Clinical importance of long non‑coding RNA LINC00460 expression in EGFR‑mutant lung adenocarcinoma

Differential expression and clinical significance of long non-coding RNAs in the development and progression of lung adenocarcinoma

With the development of gene testing technology, we have found many different genes, and lncRNA is one of them. LncRNAs refer to a non-protein coding RNA molecule with a length of more than 200bp, which is one of the focuses of research on human malignant diseases such as LUAD. LncRNAs act as an oncogene or inhibitor to regulate the occurrence and progression of tumors. The differential expression of LncRNAs promotes or inhibits the progression of lung adenocarcinoma by affecting cell proliferation, metastasis, invasion, and apoptosis, thus affecting the prognosis and survival rate of patients. Therefore, LncRNAs can be used as a potential target for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The early diagnosis of the disease was made through the detection of tumor markers. Because lung adenocarcinoma is not easy to diagnose in the early stage and tumor markers are easy to ignore, LncRNAs play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma. The main purpose of this article is to summarize the known effects of LncRNAs on lung adenocarcinoma, the effect of differential expression of LncRNAs on the progression of lung adenocarcinoma, and related signal transduction pathways. And to provide a new idea for the future research of lung adenocarcinoma-related LncRNAs.

Upregulation of long non‑coding RNA LINC00460 in EGFR‑mutant lung cancer indicates a poor prognosis in patients treated with osimertinib

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00460 is involved in tumor growth, metastasis and drug resistance. The present study investigated the clinical significance of LINC00460 expression in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive lung cancer treated with osimertinib. Osimertinib-resistant cells we derived from EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, after which, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing and in vitro-transcribed (IVT), synthetic LINC00460 RNA transfection were used to investigate the effects of LINC00460 expression on acquired resistance to osimertinib. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate LINC00460 expression in 54 samples (RNA extracted from the tumor tissues of 30 cases and cell-free RNA from 24 cases) obtained from patients with EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer who had received osimertinib as the initial treatment. The acquisition of osimertinib resistance increased the expression of LINC00460 in the EGFR-mutant NSCLC cell lines. By contrast, knockdown of LINC00460 in osimertinib-resistant cell lines increased their sensitivity to osimertinib, whereas treatment of NSCLC cells with IVT LINC00460 RNA decreased their sensitivity to osimertinib. The present study examined LINC00460 expression at the primary tumor site and demonstrated that compared with in the low-expression group (n=24), the high-expression group (n=6) had a significantly lower best overall response rate to osimertinib (16.6% vs. 60.0%; P=0.044), significantly shorter median progression-free survival (PFS; 224 days vs. 669 days; P=0.001) and significantly shorter median overall survival (724 days vs. not reached; P=0.011). Moreover, following osimertinib therapy, PFS was significantly shorter for patients with high LINC00460 expression in plasma cell-free RNA (n=12) than for those with low LINC00460 expression (n=12) (median PFS: 655 days vs. 210 days; P=0.020). In conclusion, the upregulation of LINC00460, the expression of which is implicated in osimertinib resistance, in the primary site and plasma of patients with EGFR mutation-positive lung cancer may be associated with a poor prognosis in those treated with osimertinib.

Long non-coding RNAs in non-small cell lung cancer: implications for EGFR-TKI resistance

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common types of malignant tumors as well as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. The application of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has dramatically improved the prognosis of NSCLC patients who harbor EGFR mutations. However, despite an excellent initial response, NSCLC inevitably becomes resistant to EGFR-TKIs, leading to irreversible disease progression. Hence, it is of great significance to shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the EGFR-TKI resistance in NSCLC. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical gene modulators that are able to act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors that modulate tumorigenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Recently, extensive evidence demonstrates that lncRNAs also have a significant function in modulating EGFR-TKI resistance in NSCLC. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the lncRNAs involved in EGFR-TKI resistance in NSCLC and focus on their detailed mechanisms of action, including activation of alternative bypass signaling pathways, phenotypic transformation, intercellular communication in the tumor microenvironment, competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) networks, and epigenetic modifications. In addition, we briefly discuss the limitations and the clinical implications of current lncRNAs research in this field.

Tumor-Suppressive and Oncogenic Roles of microRNA-149-5p in Human Cancers

Malignant tumors are always a critical threat to human health, with complex pathogenesis, numerous causative factors, and poor prognosis. The features of cancers, such as gene mutations, epigenetic alterations, and the activation and inhibition of signaling pathways in the organism, play important roles in tumorigenesis and prognosis. MicroRNA (miRNA) enables the control of various molecular mechanisms and plays a variety of roles in human cancers, such as radiation sensitivity and tumor immunity, through the regulation of target genes. MiR-149-5p participates in the process and is closely related to lipogenesis, the migration of vascular endothelial cells, and the expression of stem-cell-related proteins. In recent years, its role in cancer has dramatically increased. In this review, we summarize the regular physiological roles of miRNAs, specifically miR-149-5p, in the organism and discuss the tumor-suppressive or oncogenic roles of miR-149-5p in different human cancers with respect to signaling pathways involved in regulation. Possible clinical applications of miR-149-5p in future targeted therapies and prognosis improvement in oncology are suggested.

Emerging Role of Noncoding RNAs in EGFR TKI-Resistant Lung Cancer

Lung cancer accounts for the majority of malignancy-related mortalities worldwide. The introduction of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has revolutionized the treatment and significantly improved the overall survival (OS) of lung cancer. Nevertheless, almost all EGFR-mutant patients invariably acquire TKI resistance. Accumulating evidence has indicated that noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have a central role in the tumorigenesis and progression of lung cancer by regulating crucial signaling pathways, providing a new approach for exploring the underlying mechanisms of EGFR-TKI resistance. Therefore, this review comprehensively describes the dysregulation of ncRNAs in EGFR TKI-resistant lung cancer and its underlying mechanisms. We also underscore the clinical application of ncRNAs as prognostic, predictive and therapeutic biomarkers for EGFR TKI-resistant lung cancer. Furthermore, the barriers that need to be overcome to translate the basic findings of ncRNAs into clinical practice are discussed.

Comprehensive analysis to identify a novel PTEN-associated ceRNA regulatory network as a prognostic biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most prevalent forms of lung cancer. Competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is one of the most frequently deleted tumour suppressor genes in LUAD. The present study aimed to identify a novel PTEN-associated-ceRNA regulatory network and identify potential prognostic markers associated with LUAD. Transcriptome sequencing profiles of 533 patients with LUAD were obtained from TCGA database, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened in LUAD samples with PTEN high- (PTENhigh) and low- (PTENlow) expression. Eventually, an important PTEN-related marker was identified, namely, the LINC00460/miR-150-3p axis. Furthermore, the predicted target genes (EME1/HNRNPAB/PLAUR/SEMA3A) were closely related to overall survival and prognosis. The LINC00460/miR-150-3p axis was identified as a clinical prognostic factor through Cox regression analysis. Methylation analyses suggested that abnormal regulation of the predicted target genes might be caused by hypomethylation. Furthermore, immune infiltration analysis showed that the LINC00460/miR-150-3p axis could alter the levels of immune infiltration in the tumour immune microenvironment, and promote the clinical progression of LUAD. To specifically induce PTEN deletion in the lungs, we constructed an STP mouse model (SFTPC-rtTA/tetO-cre/Ptenflox/+). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis were used to detect predicted target genes. Therefore, we revealed that the PTEN-related LINC00460/miR-150-3p axis based on ceRNA mechanism plays an important role in the development of LUAD and provides a new direction and theoretical basis for its targeted therapy.

The human long noncoding RNAs CoroMarker, MALAT1, CDR1as, and LINC00460 in whole blood of individuals after controlled short-term exposure with ultrafine metal fume particles at workplace conditions, and in human macrophages in vitro

Background

Short-term inhalation of occupationally relevant ultrafine zinc/copper (Zn/Cu) containing welding fumes has been shown to induce subclinical systemic inflammation, associated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular diseases. The involvement of noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in this setting is currently unknown. However, lncRNAs have been reported to fulfill essential roles in, e.g., cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, infectious diseases, and pollution-related lung disorders.

Methods

In this study, the specific lncRNAs levels of the 4 lncRNAs CoroMarker, MALAT1, CDR1as and LINC00460 were determined by RT-qPCR in THP-1 macrophages exposed to Zn/Cu metal fume suspensions for 1, 2, and 4 hours in vitro. Furthermore, 14 subjects were exposed to Zn/Cu containing welding fumes (at 2.5 mg/m³) for 6 hours. Before, 6, 10, and 29 hours after exposure start, whole blood cell lncRNAs levels were determined by RT-qPCR.

Results

In THP-1 macrophages, we observed a 2.3-fold increase of CDR1as at 1 h (Wilcoxon p = 0.03), a non-significant increase of CoroMarker at 1 h, and an increase of LINC00460 at 2 h (p = 0.03) and at 4 h (p = 0.06). In whole blood cells, we determined a non-significant upregulation of CDR1as at 6 h (p = 0.2), a significant downregulation of CoroMarker at 6 h (p = 0.04), and a significant upregulation of LINC00460 levels at 10 h (p = 0.04) and 29 h (p = 0.04). MALAT-1 remained unchanged in both settings.

Conclusion

The orientation of regulation of the lncRNAs is (except for CoroMarker) similar in the in vitro and in vivo experiments and in line with their described functions. Therefore, these results, e.g. the upregulation of the potential risk marker for cardiovascular diseases, CDR1as, contribute to understanding the underlying mechanisms of Zn/Cu-induced subclinical inflammation in metal workers.

Oncogenic roles of the lncRNA LINC00460 in human cancers

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent an important group of endogenous RNAs with limit protein-encoding capability, with a length of more than 200 nucleotides. Emerging evidence have demonstrated that lncRNAs are greatly involved in multiple cancers by playing critical roles in tumor initiation and progression. Long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 460 (LINC00460), a novel cancer-related lncRNA, exhibits abnormal expression and oncogenic function in multiple cancers, and positively correlates with poor clinical characteristics of cancer patients. LINC00460 has also been shown to be a promising biomarker for diagnosis as well as prognostic evaluation in cancer patients. In this review, we briefly summarized recent knowledge on the expression, functional roles, molecular mechanisms, and diagnostic and prognostic values of LINC00460 in human malignancies.

Long non-coding RNAs and cancer mechanisms: Immune cells and inflammatory cytokines in the tumor microenvironment

Chronic inflammation and immune response are two central hallmarks of the tumor microenvironment (TME), teeming with immune cells and inflammatory cytokines that promote tumor progression. Intriguingly, there is mutual regulation between immune cells and cytokines. Indeed, the differentiation and function of immune cells depend on cytokines secreted from tumor cells, whereas immune activation affects the dynamics of cytokines, reshaping the TME together. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as a blooming molecule are virtually involved in physiology and pathology events, especially TME. Notably, the regulatory loop between lncRNAs and cytokines or immune activation plays a vital role in tumor growth. Thus, this review concentrates on the interaction between lncRNAs and immune cells. It puts special attention to the intertwist between lncRNAs and cytokines or immune cells, providing a theoretical basis for lncRNAs as a potential biomarker and therapeutic tumor target.

Comprehensive Analysis of CDK1-Associated ceRNA Network Revealing the Key Pathways LINC00460/LINC00525-Hsa-Mir-338-FAM111/ZWINT as Prognostic Biomarkers in Lung Adenocarcinoma Combined with Experiments

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and effective biomarkers are still lacking for early detection and prognosis prediction. Here, based on gene expression profiles of LUAD patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), 806 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), 122 microRNAs (miRNAs) and 1269 mRNAs associated with CDK1 were identified. The regulatory axis of LINC00460/LINC00525-hsa-mir-338-FAM111B/ZWINT was determined according to the correlation between gene expression and patient prognosis. The abnormal up-regulation of FAM111B/ZWINT in LUAD was related to hypomethylation. Furthermore, immune infiltration analysis suggested FAM111B/ZWINT could affect the development and prognosis of cancer by regulating the LUAD immune microenvironment. EMT feature analysis suggested that FAM111B/ZWINT promoted tumor spread through the EMT process. Functional analysis showed FAM111B/ZWINT was involved in cell cycle events such as DNA replication and chromosome separation. We analyzed the HERB and GSCALite databases to identify potential target medicines that may play a role in the treatment of LUAD. Finally, the expression of LINC00460/LINC00525-hsa-mir-338-FAM111B/ZWINT axis was verified in LUAD cells by RT-qPCR, and these results were consistent with bioinformatics analysis. Overall, we constructed a CDK1-related ceRNA network and revealed the LINC00460/LINC00525-hsa-mir-338-FAM111/ZWINT pathways as potential diagnostic biomarkers or therapeutic targets of LUAD.

MicroRNAs as the critical regulators of tyrosine kinase inhibitors resistance in lung tumor cells

Lung cancer is the second most common and the leading cause of cancer related deaths globally. Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) are among the common therapeutic strategies in lung cancer patients, however the treatment process fails in a wide range of patients due to TKIs resistance. Given that the use of anti-cancer drugs can always have side effects on normal tissues, predicting the TKI responses can provide an efficient therapeutic strategy. Therefore, it is required to clarify the molecular mechanisms of TKIs resistance in lung cancer patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in regulation of various pathophysiological cellular processes. In the present review, we discussed the miRNAs that have been associated with TKIs responses in lung cancer. MiRNAs mainly exert their role on TKIs response through regulation of Tyrosine Kinase Receptors (TKRs) and down-stream signaling pathways. This review paves the way for introducing a panel of miRNAs for the prediction of TKIs responses in lung cancer patients.

Functions of non-coding RNAs in regulating cancer drug targets

With the development of precision medicine, the efficiency of tumor treatment has been significantly improved. More attention has been paid to targeted therapy and immunotherapy as the key to precision treatment of cancer. Targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has become one of the most important targeted treatments for various cancers. Comparing with traditional chemotherapy drugs, targeting EGFR is highly selective in killing tumor cells with better safety, tolerability and less side effect. In addition, tumor immunotherapy has become the fourth largest tumor therapy after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, these treatments still produce a certain degree of drug resistance. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) were found to play a key role in carcinogenesis, treatment and regulation of the efficacy of anticancer drugs in the past few years. Therefore, in this review, we aim to summarize the targeted treatment of cancers and the functions of ncRNAs in cancer treatment.

Integration of liquid biopsy and pharmacogenomics for precision therapy of EGFR mutant and resistant lung cancers

The advent of molecular profiling has revolutionized the treatment of lung cancer by comprehensively delineating the genomic landscape of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Drug resistance caused by EGFR mutations and genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters impedes effective treatment of EGFR mutant and resistant lung cancer. This review appraises current literature, opportunities, and challenges associated with liquid biopsy and pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing as precision therapy tools in the management of EGFR mutant and resistant lung cancers. Liquid biopsy could play a potential role in selection of precise tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapies during different phases of lung cancer treatment. This selection will be based on the driver EGFR mutational status, as well as monitoring the development of potential EGFR mutations arising during or after TKIs treatment, since some of these new mutations may be druggable targets for alternative TKIs. Several studies have identified the utility of liquid biopsy in the identification of EGFR driver and acquired resistance with good sensitivities for various blood-based biomarkers. With a plethora of sequencing technologies and platforms available currently, further evaluations using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in multicentric, multiethnic and larger patient cohorts could enable optimization of liquid-based assays for the detection of EGFR mutations, and support testing of CYP450 enzymes and drug transporter polymorphisms to guide precise dosing of EGFR TKIs.

A Review on the Role of miR-149-5p in the Carcinogenesis

miR-149 is an miRNA with essential roles in carcinogenesis. This miRNA is encoded by the MIR149 gene on 2q37.3. The miR-149 hairpin produces miR-149-5p and miR-149-3p, which are the “guide” and the sister “passenger” strands, respectively. Deep sequencing experiments have shown higher prevalence of miR-149-5p compared with miR-149-3p. Notably, both oncogenic and tumor suppressive roles have been reported for miR-149-5p. In this review, we summarize the impact of miR-149-5p in the tumorigenesis and elaborate mechanisms of its involvement in this process in a variety of neoplastic conditions based on three lines of evidence, i.e., in vitro, in vivo and clinical settings.

Identification of the ferroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs signature to improve the prognosis prediction and immunotherapy response in patients with NSCLC

BACKGROUND

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent type of lung carcinoma with an unfavorable prognosis. Ferroptosis is involved in the development of multiple cancers. Whereas, the prognostic value of ferroptosis-related lncRNAs in NSCLC remains uncertain.

METHODS

Gene expression profiles and clinical information of NSCLC were retrieved from the TCGA database. Ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) were explored in the FerrDb database and previous studies, ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (FRGs-lncRNAs) were identified by the correlation analysis and the LncTarD database. The differentially expressed FRGs-lncRNAs were screened and FRGs-lncRNAs associated with the prognosis were explored by univariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Then, an FRGs-lncRNAs signature was constructed and verified by the Lasso-penalized Cox analysis. Finally, the potential correlation between risk score, immune checkpoint genes, and chemotherapeutic sensitivity was further investigated.

RESULTS

129 lncRNAs with a potential regulatory relationship with 59 differentially expressed FRGs were found in NSCLC, of which 10 were related to the prognosis of NSCLC (P < 0.05). 9 prognostic-related FRGs-lncRNAs were used to construct the prognostic model and stratify NSCLC patients into high- and low-risk groups. A worse outcome was found in patients with high risk (P < 0.05). Moreover, a good predictive capacity of this signature in predicting NSCLC prognosis was confirmed. Additionally, 45 immune checkpoint genes and 4 chemotherapeutics drugs for NSCLC were identified to be correlated with the risk score.

CONCLUSION

A novel FRGs-lncRNAs signature was successfully constructed, which may contribute to improving the management strategies of NSCLC.

MiR-149-5p: An Important miRNA Regulated by Competing Endogenous RNAs in Diverse Human Cancers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) consist of a large family of small, non-coding RNAs with the ability to result in gene silencing post-transcriptionally. With recent advances in research technology over the past several years, the physiological and pathological potentials of miRNAs have been gradually uncovered. MiR-149-5p, a conserved miRNA, was found to regulate physiological processes, such as inflammatory response, adipogenesis and cell proliferation. Notably, increasing studies indicate miR-149-5p may act as an important regulator in solid tumors, especially cancers in reproductive system and digestive system. It has been acknowledged that miR-149-5p can function as an oncogene or tumor suppressor in different cancers, which is achieved by controlling a variety of genes expression and adjusting downstream signaling pathway. Moreover, the levels of miR-149-5p are influenced by several newly discovered long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs). However, there is blank about systematic function and mechanism of miR-149-5p in human cancers. In this review, we firstly summarize the present comprehension of miR-149-5p at the molecular level, its vital role in tumor initiation and progression, as well as its potential roles in monitoring diverse reproductive and digestive malignancies.

LINC00460 Is a Dual Biomarker That Acts as a Predictor for Increased Prognosis in Basal-Like Breast Cancer and Potentially Regulates Immunogenic and Differentiation-Related Genes

Breast cancer (BRCA) is a serious public health problem, as it is the most frequent malignant tumor in women worldwide. BRCA is a molecularly heterogeneous disease, particularly at gene expression (mRNAs) level. Recent evidence shows that coding RNAs represent only 34% of the total transcriptome in a human cell. The rest of the 66% of RNAs are non−coding, so we might be missing relevant biological, clinical or regulatory information. In this report, we identified two novel tumor types from TCGA with LINC00460 deregulation. We used survival analysis to demonstrate that LINC00460 expression is a marker for poor overall (OS), relapse-free (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in basal-like BRCA patients. LINC00460 expression is a potential marker for aggressive phenotypes in distinct tumors, including HPV-negative HNSC, stage IV KIRC, locally advanced lung cancer and basal-like BRCA. We show that the LINC00460 prognostic expression effect is tissue-specific, since its upregulation can predict poor OS in some tumors, but also predicts an improved clinical course in BRCA patients. We found that the LINC00460 expression is significantly enriched in the Basal-like 2 (BL2) TNBC subtype and potentially regulates the WNT differentiation pathway. LINC00460 can also modulate a plethora of immunogenic related genes in BRCA, such as SFRP5, FOSL1, IFNK, CSF2, DUSP7 and IL1A and interacts with miR-103-a-1, in-silico, which, in turn, can no longer target WNT7A. Finally, LINC00460:WNT7A ratio constitutes a composite marker for decreased OS and DMFS in Basal-like BRCA, and can predict anthracycline therapy response in ER-BRCA patients. This evidence confirms that LINC00460 is a master regulator in BRCA molecular circuits and influences clinical outcome.

LncRNA OSER1-AS1 interacts with miR-612/FOXM1 axis to modulate gefitinib resistance of lung adenocarcinoma

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in the acquired resistance to EGFR-directed therapies in lung cancer. LncRNA OSER1-AS1 has been reported to promote tumorigenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, its functions and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear in the acquired gefitinib-resistance of lung cancer. Our study revealed that increased expression of OSER1-AS1 was correlated with gefitinib resistance in lung adenocarcinoma. Higher OSER1-AS1 expression predicted disease progression of lung adenocarcinoma patients. The in vitro assays indicated OSER1-AS1 contributed to gefitinib resistance of lung adenocarcinoma cells via inhibiting cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. In vivo experiments showed that the knockdown of OSER1-AS1 restored the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to gefitinib. Further studies showed that OSER1-AS1 functioned as a molecular sponge of miR-612. OSER1-AS1 down-regulated miR-612 to increase FOXM1 expression, suggesting that miR-612/FOXM1 axis was regulated by OSER1-AS1, which was partially responsible for gefitinib resistance of lung adenocarcinoma. In conclusion, OSER1-AS1 promoted gefitinib resistance of lung adenocarcinoma through the miR-612/FOXM1 axis.

Construction of a Nomogram Based on a Hypoxia-Related lncRNA Signature to Improve the Prediction of Gastric Cancer Prognosis

Background

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors and has a poor prognosis. Hypoxia is related to the poor prognosis of cancer patients. We searched for hypoxia-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to predict both overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of gastric cancer patients.

Methods

We obtained hypoxia-related lncRNA expression profiles and clinical follow-up data of patients with gastric cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Molecular Signatures Database. The patients were randomly divided into a training group, test group and combined group. The hypoxia-related prognostic signature was constructed by Lasso regression and Cox regression models, the prognoses in different groups were compared by Kaplan-Meier (K-M) analysis, and the accuracy of the prognostic model was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results

A hypoxia-related prognostic signature comprising 10 lncRNAs was constructed to predict both OS and DFS in gastric cancer. In the training, test and combined groups, patients were divided into high- and low-risk groups according to the formula. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients in the high-risk group have poor prognoses, and the difference was significant in the subgroup analyses. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the predictive power of the model prediction is more accurate than that of standard benchmarks. The signature differed across Helicobacter pylori (Hp) status and T stages. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that the signature is an independent risk factor for both OS and DFS. A clinically predictive nomogram combining the lncRNA signature and clinical features was constructed; the nomogram accurately predicted both OS and DFS and had high clinical application value. Weighted correlation network analysis combined with enrichment analysis showed that the primary pathways were the PI3K-Akt, JAK-STAT, and IL-17 signaling pathways. The target genes NOX4, COL8A1, and CHST1 were associated with poor prognosis in the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, Gene Expression Omnibus, and K-M Plotter databases.

Conclusions

Our 10-lncRNA prognostic signature and nomogram are accurate, reliable tools for predicting both OS and DFS in gastric cancer.

Functional Significance of Mirna-149 in Lung Cancer: Can it be Utilized as a Potential Biomarker or a Therapeutic Target?

Accumulating evidence has documented the significance of miR-149 as a promising tumor-suppressive non-coding RNA that play critical roles in regulating genes involved in cancer growth and metastasis. Notably, the ability of miR-149 to be utilized as a potential biomarker in the diagnosis/prognosis or a therapeutic target has also been explored using various cellular and preclinical models, as well as in clinical settings of lung cancer. While the applicability of miR-149 in assessing tumor progression has been suggested, its potential in predicting treatment outcomes is needed to be verified in diverse settings of lung cancer patients. The current review presents an overview of the functional significance of miR-149 with ongoing challenges in non-small cell lung cancer.