Upregulated osteoprotegerin expression promotes lung cancer cell invasion by increasing miR-20a expression

[miRNA Is Involved in the Pathogenesis of Multiple Diseases by Targeting Osteoprotegerin]

As a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, osteoprotegerin (OPG) is highly expressed in adults in the lung, heart, kidney, liver, spleen, thymus, prostate, ovary, small intestines, thyroid gland, lymph nodes, trachea, adrenal gland, the testis, and bone marrow. Together with the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) and the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), it forms the RANK/RANKL/OPG pathway, which plays an important role in the molecular mechanism of the development of various diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous non-coding RNAs performing regulatory functions in eukaryotes, with a size of about 20-25 nucleotides. miRNA genes are transcribed into primary transcripts by RNA polymerase, bind to RNA-induced silencing complexes, identify target mRNAs through complementary base pairing, with a single miRNA being capable of targeting hundreds of mRNAs, and influence the expression of many genes through pathways involved in functional interactions. In recent years, a large number of studies have been done to explore the mechanism of action of miRNA in diseases through miRNA isolation, miRNA quantification, miRNA spectrum analysis, miRNA target detection, in vitro and in vivo regulation of miRNA levels, and other technologies. It was found that miRNA can play a key role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases by targeting OPG. The purpose of this review is to explore the interaction between miRNA and OPG in various diseases, and to propose new ideas for studying the mechanism of action of OPG in diseases.

Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid)-encapsulated Endostar-loaded calcium phosphate cement as anti-tumor bone cement for the treatment of bone metastasis in lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. In approximately 30%-40% of lung cancer patients, bone metastases ensues with osteolytic destruction. Worse still, intractable pain, pathological fracture, and nerve compression caused by bone metastases are currently the bottleneck of research, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer. Therefore, the present study aims at investigating the effectiveness of a new composite material made of calcium phosphate cement (CPC) and Endostar on repairing bone defects in vitro and in vivo. As indicated in results, the mechanical properties of CPC+Endostar and CPC+PLGA+Endostar do not differ from those of pure CPC. The PLGA-embedded Endostar slow-release microspheres were designed and prepared, and were combined with CPC. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) is a biodegradable polymer material in vivo, so the effect on its mechanical properties is negligible. CPC+Endostar and CPC+PLGA+Endostar have been proved to inhibit cell proliferation, promote apoptosis and block cell cycle in G2 phase; the expression levels of osteoclast-related genes CXCL2, TGF-β1, IGF-1, IL-6, and RANKL were significantly decreased while osteogenic ability and alkaline phosphatase activity observably enhanced. In vivo studies have revealed that the expression levels of TRAP, RANKL, and Caspase3 in CPC+PLGA+ENDO-treated tumor tissues after 3 weeks were higher than those in other groups with the prolongation of animal treatment time, while the expression levels of OPN and BCL2 were lower than those in other groups. In hematoxylin and eosin and TUNEL staining, 3 weeks of CPC+PLGA+ENDO-treatment yielded higher tissue necrosis and apoptosis than other groups; computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging results showed the posterior edge bone damage reduced as a result of the CPC+PLGA+ENDO grafting in vertebral pedicle. Overall, the feasibility and reliability of CPC-loaded Endostar in the treatment of bone metastasis in lung cancer were investigated in this study, so as to promote the basic research and treatment of bone metastasis in lung cancer and other malignant tumors.

Musashi-2 in cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes non-small cell lung cancer metastasis through paracrine IL-6-driven epithelial-mesenchymal transition

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, is predominantly associated with advanced/metastatic disease. The interaction between tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in tumor microenvironment is known to be essential for regulating tumor progression and metastasis, but the underlying mechanisms, particularly the role of RNA-binding protein Musashi-2 (MSI2) in CAFs in promoting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) invasiveness and metastatic spread, remain obscure.

METHODS

Genomic and proteomic database analyses were performed to evaluate the potential clinical significance of MSI2 in NSCLC tumor and stromal clinical specimens. Molecular approaches were used to modify MSI2 in CAFs and determine its functional role in NSCLC cell motility in vitro using 2D and 3D models, and in metastasis in a xenograft mouse model using live-cell imaging.

RESULTS

MSI2, both gene and protein, is upregulated in NSCLC tissues and is associated with poor prognosis and high metastatic risk in patients. Interestingly, MSI2 is also upregulated in NSCLC stroma and activated fibroblasts, including CAFs. Depletion of MSI2 in CAFs by CRISPR-Cas9 strongly inhibits NSCLC cell migration and invasion in vitro, and attenuates local and distant metastatic spread of NSCLC cells in vivo. The crosstalk between CAFs and NSCLC cells occurs via paracrine signaling, which is regulated by MSI2 in CAFs via IL-6. The secreted IL-6 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition in NSCLC cells, which drives metastasis.

CONCLUSION

Our findings reveal for the first time that MSI2 in CAFs is important in CAF-mediated NSCLC cell invasiveness and metastasis via IL-6 paracrine signaling. Therefore, targeting the MSI2/IL-6 axis in CAFs could be effective in combating NSCLC metastasis.

miRNAs and exosomal miRNAs in lung cancer: New emerging players in tumor progression and therapy response

Non-coding RNAs have shown key roles in cancer and among them, short RNA molecules are known as microRNAs (miRNAs). These molecules have length less than 25 nucleotides and suppress translation and expression. The functional miRNAs are produced in cytoplasm. Lung cancer is a devastating disease that its mortality and morbidity have undergone an increase in recent years. Aggressive behavior leads to undesirable prognosis and tumors demonstrate abnormal proliferation and invasion. In the present review, miRNA functions in lung cancer is described. miRNAs reduce/increase proliferation and metastasis. They modulate cell death and proliferation. Overexpression of oncogenic miRNAs facilitates drug resistance and radio-resistance in lung cancer. Tumor microenvironment components including macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts demonstrate interactions with miRNAs in lung cancer. Other factors such as HIF-1α, lncRNAs and circRNAs modulate miRNA expression. miRNAs have also value in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Understanding such interactions can pave the way for developing novel therapeutics in near future for lung cancer patients.

Exosomal microRNAs as novel diagnostic biomarkers in breast cancer: A systematic evaluation and meta-analysis

Circulating tumor-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in the development of cancer. We aimed to assess the diagnostic value of circulating exosomal miRNAs in breast cancer (BC). A computer search was conducted for clinical studies on exosomal miRNA diagnosis of breast cancer published in Wanfang, CNKI, China Biology Medicine disc, VIP, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase built up to August 16, 2022. True/false positive (TP/FP) and true/false negative (TN/FN) rates were extracted from each eligible study to obtain pooled sensitivities, specificities, positive/negative likelihood ratios (PLR/NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The meta-analysis included 7 articles including 348 Asian patients and 260 controls. All miRNAs were quantified using qRT-PCR assays. The sensitivity and specificity of the combination were 0.67 (95% CI = 0.64-0.71) and 0.81 (95% CI = 0.77-0.86), respectively. The combined DOR was 10.2 (95% CI = 6.00-16.74). The combined AUC(area under the subject operating characteristic curve) was 0.83 (0.91-0.96). In conclusion, exosomal-derived miRNA can be a good indicator to improve the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Performance of Liquid Biopsy-Derived Exosomal MicroRNAs in Thyroid Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Circulatory tumor-derived exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in cancer development/progression. We aimed to assess the diagnostic/prognostic value of circulating exosomal miRNA in thyroid cancer (TC). A search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct up to 22 May 2021 was performed. The true/false positive (TP/FP) and true/false negative (TN/FN) rates were extracted from each eligible study to obtain the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative likelihood ratios (PLR/NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). The meta-analysis included 12 articles consisting of 1164 Asian patients and 540 controls. All miRNAs were quantified using qRT-PCR assays. The pooled sensitivity was 82% (95%CI = 77-86%), pooled specificity was 76% (95%CI = 71-80%), and pooled DOR was 13.6 (95%CI = 8.8-21.8). The best biomarkers with high sensitivity were miR-16-2-3p (94%), miR-223-5p (91%), miR-130a-3p (90%), and miR182-5p (94%). Similarly, they showed high specificity, in addition to miR-34c-5p. Six panels of two to four exosomal miRNAs showed higher diagnostic values with an area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.906 to 0.981. The best discriminative ability to differentiate between cancer and non-cancer individuals was observed for miR-146b-5p + miR-223-5p + miR-182-5p (AUC = 0.981, sensitivity = 93.8% (84.9-98.3), specificity = 92.9% (76.5-99.1)). In conclusion, the expression levels of exosomal miRNAs could predict TC.