miR‑205 suppresses cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis via regulation of the PTEN/AKT pathway in renal cell carcinoma

Decoding PTEN regulation in clear cell renal cell carcinoma: Pathway for biomarker discovery and therapeutic insights

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common adult renal solid tumor and the deadliest urological cancer, with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) being the predominant subtype. The PI3K/AKT signaling pathway assumes a central role in ccRCC tumorigenesis, wherein its abnormal activation confers a highly aggressive phenotype, leading to swift resistance against current therapies and distant metastasis. Thus, treatment resistance and disease progression remain a persistent clinical challenge in managing ccRCC effectively. PTEN, an antagonist of the PI3K/AKT signaling axis, emerges as a crucial factor in tumor progression, often experiencing loss or inactivation in ccRCC, thereby contributing to elevated mortality rates in patients. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying PTEN suppression in ccRCC tumors holds promise for the discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets, ultimately enhancing patient monitoring and treatment outcomes. The present review aims to summarize these mechanisms, emphasizing their potential prognostic, predictive, and therapeutic value in managing ccRCC.

Kidney Cancer and Potential Use of Urinary Extracellular Vesicles

Kidney cancer is the 14th most common cancer globally. The 5-year relative survival rate of kidney cancer at a localized stage is 92.9% and it declines to 17.4% in metastatic stage. Currently, the most accurate method of its diagnosis is tissue biopsy. However, the invasive and costly nature of biopsies makes it undesirable in many patients. Therefore, novel biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis should be explored. Urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs) are small vesicles (50-200 nm) in urine carrying nucleic acids, proteins and lipids as their cargos. These uEVs' cargos can provide non-invasive alternative to monitor kidney health. In this review, we have summarized recent studies investigating potential use of uEVs' cargos as biomarkers in kidney cancer for diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic intervention.

Regulation of antitumor miR-205 targets oncogenes: Direct regulation of lymphoid specific helicase and its clinical significance

HEADING AIMS

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors with a high incidence and leading cancer-related death in women worldwide. MiR-205 plays a crucial role in breast cancer initiation and progression. Here, we identified the relationship between miR-205 and lymphoid specific helicase and confirmed the significance of the miR-205/lymphoid specific helicase (miR-205/HELLS) axis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were analyzed to investigate the expression level of miR-205 and HELLS in breast cancer. The TargetScan, Starbase and miRWalk databases were used to predict the candidate target genes of miR-205. Proliferation and migration abilities were examined using cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation assays, transwell assay and wound-healing assay. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was utilized to confirm the binding of miR-205 and HELLS. Quantitative RT-PCR, western blot assays or immunohistochemistry were conducted to detect the expression level of genes in breast cancer cells or tissues. Mice xenograft models were constructed to explore the function of miR-205 and HELLS in vivo.

KEY FINDINGS

Overexpressed miR-205 alleviated cancer cell proliferation and migration and influenced patients' prognosis by negatively regulating the HELLS gene. Consistently, animal experiments revealed that both overexpressing miR-205 and knocking down HELLS exhibited significant tumor growth inhibition in vivo.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our study demonstrated that miR-205 targets HELLS to regulate tumor progression. MiR-205 and HELLS could be considered a novel diagnosis and therapeutic molecular marker of breast cancer.

Effect of miR-184 and miR-205 on the tumorigenesis of conjunctival mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma through regulating RasL10B and TNFAIP8

AIM

To explore the effect of miR-184 and miR-205 on the proliferation and metastasis of conjunctival mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma.

METHODS

Tissue of tumor and adjacent normal control from 5 patients with conjunctival MALT was included. RPMI8226 cell line was selected to verify the effect of miRNAs in B cells. The function of microRNA on the RPMI8226 cell apoptosis, migration and invasion was evaluated by apoptosis assay and Transwell assay. The mRNA and protein expression were examined by quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting. The effect of microRNA on regulation of downstream gene expression was evaluated by luciferase report assay.

RESULTS

A decreased level of miR-184 and miR-205 was observed in MALT lymphoma tissue. Exogenous miR-184 and miR-205 analogues promoted apoptosis, and inhibited the survival, migration, and invasion of RPMI8226 cells. miR-184 and miR-205 inhibitor reversed the process. The RNA and protein level of RasL10B and TNFAIP8 were downregulated in MALT lymphoma tissue. The exogenous of miR-184 and miR-205 promoted the expression of RasL10B and TNFAIP8. Meanwhile, inhibition of miR-184 and miR-205 repressed the expression of target gene, RasL10B and TNFAIP8.

CONCLUSION

miR-184 and miR-205 suppresses the tumorigenesis of conjunctival MALT lymphoma through regulating RasL10B and TNFAIP8.

Inhibition Sequence of miR-205 Hinders the Cell Proliferation and Migration of Lung Cancer Cells by Regulating PETN-Mediated PI3K/AKT Signal Pathway

The aim of this study was to identify the pro-tumor role of miR-205 in patients with lung cancer (LC) on the cell proliferation and migration through regulating PTEN-mediated PI3K/AKT signal pathway. Paired cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were collected from 107 LC patients who received treatment in Jinan Central hospital. In addition, the purchased LC cell lines were transfected into HCC827 cell line to observe and compare the biological behaviors. Compared with adjacent tissues, miR-205 was statistically higher in LC tissues, while PTEN was notably lower (P < 0.05). Inhibition of miR-205 not only suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion, increased apoptosis rate, but regulated epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT)-related proteins. Likewise, overexpression of PETN played the same role as that of miR-205 inhibition sequence. Inhibited miR-205 or PTEN overexpression brought dramatically decreased PI3K and p-Akt. The relationship between miR-205 and PTEN was verified through the biological prediction website and luciferase reporter. Co-transfection experiments revealed that after cotransfection of miR-205 inhibitor and si-PETN, the cell proliferation and invasion showed no marked difference between cotransfection group and NC group. MiR-205 is involved in LC cell proliferation and migration by regulating PETN-mediated PI3K/AKT signal pathway, which may be a feasible treatment target for LC in clinical practice.

Identification of FBXW7α-regulated genes in M1-polarized macrophages in colorectal cancer by RNA sequencing

OBJECTIVES

To determine the FBXW7α-regulated genes in tumor-polarized macrophages in colorectal cancer.

METHODS

This experimental study was performed between June 2017 and March 2019. FBXW7α siRNA transfected RAW264.7 cells, together with the control group, were co-cultured with the colon cancer cell line, Colon-26. M1  marker production from the macrophages was determined by ELISA and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Whole genomic differential expression between the FBXW7α siRNA group and the control group were determined by RNA-sequencing analysis. The target site of the microRNA-205 gene was predicted using Targetscan and was verified by the luciferase assay. By transfecting mimics or inhibitors of microRNA-205, we explored the role of FBXW7α/microRNA-205 axis in regulating the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM).

RESULTS

FBXW7α knockdown in RAW264.7 enhanced the expression of cyclooxigenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), mRNA expression and IL6, IL12, p40, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) production upon co-culture with Colon-26 cells in vitro. Further, compared with the control group, 648 genes in total were enhanced and 416 targets were downregulated in FBXW7α siRNA transfected cells, among which miR-205 was the most significantly upregulated. SMAD1 was identified as an miR-205 target. The FBXW7α/miR-205 axis might regulate TAM polarization by affecting SMAD1 expression.

CONCLUSION

These results prove that the FBXW7α/miR-205 axis plays an important role in TAM polarization and could facilitate further exploration of its molecular mechanism.

Low let-7d and high miR-205 expression levels positively influence HNSCC patient outcome

Introduction

Head and neck squamous carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most invasive types of cancer with high mortality. A previous study has indicated that low levels of let-7d and miR-205 in HNSCC patients are correlated with poor survival. Let-7d and miR-205 are tumor suppressors and regulators of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, it is unclear if let-7d and miR-205 together influence cancer cells.

Aim

To determine if let-7d and miR-205 expression levels influence HNSCC patient outcome.

Methods

The TCGA expression data for let-7d, miR-205 and their targets as well as clinical data were downloaded from cBioPortal and starBase v2.0 for 307 patients. The expression levels of let-7d and miR-205 were verified according to clinicopathological parameters. The let-7d and miR-205 high- and low-expression groups as well as disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and expression levels of genes related to EMT, cancer stem cells, metastasis, cell cycle, drug response and irradiation response were investigated.

Results

Let-7d and miR-205 were frequently upregulated in HNSCC compared to normal samples, and ROC analysis showed high discrimination ability for let-7d and miR-205 (area 0.7369 and 0.7739, respectively; p < 0.0001). Differences between expression levels of let-7d or miR-205 and grade, angiolymphatic invasion, perineural invasion and alcohol consumption were indicated. No differences were observed in N-stage, tumor localization, gender or patient age. Patients with lower let-7d levels and higher miR-205 levels had significantly better OS (p = 0.0325) than patients with higher let-7d levels and lower miR-205 levels. In the low let-7d level and high miR-205 level group, a lower percentage of more advanced cancers was observed. The analysis of genes related to EMT, cancer stem cells, metastasis, cell cycle, drug response and irradiation response revealed a distinct phenotype of analyzed groups.

Conclusions

The present findings indicated that let-7d down-regulation and miR-205 overexpression create a unique cell phenotype with different behavior compared to cells with upregulated let-7d and down-regulated miR-205. Thus, let-7d and miR-205 are good candidates for new HNSCC biomarkers.

miR‑205 targets YAP1 and inhibits proliferation and invasion in thyroid cancer cells

MicroRNA‑205 (miR‑205) has been reported to be downregulated, and serves critical roles in the pathogenesis and progression of several types of cancer, including breast, prostate and lung cancer. However, the underlying mechanism of miR‑205 in thyroid cancer remains unclear. In the present study, it was demonstrated that the expression of miR‑205 was reduced in thyroid cancer tissues compared with non‑cancer tissues. In addition, miR‑205‑knockdown models in the BHT‑101 cell line and ectopic expression models in the 8505‑C cell line were used to measure the biological functions of miR‑205. The results indicated that miR‑205 inhibited certain aspects of thyroid cancer, including cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, Yes‑associated protein 1 (YAP1) was identified as a target gene of miR‑205 and its expression was negatively correlated with that of miR‑205 in thyroid cancer tissues. Depletion of YAP1 partially reduced the anti‑miR‑205‑induced cell growth and invasion. The results of the present study suggested that the tumor suppressive functions of miR‑205 via targeting YAP1 could be a novel target for the treatment of thyroid cancer.

Anticancer effects of isofraxidin against A549 human lung cancer cells via the EGFR signaling pathway

Lung cancer is the leading cause of mortality due to tumor malignancy worldwide. In recent years, the treatment of lung cancer with chemotherapy has demonstrated notable resistance and insensitivity. Therefore, it is of great importance to investigate anti‑lung cancer drugs with high efficiency and low toxicity. In the present study, the effects of isofraxidin on lung cancer cells and the associated mechanisms were investigated. The results revealed that, in vivo and in vitro, isofraxidin exhibited marked inhibitory effects on the A549 lung cancer cell line. The results of Cell Counting kit‑8, Transwell migration and Matrigel invasion assays, and flow cytometry to determine apoptosis, revealed that isofraxidin significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of A549 cells, and induced the cell apoptosis. Furthermore, western blot analysis demonstrated that isofraxidin treatment led to effects on the expression of apoptosis‑associated proteins, including members of the Bcl‑2 protein family, and invasion‑associated proteins, including matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)‑2 and MMP‑9, which may occur via inhibition of the expression of phosphorylated (p)‑epidermal growth factor receptor, p‑AKT and p‑extracellular signal‑regulated kinase. This regulation of protein expression may contribute to the inhibition of proliferation, migration and invasion of A549lung cancer cells by isofraxidin. In addition, despite the inhibitory effects on the A549 lung cancer cell line, the present study revealed that isofraxidin exhibited low toxicity towards BEAS‑2B normal lung epithelial cells within a certain dose range (0‑160 µM), indicating that isofraxidin may be employed for lung cancer treatment with hypotoxicity and fewer side effects. In conclusion, isofraxidin may be a novel candidate for anti‑lung cancer chemotherapy.