MicroRNA-432-5p inhibits cell migration and invasion by targeting CXCL5 in colorectal cancer

LncRNA BCRT1 depletion suppresses cervical cancer cell growth via sponging miR-432-5p/CCR7 axis

Breast cancer-related transcript 1 (BCRT1), a lncRNA that is overexpressed in several human cancers, facilitates the progression of breast cancer and osteosarcoma. Nevertheless, the function of BCRT1 in cervical cancer (CC) still remains unknown. In this study, BCRT1 was significantly overexpressed in CC tissues and correlated with the advanced stage of CC patients. BCRT1 depletion dampened CC cell proliferation, and drives cell apoptosis and cell cycle inhibition. Mechanistically, BCRT1 bound miR-432-5p and negatively modulated miR-432-5p's expression in CC cells. Reduced miR-452-3p expression was observed in CC tissues and exerted tumor suppressive function in CC cell growth. Further mechanism study revealed that CCR7 was clarified as a target of miR-432-5p and was inhibited following BCRT1 depletion. CCR7 transfection could recover CC cell growth that was suppressed with BCRT1 down-regulation. These results revealed the novel function of BCRT1/miR-432-5p/CCR7 pathway in CC, suggesting BCRT1 might be a potential biomarker and target for CC treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03863-x.

Bioinformatic Analysis of the CXCR2 Ligands in Cancer Processes

Human CXCR2 has seven ligands, i.e., CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, CXCL5, CXCL6, CXCL7, and CXCL8/IL-8-chemokines with nearly identical properties. However, no available study has compared the contribution of all CXCR2 ligands to cancer progression. That is why, in this study, we conducted a bioinformatic analysis using the GEPIA, UALCAN, and TIMER2.0 databases to investigate the role of CXCR2 ligands in 31 different types of cancer, including glioblastoma, melanoma, and colon, esophageal, gastric, kidney, liver, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. We focused on the differences in the regulation of expression (using the Tfsitescan and miRDB databases) and analyzed mutation types in CXCR2 ligand genes in cancers (using the cBioPortal). The data showed that the effect of CXCR2 ligands on prognosis depends on the type of cancer. CXCR2 ligands were associated with EMT, angiogenesis, recruiting neutrophils to the tumor microenvironment, and the count of M1 macrophages. The regulation of the expression of each CXCR2 ligand was different and, thus, each analyzed chemokine may have a different function in cancer processes. Our findings suggest that each type of cancer has a unique pattern of CXCR2 ligand involvement in cancer progression, with each ligand having a unique regulation of expression.

Circ_0000395 Promoted CRC Progression via Elevating MYH9 Expression by Sequestering miR-432-5p

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been listed as the fourth deadly cancer. Circular RNA hsa_circRNA_001046, also termed as hsa_circ_0000395 (circ_0000395), has been shown to be upregulated in CRC. Nevertheless, the function of circ_0000395 in CRC progression is unclear. 42 CRC patients were enrolled in the study. Detection of circ_0000395 expression in tissues and cells was executed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Evaluation of circ_0000395 function was performed using loss-of-function experiments in vitro and in vivo. The regulatory mechanism of circ_0000395 was predicted by bioinformatics analysis and validated by dual-luciferase reporter and RIP assays. Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation and validated by western blotting, TEM, and NTA. Circ_0000395 was strongly expressed in CRC samples and cell lines. Also, circ_0000395 repressed CRC growth in mouse models in vivo and induced CRC cell apoptosis, restrained CRC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT in vitro. Mechanistically, circ_0000395 sequestered miR-432-5p to regulate MYH9 expression. Furthermore, miR-432-5p knockdown reversed circ_0000395 silencing-mediated effects on CRC cell malignant phenotypes. MYH9 overexpression counteracted the inhibiting effects of miR-432-5p upregulation on CRC cell malignant phenotypes. Additionally, CRC cells derived from exosomal circ_0000395 promoted cancer cell malignant phenotypes. Our findings demonstrated that circ_0000395 sequestered miR-432-5p to elevate MYH9 expression, resulting in facilitating CRC progression, manifesting a potential therapeutic target for CRC.

Role and Dysregulation of miRNA in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative synucleinopathy that has a not yet fully understood molecular pathomechanism behind it. The role of risk genes regulated by small non-coding RNAs, or microRNAs (miRNAs), has also been highlighted in PD, where they may influence disease progression and comorbidities. In this case-control study, we analyzed miRNAs on peripheral blood mononuclear cells by means of RNA-seq in 30 participants, with the aim of identifying miRNAs differentially expressed in PD compared to age-matched healthy controls. Additionally, we investigated the pathways influenced by differentially expressed miRNAs and assessed whether a specific pathway could potentially be associated with PD susceptibility (enrichment analyses performed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tools). Overall, considering that the upregulation of miRNAs might be related with the downregulation of their messenger RNA targets, and vice versa, we found several putative targets of dysregulated miRNAs (i.e., upregulated: hsa-miR-1275, hsa-miR-23a-5p, hsa-miR-432-5p, hsa-miR-4433b-3p, and hsa-miR-4443; downregulated: hsa-miR-142-5p, hsa-miR-143-3p, hsa-miR-374a-3p, hsa-miR-542-3p, and hsa-miR-99a-5p). An inverse connection between cancer and neurodegeneration, called "inverse comorbidity", has also been noted, showing that some genes or miRNAs may be expressed oppositely in neurodegenerative disorders and in some cancers. Therefore, it may be reasonable to consider these miRNAs as potential diagnostic markers and outcome measures.

Circular RNA ciRS-7 promotes laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma development by inducing TGM3 hypermethylation via miR-432-5p/DNMT3B axis

OBJECTIVE

This work is to explore the mechanism by which circular RNA ciRS-7 affects laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC).

METHODS

ciRS-7 expression in LSCC tissues was detected by qRT-PCR, and the association between ciRS-7 with clinicopathological features of LSCC patients was evaluated. HN-4 and UM-SCC-10A cells were transfected or cotransfected with si-ciRS-7, miR-432-5p inhibitor, LV-DNMT3B or si-TGM3. Then, the viability and aggressive nature of the cells were tested. The binding site between ciRS-7 and miR-432-5p or between miR-432-5p and DNMT3B was predicted and the targeting relationship was identified. The specific binding between ciRS-7 and miR-432-5p was further verified by AGO2 RIP assay. HN-4 cells transfected with si-ciRS-7 was injected into nude mice to induce xenograft tumors.

RESULTS

Higher ciRS-7 expression in LSCC tissues was closely associated with higher clinical stage, and exacerbated infiltration and lymph node metastasis in LSCC patients. Silencing ciRS-7 inhibited LSCC cell viability, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and promoted the apoptosis. When miR-432-5p was inhibited or DNMT3B was overexpressed, the growth and EMT of LSCC cells were stimulated despite ciRS-7 silencing. Downregulation of ciRS-7 restrained the growth of xenograft tumors in vivo.

CONCLUSION

ciRS-7 promotes the progression of LSCC through increasing TGM3 methylation via miR-432-5p/DNMT3B axis.

MicroRNA and metabolomics signatures for adrenomyeloneuropathy disease severity

Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), the slow progressive phenotype of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), has no clinical plasma biomarker for disease progression. This feasibility study aimed to determine whether metabolomics and micro-RNA in blood plasma provide a potential source of biomarkers for AMN disease severity. Metabolomics and RNA-seq were performed on AMN and healthy human blood plasma. Biomarker discovery and pathway analyses were performed using clustering, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and regression against patient's clinical Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS). Fourteen AMN and six healthy control samples were analyzed. AMN showed strong disease-severity-specific metabolic and miRNA clustering signatures. Strong, significant clinical correlations were shown for 7-alpha-hydroxy-3-oxo-4-cholestenoate (7-HOCA) (r 2 = 0.83, p < 0.00001), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S; r 2 = 0.82, p < 0.00001), hypoxanthine (r 2 = 0.82, p < 0.00001), as well as miRNA-432-5p (r 2 = 0.68, p < 0.00001). KEGG pathway comparison of mild versus severe disease identified affected downstream systems: GAREM, IGF-1, CALCRL, SMAD2&3, glutathione peroxidase, LDH, and NOS. This feasibility study demonstrates that miRNA and metabolomics are a source of potential plasma biomarkers for disease severity in AMN, providing both a disease signature and individual markers with strong clinical correlations. Network analyses of affected systems implicate differentially altered vascular, inflammatory, and oxidative stress pathways, suggesting disease-severity-specific mechanisms as a function of disease severity.

Circular RNAs in neuroblastoma: Pathogenesis, potential biomarker, and therapeutic target

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a common cancer in childhood responsible for 15 % of fatalities by pediatric cancers. Epigenetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of NB. Recently, it has been demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs, ciRNAs), a newly identified class of non-coding RNAs, are also dysregulated in NB. CircRNAs mediate their functions by regulating gene expression mainly through microRNA (miRNA) sponging. The dysregulation (abnormal upregulation or downregulation) of circRNAs is involved in tumorigenesis of a variety of tumors including NB. It seems that the expression of some circRNAs is correlated with NB prognosis and clinical features. CircRNAs might be favorable as a diagnostic/prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target. However, due to the lack of studies, it is difficult to make a conclusion regarding the clinical benefits of circRNAs. In this review, we discussed the circRNAs that experimentally have been proved to be dysregulated in NB tissues and cancer cells.

Interplays between non-coding RNAs and chemokines in digestive system cancers

Within tumors, chemokines and their cognate receptors are expressed by infiltrated leukocytes, cancerous cells, and related cells of stroma, like tumor-associated fibroblasts and tumor-associated macrophages. In malignancies, the altered expression of chemokines/chemokine receptors governs leukocyte infiltration and activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) contribute to multiple physiological and pathophysiological processes. Some miRNAs can exert anti-tumorigenic activity in digestive system malignancies by repressing the expression of tumor-promoting chemokines/chemokine receptors or by upregulating tumor-suppressing chemokines/chemokine receptors. However, many miRNAs exert pro-tumorigenic activity by suppressing the expression of chemokines/chemokine receptors or by upregulating tumor-promoting chemokines/chemokine receptors. LncRNA and circRNAs also exert pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects by targeting downstream miRNAs influencing the expression of tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressor chemokines/chemokine receptors. On the other side, some chemokines influence the expression of ncRNAs affecting tumor formation. The current review explains the communications between ncRNAs and chemokines/chemokine receptors in certain digestive system malignancies, such as gastric, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers and hepatocellular carcinoma to gain better insights into their basic crosstalk as well as possible therapeutic modalities.

Chemokines in progression, chemoresistance, diagnosis, and prognosis of colorectal cancer

Plenty of factors affect the oncogenesis and progression of colorectal cancer in the tumor microenvironment, including various immune cells, stromal cells, cytokines, and other factors. Chemokine is a member of the cytokine superfamily. It is an indispensable component in the tumor microenvironment. Chemokines play an antitumor or pro-tumor role by recruitment or polarization of recruiting immune cells. Meanwhile, chemokines, as signal molecules, participate in the formation of a cross talk among signaling pathways and non-coding RNAs, which may be involved in promoting tumor progression. In addition, they also function in immune escape. Chemokines are related to drug resistance of tumor cells and may even provide reference for the diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer.

Genomically Silent Refractory Gastric Cancer in a Young Patient Exhibits Overexpression of CXCL5

Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with more than one million new cases and approximately 841,000 deaths annually worldwide. We report a case of a young patient (25 years old) with an aggressive form of gastric cancer. The patient had previously been treated for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which is a main risk factor for developing gastric cancer. Genetic testing showed an E-cadherin (CDH1) germline mutation of unknown significance. After eight cycles of chemotherapy, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan showed disease progression with an enlarging hypermetabolic right adnexal mass suspicious for metastatic disease. Tumor pathology demonstrated invasive and poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma. The analysis of the tumor biopsy indicated the very high expression of a chemokine, C-X-C motif chemokine 5 (CXCL5). The combination of H. pylori infection with an existence of a rare CDH1 mutation could have contributed to this aggressive gastric cancer.

A microRNA panel that regulates proinflammatory cytokines as diagnostic and prognosis biomarkers in colon cancer

Colon cancer (CC) is the third most common neoplasm and the fourth cause of cancer-related death worldwide in both sexes. It has been established that inflammation plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and progression of CC. Immune, stromal and tumor cells supply the tumor microenvironment with pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1β, TNFα, IL-6 and IL-11, to hyperactivate signaling pathways linked to cancerous processes. Recent findings suggest a putative role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the progression and management of the inflammatory response in intestinal diseases. Moreover, miRNAs are able to regulate expression of molecular mediators that are linking inflammation and cancer. In this work a miRNA panel differentially expressed between healthy, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and CC tissue was established. Identified miRNAs regulate signaling pathways related to inflammation and cancer progression. An inflammation associated-miRNA panel composed of 11-miRNAs was found to be overexpressed in CC but not in inflamed or normal tissues (miR-21-5p, miR-304-5p, miR-577, miR-335-5p, miR-21-3p, miR-27b-5p, miR-335-3p, miR-215-5p, miR-30b-5p, miR-192-5p, miR-3065-5p). The association of top hit miRNAs, miR-3065-5p and miR-30b-5p expression with overall survival of CC patients was demonstrated using Kaplan-Meier tests. Finally, differential miRNA expression was validated using an inflammation-associated CC model induced by Azoxymethane/Dextran Sodium Sulfate (AOM/DSS) to compare miRNA expression in normal and inflamed tissue versus CC tissues. Based on these findings we propose the identified inflammatory miRNA panel as a potent diagnostic tool for CC determination.

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A miRNA group distinguishes colon cancer tissues, since early stages, from inflamed or healthy colon tissues.

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The miRNA panel regulates signaling pathways related to cancer progression.

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The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines are regulated by the miRNAs of the panel.

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Inflammation-related miRNAs are colon cancer prognosis biomarkers.

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A miRNA signature is specific biomarker for colitis-associated colon carcinogenesis.

MicroRNA-873-5p suppresses cell malignant behaviors of thyroid cancer via targeting CXCL5 and regulating P53 pathway

We aimed to examine the roles of microRNA-873-5p and CXCL5 in thyroid cancer (TC) cells. qRT-PCR was adopted to measure the expression levels of CXCL5 mRNA and microRNA-873-5p in TC cells, and western blot was adopted to evaluate the CXCL5 protein expression level. Bioinformatics analysis was done to predict the upstream gene of CXCL5. Dual-luciferase assay was applied to validate the binding relationship of CXCL5 and the upstream regulatory gene. Cell experiments were done to detect the effects of microRNA-873-5p targeting CXCL5 on malignant progression of cancer cells. Western blot was adopted to demonstrate the phosphorylation level of P53 pathway related-proteins. CXCL5 was upregulated in TC cells and tissues. The results of in vitro assays displayed that CXCL5 downregulation dramatically suppressed the malignant behaviors of TC cells. MicroRNA-873-5p suppressed CXCL5 expression, but the suppressive effect of microRNA-873-5p on TC cells was abolished through CXCL5 overexpression. Additionally, microRNA-873-5p could mediate p53 pathway and thereby inhibit the malignant behaviors of TC cells through targeting CXCL5. In summary, we proved that microRNA-873-5p repressed the malignant behaviors of TC cells through targeting CXCL5 and P53 pathway, indicating that microRNA-873-5p can be a biomarker for TC.

Colorectal liver metastasis: molecular mechanism and interventional therapy

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequently occurring malignancy tumors with a high morbidity additionally, CRC patients may develop liver metastasis, which is the major cause of death. Despite significant advances in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, the survival rate of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) patients remains very low. CRLM, as a complex cascade reaction process involving multiple factors and procedures, has complex and diverse molecular mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms/pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment of CRLM. We also focus on an overview of the recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of CRLM with a special emphasis on tumor microenvironment and promise of newer targeted therapies for CRLM, further improving the prognosis of CRLM patients.

Long noncoding RNA LINC00649 functions as a microRNA‑432‑5p sponge to facilitate tumourigenesis in colorectal cancer by upregulating HDGF

Long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 649 (LINC00649) is a functional regulator in acute myeloid leukaemia. However, the contribution of LINC00649 in colorectal cancer (CRC) has yet to be confirmed. Accordingly, the present investigation was devoted to exploring the detailed functions of LINC00649 and reveal the mechanisms underlying the LINC00649-induced promotion of CRC progression. LINC00649 expression in CRC was investigated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Knockdown of LINC00649 was achieved using small interfering RNAs or short hairpin RNA, followed by functional experiments. The binding between LINC00649 and microRNA (miR)-432-5p was predicted by a bioinformatics tool, and corroborated by luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation. In the present study, LINC00649 was expressed at a high level in CRC. The aberrant expression of LINC00649 exhibited an inverse association with CRC patient prognosis. Functionally, the downregulation of LINC00649 exerted anticarcinogenic activities in CRC by decreasing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inducing cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the growth of CRC cells in vivo was attenuated after LINC00649 deficiency. Mechanistically, LINC00649 functioned as a competitive endogenous RNA by competitively binding to miR-432-5p in CRC cells, inducing an increase in hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF). Ultimately, functional rescue experiments highlighted that the exogenous introduction of miR-432-5p inhibitor or HDGF overexpression plasmid partially abated the inhibitory effects of LINC00649 silencing. In conclusion, LINC00649 promoted the aggressiveness of CRC cells by adjusting the miR-432-5p/HDGF axis. Thus, the LINC00649/miR-432-5p/HDGF pathway may be a promising target for CRC therapy.

Tumor-associated macrophages promote cholangiocarcinoma progression via exosomal Circ_0020256

This study investigated the exosomal circular RNAs (CircRNAs) produced by tumor-associated macrophages and delivered into the microenvironment of cholangiocarcinoma cells in order to use them as molecular targets for clinical therapy. Tumor-associated M2 macrophages (TAMs) were induced from THP-1 cells and identified by flow cytometry. The TAM-secreted exosomes were isolated from conditioned medium and a CircRNA microarray assay was performed to identify CircRNAs that were uniquely expressed in the isolated exosomes. Circ_0020256 was especially identified based on having the highest differential expression level among all of the CircRNA candidates. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to assess the effects of TAMs, exosomes, and Circ_0020256 on the growth and migration of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cells. The induced TAMs promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CCA cells and those effects were mediated by exosomes secreted by the TAMs. In CCA cells (RBE and HCCC-9810), Circ_0020256 significantly promoted cellular activity by interacting with its intra-cellular microRNA target, miR-432-5p. In contrast, overexpression of transcription factor E2F3 in CCA cells restored the CCA cellular activities that were inhibited by miR-432-5p. On the other hand, treatment with small interference RNA (siRNA) for Circ_0020256 inhibited CCA cell proliferation, migration, and invasion both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, Circ_0020256 in TAM-secreted exosomes promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of CCA cells, and that promotional activity was regulated via a Circ_0020256/miR-432-5p/E2F3 axis.

Reduced expression of microRNA-432-5p by DNA methyltransferase 3B leads to development of colorectal cancer through upregulation of CCND2

BACKGROUND

The tumor suppressive function of microRNA-432-5p (miR-432-5p) has been reported in several human malignances. This study aimed to probe the expression profile and role of miR-432-5p in colorectal cancer (CRC) and the molecular mechanism.

METHODS

Differentially expressed miRNAs between CRC and healthy samples were screened using a miRNA expression dataset GSE136020. The related molecules were identified by integrated bioinformatic analyses. A murine model of primary CRC was established and xenograft tumors were induced in mice. Altered expression of DNMT3B, miR-432-5p and cyclin D2 (CCND2) were introduced in CRC cells to determine their roles in the development of CRC.

RESULTS

miR-432-5p was downregulated in CRC according to the GSE136020 dataset. CCND2 mRNA was confirmed as a target of miR-432-5p. miR-432-5p was downregulated, whereas CCND2 was abundantly expressed in CRC tissues and cells. DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) induced DNA methylation at the CpG island of miR-432-5p to inhibit its expression. miR-432-5p mimic significantly suppressed tumorigenesis of primary CRC in mice. Downregulation of DNMT3B weakened viability, invasiveness, blocked the cell cycle progression of CRC cells in vitro, and inhibited xenograft tumor growth and metastasis in nude mice. However, additional downregulation of miR-432-5p or upregulation of CCND2 restored the malignant behaviors of CRC cells.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that DNMT3B induced DNA methylation and downregulation of miR-432-5p to promote development of CRC by upregulating CCND2.

CircRNA DUSP16 Knockdown Suppresses Colorectal Cancer Progression by Regulating the miR-432-5p/E2F6 Axis

Background

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in various types of cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the function and underlying mechanism of CircRNA DUSP16 (circDUSP16) in colorectal cancer (CRC) development.

Materials and Methods

The expression levels of circDUSP16, microRNA-432-5p (miR-432-5p), and E2F transcription factor 6 (E2F6) were measured by RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were investigated by CCK-8, Transwell, and flow cytometry assays. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the levels of the pro-apoptotic protein (Bax and cleaved-caspase 3) and the anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2). Luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay were used to analyze the association between miR-432-5p and circDUSP16 or E2F6. A xenograft tumor model was employed to explore the effect of circDUSP16 on CRC tumor growth in vivo.

Results

CircDUSP16 expression was upregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines. High circDUSP16 expression was correlated with low survival rate. Furthermore, circDUSP16 knockdown repressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and induced apoptosis in CRC. CircDUSP16 caused a negative regulation in miR-432-5p expression. In addition, E2F6 expression was elevated in CRC tissues. Inhibition of miR-432-5p promoted the proliferative and metastatic activity of CRC cells and inhibited the induction of apoptosis. Inhibition of E2F6 expression partially abolished the effects caused by miR-432-5p depletion. Moreover, circDUSP16 upregulated E2F6 expression by reducing miR-432-5p expression. Furthermore, circDUSP16 silencing repressed CRC tumor growth in vivo.

Conclusion

The results supported the hypothesis that circDUSP16 knockdown suppressed CRC progression by regulating the miR-432-5p/E2F6 axis, suggesting that the circDUSP16/miR-432-5p/E2F6 network may be a potential therapeutic target for CRC.