Circular RNA hsa_circ_0007444 inhibits ovarian cancer progression through miR-23a-3p/DICER1 axis

ESM1 suppresses LncRNA GAS5/miR-23a-3p/PTEN axis to promote the cisplatin-chemotherapy resistance of ovarian cancer cells via activating the PI3K/AKT pathway

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin chemotherapy is an important treatment for advanced ovarian cancer (OC). However, the development of cisplatin resistance greatly limits the survival time of OC patients. Endothelial cell-specific molecule 1 (ESM1) has been found to be an important proto-oncogene promoting OC, but its mediating OC cisplatin resistance remains unknown.

METHODS

We used quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to measure transcription levels of ESM1, Growth arrest specific transcript 5 (GAS5), miR-23a-3p, and Phosphatase And Tensin Homolog (PTEN). A double luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed the direct binding of GAS5 to miR-23a-3p and miR-23a-3p to PTEN mRNA. The effects of ESM1, GAS5, miR-23a-3p, and PTEN on OC cisplatin resistance were tested with an Half Maximal Inhibitory Concentration (IC50) assay. Flow cytometry was used to assess the effects of ESM1, GAS5, and miR-23a-3p on cisplatin-induced OC apoptosis. Changes in apoptosis-related proteins and PI3K/AKT-related proteins were analyzed with western blot (WB).

RESULTS

ESM1 inhibits the levels of GAS5 and PTEN but increases miR-23a-3p. ESM1 and miR-23a-3p promote OC cisplatin resistance. GAS5 and miR-23a-3p promote cisplatin sensitivity for OC cells. Moreover, the main molecular mechanism is the ESM1/GAS5/miR-23a-3p/PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling axis.

CONCLUSION

ESM1 promotes OC cisplatin resistance by activating the Phosphoinositide-3-Kinase (PI3K)/AKT Serine/Threonine Kinase (Akt) signaling pathway through the GAS5/miR-23a-3p/PTEN signaling axis. This suggests that prescriptive ESM1 regulates key downstream molecular mechanisms via non-coding RNA and can be used before neoadjuvant chemotherapy in OC is initiated.

Human papillomavirus type 16 E7 promotes cell viability and migration in cervical cancer by regulating the miR-23a/HOXC8 axis

BACKGROUND

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a risk factor for the occurrence of cervical cancer (CC). Here, we aimed to explore the role of HPV16 in CC and identify the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

The expression of miR-23a, HPV16 E6/E7 and homeobox C8 (HOXC8) was measured by quantitative real-time PCR or western blot. Cell viability and migration were evaluated using cell counting kit-8, Transwell and wound healing assays. The targeting relationship between miR-23a and HOXC8 was revealed by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS

miR-23a was downregulated in HPV16-positive (HPV16+) CC tissues and HPV16+ and HPV18+ cells. Additionally, E6/E7 expression was increased in CC cells. Then, we found that E7, rather than E6, positively regulated miR-23a expression. miR-23a suppressed cell viability and migration, whereas E7 overexpression abrogated this suppression. miR-23a targeted HOXC8, which reversed miR-23a-mediated cell viability and migration.

CONCLUSIONS

HPV16 E7-mediated miR-23a suppressed CC cell viability and migration by targeting HOXC8, suggesting a novel mechanism of HPV-induced CC.

Serum hsa_circ_0007534 as a diagnostic biomarker for ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the implications of serum hsa_circ_0007534 levels in ovarian cancer (OC) patients.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 102 OC patients, and 102 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. Serum levels of hsa_circ_0007534 were measured using qPCR. The relationship between circRNA levels and clinicopathologic characteristics was analyzed. Additionally, the diagnostic performances of serum hsa_circ_0007534 and CA-125 levels in OC patients were evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses.

RESULTS

OC patients had significantly elevated serum hsa_circ_0007534 levels compared to HCs, allowing a differentiation between OC patients and HCs. Higher serum hsa_circ_0007534 levels were associated with more aggressive disease features and poorer overall survival. Patients with elevated hsa_circ_0007534 levels tended to have worse clinical outcome compared to those with lower levels. Multivariate analyses indicated that high hsa_circ_0007534 levels were independently associated with poorer outcome. Furthermore, serum hsa_circ_0007534 levels effectively distinguished between chemoresistant and chemosensitive patient groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum hsa_circ_0007534 levels may serve as valuable predictors of prognosis in OC patients.

Interplay of microRNAs and circRNAs in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) with its high death incidence rate is generally detected at advanced stages. During its progression, EOC often develops peritoneal metastasis aggravating the outcomes of EOC patients. Studies on non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have analyzed the impact of miRNAs and circRNAs, along with their interaction among each other, on cancer cells. MiRNAs can act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors modulating post-transcriptional gene expression. There is accumulating evidence that circRNAs apply their stable, covalently closed, continuous circular structures to competitively inhibit miRNA function, and so act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). This interplay between both ncRNAs participates in the malignity of a variety of cancer types, including EOC. In the current review, I describe the characteristics of miRNAs and circRNAs, and discuss their interplay with each other in the development, progression, and drug resistance of EOC. Sponging of miRNAs by circRNAs may be used as a biomarker and therapeutic target in EOC.

LINC00629, a HOXB4-downregulated long noncoding RNA, inhibits glycolysis and ovarian cancer progression by destabilizing c-Myc

Ovarian cancer (OC) cells typically reprogram their metabolism to promote rapid proliferation. However, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the metabolic reprogramming of ovarian cancer, especially in glucose metabolic reprogramming, remains largely unknown. LINC00629 has been reported in our previous study to promote osteosarcoma progression. Upregulated LINC00629 was found to enhance the growth-suppressive effect of apigenin on oral squamous cell carcinoma. However, the precise function of LINC00629 in ovarian cancer development remains poorly understood. In this study, we found that LINC00629 was significantly downregulated in OC tissues and that low LINC00629 expression was associated with poor survival. Inhibition of LINC00629 was required for increased glycolysis activity and cell proliferation in ovarian cancer. In vivo, overexpression of LINC00629 dramatically inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis. Mechanistically, LINC00629 interacted with and destabilized c-Myc, leading to its ubiquitination and proteasome degradation, further resulting in increased expression of downstream glycolysis-related genes and glucose metabolic reprogramming in OC. Interestingly, HOXB4 bound to the LINC00629 promoter and inhibited its transcription, indicating that LINC00629 is a transcriptional target of HOXB4. Collectively, these findings establish a direct role for LINC00629 in suppressing glucose metabolism, and HOXB4/LINC00629/c-Myc might serve as a potential biomarker and an effective therapeutic strategy for OC cancer treatment.

Hsa_circ_0000585 promotes chemoresistance to cis-platin in epithelial cells of ovarian cancer by modulating autophagy

BACKGROUND

Chemoresistance, i.e., resistance to cisplatin (DDP), has been a major obstacle to ovarian cancer treatment. It has been found that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in the tumorigenesis various cancers by regulating autophagy, while few studies focusing on cisplatin-resistance ovarian cancer (CROC).

METHODS

The expressions of the circRNAs were detected by qRT-PCR. Short hairpin RNA targeting circRNA was used to explore the biological functions of the circRNA. Cell viability, autophagic flux, immunofluorescence, and xenograft tumors experiments were performed to further illustrate the underlying mechanisms.

RESULTS

Hsa_circ_0000585 was increased in cisplatin-resistant SKOV3/DDP cells. Stably knocking down hsa_circRNA_0000585 expression in SKOV3/DDP cells was established by RNA interference. We found that downregulation of hsa_circ_0000585 significantly enhanced the sensitivity of DDP/SkOV3 cells to DDP. In vivo study, hsa_circRNA_0000585 knockdown significantly decreased tumor volume in nude mice. Under the measurements of western blot and cellular immunofluorescence, hsa_circ_0000585 knockdown significantly inhibited the expression of Beclin1 and P62, indicating the autophagic flux was inhibited. Administrations with autophagic inhibitor "Chloroquine (CQ)" and autophagy activator "QX77" further confirmed that hsa_circ_0000585 knockdown resulted in autophagy inhibition.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, this study provided a new insight into the role of circRNAs in the mechanism of DDP-resistance in ovarian cancer. Hsa_circRNA_0000585 may be promising therapeutic targets for the enhancement of the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin-mediated chemotherapy.