MiR-320b and miR-320d as Biomarkers to Predict and Participate in the Formation of Platinum Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Patients

THUMPD3-AS1 inhibits ovarian cancer cell apoptosis through the miR-320d/ARF1 axis

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynecologic malignancies that has a poor prognosis. THUMPD3-AS1 is an oncogenic long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in several cancers. Moreover, miR-320d is downregulated and inhibited proliferation in ovarian cancer cells, whereas ARF1 was upregulated and promoted the malignant progression in epithelial ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, the role of THUMPD3-AS1 in ovarian cancer and the underlying mechanism has yet to be elucidated. Human normal ovarian epithelial cells (IOSE80) and ovarian cancer cell lines (CAVO3, A2780, SKOV3, OVCAR3, and HEY) were adopted for in vitro experiments. The functional roles of THUMPD3-AS1 in cell viability and apoptosis were determined using CCK-8, flow cytometry, and TUNEL assays. Western blot was performed to assess the protein levels of ARF1, Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase 3, whereas RT-qPCR was applied to measure ARF1 mRNA, THUMPD3-AS1, and miR-320d levels. The targeting relationship between miR-320d and THUMPD3-AS1 or ARF1 was validated with dual luciferase assay. THUMPD3-AS1 and ARF1 were highly expressed in ovarian cancer cells, whereas miR-320d level was lowly expressed. THUMPD3-AS1 knockdown was able to repress cell viability and accelerate apoptosis of OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells. Also, THUMPD3-AS1 acted as a sponge of miR-320d, preventing the degradation of ARF1. MiR-320d downregulation reversed the tumor suppressive function induced by THUMPD3-AS1 depletion. Additionally, miR-320d overexpression inhibited ovarian cancer cell viability and accelerated apoptosis, which was overturned by overexpression of ARF1. THUMPD3-AS1 inhibited ovarian cancer cell apoptosis by modulation of miR-320d/ARF1 axis. The discoveries might provide a prospective target for ovarian cancer treatment.

A novel serum m7G-harboring microRNA signature for cancer detection

Background: Emerging evidence points to the exceptional importance and value of m7G alteration in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancers. Nonetheless, a biomarker for precise screening of various cancer types has not yet been developed based on serum m7G-harboring miRNAs. Methods: A total of 20,702 serum samples, covering 12 cancer types and consisting of 7,768 cancer samples and 12,934 cancer-free samples were used in this study. A m7G target miRNA diagnostic signature (m7G-miRDS) was established through the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses in a training dataset (n = 10,351), and validated in a validation dataset (n = 10,351). Results: The m7G-miRDS model, a 12 m7G-target-miRNAs signature, demonstrated high accuracy and was qualified for cancer detection. In the training and validation cohort, the area under the curve (AUC) reached 0.974 (95% CI 0.971-0.977) and 0.972 (95% CI 0.969-0.975), respectively. The m7G-miRDS showed superior sensitivity in each cancer type and had a satisfactory AUC in identifying bladder cancer, lung cancer and esophageal cancer. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of m7G-miRDS was not interfered by the gender, age and benign disease. Conclusion: Our results greatly extended the value of serum circulating miRNAs and m7G in cancer detection, and provided a new direction and strategy for the development of novel biomarkers with high accuracy, low cost and less invasiveness for mass cancer screening, such as ncRNA modification.

Tumor-derived small extracellular vesicles facilitate omental metastasis of ovarian cancer by triggering activation of mesenchymal stem cells

BACKGROUND

Omental metastasis is the major cause of ovarian cancer recurrence and shortens patient survival, which can be largely attributed to the dynamic evolution of the fertile metastatic microenvironment driven by cancer cells. Previously, we found that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) undergoing a phenotype shift toward cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) participated in the orchestrated omental premetastatic niche for ovarian cancer. Here, we aim to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

Small extracellular vesicles were isolated from ovarian cancer cell lines (ES-2 and its highly metastatic subline, ES-2-HM) and patient ascites using ultracentrifugation. Functional experiments, including Transwell and EdU assays, and molecular detection, including Western blot, immunofluorescence, and RT-qPCR, were performed to investigate the activation of ADSCs in vitro. High-throughput transcriptional sequencing and functional assays were employed to identify the crucial functional molecules inducing CAF-like activation of ADSCs and the downstream effector of miR-320a. The impact of extracellular vesicles and miR-320a-activated ADSCs on tumor growth and metastasis was assessed in subcutaneous and orthotopic ovarian cancer xenograft mouse models. The expression of miR-320a in human samples was evaluated using in situ hybridization staining.

RESULTS

Primary human ADSCs cocultured with small extracellular vesicles, especially those derived from ES-2-HM, exhibited boosted migration, invasion, and proliferation capacities and elevated α-SMA and FAP levels. Tumor-derived small extracellular vesicles increased α-SMA-positive stromal cells, fostered omental metastasis, and shortened the survival of mice harboring orthotopic ovarian cancer xenografts. miR-320a was abundant in highly metastatic cell-derived extracellular vesicles, evoked dramatic CAF-like transition of ADSCs, targeted the 3'-untranslated region of integrin subunit alpha 7 and attenuated its expression. miR-320a overexpression in ovarian cancer was associated with omental metastasis and shorter survival. miR-320a-activated ADSCs facilitated tumor cell growth and omental metastasis. Depletion of integrin alpha 7 triggered CAF-like activation of ADSCs in vitro. Video Abstract CONCLUSIONS: miR-320a in small extracellular vesicles secreted by tumor cells targets integrin subunit alpha 7 in ADSCs and drives CAF-like activation, which in turn facilitates omental metastasis of ovarian cancer.

m6A-modified circASXL1 promotes proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer through the miR-320d/RACGAP1 axis

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) can potentially regulate the development of OC. Therefore, this study investigated the role of circASXL1 in OC progression. Cell functions were assessed by MTT, colony formation, wound healing, and transwell assays. RIP and dual luciferase reporter assays confirmed the relationship between miR-320d and circASXL1 or RACGAP1. MeRIP was utilized to detect m6A levels. Xenograft tumor was established for in vivo experiments. CircASXL1 and RACGAP1 levels were increased in OC tissues and cells, whereas miR-320d expression was decreased. Upregulation of circASXL1 was associated with poor prognosis in OC patients. CircASXL1 silencing suppressed OC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, METTL3/IGF2BP1-mediated m6A modification maintained circASXL1 stability and upregulated its expression. CircASXL1 was a ceRNA that sequestrated miR-320d from RACGAP1, leading to increased RACGAP1 expression. CircASXL1 promoted OC cell proliferation, migration and invasion via the miR-320d/RACGAP1 axis. Therefore, m6A-modified circASXL1 acts as an oncogene in OC by targeting miR-320d and activating RACGAP1/PI3K/Akt pathway, which provides novel promising biomarkers for OC diagnosis.

HLF promotes ovarian cancer progression and chemoresistance via regulating Hippo signaling pathway

Hepatic leukemia factor (HLF) is aberrantly expressed in human malignancies. However, the role of HLF in the regulation of ovarian cancer (OC) remains unknown. Herein, we reported that HLF expression was upregulated in OC tissues and ovarian cancer stem cells (CSCs). Functional studies have revealed that HLF regulates OC cell stemness, proliferation, and metastasis. Mechanistically, HLF transcriptionally activated Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) expression and subsequently modulated the Hippo signaling pathway. Moreover, we found that miR-520e directly targeted HLF 3'-UTR in OC cells. miR-520e expression was negatively correlated with HLF and YAP1 expression in OC tissues. The combined immunohistochemical (IHC) panels exhibited a better prognostic value for OC patients than any of these components alone. Importantly, the HLF/YAP1 axis determines the response of OC cells to carboplatin treatment and HLF depletion or the YAP1 inhibitor verteporfin abrogated carboplatin resistance. Analysis of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) further suggested that HLF might predict carboplatin benefits in OC patients. In conclusion, these findings suggest a crucial role of the miR-520e/HLF/YAP1 axis in OC progression and chemoresistance, suggesting potential therapeutic targets for OC.

Four differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs as prognostic biomarkers and therapy targets in endometrial cancer: Bioinformatic analysis

Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies worldwide. Accumulated evidence has demonstrated exosomes of cancer cells carry microRNAs (miRNAs) to nonmalignant cells to induce metastasis. Our study aimed to find possible biomarkers of EC. Data for miRNA expression related with exosome from EC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, and the miRNA expression profiles associated with exosomes of EC were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. We used different algorithms to analyze the differential miRNA expression, infer the relative proportion of immune infiltrating cells, predict chemotherapy sensitivity, and comprehensively score each gene set to evaluate the potential biological function changes of different samples. The gene ontology analysis and Kyoto encyclopedia of genome genomics pathway analysis were performed for specific genes. A total of 13 differential miRNAs were identified, of which 4 were up-regulated. The 4 miRNAs, that is hsa-miR-17-3p, hsa-miR-99b-3p, hsa-miR-193a-5p, and hsa-miR-320d, were the hub exosomal miRNAs that were all closely related to the clinic phenotypes and prognosis of patients. This study preliminarily indicates that the 4 hub exosomal miRNAs (hsa-miR-17-3p, hsa-miR-99b-3p, hsa-miR-193a-5p, and hsa-miR-320d) could be used as prognostic biomarkers or therapy targets in EC. Further studies are required to make sure of their real feasibility and values in the EC clinic and the relative research.