Expression profile analysis based on DNA microarray for patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery

Dysregulated expression of miR‑367 in disease development and its prospects as a therapeutic target and diagnostic biomarker (Review)

MicroRNA (miR)-367 has a wide range of functions in gene regulation and as such plays a critical role in cell proliferation, differentiation and development, making it an essential molecule in various physiological processes. miR-367 belongs to the miR-302/367 cluster and is located in the intronic region of human chromosome 4 on the 4q25 locus. Dysregulation of miR-367 is associated with various disease conditions, including cancer, inflammation and cardiac conditions. Moreover, miR-367 has shown promise both as a tumor suppressor and a potential diagnostic biomarker for breast, gastric and prostate cancer. The elucidation of the essential role of miR-367 in inflammation, development and cardiac diseases emphasizes its versatility in regulating various physiological processes beyond cancer biology. However, further research is necessary to fully understand the complex regulatory mechanisms involving miR-367 in different physiological and pathological contexts. In conclusion, the versatility and significance of miR-367 makes it a promising candidate for further study and in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Identification of an Epigenetic Signature for Coronary Heart Disease in Postmenopausal Women’s PBMC DNA

Menopause is accompanied with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. DNA methylation may have a significant impact on postmenopausal women's development of coronary heart disease. DNA methylation alterations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from women with coronary heart disease and healthy controls were detected using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip platform in this work. We employed Sangerbox technology and the GO and KEGG databases to further study the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women. After that, we used functional epigenetic module analysis and Cytoscape to remove the hub genes from the protein–protein interaction networks. Five genes (FOXA2, PTRD, CREB1, CTNAP2, and FBN2) were the hub genes. Lipid accumulation, endothelial cell failure, inflammatory responses, monocyte recruitment and aggregation, and other critical biological processes were all influenced by these genes. Finally, we employed methylation-specific PCR to demonstrate that FOXA2 was methylated at a high level in postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease. To better understand coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women's molecular mechanisms, our study examine the major factors contributing to the state of DNA methylation modification, which will help discover novel diagnostic tools and treatment options.

Circulating microRNA expression profiling and bioinformatics analysis of patients with coronary artery disease by RNA sequencing

BACKGROUND

MicroRNAs play a vital role in coronary artery disease. Abnormal expression of microRNAs has been found to be associated with the occurrence of CAD.

METHODS

We identified significantly differentially expressed microRNAs in plasma between 40 patients with CAD and 10 controls with NCA using RNA sequencing. The differentially expressed microRNAs were analyzed for Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment.

RESULTS

Fifty cDNA libraries were constructed and sequenced, and a total of 1871.82 M raw reads were obtained, and 2135 microRNAs were found. Compared to the expressed microRNAs of NCA controls, 159 microRNAs were differentially expressed in CAD patients, including 119 upregulated microRNAs and 40 downregulated microRNAs. The top 10 upregulated miRNAs were miR-144-3p, miR-34a-5p, miR-15b-3p, miR-22-3p, miR-29b-3p, miR-1270, miR-6891-5p, miR-106a-5p, miR-15b-5p, and hsa-miR-499b-3p. The top ten downregulated miRNAs were miR-4437, miR-6842-3p, miR-4664-3p, miR-671-3p, miR-219a-1-3p, miR-7848-3p, miR-664a-3p, miR-1284, miR-361-3p, and miR-6780a-5p. The target genes of differentially expressed microRNAs were related to many basic biological terms, such as biological process, cellular component, and molecular function. According to the KEGG pathway analysis, the most enriched pathways of the differentially expressed microRNAs were endocytosis, focal adhesion, axon guidance, and so on. Furthermore, six upregulated and two downregulated microRNAs were detected by qRT-PCR (Quantitative Real-time PCR) and ROC analysis for diagnosing CAD.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that the expression levels of some microRNAs may play a vital role in the physiological and pathological course of CAD. Our study may provide useful information for the diagnosis and treatment of CAD.

RelB/NF-κB links cell cycle transition and apoptosis to endometrioid adenocarcinoma tumorigenesis

Dysfunction of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling has been causally associated with numerous human malignancies. Although the NF-κB family of genes has been implicated in endometrial carcinogenesis, information regarding the involvement of central regulators of NF-κB signaling in human endometrial cancer (EC) is limited. Here, we investigated the specific roles of canonical and noncanonical NF-κB signaling in endometrial tumorigenesis. We found that NF-κB RelB protein, but not RelA, displayed high expression in EC samples and cell lines, with predominant elevation in endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EEC). Moreover, tumor cell-intrinsic RelB was responsible for the abundant levels of c-Myc, cyclin D1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, which are key regulators of cell cycle transition, apoptosis and proliferation in EEC. In contrast, p27 expression was enhanced by RelB depletion. Thus, increased RelB in human EC is associated with enhanced EEC cell growth, leading to endometrial cell tumorigenicity. Our results reveal that regulatory RelB in noncanonical NF-κB signaling may serve as a therapeutic target to block EC initiation.