMID: 30401887 PMCID: PMC6219583 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34861-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Small noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs) post-transcriptionally regulate a large portion of the human transcriptome. miRNAs have been shown to play an important role in the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular adaptive mechanism that is important in alleviating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and promoting cell recovery. Another class of small noncoding RNAs, the Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) together with PIWI proteins, was originally shown to play a role as repressors of germline transposable elements. More recent studies, however, indicate that P-element induced WImpy proteins (PIWI proteins) and piRNAs also regulate mRNA levels in somatic tissues. Using genome-wide small RNA next generation sequencing, cell viability assays, and caspase activity assays in human airway epithelial cells, we demonstrate that ER stress specifically up-regulates total piRNA expression profiles, and these changes correlate with UPR-induced apoptosis as shown by up-regulation of two pro-apoptotic factor mRNAs, CHOP and NOXA. Furthermore, siRNA knockdown of PIWIL2 and PIWIL4, two proteins involved in piRNA function, attenuates UPR-related cell death, inhibits piRNA expression, and inhibits the up-regulation of CHOP and NOXA mRNA expression. Hence, we provide evidence that PIWIL2 and PIWIL4 proteins, and potentially the up-regulated piRNAs, constitute a novel epigenetic mechanism that control cellular fate during the UPR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Gebert
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Sylwia Bartoszewska
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Anna Janaszak-Jasiecka
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Adrianna Moszyńska
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Cabaj
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jarosław Króliczewski
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Piotr Madanecki
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Renata J Ochocka
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - David K Crossman
- Department of Genetics, Heflin Center for Genomic Science, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - James F Collawn
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Rafal Bartoszewski
- Department of Biology and Pharmaceutical Botany, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
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48
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Heng ZSL, Lee JY, Subhramanyam CS, Wang C, Thanga LZ, Hu Q. The role of 17β‑estradiol‑induced upregulation of Piwi‑like 4 in modulating gene expression and motility in breast cancer cells. Oncol Rep 2018; 40:2525-2535. [PMID: 30226541 PMCID: PMC6151878 DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A majority of breast cancer cases are positive for the estrogen receptor (ER), which means that they can respond to the estrogen hormone to achieve growth. Hence, the ER signaling pathway has been extensively targeted in pharmaceutical research and development in order to suppress tumor growth. However, prevalent hormone therapy and targeted therapy often become ineffective as cancer cells ultimately develop resistance, suggesting that there could be unidentified signaling molecules and events that regulate breast cancer growth. Notably, recent studies have uncovered that Piwi-like (Piwil) proteins, which were initially found in germline cells, are expressed in a wide spectrum of human cancers, including breast cancers. Although Piwil proteins have been well established to silence retrotransposons and to promote heterochromatin formation in germline cells, their somatic functions in cancer cells remain largely unknown. In the present study, we profiled the expression of four Piwi homologs in an ER-positive breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, and found that only Piwil4 was upregulated by 17β-estradiol treatment. Notably, Piwil4 upregulation was not observed in an ER-positive but non-tumorigenic breast cancer cell line, MCF-12A. In addition, the induced expression of Piwil4 was dependent on estrogen/ERα signaling. To explore the biological significance of Piwil4 in breast cancer growth, we knocked down Piwil4 with multiple siRNAs and observed the suppressed expression of some canonical targets of ER. The knockdown of Piwil4 expression also decreased the migration and invasion capabilities of MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the loss-of-function of Piwil4 reduced the motility of MCF-7 cells in wound-healing assays, which could be associated to decreased expression of vimentin and N-cadherin. Collectively, these findings revealed that Piwil4 is a novel regulator of ER signaling that could be targeted to inhibit breast cancer growth and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zealyn Shi Lin Heng
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117594, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jing Yi Lee
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117594, Republic of Singapore
| | | | - Cheng Wang
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117594, Republic of Singapore
| | - Lal Zo Thanga
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117594, Republic of Singapore
| | - Qidong Hu
- Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117594, Republic of Singapore
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Li H, Shi CX, Liu H, Zhang HH, Sang HM, Soyfoo MD, Cao JL, Xu SF, Jiang JX. Hiwi overexpression does not affect proliferation, migration or apoptosis of liver cancer cells in vitro or in vivo. Oncol Lett 2018; 15:9711-9718. [PMID: 29928347 PMCID: PMC6004705 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Piwi like RNA-mediated gene silencing 1 (Hiwi) is a human homolog of the Piwi gene family that has been reported to be upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study aimed to investigate the role of Hiwi in the initiation and development of HCC in vitro and in vivo. Adenovirus-mediated Hiwi overexpression was established in primary murine hepatocytes and SMMC7721 HCC cells. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed using MTT and EdU assays, respectively. Cell migration was measured using a scratch migration assay. The cell cycle was assessed using flow cytometry, and the expression of genes associated with the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) was assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. SMMC7721 cells that stably express Hiwi were also generated and injected subcutaneously into the nude mice, and tumor growth was examined. Recombinant adenovirus encoding green fluorescent protein or Hiwi was delivered by injection into the tail vein, and its effect on murine hepatocyte gene expression was studied. The present study revealed that the overexpression of Hiwi did not affect the proliferation or migration of liver cancer cells and failed to suppress perifosine- or doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in vitro. The tumors of mice that were injected with Hiwi-expressing SMMC7721 cells were not significantly larger compared with mice that were injected with control SMMC7721 cells. Hiwi overexpression did not noticeably alter the expression of genes involved in EMT, either in vitro or in vivo. The results of the present study indicate that although expression of Hiwi is associated with HCC development and progression in the clinic, it does not act as an oncogene in liver cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, P.R. China
| | - Chen-Xi Shi
- Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, P.R. China
| | - Hui Liu
- Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166, P.R. China
| | - Hai-Han Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Huai-Ming Sang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Muhammad-Djaleel Soyfoo
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Jiu-Liang Cao
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Shun-Fu Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
| | - Jian-Xia Jiang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, P.R. China
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50
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Klotz B, Kneitz S, Regensburger M, Hahn L, Dannemann M, Kelso J, Nickel B, Lu Y, Boswell W, Postlethwait J, Warren W, Kunz M, Walter RB, Schartl M. Expression signatures of early-stage and advanced medaka melanomas. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2018; 208:20-28. [PMID: 29162497 PMCID: PMC5936653 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2017.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Melanoma is one of the most aggressive tumors with a very low survival rate once metastasized. The incidence of newly detected cases increases every year suggesting the necessity of development and application of innovative treatment strategies. Human melanoma develops from melanocytes localized in the epidermis of the skin to malignant tumors because of deregulated effectors influencing several molecular pathways. Despite many advances in describing the molecular changes accompanying melanoma formation, many critical and clinically relevant molecular features of the transformed pigment cells and the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. To contribute to a better understanding of the molecular processes of melanoma formation, we use a transgenic medaka melanoma model that is well suited for the investigation of melanoma tumor development because fish and human melanocytes are both localized in the epidermis. The purpose of our study was to gain insights into melanoma development from the first steps of tumor formation up to melanoma progression and to identify gene expression patterns that will be useful for monitoring treatment effects in drug screening approaches. Comparing transcriptomes from juvenile fish at the tumor initiating stage with nevi and advanced melanoma of adults, we identified stage specific expression signatures and pathways that are characteristic for the development of medaka melanoma, and are also found in human malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Klotz
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.
| | - Susanne Kneitz
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.
| | - Martina Regensburger
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.
| | - Lena Hahn
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.
| | - Michael Dannemann
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Janet Kelso
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Birgit Nickel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Yuan Lu
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - William Boswell
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - John Postlethwait
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, OR 97401, USA
| | - Wesley Warren
- Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, 4444 Forest Park Blvd., St Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Manfred Kunz
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University of Leipzig, Philipp-Rosenthal-Str. 23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ronald B. Walter
- The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
| | - Manfred Schartl
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University of Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
- Hagler Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
- Corresponding author: Prof. Dr. Manfred Schartl, Tel.: +49 931 31 84148; fax: +49 931 31 84150. (M. Schartl)
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