MicroRNA-130a regulated by HPV18 E6 promotes proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells by targeting TIMP2

MicroRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs and gynecological cancers: focus on metastasis

Gynecologic cancer is a significant cause of death in women worldwide, with cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer being among the most well-known types. The initiation and progression of gynecologic cancers involve a variety of biological functions, including angiogenesis and metastasis-given that death mostly occurs from metastatic tumors that have invaded the surrounding tissues. Therefore, understanding the molecular pathways underlying gynecologic cancer metastasis is critical for enhancing patient survival and outcomes. Recent research has revealed the contribution of numerous non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) to metastasis and invasion of gynecologic cancer by affecting specific cellular pathways. This review focuses on three types of gynecologic cancer (ovarian, endometrial, and cervical) and three kinds of ncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs, microRNAs, and circular RNAs). We summarize the detailed role of non-coding RNAs in the different pathways and molecular interactions involved in the invasion and metastasis of these cancers.

Small Non-Coding-RNA in Gynecological Malignancies

Gynecologic malignancies, which include cancers of the cervix, ovary, uterus, vulva, vagina, and fallopian tube, are among the leading causes of female mortality worldwide, with the most prevalent being endometrial, ovarian, and cervical cancer. Gynecologic malignancies are complex, heterogeneous diseases, and despite extensive research efforts, the molecular mechanisms underlying their development and pathology remain largely unclear. Currently, mechanistic and therapeutic research in cancer is largely focused on protein targets that are encoded by about 1% of the human genome. Our current understanding of 99% of the genome, which includes noncoding RNA, is limited. The discovery of tens of thousands of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), possessing either structural or regulatory functions, has fundamentally altered our understanding of genetics, physiology, pathophysiology, and disease treatment as they relate to gynecologic malignancies. In recent years, it has become clear that ncRNAs are relatively stable, and can serve as biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as guide therapy choices. Here we discuss the role of small non-coding RNAs, i.e., microRNAs (miRs), P-Element induced wimpy testis interacting (PIWI) RNAs (piRNAs), and tRNA-derived small RNAs in gynecological malignancies, specifically focusing on ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer.

miR-130a-3p promotes cell proliferation and invasion by targeting estrogen receptor α and androgen receptor in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in women worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is required but not sufficient for developing cervical cancer. HPV E6 and E7 proteins are able to directly interact with certain nuclear receptors; however, whether steroid hormone receptors mediate cervical carcinogenesis is not completely understood. The present study demonstrated via immunohistochemistry that estrogen receptor α (ERα) and androgen receptor (AR) expression were decreased in a sequential manner from healthy cervical tissues to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia tissues and further to cervical cancer (CC) tissues, whereas microRNA (miR)-130a-3p expression levels were higher in CC tissues compared with healthy tissues. Both ERα and AR were direct targets of miR-130a-3p, as determined by performing luciferase reporter assays and western blotting. Functionally, compared with the corresponding control groups, miR-130a-3p knockdown, ERα overexpression and AR overexpression significantly inhibited CC cell proliferation and invasion, as demonstrated by the results obtained from the Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assays in vitro. In addition, antagomiR-130a decreased tumor size and weight in vivo compared with control antagomiR as determined via the xenograft tumor growth assay. Therefore, the results suggested that miR-130a-3p might contribute to tumor progression by suppressing ERα and AR, and serve as a promising candidate target for the treatment of patients with CC.

Downregulated miR‑130a enhances the sensitivity of acute myeloid leukemia cells to Adriamycin

MicroRNA (miR)-130a has been reported to promote cancer growth; however, its role during acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is not completely understood. In the present study, the effects of miR-130a on the sensitivity of AML cells to Adriamycin (Adr) were investigated. 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-dC) was used to stimulate Adr resistance in AML cells, and cell viability and miR-130a expression were determined using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, respectively. miR-130a overexpression and knockdown in Adr-resistant AML cells was performed to investigate the proliferative and invasive abilities of the cells using CCK-8 and Transwell assays, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of miR-130a on the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins in Adr-resistant AML cells were detected using western blot analysis. Pre-treatment with 5-Aza-dC enhanced the cell viability and miR-130a expression of Adr-treated AML cells. Adr and miR-130a expression showed a dose-dependent relationship, with miR-130a expression decreasing with increasing Adr concentrations. Moreover, miR-130a overexpression alleviated the inhibitory effects of Adr on cell viability and invasion, while miR-130a knockdown enhanced the sensitivity of AML cells to Adr. Furthermore, Adr exerted an inhibitory effect on EMT in AML cells, which was rescued by miR-130a overexpression and enhanced by miR-130a knockdown. miR-130a knockdown also increased the sensitivity of AML cells to Adr by decreasing cell viability, invasion and EMT. Therefore, miR-130a knockdown is a potential therapeutic strategy for Adr-resistant AML.

MicroRNA-363-3p serves as a diagnostic biomarker of acute myocardial infarction and regulates vascular endothelial injury by targeting KLF2

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a serious cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of microRNA-363-3p (miR-363-3p) in AMI patients and explore the effects of miR-363-3p on vascular endothelial injury in an AMI rat model.

Methods

The Expression of miR-363-3p was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic value of miR-363-3p in AMI patients. The biomarkers of endothelial injury were estimated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and the correlation of miR-363-3p with these markers was assessed. AMI rat model was constructed using coronary artery ligation, and the effects of miR-363-3p on endothelial injury and endothelial cell proliferation were analyzed.

Results

Serum expression of miR-363-3p was upregulated in the AMI patients compared with healthy controls. The increased serum miR-363-3p serves a candidate diagnostic biomarker of AMI. The correlation analysis indicated that serum miR-363-3p expression was positively correlated with the concentration of endothelial injury biomarkers in AMI patients. Furthermore, the increased endothelial injury biomarkers in AMI rats were all inhibited by the knockdown of miR-363-3p, and the cell proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was obviously enhanced by the reduction of miR-363-3p. The prediction results shown that Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) is a target of miR-363-3p, and their interaction was proved using a luciferase reporter assay.

Conclusions

Collectively, overexpression of miR-363-3p acts as a diagnostic biomarker for patients with AMI, and the downregulation of miR-363-3p improves AMI-associated endothelial injury by targeting KLF2, which indicated that miR-363-3p has a potential to develop the treatment of AMI.

miR-616 promotes breast cancer migration and invasion by targeting TIMP2 and regulating MMP signaling

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancer types in females worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression levels, functional role and molecular mechanism of microRNA-616 (miR-616) in the progression of breast cancer cells. The relative expression levels of miR-616 in breast cancer cell lines and tumor tissues of 30 patients with breast cancer were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Cell transfection was used to upregulate and downregulate the expression of miR-616 in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. The regulatory effect of miR-616 on tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2) expression was also analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assay, western blot analysis and RT-qPCR. The results of RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated significantly higher expression levels of miR-616 in tumor tissues and cancer cell lines compared with normal tissues and a normal epithelial cell line. In addition, overexpression of miR-616 significantly promoted MCF-7 cell proliferation, migration and invasion. By contrast, miR-616 silencing was associated with the opposite effects in MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, the present study demonstrated that miR-616 could positively regulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)2 and MMP9, both at the mRNA and protein level. TIMP2 was further confirmed as a direct target of miR-616. Finally, the current study demonstrated that TIMP2 silencing rescued the proliferation and invasion capabilities and the expression levels of MMP2 and MMP9 in cells that were treated with the miR-616 inhibitor. In conclusion, the present data suggested that the miR-616/TIMP2/MMPs axis may serve an important role in the progression of breast cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target for this disease.