Lnc-HSD17B11-1:1 Functions as a Competing Endogenous RNA to Promote Colorectal Cancer Progression by Sponging miR-338-3p to Upregulate MACC1

MACC1 revisited - an in-depth review of a master of metastasis

Cancer metastasis remains the most lethal characteristic of tumors mediating the majority of cancer-related deaths. Identifying key molecules responsible for metastasis, understanding their biological functions and therapeutically targeting these molecules is therefore of tremendous value. Metastasis Associated in Colon Cancer 1 (MACC1), a gene first described in 2009, is such a key driver of metastatic processes, initiating cellular proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Since its discovery, the value of MACC1 as a prognostic biomarker has been confirmed in over 20 cancer entities. Additionally, several therapeutic strategies targeting MACC1 and its pro-metastatic functions have been developed. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview on MACC1, from its clinical relevance, towards its structure and role in signaling cascades as well as molecular networks. We will highlight specific biological consequences of MACC1 expression, such as an increase in stem cell properties, its immune-modulatory effects and induced therapy resistance. Lastly, we will explore various strategies interfering with MACC1 expression and/or its functions. Conclusively, this review underlines the importance of understanding the role of individual molecules in mediating metastasis.

LncRNA-SERB promotes vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation and tumor metastasis in renal cell carcinoma

A growing body of evidence shows that vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is closely related to the invasion and metastasis of many tumor cells. Although the estrogen receptor (ER) can promote initiation and progression of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), how the downstream biomolecules are involved, and the detailed mechanisms of how ER expression is elevated in RCC remain to be further elucidated. Here, we discovered that long noncoding RNA (LncRNA)-SERB is highly expressed in tumor cells of RCC patients. We used multiple RCC cells and an in vivo mouse model for our study, and results indicated that LncRNA-SERB could boost RCC VM formation and cell invasion in vitro and in vivo. Although a previous report showed that ERβ can affect the VM formation in RCC, it is unclear which factor could upregulate ERβ. This is the first study to show LncRNA-SERB can be the upstream regulator of ERβ to control RCC progression. Mechanistically, LncRNA-SERB may increase ERβ via binding to the promoter area, and ERβ functions through transcriptional regulation of zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) to regulate VM formation. These results suggest that LncRNA-SERB promotes RCC cell VM formation and invasion by upregulating the ERβ/ZEB1 axis and that therapeutic targeting of this newly identified pathway may better inhibit RCC progression.

Decoding the regulatory landscape of lncRNAs as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for gastric and colorectal cancers

Colorectal cancer (CRC) and gastric cancer (GC) are major contributors to cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite advancements in understanding molecular mechanisms and improved drug treatments, the overall survival rate for patients remains unsatisfactory. Metastasis and drug resistance are major challenges contributing to the high mortality rate in both CRC and GC. Recent research has shed light on the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the development and progression of these cancers. LncRNAs regulate gene expression through various mechanisms, including epigenetic modifications and interactions with microRNAs (miRNAs) and proteins. They can serve as miRNA precursors or pseudogenes, modulating gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Additionally, circulating lncRNAs have emerged as non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of drug therapy response in CRC and GC. This review explores the intricate relationship between lncRNAs and CRC/GC, encompassing their roles in cancer development, progression, and chemoresistance. Furthermore, it discusses the potential of lncRNAs as therapeutic targets in these malignancies. The interplay between lncRNAs, miRNAs, and tumor microenvironment is also highlighted, emphasizing their impact on the complexity of cancer biology. Understanding the regulatory landscape and molecular mechanisms governed by lncRNAs in CRC and GC is crucial for the development of effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as novel therapeutic strategies. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge and paves the way for further exploration of lncRNAs as key players in the management of CRC and GC.

Exosomal Circ_FMN2 Derived from the Serum of Colorectal Cancer Patients Promotes Cancer Progression by miR-338-3p/MSI1 Axis

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract with high incidence and mortality. Exosomal circular RNA (circRNA) has been shown to be associated with the malignant progression of cancers, including CRC. Circ_0005100 (named as circ_FMN2) has been shown to promote CRC cell proliferation and migration. However, whether exosomal circ_FMN2 participated in CRC progression remains unclear.

METHODS

Exosomes were isolated from the serum of CRC patients and then identified using transmission electron microscope. Western blot assay was used to test the protein levels of exosome markers, proliferation-related marker, metastasis-related markers and musashi-1 (MSI1). The expression levels of circ_FMN2, microRNA (miR)-338-3p and MSI1 were detected by qPCR. Flow cytometry, colony formation assay, MTT assay, and transwell assay were employed to measure cell cycle, apoptosis, colony formation ability, viability, migration and invasion. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to assess the interaction between miR-338-3p and circ_FMN2 or MSI1. BALB/c nude mice was used to conduct animal experiments.

RESULTS

Circ_FMN2 was overexpressed in the exosomes of CRC patient's serums and CRC cells. Overexpressed exosomal circ_FMN2 could promote CRC cell proliferation, metastasis, and suppress apoptosis. Circ_FMN2 acted as miR-338-3p sponge. MiR-338-3p overexpression reversed the promotion effect of circ_FMN2 on CRC progression. MSI1 was found to be a target of miR-338-3p, and its overexpression revoked the inhibitory effect of miR-338-3p on CRC progression. Furthermore, exosomal circ_FMN2 overexpression also could facilitate CRC tumor growth in vivo.

CONCLUSION

Exosomal circ_FMN2 accelerated CRC progression through miR-338-3p/MSI1 axis, revealing that exosomal circ_FMN2 might be a target for CRC treatment.

LncRNAs in colorectal cancer: Biomarkers to therapeutic targets

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in men and women worldwide. As early detection is associated with lower mortality, novel biomarkers are urgently needed for timely diagnosis and appropriate management of patients to achieve the best therapeutic response. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play essential roles in CRC progression. Accordingly, the regulatory roles of lncRNAs should be better understood in general and for identifying diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers in CRC specifically. In this review, the latest advances on the potential diagnostic and prognostic lncRNAs as biomarkers in CRC samples were highlighted, Current knowledge on dysregulated lncRNAs and their potential molecular mechanisms were summarized. The potential therapeutic implications and challenges for future and ongoing research in the field were also discussed. Finally, novel insights on the underlying mechanisms of lncRNAs were examined as to their potential role as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in CRC. This review may be used to design future studies and advanced investigations on lncRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy in CRC.

Estradiol and Estrone Have Different Biological Functions to Induce NF-κB-Driven Inflammation, EMT and Stemness in ER+ Cancer Cells

In general, the risk of being diagnosed with cancer increases with age; however, the development of estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+) cancer types in women are more closely related to menopausal status than age. In fact, the general risk factors for cancer development, such as obesity-induced inflammation, show differences in their association with ER+ cancer risk in pre- and postmenopausal women. Here, we tested the role of the principal estrogens in the bloodstream before and after menopause, estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1), respectively, on inflammation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cell enrichment in the human ER+ cervical cancer cell line HeLa. Our results demonstrate that E1, contrary to E2, is pro-inflammatory, increases embryonic stem-transcription factors (ES-TFs) expression and induces EMT in ER+ HeLa cells. Moreover, we observed that high intratumoural expression levels of 17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD17B) isoforms involved in E1 synthesis is a poor prognosis factor, while overexpression of E2-synthetizing HSD17B isoforms is associated with a better outcome, for patients diagnosed with ER+ ovarian and uterine corpus carcinomas. This work demonstrates that E1 and E2 have different biological functions in ER+ gynaecologic cancers. These results open a new line of research in the study of ER+ cancer subtypes, highlighting the potential key oncogenic role of E1 and HSD17B E1-synthesizing enzymes in the development and progression of these diseases.

lncRNA HCG11 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Cell Malignant Behaviors via Sponging miR-26b-5p

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a type of gastrointestinal cancer with an increasing incidence. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have raised great concern because of wide participation in human diseases, including cancers. However, whether lncRNA HLA complex group 11 (HCG11) played a functional role in CRC remained to be elucidated. Herein, we utilized qRT-PCR to analyze the expression of HCG11 and found that HCG11 was highly expressed in CRC cells. Besides, HCG11 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but facilitated cell apoptosis. Furthermore, supported by bioinformatics analyses and mechanism assays, HCG11, mainly located in cell cytoplasm, was confirmed to competitively bind to miR-26b-5p to modulate the expression of the target messenger RNA (mRNA), namely, cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein 19 (ARPP19). ARPP19 was detected to be upregulated in CRC cells, and ARPP19 silence was verified to inhibit the malignant behaviors of CRC cells. Rescue experiments validated that miR-26b-5p inhibition or ARPP19 overexpression could countervail the inhibitory influences of HCG11 silence on CRC cell biological behaviors in vitro. To conclude, HCG11, upregulated in CRC cells, could promote cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibit cell apoptosis via targeting miR-26b-5p/ARPP19 axis.

lncRNA NBAT1 Inhibits Cell Metastasis and Promotes Apoptosis in Endometrial Cancer by Sponging miR-21-5p to Regulate PTEN

Objective

Long noncoding RNA neuroblastoma-associated transcript 1 (NBAT1) is implicated in the progression of various cancers. Nevertheless, its biological function in endometrial cancer (EC) remains unknown.

Methods

The levels of NBAT1, miR-21-5p, and PTEN in EC cells and EC tissues were examined by RT-qPCR. Western blot was carried out to assess the protein expression of PTEN. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was conducted to explore the interactions among NBAT1, miR-21-5p, and PTEN. The effect of NBAT1 on EC proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis was evaluated by CCK-8, transwell assays, wound healing, and flow cytometry. miR-21-5p mimics or NBAT1+miR-21-5p were transfected into HEC-1A and Ishikawa cells to investigate whether NBAT1 regulated EC tumorigenesis via sponging miR-21-5p.

Results

NBAT1 is downregulated, and miR-21-5p is upregulated in EC cells and tumor tissues. Overexpression of NBAT1 inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of EC cells and facilitated apoptosis. NBAT1 directly binds and negatively regulates miR-21-5p in EC. miR-21-5p mimics reverses the effect of lncRNA NBAT1 overexpression on the proliferation and migration of EC cells. PTEN is a downstream gene of miR-21-5p. lncRNA NBTA1 elevates PTEN expression via sponging miR-21-5p.

Conclusions

lncRNA NBAT1 acts as a tumor suppressor in EC via regulating PTEN through sponging miR-21-5p.

Colorectal liver metastasis: molecular mechanism and interventional therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequently occurring malignancy tumors with a high morbidity additionally, CRC patients may develop liver metastasis, which is the major cause of death. Despite significant advances in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, the survival rate of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) patients remains very low. CRLM, as a complex cascade reaction process involving multiple factors and procedures, has complex and diverse molecular mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms/pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment of CRLM. We also focus on an overview of the recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of CRLM with a special emphasis on tumor microenvironment and promise of newer targeted therapies for CRLM, further improving the prognosis of CRLM patients.

LncRNA LINC00525 activates HIF-1α through miR-338-3p / UBE2Q1 / β-catenin axis to regulate the Warburg effect in colorectal cancer

Warburg effect is considered to be related to the malignancy of tumor cells under hypoxic conditions, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this article, it has been reported that lncRNA LINC00525 is a hypoxia-responsive lncRNA and is essential for hypoxia-enhanced glycolysis. It was found that LINC00525 was up-regulated, and promoted cell proliferation in colorectal cancer in vitro and in vivo. In colorectal cancer cells, hypoxia increasedLINC00525 expression, whereas knocking down LINC00525 reduced hypoxia-enhanced glycolysis. For specific molecular mechanisms, it was found that LINC00525 promoted UBE2Q1 expression by binding miR-338-3p, and UBE2Q1-stabilized β-catenin enhances hypoxia-enhanced glycolysis by activating HIF-1α. In conclusion, these findings showed that LINC00525 was essential for hypoxia-enhanced glycolysis; its mechanism was related to activating HIF-1α through miR-338-3p/UBE2Q1/β-catenin axis in colorectal cancer cells.

Circular RNA_0000326 promotes bladder cancer progression via microRNA-338-3p/ETS Proto-Oncogene 1/phosphoinositide-3 kinase/Akt pathway

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a pivotal regulatory role in bladder cancer (BC) occurrence and progression. The expression level, role and mechanism of circ_0000326 in BC remain unknown. In the present study, quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to evaluate the expressions of circ_0000326, microRNA-338-3p (miR-338-3p) and ETS Proto-Oncogene 1(ETS1) mRNA in BC tissues and cell lines. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, wound healing assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the impacts of circ_0000326 on BC cell growth, migration and apoptosis. Western blot was used to detect the expressions of ETS1, phospho-phosphoinositide-3 kinase (p-PI3K), phospho-AKT, PI3K and AKT protein. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed to analyze the biological function of ETS1 in BC. Here, we found that circ_0000326 expression was significantly elevated in BC cell lines and tissues, and circ_0000326 could promote BC cell growth and migration, and inhibit apoptosis. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that circ_0000326 and ETS1 could bind directly to miR-338-3p. Furthermore, circ_0000326 sponged miR-338-3p and up-regulated ETS1 expression. ETS1 was associated with the activation of PI3K/AKT pathway. Moreover, circ_0000326 could activate PI3K/AKT pathway by miR-338-3p/ETS1 axis. Collectively, circ_0000326/miR-338-3p/ETS1/PI3K/AKT pathway is involved in regulating BC progression.

Lnc-CPLC promotes the progression of colorectal cancer via regulating ZBTB34 by competitively binding miR-4319

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been considered as regulatory molecules that play crucial roles in diverse biological processes, including the regulation of tumor progression. However, in colorectal cancer (CRC), due to the complex regulatory relationships involved in lncRNAs, the details of the specific mechanism still need to be elucidated. To discover the key regulatory role of lncRNA in CRC, we used bioinformatics analysis methods for preliminary screening. Through the combination of in vitro and in vivo verification, we further comprehensively analyzed the specific regulation of the key gene and the related key lncRNA in CRC. We found that ZBTB34 and lnc-CPLC (CRC progression-associated lncRNA) had a strong correlation, which plays a key role in the regulation of CRC. Furthermore, by exerting the "sponge" function, lnc-CPLC could bind to miR4319 and release its binding to the 3'UTR of ZBTB34 mRNA. Our results reveal the mechanism of the lnc-CPLC/miR-4319/ZBTB34 signal axis in CRC and provide evidence for elucidating the complex molecular mechanisms in tumors.

KCNMB2-AS1 Promotes Bladder Cancer Progression Through Sponging miR-374a-3p to Upregulate S100A10

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of numerous cancers. However, the function of lncRNA KCNMB2-AS1 in bladder cancer (BC) remains unclear. In the present study, we aimed to explore the role and underlying mechanisms of KCNMB2-AS1 in bladder cancer progression. We found that lncRNA KCNMB2-AS1 was significantly upregulated both in BC tissues and cell lines, the expression level was highly correlated with pathological TNM stage. Functionally, knockdown of lncRNA KCNMB2-AS1 dramatically inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion and of BC cells in vitro, and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, lncRNA KCNMB2-AS1 could function as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) through direct sponging miR-374a-3p, which regulated the expression of S100A10. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that lncRNA KCNMB2-AS1 can promote the progression of bladder cancer through regulation of miR-374a-3p/S100A10.

circ_0101802 functions as a sponge of miR-1236-3p to facilitate the proliferation, migration and invasion of colorectal cancer via regulating MACC1

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to be involved in the progression of many diseases, including cancer. However, the role of circ_0101802 in the proliferation, migration and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been studied. Our results showed that circ_0101802 was highly expressed in CRC tumor tissues and cells. Functional experiments suggested that circ_0101802 knockdown could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells in vitro and CRC tumorigenesis in vivo. In the terms of mechanism, we discovered that circ_0101802 could act as a sponge of miR-1236-3p, and miR-1236-3p could target MACC1. The rescue experiments revealed that miR-1236-3p inhibitor could reverse the inhibition effect of circ_0101802 silencing on CRC proliferation, migration and invasion, and MACC1 overexpression also could abolish the negative regulation of miR-1236-3p on CRC proliferation, migration and invasion. More important, our data confirmed that circ_0101802 sponged miR-1236-3p to positively regulate MACC1. In summary, our results revealed that circ_0101802 functioned as a tumor promoter in CRC, which could facilitate CRC proliferation, migration and invasion via regulating the miR-1236-3p/MACC1 axis.

Comprehensive analysis of lncRNA biomarkers in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma by lncRNA-mediated ceRNA network

Introduction

Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) has a high incidence globally, and its pathogenesis remains unclear. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), as a molecular sponge, participates in the regulation of competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA). We aimed to construct a ceRNA network and screened out possible lncRNAs to predict KIRC prognosis.

Material and methods

All KIRC data were downloaded from the TCGA database and screened to find the possible target lncRNA; a ceRNA network was designed. Next, GO functional enrichment and KEGG pathway of differentially expressed mRNA related to lncRNA were performed. We used Kaplan-Meier curve analysis to predict the survival of these RNAs. We used Cox regression analysis to construct a model to predict KIRC prognosis.

Results

In the KIRC datasets, 1457 lncRNA, 54 miRNA and 2307 mRNA were screened out. The constructed ceRNA network contained 81 lncRNAs, nine miRNAs, and 17 mRNAs differentially expressed in KIRC. Survival analysis of all differentially expressed RNAs showed that 21 lncRNAs, four miRNAs, and two mRNAs were related to the overall survival rate. Cox regression analysis was performed again, and we found that eight lncRNAs were related to prognosis and used to construct predictive models. Three lnRNAs from independent samples were meaningful.

Conclusion

The construction of ceRNA network was involved in the process and transfer of KIRC, and three lncRNAs may be potential targets for predicting KIRC prognosis.

LncRNA MSC-AS1 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Progression by Regulating miR-325/TRIM14 Axis

Background

LncRNA MSC-AS1 has been reported to be a tumor promoter in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the function of MSC-AS1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been elucidated. It is designed to study the expression level of MSC-AS1 and investigate its biological effect on the progression of CRC.

Methods

The expression patterns of MSC-AS1, miR-325, and TRIM14 were explored by RT-qPCR in CRC tissues and cells. The protein expression of TRIM14 was tested by Western blot assay. The association between MSC-AS1 expression and clinicopathological data was analyzed by chi-squared test. CCK-8 assay, colony formation, and Transwell assay were used to investigate the effect of MSC-AS1 on cell growth, invasion, and migration in CRC cells. The correlations among MSC-AS1, miR-325, and TRIM14 were analyzed by Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis.

Results

We found that MSC-AS1 and TRIM14 were upregulated in CRC tissues, while miR-325 was downregulated in CRC tissues. Functional experiments demonstrated that MSC-AS1 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities in CRC cells. Additionally, miR-325 was proved to be a target miRNA of MSC-AS1, and TRIM14 might be a downstream gene of miR-325. Besides that, MSC-AS1 counteracted the inhibitory effect of miR-325 on the cell progression and TRIM14 expression.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that MSC-AS1 facilitated CRC progression by sponging miR-325 to upregulate TRIM14 expression. We suggested that MSC-AS1 might be a potential lncRNA-target for CRC therapy.

The role of microRNA-338-3p in cancer: growth, invasion, chemoresistance, and mediators

Cancer still remains as one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Metastasis and proliferation are abnormally increased in cancer cells that subsequently, mediate resistance of cancer cells to different therapies such as radio-, chemo- and immune-therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous short non-coding RNAs that can regulate expression of target genes at post-transcriptional level and capable of interaction with mRNA-coding genes. Vital biological mechanisms including apoptosis, migration and differentiation are modulated by these small molecules. MiRNAs are key players in regulating cancer proliferation and metastasis as well as cancer therapy response. MiRNAs can function as both tumor-suppressing and tumor-promoting factors. In the present review, regulatory impact of miRNA-338-3p on cancer growth and migration is discussed. This new emerging miRNA can regulate response of cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It seems that miRNA-338-3p has dual role in cancer chemotherapy, acting as tumor-promoting or tumor-suppressor factor. Experiments reveal anti-tumor activity of miRNA-338-3p in cancer. Hence, increasing miRNA-338-3p expression is of importance in effective cancer therapy. Long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs and hypoxia are potential upstream mediators of miRNA-338-3p in cancer. Anti-tumor agents including baicalin and arbutin can promote expression of miRNA-338-3p in suppressing cancer progression. These topics are discussed to shed some light on function of miRNA-338-3p in cancer cells.

Long Non-coding RNA ST8SIA6-AS1 Promotes Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression Through Sponging miR-125a-3p

Emerging evidence suggests that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays a critical role in human disease progression. Recently, a novel lncRNA ST8SIA6-AS1 was shown as an important driver in various cancer types. Nevertheless, its contribution to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains undocumented. Herein, we found that ST8SIA6-AS1 was frequently overexpressed in LUAD cell lines, tissues, and plasma. Depletion of ST8SIA6-AS1 significantly inhibited LUAD cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. In term of mechanism, ST8SIA6-AS1 was transcriptionally repressed by tumor suppressor p53, and ST8SIA6-AS1 was mainly located in the cytoplasm and could abundantly sponge miR-125a-3p to increase nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) expression, thereby facilitating LUAD malignant progression. Clinically, high ST8SIA6-AS1 was positively correlated with larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and later TNM stage. Moreover, ST8SIA6-AS1 was identified as an excellent indicator for MM diagnosis and prognosis. Collectively, our data demonstrate that ST8SIA6-AS1 is a carcinogenic lncRNA in LUAD, and targeting the axis of ST8SIA6-AS1/miR-125a-3p/NNMT may be a promising treatment for LUAD patients.