Upregulation of HOXA1 promotes tumorigenesis and development of non‑small cell lung cancer: A comprehensive investigation based on reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and bioinformatics analysis

Role of HOXA1-4 in the development of genetic and malignant diseases

The HOXA genes, belonging to the HOX family, encompass 11 members (HOXA1-11) and exert critical functions in early embryonic development, as well as various adult processes. Furthermore, dysregulation of HOXA genes is implicated in genetic diseases, heart disease, and various cancers. In this comprehensive overview, we primarily focused on the HOXA1-4 genes and their associated functions and diseases. Emphasis was placed on elucidating the impact of abnormal expression of these genes and highlighting their significance in maintaining optimal health and their involvement in the development of genetic and malignant diseases. Furthermore, we delved into their regulatory mechanisms, functional roles, and underlying biology and explored the therapeutic potential of targeting HOXA1-4 genes for the treatment of malignancies. Additionally, we explored the utility of HOXA1-4 genes as biomarkers for monitoring cancer recurrence and metastasis.

Homeobox A1 Facilitates Immune Escape and Alleviates Oxidative Stress in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Objective

Recent studies have demonstrated that homeobox A1 (HOXA1) is upregulated in lung cancer due to RNA modifications (N6-methyladenosine), but the specific function of HOXA1 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains indistinct. Herein, we investigated the role of HOXA1 in LUAD biology.

Methods

This study presented pancancer analysis of associations of HOXA1 with prognosis, TMB, and immune checkpoints. The expression of HOXA1 was detected in LUAD and normal tissues with immunohistochemistry and western blot. Through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis, HOXA1-derived gene model was conducted in LUAD. Correlations of HOXA1 with immune cell infiltrations, immune checkpoints, HLAs, and chemotherapeutic sensitivity were evaluated. Colony formation, proliferation, and migration of LUAD cells with si-HOXA1 transfection were investigated, and the effects of HOXA1 on T cell exhaustion were assessed in vitro.

Results

HOXA1 expression was a risk factor of overall survival, disease-specific survival, and progression-free interval of LUAD. HOXA1 exhibited prominent associations with immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and HLAs. HOXA1-derived gene signature reliably and independently predicted LUAD outcomes. Also, high-risk cases presented increased sensitivity to cisplatin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, vinorelbine, and etoposide. HOXA1 knockdown exhibited an inhibitory effect on proliferation and migration abilities of LUAD cells. Silencing HOXA1 weakened the expression of antioxidative stress markers Nrf2/HO-1 and T cell exhaustion marker CD155 in LUAD cells. Moreover, LUAD cells with HOXA1 knockdown enhanced the CD8+ T cell response.

Conclusion

Our data support the oncogenic function and prognostic significance of HOXA1 that facilitates immune escape and alleviates oxidative stress of LUAD.

MYC/MAX-Activated LINC00958 Promotes Lung Adenocarcinoma by Oncogenic Transcriptional Reprogramming Through HOXA1 Activation

BACKGROUND

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype of lung cancer. The role of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00958, which regulates the malignant behavior of multiple tumors, in LUAD has not been elucidated.

METHODS

Tissue microarray, FISH, and qRT-PCR were used to detect the expression of LINC00958. Plasmid and viral infections were used to manipulate gene expression. The role of LINC00958 in LUAD was studied by cell proliferation analysis, cell apoptosis analysis, cell migration and invasion analysis, and subcutaneous inoculation of animal models. At the same time, RNA-Seq, RNA pull-down, ChIRP, ChIP, and luciferase reporter gene assays were performed to clarify the mechanism.

RESULTS

The expression of LINC00958 in LUAD tissues was significantly upregulated when compared with that in adjacent tissues and could independently predict poor survival of patients with LUAD. LINC00958 knockdown significantly inhibited the growth and metastasis of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. LINC00958 localized to the nucleus, regulated oncogenes and metabolism-related and immune response-related genes, and interacted with histones. The targets of LINC00958 were TRPV3, STAP2, and EDN2 promoters with motifs of HOXA1, NANOG, FOSL2, JUN, and ATF4. Moreover, HOXA1 overexpression mitigated the LINC00958 knockdown-induced oncogenic phenotype. MYC/MAX motif, which was detected at the cis-element of LINC00958, trans-activated the LINC00958 promoter.

CONCLUSIONS

MYC/MAX-trans-activated LINC00958 promotes the malignant behavior of LUAD by recruiting HOXA1 and inducing oncogenic reprogramming.

AKR1C1 alleviates LPS‑induced ALI in mice by activating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a respiratory tract disease characterized by increased alveolar/capillary permeability, lung inflammation and structural damage to lung tissues, which can progress and transform into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Although there are several treatment strategies available to manage this condition, there is still no specific cure for ALI. Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C1 (AKR1C1) is a member of the aldo-keto reductase superfamily, and is a well-known Nrf2 target gene and an oxidative stress gene. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of AKR1C1 on a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI model. After mice received LPS treatment, the mRNA expression levels of AKR1C1 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and its relationship with the inflammatory factors and malondialdehyde levels were determined using correlation analysis. Next, AKR1C1 was overexpressed or knocked out in mice, and subsequently ALI was induced in mice using LPS. The severity of ALI, oxidative stress and inflammation in the lungs were measured, and the potential involvement of the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transduction activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway was assessed by measuring the changes of lung injury parameters after the agonists of JAK2/STAT3 pathway, including interleukin (IL)-6 and colivelin, were administrated to mice. The results revealed that AKR1C1 expression was decreased in the LPS-induced ALI mouse model. AKR1C1 expression was inversely correlated with serum tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-6 and malondialdehyde levels, and positively correlated with serum IL-10 levels. AKR1C1 overexpression significantly attenuated lung injury, as shown by the changes in Evans blue leakage in the lung, lung wet/dry weight ratio, PaO₂/FIO₂ ratio, survival rate of mice and histological lung changes. In addition, the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway was significantly deactivated by AKR1C1^+/+. When AKR1C1^+/+ mice were treated with JAK2/STAT3 agonists, the effects of AKR1C1 overexpression on lung injury and oxidative stress were abolished. In conclusion, AKR1C1 may protect against oxidative stress and serve as a negative regulator of inflammation in ALI/ARDS. In addition, the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway could participate in the protective effects of AKR1C1 against ALI.

Overexpressed lncRNA ROR Promotes the Biological Characteristics of ox-LDL-Induced HUVECs via the let-7b-5p/HOXA1 Axis in Atherosclerosis

The long non-coding RNA regulator of reprogramming (lncRNA ROR) is involved in atherosclerosis (AS), but the specific mechanism remains unclear. The expressions of lncRNA ROR, let-7b-5p, Homeobox A1 (HOXA1), and apoptosis-associated proteins in the serum of AS patients and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. The relationships of lncRNA ROR, let-7b-5p, and HOXA1 were analyzed by Pearson's correlation test. The viability and the migration of HUVECs were measured by Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing, and Transwell assays. The predicted target gene and the potential binding sites were confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. lncRNA ROR was highly expressed in AS, which promoted the cell viability and migration of HUVECs, while lncRNA ROR silencing produced the opposite results. The expression of let-7b-5p, which bound to lncRNA ROR, was downregulated in AS, indicating that the two genes were negatively correlated. Besides this, let-7b-5p reversed the effects of upregulated lncRNA ROR expression on let-7b-5p expression, cell viability, and migration as well as the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins of ox-LDL-treated HUVECs. HOXA1 was targeted by let-7b-5p and upregulated in AS, with its expression being negatively correlated with let-7b-5p but positively correlated with lncRNA ROR. In ox-LDL-treated HUVECs, overexpressed HOXA1 reversed the effects of let-7b-5p, and HOXA1 silencing reversed the effects of lncRNA ROR. In AS, lncRNA ROR promoted the biological characteristics of oxidation of low-density lipoprotein-induced HUVECs via the let-7b-5p/HOXA1 axis.

Bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation of TTK as a biomarker for prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Despite the prominent development of medical technology in recent years, the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still not optimistic. It is crucial to identify more reliable diagnostic biomarkers for the early diagnosis and personalized therapy of NSCLC and clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying NSCLC progression.

Methods: In the present study, bioinformatics analysis was performed on three datasets obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus to identify the NSCLC-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Immunohistochemistry-based tissue microarray of human NSCLC was used to experimental validating the potential targets obtained from bioinformatics analysis.

Results: By using protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, Kaplan–Meier plotter, and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, we selected 40 core DEGs for further study. Then, a re-analysis of 40 selected genes via Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment showed that nine key genes involved in the cell cycle and p53 signaling pathway participated in the development of NSCLC. Then, we checked the protein level of nine key genes by semi-quantitative of IHC and checked the distribution at a single-cell level. Finally, we validated dual-specificity protein kinase TTK as a biomarker for prognosis in a tissue microarray. High TTK expression associated with a higher histological stage, advanced TNM stage, high frequency of positive lymph nodes, and worse 5-year overall survival.

Conclusions: We found nine key genes were enriched in the cell cycle and p53 signaling pathway. TTK could be considered as a potential therapeutic target and for the prognosis biomarker of NSCLC. These findings will provide new insights for the development of individualized therapeutic targets for NSCLC.

Pan-Cancer Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Analyses Revealed That Hypermethylation Influences 3D Architecture and Gene Expression Dysregulation in HOXA Locus During Carcinogenesis of Cancers

DNA methylation dysregulation during carcinogenesis has been widely discussed in recent years. However, the pan-cancer DNA methylation biomarkers and corresponding biological mechanisms were seldom investigated. We identified differentially methylated sites and regions from 5,056 The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) samples across 10 cancer types and then validated the findings using 48 manually annotated datasets consisting of 3,394 samples across nine cancer types from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). All samples’ DNA methylation profile was evaluated with Illumina 450K microarray to narrow down the batch effect. Nine regions were identified as commonly differentially methylated regions across cancers in TCGA and GEO cohorts. Among these regions, a DNA fragment consisting of ∼1,400 bp detected inside the HOXA locus instead of the boundary may relate to the co-expression attenuation of genes inside the locus during carcinogenesis. We further analyzed the 3D DNA interaction profile by the publicly accessible Hi-C database. Consistently, the HOXA locus in normal cell lines compromised isolated topological domains while merging to the domain nearby in cancer cell lines. In conclusion, the dysregulation of the HOXA locus provides a novel insight into pan-cancer carcinogenesis.

Identification of HOXA1 as a Novel Biomarker in Prognosis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Hox genes, a highly conserved homolog in most animals, play vital functions in cell development and organ formation. In recent years, researchers have discovered that it can act as a tumor regulator, and its members can participate in tumorigenesis by regulating receptor signaling, cell differentiation, apoptosis, migration, EMT, and angiogenesis. Hox genes and which major members play a vital role in the progress of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is still unclear. After analyzing the expression differences and prognostic value of all Hox genes through the TCGA-HNSC database, we use histochemistry stains in 52 pairs of HNSCC slices to verify the expression level of the key member-HOXA1. In correlation analysis, we found that high HOXA1 expression is related to poor pathological grade (p = 0.0077), advanced T stage (p = 0.021) and perineural invasion (PNI) (p = 0.0019). Furthermore, we used Cox univariate and multivariate regression analysis to confirm the independent predictive power of HOXA1 expression. To explore the underlying mechanisms behind HOXA1, we ran GSVA and GSEA and found fourteen mutual signaling pathways, including neuroprotein secretion and transport, tumor-associated signaling pathways, cell adhere junction and metabolic reprogramming. Finally, we found that the high expression of HOXA1 is significantly related to the decrease of CD8+ T cell infiltration and the decline of DNA methylation level. Our findings demonstrated that HOXA1, as a notable member of the HOX family, maybe an independent prognostic indicator in HNSCC.

Long non‑coding RNA AFAP1‑AS1 facilitates the growth and invasiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma by regulating the miR‑145/HOXA1 axis

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) actin filament-associated protein 1 antisense RNA 1 (AFAP1-AS1) has been reported to serve important roles in multiple types of cancer. However, the biological function and underlying mechanism of AFAP1-AS1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the biological roles and clarify the potential mechanism of AFAP1-AS1 in OSCC. The expression levels of AFAP1-AS1 in OSCC tissues and cells were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion were analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell invasion assays, respectively. The potential binding between AFAP1-AS1 and microRNA (miR)-145 was validated using dual luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. A xenograft tumor model was established to evaluate the effect of AFAP1-AS1 in vivo. The results revealed that AFAP1-AS1 expression levels were markedly upregulated in OSCC tissues and cells. In addition, patients with OSCC with high expression levels of AFAP1-AS1 had a poor prognosis. Functionally, the knockdown of AFAP1-AS1 in OSCC cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. Similarly, in vivo AFAP1-AS1 knockdown prevented tumor growth and reduced tumor size and weight. Mechanistically, AFAP1-AS1 was discovered to regulate the expression levels of Homeobox A1 (HOXA1) by competing with miR-145. The inhibition of miR-145 partially attenuated the inhibitory effects of AFAP1-AS1 knockdown on OSCC cells. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that AFAP1-AS1 may promote the progression of OSCC by regulating the miR-145/HOXA1 axis.

Clinical significance and biological function of transcriptional repressor GATA binding 1 in gastric cancer: a study based on data mining, RT-qPCR, immunochemistry, and vitro experiment

Transcriptional repressor GATA binding 1 (TRPS1) is a newly discovered transcription factor, which has been reported in many tumors, except for gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we aimed to grope for clinical significance and biological function of TRPS1 in GC. TRPS1 expression in GC and its relationship with clinicopathological features were analyzed based on public databases, and verified by immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR. Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox regression model were used to estimate the influence of TRPS1 on the univariate prognosis and multivariate survival risk factors of GC. The effects of TRPS1 on malignant biological behaviors of GC cells were studied by CCK8 cell proliferation, scratch test, and Transwell assay. The function of TRPS1 was further analyzed by signaling pathway analysis. TRPS1 mRNA expression in GC tissues was up-regulated and was of great significance in some prognostic factors. Protein expression of TRPS1 in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in paracancerous tissues. Over-expression of TRPS1 was a poor prognostic indicator for GC patients. TRPS1 knockdown could inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. The important role of TRPS1 was in the extracellular matrix, and it was involved in actin binding and proteoglycan in cancer. The hub genes of TRPS1 (FN1, ITGB1) were defined. TRPS1 may be a tumor promoter and promote the development of GC by influencing the malignant biological behaviors of GC. TRPS1 is expected to be a key diagnostic and prognostic indicator for GC patients.

microRNA-100 functions as a tumor suppressor in non-small cell lung cancer via regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and Wnt/β-catenin by targeting HOXA1

BACKGROUND

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading subtype in lung cancer, with high morbidities and mortalities worldwide. microRNA (miRNA) has appeared to play indispensable roles in a variety of solid carcinomas. The current study focused on the functions of miR-100 in NSCLC.

METHODS

qRT-PCR was performed to detect miR-100 and HOXA1 expressions in NSCLC tissues and cells. MTT and transwell assays were used to determine the functions of miR-100 in NSCLC cell proliferation, invasion and migration abilities. Western blot was used to measure related protein expressions.

RESULTS

qRT-PCR results showed that miR-100 expressions were dramatically decreased in NSCLC tissues. MTT assays indicated that miR-100 restoration inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation. Furthermore, transwell assay was performed to determine the impacts of miR-100 on NSCLC invasion and migration abilities. As expected, the invasion and migration capacities were significantly repressed. Direct interactions between HOXA1 and miR-100 were also verified via dual-luciferase reporter assays. Western blot analysis demonstrated that miR-100 exerted suppressive functions via regulating EMT and Wnt/β-catenin in NSCLC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that miR-100 served antitumor roles in NSCLC, providing new evidence of miR-100 as a promising therapeutic biomarker in NSCLC.

The LncRNA HOTAIRM1 Promotes Tamoxifen Resistance by Mediating HOXA1 Expression in ER+ Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women worldwide. Approximately 40% of patients with breast cancer acquire endocrine resistance following therapy with tamoxifen. Many explanations for the development of endocrine resistance have been put forward, one of them being the dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). The lncRNA HOTAIRM1, known to be involved in myelopoiesis as well as transcriptional regulation of the HOXA genes in embryonic stem cells, is also expressed in breast cancer cells. This study explored the molecular mechanisms of HOTAIRM1 involved in acquired tamoxifen resistance. We showed that HOTAIRM1 and HOXA1 are concurrently up-regulated in tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 (TAMR) cells. Knockdown of HOTAIRM1 down-regulated HOXA1 expression and restored sensitivity to tamoxifen. In addition, the knockdown of HOXA1 showed similar effects, suggesting that the HOTAIRM1/HOXA1 axis regulates tamoxifen resistance. Furthermore, we showed that HOTAIRM1 directly interacts with EZH2 and prevents the PRC2 complex from binding and depositing H3K27me3 on the putative promoter of HOXA1. Together, our findings suggest that HOXA1 and its neighboring lncRNA, HOTAIRM1, might serve as potential therapeutic targets for ER+ breast cancer patients who have acquired tamoxifen resistance.

Clinical Significance of microRNA-196b-5p in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and its Potential Molecular Mechanism

Objective: To enquire into the clinical significance and potential molecular mechanism of microRNA (miRNA)-196b-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were utilized to examine miR-196b-5p expression level in 67 HCC paraffin embedded tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues. Correlations of miR-196b-5p expression level with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed in our study. The expression level and clinical significance of miR-196b-5p in HCC were also evaluated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We made predictions of the target genes of miR-196b-5p by twelve online software and then selected genes predicted by at least 5 software. Subsequently, in order to obtain the potential target genes of miR-196b-5p, we overlapped the predicted target genes and down-regulated mRNAs in HCC based on TCGA database. Then, we performed the Gene Ontology (GO) and the Disease Ontology (DO) functional annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network construction of those miR-196b-5p potential target genes.

Results: Higher expression level of miR-196b-5p was seen in HCC tissues than in the corresponding adjacent tissues based on qRT-PCR (P = 0.0007). The expression level of miR-196b-5p was linked with tumor size (P = 0.03), tumor node (P = 0.024), vascular invasion (P = 0.029) and capsular invasion (P = 0.026) in HCC patients. Comprehensive meta-analysis of miR-196b-5p expression based on TCGA, GEO and qRT-PCR verified that higher expression level of miR-196b-5p was observed in HCC tissues than in normal control liver tissues (SMD = 0.56, 95%CI: 0.39-0.72, P_{heterogeneity} = 0.275, I² = 18.3%). GO annotation revealed that the top terms in biological process, cellular component and molecular function were single-organism catabolic process, neuronal cell body and transmembrane receptor protein kinase activity, respectively. The most relevant disease in DO annotation was arteriosclerosis. The tryptophan metabolism pathway ranked first in KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The PPI network showed that IGF1, FOXO1, AR and FOS were mostly likely to become the core genes of miR-196b-5p potential target genes, which however required further experiments for validation.

Conclusion: The miR-196b-5p was observed to show higher expression in HCC tissues than in normal control liver tissues. Moreover, the miR-196b-5p expression level had correlations with the clinicopathological parameters such as vascular invasion of HCC, but the molecular mechanisms of miR-196b-5p in HCC still need further elucidation and verification.

Protective potential of miR-146a-5p and its underlying molecular mechanism in diverse cancers: a comprehensive meta-analysis and bioinformatics analysis

Background/aims

Studies have shown that miR-146a-5p was differentially expressed in diverse cancers, but the associations between miR-146a-5p expression and prognosis across multiple types of cancer as well its potential targets and downstream pathways have not been comprehensively analyzed. In this study, we performed the first meta-analysis of the prognostic value of miR-146a-5p expression in diverse malignancies and explored prospective targets of miR-146a-5p and related signaling pathways.

Methods

A thorough search for articles related to miR-146a-5p was performed, and RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and microarray data from gene expression omnibus profiles were used to collect information about the prognostic value of miR-146a-5p. A comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted. Twelve platforms in miRWalk 2.0 were applied to predict targets of miR-146a-5p. TCGA RNA-seq data were used to validate the inverse relationships between miR-146a-5p and its likely targets. Subsequently, gene ontology and pathway analyses were conducted using Funrich version 3.1.3. Potential protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed. Potential target genes of miR-146a-5p in lung cancer were validated by RT-qPCR.

Results

We included 10 articles in the meta-analysis. In a pooled analysis, the high miR-146a-5p expression group showed a better overall survival in solid cancers, particularly in reproductive system cancers and digestive system cancers. A total of 120 predicted target genes were included in a bioinformatics analysis. Five pathways involving phospholipase C (PLC) and aquaporins (AQPs) were the most significantly enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. Moreover, the PPI network displayed the related signaling pathways and interactions among proteins. AQP1 and FYN were validated by RT-qPCR to be potential targets of miR-146a-5p in lung cancer.

Conclusion

There is a close link between high miR-146a-5p expression and better overall survival in 21 types of solid cancer, especially in reproductive system and digestive system cancers. Furthermore, miR-146a-5p could inhibit diverse malignancies by modulating pathways linked to PLC or AQPs. In summary, miR-146a-5p is a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for various cancers.

Comprehensive clinical implications of homeobox A10 in 3,199 cases of non-small cell lung cancer tissue samples combining qRT-PCR, RNA sequencing and microarray data

In the current study, we proposed to explore the potential role and related signaling pathways of Homobox A10 (HOXA10) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). HOXA10 levels in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) were detected by qRT-PCR and the expression of HOXA10 was significantly up-regulated in the NSCLC tissue of all 55 pairs (P = 0.037). Overexpression of HOXA10 was closely correlated with the clinical stage of LUSC (P = 0.011). HOXA10 expression in RNA sequencing data based on 1, 077 cases exhibited concordant significant up-regulation in NSCLC, LUAD and LUSC (P < 0.001). In NSCLC, HOXA10 expression was closely correlated to patient T stage (P = 0.006). In LUAD, HOXA10 expression was compactly correlated to patient N stage (P = 0.02). Some of the microarrays from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress showed consistent over-expression of HOXA10 levels in NSCLCs. More importantly, the combined SMD value was 0.052 (95% CI: 0.29-0.75, P < 0.001) generated by meta-analysis from 47 datasets based on 4, 616 cases of NSCLC. The area under the curve (AUC) of SROC supported the over-expression of HOXA10 in NSCLC as being 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81-0.93), with sensitivity and specificity of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81-0.93) and 0.56 (95% CI: 0.44-0.66), respectively. In addition, 111 co-expressed genes were collected from cBioPortal and enriched in "cell cycle", "cell adhesion molecules", "p53 signaling", and "adherens junction". Interestingly, an up-regulation trend of HOXA10 protein expression was also observed in NSCLC through tissue chips and immunohistochemistry. In conclusion, the overexpression of HOXA10 may play a pivotal role in the tumorigenesis of NSCLC, and this effect is observed more obviously in LUSC than in LUAD.

The clinicopathological significance of decreased miR-125b-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma: evidence based on RT-qPCR, microRNA-microarray, and microRNA-sequencing

The aim of the study was to comprehensively evaluate the clinical value of miR-125b-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its potential molecular mechanisms. MiR-125b-5p expression was remarkably lower as examined by real-time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in 95 paired HCC and nonmalignant liver tissues in house (P<0.001), which was in accord with the results from miRNA-sequencing data with 371 cases of HCC. miRNA-chips from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and ArrayExpress were screened. Among the seven included miRNA-chips, the relative expression of miR-125b-5p expression levels showed decreasing trends in HCC tissue samples compared with non-cancerous liver tissue samples. Altogether, A total of 655 cases of HCC tissues and 334 non-HCC liver tissues were included in the final meta-analysis. We observed that the expression of miR-125b-5p indeed decreased markedly in HCC tissues compared with the non-HCC tissues (SMD: -1.414, 95% CI: -1.894 to -0.935, P<0.001). The area under the SROC curve of lower expression of miR-125b-5p was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89 to 0.94). A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that the lower expression or the absence of miR-125b-5p may be a risk factor for the poor outcome of HCC patients. Furthermore, the potential target genes of miR-125b-5p from 11 miRNA target prediction databases were intersected with 1,486 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) as calculated by RNA-sequencing data. Finally, a total of 330 GEGs were collected and enriched in the pathways of lysosome, focal adhesion, and pathways in cancer. In conclusion, this study utilizes a variety of research methods to confirm the lower level of miR-125b-5p in HCC tissues. This lower expression level of miR-125b-5p is closely related to increased disease progression in HCC patients.